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NFL MORE POPULAR THAN EVER, BUCS CHOOSE A COACH, CHIEFS SR. BOWL INTERVIEWS PERPLEXING & IS KANSAS CITY TRYING TO STIFF TODD HALEY?
I've mentioned the fantastic TV ratings from the NFL playoffs, in most cases they were the best in almost 20-years. On Thursday, Harris Interactive, the famous polling company, released the latest proof the NFL's lockout did nothing to hurt pro football's popularity. From December 5th to the 12th, a total of 2,237 adults were polled as to their favorite sport. The NFL buried the number two choice, Major League Baseball, by a huge margin, 36% to 13%. What will make the NFL brass even happier & MLB's honchos looking for answers is the gain/loss from just 1-year ago. In 2011, in the same poll, the difference was 31% to 17%. Clearly the lockout didn't keep anyone from watching the NFL in 2012 more than any other sport. College football, my personal favorite, finished in a tie for 2nd place with baseball at 13%. Auto racing was 4th at 8% & the NBA, college hoops & hockey all tied at 5%.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced their coach will be former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. I find this a puzzling hire, Schiano did revive the Rutgers' program, but they were never a threat to become a perennial top-15-type. He coaches too many losing seasons for my taste. I think he's a stand-up guy who ran a clean program, but that qualifies him to lead an NFL team, a troubled NFL team at that? His career record of 68-67 at Rutgers included a 5-1 record in a bunch of 3rd tier bowl games. I understand the Glazer family wants increased discipline but is winning a priority? Weird choice IMO.
The fallout from Schiano's departure from Rutgers 6-days before national signing day could be catastrophic for the Scarlet Knight program. Several top prospects who committed to Schiano have already reopened their recruiting. Rutgers may give Penn State a run for the title of worst 2012 recruiting class.
DandyDave emailed a good question. "With the emergence of the new breed of tight ends, Gronkowski, Graham, Davis, Finley, etc. what can NFL defense do to lessen their impact?" Dave, part of their impact is their physical makeup, very tall, athletic & quick for their size. Part of their impact is the offensive scheme they play in & lastly, NFL defenses haven't figured out how to stop them, so they continue to ravage defense after defense. If you play against these guys more than twice a year, I think you're going to see divisional opponents concentrate on bigger, more athletic & physical safeties & faster linebackers that can run with these big guys. If your team is in the same division, one of these guys could cost you two games, they've put up some gaudy stats in just a couple of years. In this draft, Alabama safety Mark Barron, Notre Dame's Harrison Smith & Boise's George Iloka all have the size, speed & athleticism to play against these new tight ends. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David has shown at the Senior Bowl he can run with any tight end which should make him quite valuable come April.
Alabama's Mark Barron Irish safety Harrison Smith
According to TV5 in Dallas, the Cowboys are apparently quite interested in North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was dismissed from the Florida program last spring for marijuana possession, not that bad in itself, but it was his third strike, he'd previously been suspended for an off-campus fight & a rumored failed drug test. With all that baggage, he sounds perfect for the Cowboys. As a player, he's a high-risk, high-reward type of corner. I've seen him get burned because he sits on too many routes looking for a pick or gets caught peeking into the backfield, but the kid does make a plays & he can really run.
It's now Friday morning & still not a single peep out of the Chiefs hierarchy regarding any interviews for offensive coordinator. I thought by now, we'd have a clue as to a couple of the candidates, but no clue so far.
While at the Senior Bowl, NFL coaching staffs can interview prospects for up to 30-minutes in the evening. At next month's scouting combine, the time limits are extremely rigid, 15-minutes start to finish. Anyway, the Chiefs have had meetings with several prospects while in Mobile, but I have to say, it's a puzzling group. Of the 5 I know about, only one makes sense to me, see what you think.
Leonard Johnson--CB--Iowa State Intriguing prospect, somewhere in round 3 or 4. Mike Mayock compares L.J. to Brandon Flowers, it's a good comparison. Nearly the exact same size, good speed & ball skills. Excellent in run support, I clearly get interviewing him.
Cornerback Leonard Johnson
Johnnie Troutman--G--Penn State After watching this guy play three times during the regular season, a bowl game & his Senior Bowl week, I don't even know if the guy's draftable. He simply gets thrown around too much, spends way too much time on the ground & I don't know how you coach that type of talent into an NFL-quality player.
Boom Herron--WR--Ohio State Part of the "Tattoo-gate" suspension group. So his character comes into question right away. Maybe Scott Pioli can bring back Thomas Jones for one more season to bust his hand next summer.
Cam Johnson--OLB--Virginia & Jake Bequette--OLB--Arkansas I've been impressed by both players this week. They were both down defensive ends that because of their size, will have to stand up outside in a 3-4. But both have some quick off the edge pass rush skills. I don't see either being more of a threat than Justin Houston. With all the holes Kansas City currently has, it would be surprising to draft a position of strength.
Something I keep hearing from media in Mobile is their comparisons of Quinton Coples to Julius Peppers. "Same college, same number, same size, same skill set" is what I keep hearing. All of that is completely true, but here's the catch, Coples had a very down senior season capped off with a miserable showing against the Missouri Tigers in the Independence Bowl. After a tackle for a loss & a sack in the 1st series, Coples was completely negated by Dan Hoch & Justin Britt, hardly household names when we're talking about offensive tackles. How do you draft a kid with a very sketchy recent history in the top-10, as so many media-types are suggesting. Outside of Peppers, so many defensive linemen from the Tar Heel program have disappointed at the next level. Can you say Ryan Sims?
A story surfaced Thursday evening after a Phoenix sports radio host, Mike Jurecki of XTRA Sports 910, Tweeted the following message.
"Hearing the Chiefs R refusing to pay Todd Haley the remainder of his salary, was terminated for cause, other words 4 a specific reason."
Is that reason the piece in the Kansas City Star that mentioned Haley thought his phone had been tampered with & his office bugged? What else could it be? One thing that can't be ignored, Haley was fired five weeks before the Star published the story of buggin' & tamperin.' So realistically, unless there's a contingency in his contract that says he can't trash the Chiefs forever, I don't think that's it. So, I say again, what the hell is it? One other note, this Tweet might be way off base. Regardless, is there anyone who still doubts the acrimony that exists between Haley & Pioli? It's very real folks. I honestly don't know if this story is true, but I do know this, if even a shread of it holds water, it's another sign Scott Pioli has his priorities completely misplaced when his team needs his full attention.
The Raiders' Al Davis said when he terminated head coach Lane Kiffin, he had been fired for cause. Kiffin appealed to the league & they upheld the Raiders accusation. Kiffin didn't get a dime out of the Raiders.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced their coach will be former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. I find this a puzzling hire, Schiano did revive the Rutgers' program, but they were never a threat to become a perennial top-15-type. He coaches too many losing seasons for my taste. I think he's a stand-up guy who ran a clean program, but that qualifies him to lead an NFL team, a troubled NFL team at that? His career record of 68-67 at Rutgers included a 5-1 record in a bunch of 3rd tier bowl games. I understand the Glazer family wants increased discipline but is winning a priority? Weird choice IMO.
The fallout from Schiano's departure from Rutgers 6-days before national signing day could be catastrophic for the Scarlet Knight program. Several top prospects who committed to Schiano have already reopened their recruiting. Rutgers may give Penn State a run for the title of worst 2012 recruiting class.
DandyDave emailed a good question. "With the emergence of the new breed of tight ends, Gronkowski, Graham, Davis, Finley, etc. what can NFL defense do to lessen their impact?" Dave, part of their impact is their physical makeup, very tall, athletic & quick for their size. Part of their impact is the offensive scheme they play in & lastly, NFL defenses haven't figured out how to stop them, so they continue to ravage defense after defense. If you play against these guys more than twice a year, I think you're going to see divisional opponents concentrate on bigger, more athletic & physical safeties & faster linebackers that can run with these big guys. If your team is in the same division, one of these guys could cost you two games, they've put up some gaudy stats in just a couple of years. In this draft, Alabama safety Mark Barron, Notre Dame's Harrison Smith & Boise's George Iloka all have the size, speed & athleticism to play against these new tight ends. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David has shown at the Senior Bowl he can run with any tight end which should make him quite valuable come April.
Alabama's Mark Barron Irish safety Harrison Smith
According to TV5 in Dallas, the Cowboys are apparently quite interested in North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was dismissed from the Florida program last spring for marijuana possession, not that bad in itself, but it was his third strike, he'd previously been suspended for an off-campus fight & a rumored failed drug test. With all that baggage, he sounds perfect for the Cowboys. As a player, he's a high-risk, high-reward type of corner. I've seen him get burned because he sits on too many routes looking for a pick or gets caught peeking into the backfield, but the kid does make a plays & he can really run.
It's now Friday morning & still not a single peep out of the Chiefs hierarchy regarding any interviews for offensive coordinator. I thought by now, we'd have a clue as to a couple of the candidates, but no clue so far.
While at the Senior Bowl, NFL coaching staffs can interview prospects for up to 30-minutes in the evening. At next month's scouting combine, the time limits are extremely rigid, 15-minutes start to finish. Anyway, the Chiefs have had meetings with several prospects while in Mobile, but I have to say, it's a puzzling group. Of the 5 I know about, only one makes sense to me, see what you think.
Leonard Johnson--CB--Iowa State Intriguing prospect, somewhere in round 3 or 4. Mike Mayock compares L.J. to Brandon Flowers, it's a good comparison. Nearly the exact same size, good speed & ball skills. Excellent in run support, I clearly get interviewing him.
Cornerback Leonard Johnson
Johnnie Troutman--G--Penn State After watching this guy play three times during the regular season, a bowl game & his Senior Bowl week, I don't even know if the guy's draftable. He simply gets thrown around too much, spends way too much time on the ground & I don't know how you coach that type of talent into an NFL-quality player.
Boom Herron--WR--Ohio State Part of the "Tattoo-gate" suspension group. So his character comes into question right away. Maybe Scott Pioli can bring back Thomas Jones for one more season to bust his hand next summer.
Cam Johnson--OLB--Virginia & Jake Bequette--OLB--Arkansas I've been impressed by both players this week. They were both down defensive ends that because of their size, will have to stand up outside in a 3-4. But both have some quick off the edge pass rush skills. I don't see either being more of a threat than Justin Houston. With all the holes Kansas City currently has, it would be surprising to draft a position of strength.
Something I keep hearing from media in Mobile is their comparisons of Quinton Coples to Julius Peppers. "Same college, same number, same size, same skill set" is what I keep hearing. All of that is completely true, but here's the catch, Coples had a very down senior season capped off with a miserable showing against the Missouri Tigers in the Independence Bowl. After a tackle for a loss & a sack in the 1st series, Coples was completely negated by Dan Hoch & Justin Britt, hardly household names when we're talking about offensive tackles. How do you draft a kid with a very sketchy recent history in the top-10, as so many media-types are suggesting. Outside of Peppers, so many defensive linemen from the Tar Heel program have disappointed at the next level. Can you say Ryan Sims?
A story surfaced Thursday evening after a Phoenix sports radio host, Mike Jurecki of XTRA Sports 910, Tweeted the following message.
"Hearing the Chiefs R refusing to pay Todd Haley the remainder of his salary, was terminated for cause, other words 4 a specific reason."
Is that reason the piece in the Kansas City Star that mentioned Haley thought his phone had been tampered with & his office bugged? What else could it be? One thing that can't be ignored, Haley was fired five weeks before the Star published the story of buggin' & tamperin.' So realistically, unless there's a contingency in his contract that says he can't trash the Chiefs forever, I don't think that's it. So, I say again, what the hell is it? One other note, this Tweet might be way off base. Regardless, is there anyone who still doubts the acrimony that exists between Haley & Pioli? It's very real folks. I honestly don't know if this story is true, but I do know this, if even a shread of it holds water, it's another sign Scott Pioli has his priorities completely misplaced when his team needs his full attention.
The Raiders' Al Davis said when he terminated head coach Lane Kiffin, he had been fired for cause. Kiffin appealed to the league & they upheld the Raiders accusation. Kiffin didn't get a dime out of the Raiders.
GOODELL GETS EXTENSION, COLTS GET THEIR MAN, MY ANSWER TO PIOLI'S STRATEGY & SENIOR BOWL REPORT
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell received a 5-year contract extension that will run thru 2018. His counterpart, NFLPA President DeMaurice Smith, is also expecting an extension from the players. Considering all the acrimony during the lockout, the TV Ratings are absolutely thru the roof, we once again have labor harmony for the foreseeable future & now it appears leaders from both sides will stay on the job. Yes, it's all good.
Jerry Jones continually amazes me. Last week the Cowboy's owner & general manager said this "The main difference between the Giants & Cowboys is Eli Manning." Must have made his quarterback, Tony Romo, feel pretty special. Today, he did it again. Jones was asked about the Forty-Niners & his response was "Did you see those inside linebackers for San Francisco? I dream of having linebackers like that." Think Dallas ILB's Sean Lee & Bruce Carter appreciated their owner "dreaming' about other linebackers? Maybe the Dallas owner ought to chew on his general manager a little for letting him down huh?
Since the temporary seating thing worked so well at least year's Super Bowl in Dallas(lawsuits are still pending in addition to huge cash settlements by the NFL) the league is at it again & their timing is, like last year, near perfect. The NFL plans to install 5,000 temporary seats in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium in time for the Super Bowl in 10-days. Better get busy. Hopefully, it works out better this time.
Speaking of Indianapolis, the Colts made their choice for new head coach & it's current Baltimore defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. That's yet another reason I think Peyton Manning won't play for the Colts in 2012. Bringing in a defensive coach who will undoubtedly change offensive coordinators. They brought Tony Dungy for a 7-year stint & he was a defensive coach. But Dungy left the Tom Moore, who had been the Colts' offensive coordinator for 5-years prior, in place because manning wanted it that way. Peyton is due a $28 million roster bonus in February & because the league's 2012 season opening isn't till early March, the Colts can't trade him. If they want to avoid the bonus, they'll have to cut him, cold turkey, zero compensation. There's another thing to consider, maybe Peyton won't be able to play or choose not to play with his neck ailment. Who knows? In the end, I believe the Colts will release him before they have to pay him the $28 million & then we'll see some wild bidding from 5-6 teams who can't draft Andrew Luck or RG3. Miami, Washington, Arizona, Seattle & the Jets come to mind. For those of you who have emailed your wishes for Manning to join the Chiefs, I seriously doubt that will happen. It's against everything Scott Pioli believes in, trading premium picks for veteran players, especially players who will turn 36 this March & has a chronic neck problem.
Kansas City scribe Bob Gretz spotted former Chiefs' offensive coordinator Al Saunders & ex-Chiefs' great Kevin Ross at the Senior Bowl in their Raider gear, their current employer. When asked about their job stability, Saunders replied "You just keep showing up until they tell you not too." I sure would like him in his old position, O-coordinator for Kansas City.
Former Jaguars head coach, Jack Del Rio, could become defensive coordinator for his old boss, Denver's John Fox. Del Rio spent time with Fox at the Senior Bowl, when Dennis Allen signs with the Raiders as their new head coach, the Broncos will need a new defensive boss. It could very well be Del Rio, he was Fox's D-coordinator in his first season at Carolina.
If you follow the Chiefs, you know GM Scott Pioli has some very definite ideas regarding the draft. One of them is he believes quality offensive linemen can be selected in the middle to late rounds of the draft. I offer exhibit A: From the four teams in last weekend's championship games, here are their offensive tackles & the draft round they were selected.
Baltimore Ravens--Michael Oher(round 1) & Bryant McKinnie(1)
New England Patriots--Because of injuries, the Pats have started 3 different tackles.
Nate Solder(1), Sebastian Volmer(2) & Matt Light(2)
San Francisco 49ers--Joe Staley(1) & Anthony Davis(1)
New York Giants--David Diehl(5) & Kareem McKenzie(3)
That's nine starting tackles, seven obtained with premium(1-3) selections. You get what you pay for, apparently even Bill Belichick believes so.
From today's Senior Bowl practices, this last of the padded, full speed practices, here's what I saw.
North Squad--hot list
Nebraska LB Lavonte David looked very fluid in his pass drops & closed quickly.
Boise RB Doug Martin continues to impress in every single phase of his game. FYI, in his true freshman year he was voted the scout team MVP. Strong, soft hands for catching the ball(56 recep. the past 2 seasons).
Marshall DE Vinny Curry showed a powerful burst off the edge & won every 1 on 1 but once.
Washington NT Alameda Ta'amu repeatedly blew past both North centers, the guy is quick & powerful.
Washington NT Alameda Ta'amu
UConn DT Kendall Reyes had another excellent day in the 1 on 1 drills. Very good day.
Mizzou E Michael Egnew had another decent day, he's the best TE on either team. Snatched the ball out of the air even the flutter-balls thrown by the North QB's.
Michigan DT Mike Martin was productive again today. Went past the whistle several times
Iowa State CB Leonard Johnson made himself some $ this week. He's not afraid of contact & he battles when the ball is in the air.
Boise S George Iloka snagged another interception & in the stalk drill(WR's blocking DB's) he knocked both guys to the ground with little effort.
North Squad--not so hot list
Ohio State OT Mike Adams got knocked down a few pegs on Wednesday. Vinny Curry wore him out in the 11 on 11 & 1 on 1 drills. He was at LT all morning but I don't see Adams as anything but a RT.
Boise DT Billy Winn looks out of shape & overweight. He was blocked to the ground several times & lost his balance too easily a few other times landing on his ass. I haven't seen a good rep out of the Las Vegas native so far.
Both North centers have had way too many poor snaps & I question whether they'll get it straightened out by Saturday's kickoff.
Wisconsin C/G Kevin Seitler had a bad day, Ta'amu wore him out as did Kendall Reyes.
Penn State G Johnnie Troutman wasn't much better or Ohio State C Mike Brewster, who got roughed up by Michigan's Mike Martin snap after snap.
All three North QB's continued to struggle, between the bad snaps, overwhelmed offensive linemen & unfamiliarity with the receivers, Saturday's game could be a long one for this trio.
South Squad--hot list
Mississippi Stae RB Vick Ballard looked like an NFL running back catching the ball on swings & screens. Ran hard & broke tackles.
Louisiana Tech RB Lennon Creer really impressed me again, just as he did during the regular season, he is a patient, sure-handed, tough runner with good vision for the cutback.
La Tech's Lennon Creer
North Carolina LB Zach Brown has a very quick 1st step when blitzing & damn tough to block as well.
Louisiana-Lafayette CB Dwight Bentley has made money with a solid week of practice. Nothing outstanding, but every part of his game is above average.
Arizona WR Juron Criner dominated his man almost every time. Excellent hands too.
Florida WR Chris Rainey got separation again today, on nearly every pattern. Get this guy 12-15 touches a game returning kicks, catching passes & a couple of runs out of the backfield. He has blazing speed that completely translates to the football field. I expect him to run 4.25 or better at the combine next month.
Houston WR Patrick Edwards runs superb routes at nearly full speed but he suffered what appeared to be a right hamstring injury running a go-route.
Georgia T/G Cordy Glenn had another excellent practice. Spent most of it at LT, don't see him there in the pros. Like I said last night, LG or RT. He abused Quinton Coples before & after the whistle. I really like this kid a lot.
Georgia's Cordy Glenn
South Carolina DL/OLB Melvin Ingram beat up on Zebrie Sanders all afternoon. IMO, Sanders should be first tried as a 4-3 RDE, he has Dwight Freeney-type skills.
Clemson DT Brandon Thompson blew up every guard or center that tried to block him. He's had a good week.
Texas DT Kheeston Randle roughed up the South's interior linemen with a variety of moves.
Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden threw dart after dart for completions in the intermediate range but under threw too many of the deep throws. He's hasn't spent much time with these receivers, which is part of it, but he needs to hook up once with Rainey on Saturday.
South Squad--not so hot list
Baylor RB Terrence Gannaway ran tentatively, got blown up in the pass blocking 1 on 1. Several South backs failed in this drill.
Arizona QB Nick Foles is just not comfortable taking snaps from under center & making conventional 5-step drops.
North Carolina WR Dwight Jones takes 5-6 steps to get going & then has to gear down going into his cut. Mike Mayock said Jones had "build-up speed" which is right on the money.
Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders & UAB OT Matt McCants spent the day either retreating or getting run over by a variety of South D-linemen. Both were out-leveraged by Ingram as he drove them right into the QB.
With the exception of Illinois' Jeff Allen & Georgia's Ben Jones, the South interior linemen had a very tough day. They were beaten about every way conceivable. Since I believe the South's O-line is much better than the North's, I think the South will win Saturday.
North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins talks a lot of smack, but he couldn't cover Chris Rainey, Patrick Edwards faked him out of his jock & Arkansas' Joe Adams turned him completely around. He'll end up in the first round for his measurables, but he's gonna beat at the next level, maybe too often.
Texas A&M WR Jeff Fuller caught the first pass I was able to witness all week. His patterns are far from sharp & he has a long way to go to make an NFL roster.
Jerry Jones continually amazes me. Last week the Cowboy's owner & general manager said this "The main difference between the Giants & Cowboys is Eli Manning." Must have made his quarterback, Tony Romo, feel pretty special. Today, he did it again. Jones was asked about the Forty-Niners & his response was "Did you see those inside linebackers for San Francisco? I dream of having linebackers like that." Think Dallas ILB's Sean Lee & Bruce Carter appreciated their owner "dreaming' about other linebackers? Maybe the Dallas owner ought to chew on his general manager a little for letting him down huh?
Since the temporary seating thing worked so well at least year's Super Bowl in Dallas(lawsuits are still pending in addition to huge cash settlements by the NFL) the league is at it again & their timing is, like last year, near perfect. The NFL plans to install 5,000 temporary seats in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium in time for the Super Bowl in 10-days. Better get busy. Hopefully, it works out better this time.
Speaking of Indianapolis, the Colts made their choice for new head coach & it's current Baltimore defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. That's yet another reason I think Peyton Manning won't play for the Colts in 2012. Bringing in a defensive coach who will undoubtedly change offensive coordinators. They brought Tony Dungy for a 7-year stint & he was a defensive coach. But Dungy left the Tom Moore, who had been the Colts' offensive coordinator for 5-years prior, in place because manning wanted it that way. Peyton is due a $28 million roster bonus in February & because the league's 2012 season opening isn't till early March, the Colts can't trade him. If they want to avoid the bonus, they'll have to cut him, cold turkey, zero compensation. There's another thing to consider, maybe Peyton won't be able to play or choose not to play with his neck ailment. Who knows? In the end, I believe the Colts will release him before they have to pay him the $28 million & then we'll see some wild bidding from 5-6 teams who can't draft Andrew Luck or RG3. Miami, Washington, Arizona, Seattle & the Jets come to mind. For those of you who have emailed your wishes for Manning to join the Chiefs, I seriously doubt that will happen. It's against everything Scott Pioli believes in, trading premium picks for veteran players, especially players who will turn 36 this March & has a chronic neck problem.
Kansas City scribe Bob Gretz spotted former Chiefs' offensive coordinator Al Saunders & ex-Chiefs' great Kevin Ross at the Senior Bowl in their Raider gear, their current employer. When asked about their job stability, Saunders replied "You just keep showing up until they tell you not too." I sure would like him in his old position, O-coordinator for Kansas City.
Former Jaguars head coach, Jack Del Rio, could become defensive coordinator for his old boss, Denver's John Fox. Del Rio spent time with Fox at the Senior Bowl, when Dennis Allen signs with the Raiders as their new head coach, the Broncos will need a new defensive boss. It could very well be Del Rio, he was Fox's D-coordinator in his first season at Carolina.
If you follow the Chiefs, you know GM Scott Pioli has some very definite ideas regarding the draft. One of them is he believes quality offensive linemen can be selected in the middle to late rounds of the draft. I offer exhibit A: From the four teams in last weekend's championship games, here are their offensive tackles & the draft round they were selected.
Baltimore Ravens--Michael Oher(round 1) & Bryant McKinnie(1)
New England Patriots--Because of injuries, the Pats have started 3 different tackles.
Nate Solder(1), Sebastian Volmer(2) & Matt Light(2)
San Francisco 49ers--Joe Staley(1) & Anthony Davis(1)
New York Giants--David Diehl(5) & Kareem McKenzie(3)
That's nine starting tackles, seven obtained with premium(1-3) selections. You get what you pay for, apparently even Bill Belichick believes so.
From today's Senior Bowl practices, this last of the padded, full speed practices, here's what I saw.
North Squad--hot list
Nebraska LB Lavonte David looked very fluid in his pass drops & closed quickly.
Boise RB Doug Martin continues to impress in every single phase of his game. FYI, in his true freshman year he was voted the scout team MVP. Strong, soft hands for catching the ball(56 recep. the past 2 seasons).
Marshall DE Vinny Curry showed a powerful burst off the edge & won every 1 on 1 but once.
Washington NT Alameda Ta'amu repeatedly blew past both North centers, the guy is quick & powerful.
Washington NT Alameda Ta'amu
UConn DT Kendall Reyes had another excellent day in the 1 on 1 drills. Very good day.
Mizzou E Michael Egnew had another decent day, he's the best TE on either team. Snatched the ball out of the air even the flutter-balls thrown by the North QB's.
Michigan DT Mike Martin was productive again today. Went past the whistle several times
Iowa State CB Leonard Johnson made himself some $ this week. He's not afraid of contact & he battles when the ball is in the air.
Boise S George Iloka snagged another interception & in the stalk drill(WR's blocking DB's) he knocked both guys to the ground with little effort.
North Squad--not so hot list
Ohio State OT Mike Adams got knocked down a few pegs on Wednesday. Vinny Curry wore him out in the 11 on 11 & 1 on 1 drills. He was at LT all morning but I don't see Adams as anything but a RT.
Boise DT Billy Winn looks out of shape & overweight. He was blocked to the ground several times & lost his balance too easily a few other times landing on his ass. I haven't seen a good rep out of the Las Vegas native so far.
Both North centers have had way too many poor snaps & I question whether they'll get it straightened out by Saturday's kickoff.
Wisconsin C/G Kevin Seitler had a bad day, Ta'amu wore him out as did Kendall Reyes.
Penn State G Johnnie Troutman wasn't much better or Ohio State C Mike Brewster, who got roughed up by Michigan's Mike Martin snap after snap.
All three North QB's continued to struggle, between the bad snaps, overwhelmed offensive linemen & unfamiliarity with the receivers, Saturday's game could be a long one for this trio.
South Squad--hot list
Mississippi Stae RB Vick Ballard looked like an NFL running back catching the ball on swings & screens. Ran hard & broke tackles.
Louisiana Tech RB Lennon Creer really impressed me again, just as he did during the regular season, he is a patient, sure-handed, tough runner with good vision for the cutback.
La Tech's Lennon Creer
North Carolina LB Zach Brown has a very quick 1st step when blitzing & damn tough to block as well.
Louisiana-Lafayette CB Dwight Bentley has made money with a solid week of practice. Nothing outstanding, but every part of his game is above average.
Arizona WR Juron Criner dominated his man almost every time. Excellent hands too.
Florida WR Chris Rainey got separation again today, on nearly every pattern. Get this guy 12-15 touches a game returning kicks, catching passes & a couple of runs out of the backfield. He has blazing speed that completely translates to the football field. I expect him to run 4.25 or better at the combine next month.
Houston WR Patrick Edwards runs superb routes at nearly full speed but he suffered what appeared to be a right hamstring injury running a go-route.
Georgia T/G Cordy Glenn had another excellent practice. Spent most of it at LT, don't see him there in the pros. Like I said last night, LG or RT. He abused Quinton Coples before & after the whistle. I really like this kid a lot.
Georgia's Cordy Glenn
South Carolina DL/OLB Melvin Ingram beat up on Zebrie Sanders all afternoon. IMO, Sanders should be first tried as a 4-3 RDE, he has Dwight Freeney-type skills.
Clemson DT Brandon Thompson blew up every guard or center that tried to block him. He's had a good week.
Texas DT Kheeston Randle roughed up the South's interior linemen with a variety of moves.
Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden threw dart after dart for completions in the intermediate range but under threw too many of the deep throws. He's hasn't spent much time with these receivers, which is part of it, but he needs to hook up once with Rainey on Saturday.
South Squad--not so hot list
Baylor RB Terrence Gannaway ran tentatively, got blown up in the pass blocking 1 on 1. Several South backs failed in this drill.
Arizona QB Nick Foles is just not comfortable taking snaps from under center & making conventional 5-step drops.
North Carolina WR Dwight Jones takes 5-6 steps to get going & then has to gear down going into his cut. Mike Mayock said Jones had "build-up speed" which is right on the money.
Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders & UAB OT Matt McCants spent the day either retreating or getting run over by a variety of South D-linemen. Both were out-leveraged by Ingram as he drove them right into the QB.
With the exception of Illinois' Jeff Allen & Georgia's Ben Jones, the South interior linemen had a very tough day. They were beaten about every way conceivable. Since I believe the South's O-line is much better than the North's, I think the South will win Saturday.
North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins talks a lot of smack, but he couldn't cover Chris Rainey, Patrick Edwards faked him out of his jock & Arkansas' Joe Adams turned him completely around. He'll end up in the first round for his measurables, but he's gonna beat at the next level, maybe too often.
Texas A&M WR Jeff Fuller caught the first pass I was able to witness all week. His patterns are far from sharp & he has a long way to go to make an NFL roster.
RAIDERS NEW COACH, HALEY GETS A 2ND CHANCE IN AZ & MY ALL-STAR GAME NOTES
Oakland has their man, former Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has agreed to become the Raiders' next head coach. It was thought new Raider general manager Reggie McKenzie would pick someone from the Packer family since he came from there & interviewed a pair of Green Bay assistants. As far as I can remember & please correct me if I'm wrong, this is the first defensive coach to become head coach for the Raiders. Al Davis always hired offensive guys, either coordinators or offensive line coaches. This truly is a new era in Oakland.
Todd Haley, despite reports saying otherwise, is still in the picture for a job with Arizona. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt interviewed Haley for the 2nd time on Tuesday. it was originally thought Whisenhunt didn't want to demote or fire current offensive coordinator Mike Miller. The only opening on the staff was quarterbacks coach. Former Raiders head coach, Hue Jackson, interviewed Monday night for the QB coaches job, so where does Haley fit in?
Chris H. emailed a question about Jim Harbaugh ducking a postgame interview with FOX Sunday evening. Chris, the league doesn't require the losing coach to appear on TV right after the game, but they encourage it. The losing team is required to provide the head coach & at least two players for the postgame press conference. Ditch that one & it'll cost you dearly. The snub to FOX was just bad judgement in my eyes. Harbaugh is a very intense, emotional & demonstrative person, he doesn't do well in certain situations. I think this was one of those times.
Another post-NFC Championship game item is very disturbing. Substitute return man, Kyle Williams, has received enough death threats in 36-hours after the game, that he received police protection for 2 days. Really? This is what our sport has become, life & death? I saw Jerome Bettis this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning & his take on Williams was quite interesting. Bettis said "No one wants to be that guy. The guy that drops the TD pass, misses a field goal, throws an interception or fumbles a punt. If you've never been in that situation, you have no idea just how painful it is & it doesn't go away quickly, it lingers day after day, week after week & sometimes month after month." If a player commits such a mistake trying to help his team, does that call for death or at least death threats? There's a helluva lot of scary people floating around out there who might do something, but I think it's the cowards who have "keyboard courage." The people who anonymously name-call & threaten people with little accountability. Williams apologized profusely after the game, what do you want from the guy?
Right after Christmas(check the archives) I posted my first Chiefs' mock draft. I went with:
1. Jonathan Martin--OT--Stanford
2. Coby Fleener--TE--Stanford
3. Doug Martin--RB--Boise State
4. George Iloka--S--Boise State
5. Marvin McNutt--WR--Iowa
6. Brandon Brooks--G--Miami(Ohio)
7. Dominique Hamilton--DL--Missouri
Martin, Iloka & McNutt are currently in Mobile at the Senior Bowl practices. Brooks & Hamilton played in the East-West Shrine Game Saturday. Here are notes on these prospects & others:
Brooks might well have been my favorite player in this game. He was solid on every snap I saw & downright overpowering on a handful of plays. The 6' 4" 350-pound massive mauler was quite impressive. Depending on his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on February 23rd, Brooks has moved up two full rounds, maybe three, with his performance Saturday.
Tennesse-Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman was easily the best quarterback in the game. Since I hadn't seen him this season, I was very eager to see him take a step up in competition. Coleman showed an NFL arm, real power & good accuracy. He has the size coveted by the pros at 6' 4" 233.
B.J. Coleman
Mizzou's Dominique Hamilton had a fine game too. He showed excellent hand fighting, delivered quite a punch off the snap, stayed on his feet & walked his man right back into the QB's lap twice. Even at 320, he looks a little light in his lower body, a good NFL conditioning coach will put 12-15 lbs of muscle on Hamilton's butt & thighs. He could be a late-round(5-6) steal. But no longer in the 7th round.
My observations from the Senior Bowl practices carry slightly more weight because I couldn't view the Shrine Game week of workouts. Here's what I saw:
Starting with the 3 prospects I tabbed in my mock draft, both of the Boise guys are doing quite well so far. Iloka uses his long arms, strength & size to his advantage jamming receivers & knocking them off their routes. He closes quickly going downhill(toward the line of scrimmage) as well as laterally to the sideline. He struggled a couple of times trying to cover slot receivers, but fared much better shadowing tight ends.
RB Doug Martin displayed the patience & quick feet that attracted me the first time I saw him play. His low center of gravity & power make him a very desirable backup NFL runner. He catches the ball well too.
McNutt has struggled mightily catching the ball, something I never thought I'd see. The former high school quarterback with excellent size & strength had displayed superior hands the past two years at Iowa. I don't know what is causing McNutt to have the drops, especially over a 2-day period, but let's hope he has a better Wednesday.
Florida RB/WR/KR Chris Rainey is a blazer, no one could stay with him on vertical routes, not even former teammate Janoris Jenkins. Rainey's a squirt at 5' 8" 178, but he got separation consistently & caught the ball when it was thrown on target. He returns kickoffs & has blocked 5 punts while at Florida.
The South team has the best of it at quarterback with Brandon Weeden, Nick Foles & Ryan Lindley. Foles has struggled so far, but Weeden has really stepped up his game. He threw on time, accurately & with the right touch. He threw a couple of darts in this afternoon's practice. The more of him I see against this level of competition, the more I like the 28-year old former pro baseball player.
The North's Kirk Cousins had a real up & down practice, too often he threw the ball like he's was trying to penetrate a brick wall. Wisconsin's Russell Wilson was inconsistent as well, his passes fluttered too often in the wind. Boise State's Kellen Moore was the most impressive North QB even tho his arm is sub-par right now. He just doesn't get much velocity, which is a problem when you're trying to fit it into a very small window. His ability to read the defense & get the ball out was better than every QB on either team except Weeden. Wilson's weigh-in didn't go well, he measured just 5' 10". Here's an amazing note, the South QB's didn't know which hand went on top when taking a snap from under center, they had always taken shotgun snaps in the spread.
Texas A&M wideout Jeff Fuller continues to slide down draft boards. I thought he was a fringe 1st rounder before the season began. It's been a downward spiral ever since & he's really having a tough time in Mobile. Besides Chris Rainey, I'd say my #2 receiver so far is Cal's Marvin Jones, he really looks solid thru 2-days of practice.
My favorite part of these padded practices(Tues & Wed) is the blocking-pass rushing drills between the offensive & defensive linemen. Here are a few of the prospects who caught my eye starting with three right tackle candidates.
Mike Adams(Ohio St R-tackle)showed good straight ahead power, moved his feet very well in pass-blocking drills.
Kelechi Osemele(Iowa St-tackle/guard) Tho he played LT at Ames, I think he'd make a better LG or RT. Longest arms at the Senior Bowl & he uses them well. This kid has a lot of upside at the next level.
Kelechi Osemele
Cordy Glenn(Georgia-RT/G) 6'5" 345, Glenn is huge with long arms & a mean disposition. I like this guy a lot.
Florida State left tackle Zebrie Sanders stonewalled scouts favorite Quinton Coples. Sanders took the fight right out of Coples three times. Coples has always underachieved IMO. Big hype, but he doesn't like going against a fighter or anyone close to his talent level. I watched him quit in the Independence Bowl after less than a quarter, I'm not surprised at what I've seen so far in mobile.
Ohio State center Mike Brewster was overpowered all afternoon. Even when he held with both hands, he couldn't stop the guy across the line from him.
Often that guy was Michigan DT Mike Martin. He was the most disruptive D-lineman during the North practice. Brewster wasn't the only guy he abused.
Mike Martin
Kendall Reyes, defensive tackle from UConn has had two good practices, showing good power to bull-rush & a solid anchor against the run.
Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw played with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 DE & he was almost unblockable. But when he stood up as a 3-4 OLB, he never came close to beating his man & more importantly, he looked really slow in run pursuit to the boundary.
Baylor guard Phillip Blake wasn't spectacular, but he was effective, I haven't seen him beaten yet.
A real defensive wildcard is South Carolina defensive end/outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. Today he was a DE, tomorrow, he'll play OLB. At 6' 2" & 278, he could easily play a 4-3 DE. He's quick off the ball & has shown the non-stop motor I like. We'll see how he does standing up on Wednesday.
More from the Senior Bowl tomorrow plus I'm getting a bunch of email questions regarding Peyton Manning's future which I'll address tomorrow.
Todd Haley, despite reports saying otherwise, is still in the picture for a job with Arizona. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt interviewed Haley for the 2nd time on Tuesday. it was originally thought Whisenhunt didn't want to demote or fire current offensive coordinator Mike Miller. The only opening on the staff was quarterbacks coach. Former Raiders head coach, Hue Jackson, interviewed Monday night for the QB coaches job, so where does Haley fit in?
Chris H. emailed a question about Jim Harbaugh ducking a postgame interview with FOX Sunday evening. Chris, the league doesn't require the losing coach to appear on TV right after the game, but they encourage it. The losing team is required to provide the head coach & at least two players for the postgame press conference. Ditch that one & it'll cost you dearly. The snub to FOX was just bad judgement in my eyes. Harbaugh is a very intense, emotional & demonstrative person, he doesn't do well in certain situations. I think this was one of those times.
Another post-NFC Championship game item is very disturbing. Substitute return man, Kyle Williams, has received enough death threats in 36-hours after the game, that he received police protection for 2 days. Really? This is what our sport has become, life & death? I saw Jerome Bettis this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning & his take on Williams was quite interesting. Bettis said "No one wants to be that guy. The guy that drops the TD pass, misses a field goal, throws an interception or fumbles a punt. If you've never been in that situation, you have no idea just how painful it is & it doesn't go away quickly, it lingers day after day, week after week & sometimes month after month." If a player commits such a mistake trying to help his team, does that call for death or at least death threats? There's a helluva lot of scary people floating around out there who might do something, but I think it's the cowards who have "keyboard courage." The people who anonymously name-call & threaten people with little accountability. Williams apologized profusely after the game, what do you want from the guy?
Right after Christmas(check the archives) I posted my first Chiefs' mock draft. I went with:
1. Jonathan Martin--OT--Stanford
2. Coby Fleener--TE--Stanford
3. Doug Martin--RB--Boise State
4. George Iloka--S--Boise State
5. Marvin McNutt--WR--Iowa
6. Brandon Brooks--G--Miami(Ohio)
7. Dominique Hamilton--DL--Missouri
Martin, Iloka & McNutt are currently in Mobile at the Senior Bowl practices. Brooks & Hamilton played in the East-West Shrine Game Saturday. Here are notes on these prospects & others:
Brooks might well have been my favorite player in this game. He was solid on every snap I saw & downright overpowering on a handful of plays. The 6' 4" 350-pound massive mauler was quite impressive. Depending on his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on February 23rd, Brooks has moved up two full rounds, maybe three, with his performance Saturday.
Tennesse-Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman was easily the best quarterback in the game. Since I hadn't seen him this season, I was very eager to see him take a step up in competition. Coleman showed an NFL arm, real power & good accuracy. He has the size coveted by the pros at 6' 4" 233.
B.J. Coleman
Mizzou's Dominique Hamilton had a fine game too. He showed excellent hand fighting, delivered quite a punch off the snap, stayed on his feet & walked his man right back into the QB's lap twice. Even at 320, he looks a little light in his lower body, a good NFL conditioning coach will put 12-15 lbs of muscle on Hamilton's butt & thighs. He could be a late-round(5-6) steal. But no longer in the 7th round.
My observations from the Senior Bowl practices carry slightly more weight because I couldn't view the Shrine Game week of workouts. Here's what I saw:
Starting with the 3 prospects I tabbed in my mock draft, both of the Boise guys are doing quite well so far. Iloka uses his long arms, strength & size to his advantage jamming receivers & knocking them off their routes. He closes quickly going downhill(toward the line of scrimmage) as well as laterally to the sideline. He struggled a couple of times trying to cover slot receivers, but fared much better shadowing tight ends.
RB Doug Martin displayed the patience & quick feet that attracted me the first time I saw him play. His low center of gravity & power make him a very desirable backup NFL runner. He catches the ball well too.
McNutt has struggled mightily catching the ball, something I never thought I'd see. The former high school quarterback with excellent size & strength had displayed superior hands the past two years at Iowa. I don't know what is causing McNutt to have the drops, especially over a 2-day period, but let's hope he has a better Wednesday.
Florida RB/WR/KR Chris Rainey is a blazer, no one could stay with him on vertical routes, not even former teammate Janoris Jenkins. Rainey's a squirt at 5' 8" 178, but he got separation consistently & caught the ball when it was thrown on target. He returns kickoffs & has blocked 5 punts while at Florida.
The South team has the best of it at quarterback with Brandon Weeden, Nick Foles & Ryan Lindley. Foles has struggled so far, but Weeden has really stepped up his game. He threw on time, accurately & with the right touch. He threw a couple of darts in this afternoon's practice. The more of him I see against this level of competition, the more I like the 28-year old former pro baseball player.
The North's Kirk Cousins had a real up & down practice, too often he threw the ball like he's was trying to penetrate a brick wall. Wisconsin's Russell Wilson was inconsistent as well, his passes fluttered too often in the wind. Boise State's Kellen Moore was the most impressive North QB even tho his arm is sub-par right now. He just doesn't get much velocity, which is a problem when you're trying to fit it into a very small window. His ability to read the defense & get the ball out was better than every QB on either team except Weeden. Wilson's weigh-in didn't go well, he measured just 5' 10". Here's an amazing note, the South QB's didn't know which hand went on top when taking a snap from under center, they had always taken shotgun snaps in the spread.
Texas A&M wideout Jeff Fuller continues to slide down draft boards. I thought he was a fringe 1st rounder before the season began. It's been a downward spiral ever since & he's really having a tough time in Mobile. Besides Chris Rainey, I'd say my #2 receiver so far is Cal's Marvin Jones, he really looks solid thru 2-days of practice.
My favorite part of these padded practices(Tues & Wed) is the blocking-pass rushing drills between the offensive & defensive linemen. Here are a few of the prospects who caught my eye starting with three right tackle candidates.
Mike Adams(Ohio St R-tackle)showed good straight ahead power, moved his feet very well in pass-blocking drills.
Kelechi Osemele(Iowa St-tackle/guard) Tho he played LT at Ames, I think he'd make a better LG or RT. Longest arms at the Senior Bowl & he uses them well. This kid has a lot of upside at the next level.
Kelechi Osemele
Cordy Glenn(Georgia-RT/G) 6'5" 345, Glenn is huge with long arms & a mean disposition. I like this guy a lot.
Florida State left tackle Zebrie Sanders stonewalled scouts favorite Quinton Coples. Sanders took the fight right out of Coples three times. Coples has always underachieved IMO. Big hype, but he doesn't like going against a fighter or anyone close to his talent level. I watched him quit in the Independence Bowl after less than a quarter, I'm not surprised at what I've seen so far in mobile.
Ohio State center Mike Brewster was overpowered all afternoon. Even when he held with both hands, he couldn't stop the guy across the line from him.
Often that guy was Michigan DT Mike Martin. He was the most disruptive D-lineman during the North practice. Brewster wasn't the only guy he abused.
Mike Martin
Kendall Reyes, defensive tackle from UConn has had two good practices, showing good power to bull-rush & a solid anchor against the run.
Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw played with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 DE & he was almost unblockable. But when he stood up as a 3-4 OLB, he never came close to beating his man & more importantly, he looked really slow in run pursuit to the boundary.
Baylor guard Phillip Blake wasn't spectacular, but he was effective, I haven't seen him beaten yet.
A real defensive wildcard is South Carolina defensive end/outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. Today he was a DE, tomorrow, he'll play OLB. At 6' 2" & 278, he could easily play a 4-3 DE. He's quick off the ball & has shown the non-stop motor I like. We'll see how he does standing up on Wednesday.
More from the Senior Bowl tomorrow plus I'm getting a bunch of email questions regarding Peyton Manning's future which I'll address tomorrow.
SUPER BOWL MATCHUP SET, GIANTS VS. PATRIOTS
Two championship games decided by a field goal, one in overtime, gave us the best Sunday of conference title games I can remember in a long while. It didn't require non-stop scoring or a 6-3 outcome, they were the perfect mix of offense & hard-hitting defense. The Harbaugh brothers came so close to opposing each other in Super Bowl, but a dropped touchdown pass, a field goal attempt that hooked wide left & two punt return blunders kept this matchup from happening. What we got was a rematch of Super Bowl 42(still not doing the Roman numerals), won by the New York Giants at the 2-minute warning, 17-14. I'm looking forward to this game, but with the four teams that played yesterday would have created good matchups no matter how they fell.
New England 23 - Baltimore 20
The AFC Championship game had several surprises. Tom Brady didn't throw a touchdown for the first time in 38-games. He didn't play well, throwing 2 interceptions & had two more called back on Baltimore penalties. "I sucked pretty bad today but our defense saved us" Brady said minutes after the game. Brady made a great play on a 4th & goal at the one-yard line by leaping over the top for a touchdown after seeing Ray Lewis & Jameel McClain positioned 4-yard deep in the endzone. They couldn't get there in time. It's the worst playoff game I can remember Brady playing. I don't expect that to continue at Indianapolis. After the game he promised owner Robert Kraft he'd play much better in the Super Bowl.
Vince Wilfork was a man yesterday. The massive Pats defensive tackle consistently pushed blockers right back into Joe Flacco's lap. He stuffed Ray Rice inside down after down, he was the biggest impact player on the Patriot defense. Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard played a brilliant game yesterday, I wonder of Scott Pioli took notice of his ability to play true centerfield & not get sucked in on play action. That was one of the main reason Kansas City sent him packing. OLB Terrell Suggs was once again a non-factor in the Raven pass rush. in both playoff game Suggs has made zero impact.
The much-maligned Joe Flacco played as well as he could have yesterday. He did everything possible to secure a trip to the Super Bowl for his team. He did underthrow a wide open Torrey Smith in the first quarter. Smith came back for the ball & caught it, but the drive resulted in a field goal instead of a touchdown. Their last drive that started at the Raven 21 with 1:44 left in the game & 2 timeouts. Flacco completed 5 of 7 to get Baltimore to the Patriots' 14-yardline. He threw a perfect pass to WR Lee Evans in the endzone which was knocked out of Evans' hands by Sterling Moore. A veteran receiver like Evans has to make that catch. On the very next play, Flacco threw to TE Dennis Pitta at the 4-yardline but Moore swatted it away at the last second. Enter kicker Billy Cundiff to attempt a 32-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. I know I've railed on coaches who've "iced" their own kickers, but in this case, John Harbaugh might have been better served by calling a timeout to get everyone on the field without rushing to snap the ball. Cudiff hooked the attempt wide left, game over.
In the Raven locker room, team leader Ray Lewis said all the right things, "one player doesn't lose a game, we all made mistakes that cost the team." He's right, but Evans' drop & Cundiff's whiff will be the plays everyone remembers. Lewis also made it clear he was coming back for next season. Regardless of the naysayers who try to diminish Lewis' game, let me say this, he's still better than most inside linebackers in the league. Is he as good as he once was? Hell no, that would be impossible at age 36, he set the bar so high, there's no way he can still play at that level. But he had 12 tackles yesterday & can still run well enough to get the kind of 25-yard pass drops to cover the middle of the field. He tipped a pass away from Wes Welker in the endzone because he was where he was supposed to be.
I don't expect Ravens' offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to return next season, they need a little more imagination in their gameplans. I didn't care for the sour grapes attitude coming from the Ravens. A few players started Tweeting negative messages almost as soon as the game ended. After the other Harbaugh lost later in the evening, even the Ravens team Twitter account echoed their players whining from early in the day, "Doubt we watch the unsuper bowl since 2 best teams are sitting @ home." hang onto sure TD passes & make 32-yard field goals & you wouldn't be "sitting at home."
New York Giants 20 - San Francisco 17 O.T.
Game two featured overtime, rain, wind, some great defense from both sides & one of the guttiest quarterback performances I've seen in a while. Eli Manning took a helluva beating but stood in there & made the throws the Giants needed to prevail. He was sacked 6 times & knocked down another 13. Frisco's defense is really stout, they have a great foundation for this team going forward. But their offense has to improve dramatically, the Saints game was somewhat of a mirage. They try to run the ball & play defense, which many teams try to do, especially in January. But if their passing game is essentially Vernon Davis deep & RB Frank Gore out of the backfield. All of the Niner wideouts totaled 1 reception for 3-yards, that's it. That won't get it done. Michael Crabtree was a top-10 draft pick, he has to make more of an impact than 1 catch for 3-yards. All the other WR's were thrown to a total of once. QB Alex Smith was Tebowesque with a 12 of 26 passing performance.
Every week in this 5-game winning streak, a different wide receiver has come up large for the Giants. In the first half Victor Cruz caught 8 passes for over 120-yards. He caught two in their 1st second-half possession & then went silent the rest of the day. Mario Manningham was shutout all game but in the 4th quarter he caught a 3rd & 15 laser beam from Manning for the go-ahead touchdown. Tight end Bear Pascoe, primarily a blocker who has 21-career receptions & zero touchdowns in his 3-year career, caught a Manning touchdown pass as well. This is how effective Manning was, he saw the entire field even under the fierce pass rush San Francisco was putting on him snap after snap.
But the biggest plays in this game were both on special teams. Ted Ginn Jr. is one of the better return specialists in the NFL. But his knee wouldn't permit him to play yesterday & Jim Harbaugh trotted out Kyle Williams to sub. Unfortunately for Williams, a 2nd year WR from Arizona State, Harbaugh & the Niners, he wasn't up to the task. One Steve Weatherford punt bounced off his knee for a muff recovered by Giants' gunner Devin Thomas. After New York's second overtime possession ended in a 37-yard punt by Weatherford, Williams caught it & headed upfield only to have it stripped by Jacquian Williams, a Giants linebacker. Once again, the hustling gunner, Devin Thomas, was Johnny on the spot to recover the ball. Five plays later, kicker Lawrence Tynes boomed the game-winning 32-yard field goal. Holder Steve Weatherford handled a wet ball that skipped back to him, getting in into position for Tynes to be successful.
Tom Coughlin has survived being fired about 5 times in his tenure with the Giants. I've always liked him & thought he was overly criticized, probably because they play in New York(Jersey). His teams win a helluva lot of must-win type games. They come up big when it counts. Of course having Eli Manning & a rock-solid defensive line helps a lot.
I couldn't finish this post without mentioning the awesome play of the Forty-Niners front seven of LDE Ray McDonald(5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 QB knockdowns), NT Isaac Sopoaga(3 tackles), RDE Justin Smith(7 tackles, 1 sack, 4 QB KD's), Patrick Willis(8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB KD's), Navarro Bowman(14 tackles, half a sack & 1 QB KD's), Aldon Smith(1 tackle, 1 sack, 2 QB KD's) & Parys Harrelson(3 tackles). This is a never-quit, high motor, well coached front seven. They amaze me every time I watch them play.
How bad will Peyton Manning feel to see his little brother playing in his 2nd Super Bowl in Peyton's building? Eli has played at such a high level this season, he has easily joined the truly elite QB's in the NFL. The TV ratings were thru the roof, best in nearly 20-years for both games, the NFL has had a monster year TV ratings-wise. By the way, the Patriots are a 3 1/2 point favorite with a point total of 54 1/2.
Oregon head coach Chip Kelly had a couple of very secretive interviews with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When I first heard of this yesterday, I started thinking Pete Carroll. When the NCAA was about to bust Carroll's USC Trojans, he bailed out, going to the Seattle Seahawks. I thought the same thing yesterday. But after some intense negotiations, Kelly decided he wanted to stay at Oregon, so maybe the impending investigative report isn't as bad as was first thought.
With Eli Manning going to the Super Bowl, the NFC needed another quarterback, so they did the right thing & selected Carolina rookie Cam Newton.
Ram fans are really steaming about owner Stan Kroenke's decision to stage three home games in London over the next three seasons. What really peeves the fans is the game that was selected for this season, the New England Patriots. In a game that would certainly pack the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, it has been moved to England. Can't say I blame them for their outrage.
I told you the other day former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was high on Indy owner Jim Irsay's list to replace Jim Caldwell as the Colts' head coach. I'm watching The Dan Patrick Show as I write this & he's interviewing Tony Dungy right now & he thinks it's going to be Tressel. Yahoo, tattoos for everybody!
I'm not going to dwell on the death of Joe Paterno, I've talked a lot about the scandal at Penn State with Jerry Sandusky. I just want to mention one thing regarding Paterno's funeral. Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church plans to be there to protest. The wife of their founder was all over Twitter yesterday announcing their plans to travel to Pennsylvania to create more sorrow, more sadness & more outrage. I don't understand how these people can hate with such a white-hot passion & believe in the same God that I do.
New England 23 - Baltimore 20
The AFC Championship game had several surprises. Tom Brady didn't throw a touchdown for the first time in 38-games. He didn't play well, throwing 2 interceptions & had two more called back on Baltimore penalties. "I sucked pretty bad today but our defense saved us" Brady said minutes after the game. Brady made a great play on a 4th & goal at the one-yard line by leaping over the top for a touchdown after seeing Ray Lewis & Jameel McClain positioned 4-yard deep in the endzone. They couldn't get there in time. It's the worst playoff game I can remember Brady playing. I don't expect that to continue at Indianapolis. After the game he promised owner Robert Kraft he'd play much better in the Super Bowl.
Vince Wilfork was a man yesterday. The massive Pats defensive tackle consistently pushed blockers right back into Joe Flacco's lap. He stuffed Ray Rice inside down after down, he was the biggest impact player on the Patriot defense. Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard played a brilliant game yesterday, I wonder of Scott Pioli took notice of his ability to play true centerfield & not get sucked in on play action. That was one of the main reason Kansas City sent him packing. OLB Terrell Suggs was once again a non-factor in the Raven pass rush. in both playoff game Suggs has made zero impact.
The much-maligned Joe Flacco played as well as he could have yesterday. He did everything possible to secure a trip to the Super Bowl for his team. He did underthrow a wide open Torrey Smith in the first quarter. Smith came back for the ball & caught it, but the drive resulted in a field goal instead of a touchdown. Their last drive that started at the Raven 21 with 1:44 left in the game & 2 timeouts. Flacco completed 5 of 7 to get Baltimore to the Patriots' 14-yardline. He threw a perfect pass to WR Lee Evans in the endzone which was knocked out of Evans' hands by Sterling Moore. A veteran receiver like Evans has to make that catch. On the very next play, Flacco threw to TE Dennis Pitta at the 4-yardline but Moore swatted it away at the last second. Enter kicker Billy Cundiff to attempt a 32-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. I know I've railed on coaches who've "iced" their own kickers, but in this case, John Harbaugh might have been better served by calling a timeout to get everyone on the field without rushing to snap the ball. Cudiff hooked the attempt wide left, game over.
In the Raven locker room, team leader Ray Lewis said all the right things, "one player doesn't lose a game, we all made mistakes that cost the team." He's right, but Evans' drop & Cundiff's whiff will be the plays everyone remembers. Lewis also made it clear he was coming back for next season. Regardless of the naysayers who try to diminish Lewis' game, let me say this, he's still better than most inside linebackers in the league. Is he as good as he once was? Hell no, that would be impossible at age 36, he set the bar so high, there's no way he can still play at that level. But he had 12 tackles yesterday & can still run well enough to get the kind of 25-yard pass drops to cover the middle of the field. He tipped a pass away from Wes Welker in the endzone because he was where he was supposed to be.
I don't expect Ravens' offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to return next season, they need a little more imagination in their gameplans. I didn't care for the sour grapes attitude coming from the Ravens. A few players started Tweeting negative messages almost as soon as the game ended. After the other Harbaugh lost later in the evening, even the Ravens team Twitter account echoed their players whining from early in the day, "Doubt we watch the unsuper bowl since 2 best teams are sitting @ home." hang onto sure TD passes & make 32-yard field goals & you wouldn't be "sitting at home."
New York Giants 20 - San Francisco 17 O.T.
Game two featured overtime, rain, wind, some great defense from both sides & one of the guttiest quarterback performances I've seen in a while. Eli Manning took a helluva beating but stood in there & made the throws the Giants needed to prevail. He was sacked 6 times & knocked down another 13. Frisco's defense is really stout, they have a great foundation for this team going forward. But their offense has to improve dramatically, the Saints game was somewhat of a mirage. They try to run the ball & play defense, which many teams try to do, especially in January. But if their passing game is essentially Vernon Davis deep & RB Frank Gore out of the backfield. All of the Niner wideouts totaled 1 reception for 3-yards, that's it. That won't get it done. Michael Crabtree was a top-10 draft pick, he has to make more of an impact than 1 catch for 3-yards. All the other WR's were thrown to a total of once. QB Alex Smith was Tebowesque with a 12 of 26 passing performance.
Every week in this 5-game winning streak, a different wide receiver has come up large for the Giants. In the first half Victor Cruz caught 8 passes for over 120-yards. He caught two in their 1st second-half possession & then went silent the rest of the day. Mario Manningham was shutout all game but in the 4th quarter he caught a 3rd & 15 laser beam from Manning for the go-ahead touchdown. Tight end Bear Pascoe, primarily a blocker who has 21-career receptions & zero touchdowns in his 3-year career, caught a Manning touchdown pass as well. This is how effective Manning was, he saw the entire field even under the fierce pass rush San Francisco was putting on him snap after snap.
But the biggest plays in this game were both on special teams. Ted Ginn Jr. is one of the better return specialists in the NFL. But his knee wouldn't permit him to play yesterday & Jim Harbaugh trotted out Kyle Williams to sub. Unfortunately for Williams, a 2nd year WR from Arizona State, Harbaugh & the Niners, he wasn't up to the task. One Steve Weatherford punt bounced off his knee for a muff recovered by Giants' gunner Devin Thomas. After New York's second overtime possession ended in a 37-yard punt by Weatherford, Williams caught it & headed upfield only to have it stripped by Jacquian Williams, a Giants linebacker. Once again, the hustling gunner, Devin Thomas, was Johnny on the spot to recover the ball. Five plays later, kicker Lawrence Tynes boomed the game-winning 32-yard field goal. Holder Steve Weatherford handled a wet ball that skipped back to him, getting in into position for Tynes to be successful.
Tom Coughlin has survived being fired about 5 times in his tenure with the Giants. I've always liked him & thought he was overly criticized, probably because they play in New York(Jersey). His teams win a helluva lot of must-win type games. They come up big when it counts. Of course having Eli Manning & a rock-solid defensive line helps a lot.
I couldn't finish this post without mentioning the awesome play of the Forty-Niners front seven of LDE Ray McDonald(5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 QB knockdowns), NT Isaac Sopoaga(3 tackles), RDE Justin Smith(7 tackles, 1 sack, 4 QB KD's), Patrick Willis(8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB KD's), Navarro Bowman(14 tackles, half a sack & 1 QB KD's), Aldon Smith(1 tackle, 1 sack, 2 QB KD's) & Parys Harrelson(3 tackles). This is a never-quit, high motor, well coached front seven. They amaze me every time I watch them play.
How bad will Peyton Manning feel to see his little brother playing in his 2nd Super Bowl in Peyton's building? Eli has played at such a high level this season, he has easily joined the truly elite QB's in the NFL. The TV ratings were thru the roof, best in nearly 20-years for both games, the NFL has had a monster year TV ratings-wise. By the way, the Patriots are a 3 1/2 point favorite with a point total of 54 1/2.
Oregon head coach Chip Kelly had a couple of very secretive interviews with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When I first heard of this yesterday, I started thinking Pete Carroll. When the NCAA was about to bust Carroll's USC Trojans, he bailed out, going to the Seattle Seahawks. I thought the same thing yesterday. But after some intense negotiations, Kelly decided he wanted to stay at Oregon, so maybe the impending investigative report isn't as bad as was first thought.
With Eli Manning going to the Super Bowl, the NFC needed another quarterback, so they did the right thing & selected Carolina rookie Cam Newton.
Ram fans are really steaming about owner Stan Kroenke's decision to stage three home games in London over the next three seasons. What really peeves the fans is the game that was selected for this season, the New England Patriots. In a game that would certainly pack the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, it has been moved to England. Can't say I blame them for their outrage.
I told you the other day former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was high on Indy owner Jim Irsay's list to replace Jim Caldwell as the Colts' head coach. I'm watching The Dan Patrick Show as I write this & he's interviewing Tony Dungy right now & he thinks it's going to be Tressel. Yahoo, tattoos for everybody!
I'm not going to dwell on the death of Joe Paterno, I've talked a lot about the scandal at Penn State with Jerry Sandusky. I just want to mention one thing regarding Paterno's funeral. Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church plans to be there to protest. The wife of their founder was all over Twitter yesterday announcing their plans to travel to Pennsylvania to create more sorrow, more sadness & more outrage. I don't understand how these people can hate with such a white-hot passion & believe in the same God that I do.
JOE PATERNO - DECEMBER 21, 1926 - JANUARY 22, 2012
Fabled Penn State football coach Joe Paterno passed away this morning in State College, Pennsylvania. He became gravely ill with complications from lung cancer & his chemo treatment. His family & close friends had been summoned to the hospital yesterday to say their last goodbyes. His wife & children were at his bedside this morning when he died.
Sadly, Joe Paterno will be remembered for what he didn't do instead of everything he did do. But it was that one thing, ignoring the welfare of a child, that really warrants the bad feelings. I just can't justify Paterno's inaction when faced with the horrific story of his close friend Jerry Sandusky. No 409 football wins, no library, no philanthropy can excuse the decision he made just about ten years ago to turn his back on his responsibility.
I never wished death on Paterno like so many have since the Sandusky incidents came to light. It makes me sad to read so many horrible "wishes" to Paterno & his family(totally innocent) this morning on message boards all over the internet. I'm not a doctor, but I could believe the past four months played a major role in contributing to his death. His passing is truly a sad day for the Penn State community. But it's not as sad as the memories some young men have to live with everyday because of Sandusky & the inaction of people at Penn State. Those memories will linger long after Joe Paterno is laid to rest.
Sadly, Joe Paterno will be remembered for what he didn't do instead of everything he did do. But it was that one thing, ignoring the welfare of a child, that really warrants the bad feelings. I just can't justify Paterno's inaction when faced with the horrific story of his close friend Jerry Sandusky. No 409 football wins, no library, no philanthropy can excuse the decision he made just about ten years ago to turn his back on his responsibility.
I never wished death on Paterno like so many have since the Sandusky incidents came to light. It makes me sad to read so many horrible "wishes" to Paterno & his family(totally innocent) this morning on message boards all over the internet. I'm not a doctor, but I could believe the past four months played a major role in contributing to his death. His passing is truly a sad day for the Penn State community. But it's not as sad as the memories some young men have to live with everyday because of Sandusky & the inaction of people at Penn State. Those memories will linger long after Joe Paterno is laid to rest.
FINALLY, I'M BACK ON WITH NEWS ON JOEPA, JIM TRESSELL, BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER & MY CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS
After waiting nearly 9-hours for my host, GoDaddy.com, to get their server issues worked out, I'm back online. First time in three years they've gone down for more than 2-hours worth of maintenance. Usually it's my cable provider who leaves me high & dry. Anyway, let's get on with some very sad breaking news.
Joe Paterno is gravely ill according to a number of sources. Family members & close friends were summoned to the hospital to say their goodbye's. The 85-year old Paterno has complications from lung cancer & his chemo treatments. Sadly, a number of reputable news organizations, led by CBS Sports, reported his death earlier this evening based on a blog that reports everything Penn State. The editor of that blog, onwardstate.com, has already resigned & retractions & apologies have been issued all over the place. The Paterno family was said to be very upset with the reports by CBS Sports that Paterno had died. I certainly understand their anger.
When Ohio State canned Jim Tressel, or he resigned, depending on who you believe, did you have any idea he'd end up as an NFL coach less than a year later? The disgraced former coach is the only person to receive a second interview with the Indianapolis Colts for their now vacant job. Considering Jim Caldwell was just fired last Wednesday, it seems likely Tressel was interviewed about the job before Caldwell was even canned. Because everyone in the NFL will be arriving in Indianapolis in the next 5-7 days for Super Bowl 46(not big on Roman numerals, but for you purists, XLVI), you can expect the Colts to have a coach in place by week's end. It's considered bad form to interrupt Super Bowl week with anything other than Super Bowl stuff.
Former Jets' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was hired by the St. Louis Rams to fill the same position on Jeff Fisher's new coaching staff.
So who's going to win tomorrow? Here's my take on both games....can you say rematch?
Baltimore at New England 2PM CST CBS
Las Vegas line - Patriots -7 1/2 total of 49 1/2
Look for heavy doses of Ray Rice, when the Ravens ran the ball 25 or more time this season, they were 12-0. When they ran it less than 20-times, they lost all four games. Rice is the key tomorrow, not Joe Flacco. If Baltimore can run the ball effectively, it will take a load off the quarterback's shoulders & he could be very successful. The second question deals with pressuring Tom Brady, as in can the Ravens force him to throw before he wants to? Considering they never touched Houston's T.J. Yates last week, I question their ability to get to Brady. It's going to fall on Terrell Suggs & Haloti Ngata to get in Brady's face. As much as I like John Harbaugh, I respect Bill Belichick even more as a game plan strategist & in-game tactician. Plus the Pats have a huge advantage at QB & at all the receiver positions. The Ravens surprised them at Foxboro in 2009, I don't think it will happen again tomorrow. New England 27 Baltimore 17
New York Giants at San Francisco 5:30PM CST FOX
Las Vegas Line - Forty-Niners -2 1/2 total of 43 1/2
I got on the Giants a few weeks ago & then chickened out in Green Bay. Frisco shocked the world with the double-4th quarter comeback against the Saints last Saturday. There are some similarities in the two matchups. Like the Saints, the Giants have a quarterback with a hot hand & a bevy of dangerous receivers & like the Saints, the Giants don't scare San Francisco when they run the ball. The big difference in this game from last week will be the Giants' defense, which unlike the Saints, is playing lights-out football right now. This is the best they've played all season & also the most healthy they've been. Unlike the Niners, the Giants have a 7-man rotation on their defensive line & all 7 plus OLB Mathias Kiwanuka can get after the QB. Jim Harbaugh has to be sweating the matchup between his right tackle Anthony Davis & NY DE Justin Tuck. If he isn't up to the task, the Niners will have to keep someone in the backfield to help out or to chip Tuck on their way out of the backfield. These two met in week 10 when two Eli Manning interceptions turned the game & Frisco won 27-20. The Giants were really banged up on defense at that time, things have since changed. It should be noted the Niners were held to just 77-yards rushing in that game. Just like Green Bay last year, the Giants got red-hot at the right time. New York 24 San Francisco 23
Don't forget the big radio broadcast of "Rich's Football Report" Monday evening at 6:08 CST on KRMS radio 1150AM or by live internet stream on the station's website at krmsradio.com. We'll have two different Super Bowl contests, a totally new contest Monday night followed by our traditional "Predict the Score" contest a week from Monday. Two chances to win some great prizes, Hope you'll be listening & give us a call locally at 302-7000 or toll free at 877-330-1150 to participate in the discussion & the great contests. Enjoy the games!
Joe Paterno is gravely ill according to a number of sources. Family members & close friends were summoned to the hospital to say their goodbye's. The 85-year old Paterno has complications from lung cancer & his chemo treatments. Sadly, a number of reputable news organizations, led by CBS Sports, reported his death earlier this evening based on a blog that reports everything Penn State. The editor of that blog, onwardstate.com, has already resigned & retractions & apologies have been issued all over the place. The Paterno family was said to be very upset with the reports by CBS Sports that Paterno had died. I certainly understand their anger.
When Ohio State canned Jim Tressel, or he resigned, depending on who you believe, did you have any idea he'd end up as an NFL coach less than a year later? The disgraced former coach is the only person to receive a second interview with the Indianapolis Colts for their now vacant job. Considering Jim Caldwell was just fired last Wednesday, it seems likely Tressel was interviewed about the job before Caldwell was even canned. Because everyone in the NFL will be arriving in Indianapolis in the next 5-7 days for Super Bowl 46(not big on Roman numerals, but for you purists, XLVI), you can expect the Colts to have a coach in place by week's end. It's considered bad form to interrupt Super Bowl week with anything other than Super Bowl stuff.
Former Jets' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was hired by the St. Louis Rams to fill the same position on Jeff Fisher's new coaching staff.
So who's going to win tomorrow? Here's my take on both games....can you say rematch?
Baltimore at New England 2PM CST CBS
Las Vegas line - Patriots -7 1/2 total of 49 1/2
Look for heavy doses of Ray Rice, when the Ravens ran the ball 25 or more time this season, they were 12-0. When they ran it less than 20-times, they lost all four games. Rice is the key tomorrow, not Joe Flacco. If Baltimore can run the ball effectively, it will take a load off the quarterback's shoulders & he could be very successful. The second question deals with pressuring Tom Brady, as in can the Ravens force him to throw before he wants to? Considering they never touched Houston's T.J. Yates last week, I question their ability to get to Brady. It's going to fall on Terrell Suggs & Haloti Ngata to get in Brady's face. As much as I like John Harbaugh, I respect Bill Belichick even more as a game plan strategist & in-game tactician. Plus the Pats have a huge advantage at QB & at all the receiver positions. The Ravens surprised them at Foxboro in 2009, I don't think it will happen again tomorrow. New England 27 Baltimore 17
New York Giants at San Francisco 5:30PM CST FOX
Las Vegas Line - Forty-Niners -2 1/2 total of 43 1/2
I got on the Giants a few weeks ago & then chickened out in Green Bay. Frisco shocked the world with the double-4th quarter comeback against the Saints last Saturday. There are some similarities in the two matchups. Like the Saints, the Giants have a quarterback with a hot hand & a bevy of dangerous receivers & like the Saints, the Giants don't scare San Francisco when they run the ball. The big difference in this game from last week will be the Giants' defense, which unlike the Saints, is playing lights-out football right now. This is the best they've played all season & also the most healthy they've been. Unlike the Niners, the Giants have a 7-man rotation on their defensive line & all 7 plus OLB Mathias Kiwanuka can get after the QB. Jim Harbaugh has to be sweating the matchup between his right tackle Anthony Davis & NY DE Justin Tuck. If he isn't up to the task, the Niners will have to keep someone in the backfield to help out or to chip Tuck on their way out of the backfield. These two met in week 10 when two Eli Manning interceptions turned the game & Frisco won 27-20. The Giants were really banged up on defense at that time, things have since changed. It should be noted the Niners were held to just 77-yards rushing in that game. Just like Green Bay last year, the Giants got red-hot at the right time. New York 24 San Francisco 23
Don't forget the big radio broadcast of "Rich's Football Report" Monday evening at 6:08 CST on KRMS radio 1150AM or by live internet stream on the station's website at krmsradio.com. We'll have two different Super Bowl contests, a totally new contest Monday night followed by our traditional "Predict the Score" contest a week from Monday. Two chances to win some great prizes, Hope you'll be listening & give us a call locally at 302-7000 or toll free at 877-330-1150 to participate in the discussion & the great contests. Enjoy the games!
RAMS TO LONDON 3 TIMES, MIAMI GETS A COACH & A LEGEND PASSES
The St. Louis Rams will be the home team in 3 games to be played at London's Wembley Stadium over the next three seasons. They will host the New England Patriots this season. Rams' owner Stan Kroenke also owns Arsenal, one of the top teams in the English Premiere League. He is interested in pushing the Rams' brand overseas just like Roger Goodell wants to do with the NFL. It also accomplishes something else for Kroenke, it creates leverage for either a new stadium or a refurbished Edward Jones Dome, their current home. No stadium deal could sent the Rams back to L.A.
Pittsburgh offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians, has announced his retirement from coaching. He had held his position with the Steelers the past 5-years & before that he coached the wide receivers for three. No word yet on who will replace the 59-year old Arians.
Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel said on Friday he intends to conduct interviews this upcoming week in Mobile Alabama during Senior Bowl week. Crennel said he had 3-4 candidates for the position.
The Miami Dolphins have a new head coach. They finally filled the position with Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Philbin recently lost his 21-year old son in a drowning & he wanted to get a fresh start elsewhere, which is completely understandable.
You know I bitch about how little preparation some writers do before they post or publish their work. I read a mock draft on The Sporting News' website, written by Russ Lande. Once again I have real questions about stuff from TSN. Their draft preview, written by the former NFL scouts in the War Room, is an embarrassing rag & Lande's piece would fit right in with everything TSN does for the draft. I won't detail all the obvious mistakes Lande makes in his piece, I'll just give you one regarding the Chiefs' first selection I know will raise an eyebrow. Lande suggested the Chiefs select North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples. Lande said he could play DE or OLB for the pass-rush-starved Chiefs. The pass-rush-starved part is the only correct thing in his analysis. Is Justin Houston a mirage? Is he going to supplant Tamba Hali on the other side or is he going to play a 3-4 DE spot at 267-pounds? Mizzou fans saw this underachiever in the Independence Bowl. He got a sack & a tackle in Mizzou's first series & then was blanked the rest of the game, the guy simply vanished. This would be a great selection for the Chiefs? Really? I hope Scott Pioli isn't on the same wave length as Lande.
The East-West Shrine Game is tomorrow & I'll preview a few of the players I'm looking at in this college all-star game when I post my NFL picks in the morning. The best game of this type is the Senior Bowl, for which televised practices begin next week. I'll have daily updates on the practices beginning Monday.
One of my favorite performers passed away Friday morning, blues great Etta James. She died of complications from leukemia, she was 73. Etta was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame & she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine listed Etta as the 22nd greatest singer of all-time. I was fortunate enough to see her in concert twice, in 1996 with B.B. King & later in 2000 at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. For those of you who don't recognize the name Etta James, please go to Youtube & put her name in the search engine at the top of the page & click her rendition of "At Last." I just checked, there are three versions that have been played over 11 million times. Her music was featured on a number of commercials, most notably, a Jaguar spot with "At Last" that ran for most of the 2003 football season. It is truly one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Beyonce played James in the movie "Cadillac Records." Etta had a tragic upbringing & a tough life, but she always found solace singing the blues & God could the woman sing. She was also an extremely talented songwriter. When Mike Rudolph & I went to see her & B.B. King in 1996, hours later in the casino we wound up on a crap table with her two sons who played in her band. They were great kids, in their mid-20's & very proud of their mom. She was truly an American musical treasure & if you're not familiar with Etta James, do your self a favor & spend 5-minutes on Youtube, it's well worth it, she was a very special talent. Rest in peace Etta James, rest in peace.
Etta James in 2007 Beyonce' as James in "Cadillac Records"
Pittsburgh offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians, has announced his retirement from coaching. He had held his position with the Steelers the past 5-years & before that he coached the wide receivers for three. No word yet on who will replace the 59-year old Arians.
Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel said on Friday he intends to conduct interviews this upcoming week in Mobile Alabama during Senior Bowl week. Crennel said he had 3-4 candidates for the position.
The Miami Dolphins have a new head coach. They finally filled the position with Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Philbin recently lost his 21-year old son in a drowning & he wanted to get a fresh start elsewhere, which is completely understandable.
You know I bitch about how little preparation some writers do before they post or publish their work. I read a mock draft on The Sporting News' website, written by Russ Lande. Once again I have real questions about stuff from TSN. Their draft preview, written by the former NFL scouts in the War Room, is an embarrassing rag & Lande's piece would fit right in with everything TSN does for the draft. I won't detail all the obvious mistakes Lande makes in his piece, I'll just give you one regarding the Chiefs' first selection I know will raise an eyebrow. Lande suggested the Chiefs select North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples. Lande said he could play DE or OLB for the pass-rush-starved Chiefs. The pass-rush-starved part is the only correct thing in his analysis. Is Justin Houston a mirage? Is he going to supplant Tamba Hali on the other side or is he going to play a 3-4 DE spot at 267-pounds? Mizzou fans saw this underachiever in the Independence Bowl. He got a sack & a tackle in Mizzou's first series & then was blanked the rest of the game, the guy simply vanished. This would be a great selection for the Chiefs? Really? I hope Scott Pioli isn't on the same wave length as Lande.
The East-West Shrine Game is tomorrow & I'll preview a few of the players I'm looking at in this college all-star game when I post my NFL picks in the morning. The best game of this type is the Senior Bowl, for which televised practices begin next week. I'll have daily updates on the practices beginning Monday.
One of my favorite performers passed away Friday morning, blues great Etta James. She died of complications from leukemia, she was 73. Etta was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame & she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine listed Etta as the 22nd greatest singer of all-time. I was fortunate enough to see her in concert twice, in 1996 with B.B. King & later in 2000 at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. For those of you who don't recognize the name Etta James, please go to Youtube & put her name in the search engine at the top of the page & click her rendition of "At Last." I just checked, there are three versions that have been played over 11 million times. Her music was featured on a number of commercials, most notably, a Jaguar spot with "At Last" that ran for most of the 2003 football season. It is truly one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Beyonce played James in the movie "Cadillac Records." Etta had a tragic upbringing & a tough life, but she always found solace singing the blues & God could the woman sing. She was also an extremely talented songwriter. When Mike Rudolph & I went to see her & B.B. King in 1996, hours later in the casino we wound up on a crap table with her two sons who played in her band. They were great kids, in their mid-20's & very proud of their mom. She was truly an American musical treasure & if you're not familiar with Etta James, do your self a favor & spend 5-minutes on Youtube, it's well worth it, she was a very special talent. Rest in peace Etta James, rest in peace.
Etta James in 2007 Beyonce' as James in "Cadillac Records"
BIDEN GAFFE IN FRISCO, LEGAL ISSUES, HALEY STILL LOOKIN FOR WORK & RAVENS "INCREDIBLY PREDICTABLE"
Vice President Joe Biden, was in San Francisco Wednesday night for a Democratic fund raiser & seconds after taking to the podium, he uttered this jewel, "The Giants are on their way to the Super Bowl." He was then lustily booed & looked around to his staff, clueless as to why. One whispered in his ear, they were in San Francisco, maybe he would want to change his Super Bowl prediction. He quickly admitted he got the San Francisco Giants confused with the New York Giants & when the booing died down, he went on with his speech. Two different sports, one team on the east coast, the other on the west, he's a beauty.
Brent Venables said at the news conference introducing him as the new defensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers, it was the most difficult decision of his entire life to leave Oklahoma. He said he got an extra year on his contract & a small raise. He also said he had no problem with being co-defensive coordinator with Mike Stoops. This is how you leave one job & go to another, don't burn any bridges, act like a responsible adult. This way he can return to OU, maybe as head coach some day.
Ladainian Tomlinson said the locker room friction between Jets' QB Mark Sanchez & WR Santonio Holmes, the teams' captain, was the worst he'd ever seen. When asked why, as a veteran player, didn't he intervene, Tomlinson said "by the time I realized how bad it was, it was too far gone for me or any other player to make it right, that's up to the coach." That would be Mr. Blowhard, Rex Ryan.
Steve Spagnuolo, former Rams head coach, signed with the New Orleans Saints to become their defensive coordinator. He will replace Gregg Williams who left to join Jeff Fisher in St. Louis.
On Christmas Eve, Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson became famous for his forward flip over an Arizona defender into the endzone for the winning touchdown. It's the reigning "Play of the Day" on ESPN. Now Simpson is in the news again & it's not play of the day-type stuff. On June 11th, Simpson was at home because of the NFL lockout. He & his girlfriend were enjoying their coffee when the mailman rang the doorbell. He had a package to deliver & needed a signature. The girlfriend signed & the DEA began crawling all over Simpson's house. Customs had flagged the package for dope, their dogs sniffed it out & the DEA started following the package. On Thursday, Jerome Simpson was indicted on one charge of trafficking marijuana, the package contained 2 1/2 pounds of really high-grade pot. He's an unrestricted free agent & i doubt anyone will be 'flipping' for his services for quite a while.
Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd was indicted for a similar drug charge, possession with the intent to distribute. He accepted a kilo of cocaine from an undercover office & a confidential informant a couple of months back in the Windy City. This is also a federal beef since the crime was originally talked about in Texas & committed in Chicago. His attorney said all the right things, but the bottom line is, I see a plea bargain to get him off doing any serious time. Hurd is finished in the NFL.
One of my old buds from Las Vegas, Art Schlichter, is back in the news. After pleading guilty to wire, bank & tax fraud in November, Schlichter was on house arrest awaiting his formal sentencing. He had agreed to 10-years & 2-months in federal custody for bilking 50 people out of $2.5 million. I've told you several times I had to deal with this guy almost daily when some fool gave him a radio show in Las Vegas. He came in Treasure Island 4-5 times a week & wouldn't leave until he lost every cent he had. He is the worst degenerate gambler I ever saw in my 20-years in the casino business. Art was the 4th overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft by the Colts. He was suspended for the entire 1983 season for gambling on football games. He never made any sort of an impact in the NFL. While awaiting his sentencing, he is required to report to his parole officer monthly for drug testing. According to Kathy Lynn Gray of the Columbus Dispatch, Schlichter missed his test in December, then he tested positive for cocaine last week so Art's been taken into custody. This guy should be put away forever, he will never rehab successfully, from drugs, booze or gambling, he's always been a trainwreck. Even after writing a book about his missteps, he was gambling & drinking. Lock him up & throw away the key. If they don't, he will continue to screw people out of their life savings with absolutely zero guilt.
Todd Haley isn't going to the Jets & apparently, unless he wants to take the job of QB coach for the Arizona Cardinals, he will remain unemployed. Pretty good pay for unemployment, something like $2.4 million from the Chiefs. Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has done an about face on offensive coordinator Mike Miller. He will stay in this position. With 4 more head coaching openings to be filled, Haley has a shot at an offensive coordinators job, but he's running out of options.
I gotta tell you, I haven't read such an unflattering scouting report by a member of the national media regarding an NFL playoff team in a long time. Greg Cosell of NFL Films said he watched every Ravens game video from this season & had a few observations.
"I've never seen a group of NFL receivers so unable to beat man coverage. Their play calling is incredibly predictable. Watching their video is like watching the 1960's. One wide receiver to each side of the formation, all isolation routes. No bunch sets, rub points or picks. Real old time football."
Maybe that's why the Texans held the Ravens to just 227-yards of total offense last Sunday in Baltimore. The Ravens scored 17 of their 20-points on turnovers. I don't see that happening this Sunday against Tom Brady. I'll have my preview of both championship games on Saturday morning.
Brent Venables said at the news conference introducing him as the new defensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers, it was the most difficult decision of his entire life to leave Oklahoma. He said he got an extra year on his contract & a small raise. He also said he had no problem with being co-defensive coordinator with Mike Stoops. This is how you leave one job & go to another, don't burn any bridges, act like a responsible adult. This way he can return to OU, maybe as head coach some day.
Ladainian Tomlinson said the locker room friction between Jets' QB Mark Sanchez & WR Santonio Holmes, the teams' captain, was the worst he'd ever seen. When asked why, as a veteran player, didn't he intervene, Tomlinson said "by the time I realized how bad it was, it was too far gone for me or any other player to make it right, that's up to the coach." That would be Mr. Blowhard, Rex Ryan.
Steve Spagnuolo, former Rams head coach, signed with the New Orleans Saints to become their defensive coordinator. He will replace Gregg Williams who left to join Jeff Fisher in St. Louis.
On Christmas Eve, Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson became famous for his forward flip over an Arizona defender into the endzone for the winning touchdown. It's the reigning "Play of the Day" on ESPN. Now Simpson is in the news again & it's not play of the day-type stuff. On June 11th, Simpson was at home because of the NFL lockout. He & his girlfriend were enjoying their coffee when the mailman rang the doorbell. He had a package to deliver & needed a signature. The girlfriend signed & the DEA began crawling all over Simpson's house. Customs had flagged the package for dope, their dogs sniffed it out & the DEA started following the package. On Thursday, Jerome Simpson was indicted on one charge of trafficking marijuana, the package contained 2 1/2 pounds of really high-grade pot. He's an unrestricted free agent & i doubt anyone will be 'flipping' for his services for quite a while.
Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd was indicted for a similar drug charge, possession with the intent to distribute. He accepted a kilo of cocaine from an undercover office & a confidential informant a couple of months back in the Windy City. This is also a federal beef since the crime was originally talked about in Texas & committed in Chicago. His attorney said all the right things, but the bottom line is, I see a plea bargain to get him off doing any serious time. Hurd is finished in the NFL.
One of my old buds from Las Vegas, Art Schlichter, is back in the news. After pleading guilty to wire, bank & tax fraud in November, Schlichter was on house arrest awaiting his formal sentencing. He had agreed to 10-years & 2-months in federal custody for bilking 50 people out of $2.5 million. I've told you several times I had to deal with this guy almost daily when some fool gave him a radio show in Las Vegas. He came in Treasure Island 4-5 times a week & wouldn't leave until he lost every cent he had. He is the worst degenerate gambler I ever saw in my 20-years in the casino business. Art was the 4th overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft by the Colts. He was suspended for the entire 1983 season for gambling on football games. He never made any sort of an impact in the NFL. While awaiting his sentencing, he is required to report to his parole officer monthly for drug testing. According to Kathy Lynn Gray of the Columbus Dispatch, Schlichter missed his test in December, then he tested positive for cocaine last week so Art's been taken into custody. This guy should be put away forever, he will never rehab successfully, from drugs, booze or gambling, he's always been a trainwreck. Even after writing a book about his missteps, he was gambling & drinking. Lock him up & throw away the key. If they don't, he will continue to screw people out of their life savings with absolutely zero guilt.
Todd Haley isn't going to the Jets & apparently, unless he wants to take the job of QB coach for the Arizona Cardinals, he will remain unemployed. Pretty good pay for unemployment, something like $2.4 million from the Chiefs. Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has done an about face on offensive coordinator Mike Miller. He will stay in this position. With 4 more head coaching openings to be filled, Haley has a shot at an offensive coordinators job, but he's running out of options.
I gotta tell you, I haven't read such an unflattering scouting report by a member of the national media regarding an NFL playoff team in a long time. Greg Cosell of NFL Films said he watched every Ravens game video from this season & had a few observations.
"I've never seen a group of NFL receivers so unable to beat man coverage. Their play calling is incredibly predictable. Watching their video is like watching the 1960's. One wide receiver to each side of the formation, all isolation routes. No bunch sets, rub points or picks. Real old time football."
Maybe that's why the Texans held the Ravens to just 227-yards of total offense last Sunday in Baltimore. The Ravens scored 17 of their 20-points on turnovers. I don't see that happening this Sunday against Tom Brady. I'll have my preview of both championship games on Saturday morning.
SHAKEUP AT OU, JIM CALDWELL FIRED & WHY IS VEGAS ROOTING FOR THE 49ERS?
After Mike Stoops was fired from his head coaching position at Arizona, the rumors started flying he'd rejoin his brother Bob at Oklahoma. He was on their sideline during the Sooners' victory at the Insight Bowl. Not long after that the university announced brother Mike would rejoin the coaching staff as co-defensive coordinator with Brent Venables, who had the position to himself for the past 7-years. That was the arrangement they had before Stoops left to go west. Apparently Venables wasn't too thrilled with having to share all over again. On Thursday, Venables will be introduced as the new defensive coordinator at Clemson. Was he told to look for other employment? Was he facing a demotion to make room for Mike Stoops? Whatever it was, Venables made this move rather quickly. Clemson's defensive coordinator Kevin Steele wasn't retained after the Tigers surrendered 31 or more points in their 3 regular season losses down the stretch & the highly embarrassing 70-points West Virginia hung on them in the Orange Bowl. Venables must have been very unhappy with the arrival of Mike Stoops, I can't see anyway he's making more money at Clemson than he received at OU.
Brent Venables - from Oklahoma to Clemson
After two weeks on pondering the fate of his head coach Jim Caldwell, Colts' owner Jim Irsay decided to fire him. I thought he would get canned the day after the season ended, winning just two games with their roster is just unacceptable. I know, I know, no Peyton Manning, but when you have several Pro Bowl performers on both sides of the ball, 2 wins is pathetic. The backup QB situation was similar to Kansas City's, unacceptable, it was a contributing factor to the dismissal of team VP Bill Polian & GM Chris Polian(yeah, his son). So now we have 4 NFL teams without a head coach, Oakland, Miami, Tampa Bay & now Indianapolis.
Tim Tebow told CBS thanks but no thanks in regard to their invitation to sit in with the pre/post-game crew in studio. It was divulged today that Tebow sustained torn rib cartilage & a bruised lung in Saturday's loss to New England.
Tom Brady's left shoulder is giving him enough trouble he left practice today right after it started. Yes, it's his non-throwing shoulder, but if it hurts, it hurts.
Mike Nolan has joined the Atlanta Falcons as their defensive coordinator. I think even tho Nolan has always preferred a 3-4 scheme, he'll make the Falcons' 4-3 much more aggressive & productive. They have some good pieces but they lack the right coordinator & honestly, they lack enough pass rush to stand up against the Saints, who they play twice a year & lost the division to this season.
Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy could be the front-runner for the Miami job. He's the only one to get a second interview.
Tyler Gabbert, the wayward quarterback from Mizzou & Louisville has finally decided(?) on a new school. He has signed to play at Central Florida. He couldn't win the competition at Mizzou, losing out to James Franklin in summer camp, so he left. He then went to Louisville, but that didn't work out either. He visited former Mizzou O-coordinator, Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen as well as South Florida. The kid has talent at the collegiate level, but he's kinda flighty. Good luck to him & the Knights.
Top-15 draft prospect, Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, was arrested on Tuesday night for possession of marijuana. Not the way to start the draft scouting season. Testing positive for pot at the NFL combine last February, Georgia linebacker Justin Houston fell from a late first round pick to the middle of round three where Kansas City selected him. The approximate difference in signing bonus & salary for Houston is well over $1 million for the length of his contract. What part of this is difficult to understand?
So why are several Las Vegas sportsbooks as well as a couple of off-shore locations so nervous about the NFC Championship game? They could get stuck for a lot of money if the New York Giants win this Sunday. See back in December, after the G-Men lost to Green Bay, they stood at 6-6 & looking for all intents & purposes, out of the playoff race. The future odds in Vegas soared to 100-1 on a Super Bowl victory. Giants' fans jumped on those long odds. The influx of cash lowered the future to 20-1, but two weeks later after losing to the Redskins, the number rose to 50-1. Once again Giants bettors made significant bets on their team. If New York wins Sunday, they don't have to win the Super Bowl for the books to lose money. The sharpies holding Giants future bets can take their Super Bowl opponent on the moneyline, meaning no point spread. If the Giants win the Super Bowl they win a 50-1 or 100-1 future bet & if New York loses, they win good money on a moneyline bet. The books are stuck, at least the ones who have substantial exposure with the Giants, if New York beats the 49ers.
Brent Venables - from Oklahoma to Clemson
After two weeks on pondering the fate of his head coach Jim Caldwell, Colts' owner Jim Irsay decided to fire him. I thought he would get canned the day after the season ended, winning just two games with their roster is just unacceptable. I know, I know, no Peyton Manning, but when you have several Pro Bowl performers on both sides of the ball, 2 wins is pathetic. The backup QB situation was similar to Kansas City's, unacceptable, it was a contributing factor to the dismissal of team VP Bill Polian & GM Chris Polian(yeah, his son). So now we have 4 NFL teams without a head coach, Oakland, Miami, Tampa Bay & now Indianapolis.
Tim Tebow told CBS thanks but no thanks in regard to their invitation to sit in with the pre/post-game crew in studio. It was divulged today that Tebow sustained torn rib cartilage & a bruised lung in Saturday's loss to New England.
Tom Brady's left shoulder is giving him enough trouble he left practice today right after it started. Yes, it's his non-throwing shoulder, but if it hurts, it hurts.
Mike Nolan has joined the Atlanta Falcons as their defensive coordinator. I think even tho Nolan has always preferred a 3-4 scheme, he'll make the Falcons' 4-3 much more aggressive & productive. They have some good pieces but they lack the right coordinator & honestly, they lack enough pass rush to stand up against the Saints, who they play twice a year & lost the division to this season.
Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy could be the front-runner for the Miami job. He's the only one to get a second interview.
Tyler Gabbert, the wayward quarterback from Mizzou & Louisville has finally decided(?) on a new school. He has signed to play at Central Florida. He couldn't win the competition at Mizzou, losing out to James Franklin in summer camp, so he left. He then went to Louisville, but that didn't work out either. He visited former Mizzou O-coordinator, Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen as well as South Florida. The kid has talent at the collegiate level, but he's kinda flighty. Good luck to him & the Knights.
Top-15 draft prospect, Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, was arrested on Tuesday night for possession of marijuana. Not the way to start the draft scouting season. Testing positive for pot at the NFL combine last February, Georgia linebacker Justin Houston fell from a late first round pick to the middle of round three where Kansas City selected him. The approximate difference in signing bonus & salary for Houston is well over $1 million for the length of his contract. What part of this is difficult to understand?
So why are several Las Vegas sportsbooks as well as a couple of off-shore locations so nervous about the NFC Championship game? They could get stuck for a lot of money if the New York Giants win this Sunday. See back in December, after the G-Men lost to Green Bay, they stood at 6-6 & looking for all intents & purposes, out of the playoff race. The future odds in Vegas soared to 100-1 on a Super Bowl victory. Giants' fans jumped on those long odds. The influx of cash lowered the future to 20-1, but two weeks later after losing to the Redskins, the number rose to 50-1. Once again Giants bettors made significant bets on their team. If New York wins Sunday, they don't have to win the Super Bowl for the books to lose money. The sharpies holding Giants future bets can take their Super Bowl opponent on the moneyline, meaning no point spread. If the Giants win the Super Bowl they win a 50-1 or 100-1 future bet & if New York loses, they win good money on a moneyline bet. The books are stuck, at least the ones who have substantial exposure with the Giants, if New York beats the 49ers.
WEIS DISMISSES 10, QB'S ON THE MOVE, COACHING GO-ROUND & SOME OF YOUR REACTIONS TO "ARROWGATE"
Charlie Weis held a news conference yesterday & he made it quite clear he wasn't going to permit any academic shortcomings or disobeying team rules from any of his players. Weis dismissed 10 players from the Jayhawk football program. He said they had been put on notice a few weeks ago & hadn't "taken care of business." One of those kicked off the team was starting QB Jordan Webb. RB Darrian Miller & safety Keeston Terry, both starters from Blue Springs High were released as was freshman QB Brock Berglund, who hadn't played yet for the Jayhawks because of personal legal issues. Three walk-ons were released. Weis said "I don't care who they are, I don't care if they were all-stars, there's a right & a wrong way of doing things. In every player's case, it was clear cut, but I was fighting to give them opportunities to return, but in each case, they decided not to take advantage of the opportunities." There's a new sheriff in town & his name is Charlie Weis.
I told you a couple of weeks ago, the nations #1 high school quarterback prospect, Gunner Kiel had de-committed from Indiana & given Les Miles at LSU a verbal commitment. That apparently is worth exactly as much as the commitment Kiel gave IU. Word in the Hoosier State is he will change his mind again, this time for another in-state school, Notre Dame.
Nick Montana will transfer out of the Washington Huskie program where he played some as a true freshman, starting once. But the monster game put up by sophomore QB Keith Price in the Alamo Bowl convinced Montana he has no shot to be the Huskie starter short of another injury to Price. Montana will transfer to Blinn Jr. College in Texas. Blinn produced another famous transfer three years ago, Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who played at Blinn for just one season.
Mike Martz has decided to retire, at least until someone comes calling. After being pushed aside by the Bears, Martz didn't receive any phone calls requesting as much as an interview, so he retired. He was very interested in the Arizona State job but never got the call to come to Tempe for a sit-down. Martz has burned a lot of bridges in the NFL & he's not particularly popular with pro quarterbacks, two black marks for future employment. I doubt we've seen the last of Mike Martz, because the NFL is so cyclical, they'll come back to him in a year or two.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers intend to interview a few other head coaching candidates. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer from the Bengals & Packer quarterback coach Tom Clements will be brought in for a look-see. This will be the 6th & 7th candidates I know of for Tampa.
Oakland is talking to a number of candidates as well. Both Denver coordinators, Dennis Allen(D) & Mike McCoy(O) will get an interview. New Orleans offensive coordinator Peter Carmichael will also trek out to the left coast for a sit-down. I also expect Packers defensive coach Winston Moss to talk to new Raider GM Reggie McKenzie, who was formerly with Green Bay.
Gregg Williams has agreed to join Jeff Fisher's new staff in St. Louis as defensive coordinator. Fisher will interview former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson today for the vacant offensive coordinator job.
I talked yesterday about the decline in television ratings for the bowl season, especially for four of the five BCS games. It isn't football people are turning off, it's crummy matchups & bowls that should never be. The NFL is crowing today after their weekend TV ratings were released by the networks. Both Saturday games broke all-time ratings records for Saturday playoff games. The Giants-Packers game drew 45.1 million viewers on Sunday. The Steelers-Broncos game the previous Sunday was the highest rated television program since the Super Bowl was played last February. This is why the networks pay the NFL billions for their rights. They consistently top the ratings & that means money to the networks.
Not surprisingly, I received a number of emails from Chiefs fans regarding the Kent Babb piece in Sunday's Kansas City Star regarding the level of paranoia out at Arrowhead Stadium. I voided out a few comments on the website that were either too profane or simply ridiculous. For the most part the emails made good points while a few reverted to calling me an idiot or similar names. To the name callers I say, I didn't write this piece, I didn't agree with this post because I wasn't able to interview the same people Babb did. All I can go from his personal conversations with a former Arrowhead insider who was kicked to the curb two years ago by the Pioli regime.
The remark I made about Clark Hunt believing in fear as a management tool comes from someone who has had dealings with the Chiefs hierarchy. Do I think Hunt is mean-spirited? I don't know, but what I do know is under his stewardship, this franchise has had 3 of the worst 5 seasons in the 54-year history of the franchise. He seems to be more concerned with his public image than his football team. Another asked if I thought his beauty queen wife was more interested in the Dallas social scene than being the wife of an NFL owner? How the hell do I know? I think Clark Hunt is nowhere as driven to lead this team as his father was. Keeping the fans happy & being honest with them was important to Lamar Hunt. I don't think Clark feels the same way.
Too bad Hunt doesn't take after Jerry Jones a
little. No one wants to win more than Jones.
As I said yesterday, I do believe a lot of what Babb had to say about Pioli, the fact that he refused to be interviewed by Babb tells me there's arrogance, paranoia or both. Ignoring the local press isn't a way to do business when you have no track record of success with this franchise. That goes for Clark Hunt as well. There are literally hundreds of thousands of loyal Chiefs fans in the Midwest, but very quickly this regime has alienated a large portion of them, attendance figures back that conclusion. The Royals are coming on strong, does Hunt want to return to the days of being a distant #2 in Kansas City like they were from 1975 to 1990? They had a handy scapegoat, Todd Haley & threw him under the bus. Truth be told Haley helped them throw him under the bus with some of his decisions & "innovations."
I'll be interested to see if the league contacts Haley & he comes forward with some evidence of his suspicions about "bugging & tampering." If the league gets involved, you better believe there's truth to much of what Babb wrote about, it isn't all from sour ex-employees. My gripe is about their roster, poor drafting, refusal to spend cap money on anything including their own players(Bowe-Carr) & a condescending attitude toward anyone who questions them about all of the above. Win a playoff game & then we'll accept a certain amount of your aloof attitude, but until that happens knock off the C.I.A. act, it's football, not national security.
I'd like to remind you to keep your comments semi-clean & I'll publish them. Comments or emails that are directed at my family or my dog are immature & really pathetic. If you have an opinion, email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com I'm interested in what you have to say. Don't be a Pioli, let's talk about football.
I told you a couple of weeks ago, the nations #1 high school quarterback prospect, Gunner Kiel had de-committed from Indiana & given Les Miles at LSU a verbal commitment. That apparently is worth exactly as much as the commitment Kiel gave IU. Word in the Hoosier State is he will change his mind again, this time for another in-state school, Notre Dame.
Nick Montana will transfer out of the Washington Huskie program where he played some as a true freshman, starting once. But the monster game put up by sophomore QB Keith Price in the Alamo Bowl convinced Montana he has no shot to be the Huskie starter short of another injury to Price. Montana will transfer to Blinn Jr. College in Texas. Blinn produced another famous transfer three years ago, Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who played at Blinn for just one season.
Mike Martz has decided to retire, at least until someone comes calling. After being pushed aside by the Bears, Martz didn't receive any phone calls requesting as much as an interview, so he retired. He was very interested in the Arizona State job but never got the call to come to Tempe for a sit-down. Martz has burned a lot of bridges in the NFL & he's not particularly popular with pro quarterbacks, two black marks for future employment. I doubt we've seen the last of Mike Martz, because the NFL is so cyclical, they'll come back to him in a year or two.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers intend to interview a few other head coaching candidates. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer from the Bengals & Packer quarterback coach Tom Clements will be brought in for a look-see. This will be the 6th & 7th candidates I know of for Tampa.
Oakland is talking to a number of candidates as well. Both Denver coordinators, Dennis Allen(D) & Mike McCoy(O) will get an interview. New Orleans offensive coordinator Peter Carmichael will also trek out to the left coast for a sit-down. I also expect Packers defensive coach Winston Moss to talk to new Raider GM Reggie McKenzie, who was formerly with Green Bay.
Gregg Williams has agreed to join Jeff Fisher's new staff in St. Louis as defensive coordinator. Fisher will interview former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson today for the vacant offensive coordinator job.
I talked yesterday about the decline in television ratings for the bowl season, especially for four of the five BCS games. It isn't football people are turning off, it's crummy matchups & bowls that should never be. The NFL is crowing today after their weekend TV ratings were released by the networks. Both Saturday games broke all-time ratings records for Saturday playoff games. The Giants-Packers game drew 45.1 million viewers on Sunday. The Steelers-Broncos game the previous Sunday was the highest rated television program since the Super Bowl was played last February. This is why the networks pay the NFL billions for their rights. They consistently top the ratings & that means money to the networks.
Not surprisingly, I received a number of emails from Chiefs fans regarding the Kent Babb piece in Sunday's Kansas City Star regarding the level of paranoia out at Arrowhead Stadium. I voided out a few comments on the website that were either too profane or simply ridiculous. For the most part the emails made good points while a few reverted to calling me an idiot or similar names. To the name callers I say, I didn't write this piece, I didn't agree with this post because I wasn't able to interview the same people Babb did. All I can go from his personal conversations with a former Arrowhead insider who was kicked to the curb two years ago by the Pioli regime.
The remark I made about Clark Hunt believing in fear as a management tool comes from someone who has had dealings with the Chiefs hierarchy. Do I think Hunt is mean-spirited? I don't know, but what I do know is under his stewardship, this franchise has had 3 of the worst 5 seasons in the 54-year history of the franchise. He seems to be more concerned with his public image than his football team. Another asked if I thought his beauty queen wife was more interested in the Dallas social scene than being the wife of an NFL owner? How the hell do I know? I think Clark Hunt is nowhere as driven to lead this team as his father was. Keeping the fans happy & being honest with them was important to Lamar Hunt. I don't think Clark feels the same way.
Too bad Hunt doesn't take after Jerry Jones a
little. No one wants to win more than Jones.
As I said yesterday, I do believe a lot of what Babb had to say about Pioli, the fact that he refused to be interviewed by Babb tells me there's arrogance, paranoia or both. Ignoring the local press isn't a way to do business when you have no track record of success with this franchise. That goes for Clark Hunt as well. There are literally hundreds of thousands of loyal Chiefs fans in the Midwest, but very quickly this regime has alienated a large portion of them, attendance figures back that conclusion. The Royals are coming on strong, does Hunt want to return to the days of being a distant #2 in Kansas City like they were from 1975 to 1990? They had a handy scapegoat, Todd Haley & threw him under the bus. Truth be told Haley helped them throw him under the bus with some of his decisions & "innovations."
I'll be interested to see if the league contacts Haley & he comes forward with some evidence of his suspicions about "bugging & tampering." If the league gets involved, you better believe there's truth to much of what Babb wrote about, it isn't all from sour ex-employees. My gripe is about their roster, poor drafting, refusal to spend cap money on anything including their own players(Bowe-Carr) & a condescending attitude toward anyone who questions them about all of the above. Win a playoff game & then we'll accept a certain amount of your aloof attitude, but until that happens knock off the C.I.A. act, it's football, not national security.
I'd like to remind you to keep your comments semi-clean & I'll publish them. Comments or emails that are directed at my family or my dog are immature & really pathetic. If you have an opinion, email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com I'm interested in what you have to say. Don't be a Pioli, let's talk about football.