Thursday, January 12, 2006
Open Season
The end of the regular season in the NFL usually brings about mass firings or resignations at the head coaching positions for teams that have underachieved in the past season. The end of this season has been exceptionally busy at the chopping block. Already, there have been ten head coaching vacancies created through firing or resignation. Time for hardcore analysis of the situation.
Buffalo Bills- Head coach Mike Mularkey resigned today only weeks after he had a sit down with Bills owner Ralph Wilson. Mularkey clearly underachieved this year after a near playoff run last year. But was it really all that unexpected. The team turned the reins over to an unproven near rookie QB, and lost Takeo Spikes early in the season. How many games do you expect to win when Kelley Holcomb and J.P. Losman are splitting time at QB? Early favorite to replace Mularkey is former Bill, and one of Ralph Wilson's favorite players, Jim Haslett.
Detroit Lions- Fired Steve Marriucci half way through the season and turned the team over to Dick Jaroun. Mooch may or may not have been effective but he clearly wasn't the biggest problem in Detroit. How Matt Millen still has a job is anyone's guess. How can you select receiver in the first round of three straight drafts? Is there a monkey running the draft board? Does Matt Millen have naked photos of William Clay Ford in a Toyota? What gives, fire the man already. The Lions seem interested in Steelers assistant coach Russ Grimm.
Green Bay Packers- Some what surprisingly fired Mike Sherman after the team was decimated by injury. Here's my feeling on Sherman and coaches like him; good enough to win more games than they lose but not good enough to win it all. Mike Sherman was never going to outcoach anyone. Still, he probably shouldn't have been fired this year. The Packers went out and hired former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy. Whose 49er offense was ranked dead last in the league. This hiring makes less sense than firing Sherman. There is only one explanation. He's VERY close with Brett Favre.
Houston Texans- Fired Dom Capers after a truly miserable season that is brightened by the fact that they have the number one pick in the draft. The problem with the Texans is the same problem that has existed for their entire history; they can't block anyone. If the Texans wanted to ein more games next year they would trade the number one pick and take D'Brickshaw Ferguseon. But that doesn't sell tickets and therefore won't happen.
Kansas City Chiefs- Dick Vermeil retired, again. And cried, again. They replace him with Herm Edwards, good move. But does it really matter if they can't find someone to play defense.
New York Jets- Obviously Herm Edwards leaving creates and opening. The name that keeps coming up is New England D-Coordinator Eric Mangini. He is a guy that I wanted to come with Romeo Crennel to Cleveland to become the D-Coordinator here. If the Jets get him it will be a good hire, but Mangini may not take the job because it is a horrible job. Horrible job. Bring back Pete Carroll and let him get fired again.
Minnesota Vikings- what a year for the Vikes the Whizzanator, the sex cruise, Fred Smoot and the double dong. And then they righted the ship so to speak. But they missed the playoffs and Mike Tice got canned. Tice is in the same boat as Mike Sherman, he wasn't going to out coach anyone and on some occasions was going to cost his team games. The Vikings made the right choice by firing him now, why wait. They have hired Philly O-Coordinator Brad Childress. The only thing that bugs me about Childress is he doesn't run the ball enough. They gave Brian Westbrook that fat contract and barely used him.
The New Orleans Saints- Say what you will about the year the Saints had, it was almost impossible for them to be successful. But none the less Jim Haslett got canned. It should have happened two seasons ago. This team has consistently underachieved, there is enough talent on the Saints for them to contend for a playoff spot. Their inability to even come close rests with Jim Haslett. And the fact that he is being considered for a number of other head coaching vacancies boggles the mind. Didn't they see the job he did in NO? Why do guys like him continue to get jobs? Can i have a job?, I can underachieve with that talent too. Sounds like Mo Carthon is headed to the NO, which would be great for me. The man cannot call an offensive game, horrible coodinator.
Oakland Raiders- Fired Norv Turner, should have never hired him. He's another guy who shouldn't have got another job. The Raiders quit on Norv in the middle of the season, he's not a good coach. It's Al Davis running the show, so who knows what direction they will go. James Lofton's name has been mentioned.
St. Louis Rams- Finally they fired Mike Martz, only after he nearly died. Here's a case like Norv Turner, good Offensive Coordinator bad head coach. I think Martz was overwhelmed by the situation most of the time. He clearly was a poor at making adjustments and game management, but dame could he chuck it around the field.
So that is everyone who got canned this year. I don't expect many more firing this season but you never know. Someone may pop loose. Maybe a Jeff Fisher in Tennessee(who the Browns should have made a run at). Surprisingly there are hardly any college names being mentioned as replacements, Kirk Ferentz said he's going back Iowa. So the names being thrown around are all the names of the guys who got fired, go figure.
Buffalo Bills- Head coach Mike Mularkey resigned today only weeks after he had a sit down with Bills owner Ralph Wilson. Mularkey clearly underachieved this year after a near playoff run last year. But was it really all that unexpected. The team turned the reins over to an unproven near rookie QB, and lost Takeo Spikes early in the season. How many games do you expect to win when Kelley Holcomb and J.P. Losman are splitting time at QB? Early favorite to replace Mularkey is former Bill, and one of Ralph Wilson's favorite players, Jim Haslett.
Detroit Lions- Fired Steve Marriucci half way through the season and turned the team over to Dick Jaroun. Mooch may or may not have been effective but he clearly wasn't the biggest problem in Detroit. How Matt Millen still has a job is anyone's guess. How can you select receiver in the first round of three straight drafts? Is there a monkey running the draft board? Does Matt Millen have naked photos of William Clay Ford in a Toyota? What gives, fire the man already. The Lions seem interested in Steelers assistant coach Russ Grimm.
Green Bay Packers- Some what surprisingly fired Mike Sherman after the team was decimated by injury. Here's my feeling on Sherman and coaches like him; good enough to win more games than they lose but not good enough to win it all. Mike Sherman was never going to outcoach anyone. Still, he probably shouldn't have been fired this year. The Packers went out and hired former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy. Whose 49er offense was ranked dead last in the league. This hiring makes less sense than firing Sherman. There is only one explanation. He's VERY close with Brett Favre.
Houston Texans- Fired Dom Capers after a truly miserable season that is brightened by the fact that they have the number one pick in the draft. The problem with the Texans is the same problem that has existed for their entire history; they can't block anyone. If the Texans wanted to ein more games next year they would trade the number one pick and take D'Brickshaw Ferguseon. But that doesn't sell tickets and therefore won't happen.
Kansas City Chiefs- Dick Vermeil retired, again. And cried, again. They replace him with Herm Edwards, good move. But does it really matter if they can't find someone to play defense.
New York Jets- Obviously Herm Edwards leaving creates and opening. The name that keeps coming up is New England D-Coordinator Eric Mangini. He is a guy that I wanted to come with Romeo Crennel to Cleveland to become the D-Coordinator here. If the Jets get him it will be a good hire, but Mangini may not take the job because it is a horrible job. Horrible job. Bring back Pete Carroll and let him get fired again.
Minnesota Vikings- what a year for the Vikes the Whizzanator, the sex cruise, Fred Smoot and the double dong. And then they righted the ship so to speak. But they missed the playoffs and Mike Tice got canned. Tice is in the same boat as Mike Sherman, he wasn't going to out coach anyone and on some occasions was going to cost his team games. The Vikings made the right choice by firing him now, why wait. They have hired Philly O-Coordinator Brad Childress. The only thing that bugs me about Childress is he doesn't run the ball enough. They gave Brian Westbrook that fat contract and barely used him.
The New Orleans Saints- Say what you will about the year the Saints had, it was almost impossible for them to be successful. But none the less Jim Haslett got canned. It should have happened two seasons ago. This team has consistently underachieved, there is enough talent on the Saints for them to contend for a playoff spot. Their inability to even come close rests with Jim Haslett. And the fact that he is being considered for a number of other head coaching vacancies boggles the mind. Didn't they see the job he did in NO? Why do guys like him continue to get jobs? Can i have a job?, I can underachieve with that talent too. Sounds like Mo Carthon is headed to the NO, which would be great for me. The man cannot call an offensive game, horrible coodinator.
Oakland Raiders- Fired Norv Turner, should have never hired him. He's another guy who shouldn't have got another job. The Raiders quit on Norv in the middle of the season, he's not a good coach. It's Al Davis running the show, so who knows what direction they will go. James Lofton's name has been mentioned.
St. Louis Rams- Finally they fired Mike Martz, only after he nearly died. Here's a case like Norv Turner, good Offensive Coordinator bad head coach. I think Martz was overwhelmed by the situation most of the time. He clearly was a poor at making adjustments and game management, but dame could he chuck it around the field.
So that is everyone who got canned this year. I don't expect many more firing this season but you never know. Someone may pop loose. Maybe a Jeff Fisher in Tennessee(who the Browns should have made a run at). Surprisingly there are hardly any college names being mentioned as replacements, Kirk Ferentz said he's going back Iowa. So the names being thrown around are all the names of the guys who got fired, go figure.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
An explanation of sorts
The post Rose Bowl entry came off a bit vitriolic, so i think it deserves an explanation of my distaste for all things USC. To be honest a lot of it is hyperbole, but most of it is a reaction to the hype machine that is ESPN and the national media. I'm a bit of a contrarian so if an argument is one sided i'll take the other side to explore the possibilities, nothing is ever as simple as black and white.
ESPN has been running the hype machine at full force for this USC team since last year's Orange Bowl was over. It seems these days that ESPN is always looking for something to be the greatest of all time, just so we can hype it as much. Is this the greatest team?, is he the greatest player?, was that the greatest game?
Did ESPN really run a weak long piece on whether this USC team was the greatest of all time, and they came out third. Does that mean that they have to do that all over again with Texas. This is more of a beef with ESPN, but they have no sense of history prior to their existence. Most of those 11 teams were from the last 15 years. College football has a long history that predates ESPN.
The style of football that USC plays bugs the hell out of me as well. Play some damned defense. This is the same reason i couldn't stand the Rams team that was the greatest show on turf. There's enough talent in California to find some players who can play defense. And they play in the Pac 10 which has no idea on how to play defense.
My opinions on Reggie Bush are in part a reaction to the media's anointing of him as the savior and my opinion of him as RB at the next level. People talk like Reggie Bush has a place in Canton all set aside for himself, when he hasn't proven a thing on sunday. KiJanna Carter and Desmond Howard were both excellent college players but neither has a bust in Canton.
On the other hand i'm not sure that Reggie Bush can be an everydown back on the next level. There was a reason that Pete Carroll decided to give the ball to LenDale White on 4th and 2, he knows that Bush isn't big enough or strong enough to pound that ball into to the middle of the line. Imagine what it will be like at the next level when the D-Line is bigger and stronger.
don't get me wrong, there are alot of good NFL running backs that don't pound the ball. But there aren't a lot of GREAT ones that didn't pound.
So that's it, my distaste for USC. Partially overblown because of the media's neverending hype, but mostly genuine distaste. And do i need a better reason than Nick Lachey roots for them?
ESPN has been running the hype machine at full force for this USC team since last year's Orange Bowl was over. It seems these days that ESPN is always looking for something to be the greatest of all time, just so we can hype it as much. Is this the greatest team?, is he the greatest player?, was that the greatest game?
Did ESPN really run a weak long piece on whether this USC team was the greatest of all time, and they came out third. Does that mean that they have to do that all over again with Texas. This is more of a beef with ESPN, but they have no sense of history prior to their existence. Most of those 11 teams were from the last 15 years. College football has a long history that predates ESPN.
The style of football that USC plays bugs the hell out of me as well. Play some damned defense. This is the same reason i couldn't stand the Rams team that was the greatest show on turf. There's enough talent in California to find some players who can play defense. And they play in the Pac 10 which has no idea on how to play defense.
My opinions on Reggie Bush are in part a reaction to the media's anointing of him as the savior and my opinion of him as RB at the next level. People talk like Reggie Bush has a place in Canton all set aside for himself, when he hasn't proven a thing on sunday. KiJanna Carter and Desmond Howard were both excellent college players but neither has a bust in Canton.
On the other hand i'm not sure that Reggie Bush can be an everydown back on the next level. There was a reason that Pete Carroll decided to give the ball to LenDale White on 4th and 2, he knows that Bush isn't big enough or strong enough to pound that ball into to the middle of the line. Imagine what it will be like at the next level when the D-Line is bigger and stronger.
don't get me wrong, there are alot of good NFL running backs that don't pound the ball. But there aren't a lot of GREAT ones that didn't pound.
So that's it, my distaste for USC. Partially overblown because of the media's neverending hype, but mostly genuine distaste. And do i need a better reason than Nick Lachey roots for them?
Hey Sean Salisbury do you like apples?
The time is 12:26 EST. and USC still sucks.
The National Title game was probably the second best college football game i have ever seen. I will say that the performance that Vince Young put on tonight is in the top 3 performances in a college football game of all time. He was without a doubt the best player on the field tonight. In fact if he enters the draft, and why wouldn't he, he should be the first player taken. Further explanation of that at a later post.
So, if Vince Young was the best player on the field Reggie Bush must have been the second best right? I, mean he's got a bust in Canton already. Matter of factly Reggie Bush was at best the fourth best player on the field, behind Young, LenDale White, and Leinhart.
They say great players show up big in big games. This was a big game, where was Reggie Bush? White and Leinhart showed up. Bush showed me nothing to change my opinion that he will be a quality return man in the NFL. He's not even Marshall Faulk let alone Gale Sayers. If LenDale White can get himself in shape, he can be a better back in the NFL. Wasn't it odd that when USC needed yards to salt away the clock that White was in the game and not Bush?
Memo to ESPN, maybe you should wait till USC wins the national title before you run the "Is USC 2005 the greatest team of all time?" segments. You know what is worse, that all the talking heads at ESPN thought this team was the greatest of all time. Shit, Mark May had them beating Miami's 02 team. That Miami team had more talent on it than the Houston Texans and would have pounded this USC team. You wanna know why this USC team wouldn't have been in the top 15 teams of all time even if they had one, they play no defense. Not a lick. Texas had one weapon all night and USC had no answer. Horrible defense.
Pete Carroll's decision to go for it on 4th and 1 shows why he got fired twice in the NFL.
Hey Sean, how you like them apples?
The National Title game was probably the second best college football game i have ever seen. I will say that the performance that Vince Young put on tonight is in the top 3 performances in a college football game of all time. He was without a doubt the best player on the field tonight. In fact if he enters the draft, and why wouldn't he, he should be the first player taken. Further explanation of that at a later post.
So, if Vince Young was the best player on the field Reggie Bush must have been the second best right? I, mean he's got a bust in Canton already. Matter of factly Reggie Bush was at best the fourth best player on the field, behind Young, LenDale White, and Leinhart.
They say great players show up big in big games. This was a big game, where was Reggie Bush? White and Leinhart showed up. Bush showed me nothing to change my opinion that he will be a quality return man in the NFL. He's not even Marshall Faulk let alone Gale Sayers. If LenDale White can get himself in shape, he can be a better back in the NFL. Wasn't it odd that when USC needed yards to salt away the clock that White was in the game and not Bush?
Memo to ESPN, maybe you should wait till USC wins the national title before you run the "Is USC 2005 the greatest team of all time?" segments. You know what is worse, that all the talking heads at ESPN thought this team was the greatest of all time. Shit, Mark May had them beating Miami's 02 team. That Miami team had more talent on it than the Houston Texans and would have pounded this USC team. You wanna know why this USC team wouldn't have been in the top 15 teams of all time even if they had one, they play no defense. Not a lick. Texas had one weapon all night and USC had no answer. Horrible defense.
Pete Carroll's decision to go for it on 4th and 1 shows why he got fired twice in the NFL.
Hey Sean, how you like them apples?
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