I said it first...
First of all - I must gloat just a moment in saying right now that I called it. Andrew Luck will stay at Stanford. Like I told people, you don't go to Stanford to leave school early for the NFL. You go to graduate. Once his degree is in hand, the NFL will be ready and waiting for him. Now, where his coach ends up, that's a more interesting situation. A month ago, I would have said Michigan, but that appears to be not happening anymore and with Luck staying at Stanford, I wouldn't be surprised if Harbaugh did, too. San Francisco seems logical to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jon Gruden ends up in Denver. As for Miami... maybe, but I also read that Harbaugh would prefer to coach in the NFC, as opposed to facing his brother on a semi-regular basis in the AFC. We'll see.
Meanwhile, in the Maize & Blue...
As for the University of Michigan, say what you want, but it was time to let Rich Rodriguez go. I expect him to be successful elsewhere, but his bull-in-a-china-shop attitude when he came to Michigan, trampling on tradition at times without even being aware of it, made it clear he wasn't the right man there, not from day one. Maybe that wasn't fair to him, but at the same time, he was ignorant for not being aware of the traditions he came to at Michigan and for disregarding them as he did. It was time for the university to move on and I expect Denard Robinson to do so, too. But in 3 years, RichRod hadn't gotten the program beyond a one-man offense and a shoddy defense... winning eases lots of wounds, but he wasn't able to accomplish that. Whoever comes in will come to a bare cupboard and the Wolverine faithful will have to be prepared for another couple rough years ahead.
And how about the Silver & Black...
How do you fire a coach who goes 6-0 in division? Tom Cable took the Raiders from a dysfunctional 5-11 to a gritty, tough, respectable 8-8 and got fired for his troubles. I'm still in awe. The Raiders were built in his image and it was an image that fit Raider football - tough, in-your-face, not-gonna-knock-us-down, etc, and now after a season of marked progress, he's gone. It's a mystifying move to me and only continues to demonstrate just how dysfunctional Al Davis and the Raiders are. Even if he wanted Hue Jackson to coach, or an outside shot at Harbaugh, I don't think you let a player's coach like Cable go, not if he has his players winning. Terrible move, Oakland. To the fans of the Silver and Black... ouch.
Coaching Predictions -
I like Denver to go after an offensive-style coach who will mesh well with Elway's front office and Tebow at QB. I think Jon Gruden, if he wants to return to coaching, is a good fit here, especially in a division he's coached in before that would give him a shot at Al Davis twice a year.
In Carolina, I'd keep my eye on Rob Ryan. He's overdue for a head coaching job (I thought he'd get one before Rex, honestly) and I think he fits what Carolina wants and needs - a tough defensive guy who can build a team that can withstand the offensive firepower of Atlanta, Tampa Bay and New Orleans. He'll need an experienced offensive coordinator for that side of the game, but otherwise, I think it's a very likely scenario.
San Francisco is the most likely Harbaugh scenario, but I'm not sold on it yet. If I had to put money on it, I'd probably go with Harbaugh. As for alternatives to that, there's not a lot of high-caliber coaching talent that seems readily available. If he was interested, I could see Brian Billick returning to the NFL here, but I expect if no Harbaugh, they'll find an up-and-coming offensive assistant like Hue Jackson, unless Oakland makes him their head coach.
Cleveland is a tough one and part of me expects to see Mike Holmgren step in, which isn't an ideal situation, but very possible. Mularkey from Atlanta appears to be a high possibility, but I expect them to be fairly exhaustive in their search - I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland is the last team with a coaching vacancy to fill it.
On my NFL Awards -
MVP - Tom Brady. There's just no question here. If you watched the Patriots or look at his stat-line, you can see why.
Offensive Player - Michael Vick. Absolutely electric. Not perfect, but he's the one who has the Eagles surging and when it comes down to a single offensive player you're forced to design your entire gameplan around, it's Michael Vick.
Defensive Player - Troy Polamalu. The Steelers defensive lives and breathes by this guy - if he's gone, so are they. And much like Vick, when you look at a single defensive player that you have to design your gameplan around, Polamalu and his flowing locks are exactly that. He's a dervish on the field capable of whatever the game calls for. That he missed time this year and the Steelers floundered a bit without him is testament to his deserving of this award.
Offensive Rookie - Sam Bradford. Boring, predictable, but he had a great rookie year as QB and was a main reason the Rams were NFC West contenders.
Defensive Rookie - Ndamukong Suh. The lynchpin of the Detroit Lions defense from here on out, he is as good as advertised and his disruptive line play only makes his fellow linemen better.
Coach of the Year - Bill Belicheck. The mad genius dumped Randy Moss, prompting many people (not including yours truly) to think that he'd given up on the season. Instead, this very young Patriots roster was coached to one of the most stunning seasons of football I've seen. I hold Belicheck to a high bar and normally wouldn't select him for this award, but the sheer youth and inexperience on defense, which has improved as the season went on, as well as the young skill players on offense, is too compelling for me to overlook.
Showing posts with label nfl coaches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nfl coaches. Show all posts
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
What is the NFL thinking?
I've been ruminating on this for a little while, because all in all, I'm very confused. The NFL, this year, has had a very firm stance on player safety. This has turned into the manifestation of some pretty egregious fines for men who are, for all intents and purposes, just playing the game the way they've been taught. No one has been singled out more than James Harrison of the Steelers on this matter, who was fined again this week for a great hit on Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Buffalo Bills - a hit that this writer thinks was not late, not dirty and just an example of a great pass rusher making a solid hit and trying to make a play. As I mentioned, for his efforts, he was fined.
What staggers me the most on this is that, on the same week, Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan and Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson shed their helmets and started beating on each other like they were on ice, not a field and were levied the same fine as Harrison afterwards. Richard Seymour of the Raiders punched Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers right in the face during a game and was fined similarly. What I don't understand is how the league can be so heavy-handed in doling out fines on guys who are just trying to play the game, but basically give guys who are throwing punches little more than slaps on the wrist.
I'm of the opinion that anyone who throws a punch or otherwise displays violent acts that have no part of the game of football should be fined significantly - I'm talking six figures, not five - and suspended for at least one game, if not more. I find it astounding that men brawling on the field is somehow acceptable - and the low fines being levied for it encourage it. Trust me on this - if Richard Seymour had been suspended for a full game after throwing his punch at Big Ben, I have a feeling Finnegan and Johnson might have reconsidered their little game of Punch-Out.
As for the big hits thing, well, that's gotten out of hand, too, but I'll talk about that another time. But never before in an NFL season have I seen so many flags thrown arbitrarily. Hines Ward spoke out against it this week and so has Brian Urlacher of the Bears. One of these flags is going to make a huge difference in a playoff game. I think Troy Polamalu - and Urlacher - suggested the best idea - a committee of NFL executives, personnel men and retired players who evaluate and decide on fines. As it is, these fines are handed out in a way that seems, at best, as arbitrarily as the flags being thrown.
Coaches on the Hot Seat
Ah, a favorite late-season and off-season topic - the coaching carousel - who stays, who goes. Or in this case, who will probably go. The below are all guys I think need to find new teams or step back down to coordinator:
(In no particular order)
Mike Singletary - San Francisco 49ers. Sorry Mike. I love his enthusiasm and the vigor he brings to the game, but I think it's clear he's in over his head. He reminds me of Rod Marinelli in his last season as Lions coach - out of his depth, repeating the same mantra over and over as his team continues to flounder. Marinelli is thriving as a defensive coordinator in Chicago now. I think Singletary would benefit from a similar move.
Gary Kubiak - Houston Texans. Too many years of no progress. This team continues to stay stuck at .500 or a game within it. Time to move on. This team is too talented to be .500 and be content about it and their defense is underperforming to be ranked as low as it is.
Jack Del Rio - Jacksonville Jaguars. Unless they have a huge surge to end the season and make the playoffs, virtually the same case as Kubiak. This team is almost always at .500 or one game above/below it. No progress over too much time. Move on.
John Fox - Carolina Panthers. His contract is up at the end of the year anyway, but I have to believe he's counting the days til he can walk out that door and has no desire to stay anyway.
Marvin Lewis - Cincinnati Bengals. Same as Fox, only amplified times ten or so.
Norv Turner - San Diego Chargers. Win a playoff game or else. They fired a better coach for not winning playoff games after a 14-2 season. If Turner can't find postseason success, they need to move on. His inability to get them playing good football until November is of concern, also.
Ken Whisenhunt - Arizona Cardinals. He took over a good team with good veteran leadership, but those veterans are gone now. Can he keep this team competitive without Kurt Warner? I give him another year after this one to find out, or I chalk up his success to Warner's skill at QB.
Josh McDaniels - Denver Broncos. Every coach deserves 3 years. But starting 6-0 and being a .250 team after that sort of sets an expectation early. One more year is deserved here, but if the Broncos aren't over .500 next year, I think it maybe safe to let him go.
Jim Schwartz - Detroit Lions. As above, everyone deserves 3 years. But the Lions are more talented than they have been in a long time and still lose games. I question their fundamentals, their mental toughness and their discipline. Schwartz needs to pull this team to .500 or better next year or I question his ability to remain a head coach.
What staggers me the most on this is that, on the same week, Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan and Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson shed their helmets and started beating on each other like they were on ice, not a field and were levied the same fine as Harrison afterwards. Richard Seymour of the Raiders punched Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers right in the face during a game and was fined similarly. What I don't understand is how the league can be so heavy-handed in doling out fines on guys who are just trying to play the game, but basically give guys who are throwing punches little more than slaps on the wrist.
I'm of the opinion that anyone who throws a punch or otherwise displays violent acts that have no part of the game of football should be fined significantly - I'm talking six figures, not five - and suspended for at least one game, if not more. I find it astounding that men brawling on the field is somehow acceptable - and the low fines being levied for it encourage it. Trust me on this - if Richard Seymour had been suspended for a full game after throwing his punch at Big Ben, I have a feeling Finnegan and Johnson might have reconsidered their little game of Punch-Out.
As for the big hits thing, well, that's gotten out of hand, too, but I'll talk about that another time. But never before in an NFL season have I seen so many flags thrown arbitrarily. Hines Ward spoke out against it this week and so has Brian Urlacher of the Bears. One of these flags is going to make a huge difference in a playoff game. I think Troy Polamalu - and Urlacher - suggested the best idea - a committee of NFL executives, personnel men and retired players who evaluate and decide on fines. As it is, these fines are handed out in a way that seems, at best, as arbitrarily as the flags being thrown.
Coaches on the Hot Seat
Ah, a favorite late-season and off-season topic - the coaching carousel - who stays, who goes. Or in this case, who will probably go. The below are all guys I think need to find new teams or step back down to coordinator:
(In no particular order)
Mike Singletary - San Francisco 49ers. Sorry Mike. I love his enthusiasm and the vigor he brings to the game, but I think it's clear he's in over his head. He reminds me of Rod Marinelli in his last season as Lions coach - out of his depth, repeating the same mantra over and over as his team continues to flounder. Marinelli is thriving as a defensive coordinator in Chicago now. I think Singletary would benefit from a similar move.
Gary Kubiak - Houston Texans. Too many years of no progress. This team continues to stay stuck at .500 or a game within it. Time to move on. This team is too talented to be .500 and be content about it and their defense is underperforming to be ranked as low as it is.
Jack Del Rio - Jacksonville Jaguars. Unless they have a huge surge to end the season and make the playoffs, virtually the same case as Kubiak. This team is almost always at .500 or one game above/below it. No progress over too much time. Move on.
John Fox - Carolina Panthers. His contract is up at the end of the year anyway, but I have to believe he's counting the days til he can walk out that door and has no desire to stay anyway.
Marvin Lewis - Cincinnati Bengals. Same as Fox, only amplified times ten or so.
Norv Turner - San Diego Chargers. Win a playoff game or else. They fired a better coach for not winning playoff games after a 14-2 season. If Turner can't find postseason success, they need to move on. His inability to get them playing good football until November is of concern, also.
Ken Whisenhunt - Arizona Cardinals. He took over a good team with good veteran leadership, but those veterans are gone now. Can he keep this team competitive without Kurt Warner? I give him another year after this one to find out, or I chalk up his success to Warner's skill at QB.
Josh McDaniels - Denver Broncos. Every coach deserves 3 years. But starting 6-0 and being a .250 team after that sort of sets an expectation early. One more year is deserved here, but if the Broncos aren't over .500 next year, I think it maybe safe to let him go.
Jim Schwartz - Detroit Lions. As above, everyone deserves 3 years. But the Lions are more talented than they have been in a long time and still lose games. I question their fundamentals, their mental toughness and their discipline. Schwartz needs to pull this team to .500 or better next year or I question his ability to remain a head coach.
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