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Category Archives: Jacksonville Jaguars

They hired who?

27 Jan

 

Well, we are a few days away from the Pro Bowl (does anyone know or even care who’s playing in that?) and a little over a week than the event that mustn’t be named and all teams have a head coach for the 2012 season. There were some shockers, some good hires and some baffling decisions. We have already talked about Kansas City hiring Romeo Crennel, Jacksonville hiring Mike Mularkey and St. Louis hiring Jeff Fisher. Let’s look at the other 4 teams that have fired and hired in the past couple of weeks.

Indianapolis Colts – fired Jim Caldwell – hired Chuck Pagano - The firing makes since, although I still say they shouldn’t have hired Caldwell in the first place. I mean, come on it’s not too hard to see a disaster that he is while he was coaching Wake Forest. Jim Caldwell should have never been hired, but to put this year’s blame on him is unfair. This team had no direction, lack of talent and until the last couple of weeks looked like they were satisfied with the #1 pick and mailed it in. For them hiring the wrong man, blaming him for the crap-fest that was they’re wasted season, I have to say STUPID. Weird how this franchise was looked upon as one of the smartest and most stable franchises over the last decade. Should we re-asses that? Only time will tell. The hiring of Pagano is really interesting. First of all, since 1998 this franchise has been all about offense and now they go and hire a defensive minded coach. But, last year was the first and only year as a defensive coordinator. This could be a great hire but I think it is a huge risk. Also, what does this say about Peyton Manning’s future? How about the future of this franchise? By March, we will know whether the Colts want Peyton or not and pretty soon we will see what direction they will be going in. For the hire and new direction, so-so but this can/will be re-evaluated in a couple of years.

Oakland Raiders – fired Hue Jackson – hired Al Davis Dennis Allen - Too early for an Al Davis joke? The firing of Hue Jackson is the WORST decision of the year for any team (ok, maybe tied with Kansas City firing Todd Haley and Philly putting their O-line coach, Juan Castillo, as their D-coordinator). Hue couldn’t help the injuries to the key players on the team (Jason Campbell and Darren McFadden to name a couple). And with all of that he still got them to 8-8. This marks 2 straight years the Raiders have fired a coach after he did a really nice job with the team. The firing stupid. The hiring of Allen is also strange. Like Pagano with the Colts, Allen was a first year Defensive Coordinator with Denver last year. Again, we really can’t tell what he will be. I just thought that once Al Davis left, this franchise would act a little more normal. But I guess I was wrong! Hiring was so-so.

Miami Dolphins – fired Tony Sparano – hired Joe Philbin - The firing was probably a year or two late. Ross had cut Sparano’s legs out from under him since the beginning. They were always looking for the next coach and when they couldn’t find him, only then did they “back” Sparano. The firing is a so-so because it was about time, but very poorly handled. I love the hiring of Joe Philbin and actually think this is one of the better hires this year. Unfortunately, Philbin’s son will never get to see his dad make his dream job, to be an NFL head coach. Philbin has been the OC in Green Bay since ’07, so he made the transition from Favre to Rodgers without a hick-up in the offense. The hiring is good (GREAT).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – fired Raheem Morris – hired Greg Schiano - The firing of Morris was just like that of Indy…they never should have hired him. Morris was clueless from day one. I can’t believe they hired him but they ended up what was right and the firing is good. Now on to the crazy part. What in the world were the Glazer family doing? Seriously, they wanted Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Sherman, Chip Kelly and finally settled on Greg Schiano. Talk about a bizarre head coach hiring process. I can understand Marty, although he is pretty old now. What I don’t understand is Mike Sherman (he failed at both Green Bay and Texas A&M and you want him as your head coach?) and the 2 college coaches. It was like Tampa had to get a “name” candidate. I am one to believe that it’s almost never a good idea to bring in college coaches to NFL franchises. Schiano did a nice job at Rutgers and probably the best they could have ever wished for. But, Schiano has rarely any NFL presence. I think the hiring of Schiano is borderline stupid. I will put a so-so because I like the type of offense in (which I love). Good luck Tampa.

I will see you tomorrow and pretty soon we will be talking about the big game that mustn’t be mentioned!

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2012 in Al Davis, Chip Kelly, Chuck Pagano, Darren McFadden, Dennis Allen, Green Bay Packers, Hue Jackson, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jason Campbell, Jeff Fisher, Jim Caldwell, Joe Philbin, Kansas City Chiefs, Marty Schottenheimer, Miami Dolphins, Mike Mularkey, Mike Sherman, NFL, NFL Head Coach, Oakland Raiders, Peyton Manning, Romeo Crennel, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tony Sparano

 

A disturbing trend, Part 1.

20 Jan

We all want our teams to win and we want them to win now! Is that so hard for our teams to get? Is it a bad thing to demand this? Well, there is a disturbing trend that is creeping up right now and it’s time to expose it and hopefully end it. There are two sides to this story. Each side is as much alike as they are different. Let’s look at the first one today and the second tomorrow.

First, let’s tackle what has taken place up in the Big Apple. Tom Coughlin came into New York,or should we say New Jersey, in 2004. Jim Fassel had just finished his franchise-killing 7th year. Coughlin turned a 4-win team in 2003 to an 11-win playoff team in 2005. He took the G-men to the playoffs in 4 straight years from 2005 to 2008. And yet, the whole time all we heard was “is this Coughlin’s last year?” “Coughlin has to be fired”. In 2007, Coughlin led the Giants through a remarkable playoff run and capped it off with a 17-14 Super Bowl XLII win over the 18-0 New England Patriots. Even with all of that, even with 65 wins in the 7 years leading up to this year there was nothing but talk about firing Coughlin. It was like New York had no clue as to what they had. Thankfully, the Giants made the playoffs this year despite the massive list of injuries they had all year long, despite the constant call for his firing and despite waiting until the last couple of weeks to start turning into what they could have been all year. I never doubted Tom Coughlin’s skill. Since the day they won Super Bowl XLII, I said that Coughlin was a Hall-of-Famer. The one I doubted was Eli Manning and I think the up and down play of the past few years could be contributed to Manning. Enter 2011 and Eli had his coming out party. He is the reason the Giants had 9 wins instead of 9+ losses. He put this injury-riddled team on his back all year long. But what has bothered me is the lack of respect given to a man that has made your team a consistent winner. Like I said the other day, I was watching the Giants and Packers in their playoff game last week and thought how nice it must be to have your team in the playoffs (or fighting for it) every year. Do Giants fans now get what they have? Or will the call for blood the next time they go on a 3-4 game losing streak? No one can win the Super Bowl every year, no one can win the division every year and no one can make the playoffs every year. Coughlin has done nothing but win since the beginning, he immediately transformed the Jacksonville Jaguars from start-up franchise to 2-time AFC Championship runners-up. What was his reward? Fired after their window ended without a Super Bowl. Coughlin turns a Giants franchise that had been ridden into the ground and has turned them into the 2007 World Campions, 2-time NFC East champions and now have another chance for a 2nd NFC title and maybe another world title. What is his reward? Well, I hope it’s the respect and credit that is due. New York…sit down, shut up and enjoy a Hall-of-Fame coach that walks your sidelines. It took your team 14 years to go find another one…it might be awhile before you have it this good again!

 
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Posted by on January 20, 2012 in Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFC Championship Game, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl XLII, Tom Coughlin

 

NFL’s annual changing of the guard.

17 Jan

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!! This has been a bi-annual event in the District of Columbia since Mr. Dan Snyder took over as First Galactic Emporer owner of the Washington Redskins. Yet, DC stays quiet after 2 years of the Shanahan Era. Now, as long as the sports world continues to stay quiet through the week, I will have a lot more on this later this week along with what is going on in the Big Apple with the Coughlin Era, as I see a lot of similarities and quite frankly, it disgusts me. But that’s for another day. Today, we are here to discuss the recent firings and hirings of head coaches in the NFL and whether each are good, so-so or stupid. We will go with all the teams that have already hired a new coach (in order of when they fired “the bum”) and then look at the teams that have fired but not hired. So, let’s get to it.

Jacksonville Jaguars, Fired Jack Del Rio – Hired Mike Mularkey - The River City got things started early this year. Well, when you look at how long a leash they gave Del Rio I’m surprised they didn’t wait until the next century. Look, I understand they want stability and want to create the atmosphere that is up in Steel Town, PA. But, come on! Holy crap…could we not see Del Rio for what he was 6-7 years in? The man got 8 years and 11 games and he would have probably been given the full season had he not screwed up with Blaine Gabbert so much. The firing is good but the timing is stupid. They wasted 3 years of Jaguars fans and talent on a crappy head coach. Just go back and look at all of the issues he’s had with his QB’s. The Jags then went out after the season and hired Atlanta Falcons OC Mike Mularkey. I understand a lot of Jags fans aren’t happy with this and honestly this is not a sexy/big splash hire. But, when you’re looking to build a winner do you have to go with a sexy pick? Especially when a lot of those big name hires wanted absolute power? I think cooler heads need to prevail and do a wait-and-see. I know we are a society that wants everything and wants everything NOW but you have to wait on this one. Mularkey comes into a situation with a talented defense but a one-trick pony when it comes to the offense. Now, that one-trick is a pretty darn good one. MJD is one of the best RB’s in the league and that’s on a team with no passing game. So if you have to grade Mularkey’s hire you would have to say so-so but unknown and pending a grade in 3-4 years. Jacksonvlle: Give the man a chance and give him some time!

Kansas City Chiefs, Fired Todd Haley – Hired Romeo Crennel - The Chiefs were STUPID in firing Todd Haley. The man won the AFC West last year in just his second year on the job. This year they suffered massive injuries to their best players. Eric Berry, Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles and Brandon Siler all lost for the season. That just decimated a team, I don’t care how much depth you have on your team. How could Haley succeed? Yes, they did have quite a few blowout loses but after only 3 years Haley should have been kept. Someone will be a lucky franchise to pick him up. The hire was with Romeo Crennel. Crennel seems like a great guy and a possible a good-great head coach. Who could anyone have succeeded in Cleveland with the lack of talent back then? I think the Crennel hire is a good one but the verdict is still out.

Miami Dolphins, Fired Tony Sporano – Hired Todd Bowles - Now this is a fire that I believe to be a good one. But this is what it comes to when you take all authority away from the head coach and dangle him in the wind. Miami is lost right now and needs a lot of fixing. The Fins chose to put their franchise in the hands of Todd Bowles who was last the Secondary Coach at Miami. Bowles became the interim and they decided to go with them because of the decision of Mr. Jeff Fisher to go with St. Louis. The hiring of Todd Bowles is sort of like what is going on in Jacksonville. Not a splashy or big name hire. Again we need another 3-4 years to see what Bowles is.

St. Louis Rams, Fired Steve Spagnuolo - Spags was a huge name after the dominance of New York’s defense in 2007. The Rams picked him up and he just never could get the plane off the ground. He looks like a great coordinator but bad head coach. But don’t worry Steve…if Norv Turner can get 3 chances in the NFL you probably can too. Just a few days ago I wrote about Jeff Fisher going from coming oh-so-close to beating the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV to being hired on as their new head coach. St. Louis now has a bright future with one of the best coaches in the game. Firing - good, hiring - good.The next three teams have fired their head coaches but have yet to fill their own spots.

The next 2 teams have fired but have not yet hired:

Oakland Raiders, Fired Hue Douglas -  This is probably the most bafflinf change for many years to come. How can you say anything about Douglas when there. Douglas had only 1 year and had Jason Campbell and Darren McFadden go down for the season…and he still got them to go 8-8. I think Jackson has a great chance to go somewhere and succeed. But, I am beginning to wonder if Al Davis is sending messages through Jesus to Tim Tebow and then to GM Reggie McKenzie. The firing was beyond stupid.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fired Raheem Morris - The man should have never been hired in the first place. This was immediately after the wild success of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Tampa wanted to copy it…too bad they didn’t get Mike Tomlin because Morris was a failure from Day 1. Firing - good,  timing – stupid.

Enjoy your day and look out for more on the coaching situations in NY and DC later this week.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2012 in Al Davis, Atlanta Falcons, Blaine Gabbert, Brandon Siler, Cleveland Browns, Dan Snyder, DC, Eric Berry, Hue Douglas, Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jamaal Charles, Jason Campbell, Jeff Fisher, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, Maurice Jones-Drew, Miami Dolphins, Mike Mularkey, Mike Tomlin, New York, New York Giants, NFL, Norv Turner, Oakland Raiders, Raheem Morris, Reggie McKenzie, Romeo Crennel, St. Louis Rams, Steve Spagnuolo, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tim Tebow, Todd Bowles, Todd Haley, Tom Coughlin, Tony Sporano, Washington Redskins

 

Revisiting the 2007 NFL Draft, Part Deux

13 Jan

Ok, ok so Tom Brady wasn’t in the 2007 draft. But, I just couldn’t resist. I mean seriously…who would have ever looked at that and said, “Franchise QB! This is gonna be the next great one!” I mean, even Michigan was happy to see him go. But props to Brady for allowing his coach to cheat with a video camera to win 3 Super Bowls using his low pick to motivate him into becoming probably the best QB of the past decade. So with all of this inside information I am giving you here, let’s move along to the 2nd half of the 2007 NFL Draft. (If you didn’t catch the first part you can scroll down to the post before this one or click here)

  1. Denver Broncos - Jarvis Moss, DE, Florida – A lot of talent and a lot of waste of said talent. Moss has not only struggled at DE but also when Mike Nolan, then DC for the Broncos, moved him to Outside Linebacker. He has struggled so much that he himself even contemplated retiring. So who picks him up after being released…you guessed it: Oakland, the last stop for busts in the NFL. F-
  2. Cincinnati Bengals - Leon Hall, CB, Michigan – A solid pick for an unstable franchise. Leon Hall gets absolutely no press but he is a solid starting corner in this league. Is he worth the #17 pick? Probably a little high but a good pick nonetheless. B
  3. Tennessee Titans - Michael Griffin, S, Texas – I would say that this was a good pick. I think Griffin is a really good safety in this league. Some would say he’s overrated but I would disagree. The man makes plays and was a 2nd team All-Pro in 2010. There are a lot of great safeties in this league and I think Griffin qualifies to be in the discussion. A
  4. New York Giants - Aaron Ross, CB, Texas – Another Longhorn DB being picked in the 1st round. Ross at times has been good but has definitely not been good enough to qualify a 1st round pick. C-
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars - Reggie Nelson, S, Florida – This makes 4, count them 4 straight DB picks in this draft. It kind of feels like these teams were in a fantasy draft…once a position starts coming off the board, everybody’s got to jump in and take that position so they won’t be left behind. I have to say I liked this pick when the Jags made it, but boy were they wrong on this guy. Whew! D
  6. Cleveland Browns - Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame – Remember when Quinn was in free-fall? The NFL Network and ESPN were freaking out!! The Browns had already picked up OT Joe Thomas and traded up to pick the QB of their future. I thought this was a good pick. I thought Quinn falling was the best thing for him. But…all you have to know about this pick is Quinn is now sitting behind Tim Tebow. Yeah! D-
  7. Kansas City Chiefs - Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU – Absolute stud! Bowe started out his career as a talented yet lazy player. Bowe was the biggest benefactor to Todd Haley being in KC. Haley pushed Bowe into being a star WR with a great work ethic. Bowe has been one of the best WR in the league and maybe one of the most underrated. A+
  8. New England Patriots - Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami – What is it with Bill Belicheat taking problem childs and thinking he can turn them around in his system? Meriweather was nothing but trouble at “The U” and has been nothing but a waste of talent. D-
  9.  Carolina Panthers - Jon Beason, LB, Miami – The Pats should have taken Beason with this pick. Maybe their D would look a little better right now. Beason has been a great linebacker for Carolina. This is another underrated player but at least he is getting a nod in the Pro Bowl. A
  10. Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer, LB, Purdue – Spencer has been an average linebacker for the Cowboys. I don’t think he is worth a 1st round pick but it is a lower pick in the round. Spencer also plays on a D that is nothing much outside of DeMarcus Ware (who is probably the best defensive lineman in the NFL). C-
  11. New Orleans Saints - Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee – I can’t stand Meacham!!!! It never seems to fail that I get stuck with him on my fantasy team. One of these days I will have a WR group that won’t suffer injuries and I can laugh at the tool that ends up with him. Ok, I am going to put away my bias now and say Meachem is a good WR in a great passing system. He is a very up and down receiver. He’ll have 3 quiet games and then break out with 150 yds. and 2 TD’s. Not a great pick but could have been worse. C+
  12. San Francisco 49ers - Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan – Now here is a great Chippewa! Staley is finally getting some credit on a really good Niner offensive line. Staley is a very solid lineman who anchors a line that helps the 49ers running game go. A
  13. Baltimore Ravens - Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn – Grubbs is a solid pro and a pretty good pick in the 1st round. A
  14. San Diego Chargers - Craig “Buster” Douglas Davis, WR, LSU – Yeah, all you have to know is he isn’t playing in the NFL right now. F
  15. Chicago Bears - Greg Olsen, TE, Miami – I don’t know why the Bears didn’t want him and traded Olsen away to the Panthers. This was a really good pick by the Bears who never seemed to realize what they had. Hey Chicago, not every good TE is just a receiver the best of them block too. Olsen does it all…in Carolina now and that’s why the grade isn’t as high (not because of what Olsen is) C+
  16. Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio St. – I’m not buying it. Gonzalez is the biggest benefactor of Peyton Manning. He is a very average #3 WR that is in the best passing system in the league…maybe ever! D-

So, that does it for the ’07 Draft. Let me know where I was right and/or right wrong. Tomorrow is ALL NFL baby! You have New Orleans @ San Fran (you can’t get a better contrast of styles than this game) and Denver @ New England (can Jesus, er…Tebow upset Brady and the Patriots?). I’ll have more coverage of these games tomorrow.

 
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Posted by on January 13, 2012 in Aaron Ross, Anthony Gonzalez, Anthony Spencer, Auburn, Baltimore Ravens, Ben Grubbs, Bill Belichick, Brady Quinn, Brandon Meriweather, Carolina Panthers, Central Michigan, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Craig "Buster" Douglas, Dallas Cowboys, DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos, Dwayne Bowe, ESPN, Florida, Greg Olsen, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jarvis Moss, Joe Staley, Joe Thomas, Jon Beason, Kansas City Chiefs, Leon Hall, LSU, Miami, Michael Griffin, Michigan, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Draft, Notre Dame, Oakland Raiders, Ohio St., Peyton Manning, Purdue, Reggie Nelson, Robert Meachem, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee, Tennessee Titans, Texas, Tim Tebow, Todd Haley, Tom Brady, Uncategorized

 
 
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