Media and fans abuzz with coordinators for the gig. As I just posted elsewhere though:
I just worry that they're going to fall into the hot coordinator trap, which has yielded more busts than success stories over the years. I'd rather have a HC along the executive model of Coughlin or Belicheck than a Chief Coordinator-type like Lovie, Rex, Andy Reid or even Mike McCarthy who ends up with tunnel vision on one side of the ball. Get me a guy who knows how to delegate. Harbaugh has been the most recent model of this. You need a HC with game management and people skills and two smart, independent-minded coordinators to whom he can defer.
This is the other reason that Gruden just doesn't do it for me. OTOH getting him off of MNF would be a service to football fandom everywhere.
So I'm quoting myself. Sue me. It's a holiday.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
I'm so happy the game is not the Saturday night game. Night games are just awful. People already hammered before it starts, stumbling around. The bathrooms are a disaster from the start. I swear many folks have never been to a football game before because they just stand in the aisle staring at their phones or looking for their seats and blocking your view while a play is going on. And so many people coming and going from their seats, again, while a play is going on. So goddam rude. During the day games it's a lot easier for me to just tell people to stop and wait until after the play, but last night it was no use. So many regulars sold their tickets because they switched it to the night game and they had to go to work today.
Next week should be much better. The night crowds are just stupid.
And it should be an interesting game. If any teams should know how to defend the read option type offense, it's these two teams who both use it so effectively. Seattle's defense is better and healthier, though. But can their O handle the wind and cold and awful, awful sandy mess that is the field at FedEx? Should be a really good game, a glimpse of the future with three rookie of the year candidates on display.
I don't know, before Harbaugh, the recent record of college coaches in the NFL was poor. Guys like Saban and Petrino didn't last at all, not to mention Spurrier.
But Harbaugh wasn't really just a college coach. He obviously had a lot of experience with the pro game, not just as player but as a QB coach for the Raiders before going to college, where he took some other NFL assistants.
Guess we'll find out if Chip Kelly can make his offense work in the NFL, though Oregon has been shut down by good college teams in big games.
Something occurred to me today. The new CBA sets hard caps on rookie salaries, making players like RGIII, Wilson etc. much more valuable...until they can negotiate a second pro deal. I wonder if one unintended consequence of the financial structure is a trend toward running QB's.
Whereas before you were always looking to protect your young QB (who was expensive) because it took some time to learn the complexities of a pro offense, it makes more sense now to implement a simpler option attack to take immediate advantage of your cheap, young QB's mobility. Durability is far less of a concern when you're unlikely to franchise or re-sign a banged up QB to a long-term deal anyway. You can just draft another cheap college QB.
Not taking anything at all away from Wilson and Bobby Three Sticks, who are clearly talented players. I was just pondering the difference between now and when Vick was a young QB, and this crossed my mind. It may be hopeless to try to keep healthy a QB exposed to hits like that, so why not take advantage of the incentives provided by the CBA?
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
I doubt the Redskins view RG3 as some expendable player whom they'll dump as soon as he gets too beat up. He's worth so much in ticket and merchandising sales to them.
They do the read option because defenses haven't figured it out yet.
They are exposing him to more harm but if it stops being effective or he gets too beat up, they'll change the play book.
Similarly, the Seahawks only started using it in the last half dozen or so games. If Wilson keeps putting up the numbers, they'll give him a big extension which will more than make up for the cheap rookie contract, especially a third round rookie contract.
wco81 wrote:I doubt the Redskins view RG3 as some expendable player whom they'll dump as soon as he gets too beat up. He's worth so much in ticket and merchandising sales to them.
They do the read option because defenses haven't figured it out yet.
They are exposing him to more harm but if it stops being effective or he gets too beat up, they'll change the play book.
Similarly, the Seahawks only started using it in the last half dozen or so games. If Wilson keeps putting up the numbers, they'll give him a big extension which will more than make up for the cheap rookie contract, especially a third round rookie contract.
From this vantage point, I agree. But if either has more than one season with significant time lost to injury, I think they may very well reevaluate when the next contract negotiation comes around...and that's when I think teams may start to look at an efficiency created by the CBA.
Edit:
FWIW the NFL shares merchandising revenue, so the 'skins don't see any more profit from the sale of RG3 jerseys than anyone else. Ticket sales are obviously another thing, but supply is constrained. Moreover, winning is what really sells tickets, so who's to say that if they draft some new QB in 3 years and win (using the enormous $ that RG3 would have cost them to solidify elsewhere) they won't continue to have sellouts?
Last edited by RobVarak on Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
The odds are quite high that Ralph Wilson will hire a retread NFL coach to replace a deposed retread coach, Chan Gailey.
Look at the list of inexpensive losers Wilson has hired since Marv Levy retired for the first time in 1997: Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Dick Jauron and Gailey. Expect that trend to continue.
Ralph is the only owner in the NFL who would see the hiring of Norv Turner as a stroke of genius.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Smith has already been contacted by 4 teams. Like I said he will get another job in a minute. I don't exactly have confidence in who the Bears will hire. When I see they are going to interview a special team coordinator who Emery has worked with in the past my red flag goes up.
Today was the St. Valentines day massacre in the NFL coaching ranks. We only heard about Head Coaches and GM's but I would gather if someone counted the coaches on the staff of all these guys were talking 50+ people.
Going to be an interesting few weeks in a lot of NFL cities that is for sure. Feel bad for Jacksonville fans as the coach that goes there is going to have to work with Teblow which is probably going to rule out many good candidates.
Follow Me on:
YouTube - www.youtube.com/maxpixelation/
Twitch - twitch.tv/maximumpixelation
Twitter - twitter.com/maxpixelation
They just had Jeff Fisher on talking about the season.. I love that guy. I'm so happy he decided on the Rams. There is no doubt in my mind we make the playoffs next year. I felt like suiting up and playing for him after hearing him talk about football.
MizzouRah wrote:They just had Jeff Fisher on talking about the season.. I love that guy. I'm so happy he decided on the Rams. There is no doubt in my mind we make the playoffs next year. I felt like suiting up and playing for him after hearing him talk about football.
2013 the year of the Rams!!!
Playoffs?!?!?!?!
YES!!!!! 2013 will be the year of the Rams!
Super Bowl baby!!!!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apparently the Bears would have had to given Smith some kind of a bonus or balloon payment if they retained him. So it was as much a fiscal decision as anything else.
But of all the teams looking for coaches, they have an established QB so that should be a draw for candidates.
Bengals over Texans (should be a close game, but the Bengals are hot and the Texans have been really struggling)
I don't see this one as close at all....35-12 Bengals because the Texans have scored 1 touchdown in the last 12 quarters. All they know how to do right now is kick field goals when they are killing their own drives with penalties as well as the defense has reverted to the 2010 Texans defense which was ranked 32nd against the pass and 31st overall.....
Bengals over Texans (should be a close game, but the Bengals are hot and the Texans have been really struggling)
I don't see this one as close at all....35-12 Bengals because the Texans have scored 1 touchdown in the last 12 quarters. All they know how to do right now is kick field goals when they are killing their own drives with penalties as well as the defense has reverted to the 2010 Texans defense which was ranked 32nd against the pass and 31st overall.....
Bengals over Texans (should be a close game, but the Bengals are hot and the Texans have been really struggling)
I don't see this one as close at all....35-12 Bengals because the Texans have scored 1 touchdown in the last 12 quarters. All they know how to do right now is kick field goals when they are killing their own drives with penalties as well as the defense has reverted to the 2010 Texans defense which was ranked 32nd against the pass and 31st overall.....
MizzouRah wrote:
Texans might win just to piss you off.
I would love for them to simply play as well as they are capable of playing as in the Baltimore game in which they kicked the Ravens asses 43-13 as both teams came into the game at 5-1 and Houston had just been embarrassed by Green Bay on SNF 42-24.....they have EIGHT Pro Bowlers....they need to start playing like it....
DivotMaker wrote:
I would love for them to simply play as well as they are capable of playing as in the Baltimore game in which they kicked the Ravens asses 43-13 as both teams came into the game at 5-1 and Houston had just been embarrassed by Green Bay on SNF 42-24.....they have EIGHT Pro Bowlers....they need to start playing like it....
DivotMaker wrote:
I would love for them to simply play as well as they are capable of playing as in the Baltimore game in which they kicked the Ravens asses 43-13 as both teams came into the game at 5-1 and Houston had just been embarrassed by Green Bay on SNF 42-24.....they have EIGHT Pro Bowlers....they need to start playing like it....
I'm not sure why it is hard for people to understand there is no dominant team this year. With the exception of the Bengals I can see anyone winning this thing. Obviously my money is on Denver (literally) but every "good" team this year has gone through stretches and have had at least one stinker. I can't think of one team in the playoff's who hasn't.
Follow Me on:
YouTube - www.youtube.com/maxpixelation/
Twitch - twitch.tv/maximumpixelation
Twitter - twitter.com/maxpixelation
It all depends on who is hot entering the playoffs and I can think of several dominant teams....Broncos, Pats, Colts, Bengals (won 7 of last 8 games), Packers, Seahawks, and Redskins (started 3-5, finished 10-6) come to mind as "dominant" at the right time of the season just like the Giants last year.....in other words, the teams I mentioned are "dominating" their opposition now instead of all season. To me, Denver is the scariest team in the playoffs having reeled off 11 in a row. Not sure how much more dominant you can get and if Manning had more time before the season with his offense, Denver might have come awfully close to 16-0, IMO.
Last edited by DivotMaker on Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
XXXIV wrote:I dont see where anyone has pointed out a dominant team.
Sorry I didn't mean anyone here. More the general talk on the shows etc. they are all looking for that one team instead of realizing it doesn't exists this year. I mean would you be shocked if the Packers, Texans and Ravens were out after this weekend?
Follow Me on:
YouTube - www.youtube.com/maxpixelation/
Twitch - twitch.tv/maximumpixelation
Twitter - twitter.com/maxpixelation
