Field Position Podcast Featuring Bill Chachkes, Zennie Abraham, Wil Mara, and Walter Anaruk

Bill Chachkes leads a round-robin discussion with Field Position’s Walter Anaruk, NFL Business Blog and Sports Business Simulations CEO Zennie Abraham, and noted author Wil Mara who’s most recent novel The Draft is on shelves now.

The group discusses the ever changing NFL coaching carousel and the hype surrounding the Super Bowl. They delve into why the issue of Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy’s and Bears Head Coach Marvin Lewis’ race is not only newsworthy but very relevant to our every day lives. Then they delve into the Super Bowl, breaking down player match-ups, offensive and defensive philosophies, and coaching styles.

You can hear this MP3 download with a click on this sentence.

Wade Phillips the new Dallas Cowboys Head Coach

I went all the Way to the Hometown newspaper of Wade Phillips-see my end notes

BOB WEST
The Port Arthur News

PORT ARTHUR —
It’s a little scary — no make that downright frightening — when Jerry Jones and I come to the same conclusion on a football coach. But I must give Jethro a standing ovation for having the good sense to go against the grain of conventional wisdom and hire Wade Phillips as Bill Parcells’ successor.

Wade is easily the best coach of the 10 Jones interviewed, and will be the Cowboys best coach since Jimmy Johnson. If it is possible to get Dallas back to the Super Bowl in what is less than an ideal situation, as far as the owner being too hands on, this son of a Bum will get it done.

Up front, I must admit that I am about as unbiased on Wade as I was on Jimmy. I’ve known him since Neil Morgan gave him his first head coaching job at Orange Stark High School, his wife, the former Laurie Nunez of Port Neches, was a bridesmaid when my wife and I got married and there’s nobody I respect more than his dad — Bum Phillips.

That said, I have absolutely no reservations in crawling out on a limb in print and saying the guy who quarterbacked Port Neches-Groves to a 7-2-1 record in 1964 was a great hire. I said the same thing when Jones hired Johnson to replace Tom Landry, didn’t waver after the Cowboys went 1-15 his first year and wound up looking like a genius.

Actually, there is that one reservation about Jones, but Wade has the ideal personality to deal with him. Like Bum, who skillfully dealt with a jerk of an owner in Houston named Bud Adams until a devil named Ladd Herzeg got his ear, Wade’s people skills and lack of overblown ego can make it work with Jethro.

What impresses me about Jones’ bold move is that Wade was not the popular hire. Or, as some of the clueless idiots on ESPN keep saying, “a sexy hire.” From Dallas Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin to Jimmy Johnson, to the Metroplex media, Jones was besieged with people around him lobbying for Norv Turner.

It certainly looked like the decision had already been made last week in Miami, when Jones and Turner kept being spotted together. The way everybody had it figured, Jones was going to interview Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera — the guy Norv wanted as his DC — after the Super Bowl, then make the announcement.

Jones, however, went against the grain, and he’s going to get skewered in a lot of circles for it. What most of the critics don’t understand, though, is that Jerry has long admired Wade, sought his opinion often over the years and was obviously sold after an eight-hour interview a couple of weeks ago.

Perhaps the only one not surprised at the decision was Bum Phillips. Every time I checked with Bum the last couple of weeks, he kept saying he had a good feeling Wade was going to get the job. I kept saying reminding him that all the evidence pointed to Norv Turner. But Bum didn’t waver.

Contacted Thursday morning, as he was enroute to the press conference at Valley Ranch, the 80-year-old father of the new Cowboy coach was ecstatic.

“I didn’t know anything in advance and Wade didn’t either,” he said. “But I just felt that Jerry Jones knows enough about football that he couldn’t spend eight hours with Wade and not realize this was an exceptional coach and the man he needed.

“I am so happy,” he continued. “This is great for Wade and it’s going to be great for the Cowboys. Wade’s a great coach. He’s a better coach than I ever was. Him not being able to hire all his own assistants is not the perfect situation, but he can make it work.”

That part of the terms of accepting the job was taking Jones’ choice, Jason Garrett, as offensive coordinator is going to cause considerable grief for Wade. The first person I spoke with in Dallas on Thursday, a guy whose football knowledge I hold in high regard, said he will be labeled as Jones’ puppet for going along with Garrett and other assistants Jones wants to retain.

If that’s the case , so be it. Wade’s no fool and he didn’t go into this with his eyes closed. He’s 60--years old, he’s totally confident in his abilities and he wanted one more shot at being an NFL head coach. Seeing as how he’d more or less been blackballed by Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson, there might not be another opportunity.

Really, what does he have to lose? Being head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the glamor jobs in all of professional sports? As opposed to his last six coaching stops, where he walked into losing situations, the Cowboys are a playoff team that could be a Super Bowl team — especially in the NFC — with a few tweaks.

Ok: so we have beat this old Horse to death at this Point here on this Blog, at our sister Podcast Website-Fieldposition.com, and all over the internet. several people wanted Ron Rivera, Norv Turner, Jim Caldwell, and a few sick indivuals even want
Anyone available from the Parcells tree(anyone sen Ray Handley lately?) This is the right choice for the Cowboys of now,..because no one is riding into Dallas on a white Horse like Jimmy Johnson did.....

The Playboy Super Bowl Party Was Fun; So Was The Super Bowl!

Yep. I attended my first Playboy Party and fifth Super Bowl. More with a click here!

NFL Game in UK already promised a Sellout

Ticket Requests Pour in for NFL in London- See my comment at the end
By Associated Press

February 7, 2007, 9:38 AM EST

LONDON -- The NFL's first regular-season game outside North America already looks like a big hit. More than 500,000 tickets were requested by about 160,000 fans in the three days following Friday's official announcement, the NFL said Wednesday.

The ticket request process ends Feb. 18, two months before tickets go on sale for the Oct. 28 game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium.


Wembley is expecting to seat between 85,000-90,000 for the game.

"Nearly all these requests have come from UK based fans," said Alistair Kirkwood, the managing director of NFL UK. "These figures do not take into account the allocation of tickets for Dolphins and Giants fans from the United States, so we anticipate a very quick sellout when tickets go on sale in early March."

On Sunday, more than 4,000 fans gathered in London to watch the Super Bowl at Super Bash, which is in its fourth year.


So how much will these tickets Cost? Let's book our hotels now........

Sporting News Final NFL Power Rankings for 2006-07

Final 2006-07 NFL Power Poll
By Mike Nahrstedt - SportingNews


Final rank, plus a look ahead to 2007

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1. Colts. Sure, there's room at the end of that laser, rocket arm for another ring.

2. Bears. Who would you rather be, Grossman or Bartman? Man, tough call.

3. Patriots. Don't bet against the Pats ending an excruciating two-year title drought.

4. Chargers. Arizona desert would be a good spot for Marty to exorcise his demons.

5. Ravens. The core players are old, but you can say that about the Stones, too.

6. Saints. That glass slipper? It just might fit the next time around.

7. Eagles. Invincible was great, but wouldn't it be nice if it applied to McNabb?

8. Jets. You know, that Mangini guy, he seems to be working out OK.

9. Seahawks. Seattle remains the class of the NFC West. (Talk about your oxymorons.)

10. Chiefs. Need some DTs, OTs, WRs … stop me if you've heard this before.

11. Cowboys. Enough with the fuss over the coach. Who's gonna be the holder?

12. Broncos. When upgrading D-line, Denver should look beyond Cleveland this time.

13. Titans. Wouldn't Pacman look good in a Bengals uniform? I'm just sayin'.

14. Giants. Something tells me Coughlin ain't the guy to fix a fractured locker room.

15. Jaguars. If you have the answer at QB, please call 1-877-JDELRIO.

16. Steelers. NFL can never have too many coaches named Mike. Tomlin makes five.

17. Bengals. 2007 goal: More wins than arrests. Hey, you gotta reach for the stars.

18. Bills. Move Buffalo to the NFC, and suddenly it's playoff-caliber.

19. Panthers. DeShaun? DeAngelo? DeSomebody has to run the ball for DePanthers.

20. Packers. It would take a Lambeau-sized leap of faith to put the Pack in SB42.

21. Falcons. This just in: Vick is not a great passer. But isn't that what QBs do?

22. Rams. Let's just say Jackson ain't shakin' in his cleats about a Faulk return.

23. 49ers. Well, they'll be the best team in the Bay Area again.

24. Texans. A Domanick by any other name is still injury-prone.

25. Dolphins. Welcome back, Ricky Williams. T.O. can't handle all the lunacy alone.

26. Cardinals. You can put the Super Bowl in Arizona, but you can't put Arizona …

27. Redskins. Two scarcities in D.C.: allies for Dubya and W's for the 'Skins.

28. Bucs. Bucs need to make a deep playoff run or Chucky could be toast.

29. Browns. Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thy offense and defense, Romeo?

30. Vikings. Wouldn't Culpepper look good in purple right about now?

31. Lions. If it's lightning and Millen is nearby, head his way--the man is fireproof.

32. Raiders. To paraphrase the Wizard's guard: Not no way, not no how.

A ring for Eli Manning?

Peyton thinks brother is on right path and also could be a champ

BY ARTHUR STAPLE
Newsday Staff Correspondent

February 6, 2007

MIAMI -- Peyton Manning had taken time to savor his first Super Bowl win and his MVP award for leading the Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Bears on Sunday night. Yesterday, he promised that his kid brother will stand in the same spot someday.

"There's no doubt in my mind that Eli will lead his team to a Super Bowl, probably more than one," Peyton said. "I know how hard he works. There's no question he's going to be fine."

The quarterback brothers talk plenty of football during the season, exchanging tips on defenses one of them has seen. Eli told Newsday on Friday that Peyton had barely sat down to relax in his Indianapolis home after beating the Patriots for the AFC championship when he started asking Eli for tips on the Bears.

Sunday night - early yesterday morning, actually - the two were talking football again, even though there are no more games to be played this season.

"We talked, like we do after games. We got into the X's and O's," Peyton said. "He sees things like I see things. He said, 'The safety is really holding his looks to the very end and coming down late.' It's fun to talk about a game you just won with your brother, who's an NFL quarterback."

Eli's Giants started this season playing Peyton's Colts, and for the Manning family, there might have been as much hype for that game as there was for the Super Bowl. The Colts won in September, 26-21, at Giants Stadium and won their next eight, a typical run for Peyton.

Eli and the Giants ... well, you know how that went. A 6-2 start, a midgame meltdown against the Bears and a stumble to a .500 finish. Along with plenty of questions about Eli's maturation in his second full season of starting.

Now that Peyton has his coveted ring, his status as one of the game's great quarterbacks is assured. He said Eli, who at 26 is almost five years younger, is still on the right path.

"He's been a huge supporter of me throughout my entire career and life," Peyton said. "I'm a huge supporter of him. He's been right there, with the rest of my family."

There already have been plenty of changes for Eli - his old position coach, Kevin Gilbride, is his new offensive coordinator, and Chris Palmer is his position coach - and Peyton could see some new faces when the Colts begin their title defense.

His quarterbacks coach, Jim Caldwell, might get a chance to interview with the Cowboys for their head-coaching job. Dominic Rhodes, who ran for 113 yards Sunday, is a free agent. So are defensive end Dwight Freeney and linebacker Cato June. Even coach Tony Dungy is weighing whether to retire now that he has won a Super Bowl, the first for a black head coach.

But Peyton, who hasn't missed a game in nine NFL seasons, is the Colts' constant. He finally won by not being the impatient Peyton of old, by settling for short completions and handoffs in the rain Sunday. But he's not looking to kick back now.

"In some cases, I've seen past quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl getting 'the pass.' They kind of get the pass when they have a bad year. People say, 'He won a Super Bowl; we'll give him the pass,'" he said. "I guess what I'm saying is, I don't want the pass. I want to be held accountable each and every year. Next year, my goal is to be better, and I feel like I should be because of the experience I gained this year."

So Lets Give Peyton a hand here People. Anyone seen that Monkey??

Newsday's Arthur Staple wraps up the coverage of the Big Game

SUPER BOWL XLI: COLTS 29, BEARS 17
See My end comment!
Colts finally grab ring
Manning, Dungy use ball control, 5 turnovers to get that elusive title

BY ARTHUR STAPLE
Newsday Staff Correspondent

February 5, 2007

MIAMI -- Peyton Manning showed he could win without being flashy. Tony Dungy showed a coach could rally his team through tough times without screaming. And the Colts, the decade's most dominant team during the regular season, showed they could win the big one.

Their 29-17 win over the self-destructive Bears in Super Bowl XLI on a rainy night at Dolphin Stadium capped an up-and-down season for the Colts, who won their first championship since moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984. They started 9-0, then stumbled to a 3-4 finish with a Swiss cheese defense, seemingly needing Manning to put them on his back.

Turns out the Colts needed Manning to be smart and safe. He was picked off by safety Chris Harris on the Colts' first drive last night, then guided his offense smoothly by dumping off passes underneath a deep-playing secondary.

Rookie running back Joseph Addai led the Colts with 10 catches, and Dominic Rhodes ran for 113 yards as the Colts ate up clock, holding the ball for 38:04 and running 81 plays to the Bears' 48. Five turnovers by the Bears offset three by the Colts, all in the first half.

"This was a great team win, a team championship," said Manning, who won the MVP award despite a modest 25-for-38, 247- yard game. His only touchdown pass was his only big play, a 53-yard strike to a wide-open Reggie Wayne in the first quarter.

"With our defense playing the way it has, you don't feel like you have to be quite as aggressive," Manning said. "It wasn't really that way in the regular season. The defense has been outstanding in the playoffs. It's nice to be able to get this win as a team."

And for Dungy, who had as much a bridesmaid's reputation as Manning for being a great coach unable to win a championship. He still never changed his genial ways, and it paid off when he became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl by besting his close friend and former assistant, Lovie Smith.

"This may not have been the best team we had over the last five years, but it's definitely the team that's been through the most," said Dungy, who had one of his sons on the postgame podium with him. His son James committed suicide in December 2005.

"This wasn't the easy road, it was the tough road. And tonight, more than anything, we were a team, fighting together all the way through."

They were fighting from behind just 14 seconds in after rookie Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a score. Between that and Manning's interception, Chicago couldn't have envisioned a better start. Even after Wayne's TD, Thomas Jones ripped off a 52-yard run to the 5 and Rex Grossman hit Muhsin Muhammad for a 4-yard TD to give the Bears a 14-6 lead after a quarter.

"We got a chance to set the tempo," said Hester, who barely touched the ball again, with the Colts squibbing kicks to steer clear of him. "We set it early, but we couldn't keep it going."

Even with long, clock-eating drives, the Colts settled for three Adam Vinatieri field goals inside the red zone and let the Bears hang around into the fourth quarter.

But Grossman, the whipping boy entering the grand stage, lived down to his billing. He had two fumbles, two sacks after slipping on the wet field and two fourth-quarter interceptions. Backup defensive back Kelvin Hayden returned the first 56 yards with 11:44 to play to make it 29-17, crushing the Bears when Chicago still had a chance.

"Not just Rex, all of us could handle the situation better next time," Smith said. "It's a growing experience for him as much as anything."

The Colts have grown as much as they could during the last five seasons, winning 60 regular-season games while Manning cemented his Hall of Fame status. But the playoffs had been a different story. The Colts either ran into the Patriots' juggernaut or coughed up games like last year's home loss to the Steelers.

So even after their torrid start this season, the bad finish - including a Dec. 10 loss to the Jaguars in which they allowed 375 rushing yards - made the Colts leery. But the defense stiffened in the playoffs against the Chiefs and Ravens, and Manning lit up the scoreboard in the second half to finally vanquish the Patriots two weeks ago.

Then last night the Colts beat the Bears at the game Chicago hoped to play: smash-mouth running and ball control. Manning was a guide, not a do-it-all, and perhaps that was the difference in their becoming champions.

"It's just been a long time coming for us," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "We've been through so much as a team, been so close so many times. We finally got a chance in the Super Bowl and we seized it."


So it was a good game considering the weather and such. Now we are just waiting for Zennie to return and Post about his visit to South beach.