Drive Raises Funds for Needy NFL Players
By JOHN HARTZELL
Associated Press Writer
February 14, 2007, 5:41 PM EST
MILWAUKEE -- About $125,000 has been raised to aid needy, retired National Football League players.
The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund was launched by Jerry Kramer, star right guard of the Green Bay Packers four decades ago under Vince Lombardi. Kramer auctioned off a replica of his Super Bowl I ring last spring, raising more than $22,000 to help supplement pension and disability benefits for other former players.
Mike Ditka's 1975 NFC Championship ring -- when he was an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys -- sold for $12,200, a tennis experience with John McEnroe went for $11,250 and hand-drawn plays by Lombardi sold for $7,101 at an auction that began two weeks ago and ended Tuesday night.
"It's amazing how this initiative has taken off," Kramer said. "The fact that so many fans and so many NFL legends are working together to provide assistance to some of the retired players who helped build the league into what it is today is just wonderful."
Jennifer Smith, the fund's executive director, said that reports about the auction resulted in more donated tiems and prompted a second phase of the auction, which will run until Feb. 20.
About $100,000 was raised by auctioning about 50 items in the first phase, Smith said. The second phase has started with about the same number, but other items will be added.
Kramer's Web site, http://www.jerrykramer.com, will continue to serve as the portal to the auction, Smith said.
Items being offered during the second phase include a helmet donated by former Packers quarterback Bart Starr, bearing his signature and those of teammates Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, and a behind-the-scenes trip at the NFL Network.
About $25,000 was raised through Tuesday in about 225 donations ranging from $2 to $10,000, Smith said.
Ditka and fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame members Willie Davis, Gale Sayers, Harry Carson and Joe DeLamielleure were recently named to the GGAF board of directors, which Smith said will set up policies on how the money will be distributed.
"It is important for everyone to remember who the funds that are raised are going to," Ditka said in a statement. "It's going to the guys who started football, not the guys who are making the money off it."
The Super Bowl ring that Kramer auctioned last May was made for him after his original disappeared in 1981. The original ring showed up last April in an online auction, but was pulled after Kramer learned about it. It eventually was returned to him.
"More than anything else, the fundraising effort has been an opportunity to raise awareness of the problem," Kramer said.
The former Packers guard said he was gratified that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had addressed the matter when asked about players from the 1950s through the 1970s at his news conference a few days before the Super Bowl.
"There are players that do have issues that need to be addressed. And we are going to need to address that directly with them," Goodell said.
Smith said the group plans to hold an annual auction around the time of the Super Bowl and will accept donations at any time.
Mike Sportelli, 45, a sales representative for a Los Angeles area construction company, made the winning bid for Ditka's ring.
"It's a nice way to start my collection. And it gives me an opportunity to help former players in need," said Sportelli, who also had a winning bid on spending a day with Carson, a former New York Giants linebacker. "These guys took quite a beating back then."
Darrel Wright, 65, of LaQuinta, Calif., who formerly served as the timekeeper for NFL games at the Los Angeles Coliseum, donated $10,000 to the cause.
"These guys loved football and didn't make a lot of money. They provided me with a lot of entertainment," he said.
This is a cause we should all rally behind. I'm dissapointed that the NFL has not addressed the issue until now.....
every Player should be giving 1% of their Gross income before taxes.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Ann Coulter Wants To Date Barack Obama - He's Married!
Ann Coulter's got a thing about us Black guys that she just can't shake at all. First, if you've seen her on TV, she's recently admitted to a desure for us brothers. Yep. Not kidding. She told Larry King that she'd date a brotha -- I heard her say it myself. And now, she's got this new article that says she's got Obama Fever! Oh, yeah!
Now, she does poke fun at him, but if you read the text she's got nothing but love for his message. And of course, she admits her excitement for him.
Hey, Ann. It's OK. It's the 21st Century. Go ahead and admit the truth. Say what we already know. You want him. You think us Black men are hot, especially the political ones.
Ann, that "clean, renewable electricity " you're feelng is called an orgasm.
Now, she does poke fun at him, but if you read the text she's got nothing but love for his message. And of course, she admits her excitement for him.
Hey, Ann. It's OK. It's the 21st Century. Go ahead and admit the truth. Say what we already know. You want him. You think us Black men are hot, especially the political ones.
Ann, that "clean, renewable electricity " you're feelng is called an orgasm.
Video - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's Speech At February 8th 2007 Fox Sports Luncheon
Just after a bad PR period where San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom admitted that he slept with the wife of a friend and co-worker and then claimed he had a drinking problem, the Mayor gave a great speech before the Fox Sports Bay Area Baseball Season Kickoff Luncheon on Treasure Island February 8th.
I'm a regular attendee at this function, which this year featured an appearance by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. But this year, I decided to set up a camcorder and tripod and just let it run while I ate my lunch.
The Mayor gave a general talk, but couldn't resist taking a swipe at the San Francisco 49ers when he said that he'd give Niners tickets in place of MLB All Star Game tickets because he only had one All Star Game ticket for 300 requests.
You can't blame Gavin for the joke considering how Niners owner John York had been treating him.
Here's the video:
Also see the video of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig's speech with a click here.
I'm a regular attendee at this function, which this year featured an appearance by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. But this year, I decided to set up a camcorder and tripod and just let it run while I ate my lunch.
The Mayor gave a general talk, but couldn't resist taking a swipe at the San Francisco 49ers when he said that he'd give Niners tickets in place of MLB All Star Game tickets because he only had one All Star Game ticket for 300 requests.
You can't blame Gavin for the joke considering how Niners owner John York had been treating him.
Here's the video:
Also see the video of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig's speech with a click here.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Chargers Interviewing
So now the fun begins for the Bolts Fans.....
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Chargers received permission Tuesday to interview four candidates to replace fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer, including one-time San Diego offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
Turner was offensive coordinator with the Chargers in 2001. He's currently the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. He interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys' head coaching job that went to Wade Phillips, the Chargers' former defensive coordinator.
The Chargers also received permission to interview Hall of Famer 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, both of whom interviewed for the Cowboys job. The fourth candidate is Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
The Chargers did not say when the candidates would be interviewed.
Schottenheimer was fired Monday night by team president Dean Spanos, who cited a "dysfunctional situation" between Schottenheimer and general manager A.J. Smith.
The Chargers were an NFL-best 14-2 before losing their playoff opener to New England.
So what we want to determine here is weather Coach Singletary is a Rooney rule interview or a legit contender. With the Spanos family you just can't be too sure. I had also heard a wisper about Ted Cottrell at least being considered.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Chargers received permission Tuesday to interview four candidates to replace fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer, including one-time San Diego offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
Turner was offensive coordinator with the Chargers in 2001. He's currently the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. He interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys' head coaching job that went to Wade Phillips, the Chargers' former defensive coordinator.
The Chargers also received permission to interview Hall of Famer 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, both of whom interviewed for the Cowboys job. The fourth candidate is Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
The Chargers did not say when the candidates would be interviewed.
Schottenheimer was fired Monday night by team president Dean Spanos, who cited a "dysfunctional situation" between Schottenheimer and general manager A.J. Smith.
The Chargers were an NFL-best 14-2 before losing their playoff opener to New England.
So what we want to determine here is weather Coach Singletary is a Rooney rule interview or a legit contender. With the Spanos family you just can't be too sure. I had also heard a wisper about Ted Cottrell at least being considered.
Tiki Barber takes a final Shot at Coach Coughlin
Ahhh Tiki Tiki Tiki........ see my end notes
Tired of Tom
Practices made Tiki think of quitting
BY NEIL BEST
neil.best@newsday.com
February 14, 2007
On his first full day as a retired player, Tiki Barber lobbed a hypothetical hand grenade yesterday during a news conference to announce his hiring by NBC.
Barber several times suggested Giants coach Tom Coughlin set the wheels of his retirement in motion because of the "physical grind" through which he put players. Which led to an obvious question for the reporters who gathered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza along with the network's top news and sports executives.
If someone other than Coughlin had been his coach the past three seasons, might he still be a Giant rather than a correspondent for the "Today" show and an analyst for "Football Night in America"?
"Possibly, but that's speculation," he said. "I don't know. I'm 31 years old. I'll be 32 this year, which is way past the average for my position."
The fact Barber would even address the possibility at the moment of his hiring by NBC was another odd twist in a strained relationship with Coughlin, whose stewardship he criticized at times as a player. NBC loved it, because the network hired Barber in part for his outspokenness. The Giants likely did not, but they declined to comment.
Barber first invoked Coughlin by saying, "The grind started to take a toll on me and the principles of our head coach started taking a toll on me, so I started looking for the next thing."
To which NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol joked Barber would be permitted to cross his legs during meetings with NBC executives.
Later, though, Barber explained it wasn't so much Coughlin's rules as his approach to the physical part of the game that wore on him. Barber said he did not get enough time to rest and recuperate, saying, "It was a constant physical grind on me that started to take a toll.
"While it didn't show up a lot on Sundays because I had my three best seasons under him, and I give him a lot of credit of that, I could feel a difference."
Barber said the team practiced in full pads all season despite numerous injuries and said that eventually "you physically don't want to be out there when your body feels like you do in full pads.
"While it probably doesn't have a really detrimental effect on how you practice or play, it does on your mind, and if you lose your mind in [football], you lose a lot."
Barber said he discussed his concerns with Coughlin and the coach gave a little, such as when Barber told him he could not go full speed in some practices. Still, it was not enough.
"He has changed in little ways," the former running back said, "but I think he still has to come more. The game has changed. Players are different, and you have to understand them and get to know them in order to encourage and motivate them to be successful.
"Twenty years ago it was different. You could push a player until he broke down because you had 15 other guys who could come in and take his place."
On "Today," where he starts April 16, Barber will report on everything from technology to education to politics, from the news-heavy first half-hour to a planned, lighter fourth hour.
On "Football Night in America" he will analyze games and weigh in on topics such as the debate over the long-term effects of concussions, replacing Sterling Sharpe in the studio cast.
NBC so appealed to Barber that he accepted less money than ABC/ESPN and Fox are believed to have offered. His three-year contract is worth about $6 million overall. Barber would have made twice that per season playing, but he lost his passion for the job.
"Coach Coughlin was nothing but great for me as a player, but the grind took its toll on me and it really forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next," he said.
"That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. At least for me it is. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players."
Tiki on Coughlin:
Jan. 8, 2006: After a 23-0 rout by the Panthers in a wild-card playoff game.
"In some ways we were outcoached."
"We spend a lot of time at the line of scrimmage sometimes dissecting the defense, and that allows them to bring up extra guys in the box. When we were going on quick [counts] we were effective. We were getting 4 or 5 yards per play. but we played into their scheme and it ended up ultimately costing us the game."
Nov. 22, 2006: In the wake of a 26-10 loss to the Jaguars in which the offense stagnated and the running game was inconsequential,
"I felt insignificant . . . I'm not here to be a cheerleader. My job is to help the team win."
He argued the running game should be the foundation of the offense, saying,
"This isn't rocket science. Its football."
Well,...This was the unspoken reason why Tiki Hung it up early? hey.....I'm not surprised that it didn't come out until now,...Tiki is a class act...but he should just leave it alone.... he's done....he's a member of the media now......let it be....because you know he will have to interview Coughlin on October 28th when the Gianst play Miami in London.....
Tired of Tom
Practices made Tiki think of quitting
BY NEIL BEST
neil.best@newsday.com
February 14, 2007
On his first full day as a retired player, Tiki Barber lobbed a hypothetical hand grenade yesterday during a news conference to announce his hiring by NBC.
Barber several times suggested Giants coach Tom Coughlin set the wheels of his retirement in motion because of the "physical grind" through which he put players. Which led to an obvious question for the reporters who gathered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza along with the network's top news and sports executives.
If someone other than Coughlin had been his coach the past three seasons, might he still be a Giant rather than a correspondent for the "Today" show and an analyst for "Football Night in America"?
"Possibly, but that's speculation," he said. "I don't know. I'm 31 years old. I'll be 32 this year, which is way past the average for my position."
The fact Barber would even address the possibility at the moment of his hiring by NBC was another odd twist in a strained relationship with Coughlin, whose stewardship he criticized at times as a player. NBC loved it, because the network hired Barber in part for his outspokenness. The Giants likely did not, but they declined to comment.
Barber first invoked Coughlin by saying, "The grind started to take a toll on me and the principles of our head coach started taking a toll on me, so I started looking for the next thing."
To which NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol joked Barber would be permitted to cross his legs during meetings with NBC executives.
Later, though, Barber explained it wasn't so much Coughlin's rules as his approach to the physical part of the game that wore on him. Barber said he did not get enough time to rest and recuperate, saying, "It was a constant physical grind on me that started to take a toll.
"While it didn't show up a lot on Sundays because I had my three best seasons under him, and I give him a lot of credit of that, I could feel a difference."
Barber said the team practiced in full pads all season despite numerous injuries and said that eventually "you physically don't want to be out there when your body feels like you do in full pads.
"While it probably doesn't have a really detrimental effect on how you practice or play, it does on your mind, and if you lose your mind in [football], you lose a lot."
Barber said he discussed his concerns with Coughlin and the coach gave a little, such as when Barber told him he could not go full speed in some practices. Still, it was not enough.
"He has changed in little ways," the former running back said, "but I think he still has to come more. The game has changed. Players are different, and you have to understand them and get to know them in order to encourage and motivate them to be successful.
"Twenty years ago it was different. You could push a player until he broke down because you had 15 other guys who could come in and take his place."
On "Today," where he starts April 16, Barber will report on everything from technology to education to politics, from the news-heavy first half-hour to a planned, lighter fourth hour.
On "Football Night in America" he will analyze games and weigh in on topics such as the debate over the long-term effects of concussions, replacing Sterling Sharpe in the studio cast.
NBC so appealed to Barber that he accepted less money than ABC/ESPN and Fox are believed to have offered. His three-year contract is worth about $6 million overall. Barber would have made twice that per season playing, but he lost his passion for the job.
"Coach Coughlin was nothing but great for me as a player, but the grind took its toll on me and it really forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next," he said.
"That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. At least for me it is. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players."
Tiki on Coughlin:
Jan. 8, 2006: After a 23-0 rout by the Panthers in a wild-card playoff game.
"In some ways we were outcoached."
"We spend a lot of time at the line of scrimmage sometimes dissecting the defense, and that allows them to bring up extra guys in the box. When we were going on quick [counts] we were effective. We were getting 4 or 5 yards per play. but we played into their scheme and it ended up ultimately costing us the game."
Nov. 22, 2006: In the wake of a 26-10 loss to the Jaguars in which the offense stagnated and the running game was inconsequential,
"I felt insignificant . . . I'm not here to be a cheerleader. My job is to help the team win."
He argued the running game should be the foundation of the offense, saying,
"This isn't rocket science. Its football."
Well,...This was the unspoken reason why Tiki Hung it up early? hey.....I'm not surprised that it didn't come out until now,...Tiki is a class act...but he should just leave it alone.... he's done....he's a member of the media now......let it be....because you know he will have to interview Coughlin on October 28th when the Gianst play Miami in London.....
Spiderman 3 - Toby McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Rami Talk About Spiderman 3
Spiderman 3's set for a May 4th release and already the buzz is starting to build for the movie. Of course, most of this buzz is being generated by Sony, the film's producers. Take this great video for example. It contains interviews with stars Toby McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, and director Sam Rami talking about the storyline of the film.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Giants Cut 3
From NFL.com---See My Notes at the end
Giants release Arrington, Emmons, Petitgout
NFL.com wire reports
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Feb. 12, 2007) -- The New York Giants released linebacker LaVar Arrington and two other starters in the first major shake-up under new general manager Jerry Reese.
New York also cut linebacker Carlos Emmons and offensive tackle Luke Petitgout, both of whom were slowed by injuries over the last two seasons.
The release of Arrington ended a brief and unsatisfying tenure with the Giants for the former Pro Bowler, who was signed last year to a seven-year deal but suffered an Achilles injury against Dallas on Oct. 23 and played in only six games.
"LaVar's situation is unfortunate because he was just starting to really become a factor in our defense at the time of his injury," Reese said.
Reese, who replaced the retired Ernie Accorsi, served notice that he will not stand pat with a team that won the NFC East in 2005 but was humiliated in a first-round playoff loss to Carolina, then scraped into the playoffs last season with an 8-8 record and again lost in the first round.
"These are difficult decisions," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. "But as Jerry and I looked at the roster, they are decisions we felt we had to make as we start to compose our team for the upcoming season."
Petitgout started 106 games at tackle and guard over eight seasons for the Giants. He broke his leg against Chicago on Nov. 12 and missed the Giants' final seven games.
Emmons, acquired from Philadelphia in 2004, played in 36 games in three seasons but missed a total of 11 games in the last two seasons with a pectoral injury.
So I'm not surprised about Emmons, But I would have thought Arrington would have lasted at least one more year since he was starting to come around. Luke P was a difficult call,..but he had been stable even through injury.
Giants release Arrington, Emmons, Petitgout
NFL.com wire reports
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Feb. 12, 2007) -- The New York Giants released linebacker LaVar Arrington and two other starters in the first major shake-up under new general manager Jerry Reese.
New York also cut linebacker Carlos Emmons and offensive tackle Luke Petitgout, both of whom were slowed by injuries over the last two seasons.
The release of Arrington ended a brief and unsatisfying tenure with the Giants for the former Pro Bowler, who was signed last year to a seven-year deal but suffered an Achilles injury against Dallas on Oct. 23 and played in only six games.
"LaVar's situation is unfortunate because he was just starting to really become a factor in our defense at the time of his injury," Reese said.
Reese, who replaced the retired Ernie Accorsi, served notice that he will not stand pat with a team that won the NFC East in 2005 but was humiliated in a first-round playoff loss to Carolina, then scraped into the playoffs last season with an 8-8 record and again lost in the first round.
"These are difficult decisions," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. "But as Jerry and I looked at the roster, they are decisions we felt we had to make as we start to compose our team for the upcoming season."
Petitgout started 106 games at tackle and guard over eight seasons for the Giants. He broke his leg against Chicago on Nov. 12 and missed the Giants' final seven games.
Emmons, acquired from Philadelphia in 2004, played in 36 games in three seasons but missed a total of 11 games in the last two seasons with a pectoral injury.
So I'm not surprised about Emmons, But I would have thought Arrington would have lasted at least one more year since he was starting to come around. Luke P was a difficult call,..but he had been stable even through injury.
Barack Obama Announces His Presidential Run - Video
Illinois Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of The United States in Springfield Illinois last Saturday morning. Under a clearn sky and thousands of supporters, Obama gave his reasons or this excting decision.
Barack Obama For President - Video
This is the widely circulating Barack Obama video I found over at Brightcove, the new video distribution site. It's on Barack's background and message. Also, he's going to be at a fund raiser for Senator Barbara Boxer on February 19th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, Grand Ballroom, San Francisco.
Monday, February 12, 2007
San Diego Chargers' GM A.J. Smith's Constant Fucking With Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Reaches Boling Point - Schott Fired
Yep. That headline sums it all up. "Chargers' GM A.J. Smith's Constant Fucking With Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Reaches Boling Point - Schott Fired"
It has been known and well-told that San Diego Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith has not worked to get along with Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer. Indeed, A.J. Smith doesn't have the best image with a number of people. In my book, and that of others, this is stupid. The GM's supposed to get along with the coach -- indeed, supply the coach with a steady stream of capable players that the coach can teach his system to and hopefully win a Super Bowl or two.
But A.J. Smith doesnt' see life this way. Indeed, Smith can be considered as one who was openly screwing with the desires and fortunes of Coach Schottenheimer, from not only failing to retain star quarterback Drew Brees, but earlier passing on Michael Vick -- a sure jersey-seller if not star quarterback -- and basically stocking up on look-alike immoblie White QB's A.J. Feeley, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, and Eli Manning for a New York minute. You can't fault Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips or Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron for taking head jobs, you know and I know that typical teams at least lift a wallet to retain their most talented teachers.
This is weird.
Everything about it reads hollow. Look at Chargers' President Dean Spanos statement:
"Today I made an extremely difficult decision: Marty Schottenheimer is no longer the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.
"This decision was so hard because Marty has been both a friend and valued coach of our team. But my first obligation is always to do what is in the best interest of our fans and the entire Charger organization. I must take whatever steps are necessary to deliver a Super Bowl trophy to San Diego. Events of the last month have now convinced me that it is not possible for our organization to function at a championship level under the current structure. On the contrary, and in the plainest possible language, we have a dysfunctional situation here. Today I am resolving that situation once and for all.
"My decision means that our organization will be obligated to pay the last year of Marty Schottenheimer's contract and will begin an intense search for a new head coach at this relatively late date, but these are sacrifices that I believe are necessary to give the Chargers the best possible chance to win on the field this season.
"Our fans deserve to know what changed for me over the last month. When I decided to move ahead with Marty Schottenheimer in mid-January, I did so with the expectation that the core of his fine coaching staff would remain intact. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case, and the process of dealing with these coaching changes convinced me that we simply could not move forward with such dysfunction between our head coach and general manager. In short, this entire process over the last month convinced me beyond any doubt that I had to act to change this untenable situation and create an environment where everyone at Charger Park would be pulling in the same direction and working at a championship level. I expect exactly that from our entire Charger organization in 2007."
Dean Spanos must be smoking a big one to think the Chargers are going to have "the best possible chance to win on the field this season." In one fell swoop, he took the best-team in the NFL from early 2008 Super Bowl favorite, to possible division cellar foder for the Oakland Raiders, much to the delight of the Raider Nation.
Ohhh!!!!!!!!
Dean and A.J. have taken a big risk and there's no high reward. Keeping their head guy - a renowned teacher -- was the action that had the best upside. Now, that's gone.
I'm going to go out on a limb and state that Spanos decision was one based on emotion, a snap-judgement, and an argument with Marty. It wasn't calculated at all. How could it be? Spanos himself described the climate as a 'dysfunctional situation.' What does that tell you? It explains that at some point in the recent past, someone had a big angry discussion. I'm betting it was Smith and Schott, with Spanos getting in the middle.
Nick Campena laid it out first back in March 6, 2006, when he wrote: "Looking out from shore, it appears the reluctant marriage between Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith and coach Marty Schottenheimer is this close to the rocks – and the surf's up. There's trouble in what not long ago was perceived as a replenishing paradise."
Campena pointed to the Drew Brees matters, and a February 26th article by Jim Trotter of the San Diego Union-Tribune, where Trotter noted Schottenheimer as stating "I think it's important that there always be communication between the coach and the general manager,” he said during a break at the annual NFL Scouting Combine. (of 2006) “I've sought to see that realized, but, quite frankly, there hasn't been as much communication as I would like.. I think we all understand that ours is a very difficult, competitive enterprise, and in my opinion it's important that everybody is aimed in the same direction.”
Is that the case with the Chargers?
“We'll have to maybe wait and see,” he said.
Well, apparently it's not -- the Chargers are apparently torn apart. And the last time this happened, Bobby Ross was the head guy and Bobby Bethard was the GM. The Chargers never smelled a playoff end-zone after that affair.
Some online newhounds -- the people at Profotballtalk.com seem to think that A.J. Smith is the next person to be fired. This corner says "great" but I also state that allowing rumors of hiring Pete Carroll to replace Schottenheimer is wrong-headed. First, there's nothing to state that Carroll will be a great NFL head coach, second, you don't need the Rooney Rule to know their are great Black and Latino head coaches out there.
Indeed, if the Chargers can't find a good Black head coach out of the 131 assistants in the NFL game, they must be totally stupid. I hope I'm wrong.
But now that I think about it, racism is borne of stupidity, so the Chargers shoud be careful.
Young wants to finish as a 49er
Although a deal isn't yet near, the San Francisco 49ers have begun negotiations aimed at accommodating the wishes of star defensive tackle Bryant Young to play at least one more season, and to finish his career with the only team for which he has ever worked.
Bryant Young
Defensive End
San Francisco 49ers
Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
Tot Ast Solo FF Sack Int
52 42 10 0 6 0
Young, 35, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 2, and the 13-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowl performer wants to play again in 2007, as long as it's with the 49ers.
One of the NFL's premier defensive tackles during his tenure in the league, and also one of its classiest performers, Young is clearly nearing the end of a celebrated career. But he demonstrated in 2006, when his playing time was purposely reduced in an effort to maximize his production, that he can still be an effective defender.
In 16 games, most of them at tackle, Young posted 52 tackles and he led all 49ers' defensive linemen in sacks, with 5½. The performance earned him a spot as a Pro Bowl alternate. Young played some at left end, when San Francisco was aligned in a 3-4 front, a scheme coach Mike Nolan wants to use even more in 2007.
"He still has something left," Nolan said. "And you always want people like him around your football team. Any organization, any community, wants guys like him."
Flush with plenty of salary cap space this spring, San Francisco figures to add some veteran players as the team continues to transition to a 3-4, but the feeling is that Young can still contribute as a strongside end.
He earned a base salary of $2.25 million and part of the current negotiations are based on finding financial ground that meets the needs of both sides.
The reduced workload, something on which San Francisco coaches have been working the past several seasons, has helped extend Young's career and his effectiveness. He has missed only three games the last two years and has never been sidelined more than four games in a season.
In 192 career games, the former Notre Dame star, a first-round choice in the 1994 draft, has 570 tackles, 83 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and six recoveries.
Bryant Young
Defensive End
San Francisco 49ers
Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
Tot Ast Solo FF Sack Int
52 42 10 0 6 0
Young, 35, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 2, and the 13-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowl performer wants to play again in 2007, as long as it's with the 49ers.
One of the NFL's premier defensive tackles during his tenure in the league, and also one of its classiest performers, Young is clearly nearing the end of a celebrated career. But he demonstrated in 2006, when his playing time was purposely reduced in an effort to maximize his production, that he can still be an effective defender.
In 16 games, most of them at tackle, Young posted 52 tackles and he led all 49ers' defensive linemen in sacks, with 5½. The performance earned him a spot as a Pro Bowl alternate. Young played some at left end, when San Francisco was aligned in a 3-4 front, a scheme coach Mike Nolan wants to use even more in 2007.
"He still has something left," Nolan said. "And you always want people like him around your football team. Any organization, any community, wants guys like him."
Flush with plenty of salary cap space this spring, San Francisco figures to add some veteran players as the team continues to transition to a 3-4, but the feeling is that Young can still contribute as a strongside end.
He earned a base salary of $2.25 million and part of the current negotiations are based on finding financial ground that meets the needs of both sides.
The reduced workload, something on which San Francisco coaches have been working the past several seasons, has helped extend Young's career and his effectiveness. He has missed only three games the last two years and has never been sidelined more than four games in a season.
In 192 career games, the former Notre Dame star, a first-round choice in the 1994 draft, has 570 tackles, 83 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and six recoveries.
Cowboys Owner Jones Fully in Charge Again
Jones Back Atop Cowboys' Hierarchy-see my comments at the end.
By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas -- Jerry Jones insists Wade Phillips will have as much input into personnel decisions for the Dallas Cowboys as Bill Parcells had. It even says so in his contract, Jones added.
Then came the kicker: Dave Campo and Chan Gailey had the same wording in their contracts.
So forget what's on the legal documents and focus on the reality. After four years of working alongside Bill Parcells, Jones is once again taking full advantage of his dual titles as owner and general manager.
"It's just not correct that I don't have the ability or the energy or the skills to do what I do every time I make a decision," Jones said Thursday, following the hiring of Phillips. "I talk to a lot of people and get a lot of different perspectives before I make a decision. I get a lot of input and I factor it. If I didn't get the input and didn't do the homework, shame on me."
Jones views the Parcells experiment as vindicating. He sucked in his ego and appeased his critics by bringing in a proven "football guy" to help shape the organization.
And while Jones says "We are better off in a very significant way because Bill was here," he couldn't help but point out that the Cowboys won as many playoff games under their high-falutin' coach (zero) as they did under Gailey and Campo, who were mocked for being Jones puppets.
"It didn't work," Jones said of the Parcells Era. "We had some success, but at the end of the day we did not have the kind of success we wanted."
Thus, Jones feels free to doing things another way. His way.
He went into the coaching search looking for someone who could develop quarterback Tony Romo. Norv Turner was his best bet, although Jones was so impressed with Jason Garrett that he hired him away from Miami without knowing what role he'd have.
Jones liked the idea of Turner and Garrett working with Romo and the rest of the offense. Problem was, Jones still had to fix the team's bigger problem: defense.
He could've hired Ron Rivera to put in the 4-3 scheme Rivera used to get the Chicago Bears into the Super Bowl. But Jones, the general manager, decided he really wanted to stick with the 3-4 scheme that Jones, the owner, had spent so much time and money putting together for Parcells the last two years.
"I looked at it with an open mind," Jones said of changing defensive styles. "But at the end of the day, I decided I didn't want to. I wanted to keep going in the way we were going. ...
"I think it is fair for somebody in my role to make those decisions about the way you're going and the schemes in general, the philosophy," Jones added. "Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to tell (the coach) how to line up and whether to shade or stunt, those sorts of things. That's not what I'm going to do. But I can decide we are going to play the 3-4."
That led him back to Phillips, with Garrett running the offense.
"There's no question his availability opened some possibilities up with going with a more defensive-oriented head coach," Jones said.
Jones knows that he's taking a risk by entrusting Romo's development to Garrett, whose only coaching experience is two years as Miami's quarterbacks coach.
But it's a risk the former oil wildcatter is willing to take.
"Jason will be operating without a net," Jones said. "I like that. I think that brings out the best in people."
Garrett definitely has a good pedigree.
The son of a longtime NFL scout who spent many years working for the Cowboys, Garrett graduated from Princeton and played for the Cowboys, breaking in under Turner while backing up Troy Aikman. He later played for offensive gurus Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay and Sean Payton in New York.
Jones said he was thinking about hiring Garrett before Parcells retired. Now that he's here, he's already considered the front-runner to eventually replace Phillips.
Maybe yes, maybe no. But one thing is certain: When that time comes, Jones will having the final say.
OMG: so Jones thinks that BECAUSE Bill Parcells ONLY went 34-32 and lost 2 Playoff games in 4 years that HE(Jerry Jones/Owner/General Manager) knows more about football then Parcells, or even Jummy Johnson?? Come now...we have been down this road....Jones has come a long way since 1989,..but still, He's not Paul Brown. Lets remember Mr. Jones' comment when he and Jimmy Johnson parted ways: I can get Barry Switzer to run this team.....and so he did...but it was still Johnson's Team and scheme that won. I'm a better Talent Evaluator then Jerry Jones is. So is my Late Father Btw...and all he ever did was Play Millitary service Football in Post war Germany, and then coach our Team in the NYC Housing Authority Athletic leauge.....
If the Cowboys are successful again it will be because of WADE Phillips,..not Jerry Jones....
By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas -- Jerry Jones insists Wade Phillips will have as much input into personnel decisions for the Dallas Cowboys as Bill Parcells had. It even says so in his contract, Jones added.
Then came the kicker: Dave Campo and Chan Gailey had the same wording in their contracts.
So forget what's on the legal documents and focus on the reality. After four years of working alongside Bill Parcells, Jones is once again taking full advantage of his dual titles as owner and general manager.
"It's just not correct that I don't have the ability or the energy or the skills to do what I do every time I make a decision," Jones said Thursday, following the hiring of Phillips. "I talk to a lot of people and get a lot of different perspectives before I make a decision. I get a lot of input and I factor it. If I didn't get the input and didn't do the homework, shame on me."
Jones views the Parcells experiment as vindicating. He sucked in his ego and appeased his critics by bringing in a proven "football guy" to help shape the organization.
And while Jones says "We are better off in a very significant way because Bill was here," he couldn't help but point out that the Cowboys won as many playoff games under their high-falutin' coach (zero) as they did under Gailey and Campo, who were mocked for being Jones puppets.
"It didn't work," Jones said of the Parcells Era. "We had some success, but at the end of the day we did not have the kind of success we wanted."
Thus, Jones feels free to doing things another way. His way.
He went into the coaching search looking for someone who could develop quarterback Tony Romo. Norv Turner was his best bet, although Jones was so impressed with Jason Garrett that he hired him away from Miami without knowing what role he'd have.
Jones liked the idea of Turner and Garrett working with Romo and the rest of the offense. Problem was, Jones still had to fix the team's bigger problem: defense.
He could've hired Ron Rivera to put in the 4-3 scheme Rivera used to get the Chicago Bears into the Super Bowl. But Jones, the general manager, decided he really wanted to stick with the 3-4 scheme that Jones, the owner, had spent so much time and money putting together for Parcells the last two years.
"I looked at it with an open mind," Jones said of changing defensive styles. "But at the end of the day, I decided I didn't want to. I wanted to keep going in the way we were going. ...
"I think it is fair for somebody in my role to make those decisions about the way you're going and the schemes in general, the philosophy," Jones added. "Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to tell (the coach) how to line up and whether to shade or stunt, those sorts of things. That's not what I'm going to do. But I can decide we are going to play the 3-4."
That led him back to Phillips, with Garrett running the offense.
"There's no question his availability opened some possibilities up with going with a more defensive-oriented head coach," Jones said.
Jones knows that he's taking a risk by entrusting Romo's development to Garrett, whose only coaching experience is two years as Miami's quarterbacks coach.
But it's a risk the former oil wildcatter is willing to take.
"Jason will be operating without a net," Jones said. "I like that. I think that brings out the best in people."
Garrett definitely has a good pedigree.
The son of a longtime NFL scout who spent many years working for the Cowboys, Garrett graduated from Princeton and played for the Cowboys, breaking in under Turner while backing up Troy Aikman. He later played for offensive gurus Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay and Sean Payton in New York.
Jones said he was thinking about hiring Garrett before Parcells retired. Now that he's here, he's already considered the front-runner to eventually replace Phillips.
Maybe yes, maybe no. But one thing is certain: When that time comes, Jones will having the final say.
OMG: so Jones thinks that BECAUSE Bill Parcells ONLY went 34-32 and lost 2 Playoff games in 4 years that HE(Jerry Jones/Owner/General Manager) knows more about football then Parcells, or even Jummy Johnson?? Come now...we have been down this road....Jones has come a long way since 1989,..but still, He's not Paul Brown. Lets remember Mr. Jones' comment when he and Jimmy Johnson parted ways: I can get Barry Switzer to run this team.....and so he did...but it was still Johnson's Team and scheme that won. I'm a better Talent Evaluator then Jerry Jones is. So is my Late Father Btw...and all he ever did was Play Millitary service Football in Post war Germany, and then coach our Team in the NYC Housing Authority Athletic leauge.....
If the Cowboys are successful again it will be because of WADE Phillips,..not Jerry Jones....
Former NFL Field Official says he was fired over race issue.
This is an AP wire service report from over the weekend.
NFL Official Says Firing Spurred by Race
By DAVID B. CARUSO
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK -- A former supervisor of NFL officials sued the league in federal court Friday, claiming he was unfairly fired after some referees lodged false complaints that he was racially biased.
Earnie Frantz, a head linesman in the NFL from 1981 to 2001, said he was fired as associate supervisor of officiating in the spring of 2005.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan, Frantz said part of his job as a supervisor included grading the performance of officials after each week of play.
But while performing that role, the suit said, Frantz became a target of complaints by "a vocal component of the minority officiating crew," who complained that he was racially biased and graded minorities more harshly than whites.
"In terminating Mr. Frantz's employment, the NFL bowed to the pressure of the minority members of the officiating crews whom he supervised," the suit said.
Frantz, who is white, claimed in the suit that he was essentially fired "because of the color of his skin."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed that Frantz was let go by the league, but disputed the former official's account of how it happened.
"While we have not seen the specific allegations, we know that Earnie Frantz's departure from the NFL had nothing to do with issues of race," Aiello said in an e-mail message to The Associated Press.
He declined to elaborate.
Frantz, who lives in Massachusetts, is seeking unspecified damages, penalties and back pay. His attorney, Scott Korenbaum, did not immediately return a phone message Friday.
NFL Official Says Firing Spurred by Race
By DAVID B. CARUSO
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK -- A former supervisor of NFL officials sued the league in federal court Friday, claiming he was unfairly fired after some referees lodged false complaints that he was racially biased.
Earnie Frantz, a head linesman in the NFL from 1981 to 2001, said he was fired as associate supervisor of officiating in the spring of 2005.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan, Frantz said part of his job as a supervisor included grading the performance of officials after each week of play.
But while performing that role, the suit said, Frantz became a target of complaints by "a vocal component of the minority officiating crew," who complained that he was racially biased and graded minorities more harshly than whites.
"In terminating Mr. Frantz's employment, the NFL bowed to the pressure of the minority members of the officiating crews whom he supervised," the suit said.
Frantz, who is white, claimed in the suit that he was essentially fired "because of the color of his skin."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed that Frantz was let go by the league, but disputed the former official's account of how it happened.
"While we have not seen the specific allegations, we know that Earnie Frantz's departure from the NFL had nothing to do with issues of race," Aiello said in an e-mail message to The Associated Press.
He declined to elaborate.
Frantz, who lives in Massachusetts, is seeking unspecified damages, penalties and back pay. His attorney, Scott Korenbaum, did not immediately return a phone message Friday.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith - Was She Murdered?
I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Anna Nicole Smith , but the main question that should be asked is was she murdered? It seems like a logical action to invetigate given the millions she was battling for from the estate of her late husband and the bad feelings some members of the family had for her.
I think it's a sad that this is not looked into more. Or it could be a suicide, but regardless the pictures not pretty for the final outcome.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Norv Turner happy to stay in Bay Area
Here is One FRom Zennie's Backyard.....my thoughts at the end...(Draftnik) BC
49ers happy to retain Turner
Coordinator to get extension
Kevin Lynch, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, February 9, 2007
The naming of Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips as the Cowboys' head coach set off quiet celebrations from the Bay Area to Hawaii. While 49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner might be disappointed he didn't get the Cowboys' job after a long and highly-publicized flirtation, the 49ers were pleased.
"It's great, I'm happy for the team," running back Frank Gore said from Hawaii, where he's practicing for Saturday's Pro Bowl. "You can tell from the middle of (last) season to the end, we were scoring points and getting a lot of yards -- doing anything we wanted to do. Now when we go into training camp, there's no more learning. We can just go."
Turner issued a statement through the team.
"I have a great situation with the 49ers, and I'm excited about continuing the progress we made on offense last season," he said. "(Team owner) John York and (coach) Mike Nolan were instrumental in lending their support to me in the interview process in Dallas."
The 49ers will extend and add money to Turner's contract, which was due to expire at the end of the 2007 season.
With Turner staying, the offense doesn't have to adjust to a third offensive coordinator in three years. Turner replaced Mike McCarthy when McCarthy was hired as the Packers head coach, and Turner ditched the 49ers' long-standing West Coast offense for a "digital" scheme.
The offense responded to the more simplified system. The team went from 105.6 in average rushing yards per game to 135.8.
Quarterback Alex Smith went from throwing one touchdown and 11 interceptions to tossing 16 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions while taking every snap.
Smith said Turner, who has tutored Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, was instrumental in his development. Turner also hatched creative game plans and mixed in a variety of trick plays.
No one is sure of what transpired in Dallas, where Turner appeared to be a front runner after interviewing 12 days ago with owner Jerry Jones, new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and outgoing coach Bill Parcells.
Turner was then captured on television giving a high-five to Jones after both heard the announcement that former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin won election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. News was also leaked that Turner, who was the Cowboys offensive coordinator when Dallas won consecutive titles in 1992-'93, attended an owners' party during Super Bowl week with Jones.
Turner was actually a guest of host Wayne Huizenga, the owner of the Dolphins, whom he worked for in 2002-'03.
Some reports said Turner differed with Jones over control of the coaching staff and play calling. But a league source said Turner, a Martinez native, was comfortable making demands of Jones because Turner knew he had a good situation with the 49ers.
Gore believes the 49ers can go to another level offensively in 2007.
"I'm happy, real happy, especially with the young team we have, and the young quarterback, the young offense," he said. "All that progress we made toward the end of the year, that's just going to continue. We can just keep playing off of it. We can keep growing, working hard in the offseason, and next year is going to be crazy, just crazy."
Briefly: Gore brought running backs coach Bishop Harris and fullback Moran Norris with him to Hawaii. He also brought family and friends and requested 25 tickets for the game. Guard Larry Allen paid for offensive line coach George Warhop's trip to the islands. ... The 5th annual Crab Cracking Contest at Union Square in San Francisco on Feb. 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. will benefit the 49ers Foundation. Members of the team will demonstrate their crab-cracking acumen during the food-, beer- and wine-tasting festival.
Yes: Norv is a Better OC then he is a head coach. Alex smith is dancing a jig right now he's so happy. This also Sets up the Niners incase Nolan should leave for whatever reason, although I doubt that now....
49ers happy to retain Turner
Coordinator to get extension
Kevin Lynch, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, February 9, 2007
The naming of Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips as the Cowboys' head coach set off quiet celebrations from the Bay Area to Hawaii. While 49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner might be disappointed he didn't get the Cowboys' job after a long and highly-publicized flirtation, the 49ers were pleased.
"It's great, I'm happy for the team," running back Frank Gore said from Hawaii, where he's practicing for Saturday's Pro Bowl. "You can tell from the middle of (last) season to the end, we were scoring points and getting a lot of yards -- doing anything we wanted to do. Now when we go into training camp, there's no more learning. We can just go."
Turner issued a statement through the team.
"I have a great situation with the 49ers, and I'm excited about continuing the progress we made on offense last season," he said. "(Team owner) John York and (coach) Mike Nolan were instrumental in lending their support to me in the interview process in Dallas."
The 49ers will extend and add money to Turner's contract, which was due to expire at the end of the 2007 season.
With Turner staying, the offense doesn't have to adjust to a third offensive coordinator in three years. Turner replaced Mike McCarthy when McCarthy was hired as the Packers head coach, and Turner ditched the 49ers' long-standing West Coast offense for a "digital" scheme.
The offense responded to the more simplified system. The team went from 105.6 in average rushing yards per game to 135.8.
Quarterback Alex Smith went from throwing one touchdown and 11 interceptions to tossing 16 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions while taking every snap.
Smith said Turner, who has tutored Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, was instrumental in his development. Turner also hatched creative game plans and mixed in a variety of trick plays.
No one is sure of what transpired in Dallas, where Turner appeared to be a front runner after interviewing 12 days ago with owner Jerry Jones, new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and outgoing coach Bill Parcells.
Turner was then captured on television giving a high-five to Jones after both heard the announcement that former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin won election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. News was also leaked that Turner, who was the Cowboys offensive coordinator when Dallas won consecutive titles in 1992-'93, attended an owners' party during Super Bowl week with Jones.
Turner was actually a guest of host Wayne Huizenga, the owner of the Dolphins, whom he worked for in 2002-'03.
Some reports said Turner differed with Jones over control of the coaching staff and play calling. But a league source said Turner, a Martinez native, was comfortable making demands of Jones because Turner knew he had a good situation with the 49ers.
Gore believes the 49ers can go to another level offensively in 2007.
"I'm happy, real happy, especially with the young team we have, and the young quarterback, the young offense," he said. "All that progress we made toward the end of the year, that's just going to continue. We can just keep playing off of it. We can keep growing, working hard in the offseason, and next year is going to be crazy, just crazy."
Briefly: Gore brought running backs coach Bishop Harris and fullback Moran Norris with him to Hawaii. He also brought family and friends and requested 25 tickets for the game. Guard Larry Allen paid for offensive line coach George Warhop's trip to the islands. ... The 5th annual Crab Cracking Contest at Union Square in San Francisco on Feb. 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. will benefit the 49ers Foundation. Members of the team will demonstrate their crab-cracking acumen during the food-, beer- and wine-tasting festival.
Yes: Norv is a Better OC then he is a head coach. Alex smith is dancing a jig right now he's so happy. This also Sets up the Niners incase Nolan should leave for whatever reason, although I doubt that now....
Thursday, February 08, 2007
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.....
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.....
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
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........
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
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
By Mike Nahrstedt - SportingNews
Final rank, plus a look ahead to 2007
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
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??
Monday, February 05, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, February 02, 2007
A SB wings recepie from Food Network's Paula Deen
Buffalo Wings
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Show: Paula's Home Cooking
Episode: Fire House Pot Luck Dinner
Creamy Roquefort dip:
1/2 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream
12 chicken wings, disjointed
Oil, for frying
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup hot red pepper sauce
In a medium size bowl, cream the Roquefort and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients and blend well. Chill for 2 hours.
Using a fryer or a large pot, heat oil to 350 degrees F. Deep fry the wings until golden and crispy, approximately 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, melt the butter, add the hot sauce and heat thoroughly. Immediately toss hot wings into sauce. Place wings on a platter and serve with creamy Roquefort dip.
NFLPA's Gene Upshaw Does a Little Dance.....
This is from Pro Football Weekly's Online edition......see my end comment
Upshaw defends NFLPA’s level of contribution to retired players’ pensions
By Eric Edholm, Dan Arkush and Mike Holbrook
Feb. 1, 2007
MIAMI — The NFL Players Association held its annual meeting at the Super Bowl to discuss a wide range of hot-button issues, including testing for human-growth hormones and other designer drugs, player conduct and the early returns on the first year of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. But the testiest exchange came at the end of the question-and-answer session over retired players’ benefits.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Brian Burwell finished the session by asking union president Gene Upshaw, sternly, “I am a little confused. You talked about the oldest players, and how, back when you were playing, you were told what doctors to go to and (that) a lot of times you didn’t know what your own diagnosis was. … In light of those kinds of those kind of working conditions that you and all of the older players that I have talked to dealt with, isn’t there any way, as this huge, enormous pie continues to grow, that you can find some extra money for them?”
Upshaw retorted by saying there is $60 million paid each year — money that comes directly from current players’ salaries — that benefits former players drawing pensions. “They’re the ones who put that money in. That’s where that money comes from,” Upshaw, a retired player, said. “We just spent $51 million this (past) year to improve the benefits for guys like me. And it’s not just this year. It goes all the way back (to 1993).”
There are nearly 9,000 former players who are eligible for benefits, but fewer than 200 get long-term benefits. Many NFL alumni have suffered serious medical problems after their careers have ended, a lot of whom have distanced themselves from the league they feel has left them behind. The NFLPA says a new $50-a-month increase in the new CBA should help matters.
The union also has concerns about current players. The talk of increased testing for performance-enhancing drugs is something that resonates from both the players’ union and the league, but Upshaw said he and new commissioner Roger Goodell differ on how the testing should take place. Upshaw said he wants to avoid having his players “getting stuck in the arm with a needle every five minutes” and that there is no effective, reliable testing method for HGH and EPO, one of the newest banned substances to be added to the league’s list.
So Mr Upshaw still comes off to most people as someone who works hard for players rights, and he does, for current players.
50 Bux a Month?? That's Not much.....tell that to Herb Adderly who gets $126.50 a month. I know One of the last things Paul Tags did as commish was the #88 rule named after John Mackey, to help those players who have suffered TBI from their playing days. It just might be too little too late......
Upshaw defends NFLPA’s level of contribution to retired players’ pensions
By Eric Edholm, Dan Arkush and Mike Holbrook
Feb. 1, 2007
MIAMI — The NFL Players Association held its annual meeting at the Super Bowl to discuss a wide range of hot-button issues, including testing for human-growth hormones and other designer drugs, player conduct and the early returns on the first year of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. But the testiest exchange came at the end of the question-and-answer session over retired players’ benefits.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Brian Burwell finished the session by asking union president Gene Upshaw, sternly, “I am a little confused. You talked about the oldest players, and how, back when you were playing, you were told what doctors to go to and (that) a lot of times you didn’t know what your own diagnosis was. … In light of those kinds of those kind of working conditions that you and all of the older players that I have talked to dealt with, isn’t there any way, as this huge, enormous pie continues to grow, that you can find some extra money for them?”
Upshaw retorted by saying there is $60 million paid each year — money that comes directly from current players’ salaries — that benefits former players drawing pensions. “They’re the ones who put that money in. That’s where that money comes from,” Upshaw, a retired player, said. “We just spent $51 million this (past) year to improve the benefits for guys like me. And it’s not just this year. It goes all the way back (to 1993).”
There are nearly 9,000 former players who are eligible for benefits, but fewer than 200 get long-term benefits. Many NFL alumni have suffered serious medical problems after their careers have ended, a lot of whom have distanced themselves from the league they feel has left them behind. The NFLPA says a new $50-a-month increase in the new CBA should help matters.
The union also has concerns about current players. The talk of increased testing for performance-enhancing drugs is something that resonates from both the players’ union and the league, but Upshaw said he and new commissioner Roger Goodell differ on how the testing should take place. Upshaw said he wants to avoid having his players “getting stuck in the arm with a needle every five minutes” and that there is no effective, reliable testing method for HGH and EPO, one of the newest banned substances to be added to the league’s list.
So Mr Upshaw still comes off to most people as someone who works hard for players rights, and he does, for current players.
50 Bux a Month?? That's Not much.....tell that to Herb Adderly who gets $126.50 a month. I know One of the last things Paul Tags did as commish was the #88 rule named after John Mackey, to help those players who have suffered TBI from their playing days. It just might be too little too late......
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Shame of the NFL: why won't they help Sick ex-Players?
Again: i don't always agree with Wally Matthews, but he is on point here!
From Newsday
Wallace Matthews
Shame of the league
January 31, 2007
When Tiki Barber retired from the NFL at the end of this season, he did more than walk away from his career at the top of his game. He also walked right onto Gene Upshaw's enemies list.
There is simply no other way to describe the behavior of that spineless mockery of a union, the NFL Players Association, or the attitude of its president, also known as Roger Goodell's -- formerly Paul Tagliabue's -- lapdog, toward its former members.
As exposed by HBO's "Real Sports" last week, and illustrated by my colleague Shaun Powell's heartbreaking column about John Mackey yesterday, once a player is done with the NFL, the NFL is done with him.
This week is the NFL equivalent of Mardi Gras, a week of happy horsecrap about the League That Can Do No Wrong.
But a handful of former players, Hall of Famers all, are not swallowing the Kool-Aid the rest of the country seems to be drunk on. While most of the NFL media is being distracted by the temptations of Super Bowl Week, Jerry Kramer, Harry Carson and Mike Ditka, to name a few, will be speaking truth in a hotel conference room a few hours before Upshaw gets his chance to lie about how great everything is.
They have long known that The Shield, as the players refer to it, is a league that eats its young, and the NFLPA is a union that discards its old. And tomorrow, they want the rest of the world to know it.
As Kramer said, "It will not be a pleasant task. But then, it's not pleasant to talk to Bill Forester [a Pro Bowl linebacker on Kramer's Green Bay Packers teams of the mid-60s] and hear that he's suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia and pneumonia, that he needs a feeding tube to survive, and that he can't get any money from the Players Association to help him."
Nor is it pleasant to consider the case of Willie Wood, a Hall of Famer now destitute, living in a nursing home and needing to rely on a trust fund for retired players set up by Ditka, of all people, in order to survive; or to think about a former New England Patriot, whose name is being withheld to preserve his privacy, living on the street, nor to consider the future of Carson, now 53 and suffering from post-concussion syndrome, the result of at least 15 game and practice-related concussions. Will he be the next John Mackey or Andre Waters?
This is the stuff the NFL never wants to talk about, but especially not now, when everyone is paying attention to what is universally regarded as the world's most lucrative and best-run sports league.
Upshaw did not return a call yesterday, but as he told the Charlotte Observer recently, "They don't hire me and they can't fire me. They can complain about me all day long. But the active players have the vote. That's who pays my salary."
Clearly, there's no help there, so after their news conference, the players will stage an auction of items from their personal collections, many of them prized possessions, to raise money for the thousands of players who can't, or won't, go to the union for help.
"These are proud guys, and a lot of them are too embarrassed to ask for help," Carson said. "But for them to even get to the point where they have to beg for assistance, that really -- me off."
Thankfully, Carson does not need the $700 or so a month his NFL pension would pay him if he applied for it. But it enrages him to think of Herb Adderley cashing an NFLPA check for $126.85 a month -- that is not a misprint -- and it really infuriates him when Upshaw crows about increasing all benefits this year by 25 percent.
"Great, now Herb will get $150," Carson said.
For a league that receives $3.1 billion a year for its television rights alone, it is an incredibly chintzy way to do business. Of the 9,000 retired NFL players, only 144 receive disability benefits and the league has never lost a lawsuit brought by a former player seeking help.
"You really do need to be crawling on the floor to qualify for disability benefits," Carson said. "They just deny, deny, deny, and hope that it all goes away."
Kramer said he hopes the auction will raise between $250,000 and $500,000, with all proceeds to be distributed as soon as possible because "we got guys who need help right away."
The NFL is providing nothing but the hotel room, because to deny the retired players a place to speak out would have garnered even worse publicity than what they will say.
But that is where The Shield's commitment ends.
"They told us they had so many requests for help, they didn't know who to help first," Kramer said. "So they decided to help nobody."
For the NFL, it is business as usual. Profits through the roof. Heads in the sand.
From Newsday
Wallace Matthews
Shame of the league
January 31, 2007
When Tiki Barber retired from the NFL at the end of this season, he did more than walk away from his career at the top of his game. He also walked right onto Gene Upshaw's enemies list.
There is simply no other way to describe the behavior of that spineless mockery of a union, the NFL Players Association, or the attitude of its president, also known as Roger Goodell's -- formerly Paul Tagliabue's -- lapdog, toward its former members.
As exposed by HBO's "Real Sports" last week, and illustrated by my colleague Shaun Powell's heartbreaking column about John Mackey yesterday, once a player is done with the NFL, the NFL is done with him.
This week is the NFL equivalent of Mardi Gras, a week of happy horsecrap about the League That Can Do No Wrong.
But a handful of former players, Hall of Famers all, are not swallowing the Kool-Aid the rest of the country seems to be drunk on. While most of the NFL media is being distracted by the temptations of Super Bowl Week, Jerry Kramer, Harry Carson and Mike Ditka, to name a few, will be speaking truth in a hotel conference room a few hours before Upshaw gets his chance to lie about how great everything is.
They have long known that The Shield, as the players refer to it, is a league that eats its young, and the NFLPA is a union that discards its old. And tomorrow, they want the rest of the world to know it.
As Kramer said, "It will not be a pleasant task. But then, it's not pleasant to talk to Bill Forester [a Pro Bowl linebacker on Kramer's Green Bay Packers teams of the mid-60s] and hear that he's suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia and pneumonia, that he needs a feeding tube to survive, and that he can't get any money from the Players Association to help him."
Nor is it pleasant to consider the case of Willie Wood, a Hall of Famer now destitute, living in a nursing home and needing to rely on a trust fund for retired players set up by Ditka, of all people, in order to survive; or to think about a former New England Patriot, whose name is being withheld to preserve his privacy, living on the street, nor to consider the future of Carson, now 53 and suffering from post-concussion syndrome, the result of at least 15 game and practice-related concussions. Will he be the next John Mackey or Andre Waters?
This is the stuff the NFL never wants to talk about, but especially not now, when everyone is paying attention to what is universally regarded as the world's most lucrative and best-run sports league.
Upshaw did not return a call yesterday, but as he told the Charlotte Observer recently, "They don't hire me and they can't fire me. They can complain about me all day long. But the active players have the vote. That's who pays my salary."
Clearly, there's no help there, so after their news conference, the players will stage an auction of items from their personal collections, many of them prized possessions, to raise money for the thousands of players who can't, or won't, go to the union for help.
"These are proud guys, and a lot of them are too embarrassed to ask for help," Carson said. "But for them to even get to the point where they have to beg for assistance, that really -- me off."
Thankfully, Carson does not need the $700 or so a month his NFL pension would pay him if he applied for it. But it enrages him to think of Herb Adderley cashing an NFLPA check for $126.85 a month -- that is not a misprint -- and it really infuriates him when Upshaw crows about increasing all benefits this year by 25 percent.
"Great, now Herb will get $150," Carson said.
For a league that receives $3.1 billion a year for its television rights alone, it is an incredibly chintzy way to do business. Of the 9,000 retired NFL players, only 144 receive disability benefits and the league has never lost a lawsuit brought by a former player seeking help.
"You really do need to be crawling on the floor to qualify for disability benefits," Carson said. "They just deny, deny, deny, and hope that it all goes away."
Kramer said he hopes the auction will raise between $250,000 and $500,000, with all proceeds to be distributed as soon as possible because "we got guys who need help right away."
The NFL is providing nothing but the hotel room, because to deny the retired players a place to speak out would have garnered even worse publicity than what they will say.
But that is where The Shield's commitment ends.
"They told us they had so many requests for help, they didn't know who to help first," Kramer said. "So they decided to help nobody."
For the NFL, it is business as usual. Profits through the roof. Heads in the sand.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Mike Tomlin - New Steelers Coach Adds Six Assistant Coaches
Mike Tomlin's coaching staff is complete
New Steelers coach adds six assistants
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mike Tomlin said he wanted assistant coaches who were teachers and shared the same football values he possessed. Apparently, he also wanted coaches with whom he had previously worked.
After spending the past four days in Minnesota, getting his family and house in order, Tomlin returned to the Steelers' offices on the South Side yesterday and officially put his coaching staff in order, announcing the hiring of six new assistants.
Heading the list is former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, whose hiring as quarterbacks coach was reported last week. He will replace Mark Whipple, who was not retained, and has been entrusted with working with the team's franchise player, Ben Roethlisberger.
Anderson, 57, never worked with Tomlin, but he was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals when Tomlin was working as an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati.
But four of the new assistant coaches who signed contracts yesterday worked with Tomlin either in college or in the NFL.
They are:
Offensive line coach Larry Zierlein, who was the offensive line coach at the University of Cincinnati when Tomlin was there. Zierlein, 62, was also the offensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns when Bruce Arians was the Browns' offensive coordinator.
Wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner, who coached with Tomlin at Arkansas State and the University of Memphis. Fichtner, 43, a native of West Mifflin, was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Memphis the past six seasons.
Assistant special teams coach Amos Jones, who coached the running backs and special teams during Tomlin's tenure at Cincinnati. He coached special teams and outside linebackers the past three seasons at Mississippi State.
Running backs coach Kirby Wilson, who was the running backs coach at Tampa Bay (2002-2003) when Tomlin was the Buccaneers' secondary coach. Wilson was the running backs coach the past two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
"It's not that we all think the same," Tomlin said. "But [I want] guys who have the base core football values that I have. As coaches, we need to be teachers. Success is built on fundamentals, muscle memory and execution."
The only coach who doesn't appear to have some working relationship with Tomlin is special teams coach Bob Ligashesky, a McKees Rocks native who played at Sto-Rox High School and IUP. Ligashesky, 44, was the special teams coach with the St. Louis Rams in 2005-06 and also spent four seasons at Pitt (2000-03) as tight ends/special teams coordinator.
Jones, 47, also spent one season at Pitt, serving as the Panthers' kicking game coordinator in 1992.
Tomlin interviewed all the assistants last week when he was in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl practice sessions and indicated they would be hired. The hirings were not announced until yesterday, when Tomlin returned to Pittsburgh.
The addition of Anderson, the Bengals' all-time leading passer and a four-time NFL passing champion, is the most intriguing hire.
After working the past four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was brought in to work more closely with Roethlisberger, who threw an NFL-high 23 interceptions in 2006, ranked 11th in the AFC with a 75.4 passer rating and appeared to struggle with zone coverages.
"We have to be methodical at assembling a staff because that's important," Tomlin said. "It's the people."
In addition to retaining six assistants from former coach Bill Cowher's staff, Tomlin said assistant secondary coach Ray Horton has been promoted to secondary coach, replacing Darren Perry. Tomlin will also retain conditioning coordinator Chet Fuhrman, offensive assistant Matt Raich and defensive assistant Lou Spanos.
With the retirement of running backs coach Dick Hoak, Fuhrman is the only remaining member of Cowher's original staff from 1992.
Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was the team's secondary coach in 1992, but he left after the 1998 season to join the Bengals and did not return until 2004.
New Steelers coach adds six assistants
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mike Tomlin said he wanted assistant coaches who were teachers and shared the same football values he possessed. Apparently, he also wanted coaches with whom he had previously worked.
After spending the past four days in Minnesota, getting his family and house in order, Tomlin returned to the Steelers' offices on the South Side yesterday and officially put his coaching staff in order, announcing the hiring of six new assistants.
Heading the list is former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, whose hiring as quarterbacks coach was reported last week. He will replace Mark Whipple, who was not retained, and has been entrusted with working with the team's franchise player, Ben Roethlisberger.
Anderson, 57, never worked with Tomlin, but he was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals when Tomlin was working as an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati.
But four of the new assistant coaches who signed contracts yesterday worked with Tomlin either in college or in the NFL.
They are:
Offensive line coach Larry Zierlein, who was the offensive line coach at the University of Cincinnati when Tomlin was there. Zierlein, 62, was also the offensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns when Bruce Arians was the Browns' offensive coordinator.
Wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner, who coached with Tomlin at Arkansas State and the University of Memphis. Fichtner, 43, a native of West Mifflin, was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Memphis the past six seasons.
Assistant special teams coach Amos Jones, who coached the running backs and special teams during Tomlin's tenure at Cincinnati. He coached special teams and outside linebackers the past three seasons at Mississippi State.
Running backs coach Kirby Wilson, who was the running backs coach at Tampa Bay (2002-2003) when Tomlin was the Buccaneers' secondary coach. Wilson was the running backs coach the past two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
"It's not that we all think the same," Tomlin said. "But [I want] guys who have the base core football values that I have. As coaches, we need to be teachers. Success is built on fundamentals, muscle memory and execution."
The only coach who doesn't appear to have some working relationship with Tomlin is special teams coach Bob Ligashesky, a McKees Rocks native who played at Sto-Rox High School and IUP. Ligashesky, 44, was the special teams coach with the St. Louis Rams in 2005-06 and also spent four seasons at Pitt (2000-03) as tight ends/special teams coordinator.
Jones, 47, also spent one season at Pitt, serving as the Panthers' kicking game coordinator in 1992.
Tomlin interviewed all the assistants last week when he was in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl practice sessions and indicated they would be hired. The hirings were not announced until yesterday, when Tomlin returned to Pittsburgh.
The addition of Anderson, the Bengals' all-time leading passer and a four-time NFL passing champion, is the most intriguing hire.
After working the past four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was brought in to work more closely with Roethlisberger, who threw an NFL-high 23 interceptions in 2006, ranked 11th in the AFC with a 75.4 passer rating and appeared to struggle with zone coverages.
"We have to be methodical at assembling a staff because that's important," Tomlin said. "It's the people."
In addition to retaining six assistants from former coach Bill Cowher's staff, Tomlin said assistant secondary coach Ray Horton has been promoted to secondary coach, replacing Darren Perry. Tomlin will also retain conditioning coordinator Chet Fuhrman, offensive assistant Matt Raich and defensive assistant Lou Spanos.
With the retirement of running backs coach Dick Hoak, Fuhrman is the only remaining member of Cowher's original staff from 1992.
Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was the team's secondary coach in 1992, but he left after the 1998 season to join the Bengals and did not return until 2004.
The New Racism Trick: Acuse The Person Who Complains OF Discrimination Of Racism
This is the new trick of racists. To accuse the person who points to racial discrimination of being racist. One example is the reaction of some Raiders fans to my article which openly identifies that the Oakland Raiders have a pattern of going after young white men for coaching positions.
Rather than admit the problem, they attack the accuser. They forget that racism is the act of putting down someone because of the color of their skin. This can be done by words or by actions; the Raiders openly all but skirting the Rooney Rule and deliberately selecting white men to be head coaches; stopping only to hire Art Shell twice, so fools and idiots can point to their "diversity."
What a laugh.
Rather than admit the problem, they attack the accuser. They forget that racism is the act of putting down someone because of the color of their skin. This can be done by words or by actions; the Raiders openly all but skirting the Rooney Rule and deliberately selecting white men to be head coaches; stopping only to hire Art Shell twice, so fools and idiots can point to their "diversity."
What a laugh.
The New Racism Trick: Acuse The Person Who Complains OF Discrimination Of Racism
This is the new trick of racists. To accuse the person who points to racial discrimination of being racist. One example is the reaction of some Raiders fans to my article which openly identifies that the Oakland Raiders have a pattern of going after young white men for coaching positions.
Rather than admit the problem, they attack the accuser. They forget that racism is the act of putting down someone because of the color of their skin. This can be done by words or by actions; the Raiders openly all but skirting the Rooney Rule and deliberately selecting white men to be head coaches; stopping only to hire Art Shell twice, so fools and idiots can point to their "diversity."
What a laugh.
Rather than admit the problem, they attack the accuser. They forget that racism is the act of putting down someone because of the color of their skin. This can be done by words or by actions; the Raiders openly all but skirting the Rooney Rule and deliberately selecting white men to be head coaches; stopping only to hire Art Shell twice, so fools and idiots can point to their "diversity."
What a laugh.
John Mackey Still suffering from Dementia, remembers playing days with the COLTS
A Great Article By Newsday's Shaun Powell See my Addition at the end
A constant enemy
Mackey among many with neural scars from their playing days
January 30, 2007
At some point tonight on the Amtrak from Baltimore to Miami, a passenger might feel a gentle tap on the shoulder and see a large man balling a fist, ready to hit him with a bit of nostalgia.
"See this?" John Mackey will say sweetly to the stranger while flashing a striking piece of bling. "This is my Super Bowl ring. I scored the 75-yard touchdown to beat the Dallas Cowboys."
This is what he tells people -- on the streets, in the malls, wherever -- not just because the memory of his thrilling catch in Super Bowl V gives him bragging rights. It's also because, in his condition, the touchdown is almost all he remembers about the past.
And the ring. He wears two of them, actually -- a Super Bowl ring on one hand, a Hall of Fame ring on the other. Always. He sleeps with them. He rarely removes them. Which is why he's taking the train to Miami for Super Bowl XLI and not a flight.
A few years ago, while headed to St. Louis for an autograph signing show, he approached airport screening. Security ordered him to remove the rings and place them in the plastic bins. He refused. They told him again. He said no.
Then he noticed these weren't the same friendly strangers on the street who listened patiently when he told them about the touchdown. That's what dementia does. It makes its victims suspicious and also very protective of their possessions, especially the precious ones.
Therefore, Mackey followed his football instincts, which took him from Hempstead to Syracuse to the NFL and allowed him to cover 75 yards on that touchdown catch and run 35 years ago, when he spun away from the Dallas defense.
He elbowed past security and headed toward the gate. He was then, and still is now at age 65, a firm 6-2 and 240 pounds with giddyap. In his mind, he still was the man who starred for the Colts and revolutionized the tight end position.
It took four security jackets to tackle Mackey. In a post 9/11 world, that was enough for his wife, Sylvia, a flight attendant.
"If he could've gotten away and run down the corridor, they weren't going to catch him," she said yesterday. "They'd have to shoot him. And I'm not going to put him up against that."
So they'll ride the train to Miami to watch his old team, the Colts, play in the title game for the first time since their Mackey-inspired 16-13 win in 1971. The trip will take a while, but it's nothing compared with Mackey's long and draining journey to get financial help from the NFL to cover his soaring medical costs.
His situation is not unique among former players who came before the big salaries, who now pay the physical and sometimes mental price for laying the foundation for a league that generates billions in revenue.
Mike Webster, the great center for those Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh teams, suffered brain injuries and was homeless before dying five years ago from heart failure. Andre Waters recently committed suicide at age 44 after being depressed, perhaps a result of brain damage after playing 12 years as a hard-hitting safety.
Those are just two examples. One report recently said that of the 7,500 former players covered by NFL disability, fewer than 200 receive football disability benefits. These players must prove their disability is a direct result of football injuries in order to collect. The league estimates it shells out $60 million a year in pension benefits; others say the figure is closer to $15 million.
Regardless, it's a cruel coincidence for Mackey. As an outspoken player, he fought for free agency and benefits at great risk to his career. And where did this sacrifice get him? He was snubbed by Hall of Fame voters until 1992, his final year of eligibility. And the NFL players' union, the weakest in team sports, sits under the thumb of the owners.
For many years after his career, Mackey had thriving business interests and successfully raised a family. About eight years ago, his wife noticed changes. He became forgetful about little things. Then she overheard a conversation in which Mackey told someone: "I don't have a sister." Sylvia pulled him aside.
"You do have a sister."
"No, I don't."
"Are you kidding? You have a sister."
"Well, what's her name, then?"
"That's when I knew something was wrong," Sylvia Mackey said. "He went to a bar once, which is something he rarely did, and began singing karaoke with someone. Then he announced they were taking their act on the road. They were going to Vegas. And he was serious."
His health declined, the bills increased. Sylvia Mackey, a retired fashion model, had to return to work as a flight attendant. They moved from Southern California to Baltimore partly to stimulate his memory. He began spending his days in an adult day care center, where the monthly costs almost equaled his NFL pension.
On a whim, his wife wrote a heartfelt three-page letter to outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue, urging him to take action. She told him about John's behavior, which became childlike, and the financial and emotional drain his condition had on the family. She explained how his memory was running on empty, except for the rings and the TD in Super Bowl V.
Tagliabue was moved. Within weeks, the NFL created the Number 88 Plan, named after Mackey's uniform number, which provides up to $88,000 a year for institutional care to former players suffering from dementia.
"I expected his reply to be along the lines of, 'We're working on it, thanks for your letter, good luck,' something like that," Sylvia Mackey said. "Paul felt everything he saw in my letter."
Other events in Mackey's life seem hazy. Only the NFL still registers strongly. Seizing the chance, his wife strategically puts his medicine in a box with an NFL address, which makes Mackey anxious to take it. Because dementia destroys a person's hygiene habits, she also taped a fake sign in their bathroom from the NFL, telling him to wash his face and brush his teeth. She signed it Paul Tagliabue.
"Works like a charm," she said.
Football was his life, and after a brief separation, is back in his life again. He stays sharp by watching video of old games, including the two Super Bowls in which he played. He never tires of the 75-yard touchdown play, or showing the Super Bowl V ring. But football does have company for Mackey's affections.
"Before this disease, John was a person who had a hard time saying 'I love you' to his wife," Sylvia said. "But now I must hear 'I love you' 10, 15 times a day."
She laughed. "I knew something was wrong when he started saying that."
Wow: John Mackey: the greatest Tight End ever (except for maybe Mike Ditka, Kellen Winslow Sr., and a Kid from Boston who wore #89)
I first remember reading about this about two years ago. Can you Imagine him Knocking out TSA agents trying to tackle him to keep him from getting on the Plane??
Seriously: This is very sad that until Sylvia Mackey wrote Tags a letter, there was no special funding to help players with in juries of the brain. Nice that they are doing something now, but it's still not enough. The players from the old days could use a little more help, and Maybe the NFLPA could help out a little more.
A constant enemy
Mackey among many with neural scars from their playing days
January 30, 2007
At some point tonight on the Amtrak from Baltimore to Miami, a passenger might feel a gentle tap on the shoulder and see a large man balling a fist, ready to hit him with a bit of nostalgia.
"See this?" John Mackey will say sweetly to the stranger while flashing a striking piece of bling. "This is my Super Bowl ring. I scored the 75-yard touchdown to beat the Dallas Cowboys."
This is what he tells people -- on the streets, in the malls, wherever -- not just because the memory of his thrilling catch in Super Bowl V gives him bragging rights. It's also because, in his condition, the touchdown is almost all he remembers about the past.
And the ring. He wears two of them, actually -- a Super Bowl ring on one hand, a Hall of Fame ring on the other. Always. He sleeps with them. He rarely removes them. Which is why he's taking the train to Miami for Super Bowl XLI and not a flight.
A few years ago, while headed to St. Louis for an autograph signing show, he approached airport screening. Security ordered him to remove the rings and place them in the plastic bins. He refused. They told him again. He said no.
Then he noticed these weren't the same friendly strangers on the street who listened patiently when he told them about the touchdown. That's what dementia does. It makes its victims suspicious and also very protective of their possessions, especially the precious ones.
Therefore, Mackey followed his football instincts, which took him from Hempstead to Syracuse to the NFL and allowed him to cover 75 yards on that touchdown catch and run 35 years ago, when he spun away from the Dallas defense.
He elbowed past security and headed toward the gate. He was then, and still is now at age 65, a firm 6-2 and 240 pounds with giddyap. In his mind, he still was the man who starred for the Colts and revolutionized the tight end position.
It took four security jackets to tackle Mackey. In a post 9/11 world, that was enough for his wife, Sylvia, a flight attendant.
"If he could've gotten away and run down the corridor, they weren't going to catch him," she said yesterday. "They'd have to shoot him. And I'm not going to put him up against that."
So they'll ride the train to Miami to watch his old team, the Colts, play in the title game for the first time since their Mackey-inspired 16-13 win in 1971. The trip will take a while, but it's nothing compared with Mackey's long and draining journey to get financial help from the NFL to cover his soaring medical costs.
His situation is not unique among former players who came before the big salaries, who now pay the physical and sometimes mental price for laying the foundation for a league that generates billions in revenue.
Mike Webster, the great center for those Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh teams, suffered brain injuries and was homeless before dying five years ago from heart failure. Andre Waters recently committed suicide at age 44 after being depressed, perhaps a result of brain damage after playing 12 years as a hard-hitting safety.
Those are just two examples. One report recently said that of the 7,500 former players covered by NFL disability, fewer than 200 receive football disability benefits. These players must prove their disability is a direct result of football injuries in order to collect. The league estimates it shells out $60 million a year in pension benefits; others say the figure is closer to $15 million.
Regardless, it's a cruel coincidence for Mackey. As an outspoken player, he fought for free agency and benefits at great risk to his career. And where did this sacrifice get him? He was snubbed by Hall of Fame voters until 1992, his final year of eligibility. And the NFL players' union, the weakest in team sports, sits under the thumb of the owners.
For many years after his career, Mackey had thriving business interests and successfully raised a family. About eight years ago, his wife noticed changes. He became forgetful about little things. Then she overheard a conversation in which Mackey told someone: "I don't have a sister." Sylvia pulled him aside.
"You do have a sister."
"No, I don't."
"Are you kidding? You have a sister."
"Well, what's her name, then?"
"That's when I knew something was wrong," Sylvia Mackey said. "He went to a bar once, which is something he rarely did, and began singing karaoke with someone. Then he announced they were taking their act on the road. They were going to Vegas. And he was serious."
His health declined, the bills increased. Sylvia Mackey, a retired fashion model, had to return to work as a flight attendant. They moved from Southern California to Baltimore partly to stimulate his memory. He began spending his days in an adult day care center, where the monthly costs almost equaled his NFL pension.
On a whim, his wife wrote a heartfelt three-page letter to outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue, urging him to take action. She told him about John's behavior, which became childlike, and the financial and emotional drain his condition had on the family. She explained how his memory was running on empty, except for the rings and the TD in Super Bowl V.
Tagliabue was moved. Within weeks, the NFL created the Number 88 Plan, named after Mackey's uniform number, which provides up to $88,000 a year for institutional care to former players suffering from dementia.
"I expected his reply to be along the lines of, 'We're working on it, thanks for your letter, good luck,' something like that," Sylvia Mackey said. "Paul felt everything he saw in my letter."
Other events in Mackey's life seem hazy. Only the NFL still registers strongly. Seizing the chance, his wife strategically puts his medicine in a box with an NFL address, which makes Mackey anxious to take it. Because dementia destroys a person's hygiene habits, she also taped a fake sign in their bathroom from the NFL, telling him to wash his face and brush his teeth. She signed it Paul Tagliabue.
"Works like a charm," she said.
Football was his life, and after a brief separation, is back in his life again. He stays sharp by watching video of old games, including the two Super Bowls in which he played. He never tires of the 75-yard touchdown play, or showing the Super Bowl V ring. But football does have company for Mackey's affections.
"Before this disease, John was a person who had a hard time saying 'I love you' to his wife," Sylvia said. "But now I must hear 'I love you' 10, 15 times a day."
She laughed. "I knew something was wrong when he started saying that."
Wow: John Mackey: the greatest Tight End ever (except for maybe Mike Ditka, Kellen Winslow Sr., and a Kid from Boston who wore #89)
I first remember reading about this about two years ago. Can you Imagine him Knocking out TSA agents trying to tackle him to keep him from getting on the Plane??
Seriously: This is very sad that until Sylvia Mackey wrote Tags a letter, there was no special funding to help players with in juries of the brain. Nice that they are doing something now, but it's still not enough. The players from the old days could use a little more help, and Maybe the NFLPA could help out a little more.
SI's Mike Sliver On South Beach, Media Day, and Dog Collars
A pretty funny take by Sil, who's already in Miami for The Super Bowl. You can read it with a click here.
Monte Poole - On The Hiring Of Lane Kiffin, Team Problems, And Divided Raiders Fans
Silver vs. Black: Young Kiffin steps into a Nation divided
Column by Monte Poole
Article Last Updated: 01/28/2007 07:47:40 AM PST
GIVEN THE VOLUME, the content and the heat of the correspondence and back-seat commentary in recent months, ever more divided over the past few days, a civil war rages within the Raider Nation.
There is no timetable for its end, because that's just one more thing the two sides can't seem to agree on.
It's Silver vs. Black, a virtual stalemate, indefinitely.
On the Silver squad are the true believers, merrily chugging Raiderade, swaggering about the land, preaching of their team's impending return to greatness under new head coach Lane Kiffin.
Peace in the Nation is at hand, they insist, because Kiffin is the right man. Give him a year or three and the Raiders will reclaim their rightful place among the NFL elite.
Anyone who dares to disagree is, well, a Raider Hater.
On the Black team are realists, who haven't touched Raiderade in years. Branded by some as infidels, they've examined the team's fall from grace through three coaches and concluded it's practically impossible for a fourth toreverse the momentum of this rolling tide of calamity.
Peace? Not likely in the Raider Nation until high leader Al Davis expresses repentance for past behavior and displays a newfound enlightenment.
Anyone in the Nation who disagrees is still drinking Raiderade and losing sight with each sip.
Thirty years to the month after their first Super Bowl victory, the Raiders find themselves fighting not only to rejoin the league's perennial contenders
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but to regain their exalted status. Formerly the bad boys of the NFL, taking what they wanted, the Raiders now have the cachet of road kill.
It's not just the 15-49 record, the worst in the NFL over the last four years. It's not just the profoundly pathetic offense, allowing 72 sacks in 2006, while scoring only 12 touchdowns. It's not just the trapdoor under the coach's seat, Kiffin following Art Shell, who followed Norv Turner, who followed Bill Callahan.
Oakland's greatest loss of all might be the respect it once had. In the sports world. Around the NFL. Within the team. Among marketing executives. Those of us who frequently interact with the Raiders still find ourselves astounded by their zany ways, their paranoia, their misplacement of time and energy; no one was surprised last week when a national publication, The Sporting News, labeled the Raiders the league's worst-run franchise.
That's franchise, folks, not team. Worse now, in 2007, than even the hapless Detroit Lions.
And the Silver squad imagines Kiffin is the man to turn it around. Never mind that he's 31, new to the NFL and was hired not to fix the organization but to call offensive plays.
The organization, Davis believes, doesn't need much fixing.
Which has the Black team rolling its collective eyes. Maybe they remember that Al, upon introducing Turner, described him as a perfect fit for the Raiders. Maybe they remember Al promising a return to the Raider Way under Art Shell. Might even recall that it was Al, at training camp, selling the brilliance of his new offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh.
Moreover, they noticed how the conflict between Shell and wideout Jerry Porter played out over the season — without anyone stepping in to address it from above. They noticed how Randy Moss, the appointed captain, openly expressed his skepticism of the team's direction, even blaming it for his subpar effort — without apparent resolution. They noticed how Shell in November, in the midst of an awful season, tore into personnel man Mike Lombardi — without anyone interceding.
Davis did acknowledge the Shell-Lombardi mess the other day, after introducing his new coach. He referred to it as a "terrible rift," saying it "has to be straightened out."
Davis isn't the leader he once was, though, and his team suffers for it. As do the fans, some of whom remain fiercely loyal, while others long for a day of sweeping organizational change.
There was a time when the Raider Nation stood united behind Al, worshipping at the altar of Silver-and-Black. The Nation was vocal, indivisible and strong as its favorite team.
Such surely was the case in January 1977, when the Raiders collected their first of three Lombardi Trophies. Some of that sentiment applied in 2003, as the Raiders prepared for Super Bowl 37.
But much has changed with the team and its fans. Objective view finds the Raiders disgracing their tradition, finding new and creative ways to stink.
So even as Kiffin steps into Al's machine, the team is suspicious, and the fans rage in debate, one half holding their noses and the other half smelling nothing at all.
Monte Poole can be reached at (510) 208-6461 or by e-mail at
mpoole@angnewspapers.com
Column by Monte Poole
Article Last Updated: 01/28/2007 07:47:40 AM PST
GIVEN THE VOLUME, the content and the heat of the correspondence and back-seat commentary in recent months, ever more divided over the past few days, a civil war rages within the Raider Nation.
There is no timetable for its end, because that's just one more thing the two sides can't seem to agree on.
It's Silver vs. Black, a virtual stalemate, indefinitely.
On the Silver squad are the true believers, merrily chugging Raiderade, swaggering about the land, preaching of their team's impending return to greatness under new head coach Lane Kiffin.
Peace in the Nation is at hand, they insist, because Kiffin is the right man. Give him a year or three and the Raiders will reclaim their rightful place among the NFL elite.
Anyone who dares to disagree is, well, a Raider Hater.
On the Black team are realists, who haven't touched Raiderade in years. Branded by some as infidels, they've examined the team's fall from grace through three coaches and concluded it's practically impossible for a fourth toreverse the momentum of this rolling tide of calamity.
Peace? Not likely in the Raider Nation until high leader Al Davis expresses repentance for past behavior and displays a newfound enlightenment.
Anyone in the Nation who disagrees is still drinking Raiderade and losing sight with each sip.
Thirty years to the month after their first Super Bowl victory, the Raiders find themselves fighting not only to rejoin the league's perennial contenders
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but to regain their exalted status. Formerly the bad boys of the NFL, taking what they wanted, the Raiders now have the cachet of road kill.
It's not just the 15-49 record, the worst in the NFL over the last four years. It's not just the profoundly pathetic offense, allowing 72 sacks in 2006, while scoring only 12 touchdowns. It's not just the trapdoor under the coach's seat, Kiffin following Art Shell, who followed Norv Turner, who followed Bill Callahan.
Oakland's greatest loss of all might be the respect it once had. In the sports world. Around the NFL. Within the team. Among marketing executives. Those of us who frequently interact with the Raiders still find ourselves astounded by their zany ways, their paranoia, their misplacement of time and energy; no one was surprised last week when a national publication, The Sporting News, labeled the Raiders the league's worst-run franchise.
That's franchise, folks, not team. Worse now, in 2007, than even the hapless Detroit Lions.
And the Silver squad imagines Kiffin is the man to turn it around. Never mind that he's 31, new to the NFL and was hired not to fix the organization but to call offensive plays.
The organization, Davis believes, doesn't need much fixing.
Which has the Black team rolling its collective eyes. Maybe they remember that Al, upon introducing Turner, described him as a perfect fit for the Raiders. Maybe they remember Al promising a return to the Raider Way under Art Shell. Might even recall that it was Al, at training camp, selling the brilliance of his new offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh.
Moreover, they noticed how the conflict between Shell and wideout Jerry Porter played out over the season — without anyone stepping in to address it from above. They noticed how Randy Moss, the appointed captain, openly expressed his skepticism of the team's direction, even blaming it for his subpar effort — without apparent resolution. They noticed how Shell in November, in the midst of an awful season, tore into personnel man Mike Lombardi — without anyone interceding.
Davis did acknowledge the Shell-Lombardi mess the other day, after introducing his new coach. He referred to it as a "terrible rift," saying it "has to be straightened out."
Davis isn't the leader he once was, though, and his team suffers for it. As do the fans, some of whom remain fiercely loyal, while others long for a day of sweeping organizational change.
There was a time when the Raider Nation stood united behind Al, worshipping at the altar of Silver-and-Black. The Nation was vocal, indivisible and strong as its favorite team.
Such surely was the case in January 1977, when the Raiders collected their first of three Lombardi Trophies. Some of that sentiment applied in 2003, as the Raiders prepared for Super Bowl 37.
But much has changed with the team and its fans. Objective view finds the Raiders disgracing their tradition, finding new and creative ways to stink.
So even as Kiffin steps into Al's machine, the team is suspicious, and the fans rage in debate, one half holding their noses and the other half smelling nothing at all.
Monte Poole can be reached at (510) 208-6461 or by e-mail at
mpoole@angnewspapers.com
Oakland Raiders Hire Greg Knapp As Offensive Coordinator - Oakland Tribune
Knapp time for sleepy Raiders 'O'
By Steve Corkran, MEDIANEWS STAFF
Article Last Updated: 01/30/2007 02:40:16 AM PST
ALAMEDA — The Raiders hired Greg Knapp to replace Tom Walsh and John Shoop as their offensive coordinator, the team announced in a release Monday.
Knapp, 43, spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. He lost his job when the Falcons fired coach Jim Mora and new coach Bobby Petrino decided against keeping Knapp.
Knapp had the latitude to call plays in Atlanta and also asoffensive coordinator with the 49ers from 2001-03. That won't be the case in his new role.
New Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said in his introductory news conference last Tuesday that his offensive coordinator will "assist me in daily plans and activities." Come game time, the play-calling will be Kiffin's responsibility.
"I'll call the plays for us to make sure that my name's on this franchise, and my name's on this team, and my name's on this offense. That it's run the way I want it to be run, and that it remains a highly explosive offense that is attacking at all times," Kiffin said.
In the team release, Kiffin said of Knapp: "He shares the same vision and passion for what it will take to bring an explosive offense back to the Raider Nation. His history of getting his quarterbacks to play at an elite level is second to none."
Fired coach Art Shell entrusted the play-calling to Walsh and Shoop last season. Walsh called the plays for the first 11 games last season. Shoop handled the play-calling duties the final five games. The results were disastrous.
The Raiders (2-14) scored a league-worst 168 points last season and only 138 of those came offensively. Their offense scored only 12 touchdowns in 16 games, a statistic that managing general partner Al Davis called "unbelievably bad."
Knapp did not return a phone call.
The Falcons led the league in rushing each of the past three seasons. The Raiders finished 29th last season. The Raiders and Falcons ranked 31st and 32nd, respectively, in passing offense last season.
Shoop left the Raiders for the offensive coordinator vacancy at the University of North Carolina earlier this month. Walsh has one year remaining on his contract, and he likely will be kept on as an adviser or released after reaching a settlement.
Knapp interviewed for the Raiders coaching vacancy in 2004 but withdrew his name from consideration once Mora got hired by the Falcons one day later. Knapp followed Mora to Atlanta after spending nine seasons with the 49ers.
Knapp also interviewed with the Cleveland Browns about their offensive coordinator's job but got passed over.
In other news, Kiffin still is awaiting word from former Falcons offensive line coach Tom Cable about an offer to assume the Raiders offensive line coaching position.
Also, Kiffin met with his entire coaching staff for the first time Monday. He likely will make decisions on whether to retain assistant coaches such as Walsh and Jackie Slater in the coming days. Most of the defensive coaches already are under contract, including defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Rumor: Randy Moss Told-Off Coach Lane Kiffin - Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald's scored one, it seems. The ink isn't even dry on new head coach Lane Kiffin't contract, and already, rumors circulate that star Wide Receiver Randy Moss will not talk -- respectfully -- with Lane Kiffin.
The story making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is that Lane Kiffin's first attempt at establishing a rapport with Randy Moss didn't go too well.
Think Shell vs. Porter.
That confrontation, in the office of the head coach some 10 or 11 months ago, was the first crack in the foundation of the Shell regime.
Kiffin, by contrast, supposedly had trouble reaching Moss by phone. When he finally did, as the story goes, Moss told him in a pointed, profane terms he wasn't interested in talking.
It's been reported on a pair of ESPN radio interviews, and a source at the Senior Bowl confirms Kiffin vs. Moss was indeed a topic of discussion among coaches, scouts and personnel men in Mobile, Ala.
It's worth noting that no one has gone on the record with this story as of yet. Like the party game in which a story is whispered in the ear of one and passed down the line until it ends up being something completely different or exaggerated, maybe it's not as serious as it sounds.
But considering the way Moss acted last season, it certainly sounds possible.
The history of the Raiders new coach is that he addresses situations decisively, choosing a course of action then moving ahead, confident in his convictions. That he can sell an idea and is confident enough (some call it arrogant) to make it work.
I've spent the last few days researching and writing a profile on Kiffin, attempting to chart his path from a football savvy youth to, well, an NFL coaching youth. It will run in Monday's ANG Newspapers.
(That's at least part of my excuse for not filing blogs the past few days _ although it should be noted that with Kiffin hired, I won't be filing every day in this forum. Your own thoughts, however, are always welcome).
Family members, as well as friends and colleagues, have the utmost confidence Kiffin is up to handling even the most difficult veteran players.
David Watson, a USC assistant coach who went to high school with Kiffin, said his friend has dealt with all manner of personalities with the Trojans.
John Reaves, a former Florida quarterback who played nine years in the NFL and happens to be Kiffin's father-in-law, said Kiffin will have no problem taking a problem player "to the woodshed.''
Kiffin has two choices with Moss. He can either keep working to make nice, or tell Al Davis that the highest-salaried player on the team threatens to undermine his program before it starts.
If Moss indeed cursed Kiffin right off the bat, he may be doing the Raiders a favor. It's better for Moss to create an impossible situation and attempt to force at trade early than for him to show up, pretend to care, then turn off the spigot at his leisure.
It's possible that to have Moss insubordinate and uncooperative from Day 1 could be the first big break of the Kiffin regime becuase it could spur Davis to get rid of him.
The problem is Davis wants top dollar for top talent, and Moss has been so indifferent his value is at an all-time low.
If Kiffin didn't yet understand what it meant to be head coach of the Raiders at his press conference, he surely does now.
The story making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is that Lane Kiffin's first attempt at establishing a rapport with Randy Moss didn't go too well.
Think Shell vs. Porter.
That confrontation, in the office of the head coach some 10 or 11 months ago, was the first crack in the foundation of the Shell regime.
Kiffin, by contrast, supposedly had trouble reaching Moss by phone. When he finally did, as the story goes, Moss told him in a pointed, profane terms he wasn't interested in talking.
It's been reported on a pair of ESPN radio interviews, and a source at the Senior Bowl confirms Kiffin vs. Moss was indeed a topic of discussion among coaches, scouts and personnel men in Mobile, Ala.
It's worth noting that no one has gone on the record with this story as of yet. Like the party game in which a story is whispered in the ear of one and passed down the line until it ends up being something completely different or exaggerated, maybe it's not as serious as it sounds.
But considering the way Moss acted last season, it certainly sounds possible.
The history of the Raiders new coach is that he addresses situations decisively, choosing a course of action then moving ahead, confident in his convictions. That he can sell an idea and is confident enough (some call it arrogant) to make it work.
I've spent the last few days researching and writing a profile on Kiffin, attempting to chart his path from a football savvy youth to, well, an NFL coaching youth. It will run in Monday's ANG Newspapers.
(That's at least part of my excuse for not filing blogs the past few days _ although it should be noted that with Kiffin hired, I won't be filing every day in this forum. Your own thoughts, however, are always welcome).
Family members, as well as friends and colleagues, have the utmost confidence Kiffin is up to handling even the most difficult veteran players.
David Watson, a USC assistant coach who went to high school with Kiffin, said his friend has dealt with all manner of personalities with the Trojans.
John Reaves, a former Florida quarterback who played nine years in the NFL and happens to be Kiffin's father-in-law, said Kiffin will have no problem taking a problem player "to the woodshed.''
Kiffin has two choices with Moss. He can either keep working to make nice, or tell Al Davis that the highest-salaried player on the team threatens to undermine his program before it starts.
If Moss indeed cursed Kiffin right off the bat, he may be doing the Raiders a favor. It's better for Moss to create an impossible situation and attempt to force at trade early than for him to show up, pretend to care, then turn off the spigot at his leisure.
It's possible that to have Moss insubordinate and uncooperative from Day 1 could be the first big break of the Kiffin regime becuase it could spur Davis to get rid of him.
The problem is Davis wants top dollar for top talent, and Moss has been so indifferent his value is at an all-time low.
If Kiffin didn't yet understand what it meant to be head coach of the Raiders at his press conference, he surely does now.
SF 49ers Rumored To Have Talked To Raiders About Joint Stadium - Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
There's one flaw in this story: teams can't double up on G-3 money from the NFL for a stadium. The pool is limited.
49ers may be looking to team with Raiders on a joint stadium
Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
Monday, January 29, 2007
Here's the latest twist to the Bay Area's topsy-turvy stadium politics: Word is the San Francisco 49ers have informally approached the Oakland Raiders about building a new home -- together.
The stadium, which would be shared by the two rivals, very well could be in Santa Clara, where the Niners are pursuing new digs next to Great America.
Niners executive Jed York, the son of team owners John and Denise York, said that while a joint stadium idea has merit, there has been no contact with the Raiders on the subject.
"I think it's a good idea, but we haven't gone down that road yet,'' he said. "First we need to work on Santa Clara, and make sure we can actually get a stadium down there.''
That's not what we are hearing from inside the Raiders organization, and from others in the know who have contacts with the Niners.
Those sources tell us John and Jed York approached the Raiders management in a casual setting in the latter half of the football season about the possibility of teaming up.
Raiders chief executive Amy Trask said only, "We are enthusiastically focused on the 2007 football season, and don't believe this is an appropriate time to discuss stadium opportunities. ...We are playing in a nice stadium, which our teams and fans enjoy.''
Wild as it may sound, the economics for a Forty-Raider stadium just could make sense for both teams.
For starters, the 49ers -- after nearly 10 years of trying -- still haven't found a stadium plan that pencils out financially given that football is only played about 10 times a year.
Hooking up with the Raiders for a stadium would instantly double the usage and could make financial sense.
Plus, the teams could get a big boost from the National Football League, which this past season agreed to kick in $300 million to the New York Giants and Jets to build a joint stadium at New Jersey's Meadowlands.
The thinking goes that if the Niners and Raiders could get a similar handout from the NFL -- and that's still a big if -- it would go a long way to helping them get over the stadium money hump.
As for the Raiders, their current 16-year-lease at the remodeled Oakland Coliseum is set to expire in four years -- or about the time the Niners hope to have a new stadium built.
The Raiders, despite upgraded football digs, are still unhappy about playing in Oakland -- but currently have few real prospects for moving out of the area again.
What's more, owner Al Davis -- who only recently was forced to spend a bundle to buy out the unhappy heirs of a silent partner -- doesn't have the cash to build a stadium on his own, sources say. And given his past battles with the NFL, he doesn't appear to have many friends in the league looking to do him any big favors.
"It really may be the one option for the Raiders that makes sense,'' says one NFL insider, who asked not to be named.
49ers may be looking to team with Raiders on a joint stadium
Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
Monday, January 29, 2007
Here's the latest twist to the Bay Area's topsy-turvy stadium politics: Word is the San Francisco 49ers have informally approached the Oakland Raiders about building a new home -- together.
The stadium, which would be shared by the two rivals, very well could be in Santa Clara, where the Niners are pursuing new digs next to Great America.
Niners executive Jed York, the son of team owners John and Denise York, said that while a joint stadium idea has merit, there has been no contact with the Raiders on the subject.
"I think it's a good idea, but we haven't gone down that road yet,'' he said. "First we need to work on Santa Clara, and make sure we can actually get a stadium down there.''
That's not what we are hearing from inside the Raiders organization, and from others in the know who have contacts with the Niners.
Those sources tell us John and Jed York approached the Raiders management in a casual setting in the latter half of the football season about the possibility of teaming up.
Raiders chief executive Amy Trask said only, "We are enthusiastically focused on the 2007 football season, and don't believe this is an appropriate time to discuss stadium opportunities. ...We are playing in a nice stadium, which our teams and fans enjoy.''
Wild as it may sound, the economics for a Forty-Raider stadium just could make sense for both teams.
For starters, the 49ers -- after nearly 10 years of trying -- still haven't found a stadium plan that pencils out financially given that football is only played about 10 times a year.
Hooking up with the Raiders for a stadium would instantly double the usage and could make financial sense.
Plus, the teams could get a big boost from the National Football League, which this past season agreed to kick in $300 million to the New York Giants and Jets to build a joint stadium at New Jersey's Meadowlands.
The thinking goes that if the Niners and Raiders could get a similar handout from the NFL -- and that's still a big if -- it would go a long way to helping them get over the stadium money hump.
As for the Raiders, their current 16-year-lease at the remodeled Oakland Coliseum is set to expire in four years -- or about the time the Niners hope to have a new stadium built.
The Raiders, despite upgraded football digs, are still unhappy about playing in Oakland -- but currently have few real prospects for moving out of the area again.
What's more, owner Al Davis -- who only recently was forced to spend a bundle to buy out the unhappy heirs of a silent partner -- doesn't have the cash to build a stadium on his own, sources say. And given his past battles with the NFL, he doesn't appear to have many friends in the league looking to do him any big favors.
"It really may be the one option for the Raiders that makes sense,'' says one NFL insider, who asked not to be named.
I remember Ken Kavanuagh & Roosevelt Brown
The last two years have seen Hard losses to the Giants Family in the way of long time employees of the organization. Mr. Brown Passed away awhile back. Mr. Kavanuagh left us last week. I remember when the Giants held Camp at FDU's Madison NJ campus, and before that at Pace University's main Westchester NY campus. Mr's Kavanuagh, Brown, Current scout J. Davis would set out lawn chairs on thesidelines and watch practices with an acute eye towards the talent they had found. They were always approachable to the fans and media types alike, spending time with fans and such. Kavanuagh was a Football Legend, spending 8 years as a Bears player before and after WW II, before Joining the Giants as an asst. Coach in 1955. From 1971 until he retirement in 1999(at Age 82!!!) he was a fixture in the scouting dept. for the Giants. I once heard him address a small group of fans at camp. "You will always attain your goals if you work hard" he told that group of kids.....Smart man.
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