National Football Post Diner News

24 SEPT 2008

QUOTE OF THE DAY:  [Abraham Lincoln talking about a critic.]  A man once shouted at Lincoln, "You're two-faced, Mr. Lincoln!"  To which Lincoln responded, "If I had two faces, do you think I'd be wearing this face?"

FROM TOM FITZGERALD OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE... The 49ers' quick start has been reflected by some high rankings in individual statistics. J.T. O'Sullivan is fourth in the NFL with a 104.6 passer rating, and Frank Gore leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 412 and is fifth in rushing with 287 yards.

Mike Martz takes a ton of heat around the NFL for being too cavalier with his play calling and his choice to use the run game so sporadically.  But I can tell you this from talking to people around the league for most of my career and watching tape of games in which he's coached, he is one of the hardest coaches to prepare for each week.  He has a very good passing system in place and knows how to attack the foundations of a defense.  He knows how to attack the techniques in a scheme that forces a defense to react.  What he has done with J.T. O’Sullivan is just short of remarkable.  O’Sullivan has looked quite impressive since the Bears game this summer.  I thought the hits and the pounding would take a toll on him, but even though he has been sacked a ton he has held up and made plays.  Look at the Lion offense since Martz has left.  They talk in Detroit about how they wanted to run the ball and today they rank last in the NFL in run/pass ratio in the first half.  Perception is not always reality in the NFL.  People get wrong labels placed on them and they can never shake them.  Just look at the facts.  Now, this is not to say that Mike is perfect, because none of us are.  However, he is a very good offensive coach who will make an offense better.

FROM NANCY GAY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE... And the only reason Herrera has not been fired for that outburst is because he is part of an exclusive, three-person cabinet in which Davis now confides. The old standbys, the loyal Raiders confidants and higher-ups from the glory days - people such as Jim Otto, George Blanda or even chief executive Amy Trask, the groundbreaking attorney who was the first true female NFL team executive and was once Davis' point person at NFL meetings - aren't in the mix anymore. Those people would be telling Davis that he can't run a once-proud franchise this way, as a one-man show with no oversight. Actually, they have told him that, which is why they're no longer in the inner circle. Instead, Davis consults with Herrera, public-relations manager Mike Taylor and the one person who can ensure he stays within legal boundaries, Raiders general counsel Jeff Birren. Nobody is begging Davis to make this madness stop. Truth is, nobody can anymore.

I know all of you Hotel fans are giving Adam Treu a hard time for his column.  Some of you are even calling me a bitter man (trust me, I am far from being bitter).  At some point you are going to have to face reality and deal with the facts.  The “man” running your team is behaving like Howard Hughes late in his life; reclusive, irrational, difficult to make sense with, and generally just doesn’t listen to anyone.  He only wants people around him who will give him the answers that HE wants to hear.  His collection of assembled advisors is laughable not only to those of us who have checked out of Hotel, but to those currently residing in it.  None of this is made up.  It is all fact and reality.  They have won 20 games in the last five years, and the past three weeks offers a slight glimpse to the outside world of how lucky they are to have won that many games with so much dysfunction running rampant in the building.  I wonder what those new investors from Wall Street whose money was used collecting the talents of Javon Walker, Gabril Wilson and DeAngelo Hall are thinking now.  If I were them, I might rent the movie The Aviator.  But only if they want to learn more about what they have invested their money in and the type of person they have trusted with their resources. 

FROM KENT SOMMERS OF THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC... Nothing produces as much elation, depression, angst and conclusion-jumping as one week in the NFL season. If the housing industry and Wall Street had drawn similar scrutiny, our 401(k) accounts wouldn't now be equal to the amount of change in our car ashtrays. The Cardinals go 2-0, and all of a sudden we're looking up "juggernaut" in the dictionary to see if there is one 'g' or two. They lose to Washington and we're all like medical students gathered around the bed of a sick patient, eager to give our opinions on possible cures. It happens not just in the Valley, but every NFL city. The Redskins win two straight, and just like that, quarterback Jason Campbell has come of age and defensive coordinator Greg Blache is a genius for his game plan to thwart the Cardinals. Somehow Campbell doesn't look so great and Blache doesn't look so smart if one Kurt Warner pass is thrown a yard longer and doesn't bounce off the helmet of a Redskins defender and into the arms of a teammate to set up the go-ahead touchdown. Each week of the regular season serves as a reminder of the previous week's irrelevance. The Dolphins looked horrible in losing to the Cardinals in Week 2, only to pummel the Patriots in New England last Sunday, emptying suicide pools in the process. The Cardinals, to their credit, seem to have more perspective than do most of us. Their loss last week to the Redskins was only minutes old before some of the veterans were moving on. "We ain't worried about it," strong safety Adrian Wilson said. "It's one game." After three games, it's hard to tell exactly what the Cardinals are: the mature, veteran team ready to shed the franchise's losing past or a club that still can't beat a good team on the road. I'm not sure. But here are some reasons for hope, and for concern.

The Cards have a good team and I thought they were better than the Skins.  Clearly, though, they failed to make the plays down the stretch to win the game.  Now they have to face a Jet team this week that is reeling from a bad loss to the Chargers.  The Cards have decided to stay on the East Coast and work out of the Washington area.  I NEVER thought this worked well and always felt that any team we played that would stay out for an entire week was vulnerable to getting beat.  The Cards can give the Jets some real problems with their offense, but they never seem to clean up their mental mistakes.  Being away from their environment will not help them improve in this area. 

FROM THE TENNESSEAN... Yes, the Titans are 3-0, but the combined record of the teams they’ve beaten so far - Jacksonville, Cincinnati and Houston — is a measly 1-7. While the Jaguars have a chance to turn it around, the currently winless Bengals and Texans are destined for last place in their respective divisions and simply aren’t very good. Once again, see previous. None of the Titans’ opponents to date rank in the Top 20 in the NFL in total offense so far, and the best passing them they’ve faced to date - the Bengals - was on a windy day when conditions were terrible. And as good as the Titans were the first two weeks of the season, they showed some chinks in their armor against the Texans by giving up three plays of 32 yards or more. Right now, even the schedule on the horizon doesn’t look impressive at first glance. In fact, of the Titans remaining 13 opponents, only three teams - Baltimore (2-0), Green Bay (2-1) and Pittsburgh (2-1) - currently have winning records. Still, a stretch of games that includes games at Baltimore and Kansas City, vs. Indianapolis, vs. Green Bay, at Chicago and at Jacksonville is pretty tough. Keep in mind the Titans have lost 6 of their last 8 games against the Ravens. We’ll know a lot more about the Titans after that stretch.

The Titans will be in every game because of their defensive line and its ability to control the game.  They are hard to block play in and out.  At some point in the game their physical approach will wear down their opponent.  They just keep coming in waves and with Albert Haynesworth inside to command two blockers this makes everyone else even more effective.  For teams to beat the Titans, they are going to have to be good in the offensive line.  Teams like Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City don’t match up well against this the Titans.  With the Colts offensive line having a really hard time and the Jaguars losing four offensive linemen, the Titans have the right pieces in place to win the South as long as they can keep Haynesworth healthy. 

FROM JASON LLOYD OF THE NEWS HERALD... Despite an 0-3 start, Romeo Crennel’s job is safe as the Browns’ head coach. For now, anyway.  Asked Tuesday if he believed Crennel would still be the coach at the end of the season, Browns GM Phil Savage said, “I would say so, yeah.” Crennel signed an extension in January that will keep him with the Browns through 2011, but the team’s dismal 0-3 start to the season has already started the rumblings that Crennel could be in danger. “People always want to change the quarterback and fire the coach,” Savage said Tuesday in Columbus after watching film on Ohio State players. “That’s the nature of the business. Any of the teams out there who haven’t won a game yet, you could probably make the same argument.” Derek Anderson missed in the preseason with a concussion. “Obviously, he’s had some plays that have hurt us, but I don’t think we feel as a staff that it’s just the quarterback,” Savage said. “He’s missed some time, some of the people around him have missed some time … We’ve had a rash of injuries. I just don’t know that we’ve had the practice time. It’s hard to work on things in games against some of the people we’ve played so far.” Crennel hinted this week it might be time to look at Brady Quinn at quarterback, but Savage is hoping Anderson responds well Sunday in Cincinnati, on the same field where the Browns’ playoff dreams essentially died last year. “He has a chance to right some of the wrongs from last year,” Savage said. Even at 0-3, though, Savage firmly believes the Browns could still be in the playoff hunt, simply because of the teams the rest of the division must face. “I thought with the division and the opponents we have … I don’t see anyone running away with the division,” he said. “On paper, people are going to say we’re out of it. But I really don’t think we are. Not just yet.”

I often wonder in his day and age what the GM is doing on the road scouting college players.  I always felts he could help his team more by being in the building and working on trying to improve the team.  Before the advent of tape, everyone had to get on the road and evaluate the players, but today, we can watch every game in the office.  Being away from the team when things are this bad might not be a good idea.  With the Browns, they are clearly a team that is struggling in every aspect on and off the field.  Their game management during the game is horrendous, their defense is playing as poorly as ever, and their lack of offensive firepower has been well documented.  Right now, they need to find solutions to get this turned around.  If they lose to the Bengals next week, things will not be fun in NE Ohio.  Hoping and praying is not going to get this messed turned around.  The first thing I would do is send wide receiver  Braylon Edwards to the eye doctor and make sure the doctor tells Edwards he has a slight vision issue — allow him use this problem mentally to justify all the drops, then fit him for some phony lenses and put him back on the field with a new confident swagger.  It might turn him around.  Hoping his slump will end is just hope — they need to do something about it. 

FROM HERM EDWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE... On the Denver Broncos’ offense: “They’re scoring about 38 points a game. Doing a good job on third-down conversions; they’re 50 percent. Run the ball good, about 130 yards a game. And the quarterback is playing terrific. He’s doing a great job. He’s very confident right now. . . . They’re a very confident football team. You watch them play, and they’re very hot.” On the Chiefs’ pass protection, which has allowed 11 sacks in three games: “That’s not very good. I don’t know if it’s protection. You’ve got to get open. You’ve got to beat man-to-man coverage. You’ve got to get rhythm in your offense. We’ve got to make some plays in the passing game. We’ve got to hit some passes. It doesn’t have to be a bomb of 50 yards. It can be a nice shot like the one in New England. It was a slant, and the guy ran off for 45 yards — if you can go 50 yards, maybe you’ve got a different story right now.” On the young players’ progress during the losing streak: “We’re trying to make them understand what they need to do to win. It’s part of execution and really when the opportunity presents itself to make the play. That’s what they struggle with at times. They play good for a while, and then all of a sudden something happens, and they’re all looking at each other saying, ‘What could I have done?’ Well, it’s a process you go through with young guys. That’s what we’re dealing with right now. But I think what they understand is that we believe in them. They believe in the staff, and we’re going to keep coaching them. That’s all you can do at this point.” On whether Edwards is facing pressure from within the organization: “This organization is all in the same boat. We’re all going down the same road. That’s the way it was when we talked about it. We knew it was going to be tough. Did some people maybe think it wasn’t going to be this tough? Probably not. But it’s tough, very difficult.”

I love reading what Herman has to say.  On his protection, this was the same problem they had last year and firing Mike Solari did not improve the situation.  Chan Gailey, the new offensive coordinator, walked into a very tough spot, one I am sure Solari was happy to leave.  I keep looking for hope with the Chiefs and never seem to find any, offensively or defensively.  You never want to be too young or too old, but the Chiefs are too young.  They really need to explore trading Larry Johnson and see what his value might be in the open market.  If the Saints could find a way to acquire Johnson, they might be a legitimate Super Bowl team.

FROM BRYAN BURRELL OF THE ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH... I just wish there were someone we could talk to. I just wish there were someone in this crazy, mixed-up organization out at Rams Park who was strong enough, smart enough, bold enough and believable enough to be able to stand in front of a dispirited pro football public and say these simple words and mean it: "I'm in charge and I can fix this." I  wish there were someone in the Rams organization who had the presence and leadership charisma of Blues boss John Davidson. I wish the Rams organization had someone with the visibility and accountability of the Cardinals' young general manager John Mozeliak.  I wish there were someone out here Tuesday morning who had the authority to ask one simple question — and get a sensible answer — after learning that Scott Linehan's only solution for fixing this.  The Rams don't seem to have that person right now, and that's why the organization finds itself in the same embarrassing sentence with the slapstick Detroit Lions and the bizarre Oakland Raiders as the laughingstock of the NFL. I watched ESPN all day as the network committed serial mockery of this franchise. One talking head after another kept wondering how it makes any sense to replace a shell-shocked veteran who continues to get battered behind an ineffective offensive line (Marc Bulger) with an older man (Trent Green) who has a disturbing history of concussions. "An act of desperation," said Mike Golic, the former player. It doesn't make much sense, indicated Floyd Reese, the former general manager.

The Rams use a scouting service called Giddings, which is based out of southern California.  Mike Giddings and his son evaluate players for several NFL teams.  They offer advice and counsel to their teams and the Rams are religious with using these evaluations.  I STRONGLY doubt that Giddings is behind this change, but if the city of St. Louis wants to know about how the Rams are going to fix their team they might want to give Mike a call.  I agree whole heartedly with Bryan and his call for accountability from someone.  I feel badly for Scott Linehan because I am not sure anyone short of Vince Lombardi could improve this team.  The Rams need a comprehensive program of how to build an organization, from their weight training methods to the way they develop players.  This won't happen, because they would rather use outside consultants and blame them for the mistakes. 

FROM PAUL DOMOWITCH OF THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS... Three games into a season that still can veer off into any direction, the Eagles are first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (45.7) and yards allowed per carry (2.4). They are second in rushing first downs allowed (eight). Not bad for a defense that 2 years ago was gashed for 200-plus rushing yards five times in 18 games, including 208 in a heartbreaking 27-24 playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised," cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "When you've got young players, especially at linebacker, you may have some guys not in the right gap in Jim's defensive scheme. But so far, everybody's been mentally sound. If you watch the films, you've got guys in the correct gaps doing what they're supposed to be doing." Led by their front seven, particularly young linebackers Omar Gaither, Chris Gocong and Stewart Bradley, and defensive tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley, the Eagles already have shut down three of the league's top running backs: the Rams' Steven Jackson got 40 yards on 14 carries, the Cowboys' Marion Barber 63 yards on 18 carries and, Sunday, the Steelers' Willie Parker 20 yards on 13 carries. Sunday night, they will face a run-oriented Bears offense led by rookie running back Matt Forte, who is fourth in the league in rushing with 304 yards in three games. "The d-linemen and that whole rotation in the middle [at tackle] . . . they're getting after those cats," safety Brian Dawkins said. "And then Stew and those guys are coming downhill. I don't know if you think this is a 'just now' thing. But those cats are coming up front."

One thing the Eagles have always done with Jim Johnson is run stunt and run blitz their backers.  They know they are too small to hang in there and play man-on-man, so they use movement and quickness to win in the run game.  They always want to have a big Mike (middle backer) and run him through the gaps — more like another defensive lineman — rather than use him as a reading backer.  Attacking, getting vertical, and forcing running backs to redirect in the moment is their goal.  Johnson is the master of using new ideas and methods to attack.  If your system is not diverse and deep with sound principles, he can make you look pretty bad. 

FROM ROB DEMOVSKY OF THE GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE... Teams might have to start treating Greg Jennings that way, too. Just three games into the season, it has become apparent that Jennings — not Driver, not running back Ryan Grant, not anyone else — is the Packers’ best offensive player. The third-year pro leads the NFL with 373 receiving yards, is tied for third in the NFC with 19 receptions and his 19.6-yard average per catch is better than anyone in the NFL’s top 30 in receptions. Anyone looking for further proof that Jennings is the Packers’ top target need only realize that for the first time in his three NFL seasons, he’s likely to equal or surpass Driver in the number of balls thrown his way.  Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has targeted Jennings 25 times in three games and Driver 24 times. That’s an unofficial stat and includes plays nullified by penalties. Last season, Driver was targeted 112 times in 15 games (or an average of 8.13 times per game), while Jennings was targeted 84 times in 13 games (or an average of 6.46 times per game).

If I am picking wideouts for my team, Jennings is one of my top picks.  I LOVE his balance, his hands, and his power after the catch.  He is a playmaker and if I had to prepare for the Packers, he would draw all my double teams.  Jennings is further evidence that you don’t have to pick a wideout in the first round.  If you know what you want and what specifically your team needs, you can find those types in later rounds.  One thing you can know about me is that if I am in charge of the draft in the first round, it will be an offensive or defensive lineman pick.  This year, that philosophy seems to be even more apparent league-wide. 

FROM KEN MURRAY OF THE BALTIMORE SUN... As the crowd of AFC contenders falls back toward the Ravens, the playoffs suddenly look like something more than a mirage. Granted, it's still hard to imagine an AFC playoff team with a rookie quarterback, even if it is precocious Joe Flacco. And age in the secondary could catch up to them at any time. But here is what the 2-0 Ravens have going for them in the first month of the season: •A suffocating defense that will keep them in every game. •A lackluster division, whose defending champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are showing vulnerability. •A new sense of unity; surprisingly, the offense isn't just along for the ride any longer. This bubble of optimism could be crushed come Monday night, when the Ravens play at Pittsburgh in prime time with the AFC North lead at stake. But the Steelers have already lost running back Willie Parker (knee) for the game, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has issues with his passing shoulder and hand. That would appear to rule out any crushing at Heinz Field.  So how much can we read into the Ravens' hopeful start? Their critics say they haven't beaten anyone yet. Still, victories over the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns carry weight because they're division games. At the very least, the new culture created by coach John Harbaugh has experts looking anew at the Ravens.

I think that among the many good things John Harbaugh has done this season the best is setting up a game plan to win the game.  Oftentimes when you watch NFL games there are many that are lost and not won.  What Harbaugh has done is correctly know what it is going to take to win against a particular team and play that style.  When he plays some teams that are clearly better in terms of talent, those teams may not let him dictate style.  For now, though, he has been sensational.  He is further proof that being a head coach in the NFL has more to do with leadership and knowing what it takes to win the game, than what kind of offense or defense you install.  Harbaugh will give many good leaders who are not coordinators an opportunity to become a head coach.  It takes leadership to be successful and it takes a person willing to make tough decisions and tough choices, with his staff and with his players. 

Comments

Add a Comment