National Football Post Diner News

21    Oct 2008

QUOTE:  “Being a leader, having total control of your team, is the one asset a quarterback must have. A coach would like a skilled play caller, a slick ball handler, and an accurate passer, but the one thing that is a must is having a person who can control any situation he is presented with.” Vince Lombardi

FROM TOM FITZGERALD OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE…Club vice president Jed York indicated the firing had been contemplated for awhile. "We had hoped to get to the bye week (after Sunday's home game against Seattle)," he said. "We didn't think it was fair to the team to let the rumors linger going into an important week for us." Earlier Monday, York had said Nolan's job was safe for the time being. "What changed," he said later, "was there were numerous reports (that Nolan would be fired) that were a distraction." Neither of York's parents, club owners John York and Denise DeBartolo York, was in the building when Jed York and general manager Scot McCloughan met with Nolan to tell him he was through, Jed said, but all four were in on the decision. Jed said his mother was at their home in Youngstown, Ohio. "Mike was very forthright and honorable about everything," Jed said.

This is never good when it happens, but in reality, there were not any other options for the 49ers.  They gave Mike Nolan the keys to the store and with the help of his trusted personnel man, Scot McCloughan, they have built the team.  Now, McCloughan is firing Nolan, which for me is very strange.  I am sure Scot is doing what the ownership wants him to do, but he has to share some of the blame for the ultimate result.  He was responsible for setting the board, he was responsible for bringing in the talent and now as you view the 49ers, they are not a talented team.  I don’t know how you go from being a trusted aid, to being in charge and not having to share the blame.  Maybe that is why I am not in the NFL now, as if I would have had any objections with the players selected prior to the draft, I would have voiced my displeasure---loudly.  Even this year, with Scot in complete control, his first two picks in the draft are not even playing for the team.  Are the 49ers that talented that they cannot get help from the draft?   When Mike Nolan looks back on his time at the 49ers, his downfall was in player personnel evaluations, and the man who was helping him pick the players--- just fired him.  If Bill Walsh were alive today, he would be very disappointed in the team he built.

FROM DAN SHAUGHNESSY OF THE BOSTON GLOBE…The NFL in 2008 has no great teams and it has no hopeless teams (OK, maybe the Lions). You simply don't know who is going to show up from week to week. This is a good thing for a Patriot team learning to live without Tom Brady. You can hang out in the Big Middle and still hope to make the playoffs, maybe more. Humbled in two of their previous three games, the Patriots last night annihilated the Denver Broncos, 41-7, on "Monday Night Football." The Broncos entered the game with a 4-2 record and more confidence than Bill O'Reilly, but played one of the worst games in franchise history. The Patriots at times looked like the History Boys of 2007. It is the way of the world in NFL 2008. The late Pete Rozelle's dreams have come true. Any Given Sunday is an absolute truth. Any Given Monday, too. Remember the Giants and Browns last week? Seriously. It's great to say nice things about the Patriots when they play well, and they beat Denver every way you can beat a football team. They dominated the line of scrimmage. They enjoyed their best rushing game (257 yards) in 15 years. Matt Cassel threw three touchdown passes, two to Randy Moss. New England's special teams were truly special. The Patriots literally knocked players out of the game. Bill Belichick was the king of schemes. But the Broncos were so bad it was difficult to get a read on New England's strengths. Denver allowed 404 yards, turned the ball over five times, and committed 8 penalties for 87 yards. Ever-intense coach Mike Shanahan looked like he was ready for an orange jumpsuit and leg irons when he walked into the tunnel at the end.

I have been writing for some time about how bad the Broncos are in terms of defensive talent and last night it was clear to all of America.  The one thing that struck me watching the game was the difference in the power and the strength of the two teams.  One team, the Pats, was physical and looked like they could lift the entire weight room, as the other team looked weak and each time they tried to tackle they were carried for five yards.  The Broncos have always been about quickness and speed when building their defense.  But because the defense is not that quick, or fast, they get caught, have to anchor in, and are getting pushed around.  There are no solutions for the Broncos, as witnessed last night.  They played a 3 man front, a 4 man front, they have changed scheme and have tried to coach their way out of the problem, but there is no scheme that can help this defense.  This is a talent problem.  It was a talent problem last year when I was there and it is a talent problem now.  The Broncos need to adjust how they draft and who they want to be when it comes to defense. 

FROM MARY KAY CABOT OF THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER…Browns tight end Kellen Winslow revealed to The Plain Dealer on Sunday night that his previously undisclosed illness was a staph infection and that he's upset with the way Browns General Manager Phil Savage handled that situation and others regarding him.  Winslow specifically said he feels he has been treated like a "piece of meat'" and expressed dismay that Savage didn't call him while he was in the Cleveland Clinic last week. He said he's also upset that the team wanted to keep the infection quiet and that they announced it was Winslow who didn't want it revealed. Savage responded to The Plain Dealer via e-mail Sunday by saying, "Sorry, I can't help you tonight." "There's obviously a problem [with staph], and we have to fix it," said Winslow. "Just look at the history around here. It's unfortunate, because it happens time and time again."

I feel badly for Kellen Winslow.  There is nothing worse than having a player in the hospital and having no one from the front office come and see him.  When I was with the 49ers, Bill Walsh made me take a VHS  and movies to players in the hospital.  He made me bring them a cassette player to listen to music, (yes, this was around 1985) and spend time with them.  He never wanted them to feel alone and never wanted them to feel left out from the team.  He wanted them to watch the movie “Requiem For A Heavyweight” and think about coming back as soon as possible.  I am not sure why Phil Savage would not answer the call from the Plain Dealer, as he is one of the most accessible General Managers in the league.  And if you are normally accessible, you need to handle the good and the bad. 

FROM TODD ARCHER OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS…Phillips and the players find themselves answering those questions because a team with Super Bowl aspirations has lost three out of four games and did not play well in its one win during the stretch. That victory came against the NFL's only seven-loss team (Cincinnati). Phillips made vague references Monday to making changes but admitted there are few personnel moves that can be made. One potential change is to have Phillips handle the defensive playcalling, which coordinator Brian Stewart has handled. Nose tackle Tank Johnson said he believes the Cowboys are doing too much defensively to be effective. Phillips did not disagree. "I think overall our execution is more of a problem than anything," Phillips said. "I'm talking about in all areas. We're not executing well enough on offense, defense and on special teams. We can identify those things. Coaches are working all day today and tomorrow. "And we try to do this every week, but it's come to a point where we need to identify the things that we are doing well and try to do those things better.

The Cowboys are not a technique based team.  They rely on their talent and their scheme to make plays, so when I read a coach saying he is worried about the execution of the team, it makes me wonder.  When you are scheme oriented, you never can get better during the season because each week is a new design and there is never a foundation.  The Cowboys need to become better at their fundamentals and their techniques and this can only happen in a reduction of the scheme and trying to make sure there is more attention to detail.  And details have never been the trademark of a Wade Phillips defense. 

FROM ADAM TEICHER OF THE KANSAS CITY STAR…The search for some elusive stability at quarterback could lead the Chiefs to sign three-time Pro Bowler Daunte Culpepper. The Chiefs talked with Culpepper on Monday, a day after they lost Brodie Croyle for the season because of torn knee ligaments. Croyle was injured in the Chiefs’ 34-10 loss to Tennessee at Arrowhead Stadium. A decision on whether the Chiefs would sign Culpepper did not appear imminent. A deal might not come until next week if one is reached at all. In the meantime, the Chiefs were preparing to bring former Tampa Bay quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to Kansas City today for a workout. Gradkowski played for St. Louis in a preseason game against the Chiefs in August at Arrowhead Stadium. Coach Herm Edwards offered no information on the quarterback search other than to say the Chiefs might try to sign a veteran.

How does Herman Edwards have any credibility with his team right now?  How does he have any with the city of KC?  For a year, since Hard Knocks, he, along with his trusted aid Dick Curl has been talking about the future and how they need to build around quarterback Brodie Croyle.  Now that Croyle is not the answer, what does he tell the team?  What does he say to gain credibility?  I think that Hard Knocks peak inside the KC Chiefs world exposed a side of the Chiefs, which make many wonder if the coach has the right plan and is the right person to execute the plan.  The players are the last ones to buy in and they are the hardest ones to fool.  They know talent and they know who can play, and when the coach does not prove to be correct, he has a hard time winning back their confidence.  The Chiefs don’t seem like they are buying into rebuilding and are not buying into the wisdom of their coach. 

FROM JOHN DESAZIER OF THE NEW ORLEANS TIME PICAYUNNE…New Orleans has lost 13 of its past 23 games under Coach Sean Payton. It is 10-13 despite having been forecast as a playoff team and potential Super Bowl contender this season and last. Sure, prognosticating is tricky. Just because a team looks strong doesn't guarantee it'll be strong. Games aren't played on paper, opponents want to win as much as the Saints, other players are paid to make plays, the NFL is geared toward parity, injuries can short-circuit the best intentions, etc., etc., etc. But you know what? The Saints should be better than 3-4 now, should have been better than 7-9 last year, when they didn't spend a single day of the season above .500. Yes, there are times when the offense is flashy and efficient and marches up and down the field and scores points aplenty. And there are times the defense manages to put together stops, doesn't let opposing running backs gain 100 yards and even produces a turnover or two. And there even are times when the special teams click, and Reggie Bush ices the cake with a punt return, or two, for a touchdown.

The Saints are a great offense, but are not a good team.  They lack toughness and when they play a tough, physical team, they struggle to hold up.  And look no further than both lines.  They are not a playoff team because they don’t have enough top players on both lines.  One thing I would suggest the Saints have to start doing is to only evaluate their talent base on road games.  The dome and the crowd noise clearly enhance the performance of their players and this sends them some misleading evaluations.  The Saints need more power, more toughness and if I were Sean Payton, I might call Bill Parcells or someone outside his building for some consultations on how to fix his team. 

FROM DAVID HAUGH OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE…But moving forward, Orton becomes the most important element for the Bears this season, next season and beyond as general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith plot a return trip to the Super Bowl. Orton's consistency through seven games has provided enough evidence for the organization to play the hunch that he's that guy. That franchise quarterback, if you will. If you agree with that premise, then you see why the Bears must make restructuring Orton's contract a top priority to keep him in town beyond the 2009 season. Sooner would be better, too, especially with a Nov. 3 league deadline that allows teams to increase a player's salary so it counts against the current year's cap. Teams routinely do so every year before the deadline either to reward players who have exceeded expectations or lock them up for the long term. Imagine if Orton hadn't signed the one-year extension he received in February that included a modest $1.4 million signing bonus. He would be contractually tied to the Bears for just nine more games. The Bears would have been forced either to put the franchise tag on Orton — a $10.7 million expense, according to 2008 salaries—or let him go into free agency as one of the hottest prospects.

Kyle Orton has been good since the first pre season game and he now looks on and off the field like he wants to be a player.  There have been times where he has not done the things that he needs to do to be a great player.  But now, it is clear he is the future of the Bears.  The Bears need to keep playing and need for Orton to keep playing and this is not the right time for doing a new contract.  First, they have not won anything and who wants to reward a player for not winning?  Second, they need to keep evaluating and follow the ten game rule.  There is no rush, there is no urgency, because they can slap the tag on him and retain his services.  So give this a little time and let the locker room know, you react to winning, not to good games. 

FROM TOM SILVERSTEIN OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL…But starters Atari Bigby (hamstring), Al Harris (spleen) and Mike Montgomery (ankle) and key backups James Jones (knee) and Jason Hunter (hamstring) are likely to return. Bigby and Montgomery were close to returning last week, Harris expects to be cleared next week and Jones and Hunter are on the tail end of the rehabilitation process for injuries that have sidelined them two weeks or more. As well as the Packers have played in the secondary and at wide receiver, the impact of having Bigby, Harris and Jones back at full strength would still be felt. Bigby was the team’s best safety in training camp and had a victory-clinching interception in the season opener before pulling his hamstring at the end of the first half against Detroit in Week 2. The Packers had a lot of difficulty stopping the run against Dallas, Tampa Bay and Atlanta and Bigby’s presence could go a long way in strengthening that part of the defense. “When he’s at 100%, he brings a tremendous physical presence to the defense,” secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. “He’s a very physical, very violent player. He truly wants to hit people. He doesn’t slow down to hit anything. If it’s moving, he’s going to hit it. He’s very explosive. I thought he would have just a tremendous year this year had he stayed healthy.”

When this team gets healthy and can get some more production from the defensive line they can be a very solid playoff team.  The Packers are not the same team as last year.  They are going to have to find a way to create some pass rush and need to get something from their defensive tackles.  But the one thing I do know is that the Packers will keep working on finding talent and will not rest until they get the right pieces in place.  The way Charles Woodson is playing right now, they have to just find a little more pressure and they will keep creating turnovers. 

FROM RALPH VACCHIANO OF THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS…”Never has," Burress said. "Never will." That was the enigmatic receiver's vow Monday, one day after his latest brush with his demanding coach. Coughlin and Burress had a brief but heated exchange in the Giants' 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, during which Burress appeared to swear at Coughlin on the sidelines. Burress described it as a "heat of the moment" thing, and Coughlin dismissed it as merely the actions of "a major competitor who was upset." The run-in came after Burress was called for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty, and a subsequent unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for mouthing off to the refs. Of course, the backdrop of all that was that the exchange - in which Coughlin appeared to say "What are you doing?" to Burress, who appeared to respond "Whatever the ---- I want" - came two weeks after the Giants' No.1 receiver returned from a one-game suspension for skipping a day of work. And it came on the heels of reports that he had been fined "dozens" of times for breaking team rules during his three-plus years in New York.  "It's football. Things like that happen," Burress said. "You move on from it and go out and make plays. It happened. Nobody lost any sleep over it. You get up in the morning and continue on. It's not the first time it's happened. Football's been played in this league for 100 years. I guess because it's Plaxico Burress it gets taken out of context or blown up bigger than what it really is."

I think Burress is a great player, but I could care less what he has to say or think about the team.  This guy knows nothing about the importance of team, as evidenced by his lack of responsibility in missing meetings.  How can you be fined as much as he has and then think he is not going to be on the same page with Head Coach Tom Coughlin?  Burress is one of the best push off wide receivers in the league.  He has a great ability to draw penalties and when he does get called for offensive pass interference, it is a rare occurrence.  Burress just needs to worry about playing and not about how Tom runs the team. 

FROM MIKE PRESTON OF THE BALTIMORE SUN…It's apparent that Ravens' cornerback Chris McAlister was being disciplined by head coach John Harbaugh in Sunday's game against the Dolphins. If the Ravens were benching him for a poor performance against the Colts, then they would have had to bench the entire secondary. Over the years, McAlister has always been the player to buck the system. There are rules for the team, and rules for McAlister, at least in McAlister's mind. McAlister has always been the type of person to say whatever he wants, and it has gotten him in trouble. McAlister is a great player and a decent person, but just has that lethargic, 'I don't care' attitude.That goes against what head coach John Harbaugh preaches. I know that Harbaugh and McAlister have had some other issues, and it was only a matter of time before Harbaugh took some action. He's a rookie coach and he can't back down from any of the players. Not McAlister, not Ray Lewis, not Ed Reed or any player on the roster. It will take maybe another day or two but McAlister will get over this. I wouldn't be surprised if general manager Ozzie Newsome hasn't gotten involved. But I think in the offseason Harbaugh is going to have to make some decisions on players. He has to decide on the players he feels are his kind of players, and those he wants to let go. I wouldn't be surprised if McAlister wanted out, and the Ravens obliged him. Both parties would be happy

One thing that is crystal clear when watching the Ravens is that they are a team.  They head coach is in complete control and the usual banter that would happen after a bad game, like the one the offense had in Indy, did not occur.  Chris McAlister is probably very frustrated as he has not played well this year and when players feel it might be slipping, they need to redirect their focus to improving their play, not blaming others.  John Harbaugh has a good handle on how to be a leader and each time he faces a hurdle like this one, he reinforces his control of the team. 

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