National Football Post Diner News

13 Nov 2008

QUOTE:  “Every organization must be prepared to abandon everything it does to survive in the future." ~ Peter Drucker

FROM TOM KOWALSKI OF DETROIT ON LINE…  Lions coach Rod Marinelli removed any drama this week by naming Daunte Culpepper the starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. Culpepper is continuing to take about 70 percent of the snaps in practice with backup Drew Stanton taking the rest. Dan Orlovsky said today that he's not going to have surgery right now and will wait a few more weeks to see how the healing process goes before making a final decision. The Lions still haven't made a decision on whether to put Orlovsky on injured reserve and they might put that off for a while.

The above quote from Mr. Drucker should be sent to Mr. Bill Ford Jr. for the overall operation of his car company and his football team.  It has always bothered me in the NFL how teams fight change in the front office or how they do business.  When I got into the league way back in 1984, all college video was on 16 millimeter film, and scouts HAD to travel to schools to see the players and the watch tape.  Today, almost all colleges send these videos directly to the teams, and most personnel directors can watch the film right in their offices.  But many teams have never modified how they scout and how they prepare for the college draft.  Many teams also have not been able to use all of the advance technology to take full advantage in finding talent.  When you are in the information business, which is essentially what every personnel department is doing, you have to find the best way and the most effective way to store and sort all your data, and then be able to research and analyze all your data. 

Now, back to Mr. Culpepper.  This signing seals the deal for me in terms of the Lions clearly not having a plan.  Now that he is starting after one week proves that no one in the building has a plan—short or long term.  This is the NFL, a professional league, and sometimes teams don’t make professional and profound decisions. 

FROM JEFF DARLINGTON OF THE MIAMI HERALD…  What followed that sentiment during Sparano's media availability sounded more like a speech to his players than an answer to a question about whether he has warned his team not to overlook Oakland.  Sparano was emphatic on several points:  First, he noted the Raiders did a 'tremendous job' defeating the Jets -- a team that defeated the Dolphins earlier this season. 'Second of all, what I can recall, [the Raiders) came in here [last season] and they won a game 31-17 and rushed the ball for 299 yards in that game,' Sparano said. ``299 yards, OK?'  Rather than stating the dangers of a trap game, Sparano continued to provide details about the Raiders' potential. 'Their punter [Shane Lechler] is second in the league, for God's sake,' Sparano said. ``He's got more 60-yard punts than any punter in the National Football League right now. He's netting 41.1 yards per kick.' Sparano made one more point to close an impressive rant. 'Who are we?' he said. ``We can't look by anybody. We've got five wins.'

One thing about the Parcells/Sparano program is that there is never any warm and fuzzy love.  In fact, they behave the opposite of most teams in the NFL; they never exaggerate the wins and they forget about the losses.  They take the same approach each week, and success is not like a martini to them.  They know who they are and what they have to do each week to improve and make progress.  Progress is the key, working the details every day in practice and making sure all the essentials become routine.  It’s what I call the “Born to Run” Behavior, which is based on seeing Bruce Springsteen perform countless times.  Each time he plays Born to Run, it is like the first time he has every played it.  He shows the same enthusiasm and passion with each note and word.  He never cuts a corner, and he never cheats himself of being the best.  Every day in the NFL, you have to do the mundane and the routine in the same passionate fashion.  Every day at home or in your office, when you have to do something you have done countless times, think of the BOSS….

FROM MICHAEL C. WRIGHT OF THE FLORIDA TIMES UNION…  Peterson stood on the sidelines in a sweatsuit Sunday while his teammates routed the Lions 38-14. The next day, Del Rio lauded the play of Peterson's replacement, Daryl Smith (who replaced an injured Peterson for six games last season), while sidestepping questions about Peterson. "My plan right now is to dance around this one and move on to the next subject," Del Rio said Monday. On Wednesday, he said: "I'm not going to get drawn into a discussion about that today." The team's first major addition in free agency under Del Rio in 2003, Peterson appears to have fallen out of favor despite being one of the team's most productive players and its leader on defense. According to statistics compiled by the team, Peterson leads the Jaguars with 85 tackles—despite missing a game. Smith, who hasn't missed a snap, ranks second with 81 stops. Peterson is the team's lone captain named solely by teammates, and he earned that designation several days after Del Rio appointed the team's other captains himself. Peterson was critical of the organization during training camp because of its reluctance to extend his contract, which is currently in its last year.  Asked about the possibility of suffering a fate similar to defensive tackle Marcus Stroud (traded to Buffalo) and Deon Grant (not re-signed, now with Seattle), Peterson seemed upbeat about his prospects. "I'm a different breed, though. I go down swinging," Peterson said. "I won't really just accept it. I'm not just going to hand it to anybody on a platter."

This locker room is a mess and Del Rio is not dealing with the problems at hand.  His avoidance of the issue is not going to win him any favors either.  Whatever the key issue is with Petersen, Del Rio needs to move forward and he needs to deal with it man to man and move past it.  If he cannot, then this will linger in the locker room.  This is one of those situations where you cannot use the Law of Three Leadership rules, because Peterson was one of those players who use to do whatever was asked of him and was team captain.  So it is in the best interest of the team that Del Rio work on a solution and not walk around the building counting the days until Peterson is a free agent. 

FROM BERNIE MIKLASZ OF THE ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH…  As I wrote on a blog at STLtoday.com the other day, this roster is rotting at the core. The chance for success is being weighed down by a huge pile of deadwood. General manager Jay Zygmunt, de facto assistant GM Samir Suleiman and deposed head coaches Mike Martz and Scott Linehan destroyed any realistic hope of winning consistently by constructing a truly horrible roster.  Recent drafts have been a disaster. Stacks of money have been burned in appalling free-agent signings. And even when the Rams have drafted or located a few good players, they proceed to ruin it by overpaying. Marc Bulger:  Since signing a six-year, $65 million deal in the summer of 2007, he ranks 34th among NFL quarterbacks in passer rating and in completion percentage.— Torry Holt:  His salary cap figure for 2008 is $7.85 million. This season Holt is 48th in the NFL in receptions, 59th in receiving yards and 118th in average yards after the catch.  — Drew Bennett: After signing a six-year, $30 million free-agent deal, Bennett has started one game for the Rams. He has 34 catches and made one grab this year before going on injured reserve. And the Rams chased Isaac Bruce off for this?  — The offensive line: The Rams struggle to run the ball and protect the passer. The front office has invested heavily in this group. On the left side, tackle Orlando Pace received a seven-year, $53 million contract and guard Jacob Bell was lured to St. Louis with a six-year, $36 million contract. On the right side, tackle Alex Barron has allowed five sacks and has been flagged for five penalties this season. His cap figure for '08 is $2.15 million.

This is a bad team and this organization is poorly run from a football standpoint.  They have had in the past too many non-football people run their team, and you can see from the collection of talent and the distribution of money that there was no plan and poor evaluators in the building.  Remember, it takes talent to find talent.  And clearly the Rams have not had a very good talent evaluator in the building for the past five years.  Getting the right guy to find talent is like finding the right coordinator.  Most teams want to have a ton of scouts and opinions, but the reality is that you need just one or two people that know talent.  The one thing you don’t need is an outside source who has no vested interest in the team or the decisions.   The Rams are not cheap, but Bernie is so right—they waste tons of money with their decisions. 

FROM TOM SILVERSTEIN OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL…  There's a pretty good reason the Chicago Bears will do just about everything in their power to get quarterback Kyle Orton in the starting lineup this week. It's called the Green Bay Packers secondary. If ever the moment called for someone who would rather lose a finger than throw an interception, it's this week. The Packers lead the National Football League in interceptions (16) and they have returned six of them for touchdowns, leaving them three shy of tying the all-time NFL mark set by San Diego in 1961. The alternative to Orton is Rex Grossman, the guy Bears fans love to hate because of his propensity to make game-costing mistakes. In his last 24 starts, Grossman has thrown 28 interceptions and been sacked 45 times, still managing to go 15-9 during that span. Orton injured his ankle against the Detroit Lions Nov. 2 and missed the Tennessee game last Sunday, but he practiced on Wednesday and it's looking more and more as if he will start when the Packers and Bears meet Sunday at Lambeau Field. "He has a chance to play," Bears coach Lovie Smith said in a conference call with state reporters. "He had a chance last week though. He probably has a better chance this week. We're hoping he'll be available."

As I mention yesterday, the Packers will suffer from losing Barnett in their match coverage scheme, and they will face a tough challenge in the Bears.  The Bears can use Greg Olsen as their mismatch player, and the Packers won’t be able to handle his skills.  The Bears can also run the ball on the Pack, as every team has been able to do that.  The key for the Bears is to make big plays and control the clock.  They have to make at least 6 plays of over 20 yards passing to win the game, as they are not good enough at receiver to separate from the Packers corners consistently.  With good hard play action and double moves, the Bears can game plan a passing game and that is much easier with Orton. 

FROM PAUL SCHWARTZ OF THE NEW YORK POST…  The Giants New York Giants lead the NFL in rushing with 168.9 yards per game. The Ravens lead the league in run defense, allowing 65.4 yards per game. One trend will take a beating, along with many, many bodies.  "They like to run the ball, we like to stop the run," Lewis said. "That's a bottom-line fact. Our guys do a great job understanding what type of mentality that is, not let nobody come in and run the ball on you. The Giants do a great job with telling people they're going to run the ball on them. Hey, we'll find out Sunday, man."  Figure both players will need to be toweled off before then.  Lewis on Jacobs: "He's a physical back, he plays the game very physical. The only way to stop somebody like that is run into him full-speed. The name of football is hit or be hit."  Jacobs on Lewis: "Ray Lewis plays linebacker the way I would play linebacker, if I was a linebacker, downhill, hard-hitting player. Nothing more, nothing less."

The Giants will need to throw the ball and win the game on the outside.  They may not run the ball well in the first half, but the Giants are all about wearing down their opponents, and they will wear down the Ravens.  The Colts did the right thing when attacking the Ravens defense—they took shots down the field.  However, no one is going to nickel and dime the ball down the field on the Ravens, and the Giants need to throw the ball up the field and make plays in chunks.  Then the running game will open.  This game will be a physical contest, and those are the kinds of games the Giants love—and usually win.    

FROM ED BOUCHETTE OF THE PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE…  I don't know what they're doing defensively," safety Ryan Clark said of the 4-5 Chargers, "but offensively they're impressive. They're a very, very talented team. They're moving the ball and scoring points." Because Deshea Townsend and Bryant McFadden, two of the team's top three cornerbacks, are out with injuries, the Steelers not only must dig deep into their cornerback reserve but also into the NFL's, where they found Fernando Bryant. He's 31 and has been out of work since the New England Patriots cut him in training camp. "We can't really sit out there and baby-sit or coddle the new guys," Clark said, "or say we're going to make you play different from Deshea or different from Bryant. You have to do the same things." Fernando Bryant is a smart, veteran player who should have no trouble picking up the defense. The reason he's out of work is he has trouble picking up the ball on passes. He has good speed, instincts, intelligence and he can cover, but he loses track of the ball. That is why he never fulfilled his promise as a first-round draft pick of Jacksonville in 1999, and why he has only seven interceptions in 110 career starts with Jacksonville and Detroit.

The Chargers and the Saints are a lot alike to me this year; both teams have great offenses and are suspect on defense.  But the one difference is that I think the Chargers have more toughness than the Saints, and they will need that kind of toughness against the Steelers.  This game will be another fun one to watch as both teams needs win and both teams have clear strengths on one side of the ball.  The way to beat the Steelers is to protect and be able to make plays in the passing game.  The run game is always effective and the Chargers have the kind of passing game that can really give the Steelers’ depleted secondary fits.  The Chargers should be able to handle the run game of the Steelers and they should be able to pressure Big Ben.  This is the kind of game the Chargers can win, but it will require a tough-minded effort for four quarters.  They cannot afford any more slip-ups. 

FROM SID HARTMAN OF THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE…  He devised the Tampa "Cover-2" defense that many teams use today. Since 1996 under Kiffin, the Buccaneers defense has been the NFL's best, having allowed the fewest yards per game (285.2). Tampa Bay also has been ranked in the top five in total defense in eight of Kiffin's previous 12 seasons with the team. I don't believe any defensive coordinator has had the success that Kiffin has enjoyed over such a long period of time. And that means Adrian Peterson and the Vikings offense will have their toughest test of the season when they face the Bucs. Tampa Bay's defense has allowed only one back to rush for 100 yards this year (Kansas City's Jamaal Charles, with 106 yards in Week 9) and only one rushing touchdown (by the Chiefs' Kolby Smith). Since Kiffin has been at Tampa Bay, the Bucs have beaten the Vikings six of seven times at home and eight of 14 overall.

I watch a ton of video each week, and the Bucs have a very good defense and are as well coached as any team I watch.  They fit on the runs and they are very fast to locate the ball.  They read and react so well to the ball and they have an ability to break on the shoulder of the quarterback as he positions to throw.  The speed of the game will give the Vikings and Gus Frerotte fits.  He will turn the ball over.  As good as they played last week on offense and defense, they still almost lost because of mistakes.  This will be a defining game for the Vikings; if they can find a way to win---they will win the NFC North.  But if they fail to win, then I don’t think they can make the playoffs.  This game may well decide the fate of the Vikings’ season.  . 

FROM GARY ESTWICK OF THE TENNESSEAN…  Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth called his team's critics hypocrites. "First, they say we have a weak schedule," Haynesworth said, expressing sarcasm as he started his rant. "Everybody looked at our schedule at the beginning of the season and said it was tough, saying we had no shot at being 9-0 right now.  Now it's all different. Whatever." Most NFL media and fans had the Jaguars and Colts battling for the AFC South and the Titans missing or squeaking into the playoffs. Heading into Sunday's game at Jacksonville, the Titans remain the NFL's only undefeated team and have a four-game lead in the division. Yet the Titans are still overlooked for consideration as the NFL's best team, an honor many bestow on the defending Super Bowl champion Giants (8-1). The record of Tennessee's opponents is 34-47. The record of New York's opponents is 32-49. Jaguars Coach Jack Del Rio said he's not sure his team has any extra incentive against an undefeated team. "I know being the No. 1 seed in the AFC obviously is quite an honor," Del Rio said. "They're making a case for it right now so we're just going to get prepared to give our best effort on Sunday."

This will be another great game this week.  I always laugh when I read people kill teams for wins just as I laugh at teams for saying they are three feet from three more wins (see Andy Reid and Philadelphia).  Bill Belichick would always say that you are what your record says; no better, no worse.  And the Titans have won every game and in different styles.  They have won key road games and have beaten the bad teams as well as the good teams.  The Titans are good, and people that know football know that they are not lucky to have nine wins. 

FROM MIKE CHAPPELL OF THE INDY STAR…  The numbers are staggering: 19 touchdowns in 25 excursions into the red zone (inside the opponent's 20-yard line), a 76 percent success rate. That not only leads the league; if it holds up, it would be the second highest percentage in the past 10 years, to Kansas City's 77.8 in 2003.  And it's improving. Of the Colts' past 20 red-zone trips, they have scored 17 TDs, or 85 percent. "We felt our red-zone offense was subpar,' wide receiver Reggie Wayne said of last year's 56.5 percent, which ranked 10th in the league.  “All summer we stressed that.' Now, they're stressing defenses, primarily because of crisp execution and the fact that Manning has so many viable options.  Eight Colts, including Manning, have scored red-zone touchdowns. Six have scored at least two. "They've just got so many playmakers,' said Houston coach Gary Kubiak, whose team will visit Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time Sunday. "It starts with one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game. He's surrounded with playmakers, and the job they do down there is incredible.'

This is where the game is won, and the Colts know how to adjust their game plan each week to find ways to score attacking the coverages, not running their plays.  In the red zone, you have to understand the coverages and exactly how teams play routes.  There are no deep throws, so the teams can pack in the coverage and makes the windows very tight.  It is not luck that the Colts are so good down in the red zone.  Tom Moore is a smart coach, who knows the new wrinkles that can give the coverage schemes problems.  Plus they are not afraid to call runs and attack the soft spot of the defense.  With the emergence of Gonzalez as an outside receiver and getting Wayne in the slot, it is a nightmare match-up for teams in the red zone. 

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