National Football Post Diner News

25 Nov 2008

QUOTE:  “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” ~ Robert F. Kennedy

FROM TEDDY KIDER OF THE NEW ORLEANS TIMES PICAYUNE...   "One thing that we've talked about is pulling off five, six games in a row," McAllister said. "Well, you had to get two before you got six."  In the nationally televised battle between two quarterbacks having impressive seasons, the Saints' Drew Brees and the Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Brees came out on top by having one of the best games of his career. He finished with a career-high 157.5 passer rating -- the second-highest rating in team history -- after completing 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards for four touchdowns, with no interceptions.  "I thought by and large we kept Drew clean," Saints Coach Sean Payton said.  McAllister's 3-yard touchdown carry with 7:32 remaining in the third quarter was just part of perhaps the most eventful period of play for the Saints this year -- one that helped New Orleans tie the franchise record for points in a game.

The Saints offense is just amazing.  And to think they did all this without Reggie Bush playing last night.  Sean Payton is one of the best offensive coaches in the league.  There are times that they get pushed around when they play a physical team; but when they get a team that plays man to man coverage, this allows Payton to explore his creative side.  Once the Packers could not get any pressure on Brees, this game became a seven on seven passing drill.  And Brees is too good in this setting to ever slow down.  His accuracy and timing are just amazing.  For all the young quarterbacks out there, you need to watch his feet in the pocket and how he slides to find a lane to throw the ball through.  He has many different types of releases with the ball and can be accurate with every one of them.  Too much is made of the release of the ball in most scouting reports.  Every great passer has different releases and different ways to get the ball out of the pocket.  And having good feet to slide and move is critical.  Each day, you must practice throwing the ball from different positions and different points, because rarely are you in a game and always in balance to make the throw.  The Saints still have some fundamental problems that were slightly exposed last night.  They lack a power back and their defense is not a playoff defense.  For them to make the playoffs, they will need to outscore people—and they have the right offense and play caller to possibly make that happen. 

FROM STEVE DOERSCHUK OF THE CANTON REPOSITORY...   "My future is that I'm coaching for the next game," Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel said Monday. "I can't worry about the future, because I don't know what the future is." The suspicion when Crennel was an hour late for Monday's news conference was that something might be about to pop. The party line was that Crennel was tied up in meetings. He met with owner Randy Lerner in the wake of a 16-6 loss to Houston that sank his record to 4-7 in 2008, 24-35 overall. "I am telling (Lerner) that this team hasn't lived up to expectations. We are not as consistent as we need to be. We are working to try to be what everybody wants us to be," Crennel said. "But it hasn't happened the way we expected it to happen. I told him we are going to keep fighting, and we are going to try to win a game. He is saying that he appreciates that attitude. He knows that there are no guarantees in this business."

It’s never good when a coach has to defend his job himself.  And for an organization with a GM that loves to be the spokesman of the team, it makes Romeo's support of himself very shallow.  The Browns had expectations this year, and when you fail to meet those expectations you will struggle to keep your job.  It is part of the business that we all know before we enter the NFL.  Each year you have to start anew.  Clearly, the Browns felt that this year they could pick up where they left off last year.  They felt they could skip steps, not have a hard camp, and just turn it on once the season started.  Success became a martini for all those involved in Cleveland.  Every year is a new year, and much like a teacher in school, once the new season starts, you have to start the course from the beginning and lay the ground work and foundation for the season.  Trust me on this, I have lived this mistake.  When we went to the Super Bowl in ‘02, the next year we felt we just needed to get back to the playoffs and we would turn it on.  But we never had a good off season.  We had a bunch of fat offensive lineman who never got in shape and got hurt during the season.  We had no running-game foundation, we had no conditioning, and we had a ton of injuries.  So when the season started, we had no chance.  And for me watching the NFL this year, the Chargers, the Jags, and the Browns fell into the same trap.  Each season is a new season, and one of the many reasons Belichick is so good is that he never allows the prior season to change his teaching and preparation methods. 

FROM CHRISTOPHER GASPER OF THE BOSTON GLOBE...  It looked as if offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels dusted off the Patriots' 2007 game plan for Sunday's 48-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Cassel cut up the Dolphins defense while operating primarily out of the spread, completing 30 of 43 passes for a career-high 415 yards and three touchdowns (with one interception) and ran for another score out of the shotgun. The Patriots ran 52 of their 72 snaps (including plays negated by penalties) out of three- and four-wide receiver sets. That caught the Dolphins by surprise. "We figured they would come out and run the ball a little bit," said Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell. "They had been in the spread last week so we figured they'd get in the spread some. [But] they made a habit of it. That was their game plan, to come out in empty [sets] and spread us out and throw the little short underneath passes, and Matt did a good job."

I am just amazed with what Matt Cassel has done.  I thought he would play well, but I thought he would just manage games and not be the reason they won or loss.  Just make some short throws to Welker and not turn the ball over.  But now, he is one of the best players in the NFL.  And this might be Bill Belichick’s finest coaching job.  He made it very clear the night Brady was injured when he sent both quarterbacks home who were scheduled for a workout the next day.  The message to his team---we can win with Matt.  What people don't understand about how Belichick works and thinks is that he is concerned with the 60 players in his meeting room.  Every press conference, his audience is not the press, but his players.  He is sending signals to his team.  When former Browns’ owner Art Modell would complain to me about the lack of public relations and friendliness Belichick would show to the press, my answer to Art was that his audience is not the 3 million Browns fans in NE Ohio, but the 60 players in his meeting room.  Bill does not make a move that is not thought out completely.  He follows the old carpenter’s rule:  measure twice, cut once.  And Josh McDaniel, the offensive coordinator, has done a wonderful job of improving the fundamentals and techniques in everything Cassel has done.  His confidence in the pocket is very high right now, and he is able to slow the game down.  This makes many of the other teams in the NFL wonder, why can't we develop a QB.  And the answer is from Coach Walsh:  very few can coach the quarterback and even fewer can evaluate the quarterback. 

FROM PHIL SHERIDAN OF THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER...  "As I sit here right now," Reid said, "he's my quarterback."  Minutes later, Reid wasn't sitting there anymore. That's how flimsy his vote of confidence sounded.  The bigger question is how much bad can be expected to result from this decision. And it turns out there isn't all that much risk.  It really is not fair to make McNabb start in front of what figures to be a deeply disgruntled home crowd - not four days after stripping him of his rank in front of his teammates, the NFL and the world at large. Fans will be waiting to pounce on every mistake McNabb makes.  Then again, having seen Kolb play a half Sunday, the fans might be less likely to chant his name. A.J. Feeley could find his popularity rising once again.  Other than that, though, Reid's yo-yoing of his quarterbacks won't do any real long-term damage to McNabb, to Kolb or to this team. It changes almost nothing about the situation beyond Thanksgiving Day.  If the Eagles still have a chance, however slim, to make the playoffs, McNabb will likely remain the starter. If the Eagles are eliminated, Reid will almost certainly let Kolb play out the meaningless rest of the season.  When the off-season comes, McNabb almost certainly will be gone.  What happens Thursday won't change that, and it won't really change his prospects for 2009 and beyond.  Look around the NFL. The team with the best record in the AFC, Tennessee, has Kerry Collins starting at QB. Collins is on his fifth NFL team. The Titans' first loss of the season was doled out Sunday by the New York Jets' Brett Favre - who has found new life after a full career and twilight in Green Bay.

Way back in 1998 before Andy Reid became a KING, I helped him greatly along with others to get the Eagles job.  We spent time on the phone discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the Eagles on and off the field.  The current GM at the time, Tom Modrak, wanted Jim Haslett, who he knew well from their Pittsburgh days together.  In fact, Bryan Broaddus, a good friend and former Packer employee, was the main man in giving the Eagles front office information about Reid as a coach and person.  Remember, before Reid became the King, he was never a play caller, or a coordinator.  So, there was some concern and some apprehension about his ability to handle the job.  Now, after ten years on the job, Reid is at a crossroads.  All the power he has been able to craft from the Eagles ownership has placed the burden of this decision on his broad shoulders.  Andy the GM needs to have a meeting with Andy the Head Coach to decide what is in the best interest for the short and long term of the team.  Andy the GM needs to know any moves that Andy the Head Coach makes will determine the course of the off season.  Andy the GM has to be mad at Andy the HC for not being able to develop players, and Andy the HC has to be mad at Andy the GM for saddling him with this lack of talent on the team.  There has to be a big sit down, and Andy the HC has to be very honest with his evaluations and Andy the GM has to be even more honest with himself.  What I think will happen is that Andy the GM will look in the mirror and realize he has failed Andy the coach. 

SIDENOTE  HERE … I know Tom Heckert Jr has the title of GM for the Eagles and don't want to insult his job or title, but the reality of the decision-making process for the Eagles is that Andy has all the power written into his contract. 

FROM DAVE HUTCHINSON OF THE NEWARK STAR LEDGER...  Who gets the credit?  "I think (offensive coordinator Brian) Schottenheimer is doing a good job of understanding the offense," said right guard Brandon Moore after the Jets' 34-13 victory over the Titans on Sunday. "He knows what we like and what we can do against certain teams."  Maybe there is something to the Jets being a game-plan specific team. The Jets' scoring outburst vs. the Titans was even more impressive because Tennessee entered the game leading the league in fewest points allowed (13.1 per game).  Against the Patriots and Titans, two of the league's most respected defenses, the Jets scored a touchdown on their opening drive and put together a combined five scoring drives that lasted 6:54 or longer. Three came against the Titans, who had given up just one all season.  Favre, meanwhile, has thrown just one interception in the past three games.  On Sunday, Schottenheimer went to a short, quick-release passing game to temper the Titans pass rush and gashed them with old-fashioned, smash-mouth running plays, usually to the right side where Moore and Damien Woody reside.  Clearly, Favre has stopped taking the chances he took early in the season, but don't dare call him a game manager.  "I don't know if I like the term 'managing a game,'" he said. "I think that's a polite way of saying 'don't lose it for us.' All I want to do is win. I'd like to think that I've won my share of games and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

I think the best move the Jets made this off season was making Bill Callahan their offensive line coach.  Bill is one of the best coaches in the NFL, and in spite of the Nebraska experience, he is still a great coach.  He is a hard worker, he is detailed, and his players love him.  He also can think outside the box and, along with Brian Schottenheimer, has given the Jets some depth to their offensive thinking.  As they learned more about their players, they have been able to add more and more to the game plan and they are hard to prepare for each week.  They can run everything and anything.  As a defensive coach, you just have to win your match-ups and not defend the plays.  With the emergence of Keller as a pass catcher and the best slant runner on the team, the Jets have given Favre a viable inside option and a tough player for most teams to match.  Keller was not my favorite pick for the Jets in the first round.  I wanted them to pick a quarterback, because his skill level is only enhanced when you have a great passer.  All the pieces are coming together for the Jets, and if they can avoid the mistakes and Favre can handle the cold weather, they are going to be tough to handle down the stretch.  That game against the Dolphins at the end of the season will really mean something—for both teams. 

FROM TOM FITZGERALD OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE...  “The most important thing is we want to make sure that we're getting better each week," he said Monday as the 49ers licked their wounds from the 35-22 loss to the Cowboys. The team is 1-3 under Singletary, but it is getting better in some areas. It is cutting down on turnovers, it is getting improved play at quarterback, and its defense generally is solid against the run. But if Sunday's game had been played at Candlestick Park, Terrell Owens might have danced on the 49ers' insignia at midfield, the way he famously celebrated on the Dallas star when he was with the 49ers. If the secondary is improving on Singletary's watch, it didn't show it Sunday, certainly not in its coverage of Owens. He hadn't had a 100-yard game in almost a full year and was barely a factor over the last month, but against the 49ers he burst free for 213 yards on seven catches. Only Don Beebe of the Packers has had more receiving yardage against them, with 220 in 1996. Other teams have had success in jamming Owens at the line of scrimmage. Generally, the 49ers seemed to give him way too much room to operate, although Singletary maintained Monday that the scheme was a good one, just poorly executed. He said cornerback Nate Clements was supposed to be jamming Owens part of the time and not at others; the 49ers hoped to disrupt the Cowboys' plays by keeping them guessing. It didn't work. Owens had plays of 75, 45 and 52 yards, working mostly against Clements.

To me, making a mistake on jamming Owens is one thing, but the core issue here is more about pass rush.  Where is the 49ers’ pass rush?  They seem unable to improve in this area no matter how much money they throw at the problem.  Justin Smith was supposed to be able to help in games like this and, so far, he is not a difference-maker for the 49ers.  He is easily blocked and does not get pressure; he might get a few sacks, but he does not have the skills to get the ball out quickly.  He was not that way in Cincinnati and he is not that way now. 

FROM STEVE REED OF THE CAROLINA GROWL...  When asked if it’s a matter of the Panthers not being ready to play or the other team being that much better prepared, Fox replied, “We’re ready to play. Have we been more ready to play in the eight wins than the three losses? I can’t answer that. I’m just glad it ain’t the other way around.”  He was given another chance to address the issue when asked if it’s an emotional or technical problem. “I’m sure glad we were more emotionally and technically right in eight of them than the other three,” Fox replied. “The other teams practice too and it’s hard to win all of them. I don’t think there is anybody in the league that has.”  Now I understand, to some degree, Fox not wanting to air the team’s problems in media and the fact that he prides himself on talking but saying nothing. I also understand his unwillingness to fall into a “sky is falling” mentality after just one loss -- a loss that ended a four-game winning streak. But the reality here is that behind closed doors Fox has some problems to fix.

Steve is so right here.  Jon has to get his team to play much better in all three phases of the game.  When the Panthers cannot control the line of scrimmage with their defensive line, they have a hard time stopping teams.  Now they face an angry and hungry Green Bay team who is desperate for another win to stay in the playoff hunt.  The Panthers have to be able to pressure Rodgers and force him into mistakes or else he will have a field day.  The reaction from Coach Fox is the right reaction, he needs to forget the game in Atlanta and move on as his schedule gets tougher and tougher. 

FROM LINDSAY H. JONES OF THE DENVER POST...  If Quinn could complete 66 percent of his passes in his first NFL start against Denver; if Ryan — a rookie — could throw for 250 yards; and if Russell could throw only one incompletion and beat the Broncos with a passer rating of 149.1, imagine what Favre might do. "You can't have too many mistakes at all because he'll capitalize on your mistakes better than a rookie quarterback would," rookie cornerback Josh Bell said. The Broncos are counting on star cornerback Champ Bailey being able to return Sunday from a groin injury that has kept him out of 4 1/2 games. Solving the team's problems at safety isn't as easy as getting a key player back from injury. The Broncos have started three players at free safety alone: Marlon McCree for seven games, Lowry for three and Roderick Rogers for one. McCree briefly lost the starting job to Lowry before the New England game, won it back, and then sprained his ankle Nov. 2 against Miami and hasn't played since. He will be out for at least two more weeks, coach Mike Shanahan said.

I keep hearing about all the injuries Denver has with their defense this year, as if that is the reason for their poor play.  Hello, they were bad BEFORE any of these players got hurt.  They can get them all back and you know what?  They will still be bad.  And what the Broncos defensive coaches need to do each week as they prepare a game plan is what Curly of the Three Stooges use to do when he was in a row boat and discovered a hole in it.  Curly decided to drill another hole to let the water out and relive the problem from his first hole.  That is how the Broncos must set up their game plan.  They might plug one hole, but they open another and at some point this boat will sink.  This is not an injury problem—this is a talent problem.  Anytime Denver plays a big physical team, they will lose. 

FROM JUDD ZULGAD OF THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE...  "I think we're leaving a lot on the table," Shiancoe said a day after the Vikings' 30-12 victory at Jacksonville. "This could be one of the best offenses in the league, and we have all the potential. We have [Adrian Peterson], we have Bernard, Bobby Wade, Sidney [Rice] and our offensive line is good. I feel with our running game it should really open up our passing game and vice versa. I feel like we really need to get it together when it comes to our offense." That is especially true given the Vikings (6-5) will play host to the Chicago Bears on Sunday in a game between two teams tied for the NFC North lead. The Green Bay Packers fell to 5-6 after losing 51-29 to New Orleans on Monday night.

I don't know how the Vikings do it on offense.  They are boring and they are predictable, but they have found a way to win, which is all that matters.  I have had players who were there tell me that the offense is so vanilla; they referred to it as "Day One Installation" for most teams during camp.  So as we enter the home stretch, the Vikings are going to have to prove they can find a passing game because it will matter for the playoff run.  The Vikings have only two more road games, and one of them is against the Lions. 

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