National Football Post Diner News

26 Nov 2008

QUOTE:  “Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.”  ~ William Cowper

FROM JAY GLAZER OF FOX SPORTS…  Browns quarterback Brady Quinn is done for the year after doctors revealed that the break to his right index finger has gotten worse since he's tried to play through the injury, sources told FOXSports.com.  Team sources said that Quinn and the team made the decision together earlier today. Sources say that not only has the break in his right index finger worsened, but it is also starting to injure the tendons as well.  Derek Anderson will return as starter. Quinn met with renowned doctor James Andrews and the Browns brought in specialists as well.  A team source said that all agreed that Quinn needed to shut it down before the tendons tore from the bone.

Nothing seems to be going right for the Browns these days.  The owner as we know came out and did not endorse his Head Coach or his GM, which will just heighten the infighting that is already going on in the building.  The Coach is not going to admit his mistakes, nor will the GM admit his; this is now a fight for survival, not a fight for a championship.  Bill Walsh once told me the ugliest wars to fight were Civil Wars, and most often with NFL teams there is a Civil War going on between the scouts and the coaches.  The coaches are saddled with bad players, and the scouts are hindered by the lack of coaching or development with the players.  The reality is that both of them are wrong; there is no structure in the organization.  You must have a clear definition of roles, and the coaches and scouts must fight the role.  The GM and the Coach must work hand-in-hand as it relates to the team and demand excellence from their respective staffs, with the clear understanding that nothing can alter the relationship between the coach and GM,.   Everyone must know their roles and everyone must be reminded of their roles at all times.  In Cleveland there is role reversal, as the GM is picking the coaches and has a say on most things that happen on the coaching staff.  This devalues the Head Coach and makes it very hard for him to do his job.  Phil Savage loves to talk to the media; he is very media friendly and loves to be out in the spot light, which is fine.  But when it hinders the coach and makes everyone wonder who they are working for, then it becomes a problem.  It appears to me that Randy Lerner, the owner, has a very good handle on the situation. 

FROM RICK GOSSELIN OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS…  All five have more sacks than Haley, who finished his career with 100. Smith is the all-time sack leader with 200, Greene ranks third with 160, Doleman fourth with 150 ½, Dent sixth with 137 ½ and Thomas 11th with 126 ½. But Haley's ticket is his five Super Bowl rings. He won two with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s and three more with the Cowboys in the 1990s. The only other pass rusher with a Super Bowl ring in this group of semifinalists is Dent, who won his with the 1985 Chicago Bears. Smith, who is in his first year of eligibility, played in four Super Bowls and 11 Pro Bowls. He's the one lock for the finals. Dent and Thomas have an advantage over Haley in that each has been a four-time finalist. Haley lacks the statistics of the others, so voters must determine his value to those championship teams. He played with two Hall of Fame quarterbacks (Troy Aikman and Joe Montana) plus the NFL's all-time leading rusher (Emmitt Smith) and receiver (Jerry Rice) in his career. Was Haley a great player on great teams or a good player surrounded by great ones? Three times in the last four years the voters have decided there were better candidates than Haley. The 44-member selection committee will vote to reduce this list from 25 semifinalists to 15 finalists in December.

Back in 1986, I was reading a report of two players:  Romel Andrews of University of Tennessee Martin and Charles Haley of James Madison.  Bill Walsh had instructed me to go through every player that fit the profile of what he was looking for: 6’4”, 240 lbs and could rush the passer.  So after reading these reports, I requested some tape and watched both players.  Andrews was a prospect, and Haley was just amazing.  I took the tape up to the meeting room to show Coach Walsh and the staff, and after watching two plays in which Charles dominated, Walsh turned the projector off and said, “We are drafting him.”  With that statement we drafted Charles in the fourth round that year, and he was an amazing, impactful player—right away.  He was a game-plan player, a player that the opponent had to block if they wanted to have any kind of passing game.  He could take the game over at any time and he could dominate any level of competition.  I could care less about numbers, but Haley is a Hall of Fame player—on tape.  He was dynamic and he was a force to be dealt with each week, and the fact that his teams won Super Bowls, not regular season games, is the other true measure of how he impacted the game for his team.  Watch Haley on tape Hall voters, and you will elect him—because he belongs. 

FROM JOHN NIYO OF THE DETROIT FREE PRESS…  Where America sees a mismatch, Lions coach Rod Marinelli sees something entirely different. "Yeah, that's what I want," Marinelli said. "It's a great opportunity for us."  An opportunity for what, exactly?  At 0-11 and often struggling just to be competitive this season, the Lions are 11-point home underdogs for Thursday's annual Thanksgiving Day game against league-leading Tennessee (10-1). But with a sold-out Ford Field -- officially, at least -- and a national television audience, the NFL's only winless team will be on display.  It's really good for us right now to have a chance to get under the spotlight," Marinelli insisted. "I'm really looking forward to that, where everybody is scrutinizing everything about us right now. And ... with you people (in the local media) all the time, I've always talked about my belief in this team and how they work and all those things. So there's a major spotlight -- national -- coming in on us and I want us to stand up, stand tall and go out and play lights-out football. I'm challenging (players) and myself."

This man is amazing.  He can be in the middle of a forest fire and have a positive thought.  He is presiding over one of the worse and oldest teams in NFL history, and he is thankful for the opportunity.  I do admire his commitment to stay the course, but I don’t admire his realism.  And realism is what serves you well in any job.  Bill Belichick was nicknamed “Doom” from Parcells because he could always fine something to be doom and gloom about when watching the team.  And there has to be a little of that type of attitude in the building, because the NFL is a volatile league.  But Coach Marinelli does prove that being a successful head coach requires more than great motivational tools.  It requires a broader scope and the ability to see the present.  But it also requires the ability to see the near and distance future.  It requires the ability to make tough decisions and know how your team matches up with the talent in the league.  I feel bad for all of us who have to watch this game tomorrow.  It will get ugly. 

FROM KENT BABB OF THE KC STAR…  Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said Tuesday he’s confident that at least one of the organization’s controversial decisions was the right one. Sure, Edwards said, defensive end Jared Allen could have helped this team. The Chiefs are on pace to have the weakest pass rush in NFL history. Allen led the league last year in sacks, before the Chiefs traded him in April to Minnesota in exchange for three draft picks. Time has given Edwards a chance to reflect on that trade. The Chiefs have six sacks this season. Allen has eight in 11 games with the Vikings. But Edwards said Tuesday, still in the cold shadow of Sunday’s historic loss to Buffalo, that he doesn’t regret the Allen trade — even considering what it has appeared to cost the Chiefs. “It was the right thing to do for the football team,” Edwards said before a long pause. “You’re trying to build a football team. Well, how do you do that? You have to get players.” But what if it hadn’t gone through? Allen might not have duplicated last year’s 15 1/2 sacks, but with this season’s defensive futility playing out as it has, even half that number would have been welcome at Arrowhead Stadium.

The fact that Jared Allen did not want to play in KC did weigh an awful lot into the Chiefs making this move.  And the idea of rebuilding is to keep your strengths and add to them.  What the Chiefs did here was what happens in baseball all the time.  Team needs a hitter, so they trade one of their best pitchers to get a hitter and the next year they need pitching.  It’s the “Curly in the Boat” problem I talked about yesterday in the Diner.  Herm “Lets Build Something Together” Edwards is a great salesman; not as good as Rod Marinelli, but still good.  And since defense is his forte, he needs to solve some of the problems they have on defense.  The Chiefs are making strides, but as I have written before, they need to get good before they get great, and that is two years from now. 

FROM KENT SOMMERS OF THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC…  It's easy to sit here and say after the fact that we were close," Whisenhunt said, "but I think what happens in a game sometimes, you run these plays and you don't have success, you naturally don't think you can go back to them or you lose your patience a little bit. "I think we have to make sure we look at what we're doing as far as coming back to these plays and staying with it a little bit more." The problem with that is, the Cardinals usually have no such problems gaining yards through the air. They are ranked second in the NFL in offense and third in scoring, so it's hard to stick with the run game when it's not working. With Warner having an MVP-caliber season, and Boldin and Fitzgerald posting numbers that should get them to the Pro Bowl, it's hard to formulate a game plan that includes pounding away on the ground. "We can't argue with our results," left guard Reggie Wells said. "We've been putting up yards and putting up numbers. However we have to get it done, we've been getting it done." The Cardinals' season stats are heavily skewed toward the pass (63 percent to 37 percent runs), and it's hard to argue with the results. They are 7-4 and could clinch their first division title since 1975 with a victory Thursday over the Eagles. The question, however, is whether they can beat elite teams playing this way.

I expect the Cards to have to run more if they are going to win this game against the Eagles.  The Eagles do a great job of blitzing the run and pass, but they are very effective at moving their linebackers into the A gaps to stop the run.  And this week, they won’t be able to do that as the Cards would kill them with the pass.  The Cards can attack the seven man fronts of the Eagles, and as the weather turns bad back here in the East, the Cards will need to run the ball more and more.  The other area that the Cards must excel at tomorrow is with their backs in pass protection.  They must be able to handle the multitude of pressure coming from the Eagles’ defense.  I expect a big game from Tim Hightower if the Cards win the game. 

FROM JOHN HARRIS OF THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW…  After facing the 7-4 Patriots, the Steelers will host Dallas (7-4) before returning to the road against Baltimore (7-4) and Tennessee (10-1).The combined 31-13 record of those four opponents is good for a .705 winning percentage. The winning percentage of the Steelers' first 11 opponents this season was .450.  "I didn't care about the schedule in March. I don't care about the schedule now. I really don't," Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. "We play New England this week, and that's where we're at. That's where our attention needs to be. I (couldn't) care less what's going to happen in the upcoming month, or the subsequent weeks. That's never been our mentality and won't be."  Four of the Steelers' first 11 opponents have winning records. The Steelers defeated Baltimore, in overtime, and Washington (7-4), but lost to the New York Giants (10-1) and Indianapolis (7-4).

Tomlin has the right focus—it is not about “who you play,” but rather how you are playing. To win a Super Bowl you have to beat all the teams anyway, and if you are a good team and playing well, it means you are executing; your pad level is down and you are playing fast.  But to beat bad teams, you have to have your pad level down and you have to execute and play fast.  It comes from within and that is what matters most.  If Big Ben does not turn the ball over, this team is good enough on defense to win games.  But they are not good enough in the offensive line to be able to be consistent on the road, and this week is a huge challenge for the Steelers.  Even though the Pats are not very good on defense, their defensive line is still very tough and presents problems. 

FROM TOM SILVERSTEIN OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL…  Quarterback Drew Brees threw 26 times and was hit just four times, once on a 5-yard sack by blitzing linebacker Brandon Chillar. Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders chose to rely more on his front four than his linebackers to create pressure and he was rewarded with practically nothing. "As far as their passing game versus our defense, it's the combination of pass rush and defensive coverage," McCarthy said. "We weren't intact. We did not get the pressure on the quarterback that we prepared and planned to do, and he had a lot of time back there to throw." No one is going to suddenly develop dramatically better pass-rush skills, so this is an area where changes in emphasis are going to have to be considered. Blitzing more is a possibility, but the only players who have shown an aptitude for that are Chillar and cornerback Charles Woodson, and they're needed in coverage.”  If the defensive line is going to remain static in its performance, then the linebackers must pick up the slack. At this point, that doesn't seem likely.  A.J. Hawk is still learning how to play the middle in place of injured Nick Barnett and looked overmatched at times in coverage. "We still have a chance to do great things," Hawk said.

It is hard to defend Drew Brees, and the only solution that I have seen on tape this year is to out physical their offense.  They are too good and teams that have success against them are normally playing cover two and encouraging the Saints to run the ball.  If you play all match coverage against Brees, he will wear you out.  The front has to win the game, not the secondary.  Green Bay had too many people injured on defense to bring that physical intensity with their front.  They are not the same team on defense as they were last year.  Aaron Kampman needs to have another rusher on the other side to help him and play off his style of rushes, because he is not a pure rusher—he is more of an effective rusher.  He is like a number-two receiver that is not talented enough to be a number-one.  His talents are enhanced when there is a rusher on the other side. 

FROM BILL PLASCHKE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES…  On Saturday, for the first time, it felt like an honor for a goner. Some of those hands formed into fists. Some cupped around mouths that booed. Some formed around snowballs and flung them. Only a handful of those hands formed a "W," with most students instead trying to figure out how to shape an "F." That's the only letter that suits their coach these days.  "When he came here our freshman year, with all of our blissful Notre Dame pride, we loved Charlie Weis," said Joey Brown, Notre Dame senior class president. "But now I'd say he's lost us."  If Weis doesn't coach a competitive game against USC -- and he won't; his team has already quit on him in ways Rudy never would -- expect Notre Dame boosters to shake a few couch cushions and dig up the $15 million or so that it would take to buy him out.  It could be among the most expensive breakups in the history of sports. But for those who believe Notre Dame can still be a special football place, it could be worth every penny. Weis' perceived arrogance has lost the athletic department and alumni. His weekly performances have lost the students and fans. In his first two seasons, he was brilliant with former coach Tyrone Willingham's players. But in the last two seasons, he has been clearly unable to coach his own. Maybe it's because of an aloof NFL attitude caused by years of breathing in the harmful second-hand arrogance of New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick. Maybe it's because he's just too darn smart to reach his college kids, or too darn impatient to keep trying.

I have a feeling that Pete Carroll won’t call off the dogs in this game.  He is going to go hard and make sure Charlie and the Notre Dame Faithful realize how far they have fallen.  Part of being a good college coach is to be able to make people feel good about who you really are.  You might be a jerk to the coaches, but you need to show another side to the alumni and the students.  Just because you got a ten-year contract does not excuse you from being a nice person.  For all the money you can deposit into your bank account, the scars and the failures of your job performance will linger forever. You should get into football for the love of the game, not the money.  This story today in the LA Times is just one of many going around about old Charlie. 

FROM JASON REID OF THE WASHINGTON POST…  That question is among many the Washington Redskins have pondered since Taylor, who was 24, died last Nov. 27 after he was shot a day earlier during a break-in at his Miami-area home.  Aware of the impact Taylor's death had on the franchise, Coach Jim Zorn, who was not with the Redskins in 2007, addressed the loss of Taylor in a team meeting before last week's 20-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Taylor will be inducted into the team's Ring of Fame in a ceremony before the Redskins play the New York Giants on Sunday at FedEx Field. For the players and coaches who worked closely with Taylor for four seasons, however, a major production is not needed for them to honor his memory, many in the organization said recently.  "You think about him a lot, about the things we did and what we could have done" if Taylor had lived, said safety LaRon Landry, who moved to Taylor's position after his death.

Sean Taylor was a great NFL player and his sudden death last year is a tragic reminder of the senseless deaths that occur in this country each and every day.  So as you celebrate this Thanksgiving, be thankful for all the good things you have in your life and never let the bad times keep you down.  Life is never about what we achieve but rather what we overcome.  Sean may not be with us here on this earth, but let his memory, his passion, and his love of football serve as a reminder for all of us each day.  From all of us here at the Post, we wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and we are especially thankful for all the readers who have helped our site grow very fast in just a short time.  Enjoy the day and remember Sean. 

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