National Football Post Diner News

2 DEC 2008

QUOTE:  “These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues.” ~ Abigail Adams

FROM MICHAEL C WRIGHT OF THE FLORIDA TIMES UNION... Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio firmly dismissed that notion. "Show me an example of what would be an indication of [the team quitting]," Del Rio said. "You might say you don't like the execution. I would concur with that. It's been a disappointing year and a disappointing night. The only way to have a chance to get better is to continue to work." A fumble, an interception, and a missed field goal -- toss that in with countless missed tackles and several costly penalties -- summarizes a deplorable first half for the Jaguars, who have turned the ball over eight times in the last two games. Still, the Texans made enough mistakes of their own to lead only 10-0 at the half. But the Texans scored 20 points in the second half and led comfortably throughout the fourth quarter. A Steve Slaton 40-yard touchdown run with 2:11 remaining in the game gave Houston a 30-10 lead and sealed the game.

Body language can tell you much about a football team, and last night the body language of Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio was not good from the start.  I got a late-night email from our friend Ray Gustini, who wrote, "Not a good night to own an HD TV set -- those uniforms made the Texans look like pieces of red velvet cake, and Del Rio's teal shirt/leather jacket combo made him look like the budget Sonny Crockett."  Del Rio looked like a kid who was made to wear a tie by his mother and was waiting to take it off when she looked the other way.  He does not like his team and his team does not like him, which is very clear when you watch the game.  And I agree with his critique about the lack of execution.  His team’s execution the last month of the season would imply they are not working hard in practice.  Something went wrong with the Jags, and for me it starts with how they approached training camp.  They went to camp with the notion, "Let's not get anyone hurt, we have a good team."  And that notion or perspective is the worst approach in football.  You cannot treat prior success like a martini.  You have to forget what happened last year and start anew.  Much like an American history teacher does not start teaching history at World War II.  They start at the beginning every new year, no matter what happen the prior year.   Now they key question that has to be asked is: How do they fix this mess?  How can they rebuild the team?  Well, the first thing they have to do is get rid of some of the players that have caused the problems and try to get back to a healthy locker room.  The head coach just got a huge contract extension and would be very expensive to fire. But the way his team is responding to his leadership style, he will have to change his way of dealing with the team in some fashion and present clear and precise ways to make those changes, or he has to be changed.  There are no simple solutions in Jacksonville, but the best thing the GM can do is not begin with the end in mind. Collect as much data and information and then make the right decisions.  This is going to take all of January to sort through. 

FROM GEOGG HOBSON OF BENGALS.COM In a discussion with Bengals.com and The Cincinnati Enquirer, Brown said Lewis had done some incredible work as his coach and had he been healthy this year, "This thing would take a quantum leap forward if we just had Carson Palmer back on the field playing the way he can play."  He also refused to give Lewis a vote of confidence because some view it as "a kiss of death." "I'm not going to say anything other than they are the same people that have been here for years now and they've been good years and years that weren't so good," Brown said of his coaches. "But they're the same. They coach the same. They're teachers. They do their jobs as teachers, the same as they did before this year. I don't criticize them for how they teach."  With the Bengals at 1-10-1, there is much speculation about how much change the club faces next season with much of it focused on Lewis even though he has two years left on his contract.  The estimates are that Lewis is owed somewhere between $8-10 million over the next two years and history says Brown won't make a move. But he also has high regard for Lewis, the man he hired in 2003 to revive a program that had won just 19 games the previous five years.

Speaking of change, the Bengals avoid it like the plague.  The Brown family is very loyal to its coaches and will view every aspect of the team before making a decision.  They don't rely solely on the win-loss record to make short- or long-term decisions.  But change is needed in Cincinnati in some form.  The one bright light is the fact that the defense has played much better, and they can build on that during the off-season.  But they have regressed on offense and will need an off-season of retooling to rebuild the offense.  And that starts up front with rebuilding their offensive line and finding a legitimate running back on the team.  But all these problems are what a GM would have to handle, and the Bengals don't have a comprehensive personnel department to assist the coaches and find talent.  They hope, they play "Battleship Football," something I hate (in case you’re new to the site, Battleship Football is like the game Battleship, where you guess to hit the opponent’s ships, no strategy, no reasoning, just guess and hope), and pray they find the right elements to fix the team.  Marvin Lewis will be back as the coach, and he will need to fix the problems. If I were him, I would hire a personnel man to be a part of the coaching staff and work personnel like many college programs handle their recruiting. 

FROM RALPH VACCHIANO OF THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS... Burress' lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, may have laid the groundwork for that Monday when he said, "If they let him play, he will be able to play." Brafman, as a Giants spokesman pointed out, is not a doctor. And the Giants' doctors have not examined the receiver since he was shot.  As of last night, team officials hadn't determined their next move. A decision is expected sometime today, possibly even before Burress' scheduled treatment session begins.  "We're dealing with that," Tom Coughlin said on a conference call Monday. "Today we've had some discussions. Those discussions will be ongoing. We're going to be discussing those and other issues as we gain information over the next couple of days."  There are several things the Giants could do, even if they can't or choose not to place him on the non-football injury list. They could suspend the 31-year-old receiver without pay for "conduct detrimental to the team," just as they did earlier this season. They could also cut him outright, though there would be what one NFL source described as "expensive, but probably affordable," salary cap ramifications.

I think the Giants will place Burress on the NFI list today and deal with him this off season as he deals with his legal issues.  His ability to help the team this year is over, and the Giants can function without his talents.  Burress' misadventures have made the Giants stronger and more determined as a team.  They want to prove he is not the reason they won the Super Bowl and they can win without him.  All you need to know is what Eli Manning did on Sunday without Burress.  He sent a very powerful message to the NFL and his teammates that Burress was not the key to the passing game, that he can perform well without Burress.  Manning proved to the NFL he is back on track. More important, he gained control of the locker room, proving he is the man. 

MORE ON THIS FROM MY SEGMENT ON NFL NETWORK...

FROM GREG BISHOP OF THE NEW YORK TIMES... Obviously, I need to do a better job of coaching,” Mangini said. Mangini shared in the public opinion that he deserved his share of criticism for the Jets’ first loss since mid-October. His team had made the kind of mistakes they avoided during a five-game winning streak. The Jets (8-4) missed tackles and assignments. They turned the ball over. After the game, Mangini acknowledged his disappointment with the week of practice. On Monday, he addressed the errors — the questionable play calling on third and fourth down, the two challenges he lost, the first-quarter fumble the Jets believed should have been whistled dead — and the Broncos’ curious rash of injuries in the second half. “Usually losses don’t make me happy,” Mangini said. “When you’ve set the bar high in the terms of your preparation, your consistency, your execution, you want to see that same consistent level. And when that’s not met, that to me is a different type of loss.” Mangini pointed to parts of two plays he would have changed. The first came on the Jets’ second possession, when receiver Brad Smith took a direct snap and pitched the ball toward Jerricho Cotchery, who mishandled it. Officials ruled that Cotchery never had possession and safety Vernon Fox returned the fumble 23 yards for a touchdown. The Jets reiterated on Monday that they felt Cotchery recovered the fumble and should have been called down when touched by a Denver defender. Mangini said he did not believe the rainy and wet conditions “made that exchange impossible,” but he would have made the pitch more underhand than overhand so that it was easier for Cotchery to catch. Had Cotchery handled it, he would probably have made a big gain.  Mangini said he would ask the N.F.L. for clarification.

This is what a good leader does in difficult times:  it is called Management of Self.  Mangini is telling his team he will take the blame, and he will be honest with himself for the loss.  And what this does is build trust with his team and forces them to admit their mistakes.  It opens the channel of communication between the coaches and the players, plus it re-enforces the work ethic needed to win this time of year.  Teams that can focus at this time, handle the good and the bad, are what separates teams that make a deep run into the playoffs.  And the Jets got a lesson we all learn in the NFL, that your record does not mean a thing. What matters most is how you match up to your opponent.  The Jets, despite having two Pro Bowl players in the secondary, are suspect in coverage, and now other teams will steal the Broncos’ game plan of spreading their defense out in base and making them defend the width of the field.  The Jets now will come back with a hopeful answer to the problems, because they will keep getting this plan until they prove they can stop it. 

FROM TOM SILVERSTEIN OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINAL... Judging from the reaction of the Green Bay Packers' coaches, Charles Woodson will be playing safety for a while. Woodson made his debut there Sunday in the 35-31 loss to Carolina, filling in for starter Atari Bigby and backup Aaron Rouse, who were both out with ankle injuries. The move allowed the club to insert nickel cornerback Tramon Williams into a starting position and get what it considers its four best available defensive backs on the field. "He was outstanding," secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. "He caused a fumble, he played with great anticipation and he made some good tackles. We were really pleased with Charles' ability to go back and play there." Though Woodson played well, one question that lingers is whether it was smart to move the defense's top-performing player from the position where he is at his best. At cornerback, Woodson's moves are natural and his ability to blanket receivers is invaluable to the defense. Against the Panthers, Woodson was in coverage on receiver Steve Smith's game-changing 54-yard reception with less than 2 minutes left. Smith timed his leap better than Woodson and used his strength to fend him off. Woodson was playing him from a deep safety position, which means he was playing over the top of him. Had he been assigned to Smith from his cornerback position, it's possible he would have slowed him down near the line of scrimmage or played underneath as he ran down the field.

When Charles was at the Hotel, he was not the same player he has been for the Packers.  He has been much better, more mature, more willing to study and prepare for the games.  He was always going to be a great safety because he could see the game from both eyes.  Normally corners see the game from the vantage point of their inside eye.  So if you play right corner, the game is viewed from your left eye.  And if you move to safety you cannot see the whole game because you have been trained to see the game from one view.  But at times, there are corners who can see the game from both eyes, and can move to safety.  Rod Woodson comes to mind as a player who could see the whole game, and he moved easily to safety.  It is never easy to move a corner inside. Most scouts think that if a guy cannot run, he can be moved to safety, but playing inside is a whole new game and a whole new view of the game.  Woodson was always going to be a great safety. 

FROM SHELDON MICKLES OF THE BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE... Everyone in the stadium, except maybe the Bucs’ third-ranked defense, knew what was coming with only 3:50 to play and the Saints needing just a field goal to solidify their late-season surge to playoff contention. “We expected to win,” said defensive end Will Smith. “We have such an explosive defense and Drew is an incredible player. With Drew, it’s never out of reach. “With that said, it didn’t happen,” he said. “We had some opportunities, but we didn’t take advantage of them.”

Indeed, they had a couple of opportunities to pull it out and celebrate on the soggy turf. But Brees threw one interception, then another in a span of three plays as things suddenly turned as ugly as the weather. The Bucs were certainly more opportunistic when it counted the most, turning the first pick into the go-ahead field goal before the second one shut down the Saints for the day — and likely for the season.“It was a combination of things — penalties and turnovers,” said center Jonathan Goodwin. “When you play against a good defense like that, you can’t afford to do those things. In the end, they came back to haunt us.” Marques Colston, who was Brees’ intended target on the first interception by strong safety Jermaine Phillips in the closing minutes, had a tough time coming to grips with how they let this one slip away.

The Saints are going to have a tough off-season this year.  They let so many games slip away that they ruined an amazing season from their quarterback.  And what the Saints need to do is study the Giants’ personnel and try to match their team against them.  I know they play in the NFC South, but when I was in Cleveland we were obsessed with beating the Broncos.  And we could never get over the top.  But what bothered me was that whenever an NFC East team played Denver, they killed them.  So for me, if we built a team that could win the NFC East, we could beat the Broncos.  Apply that same logic to the Saints.  Build your team to beat the G-Men and beating the Bucs, Panthers or Falcons won't be too hard.  This means get bigger, get stronger, get more physical and get tougher.  To me, that is the challenge of the Saints. 

FROM DARIN GANTT OF THE ROCK HILL HERALD... Again, I think people want to throw it 49 or 50 times a game, it can look more like that," Fox said when asked about the recent defensive struggles in general. "A few of those situations were like that. I just look at we score more than they score. I don't look at yards. I wish they wouldn't have scored quite as many. Our first half was better than our second half defensively, but they adjusted. They threw it a lot more in that second half, it just ended up not being enough." Such questions aren't new to Fox -- nor are his responses -- since recent weeks have brought a parade of queries about the defense. Notably, the unit has sprung leaks against the run after being so clean in that aspect earlier this season. The Panthers have given up more than 130 yards on the ground each of the last four games (Oakland got yards but no touchdowns). Fox addressed/didn't address that a week ago, and repeated his stock lines Monday. "I don't know where you're really going with this, but all I'd say is we're in the top third in the league in defense. We're 9-3 and it's a team game," he said. "Yards don't win games, points do. I hope that answered all your questions in one." When asked about their slump in scoring defense (five spots in the league rankings in three weeks), he replied: "We're seventh in the league in points allowed, so my same answer."

It does not matter how many yards you allow, it matters how many points you allow.  Being a great red-zone defense is more important than being ranked high in yards allowed on defense.  The Panthers find ways to win games and they have mental toughness to win on the road.  The Packers are a tough offense to defend, and what mattered most in the game was when the game was on the line, the Panthers forced a turnover and won.  That is good defense.  And Jon Fox is so right. 

FROM JEFF DARLINGTON OF THE MIAMI HERALD... When the Dolphins stepped off their plane Sunday night, when their cell phones again were within range after a return flight from St. Louis, the news began to quickly spread to each of them: The Jets? Lost. The Patriots? Lost. The Bills? Lost. 'It's something that you're keeping a finger on,' coach Tony Sparano said.  What was less obvious, however, wasn't which teams won and lost. It was the intricate breakdown of a potential seven-step tiebreaker that ultimately means Miami would win the AFC East if it wins its final four games. No doubt, Sparano said, his players now realize that, too. As a result, Sparano also realizes the old cliché about not looking ahead might be an absurd expectation. 'I think our guys know; they can count,' Sparano said. ``You're trying to tell them not to look ahead, you're trying to tell them not to do all of those things, but you're at a point in the schedule right now where not looking ahead is kind of a ridiculous statement.'

One thing about the Dolphins that I like is they handle and manage their expectations.  They also subscribe to my "Born to Run" theory (this is taken from Bruce Springsteen, who has to play “Born to Run” at every concert but does it each time like it’s his first),  which is they never tire doing the same thing over and over again.  They have gotten better each week and they now expect to win games.  They win close games and they win high scoring games and they have the players’ attention right now.  They got a huge break playing this game against the Bills indoors and not having to face the elements of the Buffalo weather.  And if Trent Edwards does not play, this will hinder the Bills.  I know this: The Dolphins-Jets game at the end of the year will mean something for both teams. 

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