National Football Post Diner News

4 Dec 2008

QUOTE:  We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. ~ Martin Luther King

FROM AP AND KSTP.COM... Hennepin County judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the National Football League, allowing the Minnesota Vikings' Kevin and Pat Williams to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions, pending another hearing expected in the new few days. The two went to court Wednesday to block their suspensions for violating the NFL's anti-doping policy, and sought the temporary restraining order in order to continue playing with the team. "I think it's a shame. I think it's abusive. I think that the NFL, frankly, should be ashamed of itself for how it's treated the players in this regard. This whole situation has put a real scar on the integrity of the league," said the Williamses' attorney, Peter Ginsberg. Ginsberg admits his victory in court could lead to a flood of players going to court if they don't like their punishment. "I hope the NFL's program isn't toppled. I hope that this is a first step towards correcting some problems the program clearly has," said Ginsberg. The NFL has several options. Thursday it will likely either ask for another hearing before the same judge or take the entire case to federal court and hope for a better outcome before Sunday. According to a 5 Eyewitness News reporter, the Williamses were seen leaving the courthouse in Minneapolis, and were heard stating they were heading to the Vikings' practice facility in Eden Prairie.

I am not sure this will topple the NFL drug policy, but it does cause some concern for how the NFL can fully enforce its suspensions.  When guys have weight clauses in their contracts they will always look for ways to make weight on their weigh-in day.  There seems to be a lot of gray area about the pill in question, and the fact that the players are suing the manufacturer  -- and the manufacturer admits it did not included the substance in its breakdown -- raises some concerns.  I really feel the NFL should have tabled this until the off-season and then issued suspensions for next year.  This was a weight problem, not a steroid problem, and there is not a competitive advantage to ingesting this pill.  So why embarrass your drug policy? And why not just handle this in the off-season?  All these distractions will not help the Vikings; they will need to have their full focus to beat the Lions, who clearly see this game as their best chance to break their seasonlong losing streak.  This is going to be another day filled with talk about the policy and not about beating the Lions.  One thing I do know for sure, the Vikings are not the kind of team that can just turn it on and play well. 

FROM MARLA RIDENOUR OF THE CANTON REPOSITORY... On the day before Thanksgiving, Savage went on his weekly radio show on WTAM-AM and said, 'My responsibility is the 53-man roster, and then it's Romeo and the rest of the coaching staff's decision how to utilize the 45 players who are dressed on Sunday. If I'm going to get involved in those decisions, then I may as well put a headset on and double my salary.' That same day, Savage addressed the team and said virtually the same thing, this time pointing out two of his first-round draft picks and asking them if they were good players. Appearing to lay the season's woes at the feet of Crennel might not have gone over well with the veterans, perhaps illustrated by the Browns' inspired effort in the 10-6 home loss Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts. Savage said Wednesday that speech did not damage his relationship with Crennel. 'No, not at all,' Savage said. 'I've said that a number of times over the years. Management does not dictate who plays and when and where. 'I wanted to make it clear to the players more than anyone else, 'Hey, I don't determine which quarterback plays, who starts, when they go in.' Do we talk about it during the week? Absolutely. Have I said, 'I'd like for us to play so and so,' or 'Maybe we could get this guy in the game more.' Absolutely. But it's the coach's decision. That's the way it works across the whole NFL.' Savage said he had five interviews before he came to the Browns, and when control of the 53-man roster was not offered, he decided he would rather stay with the Baltimore Ravens working under General Manager Ozzie Newsome. If Lerner fires Crennel and goes after CBS analyst Bill Cowher, the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, Cowher might want the final say. Asked how it would affect his future if that control were taken away, Savage said: 'I can't comment on that one way or the other. It's in my contract that I pick the 53. Obviously something would have to change.'

Why does Savage subject himself to this?  No one wants to hear from the GM now. This is not baseball, and Phil has to learn he is not the focal point of the organization.  I heard Cowher say the same thing on “The NFL Today” last Sunday.  There needs to be one voice and one voice only.  Phil thinks he is clearing himself of guilt when in reality he makes the rest the NFL, and mostly the coaches, ask, "Why is he talking?"  I like Phil as a person. He started to work for me after he spent a year working with the coaches in Cleveland, and he realized that coaching was not for him.  We brought him into the personnel department and assisted him in learning his craft.  We had many talented people working for us in personnel back in the early 90's and Phil was one of them.  But we all learned that there needed to be one voice in an organization.  GMs doing radio or TV shows are more about their own egos than helping the team actually win.  The fans want to hear about the team from the GM in the off-season.   The only things that can happen doing radio or TV are bad.  Just ask Washington Redskins GM Vinny Cerrato how his radio shows are going.  How is that working out for you, Vinny?  Yes, I said shows (plural) because Vinny has the time to do two of them each week.  He is getting himself trapped on each show, and there has been friction among the coaches as a result.   The head coach has to be the voice, and he has to handle all media requests.  The GM saying the coach is in control makes everyone think the opposite. For example, Phil says the players work for Romeo, but he has control of the 53-man roster.  That is a clearly a mixed message.  Phil needs to stop talking, because his contractual control of the 53-man roster and the four years remaining on his contract are statement enough.  Remember what Lincoln said: "Well done is better than well said." 

FROM SAL MAIORANA OF THE ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND TELEGRAPH... It's exciting knowing that it's a possibility," said Losman, who took all the first-team reps in Wednesday's practice inside the field house as Trent Edwards stood on the sidelines nursing the groin injury he suffered in last week's 10-3 loss to San Francisco.  If Edwards is unable to return to work today, Losman would almost be assured of getting the call when the Bills begin a four-game gauntlet in which they must win every game just to continue harboring slim AFC playoff hopes.  "He was pretty sore, but it's better than it was after the game, better than it was yesterday, so I would say there was progress," Coach Dick Jauron said of Edwards' injury. "We'll go day to day and it will probably go right up to the game." Of course if Edwards can't practice, the reality is that the decision won't go right up to game-time because quarterback is the one position where practice reps are absolutely vital.

It is obvious that the Bills will have to play with Losman, and I hope the Dolphins’ defensive line has spent time working on its rushing lanes and making sure the running of Losman does not beat them.   When you face a change-of-pace quarterback like Losman and have not had a week to prepare for his style, he can create problems for defenses with his feet.  But when you have time to work and prepare with attention to detail, you can make it very hard for him to win.  Losman cannot win the game with his arm, but he can win the game with his loose play talent and making a few throws on the move.  The way to handle this player is to be disciplined with the pass rush and make sure the two ends are in unison with their rushes.  Everyone thinks that it is the two rushers working together on the same side, but when you are dealing with a running quarterback, you have to use one of your ends to force the movement of the quarterback, and normally you want to force him away from his throwing hand.  In this case the left end must never come inside on his rush and allow the pocket to break down.  He must build a wall from the left and force Losman to his left and feed the rush into the other rushers.  So this is the game where Joey Porter needs to be over the left tackle for most of the game, thus allowing him a two-way go.  And whoever rushes over Langston Walker needs to work speed around the edge, which he will struggle at times to handle.  The Dolphins must limit Losman to fewer than 25 yards rushing in this game if they’re going to win. 

FROM GREG BISHOP OF THE NEW YORK TIMES... Favre never subscribed to that theory while playing in the snow globe that is Green Bay, Wis., not even while starting out 35-0 with the temperature no higher than 34 degrees. Nor did he agree with the criticism after the Packers lost to the Giants in the National Football Conference championship game last season, when analysts said the Packers had been unprepared for the conditions and should have practiced outside. Favre noted that he grew up in southern Mississippi and never saw snow until arriving in Green Bay. “It wasn’t like, all of a sudden, I got off a plane and said, ‘Whoo, my kind of weather!’ ” Favre said. Instead, he argued that bad weather — rain, snow, sleet — evened the playing field. He said poor weather conditions made very good teams look average and gave average teams a chance to “stay average” and still win. The line of questioning accompanied the calendar’s turn to December and Favre’s entry into what could be his final month as an NFL quarterback. (Of course, the past few Decembers qualified as well.) The last month of the regular season is likely to offer conditions similar to those Favre faced in Green Bay, namely the winds that whip through Giants Stadium. What remains to be seen is how the events of the past year — the retirement, the unretirement, the saga with the Packers, the signing with the Jets — have worn on his 39-year-old body. Favre talked of playing in 60-mile-an-hour winds in Chicago, said that playing in bad weather did not involve much skill and insisted that his body felt no different at this point in the season than in any other year. Bad weather or not.

I am not sure the cold is going to be the biggest problem for Brett in the next months but rather the wind in the Meadowlands.  The wind the other day affected every throw.  At times the wind does not affect the short throws -- the first-level throws -- and only makes the third-level throws difficult.  But the wind the other day was affecting all throws, except the ones thrown by Jay Cutler  (I am still amazed by that performance).  Favre is going to have to adapt to this wind, and I suspect that at his next home game he will be more comfortable.  The cold affects the ball; it expands the ball and makes it harder to throw and catch, and Favre has always been good at throwing a cold ball.  But one other concern popped up from the Denver games and that was Favre's seeming unwillingness to run.  He had a chance to run the ball in the red zone for the sure touchdown but chose to try and fit the ball into a tight spot.  This will make teams from this point forward challenge him to run and pressure the pocket in a much different fashion.  The Jets do a wonderful job of getting rid of the ball quickly and mix up their protection schemes.  The weather affects teams and players, and the winner of the Super Bowl has to play the game in different styles and different ways. 

FROM KENT BABB OF THE KC STAR... Thigpen senses maturation Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen got his first victory as the team’s starter, and he said Wednesday that the most gratifying part was the 91-yard Kansas City possession in the fourth quarter that sealed it. The 16-play drive was the longest of the season, and the team’s final touchdown put the score out of Oakland’s reach. “When an opposing team sees that,” Thigpen said, “they’re like: ‘Wow, this team’s really playing good right now.’ That just kind of takes the air out of their balloon.” It’s a position the Chiefs haven’t been in often this season, but Thigpen said the team has grown up — himself included — during the team’s more disappointing times. “Over time,” he said, “you start maturing and believing in yourself. The offense, we believed in each other the whole drive. We needed to go down and score. Two possessions before, I threw an interception. The next drive we came out with a three-and-out. You had a decision to make: ‘Are we going to fold the tent right here or are we going to put a drive together and put some points on the board?’ We chose to do that.”

The Chiefs are making some strides, but when your defense has only six sacks for the season, progress is going to be hard to make each day.  They traded a great rusher and now they don't have a rush.  And it is now clear that Allen made the other defensive lineman around him much better and more effective.  The Chiefs are young and bad on defense right now, and despite the Raiders game, they cannot really stop or slow anyone down.  They have major work to do on both sides of the ball, and the best thing about the season has been the play of Thigpen.  But in spite of his quality play, I am still confident the Chiefs have to address their quarterback situation this off-season.  They have to be pleasantly optimistic with the play of Thigpen, but they cannot be sold.  They must keep an open mind. They need to turn up the pressure in the remaining games and see if he can win.  They need to find out about his leadership skills and how he handles and motivates the team.  He has to become the man in the locker room and start acting like he can win the games alone.  He has to take charge because this is his moment.  Winning games is the key measure right now. 

FROM JEFF GORDAN OF THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH... Here’s the deal with (Steven) Jackson: To this point in his career, he has talked a much bigger game than he has played.  He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, missing eight games the last two seasons. He hasn’t met his own lofty, admirable goals for greatness. That shortfall is one of the big reasons why the Rams are 5-23 since 2006. Rather than complain about the dismal stadium music at The Ed or fret about the fleeting fan support from the Rams' not-so-faithful, Jackson should focus on finally reaching his full potential. To do that, he should:  Become a tempo-setter in off-season team workouts. Actually participate in training camp while he is under contract. Never tell the coaches he can play in a particular game when, in fact, he’s not quite up to it. He must earn the trust of the staff while understanding the difference between playing hurt and playing injured.  Learn how to pass block and master the team’s protection schemes. Then the coaching staff could use him on obvious passing downs. Jackson is a premier talent in the NFL. He is a power runner with breakaway speed and soft receiving hands. When he settles into games and runs mostly north and south, pounding line seams with zeal, he is one of the mightiest forces in the game. The Dolphins saw that Sunday when he blasted through their line time and again.

I think the one thing that Steven Jackson proves is that a great back does not make a team great.  Do you remember when the Chargers stunk even when they had LT running like crazy?  And I agree with what Jeff Gordan is saying here, but the larger issue is that the team stinks and a back cannot cover up all its sins.  Jackson gets too much blame, and the burden of winning seems to always fall on his shoulders.  A common refrain about the Rams is, “If they can get Jackson going today, they have a chance to win.” And that is impossible to do when the runner is the only viable option and the line stinks.  Backs don't make the line. The line makes the back. And backs don't make the team win, the quarterback does.  Backs are a huge need, but they are the icing on the cake, not the essential ingredient. 

FROM JAMISON HENSLEY OF THE BALTIMORE SUN... Running back Willis McGahee said he doesn't have an answer for why he had no carries in Sunday's 34-3 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals. But McGahee said there is no need to get frustrated. "That's not going to get you anywhere," he said in his first interview since the surprise coaching decision. "You can pout, cry all you want, and you're still not going to get on the field. Just be calm with it. Just be glad that you are rested right now, because I could probably be tearing my knee up even more. Then it would be drastic or something like that." McGahee rushed for a season-high 112 yards Nov.9 at Houston, but he totaled 26 yards the next two weeks. He then didn't play one snap Sunday despite being active. Although McGahee is battling numerous injuries, he said he could have played. "It's kind of rough, but nobody is really 100 percent on the football field," said McGahee, who has dealt with knee, eye, rib and ankle injuries. "I can go out there and play and do what I've got to do, but they're resting me. So I can't complain." Ravens coach John Harbaugh has been vague about why McGahee didn't play. Asked yesterday whether the week off would help McGahee, Harbaugh called the question "irrelevant." "When my number's called, I will be out there," McGahee said. "If not, Le'Ron [McClain] and Ray [Rice] are doing a great job. It's not like the running game is really struggling. I don't mind sitting back and watching."

What John Harbaugh has done in Baltimore is build a team.  No longer is it about the defense and Ray Lewis. It is about the Baltimore Ravens. This problem with McGahee is a good problem because MaGahee knows he cannot challenge the authority of the head coach.  He is looking for some sympathy votes but not looking to create a problem because my sense is the locker room won't stand for selfish behavior.  It takes time to create this kind of locker room, and the Ravens have the right kind of team to handle the tough times in games and the tough times during the week.  This locker room knows hard work and knows it has to work harder this time of the year.  The players are receptive to the message and are willing to do what is asked, in contrast to the Jacksonville Jags, where they couldn’t care less what Del Rio is saying or doing. They have tuned him out this year.  No matter how much Del Rio whips his team, they won't respond, they are done for this year.  Harbaugh has changed the culture without changing the team, and that is the effect of wonderful leadership.  Being a head coach is not an easy job and it is not a likeable job; you have to make tough decisions and you have to think short and long term.  But most important, you have to find a way to get your message across in a clear and precise manner.  The Ravens are a team no one wants to face in the AFC playoffs and it’s because they are a team, not just a defense. 

FROM KEVIN LYNCH OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE... "I'm very grateful on both ends: the effort that these guys show in the way they practice, the work ethic that the coaches have, the communication. All of those things go into what we're trying to do," (Mike) Singletary said.  One pitfall for new coaches is their reaction to a newfound authority. Some coaches fall prey to hubris and a belief that they know all. Some believed that could be an obstacle for Singletary, a man with a robust ego. But seemingly, Singletary learned from his first game as head coach, where he drew national headlines for booting (Vernon) Davis out of the game and dropping his pants at halftime in order to "shock" the team. He nearly came unhinged at his first post-game news conference issuing the now oft-repeated line "Can't coach with 'em, can't win with 'em." But at the same gathering, Singletary said that experience was an education for him. He thought the power of his leadership and his immense personality would instantly make the 49ers better. He learned that it will take more than just his motivational and inspirational qualities to break the organization's five-year legacy of losing. Who knows if Singletary can do it, but saying he's humbled by his opportunity and appreciative of his players and staff is a positive.

As long as Mike is willing to listen and learn as he goes along, he will have a chance.  But like his playing days, he must come to work every day and strive to improve on the job.  He must take the approach of bringing in people to help him grow as a leader and as a coach.  He seems to have a receptive ear from the players in the locker room now and what needs to happen is to win a game based on his words.  He will win them over when he has the ability to walk into the meeting room and tell the team what it needs to do to win the next week  -- and those key points are what make the difference.  He must beat a team that no one thinks they can beat, like the Jets this week.  If he does that, he is the coach for 2009. 

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