14 Oct 2008

QUOTE :  “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”  Dwight D. Eisenhower

FROM JOHN NIYO DETROIT NEWS…And with the NFL trade deadline looming at 4 p.m. today, that only adds to the confusion about the veteran quarterback's future with the team.  Will Kitna be traded, released or possibly placed on injured reserve? There were no concrete answers from anyone in Allen Park on Monday, though general manager Martin Mayhew did say early in the afternoon that the 36-year-old Kitna, who didn't make the trip to Minnesota with the team for Sunday's 12-10 loss to the Vikings, had not asked to be traded.  As for Kitna's injury, though, it was anybody's guess where things really stand.  "The situation with Jon is still up in the air," said Mayhew, who has taken control of the Lions' football operations since Matt Millen was fired as team president Sept. 24. "We don't know all the details and all the information about his injury. We're still investigating that."  But what's left to investigate? Kitna, who has endured back problems periodically since signing with the Lions as a free agent in March 2006, missed the second half of the Lions' 34-7 loss to Chicago on Oct. 5, citing back spasms. Kitna underwent an MRI exam on his back Wednesday and met with a specialist Friday, but the team has declined to discuss the results of either visit. When asked if Kitna planned to visit another specialist, Mayhew said, "I can't speak on that right now."  "We'll have more information over the next couple days for you," coach Rod Marinelli said, adding when pressed about Kitna missing the trip, "I'm not going to sit and answer all that. He didn't feel it would be a good deal for him taking the plane ride."

I have a saying that I must use every day and don’t know who first echoed the words, but it applies to this situation above.  “THEY HAVE NEVER DEDICATED A MONUMENT TO A COMMITTEE”.  And each time I read comments from the Lions, I read some from Mayhew and some from President Tom Lewand.   But this team needs direction, and not just with Jon Kitna, but with everything they do.  I know Mayhew wants to be in charge and wants to be the GM next season.  And if that is the case, then show people you have a plan and show people you have a direction.  You cannot come to work each day and be slightly undecided.  I know Mayhew has to walk a fine line here as he was a part of the prior administration whose decisions have placed the team in these dire straits.  Mayhew has to divorce himself from all the decisions in the past and set a new direction.  Now is his time to show all the members of the organization that have worked with him that he has the overall knowledge to handle the short term problems and the command and vision to handle the long term issues as well.  The direction starts today.  If he have a plan, the best thing Mayhew can do is implement the plan and show the Ford family he knows what he is doing.  He should not get the job because he is the next person in line, but because he is the most qualified.  Dealing with Kitna is not a hard decision.  What does he do with Roy Williams?  The Cowboys have called and expressed interest, but does that mean they are serious?  In light of all their problems with the roster today because of injuries it might be hard for the Boys to make a deal.  He is not going to be with the team next year and the more they can move forward, the better they can be.  What Mayhew needs to do is know what his real and honest assets are on the team and find a plan to add more assets.  Being a GM is a hard job to learn while you are doing the job.   

FROM ADAM TEICHER OF THE KANSAS CITY STAR…Gonzalez departed the locker room Monday before he could answer any questions about his desire to leave Kansas City after 11-plus seasons, the last nine of which ended with Gonzalez playing in the Pro Bowl. That task was left to his teammates, who as a whole seemed to understand Gonzalez’s wish to end his career playing for a Super Bowl contender rather than a rebuilding team such as the Chiefs. “He wants to win,” said cornerback Patrick Surtain, who was sent to the Chiefs in 2005 after asking Miami for a trade. His request, though, had more to do with wanting a lucrative new contract than playing for a more successful team. “We’re a very young team, and we knew we were going through some ups and downs this year. He doesn’t feel he has many more years to play, and he wants an opportunity to win. Who can blame him? He has every record you could want individually, but he wants the chance to play for the Super Bowl. “He feels he has a better chance somewhere else.” Even with Gonzalez, the Chiefs have been challenged the last season and a half to merely make a first down, much less score points and win games. Their offense would be further weakened if he’s traded. Through five games, Gonzalez is second to Dwayne Bowe on the Chiefs with 21 receptions. He also has two touchdowns. “It doesn’t affect us as a whole,” guard Brian Waters said. “It’s an individual deal between Tony and the organization. This is one guy’s deal. It’s not a team thing. “People want to think that all of a sudden there’s this big commotion and controversy within the locker room. Guys look at it and say, ‘That’s his deal.’ It doesn’t have anything to do with Brian Waters. Whatever happens, we’re still going to play football on Sunday. We still have to get our minds ready to do that. “Some guys will be upset because he’s a great teammate. Some guys will know it’s a business and will be happy for him wherever he goes. That’s just the way it is in this business. We don’t get all tied up emotionally with other players’ situations. We just don’t.”

I was on NFL Network last night and talked about this situation.  I know that Tony wants out of KC badly and he is not buying the sales pitch coming from Herman Edwards right now.  But the Chiefs are a very hard team to deal with and President Carl Peterson is not going to give Tony away.  If Gonzalez is not traded, he will have a miserable year, and he will surely demand a trade this off season as this situation in KC is not going to be turned around in the next 18 months.  Now, where can Tony go?  New York views him as a luxury item and seems to be more interested in gaining defensive line help than a tight end.  The Bills are a viable team.  He would really add and enhance their offense and Buffalo is trying very hard to acquire Gonzalez.  But what is the price?  Chris Chambers went for a two this time last year.  Jeremy Shockey went for a 2 and 5 this summer.  So, I don’t see Petersen taking less that a two for Gonzalez and feel like he is asking for a first rounder.  If he was asking for just a third round pick, the deal would have been made.   Unless agent Tom Condon and Tony really pressure Carl Petersen to make a trade today, then I don’t think he will be moved. 

FROM CALVIN WATKINS OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS…McBriar suffered a main fracture and two hairline fractures to his right foot when his punt was blocked in overtime in the Cowboys' loss to Arizona.  Jack Bectha, McBriar's agent, said McBriar could be placed on injured reserve. Otherwise, he could miss six to eight weeks. McBriar left Valley Ranch on crutches Monday afternoon, and the inside of his right foot was black and blue. He couldn't put any weight on his foot as he hopped into a pickup truck. The Cowboys are scrambling to find a replacement. Two punters will work out for the team today: Sam Paulescu, who was cut by the Cowboys in 2007, and Ben Graham, who was released by the New York Jets four games into this season. Graham averaged 43.3 yards per punt.  The Cowboys are also interested in veteran Josh Miller, who last played for Tennessee.

The Boys will be busy today moving their roster around as they try and recover from the disaster in the desert.  The Cowboys have been bad in the kicking game and they don’t seem to show improvement in any area of their team.  Their defense is not the same, their offensive line is not playing near the level of the talent and now with the injury to Tony Romo, other problems will creep up.  Trust me on this one. Romo has covered up many of the problems in D town.  I have not even mentioned Pacman, who is really not worth all the grief and off the field problems he brings to the table.  When I watch the Cowboys I am reminded of when I was in Cleveland in 1989.  Marty Schottenheimer left in 1988 and Bud Carson was hired.  Carson and Schottenheimer were completely different coaches, much like Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips are different.  And we won in 89 partly because of the groundwork, the fundamentals and the discipline that was installed by Schottenheimer, and the more we moved into the real Carson era, the worse we became.  I am not trying to denounce Carson as a coach, but simply state a fact.  In fact, Carson was a good coach, he was a great defensive coach, but he was not a head coach.  So, when I watch the Cowboys, I see similar traits happening.  And what is most worrisome for Cowboy fans is that Wade was hired to be more creative, implement a more progressive version of the 3-4 and that is the one of many things that has not shown up on tape. 

FROM RALPH VACCHIANO OF THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS…We were just sloppy," said quarterback Eli Manning. "Sloppy football. That's unacceptable."  "We make no excuses for this," Tom Coughlin added. "We got beat."  Actually, on a nationally televised stage, they got embarrassed by the Cleveland Browns, 35-14, snapping their eight-game winning streak and their run of 12 straight wins away from home. In their worst performance in nearly 11 months, the Giants' third-ranked defense was shredded by the NFL's worst offense. And Manning helped throw the game away with three interceptions - three times as many as he had in the first four games.  One of those interceptions was returned by Cleveland cornerback Eric Wright 94 yards for a touchdown with 8:07 remaining, providing the final humiliation to an ugly night. But the real damage was done earlier by the Giants' defense, which surrendered 454 yards. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson went 18-for-29 for 310 yards and two touchdowns, including a remarkable 225 yards in the first half.  Not bad for a team that was missing tight end Kellen Winslow, and entered the game averaging an NFL-worst 123.8 passing yards per game. "We knew they had a lot of weapons," said cornerback Aaron Ross. "We knew if we didn't execute they'd come out and do exactly what they did to us."

When Derek Anderson hits the long ball, he is a productive player.  When Braylon Edwards catches the deep ball or short ball, this offense looks more explosive and creative.  You cannot measure Anderson off the percentage of completions, but rather, his ability to make throws down the field.  The Browns outgained (454-373) and out-passed (310-192) the Giants in their 35-14 win.  This breaks New York’s streaks of 8 straight wins including playoffs AND ends their 11 straight road wins including playoffs.  Eli Manning threw 3 interceptions.  This is his 5th game with 3+ INT.  The Giants are 1-4 in games where Eli throws 3+ INT.  Eli’s last game with 3+ INT was a Week 12 loss last season (4 INT vs Vikings).  Manning had 108 attempts without an interception (last INT in Week 1, 3rd Quarter).  Eli’s passer rating was 57.1.  When he has a passer rating worse than 60, the Giants are 4-11.  For whatever reason, Manning was not the same player. 

FROM JOHN MCCLAIN OF THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE…Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson will be back on the practice field Wednesday for the first time since suffering a torn knee ligament and torn hamstring in the Oakland game last season. Robinson has been on the physically unable to perform list. The Texans aren’t expected to wait the maximum three weeks to put him on the roster. He could play Sunday. “I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We’ll have to be smart. We’ll put him in a competitive environment on Wednesday. Whether that’s scout team or however we do that, we’ll see how he comes out of that. We’ll work him Thursday probably on a limited roll with the defense. I think by Thursday evening we’ll have a good idea of whether or not he’s ready to play some.”

The Texans need more speed and more athletic ability in their secondary and getting Robinson back is a good first step.  But this pass defense is not going to improve right away.  Robinson will need more time and probably won’t be the same until next year.  The Texans are going to have to outscore people this year and they don’t have another rusher in their front seven.  Mario Williams is outstanding, but they need another player and they need someone who can force the ball to come out quick and not someone who can get sacks.  Team speed on defense means turnovers, it means pressure, it means forced fumbles and it means no missed tackles.  And if you have watched the Texans play, they don’t have team speed. 

FROM PETE DOUGHERTY OF THE GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE…Harrell has been a non-factor for the Packers since they invested a first-round draft pick on him last year and hasn’t played or practiced football since the end of last season because of a back injury. But he’s eligible to come off the physically-unable-to-perform list this week and will begin practicing Wednesday.

 If all goes well on the practice field this week, the Packers are ready to activate him as early as Sunday for their game against Indianapolis to help a defensive front badly in need of fortification. “The moment he shows in practice that he can do the things we’re asking him to do,” said Robert Nunn, the Packers’ defensive tackles coach, “I’m pretty sure we’ll pull the trigger pretty quick to get him involved and plug him in.” The Packers’ defensive line has been short-handed so far this year in part because of Harrell’s injury, and it especially can use the help this week after defensive tackle Ryan Pickett suffered a strained triceps Sunday against Seattle, leaving his status for this week in doubt.  The team already is without defensive end-tackle, Cullen Jenkins, who’s out for the season, plus two injured defensive ends who get snaps at tackle on passing downs, Mike Montgomery (ankle) and Jason Hunter (hamstring). Pickett has told the coaching staff he’s definitely going to play Sunday, but the Packers probably won’t know until late in the week whether his triceps will be strong enough to allow him to function. Pickett’s recent history suggests he’ll have a decent shot at suiting up, because he’s played most of this season with tendinitis in his knee that has forced him to miss most of practice each week but not prevented him from playing. However, they probably won’t know until late in the week whether he’ll be ready.

What Robert Nunn is saying here is that Harrell has not done it yet.  He is not ready and no one wants him to be ready more than the Packer coaches.  But with defensive lineman it takes reps and it takes time.  And injuries have prevented Harrell from getting those much need repetitions each day.  This is a big move for the Packers, as their defense is not the same, especially up front.   With Pickett having a strained triceps this makes Harrell even more important.  Playing defensive line in the NFL with a strained triceps is very hard. It takes away your power, you ability to shed and make plays, and it will be hard for Pickett to be the same player he was prior to the injury. 

FROM JUDD ZUGLAD OF THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE…I just kind of look at the results," Childress said of the displeasure being expressed. "We're a 3-3 football team. I know that goes with my position. Fans live it and die it every play. So, that's part of their prerogative -- to call for different plays or call for what they think are bonehead coaching moves or guys not catching the football. That's been around since coaching has been coaching, but it's always the body of work. You always get judged at the end of the year. I can't afford to pay a lot of attention to it."

Coaching in the NFL is hard and having to deal with the booing is part of life.  But when you have a reputation as being an offensive guru, and your offense is not being creative or explosive, you have to expect the unpleasant fan reactions.  Brad Childress got to be a head coach based on his body of work as an offensive coach and he needs to use that experience to redefine the offense in Minnesota.  Yes, he got the win, and that is the most important stat of all.  But he is trying to build a Super Bowl team and right now when you watch the Vikings on tape, they are far from that goal.  It might happen, but it will take more from the players, more from the coaches, and more from everyone in the organization.  Looking at the results is what is causing the booing. 

FROM CHRISTOPHER GASPER OF THE BOSTON GLOBE…Belichick said the performance of the defense was skewed by those big plays. Indeed, the Patriots held the Chargers to 3 of 10 on third downs and limited LaDainian Tomlinson to 74 yards on 20 carries. "I thought we played competitively on third down," Belichick said yesterday. "I thought we played competitively in the running game. I think we were competitive for the most part on the short and intermediate routes. "Overall, it was, I think, a pretty competitive game defensively other than the big plays, but you can't dismiss those. But I think there were a lot of positives in terms of the overall way we defended them, but not on those handful of plays." Belichick was asked if the team's lack of a pass rush - no sacks and no quarterback hits - contributed to San Diego's success with the long ball. He wouldn't absolve the secondary of responsibility for Vincent Jackson's 48-yard catch on the game's first play from scrimmage, Malcom Floyd's 49-yard touchdown grab, or Jackson's 59-yard reception in the third quarter. "It's every defensive back's job to keep the ball in front of them," Belichick said. "The intent is never to get it thrown over your head, so whether there is a pass rush or not, that's the last line of defense. "You've got to prevent the big play. Ultimately, it's got to fall, the long passes, with the secondary. You're always looking for more pass rush and always looking for tighter coverage, but you've got to defend the deep ball first, and we didn't do a real good job of that."

This game was a lot closer than the score.  And if the Pats score at the start of the third, than it might have been a more competitive second half.  The Pats without Brady have very little margin for error and when their defense gives up the deep ball, they make it easy for opposing offense. The Pats strength is in the Red Zone. When teams are forced to drive the ball down the field, this allows the Pats to play their solid red zone coverage and make their opponents kick field goals thus keeping the score down.  The Pats cannot play a game in the 20s. They will need to keep the score in the teens and get the game into the fourth quarter.  I suspect they will fix their deep ball problems and keep trying to play a style that best allows them to win games. 

FROM JIM THOMAS OF THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH…Haslett is trying to teach the Rams how to win. In Sunday's case, at least, the players bought in. But with Dallas, New England, improving Arizona and the New York "Bretts" (as in Brett Favre) coming up over the next four weeks, Haslett is far from ready to say this Rams team has turned a corner. In fact, he all but laughed off a question Monday about the possibility of the Washington victory giving the Rams some momentum. "I don't know," Haslett said. "We've got one win. It's been a long time coming, but I don't know. We'll practice hard Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and we'll give it everything we've got to win the game on Sunday." Dallas comes to a sold-out Edward Jones Dome on Sunday for a kickoff at noon. "This is a great (Dallas) football team," Haslett said. "Excluding their injuries, I thought going into the season, it was the best team in the National Football League, with the most talent. There's a lot of talent on that football team."  No pun intended, but the Rams received a break Monday with the news that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be out up to four weeks with a broken finger on his throwing hand. Romo suffered the injury in overtime of Sunday's 30-24 loss to the Cardinals.

The critical aspect for the Rams this week is to have a normal routine and practice with the same hunger and same enthusiasm that they had last week when they were winless.  The Rams have to understand that they need to keep working, keep getting better and not rest on their one win.  In fact, Haslett needs to set the tempo on Wednesday with a pissed off attitude and demand excellence.  The hardest thing to do is to teach a team how to deal with success, not how to get a win. 

FROM THE AP…Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio confirmed Monday that Collier was released. He will continue his recovery at an undisclosed location because the person who shot him remains at large. Collier had 14 gunshot wounds to his back, left groin, left leg and right buttock. A bullet severed his spinal cord, causing the paralysis, and his left leg had to be amputated because of blood clots. The 26-year-old player was on a ventilator for two weeks and endured infections, bouts of pneumonia and renal failure. "He's going to have a long, difficult rehab," Del Rio said. "We just want to be there, help support him. I just thank God he's alive. When I saw him the day after he'd been shot, I really did not think that there would be a day when he would get out of the hospital. He was in bad, bad shape. "I just thank God that he's still alive, and I know that God kept him alive for some reason. I hope that Big Rich finds that calling and is able to do some good in the world with the time he has left here on Earth."

This story just breaks my heart and should make us realize how lucky we are today.  Richard was going to be a star in the NFL and being in the wrong place at the wrong time took his leg and left him in a wheel chair forever.  I wish him the best and hope there is something we can do to make his life better.  All he has to do is ask.