16 Dec 2008

QUOTE:  “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.” ~ Peter Drucker

FROM JOE POSNANSKI OF THE KANSAS CITY STAR... Clark Hunt is very careful.  This is one thing we have come to know about him. He is careful with his words, and he is conservative by nature, and he sounds patient all the time, and he likes to say positive things. What do we really know about him? He does not seem the type of guy who would throw a beer can at the television set, but it’s hard to tell. He does not seem the type of guy who would scream at an official who blows a call, but nobody knows for sure. Truth is, I’m not sure that before Monday Clark Hunt had given us any sense at all of what’s going on in his mind.  Hot dog or hamburger? Ginger or Mary Ann?  Gates or Bryant’s?  Pearl Jam or Nirvana? I don’t think any of us could really tell. Monday, though, some of that changed. Monday, Clark Hunt announced that Carl Peterson had resigned as president, general manager and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, that’s what the honking horns and fireworks were all about. Yes, that’s why you saw complete strangers kissing on every street corner.

Clark Hunt was serious, he cleared the air and he has firmly placed his stamp on the future of his team.  He made it very clear that he’s been paying attention and wants a new direction for the Chiefs.  This does not mean rapid changes are coming. They may, but Hunt is going to follow the old carpenter’s rule: measure twice, cut once.  What it does mean is that Clark Hunt clearly understands leadership.  He understands and welcomes the challenges that await him as he moves the organization forward.   His role as owner and chief executive is to set the direction, the philosophy, and make sure he clearly defines what he is looking for in the next general manager.  He was honest and forthcoming, and he allowed everyone currently in the Chiefs organization to know there is no sense applying for the new job.  Direction and honesty are very important at times likes these, and Hunt did both very well.  I suspect he will find the right person. 

HERE IS MY VIDEO TAKE ON THE SITUATION FROM NFL NETWORK LAST NIGHT..

FROM BARRY SRVLUGA OF THE WASHINGTON POST... Zorn, in his first year as a head coach at any level, said he had not spoken with team owner Daniel Snyder or Executive Vice President for Football Operations Vinny Cerrato about his immediate future with the team, but said both had offered "tremendous support." He gave his players yesterday off, he said, so he could turn the attention to himself, an evaluation that he indicated might be scathing.  "I always ask the players to be very honest when they look at the game, and be very self-critical," Zorn said. "And so that's what I'm going to be to myself, just criticize my overall coaching [of] this football team. Where do I need to improve, not only on Sunday, but on Wednesday, on . . . all the game-planning, all the paying attention to the detail?  Those are things that I need to make good use of this time, and I will, because it hurts. I feel -- I just feel like the worst coach in America to have to lose the way we're losing."  Such public self-flagellation marks a departure from Zorn's recent Monday news conferences during this skid, which reached a nadir with Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Bengals, who had just one previous win. After the Redskins lost to potentially playoff-bound Pittsburgh, Dallas, the New York Giants and Baltimore, Zorn spoke most frequently about his players' lack of execution, even as he praised their effort and commitment. Yesterday, in a 21-minute address to two dozen media members at Redskins Park, Zorn again said he appreciated the players' work ethic both in practice and in games, but did not once mention the word "execution."

I admire Jim Zorn for his honesty and willingness to look internally at the potential problems.  The reality is his team is changing, and he is not adapting to change on and off the field.  He cannot run the same offense he ran when his offensive line was healthy and vibrant. The other problem is that Zorn, as the team’s play caller, moves further and further away from the team as the season moves along.  When his side of the ball does not have success, his locker room loses confidence in his ability.  When you call plays and run a side of the ball, you have to have success to win over the room.  If you do not have success, it’s hard to be a head coach.  The biggest problem in Washington is that, when you hire an offensive coordinator to be the head coach and things go bad, there is no head coach.  Every day, as Zorn tried to get his offense moving, he moved further away from being the head coach, and now, when times are tough, he cannot just assume the role.  When you get a head-coaching job, you have to act and behave like a head coach. 

HERE IS MY VIEW ON THE REDSKINS LAST NIGHT...

FROM TODD ARCHER OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS... With two games to go, Ware is the NFL sack leader with 19, just 3 ½ away from tying Michael Strahan's season record.  "He should have 20," coach Wade Phillips said. "We had one earlier in the year where he ran the quarterback out of bounds, and they gave it to Zach [Thomas]."  Ware is one of 10 players to have at least 19 sacks in a season since 1982. The Cowboys' final two opponents, Baltimore (25) and Philadelphia (18), have allowed 43 sacks this season.  But Ware is not counting, even though he is so close to NFL history.  "I know where I am, but really what's gotten me there is not thinking about it and just playing and assessing it at the end of the game," Ware said.  The pass rush has been the big catalyst as the Cowboys make a push to the playoffs, and it has not been just Ware.  The Cowboys lead the NFL with 53 sacks. Thirteen different defenders have recorded at least one, compared to 10 last year.

Despite all the talk about Romo, Witten and T.O., the main reason the Cowboys have been able to win and play well the past seven weeks is their defense.  They are coming after the passer with great power and explosion, they are playing physical and they are hard to run the ball on. Most important, they are keeping teams from making big plays on them.  Their corners are benefiting from the pass rush and the ball coming out quicker.  They have 33 sacks in the last seven games and have reduced their points allowed by almost 10 per game.  They are now playing defense the right way and in a way that will help them in the playoffs.  This week, they face the Ravens, who will challenge their run defense and will know -- based on Cam Cameron working against Wade Phillips every day in practice at San Diego -- how to attack their scheme.  This game will be tough on the Cowboys, as the best way to succeed on offense is to attack the techniques and fundamentals of the opponent’s defense. 

FROM AARON WILSON OF THE CARROLL COUNTY TIMES... Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh finally got his explanation from the NFL brass regarding referee Walt Coleman's controversial decision to award Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes with a game-winning touchdown following an instant-replay review.  And it's safe to say that after talking with NFL director of officiating Mike Pereira that Harbaugh still isn't satisfied or believes that the football broke the plane of the goal line when Holmes tapped his cleats inside the end zone. Harbaugh was cautious in his comments Monday after candidly stating Sunday night after the Ravens' 13-9 loss that he didn't think it was a touchdown. "They just explained it as being a call that was overturned, and they felt like it broke the plane when his feet were down," Harbaugh said Monday after a defeat that won the Steelers the AFC North title. "That's the way it was explained to me." After reviewing the game, Harbaugh declined to reveal whether his opinion had changed even though it's pretty obvious that he remains unconvinced that there was indisputable video evidence that the original no-touchdown call should have been overturned.

"The fact of the matter and the reality of it is that my opinion doesn't mean anything," Harbaugh said. "It's our responsibility to take care of the Baltimore Ravens, and it's Mike Pereira's job to make sure that we have quality officiating in the NFL. And it's Walt Coleman's job to make sure the game is officiated correctly and that replays are handled the way they're supposed to be handled.

When the Ravens players return to the locker room, it is vital that the focus stay on the Cowboys and not on Walt Coleman.  They have to put this behind them and move on.  One of the many strengths of Coach John Harbaugh is his ability to get his team to focus on what’s urgent and important.  Spending time on “The Call” does not help the Ravens one bit.  The Ravens got beat, but it’s time to move on and find a way to win the next game.  Let the media do all the talking and let the players prepare for the Cowboys.   When you have good leadership in the locker room, moving along and being professional are not hard to accomplish. But when you are a young team learning how to prepare and win, it’s difficult to maintain focus.  My sense of the Ravens is that, with their head coach and players, this will not be an issue. 

FROM SAL MAIORANA OF THE ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE... Simply put, it seems quite logical that owner Ralph Wilson and (Dick) Jauron came to an agreement back in October when the Bills were riding high at 5-1, and they were just waiting for the right moment to make the announcement. Only the right moment never came as the team's collapse began shortly thereafter and the free fall still hasn't stopped. In fact, it gained precipitous momentum thanks to the inconceivable way the Bills lost to the Jets at the Meadowlands with Jauron playing a starring and blundering role in the debacle. If Schefter is correct and Jauron has signed a new contract, it seems clear that the Bills are trying to put off making the embarrassing announcement of Jauron's return for as long as possible, which means until this promising-turned-woeful season is complete  And then things will get really interesting. Will Wilson, who is clearly disgusted with what has taken place the last two months, eat the contract — perhaps worth as much as $6 million in total — in order to rid the Bills of Jauron? Wilson was asked again Sunday about Jauron's mysterious deal and he ducked the question by saying "Did you see that fumble? It was terrible, wasn't it?" Well, yes it was, and while it was quarterback J.P. Losman coughing the ball up, it was Jauron who put him in position to lose the game. Jauron took the blame for calling a rollout pass with 2:06 remaining that ended with Losman's fumble being recovered and returned for the winning touchdown by the Jets' Shaun Ellis. Jauron's performance this season has been poor, and there is no debate on the issue. This was merely the newest chapter. His team feasted on an early-season schedule to get off to a 5-1 start, and then once the competition started getting stiffer, the Bills had about as much chance for survival as a cheap chair does under Langston Walker.

The reality here is that Eric Mangini made the wrong call in the game, not Dick Jauron.  You never call a timeout when the clock is under 2:10 because part of the reason for calling a timeout is to force a specific play call.  When the clock is under 2:10, then the run/pass option is in play, and as a defense, you have to defend the whole playbook.  Had Mangini let the clock run down to the two-minute warning, the Bills would have been forced to only run the ball at that point since the clock and the Jets were the opponent.  Now, the Bills made a mistake because putting the ball in J.P.’s hand was a bad play. But in the reality of game management, they did the right thing.  They should have spread the field and forced the Jets to have to declare their hand and then maybe taken a shot down the field. But as mad as Bills fans are at Jauron, he fundamentally made the right decision -- but they did make a bad call.   

FROM DALE ROBERTSON OF THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE... None of that sounds worthy of applause, much less a standing ovation. But, because sports tend to be a what-have-you-done-for-us-lately business, it still feels right to be genuinely excited about where the Texans are today after a franchise-high-water-mark victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday extended their longest-ever winning streak to four games. They key words of late?  Consistency and confidence. The former begets the latter. “We’ve just been very consistent in what we’re doing,” head coach Gary Kubiak said Monday. “All the games we’ve played in the last month have looked much the same. We’ve protected the ball better than we did earlier in the season, and we’re making plays in crunch time. That’s the difference in winning and losing in this league.” As satisfying as beating the Browns, Jaguars and the Packers had been, holding off the previously 12-1 Titans represented the Texans’ longest stride yet. They realize their biggest hurdle going forward is finding a way to level the playing field with Tennessee and Indianapolis, who have won a combined 24 of 28 meetings. Their reality is this, Kubiak said: “You’re not going to get out of this division without having one heck of a year.”

The problems with the Texans are still very much there even though they have won the last four games.  The problems are not going go away, and if they are not corrected, next year they will start slow and lose on the road once again.  The Texans can move the ball on anyone, but they are not going to stop teams from moving the ball on them.  When they had a chance to get off the field in the Colt game, they could not make a play.  The hardest thing to do when you win is to maintain a sense of objectivity and be real about what it takes to win the Super Bowl.   It takes toughness to ask tough questions, and the Texans cannot be satisfied with their turnaround.  I know this: If they make one or two right moves this off-season, they will be a playoff team in ’09. But if they make the wrong moves, many in the organization will lose their jobs. 

FROM BOB MCMANAMAN OF THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC... Making matters worse, the Cardinals venture to New England on Sunday against yet another desperate team in the Patriots (9-5), and some players, such as veteran nose tackle Bryan Robinson, aren't convinced every Arizona player is in tune with what's at stake. Other veterans -- Warner, safety Adrian Wilson and linebacker Karlos Dansby -- agreed. That's never a good sign for a playoff-bound team in December that is struggling, especially one that hasn't been there in a while. "After a game like that," Robinson said of the Vikings' debacle, "there's no way you can say we're all on the same page. It's pretty obvious we aren't. The one thing we know about this league, though, is winning cures everything." There has been debate about a post-division-clinching hangover clouding the Cardinals' efforts Sunday; that perhaps not enough players have been there before to know how to react and file away last week's victory over the Rams.  But it had better happen now, because the handful of veterans in the room are about to scream it to any of those who aren't focused and prepared for a road date in New England. "It's a concern right now," Dansby said, when asked if all 53 players are on the same page. "It's a wake-up call and everybody has to find out what's going on and get everything right.

The Cards do not seem to understand that you must always play at a high level to win in the NFL.  They are not the kind of team that can turn it on and off, and they have to prepare each week as if the Super Bowl is at stake.  As players, they cannot cut corners. They have to bring their A games every week.  They are a young team, and even some of their older players are not used to winning each week.  You may ask, what about Kurt Warner? He has to know what it takes.  Well, I’m sure he does, but he is not the leader of the team.  He is a good player and he is a good teammate, but he is the kind of player that people follow because of his actions, not his words.  When your quarterback is not the main leader, it creates a huge void on the team, and there has to be some other significant player to pick up the pieces.  This is hard to find and it’s hard on the coaches and the front office.  When your quarterback is your leader, it makes everyone’s job easier. When he’s not, you have to find alternative ways to fix problems. 

FROM CHIP SCOGGINS OF THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR... Vikings coach Brad Childress announced Monday that Williams suffered a broken right shoulder in Sunday's 35-14 victory at Arizona and will be sidelined two to six weeks. Williams was carted to the locker room after suffering the injury early in the third quarter, when he appeared to collide with teammate Chad Greenway trying to tackle Cardinals tight end Ben Patrick.  His return likely would fall in the middle of Childress' timetable, assuming the Vikings made the playoffs and advanced. "Pat's a tough guy," Childress said. "There is a certain amount of healing that has to happen and then he has to get the arm to move the way he wants to." Williams will miss the final two regular-season games at the very least. His status for any potential playoff games will be determined by how quickly the fracture heals.

Tampa Bay has lost two starting defensive tackles and now struggle to play run defense.  Therefore, when the Vikings lose one of their main run defenders, there is going to be an impact.  In addition, losing a player like Pat Williams will affect how Kevin Williams plays.  Pat does so much for Kevin that does not show up in the stat sheet.  The game this week against the Falcons will test their backups.