Seven coaching positions now
open; Favre done with the Packers?
While 12
teams and their fans are looking forward to the playoffs, a
bunch of other teams are looking for new head coaches. Two
teams didn’t even wait until Monday as the Minnesota
Vikings and Houston Texans fired their coaches
just after their final games. In the case of the Vikings,
owner Zygi Wilf showed terrible form in announcing
the firing of head coach Mike Tice less than an hour
after their victory over the division-champion Chicago
Bears. After 13 years with the team, they could have
given him 24 hours to savor his team’s win, which gave them
a winning record of 9-7. Yeah, Tice and the team have had
two scandals that the owner can’t be happy with; but, the
guy did beat the Packers in the playoffs last year and did
post a winning record this season. He deserved a little more
respect.
A number of
other coaches got the axe on Monday: St. Louis Rams’ Mike
Martz; after offering a vote of confidence at the
beginning of a tough season, the New Orleans Saints
fired coach Jim Haslett; and the Green Bay Packers
sent coach Mike Sherman packing. Brett Favre
had said earlier this season that he would leave the Packers
if Sherman was not brought back; I’ve got to think the
Packers are hoping Favre will follow through on his promise.
From Chumpster to Rudy
I’ve long
thought quarterback Doug Flutie was a chump. He’s
always seemed to me like a good third-string running back or
a kick returning, not a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Then again, if Jim Sorgi can be an NFL quarterback, I
guess Flutie can too.
Flutie has
long talked about doing a drop kick in a game. In their
final game this season, Bill Belichick and the New
England Patriots decided to give Flutie that chance –
and a place in history: Flutie was the first player in 64
years to convert a drop kick for one point.
Despite my
lack of respect for Flutie, I loved the call. The play was
the brainchild of two people who are great students of the
game – Belichick and Flutie – and it gave the fans and the
team something incredibly special to cheer for on a day when
Matt Cassell quarterbacked most of the game for the
Pats. A pretty neat way to enter the playoffs – I’m hoping
it will translate into something positive on the field for
the Pats for the next four games.
Guess who quarterbacked this
week
It’s always
fun to take a look at who took snaps in this week when so
many starters don’t play. Here’s a sampling, with their
quarterback rating for the week in parentheses: Matt
Cassell, New England Patriots (116.3), whose fumble for
a safety was the difference in the Patriots’ loss and them
slipping to fourth in the AFC; Matt Mauck, Tennessee
Titans (33.3), who has now been on two teams in two years;
Quinn Gray, Jacksonville Jaguars (119.1), whose
performance may have turned some heads his way; Bradlee
Van Pelt, Denver Broncos (39.6), who attempted eight
passes for seven yards; Chris Weinke, Carolina
Panthers (49.6), whom I thought had gone the way of Gino
Torretta; Todd Bouman, New Orleans Saints (74.7), who
actually started the game; and Jon Kitna, Cincinnati
Bengals (25.7), who, yes, is still with the Bengals
Predicting the weekend
This looks
like just about the most evenly matched set of playoff games
I can remember. I really can’t guess who’s going to beat
whom this weekend, but I will seed the six teams in each
division, according to my own personal rankings:
AFC
1)
Indianapolis Colts
2) New England Patriots
3) Denver Broncos
4) Cincinnati Bengals
5) Jacksonville Jaguars
6) Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC
1) Seattle
Seahawks
2) Chicago Bears
3) New York Giants
4) Washington Redskins
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6) Carolina Panthers
My end-of-season awards
Coach of the Year
I can’t
remember a year when so many men deserved this award.
Despite possible double-digit coaching positions opening up
in the next couple of weeks, there were a bunch of men who
demonstrated great leadership.
1)
Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins. Saban
came into a disaster without a quarterback, with question
marks at running back and a whirlwind of critics who had
written off this year for the ‘Fins. With wins against San
Diego, Carolina and Denver, Saban has already positioned his
team to make a run next season.
2)
Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears. Smith
went with rookie Kyle Orton and posted a 10-4 record with
him (including eight wins in a row) despite Orton’s terrible
59.9 QB rating.
3)
Joe Gibbs, Washington Redskins.
Newsflash: the Redskins now control their playoff fate.
After a season (2004) in which many wondered if Gibbs could
coach anymore, Gibbs made several strong decisions (trading
for Santana Moss, starting Mark Brunell) that lifted them
way over the once-vaunted Eagles.
4)
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots.
He’ll never get it, because it looks on paper like his
two-time defending Super Bowl champs slipped a bit. But, we
all know the injuries that plagued his team all season. This
is the one coach in the league who brings his team three
wins a year simply by being there.
5)
Tony Dungy, Indianapolis Colts.
After last season, it was clear that the Colts defense, yet
again, needed improvement. Dungy added a couple key guys but
really made the turnaround in his coaching. If they had gone
16-0, he would have been a lock to win this award.
Honorable Mentions: Bill Cowher,
Pittsburgh Steelers; Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals; Mike
Shanahan, Denver Broncos; Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers;
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
League MVP
I said
before the season that this would be the year of the running
back. There were 24 teams, in my estimation, that would be
looking for 1,000 yards from their top rusher. Sixteen teams
got one; and, if it wasn’t for injuries, another four would
have.
Everybody
looks at the MVP award differently. To some, it defines who
was the best player in the league. Others look at it as who
was the most important player to their team. I think it
represents a combination of the two. You can’t win the award
if you’re on a sub-.500 team in my book (which disqualifies
the Jets' Jonathan Vilma); being the best player on a
shitty team just doesn’t represent what the league MVP
should be about.
1)
Shaun Alexander, running back, Seattle Seahawks.
He leads the league in touchdowns (almost 50% more than #2)
and rushing yards (150 yards ahead of #2). After being
denied personal accolades last season, he came back with a
chip on his shoulder – and has carried his team on those
same shoulders all season.
2)
Tiki Barber, running back, New York Giants.
The New York Giants made a miraculous turnaround from last
season because of this little engine that runs the train.
3)
Larry Johnson, running back, Kansas City Chiefs.
In his eight starts, he has 1150 rushing yards and 14
touchdowns. He has rushed for 100 yards in all eight starts
and at least 130 yards in six of them. If he had started
from week 1 on, he would be the League MVP. But, he didn’t,
so he’s not.
4)
Tom Brady, quarterback, New England Patriots.
With all the turmoil on the Patriots this season, Brady kept
a steady hand on the rudder, again throwing for under 15
interceptions this season (he has done so every year) but
this year breaking 4,000 yards for the first time in his
career. With receivers in and out of the lineup, he just
kept the Patriots on a winning track.
5)
Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts.
Again, if they were 16-0, he’d be my number-one pick.
Manning had another phenomenal year keeping the offense in
sync and finally getting over the Foxboro hump.
Honorable Mentions: Donnie Jones,
punter, Miami Dolphins; Edgerrin James, running back,
Indianapolis Colts; Deltha O’Neal, cornerback, Cincinnati
Bengals; Santana Moss, wide receiver, Washington Redskins;
Terry Glenn, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
--Barebutt
Mountain: Starring Jake … Delhomme, not Gyllenhaal. As a
reader wrote on our
Discussion Board: “OK, why is nobody talking about
Jake's naked ass all over the television? When he got flung
to the ground, his pants developed a pretty big rip. I was
watching and damned near swallowed my tongue. ESPN's
highlights were completely fixated, especially with the shot
of his jock barely covering his perfect, hairless (though I
prefer a little fur) ass. Come on you horndogs, discuss.”
“Jake” is
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and you could
see part of his butt (and his jock strap) in all its glory
when his pants got ripped by Atlanta’s Keith Brooking on a
sack in the first quarter. His pants were momentarily taped
but he left the game to change.
"I felt a
little wind back there," Delhomme said. “The first thing I
said was to [backup Chris] Weinke, I said, ‘You gotta go in.
I got to put some pants on.’ I’m just trying to cover up.
Man, that’s a lotta room that’s open. I might have to start
wearing a girdle now or wearing some tights underneath. I
never do, but I might have to start. I’ll be in football
history forever, there’s no doubt, but not for anything good
but for my pants.”
In a quote
that was perhaps unrelated, here is Panthers lineman
Brenston Buckner after the game: "If they tell us to come
out and play on the moon, we'll play on the moon.”
--Before
getting on to other Week 17 notes, here are my wild card
picks:
AFC:
Jacksonville (12-4) at New England (10-6): In a just
universe this game would be in Jacksonville since the Jags
were two games better than the Pats this season. But the
Patriots are charmed and they will draw the Jags in New
England at night in January (early forecast calls for snow).
The Jaguars’ defensive front will be able to stuff the New
England running game, but don’t bet against Tom Brady and
Bill Belichick at home. Pats 20, Jags 14.
Pittsburgh (11-5) at Cincinnati (11-5): The Steelers
come in on a four-game winning streak, while the Bengals
have looked bad in dropping two since clinching the
division. I know all the experts will pick the Steelers, but
Bill Cowher has never won a road playoff game and the
Steelers may have worn themselves out just qualifying.
Bengals 31, Steelers 28 (OT).
NFC:Washington (10-6) at Tampa Bay (11-5): The Bucs won a
wild 36-35 game the first time these teams played, but
playoff rematches seldom go like the regular season.
Washington’s offense seems too inconsistent to go very far.
Bucs 24, Redskins 13.
Carolina
(11-5) at New York (11-5): The Panthers were better on
the road than at home (6-2 vs. 5-3), while the Giants should
thank the NFL for stupidly giving them an extra home game
because of Hurricane Katrina; the Giants went 8-1 at home.
The Panthers are erratic but playoff-tested while Eli
Manning has been too inconsistent of late. There’s usually
one home team beat in the wild card round and this will be
the game. Panthers 27, Giants 20.
--One
thing that Week 17 made clear is to never rely on anyone
else. Every team that needed help to make the playoffs
failed to get it, while teams that had to win took care of
business. The best example was Washington’s 31-20 win at
Philadelphia; the win got the Redskins in the playoffs and
eliminated Dallas.
The Eagles
looked inspired and took leads of 17-7 and 20-17. But awful
quarterbacking by Mike McMahon and Koy Detmer led to two big
turnovers and the Skins were able to pull it out. I imagine
all of Dallas was cursing McMahon-Detmer. The Cowboys, thus
eliminated, looked flat in losing at night to St. Louis.
In Kansas
City, the Chiefs blasted the Bengals, 37-3, but were
eliminated when Pittsburgh beat Detroit, 35-21. The Lions
played pretty well but some special teams moments keyed the
Steelers.
--Kansas
City and Dallas can only blame themselves. The Chiefs
still can’t explain how they scored only three points in a
loss to Buffalo or how they blew a 24-6 lead to
Philadelphia; win either of those and Kansas City is going
to the playoffs. For Dallas, their most disastrous loss came
in Week 2 when they blew a 13-0 lead against Washington with
less than four minutes left (the Skins scored on a
fourth-down pass and a 70-yard bomb).
--To be fair to
Dallas, Kansas City and San Diego, those teams had brutal
schedules and would likely have been playoff teams in
different divisions. In contrast, no team had it easier than
Jacksonville, which played nine of its last 10 games against
teams that wound up with losing records. Their one game
against a good team came against Indianapolis in Week 13 and
the Jaguars lost.
--Most
disappointing teams in each conference were San Diego in
the AFC and Atlanta in the NFC. The Falcons lost six of
their last eight, including Sunday’s 44-11 embarrassment to
Carolina. The Chargers lost three of their final four
despite people (including me) saying they were the
second-best team, blah, blah, blah. The 6-10 Eagles were
also disappointing, but this was mainly due to losing
Donovan McNabb. The Falcons and Chargers had most of their
key players all season. This continues the streak of Atlanta
never having back-to-back winning seasons.
--The
coolest play of the week and probably the season was
Doug Flutie’s successful extra point drop kick for the
Patriots against Miami. It was the first time a drop kick
had been made since 1941.
A drop kick
is where the kicker drops the ball to the ground, then
quickly kicks it for either an extra point or field goal.
It’s very hard to do since the shape of the ball has changed
since 1934 (it’s less round now) and getting a true bounce
is tough. But Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick let Flutie give
it a shot and it worked.
"I just
thanked [Belchick] for the opportunity," said Flutie. He
felt he had "probably an 80 percent chance [of making the
kick]. It was fun."
"I think
Doug deserves it," said Belichick, who broke into a rare
smile when the ball went through the uprights. "He is a guy
that adds a lot to this game of football, has added a lot
through his great career -- running, passing and now
kicking.”
It was the
first successful drop kick since Ray “Scooter” McLean did it
for the Chicago Bears on Dec. 21, 1941. "Flutie might have
been there the last time it happened," kicker Adam Vinatieri
said of his 43-year-old teammate.
--Dick
Vermeil is retiring as Chiefs’ coach, Mike Tice was
fired in Minnesota, while Dom Capers Mike Martz, Mike
Sherman and Jim Haslett were fired Monday. The NFL
coaching carousel is already in high gear and there could be
as many as nine vacancies. What’s interesting this season is
that there are no “hot” candidates among offensive or
defensive coordinators, so there will be a lot of “who’s
that?” when certain jobs are filled.
--We
always love hearing what announcers say about the buff
ref Ed "Guns" Hochuli and Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf
didn't disappoint doing the Cincinnati at Kansas City game:
Enberg:
"Ed underestimated how warm it was going to be. Full sleeves
for Ed Hochuli today."
Dierdorf: "He's well muscled!" and they both
laughed.
--Watching
the Indianapolis Colts beat the Arizona Cardinals,
17-13, was like viewing the last game of the preseason.
Peyton Manning was in for three plays, while Edgerrin James
and most of the Colts starting defense sat the whole game.
The Colts
won when they stopped Arizona quarterback Josh McCown on
fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak with 19 seconds left.
McGown was first ruled to have scored, but a replay showed
he was hit short of the goal line and fumbled. The call was
reversed and Colts Tony Dungy got a win in his first game
back since the death of his son James.
"I thought
I pushed in and I crossed," a classy McCown said. "I thought
where the ball was, in my arm, it was very minute. After all
the Dungys and all the people in the Colts organization have
gone through, it's not something I'm very bitter about at
all."
--Houston
lost to San Francisco, 20-17, in overtime but may have
won since the loss left the 2-14 Texans with the first pick
in the NFL Draftt, which will almost certainly be USC
running back Reggie Bush. One can envision Texans fans
cheering as the 49ers winning field goal sailed through the
uprights. Even Texans QB David Carr seemed conflicted by the
loss, though he spent much of the game on the sidelines with
an injured elbow.
"You
heard the talk all week: 'Play well, but don't win,' " said
Carr. "All that stuff was a little distracting at times.
Maybe a lot of fans were glad I busted my elbow and
[receiver] Andre [Johnson] got hurt. There were some wild
things about this football game. If we couldn't win them
all, if we couldn't make the playoffs, I guess having the
first pick, as bad as it is, might be good."
--It
took until Week 17 and 150 pass attempts, but 49ers
rookie quarterback Alex Smith finally threw a touchdown
pass, a 14-yarder to Brandon Lloyd in the second quarter.
--Miami
won its last six games to finish 9-7 in Nick Saban's
first year as coach. When Miami dropped to 3-7, Saban said
that wins and losses weren't important this season, so it's
odd that Miami won all its games after he made that
statement.
Final regular season Top 5:
1.
Indianapolis (14-2): No excuses if the Colts don’t make
the Super Bowl this year. They are healthy, rested and have
home field advantage.
2.
Denver (13-3): It’s still hard to see “Jake Plummer” and
“Super Bowl” in the same sentence, but stranger things have
happened.
3.
Seattle (13-3): I’m still not convinced this team has
what it takes in the playoffs.
4.
Pittsburgh (11-5): Ben Roethlisberger is an amazing 24-4
as a starting quarterback in two seasons.
5.
New England (10-6): So fortunate to be in a weak
division and have a home game, but no counting out the
champs until somebody beats them.
