Black Ball Sports

Eagles – Sigh, they lost another championship game.  Unfortunately, most consider there to be only two types of big games, championship games and games you are favored to win and lose.  Everything else usually gets forgotten about.  The Eagles with Andy Reid and McNabb are 1-4 in NFC Championship games and 0-1 in the Superbowl, hence they can’t win the big games.  But Reuben Frank of Philly Burbs said it best, “The reality is that you don’t reach as many big games as McNabb has the last decade without winning a ton of other big games.”  McNabb has more playoff wins than anyone but Bradshaw, Brady, Montana, Elway, Farve, Aikman and Staubach.  That’s right, more than Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Jeff Garcia, Phil Simms, Dan Marino or anyone else people want to throw out there.  No doubt, McNabb needs to win one a Superbowl.  But when will his team step up for him?  The best example of this is Ben Rothelisberger.  In the Superbowl when he won his, he was 9-21, 0 tds and 2 ints.  And he won.  The Eagles lost to the Cardinals, because the defense could not stop Warner and Fitzgerald.  Case closed.  McNabb didn’t start well, and he didn’t finish well, but he had an amazing 2nd half, and put his team in the lead.  The defense didn’t hold, and no receiver made a play on a close but slightly miss thrown ball.  Think about that last play, where Curtis was tripped, got a hand on the ball, but couldn’t bring it in.  Does Fitzgerald make that play? Hines Ward? Reggie Wayne? Brandon Marshall? Speaking of the Eagles WR, here’s the career totals of their top 5 receivers (Reggie Brown, Curtis, DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant) 235 games, 609 receptions, 8303 yards and 50 tds.  Anquan Boldin? 80-502-6496-40.  Fitzgerald? 76-426-5975-46.  So do you think the Eagles could trade all five for either one of them and be a much better team?

NBA - I haven’t talked NBA yet all season, and not because I don’t enjoy it, but just because the season is so long.

• Andrew Bynum – Good player, but the love he gets is outrageous.  He’s averaging 13 and 8 folks.  Nice numbers for a young post player.  But the way you hear it, it’s as if he’s become Shaq or Duncan already. Give him time.
• Greg Oden – Speaking of giving a guy time, can we stop labeling him as a bust?  He missed all of his “rookie” year after microfracture surgery.  He’s improving every game.  Yes, he looks slow and lumbering, what do you expect he was hurt.  My guess is if he doesn’t get derailed again by a major injury, he’ll be better than Bynum, rather quickly.
• Dwight Howard - Best Big Man in NBA – He’s got that label now in my book.  He’ll need to knock off Duncan officially by winning a title.  But he’s leading the league in blocks and rebounds, and more importantly the Magic are winning big time.
• LeBron James – I dunno what Cleveland is going to do to keep him.  Somehow, someway they need to bring in Championship quality players around him.  They are essentially a one man band, and have the NBA’s best record.  Sick.
• This Generation – I don’t think get’s enough credit for being a bunch of good guys, who play good basketball.  None of then NBA’s star players has had any troubles with the law since Kobe and his rape case.  James, Howard, Wade, CP3, Durant, Bosh etc, have done nothing but play basketball.  The NBA has a long history of troubles off the court, and in an era where NFLers are getting arrested for weapons charges and fights, the NBA players are awfully well behaved.  Think about it?  When was the last time you even heard anything about Ron Artest, the resident bad boy.  Even Carmello Anthony who probably has worst rep of the stars today, it only amounted to carrying marijuana, saying dumb stuff on DVD trying to keep his street cred and a fight where he threw a sucker punch.  Unfortunately, the NBA has a lot of bad history, yet great basketball, and people compare the generations so often but don’t see that while maybe the on the court play isn’t as good as the 80s the guys are much better citizens.

NCAA -

Speaking of great basketball, the Big East is a bit insane.  The league is experience the fruition of the expansion to 16 teams and bringing in notoriously tough teams like Louisville and Cincinnati.  As a football conference, it is subpar, but as a basketball conference it is second to none.  Right now it is hard to judge who from the league is good enough to go all the way.  The schedules they have to endure are no doubt going to lead to two or three game losing streaks for most of the teams.  I can see at least 4 or 5 teams with the talent to go a long way in the tournament.

MLB - Why are baseball teams so stupid?  Year in and year out, they will overpay a decent, but never great pitcher with injury history (AJ Burnett to the Yankees).  However, the greatest hitter of this generation (who actually might be clean) is without a contract.  Manny Ramirez might be a pain in the butt.  He might flake out on a team in say June.  But where is he every October?  Oh, that’s right, in the playoffs making opponents miserable.  Red Sox?  How did you do with out him?  Mets?  Are you serious about trying to knock off the Phillies, when you have no heart?  Angels? Did you not see how productive Manny and Big Papi were together?  Think Manny and Vlad Guerrero couldn’t be as or more productive?  I don’t understand how GMs and owners don’t see how this guy turns around ballclubs almost immediately.

Championship weekend is when two teams and their fans suffer inmeasureable heartbreak.  They are just on the edge of making it to the biggest game and stage in all of professional sports.  If nobody remembers Superbowl losers, then surely a championship game loser is just another eliminated team.  All the good play for the past 18 or so games, the stunning wins and great performances are quickly forgotten.   Two teams will come out of this with relief and joy in making the Superbowl, the other two will be left with what ifs.

• Safety, the most underrated position – Is it a coincidence that the final four teams all have genuine Pro Bowl safeties?  Adrian Wilson, Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed and Brian Dawkins, are more than just line of last defense players. They are hard hitting, big play making defensive weapons.  They are to their defenses what #1 WR or dominate backs are.  Offenses are forced to identify where these players line up, and wide receivers know to keep their head up on crossing patterns.  Each one may hold the key to their teams chances at the Superbowl.  The flexibilty these players provide their defensive coaches makes the entire defense better.
• LT gone in San Diego – Ladanian Tomlinson seems to be headed toward a new team next year.  Typically, the NFL is notorious for dumping players at the first sign they are on the downward cycle of their careers.   So often fans and the media blast players who hold out for better contracts or make trade demands.  This is the reason why.   An athletes window to make money and have both personal and team success is only but so long. LT put this team on his back for years, and now, when he’s maybe showing some chinks in his armor, they are considering moving on.  It is their right, and it may be best for their team in the long run.  BUT, please don’t say “what about the team?” when a player wants to renegotiate, or when he doesn’t play through an injury.  Also, regarding LT, apparently the San Diego GM is upset because LT or his people let it be known that his late season groin injury was more severe then the team let on.  From the team’s standpoint, they like to keep injuries a mystery to supposedly fool their opponents.  Meanwhile, superstars such as LT have to endure the fans and media questioning their “manhood” for not suiting up, or only able to play on a limited basis.   San Diego as a franchise is on the way down.  I think they are going to pay for their decision to fire Marty Schottenheimer and even more so for letting LT go, if they choose to do so.
• Appreciating Reid and McNabb – Even if they do not make and win the Superbowl, the accomplishments of these two together is astonishing.  I thought as a duo their time was up.  Ten years, several division titles, double digit playoff wins, 5 conference championship appearances and a Superbowl trip.  In an era, where patience is short and coaches rarely get to fulfill even one five year plan, the fact these two are still together is remarkable.   The resiliancy through slumps, personal problems and tough losses has led them yet again to success.  Maybe, this will be the year, and McNabb will get to cement his legacy and clinch a hall of fame induction.  Maybe not, but they are no less accomplished than Marv Levy and Jim Kelly, who’s success mostly came in the pre free agency era.  It took 15 years for John Elway to win a Superbowl, and for him, I’m sure it was all the sweeter.  Making Reid’s accomplishments even more amazing is when considering the careers of coaches like Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy, Tom Coughlin, John Gruden, Brian Billick and Bill Cowher.  Oh, yes all of them have a Superbowl win, but outside of the year or two they won it, they suffered significant collapses, shocking losses and disappointment.  This is the reality of being a NFL head coach.  Bill Belichek is a rarity; Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson and other multiple Superbowl winning coaches couldn’t do it in the free agency era.  For Reid, he needs the Cowher like break through.
• Patient Jerry Jones – I’m wondering if Jones is really thinking logically.  Jon Gruden was fired and he’s got a ring.  Yes, his team collapsed after starting 9-3, but the reality is, they probably never should have been 9-3, he’d done a great job getting them to that record, and just couldn’t sustain it.  Meanwhile the Cowboys, never should have been in position to miss the playoffs.  They supposedly have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL (I personally think their O-Line and secondary are highly overrated).  They truly are the Yankees of the NFL.  Big name, big history, big cash but bad decisions.  TO, Wade Philips and Pacman would have been gone day one after the season, addition by subtraction.

Matchups:

AFC – Baltimore vs Pittsburgh

The NFL’s nastiest and most bitter current rivalry.  They are akin to Hamas and Isreal.  They don’t like each other, and never have.  They are going to bang heads hard for 60 minutes.  The winner will be looking forward to a week off before the Superbowl.  For each team, the winning formula is the most basic of all NFL cliches and trends.  They will attempt to control the ball and tempo, force turnovers and run the ball.  Their personalities and personnel are similar.  They are attack first defenses. Hines Ward and Derrick Mason seem like they are cousins who grew up on the same block and play the same way.  Both teams have linebackers who will be all over the field.   Both teams also sport young passionate head coaches and veteran defensive coordinators intent on causing the opposing QB pain.  The major difference between the teams are the QBs, and even they aren’t very much different.  Both came from smaller schools and weren’t expected to have early success.  But Ben Rothelisberger is now a veteran QB.  He’s been here before, and he’ll be comfortable with both the on field and off field pressure of a championship game.  Joe Flacco has been amazing, and the team has rallied around him to make his life easier, however, he still has only 18 games under his belt.    This game has all the makings of a great one, although it is very unlikely to be high scoring.

NFC: Philadelphia vs Arizona

The Cardinals are getting a ton of well deserved credit for their performances the past two weeks.  They’ve played better defense and had a much stronger commitment to the run.  Larry Fitzgerald is a man child with the best hands in the NFL.  Anquan Boldin looks like a young TO.  Kurt Warner looks like Kurt Warner circa 2001.   The defense put up an amazing effort against Carolina.  They wanted it more and proved they belonged.  I picked a blowout in their game with Carolina, I just didn’t believe it would be Arizona blowing out the Panthers.  Meanwhile, the Eagles continued the pattern they’ve had for almost two months now.  Patient offense and dominate defense.  For all the talk about their inconsistent offense, and their bad losses and their tie with Cincinnati.  The teams that gave them true problems had really good defense or at least very talented defensive players.  Dallas, NY Giants, Redskins twice, the Bears and the Ravens account for their losses and all but the Bears are top 10 defenses.  Could they, should they have fared better in some of the games?  Absolutely, but the reality is, you play tough physical defenses you are going to suffer some bad losses and offensive performances.  Everyone wants to buy into Arizona being better defensively now.  They’ve played well, but Carolina seemed to have a loss of identity.  They ran the ball only 15 times for the game.  And it was in the critical 1st half that they went away from the run and paid the price with five ints.  In the playoffs, the teams that stick to who they are and keep with their identity are the ones who win.

Picks:

Last Week: Antonio 3-1, Kali 2-2

Overall: 56-41, Kali 54-43

Baltimore at Pittsburgh:

Kali: These are 2 quality franchises.  They have systems and they pick players that fit those systems.  And no matter what each respective team does on offense their defense is always going to be there.  I hope everyone tightens their chin straps and checks their shoulder pads.  Because this is going to be a physical battle.  This will be a low scoring affair.  And Big Ben will make fewer costly mistakes than Flacco.
Pick:  Pittsburgh

Antonio: I love the Ravens, just not this week.  I think their slim offensive abilities will be pushed to the limit this weekend.  The Steelers won’t be beaten in a game where the opponent can’t score 17 points.  I think Flacco is a great young player, but he’ll have to make some big plays today to win it.  Big Ben clearly has more weapons and experience to win this one late.
Pick: Steelers

Philadelphia at Arizona:

Antonio: Yes, I still don’t buy the 28th ranked defense suddenly having the light go on.  This is what I know, they’ve been lit up by most teams this year, and Kurt Warner can’t take pressure in his face.  The Eagles haven’t had a very good offensive week since they played the Browns.  I think they are due for a bit better offensive performance, especially on the ground.  Meanwhile, Warner will be hit, hit and hit again.  Sorry Cardinals, it is over.
Pick: Eagles

Kali: I still can’t get off my mind that 4 weeks ago my Redskins beat the Eagles 10-3.  But just like last year an NFC East team has gotten hot at the right time.  The Eagles defense has become the best in the NFC.  And McNabb is making just enough plays to get them some points.  I’ve picked against the Cardinals the last couple of weeks, but I figure the 3rd time is the charm.
Pick:  Philadelphia*

Disclaimer* I have decided that even though I picked Philly and Pittsburgh I’m actually cheering for Arizona and Baltimore.  Because Tony picked a Philly and Pittsburgh Super Bowl at the start of the season.  And the last thing I want is for him to be right.

The Divisional Playoffs are my favorite weekend of football.  Eight teams left, with the final goal just a few weeks away.

• Overtime Blues - After Indy fell to San Diego in overtime, the talk of revising the overtime format sparked up.  I can understand the frustration of watching your team work hard for 60 minutes and then after a coin flip the other team pulls the game out.  But the reality its, each team had four quarters to put the other team away.  It didn’t happen then.  Football is a physically demanding game.  Having a non sudden death playoff exposes players to numerous additional opportunities for injury.  Imagine for a second that the Ravens and Titans play a three overtime game?  Who would have any energy left to play someone the following week?  I’m not big on changing the format, although on the radio this week, I heard a fan bring up the idea that the kickoff is eliminated in overtime.  Meaning if you win the coin flip, the ball starts at the 20.  To me this is probably the most reasonable change I’ve heard.  The team receiving has to then gain a minimal 40-50 yards for a field goal attempt and that is clearly not a given.  With the regular kickoff return, teams often start around the 30, which is not nearly as challenging.
• BCS Championship – Congratulations to the Florida Gators for winning the BCS Championship.  I refuse to call this the National Championship, because the system really doesn’t provide an opportunity for underdogs to make a magical run.  Sure the NCAA Basketball championships, don’t produce mid-major champions, but the players do get the chance to go for it, and as evidenced by runs by Gonzaga, Davidson and George Washington, the underdogs do get a chance to knock off big teams and advance deep into the tournament.  I’m not advocating blowing up the Bowls and having a 16 team monster tournament.  But can we not figure out a way to have an 8 team tournament?  By the way, Tim Tebow is starting to win me over, as I’ve never bought into the hype.  But he does seem to be a special college player, although I feel Urban Meyer/Tim Tebow are the Mike D’Antoni/Steve Nash of college, although they actually won something.

Picks:

Last Week: Kali 2-2, Antonio 3-1
Overall: Antonio 53-40, Kali 52-41

Baltimore at Tennessee:

Kali: Over the last 6 weeks of the season the Titans were 3-3. Part of it was the fact that they rested their starters and didn’t have much to play for. But I think with the last couple of Super Bowl winners we’ve learned it makes sense to be playing well at the end of the season. This should be a defensive battle. And right now the Ravens defense looks like the best bet to score on its own.
Pick: Baltimore

Antonio: I really want to get off the Ravens bandwagon, and pick against them.  There has to be a point where the offense struggles to run the ball, and
they have to put the ball in Joe Flacco’s hands when the defense knows the Ravens have to pass.  The Titans similarly need to keep the Ravens best offensive weapon from touching the ball, Ed Reed.  If the Titans can do that, and force Flacco into a Travaris Jackson like game, then they will win this one.  But I can’t see it happening, he’s been too solid and the defense will make something happen.
Pick: Baltimore

Arizona at Carolina:

Antonio: Here comes the ugly Cardinals game.   I just see it happening.  Carolina will run all over them. I know we all thought Michael Turner would do that last week, and they stopped him, but I can’t buy the Cardinals defense stepping up twice in a row.  I think this will be the weekends’ one near blow out game.
Pick: Carolina

Kali: Arizona was leading Carolina 17-3 in the 3rd quarter in their earlier meeting this year. And then Carolina woke up and came back to win. I know Arizona beat Atlanta last week and did a good job with their rush defense. But that was without the worry of Steve Smith on the outside. Boldin, not being healthy also makes this a slightly easier game to pick.
Pick: Carolina

Philadelphia at NY Giants:

Antonio: My heart tells me Eagles, my mind tells me the Giants.  One thing I keep remembering though is that heading into this season, the Eagles appeared to be a very talented team capable of knocking out the defending champs.  Despite the mid-season offensive troubles, the team managed to get this far and I think their confidence is very high.  I look at the Giants and I see one glaring weakness, WR.  I’m sorry, I hear Giants fans talk about Domenik Hixon, but he’s been at best an average, slot receiver who happens to be starting.  The Eagles defense has been spectacular, and Assante Samuel seems to rise in the playoffs.
Pick: Eagles

Kali: Both teams won on at the other teams place earlier this year. Philadelphia has been “Hot” the last couple of weeks. But as I analyze their hot streak they have beaten a lot of suspect teams. And as bad as Tavaris Jackson played last week the Vikings were in that game until late. I expect the Giants will not allow Antonio Pierce to check Brian Westbrook one on one ever again. And a healthy Brandon Jacobs will make a huge difference he sets the physical tone for the Giants.
Pick: Giants

San Diego at Pittsburgh:

Kali: A lot of people are worried about the health of “Big Ben” going into this game. Me I’m not worried at all, because I think the Steelers have actually played better when Byron Leftwich has come in off then bench. I’m not saying start Leftwich, but I’m not worried if he has to come in a relief situation. This is a very similar situation with the Chargers. If LT is healthy they have to play him. But with him hurt they actually get to play their better running back, Sproles. But it doesn’t matter if it is a healthy LT or Sproles against the Steelers defense.
Pick: Pittsburgh

Antonio: San Diego is hot, red hot, and for some strange reason they are 2-0 in Pittsburgh in the playoffs despite being 0-13 there in the regular season.  Nothing more than a statistical anonomaly.  I think Pitt is the better team, and Rothelisberger had a nice break to prepare for this game.  Darren Sproles was great last week, but in a way they used him too much.  If he is also going to return kicks in this one, I fear he’ll breakdown.  The Steelers are too big, too physical and too determined.
Pick: Pittsburgh

End of Year Awards:

MVP – This award was back and forth all year.  From the first week of the season when the expected MVP Tom Brady went down.  At one point earlier this year it appeared that Kurt Warner was running away with the award.  Then the Cardinals tailed off or should I say basically collapsed down the stretch and limped into the playoffs.  Drew Brees had a historical passing season, but I can’t make you MVP if your team doesn’t make the playoffs or in his case end up in last place in their division.  So for me it came down between Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning.  I think Adrian Peterson and Brian Westbrook are the 2 most important players on their respective teams.  But at the beginning of the season the Colts looked like they were out of it.  They had injuries all over the team and age appeared to be catching up to them.  But then all of a sudden the rebounded and won 9 games in a row and ended up 12-4.  Some teams had better records than the Colts, but none had a player that made the difference more than Peyton Manning.
Winner:  Peyton Manning

Coach of the Year – A lot of first year coaches started off really well and had amazing seasons.  The turnaround in Miami led by Tony Sparano is incredible.  They were 1-15 last year and easily could’ve been 0-16.  But some of the credit for that turnaround has to be credited to Bill Parcells and Chad Pennington falling into their lap.  Bill Belichek actually probably did his best coaching job this year.  And this time without the help of taping teams.  To lose the league MVP in the first game of the season and play a quarterback who hadn’t started since high school to 11-5 is impressive.  But I’ve got to go down to Atlanta.  This was a franchise that lost a franchise quarterback and had a coach quit before the season was over by writing a note.  So Mike Smith had to not only find a new QB, but he had to rebuild a franchise that had been completely shattered.  And in his first season he led the Falcons to the playoffs.
Winner:  Mike Smith

Defensive Player of the Year – A lot of pass rushers had big years:  DeMarcus Ware, Joey Porter and James Harrison.  I for one believe that pass rusher is the 2nd most important position on a team next to QB.  A good to great pass rusher dictates so much of the game.  And of course Albert Haynesworth was at the center of the defensive effort down in Tennessee.  And amazingly all the years later you could still put Ray Lewis in the mix with his leadership and still making 10+ tackles a game.  But for me it’s all about Ed Reed.  No defensive player in the league is so feared not just for his big hits and interceptions.  But also because every time he touches the ball he is trying to score and a lot of times he does.  Ed Reed with the ball after an interception or a fumble is almost as scary as any of the best kick returners in the games.
Winner:  Ed Reed

Rookie of the Year - For most people it came down between the rookie QB’s, but I want to take a moment to compliment the seasons that Matt Forte and Chris Johnson had.  This is really impressive because both of those backs went over 1000 yards for teams that rely on the run.  And in both cases don’t have QB’s that put any fear into the defenses they faced.  So they had good season facing a lot of 8 man fronts.  Joe Flacco wasn’t even supposed to start and many of the defensive players for the Ravens weren’t happy in the beginning when he did.  But Flacco did everything that can be expected of a rookie QB and more.  The problem is Matt Ryan down in Atlanta did a little more and came into an even worse circumstance.  No one wants to talk about it but a lot of African-Americans in Atlanta were going to hate Ryan no matter what because of how they thought Mike Vick was treated.  And there was so much pressure on Matt Ryan coming into this season and he lived up and exceeded all expectations.
Winner:  Matt Ryan

Picks:

Regular Season Total:  Tie 50-39

Atlanta at Arizona

Kali: This game might not even be shown in Arizona, because they haven’t sold the game out yet.  That means even the fans of the Cardinals don’t believe in this team.  I’m always worried about a team that has Boldin and Fitzgerald because they can always go off and take over a game.  But I think Matt Ryan and Michael Turner limit their chances.
Pick:  Atlanta

Antonio: Atlanta has played well all season long, and been consistently solid.  Meanwhile the Cardinals have struggled down the stretch and if not for the fact they play in the NFL’s worst division they would have similarly blown division leads like the Jets and Broncos.  Turner should have little problem with the Cardinals D, but I think Warner and Company will have an easier time with the Falcons secondary.
Pick: Arizona

Indianapolis at San Diego:

Antonio: Teams like Indy with experience, momentum and a slew of championship caliber players are tough outs, even when on the road.  They clearly don’t have the offense they once did, especially running the ball.  The Chargers have played better, and Philip Rivers has grown up. But for the past year, the Colts have remembered how the Chargers came into their building and beat them ending their championship defense.
Pick: Indianapolis

Kali: I’m just not ready to believe in San Diego.  Two things give them a chance in the game Phillip Rivers and being at home.  Otherwise in their impressive late season run they really haven’t beaten anyone that impresses me.  I expect my league MVP to surgically take a part the Chargers and leave Norv Turner standing red faced as usual.
Pick:  Indianapolis

Baltimore at Miami

Kali: Nothing travels better on the road than defense.  And right now the Ravens might not have the #1 statistical defense but through my eyes there is no defense playing better right now.  And their running game has been gaining steam and even the passing game is becoming more impressive.  Baltimore is going to be a hard out in these playoffs.
Pick:  Baltimore

Antonio: I’ve been behind Baltimore all season long.  They run the ball well, and have a great defense.  Miami has similarly relied on their defense and running game, and do have an experience, accurate and smart QB in Chad Pennington (you know all the stuff Brett Farve is SUPPOSED to be).  In a matchup of first year head coaches, I’m going to take the coach with the most experienced team.  Of all the offenses and defenses in the playoffs, the Ravens D is by far the best individual unit.  And much like their Superbowl run, they have the ability to score themselves even if the offense struggles.
Pick: Baltimore

Philadelphia at Minnesota

Antonio: I like Minnesota, but I like Philly much better.  And not just because I’m an Eagles fan.  The Vikings can scare anyone with Adrian Peterson and nearly as effective Chester Taylor.  The Eagles though relish the challenge of playing against very good running backs.  They do a good job in those situations when the opposing offense struggles in the passing game.  I can’t imagine that the way Brian Dawkins and their talent laden secondary are playing, that the Vikings will succeed enough passing.  If the Eagles stick with the running game, and get Donovan McNabb on target, the Eagles should win this one.
Pick: Philadelphia

Kali: Let me think, Tavaris Jackson vs. Jim Johnson and his Eagles defense.  Yeah you guessed it I’m going with Jim Johnson.  I think he is going to do everything possible to take Adrian Peterson out of the game and put it in Jackson’s hands.  Right now I don’t think Jackson can handle that kind of game.  And the Eagles up and down offense will do enough to also keep the pressure on Tavaris Jackson.
Pick:  Philadelphia

Roasted, toasted and burned…that is the usual end result for a NFL coach.

For the few days following the end of the regular season, the playoffs almost take a back seat to the annual ritual of firing head coaches.  This year was no different, but there were three curious decisions made, a minor surprise, a big surprise and a huge head scratcher.

Jets fire Mangini

A minor surprise, considering that as the team’s head coach for three seasons he did manage two winning seasons.  But the reality was they had higher expectations for this season after investing so much in Faneca, Jenkins and Farve.  By all account Mangini is a young, intense, well-prepared and promising coach, but the problem is he’s a young, intense, well-prepared and promising coach who happens to be coaching Brett Farve in New York.  There was little room for learning and gaining experience through failures.

No doubt, ownership saw the Giants win the Superbowl last year, and felt “Why not us?”.  Hence, the push to get Farve and all the big signings.  And the Jets received an early gift with Tom Brady being hurt, it appeared the division was all theirs.  But a funny thing happened on the way, a momumental collapse after starting 8-3.

All that said, there was one thing that eventually led to him being fired, Brett Farve.  He may never have said, “I don’t like Mangini”, but truth be told, if he said “I love Mangini”, or simply “It wasn’t his fault”, then Mangini would be back.

Broncos fire Shanahan

Mike Shanahan is a very good NFL coach, but he blew a big divisional lead and has done little since the John Elway years.  He never seemed to get back over the hurdle and this year in a weak division with a struggling San Diego Charger team, they should have won this division going away.  I think though this relates to coaches burning out. Is he too tired or too old to coach? No, but he might have been in one place too long, looking at many of the same faces and running the same system.  Sometimes coaches need to step away and evaluate the league from afar.

The NFL changes so much and many times a coach can miss it when they are so focused on their team and the players they have which they have only ever acquired to use in their system.  I think this is part of the reason that so many young coaches have success early.  They use the players they have in the way those players are best utilized according to their talent.

I believe the Broncos had grown stale under Shanahan, and he almost needed to be forced into doing something new and different.  He’ll get another job, maybe as soon as this year, and get the opportunity to hire new assistants, hear new voices and evaulate a new squad of players.  Meanwhile, the Broncos will be able to bring in a new coach to lead a fairly talented (especially on offense) team and hopefully quickly right this ship.

Cowboys retain Philips

Huh?  Yes, the collapse wasn’t all Wade Philips fault.  But the reality is, he’s the leader of a team which failed miserably to live up to it’s promise.   And while on one hand, Jerry Jones could be applauded for not going crazy and blowing this team up, he shouldn’t be sitting pat here.  If I’m Jones, TO and Philips were catching a bus back from Philly.

Why TO? Cause he is showing himself to be the locker room cancer everyone thought he’d be and they’d had no more success with him then they had without him.   His recent talk has surely prevented Roy Williams from growing into a part of the team.  Whether or not Williams was a good acquistion is not the issue, the issue is whether he’d assimilated into the program.  He clearly hadn’t and the fact that Williams, Patrick Crayton and TO all had a problem with the Romo-Whitten connection is an issue that a) the coach should have fixed and b) the GM/Owner should have addressed.

Jones needs to fire Philips and rid his team of TO and big name no game players reclimation projects like Tank Johnson and Adam “Pacman” Jones.  Bill Parcells built this team, and with the right hires and acquistions after he left, the team could have been very successful, but Jones went for glitz and style instead of substance.  And rather than hiring a strong, willed coached he hired someone he could control.  The only thing worse than making bad decisions is sticking with them when there is no evidence that doing such will help.

Make a splash Jerry, hire Shanahan.