Imagine this, it is 2nd and 4 and you are a defensive coordinator. On the other side of the line of scrimmage you see Tony Romo in the shotgun flanked by Marion “the Barbarian” Barber and Felix “Catch me if you can” Jones. You immediately start to scratch your head wondering how you are going to stop these two. Then you notice that Terrell Owens (whom I hate) and Roy Williams are lined up at wide receiver. That causes even more concern, but just when you think you know what defense to call to stop them you take another look from the booth and notice that Jason Whitten is flanked out on the side with Roy Williams. At that moment you realize that you are facing your worst nightmare and that you just wet your pants. So Mr. Coordinator, what do you call? Do you double T.O. and leave Whitten and Williams one-on-one on the other side (with a linebacker or safety covering Whitten)? Do you put eight in the box and play the receivers one on one? Do you play Cover 2 and give Barber and Jones all kind of running lanes? What do you do?
This is the problem that the Dallas Cowboys will pose to all defensive coordinators when they get their full complement of skill players healthy. There is no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys are struggling. There are many causes, but no excuses for their current struggles. They are currently dealing with the consequences of making a deal with the devil and signing Pacman Jones. The real T.O. is starting to rear his ugly head, and they have been ravaged by injuries to such players as Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Roy Williams, and Terrance Newman. Looking at their current situation, plenty of people have decided to jump off of their bandwagon and leave them for dead. There are some people that I know that are saying things like they are not going to make the playoffs. Prior to the start of the season, they were my pick to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Although their recent struggles have puzzled me, unlike most people, I AM STANDING BY MY PICK! Now don’t get me wrong, I realize that they are not playing up to their potential. There is also a chance that they won’t make it to the Super Bowl. However, saying that they won’t even make the playoffs is absolutely ludicrous. Due to the overwhelming amount of offensive talent on this team I can see them getting everyone healthy and turning it around in time to go on an insane winning streak. When that happens, I don’t want to see anyone trying to jump back on the bandwagon and saying that they knew all along that they would make the playoffs.
I am by no means a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I am simply looking at the situation as a person that knows a little something about football. Looking at this team objectively, I see a team that has some holes in their defensive secondary. These holes came from injuries to Terrance Newman (one of the best corners in the game) and Roy Williams (although he can’t cover his bed with a blanket, he is a devastating hitter that make receivers think twice about coming across the middle). We can also contribute some of the secondary problems to the Pacman Jones experiment. In case you didn’t hear, he was suspended again. Is anyone surprised? I guess we can now safely say that he wasn’t worth the risk. Their defensive line and linebackers are playing pretty well. They are led by DeMarcus Ware (my pre-season pick to lead the NFL in sacks) who is currently leading the NFL in sacks.
The offense is only being held back by injury. When they get everyone healthy they should be fine. We have not seen this group play together yet and when we do, they will be a treat to see. My real question to all of the naysayers is, ‘Where were you when they started 3 – 0 with three impressive showings?’
Picking the two teams in the pre-season that will play in the Super Bowl is very difficult. If you don’t believe me just think back over the past couple of years. Raise your hand if you picked the Giants to go to the Super Bowl last season, or better yet if you had the Seahawks or Steelers a couple of years ago. So there is a chance that my pick of the Cowboys could prove to be incorrect. But saying that they aren’t making the playoffs is just stupid.
The Cowboys currently have a record of 5-3 and will probably have all their key players healthy a week or two after their bye week. Therefore, we can safely say that the best is yet to come. I’m even going to go as far as to say that they will finish the season with a better record than the Giants, who are the defending Super Bowl Champs and currently leading their division. That being said if you really don’t see this team making the playoffs, please comment and name the six teams in the NFC that will make it over them. Remember your comments will be posted on this blog forever, so think carefully before counting them out and naming your six teams.
Oh, I almost forgot about my original question, ‘What defense would you call?’
I look forward to hearing from all of the doubters.
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 9 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! HAS A PAPER DUE
Thanks for checking in. Unfortunately, I am not able to post anything new this week due to a paper that I am writing for school. Please take the time to read any entries that you may have missed and comment on them if you would like (I do check old posts for new comments).Thanks for the continued support. Wish me luck on my paper!!!!
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 16 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 16 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
IT’S HIS TEAM AND HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS TO
I’M BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!! My apologies about last week, but you know school comes first. I did well on my test, so the studying truly did pay-off! Now let’s get down to the business at hand.
I have a real bone to pick with the national sports media. Particularly the hosts of my favorite radio show (Moving the Chains on Sirius NFL Radio, the best radio on radio). “Why?” you ask. Because in my opinion they are painting Al Davis as an old out of touch guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing and basically calling him stupid for firing Lane Kiffin. Everyone is throwing a pity-party for Lane Kiffin, and quite frankly I don’t know why. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of the Oakland Raiders in any way, shape, or form. I also don’t have any problems with Lane Kiffin, but on this issue I must do what I always do and call a spade a spade.
This story has multiple layers, and I will briefly explain them to you and help you to understand why I must come to the defense of Mr. Davis on this issue.
First of all, Al Davis deserves to be held in very high regard by true NFL fans. He has contributed as much or more to the NFL than anyone else in the history of the league. He was the head coach and general manager of the Oakland Raiders when they played in the AFL. He then served as commissioner of the AFL. Once the AFL merged with the NFL he returned to the Raiders as a general partner and head of football operations. During his tenure the Raiders have won five league or conference championships and three Super Bowls. His track record proves that he knows football and truly deserves the spot he has in the Hall of Fame.
The one criticism of Davis that I think is fair is that he is too meddlesome with his coaching staffs and doesn’t allow them the freedom or authority necessary to do their jobs. He is known for not allowing his coaches to have total control in choosing their assistant coaches. Former players have also talked about instances when Mr. Davis would call the sideline from the owner’s box during games to “suggest” plays that should be run. I have no problem with the hands-on NFL owner, but in this respect Mr. Davis does take it too far. The point that I am getting at is that EVERYONE WHO PAYS ANY ATTENTION TO THE NFL HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THIS ABOUT AL DAVIS. Why in the world would Lane Kiffin think that Davis would suddenly change after hiring him?
Al Davis hired a 31- year old Lane Kiffin as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007. O.K. let’s evaluate that situation. Prior to being hired by Oakland, Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC. That means he went from college offensive coordinator to NFL head coach. It is well documented that college head coaches that make the jump to the NFL fail at a tremendous rate, so you know that the odds of success were firmly stacked against Kiffin. Also, we must be honest and acknowledge three facts. The first is that the Oakland Raiders is arguably the worst head coaching job in the NFL. The second is that Lane Kiffin was nowhere near the first choice for this job, and only got an interview after fellow USC assistant Steve Sarkisian withdrew from consideration (he wasn’t the first choice either). The third fact is that no other NFL team was exactly beating Kiffin’s door down to become their head coach. With that being said and knowing Davis’ reputation, how could Kiffin think that he was hired to be anything but Al Davis’ puppet? If he thought otherwise, then he was simply fooling himself. Did he really think Davis saw him as a young genius who could lead the Raiders back to their glory days rather than a young kid who was so happy to be an NFL coach that he would do whatever Davis wanted him to do?
Twenty games into his tenure as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Lane Kiffin was fired. This decision caused an uproar in the national sports media. Everyone immediately started to take shots at Davis for firing Kiffin. Comparisons were immediately drawn to the Mike Shanahan situation. Davis fired Mike Shanahan after just twenty games also, and Shanahan went on to win two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and will probably be in the Hall of Fame some day. I don’t think that is a fair comparison because Shanahan had an NFL pedigree prior to becoming the head coach of the Raiders. Where Kiffin had only been a college assistant (he was only a coordinator for one year), Shanahan had spent time as an NFL quarterback coach and offensive coordinator before becoming the Raiders head coach. Trust me, that makes a huge difference. However the bottom line in the firing was the fact that Kiffin had a 5 – 20 record as the head coach of the Raiders. Last time I checked a 0.250 winning percentage was grounds for termination. So please, stop acting like Al Davis just fired Tony Dungy or Bill Belichick. KIFFIN SUCKED AS AN NFL COACH!!!! In all fairness to Kiffin, the Raiders weren’t exactly the most talented team in the NFL, but they certainly had better talent (especially on defense) than their record dictates. Although I hate to see anyone lose their job, especially in these economic times. We must remember that AL DAVIS OWNS THE TEAM AND HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS TO!!!! That my friends is the joy of being the owner. Everyone works for you at your pleasure and you can replace them whenever you like.
When the story first broke and I heard Al Davis’ press conference, one thing in particular stood out to me. I noticed in his speech that Al Davis clearly stated that he was firing Lane Kiffin “with cause.” I immediately knew what that meant. That meant that he was firing him and did not plan on paying him the remaining value left on his contract (which is reportedly $3.5 million). Although I think that Davis was well within his rights to fire Kiffin, I didn’t initially think that Davis had the right to withhold the remaining value of his contract. Then I thought about it and determined that if a player can be cut (essentially fired) without being paid the remainder of his contract, why can’t a coach? I know that the answer to that question is that coaches and players are playing by different rules, but that still doesn’t make it right. You can’t have it both ways. Either players should have guaranteed contracts or coaches shouldn’t. It’s the player that puts his body on the line week in and week out, not the coach.
Let the record clearly state that I have no problem with Al Davis firing Lane Kiffin. Yes, he did do it fairly quickly (20 games into his tenure) but the record speaks for itself. I also think that Lane Kiffin is crazy if he thought working for Al Davis would be any different than it was. Everyone who follows the NFL knows how Al Davis is, and if you didn’t that means that you didn’t do your homework. Shame on you! I also feel as though Lane Kiffin should be paid the rest of his contract. However, I am glad that Davis is trying to fight it because it will shine a bright light on how different a player’s contract is treated compared to a coach’s contract.
Don’t cry for Lane Kiffin. There is a very good chance that an arbitrator is going to rule in his favor concerning the dollars remaining on the contract. He will also have his pick of available college head coaching jobs after the season. That’s right, I SAID COLLEGE! It is painfully obvious that he is a college head coach and not an NFL head coach. He was tremendously overmatched in the NFL. He belongs in college football and I think that he realizes it too.
So before you go bashing Al Davis and talking about his incompetence and his poor decision making, evaluate the facts at hand. KIFFIN DESERVED TO BE FIRED!!!! whether you like it or not.
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 23 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
I have a real bone to pick with the national sports media. Particularly the hosts of my favorite radio show (Moving the Chains on Sirius NFL Radio, the best radio on radio). “Why?” you ask. Because in my opinion they are painting Al Davis as an old out of touch guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing and basically calling him stupid for firing Lane Kiffin. Everyone is throwing a pity-party for Lane Kiffin, and quite frankly I don’t know why. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of the Oakland Raiders in any way, shape, or form. I also don’t have any problems with Lane Kiffin, but on this issue I must do what I always do and call a spade a spade.
This story has multiple layers, and I will briefly explain them to you and help you to understand why I must come to the defense of Mr. Davis on this issue.
First of all, Al Davis deserves to be held in very high regard by true NFL fans. He has contributed as much or more to the NFL than anyone else in the history of the league. He was the head coach and general manager of the Oakland Raiders when they played in the AFL. He then served as commissioner of the AFL. Once the AFL merged with the NFL he returned to the Raiders as a general partner and head of football operations. During his tenure the Raiders have won five league or conference championships and three Super Bowls. His track record proves that he knows football and truly deserves the spot he has in the Hall of Fame.
The one criticism of Davis that I think is fair is that he is too meddlesome with his coaching staffs and doesn’t allow them the freedom or authority necessary to do their jobs. He is known for not allowing his coaches to have total control in choosing their assistant coaches. Former players have also talked about instances when Mr. Davis would call the sideline from the owner’s box during games to “suggest” plays that should be run. I have no problem with the hands-on NFL owner, but in this respect Mr. Davis does take it too far. The point that I am getting at is that EVERYONE WHO PAYS ANY ATTENTION TO THE NFL HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THIS ABOUT AL DAVIS. Why in the world would Lane Kiffin think that Davis would suddenly change after hiring him?
Al Davis hired a 31- year old Lane Kiffin as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007. O.K. let’s evaluate that situation. Prior to being hired by Oakland, Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC. That means he went from college offensive coordinator to NFL head coach. It is well documented that college head coaches that make the jump to the NFL fail at a tremendous rate, so you know that the odds of success were firmly stacked against Kiffin. Also, we must be honest and acknowledge three facts. The first is that the Oakland Raiders is arguably the worst head coaching job in the NFL. The second is that Lane Kiffin was nowhere near the first choice for this job, and only got an interview after fellow USC assistant Steve Sarkisian withdrew from consideration (he wasn’t the first choice either). The third fact is that no other NFL team was exactly beating Kiffin’s door down to become their head coach. With that being said and knowing Davis’ reputation, how could Kiffin think that he was hired to be anything but Al Davis’ puppet? If he thought otherwise, then he was simply fooling himself. Did he really think Davis saw him as a young genius who could lead the Raiders back to their glory days rather than a young kid who was so happy to be an NFL coach that he would do whatever Davis wanted him to do?
Twenty games into his tenure as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Lane Kiffin was fired. This decision caused an uproar in the national sports media. Everyone immediately started to take shots at Davis for firing Kiffin. Comparisons were immediately drawn to the Mike Shanahan situation. Davis fired Mike Shanahan after just twenty games also, and Shanahan went on to win two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and will probably be in the Hall of Fame some day. I don’t think that is a fair comparison because Shanahan had an NFL pedigree prior to becoming the head coach of the Raiders. Where Kiffin had only been a college assistant (he was only a coordinator for one year), Shanahan had spent time as an NFL quarterback coach and offensive coordinator before becoming the Raiders head coach. Trust me, that makes a huge difference. However the bottom line in the firing was the fact that Kiffin had a 5 – 20 record as the head coach of the Raiders. Last time I checked a 0.250 winning percentage was grounds for termination. So please, stop acting like Al Davis just fired Tony Dungy or Bill Belichick. KIFFIN SUCKED AS AN NFL COACH!!!! In all fairness to Kiffin, the Raiders weren’t exactly the most talented team in the NFL, but they certainly had better talent (especially on defense) than their record dictates. Although I hate to see anyone lose their job, especially in these economic times. We must remember that AL DAVIS OWNS THE TEAM AND HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS TO!!!! That my friends is the joy of being the owner. Everyone works for you at your pleasure and you can replace them whenever you like.
When the story first broke and I heard Al Davis’ press conference, one thing in particular stood out to me. I noticed in his speech that Al Davis clearly stated that he was firing Lane Kiffin “with cause.” I immediately knew what that meant. That meant that he was firing him and did not plan on paying him the remaining value left on his contract (which is reportedly $3.5 million). Although I think that Davis was well within his rights to fire Kiffin, I didn’t initially think that Davis had the right to withhold the remaining value of his contract. Then I thought about it and determined that if a player can be cut (essentially fired) without being paid the remainder of his contract, why can’t a coach? I know that the answer to that question is that coaches and players are playing by different rules, but that still doesn’t make it right. You can’t have it both ways. Either players should have guaranteed contracts or coaches shouldn’t. It’s the player that puts his body on the line week in and week out, not the coach.
Let the record clearly state that I have no problem with Al Davis firing Lane Kiffin. Yes, he did do it fairly quickly (20 games into his tenure) but the record speaks for itself. I also think that Lane Kiffin is crazy if he thought working for Al Davis would be any different than it was. Everyone who follows the NFL knows how Al Davis is, and if you didn’t that means that you didn’t do your homework. Shame on you! I also feel as though Lane Kiffin should be paid the rest of his contract. However, I am glad that Davis is trying to fight it because it will shine a bright light on how different a player’s contract is treated compared to a coach’s contract.
Don’t cry for Lane Kiffin. There is a very good chance that an arbitrator is going to rule in his favor concerning the dollars remaining on the contract. He will also have his pick of available college head coaching jobs after the season. That’s right, I SAID COLLEGE! It is painfully obvious that he is a college head coach and not an NFL head coach. He was tremendously overmatched in the NFL. He belongs in college football and I think that he realizes it too.
So before you go bashing Al Davis and talking about his incompetence and his poor decision making, evaluate the facts at hand. KIFFIN DESERVED TO BE FIRED!!!! whether you like it or not.
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 23 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! HAS A TEST
Thanks for checking in. Unfortunately, I am not able to post anything new this week due to a test that I am studying for this weekend. Please take the time to read any entries that you may have missed and comment on them if you would like (I do check old posts for new comments).
Thanks for the continued support. Wish me luck on my test!!!!
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 30 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE READING THIS HAS ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE. IF NOT, PLEASE DO SO SOON. BE SURE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!
Thanks for the continued support. Wish me luck on my test!!!!
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 30 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE READING THIS HAS ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE. IF NOT, PLEASE DO SO SOON. BE SURE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!
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