It’s a little early to assume that either player has won the starting running back job for head coach Jim Schwartz in Detroit, but it appears that the Lions are leaning towards first rounder Jahvid Best over Kevin Smith in the early going.

The two running backs complement each other well. Smith, who is coming off a torn ACL injury, is more of an inside runner and at least at this point, is better in pass protection. Best, who missed the final four games of 2009 at Cal with a concussion and a back injury, can flat out fly. He ran a 4.35 at the scouting combine and is an excellent pass catcher.

If both players can rebound from their respective injuries, they could form a decent 1-2 punch in Detroit. Smith was ineffective last year when he was the lead back, but if Best can assume the full-time duties, then maybe the former Central Florida product will become more effective. It’s rare to see teams count on just one back these days, so both players should get plenty of touches in Scott Linehan’s offense.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/03/best-to-be-the-feature-back-in-detroit/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/12/08/decade-debates-10-worst-nfl-head-coaching-hires/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/12/08/decade-debates-10-worst-nfl-head-coaching-hires/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:24:03 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=30748

Perhaps more than any other sport, a bad head coaching hire in the NFL can ruin a franchise for the better part of a decade. When you consider the free agent and draft acquisitions that are made to fit a coach’s style and philosophy, it’s no wonder that it usually takes years for a team to rebound after a bad coaching hire. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here are the 10 worst head coaching hires of the past decade. To be clear, this ranking is based on the result of the hire, and not necessarily the hire itself. (Although the ranking could be a combination of the two.)

10. Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns, 2009

One might argue that since Mangini hasn’t even gotten through his first year in Cleveland yet that he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. But others will argue that since he was absolutely despised in New York that the Browns should have never hired him in the first place. After all, was the one winning season he had with the Jets worth the Browns giving him a shot? Some of the moves that Mangini has made since arriving in Cleveland haven’t been bad at all: Trading Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, trading down multiple times to acquire more picks in the draft, acquiring safety Abram Elam, etc. But considering he hasn’t won many players over with his crass attitude, has made two quarterback changes and only has one win under his belt, things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start in Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see if the Browns fire him after only one season.

9 Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns, 2005

Due to his previous sucess as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, not many people criticized the Browns for hiring Crennel at the time. But as it turns out, maybe Bill Belichick had more to do with New England’s defensive success than Crennel did. The Browns posted a 24-40 record under Crennel, who was fired after four years in Cleveland. During that span, the Browns never finished higher than 16th in total defense, which was supposed to be Crennel’s specialty.

8. Denny Green, Arizona Cardinals, 2004

Given the success Green had in Minnesota, he seemed like a good bet to turn around a struggling Cardinals franchise in 2004. But he was fired after just three seasons in the desert while posting a 16-32 record. He also was at the helm of a brutal regular season in collapse in which the Cardinals lost a 20-point lead to the Bears in less than 20 minutes. But hey at least following the game, Denny gave us one of the best post-game rants of the decade:

“The Bears are what we thought they were. They’re what we thought they were. We played them in preaseason — who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it’s bull****? Bull***! We played them in the third game — everybody played three quarters — the Bears are who we thought they were! That’s why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let ‘em off the hook!”

7. Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions, 2006

Let’s see, he led a franchise to a 0-16 record for the first team in NFL history. Well, that ought to about sum things up. Marinelli wasn’t actually a bad coach – he just didn’t have the players or the ownership to succeed. But given that he coached a team to a winless record, it’s kind of hard not to include him on a list of worst coaching hires of the past decade. The other problem is that Marinelli didn’t have much coaching experience before Detroit hired him. He had served as the Buccaneers defensive line and assistant coach the season before he became the Lions head coach, but that was it, making Detroit’s choice to hire him all the more questionable.

6A. Art Shell, Oakland Raiders, 2006

Shell was a Hall of Fame player and was named AFC Coach of the Year in 1990 while compiling a 54-38 record for the Los Angeles Raiders in his first stint as the team’s head coach. But things fell apart in his second campaign with the Raiders after Al Davis hired him in February of 2006. Oakland’s defense was statistically one of the best units in the league, but its offense was absolutely atrocious. After compiling a 2-14 record and enduring a season-long feud with receiver Jerry Porter, Shell was fired as the Raiders head coach after just one year.

6B. Cam Cameron, Miami Dolphins, 2007

Cameron was another coach that went one-and-done for his team after leading the Dolphins to a 1-15 record in 2007 and then was fired in the 2008 offseason once Bill Parcells took over in Miami. Under Cameron, the Dolphins flirted with imperfection for 13 weeks before finally beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime in Week 15.

5A. Steve Spurrier, Washington Redskins, 2002

Considering everyone wanted to see how his offense would translate into the NFL, the hiring of Spurrier wasn’t a bad decision by Daniel Snyder and the Redskins. But he turned out to be a horrible NFL coach for several reasons, none bigger than the fact that he didn’t know how to adjust to the pro game. He thought he could win with quarterbacks like Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews, yet he never gave them enough protection because he would constantly use three, four and five wide receiver sets. In Spurrier’s first game as a head coach, the Redskins racked up 31 points in a Week 1 win over the Cardinals. But his offense was completely shut down the following week as the Eagles routed Washington, 37-7. Defensive coordinators quickly figured out how to at least contain the Redskins’ offense and after leading Washington to a respectable 7-9 record in his first year, Spurrier’s squad stumbled to a 5-11 record in 2003. He resigned as the Skins’ head coach shortly after the season and returned to the college level where he, and so many other coaches belong.

7. 5B. Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins, 2006

Much like other head coaches on this list, the hiring of Saban wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he flat out lied to the Dolphins and to the media about his desire to return to the college ranks after only two seasons in Miami. He actually uttered the statement, “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach” just one month before becoming the Alabama head coach. The interesting part is that the Dolphins actually had some success under Saban, who led them to a 9-7 record and a second place finish in the AFC East in his first year. But the team sputtered to a 6-10 finish in his second season before he left them high and dry to coach at ‘Bama.

4. Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins, 2008

After Joe Gibbs retired in January of 2008, owner Daniel Snyder hired Zorn to be the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. That move would have been fine given that Zorn had some experience as an offensive assistant with the Seahawks and Lions, and therefore the next logical step would be for him to become a coordinator. But a few weeks later, Snyder decided to make Zorn Washington’s new head coach, which was a stunning decision to say the least given that the former NFL QB had zero experience as a head coach. The hire looked good at first, as Zorn led the Redskins to a 6-2 record in his first year. But the team collapsed down the stretch to finish 8-8 and as of this writing they’re 3-9 in 2009. Considering the Redskins play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and that Snyder doesn’t help him out with his careless approach to free agency, it’s hard to blame Zorn for not having much success. That said, this was a hire that never should have happened in the first place. He should still be cutting his teeth as a coordinator instead of preparing to lose his job at the end of the year.

3. Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams, 2006

Linehan had a fair amount of success as an offensive coordinator with the Vikings and Dolphins before being hired as the Rams’ head coach in 2006. But he was a disaster in St. Louis, getting into frequent disputes on and off the field with star players Steven Jackson, Torry Holt and Marc Bulger. He only made it through 36 games as a head coach, posting an 11-25 record over that time.

2. Marty Mornhinweg, Detroit Lions, 2001-2002

Poor Marty Mornhinweg; the guy can run an offensive, but he was a disaster as a head coach. Before his two-year stint in Detroit, Mornhinweg was an offensive assistant with the Packers and was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator from 1997 to 2000. The man had experience in the NFL, so it wasn’t necessarily a bad decision at the start. But Mornhinweg went on to compile a brutal 5-27 record with the Lions and will always be known as the coach that won the coin flip in overtime and took the wind instead of the ball. In case you forget what happened, Detroit never got the opportunity to test the wind because the Bears (their opponents that day) went drove right down the field and kicked the game winning field goal. After flubbing his only head coaching opportunity, he went to the Eagles and has had a great deal of success as Philly’s offensive coordinator. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be head coaches and Marty is one of them.

1. Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons, 2007

Given that Petrino was one of the hottest head coaches at the time, this wasn’t a bad hire at the start – it just turned into a horrifying decision not long after. Not only was Petrino completely outmatched for the pro game, but he also couldn’t even finish one season in Atlanta before bolting to go call the hogs in Arkansas. Considering his penchant for job-hopping, Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank should have known better. Blank wanted the flashy hire – the hotshot college coach with the offensive scheme that would give defensive coordinators nightmares for years. But the only nightmare was Petrino himself, who couldn’t communicate with his players because he didn’t understand that instilling fear in athletes doesn’t work on the professional level like it does in college. He wasn’t handed the best situation in the wake of the Michael Vick dog-fighting scandal, but instead of being a man and toughing things out in his first year, he left in the shadow of the night, along with whatever respect and dignity he had left. Here’s hoping the weasel never gets another opportunity to coach in the NFL.

Honorable Mention: Lane Kiffin (Oakland Raiders, 2007); Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2009); Tom Cable (Oakland Raiders, 2008); Dick Jauron (Buffalo Bills, 2006), Steve Mariucci (2003, Detroit Lions); Mike Nolan (San Francisco 49ers, 2005); Dom Capers (Houston Texas, 2005).

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Scott Linehan, the former St. Louis Rams coach who turned down the San Francisco 49ers’ offer to become their offensive coordinator, has agreed to join the Lions in that position, team sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen on Friday.

Linehan declined the 49ers’ offer Sunday, saying he wasn’t ready to commit to his next coaching move.

Linehan, a respected former offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, was fired four games into his third season as the Rams’ coach last September.

Linehan should do wonders for Calvin Johnson’s career (and fantasy owners of CJ) because he doesn’t mind putting the ball in the air, although it should be noted that the former Rams’ head coach didn’t have great relationships with Marc Bulger or Torry Holt. It’s part of the reason why he was run out of St. Louis. (That, and the fact that he couldn’t win.)

Either way, this is quite a staff the Lions are building. All three coaches – Schwartz, Cunningham and now Linehan – are no-nonsense types who won’t stand for players having lazy work ethics, which has been one of the main problems in Detroit for some time now.

UPDATE: The NFL Network is reporting that Spagnuolo and the Rams have agreed on a four-year contract worth $11.5 million. I was unable to independently verify this information and have no idea if it’s accurate.

Spagnuolo, 49, was the Giants defensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008 and came up with the game plan that resulted in five sacks of Tom Brady and a shocking upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Before that, Spagnuolo learned his trade under acclaimed Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, working as an Eagles defensive assistant from 1999-2006. Spagnuolo came out of the Philadelphia experience with a variety of multiple defensive formations and blitz packages that he put to great use with the Giants.

Rams GM Billy and Spagnuolo have been friends for many years and that relationship obviously created a trust factor that helped Spagnuolo feel comfortable about taking the Rams job.

After devising a defensive scheme to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl last year, Spags became one of the hottest names in the coaching ranks. The Rams are definitely getting a quality coach and one that understands what it takes to reach the Super Bowl. Given the team’s struggles over the years on defense, it’s not a big surprise that the Rams went with a defensive-minded coach, but one has to wonder if they gave up on the next great offensive mind in Garrett.

Still, defense wins championship so it’ll be interesting to see what Spags can do for a player like Chris Long.

Our list of things we already knew this year includes the BCS’ continued suckiness (Texas-Oklahoma), how teamwork wins championships (KG, Pierce and Ray-Ray), and the #1 rule for carrying a handgun into a nightclub – don’t use your sweatpants as a holster. (Come on, Plax. Really? Sweatpants?)

Don’t miss the other two parts of our 2008 Year-End Sports Review: “What We Learned” and “What We Think Might Happen.”

Brett Favre can’t make up his mind.

The biggest story of the summer was all the drama surrounding Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. This saga has been covered to death, but there’s one detail that never seemed to get that much play. At the start, it looked like the Packers were making a bad decision by moving on so quickly even when Favre decided he wanted to return. But when the news broke about Favre’s near-unretirement in March, the Packers stance became much more clear. They were ready to take him back after the owners’ meetings, but he called it off at the last minute. At that point, the Packer brass was understandably finished with Brett Favre, much to the chagrin of a good portion of the Packer faithful. – John Paulsen

The Chicago Cubs’ title drought is not a fans-only phenomenon.

The 2008 Cubs were easily the best team the franchise has assembled in decades, but they still couldn’t win a single game in the playoffs, and the reason is simple: the pressure finally got to them. Sure, they said the right things to the press about how they didn’t care about what had happened in the past, but don’t believe a word of it; there wasn’t a single person in that dugout that wasn’t fantasizing about being part of the team that finally, mercifully, ended the longest title drought in sports history. Once ESPN picked them to win it all, however, they were doomed. Ryan Dempster walked seven batters in Game 1, which matched his total for the month of September. The entire infield, including the sure-handed Derrek Lee, committed errors in Game 2. Alfonso Soriano went 1-14 with four strikeouts in the leadoff spot, while the team as a whole drew six walks and struck out 24 times. The team with so much balance in the regular season suddenly became the most one-dimensional team in baseball; take Game 1 from them, then sit back and watch them choke. And now that this group has lost six straight playoff games (the team has lost nine straight dating back to 2003), it isn’t about to get any easier. Get a helmet, Cubs fans. – David Medsker

If you’re going to wear sweatpants to a nightclub, leave the gun at home.

If winning a Super Bowl is the pinnacle of an NFL player’s career, than shooting yourself with your own gun in a nightclub has to be rock bottom. Case in point: Plaxico Antonio Burress. Just 10 months after helping the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub. Apparently the (unregistered) gun was slipping down his leg and when he tried to grab it to keep it from falling, the lucky bastard wound up pulling the trigger and shooting himself. And that wasn’t the worst of it because as Plaxico found out, New York has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. He was arrested, but posted bail of $100,000 and is scheduled to return to court on March 31, 2009. If convicted of carrying a weapon without a license, he faces up to three and a half years in jail. He shouldn’t expect special treatment, either. The mayor of New York wants to be sure that Burress is prosecuted just like any other resident of NYC. The Giants, meanwhile, placed him on their reserve/non-football injury list and effectively ended his season. While “Plax” definitely deserves “Boner of the Week” consideration for his stupidity, what’s sad is that in the wake of Washington Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor’s death, most NFL players feel the need to arm themselves when they go out. Maybe players can learn from not only Taylor’s death, but also Burress’s accident so further incidents can be avoided. – Anthony Stalter

Shaq can’t rap.

”You know how I be. Last week Kobe couldn’t do without me.” Those are about the only lyrics that are fit to print from Shaquille O’Neal’s post-Finals obscenity-laced rap directed at former teammate Kobe Bryant. Clearly, O’Neal is not over Kobe and is rooting for him to fail. Has there ever been a superstar more obsessed with another player? It’s kind of sad, really. Here’s the full video of the rap – be sure the kids are out of the room. – JP

The BCS sucks.

Only in college football can two teams finish with the same record but the team with the head to head edge does not benefit, as was the case with Oklahoma and Texas this year. The Longhorns beat the Sooners 45-35 (on a neutral field, mind you) on October 11 this season but when it came time for the BCS to decide which team should play Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game, Oklahoma got the nod over Texas. Look, we understand a playoff in college football would still breed some controversy, but at least teams would be allowed to prove their worth on the field and not allow some computer to decide their fate. The BCS is set up to determine which two teams are the best in college football during the year, but how can it effectively do that when beating an opponent head to head is lumped into the same categories as strength of schedule, illogical rankings, vending sales, parking prices, players’ shoe sizes and everything else? 2008 was just another example of how the BCS is still a gigantic mess. – AS

Tiger Woods is one tough dude.

His victory over Rocco Mediate at the U.S. proved that Tiger can make golf look hardcore. Mediate challenged him all the way to the 91st hole before a visibly ailing Tiger prevailed as the U.S. Open champion. It turns out he was playing with serious knee and leg injuries. After the event, the golf legend had reconstructive surgery to the anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee and rehabilitation on a double stress fracture of his left tibia, which ended his season. But what a way to go out! – Christopher Glotfelty

Someone should sign Brendan Shanahan.

Aside from Mats Sundin, forward Brendan Shanahan is the best impact free agent available on the open market. He wishes to remain close to his New York home, which could give an Eastern Division contending team the edge in signing Shanahan for the remainder of the season. He has scored 650 goals in his stellar NHL career, including netting 23 goals in an injury-plagued season with New York Rangers last year. Still, Shanahan possesses a top-notch wrist shot that is absolutely devastating from the slot in the offensive zone; his booming slap shot could help an ailing powerplay from the point position, and his leadership could help mentor young forwards on an inexperienced team. Shanahan may not have the wheels available to play in an open ice game, but he still can be a valuable member to any team thinking they’re one forward away from Stanley Cup contention. – Thomas Conroy

Trouble follows Pacman Jones wherever he goes.

On April 23, the Dallas Cowboys acquired Adam “Pacman” Jones from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Dallas owner Jerry Jones then wisely paired his new investment with a bodyguard to help keep him out of trouble. On June 2, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave Jones permission to start participating in organized team activities with the Cowboys, which included training camp practices and preseason games. It took Pacman just four months before he was involved in yet another off-field altercation, which was roughly his seventh off-field altercation since he came into the league in 2005. On October 8, Jones was involved in an incident in a hotel bathroom with the very same bodyguard Jones had hired to keep Pacman out of trouble. The bodyguard did not press any charges, but Goodell wasted zero time handing down a punishment and on October 14, Pacman was suspended four games. Jones has since been reinstated by the league, but was warned that just one more incident would lead to his total banishment from the NFL. The over/under on what date Pacman will get into his next off-field altercation has been set for New Year’s Eve night, 2009. – AS

The mid-majors can ball.

They may not play in a power conference, but the so-called “mid-major” programs like Davidson (with sharpshooting guard Stephen Curry) and Xavier (with senior stud Josh Duncan) were able to overcome the odds and advance to the Elite Eight. It’s a sign of the times that a team like Xavier owned the #3 seed, so once #2 Duke fell to #7 West Virginia, the Musketeers were actually expected to make the West Regional Final. On the other hand, #10 Davidson had to upend #7 Gonzaga, #2 Georgetown, and #3 Wisconsin before losing to #1-seed (and eventual champion) Kansas, 59-57. As more and more blue chip players only spend a year or two at the college level, these mid-majors are able to keep most of their players for four years, developing the chemistry and experience necessary to compete with the big boys. Eventually, the sheer talent of the top teams takes its toll on the mid-majors, but it won’t be long before one of these teams breaks through and wins a title. (That hasn’t happened since UNLV did it, 18 years ago.) – JP

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are the best beach volleyball team…ever.

After May and Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal (which doulbed as their 108th consecutive win), Karch Kiraly pronounced them to be the best beach volleyball team – male or female – in the history of the sport. Who are we to argue? It looks as if the pair is going to take some time off to start their respective families, so this might be the last we see of the dynamic duo in international competition. Thanks for the memories, ladies. – JP

God has a Rayhawk.

We called it in this here column last year: God would shine upon the newly ‘Devil’-free Tampa Bay Rays and see to it that they play in the World Series. Yes, yes, we were joking when we said it – and we also predicted that they would win it all, over the Cubs, no less (our bad) – but never mind that; we had them in the Series before the season even started, which is more than Peter “Small Market Teams Suck” Gammons can claim. Of course, this meant that God had to forsake The The Angels Angels of Anaheim, which means a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit from Angels owner Arte Moreno citing breach of contract is surely in the works. Who knows; if Moreno wins the suit, then he’d have the money to pay both Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia. The Lord works in mysterious ways, indeed. – DM

Parity rules in the NFL.

How about this for parity: Three teams — the Dolphins, Falcons and Jets — that picked in the top 6 of April’s NFL Draft were still fighting for a playoff berth through Week 15 of the 2008 season. Not only that, but all three teams still had a shot to win their division, too. On the flip side, four teams — the Jaguars, Seahawks, Chargers and Packers — that made the playoffs the previous year were hoping to avoid a last-place finish in their respective divisions at the end of the year. (Settle down, Packer fans. The Lions don’t count.) Some NFL purists claim they don’t like parity because they think the game is too watered down. But how can you not love how every team has a shot to make the playoffs on a yearly basis? How exciting has it been to watch Matt Ryan turn around the Falcons or Brett Favre transform the Jets into a Super Bowl contender? New teams emerge every year and for that, we love how parity has made the NFL the most popular league in America. – AS

It ain’t over til it’s over, especially when the team with the lead can’t shoot free throws.

It’s not often that a team overcomes a nine-point deficit with two minutes to play. It’s even tougher to pull off that kind of a comeback against an elite team like Memphis. But that’s exactly what the Kansas Jayhawks did to win the 2008 NCAA Championship. Trailing 60-51 with 2:12 to play, the Jayhawks capitalized on four missed free throws by the Tigers and made its final four shots – including Mario Chalmers’ clutch three-pointer with 0:09 to play – to force an extra period. Kansas started OT with a 6-0 run and Memphis couldn’t recover. If you ever have trouble convincing your kid to practice his free throws, just show him the final two minutes of that game. – JP

Roger Clemens is (allegedly) a liar.

Last December, former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens’ name was mentioned 82 times in the Mitchell Report, which was Senator George Mitchell’s 20-month investigation into the use of anabolic steroid use and human growth hormone in baseball. On January 6 of this year, Clemens appeared on “60 Minutes” to deny the allegations. On January 28, his agent, Randy Hendricks, released an 18,000-word statistical report in efforts to once again refute the claims that his client used performance-enhancing drugs. On February 13, Clemens appeared before a Congressional committee, along with his former trainer Brian McNamee, who claimed he had documentation that proved his ex-client had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his MLB career. The case is now in the hands of federal prosecutors. To date, there’s still no hard evidence that Clemens used HGH or other banned substances, but given Mitchell’s report and McNamee’s testimony, things don’t look good for the potential Hall of Fame pitcher. Every man deserves the right to his day in court, but there’s plenty of evidence that says Clemens is a liar and worse, a cheat. And if it acts, walks and talks like a rat, it’s probably a rat. – AS

The Cincinnati Bengals are one dysfunctional mess.

Before the start of the 2008 NFL Season, wide receiver Chad Johnson publicly said that he wanted out of Cincy. The team didn’t oblige his wishes, however, so he decided to legally change his name to Chad Ocho Cinco instead. Keeping up with their reputation, the Bungles decided to re-sign troubled wideout Chris Henry and also signed running back Cedric Benson, who had his own off-field issues with the Bears during the offseason. Did we mention the team also started the season 0-8? And that Carson Palmer has missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury? The Bengals are just one of those teams that appears destined to be forever doomed to NFL hell. – AS

The Redeem Team would live up to its nickname.

After mowing through the competition en route to the championship game, Team USA – led by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James – survived a scare against a feisty squad from Spain (which featured Pau Gasol and NBA ROY candidate Rudy Fernandez) to win the gold medal, 118-107. The win culminated a three-year quest to overcome the embarrassment of the team’s three-loss, third-place performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Jerry Colangelo assembled a terrific team (securing Kobe was the key) and found great head coach to lead them. With that much focused talent and Coach K guiding them, it wasn’t likely that they would falter. However, the gold medal game was closer than the score, and it’s a shame that it was only on in the middle of the night in the U.S. – JP

Signing Edgerrin James to a huge contract was probably a bad idea.

Two years ago, the Arizona Cardinals signed free agent running back Edgerrin James to a four-year, $30 million contract despite the fact that he was already 28 and had plenty of mileage on him after being the Colts’ workhorse for seven years. After rushing for just 72.4 yards per game in 2006 and 76.4 YPG in 2007, James was essentially replaced by Tim Hightower midway through the 2008 season. What’s worse, after the team made the move to Hightower, James asked to be released so that he could play elsewhere. Granted, a $30 million contract didn’t destroy the Cards’ salary cap situation, but they ignored obvious warning signs (i.e. age, previous workload) when they signed him and they now have a disgruntled 30-year old backup running back making roughly $7.5 mil a year. While they were criticized at the time for not giving into his contract demands, the Colts now look awfully wise for not overpaying James when he became a free agent. – AS

Rafael Nadal is the next great tennis superstar.

He had already proved his worth at the French Open over the years, but in 2008, Nadal won Wimbledon and took the gold in Beijing Olympics. At just 22 years of age, Nadal has already won five Grand Slams. Having won four straight French Opens, many say Nadal is the most dominant clay court player in the history of tennis. His victory over Roger Federer at Wimbledon was not only the greatest tennis match ever, but undoubtedly one of the most amazing displays of athleticism and endurance in recent memory. Roger Federer will soon hold the record for most Grand Slams – a record that no current player is close to touching. However, Rafael Nadal has the same ability Federer exhibited when he was 22. If Nadal can replicate that level of play he conjured up at Wimbledon, he will continue to rack up Grand Slam titles and, before long, he’ll break Federer’s record. – CG

Teams that spend the most don’t always win (or appear) in the Fall Classic.

Of the five clubs that spent the most in 2008 – the Yankees, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox and White Sox – only two made the postseason. And neither appeared in the World Series. The two teams that did appear in the Fall Classic – the Phillies and Rays – had the 13th and 29th largest payrolls in the league, respectively. Tampa Bay is a prime example that baseball teams don’t have to spend truckloads of money to win. The Rays spent just $43,820,598 on player salaries this year, which was $165,260,981 less than the Yankees, and yet it was Tampa that won the AL East and not the Bronx Bombers. The Rays proved the making sound choices in the draft, wise trades, and not overspending for free agents is a better way to build a team than to recklessly construct a club with big name acquisitions. Think the Yankees learned anything from the Rays this year? We doubt it. They’re already courting the likes of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixiera – some of the biggest names on the 2008-2009 free agent market. – AS

The St. Louis Rams are just a bad, bad football team.

The last time the St. Louis Rams made the playoffs, Eli Manning was a rookie, Michael Vick was still in the NFL and Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a 15-1 record. But times have definitely changed for the Rams, who are assured of their third losing season in the last four years. Even worse, there doesn’t seem to be much hope on the horizon. The offensive line might be the worst in all of football, Marc Bulger stopped trying after receiving a huge contract extension before the start of the 2007 season, and a-holes like Richie Incognito would rather put blame on the fans for the team’s troubles instead of the team itself. The Rams also fired their head coach (Scott Linehan) in the middle of the season and his replacement, former defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, appears to be a dud as well. The Rams will no doubt be picking at the top of the draft again in 2009 and are certainly a long ways from being competitive again. – AS

The MLS has a terrible public relations department.

The MLS profile is so low that even its superstars are unknowns to the American public. The MLS Cup, broadcast on ABC at 3:30 PM ET on a Sunday, received a 0.7 rating. Obviously unable to compete with the “other” football, the MLS needs to put up more money to get a better timeslot. It’s amazing how a sport so popular all over the world can’t seem to gain a foothold here in the United States. – CG

It’s easy to overreact in the NBA.

After the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for Javaris Crittenton, Pau’s brother and a bag of peanuts, two rivals made big trades of their own. The Suns traded Shawn Marion to the Heat for an aging Shaquille O’Neal, breaking up a Phoenix team that was a couple of bench-clearing suspensions away from upsetting the eventual champion Spurs a year earlier. Marion was (reportedly) starting to become a distraction, so the trade at least made a little bit of sense, unlike the Mavs’ decision to trade the about-to-breakout Devin Harris along with two first round draft picks to the Nets for an aging Jason Kidd. While the Lakers made it to Finals, both the Suns and Mavs were bounced out of the first round of the 2008 Playoffs. This year, the Lakers are the class of the West while the Suns and Mavs are both hovering just above .500. – JP

Monte Kiffin runs one of the best defenses in the NFL.

There are a couple of NFL coaches that don’t get nearly enough credit for how good they are. Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is one of those coaches. Perhaps no defensive coordinator in the league schemes better on a game-to-game basis than Kiffin. Furthermore, he gets the most out of his players despite their age or experience and rarely does his unit get torched for a ton of points. In 2008, the Bucs have the ninth-best defense in the league, have allowed just 17.9 points per game and once again the defense has been the strength of Tampa’s playoff-bound team. But since he’s planning to join his son at the University of Tennessee, the Bucs and the NFL will lose one of the most underrated defensive coordinators in the history of the league. – AS

The Kimbo Slice experience wasn’t built to last.

Kevin Ferguson, better known to the American public as Kimbo Slice, rose to stardom by fighting random nobodies in backyards on YouTube. Somehow Slice rode his YouTube fame to into a career as a mixed-martial arts fighter and a role on a prime time network event called EliteXC. On October 4, Slice was supposed to take on Ken Shamrock as part of CBS’s “Saturday Night Fights,” but Shamrock received a cut above his left eye during a warm up and couldn’t fight. So Seth Petruzelli, a former K-1 kickboxer turned MMA fighter, replaced Shamrock and promptly knocked Slice out 14 seconds into the first round. – AS

If three stars are willing to work together, great things can happen.

Some questioned the trio’s willingness to share the ball, but Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen didn’t have any problem putting their egos aside in pursuit of an ever-elusive NBA Championship. After a first-round scare against the Hawks (where they couldn’t win on the road), the C’s plowed through the competition in the East before working over the Lakers in the Finals. While Pierce, KG and Ray Ray stole most of the headlines, the rest of the Celtics had much to do with the team’s success, especially point guard Rajon Rondo and utility man James Posey. – JP

NASCAR’s sponsorship dollars are shrinking.

In the past year, many long-time NASCAR sponsors have ended their agreements with smaller racing teams in favor of signing with larger, more successful teams. It’s no longer good enough to have your name on the hood of a competitive automobile; instead, sponsors want to be associated with drivers turning into the winner’s circle on a weekly basis. Sponsors moving from one team to another are not a new concept in NASCAR, but it hasn’t ever happened at this frenetic of a pace. Many in NASCAR fear that with the current economic recession, it could reduce the amount of sponsorship dollars available this off-season. – TC

Mike Singletary is a great motivator – even when he has to pull down his pants to prove a point.

After the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan following the team’s 2-5 start, he was replaced by defensive coordinator Mike Singletary, who was highly regarded as an emotional leader during his playing days and a great motivator for young players as a coach. But his first game as the interim coach was a disaster as the Seahawks built a 20-3 halftime lead and eventually beat San Fran 34-13 on their home field. After the game, Singletary gave a postgame speech that rivaled the likes of Denny Green’s “They are who we thought they were” meltdown. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Word spread that Singletary actually dropped his pants during his halftime speech in an effort to relate to them that the Seahawks were – for lack of a better term – making fools out of them. The speech apparently worked because the Niners almost upset the Cardinals the following week in Arizona on Monday night, then thumped the Rams 35-16 in Week 11. Although maybe the players turned in a better effort in hopes that they wouldn’t be subjected to seeing their coach drop his trou again in the locker room. – AS

Paul Newman loved racing.

On September 27th, actor Paul Newman died from his long battle with lung cancer. He was famous for starring in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting,” and “The Verdict.” He also founded “Newman’s Own” a food company that donated all of its profits to various charities. But Newman was also recognized as a racing enthusiast and became involved in the sport after filming “Winning” in 1969. He competed in his first race in 1972 and finished in second place at the 1979 LeMans 24-hour endurance race. Later, Newman co-founded a racing team with Carl Haas, and at the age of 70, he became the oldest driver to compete in a sanctioned race. He often joked that racing was his escape from his day job. He will be missed. – TC

The Jets hammered the Rams 47-3 at Giants Stadium on Sunday, but it wasn’t even that close. St. Louis trailed 40-0 at halftime, turned the ball over five times, managed only 200 total yards and were just 4 of 10 on third downs. Even when they marched into the red zone, they still couldn’t muster any points.

It was impressive how the Rams responded when Haslett was chosen as interim coach. They showed emotion, played inspired and actually resembled a football team. But their last two games have shown that the front office needs to completely blow this team up. They need a new quarterback because Marc Bulger has been a disaster and Trent Green should have retired two years ago. They need an offensive line. They need a secondary and they need a new direction.

As for the Jets, I know Brett Favre gets all the attention for the team’s turnaround this year but the defense deserves a ton of credit too. Eric Mangini has the defense playing more aggressively and unsung players like Abram Elam are stepping up big. If the Jets make the playoffs this year, Favre would have played a big part. But it’ll be the defense that will determine just how far they eventually go.

In no particular order:

1. Parity still rules. Who would have thought that the Bills and Titans would have better records at this point than the Colts, Patriots and Jaguars?

2. The Giants. The G-Men are the best team in the league and nobody is talking about them.

3. Aaron Rodgers is holding his own. The Packers have dropped three straight after starting the year 2-0, but that’s hardly Rodgers’ fault. The young man has gone through a lot this year and he continues to impress, including playing with an injured shoulder and throwing nine touchdown passes in five games.

4. The Colts 17-point fourth quarter comeback against the Texans in Week 5.

5. Preseason predictions still mean nothing. There’s no greater feeling than checking out who the pundits predict will be the best teams in the NFL in preseason…then realizing how wrong they were after the first couple weeks of the season.

6. Jason Campbell’s development. People in the know say that it usually takes a quarterback 2-3 years to fully learn the West Coast Offense but so far this year, Campbell has thrown for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. And oh-by-the-way, he also has the Redskins at 4-1. First-year head coach Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job in Washington so far.

7. The Titans. There’s not a defense in the league that has been more clutch late in games than Tennessee has.

8. Ronnie Brown. No offense to Ricky Williams, but it’s nice to see that the guy who didn’t quit on the game because he wanted more time to smoke weed is having more success than the guy who did.

9. The balance of power is starting to shift between the two conferences. The AFC has long dominated the NFC in terms of teams and quality of play, but so far this year those roles have been reversed. Four of the top five or six teams in the league belong to the NFC.

10. Brett Favre. Through five weeks, no signal caller in the league has a better QB rating than Favre. And his six-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4 was vintage Brett.

11. Baltimore’s defense. They might be aging unit, but Ray Lewis and Co. can still lay the wood can’t they?

12. Rookie quarterbacks playing well. Matt Ryan just went into Lambeau and knocked off the Packers, while Joe Flacco almost pulled off upsets against top defenses in Pittsburgh and against Tennessee. These first round signal callers have been impressive to say the least.

13. Adrian Peterson. Forget the sophomore slump – the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year is proving that he’s no fluke.

14. The Bears finally have a quarterback. Kyle Orton is nowhere close to being the best quarterback in the league, but watch him play – he has a little gunslinger mentality in him. And hey, he’s no Rex Grossman, which is a great thing (just ask Bear fans).

15. Kurt Warner. Some groaned when the veteran unseated youngster Matt Leinart in preseason, but so far head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s decision to go with Warner has paid off.

16. The Dolphins. They might be all hype right now, but who cares? The Fins’ fan base saw only one win last year – let them enjoy the ride.

17. Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness. This is arguably the worst offensive line the Steelers have produced in years, yet Big Ben continues to show how underrated he really is. His performance against Jacksonville in Week 5 was simply amazing.

18. The Bills. It’s easy to pull for a young team and most of their wins this year have been nail bitters. Hopefully QB Trent Edwards is okay from the hit he took against Arizona last Sunday and he’ll get back on the field soon.

19. The young Titans’ secondary. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin share the league lead for interceptions. And they play in the same defensive backfield.

20. Marty Booker’s catch against the Lions.

21. Jay Cutler. The kid is cocky but it’s hard not to like his swagger.

22. Michael Turner’s running style.

23. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Packers’ wideouts are just two example of why teams don’t need to spend first round picks on receivers.

24. Fresh starts in Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis. Yes these three franchises are a mess. But maybe there is a silver lining now that Lane Kiffin, Matt Millen and Scott Linehan all received their walking papers. Maybe…

25. Eli Manning. The former first overall pick is proving that last year’s postseason performance wasn’t a fluke and he really has taken the next step as a NFL quarterback.

26. The Panthers. Jake Delhomme is healthy and playing well again, rookie Jonathan Stewart has been a great complement to DeAngelo Williams and the run defense has been fantastic so far. Carolina is a legitimate contender in the NFC.

27. Monte Kiffin’s defense. The Bucs don’t even rank in the top 10 in any major defensive category except for points allowed, but ask Matt Ryan, Kyle Orton and Aaron Rodgers if they would want to face Kiffin’s unit on a weekly basis.

28. The Patriots are still finding ways to win. It hasn’t been pretty, but Bill Belichick and New England are still finding ways to win despite not having Tom Brady under center. Even after being blown out by Miami at home in Week 3, the Pats are still a team to watch out for in the AFC.

29. Reggie Bush. He might not be able to run consistently between the tackles but he sure as hell can run outside of them.

30. Terrell Owens…when he shuts up and just plays. And Tony Romo…when he can hang on to the football.

31. The Bengals. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the field.

32. Al Davis. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the filed.