Month: January 2010 (Page 60 of 65)

      McDaniels’ first season in Denver ends in disaster

      January 3, 2010 /

      After the Broncos collapsed down the stretch in 2008, owner Pat Bowlen decided that enough was enough. He fired long-time head coach Mike Shanahan and replaced him with first-timer Josh McDaniels, who became the youngest coach in the NFL.

      As it turns out Bowlen’s decision netted the same result, as the Broncos collapsed for the second straight year. Things came to an embarrassing finish today when Kansas City routed Denver 44-24, as Kyle Orton racked up 431 yards and a touchdown but also threw three picks.

      As if the collapse wasn’t bad enough, McDaniels is also in the midst of a controversy after he decided to bench Brandon Marshall for Sunday’s game. ESPN.com is reporting that Marshall was specifically benched for being late to a therapy session for his strained hamstring. Marshall suffered the injury on Wednesday and said he wasn’t healthy enough to face the Chiefs, but McDaniels noted that some Broncos were playing with more serious injuries and deactivated the wideout in retaliation.

      However the Marshall-McDaniels’ spat started, it didn’t end well and the Broncos’ embarrassing loss to the Chiefs added insult to injury. How do the players view a head coach who benches their key offensive weapon for a must-win game? I’m not suggesting McDaniels was in the wrong, but I wonder how the players feel now that they’re season ended like this.

      I would have to imagine that Marshall has played his last snap in Denver.

      NFL

      Despite late season collapse, Del Rio’s job appears to be safe

      January 3, 2010 /

      After defeating the Texans 23-18 in Week 13, the young Jaguars had high hopes of making the postseason. But they proceeded to lose their next three games before dropping their season finale today in Cleveland.

      Despite Jacksonville’s 23-17 loss to the Browns in which the Jags allowed 300 total yards and 214 rushing yards, Jack Del Rio’s job appears to be safe for now. Michael C. Wright of the Florida Times-Union wrote via his Twitter page that Del Rio would be with the Jaguars next season, although he didn’t go into any detail as to why.

      T-Bone, one of our regular readers, brought up a good point last week about NFL teams possibly playing things cautiously when it comes to coaching hires because of a potential lockout in 2011. They don’t want to pay a new head coach boatloads of money with a threat of a lockout coming in two years. Granted, that’s just an observation, but it’s one that might have teeth.

      Del Rio had a young team that wasn’t supposed to compete this year and given their overall inexperience, it’s not a complete shock that they faded down the stretch. For the most part, I think he did a decent job keeping them in contention until the final month of the season. Had they beat Indianapolis a few weeks ago on Thursday night when they were matching the Colts score-for-score, the Jags might be getting ready for the postseason right now.

      Some may look at the Jags’ effort today in Cleveland and make a case that Del Rio should go. But there’s not much shame losing to a Browns team that finished the season on a tear and that found a gem in running back Jerome Harrison. Again, I think the Jags’ collapse had more to do with their youth than Del Rio’s lack of coaching. But Jacksonville fans may have a different opinion.

      NFL

      Playoffs nearly set

      January 3, 2010 /

      Per NFL.com…

      * New Orleans and Minnesota captured the top two seeds, respectively, and the first-round byes that come with them. In the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 16-17, the Saints will host the lowest remaining seed from the wild-card round and the Vikings will host the highest remaining seed.

      * Dallas won the NFC East and clinched the conference’s No. 3 seed by beating Philadelphia, and will host the sixth-seeded Eagles in the wild-card round next weekend.

      * Despite losing to Green Bay, Arizona finished as the No. 4 seed and, in a rematch from Week 17, will play host to the fifth-seeded Packers in the wild-card round.

      In the AFC, if the Jets win, they’re in. If they lose, Houston will get the postseason berth. New England and Baltimore will play in the first round no matter what, with the Bengals taking on the Jets (if the Jets win tonight) or the Texans (if Cincy wins).

      NFL

      This is why teams considering resting starters: Wes Welker tears ACL

      January 3, 2010 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that Patriots’ receiver Wes Welker has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and MCL and will miss the entire postseason. Welker suffered the injury while trying to make a cut during New England’s 34-27 loss to Houston in Week 17.

      For those fans that complain about teams resting starters late in the season, this is why they do it. I understand this isn’t the same as the Colts conceding a perfect season by pulling Peyton Manning and the rest of their starters last week, and I’m not trying to compare the situations. But did Welker have to play today? Did he absolutely need the extra work? If he took the week off, would he and Tom Brady not be able to complete a bubble screen next week in the postseason after successfully completing 4,350 bubble screens this season?

      I get it – momentum is vital in sports. Teams don’t want to have a losing mindset entering the postseason and it’s key for coaches to keep their players confident. But what was this all for in the end? What if this had been Brady? I’m sorry, but I disagree with those that think teams with nothing to play for should keep their starters in through Week 17. I get that injuries can happen in practice and even in the player’s own homes, but the risk factor is amplified in a live game.

      I feel bad for Wes Welker. He worked his ass off all season to help his team get to the playoffs and now he’ll have to watch from the sidelines because Bill Belichick and his coaching staff decided that he needed to play in a semi-meaningless game against Houston.

      NFL

      Cowboys clinch NFC East title, draw rematch with Eagles

      January 3, 2010 /

      Tony Romo

      The Cowboys definitely had a nice Sunday. After beating the Eagles 24-0, the Cowboys should be brimming with confidence. Nobody expected them to shut out the Eagles but they managed to do so easily.

      Tony Romo got things going early on, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton, respectively. Romo ended up completing 24 of 31 attempts for 311 yards. He’s finally heating up and looks just as good as the other top quarterback. By the end of the first half it was clear that something was wrong with Eagles.

      From then on the Cowboys focused on their defense, which did just enough to prevent the Eagles from gaining any momentum. The Eagles couldn’t convert on third downs and made a couple errors that could have changed the tide of the game.

      This is the time of the season when the Cowboys usually break down. If they continue communicating well on both fronts, the Cowboys might just be the team to beat in the playoffs. Strangely enough, they’ll face the Eagles in the first round. After today’s game, I’m sure they’re more than ready.

      News, NFL

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