Category: External Sports (Page 345 of 821)

      Maybe Charlie Weis’ head is already in Florida

      January 2, 2011 /
      game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, 02 January 2011. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH fotoglif865099

      Here are three quick-hit observations from the Raiders’ 31-10 upset over the Chiefs on Sunday.

      1. The Chiefs just did themselves a huge disservice.
      Coaches and players always say that it doesn’t matter who they play in the playoffs. “We’ll take on anyone – we don’t care,” is what they’ll say. With this loss, the Chiefs will play the Ravens next weekend instead of the Jets (assuming the Colts beat the Titans later this afternoon). Sorry, but that’s a huge difference. The Jets’ pass rush has been non-existent since earlier in the season and Mark Sanchez is playing with a torn shoulder. The Ravens, on the other hand, can get after the quarterback, have the better quarterback and proved last year in Foxboro that they don’t mind playing on the road in the postseason. Get a Chief liquored up enough and I bet they’d tell you they’d rather face the Jets next week rather than Baltimore.

      2. Did Charlie Weis already leave for Florida?
      That looked like the Kansas City offense from earlier this season. In their final tune up before the playoffs, the Chiefs’ offense was held to 10 points, was limited to 201 total yards (including just 86 through the air) and turned the ball over twice. They had zero rhythm, they couldn’t sustain drives and Matt Cassel was a disaster. It’s not fair to place all the blame on Weis because the players have to execute, but it makes you wonder if his head isn’t already in Gainesville after accepting Florida’s offer to become its next offensive coordinator.

      3. Tom Cable should retain his job.
      ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Cable is unlikely to return as head coach of the Raiders in 2011. Why? Oakland finished 8-8 and went undefeated (6-0) in division play this year. Despite having scattered talent, Cable didn’t have a lot to work with and Al Davis’ prized offseason acquisition, Jason Campbell, was highly inconsistent. Yet, they were in the playoff hunt into the final two weeks of the season. Maybe Davis will promote offensive coordinator Hue Jackson after the Raiders’ offense blossomed throughout the course of the year, but would Jackson provide an upgrade? For once, Davis should stay the course and provide his team with some stability at the head coach position.

      External Sports, NFL

      Broncos name John Elway executive vice president

      January 2, 2011 /
      Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow warms up at Invesco Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Broncos have reached an agreement with John Elway to become the team’s executive vice president.

      “John’s intelligence, his leadership, business savvy, his knowledge of the game, and competitive fire — plus the respect that everyone in this building will have for him — will make us better right away,” Joe Ellis, the Broncos’ chief operating officer, told The Denver Post of owner Pat Bowlen’s sentiments, without confirming Elway’s hire.

      One of Elway’s first orders of business as a Broncos executive will be to discuss Denver’s head-coach opening with Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh, league sources told Schefter. A former Stanford star, Elway is serving as an honorary captain for the Cardinal on Monday night at the Discover Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech.

      This is obviously a great P.R. move by the Broncos. Their fans love Elway and if he can somehow bring Harbaugh to Denver, then they’ll really love him. I don’t know if the man knows the first thing about being an executive vice president of a professional football team but after the disaster that was Josh McDaniels, the decision making couldn’t get any worse in Denver.

      I don’t know if he’ll mettle in the on-field stuff, but maybe he can lend a hand in Tim Tebow’s development, too.

      External Sports, NFL

      Pitt fires head coach Haywood after domestic violence charge

      January 2, 2011 /

      Just two and a half weeks after finding a new head coach, the University of Pittsburgh will be searching for another one after firing Mike Haywood on Saturday.

      Haywood was arrested over the weekend for domestic violence and was released Saturday from St. Joseph County Jail in Indiana. The charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony domestic battery in the presence of a minor.

      From ESPN.com:

      Within hours of Haywood’s afternoon release, Pittsburgh put out a statement from Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, saying Haywood had been dismissed, “effective immediately,” and the school was reopening its search.

      “To be clear, the university’s decision is not tied to any expectation with respect to the terms on which the legal proceeding now pending in Indiana might ultimately be concluded,” Nordenberg said in the statement. “Instead, it reflects a strong belief that moving forward with Mr. Haywood as our head coach is not possible under the existing circumstances.”

      Pitt moved swiftly to oust Haywood following an arrest that sullied a university that is proud of its Big Ten-like academics. It also raised questions why Haywood — who had only two seasons as a mid-major head coach, including a one-win season — was chosen Dec. 16 following a brief search.

      Haywood was arrested about 3 p.m. Friday after a custody issue developed with a woman with whom Haywood has a child, police said. The unidentified woman told police that Haywood grabbed her by the arm and neck and pushed her as she tried to leave the home that Haywood owns in South Bend, Ind., where he once was a Notre Dame assistant.

      What an embarrassment. First Pitt hires a guy with little head coaching experience and two and a half weeks later he gets arrested for domestic violence. At least the university moved swiftly and didn’t mess around. They couldn’t have Haywood walking into homes on recruiting trips trying to convince parents that they should send their child to Pittsburgh so that he can mold them. They had no choice but to give him the boot and not wait until the legal process played out.

      Considering he didn’t have much head coaching experience before landing at Pitt, Haywood will have a difficult time finding a new gig. Time heals all wounds, but he’ll be fortunate to latch on as an assistant and then trying to repair his reputation that way. People make mistakes and deserve second chances, but this situation isn’t going away anytime soon.

      College Football, External Sports

      Jason Garrett to be named Cowboys’ next head coach?

      January 2, 2011 /

      Clarence E. Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that Jason Garrett will likely be named the Cowboys’ head coach on a full-time basis. But the announcement can’t happen now because Dallas must adhere to the Rooney Rule and inteview at least one minority candidate.

      With an open process, Super Bowl champion coaching free agents such as Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher and Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, if he is let go, would certainly be associated with the Cowboys job.

      But it’s very clear inside Cowboys headquarters that Garrett is the man for the job.

      He has long been a favorite of Jones’ dating to his days as a backup quarterback on the Cowboys’ Super Bowl title teams of the 1990s.

      And in guiding the Cowboys to four wins in seven games since taking over for the fired Wade Phillips after Dallas’ 1-7 start, Garrett has proved to Jones that he is more than just a bright offensive mind. He has shown to be an effective leader who can run the team and get players to respond to him.

      The hiring of Garrett would also allow Jones to continue business as usual as the general manager and top personnel decision maker on the team.

      The smart money was always on Garrett. Because it’s the Cowboys, people assumed that Jones would go out and hire a big name. But don’t forget that Garrett was handpicked by Jones, so the Dallas owner wasn’t going to groom him and let him succeed elsewhere. Plus, as the article points out, Jones wants to remain as general manager of the team. If he hired someone like Cowher, he would likely have to concede a lot of his power when it comes to personnel decisions, which he doesn’t want to do.

      Update: The NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi is reporting that it’s a done deal: Garrett will be retained as head coach. The ‘Boys managed to interview wide receiver coach Ray Sherman to comply with the Rooney Rule, so they’re all set.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 16 ROY power rankings

      January 2, 2011 /

      It’s definitely been a solid year for rookies in the NFL, and here are the top offensive and defensive ones ranked in order of who we think wins the honors for 2010:

      Offensive rookie of the year power rankings

      1. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—Led the Rams to the team’s biggest victory in years last Sunday, and has to do it again this Sunday.

      2. Aaron Hernandez/Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots—These two guys continue to put up ridiculous numbers if you combine them (81 catches, 1007 yards, 15 TDs).

      3. Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs—Two more TDs gave this kid 10 on the season, and he’s on the verge of 1000 yards.

      4. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—He had 8 TDs (receiving and return) through 13 games before getting injured.

      5. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns—Okay, so this time the young McCoy had a rough go against the Ravens, but we won’t wipe him off the list.

      Defensive rookie of the year power rankings

      1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—60 tackles and 9 sacks through 15 games for a DT is amazing for anyone, much less a rookie.

      2. Devin McCourty, New England Patriots—He hasn’t had an INT since Week 13, but the guy is all over the field making plays.

      3. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs—I’m sure U of Tennessee fans winced when they saw their former star return a pick for a TD against the Titans.

      4. Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns—Had another pick against Baltimore along with five tackles. You think Mike Holmgren knows what he’s doing or what?

      5. Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants—Even though he’s on a line that already has Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, JPP has 29 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 6 passes deflected. I think Jerry Reese chose well when many doubted this kid.

      External Sports, NFL

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