Category: NFL (Page 819 of 1282)

      Five ’08 NFL playoff teams with issues heading into ’09

      January 22, 2009 /

      Vinnie Iyer of SportingNews.com did an interesting piece on five NFL playoff teams who have big issues heading into the 2009 season.

      Ray Lewis1) Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco has had a great start to his career, but to take the next step as a quarterback, he probably could use a young receiver with No. 1 potential. The more pressing issues, however, are with Baltimore’s backbone, its defense. First, it’ll be a challenge to find a coordinator and play-caller to match Rex Ryan, who left to become head coach of the New York Jets…

      2) Philadelphia Eagles. To some extent, the Donovan McNabb question was answered, at least for the ’09 season. His support system may be different, however. Aging offensive tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan will be free agents. Top guard Shawn Andrews will need to come back from back surgery, and also may need to move outside. Backup running back Correll Buckhalter also wants to explore options out of Philadelphia. Defensively, stalwart safety Brian Dawkins could also walk…

      3) Carolina Panthers. Will Carolina need to address the quarterback position after Jake Delhomme’s six-turnover fiasco against Arizona in the divisional playoffs? It seems unfair to judge Delhomme on his first truly bad playoff game, when his play and leadership has been huge for the Panthers in the big picture. But still, with his age (34) and the fact he’s just one year removed from major elbow surgery, it might be time to draft a project passer to groom. In addition, Delhomme’s Pro Bowl left tackle, Jordan Gross, can become an unrestricted free agent….

      4) Indianapolis Colts. Tony Dungy and general manager Bill Polian were hoping for a smooth coaching transition with Jim Caldwell taking over, but it hasn’t been necessarily easy in the early going. Offensive coordinator Tom Moore, 70, and offensive line coach Howard Mudd, 66, nearly opted to follow Dungy into retirement. Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks flat-out resigned on Tuesday, and Caldwell fired special teams coach Russ Pernell. Caldwell isn’t a Dungy clone — there will be a different feel around the team….

      5) New York Giants. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo left to be head coach of the Rams, and there’s a chance offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride gets the same gig with the Raiders. The unit that Gilbride may leave behind has plenty of issues…

      Iyer goes into more detail on every team, so check out the entire piece.

      I agree on all of Iyer’s takes, although these problems are nothing new for any playoff team. Good teams have their coordinators stripped from them to become head coaches in other cities. Star players in contract years bolt for bigger paydays elsewhere, while other standouts get another year older or slower.

      All five of the above teams have the potential to face major change and that’s what makes them a risk not to make a repeat playoff appearance next year. The most interesting team is the Ravens because they have so many questions to answer about their defense, which has been their identity the past eight or nine years.

      NFL

      Michael Silver is a copycat

      January 21, 2009 /

      In his Wednesday column, Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports draws comparisons from Super Bowl XXXVII between the Buccaneers and Raiders to make points about Ken Whisenhunt’s knowledge of the Pittsburgh Steelers for this year’s big game.

      His entire article revolves around this:

      Super Bowl XXXVIIThe reason I bring this up now is that a seemingly similar scenario exists for Super Bowl XLIII. One of the many questions we’ll be hearing over and over until kickoff on Sunday, Feb. 1 is this: Can Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, a Pittsburgh assistant from 2001-06, pull a Gruden and exercise mental mastery over quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers?

      Hmm…I wonder who also compared this year’s Super Bowl to the one in 2002 between the Bucs and Raiders?

      From my column posted Monday night:

      2. Kurt Warner vs. the Steelers defense.
      The Pittsburgh-Arizona matchup reminds me of the 2002 Super Bowl between the Buccaneers and Raiders. Like Pittsburgh this season, Tampa Bay led the league in total defense that year. Oakland had the best passing offense in the league and was led by long-time veteran quarterback Rich Gannon. Arizona doesn’t have the best passing offense in the league (they were second to New Orleans), but they are led by trusty 11-year vet Kurt Warner at quarterback. In Super Bowl XXXVII, Gannon threw a record five interceptions, three of which were returned for defensive touchdowns as the Bucs routed the Raiders 48-21. Granted, this isn’t Warner’s first Super Bowl (it will be his third), but his situation is eerily similar to Gannon’s. The Steelers’ defense excels at making quarterbacks (young and old) look silly when they drop back to pass. And while he hasn’t shown signs of it yet this postseason, Warner can get awfully turnover prone if he feels too much pressure. The Eagles were able to get to Warner in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game and the Cardinals’ offense wilted. But they couldn’t do it on a consistent basis (neither could the Falcons or Panthers), and Warner picked them apart with the help of Larry Fitzgerald. Can the Arizona offensive line protect Warner long enough for him to find open receivers? Or will Warner suffer a similar demise as the one Gannon did?

      4. Does Ken Whisenhunt hold an inside edge?
      Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt were hired eight days apart in 2007. Some believed that when Bill Cowher decided to retire, that Whisenhunt (the Steelers’ offensive coordinator at the time) would take over as head coach. But Whisenhunt eventually decided to head west and take over the seemingly impossible rebuilding plan in Arizona. Tomlin was then plucked from his defensive coordinator position in Minnesota to coach the Steelers, and now two years later the two will meet in the Super Bowl. The question becomes: Will Whisenhunt have inside knowledge of how the Steelers run their offense since he was their offensive line coach when they beat the Seahawks in the 2006 Super Bowl? Of course not, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know ways to help Arizona defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast defend Ben Roethlisberger (who Whisenhunt coached for two seasons in Pittsburgh) or find ways to exploit the few weaknesses the Steelers have defensively. Remember, Jon Gruden helped Monte Kiffin scheme against Rich Gannon (his former quarterback in Oakland) in Super Bowl XXXVII and the Bucs wound up intercepting the Raider QB five times. It would be unwise to overlook Whisenhunt’s knowledge of the Steelers.

      Just what the hell is going on here? Is Silver a copycat? Did he read my column and then use my thoughts as his own? Did he think nobody would find out? Two people can’t come up with similar ideas/comparisons independently of each other, can they?

      Calls to the Yahoo! Sports desk have not be returned…because, well, I didn’t make them. But clearly that son of a bitch Silver stole my comparison.

      NFL, Super Bowl

      Tim Cowlishaw pours big cup of jinx over Cardinals

      January 21, 2009 /

      If their team loses to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, Arizona Cardinal fans can thank Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News for it.

      Larry FitzgeraldThe torch really has been passed now. The best player in the NFL plays for the Arizona Cardinals, and his name is Larry Fitzgerald. He’s the reason the Steelers will not become the first franchise to win six Super Bowls this time around.

      The Cardinals, leaving the Detroit Lions as the only team to participate in all 43 seasons without reaching a Super Bowl, will become the 18th franchise to win their first.

      These Cardinals aren’t the best team in the NFL, and they weren’t anything close to it during the regular season. But suddenly their defense stops every team’s running attack. Suddenly, their secondary that got beat up so often makes all the right plays.

      Kurt Warner is playing as if he’s 27, not 37, and the biggest reason for that is a game-breaking and game-changing receiver that the Steelers will not be able to cover.

      It has been six decades since the Cardinals won a title and four decades since I decided as a kid they were going to produce a superior product than the Cowboys.

      Needless to say, I spent a lot of years being wrong on that one.

      That’s why it feels so good now to be right.

      After Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution jinxed the Falcons by stating that they would beat the Cardinals in the wild card round three weeks ago, I warned Gary Myers of the New York Daily News that he crimped the Giants by claiming there was no way the Eagles would beat the G-Men in the divisional round.

      And now this – Cowlishaw, a former Cardinal fan, is doing the same thing to ‘Zona for the Super Bowl. NFL columnists are 0-2 this postseason when they write an article claiming one team will emphatically beat their opponent. Now Sir Jinx-A-Lot the III is about to make NFL columnists 0-3 in the postseason.

      Looks like I’m going with the Steel Curtain when I make my Super Bowl prediction next week. Thanks, Cowlishaw.

      NFL, Super Bowl

      Lions land Cunningham for defensive coordinator

      January 21, 2009 /

      The Lions took a major step in their rebuilding process on Wednesday, hiring former Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham for the same role.

      The Detroit Lions have hired Gunther Cunningham to be their new defensive coordinator and coach Jim Schwartz is expected to make an announcement shortly.

      Cunningham, who also will hold the title of assistant head coach, was believed to be Schwartz’s No. 1 target.

      Cunningham coached linebackers in Tennessee for three years while Schwartz was the defensive coordinator there. Schwartz’s search will now turn toward an offensive coordinator and special teams coach.

      This was a solid hire and the Lions commitment to defense is a necessary step in trying to resurrect the franchise.

      Word to the wise though, Gunther: leave your former defensive players in Kansas City. The Lions want to upgrade their defense, not make it worse.

      NFL

      Cowboys upset with Romo’s practice habits

      January 21, 2009 /

      The soap opera that is the Dallas Cowboys has a new episode today. Apparently the team is less than thrilled with quarterback Tony Romo’s practice habits and feel that his in-game struggles are an indication that he needs to focus more Monday through Friday at Valley Ranch.

      Tony RomoAccording to five sources, several offensive players lost respect for Garrett for his failure to corral quarterback Tony Romo in practice. Romo, sources said, often forced throws in practice and often did not treat practice work consistently.

      Sources said Owens was upset that Romo directed more passes at tight end and close friend Jason Witten as opposed to the other receivers who he deemed open. Owens has declined to discuss that issue.

      The relationship between Garrett and his offensive players will be an important issue for the unit to work out. Garrett was unsuccessful in his bid to land recent head coaching jobs in Denver, Detroit and St. Louis.

      Specifically, the relationship between the mercurial Owens and Garrett is in question. Other receivers respect Owens and often share his sentiments.

      When asked about his relationship with Owens, Garrett said Monday, “I have a lot of respect for him, certainly as a player, we’ll just leave it at that, OK?”

      Does anyone else feel like the Cowboys are the replica of the Raiders, only without all of the losses and lack of talent?

      I started to write how Dallas needs a strong figure head at head coach to corral all of the egos and personalities in the locker room, but then what was Bill Parcells? If the Tuna couldn’t control that group, who can?

      Keyshawn Johnson recently threw out Cardinals’ offensive coordinator (and former Dallas OC) Todd Haley’s name, but I highly doubt he would take the job knowing he would have to work with T.O. again. Still, he might be a good fit to grab hold of Romo and get him to realize that quarterbacks have to go that extra mile everyday if they want to win a Super Bowl.

      NFL

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