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      Sharp: Rooney Rule is broken

      January 12, 2010 /

      Good point by Drew Sharp of the Detroit News about the broken Rooney Rule:

      The NFL owes the Lions an apology — as well as $200,000 with almost seven years’ worth of accrued interest.

      The league reprimanded the Lions in July 2003 for “violating the spirit” of the NFL’s then-newborn Rooney Rule in their aggressive, accelerated pursuit of a suddenly available Steve Mariucci. The Lions couldn’t attract a minority candidate for a precursory interview, because everybody knew Mariucci was the guy they wanted.

      So explain this to me: How is what Washington did and what Seattle is trying to do any better?

      The Redskins’ hiring of Mike Shanahan three days after they kicked Jim Zorn to the curb and the Seahawks’ lightning courtship of Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll after they surprisingly jettisoned Jim Mora after one season earned the league’s blessings.

      They also had the approval of those very advocates of football diversity who accused the Lions of turning the Rooney Rule into a mockery seven years ago.

      The joke’s on them now.

      If such blatant circumvention of explicit league policy warrants so little consternation, then that must mean the Rooney Rule has outlived its usefulness and should be revoked or at least dramatically scaled back.

      How the Redskins and Seahawks went about their hires was not how the Rooney Rule was intended to work when it was first established. Faking through an interview with a minority candidate isn’t honoring the rule – it’s spitting in the face of it.

      Owners like Daniel Snyder and Paul Allen can hire whomever they want – after all, it’s their money and their team. But Sharp’s right – why were the Lions punished for being honest about wanting to hire Mariucci without interviewing anyone else and the Redskins and Seahawks get a free pass for making a mockery of the rule by setting up a couple of bogus interviews? The rule needs a serious makeover.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Is Brady’s time with Pats coming to an end?

      January 12, 2010 /

      Albert R. Breer of the Boston Globe broke down the questions the Patriots face while heading into the offseason, including the expiring contract of one Tom Brady.

      What about the quarterback? Brady’s deal expires after the 2010 season, and this is the closest he’s come to the end of a contract since becoming a Patriot in 2000. He signed a four-year extension in 2002 with two years left on his rookie deal, then inked a six-year deal in 2005 with two seasons left on that accord.

      In August, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers signed six-year contracts worth $16.25 million and $15.5 million per season, respectively. Jay Cutler got a two-year, $30 million extension in October. Peyton Manning is headed for a contract year as well, and Colts owner Jim Irsay said an extension is “a given.’’

      Brady’s never been one to siphon every last dime. But with the possibility the Colts once again could reset the market for quarterbacks in an uncapped environment, this one could be complicated.

      To me, the Patriots already made this decision this past offseason when they traded Matt Cassel to the Chiefs and retained Brady. Cassel had proven that he could run the offense and he’s much younger than Brady. If there was ever a time for a changing of the guard, it was when the Patriots had both quarterbacks on the roster.

      They made a commitment to Brady and unless he’s a complete disaster in 2010, then I highly doubt he’s going anywhere. Was he the same player this year that he was in previous years? Of course not, but he was also coming back from major reconstructive surgery. Give him another full year and then let’s see where he and the Patriots stand.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Report: USC offers Jags’ Del Rio a contract

      January 12, 2010 /

      According to the Los Angeles Daily News, USC has sent Jaguars’ head coach Jack Del Rio a contract and if signed, he would replace Pete Carroll on the sidelines for the Trojans.

      Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was sent a contract by USC tonight to become the next football coach.

      Now comes the tricky part: If Del Rio takes the job, he forfeits more than $15 million in salary from the Jaguars. If Jacksonville fires him, they must pay him the money. Why would Jacksonville fire him if they know USC wants him? Should make Tuesday interesting.

      Interesting choice. The general consensus was that USC was going to target a head coach with pro experience because Carroll had spent the decade running the program as if it were a NFL team. Del Rio is a good motivator and I would have to imagine that his style of coaching would suit college football.

      In the end, I doubt that money would be that much of an issue. USC has money; the real question is whether or not Del Rio wants to leave the NFL to coach in the college ranks.

      Update: Del Rio said on Tuesday that he will return to Jacksonville in 2010.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football, NFL

      Carroll says move to Seattle not a result of USC probe

      January 11, 2010 /

      The Seahawks officially named Pete Carroll as their next head coach on Monday. While speaking to the media about his decision to leave USC, Carroll said that his pending move wasn’t in reaction to a possible probe that the Trojans’ program faces.

      From ESPN.com:

      “Not in any way,” Carroll told the newspaper. “Because I know where we stand. It’s just a process we have to go through. We know we’ve fought hard to do right.”

      Carroll, a longtime coach and coordinator in the NFL before joining USC in 2000, said he had for a while “given up” on a return to the pro ranks.

      “But it came out of nowhere,” he told the Times.

      ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter first reported Saturday morning the Seahawks and Carroll had reached an agreement in principle.

      “I’ve given everything I’ve had,” he said. “There was never going to be a good time.”

      Carroll’s former quarterback and current Jet signal caller Mark Sanchez took a funny shot at his old head coach in the wake of Carroll leaving USC:

      NFL

      Michael Redd out for season…again

      January 11, 2010 /

      Per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel…

      A basketball source has confirmed that Michael Redd suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The injury will sideline the Bucks shooting guard for the rest of the season.

      The injury is the same one that Redd suffered nearly one year ago, on Jan. 24 against Sacramento at the Bradley Center. He suffered a torn ACL and torn MCL in his left knee on that night and was lost for the rest of the season.

      On Sunday, Redd planted on his left foot as he made a move in the lane during the Bucks’ 95-77 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. He immediately was helped off the court.

      Redd had a magnetic resonance imaging exam done in Phoenix on Monday, and the test revealed the ligament tears.

      The 30-year-old Redd has been plagued by injuries in recent years. He missed the final 35 games of last season after being injured, and he was out for 16 games earlier this season due to a left patella tendon strain.

      As a Bucks fan living in Southern California, I actually attended the Bucks/Lakers tilt last night at Staples Center. Redd drove into the lane, came to a jump stop and his knee just gave out. He has struggled this season to get back into the groove, but over the last few games he was starting to (sort of) resemble his old self.

      I know that there are Bucks fans out there that want to be rid of Redd, but I think that anger is directed more towards his contract than at the player himself. In his heyday, he was a stone cold shooter, and could make contested jumpers from anywhere on the floor. He is also a good citizen and teammate, and a good locker room guy. I feel bad for him.

      From a salary cap perspective, this injury obviously kills any chance the Bucks had of moving Redd before the trade deadline next month. Next season, he is due to make $18.3 million in the final year of his contract. He could opt out, but there’s a better chance that Barry Bonds will admit to using steroids while wearing a yellow and white polka-dot dress on St. Swithin’s Day.

      The Bucks are just going to have to ride this one out and retool in the summer of 2011.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

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