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      Drew Brees and the Saints have issues

      January 2, 2011 /
      New Orleans Saints Drew Brees passes over the middle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during third quarter of their NFL football game in New Orleans, Louisiana January 2, 2011. REUTERS/Sean Gardner (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Here are three quick-hit observations on the Bucs’ shocking 23-13 win over the Saints.

      1. The Saints have issues heading into the playoffs.
      After knocking off the Falcons less than seven nights ago, everyone was talking about how nobody wants to face the Saints in the postseason. But after the crap-show they put on Sunday in New Orleans, why should any team be worried about New Orleans? Drew Brees threw an inception in his 12th-straight game. Thomas Julius Jones fumbled at the goal line, which cost the Saints six points. For the second consecutive game, Sean Payton couldn’t get his offense moving. What’s going on here? The Saints are dangerous, period. But because of injuries and inconsistent play, they haven’t be dominant all season and it makes you wonder if they have what it takes to make another run to the Super Bowl.

      2. The Bucs prove they can hang with the big boys.
      Entering this game, the Bucs didn’t have a win against a team with a winning record. That didn’t mean they weren’t good or that they were lucky to still be in the playoff picture, but they lacked a signature win. Not anymore. For the second year in a row, Tampa went into New Orleans and beat the Saints. That’s remarkable considering the Saints won the Super Bowl last year. Raheem Morris has his young team believing that it can beat anyone and it proved on Sunday that it can. Josh Freeman continues to be special. Mike Williams is a great young playmaker. The defense is starting to take shape under Morris’ guidance. Regardless of whether or not they earn a trip to the postseason, things are starting to take shape in Tampa.

      3. Why didn’t Payton remove his starters earlier?
      I love Payton’s desire to win but he has to be smarter. The Falcons were obviously in control against Carolina up 31-3 midway through the third quarter and with nothing on the line in terms of playoff seeding for the Saints, Payton should have pulled his starters earlier. Malcolm Jenkins, Jimmy Graham, Chris Ivory and Alex Brown were all hurt in the first half. Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas, Jeremy Shockey and Anthony Hargrove were all inactive before the game. The Saints should beat whichever NFC West team wins on Sunday night in the first round of the playoffs next weekend, but they can’t be shorthanded for the Divisional Round. Payton is fortunate that Brees or another starter wasn’t hurt after he exposed his starters to injury longer than he had to.

      External Sports, NFL

      Falcons earn a much-needed week off

      January 2, 2011 /
      Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (R) makes a catch in front of Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason in the first half of their NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Atlanta, Georgia January 2, 2011. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Here are three quick-hit observations from the Falcons’ huge 31-10 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

      1. The Falcons desperately need a week off.
      For much of the season, the Falcons have been a team that has largely done the small things right. They don’t turn the ball over, they don’t get penalized and they don’t beat themselves. But in the past two weeks, they’ve had trouble getting out of their own way. They blew several opportunities to beat the Saints on Monday night and even in their 31-10 win over the Panthers on Sunday, they missed opportunities that would have cost them against a better opponent. The offense failed to convert on two fourth down plays in Carolina territory and Michael Turner once again fumbled inside the 10-yard line. That’s twice in the past two weeks he’s put the ball on the ground when the Falcons were closing in on points. Does this mean Atlanta is primed for a fall in the playoffs? No, but the week off should do this team a world of good. It will allow the players and coaching staff to relax, re-focus and re-energize. The regular season is a grind and the Falcons did it: they earned the top seed in the NFC. But now isn’t the time for any team to lose its edge.

      2. Weems is emerging as a weapon.
      Eric Weems isn’t a household name but he will be soon if he continues to be a playmaker. A couple of weeks ago he returned a 102 yard kickoff return against the Bucs for a touchdown to spark a fourth quarter comeback. On Sunday, he took a 55-yard punt to the house to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead after Turner had fumbled inside the 10-yard line. Thanks to Turner, Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, this team has a ton of playmakers on offense. But having that added weapon in the return game is huge, just as Devin Hester and DeSean Jackson have proved with the Bears and Eagles, respectively. Weems isn’t quite on Hester or Jackson’s level, but he’s been great for Atlanta this season.

      3. The Panthers have a long row to hoe.
      What a disaster this Carolina team is. John Fox smiled more on Sunday than he has all season and why shouldn’t he be happy? The Panthers are a mess and a massive project for the next head coach. They need to draft a quarterback but if Andrew Luck doesn’t come out, then there’s not a prospect worth taking at the No. 1 spot. So what does Carolina do? Take the best player available and hope that Jimmy Clausen develops by leaps and bounds over the summer? The Panthers also don’t have a pick in the second round next April, which is rather unfortunate considering how devoid of talent the roster is. I know the Rams turned things around quickly, but they also have an up and coming quarterback and a competent head coach. Carolina has neither of those.

      External Sports, NFL

      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

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