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Could Bill Parcells wind up with the Vikings next?

November 19, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells at training camp at the Marriott Residence Inn in Oxnard, Calif. on Monday, August 9, 2004 Photo via Newscom

You knew that somebody, somewhere was going to cast a line for the Big Tuna as soon as he escaped Miami.

Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune speculates that the Vikings may be interested in Bill Parcells ~~as soon as they fire Brad Childress~~ if they decide to part ways with Brad Childress at the end of the year.

A reporter from the Palm Beach Post saw an advance copy of the NFL Network film about Bill Parcells that will debut tonight. In it Parcells makes it clear that at the age of 69 he isn’t ready to ride off into the sunset.
“Get me back out there,” Parcells says. “I can do this one more time. That’s how I feel.”
Well, isn’t that interesting. Parcells most recently worked as a consultant for the Miami Dolphins and last coached in 2006 with the Dallas Cowboys. He is best remembered, however, for winning two Super Bowls as coach of the New York Giants.
That is the same organization that Zygi Wilf has a huge fan of before he bought the Vikings in 2005. Already many have connected the dots that Wilf might be interested in bringing Parcells to Minnesota.

Zulgad goes on to note that Wilf has been more than satisfied with the job president of player personnel Rick Spielman and vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski have done. Thus, it’s not even certain that Wilf would want to bring in Parcells. But there’s no doubt it’s an interesting thought.

True-blue Giants fans love themselves some Parcells. The man can do no wrong and if Wilf still bleeds “Big Blue,” then he’s going to have at least a faint interest in hiring Parcells (especially after Childress gets done making a mess of everything this season).

Will everything come together? Who knows – again, this is just speculation on Zulgad’s part. There needs to be more to this than, “Wilf was a Giants fan so surely he’ll be interested in Parcells.” But it’s not difficult to connect the dots here.

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2010 NFL Week 11 Picks

November 19, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 14: Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings talks to his offensive teammates in the huddle during a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on November 14, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Vikings 27-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

My college picks continue to be complete and utter garbage, but I’ve held my own in the NFL this season.

After going 3-1 in Week 8 and 3-1 again in Week 9, I followed those performances up with another 3-1 week last Sunday. The 4-0 week continues to be my Everest, but who knows, maybe Week 11 is it. Maybe this is the Sunday I taste glory.

Or maybe this is the week my college picks infect my NFL picks and I go 0-4. Should be fun either way.

Browns (3-6) @ Jaguars (5-4), 1:00PM ET
The Browns have become a fan favorite of late and why not? They beat the Saints and Patriots and if it weren’t for a Chansi Stuckey fumble in overtime last week, they probably go on to beat the Jets too. In terms of being a competitive team, the Browns are “for real.” There’s no question. But they’re due to lay an egg and I think it’ll be this week in Jacksonville. The Jaguars certainly aren’t a great team by any stretch of the imagination and they needed a fluke Hail Mary touchdown last week after they collapsed in the second half against Houston. But this is a matchup that favors the Jaguars because neither team is very explosive. They can hang with teams that can’t turn games into a track meet. I think the Jags will limit Peyton Hillis and get the best of the Browns this week.
THE PICK: JAGUARS –1

Lions (2-7) @ Cowboys (2-7), 1:00PM ET
I think it would be a mistake to hop on the Cowboys’ bandwagon again after one win. I agree that it was a big win over a formidable opponent in the Giants, but the ‘Boys aren’t above overlooking a team like the Lions – even when they’re sitting at 2-7. The Lions have struggled all year but they’ve covered every week outside of a loss to the Vikings in Week 3. For those that have been burned several times by the Cowboys, you know laying seven points is too much with this team. Detroit will keep it somewhat close and cover (either with a legit cover or of the backdoor variety that they’ve become accustomed to doing).
THE PICK: LIONS +7

Packers (6-3) @ Vikings (3-6), 1:00PM ET
I have no problem saying that I hope the Packers send Brett Favre home with a nice parting gift in the form of a blowout defeat. But this game reeks of Lord Favre magic. The Vikings have looked hapless for most of the year and Favre’s play has been downright pathetic at times. But this might be his last chance to stick it to the Packers and you know he’s going to make the most of the opportunity, especially with the game being played on his turf. That said, Minnesota needs to figure out where its pass rush went or else Aaron Rodgers will shred the Vikings’ suspect secondary. The Vikes don’t want a shootout – they want to control the clock and take their chances in the vertical passing game when opportunities present themselves. As much as it pains me to say it: Minnesota plus the points.
THE PICK: VIKINGS +3

Ravens (6-3) @ Panthers (1-8), 1:00PM ET
The best picks are usually the ones where you want to throw up as soon as you make them. And picking the Panthers this week already has me reaching for the trashcan and my stomach rumbling. There’s absolutely no reason to take Carolina this Sunday. They’re down their top three running backs, they’re starting a quarterback in Brian St. Pierre that has only attempted five passes in his career and their defense sucks (to put it mildly). Baltimore should roll, which is why I’m taking the Panthers in a no-way-they-should-cover situation.
THE PICK: PANTHERS +10.5

Season Record: 19-16-1

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2010 College Football Week 12 Picks

November 19, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 16: Quarterback Ryan Mallett of the Arkansas Razorbacks warms up before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 65-43. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

If you’re not fading my ass by now, then there’s something definitely wrong with your think tank.

Over the past three weeks I’ve gone 0-4, 1-3 and then 0-4 again last week. The worst of it is, I wasn’t even close last Saturday. I said the five points that you had to lay with Utah was a gift against Notre Dame and the only gift was my pick of the Utes (who laid down nicely against the Irish). Georgia hung with Auburn for most of the game but then went quietly into the night. Florida and Texas were jokes, as were my picks of them to cover.

Whatever. I’m now 14-22 on the year with little hope of turning this thing around. If you don’t fade me now, then forever hold your peace.

No. 13 Arkansas @ No. 21 Mississippi State, 7:00PM ET
If the Bulldogs can’t get their 18th-ranked running game going then they’ll have a tough time keeping up with Ryan Mallett and Arkansas’ high-powered offense. Mississippi State’s defense has played well this season but its offense lacks that big-play potential. I think the Bulldogs will make a game of it early but eventually the Razorbacks will be too much for MSU to handle. The Hogs are 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall and 8-1 ATS in their last eight conference games.
THE PICK: ARKANSAS –3

Purdue @ No. 12 Michigan State, 12:00PM ET
The Spartans are probably overdue for a slip up but with a Big Ten title in their sights, I don’t think they fall this weekend against a punchless Boilermaker team. The home team is 9-2-1 against the number in the last 12 meetings between these two programs and Purdue is just 1-5 ATS in its last six trips to East Lansing. The Boilermakers might have a tough time slowing down MSU’s explosive running game and don’t expect Sparty to let up in the fourth quarter when they’re up big. There’s no time for them to take their foot off the gas when they need two victories to secure a Big Ten crown.
THE PICK: MICHIGAN STATE –20

No. 10 Oklahoma State @ Kansas, 12:00PM ET
Kansas’ wins this season were against the following: Georgia Tech, New Mexico State and Colorado (which they trailed by 28 in the fourth quarter and need a miracle comeback to win). Their victory over the Yellow Jackets was impressive, but this is a team that has largely been blown out against good and even average teams. They lost 55-7 at Baylor, 59-7 against Kansas State and 45-10 against Texas A&M. I know they somewhat held Nebraska in check last week but Oklahoma State’s offense is too explosive for the Jayhawks to keep things close this Saturday. The Cowboys roll.
THE PICK: OKLAHOMA STATE –24

Ole Miss @ No. 5 LSU, 3:30PM ET
I have a buddy who always picks the No. 16 seeds against the No. 1 seeds in the March Madness tournament every year so that if one day it happens, he can claim that he “called the upset.” I feel like him right now when it comes to LSU. For weeks I’ve been saying that LSU will fall to a suspect opponent but every time I pick against them, they win and cover easily. The one time I picked them to cover was against Auburn and – surprise! – that was the Tigers’ only loss of the year. But I’m going back to the well at least one more time: Ole Miss plus the points.
THE PICK: OLE MISS +16.5

Season Record: 14-22. I don’t know what to say, so I think it’s best if I don’t say anything and just bow my head in shame.

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Bucs’ rookie Mike Williams arrested on a DUI charge

November 19, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams (19) changes direction on a fast closing Carolina Panthers safety Charles Godfrey (30) during their NFL football game in Tampa, Florida November 14, 2010. REUTERS/Pierre DuCharme (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

Bucs’ rookie receiver Mike Williams was arrested on a DUI charge early Friday morning, although there seems to be more to the story.

Apparently Williams’ blood-alcohol level was .065 and .061, which is below the limit of .08 in Florida. He failed his field sobriety test, however, and was given a urine test to see if he was impaired by a substance other than alcohol.

If he wasn’t under the influence of any drugs, then it makes you wonder why he failed the field sobriety test. Did the police have it in for him? I don’t play the role of conspiracy theorist too often, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a cop would make an unnecessary arrest. That said, it’s also not a stretch to think that an athlete decided to partake in a substance other than alcohol.

There are conflicting reports on whether or not Williams will start this Sunday in San Francisco. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after speaking with a team source, reported earlier this morning that Williams would play. But now Schefter is saying that he spoke to someone else with the Bucs, who claims that the rookie wideout will not suit up against the Niners. It’s quite possible that the results of Williams’ urine tests are back and he did test positive for drugs. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Williams has been one of the many bright stars for the surprising Bucs this season. He’s been the favorite target of second-year quarterback Josh Freeman and at 6-3, Tampa remains in the hunt for not only a Wild Card berth in the NFC, but possibly the South division if they can keep pace with the Falcons and Saints.

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