Tag: Scott Linehan (Page 1 of 3)

      Best to be the feature back in Detroit?

      May 3, 2010 /

      It’s a little early to assume that either player has won the starting running back job for head coach Jim Schwartz in Detroit, but it appears that the Lions are leaning towards first rounder Jahvid Best over Kevin Smith in the early going.

      The two running backs complement each other well. Smith, who is coming off a torn ACL injury, is more of an inside runner and at least at this point, is better in pass protection. Best, who missed the final four games of 2009 at Cal with a concussion and a back injury, can flat out fly. He ran a 4.35 at the scouting combine and is an excellent pass catcher.

      If both players can rebound from their respective injuries, they could form a decent 1-2 punch in Detroit. Smith was ineffective last year when he was the lead back, but if Best can assume the full-time duties, then maybe the former Central Florida product will become more effective. It’s rare to see teams count on just one back these days, so both players should get plenty of touches in Scott Linehan’s offense.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Decade Debate: 10 Worst NFL Head Coaching Hires

      December 8, 2009 /

      Perhaps more than any other sport, a bad head coaching hire in the NFL can ruin a franchise for the better part of a decade. When you consider the free agent and draft acquisitions that are made to fit a coach’s style and philosophy, it’s no wonder that it usually takes years for a team to rebound after a bad coaching hire. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here are the 10 worst head coaching hires of the past decade. To be clear, this ranking is based on the result of the hire, and not necessarily the hire itself. (Although the ranking could be a combination of the two.)

      10. Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns, 2009

      One might argue that since Mangini hasn’t even gotten through his first year in Cleveland yet that he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. But others will argue that since he was absolutely despised in New York that the Browns should have never hired him in the first place. After all, was the one winning season he had with the Jets worth the Browns giving him a shot? Some of the moves that Mangini has made since arriving in Cleveland haven’t been bad at all: Trading Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, trading down multiple times to acquire more picks in the draft, acquiring safety Abram Elam, etc. But considering he hasn’t won many players over with his crass attitude, has made two quarterback changes and only has one win under his belt, things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start in Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see if the Browns fire him after only one season.

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      NFL

      Lions add former Rams’ head coach Linehan to run offense

      January 23, 2009 /

      After hiring Jim Schwartz to become their new head coach and Gunther Cunningham to run the defense, the Lions tabbed former Rams’ head coach Scott Linehan as their offensive coordinator.

      Scott Linehan, the former St. Louis Rams coach who turned down the San Francisco 49ers’ offer to become their offensive coordinator, has agreed to join the Lions in that position, team sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen on Friday.

      Linehan declined the 49ers’ offer Sunday, saying he wasn’t ready to commit to his next coaching move.

      Linehan, a respected former offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, was fired four games into his third season as the Rams’ coach last September.

      Linehan should do wonders for Calvin Johnson’s career (and fantasy owners of CJ) because he doesn’t mind putting the ball in the air, although it should be noted that the former Rams’ head coach didn’t have great relationships with Marc Bulger or Torry Holt. It’s part of the reason why he was run out of St. Louis. (That, and the fact that he couldn’t win.)

      Either way, this is quite a staff the Lions are building. All three coaches – Schwartz, Cunningham and now Linehan – are no-nonsense types who won’t stand for players having lazy work ethics, which has been one of the main problems in Detroit for some time now.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Rams hire former Giants’ defensive coordinator Spagnuolo as head coach

      January 17, 2009 /

      One day after VP of Personnel Billy Devaney said that Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was the Rams’ “leading guy” to replace Scott Linehan/Jim Haslett, the team hired former Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as their next head coach.

      Steve SpagnuoloUPDATE: The NFL Network is reporting that Spagnuolo and the Rams have agreed on a four-year contract worth $11.5 million. I was unable to independently verify this information and have no idea if it’s accurate.

      Spagnuolo, 49, was the Giants defensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008 and came up with the game plan that resulted in five sacks of Tom Brady and a shocking upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

      Before that, Spagnuolo learned his trade under acclaimed Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, working as an Eagles defensive assistant from 1999-2006. Spagnuolo came out of the Philadelphia experience with a variety of multiple defensive formations and blitz packages that he put to great use with the Giants.

      Rams GM Billy and Spagnuolo have been friends for many years and that relationship obviously created a trust factor that helped Spagnuolo feel comfortable about taking the Rams job.

      After devising a defensive scheme to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl last year, Spags became one of the hottest names in the coaching ranks. The Rams are definitely getting a quality coach and one that understands what it takes to reach the Super Bowl. Given the team’s struggles over the years on defense, it’s not a big surprise that the Rams went with a defensive-minded coach, but one has to wonder if they gave up on the next great offensive mind in Garrett.

      Still, defense wins championship so it’ll be interesting to see what Spags can do for a player like Chris Long.

      NFL

      2008 Year-End Sports Review: What We Already Knew

      December 27, 2008 /

      While every year has its own host of surprises, there are always those stories that simply fit the trend. Sure, it can get repetitive, but if we don’t look back at history aren’t we only doomed to repeat it? Every year has its fair share of stories that fell into this category, and 2008 was no different.

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