SHOCKER: LUCK STAYS AT STANFORD, VINCE YOUNG IS OUT & THE WRATH OF AL DAVIS
Stanford just released a statement regarding their "All-World" quarterback Andrew Luck. He's staying in school, the NFL will have to wait another year. It's hard to comprehend the 21-year old, who's a walking Powerball ticket right now, would pass on $45-50 million to get a degree in architectural design. Yes, getting his degree is important & yes he could improve as a quarterback by playing his junior year. But he could get hurt & all that money could go away. There's no way he could improve his draft status because he would be the #1 player selected in April's draft. His coach, Jim Harbaugh, is talking to the Miami Dolphins as I write this, he will also meet with San Francisco, so there's a chance they could team up again. The person who could benefit the most by Luck's decision to stay is Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert, ranked second by most draft experts. His rookie money might have shot up by $15 million on this decision. The one sticking point is the NFLPA & league owners haven't hammered out a new collective bargaining agreement. If there is a work stoppage, Luck will look like a genius, he continues to improve game by game while while Gabbert, Cam Newton & Ryan Mallett sit & stew, no practice, no games, no money.
Who said "I know what I don't know & I'm going to hire to what I don't know?" More importantly, what the hell does it mean? The answer below.
The New Orleans Saints' running game continues to be a major concern for coach Sean Peyton. They've lost Pierre Thomas & Chris Ivory in the last few days. That leaves only Julius Jones & Reggie Bush left on the roster to carry the rock. Bush, missed 8 games due to a broken leg & Jones, a Seattle cast-off, have combined to gain 343-yards for the entire season & neither scored a rushing touchdown. Both have a history of putting the ball on the ground & neither is effective running between the tackles. Bill Parcells once said Bush is a "satellite player" meaning he's only effective playing in space. I still believe the Saints can score enough to beat Seattle but in the second round of the playoffs, being one-dimensional can be fatal.
Beyond Dewayne Bowe, how little confidence does the Chiefs' coaching staff have in their wide receivers? So little they signed 32-year old journeyman Kevin Curtis & look for him to be active for Sunday's playoff game. Why else would they have signed him? For next season? I don't think so. Curtis' career began in St. Louis, moved on to Philadelphia & in 2010, he played for the Dolphins. Curtis' best season was in 2007 for Philadelphia when he caught 77 passes for 1,110-yards & 6 touchdowns. His combined '09 & '10 stats total 7 receptions for 83-yards. Curtis has suffered numerous injuries over his 8-year career.
If you are in need of Chiefs-Ravens' playoff tickets, check out www.chiefstix.com It's a broker site that has numerous plenty of tickets for sale, parking passes & if you have either to sell, you can get it done there.
I got several emails regarding the Chiefs' draft position next April. It depends on how far they go in the playoffs. If they lose & Seattle does too, the Chiefs will draft 22nd. If they win, their position won't be locked in until they lose a playoff game.
The Vince Young versus Jeff Fisher squabble is over. The Titans announced they were going to part ways with the quarterback. Owner Bud Adams wanted the pair to resolve their issues but Fisher made it quite clear it was "him or me." The Titan's statement made it clear Fisher wasn't out of the woods with ownership yet "the coaches evaluation is a continuing process." Bull, if they weren't certain Fisher wouldn't be back, they would not have made the decision to release Young. The question is who is the Titan QB of the future? Kerry Collins is 38 & Rusty Shaw isn't an option, so they will need to find their future signal-caller very quickly. To Young's credit he issued a statement thanking the Titans for the opportunity & he enjoyed his 5-years in Nashvile, blah, blah, blah. That was certainly written by his agent but Young, appearing on a Nashville radio station, said this morning "I never really felt like I was Jeff Fisher's guy. I never felt he had my back. We never really clashed & I do respect him as a coach & as a man, but it's hard to have a relationship you need if one of the people doesn't really trust the other one." Young is right about that. It was owner Bud Adams who demanded that Young be drafted, Fisher didn't want him & Young knew it early on. Young is wildly talented but he is still somewhat immature. Until last season he didn't put in the time it takes to become a front line NFL quarterback. His off-field behavior has been a problem at times, once again pointing to his immaturity. Where Young will land is tough to figure, Minnesota & Arizona are both possibilities. It is also a possibility that the Titans will listen to trade offers for Fisher. Whoever doesn't land Jim Harbaugh could be willing to give up a 2nd round draft pick to sign the veteran coach.
The Miami Dolphins have entered the Harbaugh derby in a major way. I told you yesterday new owner Stephen Ross wanted a "name" coach to revitalize the Dolphins' fan base. But courting Harbaugh while they still have Tony Sparano on the payroll is pretty tacky. Made even more tacky by GM Jeff Ireland's sidekick in the negotiations, Carl Peterson. Not surprised after the way he humiliated his current coach Gunther Cunningham by publicly courting Dick Vermeil. Cunningham found out he was no longer the Chiefs' head coach by seeing the news on local TV. What a sleaze.
Wade Phillips is in as defensive coordinator in Houston. This is a positive move for the Texans & I expect this will be his last stop of his coaching career. Houston is home & owner Bob McNair wanted Phillips in this position.
The Cowboys announced what everybody already knew, they are making interim coach Jason Garrett the permanent coach. Former Denver head coach Josh McDaniels said this morning he doesn't want the Forty-Niners job or any other head coaching gig right now. He wants to go back to being someone's offensive coordinator. I still think he could be on Scott Pioli's very short list to replace Charlie Weis. It would be interesting to know what Todd Haley's thoughts are on a possible McDaniels' hiring. Of course we'll never know, nothing leaks out over at Arrowhead.
Yesterday Oakland's Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler sounded off with his displeasure over management's decision to cut head coach Tom Cable loose. Today the Raiders signed another punter, Glenn Pakulak.The former Saint punter was released in November. Lechler is the best punter in the NFL, has been for the last decade but the wrath of Al Davis might send him packing as well. No owner in the entire league takes criticism worse than Davis. Pro Bowl or no Pro Bowl, Lechler could very well have punted his last football for the Oakland Raiders. Who knows? Maybe Lechler knew this would get him out of Oakland & into a more stable organization. Never underestimate the ability of Al Davis to screw up his team, the other teams in the AFC West have begun to depend on it.
The answer to who said the above quote is new Vice President of Football Operations for the Denver Broncos, John Elway. It was part of his hour-long press conference yesterday. As to what it means, I think it means if there is a phase of the football operation Elway doesn't understand, he'll hire someone who does understand.
Who said "I know what I don't know & I'm going to hire to what I don't know?" More importantly, what the hell does it mean? The answer below.
The New Orleans Saints' running game continues to be a major concern for coach Sean Peyton. They've lost Pierre Thomas & Chris Ivory in the last few days. That leaves only Julius Jones & Reggie Bush left on the roster to carry the rock. Bush, missed 8 games due to a broken leg & Jones, a Seattle cast-off, have combined to gain 343-yards for the entire season & neither scored a rushing touchdown. Both have a history of putting the ball on the ground & neither is effective running between the tackles. Bill Parcells once said Bush is a "satellite player" meaning he's only effective playing in space. I still believe the Saints can score enough to beat Seattle but in the second round of the playoffs, being one-dimensional can be fatal.
Beyond Dewayne Bowe, how little confidence does the Chiefs' coaching staff have in their wide receivers? So little they signed 32-year old journeyman Kevin Curtis & look for him to be active for Sunday's playoff game. Why else would they have signed him? For next season? I don't think so. Curtis' career began in St. Louis, moved on to Philadelphia & in 2010, he played for the Dolphins. Curtis' best season was in 2007 for Philadelphia when he caught 77 passes for 1,110-yards & 6 touchdowns. His combined '09 & '10 stats total 7 receptions for 83-yards. Curtis has suffered numerous injuries over his 8-year career.
If you are in need of Chiefs-Ravens' playoff tickets, check out www.chiefstix.com It's a broker site that has numerous plenty of tickets for sale, parking passes & if you have either to sell, you can get it done there.
I got several emails regarding the Chiefs' draft position next April. It depends on how far they go in the playoffs. If they lose & Seattle does too, the Chiefs will draft 22nd. If they win, their position won't be locked in until they lose a playoff game.
The Vince Young versus Jeff Fisher squabble is over. The Titans announced they were going to part ways with the quarterback. Owner Bud Adams wanted the pair to resolve their issues but Fisher made it quite clear it was "him or me." The Titan's statement made it clear Fisher wasn't out of the woods with ownership yet "the coaches evaluation is a continuing process." Bull, if they weren't certain Fisher wouldn't be back, they would not have made the decision to release Young. The question is who is the Titan QB of the future? Kerry Collins is 38 & Rusty Shaw isn't an option, so they will need to find their future signal-caller very quickly. To Young's credit he issued a statement thanking the Titans for the opportunity & he enjoyed his 5-years in Nashvile, blah, blah, blah. That was certainly written by his agent but Young, appearing on a Nashville radio station, said this morning "I never really felt like I was Jeff Fisher's guy. I never felt he had my back. We never really clashed & I do respect him as a coach & as a man, but it's hard to have a relationship you need if one of the people doesn't really trust the other one." Young is right about that. It was owner Bud Adams who demanded that Young be drafted, Fisher didn't want him & Young knew it early on. Young is wildly talented but he is still somewhat immature. Until last season he didn't put in the time it takes to become a front line NFL quarterback. His off-field behavior has been a problem at times, once again pointing to his immaturity. Where Young will land is tough to figure, Minnesota & Arizona are both possibilities. It is also a possibility that the Titans will listen to trade offers for Fisher. Whoever doesn't land Jim Harbaugh could be willing to give up a 2nd round draft pick to sign the veteran coach.
The Miami Dolphins have entered the Harbaugh derby in a major way. I told you yesterday new owner Stephen Ross wanted a "name" coach to revitalize the Dolphins' fan base. But courting Harbaugh while they still have Tony Sparano on the payroll is pretty tacky. Made even more tacky by GM Jeff Ireland's sidekick in the negotiations, Carl Peterson. Not surprised after the way he humiliated his current coach Gunther Cunningham by publicly courting Dick Vermeil. Cunningham found out he was no longer the Chiefs' head coach by seeing the news on local TV. What a sleaze.
Wade Phillips is in as defensive coordinator in Houston. This is a positive move for the Texans & I expect this will be his last stop of his coaching career. Houston is home & owner Bob McNair wanted Phillips in this position.
The Cowboys announced what everybody already knew, they are making interim coach Jason Garrett the permanent coach. Former Denver head coach Josh McDaniels said this morning he doesn't want the Forty-Niners job or any other head coaching gig right now. He wants to go back to being someone's offensive coordinator. I still think he could be on Scott Pioli's very short list to replace Charlie Weis. It would be interesting to know what Todd Haley's thoughts are on a possible McDaniels' hiring. Of course we'll never know, nothing leaks out over at Arrowhead.
Yesterday Oakland's Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler sounded off with his displeasure over management's decision to cut head coach Tom Cable loose. Today the Raiders signed another punter, Glenn Pakulak.The former Saint punter was released in November. Lechler is the best punter in the NFL, has been for the last decade but the wrath of Al Davis might send him packing as well. No owner in the entire league takes criticism worse than Davis. Pro Bowl or no Pro Bowl, Lechler could very well have punted his last football for the Oakland Raiders. Who knows? Maybe Lechler knew this would get him out of Oakland & into a more stable organization. Never underestimate the ability of Al Davis to screw up his team, the other teams in the AFC West have begun to depend on it.
The answer to who said the above quote is new Vice President of Football Operations for the Denver Broncos, John Elway. It was part of his hour-long press conference yesterday. As to what it means, I think it means if there is a phase of the football operation Elway doesn't understand, he'll hire someone who does understand.
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