COACHING NEWS APLENTY, SOME UNDERCLASSMEN JUMP, OTHERS STAY PUT & OTHER NEWS
Sorry I've been away for two days, we have a new addition to our family & he took a lot of TLC the first couple of days. Someone turned this magnificent animal out, he was seen roaming the Old Kinderhook Golf course for a couple of weeks. He landed on the doorstep of my wife's office cold & hungry, no collar, tags or chip to track his owner. After checking with every local vet & finding no reports of a missing dog like this one, Linda couldn't resist & by sundown he was in the back of her SUV heading home. I came in from doing my radio show a few hours later to find this very large critter greeting me at the back door. I spent much of the day yesterday at the vet, getting him a thorough physical exam, vaccinated, bathed & de-ticked. He looks beautiful now, but the vet said we need to put at least 15-20 pounds on our 2-year old. Did I mention he weighs 97 already? Today, he & I spent a large portion of the day investigating the best potential pee & poop spots on our hill. We hit the jackpot about 1PM & were successful again around six. We named him "Bear" & took him to PETCO tonight in search of all the things a very large chocolate Labrador Retriever needs to feel pampered in the Stewart home. Mission accomplished. He's right here in the office as I write this, relaxing, keeping me company. Back to football.
There's been a flurry of coaching changes but let's start with the biggest news of all. Somebody finally stepped up to assume the head coaching position at Penn State. A lot of people wouldn't even come in for an interview, the job was radioactive. Enter New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. He agreed to an interview & decided to take the job when it was offered. But all is not well at Penn State, O'Brien will stay with the Patriots as long as they're still in the NFL playoffs. If they make it all the way to the Super Bowl, O'Brien would be coaching New England past National Signing day, February 1st. If he can't recruit or assemble his staff, tough times around this program will continue for another year or two. But on the bright side, they finally got a coach & he's a keeper.
Boise State coach Chris Petersen, who was offered the Penn State job, not once but twice, signed a new 5-year extension to stay with the Broncos. He'll see a $400K raise in 2012 & a $200K bump every year for the length of the deal. The new contract pushes Petersen into the top-25 highest paid coaches in college football.
Fired Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman was interviewed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday. Sherman was the Packers head coach from 2000-2005. He had a 57-39 record in Green Bay but just a 25-25 mark with A&M. Strange choice, even if Sherman's not intended to be a serious candidate.
Mike Martz resigned his post as offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Apparently Jay Cutler had a lot to do with his decision, the two never saw eye to eye. That's been a career-long issue with Martz.
In a shocker, at least it was to me, San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos decided to retain both GM A.J. Smith & head coach Norv Turner. The San Diego press has panned the decision & it hasn't been a popular choice with Charger fans either. Spanos claimed Philip Rivers & a few players personally contacted him pleading for Turner to keep his job. With a stadium stalemate, is there any chance Spanos did this to hurt his already ailing attendance so he can move the team to L.A.? I'm just askin'.
The Chargers also fired defensive coordinator Greg Manusky on Thursday. When the rumor began circulating defensive coach John Pagano was about to leave to join Jim Mora Jr.'s staff at UCLA, A.J. Smith pulled the trigger & fired Manusky so he could promote Pagano. Manusky wasn't the reason San Diego struggled to an 8-8 record, but Smith & Turner needed for someone to take a fall & it wasn't going to be them.
Carl Peterson is in fact a paid adviser to Dolphins owner Steven Ross in his quest for a new head coach. King Carl & Ross denied he had any official title with the franchise but he personally interviewed Jon Gruden & Jeff Fisher. What the hell is GM Jeff Ireland doing? Ross acknowledged Peterson's help, but made it clear(as mud) Peterson would not have an official capacity with the team. What is Ireland's official capacity?
According to several sources, the Chiefs interviewed Jeff Fisher for their head coaching job but the scheduled 5-hour meeting was over in less than 2 because the parties had no chance of coming to any agreement. Big shock, Scott Pioli isn't the least bit flexible & folks that doesn't make me feel real confident going forward. They also interviewed Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin tonight. I see this as nothing more than filling their dance card with people who have zero chance of getting the job. Coaching for Green Bay, Philbin may be occupied for another month before he could assemble a staff, a mistake Pioli made with Todd Haley, who was busy with the Cardinals Super Bowl run. I think Romeo Crennel will get this job permanently within the next 7-days. I really like Crennel, but if Pioli doesn't do a helluva lot better job assembling his roster, Haley, Crennel, Bill Belichick or Vince by-God Lombardi couldn't win playoff games with the talent he's provided.
The other day I asked which NFL general manager had the longest tenure. I got several incorrect answers before John C. submitted the right one. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has also been his own general manager for over 20-years. The reason I asked this question is it's pretty clear to even the most casual fan, he's not a great judge of talent. He keeps saying their roster is loaded with players who can get them where he wants to go, the Super Bowl. Much like many of the decisions Al Davis made near the end, Jones is hurting his own team by refusing to bring in someone to run the draft & free agency. He went as far as saying "I give us the best chance to win. I made it clear when I bought the team, I would be the GM & nothing that has happened will change that. I'm the right GM for this team."
I've told you about the Jets locker room cancer that is wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Teammates are openly dumping on him, it's not just Ladainian Tomlinson. Backup QB Greg McElroy said Thursday "There are people within our locker room that don't care whether we won or lost as long as they got theirs, they had a good game individually." When asked by the Jets beat reporter if Holmes would be back next season, several unnamed players said the same thing "No way I see him coming back."
The college underclassmen who considered jumping to the NFL before their senior season are beginning to declare their intentions. Tho they have till the 15th, here's a list of some of the biggest names to reach a decision. Many, many more to come.
Staying in school:
Landry Jones--QB--Oklahoma
Montee Ball--RB--Wisconsin
Matt Barkley--QB--USC
Leaving school for the NFL:
Alshon Jeffrey--WR--S. Carolina
Ronnie Hillman--RB--San Diego State
Jonathan Martin--OT--Stanford
David DeCastro--OG--Stanford
Chris Polk--RB--Washington
Ronnell Lewis--OLB/DE--Oklahoma
Vontaze Burfict--ILB--Arizona State
Riley Reiff--OT--Iowa
Justin Blackmon--WR--Oklahoma State
Mohamed Sanu--WR--Rutgers
Have you noticed all the empty seats at many of the bowl games? Even the BCS Sugar & Orange Bowls weren't exempt. "It's the economy" is the refrain we hear game after game & while that's partially to blame, how about the matchups suck? The ACC is the biggest offender, with a bowl record of 2-5. The conference champ, Clemson, was humiliated by a so-so West Virginia team, 70-33. Virginia Tech, the longtime leader in excellent special teams play, gave a game away with horrible special teams play in their overtime loss to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. Tonight's Cotton Bowl could be a great game, since Kansas State's Bill Snyder is a master game planner. I liked Arkansas' offensive team this season, even with all the injuries. Quarterback Tyler Wilson is great at finding the open man & they can run the ball as well. This is a great matchup. Hopefully the game will be a memorable one in a bowl season chock full of stinkers.
Ben Roethlisberger suffered a setback in regards to his sprained ankle. He said he twisted it in practice Wednesday but he's play Sunday against Denver. They may not be the case for center Maurkice Pouncey, who hasn't bounced back from his ankle injury. His status will be listed as questionable, leaning to doubtful. I still don't see a scenario where the Tebows win this game.
There's been a flurry of coaching changes but let's start with the biggest news of all. Somebody finally stepped up to assume the head coaching position at Penn State. A lot of people wouldn't even come in for an interview, the job was radioactive. Enter New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. He agreed to an interview & decided to take the job when it was offered. But all is not well at Penn State, O'Brien will stay with the Patriots as long as they're still in the NFL playoffs. If they make it all the way to the Super Bowl, O'Brien would be coaching New England past National Signing day, February 1st. If he can't recruit or assemble his staff, tough times around this program will continue for another year or two. But on the bright side, they finally got a coach & he's a keeper.
Boise State coach Chris Petersen, who was offered the Penn State job, not once but twice, signed a new 5-year extension to stay with the Broncos. He'll see a $400K raise in 2012 & a $200K bump every year for the length of the deal. The new contract pushes Petersen into the top-25 highest paid coaches in college football.
Fired Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman was interviewed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday. Sherman was the Packers head coach from 2000-2005. He had a 57-39 record in Green Bay but just a 25-25 mark with A&M. Strange choice, even if Sherman's not intended to be a serious candidate.
Mike Martz resigned his post as offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Apparently Jay Cutler had a lot to do with his decision, the two never saw eye to eye. That's been a career-long issue with Martz.
In a shocker, at least it was to me, San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos decided to retain both GM A.J. Smith & head coach Norv Turner. The San Diego press has panned the decision & it hasn't been a popular choice with Charger fans either. Spanos claimed Philip Rivers & a few players personally contacted him pleading for Turner to keep his job. With a stadium stalemate, is there any chance Spanos did this to hurt his already ailing attendance so he can move the team to L.A.? I'm just askin'.
The Chargers also fired defensive coordinator Greg Manusky on Thursday. When the rumor began circulating defensive coach John Pagano was about to leave to join Jim Mora Jr.'s staff at UCLA, A.J. Smith pulled the trigger & fired Manusky so he could promote Pagano. Manusky wasn't the reason San Diego struggled to an 8-8 record, but Smith & Turner needed for someone to take a fall & it wasn't going to be them.
Carl Peterson is in fact a paid adviser to Dolphins owner Steven Ross in his quest for a new head coach. King Carl & Ross denied he had any official title with the franchise but he personally interviewed Jon Gruden & Jeff Fisher. What the hell is GM Jeff Ireland doing? Ross acknowledged Peterson's help, but made it clear(as mud) Peterson would not have an official capacity with the team. What is Ireland's official capacity?
According to several sources, the Chiefs interviewed Jeff Fisher for their head coaching job but the scheduled 5-hour meeting was over in less than 2 because the parties had no chance of coming to any agreement. Big shock, Scott Pioli isn't the least bit flexible & folks that doesn't make me feel real confident going forward. They also interviewed Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin tonight. I see this as nothing more than filling their dance card with people who have zero chance of getting the job. Coaching for Green Bay, Philbin may be occupied for another month before he could assemble a staff, a mistake Pioli made with Todd Haley, who was busy with the Cardinals Super Bowl run. I think Romeo Crennel will get this job permanently within the next 7-days. I really like Crennel, but if Pioli doesn't do a helluva lot better job assembling his roster, Haley, Crennel, Bill Belichick or Vince by-God Lombardi couldn't win playoff games with the talent he's provided.
The other day I asked which NFL general manager had the longest tenure. I got several incorrect answers before John C. submitted the right one. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has also been his own general manager for over 20-years. The reason I asked this question is it's pretty clear to even the most casual fan, he's not a great judge of talent. He keeps saying their roster is loaded with players who can get them where he wants to go, the Super Bowl. Much like many of the decisions Al Davis made near the end, Jones is hurting his own team by refusing to bring in someone to run the draft & free agency. He went as far as saying "I give us the best chance to win. I made it clear when I bought the team, I would be the GM & nothing that has happened will change that. I'm the right GM for this team."
I've told you about the Jets locker room cancer that is wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Teammates are openly dumping on him, it's not just Ladainian Tomlinson. Backup QB Greg McElroy said Thursday "There are people within our locker room that don't care whether we won or lost as long as they got theirs, they had a good game individually." When asked by the Jets beat reporter if Holmes would be back next season, several unnamed players said the same thing "No way I see him coming back."
The college underclassmen who considered jumping to the NFL before their senior season are beginning to declare their intentions. Tho they have till the 15th, here's a list of some of the biggest names to reach a decision. Many, many more to come.
Staying in school:
Landry Jones--QB--Oklahoma
Montee Ball--RB--Wisconsin
Matt Barkley--QB--USC
Leaving school for the NFL:
Alshon Jeffrey--WR--S. Carolina
Ronnie Hillman--RB--San Diego State
Jonathan Martin--OT--Stanford
David DeCastro--OG--Stanford
Chris Polk--RB--Washington
Ronnell Lewis--OLB/DE--Oklahoma
Vontaze Burfict--ILB--Arizona State
Riley Reiff--OT--Iowa
Justin Blackmon--WR--Oklahoma State
Mohamed Sanu--WR--Rutgers
Have you noticed all the empty seats at many of the bowl games? Even the BCS Sugar & Orange Bowls weren't exempt. "It's the economy" is the refrain we hear game after game & while that's partially to blame, how about the matchups suck? The ACC is the biggest offender, with a bowl record of 2-5. The conference champ, Clemson, was humiliated by a so-so West Virginia team, 70-33. Virginia Tech, the longtime leader in excellent special teams play, gave a game away with horrible special teams play in their overtime loss to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. Tonight's Cotton Bowl could be a great game, since Kansas State's Bill Snyder is a master game planner. I liked Arkansas' offensive team this season, even with all the injuries. Quarterback Tyler Wilson is great at finding the open man & they can run the ball as well. This is a great matchup. Hopefully the game will be a memorable one in a bowl season chock full of stinkers.
Ben Roethlisberger suffered a setback in regards to his sprained ankle. He said he twisted it in practice Wednesday but he's play Sunday against Denver. They may not be the case for center Maurkice Pouncey, who hasn't bounced back from his ankle injury. His status will be listed as questionable, leaning to doubtful. I still don't see a scenario where the Tebows win this game.
Rich,
My husband just texted me about your dog story. I grew up with a giant chocolate and when I got married, my husband bought us a puppy for our first Christmas together. (Brown)Sugar lived for 12 years and was the sweetest and easiest to care for dog on four legs. We lost her last spring but it won't be long before we get another. Your Bear looks so handsome.
I knew there was a reason I liked you other than being so good at picking football games. Bear will win your hearts, good for you and your wife for finding him.
Patti
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Rich, What a great dog. We have a rescue from Blue Moon Sanctuary and would never get a non-rescue dog again...too many homeless kids out there. Enjoy the Bear but not da'BEARS
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Never been on this site and I'm not a huge football fan, but I saw the picture of your new dog on a co-workers screen and I got the link to read your story. Good for you and your wife for taking the time and money to take in this dog. I know it isn't cheap, for you see, I've had 1 or 2 Labs by my side my entire life and I'm 54 years old. My folks always had them and that love carried over to me when I met my wife and started a family. We've had all three colors, both male and female. There's a reason they're the number one breed in AKC. Whether they're hunting, sniffing for drugs and bombs, aiding people as assistance dogs or just as the family pet, Labs are the best. Enjoy yours.
Glenn Winters
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