NFL MORE POPULAR THAN EVER, BUCS CHOOSE A COACH, CHIEFS SR. BOWL INTERVIEWS PERPLEXING & IS KANSAS CITY TRYING TO STIFF TODD HALEY?
I've mentioned the fantastic TV ratings from the NFL playoffs, in most cases they were the best in almost 20-years. On Thursday, Harris Interactive, the famous polling company, released the latest proof the NFL's lockout did nothing to hurt pro football's popularity. From December 5th to the 12th, a total of 2,237 adults were polled as to their favorite sport. The NFL buried the number two choice, Major League Baseball, by a huge margin, 36% to 13%. What will make the NFL brass even happier & MLB's honchos looking for answers is the gain/loss from just 1-year ago. In 2011, in the same poll, the difference was 31% to 17%. Clearly the lockout didn't keep anyone from watching the NFL in 2012 more than any other sport. College football, my personal favorite, finished in a tie for 2nd place with baseball at 13%. Auto racing was 4th at 8% & the NBA, college hoops & hockey all tied at 5%.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced their coach will be former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. I find this a puzzling hire, Schiano did revive the Rutgers' program, but they were never a threat to become a perennial top-15-type. He coaches too many losing seasons for my taste. I think he's a stand-up guy who ran a clean program, but that qualifies him to lead an NFL team, a troubled NFL team at that? His career record of 68-67 at Rutgers included a 5-1 record in a bunch of 3rd tier bowl games. I understand the Glazer family wants increased discipline but is winning a priority? Weird choice IMO.
The fallout from Schiano's departure from Rutgers 6-days before national signing day could be catastrophic for the Scarlet Knight program. Several top prospects who committed to Schiano have already reopened their recruiting. Rutgers may give Penn State a run for the title of worst 2012 recruiting class.
DandyDave emailed a good question. "With the emergence of the new breed of tight ends, Gronkowski, Graham, Davis, Finley, etc. what can NFL defense do to lessen their impact?" Dave, part of their impact is their physical makeup, very tall, athletic & quick for their size. Part of their impact is the offensive scheme they play in & lastly, NFL defenses haven't figured out how to stop them, so they continue to ravage defense after defense. If you play against these guys more than twice a year, I think you're going to see divisional opponents concentrate on bigger, more athletic & physical safeties & faster linebackers that can run with these big guys. If your team is in the same division, one of these guys could cost you two games, they've put up some gaudy stats in just a couple of years. In this draft, Alabama safety Mark Barron, Notre Dame's Harrison Smith & Boise's George Iloka all have the size, speed & athleticism to play against these new tight ends. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David has shown at the Senior Bowl he can run with any tight end which should make him quite valuable come April.
Alabama's Mark Barron Irish safety Harrison Smith
According to TV5 in Dallas, the Cowboys are apparently quite interested in North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was dismissed from the Florida program last spring for marijuana possession, not that bad in itself, but it was his third strike, he'd previously been suspended for an off-campus fight & a rumored failed drug test. With all that baggage, he sounds perfect for the Cowboys. As a player, he's a high-risk, high-reward type of corner. I've seen him get burned because he sits on too many routes looking for a pick or gets caught peeking into the backfield, but the kid does make a plays & he can really run.
It's now Friday morning & still not a single peep out of the Chiefs hierarchy regarding any interviews for offensive coordinator. I thought by now, we'd have a clue as to a couple of the candidates, but no clue so far.
While at the Senior Bowl, NFL coaching staffs can interview prospects for up to 30-minutes in the evening. At next month's scouting combine, the time limits are extremely rigid, 15-minutes start to finish. Anyway, the Chiefs have had meetings with several prospects while in Mobile, but I have to say, it's a puzzling group. Of the 5 I know about, only one makes sense to me, see what you think.
Leonard Johnson--CB--Iowa State Intriguing prospect, somewhere in round 3 or 4. Mike Mayock compares L.J. to Brandon Flowers, it's a good comparison. Nearly the exact same size, good speed & ball skills. Excellent in run support, I clearly get interviewing him.
Cornerback Leonard Johnson
Johnnie Troutman--G--Penn State After watching this guy play three times during the regular season, a bowl game & his Senior Bowl week, I don't even know if the guy's draftable. He simply gets thrown around too much, spends way too much time on the ground & I don't know how you coach that type of talent into an NFL-quality player.
Boom Herron--WR--Ohio State Part of the "Tattoo-gate" suspension group. So his character comes into question right away. Maybe Scott Pioli can bring back Thomas Jones for one more season to bust his hand next summer.
Cam Johnson--OLB--Virginia & Jake Bequette--OLB--Arkansas I've been impressed by both players this week. They were both down defensive ends that because of their size, will have to stand up outside in a 3-4. But both have some quick off the edge pass rush skills. I don't see either being more of a threat than Justin Houston. With all the holes Kansas City currently has, it would be surprising to draft a position of strength.
Something I keep hearing from media in Mobile is their comparisons of Quinton Coples to Julius Peppers. "Same college, same number, same size, same skill set" is what I keep hearing. All of that is completely true, but here's the catch, Coples had a very down senior season capped off with a miserable showing against the Missouri Tigers in the Independence Bowl. After a tackle for a loss & a sack in the 1st series, Coples was completely negated by Dan Hoch & Justin Britt, hardly household names when we're talking about offensive tackles. How do you draft a kid with a very sketchy recent history in the top-10, as so many media-types are suggesting. Outside of Peppers, so many defensive linemen from the Tar Heel program have disappointed at the next level. Can you say Ryan Sims?
A story surfaced Thursday evening after a Phoenix sports radio host, Mike Jurecki of XTRA Sports 910, Tweeted the following message.
"Hearing the Chiefs R refusing to pay Todd Haley the remainder of his salary, was terminated for cause, other words 4 a specific reason."
Is that reason the piece in the Kansas City Star that mentioned Haley thought his phone had been tampered with & his office bugged? What else could it be? One thing that can't be ignored, Haley was fired five weeks before the Star published the story of buggin' & tamperin.' So realistically, unless there's a contingency in his contract that says he can't trash the Chiefs forever, I don't think that's it. So, I say again, what the hell is it? One other note, this Tweet might be way off base. Regardless, is there anyone who still doubts the acrimony that exists between Haley & Pioli? It's very real folks. I honestly don't know if this story is true, but I do know this, if even a shread of it holds water, it's another sign Scott Pioli has his priorities completely misplaced when his team needs his full attention.
The Raiders' Al Davis said when he terminated head coach Lane Kiffin, he had been fired for cause. Kiffin appealed to the league & they upheld the Raiders accusation. Kiffin didn't get a dime out of the Raiders.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced their coach will be former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. I find this a puzzling hire, Schiano did revive the Rutgers' program, but they were never a threat to become a perennial top-15-type. He coaches too many losing seasons for my taste. I think he's a stand-up guy who ran a clean program, but that qualifies him to lead an NFL team, a troubled NFL team at that? His career record of 68-67 at Rutgers included a 5-1 record in a bunch of 3rd tier bowl games. I understand the Glazer family wants increased discipline but is winning a priority? Weird choice IMO.
The fallout from Schiano's departure from Rutgers 6-days before national signing day could be catastrophic for the Scarlet Knight program. Several top prospects who committed to Schiano have already reopened their recruiting. Rutgers may give Penn State a run for the title of worst 2012 recruiting class.
DandyDave emailed a good question. "With the emergence of the new breed of tight ends, Gronkowski, Graham, Davis, Finley, etc. what can NFL defense do to lessen their impact?" Dave, part of their impact is their physical makeup, very tall, athletic & quick for their size. Part of their impact is the offensive scheme they play in & lastly, NFL defenses haven't figured out how to stop them, so they continue to ravage defense after defense. If you play against these guys more than twice a year, I think you're going to see divisional opponents concentrate on bigger, more athletic & physical safeties & faster linebackers that can run with these big guys. If your team is in the same division, one of these guys could cost you two games, they've put up some gaudy stats in just a couple of years. In this draft, Alabama safety Mark Barron, Notre Dame's Harrison Smith & Boise's George Iloka all have the size, speed & athleticism to play against these new tight ends. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David has shown at the Senior Bowl he can run with any tight end which should make him quite valuable come April.
Alabama's Mark Barron Irish safety Harrison Smith
According to TV5 in Dallas, the Cowboys are apparently quite interested in North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was dismissed from the Florida program last spring for marijuana possession, not that bad in itself, but it was his third strike, he'd previously been suspended for an off-campus fight & a rumored failed drug test. With all that baggage, he sounds perfect for the Cowboys. As a player, he's a high-risk, high-reward type of corner. I've seen him get burned because he sits on too many routes looking for a pick or gets caught peeking into the backfield, but the kid does make a plays & he can really run.
It's now Friday morning & still not a single peep out of the Chiefs hierarchy regarding any interviews for offensive coordinator. I thought by now, we'd have a clue as to a couple of the candidates, but no clue so far.
While at the Senior Bowl, NFL coaching staffs can interview prospects for up to 30-minutes in the evening. At next month's scouting combine, the time limits are extremely rigid, 15-minutes start to finish. Anyway, the Chiefs have had meetings with several prospects while in Mobile, but I have to say, it's a puzzling group. Of the 5 I know about, only one makes sense to me, see what you think.
Leonard Johnson--CB--Iowa State Intriguing prospect, somewhere in round 3 or 4. Mike Mayock compares L.J. to Brandon Flowers, it's a good comparison. Nearly the exact same size, good speed & ball skills. Excellent in run support, I clearly get interviewing him.
Cornerback Leonard Johnson
Johnnie Troutman--G--Penn State After watching this guy play three times during the regular season, a bowl game & his Senior Bowl week, I don't even know if the guy's draftable. He simply gets thrown around too much, spends way too much time on the ground & I don't know how you coach that type of talent into an NFL-quality player.
Boom Herron--WR--Ohio State Part of the "Tattoo-gate" suspension group. So his character comes into question right away. Maybe Scott Pioli can bring back Thomas Jones for one more season to bust his hand next summer.
Cam Johnson--OLB--Virginia & Jake Bequette--OLB--Arkansas I've been impressed by both players this week. They were both down defensive ends that because of their size, will have to stand up outside in a 3-4. But both have some quick off the edge pass rush skills. I don't see either being more of a threat than Justin Houston. With all the holes Kansas City currently has, it would be surprising to draft a position of strength.
Something I keep hearing from media in Mobile is their comparisons of Quinton Coples to Julius Peppers. "Same college, same number, same size, same skill set" is what I keep hearing. All of that is completely true, but here's the catch, Coples had a very down senior season capped off with a miserable showing against the Missouri Tigers in the Independence Bowl. After a tackle for a loss & a sack in the 1st series, Coples was completely negated by Dan Hoch & Justin Britt, hardly household names when we're talking about offensive tackles. How do you draft a kid with a very sketchy recent history in the top-10, as so many media-types are suggesting. Outside of Peppers, so many defensive linemen from the Tar Heel program have disappointed at the next level. Can you say Ryan Sims?
A story surfaced Thursday evening after a Phoenix sports radio host, Mike Jurecki of XTRA Sports 910, Tweeted the following message.
"Hearing the Chiefs R refusing to pay Todd Haley the remainder of his salary, was terminated for cause, other words 4 a specific reason."
Is that reason the piece in the Kansas City Star that mentioned Haley thought his phone had been tampered with & his office bugged? What else could it be? One thing that can't be ignored, Haley was fired five weeks before the Star published the story of buggin' & tamperin.' So realistically, unless there's a contingency in his contract that says he can't trash the Chiefs forever, I don't think that's it. So, I say again, what the hell is it? One other note, this Tweet might be way off base. Regardless, is there anyone who still doubts the acrimony that exists between Haley & Pioli? It's very real folks. I honestly don't know if this story is true, but I do know this, if even a shread of it holds water, it's another sign Scott Pioli has his priorities completely misplaced when his team needs his full attention.
The Raiders' Al Davis said when he terminated head coach Lane Kiffin, he had been fired for cause. Kiffin appealed to the league & they upheld the Raiders accusation. Kiffin didn't get a dime out of the Raiders.
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