COACHING MOVES, RAMS' GAMES IN LONDON IN QUESTION & THE MOST TALENTED QB I'VE EVER SEEN PASSES AWAY
Some major coordinator positions were filled on Friday. The Denver Broncos added former Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio to their staff as defensive coordinator. He had previously worked for John Fox in the same capacity before he went to Jacksonville. This is a real solid move in my estimate. The Dolphins named both coordinators yesterday, Mike Sherman on offense & Kevin Coyle on defense. Sherman had been head coach with the Packers & most recently, Texas A&M. Coyle was DB's coach for Cincinnati. Brad "Chilly" Childress has accepted the job as offensive coordinator in Cleveland. The former Vikings head coach will begin his Brown's tenure with a pretty bare cupboard as far as offensive skill position players, especially at quarterback. Cleveland holds 2-first round draft picks, I expect them to tab a QB & either a RB or a WR.
Have you noticed Chad Ochocinco has been quiet as a mouse since he went to New England? His 15-receptions for 276-yards & one touchdown are so far below his normal stats, he's got nothing to crow about plus playing for Bill Belichick, #85 knows complaining will get him a a pink slip. He's been in on exactly one snap in two playoff games, one. But he is realizing a life long dream, going to the Super Bowl as a player & not a spectator. Tuesday is media day, let's see just how low profile Ochocinco can remain.
I told you the other day Nick Montana was going to transfer from Washington to Blinn Jr. College in Texas. I got ahead of myself, Montana will transfer to Mt. San Antonio Jr. College in California. Brother Nate already transferred from Notre Dame to Division 1-AA Montana.
I told you about the young man from Baton Rouge who at thew Under Armour High School All-Star game, chose Alabama over his home state LSU, much to the disgust of his mother. The mini-drama played out live on national television has a 2nd chapter. His mother said on Friday she thought Nick Saban was irresponsible & patronizing when he told her son, Landon Collins, he would get him high draft pick status with the NFL. His mom was more concerned about his education, something she said Saban failed to mention in the 2-hours in her living room. She was wearing LSU purple & gold during the live TV shot & her smiles turned to horror when Landon pulled on a pair of Crimson Tide gloves & cap.
The Mizzou Tigers have filled one of the three vacant dates on their out-of-conference schedule by agreeing to a game with Central Florida on September 29th. The game with UCF will be in Orlando. September 1st & November 17th still remain blank at this time.
The St. Louis Visitors & Convention Commission said on Friday the Rams decision to play a scheduled home game in London the next three years is in violation of their lease with the City. According to the CVC, all Rams' home games must be played at the Edward Jones Dome unless the building is declared unsafe. Stay tuned Rams' fans, this could get ugly.
This afternoon's Senior Bowl doesn't look like a very competitive game to me. The South has huge advantages at QB, defensive line & in the secondary. That alone should allow them to win, but I've never cared who won, I just watch it, over & over, to see the individual matchups between NFL-caliber prospects.
The Chiefs drafted nose tackle Jerrell Powe last April. He was active for only one game & played just nine snaps. Unlike a few other draft picks who never saw the field, the reason Powe didn't play much was simple. According to a Chiefs' official, Powe was a "swing & a miss." He never dedicated himself to conditioning or learning the Kansas City defensive scheme. If this is true, he'll be an early camp cut come August.
Greg Cook passed away late Thursday evening, he was 65. Cook was the most talented quarterback prospect I've personally ever seen. Cook was the #1 overall pick in the 1969 draft, out of the University of Cincinnati. He was huge for that era, 6' 4" & 225-pounds. He had a rocket-arm that delivered passes 50-60-yards downfield right on target. He once threw for 564-yards in a college game, it made headlines nationwide, no one threw for those gaudy numbers back in the 60's. He was ultra-dangerous outside the pocket, he could run but the real scary part of his game was his uncanny ability to throw perfect strikes on the run. The legendary Paul Brown drafted & coached Cook, along with the Bengals QB coach, Bill Walsh. Even tho he would later coach Joe Montana & Steve Young, both Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Walsh never hesitated to call Cook "the most talented quarterback I ever saw."
Even as a goofy high school senior, which I was at the time, it was plain to see Greg Cook played the quarterback position faster than anyone else. He dropped back quicker than anyone, he went thru the progressions, taught to him by Walsh, faster than anyone & he got rid of the ball on a par with Joe Namath. And then there was his uncanny accuracy, definitely comparable to Lenny Dawson or Bob Griese, the top AFL passers of the day. As a rookie on a so-so team, his impact was amazing.
Cook started as a rookie, beating the AFL's Oakland Raiders & then the Kansas City Chiefs, that season's eventual Super Bowl winner. But in the their victory over Kansas City, Cook sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for seven weeks. Medical technology at the time was almost prehistoric compared to today, Cook had a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. Like so many football injuries back then, cortisone shots(my personal favorite) & pain killers got many a football player ready for the games on Sunday. The problem is, the shots & pain killers only mask the real problem & it will continue to worsen in most cases. That was the case with Cook. His suffered thru 3 operations that were essentially experimental in nature & constant pain that completely changed his throwing motion.
Cook missed all or part of 3 seasons before being forced into retirement. He played but 12 games in professional football & yet he's on every single "Best of" list I've ever seen. The NFL Network has him on their best QB list, as does both Sports Illustrated NFL scribes, Peter King & Paul Zimmerman. I told you what Bill Walsh thought of his talent, I've heard Len Dawson say Greg Cook was the greatest QB talent ever, "the release of Joe Namath with the accuracy of Johnny Unitas & the most dangerous QB outside the pocket ever." Bengals owner Mike Brown, son of Paul Brown, said yesterday "Greg Cook was the single most talented player to ever play for Cincinnati."
Cook spent the rest of his life working for United Parcel Service & as a motivational speaker in the labor movement. He was a painter, something he continued to do thruout his life. Two of his paintings hang in the Ohio Governor's mansion.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg Cook in a 1969 game against the Denver Broncos
Have you noticed Chad Ochocinco has been quiet as a mouse since he went to New England? His 15-receptions for 276-yards & one touchdown are so far below his normal stats, he's got nothing to crow about plus playing for Bill Belichick, #85 knows complaining will get him a a pink slip. He's been in on exactly one snap in two playoff games, one. But he is realizing a life long dream, going to the Super Bowl as a player & not a spectator. Tuesday is media day, let's see just how low profile Ochocinco can remain.
I told you the other day Nick Montana was going to transfer from Washington to Blinn Jr. College in Texas. I got ahead of myself, Montana will transfer to Mt. San Antonio Jr. College in California. Brother Nate already transferred from Notre Dame to Division 1-AA Montana.
I told you about the young man from Baton Rouge who at thew Under Armour High School All-Star game, chose Alabama over his home state LSU, much to the disgust of his mother. The mini-drama played out live on national television has a 2nd chapter. His mother said on Friday she thought Nick Saban was irresponsible & patronizing when he told her son, Landon Collins, he would get him high draft pick status with the NFL. His mom was more concerned about his education, something she said Saban failed to mention in the 2-hours in her living room. She was wearing LSU purple & gold during the live TV shot & her smiles turned to horror when Landon pulled on a pair of Crimson Tide gloves & cap.
The Mizzou Tigers have filled one of the three vacant dates on their out-of-conference schedule by agreeing to a game with Central Florida on September 29th. The game with UCF will be in Orlando. September 1st & November 17th still remain blank at this time.
The St. Louis Visitors & Convention Commission said on Friday the Rams decision to play a scheduled home game in London the next three years is in violation of their lease with the City. According to the CVC, all Rams' home games must be played at the Edward Jones Dome unless the building is declared unsafe. Stay tuned Rams' fans, this could get ugly.
This afternoon's Senior Bowl doesn't look like a very competitive game to me. The South has huge advantages at QB, defensive line & in the secondary. That alone should allow them to win, but I've never cared who won, I just watch it, over & over, to see the individual matchups between NFL-caliber prospects.
The Chiefs drafted nose tackle Jerrell Powe last April. He was active for only one game & played just nine snaps. Unlike a few other draft picks who never saw the field, the reason Powe didn't play much was simple. According to a Chiefs' official, Powe was a "swing & a miss." He never dedicated himself to conditioning or learning the Kansas City defensive scheme. If this is true, he'll be an early camp cut come August.
Greg Cook passed away late Thursday evening, he was 65. Cook was the most talented quarterback prospect I've personally ever seen. Cook was the #1 overall pick in the 1969 draft, out of the University of Cincinnati. He was huge for that era, 6' 4" & 225-pounds. He had a rocket-arm that delivered passes 50-60-yards downfield right on target. He once threw for 564-yards in a college game, it made headlines nationwide, no one threw for those gaudy numbers back in the 60's. He was ultra-dangerous outside the pocket, he could run but the real scary part of his game was his uncanny ability to throw perfect strikes on the run. The legendary Paul Brown drafted & coached Cook, along with the Bengals QB coach, Bill Walsh. Even tho he would later coach Joe Montana & Steve Young, both Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Walsh never hesitated to call Cook "the most talented quarterback I ever saw."
Even as a goofy high school senior, which I was at the time, it was plain to see Greg Cook played the quarterback position faster than anyone else. He dropped back quicker than anyone, he went thru the progressions, taught to him by Walsh, faster than anyone & he got rid of the ball on a par with Joe Namath. And then there was his uncanny accuracy, definitely comparable to Lenny Dawson or Bob Griese, the top AFL passers of the day. As a rookie on a so-so team, his impact was amazing.
Cook started as a rookie, beating the AFL's Oakland Raiders & then the Kansas City Chiefs, that season's eventual Super Bowl winner. But in the their victory over Kansas City, Cook sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for seven weeks. Medical technology at the time was almost prehistoric compared to today, Cook had a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. Like so many football injuries back then, cortisone shots(my personal favorite) & pain killers got many a football player ready for the games on Sunday. The problem is, the shots & pain killers only mask the real problem & it will continue to worsen in most cases. That was the case with Cook. His suffered thru 3 operations that were essentially experimental in nature & constant pain that completely changed his throwing motion.
Cook missed all or part of 3 seasons before being forced into retirement. He played but 12 games in professional football & yet he's on every single "Best of" list I've ever seen. The NFL Network has him on their best QB list, as does both Sports Illustrated NFL scribes, Peter King & Paul Zimmerman. I told you what Bill Walsh thought of his talent, I've heard Len Dawson say Greg Cook was the greatest QB talent ever, "the release of Joe Namath with the accuracy of Johnny Unitas & the most dangerous QB outside the pocket ever." Bengals owner Mike Brown, son of Paul Brown, said yesterday "Greg Cook was the single most talented player to ever play for Cincinnati."
Cook spent the rest of his life working for United Parcel Service & as a motivational speaker in the labor movement. He was a painter, something he continued to do thruout his life. Two of his paintings hang in the Ohio Governor's mansion.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg Cook in a 1969 game against the Denver Broncos
ochocinco missed the last playoff game because of his father passing away
Reply to this
Steve,
He was in Florida for most of the week but returned to New England early Saturday morning hoping to play in Sunday's AFC title game. But since he had missed so much preparation, Bill Belichick decided to leave him off the gameday active list. So I should have said he played one snap vs. Denver & was inactive for the Ravens. Thanks for keeping me straight.
Reply to this