FRIDAY MORNING NOTES PLUS MY SUPER BOWL PICK
There was considerable news from the Chiefs' bug guns, owner Clark Hunt & general manager Scott Pioli. I liked what Hunt had to say, Pioli, not so much. Clark Hunt made it clear money wasn't an issue when discussing the salary cap. He said
"We had approximately a $20 million excess the last two seasons, it's less than what has been reported. We'll need that money, we chose to carry it over to the 2012 & 2013 seasons, which is allowed under the new CBA. We'll need those dollars to not only sign our own free agents but free agents from outside."
I like the sound of that but will have to see Pioli turn it into something substantial. Like I said last night, the onus is on Pioli to make dramatic improvement to the overall talent of this roster as well as filling a couple of gaping holes. I'm not big on drafting for need, but right tackle, backup tight end & running back are needs that absolutely have to be addressed by May 1st.
Pioli was asked by Steven St. John this morning on his "Border Patrol" radio show, "the team is claiming Todd Haley was fired for cause, does that mean he will not be paid for the final year of his contract?" Pioli danced around it, not denying his firing was for cause & saying he never talks about contracts which tells me they don't intend to pay him. He also refused to discuss the "Arrowhead Anxiety" piece written by Kent Babb for the Kansas City Star. But he did refute the notion Haley's office or cell phone had been bugged by the team.
Bob Gretz wrote a nice piece about former Chief pro bowl guard Brian Waters, who's preparing to play in his first Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Gretz said Waters grinned ear-to-ear thruout the interview. Things haven't worked out for Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta, but Waters waited until the right offer came along & when the phone rang & it was the Pats calling, he said he jumped at the opportunity to play for them. Good for him, Waters was an exemplary player for Kansas City, he was selected as the NFL's 2009 Walter Payton award winner as well as five pro bowls.
I've told you Jim Zorn & Al Saunders have been interviewed for the vacant offensive coordinator's position. Another name just surfaced & God help us, I have a bad feeling. Brian Daboll, former Dolphins O.C. is being interviewed for the job. My worry comes from his history, he was a Patriot assistant when Pioli & Crennel were still there. He was with Eric Mangini in Cleveland as O.C. in '09-10. In three seasons his passing offense has never finished higher than 28th in the league. He's going to sort out this offense?
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made his "State of the league" address a few minutes ago & I liked what I heard. The NFL Network will televise 13 Thursday night games & the commissioner said every team in the league will have at least one game in prime time between 18 NBC Broadcasts, 16 ESPN Monday Night games & the 13 for NFL Network, This is an excellent plan, yes we'll be subjected to some really bad games, but keeping every team's fans involved in a big way is important. Another subject, expansion, was mentioned "We haven't talked about expansion at all. I don't see that in the foreseeable future." That was good to hear, but after his speech, Goodell was asked since he didn't see expansion in the near future, what about moving a team to L.A.? His response made loyal fans around the league feel somewhat safer "We want to keep teams right where they are."
The Indianapolis Colts-Peyton Manning story continues & it's getting uglier by the day. yesterday camp Manning made an announcement that he had been cleared to return to football. That put the heat on owner Jim Irsay & the Colts. He took to Twitter at 1:28AM this morning with
"Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for the Indianapolis Colts." He added minutes later "Team statement coming on Friday."
Like I said last night, Manning might have been cleared to play but his arm is nowhere near ready to throw at an NFL level. His neck & arm are two totally different issues. That is because a nerve(s) have not yet regenerated & may never. His agent Tom Condon said a little while ago "Peyton isn't thru playing, he'll be back." That's agent speak for "as soon as he's released, call me with your offers, we'll deal with the throwing part of it later."
Let's get to the big game, here's how I see Sunday's Super Bowl matchup, taking it position by position.
Coach-Both Bill Belichick & Tom Coughlin are former assistants for Bill Parcells. Belichick is 3-1 in Super Bowls, Coughlin 1-0, beating New England 17-14 in Super Bowl 42, wrecking the Patriots perfect season. Both are superior in-game managers & at making halftime adjustments. Neither will surprise the other, they always well prepared. I make this a push.
Quarterback-Six months ago, this wouldn't have been close in my mind, but now the margin has been narrowed considerably. Eli Manning played so well down the stretch & has been the best QB in football when they get to the 4th quarter. Tom Brady is one of the top-5 quarterbacks of all-time in my book. But Eli has jumped right into the league's elite quarterbacks with both feet. Advantage Brady by the slimmest of margins.
Running back-Neither team is particularly great running the ball. The G-Men were dead last in the league but they have done a lot better in the playoffs. I prefer the Giants' runners, Ahmad Bradshaw & Brandon Jacobs, to the Patriots Danny Woodhead & Benjarvus Green-Ellis. If either team can consistently run the ball, it would be a major advantage, but I don't think that's going to happen. I make this a push.
Receivers-With the high ankle sprain on New England's Rob Gronkowski, it could radically change the Patriots offensive gameplan. If he's not close to 100%, the Pats lose a lot. He scored 17-touchdowns, how can it not? The Patriots' receivers are better in the redzone, hands down. But without Gronkowski at full strength, that changes as well. The Giants wideouts are far more dangerous than their counterparts on New England. Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz & Mario Manningham can score from anywhere on the field & the trio has been smokin' hot down the stretch. Against this secondary, I expect them to have the biggest offensive impact in the game. When the Pats have Julian Edelman on the field as a defensive back, look for the Giants to throw against him every chance they get. His matchup against any of these Giant wideouts is the biggest mismatch in this game. Solid advantage to the Giants.
Offensive line-Because of the inability to run the ball & consistently convert short-yardage, the Giant O-line is lacking. They're older & for several of them, this might be the end of the line. The same could be said for New England's Brian Waters. Slight edge to New England for their success converting short-yardage.
Defensive line-Vince Wilfork & his jumbo partners on New England's line make it tough to run between the tackles & they have shown a good push up the middle on passing downs. They don't have guys who can make a bunch of moves to blow past tackles off the edge. The Giants have the best 7-man defensive line rotation in the entire league. They play the run extremely well & with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck & Jason Pierre-Paul, they can make Tom Brady's day miserable. If the Pats get into obvious passing situations, New York will go to their "NASCAR package" which is four defensive ends lining up all over the place & making life hard on any offensive line. Solid advantage to New York.
Linebackers-I'm a big fan of New England's Jerod Mayo & Brandon Spikes. OLB Rob Ninkovich has come on big in the 2nd half of the season & is a solid pass rush threat. New York's OLB Mathias Kiwanuka is a terror & has to be accounted for every snap. Very slight advantage to New England.
Defensive backs-The Giants lost three DB's before the season even started, lost a few more early-on but they've stabilized a very shaky secondary since early December. The pass rush in front of them helps immensely. As a group, they provide solid run support. The Patriots' defense was dead last against the pass in 2011. They don't have a truly outstanding player in their secondary & often are forced to play wide receiver Julian Edelman as a nickle or dime back. As I said earlier, this is a really bad matchup that the Giants could exploit for big plays. Solid advantage to New York.
Special teams-Both placekickers missed 5-field goals, both punters have good gross averages as well as net yardage. Neither team is a threat returning kickoffs, the longest runback by either team is 40-yards. Julian Edelman is a solid punt return man, averaging 10.7-yards per return & he ran one back for a score. Very slight advantage to New England.
Intangibles-The Giants beat New England at Foxboro earlier in the season when their defense wasn't playing too well, 24-20. They also wrecked the Pats' shot at a perfect 19-0 season four years ago. I'm a big one for riding a hot hand. The Packers did it last year, the Steelers did it 3-years ago, got hot down the stretch, won on the road in the playoffs & stayed hot long enough to win the Super Bowl. The Giants have been hot, no doubt, but honestly, their win in San Francisco had more to do with a substitute punt returner turning the ball over twice than it did with New York being hot. The Patriots have won 10-straight, their last loss coming at the hands of New York. I say the Giants put a bookend on that 10-game winning streak in a very close, very exciting game.
New York 27 New England 24
"We had approximately a $20 million excess the last two seasons, it's less than what has been reported. We'll need that money, we chose to carry it over to the 2012 & 2013 seasons, which is allowed under the new CBA. We'll need those dollars to not only sign our own free agents but free agents from outside."
I like the sound of that but will have to see Pioli turn it into something substantial. Like I said last night, the onus is on Pioli to make dramatic improvement to the overall talent of this roster as well as filling a couple of gaping holes. I'm not big on drafting for need, but right tackle, backup tight end & running back are needs that absolutely have to be addressed by May 1st.
Pioli was asked by Steven St. John this morning on his "Border Patrol" radio show, "the team is claiming Todd Haley was fired for cause, does that mean he will not be paid for the final year of his contract?" Pioli danced around it, not denying his firing was for cause & saying he never talks about contracts which tells me they don't intend to pay him. He also refused to discuss the "Arrowhead Anxiety" piece written by Kent Babb for the Kansas City Star. But he did refute the notion Haley's office or cell phone had been bugged by the team.
Bob Gretz wrote a nice piece about former Chief pro bowl guard Brian Waters, who's preparing to play in his first Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Gretz said Waters grinned ear-to-ear thruout the interview. Things haven't worked out for Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta, but Waters waited until the right offer came along & when the phone rang & it was the Pats calling, he said he jumped at the opportunity to play for them. Good for him, Waters was an exemplary player for Kansas City, he was selected as the NFL's 2009 Walter Payton award winner as well as five pro bowls.
I've told you Jim Zorn & Al Saunders have been interviewed for the vacant offensive coordinator's position. Another name just surfaced & God help us, I have a bad feeling. Brian Daboll, former Dolphins O.C. is being interviewed for the job. My worry comes from his history, he was a Patriot assistant when Pioli & Crennel were still there. He was with Eric Mangini in Cleveland as O.C. in '09-10. In three seasons his passing offense has never finished higher than 28th in the league. He's going to sort out this offense?
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made his "State of the league" address a few minutes ago & I liked what I heard. The NFL Network will televise 13 Thursday night games & the commissioner said every team in the league will have at least one game in prime time between 18 NBC Broadcasts, 16 ESPN Monday Night games & the 13 for NFL Network, This is an excellent plan, yes we'll be subjected to some really bad games, but keeping every team's fans involved in a big way is important. Another subject, expansion, was mentioned "We haven't talked about expansion at all. I don't see that in the foreseeable future." That was good to hear, but after his speech, Goodell was asked since he didn't see expansion in the near future, what about moving a team to L.A.? His response made loyal fans around the league feel somewhat safer "We want to keep teams right where they are."
The Indianapolis Colts-Peyton Manning story continues & it's getting uglier by the day. yesterday camp Manning made an announcement that he had been cleared to return to football. That put the heat on owner Jim Irsay & the Colts. He took to Twitter at 1:28AM this morning with
"Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for the Indianapolis Colts." He added minutes later "Team statement coming on Friday."
Like I said last night, Manning might have been cleared to play but his arm is nowhere near ready to throw at an NFL level. His neck & arm are two totally different issues. That is because a nerve(s) have not yet regenerated & may never. His agent Tom Condon said a little while ago "Peyton isn't thru playing, he'll be back." That's agent speak for "as soon as he's released, call me with your offers, we'll deal with the throwing part of it later."
Let's get to the big game, here's how I see Sunday's Super Bowl matchup, taking it position by position.
Coach-Both Bill Belichick & Tom Coughlin are former assistants for Bill Parcells. Belichick is 3-1 in Super Bowls, Coughlin 1-0, beating New England 17-14 in Super Bowl 42, wrecking the Patriots perfect season. Both are superior in-game managers & at making halftime adjustments. Neither will surprise the other, they always well prepared. I make this a push.
Quarterback-Six months ago, this wouldn't have been close in my mind, but now the margin has been narrowed considerably. Eli Manning played so well down the stretch & has been the best QB in football when they get to the 4th quarter. Tom Brady is one of the top-5 quarterbacks of all-time in my book. But Eli has jumped right into the league's elite quarterbacks with both feet. Advantage Brady by the slimmest of margins.
Running back-Neither team is particularly great running the ball. The G-Men were dead last in the league but they have done a lot better in the playoffs. I prefer the Giants' runners, Ahmad Bradshaw & Brandon Jacobs, to the Patriots Danny Woodhead & Benjarvus Green-Ellis. If either team can consistently run the ball, it would be a major advantage, but I don't think that's going to happen. I make this a push.
Receivers-With the high ankle sprain on New England's Rob Gronkowski, it could radically change the Patriots offensive gameplan. If he's not close to 100%, the Pats lose a lot. He scored 17-touchdowns, how can it not? The Patriots' receivers are better in the redzone, hands down. But without Gronkowski at full strength, that changes as well. The Giants wideouts are far more dangerous than their counterparts on New England. Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz & Mario Manningham can score from anywhere on the field & the trio has been smokin' hot down the stretch. Against this secondary, I expect them to have the biggest offensive impact in the game. When the Pats have Julian Edelman on the field as a defensive back, look for the Giants to throw against him every chance they get. His matchup against any of these Giant wideouts is the biggest mismatch in this game. Solid advantage to the Giants.
Offensive line-Because of the inability to run the ball & consistently convert short-yardage, the Giant O-line is lacking. They're older & for several of them, this might be the end of the line. The same could be said for New England's Brian Waters. Slight edge to New England for their success converting short-yardage.
Defensive line-Vince Wilfork & his jumbo partners on New England's line make it tough to run between the tackles & they have shown a good push up the middle on passing downs. They don't have guys who can make a bunch of moves to blow past tackles off the edge. The Giants have the best 7-man defensive line rotation in the entire league. They play the run extremely well & with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck & Jason Pierre-Paul, they can make Tom Brady's day miserable. If the Pats get into obvious passing situations, New York will go to their "NASCAR package" which is four defensive ends lining up all over the place & making life hard on any offensive line. Solid advantage to New York.
Linebackers-I'm a big fan of New England's Jerod Mayo & Brandon Spikes. OLB Rob Ninkovich has come on big in the 2nd half of the season & is a solid pass rush threat. New York's OLB Mathias Kiwanuka is a terror & has to be accounted for every snap. Very slight advantage to New England.
Defensive backs-The Giants lost three DB's before the season even started, lost a few more early-on but they've stabilized a very shaky secondary since early December. The pass rush in front of them helps immensely. As a group, they provide solid run support. The Patriots' defense was dead last against the pass in 2011. They don't have a truly outstanding player in their secondary & often are forced to play wide receiver Julian Edelman as a nickle or dime back. As I said earlier, this is a really bad matchup that the Giants could exploit for big plays. Solid advantage to New York.
Special teams-Both placekickers missed 5-field goals, both punters have good gross averages as well as net yardage. Neither team is a threat returning kickoffs, the longest runback by either team is 40-yards. Julian Edelman is a solid punt return man, averaging 10.7-yards per return & he ran one back for a score. Very slight advantage to New England.
Intangibles-The Giants beat New England at Foxboro earlier in the season when their defense wasn't playing too well, 24-20. They also wrecked the Pats' shot at a perfect 19-0 season four years ago. I'm a big one for riding a hot hand. The Packers did it last year, the Steelers did it 3-years ago, got hot down the stretch, won on the road in the playoffs & stayed hot long enough to win the Super Bowl. The Giants have been hot, no doubt, but honestly, their win in San Francisco had more to do with a substitute punt returner turning the ball over twice than it did with New York being hot. The Patriots have won 10-straight, their last loss coming at the hands of New York. I say the Giants put a bookend on that 10-game winning streak in a very close, very exciting game.
New York 27 New England 24
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