The 49ers dumped Martz yesterday. Mike should be a candidate for almost all of the head coaching jobs out there. He's a proven keen football mind. He's a proven salvager and resurrector of QBs. He led the Ram offense on one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history. His offenses produce.
Of course, he also tends to abandon the run way too early and his low-protection schemes get his QBs killed. Look at the QB carnage everywhere he goes. And he went pretty much psycho at the last place he was head coach.
If this were a truly open head coach search in St. Louis, Mike Martz would get an interview. Jay Zygmunt is gone. John Shaw is (supposed to be) in the shadows. The personalities that clashed here aren't here anymore. But of course, we've also seen Mike Martz draft and know he really shouldn't have any functional control over personnel. If he insists on that, he won't be a head coach anywhere. Right now, he's probably best suited as an OC, even though he's been fired by two teams in two years at that position.
I've thought for a couple of years that with their offensive talent, Cincinnati would be a perfect place for Martz, but it looks like they're keeping Marvin Lewis (well beyond his shelf date). Martz has also interviewed for the open position at San Diego State.
And the rumor mill has the Rams pairing Martz up with Haslett as OC in an attempt to energize the fan base. And you know what? They could do a lot worse.
They sure are now.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2009 Opponents
Something I always enjoy about the NFL is the minute your season ends, your opponents for the next season are set. Here are the Rams' opponents for 2009:
Road: Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Washington.
They'll lose all 3 road division games. Chicago and Tennessee look like pretty sure losses.
Their one must win next season is at Detroit.
They can split the other two games. After all, they beat Washington in their place this year.
And the Jagwires were poor at home this season. Good chance to take either of those.
Home: Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Minnesota
Tough-looking home schedule. Besides the Colts and 10-6 Vikings, they've got a couple of 9-7's and a couple of 8-8's.
I demand they win at least 2 of the three division games.
Green Bay, Houston and New Orleans were poor road teams. Toss in a Minnesota team QB'ed by Tavaris Jackson or Gus Frerotte, and 3 wins against those 4 is very reasonable.
A 7-9 record isn't a lot to ask from next year's team. Then again, that's the record I was looking for this season.
Road: Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Washington.
They'll lose all 3 road division games. Chicago and Tennessee look like pretty sure losses.
Their one must win next season is at Detroit.
They can split the other two games. After all, they beat Washington in their place this year.
And the Jagwires were poor at home this season. Good chance to take either of those.
Home: Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Minnesota
Tough-looking home schedule. Besides the Colts and 10-6 Vikings, they've got a couple of 9-7's and a couple of 8-8's.
I demand they win at least 2 of the three division games.
Green Bay, Houston and New Orleans were poor road teams. Toss in a Minnesota team QB'ed by Tavaris Jackson or Gus Frerotte, and 3 wins against those 4 is very reasonable.
A 7-9 record isn't a lot to ask from next year's team. Then again, that's the record I was looking for this season.
Winston Moss?
Billy Devaney has begun making requests around the league for candidates to interview for the Rams' head coaching position. This should be an exciting time at Rams Park, right? (Not Rams Park, actually. The team will demonstrate its deep ties to the city it's been in for FOURTEEN years by conducting all interviews in LOS ANGELES.) We'll be seeing top names coming in and out of there like Eric Mangini and Jim Schwartz and Steve Spagnuolo, all of whom can be interviewed RIGHT NOW while Devaney waits for his chance to talk to Rex Ryan and Leslie Frazier and others, right? So who's the first guy Devaney's going after?
Winston Moss?
Moss is the Packers' linebackers coach, and that is a high-performing group. He's also the assistant head coach, a position from which a lot of new head coaches are launched. He was an NFL linebacker for 11 years and has been coaching LBs since 2000.
When Jim Haslett hired him.
This will be Moss' first head coaching interview. He hasn't been a head coach or even a coordinator at any level. He has plenty of references who vouch for his leadership skills and character. Those are all well and good.
But if Billy Devaney wants to even give the impression of an open head coach search, he'd better do a lot better than to bring in an old Haslett crony who's mainly helping Haslett out by providing the Rams their official Rooney Rule interview.
Good luck to coach Moss, but this smells a little funny.
Winston Moss?
Moss is the Packers' linebackers coach, and that is a high-performing group. He's also the assistant head coach, a position from which a lot of new head coaches are launched. He was an NFL linebacker for 11 years and has been coaching LBs since 2000.
When Jim Haslett hired him.
This will be Moss' first head coaching interview. He hasn't been a head coach or even a coordinator at any level. He has plenty of references who vouch for his leadership skills and character. Those are all well and good.
But if Billy Devaney wants to even give the impression of an open head coach search, he'd better do a lot better than to bring in an old Haslett crony who's mainly helping Haslett out by providing the Rams their official Rooney Rule interview.
Good luck to coach Moss, but this smells a little funny.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Andre Smith suspended for Sugar Bowl
From espn.com: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls08/news/story?id=3798417
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So, we can be pretty sure he's coming out for the '09 draft, then.
A lot of people out there don't like Smith as an NFL LT. They say his size is more befitting a RT or even a guard. Let's not use the #2 overall pick on a guard.
Improper dealings with an agent isn't what I would call a character flaw, but it's kind of dumb and at least raises flags about Smith's judgment and whether he loves the game more, or the money.
Alabama junior offensive tackle Andre Smith has been suspended and will not play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday.
Smith, the Outland Trophy winner this season, was a huge part of the Crimson Tide's offensive success. They were second in the SEC and 22nd nationally in rushing offense and routinely ran to his side on key downs. He's widely considered to be one of the best left tackles to play in the SEC in the last decade. Sources told ESPN.com that Smith's suspension was related to improper dealings with an agent. Saban's statement on the matter said only that it was due to violation of team rules and policies.---
So, we can be pretty sure he's coming out for the '09 draft, then.
A lot of people out there don't like Smith as an NFL LT. They say his size is more befitting a RT or even a guard. Let's not use the #2 overall pick on a guard.
Improper dealings with an agent isn't what I would call a character flaw, but it's kind of dumb and at least raises flags about Smith's judgment and whether he loves the game more, or the money.
Marinelli, Crennel, Mangini fired
The axe is already starting to swing around the NFL. There's little surprise that Rod Marinelli was fired after steering Detroit to the worst season in NFL history, 0-16. Romeo Crennel wasn't cut much slack for injuries on his team, especially at QB, but his dismissal has been in the rumor mill for quite a while.
The biggest surprise to me, and I think the most short-sighted move, was the Jets' firing of the Mangenius. (Think Belichick will welcome him back to the Patriot fold?) I thought Mangini did a good job there. They had a ton of injuries last year, and he had a winning record this year with a young offensive line and a very young secondary. He's put together a good staff. Bob Sutton and Brian Schottenheimer did good work there and shouldn't have any trouble finding their next job, especially Schottenheimer, who's probably already got an interview set up in Cleveland if not also Kansas City.
The Jets faded down the stretch, but I think they overreacted in giving Mangini the quick hook.
Meanwhile in St. Louis, Jim "2-10" Haslett is STILL the Rams' head coach.
Billy Devaney will whiff badly if he doesn't get Mangini in here for an interview pronto. I'd take most of the Jets' staff here in a heartbeat.
The biggest surprise to me, and I think the most short-sighted move, was the Jets' firing of the Mangenius. (Think Belichick will welcome him back to the Patriot fold?) I thought Mangini did a good job there. They had a ton of injuries last year, and he had a winning record this year with a young offensive line and a very young secondary. He's put together a good staff. Bob Sutton and Brian Schottenheimer did good work there and shouldn't have any trouble finding their next job, especially Schottenheimer, who's probably already got an interview set up in Cleveland if not also Kansas City.
The Jets faded down the stretch, but I think they overreacted in giving Mangini the quick hook.
Meanwhile in St. Louis, Jim "2-10" Haslett is STILL the Rams' head coach.
Billy Devaney will whiff badly if he doesn't get Mangini in here for an interview pronto. I'd take most of the Jets' staff here in a heartbeat.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Breaking down this week's game-losing play
I've gotten to see the Josh Morgan TD catch that won the game for the 49ers Sunday, and it's remarkable just how badly the veteran Rams secondary played it.
Jeff Gordon has repeatedly described the Rams as blitzing on the play. I guess he's considering Will Witherspoon at LDE as a blitzer out of a 3-4 look, but I don't see anything really special about the Rams bringing 4 on a pass rush. Will was rushing out of that position all day; I don't really think of what he was doing as blitzing. Pisa was up on the play but dropped back and picked up a receiver out of the backfield.
Meanwhile, the Ram secondary has given Josh Morgan AT LEAST TWELVE yards of cushion. There is no Ram DB in sight on the left side of the field. So the first thing they've done is give Morgan a free run. All that space is supposed to save the secondary from getting burned, but that fails miserably when Brown bites like a rank rookie on the double move by Morgan, who IS a rank rookie, and he beats Brown downfield by 3 or 4 yards. Great coverage, Brown!
Then, proving he never watched NFL PrimeTime over the years, or at least never heeded Tom Jackson's timely advice, OJ Atogwe gets over in time to break up the play, leaps, AND TRIES TO CATCH THE BALL. It goes through his hands and into Morgan's. What does Jackson say, Atogwe? KNOCK IT DOWN!
Atogwe could have knocked that ball down, or at least tipped it, and saved the game. But the guy who was voted team MVP for his ability to create showy turnovers (certainly not for his coverage skills, which are mediocre), the guy who's gunning for a big new contract after this season because of his showy turnovers, went for the statistic instead of the fundamentally sound play that would have won the game. Consciously or not, he made the selfish play, and selfish play sinks a team.
It sure sank the Rams Sunday. It should be a mark against Atogwe when the Rams are deciding what to offer him next season.
Knock it down, O.J.
Jeff Gordon has repeatedly described the Rams as blitzing on the play. I guess he's considering Will Witherspoon at LDE as a blitzer out of a 3-4 look, but I don't see anything really special about the Rams bringing 4 on a pass rush. Will was rushing out of that position all day; I don't really think of what he was doing as blitzing. Pisa was up on the play but dropped back and picked up a receiver out of the backfield.
Meanwhile, the Ram secondary has given Josh Morgan AT LEAST TWELVE yards of cushion. There is no Ram DB in sight on the left side of the field. So the first thing they've done is give Morgan a free run. All that space is supposed to save the secondary from getting burned, but that fails miserably when Brown bites like a rank rookie on the double move by Morgan, who IS a rank rookie, and he beats Brown downfield by 3 or 4 yards. Great coverage, Brown!
Then, proving he never watched NFL PrimeTime over the years, or at least never heeded Tom Jackson's timely advice, OJ Atogwe gets over in time to break up the play, leaps, AND TRIES TO CATCH THE BALL. It goes through his hands and into Morgan's. What does Jackson say, Atogwe? KNOCK IT DOWN!
Atogwe could have knocked that ball down, or at least tipped it, and saved the game. But the guy who was voted team MVP for his ability to create showy turnovers (certainly not for his coverage skills, which are mediocre), the guy who's gunning for a big new contract after this season because of his showy turnovers, went for the statistic instead of the fundamentally sound play that would have won the game. Consciously or not, he made the selfish play, and selfish play sinks a team.
It sure sank the Rams Sunday. It should be a mark against Atogwe when the Rams are deciding what to offer him next season.
Knock it down, O.J.
Ticket prices on hold
The Rams have announced that ticket prices will not increase for the 2009 season.
On its face, that looks like a good thing. After these last two seasons, though, you could argue that the Rams ought to be cutting ticket prices. Hell, they ought to be paying US. They're getting $30 million worth of stadium improvements from the taxpayers. They got that big chunk of change from league revenue sharing last year. And 2009 ticket prices are still going to include the ridiculous charade known as preseason games, at full price as always.
At least put something on the field worth watching; it's been a while.
On its face, that looks like a good thing. After these last two seasons, though, you could argue that the Rams ought to be cutting ticket prices. Hell, they ought to be paying US. They're getting $30 million worth of stadium improvements from the taxpayers. They got that big chunk of change from league revenue sharing last year. And 2009 ticket prices are still going to include the ridiculous charade known as preseason games, at full price as always.
At least put something on the field worth watching; it's been a while.
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