As usual, there's stuff on my mind...
1. Call me cynical, but I’m tempted to disbelieve Michael Axelrod’s claim that he is innocent and that, for no reason whatsoever, Antonio Davis’ wife Kendra clawed him in the face with both hands. I don’t know if it’s because he’s 22 years old or because he comes from a rich family with ties to Senators Obama and Clinton, but I just get the feeling that this is a spoiled rich kid who will use daddy’s money and influence to make one drunken stupid action go away. Certainly, I don’t know the facts of the case and I wasn’t there to see the action first-hand but I just can’t believe that Kendra Davis decided to freak out on a nearby spectator in an unprovoked manner. Maybe it’s because I went to high school and college with a lot of rich brats like Axelrod or maybe it’s because as a lifelong New Yorker I know what the scions of the rich and powerful believe they’re entitled to do in public places. I guess I’m just skeptical and I’ll leave it at that.
2. Theo Epstein has rejoined the Red Sox after abruptly quitting on Halloween. The Red Sox haven't announced his new title but logic would dictate that he didn't come back without getting senior management to cede more power into his hands. All I have to say is why on earth isn't the national sports media making a big mockery of this? Why do the Red Sox and their dysfunction get a free pass? What kind of maturity level is this from a member of management -- one day he quits and then a few months later he comes back? Think about it this way: think of one of your colleagues at work giving notice and leaving, getting a little party on the way out. Think of how weird it would be if that colleague came back two months later and sat in the cubicle next to yours as if nothing had ever happened. Wouldn't you think that colleague is a bit immature and a little off? Theo and the Red Sox are freaks and jokers but no one seems to care.
3. Al Saunders, Peter King’s charity case/alleged victim of reverse racism, was hired by the Washington Redskins to be their new offensive coordinator. This move will now yield three expected results. First, the Kansas City Chiefs offense will go from being among the most prolific and exciting in the NFL to somewhere slightly above average. The reason is not only tied to Saunders’ departure but also because Herm Edwards is The Cooler when it comes to offensive play-calling. Herm likes it dull and predictable. Second, the Redskins offense will open up and become a lot more imaginative and dangerous. The Redskins needed to breathe some life into their offense which, despite being dull, was far more adventurous in Gibbs’ second year back than it was in 2004. Finally, the Redskins have assured themselves of a miserable behind-the-scenes political joust. By giving Saunders the title of Assistant Head Coach, he is now in direct competition with defensive coordinator Gregg Robinson in the race to succeed Gibbs when he retires in 2007 or 2008. I can tell you right now; this power struggle will end badly for the Redskins. The only way to ease the pain of this ugly fight will be to win a Super Bowl in the next two seasons and I don’t think it’s impossible with these three brains running the show.
4. Finally, the NFL hiring carousel continues. Over this past week, Eric Mangini (Jets), Sean Payton (Saints), Scott Linehan (Rams) and Rod Marinelli (Lions) have all landed their first head coaching jobs. They join Brad Childress (Vikings), Mike McCarthy (Packers) and Gary Kubiak (Texans – not announced but pretty much a done deal) as first time coaches in the NFL. The last time the NFL was in such a hiring tizzy was back in 1992 when Bill Cowher, Denny Green, Mike Holmgren, and four others all got jobs in an active winter.
I will reserve judgment and retain the right to change my mind at a later date but I want to come out and say that Sean Payton is probably the least qualified head coach the NFL has seen in quite some time. Certainly a case can be made that Mangini, having served only one year as a coordinator, is just as unprepared but somehow I’m tempted to give Mangini the benefit of the doubt because he’s coming from Bill Belichick University and, frankly, because the Jets are in a different place than the Saints. The Jets, despite their wretched history, are a stable franchise. They can afford to gamble on a young, inexperienced coach because the team isn’t in turmoil.
The Saints, in my opinion, needed someone a bit more established in the NFL or, at the very least, someone with a more impressive resume. Sean Payton has been an offensive coordinator for something like four seasons which is fine in and of itself. But he so underwhelmed in his job that famously loosey-goosey head coach Jim Fassel stripped him of his playcalling duties midway through the 2002 season. The Giants improved after the move and made the playoffs that season. Payton left New York, landed on Bill Parcells’ staff in Dallas and ran a dull offense for two seasons until Terry Glenn managed to perk it up a bit. I predict Payton to be out of a job in New Orleans in two years time. Honestly, Jim Fassel would’ve been a better coach for the Saints. If the rationale of the Payton hire is that he works well with QB’s, why not hire the man that taught Payton everything he knows? I’m not saying Fassel would’ve been an inspired choice but he’s been to a Super Bowl and he does have a pretty good track record working with the position.
1. Call me cynical, but I’m tempted to disbelieve Michael Axelrod’s claim that he is innocent and that, for no reason whatsoever, Antonio Davis’ wife Kendra clawed him in the face with both hands. I don’t know if it’s because he’s 22 years old or because he comes from a rich family with ties to Senators Obama and Clinton, but I just get the feeling that this is a spoiled rich kid who will use daddy’s money and influence to make one drunken stupid action go away. Certainly, I don’t know the facts of the case and I wasn’t there to see the action first-hand but I just can’t believe that Kendra Davis decided to freak out on a nearby spectator in an unprovoked manner. Maybe it’s because I went to high school and college with a lot of rich brats like Axelrod or maybe it’s because as a lifelong New Yorker I know what the scions of the rich and powerful believe they’re entitled to do in public places. I guess I’m just skeptical and I’ll leave it at that.
2. Theo Epstein has rejoined the Red Sox after abruptly quitting on Halloween. The Red Sox haven't announced his new title but logic would dictate that he didn't come back without getting senior management to cede more power into his hands. All I have to say is why on earth isn't the national sports media making a big mockery of this? Why do the Red Sox and their dysfunction get a free pass? What kind of maturity level is this from a member of management -- one day he quits and then a few months later he comes back? Think about it this way: think of one of your colleagues at work giving notice and leaving, getting a little party on the way out. Think of how weird it would be if that colleague came back two months later and sat in the cubicle next to yours as if nothing had ever happened. Wouldn't you think that colleague is a bit immature and a little off? Theo and the Red Sox are freaks and jokers but no one seems to care.
3. Al Saunders, Peter King’s charity case/alleged victim of reverse racism, was hired by the Washington Redskins to be their new offensive coordinator. This move will now yield three expected results. First, the Kansas City Chiefs offense will go from being among the most prolific and exciting in the NFL to somewhere slightly above average. The reason is not only tied to Saunders’ departure but also because Herm Edwards is The Cooler when it comes to offensive play-calling. Herm likes it dull and predictable. Second, the Redskins offense will open up and become a lot more imaginative and dangerous. The Redskins needed to breathe some life into their offense which, despite being dull, was far more adventurous in Gibbs’ second year back than it was in 2004. Finally, the Redskins have assured themselves of a miserable behind-the-scenes political joust. By giving Saunders the title of Assistant Head Coach, he is now in direct competition with defensive coordinator Gregg Robinson in the race to succeed Gibbs when he retires in 2007 or 2008. I can tell you right now; this power struggle will end badly for the Redskins. The only way to ease the pain of this ugly fight will be to win a Super Bowl in the next two seasons and I don’t think it’s impossible with these three brains running the show.
4. Finally, the NFL hiring carousel continues. Over this past week, Eric Mangini (Jets), Sean Payton (Saints), Scott Linehan (Rams) and Rod Marinelli (Lions) have all landed their first head coaching jobs. They join Brad Childress (Vikings), Mike McCarthy (Packers) and Gary Kubiak (Texans – not announced but pretty much a done deal) as first time coaches in the NFL. The last time the NFL was in such a hiring tizzy was back in 1992 when Bill Cowher, Denny Green, Mike Holmgren, and four others all got jobs in an active winter.
I will reserve judgment and retain the right to change my mind at a later date but I want to come out and say that Sean Payton is probably the least qualified head coach the NFL has seen in quite some time. Certainly a case can be made that Mangini, having served only one year as a coordinator, is just as unprepared but somehow I’m tempted to give Mangini the benefit of the doubt because he’s coming from Bill Belichick University and, frankly, because the Jets are in a different place than the Saints. The Jets, despite their wretched history, are a stable franchise. They can afford to gamble on a young, inexperienced coach because the team isn’t in turmoil.
The Saints, in my opinion, needed someone a bit more established in the NFL or, at the very least, someone with a more impressive resume. Sean Payton has been an offensive coordinator for something like four seasons which is fine in and of itself. But he so underwhelmed in his job that famously loosey-goosey head coach Jim Fassel stripped him of his playcalling duties midway through the 2002 season. The Giants improved after the move and made the playoffs that season. Payton left New York, landed on Bill Parcells’ staff in Dallas and ran a dull offense for two seasons until Terry Glenn managed to perk it up a bit. I predict Payton to be out of a job in New Orleans in two years time. Honestly, Jim Fassel would’ve been a better coach for the Saints. If the rationale of the Payton hire is that he works well with QB’s, why not hire the man that taught Payton everything he knows? I’m not saying Fassel would’ve been an inspired choice but he’s been to a Super Bowl and he does have a pretty good track record working with the position.
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