Wednesday, December 19, 2007

All Things Football

The following football-related thoughts popped into my head today:

1. College football has an extremely disappointing record when it comes to minority hiring. When a guy like Rick Neuheisel can be considered the front-runner for another prestigious job – this time at UCLA – it must make guys like Norm Chow wonder if they’ll ever get a fair shake in this profession.

You know what the worst part is? Neuheisel is the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. What about the Ravens offense in 2007 makes him such a hot commodity? In light of his two most recent firings over ethical issues (one minor, one extremely serious), and given how little he’s accomplished with Baltimore, why would Rick Neuheisel be given another chance over seemingly better-qualified candidates?

I understand that he’s an alumnus and a former player. I guess I would’ve hoped that UCLA boosters would have better sense than to go for a guy that’ll lead their program into the mud like those Big 12, SEC, and ACC guys do.

2. At first it looked like the Big Tuna was heading to Atlanta. Now, maybe he’s heading a few hundred miles further south, where his fat, pasty body can get a nice tan on South Beach.

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure why Tuna thinks the Miami job is better than the one in Atlanta. Both teams stink but at least one owner – Atlanta’s Arthur Blank – is committed to staying in the football business. Miami’s Wayne Huizenga seems ambivalent about remaining the primary owner of the Dolphins. Given that Bill Parcells went through an ownership change with the Jets back in January 2000, and given how much an ownership change can affect football operations, I’m not sure why he’d be leaning towards taking the more unstable job at this time. But, then again, Tuna’s not a guy that a lot of folks can figure out. He seems to only be happy when he’s miserable and has something to bitch about.

3. Not that anyone gives a crap about the NFL’s All-Star Game but I do always love debating the snubs. This year’s snubs are particularly outrageous. Fred Taylor didn’t make the Pro Bowl? I’m not a big fan of “Fragile Fred” but it’s hard to argue with the 5.1 yards per carry and the seeming career rebirth at the most critical time of the season for his Jaguars.

I’m not saying that any of the AFC’s other running backs (LaDanian Tomlinson, Joseph Addai, Willie Parker) didn’t deserve to go to Hawaii over Taylor. But it’s strange to think that an NFL roster carries 53 players and yet the Pro Bowl roster only has 38 players. Why not expand rosters to 43 and rectify some of the annual snubs that always take place? Why are rosters cut by 28%?

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