Black Monday Update

Well, it’s midnight-thirty and I can’t sleep. I’ve had a full day (yesterday now actually) of chasing news about Andy Reid becoming the new coach of the Kansas City Chiefs … or not maybe. The insiders are expecting it to be finalized later today (Friday); we’ll see.

As I thought about that, it struck me that we should revisit my blog from a month ago about coaches on the hot seat and see how accurate I was. I listed 10 warming seats. Let’s take another look at each one and see how I did.

Norv Turner, Chargers – He’s gone along with GM A.J. Smith, as expected. 1 for 1 so far.

Andy Reid, Eagles – As mentioned above, he’s in line for the Chiefs job, so he obviously was fired by Philadelphia. 2 for 2.

Romeo Crennel, Chiefs – Winning two games all season will do that. It was so bad that KC Owner Clark Hunt apologized to the fans. Crennel out; GM Scott Pioli may not be far behind. 3 for 3.

Ron Rivera, Panthers – GM Marty Hurney was fired but the Panthers’ late season run has saved Rivera so far. He’s probably safe. My first miss.

Jason Garrett, Cowboys – Owner Jerry Jones is NOT HAPPY with the ‘boys 8-8 finish. There will be changes, but I think Garrett is safe for one more year. Now I’m 3 for 5.

Rex Ryan, Jets – GM Mike Tannebaum got the ax, but Rex is safe. I’d expect OC Tony Sporano to get the boot, too. Their offense was pathetic.

Chan Gailey, Bills – After three underachieving season, Gailey is done in Buffalo. I expect him to catch on as an OC somewhere. That’s now 4 for 7.

Pat Shurmur, Browns – The Browns were improved, but new owner Jimmy Haslam is cleaning house and wants his own guys. President Mike Holmgrem and GM Tom Heckert are gone, too. 5 for 8.

Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals – Going from 4-0 to 5-11 and having the worst QB situation in the entire league wasn’t good enough. Coach Whiz is out, but he’ll likely get another head job, maybe Buffalo. I’m now 6 for 9.

Mike Mularkey, Jaguars – He’s in place for now, but this may change. I expected Shad Khan to can him and bring in his own guy, and he still may do that. But it’s a miss for now. 6 for 10.

The one I missed … is Lovie Smith of the Bears. They won 10 games but didn’t make the playoffs because the Packers couldn’t beat the Vikings. That’s a tough one. He’ll land another gig, for sure.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

Top 10 NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat

Well, we’ve come to that time in the NFL season. It’s Week 13, and the playoff picture is coming into focus. The teams in the hunt are clear. And the teams simply playing out the string are painfully evident.

Here’s a list of coaches likely to be out of a job soon. Some will be put out to pasture at the end of the season, some maybe sooner.

Norv Turner, Chargers – This one is past due. Norv has been turning great talent into mediocre records for years in San Diego. He and A.J. Smith are both gone.

Andy Reid, Eagles – Owner Jeffrey Lurie said before the season that a repeat of last year’s 8-8 record wasn’t good enough. I don’t see any way Philly makes it back to .500. But Andy won’t be out of work for long.

Romeo Crennel, Chiefs – There’s no two ways about it. Having one win through 12 weeks will get you fired. Question is, will GM Scott Pioli get to choose the new HC or will he also be out of work?

Ron Rivera, Panthers – GM Marty Hurney is already gone. Can his hand-picked coach Ron Rivera, only in his second season in Carolina, be far behind? He’s likely gone as a new GM will want his own guy.

Jason Garrett, Cowboys – I’m not sure on this one. Jerry says he loves him, but Jerry hates losing more than he loves anything.

Rex Ryan, Jets – This call will probably be made by Jets Owner Woody Johnson. New York loves Rex, but will his two consecutive AFC Championship Game appearance get him one more year to prove it. He’s probably coming back.

Chan Gailey, Bills – He’s a good offensive coordinator, but it is obvious that this train is only going in circles. Gailey is likely let go.

Pat Shurmur, Browns – The Browns have been playing tough, improved football the past few weeks. But new owner Jimmy Haslam may have plans to install his coach. I expect to see Shurmur follow Mike Holmgren out the door.

Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals – The Cards’ Superbowl appearance a couple season ago bought him some time and patience. This team seems to be headed in the wrong direction. It needs a good QB. And maybe a new coach.

Mike Mularkey, Jaguars – Nice guy. Bad head coach. The skiddish nature of Blaine Gabbert hasn’t helped. Doubt to see him back in Jax next season.

So who am I missing? Where do I have the order all messed up? Sound off; give me your list.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

 

NFL Power Rankings – Week 1

The NFL season finally kicks off on Wednesday night with the Cowboys taking on the Giants in New York. And then the rest of the league follows suit on Sunday and Monday with a full slate of games. Crazed, football-starved fans have been getting by on projections and analysis and fantasy drafts, but now the real thing begins.

Here’s an update to my pre-season rankings for Week 1.

1. Green Bay – Top to bottom, still the best talent.
2. New England – Brady and Gronk will be hard to stop.
3. NY Giants – Defending champs have to be near the top.
4. Baltimore – Always play tough defense. Can Flacco and the O deliver?
5. Pittsburgh – Big Ben has Haley’s new offense and Wallace finally.
6. San Francisco – Not sure they can repeat 13-3 with Alex Smith.
7. Houston – Texans lost key pieces, but play in a weak division.
8. New Orleans – Despite everything, they’re still dangerous.
9. Detroit – Lots of firepower and off-field issues.
10.  Atlanta – Good team still trying to prove it is great.
11.  Philadelphia – Vick says dynasty. Let’s see it on the field.
12.  Chicago – Cutler. Forte. Marshall. And a good D.
13.  Dallas – Sooner or later, they have to live up to the hype … right?
14.  Kansas City – The ACL trio returns. Solid D. It’s all on Cassel.
15.  Buffalo – Great offseason, but can they compete in AFC East?
16.  Denver – Everybody love Peyton, but the team needs more tools.
17.  Cincinnati – Great young core. Insanely tough division.
18. San Diego – Promise big every year. It’s do-or-die time for the bosses.
19. Carolina – Big dreams in PantherLand after Cam’s rookie year.
20.  NY Jets – Rex’s weight loss and the team’s loss of wins will mirror.
21.  Tennessee – Steady team. Big decision on the QB.
22.  Seattle – Pete believes. No one else is sure. Pick a QB, please.
23.  Washington – RGIII has the town by the tail. But can he win?
24.  Arizona – Solid by not spectacular anywhere. Iffy at QB.
25.  Tampa Bay – Lots of moves to improve the roster. And a new coach.
26.  St. Louis – Fisher is the new sheriff in town. Sam has to rebound.
27.  Oakland – Reggie has some work to do in the post-Al era.
28.  Miami – Philbin takes over. Tannehill at QB. Long season ahead.
29.  Jacksonville – MJD finally reported. Gabbert has looked much improved.
30.  Cleveland – New owner. New QB. New RB. Big hill to climb.
31.  Indianapolis – His name is Luck, and he’ll need it this season.
32.  Minnesota – AP is still recovering. Is Ponder the guy?

Welcome back, football. We’ve missed you terribly.

As always, thanks for reading.

Steve

Predicting the 2012 NFL Playoff Teams

It’s that time of the year when all the so-called national experts and football pundits take their shot at predicting the field of NFL playoff teams for the upcoming season. It’s a pretty mixed bag, with most of the ”predictions sure to go wrong” as ESPN’s Mike & Mike have labeled it. That’s pretty much the case here.

So with all the know-it-alls giving it a shot here in the last few days of the pre-season, I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring. I spend a lot of brainpower thinking about it anyway, so I just as well share it with the sporting world and make a jerk out of myself like everybody else.  Here goes …

*Division winners

~Wildcard teams

AFC North – Baltimore*, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati

The Ravens finally ride their offense to the post-season as Flacco blossoms.

AFC South – Houston,* Tennessee, Jacksonville, Indianapolis

Texans are too talented to not take advantage of a weak division.

AFC East – New England*, Buffalo~, NY Jets, Miami

New England reloads on D finally. Buffalo takes a step forward.

AFC West – Kansas City,* Denver~, San Diego, Oakland

The Chiefs ACL crew returns with a vengeance. Peyton leads Broncos to a wildcard.

AFC playoff teams – Baltimore, Buffalo, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, New England

NFC North – Green Bay*, Chicago~, Detroit, Minnesota

Packers repeat at division champs, but the Bears are much improved.

NFC South – Atlanta*, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay

The Falcons finally put it all together. The Saints are distracted. Carolina continues to climb.

NFC East – Philadelphia*, Dallas~, NY Giants, Washington

Can the Eagles play finally equal its talent? It all hinges on Vick’s health.

NFC West – San Francisco*, Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis

Harbaugh and gang fall back to the pack slightly, but still manhandle a weak division.

NFC playoff teams – ­Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Green Bay, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Super Bowl prediction: Baltimore v Chicago

The Ravens offense and defense put it all together in 2012, thanks to the arm of Flacco and Ray Rice’s all-around play. The D isn’t bad, either. Ray Lewis goes out on top.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come on … give it a shot. Who do you think will be the surprise and potential flop teams this season?

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

The NFL's Top 10 QBs for 2012

MTSS is continuing with the latest installment in a series of “Top 10” blogs, today highlighting the best quarterbacks for the upcoming season. As a reminder, these players are being ranked based on what each one is expected to contribute this season versus what they have done in the past. Here goes.

1. Aaron Rodgers – Mobile. Accurate. Steady. The coolest since Montana.
2. Drew Brees – Continues to prove the doubters wrong. Single-season passing king.
3. Tom Brady – Proving to be the best draft pick in Patriots history.
4. Eli Manning – He may not look the part, but he just wins when it counts.
5. Ben Roethlisberger – Expect Big Ben’s production to increase with Haley’s pass-happy offense.
6. Matthew Stafford – Finally played a full season and lived up to expectations. More to come.
7. Tony Romo – The most over-analyzed player in the league. He’s solid. Must prove he’s clutch.
8. Philip Rivers – A down year in 2011, but expect him to bounce back with new weapons in tow.
9. Michael Vick – If the dude could only stay healthy … sick numbers when he’s on the field.
10. Peyton Manning – Hall of Fame worthy, but can he stay healthy? Hold your breath, Bronco fans.

Best of the Rest – (listed alphabetically) Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub. These five quarterbacks are ascending in the QB ranks, but just haven’t done it well enough or long enough to crack the top tier.

So who am I missing? Where do I have the order all messed up? Sound off; give me your list.

Thanks for reading.

Steve