A response to Falcons hire Petrino as new coach

It's all on Micheal Vick now.  Is he coachable?  Can he take his game to the next level?  I never blamed the Falcon's lack of success totally on Vick.  His head coach was immature and the offensive coordinator did not put him in the right situations nor work to improve the play of the receivers.  With Bobby Petrino, Vick will get every chance to prove that he is an elite quarterback given Petrino's impressive record of developing great offenses and quarterbacks.  If Vick does not succeed, it will be his fault, because Petrino will make it in the NFL with or without Vick.

A response to Barry hired as Lions' defensive coordinator

What befuddles me is that Donnie Henderson was fired (blamed obviously for defensive futility) and Rod Marinelli is a supposed defensive expert.  Also, Barry comes from the greatest 4-12 team in the world.

The Ford's need to sell the Lions to someone who knows what they're doing!

A response to Millen: 'I'll never quit' despite dismal Lions showing

Mr. Millen may never quit but somebody needs to put him out of his misery.  Oh I forget, the owners of the Lions also own a struggling car company.  I guess misery does love company.

My post is based on something I heard over the weekend concerning the likelihood that Yankees closer Mariano Riveria "may" be a Hall of Famer.  The slight doubt stems from the moronic view of current day "closers".  Many baseball purist do not hold the closer position in high esteem because these players are seen as specialists.  With this thought, many legendary closers like "Goose" Gossage have failed to enter the hallowed Hall.  What's the big deal?  A great player is a great player and until Major League Baseball makes a ruling that closers are exempt from induction, no one else should. 

The game has changed from long ago.  Not that many picthers hurl complete games and with the "juiced" era (both players and baseballs), smaller stadiums, and depleted talent from overexpansion a player that can shut another team down despite how many innings they pitch is a rare commodity.  In my book, great closers like Riveria are Hall of Fame no-brainers.

You get this same discussion in football.  Marginal players either played with a great team, took advantage of a particular system, or have to wait their turn.  

For my money, you're either a great or not. 

My wife, who would never be misstaken as a sports fan, said that when Barry Bonds took off last year with his bum knee he should have stayed away from the game forever.  She was right.  If he would have sacked his ego and stayed gone he would not now be the face of steroid use in baseball or the target of MLBs ire towards this subject.

In addition to the "other stuff" Barry Bonds is also guilty of being a boorish, smug, arrogant jerk.  All of this hub bub over him right now is simply the powers that be making a strong case for suspending him and possibly keeping him out of the hall of fame.  He's never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, but he may have lied about knowingly using them.  Given his irascible temperment over the years I think he is getting his just rewards.  Just ask Pete Rose.  No one is bigger than the game.

His foibles and mean attitude towards the media and fans will be his undoing.  If he were a loveable character lets say like Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gywnn, or Roger Clemens, we as fans would have his back and see the unknowns as no evidence.  Bonds could also help his cause if he came out publicly and vehemently deny the allegations.

Although we don't know what he did for sure, everyone thinks he did and the powers that be will keep digging until they have enough to sink him. 

Again, none of this new news surprises me and I frankly don't care.  Let's talk about something more saleable like the 2006 NFL season.

Prior to the MLB All-Star game Bud Selig was interviewed and asked about the health of the game and, well, you know,....that other stuff.

It was glaringly obvious that Mr. Selig was extremely defensive about his sport (he should be) on all angles.  Below are my responses to some of his claims.

Selig:  We cleaned up the game and have the toughest drug testing policy in sports.

Me:  Congress had to dragged you through the mud before you acted.

Selig:  Are attendance numbers are up and we have true parity.  The game has never been better

Me:  It's easy to fill a 40,000 seat capacity stadium and the Kansas City Royals don't have a chance.  Top players skip the All-Star game which is now truly a gimmick.

Selig:  At least we have teams in the 2nd largest TV market.

Me:  The NFL doesn't care.  They've grown their sport without L.A.  The most valueable MLB team is the Yankees, approximately worth $700 million.  NFL, the Redskins $1 billion.  The NFL's least valuable team (Arizona Cardinals) is ten times the worth of MLB's least valuable team (Tampa Bay Devil Rays).  The score is $500 million to $33 million.

Mr. Selig is a smart man, but he is not a savvy speaker and struggles to get his point across.  I'm a closet baseball fan and follow the sport from time to time.  I just wish that baseball leadership would promote their sport off of its merits versus trying to compare it with the NFL.

WHO WILL LAND THE "MIGHTY" QUINN?

by Darius Powell

Let's face it, Brady Quinn is not only the latest in the superb line of Charlie Weis' tutored great quarterbacks he's, barring injury, the early front runner for the 2006 Heisman Memorial Trophy Award, and a sure fire top five  pick for the 2007 NFL  draft.  This adulation all comes from a die hard and card carrying USC Trojan fan.  What can I say?  The kid is good and has a great coach.

As I was driving into work today, I asked myself the following question.  Knowing that Mr. Quinn will be a top five pick, where might he be drafted next year?  To answer this, I had to quickly go through all the the NFL divisions and look for teams that are not projected to fair that well in 2006 but also will be in need of a quarterback.  Here's the top five projections in reverse order based on this sports fan's opinion.

5.  Cleveland Browns - The Browns will be competitive this year but will not make the playoffs.  Charlie Frye will have to prove that he has the gusto to lead this improving team.  If he falters, one of Charlie Weis' best friends may take a shot at his newest pupil

4.  St. Louis Rams - The Rams have a great offensive team but their current QB Mark Bulger is oft injured.  If he cannot answer the bell for the majority of games this season and the Rams don't fair well in a tougher NFC, new coach and offensive guru Scott Linehan will look to the "Golden Domer" to run his offense.

3.  Buffalo Bills - New England, Miami, and New York will all be better than Buffalo this year.  J.P. Losman will have probably his last chance to impress new coach #### Jaron and the octagenarian front office to prevent the Bills from drafting Brady Quinn.

2.  Green Bay Packers - Brady Quinn unlike Aaron Rodgers is the natural successor to the throne in Green Bay.  Let's face it; the team is not going to be any better than last year and the new head coach was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers last year.  What does that tell you?

1.  Oakland Raiders - Art Shell may bring some excellence back but it won't be enough to correct the talented but erractic Aaron Brooks.  Also the Raiders will be door mats from the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, and the rest of the NFL this year.  Brady Quinn will more that fit the vertical passing game and lead the silver and black back to prominence.

FOOTBALL IS A GAME, BUT THE SPORT IS SERIOUS BUSINESS!

by Darius Powell

            “Awesome,” said my friend Scott as he chugged some beer. “I’m ecstatic!  The Lions have finally gotten rid of Mariucci.  He wasn’t that good of a coach anyway.”

As fan of the game and student of the business, I couldn’t let this one go.  “What do you mean Mariucci wasn’t that good of a coach?” I asked.  “What about the general manager who hired him?”

“Matt Millen’s not the problem,” said Scott.  “He’s a former NFL All-Pro linebacker and definitely knows football.”

 “Scott, my dear friend,” I said, “you need to consider the facts.  The Detroit Lions have been the worst team over the last five years, winning only twenty-one of eighty games.  This has all occurred with Matt Millen as GM.  Steve Mariucci, not unlike Marty Morningweg, was one of Matt Millen’s ‘can’t miss’ coaches.  He may know the game of football, but he doesn’t know the business.”

Scott and I bantered on all night, and our conversation got me thinking.  If I were a general manager for an NFL team, how would I build a champion?

            For starters, I would definitely run the operation like a traditional business, as most successful teams today are run that way.  Return on investment would be figured into every decision about personnel.  Also, I would want to know if my owner wanted to win or simply make money.  This is not a trick question because it is possible to field a perennial loser and still make profits due to the NFL’s unique revenue-sharing formula; however, these opposing ends are not mutually exclusive.  The Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots, all consistent winners, are among the top ten most valuable NFL franchises.

            My owner would definitely want to win so the next step would be to settle on business strategy.  Due to the constraints of the league salary cap, our team would need a clear vision, solid plans in support of the vision, and disciplined execution of the plans.  Regardless of our chosen strategy, I would ensure that we stay the course in order to avoid an extended period of malaise.  The Cincinnati Bengals from 1992 to 2002 and the aforementioned Detroit Lions can attest to the folly of not having solid visions and plans.

            In my opinion the best way to build a championship team is in phases, utilizing both free agency and the yearly NFL draft.  In three short years our franchise would be competitive because we would start with the defense and special teams, then spend lots of money for high- priced quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs, and finally move to the offensive line.

            My initial focus on defense is based on the hackneyed football expert’s phrase, “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.”  Some of the legendary NFL championship teams were all led by defense:  the Miami Dolphins’ No Name Defense, the Dallas Cowboys’ Doomsday Defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steel Curtain Defense, and the current dynasty the New England Patriots’ Interchangeable Defense. 

The formula is simple: if you can prevent your opponent from scoring points, your odds of winning increase.  It is not enough to have a good defense; a team must have a great run defense.  You have to prevent the opposing team from running the ball and make it one- dimensional, hence easier to defend.  As a matter of fact in the 2005 NFL season, the final four remaining teams in the playoffs (Seattle, Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Denver) had the top four run defenses for the entire season.  Also, defensive players have a high return on investment as they normally do not cost as much as other positions and more often pay immediate dividends on the field. 

The first phase is complete when I acquire an excellent place kicker and punter.  This is important, because the kicking game is vital to gaining an advantage in field position during games.  This all helps the defense because if the opponent’s offense has to consistently move the length of the field to score, your odds of winning increase.  Kickers and punters also have high returns on investment and once signed they play right away and tend to last longer the average NFL player.  

My second phase would be to add franchise players:  quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers.  These positions have lower returns on investment and need more time to develop.   The key is to get these players game experience without damaging their confidence.  Quarterbacks almost always undergo this metamorphosis.  For example, Troy Aikman, the future Hall of Fame quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, suffered through a one-win season in 1989, only to grow into a three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the 1990s.  On the other hand, Carson Palmer of the Cincinnati Bengals did not play at all his first year and led his team to the playoffs in his second full year of starting.

The last phase is to build an effective running game.  This is accomplished by drafting young offensive linemen who will protect my franchise quarterback and create running lanes for my-high priced running backs.  In 2005, the top twelve teams in rushing offense (running game) all made the playoffs.  A great running game helps a team control the game clock by maintaining offensive possession of the ball.  In Super Bowl XXV, the underdog New York Giants maintained possession of the ball for more than forty minutes and won the game.

            In the real world I’m not a general manger, and my opinions on how to build a championship NFL team may or may not work.  What I do know is that Matt Millen has recently Rod Marinelli as his third coach for the Detroit Lions and Mr. Marinelli is a defensive expert.  Mr. Millen may know something about business after all.