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No, this is not a rehash of an old article. The Nationals signed Johnny Estrada to a one year contract.
This seems a bit interesting. Is there more to the LoDuca injury that has been let on? While Estrada has had problems with coaches at other teams, the Nationals seem to think they can fix that issue. Seems to be a lot of rehab projects going on in DC.
Local Hoops mania last night in what ESPN has dubbed "School Spirit Week". Ugh, what happened to just "Rivalry Week"?
First, let's get this out of the way. Georgetown dominated St John's in Big East action last night. The Hoyas held them to just 2 buckets in the first half. Now that I've mentioned Georgetown for the first time in this post, let's go to the team I care about.
The Terrapins bounced back from the loss to Duke on Sunday to beat Virginia. After leading by double digits, the Terrapins nearly let it slip away, allowing the Cavaliers to come within 5 with just minutes left in the game. But they perserved to win.
What I found interesting is the comment by the ESPN crew. I know Mike Patrick was part of the booth, but I'm not sure who the other guy was. Nor did I take note, who said this. One of them noted that MD seemed to find a way to build the lead, not keep it.
From what I've heard, the mid-majors are not doing so well, and many of the BCS conferences are down, with only 1 or 2 guaranteed at large bids. So teams with weaker starts, like MD, who finish pretty good might have a shot. Beating North Carolina at the Dean Dome, and nearly beating Duke probably helps a bit, even against losses to American and Ohio.
The New York NBC TV affiliate (WNBC 4) has shown a clip or soundbite of a Giants player interview every single day since the end of the conference championship games a week and a half ago during the local news. I don't know if NBC gets exclusive access to the players or if the team gives special treatment to the local media. But what it amounts to is media day every day. The blurbs shown on the local news do not seem to be old or stale, and are presented as either the same day or previous day's comments (in the case of the morning news). This morning, one clip was a reporter asking "Jeff Feagles, how does it feel to have stepped off the plane in Arizona knowing that you are going to your first Super Bowl in your 20 year career?" So what purpose does today's Media Day serve when the media seems to have daily access to these players? One indication that Media Day servers no purpose at all is that the majority of news coverage that results from Media Day is not about the players but rather about the media itself, with today's most notable story coming out of Media Day being a wedding proposal to Tom Brady.
OK, with this Redskins Head coaching story upsetting so many people, I thought I'd put up our first poll. Note that this is not limited to Snyder, simply a general question about all sports team owner, be it Leonsis, Angelos, Snyder, etc.
Feel free to leave further thoughts in the comments section.
If I wrote this entry at halftime yesterday, it could have been reversed.
The Terrapins in an effort to defeat the top team in the nation and the #3 team in a span of 8 days failed. They put on an excellent showing in the first half, but sputtered when hitting the floor in the second half and lost 93-84. Bambale "Boom" Osby had a double-double and a career high in points with 20 in the losing effort.
Sure, MD-Duke does not have the same flavor and stature as 5 years ago. Even three years ago, Maryland had lukewarm seasons and NIT bids, but these games were always a show. But despite losing games to American and Ohio (not State), the Terrapins came to play. They played a great first half, leading by 9 at the break, only to have it turned around on them.
The Sports Freak would like to blame me for the loss since I wanted to go home and watch the second half. Sorry, it's a school night and I'm getting up there in years. Need to get to bed early. Sure, I don't go to be at 9, but still, I didn't need to get home at 10 PM and wake up at 5 AM Monday.
I however blame it on Fox Sports. How dare they broadcast the game and not show Scott Van Pelt? OK, he works for a competing network. And this morning on the Mike and Mike radio show, I understand that he was on a plane to Arizona for Superbowl coverage. So maybe we should blame the ACC. How dare they schedule MD-Duke when SVP was possibly unavailable. He's been to every MD-Duke game in College Park since at least 2002.
Kidding aside, it appears the week off between NC and Duke did not help enough. MD put on a great effort. The only thing I can fault is that Paulus and Singler both sat with 4 fouls each with a few minutes left on the clock. Duke was up by 2 at that point. MD should have taken the lead or at least kept it close. Instead they fell further behind.
Too bad, this would have been one of those attention getter games. Paired with the win over the Tarheels, it would have at least kept MD in the discussion for an at large bid. If the game hadn't turned so badly in the second half, maybe it still would have been. Well, maybe we'll have to mop up the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor in 2 weeks.
Well it appears that the proverbial verdict is in. Dan Snyder, an owner that's as polarizing as Hillary Clinton in a love 'em or hate 'em knee jerk reaction has almost unified most of the Redskins fan base. It was possible to defend some of Danny's actions by acknowledging and respecting that whatever dollars Danny received he put right back into the team. After all, wouldn't you prefer an owner who's at least willing to spend money then none at all aka the Bidwell's through much of the '80s and '90s? Dan Snyder was always one to do it his way. He's been successful in his business endeavors and enjoys the limelight. He's a fan that would enjoy nothing more than winning a title, but with his hands involved exclusively in the process.
Unfortunately with the recent chain of events, most notably the firing of Greg Williams it appears that his actions have shed more insight into the owner of the Washington Redskins. The disregard for continuity achieved by Gibbs, a disregard for elite and heavily paid coaching staff, and a disregard for (the opinions of) the talented players on his own team quickly changed the fans perception of the owner. Was there such a need for multiple interviews with his Defensive Coordinator that Gibbs endorsed? Was this necessary for a coach in Gibbs that he revered so much and so deeply that Snyder disregarded Gibbs last advice to hire Williams all together?
After four long years with Gibbs manning the helm, the team found itself and regained much of what it lacked since Gibbs left in 1992. The team found unity and a sense of spirit and professionalism needed to win as a team. No longer were the Redskins the joke of the league and champion of the offseason. They were the talk of the pre-season as a legitimate contender.
Everything Gibbs accomplished to rebuild the philosophy, organization, and structure from top to bottom to mold a group of winners was washed away in less than a couple of weeks. It now appears that winning with exclusive acknowledgement to Snyder as the sole architect of a Lombardi winning team is no longer the main objective but rather the icing on the cake. It's about ego and feeding that yearning of media accolades. Yet among all the talk of learning from Gibbs the lesson of checking the ego at the door was never learned.
It appeared late Friday night that a so called smear campaign against Williams was leaked to the media. Williams vehemently denied this rumor regarding remarks about Gibbs. Reports were flying that Williams wasn't in the running to be head coach anymore. This bothered Williams so much that he was toiling with the notion of leaving with his dignity and remove his name from the head coaching position. Again, ego came into play by Snyder to deny the coach and heir apparent in Gibbs eyes from having the last word as Snyder had to have the last say by firing Williams. A statement was released from the Redskins.
The ego involved in the search for a new head coach could even raise suspicion that the longer the search takes the more Snyder will be mentioned. For four years all the talk was about the Redskins as a team and their Coach Joe Gibbs. Winning and playoffs were the talk of the town and not the team's owner with a huge ego. Why else would it take so long to find a coach? Having gone this long Snyder is able to constantly have his name referenced during Super Bowl week. Speculation is that shortly after the Super Bowl concludes, the Redskins aka Snyder will announce the new head coach and once again steal the spot light to ensure his name is the last NFL News mentioned to end the NFL season before the talk centers around the draft.
It must be in the water. Is it the state of Maryland? Maybe. But I can’t take credit for this comparison. Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post first made the observation in his Redskins Insider blog.
Dan Snyder has out ‘angelos-ed’ Peter Angelos. In fact it’s at such a high level Snyder deserves his own new verb – He’s ‘snyder-ed’ the Redskins.
In the course of two weeks Snyder has successfully done the following things:
• made the Redskins the laughing stock of sports, not just the NFL
• destroyed the team that Joe Gibbs put together
• made it such that at least the near term future for the Redskins will be as unbearable as the Norv – Spurrier era
Lies
Snyder lied to the fans. He lied about continuity. He lied about having learned from Gibbs. And he lied about feeling this team is close to being consistently competitive. Either that or he has the logic of an amoeba. Wait. That’s unfair to the amoeba.
Is it ‘continuity’ to bring in an entirely new coaching staff who will want their own type of players? Or at the least would require the players to learn an entirely new system? With the hiring of Jim Zorn as the new Offensive Coordinator, it will mean at the least that QB Jason Campbell will be learning his 3rd new system in the NFL in just his 4th year in the league. Is that considered progress? Is that considered, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”?
And while we’re on the topic, why was Al Saunders so vilified by Snyder and Vinny Cerrato? Did they expect that Saunders should have been successful in year 1 here under an aging QB in Mark Brunell? Todd Collins, who was under Saunders’ system for seven years, said that it would take at least 1 year to grasp the offense. Or did Snyder and Cerrato believe that Campbell should have been playing like Trent Green in his prime during this past season? Or maybe the Seattle playoff game had them thinking that a timing offense can’t work against a quick defense? Never mind that fact that the ‘Skins were playing in the noisiest stadium in the league limiting their ability to get off the snap quickly and that the right side of the offensive line consisted of an undrafted rookie tackle and a backup guard.
Disrespect
Snyder has disrespected Gibbs, the coaching staff he left behind, the fans, and the players. Heck, even Jim Fassel feels “used”.
By blowing up the coaching staff assembled by Gibbs, Snyder is in effect saying to Gibbs, “Thanks for everything, but no thanks. The people you chose suck and I can do better.” Joe Gibbs chose the people on this staff not to fill job vacancies, but for their ability to carry the Redskins into the future. Gibbs knew that this time around, that it would be sooner rather than later he’d be leaving. Gibbs loves the Redskins. Gibbs loves the fans. He wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t. Gibbs wanted to put the Redskins organization back on the path of being a consistent winner for the organization and the fans. What better way to do that than to put in a staff that can carry on once you decide to step down? It was his every intention to make sure that transition would be smooth once he left. Obviously, Snyder feels he has more football acumen than a Hall of Fame coach.
To compound this, Snyder makes Gibbs do the dirty work of ‘apologizing’ to the current staff that the search is taking so long. Snyder doesn’t have the decency to do this himself. But of course he does everything behind the scenes, like run a smear campaign against Gregg Williams, stating that Williams disrespected Gibbs in the interviews. I guess Snyder disrespects the fans enough to believe they are gullible enough to accept this. I’m sure this is an attempt to quell fan outrage that Williams won’t be hired as the next head coach.
And how do you think the players feel about this? Granted, it’s the players’ job to play football, not run the front office, but almost every player has come out in support of Williams. Let’s face it. At the end of the day, teams are about talent and chemistry. I can’t see there being much chemistry if the players feel their thoughts about the situation aren’t being respected.
Failure
The lies and disrespect will all add up to failure for the Washington Redskins. This team will be even more dysfunctional than when before Gibbs came back. The players that stay will have to learn whole new systems. Those that have no choice but to stay won’t want to play for the new staff, but rather will just be collecting checks. The cap issues which the Redskins have always been able to manage to this point will actually become real issues. There are rumors that because of the current happenings, some players will refuse to renegotiate which will force the Redskins to release them. For a team that’s currently $20 million over the cap, it will mean the loss of a lot of talent and lots of dead cap space.
All of this seemed unfathomable just 3 weeks ago. Especially with the tragedy of Sean Taylor’s death and how it brought the team together to end the season so strongly. There was real hope for this team that it finally had the major pieces in place talent-wise along with the new found bond among staff and players that would propel the Redskins to greater success next season.
In just two weeks, Snyder has destroyed all that.
In a ridiculous turn of events, ESPN is reporting that Greg Williams is no longer being considered for the Redskins Head Coaching position.Williams Not the Next Coach Regardless of Joe Gibbs advice, the fans dissatisfaction with anyone named other then Williams, or strong player discontent for anyone not named Williams, it appears that ownership has decided to blow things up again as if Joe Gibbs was never here. This shows without an a presence of a strong competent figure to reign in Vinny & Danny that very little was learned from Gibb especially when he has voiced his support for the hiring of Williams.
Zorn is hired as the new offensive coordinator as Saunders is allowed to interview elsewhere.
Zorn Hired - ESPN Report
NBC4 just announced that a decision may not be reached until after the Super Bowl and anything that can delay Fassel Man from being the next head coach of the Redskins and I'm not talking about Greg Raymer the WSOP winner then that's a good thing!
I thought Mike Alstott retired prior to this season? I remember this discussion in mid-August as a few of us met for our Fantasy Football Draft. We wondered if he had really retired. Or maybe it was that strange commercial about being inducted into the Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Either case, good luck to Alstott. Although he was a Buc, he did score a few points for me in various fantasy leagues.
It looks like the coaching carousel continues as Jim Zorn interviewed for the offensive coordinator position. So much for giving Campbell the chance to finally master one complex offense in the NFL. USA Today - Jim Zorn Why bring Joe Gibbs back to coach in DC only to undue everything he accomplished once he leaves? Then again winning mustn’t be as important as making headlines. Too bad the headlines aren't the Redskins holding up the Lombardi Trophy after a rebuilt team by Gibbs and his successor Williams.
Buckle up everyone and as Dark Helmet said in "Spaceballs", "Prepare for ludicrous speed!" As Big Money Tony mentioned in his posting Big Money Tony Fassel would be an awful choice as Head Coach for the Redskins. While we're drudging up failed former head coaches why not bring in Wayne Fontes for an interview. He certainly knows how to squander elite talent like Barry Sanders. Maybe the run 'n shoot offense will make a comeback. Better yet why not take look at Jerry Glanville because football would be anything but dull. There may be plenty of losing, but lots of entertainment.
Let's recap Fassel's coaching record. He had a great defense that carried him during some winning seasons as the Giants head coach, as well as, some late season collapses. He became a consultant on offense for the Ravens and later the offensive coordinator before ultimately being fired from Billick. Most fans wouldn't perceive his offensive playbook as a high scoring.
Even more disheartening for Redskins fans is a report that Cerrato was promoted and that Dan Snyder & Cerrato is the new structure without a conventional General Manager. Is Vinny capable of looking Danny in the eye and say that Greg Williams is the logical choice? It's ok to be stubborn and want to do things a certain way by handling things yourself especially when you're the owner and it's your money, but the rational to go after someone else's coach or a retread coach when there's a competent one already there that could keep the continuity among the team and players. Furthermore, it was reported that Williams was backed by Joe Gibbs. Why would Williams need to meet with ownership four times to see if they could co-exist? Would this be necessary for Parcells or Ditka? And if Parcells and his winning record told a meddling owner where to stick it and leave the football decisions to a football man b/c that's what he's being paid for then what would occur next - most likely nothing. Gibbs showed in V.1, V.2., and Nascar that surrounding yourself by the best and making good decisions leads to success, so why surround yourself by mediocrity?
To make such a decision that would run counter to the message being sent about keeping continuity or acknowledging that the assistant coaches at high paid salaries brought together by the Hall of Fame coach were good coaches that the players even were backing. This would certainly send a signal to the team. That signal would not be about winning, but about the "me" in tEaM.
Look I'm all for interviewing a good number of candidates to make sure the Redskins get the right one. Whether it be to satisfy the Rooney Rule or just simply making sure we haven't missed someone. But interviewing Jim Fassel is a terrible idea.
He was rejected in 2004. Granted, he got displaced by Joe Gibbs. But still, after being passed over, he got a job with the Ravens. I think he was a "consultant", then became the Offensive Coordinator. But he got fired from there. So what makes anyone think he can take over the Redskins job?
Even worse news...according to the article, it appears that Vinny Cerrato is involved in interviewing the candidates. Ugh, can I turn in my tickets?. OK, I take that last part back. But somehow going to Fedex Field to watch the Fassel led Redskins, knowing the Cerrato had a part in the hiring could really put a downer on me.
In OT, the Giants shocked the viewing audience by winning on a FG 23-20. Eli may have overcome his nay sayers, but those that still won't give him his due will most likely feel upset that he deprived NFL fans of a great Super Bowl matchup of Favre vs. Brady or the last Super Bowl hurrah to possibly end a career vs. the quest for perfection. Instead sports fans get to see if the Pats just don't screw it up.
Is anyone else tired of seeing that robot that Fox puts in the corner of the screen throughout their entire football coverage each Sunday? Well if you aren’t tired of seeing that robot, he can now be yours for only $19.95 from Foamheads!
In stunning fashion the Terps dominated most of the game and the battle on the boards in Chapel Hill. It came down to the final minutes after the Terps went up by eleven points and won 82-80. Maryland seemed to take it to the Tar Heels for the better part of the game until a ten minute stretch where UNC made a few runs to eventually take a small lead.
In a thriller that could turn the Terps season around after early losses to Ohio and American University, the Terps find themselves at 2-2 in conference play. There is a small sad point to note about the game. Due to the ACC's expansion to twelve teams for football the basketball schedule is unbalanced. The Terps don't have a return game at home vs. UNC.
Big Money Tony and I were at the ESPN Zone on Friday catching up and the Len Bias 1986 MD vs. UNC game was on TV. Maybe it was a sign of another great win vs. UNC. It's always fun to beat Duke & UNC as evident by the pregame coverage of the Duke and Clemson game when both teams and fans were shown rejoicing upon hearing the news that UNC had lost.
Some people might not consider chess a sport. I'm borderline on it, but I think Bobby Fischer is important enough to justify a short entry. He passed away today, in Iceland. His last few years seemed to be off.
I'm not a big chess fan. Actually correction, I'm not a fan. I don't play, I don't watch. I never paid attention that a computer could beat a man in it, or not.
However, when I was a weekly viewer of Outside the Lines on ESPN, I remember distinctly watching an episode which Jeremy Schaap of ESPN and other reporters were at a press conference or something for Fischer. Normally I wouldn't care, except that it was on OTL and I was addicted to the show at the time.
The late, great Dick Schaap, father of Jeremy, had at one point been very good friends with Fischer. But this interview where Jeremy attended, Fischer sought Jeremy out and said some anti-Semetic things. I'm not sure what happened to Fischer, considering he was Jewish himself. This event has been stuck on my mind everytime I hear something about chess, which is terrible. I've been trying to find a link to the OTL transcript, but a search did not reveal it.
In any case, I hope Jeremy can find resolution now without lashing out against Fischer. While Fischer was wrong to say such things, just leave it be.
I thought we were electing a President this year, but apparently Commissioners too. Bud Selig has been extended through the 2012 season. This despite the fact that he had previously stated he would retire after the 2009 season.
I'll admit, I've grown to not hate Bud Selig. I'm at a strong dislike. I mean look at his accomplishments...
-Allowed the Steroid Era to fester.
-Turned a meaningless game, the All-Star Game, into a meaningful, but pointless exhibition game to determine home field advantage in the World Series.
- Nearly contracted teams because his owner buddies couldn't make enough money.
- Presided during the 94 strike that ended the season without a World Series played.
Seriously, he seems to be less of an owner's commissioner these days. But it might be the Congressional hearings causing that.
On the plus side, at least he is versed in the game he is overseeing, unlike one GB.
It's been reported that Jason Garrett turned down both the Ravens and the Falcons, but will stay with the Cowboys.
What makes him so hot? The last time the Ravens hired an offensive genius, he managed to do nothing. Garrett seems to have less of a reputation as a genius, but more like a good coach.
So back to the interviews with lesser known coaches. John "no, not the QB" Harbaugh, currently secondary coach for the Eagles, is the leading candidate in Baltimore. Let's hope they don't interview Greg Williams. He might take the job if he is interviewed in less sessions than with the Redskins, who apparantly thinks a coach who's been there for years has not proven himself in 4 interviews with Daniel Snyder.
Miguel Tejada back in the news. I know, I know, I'm sounding like a broken record. Maybe Rafael Palmeiro was innocent, blah, blah, blah.
It's still interesting. I remember Tejada's denials back then. It was tough, watching two members of the baseball team of my earlier years throwing accusations back and forth. I'm not saying Palmeiro should be vindicated. After all, he should have gotten B-12 shots from the team trainer. Because when I need a needle stuck in me, I always call on co-workers, not my doctor. And not only do I get the needle from my friendly co-worker, but he gives me the meds too. Who needs the hassle of calling my doctor?
Amazing. Palmerio could have been stupid, or very smart, except he got caught.
Much like David Letterman used to enjoy saying Boutros Boutros-Ghali during his tenure as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, one could also say Boudreau Boudreau and a golly for good measure! As Boudreau has taken the reigns of the Washington Capitals the team has continued to battle injuries, but has been able to steadily stay above .500 with discipline and focus.
The team has enjoyed better success and results on the power play and players appear fresh late in the game due to controlled line changes. The Capitals could have stumbled into a coach that is able to balance young players that no longer need to be coddled along with seasoned veterans. The third consecutive minor league coach luckily enough to man the head coaching position for the team and coach some of the best young talent in the NHL with Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green. Sprinkle in a few veterans such as Nylander, Koslov, Poti, Clark, and Kolzig and the team may yet make the playoffs. The team has almost worked itself out of the tremendous early season hole they dug for themselves.
This year's draft appears to be stocked with great defensive talent in the projected top five of next year’s draft. In the event the Caps miss the playoffs, they should certainly consider adding a legitimate all around and defensive defenseman to their ranks by trading picks and players to grab such a sought after position. There is still much to play in the season, but it appears that Boudreau warrants another season. Let's hope that Boudreau realizes that he should reach for the stars this year regarding team decisions as he marks his stamp in the position as the Caps would be hard pressed to find an alternative this year for the interim coach.
The San Diego Chargers and New York Giants won in thrillers that came down to the final minutes in what was supposed to be a showdown between Peyton Manning & Tom Brady and Tony Romo and Brett Favre. The Chargers and Giants obviously had other plans. San Diego won 28-24 and the Giants 21-17.
The Chargers won with Tomlinson missing time in the second half and Rivers injury giving way for back up Billy Volek to lead the way to the AFC Championship. Peyton threw for over 400 yards in a phenomenal game. It appears the other Manning will be planning in a championship game. Eli managed an efficient game down to the wire as the Giants Defense held up to win the game in a dominant defensive fashion as Romo saw the Dallas turf as he was constantly pressured.
Home field now shifts to Lambeau Field for the NFC. The script is almost complete for Favre to head back to the Super Bowl and stand before the Pats perfect season. The cast is almost complete and if anything can be learned from today's games is that anything can happen once the game begins. It should make for a wild ride in an entertaining season
Could Len Pascquarelli be wrong about Gibbs?Len Pasquarelli Article. Age wasn't an issue for Gibbs. Gibbs did more in his second stint to rebuild an entire organization decimated by change and poor decisions. He also brought a group of players that Pasquarelli says he couldn't relate to together after the tragic event of Sean Taylor's passing. He changed philosophy from one game at a time to we can do this and let's look at the schedule. Gibbs wasn't just brought in to stabalize the coaching position, but to fix an organization that had lost its way.
See my earlier posting Joe Gibbs Leaves The Washington Redskins, Again.
Prior to the release of the Mitchell Report, there were thoughts that it could kill our National Pastime. Time will tell, but so far, it's given us more drama than the strike-shortened television season. The showdown between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, complete with taped conversations is just compelling. The Mitchell report is even more interesting than where Santana will end up, and I'm not talking about the singer.
But the whole story gets stranger...
Chapter 3: Knoblach
Today, Chuck Knoblach gives us another bizarre story. OK, he has "nothing to defend", but also has "nothing to hide". He wants nothing to do with baseball.
This again brings a myriad of questions.
1. If Clemens and Knoblach are innocent, what do we say about the crediibility of McNamee?
2. If the above is true, what did George Mitchell and team do for all those months?
3. If those named are guilty, should any of them be in the Hall of Fame? Knoblach notes he got 1 vote, but he has no desire to be in.
4. What about those previously found guilty in the eyes of the public? Are they more or less guilty because of the Mitchell Report.
I guess I'll need to set my Tivo for ESPN News on Feb 13. I wonder if CSPAN has an HD feed?
Can anyone stop Brady and the Pats offense? Who has the best chance at stopping the perfect season? The AFC's best friend in the playoffs this year could be Mother Nature. That's right, the weather could be the equalizer in creating a low scoring affair that would neutralize the passing game of the Pats and force New England into a more ball control field position type of a game. One big play could be the difference in a game.
The weather and one big play could be the difference for what many teams would need to defeat the Pats. The teams with the best shot are the Colts and Jags. Addai and Jones-Drew have big play potential in a sloppy game. Playing the Chargers could allow the Pats to become one more step closer to perfection. The Jags defense and tough running game could pose a big challenge for Brady, but appear to be a one dimensional offense and could find themselves down early with a Brady to Moss connection. Likewise the Colts arial assault and Addai ground game could keep the game interesting, but the Colts defense could be on their heels the entire game with the Pats passing attack. Clear blue skies could be all the Pats need to punch a return ticket to the Super Bowl.
The Washington Capitals signed Alexander Ovechkin to a 13 Year extension for $124M Ovechkin's New Deal - ESPN. This is fantastic news for an ailing organization. The recent signings of Semin & Ovechkin to long term contracts push the Caps to the point where the future meets the present.
The contract extension for Ovechkin marks a historic event in franchise history. It triggers the next step in making progress towards one day going back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Caps fans can rejoice at knowing that one of the league’s best and brightest stars in hockey is locked into the franchise for a very long time.
Ownership seemed to make its presence known when signing Jagr to a long term contract. A contract that eventually became difficult to move much like the NBA where analysts often say that contracts are moved not players. It's ironic that as Jagr's contract and place holder of salary could be washed out as a new star is there to absorb this space & take the team to a higher level. Clearing Jagr's cap space will allow the Caps to hopefully make more roster adjustments as the team continues to build on such young stars as Semin, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Green.
The coaching carousel continues in Washington. As Joe Gibbs departs the coaching ranks from the Redskins organization again, little has been mentioned about the existing coaching staff. What will happen to Bugel, Breaux, and Ernest Byner? So much has already been discussed about who might succeed Gibbs and who might be cajoled to come out of retirement such as Cowher, but has anyone asked about a general manager? No one has discussed replacing the decisions made by GM Gibbs.
When the Redskins think about a successor to Gibbs it's also important to think about the team and its players. The players have expressed their support in their nod to Greg Williams Jason Campbell has been through countless offensive systems in college and professional levels. Assuming that Saunders would like to continue coaching in Washington it would be critical to not hinder Campbell's growth by making him and the team which has made such great strides learn a new system.
It appeared that Saunders wasn't interested in becoming a head coach and just implements his system to great success. If indeed Saunders doesn't wish to become head coach, then it makes great sense to retain him and continue the continuity developed by the team this year.
Candidates for Redskins Coaching Vacancy - ESPN.
The List:
Jason Garrett - Hmm...a budding QB that's pro bowl bound, a running back with a bevy of touchdowns, a future hall of fame wide receiver, a talented secondary wide receiver, a strong offensive line, and a pro bowl tight end. This all sounds very familiar. The last Dallas coach to become the Redskins Head Coach devastated the organization and almost brought it to its knees. Let's pass on this prospective coach.
Rex Ryan - Why replace the current defensive coordinator with someone else’s and make Ryan the head coach? Have the Skins learned nothing about taking someone from within when possible.? This move would make no sense.
Brian Billick - Does Stover come with him, because that seemed to be his offense and Billick never medaled much with the defense as a coach.
Russ Grimm - This choice would be the most intriguing. It would become even more interesting if Williams becomes head coach and Grimm joins the offensive staff depending upon other's departures.
Bill Cowher - A great coach, but would breaking everything that Gibbs put back together be worth breaking the chemistry and continuity of the staff, system, and players?
Joe Gibbs resignation today will have an obvious ripple effect through the coaching staff and resonate for years to come throughout the organization. It was difficult enough to witness Gibbs departure the first go around. I recall that Steve Buckhantz was one of the first to discover and break the story. This time around there was no story to break. Joe Gibbs announced his resignation as not just coach, but also as President of the Washington Redskins.
Joe's influence, integrity, and coaching ability can't be matched but only goals to strive for in a future coach. Not since Gibbs last coached the Skins have the organization, structure, players, and coaches had such a philosophy of winning that everyone believed in and bought into.
Some may have questioned his coaching ability in his second term, but this time around Joe had more pressure and bore more challenges and more responsibility then his first term. He successfully brought back a Redskins tradition of football and winning. He brought back a team with heart and will power. Joe brought back most of the structure that was in place when he left after his last super bowl victory that was in disarray from John Kent Cooke, Charlie Casserly, and Dan Snyder.
Joe assembled some of the best coaches in the league and was able to get more out of a team during injuries and tragedy than most other coaches. Joe was able to find 'his' guys. He found smart guys and guys with heart. He was able to mold role players into players that were able to provide valuable minutes and start when needed. This is a proud signature of a Gibbs team and hall of fame coach.
The most disheartening aspect of Gibbs departure is he will no longer be President of the team. Just as the Redskins wandering in the wilderness appeared to be over and the time in purgatory was coming to an end, Joe has called it quits.
After this season ended, it appeared that the future was bright and the real hopes of true contention returned with some help at a couple of key positions and renewed health along the team. This was not to be just as Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey would draw near home, the heavens would open up and blow his ship away or the sea would swell up and cast him far from home, the mission of returning to greatness isn't complete.
Whether Joe felt the time was right to step down as coach this season or next, a decision as President to undertake the last step necessary to return to glory by bringing back the position of General Manager by a qualified and competent individual has been missed. With the departure of President Gibbs a vacuum of power within the organization now exists.
The challenge facing the team and owner now is about resisting temptation and make the smart decision not the flashy decision. For an owner who cares deeply about winning, the winning decision is bringing back the GM position and demoting Vinny Cerrato to scouting talent and leave the decision making to great decision makers.
As we look back on Joe Gibbs, no one can argue much like the first time he left the team is his devotion to family. Family always comes first with Joe and he has given the Redskins family that includes players past and present and all of their fans plenty to remember. His legacy shouldn't be tarnished, but just as shiny as when he first left. He restored what it meant for players to wear the burgundy and gold and how to play the game of football. This was absent between his two terms and no one should forget this fact. Thank you Joe Gibbs for making watching Redskins football fun, again!
You (almost) heard it hear first: Joe Gibbs resigned this morning as head coach of the Redskins. I'll leave it to the locals to heap the praise upon him, but for me I'll just say that a record of 31-36 in his second stint as head coach doesn't exactly impress me. Three Super Bowl victories in his first stint does impress me.
Yes, Redskins fans all over the world. It's over. Go see your shrinks today.
I have mixed feelings over this. Yes, just over a month ago, I suggested that Joe Gibbs should stay as coach. That only he could take us over the hump. But that spectacular December the Redskins had, albeit with a dissapointing ending this past Saturday, changed my mind a bit. It showed me that the team could win. That there was a possibility beyond Gibbs.
There are surprises though. If the rumors are 100%, he is resigning as Team President as well. What that means may not be clear for now. I see it as a possible signal to Dan Snyder that even the Great Joe Gibbs can't work with him. I say "with" as the arrangement was that Gibbs had virtually final say on everything football related.
The other bad surprise is that Vinny Cerrato may continue to be employed by the Redskins, and even possibly elevated to the role of GM. If Gibbs had stayed as president, maybe he could have concentrated on roster moves, draft, etc, and Vinny would be gone.
We may know later at 3 PM what brought about Gibbs decision. Certainly, no matter what he says, he won't speak badly of Snyder. We might get the truth. That given his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing, is moving to Toyota vehicles in 2008, he needs to concentrate on that. Geez, it took Joe Gibbs to bring me to discuss details of NASCAR. Then again, I do live in Maryland, which is technically south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
So the question becomes...who's up? Al Saunders? Greg Williams? Neither seems very strong candidates, except they are "internal" candidates. Cowher turned down Atlanta, maybe he'll come here? Which brings my point of conflict. Who better than Joe Gibbs?
This isn't the American Gladiators that you remember from the '80s. In the very first event one of the contestants was knocked down so hard by a gladiator that her knee buckled. She went down and was down for the competition. A substitute was brought in to finish the show.
Most of the events are the same as you remember them, but souped up a 100%. During joust or the q-tip event as I call it there used to be tons of soft cushioned mats to break a fall and now there's nothing but water when someone falls from that high perch.
On a more interesting note, is it just me or is the official from American Gladiators the same official from the movie "Dodgeball"? His voice sounds very familiar to "Average Joe's Gym, ready?! GloboGym, ready!?" He looks similar too. If this is true is he now typecast as a ref?
A small improvement the show could make is not to allow the contestants to speak. It's very difficult to watch the gung ho high energy contenders talk smack and how their personal life has prepared them for just this moment. I'd prefer to have a bubble pop up like in the TV show Blind Date where funny comments are inserted into the bubble or better yet the Hulkster ask them something and when they respond he just says that's the dumbest thing he's ever heard and they’re in for some "Pain" like Mr. T said in Rocky III.
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was named AP Coach of the Year last week, a development that can be viewed as a bit of a surprise in the wake of his early-season spying scandal and subsequent punishment, which included personal and team fines, and forfeiture of a first-round pick. In the end, the unprecedented 16-0 mark was enough to outweigh any misgivings that may have lingered in voters' minds. And while he and the team are to be congratulated on the undefeated regular season, is Belichick's performance this year really worthy of Coach of the Year?
In 2007, Coach Belichick directed a Patriots team widely regarded as one of the most talented in the league, and one which had narrowly missed reaching its fourth Superbowl in six years. The team had made massive upgrades in its wide receiving corps, and landed one of the most sought after free agent defensive players, Adalius Thomas. Before the season started the Pats were a popular pick to win a fifth straight AFC East title and contend for another Superbowl championship. So although they did it in impressive fashion this season it's really not surprising that they have been successful.
Compare this year's performance to the 2001 season, in which he did not win Coach of the Year, when he led the team on a 6-game winning streak to finish the season, and eventually staged on of the biggest upsets in Superbowl history against the Rams. That year's team featured first-year starter Tom Brady, and an assortment of veteran castoffs including Bryan Cox, Terrell Buckley, Antowain Smith, and Bobby Hamilton. The Pats were coming off a 5-11 season the year before and no one really considered them a serious playoff contender, yet somehow Belichick and his staff were able to get the most out of that group, motivating the team to play their best football late in the season and into the playoffs.
To me, taking a mediocre team and getting them to play great is more impressive than taking one of the most talented and playoff-tested rosters in the league and directing them to a 16-0 season.