Why's everyone Blaming T.O.? or: What's Really Wrong in Dallas

I'm the last person in the world to defend T.O. I think his me-first attitude is detrimental to team chemistry. Placating his demands for more touches is detrimental to offensive balance. I think that he was a talented player, but his skills are on the decline and he's not willing to realize it.

T.O. was also instrumental in Jerry Jones running Parcells out of town. The Big Tuna wanted nothing to do with a selfish egotistical player with waning skills and basically gave Jones the "it's either him or me" ultimatum. JJ went with T.O. Big mistake.

That being said, I want to know why everyone is jumping on T.O.'s case all of a sudden. Everyone seems willing to blame the Cowboy's collapse on T.O. Let's not forget that he was the only player who decided to show up against Philly. He ended the game with 6 catches for 100+ yards. Granted they were 6 meaningless catches for 100+ meaningless yards, but everyone else posted the kind of stats you'd expect a peewee team to have against the Eagles.

If you want to point the finger you have to start at the top and work your way down. Jerry Jones is the number one problem with this franchise. He went into this season thinking that his team was infallible. He made umpteen boneheaded moves these last few years (signing T.O., Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, etc. etc.) He turned his franchise into a circus. He put this team together. He encourages the media frenzy that has surrounded this franchise these last two decades. He hired the coaches and the players, it all comes back to him.

After that you have the coaches. Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett are taking a lot of the heat, but let's not forget the amazing choke job by D-coordinator Brian Stewart. The Cowboys were terrible on defense in weeks 16 and 17. All three of these guys should be in hot water.

There's no way that I can see Phillips keeping his job. At one point in the second half Sunday he tried to send the punt team in after the 'boys were stopped on a 3rd and short. Romo waved them off and went for it on 4th down. He converted and kept the drive alive, but that's not the point. Phillips stood on the sideline completely bewildered as his Quarterback overruled him. If Parcells were still coaching you know that that would never have happened. If Parcells were still coaching Romo probably would have collapsed on the sidelines from a severe beating, as opposed to later, in the lockerroom from a rib injury.

Then you can trickle the rest of the blame down onto the players. They don't play like a team. There's a lot of infighting and suspicion. Players are shooting their mouths off the the press. They're fighting each other on the team plane. Everyone's pointing fingers at one another trying to deflect the blame. Hell, some players are even trying to distance themselves from the franchise entirely. When confronted about their team's poor play Tank Johnson said something to the tune of "What do I care, I'm a free agent." The stituation in Big D is shameful right now.

Jerry Jones is preaching consistency, claiming that all the players and coaches will remain in place for next season. If Jones wants his team to contend he needs to shake things up and build a talented team, not just a talented roster.

Most Underrated Players: NFC East

The NFL announced the 2008/2009 Pro Bowl rosters earlier this week, heralding some of the league's Most Valuable Players (and a few underachieving fan favorites). It got me thinking about all the solid players that were left off the list. So here's my list of the most underrated players from each NFL team.

This list is subjective, but I do have a few rules:
1. No one who made the Pro Bowl will be considered.
2. Stats aren't everything. Consistency is key.
3. Most of these players aren't nationally known. Some of them are only familiar to die-hard fans.

So let's get started with the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys were far-and-away the most over-hyped team heading into this season. Nearly everyone was willing to write them a free pass to the Super Bowl, allowing them to forgo those pesky regular season games. Well, nearly one season later and they’re on the verge of missing out on the playoffs entirely. You can make as many excuses as you want, but this team just isn’t that good. So how do you choose an underrated player from such an overrated team?

The easy answer would be Tashard Choice. A 4th round draft pick forced into a starting role because of injuries to Marion Barber and Felix ones. He has played very well, but with all the praise and coverage he’s been getting these last few weeks you’d think he was a perennial all-pro. Ultimately, Choice is the closes thing to an unheralded player the league’s most overexposed team has, so I have to give him the nod.

New York Giants – The Giants were the hottest team in the NFC through the first 12 weeks, but they’ve been stumbling towards the playoffs since. The Giants boast one of the league’s strongest ground games, so it would be easy to nominate an offensive lineman, but two of their linemen were selected to the Pro Bowl. That’s hardly underrated. Ultimately, I’m going with Steve Smith.

Smith has flown under the radar, letting receivers like Burress, Toomer and Hixon dominate the headlines, but Smith has been steady all season long. He leads the team in receptions with 52 and is second with 530 yards. He isn’t flashy – his longest reception is only 30 yards – but he has good hands and he knows how to move the chains. Every catch he makes seems to go for a first down.

Philadelphia Eagles – If you look at the statistics (ranked in the top 5 in almost every offensive and defensive category) you’d think the Eagles should be closer to 14-0 at this point in the season, but they have struggled at times on both sides of the ball.

Brian Dawkins and Asante Samuel were given Pro Bowl love this season, but the most consistent Eagle on defense has been Quintin Mikell. He’s second on the team with 82 tackles, second with 3 interceptions and has 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He’s been one of the most consistent performers on an up-and-down team. This guy deserved a Pro Bowl nod this season.

Washington Redskins – There’s no question who the most unheralded player on this team is: Rookie Strong Safety Chris Horton. It’s rare to see a 7th rounder latch on with any team, let alone contribute, especially as a rookie.

Horton is third on the team in tackles with 65, and leads the ‘Skins with 3 interceptions to go along with a sack. If this kid keeps up this pace he’ll be a future all-pro.

Reid Is Still Retarded

Andy Reid has suffered my ire this season, but his effective coaching the last two weeks has given me hope that he's changed. I was willing to give him a second chance. Well, he blew it.

I don't know if it was Andy Reid or Marty Mornhinweg who called the DeSean Jackson pass from the "Wildcat" formation, but it was incredibly stupid.

Jackson is a rookie Wide Receiver, not a veteran Quarterback. He shouldn't be throwing the ball. If you ask me, he shouldn't be lining up under center either, I'm not a big fan of the Wildcat formation.

Boneheaded move, no matter how you look at it.

Steelers/Ravens: Was it a Touchdown?

Each week the NFL sees at least one highly contested call that decides the outcome of the game. This week it was a late Santonio Holmes touchdown that helped the Steelers stun the Ravens in Baltimore.

Late in the fourth quarter Holmes caught a pass right at the goal line and was tackled. He was ruled down at the one-yard line, the referees claiming that the ball never broke the plane of the end zone. The booth called for a replay and after taking a look at it Walt Coleman ruled that the ball had broken the plane and the play was overturned: Touchdown.

Needless to say, this was a highly contested call as it handed the Steelers the win. I’m going to have to say that there was no clear evidence that the ball crossed the goal line. The replays showed the ball near the area, but there was no definitive angle that showed the ball touch the end of the white line, that’s why I’m so shocked that the play was overturned. I’m not arguing that the play wasn’t a touchdown; I’m arguing that there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.

Which leads directly into my next point: I’ve been saying for years – pretty much since I started watching the NFL – that they should put computer chips in the footballs and sensors in the field, that way it would take the guesswork out of touchdowns. Finally someone in the realm of legitimate sports media agrees with me.

Here’s my proposal:

Put a microchip in each nose of the football and eight chips in a ring around the fattest part of the football. The sensor technology might be a little trickier to figure out. It might be possible to put some sort of proximity sensor under the turf, or maybe place beams on the sidelines. I’m not sure how that would work – I’m no engineer – but if they have sensors to stop you from shoplifting at Sears the NFL should be able to figure something out.

The replay system would remain intact, but it would not be relied upon to determine something as inexact as whether the ball reached the end zone or not.

The system wouldn’t be foolproof. There are plenty of instances where the ball crosses the goal line and it doesn’t result in a touchdown, like incomplete passes or situations where a player’s knee goes down before the ball breaks the plane, but it would take the guesswork out of the was-he-in-or-not situations like a running back leaping and extending over the pile.

If the ball breaks the plane the sensor will be tripped and a red light or a siren or something like that will be activated, like in hockey. It’s then up to the referees to determine if the player was down before the ball crossed the plane, or if they retained possession, etc.

This isn’t a cure-all plan that would end reffing mistakes, all it would do is prove definitively whether the ball crossed the goal line or not.


Update:
There are plenty of other people out there proposing solutions to this problem.

This person proposes that you use GPS to track the football on the field for scoring and first-down purposes, although I don't think that would be exact enough. I'm pretty sure GPS is accurate to about 10 feet, not the 10 millimeters we'd need.

This person brings up an interesting point. We can make invisible fences and shock collars for dogs, why can't we just adapt that technology and give the refs buzzing pagers that would activate if the ball crosses the line. And on an interesting note, one of the commentors recommends putting light-up sensors in player's shoes, to determine if their feet are inbounds for catches, etc.

Doug Marrone Hired as Syracuse Head Coach

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone has been officially hired as the Syracuse University Head Football Coach.

I'm not terribly surprised by the hire, although I am a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I think Marrone is going to be great for the program, but I was really hoping Turner Gill would get the position.

Darryl Gross - the Syracuse University Athletic Director - was quoted as saying: "We've hired a guy that is a Syracuse graduate, who bleeds orange, who brings in tremendous, tremendous knowledge of football from his college and especially his pro experience," said Gross. "He's someone that we can look forward to exciting offenses, seeing a lot of snaps per game. Better than that, he's somebody that brings leadership, who comes from the Bronx. When you talk about New York's College team, he fits the profile perfectly. He will be a tremendous recruiter in the Northeast, who knows the coaches. He's somebody that we believe will win at Syracuse."

Marrone does have the benefit of being a Syracuse Alumni, and has helped put together the second coming for the "Greatest Show on Turf" this year in New Orleans, but unlike Gross, I'm suspicious of his ability to recruit in the Northeast. He has spent a large part of his career here in the northeast, but hasn't coached at the college level in this area since 1994. He's been away for nearly a decade-and-a-half, I'm afraid most of his connections aren't of much use anymore.

Poor recruiting killed Greg Robinson. He actually overachieved as a coach with the talent he brought in. I don't want to watch Syracuse go down the same road with another out-of-town hire. For years Syracuse has harvested talent from nearby states like New Jersey and Connecticut, but in recent years both Rutgers and UConn have experienced a resurgance and those recruiting wells have dried up. That is one of the reasons I was backing Buffalo Head Coach Turner Gill. He's proven that he can recruit well in the Northeast. He's familiar with the area and has the connections neccesary to bring the talent back to Syracuse.

I'm eager to see what Marrone can do, though. Syracuse has several really talented running backs, but their offensive line has been the epitome of terrible for years now, limiting the effectiveness of their offense. Marrone has a strong history as an O-line coach, and he should be able to come in and whip that unit into shape. Even though I wasn't pulling for him, I'm going to root for Marrone to help turn this disappointing Orange team around.

I Feel Bad for Jason Taylor

Jason Taylor must be kicking himself right about now. Taylor was traded to Washington from Miami after a well publicized falling out with new Dolphins management this past off season.

I don't fault Taylor for wanting to leave the foundering 1-15 'Fins and go somewhere with championship aspirations, but with the Dolphins sitting at 8-5 and in a good position to win the AFC East and the 'Skins all but eliminated from the playoffs he might be regretting running himself out of dodge.

Sorry Jason, but it looks like a Super Bowl isn't in your future.

Westbrook Finally Happy With Eagles Gameplan

Brian Westbrook heaped praise on Andy Reid for sticking with the run game Sunday, when the Eagles defeated the Giants 20-14 in New York. But as Matt Mosley pointed out in his NFC East blog, you gotta love the backhanded compliments that he is delivering:

"We were able to run the ball successfully early, and Coach stayed with it," Westbrook said. "He was very committed to it, and I give a lot of credit to him because usually we're not that committed to it. He saw that we were getting it done.

"We always try to tell him 2 or 3 yards is not that bad, and we had a couple of carries where it was just 2 or 3 yards. But he stayed committed to it, and sooner or later, that turned into 5 or 6 yards, then we had the big run down the middle."

Yes Westbrook is complimenting Reid for sticking with the successful gameplan this week, but hidden in these remarks is a little bit of "I told you so." You can sense the "if this team had been more committed to the run earlier in the season we might be closer to 10-3 or 11-2." subtext.

I'm a big fan of what Andy Reid has done in Philly. He turned the franchise into perennial contenders. But NFL coaches - just like NFL players - have a finite shelf life. They can only be effective in one place for so long. I credit Reid for reverting back to the basics and sticking with what this team can do well: Control the line of scrimmage on offense and defense, mix in short, high percentage passes and take occasional shots down field. But if your players are constantly trying to convince you to stick with the ground game it might be time to take a step back for a little while.

I like Reid and I like his playcalling decisions over the last two weeks, but unless he can keep it up for the rest of the season I'm still in favor of a coaching change at the end of the season.

Reserve Carolina Guard Arrested

Reserve Carolina Panthers Guard Jeremy Bridges was arrested late Sunday evening on assault charges.

Apparently he ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon at a North Carolina restaurant and then proceeded to shake it up and spray it all over the place. He was asked to leave by the management and agreed, but a female patron who took exception to her unwanted champagne shower followed him "complaining loudly."

Bridges took offense and was restrained by the bouncer. He then shoved the bouncer, but did not strike anyone else. Bridges was expected to be released after posting $2,500 bail. His attorney, George Laughrun, expects him to plead not guilty.

It is unclear what disciplinary action - if any - Carolina is likely to take before their Monday Night game against Tampa Bay.

If this were an isolated incident it wouldn't be anything to worry about, but Bridges was also arrested about a year-and-a-half ago for pulling a gun on a woman outside of a strip club. This is the beginning of a disturbing pattern of violence against women.

I'm sick of the growing prevalence of "thug culture" in professional sports, whether it's Bridges hosing a restaurant full of people with champagne, Plaxico carrying an unlicensed firearm in a club, Michael Vick dogfighting or the myriad of strip club shootings (or weapon brandishings) we've witnessed the last two or three years. I sense an upcoming article.

Some Props To My Old High School

Congratulations to the Fayetteville-Manlius High School girls cross country team for winning the National Title for the 3rd year in a row! The boys cross country team finished 16th nationally.

And also, congratulations to coach Bill Aris for whipping together such perennially successful teams. It's very difficult to remain competitive as a public high school, since you don't have the recruiting ability of prep schools, universities or pro teams. It all comes down to good coaching, great training and a little bit of luck. Aris might be lucky, but he's also pretty damn good.

Congrats ladies and gentlemen!

Speaking of Upstate NY Football Coaches...

Turner Gill coached his University of Buffalo team to a 42-24 win over 12th ranked Ball State, clinching the Mid-American Conference title and a bowl bid. Gill has done a great job bringing a perennial NCAA doormat to prominence. Is it possible he could do the same for SU?

Well, SU Athletic Director Darryl Gross is searching for Greg Robinson's successor and has brought Gill - amongst others - in to interview for the position. Several names have been thrown into the ring for the Syracuse post, including at one time Lane Kiffin, but the one name that always seems to make the most sense is Turner Gill. He has the upstate New York ties in terms of recruiting and he's obviously successful at building a team from the ground up.

The SU job is an improvement over Gill's post at Buffalo, but you have to wonder if he'd be willing to leave a successful team for a fixer-upper. Ultimately, I think it would be a good move for him. If he succeeds then everyone will see him as a savior and he'll cement his position as a coaching star. If he fails then most of the blame is going to be deflected to the Syracuse program. "First Robinson, the Gill...This program is unfixable!" Sounds like a win/win to me!

Coach Gill looks great in Buffalo Blue, but I think he'd look even better in Syracuse Orange!

Greg Robinson to LSU?

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