Sports

[gardenman]

It's a busy day today. The Bills have now signed a new head coach in Sean McDermott, the former Panther/Eagles defensive coordinator. Kyle Shanahan and Josh McDaniels are still in limbo and we're down to just three job openings left.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

And the Broncos are apparently hiring Vance Joseph as their new head coach. There were a lot of big names hinted at for head coaching jobs, but the lesser known guys seem to be getting snatched up. Doug Marrone (Jacksonville) and Vance Joseph (Denver) were not names you'd expect to be the first names off the board.

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@gardenman

Well things don't look good for my Redskins....Sean McVay is going for a second interview with the Rams....he's only 30, but his attention to detail and interviews wow people...... it would be a shame to lose him.

It seems Jay Gruden made right decision on DC Joe Barry....although the players liked him and his passion, the players grumbled a bit on his schemes and a couple even tried to free lance on their own....So far they interviewed Mike Pettine (Browns) and Gus Bradley......

@gardenmandoesn't the Bronocs hiring of former Dolphin DC Vance Joseph to take Kubiaks place puzzle you like it does me???.....You'd think they would hire an offensive minded Coach to fix their woes on that side of the balll....interesting!

@gardenman 

John Keim reported even if Redskin pay Cousins big bucks they will still have enough money to sign the players they need to improve the team, and reach the goal of making the playoffs....they said more likely Cousins contract would be more back loaded...

[sunshine45]

here is my WISHLIST for week 2 of the playoffs:

Falcons over the Seahawks ....this could actually go either way for me, so i just flipped a coin.

Texans over the Patriots.......please????!!!??? 

Chiefs over the Steelers..... because, RAVENS FAN. lol

Cowboys over the Packers......because i have nothing against the cowboys.

hope to see some GOOD, close games this week. last weeks games were disappointing to watch.

[Spurt]

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On to round two of the playoffs:

Seahawks vs Falcons---Battle of the birds.......Matty Ice and Julio and company go against QB Russell Wilson and Legion of Boom defense......This should be an interesting game....two good QBs.....both have discovered their running game....Falcons defense is suspect but Seahawks offense has been inconsistent as has their o line....going with Matty (Ice Ice) baby and the FALCONS!

Texans vs Patriots---no snow, sleet or rain is predicted just a cold crisp 22 degrees......Let's see Tom Brady vs Osweiler.....no contest....Texan's only hope is can their defense create turnovers......I'm going with consensus and predicting PATRIOTS win! Bill apparently doesnt look very happy with my pick

Steelers vs Chiefs---should be a good game......hopefully Steelers QB Ben won't be bothered by his foot injury and can get the ball to his talented weapons......The Chiefs are steady on offense and defense.....a real solid defense, the Chiefs arent the type that can catch up if the Steelers get way ahead....the Chief's offense must keep the score close .....   Chiefs are at Arrowhead....I'll give the Chiefs slight edge since they are playing at home and go with THE CHIEFS......although wouldn't be surprised if Steelers won either...

Packers vs Cowboys----teams with occupations as mascots---LOL!!!  Some have said---Cavs won, Cubs won, Clemson won....so it seems a natural progression---Cowboys will win.....but hold on to your Cowboy hat.....the Packer's Aaron Rodgers is RED HOT....and has been picking opponent's defenses apart.....The Cowboys have a rookie QB and a rookie RB as their "stars" .... and one just wonders when the nerves will click in for these players that have never been in an NFL playoff.....and then there is the "QB controversey" that lurks in the mind of "assistant coach" Jerrah Jones as to when Romo should be inserted in the game.....a sure bet to give confidence to their rookie QB that the hook could be given with the least mistake......  The Cowboys CB Claiborne should return to help defend...as well as a few tweekings of their weak defense which still may not helpenough.....For the Packers---Adams and Cobb will be Rodger's main targets....looks like another target, Jordy Nelson won't play ..but Cowboy defense was 26th in passing yards allowed....not a good sign for little D....The Packer's defense has improved.....I'm going with THE PACK (GO PACK GO!)....although I may be making a mistake and perhaps should've picked the Cowboys in order to jinx 'em..(everyone knows I'm a jinx--I even jinxed my very own Spurs)......we'll see how this all works out!!!

Will "coach" Jerry change QBs during the game...

 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

[gardenman]

@Spurt The Redskins could be in for a tough transition if they lose both coordinators. I saw a published report that Rex Ryan would be considered for the DC. That could be interesting. New coordinators tend to bring in their own terminology and schemes and it takes a while for a team to adapt. Likewise different coordinator's new schemes may not be ideal fits for the existing players. (We're seeing that in Philly where a guy like Connor Barwin who was a very good outside linebacker in the old 3-4 scheme, struggled mightily as a defensive end in the new 4-3.) Rex Ryan is a great DC, but he needs the right type of players. All of the Ryan coaches (Buddy, Rex and Rob) use an aggresive, adjust on the go, style of defense that requires really smart, focused players. If the players on the roster now don't fit that scheme, things get ugly fast. Gus Bradley's system is based on great corners playing tight man to man with fast, smart safeties helping out. That's perfect for Josh Norman, not so much for the rest of the Redskins' corners/secondary. Breeland would likely need to be replaced and good/great corners aren't all that easy to find.

The Broncos and Vance Joseph pairing is odd. They'd interviewed him several years ago for a defensive job and apparently he impressed them then and he was at the top of their list. Hiring a coach with very limited experience based on his interviews is largely like drafting a kid up high in the draft who didn't do much on the field, but looked impressive at the combine.

They've got two young quarterbacks on their roster who need grooming and defensive coaches typically aren't especially good at that. Supposedly part of the Eagles reason for hiring Doug Pederson, Frank Reich and Joe Defillippo was to groom a kid quarterback. They didn't know when they hired them that they'd end up with Wentz, but the Eagles had decided they needed to come out of last year's draft with a kid QB and they wanted to surround him with good coaches to coach him up. They were willing to sacrifice a few wins as long as they could get a good QB and have him raised right. The Broncos don't seem overly focused on that and it could be a problem for them down the road.

I could be wrong, but I still don't see Cousins agreeing to a long term deal. He got $20 million last year. He'll get at least $24+ million this year. He'll be in line to get $34+ million in 2018. I'm sure if they had a time machine the Redskins would love to go back two years and sign him then, but now the power is in Cousin's hands he's got them right where he wants them. The $20+ million he got last year and the $24+ million he'll get this year this year is a pretty nice nest egg for him, so he doesn't really have to worry about money ever again. I know I wouldn't be worried about money if I had $44+ million in the bank. (Probably closer to $24 million after taxes and what not.) There's no real "my career could be over and I'd be broke" fear for him. There's no kid lying in wait to push him out of a job. He's in a perfect spot and can hold out longer than the Redskins can.

The $24+ million this year is affordable, but the $34+ million he'd get in 2018 is a scary number for the Redskins. They've got the cap room to sign him now with something like $67 million in cap space, but he'll want top dollar (likely averaging around $25 million per year) to sign a long term deal and truth be told, he's probably not worth it. He's a good quarterback, but he's not exceptional. His outburst to McCloughan after that one win this year of "How do you like me now?" as he ran to the locker room tends to indicate he might not be overly fond of the Redskin's management and willing to cut them a deal.

The Redskins have largely backed themselves into a very bad corner with no good escape route. They have no one in line to replace Cousins and Cousins is a GM's worst nightmare in that he's a good, but not great quarterback. (Think Jay Cutler.) If you have a bad QB you cut him loose. If you've got a great QB you pay him whatever it takes to keep him. If you've got a good quarterback, you're trapped in limbo. Will he grow up and become a great quarterback? Will he regress and become a bad QB? Will he stay like he is and tease you forever? The Redskins have to figure that out and there's probably about $125-$150 million at stake.

By and large I think McCloughan has done a good job as GM of the Redskins, but his one big mistake was not signing Cousins to an extension when he had the chance. He was afraid of overpaying him at the time, but that would have been chump change to how much he has to overpay him now, and he's still not sure what he's got. Cousins has no real reason to sign a long term deal. His contract for this coming year is pretty much guaranteed at $24+ million. Next year he'll likely be in line for $34+ million. Why sign a deal for less? Between his rookie contract, last year's tag and tis coming year's contract, he'll have made close to $50 million. Now assuming he's spent some, taxes came out, and what not, he still likely will have something like $25-$30 million in the bank. That's not a bad next egg. 

If I was his agent, I'd make the Redskins overpay Cousins and overpay him by a lot. I'd be looking at a five year deal in the $125-$150 million range with $75-$90 million guaranteed. That guaranteed money is the real deal. I'm guessing the Redskins will offer something more like $90 million over five years with $30 million guaranteed. Last year their offer reportedly topped out at $16 million a year ($80 million over five years) with $24 milion guaranteed. There's no reason for Cousins to lower his asking price and every reason for him to raise it. With Cousins getting $20 million last year, $24+ million this year, and another $34 million the following year ( $78 million over the three years all pretty much guaranteed) he'd be a fool to sign a contract for less than $20-$25 million a year and possibly more.

The Redskins only real escape route is to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Cousins. He could then negotiate with other teams work out a contract that the Redskins would then have the option to match. If they didn't they'd get two first round picks for him. The problem is Cousins could just ignore negotiating with other teams and keep the gun pointed at the head of the Redskins knowing they'd have to tag him again at $34 million the next year.

[gardenman]

Sean McVay is now the head coach of the Rams. That just leaves the San Francisco and San Diego jobs open. We've still got Josh McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan as the top prospects who are still on the shelf. Most of the big name guys are being passed over this year in favor of the guys who gave good interviews. I'm not sure how smart that is. We'll find out soon enough.

The Redskins are now without both coordinators and that's going to impact them a bit.

[gardenman]

And now San Diego has hired Anthony Lynn as their new head coach. That leaves just one job opening left and a lot of really good candidates for the Niners to pick from. 

Josh McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan, thought to be the top two prospects, are both still available, as are a large number of second tier guys who were believed to be coveted by teams. Pretty much every team hiring a head coach this year has gone for a guy who they fell in love with in the interview process over a guy with more experience and/or better credentials. If you want to be a head coach in this league, brush up on your interview skills and forget your resume. 

At the start of this whole new coach hiring process, the odds of the Niners having a shot at either Shanahan or McDaniels would have been considered remote. The Niner job is fraught with danger with limited talent available and it looked like thay'd have to settle for whatever was left in terms of a head coach. For some reason the other five teams have all opted for guys who were thought to be second or third tier prospects and left the prime guys on the market. That's likely to be very good news for Niner fans, assuming their management doesn't end up falling in love with a hot dog vendor who happens to interview well.

Wade Phillips has been hired to be the defensive coordinator in LA for the Rams. If history is any indicator he will be the interim head coach in a couple of years time when the Rams fire their new head coach Sean McVay. Wade Phillips has been interim head coach at nearly every job he's had. 

This is a weird year for hiring head coaches. The high profile names (Kyle Shanahan, Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Dave Toub, Teryl Austin, Tom Cable, etc.) have been passed over for the lesser known guys. It's great news for the lesser known guys, but the lack of experience they have will likely be exposed in a very bad way in the very near future.

[AuntG]

Hope OP gets all his picks right.  Packer fan.

[gardenman]

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@AuntG wrote:

Hope OP gets all his picks right.  Packer fan.

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I hope I get them right too. It's hard to pick against Aaron Rodgers when he's playing at the level he's been playing at since 11/28/2016. In the NFL right now Rodgers and Brady are arguably the top two quarterbacks. Picking against either one when they're on their games is foolish.

The key for the Packers is to make the Cowboys one dimensional. Take away the running game and force Dak Prescott to beat you by throwing the ball. Doug Free, the Cowboys right tackle is the weak link on their offensive line. Pressure him and he'll take dumb penalties, let a guy through for a sack, and break down. If you cover Prescott's safety blankets (Witten and Beasley) for those first few seconds, he'll have to regroup and chaces are Doug Free will break down before Prescott gets the chance to throw the ball.

Dak Prescott is a good young quarterback, but he's not Rodgers or Brady. This will be his first real chance at feeling the NFL playoff pressure. The Packers have been there and done that. It's just another playoff game to them. It's not so much that way for the Cowboys. Coming off a bye they may be a bit slow to start. If the Packers can get off to an early lead, they may just be able to put this game away pretty quickly.

[Spurt]

@gardenman

I was reading some analysis of the selection of the new head coaches.....and one of the criticisms for picking Sean McVay at age 30, is he has not established a network or deep relationship with other coaches, so it will be difficult for him to select his assistants....team did select Wade Phillips a tenured coach to help him with his new duties.....but like you I'm pessmistic about McVay's success the owner is going to put a lot of pressure on him to win and fill the stands.......if the team has losing record the stadium and interest will be empty in LA......It would have been better if he waited until the Redskins were a contender and went deep into the playoffs and had a bit more experience under his belt in order to succeed.....Even in business I've worked under new Managers with no experience as being in charge and it hasn't been very successful they ususally moved on to a different job in the company within a year.....

That’s a big bite at [30 years old],” one executive said. “Recent coaches who have been that young, they clearly weren’t ready for it – situations that seemed to come down to experience issues and maturity issues [with the coaches]. I don’t know [McVay] well enough to say whether that would be a concern. It’s just a lot for anyone, even the most experienced coaches.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/1/11/14239158/la-rams-head-coach-jon-gruden-sean-mcvay-search-rumo...

Reports vary John Keim thinks Jay Gruden will go back to calling plays....Others think we will promote from within---QB Coach Matt Cavanaugh or OL coach Bill Callahan ..I did question some of McVay's play calling down in the red zone....so we may actually see some  improvement there....The Redskins offense is going to basically remain the same with perhaps a bit of tweeking of current schemes to improve it...so there shouldnt really be any angst issues going forward with loss of OC coordinator.....and I heard someone say getting rid of Joe Barry is a big POSITIVE--lol!

As far as Cousins....I guess there were some doubters within the organization........  some said Redskin backup McCoy may follow McVay....but he's under contract through  2018  so there would have to be a trade made.....I dont see it happening...