Sports

[gardenman]

@Spurt

I didn't feel dissed at all, I was just explaining why his name popped into my head. Fox saw something in him and hired him, so who knows? Maybe ESPN will see the same thing and hire him? I wasn't enthusiastic about Romo as a broadcaster, but he's impressed me. Bruce Arians has said maybe he'll go into TV. We'll see what happens,

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

Lots of coaches packing their bags:

In addition to Chuck with the Colts, Del Rio with the Raiders.......

Bears have fired Fox

Lions have fired Caldwell

Elway may have second thoughst about firing Joseph.....

Giants coaching candidates are Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia........with the Pats bye week both of them can interview

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Bruce Arians is retiring also. Expect a few more openings to pop up too. The Titans may fire Mularkey if they're one and done in the playoffs.

At least two of the Eagles assistant coaches (Jim Schwartz and John DeFillippo) have interviews scheduled for this week. Schwartz with the Giants and Cards, and Flip with the Bears and Cards. The Bears like Flip to work with Trubisky and want Flip to make Trubisky into another Wentz. If the Bears go with someone else as head coach they might want Flip as their offensive coordinator.

If Schwartz leaves Philly for the Giants, then Steve Spagnuolo would be the front-runner for the defensive coordinator job in Philly. Spags was reportedly Doug's first choice as DC last year, but he opted to stay in NY. If Spags doesn't want the job then the Eagles may look to fill it internally. Cory Undlin is one of those bright, up and coming young coaches on the Eagles staff who may get a shot at it. He's the DB coach now.

Gruden looks like a lock in Oakland/Las Vegas. Even the contract terms have largely been leaked with him getting $10 million plus some sort of equity stake in the ownership of the team. (Reportedly not really becoming an owner, but as the value of the team increases, his income would increase proportionally.) That's one big bet they're making on a guy who hasn't coached in nine years.

I wouldn't even rule out the Saints making a move at head coach. The Saints tried to trade Sean Peyton three times last year and the Colts were interested enough to inquire about the price. Might they still be interested? We'll have to see. 

[teganslaw]

Dom Capers, Packers' DC, was fired. Their GM, Ted Thompson, is transitioning into another role with the organization. 

Jim Irsay recently spoke with the media, and something seems off with him. Nothing was reported, but Irsay doesn't look well. He admitted earlier this year that he was addicted to pain meds; it's probably something that he fights regularly. The whole thing might have taken a toll on him. I hope that he can get through this. 

[Spurt]

@gardenman

I think Arians would be a good hire and good fit....he has the personality.....but sometimes these networks make these strange hires.....When they hired Eric Mangini he didnt bring much to the NFL shows he participated in...........Some of these guys are downright annoying....And as I said many times, how the heck does Michael Irvin keep a broadcasting job---I guess they want someone that knows the inside of the Cowboys and is still on good terms with the organization to get scoops from.........

Romo turned out to be a pleasant surprise....on the NBC Sports Forum, NFL fans were wishing ESPN could steal him from NBC and bring Romo to MNF which would energize that game which has become almost an after thought........I dont think that will happen, NBC realizes they found a gem.....

[Spurt]

@gardenman

It will be interesting to see what happens with these coaching vacancies.....what will happen to the Eagles if other teams hire your coaches away?  And what if one of them goes to the rival Giants as HC and brings all the Eagles' "secrets" with them.....BTW what does everyone think of the Pats hiring of disgruntled former Steeler Harrison .....brilliant move on Beli's part just in time for the playoff and possible rematch for AFC representative in the Super Bowl....should be fun if it happens.........

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

Dom Capers, Packers' DC, was fired. Their GM, Ted Thompson, is transitioning into another role with the organization. 

Jim Irsay recently spoke with the media, and something seems off with him. Nothing was reported, but Irsay doesn't look well. He admitted earlier this year that he was addicted to pain meds; it's probably something that he fights regularly. The whole thing might have taken a toll on him. I hope that he can get through this. 

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@teganslaw

Redskin Safety D.J. Swearinger had some interesting comments regarding all the teams injuries this season, he said he would like to see more players do preventative maintenance on their bodies to prevent the injuries. Swearinger said he saw less players doing this than on other teams on which he's played.

Looks like the Packers are getting ready to re-charge, with Thompson's relocation to a different position in the organization and firing of Capers they need to move in a different direction while Rodgers is their QB (hes practically all they have now and they definitely need to surround him with more talent if they are to remain in contention).......Since the Packers are owned by the stockholders (fans) do they get a say in their coaching staff---LOL

Well I wish Irsay the best in his battle with those pain meds, not an easy situation to deal with....and its not only the addiction but the impact it has on the overall health of the person.  A friend that's a nurse could tell you some sad tales......

Here's some of the possible candidates for the Colts HC job and the big question is who will pick the coach, Irsay or GM Ballard........:

Kansas City special-teams coach Dave Toub. Colts GM Ballard and Toub worked together in Chicago and Kansas City between 2004 and 2016. Hiring Toub would mean the Colts need a strong offensive coordinator to pair with Luck because Toub has been a special-teams coach throughout his NFL career.

New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.McDaniels is a big reason the Patriots have routinely had one of the league's best offenses. You have to believe McDaniels learned his lesson when it comes to being a head coach after going 11-17 with Denver in 2009-10. But you also have to wonder how much of McDaniels' success as a coordinator is because of  Brady one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. He spent four seasons as coach of the 49ers and led them to a Super Bowl appearance. Harbaugh knows Luck well after coaching him at Stanford, and familiarity with Luck would help if the quarterback is adjusting to another offensive coordinator. Harbaugh, who played four seasons at quarterback in Indianapolis, is also the type of flashy name who would draw Irsay's attention.

Jon Gruden. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last January that, with Pagano’s job status in limbo, Irsay reached out to the former Tampa Bay coach and current ESPN Monday Night Football analyst to gauge his interest in returning to coaching. Gruden would be the best offensive coach Luck has had arguably since Bruce Arians was offensive coordinator in 2012. But the Raiders are the front runners in  making a push to bring Gruden back to coaching.

Minnesota offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Shurmur was only 9-23 as coach of the Browns in 2011-12. But you can’t dismiss the job he has done with Case Keenum as his quarterback, and without having rookie running back Cook for most of the season in Minnesota. The Vikings have a top-10 offense.

Philadelphia offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The Bills former quarterback has helped make the Eagles one of the NFL's top three offenses this season. What makes Philadelphia’s offense impressive is that its running game is second in the league and its passing game is eighth. The Colts will always be a pass-first offense, but it would help if they had more balance.

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

@gardenman

It will be interesting to see what happens with these coaching vacancies.....what will happen to the Eagles if other teams hire your coaches away?  And what if one of them goes to the rival Giants as HC and brings all the Eagles' "secrets" with them.....BTW what does everyone think of the Pats hiring of disgruntled former Steeler Harrison .....brilliant move on Beli's part just in time for the playoff and possible rematch for AFC representative in the Super Bowl....should be fun if it happens.........

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@Spurt

The Eagles have great depth in the coaching ranks. We have something like five coaches working with the quarterbacks alone, so if coach Flip leaves (the current offical QB coach) one of the other guys will probably step up and take over the role. With Frank Reich as OC and Doug Pederson as head coach, there's lots of QB knowledge floating around Philly.

As to defensive coordinator, if Schwartz leaves (I'm not sure he will as he's a bit edgy to work with and team owners don't necessarily like edgy head coaches) then the Eagles could promote from within. We've got an assistant already with DC experience in Ken Flajole. They could promote a newer guy like Cory Undlin, or grab Steve Spagnuolo who Doug Pederson wanted last year, but he chose to stay with the Giants. It looks like there will be lots of good defensive minds out there this offseason as teams look to get offensive minded head coaches. Offer a good defensive coordinator a chance to work with this group of defensive linemen and the young defensive backs the Eagles have, and their eyes will light up. 

The Eagles are about nine deep on starting caliber defensive linemen and five deep at cornerback. When he's healthy, Jordan Hicks is an outstanding middle linebacker. We've got three good starting safeties and some kids in reserve. (One kid on the practice squad, Tre Sullivan, hits like a Mack truck as a safety. Don't be shocked to see him make the roster next year. He may spend half the year suspended given how the league suspends guys for making big hits, but the kid really jumped out in training camp.) There doesn't have to be a complete, or even partial rebuld on the Eagles defense. A new coordinator can step in and execute his plan immediately. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better situation for a DC. The overall talent on this defense is strong.

It'll be interesting to see when they let Carson start throwing the ball again. I have a suspicion they'll have him throwing in the OTA's, but not taking drops. Just set him up in the shotgun and let him toss the ball down the field to his receivers to keep his timing sharp. He's still on crutches now, but he'll be walking before long and then slowly progress to jogging, but once he can stand, they'll likely slap a brace on the knee and let him start throwing from a set position. There's very little risk in that at that stage of the rehab. 

As to the James Harrison hiring, well, that was a typical Belichick move. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

[nun ya]

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@Spurt wrote:

@gardenman

It will be interesting to see what happens with these coaching vacancies.....what will happen to the Eagles if other teams hire your coaches away?  And what if one of them goes to the rival Giants as HC and brings all the Eagles' "secrets" with them.....BTW what does everyone think of the Pats hiring of disgruntled former Steeler Harrison .....brilliant move on Beli's part just in time for the playoff and possible rematch for AFC representative in the Super Bowl....should be fun if it happens.........

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At first I was mad that the Steelers released Harrison. Especially when he was posting on FB on Christmas Eve some boo hoo story about not playing. He didn't mention at that time he asked 3 times to be released. He was mad about lack of playtime, which I guess is understandable but he plays for a team, not just him. I see nothing wrong with a 40 yr old sitting on the bench or helping mentor the younger guys.Neither of those appealed to him. There are reports of him leaving the stadium when he wasnt playing and sleeping during meetings. I figured there was more to the story and wish it were handled better...but to me...for him to sign to the Pats for $59,000 wasn't just business. 

[gardenman]

Oddly enough, the Bengals have signed Marvin Lewis to a two year extension. So much for any sweeping change in Cincy.

Carson Palmer has decided to retire. The Cards are in full on rebuilding mode now. No Arians, no Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald possibly retiring, they've got a big job ahead of them.

[sunshine45]

from the rumors going around, it sounds like john harbaugh is safe for at least another year here. i guess if they dont produce next year he may be looking for another job..

that is hard to believe about marvin lewis.....maybe that last game helped him out a lot?