Sports

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

If you watch much of Saleh you'll see what I mean. He's not your typically wimpy head coach, or the aloof Belichick type. He's more of the Marine Corps Drill instructor type of coach. Those guys and the media tend not to coexist all that well. The media is about 95% Monday morning quarterbacking and love to second-guess the head coach after they know what he did, didn't work. I suspect Saleh will not tolerate that approach all that well. It should be fun to watch. I may have gotten a bit too "Game of Thrones"-ish in the description, but I wouldn't put it past him either.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

@Spurt 

If you watch much of Saleh you'll see what I mean. He's not your typically wimpy head coach, or the aloof Belichick type. He's more of the Marine Corps Drill instructor type of coach. Those guys and the media tend not to coexist all that well. The media is about 95% Monday morning quarterbacking and love to second-guess the head coach after they know what he did, didn't work. I suspect Saleh will not tolerate that approach all that well. It should be fun to watch. I may have gotten a bit too "Game of Thrones"-ish in the description, but I wouldn't put it past him either.

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@gardenman 

Saleh sure sounds like a no nonsense kind of guy who won't take qwap from anyone...... kinda like my Spur's Greg Popovich who strikes fear and terror in the heart of any media person....😄

https://youtu.be/-DRyh-WxjUA?t=3

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

Saleh's problem in Philly is he would have struck fear and terror into the heart of the owner/GM. They far prefer a coach they can bully rather than be bullied by a coach. They want a lapdog instead of a pitbull. Our local media could use an encounter or two with a pitbull-type to remind them of their place. But sadly, it won't happen.

[yellowBeetle]

@gardenman  I agree 100%! Lurie and Roseman wanted someone that they could dictate to as to who would be the QB. I am sure that other candidates would not agree to Lurie's and Roseman's demand that Wentz be the guaranteed starter. And with good reason. Wentz just came off the worst season of almost any starting QB anywhere in recent memory.

And this one stat is hard to swallow for any incoming coach...in five seasons as the Eagles QB, Wentz has played in only one playoff game. One. Think about how many playoff games (including Super Bowls for many) other QBs had played in through five years or even fewer of starting...Brady, both Mannings, Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Flacco, Wilson, Brees, McNabb, Mahomes, Goff, Jackson, Trubisky, Prescott, etc. 

So it would be a very hard sell to convince a coach that he absolutely, positively had to fix Wentz and start him, when the coach would look at those horrific stats from this year and also realize that Wentz had only managed to make it to one playoff game in the past five years. Especially when there is a very good alternative on the roster who came in late this season and somehow with the same coach, the same offensive line woes and the same receivers, etc. managed to beat the #1 team at that time...NO...and  rack up stats that broke records previously held by other rookies. Hmmmm....why would any coach want to agree to be a lapdog as you put it and agree to start Wentz over Jalen Hurts? It would have to be someone who was so eager to get the job that they would be willing to agree to Lurie's and Roseman's demand.

From everything I have read, Nick Sirianni is a very personable, enthusiastic, talented, hard-working coach. But he also was not on anyone else's radar to be a head coach at this time. He was on vacation in Florida with his family when he got the out-of-the-blue call to come see Lurie. His parents were on our local ABC station last night and said how surprised he was...but obviously ecstatic to get the job!

So let's hope Sirianni can fix Wentz. Let's hope that in his 6th year in the NFL that Wentz will be able to make it into his second playoff appearance. And more! That would be terrific!

[sunshine45]

Anthony Weaver is coming home. Baltimore has hired Weaver, who the Ravens drafted in the second round in 2002 and played four seasons at defensive end in Baltimore, to be its new Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach.

Weaver replaces Joe Cullen, who has been reportedly hired as the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator.

Weaver was a defensive coordinator for the first time in 2020 with the Houston Texans. He coached in Houston for five seasons.

via the baltimore ravens

[gardenman]

It's game day!!! We start out today with Tampa Bay at Green Bay! The dastardly pirates (aka Buccaneers) against the canned meat makers (Packers.) Who will win? Probably the Packers. It should be a good game though. Two really good veteran quarterbacks (generational talents) who have been there and done that. Two good coaching staffs with lots of experience. Good, solid teams on both sides of the ball. I think the Packers just bring a bit more to the table than the Bucs. A mistake here or there though could flip this one. It should be a very good game.

Game two has the Bills meandering their way to KC to take on the Chiefs. Weather could be an issue in this game as rain is supposed to hit KC during the evening hours. I think the Chiefs are the better team, but they're a speed team. Bad weather isn't ideal for them. Mahomes is coming off the concussion and playing with a turf toe, which could be more of an issue than the concussion. I think KC will win, but I'll be pulling for Buffalo.

In other NFL-related news, Matt Stafford is moving on from Motown. Where will he land? God only knows. Stafford and the Lions have mutually agreed to part ways, so the "For Sale" sign is now up and Detroit says they'll start fielding offers on Monday. That now makes two and maybe three upper-tier kind of quarterbacks (Stafford, DeShaun Watson, and possibly Wentz) on the market. You almost never find one upper-tier QB available and this year there are three.

Where does Stafford slot in among those three? He's the oldest of the three, but he's still just 32. He's not ancient and he's pretty healthy overall. He might be second on the list behind DeShaun Watson. Who will be competing for them? Pick a team. The Bears, Niners, Rams, Saints, Patriots, and many, many more. Quite a bidding war is likely to erupt.

The Lions are planning to take whatever they get for Stafford to move up from seventh in the draft to grab a new young QB. Probably not the brightest thing to admit this early as it will make other teams more likely to trade up ahead of them to get a QB now. We could see the first four QB's off the board by the fifth pick if things play out just right. The Jags won't trade down so Lawrence will be gone. The Jets could grab whoever they consider the next best QB if they don't trade for someone. If they trade for Stafford or Watson then the Lions/Texans would grab a QB here. The Dolphins are said not to be sold on Tua. Atlanta could look for a new QB or trade back. The Bengals are set at QB. It's entirely possible we could see four QBs go in the first five picks.

The Jets are apparently not a preferred destination for DeShaun Watson (smart man) and he has a no-trade clause, so he could veto a trade to the Jets.

The Eagles' phantom coaching ranks has reportedly grown a new member in Jonathan Gannon, the Colts former DB coach who will supposedly be the new defensive coordinator in Philly. He's reportedly been highly sought after among teams needing a DC but the Eagles reportedly outbid everyone else for his services. (Assuming any of our phantom coaches truly exist.) If nothing else the new staff will be young. Assuming it exists at all. This is a weird year.

[teganslaw]

Patrick Mahomes has been diagnosed with turf toe in his left foot, so he is not 100%. Some players can be hurt and still play well, not sure how Mahomes will perform. The Bills are probably taking this into consideration with the play calling. 

Matthew Stafford has asked to be traded out of Detroit. The rumors about Stafford to the Colts have been going on for awhile. Watch other teams line up for him. Stafford wouldn't remain out of work for long. 

[gardenman]

Turf toe for a QB can be a bit of an issue. If the guy flinches every time he lands on that foot it can be a problem. If you numb it up too much he can lose a bit of stability. It'll be interesting to see how it affects him.

[Spurt]

@teganslaw @gardenman 

Boy teams have been raiding the Colt's coaching cupboard....teams seem to be impressed with their coaching staff or is it the harmony between the GM/Scouts/Coaches that get the right people to fit the coach's schemes. Will these coaches be able to experience the same thing at their new teams????... Too many times the GM will bring in players that are more like pegs in a round hole and dont fit the coaching staff's plans....You can coach guys up, but if you dont place them in the right position what's the point if their athletic ability doesn't fit the skill set.....STAY TUNED!!! 

Toe injuries can really impact a player. Just like WFT's Gibson he had to be held out of a game and when he came back he still wasn't 100%....and it impacted the game plan....he was a double threat---running and receiving and we needed him, he was a go to guy.... It will be interesting to see how the injury impacts Mahomes.....

[gardenman]

I think teams are raiding the Colts coaching staff as they don't have great players (by and large) but are able to win with what they have. There's no Aaron Donald on defense. No Patrick Mahomes on offense. They've got good players, but so does every team in the league. Their coaches put their players in a position to win and that's kind of important. (We're poaching another Colt's coach also in Kevin Patullo as passing game coordinator.)

Too often you'll get teams looking at a guy like Bieniemy who has a Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, etc. on offense and think he can take your players and make them into that caliber of player. It doesn't happen. Put him with an average QB and the average QB is still an average QB. What you want is a coach who can get the most out of the players you've got and will get. If you should stumble into a Mahomes, great! But the odds of that are pretty slim. If you have a coach who can elevate the play of the average player to make them above average, it's a win.

From what I've heard of Nick Sirianni, he puts a lot of focus on getting the ball out of the QBs hands as quickly as possible. That makes life easier on the o-line and QB. He wants the receiver to get the ball on the run and focuses more on the run after the catch. The Eagles largely ran four verticals most of the year and that left Wentz stuck in the pocket behind a porous offensive line.

This apparent Eagles staff is young. (This just in! The Eagles made the signing of Sirianni formal! Yea!) Sirianni is 39. Patullo is also 39. DC Jonathan Gannon is in that same age range. The OC candidates are reportedly Curtis Modkins 50 and Shane Steichen 35.

Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is staying and could be the old guy on the staff at 58. Duce Staley wants out. Not surprising. The Eagles will probably agree to let him go. Keeping a coach against his will is seldom a good idea.

The thing I'm hearing is that all of the coaches are great teachers. They simplify things for the players and no player is ever confused about what he should be doing. That's good.