* After Michigan's worst Bowl loss ever look for Rich Rod to be out of a job. I originally thought Rodriguez would be ousted only if Harbaugh agreed to take the position. Yesterday's result made the decision easy. I do believe Michigan would be better of next season with Rodriguez but in three years there should be some type of progress made. I don't believe Harbaugh is a slam dunk. I do believe he will leave the Cardinal but plenty of NFL jobs will be open and the current state of the Michigan program isn't very inviting. If Harbaugh declines the job look for the Woverines to pursue Edsall.
* Michigan wasn't the only Big 10 loss on the day. Coming into the year the Big 10 was thought to clearly be the second best conference at worst. Yesterday they posted a 0-4 mark and were outscored 162-78 by teams from the Big 12, SEC, and Mountain West and in case anyone wondered if the Big 10 had closed the gap on the SEC the two Head-to-Head contest had a combine score of 101-21. Perhaps they may be the "Sisters of the Poor Conference".
* ATTENTION members of the Pitt Athletic Department. You have been given a gift. Because newly hired Mike Haywood decided to use the mother of his son as a tackling dummy you have a chance to right a wrong. Go out and get yourself a offensive minded coach who runs some type of spread offense something that the Big East hasn't seen. With the likes of Mike Leach, Gus Malzhan, June Jones and a host of others likely willing to accept a new gig for the right price why settle for a lackluster hire such as Haywood. The Big East is a very winnable conference at the moment with no team athletically superior. A unique offense alone would likely give you enough of a schematical advantage to win nine games. Think Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech. Many criticized the hire two years ago because no major conference schools run a Option attack. Last year Georgia Tech won the conference and this year even with losing Nisbett they won 6 games and were bowl eligible. Maryland is another school who is in the same boat at the moment. However Maryland seems to be thinking straight. Leach, Malzahn and Jones have all been linked to the job.
* So much for Maryland thinking straight, on Sunday Evening the Terps hired Randy Edsall. I like the Edsall hire however I believe Leach would have been more of a splash. In the event Michigan removes Rich Rod and doesn't land Harbaugh look for Brady Hoke to get the nod.
* For those Florida haters out there you could be in for a painful run. I wasn't a huge fan of the Muschamp hire because of his lack of head coaching experience. In come Charlie Weis. Weis's run as a Head Coach of the Golden Domers was rather forgetful however his success as a OC is second to none. In one season he has the Chiefs in the playoffs and has made Matt Cassel a All-Pro caliber QB. With the Irish he turned both Clausen and Quinn into NFL QB's, sure they may not be good but they are NFL players none the less. And of course he had some success turning a second day drafted QB from Michigan into a Hall Of Famer. The hiring of Weis will allow Muschamp to lead the defense and be the Rah, Rah leader which he will excel at. Weis will run the offense and likely get the most out of Brantley and the plethora of skill players that Florida has. Weis will install a Pro-Style offense so next year may be a transitional year but by year two this should be a 30pt a game offense in the SEC. This type of coaching hierarchy wouldn't work in the NFL but Spurrier made this style fashionable in Gainesville and it will be once again.
* Urban Meyer goes out a winner. I don't believe this is the final chapter in the Meyer saga. In two or three years Meyer will re-energize the batteries and resurface somewhere as the Head man either at a Major College Program or in the NFL. But the question I have was it also Joe Pa's final game. Paterno announced after the season that he would return next season however watching the game it felt as though this was JoePa's swan song. He doesn't seem to be the type to embrace a Farewell Tour which will no doubt happen should his exit be planned. With that theory in mind I could see Paterno coming back this season then retiring at seasons end but with little experience at the QB position and a lack of playmakers on offense I don't see this squad as anything more than the 2010 version of the Lions. Another 8 win season isn't exactly like going out on top so I can see Joe Pa quietly hanging up the whistle in a old style fashion and turning over the program at a good starting point.
* Big win for TCU and all Non-AQ schools. But the question is does it change the perception of the masses. With every Boise State BCS win before it this was the game that would change the perception. The point is I don't see anywhere that the Non-AQ schools can go from here. In the event that three or more squads go undefeated the title game will belong to those that play in major conferences. Had Oregon or Auburn slipped up along the way then TCU would have been in the title game anyway. Those who question the legitimacy of Non-AQ schools will continue to look upon their weaker conference schedules from week to week. So the Rose Bowl is just another win for a Non-AQ and not the perception changer that many would like it to be. The fact is the change happened several seasons ago many are just to blind to see it or to stubborn to embrace it.
* Many people expected a potential lockout to begin the 2011 season. However with five teams having already fired coaches and as many as nine more likely to make a move it tells me ownership is confident a agreement can be reached avoiding loss of games. To Owners the NFL is about winning and making money and to most money is the prime initiative. Therefore paying two coaches not to coach doesn't sound like a good business model.
* The pulse on the coaching hot seat. The 49ers, Cowboys, Vikings, Broncos, and Panthers have already made moves. It appears that interim coaches Jason Garrett (Cowboys) and Leslie Frazer (Vikings) will have the interim tag removed and will take over the top spot. Garrett makes sense. The Cowboys have played well under his leadership he is familiar with the personnel and he is a offensive guy for a team that is lead by it's offense. I'm not sold on the Frazer hire. The Vikings looked awful at times but did manage a big upset over the Eagles in Week 16. To me the Vikings have a two year window with the current roster. If the Vikings could land a reliable veteran QB this offseason they would once again be a strong Super Bowl contender. To me a proven Head Coach would be better suited for this current collection of players. The 49ers and Broncos both are interested in Jim Harbaugh while many have speculated that the Panthers would be interested in Harbaugh as well as selecting Luck with the top overall pick. ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting Marvin Lewis (Bengals) and Tom Cable (Raiders) will both be removed while Schefter is reporting much to my suprise that Gary Kubiak (Texans) will return next season. In my mind the lopsided division losses in Week 17 sealed the fate of Tony Sporano (Miami) and Eric Mangini (Browns). Meanwhile the Titans and Bud Adams will likely have to choose between Vince Young or Jeff Fisher which is a no brainer in my book but Vince Young was drafted by Bud Adams and is a Bud Adams guy and old people can be stubborn and set in their ways. The Jaguars likely did enough this season to save Del Rio's job while the Cardinals Super Bowl run two years ago likely built up enough equity for Ken Wisenhunt. So who will land these jobs? My best guess is that John Fox will resurface somewhere as will Fisher if he is let go. Bill Cowher will jump back in the coaching ranks while Harbaugh will bypass the rebuilding of his Alma Mater to join his brother at the Pro level. I could see Holmgreen returning to the sideline in Clevland. While the Raiders and Bengals will go to candidate that requires the least amount of financial commitment.
* The NFL Playoffs. On Saturday the Saints will travel to the 7-9 Seahawks while the Colts will host the Jets. On Sunday the Ravens will travel to Kansas City while the Packers travel to the Eagles in perhaps the most anticipated matchup of the weekend. In the meantime the Patriots, Steelers, Falcons and Bears will stay at home and lick their wounds. The Saints come into Seattle as double digit road favorites in the playoffs, which makes me wonder if that has ever happened, I will gladly lay the 10.5 points in this one. The Colts are your standard 3 point favorites at home and given the issues the Jets have had with teams that fling the ball around I like the Colts in this one and I will give the 3. The Ravens are another road favorite to open the playoffs but the 2.5 is more reasonable. I like the Chiefs youth and from the Coordinators up to the Head Coach this team is about as well coached as any in football. Despite this and playing in Arrowhead I still like the Ravens in a route. The Chiefs won't consistently run the ball enough to emphasise the play-action passing game and Cassell isn't at the level where he can set in the pocket and pick a team apart. In the marquee game of the week I like the Packers to steal a win on the road. Outside of the 4th Quarter against the Giants the Eagles haven't played good football in three weeks. Though the Packers resume isn't that much better over the last month I just like the Packers speed and quickness on defense against Vick. The Packers should minimize the big plays from the Eagles offense while the Packers should find little resistance in the Eagles Defense. I don't think the Packers win in a route but I do expect some separation in the 4th Quarter.
* Thanks to Mike and Mike in the Morning for this nugget. For 14 consecutive seasons at least 5 of the 12 playoff teams did not carry over from the previous year.
No comments:
Post a Comment