Now the Chiefs need to trade Gonzalez, Johnson
Now that Todd Haley is the Kansas City Chiefs' head coach, he and general manager Scott Pioli face interesting issues.
Will the Chiefs trade running back Larry Johnson? My guess is absolutely. Will they also trade tight end Tony Gonzalez? Very likely and they should, assuming the Chiefs get a fair offer.
Trading Johnson is really not that hard a decision. He wants out; he has been in trouble off the field; and he has a huge contract. The Chiefs must rid themselves of past baggage, and Johnson will turn 30 in November. He is reaching the point where most running backs begin to decline. Trade him now, before another subpar season diminishes his value.
Making a decision on Gonzalez is more difficult, but the Chiefs should trade him, as well. He was the best tight end in football last season, and the Chiefs were 2-14. Listen to what Pioli said during his introductory press conference upon taking the Chiefs job.
"Individuals go to Pro Bowls," Pioli said. "Teams win championships.
"It's not necessarily the best 53 players. It's the right 53 players."
Pioli is right. Gonzalez is at the Pro Bowl again, but he has never been to the Super Bowl. Certainly, that is not his fault. But why keep a tight end who is about to turn 33 years old, when you are building a team that needs help at so many other positions? At least three or four teams who covet a tight end should make serious offers for Gonzalez. Getting a draft pick or two in return could accelerate the Chiefs' rebuilding process.
The Chiefs had a lousy season, but their offseason is off to a flying start. Getting Pioli was the key. He helped build a Patriots franchise that has won three Super Bowls, and his draft resume is outstanding. Last year, Pioli used the 10th pick in the draft to take linebacker Jerod Mayo. Clearly, Pioli has not lost his touch, as Mayo was the Associated Press defensive rookie of the year.
The highest pick Pioli has ever had in the draft was No. 6, and he used it to take Richard Seymour, one of the NFL's top defensive ends. With the Chiefs holding the No. 3 pick in this April's draft, Pioli will have ammunition to draft another potential star. The Chiefs are about $32 million under the salary cap, but Pioli is not looking for a quick fix through free agency. He is looking for a team built to last.
"I believe strongly in the draft, it's the backbone of your football team," Pioli said. "The third pick, the sixth, pick, the 20th pick -- every single pick is an important pick. You go back to a guy like Tom Brady, who was picked 199th. That's a pretty important pick."
Picking the right coach is also important, and Haley is a good fit for the Chiefs. There are no guarantees he will be successful, but his resume is impressive. He is an innovative play-caller who showed his creativity during the Cardinals' playoff run as their offensive coordinator. He and Pioli already have chemistry, having worked together with the Jets.
Haley's sideline argument with Anquan Boldin during the NFC championship showed Haley's willingness to go toe-to-toe with players, and he did not lose Boldin's respect. This is what Boldin had to say about Haley during Super Bowl week.
"He challenges everybody on the offensive side of the ball to play at a high level," Boldin said. "We are all held accountable, on and off the field. He has a lot of insight about the game. There is never a doubt in your mind as how you are attacking the defense. He makes everything clear."
Now Pioli should make it clear to Gonzalez and Johnson that they should both expect to be traded. The Chiefs have not won a playoff game since 1993. Gonzalez and Johnson need a fresh start. And so do the Chiefs.
(c) 2009 The Sporting News
Ken Whisenhunt brought winning tradition from Pittsburgh Steelers to Arizona Cardinals
TAMPA, FLA. -- When Ken Whisenhunt left Pittsburgh two years ago to take his first head coaching job, with the Arizona Cardinals, he brought an assistant and a method of winning from the Steelers that he thought made sense.
As the Steelers' offensive coordinator, Whisenhunt had won a Super Bowl just a year before his departure. And his new assistant head coach and offensive line coach, Russ Grimm, had also been around Pittsburgh to witness the success.
"I felt coming out of Pittsburgh that we had something that was good, " Whisenhunt said. "There are a lot of ways to be successful in the NFL, and the way that we have done it is not the only way. It is something that we felt worked because we had gotten to the Super Bowl and we had won. I felt that we would be successful in Arizona."
In his second season as the Cardinals' coach, Whisenhunt has his team one win away from a shocking Super Bowl title, with the championship being played out tonight at Raymond James Stadium against -- who else? -- the Steelers.
Through the 2008 regular season, the Cardinals might not have seemed like an Arizona version of the Steelers. Their prolific offense and 19th-ranked defense, plus a 9-7 record in a weak division with no other winning teams, didn't exactly fit the traditional Pittsburgh mold.
But Whisenhunt brought a mindset and a process from the Bill Cowher-coached Pittsburgh teams earlier in this decade.
"I would hope that somebody coming into our organization from the Pittsburgh Steelers would say there are a lot of similarities, because that's an organization that has been very successful, " Whisenhunt said. "Hopefully we can do a lot of things that that organization has done from a standpoint of winning games, number one, from a mentality, and from a belief in how you are successful."
Two years ago, a different kind of team won the Super Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts stumbled to a 2-3 record in their final five regular-season games, but they had a Hall of Fame-caliber pocket passer that continued the offense's great production in the playoffs, and they found success in the postseason from a defense that had been uninspiring to that point.
If that story sounds very familiar, it's because the Cardinals have done exactly that so far this season.
One year ago, an underdog from the NFC, the New York Giants, stormed through the playoffs -- without a postseason bye week -- to meet and beat the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, a favored AFC opponent that looked headed for a Super Bowl title all season. The Cardinals look like the upstart NFC team this season.
"The same thing happened with the Giants and with Indianapolis, " said Cardinals rookie receiver Early Doucet, who was at LSU during both of those Super Bowls. "When it came time for the playoffs, everybody knew what they had to do. And they played lights-out football on both sides of the football, and that's what it takes to get to this point. And I think we showed everybody that so far."
It seems Arizona shares something with each of the previous three Super Bowl winners, from the Steelers' coaching to the Colts' winning formula and the Giants' underdog status.
But Whisenhunt and current Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin know what it likely will take to win tonight: balance. The Steelers' defense and the Cardinals' offense are what got their teams into the playoffs and helped them stay in the postseason, but the Steelers' offense and the Cardinals' defense are the areas of the game that have emerged in the past several weeks and pushed those teams over the edge, into the Super Bowl.
The Steelers will look for continued improvements in the running game and an MVP-like performance from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who won but struggled in his first Super Bowl appearance.
"I think Ben is a different player this time around, " Tomlin said. "That's just the reality of it. His professional experience, what he's done, his position in the group is very different this time around. He's not the young guy that could potentially screw it up."
The Cardinals will look for more of the kind of defense they've had in the playoffs. Arizona allowed 110.3 rushing yards per game and had 13 interceptions during the regular season, but through three postseason games, the Cardinals have allowed an average of 77.3 rushing yards and have eight interceptions.
"Their intensity is really unbelievable right now, " Steelers tight end Heath Miller said. "It seems like they're moving twice as fast as the offense when you watch them on film. Their defensive linemen get penetration. They're getting off the ball fast. On the back end it seems like anytime there's a tipped ball or a loose ball, they're on it and they're returning it the other way. So I think they've got a good understanding of what their defensive coordinator wants them to do, and it seems like they're playing without thinking, if that makes sense."
This year's Super Bowl will be a battle between the old-school Steelers and the upstart Cardinals -- or, as Whisenhunt might have you believe, the offensive-minded, new-school Steelers. And for each team, it just might come down to the facet of the game that hasn't always been its strong point.
(c)2008 New Orleans Net LLC
Gulp! Lions have a big decision to make
Much baggage came with the Lions' 0-16 season.
Becoming the butt of jokes on late-night television. The endless video loops of Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky running out of the end zone at Minnesota. A general feeling there may not only be one direction the Lions can go - up. That's because they are, well, the Lions.
The worst consequence of them all, however, is getting saddled with the first overall selection in the NFL Draft.
It's not like the NBA or NHL. The first overall selection often cures all ills with one fell swoop in those leagues - like when the Cleveland Cavaliers took LeBron James and the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby.
In the NFL, it is a burden rather than elixir.
There is extraordinary pressure to get the maximum value out of a player to be paid nearly $60 million for the length of his contract.
As it is the most important position in football, that often means justifying the selection of a quarterback first overall.
And as many times as not, it's has setback franchises for years rather than lift them skyward. Super Bowl champions Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Jim Plunkett and Terry Bradshaw were all quarterbacks taken first overall.
So were total draft busts Alex Smith, David Carr and Tim Couch. Those three were from just the last decade.
The fear of taking a quarterback is particularly prevalent in this town. People vividly recall first-round draft pick quarterbacks Joey Harrington, Andre Ware and Chuck Long, and the great hope they provided, but how they delivered on none of the promise.
Last week, ESPN conducted an Internet poll asking which player the Lions should select first overall. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford received the most votes.
Yet, Michigan was one of the few states that didn't vote Stafford first. More than 60 percent of the those submitting votes from this state preferred Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith. They want nothing to do with a quarterback first overall.
It's not just Harrington, Ware and Long they remember, but also free-agent signing Scott Mitchell. There has been no justification to put faith in a Lions' quarterback since Bobby Layne in the 1950s.
A couple times the Lions have been OK at the position, with combinations like Bill Munson and Greg Landry, Gary Danielson and Eric Hipple and Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer, but never really good.
This draft is particularly unnerving to have the first overall pick.
There is no player remotely resembling the clear-cut top selection.
It not only makes the choice difficult for the Lions, but next to impossible to trade, which Lions general manager Martin Mayhew admitted recently.
Stafford won't make it any easier on the Lions.
In terms of raw talent, he is good enough to be the first overall selection. He truly has a rocket arm. He is big, strong and mobile. He made some great throws against Michigan State during the second half of the Capital One Bowl, remember?
Problem is, in the first half he was awful. It followed his familiar pattern of inconsistency.
This portion of the draft is all about evaluating the raw tools. Stafford has more of those than the other QBs in this draft by a wide margin.
It's why Mel Kiper Jr. has him going to the Lions first overall. And he is not alone.
There are questions about Smith's height, propensity to put on weight and his being suspended for the Sugar Bowl because he contacted an agent.
He isn't necessarily the next Orlando Pace or Jake Long.
It's more likely he isn't - and the Lions already have first-round draft choices starting at offensive tackle.
The Lions are in desperate need of players on the defensive side of the ball, but no one defensive player stands out.
There is already a groundswell saying, "Stafford, Stafford, Stafford." It's enough to make most Lions fans literally cringe.
If I were the Lions, I'd take a quarterback relatively early in the draft every year until they find one capable of leading them to a championship.
Conventional wisdom says you can't sign one through free agency, although the Cardinals and Dolphins lived the high life this season after pulling Kurt Warner and Chad Pennington from the scrap heap, didn't they?
The Lions aren't going to be Super Bowl champions until they find a great quarterback.
But Matthew Stafford first overall?
A lot of money. Much risk. Doesn't seem like great odds for the desired return.
(c)Copyright 2009 The Morning Sun
Ben Graham 's Cardinals soar into the Super Bowl
Ben Graham's Arizona Cardinals have booked a place in the Super Bowl, but the former Geelong AFL star may be in doubt with a groin injury.
The Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a National Football League (NFL) title game thriller, holding off an Eagles comeback to claim a 32-25 victory.
The game was an historic one for Australia, with another AFL convert, Sav Rocca, playing for the Eagles.
Graham went into the game with a groin injury and on several of his punts appeared to be in pain.
Three of his five punts were subpar, going less than 40 yards.
If Graham takes the field at the February 1 Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida, he will be the first Australian to play in American sport's biggest event.
The Cardinals appeared to blow the game, giving up a 24-6 half-time lead.
The Eagles scored 19 unanswered points in the second half and early in the fourth quarter, after a monster 62 yard touchdown pass by Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, took the lead 25-24.
The Cardinals hit back with a touchdown to seal the game.
The Eagles went into the game as short-priced favourites.
The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens later this afternoon for the other Super Bowl spot.
Match report
Kurt Warner threw four touchdown passes, three to Larry Fitzgerald, and the Arizona Cardinals withstood a late rally on Sunday to beat Philadelphia 32-25, advancing to their first Super Bowl.
The Cardinals, who won their only National Football League crown in 1947 when they were based in Chicago, will face either Baltimore or Pittsburgh for this season's title in Super Bowl 43 on February 1 in Tampa, Florida.
The 61-season championship drought is the second-longest active span without a title in North American professional sports, eclipsed only by the 100-year gap since baseball's Chicago Cubs won the 1908 World Series crown.
Warner connected with Fitzgerald on scoring tosses of one, nine and 62 yards in the first half to give the Cardinals a 24-6 half-time lead before the Eagles rallied late in the third quarter with two touchdowns just 3:19 apart.
Donovan McNabb connected with Brent Celek on touchdown passes of six and 31 yards to lift Philadelphia back into contention, although kicker David Akers was wide right on the conversion kick for the second score, leaving Arizona ahead 24-19.
Akers had made 45 successful conversion kicks in a row before botching one in the critical situation.
The Eagles struck again on their next possession to grab their first lead of the game.
McNabb launched a long throw to rookie DeSean Jackson, who raced past Arizona defenders, made a juggling catch and high-stepped into the end zone to complete a 62-yard touchdown play.
A two-point conversion pass was incomplete, leaving the Eagles ahead 25-24 with 10:45 remaining.
But Arizona answered with a 14-play, 72-yard march that ended with Warner flipping a nine-yard touchdown pass to Tim Hightower and a two-point conversion toss to Ben Patrick, putting the Cardinals back in front 32-25 with 2:53 to go.
Needing a touchdown to equalise, the Eagles drove to the Arizona 47-yard line with 1:57 remaining but a fourth-down pass by McNabb fell incomplete and the Cardinals surrendered the ball with time for only one play.
Philadelphia attempted a rugby-style, razzle-dazzle series of laterals but Arizona intercepted the ball and ended the final Eagles hope.
The Cardinals, who had won only two playoff games in their history before this season, have won three in a row to reach what will be Warner's third Super Bowl. He won with the St. Louis Rams in 2000 and lost with them in 2002.
(c) 2008 Macquarie Media Network Pty Limited
Talks between Pioli, Chiefs reportedly heating up
The Kansas City Chiefs' discussions with Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli about hiring him to run the team's football operations have "intensified," the Boston Herald reports.
Pioli interviewed with the team last Monday, but formal contract negotiations have reportedly not yet begun.
Kansas City chairman Clark Hunt has stated that he plans on splitting general manager duties between interim president Denny Thum, who would oversee business operations, and a new hire, who would handle the football side.
While some believe Pioli wants total control of a franchise should he leave New England, the increased intensity of the dialogue between the two-time Sporting News Executive of the Year and the Chiefs indicates a split role might not be a deal breaker.
(c)2008 SportingNews.com
Here's An Idea: The Detroit Lions Don't Need A Coach!
The Detroit Lions have shown in the past that they aren't afraid of being innovative. They've pushed the boundaries of who should and who shouldn't be hired to run a football team when they hired TV analyst, Matt Millen to be their general manager, then they became the first NFL team to go 0-16.
Now, from the team that brought you the early retirement of Barry Sanders, Bobby "Go For Two" Ross, Marty "Take The Wind!" Morhinweg, and a naked coach Cullen purchasing McDonalds from the drive-thru, comes a new innovation!
The team without a coach!
I'm not just talking temporarily as it is now, but let's go an entire season. Why you ask? Let me count the reasons.
1. No more repetitive press conferences
Aren't we all glad we don't have to listen to Rod Marinelli anymore? His "pound the rock" and "I believe in the invisible" mantra was briefly inspiring, but later became somewhat comical, until finally turning into the dialogue of refuge for an 0-16 coach.
Every coach has their favorite little catchphrases. The thing is, when the team is winning we don't notice. Who watches the press conferences if your team is winning? You only watch to see what the losing coach will say.
Since no Lions coach that's coming into this mess is going to win, we're sure to hear a new set of repetitive catchphrases and no one wants that.
Ah, but if the Lions didn't have a coach? Reporters could ask questions to an empty podium, or perhaps William Clay Ford could answer questions from behind a curtain, sort of like in The Wizard of Oz. At any rate, it'd be more entertaining than the status-quo for the last decade.
2. No more decisions
Good decisions, bad decisions, how about no decisions?
Rod Marinelli liked to punt a little too much, particularly when the Lions should have been at their most desperate. Marty Morhinweg once infamously took the wind in overtime.
If the Lions didn't have a coach, there wouldn't be any taking the wind, or silly plays like punting. The players would just go out there and play.
I for one, think the Lions would have been much better off with Dan Orlovsky calling every play instead of unneeded positions like offensive coordinator and head coach. There would be less confusion and it would save time. Hell, if there wasn't a coach, Jon Kitna might still have been out there as quarterback!
While the opposition would be concerned with what to do on 3rd and 8 with four minutes left to go in the 4th quarter, down by six points, the Lions would already be ready to go. Sure, they wouldn't have a clue what they're doing, but it'd save time!
3. No one gets fired
Who likes to see a guy get fired? It's just one of life's little unpleasantires. Sure, sometimes it's necessary, and with the Lions it's been necessary more than any other team in the league, but that doesn't mean we enjoy seeing it happen.
Over the past eight seasons, the average lifespan for a Lions coach has been 31 months. Following that current trend, whoever gets hired as the next coach, he will be fired in August of 2011. (Further hilarity will ensue following a coach being fired during the preseason)
Let's avoid this nasty business of firing head coaches by not hiring a coach in the first place. If the team does poorly, Martin Mayhew will simply come out and say "Well, it was another bad season in Detroit, but unfortunately due to no fault of my own, we have no one to blame this time....carry on"
See how it'd work?
4. No one needs to suffer "Lions sickness"
Just about every Lions coach in the last twenty years has suffered some kind of emotional distress, mental breakdown, or public humiliation of some sort. Wayne Fontes in a lapse of judgment once said "What's a guy gotta do to get fired around here?" Rod Marinelli also came under Lions sickness which must have caused him to call William Clay Ford "a very successful owner"
Let's spare this new coach, whoever he is. No one wants to see a perfectly rational and decent person succumb to Lions sickness. Symptoms include making boneheaded decisions that you otherwise wouldn't have made if you were coaching any other team, speaking no more than three well thought out catchphrases to answer every question at press conferences, and generally suffering from delusions of grandeur such as applying admiral qualities to obviously inept personnel.
It's just sad, so let's avoid dragging another good man down and just not hire a coach.
5. It won't make a difference
Finally, we all know what's going to happen here anyway. In 2-3 odd seasons when the Lions still can't manage to win more than 7-8 games, this new coach will be fired just like all the others, regardless of what the in-between looks like.
Although the Lions have been content to follow through with the motions for a long time now, I think now is the time to break that trend. Instead of hiring a new coach and telling him "OK, now if you could just be back here in August 2011, we're going to have another big press conference scheduled, concerning you," let's just skip all that.
Maybe without a coach, this team will be more respected. After all, aside from the quarterback, the head coach always takes the most heat.
Without a head coach, Jay Leno won't have anything to talk about concerning the Lions. They're gradually being phased out by most media anyway, and the NFL is trying to pretend like they don't exist. Having no head coach would assure the Lions that they will always be flying so far below the radar, they'll be six feet under. Far away from media criticism, which might just be the best place for them.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc.
Cowboys-Eagles: Breaking down the matchups
When the Cowboys run
Tashard Choice might be the Cowboys' December MVP at this point. He's been superb filling in for Marion Barber, rushing for 269 yards the last three games. The Eagles didn't give Clinton Portis much room last week (70 yards on 22 carries).
EDGE: Cowboys
When the Cowboys pass
The Cowboys' receivers haven't done much of anything lately. Inconsistency in the passing game has been a major problem. Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown and Brian Dawkins would love to get inside Terrell Owens' head and rattle him around.
EDGE: Eagles
When the Eagles run
Andy Reid is being roasted in Philadelphia for not running the football just like Wade Phillips gets criticized for being too soft in Dallas. Brian Westbrook is still a good threat, but the Eagles simply aren't committed to running much at all.
EDGE: Cowboys
When the Eagles pass
Donovan McNabb fought to keep his job this season and he seems energized coming down the stretch. In 16 games against the Cowboys, McNabb has thrown 23 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions and averaged 6.1 rushing yards per attempt.
EDGE: Eagles
Special teams
Punter Sam Paulescu didn't do the Cowboys many favors last week against the Ravens. He averaged 38.3 per attempt. Adam Jones had a 41-yard kickoff return. He's long overdue for a big, game-changing punt return.
EDGE: Eagles
Intangibles
The Eagles could learn just before kickoff that they're eliminated from playoff contention. Their balloon could be totally deflated. The Cowboys know they must win to get into the playoffs. That should be all the motivation required.
EDGE: Cowboys
(c)The Dallas Morning News
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