It’s that time of the year in the NFL. Coaches are finding themselves on the hot seat, players are starting to point fingers and owners are becoming owners: they are starting to panic.
Coaches get fired for a variety of reasons: their inability to get their players to focus, poor relationship with the media that leads to lack of confidence from the fans, owner meddling, and not being able to get the star players or leaders to buy in.
Wade Phillips was fired this week by the Dallas Cowboys. The so-called leaders and stars of the team never took him serious. Perhaps he was considered too nice or perhaps he was known as a defensive guy, as that is where his roots are. The inmates here were allowed to run the asylum.
Take a look at the roster. Perhaps the deepest team in the league with Pro Bowlers on both sides of the ball, and yet they have one win. Bad penalties, poor play and flat-out selfishness is the reason why Phillips is out.
At what point do the inmates assume responsibilities? They never do. They just say it was too bad that a good man got fired and move on to the next coach.
I have always wondered why motivation comes into play when you talk about players in the NFL. They are the highest-paid at their craft, they travel well, live really well and in some cases should be in good financial shape for a long time. So why should a middle-aged man be responsible for getting these guys worked up in a lather on Sunday to go out and play?
As for the coach, he is guaranteed one thing in the NFL: he will be fired. They know it when they sign up for the gig as they know they are one of 32 people in the entire world.
Phillips survived this long because owner Jerry Jones had to think of a couple of things. Phillips is that only coach who replaced a coach in mid-season to go on to the playoffs in the history of the league. There may be a lockout of the players by the owners that may lead to a partial season if not a cancellation. Jones is not apt to spend millions of dollars on a coach and staff, only for them to sit around and do nothing until the labor issue is resolved.
Minnesota fiasco
Then there is the fiasco that is the Minnesota Vikings.
Their head coach Brad Childress is on the death watch. Short of winning the Super Bowl, his chances of staying are minimal at best.
Childress’ first mistake was going to Mississippi bring Brett Favre back for another season. This is the same Brett Favre who despised his coach last year and didn’t mind sharing his feeling his with teammates. Still they brought him back.
Then Randy Moss. Run out of town once, someone thought it was a good idea to bring him back for a third-round draft choice thinking he had changed. Here is what they forgot to tell you. He changed because he had to. Bill Belichick and a team of proven winners would not Moss show his rear end in New England
Where all those so-called Viking leaders like Favre?
Childress brings Moss in. Not long after that, Childress learned that Moss had embarrassed a local restaurateur who provided a meal to the team and encouraged the owner to fire Childress.
Nice going, Brad.
No sweat McNabb
Did you hear the latest on Donovan McNabb?
He was pulled from a game. Head coach Mike Shannahan gave three different excuses on three different occasions, and all of them made no sense.
The truth is the offensive coordinator does not like McNabb as they have had their moments this season. When this offensive coordinator complains to the head coach about the quarterback, he is complaining to his father. Yes, Kyle Shannahan is the offensive coordinator.
Here is the cool thing about McNabb. Whether it’s the fans booing him when he was drafted by the Eagles, the Terrell Owens debacle or being undermined by head coach Andy Reid in order to give Kevin Kolb a chance to play, McNabb never lets you see him sweat.
Mizzou blues
Can someone explain to me how Mizzou can go from knocking the number one team in the country to wondering when they are going to win again?
All was great in Tigerland just two weeks ago, and now panic has once again set in. The offense has been fun with the long scoring plays, but it seem like short yardage has come to haunt the Tigers recently. Mizzou has elected not to have a quarterback under center, and the thought of a fullback has become just that, a thought.
