Chemotherapy for the Flames?

Mired in a 9 game losing streak has the Flames faithful up in arms about making a move or shaking things up to bust out of this slump. I even suggested a ‘slump buster’ for Iginla, as he spent 9 games doing absolutely jack-S. Excuse my harsh letters.

The deal finally came down at 10am on the morning of Jan 31st, 2010. The reason for listing the date is that I believe this could be a day that goes down in the annals of Flames history. This team might have just traded away its best defenseman for a bag of pucks, a water bottle, and a few scratch lottery tickets.

That was my initial thought. Since looking at it further, and really understanding all the facts, I think the Flames win the deal, if not with the players, than addition by subtraction.

Let’s dive into this deal headfirst:

To Toronto:

Dion Phaneuf –

Fredrik Sjostrom

Keith Aulie

To Calgary:

Matt Stajan

Ian White

Nikolas Hagman

Jamal Meyers

I would like to break down this trade a little. Let’s start with just removing Sjostrom for Mayers. In this writer's opinion, both suck, and are meaningless to the trade. Secondly, Keith Aulie was a 4th rounder, and has been sub-par in his first year of AHL Action in Abbotsford. His value is low right now, so lets just set him aside for the time being. I am trying to focus on the NOW of the deal, and not so much the future...

With those adjustments made, the deal was Dion Phaneuf and his $6.5M per year contract, locker room cancer, and Neanderthal-like forehead for Hagman, Stajan, and White.

Fans in Toronto are suggesting that White is the most under-rated D-man in the league...and if he isn’t, his moustache surely is. +1 on the Flames picking up that facial hair.

Now let’s look at this deal from a different perspective: The loss of Dion Phaneuf to the Flames.

The Flames lose a guy that can soak up 25 minutes a game, and a guy that can shoot, hit, and contribute...although the last 2 seasons, he has just not lived up to the hype. Dion has turned into a little bit of a cancer as of late. It has been echoed many times that he was a huge asshole, and the rest of the team hated him. Hell, I have also heard from reliable sources that Dion burned his own bridge by messing around with another player’s woman. This obviously would make for some pretty bad working conditions.

So when you take into account the fact that the Flames pick up some offensive punch, PLUS some addition by subtraction in the locker room, you have to like it as a Flames fan.

In summary, I think Dion is a hell of a player. There is a good chance he will win a Norris in Toronto. I think there is also a smaller chance that he could end up crumbling under the pressure of the fishbowl that is the Center of the Universe. In either case, the sum of the parts that comes to Calgary is very nice, and could count as a ‘win’ in the long run. Although, it could be a loss too.

In Calgary, the most common thing heard was: We will miss The Douche less than we will miss his girlfriend.

After much thought, Leeman For Gilmour this is not.

Going forward, this opens up some doors for the Flames, as well. They have been given a little cap relief, they have also added some parts that could potentially be added in for another bigger deal. They have 2 extra bodies at forward, so either some roster movement will have to take place (Lundmark/Backlund sent down), or another trade will be made.

Interesting times in Calgary....

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Update: 9:59pm MST

I originally wrote this article throughout the day on Sunday, and came back to edit it, clean it up, and generally have it make more sense, only to find that the Mad Scientist Darryl Sutter is back at it, sending Ollie Jokinen and Brandon Prust to the New York Rangers for two guys that just haven’t fit in there at all, Ales Kotilik and Chris Higgins. Wow, the Makeover continues.

Here is how I have broken down the Flames moves as of today:

OUT -----? IN

Jokinen? Stajan

Phaneuf ? White

Prust ? Mayers

Sjostrom ? Hagman, Kotilik, and Higgins.

So, the way I look at it, we got the best deal ever for Sjostrom!

Hell Yeah! It’s the steal of the century!!!!

In all honestly, this locker room needed a massive shake up, and lord did they ever get it. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow night when the new look Flames hit the ice!

*GULP* Go Flames!

The Pro Bowl: Who Gives a Crap?

It’s time to admit what the Pro Bowl is. It’s just one last effort by the NFL to eke out some TV money, jersey sales and press coverage. The problem is that only works when the game is full of the NFL’s biggest stars.


This year, there’s been more ducking out than at a Washington Wizards debt-settling session. To be honest, if I was player, I’d probably decline too.

There’s nothing in it for the players. Once they’ve been named to the squad, they are technically a “Pro Bowler” and also trigger the incentives in their contract. Why waste getting injured?

And to complicate matters further, I hear talk radio hosts blasting members of the Colts and Saints for not playing. Are you kidding me? These guys have a chance to win the Superbowl and someone out there thinks they should risk an injury the week BEFORE the big game?

I understand why the NFL put the most irrelevant all-star game on earth the week before tSuperbowl Sunday. Unfortunately they’ve missed the bigger point. No one cares about the Pro Bowl. It has nothing to do with when it’s played.

In baseball, hockey and basketball, the All-Star game is the equivalent of watching the best players in the world play a pick-up version of their pro sport. It’s entertaining, fast-paced (baseball excluded) and relatively free of injuries. For this to work for the NFL, the Pro Bowl would have to be a flag football game.

The NFL needs to scrap the Pro Bowl entirely. Just award the players with the Pro Bowl honor, like they do with an All-Pro team or Gold Glove awards. If they still want to attract a big audience, why not have a skills competition in the week leading up to the Superbowl?

I would watch a series of events each day that included the NFL’s Fastest Man or the Quarterback Challenge, the LenDale White Tequila Boat Race and even some type of defensive lineman obstacle course. I would legitimately be interested in the league’s most accurate long-snapper.

Most of all, the players would love to participate, because the risk of injury is non-existent and the bragging rights could earn them all kinds of endorsements.

Please Mr. Goodell, get rid of the Pro Bowl sham and give me a chance to root for D’Brickashaw Ferguson in the Offensive Lineman Cannonball finals.

The Flames’ Momentum Swings Both Ways

The Saddledome is not a fun place to be right now. The Flames have lost six straight games, are 1-8-1 in their last ten, and are currently sitting in 9th place in the Western Conference. Their stock is falling faster than Tim Tebow’s at the Senior Bowl, and it’s just as confusing.


This is the same team that started the season with a 7-2-1 record and was atop the Northwest division with a 25-12-5 record just 3 weeks ago. From hot to not, the Flames have found that the Momentum Mistress can turn on a team with a flutter of her evil eyelashes.

On paper, the team is loaded with NHL stars like Jerome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester and Miikka Kiprusoff. They have some great breakout players in Rene Bourque, Adam Pardy and Matt Giordano.

So what happened? Let’s take a look at some of the numbers.

The most obvious difference during the Flames losing streak is the significant drop in shooting percentage and save percentage. I know what you’re thinking. That seems obvious, and it is. The real question is “Why?”


The Flames are actually taking more shots per game and giving up less during their losing streak. The Flames might be taking more shots from distance and bad angles. Taking a look at the ESPN Shot Chart for Monday’s game versus the Blues doesn’t seem to indicate an issue. The Flames had at least 12 shots from the central third of the ice and inside the hashmarks.

This next table shows the likely culprit.

Calgary’s special teams play has taken an immense turn for the worse. They’re still giving up more short-handed situations than they’re gaining on the man advantage. Unfortunately the conversion rates for both units have plummeted significantly.

To be honest, I haven’t been watching closely enough to pinpoint problems on either unit, but I will be from now on, and will follow up with some insight. I’m just hoping that Coach Sutter and the rest of the team figure it out before I do.

Conference Championship Deep Outs

Dignity Bowl Update:

So Pete has it in the bag....Ryan is looking ok, but our hero (read: ME!) is not out of the woods! I am tied with my mom with the Superbowl to go!

it looks like it might come down to the tiebreaker of total points. Good lord, please strike me down now!

Jets @ Colts:

It was a little bit of a surprise to see the Jets jump out to an early lead, but in the long run, there was no question as to who the better team was.

With 11 minutes left in the 3^rd quarter, the score was 17-13 in favour of the Jets, and in no one’s mind (at least mine!) there was no way the Colts would lose that game. It was at that point that the Colts took the ball, marched down field, and Manning connected on three consecutive passes to Austin Collie, the third for a TD. There was no looking back after that.

As expected, Darrell Revis basically eliminated Reggie Wayne from any AFC Championship Game MVP talk, so Manning did what Manning does best. He sliced and diced the Jets #1 rated defence for 377 yards and 3 scores.

This Colts team is scary good. They have all the tools on Offense:

- An RB, while not awesome, good enough to get you that first down, or take enough attention to make play action work

- An all-star wide out that will kill you deep, and a supporting cast that does enough to get open and garners enough attention to ensure that the best pass-catching tight end in the league is being covered by a LB, or god-willing, a D-Lineman.

- A fast and strong defence that is under-rated. They can stop the run upfront; put pressure on your QB, and hawk balls. That right, Ball Hawks.

They go to the Super Bowl behind rookie coach Jim Caldwell, who might not even talk. I am still inclined to believe he just lets Peyton Manning actually coach the team.

Vikings @ Saints:

I waited 15 weeks to see this game.

Honestly, week 5 of this season, on my weekly podcast (iTunes: Ultimate Football Talk) I uttered these words during our week 6 prediction podcast: ‘All I want at this point is to see a Saints-Vikings NFC Championship game!’ I may have added something on the end of that about Chargers-Colts, too, but hey, I was one Turner – Tomlinson combo away from that happening.

Anyways, obviously, I got my game, and BOY did it live up to all expectations!

The Saints offense was as predicted, pass heavy, and relying on Pierre Thomas when need to. It was their defence that was a little bit of a surprise, as they PUNISHED Favre all game, hitting him at every opportunity. They also did what they do best. They cause fumbles, and took advantage of the ‘gunslinger’ mentality of Favre. 5 fumbles (3 lost) and 2 picks later the saints were able to pull off somewhat of an upset. Let’s face it, everyone and their dog wanted to see Manning-Favre.

What the Vikings gave for turnovers, they got back in Penalties. The Saints gave back 88 yards on 9 penalties.

So where does the blame for this loss lie?

A. Peterson: He put the ball on the ground 3 times, although only losing 1. Add to the fact that he scored 3 TDs, and worked his sack off to recover one of his own fumbles, and I cannot point the finger at the man they call All-Day.

B. Bad Childress: Although he is one of the worst (if not THE worst) coach in the NFL, he relied on his superstars to win the game. I cannot point the finger at the man they call Major Dad.

C. Jared Allen: Although it was not his best game as a Viking, he was in Drew Brees’ kitchen all day; causing havoc for the man they call The Birthmark. I cannot point the finger at the man they call The Mullet.

D. Brett Favre: Wow, gutsy! Nice image seeing Favre limp back onto the field after getting rolled up on. He proceeded to go 5-9 for 80 yards, but more importantly, threw an UGLY pick with just 7 seconds left in the game while the Vikings were in FG range, albeit a LONG(well) field goal. He never saw the ball again, and it is quite possible that his last throw as a pro was similar to Kurt Warner’s: an UGLY interception. Sayonara Brent. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out! Call me a Favre hater (more of a Vikings hater), but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

PS – Joe Buck is the worst commentator ever! That is not totally true...Jim Nance + Phil Simms is worse, and whaddya know, I have to listen to these two weenies for the Super Bowl.

So it’s set: Colts Vs. Saints in Superbowl XXIV. I am excited to see this game! My Early prediction is the Colts will win on a final 2 minute drive, Manning to Clark TD making the final Colts 31, Saints 28.

These two teams deserve to be there, and it WILL be a good one!

The Dignity Bowl – NFL Conference Championships

Forget Leno vs Conan, we’ve got bloggers vs their moms! Take that NBC!


Sure, both Tonight Show hosts have infinitely more hair than chrome-domers like Marty and I, but Sports Opinionated has the football predictive skills of Kim, Maria, and Norma. We’ve been trying to sign Triumph, but he’s holding out for more things to poop on. 

As you probably read in Deep Outs this week, the writers went 7-5 last weekend and are now 11-13 overall. We’re not exactly proud of that number, but luckily the women who raised us went 5-7 last weekend and stand at 7-17 overall.

This weekend offers more thrills, spills and hopefully two correct picks for me, I need it.
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New York Jets @ Indianapolis -7.5

Ryan’s Perspective

This game has a ton of subplots and psychological factors that could impact the outcome. The Colts might really regret sitting their starters in week 16 if the Jets improbably knock them out the playoffs. This would be after also ruining their perfect season on questionable terms.

On the other hand, the Colts should be motivated to prove they can beat the Jets without a problem, rendering the undefeated debate meaningless.

I’ve spent all week pouring over this game. I had convinced myself that the Colts would win, but the Jets would keep it close. Then a few small pieces of information came together to convince me that the Jets could fall apart faster than Mark McGwire’s reputation.


1. The Bengals & Chargers missed 5 straight FGs against the Jets. That’s pure luck. It won’t continue.
2. Peyton Manning spreads the ball around better than any QB in the league. This limits the impact of the immortal Darelle Revis.
3. The Colts completely shut down the Ravens offense, which is very similar in design to the Jets defense.
4. The Ravens offense is WAY better than the Jets offense.
5. The Colts defence is 10 times scarier when they have a lead.

I’ll take the Colts despite giving up 7.5 points.



Pete’s Perspective

The Colts could have finished off the Jets weeks ago. That was the game Jim Caldwell took out the starters both on offence and defense. The Jets came back to win the game and destroy any hopes that the Colts had for having an undefeated season. That game helped the Jets squeak into the playoffs and left Caldwell being second-guessed by the media, fans and even some members of his own team.


This is where we find out if Jim Caldwell was right.

The goal of every team at the start of the season is to play for a chance at winning the Super Bowl. This weekend the Colts will take another step towards Miami. I have said in the past that the New York Jets seem like a good playoff team. Solid defense, good special teams, a great running attack and a great offensive line. All that being said, they have the tough task of playing the most cerebral quarterback in the NFL. I look to the Jets offence stuttering while facing a more versatile and complex defense (compared to previous Colts defenses) despite missing their 2 best defensive backs (Sanders & Jackson).

I will be looking for plenty of Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark passes and Bethea, Hayden, Mathis and Freeney to confuse young Mark Sanchez and of course, look for more drops from Braylon Edwards. Braylon drops more pig skin than a slaughterhouse employee.

The Jets have served me well, helping me during the past 2 weeks. This, however, is where their run ends.

I’ll take Peyton and the Colts and give the 7 & ½ points.

Marty’s Perspective

Man o Man, this one is hard. Straight up, it’s a no brainer. I think the Colts win, and go on to fulfil their destiny as Super Bowl losers. But when you add 7.5 points into the mix, it makes it a whole 'nother ball game.

I look at what the Jets did last week, and compare the matchups. The Chargers have a tough time running the ball, and are a one dimensional offence. Wow, so are the Colts. Actually, the Colts are the only team in the NFL WORSE at rushing the ball than the Chargers were. On defence, the Chargers were good against the pass, but had trouble stopping the run. The Colts? Strong against the pass as well and here is the one difference....They are good against the run, too. Hmmmmm.....

Last week, the Chargers managed to stop the run for the first half, but the Jets just kept on running the ball....and eventually, it was what took the Jets to Indy.

Another difference: Even with the Jets strong defence, Manning has proven in the past he can dissect a defence like a surgeon. I mean, there is a reason why he is the best player in football today. (Damn, that hurt to say!)

For those reasons, this game is a TOUGHIE!

I told my mom last night I was taking the Jets, but I have changed my pick. I have to. I think the Colts win, and win big. I think Manning puts up 2 early scores, and the Jets are just not built to come back when trailing.

My Pick: Colts -7.5
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The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – The Jets. I picked them based on which team had warmer jersey colors.

Maria - Colts! Obviously. I am not interested in the Jets. I don’t know their players and I know a lot of Colts players. I have no time to discuss the (many) reasons why I am picking the Colts. No time.

Norma - I've kinda liked them all the way along. Manning is a pretty good QB, he has some good WRs. I don't think the Jets won last week, I think the Chargers lost.
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Minnesota @ New Orleans -3.5

Ryan’s Perspective

I know a lot of people are jumping on the Vikings bandwagon after last weekend’s annihilation of the Cowboys. I just can’t do it.

For starters, Sean Payton could outcoach Brad Childress even if he was only allowed 10 men on the field. I’ve rarely seen an offense so adept at exploiting the weaknesses of the opposing defense.

The Saints offense is the 5th most efficient passing and the most efficient running attack in the league. They can adapt to what the defense does poorly. In the Vikings case, their secondary can’t cover. The Saints could blow the top off the Superdome with an aerial display.

For those of you thinking the Vikings offense could do the same to New Orleans defense, think again. The team at Football Outsiders says their game charting shows Jabari Greer as the 2nd best cornerback in the league behind Revis. Greer will definitely be draped over Sidney Rice all game. The Saints also had the 9th best pass defense in the league according to DVOA.

The Saints run defence is definitely susceptible up the middle, but if the Vikings fall behind by more than 7 points, it won’t matter much.

Finally, if you haven’t heard the song Prince wrote for the Vikings, check it out here. The audio player is on the right.
That is the most uninspiring piece of audio garbage I’ve heard in a while. As my wife said when I played it for her, “that’s humiliating”. And she LOVES Prince.  This can't be a good karmic sign for the Vikings.

All signs point against the Vikings making it to another big dance. I’ll take the Saints despite giving up 3.5 points.



Pete’s Perspective

The Vikings may (or may not) have ran up the score versus a peaking Cowboys team. I do love how Keith Brooking got mad at the Vikings for throwing that late touchdown, despite the Cowboys calling several time outs to preserve the clock. If you don’t want a team to play their hardest against you Keith, you should stop trying yourselves as well.


The Saints dominated the potent Cardinals and helped put to bed any concerns regarding their defense. Drew Brees and especially Mr. Kim Kardashian looked good in making the Cardinals look like terrible.

No doubt, this could be the game of the playoffs. Well, if it wasn’t for the Packers-Cardinals round 1 game.

The Vikings defense relies on getting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run. Any team that can block Allen and co. will have a much easier time beating the Vikings. This is what the game will come down to: the Saints O-line vs. the Vikings D-line. The Saints don’t rely on the running game and as such the run-stopping Williams duo won’t factor into the game much.

I just can’t see the Saints O-line blocking effectively versus the terror that is Jared Allen and I think Favre and Co. will be even better this week.

Don’t you think Favre would have been a good fit for the city known as the Big Easy?

I’ll take the Vikings and the 3 & ½ points.


Marty’s Perspective

This one is a no brainer for me.

I find these two teams very equal. They both have great offenses, although the edge would go to the Saints just on the fact that, well, I like that offense more.

The Vikings have a D-Line that could stop a Mack truck in its place. The Saints have a D-backfield that will give up yards, but will also cause turnovers, and are known to just plain Hawk the ball...that right, they are ball hawks.

I consider special teams to be equal. Harvin and Bush are both equally dangerous.

Where the differences come in this game are in Coaching and Home Field Advantage, which both favour the Saints.

I would rather have a garden gnome coaching my team than Brad Childress. Sean Peyton has proven to be a mad scientist with his offense, and will have new formations and plays up his sleeve to give the Vikings fits. And when they connect on these plays, the top might just pop of the Superdome like it’s a bottle of diet Pepsi, and a Mentos breath mint was just dropped in. Not only do the Saints win, but they win big, and the loss is placed squarely on the shoulders of one Brett Favre.

31-14 Saints, 3 picks by Favre.

That may be wishing and hoping, but hey, we can all dream, can't we?

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The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – The Vikings. I picked them based on which team had warmer jersey colors.

Maria - I’ll pick the Saints because the Vikings got whipped last weekend, they lost last weekend. No wait, not the saints...uh I don't know. I am being pressured to pick the Vikings. What was the vikings vs saints game last weekend? What was the final score? I better look into this. Wait the Saints and Vikings both won last week...I then...obviously, will be pick the Vikings although the Saints have not lost at home.

Norma - I have to go with Favre. I believe he has come this far, he will go to the Superbowl. I sure hope his team is there to back him up.
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Final Words

Here is a summary of our picks

Hopefully the games this weekend will be more entertaining than Chad Ochocinco’s bus trip. I’m still disappointed I didn’t get picked for the ride.





Many of the stats in this article are derived from the publicly available and premium database statistics at FootballOutsiders.com, NFL.com and ColdHardFootballFacts.com

Serie A – Not So Lonely At the Top

Nobody likes a blowout. The best part of watching a match is the suspense. Being a fan is the most fun when the competition is close and fierce.


Unfortunately, in the last few years the Serie A has been a blowout. Inter has run away with the Scudetto and frankly the only competitions that mattered were for second to fourth place and the relegation battles.

This season, however, is shaping up a little differently. Inter looked to be running away with it again, but have stumbled lately. Milan is 6 points back with a game in hand. Only 5 points separates 3rd place Roma from 8th place Fiorentina. This year could provide a sprint to the finish that we haven’t seen in a while.

And with the race this tight, the weekend will provide two titanic matchups; Inter vs Milan and Roma vs Juventus.

Here are my thoughts on the two matches:

Milan-Inter

Last time around, Inter embarrassed a Milan team that was still adapting to life under Leonardo.

This time around, Milan are hotter than a Silvio Berlusconi mistress. Inter, on the other hand have looked shaky in their wins and have given points away to Atalanta and Bari in the last few weeks.

Milan’s keys to victory:

Marco Borriello needs to continue making the most of his chances. He has worked wonders with the service he has been given lately and he’ll need another timely strike or two to help Milan offensively. He isn’t much of a threat with the ball at his feet, but has been able to steer some danger towards the opposition goal with his head and a knack for volleying at just the right time.

Thiago Silva will also need to elevate his game. His speed and agility will be put to the test against Diego Milito and Goran Pandev, especially with Alessandro Nesta injured. If Silva can’t keep the box clear, it will be a long day for Milan.

Inter’s keys to victory:

This squad badly needs Douglas Maicon to find his form again. If he can surge forward in attack, he’ll force Ronaldinho to cover defensively and steal his focus from guiding the Milan attack. Maicon is also fully capable of negating Ronaldinho on the defensive end with a physical style of defense.

Inter may have found the Serie A signing of the summer in Wesley Sneijder. He has been the play-maker they hoped for and a huge threat on free kicks. If Milan allow Sneijder time on the ball or space to operate, Inter will score several.

Roma-Juventus

Another story of two clubs currently going in opposite directions. Juventus and Roma met at the start of the Serie A season. The first matchup was a clear win for Juventus and appeared to mark Diego’s arrival as the next Serie A superstar.

Now, Juventus are in crisis, which seemed so unlikely after destroying Inter just a few weeks ago. Roma, on the other hand are surging up the table on a hot streak.

Juventus’ keys to victory:

The Old Lady signed Diego this offseason for a very specific reason. They needed someone to create chances for their offense and a strong stable of strikers. For Juventus to return to form, Diego needs to play grittier, refuse to be denied the ball and make defenders pay for marking him too close. He is a magician with the ball at his feet but needs to find his confidence again. Both Mexes and Juan are capable of being beaten on the break, Diego needs to exploit that.

Another disappointing player this season has been Amauri. He has looked lost out there for most of the season, despite being Juve’s best player last campaign. Amauri needs to stop worrying about whether he’s Brazilian or Italian and just perform on the pitch. If he doesn’t, he won’t be playing for either national team.

Roma’s keys to victory:

Luca Toni has looked fantastic so far in a few games with Roma. He provides a target up front and frees Francesco Totti to play in the hole, and Mirko Vucinic to terrorize the wing or drop off to link with midfield. If Toni can continue to provide the dangerous presence up front, it will provide much more space for his side’s creative players.

Danielle De Rossi is one of the premier tacklers in all of Serie A. His job on Sunday will be to disrupt Juve’s buildup through midfield and make life miserable for Diego. If he can frustrate the small Brazilian and make him work for touch of the ball, then Roma have a great chance to keep the Bianconeri’s offense stagnant.

Questionable NFL Coaching Movement

Am I unaware of an intense amount of blackmail, the back-stabbing that happens behind closed doors or just the sheer lack of judgement in NFL front offices?  After this week, I would have to say "all of the above".

Does Norv have pictures of Dean Spanos wife?
For starters, the San Diego Chargers handed Norv Turner a 3 year contract extension.  Go ahead, read that sentence again, I had to.  Norv inhereted what most of us thought was the most talented team in the NFL and has a 32-16 record while going 3-3 in the playoffs.  That's quite good on the surface, but as most of us know, Norv continually finds ways to blow close games.  He may not tighten up like Marty Schottenheimer did, but he's far from a guy I'd be handing an extra 3 years. 

His teams seem to self destruct in big moments and he frequently mishandles the clock and key decisions at the end of games.

The timing of the extension was also curious to me.  How do you hand your coach another 3 years of confidence less than 24 hours after a playoff loss in which his team was heavily favored?

Is McDaniels the "Lumberg" of the NFL?
The second big piece of coaching news this week is the saga surrounding Mike Nolan.  For those that haven't heard, Josh McDaniels and Mike Nolan had some sort of disagreement, and have decided to part ways.  I have no idea what to make of this one.  Do people just hate being around McDaniels at this point?

For starters, Nolan took the Broncos defense from 31st in DVOA last season to 7th in the league during the 2009 campaign.  The defense was the real strong point of the Denver season and helped them lock in big wins like the one early in the season against New England.  I'm not sure what happened, but Nolan has quickly latched on as the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins.

So now McDaniels has traded a franchise quarterback (and I use that term loosely) after alienating him, lost his star defensive coordinator and is still pushing out two productive members of the offense in Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler. 

I roasted McDaniels for the Cutler situation, and frankly I think he was smarter than I after seeing how Cutler played in Chicago.  And let's be honest, Brandon Marshall is a whiny b*tch a lot of the time.  So where does Mike Nolan fit in?  I look forward to hearing any juicy news that leaks about this one.

Who was next on the list, Lane Kiffin?
So...apparently no big-name candidates are interested in the Buffalo Bills job.  And also, no small-name candidates are interested either.  Does this resume sound like something that should excite the Bills fan base?

1984-2001 Various NFL positions, 2 as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys
2002-2007 Head Coach of Georgia Tech, amassing a 37-27 record.  Fired in 2007
2008-2009 Offensive Coordinator of the KC Chiefs and demoted after 3 pre-season games in 2009
2010 - THE NEW BUFFALO BILLS HEAD COACH!

In the last 8 years, Chan Gailey has guided GT to a mediocre 5-year record and has been demoted from the offensive coordinator role on a terrible NFL team.  This isn't exactly a great first hire for new GM Buddy Nix.  I would like to apologize to all Bills fans in advance for the pain you're about to go through in 2010.  It's not going to be pretty.

Let us know what you think of a few of the moves and if there are any of missed.

UPDATE JAN 20 - It appears that McDaniels may have forced Nolan out of Denver by telling him that he wouldn't be allowed to blitz as much next season.  Nolan didn't like McDaniels dictating the defensive philosophy to him and left.  There's also quite a few conspiracy theories floating around that McDaniels didn't like a former NFL head coach (Nolan) on his staff in case Pat Bowlen decided to part ways with him mid-season.

Also, our good friend Sarah over at RWWF had a great take on the Chan Gailey hire.  Check it out here.

Division Round Deep Outs - Dignity Bowl Update!

...And the NFL is now down to four teams.

...And the dignity bowl has been turned upside down! Well, maybe not turned upside down, but it seems as though order was restored a bit, this week. For me at least.

I spent the early part of this past week walking around like a zombie...like I had been hit in the face with a frying pan. It was like my entire world had collapsed beneath my feet, and I was struggling to hold on. By Wednesday the bottle of whisky was empty, and it was time to start getting back to what I do best: Picking games!

So now I am back on top of the world! There is a spring in my step, and it feels like the first day of spring. I was the only person in our little contest to go 3-1, and actually the only one to go above .500 for a week in this crazy pick’em contest.

What makes it even better is that my mother had the worst week of anyone. She went 1-3, which vaults me into the lead with only 3 games remaining.

All three writers hold a lead on their mothers, Pete by 2, Ryan and Marty both by a single game. There is still a lot of football left to play. Well, at least 3 games. That means all three writers CAN put it away this week.

Good luck, Moms and Sons!

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Arizona @ New Orleans

The week started off with a bang, as Tim

Hightower took the first play from scrimmage 70 yards to put the Cardinals on top....Unfortunately, that would be the last lead the cardinals would ever have this season.

It might have been a game of a few ‘lasts’. It may have been the last time Kurt Warner took an NFL snap, and the last time he gets blown the hell up! The hit he took in the 2nd quarter was not only clean, but devastating. My props to the old man for getting back in, dusting himself off, and attempting to get the Cards back into things...but I mean really, if he DIDN’T play, it was game over as the only other option was to pull Matt Leinart out of his hot tub party to rally the troops.

So what will the Cardinals look like without Warner next seasons, assuming he does pull the chute on his career? Does the Whizzinator (no, not Onterrio Smith) really go into next season with Matt Leinart as his #1? Does he look for a QB in the draft (they have the 26th pick)? The NFC West could REALLY be up for grabs next season.

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Baltimore @ Indianapolis

Heading into the week, the talk about rookie QBs centered with the Jets in San Diego, but Flacco looked like the rookie out there(he did complete 22 passes, although 2 of those were to the Colts). But give the Colts credit where credit is due, they shut down that little turn, Ray Rice, holding him to just 67 yards on 13 carries (Although when you throw in the 60 receiving, he still topped 120 yards on the day).

Peyton Manning looked like, well, Peyton Manning, although he got very lucky when Ed Reed picked off a pass, and returned it half the length of the field before getting the ball punched out by Haitian Pierre Garcon. In the very next series, Manning threw another pick to Reed only to have it called back due to pass interference. Lucky lucky.....

Manning was also subject to one of the funnier plays on Saturday night. Listen closely as he takes the snap, and rolls to his right, and you can hear him yelling and Donald Brown, who missed a blocking assignment. ‘God Dammit Donald!’

Too Funny!

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Dallas @ Minnesota

This seemed to be the hardest game to call going into the weekend, after all, if was a battle between heavyweight coaches Wade Phillips and Brad Childress. Essentially, it was the battle to see which one could mess up the game more.

But like the previous 2 games, it was over before the first 15 minutes had been played. Favre played some of the best football I have ever seen a 65 year old man play, and Sidney Rice was a force! More importantly, this set up a game that I have been dreaming for since about week 5. Saints Vs. Vikings in the Superdome for all of the NFC marbles! Ooooh, this is going to be a good one!

I am interested to see the backlash in Dallas after Phillips dropped another playoff game. At some point, Jerry Jones has to realize that he is not the coach they need in Dallas, doesn’t he? My guess is that Bill Cowher’s phone was ringing early this morning, and the man on the other end has a blank cheque....and a lot of plastic surgery done to his face.

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New York @ San Diego

As I had mentioned in my dignity bowl picks, this was an amazing matchup for the Jets, as they featured the #1 rushing attack against the chargers lacklustre rushing defence. The cards just fell right for Rex Ryan’s squad as they gave up over 250 first half yards, and ended the half with just a 7-3 deficit.

In the 2nd half, the Jets defence collapsed on Phil Rivers, and Shonn Green once again came to life to lift the Jets past the Chargers.

I have to make 2 comments on the Chargers:

1) Similar to Wade Phillips in Dallas, don’t you have to start worrying about having Norv Turner as your coach? This team has some of the best talent in the league, yet always manages to mess it all up come Playoff time. Hell, maybe Cowher’s phone has both Leatherface from Dallas calling, along with AJ Smith. And if I was Cowher, I know where the weather (and talent) is nicer!

2) Once again, we got a front row seat for the ‘Tomlinson Look’. This view is getting so familiar that there is even a McFarlane toy to show it. You can stick a fork in LT, as his 2 yard average in a playoff game just isn’t enough to help a team win. Look for San Diego to draft an RB in the first 3 rounds of the draft this season.

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So in conclusion, I think we are going to be very entertained by next week’s games....Finally. Because, other than the Cards-Packers game, it’s been a pretty underwhelming NFL playoff season.

Dignity Bowl: Our NFL picks for the Division Round Playoff Games

With one week under our belts, it doesn’t look like anyone on the Sports Opinionated staff knew their stuff. We were a collective 4-8 while our moms went 2-10.

Personally, I felt a little like Alan Garner (Zach Galifinakis’ character) on The Hangover, lost and throwing out comments that had no relevance whatsoever. In honor of my man Alan, I’ll be relating each of my picks this week to one of his lines from the movie.

On another note, Marty is currently losing to his mom. I’m sure he’d like us to gloss over that point, but I can’t mention it enough. MARTY IS LOSING TO HIS MOM. Never mind that that I’m also losing to Norma, let’s just focus on the fact that I’m beating my own mother…yeah, that’s better.

Arizona @ New Orleans -7

Ryan’s Perspective

“You probably get this a lot. This isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace is it?”

The real question for this game is, have we seen the real Saints the last few weeks. Through the first 11 games of the season, the Saints were the most unstoppable force in the NFL. Over the final 5 games, teams kept it close by running the ball and limiting big plays to the Saints passing game. Last week, it didn’t look like the Cardinals specialized in limiting big passing plays.

The Saints have the best offense of any team in the playoffs. The have the most efficient (#1 in DVOA) running offense in the NFL, and the 5th best passing attack. It’s hard to take something away from them. They also have a decent pass defense that creates turn-overs.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, were a middle of the pack team until last week when Kurt Warner put up one of the best quarterback performances in NFL history. The chances of him repeating that performance aren’t great.

I’ll take the Saints despite giving up 7 points.

Pete’s Perspective

Can you believe Kurt Warner threw more touchdown passes (5) versus the Packer defense (and Charles Woodson) than he threw incomplete (4)? Crazy. The Cardinals are coming into New Orleans on a high note while New Orleans is limping into their playoff match with a 3 game losing streak. After having an up and down year and experiencing some injuries, New Orleans’ blitzing defense should now have had adequate time to prepare. You have to worry about the Cardinals having spent all their emotions in last week’s memorable wild card game.

All this being said, I would treat this match up more as a toss up as New Orleans has been rather cold during the latter half of the season and the Cardinals seem to be going on a hot streak and I’ve witnessed this last year when they went to the Super Bowl.

This spread is too great to pass up.

I will take the Cardinals and the 7 points.

Marty’s Perspective

By far the hardest game of the week to pick. I love the Saints at home, coming off the bye. I still think Drew Brees is the best QB in football, and thier set of WRs is unstoppable. But hate the fact that they played like a bunch of blind midgets for the 3 weeks prior to the bye is weighing heavily in my head. When it comes to playoff coaches, I have to take the Whiz over Sean Payton. The final deciding factor for me was the fact that I made a statement last week that has stuck in my head: 'Never bet against Kurt Warner in the playoffs'. I think I have to follow those sentiments.

THE PICK: Cards +7

The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – I’ll take the Cardinals because they’re an animal.

Maria - I pick the Cardinals over the Saints (Just a feeling they could be the upset)

Norma - NO has been running on a winning bubble, and they wear black...black is not good. I'll take the Cardinals. How many points can they lose by?

Baltimore @ Indianapolis -6.5

Ryan’s Perspective

“Hey guys, when’s the next Haley’s comet?”

Alan didn’t want to miss Haley’s comet because it rarely comes around. You know what else rarely happens? Winning a playoff game on the road when your quarterback throws for only 34 yards. Trust me, unless Flacco steps it up, repeating last week’s success will be very difficult for the Ravens.

Statistically, the Ravens defense (5th in DVOA) matches up well with Indy’s offense (9th) and their rushing offense (4th) should gain a lot of ground against a weak Colts rushing defense (20th). I just can’t see Flacco having the time to throw with Freeney and Mathis healthy, especially given his mysterious injury status. Whether it’s his hip, quad or knee, it all limits his mobility. The Colts will stack the line and hope the Ravens try to pass. They’ve shown it in past playoff games against KC and Denver. Once the Colts take a lead, the Ravens are in big trouble.

And the Colts, have the 4th Quarter Assassin, Peyton Manning himself.  You can't measure that with stats.

The Colts will win this game, it’s just a matter of the spread. I’ll take the Colts despite giving up 6.5 points.

Pete’s Perspective

The Ravens are peaking at the right time. Their running game was virtually unstoppable last week and their defense is finally coming to form after a mediocre season. The Colts were led by (my) MVP Peyton Manning and despite lack of a running game and a below average defense, almost ran the table until their (rookie) head coach decided to kill all their momentum and bench his starters. Ravens are hot, the Colts are not. These teams met earlier in week 11 where the Colts beat the Ravens by 2. Week 11, the Ravens defense wasn’t playing well and Ray Rice wasn’t as dominating. Those facts have since changed. Jim Caldwell single-handedly killed any momentum the Colts had and the Ravens are playing their best ball of the season.

Although I think Peyton and the Colts can win this game, I believe it will be closer than the spread.

I’ll take the Ravens and the 6.5 points.

Marty’s Perspective

This is the easiest pick of the weekend for me (which probably means I will lose it), but the Ravens are coming off a big win, meaning they are getting more respect than they should. The Colts have just had a bye, and have proven that when they have their entire team on the field they are just a better team.

WHAT SCARES ME: Last time these teams played, the Ravens kicked 6FGs, and hit 5. That means they were NOT capitalizing on their redzone opportunities. If they can do that this time, it's going to be Baltimore's game.

THE PICK: Colts -6.5

The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – I’ll take Baltimore because I know you like the Colts.

Maria - I pick the Colts over the Ravens (You know why - that's right --Ryan's favourite team and Payton Manning)


Norma: This is a given. Colts. Cause I like horses better than birds. Especially black birds.

Marty: 'Its not about Manning, Flacco, or Rice?'

Norma: 'Who are they? Does Rice run? '

Marty: 'Yes, Rice runs.'

Norma: 'So he is a reciever?'

Dallas @ Minnesota – 2.5

Ryan’s Perspective

“It’s not illegal, it’s frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane.”

Alan was talking about counting cards. I’m talking about having Adrian Peterson on your roster and having the 23rd most efficient rushing attack in the NFL. The Vikings are in love with Brett Favre, just like every TV announcer. That man-crush is going to cost them a playoff game, if they keep ignoring one of the best offensive players in the NFL.

The Vikings have to face the most dangerous team in the NFL right now, and they’ve spent all season forgetting about their best weapon. Favre has given the Vikes another facet to the offense, and their passing game (4th) has been great, but they’ve forgotten how to run the ball. Against Dallas’ pass-rushing trio of DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and Jay Ratliff, the Vikings are going to get Favre killed.

The Cowboys offense, however, shouldn’t have too much trouble moving the ball through the air, as their 3rd most efficient passing offense faces a Vikings defense ranked 22nd.

This will be a close game, but I’ll take the Cowboys and the 2.5 points.

Pete’s Perspective

For the past 6 years I’ve looked at the Cowboys and thought that if they could ever get hot in the playoff (and survive their tough division) they would be a force. Is the year they play up to their expectations and potential? Their offense has been good all year and their defense is now playing as well as they should with their big lineman able to pressure the quarterback and stuff the run equally effective. Since their victory in New Orleans, they seem to be playing with more confidence, especially on defense.

The Vikings pass defense is lacking and will have a tough time keeping up with Austin, Williams and Witten. The cocaine-fuelled, mullet-haired freak-a-zoid that is Jared Allen will have to have a big game to get Romo to throw some hurried passes and make some mistakes.

I will look for Allen to single-handedly make people question Romo’s ability in the playoffs (once again…) and with a rested Favre and Peterson able to control possession. This game could go down to the wire and I still have images of Favre’s TD pass to Greg Lewis to win the game vs. the 49er’s. I just can’t bet against that image (at least not this week).

I’ll take the Vikings and give the 2.5 points.

Marty’s Perspective

Once again, another coin flip, but there were 3 things that pointed me to my eventual pick:

1) The location: Being at the HHH Metrodome is a large advantage to the Vikes

2) The Bye: Having that week off is under-estimated

3) The Win: The cowboys were celebrating their first playoff victory since 1996 like it was the Superbowl. It's now time for a slight letdown as they will slide back into Wade Phillips Playoff Football.

THE PICK: Vikings -2.5

Sidenote: Based on the 4 coaches left in the NFC (Phillips, Peyton, Childress, Whizenhunt), you have to like the Cardinals chances of getting back to the Super Bowl.

The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – like I said last week, I hate Dallas. I’ll take the Vikings.

Maria - I pick the Viking over the Cowboys (They haven't lost a game at home & they are Garry's favourite team)

Norma - It's going to be a really good game, because they both have good offensive lines, and I love Favre. He is an excellent QB, but the cowboys will tie him down, so I am taking the Cowboys. This one is really a tossup.

New York Jets @ San Diego – 7.5

Ryan’s Perspective

“Okay, well maybe we should tell that to Rain Man, because he practically bankrupted a casino, and he was a ri-tard.”

Alan was sure he could count cards and break a casino, despite the odds being stacked against him. The Jets are in a similar predicament.

The NFL history books say you don’t make a run to the Superbowl with a rookie quarterback. The Jets believe their defense (#1 in DVOA) and running game (11th), can overcome their poor passing game (28th).

The Chargers are the Bizarro Jets. They have the best passing offense in the league by a huge margin and are miserable in every other facet of the game. That juggernaut aerial attack has put them on an 11 game win streak though.

“Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water, the other third is covered by Darrelle Revis” Warren Sapp on the Dan Patrick show.

Sapp had it right, Revis is simply the best cover corner in the game. He can eliminate any receiver. Unfortunately for the Jets, the Chargers spread the ball around really well, without depending on one marquee player. Also, San Diego’s offensive line had the 5th best sack rate in the NFL, meaning Rivers will have plenty of time to find a target.

Once the Chargers get ahead, they’ll force The Sanchize to throw a crippling pick-six or two. I’ll take the Chargers despite giving up 7.5 points.

Pete’s Perspective

The Chargers are the hottest team in football, so I am told. They were undefeated in their last eleven games. They have a great quarterback who spreads the ball and throws an accurate deep ball. Their defense makes plays when it needs to. With that being said, I am still puzzled why I am being forced to believe that they are the best football team in the league whenever I read popular sports media or listen to the experts on the radio. Yes, winning eleven games in a row is a great accomplishment however their schedule was terribly easy during that time, beating teams like the Oakland, Kansas City (twice) and Washington. I seem like I am the only football fan that is not sold on the Chargers just yet. I can't stop thinking that their passing attack (focused on 2 players: Jackson and Gates) and that 11 game run has people fooled.

The Jets, on the other hand, are built like a playoff team, with one exception. Their defense ranked number one and is the best versus the pass. Their running game is the most productive in the league and allows them to control possession. The exception being their rookie quarterback. As many people can't bet on a rookie quarterback in the playoffs, I can if he plays behind the best offensive line in the league, plays with the best rushing attack and has the top ranked defense. Sanchez hasn't been the problem on offense so far anyway. It's been stone-hands Edwards. If Braylon's hands did half as much as he's mouth does he wouldn't be among the leaders in drops. He's drops this year have been so terrible; they made Randy Moss's drops look like Moss was trying to catch those balls vs. Carolina. Sanchez will have to figure out that he is better off aiming to get the ball stuck in Edwards' facemask than hitting him in the numbers.

I'll take the J---E---T---S, JETS, JETS, JETS, JETS and the 7.5 points.

Marty’s Perspective

Bah! A 2nd week of a rookie QB going on the road (this time across the country) to face a good team in the playoffs. It's against a team that has won 11 in a row, that has one of the hottest QBs in football. BUT! The Jets strength is with the run (1st in the NFL during regular season), and the Chargers are susceptible (20th in the NFL in rushing defence). The Jets are good AGAINST the pass (2nd), and give up the run (8th). The chargers are a passing team (5th), and can't run the ball worth a S##T (31st)! I think the Chargers pull it out, but it will be much closer than the 7.5 points.

THE PICK: JETS +7.5

The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – I’ll take the Jets because it reminds me of the Jetsons!

Maria - I pick the Chargers over the Jets (I like their uniforms and they have a pretty good offence. OK maybe this will be just a guess.)

Norma - I like Sanchez…he is an excellent rookie QB. I have never seen a chargers game, but I have to go with the Chargers because everyone else is going with the Chargers.
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Final Words

Here is a summary of our picks

Have a beer, have some nachos, enjoy the games, and in the immortal words of Alan Garner….

“Hey, you guys ready to let the dogs out?”





Many of the stats in this article are derived from the publicly available and premium database statistics at FootballOutsiders.com, NFL.com and ColdHardFootballFacts.com

A Seahawks Leap of Faith...

The NFL playoffs are a fascinating time of year. It's a time where every analyst from ESPN to some random sports blogger (*cough*) can break down each game in every direction, and make gimmicky picks against their mothers. It is also a time of transition. The first Monday after the final game is widely known as 'Black Monday' and the couple of weeks following are known for new general managers, new coaches, new staff, and new schemes.

This year, one of the more interesting situations landed in Seattle, which happens to be the team I follow closer than any other in professional sports. It has caused me to be glued to websites such as ESPN.com, and Seahawks message boards.

And after countless hours spent reading articles stating the pros and cons of the Pete Carroll hire, it’s time for me, the Seahawk's #1 twenty-nine year old Calgary-based fan, to chime in! I would like to dissect every part of the story and every criticism against the Pete Carroll hiring... and honestly, I could write 10,000 words on this, but I will try to keep it short(ish).

THE JIM MORA FIRING:

Last Wednesday, Jim Mora took to the podium as Seahawks head coach and delivered what was called the 'State of the Union' speech. He said he is still working hard to improve this team, and once again improve next season. (The Seahawks 'improved' in '09 from '08. They went from 4

wins to 5. At that pace, they would be a playoff team by 2014!) He mentioned that he was excited to see the team on the field next season. Little did he know that the only way he would be seeing the team on the field in '10 was the same way I would be seeing the team on the field in '10: by buying a ticket. Apparently word had come down from the top (Paul Allen, aka Mr.

Weatherbee) that it was time for a new direction. Mora was canned, and almost immediately it was reported by ESPN (Chris Mortenson) that the target for the Seahawks was Pete Carroll.

Was Mora treated poorly? Well, he was shocked by his firing, but more importantly, did Mora and his coaching staff DESERVE another year? In my opinion (once again, self proclaimed Seahawks know-it-all), it all hinged on the offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. In my opinion, the five month old panda cub Yun Zi could guide an offense better than Greg Knapp. If it came down to Mora proclaiming, 'If he goes, I go!', then good riddance!

Seahawks CEO Todd Liewicki was quoted as describing the Seahawks front office situation as 'dysfunctional', and that is understandable. Two seasons ago, there was a major rift between then-coach Mike Holmgren, and then-GM Tim Ruskell. Ruskell forced Holmgren's hand in resigning and named then-Defensive Backs coach Jim Mora Jr. as coach-in-waiting. All hell broke loose, and no one had been able to pull it together. What better way to solve the problem then cleaning house and starting anew.

Marty's Verdict: HELL YES!

THE CARROLL HIRING:

As stated up there ^, the Seahawks were immediately rumoured to be interested in Pete Carroll, and I believe I could even hear the collective voices of Seattle mutter 'pardon me?' when the rumour was announced. I immediately began the six steps of a team rumour:

1. Disbelief - 'That cannot be true!'

2. Anger - 'It better not be true!'

3. Confusion - 'Why would they look to HIM???'

4. Dumbfoundness - 'Bah! Huh?'

5. Rationalization - 'Well, he did win two national titles.'

6. Acceptance - 'Ok, I can handle this!'

It took approximately 90 seconds to get through those initial steps, and since then, I have been in the 'Motivated' phase.

**A side note of this process was the mockery that the Seahawks made of the Rooney Rule, which states that a team must interview at least one minority candidate when hiring for front office positions. The Seahawks reached out to Leslie Frazier (Defensive Coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings) to make sure they were in compliance. I have to ask, what good is the Rooney Rule in a situation like this? Isn't it actually LESS effective to make a 'fake' interview? I believe there should be a change to the rule that would read:

Rooney Rule: When interviewing MORE THAN ONE CANDIDATE for a front office position, a minority candidate must be in the mix. Both the situation in Seattle, and also in Washington (The Redskins brought in their own DC Jerry Grey to comply with the rule before hiring Mike Shanahan), only one candidate was ever considered, but a second minority

candidate still HAD to be interviewed. What a sham!

Marty's Verdict: I'm drinking the Kool-Aid

LEAVING USC BEHIND

The S is hitting the fan at the University of Southern California. It seems as though they have not run the most, uh, reputable program over the last decade, and it’s just now reaching daylight. First, Reggie Bush is taking a house from an agent for his mom, and then Joe McKnight is driving around hummers. Hell, even the recruiting for basketball seems to be done with cruel intentions. It seems like everyone will pay dearly for this one... and it has the talking heads wondering if this is a reason Carroll left USC like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.

...And you know what, it might be true. But the fact of the matter is that he spent nine years at USC and accomplished everything a coach can accomplish at a college. He won seven PAC-10 championships, two national titles, nurtured the skills of three Heisman trophy winners, and apparently hid a pill popping assistant coach on staff for as long as he could. Like I said, what else is there to accomplish?

When he was last seen in the NFL, Pete Carroll had been fired as Head Coach of the New England Patriots after three seasons and a 27-21 record (plus 1-2 in the playoffs). He immediately went to a team in disarray. A team that had had a couple of down years, and had just come off an incompetent coach. The cupboards were bare and talent was slim.

Sound familiar?

In just his second year at USC, they were the top of the conference, and playing meaninful games after the ball in Times Square had dropped.

As a Seahawks fan, I can only hope we are playing in January 2012.

Marty's Verdict: L.A. sucks. Seattle is great. Easy choice.

THE MOTIVATION:

One of the biggest questions of note when thinking about Carroll’s ability to coach in the NFL is, he can motivate 18 year old freshmen, but can he motivate 25 year old millionaires?

I listened intently to the press conference introducing Carroll as the new coach, and with every word passed through his Attention-Deficit-Disordered lips, I wanted week one to be here more and more. I headed to the Seahawks message boards, and the message was clear: 'WE ARE PUMPED ABOUT THIS!’ I received emails just moments after Carroll had stepped off the podium from friends and fellow Seahawks, and once again it was unanimous! I headed to the interwebs, and the twitters, and even Seahawks players were pumped! Aaron Curry even tweeted 'Iight Pete...LET'S DO THIS'. If you can read through the, as Harry Reid called it, 'Negro Dialect', you can clearly see that Curry is pumped.

If Carroll can pump up me, and others like me, then why can't he get those around him pumped up to beat the living hell of the other team on the field?

Marty's Verdict: I am MOTIVATED!!!

THE COACHING STAFF:

Here is what we know:

- Jeremy Bates (pictured left, with Carroll) is on board as Offensive Coordinator. This is the best news of the coaching changes. The one-time Bronco OC is known as a rising star in the coaching world, and was destined to go to join his good friend Jay Cutler in Chicago before his USC boss took a job in Seattle. Now the rising star has landed in the Pacific Northwest and is ready to make a star out of this entire offense.....we hope!

- Handling the O-line is the legendary Alex Gibbs, who is leaving a consultant spot for the Texans in the dust for much brighter days in the overcast skies of Seattle!

- Another rising star and former NFLer, Ken Norton Jr. will be handling LB Coaching duties, and will have TONS to work with: two All-Pros in Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill, along with Aaron Curry, who was touted as the best player in the 2009 draft. If Norton can focus the energy of this crew, they could end up with an awesome nickname like 'Smash-Crash-and-Flash' or something like that. Hell, if RB duo's get nicknames, why can’t we name a LB trio, too? By the way, Lofa would be Flash! That guy is awesome!

What we don’t know yet is who will be the Defensive Coordinator. People were originally saying DeWayne Walker (New Mexico St. Head Coach) would step in, but it now looks like it could be former Bills DC Jerry Grey and Dan Quinn (current Seahawks DL coach, not former NHLer) splitting the duties.

Marty's Verdict: NCAA Goodness!

THE QUESTIONS LEFT TO BE ANSWERED:

- Who will be the GM? The names being thrown around right now are former Titans head-honcho Floyd Reese and Omar Khan from the Steelers. I would love to see Reese as GM, as he is responsible for the drafting on three Rookie of the Years, and that does not include Albert Haynesworth and the late Steve McNair.

- Can Carroll COACH? We know he can motivate and we know he has put together a decent staff, but can he actually put together a game plan?

- Is Carroll a different coach than he was 9 years ago? (Read: Is he ready for an NFL challenge again?) I wish I had the answer to this one. Mike Lombardi seems to think so, and I can only hope so!

After all, this is my team, and he is my coach.

The Premier League Is Getting Sucked Dry

With all the news surfacing about Manchester United’s debt re-shuffling, I think it’s time we admitted the truth. Several EPL teams are being run in the equivalent manner of Nortel and Enron. The league may still have a record television contract and rapidly increasing revenue streams, but it could all come crumbling down in a hurry.


It’s no secret that clubs are being bought up by foreign ownership who view them as a revenue source, not always as a sporting club. This evolution is exactly the same in other major sports leagues. What is being done drastically different than in North America, however, is the lack of fiscal policy in place to ensure the financial health of these clubs.

Portsmouth made close to £99m on recent transfers and yet cannot afford to pay their player’s wages. Manchester City reported a loss of £148m in 2009. Liverpool is sitting on over £300m in debt since their takeover by American owners.

The worst example, however, is Manchester United. Since the Red Devils takeover by the Glazer family (who own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), the club has taken on record debt.

The Glazers bought Man U for a total of £810m, but only £270m was their own money and the rest was borrowed. They saddled the club with the extra £540m in debt. Since that time, they have been liable for almost £325m in debt payments, some of which were unpaid and have been tacked onto the club’s debt load.

The club currently owes over £700m and pays close to £67m a year in interest.

What has this meant for the average Man U fan? They’ve got the privilege of buying tickets that have doubled in price.

Man U made a profit last year of £26m, but only because they sold Cristiano Ronaldo for a record fee of £81m. Selling your best asset is not exactly good long term business.

The latest scheme by the Glazers is to refinance almost £500m in debt as a bond issuance using Old Trafford and other club assets as security. This is an attempt to reduce the debt rate and payments. They may even spin off a holdings company with their training ground, Carrington, as the main asset and lease it back. Who gives up an asset to another company and then pays to lease it from the company they just gave it to? You don’t need an MBA or to be a chartered accountant to see the ridiculous ploy here.

It’s easy to see that the Premier League has a problem, but it’s not quite as easy to figure out a solution. I really see two ways out, and neither one is likely to be welcome.

The first thing most EPL clubs (and those from other leagues as well) need to do, is stop out-spending their revenue. This may seem simple, but in a constant “arms race” to be the best, clubs are spending ridiculous sums of cash for marginal players. While a club like Liverpool has the money to absorb a few mistakes, smaller clubs clearly cannot.

Clubs need to harvest talent from their youth programs or follow the path of Arsene Wenger and buy talented youngsters, rather than stars in their primes.

More importantly, the Premier League should set financial standards in order to maintain league status. UEFA already uses this type of system to ensure Champions League participants are not financially delinquent. The EPL could require some type of debt-to-revenue ratio in order to be considered an active member of the league. This would ensure that clubs are not over-leveraged and squeezed for cash, while still allowing the bigger clubs to spend their giant revenue.

I would argue even further for a salary cap or a transfer fee cap, but I know those ideas are too revolutionary for European soccer at this point in time.

The league needs to wise up and realize what the fans of many clubs already have, that massive increasing debt and crippling salaries will ruin the teams they once loved.

Wildcard Weekend Deep Outs

Wildcard Weekend is in the bag, and judging by my picks in the Dignity Bowl, there were a few surprises. After all, I finished 1-3, and lost to not only my mother, but my girlfriend got in on the action for a side bet, and also beat me. My picks were bested by a mother that made her picks based on cities that were closer to her home in Manitoba, and by a girlfriend who’s strategy was to ‘bet on animal names,’ Seriously. My entire world of handicapping has been shaken like a snow-globe.

It only gets worse for me, too. I am the only writer that is actually trailing our mother after week 1 of the playoffs. I am the laughing stock of the Sports-Opinionated writers, and of the internet community as a whole. I need to pick up the slack next week and get back into this one.

Oh, want one more kick in the ass for me? I had originally selected the Ravens, and at the last minute called into our Dignity Bowl czar and flip-flopped to the Pats. Good lord, I feel like a total loser!

I guess I am!

Overall, Pete and Norma are the only two who were able to keep a record at 0.500. Marty and Ryan both won a single game, and Kim and Maria were shut out.

Pete has a 2 game lead over Maria.
Ryan has a 1 game lead over Kim
Marty is trailing Norma by a single game.

Jets @ Bengals:

Playoff football! Yes! The only thing better is playoff hockey! It’s one and done for 4 teams this weekend. One bad game by a QB, one mis-timed turnover, and your season is done. It’s why these players show up in July for training camps, and why us fans trounce through 17 weeks of regular season football! The Playoffs!

...And man was I ready! I had my beer in hand, my munchies placed on the coffee table, ready to watch the first playoff game of the season! I saw Benson and Palmer cut through the Jets defence for a TD...

....And then it was lights out...

I awoke from my slumber nearly 2 hours later, and to my surprise, the Jets were leading 21-7. What the hell happened to the Bengals while I was in la-la land!

So because of this 2 hour nap, my review of this game is limited. I know that Shane Graham did his best to keep the Bengals from winning, and in the process, solidified the fact he will be kicking in a new city next year. I know Sanchez completed all but 3 of his passes, and one of these was a dropped TD from Braylon Edwards. I know Sanchez took a nice cut at his former college coach (and now Seahawks head coach) Pete Carroll. I know Cedric Benson had a VERY nice TD run. But that is about all I know about the game!

Eagles @ Cowboys:

I managed to stay awake for this one, but also managed to drink an entire bottle of rye while watching it. It really didn’t really matter, though, as this one was over by halftime.

My question going into this game was ‘Which Donovan McNabb would show up?’ If the motivated-to-win Donovan showed up, this was going to be an amazing game. But instead we got the crap-tastic version of a future Hall Of Famer. The one that completes just 3 passes for 39 yards in the first half of action. The one that seems like he is more interested in watching Hockey Night in Canada than playing a playoff game. Speaking of Hockey Night in Canada, because of the blow-out status of this game, it gave us ample opportunity to watch the Flames beat the Canucks.

I have one question, though: Where was Marion the Barbarian, and why was he not even on the field? It was a question that it took until the FOURTH QUARTER for the announcers to answer. He was healthy enough to play, but the coach was keeping him out. I have him in a playoff pool, and was VERY upset by this news.

By winning this game, it sets up Cowboys-Vikings next week, which could end up being the game of the week. Is there a hotter team than the Cowboys? Can they walk into Minny and crush the dreams of the Childress-led Vikings?

I hope so...

Ravens @ Patriots:

As I stated earlier, heading into the weekend, this was the hardest game for me to call. I had thought that the Pats wouldn't be able to get over the loss of Welker, and finally settled on the idea of Julian Edelman filling the role nicely, and the fact that Tom Brady never loses at home.

Boy was I wrong.

The first play from scrimmage was an 83 yard touchdown, and the Ravens never looked back. I guess it didn’t really hurt that Brady turned the ball over 4 times (3 picks and a fumble).

Ugh...Another lost pick and a win by an animal-named team.

Packers @ Cardinals:

This game was over early...or so I thought. With a 31-10 lead early in the third quarter, I had made amends with the fact I was going to lose the third game of the season. Low and behold, the packers decided to come out in the second half and play some football. Basically the entire face of the game changed in the 3^rd when on the ensuing kickoff after a TD, the packers recovered an onside kick, and again put the ball in the end zone to cut the lead to only a single score.

...We had a ballgame.

And a damn good one! Two of the best gunslingers in the league showed off their arms as they sliced and diced the opposition defence. Rodgers and Warner combined for 801 yards, 9TDs, and only a single interception (which was the very first pass attempt of the game).

But after all was said and done, the game was closed off in OT as Aaron Rodgers fumbled the ball into the hands of Karlos Dansby who was able to march into the end zone. A very thrilling end to a very thrilling game.

By far the best game of the weekend.

4 teams awaited the results of this weekend’s games, and as soon as Dansby crossed the goal line on Sunday night, we had the schedule set for the Divisional round of the playoffs.

The weekend starts with the NFC West champs Arizona Cardinals heading to New Orleans (NO -7) to take on the slumping Saints on Saturday afternoon. It is followed by a nightcap of Ravens @ Colts (Colts -6.5).

On Sunday, we are treated to the Cowboys taking their show on the road in Minnesota to take on Brett Favre and the rest of the high flying Vikings (Vikes -2.5). The weekend is closed out with the JETS of New York travelling across the country to visit San Diego (Chargers -7.5).

* Lines are from Bowmans.com, and are preliminary.

Seahawks Commentary:

For those readers that don’t listen to my podcast (iTunes: Ultimate Football Talk), I am a huge Seahawk fan. As I sit and write this column, I am wearing a neon green Seahawks T-shirt. With this said, you may suspect it’s been a very interesting 72 hours for myself, my team, and the entire Seahawk fan base.

It all started on Friday at 11:45am when I received 3 text messages within 5 minutes telling me that the Seahawks had fired Jim Mora Jr.
INITIAL REACTION? Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss!

Next, word broke that they were going to be bringing in Leslie Frazier, the Vikings defensive coordinator for an interview
INITIAL REACTION? ...Interesting....

And finally, it was rumoured that the target was Pete Carroll
INITIAL REACTION? What? No! Really? Huh? C’mon!

72 hours later, I have had time to let it all soak in, and honestly, I still am not sure what to think. I know what Carroll was like the last time he was in the NFL, and it was sub-standard at best, although he had a winning record. Bringing in a legitimate offensive coordinator in Jeremy Bates makes me giddy with excitement. An all college coaching staff though? (Rumour has it that the DC will be New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker). That scares me a little bit.

I love the ‘prove them right’ attitude that Carroll will bring to Seattle. Everyone and their dog is telling Carroll that he cannot win in the pros, so I expect him to come out with a spur in his ass. I am not sure how the story will end; all I do know is that I would not want to be that first team to face the new look Seahawks in September 2010.

I am aware that it is going to be a long rebuilding process. Let’s just hope that these are the right people to do it.