Bretsky
02-18-2007, 03:46 PM
Turner, Ryan logical for Chargers
posted: Thursday, February 15, 2007 | Print Entry
The closer you look at the Chargers' head coaching position, the more logic you can see in picking the 49ers' Norv Turner and the Ravens' Rex Ryan as two of the early finalists. Turner is a perfect coach for Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense. He helped to install that offense in 2001 when he was in San Diego as an assistant. Ryan offers the aggressive complexities for the Chargers' 3-4 defense that Wade Phillips had. Plus, players like playing for Ryan.
Garcia not going to Vikes: The Vikings are out of the Jeff Garcia derby. While the Eagles continue to try to re-sign the QB, Minnesota could have been an interesting spot for him. He picked up Andy Reid's system quickly, which would be a plus in Brad Childress' similar system. He's a good leader and could help the Vikings' offense. The only problem is the Vikings don't appear to be interested. Aside from a couple other teams that might be looking, the Bucs would appear to be the Eagles' main competition for Garcia.
Pats to tag Samuel? As Thursday's deadline for the franchise tag gets closer, the sentiment in New England could be changing in regards to cornerback Asante Samuel. While the Patriots may not feel as though he's worth the value of a franchise tag, they may have no choice but to tag him. Samuel and Nate Clements are clearly the top two corners on the market and might arguably be two of the top players in free agency. Replacing Samuel would be impossible unless the Patriots pay roughly the same money for Clements. If the Patriots franchise Samuel, tight end Daniel Graham will hit the market as the top tight end available.
Smith tag cause and effect: The Bengals' decision to place the franchise tag on Justin Smith will cause a ripple effect on the defensive end market. It will put more pressure on the Saints to consider franchising defensive end Charles Grant or potentially lose him to a big contract. Plus, the Smith tag has a major impact on the Falcons' ongoing negotiations with defensive end Patrick Kerney. Kerney's contract voids on Tuesday. The Falcons have until Thursday to re-sign him or give him the franchise tag. Kerney's value clearly soared with Smith being taken off the market with the franchise tag. Grant and Kerney could be battling for the top money at their position.
Thomas level-headed: Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas may be one of the most level-headed top draft choices who has been available in recent years. It should be no surprise he likes and respects Lee Evans, who was a class act during his Wisconsin days before going to the Bills. What's interesting is how he's kept everything the same. He didn't want to live in a hotel and train in warm weather because he felt more comfortable with Wisconsin trainers and preferred staying in a low-key setting.
"I've trusted this training staff the past four years," Thomas said. "I really wanted to keep things normal."
Thomas heads to the scouting combine next week with the idea of participating in as many workouts as his health will allow. He's been working on speed drills and bench pressing. Thomas will easily go in the top five, with the possibility of going as high as No. 2 to the Lions.
Chargers could do OK in search
posted: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 | Print Entry
When you look at the Chargers' chances of hiring a good head coach, they have a decent chance of coming out OK in their attempts to replace Marty Schottenheimer. There are plenty of former head coaches who can come in and do well with a 14-2 team. Those available include the 49ers' Norv Turner, the Lions' Mike Martz, the Rams' Jim Haslett, the Seahawks' Jim Mora, former Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel and even Bill Parcells. San Diego could hire talented assistants such as the Bears' Ron Rivera, the Saints' Gary Gibbs or the Ravens' Rex Ryan.
The biggest problem facing the Chargers is finding the right staff. Quality position coaches and coordinators will be hard to find. The Chargers were down six coaches, including Schottenheimer. Whoever is hired will have a hard time putting together a staff that could meet the expectations of a 14-2 team.
For Pete's sake: People are reading too much into Pete Carroll's statement that he has nothing to say about the Chargers job. Some think he should come out and deny any interest. Carroll has been through this enough that he knows the right way to handle the replies. If a team is willing to make him one of the highest-paid NFL coaches and give him the authority to run the personnel office, Carroll would consider leaving USC. To say he's not interested would be inaccurate. But the Chargers aren't going to pay $8 million a year and they aren't giving the head coach the ability to run the personnel office, so scratch him for this job.
Turner a contender: The more you think about the Chargers job, the more you come to the conclusion that Norv Turner will make the final three. He's been in San Diego as an offensive coordinator. Who better to follow Cam Cameron than the former Redskins head coach who taught him his offense when they were together in Washington? The 49ers can't afford to lose Turner and gave him a contract extension to keep him happy. Getting on a 14-2 team with Philip Rivers at quarterback could be pleasing, too.
Giants getting a head start: If you were caught off guard by the Giants' announcement that they cut LaVar Arrington, Carlos Emmons and Luke Petitgout, you should be. In past years, the opening of the season for releasing players has been the third week in February. The new CBA extension changed the date. Starting Feb. 12, teams can start placing players on waivers and start making moves to free up cap room. The Giants just got a week's head start on the inevitable.
Deadline doesn't change: One change didn't materialize. Remember how general managers were pushing to move up the start of the trade deadline into the final two weeks of February so they could get value for players who might be cut for cap reasons? The league decided that plan didn't work. The trade deadline starts March 2. It was a good try, though.
A friend indeed: Credit Packers coach Mike McCarthy with being a good friend. He didn't want to lose his secondary coach, Kurt Schottenheimer. But when Marty Schottenheimer called McCarthy to ask permission to hire his brother as the Chargers' defensive coordinator, McCarthy said yes. McCarthy was an assistant to Marty Schottenheimer in Kansas City and they are close friends. Any other coach who would have called on Kurt would have been rejected. What no one figured was that Marty's move to hire his brother was the final straw leading to his firing Monday.
Cowboys' D happy to have Phillips
posted: Thursday, February 8, 2007 | Print Entry
Jerry Jones may not know how welcome the Cowboys defenders will be to having Wade Phillips as their coach. Quietly, they had been grumbling toward the end of the season about the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme. There was not enough blitzing and there was too much two-gapping in which a defensive line has to basically wrestle with a blocker instead of shooting a gap and going up field. Phillips' 3-4 scheme features more slanting and one-gapping. Plus, it has more blitzing. The happiest people will be along the defensive line because they will be able to be more aggressive and possibly post some decent statistics.
"Those guys are going to love his system," Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo said. "They've been in a straight-forward 3-4 defense where they were two-gapping. They're going to do a lot more moving, a lot more blitzing. They're going to have opportunities to make plays."
All in the family? Maybe I'm crazy, but it would be fitting for Phillips to bring in his son, Wes, to be an offensive coach on the staff. Wade's father, Bum, did it and look how well that turned out. Plus, Wes is reportedly a pretty good college coach. Phillips talks about his coaching jobs as being part of a family. The Phillips family has produced some pretty good coaches.
Rivera still in a good spot: Now that he didn't get the Cowboys head coaching job and is most likely out of the mix to be the team's defensive coordinator, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera is still in a good spot. The Bears have to try to re-sign him to a new contract. Rivera let his three-year contract run out in order to get good leverage. Going to the Super Bowl, though, hurt his chances of becoming a head coach. Rivera is popular with his players in Chicago, and the Bears have a chance to re-sign him.
Niners get to keep Turner: The 49ers were big winners Thursday because they didn't lose Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator. With Turner working with quarterback Alex Smith and Frank Gore establishing himself as one of the league's top running backs, the 49ers are poised to make a playoff run next year if they have a good offseason signing and drafting defensive players. Turner may be disappointed about not getting the Cowboys job, but he's in a great spot in San Francisco.
posted: Thursday, February 15, 2007 | Print Entry
The closer you look at the Chargers' head coaching position, the more logic you can see in picking the 49ers' Norv Turner and the Ravens' Rex Ryan as two of the early finalists. Turner is a perfect coach for Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense. He helped to install that offense in 2001 when he was in San Diego as an assistant. Ryan offers the aggressive complexities for the Chargers' 3-4 defense that Wade Phillips had. Plus, players like playing for Ryan.
Garcia not going to Vikes: The Vikings are out of the Jeff Garcia derby. While the Eagles continue to try to re-sign the QB, Minnesota could have been an interesting spot for him. He picked up Andy Reid's system quickly, which would be a plus in Brad Childress' similar system. He's a good leader and could help the Vikings' offense. The only problem is the Vikings don't appear to be interested. Aside from a couple other teams that might be looking, the Bucs would appear to be the Eagles' main competition for Garcia.
Pats to tag Samuel? As Thursday's deadline for the franchise tag gets closer, the sentiment in New England could be changing in regards to cornerback Asante Samuel. While the Patriots may not feel as though he's worth the value of a franchise tag, they may have no choice but to tag him. Samuel and Nate Clements are clearly the top two corners on the market and might arguably be two of the top players in free agency. Replacing Samuel would be impossible unless the Patriots pay roughly the same money for Clements. If the Patriots franchise Samuel, tight end Daniel Graham will hit the market as the top tight end available.
Smith tag cause and effect: The Bengals' decision to place the franchise tag on Justin Smith will cause a ripple effect on the defensive end market. It will put more pressure on the Saints to consider franchising defensive end Charles Grant or potentially lose him to a big contract. Plus, the Smith tag has a major impact on the Falcons' ongoing negotiations with defensive end Patrick Kerney. Kerney's contract voids on Tuesday. The Falcons have until Thursday to re-sign him or give him the franchise tag. Kerney's value clearly soared with Smith being taken off the market with the franchise tag. Grant and Kerney could be battling for the top money at their position.
Thomas level-headed: Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas may be one of the most level-headed top draft choices who has been available in recent years. It should be no surprise he likes and respects Lee Evans, who was a class act during his Wisconsin days before going to the Bills. What's interesting is how he's kept everything the same. He didn't want to live in a hotel and train in warm weather because he felt more comfortable with Wisconsin trainers and preferred staying in a low-key setting.
"I've trusted this training staff the past four years," Thomas said. "I really wanted to keep things normal."
Thomas heads to the scouting combine next week with the idea of participating in as many workouts as his health will allow. He's been working on speed drills and bench pressing. Thomas will easily go in the top five, with the possibility of going as high as No. 2 to the Lions.
Chargers could do OK in search
posted: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 | Print Entry
When you look at the Chargers' chances of hiring a good head coach, they have a decent chance of coming out OK in their attempts to replace Marty Schottenheimer. There are plenty of former head coaches who can come in and do well with a 14-2 team. Those available include the 49ers' Norv Turner, the Lions' Mike Martz, the Rams' Jim Haslett, the Seahawks' Jim Mora, former Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel and even Bill Parcells. San Diego could hire talented assistants such as the Bears' Ron Rivera, the Saints' Gary Gibbs or the Ravens' Rex Ryan.
The biggest problem facing the Chargers is finding the right staff. Quality position coaches and coordinators will be hard to find. The Chargers were down six coaches, including Schottenheimer. Whoever is hired will have a hard time putting together a staff that could meet the expectations of a 14-2 team.
For Pete's sake: People are reading too much into Pete Carroll's statement that he has nothing to say about the Chargers job. Some think he should come out and deny any interest. Carroll has been through this enough that he knows the right way to handle the replies. If a team is willing to make him one of the highest-paid NFL coaches and give him the authority to run the personnel office, Carroll would consider leaving USC. To say he's not interested would be inaccurate. But the Chargers aren't going to pay $8 million a year and they aren't giving the head coach the ability to run the personnel office, so scratch him for this job.
Turner a contender: The more you think about the Chargers job, the more you come to the conclusion that Norv Turner will make the final three. He's been in San Diego as an offensive coordinator. Who better to follow Cam Cameron than the former Redskins head coach who taught him his offense when they were together in Washington? The 49ers can't afford to lose Turner and gave him a contract extension to keep him happy. Getting on a 14-2 team with Philip Rivers at quarterback could be pleasing, too.
Giants getting a head start: If you were caught off guard by the Giants' announcement that they cut LaVar Arrington, Carlos Emmons and Luke Petitgout, you should be. In past years, the opening of the season for releasing players has been the third week in February. The new CBA extension changed the date. Starting Feb. 12, teams can start placing players on waivers and start making moves to free up cap room. The Giants just got a week's head start on the inevitable.
Deadline doesn't change: One change didn't materialize. Remember how general managers were pushing to move up the start of the trade deadline into the final two weeks of February so they could get value for players who might be cut for cap reasons? The league decided that plan didn't work. The trade deadline starts March 2. It was a good try, though.
A friend indeed: Credit Packers coach Mike McCarthy with being a good friend. He didn't want to lose his secondary coach, Kurt Schottenheimer. But when Marty Schottenheimer called McCarthy to ask permission to hire his brother as the Chargers' defensive coordinator, McCarthy said yes. McCarthy was an assistant to Marty Schottenheimer in Kansas City and they are close friends. Any other coach who would have called on Kurt would have been rejected. What no one figured was that Marty's move to hire his brother was the final straw leading to his firing Monday.
Cowboys' D happy to have Phillips
posted: Thursday, February 8, 2007 | Print Entry
Jerry Jones may not know how welcome the Cowboys defenders will be to having Wade Phillips as their coach. Quietly, they had been grumbling toward the end of the season about the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme. There was not enough blitzing and there was too much two-gapping in which a defensive line has to basically wrestle with a blocker instead of shooting a gap and going up field. Phillips' 3-4 scheme features more slanting and one-gapping. Plus, it has more blitzing. The happiest people will be along the defensive line because they will be able to be more aggressive and possibly post some decent statistics.
"Those guys are going to love his system," Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo said. "They've been in a straight-forward 3-4 defense where they were two-gapping. They're going to do a lot more moving, a lot more blitzing. They're going to have opportunities to make plays."
All in the family? Maybe I'm crazy, but it would be fitting for Phillips to bring in his son, Wes, to be an offensive coach on the staff. Wade's father, Bum, did it and look how well that turned out. Plus, Wes is reportedly a pretty good college coach. Phillips talks about his coaching jobs as being part of a family. The Phillips family has produced some pretty good coaches.
Rivera still in a good spot: Now that he didn't get the Cowboys head coaching job and is most likely out of the mix to be the team's defensive coordinator, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera is still in a good spot. The Bears have to try to re-sign him to a new contract. Rivera let his three-year contract run out in order to get good leverage. Going to the Super Bowl, though, hurt his chances of becoming a head coach. Rivera is popular with his players in Chicago, and the Bears have a chance to re-sign him.
Niners get to keep Turner: The 49ers were big winners Thursday because they didn't lose Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator. With Turner working with quarterback Alex Smith and Frank Gore establishing himself as one of the league's top running backs, the 49ers are poised to make a playoff run next year if they have a good offseason signing and drafting defensive players. Turner may be disappointed about not getting the Cowboys job, but he's in a great spot in San Francisco.