Rookies Get a Second Chance, Right?:
Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs
Haley has a Belichick pedigree, which isn't necessarily a good thing. He also has the career advantage of bringing his QB from last season with him to his first job as a head coach. That also may not be a good thing. After throwing 21 TDs to only 11 picks last season with the New Engalnd Patriots, Matt Cassel is 13-13 so far this season. There have been bright spots this season, though. They took Dallas to OT before the Cowboy Collapse began. They also played strong against Jacksonville, who is in line for a playoff spot. Haley's saving grace may be the fact that he inherited a team in turnoil. He was bringing in a new system that only his QB knew, and had to deal with problems with his running backs, eventually cutting Larry Johnson. I'd expect Haley to be back next year, and for the Chiefs to be an improved team after having a year under his system.
Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Morris took over a Bucs team that looked like it could have had potential and has proceeded to run it into the ground. The QB situation was mishandled from Day 1. Rather than leaning on Derrick Ward, the team has relied on oft-injured Cadillac Williams to run the ball. The team didn't win a game until the put in Josh Freeman, who was their first round draft pick, but started the year as third-string QB. The team has barely even shown up some weeks, scoing a total of 10 points combined against the Jets, Giants, and Patriots. I'd love to tell you Morris will be back next year, but the team has performed so badly it might be one-and-done for him in Tampa.
Steve Spagnuolo, St Louis Rams
I can't really blame Spags for the Rams 1-12 season. Its hard to win when you only have one offensive weapon. Still, he had a chance to improve in the draft, and selected a offensive lineman second overall, followed by defensive players in rounds 2, 3, and 4. If Morris has taken a somewhat talented team and run it in to the group, Spags has taken one with no talent and done the best he could with it. Now he just needs to take some of his focus off of defense going into his second year, and we'll really know what he can do as a head coach.
He Had His Chance:
Jim Zorn, Redskins
I hate to put Zorn here, because I think he's a better coach than people are giving him credit for, but the prrof is there. The 'Skins opened the season against teams without a win, and only managed to go 2-4. After bringing in Sherm Lewis to call plays, the team may not have gotten more wins, but they did improve on both sides of the ball. Injuries have come for Zorn at the most inopportune time, though. It seems like every time a part of the team shows signs of life, a major part of it has to sit out with an injury(Ladell Betts, Albert Haynesworth, Clinton Portis). Zorn has had his chance, though, and I don't see him coming back for a third season on the 'Skins sideline.
Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders
The first thing you have to realize is that the Raiders coaches since John Gruden left have been figureheads. This is owner Al Davis's team, and if you think differently, just ask Lane Kiffin. Davis has stood by Cable so far, even while Cable has faced controversies involving abusing employees and his ex-wife. Unfortunately, everyone outside the organization can see what Davis can't: this was a bad team before the season, and is still a bad team now. There isn't much about this team that shows they can or will improve. The lone bright spot this season has been QB Bruce Gradkowski, who was mercifully named the starter only after the entire rest of the offense lost faith in JaMarcus Russell. I don't think Cable will be back next season, but unfortunately he isn't the problem. As long as Davis continues to run the team with an iron fist, they won't be able to bring in a head coach that can truly help this team.
It's Already Been Too Long:
Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
Kubiak came to the Texans preaching turnaround and winning and making the playoffs to a team that had never had a winning season. In his fourth year with the team, they still haven't. After two consecutive 8-8 seasons, the team sits at 6-7 with three games left. They'll need to win out against St Louis, Miami, and New England to have the teams first winning season. Instead, it looks like they could be this years best team with a losing record. Kubiak has had ample time to turn the team around, and an offense with Matt Shaub, Steve Slaton, Ryan Moats, and Andre Johnson should be better than this. In my opinion, four years has been too long for him. He shouldn't get a fifth.
Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
Phillips is finishing his third season with the Cowboys, but ask a Cowboys fan and they'll probably tell you it feels like longer. In his first season, he led the team the a team-record 12-1 start and 13-3 finish. They lost their first playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants. That season was followed up with a 9-7 2008 campaign that saw the team miss the playoffs after go 1-3 in December. That seems to be the story of Phillips in Dallas: great in September, October, and Novemeber, but terrible in December and January. The Cowboys are now 3-8 after Novemeber under Phillips. Many speculated that after last years collapse, Phillips wouldn't be back. Jerry Jones has shown remarkable patience with his head coach, not even hinting he would be fired. But cracks are starting to show. Jones has already stated he thinks RB Marion Barber should be used more late in games rather than early. Then, after the team just about gave up against the San Diego Chargers this week, Jones was reportedly visibly angry in his private box. Right now, the Cowboys hold the final NFC playoff spot. If they lose it, or even make the playoffs and don't make it past the first round, Phillips will probably be gone.
Wait, Did This Guy Just Save His Job?:
Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns
Hailed as the "Mangenius" in his first season as a head coach with the Jets, Mangini was quickly snapped up by the Browns after he has kicked out of NY. Mangini quickly began destroying the team by hiring his own GM, which is the opposite of how teams normally do things. And there we are, going into Week 14, and the Browns looked like the joke of the NFL. First, they refused to announce a starting QB at the start of the season. It turned out to be Brady Quinn, who was completely ineffective. He was benched for Derek Anderson, who was less effective, but won a game. Then it was back to Quinn, who was only slightly more effective than before. And all along the way, the Browns were sending their assets to the Jets, first their 1st round pick, then Braylon Edwards, and getting back thrid-stringers and special-teamers in return. It looked like a forgone conclusion that the Steelers would end their losing streak by beating the Browns on Thursday night. Then...they didn't. In what might be one of the season's biggest surprises, the Browns D played like a Super Bowl caliber unit in a 13-6 win over their bitter rival. It is only the second win of the season, but it might be enough for Mangini to keep his job. However, with rumors swirling that the Browns are looking to hire Mike Holmgren to their front office, Mangini could be on his way out, anyway.
Injuries:
Kareem McKenzie, OT, Giants: out at least two weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee
Bruce Gradkowski, QB, Raiders: day-to-day with knee injuries
Vince Young, QB, Titans: day-to-day with a hamstring injury
DeMarcus Ware, LB, Cowboys: day-to-day with a sprained neck
Fantasy Studs:
- Chris Johnson. He gained 186 total yards and had 3 TDs? Yeah, thats pretty good.
- Andre Johnson. He gets second because he only found the end zone twice.
- Eli Manning. He had 391 passing yards and 3 TDs, but maybe the Giants would have won if he didn't lose 2 fumbles.
Fantasy Duds:
- Davone Bess. Fumbling the ball multiple times is made worse by the fact he only had 22 yards to begin with.
- Josh Freeman. The Jets made Freeman look like a rookie. Also, see Raheem Morris above.
- Laveranues Coles. Shut out by the Vikings defense. Tsk, tsk.
Week 14 Picks:
Straight up: 10-6, 132-75 overall
ATS: 8-8, 112-93-2 overall
o/u: 5-10-1, 95-108-4 overall
Questions for Week 15:
Who clinches next?
There are five teams that can clinch a trip to the postseason next week: San Diego, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Arizona, and Green Bay. The Bengal and Chargers are the only ones that can do it without help, meaning they just have to win a game. Unfortunately, they play each other this week, so one will clinch and one still needs help. Of course, all five teams need to win to get any clinching scenarios started. So who clinches next week? Arizona.
Who does Indy rest?
The Colts have locked up everything except homefield in the Super Bowl, so they have nothing left to play for, really. Head coach Jim Caldwell has said he's going to play his "healthy players." No one really knows what that means. Presumably, that means anyone that shows up on the injury report this week will be out. What isn't know is how much everyone else will play. Speculation says three quarters, tops. I think the whole game this week, and they start sitting in Week 16. Of course, with the Colts on a short week, starters might just play the first half. The only person who can answer is Caldwell, and he's already said everything he's gonna say.
Will the Cowboy Collapse continue?
Thanks to their performance in months that don't begin with the letter "D," the Cowboys are still one game up on the Giants for the last playoff spot. Having swept the 'Boys, the Giants hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. The bad news Cowboys fans: you still have to play the Saints and Eagles if you want to stay ahead. I predicted they'd go 1-3 down the stretch, and the home loss to the underdog Chargers was just the beginning. Hey, you guys still have that game against the Redskins to look forward to, right?
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