NFL coaching shake-ups as expected, but with one notable ridiculous decision. Miami with a real estate Mogul as an owner, runs his franchise like he is flipping properties. Knowing the mindset that real estate guys have that lends itself to big swings and a certain fluidity that exists in markets, patience isn't always a main virtue. Making frequent moves and developing instincts in terms of timing can pay-off. Running a football organization where coaching and leadership continuity is a key factor in achieving success, this mind set is counter-productive, and we have seen that the Dolphins are an organization that just doesn't get it.
Flores had come in to a total trainwreck. A grease fire doused with kerosene. Total rebuild and in need of a culture change. He did that and was doing it. History shows us that even the best of coaches has a jump and improvement when they first get to a new job, then can regress a bit in year three. Building your program and culture TAKES TIME. The Dolphins impatience has been a detriment to their development as an organization and trying to build a consistent winner. They will now start over once again with the same GM who has not been drafting well lately. The Chargers were going to pick Tua if he was available as well but did luck out with the Dolphins taking the limited low ceiling Tua. Flores got it going with the Dolphins in the second half of this season which makes it even more puzzling. The owner saw an either the GM or the HC stays or goes scenario and unfortunately, I think he made the wrong choice, and the Fins will remain irrelevant going forward.
Joe Judge is literally going full Costanza and appears to be trying to get fired. Bizarre utterings, decisions and his team is embarrassing on the field. I mean an old blue blood franchise that is going sideways. The Jets being the more stable and hopeful of the NY franchises is really all you need to say here. He probably stays. lol.
LA Chargers and Indy Colts OUT, Pittsburgh Vegas Baby Raydaz and Philly in? HMM. Staley trying to be the smartest guy in the room and over thinking some things and as a defensive coach having a run defense that didn't improve at all during the season has a lot of work to do in the off-season doesn't, he? Does he amend his 10000 percent into the modern analytics schtick? Does the run defense improve and stop being a fatal flaw? I would, be keeping a close eye on Staley next year because there is no way this team shouldn't be in the play-offs.
Colts beat the Patriots, beat the Cards on the road [OK Arizona is worse at home with no discernable HF advantage} with their entire O-Line banged up [Big win for us in that one grabbing the Colts } beat up the Bills on the ground, but can't beat the Raiders at home , and not only lose to a JAX team with no momentum who had lost 50-10 the week before to a team you beat , but are NEVER in the game? Carson Wentz getting COVID derailed the momentum. The unvaccinated Wentz caught a break with the newly relaxed 5-day quarantine 'Rules" but did the Colts catch a break? Wentz couldn't practice and was clearly not himself or at least a good version of himself. Would the Colts have been better off rallying around the back-up QB Ehlinger? We will never know but Wentz was playing like a back-up the last two crucial weeks as it was. Just a pitiful last couple weeks for the Colts who held so much promise to be a real pain in the butt to deal with in the play-offs.
Steelers Tomlin proves yet again just how good a coach he is. Good Lord is this team a tough watch. Defense is solid obviously, but watching the offense is cringy. Ben throws the ball dozens of times a game, often short of third down marks and a ton behind the line flips as if his arm only has a certain number of real throws in it and he is rationing. Aging QB's not having a running game at all should be illegal. I mean, older Elway has Terrell Davis, Peyton Manning has a great defense and a solid zone scheme running game to fall back on. Ben gets LESS help from his running game as he ages faster than a Progeria sufferer. It is truly an art to be able to throw 45 times and throw for a buck 23 like they did vs. Cleveland. Less than 3 yards an attempt? Smoke and mirrors think Pittsburgh's modus operandi is shaky. KC rolled them by 26 the day after Xmas. How much better will it get this week? Line is 12.5, that sounds about right actually. Not the normal play-off point spread to be sure but is 100 percent appropriate if not fair. Probably over 60 percent of the time this game would be a 14+ KC win. So? Not yet.
Vegas Raiders kind of channeling the early hockey success of the Valley's hockey franchise [ covid year excluded}. Vegas market gets a bit of luck again. Cincinnati with a stud QB instead of Andy Dalton seems poised to get that play-off win, and the Raiders are standing in their way? I have to think that the Raiders clock strikes midnight at some point. Could John Gruden's coaching career end any worse? The racist and awful ugly Gruden emails and unfortunately legacy is tarnished badly. The Raiders continuing to win is further tarnishing his toxic end? Not really, I think most don't think about John much anymore.
Dallas feeling that they needed to beat up the Eagles JV's may be telling. Maybe they needed the flex? The sledding gets a little tougher this weekend even with a subpar SF secondary. Does SF have the necessary energy off of their must win war with their rival Rams? Only question for me. SF with a similar Dalals dynamic is an automatic play getting 3.5 here. More thought is needed though. may be Dallas gets a rare play-off win and wins with a bit of comfort? Not sure.
College football is a tale of two games really. There is one that involves a handful of programs that always get the best of the best players, and when they play each other, the game doesn't resemble other games even amongst top 10-15 teams. The gap is pronounced. The size and speed we saw on display last night is different than what you see in even fairly high-level bowl games. The collisions more savage, the closing speed of the LB's and safety's is NFL like. The top NFL draft choices at Wide receiver are increasingly coming from only a handful of schools, and these schools just so happen to make their way into the final four most often.
Alabama and Saban saw what was going on about 7-8 years ago and surmised that good offense beats good defense. Progressive passing Schemes with NFL type QB talent throwing to difference making Wide outs and tight ends = getting to the top in college football. This winning builds momentum that is akin to a ball rolling down an increasingly steeper hill, and Bama's, LSU's Clemson's and Ohio State's and even Notre Dame lately have the top receiving stables and their guys are drafted first and more often and they are either in the CFB play-offs every year or most year's. Oklahoma model helped get them in a few times with little success because their defense was lacking the ability to even occasionally stop these juggernauts.
If Bama has a healthy Metchie and Williams last night? Nick is hoisting another shiny trophy. PERIOD. That's what college football is now and Saban et al fully embracing it is bad news for all the programs that aren't the top 5-6 programs. Ohio State with their absurd stable of WR's with a revamped and improved defense should get into the play-off along with Georgia and Bama next year. Who will be the fourth is probably the only question? Clemson got the QB thing wrong and has faded a bit, so they are likely out. Who crashes this elite party?