January 02, 2012

"The Broncos are three victories from a berth in the Super Bowl." -- Mark Kiszla

posted by rcade at 09:56 AM on January 02, 2012

Jason Garrett may be a sufferer of Bob Davie Syndrome.

Which is: as a coordinator, he has that "successful future head coach" look about him.

IMO, the continuation of Coughlin's career in NY with this win is a drag. Not because the nation's media center needs a more interesting and quotable coach (I think they already have that covered).

But rather because Tisch and Mara appear to be among the best owners a coach could hope to work for, and with the right guy coaching, the Giants could be a lot less tiresome to watch week in, week out.

That's important, because Fox makes sure that their half asses are plastered on national TV screens as often as possible (along with the Eagles). If I'm going to be forced to look at them all the time, they might as well be worth watching.

I wish an Urban Meyer disciple was coaching the Broncs. Orton could have played Chris Leak to Tebow's Tebow.

posted by beaverboard at 10:30 AM on January 02, 2012

On the Cowboys:

Players play. Coaches coach. And the General Manager is fully responsible to make sure his team is 53-strong. Playing a Giants team in a winner-take-all scenario on Sunday Night revealed a similar result that a showdown with the Eagles in 2008 and the Vikings in 2009 demonstrated: This organization is a long way from being where their fans are used to being back in the glory days.

The GM thought that Phil Costa and Derrick Dockery could hold off the Giants front after believing that Bill Nagy and Montrae Holland were the answers. The GM thought that Keith Brooking and Bradie James could patrol the middle of the field and that Anthony Spencer could get to the QB in a game that mattered. The GM thought Terence Newman still had it and that no real personnel upgrades were required on that defense in the offseason.

And he was wrong again.

Are you tired of hearing that Jerry the owner should fire Jerry the GM and overhaul how this team selects its players? You should be. Despite a few respites when Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells selected players (neither of which were perfect, but check their batting averages), Jerry and his crew have failed to assemble anything more than a team that rides its few star players right into the ground as they try to navigate around the replacement-level players that Jerry has assembled at every other spot on the roster.

He is banking on you blaming Ryan, Romo, and Garrett, again. And he also is banking on you buying $340 tickets next season.

It will be interesting to see if or when the public will have had enough of his fantasy camp routine. Yes, it is his toy. But, much like a restaurant owner that wants to be chef, he will still need people to eat his meals.

This franchise is broken and it is not getting better. Another showdown against a beatable division rival showed you all you should need to see. Assuming the last 15 years didn't already provide enough evidence.

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:18 PM on January 02, 2012

He's worse than a mediocre QB who can't get the job done - that guy finds ways to lose games.

This season, I agree. Sanchez a year ago, however, was playing at a high level expectant of an emerging elite quarterback, and I don't think it was a fluke. What we witnessed the second half of this season was a team quitting on its coaching staff; Santonio Holmes's little tirade yesterday should've summed it all up (not that you can ever excuse a team captain for such behavior). Schottenheimer especially is going about his job like a man desperately wanting out of Dodge on the first available stagecoach. And Rex Ryan's "coaching method" is standing revealed as nothing more than false bravado which actually worked for awhile but is now simply annoying to everyone around him. His job is probably safe for now since he signed an extension just before the start of last season, but I'm positive he'll be a hot-seat coach next season after this debacle.

posted by NerfballPro at 01:34 PM on January 02, 2012

Rex Ryan's coaching style was always going to look bad on a losing team. I think it would be foolish to fire him only one season removed from an 11-5 finish.

posted by rcade at 01:43 PM on January 02, 2012

Being a year past a good record didn't help Morris in Tampa.

posted by dyams at 02:09 PM on January 02, 2012

Yeah, and he continues to throw that "AFC Championship" thing out there like it should get him a Super Bowl Trophy. Fact is he and the Jets followed up that season with this pathetic one, which only amounts to a gigantic leap backwards. Again it's the Ryan big-mouth, self-promoting, salesman-style personality that continues to get him more credit than he deserves.

posted by dyams at 02:51 PM on January 02, 2012

it's like sitting on the Titanic saying the foredeck is really rising above the competition.

Save for the fact that Titanic sank bow first, that's a very apt metaphor. I don't think that the Jets' demise is fully attributable to Sanchez, but the truth is that he is neither skilled enough nor well enough equipped with leadership skills to overcome the coaching deficiencies.

Of course, I might have misinterpreted your metaphor, and you meant to imply that the foredeck was underwater but perceived as rising. Then again, at my age I'm easily confused. What was it I had for breakfast again?

posted by Howard_T at 03:47 PM on January 02, 2012

What, no mention of the Matts, Stafford and Flynn, throwing for 1,000 yards and 11 TDs?

posted by MeatSaber at 08:49 PM on January 02, 2012

"We've got to get more balanced. We can't just be a running team," said Willis McGahee

Translation: some of you lazy bastards take the ball for a change.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:12 PM on January 02, 2012