It’s Never a Bad Time to Talk NFL
Sunday, May 30, 2010
So much for having an offseason! Years ago before its popularity exploded, the National Football League was not a 24/7 business. Maybe it was for owners, management, players and coaches, but not necessarily for the fans. Now, the NFL is king among the major professional sports leagues in the United States. It has surpassed Major League Baseball as America’s favorite pastime. With that, we present some NFL tidbits to wet your whistle until training camp begins in July:
-Yes, the Super Bowl is coming to New York. Or New Jersey if we’re being accurate. We have heard all of the pros and cons of such a move and there are legitimate concerns on both sides. Those in favor think that playing a game in the elements is the way football was meant to be. And, truth be told, how cool would it be so see frigid temperatures or even snow at a Super Bowl if you’re watching it on TV.
If you’re at the game or in New York to experience all that accompanies Super Bowl week, that’s another matter. Speaking for myself, if I’m spending a week in a Super Bowl city in late January or early February, I would prefer a warm and tropical climate over the frigid northeast.
But the one element that most people either overlook or seem to gloss over is that the NFL did this in large part to help the Giants and Jets secure a title sponsor for their new multibillion dollar stadium. With the economy still struggling, no corporate sponsor had yet to step up to spend hundreds of millions to add their name to the new stadium. That may change soon with all of the publicity Super Bowl XVIII will receive. Isn’t it always about the money?
-It is somewhat ironic that the league has spent the last ten years or so tweaking its rules to heavily favor the passing game and more offense. Yet, awarding the Super Bowl to New Jersey could really slow down high powered offensive teams like New Orleans, Indianapolis and New England. Kind of a mixed message the league is sending, wouldn’t you say?
-It will be very interesting to watch what happens to Pete Carroll in Seattle for the next few years. Those, like myself, who have met and dealt with Pete on either or personal or professional level can’t help but root for the man to do well.
Nobody will question his greatness at the college level but we still want to know if he can achieve greatness in the pros. Pete is almost too nice for his own good which is something that is not lost on those who play for him. It ultimately led to his demise here in New England because the Patriot players who played for him were not responsible enough to give him their all 100% of the time. Even though many of them praised Pete upon his arrival and talked about what a breath of fresh air it was to go from Bill Parcells to him, they didn’t take advantage of the situation. They proved that they needed to have a disciplinarian and master motivator like Parcells pushing their buttons as opposed to Carroll’s more laid back approach. Here’s hoping things work out differently for Pete in the Pacific northwest.
-The AFC East should be real interesting in 2010 and beyond given what has happened over the past few years. While Buffalo has remained stagnant, both Miami and the Jets have improved. The Dolphins resurgence began with the hiring of Bill Parcells a few years ago. For the Jets, bringing in Rex Ryan last year paid huge dividends for the defense and their personnel moves of late have also strengthened the team.
In addition, New England has come back to the pack. And who can blame them? Given their run of success last decade, the organization suffered a serious talent and brain drain.
GM Scott Pioli was the NFL’s Executive of the Decade and he is now in Kansas City. Thomas Dimitroff was the Pats Director of College Scouting and is now the GM in Atlanta.
Assistant coaches Romeo Crennell, Charlie Weiss, Eric Mangini and Josh McDaniels all left Belichick’s staff to take head coaching jobs elsewhere. Others, including special teams coach Brad Seely, went elsewhere to accept similar positions.
And finally, this team has watched a lot of talented players and team leaders either retire or move on elsewhere which has hurt the franchise. Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison and Troy Brown retired. Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel were traded. There are many more like Ty Law, Willie McGinest and Assante Sammuel, just to name a few, who are no longer here.
The Patriots still have a great head coach and quarterback but it is simply no longer enough to dominate the AFC East. It should make for an interesting fall here in New England.
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