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watchingthesuperbowl · 7 years ago

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Notes taken during Super Bowl XLIII

PREGAME

This is an NBC broadcast.

Walter Payton Award presented to Cardinals QB Kurt Warner. No, that's cool, guys, don't worry about distracting him right before a huge game.

America The Beautiful. Faith Hill.

Sully and crew honored. The Hudson River landing happened last month.

Star Spangled Banner. Jennifer Hudson. This is the second year in a row with an American Idol person doing the national anthem. Get ready, Bo Bice. You're on deck.

Madden and Michaels in the booth now. Breaking down Steelers defense, the best in football, against the high-flying Cardinals offense and Kurt Warner. Madden says the Cardinals can't make themselves one-dimensional. Have to run, have to occasionally go two tight ends, have to throw some screen passes.

Madden: Roethlisberger is at his best when he's scrambling. Cardinals plan to pressure him.

Michaels: NFC has won 11 consecutive coin tosses.

Coin toss: Lynn Swann, Roger Craig, John Elway, and General David Petraeus.

Petraeus will actually toss the coin. Steelers call tails. It's heads. Cardinals win the toss, they'll defer. Steelers will receive. That's the 12th consecutive coin toss win for the NFC.

Sideline reporter Andrea Kremer: Hines Ward sprained his knee in the AFC Championship Game, has worked non-stop to be ready tonight.

Sideline reporter Alex Flanagan references F. Scott Fitzgerald's line about no second acts. Says Kurt Warner came to the Cardinals as a broken-down backup and is back in the Super Bowl. Warner may retire after this game, win or lose.

Madden: Roethlisberger was nervous the entire game last time he was in the Super Bowl. Cardinals will pressure him to see if he's still nervous.

FIRST QUARTER

Kicker Neil Rackers makes the tackle on the opening kickoff. Nice tackle near the 28.

Steelers start with three TEs, hand it to Willie Parker for 3 yards.

Second play, play-action pass. Ward is WIIIIIIDE open. No defenders within at least ten yards of him. Gain of 36 into Arizona territory.

Graphic: Cardinals have allowed 49 TDs, most ever allowed by a Super Bowl team.

Steelers charging downfield. Roethlisberger to TE Heath Miller. 21 yard gain to the 1 yard line.

Loss of 4 on first down. Short-yardage back Gary Russell is swarmed. 2nd down, Parker handoff gets it back to the 1.

Madden: Steelers seem to have found they can run with three TE.

Third down, goal line set, Cardinals are all over the play action bootleg. Nobody open so Roethlisberger takes it himself and powers through tacklers into the end zone.

Cardinals challenge. They say Roethlisberger was down. Replay is inconclusive to me. I strongly suspect he was stopped short, but it's super-close. They overturn the call. It'll be fourth and goal from the one-foot line.

It’s close.

Steelers will kick the field goal. Madden says he agrees with the call, this is something you have to do.

19 yard field goal is good. Steelers up 3-0.

You’re welcome.

Michaels: Cardinals were last in the league in rushing but fourth in overall offense because their passing game is so good.

Madden: Steelers running a 2-4-5 defense on 1st and 20 after a holding penalty.

3rd and 17, Steelers blitz and Warner hurries a throw. Incomplete. Ben Graham to punt. (Hello, Australia!)

Performing at halftime: Bruce Springsteen

First play on the next Steeler drive is a quick screen pass to Santonio Holmes who runs for 25 yards.

3rd and 10, Roethlisberger avoids pass rushers, turns, runs, turns again, runs, spins, and fires it to Health Miller for a first down.

We have Wildcat! Willie Parker, the only person in the backfield, is stuffed on a telegraphed run.

Pittsburgh offense is dominating early. Steelers have outgained Cardinals 131-13.

First quarter ends. 3-0. Roethlisberger was 7-8 for 118 yards in the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

Second and goal, quick pass to Heath Miller to the 2. A bunch of pushing and shoving after the play. Madden says when there's a scrap, you can be sure Hines Ward is in the middle of it. Says he's one of the toughest guys in the league.

Third and goal, Russell up the middle. Gets into the end zone. 10-0 Steelers, 14:01 left in the first half.

Steelers have twice as many points as the Cardinals have offensive plays.

Michaels and Madden discussing the Cardinals' quarterback battle between Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart. The Cardinals made the right decision.

Cardinals don't seem to be able to throw downfield, but are completing quick passes. Shallow outs.

Swing pass to Edgerrin James for 11, they get across midfield. Still not throwing downfield, but having some success.

Madden: Cardinals want to run Hightower outside and James inside.

Now Warner has time. Boldin coming across the middle on a play action pass. Great pass protection - if he gets that kind of time, Warner will kill you. Boldin gets to the 1.

Next play, Warner stumbles, keeps his balance, and lofts one to tight end Ben Patrick in the end zone. Touchdown. 10-7 Steelers, 8:34 left in the half.

Nice catch in traffic.

Michaels: Steelers were maybe the fourth or fifth choice to win the AFC at the beginning of the season, Cardinals like sixth or seventh in the NFC. Madden: I'm not sure anybody was even thinking about the Cardinals.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has been the best player on the field apart from maybe Roethlisberger. Has knocked away a touchdown and a big play that could have been a score.

3rd and 12, Roethlisberger scrambles, goes downfield to Holmes. Called back on a holding penalty. It'll be 3rd and 22 instead of 1st and 10.

Not much happens on third down. Berger will punt.

Huge runback from Steve Breaston, weaving through the coverage to the Steelers' 42. A 35 yard return. Punt was low, didn't give the coverage team much of a chance.

Right after Michaels and Madden talk about what a great pass blocker Edgerrin James is, he's called for a chop block. Personal foul. It's 2nd and 19.

Warner sacked. Cardinals appear to be wasting a chance to score as the second quarter winds down.

NBC graphic: Cardinals have averaged 17 yards to go on third down.

NBC graphic: Every NFL team to lead its league in defense and appear in the Super Bowl has won that Super Bowl. Except the '69 Vikings, who lost to the '69 Chiefs team that had the best defense in the AFL.

Cards drive stalls. Ben Graham will boot it away.

Madden: Steelers are giving Arizona the flats, leaving them open for passes.

Nice punt from Graham, who Michaels suggests isn't fully healthy. Steelers will start inside their 20.

2nd down, Bryan Robinson tips a Roethlisberger pass. Dansby picks it off. Cards have it inside the Pittsburgh 35 as we reach the two minute warning.

Just the tip.

Just the pick.

Madden: Steelers have to watch out for gadget plays in this area of the field.

Michaels: At halftime, Bob Costas and company will be in the Pirate Ship (at Raymond James Stadium). Michaels goes on to say he hopes none of them are from Somalia, which is a pretty messed up thing to say. I know what he was going for, but I'd have been seriously pissed off if I were Somali.

Warner nearly picked on 2nd and 10. 3rd and 10, dump pass to Hightower, who breaks a tackle and dives across the line to make for a first down. Big play.

It took 29 minutes, but Larry Fitzgerald makes a catch. Another 11 yards gets the Cardinals to the Pittsburgh 13. Steelers call timeout with 0:41 left before halftime.

Warner in the Red Zone this postseason: 9-10, 5 TD, 0 INT.

Complete pass to Boldin at the 6. 0:30 and counting.

Another completion. Boldin to the 2. 0:18 left, Cardinals burn their last timeout.

Presumably, everything the Cardinals will do for the rest of the half is a passing play and Warner will throw it into the stands if nobody's open.

Welp. Warner forces a throw into traffic. That was dumb. James Harrison picks it off at the goal line and goes 100 yards for a touchdown. There's a flag on the play, but it's on the Cardinals. That's devastating. Instead of 10-10 or 14-10 Cardinals, it's 17-7 Steelers at halftime. Harrison's return is the longest play in Super Bowl history. They're looking at it, but it looks like a touchdown to me.

After review, the ruling stands. Touchdown. Last play of the half.

Flanagan to Cards coach Whisenhunt: What happened? Whisenhunt: Well, obviously we made a bad throw and then didn't tackle him. Bonus points to Whiz for keeping his composure after that question.

Flanagan: How do you respond to that momentum shift? Whisenhunt: We've responded to being down once already. We'll do it again.

HALFTIME

Michaels: Harrison play is one of the great plays in the history of the Super Bowl.

Madden: That was a great call by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Expected a slant and had Harrison back up into that pass lane.

Michaels: Harrison was cut four times early in his career. Asked him what he'd be doing if he hadn't been picked back up. Said he'd be flipping burgers. Me: Apparently his Kent State education wasn't super-useful.

Kremer: Tomlin said the Steeler offense didn't get out of rhythm in the second quarter, they just didn't execute.

THIRD QUARTER

In the 2008 regular season, the Arizona offense scored 154 points (most in the NFL) and the Pittsburgh defense allowed 29 points (least in the NFL)

Cardinals running and doing so successfully on the first drive of the second half. Edgerrin James with a few nice runs. They're nearly to midfield.

3rd and 6 from approximately midfield. Warner hit as he throws, Pittsburgh falls on it. It's ruled a fumble. They'll review this. Looks like his arm was going forward, but the NFL has been known to make inscrutable decisions on these sorts of plays.

Yep. Incomplete pass. Graham will punt. That was the correct call by the replay officials.

Adequate punt. Fair catch by Holmes at the Steeler 18.

Cutaway: Cuba Gooding Jr. Played an Arizona Cardinal in Jerry Maguire.

Oh, man. On a play where an offensive lineman clearly and obviously blocks a defender in the back, the Cardinals are called for roughing the passer on a borderline-at-best call.

Things aren't going that well for Rodgers-Cromartie now. They've got him playing off the receiver, on an island, and Holmes takes advantage. Quick toss out wide and Holmes turns it into a 12-13 yard gain. Rodgers-Cromartie has no chance if that's what they're going to ask him to do.

Big run from Parker to the Cardinals 5. First and goal.

3rd and goal, Roethlisberger throws it away. Looks to me like intentional grounding, but I guess it isn't. That forces a field goal attempt. It's good but there's a flag down. Personal foul against Arizona. Do the Steelers take the points off the board?

Yep, they do. Adrian Wilson flattened the holder after the kick. Awful penalty. A field goal would have kept it a two-possession game. A touchdown would make it (presumably) 24-7 and a three possession game.

You aren’t allowed to truck the holder.

2nd and goal, Okeafor bats a Roethlisberger pass and it's nearly picked off. Could have been a pick six, but instead it's third down.

Third down QB draw, stuffed. Great job by the Cardinals defense to force another field goal attempt.

Got it. 16 play drive for a field goal and it's 20-7 late in the third quarter.

Cards still able to throw short. 3rd and 2, Warner to Boldin underneath.

Madden: Warner is the only quarterback who wears gloves all the time.

Michaels: Warner has only attempted one pass more than 10 yards downfield tonight. Madden: That's because the Steelers won't let them.

Clock runs out. 20-7 after three quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER

Cutaway: Bill Bidwill, Cardinals owner. BOOOOOOOOOOO.

DB Antrel Rolle is in the game as a fourth receiver for the Cardinals. That's neat. He had one career reception in the regular season.

3rd and 13, Warner looks underneath to Hightower. Bounces off his hands. Wouldn't have been a first down anyway. Here's former Geelong Cat Ben Graham to punt.

The punt is very nearly blocked. 27 yard kick. Steelers get good field position.

Roethlisberger goes downfield, Rod Hood makes a nice defensive play, celebrates, and is called for defensive holding. Cardinals nearing 100 penalty yards - they still haven't reached 200 yards of total offense.

Michaels: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is so young he played against one of his players (James Farrior) in college. He's younger than Kurt Warner.

Steelers just killing clock now. 12:15 and counting. Roethlisberger sacked on third and long. Thinks about throwing it as he's hit, decides not to. Mitch Berger will punt.

Cardinals returner Steve Breaston is decked just as the ball arrives. Was lucky to not fumble. Arizona needs two touchdowns in 11:30.

Warner getting time to throw downfield now. A couple quick completions and they're almost out to the 50. 10:00 and counting.

2nd and 4, dump pass to J.J. Arrington in space. 22 yard gain to the Pittsburgh 28. Cards aren't dead yet.

Completion underneath to Fitzgerald. First and goal at the 10.

2nd and goal, Hightower to the 1. Third and goal. 8:00 on the clock.

Fade to Fitzgerald. Great, great catch. Touchdown. NBC shows a shot of his dad, a media member, not cheering in the press box. Nice work, Mr. Fitzgerald. Your son has made it 20-14 with 7:33 left.

Madden: That catch had a bit of David Tyree in it.

Steelers don't do much with the ball and punt. Cardinals take over on their 25. 5:28 left.

NBC graphic: Steelers are 142-1-1 in the regular season and 10-0 in the postseason since 1988 when they have an 11+ point lead.

First play, Warner to Boldin, first down. Steelers are probably clenching their buttholes a bit at this point. An unnecessary roughness penalty on Ike Taylor adds an extra 15 yards and puts Arizona in Steeler territory.

Warner to Breaston, complete, 23 yards. Cardinals are at full throttle now. They're at the 25 or so.

Next play, holding on Arizona. They've gone into triple digits in penalty yards.

Three consecutive incomplete passes and it's 4th and 20. What do the Cardinals do? Warner is coming off the field. They're kicking, one way or another. It's a punt, which I think is the worst possible option. Nobody asks me, though. Punt is downed at the 2.

Flag on the punt, but it's after the change of possession. It's a one-yard penalty on Pittsburgh. James Harrison cheap-shotted a Cardinal after the kick. Madden says he should be thrown out for that.

Second down, handoff to Willie Parker. Doesn't look like he gets out of the end zone, but they say it's not a safety. Steelers got extremely lucky. Cardinals call timeout. 3:04 left.

3rd and 10, Roethisberger throws from his own end zone. 20 yard completion to Holmes, but there's a flag down. Holding, offense, in the end zone. Safety. It's 20-16 and the Cardinals are getting the ball back with 2:58 left. Just as the snap happened, Madden said the Steelers could take a safety here. They did, just not intentionally.

This is not allowed.

Cardinals get the ball at their 35. They need a touchdown on this drive. 2:53 on the clock.

Second play of the drive, Warner to Fitzgerald for a short pass down the middle. He's gone. Perfect throw - the safeties were 20 yards deep and wide. Untouched. Somehow the Cardinals are on top, 23-20. 2:37 left in regulation.

Steelers called for Holding. Oof. It's 1st and 20.

Roethlisberger has led 17 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, the most in the NFL since he came into the league.

3rd and 6, nice catch by Holmes to convert. Roethlisberger stood in there.

Completion to Nate Washington for 11 or so. Can't get out of bounds. 1:10 and counting, Steelers at midfield.

Roethlisberger forced to run on the next play. Gets 4 yards or so to the Arizona 46. The Steelers call their second timeout.

Kremer: Jeff Reed says his range is 53 yards, but he'd be kicking into the wind here.

Short pass complete to Holmes. The defender (Francisco) slips and falls and Holmes runs it inside the 10. First and goal. Steelers call timeout with 49 seconds left in regulation. That's their final timeout.

Steelers try a fade to Santonio Holmes on first down. Ball goes right through his hands. 0:43.

Missed it by that much.

On second down, Holmes makes an unbelievable catch for a touchdown. There were three Cardinals surrounding him and he scored anyway. They're looking at replays to confirm that he got both feet down and controlled the ball. Sure looks like he did.

Man, what a catch. They're showing it over and over and it doesn't get any less great.

There's no evidence that he didn't make the catch. Review is taking FOREVER, but I understand why they're being so thorough. Here we go. Call confirmed. Touchdown. 27-23 Steelers, 0:35 left. Kurt Warner getting ready to go on the Arizona sideline. Cards have two timeouts left. They need a touchdown.

Arrington returns the kick to the 23. The Cardinals need 77 yards in 0:29.

Madden: If the Steelers want to play their safeties deep again and give them the middle of the field, Warner could take it again.

First play, terrific throw downfield. 20 yards, Warner to Fitzgerald.

Madden: You absolutely cannot let the Cardinals complete a pass and get out of bounds here.

Warner to Arrington. Complete to the Pittsburgh 44. 0:15 left, Cards call their final timeout.

Michaels: They have to throw to the sidelines now. Maybe throw to the end zone and hope Fitzgerald wins a jump ball.

Holmes pretty much has to be the MVP, right? Warner if the Cardinals win.

Warner under pressure, goes to chuck it deep, his arm is hit as he tries to throw. Pittsburgh falls on it. It's ruled a fumble. Game over. 0:05 left, Steelers have the ball.

They're looking at a replay here. Looks like a fumble to me. Confirmed.

Roethlisberger downs it. Game over, 27-23 final. Steelers are the first team to win six Super Bowls.

POSTGAME

Madden: Both of these teams played so well. It was so close and both teams played so hard. This is the way football should be played, this is what the NFL is, this was a heavyweight fight.

Michaels: You might not be able to match last year's Super Bowl between the Giants and Patriots, but this is in the neighborhood.

Holmes is on the NBC Madden Horse Trailer - he's their MVP. We'll see if he's officially named the MVP.

Joe Namath will present the Lombardi Trophy to the Steelers. I notice he doesn't have a handler like Doug Williams had last year. The NFL must have realized how terrible that looked.

Joe to the trophy: “I wanna kiss you.”

Dan Patrick hosting the ceremony. Cool.

Roger Goodell: Some said we couldn't top last year's Super Bowl, but the Steelers and Cardinals did tonight. [I disagree, Roger. But it was excellent.]

Dan Rooney: This group of players have been marvelous. Had the toughest schedule in the league and kept fighting. Weirdly, Rooney thanks Barack Obama.

Patrick: Mike Tomlin, you're the youngest man to coach in a Super Bowl, that also makes you the youngest to win a Super Bowl. Tomlin: Thank you. I'm also the most blessed. I have great people to work with, great players.

Patrick: When you became a head coach at age 32, were you ever overwhelmed? Tomlin: No, absolutely not, I have great confidence and faith in the organization.

Tomlin: When the Cardinals scored, that's kind of what we would have wanted, to score quickly and give us a chance. That's been the story for us all year, these guys never quit working and I tip my hat to all of them.

Holmes named MVP. 9 catches, 131 yards.

Patrick: Did Ben say anything to you in the huddle during that final drive? Holmes: I told Ben I wanted to be the guy to make the plays for this team. Great players make those plays.

Patrick: What was the name of the play you scored on? Holmes: If I tell you that, everybody will know to try to stop it in the future.

Roethlisberger: Wasn't nervous, had a lot of fun, got to work with these guys. Told the guys it's now or never on the final drive. All the work you put in means nothing if we don't go do this now.

Roethlisberger tries to leave podium with the trophy. Patrick doesn't allow it.

James Harrison: On the interception, we had a max blitz on and I knew he'd have to throw it quickly. I got to where I thought he'd throw it.

Harrison: Final few yards of the pick six were just about the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt: [Holmes touchdown] was a great play. He got his feet down, it was a catch. They made the great plays and that's what great teams do.

Whisenhunt: The turnover at the end of the first half killed us. That and all of our penalties.

Whisenhunt: When I saw Fitzgerald score, I thought there was too much time on the clock. You always think that.

Whisenhunt: We learned that a group of guys working hard together can accomplish anything. Upset we didn't win, but proud of these players.

NBC Analyst Mike Holmgren: It's very difficult for the Cardinals right now. They can keep their heads up. They played well, but the Steelers made the plays at the end.

Costas: Kurt Warner has the three top passing yardage games in Super Bowl history.

Warner: Tried to hold the ball, give our receivers a chance to get downfield, just held it a bit too long.

Warner: Didn't think we'd won when Fitzgerald scored. Have seen a lot in this game. The Steelers are a great team, went down and scored.

Flanagan attempts to get Warner to say whether he's retiring. He says he doesn't know.

Costas: People were calling the Cardinals the worst team ever to make the playoffs. They just played one of the best Super Bowls of all time.

#nfl #football #super bowl #super bowl xliii #pittsburgh steelers #pittsburgh #steelers #arizona cardinals #arizona #cardinals

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cover32-yahoopartner-blog · 7 years ago

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#CoachingCarousel: Frank Reich

Other than winning games and eventually a Superbowl, the next Bears head coach will be tasked with getting the most out of Mitch Trubisky. Being that having a great quarterback and winning championships go hand-in-hand, it is imperative that the next coaching staff be able to develop Trubisky into a franchise quarterback. As I noted in my Jim Bob Cooter #CoachingCarousel article, the proven formula for developing a franchise quarterback is to pair a talented passer with an innovative offensive mind, with an added bonus if that mind belongs to a guy that actually played the position himself.

An interesting name who checks both boxes, who maybe isn’t talked about quite enough is Frank Reich. Of all the former quarterbacks who are now coaching in the NFL, Reich may be the one who had the most NFL success. Reich is best known for leading the biggest comeback in NFL history in a 1993 wildcard game vs the Oilers in place of injured Hall of Famer, Jim Kelly. With that win and a win the following week, Reich is the only quarterback in NFL history that has made multiple playoff starts and is undefeated in his postseason playing career. These wins earned Reich the title of best backup quarterback in NFL history.

But Reich’s ability to play quarterback means very little in this evaluation. One of the things I personally like to see with offensive and defensive coordinators is a success at multiple stops and under multiple coaching staffs. Reich’s coaching career started as an offensive assistant and then quarterbacks coach under Jim Caldwell. In that position, obviously, he rubbed shoulders with Peyton Manning. In his first season with Reich as quarterbacks coach, Manning won the 2nd of back-to-back MVP awards. Reich was the Colts’ wide receivers coach the year Manning missed with a shoulder injury, but still managed a pair of 70-catch, 900 yard wide receivers in Reggie Wayne and the emerging Pierre Garcon. Reich’s contact with future Hall of Famers continued as he served as wide receivers coach for Larry Fitzgerald under coach, Ken Whisenhunt. Whiz took Reich with him to San Diego to be quarterback coach under Mike McCoy in 2013, before Reich himself became McCoy’s offensive coordinator. While working with Reich, Philip Rivers probably played the best football of his career, with over 13,000 yards and 92 TDs, while completing over 67% of his passes in those 3 seasons. Finally, the last 2 years, Reich has been the offensive coordinator for the Eagles under Doug Pederson where he has led the 4th ranked offense so far this season.

While it’s tough to gauge how much of the success in his coaching career is due to being surrounded by Hall of Fame talent at every stop, Reich has experience in a lot of different offensive systems. In the last 10 years, Reich has made ties, either directly or indirectly, to the Andy Reid, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, and (if you squint really hard) Bill Walsh coaching trees. Not to mention his direct ties as a player to Marv Levy and his no-huddle innovative offense that dominated the 1990s.

Reich has positioned himself on the head coaching radar the last 2 years by playing a part in the development of Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. Wentz had a mediocre rookie season with Reich as offensive coordinator in 2016 but has taken a huge step forward in year two with an MVP caliber season through the first 9 games of the season. Ironically enough, the 2016 Eagles featured a rookie quarterback that they traded up to #2 overall to draft, a weak group of wide receivers that featured a tight end as the leading receiver, and a short shifty running back out of the backfield. This year, the Eagles revamped their receiving corps and now have a balanced offense 4th in the league in rushing, but 1st in touchdown passes. A trend the Bears would hope Reich could duplicate in Chicago.

One negative with Reich is that because he was regarded as a top backup quarterback in the league, he played in the league 13 seasons until age 37. Reich also took almost a decade away from football before getting into coaching. Therefore, he’d be a 1st time NFL head coach at the ripe age of 56 years old. While there are only six coaches in the league with over 10 years in the same job, ideally a team that is still rebuilding may be looking for a head coach that has the potential to be around for the long-term. Reich’s age probably won’t allow the Bears to use him to establish Steeler and Packer like stability in leading the franchise. However, Reich’s hiring could potentially come with his current quarterback coach, John DeFilippo being promoted to offensive coordinator with a move to Chicago. Granted, he would probably get a similar promotion to stay in Philly, but DeFilippo is a sleeper head coaching candidate himself who would get a chance to call plays and bolster his resume. Either way, Reich would have enough connections to young offensive minds from the many coaching trees I mentioned, making for very intriguing hires as his coordinators.

If Reich didn’t take 8 years off after his playing career, I think he’d already be a tenured head coach in the NFL. As a player, he kept himself prepared to come in at a moment’s notice in one of the toughest jobs in pro sports. His career has had him surrounded by Hall of Famers such as Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, and potentially Philip Rivers. So he knows how to handle superstars and possibly knows the preparation it takes to become one. But most importantly, Reich checks those important boxes. He knows the offense and he knows the quarterback position. Even if he isn’t the next coming of George Halas, he’s a guy that can get this franchise headed in the right direction and for the first time in team history, put a consistently competitive offense on Soldier Field.

AROUND COVER32

2 Point Cowboys Podcast: Eagles Week

Steelers flex their Super Bowl muscle

Rams at Vikings: Who has the edge?

What’s in store for the Chiefs in the second half?

Interested in writing for cover32? Follow the link to apply!

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decaturga · 8 years ago

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DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson pushing ‘City of Prosperity’ proposal

January 10, 2017 at 02:36PM source: Dan Whisenhunt, http://ift.tt/2jrBwOp

DeKalb County Georgia. Source: Google Maps.

This story has been updated.

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson is backing a proposal to create a “City of Prosperity” in south DeKalb County.

Johnson brought up the proposed city during the Jan. 10 County Commission meeting. Decaturish was unable to attend due to prior obligations, but was able to hear his comments on the live video stream of the meeting. During the meeting he requested someone hold an enlarged copy of the map up for the audience. He said the proposed city would have about 150,000 residents.

“We are tired of the disrespect and the things we deal with,” Johnson said. “We’re going to pursue our own city.”

Johnson’s office declined to comment, but did provide a copy of the proposed map for the new city.

Proposed City of Prosperity Map 1 6 17

During the meeting, Johnson said the proposed new city is about “trying to control our own destiny.”

“Our economic development is at a standstill when we have the vision and foresight to move it forward,” he said.

It’s not clear if this is an alternative to the proposed city of Greenhaven, which has failed to gain traction in the state Legislature, but the boundaries of both cities overlap. It’s also not clear if the proposal has any backing in the Legislative delegation.

The idea is not new, however. A city of Prosperity was discussed back in 2013, according to Atlanta Journal Constitution and Cross Roads News archives.

The post DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson pushing ‘City of Prosperity’ proposal appeared first on Decaturish.

more: Dan Whisenhunt, http://ift.tt/2jrBwOp

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buddyrabrahams · 7 years ago

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Mike Mularkey reportedly in danger of being fired by Titans

Mike Mularkey reportedly is among the NFL coaches on the hot seat.

Even though the Tennessee Titans are competing for a potential playoff spot, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says Mularkey is in danger of losing his job.

Rapoport says Mularkey could be fired if the Titans lose on Sunday against the Jaguars, or even if the team makes the playoffs but goes one-and-done.

The thinking is that the Titans have become frustrated with the lack of development from former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, who took a step back this season after showing promise as a rookie and then last year.

Mularkey took over the Titans in 2015 after Ken Whisenhunt was fired following a 1-6 start to the season. The team has gone 19-21 in his three seasons as head coach.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2q2gA8O

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watchingthesuperbowl · 7 years ago

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Grading Super Bowl XLIII

What was the final score?

Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23

How much of the game was close? What was the “edge of your seat factor” like? (20 points)

It was a close game until just before halftime, wasn’t close in the third quarter, then suddenly became close again in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 10-7, Kurt Warner led the Cardinals to the Pittsburgh one yard line with less than 20 seconds to play in the first half. Arizona had no timeouts left at this point. As I watched the game, I made a note to myself that Warner would obviously throw because an unsuccessful run ends the half. I also wrote that if he didn’t have a wide open receiver, he’d chuck the ball into the stands and take the field goal. This seemed like a no-brainer. Warner was one of the greatest passers in NFL history and wasn’t the sort of quarterback to try to force something that wasn’t there.

Or so I thought. That’s not what happened. On first and goal from the 1, Warner attempted to throw a quick slant into the end zone but didn’t see linebacker James Harrison in the passing lane. Harrison guessed correctly what was about to happen and he intercepted Warner’s throw, returning it 100 yards for a touchdown as time ran out in the first half. Instead of a 14-10 Cardinals lead or a 10-10 tie, Pittsburgh had a sudden and unexpected 17-7 lead heading into the locker room. At this point in Super Bowl history, no team had ever come back from a double-digit deficit to win. The Steelers looked like they were in good shape.

And it looked that way throughout the third quarter and into the fourth. Jeff Reed hit a chip shot field goal late in the third to extend his team’s lead to 20-7. The Steeler lead remained at 13 points until approximately halfway through the fourth quarter, when Warner and the Cardinals’ offense started firing on all cylinders. Warner went 8-for-8 for 87 yards to lead an impressive touchdown drive to cut the lead to 20-14 with 7:41 left in regulation.

When the Steelers went three-and-out on their next drive, punting the ball back to the Cards, things looked even better for Arizona. Two completions and a defensive personal foul put the Cardinals squarely in scoring position. It looked like, at worst, Neil Rackers would kick a field goal and put his team within three points. That probably would have happened if not for a holding penalty that pushed the Cardinals back to the Pittsburgh 36. Coach Ken Whisenhunt had a decision to make on 4th and 20 from the 36: Attempt a field goal but give the Steelers the ball at the spot of the kick (the Pittsburgh 43-44) in the event of a miss, go for it but give the Steelers the ball in decent field position in the event of a turnover on downs, or punt it away and attempt to pin Pittsburgh inside their 10 but forgoing any possible points.

Full disclosure: I’d have gone for it. 4th and 20 is not a great situation to be in, but I would have been hesitant to kick the ball away knowing I may not get it back. Whisenhunt punted. Ben Graham placed the punt perfectly, killing it at the Steelers’ two yard line. Everything went as well as it possibly could have gone for the Cardinals. This is why Ken Whisenhunt was paid a bunch of money to be a football coach and I’m a guy with enough spare time to commit to watching 52 entire football games in one year.

On third and 10 with the Steelers still backed up to their goal line, Ben Roethlisberger went back to pass and got a bit of extra time to throw when center Justin Hartwig committed an obvious holding penalty in the end zone. Penalties committed in the end zone are automatic safeties and those two points cut the Pittsburgh lead to 20-16 with the Steelers kicking the ball back to Arizona. Two plays later, the Cardinals were in the lead. Playing it safe, Pittsburgh played two deep safeties and Larry Fitzgerald made them pay. Fitzgerald came across the middle, caught a pass underneath from Warner, and blasted off. He tore downfield, splitting those safeties and scoring a 64 yard touchdown. In the span of five minutes, Arizona went from trailing 20-7 to leading 23-20.

Much like the previous year’s Super Bowl, the team that was suddenly trailing had one last opportunity to march downfield and win the game. And much like the previous year’s Super Bowl, they did exactly that. Roethlisberger was involved in every play on the Steelers’ game-winning drive, throwing for 72 yards and running for six more, capping it off with a spectacular six-yard pass to Santonio Holmes for the game-winning touchdown. Roethlisberger put the ball where only one person - Holmes - could have caught it in bounds. Holmes made up for a dropped touchdown pass a play earlier when he went up, made a fingertip catch, and somehow just barely got both feet down in the end zone. Touchdown, Steelers win.

The fourth quarter of this game was one of the closest, most exciting, most fun quarters I’ve seen in a Super Bowl. The first three quarters weren’t terribly exciting with the exception of the Warner brainfade/Harrison touchdown at the end of the first half. (Score: 14 out of 20)

Was there any kind of comeback? Was there ever any indication that the team which was trailing had a chance to come from behind and win? (15 points)

Yes, very much so. The Cardinals fought back from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to take the lead with less than three minutes left in regulation. Pittsburgh responded with a game-winning touchdown a couple of minutes later.

There were two fourth quarter comebacks in this game. If the Cardinals had won the game, I’d have given this game a perfect score in this category. Ultimately, though, this was as much a comeback that fell short as it was a game featuring two comebacks. (Score: 13 out of 15)

Did the great players come through with great performances? (15 points)

They did.

Warner went 31-43 for 377 yards, three touchdowns, and that one very costly interception. This was his third career Super Bowl. After this game, the top three passing yardage performances in Super Bowl history were from 1. Kurt Warner, 2. Kurt Warner, and 3. Kurt Warner. Warner’s career was overshadowed by his contemporaries Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but when Kurt Warner was healthy he was an absolute nightmare for opposing teams.

Gallant, as always, in defeat.

Warner’s top receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, grabbed 7 passes for 127 yards and two scores. It took Fitzgerald a while to warm up, but he was unstoppable once he got into the game. The Cards’ #2 wide receiver, Anquan Boldin, caught 8 passes for 84 yards. Boldin might not be considered an all-time great, but as I write this post he’s in the top ten in NFL history in receptions. That’s a star, if perhaps not a Hall of Famer.

On the defensive side of the ball, three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Darnell Dockett sacked Roethlisberger three times and generally made things miserable for the Pittsburgh offense.

For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger had a big night. Roethlisberger completed 70 percent of his passes for 256 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Those might not be Kurt Warner numbers, but if you combine them with his uncanny ability to keep plays alive and turn nothing into something, that’s an impressive performance.

Pittsburgh’s Santonio Holmes, who was a star if not exactly “great”, was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII, catching nine passes for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown. (Score: 13 out of 15)

Were the teams historically great? (10 points)

There were a number of articles written on the eve of the 2008 NFL playoffs wondering aloud if the Cardinals were the worst team ever to appear in the postseason. They weren’t, of course, but they finished the regular season 9-7, had the worst rushing offense in the NFL, and were in the bottom five in the league in terms of fewest points allowed. Down the stretch, the ‘08 Cardinals lost four of their final six regular season games including a 48-20 loss to the Eagles and a 47-7 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots.

Arizona got to the Super Bowl because they had one of the best passers of the Super Bowl era and a defense that came to life, forcing 12 turnovers in three NFC playoff games. Before the 2008 season, the franchise had made the playoffs exactly twice in 33 years, and one of those postseason appearances came after the strike-shortened 1982 season when more than half the league made the playoffs. Two years after this Super Bowl appearance, in the 2010 season, the Cardinals had returned to what seemed to be their natural state: 5-11 and in last place.

The Steelers were much closer to greatness at this point. This was their second Super Bowl championship in four years and their second straight year leading the NFL in fewest yards allowed. They’re right there with the Colts as the second-best AFC team of the decade behind the Brady/Belichick Patriots. (Score: 8 out of 10, almost all of which comes from the Steelers.)

Were there memorable moments that will be talked about for decades? (10 points)

Absolutely. The James Harrison touchdown at the end of the first half is one of the most memorable defensive plays in the history of the Super Bowl. It was the longest play in the history of the Super Bowl, exactly 100 yards from goal line to goal line. As I mentioned, the Harrison touchdown was a game-changing play, giving Pittsburgh a double-digit lead instead of a potential deficit at halftime.

The end of the second half had a great moment of its own. Just one play after dropping a potential game-winning touchdown he should have caught, Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes made up for the gaffe by coming up with an incredible catch in the corner of the end zone. Holmes went up, grabbed a Roethlisberger pass, and just barely got his feet down in the field of play as he fell out of bounds. It was every bit as important to the outcome of Super Bowl XLIII as John Taylor’s catch was in Super Bowl XXIII or David Tyree’s catch one year earlier. (Score: 10 out of 10)

How was the quality of play? Were there a lot of penalties, punts, and turnovers? (15 points)

If you ignore penalties, the Cardinals were probably the better team on the day in Super Bowl XLIII. Unfortunately for Arizona, when they decide who wins football games, they don’t ignore penalties.

The Cards shot themselves in the foot so many times in this game that it’s a wonder they had any feet left at the end. As a team, Arizona committed eleven penalties and gave away 106 yards in the process. Pittsburgh got a Super Bowl record four first downs via penalty. The Cards had more than three times as many penalty yards as rushing yards. Arizona had as many fumbles as they had rushing first downs.

Despite all that, they nearly won the game. It’s not unrealistic to say that if they had been able to do the basic stuff you expect a football team to do, Arizona likely would have won Super Bowl XLIII.

For their part, the Steelers played pretty well. Roethlisberger was good, the defense held Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald in check for most of the night, and they didn’t beat themselves with penalties or turnovers. In emphasizing Arizona’s failures it’s easy to overlook Pittsburgh’s successes. That wouldn’t be fair to the Steelers. They played well and deserved to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the night. (Score: 6 out of 15)

Are there any other factors that add to the greatness the game? This covers things like weather, story line, rivalry matchup, legacy franchises, unexpected results, etc. (15 points)

There weren’t a ton of great storylines here. The weather wasn’t a factor, the final score was close to what the point spread suggested it would be, and people tend not to get too excited about the latest news from the Arizona Cardinals.

As an NFL history nerd, I love the Card-Pitt angle. In 1944, as a result of a shortage of players during World War II, the NFL combined the Cardinals and Steelers for a year into a bizarre and forgettable amalgamation called Card-Pitt. Card-Pitt went 0-10, scored zero points in the 1944 preseason, and lost nine of its ten regular season games by 14+ points. People weren’t all abuzz about the Card-Pitt rivalry in the leadup to Super Bowl XLIII, but it was a neat story nonetheless.

As for the 2008 Cardinals and the 2008 Steelers specifically, the most interesting storyline was the coaching matchup. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt was a Steelers assistant under coach Bill Cowher and widely considered a frontrunner to take over in Pittsburgh when Cowher retired. Instead of waiting to see if the Steelers would hire him, Whisenhunt agreed to take over as the head coach in Arizona, taking key Pittsburgh assistant Russ Grimm with him to Phoenix.

So instead of hiring Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm, the Steelers made a hire that confused just about everybody: They hired a 35-year-old with a total of one season as a coordinator in the NFL. Mike Tomlin has worked out just fine, winning a Super Bowl ring and making the playoffs in seven of his first ten seasons as a head coach. At the time, though, it was almost unthinkable that the Steelers would miss out on Whisenhunt to hire a guy nobody had ever heard of. (Score: 7 out of 15)

How does the game grade overall? (sum of all previous categories, 100 points)

71 out of 100. That’s just outside the top ten, which seems right to me. This wasn’t quite an inner-circle great game: There weren’t a ton of compelling storylines, the Cardinals were a flash in the pan that made a ton of mistakes, and it felt like the Steelers were firmly in control of the game for most of the second half. (They weren’t, of course, but it felt that way.)

Ratings and rankings of Super Bowls I-XLIII:

1. Super Bowl XLII - New York Giants 17, New England 14 - 91 points T2. Super Bowl XIII - Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31 - 87 points T2. Super Bowl XXXVIII - New England 32, Carolina 29 - 87 points 4. Super Bowl XXXVI - New England 20, St. Louis 17 - 86 points 5. Super Bowl XXIII - San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 - 85 points T6. Super Bowl XXV - New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19 - 84 points T6. Super Bowl XXXIV - St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16 - 84 points 8. Super Bowl X - Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17 - 80 points 9. Super Bowl XXXII - Denver 31, Green Bay 24 - 77 points 10. Super Bowl VII - Miami 14, Washington 7 - 74 points 11. Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23 - 71 points 12. Super Bowl XXX - Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17 - 69 points T13. Super Bowl IX - Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 6 - 68 points T13. Super Bowl XXXI - Green Bay 35, New England 21 - 68 points T15. Super Bowl XVII - Washington 27, Miami 17 - 67 points T15. Super Bowl XXVIII - Dallas 30, Buffalo 13 - 67 points 17. Super Bowl XXXIX - New England 24, Philadelphia 21 - 66 points 18. Super Bowl XIV - Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles 19 - 65 points 19. Super Bowl XVI - San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21 - 62 points T20. Super Bowl XL - Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10 - 61 points T20. Super Bowl XIX - San Francisco 38, Miami 16 - 61 points T22. Super Bowl III - New York Jets 16, Baltimore 7 - 58 points T22. Super Bowl XXII - Washington 42, Denver 10 - 58 points 24. Super Bowl XXI - New York Giants 39, Denver 20 - 57 points 25. Super Bowl XXVII - Dallas 52, Buffalo 17 - 55 points 26. Super Bowl XXXIII - Denver 34, Atlanta 19 - 53 points 27. Super Bowl VI - Dallas 24, Miami 3 - 52 points 28. Super Bowl XX - Chicago 46, New England 10 - 51 points T29. Super Bowl I - Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10 - 50 points T29. Super Bowl XXXVII - Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21 - 50 points T29. Super Bowl XLI - Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17 - 50 points T32. Super Bowl XVIII - Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington 9 - 49 points T32. Super Bowl XXIV - San Francisco 55, Denver 10 - 49 points 34. Super Bowl XXVI - Washington 37, Buffalo 24 - 48 points 35. Super Bowl VIII - Miami 24, Minnesota 7 - 47 points 36. Super Bowl XV - Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10 - 44 points 37. Super Bowl IV - Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7 - 43 points 38. Super Bowl XXXV - Baltimore 34, New York Giants 7 - 42 points T39. Super Bowl II - Green Bay 33, Oakland 14 - 40 points T39. Super Bowl V - Baltimore 16, Dallas 13 - 40 points 41. Super Bowl XXIX - San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 - 39 points 42. Super Bowl XII - Dallas 27, Denver 10 - 38 points 43. Super Bowl XI - Oakland 32, Minnesota 14 - 35 points

#nfl #football #super bowl #super bowl xliii #arizona cardinals #arizona #cardinals #pittsburgh steelers #pittsburgh #steelers

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cover32-yahoopartner-blog · 8 years ago

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The Arizona Cardinals need for a future quarterback

The 2017 NFL Draft has come and gone and yet again, the Arizona Cardinals have failed to draft a quarterback, or let alone an heir to Carson Palmer.

Palmer, an injury-plagued, aging quarterback, debated retirement this offseason along with teammate Larry Fitzgerald. Thankfully, both will be returning for the 2017-2018 NFL season.

It was known around the league that Arizona was interested in a quarterback at 13 in the 2017 NFL draft, such as Texas-Tech QB Patrick Mahomes III, a quarterback with high upside and a very powerful arm. However, the Chiefs traded up and selected him 10th overall. The Cardinals ended up with a solid linebacker in the form of Haason Reddick out of Temple, who will likely surpass Karlos Dansby as the starting ILB for Arizona.

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Even though the Arizona Cardinals did not draft a quarterback, they did manage to sign undrafted free agent Trevor Knight. Knight is a quarterback out of Texas A&M who can hurt defenses with his running ability. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that’s about it, as he had a meager 53.3% completion rate last season for the A&M.

The Cardinals continue to rack up comparisons to the 2009-2010 team, who had an aging quarterback in Kurt Warner, a respected head coach in Ken Whisenhunt, and a very good core featuring pro bowl players such as Darnell Dockett, Adrian Wilson, and Fitzgerald. Following a Super Bowl loss to the Steelers the year before, the Cardinals finished 10-6 and fell to the Saints in the divisional round. Then Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner retired, which made John Skelton the starting quarterback, who lead them to a mere 5-11 record the following year.

At the end of the day, the Cardinals do not have their future quarterback at the moment. However, they still have time fix that. The Cardinals could surprise many and trade for a QB, or wait until next year’s draft, which is filled with quality quarterbacks like Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Mason Rudolph.

Certainly the latter would be more ideal, but you never know: anything can happen in NFL.

The post The Arizona Cardinals need for a future quarterback appeared first on Cover32.

#_author:Jack O&39;Connell #_uuid:d4edb6fa-cce5-35c7-acf0-6ab9cff1014c #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DIJnLEAX #_revsp:cover32_362

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cover32-yahoopartner-blog · 8 years ago

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Recent Titans, where are they now

I’ve had a bunch of recent questions about players from last year.

Kendall Wright is in Chicago. Dowell Loggains was his offensive coordinator in Tennessee when they threw a zillion 3-5 yard passes and had him run with it. This is not an offense. This is part of an offense- a play that should be used because it works well, but it should have never got to the point where fans would say “they do that every time they pass.”

My only issue with Terry Robiske’s usage of him is that he simply didn’t seem to have that play in the offense anymore. It worked and worked well. There’s no reason a new offensive coordinator had to never use that play again. He played Wright as a normal slot receiver. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I never expected Wright to succeed in 2016 because the data doesn’t show that a third wide receiver ever really does that well in a Mike Mularkey offense. He did, statistically, fill the role fine.

Mularkey about let him sit out camp and the first few weeks and still make the team. Many of the injury updates were minimal and presented like Kendall may have been cleared. Mularkey spoke of the entire team and would say how they have to show up and practice if they want to make this. I don’t think he ever specifically stated that Kendall should have been participating. In hindsight, I think Mularkey could have handled the injury updates better with him. There was this “air” that he was slacking or taking it easy or somesuch.

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Since my own days of t-ball a million years ago, I have long realized that some people don’t respond to yellers and coaches that verbally poke you to motivate. One gives a “dude relax” feeling while the other one is annoying. I don’t think Ken Whisenhunt or Shawn Jefferson were right for Wright. Wright should have been well used to these types of coaches though and been able to “do his thing” regardless.

There are guys that play tall and guys that play small, Wright was the shortest 5-foot 10-inch wide receiver I’ve ever seen. I had zero hope when there was a jump ball to him. On the rare occasion that he lined up as a running back, he reminded me of the Morris brothers from many years ago. He ran hunched over making him even smaller. Could the defensive line see him? Would they lose him for a second behind the big offensive linemen? I’d have liked to have seen him in the backfield a time or two each game.

Justin Hunter, I blame on Whisenhunt, totally. I have already seen videos on facebook where coaches show the JAG jersey and say this is not how to motivate. It’s ironic that he became just another guy. I remember a story I was told where he learned all of the positions and the staff was surprised. I remember seeing Jefferson barking at him in camp videos and him responding. The Titans were to bring him along slowly and only threw deep bombs and high lobs to him as a rookie. Year two, he was to be “the man.” That’s not slow. That’s poorly planned. There was no slowly increasing his role part of this process. I don’t think Mularkey handled Hunter or DGB well last spring. There were many reports from fans that Hunter was doing very well. I’d discard them some if it were a couple, but there were dozens. Mularkey had sat down with Hunter and DGB and told them they had to improve. It seemed to me like Hunter did. There was even a presser or two where Mularkey said this. I think that must have been confusing for the young man. It came across to me like he was doing what the coach asked and sports teaches you that that will keep you from getting cut. In the NFL, regardless if you do what’s asked, you’re always at risk to be cut. There’s certainly a big caveat here that I wasn’t in meetings or practices to know, but when fans are consistently saying he’s doing well and a reporter or two start to jump on board, it makes me hmmm about it.

Hunter should have gone to some summer meeting or camp where wide receivers train and learn from each other. Larry Fitzgerald does these. Jerry Rice used to and I don’t know if he still does. Michael Irvin always claims to want to help young wide receivers. Hunter was struggling to get open in the NFL and with his bod he shouldn’t have. He was a prototype wide receiver. Faster than fast, very tall, excellent leaping ability, huge wingspan and catching radius. There was something “off” with his game that some veteran should have been able to tweak. I do blame some of this on Jefferson as I think that’s part of his job. Much of the blame on these issues though is on Hunter. He had to know he wasn’t getting separation despite 4.3 speed. He had to know his routes weren’t crisp enough or smooth enough.

I’m very curious of Hunter in Pittsburgh. They have a role on their offense that just seems to be “go deep young man.” He can do that. In fact one of my gripes with Whis is that he had him run deep on a zillion running plays. It fooled no one and had to tire Hunter out some. Anyway, the odds are surely against him in Pitt, but he can flat out fly if he wants to.

The concentration issue with Titans wide receivers for years was one of the oddest things. These athletic players could “pluck a ball out of thin air” yet they would drop a “gimme pass” right to them. I could list several Titans that were “guilty” of this and it was eery. Hunter did this and he can’t drop the “gimme’s.” Dropping them opened things up for being cut and just about anything negative. It’s an overtly obvious part of his job-catch the ball.

Dorial Green-Beckham was a slow learner. The Titans knew this. He was to come along slowly, like Hunter, but thrust into the starting lineup anyway, like Hunter. DGB did fine as a rookie. I don’t think it’s reasonable to draft a player that’s a slow learner and then trade him away for being a slow learner. The NFL made DGB’s cost too much though during the draft. The market for his services was too high. He should have been a developmental project drafted in a later round, not a gem that might go in the first round.

The NFL made DGB’s cost too much though during the draft. The market for his services was too high. He should have been a developmental project drafted in a later round, not a gem that might go in the first round. If one compares DGB (or Hunter)

If one compares DGB or Hunter to the NFL’s fifth and sixth wide receiver, they are clearly better. Some teams do draft developmental project wide receivers who “sit at the end of the bench” and learn. Athletically, these two are eons better than anyone in that role across the league. As long as the confidence is still there, I think some team should develop them. They failed as #1 wide receivers, so the confidence could be an issue. If so, they will be “done” quickly in the NFL. The perspective (#1 versus developmental project) changes everything here.

David Cobb was cut recently. I was never a fan. I continually argued against him. I don’t have much new to add.

Bishop Sankey was an odd bird that ran tough in college and didn’t in the NFL. He had some good shoulder moves and power running and then when he didn’t utilize them, Whisenhunt “got on him.” Otherwise, the talent was definitely there. One could see it most every game, yet he struggled to use these skills at the NFL level. Whisenhunt called him out way too much and replaced him way too often to be able to get it together and gain a head of steam. NFL history is littered with backs that did not do well their first several carries and then took over a game.

I think Sankey would make a fine backup and could fill the role of third down back in the meantime. He is currently on the Vikings. They drafted and signed running backs stacking the competition against Sankey. He’s going to have step his game up and come “rarin’ to go” to make their roster.

Antonio Andrews was one of my favorite players and one I enjoyed hearing that the coaches adored for his many uses. We got to see two or three carries last year where he ran for 6 yards or so on each carry. We never really got to see him run behind an excellent offensive line, just a poor one. He’s useful, he’s tough, and he’s cheap. I have no idea why the Titans didn’t re-sign him. He hasn’t landed with another team and I find that odd given his college success and, again, low salary in the NFL. This creates one of the rare instances where I wonder if a player’s agent is doing the best job for his client.

Andrew Turzilli is on the Lions. The Titans have let him go twice and he has found a new home each time. He’s been praised for his study habits and is a fast tall wide receiver. He has to find a way to improve with limited reps. There’s a point that he won’t be viewed as a good developmental project if he doesn’t.

Ben Roberts, who made the Titans roster for a day or two in 2016, is an oddball here. He didn’t sign elsewhere and the Titans didn’t bring him back. The young players cut a day or two after the cut to get to 53 are almost always practice squad members. The former outfielder fascinated me. He had that classic ability to shift into a sixth gear when the ball was in the air. He was slow otherwise, relatively speaking. The Titans played him almost the entire second half of all the preseason games. They had to get 12 players on the field, but instead chose to keep Roberts out there and rotate the receiver opposite him. It all just left me with a feeling that there is something I don’t know- as if something happened that wasn’t in the press. If not the practice squad last year, he would certainly be under a future’s contract or invited to camp. It’s very odd.

Jake Locker. PK called him the worst draft pick in franchise history for a feature on ESPN and people have asked me. I sort of disagree. When drafted quarterbacks have had to play behind a poor offensive line, I always become a hypocrite. While they are playing I am highly critical, but in hindsight, I blame the line. I got to see Derek Carr up close at Giants camp. Such a special player- intelligent, kind, helpful, attentive listener, beautiful arm, wonderful throws all over the field. He’d “blow you away.” When the Giants went to playing live, wow he was terrified and terrible. The only thing I have to compare it to is PTSD. He never yelled “ahhhh” and ran away like a scared little kid, but that’s about all he didn’t do. Ever since seeing this, I have been this hypocrite that blames the line and the GM for failed quarterbacks that play behind a bad offensive line. I do not know why he retired so abruptly, but have long figured it’s from the beatings he took.”

To followup, many years later, many Tim Couch’s later…I don’t know what I’d do if I were an NFL GM that could not sign and draft enough offensive talent to protect the quarterback well. I suppose I would sign a few running college quarterbacks and work up some plan with the coach where they “get by” for a year. It seems to be that the quarterbacks that are “sitting ducks” get “destroyed” while the running types “have a fighting chance” and can shake off the hits better. Get through one year til you can draft and sign more. I’d trade defenders and do anything possible to get offensive linemen, but if it came to that- I’d sign some running quarterbacks.

Blake Bell and Joe Looney are both former Titans linemen on the Dallas Cowboys. Since the Cowboys are widely regarded as having the best offensive line (obviously I’m partial to the Titans) I find this odd. Neither were expensive, so why didn’t the Titans just keep quality backups?

This is a theme for many emails. Many of you have written in asking about players from 2016 that haven’t signed elsewhere. It’s a gripe I have with Robinson and I am fearful that the Titans won’t have the depth necessary to overcome injuries in 2017. He should be focused on the starters and adding better players to start, but depth should be there “just in case.”

Daimion Stafford should be a Titan.It’s curious they didn’t re-sign him after not drafting a safety. I assume Branden Trawick is the backup safety we fans feel is missing.

Darren Bates was not only a college safety, but a two time all state safety in Tennessee in high school. Thanks to the reader that pointed that out to me. I don’t think Dick Lebeau will use him in a Troy Polamalu role because I doubt he’s good enough. I don’t think he would have flown under the radar all this time if he were super special like that. I gotta say though- I find this fascinating and am extra curious of him for training camp now. Thank you again.

Blidhi Wreh Wilson was signed to the Falcons roster and signed again. I’ve seen very little written of him, but re-signing him shows confidence. He is a big corner and athletic. I hope he finally put it all together. He sure struggled in Tennessee.

Alterraun Verner is still unsigned as far as I know. The former all-pro that became a backup in Tampa still intrigues me also.

Chris Johnson is not on a team as far as I can tell. He was an arrogant player. I don’t blame him for this, sometimes it’s necessary to believe you are the best to succeed. I think this greatly hinders his ability to sign with a team and be a backup though. Backups are supposed to be some adult version of “good little boys” and not flamboyant arrogant types. Everyone remembers his time with the Titans, but I didn’t see that brash personality in articles about him in Arizona. He did very well for a half season. I believe he was tops in rushing during that time span-maybe second most. He seemed supportive of David Johnson and came across like a good teammate. From afar, if he is penalized for his once brash personality, it does seem unfair. He should have done enough in Arizona to convince teams otherwise.

I love to watch CJ. I do think he would be an effective change of pace back and kick returner with his blinding speed. I don’t think he fits the Titans team mindset at all though. I can’t imagine a reunion one bit.

Veterans

We have crossed past the draft. I am completely in favor of the Titans signing most any veteran player. The worst case scenario makes them a camp body. The best case scenario makes them a starter, while reasonable is probably depth. After the draft, veterans are cheap. It’s nothing like what transpires in March every year. They sign veteran minimum contracts and …I’d pretty much say yes the Titans should sign just about anyone that meets their team mindset.

Anquan Boldin could be everything that Andre Johnson was last year. The sure hands, the veteran presence, the tutor for young receivers, the leadership… he is a future hall of famer. The Titans should always and forever be interested in signing future hall of famers.

Ryan and Cutler

Rex Ryan and Jay Cutler own homes in Tennessee. I don’t think Ryan fits the Titans team at all. He’s far too brash. I think his future in the NFL is that of some adviser. He was very clever and creative. I’m not sure a team wants such a loud-spoken coordinator anymore.

Cutler is there. I was asked if Cassel gets injured, would they ask him to stop by for a tryout. Sure. Why not? If he’s local, yeah why not. I don’t think local is viewed correctly. NFL teams will fly anyone in from anywhere at a moment’s notice. It doesn’t really give Cutler a leg up as a “street free agent” here. If you want to consider him as a legit NFL backup, well then the Titans would have to sign him as such and bring him to camp. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t see a big advantage to him living in Tennessee.

Colts lower tier team with castoffs

I would tread very lightly here. I understand the notion that the Colts have signed players the Titans didn’t choose to re-sign. I totally understand, but that doesn’t discount that the Titans have never beaten Andrew Luck. Every team needs backups. It might be a fun comment for a rivalry “jab,” but otherwise I’d tread lightly with that.

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