Sportsmeat

Idaho, here I come

First, a comment on a pet topic of mine that I've discussed before: Today, the Raiders announced the firing of offensive coordinator Tom Walsh, perhaps the first firing that could be predicted the very second the hire was made. Walsh, of course, spend the last 12 years out of the NFL, most recently running a bed-and-breakfast and serving as the mayor of Swan Valley, Idaho. His game-planning could be called, at worst, "retarded," and at best ... well ... "retarded." Granted, he didn't have a lot to work with, but he did nothing to cater to the strengths of his team - a mobile quarterback, a workhorse running back who was an outstanding receiver, and one of the 3 best receivers out there (while still in his physical prime).

Let's be completely clear: anyone who supported or signed off on the hiring of Walsh should be fired and never re-hired in the NFL again. That is not an overstatement. This was the single dumbest hiring ever in the NFL, if not in the history of sport. OK, that could possibly be an overstatement. I haven't reviewed every hire ever. Nonetheless, the NFL is without question a continuously-evolving league. Coaches constantly are mimicking the latest successful schemes, and coming up with new and inventive ways of succeeding. To hire a coach that has been out of the league for over a decade (and what's more, a coach that wasn't especially successful in his first go round) is indefensible.

One interesting point is that the above criticism can be used to describe another NFL coaching hire that hasn't taken much heat. Another coach that had been out of the game for 12 years. A coach who in his second stint has gone 20-23 despite working for an owner with a bottomless checkbook. Joe Gibbs. I'll go on the record to say that the hire of Joe Gibbs was an awful decision. Though, we shouldn't be too surprised that Daniel Snyder hired the wrong (ball)coach.

April 24, 2004, a day that will live in (Giants) infamy?

Everyone knows the story. San Diego drafts Eli. Eli refuses to go to the beach. The Giants get Eli in return for Philip Rivers, a 3rd round pick in 04, and a first and fifth in 05. Those picks turn out to be Shawn Merriman, Nate Kaeding, and Nick Hardwick (an all-rookie team pick and the current starting center). The Chargers are 30-13 since that day. The Giants are 23-20.

These past few weeks are the first that I've really worried about Eli. In his first year, I expected nothing of him, and his flair for the dramatic was encouraging. In his second year, he started strong but faded down the stretch. I was ok with that, as I thought the third year was the breakout year. Joe Montana broke out in his third year. Same for Brett Favre and Steve McNair. Troy Aikman didn't really improve until his fourth year. So I thought 2006 was it. But I'm officially worried, because the major problem with Eli - his accuracy - might be something that just can't be taught.

Five for Debating

I'm interested in getting everyone's take on one question - who are the top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL today? I'll post mine in the comments. You will suffer a 1 week comment ban for either of two infractions: (a) failure to list Peyton Manning at #1, or (b) listing Michael Vick anywhere in the top 50. No, that zero was not a typo.