Some Random Sports Thoughts....

I decided to write about the first 10 topics that came to mind. Football coaches and sports etiquette seem to be hot topics of the day.


1. Tashard Choice asking Michael Vick to autograph a glove after the game

My only comment to this: Who cares! The game is over. Eagles won, Cowboys lost. Shake hands and go home. Just because some fans can't get over it doesn't mean Choice can't. Ridiculous. Also, they know each other, Choice was at Georgia Tech when Vick was playing for the Falcons.


2. On Derek Anderson smiling during losing effort on Monday Night football

What do you expect him to do? He is on the sideline, there is nothing that he can do to help the team. It wasn't like he was ROTFLHAO. It was a smile.

As anyone who has every coached a sport knows, sometime you need to get the athlete to RELAX. Sometimes telling them to smile helps. I have used that in coaching soccer, bowling, and even with the kettlebells.

Anderson's rant at the reporter was deserved. I mean, do you remember every facial express that you have on the field. I bet I know what Duece Lutui said to him: "I wonder what would happen if we put Matt Leinart in there?" or "Hey, why don't you smile right now, and some jock-sniffing reporter is going to make a big deal out of it in the post game press conference."


3. The New England Patriots killing the NY Jets and Chicago Bears.

Impressive, but they are only one game. For some reason, it seems that when you destroy a team in the regular season, it can come back to haunt you in the post-season. We will see. By the way, this is not a very talented Patriots team. Belicheck's best coaching job EVER!


4. Why is no one giving any props to the 11-2 Atlanta Falcons. They are a complete team, well-coached, and have a great QB in Matt Ryan. They are just completely under the radar, and I don't get it.


5. Jason Garrett's job with the Dallas Cowboys.

I will say that Dallas (my team) is playing much better. When I watched them play under Wade Phillips, they didn't look like they were slacking as much as they were unprepared. They also seemed to make a lot of mental mistakes. When that happens, the coach HAS TO GO. Jason Garrett, who I think sucked as offensive coordinator, is now 3-2, with the two losses coming to quality teams with a back up QB Jon Kitna. I think if he goes at least 5-3 he will be Head Coach, if not they will look for someone else, and they will probably go the "Deserving Coordinator" route (like Mike Smith, Raheem Morris, Mike Tomlin, Tony Sparano, Rex Ryan) rather than the "Recycled Head Coach" one (Cowher, Gruden, etc.).

6. Jon Gruden needs to stay on Monday Night Football.

Enough said.

7. Al Golden selected as University of Miami Head Coach

Good choice. If you can win and recruit at Temple, you can do it anywhere. Golden was successful because they were starting to keep players from Eastern PA and New Jersey. Miami has a much bigger recruiting haul. If they can recruit there, they will win. There are a couple of things that he will have to fight against:

A) Some players from Miami want to get out of there. Miami was hit very hard by the recession.

B) With Florida Atlantic and Florida International in the mix, those that want to stay in Miami now have more options. Normally you can say that Miami should get whomever they want. But the reality is that all schools get on TV and all schools are looked at by the NFL, so there is more parity in programs nowadays. A player will choose a school based on playing prospects and the system and not just the school.


8. Will Muschamp being named Head Coach at Florida.

Good for him, but he wouldn't have been my first choice, or second,.....or third. More like seventh. I guess Urban Meyer couldn't handle the stress of losing. He should smile more like Derek Anderson.


9. Josh McDaniels fired as Head Coach of the Denver Broncos.

Saw it coming. A head coach needs to be an "Alpha Male", but also needs to work with other Alpha Males (Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall). He couldn't. When you demand to be THE Alpha, you make everyone else a Beta - and a whole teams of Betas is going to lose. He is young, and will get another chance. I do wonder what this means for Tim Tebow however, as a new coach's system may not suit his skill set.


10. Why I love the BCS!

A. The two best teams have a chance to play each other.
B. The regular season matters.
C. New Year's Day is my favorite sports day ever.
D. By playing one playoff game instead of three, future NFL star don't risk getting injury and losing MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to play a game that they don't have a financial stake in.
E. It has forced teams to bump up their non-league schedules a tad.
F. The Conference Championships matter.
G. The other bowl games matter more. We get to see "bigger picture" of which conferences are better.
H. Probably doesn't belong here, but I think it is bullshit that Temple (8-4) was not invited to a bowl game.


You are probably wondering why I didn't write about Sal Alosi, the NY Jets Strength and Conditioning Coach who tripped a Dolphin Nolan Carroll on the sideline. That is because:
* I have no idea what he was thinking (must have held his breath on too many squats), and
* I don't know what a suitable punishment is.