Jan 5th 2009 12:20PM by Bruce Ciskie (author feed)
Filed under: Packers, NFC North, NFL Coaching
It took a week, but the Green Bay Packers have done the right thing.
The club announced Monday that they have fired six defensive coaches, including embattled coordinator Bob Sanders. The firings were first reported by the , and then confirmed by Tom Silverstein of the .
Defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn, defensive ends coach Carl Hairston, defensive backs coach Kurt Schottenheimer, cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington, and assistant Kevin Gullickson were also sent packing.
Word from Silverstein is that assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss, who has interviewed for the vacant head coaching position in St. Louis, was the only defensive coach retained.
What isn’t known is what direction head coach Mike McCarthy will go for a new defensive coordinator. If Moss doesn’t get the Rams job, he has to be considered a candidate. Silverstein also mentions the possibility of Mike Nolan joining the staff. The former 49ers head coach is said to be friends with McCarthy.
As for Sanders, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that I won’t miss him much. Hopefully the new coordinator will play all the guys at the correct positions, and perhaps be capable of squeezing some success out of the group, instead of crafting fourth-quarter failure after fourth-quarter failure.
Jan 5th 2009 9:35PM by Bruce Ciskie (author feed)
Filed under: Packers, NFC North, NFL Coaching
We told you earlier Monday of the firing of Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders. It was hardly a surprise, but the fact that head coach Mike McCarthy waited a full week after the end of the season made it possible that he had someone specific in mind to take over.
I mentioned then that former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan was close to McCarthy, and there were already rumors that he was a candidate for the gig.
Now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is reporting that Nolan is rounding up defensive assistants, and he is preparing to become the Packers’ new defensive coordinator.
While this is certainly good news for Packers fans, as Nolan is an accomplished defensive coach, things aren’t all rosy. There are some serious questions that surround this potential move.
Namely, what scheme will the Packers play?Continue Reading
Dec 31st 2008 12:45PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Jets, Packers, NFL Coaching, NFL Media Watch, NFL Rumors
Seeing as how the whole Bill Cowher-to-the-Jets rumor train has seen more ups and downs than the first six years of my college transcript, it’s kind of nice to know that not only was Scoop dead wrong, but that Cowher will not be teasing us with the possibility of joining the Jets organization any longer.
At least according to the , who says that Cowher is out, and there’s a good possibility that the sticking point was Brett Favre at quarterback.
After reaching out to Coach Cowher’s representatives, we were informed tonight that he is not a candidate for the position,” Jet spokesman Bruce Speight said in an e-mail.
While the Jets hoped to woo Cowher with a boatload of money, the marriage appeared to be unlikely from the outset. Sources close to Cowher said he did not want to have Favre as his quarterback, and that he also wanted to bring in people he was familiar with to handle personnel.
The idea that Cowher would leave his cushy studio job for long hours as a highly scrutinized coach seemed far-fetched enough, especially after Mort’s report, but I suppose at this point, we’ll never know if Favre actually forced Cowher away from the Jets job.
But if it is true, my God, people in charge of football teams: do the smart thing and just don’t let this guy near your company. Look at what he did to Green Bay, scope out the Jets in 2008 and then glance at Chad Pennington’s success in Miami. If Aaron Rodgers had led the Packers to more than six wins, even Deanna would be begging him to call it off.
Dec 31st 2008 3:45PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, Browns, Dolphins, Jets, Lions, Packers, Steelers, Texans, AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, NFC North, NFL Referees
Before I go getting all sentimental, we have a few plays to check out for this week.
1. The Bears got jobbed on a spot in their game on a third down. It appeared it should have been about a yard and a half or even two yards to gain for a first down. The spot ended up being about a half yard short of the line to gain. I have no problem with the officials, because in fast motion it appeared the receiver wasn’t touched before rolling forward for just over a yard. Plus, due to positioning circumstances, they’d be in a huge hurry to get the exact line. Those are tough. My problem, however, lies in the replay rules. The Bears were not allowed to challenge the spot because the Texans didn’t gain a first down.Continue Reading
Dec 29th 2008 11:30AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Jets, Packers, AFC East, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching
As promised, Jets owner Woody Johnson held a 10 AM EST press conference to discuss the state of the franchise. Given that he’d just canned Eric Mangini, and that Brett Favre’s future remains unclear, there was a lot to cover.
Johnson called Mangini a good coach; so good, in fact, that he saw fit to fire him after three seasons. Actually, he added the “he’s just not a good fit for this team” caveat, which is a nice way of saying: “Yeah, Eric, it was either you or Brett, and, well, we’re going with Favre.”
Of course, this assumes that Brett will return in 2009. Johnson could only muster an “I hope so” when asked about that possibility, but he did point out that having an entire year in the offense should benefit both Favre and the offense. I’m skeptical, particularly since Favre is 39 and, well, he plays like it.
Apparently, some Jets players feel similarly:Continue Reading
Dec 29th 2008 1:30PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Broncos, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jaguars, Jets, Packers, Patriots, Redskins, NFL Playoffs
We all know the 12 teams that will be in the NFL playoffs, all of whom (mostly) deserve to be there.
The bigger story may be who won’t be in the playoffs. There were several teams that came into the season with big dreams while others had a nice start to the season. Yet they still didn’t make it.
In the 2000s, only one team lost a Super Bowl and made the playoffs the next season. We love pointing that out, but never imagined that could happen to these Patriots. New England just came off an undefeated regular season and lost the Super Bowl in the game’s final moments. But all it took was an injury to Tom Brady to put the season in doubt. Matt Cassel did a great job filling in, but injuries to the stable of running backs and a defense that, at times, looked its age forced New England slip up just enough to miss the playoffs.
They will be only the second team with 11 victories to not make the playoffs. To many, it is justice to see the Pats not in the postseason despite having a better record than four teams that will be.Continue Reading
Dec 30th 2008 9:17AM by Shane Bacon (author feed)
Filed under: Packers, NFC North, NFL Referees
No, it isn’t really a controversy, but it probably isn’t making Ryan Grant sleep that well.
The running back for the Packers, who has had a mediocre year by his accounts, still had a chance to gain bonuses in his contract for finishing top-5 in yards for all NFC running backs and over 1,250 for the season. Grant had it, but a challenge and subsequent instant replay (by Ed Hochuli, nonetheless) called the 80-yard touchdown back and left Grant 35 yards short of Matt Forte.
The bonus in his contract would have been worth $1.35 million, but Grant finished sixth in rushing and with 1,203 yards on the season.
Grant sounded pretty understandable about the play after the game, even though it cost him more than a million bucks.
“Yeah, that’s the way the ball bounces,” Grant said. “I told (running backs coach Edgar Bennett), ‘If we were playing in your day, that’s a touchdown. No replay.’”
It really was never a play you thought might stand. Grant rolled over a defender but was clearly down and the call came back as a 21-yard gain. No matter, it must be fairly frustrating to know that without those little red flags, Grant could probably send a few kiddos to college (or buy a pink Escalade, one of the two).
Last year Grant ran for 956 yards, so the 1,203 was an upgrade. If he wants to secure that bonus for next season, he could probably improve on his 100-yard games. Grant only had four all season.
Dec 28th 2008 1:16PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Lions, Packers
The Detroit Lions need someone to step up and make a play if they’re going to avoid finishing 0-16. In the early going, no one has.
In fact, the Lions’ defense looked even more pathetic than usual in he first quarter today at Green Bay. With the Packers facing third-and-4 at their own 27-yard line, running back DeShawn Wynn took the ball around the right end and raced downfield, looking like he was zipping through a high school defense as no Lion could come close to tackling him. Wynn entered today’s game with one carry for four yards this season, but he scored a 73-yard touchdown to get the Packers off to a 7-0 lead against the Lions.
On offense, Detroit has had the ball twice and punted twice. The Lions are closing in on 0-16.
Dec 28th 2008 2:35PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Packers
History was almost made today in Green Bay, and I’m not talking (yet) about the Lions going 0-16.
Packers kicker Mason Crosby came just short of making the longest field goal in NFL history, hitting the crossbar on a 69-yard attempt at the end of the first half.
The attempt came after a fair catch as time expired in the first half, with the Packers taking advantage of the obscure football rule that allows a free kick after any fair catch. Under the free kick rules (which we also saw applied in last month’s Giants-Cardinals game), a kick that goes through the uprights counts as a field goal, even though the opposing team isn’t allowed to try to block it.
Crosby got off to a running start and drilled the ball with everything he had, and even though he was actually kicking into the wind at Lambeau Field, he came up just short. The half ended with the Packers up 14-7.
Dec 28th 2008 2:57PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Lions, Packers
If the Detroit Lions are to avoid going 0-16, it will be thanks to Matt Millen’s one and only great draft pick.
Wide receiver Calvin Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter today at Green Bay, and the Lions have now tied the Packers, 14-14.
Of course, these are the Lions we’re talking about, and that means they’re still probably going to find a way to lose this game. They were, after all, ahead of the Packers in the fourth quarter when the teams played earlier this season. They ended up losing, 48-25.
But with Johnson — who despite playing with some absolutely horrendous quarterbacks this season is actually leading the league with 12 receiving touchdowns — the Lions have a chance.
