Say what you want about Jerry....

At least the guy wants to win.....


(Rob Ryan working out final details to become Cowboys' DC, SportsDAYDFW, Dallas Morning News)

Rob Ryan's interview to become the Cowboys defensive coordinator has finally concluded.

Before he left Valley Ranch, the first two candidates head coach Jason Garrett interviewed for the position were crossed off the list.

Ryan arrived at the team's practice facility this morning and didn't leave until shortly before 6 this evening. He met with Garrett for a large part of the day then was sheparded into the team's executive offices late in the afternoon to meet with owner Jerry Jones.

Of course, Rob Ryan was a guy many Texans fans wanted to be the DC of their hometown team. Instead they got Coach Cupcake, fresh off of his disaster of a term as Cowboys HC.

Jerry Jones has his detractors, with good reason. He's heavy handed on the team, his ego gets in the way of his team winning, and his treatment of Tom Landry was deplorable. All that said, the guy wants (needs) to win.

Contrast that to Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, who called his team in after the Jets loss to tell them the other NFL owners assured him he's "on the right path."

The Texans are a joke of a franchise, and their no accountability owner is lost without a rudder, their head coach is not anywhere near ready to take this team to the playoffs, and their new DC is a retread who's been brought in primarily because of his connections to Luv 'Ya Blue.

One owner wants to win, the other doesn't have any clue HOW to win, nor does he seem to have the fire in his belly to do what's necessary TO win.


Guess which owner has the worst expansion franchise in NFL history?

Fingers crossed.

Miles meeting with Michigan.


As long as his luck goes with him I'm for it.



In other coaching news: 1 year at Rice, 2 years at Tulsa, now 3 years at Pitt? One thing about Coach Douchebag, he gets around.

Glass half full

Welcome to the 49'ers Coach Harbaugh. As a card-carrying fan I wish you the best of luck finding a QB to run the offense. If you can, this team has a young nucleus that could be a contender for years to come.



Now, if we could just get Michigan a decent head coach I'll be more optimistic entering the next football season than I have in years.


At least the Texans will be hilariously funny over the next season.

Texans Heh.....

Coach Cupcake will be a perfect fit with this team. Kevin Whited, Publius TX)

Unfortunately, the man who won the nickname “Coach Cupcake” from the Dallas sports media for his destruction of the serious approach to football re-established by Bill Parcells will be a perfect fit in Houston.

Think about it — he was a No Accountability head coach in Dallas. In Houston, he’ll be working under a No Accountability head coach, a No Accountability general manager (whose responsibilities and authority remain a mystery), and a No Accountability owner.

A second problem is that the Texans defensive personnel is 100% wrong for the 3-4. You've got no nose-tackle, no real 3-4 DE's and maybe one LB on the roster (albeit one, in Connor Barwin, who has potential but is coming off a horrific leg injury that kept him out for the year).


And we haven't even mentioned the defensive backfield.....

Nice Mess Blue

(Rich Rodriguez's Mess at Michigan Hard to Clean Up. Pete Thamel, New York Times)

By waiting to decide on Rodriguez’s fate until after Stanford played in the Orange Bowl, Brandon set up Rodriguez (or his successor) for immediate failure. With all the uncertainty surrounding Rodriguez, recruits are fleeing.

As a Michigan fan it pains me to watch this. Say what you want about the "old" Michigan regime (behind the times, etc.) at least it was understood that the coach of Michigan should be a Michigan Man. Were Bo here (sorry fellow Wolverine fans he's not) he'd be kicking the crap out of someone right now. Were Lloyd Carr here...to be honest, he still wouldn't know how to defend the spread offense.

What he could do is win nine games in his final season, something Rich Rod hasn't been able to do in three. This is a big mess, one that started with a fan overreaction when Michigan lost to Appalachian State. Think about this: Virginia Tech lost this year to James Madison. You don't here people calling for his job do you? Of course, Carr was no Bemer and unlike the latter, the former needed to go. He simply forgot that part of what makes Michigan Big Blue is defense.


Now we have ourselves a happy little mess. Makes you wonder who's around that could fix it? (With a good offensive coordinator in place mind you)

Michigan: Wholesale Changes Weren't the Answer.

The view out there:

Five reasons Michigan should fire Rich Rodriguez. Nick Meyer, Yahoo!


ESPN Analysts weigh in on Rich Rodriguez, Michigan. Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press.


Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh isn't the only answer should Michigan fire Rich Rodriguez., Pete Bigelow, Ann Arbor.com


Four seasons ago, when coach Lloyd Carr was on the way out, I opined to some friends that what Michigan needed wasn't a full overhaul, rather just some tweaking on defense and some tweaking of the old Wolverine offensive model. Instead, based on a fluke loss to Appalachian State, the administration panicked and decided that a major re-working of the winningest football program in NCAA history was in order.

What people forget about Lloyd Carr's last season (and I was among his most vocal critics) was that the 2007 team finished the season 9-4 beating the 9th ranked, Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators 41-35 in the Capitol One Bowl. Michigan was led by current NFL players Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long and Mario Manningham. The defense, while sub-standard for Michigan, had All-Conference talent on the roster including Brandon Graham, Morgan Trent & Shawn Crable. What Michigan needed was an infusion of team speed, not an abandonment of the entire system that Bo built.

Instead of tweaking the winning formula, the powers that be at Michigan decided to revamp the entire program, and brought in a coach who was successful in the Big East, but had a less than average record against the top teams in the country. Rich Rod was a hot name, but there was precious little evidence that he could recruit the defensive talent necessary to compete in the talent-rich Big Tenleven (XII). As a result, Michigan is falling behind along with the rest of the conference, which is behind the times, mired in mediocrity and (in many cases) forgetful of what got them there in the first place.

Is Jim Harbaugh the answer? Possibly, but I remember four years ago that he was not too keen on returning to his alma mater considering the way Michigan is currently running things. What Michigan needs now is their own version of Bob Stoops, a coach that understands the great history and traditions of the University and works to bring them back. Whoever the coach is can start by hanging the #1 jersey on the back of Junior Hemingway for 2011.


Then go recruit some defensive ends, hire Jarrett Irons to coach and recruit linebackers and you're on your way.