The Next Matt Millen

Teams make bad decisions all the time when they hire coaches and GM's. The San Francisco 49er's made heads spin the other day when they hired former NFL safety and nine-time Pro Bowler John Lynch as their new GM.

Lynch spent 11 years in the league and served as a color analyst for Fox since his retirement. He has no front office or football operation experience.

I don't think he will ever last the six years of his contract. This looks like an updated version of the Matt Millen debacle in Detroit.

What are the other candidates thinking about after this hire?

Last Week of the 2016 Season

The Pats left for Houston this morning to face the Falcons in the Super Bowl on Sunday. It will all be history at this time next week. The Vegas guys have made the Pats a slight favorite. The over and under is the highest in the game's history.

It has all the potential to be a great game. The television audience will be huge. There will be a media frenzy this week with every angle covered. Most of it will be entertaining, but some will be over the top.

Pro Bowl 2017

The Pro Bowl was played tonight. I had it on in the background. It's tough watching a game that doesn't mean anything. Nobody wants anyone to get hurt.

The winning players and coaches get $61,000 each, while the losers get $30,000. They claimed that 60,000 were in the stands. I don't know about that. The format was better this year with the AFC vs NFC.

The NFL never wants to admit that the game is a joke, but it is.

We will see a 2018 version, whatever that is.

Bridge For Teddy

Some players never get to see their career develop because of injuries. Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater is trying not to be one of those.

It looks like he will miss the entire 2017 season after his devastating knee injuries that cost him 2016. He tore his ACL and dislocated his knee during the preseason.

Doctors said he will need at least 19 months to heal. This will bring him to March of 2018.

Will he be the same player? He had a brilliant year in 2015. Hopefully, he can make it back. It would be a shame if it ended at 24.

Enabling Adam

Bengals CB Adam Jones is an embarrassment to his team and the NFL after his latest legal incident. His behavior has been tolerated because of his exceptional playing skills. Most teams would want him for that, but not his legal baggage.

He has a long list of incidents. The latest involves an arrest in Cincinnati. There is a video of him yelling obscenities at a police officer and wishing that he died.

It's one more chapter for Jones. The Bengals issued an apology to the police. This was just another example of the enabling that has supported Jones throughout his career.

Any apology needs to come from Jones. The Bengals should release him as he will probably get a lengthy suspension.

Gronk or Not

This is the open season for crazy talk in the news and sports talk radio. We heard today that the Pats did very well without Rob Gronkowski in the offense. His loss didn't seem to make any difference.

We also heard that the only time the Pats won the Super Bowl in Gronk's career was when he was healthy.

All of a sudden, some want to make him expendable. The Pats were able to adapt when they lost him this season. I would rather have him on the active roster than on IR. Only a fool would think otherwise.

Cash For Collins

Former Pats LB Jamie Collins, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns during the season, will get his money without being a free agent. The Browns gave him a 4 year/$50 million contract, with $26 million guaranteed.

Collins will continue to play on lousy teams, but will be rich in the process. We all know that NFL players rarely see all of the money in their contract.

Collins has a Super Bowl ring. He now has his money that the Pats were never going to pay him. He might never see the playoffs again.

Future of Big Ben

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger surprised everyone in his end of the season press conference when he would not commit to playing next season. He cited health concerns and the toll it has taken on his body. He said he would need time to make his decision.

Is he serious or was this an emotional reaction to losing the AFC Championship game? He still has three years on his contract and would be leaving $46 million on the table.

I think Big Ben is serious. It comes down to what is best for his long term. It wouldn't surprise me if he walks away. He needs time to think about his future.

Yards of Blount

Now that the Pats are head to Super Bowl LI, we will hear some really stupid thought from fans and hosts of sports talk radio.

One Boston station "expert" insisted that RB LeGarrette Blount is very overrated and does all of is work in "garbage time". He cited numerous games where Blount gained his yards in the second half or when the game was out of reach.

There is nothing wrong with Blount's work. So what if he gets those yards late in the game. Coach Belichick uses him as a "clock burner".

It's a brilliant strategy that has enabled the team to close out games. Hopefully, Blount will do the same in two weeks.

Two Teams Will Lose

The AFC and NFC Championship games are set for today. The Falcons and Packers play in the early contest, while the Pats and Steelers play tonight. The winners go to Super Bowl LI. The losers end their season abruptly.

This will be Tom Brady's 11th AFC Championship game, including the last six consecutive seasons. His record is 6-4. We are watching something we will never see again.

Will Brady get his chance to play in his seventh Super Bowl? We will know before the evening is over.

No More Woody

The New York Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. Their chances greatly improved today with one move. Owner Woody Johnson has been appointed ambassador to England by President Trump. He will no longer be involved with the daily operation of the team.

This is great news for Jet fans. Someone else will now be making the bad decisions which have crippled the team in recent years.

Gastineu Resurfaces

Social media today is filled with comments about former New York Jets great Mark Gastineau and his revelation that he suffers from Alzheimer's, Dementia and Parkinson's.

It was shocking to see all of the negative comments about his condition. Some people blamed his drug and steroid use. Others cited the way the game was played in the 70's and 80's.

I just thought there would be more compassion for him.

Vince's Next Step

It really looks like Vince Wilfork has reached the end of the line in the NFL and has played his last game. His future is so bright.

He has partnered with INTEL on Facebook in a video of himself wearing his trademark overalls. He has always been a fan favorite.

He needs to sign a one day contract and retire in Foxborough.

Playing On November 11th

It's good to see UMass as one of the teams that will be playing football in Fenway Park. They are scheduled to host Maine on November 11th. It will be great exposure for the school and a chance to attract more fans.

UMass will play the rest of their schedule on campus, instead of having any dates at Gillette Stadium. It's hard to believe that they averaged 17,200 at their games in Foxborough.

There is no way they had that many fans in attendance. I was at all of their home games. That figure must be for tickets sold. The place was very empty.

If they can't sell-out at Fenway, they have a real problem.

Special Records

It's always fun to see a record set or broken. Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers now holds the playoff record for kicking six field goals during his team's 18-16 win over the Chiefs on Sunday.

Several players were tied with five kicks, but it took 534 playoff games since the Super Bowl era began to finally break the record.

Dion Lewis became the first to score a touchdown on a run, pass reception and kick return when he accomplished that during the Pats win over the Texans on Saturday night.

Records will come and go, but these might stand for a long time.

The Brown Video

I watched a Facebook video by Steelers WR Antonio Brown that was taken in the locker room after their big win over the Chiefs yesterday. Coach Mike Tomlin advised his team to not say things on social media this week that could incite the Pats. He proceeded to go on a short expletive rant about the Pats.

Brown posted a 17 minute live video of the entire scene. It's out there for the world to see. I think he was wrong for posting it and showing the inside life of the locker room. He should've kept it private. It will only give Coach Belichick more things to say to his team.

Cruz History

Giants WR Victor Cruz had a decent year after missing almost two seasons from injuries. He had 39 receptions for 586 yards and one TD. He will most likely be a salary cap casualty.

His age of 30 is really working against him, as well as his $6.4 million cap hit for 2017. The team will save $7.5 million if they head in another direction.

The only option Cruz might have is to take a major salary cut. It would be much cheaper to draft another receiver or sign an undrated free agent.

No matter what, it looks like Cruz is history with the Giants.

At The End of The Day

The Pats and Texans play tonight at 8:15pm. Before the night is over, one of them will be done for the season.

Fans are taking the Texans too lightly. The Pats are a huge 15 1/2 point favorite. Many think the game will be decided before the end of the first half.

This is how teams lose games. The Pats need to play a great game to win tonight or the season is over. It remains to be seen if they have another game.

Is This The End For Vince?

After listening to a press conference with former Pats great Vince Wilfork, it sounds like he will retire after the season. The last game of his career could be tomorrow night unless the Texans beat the Pats.

Vince said all the things that you expect to hear from someone approaching the end. His future in the NFL has two things working against him. He will be a free agent at the end of the season. He will turn 36 in November. Those two factors don't bode well for anyone. The decision might get made for him.

Losing Team

It's a bad day in San Diego for fans of the Chargers who found out that their team is moving to Los Angeles to share a new stadium with the Rams.

I place all of the blames on the ownership. They tried to use their leverage to have the public finance a stadium for them.

It would have been a financial disaster for the community. Publicly funded stadiums and arenas are the worst idea. Teams should look at the Pats and owner Robert Kraft who built Gillette Stadium without any public money.

Johnny Cashes In

You never know what you're going to hear when Johnny Manziel always pops up in the news. He will be in Houston for Super Bowl LI, but not as a player or member of the media.

Instead, he will be offering his autograph for $99 or a selfie for $50. This sounds like a great way for any former athlete to make some extra money, but does he need it?

There is no doubt that he has squandered much of his NFL money. He is probably broke. He might never play again in the NFL. He will end up on a reality tv show at some point.

Odell's Disaster

Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr will always have his horrible playoff performance against the Packers on his record. The Giants were eliminated in the NFC Wild Card round Sunday night.

When it really mattered, Odell caught four balls for 28 yards after being targeted 11 times. After his press conference, he punched a hole in the wall outside the room.

His bad decision to travel to Miami on his off day with some teammates will always follow him. Fans won't let him forget it.

It was the first trip to the playoffs for the Giants in six years and the first for Beckham in his three year career. It could not have been much worse for everyone.

The Saturday Night Rumble

The table has been set for next Saturday night. The Pats will host the Texans. If they win, they will play the winner of the game between the Chiefs and Steelers.

The Pats handled the Texans earlier this season. Coach Belichick and the coaching staff will do everything possible to keep the team from being overconfident.

They can't look past next Saturday. Their season is over if they lose.

Pete & Bill

I've been watching the playoff game between the Lions and Seahawks. It appears that the Seahawks will advance to the next round.

Coach Pete Carroll has done so well with the team. It seems so long ago that he coached the Pats between 1997-1999 after replacing the legendary Bill Parcells.

His lack of success lead to his firing and the hire of Bill Belichick.

Taking Out Odell

Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr is creating a great deal of hype over his team's playoff game against the Packers on Sunday afternoon. They will have a lot to deal with when they play at Lambeau Field on a frigid day.

The Giants have a great defense and the offense necessary to beat the Packers. Beckham is a very gifted player, but plays at emotional level that can be detrimental to himself and the team.

The defensive backs of the Packers need to attack him and get him away from his game. I'm sure they watched film from his debacle in 2015 against former Panthers CB Josh Norman.

Pats fans don't want to see the Giants in the Super Bowl.

The Only Competition

One local sportswriter decided to waste the time of faithful readers by whining about the "easy" path the Pats might have to the Super Bowl. He just assumes the Pats will have an easy time with either the Raiders, Dolphins or Texans.

What does he want? The teams left playing got there by winning games. He can complain all he wants about the Pats dominating the competition. Does he want Brady to sit for the first quarter to make it a fair game?

I read the first few paragraphs of his article before I turned the page.

Buying More Time

The New York Jets continue to spiral downward with their latest move. Rather than fire Coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan, they decided to fire five coaches and announced the retirement of Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey.

What do they hope to accomplish with this? Why not just clean house completely? This moves buys Bowles and Maccagnan one more year before they get fired.

They can forget about going to the playoffs next season.

Revis Island Sinking

Jets CB Darelle Revis must be delusional if he thinks the team will pay him $15.3 million next season after his recent decline in ability. He ranted about wanting to retire as a Jet and that the team should show him some respect.

The team would be foolish to keep his current contract. If they release him, they will take a $6 million cap hit. Otherwise, they are on the hook for $15.33 million and a cornerback who can't play that great.

Everyone talks about him going to the Hall of Fame. He should retire now to avoid tarnishing his legacy. He already stayed one season too long. It won't be any better next year.

The Three Possible Teams

We won't know who the Pats will play in the second round of the playoffs until next week. It will either be the Dolphins, Raiders or Texans.

Each possible opponent has their own issues, but should not be taken lightly. Anything can happen in a one game season. One bad play could end the season for the Pats.

Jaylon's Cautionary Tale

Can you really blame some college players from sitting out meaningless bowl games if they are projected to be first round draft picks in April?

There have been some stories of those taking that step. They look at LB Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame who tore his ACL, MCL and suffered nerve damage in his left knee last year while playing in a game that didn't mean anything.

Smith was projected to be a first round pick, but slipped to the second before Dallas chose him at #34. His slippage cost his $20 million, based on a four year contract. He missed the entire season and faces an uncertain playing future.

You can't blame players for thinking of themselves. The NFL treats them as disposable.