Tom's Last Stand

Yesterday's New York Post sports page was filled with quotes by members of the New York Giants who felt that their team will make a big rebound in 2015. Ownership decided not to fire Coach Tom Coughlin in spite of missing the playoffs five out of the last six years.

We keep hearing that Coughlin is a future Hall of Fame coach because of his two Super Bowl wins over the Pats and the work he did with the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. He is 22-26 since his last Lombardi Trophy.

There is all this talk about Coughlin leaving at the top of his game. He should have done this a few years ago. His legacy needs a trip to the NFC Championship game in 2015. He is not going out on top. He looks like a guy who stayed around too long.

Another Brady Deal

Tom Brady restructured his contract to give the Pats $24 million in salary cap space. They will need it to sign their potential free agents, especially Darrelle Revis, Steven Gotskowski and Devin McCourty.

The deal will also allow for the Pats to release Brady without any major cap implications. They have him under contract for three more years. He will be 40 by then if he is still around.

The clock to the finish line is ticking.

The End For Rex

Nobody was shocked to see Coach Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik get fired today by Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets. Ryan had a great run there, but the last two season have not been the best. They finished 4-12 which included an eight game losing streak.

Rex was made for the Big Apple. He had a larger than life personality. He said things he couldn't back up, but brought his team to the AFC Championship game in his first two seasons. He was pure entertainment.

Will he coach or be on television next season? The choice will be his. I'm sure he has opportunities from both sides. I hope he continues to coach. He was so much fun to watch.

Johnny Keeps Doing It

I predict that Johnny Manziel will be a bust in the NFL. His rookie season has been a flop. He attracted too much media attention with his partying and other nonsense. He did nothing in his two starts and is on Injured Reserve after hurting his hamstring last week.

He mentioned that he needs to be more focused in the future. He hosted a party at his house on Friday which caused several teammates to be tardy for their walk-thru practice. He showed up late for a treatment on his leg. The team fined him.

The guy is a joke. If he doesn't change, he will find himself watching the game from his living room. I think he will last about three seasons.

The Final Game For Some

It must be a challenge for some teams to play their final game tomorrow. There are several games that have playoff implications, but a few teams are just playing for pride and a pay check.

Some players will be dressing for the final time in their NFL career. Many are not even aware of that. They will become salary cap casualties or get released in next summer's  training camp.

There will be a number of coaches fired by Monday evening. Some already know their fate. Others will be surprised.

Rex Ryan has already cleaned out his desk.

Paying Peyton

It's clear to see that Peyton Manning wants to return to the Denver Broncos in 2015 for his 18th season. Coach John Fox wants him back. The big question is whether the team can afford him for another season.

Manning will be entering the third season of his four year deal. His salary of $19 million will create a $21.5 million salary cap hit. The team needs to decide if they can devote that much of their financial resources to one position.

Manning might not be that flexible when it comes down to the money. It will become a key factor in his future.

Goals For Sunday

Many fans feel the Pats should rest players in the game against the Buffalo Bills. They need to get through it without any injuries.

Tom Brady said there is no such thing as a meaningless game. He is right. The Pats need to play better on offense. If they play like that in the playoffs, their season will come to a sudden end.

They need a strong game in all three phases.

The Game Played On

The Pro Bowl selections were announced last night. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Darrelle Revis, Stephen Gotskowski and Matthew Slater made it. Hopefully, they won't be able to play in it because of preparation for the Super Bowl.

The game has been a joke in recent years. I don't think they should play it because of potential injuries. The rules are altered for the game.

The Pro Bowl is an honor for players. Many have it as an incentive in their contract. Selection means bonus money. They should leave it at that, but the league makes money from the television and radio rights.

The NFL never says no to money.

A Weekly Check

It's easy to see why players try to stay in the NFL until their very last moment. Many players jump from team to team for a weekly pay check. With guaranteed minimum salaries for veteran players, it's not a bad gig.

QB Rex Grossman has sat out the entire season after being released in training camp by the Cleveland Browns. The 11 year veteran was the third string QB for the Washington Redskins for the last two seasons, but never threw a pass.

The Browns offered Grossman a one week contract after injuries to Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer. He turned them down citing family holiday obligations.

There are players who will jump at the chance for one more check. As a veteran player, he would have received 1/17 of the annual salary of $910,000 or $53,529.41. Many people don't earn that in a year.

January Getting Close

The Pats beat the Jets yesterday to increase their record to 12-3. They already have a first round playoff bye and still have a chance at having all of their games at Gillette.

The goal of the team is to win the Super Bow, but they need to get to the AFC Championship game. Can they do it? It might not happen if they play like yesterday. Tom Brady was sacked four times and hurried throughout the game. They only had 231 yards of offense, with virtually no running game.

I think they can get to the AFC Championship game, but don't know what will happen after that.

Last Time With Rex

If this is the last game between the Jets and Patriots with Rex Ryan and Bill Belichick, I will always have special memories of this great rivalry. Rex and New York were made for each other. It should have lasted longer than this.

If football is meant to be entertainment, he was the best. The media loved him for his blustery quotes about his team. He was never afraid to speak his mind. He was great for NFL.

The Starting Five

Football is all over television today with five college bowl games and two NFL contests. The Idaho Potato and Camellia Bowls will go up against the NFL. Good luck to them.

The Camellia Bowl is a matchup between the Sun Belt and Middle America Conferences. The game features two mediocre teams with Bowling Green (7-5) and Southern Alabama (6-6).

A game like this gives me hope that my UMass Minutemen will make it to a bowl someday. A record of 7-5 should do it. Other MAC teams have bowl games too.

Just Another Quarterback

Many thought the Chicago Bears were crazy when they signed QB Jay Cutler to a 7 year/$126 million contract with $22.5 million guaranteed for 2014. The result so far has been a 5-9 season with Cutler leading the league with 18 interceptions.

The Bears plan to start backup Jimmy Clausen for the remaining two games. Cutler said he doesn't expect to be in Chicago next year. The team has missed the playoffs for seven of the last nine seasons. It looks like Coach Mike Trestan and his staff will also be gone.

Why would a team commit so much money to an average quarterback? Teams throughout the NFL throw money around to players who never live up to their hype. It doesn't make any sense.

Johnny Makes 21

Former Cleveland Browns QB Bernie Kosar is considered the best at his position for the Browns in the last 30 years. He has always been a fan favorite. There was a huge outcry when rookie coach Bill Belichick banished him in favor of Vinny Testaverde. Fans never forgave Belichick for his move against Kosar.

In a recent radio interview, Kosar was very critical of the team and QB Johnny Manziel. Kosar did color commentary for radio broadcasts of Browns games until this season when his contract wasn't renewed.

He mentioned that the Browns have gone through 21 starting quaterbacks since 1999. He called out the team for believing that Manziel is the answer to all of their problems.

The Browns are committed to Manziel for the rest of the season. That should give them two more losses.

Playing With His Team

Owners of NFL teams have every right to meddle into the affairs of their team. Usually, it works to the detriment. Jerry Jones should probably fire himself as the GM of the Dallas Cowboys, but that will never happen.

Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins has been overseeing a train wreck since he bought the team in 1999. The have a record of 107-146 for that period which includes only four winning seasons and two playoff wins.

Since 2009, the Redskins are 31-62 with double digit losses in five of their last six seasons. The team has gone through eight coaches in sixteen seasons. Jay Gruden will probably get the axe at the end of this one.

The Redskins have always been one of the stalwarts of the NFL. During the 16 seasons (1983-1998)prior to Snyder's purchase, the team had eleven winning seasons, seven playoff wins and three Super Bowl appearances which included two titles.

Things are not going well in DC.

Money For Saturdays

The NFL is crushing in the TV ratings. With the college bowl season upon us, the networks scheduled double-headers on the last two Saturdays of the season. It always works out great when they have an evening game on Saturdays.

Fans want their NFL football. The league is very willing to cater to their desires. It's more money for everyone.

Two Left

Over the next two weeks, we will see the final NFL playoff schedule fall into place. So many teams are on a short leash this weekend. It will end very badly for some.

All you can ever hope as a fan is for your team
to make the playoffs.

Who knows what happens after that.

Johnny Shutout

The Cleveland Browns decided to get cute and replace QB Brian Hoyer with Johnny Manziel. Their playoff hopes were on the line.

 Manziel could not have played worse in his first start. He was 10 of 18 for 80 yards and two interceptions in the team's 30-0 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Many thought he would start his NFL career with a better performance. He is viewed as the future in Cleveland.

It will be interesting to see how he plays in his next game.

Just 1 of 52

The Division 1 college bowl season begins next Saturday with the first of 38 games before the culmination with the BCS Championship Game.

With so many bowls, 76 teams get a shot of playing for better or worse. Penn State (6-6) will play Boston College (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl.

There are 128 Division 1 programs. UMass was one of 52 teams that didn't make it to a bowl. It seems like you can get to a game with a 7-5 record.

That should be the goal for UMass. The program needs to get better.

The Revolving Door

The Heisman Trophy will be awarded tonight. I always thought it was overrated since it usually ends up going to a quarterback. It does not reflect potential success in the NFL.

QB Marcus Mariota of Oregon is the favorite to win. The junior signal caller might declare himself eligible for the NFL draft. The NY tabloids are already predicting that the Jets will go after him.

Is he a franchise quarterback? It seems like the Jets are ready to make another mistake if they select him.

Jonny Leading In Defeat

Brian Hoyer lead the Cleveland Browns to  a 7-5 start and a chance at a playoff spot, but has struggled in recent games. The team thought it would be the perfect time to bench him and give the starting job to Johnny Manziel.

Hoyer was hoping to get a long term contract, but it won't be in Cleveland thanks to the hysteria around Manziel. When he hits the open market, there will be  teams looking to hire him. Hoyer's future in Cleveland was torpedoed once the Browns drafted Manziel. He is better off going someplace else.

In spite of the hype, I predict that the Browns will lose to the Bengals on Sunday. Both teams are trying to stay alive in the playoff hunt.

Rookie Disaster

The number one overall pick in the NFL Draft is not always guaranteed success. The draft experts spent hours debating about who should be number one. They did it last year before the Houston Texans finally selected LB Jadeveon Clowney.

He came with several red flags. He had a number of injuries in college and some questioned his work ethic. His rookie season is over after being placed on IR as a results of micro-fracture surgery on his right knee.

The entire season was a disaster for him. He had sports hernia surgery last June. He suffered a concussion in August during a joint practice with the Denver Broncos. He tore his meniscus in the season opener and had arthroscopic surgery the following day. He ended up playing in only four games before his latest problem.

Clowney face nine months of rehab with no guarantee that he will be the player he was in college

Playing To Lose

The 2-11 New York Jets have a lot on the line Sunday when they meet the 2-11 Tennessee Titans. Both teams are playing for a higher spot in the draft. Neither team has incentive to win other than pride. More losses would get them a better pick.

That is a horrible way for a team to think. They still need to keep an eye on Oakland, Jacksonville and Jacksonville for the worst record in the league.

Maybe the Jets can do like the Redskins did back in 2012 when they traded several draft picks to move up and select RGIII. That worked out great for the Redskins. Maybe they can get a third round pick for him after the season is over.

Rams Got The Best of the Deal

St Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher tried a little gamesmanship the other day in their contest against the Redskins. He sent six players out for the coin toss. All of them were drafted by the Rams as a result of trading their 2nd overall pick in the 2012 draft which the Redskins used to select RGIII.

The Rams got the better of the deal. They got the 6th overall pick of the 2012 draft as well as two additional first rounders and another 2nd round selection.

They kept making trades with their picks and ended up with eight players, five of them starters. Meanwhile, the Redskins will try to move RGIII for a possible 3rd round pick.

I never believe in bankrupting a team of draft choices to get one player. It usually doesn't work

Snowy Night

It looks like a classic night in Green Bay for football. It's 33 degrees and snowing. The NFL Network was just showing live warm-ups of the Packers and Falcons.

A snowy game always makes for great viewing on television. A lot of thought goes into scheduling the teams for the games.

Four To Go

With four games left in the season, the NFL is happy to see that most teams are still in contention for a playoff spot.

In the AFC, only the Jets, Titans, Jaguars and Raiders are out of it. The NFC has the Giants, Redskins, Bucs, Vikings, Bears and Rams. At least 23 of the 32 teams are still fighting for a playoff spot.

The AFC South is a sad case with the Falcons and Saints leading it at 5-7. The winner might not even end the season at 8-8.

That's ok. Once the playoff start, all teams have the same record. Anything can happen. The 9-7 Giants proved that in 2007 when they eventually beat the undefeated Pats in the Super Bowl.

The Rain Bowls

The Massachusetts High School Super Bowls were held at Gillette Stadium today. The Kraft family have been big supporters of high school football over the years. It's a day that the players will always remember.

The weather certainly made it memorable. It was in the 30, with a light rain all day. It was cold and raw. The last contest kicked off at 8pm. It's difficult to watch a game under those conditions. It must be worse for the players on the wet field.

Soft Records

Some college football records need to take the opponents into consideration. Every Division 1 school schedules easy opponents to pad their wins. Teams are often mismatched. A recent game between Oklahoma and Kansas is a great example.

The Sooners won 44-7, but not before freshman RB Samaje Perine set a single-game NCAA rushing record with 427 yards. Perine scored on runs of 49, 33, 34, 66 and 27 yards. He broke the record of 408 yards set the previous week by Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin in a 59-17 win over Nebraska.

The record stood for 15 years before it was broken twice in a week. Former NFL great La Dainian Tomlinson held it with 406 while he was at TCU in a game against UTEP.

Coaching Relationships

NFL coaching staffs are one gigantic network with many connections. We will see that on display when the Pats play the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

Their head coach Mike McCoy was the offensive coordinator for Josh McDaniels during his head coaching tenure with the Denver Broncos.

McDaniels got his coaching start at Michigan State as a graduate assistant in 1999 and 2000 under head coach Nick Saban. McDaniels joined Belichick's staff in 2001.

Saban was a coaching rival for several years against Belichick during his tenure with the Miami Dolphins. He also served as defensive coordinator under Belichick during his time with the Cleveland Browns.

It's easy to see why coaches never want to burn bridges because you never know where your next job might be.

Playing Time

One of the Boston Globe sports writers does an excellent post-game analysis of every Pats game. He includes the number of snaps that each player was on the field for either offense or defense. He also has a running season cumulative total. The results tell a story.

In the loss to the Green Bay Packers; Bryan Stork, Tom Brady, Ryan Wendall, Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer and Dan Connolly played every offensive play. On defense, it was Rob Ninkovich, Jamie Collins, Brandon Browner, Darrelle  Revis and Devin McCourty.

Many wondered how Vince Wilfork would come back after tearing his Achilles last year. He was on the field for 61 of the 73 defensive snaps. He has played 76% of them this year. His contract had playing incentives. He stands a good chance to make them if he stays healthy.

A number of players made the roster for the special teams play. As Coach Belichick has often stated, it's a way to get more playing time.

The End For Tom

The New York Giants have a seven game losing streak and face a record of 3-9. The season has been a total failure. Coach Tom Coughlin has accepted all of the blame. That's mighty nice of him, but it should be shared with his team.

This will be the fifth time in the last six seasons where the Giants missed the playoffs. They were able to win the Super Bowl after the 2010 season. What should ownership do for a coach who has two Super Bowl titles?

I don't think he will be with the team next year. Many fans feel the same way because the NFL is a bottom-line business.

Better Off In Oakland

It seems like Coach Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49er's will be parting company at the end of the season. Rumors have the NY Jets and Oakland Raiders interested in trading for the coach's last year of his contract.

I think Harbaugh would be better off with the Raiders. He might create another Rex Ryan circus in New York.

It sounds like there is genuine interest from teams to make some type of trade.