Retired, Not Fired

The New York Giants took the easy way out by making Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride their sacrificial lamb for their 7-9 season. Gilbride wasn't fired. Instead the team said he "retired". This strikes me as being very disingenuous. He was there for two Super Bowl wins, but it wasn't good enough to continue in that capacity.

The Giants brain trust held a top level meeting to dissect the season. Apparently, all things pointed at the offense and Gilbride. They blame him for Hakeem Nicks not having any touchdowns passes this season. What about Eli Manning? Does he share part of the blame, as well as the offensive line?

It would be a public relations disaster for the Giants to fire a coach who lead them to Super Bowl wins twice. They took the easy way out, but it doesn't mean they will be any more successful next season.

Bad Game Decisions

Yesterday's snow storm showed what a foolish decision it is to play the Super Bowl in a cold weather city like New York. The February 2nd game could be severely impacted by the weather.

Fans routinely brave the elements to watch their teams. The playoff game in Green Bay tomorrow against the 49er's will have single digit temperatures with windy conditions.

To have the biggest game potentially effected by a blizzard is foolhardy. The primary concern of the NFL is the television audience. People who buy tickets are on their own.

What would the NFL do if a blizzard struck the NJ/NYC metropolitan area? How about six inches of snow during the game? I don't understand the reasoning behind this decision.

Jets Need To Fly

The New York Jets must make all the right personnel moves in the off-season or 2014 is going to be a disaster. The salary cap strangled them this season when they had $23 million in dead money.

QB Mark Sanchez is due a $2 million roster bonus in March and will count $13.1 million against the cap. WR Santonio Holmes will have a $14.9 million cap number. There is no way either will be on the training camp roster.

The Jets should end up with $40 million in cap space to sign free agents and draft choices. They have the 18th overall pick in May's draft. They need a major impact player on offense. They have many needs to address on both sides of the ball.

This is a very critical season for GM John Idzik. He needs to put the right players in place for Rex Ryan in order for both of them to be here next year at this time.

The College Game

I never watch college football, but I should. It would help me know more players in the NFL draft because I usually have no clue of the top players by position.

Tonight, I saw the last four minutes of the Rose Bowl featuring Stanford and Michigan State. Some of those players could be on the Pats roster next season, but I don't know them.

When I watched some of the Fiesta Bowl with Baylor and Central Florida University, I saw Robert Griffin III on the Baylor sideline. I didn't know him in college.

Two Together

Jets GM John Idzik and Coach Rex Ryan held a joint press conference today. They certainly showed a united front. They have many personnel issues, starting at quarterback.

Rex said his contract issue will resolve itself. He's right on that. Owner Woody Johnson might wait until the season starts to determine if he wants Rex on a long term basis.

It says a lot if he starts next season without a contract extension.

Rex Is Back

Rex Ryan got a stay of execution for another season with the Jets as he will return for the final year of his contract in 2014. It has not been confirmed whether he got an extension or if one is in the works, otherwise he is a lame duck coach next season.

I was glad to see Rex return. He adds a lot of fun to the NFL with his remarks to the media and emotion for the game. I'm a big fan of his and want the Jets to win as long as it doesn't effect the Pats.

He will be under a great deal of pressure to win next season. GM John Idzak must assemble the right players for him to coach. They both share the responsibility for the final outcome. They will win or lose together and must keep owner Woody Johnson happy.

School's Out For Kitna

Tim Tebow must have wondered if he would get a call from the Dallas Cowboys after QB Tony Romo was lost for the season with a herniated disc in his back.

The Cowboys went for "street" players and brought in David Carr, Tyler Thigpen, John Skelton and Caleb Hanie for a tryout to backup Kyle Orton

With their season on the line, they signed 41 year old John Kitna who has prior experience with them. The only problem is that Kitna has not played since the end of the 2011 season. He is a high school teacher and football coach at Lincoln HS in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

Kitna has taken some snaps as the opponent quarterback for his high school team, but that is far away from the NFL. He started 124 games with stops in Seattle, Cincinnati, Detroit and  Dallas. He will only play in a dire situation.

If the Cowboys make the playoffs, his school will need to hire a substitute teacher for at least a week. It won't be longer because I don't see the Cowboys going far.  

Time To Get Paid

There is never a good way to select the players for the Pro Bowl. Aqib Talib and Stephen Gotskowski got the nod as starters. Tom Brady, Logan Mankins and Matthew Slater also made the team.

A player's legacy is often defined by championships won and Pro Bowl selections. It also means money in many cases because they have incentives built into their contracts.

Talib will be a free agent after signing a one year contract and taking a chance on this season. He stands to make a lot of money next season whether it's with the Pats or some place else.

The team finally found their shut-down corner after being without one for so many years. Now, they need to determine whether they are willing to pay for one. This will be a very big decision for the team. They can also give Talib the franchise tag which will pay him big-time and effect the team's salary cap.

All On Kyle

The Dallas Cowboys did the obvious today when they announced that Kyle Orton would be their starting quarterback in their do or die game against the Eagles on Sunday.

Jerry Jones previously signed Orton to a 3 year/$10 million contract for this exact purpose. He wasted a great deal of time in thinking that Tony Romo could be ready for the game in spite of a herniated disc in his back. Romo had surgery today to address the problem.

Watching Romo play last Sunday after his injury was painful. Teams take extraordinary steps to try and get players on the field. Romo's injury was too severe. The Cowboys did their best, but they should have made this decision after the game last Sunday.

Winston Won't Light It Up

Florida State QB Jameis Winston had quite a season this year. In addition to wining the Heisman Trophy and resolving a sexual assault allegation against him, he is also preparing to lead his team against Auburn in the Bowl Championship Series national title game on January 6th.

After the game, he will begin his preparation for the upcoming season of the Florida State baseball team. He plans to play both sports because he wants to follow the footsteps of Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders who had great careers in the NFL and MLB.

Winston was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round after he graduated from high school last year. He was ranked as the 22nd best high school prospect by Perfect Game, but ended up with signing with Florida State who agreed to let him play both sports.

Sanders and Jackson were very unique athletes who were able to do something that few can accomplish. Winston is a pitcher, but projects to be an outfielder.

Jackson and Sanders had abbreviated NFL seasons when they played both sports. I don't see how Winston can miss part of the season and still expect to be a starting quarterback. He might do better as a backup on some team, but he needs to find one that is willing to cater to his wishes.

No Bowling Today

I'm very surprised to see that there are no college football bowl games on Christmas Day. I'm sure there was a lot of thought put into that decision by the television networks. They have played games in the past on Christmas.

Getting a television audience is not a problem. Having the fans give up their day and travel to watch a game with two mediocre teams is a hurdle that is difficult to overcome.

The schedule will resume relentlessly on Thursday.

The Last Days of Rex

Black Monday is right around the corner after the games on Sunday. Coaches get fired every year. There are always some surprises either way. Mike Shanahan of the Redskins seems to want to get fired so he can get his $7million salary due him in 2014.

Jets owner Woody Johnson has not given Rex Ryan the endorsement that one would expect. Rex has stated that he believes he will be fired. The New York Post endorsed Ryan which leads me to believe he will get canned.