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.