For a league full of such brilliant businessmen, the absurdity in recent NFL coaching hires just amazes me. Pete Carroll being hired by the Seattle Seahawks with a generous amount of personnel control is yet another example of a team enamored with name over facts. The next time an NFL head coach wants a raise he is better off tanking a season, getting fired, and getting rehired somewhere else. Hey, you may even get to play G.M.!

It’s baffling to me as to how an NFL head coach that failed miserably on multiple occasions can not only get rehired by another team, but get a raise with a promotion. Pete Carroll is truly the icing on the cake here. Carroll while a success at USC, was a beyond awful NFL head coach. In four seasons with two teams, Carroll was 33-31 overall with just one playoff win. Granted he was a terrific defensive coordinator, but there are plenty of guys in the NFL who were great coordinators that could never make the full transition to coaching (Romeo Crennel anyone?). Carroll is that guy.

Carroll left the NFL to begin coaching the USC Trojans in 2000. Carroll has been arguably the best coach in NCAA football over the last several years. He has won two national championships with an overall record of 97-19. However, none of this matters whatsoever when it comes to the NFL. As a matter of a fact if you take a look at the USC alumni under Carroll, most have struggled in the NFL. If he can’t get a college stud ready for the NFL, how in the heck is he supposed to get NFL players ready to play in the NFL?

While Carroll’s name has come up over the years for NFL head coaching jobs, nobody has been as  giddy over Carroll like the Seahawks have. Take a look at the Seahawks personnel moves over the last few years between hiring Jim Mora, JR. and paying a king’s ransom for T.J. Houshmandzadeh and you can see how smart the Seattle Seahawks are when it comes to accessing personnel. While the hiring is ridiculous in itself, the fact that he will have any control over team personnel is just insane! Could you imagine costing your company millions, doing an awful job at your position and then  getting hired somewhere else for more money and responsibility? Welcome to the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks aren’t the only team guilty of this name over record coaching charade. The Washington Redskins could wind up in the exact same position as they are in now in four years. The Redskins just hired Mike Shanahan and practically gave him the keys to the kingdom. Shanahan has won Super Bowls, but did them with John Elway. Without Elway over the last decade, Shanahan has won exactly one playoff game, won exactly won division title, and arguably developed only one franchise quarterback. But hey, you can’t blame the Redskins entirely for this debauchery. Shanahan had numerous teams courting him and offering him roughly the same position. Unfortunately for Redskins fans, Shanahan happened to find the biggest sucker in Daniel Snyder.

The Cleveland Browns are no better off than either of these two franchises. The Browns hired Mike Holmgren to run their franchise. While Holmgren did relinquish his responsibilities a few years back, he is still responsible for putting together a lot of the roster that stunk it up for the last two years. Has anyone in Cleveland watched the Seahawks lately? What kind of personnel decisions did Mike Holmgren make to lead anyone to think that he can turn the Browns around? I understand the new trend in following the Miami Dolphins-Bill Parcells relationship, but the jury is still out on whether that will be a good thing at the end of Parcell’s tenure?

Don’t just take my opinion on Shanahan and some of these other coaching superstars. The facts are that a Super Bowl winning coach has never duplicated that success elsewhere.  There haven’t been many success stories of these marquee head coach signings ever working out in the NFL. Take a look at the top teams coming into this year’s NFL playoffs and last year. None of these teams are teams turned around by a marquee head coach, who immediately got G.M. responsibilities. The best chance that an NFL franchise has in this era is to take a hot coordinator and give him a shot at being the head coach and not much more. While Norv Turner and Wade Phillips may finally break this trend of failed retread head coaches, they had nothing to do with assembling either team.  It isn’t an every-year rule, but it is rare for any of these kinds of over-valued coaching situations ever work out.

He may not be the flashiest coaching candidate, but if you are going to give any NFL ex-head coach a shot why not Brian Billick? It amazes me that Billick is still out there without a job. Not only did he win a Super Bowl, he didn’t ride the coattails of an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback to get there like a lot of other head coaches did. He rarely had a losing season that couldn’t be explained with injuries. He has an overall win percentage of .625 with five playoff wins. The year before he was fired, he led the Baltimore Ravens to a 13-3 season. Yet, I rarely if ever hear his name mentioned for a job. I would never give him full control over the team given his struggles with the quarterback position, but I would quicker give him a shot at coaching my NFL team than I would Mike Shanahan or Pete Carroll.

I would be a little less irritated by this if I thought this was the end of it. It won’t be. Next year we will start hearing about Jon Gruden who will be the next Mike Shanahan to get a king’s ransom to come back to coaching. Gruden has already been mentioned several times and could have easily walked back into the NFL if he desired to do so. The irony here is that while Gruden did win a Super Bowl and yet is another guy that made horrendous personnel decisions. On top of that, he finished with a .556 winning percentage which is nothing that should qualify him for a head coach/decision maker job. Can anyone recall the last great quarterback he developed? Yet mark my words, Jon Gruden will not only get another head coaching job, he will get more responsibility, a hefty raise, and possibly the highest NFL head coaching salary in the league.

I can’t even begin to think of the deal that Andy Reid will get after he finally move on from the Eagles. At this rate not only will Reid will get a head coaching job, G.M. title, a raise, and he will probably own 30% of the team!

Then again, who knows where the economy will be in two years? Maybe the Seahawks and Redskins can trade in Pete Carroll and Mike Shanahan as part of a Cash for Clunkers program. Otherwise the Seahawks and Redskins will continue to be  two of the biggest laughing stocks of the NFL.

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This just in, Mike Shanahan is the greatest coach to ever coach an NFL team. Well, if you watched the NFL Network or ESPN or read Sports Illustrated that is what you would think. I haven’t seen this much hype for an unemployed NFL head coach since Jimmy Johnson’s free agent years between Dallas and Miami. I just have to ask if we are all talking about the same Mike Shanahan here because quite honestly I just don’t get it.

Since when did this guy turn into Vince Lombardi? The Shanahan hype machine has gotten so out of control, that reports had him in the mix for the Florida job not less than an hour after the ink was dry on Urban Meyer’s resignation letter. Not only has this gotten way out of control, it is beyond ridiculous at this point. Is the NFL that hungry for a coaching story that its analysts and reporters in the media are willing to put facts aside to create a story? If we are talking about the same Mike Shanahan I have watched over the years than I can’t understand what everyone is getting all excited about.

Let’s take an objective look at Coach Mike’s NFL career, specifically in Denver. Coach Mike won two Super Bowls…with John Elway! Now I understand that it is still a heck of an accomplishment, but he had all of the tools in place when he came to Denver. Any competent NFL head coach could have driven that team to the Super Bowl. His first Super Bowl win was very impressive over the Green Bay Packers. Yet his second Super Bowl win came over an overachieving Atlanta Falcons that barring a Gary Anderson missed field goal had no business being anywhere near the championship game.

Then there was life after John. I am sorry, but I am not that impressed with Shanahan’s record from 1999-2008. He had six seasons under 10 wins. Over that entire period he only won the AFC West once. Once! It gets better. His post-season record after Elway is another story in itself. He lost all three of his AFC Wild-Card games. The year he did win the AFC West, he lost in the AFC championship game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. All in all in 10 seasons he won one playoff game. Can someone please and I am begging you, explain to me why in the world this guy is in the mix for any NFL head coaching job right now?

I think it is funny that lost in a great story are the facts. Do you know how many head coaches have won a Super Bowl with more than one team? Zero! The numbers don’t lie. In 43 Super Bowls, not one head coach has ever been able to win with one team and rebuild another program with another. I don’t think it is coincidence. I think for a lot of these Super Bowl winners, it is time and place. I think for others it is ego. You have a guy who wins a Super Bowl in one city with a G.M., who is given all of the responsibility somewhere else, and while he may be a good head coach, he is a terrible General Manager. For others, I think it is a situation where you have a stubborn head coach who is unwilling to adapt to the changes of offenses and defenses in the NFL. To think that all of the sudden the great Mike Shanahan is going to buck this trend is ridiculous. Yet, nobody ever drops this nugget of information while hyping the great coaching hope.

The betting line is that the God of NFL coaching will be going to Washington. So let me ask you this Washington Redskins fans, does this sound like Joe Gibbs all over again? I think Shanahan would do well in a situation similar like his first years in Denver, coming to a ready-made team with a proven veteran quarterback. His record shows that he is no better than an average NFL head coach at best in any other situation. NFL teams are better off giving a young coordinator or assistant coach a shot before committing millions of dollars and bad decisions to a guy that hasn’t won a big game in over a decade.

Mike Shanahan has reportedly said he is not interested in the Buffalo, Houston, or Chicago jobs. Merry Christmas Bills, Texans, and Bears fans.

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We are right smack in the middle of the fantasy football playoffs and you lost a starter! Maybe you are afraid that the guy that brought you to the dance may be the same one that takes you home early? There are a few reasons that you may still be searching the fantasy football free agent and waiver wires in Week 15. Fear not, as there are still a few good options available that can help you win your league and shock your opponents. We may be near the end, but I never stop looking for waiver wire gems.

Remember, with most free agent or fantasy waiver wire pickups that you are entering dangerous territory. These are all going to be high risk/high reward players and you really don’t want to look at the waiver wire at this point unless you really have to. This past week Kevin Smith, Jeremy Maclin, and Bruce Gradkowski owners are going to some need help. Here are just a few dubious names that could help you ease your stress and win you the fantasy football championship.

Quinton Ganther, Washington Redskins - I picked up Ganther last week but didn’t trust him to start. I got burnt as Ganther had 21 points last week and was the first Redskin running back to start and get goal line carries in a long time. I learned my lesson, and yet he is still available in most leagues off of the waiver/free agent wire. Ganther has a fantastic matchup this Sunday against the New York Giants. The Philadelphia Eagles ran all over the Giants Sunday night. As a matter of a fact, everyone has run on the Giants this season. I love his matchup, and he is one of the few backs in the entire league to get the ball as both a feature and red zone back.

Arian Foster, Houston Texans - Here we go again with another Houston Texans running back. Foster is the fourth back to be featured by the Texans this season, and the third to start. As predicted here, the Texans have rightfully moved off of Chris Brown. Rather than feature Moats, the Texans will feature Foster to see what they have here for the future. There are a few great upsides to Foster that makes him a must-pick up if you have a spot. For one, he will be starting against the St. Louis Rams this week. Two, he has great hands and will give you those dual threat numbers that Steve Slaton used to get for his owners. Three, there is a good possibility if he does well that he takes Slaton’s job as the starter next year which makes him a potential keeper in dynasty leagues.

Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants - Nicks has jumped over Mario Manningham on the depth chart and is now a starter for the Giants. In his first start he caught four balls for over 100 yards and a touchdown. He had a few really bad drops, but I love the fact that the Giants stuck with him throughout the game. Look, this is a bad defensive team that will probably be in a couple of more shootouts in the next few weeks. Nicks will get his opportunities, and with Steve Smith getting the #1 defensive back on him, Nicks will have some good opportunities to put up those same numbers down the stretch.

Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins - I was right about Brady Quinn coming out of college, but I was dead wrong about Henne. For a guy that couldn’t win a big game in college, he has looked great this season. Tony Sparano has instituted an offense that works for Henne and while he didn’t have a touchdown against Jacksonville last week, he still put up double digits in most leagues. Henne faces the Tennessee Titans this week who have the 31st ranked pass defense in the NFL. The Titans give up an average of over 258 yards a game and have given up 27 total passing touchdowns this season. Sure, a lot of those TDs came against New England but good quarterbacks can still throw against this team. The Dolphins are still in the hunt for the divisional playoff spot this week and will be looking to do big things against the Titans. I like Henne here and down the stretch.

Evan Moore, Cleveland Browns - Buyer beware! I only recommend Moore if you are desperate at tight end. There is a ton of potential upside here, as he has turned into Brady Quinn’s favorite target. Teams will be spending the week defending Josh Cribbs, leaving the underneath open for Moore. Moore had seven targets against the Steelers last week. The Browns play the Kansas City Chiefs who give up almost 60% more fantasy points to tight ends than the average NFL team. I would not recommend picking Moore up and playing him over an established tight end, but if you need some help and are looking for a wing and prayer, Moore could be your man this week.

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In most fantasy leagues across the country, this was a colossal week for fantasy points. In standard leagues there were 6 players that scored 30 or more fantasy points. Naturally most of them will be featured in the “Studs” category:

STUDS:
Cedric Benson: Benson has been a solid running back the entire year, but I don’t think many people saw the effort he put up against the Bears. Everyone knew that he was going into the week with a chip on his shoulder because he was playing his old team, but 189 yards and a TD against the 6th ranked rushing defense is a larger then just a chip. Benson has emerged as one of the top 10 fantasy backs after becoming a felon and jobless a couple years ago. Benson has gone from a must start to a top fantasy player with his effort against the Bears that most owners will start counting on for points.

Carson Palmer: Following with his stud running back is Carson Palmer who tied his career high in passing TDs with 5. Palmer looked flawless and even with the Bears blitzing and getting some hits on him; he stepped up and made huge throws, especially to Chad Ochocinco. Many people had deemed Palmer a backup or a shaky fantasy QB coming into the 2009 season. But with the running game and the steady play of Ochocinco, Palmer can easily start for any fantasy team. If you disagree, look at Week 11-13; he plays Oakland, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Miles Austin: Who needs TO or Roy Williams when you have a WR who has put up 16 receptions, 421 yards and 4 TDs in his past two games? Honestly I thought Miles Austin was just a flash in the pan when he had that big game against Kansas City, but the way he tore up the Falcons is proof enough that he has tons of talent. However, fantasy owners should be cautious to deem Austin one of their top fantasy players for the rest of the year. Now that defenses know he is the go to guy, he is going to get double covered often. This doesn’t mean he isn’t a solid starter on your team, but we will find out if he is a top flight WR when he doesn’t get a clean break off the line and has safety help on every play.

Thomas Jones/Shonn Greene: I know that they played against the Oakland defense and I know the game was so easy that by the end Mark Sanchize was eating a hot dog on the sideline; but still they put up 365 yards and 3 TDs. With Leon Washington out for the year, Greene will be the one stealing carries from Jones. But don’t expect too much decrease with Jones because the Jets lead the league in rushing attempts and I don’t think they will stop the good thing they have going with Jones carrying for nearly 5.0 per rush.

Alex Smith: Yes I said Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers. I don’t think he is a good player either but he had a great game coming cold off the bench and down 24 points. This is with a passing game that hasn’t been good all year and with a rookie starting at WR and playing in his first organized football game since last January. That’s huge odds stacked against anyone. Smith gets knocked on for his small hands and that he was product of the system at Utah, but he almost won the game at Houston against my favorite offensive in the Texans. Oh, that and he just won the starting job after playing in one half and throwing 3 TDs when he had only thrown 3 in the past two years. He may not be good in future games, but I got to give him his props on this one.

DUDS:
Bears D: Just check out these stats: TD, TD, TD, TD, FG, TD, TD. That should look familiar to the Bears because those were the Bengals first 7 possessions. That is a horrible effort on every part of the Bears Defense. Bengals ran all over them and let Benson redeem himself and also let Palmer throw all over them. Urlacher isn’t there, but that is no excuse for that kind of effort. If Bears defense doesn’t recover against the Browns next week, something is seriously wrong.

Eli Manning: I know that the Cardinals defense is solid, but Eli threw 3 INTs with just 1 TD at home in a game that the Giants were favored by 9 points. It’s not that Eli had an awful game statistically; it’s that he didn’t command his team in a home game that the Giants should’ve won after coming off an ugly loss to the Saints. Eli once looked like a top 5 fantasy quarterback, but that was against very weak pass defenses such as KC, Oakland, and Tampa Bay. If owners have Eli as a starter they better think twice about starting him against an Eagles defense that feasts on INTs off the blitz.

Hines Ward: Hines Ward owners have loved their mid-round draft pick of the usually solid Hines Ward because he has been a top WR for the past 3 weeks. However, this week he put a 0 on the board and did worse than Steve Smith did against the Bucs. Ward had 1 catch for 3 yards. It is true that the Vikings are better than the Bucs, but as Roethlisberger’s top WR recently, Ward has to get more catches then just one right? Three total yards against any team is not an effort that Hines Ward owners can be happy with. And his next two matchups are against stingy pass defenses in Denver and Cincinnati, which means that Hines has to step up in order to redeem his status as a solid WR to start.

Redskins: In all my years watching football I have never seen a team compare more to a circus freak show then the Washington Redskins do right now. They are in disarray both on and off the field. Their owner strips the head coach’s ability to call plays only to hire an out of work old coordinator who doesn’t have a very good first outing. And on the field it’s the quarterback’s job to step up in the pocket to avoid pressure; however Jason Campbell thinks it’s good to step into pressure in the pocket and/or turn the ball over. It was humorous to watch the Monday Night game for how long I did, which was up to the 4th play when DeSean Jackson ran for 67 yards and a TD. I think even the Raiders are laughing at the Redskins….

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5. NFC East heating up

The NFC East is starting to heat up as we now have close to three of the four teams vying for 1st place. The Giants who have yet to have a bye week are 5-2 while the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are a ½ game behind as they are both 4-2 on the season. Of the three teams vying for the NFC East crown you have to give the edge to the Philadelphia Eagles right now as it would appear that everything is starting to click in Philly.

Dallas is a team that still doesn’t convince me as being a powerhouse in the NFC, let alone the NFC East. There is something starting to boil in Dallas as finger pointing is just a week away and the heat on the hot seat will continue to warm up as Jerry Jones finds a reason to get rid of Wade Phillips in the offseason. Dallas shouldn’t last much longer in the top of the NFC East and when it comes to in conference games they do not match well against the Giants or Eagles.

As for the current top team in the NFC East, the New York Football Giants they just happen to be listed as the #4 story coming out of Week 7.

4. Giants lose 2nd straight game, go to 5-2

The New York Giants are becoming the fast falling Football team in the NFL right as they have lost two straight against two of some of the hierarchy in the NFC. We may be seeing what the Giants really are this season after starting their season against five teams that weren’t looked at as strong teams to compete with them. After seeing how they played against the Saints and Cardinals; Giants fans have to be worried as they enter Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

If the Giants drop to the Eagles we may have to start considering the Giants as a potential playoff team. Which is something most people didn’t think they would be saying just two weeks ago with the way the Giants started the season. This is a must win game for the Giants or they could be heading towards a major issues at the meadowlands.

3. Alex Smith returns in tough loss

After a hard fought game against the Houston Texans, 49ers fans may be finally seeing what they were hoping for out of #1 draft pick Alex Smith. As Alex Smith returned to the football field and almost single handily brought the 49ers past the Texans in a game that at one point looked like to be a blowout. This has to be good news for the 49ers franchise as they have given him the nod as the starting QB in Week 8.

The 49ers can go either way now this season, if Alex Smith is on for the rest of the season the 49ers could be a Wild Card playoff team. Shaun Hill was not going to take the 49ers franchise in the next step in the NFL and Alex Smith was a season away from working at hardee’s or coaching a High School football team. If we get the Alex Smith that scouts loved then we could be looking at a new leaf changing over in San Francisco.

2. Steelers give the Vikings their first loss

The Steelers/Vikings game was my favorite game to watch this past Sunday. Up until the 4th quarter these teams were neck and neck in the game. Minnesota needed this win to finally prove to their critiques that they were for real and the Steelers needed the win to get back on track showing everyone why they are defending Super Bowl Champions.

We finally got to see the Brett Favre of old this week as well as he threw a INT into coverage as the Steelers defense would bring it back for a Touchdown. On that point the Steelers defense looked great this past weekend showing why they are considered to be the top Defensive team in Football. It was a great game overall and we may be seeing the beginning of the foundation cracking in Minnesota as they head into Green Bay this week.

1. New Orleans comes back from 24-3 deficit to stay undefeated

At one point it looked like the Miami Dolphins were going to finally give the New Orleans Saints a loss this season. Leading 24-3 at one point it was all but a fore gone conclusion that the Saints would finally chalk up their first loss and the Fins would get a huge victory. But all of a sudden the Saints came alive both offensively and defensively to come back and take the victory by 12 points.

The Saints victory over the Giants was huge but the victory over the Dolphins showed the NFC and the NFL what’s in store for the rest of this season. The Saints are the heavily favorite to win the NFC Championship crown right now and will be going into the playoffs. I still say that if Drew Brees does not win the NFL MVP I will be shocked. This Saints team is extremely fun to watch.

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I have to say that it is a good thing I recruited pretty women for this contest, because I’m making it really ugly! Another loss this week for “The Shark” you say? Oh you betcha!

This past week “Beat The Shark” was treated to not only the beautiful Miss Jenn Davis, but Jenn in return served up some history by becoming the first contestant to go a perfect 4-0 on the day. Ahh how nice it must have been for her and all of you followers of the contest to watch the Colts, Chargers, Cowboys, and Saints rack up big victories! Meanwhile not too shabby here either, but only 2-1-1 as I had the Texans push, suffered a loss wth the Panthers and got my 2 wins from the Patriots and Packers. So with Jenns perfect performance the ladies are now 4-2 vs “The Shark” and 15-9 in games, while “The Shark” stumbles to 11-12-1 in games. Keep your eyes on all the pretty girls in the tri-state area, they will all be wearing “Beat The Shark” T-shirts soon! Oh by the way, as always don’t forget if you like Jenn and the other contestants you will get a chance to vote on your favorite at the end of the season for “Miss Beat The Shark”.

So with that behind me (far behind me), it’s time for the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down portion of our wrap up. As always I go all out to praise some nice things and trash some real garbage that I saw in the past week in the NFL. So here we go.

Thumbs Up:

To Eagles WR DeSean Jackson
You have to admit that he is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young superstars in the game. On the big stage Monday night, Jackson ran a 68 yard reverse for a touchdown and later added a 64 yard reception as well. He is the only player in NFL history to have touchdonws of 60 or more yards in his teams first 3 games of the season. Analysts and announcers abroad are praising this kid every time he touches the ball, and he is becoming more mature every week. For years Andy Reid refused to trust young receivers in his offense, but it looks now as if the times are changing.

To Redskin Byron Westbrook
Football is a dangerous but yet highly competitive sport. However some times things are bigger then the game and we saw that on display this past Monday night. Eagles RB Brian Westbrook had taken a knee from ‘Skins MLB London Fletcher to the head and went down motionless to the ground. Without even a second thought, his brother Byron, a Redskin, came to his side and stayed until his brother showed movement and came too. Yes it is a game, and that’s just it, a game. The Westbrooks realized real life and it was fitting that the nation got to see such an act on a Monday night.

To the Steelers Defense
They say defense wins championships, and if that is the case, the Steelers may have as good a chance as anyone. When Troy Polamalu gets on that field it’s like a whole new club, and last week in their win against the Vikings, this squad came up huge to seal the win. 2 TDs were scored off of forced turnovers and they held one of the games most legendary QBs in Brett Favre, and perhaps the games best RB in Adrian Peterson to just 10 points. While the offense failed to do big things against a very good Vikings defense, the Steelers defense made sure to come in and save the day.

Thumbs Down:

To Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson
So looks like yet another apology is being issued, another team forced suspension, and a once was superstar player at the end of the line. It is always been said that Johnson is a bit of a cry-baby, kind of an angry guy and always has off-field issues but this is the clincher. Using “gay” slurs, really? Not only is it gay slurs, but using it towards his coach, and belittling his team. The Chiefs gave him a second chance after violations of conduct conditons last year, and I guess its now time for the 3 strikes and out rule. This guy is pretty much finished, how about he just goes away.

To The Miami Dolphins
Ok so this franchise will always be known with a perfect season, but when it was needed to defend against a possible undefeated challenger in the Saints this past week they totally crumbled. A 24-3 lead soon turned into a 12 point loss. At the end with just one second left and the game out of reach, head coach Tony Sporano asked rookie QB Chad Henne to “spike the ball?” I’m not getting it? Maybe the 6 1/2 point spread needed to be challenged huh coach? If this team would have just played a full 60 minutes then this act would not have been needed. Must have been some half-time speech?

Once again, the Redskins
Get it right people, it’s not who’s calling the plays, but who you have executing them. Sherm Lewis had to be asking himself “what am I doing here” during a dreadful 27-17 loss to the Eagles Monday night. Oh and how disgusted did Jim Zorn look? They brought in Lewis specifically because they thought Zorn couldn’t handle the play calling? Does management and ownership even watch these games? Can I have a job calling plays?

You know it was really nice and fun to see the people of England enjoy and welcome the NFL into town again this season. I couldn’t help but get a feeling of global pride in our football league when the crowd on hand was cheering the Buccaneers to go for it on a 4th and 1 play from around mid-field in the 2nd quarter. Commisioner Roger Goodell has mentioned the possibilitiy of more games or perhaps a franchise in England. I say why not, they seem more alive then the people in St. Louis did anyway. We here in the U.S. give very little time to soccer, but yet thehy take the time to learn and love our game. Just goes to show you about opening your mind to new things!

Please don’t forget to check out my fantasy football “Flash and Crash”, and a new contestant plays “Beat The Shark” this Friday.

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com

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