Game Day Thoughts

This week, former FBI Director Robert Mueller released the report on his investigation into the Ray Rice fiasco.

"We have all learned a great deal in the past months and expect to be judged by how we lead going forward on issues"
     NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in response to the Mueller Report.

So, Goodell hacks up just about everything that he touched for months but he's only judged by how he responds to it. That's very convenient. It's good to be king. All of the punishments that he randomly dishes out to players are based upon what they have done rather than how they respond going forward.

It's funny that Goodell and the media are focused almost solely on the portion of the Mueller Report that found that no one in the NFL offices had viewed the elevator video before the TMZ release. As if that made everything a-ok. I never understood the importance of viewing the video. Everyone knew what Rice had done in that elevator. It shouldn't have taken viewing a video to know that something horrible had taken place. The punishment handed out by the judicial system and the NFL was ridiculously slight the moment that they were determined. Everything Goodell has done and said since that moment has made everything worse.

Now, to the fun stuff. Football stuff.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau resigned yesterday. It may end up being significant that he resigned rather than retired. He's 77 but he still has some coaching in him. That coaching won't be with the Steelers. LeBeau has been a part of the NFL for every single year that I've been alive. It's difficult to imagine an NFL without him actively in it. I think that Dick LeBeau's NFL career has been misunderstood. He's been a coach for so long (since 1972) that many people know him only as a coach. When he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 some said that it would open the door for other assistant coaches. He didn't go in a as a coach. He's a Hall of Fame football player that became a fantastic football coach. If this is the NFL end for LeBeau, I will miss him. If this opens the door for another opportunity, welcome back.

45 of the top 50 shows on television this fall were NFL games. Most impressive.

Another impressive nugget is the prominent presence of former Cal running backs among the final eight teams in the playoffs.

Marshawn Lynch
Shane Vereen
C.J. Anderson
Justin Forsett

A lot of fine running backs have come out of Cal in the past couple of decades. Much of the credit should be given to a coach that rarely received enough credit. Ron Gould. He was Cal's running backs coach from 1997-2012. He was even more tenured at Cal than head coach Jeff Tedford (2002-2012). Gould finally got his much deserved head coaching shot when UC Davis hired him in December
2012.

Where are the coaches at?
It sure seems like the coaching search for the six head coaching vacancies is taking a long time. The Minnesota Vikings hired Mike Zimmer last year on January 15th. At least four coaches were hired before him. The Tennessee Titans even turned Zimmer down, thankfully, and hired Ken Whisenhut before the Vikings pulled the trigger. If I recall correctly, Zimmer was the fifth head coach to be hired. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Lovie Smith pretty quick. The Houston Texans were quick to hire Bill O'Brien. Maybe it was those hires that made it seem like the hires last year moved so...quick. There are six head coaching openings this year. None have been filled. Maybe it happens this week. So, I'm left to guess:
Atlanta Falcons-Rex Ryan
New York Jets-Dan Quinn
Buffalo Bills-Kyle Shanahan
Chicago Bears-Doug Marrone
San Francisco 49ers-Adam Gase
Oakland Raiders-Jack Del Rio
If the coaching hires fall anything close to this it's real shame that Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is still on the outside. It's great for the Cardinals but Bowles deserves a head coaching job.

On the way to their date with the New England Patriots yesterday the Baltimore Ravens were involved in their second bus accident of the season. It was a minor accident. The first accident took place in New Orleans in November. The Ravens defeated the Saints that day. They lost to the Patriots yesterday. I seriously doubt that either game was impacted by these minor annoyances.

Duron Carter, son of former Vikings and Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, has spent the last two seasons playing receiver for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. The junior Carter has turned his all-star play in Canada into a shot at the NFL. He's had workouts with the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Friday, he was in Minnesota. He met with all of the Vikings decision-makers. General manager Rick Spielman, head coach Mike Zimmer, offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and receivers coach George Stewart were all on hand for the meeting and the workout. Carter had a tryout with the Vikings in 2013 after going undrafted that year. By most accounts, he wasn't ready. Especially in regards to his maturity. He had a nomadic college life. Ohio State to Coffeyville Community College to Alabama to Florida Atlantic. That sort of bouncing around is rarely viewed well. Not only has he gained attention with his play on Canadian football fields, Carter seems to have gained some semblance of maturity. He's always had the talent for the game. He just wan't ready for it. Maybe, he is now. Carter has said that the Vikings are the front-runner but he'll likely visit some more teams. The Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, and San Francisco 49ers are reportedly interested. Carter's Alouettes contract doesn't expire until February 10 so he can't sign an NFL contract until then. If the Vikings remain the front-runner and sign Duron Carter, their receiver group entering the 2015 offseason will look something like this:

Greg Jennings
Charles Johnson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Adam Thielen
Duron Carter
Kain Colter
Donte Foster

There isn't a Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones among them but each brings something different. Jennings is the veteran, the leader. A reliable first down- and touchdown-maker. Johnson came from the Browns practice squad to become the Vikings best receiver by the end of the season. His route running is fantastic. He has good size (6'2" and 215 lbs) and speed (sub-4.4). Jarius Wright just makes big plays. Patterson is the wildcard. Last season was a serious disappointment after an often spectacular rookie season. If his understanding of the game and his play can approach his immense natural talent, Patterson is the one Vikings receiver that could become a Johnson/Jones-like difference-maker. Adam Thielen is a solid possession receiver. He's also an excellent special teams player. Carter would be a welcome addition. He's 6'4". Something that can't be coached and something that the Vikings don't have. Colter and Foster will have a tough climb for a roster spot. Colter has the skills to become an effective slot receiver. Teddy Bridgewater, in less than one season, has already proven to be the sort of quarterback that makes all of the players around him better. He and the team might be best served by a deep group of versatile receivers. One kind of like the above.

We got one great game yesterday. Let's hope for two more today.