Eisen's Errors

I love what Rich Eisen has done with the NFL Network, his podcasts, and his unique rapport with the players and personnel of the league. His 40-yard dash(?) to close the Scouting Combine is an annual classic. All that being said, there are a couple of things that Eisen needs to stop. Now.

More than any other media personality, that I have noticed, Rich Eisen keeps bringing up the idiotic notion of the Eagles "dream team." Vince Young ridiculously started it. It was a mistake then, and the media, as always, keeps making it worse. Eisen more than most. He's better than that.

The other issue is more of a pet peeve. On several occasions, Eisen has referred to the '80s as old school football. The Cowboys and the 49ers of the early 90s even creep into his old school references. That's so wrong. I've said it before and I'll say it always. Leather helmets, clothesline tackles, Red Grange, "Concrete Charlie", "Crazylegs" Hirsch, and Bronko Nagurski are old school football. Everything since is football.

A Football Life

Some love him, many hate him, but all football fans should appreciate Bill Belichick. He's an incredible football coach. He may be a little pissy with the media but who can blame him for that. Most in the media are ridiculous. I can barely stomach press conferences and I don't even have to answer the idiotic questions. Belichick is simply amazing. I've never seen a coach make such extreme scheme adjustments from week to week. It's near impossible to game plan for him because you never know what you'll get. As the game chages, he changes. At times he is even the catalyst for those changes. His teams today are so very different from his teams a decade ago. It certainly helps that his quarterback is the same, but even Tom Brady's game is far from the careful game manager that shocked the Rams in the Super Bowl.

NFL Network's "A Football Life" profiling Bill Belichick's 2009 season is excellent. The coach, unknown to his team, wore a microphone the entire season. It's a great glimpse of Belichick. It's a fantastic glimpse of coaching in the NFL. If nothing else, it shows that Bill Belichick is indeed human. The Flea Flicker says "check it out", it's being replayed frequently over the next week.

A new episode is on this week profiling the late Reggie White and Jerome Brown. Both were tragically lost far too soon. Brown died in a car accident at the age of 27, after his fifth NFL season. Very sad. With the Philadelphia Eagles, White and Brown formed half of one of the great defensive lines in history. I was never a fan of their domination, but I was a fan of their tremendous football skills. If Brown hadn't died in that car accident, I always wondered if White would have remained with the Eagles. They were an incredible tandem, and maybe it was too difficult when it was broken. White played only one more season in Philadelphia after Brown's death. I know that I would've much preferred that White never played a game for the Green Bay Packers. My most vivid memory of Reggie White playing football is a play in which Minnesota Vikings receiver Cris Carter is foolishly assigned to block the Packer defensive end. I'd never before seen a man fly. I look forward to the football life of Jerome Brown and Reggie White.

Injuries, Fake or Not

It's pretty lame if the New York Giants did fake injuries to slow down the St Louis Rams no-huddle last week. It certainly looked suspicious for two players to just drop as if on cue. Unless the players admit to this travesty, it's all just speculation. Players and coaches throughout the league have had some fun with this injury question. The insane attention given to this is even worse than the possible crimes. Must be a slow news week in the football world. The NFL plans to punish any injury fakers with fines, suspensions and even the loss of draft picks. That seems a bit severe. I've never before noticed a run on suspicious injuries. It may or may not have happened last week and now there's an epidemic. NFL players have far too much pride to be labeled a faker. The NFL needs to be spending more time on getting the calls right on the field than stressing over something that is little more than a passing hiccup.

I'm much more concerned with the real injuries. There's been a bunch of them. There seems to be more muscle strains and pulls than usual. Of course these are the less serious variety. The more nagging variety. Missed playing time is still missed playing time no matter the cause. There seems to be more knee injuries and other serious injuries as well. The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a horrible start. That isn't helped by the season long loss of stars Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles in successive weeks. The lockout fouled up so many things. Maybe it fouled up the joints and muscles of the players as well. That sounds like a bit of a stretch, but maybe today's players are just conditioned for the games throughout an active offseason. Take away that offseason and you take away part of their preparation. Maybe there's no real cause. Injuries just happen in football. Perhaps there's simply a run now on injuries and it will all even out as the season goes on. I hope so. It might just be me, but I always find real injuries a greater concern than fake injuries.

Weak 3

Domination only matters on the scoreboard.
                                           -Mrs. Flea Flicker

The Minnesota Vikings have been outscored 67-6 in the second half and overtime.

That's about all I have to say about that.

No, actually it's not. Convert 3rd downs! The Vikings have been horrible at converting them in all three games, especially in the second half. Adrian Peterson has to handle the ball on third and short, as well as the fourth and one yesterday. It's nice to use Peterson as a decoy on occasion, but if you are having issues converting you have to put the ball in the hands of your best player. Convert only a handful of those second half third downs, a couple each game, the Vikings are likely 3-0.

Jared Allen did his best to win the game all by himself in the final minute of regulation. He forced Lions tackle Jeff Backus to jump twice. He then destroyed Backus to sack Matthew Stafford and then nearly tackled Jahvid Best for a safety. In a dismal start to the season, Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen have been fantastic.

I like that rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph is getting more opportunities. He's a good one, could be a great one.

The Vikings can not have another second half disaster next week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

I'm not sure how long the Buffalo Bills can ride this wave, but their comeback against the New England Patriots didn't surprise me. I don't think that the Bills can stick with the Patriots all season, but they could sneak past the New York Jets for a wildcard spot. The Bills are a good team. It's not a fluke. But, what do I know?

The Bears are ridiculous, but they really look the part in those orange jerseys.

Perfect Chicago Bears name: Tyler Clutts.

Speaking of the Bears, I wish that the media folks would stop calling the Bears-Packers rivalry the longest in league history. It's not. The Bears-Cardinals have played one year longer. When both were in Chicago it was fierce even if it was often one-sided. The Bears and Packers have easily played the most games, but they have not been playing the longest. Fact check, folks!

The Saints-Texans game sure looked fun. Nice defense!

Nice win for the Giants.

Speaking of fun. Larry Fitzgerald sure is fun to watch.

Football is fun.

The Vikings need to make the second half of their games a lot more fun.

Suh

As the 2010 NFL Draft approached, I was extremely surprised that there was even a debate over the potential of defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy. It may not have been as ridiculous as the Aaron Rodgers-Alex Smith debates a few years earlier, but it still made little sense. Was I missing something? Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy is an excellent football player. He will be a fine NFL player, perhaps even a star. He was most definitely worth a high pick. Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh is just something else. He is a once in a lifetime type player. It was evident in college. It's obvious now. Two games into his second season and he's already one of the top defensive players in the league. He scares me and it starts today.Vikings center John Sullivan and guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera will be challenged all day. Two of them will be on Suh, perhaps every play. Fellow Lions tackle Corey Williams is an excellent player. The Vikings will likely take their chances with him while they focus on Suh. When the Lions top 2011 draft choice Nick Fairly returns from injury, an excellent line becomes a nightmare. It all starts with Suh.

It's unfortunate that some of Suh's game involves unnecessary roughness. He's so strong, so powerful. Perhaps, he doesn't know what he can do. More likely, he doesn't care. Fear is part of his game. It grows with each brutal hit, legal or not. He's got to understand when he's made the play. He should let what he does between the whistles define him.

The Lions are improving fast. Suh, quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson will be the cornerstones for a long time. Today is still bad news for the Lions. The Vikings need Adrian Peterson's running, as always, to keep the Lions defense, Suh in particular, off balance.

RIP Zeus

I was stunned to hear that former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Orlando Brown was dead at his home. He was only 40.

Nicknamed Zeus due to his immense size, 6'7" 360-lbs, and strength, Brown was universally loved as a gentle giant. He brilliantly navigated the often challenging path from off-field teddy bear to on-field beast. His NFL career was unique to say the least. He signed with the original Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent from South Carolina St. in 1993. Not only did he face the typical challenge of being an undrafted free agent, he was also switching positions from defensive to offensive line. His coach with the Browns, Bill Belichick, says that he improved more than any player that he had ever coached. Brown moved with the team when the Browns bolted Cleveland for Baltimore and became the Ravens. By this time, he'd become one of the best tackles in the league. Nice accomplishment for an undrafted defensive lineman. In 1999, Brown returned to Cleveland with the new Browns. I believe this made Orlando Brown the only player to play for the old and new Browns with the Ravens in between. 1999 also found him in the national spotlight when referee Jeff Triplette hit him in the eye with a penalty flag. When he charged Triplette and knocked him to the ground, Brown was the one that was punished. The flag caused severe vision problems and nearly cost him his career. He was finally able to return to the field with the Ravens in 2003. At least it changed forever the manner in which league officials threw the little yellow weapons.

Orlando Brown never stopped working. Against all odds, he became an excellent football player. He was a fantastic teammate, inspiring the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. He even made a culinary impact when he opened the first Fatburger franchise in Maryland. Orlando Brown passed far too soon. The Flea Flicker sends sincere condolences to Brown's family and friends.

RIP Zeus

T-Sizzle

Seeing as Baltimore Ravens pass rushing linebacker Terrell Suggs fancies himself as a bit of a rapper or rap lyricist, he's acquired the nickname of T-Sizzle. He often sizzles on the football field. Whether he actually raps or not, he's a pretty funny guy in interviews.

Many Minnesota Vikings fans had Suggs on their mind as the 2003 NFL Draft approached. The Vikings pick at #7 turned into a bit of a fiasco that's been replayed far too often. Without getting into the seedy details the Vikings ended up having about three shots at Suggs without even making a selection. That made for about three opportunities for Vikings fans to get excited amidst the confusion. The Vikings had lacked an elite pass rusher since the early '90s when Chris Doleman was tearing apart quarterbacks. Suggs could fill that need but the Vikings saw another at defensive tackle. Drafting Kevin Williams in 2003 over Terrell Suggs left no regrets as both are fantastic football players. The Ravens have certainly been happy with Suggs.

Suggs, or T-Sizzle, is a character. He brings a little bit of the lighter stuff to complement the serious Ray Lewis and Ed Reed on that Ravens defense. He prefers shopping at Toys "R" Us yet claims to be shopping for the kids. It's even more funny to find that Suggs, the terror of quarterbacks across the league, is scared of rollercoasters, snakes and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. Suggs being 2 at the time of that video has much to do with the horror. It's still fun to visualize big Suggs running from the site of Jackson's zombies.

Throwback Thursday: Football Evolution

The differences between the evolution of football and that of other sports is striking. Basketball, baseball and hockey are pretty much played the same now as they were played from their beginnings. The natural evolution of players have increased the speed and power at which the games are played. Improved equipment have smoothed some of the rough edges. The games are still fundamentally the same. The same can be said for other sports such as volleyball, golf, tennis, soccer, etc. Football, on the other hand, has never stopped changing. Never stopped evolving. Those changes have certainly been less dramatic over the last fifty years than the previous ninety, but the game today is still much different than it was in 1961.

Ever since football took it's first steps away from rugby in the mid 1800s it's been evolving. Due to the constant change there is no one father of football. The one man that did the most to create the game that we know today was Walter Camp. He was a player and coach at Yale and general custodian of the game for all of his adult life. If he didn't directly come up with the change, it went through him. He created such basics as the center snap, the quarterback, and possessions based on downs. Many of the changes were made to make an extremely violent game a little less violent. Mass momentum plays were the rage at the end of the 19th century. Several players moving at once toward the line of scrimmage before the snap of the ball. The impact was brutal. Football was in danger of being banned at many colleges. Too many deaths. Too many injuries. While many changes were made for safety reasons the results did open up the game and increased the appeal.

As much of a catalyst for change in the early days as it is today is the great freedom in the game. There may be distinct positions but the possibilities with each position are nearly endless. There are so many possibilities for each of the eleven players, even the offensive linemen. Some teams may rely heavily on pulling guards while others may keep their guards fairly stationary protecting the middle. From the old single wing to spread formations, offenses have so many possibilities before the ball is even snapped. Two very distinct methods of moving the ball, run and pass, leads to a vast number of options available to the offense after the ball is snapped. Perhaps the one thing that most separates football from other sports is the huddle. The distinct stoppage between plays allows for a meeting to determine what to do next. Other sports call plays on the fly. Football has a conference. A play may even be drawn up in the dirt, made up on the spot. Defenses may have stopping the offense as their main objective, but they too have their own bag of tricks that are constantly evolving. Just look at the Green Bay Packers and the crazy defenses that Dom Capers is tossing on the field. It's never been seen before and forces one to imagine what might be in another twenty years.

The best example of football change is the forward pass. As the 1900s opened the forward pass was illegal. A century later, the forward pass dominates the game. Eventually, defensive evolution might sway the run-pass balance back toward the running game. Who knows, but it's a good bet that the football of even 2025 is going to be much different from that of today.

Livin' the Dream

The NFL has always been littered with incredible stories. Players overcoming unbelievable obstacles to make it to the NFL. I have heard of none more incredible than that of Dallas Cowboys receiver Jesse Holley.

It started with Cowboy Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. Three years ago, Irvin and Spike TV came up with the idea to give anyone who thought he could play a chance to. Irvin got Dallas owner Jerry Jones to agree to reserve the 80th spot on the 2009 training camp roster for the winner of a reality TV show they'd call "4th and Long." Irvin would have six receivers and six cornerbacks compete against each other in a 10-show TV series, with the last man standing going to camp with the Cowboys in 2009. First, hundreds of players were thinned out at a scouting combine in Los Angeles. One of those was the 6'2" 220-lb Holley, a little known basketball and football player from North Carolina. He was working security and selling cellphones. He'd been cut by both the Cincinnati Bengals and the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and was moving on with his life when he heard of this opportunity with the TV show. Irvin put Holley in competition with five other receivers and six corners. Former Cowboy coach Joe Avezzano and former Cowboy player Bill Bates served as coaches. Irvin says that they worked the contestants harder than they'd ever have to work in the NFL. He wanted to see who wanted it, who would survive. Holley wanted it most and earned his shot through a reality TV show. Unbelievable.

Holley was cut by the Cowboys in 2009 and 2010 and was signed to the practice squad each year. This year he made it. An injury to Miles Austin against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday gave Holley his chance, in overtime. A 77-yard reception by Holley set the Cowboys up nicely at the 1-yard line for an easy field goal to win. A banged up Cowboys receiver group gives Holley a chance going forward. It's hard to top what he did Sunday. It's impossible top how he got there.

Ugly Waste of Time

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Denver Broncos
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. New Orleans Saints
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. St. Louis Rams
10. New England Patriots
11. Washington Redskins
12. Indianapolis Colts
13. Detroit Lions
14. Miami Dolphins
15. Tennessee Titans
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Houston Texans
19. New York Giants
20. New York Jets
21. San Francisco 49ers
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. San Diego Chargers
24. Oakland Raiders
25. Green Bay Packers
26. Arizona Cardinals
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Chicago Bears
29. Carolina Panthers
30. Minnesota Vikings
31. Philadelphia Eagles
32. Kansas City Chiefs

Any ideas? In one of the most stunning wastes of time and money, Ursinus College decided to rank the NFL teams by attractiveness. Instead of accepting that attractiveness is purely subjective the morons at this college decided that facial symmetry is the determination for all that is beautiful. Powerful stuff. I figure that you could start with the assumption that the Packers, Bears, Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys and Lions are simply U-G-L-Y and leave it at that. Save time and money and ignore the rest. Congratulations Buffalo.

41-3

In two games the Minnesota Vikings have been outscored 41-3 in the second half. They were up 17-7 at the half against the San Diego Chargers last week only to lose 24-17. Yesterday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers they led 17-0 at the half only to lose 24-20. 41-3 explains the 0-2 start.

At least against the Buccaneers the Vikings offense showed signs of life. The passing offense was pathetic against the Chargers with the incredible total of 39 yards. They showed some versatility and explosion yesterday gaining well over 200 yards. Which is still on the light side in today's NFL. Runningback Adrian Peterson was the one offensive constant in both games. They need more from the other playmakers. The one-sided second halves is the glaring weakness after two games. The Vikings inability to convert third downs on offense and the inability to get off the field on third downs on defense are the reasons for the second half collapses in both games. They convert even a couple of those third downs and they win both games. An 0-2 start is a bad start no matter how well you play. No matter how close the game.

It is difficult to follow the other games opposite the Vikings game, but there were some things that caught my attention. The Bills-Raiders game was a 38-35 thriller. I only saw the Bills go ahead score and then the Raiders last gasp, but that looked like a fun game. For two teams with a real sad recent past, the Bills and Raiders are looking good early.

Cam Newton is still looking like the real deal.

What's up with K.C.? I dearly hope that Jamaal Charles' injury is much less severe than it looked.

Another K.C., Kerry Collins really needs to start playing like he did a couple years ago. The Colts have too much talent to be this inept.

I really like seeing the Bears beaten.

I love the way the Patriots use their tight ends. I think that it's a far more sustainable and effective offensive innovation than the spread or other multiple wideout formations. Maybe the secret is in Tom Brady running it, but I would love for Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to study the Patriots offense a bit. The Vikings have some nice talent at the position with Visanthe Shiancoe and rookie Kyle Rudolph.

Next week is bad news for the Lions!

Cason Is Rolling

Unfortunately San Diego Chargers cornerback Antoine Cason is becoming a star. It's unfortunate only because his play last weekend kept shutting down the Minnesota Vikings offense. On at least three occasions I was convinced that Cason had interfered with Vikings receivers while defending a pass. Each time replays showed that he simply made a fantastic play on the ball. These were plays that you expect from Darrelle Revis, Nnambi Asomugha and maybe Champ Bailey still. Cason made these plays look routine. He's fast approaching the elite corners in the league.

There was a time when I wasn't sure that Cason had the speed and quickness for the NFL. He had a tremendous college career at Arizona. I hoped that it wouldn't end there. It was an awesome experience to watch Cason match up against Cal's dynamic, punk receiver DeSean Jackson. Cason may have been the only college corner to have any sort of success against Jackson. I should have realized then that Cason had an NFL future as Jackson has more speed and quickness than most professional receivers. Cason's modest scouting combine performance influenced me more than his stellar on field performance. A mistake I usually try to avoid. DeSean Jackson and Antoine Cason had a tremendous college rivalry. They also have a history. They are both from Long Beach, CA. Cason was a year ahead of Jackson when he enrolled at powerhouse Long Beach Poly as a freshman. When Jackson entered Poly the next year, Cason had transferred to Los Alamitos. I think that it was so that he could play against Jackson and not with him. Cason scores high off the field as well. Some friends of mine met him at a University of Arizona fan appreciation day. They were extremely impressed with the young man. He was natural with all the kids and extremely generous with his time and attention. It's often obvious when people just go through the motions. Cason was genuine and definitely stood out as an athlete that truly cares. He gets it where Jackson never will.

When the Chargers drafted Cason in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, they already had quality at the position with Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie. It wasn't long before Cromartie was gone and Jammer was looking up to the youngster. The rise of Cason has been impressive. It's made even better by the quality of person that he is. He just needs to stop making plays against the Vikings.

America's Game

Last week NFL Network premiered NFL Film's most recent America's Game. As with everything created by NFL Films, it was tremendous. Despite profiling the Green Bay Packers and their fourth Super Bowl win and thirteenth NFL title. I can't wait for NFL Films to put the exclamation point on the Minnesota Vikings first Super Bowl victory. I will be one silly idiot.

NFL Films never ceases to amaze. The America's Game series is just beautiful. They wrap the stories of three players or coaches into one fantastic story of the team winning it all. They bring in a celebrity with a distinct voice to narrate. John Slattery of Mad Men narrated the Packers' season. Gene Hackman, Alec Baldwin, Jon Hamm, Brad Pitt and Donald Sutherland have done some of the previous episodes. The three members of the team chosen to personalize the story are interviewed in such a way that it feels they are speaking straight to the audience. It's just them, always individually, and the camera. The camera is us. Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson and Mike McCarthy were the three Packers chosen. The choices are often predictable, but they are always perfect. They all tell their own story as a summation of the whole story. We often get so wrapped up in only that which takes place on the field. We forget about all that it takes to become the best. It's nice to be able to sit back and see some of the small things that make up the players and coaches. The small things that make up a team. Every team has a story and NFL Films, as always, does an incredible job of telling that story. America's Game has become an integral part of a team's championship season. I can't wait for the Vikings turn.

The Endangered Media Guide

With advances in technology allowing for quicker access to information some delightful treasures are fading into the mist. The trusty media guide is one of those treasures. It's a gem. Every sports team produces some version of a media guide each season. One could consider these guides a beefed up game day program. As the name suggests, media guides were produced mostly for and used by the media. Whenever you heard a game announcer toss out an exciting nugget of information, it was likely found in these guides. Now, some computer wonk probably finds it and relays it to the talking heads. Nearly everything that anyone would need to know about a team is found in the pages of a media guide. Rosters and player, coach and administrator profiles. Team history. Team records. Schedules. All kinds of good stuff. I have been purchasing the Minnesota Vikings media guides for the past several years. Each is not much different from the previous one, but there is enough change to always make them worthwhile. Unfortunately, they are becoming harder to obtain. It's likely that the teams are simply producing fewer and fewer guides. Some teams have foolishly stopped altogether. These teams are making a downloadable version available on their web sites. Very sad. I have that option with the Vikings, but it just isn't the same. I can be nostalgic about many things. The media guide is one of them. There is just something warm and reassuring about them. I fear the day when they are no more. But not this year. My 2011 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide should arrive today.

Throwback Thursday: When the Games Don't Matter

With the ten year anniversary of 9/11, I'm reminded of the importance of this silly game of football. The NFL is everywhere. So many people watch now. So many people are swayed by the outcomes. The NFL has reached a level in our society that few could have imagined or maybe even desired. In the wake of a tragedy the importance of the games are debated, sometimes hotly. The fact that there is even a debate only confirms the nation's love of the game. Should they be played when the country is hurting?

On Friday November 22, 1963, still new NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle faced the very same question about professional football games. The nation was reeling after President John F Kennedy was assassinated. Rozelle decided to play the games two days later. He regretted the decision the rest of his life. He was also widely criticized the rest of his life. He had some people agree with him but they weren't as loud. AFL Commissioner Joe Foss has always been praised for canceling the newbie league's games. Only problem is that Deputy Commissioner Milt Woodard made the call. Foss couldn't be found. The criticism of Rozelle had to make Paul Tagliabue's decision much easier nearly forty years later. Unfortunately, few understand that Rozelle agonized over his decision. He didn't blindly wield his new power. Rozelle was friendly with the Kennedy family. He was a longtime friend of White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger. He had the ear of the nation's leaders. He sought advice and listened. He did what he thought was right knowing that it could be very wrong. Many that knew President Kennedy believe that he would have wanted the games to be played. I think that greatly influenced Rozelle. It didn't take long for him to realize that he had made a mistake. Many never let him forget. With or without any one's help Pete Rozelle was haunted by his decision for the rest of his life.

After the horrors of 9/11, I still thought that the NFL games should be played. Mostly because I saw them as a distraction that the nation needed. I was troubled and in a fog like everyone else. I had to somehow function at work. I felt that many could use the release or distraction that the games could bring. I failed to really think about a nation that had just been rocked. Simple entertainment doesn't seem so entertaining at a time like that. I failed to think about football players being human too. Playing a game may not have the same appeal after such a tragedy. I failed to think of the ushers, the concession workers, the ticket takers, everyone involved in televising the game. There will always be a better time for football, or anything else that is simply meant to entertain. In 2001, I hadn't learned from Pete Rozelle's mistake. I'm glad that Paul Tagliabue had. I only hope that the decision on whether to play the games never has to be made again.

Quarterbacks of Tedford

Cal coach Jeff Tedford has long been considered a fine molder of quarterbacks. Several of his students have caught the eyes of many NFL coaches and scouts. Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, David Carr, Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers were all mentored by Tedford. All were drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Smith, Harrington and Carr were even top five picks. All but Rodgers performed far below that lofty draft status in the NFL. Some might even trigger the unfortunate "bust" label. Tedford's seal of approval no longer guarantees the attention of the professional folk. It may even have been the reason that Rodgers spent so much time in the green room at the 2005 NFL Draft.

I didn't see anywhere near enough of Akili Smith and David Carr in college to form any real opinions of them. I saw nothing of Smith with the Bengals. Carr, at least, had some shining moments for the Texans. He was just destroyed behind an inferior offensive line to last physically or mentally for long. I was impressed by Harrington's college career, but runningback Onterrio Smith was really the motor behind those Oregon teams. He regularly opened the game for Harrington. As a Cal fan, Smith always concerned me much more than Harrington. It was much like when Reggie Bush and LenDale White made everything peachy for Matt Leinart at USC a few years later. I was shocked that the Lions selected Harrington with the third pick in the draft. It was perhaps the first sign that Matt Millen had zero clue on how to run a franchise. Prior to Tedford's arrival in Berkeley, Kyle Boller showed a great deal of natural talent. It was just a little wild. Once Tedford arrived, everything came together. Boller was a very good college QB. That's an important distinction. Boller's leap in performance from his junior to his senior year was remarkable. It caught the attention of the NFL. I suppose that they expected similar leaps from Boller as a professional. Other than that, I have no idea why the Ravens would draft Kyle Boller in the first round. At best, I thought that he would be a very good backup QB. Most teams select those much later in the draft. The first round is a little early. After Boller proved to be only a decent backup QB, Tedford became the target of criticism. Aaron Rodgers' development into an outstanding QB is considered the exception. He was the QB that got away from Tedford unscathed. Being labeled a Tedford QB is now one to avoid. It hasn't helped that Cal has experienced a bit of a QB drought recently. Current QB Zach Maynard has shown the greatest talent since Rodgers. Nate Longshore showed some potential but faded. Jeff Tedford is now considered, in the eyes of many, a developer of fine college QBs but does them no favors in the move to the NFL. He's criticized for developing college QBs! Last I checked, his job is to develop college QBs. He's a college coach. People seem to forget that Akili Smith, David Carr and Joey Harrington went to horrible NFL teams. If they had true pro potential, the Bengals, Texans and Lions changed that in a hurry. Those players' lack of success in the NFL had nothing to do with Tedford's teachings in college. He helped them to achieve success in college as you would hope from his job as a college coach. Young Cal QBs like Maynard, Allen Bridgford and Kyle Boehm can learn a lot from Jeff Tedford. He can help make them better college QBs. He won't be there to coach them if they have the opportunity to play in the NFL.

Another "What Could Have Been"

Regularly being around and knowing many San Francisco 49ers fans I hear plenty of complaining about their team having Alex Smith rather than Aaron Rodgers playing quarterback. I don't really blame them. I understand their pain. It's only going to get worse as Rodgers improves on his considerable football skills. For fans that saw incredible success for the entire decade of the '80s, they tend to be a little spoiled. As amazing as the 49ers decision making was during that terrific run it has been incredibly bad for the last ten years. The 49ers were idiots to not draft Rodgers in 2005. He was right across the bay for crying out loud. They had to notice him.

What's really interesting to me about the 49ers stupidity is that Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy was the 49ers offensive coordinator in 2005. His opinion of Rodgers had to play a significant role in the 49ers passing on him. His loss then became his gain later. More recently I have taken a broader view of this "what could have been." If McCarthy had actually watched some game film of Rodgers at Cal, the 49ers would have drafted him. Then 49ers head coach Mike Nolan is an excellent defensive coordinator. He was much less excellent as a head coach. Maybe if the 49ers draft Rodgers, McCarthy finally sees what the kid can do. The coach sticks around a bit and maybe he eventually replaces Nolan. It's not unheard of for a promising young coordinator or position coach replacing a faltering head coach. The 49ers become a completely different team. So to do the Packers. It might have taken Rodgers and McCarthy a little longer, but there's little doubt the 49ers would be a better team. It's amazing how watching a little game film can change dramatically the future of two franchises. Pop in the tape of the 2004 Cal-USC game and there is no doubt that Aaron Rodgers was and will be a fantastic QB. You can see the QB of today in that college QB. There was no mystery.

Opening Sunday

It sure is a treat to have football back. The hacked up offseason helped make it extra sweet. Maybe it was all planned that way. I think that the NFL is making a mistake in it's ever expanding opening week. Starting on Thursday is just wrong. Playing two Monday night games is simply ridiculous. Is having sixteen opening nights next? Focusing on two teams each night for the first half of September. Pump the breaks Roger!

For Vikings fans the weekend started with a splash. Spectacular runningback Adrian Peterson signed a six year contract extension. Awesome news. Unfortunately the game against the San Diego Chargers was less than awesome. You visit the Vikings message boards and you'd think that the Minnesota football world is coming to an end. It certainly wasn't that bad. The Chargers were expected to destroy the Vikings. Instead, they had a real battle. The Chargers needed a fourth quarter comeback to win 24-17. The Vikings defeat can be found in two numbers. 16 carries for Peterson and 39 TOTAL yards passing. Peterson should always have at least 25 touches. It should only take one play to hit 39 yards passing. The Vikings offense did nothing in the second half. This obviously cut into the number of carries for Peterson. The offense simply failed to convert the few third down opportunities that they had. The defense actually played well. They were just on the field way too much thanks to their own offense. It certainly wasn't the desired outcome but it was far from the disaster of the purple chicken littles.

I spent most of the morning watching the Tampa Bay-Detroit game. There were several intriguing early matchups but this one grabbed my curiosity. Two young teams on the rise. They also just happened to be the Vikings next two opponents, but of course that mattered little. The Lions played great. The Buccaneers didn't. It was still a one touchdown game. If Detroit can get their running game going and keep QB Matthew Stafford healthy, they are going to be tough.

Chicago beating Atlanta 30-12 was a real shock. The Falcons didn't even score an offensive touchdown. For a team with legitimate Super Bowl dreams, this was a terrible start.

Another team with similar championship dreams is the Steelers. They must still be in August mode. There is no explanation for a 35-7 loss to the division rival Ravens. The Steelers did a lot of talking to and about the Ravens leading into the season and this game. The Ravens just prepared and played football. The Steelers may want to rethink some things.

Another game that was a real surprise was the Chiefs-Bills. Even in down years for the Chiefs, Kansas City is a brutal place to play. They frequently win there and they rarely get taken apart. The Bills beating the Chiefs 41-7 in Kansas City is a mystery.

It was a great weekend of football, not counting the Vikings loss. Even in that setback there was some promise. Next week is bad news for the Buccaneers. Welcome back football. It's great to see you.

Flea Flicker 2011 NFL Predictions

As the NFL begins it's 92nd season the Flea Flicker presents it's 1st season predictions. I should have done this prior to the Thursday Night game, but I don't much care for the NFL starting the season on Thursday. So there. This is also very difficult because it pains me to not pick the Vikings to win the Super Bowl. Seriously pains me. So here we go:

NFC East
1. Eagles
2. Cowboys
3. Giants
4. Redskins

NFC North
1. Packers
2. Vikings
3. Lions
4. Bears

NFC South
1. Falcons
2. Saints
3. Buccaneers
4. Panthers

NFC West
1. Rams
2. Cardinals
3. 49ers
4. Seahawks


AFC East
1. Patriots
2. Jets
3. Bills
4. Dolphins

AFC North
1. Ravens
2. Steelers
3. Browns
4. Bengals

AFC South
1. Texans
2. Colts
3. Titans
4. Jaguars

AFC West
1. Chargers
2. Chiefs
3. Raiders
4. Broncos

NFC Championship: Falcons over Packers

AFC Championship: Patriots over Chargers

Super Bowl: Patriots over Falcons

This is not for gambling purposes.

Nightmare in Cleveland

I really think that the monkeys that create the NFL schedules need a little retraining. Or a new job. Perhaps they are overworked. For the second year in a row the Vikings play the Packers twice in a three game stretch. Last year, I thought that it was a bit unusual. Twice is idiotic. Then I noticed something worse, much worse.

The monkeys must really have something against Cleveland. Maybe they hate the color brown. I've never seen anything like it. The Browns close the season against the Ravens, at the Steelers, at the Cardinals, at the Ravens, and then finally ending the season at home against the Steelers. Four of Cleveland's final five games are against the brutal Ravens and Steelers. That's nuts. On top of that the first Steelers game is on Thursday. Three days of rest after playing the Ravens. The second Ravens game is on Saturday. Not only do the Browns face these division foes four times in five weeks half of the battles are on altered schedules. The monkeys have something fierce against Cleveland.

Packers Roster

It's difficult, actually impossible, to criticize the actions of the Green Bay Packers. After all, they won it all last year and look really solid heading into this season. Their final roster is just a bit curious.

They are currently carrying five tight ends and only eight offensive linemen. The line total isn't all that odd. Moat teams keep 8-10 linemen but it's usually toward the high end. The total strikes me as odd only in relation to the number of tight ends. Five is very high. It's unusually high compared to the eight linemen. On defense the Packers are keeping ten linebackers, six being outside linebackers, and six linemen. Considering that the Packers usually line up in some variation of a 3-4, those numbers really aren't that unusual. It does leave little room for difficulties at the line and inside linebacker positions. I think that the defensive numbers lean more towards the crazy defensive schemes that Dom Capers throws on the field than any straight 3-4.

The Packers really sought to keep the top 53 players on the roster. The numbers at certain positions just fell like they did. Personally, I hope that they made loads of mistakes.

Throwback Thursday: One and Done

"Greg could very well have been the greatest talent that the quarterback position had ever seen."
                                                                                                      -Bill Walsh

As a kid I would peruse NFL statistics of years past. I was a little surprised to see a Greg Cook on top of the passing statistics for 1969. I expected Dawson, Jurgensen, Namath maybe, but I'd never heard of Greg Cook. Turns out he was a rookie QB for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969. Even more surprising than his lofty passing statistics was that he seemed to vanish after that one year. Who was Greg Cook?

Paul Brown was experiencing his NFL reunion with the expansion Cincinnati Bengals in 1968. He caught wind of the local college quarterback that same year. When Brown watched Greg Cook lead the University of Cincinnati to a come from behind victory over the University of Miami(OH), he was hooked. Brown drafted Cook in the first round of the AFL Draft and had no concerns with the rookie leading the Bengals in 1969. The Bengals may have been starting their second season but they were coached by a legend in Paul Brown and assisted by a legend to be in Bill Walsh. Cook's backup was Sam Wyche. That's a nice little collection of offensive football minds. It helped create a cushy place for a rookie QB to start.

Quick feet, unbelievable throwing arm for both long and short passes, superior all-around athletic skills. Physically, Greg Cook had it all. As a leader, Paul Brown compared him to Otto Graham. High praise considering the former Browns QB led his team to the championship game in all ten of his seasons, winning seven. Brown considered Cook totally unflappable in tight situations. He could stand in the pocket and face the fiercest pass rush without flinching. All this as a rookie in a demanding, diverse offense.

Cook started the season spectacularly in leading the Bengals to a 3-0 record. In the third game against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, Cook felt a pop in his right (throwing) shoulder after being tackled. He missed the next three games. Due to the limited medical technology at the time, his rotator cuff had been torn and went undiagnosed. Despite this, Cook went on to pass for 1854 yards and led the Bengals to wins over the Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, two of the best teams in the AFL. His 9.411 yards per pass attempt and 17.5 yards per completion are rookie records that still stand. Cook was UPI's choice for AFL Rookie of the Year.

Recalls Cook, "I took cortisone shots and played in pain, but the shoulder hadn't started to deteriorate yet, so I could still function. I still had the strength. I felt obliged to finish the season. I'd gotten off to a good start. I didn't want to relinquish that."

Thinking that rest had allowed his shoulder to heal, Cook played some basketball. On a rebound, his shoulder was grabbed and reinjured. The rotator cuff began deteriorating after the season. During surgery, it was revealed that Cook also had a partially detatched  biceps muscle. After three operations proved futile, he retired.

The Bengals had to replace their franchise QB about 15 years too early. It led to an interesting development. Bill Walsh recalls, "We had to replace Greg Cook. We signed Virgil Carter and reverted to a different style of offense, the origin of the so-called West Coast Offense." Walsh adapted to what he had, and started to develop an offense that would change the league.

Greg Cook had one phenomenal season. One that opened the eyes of two of the greatest coaches of all time. There is a great deal of security when a coach can  look out and see one of the best under center of his team. Both Brown and Walsh, Wyche too, saw in Cook one of the best QBs they had ever seen. It's a shame that a talent that special had it all taken away so early. Injuries will always be an unfortunate part of football. It's amazing that Greg Cook's injury and absence from the 1970 Bengals offense helped speed the evolution of the West Coast Offense. Few QBs could do the things that Cook could do. Walsh had to adapt, and he certainly did.

Herzlich Again

Congratulations to rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich on making the New York Giants final roster. He was profiled in an earlier Flea Flicker around the draft. He's had an incredible past three years. With a disaster of an offseason, the NFL needs a great story. Mark Herzlich is that story.

In 2009, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. He lost that season at Boston College. He should have lost his leg as well. He beat back the cancer to come back and play his senior season in 2010. He was not the player that he was in 2008 when he was one of the best linebackers in the nation. He was still good enough to merit NFL draft attention. He beat the odds again when he wasn't drafted and won a spot on the Giants as an undrafted free agent. With his heart and work ethic, I have no doubt that he'll become the best player that he can be. Better than he was before cancer decided to tangle with him.

Congratulations and good luck to Mark Herzlich.

Greenway's Pay Day

I was greatly pained by the loss of Sidney Rice to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this summer. From the day that he was drafted, Rice has been one of my favorites. Since the advent of free agency nearly twenty years ago, the Vikings have done a fantastic job of keeping their own young, promising players. The loss of Rice was a surprise. It also increased my concern for the continued Viking status of linebacker Chad Greenway and runningback Adrian Peterson. Percy Harvin too in a couple of years.

Fortunately and happily, the Vikings and Greenway agreed on a five year contract extension. Excellent news! The Vikings placed the franchise tag on Greenway back in February. It insured his presence for this year but certainly left questions on the future. Like Rice, Greenway was a favorite from his first day as a Viking. He plays football with a joy usually found only in kids. His love of the game even includes practices as he regularly shows up early. Sometimes simply to shag punts. He's improved his play each year to the extent that he is now one of the best linebackers in the league. He's a fantastic football player and will be in a Vikings uniform for another five years.

Now, lock up Peterson long term.

RIPs

I was saddened to hear that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Hall of Fame defensive lineman Lee Roy Selmon passed away Sunday. He was only 56. He had suffered a stroke on Friday. The news of the stroke was immediately followed by what turned out to be false reports of his death. All of that was quite shocking, but news from his family stating that he was in fact alive and improving was reassuring. That was followed two days later by the terrible news of his passing. Selmon was a tremendous football player for one of the truly bad teams in league history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were an expansion team that took a little while to gain proper traction. Selmon was an immediate star that eventually led a dominant defense to a fairly shocking NFC Championship game appearance. The Buccaneers lost that game but they were no longer a joke. During the last few years of the '70s Selmon may have been the finest defensive player in the league. Despite the endearingly ridiculous cream sickle uniforms, Lee Roy Selmon was a real treat. The Flea Flicker sends condolences to the Selmon family and all Buccaneer fans.

The NFL has really been rocked by the recent passing of many Hall of Fame players. Lee Roy Selmon, in particular, and John Mackey were far too early. Joe Perry, John Henry Johnson and Ollie Matson have also made their appearance on the heavenly football field. All these players made an incredible impact on the game. They will all be missed.

Hallmark Moment

In an earlier Flea Flicker, I bemoaned the brutal nature of the cut down days. It's not all devastation and tears. There are often wonderful stories. The players on the fringe of the roster usually have the best stories. The players that make the cut. The players whose dreams continue. They often have to battle through cuts every year. Sometimes it's the start of something great. Like former Vikings defensive tackle John Randle rising from undrafted free agent to the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

There might be two such warm stories taking place in Minnesota. Second year cornerback Marcus Sherels and rookie linebacker Larry Dean have opened many eyes throughout training camp and the preseason. Coming out of the University of Minnesota, Sherels was neither selected in the 2010 Draft nor signed to a contract afterwards. The Vikings invited him to a local tryout. He showed enough to be invited to training camp. He was later cut but added to the practice squad. He was activated toward the end of the season but still had to start the whole process all over again this year. His ability to return punts might have been the difference this year, but he has shown terrific quickness and cover skills. Larry Dean is the player that has really come out of nowhere to shine. A small linebacker, 6'0" and 226 lbs, from a small school, Division II Valdosta State. Dean is always around the ball. He's been flying around, making plays all summer.

It's hard to ignore the football dreams that die this time of year, but it's easy to smile about the achievements of players like Marcus Sherels and Larry Dean. It takes all 53 players to win a championship.

Fantasy Football

I've been debating just how to approach this growing national treasure. Fantasy football is huge, and it keeps getting bigger every year. Even the NFL now caters to the fantasy football fan. It was the natural course as any potential fan base only increases the popularity and dollars of the game. Personally, I think that it's taken far too seriously. In many ways it seems bigger and more important than reality. Some people set aside their favorite team in favor of their fantasy team. Some even have a favorite team only because of their fantasy team. During the lockout many people were more worried about the fate of fantasy leagues than the real games upon which their fantasies depend. I have long enjoyed fantasy football. I much prefer this extracurricular football activity to betting on games. I've always seen fantasy football as a little extra splash of entertainment to the games each week. I'm always most focused on the Minnesota Vikings games. I'll watch other games around that highlight game. Watching players on my fantasy team adds a little more interest to these other games. It often helps me to decide which game to watch. I've always just seen my involvement in fantasy leagues as secondary entertainment to the real thing. It's a strong enough entertainment that I would greatly miss it if it was gone. Part of that entertainment is due to my being in a solid league of 10 fellow fools that I enjoy. We've been together for over a decade and it's always a blast, win or lose.

Despite the fun, I have some issues with the make believe football. Former Cal, 49ers and Lions coach Steve Marriucci brings up perhaps my greatest complaint when he described a coaching experience of his. While coaching the Lions, he was shocked to hear Detroit fans cheering as Terrell Owens shredded his and supposedly their defense. It made no sense to him. Just because they had Owens on their fantasy team they were against their own team. Marriucci has hated fantasy football ever since. Now, I love fantasy football, but I agree with Marriucci. It's about priorities, and for many fantasy football participants those priorities have shifted. It's also created a generation of fans that view real football as if it's fantasy football. On the field, strategy and team play are gone. Off the field, everyone is a general manager. They can solve the ills of every team by ridiculous, unrealistic trades that are meant to create paper champions. Everyone is an expert in team building. Madden hasn't helped matters in this regard, but I think that fantasy football has been the greatest block to sanity.

Fantasy football had it's beginnings in the early '60s in Oakland, CA. Wilfred Winkenbach is to blame. Fantasy football had to be dreamed up by someone with a name like Wilfred Winkenbach. He was an Oakland area businessman and limited partner in the Raiders. It was on a team trip to New York City in 1962, that Winkenbach, Raiders Public Relations manager Bill Tunnel and reporter Scotty Stirling got together to form the rules. The inaugural league was called the GOPPPL (Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League) and took place at King X's bar in Oakland. The league consisted of eight members, made up of administrative affiliates of the AFL, pro football journalists, or someone who had purchased or sold ten season tickets for the Raiders' 1963 season. Chalk up another innovation that rose from the AFL. Fantasy football was born.

My first brush with fantasy football was in the early '80s. I was the general manager of a team whose owner knew little of football. It only lasted a couple of years before I went off to college. A decade later, I was in a league for good.

I really hate to be critical of fantasy football as it's something I greatly enjoy. I just love the real version so much more that I hate to see it distorted by something that should be a fun side. Do the players perform for the incredible number of fantasy teams or for the teams whose uniforms they actually wear?

Good luck to everyone in their respective fantasy leagues this season. May you suffer no injuries or running back by committees. Good luck to everyone in their drafts. Mine is today.

Mossunderstood

The media never really painted a pretty picture of former receiver Randy Moss. He rarely gave them the time or the attention that they are always feel that they deserve. The media never takes kindly to that. He just didn't want their attention. Moss certainly didn't do himself any favors. The media is going to swarm to a player that is so talented and can be so abrasive. There was always a story with Moss even if the media had to piss him off to get it.

Unfortunately, the media never gravitated to the real Randy Moss. The good Randy Moss. They likely just didn't care. The punk stories sold the papers. Grabbed everyone's attention. A former player was recently talking about a charity golf event. Moss was there and he noticed a very pregnant woman working at a food service station. He told her that she should be resting rather than working. She said that she needed the money. Moss pulled out a large wad of cash and handed it to her. Told her to go home, get some rest. This generous act did not surprise me at all. In his too short career with the Vikings I heard about similar acts regularly. He was always willing to give back, especially to kids, any kid in need. The media never talked about this. Moss never talked about this. Other players talked about it, but mostly the parents of the kids talked about it. Moss never gave to get attention. He gave because he cared.

There were a lot of things that I never could reconcile with Randy Moss. He was this freakishly gifted, ultra-competitive athlete that would take a few plays off. I never could understand how a player that competitive could do that. I still could never put Moss in the group of selfish diva receivers like Terrell Owens because personal glory always came second to team success. It never mattered to Moss if he didn't get the ball if the team won. If the team lost and he didn't get the ball, then Moss could be problem. I always appreciated Moss for his dynamite football skills and his amazing charitable efforts. The former was for all to see. The latter was only for those that needed some help. I often wished that the media would have spent more time on the good Moss. I find that a better story. Painting that bad picture of Moss, poking at the rich selfish receiver, shaking things up grabbed the headlines. Moss could be a bit surly, but too often he was misunderstood.

Throwback Thursday: Coaching Connections

I'm often amazed by the coaching connections that I discover in my football studies. Sometimes I find connections between players at the high school or college levels that are eye-opening. I was stunned to learn that Hall of Famers Bobby Layne and Doak Walker were friends and high school teammates long before  their days together with the Detroit Lions. It's the coaching connections that truly intrigue me. You can often view the evolution of football through these relationships.

People often speak of coaching trees. It seems like the term came about to describe the far reaching influence of Bill Walsh. Long before I was sold on his genius, I felt that Walsh should merely be a branch of the impressive Paul Brown coaching tree. Brown most certainly had an impact on Walsh when they were coaching the Cincinnati Bengals in the late '60s and early 70s. Walsh probably learned a great deal about the administrative aspects of being a head coach from Brown. Skills that would benefit him greatly with the 49ers a decade later. When it comes to offensive football, Brown probably learned more than he taught. Walsh's coaching path is a perfect example of the vast connections in the profession. It was a path that was frustrating for Walsh as that head coaching job seemed quite elusive. I think that the path and the connections ended up making him a better coach. He coached for Marv Levy at Cal in the early '60s. That was a nice first step even though Levy still had a long road ahead of him. Walsh coached for Al Davis with the Oakland Raiders soon after. This relationship had a huge impact on Walsh as it brought the offensive football of Sid Gillman into the wheelhouse of the future Super Bowl coach. Gillman influenced so many football coaches during his career and long after. Through Davis, Bill Walsh became another. Gillman stretched the field more than Walsh ever did, but Gillman's ideas led Walsh to spread the field in the passing game like no other before. Walsh then moved to Stanford for the first of many times. There, he worked with Dick Vermeil, Jim Mora Sr. and Mike White on John Ralston's staff. That's an incredible group of coaches. So to was the New York Giants staff of the '50s. Offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi and defensive coordinator Tom Landry made the job of head coach Jim Lee Howell an easy one. It always amazes me when I see these occupational meetings of football minds. The coaching experiences greatly influence the coach one eventually becomes. The richer those experiences the greater the potential for success.
The coaching fraternity is huge in number but very close. The passing of information, techniques and ideas is often done freely. A few years ago, college coaches, often direct competitors, would flock to West Virginia to learn the spread offense from Rich Rodriguez. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has long had the same open door policy with his offense. There are position coaching clinics everywhere with NFL, college and high school coaches meeting and bouncing ideas. For years, Clark Shaugnessy went everywhere coaching his T formation. He even coached it in two places at once on occasion. In 1940, he was leading Stanford to a Rose Bowl win and #1 ranking and "advising" the Chicago Bears to the NFL title.

Sometimes simple geography brings coaches together and spreads ideas everywhere. In the early '60s, San Diego was the place to be for coaches. Sid Gillman was in the middle of growing his huge coaching tree with the AFL's San Diego Chargers. At the same time, Don Coryell was starting a tree of his own at San Diego State. These two, together and apart, changed football. Gillman sent Al Davis, Chuck Noll, Chuck Knox, Dick Vermeil and George Allen into the football world. Don Coryell influenced Joe Gibbs, John Madden, John Robinson, Ernie Zampese, Norv Turner and Mike Martz.

Sometimes it seems that all coaches have ties to each other. Those ties create the incredible coaching fraternity. There is nothing new in football, only adaptations. Through the connections between coaches, we can view the evolution of the game. We can see Sid Gillman in the innovations that we see from Mike Martz today. Troy Aikman can step into the huddle of the Chargers and call plays for Phillip Rivers. Perhaps the same plays called by John Hadl 50 years ago. It's amazing to see the evolution of the game in this way.