SportsBlahg

5-7-1? Plus 1-3 in the Best Bets, proving that taking your show on the road isn’t necessarily a good thing. In my defense, who saw six Peyton Manning INT’s coming?

For the prosecution, eventually not being able to pass was going to do in the Titans. I should know that. If they ever outlawed the forward pass, the Titans would very formidable. But we also don’t have leather helmets, so they better figure out a way to get get the ball in the air.

If I could sidetrack a bit to college football this week, there was an interesting article on si.com by Stewart Mandel discussing Notre Dame’s utter stinkage under Charlie Weis as part of a larger trend. Before he coached the Pillow Fighting Irish, he made his name as an innovative NFL coordinator. Mandel outlined the reasons that NFL coaches aren’t always the best thing for college programs, and a lot of it has to do with coaching in the NFL. Weis isn’t the only NFL coach struggling in the college ranks: Former Al Davis puppet, er, Raider coach, Bill Callahan is a dead man walking at Nebraska. Karl Dorrell, a Broncos wide reciever coach prior to taking over at UCLA, has been inconsistent at best. Former Cowboys coach Chan Gailey has somehow managed to find the hot seat at Georgia Tech, a school that doesn’t even have one if you win seven games every year (but you gotta beat UGA once in a while! full disclosure: I am an alumnus).

The article’s major point was that while pro coaches may have a “decided schematic advantage” over their strictly college counterparts, none of it matters if the kids have no idea how to actually play. NFL coaches can focus on schemes and plays, if the players have made it this far, they know what they’re doing. College kids still have to be taught how to run proper routes and other such fundamentals. The article also noted that the ability to inspire and motivate was far more important in college. NFL coaches tend to be more stoic and robotic, they’re all about the game.

Pete Carroll, the exception that proves the rule, is all about motivation and having fun, concepts that are sneered it in the NFL. It’s an interesting theory, and I wonder how coaches who were able to succeed on both the college and pro levels avoided these pitfalls. To be sure, there aren’t many, Jimmy Johnson and Bobby Ross are two recent ones that come to mind. (Barry Switzer did too, but his NFL strategy was “get handed the Team of the Decade”.) Maybe exposure to both is the key.

As for Weis, I was able to see some of Mandel’s points up close and personal. Thanks to some connections, we were able to get seats right on the ND sideline for last Saturday’s debacle versus Air Force. And the two things I noticed were: 1. How the same mistakes were being made over and over again, and it seemed like Weis was not connecting with and reaching his players from a teaching standpoint. 2. The lack of emotion on the sideline. These were college guys, but they looked stoic and emotionless. Sure, falling behind very quickly didn’t help, but even when they rallied, their emotional makeup didn’t really change.

Sure, Weis will probably turn it around now that he’s seen what it takes to reach college players. And yes, I think Pete Carroll would be a fool to try and return to the NFL, unless he gets the San Diego job, because they still have about as much talent as anyone in the league. But it’s safe to say that maybe assuming NFL coaches have the edge in the college ranks may be about as silly as hiring college coaches in the NFL. I’m looking at you, Bobby Petrino.

Okay, on to the picks. All lines courtesy of World Sports Exchange.

JAGUARS (-3) over Chargers: Philip Rivers stinks, y’all. I thought Norv Turner was supposed to be a QB guru!

Chiefs (+14.5) over COLTS: What? yeah, that’s right. With only Reggie Wayne out there, and Dwight Freeney injured, the door has opened for someone else to get beat by the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

Raiders (+5)  over VIKINGS: Just a feeling. Probably a wrong one.

RAVENS (+2.5) over Browns: Even though I think the Ravens are shot, I have to believe they’ll have just enough pride to somehow pull one out at home over the Browns.

Jets (+9.5) over STEELERS: Only because the Jets insist on losing in heartbreaking fashion. And now it’s time for the Mike Tomlin…oh, I’m stopping. That’s right, I’m stopping the weekly Mike Tomlin Kinda Looks Like Omar Epps Joke. Why? First, I’ve already recycled a House joke. Next, I’m pretty much stuck with “movies that you only see on BET at 3 am” at this point. Finally, it’s time to write about some other things about Mike Tomlin, who has turned out to be a very good coach so far for the Steelers. It’s going way better than when he was an undercover cop.

FALCONS (-3) over Buccaneers: All jokes aside, Petrino’s boys have turned it around a little, even with Joey Harrington at quarterback.

Cardinals (+3) over BENGALS: Not going to lie. Got nothing here. It’s getting to that part of the NFL season.

EAGLES (-10) over Dolphins: John Beck gets the start. Too bad a desperate Eagles team can’t wait to see him.

Patriots (-16.5) over BILLS: Well, a nice blowout at the hands of the Patriots will be better emotionally that the Bills’ last appearance on prime-time television.

Redskins (+10.5) over COWBOYS: Joe Gibbs, at some point, if he really wants to get the Redskins to the next level, is going to have to trust Jason Campbell and turn him loose.

Saints (+1) over TEXANS: I will treat last week’s Rams beatdown as a hiccup.

PACKERS (-9.5) over Panthers: What is going on with Carolina? Other than their crap-ass quartback play, but the defense has not exactly lived up to its reputation either. Where’s Julius Peppers?

LIONS (+3) over Giants: Wait, wait, wait, wait. The Lions are now getting points at home? It was one bad week, people!

Rams (-3) over 49ERS: Trent Dilfer is back! Honestly, that’s like saying your hemmorhoids are back.

SEAHAWKS (-6) over Bears: How do you spell redemption? R-E-X. Okay, not really. But having been in Chicago last weekend, that totally would have been the headline if I had worked at the Chicago Sun-Times. Of course, at some point I probably would have slapped Jay Mariotti and long been fired.

Titans (+2.5) over BRONCOS: I’m beginning to doubt Vince Young. That’s always when he gets me.

Best Bets: Rams, Lions, Patriots

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 9:06 pm and is filed under Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.