Mike Holmgren’s legacy has been hurt by his job in Cleveland

Mike Holmgren’s Legacy

When he went to Seattle he insisted on being both the GM and head coach.  In 2002 he was relieved of those powers.

On Dec. 20, 2009 prior to Mike Holmgren being named team president, I wrote an article entitled Is Holmgren the answer to the Browns problems?  I started the article this way:

Discussions of the Cleveland football guru position have reminded me of the movie “Joe and the Volcano.” The boss of a very young Tom Hanks is on the phone discussing a potential hire.

“I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?” I have exactly the same question about Mike Holmgren as the “football guru” of the Browns or any other team for that matter.

I went on to outline the draft picks that GM Holmgren made and how in 2002 he was relieved of his GM duties.  While there were indications that Holmgren might be able to do the GM job for the Seahawks, there were more reasons to relieve him of those duties.

His legacy in Cleveland will be based on the decisions he has made here as well as the results or lack of results that … Read more at FryingPanSports

Why has Bill Belichick’s coaching tree as been so barren?

Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England P...
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As I predicted months ago, Bronco Owner Bowlen fired HC Josh McDaniels this week. This is what I said on this site on March 17, 2009:

The key story is that Bowlen blew it when he fired Mike Shanahan and blew it again in hiring the 32 year old McDaniels. McDaniels is not mature enough to be a head coach in the NFL. It was a bad hire and this is only the first screwup for which McD will be responsible.

That was written before the Broncos went 6-0 to start the 09 season. That start was followed by a 2-8 record to end 09 and a 3-9 start to the 2010 schedule.

It was obvious to me that McD was not nearly ready for the head job. But that is only the latest example of the failures of the Belichick disciples. Here is the major list of NFL head coaches that have come from the Belichick system:

Josh McDaniels – Fired after less than 2 years

Eric Mangini Browns (2009-?) – Was so bad at judging talent that he lost his GM control after a year and now is on the hot seat again.

Romeo … Read more at FryingPanSports

Brett Favre is messing with his legacy.

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By Bill Smith

Several sources are reporting that Brett Favre is going to meet with the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff this week. It is a stupid move for Favre because it is the one thing he could do that will damage his reputation. Favre has seen Dr. Andrews and is considering surgery that would enable him to be ready to play in training camp. This is another signal that he is considering a comeback.

If he decides to come back and play, he will have again un-retired. But this time it is different. At the beginning of the 2008 season, it was the Packers and not Favre that decided that his services were no longer required. If he come back to play again, he will have broken his word to his fans and the media. His greatest fans will be hurt but will forgive him. The media will be less forgiving.

When he came back he hurt the Jets and it took a gift by Cleveland to get the team out of the mess that signing Favre created. The Jets had a QB that fit Coach Mangini’s offense perfectly. Chad Pennington was extremely accurate in the short and medium throws … Read more at FryingPanSports

Niblets from around the net for 4/4/09

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Niblets from around the net for 4/4/09

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By Bill Smith

Best comment of the last week: from fantasy basketball on Fantasy Baseball Fans—Beware of the WBC players in your drafts.

Great advice, WBC isn’t at ALL on par with MLB. I was actually having this discussion with a friend of mine last night as we were scoping out each others lineups (different leagues of course). He hadn’t even thought of that so I had to fill him in, I think he owes me a beer or two.

As you have seen, I am never shy about sharing my opinion. However, I think the MLB season will prove me right overall. And yes, I think he does owe you a beer or two. By the way, I do have a Pay-pal account if you wish to donate.

Updates on previous columns:

Kentucky is no longer THE basketball power—GET OVER IT!

John Calipari, the former head coach of Memphis, has accepted the Kentucky job and the 31 million dollars they offered. He said “Kentucky in basketball is like Notre Dame in football.”

My analysis: He is EXACTLY right. The fans and supporters of both of those teams live in their Read more at FryingPanSports

The Browns need to cut ties with Stallworth.

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The Browns need to cut ties with Stallworth.

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By Bill Smith

Donte Stallworth is a problem and it is time that the Browns take a stand and cut the player. On the morning of March 14th in Miami, Stallworth was driving under the influence of alcohol. He hit and killed a pedestrian. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter. Yesterday, he surrendered to the police and was granted bail. While there are a number of questions around this tragedy, there is little doubt that the receiver was driving and was tested by police and found to be well over the legal limit.

The accident happened the day after the Browns honored a $4.875 million roster bonus for Stallworth.

There is usually a reason that a player that has some skills like Stallworth ends up playing for 4 teams in 4 years. Stallworth has never been known as a great locker room guy. However, it would not matter if he was the best WR in the NFL, he has to go.

The NFL is now holding franchises responsible for the bad acts of their players. The Commissioner is cracking down on player’s that fail to respect the … Read more at FryingPanSports

Before you fire your head coach…

By Bill Smith

There are a lot more open coaching positions in the NFL than there are qualified candidates. On average, about 8 of the 32 coaches are fired every year. Last year only 6 got the ax so you can look for a few more before too long.

NFL stands for “Not For Long” as far as coaches and players are concerned. “Mangenious” last year turned into one of the dismissed coaches this year after the Jets jettisoned Eric Mangini and his staff. Team management totally ignored the fact that the problem this year was the QB Bret Favre and that was a move that Mangini did not support. He also did not support the release of QB Chad Pennington. Farve did not at all fit the Mangini system which was ball control/low turnovers. Pennington doesn’t have the arm to throw deep but that is not part of the Mangini offense. If management had done the right thing, it would have fired itself. Don’t hold your breath for that.

Management faces a huge problem when the expectations far exceed the results. Just before the fans form a mob and storm the castle with burning torches, the management decides to … Read more at FryingPanSports