1
Dec
2011
Behold, the NFL Coaches Soundboard
From Complex.com comes this tremendous NFL Coaches Soundboard, featuring some of the more memorable quotes in league history from some of its finest coaches.
In addition to the more well-known classics, we get surly sound bytes from living legends like Bill Belichick (“Stats are for losers….final scores are for winners.”), Bill Parcells (“So consider yourself sucked”) and Mike Ditka (“We’re not going to be the hittees, we’re going to be the hitters.”). Plus, we also get lesser-known gems from John McKay (“Well we didn’t block … but we made up for it by not tackling.”), Jerry Burns (“We had a f#cking trap play called, and his f#cking shoe comes off.”) and Bill Callahan (“We have got to be the dumbest team in America”). And a lot more.
So click the image below to check out the soundboard, and enjoy prank calling your friends as John Gruden, Mike Singletary and Rex Ryan stuck in an elevator. That’s just good times.
26
Oct
2011
Rex Ryan Rocked the Mullet Back in 1994 (PIC)
From our friends at the SI Vault comes this image of Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan from back in 1994. At the time, Ryan was a defensive assistant with the Arizona Cardinals under his father Buddy, which was also his first NFL coaching gig.
And as this image shows, in addition to sporting a moustache and being a few pounds lighter than he is today, back then Rex also favored the Kenny Powers-esque mullet as his hairstyle of choice:
(Photo: Twitter.com)
Aeneas Williams approves.
16
Oct
2011
Jim Harbaugh celebration sparks confrontation with Jim Schwartz (VIDEO)
Jim vs Jim (Photo via Imgur.com)
Today’s marquee matchup (that nobody saw coming) saw the 49ers edge out Detroit 29-24 and hand the Lions their first loss of the season, moving both teams to 5-1. Following the game, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was understandably excited, but his enthusiasm rubbed Jim Schwartz the wrong way, leading to a confrontation between the two coaches and both teams as they headed toward the tunnel.
As the clock hit zero, Harbaugh jumped and celebrated across the field en route to the traditional post-game coaches handshake. The first-year Niners coach bounded toward Schwartz, grabbing his hand and delivering a hearty smack to the back of the Lions coach before continuing his celebration and running toward the locker room. Schwartz took exception to Harbaugh’s over-exuberance and chased him down, delivering a shoulder blow and saying something in Harbaugh’s ear before 49ers players and personell got between the two (Harbaugh can be seen simply saying “Get out of my face”). More players then rushed to their coaches’ defense, nearly igniting a much-larger brawl between both teams that never really escalated.
WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE SKIRMISH AFTER THE JUMP
10
Oct
2011
Watch Hue Jackson’s emotional locker room speech to the Raiders (VIDEO)
(Photo via blacksportsonline.com)
Yesterday, the Oakland Raiders took the field against Houston just one day after the death of their longtime owner, Al Davis. And after his club pulled out a 25-20 victory on a final-play endzone interception by Michael Huff, head coach Hue Jackson fell to his knees and wept, overcome by the emotion of the day. But when he addressed his team in the locker room afterwards, it was even more clear how much Davis meant to Jackson, his team, and the entire Raiders organization.
We’ve certainly had our share of fun at Davis’ expense in recent years, but you can’t deny the impact the man had on the game of football, and people who played and coached under him.
WATCH JACKSON’S POSTGAME SPEECH AFTER THE JUMP
13
Jan
2011
Gary Kubiak infographic will make you wonder how he still has a job (PIC)
With all the NFL coaching changes taking place this month, the retention of HC Gary Kubiak by the Texans seems to have flown under the radar a bit. The January 3rd announcement means that Kubiak will be coming back for his sixth season in Houston, after finishing 6-10 in 2010. And it’s a move that has left plenty of people scratching their heads as to why owner Bob McNair keep giving this guy another chance at the helm.
Let’s face it, the Texans haven’t improved even one bit during Kubiak’s tenure. For all the talent they have, Kubiak has only led his club to ONE winning season and ZERO playoff appearances. Having consistently been the fashionable pick as the next NFL franchise to break through to the upper-echelon of teams, Kubiak’s Texans always seem to fall short of expectations. But don’t take it from us. As usual, the interweb went WAY further than we ever could have imagined in breaking down Kubiak’s ineptitude while in Houston.
So sit back, relax and enjoy this handy dandy infographic here (unless you’re a Texans fan, that is), which shows just how miserable the Kubiak era has been thus far (click image to enlarge):
(Image via Reddit/r/nfl
2
Jan
2011
Eric Mangini deserves a third season in C-Town
Feel like starting over again? Me neither. (Source: gridironfans.com)
In a season where four NFL head coaches have been fired heading into Week 17, it doesn’t look good for Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini.
There was a sense midseason that the tenuous connection between president Mike Holmgren and Mangini could work — and should be forced to work — after the Browns consecutively dismantled the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, only to lose to the hyped-up New York Jets by a hair.
All the talk about Holmgren’s coaching roots not jiving with the Belichick/Parcells tree seemed half-baked, as the team was suddenly worth three hours of your Sunday. For a shimmering moment, the Browns were the team nobody wanted to face.
Problem is, down the stretch, the same Browns team that had played far beyond expectation during a brutal stretch in the schedule — led by galvanizing rookie quarterback Colt McCoy — dissembled against soft opponents when McCoy became the third starting passer this season to suffer a high ankle sprain. Jake Delhomme took over, the offensive line took some hits, and the attack never recovered.
Had the Browns stayed relatively healthy after the Patriots win, and polished off the few teams they were favored against, Holmgren would have nothing to point to in firing Mangini. This is a coaching staff that’s enthused large segments of the Browns’ faithful — downtrodden fans who’ve watched this team closely since its return in 1999, and finally see signs of progress.
Read the rest of this entry »
26
Dec
2010
Can’t win with ‘em. Mike Singletary fired as head coach of 49ers!
(AP Photo via SFGate.com)
Hours after being eliminated from playoff contention today by the Rams, the San Francisco 49ers have announced that they have fired head coach Mike Singletary. After going 8-8 last year in Singletary’s first full season as coach, the 49ers were the fashionable pre-season pick to win the NFC West. But they started the season 0-5 and never really recovered. And at 5-10, the only reason they weren’t eliminated sooner is because of their awful division. Defensive Line coach Jim Tomsula will step in as interim head coach for the final game of the season, and Jon Gruden & Stanford Head Coach Jim Harbaugh are the early hot candidates for the full-time gig. The Niners will also reportedly be on the hunt for a new GM, so sweeping change is on the horizon in San Francisco.
In his 2-1/2 seasons at the helm of the 49ers, Singletary’s abrasive and unorthodox coaching style found him frequently clashing with his young players … often publicly. And while he made for plenty of great sound bytes, Samurai Mike’s constant demands never translated into consistent wins, and he finishes with an 18-22 records in San Francisco.
So then it seems fitting that Singletary leaves us with one final sideline blowup from today’s Rams game – this time with QB Troy Smith:
This little incident probably hastened 49ers team president Jed York’s decision to fire Singletary, but they really should have let him finish the season out. That would have been the classy thing to do here.
It’s too bad, really. Singletary was an amazing player in his day, he obviously has an incredibly high football IQ, and his passion for the game is unmatched … unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily translate to ability to teach and motivate 53 different young men. But who knows? If he uses this as a learning experience and softens a little around the edges, he could grow into a better coach some day. Or not. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be head coaches, and Singletary may just be better suited to be a coordinator or position coach.
Lastly, we’ll leave you with Singletary’s all-time classic press conference from 2008, after sending TE Vernon Davis to the locker room in the middle of a game … ”Can not play with ‘em. Can not win with ‘em. Can not coach with ‘em. Can’t do it.”
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
6
Dec
2010
Josh McDaniels Fired by Denver Broncos!
(Photo: The Denver Post)
The Denver Broncos have just announced the they have fired Head Coach Josh McDaniels. Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Via the Broncos’ Twitter account:
Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen has relieved Josh McDaniels of his head coaching duties. Details to follow on DenverBroncos.com.
Wow. Just wow. More than anything, the timing of this announcement is the biggest surprise here. Although it comes less than two full seasons after McDaniels took the reigns in Denver, the brash 34-year-old coach seemingly had a cloud of controversy following him since his arrival.
From the very start, McDaniels clashed with talented players like Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Peyton Hillis, and most recently, the Broncos were fined for videotaping a 49ers walkthrough practice earlier this year. After starting off the 2008 season 6-0, McDaniels has gone 5-17 since then (including losing 7 of his last 8 games) to finish his career in Denver with a final record of 11-17. On Sunday, Denver fell to 3-9 on the season after losing to division rival Kansas City Chiefs, and the “Fire McDaniels” chants grew louder in the Mile High City.
Well Broncos fans, you got your wish!
But it seems that Spygate II was the final straw for Bowlen, who above all else, values his franchise’s integrity and reputation as a class organization. And with McDaniels at the helm, it was starting to become increasingly difficult for the Broncos to maintain that image.
29
Nov
2010
Josh McDaniels Will Live to Fight Another Season
McDaniels doing his best Elway grin. (Photo: www.broncostalk.net)
Reports out of Denver are that Josh McDaniels will return next year to coach the Broncos. Although the franchise has been in serious damage control of late with Spygate II and the team’s lousy performance on the field, retaining him is not as big a surprise as people may think. Uncertainty over the league’s collective bargaining agreement has a lot of franchises hesitant to pay a new coach to sit around and do nothing (while paying an old coach to sit around and do nothing).
I also think the Broncos don’t want this to be the next Mike Shanahan (Raiders—>Broncos) or Bill Belichick (Browns—>Patriots) situation. Where McDaniels needs help is in the personnel department. The Broncos have made some wildly bad trades (see Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn), run some serious talent out of town (see Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall), and wildly over-thought draft day decisions (see trading up for Tim Tebow, drafting Knowshon Mereno, this list could go on).
While McDaniels isn’t soley responsible for these moves (they do have a GM, Brian Xanders), a lot of their personnel moves clearly have McDaniels’ name all over them. McDaniels has made a ton of mistakes, but my guess is that the Broncos also think he has learned from them and will look to build on what he has learned rather than starting over all over again. The timing of it also telling: saying he will return next year in the face of SpygateII and an increasingly hostile fan base shows that a lot of people (or, at least, people that matter) within the Broncos’ organization must still believe in McDaniels.
22
Nov
2010
Brad Childress gets the axe in Minnesota
Chilly is feeling pretty dejected this morning (Photo via RealClearSports)
In a move that should surprise absolutely no one (we called it in our mid-season awards), the Minnesota Vikings fired Brad Childress on Monday and promoted Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier to interim head coach.
Reports out of Minnesota suggested that Childress had lost the Vikings locker room weeks ago, and that he had angered owner Zygi Wilf when he cut Randy Moss against his wishes, and without consulting anyone. The “Fire Chilly” movement had grown louder and louder in recent days, and following the Vikings 31-3 loss to the division rival Packers yesterday (which brought their record to 3-7 on the year), Wilf apparently had seen enough.
You can read all about this move at NFL.com, but we’re pretty sure Frazier is going to be an improvement over Childress, and could bring some much-needed leadership and stability to the organization. And now Chilly can go back to his dental practice, or whatever he was doing before he got into football.
