New Chiefs coach took unconventional route
The walleye hadn't been biting for hours by the time the Haleys and the Russos sat down for dinner.
They came to Chautauqua Lake in New York for long weekends each May, the men casting their lines into the water until the fish grew bored of the bait. It was the early 2000s, a couple of years after Haley had decided he wanted to be a football coach. May was the time that NFL coaches, grunts and decision-makers -- Haley was a grunt -- could get away for a few days without the phone ringing.
On this night, Todd Haley excused himself, and his wife, Chrissy, remained at the table with their friends. Haley and George Russo had known each other since high school. Russo believed in Haley when he wanted to be a street hockey player, a pro golfer, a golf coach and an NFL scout. And now Haley felt like being a coach, and that was fine with Russo. He'd support his friend if he wanted to clone oxen.
But this was a tough one to accept.
"Chrissy said that night, 'I have no doubt he'll be a head coach someday,' " Russo says now. "We just kind of laughed.
"He was just trying to discover himself," Russo says. "But it was a little later than most of us. Reality was pretty far off."
***
Haley was in the gymnasium at Upper St. Clair High School near Pittsburgh, sizzling passes with the same three-quarter delivery as Dan Marino.
"I do a mean Marino," he says now.
Boy, the young Haley looked like a quarterback, too: a 6-foot-2 prototype who'd watched the legends and wanted to become one himself. Haley's father, Dick, was a legendary scout for the Steelers, and he helped discover the players who'd win four Super Bowls in the 1970s.
Dick Haley brought home game film, and he and his son watched it together.
"He always had those tapes running," Russo says of his friend's father.
Todd went with his dad to scout players, and competition didn't end when Dick clocked out. Todd says now his father never stopped coaching him, leaning out their home's windows to shout instructions while Todd played pickup basketball in the driveway, or giving him notes after baseball games to point out things Todd could have done better.
Todd was a football player with a polished mind and a gifted body. Upper St. Clair High coach Jim Render saw Haley throwing those passes, the form, the footwork. Then again...
"He looked like a tight end to me," Render says now.
Render approached the kid and asked him to try out. Haley declined, and Render was stunned. Haley said he had no desire to play football. He'd absorbed enough of it during his childhood, and the last thing Haley wanted to do was bury himself in that infernal game again.
Four years came and went, and Haley never suited up for the Panthers.
"I like to blame my father," Haley says, a dry joke delivered without a smile.
Haley could break 70 in golf, Russo says, and he seemed to possess passion for the game's details, the techniques and tricks that helped himself and others improve. Haley played on the University of Florida golf team with Chris DiMarco, the three-time PGA major championship runner-up, and Haley said their skills were close in those days.
But DiMarco kept improving, and Haley's game crested. He played on mini-tours but settled into a job working maintenance at a golf course, and he made a living teaching lessons.
Then he realized there was something missing in his life. He was 25 when he realized that, a decade after leaving football behind, he'd forgotten how much he'd once loved the game. He wanted to find a way into his father's business. He knew that wouldn't come easy.
"I was at one of those crossroads in life," he says.
***
Haley was making good money at the driving range, and he took a pay cut to work in the New York Jets' scouting department. He'd observe prospects and drive executives to the airport -- whatever was asked of him.
"Subservient stuff," says another personnel man on that staff, Scott Pioli, who is now Kansas City's general manager.
Haley had returned to football, but his father's shadow still gave him the chills. Dick Haley was nearing retirement, but Todd was still his father's son, a kid trying to make it on his own in the same game, in the same field, that his dad had defined decades earlier.
"He had to work harder -- more and longer hours to show people," Pioli says, "and prove to people that he's going to stick around in this league."
Haley gathered his nerve one day and walked into Bill Parcells' office, telling the legendary coach that he wanted a spot on Parcells' staff. His coaching staff.
Parcells told the youngster he was crazy, pointing toward a personnel job that Parcells had been eyeing him for. It was a good job, Parcells pointed out, and he wouldn't have to slice his salary in half as he would as a bottom-rung assistant.
Haley wasn't convinced.
"I want to coach," Haley told Parcells.
"Well," Parcells said, "this is what I can pay you."
***
Todd Haley sits at a table between Pioli and Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, his two new bosses, and he's trying to look serious and proper in his dark suit and red necktie.
He's fighting the exhaustion of the previous 24 hours, the previous seven days, the previous 13 years -- the unusual path he traveled to the top of an NFL franchise, without bothering to pause for a breather.
Haley admits this wasn't a goal when he began coaching less than a decade ago. It wasn't realistic enough to qualify. Then again, neither was the path he took: studying under Parcells, working two assistant jobs and serving two seasons as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator, leading Arizona to last Sunday's Super Bowl.
Now here he sits, waiting his turn between two powerful men, hoping to prove once again that he can accomplish things his way, untraditional as his way has been.
Haley hasn't followed the path of his father, or anyone really, and it has pulled him where few thought was possible -- one hard road behind him but another lying ahead.
"He was in a position that he could've taken advantage of," Pioli says of Haley's option to use his father's influence, "and he didn't. He worked."
Pioli introduces the Chiefs' new coach and steps away from the lectern. It's Haley's turn. He'll have a chance to do it his way. And this time he didn't even have to take a pay cut. He signed a four-year contract worth $12 million.
"Football's nothing I ever really got away from," Haley will say. "There were some sacrifices that I had to make. And some big decisions, some livelihood decisions. It could have gone the other way.
"I think this was just always in me."
kansas.com
QB's competitiveness stands out to Harken
CEDAR FALLS --- Someday, Matt Harken believes he will be able to say he played with an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
The year was 1993. Harken was a sophomore tight end from Shell Rock. Kurt Warner was a senior quarterback from Cedar Rapids. After two years on the scout team and as backups, both players were eager for their opportunity.
Warner finally got his chance after three-year starter Jay Johnson graduated. Harken jumped up the depth chart when returning tight end Mike Anderson suffered a broken leg.
They stepped into an offensive unit that was loaded. It featured all-Gateway Conference standout Tim Mosley, freshman phenom Dedric Ward and sure-handed Anthony Taylor and Jacob Kothe, along with standout tailback Jeff Stovall.
Nonetheless, Harken and Warner developed a connection. They hooked up 24 times for 308 yards and a TD during a season that ended with a frustrating, double-overtime playoff loss at Boston University.
"Kurt threw me the ball a lot of times, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever," recalls Harken, who now serves as the program's director of football operations.
Both earned first-team, all-conference accolades after the 1993 regular season.
"I just think of how competitive he was, and how you knew when he got his opportunity he would make the most of it," notes Harken. "He did that here, obviously, and again in St. Louis, and he hung around Arizona long enough for the same thing to happen there.
"You don't hear him say a lot of bad things about people, but when he gets his chance he makes the most of it. When we were playing here, he still practiced hard. He still worked hard. He could have gone in the tank and said to heck with it. He could have transferred.
"He stuck with it."
Terry Allen, who was Warner's head coach at UNI, also admires Warner's determination.
"Kurt has persevered with everything he's done," said Allen, now the head football coach at Missouri State. "When he was with us, he had to be behind Jay Johnson, who won 30-some games with us, but he hung in there and got that chance to play.
"Fighting his way through being third-team with the Rams ... he represents perseverence."
Harken also remembers Warner's competitive nature.
"He was one of the most competitive guys I ever played with, whether it was pick-up basketball, football or playing in the Gus Macker tournament with a couple of random guys. Whenever you'd see him doing anything, when it was go-time, it was go-time.
"In the huddle, he was confident ... extremely confident in his own ability and that we were gonna make plays and win ballgames. He didn't get rattled."
Given Warner's fame and fortune since he led the St. Louis Rams to a championship in Super Bowl XXXIV with an MVP performance, not many of his old friends have been able to stay in touch.
"Our time will come when he's done and just hanging out," said Harken. "He'll have to see me for a sideline pass to a Panther game."
In the meantime, Harken marvels at Warner's longevity.
"My body hurts bad enough just getting out of bed after shooting hoops with the kids," he said. "I don't know how he's still running around getting beat up in the NFL. He did get kind of a late start, so maybe that helps."
And ultimately, Harken hopes Warner is recognized as one of the best who ever played.
"After the season he's had this year, I'd like to hear the argument against him," he stated. "The length of his career, Super Bowl MVP, league MVP ... When they start giving out all the stats where only three guys did this or that, it's guys like Joe Montana, John Elway and Kurt Warner."
(c) 2008, Courier Communications, Waterloo, IA
Underdog Cardinals Near 50-1 Win as Risky Bets Rise
Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The Arizona Cardinals already quadrupled some bettors' money by winning their first National Football League playoff games as underdogs. Now that they're on the verge of a 50-1 Super Bowl payoff, recession-hit gamblers may be poised to collect.
Sports bettors, reacting to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, wagered more heavily this year on Super Bowl success for big underdogs such as the Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers' foe in the NFL's championship game, said Richard Gardner, who manages a sports book for gambling. He said bettors also cut the size of their wagers by 10-15 percent.
"That's just trying to hit the home run to try to help through this economic downturn, kind of buying a lottery ticket on sports," Gardner said in a telephone interview. "People are just taking the extra-long shot."
The strategy might pay off Feb. 1, when the teams meet in Tampa, Florida. Arizona (12-7) is a 7-point underdog to the Steelers (14-4), according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which advises Nevada sports books on gambling lines. It's a familiar role for the National Football Conference champions, who were underdogs in each of their playoff wins over the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles. A $100 bet on the Cardinals against the point spread in each of those games would have yielded a total profit of $300. The original $100 investment would now be $400.
Steelers Odds
The Steelers had 4-1 odds to win the title as the postseason began, second behind the New York Giants at 7-2. Arizona's 50-1 odds, the second-longest behind 60-1 for the Miami Dolphins, mean that a gambler would win $5,000 with a successful $100 bet on the Cardinals. Arizona isn't the only long shot to make a championship round: The Tampa Bay Rays, who lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies, started the 2008 baseball season as a 75-1 bet.
The current inclination to favor long shots is the same one that keeps lottery gambling going strong in rough economic times, according to Jeffrey Beck, a certified compulsive gambling counselor.
"In a tight economy, 'a dollar and a dream' seems to run pretty true for people," Beck, a managerial assistant at the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, said in a telephone interview, adding that lottery revenue is up a bit in the state. "Even in tough times, it's a minimal investment with a maximum return."
Steelers Hedge
Jay Rood, the race and sports book director at MGM Mirage, said he also saw an increase in riskier bets during this NFL season as gamblers played more parlays, tying an original wager and its winnings to another bet or bets in hopes of a big payoff if all of the wagers are successful.
"Instead of betting exclusively straight bets, there have been some guys mixing in parlays to get a little bigger bang for their dollar," Rood said in a telephone interview from Las Vegas.
Gardner, whose sports book, like those in Nevada, doesn't disclose the amounts of individual bets, said he expects to see many gamblers hedging Cardinals bets with new wagers on the Steelers, putting themselves in a win-win position. He also said the handle, or amount wagered, will be in line with past Super Bowls. People in the U.S. are banned by law from betting on Gardner's Antigua-based Web site.
Nevada's sports books took in $92.1 million in Super Bowl wagers last season, when the Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14 as 12-point underdogs. It was the fourth straight year that the amount wagered on the game exceeded $90 million in the only U.S. state where sports betting is legal.
The Steelers' 2006 championship win over the Seattle Seahawks drew a record $94.5 million, an indication of the five- time champion's popularity.
"If the Cowboys hadn't coined the phrase America's Team, the Steelers would be right there," said Rood. "They're immensely popular. I would imagine that our handle, just because the Steelers are in there, is going to be pretty good."
RJ Bell, president of Pregame.com, a Las Vegas-based handicapping-information Web site, said he expects no more than a 5 percent drop from the 2006 Super Bowl gambling record when Pittsburgh takes the Raymond James Stadium field as the fans' Goliath.
'Pure Offense'
"Pittsburgh may be the most popular team in the NFL, and Arizona, while not popular, plays the role of David," Bell said in a telephone interview. "You've got pure offense versus pure defense, favorite versus underdog, so there's some compelling stories here."
Pittsburgh had the NFL's stingiest defense this season, allowing 223 points, while Arizona's offense, with 427 points, tied for third among the league's 32 teams. The Cardinals' defense ranked 28th (426 points), and the Steelers' offense was 20th (347 points).
"There've been times that the Super Bowl feels like 'Ugh,' " Bell said. "This game doesn't have that feeling for me because we've watched this Arizona team emerge as the underdog on TV right in front of our eyes."
Upset Stomachs
Whether the Cardinals can upset the Steelers remains to be seen. They might just give bookmakers upset stomachs.
Sports books try to take an equal amount on both sides of a game by moving the betting line as needed. Profit comes from fees, which vary depending on the type of bet.
"We'll try to balance the action and hopefully take some more Steeler money," Gardner said. "By game time, we hope to have the same amount of money on both sides, but it never works that way. Arizona's gotten a lot of love, but not necessarily from us bookmakers."
(c)2009 BLOOMBERG L.P.
Arizona Cardinals Reach the Super Bowl for the First Time in the Team's History
There is no questioning the talent on the Arizona Cardinals, with quite possibly the best receiving core of all-time with Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald on either side of quarterback Kurt Warner. But in the begining of the season, in week one, the Cardinals seemed to be a mess with a quarterback controversy brewing to a boiling point.
Some people say that Matt Leinart was the best quarterback college football history while playing for Pete Carroll at USC. With a Heisman trophy and a couple BCS championships on his resume it would be hard to argue that he isn't, but being a great quarterback in college doesn't always mean that they will be a great quarterback on the next level in the NFL.
When Leinart came into the NFL he had all the offensive weapons in Arizona to continue being the elite quarterback he was at USC. With both Fitzgerald and Boldin to throw to and Edgerrin James out of the backfield, Leinart was poised for success. But that didn't exactly happen as planned and he struggled to adjust to the pro game.
Once a second unsuccessful season went by and the start to a third bad season came along the Cardinals turned to a proven winner in two time MVP and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner to be their starting quarterback.
Some thought that Warner was over the hill and for good reason, but not long after Warner took over as starting quarterback for Arizona, the Cardinals started to look like a serious threat in the NFC.
As the season progressed with everyone anticipating Warner breaking down or showing signs of his age at some point during the season he did just the opposite and proved all his doubters wrong by leading his underdog Cardinals to the Super Bowl for the first time in the team's history.
Throughout the playoffs the Cardinals haven't been favored in any match up they have been in. First it was the young and talented Atlanta Falcons who had a solid running game and were lead by a rookie quarterback who made few mistakes, but once the two got on the field the Cardinals showed how young the Falcons really were and advanced onto the next round to face the NFC powerhouse Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers seemed to be on their way to Super Bowl as they had established a great one-two punch in their running game and had arguably the best wide receiver threat in the playoffs with Steve Smith, but once again, when they took the field the Panthers weren't even a challenge for the veteran Cardinals and they advanced to the NFC Championship game against Donovan McNabb's Philadelphia Eagles.
Coming into this match up the Eagles were arguably the hottest team in the NFL filled with nothing but confidence on both sides of the football after destroying both NFC East rivals Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants to get to the NFC Championship game.
Although this game was pretty much in the books in the third quarter after Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald connected for three touchdowns, McNabb lead his Eagles from behind to take the lead in classic Eagles fashion. After the Eagles took the lead the Cardinals kicked it into another gear and dominated the Philly with suffocating defense and a flawless offense to regain the lead and eventually win their first NFC Championship.
The Cardinals did come into the playoffs as the biggest underdog to reach the Super Bowl, but after the first round win they never looked back will face their biggest challenge yet against a very talented defense in the biggest game of their lives in Super Bowl XLIII.
(c)2009 Associated Content, Inc
Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers: Edgar Allan Poe's Playoff
Next Monday, old Edgar Allan Poe turns 200.
Next Sunday his namesakes, the Baltimore Ravens, play the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with an overtime or three, the game might just end at the stroke of midnight.
So if ye feel spirits swirling where three rivers meet, or if ye feel the Steelers are making a descent into a defensive maelstrom, perhaps play a penny or three on Poe's people.
Not that Baltimore was very lucky for Poe; after all, he did die there after being found in a delirium. But then nothing was ever very lucky for Poe. Burdened with debt, addiction, illness, and dying loves, he danced his entire tortured life along the edges of early death.
And now he has a giant Raven bird running onto the field to celebrate his 200th birthday. Perhaps Poe would just chuckle at that and order another double whiskey with a laudanum chaser, and tell you to never bet the devil your head.
Will the Ravens preside over the fall of the house of Rooney circa 2009 or will that be left to the Rooney estate lawyers?
Will Ed Reed be Ben Roethlisberger's personal imp of the perverse? Will a black cat cross Big Ben's path?
Raven Linebacker Ray Lewis's career has certainly had a touch of the Gothic. After his tell tale heart trials, does he think everything he see's or seems is but a dream within a dream? When he plays his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that's been dreaming, but he loudly proclaims he is God's chose son.
Poe was the Father of American Gothic. He'd appreciate Ray in a Gothic way.
Both teams seek the football Eldorado of the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay and, now that the favorites have fallen into premature playoff burials, the three football playing birds are left to battle the men of Steel.
Tennessee Titan Coach Jeff Fisher must feel like he is in the Pit and Pendulum with all the errors his team made to give the Ravens their day in Pittsburgh.
Perhaps on Poe's birthday the Ravens will roar - or at least cackle - victoriously. Perhaps the black birds will put Pitt into the pit under the pendulum.
Or perhaps Pittsburgh will be the Poe birds haunted palace. Twice the Ravens have been tap, tap, tapping, nearly rapping, on victory's door, and the Steelers sent the craven, ghastly, grim Ravens away croaking Nevermore!
Or will the Ravens defense croak Nevermore to the hopes of Steeler Super Bowl shores?
Will the Baltimore defense take them back to Super Bowl shores? Will Mike Tomlin wonder What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore meant in croaking "Nevermore."
And if the Arizona Cardinals defense exposes Donovan McNabb as a Prince Prospero, it would only be fitting to call the Cardinal defense the Masque of the Red Death.
The Red Death against the Ravens? Poe would be proud.
That Baltimore mascot though - the big, black, goofy Raven bird - seems nothing like a grim, ungainly, gaunt, croaking bird of yore.
When Poe wrote the Raven he never dreamed of a Baltimore football team. Born in Boston raised in Richmond, Virginia he might of been a New England Patriot or Washington Redskin fan.
But he would have appreciated the marketing.
And maybe wrote a tale about the removal of the inept ghost of Brian Billick from the play calling of the Baltimore offensive machine.
So Happy 200th Birthday, Mister Poe.
RIP.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
The 2009 Cleveland Browns Pharmacy
I'll start out with a list of figurative and literal ailments contracted by the Cleveland Browns in 2008.
1. Staph - This is not to be confused with the 2008 staff of the Browns front office, but was just as damaging to the team's play on the field. It kept our veteran leader Joe-Joe off the field this year.
2. Undisclosed Illnesses - Kellen Winslow contracted one of these midway through the season and it was compounded by a revisit of the dreaded staph infection. Or was it the other staff? They bungled that situation up even more also.
3. Ankle, Knee, Foot, and other Leg injuries - Daven Holly - down. Antwan Peek - down. Robaire Smith - down. Corey Williams - Slowed. Beau Bell - down. Derek Anderson - down. Braylon Edwards - slowed. Donte Stallworth - Slowed. Kellen Winslow - down. Ryan Tucker - down. Martin Rucker - slowed. Do I need to keep going?
4. Butterfingers - This is a rare, but very contagious disorder. It usually is brought on by a large amount of pressure and little leadership to guide oneself through it. Braylon Edwards to have caught the worse case of it, but he wasn't the only one on the team to suffer its symptoms this season.
5. Offensive Ineptitude - This is a disease caused by turning to third and fourth string quarterbacks and its main symptom is the inability to score in any way other than field goals.
6. Lack of Leadership - This is a particularly difficult disease to diagnose before it's already done it's damage. The Browns have suffered from it for a long time now, but it had been in hiding before this year. It finally reared its ugly head when Romeo consistently made poor game day decisions and Savage contradicted his own preaching of professional attitude by not taking control of the Kellen Winslow situation and lashing out on a fan through e-mail.
Some have tried to defend Romeo by saying he has someone else making the clock management decisions and field goal calls, but isn't he the one who chose those people? As for Savage, maybe his long-term goals would have been good for the organization, but his gambling attitude has left the Browns roster in a tough predicament for any new GM to come in to.
Now it's time for the prescriptions. Luckily, some of these issues can be fixed with only a few remedies.
1. A qualified head coach and GM - The word qualified is the kicker here. The Browns have enough talent to rebound in the next year or so, but they need a leader who can push the right buttons. This means that they need to be able to gain the players respect, but also establish authority. Look at the Steelers' transition to Tomlin. He has a great friendship with his players, but they also realize that he's in charge and play for him regardless of what he tells them to do.
This remedy can have an influence on all diseases in the Browns organization. It will take the proper precautions against staph. It will manage players privacy well. It will train the players properly to avoid numerous sprains and strains. It will hold players accountable for their mistakes and push them to be better.
2. A solid draft - This is more of a band-aid than a medicine. Picking solid players will be important to adding needed depth the the roster and push starters to earn their jobs rather than expecting they'll always have them.
3. Solid Interim Leadership - Randy Lerner needs to make sure his scouting department is doing there best right now when they have lost their leader. The next GM will have very little time to prepare for the draft and will need his scouts to stay on beat until he gets there.
4. Old faithful (Rest, Chicken-Soup, and Time) - The fans need to rest and forget about football for awhile, give themselves time to recharge, and get ready for another tough season. While we all hope the Browns can have a quick turn-around, it might be best to expect the worst and look forward to the long-haul. It could keep us all from giving up on the Browns.
As they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I'm thinking will need both the ounce and the pound to weather this storm.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
Dallas Cowboys' Lack of Leadership Creates Failure
Leadership starts at the top of any successful organization and empowers others to succeed when individuals fulfill their responsibilities. No owner should EVER publicly criticize any player for any reason, as recently happened to Marion Barber by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Barber is one of the hardest power running backs in football, along with the Giants' Brandon Jacobs. Public criticism undermines each player's and the team's self confidence, creating a losing collective psychological perspective.
This one act describes the Cowboys' leadership void in a nutshell. Is this why Barber only ran the ball three times against Philly yesterday? There was no comprehensive offensive game plan yesterday. Players went through the motions without believing in the Dallas system. Winning requires belief and commitment - Dallas doesn't have that!
Without effective strong Dallas coaching leadership:
1) Most players play without passion and a clear focused understanding of individual responsibilities contributing to the team.
2) Collective confusion results in 10 penalties a game (as yesterday). False start Flozell Adams led the league in penalties.
3) There is no comprehensive game play -players run plays incorrectly, resulting in turnovers. Each play executes a tactic contributing to an overall game plan strategy.
4) The offensive line does not block basic stunts taught in Pop Warner football - no pocket protects the QB. Yesterday exposed poor pathetic Cowboy blocking and tackling.
5) No accountability - games are lost without the understanding of WHY the games were lost! This is why no adjusted strategic game plan preparation is executed next game.
6) Romo apparently suffers from panic attacks. He does not have a winner's confidence, and this results in two Romo turnovers, drops, and muffs per game.
I am a technical analyst with a degree in psychology and am regarded by many as one of the best analysts in my field of expertise. Dallas problems are easy to see, yet more difficult to analyze without looking at leadership beginning at the ownership level.
Yesterday Romo waved off the punt team beginning the third quarter. It was the right decision but would Bill Cowher have allowed his disobedient behavior? That shows the Cowboys' lack of leadership and discipline required to win!
Bill Cowher would be a kick-ass coach in Dallas, until a Super Bowl trophy sits in his hand. Wade Phillips is Mr. Nice Guy, and everyone knows where Nice Guys finish - you just saw it yesterday.
Dallas ex-head coach Bill Parcells was instrumental engineering the Dolphins' turnaround, one of the greatest in NFL history. Coach Parcells' strong influence was responsible for the excellent 2007 Cowboy record, but it has now run its course - 2008 was all Jones, Phillips, and Garrett.
The Cowboy ownership believes hiring the most talented players will result in a Super Bowl victory - even without an effective strong coaching staff that demands rock-solid discipline from its players. A classic amateurish mistake. Look at the New York Yankees, who have not been in the World Series this century.
Success came too easily for Jerry Jones and Dallas the first few years he owned the Cowboys. Head coach Jimmy Johnson left after his leadership was undermined by Mr. Jones' derogatory publicly printed comments after a Super Bowl victory.
There is a reason why Dallas Cowboys have gone 12 years without a single playoff game: Leadership begins at the top of any successful organization, and sadly, Dallas simply doesn't have it.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc.
|
