Arkansas Running Back Darren McFadden is suffering from Pac-Man Jones disease. Because of Jones' off the field problems, and McFadden's similar night club battles, some observers think Jones isnt' even a Top-20 pick.
Why?
According to his Wikipedia listing, McFadden.." is the most decorated player in school history, and holds virtually all of the universities rushing records, and is also in a number of the SEC's all-time top 10 rushing spots. After Arkansas lost 38-7 to Missouri (and fellow 2007 Heisman finalist QB Chase Daniel) in the January 1, 2008 Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, "
But...
According to a police report, McFadden was involved in a disturbance at 4:20 a.m. Saturday at Palace the Club, a private club in Little Rock. When officers arrived, a fight was taking place in the parking lot while a crowd watched. McFadden told officers he didn't know the person he was fighting with, the report said.
Roy Millsap, the club's manager, wasn't there Friday night, but he talked with security guards who were. Millsap told The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that McFadden was never inside the club before the incident.
Millsap said McFadden was arguing with people outside, and security guards "tried and tried to get (McFadden) to leave and he wouldn't do it. And he ended up getting into a fight with these people."
Security guards said another man tried to steal a car belonging to either McFadden or a relative, but McFadden caught him.
"Darren was kicking and kicking at him and his shoe came off and his foot hit the pavement," Millsap said.
The other man in the fight fled when police arrived, according to a security guard.
Sgt. James Lesher of the Little Rock Police Department said that while the fight was going on, someone stole the car McFadden's stepbrother was driving.
"Apparently it was a mess," Lesher told the Associated Press. "It looks like they had a crowd control problem as well during all of this. And of course during the fight, they had left the car running with the keys in it, and somebody jumped in and took off."
Lesher said the car was found later in the morning. He said nobody was arrested, and although the investigation of the stolen car continues, he doesn't expect McFadden to be charged in connection with the fight.
"There probably will not be anything else with that," Lesher said.
This incident is causing McFadden's stock to fall, but it's not just the matter itself, it's also the perception that McFadden's not giving answers that make people comfortable. Also, there's the looming spectre of the Pacman Jones case and perceived character problems with the NFL's great defensive back who also has a record of nightclub issues to his discredit.
Stay tuned here.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
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Sunday, February 3, 2008
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Kevin Gilbride: Magican or Genius? Maybe both
Kevin Gilbride: Magician or Genius? Maybe Both
By Dr. Bill Chachkes
When History begins to be written about this weekend's Super Bowl, no matter who wins, Kevin Gilbride will be a major contributor. While Giants Head coach Tom Coughlin and 1st Yr GM Jerry Reese will get most of the credit, Gilbride will be the offensive expert behind it all. Known as a coach with a knack for getting the most out of his Quarterback, Gilbride has had a long history in the business. He played and began his coaching career at the age of 28 for Southern Connecticut State in 1979 as offensive coordinator, becoming the head coach one year later. Compiling a 35-14-2 record could be no easy task at the small Northeast Conference School with a limited amount of financial resources for the athletics program. His rise in the NFL coaching ranks however could only be described as meteoric. It could also be established that his coaching Quarterbacks and their success is the key to his as well.
At his first stop in the NFL as a coordinator in 1990 in Houston, he would work with then defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Their relationship was never on the best of terms and would result in at least one altercation in public, where Ryan punched Gilbride in the stomach on the sidelines of a game in 1993, while Gilbride was suffering from cancer of the left Kidney. But Gilbride had worked with Oilers QB and former CFL stand out Warren Moon, and taught him well enough that he was able to step in as a short term replacement coach for Gilbride at the end of the 1993 season while Moon was rehabbing an injury.
At the next stop Gilbride worked with Mark Brunell and the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, keying their early success as a franchise. That led to Gilbride's one and only chance as an NFL head coach with the San Deigo Chargers in 1997. His 1998 selection of QB Ryan Leaf was his one and only mishap in all his years in the NFL, and the blame could still be laid equally at both the feet of Leaf himself for a poor work ethic and then GM Bobby Bethard for the poor research of his scouting staff.
After leaving the west coast and the Spanos family to deal with their own problems, Gilbride came back east to another reclamation project, the Pittsburg Steelers. They had a Receiver/Quarterback/Kick Returner named Kordell Stewart, who had loads of talent but no direction. Gilbride would give that direction, and Stewart would at least become a more solid player.
After a break in from coaching in 2001, He would return to the NFL in 2002 with the Buffalo Bills as their Offensive Coordinator. It wasn't quite the right fit though, and Gilbride came south to The Giants in 2004 to work with his friend Coughlin once again. Telling then Giants GM Ernie Accorsi and Player/Pro Personnel director Marv Sunderland "I need Kevin on this staff" Coughlin got the Mara and Tisch families to make Gilbride the 4th highest paid non-coordinator assistant coach in the NFL at that time.
Tom Coughlin knew what many in the coaching business also knew. Gilbride was brilliant at designing offenses that played into the strengths of a Quarterback, and would design a blocking scheme that would protect then veteran QB Kurt Warner while he helped tutor the Rookie Eli Manning. 2004 would be a rough year for New York, posting a 5-11 record, but it would be the last losing year for the Giants under this current staff. Manning would have fits and growing pains through the 2005 and 2006 seasons as a starter once Warner left for Arizona, but we saw the flashes of brilliance in Both Manning and Gilbride as far back as the December 2004 game against the Steelers (a 33-30 Giants loss late in the game). In Late 2006 Coughlin elevated Gilbride to double duty as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but would bring in Chris Palmer in early 2007 as quarterbacks coach to work with Manning on improving his mechanics. We believe this was the final piece of the coaching puzzle, the combination of Palmer, Gilbride, and Coughlin, that would spark the Giants 6 game win streak after 2007's 0-2 start, that got New York into Super Bowl XLII (42). As always, Gilbride made the most of his personnel. Plaxico Burris playing injured all season? No problem. Just put in routes for him where he doesn't need to cut on his bad ankle that much, and leave the "slashing" routes to inside receivers like Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith. Running back Brandon Jacobs hurt?? Bring in back up Derric Ward and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw for a triple back rotation. Star tight end Jeremey Shockey goes down? Just bring in that quiet kid from Western Oregon Kevin Boss (see our rookie impact piece on him). All he does is go out and catch the ball.
So when you watch today's game, look over to the sidelines and find Kevin Gilbride under his headset talking to the coaches upstairs. He is just as big a reason the Giants are there as Coughlin or the players.
By Dr. Bill Chachkes
When History begins to be written about this weekend's Super Bowl, no matter who wins, Kevin Gilbride will be a major contributor. While Giants Head coach Tom Coughlin and 1st Yr GM Jerry Reese will get most of the credit, Gilbride will be the offensive expert behind it all. Known as a coach with a knack for getting the most out of his Quarterback, Gilbride has had a long history in the business. He played and began his coaching career at the age of 28 for Southern Connecticut State in 1979 as offensive coordinator, becoming the head coach one year later. Compiling a 35-14-2 record could be no easy task at the small Northeast Conference School with a limited amount of financial resources for the athletics program. His rise in the NFL coaching ranks however could only be described as meteoric. It could also be established that his coaching Quarterbacks and their success is the key to his as well.
At his first stop in the NFL as a coordinator in 1990 in Houston, he would work with then defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Their relationship was never on the best of terms and would result in at least one altercation in public, where Ryan punched Gilbride in the stomach on the sidelines of a game in 1993, while Gilbride was suffering from cancer of the left Kidney. But Gilbride had worked with Oilers QB and former CFL stand out Warren Moon, and taught him well enough that he was able to step in as a short term replacement coach for Gilbride at the end of the 1993 season while Moon was rehabbing an injury.
At the next stop Gilbride worked with Mark Brunell and the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, keying their early success as a franchise. That led to Gilbride's one and only chance as an NFL head coach with the San Deigo Chargers in 1997. His 1998 selection of QB Ryan Leaf was his one and only mishap in all his years in the NFL, and the blame could still be laid equally at both the feet of Leaf himself for a poor work ethic and then GM Bobby Bethard for the poor research of his scouting staff.
After leaving the west coast and the Spanos family to deal with their own problems, Gilbride came back east to another reclamation project, the Pittsburg Steelers. They had a Receiver/Quarterback/Kick Returner named Kordell Stewart, who had loads of talent but no direction. Gilbride would give that direction, and Stewart would at least become a more solid player.
After a break in from coaching in 2001, He would return to the NFL in 2002 with the Buffalo Bills as their Offensive Coordinator. It wasn't quite the right fit though, and Gilbride came south to The Giants in 2004 to work with his friend Coughlin once again. Telling then Giants GM Ernie Accorsi and Player/Pro Personnel director Marv Sunderland "I need Kevin on this staff" Coughlin got the Mara and Tisch families to make Gilbride the 4th highest paid non-coordinator assistant coach in the NFL at that time.
Tom Coughlin knew what many in the coaching business also knew. Gilbride was brilliant at designing offenses that played into the strengths of a Quarterback, and would design a blocking scheme that would protect then veteran QB Kurt Warner while he helped tutor the Rookie Eli Manning. 2004 would be a rough year for New York, posting a 5-11 record, but it would be the last losing year for the Giants under this current staff. Manning would have fits and growing pains through the 2005 and 2006 seasons as a starter once Warner left for Arizona, but we saw the flashes of brilliance in Both Manning and Gilbride as far back as the December 2004 game against the Steelers (a 33-30 Giants loss late in the game). In Late 2006 Coughlin elevated Gilbride to double duty as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but would bring in Chris Palmer in early 2007 as quarterbacks coach to work with Manning on improving his mechanics. We believe this was the final piece of the coaching puzzle, the combination of Palmer, Gilbride, and Coughlin, that would spark the Giants 6 game win streak after 2007's 0-2 start, that got New York into Super Bowl XLII (42). As always, Gilbride made the most of his personnel. Plaxico Burris playing injured all season? No problem. Just put in routes for him where he doesn't need to cut on his bad ankle that much, and leave the "slashing" routes to inside receivers like Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith. Running back Brandon Jacobs hurt?? Bring in back up Derric Ward and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw for a triple back rotation. Star tight end Jeremey Shockey goes down? Just bring in that quiet kid from Western Oregon Kevin Boss (see our rookie impact piece on him). All he does is go out and catch the ball.
So when you watch today's game, look over to the sidelines and find Kevin Gilbride under his headset talking to the coaches upstairs. He is just as big a reason the Giants are there as Coughlin or the players.
