When the Kansas City Chiefs step on their practice field for training camp at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls on July 27th, there are going to be some big changes. I'm not just talking about Trent Green being a Miami Dolphin.
Coach Herm Edwards has always been "quite quotable" to say the least.
One Veteran NY Jets Beat writer once told me how every day he would check his notes to see how much of Herm's presser was quote-worthy, because if he missed something he'd get chewed out by his editor.
People could complain about his clock management skills, but there are coaches in the NFL that are much worse overall then Poor Herm and his "you Play to win the game" quote. Indeed lots of K.C. fans are already complaining, and he's only been there one year. Well, now we will all get to see just how good or bad Herm really is. The HBO series Hard Knocks will start it's third season August 8th. The first two years the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens were the stars of the show. So have you already guessed who is the subject of the 3rd season of Hard Knocks??
I'm really looking forward to this, as I kind of relate Herm to another prior ex-Jets Coach who went on to have success elsewhere. No, Herm is Nothing like Bill Parcelles. I mean Ex-Jets and current USC Head Coach Pete Carroll, who it seems had several chances after the last two seasons to come back to the NFL, and chose to stay in Southern California. I remember when Carroll left the Jets (after Rich "Keep it Tight" Kotite went 3-13 and 1-15 in back to back seasons, Carroll was brought in because Prior team owner Leon Hess and team President Steve Gutman Thought they needed someone "looser"), and Parcells came in, the first thing he did was have the Basketball Backboard torn down.
Herm was known for running "soft" workouts while in NY, like Carroll. Mangini, from the Parcells / Belichick tree, Runs one of the most difficult workouts I have ever seen, both early in camp and at the end. Hey, No one ever said the NFL was easy. It seems the Jets are moving in the right direction, so what about the Chiefs? We will have to see if Herm's good guy act gets them a shot at a Superbowl, For me, Herm's greatest claim to fame will never be any of his quotes. It will always be a cold day in 1978 when I still sat in Giants stadium's section 311 and saw the Joe "parkway" Pisarchick fumbled hand-off that Edwards Picked up and returned for a Touchdown. That day marked the beginning of the end of the Giants "15 lousy years of NY Football- we have had enough" era. Just like Herm's "clock" issues marked what many Jets fans call the end of the Mr. Softie
Era.
I wonder if they have Mr. Softie trucks in Kansas City like we do here in NY??
(music in the background from an ice cream truck)
Monday, June 11, 2007
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Wednesday, June 6, 2007
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Dolphins acquire QB Trent Green from Chiefs
From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Dolphins acquire QB Trent Green from Chiefs
By Alex Marvez and Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
After nearly three months of trade negotiations, Kansas City quarterback Trent Green is set to become a member of the Dolphins.
Green was traded Tuesday to the Dolphins for a 2008 fifth-round draft pick that could become a fourth-rounder if he hits play-time incentives, according to Green's agent, Jim Steiner. The deal will allow Green to participate in this weekend's Dolphins minicamp that begins Friday at team headquarters in Davie.
Green still must pass a physical, which is considered a formality despite his having suffered a severe concussion in the 2006 opener against the Bengals.
Green is expected to enter the 2007 season as the Dolphins' starter, with Cleo Lemon serving as the backup and 2006 second-round pick John Beck as the third-stringer.
The Green acquisition might lead to the eventual departure of Daunte Culpepper, who for the first time since undergoing his second knee surgery last November said he was given complete clearance by Dr. James Andrews and Dolphins doctors to practice this week.
Dolphins coach Cam Cameron recently said that he wouldn't evaluate Culpepper until he was 100 percent healthy, and seemed to suggest that he would allow Culpepper and Green to battle for the starting job in training camp.
"My position on Trent is that the Dolphins should get the best players that they can and let them compete for the starting job," Culpepper said via e-mail Tuesday night.
If Culpepper re-injures his knee in practice, the Dolphins would potentially be on the hook for his $5.5 million base salary for 2007.
Green, who turns 37 in July, made the Pro Bowl in 2003 and '05, but the concussion forced him to miss eight games last season. He struggled upon his return, finishing with his lowest quarterback rating (74.1) since joining the Chiefs in 2001.
Set to enter the 2007 season with projected starter Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard as its top two quarterbacks, Kansas City allowed Green to seek a trade in March. Green agreed on a restructured contract with the Dolphins and Cameron, who was his quarterbacks coach with the Redskins from 1995-96.
Green blocked trades by refusing to renegotiate a scheduled 2007 base salary of $7.2 million. But Chiefs President/General Manager Carl Peterson refused to trade Green until receiving what he felt was fair compensation from the Dolphins, who initially offered a seventh-round draft pick.
Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown said he was "excited" and relieved when hearing about Green's arrival.
"I think the guys will kind of let their hair down and just kind of relax now that the situation has come through," Brown said on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Green began his NFL career as a 1993 eighth-round draft choice by San Diego, but didn't play regularly until 1998 while with the Redskins. After a solid season, Green was signed to a free-agent contract to start in St. Louis. But Green suffered a major knee injury during the 1999 preseason, paving the way for Kurt Warner to become a starter and lead the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
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So the trade we have been waiting for since early April FINALLY happend! Trent Green is now a Dolphin, and Daunte Culpepper can ofically start looking over his shoulder, even though he's been cleared to practice as of this week...stay tuned....
Dolphins acquire QB Trent Green from Chiefs
By Alex Marvez and Harvey Fialkov
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
After nearly three months of trade negotiations, Kansas City quarterback Trent Green is set to become a member of the Dolphins.
Green was traded Tuesday to the Dolphins for a 2008 fifth-round draft pick that could become a fourth-rounder if he hits play-time incentives, according to Green's agent, Jim Steiner. The deal will allow Green to participate in this weekend's Dolphins minicamp that begins Friday at team headquarters in Davie.
Green still must pass a physical, which is considered a formality despite his having suffered a severe concussion in the 2006 opener against the Bengals.
Green is expected to enter the 2007 season as the Dolphins' starter, with Cleo Lemon serving as the backup and 2006 second-round pick John Beck as the third-stringer.
The Green acquisition might lead to the eventual departure of Daunte Culpepper, who for the first time since undergoing his second knee surgery last November said he was given complete clearance by Dr. James Andrews and Dolphins doctors to practice this week.
Dolphins coach Cam Cameron recently said that he wouldn't evaluate Culpepper until he was 100 percent healthy, and seemed to suggest that he would allow Culpepper and Green to battle for the starting job in training camp.
"My position on Trent is that the Dolphins should get the best players that they can and let them compete for the starting job," Culpepper said via e-mail Tuesday night.
If Culpepper re-injures his knee in practice, the Dolphins would potentially be on the hook for his $5.5 million base salary for 2007.
Green, who turns 37 in July, made the Pro Bowl in 2003 and '05, but the concussion forced him to miss eight games last season. He struggled upon his return, finishing with his lowest quarterback rating (74.1) since joining the Chiefs in 2001.
Set to enter the 2007 season with projected starter Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard as its top two quarterbacks, Kansas City allowed Green to seek a trade in March. Green agreed on a restructured contract with the Dolphins and Cameron, who was his quarterbacks coach with the Redskins from 1995-96.
Green blocked trades by refusing to renegotiate a scheduled 2007 base salary of $7.2 million. But Chiefs President/General Manager Carl Peterson refused to trade Green until receiving what he felt was fair compensation from the Dolphins, who initially offered a seventh-round draft pick.
Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown said he was "excited" and relieved when hearing about Green's arrival.
"I think the guys will kind of let their hair down and just kind of relax now that the situation has come through," Brown said on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Green began his NFL career as a 1993 eighth-round draft choice by San Diego, but didn't play regularly until 1998 while with the Redskins. After a solid season, Green was signed to a free-agent contract to start in St. Louis. But Green suffered a major knee injury during the 1999 preseason, paving the way for Kurt Warner to become a starter and lead the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
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So the trade we have been waiting for since early April FINALLY happend! Trent Green is now a Dolphin, and Daunte Culpepper can ofically start looking over his shoulder, even though he's been cleared to practice as of this week...stay tuned....
Thursday, May 24, 2007
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Guest Posting By Famed Author Wil Mara
The 2007 NFL Draft: A Year of “Second-Class” Value
by Wil Mara
What struck me as the most interesting aspect of the ’07 NFL Draft, particularly in comparison to the ’06 Draft, was the quality of talent that went in the second round. This is not to say the first-rounders weren’t worthy of their lofty placement, but the sheer volume of second-round acquisitions who are likely to make impact, both immediate and longterm, was staggering.
Look at Carolina’s new receiver, Dwayne Jarrett. At USC, he was a two-time All-American with a school-record 216 receptions and 41 touchdowns in just three seasons, but his draft stock fell when he failed to blow everyone away at the combines (his 40 time was particularly lukewarm). Still, he was a first-round-quality player, and it’s ridiculous that he was allowed to fall to 45th overall. Then Carolina got lucky again with another USC’r—Ryan Kalil. He was certainly the best center in the pool. Sure, centers generally don’t go in the first round, but still—this guy can be a difference-maker. A good center is worth his weight in platinum.
The Colts wanted a quality OT, and, in the second round, they got one. Arkansas’s Tony Ugoh is a masterful drive blocker who can be relied upon to cover the crucial left side. His long arms and legs give him an edge when exploding off the line, and he has tremendous balance and upper-body strength. It is to his credit that the Colts will soon be trusting him to keep the Great Peyton off the ground.
And then there’s Justin Blalock. Did Atlanta really get him 39th overall? And then, two picks later, did they also land Chris Houston? Good God—somebody call the cops, because there’s some thievery going on here. How did these two—who, in my view, can both be starters—go unnoticed, unappreciated, and unpicked by so many other teams? Blalock is another monster drive blocker who has proven his worth in multiple line positions. He’s also durable and consistent, breaking a school record for consecutive starts (in the injury-prone NFL, that matters). And Houston is another wonder—a graceful, fluid corner with otherwordly speed. He made his mark at Arkansas in only three seasons, so he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank.
There were others, too—check them out and see for yourself. Russell, Adams, Quinn, Johnson, and Peterson were the guys who got all the hype, and they’re certainly deserving of it. But as time passes, the ’07 draft may become known as ‘The Year of the Second Rounders.’
by Wil Mara
What struck me as the most interesting aspect of the ’07 NFL Draft, particularly in comparison to the ’06 Draft, was the quality of talent that went in the second round. This is not to say the first-rounders weren’t worthy of their lofty placement, but the sheer volume of second-round acquisitions who are likely to make impact, both immediate and longterm, was staggering.
Look at Carolina’s new receiver, Dwayne Jarrett. At USC, he was a two-time All-American with a school-record 216 receptions and 41 touchdowns in just three seasons, but his draft stock fell when he failed to blow everyone away at the combines (his 40 time was particularly lukewarm). Still, he was a first-round-quality player, and it’s ridiculous that he was allowed to fall to 45th overall. Then Carolina got lucky again with another USC’r—Ryan Kalil. He was certainly the best center in the pool. Sure, centers generally don’t go in the first round, but still—this guy can be a difference-maker. A good center is worth his weight in platinum.
The Colts wanted a quality OT, and, in the second round, they got one. Arkansas’s Tony Ugoh is a masterful drive blocker who can be relied upon to cover the crucial left side. His long arms and legs give him an edge when exploding off the line, and he has tremendous balance and upper-body strength. It is to his credit that the Colts will soon be trusting him to keep the Great Peyton off the ground.
And then there’s Justin Blalock. Did Atlanta really get him 39th overall? And then, two picks later, did they also land Chris Houston? Good God—somebody call the cops, because there’s some thievery going on here. How did these two—who, in my view, can both be starters—go unnoticed, unappreciated, and unpicked by so many other teams? Blalock is another monster drive blocker who has proven his worth in multiple line positions. He’s also durable and consistent, breaking a school record for consecutive starts (in the injury-prone NFL, that matters). And Houston is another wonder—a graceful, fluid corner with otherwordly speed. He made his mark at Arkansas in only three seasons, so he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank.
There were others, too—check them out and see for yourself. Russell, Adams, Quinn, Johnson, and Peterson were the guys who got all the hype, and they’re certainly deserving of it. But as time passes, the ’07 draft may become known as ‘The Year of the Second Rounders.’
