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New England Patriots

State of the Patriots Union Address

By Ryan McGowan

On December 31, I wrote “Five reasons the Patriots can win Super Bowl XLIV.”

Nice prediction. That’s right up there with the geniuses who predicted the Betamax would clobber the VHS, or that New Coke would be a sales bonanza for Coca-Cola, Inc. Predictions like that basically show why I don’t make my living picking NFL games, though I did win the Poor Man’s PTI regular season pick-‘em championship for the umpteenth year in a row, so what does that tell you about the guys on the show with me?

In light of the Patriots’ embarrassing first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, I thought it would be a good time to take stock in our local NFL franchise and deliver my State of the Patriots Union Address for 2010 and beyond.

Categories
NFL

The Lost Art of Competent Coaching

This article is not going to be like anything I’ve ever written before because, quite simply, I’m jealous. And it shows.

Because I’m smarter than almost every head football coach, at least in terms of something as simple as clock management. And while I’m watching people with bigger contracts than the economy of Tuvalu make juvenile errors without anyone pointing out their errors, it makes me sick.

If you’re going to make $2 million a year to stand on the sidelines, eat cheeseburgers, and invent facial expressions that would embarrass even Wade Phillips, then maybe, just maybe you should be able to control the clock.

With the only exclusions of Bill Belichick and, for some reason, Dave Wannstedt, coaches just can’t seem to get it right. Over my decade carefully studying late-game clock management, those two reign above everyone else, calling plays and doling timeouts that used the clock to their advantage, regardless of how good (or in Wannstedt’s case, bad), they were outside of the proverbial final two minutes.

So for the rest of this article, let’s exclude those two coaches from this discussion.

Categories
New England Patriots

Repent: The End is Here

By Ryan McGowan

The Patriots are done.   Tom Brady is done.  Bill Belichick is cooked.

It’s over.

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Atlanta Falcons Houston Texans Miami Dolphins NFL

Coach of the Year voting missed the real best coach

Each year, I’m more and more convinced that the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award goes to the most improved team without regard to actual coaching ability.

As expected, the Coach of the Year Award came down to Tony Sparano of the Miami Dolphins and Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons, who took over teams with a combined five wins in 2007 and turned out a pair of 11-5 records.

As expected, the man who did the best job in football got absolutely none.

Sparano and Smith’s accomplishments aside, tell me how Gary Kubiak was not even a candidate? You want to know why? His team did not improve in the standings.

Categories
New England Patriots

Congratulations, Super Bowl XLIII Champs*

By Ryan McGowan

There will be a head coach from some NFL team who will raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Raymond James Stadium on February 1, 2009.  It very well might be Tony Dungy and the Colts for a second time.  Perhaps it will be Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, or Tom Coughlin of the Giants in a repeat.  Maybe even a dark horse rookie such as the Falcons’ Mike Smith or the Ravens’ John Harbaugh.   One thing is certain, though–whoever it is will have a giant asterisk next to his name.

The 2008 NFL playoffs (or “the tournament”, as Bill Parcells likes to say) will be conducted for the first time in six years without the New England Patriots, and the rest of the league can breathe a sigh of relief.  

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Washington Redskins

The Risk of Not Taking Risks

Last week the Washington Redskins faced off against the NFC leading Cowboys. The Redskins lost. This was not a surprise. The Cowboys were clear favorites. Terrell Owens scored four touchdowns. The Redskins were missing Sean Taylor. This was a game the Redskins were supposed to lose. Something surprising happened last Sunday afternoon though. The Redskins should have won the game.

Despite troubles in the secondary and a career game from TO, the Redskins should have won. They were in position to do so and I am not referring to only the final couple drives where all the pressure was on Jason Campbell to deliver in the most difficult of situations. Admittedly, Campbell came up short at the end of the best game of his young career. However, it was Joe Gibbs and his staff who put Campbell in the position to fail.