Football - USA

• Tom Brady Loses to LA Rams

  Jan 24, 2022 SportZ 0 Comments

  

  Source: Los Angeles Rams stave off furious Tampa Bay Buccaneers comeback to deny Tom Brady a shot at eighth ring (link)

   

  After seeing his team steamrolled to a 27-3 deficit with just over three minutes of the third quarter remaining, Tom Brady looked set to write another fabled chapter in his legendary career as the 44-year-old quarterback helped drag his team to level scoring against the Los Angeles Rams. Yet his dreams of completing a famous comeback in overtime -- as well as a shot at an eighth Super Bowl ring -- were dashed by Matt Gay's 30-yard field goal as the clock expired following a frenetic final few minutes. The Los Angeles Rams survived the Tom Brady-inspired Tampa Bay Buccaneers fightback to edge a pulsating 30-27 NFL playoff contest. 

  Interestingly, after this game, and after the Green Bay Packers' defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, it also means this year will be the first time since 2009 that neither Aaron Rodgers or Brady will feature in a conference championship game, according ESPN Stats and Info. Furthermore, while already history makers as the first venue to host a conference championship game and Super Bowl in the same season, a win for the Rams at the SoFi Stadium against the 49ers will also see them become the second team in NFL history to play at home for the Super Bowl. The other one? Tom Brady's Buccaneers at last year's Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.

  How this loss impact's Brady's career going forward will be interesting to see.

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• Back At One : Black - Black Monday in the NFL

  Jan 16, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

   

  by: Gene Clemons

   

  When they say Black Monday in the NFL, they really mean it. This week the NFL found themselves back at square one; one black head coach in a league represented by 70% black players. That is the lowest black head coach number since 1991. What's really strange is that this offseason one would have assumed that the number of black head coaches would increase from the depressingly low number of three in 2021. Instead, the Houston Texans fired David Culley after one season where he didn't have a starting quarterback and was given no resources to win. The Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores after three seasons and the last two seasons were winning seasons for a team that has not recorded back-to-back winning seasons since the 2002-2003 seasons. So now Mike Tomlin, who is the second longest tenured head coach in the league, remains as the only black head coach in the NFL.

   

  There are eight head coaching openings in the NFL this offseason. It is not a guarantee that any will be filled with black coaches. What the Rooney Rule really exposed is that teams are really good at interviewing coaches they have no intentions of hiring. In many cases over the years, we have seen guys interviewed for head coaching positions and then we never hear anything about them again. What happened; was the interview so bad that nobody ever wanted to interview him again? The truth seems to be that coaches are being interviewed simply to satisfy the Rooney Rule, not because owners and front offices have a legitimate desire to diversify their leadership.

   

  We have seen a lot of names talked about for head coaching jobs but how many of them are black coaches? We have heard Flores' name included in a few of those searches. That makes sense when you consider how egregious his exit from Miami seems to be. Other names we have heard are both Buccaneers' coordinators; Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich, and Patriots defensive coach Jerod Mayo. Outside of that many names we here are not being given any serious consideration. 

   

  There's a chance that the aforementioned names will not be considered. Is it really just about the pool of candidates; are we to seriously believe there are more qualified white coaches who are deserving of head coaching opportunities? So how is it that we find ourselves with Mike Tomlin as the only consistent black man as an NFL head coach? Especially when you consider how many times people have questioned whether Tomlin's time in Pittsburgh should end. 

   

  There are two things in play that keeps the wheels of process from moving in the NFL: nepotism and time. It's so easy to just chalk this issue up to white owners choosing to hire leadership they are familiar with but why are there always so many prominent white assistants to choose from? How many times have we seen the son of a former coach who has worked their way up the ladder? Usually, they work their way up on their father's staff or on their father's buddy's staff.

   

  Names like, Belichick, Shanahan, Schottenheimer, Gruden, Reid, and countless others have multiple family members in the league as coaches or former coaches. The longer a coach lasts, the more experience without pressure to perform at a high level their son's get. How long was Kyle Shanahan able to work on his craft while underneath the watchful eye of his father. Bill Belichick's son is currently enjoying that advantage and all while clicking off valuable years of experience with titles they did not earn. 

   

  Meanwhile a coach like David Culley climbed his way up from the bottom. He started as a running backs coach at Austin Peay in 1978. He spent 15 seasons at various college football stops around the county. He started his NFL career with the Buccaneers and spent the next 16 years working his way up the NFL coaching ladder. Finally, when he gets his chance to run his own show, of course it is not with a quality team or even a stable program. But what else was he to do, it took 30 plus years just to get someone to ask him. Clearly,he was going to jump on the opportunity, trust in his preparation and bet on himself to make the situation work for him.

   

  Against all odds that's exactly what he did. The Houston Texans won four games this season and it is safe to say that the plan from the top was to not win any. They fought until the end of the season, they showed improvement from the beginning of the year until the end, and they identified some key pieces that may be a part of the organization's rise as they moved forward. What else could he have done? It didn't matter, the fix was in from the beginning and unfortunately for a man who has waited his entire adult life for his opportunity to lead a team, he was used as a placeholder for another coach. That's the type of treatment black coaches get, and it is utterly disappointing.

   

  During this coaching cycle you will read all of these pieces about the need for diversity at the head coach position. You will see talking heads debating about it on sports shows and you will listen to podcasts where people like me articulate our disappointment in the lack of black men afforded the opportunity to lead. You know where you won't hear it coming from, the players. You never really hear much from the current players about the lack of black general managers, head coaches and coordinators in the NFL. On the outside looking in it makes you wonder if they care. 

   

  What we must all keep in mind is that they are still employees. As much as we would like for them to stand up and show their displeasure, that comes at what cost? The NFL is so competitive, and the salary cap is structured so that you can't really question any decision to move on from a player. Colin Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL, and he never accused owners of inherently racist hiring practices. If that can happen to a popular starting quarterback, then no other position player is immune.

   

  Personally, I would love to see the entire players union ban together on issues other than just money. I would love to see them uniformly decide that they will not play if there is not a significant increase in black head coaches in the league next season. Then hold those new black head coaches' feet to the fire to hire black coordinators so that the coaching pool more accurately reflects the demographics of the league. Alas I do not have anything to lose as an outsider and I know the opportunity to establish generational wealth is a lot to put in jeopardy. I guess I am just disappointed in everyone. We stood by and watched this happen, how long will we continue?

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

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• Gene Therapy: Safety, Security, or Say Goodbye

  Jan 9, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

  by Gene Clemons

  Over recent years during the bowl season we see many players decide to opt out of playing in order to prepare for the NFL draft process. What used to be only a few of the projected top selections sitting out has expanded to any player that believes opting out of that final game would give them a leg up in the draft process. People seem to fall on both sides of this argument. Those that don't believe players should play and those that can't believe the players are missing. 

   

  Recently, longtime college football broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit claimed that players who were opting out just didn't love football. He clearly received a ton of backlash for his comments, and he should have. After all, these young men have been working their entire life to get to a point where they can attack their dream. Now that they are so close, of course they don't care about the Idaho Potato Bowl or the CarQuest Auto Bowl. But I am not upset at Kirk Herbstreit, he is a product of his conditioning. He played at a different time, and he has covered the game so long that he has adopted the antiquated thoughts of the football luminaries. That's just not where we are today.

   

  Personally, I believe that these players should make whatever decision they want; it's none of our business. I will never have an issue with any player deciding to opt out of a bowl game after they have given their blood, sweat, and teams to a team for three or four seasons. I also believe that there are advantages to playing in a bowl game. There's still value in becoming a legend at a school and maybe sometimes players forget that. The bag doesn't always need to be obtained through the NFL. I also believe that a bowl game can be a chance to put down another game of action for evaluators to consider. I believe the bowl game film is better than a college all-star game's film.

   

  What good is a complaint without a solution? So, while all of the people are out here complaining, allow me to offer a couple suggestions that would definitely solve the issue and possibly be more beneficial for those involved.

   

  Say goodbye to the seniors on senior night.

   

  So many around the landscape of college football believe that the bowl games outside of the playoff semifinals are meaningless. That's the main reason why most don't have an issue with players opting out. Well, if it is a meaningless game, then why put any player out there who is not planning to be on the team next season. So, when teams who are not in the playoff celebrate their final regular season game, they should turn the page on the season. If bowl games existed as a way to prepare for next season, then the teams and fans would go into them with their eyes wide open. The seniors and those planning to transfer or declare will be excluded from participating.

   

  This game could then become meaningful because it is a live rep, evaluation game. Players expected to be with the team next season get one more chance to show what they can do. Many of the players on the bench behind seniors, or the other players who won't be with the team, would finally get their chance to show that they can be a factor next season. Coaches could use the film from the game to evaluate areas of improvement on offense and defense and individually. They can also tell where they really need to allocate their scholarship spots based on the areas that seem the weakest or without reps. It also allows fans to become familiar with the faces who will be relied on next season. They get to see them against another team instead of in a spring intrasquad scrimmage.

   

  Payment and protection always work.

   

  If telling these players goodbye before the bowl game sparks trepidation in coaches and athletic departments I would not be surprised. Most coaches have escalators in contracts for bowl games. They also don't want to record losses on their record. They need those players to buy in one more time. But where is the incentive. There is so much more to lose than there is to gain. Especially when you think about those that are looking at a professional football career. How can you expect them to understand the value of playing a game most consider meaningless for free? That gift bag they get from the bowl game is hardly the same as a check is. So, pay them.

   

  If you want to keep players from opting out to prepare to get their bag. Secure their bag for them. Take out insurance policies on those draft eligible players. Many players who will be high draft picks get evaluations on where they will be selected. The insurance policy can protect them if they get injured and their draft position drops. That would give them the peace of mind to go out and perform without being worried about injury hurting their draft status. Also, because they are essentially professionals now, if you want them to play a meaningless game, compensate them. Teams could pay them a game check and a win bonus. This gives their first taste of professional life.

   

  With so much money being passed around college football there is surely a few dollars that can be spent to ensure the safety and security of players who have more to lose by playing than by not. Because the truth is players that are planning to go to the draft probably shouldn't be playing in the playoffs or national championship game either if they were going to opt out of non-championship bowl games. But like I stated earlier, whatever they decide to do, they are right.

   

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• Gene Therapy Podcast: The Problem with Franchise QBs

  Dec 28, 2021 CWN Publisher 0 Comments

  Gene is joined by Brandon Howard of The Athletic and Turron Davenport of ESPN who covers the Titans. We talk about fans issue with Tua, the flaws of Tannehill, the fact that there are only 4 or 5 legit franchise QBs, and what is more important to fans and front offices a QB who wins or a QB who fits the mold of what they believe a franchise QB is supposed to be.

  Click the image above to listen to the full podcast. 

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• Gene Therapy-The Flawed Logic of a Franchise QB

  Dec 24, 2021 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  
  

   

  by Gene Clemons

   

  In a world where we want everything right now, the NFL has chosen to go the opposite way when it comes to the quarterback position. Year after year we see teams reach on potential while disregarding production at that position. The rationale is always the same, “We need to find our franchise quarterback.” If we were to take an honest look around the league, how many teams can make the claim that they have their franchise quarterback for the next 10 years? 

   

  Of the 30 franchises there are only a handful of teams that can make the claim. The Bucs and Packers cannot despite having two of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game because there’s no way either of those guys play for another 10 years. Teams like the Chiefs, Chargers, Cardinals, Bengals, Bills and Ravens certainly feel like they have their guy for the next 10 seasons but the ever-increasing salaries of quarterbacks and the ever-looming threat of injury leaves questions about their long-term sustainability. Every other team is trying to figure it out. They either have a young quarterback they hope is the guy, a guy they believe (correctly or not) they may be able to upgrade from, or a guy they need to replace ASAP.

   

  Then there’s the impatience of NFL fan bases and front offices. The more impatient the fan base, the more impatient the owner. After all the goal is to make money and a happy fan base is one that spends. What other type of fan base spends money? A hopeful one! So the NFL has become this revolving door of quarterbacks who fans hope are the franchise until they are not, and the team replaces them for the next hopeful. Organizations like the Broncos, Rams, Raiders, and Washington have been using this model for years to keep fans on the edge of their seats with their hands in their pockets trying to support whomever the new hope would be.

   

  Outside of a few teams, coaches turn over every few seasons. So, most of the time they don’t outlive the proving ground for a potential franchise quarterback which also stunts the quarterback’s growth. Jameis Winston had 3 head coaches and four offensive coordinators in his five seasons with Tampa Bay before they decided to give up on him when Tom Brady chose the Bucs. Justin Herbert is going to throw more touchdowns this year in LA with a new coaching staff in just his second season but he’s also going to turn the ball over far more. These coaches are essentially being asked to groom a young quarterback for their replacement coach. I don’t think that is what former LA Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn had in mind when he decided to take their lumps with a rookie Herbert who compiled a lot of statistics but they didn’t equal wins. It begs the question that fans and coaches alike should ask regularly.

   

  

   

  “Who cares if he’s the quarterback of the future; does he give me the best chance to win now?”

   

  If this question was asked more often than a lot of fan bases would be happy because their team would be winning more. The coaches would not be worried about sacrificing wins for development which would lead to more job security. We would also really know who the best coaches were based on how they developed game plans to utilize the quarterbacks who gave them the best chance to win. Winning should be the great deodorizer but in the NFL a quarterback’s ability to be the “face of the franchise” seems to be just as important as their on-field ability. This is why players like Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts continue to be doubted as franchise quarterbacks while people still hold out hope for Sam Darnold and think Tayson Hill just needs a consistent opportunity to play the position to be successful. Jackson and to a lesser extent Hurts do not have the requisite look of a franchise QB. For others like Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield, Ryan Tannehill and Jacoby Brissett they don’t put up the flashy numbers that make fans swoon but when healthy, they can run an offense well and usually keep their team in a game. There’s value in those abilities as well and a ton of talented players like that in college who get overlooked for some project who has the look.

   

  Two seasons ago quarterback Tyler Huntley was a Pac-12 first team selection in his senior season. He was named a third team All American. Yet when the 2020 draft rolled around he was not invited to the combine and was not selected in the draft. He had to sit and watch a quarterback he outplayed in the Pac-12 (Herbert) go top 10 and a bunch of other names that he undoubtedly never heard of be drafted while he waited for an undrafted free agent offer from Baltimore who already had three quarterbacks on the roster. In the three games where he has received significant playing time, he has performed like a starting quarterback in the NFL but this offseason, even if another team brings him in, you will hear people say things like they say about Hurts, “He’s capable but the team still needs to draft a franchise quarterback.” 

   

  So much draft capital has been wasted on quarterbacks who are not playing. In San Francisco the 49ers have a championship caliber team. They have a quarterback who is a liability in the biggest moments. Instead of upgrading the position this season, they decided to take a quarterback in Trey Lance that they have no intention of playing. They could have used that top five draft pick to bring in other talent that could make life easier on the quarterback that they chose to stick with. They were knocking on the door just a few years ago and Garropolo was the reason they did not bring home the trophy. So why not bring in someone who could possibly take him out of the equation either because you don’t need much from him or you have upgraded from him. It feels like it has already come back to bite them. Especially with how tight the playoff race is this season in the NFC. 

   

  Is a franchise quarterback, a franchise quarterback if he is not winning games? What about if he is not playing? Do statistics make a player a franchise quarterback? Or should the attributes that make a quarterback “franchise” worthy be based on how they fit within the framework of a particular team’s scheme? Philadelphia or Baltimore may not break any passing records, but they sure do seem difficult to beat when Hurts and Jackson are behind center. Both teams were also smart enough to put backups in place that allowed them the chance to have success even if the starter is out. That’s proper planning. Because not every team gets lucky enough to get Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Tom Brady. The rest just need to focus on winning games the best way possible.

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

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