News
– DE Dion Jordan may have or may not have violated the substance abuse policy handed down by the NFL but, his indefinite suspension hasn’t been lifted as of yet. The Dolphins still don’t know whether they can count on him this season.
– According to Kevin Seifert, the data chips that are put in footballs don’t have the ability to read PSI but, the technology exists.
– Isaiah Crowell decided that in order to make up for his drawing of a man slashing a police officer’s throat, he would attend a funeral of a slain police officer. Good on him.
– The Goddell told media that the league moved on from Deflategate quite a long time ago.
– The Cowboys have signed LB Justin Durant to a one-year deal.
– CB Charles “Peanut” Tillman announced his retirement yesterday.
– According to Ian Rapaport, the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick have dug in so deep that the contract dispute could go all the way into the preseason.
– Johnny Manziel asked for forgiveness for his actions on Twitter.
Analysis
– Mike Sando believes that the “Rooney Rule” intended to help programs hire more black head coaches have failed to represent minorities so far. He believes that since their are only four head coaches to the thirty-two total, there is a problem with racism in the NFL. Here are what some minority coaches had to say about the situation:
“You could expand the Rooney Rule if you wanted,” a minority coordinator said, “but the problem is, they say, ‘OK, we need a minority coach, and he coaches DBs, D-line, running backs, receivers. He does not coach quarterbacks, he does not coach offensive line.’ Guys like Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell have tried to put minority coaches in positions where they are next in line so they get an opportunity, but when you look at it, all the new hires were the offensive guys this past year.”
“For most of the black guys, they give you raises and not promotions,” a prominent minority coach said. “They put money in your pocket to keep you right there to handle that position group. You usually will take it because you have nowhere to go.”
“This is Modkins’ second time as a coordinator and both times he has been with offensive head coaches,” a minority assistant said. “And the first thing everybody is going to say is, ‘Well, he doesn’t call the plays.’ Well, Doug Pederson did not call the plays with Kansas City. Everybody knows Andy Reid calls the plays, yet Doug Pederson was able to get a job.”
“In life, you are probably going to do things with people who you know,” another minority assistant said. “The coaching business is no different.”
“Teryl Austin had a good season a couple years ago, and then last year when the Lions did not have a great year, he falls off the face of the earth,” a minority coach said of Detroit’s defensive coordinator. “An African-American will never get [a head coaching job] if we have a bad record, ever. We have to go two years in a row to be considered serious, and then after that, if you don’t have a good record, you might as well forget it.”
“Everybody will tell you, it is a damn game to try to get with these owners and figure out what they want,” a minority coach said. “Sometimes they want what the fans want or the media wants — an offensive guy or maybe an experienced guy, which rules out a lot of candidates, especially minority candidates. We don’t care as long as it is even. But when there are different standards applied, then that doesn’t sit well. It is part of our reality, but it doesn’t sit well.”
“They were all under that tree and I’m sure Tony had a hand in [their hiring],” a minority coach said. “Those were when the Tampa 2 thing was hot and he was responsible for a bunch of them, but overall, for the rest of us, it wasn’t really possible.”
“I’m not as light as Dungy,” this coach said. “There is a different element of racism there. There is racism, and then there is dark-skinned racism. There are layers, now. It goes deep. You’d better be spit-shined and polished, your teeth had better be white, you’d better be well-groomed and you’d better sound intelligent and see everything around you. Then, on top of that, you’d better be a damn good coach.”
“The first thing they are going to say to me is that I am hiring my friends,” one of these minority coaches said.
“Too frequently, we don’t look at leadership, we don’t look at getting the most out of people, we don’t look at bringing people together and staffs together — all those things that you need to be a head coach,” Dungy said. “It is an inexact science. It is done in an inexact way. Look how long it took Bruce Arians to get a head coaching job; it is not just with minorities. But I think when you are a minority coach, you have even that added burden, or added handicap of not always being highly publicized. For owners who do not know what they are looking for, it is much easier to say, ‘Well, I’ll take Candidate A because at least everybody knows him and everybody will say this is a good hire.’ “
I don’t personally have a tie into Mike Sando’s story, just thought it was interesting. A study also found that 85% of offensive staff guys are white, which to be fair, could be complete circumstance.
– John Breitenbach previews the 2016 Chicago Bears led by the Surly Man himself.
– Mike Renner believes the Packers are primed to bounceback in his season preview of the Cheeseheads.
– Andrew Potter of football Outsiders breaks down rushing efficiency by the number of backs they run with. The Broncos finish among the last in the NFL.
– Sam Monson analyzes how Arian Foster fits in the Miami offense after getting signed by them yesterday. You would think Arian would be productive in the inside and outside zone but, he averaged a total of 2.6 YPC in such runs last year. Blech.
Broncos
– Dan Graziano tries to imagine what Von Miller would get if the franchise tag weren’t available.
– TJ Ward thinks that the defense has “no ceiling” in what it could accomplish next year.
– Cameron Wolfe suggests that the Broncos won’t be able to cakewalk to a division title like they have the past five years.
Silliness
– Here is Charles “Peanut” Tillman’s retirement video.
– The Denver Post lost yet another writer as Troy Renck moves to Channel 7.
Preach!
“A man is great by deeds, not by birth.” – Chanakya
