Dont know if anyone has heard of this guy but he is one hell of a beat writer for the NFL...here is his latest article...
Feb. 3, 2007, 9:25PM
NFL NOTEBOOK
Shrewd moves?
How would you like to be Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera about now? His team plays in Super Bowl XLI against the Colts today. After the game, he'll interview in Dallas for the job vacated by Bill Parcells.
The ideal situation for the Cowboys would be for owner Jerry Jones to hire San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner as his head coach and Rivera as his assistant head coach/defensive coordinator.
Rivera's contract expires, so he'll be a free agent. The Bears' coaches are vastly underpaid. It's going to cost Chicago millions to sign Lovie Smith, the league's lowest-paid coach at $1.3 million a year, to a long-term extension.
Rivera, who is a red-hot head-coaching candidate, might command a salary in the neighborhood of Washington's Gregg Williams and Miami's Dom Capers, both of whom make more than $2.5 million this year.
With Rivera in charge of the defense, the Cowboys would switch back to the 4-3.
T.O. to go?
Word is that Norv Turner, who is the leading candidate to become the next Cowboys coach, doesn't want receiver Terrell Owens if he replaces Bill Parcells.
If the Cowboys dump Owens in March, they'll save about $6.5 million on the salary cap. Surely, they can put that kind of cap space to better use.
Turner isn't known as a strict disciplinarian. If Parcells couldn't keep Owens under control, how could Turner?
Tuna may not be done
Perhaps Bill Parcells will never coach again. At 65, no one could blame him if he just returned to network television. He walked away from $5.3 million this year.
But some NFL followers say to not rule out Parcells finally going to Tampa Bay if Jon Gruden resigns or is fired. When the late Hugh Culverhouse owned the Bucs, he pursued Parcells twice. The Glazer family tried to hire him before they fired Tony Dungy but settled on Gruden, who led them to a Super Bowl victory.
Texas two-step
Former teammates LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees, two proud Texans, shared the Walter Payton Man of the Year award that was announced Friday.
Tomlinson, the Chargers running back who grew up in Waco and played at TCU, and Brees, who grew up in Austin and played at Purdue, have done incredible work in their communities since they came into the league.
Bad departure
Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was asked about former coach Nick Saban's controversial departure from Miami to Alabama for $32 million guaranteed.
"He didn't really face the team," Thomas said. "That's the one thing I really didn't like is that he didn't face the team or face the players.
"But, I mean, it's a business move. You're going to go for security or the family, and that's understandable."
Dilfer still angry
Trent Dilfer, the backup quarterback at San Francisco, is working for the NFL Network at Super Bowl XLI. He won a Super Bowl ring with Baltimore but was unceremoniously dumped by coach Brian Billick.
Dilfer posted an 11-1 record in 2000 after replacing the injured Tony Banks, but Billick went with Elvis Grbac the next season.
"He grossly misunderstood the talent of that football team, myself specifically," Dilfer told the Baltimore Sun. "I totally agree with so many things he did, but to this day, I'm so sad I didn't have the chance to face the challenge of repeating.
"I have absolutely zero desire to talk to Brian Billick."
Dickerson backs Gore
49ers running back Frank Gore, who rushed for a team-record 1,695 yards, said after the season that he's going to reach 2,200, which would break Eric Dickerson's NFL record of 2,105.
"I said the same thing to O.J. ( Simpson)," Dickerson told the San Jose Mercury News.
When Dickerson was taking a recruiting visit to USC before he settled on SMU, he was introduced to Simpson, who set the record of 2,003 yards in 1973 for Buffalo.
"I said, 'I'm from Sealy High School, and I'm going to break your record one day,' "' Dickerson said.
It took Dickerson two seasons to break the record.
Gore said the day after the season that he is going to rush for 2,200 yards.
"I like a guy who feels like that, that he has a chance to break that record," Dickerson said. "I think Frank's that kind of back."
Home in a dome
After kicking outdoors for the Patriots for so many years, when Adam Vinatieri became a free agent after the 2005 season, he turned down more money from Dallas to kick indoors for a Super Bowl contender in Indianapolis. Smart decision.
Vinatieri hasn't missed a field goal in the playoffs. He loves being able to play half of his game indoors.
"That's a beautiful thing, too," he said. "I can't lie. It wasn't the only factor ... but when you measure all the pros and cons with everything, that weighed in there a little bit."
Feb. 3, 2007, 9:25PM
NFL NOTEBOOK
Shrewd moves?
How would you like to be Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera about now? His team plays in Super Bowl XLI against the Colts today. After the game, he'll interview in Dallas for the job vacated by Bill Parcells.
The ideal situation for the Cowboys would be for owner Jerry Jones to hire San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner as his head coach and Rivera as his assistant head coach/defensive coordinator.
Rivera's contract expires, so he'll be a free agent. The Bears' coaches are vastly underpaid. It's going to cost Chicago millions to sign Lovie Smith, the league's lowest-paid coach at $1.3 million a year, to a long-term extension.
Rivera, who is a red-hot head-coaching candidate, might command a salary in the neighborhood of Washington's Gregg Williams and Miami's Dom Capers, both of whom make more than $2.5 million this year.
With Rivera in charge of the defense, the Cowboys would switch back to the 4-3.
T.O. to go?
Word is that Norv Turner, who is the leading candidate to become the next Cowboys coach, doesn't want receiver Terrell Owens if he replaces Bill Parcells.
If the Cowboys dump Owens in March, they'll save about $6.5 million on the salary cap. Surely, they can put that kind of cap space to better use.
Turner isn't known as a strict disciplinarian. If Parcells couldn't keep Owens under control, how could Turner?
Tuna may not be done
Perhaps Bill Parcells will never coach again. At 65, no one could blame him if he just returned to network television. He walked away from $5.3 million this year.
But some NFL followers say to not rule out Parcells finally going to Tampa Bay if Jon Gruden resigns or is fired. When the late Hugh Culverhouse owned the Bucs, he pursued Parcells twice. The Glazer family tried to hire him before they fired Tony Dungy but settled on Gruden, who led them to a Super Bowl victory.
Texas two-step
Former teammates LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees, two proud Texans, shared the Walter Payton Man of the Year award that was announced Friday.
Tomlinson, the Chargers running back who grew up in Waco and played at TCU, and Brees, who grew up in Austin and played at Purdue, have done incredible work in their communities since they came into the league.
Bad departure
Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was asked about former coach Nick Saban's controversial departure from Miami to Alabama for $32 million guaranteed.
"He didn't really face the team," Thomas said. "That's the one thing I really didn't like is that he didn't face the team or face the players.
"But, I mean, it's a business move. You're going to go for security or the family, and that's understandable."
Dilfer still angry
Trent Dilfer, the backup quarterback at San Francisco, is working for the NFL Network at Super Bowl XLI. He won a Super Bowl ring with Baltimore but was unceremoniously dumped by coach Brian Billick.
Dilfer posted an 11-1 record in 2000 after replacing the injured Tony Banks, but Billick went with Elvis Grbac the next season.
"He grossly misunderstood the talent of that football team, myself specifically," Dilfer told the Baltimore Sun. "I totally agree with so many things he did, but to this day, I'm so sad I didn't have the chance to face the challenge of repeating.
"I have absolutely zero desire to talk to Brian Billick."
Dickerson backs Gore
49ers running back Frank Gore, who rushed for a team-record 1,695 yards, said after the season that he's going to reach 2,200, which would break Eric Dickerson's NFL record of 2,105.
"I said the same thing to O.J. ( Simpson)," Dickerson told the San Jose Mercury News.
When Dickerson was taking a recruiting visit to USC before he settled on SMU, he was introduced to Simpson, who set the record of 2,003 yards in 1973 for Buffalo.
"I said, 'I'm from Sealy High School, and I'm going to break your record one day,' "' Dickerson said.
It took Dickerson two seasons to break the record.
Gore said the day after the season that he is going to rush for 2,200 yards.
"I like a guy who feels like that, that he has a chance to break that record," Dickerson said. "I think Frank's that kind of back."
Home in a dome
After kicking outdoors for the Patriots for so many years, when Adam Vinatieri became a free agent after the 2005 season, he turned down more money from Dallas to kick indoors for a Super Bowl contender in Indianapolis. Smart decision.
Vinatieri hasn't missed a field goal in the playoffs. He loves being able to play half of his game indoors.
"That's a beautiful thing, too," he said. "I can't lie. It wasn't the only factor ... but when you measure all the pros and cons with everything, that weighed in there a little bit."
