NFL 2010

[badams]

Booche...

Lets get drunk and watch some sort of sporting event.

[TheSloth]

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce the next quarterback of the Washington Redskins....

Watch, Snyder will dump 10 million on him.

[Booche]

Make It So Dan is Washington's Just Win Baby.

Anyways, further to what I was saying yesterday. It's one big GFY shoutout to the Punk.

Since when did “Just Win Baby†become “Just Win Enough to Not Make Us Embarrassing�

The uproar over Tom Cable getting fired is predictable. The organization has been a national laughingstock for the better part of a decade. Suddenly, an 8-8 performance in 2010 and Tom Cable is a genius. But what exactly did Tom Cable do better in 2010 versus 2009? Well, for one he had better players to work with and those players on offense were strategically coached by Hue Jackson. So, who really deserves the credit?

When Jackson was brought on last year, everyone in the Bay Area saw the writing on the wall unless Cable’s guys could get to the playoffs. They didn’t. They didn’t because the Raiders could not beat the brutally bad NFC West. The Cardinals and 49ers took turns beating Oakland and they combined for 11 wins this year. If the Raiders win those games, they are in the playoffs. They didn’t. If your team is playoff caliber and is coached well enough, you don’t lose to those two teams. I know it’s completely unfair to point to two games and say that’s where the season was lost. Sure, reliable Sebastian Janikowski missed the game-winning field goal against Arizona. A well-coached team shouldn’t be in that position.

Tom Cable isn’t the man to take the Raiders to the next level. He’s a solid football man and obviously he’s loved by his players. But even listening to Shane Lechler blister the decision to let Cable go, it sounded more like he was tired of the turnover at the head spot. It didn’t altogether sound like he was saying Tom Cable was the guy to take us to the playoffs. He is tired of losing, I get that. But 8-8 is NOT winning. It’s just not LOSING. “Just Win Baby†isn’t a mantra that treads water.

Al Davis isn’t getting any younger. At 81, he knows this thing needs to hit an upswing soon so he can build another winner. If everyone is okay with 8-8, then there’s a major issue with the big picture. Years of losing and being a punchline can take a toll on the fan base. But Al Davis wasn’t okay with mediocrity and so the “search†for a new coach is underway. I’d be beyond shocked if Hue Jackson isn’t the choice as would almost everyone else. Jackson’s time has come to be the lead dog to see what he can do with full command. The offense in recent years looked lost, mostly because of JaMarcus Russell. But Jackson turned around the attitude of this team and made smash-mouth football an almost every week occurrence.

Hue Jackson seems to have the respect of the players on the team. Both Jacoby Ford and Quentin Groves were in the Comcast SportsNet studios on Tuesday and spoke highly of Jackson. Kate Longworth caught up with Bruce Gradkowski, perceived to be a “Cable Guy†and even he acknowledged what Jackson brought to the team: Spark, Energy & Fire. That tells me all I need to know. Tom Cable was calling the plays before Jackson came along, so saying that Hue brought spark, energy and fire is an indictment on Cable. If Cable stopped running the offense and the team could still only manage 8-8, maybe Cable wasn’t the leader everyone is pumping him up to be.

At the end of the day, Al Davis has the only hammer that matters. Al Davis wanted this team back in the playoffs. By not bringing back Tom Cable, he thinks Cable was the reason they are watching football this weekend rather than playing. Al Davis is probably right. After all “Just Win Baby†means winning a title, not winning 8 games to break even. While most people don’t agree with most of the decisions that come out of the Raiders offices, surely everyone can agree mediocrity is not acceptable.

[TheSloth]

Al Davis is only 81?

[Booche]

I'm hoping for at least another 20 years of Al. You guys will realize his genius someday, probably when it's too late but whatever.

[Northern Wish]

That is awesome!

[TheSloth]

Wow, Carolina just can't catch a break.

I'm torn, on one hand the Redskins are still in the running for Luck because I expect they'll be terrible next year as well but I was kind of hoping they'd draft Mallett this year but his stock just went up with Luck's announcement.

[Whitey]

Good for him staying in school, when he can make all that money and his stock is as high as it is. I am betting that his coach will not be around by the start of next season.

[TheSloth]

That's why I was a little surprised, does he really want to do his senior (or is it junior) year under a new coach and risk dropping from the number one pick. Toss in the fact one of the major points of the new CBA will be rookie salaries thus making this the draft to really get paid in. At least for the first 6 or so selections.

[Schwa.]

Is he avoiding the lockout?

[TheSloth]

I don't know, there's a bunch of speculation, some think he's just avoiding Carolina which really is a disaster and will be for a while. He’s actually pounding out a fairly legit degree, Architectural Design, and maybe he wants to stay focused. He'll definitely be a candidate for the Heisman again but he can't possibly increase his stock anymore. Maybe he just loves college ball.

[Whitey]

It sounds like the CBA is going to get worked out. There is too much money to be made to cancel a season.

As for the rookie salary cap, that has to be a huge concern. This extra year is going to cost him millions and as you said Sloth, his stock can't get any higher than it is already now.

And, I agree, he is doing a legit degree and I read an article yesterday in which he said he was going to be graduating in the spring.

Good on him, but I would have gone for the money.

[Northern Wish]

Good for him, but bad for his Dad for attempting to make everyone else who declares early look like a bit of a douchebag:

"Call him old school," Oliver Luck said. "He comes from a faction of people who believe you go to college to pursue your degree."

How fucking smart and organized do you have to be to not only be the starting QB for your school, but also in Architecture?!!

I think the Bills deserve him. Maybe he can join forces with the brainpower of Ryan Fitzpatrick and they can figure out a way to keep the Bills in Buffalo or even the NFL.

Or we could just select another RB.......

[TheSloth]

How fucking smart and organized do you have to be to not only be the starting QB for your school, but also in Architecture?!!

At Stanford no less. He's probably unbearable.

[Whitey]

Just when things looked as though they were turning around...

[Booche]

Dont fucking remind me. Good lord. I am still feeling sick to my stomach. My Sunday was ruined by not only that but also my brother's post in the Skating On The Canal thread, which was probably the gayest thing I have ever read on the internet. After MTL's comeback one would assume I was going to have a true Happy Sunday.

Nope.

[Whitey]

My Sunday was ruined by not only that but also my brother's post in the Skating On The Canal thread, which was probably the gayest thing I have ever read on the internet.

Fucking funny, that is.

[PassedOutGuy]

that was tha post i was waiting for. beauty.

[ollie]

From Jim Irsay's awesome twitter feed:

The 1rst person who can tweet me a picture of Syd Barrett walking out of a laundry mat in England in the early '90s,$300 and 2 Colts hats!

[Booche]

I love you Al.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis rarely talks to the media anymore.

So when Davis got the chance at a news conference announcing the hiring of Hue Jackson as his new head coach on Tuesday, he took the opportunity to address a number of issues.

Davis spent a larger portion of a more than 100-minute news conference explaining why he fined former coach Tom Cable $120,000 in the final year of his contract. Davis says he withheld the money from Cable's last six checks because of the strain on the organization from lawsuits involving Cable assaulting a former assistant coach and a former girlfriend.

The suit by former assistant Randy Hanson was kicked out of court and sent to an NFL arbitrator. Davis said that Cable recently settled the suit with former girlfriend Marie Lutz.

"That lawsuit created a tremendous amount of work, stress and turmoil," Davis said. "Tom had been told earlier in his career that he could have been fired without pay for the wrath he brought on the Raider organization."

Cable's agent did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment. Cable has filed a grievance with the NFL to recover the lost wages.

Davis said Cable lied to him when asked if there were any issues in his past that could affect the Raiders. He was also angered by one aspect of Lutz's lawsuit that said Cable brought her on road trips with the team, saying it goes against his way of living and the Raider way.

He said that even though Cable was accused of breaking Hanson's jaw in August 2009, accused of assaulting three women later that year and sued by Lutz last June, he kept him on to coach the 2010 season.

"We had been in turmoil for about a year or two after the initial stuff came out and so I just didn't think we needed another uproar at this particular time," Davis said. "Two roads. You can choose Road A or Road B, either way."

Cable has acknowledged striking his first wife, Sandy Cable, with an open hand. He said the altercation happened more than 20 years ago and was the only time he's ever touched a woman inappropriately. Because that happened before Cable joined the NFL, he was not punished by the league.

Davis said he still does not know what happened in the hotel room at training camp when Hanson had his jaw broken. Hanson accused Cable of throwing him against the wall, causing the left side of Hanson's face to strike a table, then hit Hanson while he was on the floor. Hanson was treated for a fractured jaw and broken teeth. Hanson said Cable was restrained by assistants John Marshall, Willie Brown and Lionel Washington.

Davis said he didn't want to get into the middle of the dispute.

"Can't get the story," Davis said. "You know, it's like Gitmo. Trying to find out, did they waterboard those guys or not? No, really. It's hard to believe. How many guys went in? Four guys went into the room with a guy, the guys comes out with a broken jaw and no one saw it."

On other topics in Davis' first news conference in more than 16 months:

- Davis took some blame for the Raiders struggles the past eight years when they have failed to post a winning record. "I have made mistakes. Yes, there's no question about it, and you got to have great players. But you also, sometimes, have the players and don't get it done. So, you're saying, should I take some of the blame? I certainly do."

- He said the team was hurt by the failures of former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, who was cut last May after being paid more than $39 million for three ineffective seasons. "We had a big investment in this guy. Basically, he's a good person but he's got personal problems, and I decided that it was time that we were not going to fight it anymore."

- He said he was not pleased with Cable's proclamation that "we're not losers anymore" after the Raiders won the season finale to finish 8-8. "If that's not being a loser in our world, I don't know what it is, come in .500. That's never been my goal."

- He explained why he still believes in receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who caught just 37 passes in his first two seasons. "Explosion. He can catch, he's getting better and he's a good guy. He's going to be good."

- He said he wouldn't know whether Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha would be brought back after the final year of his contract voided, but hinted the Raiders would have cut him instead of picking up an option that was set to be worth at least $16.8 million. "Can that $17 million bring you two or three quality players to help you win?"

- He also said he was not surprised he won a grievance hearing against former coach Lane Kiffin, who was seeking more than $300,000, after being fired for cause in September 2008. "I beat him because he lied. He's a liar. He lied to you guys."

- He said the team needed a new stadium - preferably at the same site as the current home - and was hurt by low revenues. The Raiders sold out only one game this season but Davis hopes a new labor deal will help Oakland's cause. "We don't have the resources that other teams have, but, but, I think we've shown that we can compete. It's a question now of winning, and doing better than them. But it depends on what happens in the collective bargaining agreement."

- He would not give an opinion on a proposed 18-game season that commissioner Roger Goodell wants in the new collective bargaining agreement, but said the talk of increased injuries was overplayed. "There's no question that the ownership wants it, and Roger seems to have a way of getting things done if he wants it. So I'd rather not say what I think but I think the business of injury is overplayed."

- He said he wasn't worried about recent criticisms from Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler, who was upset the team let Cable go, pointing out that Lechler talked about leaving as a free agent after the 2008 season. "Shane said publicly he wasn't coming back, he didn't like it here. A month later, he was coming back because I gave him the highest paid contract of a specialist in pro football. No, these things happen, that's a part of our lives, I read about marriage breakups, all those things."

[ollie]

Holy shit!

[Whitey]

Al makes a lot of great points in that press conference. He sounds a lot more sane than I expected.

Cable sounds like a idiot, too. And as for Kiffin, he is a douche. When he was first fired, I thought it was Davis' fault, but each stop since, he has had problems.

One things I can't get over is how rough Al is looking.

[peipunk]

Wow, that certainly did make a lot more sense than I expected.

[Booche]

He's a better man than me.

- He explained why he still believes in receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who caught just 37 passes in his first two seasons. "Explosion. He can catch, he's getting better and he's a good guy. He's going to be good."

[peipunk]