| Wednesday, January 19
By Chris Mortensen
Special to ESPN.com |
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Random thoughts and notes ...
|  | | Jeff Fisher's Titans have emerged as a legitimate Super Bowl threat. |
While it might be true the AFC East, from top to bottom, was the NFL's toughest division this season, it's pretty apparent the AFC Central was better at the top. That's how you explain a Jacksonville-Tennessee matchup in the AFC title game Sunday. The fact that the Titans have two victories over the Jaguars and one over the Rams means nobody should be surprised if Jeff Fisher's crew is playing in the Super Bowl next week.
There shouldn't be any surprises, either, about Jacksonville's strategy for the Titans. As the Jaguars did against Miami, they will come out firing, hoping to run up a quick 10-0 lead to force Tennessee into playing catch-up. But protecting quarterback Mark Brunell as flawlessly as they did against the Dolphins won't be as easy against this very physical opponent.
Tennessee outmuscled Indianapolis, just as Jim Mora's coaching staff feared. Two weeks ago, one key member of the Colts front office staff said, "The worst possible matchup in the playoffs for us would be Tennessee." By the way, running back Edgerrin James had a splendid rookie season, but he made four mental mistakes in the first five plays of the Tennessee game and looked shaky throughout the day.
It was pretty clear late Saturday afternoon that Green Bay Packers GM Ron Wolf had just completed a terrific interview with Mike Sherman. In fact, when I suggested he sounded almost the same as when he first interviewed Mike Holmgren back in '92, Wolf said, "Yep." Next to Sherman's name, I wrote, "Real sleeper. Could get it if Marty (Schottenheimer) falls through."
More notes from that conversation with Wolf about Sherman: "Mike (Holmgren) let him run practices, even moreso than he's done with others (he means Sherman Lewis) because Mike plays more GM than head coach during the week. This guy (Sherman) stays on top of things, he's organized ... he's a kick-butt guy."
Dan Marino might be washed up -- he certainly isn't what he used to be -- but try convincing Marino that he couldn't do what Kurt Warner has done with the St. Louis Rams offense. One pro personnel man who watched Warner's five-touchdown performance against the Vikings said, "Not one of those throws he made required an extraordinary arm. Warner is accurate and he's decisive. That scheme is great for him but, sure, with that kind of talent and Marino's skills, you'd see the same results and Marino would be the league MVP."
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz's commitment to the Rams probably has knocked Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for a loop. Dave Wannstedt would have been a candidate, too, to succeed Chan Gailey in Dallas. Jones is going to have to do one of the following: 1.) Name himself coach and bring back ex-QB coach Jack Reilly to run the offense; 2.) Open up his wallet and pay the big bucks to land a proven man who would be reluctant to fall into what appears to be a trap; 3.) Promote either defensive coordinator Dave Campo, special teams coach Joe Avezzano or offensive line coach Hudson Houck.
Jones also stirred things up at Tuesday's NFL meetings as he continues to spearhead an effort to "take back our league." Some owners -- not just Jones -- are agitated about a deferred compensation package that has generously rewarded commissioner Paul Tagliabue and other league employees. There could be some modifications in league business practices, but Tagliabue has a consensus of support. However, it was noted that, "Jerry Jones is trying to become Bud Selig, an owner-commissioner."
When the New York Giants crushed the Jets and beat the Buffalo Bills in back-to-back December games, it looked like coach Jim Fassel was headed for a two- or three-year contract extension with a big raise. The Giants' subsequent three-game collapse and fans' disapproval have reduced those negotiations to a one-year extension with a modest raise (from $850,000 to $1.1 million). Fassel is said to be sorely disappointed.
Charley Casserly's imminent hiring as the director of football operations for the new Houston expansion franchise paves the way for a New Orleans scenario in which ex-Steelers personnel director Tom Donohoe could team up with Jaguars defensive coordinator Dom Capers as a GM-coach tandem. Then again, new Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt is really pushing for Donohoe to become personnel director in Miami. And if Bill Parcells doesn't come back to coach for the Jets -- his return his highly doubtful -- new owner Woody Johnson has indicated he would broaden the search. Donohoe could be a real candidate in New York as a football operations leader. Let's face it: Parcells surely does not want a full-time load to oversee things for his recommended successor, linebacker coach Al Groh.
Now if Johnson were able to get a No. 1 pick in compensation for Bill Belichick going to New England, he could turn around and use that to lure ex-Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer, who I think could be persuaded with the right money and job description (coach-GM). The Chiefs would have taken a first- and fourth-round pick from Green Bay for Schottenheimer, although they have indicated the price could be steeper for an AFC team.
Here's another idea (I'm full of them) on New Orleans: Former Bears and Colts GM Bill Tobin would give the Saints a strong front-office presence -- remember, he was a Jim Finks disciple. Also remember, it was Tobin who drafted Marshall Faulk, Marvin Harrison and Ken Dilger, among others, for the Colts.
Classy Colts owner Jim Irsay shared the wealth this year. He bought Jim Mora an $80,000 BMW for the coach's 100th win, and he gave DVD players to all players and coaches, while everyone else in the organization were given "generous monetary bonuses," according to a front-office source.
Ex-Cowboys coach Chan Gailey might be a candidate for the Saints' coaching job, too. His area of expertise is working with young quarterbacks -- it's time for the Saints to develop one -- and running the tailback-oriented offense, such as he did with Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh and Emmitt Smith in Dallas. Ricky Williams would surely realize his potential in Gailey's offense.
When I asked Colts president Bill Polian about his critiera for selecting a head coach, he immediately answered, "Leadership, leadership, leadership." On that premise, I'm going to throw out a few names I think should be considered strongly for openings around the NFL this postseason: Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, Cardinals defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis, Giants defensive coordinator John Fox and Redskins' passing-game coordinator Terry Robiskie, whom I think everyone is missing the boat on.
My NFL Executive of the Year ballot (I don't have one) would probably look like this: 1. Polian; 2. John Shaw, Rams; 3. Charley Casserly, ex-Redskins; 4. Floyd Reese, Titans.
After watching Jevon Kearse on film and in person, CBS analyst Phil Simms, the former NY Giants quarterback, believes that Kearse is "the best defensive player to come into this league since Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White." More Simms on Tennessee: "They're the most exciting boring team I've ever watched."
As good as Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp is, you'd get a pretty fair argument from Tampa Bay insiders that outside linebacker Derrick Brooks is their best defensive player. Bottom line: The Bucs have three true All-Pro defenders in Brooks, Sapp and safety John Lynch.
One of the first things Bucs coach Tony Dungy did Monday was break out film of Tennessee's 24-21 victory over St. Louis because the Titans "are probably the team we resemble most." The problem is that a team must be able to exploit the Rams' vulnerable secondary to beat them at home, and the Bucs just don't have the firepower with rookie QB Shaun King and some pretty average receivers. The Bucs defense will have to deliver some early scores, which is what Tennessee did before hanging on for dear life against the Rams. And, remember, that game was in Tennessee, not St. Louis.
Falcons coach Dan Reeves echoed what many coaches have said about the Rams on turf: "There's just no way to prepare for their speed -- an abundance of speed." I guess the Bucs could always use Jacquez Green and Warrick Dunn on their scout team this week, but even then they'd have to clone those guys to duplicate what the Rams put on display: fast-break football.
In another postseason of coaching surprises, we do need to pay attention to Atlanta and Reeves, who is on vacation this week discussing his future with his wife, Pam. Shortly after the regular season ended, Reeves said he was "pretty sure" he would return as coach, but that he would first discuss it with Pam in a couple of weeks. I joked, "What's the matter, her appointment book full?" Dan said he felt "the two needed some time to get away to discuss this," which suggests that retirement is a real option.
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War Room preview: Titans at Jaguars
