Growing up, the best part about Thanksgiving wasn't the turkey, stuffing, or mashed potatoes. It wasn't the break from school for two and a half days. It was always sitting with family and watching NFL football.
People across the nation were treated to annual games at Detroit and Dallas, two teams that were always relevant throughout my childhood. They were able to see stars like Aikman, Irvin, Deion, Emmitt, and Barry Sanders carve up other teams and entertain like no others could.
But when you turn on the television tomorrow, you won't see those teams. You won't be wowed like you once were. Instead, you will have the opportunity of watching two games where the spread is over 11, and the third game isn't appealing, if you can even watch it.
Fact is, Thanksgiving football has become a sideshow, at best. The games have been toothless for years, and we haven't seen a legitimately interesting game since Barry retired.
Detroit has been irrelevant since that time, losing six of the last seven Thanksgiving games while not sporting a winning record over that span. They have been consistently blown out, losing their last four by an average of 13 points, and last year would have been worse if not for a few garbage time touchdowns. This year doesn't look any better, as the 0-11 Lions host the 10-1 Titans.
Throughout their history, Detroit has been average on the holiday, going 33-33-2. But Sanders was vital to their success. The three years previous to Sanders joining the Lions, the Lions were 0-3. With Sanders, they went 7-3. After tomorrow, their record over the ten years since his retirement will be the exact opposite.
Dallas hasn't been much better. The organization hasn't won a playoff game since 1996, and has a 91-94 record overall in that span. Fans have been treated to quarterback performances by Mike Quinn, Randall Cunningham, Anthony Wright, Clint Stoerner, Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson, and Drew Bledsoe, all of which were either past their primes or never relevant in the NFL.
Clearly, the draw for Thanksgiving games has not been there since the heydeys of the 1990s for these two teams. But the NFL tried to jump-start the nostalgic tradition by adding a third game in 2006, but the games have been shown on NFL Network, which many people still do not have in their homes. Not that the match-ups have been desirable (Broncos-Chiefs in 2006, Colts-Falcons in 2007, and Eagles-Cardinals in 2008).
The sad part about this Thanksgiving is that the games all feature one team which is unbearable to watch. Dallas gets the Seahawks, who would be completely irrelevant if it wasn't Mike Holmgren's final season. We all know how bad Detroit is, but it will be compelling to see if they can run the table in reverse, looking terrible the entire way. And of course, there is the night game, which involves an Eagles team who has a lame-duck quarterback and a head coach who lost his team three years ago.
So as you sit down tomorrow after stuffing yourself with good food and you contemplate whether to turn on the games, take a nap instead. You will thank me later.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Russell Struggling, But Don't Blame Him
Jamarcus Russell was the conventional choice for the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft. NFL fans, draft pundits, and the so-called experts all agreed that the Raiders needed change, and no better place to initiate change than with your on-field general.
Rumors are then-new head coach Lane Kiffin objected, saying he didn’t want to draft Russell. However, owner Al Davis overrode his objection, taking Russell anyway. What looked to be a perfect fit quickly became a troublesome situation for the organization.
Russell sat out summer workouts, training camp, and all of preseason in a contract holdout. While it was certainly in Russell’s best interest to practice with the team, it would have behooved the Raiders to do anything possible to get their prized quarterback into camp.
Fact is, Davis didn’t do enough as an owner to put his team in the best possible position for 2007 and 2008. The holdout not only had Russell catching up all of 2007, but it made 2008 his rookie season. Some of this is Russell’s fault, of course. However, let’s not allow Davis to get off the hook.
But the real crimp in Russell’s progress was the unjust firing of Kiffin. While writers and others have piled on Russell for his poor play, let’s take a step back and look at the big picture.
When Kiffin was fired, Russell expressed his disappointment by the decision. He and Kiffin had developed a working relationship, and Russell defended the job Kiffin had done with him and the entire team.
The two worked together during the offseason, throughout training camp, and spoke off the field. The relationship between coach and quarterback, always an important ingredient for a team’s success, was heading in the right direction. Kiffin was a quarterback guy, an offensive guru, and a success everywhere he went. And he was finding success in Oakland, especially with his quarterback.
Perception is a funny thing. People look at a head coach and judge success by wins and losses. By those standards, Kiffin was a failure with the silver and black. A 5-15 record isn’t something you write home about, but it’s the other numbers which show why Russell was on his way to becoming a star.
Let’s throw out Russell’s abbreviated “rookie” season. Russell was the unquestioned starter in Oakland coming into the 2008 season. In his first four games, the only four coached by Kiffin, Russell was making remarkable progress as an NFL quarterback.
In those games, Russell managed to have a quarterback rating of 80 or higher three times. His total quarterback rating was a solid 84.9, which would place him 19th in the NFL, right behind Matt Ryan. Russell was completing 54.5% of his passes, with four touchdowns to only one interception.
The numbers were solid, if unspectacular, and would certainly project to a decent NFL season. He wasn’t making the Pro Bowl, but I imagine Raider Nation would have been happy with a 16 touchdown, four interception season from a first-year starter.
However, Davis fired Kiffin, and the story of Russell’s season changed drastically. Since, he has thrown for fewer yards (621 to 668) on more attempts (117 to 99) while completing fewer passes (51 to 54). Oh yeah, he has also thrown fewer touchdowns (2 to 4) and more interceptions (3 to 1). Naturally, his quarterback rating in those games is a paltry 55.5, has risen above 67 only once, and it has gone down in each of the last three weeks.
Clearly, coach Tom Cable, an offensive line coach before being named head coach, hasn’t developed the rapport with Russell that Kiffin did. Is that Russell’s fault? Absolutely not.
Davis not only hit the reset button with his coaching staff, but he has set his prized quarterback back at the beginning, expecting him to perform miracles. At the rate Cable is going, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another person lead the Raiders starting next season.
To say the least, it will once again put Russell in a difficult spot. Let’s stop thinking Russell is a flop, and if the Raiders give him a chance to succeed, we just may see the promise that made him the (disputed) number one pick just 19 months ago.
Rumors are then-new head coach Lane Kiffin objected, saying he didn’t want to draft Russell. However, owner Al Davis overrode his objection, taking Russell anyway. What looked to be a perfect fit quickly became a troublesome situation for the organization.
Russell sat out summer workouts, training camp, and all of preseason in a contract holdout. While it was certainly in Russell’s best interest to practice with the team, it would have behooved the Raiders to do anything possible to get their prized quarterback into camp.
Fact is, Davis didn’t do enough as an owner to put his team in the best possible position for 2007 and 2008. The holdout not only had Russell catching up all of 2007, but it made 2008 his rookie season. Some of this is Russell’s fault, of course. However, let’s not allow Davis to get off the hook.
But the real crimp in Russell’s progress was the unjust firing of Kiffin. While writers and others have piled on Russell for his poor play, let’s take a step back and look at the big picture.
When Kiffin was fired, Russell expressed his disappointment by the decision. He and Kiffin had developed a working relationship, and Russell defended the job Kiffin had done with him and the entire team.
The two worked together during the offseason, throughout training camp, and spoke off the field. The relationship between coach and quarterback, always an important ingredient for a team’s success, was heading in the right direction. Kiffin was a quarterback guy, an offensive guru, and a success everywhere he went. And he was finding success in Oakland, especially with his quarterback.
Perception is a funny thing. People look at a head coach and judge success by wins and losses. By those standards, Kiffin was a failure with the silver and black. A 5-15 record isn’t something you write home about, but it’s the other numbers which show why Russell was on his way to becoming a star.
Let’s throw out Russell’s abbreviated “rookie” season. Russell was the unquestioned starter in Oakland coming into the 2008 season. In his first four games, the only four coached by Kiffin, Russell was making remarkable progress as an NFL quarterback.
In those games, Russell managed to have a quarterback rating of 80 or higher three times. His total quarterback rating was a solid 84.9, which would place him 19th in the NFL, right behind Matt Ryan. Russell was completing 54.5% of his passes, with four touchdowns to only one interception.
The numbers were solid, if unspectacular, and would certainly project to a decent NFL season. He wasn’t making the Pro Bowl, but I imagine Raider Nation would have been happy with a 16 touchdown, four interception season from a first-year starter.
However, Davis fired Kiffin, and the story of Russell’s season changed drastically. Since, he has thrown for fewer yards (621 to 668) on more attempts (117 to 99) while completing fewer passes (51 to 54). Oh yeah, he has also thrown fewer touchdowns (2 to 4) and more interceptions (3 to 1). Naturally, his quarterback rating in those games is a paltry 55.5, has risen above 67 only once, and it has gone down in each of the last three weeks.
Clearly, coach Tom Cable, an offensive line coach before being named head coach, hasn’t developed the rapport with Russell that Kiffin did. Is that Russell’s fault? Absolutely not.
Davis not only hit the reset button with his coaching staff, but he has set his prized quarterback back at the beginning, expecting him to perform miracles. At the rate Cable is going, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another person lead the Raiders starting next season.
To say the least, it will once again put Russell in a difficult spot. Let’s stop thinking Russell is a flop, and if the Raiders give him a chance to succeed, we just may see the promise that made him the (disputed) number one pick just 19 months ago.
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