The news broke earlier this week that the Saints were interested in bringing in Bill Parcells to coach the team next season during Sean Payton’s suspension.  And over the course of the week it’s looking more and more like Parcells is interested and may take the job.

Although the NFL has come out and said that it would not object to the hire, this just doesn’t sit well with me.  The idea of a team that’s supposedly being punished, going out and bringing in a Hall of Fame Coach, just doesn’t make sense.  It kind of takes all the punishment out of losing the coach for a year when you can just bring in Bill Parcells from the bullpen.  If a player were to be suspended for a year the team can’t just bring in a replacement. Not without salary cap consequences anyway.  In most cases a team would be likely to simply cut such player and move on.  It shouldn’t be any less difficult for a team when a coach is suspended.

Another point that was clarified this week was the 8 game suspension of Saints GM Mickey Loomis.  When this punishment handed down I didn’t understand how the punishment of a front office executive who has no on field involvement could be determined by a number of games.  As it turns out, it is literally an 8 game suspension starting after the final pre-season game, which could be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.  This means that Loomis can handle free agency, the draft, and all the final roster decisions before the season starts.  He’s essentially still being allowed to handle all the most important parts of his job.  His suspension for the first games games comes at a time when the GM is likely doing very little of importance anyway.  Is this a punishment or an unpaid vacation?

The final development from earlier in the week is that FOX is interested in hiring Sean Payton as an analyst for the 2012 season while he is suspended.  This, much like the idea of Parcells coaching the Saints for the season, just makes a mockery of the whole concept of punishment.  While the NFL has stated that “His (Payton) involvement in any non-NFL employment or business matters is not our decision”, you would think they’d have a little more to say on the issue.  While the NFL doesn’t have the legal right to stop it from happening, you’d think FOX would try to avoid ticking off the NFL and the Commissioner if they came out and said the league was against it.

Also, I think its just bad business on the part of FOX, who according to Senior VP Lou D’Emerilio feels that “Sean is bright, articulate and obviously contemporary, and any network with NFL rights would have to consider it.” I’m sure Payton would be a good analyst, but he’s being punished by the league for egregious behavior.  He shouldn’t be glamorized on TV, on the NFL’s own broadcasts while being suspended.  I think everyone would agree that it would be in bad taste if FOX were to run highlights of illegal hits, or condone that type of behavior on the field.  By hiring Sean Payton and promoting him on NFL broadcasts, that’s what they might as well be doing.

And on top of that, there would be a potential conflict of interest since Payton, while suspended, is still and employee under contract of the Saints. Analyst have a difficult enough time remaining objective when they’re not also employed by an NFL franchise.

This is just ridiculous. From an ESPN report on their website, on Nike suing Reebok over releasing Tim Tebow Jets apparel just as their deal with the league is about to expire, and Nike will pick up:

According to the lawsuit, new Nike-supplied uniforms for all 32 NFL teams will be unveiled next week in New York City, kicking off a five-year deal for Nike to be the league’s exclusive provider of on-field apparel, including game uniforms and sideline apparel. Reebok had been the supplier for the last decade.

The lawsuit said demands for Tebow-related Jets apparel was intense last week during a normally subdued time for NFL merchandise sales.

It said Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., believes Reebok was shipping large volumes of Tebow-related apparel products to retailers for sale to the public this week, damaging Nike’s ability to capitalize on a “unique and short-lived opportunity.”

Go pound sand, Nike. Reebok still is the official provider of merchandise for the league until their contract runs out. It’s a smart move on their part, and one last way to maximize the revenue associated with their partnership with the NFL.

Those are my two cents. What’s your take?

The NFL made the news official on Tuesday: the 2012 season will open with the Giants hosting the Cowboys in prime time on Sept. 5. It’s a Wednesday match this year, to accomodate the Democratic Convention scheduled for the next day.

We already knew the Giants would be hosting this game. It’s one of the perks of winning the Super Bowl: you get to host the lid-lifter the following season. Dallas is a natural pick here for obvious reasons – a buzzy team and a gigantic rivalry game – but there is one element to this match that surprises me.

With NBC securing this opener, it marks the third straight time the Giants and Cowboys have played on their network rather than the natural spot of FOX (the owner of the NFC). Now FOX understands that some of its better games are going to land on Sunday nights and Monday nights, be it from the original schedule or through the flex system in the second half of the year. But it can’t be thrilled that one of the league’s best matchups is flying the coop yet again.

For my money, it’s a major win for football fans. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are the best announcing tandem in the league, and NBC’s production team is head and shoulders above every else’s. Maybe you have five friends that like Joe Buck, but I sure don’t. And Troy Aikman’s not the most distinguished analyst in the game, either.

We’re just five-and-a-half months away, so get your popcorn ready.

NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell really dropped the hammer on the Saints for “Bounty-Gate”, hitting Head Coach Sean Payton with a one year suspension, GM Mickey Loomis with an 8 game suspension, and suspending former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely. 

SNYWhyGuys colleague Mike Salfino absolutley nailed this one from the start, and I agree that these penalties were warranted, especially after it came out that the Saints were caught lying to the Commissioner when the NFL originally confronted them. I think Goodell has every right to treat those situations like being “under oath” in an NFL context. Otherwise he’d be powerless to police the league. 

That being said, politicians should stop wasting their time and taxpayer resources sticking their nose in the NFL’s business. Even though by all accounts this punishment was severe, the headline sniffing politicians now feel the need to get involved, calling for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on bounties in professional sports.  Illinois Senator Dick Durbin who is the one calling for the hearing even admitted:

“I am encouraged by what the National Football League did. What they came down with as a penalty on the New Orleans Saints was decisive and historic,” Durbin said, adding that he thought the league was “taking this very seriously.”

If that’s the case, why get involved?  And not only are they going to waste our time and money, and the NFL’s time, they are bringing the NBA, MLB, NCAA, and NHL along for the ride too.  I mean hockey I can see, but bounties in non-contact sports like baseball and basketball?  It’s ridiculous, but hey, if its gets some headlines in a few more publications why not. 

The last time sports and politics crossed paths like this was the Congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball back in February of 2008, and we all know what an disaster that turned out to be. All that time and money, and the only thing that came out of those hearings was a perjury charge against Roger Clemens.

I know on the surface it’s hard to feel sorry for Mark Sanchez.  The guy is the QB of the NY Jets, who despite not playing very well, just managed to sign a contract extension guaranteeing him another $21M.  But there’s really no way around it, Sanchez is getting the shaft here.  The Jets signing of Tim Tebow is just the latest chapter in the mess they have made of Mark Sanchez’s career.

The Jets first mistake was making Sanchez the starter in his rookie year.  As talented as Sanchez was, he was young and had only one real season of experience in college.  Depite the team’s success, he was clearly overwhelmed at times, which led the team to try gimmicks like the ridiculous color coded wrist band. They put him in there, and instead of just letting him play and learn, they basically handcuffed him to some stupid color coded play chart. 

From that point until the start of this past season the Jets seemed to do everything in their power to keep the ball out of Sanchez’s hands.  When it finally looked as though the Jets would take the reigns off him in 2011, they Jets panicked at the first hint of a problems.  In the blink of an eye the offense was back to “ground-and-pound” and 7 yard passes. 

Fast forward to 2012 and the circus continues.  The Jets extend Sanchez and guarantee him $21M, solidifying their commitment to him.  But they decide to bring in an offensive coordinator known for running the football, and now they bring in Tim Tebow!!!  And Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan say the move was done to help Mark Sanchez!!!

The idea that having Tebow around is going to help Mark Sanchez, and that they will be harder to prepare for is a joke. What is Tebow’s role going to be?  We keep hearing about these “Tebow packages”, and how much the Jets missed Brad Smith last season.  But Tim Tebow is not Brad Smith.  Smith is a hybrid running back, returner, wide receiver type who can change the pace, and maybe break a big play.  Tebow is a big bruising runner who grinds it out.  More importantly though Tebow is a quarterback.  When Brad Smith came in the game it was a gimmick. No matter how well he did, he was never a threat to the quarterback job. 

Tebow on the other hand will be a threat.  (more…)

According to this Associated Press report running on Sports Illustrated:

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the New York Jets’ plans says the team is trying to trade quarterback Drew Stanton.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team hasn’t announced its plans.

It all comes down to Tebow, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter):

@AdamSchefter Tim Tebow is being allowed to pick the team he wants to go to. He picks the trade. Jets or Jacksonville.

This seems too obvious, as Tebow is originally from the Jacksonville area. It could be a blessing in disguise for the Jets, as they would only be using Tebow as a backup and gimmick player.

I keep hearing all this chatter about Tebow being the guy that will come in and fix the fractured locker room, but I think that’s nothing but a bunch of nonsense. The Broncos had a group of unheralded guys on offense that rallied around Tebow; the perfect storm, if you will. The Jets have an egomaniac in Santonio Holmes, and a high priced incumbent quarterback in Mark Sanchez already in place and butting heads, and adding Tebow to the mix could make things even more toxic. Sure, he’s a popular guy among his teammates, but asking him to step into the current Jets situation and be the guy who brings everyone together (in a backup capacity, no less) simply isn’t fair to him.

Jacksonville is a rebuilding squad with low expectations. Tebow could continue to develop as a quarterback, and maybe eventually turn into an adequate signal caller in the NFL. He’s a nice story, and finding success in his hometown would be a perfect next chapter in what has already been an interesting football career.

 UPDATE: Just as I post this, the Jets finalize the deal for Tebow. Schefter breaks the news:

@AdamSchefter

Denver is trading Tebow to Jets. More now on ESPN.

I could have been NFL commissioner with this one:

But this isn’t severe. And this is a death penalty case, let’s be honest. My suggestion:

–Saints head coach Sean Payton suspended for one year from coaching.

–Former Saints defensive coordinator and current Rams defensive coordinator Greg Williams permanently banned from ever coaching again in the NFL (he could still coach in college, so that’s not as terrible as it sounds).

Let’s just call Jets owner Robert Woody Johnson “Sideshow Bob.” The Jets have the model for winning a Super Bowl right in front of their face in their own backyard. But rather than developing their young quarterback with a new offensive coordinator, Johnson, Mike “I chase shiny things” Tannenbaum and, yes, even Rex Ryan, who I once loved as a coach and still respect as a defensive mind, have created what will become the greatest distraction in the history of team sports.

Tim Tebow is a celebrity, the biggest one on the team. Your backup quarterback cannot be the team’s biggest celebrity. He’s being plopped down in Gotham City of all places in the middle of a presidential campaign season that will be focused largely on social/religious wedge issues. All this distraction for a guy who on the open market was only worth a fourth-round pick and who is slated to do what? Play on the goal line (Jets were one of the best red zone teams ever, by the way) and in short yardage? Or in the gimmicky “wildcat/read option” offense that has already been solved by most NFL defensive coordinators and that never even translated into meaningful victories for new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano (when in Miami)?

I stipulate that both Sparano and Rex Ryan know more about football than I ever will. But I will not stipulate that my football knowledge is surpassed by Tannenbaum, who is not even a football man as he made his NFL bones lawyering the salary cap before the Peter Principle kicked in.

But I definitely know more about public relations than all of them put together given my long career in the field. It’s sheer lunacy to risk this kind of disruption with your team and with your developing quarterback given the very limited upside if everything with Tebow works out as you plan. This is organizational malpractice. The Tebow Army is going to be screaming for him, as will regular old Jets fans the first time things go badly for Sanchez (which I guarantee they will).  And for many of his believers, it’s a matter of good versus evil where religion gets conflated with football analysis that has nothing to do with religion. Football has nothing to do with religion, either.

John Elway — IN DENVER where he won two Super Bowls — couldn’t withstand this firestorm. Even after getting Peyton Manning, many Broncos/Tebow fans were STILL clamoring for Tebow to be the Broncos quarterback. So Rex Ryan and Tannenbaum and by extension the entire Jets organization have no chance. They’ve set the fuse that at a minimum threatens to rip their season apart at the seams. Why?

More later.

The free agent season for the NFL is a little like prom season from high school. Singles scrambling for dates, breakups and reconciliations, one long game of musical chairs.

The Jets have been in on the shuffle this winter. First came the Peyton Manning story, and then came the Mark Sanchez extension. With that, it looked like the Jets were set for the dance; no need to entertain further options.

But wait, the story isn’t over yet. Now Tim Tebow is on the market (courtesy of the Manning move to Denver), and according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets are “players” in the Tebow chase.

Say it isn’t so. This would be a terrible decision on so many fronts.

First and foremost, the Jets need to figure out in the next year or two if Sanchez is truly a franchise QB. That means putting him in the best situation to succeed – a modern offense, good skill players, and all the attention in practice. Wasting valuable reps on a secondary offense would be a grave error.

Secondly, when you add Tebow to your roster, you’re essentially inviting the circus into your town. The backup quarterback is the most popular player in so many cities, and that goes 100 times for Tebow, a hard worker and devout Christian who has scores of backers in his corner, no matter what. All of this would be fine if Tebow had shown any signs of being a capable NFL QB, throwing from the pocket, but we haven’t seen that yet.

Think long and hard before you get into this, Jets. You don’t want to mess with Sanchez’s development, or his confidence. You don’t want a never-ending debate in the clubhouse and in the tabloids; some fans will be calling for Tebow after the first incomplete pass Sanchez throws on any given Sunday. The Tebow story had a happy ending for the Broncos in 2011 – playoff berth, and the upset over Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round – but there was plenty of chaos before it got to that point. Ask Kyle Orton, ask John Fox, ask John Elway . . . the Broncos know all about the Tebow carnival, and how it can distract a team when he’s not starting.

The commitment to Sanchez has been made, and it was the right move. Don’t throw bad money after good, New York. Don’t fragment your offense and your practice time. It’s time to dance with the one you asked.