Swampland:SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fourteen)

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fourteen)

Posted: Dec 08, 2007

SPF has looked at the coach/QB relationship. Now, it's time to look at the owner/coach relationship. When this relationship is good, everything clicks for the fans. The fans want to see the coach as an extension of the owner, an extension that helps build a bridge between the owner's desire to win and the players ability to make that happen.

Here's last week's "Team Identity" Poll:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Tampa Bay Bucs
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Miami Dolphins
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Houston Texans
11. St Louis Rams
12. Carolina Panthers
13. Washington Redskins

Now, here's this weeks:

1. Dallas Cowboys - As they hit the stretch run, Randy Galloway believes the Cowboys are ready. In the recent past, the Cowboys have struggled in December. All signs point otherwise.

We've said it before - Wade Phillips is to Jerry Jones what Joe Torre was to George Steinbrenner during their heyday. It's a perfect fit of big ego owner with little ego coach.

2. Indianapolis Colts - The Colts did what they usually do - they beat their AFC South foes. This team hasn't lost a meaningful division game in years.

As the injury bug that sent this team into a momentary downturn improves, expect them to ramp up towards the post season.

Jim Irsay has a seamless organization. Dungy will be his coach as long as he wants to stay.

3. Tampa Bay Bucs - Besides his Super Bowl win, Sunday's win against the Saints in New Orleans might have been Jon Gruden's most significant win as the Bucs' coach. First, they didn't need to win which is always a danger sign. Their lead on the Saints virtually assured the Bucs winning the NFC South. However, a win puts the Bucs into the top echelon of the NFC playoff seedings.

Second, it was a road game. Third, Gruden was starting a non-veteran started in Luke McCown, another QB in a long line that Gruden talks up in the pre-season but never seems to play.

After everyone, including SPF, assumed that the Bucs couldn't win without Jeff Garcia under center, they went out and won without him.

The Glazers are very good owners. They, like the rest of Buc Nation, have been waiting to see Gruden deliver the goods. I think they will be happy to keep him around.

4. Tennessee Titans - The Titans only moved down a notch because the Bucs made a larger leap. This doesn't take away from the Titans own impressive win. In beating the Texans, the Titans re-emphasized the distance between these two franchises that represent Houston's NFL history.

The reason SPF loves Jeff Fisher is that he always seems to find something to improve when things are seemingly going downhill. During the Titans 3 game skid that they just snapped, Fisher took this opportunity to get Vince Young more comfortable as a passer. Now that they have a much needed win under their belts, Young looks poised to have another strong finish.

Fisher is great because his demeanor and coaching gives cover to everyone from owner to QB. His stability as their coach makes it easy for even the mercurial Bud Adams to seem reasonable. That's no easy feat.

5. New Orleans Saints - Tom Benson is crazy. At any point, he is ready to back up the moving trucks to take the Saints to "greener" pastures. Unfortunately for him, the NFL won't let him leave.

Since that is the case, Sean Payton is the perfect coach. At times, he looks like an up and coming star. Other times, he looks like a lost puppy. Either way, his coaching has frustrated the Saints' faithful fans this season.

Is Payton the long term answer? Either way, Benson wins (even if the fans are left to suffer).

6. Carolina Panthers - Scott Fowler is wondering what took John Fox so long to open up the playbook. Reading this article make you wonder if the upper echelon of the Panthers isn't missing a few key pieces.

Have the Panthers turned the corner? Maybe. Does John Fox deserve another shot with his QB, Jake Delhomme, back healthy and under center? Probably.

On the other hand, SPF wonders whether he will get a shot. Onwer Jerry RIchardson has been very consistent. Coaches that finish with a sub 7-9 record get canned. The Panthers are 5-7. Fox has some work to do.

Despite the critical nature of losing Delhomme for the season, Fox can't shake the perception that this roster has underachieved.

SPF can help Richardson with his decision. The Panthers finish the season with a perfect 4 game test. They play four playoff bound teams (Jacksonville, Seattle, Dallas, and Tampa). If they split those games and play competively in all of them, Fox deserves another season. If they get mauled, it's time for a change.

Regardless of Fox's status, the Panthers are in fine shape because their fans know that Richardson has standards. That trust has been earned. If Fox does go, the new coach will have a nice pool of talent already in place.

7. Cincinnati Bengals - This Bengals team has been a mystery all year. One thing that continues to define this franchise is its inability to beat their division rival Steelers. Lonnie Wheeler recounts the sad streak that currently envelops the Bengals.

SPF still believes that the Bengals are one of the easiest 2008 turnaround teams. Lewis has already improved the defense over the course of the season. That is critical. With nothing left to play for but pride, Cincy fans will see how much their current team has of that critical, winning ingredient.

Mike Brown won't get rid of Marvin Lewis easily. Lewis rebuilt his team without making lots of expensive changes, the kind that Brown doesn't like. He'll be back, but he will have to do better. SPF expects he will do just that next season.

8. Atlanta Falcons - Things start to get a little dicey at this point in the poll. No franchise from here on down is in good shape. These rankings reflect, in large part, the potential to turn things around quickly in 2008 and beyond.

SPF has been following the Bobby Petrino saga all season. Petrino seems fully committed to the Falcons, and owner Arthur Blank should be very happy.

Petrino can give the Falcons a semblance of an indentity if he is allowed to make the personnel moves that will fashion the team in his image. Petrino's college experience should serve him well because he was used to having to find players where he could get them. Petrino built Louisville into a power. That school was hardly a football power before his time there.

That experience, plus his ability to game plan an offense, could turn the Falcons around in a hurry. The NFC South is there for the taking in 2008. As well as the Bucs have played, they are not going to dominate this division for years to come.

Just think what Petrino could do with a good, veteran NFL offense.

9. St Louis Rams - Speaking of good, veteran NFL offenses...

Is Scott Linehan aggressive enough? Jeff Gordon says yes, he is, and Bernie Miklasz says no. This is the quandary the Rams are in right now. The coaching situation is a mystery.

This should not be the case with such an array of offensive talent with a supposed offensive guru running the show.

Mike Martz defined this franchise since it moved from LA to St Louis. Dick Vermeil quicky understood that he could win by being a figure head allowing Martz to slowly assert himself.

It is so odd that the same braintrust that identified Martz as Vermeil's replacement then created an atmosphere to jettison him like yesterday's trash. Perhaps Martz was as crazy as he seemed. Perhaps he was driven to it by the lack of support from the front office.

Today, the Rams have Martz-light in Scott Linehan. Linehan dug an early hole and has been digging out ever since (0-8 before the bye and 3-1 after it). The Rams are a tough situation. They are loaded with veteran talent, but it is way too early to think about rebuilding. These guys are good.

The problem is that Linehan has become damaged goods to the fans. Is he the 0-8 guy or the 3-1 guy? One thing is for sure - he lost his veteran support early in the season, and that hurt him. Unless that problem has been fully resolved, he has to go.

SPF suggests Al Saunders. We can't see him staying in Washington any longer. Even if Gibbs is gone (we'll address that later), Saunders won't stay on in Washington to play second fiddle to Gregg Williams or any other Gibbs' replacement.

Saunders deserves a shot as a head guy. He knows and Martz are students of the same system. St Louis needs to get what they can from their offense before they are truly over the hill.

The NFC West is wide open. The Rams can still be relevant for the next few years.

PS Owner Georgia Frontiere is fairly absentee. She needs to sell to someone local, but that's another story.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars - Why does SPF have an 8-4 team near the bottom of the Poll? The proof lies at the turnstiles. How many other 8-4 teams can't sell out their home games?

The fans have spoken. They aren't satisfied with a wild card team led by an uninspiring QB. Wayne Weaver needs to listen closely.

Jack Del Rio keeps talking about how the team is almost there. Sam Borden on the team not impressed. Bob Kravitz in Indy is calling the team dumb. He isn't far off. SPF thinks this is a reflection of Jack Del Rio's style.

SPF warned owner Wayne Weaver about Del Rio. Old Jackie Boy hasn't done it. He's real good at talking, but not so good about delivering. He's presided over a pretty uninspiring period in this franchise's young history.

This is more than wins and losses. Those numbers can say what you want them to. The problem with Del Rio is that he never wins the games that matter. He also has largely failed to develop his offensive talent. Those two things go hand in hand.

It's good for Del Rio that Weaver seems to like him. Too bad the rest of Jacksonville is taking a pass. The Jags are one of those rare cases of the owner being on the same page as the coach, but neither are in tune with the fans. That doesn't bode well.

11. Miami Dolphins - Boy, the Dolphins media sure hated Nick Saban. According to them, he was a bad coach hated by his players. Well, it doesn't sound like the players like the more media-friendly Cam Cameron either. LeBetard's column also shows how enraged the veterans are. The NFL is all business, and players on a winless team will see their market value drop as a general rule.

"The Don" Shula is giving advice to Cameron about giving up playcalling. Now, it turns out that Cameron already gave up playcalling to Mularkey or maybe he didn't. Dan Marino is weighing in telling Dolfans to be patient. Sorry Danny, no sale.

The fans may tune in for one "train wreck" season but even Wayne Huizenga knows its times to pull the plug on the Cam and Randy show. Huizenga may have stood with Wannstedt too long, but the stench of Cam Cameron will be too much for him to bear.

Ultimately, Huizenga's willingness to fire Cameron is what saves the Dolphins from the bottom of the Poll.

12. Houston Texans - What makes a winner? That is the only thing that is keeping this team from becoming a fixture near the top of the Poll. Houston is a great market. The team has a great ownership and stadium situation. The problem has been the prodcut on the field.

Owner Bob McNair has been known for his patience. Everything looked fine at the beginning. Dom Capers had built the expansion Panthers into a winner. Capers assembled a veteran defense, and the Texans drafted David Carr to become the face of the franchise.

Unfortunately, David Carr was a bust. Everyone can now see in Carolina that Carr is not an NFL caliber QB. No wonder this franchise struggled so badly. However, it does raise major questions about McNair overly-patient style. Although there were quite a few "experts" covering Carr's problem (lots of sacks) by claiming that he was playing behind an inadequate o-line, just as many saw that Carr simply held onto the ball too long and couldn't make decisions.

Carr's shadow over the franchise is a long one. McNair even foisted him on Gary Kubiak for his first year, essentially forcing his new coach to make good on Carr. Finally, the plug was pulled about three seasons too late.

Now, the question is this - when wil the plug be pulled on Kubiak?

Yes, Kubiak is only in his second year, and there have been signs of improvement. However, the Texans makes lots of mistakes (penalties and turnovers) that are usually attributed to coaching. Additionally, Kubiak just lost one of the best guys on his staff when Mike Sherman became the coach of Texas A&M. Even noted Kubiak defender Richard Justice is starting to turn on Kubiak. SPF thinks It's time to pull the plug.

McNair is too darn nice to be an NFL owner. He let a fired GM select his number one pick that could have been local hero Vince Young, the second coming of Earl Campbell. Instead, Charlie Casserley picked DE Mario Williams. This, like hanging onto Carr, set the franchise back as well.

The Texans were swept once again by the Titans - another reminder of how far this franchise has to go in connecting with their Houston and Texas base. John McClain can preach for patience, but patience is what allowed the Texans to go from expansion team back to perpetual cellar dweller.

SPF will say it again. Hire Bill Parcells. The Texans have a perfect roster for him. Matt Schaub has been in the league for a while even though this is his first year as a starter. The Texans have a lot of good, young talent on defense. Parcells is a master at coaching that side of the ball up.

The X factor is Parcells wanting to stick it to Jerry Jones.

McNair is too nice. He needs a big personality on the Texans sideline. With the Colts showing no signs of slowing down and with Jacksonville and Tennessee both solidly ahead of the Texans right now, McNair can't wait. There is no window opening. Hiring Parcells creates a window where there wasn't one.

The sad thing is that Kubiak will likely be back. That's just the way McNair operates. That's also why his team doesn't win.

13. Washington Redskins - Much has happened for the Redskins since the last poll. Unfortunately, almost none of it was good. They played two games and went 1-1. They lost the first one in pathetic fashion. Despite their stated goal of winning for their fallen teammate, Sean Taylor, the Redskins laid an egg at home against the Bills.

This loss again reflected the Redskins biggest issue this season - the future of coach Joe Gibbs. The Washington Post might still want to talk about Sean Taylor's murder, but the Bob Molinaro makes the point that Joe Gibbs' days as coach must come to an end. He no longer has this team. SPF speculated before Sunday's game that it would be a test as to who really is running the team.

Gibbs clearly is not after it became known that he didn't know about the 10 man defensive lineup that served as that side of the ball's tribute to Taylor. Additionally, Gibbs was penalized for inccorectly calling a timeout to "freeze" the Bills kicker. This instead made a 51 yard attempt a 36 yard attempt which he easily made in the waning seconds of the ballgame.

The Skins bounced back to beat the Bears last night, but they lost Jason Campbell for the season with a dislocated knee cap. Backup Todd Collins, who is familiar with OC Al Saunders' system, came in an played very well. This further shows the Redskins' issues.

There are three cooks in this Redskins kitchen with a big, fat fourth uber-cook in owner Dan Snyder. Gregg Williams coaches the defense very well. Al Saunders showed what the offense can do with a QB schooled in his system. (Hey Rams, take not of that. If Saunders can make Todd Collins look good, what might he do with Marc Bulger?) Meanwhile, Gibbs' answer to put these two strong pieces together is to dumb down the offense all season giving Saunder little latitude and putting enormous pressure on Williams' defense to win the game each week.

Michael Wilbon points out that the Bears' win comes with a big loss. Wilbon writes, "watching [Campbell] develop has been the No. 1 story line of this season." Now, the storyline becomes - what do we do about Joe? Unless Gibbs creates a way out for Snyder that allows him to step away with dignity, this could get embarrassing.

The sad thing is that neither Williams nor Saunders are ready for the top job. Williams stunt of the 10 man tribute without telling Gibbs shows that his ego is out of control. He has been accused of this in the past. It is doubtful that his ego and Saunders could co-exist. If Gibbs had been a little more like Dick Vermiel, he could have had this team in the Super Bowl by now.

As long as this storied franchise keeps asking, "where do we go from here?" then SPF will keep them at the bottom of the Poll.

Swampland.com

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fourteen)

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