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NFL chat: Commanders rise above adversity
04:23 PM CST on Thursday, December 27, 2007
Rick Gosselin answered questions about the NFL on Thursday, Dec. 27.
Rick Gosselin: Welcome back for the final regular-season chat. After spending the last two weekends in blizzards in Cleveland and Minneapolis, it's great to be back home for a weekend. OK, on to the questions …
• • •
Hail to the Commanders: Are your surprised Washington is on the verge of making the playoffs after all the adversity it has been through?
Rick Gosselin: Heading into the season, I thought all four NFC East teams were capable of qualifying for the playoffs. So I'm not surprised that the Commanders are standing on the doorstep. But the fact that they have arrived here without their best defensive player (Sean Taylor) their starting quarterback (Jason Campbell), two starting offensive linemen (Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas) and a starting cornerback (Carlos Rogers) – yes, I'd say this constitutes a surprise. I think it speaks volumes for the job the coaching staff – Joe Gibbs, offensive coordinator Al Saunders, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and special teams coordinator Danny Smith – has done. They found a way to keep an undermanned team afloat.
• • •
Bud: How do the Cowboys match up in their projected first playoff game? If the top seeds win, would that be Tampa Bay?
Rick Gosselin: Seattle beat Tampa Bay in the season opener, which would give them the third seed in a tie-breaker. Which means the Bucs come to Dallas. I love Tampa Bay's defense. I hate their offense. The Bucs are down to their third-team running back and have only one weapon that concerns me, WR Joey Galloway. Jeff Garcia doesn't make mistakes, which will keep the Bucs in games, but he doesn't make enough plays to win games. He has thrown for 300 yards just once this season. He's been under 200 yards in six of his 13 starts. To beat the Cowboys in Texas Stadium, you're going to have to put at least 24 to 28 points on the board. I'm not sure the Bucs are capable of that type of offensive explosion. The Giants would concern me because of their defense, the Seahawks because of their experience in big games and the Packers because of Brett Favre. We've already seen the bad Brett Favre. If the good Brett Favre shows up in January, the Cowboys will have their hands full.
• • •
Roger In North Carolina: Do you think that Jerry Jones is more focused this week on the Commanders or securing his front office from a "Big Tuna" raid with the Dolphins?
Rick Gosselin: When you win, you lose personnel. Everyone wants your players and coaches. Jerry has lived through this once before in the 1990s during the Super Bowl run. The Cowboys are winning big again, so Jason Garrett and Jeff Ireland will be hot commodities. I think Jerry's sole focus is winning a Super Bowl. If he can accomplish that, then he'll concern himself with the defections of any staff members. First things first. If the Cowboys are again wearing Super Bowl rings, Parcells and the Dolphins won't be the only team trying to steal players and coaches this off-season. Worry about 2008 in 2008. Finish up matters on the 2007 season first.
• • •
From e-mail: Do you think Tom Coughlin has already done enough to save his job for next year or does he need to win a playoff game to ensure that he is back for another season? Also, if Coughlin were to get fired, do you think Jason Garrett would be a good choice to replace him since he played there and could really help in the development of Eli Manning?
Jason
Rick Gosselin: Tom Coughlin has taken the Giants to the playoffs three consecutive seasons. To fire a successful coach would be foolish. There's a certain degree of luck you need in the postseason, and the Giants haven't experienced that yet. You have to get to the playoffs to have a chance – and Coughlin has done that for both NFL teams he has coached. That said, Jason Garrett would be a good fit in New York, Miami, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Atlanta … name any city that needs an NFL coach and Garrett will be atop that list. There are 32 head coaching positions in the NFL. Garrett will soon have one of them, if not this off-season then the next.
• • •
12brady: Are you surprised the NFL caved in and allowed the Patriots-Giants game to be simulcast on CBS and NBC? Also, is this the biggest regular-season game in NFL history?
Rick Gosselin: With Congress sniffing around, I'm not surprised the NFL showed its benevolent side. This is a money issue – the NFL wants it, the cable networks don't want to pay it. My guess is the NFL wants to keep Congress out of the matter. My guess is a compromise will be reached at some point without government intervention. There's too much at stake here for both sides not to reach an agreement. Is this the biggest regular-season game in NFL history? I'd be reluctant to give it that label. From an historical standpoint, I'd say any of the seven games played on Nov. 24, 1963 was bigger. That was the weekend following the assassination of John F. Kennedy – and those games never should have been played. Then-commissioner Pete Rozelle admitted years later he should have called off those games, just like the AFL did.
• • •
Big Ben: Can the Steelers go far in the postseason without Willie Parker?
Rick Gosselin: I think the Steelers are a long shot at best. When you lose the AFC's leading rusher, you take a hit. The offensive line also isn't what it once was. I think the Steelers will struggle in January.
• • •
Jason L: Do you think Fred Taylor is one of the more underrated RBs in NFL history? He has never made a Pro Bowl, yet he has a good chance of finishing his career as one of the top 10 rushers of all time.
Rick Gosselin: Taylor will likely play in Hawaii in February. He was the first alternate, and with Willie Parker breaking his leg this month, Taylor will likely to be added to the AFC roster as his replacement. That's only fair. Taylor has deserved to go for a long time, but he's been victimized by the voting process. The players and coaches vote after 13 weeks, which discounts the final three games of the season. Taylor is one of the best December players in league history. Even this season he takes a streak of five consecutive 100-yard rushing games into the finale. Patience has paid off for him.
• • •
Lonestar: I know you're a big believer that "finishing the regular season strong" is the best predictor of playoff success. Are any of the NFC playoff teams finishing strong?
Rick Gosselin: Washington takes a three-game winning streak into the finale. That's about as hot as it gets in the NFC right now. Dallas and Green Bay aren't exactly storming to the finish line, yet I see them playing in the NFC championship game.
• • •
greg allen: What do the Vikings need to do in the off-season to make it to the Super Bowl?
Rick Gosselin: The running game is there with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, as is the defense. The Vikings need QB Tarvaris Jackson to make a quantum leap in 2008, and they have to get him better weapons. I covered the Washington game last weekend and the Vikings started two NFL discards at wide receiver, Bobby Wade and Robert Ferguson. You accelerate the development of your quarterback by giving him better weapons. Even Tom Brady's game took a step forward this season when the Patriots added Randy Moss and Wes Welker. When the Vikings can win a game with the football in the air, they will be Super Bowl-ready.
• • •
gpaq: The Cowboys' defense survived without Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams last week. It seems Roy is just not the playmaker he once was. The last two seasons or so have been a significant drop-off. Do you agree?
Rick Gosselin: I said a few years back I'd have moved Williams to outside linebacker in Bill Parcells' 3-4 scheme. Every step he takes away from the line of scrimmage makes him a lesser player. I want him playing the run and blitzing quarterbacks – moving forward. When he has to retreat in pass coverage, his game becomes flawed. The fact he's not on the field every down on defense any more indicates Wade Phillips realizes he has a player with deficiencies.
• • •
From e-mail: Is San Diego for real? Can the Chargers advance past the first round,and are they a threat to either Indy or New England?
Brad
Rick Gosselin: San Diego is indeed a threat. LaDainian Tomlinson is the best running back in the game. Running and defense have always gone a long way in the playoffs. That formula won Baltimore and Tampa Bay Super Bowls this decade. If the Chargers can get the lead against either Indianapolis or New England, they can be very difficult to beat. I thought adding Chris Chambers at midseason was a great move. That should open up the passing lanes a bit more for tight end Antonio Gates. An earlier question talked about the importance of teams finishing strong – the Chargers have won five in a row. They are playing their best football of the season in December. Hot teams always have a chance. The Chargers are a hot team.
• • •
From e-mail: Why does the NFL continue to schedule bye weeks throughout the season? Wouldn't it make more sense and be fairer to have all the byes scheduled in the two or three weekends at the middle of the season so all the teams get a rest at essentially the same time?
Rick Gosselin: The NFL strings out the byes for television. More Sundays means more advertising. You don't want a schedule with just three to four games in a weekend. You want to have enough quality games for all three networks. If I had to suggest a better way, I'd tell the NFL to schedule byes by divisions – eight divisions, eight bye weeks. The entire AFC East gets off the first week, the AFC North the second, the AFC South the third and so on. Then rotate them each year so that the teams who had the first weekend of byes would get the last weekend the following season. The current grab-bag approach isn't working.
• • •
From e-mail: What is the deal with the green dots on the back of quarterback helmets?
Steve
Rick Gosselin: The green dot indicates to the officials which offensive player is equipped with wireless communication to the sideline. You'll notice it's always the quarterback. If an official ever sees two green dots in the same huddle, there's a problem.
• • •
miken7: Any chance of a exhibition game or regular-season game being played in Toronto? It has been rumored that expansion is possible there in the future. A game might be a test to see how much interest there is.
Rick Gosselin: I would expect Buffalo to start playing a game/games in Toronto in the near future. I wouldn't think the NFL would expand to Toronto – that would kill the Buffalo franchise. The Bills have a large season-ticket contingent in Canada. The NFL has more loyalty right now to Buffalo than to Toronto.
• • •
Real Albert Einstein: Are there any better players in their positions than DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten?
Rick Gosselin: I'd say they are both in the top three. But the best? Some Sundays they are, some Sundays they aren't. When you get to the top three at any position, it's not as black and white as you'd think. There are a lot of great players in the NFL.
• • •
From e-mail: Assuming the Patriots don't get knocked out in the divisional round or AFC title game, which NFC team would present them with the least favorable matchup in the Super Bowl?
Matt
Rick Gosselin: Green Bay. The Patriots struggled against Baltimore and Philadelphia because both defenses had a pair of elite corners -- Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister for the Ravens and Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown of the Eagles. Your cornerbacks must be able to hang with Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth in man coverage several downs per game. The Packers have the most physical tandem of cornerbacks in the NFL in Charles Woodson and Al Harris. I think the Packers could give the New England passing game problems. That's the way to beat the Patriots – take Tom Brady out of his game.
• • •
Rick Gosselin: Thanks for dropping by. I've enjoyed it. I look forward to chatting again when we get into the teeth ofthe playoff schedule. In the meantime, enjoy the games this weekend.
04:23 PM CST on Thursday, December 27, 2007
Rick Gosselin answered questions about the NFL on Thursday, Dec. 27.
Rick Gosselin: Welcome back for the final regular-season chat. After spending the last two weekends in blizzards in Cleveland and Minneapolis, it's great to be back home for a weekend. OK, on to the questions …
• • •
Hail to the Commanders: Are your surprised Washington is on the verge of making the playoffs after all the adversity it has been through?
Rick Gosselin: Heading into the season, I thought all four NFC East teams were capable of qualifying for the playoffs. So I'm not surprised that the Commanders are standing on the doorstep. But the fact that they have arrived here without their best defensive player (Sean Taylor) their starting quarterback (Jason Campbell), two starting offensive linemen (Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas) and a starting cornerback (Carlos Rogers) – yes, I'd say this constitutes a surprise. I think it speaks volumes for the job the coaching staff – Joe Gibbs, offensive coordinator Al Saunders, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and special teams coordinator Danny Smith – has done. They found a way to keep an undermanned team afloat.
• • •
Bud: How do the Cowboys match up in their projected first playoff game? If the top seeds win, would that be Tampa Bay?
Rick Gosselin: Seattle beat Tampa Bay in the season opener, which would give them the third seed in a tie-breaker. Which means the Bucs come to Dallas. I love Tampa Bay's defense. I hate their offense. The Bucs are down to their third-team running back and have only one weapon that concerns me, WR Joey Galloway. Jeff Garcia doesn't make mistakes, which will keep the Bucs in games, but he doesn't make enough plays to win games. He has thrown for 300 yards just once this season. He's been under 200 yards in six of his 13 starts. To beat the Cowboys in Texas Stadium, you're going to have to put at least 24 to 28 points on the board. I'm not sure the Bucs are capable of that type of offensive explosion. The Giants would concern me because of their defense, the Seahawks because of their experience in big games and the Packers because of Brett Favre. We've already seen the bad Brett Favre. If the good Brett Favre shows up in January, the Cowboys will have their hands full.
• • •
Roger In North Carolina: Do you think that Jerry Jones is more focused this week on the Commanders or securing his front office from a "Big Tuna" raid with the Dolphins?
Rick Gosselin: When you win, you lose personnel. Everyone wants your players and coaches. Jerry has lived through this once before in the 1990s during the Super Bowl run. The Cowboys are winning big again, so Jason Garrett and Jeff Ireland will be hot commodities. I think Jerry's sole focus is winning a Super Bowl. If he can accomplish that, then he'll concern himself with the defections of any staff members. First things first. If the Cowboys are again wearing Super Bowl rings, Parcells and the Dolphins won't be the only team trying to steal players and coaches this off-season. Worry about 2008 in 2008. Finish up matters on the 2007 season first.
• • •
From e-mail: Do you think Tom Coughlin has already done enough to save his job for next year or does he need to win a playoff game to ensure that he is back for another season? Also, if Coughlin were to get fired, do you think Jason Garrett would be a good choice to replace him since he played there and could really help in the development of Eli Manning?
Jason
Rick Gosselin: Tom Coughlin has taken the Giants to the playoffs three consecutive seasons. To fire a successful coach would be foolish. There's a certain degree of luck you need in the postseason, and the Giants haven't experienced that yet. You have to get to the playoffs to have a chance – and Coughlin has done that for both NFL teams he has coached. That said, Jason Garrett would be a good fit in New York, Miami, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Atlanta … name any city that needs an NFL coach and Garrett will be atop that list. There are 32 head coaching positions in the NFL. Garrett will soon have one of them, if not this off-season then the next.
• • •
12brady: Are you surprised the NFL caved in and allowed the Patriots-Giants game to be simulcast on CBS and NBC? Also, is this the biggest regular-season game in NFL history?
Rick Gosselin: With Congress sniffing around, I'm not surprised the NFL showed its benevolent side. This is a money issue – the NFL wants it, the cable networks don't want to pay it. My guess is the NFL wants to keep Congress out of the matter. My guess is a compromise will be reached at some point without government intervention. There's too much at stake here for both sides not to reach an agreement. Is this the biggest regular-season game in NFL history? I'd be reluctant to give it that label. From an historical standpoint, I'd say any of the seven games played on Nov. 24, 1963 was bigger. That was the weekend following the assassination of John F. Kennedy – and those games never should have been played. Then-commissioner Pete Rozelle admitted years later he should have called off those games, just like the AFL did.
• • •
Big Ben: Can the Steelers go far in the postseason without Willie Parker?
Rick Gosselin: I think the Steelers are a long shot at best. When you lose the AFC's leading rusher, you take a hit. The offensive line also isn't what it once was. I think the Steelers will struggle in January.
• • •
Jason L: Do you think Fred Taylor is one of the more underrated RBs in NFL history? He has never made a Pro Bowl, yet he has a good chance of finishing his career as one of the top 10 rushers of all time.
Rick Gosselin: Taylor will likely play in Hawaii in February. He was the first alternate, and with Willie Parker breaking his leg this month, Taylor will likely to be added to the AFC roster as his replacement. That's only fair. Taylor has deserved to go for a long time, but he's been victimized by the voting process. The players and coaches vote after 13 weeks, which discounts the final three games of the season. Taylor is one of the best December players in league history. Even this season he takes a streak of five consecutive 100-yard rushing games into the finale. Patience has paid off for him.
• • •
Lonestar: I know you're a big believer that "finishing the regular season strong" is the best predictor of playoff success. Are any of the NFC playoff teams finishing strong?
Rick Gosselin: Washington takes a three-game winning streak into the finale. That's about as hot as it gets in the NFC right now. Dallas and Green Bay aren't exactly storming to the finish line, yet I see them playing in the NFC championship game.
• • •
greg allen: What do the Vikings need to do in the off-season to make it to the Super Bowl?
Rick Gosselin: The running game is there with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, as is the defense. The Vikings need QB Tarvaris Jackson to make a quantum leap in 2008, and they have to get him better weapons. I covered the Washington game last weekend and the Vikings started two NFL discards at wide receiver, Bobby Wade and Robert Ferguson. You accelerate the development of your quarterback by giving him better weapons. Even Tom Brady's game took a step forward this season when the Patriots added Randy Moss and Wes Welker. When the Vikings can win a game with the football in the air, they will be Super Bowl-ready.
• • •
gpaq: The Cowboys' defense survived without Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams last week. It seems Roy is just not the playmaker he once was. The last two seasons or so have been a significant drop-off. Do you agree?
Rick Gosselin: I said a few years back I'd have moved Williams to outside linebacker in Bill Parcells' 3-4 scheme. Every step he takes away from the line of scrimmage makes him a lesser player. I want him playing the run and blitzing quarterbacks – moving forward. When he has to retreat in pass coverage, his game becomes flawed. The fact he's not on the field every down on defense any more indicates Wade Phillips realizes he has a player with deficiencies.
• • •
From e-mail: Is San Diego for real? Can the Chargers advance past the first round,and are they a threat to either Indy or New England?
Brad
Rick Gosselin: San Diego is indeed a threat. LaDainian Tomlinson is the best running back in the game. Running and defense have always gone a long way in the playoffs. That formula won Baltimore and Tampa Bay Super Bowls this decade. If the Chargers can get the lead against either Indianapolis or New England, they can be very difficult to beat. I thought adding Chris Chambers at midseason was a great move. That should open up the passing lanes a bit more for tight end Antonio Gates. An earlier question talked about the importance of teams finishing strong – the Chargers have won five in a row. They are playing their best football of the season in December. Hot teams always have a chance. The Chargers are a hot team.
• • •
From e-mail: Why does the NFL continue to schedule bye weeks throughout the season? Wouldn't it make more sense and be fairer to have all the byes scheduled in the two or three weekends at the middle of the season so all the teams get a rest at essentially the same time?
Rick Gosselin: The NFL strings out the byes for television. More Sundays means more advertising. You don't want a schedule with just three to four games in a weekend. You want to have enough quality games for all three networks. If I had to suggest a better way, I'd tell the NFL to schedule byes by divisions – eight divisions, eight bye weeks. The entire AFC East gets off the first week, the AFC North the second, the AFC South the third and so on. Then rotate them each year so that the teams who had the first weekend of byes would get the last weekend the following season. The current grab-bag approach isn't working.
• • •
From e-mail: What is the deal with the green dots on the back of quarterback helmets?
Steve
Rick Gosselin: The green dot indicates to the officials which offensive player is equipped with wireless communication to the sideline. You'll notice it's always the quarterback. If an official ever sees two green dots in the same huddle, there's a problem.
• • •
miken7: Any chance of a exhibition game or regular-season game being played in Toronto? It has been rumored that expansion is possible there in the future. A game might be a test to see how much interest there is.
Rick Gosselin: I would expect Buffalo to start playing a game/games in Toronto in the near future. I wouldn't think the NFL would expand to Toronto – that would kill the Buffalo franchise. The Bills have a large season-ticket contingent in Canada. The NFL has more loyalty right now to Buffalo than to Toronto.
• • •
Real Albert Einstein: Are there any better players in their positions than DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten?
Rick Gosselin: I'd say they are both in the top three. But the best? Some Sundays they are, some Sundays they aren't. When you get to the top three at any position, it's not as black and white as you'd think. There are a lot of great players in the NFL.
• • •
From e-mail: Assuming the Patriots don't get knocked out in the divisional round or AFC title game, which NFC team would present them with the least favorable matchup in the Super Bowl?
Matt
Rick Gosselin: Green Bay. The Patriots struggled against Baltimore and Philadelphia because both defenses had a pair of elite corners -- Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister for the Ravens and Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown of the Eagles. Your cornerbacks must be able to hang with Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth in man coverage several downs per game. The Packers have the most physical tandem of cornerbacks in the NFL in Charles Woodson and Al Harris. I think the Packers could give the New England passing game problems. That's the way to beat the Patriots – take Tom Brady out of his game.
• • •
Rick Gosselin: Thanks for dropping by. I've enjoyed it. I look forward to chatting again when we get into the teeth ofthe playoff schedule. In the meantime, enjoy the games this weekend.
@ moving Roy to outside LB position in 3-4 defense. 