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Posted Dec. 12, 2009 @ 3:29 p.m.
By PFW staff
The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
• "I think Jerry Jones likes Wade (Phillips). I've seen (Mike) Shanahan's name tied to the (head-coaching) position (in Dallas), but Jerry is not going to give him full control. And I don't think Jerry wants to pay a coach $7 million or $8 million. I think Wade is safe. He's got a good situation there. He coaches the defense, and Jason Garrett coaches the offense. Wade has a great personality — he's easy to work for, but guys play hard for him. That's the part you have to watch. That is what is key for a coach. Wade does not care about the limelight. (Bill) Parcells wanted the limelight, too — that's why it never could work. Jimmy Johnson told the owner to go run the team himself, and the owner fired him. I think Wade and Jerry complement each other well. They like each other. And when you are working your butt off, you want to have a little fun."
• "The Giants have had problems in their secondary. The Vikings' Pro Bowl corner (Antoine Winfield) went down. A lot of teams have problems in the secondary. Why didn't anyone else sign Chris McAlister or Mike McKenzie? In three days, McKenzie was a star of Monday night. How can the Saints pick those guys up off the street late in the year? I'll tell you why — no one wants to pay. You are going to have to pay somebody. Why wouldn't you pay a little more, especially if your job is on the line? All these coaches on the hot seat can't afford to let good players sit on the street."
• "The truth is, losing (OG) Steve ­Hutchinson was the dagger that doomed (former Seattle president of football operations/GM Tim) Ruskell's career. If you remember, he tried to make up for it the next year and sign Kris Dielman, but he screwed that up, too, and could not get it done. The (offensive) line is shot now, and he has never been able to recover from it. Losing a Pro Bowl lineman in the middle of your line is a huge loss."
• "It's difficult to find guys like Jared Allen. You don't trade guys like him or Tony Gonzalez when they are highly productive. You don't cut Larry Johnson. Look at the way Bill Cowher handled Plaxico Burress. He was sitting in the corner of the endzone pouting and was a problem. But why should 50 people adjust to one? Cowher did not make immediate changes when (Burress) started acting up. He waited for his replacement to come. You can't just run off good players. They are too hard to come by. It's just like Ricky Williams in New Orleans. They ran him off, and the next year he's rushing for 1,800 yards in Miami. He's still productive even now, and his replacement, Deuce ­McAllister, is out of the league."
• "(Bengals OLT Andrew) Whitworth is big, tough and he loves football. He's passionate. Even though he is stiff, he is still athletic enough to recover inside. He will always get run around at left tackle, but he's at least functional in pass protection. Everyone gets caught up shooting for ­Walter Jones or Jonathan Ogden, but those guys are rare, rare, rare."
• "When you find a coach like (Colts O-line coach) Howard Mudd, who can turn water into wine, you have to keep those guys around as long as you can. That's what the Colts have done so well. They have locked up those coaches. It makes such a big difference when you are trying to develop talent."
• "(Alabama head coach) Nick Saban does not offer any scholarships to players he does not see play live. He is extremely smart about his approach to recruiting. How many GMs do you think can say the same about their first-round picks? A lot of decision makers do not hit the road. They base their decisions on all-star games or interviews — and then we wonder why there are so many misses in the first round."
PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/2009/12/12/insider-phillips-still-a-good-fit-in-dallas
By PFW staff
The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
• "I think Jerry Jones likes Wade (Phillips). I've seen (Mike) Shanahan's name tied to the (head-coaching) position (in Dallas), but Jerry is not going to give him full control. And I don't think Jerry wants to pay a coach $7 million or $8 million. I think Wade is safe. He's got a good situation there. He coaches the defense, and Jason Garrett coaches the offense. Wade has a great personality — he's easy to work for, but guys play hard for him. That's the part you have to watch. That is what is key for a coach. Wade does not care about the limelight. (Bill) Parcells wanted the limelight, too — that's why it never could work. Jimmy Johnson told the owner to go run the team himself, and the owner fired him. I think Wade and Jerry complement each other well. They like each other. And when you are working your butt off, you want to have a little fun."
• "The Giants have had problems in their secondary. The Vikings' Pro Bowl corner (Antoine Winfield) went down. A lot of teams have problems in the secondary. Why didn't anyone else sign Chris McAlister or Mike McKenzie? In three days, McKenzie was a star of Monday night. How can the Saints pick those guys up off the street late in the year? I'll tell you why — no one wants to pay. You are going to have to pay somebody. Why wouldn't you pay a little more, especially if your job is on the line? All these coaches on the hot seat can't afford to let good players sit on the street."
• "The truth is, losing (OG) Steve ­Hutchinson was the dagger that doomed (former Seattle president of football operations/GM Tim) Ruskell's career. If you remember, he tried to make up for it the next year and sign Kris Dielman, but he screwed that up, too, and could not get it done. The (offensive) line is shot now, and he has never been able to recover from it. Losing a Pro Bowl lineman in the middle of your line is a huge loss."
• "It's difficult to find guys like Jared Allen. You don't trade guys like him or Tony Gonzalez when they are highly productive. You don't cut Larry Johnson. Look at the way Bill Cowher handled Plaxico Burress. He was sitting in the corner of the endzone pouting and was a problem. But why should 50 people adjust to one? Cowher did not make immediate changes when (Burress) started acting up. He waited for his replacement to come. You can't just run off good players. They are too hard to come by. It's just like Ricky Williams in New Orleans. They ran him off, and the next year he's rushing for 1,800 yards in Miami. He's still productive even now, and his replacement, Deuce ­McAllister, is out of the league."
• "(Bengals OLT Andrew) Whitworth is big, tough and he loves football. He's passionate. Even though he is stiff, he is still athletic enough to recover inside. He will always get run around at left tackle, but he's at least functional in pass protection. Everyone gets caught up shooting for ­Walter Jones or Jonathan Ogden, but those guys are rare, rare, rare."
• "When you find a coach like (Colts O-line coach) Howard Mudd, who can turn water into wine, you have to keep those guys around as long as you can. That's what the Colts have done so well. They have locked up those coaches. It makes such a big difference when you are trying to develop talent."
• "(Alabama head coach) Nick Saban does not offer any scholarships to players he does not see play live. He is extremely smart about his approach to recruiting. How many GMs do you think can say the same about their first-round picks? A lot of decision makers do not hit the road. They base their decisions on all-star games or interviews — and then we wonder why there are so many misses in the first round."
PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/2009/12/12/insider-phillips-still-a-good-fit-in-dallas
