Nebraska's QB Position

Watching the offense sputter last night without a healthy Taylor Martinez made me think about how great next year will be on the Quarterback front. Martinez will have another year in the system and he should be better across the board, which is great. But even more important will be the improved Quarterback depth.

Nebraska's bread and butter is the Zone Read. It's extremely versatile and it allows you to be very creative. To run it successfully, you need an athletic, smart Quarterback. Taylor Martinez is mostly that. He's every bit as athletic as you need. He makes good decisions more times than not, though that's not even close to being good enough. He'll improve though.

The problem is, when Taylor gets hurt Nebraska doesn't have a Quarterback who can run the offensive scheme efficiently enough to move the ball. Instead, they have to make in-game adjustments and all but throw out everything you practiced offensively. That's just not smart or feasible. They try to run the same stuff with Zac Lee and he does about as well as expected, but he can only do so much. He's not too much of a threat when running the ball. He's a smart football player with his reads and I'm comfortable when he drops back to throw.

With Cody Green's, I'm not sure about his ability to make split-second decisions on whether to stick it in the belly of the back or pull it out and take off with it. When they run it with him, which isn't all that often, he seems like he makes good decisions. The problem with him is, it literally takes him 5 steps to get going. His lack of acceleration, in an offense that is predicated on getting a step on the defense, is tough to watch. Which is why they don't run the Zone option much. When throwing, I'm usually not liking what I see. He has a strong arm and that's it.

As I said, I'm comfortable with Zac Lee. He wont make the big mistake. Unfortunately for Nebraska is,

1) He's hurt and he doesn't seem like he's going to be able to help you on the field right now.

&

2) He's a Senior. He wont be there next year.

Which is why I personally cannot wait for the arrival of Bubba Starling and Jamal Turner. Both are great runners who will hurt you if you don't account for them on defense. Which is something they don't have at Quarterback with Taylor either severely hobbled or out.

I'm not sure what they'll do next year. Bubba Starling could opt to play Professional or College Baseball. Jamal Turner is going to be fantastic and you'd hate to see Nebraska burn a year of his eligibility by making him ride the bench. Brion Carnes, who is redshirted this year, is an interesting player. He's the third cousin of Nebraska great, Tommie Frazer. Carnes is pretty small(6'1, 180lbs). He's pretty impressive as a passer and he's got enough athletic ability to be sufficient in this offense.

It's going to be interesting to see what the coaching staff does at Quarterback behind Taylor Martinez next year. But any way they do it, the position is going to look a lot better this Spring as opposed to last.

Nebraska falls to the refs

If I was a Nebraska player, I would've just been flagged.

They dropped 16(145 yards) flags on Nebraska, while calling only 2(10) on Texas A&M. They're pretty much saying that Texas A&M didn't hold once in the game. They didn't get a little too physical with a receiver once. Yeah right! When a flag could be thrown on nearly every play, a 16-2 penalty disparity is very telling. I challenge anyone to find a game where the penalty differential between the two teams was 14. Because I've never seen that.

I didn't buy into the Big 12 referee conspiracies and I'm not saying I do now, but last night raised my eyebrows(and my blood pressure) on many occasions. Can anyone tell me when ABC stopped showing replays of penalties both during and away from the play? Maybe they were too thrilled with Bo Pelini's reactions to break away. Either way, the lack of replays only heightens my suspicion.

Worst part of it all is, there wont be any reprimandation. There might be some for Texas A&M's Defensive End, Tony Jerod-Eddie for his part in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I1lQwmSXO4 , but I wouldn't count on it. Why?

Because the Big 12 is pathetic, as is Dan Beebe, and his crew of referees.

Big Ten, you've never looked so damn good.

Who I want as the next head coach of the Cowboys

With the Cowboys seemingly back-flipping into football abyss, Wade Phillips is off the hot seat, which is good news for him. Bad thing is, he no longer has a seat. He(and Jerry of course and maybe Jerry more than anybody) drove the team bus and everybody inside it into complete mediocrity.

As I said in the last article, the problem with the team is culture and their mentality. The Cowboys' next coach needs to:

 -  Keep them accountable,

-  Get them motivated and keep them motivated for the entire season and training camp.

-  Maintain discipline in the players.

-  Understand X's and O's. He's got to be able to put the players in the right position to make plays.

- Keep them humble. The team needs to ignore outside distractions

- Teach them how to deal with adversity.

- Instill fight in the team.

- Keep Jerry away from making basic football decisions.

- Have a winning track record and possibly a Super Bowl ring or two

Even so, the team needs major change. That starts with Jerry giving up control of basic football operations. Next, you need a new head coach and at the very least a new offensive coordinator.

I'll go through all the candidates that I want, rank them, and explain why I would want or wouldn't want a potential head coach.

10) Herm Edwards (54-74 Regular Season, 2-4 Playoffs)

Here's a name the people are familiar with, so I wont be giving the history like I did with the Brian Schottenheimer. Herm has about 20 years of coaching experience. I think he has an ability to relate to the players, which can be a really good thing. I think the players listen to what he preaches. The problem is, I'm not sure he preaches the right things. 56-77 all-time record, which obviously isn't very good. And to me, he seems arrogant. That's not good when the team is arrogant. The only reason I have him as a better option than Schottenheimer is because he has head coaching experience.

9) Steve Mariucci (72-67, 3-4)

He, unlike Herm, actually has a winning record as a coach, albeit, not by much. He has a 72-67 all-time record. 3-4 in the playoffs. He's an extremely likable guy and that, sadly, isn't good for the Cowboys. Just look at Wade. He could be good for Romo as he served as Brett Favre's Quarterback coach for 4 years. But that's not enough to warrant hiring. Jerry would walk all over Mooch. I would be optimistic if we hired him, but I sure would root like hell for him.

8) Jason Garrett

I have the current offensive coordinator sitting in 7th as far as head coaching candidates. He was well thought of when we hired him. Some think he'll be a better Head Coach than an Offensive Coordinator. He had a great year calling the offense in 2007 with Tony Sparano working with him. Other than that, he's been pretty mediocre. 

The offense, like the entire team, just doesn't seem disciplined. A good thing if he was promoted to the head position is the offense wouldn't need to learn an entire new playbook. But to me, he doesn't have the offense firing on all cylinders, how could he get the entire team going? The Cowboys need big change and he definitely would NOT be change.

7) Jon Gruden (95-81, 5-4)

Jon Gruden seems like the favorite to be the next head coach. He apparently would be open to sharing the decision making with Jerry Jones. Jerry would be more inclined to hire a guy like that. Gruden as a head coach has been very inconsistent. His record as a head coach is 100-85. He took over for Tony Dungy in 2002 and won the Super Bowl. Gruden had a good year in '05 when he won 11 games. He also had some good years with the Raiders the 4 years before that. Other than that, he was sub par at best. 

I'm not sure he understands X's and O's very well and he wouldn't he Jerry in check. Other than that, I think he could at least moderately improve the Cowboys' discipline and everything that goes into improving the culture of the team. I do not think he'd make them consistent.

6) Brian Billick (80-64, 5-3)

The Former Ravens head coach, like Jon Gruden, had a fairly inconsistent coaching career. He's 80-64 as a head coach including a 5-3 playoff record. Winning 4 playoff games in one year, including the Super Bowl. I believe has all of the qualities I want in a head coach. But like Gruden, I'm not sure how good he is schematically and if he'd demand that Jerry take a step back and out of every day football operations. I worry about how he handled his Quarterback situation all those years in Baltimore. I'm pretty sure he was viewed as an Offensive coach, though he was carried throughout his coaching career by his defense. I'd have some faith in Brian Billick though given his decent track record.

5) Jim Harbaugh

This is a relatively new name, but I personally have respected Jim Harbaugh for as long as I knew what football was. I think the first memory of football I have is of Jim Harbaugh leading come from behind victories as a member of the Colts. He's one of my favorite players, period. And that's saying something considering he never played for the Cowboys. 

He coached at San Diego University where he racked up 29 wins, while only losing 6 times. He was then hired by University of Stanford in 2007. He's turned around Stanford team that won 1 game and lost 11 the year before he took over. 

He interviewed for the Jets' Head Coaching job in '09. But as an NFL Head Coach, you'd have to believe he's green. I'm not sure if he can or at least assist in formulating an NFL game plan on defense. I believe he'd keep the players accountable, keep them motivated and humble, and get them disciplined. Jerry, again, would keep his nose in the coaches business though. And he'd have to win the players over. He doesn't have many skins on the wall as a coach, so they might try to walk over him ignore his teachings. But I believe he is a very good coach that demands your attention.

4) John Fox(72-64, 5-3)

The current Head Coach of the Panthers is on the hot seat himself. His Carolina Panthers have 1-7 record themselves. He's been pretty good. Under his rein, the worst a team has finished was 7-9 three times. He also has two 8-8's, two 11-5's and a 12-4. Fox has been to a Super Bowl in 2003, losing to the Panthers. He owns an overall record of

Jerry Jones apparently thinks pretty highly of John Fox. He's in the last year of his contract and he apparently would like the spotlight the Cowboys would provide. Jerry might allow him to do what he wants to do.

3) Marty Schottenheimer( 200-126, 5-13)

He's 67 years old and been out of coaching since the 2006 season when he was fired after going 14-2. He didn't have the best relationship with General Manager, A.J. Smith. He has a bunch of skins on the wall and he's definitely been around and seen it all. He doesn't have a great record in the playoffs and that's been well documented, but personally, I'm not thinking about the playoffs as much as I am about the team just being competitive on a weekly basis and getting to the playoffs. 

He's very demanding and his players WILL respect him. Whether he wants the job and whether he can work with Jerry Jones at GM remains to be seen. 

2) Mike Holmgren(161-111, 13-11)

Holmgren is in the same boat as Schottenheimer in that I'm not sure he wants to coach anymore or for how long. I'm not sure if he still wants to coach as he's 62 years old. I'm also not sure he can work with Jerry Jones. He holds a GM position currently with the Cleveland Browns. He has a winning track record and has a Super Bowl victory. He's very well respected around the league and he's a great coaching mind. Holmgren isn't a soft coach. He'd get something out of these players. If he wants the job, which is a big if, give it to him. But Schotty and Holmgren are very good Head Coaches, who have a good Head Coaching resumes.  

1) Bill Cowher (149-90, 12-9)

Surprised? Of course not. Bill Cowher might be the best coach available consensually. He's definitely the most wanted coach among Cowboys fans, I'm sure. He's pretty much everything you could want as a coach and everything the Cowboys need. The players need their fair share of spray from Cowher's mouth. He has demeanor to change the culture pretty quickly. I'm not sure he'd want to work with Jerrah, but for the right price, maybe. This would be a HUGE win for the organization. 

Coaches to remember:

Mike Zimmer - Bengals Defensive Coordinator.  He runs the 4-3, though he did run the 4-3 Parcells' final year. Jerry has been reported to be pretty fond of Zimmer.

Leslie Frazier -  Vikings Defensive Coordinator. Likes to run a Cover Two defense. I don't know much else about him really. I know he's been a hot commodity for several years. 

Perry Fewell - Giants Defensive Coordinator. He runs the 4-3 in New York, but he does have 3-4 experience in Buffalo. He went 3 and 4 as an interim Head Coach last year.

Dom Capers - Packers Defensive Coordinator. He's extremely familiar with the 3-4 scheme. The Cowboys attempted to hire him as a defense assistant a few years back. He has a 48-80 All-Time head coaching record though.

Brian Schottenheimer - The son of former head coach Marty Schottenheimer. He began his college career as a Quarterback on the Kansas Jayhawks before traveling to Gainesville to back up then Quarterback Danny Wueffel at Florida. He was apart of the 1996 National Championship team in 1996. Schottenheimer was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Syracuse Orange, USC Trojans and Washington Redskins from 1997 to 2001, before becoming an assistant coach with the Chargers. He was an assistant under his father, Marty Schottenheimer, in three of those coaching positions: Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers per Wikipedia. He was rumored to be in the running for both the Dolphins job when Nick Saban left and the Jets job when Eric Mangini was let go.

I'm not sure he has the personality or the ability to command the Cowboys locker room. He doesn't give Jerry much of a reason to let him control everything about this team either. 

The Cowboys fire Wade Phillips;Promote Jason Garrett

Finally. And it's the absolute right move. The Cowboys have been pathetic this year and it's only getting worse. Firing Wade Phillips, as crazy as it sounds, was like a mercy killing. I felt so bad for Wade last night as I watched him address the media after the game. He has not been good this year, obviously, but this year's embarrassment belongs on the shoulders of the players.

Jason Garrett, who has coached as badly as Wade has, has his hands full to the fullest extent. Unless there's something I haven't seen, he's not going to turn around anything. This team, I believe, is shown the right things during the week to prepare them for the games, yet they make the same mistakes every week. As I've said for weeks, they're uninspired, lazy, heartless, and in dire need of being motivated. I'm not sure Garrett can do that.

If Garrett can somehow turn this around even a little bit, Jerry will give him the benefit of the doubt and bring him back next year. As of now though, Garrett will keep calling the plays, still be in direct control on the offense. Defensively, I think Paul Pascoloni or Dave Campo will take over the play calling duties and I believe there will be some changes. I'm not sure it will be for the better, but it certainly couldn't get worse.

I expect the Cowboys to win just one more game. The same as I did when Wade was the coach. But at least, the Cowboys are moving forward.

It's the right move.

We all bought the hype that comes with the Cowboys

I honestly do not know where to start, so I'll start with the obvious. This team is bad. This team is really, really bad. This is the worst Cowboys team I've ever watched. What's worst than that is, they're embarrassing. It's the way they lose and how they act and what they say in defeat.

This isn't a team without talent. This isn't a team without a good share of coaching pedigree. This isn't a team who's trying to get over the hump. They have a recent history of piling up wins. Yet, this team plays like a bunch of losers. They show less emotion than a bunch of kids playing an organized football game in the park. It's pathetic.

It doesn't feel good when you're devoid of players and you're expected to win only a few games and as you watch the season sure enough that's the way it plays out. It sucks, but at least there's hope of turning it around. You can watch and hope for progress. It's worst when you have a team that's suppose to rival an All-Pro team and is expected by many to be the first team to play a Super Bowl in your own backyard and through 7 games, you've won one game.

So many expectations, so many "Stars" with so many Pro Bowls(like that means anything). So many weapons on offense with such a great offensive mind to use them. A team with the highest payroll and the best stadium in all the world. Fact is, Pro Bowls don't mean anything at all. Nothing. As far as the stars, the Cowboys have 4 stars on this team. Romo, Witten, Ware, and Ratliff. There's a bunch of really good players and even more players who think they're really good. That's a huge problem.

Of course 9 times out of 10, anything to do with the Cowboys gets over-hyped. The media on every national station dedicates a large majority of their time to the Cowboys. Because they have the biggest, widest fan base in football. Fans will tune in and generally only stay tuned in if they hear things they like. I do that. I don't want to hear some talking head on TV blasting my team. So if there's something remotely positive, they'll find it and they'll sell it. And that's sticks with both a fan of an another team who's objective and a Cowboys fan who doesn't necessarily keep tabs on the team. 

Of course, in a situation like this, everybody is going to jump all over the Cowboys because Cowboys fans have tuned out for the year and the haters are foaming at the mouth to hear about the Cowboys' demise.

I don't see too much hope other than imploding this team and starting over. The problem with that is the players have adopted a certain mentality. The culture isn't right. And that's not an easy change. It's not as easy as releasing players, unless you release them all. That's not happening. So you need to change the mindset of a locker room full of grown men.

Good luck with that.