Sports Radio Interviews is a streaming independent sports blog which provides analysis on breaking sports news, upcoming games, and sporting events from a sports radio perspective. SRI articles frequently appear on SportingNews.com.
New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick says the turf at Houston’s Reliant Stadium is “terrible”.
He was criticized for going for it on fourth down. His team struggled mightily on the road. His team wasn’t as dominant as it was just a few years ago. His leading pass catcher, Wes Welker, was injured in Week 17 and will miss the playoffs. Nonetheless, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are back in the playoffs, are AFC East champions again, and are looking to win another Super Bowl.
Belichick joined the Big Show on WEEI in Boston and talked about the game against the Houston Texans this past weekend, the field at Reliant Stadium, Welker’s season-ending injury, and the Patriots’ upcoming playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Asked about his plan for the final game, and if that changed when Welker went down with the injury:
"No, not really. I’d say we pretty much played everybody and we got guys some experience, in normal situations and in some situations that they hadn’t been in. For example, [Brian] Hoyer.
I think that’s kind of what we wanted to do going into the game. Everybody played. Everybody got a chance to get some work, of the guys that were active."
Asked if he thought there was any problem with Houston’s turf:
"The turf down there is terrible. It’s terrible. It’s just inconsistent. It’s all the little trays of grass, and some of them are soft, and some of them are firm, and they don’t all fit well together. Those seams — some of it feels like a sponge, some of it feels real firm and hard like the Miami surface. One step you’re on one, the other step you’re on another. I really think it’s one of the worst fields I’ve seen."
Asked about Welker making the same cut he’s made before, only this time getting injured:
"For the level of play we have in the National Football League, I think consistency on the field would be priority number one. We talk about players’ safety, about hits and all that, and that’s certainly an area that should always be addressed. There’s nothing more important than player safety. To me, player safety starts on the surface that we play on … I walked out there and I thought it was terrible."
Asked how much time did he spent planning for Baltimore:
"Not too much time formulating a game plan, but quite a bit of time getting ready for them and preparing for them. Watching the game. That’s the team I spent all my time watching, and you never know how it’s going to turn out, but [we] kind of played the percentages that the Jets would win and that Baltimore would beat the Raiders, and that sewed it up …
We’ve seen a lot of them. And we have a lot of scouting work done on them. Today, we’ll start on the game plan, tonight and tomorrow, and have that ready when the players come in on Wednesday. But they’re, in a way, the same team we saw, but in another way, they’ve evolved like all of us have over the course of the season, and they’re solid in all three phases of the game."
On how the Ravens have evolved:
"They seem to be a little more balanced running and passing. We got a lot of passing — I think [Joe Flacco] threw almost 50 times against us. I think it was 40-something. And [Ray] Rice is their leading receiver with 70-something catches. They get the ball to everybody, obviously the backs and the receivers…
It seems like they’ve balanced it up a bit with the running game and with Rice and, of course, [Willis] McGahee had a big day for them yesterday. [Jared] Gaither is back on the offensive line, and they’re using [Chris] Chester a little bit as a second tight end, and [Marshal] Yanda is playing a little bit more. It seems like they’ve gotten a little bit bigger. And [LeRon McClain] has had a real good year for them, and that’s helped them in the running game, too."
Listen to Bill Belichick on the Big Show on WEEI in Boston
===
More from SRI
Brandon Marshall on how he’s perceived
Philip Rivers on going into the playoffs with a bye week
Sports Radio Interviews is a streaming independent sports blog which provides analysis on breaking sports news, upcoming games, and sporting events from a sports radio perspective. SRI articles frequently appear on SportingNews.com.
New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick says the turf at Houston’s Reliant Stadium is “terrible”.
He was criticized for going for it on fourth down. His team struggled mightily on the road. His team wasn’t as dominant as it was just a few years ago. His leading pass catcher, Wes Welker, was injured in Week 17 and will miss the playoffs. Nonetheless, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are back in the playoffs, are AFC East champions again, and are looking to win another Super Bowl.
Belichick joined the Big Show on WEEI in Boston and talked about the game against the Houston Texans this past weekend, the field at Reliant Stadium, Welker’s season-ending injury, and the Patriots’ upcoming playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Asked about his plan for the final game, and if that changed when Welker went down with the injury:
"No, not really. I’d say we pretty much played everybody and we got guys some experience, in normal situations and in some situations that they hadn’t been in. For example, [Brian] Hoyer.
I think that’s kind of what we wanted to do going into the game. Everybody played. Everybody got a chance to get some work, of the guys that were active."
Asked if he thought there was any problem with Houston’s turf:
"The turf down there is terrible. It’s terrible. It’s just inconsistent. It’s all the little trays of grass, and some of them are soft, and some of them are firm, and they don’t all fit well together. Those seams — some of it feels like a sponge, some of it feels real firm and hard like the Miami surface. One step you’re on one, the other step you’re on another. I really think it’s one of the worst fields I’ve seen."
Asked about Welker making the same cut he’s made before, only this time getting injured:
"For the level of play we have in the National Football League, I think consistency on the field would be priority number one. We talk about players’ safety, about hits and all that, and that’s certainly an area that should always be addressed. There’s nothing more important than player safety. To me, player safety starts on the surface that we play on … I walked out there and I thought it was terrible."
Asked how much time did he spent planning for Baltimore:
"Not too much time formulating a game plan, but quite a bit of time getting ready for them and preparing for them. Watching the game. That’s the team I spent all my time watching, and you never know how it’s going to turn out, but [we] kind of played the percentages that the Jets would win and that Baltimore would beat the Raiders, and that sewed it up …
We’ve seen a lot of them. And we have a lot of scouting work done on them. Today, we’ll start on the game plan, tonight and tomorrow, and have that ready when the players come in on Wednesday. But they’re, in a way, the same team we saw, but in another way, they’ve evolved like all of us have over the course of the season, and they’re solid in all three phases of the game."
On how the Ravens have evolved:
"They seem to be a little more balanced running and passing. We got a lot of passing — I think [Joe Flacco] threw almost 50 times against us. I think it was 40-something. And [Ray] Rice is their leading receiver with 70-something catches. They get the ball to everybody, obviously the backs and the receivers…
It seems like they’ve balanced it up a bit with the running game and with Rice and, of course, [Willis] McGahee had a big day for them yesterday. [Jared] Gaither is back on the offensive line, and they’re using [Chris] Chester a little bit as a second tight end, and [Marshal] Yanda is playing a little bit more. It seems like they’ve gotten a little bit bigger. And [LeRon McClain] has had a real good year for them, and that’s helped them in the running game, too."
Listen to Bill Belichick on the Big Show on WEEI in Boston
===
More from SRI
Brandon Marshall on how he’s perceived
Philip Rivers on going into the playoffs with a bye week
Sports Radio Interviews is a streaming independent sports blog which provides analysis on breaking sports news, upcoming games, and sporting events from a sports radio perspective. SRI articles frequently appear on SportingNews.com.
Rex Ryan says his New York Jets are built to win in the playoffs.
The New York Jets are ahead of schedule. They’ve made it to the NFL playoffs with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback in the country’s biggest media market. No matter what happens against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend, these Jets are now saddled with the burden of expectations.
Head coach Rex Ryan joined ESPN Radio in New York with Michael Kay to talk about making it to the playoffs in his first year as head coach, why he has so much confidence in his team, whether or not he is concerned with his rookie quarterback, and whether or not his team can win a Super Bowl this season.
On making it to the playoffs in his first year as head coach:
"It’s hard to get into the playoffs. It took a lot of things for us to get in there besides having to play really well. They don’t come around all the time. You can’t assume that you’re always going to be in it, that’s for sure. You’d like to think you would be, but it is difficult. It’s one of the most difficult things to do in team sports.
You can look at last years, somebody was telling me, the top four teams in last year’s tournament, none of them made the playoffs this year. It just goes to show how difficult it is. Being my first year and all that kind of stuff, absolutely, I’m excited about it. But that’s not our goal. We’re in it to win it.
We’ve got a tough task in front of us going to Cincinnati. I believe in this football team and I think were built for this time of year. We’ve said that. Be able to run the football, play great defense, do a good job on special teams, protect the football, and make plays down the field when we need to."
On whether or not they showed too much Sunday night against Cincinnati:
"When you know the systems the way we do and the way Brian [Schottenheimer] knows our offense, trust me, it seems like an endless bag of things that he can come up with. Then on defense, we’ll have enough tricks for them as well and do different things. We’ll be dialed in. I think were a difficult team to prepare for. We’re multiple on offense, defense, and special teams as well. It’s a short week, we’ll see the adjustments they make and we’ll already have some adjustments as well."
On people saying that they backed into the playoffs:
"People can think what they want. That’s fine. It’s hard to say you backed in when you lead the league in defense and it’s not even close. We gave up on average 252 yards a game against us on defense and the next closest team is probably 35 yards away per game. This defense has been spectacular. I know we haven’t finished some of the games the way we wanted to, but trust me, there isn’t a team in this league that wouldn’t trade our defense for their defense. I think that’s not backing in. I think leading the league in fewest points allowed and also, by the way, giving up seven or eight touchdowns in returns and still leading the league in fewest points allowed is also not backing in. Having the number one rushing attack in the league is not backing in.
That’s how I feel about it, but again everybody can have their opinions. That’s fine. We’re not making an apology for getting into the playoffs. We’re just focused on putting our best foot forward on Saturday."
On whether his quarterback is ready for the playoffs:
"I believe he is. I really do. He had a big throw earlier in the game [this past weekend], but it was tough … I think Braylon would have caught that thing eight out of ten times.
I had a lot of confidence in our passing attack, but the way the game was going we really never needed to risk anything down the field. We were just going to run the football and our guys did just a phenomenal job. Two of the best drives that I have seen into the wind, in those conditions."
On whether or not he believes his team can win a Super Bowl this year:
"I believe that. I believe we’re gonna win every game. It doesn’t always happen but I believe it. You’ve earned that right to be one of those teams in there. One of the final twelve teams, and why not? We have the number one defense by far in this league. We have the number one rushing attack in this league. We’re protecting the football, getting takeaways now, and playing good special teams. That’s what you have to have. I think we’ve peaked at the right time and we’re ready for this."
Listen to Rex Ryan on ESPN Radio in New York with Michael Kay
===
More from SRI
Brandon Marshall on how he’s perceived
Philip Rivers on going into the playoffs with a bye week
Sports Radio Interviews is a streaming independent sports blog which provides analysis on breaking sports news, upcoming games, and sporting events from a sports radio perspective. SRI articles frequently appear on SportingNews.com.
Rex Ryan says his New York Jets are built to win in the playoffs.
The New York Jets are ahead of schedule. They’ve made it to the NFL playoffs with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback in the country’s biggest media market. No matter what happens against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend, these Jets are now saddled with the burden of expectations.
Head coach Rex Ryan joined ESPN Radio in New York with Michael Kay to talk about making it to the playoffs in his first year as head coach, why he has so much confidence in his team, whether or not he is concerned with his rookie quarterback, and whether or not his team can win a Super Bowl this season.
On making it to the playoffs in his first year as head coach:
"It’s hard to get into the playoffs. It took a lot of things for us to get in there besides having to play really well. They don’t come around all the time. You can’t assume that you’re always going to be in it, that’s for sure. You’d like to think you would be, but it is difficult. It’s one of the most difficult things to do in team sports.
You can look at last years, somebody was telling me, the top four teams in last year’s tournament, none of them made the playoffs this year. It just goes to show how difficult it is. Being my first year and all that kind of stuff, absolutely, I’m excited about it. But that’s not our goal. We’re in it to win it.
We’ve got a tough task in front of us going to Cincinnati. I believe in this football team and I think were built for this time of year. We’ve said that. Be able to run the football, play great defense, do a good job on special teams, protect the football, and make plays down the field when we need to."
On whether or not they showed too much Sunday night against Cincinnati:
"When you know the systems the way we do and the way Brian [Schottenheimer] knows our offense, trust me, it seems like an endless bag of things that he can come up with. Then on defense, we’ll have enough tricks for them as well and do different things. We’ll be dialed in. I think were a difficult team to prepare for. We’re multiple on offense, defense, and special teams as well. It’s a short week, we’ll see the adjustments they make and we’ll already have some adjustments as well."
On people saying that they backed into the playoffs:
"People can think what they want. That’s fine. It’s hard to say you backed in when you lead the league in defense and it’s not even close. We gave up on average 252 yards a game against us on defense and the next closest team is probably 35 yards away per game. This defense has been spectacular. I know we haven’t finished some of the games the way we wanted to, but trust me, there isn’t a team in this league that wouldn’t trade our defense for their defense. I think that’s not backing in. I think leading the league in fewest points allowed and also, by the way, giving up seven or eight touchdowns in returns and still leading the league in fewest points allowed is also not backing in. Having the number one rushing attack in the league is not backing in.
That’s how I feel about it, but again everybody can have their opinions. That’s fine. We’re not making an apology for getting into the playoffs. We’re just focused on putting our best foot forward on Saturday."
On whether his quarterback is ready for the playoffs:
"I believe he is. I really do. He had a big throw earlier in the game [this past weekend], but it was tough … I think Braylon would have caught that thing eight out of ten times.
I had a lot of confidence in our passing attack, but the way the game was going we really never needed to risk anything down the field. We were just going to run the football and our guys did just a phenomenal job. Two of the best drives that I have seen into the wind, in those conditions."
On whether or not he believes his team can win a Super Bowl this year:
"I believe that. I believe we’re gonna win every game. It doesn’t always happen but I believe it. You’ve earned that right to be one of those teams in there. One of the final twelve teams, and why not? We have the number one defense by far in this league. We have the number one rushing attack in this league. We’re protecting the football, getting takeaways now, and playing good special teams. That’s what you have to have. I think we’ve peaked at the right time and we’re ready for this."
Listen to Rex Ryan on ESPN Radio in New York with Michael Kay
===
More from SRI
Brandon Marshall on how he’s perceived
Philip Rivers on going into the playoffs with a bye week
That should make Dallas Cowboys faithful feel better about their chances in their first-round matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team they beat 20-16 at Philadelphia in Week 9 and then 24-0 at home on Sunday. (Kickoff is 8 p.m. ET Saturday.)
Last season, the Steelers pulled off a three-feat of Baltimore en route to winning Super Bowl 43. Dallas, however, has failed in its only two attempts—in 1998 against the Cardinals and 2007 against the Giants, both part of the franchise’s 13-year postseason drought.
"I don’t know that we have faced in the playoffs, since I’ve been here, more of a challenge to turn around and play that good of a team for a third time," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of the Eagles. "Now we’ve done it two years ago with a team that we thought could go all the way with all the talent and we couldn’t get it done."
Jones’ players aren’t expecting Philadelphia to struggle to play defense and score points in their return trip to Cowboys Stadium.
"It definitely gets our attention, because I know (Eagles coach) Andy Reid is going to have those guys ready," Dallas wide receiver Patrick Crayton said.
Here are three notable obstacles Dallas must overcome to beat Philadelphia one more time:
More Brian Westbrook
He didn’t play in the Nov. 8 matchup and was limited to nine touches for 37 total yards Sunday. Reid is slowly working Westbrook back into the mix, and if the Cowboys keep focusing on taking away DeSean Jackson deep, Westbrook could burn them on underneath routes that get him into the open field.
Before the final month of the season, there was a question as to whether Westbrook, 30, would return at all after suffering two concussions and missing nine games. But he is back with fresh legs, having avoided the grind that would have put more wear and tear on his knees and ankles.
The Eagles kept Westbrook active, so Reid must think Westbrook can have big impact. The only way to find out is increasing his touches to 15 to 20, using him in the running and short passing games to keep the Cowboys’ pass rush in check. Using him more on early downs would help keep Philadelphia on schedule and out of one-dimensional third-and-long situations.
"I feel pretty good," Westbrook said Sunday. "I don’t think the offense really got into the rhythm — some parts we did, but for the most part, we didn’t."
Keeping the offense balanced will help that cause, and that means Westbrook, rookie LeSean McCoy and fullback Leonard Weaver all need to be involved more in the game plan.
A better Donovan McNabb
Five previous times this season, McNabb has seen his passer rating dip into the 80s or below and followed it up with a strong, efficient outing.
"At times, I feel like when you are at the top you sometimes have to get knocked back down to dust yourself back off and to get yourself back in order," McNabb said.
McNabb usually takes advantage when defenses work so hard to not let Jackson beat them. On Sunday, he was a little off with his connection to rookie No. 2 wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who found himself open often, and his starting wideouts were each limited to just three catches for 47 yards.
Look for No. 3 receiver Jason Avant, also capable of making big plays, to get more looks in Saturday night’s playoff rematch. The good news is tight end Brent Celek should draw more coverage in the middle, which should open up some deep out routes.
A more aggressive defense
Cowboys QB Tony Romo had plenty of time to throw Sunday, so Philadelphia is certain to dial up its pressure even more than usual this weekend.
"They’re going to blitz a lot," Romo said. "They’re going to try to create turnovers, try to disrupt the flow of the offense."
Although the Cowboys’ offensive line turned in a superb run-blocking performance against Philadelphia in Week 17, the right side of guard Leonard Davis and tackle Doug Free had some trouble in pass protection against Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker and defensive tackle Mike Patterson.
Look for Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to throw a lot more blitzes and exotic formations at Romo, including loading the line with four ends to get a size-speed-athleticism mismatch against interior linemen. Also expect occasional safety blitz to attack Romo from different angles. The key is stopping the run first, even if it requires an eighth defender to consistently do it.
This story appears in Jan. 5’s edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today for free.
That should make Dallas Cowboys faithful feel better about their chances in their first-round matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team they beat 20-16 at Philadelphia in Week 9 and then 24-0 at home on Sunday. (Kickoff is 8 p.m. ET Saturday.)
Last season, the Steelers pulled off a three-feat of Baltimore en route to winning Super Bowl 43. Dallas, however, has failed in its only two attempts—in 1998 against the Cardinals and 2007 against the Giants, both part of the franchise’s 13-year postseason drought.
"I don’t know that we have faced in the playoffs, since I’ve been here, more of a challenge to turn around and play that good of a team for a third time," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of the Eagles. "Now we’ve done it two years ago with a team that we thought could go all the way with all the talent and we couldn’t get it done."
Jones’ players aren’t expecting Philadelphia to struggle to play defense and score points in their return trip to Cowboys Stadium.
"It definitely gets our attention, because I know (Eagles coach) Andy Reid is going to have those guys ready," Dallas wide receiver Patrick Crayton said.
Here are three notable obstacles Dallas must overcome to beat Philadelphia one more time:
More Brian Westbrook
He didn’t play in the Nov. 8 matchup and was limited to nine touches for 37 total yards Sunday. Reid is slowly working Westbrook back into the mix, and if the Cowboys keep focusing on taking away DeSean Jackson deep, Westbrook could burn them on underneath routes that get him into the open field.
Before the final month of the season, there was a question as to whether Westbrook, 30, would return at all after suffering two concussions and missing nine games. But he is back with fresh legs, having avoided the grind that would have put more wear and tear on his knees and ankles.
The Eagles kept Westbrook active, so Reid must think Westbrook can have big impact. The only way to find out is increasing his touches to 15 to 20, using him in the running and short passing games to keep the Cowboys’ pass rush in check. Using him more on early downs would help keep Philadelphia on schedule and out of one-dimensional third-and-long situations.
"I feel pretty good," Westbrook said Sunday. "I don’t think the offense really got into the rhythm — some parts we did, but for the most part, we didn’t."
Keeping the offense balanced will help that cause, and that means Westbrook, rookie LeSean McCoy and fullback Leonard Weaver all need to be involved more in the game plan.
A better Donovan McNabb
Five previous times this season, McNabb has seen his passer rating dip into the 80s or below and followed it up with a strong, efficient outing.
"At times, I feel like when you are at the top you sometimes have to get knocked back down to dust yourself back off and to get yourself back in order," McNabb said.
McNabb usually takes advantage when defenses work so hard to not let Jackson beat them. On Sunday, he was a little off with his connection to rookie No. 2 wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who found himself open often, and his starting wideouts were each limited to just three catches for 47 yards.
Look for No. 3 receiver Jason Avant, also capable of making big plays, to get more looks in Saturday night’s playoff rematch. The good news is tight end Brent Celek should draw more coverage in the middle, which should open up some deep out routes.
A more aggressive defense
Cowboys QB Tony Romo had plenty of time to throw Sunday, so Philadelphia is certain to dial up its pressure even more than usual this weekend.
"They’re going to blitz a lot," Romo said. "They’re going to try to create turnovers, try to disrupt the flow of the offense."
Although the Cowboys’ offensive line turned in a superb run-blocking performance against Philadelphia in Week 17, the right side of guard Leonard Davis and tackle Doug Free had some trouble in pass protection against Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker and defensive tackle Mike Patterson.
Look for Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to throw a lot more blitzes and exotic formations at Romo, including loading the line with four ends to get a size-speed-athleticism mismatch against interior linemen. Also expect occasional safety blitz to attack Romo from different angles. The key is stopping the run first, even if it requires an eighth defender to consistently do it.
This story appears in Jan. 5’s edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today for free.
Sports Radio Interviews is a streaming independent sports blog which provides analysis on breaking sports news, upcoming games, and sporting events from a sports radio perspective. SRI articles frequently appear on SportingNews.com.
Jason Campbell (right) improved statistically under Jim Zorn, but that might not be enough to keep Campbell a Redskin.
Well, the regular season wasn’t more than 12 hours old and the Washington Redskins made the first kaboom in the offseason, firing head coach Jim Zorn. This wasn’t out of nowhere, but more of a when-will-it-happen decision by owner Daniel Snyder. Rumors of Zorn getting fired swirled all season, particularly after he lost his play-calling duties this season to a guy working in a bingo hall earlier in the year.
Reasons are plenty as to why this happened (losing games might have been the worst of them), but Zorn’s shaky relationship with quarterback Jason Campbell didn’t help. The truth is it didn’t help either one that much. Zorn is now gone and Campbell will become a free agent (unless next season is uncapped, which is looking more and more likely) who’s about to test the waters as soon as he can. Washington tried to trade up last April to draft Mark Sanchez and tried to trade for Jay Cutler in the offseason, so the writing seems to be on the wall.
Campbell did improve under Zorn. Even though he might have had one of the league’s worst offensive lines, he established personal bests with 3,618 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, a 64.5 completion percentage and an 86.4 quarterback rating. These are not the numbers of a bad quarterback, but can he take the Skins where they want to go yearly, the playoffs? Can he become an elite QB in the NFL? The whole Zorn hiring seemed weird, first as offensive coordinator and then quickly promoted to head coach. Snyder was sure Zorn was the hire to make Campbell his elite NFL QB; maybe it’s time to go back to square one. Campbell was the 25th pick in the 2005 NFL draft and has not lived up to Snyder’s standards as a franchise guy.
Campbell joined The Sports Junkies on 106.7 the Fan in Washington, D.C., to talk about Zorn’s firing, the chances of Mike Shanahan becoming the next head coach, and his impending free agency.
On whether he’ll be back next season:
"We haven’t really went that deep yet. My main thing I kept telling (my agent) was let me focus on the season, let me get through the season. One thing we both talked about is this a lot of may come to down things where I may not even have a say so. If you become a restricted free agent then you know it’s pretty much up to the Redskins whether they bring you back or not. A lot of stuff is out of my control and out of my hands so I can’t spend a lot of time worrying about it."
On whether people should assume Mike Shanahan is the next head coach of the Redskins:
"Well, that’s what all the speculation has been about the last three, four weeks. I don’t know how true it is or what’s going to come of it. I am pretty sure we will find out something here this week. But you know whoever it is; you kind of know its going to be an experienced head coach, a guy with a lot of background."
On Jim Zorn getting fired:
"It’s something that didn’t shock anyone. Because all the guys already felt that was probably going to happen. Based on everything going on and everything being said over the last couple of weeks that wasn’t anything that was shocking. You know we all told each other yesterday this would be the last time we would all be together as this team anyways, you know coaches and players. So we just wanted to try and go out there yesterday and finish on a strong note. We played a good game but we still came up short. We knew that wasn’t going to be a shock, we knew the Redskins were probably going to go in a different direction. It wasn’t anything that caught us off guard."
On whether he felt the offensive players felt accountable to Zorn or if they deferred to coordinator Sherm Lewis:
"We just kept moving forward. We just kept playing. The situation we knew, they were going to do something. You know we were getting staggered as an offense. People were kind of keying on what we were doing so we didn’t know what kind of change they were going to make. I thought Sherm Lewis was coming in here to be a consultant at the time. You know he was only here two weeks and named offensive coordinator. It kind of caught some guys off guard. At the same time everyone was like let’s not get caught up in the speculation and everything that’s going on. Let’s find a way to make this work. It was the same thing the coaches said, ‘Let’s make this work. We are still going to run our same offense; we are still going to have the same guys putting together our gameplan.’ My main thing was, J, don’t get caught up in what’s going on, my job was to make sure I got the play into the huddle, got it called, got to the line of scrimmage, without getting a delay of game."
Listen to Jason Campbell with The Sports Junkies on 106.7 the Fan in Washington
Sports Radio Interviews is a streaming independent sports blog which provides analysis on breaking sports news, upcoming games, and sporting events from a sports radio perspective. SRI articles frequently appear on SportingNews.com.
Jason Campbell (right) improved statistically under Jim Zorn, but that might not be enough to keep Campbell a Redskin.
Well, the regular season wasn’t more than 12 hours old and the Washington Redskins made the first kaboom in the offseason, firing head coach Jim Zorn. This wasn’t out of nowhere, but more of a when-will-it-happen decision by owner Daniel Snyder. Rumors of Zorn getting fired swirled all season, particularly after he lost his play-calling duties this season to a guy working in a bingo hall earlier in the year.
Reasons are plenty as to why this happened (losing games might have been the worst of them), but Zorn’s shaky relationship with quarterback Jason Campbell didn’t help. The truth is it didn’t help either one that much. Zorn is now gone and Campbell will become a free agent (unless next season is uncapped, which is looking more and more likely) who’s about to test the waters as soon as he can. Washington tried to trade up last April to draft Mark Sanchez and tried to trade for Jay Cutler in the offseason, so the writing seems to be on the wall.
Campbell did improve under Zorn. Even though he might have had one of the league’s worst offensive lines, he established personal bests with 3,618 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, a 64.5 completion percentage and an 86.4 quarterback rating. These are not the numbers of a bad quarterback, but can he take the Skins where they want to go yearly, the playoffs? Can he become an elite QB in the NFL? The whole Zorn hiring seemed weird, first as offensive coordinator and then quickly promoted to head coach. Snyder was sure Zorn was the hire to make Campbell his elite NFL QB; maybe it’s time to go back to square one. Campbell was the 25th pick in the 2005 NFL draft and has not lived up to Snyder’s standards as a franchise guy.
Campbell joined The Sports Junkies on 106.7 the Fan in Washington, D.C., to talk about Zorn’s firing, the chances of Mike Shanahan becoming the next head coach, and his impending free agency.
On whether he’ll be back next season:
"We haven’t really went that deep yet. My main thing I kept telling (my agent) was let me focus on the season, let me get through the season. One thing we both talked about is this a lot of may come to down things where I may not even have a say so. If you become a restricted free agent then you know it’s pretty much up to the Redskins whether they bring you back or not. A lot of stuff is out of my control and out of my hands so I can’t spend a lot of time worrying about it."
On whether people should assume Mike Shanahan is the next head coach of the Redskins:
"Well, that’s what all the speculation has been about the last three, four weeks. I don’t know how true it is or what’s going to come of it. I am pretty sure we will find out something here this week. But you know whoever it is; you kind of know its going to be an experienced head coach, a guy with a lot of background."
On Jim Zorn getting fired:
"It’s something that didn’t shock anyone. Because all the guys already felt that was probably going to happen. Based on everything going on and everything being said over the last couple of weeks that wasn’t anything that was shocking. You know we all told each other yesterday this would be the last time we would all be together as this team anyways, you know coaches and players. So we just wanted to try and go out there yesterday and finish on a strong note. We played a good game but we still came up short. We knew that wasn’t going to be a shock, we knew the Redskins were probably going to go in a different direction. It wasn’t anything that caught us off guard."
On whether he felt the offensive players felt accountable to Zorn or if they deferred to coordinator Sherm Lewis:
"We just kept moving forward. We just kept playing. The situation we knew, they were going to do something. You know we were getting staggered as an offense. People were kind of keying on what we were doing so we didn’t know what kind of change they were going to make. I thought Sherm Lewis was coming in here to be a consultant at the time. You know he was only here two weeks and named offensive coordinator. It kind of caught some guys off guard. At the same time everyone was like let’s not get caught up in the speculation and everything that’s going on. Let’s find a way to make this work. It was the same thing the coaches said, ‘Let’s make this work. We are still going to run our same offense; we are still going to have the same guys putting together our gameplan.’ My main thing was, J, don’t get caught up in what’s going on, my job was to make sure I got the play into the huddle, got it called, got to the line of scrimmage, without getting a delay of game."
Listen to Jason Campbell with The Sports Junkies on 106.7 the Fan in Washington
The Bills announced Monday that all of their coaches were free to seek jobs elsewhere. The status of anyone who remains on staff will be determined by the new head coach.
Who will the Bills’ new head coach be? Here are five coaches the Bills should strongly consider, if they cannot lure Bill Cowher into take the job:
Brian Billick — The former head coach of the Ravens led them to a victory in Super Bowl 35, and had an 85-67 record in nine seasons with them. Billick knows what it means to be part of a successful and stable organization, and could bring that insight to a Bills franchise that sorely needs it.
Jim Fassel — Never understood why he has not gotten another job, after a successful seven-year tenure with the Giants, which included an NFC championship in 2000. Fassel is a highly-regarded quarterback teacher, and the Bills need to develop a franchise quarterback. Fassel has not been an NFL head coach since 2003, and he would love to get back in. Buffalo could be a nice fit both for him, and for the Bills.
Perry Fewell — The Bills announced that Fewell, the interim coach, would interview for the head job. Fewell may be hurt by being part of Dick Jauron’s staff, but there is no question the Bills played better under Fewell than under Jauron. Not only did the players respond to Fewell, he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the core players. Hiring him would retain some continuity for a team that will clearly make major roster changes.
Ron Rivera — He may get to the Super Bowl as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. He has already been to the Super Bowl as the Bears’ defensive coordinator. Chicago’s defense has not been the same since Rivera left, and the Chargers’ defense improved immediately once he became coordinator. That is strong evidence that Rivera should be a candidate. And in Buffalo, where the weather turns nasty late in the season, a team built around defense is not a bad thing. Look at the job that Rex Ryan, another defensive guy, has done with the Jets in his first season as head coach. Perhaps Rivera could have a similar impact.
Marty Schottenheimer — Over a long NFL career, he has proven he can turn a loser into a winner, and guide a team to the playoffs. So what if Schottenheimer has never been to a Super Bowl. With the Bills making their last playoff appearance in 1999, Schottenheimer would become a legend in Buffalo if he built the Bills into a playoff team.
Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.
The Bills announced Monday that all of their coaches were free to seek jobs elsewhere. The status of anyone who remains on staff will be determined by the new head coach.
Who will the Bills’ new head coach be? Here are five coaches the Bills should strongly consider, if they cannot lure Bill Cowher into take the job:
Brian Billick — The former head coach of the Ravens led them to a victory in Super Bowl 35, and had an 85-67 record in nine seasons with them. Billick knows what it means to be part of a successful and stable organization, and could bring that insight to a Bills franchise that sorely needs it.
Jim Fassel — Never understood why he has not gotten another job, after a successful seven-year tenure with the Giants, which included an NFC championship in 2000. Fassel is a highly-regarded quarterback teacher, and the Bills need to develop a franchise quarterback. Fassel has not been an NFL head coach since 2003, and he would love to get back in. Buffalo could be a nice fit both for him, and for the Bills.
Perry Fewell — The Bills announced that Fewell, the interim coach, would interview for the head job. Fewell may be hurt by being part of Dick Jauron’s staff, but there is no question the Bills played better under Fewell than under Jauron. Not only did the players respond to Fewell, he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the core players. Hiring him would retain some continuity for a team that will clearly make major roster changes.
Ron Rivera — He may get to the Super Bowl as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. He has already been to the Super Bowl as the Bears’ defensive coordinator. Chicago’s defense has not been the same since Rivera left, and the Chargers’ defense improved immediately once he became coordinator. That is strong evidence that Rivera should be a candidate. And in Buffalo, where the weather turns nasty late in the season, a team built around defense is not a bad thing. Look at the job that Rex Ryan, another defensive guy, has done with the Jets in his first season as head coach. Perhaps Rivera could have a similar impact.
Marty Schottenheimer — Over a long NFL career, he has proven he can turn a loser into a winner, and guide a team to the playoffs. So what if Schottenheimer has never been to a Super Bowl. With the Bills making their last playoff appearance in 1999, Schottenheimer would become a legend in Buffalo if he built the Bills into a playoff team.
Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.
