RAGS TO RICHES, AND RAGS TO...RAGS?
Nearly two weeks into the Free Agency period, the NFL has enjoyed some crazy storylines. The Peyton Manning sweepstakes (he ended up in Denver), the New Orleans "Bounty Gate" (theyve been fined $500,000, lost two draft picks and had most of their senior staff suspended) and the relocation of the Tebow road show to the most volatile media market in the league (he's now a New York Jet) have been three of the most prominent. But in this blog I shall look at two franchises that I think have seen the trusty ground move from under their feet more than most this off season, one in the last fortnight, the other since pretty much their GM assumed office. Lets look first at the Houston Texans.
SWEET DREAM = BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE?
Possibly the most oft quoted statement in the NFL since January has been that "if Matt Schaub (starting quarterback) had been fit, the Texans would have got to the Superbowl / beaten New England / established lasting peace in the Middle East". Its one of the great unquantifiable's. True, the Texans were the number one seed in the AFC at the time Schaub sustained a Lisfranc fracture to his foot, with an unbelievable defence, a top five receiver in Andre Johnson and one of the stud running backs in the league in Arian Foster. That the season did not end in silverware is not entirely due to the play of Schaubs back up TJ Yates, but most experts I have heard (especially NFL.Com's Dave Dameschek) continue to expound the theory that Schaubs injury was the only thing that allowed Tom Brady his place representing the AFC in the Superbowl in February.
So, with Schaub due to return this season, the Sky must the limit for the NFL's youngest team, right?
Wrong.
Starting OT Eric Winston, one of the stars of that position in the league, was released. Defensive captain DeMeco Ryans was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. OLB/DE hybrid Mario Williams got paid in a big way during his testing of the free agency waters, signing for big money with Buffalo Bills. Joel Dreesen, a young and promising Tight End who provided Yates with a safe target down the stretch, was not re-signed and ended up in Denver. No big names or solid veterans have been brought into Houston in order to strengthen the talented outfit from 2011. The team was heavily up against the Salary Cap, the perenial headboard for all teams of stature, but just from the outside looking in it appears that the Texans will struggle to win the AFC South, let alone the Superbowl.
NEED A PR CAMPAIGN? ANY NEWS IS GOOD NEWS
The Texans troubles do seem to be mostly on the field, with a struggle to keep existing talent and add more. The Miami Dolphins, one of the more known teams by people with no interest in the NFL thanks mainly to the film Ace Ventura : Pet Detective, have a major problem away from the hallowed turf, thanks to a series of chases that have come up short, involving both players and coaches.
At the end of the 2010 season, the Dolphins made a very high profile move to try and lure Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, despite already having a coach in place in Tony Sparano. When Harbuagh rebuffed the approach, the Dolphins took the expected step of "backing their coach" and extended his contract. He was ultimately fired 13 games into the 2011 season. It was rumoured that the Dolphins had spoken with several other candidates while Sparano was still in situ.
Now coachless, the Dolphins were expected to be major players in luring Jeff Fisher, the highly successful and greatly respected former coach of the Titans, into their organisation. It came down to a straight choice for Fisher, between the Dolphins and the hapless St Louis Rams. With a porous defence, a young and banged up quarterback, and a fanbase constantly hollering for a return to Los Angeles, the smart money would be on Fisher going to South Beach to harness the talent of a new franchise QB (Miami have been in the market for one since Dan Marino retired, and were rumoured to be in the mix for several stud free agents) the revitalised Reggie Bush at RB, with the dynamic Brandon Marshall at wide reciever. Fisher went to St Louis.
When it comes to players, this off season Peyton Manning has spurned the Dolphins, Matt Flynn chose instead to go and play in rainy Seattle and Tim Tebow ended up in New York. Why does NO ONE want to play in South Beach??
The answer may lie with the man who puts the PR into PRICK, Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland. The man is a humourists dream. In 2010, he asked young receiver Dez Bryant, during a scouting interview, if his mother was a prostitute. He called an irate Dolphins fan JUST THIS WEEK to answer grieveances about the team. He should have reversed the charges, that would have been the only way to rescue the call from the damage it was about to make. He revealed to the fan that they would have axed star receiver Brandon Marshall if theyd had to, that they were never interested in QB Matt Flynn (despite paying to fly him in first class for talks), and that Peyton Manning "was never a priority". This is a team that endured Matt Moore at QB for much of the 2011 season. Moore's NFL career numbers read 5148 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. Why would you want to upgrade those figures to someones whose resume reads 54,828 yards, 399 touchdowns and a Super Bowl ring?
As long as Ireland is in place in Miami, the team will continue to stutter and struggle. They are a joke, and this fool is the head clown.
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