All Aboard the Coaching Carousel!

In sports, we typically associate failure with a team's inability to perform. We point to players underperforming, team chemistry lacking and a general lack of desire to compete. Now think about that for a second and compare it to the job market. If an employee (player) underperforms, what happens to them? They are fired. When a company (team) underperforms, who gets fired? The employees (team). But who's left with a comfortable settlement or a nice stock option? The higher-ups, the head honchos, in sport's terms, the team personnel. Yet, when we look at the way in which job performance is evaluated in professional sports, it is markedly different than in the actual job market.

Let's take the Washington Wizards as an example. Any devoted NBA fan is well aware of the struggles Washington has been having this season. It's fairly safe to say that they are the worst team in the league. They underperform in nearly every aspect of the game and almost always come out (except against the Knicks curiously) with an overly lazy attitude towards the game of basketball. Now if you were the boss of the Wizards, what would you do? Well, any reasonable and sane person would say to themselves that the players should be held accountable for the team's failures right? Wrong. In the NBA and the other 3 major sports, it is team personnel that frequently is blamed for a team's troubles. We all know the Wizards are an underdeveloped team that is likely years away from aggressively competing in the NBA. Surrounding young John Wall with selfish players like Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis and JaVale McGee simply isn't going to do it. Yet, who takes the fall when the team struggles? Not Blatche, not Lewis and not McGee. Instead the blame is placed on Flip Saunders, the head coach, who had little to no role in choosing the players for his team this season. We all know that Flip Saunders has an impressive coaching pedigree. Heck, he led the Pistons to the NBA finals in 2006 (albeit in losing fashion to the Miami Heat) in his first season as head coach of the team. So clearly, the guy knows how to win. Yet, when the team struggles, the blame is placed squarely on the head coach whether they like it or not.

Now, the Flip Saunders example is of course just one of many in sports. We could mention Paul Westphal and the Kings, Larry Brown and the Knicks, Joe Torre and the Yankees, Raheem Morris and the Buccaneers, Jack Del Rio and the Jags, but the list could keep going on and on. Of course, when are you in the shoes of the owners of these teams, it is much more financially responsible to drop a coach as opposed to a player. But that does not make it any more reasonable. Players know they are guaranteed jobs for a great length of their professional career. Most know that if they play their cards right, a team will always be willing to take a chance on them and for a very nice amount of money as well. The same cannot be said for coaches. Give a coach a 5 year contract nowadays, and you're lucky if he makes it past two. These are jobs we're talking about. When you fire a coach, sure he might find a job elsewhere but the accountability has got to be rerouted towards those who are truly responsible for the team's failure. No ones likes getting fired. Especially when you're not the one who should be solely accountable for it.

The Sports Reporters Podcast #2

The Sports Reporters Podcast #2

The Sports Reporters Podcast #1

Reversal of Fortune

If I had asked you after the Indianapolis Colts when the Super Bowl over the Chicago Bears in 2007 who would be the better quarterback, Eli or Peyton, the answer would be easy. Peyton had just had a historic season for Indy, Eli Manning was struggling to adjust to the city lights in New York and the Colts looked like they might be headed towards dynasty status.
Now let me ask you that same question right now. Who is the better quarterback? Eli or Peyton? Well now the answer is not as simple. Sure, on paper Peyton is clearly a hall of famer with the kind of credentials that only few QBs in the NFL have ever achieved. But success in sports, particularly in the NFL, is almost always marked by recent success. Based on those terms, the better quarterback would have to be Eli, wouldn't it? Eli has a chance on February 5th to do something his brother has never been able to do and perhaps something he will never do considering his current status.
Now, to be clear, when I ask who the better QB is, I'm not asking who has the better track record or who has put up better stats over the course of their career. Clearly, that honor belongs to Peyton given his longevity in the league and Eli's lack of such longevity to this point. The real question is who would you rather have behind your center come next season, Eli or Peyton? Again, consider the ramifications and the sheer ludicrousness of this question. We're talking about Peyton f-ing Manning. Not some shlub who got lucky one year and magically pulled a Super Bowl victory out of his ass. But believe it or not, Peyton is no longer the QB he once was. After undergoing 3 neck surgeries in the last 19 months, his playing ability must be questioned. He did not take a single snap this season and could even be out of a job come next month if Colts owner Jim Irsay decides that Andrew Luck is indeed the future of the Colts.
Do I blame Irsay for the decision if he chooses to drop Peyton? Well, yes and no. We all know that there are certain players who every now and then come along and do something special for the sport. Peyton is indeed one of those players. He has emphasized the importance of elite QBs in the NFL and set the stage for what has now become an offensive-heavy league. But players age and with time, they are no longer the same kind of players they once were. Does anyone want to believe that such is the case with Peyton Manning? Of course not. But the NFL like any other sport is a business and the Colts don't want to be on the hook for a player who may have passed his prime even despite his incredible history with the team.
Is it fair? No. Is it legitimate? Yes. Just 5 years ago, asking which QB you'd rather have was a no-brainer. But come 2012, times change, fortunes change and the same question is no longer such an easy one to ask. Eli has a chance of February 5th to become just the 11th QB in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowl titles. Let's just say his company on that list would be pretty legit. One glaring omission on the list? Peyton Manning. So I'll ask again, which QB would you rather have, Eli or Peyton?

Mistakes Happen

No one ever dreams of losing the game for your team. As children we fantasize about hitting that homerun in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. We dream of swishing that shot before the buzzer to win a basketball game. We imagine the feeling of scoring the game winning goal. Billy Cundiff is now a legend but not for any of the right reasons and was dubbed by one twitter user as the Bill Buckner of football. I have to say, this is totally unfair.
ESPN produced a series of segments in a show called 30-for-30. The one I am referring to is called "Catching Hell". The episode discussed the desire for a scapegoat in sports and in fact life. The Boston Red Sox in 1986 were leading in the World Series over the New York Mets 3 games to 2. After taking the lead in the 10th inning the Red Sox's pitcher Calvin Schiraldi allowed three straight two out singles. Bob Stanley came in in relief duty and threw a wild pitch. The next batter was Mookie Wilson who hit the famous groundball that went through Buckner's legs and the Mets won the game. Everyone blamed Buckner for the loss, but in reality, both pitchers lost the game. The Mets came from behind again in game 7 and won the series.
In 2003, the Chicago Cubs were playing the Florida Marlins also leading in the series 3 games to 2. The Cubs were leading the game 3-0 in the eight inning with one out when Luis Castillo of the Marlins hit a foul ball along the left field line. Cubs outfielder Moises Alou chased the ball towards the stands. As the ball began to decline, a number of fans reached over the wall to try and catch the souvenir. Steve Bartman's hand hit the ball and prevented Alou from making the catch and recording the second out. Alou yells at Bartman and the who stadium began heckling this man who did nothing different than what anyone would have done. The Cubs went on to surrender eight runs and eventually lose the game. They then lost the following game and coincidentally lost the series.
Sunday evening the New England Patriots played the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. After moving down the field to set up a game tying field goal Billy Cundiff kicked the ball and missed the field goal wide to the left. But so much happened before that moment. First of all, with 7+ minutes remaining in the game, Joe Flacco gets intercepted giving the Patriots the ball near midfield. Luckily for them on the very next play, Tom Brady threw an interception and gave it right back to the Ravens. On the ensuing drive the Ravens are faced with a fourth and six with just under three minutes to go with the ball on the New England 32 yard line. A field goal from that distance is approximately 50 yards so Baltimore elects to go for it. They then burn a timeout because there was confusion with the offense. The play that was selected, broke down and Flacco threw incomplete resulting in a turnover on downs. After forcing a punt the Ravens got the ball back with two timeouts. Joe Flacco engineered a drive to get the Ravens in a position to at the very least tie the game if not win it. With 25 seconds left and one timeout remaining, with the ball at the New England 14 yard line, Flacco delivers a perfect pass to Lee Evans in the endzone. However, Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore knocks the ball away from Evans so its incomplete. Two plays later, Billy Cundiff sprints across the whole field and tries to get set for his field goal attempt. The snap was fine, the hold was not perfect but it was good enough and Cundiff missed the kick. Keep in mind, a made field goal would only have tied the game, not won it.
These three events will always be remembered, not because of one individuals achievements, but because of their failures. The truth is, it's sick. The Red Sox never should have blown the game or the series, the Cubs still led after the Bartman incident but allowed it to negatively influence their play, and the Ravens should have used their final timeout to allow Cundiff to be fully prepared. There is no point in saving your timeouts for overtime. Give the guy a break. You saw him running across the field to get setup, he was rushing. He rushed the kick, he rotated his hips too quickly and he pulled the ball left.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said, "that boy Cundiff would NOT fly home with my team". Seriously? What is wrong with people? Last year the guy made the Pro Bowl and led the league in touchbacks, was he allowed to fly on your plane then?
The reason we are even focusing so much on Billy Cundiff is because none of his teammates have openly stood up and said it shouldn't have come down to that play. I'm sorry it happened or whatever. In San Francisco, Kyle Williams fumbled the ball to lose the game for the 49ers but captain Patrick Willis immediately tweeted "keep ur head up. U r my brother n teammate N I would put u back there all over again. We all lost this game tonight not u". Words of a leader, friend and teammate.
People get so involved in sports that they don't make rational statements and sometimes act irrationally. These are people. They are human meaning they make mistakes. I'm sorry the Ravens didn't make the Superbowl I truly am, but these things happen and you need to move on and get 'em next year. Billy Cundiff can fly on my airplane any day and together we won't let Stephen A. Smith on board.