Thursday, January 14, 2010

TONY DUNGY IS AN ANNOYING, SELF-RIGHTEOUS JERK


I hate Tony Dungy. I hate the mystique around Tony Dungy as the "Nice guy." And what's even more laughable is the notion that he's a family man. Somehow, having a son commit suicide makes you a family man. Do you remember the media-led slobberfest over this guy when his son offed himself?

I don't know if Dungy's a good dad or not, only his kids know that. But to the media, it was as if his son's suicide PROVED that he was Father of the Century.

And now he's pissing me off again. He's bitching about NFL teams failing to follow the spirit of the Rooney Rule.

I'm going to try not to get too political here, cuz this is a sports site. But indulge me...

The Rooney Rule demands that an NFL team interview a minority candidate for an open head-coaching position before a new coach is named. In other words, an NFL team looking for a new coach MUST interview a minority candidate before selecting their coach. Even if they've already decided on one.

Dungy was a major proponent of the rule. I don't like the rule, I don't like affirmative action, but little harm comes from an interview, and I can even see how some good can come from it.

But Dungy's pissed. Quotes from the AP Story:

"Recent minority interviews for NFL coaching jobs in Washington and Seattle under the Rooney Rule have raised questions whether the spirit of the rule has been violated...

The Seahawks met with Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier on Saturday amid reports that Southern California coach Pete Carroll would be hired regardless of how impressive Frazier was.

'That is not what the Rooney Rule is supposed to be, (that) you make up your mind and then interview a candidate for it anyway just to satisfy the rule.'"


Dungy, what the fuck did you expect? The Seahawks wanted Carroll. And dumb as that is to give him another shot in the NFL, they weren't going to change their minds. The Rooney Rule sets up a token system of interviews if a team has already made up its mind.



The Seahawks wanted Carroll, and now Dungy is pissed that they're following his rule, but not following it to the letter.

And if it's unwise for teams to rush through the hiring process, then they'll get screwed for it in the end. If teams don't hire the best candidate for the job, they'll be punished for it on the field. Which the Seahawks will soon discover.



Fuck the Rooney Rule, and fuck that over glorified, egotistical, self-righteous Reverend Tony Dungy.

THE CHIEFS HAVE WEIS AND CRENNEL... WHO ARE OUR COORDINATORS AGAIN?

I consider myself a relatively serious Patriots fan. I've been to every home game the last 3 years (albeit in a working capacity, but I've still been there rain/shine). I fancy myself more knowledgeable and less emotional than most Pats fans, but even I had to look up who the Patriots' coordinators are.

Dean Pees is the defensive coordinator, and there is no offensive coordinator.

Charlie Weis was available to be a coordinator. The Chiefs grabbed him. There is no offensive coordinator in Foxborough, and the Patriots made not a single effort to seduce their Prodigal Coach back home. Apparently it was felt that nobody is better than Weis.



I remember the actual moment I began to miss Charlie Weis, and Josh McDaniels, too. It was Week 10 in Indy. Right before the Pats went for it on 4th & 2, they were confused, and took a timeout. That lack of a timeout prevented them from challenging what should have been a much closer spot of the ball.



But I remember watching NFL Films, and the DVD 21, and watching Weis on the Patriot sidelines, preparing his unit for any and all contingencies. "If we stop them here, we have X yards to go for a field goal. If they get a field goal, we'll probably have Y seconds to get a touchdown." That kind of thing.

Weis thought ahead. He was a chess master, thinking 8 minutes ahead in a game. If he wanted to go for it on 4th & 2, he would've made the decision when it was 2nd & 10.

There would've been no need for that timeout.

Maybe Weis and Crennel don't want to return to New England. Maybe they don't want to take that apparent step backward in their careers. That's understandable. But did the Patriots even call them or their agents. I certainly hope they did. Because those are two premier coordinators. Not only that, it's going to be some time before another team steals them away as head coaches.



The Patriots apparently chose a void over Charlie Weis. And I just don't get that. Especially after a season of bland plays and total offensive failure in key moments.

BRUINS BLOW ANOTHER ONE


An inspired 2nd period effort was wasted by the Bruins last night in Anaheim. Down 1-0 after 1, Zdeno Chara led the Bruins' 3 goal charge in the middle frame, and they ended the period up 3-2. But then the 3rd saw your typical Bruins' silliness, and another 2 points were pickpocketed away.

Part of me is kind of glad that all the "Tuukka Time" people out there actually saw why Tim Thomas is still clearly the Bruins' #1. The goal Rask allowed in the 2nd was entirely his fault, as his greatest weakness was exploited: indecisiveness handling the puck. Rask was lost with the puck behind the net, turned the puck over, and was out of balance and out of position until Matt Beleskey put him out of his misery.

There was some good to take out of this one. Chara harnessed his rage from the end of the 1st into a goal in the 2nd, and some excellent play in all three zones. Sturm was excellent, scoring his 15th. Satan has proven to be a real nice pickup. And Hunwick made an intelligent offensive play to score his 6th of the season.

But there was also a great deal of negatives. Wideman got his 3rd delay of game penalty of the season for chipping the puck over the defensive zone glass. That's inexcusable.

Ryder feels the need to count to 3 before doing anything with the puck. He hesitated on a golden chance to tie it in the 3rd, eventually shooting and knocking the puck around the post.

David Krejci... nuf said.

Bruins have another tough one tonight in San Jose.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Chris Carlson