Monday night madness

Thought I would do a short post and offer some thoughts pertaining to the Monday night football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts. I don't focus entirely on football for most of my postings, but this was an incredible game that was very intriguing and entertaining to watch. Plus, I am a football coach and breaking down games is pure joy for me. Here are my observations:

1. The Wildcat offensive package is gaining in popularity and the NFL is a league of copycats, so we will continue to see more of this scheme as time goes on. NFL defenses don't know how to defend the option and this offense creates problems and mismatches for defenses trying to defend all the nuances of this particular scheme. The only thing that will slow its emergence is the fact that many head coaches and offensive coordinators are quick to label it as a "gimmick "or" fad" offense. Aside from this, most people in general subscribe to their own formula for success and are slow to adopt ideas that they don't fully understand or didn't have the knowledge to come up with themselves. Despite this fact, nobody wants to look stupid or out of touch with recognizable results. Therefore, more converts will come out of the closet and adopt the Wildcat as it produces more on the field results and gains more steam and appeal as a "legitimate" offensive package.

2. This just in--- The Manning brothers are really good. Both QB's directed 4th quarter comebacks for their respective teams this past weekend and they demonstrated how good they can be under pressure. Peyton is so intelligent and looks like he could run the no huddle offense in his sleep. He still has his reliable targets like Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, but there are also several new rookies and young players in the mix for the Colts. You can't let him have the ball last in a one possession game with time on the clock. If you do, you are going to lose most of the time.

3. This just in--- Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are really good too. They may not get as many headlines as the guys scoring points, but these defensive ends are real difference makers too. Freeney gave the big tackle for the Dolphins major fits even as he drew double teams most of the night. Mathis got to Pennington late in the game and forced a fumble. Freeney is so explosive and has an amazing ability to get great leverage vs. pass blockers.

4. The Dolphins had a great game plan, but they still lost the game. They possessed the ball for basically 3 out of 4 quarters, converted most of their 3rd down attempts, controlled the line of scrimmage, but still came up short. In my opinion, they settled for field goal attempts on too many occasions and they couldn't stop the Colts passing attack when it mattered most. This game perfectly illustrates the fact that statistics don't always tell the whole story of a football game.

5. Dan Henning called a good game and mixed things up well, but what was he thinking during the last 3 minutes of the game. The Dolphins offensive coordinator called plays as if the Dolphins had 7 minutes left on the clock, 2 or 3 timeouts remaining and good field position. The reality was that the Dolphins had 3 minutes remaining in the game, 1 timeout left, and 83 yards to go for a touchdown. The Dolphins showed no sense of urgency but rather a complete lack of preparation down the stretch. This is understandable at certain levels of football, but certainly not the NFL. The Dolphins need to practice their 4 minute offense because their play calling and game management was atrocious.

Just a few more thoughts and then I will shut up.

--- Somebody should get Lane Kiffin a muzzle. The head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers is still directing negative comments towards Urban Meyer. Five years from now, Urban Meyer will probably have at least another 2 National Championships to his credit and Lane Kiffin probably won't even be coaching at Tennessee anymore. Monte Kiffin is a great coach, but I'm not sure why ol' Lane is speaking out so much. I probably will never reach the level of coaching that Lane Kiffin has, but I think he should produce more results on the field before he verbally attacks any other programs. Shame on Tennessee too for going after an unproven coach. Why not pursue a guy like Terry Bowden or Turner Gill?


---I predict that Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan will be back in the league coaching again next year. Cowher is too competitive to stay away much longer and his stock will start to drop if he stays on the sidelines too long. Shanahan is an innovative offensive mind and I wouldn't be surprised if Redskins owner Daniel Snyder comes a calling at seasons end. The Redskins offense is very unimaginative, listless, and I believe they are looking at 7-9 this season.

---Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints may be the dark horse of the NFC this season. They have a high octane offense led by one of the top 5 or 6 QB's in the league.

---Best 0-2 team in the league is the Titans
---Worst 2-0 team in the league is the Broncos
---It looks as if the Lions and Rams will be battling again next year to see who has the number 1 pick in the draft
---The Vikings will win their division this year, but falter in the playoffs.
---Jacksonville's window has closed and I believe Del Rio will be out as coach of the Jags.
---My upset special of the upcoming week: The Jets will have a letdown after upsetting the Patriots and they will lose at home to a desperate Tennessee Titans squad.

Lights out.