The Statesman is reporting that two UT football coaches (offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive line coach Mike Tolleson) are retiring, and offensive coordinator Greg Davis has resigned.
The Statesman is also reporting that Greg Davis states he has not resigned, that he says he’s still in discussions with Mack Brown, and that he expects those discussions to resume on Wednesday.
Don “Dandy Don” Meredith, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and one of my all time favorite members of the Monday Night Football broadcast team, has passed away.
As Don himself would say, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over…”
So what has Gregg Easterbrook up in arms this week? Would you believe Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?
Oh, yes, please! Having Leach coach at Miami would be awesome! However, current speculation seems to be that they’re going after Jon Gruden. Which would leave an empty space in the MNF booth.
Ah, Thanksgiving approaches. And what are we thankful for this week? TMQ cheerleader photos, perhaps?
My reaction? I was somewhat amused that I was listening to Was (Not Was) when I found this out. As I’ve said previously, I think the major problem that Childress had was his failure to walk the dinosaur.
Welcome back, Gregg. We missed you. Well, mostly, we missed the cheerleader pictures.
And Scott Gordon is no longer coaching the New York Islanders.
I think I speak for many people when I say, “They still play professional hockey?”
It was a lousy week in the NFL, at least from my perspective.
Dallas won (what the heck? Was dumping Wade really all they needed?), Houston lost (what is this I don’t even), and sadly…
NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
None.
Count on the Lions to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Bright spot: Minnesota got stomped, so I’m still holding out hope for another coach firing, and possibly even the benching of Brett Favre.
The University of Colorado (the one at Boulder) has fired football coach Dan Hawkins.
Hawkins was hired in 2006. His record? 2-10 in 2006, 6-7 in 2007, 5-7 in 2008, 3-9 in 2009, and 3-6 before he was fired this year.
Ever think about just packing it in, guys?
(Hattip: FARK.)
That’s an actual headline in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (or, as we like to call it around here, the Startle Gram).
Other coverage: Dallas Morning News. ESPN. NFL.com.
I’d love to see Tony Dungy take the job, and interviewing him would be Rooney Rule complaint, but I suspect he’s too happy in his current gig.
How about Brad Childress?
And what will Wade do? Well, I suspect there’s an opportunity opening up in Buffalo soon, and hiring a former Cowboys coach isn’t unprecedented…
Sorry this is late. I wanted to hold off until this morning so I could work in the NBA loser update as well. Tragically, everyone at this point has won at least one game (yes, even the Rockets and Clippers).
So, NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Buffalo
In other news, do you hear that noise? The noise of drums? The constant drumbeat, pounding, pounding? “Fire Wade!” “Fire Brad!” “Fire Wade!” “Fire Brad!” The natives are restless.
Edited to add: Breaking! The natives have apparently gotten a sacrifice! More on this as it develops!
Somebody asked me last week, “Why do you do this?”
“This” meaning the TMQ Watch, not the Safety Dance:
It isn’t an unfair question. As I explained in the very first TMQ Watch,
Sometimes, Easterbrook does good work; he spent much of last season discussing the NFL’s response to head trauma among pro athletes, and I felt he was right on target. Sometimes, he uses his column to argue for things like increased Federal vehicle mileage requirements, and I think someone needs to respond to those arguments. Sometimes, he uses his column to go off on various SF TV shows for their lack of plausibility. And sometimes, Easterbrook just goes completely off the damn rails.
I realize that may not be the best possible explanation, but look at it this way: I haven’t found anyone else who’s doing responses to TMQ, and the comments section on ESPN.com almost certainly inspired an XKCD comic. Somebody has to do it; why not me? My regular readers who don’t care about sports, or Easterbrook’s sometimes eccentric beliefs, can skip over these entries. For my irregular readers, I recommend Ex-Lax; Dr. Pepper and, believe it or not, Cherry Coke Zero are also helpful.
Shall we begin?
NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Buffalo
That was a nail-biter, wasn’t it?
I’m still looking for a Wade firing this week. I know what Jerry said, and I know folks are distracted by the Rangers, but I really believe things have gone too far.
Lawrence pointed out this Don Banks SI piece speculating on which NFL coaches are likely to get fired sooner rather than later.
I’m actually wondering if Romo’s injury has saved Wade Phillips, at least for the moment. Changing coaches when your starting quarterback is injured? It might be better, much as Jerry would hate to say so in public, to write off the rest of the season, blame it on Romo’s injury, fire Wade after the season is over, and hope for a high draft choice that will draw fans in next year.
Banks also doesn’t mention Buffalo, and I wonder why. Coaching stability may be a good thing, but if the Bills finish 0-16 (hope, hope) does anyone think they’ll keep Chan Gailey around?