The Crystal Ball 2014 Preseason Preview - AFC South

What is happening in Big D?

Last week, it came out that Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, son of owner and incompetent general manager Jerry Jones, was seen rolling through the Sunset Strip in a party bus accompanied by many, including former journalist, professional work out partner to the NFL stars and current Fox talking head Jay Glazer and NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino.

This is a major issue for the NFL, as it brings into question the integrity of every game yet to be played this season. Remember what a scandal it was when former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was caught betting on basketball games? He was just one referee. This is much bigger. For someone who often seems overly zealous regarding upholding the integrity of the NFL, and often has a curious way of doing it, I’m shocked that this story is 5 days old and I can find no reaction from Roger Goodell.

Other owners and front office personnel are understandably angered by this situation and openly questioning the NFL and Blandino for participating in what looks from the outside to be collusion. They are reacting with the expected confusion and shock one would when they find out they’re getting played. But only one thing about this growing mess surprises me, and no, it’s not Goodell’s non-reaction.

I’m not surprised in the least Jerry Jones is trying to curry favor and influence future officiating decisions by wining and dining the head of officiating. Jones has shown through the years he is willing to do anything, short of hiring a competent general manager and a strong willed talented head coach, to win football games.

Nor am I surprised Jones does not see what’s wrong with this situation. As he stated, it’s Blandino’s job to network with teams during the offseason. Yeah, network means meeting with teams, getting together and discussing issues, communicating rule changes and other league business. Not peddling influence by dropping big money partying in LA. But what other reaction would you expect from a man who thinks it’s a good idea to get drunk and party with women young enough to be his granddaughters.

I’m not even surprised that his method of influence was to send his son out with a tricked out party bus to treat Blandino to a booze fueled night of food and night clubs. Considering that over the top obnoxious monstrosity the Cowboys call a stadium, Jones has never been called classy or subtle.

What surprises me is Jay Glazer. Not that he was prominently involved, good gravy no. He lost any journalistic credibility he once had years ago. I know the popular narrative is that he was cultivating contacts, but who believes that. There’s no way you can report objectively with a team when you go out drinking and whoring with the owner’s son. What surprised me was that someone who is such a sycophant to former New York Giant Michael Strahan would hang out with a rival of Strahan’s Giants. I wonder if Michael would change who he had introduce him into the Hall of Fame if he knew Glazer would be such a fair weathered suck up.

Boy, things sure are different down south. And with that, I bring you installment 5 of the Preseason Previews.

AFC South

Houston Texans

2013 – Finished 2-14 4^th in Division

The Texans started off like gangbusters last year, going 2-0 and looking good doing it. And then proceeded to lose their last 14 games and ended the Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak eras in Houston.

But 2014 is a new era in Texans football. They have a new quarterback, new head coach, and a new defensive end picked number one in the draft, even if he does seem to be a bit of an idiot.

And despite some rumblings of mutiny by longtime Texan and quiet leader Andre Johnson, all seems to be on the up and up in Houston. But I don’t think so. I don’t like Bill O’Brien, I think Houston hired the wrong coach, and I believe the Texans will regret hiring Bill O’Brien.

Here’s why I don’t like Bill O’Brien and why I’m openly rooting for him to fail. He took on the unenviable task of coaching a Penn State team roiled in scandal. There were so many negative things about that job at that moment in time, and even now, that I would not blame anyone if it were considered too much to handle. However, he knew these things going into the position.

O’Brien claimed upon taking the position he would be at Penn State for the long haul. Yes, I know a typical college head coach empty promise. But this situation was unique. Players could leave the team, leave the scandal and pursue their academic and athletic careers elsewhere without punishment. In order to keep players from abandoning the program and the university during its darkest hour, it would take more than typical coaching platitudes and promises. It would take honesty and vulnerability.

O’Brien told, asked, implored and begged his team to stay at Penn State. He gave impassioned pleas to his players, told them to believe in him, follow him and help him restore Penn State Pride. He sold them a bill of goods, one almost all players bought. He enlisted the help of seniors to help pull the team back together, and keep the players in school. He made them all believe he was one of them, and they were in this together for the duration.

Yet less than two years later, he was gone to greener pastures without scandal or retribution. He used Penn State as merely a stepping stone in a career path. And that by itself is no crime. After all, coaches move from job to job all the time in order to move up in their profession. Like any career path, anyone with ambition wants to move up the ladder and continue to better themselves.

But this situation was so different than just another job. These young college kids watched in the span of less than 3 months everything they once knew and understood explode and die in front of their eyes. The iconic head coach and grandfather figure went from the toast of college football and a paragon of integrity and longevity to shamed, ridiculed, shamed, scandalized, fired and ultimately dead. Their school, once considered above reproach for scandal, was now rocked and embroiled in what would become the worst and most horrific scandal in college football history. And a former coach whom most knew from his presence around the team turned out to be a monster in their midst.

These players needed a leader. They needed someone to come in and throw them a life preserver. They needed something good to once again believe in. And O’Brien gave them just that, until it was no longer convenient for his career ambitions.

Coaches do this thing all the time, so it should not be that big a deal. But by keeping the players there, convincing them to stay for a greater good, then abandoning them for his own gains, is reprehensible even by college coaching standards. That’s why I’m rooting for him to fail.

Projected outcome – Yeah, they drafted well and will no longer be saddled with the ineffective Matt Schaub. But the team hired a head coach interested only in his own career trajectory. And because of that I do not see anything better than 3^rd place for Houston.

Indianapolis Colts

2013 – Finished 11-5 1^st in Division

The team itself has been rather quiet in the off season. Their owner cannot say the same thing.

Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested in March for driving while intoxicated. At the time of his arrest, Irsay had in his possession numerous bottles of prescription drugs and approximately $29,000 in cash. Nothing strange about that.

Irsay immediately entered rehab after his arrest, and has agreed to submit to random drug tests by local authorities. These are great measures for a man who has addictions issues, and he has been mostly forthcoming.

Now, I do not want to question or challenge Irsay, as he obviously is a man with addiction issues and is actively fighting them. But claiming he was carrying that much cash because he is “extremely generous” rings as a major falsehood told by a man still hiding something. Plus entering rehab immediately shows he was aware of what he was doing to some extent, and only sought help not when he needed it, but when he got in trouble. But at least he’s doing something.

The same cannot be said for Roger Goodell. Goodell has established through his tenure that his number one job is to protect the shield. In other words, uphold the integrity of the NFL. In reality that translates to keeping the public pacified from bad NFL behavior to keep the money flowing. Bad behavior from players is to be expected, to a certain degree. But from owners is a different story. Yet, Goodell has not, to date, punished Irsay.

It should be crystal clear that Irsay’s behavior sets a bad example and tarnishes the shield. In accordance to established precedent, his detrimental actions should be punished quickly and severely. But Goodell thus far has refused to act. His behavior in this case shows his obvious double standards to punishment and his bias toward ownership and not players who produce the actual product on the field. Goodell’s true feelings and motivations could not be clearer if he had them broadcast in Times Square.

His job now is solely to grow ownership profits. Everything else is merely a distraction from or a tool to accomplish that goal. By creating punishments for players based upon either their ability to generate profits or their infractions ability to minimize them, and allowing owners to do as they please, Goodell has tipped his hand.

He cares only for 32 millionaires and billionaires. Keep this incident in mind from now on whenever you see Goodell giving lip service to player contracts, collective bargaining, concussion research or discussing the lawsuit brought against the league by the thousands of former players who feel deceived and scorned by the league. To Goodell, they are merely white noise. He has no true interest in leading one of the most profitable sports leagues in the world. His interest lies in increasing the profits of owners who over charge fans, under pay players and fleece taxpayers and governments out of obscene amounts of money and tax revenue. Everyone else, players, coaches, front office staff and fans, can go pound sand.

Projected outcome –Look at this division and then look at the Colts. Right now, they’re doing their best Alfred E. Neumann impression, “What me worry?” Yet another division championship awaits them.

Jacksonville Jaguars

2013 – Finished 4-12 3^rd in Division

Jacksonville has yet to figure out their quarterback situation, a problem since Byron Leftwich was effective in the NFL.

They dumped Blaine Gabbert on the San Francisco 49ers for a 6^th round draft pick. And I think the team fleeced San Francisco in that trade.

But the real fun in the off season was watching the Spring of Tebow in Florida! Tebow bought a house and moved to Jacksonville. Tebow is training like he’s going to get signed. Jacksonville fans love and want Tebow! And yet, Tebow is going to be a college football analyst and commentator.

Honestly, it’s better this way. I know beleaguered Jacksonville fans think that Tebow will bring them the long desired success they so desperately crave. But the illusion of such success is much better than the reality of disappointment and unmet expectations.

Projected outcome –In the NFL, you only go so far as your quarterback. I understand it’s a team sport, but you’re quarterback is the leader, the field general, the keystone of how the offense works and how often the defense works. Without one, you go nowhere. Until you can answer who their quarterback is, 4^th place is their home.

Tennessee Titans

2013 – Finished 7-9 2^nd in Division

Although Tennessee did finish 2^nd in the division, it was only because two other teams were atrociously worse. This led to the dismissal of head coach Mike Munchak. And by the way, thank you Tennessee for that, Pittsburgh’s offensive line is now looking tremendously potent.

In his place came former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Well, now I know where our old players will go for one last NFL job after they get cut in Pittsburgh. At least it’s a shorter drive to Nashville than Phoenix.

One other bit of weirdness came from a night out on the town. Titans quarterback Zack Mettenberger, who played his college football at LSU, was sucker punched in a bar by an Alabama fan. Apparently, the fan said “Roll Tide” to Zach, who then responded with “Good luck with that”, which got him punched.

Two things on this. One, SEC fans are just insane. That league’s fan bases should be put on suspension until they all chill out. Two, I remember as a kid the phrase was “Roll On Tide”. It’s why Alabama fans would show up at the games with a roll of toilet paper on top of a box of Tide detergent. Could someone tell me when the word “on” made the phrase too long and complex for Alabama sports fans?

Projected outcome –Whisenhunt is a pretty good coach, and I think he learned much not only from his time in Arizona, but also his stint in San Diego. There are some good pieces on this team, but until we find out if Jake Locker can be a franchise quarterback, the team will progress no further than 2^nd place.