Weekly Spartan Nation NFL Column

Weekly NFL Column  Here is something of a shock wave going through the NFL. Titans Coach and well-respected NFL mind Jeff Fisher is at odds with his

Weekly NFL Column

Make Sure You Check Out NFL.com

 

• Here is something of a shock wave going through the NFL. Titans Coach and well-respected NFL mind Jeff Fisher is at odds with his owner. That isn’t new. There are rumblings that Fisher’s defiance in not playing Vince Young may be the end. If that happens, according to one league insider, “All bets on where coaches are going are off. Fisher would be highly sought after in many NFL cities.”
• Speaking of Fisher, he wore a Colts Peyton Manning jersey to introduce Tony Dungy at a charity event. It was all in good fun. Good fun everywhere, but in the land of the Titans. One NFL team executive told me, “It was a smart move by Fish. He may want a change and he is one of the smartest people in football. If he wants out, it was a nice little way to be a bur in the saddle of the people who decide his fate.”
• How bad will the heat be on Packers GM Ted Thompson if his Packers lose to Brett Favre and the Vikings at Lambeau? The fans in Green Bay yield more power than any set in the NFL. Not because the team is publicly owned, it is because they are the most united and vocal. Favre going to Minnesota hurt fans, but they still love him. A feeling not shared about Thompson.
• Dan Snyder isn’t necessarily associated with benevolence. With that being said, it feels like a dead man walking with Jim Zorn and firing him now would be just that, BENEVOLENT.
• We have told you since he arrived in Cleveland that the word we are getting out of Cleveland is that Mangini is in no way excited about Brady Quinn. In fact, we were told, “He will ride him as long as the public sides with him (Quinn), it covers his mistakes.” Well now that the tide has turned on Quinn, one source part of the Browns organization says, “Quinn is done. The only way I see him back is if NO ONE will take him or Eric (Mangini) gets fired.
• There were rumors about former Bucs Coach Jon Gruden going to Louisville. I can assure you that the only school in college he would even consider is Notre Dame and even then, people close to Jon think he would only take a NFL gig. A source close to Jon told me this morning, “He would love the San Diego job should that come open and he could get the say he wanted.”
• The Bears signed Lions center Dominick Raiola’s brother Donovan Raiola. Dom was a favorite of Rod Marinelli the now Bears DL coach and former Lions head coach. No person in the NFL is more loyal about his guys and certainly Marinelli told Coach Smith about the attributes that Donovan’s brother Dominick had.
• Jets players love Mark Sanchez. He didn’t get to high on himself with all the praise, but has taken all the blame when he hasn’t been the best. One of the Jets told me, “Mark gets it. He is humble as a rookie, but a truly great leader. We have his back.”
• Despite the record, the Rams players love new head coach Steve Spagnuolo. One Ram said it best, “He understands where we want to go and what we need to do to get there. You can see what he is doing, we just don’t have all the folks we need to do what he needs to do. We may not know what is going on with ownership, but we got the coach.”
• Could the Vikings have made up for the Herschel Walker trade with the Jared Allen trade? People around the league just can’t believe how well Allen is playing. One AFC team employee told me, “Brett deserves all of the talk and I don’t think they would be 6-0 without him. I also don’t think they would be 6-0 without Allen.”
• Jim Schwartz was a much bigger loss to the Titans then he was an addition to the Lions. I said it all along, the Schwartz is a good coach, but even that can’t fix what sits above him on the leadership chart. Look how the Titans once feared D has done without him, and what he has been able to do for the perennial loser Detroit. I hope for him that his career isn’t done for having to coach the Lions. He deserves a shot with a better franchise.
• Am I the only one glad to see Ahman Green back in Green Bay? He should have never been allowed to leave.
• Sorry guys I still love the Broncos and the Patriots throwbacks. Sometimes we are in such a NEW NEW NEW mindset that we get rid of some good stuff. I am not for keeping tradition if it halts progress. I also am not for eliminating tradition when it doesn’t accomplish something.
• What is life like for the Chiefs fans? Your team is terrible, but you are competitive. I am not sure what kind of a head coach you have, but you have a future NFL executive of the year who isn’t afraid to make changes and to try new things to figuring it out. I told Chiefs fans prior to the season that this was a year that would let them, “See where they are,” and that is exactly what is happening. As soon as the season moves forward Pioli will diligently work to start plugging the holes in the ship. The Chiefs have life and fight. Something other teams who could have had Pioli don’t.
• Thursday’s daily Phalanx Forum question will be about the NFL so check it out.