Could it be That I Missed a Day?

Sorry folks! It's been a little busy in non-football related ways in the BFGF household. There's certainly been plenty of news, and so I don't have that as an excuse.

Most recently, the Hartford Colonials may have lost the services of this man on the right. If you don't recognize him without a helmet and pads and jersey, well, that's former Colonials wideout and very tall human being Markee White.
What's the big deal? Well, apparently White has rejoined the Arena Football League's Spokane Shock. This may or may not be a problem if the Colonials come calling in August; the Arena league's schedule ends in July, but its playoffs extend further into the summer.

Whether or not the Shock make it to the playoffs, the question remains: will White even want to play after enduring another season in the AFL? Football takes its toll on a body, and if White feels he's had enough for the year, Hartford might be losing its only serious receiving threat.

"6'7. Or, 9'7 with my antigravity boots on."

So who are we left with? At this point, it's hard to say what the team will look like after a new head coach comes to town and new tryouts are held, but the team still has on its roster the following people.

Jason Chery: Chery was decent enough when called upon. He's a smaller, scrappier type of receiver with good speed and decent but not fantastic hands. While reliable as a third or fourth receiver, I don't think we saw enough of him last year to confirm whether or not he can be the #1 or #2 guy.

Shaheer McBride: A tall wideout with good hands but not high-end speed, McBride seems like the type better suited for short gains and endzone completions. I liked what I saw out of him in 2010, but he doesn't strike me as a receiver you can use in every situation.

"The camera subtracts 300 pounds."

Syndric Steptoe: Pictured on the left, the Colonials subpar punt returner has loads of agility but questionable hands. His Wikipedia page lists his height and weight at an astonishing 12'9 and 495 lbs, respectively. Meaning, you're never going to overthrow the guy, but do you really want to pay his Twinky bill?

That and his name sounds like some kind of disease. (No offense Syn!)

In all seriousness, Steptoe is listed by more reputable sources as being 5'9 and about 200 lbs. He's an adequate slot receiver and can gain yards if he has some space, but he dropped a few balls last year and he's not the kind of guy I'd want to rely on more than necessary.

Last on the list (according to the UFL's own site) is Aaron Valentin, who, according to his official photograph, is apparently some kind of shadow given form, sapience and malevolence and told to play football. Stories about Valentin are often told by parents to scare their children. Nobody has actually seen the wideout, but every so often some stranger comes by with a long, grizzled beard, muttering gibberish about a shadow carrying a football down Farmington Ave, looking for his lost endzone. (wooooo!)

Palmer: From the Giants to the Titans

I've been vocal about Chris Palmer's performance as the Colonials head coach in 2010. It looks like a moot point now, as Palmer has left the UFL for greener pastures (still with hash marks) and taken the position of offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.

I think it's very telling that, in the article linked above, Titans' head coach (and a former player under Palmer with the Oilers) Mike Munchak referred to coach Chris as "...a great teacher of the game...". Palmer has simply not proven himself capable of holding down the top spot on the coaching roster. His record as a head coach at the pro level is an abysmal 8-32. You can cut him some slack for being handed a talent-poor expansion Browns team in 1999, and I won't say that he did as poor a job as Sentinels coach Ted Cottrell, but there's nothing in his past that says he is a good head coach. As such, I'm fine with the move.

As Munchak said, Palmer is a great teacher. You can see it in the careers of quarterbacks like the NFC East's Tony Romo and Eli Manning, and it doesn't seem unlikely that Palmer's primary reason for being given a job with the Colonials was the development of younger players. Ryan Perriloux specifically, given the coaches scheme of rotating Perriloux into the offense on every third possesssion.

But a good teacher is not necessarily a good coach, and Palmer had some trouble keeping his charges on track. Halftime adjustments and strategy are powerful tools in finishing a game strong, and it never seemed that the Colonials were able to capitalize on their leads. This is to say nothing of events like the catastrophic second week loss to Omaha when the team had a thirteen point lead at the half, and ultimately gave up seventeen points in the fourth quarter to drop the game.

Some cite the fact that the Colonials were only a few plays away from being a 5-3 team, which is at best a dubious measuring stick. By the same logic the Florida Tuskers were an awful team in 2010 because they were eight points away from being a 3-5 team (the Tuskers won two games by only a field goal). A better measurement might be the Colonials lack of traction in the second half. Hartford had halftime leads in six of their eight games, but only went on to win two of those.

Developing talent is a fine goal, but not at the expense of a"W." I'm sure that coach Chris is a fine position coach, maybe even a good coordinator (as his playoff runs with the expansion Jaguars suggests), but he was in over his head in Hartford, and I think he's in a better situation for all involved now.

Of course, that being said, we're now left to wonder who will be around to coach for the Colonials in 2011. According to Bill Mayer, the search is already well under way.

"I, too, know the pain of coaching for the Browns."

Rumors have been floating around that former Jets, Browns coach Eric Mangini, a Connecticut native, may be on the list of possible replacements for Palmer. Mangini has also spent two seasons coaching a struggling Cleveland team, and though their record didn't change from 2009 to 2010 (5-11 each year) I think it's plain to see that the quality of the club had improved and the Browns played with some heart. If nothing else, I think credit can be given for the trade of notoriously bad QB Brady Quinn to the Broncos for monster running back Peyton Hillis. The Browns are severely starved for talent. Don't get me wrong; Mangini is not a world class coach. But he does some things well and the team seemed to be on the upswing when he was let go.

Other than that? I'm curious to see if Hartford secondary coach Jerry Holmes is given a chance. There's been some buzz about sending him to Virginia to lead the Destroyers franchise, primarily due to his numerous social and professional ties to the area. If he's good enough to be the head coach of the Destroyers, it makes sense for him to be considered in Hartford. Though if being a Virginia native is the primary reason he's being sought, I'd prefer that Hartford pass in favor of someone with more qualifications. That being said, Hartford's secondary played admirably last year without much of a pass rush to help them, and I believe he's a good position coach.

But is that enough? Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Five is Better than None

The UFL is sticking with five teams for the 2011 season.

Not much to add to this at the moment, but I may have gathered a few more thoughts for tomorrow. I've been saying that the league needs to have another team for 2011 to succeed, and I really can't find a way to positively spin this. In a year where an NFL lockout could mean significant growth, the UFL is merely treading water.

Could the five-team league gain enough ground in 2011 that 2012 instead becomes the prime year? I suppose it's possible, but given the rash of bad news over the past few months, it's harder to take individual headlines like this as being indicative of future success.

The Colonials are probably the most interesting thing to happen to Hartford in years. If the worst happens, I'll at least by happy to have had the team for as long as we did, though I feel bad to be thinking of a present-tense team in a past-tense sense, and it'd be nice to come away with more than nostalgia.

Gruden Jumps Ship

Destroyers nee Tuskers coach Jay Gruden has made the leap to the NFL by signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as their OC, and UFL fans are reacting to the news as if they just learned they had the flesh-eating virus.
No, I don't mean there's been extensive redness and necrosis of the skin, I mean wailing and gnashing of teeth. It's understandable that there would be some worry given that the Tuskers have folded and that the league seems to be having trouble getting the sixth franchise settled, but I feel like any bad news lately starts a domino effect of freakouts among the fans.

It's the offseason. There will be some upheaval. Coaches and players leave all the time in every league and are picked up elsewhere...or not. The trouble for the UFL right now is that every move is seen as having a direct impact on the health of the league itself. People in Philadelphia might be upset and a little baffled that their offensive line coach is now their defensive coordinator, but none are taking it as a sign that their team will suddenly vanish, or that the NFL is going to curl up and die.

I don't even blame any potential Destroyers fans for worrying. The league is young, and when you only have five teams, the magnitude of each decision seems to carry greater weight with it. But this isn't a bad move for the league because it's not their move. A man was offered a job that will likely pay a great deal more over the next few years, why should he not take it?

This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the UFL looking for NFL-quality talent. As it is, unless teams are content to vie for lesser players and coaches, the NFL is going to cannibalize the UFL every year. Pick your poison. You can have candidates that look appetizing to everyone and you'll risk losing them. Or, you can hope that your team looks for guys that aren't capable of playing at a high level and not worry about the league being eaten away at the end of each season.

I watch both the UFL and NFL. I'd rather they both go for the top talent they can find and I don't care which organization I'm watching them in. Moves happen. It's not the end of the world, and it's not necrotizing fasciitis.

Put me in (as) Coach

Players aren’t the only ones moving on to the NFL—with both leagues now focused on the offseason (nearly enough for the NFL, with 30 of 32 teams done for the time being), coaching transactions have been hitting the wires for weeks now, with some faces being put up on the Billboard of Success, and others adorning the metaphorical Milk Carton of Obscurity. The Colonials themselves have lost some coaches over the past few weeks and now have some holes to fill. In no particular order…

Tony Sparano Jr: Junior moves from the position of assistant defensive line coach with the Colonials to something called the “offensive quality control coach.” It’s a move that’s understandable in some ways, but looks a little peculiar in others. We’ve no way of knowing what the paycheck difference might be like, but the lure of an NFL salary is a powerful force, as is that of a family bond. Presumably both of these were part of the equation.

Sparano Sr. says,  "I once coached a team this big!"

It is a little strange to see a coach flip sides of the ball, from defense to offense in this case, but Sparano Jr. is young and has some time to develop. The worst part of this is the room for heartbreak; Sparano the elder looked to be on the chopping block after disappointing back-to-back season in Miami, and could still be on the hot seat if the Dolphins come out of the gate cold, or if he can’t net them a playoff spot, which either means leaving Tony Jr. employed for the organization that fired his father (very awkward, from personal experience), or out of a job.

Osia Lewis: Lewis was the Colonials’ defensive coordinator in 2010, and prior to that was a defensive line coach, and then linebackers coach, for the University of New Mexico’s Lobos. I’m not an avid watcher of college ball and can’t really comment on his coaching career at that level. For the Colonials? It’s hard to say. Hartford’s passing defense was modestly successful, but the running D was second to last in the league in term of yards given up. You can’t even argue that teams were running to wind down the clock; Hartford frequently went into the half with a lead, and most games were fairly close. Furthermore, the stats show that the Colonials defense was the only one giving up at least 4 yards per carry.

But even worse is that Hartford was dead last in stopping opponents in the red zone. Goal line operations are heavily dependant on the defensive line, which frequently failed to stop runners or get any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Colonials had the fewest sacks of any team in the league. Poor showings at the goal line and a noticeable lack of pressure are not good signs for a coordinator has significant experience with the front seven. These things should be strengths.

It’s hard to gauge a coach after only a single season, but I don’t feel that the team is at any great disadvantage for having lost Lewis.

Kevin O’Dea: O’Dea. Ooooo’Dea. O’Dea come then he want to go home (to the Bears, where he was ST coordinator between ’06 and ’07). O’Dea has plenty of pro experience and its not surprising that the NFL would come calling again. His tenures with the Jets and Bears put up average to above average numbers in the return games, both for and against. Hartford was last in yards per punt return, but I’d place that more on unreliable return man Syndric Steptoe then on O’Dea’s ST units. Kev did a respectable job in Hartford without much to work with, and while Hartford’s poor yards per return (against) average was a bit high, much of that was Aaron Woods’ TD return, and returns are fluky business. Hopefully a good replacement can be found.

The Colonials have their work cut out for them finding suitable candidates for these positions. Lewis and Sparano didn’t make any waves with the defense, and if there’s a bright spot in any of this it’s that their replacements aren’t likely to do any worse.

Endangered Species

So there are a lot of UFL fans who've reacted with hostility towards the Tuskers "move" to Virginia, and I can understand that. I can't picture myself writing this blog  if the Hartford Colonials became, say, the Manchester New Hampshire) Maples. But the time has come to put all the negativity behind us. What's done is done, and who's to say that there can't be any good to come out of a situation like this? Virgina gets a strong team and hopefully that helps bolster the fanbase.

Not that it's exactly the same situation, but I'll admit that I wasn't too happy when the Redwoods became the Mountain Lions. I mean there aren't too many sports franchises named for trees, or plants. I'll be blunt: it took serious balls to name a football team after what is, after all, a tremendous vegetable. Whereas teams named for predatory animals, particularly for large cats, particularly wild cats, can be found in every sports league ever invented. There's a bowling team out there in Camden New Jersey named the Wildcats; their star is a 244-pound plumber named Ed, and they're gearing up to crush the NJRBL (New Jersey Regional Bowling League) so that Ed can go back to coaching his son's little league team, the Wildcats. That way his wife can stop doing that and go back to her bridge club... the Lady Wildcats.

In other words, I'm not too impressed with the name Mountain Lions.

But it did spawn something awesome. The revamped Sacramento team has this.

Don't even dare suggest that the California team went from one endangered species to another. Mojo the Mountain Lion is basically a blender made of fur and fuzz and would end you for looking at him the wrong way. An avid contributor to the UFL Access forums, Mojo talks more trash than the rest of the UFL mascots combined and could likely take them all in a fight, possibly picking one up and beating the rest to death with it. If nothing else, he's been seriously entertaining, which is good because that's pretty much the point of the mascot.

You know what sort of mascot you would have ended up with if the Redwoods has stuck around? This.

I'm Woody the wood sprite! Go team!

So there is some good to come out of relocation.

Blizzard Conditions

Over the past couple of days it snowed around here. A lot. When I went to clean off my car this morning I took one look at the pathetic red snow brush I'd taken out and tossed it into a snowbank by the car. The stuff on the roof was piled so high that it was easier to just pick up huge clumps of it and toss it into the empty (of vehicles at least) space adjacent.

Seems like that's pretty much what the week has been like for the UFL and its fans: the skies opened up and a ton of news dropped on us, and none of it good. Between Joe Moglia being inserted into the Nighthawks head coaching job, the folding of the Florida Tuskers and Mark Cuban's impending lawsuit for the five million dollars he apparently only loaned the league, things are looking rough, and it's hard to say if the fledgling UFL will be able to dig its way out of all of this.

Few fans I've heard from are fond of Moglia as the coach of any team. Understandable, given the Joe's last coaching experience came in 1983. Assuming that there still is a 2011 season, the Nighthawks will be playing in TD Ameritrade park, so named for the multimillion dollar brokerage firm where Moglia was once a chairman. The situation looks as if the former businessman bought his way into a head coaching job, and fans are not happy.

With the Tuskers closing up shop, it's looking possible that 2011 could end up being played with only five teams, with six still a possibility, but eight--which the UFL brass seemed confident they would have for this year--looks like a dream. The Florida franchise recorded the league's lowest attendance in the 2010 season, and perhaps it was an unfortunate necessity to remove it rather than spending even more money developing a market that wasn't receptive, but contraction is never a good sign and still feels hard to take.

Mark Cuban has been one of the league's most vocal supporters, or at least, has seemed like such in the early days. With the recent development that the $5 million dollars he invested in the league was merely a loan, and that said loan is now past due, it not only spells financial distress for the UFL, but could indicate the loss of a very valuable investing partner in the future.

What should we take away form all of this? 2011 should be the year that finally tells us whether or not the league is truly viable. Scarcely two weeks in, the forecast is looking grim. I'll continue to be a UFL supporter even should the league melt away, but I hope it'll stay solid for a long time yet.