[1) R.I.P., Etta James, a great voice stilled at 73. 2) A new Bruce Springsteen CD, Wrecking Ball, drops March 5. Click on We Take Care Of Our Own to listen to the first single. Springsteen, I like a lot. The new song, I am disappointed to find a bit generic and bland-familiar. 3) At a staff meeting this week, my Minister of Silly Holidays informed me yesterday was National Popcorn Day. So enjoy! 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
NFL PICKS: Like Patriots fairly comfortbaly in AFC and Giants in an upset in the NFC. Click on Championship Gems for the full capsules. And on Old School Still In Session for today's related NFL column on why the 49ers and Ravens getting this far should provide some hope to the Dolphins and Dolfans.
Click on Doubt Awaits Winner for my column on the Dolphins coaching search. On what is positive about the three finalists, and on what's troubling, too.
DOLPHINS SEARCH DOWN TO THREE. YOU PICK ONE: OK we're done mourning over preferred candidate Jeff Fisher picking St. Louis over Miami. We're still reeling from defensive coordinator Mike Nolan dumping the Dolphins for Atlanta (see previous blogpost), but it's time to move on, to look forward. There reportedly are three finalists for the head-coaching hire, so let's review and then vote in a winner. Alphabetically:
Todd Bowles, 48, went 2-1 as Miami's interim guy replacing Tony Sparano. A DBs coach by trade, Bowles would provide continuity, especially for a defense rocked by Nolan's departure. Another plus (though not to Todd): He could be more of a bridge-hire preceding another shot at a Cowher/Gruden/Dungy in a year.
Mike McCoy, 39, the Broncos offensive coordinator, is a quarterbacks specialist who has worked (while in Carolina) with current Dolphins starter Matt Moore. In 12 years with that club and Denver he has eked the maximum from other non-elite QBs including Jake Delhomme, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow.
Joe Philbin, 50, the Packers offensive coordinator, has worked six years game-planning (though not play-calling) for one of the NFL's best offenses. A supposition is that this hiring could lead to Miami acquiring Green Bay free-agent QB Matt Flynn and converting to a West Coast-style offense.
I find this a difficult choice. I like the continuity option of Bowles as a stopgap guy preceding (if warranted) another shot at a more experienced coach in a year. I like the idea of McCoy having worked with Moore. I like the idea of Philbin bringing some Packer mojo and maybe Flynn, too. I do not like that none of the finalists (save for Bowles' three games) has any NFL head-coaching experience. Miami would be clearly better off with Fisher right now and yet these three choices are appealing in their own way.
At any rate instead of wishing for aces not there, we play the hand dealt, right? That is why this poll does not include "someone else" or griping "none of them!" options. Time to deal with the reality we are presented. Take a dip in our poll, make your choice and say why. (Nobody said life was easy, folks...)
KIPER MOCK DRAFT FOR DOLPHINS, EX-CANES: ESPN's titanium-coiffed draft analyst has released his first Mock Draft and he has the Dolphins' first-round pick as Iowa tackle Riley Reiff, for what it's worth. Meantime, the six early-departing Miami Hurricanes are among 65 players officially granted early approval for the 2012 draft by the NFL. RB Lamar Miller is projected as a first-round pick (21st overall by Kiper) and guard Brandon Washington is rated the third-best OG available. The other four -- DT Marcus Forston, WR Aldarius Johnson, DE Vernon Olivier and WR Tommy Streeter -- might end up wishing they'd stayed in school.
HEAT OBSERVATIONS FROM SECTION 105: Attended Tuesday's Heat game not working, but as a fan plonked down in Section 105 with my wife and two friends. Different view for me. May I first say that asking $9 for a bottle of Miller Lite is a [bleep]ing outrage!? Noticed Magic Johnson at Pat Riley's elbow. Oh to be a fly on Riles' Armani jacket. Alex Rodriguez and his blond were seated nearby. She asked a woman next to them to take their picture on her cell phone and I'm thinking, "That's a New York Post back cover waiting to happen." As for the Heat, that second half, sans Dwyane Wade, was remarkable. LeBron James continues as the best player in the NBA when "on," and Mike Miller bounced back into action like a man possessed, 6-for-6 on 3's. (A toast, please, to Miller's continued good health). The angst over those three straight West Coast losses was proved comically unnecessary. This is the best roster in the league, period. It sure looked liked it after halftime last night, even with D-Wade dressed for GQ.
LEBRON RISES FROM SICKBED, BEATS LAKERS: LeBron James swats aside "flu-like" symptoms and then swats aside the Lakers last night with 31 points in an it-wasn't-that-close 98-87 win over the L.A. Meantime the annual NBA general manager survey is out and 74.4 percent say Heat will be champs. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (55.6%) beats LeBron (44.4) in a predicted two-man race for MVP. One-third of GMs call Miami "most fun to watch." Complete survey results in dozens of categories here. Last night's game was the "Back In Black" promotion. I'm old-school. I'd have thought having Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in town sort of needed no added promo.
FORRRE!: A PGA Tour golfer, albeit a bum you've not heard of, has been caught in the net of a Florida online underage-sex sting. Click here.
LESSER OF TWO EVILS: Whom you least rather be today: Disgraced Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, the accused pedophile? Or Capt. Francesco Schettino, the coward accused of causing the Costa Concordia disaster and then abandoning ship? I am not being facetious. I feel pity for both men even as I loath them.
SEXY MODEL IN UNDERWEAR PERFORMING YOGA: Figured I needed to break the mood after that last sober note. Well, I guess that headline here about says it all. Click here. Not in bad taste. Educational.
WIKIPEDIA: Wikipedia shut itself down for a day this week (annoying lazy students everywhere) to protest two bills being considered that would limit online access. I feel I must righteously step in and add my small, nasally voice to the protest, therefore I am blacking out the last sentence in this item. It is a mildly profane, anti-government screed, but you'll find it annoyingly difficult if not impossible to read, because it is blacked out: Screw the government's intention to curtail what I may see for free on the Internet!
DEAR GREG...: "Your blog's OK but would be better if you would make an effort to expose the one major story nobody has reported: China's plans to send cats on unmanned flights to outer space. Thank you." No problem. I'm-a get right on it.
Click back. We'll be adding more stuff to this latest blogpost forthwith...
Comments