Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Columnist
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
11:00 AM
Washington Post columnist Mark Maske writes the
He was online Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 11 a.m. ET to answer questions.
A transcript follows.
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Mark Maske: Hey, everyone. Let's get right to it.
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Mike, Md. : Who would you want long term, Young, Leinart or Cutler?
Mark Maske: It looks like you couldn't go wrong with any of the three. I guess I'd take Vince Young. He's looking like Michael Vick with a passing touch (although you can't really say that this week after Vick threw four touchdown passes Saturday night).
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Rosslyn, Va.: What are the odds that Marshall Faulk ends up in Detroit next year? With Mike Martz the offensive coordinator and Faulk publicly stating that he won't return to St. Louis, sounds like a good fit...
Mark Maske: I guess the odds are okay. But at this point in Faulk's career, does it really matter?
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Atlanta: As this season winds down, which head coaches appear to be on the bubble? Mora in Atlanta? Gibbs in D.C.?
Mark Maske: Clearly, Mora put himself on the bubble with the comments he made last week. It certainly appears that Arthur Blank didn't like hearing that and if the Falcons don't make the playoffs, Mora could be out. Dennis Green could be out in Arizona. Maybe there's an outside chance of Jon Gruden being fired in Tampa. We'll see if Bill Cowher or Bill Parcells walk away, although I tend to doubt it now in Parcells's case with Tony Romo playing so well. I'll take Gibbs's word for it that he's not going anywhere. There were 10 head coaching changes last offseason, so you would expect only a few changes this time around.
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Rochester, N.Y.: The Bills are 5-2 over their last 7 games with their only losses being by 1 at Indy and 3 to the Chargers. JP Losman is looking like he may turn into an elite QB, and yet you never hear anything about them. Two weeks ago, everybody was talking about the Jets until the Bills stomped them, then it was the Dolphins who were the "hot team" again until the Bills shut them out. What will it take for the Bills to get some recognition as an up and coming young team (as opposed to the 'Skins, they are the second-youngest team in the league and they are doing it through the draft).
Mark
Mark Maske: I do think there's a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Bills, just like there's a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Titans. But you're just not going to see that excitement on a national level because these are late-season runs toward respectability, and most likely not late-season runs into the playoffs.
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Mike, Va.: Is there anybody better than LaDainian Tomlinson?
Mark Maske: No.
Enough said.
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Ashburn, Va.: Mark, I'm still in disbelief that my Eagles have rebounded to 8-6 without McNabb. Garcia is showcasing himself pretty well, but has better talent than in Detroit and Cleveland. Do you think someone may grab him in the offseason?
Mark Maske: Oh, yeah. He has made himself some money with the way he's played, given the shortage of capable quarterbacks around the league. But I think he's learned from what happened to him in Cleveland and Detroit and I don't think he'd necessarily jump to a bad situation and a bad team just because a starting job is there for him.
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Tenleytown, D.C.: I'm a long-time Giants fan, but I really got to give credit to the Eagles for the way they hung in there this year and have put themselves in a great spot to make the playoffs.
As for the Giants, don't you really see this as Coughlin's last year? He only has one year left in his contract and a new GM will be coming in to replace Accorsi. Why would a new GM extend his contract based on the team's showing this year?
Mark Maske: The only way I see any chance of Coughlin being fired is if they lose their last two games to miss the playoffs and finish 7-9. Even then, he might stay. The Giants are known for their patience with coaches. They're not going to make any knee-jerk reactions about a coach who won the division title last season. The most likely outcome, by far, is that he gets a contract extension so he's not coaching in the final year of his contract next season. The new general manager is likely to come from within the organization, Jerry Reese, and he's likely to share some of the responsibilities with one of the Maras, Chris.
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Arlington, Va.: Who will be next year's Dolphins in terms of a team that finishes strong, experts pick them to do well, and then they go back to their non-winning ways for the start of next year? Niners, Titans or Bills?
Mark Maske: I don't see the Titans going backward with Vince Young. He'll only get better and better. I think you also have to be optimistic about the 49ers and Bills going into next season because they're also getting it done with young quarterbacks. It's really impossible to say at this point because the Dolphins went backward because they picked the wrong quarterback last offseason, when they could have had Drew Brees or Daunte Culpepper. They ended up being a pretty good team with a bad quarterback situation. Culpepper wasn't ready to play. Once they shut him down and went with Joey Harrington, they played a lot better.
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re: Garcia: Before Garcia jumps to a team with questionable talent, I hope he calls Charlie Batch. Being a quality No. 2 QB has worked out well for him.
Mark Maske: Very good point. Staying in Philly just might be the right move for Garcia. There are no guarantees whatsoever that Donovan McNabb will be ready to play at the start of next season.
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Silver Spring, Md.: Could Ladell Betts' power running be a better fit for the 'Skins offense than Clinton Portis? Do you think this will be a controversy next year? Or do you think that this is all a result of the coaches just decided to run and it has motivated the O-line to play better.
Mark Maske: I have had the very same thought. Portis is a very, very good runner but his style never has meshed completely with the style of this offense. Betts does seem to be a better fit. I don't have a good feel yet for whether this will blossom into a problem or a controversy, but it definitely will be interesting to see how it plays out.
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Fredericksburg, Va.: I have to admit I'm surprised by the success of new coaches like Sean Payton and Eric Mangini, and, to a lesser degree, Green Bay. Do you think these we're seeing the birth of the next group of "great" coaches who will shape the league for the next 15-20 years?
Mark Maske: I think they're good coaches and they've done good jobs. But it's far, far too early to declare them great coaches. Payton and the Saints have benefited from getting Drew Brees when the Dolphins picked the wrong quarterback last offseason. Mangini has benefited from Chad Pennington being healthy again. Remember, the Jets were a playoff team under Herman Edwards when Pennington was healthy. Mike McCarthy isn't even at .500 in Green Bay.
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20009: Mark,
Each week a new NFC team is touted as the best in the conference and a mortal lock to go into Chicago and beat the Bears. Then, the next week, that team loses and another team assumes that position. Aren't the national experts just setting themselves up for disappointment when the NFC championship game is the Bears v. Seahawks, and the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and Saints are at home?
Mark Maske: I don't know that there's a single team in the NFC in which you could have great confidence right now. You start to have it in the Cowboys, and then they play the way they did against the Saints. Then you start to have it in the Saints, and they play the way they did against the Redskins. The Bears' performance against the Bucs wasn't exactly awe-inspiring. That wasn't even Rex Grossman's fault. The Seahawks have simply fallen apart lately. The bottom line is that they're all flawed, inconsistent teams and the conference is the JV.
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Herndon, Va.: What do the Giants do at running back next year with Tiki's retirement? Is Jacobs an every down back or is there some free agent they might look at to pair with him?
Mark Maske: I don't think you could trust him as the every-down back. Now, maybe he will develop into that, but I don't think you can be confident about that right now. They will have to go out and bring in someone good enough to at least share the job.
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Baltimore: Re Jeff Garcia: Maybe Jeff and others should look to the example of Don Strock, who always performed superbly in relief of Dan Marino and others in his long career in Miami. When asked if he wasn't frustrated not starting, he would answer, not at all, because he made good money, he didn't get hurt and he had a lot of time to work on his golf game.
Mark Maske: The difference is that Garcia has been a Pro Bowl quarterback before. It's tougher for a guy who has been that to realize he's not that any more. But I do think he realizes he made bad choices in going to Cleveland and Detroit and he has benefited from being in a far better situation in Philly.
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Van Ness: Mark,
The Bears have been questioned all season. They beat the Seahawks, but Alexander was out. They beat the Giants, but they had injuries on D. They lost a close game on the road to the Patriots and Grossman didn't play well enough. The rest of their schedule was weak. Now they're 12-2, the offense has rebounded, and the D has had two bad halves. Am I correct in assuming that when they win the Super Bowl it will only be because they played in an inferior conference and the AFC team had to struggle through much tougher games?
Mark Maske: They're a good team in a bad conference and in an especially weak division. You can't ignore the fact that based on the way Rex Grossman has played at times this season, there is a chance he goes out and single-handedly loses a playoff game for them. You can't ignore the fact that even with Grossman not having one of his horrible games, they went out Sunday and nearly blew a game against a lousy Tampa Bay team. Tim Rattay is not to be confused with John Elway. They are fully capable of reaching the Super Bowl and even capable of winning it. But you would like to be able to trust them and, especially, be able to trust their quarterback a little more.
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New York, N.Y.: Even as we are watching one the greatest RBs in history shatter records on a weekly basis, are we also seeing the end of the era of the single, marquee back system? It seems that a lot of teams have two RBs on similar talent levels (if not skill sets), rather than a premier RB and a adequate backup. In fact, I can only think of three "star" backs - LT, LJ, and Shawn Alexander. What is the reason behind this trend and do you see more teams going to the Chicago/Jacksonville/New Orleans backfield?
Mark Maske: I would add a few other running backs to your star list, but your point is valid. A team can get carries for two running backs. That's why the Clinton Portis-Ladell Betts situation with the Redskins doesn't necessarily need to become a problem and a controversy. It might. But it doesn't necessarily have to.
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Stafford, Va.: I asked you several weeks ago about Jeff Fisher's tenure in Tennessee that, at the time, seemed to be over. Can I assume the past six weeks have changed management's approach to that?
Mark Maske: It should have changed management's attitude. If I'm the Titans, I want to keep things together as much as possible and try to ride this wave right into next season.
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Bad behavior: Suspend TO one game. I don't care what it does to the Cowboys playoff chances. Maybe if both the player and team face a serious consequence for his unacceptable actions he will realize talent isn't a free ticket to act in any way he wants. Then again, maybe TO can't learn.
Mark Maske: I wouldn't have any problem with the league saying that a spitting incident is a one-game suspension, now and forever more.
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Richmond, Va.: So when is Jon Gruden actually going to be held accountable for the gradual demise of the Bucs?
Mark Maske: I don't think it's unreasonable if he gets cut some slack for this season because he lost his quarterback and had to go with a rookie. You do get cut slack when you're a Super Bowl-winning coach. He did make the playoffs last season. But you're right. The slack does run out at some point. I wouldn't be surprised that, if he keeps his job, next season is a playoffs-or-else deal for him.
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Baltimore: I know it's way too early to know for sure, but do you think the Redskins staff is happy with Campbell's progression to the point where he can be the starter next year, or are they going to try and bring in another veteran to compete for the job? Dare I ask, but is it possible that Brunell could be back in the mix next year?
Mark Maske: He absolutely has to be the starter going into next season. There's no turning back now, unless you determine that he simply can't play.
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Rockville, Md.: So can the Eagles pull off the trifecta -- three straight division road wins?
And do you see Garcia staying with the Birds next year when McNabb comes back, or do you think he'll try to find a starting job again now that his career has been resurrect? Personally, I would love to see him back (unlike most Eagles fans, I was glad the Birds had a former Pro-Bowler starting after McNabb got hurt).
Mark Maske: I would think the Cowboys would win the Christmas game in Dallas.
On Garcia, as I said before, I would think it would be a good move for him and a good move for the Eagles for him to stay in Philly.
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New NFL rules: Do you see the NFL instituting a rule this summer for spitting violations? One-game suspension with no game check for spitting if there is enough evidence. I also think the NFL needs stop babying the quarterback. Completely changed the sack statistic and 15-yard penalties can dramatically alter a game.
Mark Maske: I don't know if there will be any proclamations about a mandatory suspension for spitting but it wouldn't be such a bad idea. On the quarterbacks, I know there's a little bit of a public uproar this season about some of the roughing penalties and the effect that's had on other plays, but I don't get the sense the league will change anything. Player safety is usually the focus of rule changes and I don't think you'll see the league do anything to put players at the most important position on the field at greater risk.
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Boston: Do you think the Bengals can hang with the real elite teams in the AFC? They started off the season well then got run over by New England. Get their form back after some bad games and now this lost to the Colts. Is Cincinnati just a step below these teams?
Mark Maske: They're probably a step below, yes, as we saw last night. But they're very good on offense and their defense has played better lately, so they are capable of pulling off an upset or two.
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Mark Maske: I'm going to run, folks.
It was fun, as always. Thanks for the questions and happy holidays to everyone.
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