Projo Pats Blog

I'll be taking the next two days off for travel, but I'll be back on Friday morning with a new column, including my playoff predictions, such as they are.

COWHER WANTS IT HIS WAY: ESPN's John Clayton reported this morning that for Bill Cowher to leave the broadcast booth and return to coaching in the NFL, he will have to have full control over a team's football operations. That means, according to Clayton, that Cowher will be declining the opportunity to coach the New York Jets, because that team owner Woody Johnson wants to keep Mike Tannenbaum as general manager. As I noted yesterday, Tannenbaum -- and not Eric Mangini -- is the man who seems most responsible for causing the Jets' collapse, since he was the one who pulled the trigger on the trade for Brett Favre (he of the two touchdowns and nine interceptions over the final five weeks of the season).

THE PLAYERS RESPOND: Jets players interviewed by The New York Post said they were caught off-guard by the news of Mangini's firing. Tight end Chris Baker said that while Mangini was not very well liked by players during his first season, he was beginning to win them over this year. Mangini's first season was his most successful, so there might be much to the idea that a coach's popularity is linked to results on the field.

PATS' FREE-AGENT OUTLOOK: Only two current Patriots -- Matt Cassel and James Sanders -- are free agents, but look out after next season. John Tomase has the outlook in The Boston Herald.

THE COWBOYS PARTY PLANE: If you believe the report of someone named Mark "Friedo" Friedman on Dallas sports radio, the Cowboys' charter plane ride home from Philadelphia was not as solemn as you might imagine for a team licking its wounds from a nationally televised, 44-6 loss in a game with a playoff spot on the line. Here's an excerpt from the Dallas Sports Fans Blog, describing Friedman's account:

"He described the scene as 'like the last day of school,' with dominoes being played in the back and lots of laughing and carrying on. He said that he was reluctant to say anything, seeing as how the Cowboys are nice enough to allow media members on the charter, and that only leads me to believe that he may have muted the reality of what was actually going on. Friedo did not mention any specific names, nor did he say if alcohol was flowing, but he made it pretty clear that if you did not know who won the Cowboys-Eagles game, you just might assume it was the Cowboys from their conduct on the plane."

GET ME OUT OF HERE! With Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and Deion Sanders all tossing blame for the Cowboys' offensive struggles his way, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is probably happy to hear that his employer has granted him permission to interview for a head coaching job elsewhere -- even if elsewhere happens to be in Detroit (Dallas Morning News).

NOT TOO PSYCHED IN MINNESOTA: The Vikings, who are underdogs in their first-round playoff game against the Eagles, may be playing the game in front of less than a capacity crowd. The team announced yesterday that only 55 percent of Vikings season-ticket holders took advantage of the chance to buy playoff tickets, and the threat is real of Minnesota's first home playoff game in eight years being blacked out (Minneapolis Star Tribune).

MORE TROUBLE SELLING TICKETS? Mike Florio, writing on ProFootballTalk.com, is curious about whether a blackout is a possibility in San Diego as well, even though Saturday night's Colts-Chargers game is the headliner of the first week of the playoffs.

A DISTRACTION IN BALTIMORE: The Ravens are playing great football, so it must be disheartening for them to see running back Willis McGahee blame the Baltimore coaching staff -- just days before the Ravens face the Dolphins in a first-round playoff game -- for his struggles to stay healthy (ProFootballTalk.com).

MILLOY QUESTIONABLE: Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy, who hasn't played in the postseason in seven years, might miss Atlanta's first round game against the Cardinals because of a back injury (Atlanta Journal Constitution).

MORE FROM VEGAS: Yesterday I noted that all four road teams were favored to win their first-round playoff games this weekend. Today I report, thanks to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, that Vegas likes the Giants to win the Super Bowl by beating the Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals and the Dolphins are considered the longest shots in each conference to make it to the big game.

EXPECT NEWS ON JAURON: Bills owner Ralph Wilson told the Buffalo News that a decision on the future of head coach Dick Jauron will be made tomorrow. Jauron is by all accounts a very nice man, but if Wilson was watching Sunday's Bills-Pats game -- and particularly the final seconds of the first half -- the decision should be obvious.

 Tags  Bill Cowher Dallas Cowboys Eric Mangini Football Today Mike Tannenbaum

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