NOTES ON WEEK 17: More thoughts:
-Tice, if he gets the boot, would hardly be the only NFL coach tossed on his keister this week. Dave McGinness, Dick Jauron, Gregg Williams, and Bill Callahan either are or will imminently be out the door, along with the already-cashiered Dan Reeves and Jim Fassel.
- If the Detroit Lions have a legitimate justification for continuing to employ Matt Millen as their general manager, I'd love to hear it. Do they have some Moneyball-like system in which they consider road victories to be "overvalued"?
- Something tells me Jauron's firing isn't being received in Chicago with anything close to the anger as Mike Ditka's was ten years ago this week. But as long as the Bears canned Jauron, why not general manager Jerry Angelo as well? I don't know how any executive who purposely signed Kordell Stewart to be his starting quarterback can keep his job for long. (UPDATE: Angelo today signed a four-year contract extension. Yes, I'm as puzzled as you).
-Microcosm of the Giants' season: one of them blocked a punt against Carolina, and while no Giants were able to fall on the ball, one player did manage to accidentally knock out the ref, in something I've seen happen hundreds of times in pro wrestling but never in football.
- Now that Mike Vanderjagt has gone an entire season without missing a field goal, playing a big part in the Colts' first division title in years, are all those asshole NFL pundits (led by Sean Salisbury) about to apologize for comparing him to a "waterboy" during his feud with Peyton Manning last year?
- For pure symmetry, nothing beats the Patriots 31-0 victory over the Bills on the last week of the season, after New England lost to Buffalo by that same score in Week 1. Does this mean the Bills will cut Lawyer Milloy tomorrow, and he'll re-sign with the Pats?
- Also enjoyed ESPN's live feed of Eric Dickerson at his house, watching Jamal Lewis' unsuccessful attempt to break his single-season rushing record. But why no questions for Eric about his upcoming coaching gig in the Lingerie Bowl?