- Peter King, writing in SI, says that one reason Mike Tice hasn't yet been fired by the Vikings is that the assistant coaches are just as clueless as he is. "There's not a logical person on his coaching staff -- not even the once highly regarded Ted Cottrell, presiding over a badly underachieving defense -- to serve as interim coach," said King, who in May predicted that the Vikings would win the NFC title (Full disclosure- so did I).
- The latest rumor about a Tice successor- Pete Carroll. Intriguing... he's a former Vikings assistant, was the runner-up in '92 when the team hired Dennis Green, and I always felt he got a bum rap during his three years in New England (when he went 10-6, 9-7, and 8-8, and his biggest crime was that his name wasn't Bill Parcells). And Carroll, of course, is now headed towards his third straight college national championship. I'm all for it- though I somehow doubt Pete is clamering to leave USC for the NFL and the frigid winters of "Minny."
- I'm sticking with Culpepper as my fantasy QB for one more week, until he's benched in favor of Carson Palmer.
- And finally, Simmons:
"They're finished. They stink. Like many others, I underestimated the effect of Moss' departure on this team -- he stretched the field, made mediocre running backs look good, saved Culpepper's hide 3-4 times a game on those downfield heaves and always got the home crowd going. Now? It's a poorly-coached team with no running game, no playmakers, a mediocre defense and an erratic QB who obviously can't handle the increased burden of being The Guy. Those first two games were not a fluke. I'm writing them off. I implore you to do the same"Saints on Sunday- can it get any worse? Posted by Stephen Silver at September 23, 2005 07:44 PM