It’s one thing to give out awards but it’s another to give out the antithesis of kudos. Last week I dispensed with the pleasantries and this week it’s time to take some teams, players, coaches, and GMs to task. Some of these are harder to dish out than others, but here they are nonetheless:
The GM Fail Award
There have been a lot of miscues this year. Especially in the coaches being kept that should have been fired realm of things. But Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys has gone senile as far as I can tell. He fired a defensive coordinator who had improved the defensive rankings of the team considerably. And the replacement? 500 year old Monte Kiffin has overseen another plummet in defensive rankings. Jones also kept Jason Garrett who has done nothing to prove he can run a team effectively.
But Jones’ biggest fail? He focuses on one aspect of the team and neglects all others. He got a center in the first round of the draft and it’s worked out pretty well, but the O-Line has still been inconsistent. He did nothing to get an insurance running back, knowing full-well DeMarco Murray is injury prone, and the defensive woes? It’s just disgusting, and the worst part of it is, Tony Romo still gets the blame when his defense gives up fifty points. The only smart thing Jones did was stripping Garrett of his play calling privileges.
Honorable Mention: Whoever the GM is in Jacksonville. Do they have one?
The Coaching Fail Award
Greg Schiano is too easy. I don’t think he even counts. He’s a class above all other supposed head coaches with his ineptitude. No, this award has to go to a coach who is supposed to be great but is stinking it up and that is Tom Coughlin. The Giants are 2-6 and those two wins were sheer luck. The Giants’ front office has been fooled time and again by the inconsistencies of Coughlin and Eli Manning. If Coughlin keeps his job, as many reports are saying he will, the GM in New York will be next year’s GM Fail.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Mike Smith in Atlanta.
The Ineffective Rookie Award
Have we heard his name? I’ve watched several Chargers games this season and I know he’s been on the field, but Manti Te’o has faded into the fog of NFL meaninglessness.
The Mark Sanchez Award
Eli Manning. No drum roll needed. He leads the league in interceptions and is 31st in QB Rating. And this is a guy who says he’s elite. Sanchez has made similar claims over the years. Eli has only started picking up his game since Matt Barkley started getting a bit of playing time in Philly, proving two things: The league needs a Mark Sanchez at all times, and that as I predicted when he was at USC, Barkley will be the NFL’s next Mark Sanchez. But, for now, the inaugural Mark Sanchez Award for the first half of the 2013 NFL season goes to Eli. I look forward to all his remaining interceptions.
Photo: AP/Julio Cortez