NFL Week 9 -- Did you know Aaron Rodgers will win the MVP?
 

COTTRELL OUT, RIVERA IN FOR THE BOLTS
Posted by Mike Florio on October 28, 2008, 4:12 p.m.

The San Diego Chargers have announced that defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell has been fired.

Effective immediately, the new defensive coordinator is linebackers coach Ron Rivera.

Cottrell was hired to run the defense after Norv Turner replaced coach Marty Schottenheimer in February 2007.

Rivera had been the defensive coordinator of the Bears, and received several interviews for head-coaching jobs during the 2007 hiring cycle. But the Bears opted not to keep him, and the Tampa Two coordinator landed in the San Diego 3-4 system.

The move is likely a shot across the bow at Turner, who could be on the way out as well if the 3-5 Chargers don’t turn things around in the second half of the season.

It's about time. The D can only get better with Rivera.

No problem with the move, but I guess they are not yet willing to admit that removing Schottenheimer for Turner as head coach wasn't the right play? Or do Chargers fans really put more of this at the D-Coordinator's feet than the head coach?

I'm not exactly pleased with Turner, but he's led us to 2 more playoff wins in his one season than Marty did during his tenure.

As for this season, yeah Norv's the head coach so the buck stops with him. But he's doing an excellent job calling the offense so maybe this change will be what the team needs. Still not holding my breath that they win more than 8 this year.

About ding dang time. I was getting tired of Cottrell's passer friendly schemes. Hopefully Ron Rivera can turn the Chargers D around.

This just in...

The Tampa 2 defense is D E A D ! ! ! !

Signed,

Ted Cotrell
Tony Dungy
Herm Edwards

well in a continuation from the Week 8 thread, Culpepper has decided not to visit KC now, saying he has another team that's interested in him. That team turns out to be the Lions where he has now worked out for. A bit surprised they would be interested in Culpepper because they liked their current starter whose name I can't spell and his backup. Or so I thought.

But the good news for me is that Tyler Thigpen lives on for the Chiefs!

Hmm, I may have to think about that one.

Signed,

Monte Kiffin

2008 TB Defense, 2nd in league in points, 5th in yards against.

You wannabes can talk all you want about your flavor of the Tampa 2 but as the creator of it, I'd say it still has some legs.

Can one of these things be about Bruce Arians getting fired, and replaced by someone with a fuckin clue? Someday? Maybe before the season is lost?

Cottrell's career as defensive coordinator:

Defensive Rank in Yardage
98 Bills -- 6th
99 Bills -- 1st
00 Bills -- 3rd
01 Jets* -- 19th
02 Jets* -- 24th
03 Jets* -- 21st
04 Vikings -- 28th
05 Vikings -- 21st
07 Chargers -- 14th
08 Chargers -- 32nd

* Forced to use a 4-3 (Cottrell is considered a 3-4 expert) by head coach Herm Edwards



I think it is safe to say that Cottrell is highly over rated. I hated him in New York. After the stops in Minnesota and San Diego, maybe teams have finally learned.

The sad thing about Cottrell and the Chargers is, they pulled his ass out of retirement to screw up the Chargers' defense.

Way to go Cottrell, you made the Chargers' pass defense worse than the Lions...THE LIONS!!!!

My hat comes off to Ron Rivera and the task he has at hand.

Stop your bellyaching ya bunch of Nancy's!

He did fine in Buffalo..Maybe the craptacular players on the Jets, Vikes and Chargers had something to do with it..




Although I do like Rivera

saw on one of the news tickers that Culpepper has signed a 2 year deal with the Lions.

So will Tyler Thigpen look awful against the Bucs or good like against the Jets, or somewhere in between? Discuss. :)

So the biggest NFL story of the week was Aaron Rodgers getting a much deserved contract extension through 2014. The Packers have their new franchise quarterback while the rest of the NFC North is still looking. Aaron Rodgers is probably the leading candidate for NFL MVP now and I bet he wins it. Don't be surprised if he leads the Packers to an upset win today against the Titans.

Another big story was KGB getting released by the Packers. He was injured and no longer quick enough. The Packers got rid of most of the dead weight in the offseason but KGB needed to go.

So ESPN just showed a feature about how Ditka almost ran for senate against Obama in 2004. Does anyone know if that was a serious story or one of those Kenny Mayne-esque features.

What?

Edit: Sorry, I guess joke's on me. I figured out a long time ago that nobody reads anything this guy says anymore, but I fell for it. Doh!

No, he was considering it.

that was my question, was he considering it. I thought maybe the whole story was a joke. Thats really interesting. If Obama wins and the economy tanks I guess we can blame Ditka.

The "no" was about it being a joke. I don't know how far it went, but he was considering it.

Mike Brown intercepts Orlavsky and returns it for a TD with less than 2 minutes played. Detroit challenges down by contact.

All professional football is dead to me because I just found out that the AFL's New Orleans VooDoo folded. I guess I'll try to keep watching this "NFL" stuff, but my heart isn't in it.

Cards get a TD reversed as well, but Thigpen gets the Chiefs up early against the Bucs

Chiefs recover a Ernest Graham fumble and are in the red zone looking to score again

Chiefs up by 2 TD's. who needs Larry Johnson anyway

Chiefs score again when Tyler Thigpen catches a pass from WR Bradley.

Apparently the bears think its a good idea to stack the line and single cover Calvin Johnson today....

I see Chad Johnson has 2 TD's today, did he pull out the Obama banner?

What the hell was that? Bironas lines up for a 63 yard fg at the half, but instead the holder just takes a knee???

The bears amazing gameplan has the Lions looking like the '99 rams.

:(

The announcer said something like "he's lining up to tie the NFL record with Jack Dempsey and Jason Elam." I could've sworn Matt Bryant hit a 64 yarder last year or the year before...?

They had to take Orton off the field in a cart-looks like his ankle. Bad time to pick Chicago as my High team...

they were probably trying to get the defense to jump then go for a more makeable 58 yarder

Nah, Bryant's was 62.

After his 2 years in Minny, I could not believe he got another job in the NFL.
His philosophy seems to be play prevent the whole game and hope the other team screws up.

Didn't some guy break the record, but since it was in pre-season it doesn't count?

I may be wrong on who it was, but I believe it was Ola Kimrin who did that.

This game between runaway NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers' Packers and the Titans has been pretty good!

which means the inevitable return of Good Rex/Bad Rex on TWIP:popcorn:

Random Stats:

JT O'Sullivan has passed for more yards this season than Aaron Rodgers.

Chad Pennington has a higher QB rating this season than Aaron Rodgers.

And Rex gives the bears the lead.

This Green Bay/Tennessee game is one where I cannot tell if each team is playing great defense, or each team is playing terrible on offense. Either way, its 16-16 with a minute left, Titans ball, they just completed a pass to get out to their own 40 yard line.

After looking totally helpless on offense for the entire second half, Kerry Collins marches down field to set up a game winning FG attempt(47 yards) on the last play of the game.

OVERTIME. FG hits the right upright.

What the hell happened to the Ravens D?

And why is the Dolphins game starting now rather than at 1?

The lions would have won this game by at least 2 scores if Orlovsky could hit Calvin Johnson on a pass longer than 15 yards.

Yay Ravens D got INT. Gimme those points! :D

They don't play games that early in Denver.

My word. Bironas setting up for a FG in OT, and the TV cuts to commercial because the afternoon games are on. WTF!

Even though he made it, isn't it a bit of a weird decision to kick a 41 yard FG on 3rd and 1 in OT? That's a tough FG, he just missed a 47 yarder, and they could certainly continue the drive... Weird. I would have been very happy if he missed that. :(