May 7, 2020
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO ONE AND ALL AS WE TRY TO MAKE OUR WAY SAFELY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
PLEASE SUPPORT AREA BUSINESSES
I ask you to strongly consider supporting local businesses as much as you can. Stay safe. Be careful. Follow all of the precautions that have been mentioned. But, there are a lot of businesses that are the backbone of our communities that could really use you as a customer in these challenging times. Purchasing gift cards at these restaurants would also be a wonderful idea. Here is the status of our restaurant sponsors in the Denham Springs Community:
Buddy’s Bar B Q
Drive-Thru
Duke’s Seafood & Steakhouse
To Go… Curbside
Maria’s Mexican Restaurant
To Go
Curbside
WAITR Swamp Box Cafe
To Go
Grub-Hub
WAITR
Please try to patronize these outstanding businesses and shop locally when you can. THANK YOU
LSU, SAINTS AND MUCH MORE
ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides offers media guides. programs and baseball cards. Please visit JonFineProductions.com and click on icon to get to the store. Check out a full array of New Orleans Saints media guides and LSU media guides and programs and publications from much of the entire sports world. Over 6,700 publications listed.
WE THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR UTMOST TO PATRONIZE SPONSORS OF OUR PROGRAMMING. THIS HELPS US TREMENDOUSLY IN SUSTAINING OUR WEEKLY LINE-UP AND WILL ASSIST US IN ADDING MORE PROGRAMS IN THE FUTURE. KINDLY MAKE AN EFFORT TO LET SPONSORS KNOW YOU HEARD
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
I don’t know how the NBA is going to try and finish their season, but I vote for a NCAA Tournament like bracket. I have seen this idea proposed in a number of places and I couldn’t be more excited by the concept.
We all missed out on March Madness. Give us July Madness!
The teams are starting to return to workout and practice next week. Speculation has been that players would need a month to get back in shape. Games would start the last two weeks of June, where they could play 6 games to close out the regular season.
Then put all the teams in a bracket. Forget conferences. Just like the NCAA Tournament, some games will be played Thursday and Saturday, while the others will play Friday and Sunday.
After two weekends, we would be down to the Final Four. The semifinals could be played in five game series. I miss those. The first round of the playoffs used to be just five games and those were great series.
I agree that the best team almost always wins a seven game series, but that doesn’t hold true as often in just five games. And that made them more fun to watch! Finally, the NBA Finals would remain a best of seven series.
I would love to see Major League Baseball do something creative as well. The normal regular season for MLB is so long to where individual games have little importance. I would love to see 80 games in July, August, and September. Each game would have much more value.
I love the college baseball postseason format. Applying that to MLB, there would be four regionals with four teams in one city. They would play the double elimination format to get a winner from each series. In one weekend, we would be down to four teams, and then those teams could play best of seven series to decide the champion.
I know there are many barriers to these ideas. A second wave, more shutdowns, and many other variables could prevent this or other best laid plans from happening. But these are unprecedented times, so let’s go for unprecedented sports plans and see what happens. As long as they find a way to make it as safe as possible, we don’t have anything to lose.
And as we saw with the NFL draft there are many processes that we think are sacred and only can be done one way only to find out, we were fooling ourselves.
HEY REF
Oh, here we go again! The wheeling and dealing continues in the NFL as to who will/won’t be playing where ‘n when the season resumes. When Tom Brady was given his “Get out of New England” card everybody that is somebody predicted Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had a deal to bring in Andy Dalton from the Bengals. That’s what the smart money was saying. But something happened that caused Dalton to bolt from the frozen north and land in a much milder place that is Dallas, Texas.
We know it wasn’t money that caused Dalton to wanna play for America’s team so what could it have been? Yes, we all know Dalton was born in Katy, Texas but that fact isn’t why Dalton signed with the Cowboys. So, what could Jerry Jones do and/or say to convince the former Bengal signal caller to accept “peanuts” just to wear the stared helmet? Could it be MONEY? No way since the first reports have him being employed for one year which pays him a modest $3 million in guaranteed money but with incentives that’ll make the contract worth some $7 million.
But we all know every incentive laden contract depends heavily on what the team does. They are also very complicated to figure out since they usually depend on the games played, net yards versus interception ratio, touchdowns…
So, you can see and understand that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has to have something up his sleeve. But knowing what Jones has done since he bought the team it really isn’t hard at all to figure out exactly why Jones gave the green light to sign the former Bengals main man.
Since Cincinnati held the number one pick in the 2020 NFL draft they made it very clear former LSU QB Joe Burrow was their man. Since then it hasn’t been a secret that Dalton had to start looking for a home. But Dalton and his advisers weren’t just looking for a city where he’d be paid more and more millions. Andy made it clear he didn’t need a new home where his only reward would be a bigger paycheck. So, what reason was it that Jones dangled in front of Dalton to get his John Hancock on a Cowboys contract? Come on, this ain’t rocket science… … …
There are just two reasons Dalton agreed to play in Dallas; one of course was the immediate opportunity to play on a team with a legit chance to make the playoffs and the second is? Well, that’s the easy part of all this, the “trump” card was the chance to START! Yep, Jerry is sick of just getting close year after year. And he’s got his pride along with those billions which causes him to hate being upstaged.
So when starter Dak Prescott, while playing MVP style football, balked at being given the franchise tag it caused Jones to get serious and bring in another high profile quarterback that could come in and take the Cowboys to a possible Super Bowl. That is the only thing that Jones wants from his handpicked savior. The signing of Dalton gives Jones an “out” if and when Prescott holds out before the start of the next season whenever that’ll be.
So, don’t try to read anything into the signing of Dalton because there’s one and only one reason to make this addition to the roster, NOBODY TELLS JERRY WHAT TO DO! Jones was burnt the last time he agreed to a guaranteed contract and that was when he gambled the future of his franchise on QB Tony Romo. He signed his guaranteed check for a mere $60 MILLION. I don’t care how many billions you’ve got because watching $60 MILLION walk away without a Super Bowl Championship will cause you to not let it happen again!
Till next week…
FINE IDEAS
Is Don Shula the greatest NFL coach of all-time? I harken back to early August 1979, when NY Daily News columnist Dick Young’s column, Young Ideas, included the castigation of Thurman Munson. Not on the level of all-time Hall of Fame Yankees catcher greats Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, Munson was in the next class of catching stars for the Bronx Bombers. But Young was not being critical of Thurman Munson as a player, but Thurman Munson as a person. Munson had tragically died in a plane crash in which Munson was the pilot. The timing of Young’s diatribe has resonated with me since I first read Young’s scathing remarks. He justified it by expressing that just because a person dies, the narrative about him/her should not change. Young’s point was that Munson was a bum on August 1, 1979. So, just because he died the next day, it doesn’t mean he should be lionized post-mortem. Some would say Young’s column on Munson was written too soon, disrespectful of a person who just died. Yet, what better time to express an opinion—a refreshingly contrary one--than when everybody else’s revisionist history opinion is being propagated.
Don Shula was a great coach, among the best ever. Among is the operative word. Many people’s eulogies have referred to him as the greatest NFL coach ever… or to use modern parlance GOAT—the acronym for Greatest Of All Time. A point could be made that Shula should be the first NFL coach, proverbially, on Mount Rushmore. Yet, one could also make a case for Vince Lombardi, Mike Brown, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick and others.
The statistic most employed by Shula fans is his 347 career wins—the most in NFL history. And that is an impressive figure and a factor in evaluations. Yet, that number, 347, in and of itself, is somewhat deceptive. It is largely a product of Shula being an NFL head coach for 33 years. Other coaches who are on the top 10 list of all-time NFL wins include Andy Reid, Marty Schottenheimer, Dan Reeves and Chuck Knox. These are great coaches. Yet, their being on the top 10 wins list is more a function of longevity than it is greatness.
Winning percentage, to me, is a better metric than all-time wins. Shula’s.667 is amongst the best ever. In fact, if you look at the top 20 in win totals amongst NFL coaches, Shula’s winning percentage tops the list. So, although this gives Shula’s supporters, perhaps, their most reasonable argument to support their claim, winning percentage could also be used against Shula. The ultimate goal in the NFL is to win championships. So, there should be a large premium placed on playoffs winning percentage. Shula’s.528 winning percentage in post-season play is very ordinary. Shula’s playoff record is 19-16.
Another way to judge Shula is through World Championships. There were 3 in Shula’s career. The 1972 and 1973 Miami Dolphins would come to most people’s minds. Yet, technically, Shula’s Baltimore Colts were NFL Champions in 1968. (The AFL champion NY Jets defeated the Colts in Super Bowl 3). A number of NFL coaches have won more championships, all but George Halas taking less—most substantially less-- than 33 years to do so. And Shula’s life-time Championship Game record is 2-4. This is probably the biggest reason why some do not have Shula as the best coach in NFL history. (This 2-4 record includes a loss in the 1969 Super Bowl (1968 season) and does not include a win in the 1968 NFL Championship game.)
The 1972 Miami Dolphins were undefeated (17-0). They are usually referred to as the GOAT team in NFL History. What is interesting is many believe the 1973 Dolphins Super Bowl winning team was even better. Yet, it is remarkable that the NFL has been around since 1920 (known as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1920 and 1921), and only one team—Don Shula’s 1972 Miami Dolphins--went undefeated/untied in 100 years. And, I’m not sure if Shula gets enough credit for his 1972 season of perfection. Numerous articles indicate that Shula is the only coach to go undefeated in the Super Bowl era. That is true, but it shortchanges Shula. Unless my review of league history is inaccurate, Shula is the only NFL coach to go undefeated/untied in ANY era… in 100 years!!
Shula’s teams played great defense, with his Miami teams often led by defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger. He was the Defensive Line coach with Shula’s last 6 Colts teams too. Arnsparger’s “No Name” defenses (sometimes referred to as the 53 Defense, named after LB Bob Matheson who wore that number) were instrumental in the Dolphins 72 and 73 World Championships. Later on, his “Killer Bees” defenses were amongst the best in the NFL in the early 80s.
Shula’s was an innovator. I remember watching a Monday Night Football game when he was calling timeouts in the last 4 minutes when the opposing team had the ball, even though the Dolphins had a small lead. He was doing this so that his team would have some time left on the clock when it got the ball back in case the opponent had taken the lead. This type of strategy was not employed at that time in the NFL. It is commonplace today.
Another coaching move that Shula is given credit for is intentionally taking a safety in certain late game circumstances. (EG, your team is up by 3 points with 45 seconds to go. The opposing team has no timeouts left. You have the ball on your 5 yard line and it is 4th down. As opposed to risking a blocked punt, you take the safety and then kick off from your 35
40 back when Shula coached.)
And, Shula was not the first to use the Hook and Ladder (some say Hook and Lateral). But the Dolphins using that play to score a touchdown at the end of the first half in the 1981 Miami-San Diego playoff game (Don Strock completes a 20 yard pass to Duriel Harris, who laterals it to Tony Nathan, who runs 25 yards for a score) certainly has enhanced Shula’s reputation.
There have been a number of standout running back tandems in NFL history. Yet, back in the day, most great teams had one big stud at rb. Shula’s 2 Super Bowl Championship teams had 3 terrific running backs
Larry Csonka, Eugene “Mercury” Morris and Jim Kiick.
An interesting thing about Shula’s career is that he never won World Championships with all time great quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Dan Marino. (Yes, I know Unitas was the QB leading the 68 NFL Champion Colts.) His 2 Super Bowl champions featured Bob Griese—a terrific qb and a hall of famer, but not amongst the best in NFL history. Other players who quarterbacked Shula’s teams to the Championship game are (backup) Earl Morrall and David Woodley/Don Strock (WoodStrock was their nickname).
Also part of Shula’s lore are the snow plow game (a 3-0 Miami loss to the New England Patriots in 1982), the longest game in NFL History (a 1971 27-24 Miami playoff win over Kansas City in double overtime), and what some call the greatest game in NFL history—count me in on this one (San Diego defeated Miami 41-38 in overtime in the 1981 playoffs… despite the aforementioned Miami Hook and Ladder touchdown).
Perhaps the greatest thing about Shula is that he was a disciplinarian, yet he won with dignity and won with class. That is not true among some of the other all-time greats. “He treated us all the same. Like dogs” is a quote attributed to Packers great Henry Jordan about Lombardi. Belichick has had his detractors throughout the years in this regard. Bill Parcells, Belichick’s football daddy (yes I know Belichick’s real dad was a football coach and an inspirational figure in his life), has also ruffled his share of feathers by being a bully.
So where does Shula rank in the pantheon of legendary NFL coaches? In my mind, Lombardi is the best coach in NFL history.—5 Championships in 10 seasons, including 5-1 in championship games, is compelling evidence for me. Put Shula on the list for competing for #2 with Brown, Noll, Walsh and Belichick.
Arnsparger’s NFL head coaching career was not Shula-like. In 3 seasons (1974-76… his being fired during the 76 season), Arnsparger was 7-28 with the New York Giants. He did very well at LSU, in his only other head coaching gig, going 26-8-2 (1984-86). I enjoyed interviewing Coach Arnsparger when he was at LSU and once in retirement. He had a reputation as a gruff, no-nonsense guy, who was difficult to deal with in the media. Yet, I always had a good rapport with Coach Arnsparger and never had an issue with him.
Philadelphia Eagles Coach Doug Pederson is the answer to 2 trivia questions. He was the Dolphins starting qb on November 14, 1993, when the Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 19-14 to secure Coach Shula’s 325th career win, surpassing George Halas’ career mark… Pederson also made the first 2 point conversion in NFL history, albeit in an exhibition game. (You can take that asterisk next to the 68 Colts NFL championship and put an even bigger one next to this 2 point conversion record.)
I would have loved to have been on Kent State’s campus in the late 60’s/early 70’s. Yes, it would have been sociologically fascinating to witness (and possibly be part of) the activism (as long as I wasn’t shot by the police). But, my interest would be largely from a sports perspective. Thurman Munson was a catcher at Kent State. Jack Lambert was a linebacker. And Nick Saban was a defensive back and a baseball player, although Munson played at Kent State before Saban arrived. Don James coached the football team at Kent State in the early 70’s.
Shaq is the greatest Center of all-time? Check out the promo for Shaq Life on TNT. Like Shula being on the list of all-time great NFL coaches, but, not, unequivocally, the best ever, Shaq is on my list that includes George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and (if you consider him a Center and not a power forward) Tim Duncan… Promoting Shaq as the greatest center in NBA history is like calling him “the ultimate Renaissance Man”… oh, wait, TNT’s website says this about Shaq too… To me, Russell is the greatest center (11 championships in 13 years, many over Chamberlain’s teams in the Finals). Mikan/Abdul-Jabbar are 2/3 or 3/2. Shaq is in contention for #4
Shaq is several things—basketball great, commentator, entertainer, pitchman (The Big Ubiquitous?), philanthropist. He has made tremendous strides from being a freshman at LSU who had a hard time stringing 2 words together during interviews to his larger than life 2020 persona. Yet, The Big Renaissance Man? I think not.
Not that I have ever spoken or written the King’s English and I’ve regressed since being in Louisiana, but I would like to clear up what I perceive is the rampant misuse of the word “acronym”. An acronym is an abbreviation that is pronounced as a word. If it can’t be pronounced as one word, it is not an acronym, but just an abbreviation. EG, in this column, GOAT is an acronym, but APFA is an abbreviation… Another big word is paradox. To me, a paradox, is a point of view that, counter-intuitively does make a lot of sense. EG, while driving ArrestedDevelopment One yesterday, I, paradoxically, enjoyed my first traffic jam in 2+ months!
I guess I paid attention to more than just (South HS Valley Stream NY’s) Gloria Waldron’s impressive visuals in High School English. But, if I got this all wrong, you can give the credit to the insufferable Mollie Zweig.
One of the late Dick Young’s lasting contributions to society? I amended (a euphemism for stole?) his “Young Ideas” column name and created “Fine Ideas”. Young’s legacy or curse?
ASK JON: PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, IDEAS, QUESTIONS AND/OR FEEDBACK TO Jon@JonFineProductions.com. Please include your first name and city of residence. All death threats will be turned over to Joe Mannix.
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
OUR EBAY STORE, ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides, SELLS SPORTS PUBLICATIONS. YOU CAN LINK TO IT BY VISITING JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS PROUD TO WORK AS A MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE FOR SPORTSRADIO-1310-KEZM-SULPHUR/LAKE CHARLES.