I can understand your questioning of JH but lets compare. Norv (4-6)-has ...... JH (9-2) has Rivers vs Alex Smith Mathews vs Gore Gates vs V Davis VJ vs Ginn, Crabtree Philips vs Willis JH has done more with less. JH is the real deal. He has the 'it' factor that is much desired.
Rivers is an INT machine this year, so (this year) Alex Smith is better Gore is much better than Mathews and is actually on the field more Gates is better than Vernon Davis....when he's on the field VJ is a quitter, but even with his talent he has the edge Willis is better than Phillips I won't argue that Norval is better than Harbaugh but you need to find better examples to make your argument.
Conc, to your point about the Colts current roster... yeah it doesn't look great. But if you're looking for a body of work it's all there. You can either start with him resurrecting the Bills and grooming John Butler. Or just go right to the drafting of Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf. Then right through to the Colts consecutive playoff appearance streak. I'm not saying I want the guy as the next GM, but it would be hard for fans to kick and scream about it if he replaced AJ.
ok,.we might be saying the same thing. I believe that JH is the real deal. He has done more with less. And you?
I dont see that he has hit on much outside of Manning. He has really good players at one or two other positions but not enough to overcome the loss of Manning. I dont think he is all that. I dont begrudge you or anyone else for appreciating his teams playoff run, but I wonder how much of that is just because of Manning.
I agree with your conclusion (JH is the real deal) I just don't think you're backing it up with a conclusive argument by citing the examples you cited. Alex Smith has been playing better than Rivers this year. Gates is hardly on the field Gore is better than Matthews Willis is better than Phillips Vincent Jackson should be a much better target than Crabtree/Ginn but some of that is negated by his selfishness
i was trying to point out (the obvious which you already know) how Norv 'the offensive genius forgot to be the coach. I just think that Norv should NOT ever be a HC in the NFL.
Wait... are we seriously comparing AJ and Polian? Quoting Conc here but I think he and I actually see eye-to-eye on this sort of. AJ and Polian are practically the same guy - and if nothing else they have the exact same philosophies (in terms of drafting, in terms of free agency, it's all the same stuff... Polian even had his own little run-in with a coach over quibbles of who had the bigger personnel wedding tackle just like AJ did... except Polian's run-in was with Marv Levy). It's absurd to want AJ out so that the organization can bring in Polian or a Polian-like GM. Utterly absurd.
Polian was the guy who gave the induction speech for Levy at the HOF. In that speech Levy actually thanked AJ Smith too. How absurd is that?
Do you really look at the Colts and think they have a high level of talent? IMO, the year has pointed out how how they are not really a very talented team, and the few Colts fans I have, feel the same way.
ScottandBR Scott and BR @chargers fans, in kc for snf, talking to Pgh media types, they think Cowher Power is coming to SD, with his own GM, Stlr exec Omar Kahn
Polian and Levy kissed and made up years later. But what I'm saying is that it's absurd for people to want AJ out and Polian in while expecting different results. They're effectively the same GM, everything that people are citing as faults of AJ (and they're legitimate faults I'm not debating that) are the same criticisms people have of Polian.
Cool. I don't want Polian myself. Just figured it was worth discussion, because I could see Spanos going that way and then spinning it to fans. Gimme Reggie Mckenzie from the Packers and bring some fresh perspective from a storied franchise. Because this one's reached rock bottom.
There are a number of guys I'd back the play for. Heck, I'd even be fine with bringing Floyd Reese in here in a similar capacity to what Holmgren has in Cleveland or Parcells was sort of given in Miami (it'll never happen, but it could work really well). Reese is just a plain AWESOME scout of talent - he's reckless in terms of contracts but that's a little less of concern given the recent increase in the salary floor with the new CBA. Get a GM that can handle the business end and let Reese hand the personnel ID and acquisition end (heck, we might have even found a job for lil Johnny in that capacity: the business stuff and guarding grandpa's money).
AJ just might not have a backup plan if Norv is let go. When he hired Norv, AJ was walking on cloud 9 as he thinks he outsmarted Butler who let Norv go. I sure hope AJ DOES NOT HIRE ANDY REID he is just as bad.
I don't have it in me to defend AJ anymore, particularly because I don't buy the misguided belief that this team is "so talented that anybody should win with them" that people like to push when arguing against Norval. But I also like to keep my facts straight and the fact is: AJ does not hire and fire the head coach. Anything beyond that is pure speculation, as none of us were part of the procedure so we don't truly know how much AJ did or did not push for Norval.
