NFL

Coach Killers, Week 17: James Butler Gets Posterized, Courtesy of Randy Moss

Posted Dec 31, 2007 12:00AM By Ryan Wilson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Lions, NY Giants, Saints, Steelers, Vikings, NFL Fans

Text SizeAAA

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

James Butler, Giants
You know, I was a little hard on Manning the Younger last night. I accused him of playing great football for 30 minutes, and then turning into an interception-throwing pumpkin, while the Patriots did what they do: mount a second-half comeback and win in handsome Tom Brady fashion.

But after some soul-searching, I've come to the realization that the Patriots-Giants game didn't turn on Manning's fourth-quarter pick, but on what transpired three plays prior. You can see the birds-eye view here, but all you need to know is this: safety James Butler must've blacked out because when the cameras finally caught up with him, he was about 15 yards behind Randy Moss. Moss was making his way to the end zone after hauling in a 65-yard bomb from Brady.

That was the game-changer. To that point, the Giants' offense was moving the ball without much trouble, and the defense was like Plexiglas Burress: bend but don't break.

On the bright side, Manning played probably his best game as a professional, and the timing couldn't be better.

Photos: NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat

Mike Martz, Lions
It hasn't been officially announced, but everybody is saying it so it must be true: Martz is done in Detroit. I don't want to compare Martz to another self-proclaimed "offensive genius," Ravens' head coach Brian Billick, since Martz brought us The Greatest Show on Turf, and Billick brought us Kyle Boller ... but Martz hasn't exactly been lighting up the scoreboard recently.

The former Rams head coach and Super Bowl winner might have a 200 I.Q., but he still isn't smart enough to effectively run an NFL offense in the absence of a running game. That Martz is also willing to let his quarterback rack up David Carr-like sack totals, and you have two very good reasons why he'll be out of a job in the near future.

Sunday's game against the Packers was a microcosm of Detroit's up-and-mostly-down second half; after rolling to a 6-2 start, the Lions finished 1-7. Detroit managed 13 points against a Green Bay team with nothing to pay for. Quarterback Jon Kitna was 22 of 48 for 246 yards, with a touchdown and two picks. Martz kept with the no-run theme by only calling 17 rushing plays. To be fair, it's hard to establish the run when you're always trailing.

Sean Payton, Saints
This season, Payton has been just good enough to get the Saints beat. Between the hair-brained third-down triple-reverse option, or thinking it's a good idea for Drew Brees to put it up 60 times a game, Payton probably cost his team two or three wins in 2007. And since New Orleans finished 8-8 7-9, there's your playoff appearance.

The second-most mind-boggling coaching decision of the season (after this debacle, of course) had to be deciding to a) not cover Devin Hester, wide receiver, and b) kick to Devin Hester, Word's Most Dangerous Returner.

Hester scored twice on Sunday, once on a touchdown bomb, courtesy of Kyle Orton, and once, inexplicably, on a punt return. Here's all you need to know about Hester the returner: the former second-round pick has 11 career touchdown returns in 31 games. Thirty-one. The Redskins' Brian Mitchell holds the record with 13 ... in 223 games, followed by Dante Hall (12, 104), Eric Metcalfe (12, 179), Deion Sanders (9, 188). Notice anything? I mean, other than the Saints sitting at home this postseason?

Steelers Defense
Ultimately, Sunday's Week 17 matchup with the Ravens didn't matter. But it could have. If the Chargers had lost to the Raiders (hey, it could happen ... eventually), and the Steelers defeated Baltimore, Pittsburgh would've been the AFC's third seed in the playoffs. Instead, they got their doors blown off in the first three quarters, and created more questions for a team already full of them.

Before running into those world-beating New York Jets back in Week 11, the Steelers hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher since the 2005 season. While watching Fred Taylor go for 147 on December 16 was embarrassing, it paled in comparison to this line from Sunday's game:

Musa Smith (22 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD)
Cory Ross (12, 72, 1)
Troy Smith (5, 23, 0)

That's the same Musa Smith who started one game this year, undrafted free agent Cory Ross, and rookie third-team quarterback Troy Smith. Not exactly the run defense you'd expect from a playoff team, even in a meaningless contest.

Whatever, the Steelers face the Jaguars next Saturday night, and I'm guessing for Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, it can't get here fast enough.

Troy Williamson, Vikings
The Redskins won, so it didn't much matter what the Vikings did against the Broncos. And, frankly, if Minnesota hadn't been outplayed at home last week against Washington, we wouldn't be talking about it now. But it it did, so we are.

Honestly, Williamson wasn't the only reason the Vikings struggled Sunday. He continued his predictably exasperating habit of dropping passes. He muffed a likely touchdown pass early in the game, and did it again for good measure. I think it's safe to say the clock is ticking.


But things got off to the worst possible start when Minnesota drove down the field on their first possession, and as Chester Taylor crossed the end zone, he lost the football out of bounds. Instead of six points, it was a touchback, Broncos ball. Even Purple Jesus lost a fumble.

Despite all of that, this might have been the play of the game: with 13 minutes to go and Minnesota trailing 17-3, right tackle Ryan Cook was flagged for a facemask penalty in his own end zone. By rule, that's a safety, and Denver goes up 19-3. The Vikings proceeded to score 16 unanswered points ... before losing in overtime. Ouch.

Tags: adrian+peterson, AdrianPeterson, brian+billick, BrianBillick, chester+taylor, ChesterTaylor, coachkillers, cory+ross, CoryRoss, dante+hall, DanteHall, david+carr, DavidCarr, deion+sanders, DeionSanders, devin+hester, DevinHester, drew+brees, DrewBrees, eli+manning, EliManning, fred+taylor, FredTaylor, james+butler, JamesButler, kyle+boller, kyle+orton, KyleBoller, KyleOrton, maurice+jones+drew, MauriceJonesDrew, mike+martz, MikeMartz, musa+smith, MusaSmith, purple+jesus, PurpleJesus, ryan+cook, RyanCook, sean+payton, SeanPayton, tom+brady, TomBrady, troy+smith, troy+williamson, TroySmith, TroyWilliamson

Related Articles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)



NFL Team Photos




Latest NFL Photos