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Downhill from the start
Have a comment or question for Dr. Z? Click here. Two weeks' worth of mailbags here, and I'll address the toughest letter first. From Allan in O'Fallon, Mo.: "I'd like to thank you and P. King for the weekly updates on N.Y. teams. Must be nice to get paid by a national publication to be nothing more than glorified beat writers! PS: There's no jealousy in this message. Just disgust with your slanted views. PPS: I don't care to know any more about your personal lives than you would care to know about mine." Taking these, uh, criticisms in order: I wasn't aware that I was overloading my stuff with the N.Y. angle. I went back through a bunch of my columns from last year and couldn't find evidence of same, so I think you're off the mark here. As for my "slanted views", exactly what slant is it that you're accusing me of? Toward New York teams? I've been critical when I felt I had to. If anything, I've probably come on a bit stronger than I should have for Tampa Bay and Jacksonville during the last couple of seasons, and I'm well aware of this and am trying to balance it off. But that's hardly a New York thing, is it? Finally, your PPS, and this will get a new paragraph, all to itself: I was told, when I began writing for the Web, that it's the place to let 'er rip as far as personal stuff was concerned, the kind of thing I could never get into the magazine. So do I now hand the old kiss-off to the Flaming Redhead and the food and wine and personal experiences which, might be football unrelated, and stick strictly to gridiron affairs? I guess that if enough people feel as you do then yes, I would have to. But some folks actually seem to enjoy that kind of stuff, and until more people line up on your side, you're just going to have to put up with it, or skip it entirely and move on to weightier topics in the column. Eagles fans are coming on strong and Tom Modrak is getting some heat. Steve of New Jersey wants to know why, if he's so loyal, he had that window put into his contract ("Catching up is hard to do"; May, 30, 2001). Mainly because the club's top brass made him nervous by 1) messing with his personnel department, and 2) diddling around with the issue of the upgrade of the facility. A club rep I spoke to said that the latter was merely a bargaining tactic vs. the city to get it to come through on the stadium issue. Reading between the lines, my feeling is that if this were so, then Modrak should have been clued in as to the strategy. I see a lack of communication here, but other clubs have that problem, too. I've known Modrak since his early Pittsburgh days and he learned the business from one of the most decent and honest people I've ever met in football, Art Rooney, Jr. I've always felt Tom was completely straight. I've never read him as an angles guy, in this case pretending to be loyal and at the same time scheming to jump ship. You might feel differently. Finally, Steve says he can't wait for my preseason rankings -- how overboard I'll go on Jacksonville once again, how unfairly I'll rip the Eagles, etc. OK, there won't be a big rush toward the Jags this year. Guaranteed. I've learned my lesson. And please, let us not forget that last August I was the only handicapper to have the Eagles making the playoffs -- and advancing through one round. My namesake, Jeff Z. of Mount Joy, Pa., wonders how Andy Reid figures into the equation. Chris of Warminster, Pa., wants to know how large an input Reid had in Modrak's personnel decisions and how he'll do now that he has total control. I think they got along fine. There have been many cases of friction between the two departments on a club. Bobby Beathard was tough on coaches. He didn't want them messing with his draft. Bill Parcells favored his own draft and feuded with the personnel department. Usually the best way is to have the coach give the personnel guy an idea of what positions he wants and then let his department find the right players in those spots. But it doesn't always work that way. Jimmy Johnson went with his own evaluations and came up with Pro Bowl talent. Ray Rhodes did likewise and came up with Jon Harris. I think Reid and Modrak had a good working relationship. As for Modrak's dispute with the club, Reid stayed out of it, at least on the record. I can't comment. I haven't been privy to the inner workings. I think Reid did a terrific coaching job last year, particularly the way he brought Donovan McNabb around -- with a jayvee set of receivers to work with. Is he ready for total control? I'm not sure. We'll see. Finally, two Eagles questions from two weeks ago. Gary of Philly isn't happy with the pared-down receiving corps. Top draft wideouts have a history of being coach-breakers, especially when they're drafted for their speed. James Thrash was highly productive for Washington. Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston? Who knows? It's a unit based on hope. Are they going to get another wideout? Well, I don't see any superstars out there. And Mark of Delaware asks about the Modrak situation, and I think I've addressed it. Mentions a place to get great cheesesteaks (sorry, Mr. O'Fallon, Mo.), and I'm afraid you lose me here because I can't stand 'em. They use the worst meat they can find, smother it with cheese and call it a steak. An abomination, I believe. I'll bet there are others who disagree, but please, no cheesesteak mailbag stuff because I think we've exhausted the subject. Thank you, Jon of the 34th St. Partnership (Partnership with what? 35th Street?) for your kind words. Wants me to find him a spicy yet affordable California red for under $20. How about from Australia? Lindemans St. George 1996 Coonawara Cabernet Sauvignon. The Flaming Redhead picked up some at Costco, the discount cost-saver place, for $20. And Wednesday, at our Wine Media Guild monthly luncheon (ever the name-dropper), my top-rated wine of the day was a New Zealand entry, 1998 Matariki Hawkes Bay Syrah. An absolutely knock 'em dead wine. The bad news is that it's outside your price range. It's $30 list (probably discounted for less). C'mon Jon, you can afford it. You're making big bucks at the Partnership, I just know it. Big nostalgia trip from Ardsley, N.Y.'s Crister Larson, a non-nerd from the Bronx High School of Science. Mentions that a Paul Zimmerman, class of 1944, had made a sizable contribution to the school. Could it ... I mean is it possible ... I mean is there some way that it could actually be me? Three things wrong with that assumption, Cris: 1) Science? I don't even know what a molecule is; 2) If a school can squeeze 50 bucks out of me, it's a major achievement. And 3) I'm not that old. Sorry to disappoint.
We're the boys of Science
High,
Hearts and voices all
unite,
Forward with the banner
bold,
We will fight with all our might for Science High, rah rah
rah,
(Now how did I know that? Especially that the old version had "We're the boys," in line one, later changed to "Boys and girls ..." One of life's many mysteries, Cris). Marshall of London mentions food, mentions wine, then mentions football. Guess which we'll address first? And second? You're right. On our last London trip we rated J. Sheekey's higher than the much renowned Gordon Ramsay, which didn't even get the silver medal. That honor went to Noor Jahan, a terrific little sleeper of an Indian restaurant, right off the Old Brompton Road. Wine -- I agree with you about the New Zealand reds. But their white Sauvignon Blancs leave me cold, no pun intended. That same old citrus Tropicana grapefruit taste that wins medals at the California judgings but bores me silly. Finally football. My thoughts about Vince Lombardi as an innovator: Yes indeed. Very underrated in that department. No. 1 innovation was the run to daylight revolution in the ground game, allowing the runner to pick and choose instead of just hitting the designated hole. Thanks for your kind words, and I've given your best to the Flaming Redhead, as instructed. Her response was, Tally Ho! I told her to get serious, this requires a serious answer. She said that the guard in the Hyde Park tube station recognized her and gave her a big hello on only the second time he saw her, whereas she's been living in New Jersey for four years and they still don't know who she is. How's that? To Hal of Columbus, Ohio : Thanks for your flattering words. My advice to you: Find someone else to root for. Such as Arizona, home of the Redhead. The Browns will torture you to the max. No, I don't like their draft. No, I don't see much hope for them this year. I guess the QB can play -- if they don't get him killed. I don't know who made the decision to pass on Tomlinson in the draft, but I'd suspect that Butch Davis, being an old DL coach, approved it. Ed of Chatham, N.J. wants to know if the Dolphins under Jay Fiedler have a decent shot at the AFC Championship game. Well, they lost to the Raiders by 27 points in the playoffs last season, and I don't think they've helped themselves that much, while Oakland is slipping enough to turn that number around. Baltimore? Unless something happens to explode that team from within, I can't see the defense being anything less than formidable, or at least good enough to control Miami in the playoffs. And we didn't even mention Tennessee. Chris of Baltimore wants my take on the Ravens. Right now I'm leaning toward a Baltimore-St. Louis World Series -- make that Super Bowl -- with the Rams taking it. This could change by August, when I have to pick for real. Tennessee? I'll believe in the Titans when I see them throwing downfield effectively. Charles of Baltimore takes it one step further and wonders about the Ravens' chances for a perfect season. No. Not enough offense. Turnovers will cost them. Lawrence of Queens wants to know what position is the Jets' weakest link? Every time the Redhead and I hear that phrase, we say "weakestlink," at 90 mph speed, as Anne Robinson, that British lady on the TV quiz show does, showing a healthy set of rodent-teeth en route. What's the Jets' weakestlink? Still has to be wideout, although if Vince Testaverde all of a sudden hits the wall at age 37, going on 38 (it's bound to happen someday), then the answer will be obvious. How to address the wideout problem? Beats me. Matthew Hatchette is a journeyman. Santana Moss is primarily a returner. Now watch him catch 80 balls, and to my dying day I'll be reminded of what I said. Lots of training camp questions from Stewart of NYC. Do guys hold out in training camp because of their contract, or just to avoid two-a-days? Young guys, the former. Old timers, make that savvy old-timers, the latter. Weeb Ewbank, who was way ahead of his time, didn't want his older vets to go through the full regimen of two-a-days. What's the real value of the camps, getting in shape or building team chemistry? Well, these days they'd better be in shape when camp starts. I feel the real value is to provide a final evaluation of your talent. What's the correlation of won-lost to holdout numbers? Don't know. Haven't researched it. It would be an interesting project to undertake, though. How about it, Stew? Are you game? Michael of Nashville likes the Titans' chances. So did I -- last year. I've said it before. In this era, you have to be able to find your downfield receivers, or even the mid-range guys. From Tim of K.C.: "Suddenly all you beat writers seem to think that Elvis Grbac is the best thing to happen to the Ravens ... " I don't like to be addressed as "all you ... " How'd you like it if I said, "Well, all you BBQ eaters ... ?" Personally, I think BBQ is overrated. Take away sugar, and your barbecue would go poof. We seem to be straying. Oh yes, another thing. I'm not a beat writer. I'm a ... a ... (what am I, Linda?) "A beat-nik," she says. See what happens when you get started on an idiot topic? I haven't written a word about Elvis in Baltimore. I will now. Here it is: IMPROVEMENT . Trent Green in K.C.? He was kind of exposed when he had to carry the load in St. Louis. Not able to make the quick decisions or quick deliveries that Warner did. Who can? But still, a bit of the luster is off. Josh of Chapel Hill, N.C., has poor old Z's head spinning with undreamed of flattery. Wants to know if I've ever considered a position of scout or coach in the NFL, and would I accept it now? Oh sure, I could just see me writing, "Yep, that's what I'm going to do," and two days later being called into the offices at SI. Wanna be a scout, huh, fatso? Well, there's the door. Actually I did coach once. Columbia University lightweight team (155-pounders) in 1954. We went 2-3, the best record the CU lightweights ever had, you could look it up, which shows how successful the program was. Scouting? Never, except for my son, Mike's, peewee team. Once, though, I was having one of those good old heart-to-heart talks with an NFL head coach. No, I really don't want to tell you his name. What? You insist? OK, it was Bill Walsh. We were talking about personnel, and he was making off-the-record remarks, and I thought I was being remarkably astute in my evaluation of talent around the league, especially in my praise of underachievers, for whom I've always had a soft spot, and I got a bit carried away, and in a moment of supreme egotism I asked him if I could ever, conceivably, hold down a job as a scout. He got this pained expression on his face. How to tell this poor rube? "The problem," he finally said, "would be that you'd fill a roster with guys who'd try very hard and look very good chasing people across the goal line." Will of Boston (Will McDonough by any chance?) wonders if the Rams have improved their defense enough to get them into the Super Bowl and wants my take on the rooks, Damione Lewis and Adam Archuleta. Answer to question No. 1 is yes. As I said before, they're my Super Bowl pick. The only reservation is if Kurt Warner has not fully recovered from his concussion. I hear, on the QT, that he's still having problems. I like Lewis. Ditto Archuleta. Before the draft I called Mike Martz and asked him if Archuleta could be a No. 1 pick, since that was the rumor. He said he would have been but then they picked up Herring, the Ravens' safetyman. Then Martz drafted Archuleta anyway. My reasoning was that he really must like the guy if he went to all that trouble to send up a smokescreen. Steve of Chicago is wringing his hands over the way the Bears are conducting their search for a personnel director. Well, that June 15 date they set cost them Tom Modrak, who ended up in Buffalo. If they'd have offered him the job right away he might have joined them. I don't know whom they'll get, but he won't be as good as Modrak. Steve cries out for help. Have a good meal, Steve, open a nice bottle of wine, and read about the greatness of Sid Luckman and Bronko Nagurski. Donovan Ortega of Wellington (Wellington where, New Zealand?) says he is 16 years old. I take that news calmly. He says we discriminate against questions from 16 year olds and is thinking of filing an age-discrimination suit, which immediately makes him suspect. Sixteen year olds don't know about stuff like that. How old are you really, Don? I won't tell. How do I feel about the realigned divisions, he wants to know, and now we're getting somewhere. Last week I wrote that I like them just fine. Nothing has changed my opinion in the interim. Who do I think is the AFC East frontrunner? Indy until proven differently. Josh of Atlanta wants my sleeper picks, both good and bad (that's the teams, not the picks) for this season. Since I DO take this seriously, and folks have long memories, and some flippant, top-of-the-head choices at this present time will come back to haunt me, I'm afraid I've got to plead the fifth. But I'll be working on this, and I'll have a few teams for you before SI's 2001 Pro Football Preview Issue comes out, I promise.
Have a comment or question for Dr. Z? Click here.
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