Marino mail spices up the debate
Most of my recent mail has bashed my postseason predictions. That doesn't take much insight; if I were an NFL team, I'd have a chance at the No. 1 draft selection with my record picking these playoffs. I'll address a couple of those emails later.
With that in mind, let's start with your thoughts on Dan Marino joining the Miami Dolphins' front office and take it from there.
And remember, it shouldn't always be "Ask Cris." Feel free to include your own opinions on any of my recent columns and audio/video segments, and we'll try to print the best of them in future mailbags. And you get bonus points for including your hometown.
MARINO IN THE FRONT OFFICE (Jan. 12: "Marino isn't inexperienced")
Tell me you're kidding! Your experience as commentators gives you the ability to run operations for a professional football team?
Let's face it – the pampered lifestyle you lead, which includes everyone telling you how great you are, has led you (and Marino) to believe that you can be astute business people. Forget it. It's similar to asking players how they feel about the current political environment, etc. You have no clue about what you're attempting to talk about and should keep your mouth shut; you're just embarrassing yourself.
Mark
Wow. Let's start by saying that, at least in the case of Marino and me, football isn't the only business we're involved in. It might be the only one people see. But a lot of ex-players are involved in corporate activity every day.
Marino is not being thrown into an unfamiliar situation by himself and asked to single-handedly rescue a pathetic franchise. He is surrounded by people who can help him, and Marino can lend his unique experience as a player to the team's front office as well. Why can't Marino enjoy a smooth transition if the right people surround him?
Is Marino qualified to make all of the Dolphins' decisions right now? Of course not. But they aren't asking him to. Rick Spielman is the general manager. Marino is being groomed, and he'll make suggestions and contribute to decisions. Wayne Huizenga is an astute businessman. I'd put more faith in Huizenga's endorsement of Marino than in mine or anybody else's.
Now that your friend Dan Marino is head of operations of the Dolphins. Would you consider going there as a coach to work with the wide receivers since they fired that coach?
Mike
Of course not. That would be a demotion from the pampered lifestyle I lead now! Seriously, I'm happy with what I'm doing.
Don't get me wrong – I am happy for Dan Marino being selected as GM of his beloved team. Yet I found out receiving great Paul Warfield interviewed for the job as well. Both former players provided a lengthy service to the Dolphins club. Does Marino's more recent visage generate more of a publicity volley for Miami or is the media still up to its ethnic antics?
J. Doyle
I think they interviewed Warfield as a courtesy, but Warfield doesn't have a close relationship with owner Wayne Huizenga like Marino does. Again, Dan Marino is the face of the Dolphins. It's not Bob Griese. It's not Nick Buoniconti. It's not Larry Csonka. It's not Paul Warfield. It's him.
Great cavalry charge in Marino's defense. Why weren't you that classy during your playing days with Philly? You've been A-plus as an analyst. By the way, change the team name and substitute "Carter" for "Marino." Where are you headed?
John Webb
Thanks, sort of. I'm staying put.
As a longtime Dolphins fan, I honestly was a little shocked about what transpired in the hiring of Dan Marino and promoting of Rick Spielman. Marino is my favorite player of all time, but it just took me as a shock. Let's look at Spielman's track record in Chicago and Miami. His drafts have been terrible.
After reading your article about Marino not being inexperienced, I tend to agree and thank you for the article. Your comments on Spielman and possible free agents coming to Miami would be much appreciated.
John
Miami will struggle to get free agents because of its salary-cap situation. The Dolphins have too many defensive players making a lot of money. Jay Fiedler and Brian Griese each are pulling in a lot of cash; I can't imagine both will be back. If Spielman and Marino can bring a quarterback and a couple linemen to Miami, the Dolphins will finally get in the title hunt.
PEYTON MANNING, AUDIBLE KING (SportStream Jan. 14:
Why do other teams give Peyton Manning the passing lanes? If they would play the ends wider than normal, bring the strong safety up to fill the gap and rush Manning from the outside with the end, that would take away the passing lane. Most of his passes go over the head of the offensive tackle.
Jim Miller
Great plan, but it's not that simple. If you bring a safety down to the line of scrimmage, fewer people are left to defend the receivers. You have to double-team Marvin Harrison. With Brandon Stokley emerging, the Colts have a number of guys that can beat you. And they can kill you with play-action fakes, when they suck the linebackers in and throw the ball over the middle.
I was watching an interview of you and Larry Beil on Yahoo! Sports talking about Peyton Manning's audibles. You mentioned he calls a play and then adjusts to the defense. He's vocalizing the play while he's at center. This also means that the defense can hear what he's calling. Doesn't this mean that the defense knows what play is coming?
Robert Abad
If that were true, Manning wouldn't be nearly the player he is. They're not shouting out, "Hey, we're running to the right!" They use a lot of codes – including dummy codes to throw off the defense.
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
Once again, you've decided to pick against the Patriots (in the AFC title game), as you did in their win over Tennessee. I think you also picked St. Louis to beat Carolina. As a former offensive player, do you think you might be inclined to pick strong offensive teams over strong defensive teams?
John Higgins
Well, maybe. Good defenses have proven they often beat good offenses in big games. That said, I did not expect Carolina to go into St. Louis and beat the well-rested Rams. I thought the Titans' and Colts' defenses matched up well with New England's offense. I didn't expect Peyton Manning to hit the Patriots' DBs between the numbers instead of his receivers. He was the hottest player in the playoffs.
You always pick against the Pats or have something negative to say about them – yet they keep winning, 14 straight now. Yahoo! Sports is paying you for your "expert" analysis? Hmmm...
Ryan
I was just wondering what it was going to take for you to actually believe in the Panthers? But then again, keep picking them to lose, because they have proved you wrong the first two times – wouldn't want to ruin THAT streak.
Norman
I'll say it – I'm really surprised at how good Carolina is. This is a team that won a lot of close games during the regular season, but in the playoffs the Panthers have dominated Dallas, St. Louis (to a degree) and Philadelphia. I didn't think their offense would score 29 points in the playoffs – twice. Jake Delhomme has blossomed into a great game manager.
After watching them march through the NFC playoffs, I wouldn't be surprised if the Panthers have a great showing in the Super Bowl.
More
What position do the San Diego Chargers need to focus on when they use their first overall pick in the upcoming draft?
Rich Hamilton
Quarterback. They've got a number of holes to fill, but if they keep the pick, that's maybe the most glaring need.
As a Bills fan, I am already looking forward to the draft. If you were GM of the Bills what would you do with the 13th pick?
P.S. You did a great job on making your weekly picks.
Jon Providence
I would either go with an offensive lineman or another receiver to complement Eric Moulds.
P.S. That's not what most people have been saying about my picks!
I just want to know what the Buffalo Bills are thinking in hiring Mike Mularkey. How does this figure to be a step up from Gregg Williams? I am a huge Bills fan and very disappointed. What is your take on this mess?
Peter Frontiero
Mularkey is a great offensive mind, and that's where the Bills need help. The defense is good enough for them to contend for a spot in the playoffs. But when the Bills lost Peerless Price, they lost some offensive creativity. Adding Mularkey and another wideout could restore it.
So far Mike Sherman has not proved himself to be a great coach in Green Bay. If you were Green Bay, would you try to get a different head coach?
Andrew Ferguson
Got to disagree with you there, Andrew. The Packers don't have better talent than everyone. The defensive line is suspect. Without Brett Favre, it's an average group.
Who is the better running back, Michael Bennett or Onterrio Smith? Bennett is fast but injury-prone. It also appears that Coach Tice does not have confidence in him when hard running is required in the red zone. Smith is a good, hard runner who knows how to run between the tackles, and he had two 120-plus yard games toward the end of the season.
Edwin Frydendall
I'll take Bennett. He gives the Vikings a home run threat every time he touched the ball. You have to remember he was hampered this year by a broken foot. I think he'll bounce back nicely. Coming from Wisconsin, he entered the league as a one-dimensional guy (much like Ron Dayne, only with more speed). He's done the reading and learned how to adjust to blockers and cut through traffic. Smith could become a good back, but I'll take Bennett's speed.
Why is it that the Vikings gave Daunte Culpepper such a long-term contract? He obviously is not too good. Gus Frerotte is even a better quarterback!
Kurt Gorsetman
For starters, I'll take Culpepper over Frerotte. In the NFL's current economic climate, a team will lock up a player to a long-term deal before he realizes his potential. Why? If you wait until after he's established as a star, it costs more money in the long run.
Culpepper makes mistakes, but every QB does if you confront him with the right scheme. Quarterbacks get too much credit, but they also take too much blame. Culpepper's ability to manage the game will be the key to his future success.
Ohio State had two losses at Wisconsin and Michigan. Is its offensive strategy too conservative? OSU has a great defense, but it is nerve wracking to watch opponents catch up. A good example is Kansas State. OSU creamed them in the first half, then coasted in the second half, allowing KSU to take it down to he wire.
P.S. Enjoyed watching you at OSU and Minnesota. Glad you played a season down here.
Alexander Saris
The Buckeyes don't have that much talent on offense. Craig Krenzel has been a great leader but not a great thrower, and their offensive line is average. OSU is effective when it can utilize the play-action pass and not rely on the quarterback to carry it to victory.
