NEWS I AM LATE ON POSTING HERE: Andy Gray Fired

Over the past few days, it has come out that Andy Gray was acting much like Ron Franklin when he thought microphones were off (even though they were really on, just not on over the air). From saying that he thought lineswoman Sian Massey would miss an offsides call during a match (turns out there was a close one which Massey got right) and wondering why there were female lineswomen in soccer to asking Charlotte Jackson "if she can tuck that down there," Andy Gray got canned. His partner, Richard Keys, who asked a colleague if "he would smash it" in reference to a woman.

The evidence is overwhelming. Gray deserved to be fired and Richard Keys should be off television. All though if you ask me, Andy Gray should have been sacked a long time ago for sheer idiocy. I mean, any guy who suggests that Lionel Messi would struggle in Stoke City deserves to be fired for sheer idiocy, so justice has indeed been served to Mr. Gray, even if it was over something irrelevant to being an awful announcer who had no business being one of Britain's lead commentators for soccer. Or any commentator for soccer.

You know ESPN is not going to pick up Andy Gray. They just fired Ron Franklin for the exact same thing. You know they are not going to turn around and pick up Gray on the rebound now. Who knows where Gray will end up now, although for now and until the dust settles from this cacophony of sexist remarks, it will be good to have Andy Gray away from commentating on soccer. It is, after all, it is where he belongs.

For an excellent reading on what this means for the culture of football, check out this excellent post from Graham MacAree of SB Nation Soccer and We Ain't Got No History.

Sean McDermott Fired

Chris Mortensen first broke the news on Twitter during the 1st half of the Ravens-Steelers game.

My thoughts are this: McDermott had worn out his welcome and deserves this boot. That being said, it still comes as a surprise because earlier in the week Andy Reid had given McDermott a vote of confidence and there had been no prior rumblings that a firing was about to be made. Dick Jauron, meanwhile, was getting a defensive coordinator job offer from Cleveland, and in order to prevent him from bolting, the Eagles fired McDermott hastily. Jauron is certainly a candidate to succeed McDermott, though it is now being reported that he is not a lock for the job.

Even though it would mean changing to a 3-4 system, I am hoping the Eagles give the job to Rob Ryan. Jauron as a defensive coordinator scares me just as much as McDermott. The Eagles may not have all the personnel, but it's not like most of their front 7 has been that good anyway the past two years. Bradley dropped off, Sims flat out sucks, and Trent Cole did a disappearing act the 2nd half of this season. So yeah, switching to a 3-4 may not be as hard as it sounds, especially when you figure that the defense is going to get tinkered with anyway this off-season. Mike Singletary is also looking for a job. A report is saying the Eagles have no interest. I feel relieved.

Mookie Will Be So Happy!!! (UPDATE: I Hope He Is A Pete Carroll Fan!)

Jay Glazer has tweeted the news that Mookie has long waited for.

While those things that Jay Glazer mentions are true and may have inhibited his abilities as a play-caller, on multiple occasions Jim Mora, Jr. failed to lead his team when they needed a leader and he constantly threw his players under the bus yet always absolved himself of any blame whatsoever, something this is completely opposite to what Philly fans have endured ever since Andy Reid was hired by the Eagles.

My thoughts on this is that it is a good move for Seattle to get rid of someone whose system was not bought into by the team, perhaps in large part to the fact that he always blamed his players and never himself. You are never going to win over a locker room that way and while I think that some team will give Mora, Jr. one more chance as a head because of the injuries and Front Office turmoil he had during his one and only year in Seattle, unless he changes his leadership qualities, I see that playing out the exact same way it did for him in Seattle, injuries or not.

Update: It appears as if Mora's replacement might be none other than Pete Carroll! From Mort's Twitter account, "Pete Carroll is the guy Seahawks are targeting. It is expected to happen, according to sources. Just reported to ESPN 10 minutes ago."

Mora fired. Carroll likely the replacement and if ever there was a college coach whose past unsuccessful gigs in the pro league were mired by circumstance, it was Carroll. In his first job as a Jets coach, he had the team poised for a playoff run, but then Dan Marino did his Dan Marino thing, the Jets went on to lose the rest of their games, and Carroll was fired after that first year. His second coaching gig was the Patriots head coach, only he came after Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, and while he did not do a completely awful job, he was no Parcells, and was thus fired after a few years and some playoff losses. Belichick's tenure has since made Carroll's stint in New England look like a Rich Kotite job, compared to Carroll's predecessor and his successor.

The main criticism of Mora was that he was not enough of a leader. If there is one thing about Carroll, he certainly brings a lot of RAH-RAH leadership to the team. We'll see if the report is right (and granted, how many teams had been reported to be close to a deal with Pete Carroll the past few years?), and if it is, well, there is certainly going to be a lot of change going on in Seattle. Will it be good change or will the team grow even worse? Only time will tell.

BREAKING NEWS: Flyers Fire John Stevens; Hire Peter Laviolette As New Head Coach

No article is up yet, but if the various tweets from CSN Philly's Tim Panaccio and Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski are true, John Stevens has been fired as coach from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Update: We got sources (and a possible replacement)! From the Philadelphia Daily News

The Flyers have fired coach John Stevens, the Daily News has learned.

An announcement is expected later this evening with a press conference to follow at the Wachovia Center.

No official word on a successor. TSN is reporting that the Flyers have received permission from the Carolina Hurricanes to speak to Peter Laviolette and that he will be the next coach.

With a record of 13-11-1, the Flyers are tied for 10th place in the Eastern Conference - the farthest they have fallen in the standings since November 2008. They have lost six of their last seven and play Washington on Saturday the Wachovia Center.

Once the league's most potent offense, scoring at a 3.6 goals-per-game clip, the Flyers have gone eight consecutive periods without a goal. Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to Vancouver marked the first time they have been shut out in back-to-back games since Minnesota built a brick wall in front of their net on Feb. 10-12, 2003.

I am certainly surprised that the Flyers were this quick to pull the trigger, but at the same time, Stevens has always been inconsistent like this and their recent streak being losing 6 of their last 7 games including being shut out 2 times in a row, I guess I should not be as surprised as I am. This is a team that is predicted by many to contend for and even win a Stanley Cup this year and if the playoffs started today, they would not be in the picture.

As far as his rumored replacement goes in Peter Laviolette, he tends to be a little inconsistent himself, but he has won a Stanley Cup and after taking some time to serve as an analyst at TSN after his Carolina firing, I guess he is ready to back in the biz of coaching. While I am disappointed that Stevens could not keep any consistency, I am looking forward to what Peter Laviolette (if those rumors are true) has to offer for this team and the direction he decided to take them in.

Update 2: It's official. Peter Laviolette is the new coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. From NHL.com

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have named Peter Laviolette head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and relieved John Stevens of his duties, according to club General Manager Paul Holmgren.

"I know this was a very difficult decision for Paul to make. And, I really feel bad for John because he's been a terrific long-time member of our organization," said Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider. "I was hoping that the team would play better and that this could have been avoided, but after last night's game, I think Paul felt he had to make this change. I make it a policy never to overrule my general manager, because once I do, it means I've lost confidence in him. I really want to wish John the best."

“John has always been a member of the Flyers family, and always will, and that’s why this was a very hard decision for us to make,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter A. Luukko. “He was drafted by the Flyers and literally grew up within our organization. He won a Calder Cup with the Phantoms, both as a player and as our coach. He then became an assistant coach of the Flyers and eventually our head coach. We wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

“This was a very difficult decision for me to make given my relationship with John. I want to thank him for his service to the Flyers organization over the years. However, in watching the team over the past few weeks I felt a new voice was needed in order to get us out of this and in the direction we expect,” said Holmgren. “Peter Laviolette brings experience along with a different approach to the game. We look forward to him putting his stamp on the team quickly and getting our team headed in the right direction.”

"Obviously this is a great opportunity. I am really excited,” said Laviolette. “The Flyers are an organization that has a lot of tradition and a lot of history. This is just an exciting time for me and my family and we are really looking forward to it."

Laviolette, 45, is the 17th head coach in Flyers history and joins Philadelphia after spending parts of five seasons as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes (2003-04 to 2008-09), where he compiled a 167-122-34 record in 323 games. In 2005-06, he led the Hurricanes to a 52-22-8 regular season record finishing first place in the Southeast Division and setting franchise records in wins (52) and points (112) in a single season. In the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, Laviolette guided Carolina to a 16-9 record and their first Stanley Cup Championship, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 3-1, in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final on June 19, 2006. He was also named a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL Coach of the Year in 2006.

I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that I said that I am not sure who the Flyers could bring in that would help the team start winning some games while maintaining a similar attitude, yet I the more I read about him today, the more I do see Laviolette being that guy. He can manage the finesse needed to score with the grit and toughness that is a symbol of Flyers hockey and I see nothing but improvements for this team down the stretch. I've read that he might make his debut as soon as tomorrow against the Capitals, so that should be good times for all, especially seeing as Laviolette used to coach with Carolina, division rival of said Capitals.