JOEinPHX

I'm 3'2", 87 pounds, and I really resent the anti little-people bias of this thread.

To all of you saying Spurrier wouldn't put in the work necessary to succeed in the NFL, you're spot on. And don't read too much into the success he's having so far with the Apollos - the way that league works on the inside is nothing like the NFL. Finally, bear in mind that Spurrier has a gig now that pays a year's salary while only requiring four months of more-or-less actual work. For a guy like Spurrier, it's a last-stop dream job.

I covered this in another thread, but you're one guy I'm willing to cover it again for. Andrew decided to hang it up with the NFL - the schedule and demands made it impossible to be the father he wants to be, especially now that he has an infant daughter to go with his 3-year old son. So he decided to move the fam back to Phoenix, where his mom and I, and most of his wife's family all live. He was prepared to completely reformat his life, but then a funny thing happened. Rick Neuheisel heard through the grapevine that Andrew was a free agent and asked him to join the staff of the AAF Arizona Hotshots. He's currently the RBs coach and on track to be the OC next season. Best part from his point of view is that the AAF is only active for about five months out of the year. He'll have family time, an opportunity to launch a planned business venture, and a healthy AAF paycheck to boot. And I get unlimited grandkid access. Grandson Liam spent most of yesterday with us. He helped me mount a trailer hitch on my car by handing me bolts in a timely fashion. Today we repair a leaky toilet. As weird as all that sounds, my life is wonderfully full.

Ben will make more than the average OA. No ramen in his future.

Ben is a quality guy. Going from TE coach to offensive assistant is a pretty big step down, but at least he's still in the league. Dirk would be hard pressed to get a better guy to help him install his offense. Fun Fact: Ben caught the first NFL TD ever thrown by Aaron Rodgers. Falcons hire Ben Steele as offensive assistant Posted by Charean Williams on January 24, 2019, 5:33 PM EST Getty Images The Falcons are hiring Ben Steele as an offensive assistant, Field Yates of ESPN reports. He is following Dirk Koetter from Tampa Bay to Atlanta. Steele, 40, spent the past two seasons coaching the Buccaneers’ tight ends. He played two seasons for the Packers, appearing in 17 games in 2004-05, and making four catches for 42 yards. The Bucs’ job was his first in coaching.

And on a side note, why Oliver Platt?

Sorry JDG, but sometimes I gotta vaguebook. The whole story isn't necessarily for public consumption. I'll only say that Koetter and Mularkey don't have particularly copacetic personalities, and some of the history I'm aware of suggests that Mularkey would not have been Dirk's first choice. I'll add that Dirk probably had the opportunity to bring Ben Steele, the Bucs very competent TE coach, along with him, but for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Maybe I'm putting two and two together and getting five, but I can't shake the feeling that Dirk's wasn't the loudest voice in this decision, and that Mularkey might be seen by people not named Koetter as having a potentially bigger role than just position coach. Maybe right now. Maybe in the future.

Glad to see that so many of you noticed the apparent bias, lapses of logic, and convolution of facts in Schultz's article. I don't go all homer on anyone, Dirk included, but this looks like deliberate and irresponsible stirring of the pot to me.

Koetter and Mularkey look like great hires for the TE group, but I gotta tell you, those two are oil and water. You just have to hope that professionalism outstrips personalities. Dirk had to be on board with this, but I'm not sure it was entirely his decision.

I can give you guys at least part of the picture, and it's the only part that really matters. Andy (and yes my Canadian brother, he's my son) decided to leave the NFL regardless of what his future there might be. He has two children now and the NFL lifestyle didn't leave him time to be the kind of father he needs to be. Here's the karma part though. Rick Neuheisel heard through the grapevine that Andy was making himself a free agent and asked him to join the staff of the new Arizona AAF franchise. Hired him on the basis of references and a phone conversation. So the whole family is moving to Phoenix, he bought a house just a mile away, and I'll have unlimited grandkid access. He's in San Antonio right now at Hotshots training camp, RBs coach, and since he's the only guy on staff who can install a proven NFL offense, I won't be surprised if he's promoted to OC. The best part from his standpoint is that the AAF franchises only work five months out of the year, so he gets to be a dad, he'll have time to start up a business venture he's planning, and his pay - on an hourly basis anyway - will actually be a bit better than his NFL money.

Dirk will face at least one obstacle in installing his offense. Andrew Weidinger, who was his right hand man for the last six years, and an essential part in getting Tampa Bay's offense humming, will not be joining him in Atlanta. There are a variety of reasons, which I won't deal with here.

I had two conversations with Brent back in the day, by which I mean, pre-Miko. He was humble, soft-spoken, and totally team oriented. The remarks he made recently about a sour experience in Tampa would never have been made by the pre-Miko Brent Grimes.

My son talked with Matt after the game and pointed out that Smitty got canned mid-season, one day after losing to the Falcons. Then he noted that Matt had probably just driven the last nail into Dirk Koetter's coffin. He asked, jokingly, how Matt could sleep at night with that knowledge. Matt's reply - "It's not that hard."

I don't think any of us has that much imagination.

That hurts a little. I could only defend half of it at best.