Rider's NFL Whispers (10/8/08) - Tommy Rider - offline

Brad "Major Dad" Childress will most likely be looking for work after the season.

Below are some tidbits I've gathered from different sources. Keep in mind that I'm passing along this information. It's not my OPINION. If I want to add my thoughts after I post the info, I'll write it under "Tommy's Two-Cents." Also, these are RUMORS. A lot of media people and personnel guys hear things but media people, in particular, can't just publish everything they hear. That's where I come in. I'm not stating these things as fact, just buzz going around the league. If you don't like that sort of thing then you probably won't like this column. I have no favorites. If I hear something on Tony Romo, I will let you know about it. I will run this whispers segment once a week if you guys find it interesting and helpful.

--The Patriots have just about had it with RB Laurence Maroney. I was with the team when they drafted him and like I said here a couple of weeks ago, he's a pansy. Bill Belichick and the coaches gave him one more shot this season but after what he pulled this week in San Fran, expect to see less and less of Maroney until he grows a pair. Here is what I'm talking about:

It was 2nd-and-6 at midfield for the Patriots. Maroney took a sweep around the left side and was running with a clear path to the first down marker, which was right in front of him. As Niners LB Patrick Willis was closing in on him, all Maroney had to do was lower his shoulder and he easily would have had the first down. Instead, he took a sharp left turn out of bounds, leaving the Pats with a 3rd-and-1. Maroney was immediately taken out and when he got to the sideline running backs coach Ivan Fears tore him a new one. We only saw Maroney again a handful of times the rest of the game. Here is what someone close to the Patriots e-mailed me after the game:

"To me plays like this are what get you a reputation in the league as being soft. There was no hiding what he did and everyone saw it. Bottom line, you can teach a lot of things but you can't teach heart and he just doesn't have it. I think that false bravado of his hides the simple fact that he plays scared. The verdict is in: Bust."

--After Monday night I talked to one NFL Insider who has some close ties to the Vikings and he confirmed what I had suspected all along that despite beating the Saints, Brad Childress has one foot out the door in Minnesota. Remember, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf wants to win and he wants to win right now. The feeling in Minnesota is that Childress has had more than enough time to take this team to the next level and it's not happening. If the Vikings can win the NFC North, Childress will keep his job but anything short of that and Minnesota will be looking for a new coach after the season. I will never forget two years ago after the Patriots bombed the Vikings through the air on Monday night football, I asked Childress after the game why he never came out of his base defense and left his linebackers on the field when it was obvious New England wasn't going to run the football (They only ran it eight times in that game). His response? "We don't have the personnel to play that way." You don't have the personnel to play a dime defense? Interesting. Maybe after he's fired, Childress can convince CBS to bring back Major Dad so he isn't out of work long.

--Another coach in big trouble right now is Andy Reid. There is a growing opinion in Philly that Reid has taken the Eagles as far as he can and it may be time for a change. Granted, Reid would be unemployed for all of five seconds but considering there is a good chance the Eagles could finish in last place in the NFC East, don't be surprised if Philly makes a change and parts way with Reid after the season. And if Reid is available, you can expect the Vikings to go after him hard.

--Expect to see a lot more of Cedric Benson toting the football in Cincinnati. Yes, Matty O' Shea's favorite player is in the right place at the right time. Chris Perry has lost five fumbles this season and has landed in Marvin Lewis' doghouse. So, just in case you were wondering, if you shoot someone in Cincinnati, it's OK but put the ball on the ground and Lewis draws the line. Since Benson is a scumbag, the Bengals are obviously high on him and I'm told he will start getting a lot more carries in the coming weeks.

--I'm told there is a good chance that Brady Quinn will get some playing time this week against the Giants. Quinn has been taking a lot of snaps with the first-string offense and even people inside the Browns organization admit it's only a matter of time before he takes over at quarterback. From what I'm hearing, Quinn will get some snaps on Monday night and if he plays well, that will be the end of the Derek Anderson experiment in Cleveland.

	Privacy: 100% - No Spam Ever! Security: Yes - SSL encrypted! Satisfaction: Guaranteed! Pregame.com is located and licensed in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pregame.com does not accept or place bets, and is NOT a gambling site.