Big Easy

My impressions of him as a college coach were: 1. He was very organized, very driven, very determined in everything that he did. 2. He ran grueling practices, was a cusser and a yeller with his team, many of whom feared but respected him. 3. He was colorless and drab with the media. He has a little bit of a paranoid mindset and clearly views the media as a source of potential problems. He talks to them only when he has to, and never gives them anything but coach-speak--unless he gets PO'd about something, in which case he treats them like dogs in the Knight style. He got away with it because he won big, but God help him if he ever goes through a bad stretch, because he won't handle it well with the media or the fans. 4. He really understands defense, he works hard at it, and he teaches it well and schemes it better. Think mini-Belichik, or John Fox without the personality. 5. He is demanding and inflexible, definitely cut out of the Belichick/Schottenheimer school of tactics. 6. He knows how to win. His whole life is football which consumes him 24/7, which he admitted is why he was attracted to the NFL, because it's "all ball" up there. I think he's got a chance to be successful, but he sure did pick a tough division to throw himself into, at least for the next couple years.

I saw J.P. at the Tulane baseball game in New Orleans Friday night. He threw out the first pitch. Most guys lob it in, but Losman threw it about 90 MPH. It was low and away. He got a nice ovation. By the way, I don't know where he's shopping up there, but it ain't your father's department store.

Rocks--he rarely bounces one McNabb-style, or throws behind people. He will sometimes sail one high, especially early in a game when he's jacked up. Bills fan--he's pretty accurate and has good zip on the deep outs, the square-ins, and other intermediate throws. He didn't throw a lot of touch short balls or screens in our system, other than WR screens which don't tell you a whole lot.

Man, you guys are a tough crowd. John--He throws a nice ball. Tight spiral, velocity, generally pretty accurate. His problems when they came were read problems. He's generally accurate when he's on time. He was a durable player in college, although he did play hurt a lot. He's the type of guy who sometimes likes to get up slow and limp a lot to show how tough he is, which I never particularly liked. But style points aside, he took a lot of licks and generally kept on playing. LABillz--something fast-growing, with showy leaves, that occasionally drops a limb if the wind is hard enough. Cajun Bills fan--the fact that you're a Tiger fan and can figure out how to log on to this or any site, and then spell once you get there, is a credit to you. Actually, I married a Tiger so I end up getting abused at home enough. Did you know we're ranked 1-2 in baseball this year? Should be some fun games. Superhero--I suspect that early on, if his first read isn't there, he'll take off. By midseason, he'll be getting through two progressions. Forget about three until the following year. Having his type of feet is a blessing and a curse, when it comes to developing pocket presence.

Labatt Blue: At one time I had a few of his games on tape, but not any more. I have a young daughter who, for one brief week of her life, enjoyed taping "Rug Rats" using my marked game tapes. Scribo--good question. I'm a Tulane fan first and foremost, so I pull hard for the handful of guys we've sent to the pros. I'm also Southern born and bred, and from an "old school" sports culture--yes sir, no sir, keep your mouth shut, play hard. I liked Patrick Ramsey personally more than JP because we came from similar stock. But I will say that I liked JP a lot more as a senior than I did as a freshman. He grows on you. Matty--coaching will be key. He has great faith in his legs and did, in my opinion, give up on plays and run too soon--though less so as he gained experience. If I was designing plays, at least during the first season he starts, I'd put in a lot of rollouts and bootlegs where he has a run-pass option, and only has to read half the field. Joe--greatest strengths would be arm strength, mobility, deep balls, competitiveness, leadership, ability to bond with teammates of all stripes. Greatest weaknesses would be impatience, trying to make the big play when the safe one is available, the "indestructo" mentality that causes him to try and run over tacklers (worked in college, won't work up there), and inconsistent poise from the pocket. I can't answer your last question except to say that he improved in that area year-by-year and his coaching will be paramount in solving the speed of the NFL game. Piz--some of his teammates were probably bothered by the brashness when he showed up. By the end they all loved him. He seems to really understand the "modern" athlete, and seemed to move easily between white and black teammates. They all eventually seemed to get attached to him and they liked the aggressive identity he gave them. Fans had much more of an issue adjusting to the Cali style than the players did, to be honest. We have to remind ourselves that the game isn't played by 40 year old fans, and that if the team likes his style, we should too. Will try to get to some others later.

I saw most of JP's college games and met him a few times. If anyone has any questions on his play, his style etc., I'd be happy to take a shot at answering them.