It's another Feinstein Friday for the Junks, and this week, John and the big topic was John's thoughts on halftime speeches (or lack thereof) in the NFL – and as he revealed from his days on beats, a lot of coaches do things a lot of different ways.
"It's funny because I have been in a lot of locker rooms, and coaches are very different; some say almost nothing and leave it to their assistants to do a lot of the coaches, especially in college where halftime is longer," John said. "Coaches will come in and say something very brief about what was right and wrong and what needs to be corrected, and then turn it over to the position coaches before a final statement."
John remembered a speech from a BC-Army game where BC was up 42-0 that was funny, as well as some Ivy League stories that he's learned for his coming book, and every one was different.
"It really does vary, and I heard the criticisms of Rivera after an awful loss the other night, but it does depend a lot on the personalities of the coaches," John added.
So, what would John do if he was Josh Harris watching his defense get cooked over the last four games?
"I don't think Josh Harris wants to get a reputation right away as a knee-jerk guy, especially based on the last owner, and I would think he doesn't want to be a guy who tells his coaches what to do, as if he's a football expert," John said. "But, it's not as if Rivera and Del Rio haven't had time; this is Year 4, not five games into the first year. I'm not a Del Rio fan, but I think that the results haven't been good – and you have to look at these next three games before you make serious judgments."
The Falcons and Giants are "bad or mediocre teams" and all three games are winnable, in John's eyes, given what the Commanders did against the Eagles (the third team) in Philly – and then, it's the struggling Patriots afterwards.
"If they're 5-3, we say, okay, let's see where we end up at the end of the season, when the schedule gets tougher in the second half," John said.
But if Atlanta torches the D this week, win or lose, does that change things?
"I think you have to get concerned, but whether you make a move, I don't know," John said. "Harris basically has this season as a honeymoon year because Snyder is gone, so I think you look at it that way. If it doesn't turn around and the record is similar to what it has been the last three years, then yeah, I think you look at cleaning house, but I don't think you do it after five or six games. The hallmark of the last regime was impatience, so maybe the hallmark of this regime should be patience."
He juxtaposed that to Ted Leonsis, whose patience as an owner has led to a Stanley Cup on the ice and a lot of mid-lottery picks on the hardwood, so that's always a crap-shoot, too.
Take a listen to John's entire segment, which also includes some early preseason thoughts on those Wizards and the state of their future, the top teams all bowing out early of the MLB playoffs and how format could affect that, and more!
