Georgia Bulldogs: Who Is Kirk Olivadotti?

Late yesterday evening, the news broke that coach Grantham was set to name his newest assistant—Kirk Olivadotti will be that guy. Olivadotti is a well-respected assistant in the NFL ranks, but isn't quite as well known to the avid college football fan. 

Even still, as news of his impending hire hit Twitter, several respected sports figures chimed in on exactly what Georgia would have in Olivadotti. Phillip Daniels—a former Georgia Bulldog—was one of those voices, said Daniels via his Twitter account, 

For those who may not have already checked Olivadotti's bio, here's the short and sweet of it: he's been a defensive assistant for the Washington Redskins for 11-years. He was promoted to linebackers coach in 2007 and has served in that capacity for the past three seasons. When Mike Shanahan was introduced as the head coach in 2010, Olivadotti was briefly considered as a candidate to take over as the Skins' defensive coordinator before being maintained as an assistant on the staff. He's had experience in the college ranks as both a tight ends and wide receivers coach, but has spent the majority of his career at the NFL level.

I was a bit more curious so I dug a little deeper to see what else could be found out about the new guy. It wasn't long before I ran across this one-on-one interview Olivadotti did with Matt Terl of the Official Redskins Blog that gave a bit more insight into Olivadotti's coaching philosophy.

Here are a few of the highlights:

On coaching linebackers:

"...everybody needs to know where they fit, coaches and players included. And, in a defense I think it helps that I know where everybody fits, and as a group we need to know where we fit as linebackers, and that's kind of what we talk about: where do we fit in this defense, where do we fit in this group, where do we fit in the form of leadership. All those kinds of things and you have to have a pulse of what that is, and it's an ever-evolving process."

On evaluating players:

"Really, to be honest with you, you look at what you got, and who your best eleven are, and you make your defense fit your best eleven, to be perfectly honest. And I know that's not the sexy answer that everyone wants, but that's what we need to do as coaches is, 'Okay, here is our best eleven, and that's who we are going to get on the field. This is what they're good at, these are their limitations,' and you go from there. What each guy can do differs from week to week. You just try to put guys in the best positions to be able to be productive."

His coaching philosophy:

"...you start from square one. You know, you can only eat the elephant one bite at a time; some guys are at a different level than other guys are. But every year you have to start like you are starting brand new, and you start with the fundamentals of how to do things, and the basics to be able to at least put a Redskins jersey where a Redskins jersey is supposed to be.

"Start there, and then teach them how to go from point A to point B, physically, and then start getting into C, D, E, and F, as opposed to trying to get all that stuff done. Alignment, assignment, you hear coaches say that stuff all the time, but to get aligned, you've got to know what to look at, and then you've got to know how to move. We try not to overcomplicate it, because if you are moving fast, you are moving better."

You have to love the feel of this hire, Olivadotti appears to be a solid addition to the staff and, given the improvement the Redskins have seen at the linebacker position over the last few years, it has to be exciting to think what he might be able to do with the young talent currently on Georgia's roster.

His players have had nothing but great things to say about his coaching/teaching ability and it's clear that he was a coach on the rise in the NFL. In fact, current Alabama coach, Nick Saban, tried to hire him away from the Skins' twice when he was the head coach for the Miami Dolphins—he was denied the opportunity of even speaking to him.

As for players, they love him. London Fletcher, had this to say about the man they called 'KO' in Washington,

In linebacker meetings, Olivadotti gives each player a review sheet of the unit's performance from the previous day's practice. How well, or poorly, the unit fared is explained in detail, and that's a new one for Fletcher. 

"This is my 10th year in the league, and in terms of where a coach does that, I haven't really seen that," he said. "He actually gives you something where you have it in your possession; you can look at it and visualize it. With other coaches, you only watch it on film. It makes a difference to have it in your hand." (Washington Post, 2007)

If Olivadotti turns out to be the find that he appears to be on paper, Georgia should see much better production from it's linebackers in 2011.

What say you?

 

Twist of Fate: Would Donovan McNabb Still Lobby For Vick Today?

Remember this interview given by McNabb just hours after the Eagles signed Michael Vick to a two-year contract?



Well, just a little more than a year later that whole there's "no threat to me, no threat to Kolb" comment is looking quite comical. I wonder if McNabb would have been as quick to lobby for the Vick signing if he knew that his career would be so negatively impacted by his arrival?

Think about it, Michael Vick is back to doing endorsements (sorta), leading a winning football team, and garnering league accolades (Pro Bowl and MVP talk), while McNabb has been relieved of his starting role, likely stripped of a $78 million contract, and heading towards unemployment.

I don't know McNabb personally, but you can be sure that this is not the outcome he was hoping for when he let it be known that the Eagles "made a mistake" by letting him go.

McNabb is now a punchline. A punchline so not funny that you almost want to weep for him.

Here he is, only a few seasons removed from being one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in the NFL, now suffering through the embarrassment of being benched in favor of a guy who has more fun throwing to defenses than to his own receivers—don't kid yourself—Rex Grossman is NO team's answer at quarterback and the fact that McNabb has been benched in his favor is just ugly.

Even more, it has to sting to see Michael Vick succeeding on his old team, throwing to his old teammates, and playing for his old coach. Quite frankly, he probably feels a lot like he did at his draft day when the Philly fans—allegedly—booed his selection.

Dude just can't catch a break.

At this point he probably does feel like he's been knocked out by Michael Strahan...



Ouch.

Is McNabb's career over? It's hard to say that for certain but, right now, it sure feels like it's heading in the wrong direction. 

Related articles

• Donovan McNabb Benched As The Shanahans Look To The Future (withleather.uproxx.com)
• Donovan McNabb "very disappointed," "I strongly disagree" (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)

Dan Snyder: The Washington Redskins Bust of The Decade

Today the Washington Redskins suspended Albert Haynesworth—a guy they signed under much fanfare just a season ago.

He was supposed to be the catalyst behind a burgeoning Redskins' defense that was going to be built for stopping the run and making opposing quarterbacks miserable.

Unfortunately for the Redkins, Albert Haynesworth proved to be just the guy that many thought he was—a 'take the money and run' guy (or in his case, a take it and sit on your backside one).

Haynesworth hasn't been effective at all this season, and his explanation is that he's better suited for a 4-3 defense than the 3-4 that Shanahan tried to force him into when he took over the head coaching job.

Haynesworth was uncomfortable playing nose tackle (a key position in the 3-4) and refused to be pushed into a spot he didn't feel built to play. After all, the Redskins knew what they were getting when they acquired him—their decision to change schemes and coaches a year after he signed was on them—Albert wasn't going to let anyone tell him how to play the game of football.

And, to be honest, with that kind of money going into his bank account, he had no reason to concern himself with things like conditioning, practice, or attending team meetings. He had better things to do with his valuable, and expensive, time. Most understood that Albert was about Albert. He wanted a big payday and he played to get it. Once he did, he became a useless pile of flub—fair or unfair—that's what happened.

Now the Skins' fans are forced to suffer through another idiotic move by their clueless owner—Dan Snyder.

Make no mistake, the most egregious mistake the Washington Redskins franchise ever made was in allowing a rich hack like Snyder to take over their team. He's done nothing but make bad decision after bad decision since his arrival.

Just to name a few: there was Steve Spurrier (the overpaid college coach who played more golf during the regular season than most people do in an offseason), Jason Taylor (just...wow), Deion Sanders (one-year blunder),  Jason Campbell (three draft picks and a lot of losing), Brandon Lloyd (bust with an attitude), Jeff George (Seriously?!?), DeAngelo Hall (No, really...he's not good), etc.

The list is long, and uncomfortable, and Dan Snyder has his 'John Hancock' on most of it—that makes him the biggest bust of the decade and, unfortunately, unless he decides to cut bait and move on, Washington is stuck floundering under his gross incompetence.

If the Redskins are ever going to return to their glory days, Dan Snyder has to go—soon. Otherwise, you can expect to see more pink slips in the near future...any bets on how much longer Donovan McNabb will be taking up residence?

Related articles

• Redskins suspend Albert Haynesworth for remainder of season (sportingnews.com)

Michael Vick: Is He Really As Good As The Media Keeps Telling Us He Is?

These days you don't have to look far to find a fan, media analyst, or casual observer who is ready to get on their knees and praise the second coming of Michael Vick. It's become a tad disgusting, quite frankly, and not for the reasons you might think.

You see, there's nothing wrong with giving the man his due.

He's paid for the wrongs he committed and come out on the other side with a golden opportunity to, once again, grab the brass ring. It would be foolish not to applaud what he's done this season because he has flourished playing in the Eagles' offense.

That said, all this chatter about him being the MVP and carrying the Eagles to the promised land is extremely premature. His stats aren't mind-blowing and, quite honestly, his stellar play has as much to do with his supporting cast as it does his arm and legs.

DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Brent Celek are good players, and they have been good for a few years now.  After all, this isn't the Eagles first trip around the NFC Championship conversation, they found themselves in that category for years—with McNabb.

So, Vick hasn't taken a mediocre team and made it better. He's taken a good team and made them more entertaining and he's done so by doing two things well: 1) finding the open man and 2) making smarter decisions in the pocket.

Quite frankly, neither of those things are praiseworthy as both are exactly what a good quarterback is supposed to do. 

Even with that, he's not been that much more impressive than Sam Bradford (who actually has some challenges to overcome in St. Louis), Josh Freeman (who has more yards passing with a handful more attempts), or Matt Schaub (whose team entered the season with the second toughest schedule in the league).

People want to point to his dismantling of the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, but wish to overlook the fact that the Redskins are not really that good. They are horrible against the pass (ranked 31st), atrocious against the run (ranked 25th), and horrific overall (ranked 32nd).

They give up more yards than any team in the National Football League (NFL) and the high-powered Eagles offense did precisely what they were supposed to do against them—win.

As a matter of fact, none of the teams Vick has faced this season have a pass defense ranked better than 17th—save the Colts (a team Vick had trouble passing against)—or a run defense ranked better than 20th. So, it's astonishing that anyone is suddenly ready to crown him MVP based on six games—only a third of which were actually above average.

You can say what you want about how well he did on Monday night, but the MVP should be based on a player's total body of work, over the course of the season—not a couple of great games he's played against bad defenses.

Stats don't lie—as much as the shadow of a redemptive story might try and cloud their existence. Vick is no more special than the media has tried to sell him to be. The same media who, it seems necessary to say, wanted to decimate and eradicate his existence as a football player and a man.

Is Vick having a nice season? Absolutely, there is no denying that he has added another dimension to an already talented Eagles offense.

Has he flashed moments of pure brilliance? Yes, but no more than any other quarterback has this season.

Is he the best quarterback in the NFL? No, he isn't but he's still one of the more exciting ones to watch.

In Vick's case, it's not necessarily the praise that's the problem, it's the perspective—something not many seem to have these days.

Chad Ochocinco: Will People Ever Tire of His Act?

Chad Ochocinco is annoying.

Is it possible to say that without someone wanting to place me on a skewer, hang me over a blazing fire, and roast me until I reach maximum temperature?...Is it?

Showboats and attention-seekers are a turn-off. Some fans find a playful attitude towards the game of football to be charming or good entertainment—but it's not. Football can be entertaining minus the circus, minus the drama, and minus the arrogance that many of its players seem to exhibit today.

Back when the game was only about "wins" and "losses",  players often played with more purpose and a whole lot more discipline on the field. There was respect for the beauty of the game—the fundamentals—no one was trying to pull the attention to the name or the number stitched across the back of his jersey.

Individual recognition ran a distant second to winning championships and playing for Super Bowls.
Nowadays, a guy has one good year and decides to hold-out for more money. Or, better still, rookies who have never played a down look to be treated like veteran pro bowlers—expecting a big paycheck before they even bother to grace a pro field.

It's a "screw you, pay me" mentality and it ruins the game for the purists who just want to see good football played on Sunday.

Of course, the natural argument against this thinking is to say that there weren't as many opportunities for individual recognition back then because there was no free agency, no internet, no Twitter, and no ESPN—guys played with anonymity back then because they were...well...anonymous.

During that era, one could probably list on one hand, possibly two, the number of players they would recognize minus their helmet, and most of them were quarterbacks. There simply wasn't as much of an opportunity to take advantage of ones own popularity as there is now.  

Fair enough, but, even so, can you imagine former Washington Redskins great, Art Monk, wearing an Ochocinco jersey in the place of his No. 85?

Is it reasonable to argue that even the old school players would have liked a shot at the money that players of today make. After all, they weren't all just hoping to play for free—right. Of course, many of those guys will tell you they played for pennies back then and never could have dreamed of making as much money as even a veteran bench player does now—just ask Gale Sayers.

That said, can you think of a player today who would even bother to pick up a football if they didn't think it would net them a large paycheck in the future? Make no mistake, the mentality is different—no matter the era.

Is there anything wrong with a man making a living off his name? Of course not, Chad Ochocinco should feel free to do so for as long as he can.  If he wants to go "Dancing With The Stars", find "The Ultimate Catch", or run around naked in public places (well, assuming he was given the clearance), then that's his business.


That said, changing his jersey to Ochocinco, tweeting during a preseason football game, and blowing off a voluntary conditioning program to enhance his popularity—popularity he wouldn't have without the game of football—seems like too much.

All of it is out of line.

Now, before the Ochocinco fans point out his great play and consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, please understand that the issue isn't his contribution to the Cincinnati Bengals but rather his need to always be maximizing his "brand". It's all Chad...all the time. That's a problem.

He has every right to remain Chad Ochocinco. He has every right to build his brand. He has every right to maximize his bottom line—in any way that he can. But, sometimes, it would be nice to look on the back of that No. 85 jersey and just see the name "Johnson" again and feel confident that his reason for scoring a touchdown was to get his team to the next level and not his face on the camera.


In the end, no one will likely care what he does this season because they, again, think it's entertaining and not hurting anybody. If anything, he's probably adored even more by his fans for the stunts he pulls.

However, if his numbers falter, if he gets an injury, or if his team doesn't do as well as most are hoping...what will you think of him then?