GO FOR IT: Nothing sucks the oxygen out of an NFL game faster than a terrified coach with nothing to lose clamming up on fourth-and-short, settling for a field goal or a punt when his team should just go for it. Football Outsides released its aggressive index for teams during 2014. Mike Smith was the worst of the bunch, going for it on fourth-and-1 just once out of 11 opportunities, and it cost him. Jeff Fisher had 14 such opportunities and went for it twice. Even Riverboat Ron was back on the conservative side of things again last year.
Rise ‘n Grind: The most boring coaches in the NFL
Some of the worst teams took the fewest chances in 2014. WHY?
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DAMMIT CHIP: All those Eagles roster moves aren’t making it easy to sell jerseys in Philly. Chip Kelly is going to have to win the Super Bowl to placate all the merchandisers in town.
TIP JAR: Stop giving DeMarcus Ware crap on Twitter. He did leave a tip for his server, a Washington fan, but had a little fun with it.
HOT QB TRADE RUMOR: Get ready for some Mike Glennon trade talk! The Bucs are obviously going to draft Jameis Winston, which makes Glennon, a holdover from the previous regime, expendable. The latest talk is that they won’t deal him, but that will change.
FIVE YEARS: It’s been half a decade since the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb to Washington. Remember how much people HATED this trade for the Eagles at the time?
KEEP ON TRUCKING: Former Bengals tight end Tony McGee found lasting success with his post-NFL career choice. His business isn’t the kind of thing that’s easy to jump right into, but he did it.
OVER THE HILL: Every year people scratch their heads when the Patriots let some of their older starters walk, even with plenty of tread left on the tires. Every year it doesn’t end up mattering all that much on the field as the Patriots go on to another winning season.
NUMBER ONE: Who is the best first overall draft pick in NFL history? Some say it’s Terry Bradshaw. It’s either him or three other quarterbacks.
BEST UPSET: Wisconsin clipped Kentucky’s undefeated season on Saturday in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. It reminded Giants fans of another undefeated team suffering its first loss of the season at the worst possible time. So what was the bigger upset, UK’s 38-1 or the Patriots 18-1?
PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TALK: The Onside Kick Family Hour, SB Nation’s NFL podcast, tackled the issue the best receivers in the draft and lots more with retired NFL defensive end Stephen White and SB Nation contributor Danny Kelly. And if you want hot takes, PFT Commenter joined the fun too.
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