NFL owners and management are proof that you don’t have to be smart to make money. Let’s be truthful; first and foremost the NFL is a major corporation with a guarantee of profit. The game is secondary to earnings for the owners. Their decisions often replace logic and intelligence as they strive to play in February. Coaches who promise the world but have no success in the NFL are often heralded by owners and the result is spending another February watching the world’s biggest sporting event on television.

The greatest proof of this lies in the lack of ability of two men, although I could list at least a dozen more. They are Rex Ryan and Jim Tomsula.

Tomsula is appreciated by his players, at least most of them. They did not appreciate the winning ways of Jim Harbaugh. Look how well that’s working. Management allowed many of the players who helped them reach two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl to seek employment elsewhere. They settled for a coach with no proven ability to lead a team down to the cellar in the NFC West, which is where the 49ers will remain. They have three wins and six losses, and are being mauled by Seattle today.

Tomsula failed to adapt his philosophies to the talents of Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback who together with Jim Harbaugh led San Francisco to great success in four years, will undergo shoulder surgery on Thanksgiving Day, and is unlikely to play again for the 49ers.

What can I say about Rex Ryan? He is the Donald Trump of professional football; he talks a lot, but has no ability as a head coach. He was fired by the New York Jets, and hired by the Buffalo Bills. He guaranteed a playoff berth for his new team. His record today is five wins and four losses, four games behind the New England Patriots in the division. I wonder if Bills’ owner Terrence Pegula thinks Ryan was money well spent, or if he threw away millions of dollars once again.

The idiocy of management is not solely wasted on coaching. Three quarterbacks with limited success were given huge multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts to insure that they would be the future of their teams.

Joe Flacco was handed a Super Bowl win by inept officials in 2012. Baltimore Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti gave him a 10 year, 100 million dollar contract. The Ravens’ record this year is four wins and eight losses at the end of today. Flacco was injured and will miss the remainder of the season.

Sam Bradford was traded by the St. Louis Rams to Philadelphia. The Eagles’ record this year is four wins and six losses. His salary for 2015 is nearly $13 million. He is once again on injured reserve.

Matt Stafford of the Detroit Lions is guaranteed to make between eight and nine million dollars in 2015. The Lions’ record is three wins and seven losses. The leader in the NFC North is the Minnesota Vikings at seven wins and two losses, depending on the outcome of their game with the Green Bay Packers today; Detroit is in fourth place.

Very few teams actually have an opportunity to reach Super Bowl 50. The coaches are the key, and a quarterback who is consistent and fits the team’s style of play cement the possibility. Only a handful of teams have this combination.

Although they are guilty of multiple infractions, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the favorites to win in February. Others teams with an opportunity to win in Santa Clara are Carolina, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and the New York Giants.

What do all these teams have in common? Consistency and dedication to their coach, players, and the future

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Photo Courtesy of C_osett

Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/By-James-turnage/e/B00LOCJ2Z2