Relax. I'm obviously kidding. I just figured it's only a matter of time before we see that headline, so Iet's get it out of the way early.

I do really like the hiring of Joe Philbin. Although to be perfectly honest, I would have been fine with Bowles or McCoy too. All three are unproven commodities as far as head coaching goes, and I don't know enough about scouting coaches to have a preference of one over the other. Having said that, some things struck me during the press conference:

I never really paid attention to how god-awful of a public speaker Steven Ross is. I mean, Jesus, he is tough to listen to. It's not a criticism, per se. Public speaking is a phobia, and a liability, that millions of people share, and it has nothing to do with intelligence. I just never really paid attention to it before now...

I loved, loved, LOVED hearing Ross admit that he is still learning that football is different than his other businesses. Really, it was a subtle admission that he has made some missteps, and that he is learning how to be a successful NFL owner. This is huge. For the last few years, I haven't been sure about Ross. Is he a new owner, learning as he goes and willing to adapt? Or is he a stubborn, arrogant SOB who is going to insist on doing things HIS way, whether they have proven to be effective or not? And the minute he acknowledged that he is still learning, I knew I had my answer. I can live with mistakes, as long as lessons are learned from them. The man is still relatively new to this, and I am comforted to know that he has the humility to accept his mistakes and more importantly, to learn from them...

Is it just me, or does Joe Philbin have a lot of Tom Coughlin in him? I could be wrong, because I am forming that opinion from a ten minute presser, but there were some definitive similarities. Like Coughlin, he presented as strong, intelligent (Without being condescending), humble, and purposeful. He came off as having a respectful, compassionate side that players play hard for, and an authoritative voice that players need. That's a tough thing to pull off, I certainly hope he can sustain it. Of course, I have a huge man-crush on Tom Coughlin, as I have expressed here before. So the idea that our new head coach reminded me of him is very, VERY encouraging to me...

I have heard some complaints around here that the coach we hired is not a "young up-and-comer". And I just can't figure out what is wrong that. Eric Mangini was a young, well thought of coach. As was Josh Mcdaniel. How did those work out? You can't simply look for one specific type of coach to garauntee a successful hire. For every coordinator that succeeded, there is at least one that didn't. For every young gun that hit the ground running (Payton), there is (at least) one that crashed and burned into a schoolhouse full of children as soon as they reached cruising altitude (Cameron). So to say this is a bad hire because the guy is too old is kinda nonsense. Sorry. (And generally speaking, if 50 is old, in your opinion, well then....go to hell!!!)

I also don't know enough about scouting QB's to say with any conviction whether or not Flynn is a star. However, you can't speak out against Flynn because "he has only started two games", and then tell me RG3 is a sure thing. Flynn's two NFL games are two more than RG3 has started. So how can you say Flynn is unproven, while RG3 is a sure thing? And the two defenses Flynn started against, while bottom half of the NFL defenses, are still infinitely better than any defense the Baylor QB has ever dreamed of seeing so far. I'm not advocating Flynn over RG3 mind you, I just find fault in the logic....

I suspect this is unrealistic, but I would love to see Philbin hit it off with Daboll and retain him as OC. I think Daboll did a really nice job this year, and doesn't deserve the ax. He showed the ability to adapt a game plan to his players strengths, and injected some energy into what had been a lethargic offense for the better part of the last fifteen years. Again, I don't think he has a prayer of staying on, but at least he had a good enough year to enable him to grab a good job somewhere else...

I feel the exact same way about Matt Moore, by the way. I don't necessarily want to see him start next year, but I do think he played well enough to earn the starting job next year, if the circumstances were different...

I know we need a right tackle. In my head, I know it. However, I just can't get excited about going with this kid Reiff with our top ten pick. I made the following analogy in a comment on another post recently, and I will repeat it here: Over the holidays, me and my extended family rented a house in the Pocono mountains. One night, one of my cousins was heading over to one of the casinos that had recently opened in the area, and invited my wife and I along. I love to gamble. My wife really loves to gamble (As evidenced by her choice in spouses). However, we haven't been to a casino in years, since our kids were born. Watching every penny, you know how it is. So we didn't go, because it was the sensible thing to do. I regret that decision now, because sometimes you have to be a little foolish, and a little impulsive. Sometimes the thrill is worth the cost. I know we need a right tackle, but we have spent so many years making the safe, sensible choice in round one, and it has gotten us nowhere. I want the gamble. I want the excitement. So if the price is too high for RG3, then lets move up a couple spots and try for a guy like Blackmon. Just for fun. Sometimes you have to get the adrenaline going just to remind yourself that you are alive. Also, and I am not ashamed to admit this, the idea of Marshall and Blackmon on the field at the same time is a bit...ummm...arousing. (There, I said it.)

This a fresh start. A new beginning, but this time, with a team that doesn't need a complete rebuilding. We aren't starting with nothing, the way we were in 2008. The cogs are in a place. They just need a tweak here, and a nudge there. Add in some strong leadership, and a real offensive identity, and I really feel we are going to force the league to take notice. We are about to experience what looks to be the most fascinating free agency period in recent history. Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn alone is interesting. Now add in the myriad of big-time free agents that are about to hit the market, and you have yourself must-see-TV. So let's settle in for the next few months, and strap in for an off-season that will dictate the course of this franchise for the next five years, at least....

Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to head over to "BlondeonBlonde.com" so I can assign my arousal to something other than two well built, black NFL players....