End is a start for Raiders
QB coach DeFilippo excited about Russell
With 10 of 12 playoff berths solidified on the final day of the regular season, there will be an eye on the future in many stadiums today. That is especially true in Oakland, where quarterback JaMarcus Russell is scheduled to make his first career start.
The Raiders' future hinges on the success of Russell, the No. 1 overall draft choice with the six-year, $61 million contract, and with that, the spotlight shines a bit brighter on Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.
If the last name sounds familiar, it should. DeFilippo is the son of Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo, and he's been entrusted with managing the Raiders' richest asset, a player whose contract bonus money ($29 million) matches the age (29) of the person coaching him.
"In terms of working with a guy like JaMarcus, sure there is some pressure," DeFilippo said. "People are looking at you, and the No. 1 draft pick with the big contract, so there's no doubt about that. But at the same time, I know I'm ready to do this job."
The Raiders want to see if Russell is ready. The former Louisiana State star spent most of the season behind veterans Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper, and has been slowly worked into the mix the last three games.
Coming off the bench last week and playing three quarters in a 49-11 loss to the Jaguars, he was 7 of 23 for 83 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions. Not the type of outing that would instill confidence, but the coach known as "Flip" at team headquarters feels it is simply part of the growing process for any young quarterback.
"His decision-making, timing, and accuracy are a work in progress - those are the three things we focus on with him - and that's my job," said DeFilippo, who likes Russell's poise, intelligence, and leadership. "At this point of his career, he hasn't played a lot of football in the NFL. It's going to take time. But he's getting there."
The past offseason was essentially a lost one for Russell, who was embroiled in a contract holdout that stunted his progress, so a strong performance today would be a welcome springboard into his second season. DeFilippo believes it's only a matter of time before Russell rises, pointing out that he's been a regular at the Raiders' practice facility on days off, so the work ethic isn't in question.
"It's easy to work with guys like JaMarcus, who want to be good, who want to be coached," said DeFilippo. "I think the real great quarterbacks beg for coaching. How are my feet on this play? Am I making the right progressions? Am I throwing to the right spot? The great ones know they don't have all the answers, and he can be one of those guys."
When DeFilippo interviewed for the job on first-year coach Lane Kiffin's staff, the chance to work with a talent like Russell made the opportunity especially enticing. But truth be told, DeFilippo probably would have jumped at it anyway, as coaching in the NFL has been his ambition since he was 10.
His father's influence was a big part of it.
"Growing up in this profession, when your dad is in it and spent all that time away from home, you usually love it or you hate it," he said. "I was one of those kids who always loved it and couldn't get enough of it."
As his father's career progressed from coaching to administration, the family bounced from Youngstown, Ohio, to Nashville, to Spartansburg, S.C., to Lexington, Ky., and to Philadelphia, before the current stop in Boston in 1997.
DeFilippo fondly recalls serving as a ballboy for University of Kentucky football and basketball practices, being around press conferences, and soaking in all that athletics had to offer.
He played quarterback on scholarship at James Madison University and earned his first job before graduation, as quarterbacks coach at Fordham in 2000. He was paid $250 every other week, lived on campus, had his meals paid for, and at that point joked that he still felt like Donald Trump.
While serving an internship at Indianapolis Colts training camp the next summer, DeFilippo asked Notre Dame coach Bob Davie if he could spare 15 minutes. When Davie said yes, DeFilippo drove eight hours round-trip for the chance to make some kind of positive impression. Davie liked the determination and offered DeFilippo a graduate assistant's position on his staff.
DeFilippo was at Notre Dame for two seasons - one under Davie, one under Tyrone Willingham - before moving on to Columbia in 2003 as quarterbacks coach. He made the jump to the NFL in 2005, as an offensive quality control coach with the Giants under Tom Coughlin.
The ride has been dizzying at times for the energetic DeFilippo, but he's enjoyed every minute.
"That's how fast things can happen, and unfortunately that's how fast things can fall, too," he said. "So you have to enjoy each day where you're at, work as hard as you can, be good to people, and that way you can hopefully stay up at this level as long as you can."
For DeFilippo and the 4-11 Raiders, the future is directly linked to Russell's progress. So while today's game has no playoff implications, it carries importance to the franchise and its up-and-coming quarterbacks coach, whose star pupil makes his first career start.
"He has all the talent in the world and I really believe this is a great situation out here in Oakland," DeFilippo said. "We haven't had as successful of a season as we would like, but I think the foundation has been laid.
"We're going to get things going here in Oakland, there is no doubt about it."
Under new management
Seven teams hired new coaches entering 2007, and there are sure to be a few changes this offseason. One view of the potential moves:1. DEFINITE CHANGE: Falcons
Owner Arthur Blank is looking for a head coach and a general manager. The GM comes first, and Blank admires the Patriots, so it wouldn't be surprising if he seeks permission to speak with New England vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli. Would Pioli go? Probably not, but it never hurts to listen.
2. ALMOST CERTAIN TO CHANGE: Dolphins
If new executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells retains Cam Cameron, it would be a major upset. Ditto for GM Randy Mueller. Pioli's name is a natural to surface here, since he is Parcells's son-in-law. But while Pioli's scouting acumen has been well-documented, seldom discussed is his strong loyalty to Bill Belichick. It would be a stunner if he left for a job in the same division.
3. 50-50 TO CHANGE: Rams.
Two seasons into the Scott Linehan regime, the Rams are 11-20 entering today's finale at Arizona. One line of thinking is that Linehan deserves a pass for this year's 3-12 campaign because of injuries, but 80-year-old owner Georgia Frontiere's opinion is the only one that counts. Earlier this month, a team spokesman said Linehan would be back.
4. ALSO ON THE RADAR
Bengals: Marvin Lewis is said to be safe for a sixth season, but expect to see some changes on his defensive staff and possibly additional help in scouting.
Eagles: It's been the most tumultuous year in Andy Reid's nine-year tenure, mainly because of family issues, but all indications are he will return.
49ers: Mike Nolan should be back for a fourth season, but at 5-10, it's been a disappointing year.
Jaguars: Jack Del Rio deserves Coach of the Year consideration; the question is whether he wants a larger stage.
Panthers: They struggled for the second straight season, but the thinking around the league is that John Fox should return for a seventh season because he's been without his starting quarterback, Jake Delhomme.
Ravens: Brian Billick apparently gets a pass for this year's 4-11 disaster, but for a coach noted as an offensive mastermind, the offense has been generally poor in his nine seasons.
Seahawks: They have been preparing for the day Mike Holmgren decides he's had enough, and if this is the year, the feeling is that assistant Jim Mora would be the successor.
Draft has become top-heavy with economic inequities
Patriots owner Robert Kraft previously made the point that the best value in the NFL draft is in the late first round, mainly because that's where the bonus money is most reasonable. It was a point reiterated by Bill Parcells last week when he was officially introduced as the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations.Because of the skyrocketing salaries paid to rookies at the top of the draft - as an example, Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell signed a six-year, $61 million deal with $29 million in bonuses/guarantees as the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 - Parcells was asked about his feelings on Miami holding on to the No. 1 pick.
"This pick has developed into a very, very economic-consequential decision," Parcells said. "If you make a pick at that spot and you're wrong, it's a real bad thing for quite a while, and it's economically a very bad thing for quite a while. Getting someone to be interested in that No. 1 pick is not as simple as just saying, 'OK, we're going to trade the pick.' "
To sum it up, the system is out of whack, to the point that holding the No. 1 pick - or even picks 1-5 - is now looked at by more teams as a curse rather than a blessing.
Consider that the Patriots' marquee free agent signing last year, linebacker Adalius Thomas, signed a five-year, $35 million deal with $20 million in bonuses/guarantees. So Russell, a rookie, is easily outearning longer-tenured players who have much more accomplished résumés.
Curiously, there has been little public outcry from veterans on the issue.
Food note to story
Bill Parcells showed a bit of charm and humility in his introductory press conference in Miami. When a reporter brought up Parcells's past words about the difference between shopping for the groceries (picking the players) and cooking the meal (coaching the players), Parcells bowed his head before smiling. "I know that saying," Parcells said quietly. "I wish I had never said that." New England fans certainly remember it, as it was one of the first signs that Parcells's coaching tenure in New England was ending, with more personnel power shifted to Bobby Grier. Turns out Parcells and Grier long ago patched up any strained feelings, to the point that Parcells had talked with Grier about joining the Cowboys' front office in 2003 (Grier decided to stay with the Texans, for whom he still works). And it was notable last week that Parcells made it a point to mention Grier's son, Chris, who is the Dolphins' director of college scouting and figures to have a good chance to survive the expected purge in Miami. Moral of the story: The fight over the shopping list has long been forgotten.Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
