MVN: Most Valuable Network

The Oakland Raiders have contacted Giants Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride regarding the teams' coaching opening.

Former Raider coach Tom Cable could not save his job by winning two games at the end of the season over an 8 win and a 9 win team respectively.  Four of the five Raider wins came over non-losing teams, which certainly did not go unnoticed by Al Davis.  My question is this: is the Raiders firing their head coach no longer news worthy?  Tom Cable's dismissal was basically unreported by the national media.

Gilbride has done a good job, and makes a lot of sense for the team that the Raiders want to be.

Bill Parcells will be staying with the Miami Dolphins, according to Wayne Huizenga.  Reports from ESPN's Chris Mortensen, among others, referred to a clause in Parcells' deal with the Dolphins that he could opt out of his contract and receive the full balance of pay if Huizenga were to sell the team.

Parcells, in my opinion, has no reason to leave the Dolphins so soon, even if he could opt out.  Parcells has a great deal. Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland handles most of the daily responsibilities of an NFL General Manager, so Parcells is free to reap the benefits of his save-job on the Dolphins without really having to put in all the work that most GMs have to.

As a multiple super bowl winning coach, it doesn't make much sense for Parcells to take the money and run.  That's pretty much what he's doing anyway, without the bad PR that would come with stiffing the 'Fins.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith has been named Coach of the Year.

He won the award by a single vote over Dolphins coach Tony Sparano.  While Smith did a phenomenal job this season with the Falcons, the media's propensity to deny perceived "quitter" Bobby Petrino any credit for what the Falcons have built causes Smith to receive credit that he is debateably undeserving of.  Without doubt, Smith is a better NFL coach than Petrino.  But I think the real coach of the year was Jeff Fisher, and the job he did with the Titans this year, benching his "franchise quarterback" for Kerry Collins.  Of the rookie coaches, I think John Harbaugh did the best job.

Profootballtalk.com reports that Chargers DT Jamal Williams guaranteed that the Chargers would end the overtime game with the Colts swiftly.  Williams declared "game over" when the Chargers won the coin toss.  This, obviously, is reminiscent of the Matt Hasselbeck Wild Card Game in Green Bay where, upon winning the coin toss, Hasselbeck declared that "We want the ball, and we're going to score."  The Packers beat the Seahawks on an overtime interception return for touchdown, thrown by Hasselbeck.

The ability to say things in the heat of the moment may make sports great, but considering that Williams has no control over what the offense accomplishes, he probably would have been better off keeping his thoughts to himself.

Jeffery Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, says he has every intent at keeping Donovan McNabb at Quarterback for the 2009 season.  His statements were made prior to the Eagles victory over the Vikings.

Lurie has done a great job, and doesn't receive enough credit for keeping his franchise atop the NFC as long as he has owned the team.  Since Kevin Kolb has yet to show the tools that caused the Eagles to draft him with the first pick in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, the Eagles would be foolish to let McNabb walk.

McNabb has his flaws, but he's the best option the Eagles have in the present and the near future.