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Monday, November 20, 2006
Elder Mora fears son’s job tied to erratic Vick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Flowery Branch — If you go by the usual indicators such as wins, losses and championships, Jim Mora is in trouble as an NFL head coach.
So says the older Jim Mora.
To hear him tell it, the future of his son and the Falcons’ whole staff is mostly attached to the frequently erratic left arm of Michael Vick. Never mind that the smallish offensive line continues to implode. Or that the receivers haven’t a clue. Or that the defense remains brutal. Or that they’ve had a slew of injuries. Or that the play calling in this version of the West Coast offense is closer to stuff from Geri Walsh than Bill Walsh — you know, Geri’s husband.
The younger Mora is in trouble because No. 7 is just a gifted runner who happens to play quarterback. So says the older Mora in comments posted on SI.com. Courtesy of his penchant for brutal honesty, the older Mora agreed with the co-host of his radio show on Fox Sports Radio that Vick is a “coach killer.” Said the older Mora, responding to partner Craig Shemon, “I think you’re correct. And it worries me a little bit because my son is the head coach down there, ya know? But he’s a great athlete, my son likes him a lot, he’s a good kid. But he’s not a passer. And you need a passer at quarterback to be successful consistently in the National Football League. And he ain’t getting it done in that category. I agree with you.”
Here’s the bigger question: Does the only person who counts with the Falcons agree with the older Mora? Nope. Team owner Arthur Blank is a staunch Vick backer (as in a $140 million investment in the guy). Not only that, he suggested Monday that, despite the Falcons’ ugliest of three-game slides (did they really lose back-to-back to Detroit and Cleveland?) to 5-5, the younger Mora isn’t going anywhere soon.
Remember, too, that the Falcons are threatening to become turkeys before Thanksgiving for the second consecutive year after another flying start under the younger Mora. “But the coaches are still coaching hard, and the players are still playing hard,” Blank said.
This was after Blank spoke about his idea of misguided remarks from the older Mora regarding the plight of his son in relation to a flawed quarterback who nevertheless has reached three Pro Bowls.
“If Jim’s dad was sitting here, I would say this too, and I haven’t talked to him, but he has to understand that when you’re in the NFL, it’s not like in a private business,” Blank said. “It’s a very public world, and when he says something like that, particularly since his son is the head coach of an NFL team, it’s going to be taken in a very different way than if he was talking about somebody else.
“I think that, given his role in the media and given his expertise as a former head coach in the NFL, in my opinion, he needs to be very sensitive about things like that. It’s something else when you say it over a turkey dinner to your son that I feel this, this and this about your team. And it’s something else when you say it publicly.”
In case you’re wondering, Blank discussed his feelings about the older Mora’s comments with “Jimmy,” but whether father and son will caucus on the matter is unknown. The younger Mora spent his news conference Monday dissecting the Falcons’ final six games after their dismal Sunday in Baltimore. Afterward, when pulled aside, the younger Mora forced a chuckle before saying of his father’s comments: “Somebody told me about them, but I never talked to him about them. I really don’t know anything about this. I never asked him about it.” Then the younger Mora added, “I really haven’t talked to [the older Mora] lately. He’s media now.”
The younger Mora forced another chuckle. Maybe to hide that he was biting his tongue.
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