COMMENTARY: WHO’S GONNA FILL THEIR SHOES
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Here again, I’ve got a country tune ringing in my ears.
It must come from working all those decades in country radio stations.
This time it’s the George Jones ditty, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”
It’s replaying over and over after Wednesday’s news that football icons Pete Carroll and Nick Saban are stepping down after years on the sidelines, and it may not be long before we hear the same thing with Bill Belichick in New England.
Football’s a small world and while I don’t know these legendary coaches, I know plenty of guys who’ve played for, or been recruited by them.
To be honest, they have nothing but good things to say about these guys. Like Jon Ryan, who won a Super Bowl with Carroll in Seattle. Jonny said Pete was as cool as any player, and maybe that’s part of the reason why they won so much.
But everything has a shelf life, they say.
People who know Saban say he has “a presence” which says a lot about his persona, since he’s only 5’6”. But he’s retiring from Alabama after seven national titles in College Football and I’m guessing I’ll bump into him in South Florida, where he still owns a home after a failed stint as coach of the Dolphins almost 20 years ago.
And then there’s Belichick who, like Carroll we’re told, wants to be back on the sidelines in 2024 but may not get that chance. The owner in Seattle figured it was time to separate from Carroll and this week Patriots owner Robert Kraft is reportedly deliberating on what “Life After Belichick” could be.
Maybe Kraft’s humming the same tune …
Who’s gonna fill their shoes.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 5pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
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