Black Monday

Darrent Williams, a 2nd-year cornerback for the Denver Broncos, was shot and killed while sitting in a limousine that was parked on a main street (Speer Boulevard) in downtown Denver last night.

The day after the conclusion of the NFL's regular season is called "Black Monday" because it's usually the day NFL head coaches end up in the unemployment line. The news of Williams' death gives the term "Black Monday" a whole new meaning.

A subplot of the NFL season has been the rate in which NFL players ran afoul of the law. From Chris Henry's multiple arrests, Sean Taylor's gun waving and Tank Johnson's weapons charges, one problem facing the NFL this off-season was how to deal with players who force the NFL's public relations department to work overtime.

Williams wasn't one of those players.

By all accounts, Williams was a polite, thoughtful, well-spoken young man who had grown up considerably from the time he entered Oklahoma State to the time that the Denver Broncos chose him in the 2nd round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Williams earned the starting job opposite Champ Bailey, was selfless enough to play special teams (he was the Broncos punt returner) and was well on his way to a successful NFL career.

Williams life has been cut short by the type of senseless, and apparently random, violence that plagues every inner city in the United States. The "wrong place, wrong time" phrase has been bandied about this morning, but looking at what little information is known at this time, I don't see anything "wrong" about the situation Williams was in.

Last night, tens of thousands of 24-year old men (and women) were out celebrating the New Year. How many of them procured a limousine to make sure they were not behind the wheel of an automobile after a night of partying?

Williams did. Perhaps it was the gutless cowards that sprayed the limousine with a dozen bullets that were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not Darrent Williams.

Cardinals Fire Dennis Green

In a move that surprises no one, the first NFL head coach to be fired on "Black Monday" is Dennis Green, who was fired by the Arizona Cardinals earlier today.

In 3 seasons in the desert, Green's Cardinals were a combined 16-32. They entered 2006 as a trendy "sleeper" pick in the NFC West, but went 5-11 and finished last in that division. Ironically, 4 of the Cardinals 5 wins came against NFC West opponents.