While I Certainly Tip My Hat To Green By for It's Football Team...Here's Why It Is Not Title Town At This Time.....
The Green Bay Packers are at BEST an average football team in the post Favre world....With Favre in his MVP prime they managed a single Super Bowl win.....from 1967 to today the Pack have won one Superbowl....Yes you have won 12 "championships" but the first three 1929, 30 and 31 were awarded based upon regular season end of season standings....The NFL did not start playing playoffs until 1936 and yes from that point until the idea of a "Super Bowl" was started for the 1966 season the Packers were clearly a top team in the 1930's and a Power House in the early to mid 1960's.....ok....so let's ask the really pressing question....WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY....after Lombardi left, the Packers went into a three decade swoon....from 1967 to 1995 the Packers had two seasons where they posted 10 or more wins (1972 and 1989), in that span the team had 15 losing seasons! When Holmgren and Favre arrived the team became a contender but still managed only to win the big game once and then they really sort of choked in the second appearance in a stunner of a loss to Denver....
I point this out because some giant of a mind has informed me in response to an earlier posting that Green Bay is "Title Town" until someone takes that away....in 41 years YOU HAVE ONE TITLE in a one sport town....that takes away any ability to claim Title Town....using your logic the following Cities have a much stronger claim to the moniker....here goes my list for cities with a substantially stronger claim to title town than you Cheeseheads....
1. Boston-15 Titles since 1967 ....(Celtics 8, Bruins 2, Red Sox 2, Patriots 3) and since the start of the century no city has been close.....
2. New York 11 Titles since '67...Yankees 6 WS wins since '67, the Giants 3 Superbowls, the Jets 1 Superbowl, and the Rangers 1 Stanley Cup win
3.. Los Angeles- 11 Titles with 9 NBA Titles for the Lakers and 2 World Series Wins for the half watched Dodgers LA. I do not count the Angels win because they did not identify themselves as the LA Angels.....
6. Chicago 8 titles (Bulls 6, White Sox 1, Bears 1)
Honorable mentions include San Francisco, Dallas, Denver, San Antonio (a one horse town) Baltimore, Philadelphia, Toronto, Minnie, St. Louis, Montreal, Miami, Oakland, all of whom have won the golden ring MORE than you blockheads in Green Bay....
Of course were we to do what you have done...count the records since the dawn of time...then the Yankees, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Celtics and Lakers alone would smoke you guys by HUGE margins....
So my dear little cheddar heads....Green Bay is not and cannot claim title to anything beyond being a really cold and very average footbal town....I would urge you to resubmit your application in a few years...in order to make the top 6 the Pack will have to win 7 more tiles and with 1 in 40 years that should happen sometime in the year 2288...give or take a few decades....Green Bay Title Town ....that's a hoot...but thanks for playing and try again in about 280 years......
Here's our question for the day: Will Green Bay win more than 6 games in '08? I say yes, they win 7....I mean it's very hard in that division not to win 7....Detroit, Minnie and Chicago are all horrible so they should come out of that with a minimum of 4 wins....they also get Atlanta, Carolina, Seattle, Houston and Tampa Bay....You will know what kind of season you'll have right out of the box in Green Bay....Minnie at home and the on to Detroit....if the Pack loses both then they tumble into the abyss...if they split...then they have a shot at 7-9 or 8-8 which might give them 1st place in this crappiest of all NFL Divisions.....This squad gets croaked by Dallas, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Indy and New Orleans....Who will lead this team that you could count on to do anything significant...Aaron Rodgers? Listen closely....Senor Rodgers has thrown for a total of 111 yards over his three years in the league....clearly not his fault given that he was playing behiind the great one....but...that does not mean that he should be given any credit as a proven replacement because he has not established that he can play in this league.....Additionally, who in the name of all that is cheesey are the back ups? Add to that the fact that Rodgers entire body of post high school work has consisted of playing in 25 college games and you have what? In his life after high school this guy has played in 30 games....if you're counting on much here you may end up with a bad taste in your mouth when he's staring down the throat of that Jacksonville Defense or when Dallas comes to town.....he may well turn out to be a great player like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or, but history tells us that he'll more likley be another David Carr or Byron Leftwich...plus the guy needs a haircut...Green Bay is in for a long cold winter...unless BF comes out of retirement....
Get past the QB mess and this team clearly has talent with little depth....If Ryan Grant stays healthy and can repeat his '07 performance they will still need a lot more help for the long haired freaky dude calling signals....he could have T.O., Marvin Harrison and Chad Johnson and this team might still stink if Rodgers plays as soft as I suspect he will....
Early season favs include the obvious picks....Indy, NE, Dallas, Jacksonville and then it's a bunch of unknowns....will Tennessee continue to improve....has the Jets spending spree landed them a team (still need the QB me thinks)....bet on this Atlanta will slowly start to improve, Baltimore will be horrible, along with AZ, San Fran, Cleveland and I would not bet the farm that Oakland, Miami, Tampa Bay or the Niners have figured anyting out.....
Divisionally the NFC East and AFC South are the two to beat, Pats should clinch a playoff berth by about the middle of September and Indy and Jacksonville should be the best divisional games this year....I think Dallas is right there talent wise, I am no fan of Tony Romo because despite all of the hype that has surrounded this guy he has shown a disturbing trend as not being clutch in playoff games....I have a lot of doubt that he is the answer....but the NFC should fold up nicely foor Dallas to breeze....in the AFC it once again comes down to New England, Indy and Jacksonville....this year I think it's a jump ball in light of all of the secondary turnover the Patriots have had.....
Since 2001 NO city, I mean NO city has Come Close To this City's Teams.....
THERE CAN BE NO LEGITIMATE DEBATE ABOUT IT....BOSTON IS TITLETOWN.....
Let's give Detroit it's due...the Red Wings and Pistons are awesome teams....but let's be clear....Detroit has NO claim to being title town....Hockey Town ----probably but that's it....the Tigers suck, the Lions are worse and the Pistons won only one as that team is presently configured....
How about New York....the Giants deservedly won their Superbowl but beyond that let's see....the Yankees are a good team with an aging but still powerful lineup and NO pitching staff. The Spanks have not recovered from the single most humiliating defeat in organized professional sports history....you may remember that 2004 ALCS....I know all of you suddenly quiet Yankee fans remember it don't you?...how about those Knickerbockers.....they may well be the worst franchise in organized team sports given their money and the absolutely horrible teams they have paraded onto the Garden floor...oh wait...how can the Knicks be the worst franchise ever when they play in the same market as those Mets....the second highest payroll in baseball and they lay all of the blame for their '07 colllapse on a manager and not the dipstiick who overpayed Pedro, Santana, Glavine (we know he's gone but he took a lot of $ while he was there and didn't do ####), Beltran, Delgado and that ace Wagner....wanna fire someone who IS to blame....schedule a 3:00 a.m. meeting with Omar while you still have a fan or two left....and then there are the Rangers and who really cares...
How about L.A.? Well the Lakers had a nice run until they played a complete team and they promptly crapped out....I remember just two short weeks ago a lively interview with Kobe and Stephen A. Smith where Steven A. pressed Kobe as to why it wasn't fair to compare Kobe to MJ and at the time I wrote it off as a good reporter just asking the questions because many many people had started to believe that Bryant deserved such a lofty comparison....and maybe Kobe will still someday be able to be compared to Michael...just not at this time....Kobe was so outplayed by the Celtics trio of Pierce, Allen and Posey that he was barely the best offensive player on his own team....he was clearly out played, out hustled and outschemed by tthe Boston Celtics to the point where his legacy has been tarnished to a great degree..Michael Jordan would have carried his team to a win over Boston this year, there is NO question about that...but back to my point...LA is never really eligible to be Title Town without a real baseball team and without an NFL franchise....Christ even Charlotte and Jacksonville have teams.... what? you say that the Dodgers are a real baseball team because they signed Joe Torre? To that I say, grow up...as good a manager as there is in the game does not make the Dodgers are real team. Fans don't care, teams NEVER win (Kirk Gibson ain't coming through that door kids) and did I mention that people in LA have NO passion for sports....How many titles have the Dodgers won? Nah, LA is not close to a candidate for Title Town USA....and what did Shaq say...."Kobecouldn't do it without me...." Love it, LA blows.
How about Chicago....although the Blackhawks such #### and the Bulls are a disgrace, and the Bears are moving backwards again. They do have the White Sox who have won a World Series and the Bulls of Michael and Scottie were all world....but what have done for me lately....you KNOW the Cubs will screw up somehow and someway and while Ozzie will probably get the Southsiders a legitimate playoff shot...even if they win they really don't matter...even in Chicago...what's that old line...."there's nothing lonlier that being a southsider in a city of northsiders"....so The ChiSox are not given any credit here until their own city backs em just a bit....so Nyet to Chicago...and Philly, Saint Louis, Dallas, San Antonio (one team sports towns just don't count), Saint Louis, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Miami, Cleveland, Cincy, Oakland, KC, New Orleans, Houston or Seattle....nope not one of these cities can say that they have won world champioships in Football (3) Baseballl (2) and Basketball (1) since 2001....only one place on the planet can say that and that's Boston.
Oliver Wendall Holmes once called Boston the "Hub of The Universe" because the city is the eductaional center of the Country with no fewer than 100 colleges in the city and its thriving suburbs....and those colleges include Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Northeastern, Emerson and Boston College to name just a few. Add to that an extremely low crime rate, a bevy of world class hospitals, four gorgeous seasons and the birthplace of our democracy and you have a city that is truly the best place to live on the East Coast.
It is almost unfair that the Red Sox are by far the best team in baseballl over the last 5 years, that the Patriots are still the best team in football and that the Celtics have now resumed theiir rightful place atop the NBA and won their 17TH title....a feat that no other team has ever topped....to put that in perspective.....that is 17 more titles than Cleveland, Denver, Charlotte, New Orleans, Dallas, Utah, LA Clippers and New Jersey Nets have combined to win....
Then there are the Red Sox....again in first place, again with the best rotation in the game, again with out any hole in their entire lineup, great manager, great closer, sold out EVERY game for decades.... wealthy and committed owners and a fan base that dwarfs the Yankees...if you doubt that for one minute try to buy a single game ticket for next season from the Red Sox ticket office....it will take an act of Congress and a great bit of luck. Then go to Baltimore (AKA Boston South) and see how the BoSox fans outnumber O's fans ...they have utterly destroyed the Yankees who simply will never recover from the beat down they took in '04....manager's gone, owner's feeble and his nit wit replacement is managing the team, they hired a manager who is so obnoxious that he got himself fired in the same year as he was named Manager of the Year in the NL and then there's the GM who must bear reposnibility for Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, ElDugue, Alphonso Soriano, Roger Clemons third comeback tour and the whole notion that Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were legitimate major leaguers....what you ask have the Red Sox done with young talent???? Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, John Lester, Jacoby Elsbury, Jed Lowrie, Clay Buckholtz, Justin Masterson, Manny DelCarmen, Craig Hansen are ALL playing and the team won last year's Fall Classic by destroying the Rockies....are you kidding me? It is amost unfair....the Red Sox are still in firts place and Curt Schilling is out, David Ortiz is out, Daisuke Matsuzaka is out...Manny is out...Coco is out....the Cubbies lose Zambrano and they WILL collapse....This is the most talented team of young players to play in 25 years....
I will not offer any excuses for the Patriots....they lost and they deserved to lose to a team that is now a long shot to return to the playoffs. The Pats are again favored to return to the Superbowl and only a fool like Tom Jackson would seriously question that...they have quietly reloaded a secondary that was not very good last year and they picked up three solid linebackers in the off season...anybody wanna wager with me? I say they win 12-14 games and retuirn to the ALCS where they will beat Indy, or Jacksonville....as usual.
Now there are the Celtics who have a real small window because they have not shown that they can figureout how to draft NBA players from the lower end of the first round....but...for noow they will likely return to the Conference finals next year and unless Cleveland can figure out how to win on the road the C's should return to the finalls to face NO, Utah or San Antonion...it won't be the Lakers...Kobe will see a lot of Tom Thibodeau's defense next year the way that Kurt Warner got figured out after Bellichik figured him out in 01....Let's face facts...Luke Walton, Vukocic, and Radmanovic are not legitimate NBA players....they were useless in the Finals and then their is the quickly aging and slowing Dereck Fisher and the riddle that is Lamar Odom....plus can someone tell me why Pau Gasol gets such high praise....he's is everything we expect from a European player...he no like hitting...him no like physical ball....him no play defense.....so the Lakers won't be having to worry about another Boston Beat down next year....if New Orleans gets a better 2 they will be the team....or at least I hope they will.....
So my little pinheads....Boston simply rules the sport's universe and yes I did not mention College sports because there is not a single college team that can beat even the weakest professional team at anything so it don't count.....
I have Restrained Myself Most of The Year Because Every Time You Mention Tony Romo or Peyton Manning In Anything Other Than Glowing Terms I get Lunatics who Rant on About Just How Wonderful Both Of These Guys Are....
Well I suppose this weekend should have put an end to that nonsense. I sat at Gillette Stadium Saturday night and witnessed the most recent coronation of the greatest quarterback to ever play the position. 26 for 28 is just the statistical part of the picture, numbers aside, did anyone who is not a rabid Jags fan think that Tom Brady would allow the Patriots to lose that game? He was, simply put, in complete control in the familiar setting of an all or nothing playoff game against what is probably one of the top three teams in the AFC. Even still, Brady would have been perfect had Wes Welker and Ben Watson not dropped balls which hit BOTH of them on the hands...and let's face the facts, the Jags had their way with the New England secondary especially in the first half. David Garrard looked for all the world like a diamond at Quarterback, he did everyting well enough to win that game...except for Brady he does win that game....
The tds, the yards, the clutch play, the arm, the perfect season....all of it compels one, and only one conclusion. Tom Brady is finishing up the best season ever by a quarterback and when he is measured against a resume of 3 superbowl rings and the legendary play he has shown...he is the Best Ever before he does another thing like win a 4th or 5th ring.
Now what were you all (I suppose I should say "Y'all") saying all year long about Tony Romo? He was the best since Staubach, he was going to make who forget about Troy Aikman? There comes a time when you have to realistically assess a quarterback's play and in the case of Mr. Romo I suggest that the ONLY statistic that needs to be considered is this: What has boy wonder done with the balll in his final possessions the past two seasons? When Dallas was poised to win yesterday, you remember...when they got the ball back on their own 43 with about 7:00 minutes to play only down by 4, what did this supposed Great do? I like the 14 yard sack, you know the one where he was standing outside of the pocket with time and DID NOT get rid of the football, or maybe his most shining moment came when he stood bolt upright with average pressure and launched the ball out of bounds....gee Tone...I think I read somewhere that that's a penalty and gee...I think it's a loss of down and 10 yards....yep...it sure was....But the poor play was evident throughout the 4th quarter, when the Giants D picked up the intensity Romo faded....with about 12:00 minutes to go on a 2nd and 8 at the Dallas 44 he was sacked for a 5 or 6 yard loss, then in a thrid and long he failed to convert....this is not the stuff of Staubach or Aikman....
In his last three games Mr. Romo has looked exceptionally average and one would think that at this time of year with a team with that talent you'd get a better effort. Barber was a stud, hat's off to TO and Terry Glenn for playing in pain, Jason Whitten is in my opinion the best possession tight end in the game and he played well again....the line did let Romo get ####ed around a bit but so what, these were not the 75 Steelers you boys played....they were a team you handled easily TWICE this season whose Quarterback looked like he was on YOUR payroll the way he kept trying to give you the ball back.Your defense certainly played well enough to win the game, hell they were stopping the Giants when it counted and gave your offense the balll back TWICE in the final 7:00 minutes....Jeez Louise that was poor and 80% of the blame rests with that Dreamboat you have at Q....
The most vocal homers are the Indy fans who are, maybe were, convinced that Peyton Manning was so great that only a fool would argue the point. It's a funny logic that they use....of course Peyton and the Colts are the best because they play in the BEST division in football and they win it year after year....HUH? Then they say, well hey we beat New England last year so doesn't that prove that Peyton is better, he won one crucial head to head with Brady so that's it...Of course, that logic misses a few key points....name the premiere receiver on Brady's 06 team.....Jabbar Gafney or Reche Caldwell? Name the four healthy starting D backs in the base defense? Oh wait, they did not have 4, they were down to three and were using a wideout as the fourth. What was going on in the Pat's defensive huddle last year...oooohhhh I know ...two of the linebackers were trying to keep their lunch down due to the flu that worked its way through the team....and even then...it took a mystery pass interference call to get you the win....and you saw it again yesterday, the officials did everything in their power to make sure that Peyton advanced...horrible calls.....all day long. It has become so much the norm in Indianapolis that long incompletions ARE automatic interference calls that these guys complain on balls that were 5-6 yards underthrown....please for next year boys can we implement a NO MORE WHINING policy? The Chargers beat you TWICE and the Patriots beat you in the Dome and let's face it, you got outclassed by the Chargers back ups and were going to take a bad beating next week even if you could have won yesterday...which, of course, you didn't. To add insult to injury, name the tailback and Quarterback who put you away yesterday, c'mon boys, name then without looking at the box score...and enjoy this little statistic this long cold off season....Peyton the Conqueror was 9/19 in passing attempts in that CRUCIAL fourth quarter...10 incompletions...10 and you still had a chance to win...really just a shame.....Listen, there is no question about it, Peyton Manning is the second best Quarterback in the game and he is far better than the #3 guy....my point earlier in the year which has been proven beyond a shadow of doubt is simply that he is NOT Number 1...that guy plays for New England...he's still playing also.
Pardon me while I chuckle quietly for a minute or two.....
Next weekend should be interesting but it's going to really hurt if the Chargers and the G-Men lose....gee whiz..what would that mean? Hey that would mean that maybe Dallas and Indy were really not that good after all....yuk yuk....hey Tony have fun in Cabo...Peyton we'll see plenty of your smiling, only a mother could love ya, mug on the 3000 commercials you've got going.....Maybe next time you should look AWAY from Clark in a crucial 4th down situation....we all saw the commercial that's why Norv had him covered.....
Well as the NFL season has unfolded certain unmistakeable trends have emerged...yesterday was no exception. The league that once prided itself on "parity" has somehow slipped from balanced excellence to balanced mediocrity.
Let's be clear, the Philadelphia Eagles are a decent football team with good coaching and an inexplicable ability to cut its losses and dump Mr. McNabb. I think last night's game was indicative of the larger problem facing the NFL....the Patriots are great not because they are great, but mainly because the rest of the league is simply not very good. AJ Feeley played a hell o####ame but in the end he reverted to exactly what he is, a back up with good, not great skills. Last year Jeff Garcia came onto this team and, here again, used his average skills to effectively lead these very same Eagles....so what is Mr. Lurie missing, his team plays like world beaters when a certain overpaid, oft injured, pretender with mega endorsements dealls is on the sidelines. Mr. Lurie you would probably have a wild card berth if AJ Feeley finishes the year for you. Had Feeley been playing right along the Eagles win that game last night...
How bad is the League right now? Having watched every Superbowl game I can say that for the most part the single best indicator o####reat team is a staunch defense and an outstanding quarterback. Sure there are notable exceptions in Tampa Bay's win, the Hostetler Giants, the Ravens and the '85 Bears (Jim McMahon was horrible), but throughout the Superbowl era we have been treated to the likes of Bradshaw, Montana, Elway, Starr, Aikman, Brady, Simms, Favre, Manning and Griese. In today's NFL there is a serious shortage of quality at the most important position. You need look no further than the following names to understand that, Rex Grossman, JP Lossman, Chad Pennington, Vince Young, Jay Cutler, David Carr, Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington and Cleo Lemon do not represent the evolution of the position, they are hangers on , guys who should be relegated to careers as snap and clipboard holders....but these guys are leading their teams and this is the main reason why there are currently 19 teams with sub .500 records. There are only 5 teams with 8 or more wins. Yesterday the Jacksonville Jaguars did not sell out a game, they are a lock for at least a wild card berth and yet their fan base did not suppport them. Why is that?
The AFC East after the Patriots is a combined 7-25 in terms of wins and losses. Who are the three stars leading these teams, Lossman (4 tds to 6 picks and a 76 QBR), Clemens (56.9 QBR) and Lemon (3 tds, 4 ints, QBR 69.4) Mr. Lemon was recently put out of his misery as will Mr. Lossman but these guys are actually being paid to play QB for well established franchises. Too selective? After Brady, Favre, Manning, Romo, Brees, Roethlisberger and Palmer who is any good? Jay Cutler? He is young and sporting an 89.6 QBR which is at least 15 points above the league average which is exactly 74.7...that's right 74.7. These numbers speak for themselves kids. Despite the overwhelming evidence, teams seem to be comfortable with the new brand of parity, sure we'll play .500 ball but hey if it gets us into the playoffs who cares seems to be the mantra....why else would the Titans stay with Vince Young?
Look at his numbers, so far this season this Number 3 pick has: 5 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, he has 1663 passing yards and a QBR of 65.3. His team is 6-5 and just got spanked 35-6 by the Bengals. Yeah, yeah I know, he's a Michael Vick style QB so he has amazing rushing numbers right? Wrong....he has 297 yards on 68 attempts and has fumbled 6 times. So why do teams stick with these guys, by that standard Peyton Manning is a God and Drew Bledsoe was one of the greatest players of all time...If we take Young's numbers and compare them with Manning this guy would have to play twenty or more years just to match Mannings passing numbers in yardage, of course by then he'd have about 320 interceptions.
The answer is simple, teams have done a poor job of picking these guys and then when they sign them, pay them big and spend the summer convincing everyone how good the guy is the GM cannot admit that he screwed up and they don't make the change. Usually the coaches go first...I mean the number of guys taken in the first round who are complete busts is staggering...do any of these names ring a bell?
Andre Ware, J#### George Dan McGwire, Todd Marinovich, David Klingler, Tommy Maddox, Rick Mirer, Heath Shuler, Jim Druckenmiller, Trent Dilfer, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Cade McNown, Akili Smith, Patrick Ramsey, Eli Manning, Alex Smith, Matt Lienert, David Carr every one of these players were first round picks.... and on and on it goes, Brady, Montana and Marino were all largely overlooked and they became three of the greatest of all time. Sure every once in a while guys like Mannng, Elway and Aikman come along but they are more the exception than the rule ...
I being the great and powerful Oz hereby propose that any General Manager or player personell person who takes or directs the taking of a Quarterback in the first round of a draft who ends up in two years not to have a winning percentagge greater than .500 be fired by application of the League's rules and then not to be rehireable unless to work in stadium parking or concessions...maybe...just maybe we could get some decent football to watch...yuk yuk yuk.....
As we enter the Holiday Season Let's Give Thanks...
I must admit that I was shocked that the NFL network has taken a shot a Peyton Manning in a recently released commercial spot where a bar patron (with a decidely Boston accent) points out that Manning is not really changing the play calls, I thinks he questions the guy's manhood a bit as well. I say this signals the beginning of laughability quotient on Mr. Manning. When you look like an all world QB there is great tolerance for oversaturation and let's be blunt, Mr. Manning would sell ice to Eskimos if he could. The fun starts when you start to look like Steve McNair, that's when the jokes will start to fly. So it looks like it is really going to be fun because nobody likes to see the fall of a false idol like the American sports fan. I was at Gillette Stadium when Boy Wonder coughed up a huge furballl, Ty Law picked him 2 or 3 times and it was just tremendous to hear 65,000 people chanting "cut that meat" as Manning litterrally fumed on the sidelines as he tried reconcile his professional life, stay tuned because if this guy keeps slipping they are going to eat him alive.....
This was an interesting week, the Colts continue to look like they closer to being an average football team than to an elite one. They are led by a quarterback who for all the world looks like a twelve year old Pop Warner quarterback whose receivers are dropping balls. "Gee whiz, goll dawg it, whay kaint thase guys jest cetch that danged ball Poppa?"....I mean this guy is going to be fun to watch as teams figure him out....I thoroughly enjoyed that effort yesterday. I've got news for the Indy faithful, that offensive line just got whupped bad by a horrible team, I mean they barely won at HOME to K.C. after losing to a team that scored only one offensive touch a week prior. The lack of Marvin Harrison is certainly hurting on offense but I guess we can now dispell the notion that Reggie Wayne is his heir apparent, does he just look like he's got bad hands and no heart or is he playing someone who does?....The good news is that Indy has a patty cake schedule the rest of the way starting this week with Atlanta...., and their other three home games down the stretch are against divisional opponents, the Jaguars, Texans and Titans. They should win at least the Houston game. Their three road opponents are with the utterly inept Falcons, Ravens and Raiders. It is almost impossible for the Colts to go any lower than 12-4 as I see it, although who figured Manning would choke against the Chargers and then the Chiefs? So maybe the Oakland game will be worth watching. The real problem that they have is that it is a big part of thier history that when they don't think they have the horses to beat New England they usually start wiping down the golf clubs...this year it may just be me but has anyone noticed a lack of any fire in the gifted one?
Can somebody please make the call, make the damned call already...the New England Patriots are simply too good for the majority of this league. Buffalo was the latest victim and it was like watching the high school varsity play the powder puff team. There was no aspect of that game that was competitive. If you are Ralph Wilson, or the person who is tugging on his puppet strings, please tell me that you have some kind of a plan to improve. Please tell me that Marv Levy is your GM because he's a blast at the office Christmas Party or because he's got something on you....but PLEASE don't tell me that what we saw last night IS your plan. The NFL needs a "contraction" policy where teams that become institutionally incapable of winning are sold to owners who aren't in it purely to sell hot dogs and soda. Say what you want about Jerry Jones, Bob Kraft, the Moras and Rooneys but these people are institutionally committed to winning because they know that you make more money and sell more hot dogs winning. Let's consider this, who sells more merchandise, the Bills and the stellar corps of players or the Patriots, Colts, Packers or the Cowboys? I'll bet anyone that outside of the immediate Buffalo area you can't find a bills hat or one of their shirts. Last year I was in Tortola and the kid serving the Red Stripes on the beach was wearing a Cowboys hat, not a Bills or Chiefs hat. The list of teams eligible for contraction appears to be growing exponentially of late, some teams are money makers...they offer innovative menus, shopping malls, state of the art stadiums and they command ticket prices and television revenues that drive the league and then there are those teams that are not committed to winning, have no chance and keep deluding their fans into believing that they have found the next great star... Miami is obviously hoping that there will be a minor league soon, as are the J.E.T.S. Jets, and the Oakland and Kansas City teams appear to also have lost the will to live. The NFL ought to have a competition committee and they should grade teams and then the five lowest ranked teams should take less in television and revenue sharing money. Now you'll have a competitive game and parity in that league will not mean let's have 20 teams that are at or below .500 because that is exactly what you have now. If the playoffs were to begin today, the brackets would include a divisional winner at .5-5 (San Diego) and two more at 6-4 (Seattle and Tampa Bay) . The level of play is certainly slipping, owners have becoem like fatted calves and they are no longer trying in some instances...it is too bad and what makes it worse is when an elite team strolls into town they all whine about running up the scores and the focus will becoame how do we make the game more competitive by tweaking the rules instead of by forcing the weak teams to start running their teams better.
While it is clear that Tom Brady is the best player of his generation, he stands in and makes throws that are usually on the money, when he was flushed from the pocket twice last night he ran (Manning coughs up the ball in that situation-ask Rosevelt Colvin), he threw for 5 tds, was 31 for 39, had 373 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 146.1. NE put up more than 50 points for the second time this season, and now are ranked first or second in every offensive category. But that is not the end of the story, they have scored more points and given up less points than the Colts. Take out the 10 penalty for 145 bag job attempted by the refs and New England did a number on the Colts as well. They are on a truly historical run and the saddest part of all is that the INDY IDIOTS are actually saying with straight mid-western faces that it's only because New England picked up Randy Moss. The overwhelming evidence is that ALL of Indy's success rests with one certain Marvin Harrison, he is the Colt's because when he is on the field he cannot be covered and when teams do double him Old Brick Hands, Reggie Wayne will occasionally catch the ball. Without Marvin Harrison, peyton would be his brother, a tall guy who whines about where he's drafted, who he has to play with and the fact that defenders do occasionally hit people especiallly tall immobile quarterbacks.....The only reason Indy got a ring is because of a bag job on that mystery pass interference call last year otherwise NE would be closing in on ring 5 and not Ring 4. The NFL apologized to New England and Ellis Hobbs because the officials in that game rooted for Indy just like they did again this year.
What we have here is a failure to communicate...."Hey you" out there in that fantasy land known to most of us as San Diego...I've been saying this for 11 weeks now...what in the name of all that is holy compelled you to hire Norv Turner? Last year's best record in the AFC is a faint memory at 5-5 coming off of another loss yesterday 24-17 to the Jags. One has to wonder is there any point where the management in ChargerLALAland can utter these words...."We made a horrible mistake, please forgive us, Norv wants us to pass along that he has a nice ocean view condo for sale"....I mean cut the #### fellas. You are a running team with one of the best young backs in the game and you are currently ranked 15th in rushing. You canned a promising young quarterback in Drew Brees and now are led by a quarteback who looks to have all the talent in the world but who doesn't seem to know what the hell is going on. Philllip Rivers has 11 touches against 12 picks and a qb passer rating in the 70's. You are currently ranked 23rd in passing yardage and 16th in passing touchdowns. You hired a guy with career coaching numbers that makke us wonder how the hell he ever became a head coach and despite the fact that his reson d'etre is offense he cannot seem to figure out how to score touchdowns. Your Indy win was just a cruel trick played on your management by the football gods. Sure you won, six picks from that phony Manning helped and now what to do,,,,what to do...How can we fire a guy who just beat the reigning Champs? A true dillemma. YOU WERE AN ELITE TEAM LESS THAN ONE YEAR AGO FIRE THAT COACH NOW!!!! There, was that so hard, trust your old professor, it is better to just rip that nasty old band aid off fast, doing it this way is just killing your loyal fans.
Green Bay is for real y'all. I readily admit that I was a skeptic early on. I believe that Brett Favre is one of the best of his time at qb but like most of you it seemed all but certain that his playing days were done and to be honest he looked old and uninspired in recent years. I would always show him utmost respect though because he has literally done it all. This year he looks like a young version of himself again. Yesterdays 31-17 beat down of the Panthers is proof that this is not a scheduling fluke, that Pack are for real and the Cowboys better be very careful that they don't have to go through Green Bay in January because I don't think they can win that game as long as Brett stays healthy. In Dallas I go with TO and the 'Boys but on the tundra I bet New England may see Brett and the Pack in the Superbowl.
I said earlier that Atlanta deserves a criticism free year after Mike "the Con" Vick went down. But I mean come one, you cannot throw the ball we get it....but how in the name of the Ghosts of Mike's dead dogs could you put up 49 yards rushing? I mean that is what you do. Damned hard living up to promises with you guys. Must tip the hat to the Bucs, they may have something to say before it's all said and done, I would NEVER bet against Jeff Garcia, even with modest numbers that cat just knows how to play hard....too bad Philly couldn't get a guy like that..yuk yuk yuk.....
Passing thoughts...the league is heading in a troubling direction, much like baseball in the past 12 years...if the individual owners are not concerned about being competitive don't change the rules....change the owners.
Let's Go To The Tale Of The Tape On Peyton Manning....is he one for the ages or not?
Earlier in the week I put together what I thought was a balanced and well reasoned analysis of the Manning/Brady debate and concluded that Manning is not very good unless he is surrounded by Uber Talent....the facts on that point are overwhelming...that debate is over and in time Brady will be seen as having been better than all of them.....But that leaves us with where does Peyton Manning belong in the eyes of history....
W#### comprises the talent pool at QB? There are the current players and recent players such as....
Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers etc etc... Then there are the historical selections such as Fouts, Bradshaw, Gifford, Starr, Unitas, Young, Aikman, Jurgenson, Stabler, Plunkett, Simms, Staubach, Kelley, Marino, Elway, Namath, Tarkinton and Griese. So where do we place Manning? I say that we should look at this analytically.... If we look at rings I guess it is a simple equation:
That leaves Peyton in a field with the likes of Jim Plunkett, Doug Williams, Phil Sims, Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Len Dawson, Joe Theisman, Jef Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Ben Roethlisberger all of whom have won at least as many rings as Peyton and most of them did it far soooner and with far less talent than Manning has had.... So let's round up, Peyton is ranked somewhere between 10th and 22nd. I like the guy and I would give him a solid 12th ranking....
Not happy with the ultimate measure of success?...let's go to passing yardage....the following players are the top ten:
1. Dan Marino - 61,361 2. Brett Favre - 57,500 3. John Elway - 51,475 4. Warren Moon - 49,325 5. Fran Tarkenton - 47,003 6. Vinny Testaverde - 45,271 7. Drew Bledsoe 44,611 8. Dan Fouts - 43,040 9. Joe Montana 40,551 10. Johnny Unitas 40,239
I mean when you see it in black and white I don't care how you cut it....the guy is after a decade still well behind Boomer Esiason and Dave Krieg and Warren Moon....in any event Manning is a solid 13th using that criterion and lets say he continues to play well he may rise to 5th or 6th assuming he doesn't continue to play like he has since Marvin showed he was mortal (ask Curt Warner how things went when Bruce and Holt slowed down).
Relax, there is always a way to manipulate the figures...let's go to the most widely recognized measure of passing greatness....yards per attempt...clearly Peyton must own this category right...I mean the guy is a yardage machine right? Ummmmwelll...no. Here again Peyton AFTER A TEN YEAR CAREER is ranked 14th all-time in YPA behind such greats as:
Otto Graham, Sid Luckman, Big Ben (ranked 3rd), Warner, Van Brocklin, Young, Ed Brown, Starr, Bob Berry, Unitas, Morrall, Marc Bulger and (brace yourself) Daunte Culpepper. I think the key point here is that Manning is ranked 14th (I told you I was being generous when I ranked him 12th greatest).
So I looked some more and wanted to tell you that Peyton has the second highest career passer rating and then it occurred to me that the statistic USUALLY predicts mediocre quartebacks...don't believe that? Here are some of the names on the top 20 list of highest career ratings:
Chad Pennington (I'm not kidding)(NO SUPERBOWL WINS)
Curt Warner;(1 WIN)
Marc Bulger (0 WINS)
Daunte Culpepper (0 WINS)
Drew Brees (0 WINS)
Trent Green (0 WINS)
Rich Gannon (0 WINS)
Jeff Garcia (0 WINS)
Matt Hasselback (0 WINS)
Brian Griese (0 WINS)
Jake Dellhomme (0 WINS)
Eleven players and exactly 1 Superbowl win between them, so I ask you, how critical a statistic is passer rating? It is an insignificant measure designed to keep idiots like us reading stat sheets.
W#### is not in the top 20...Unitas, Marino, Dawson, Tarkenton,Bart Starr, Bradshaw, Staubach, Aikman, Dan Fouts, John Elway, Joe Namath, Sonny Jurgenson, Phil Simms, Bob Griese...SO MAYBE...JUST MAYBE the real rating measure and the real gauge of greatness boils down to how many rings a guy gets....I also would say that Peyton is the product of league parity that has in many ways greatly improved the overall athleticism of players, they are bigger, stronger, faster and smarter than the guys who played before them in every position ecept 2...kicker and Quarterback. Quick and be honest let's say that you are charged with building a dynasty who would you take....here's my top ten list as of today....
Joe Montana
Terry Bradshaw
Bart Starr
Tom Brady
John Elway
Troy Aikman
Roger Staubach
John Unitas
Brett Favre
Peyton Manning
I defy anyone to suggest that Mannning could EVER be ranked higher than 6 on this list unless you as a GM aren't concenred about your job and being known as the #### who let Joe Montana get away so you could get a tempermental so-called superstar who routinely lashes out at teammmates and blames everyone for his misgivings and who has not yet met the camere he wouldn't make love to for money...I know I dont really think Manning is that good, now tell me who on my list he is better than....
Debate and Case Closed...It's Not Even That Close.
Since 2001 Tom Brady has won three Superbowls and the best receiver he has ever had in a Superbowl game has been Deion Branch who promptly left the team for greener pastures in Seattle (Pats will have a draft pick next year because of that). Nobody puts Branch in a category as an elite receiver, he is NEVER mentioned with the likes of Randy Moss, Terrell Owens or Marvin Harrison. Brady has had Antwone Smith as a running back and then an extremely effective Corey Dillon, here again, neither back was an elite back when he played with New England. If you were picking players you would not have picked either as your first string running back for the years they played in Foxborough. Priest Holmes, Edgerin James, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Shawn Alexander and LT are just a few of the backs playing who were statiscally better.
Last year the Patriots made it to the AFC Championship game and nearly won the game with Jabbar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell as his primary wideouts. Brady has been sacked 192 times in 6 seasons (only five of which have been full)Manning has been sacked 180 times in 11 seasons, Brady has played behind dozens of Offensive line combinations and while he has had Kevin Faulk and excellent tight ends he has not had a very easy go of it...and despite the lack of any Draft Day or College pedigree he has nevertheless become the premiere Quarterback of his time and if he continues past 10 years he should be considered the greatest to have ever played the game ....and here's why.
The guy most often mentioned as the player to beat is Peyton Manning, he has the endorsements, he now has a ring, he puts up gawdy numbers most of the time and the guy is one of the best of all time. But this year we have a unique opportunity to watch Peyton Manning perform as he deals with a lack of talent from his wideouts now that Marvin Harrison has missed 4 games. How has he done? In his last four games Manning has thrown for 6 tds and 8 interceptions. His higest completion rate over that spand has been 62.2% and you can call it whatever you want but he strugggled mightily against BOTH the Chargers and the Patriots in the past two weeks, on Sunday his QB Rating did not break 50 and against New England it was 83.1. He has not topped a QB rating of 100 in his last four games. There is no question that defenses can attack him more effectively without the brillliance of Harrison on the field, but the point here is that Brady has labored for five years without elite receivers and he actually won three rings. At the end of the Colts/Pats game last week did anyone in the country honestly argue that Manning was the best guy on that field? I know, I know, the Homers will argue that their guy is better and we all know that they speak from emotion and fan blindness and not the facts but c'mon even the most die hard hossier homer has to acknowledge that Peyton is great but he's no Brady...Brady did it again scoring in 43 seconds and while Indy fans looked for all the world like they wanted to jump off the balconies...don't panic...Marvin will return and the good ship Manning will likely see New England later....but for the love of all that is football stop with this nonsense that Manning is better or that you'd take him if you were a General Manager and they were both available. I #### did do that it would probably mean that you were the GM in Oakland or Miami.....stop you're just making an #### out of yourself.
Here we go kids...it's time to see who has been right, who has been wrong and who is the best team of all time....hey wait....maybe it isn't...
This is a game that both the Colts and the Patriots want to win, but is hardly a "must win" game for either team at the midway point of the season. It is a game though that may spring the winner to a second half (with both teams having easier schedules) with a real chance of challenging the Shula Dolphin's undefeated season. But is this reallly the end all of either team's season....I say it isn't that crucial and here's why.
The Colts are an amazing team and every bit of a match for the Patriots at least offensively. If there is a clear edge it is on defese where the Colts are not as good as New England.
I say that the Colts have a major challenge this week in their ability to stop New England. Despite the fact that Indy beat them in January, do not lose sight of the fact that the Patriots scored easily BEFORE the addition of Moss, Welker, Stallworth, a healthy Maroney and Morris. Like last year the Indy weakness is its run defense, the Colts "D" is presently ranked 13th in run defense and despite some early progress in the run stop they have slipped and should continue that trend this week. New England's tandem of Maroney and Morris with Faulk as the third down back have racked up more yards (1086) and do pose a problem against the back drop of New England's fairly lethal passing game. If Sanders comes up to stop the run Welker will have a field day because Brady is more like Peyton Manning than he is Jay Cutler. If Sanders is kept in a cover 2 zone then the running backs should fatten up on Indy's undersized front 7. The Colts have faced better running backs just not better running backs running for a team with 2430 passing yards through 8 games and 30 touches on passes.
Indy can win this game and they may do so provided that they can put together a few well placed sustained drives. It is important for Indy's defense to stay fresh so a longer drive now and again would be a major help. The Colts will pass and almost at will against New England. Peyton Manning should have a banner day....the game will probably come down to their ability to run the ball though. I say this beacuse New England will wear out the Colts "D" the way that Indy did it to them in January....
Passing defense appears to pit strength against strength, Indy is ranked #1 against the pass but a quick look at their schedule and one would be hard pressed to find a team that throws on that schedule. The Titans, Jags, Panthers, Texans and Broncos are hardly the 2001 Rams. NE, on the other hand, has more than 2400 passing yards (30 tds through game 8) and is the #1 passing offense in the game this year averaging more than 41 points per game. This will be a real test for the Indy secondary and this group is very good so things should be very interesting all day.
The intangibles are a wash, I don't think Vinateri will be the difference nor do I expect a lot of turnovers or penalties. The Coaching staffs of both of these teams are both very good but the big edge here goes to New England.
As far as the Patriots are concerned the numbers are a bit overwhelming but they are also deceptive because New England has not played a full game all year in the sense that they have put teams away by the start of the 4th quarter. In my estimation New England is #1 defensively and the Colts are #2....Offensively these teams are all alone on top of the heap and despite New England's off the charts production I give a slight edge to the Colts....so it's Great Offense Against Great Defense....should be a lot of fun.
Here's the deal...I am a lifelong Bostonian and have suffered more than most of you can understand with decades of Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins futility...so please spare me the nonsense about my bias....I am more critical of Boston teams than I am of your sorry assed teams but when things are going like they are in Boston I may gloat just a bit....don't like it....don't read it.
