I wonder if Petrino will turn out to be like his owner…quick to make a personnel decision that later turns out to be ill-advised.
Blank inherited Vick, but extended his contract big time after the Falcons advanced to the NFC championship game. Had he waited a year, he might not have made the same decision. Blank also quickly signed Warrick Dunn to a monster contract, soon after a dinner meeting. Dunn is a great citizen and has made a solid contribution, but it may not have been the biggest #### for the buck.
GM Rich McKay deserves some blame for many draft day failures, particularly receivers Jenkins and White. Injury-prone defensive lineman like John Abraham were given large contracts. The large payroll led to the loss of end Patrick Kearney.
At the end of training camp the Falcons cut kicker Billy Cundiff, who was more experienced than the stronger-legged Matt Prater. Prater was to relieve punter Michael Koenen of kickoff and long field goal duties, but washed out in two games. Ageless vet Morten Andersen was welcomed back, but now Koenen has his kicking duties back.
Now it appears Blank urged McKay to sign QB Byron Leftwich, who had lost his job in Jacksonville largely in part to not sharing his coach’s enthusiasm. While Leftwich was perhaps the best option available, the odds seem stacked against his success.
Leftwich Plusses:
1. Great arm
2. Tireless preparation & study of film
3. Plays hurt
Leftwich Minuses:
1. Immobile…joining a team with a weak defensive line. Joey Harrington has been sacked 13 times in two games, though in his career Harrington had one of the lowest sacks per game averages…notable considering he played for below-average teams.
2. Not the take charge type. Sounds like the guy we had last year.
Appears Kelly Johnson is back on a roll. Someone said it was good that Cox rested Kelly Sunday after he had a huge game, as opposed to after taking an 0-fer…better for the confidence. Same with Torre and the rookie pitcher who doubled off the Mets…took him out after seven with his confidence intact. Thorman was 0 – 9 went he blasted his HR deep to right. Interesting that Lemke was doing color on radio last night, and Skip was on TBS. DOB had some good stats on the Jones’…Chipper has struck out less in the last calendar year than Andruw has this season...but now Andruw has heated up in the last two games. Same with McCann.
Hawks caught a break for sure…would be nice if they could get the OSU PG and a big man. Seems like Josh Smith & Marvin could be enough where they could do without that Texas forward, good as he is. But you never know with Billy Knight calling the shots. Your thoughts?
Listened to the Braves on the way home from baseball practices. Matthew was hitting well last night…in no socks and Crocs for shoes. He always seems to peak right at the end of the season. His championship game is on the smaller field that he doesn’t like…sometimes there are tough bounces of the lip of the grass. But the setting sun won’t be a factor.
Will has a Thursday game and Friday doubleheader. He hasn’t pitched well on back to back days. No baseball Saturday! If I’m a good husband I plan something fun for the family, though Will has at least one Sunday game, and Monday we go to a cookout. Social overload.
Can’t believe all the Vick-lovers calling into Buck & Kincaid, who are telling it like it is. Buck said Herschel never got in such trouble, but he didn’t bring up the falling asleep in the garage with the engine going incident. Tom Brady has had the recent pregnant ex-girlfriend episode, but he owned up to it…nothing like Vick’s repeated offenses.
Had my second close call with a police car in as many days. Monday I was passed near the
Roswell Square by a black SUV in a hurry. We both turned onto Oxbo. The police were coming the other way. I saw him and slowed, but the police passed me, then turned around and hit the lights. It passed me and got the SUV, but I didn’t breathe until I passed them, fearful that he would wave me over as well. Yesterday evening I rolled through a right-on-red onto Johnson Ferry, then sped up and got in the left lane. A police car came up fast behind me, so I slowed down, and eventually signaled and got in the right lane. The police car stayed in my blind spot, not passing. I kept going south on JF as the police car finally turned left onto 120. Had to make a U-turn to go home.
Was Thursday's comments by Falcons' coach Jim Mora Jr. his way to get out of an impossible job: win with a team quarterbacked by 'coach killer' Mike Vick...he of the ten year contract?
Perhaps Mora Jr. knows Vick win never win a Super Bowl, so he's ready to move on...perhaps back to his beloved West Coast. Seems like after some of the moves he has made as head coach (his sideline cell phone chat, etc.), he may have to prove himself again as an assistant.
I like the guy, and couldn't blame him for looking for a better position, but whatever he does, it doesn't look like an easy road. Especially after tonight's close but no cigar loss to the Cowboys.
No surprise the Gator Bowl doesn't want Tech. They sign a contract with the ACC, then every year the bowls try to finagle and cherry pick. Tech doesn't travel well, but 4 of the last 5 bowls were out west...Emerald Bowl, Champs Sports, Humanitarian (Boise), Silicon Valley, Seattle Bowl. At least now GT has an AD who digs into these things BEFORE Tech gets the shaft. It's all about the money for the bowls, and teams fall in line so they can practice an extra 5 weeks.
Colin Cowherd is similar to 680's John Kincaid, whose sole talent is making listeners mad. Kincaid says he likes coaches like Bill Parcells who get on players publicly (you see how long Parcells lasts at any one place, and the shape of the team he leaves behind). But when Arthur Blank says that everyone's performance will be under review, and that an 8 - 8 record is unacceptable, Kincaid thinks that's too much pressure for professional football players making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Kincaid is still upset at the way Terrell Owens upset his Philadelphia Eagles' apple cart. Despite the fact that he likes Parcells, Kincaid refuses to rank the Cowboys among the NFL's best teams...because of Owens. At least Buck Belue quite often puts Kincaid in his place.
GOLF: Tiger knew it would be tough to win at East Lake, though he said he definitely would play next year if he qualifies. He came in second in both China and Japan, no doubt making mom happy by playing over there. In Japan he was tied for the lead with P. Harrington going into the last round, and led by something like 4 shots with 6 holes to go. Then Harrington went 6 under for the last few holes to force a playoff, and birdied both playoff holes to win.
Get that free Callaway Golf magazine? Did you get the recent one with Arnold Palmer on the cover? Amazing story about all the stuff he's saved in his barn in Latrobe PA.
Fans are quick to list one or two reasons why they say the Falcons are losing. It’s a little more complex than that. In no particular order…
10. Injuries to Key Personnel. Every team has injuries, and Atlanta has been hit as hard as anyone. Jets fans are laughing, regarding the oft-injured John Abraham signing. TE Algie Crumpler has aches and pains, and long gone is WR Brian Finneran…one of Vick’s favorite targets. Rookie RB Jerious Norwood. But the Ravens had almost as many, includind a guy named Lewis…and are what, 8 – 2?
9. Coaching Staff. Fans are more ready to fire the coaches than blame higher paid players. Should coaches have to motivate NFL players? Game plans are another matter. Greg Knapp’s scripted plays gained an average over 4 yards per play, but later unscripted plays averaged much less. Once the number one rushing team in the league, now Knapp wants to throw. To placate the QB’s feelings? Keep Mora, fire Knapp.
8. Receivers drop passes. Some say it’s Vick’s fault, that he throws too hard. Excuse? Finneran could catch Vick’s passes. They’re not all bazooka shots. Still, there’s blame to spread around here.
7. Vick’s Leadership Skills. How many other successful QB’s sit alone on the bench? Sure he’s tired and takes a beating…perhaps more than any other QB (17 hits from Raven defenders). But the nature of the position demands a leader…the toughest position in sports for a reason. Which brings us to…
6. Vick’s Lifetime Contract. Might as well play him, since Blank is paying him all that money…right? Peachtree Bart was benched, and it made him a much better QB. Is it political? Do they play Vick to keep the fans happy? I hope Mora has a deal with Blank to keep his job.
5. Offensive Line. Draft picks are spent on WRs and DBs instead of protecting Vick, who continues to get hit and sacked.
4. GM Rich McKay. Many say it’s folly to use first round picks on WRs (unless you’re Calvin Johnson)...that receivers picked in later rounds can be just as productive. Hey, that’s the way most fantasy drafts work.
3. Vick’s Fumbles. QBs fumble more than any other position, mostly due to blindside hits. UGA freshman Matthew Stafford broke into the open against Auburn, didn’t protect the ball, and had it knocked loose. Later in the game he was running with both hands on the ball. If Stafford can learn, why can’t Vick? Many of his fumbles have come when he took off on scrambles.
2. The Defense has to do too much. It’s hard to win when you’re averaging 12 points a game. A defense already worn thin from injury is asked to pick up an offense that just threw an interception or fumbled, giving the opponent excellent field position. When this happens over and over, cracks appear in the dam.
1. Players giving less than their maximum effort. I’m sure tackling Jamal Lewis isn’t fun. But pay me the NFL minimum and I’ll do my best. Losing to bottom-dwellers like Detroit and Cleveland should be embarrassing, but after the game players laugh and joke around instead of being mad at themselves. Being old school, this baffles me.
As a kid going to Falcon games, one of my favorites was QB Bob Berry, who played here from 69 – 73 or so. I was 10 – 14 and was eating up Falcon football. He led them to their first winning season. He certainly wasn’t the greatest, but was usually among the league leaders in completion percentage. Went to the Pro Bowl in 1969, when Van Brocklin coached and took several Falcons. Uni-Watch had a link to photos of the 1971 starting QBs, which included Berry. He always had this double bar face mask that was comically huge in relation to his helmet. In the 1969 photo the mask is large, but in later years he got one even bigger. I searched for more photos with no luck…but did find a link to him…now a real estate agent in Colorado. I plan on writing him a short email, asking for info on his facemask.
Here’s the links from the Uni-Watch Blog…Football historian Mark Bolding, whose excellent web site was spotlighted here two weeks ago, has added a new section to his site, focusing on starting QBs at various points in NFL history. Among the visual highlights: a good look at the Packers’ 1950 jersey; the Rams in canary yellow; the Saints wearing heavily white-outlined uni numbers (and dig all those stripes!); the Eagles’ double sleeve stripes; Joe Namath wearing a knee pad outside his pants; and the Broncos in red pants. The full section is available here. … Well, this sure didn’t take long (you can order your own here).
This last link is a takeoff t-shirt of the D’backs new red-trimmed unis. I also spotted an error from 1971…the Saints photo link lists #14 as Billy Kilmer (who was 17). Instead, Ed Hargett was 14. Readers also deemed the red Bronco pants to be orange…though they did seem more red to me back in the days of Floyd Little.
Last night I researched 2007 schedules for SF and Oakland (and Boston). The SF web site already has the all-star game logo up, which includes a ball splashing into the Cove. The A’s site has info on their new stadium plans, which is similar to SD. On the BoSox site I checked out photos of rookie outfielder David Murphy, who was called up in September and played 20 games for the big club …only 23 ABs…hit one HR, but didn’t hit .240.
I still am hung up how teams can get fired up and play well against good teams, then lose to bad teams. Do bad teams like Detroit and Cleveland only rise up and play well against average teams, but not the excellent teams? Or is what separates excellent teams from average teams the fact that excellent teams usually beat who they’re supposed to beat…the bad teams and average teams…even though most everyone is fired up to give them a good game?
Coaching has something to do with it. The players have to have it inside as well. Some say it’s hard to get up for every game. Maybe not MLB or NBA, but in football, why not? If you only play 16 games in 365 days, seems like you ought to be ready. Sure, everyone has an off day, but with all the coaches in press boxes, etc, adjustments ought to be made. I like what the Showtime Lakers used to do. Before the season started, they took out the schedule and marked down which games they had to win…against bad teams, the first games of back to back games, etc. Their plan was to win the games they were supposed to. They’d be naturally fired up against the better opponents and play hard, and they’d win their share.
The Colts and Patriots win most of their games. It’s hard to win them all, but rarely do they lose to bottom-feeders. They win despite the fact everyone is fired up to play them. Same with Ohio State, USC, and Michigan. The Bears are flawed…not a good offense. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady most often overcome dropped passes to win games…and rarely fumble when the game’s on the line. Once yesterday Vick scrambled left for a first down. On the replay I noticed an open receiver that Vick should’ve been able to see…a completion would’ve resulted in about 5 more yards. But perhaps Vick was tired of receivers dropping balls, and he wanted to make sure they got the first down. If so, good for him.
When you judge an NFL season, how much do you factor injuries? Every team has them, just some more than others.
Louisville beats WVa in an emotional home game, and then a week later loses an emotional road game to Rutgers. Clemson beats GT, then loses to VT and Maryland. Good teams…someone must lose. I hate the stupid mistakes…jumping offsides as the kicker misses the FG. At least they were gunning to block to kick.
GT wins a squeaker over UNC. The defense played well, but unless Tech gets the offense going, they’ll have a tough time against UGA and Wake…two teams that looked are good Saturday. Lose those two and they can’t expect a good bowl game (though doesn’t the ACC loser go the Chick-fil-A Bowl?). Wake looks ready…I think they’ll beat out Maryland and BC. Tech would have a hard time with all three. Maryland has improved since GT beat them.
Nice win by UGA…good pressure by the defense, take the lead, then run clock and not make mistakes. The GT/UGA game could turn out similarly. Stafford ran down the field and didn’t take care of the ball…fumble. But next time he covered the ball. At least someone learned.
Sunday night on Sports South they followed the Hawaii football team as they traveled to Atlanta, practiced at Tech, and played in Tuscaloosa... ...Jerry Glanville and June Jones were the main characters. June is so laid back that he probably enjoys having Glanville around to command all the attention, so June can sit back and scheme for the offense.
CPA says…Watching yesterday’s game made me thankful I am not a more passionate Falcon fan…how do you play so good for 2 weeks and then so bad for the next 2… with the Falcon defensive injuries, I thought they might lose the game due to their defense, but it was their offense…
That is the thing with the NBA – with the back-to-backs, you see a lot of games like the Hawks/Sonics game on Saturday where the Hawks fatigue showed in there Free Throw shooting which lost the game for them (similar to how they beat Cleveland a few days earlier)… it is funny with basketball that as much running around as you do, the key indicator to fatigue is when you are shooting FT’s with the clock stopped...
I see I've used this title once before! That Falcons game was exactly what gets me about football, what I was trying to say last week. Old-school Jeff Van Note was saying on the radio that at the pro level the coaches can only motivate so much…that the players have to motivate themselves. Some say you can’t get up for every game, which may be true…but hey, it’s only 16 games a year…why not? How many games do you play in a career? Not many, compared to how many days and weeks you live.
I’m sure Wes Durham had fun finished the GT game in Raleigh after 11 pm, then traveling to Detroit for the 1 pm game the next day.
Interesting Bradley column on UGA today, with some truth to it. Since Bradley came from Kentucky years ago, no surprise he went back to cover the game. More heat on Richt. Being a kicker guy, the poor performance by Andy Bailey is interesting. Also will be fun to see how the punter does with the kicking…at least he won’t be rattled by the circumstances.
The CPA says…I read Ken Rosenthal this am and he mentions a possible Giles for Linebrink trade with the Padres… What happened to the Falcons? I think in the NFL, you can throw out a teams best 4 games and worst 4 games and evaluate them on the other 8 games…It is good that Tech is doing so well in a year where UGA is so bad – what would have happened to UGA last year if Shockley had not stuck around as long as he did.
Will doesn’t like the white adidas that came from Coke. He likes the shoes, but not the white/blue…and I’m having a hard time finding them anywhere to swap. I hate it when you get kids shoes that they don’t wear. Around the house during the cold months I wears these neon yellow Reebok pump running shoes that I bought on a whim, on sale, on my birthday several years ago. I hardly wear them out, except perhaps to Kroger or a movie, though I did run the Peachtree in them one year (I try to wear a different pair every year). Yesterday Will picked up the shoes, perhaps interested in wearing them. Guess I’ll let him.
Went to Jalisco's and Lenox last night for Ceil's birthday. I see they're building another Peachtree high-rise pretty close to SPdL. The Pink Pig opened this past weekend. We parked next to it, and no one was there at 7:45 pm, just the employees. Not like the old days on top of the downtown store…now it’s in a heated tent. We may go back to shoot a Christmas Card photo. At Jalisco’s we were seated next to two of Jimmy Ewing’s cousins/roommates, so we had a chat.
I was off yesterday, so I have a lot of catching up to do... ...including writing recaps on the weekend, Clemson game, and Will's game, so you'll be hearing a lot from me. Didn’t break out the laptop all weekend, except to listen to the end of the GT game Saturday night…something I’ve never done before.
Since the Falcons are tied to his contract, Mike Vick will probably stay and the coaches will be replaced instead.
The people on the AJC blogs are saying that Vick was more productive when Dan Reeves was coaching. John Elway said that they would run Reeves’ offense for 3-1/2 quarters, then Reeves would tell Elway to do whatever he needed to do to win the game.
SI's Lang Whitaker won’t like my earlier Vick comments
We're going up for the Maryland – Clemson game on November 4th...more Game Notes to look forward to! I’m worried about the Tech – Clemson game…hopefully Clemson is getting the big head and will come out flat. Seems like they’ve only played patsies besides Boston College and FSU, and FSU hasn’t been tearing it up this year. I won’t get my hopes up…Tech could just as easily lose as they could win.
The Falcons aren’t getting a equitable return on their investment in Vick. He kept dropping the ball in the pocket for no apparent reason. They’d be much better using that money for something else, and play Schaub or DJ. My pet peeve has always been pro and college receivers that drop passes…both the Falcons and UGA had three this weekend. Funny that today’s AJC blogs are saying that Vick was more productive being coached by Reeves.
We had the usual busy weekend…Friday I got home, the kids were all gone, but Ceil and I were exhausted…our neighbor knocked on our door with Falcon tickets, giving me and Will something to do Sunday. With my back hurting so I normally would’ve rested Sunday, but Will had never been to an NFL game.
Will & I ate at Subway and drove downtown, finding a good parking spot near the Tabernacle. We hung out at Falcons Landing a bit, and made it to our seats an hour before kickoff…watching the kickers and punters, then the QBs warm up. Vick threw less than half as many in warm-ups that Eli did. Ex Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen is still a Giant, and he’s still huge. The Giants warned up with four lines of receivers taking throws, with two lines going each way down the field. That makes sense, since you always have at least three QBs to warm up. That made me look to see who the fourth passer was…punter Jeff Feagles, who was throwing as well as Lorenzen. Perhaps the Giants will fake a punt later in the year.
I didn’t take notes…wish I had, though I would’ve gotten some weird looks. On the radio that morning 790’s Chuck Oliver had said that Saturday night at home he had charted the plays of the Auburn / Florida game. The upper deck row 20 seats were high, but we had a great view, even though they were on the 20 yard line. With all the tailgating and jersey wearing, the crowd was late getting to their seats…well after the game had started. I can understand a late crowd for a 7 pm weekday Braves game, but not a Sunday Falcons game…one of eight home games. The pregame fireworks were nice, but there was a haze that took most of the game to clear.
Jay Feeley…every time he came out to kick, the fans would boo. I heard several comments of how he never made kicks while he was with the Falcons, when in fact I’m pretty sure that not only was he the most accurate kicker in Falcons history, he was so good that the Falcons let him go free agent than have to pay him his value. Last year he had the bad game in Seattle, but l think he’s done ok since then.
Bob Whitfield…another ex-Falcon who had written a SI article about training camp. He was playing left tackle, the new glory position that SI had run a feature article about. The only athletic thing I saw Whitfield do all day was push…I hardly saw him run all day.
When the Giants scored their last TD there was still well over five minutes to go in the game. The lead was only 13, but still huge numbers in the crowd left. I’m wired different, I guess…if I make such an investment in time and money on something that only happens eight times a year, I’m going to get there early and stay late. Amazing all the people that did the opposite…unless they were given tickets, which certainly could be the case. A fan chugged a squeeze bottle of ketchup for Falcon tickets, and the announcer asked “what would YOU do for Falcon tickets?” I heard a little girl behind me say “not much”!
There was a lot of standing to watch the game, which I tried to avoid to safe wear and tear on my back. The huge video screens came in handy, as did the guy next to me who didn’t stand much either. He actually dozed off during the game, as did the more rabid fan in front of me. The game wasn’t slowed by a lot of plays being replayed and reviewed…only one, which was hilarious. A Giant ran for a TD, but the replay seemed to clearly show him step out of bounds. The crowd erupted, and only then did Coach Mora walk out and throw his red flag on the field. The call was probably closer that it looked, but it was overturned. Of course the Giants then had a first and goal, and promptly scored.
A lot bothered me about the MNF game...when they got down near the goal line, for starters. I thought they ran the ball ok, but the whole game it seemed to be 3 and out. Everyone says the receivers are bad, and I guess they're right. I'd rather have Duckett backing up Dunn than that Lelie guy from Denver...at least he caught one pass.
And I love Morten Andersen, but his time may have passed. I mean, he's my age! Like the Braves would've done better had they gotten a good closer to begin the year, same with the Falcons kicker. But Morten should improve once he gets his timing down a bit. But kicking is the least of their problems.
I still say what happened to the Falcons is what happened to UGA last week, and will happen to GT this week. As Richt said after squeaking by Colorado 14-13..."the players hear their families and the media telling them how good they are" and get the big head and not play as hard, and lose.
No way GT beats Va Tech for that reason, even with two key VT starters out. Too bad, as it looks like Clemson, FSU, and Miami look beatable this year...Tech could go into the UGA game with one loss. I could see those 18 year olds on the flats think they're something after winning 3 straight, forgetting that it was Samford, Troy, and UVA.
What did you think about the GT throwback uniforms last week? You know I loved them.
Just when we get over Jenny Ewing's death, Ceil's good friend's 11 year old son goes to school healthy and basically has a stroke. Yesterday he had brain surgery at Piedmont, with a 10% chance of not surviving. The surgery when as good as it could've, so hopefully he'll recover 100%.
His dad is the one that works for Turner, composing music. He's won two Emmys, one for last year's Travis Tritt Turner South Braves commercial. He also did the current Braves commercial with M C Hammer, Dale Murphy, Sid Bream, and Phil Niekro.
Driving back from Orlando last Friday, I wanted to get back into Georgia before getting gas, to get it cheaper. I was cruising along and noticed the gas gauge had dropped to empty. Usually that means I still have a gallon or two, but I wanted to be more careful on the highway. I spied a billboard touting gas for $2.139 sixteen miles ahead at the Adel exit, so I made that my goal. Making it to the exit, I noticed two stations had regular for $2.099...even better. I picked the BP station, as it looked cleaner and more modern.
The BP had twelve hoses, but there was only a lone pickup truck filling up in the middle. I pulled up on the outside, and noticed that while regular 87 octane was indeed $2.099 and hi-test also at the advertised $2.299, the mid-grade 89 octane registered on the pump at a price of $1.909 per gallon. The sign said it should be $2.199. I checked another pump...it too read $1.909.
Being a good citizen (ok, I didn't want to pay $2.199), I went inside and asked the clerk. He said it should be $2.199, and went outside and discovered the error. We checked the middle pump, and I noticed the pickup was filling up with the more expensive lower grade 87 regular grade. Meanwhile, I was able to fill up with the mid-grade 89 octane for only $1.909 a gallon, a savings of 29 cents a gallon!
Poor George O’Leary. His Central Florida Golden Knights had overcome two unsuccessful two-point conversion attempts in the second half of the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve, so O’Leary went to his reliable senior kicker Matt Prater and played for the tie. Down by ten late in the fourth quarter, Prater booted a 46-yard field goal to get the Knights within a touchdown.
Prater then executed a successful on-sides kick, practiced and run to perfection. The ESPN announcers noted that the kicker tied the ball up on the ground, leaning next to and against the black kicking tee. When Prater squibbed the ball, it took the usual two low bounces followed by a high bounce, resulting in the usual jump ball. But instead of going for the ball, two members of the Central Florida kickoff team plowed forward, blocking back members of the Nevada receiving team. Good coaching…and execution. Central Florida recovered, and marched down the field to score a touchdown. Down by one, O’Leary again called on Prater to tie the game. OT Baby!
On the East Coast thousands were attending midnight mass, celebrating a different baby. Like in millions of households, my three children were a snug in their beds as my wife, her parents, and I scrambled about, preparing for the fun morning just hours away. My duties almost complete, I was finally able to focus on this suddenly exciting bowl game.
Nevada lost the toss, but drove down the field, converted a third down, and scored a touchdown. The extra point gave them a seven-point lead. Central Florida took over on offense and ran left for a six yard gain. Then Kevin Smith ran right, and the freshman halfback bolted into the open and dashed to the end zone for a touchdown. As the veteran Prater once again trotted onto the field, perhaps O’Leary turned his thoughts to the upcoming defensive series.
As a former kicker in high school, I concentrated all the more on the television screen. Field goals, even boring point-after attempts, were just as fun for me to watch as any football other play. Nothing gets my goat more than several replays of a touchdown overlapping the extra-point kick. The only time a kick is replayed is when something "bad" happens. Sometimes even missed extra points aren’t replayed! Why? Everyone knows the answer…kickers get no respect.
Take the New York Giant’s Jay Feely. He became a popular guy the last few years kicking for Atlanta. The Falcons play in a kicker’s perfect environment…a dome. Artificial turf, no crown, instead a perfectly flat field. Certainly no wind. Feely converted over 80% of his field goals, chatted on the radio, became a darling to the kind Atlanta press and fans, and raised money for his charities. He had as good a life as a kicker could have. But when his contract expired, his worth was more than the Falcons wished to pay. So he went to the opposite end of the football universe…outdoors, grass, wind, cold, inclement northeastern weather…as well as the New York City press.
Things go well for a while. Feely is consistent, the Giants are winning, and he makes a United Way commercial. Then he missed three late field goals against the Seahawks. Seattle’s Josh Brown makes his chip shot overtime field goal and becomes the hero. Cameras focus on Feely, head down on the bench. He is roasted in the press and even becomes the subject of a Saturday Night Live skit. Since then Feely’s kicking has rebounded and his upbeat attitude has remained in place, though life in New York will never be the bliss he experienced in the ATL.
Same with Todd Peterson of the Falcons. After eleven low-key years with five teams, Peterson was able to sign with his home state team, who were fresh off an appearance in the NFC conference championship game. Peterson was perfect well into the season, and even kicked a game winner in San Antonio…after he was given a second chance when his miss was erased by a penalty. Yesterday his overtime 28-yard game winning chip shot was blocked, and the Falcons’ slim playoff hopes were extinguished. But Peterson’s faith and good attitude keeps things in perspective for him.
Matt Prater was a college senior, playing in perhaps the last football game of his life. A nice resume…4th team Sporting News all-freshman team, numerous highlights as both a kicker and punter, a psychology major. This year his stats weren’t bad…17 of 26 field goals made, with a long of 49. His career long of 53 yards came in his first college game, surely a glorious day at Penn State.
Earlier in the game Prater had shanked a forty-yard attempt. A kicker is dependent on his center and holder, and this time the snap had been imperfect. He did make all his extra-points and three field goals, from 47, 38, and 46 yards, moving him into second place on the UCF career field goal list.
His thoughts as he lined up for the overtime extra-point were probably normal kicker thoughts…get it off quick, get it up in the air. Maybe he thought to not pull the kick left. A veteran kicker surely used to pressure situations, the game circumstance probably didn’t cross his mind. But the touchdown had come quickly, and perhaps this threw Prater off. Perhaps he was about to begin his red-zone routine, as the Knights had just gone back on offense, and he had no chance to properly prepare his head and leg.
The snap and set were good, and Prater got the kick off quickly. The ball immediately went right. Prater finished his follow-through with his head down, then looked up, expecting the kick to be good. He appeared to be shocked with the result, and flung off his chinstraps in disgust. Merry Christmas.
Keep your head up, Matt. Just ask Jay Feely or Todd Peterson. There’s a little more to Christmas than a football game.
Word is out that AOL/Time Warner is looking to sell the Atlanta Braves. Who should the new owner be?The three early favorites…past owner Ted Turner, Falcons owner/Home Depot co-founder Authur Blank, and former Braves/Hawks/Thrashers exectutive Stan Kasten…all would be good choices.They're committed to winning, know how to build a successful organization, and how to balance the delicate art of leading out front versus staying out of the way.They also know you can’t build a winning team on the cheap, and losing is no fun for owners or fans.
But there’s only one great choice.
These days Turner stays busy, doing what he likes, sitting on corporate boards, tending his herds of bison, expanding his Ted’s Montana Grill chain, playing the wise old wizard role.Blank sits back, enjoys his Falcons, and lets his wife run the philontropic arm.But the younger Kasten is still in the empire building stage, a shark on the prowl, organizing a group to purchase the Washington Nationals.Stan’s the man.
Kasten put the Braves in position to start the most successful roll of any team in history.He is focused on being the best, though he was never able to make the Hawks a winner (bad GM and coaching choices?). Many don't like Stan because he doesn't detail to the press negative organizational situations, instead remaining positive. Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr is the same way, and he's pretty popular. It's not their job to inform the outside world of all the particulars of bad things going on with the team, contract negotiations, and potential free agents.Now that he’s out from the umbrella, Kasten articulates his opinions freely…except on the status of the purchase of the Nationals.Politically correct because he wants to return to the fray, there’s much more under that dome than what he lets out. Mentioned as a successor to MLB commissioner Bud Selig, he’d much rather own a team and win World Series.
One similarity of Turner, Blank, and Kasten is how they became successful…they worked their way up.Turner built his father’s small billboard business into an empire, expanded a tiny cable channel, bought the Braves, and created a worldwide broadcasting network.Blank had an idea, opened a store, and expanded it worldwide.Out of college, Kasten wrote letters to all the MLB teams, offering to work for free.Approached Turner at a game in St. Louis, and worked his way up the ranks, eventually running three major sports franchises.Either would make a much better owner than some huge corporation.
AOL/Time Warner views the Braves like any other division of their empire.Are they making us money?Are they an asset?After cutting payroll twenty million and still losing money, AOL/Time Warner wants to get rid of it’s unprofitable division.Reasonable decision for a corporation in business to make a profit, to satisfy shareholders. When Turner sold his broadcasting empire to Time Warner, the Braves were one piece of the pie.Typical example of how sports franchises are acquired by corporations…part of the deal.Individuals buy teams for love, power, ego…not to make money.
Look how the Hawks Joe Johnson trade played out.When the other Hawks owners wanted to trade two number one draft picks plus the little-used Boris Diaw to the Suns for Johnson and his $70 million contract, owner Steve Belken took his ball and went home.Sold his share to the others. When Johnson didn’t turn the team into a winner in the first ten games, Belkin played the “I told you so” line.After that quote the Hawks have won three of four, including a decisive victory in Cleveland. Way too early to make such judgements.
The perfect owner?Open the checkbook, provide an attractive facility, AND avoid national embarrassment.Sail an impressive ship regularly deep into the playoffs, annually competing for titles.Ted donned fake stirrups one fateful night in Pittsburgh and rode an ostrich.Arthur pushed Michael Vick’s wheelchair, but for the most part they’ve been well above reproach. Now it's Kasten's time to take the Braves even higher.
No relation to Dale! Lifetime Georgia boy...enjoys visiting the rest of the USA. The CPA is my buddy with a finger on the pulse of MLB. I'm a GT grad who also appreciates UGA. Love the Braves & MLB, tolerate the Falcons, Hawks, & Thrashers. A worker bee enjoying Little League & ballet - my excuse for not having hours to write & research. More ramblings can be found at www.sacrifice fly.blogspot. com
