Make the Correct Calls, Or Else Ditch Replay Last week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a Colts kick returner fumbled while apparently tripping over an invisible line. The referees ruled the player down by contact, but the Chicago Bears challenged that the player was not down by contact, and that they recovered the fumble. After review, it was painfully obvious that the Colts runner was not touched and fumbled in mid-air. The call stood as called due to, apparently, the ref's being unable to determine who recovered the football, even though Bear's running back Garrett Wolfe emerged from the pile with the ball in hand. Yesterday during the Broncos-Chargers game (in which Broncos coach boldly--and successfully--went for a 2-point conversion down by 1 point with 0:24 remaining), Broncos QB Jay Cutler clearly fumbled a ball that was originally called an incomplete pass, and the Chargers recovered the would-be fumble. After the booth review, since it was inside the 2-minute warning, the call was not overturned. Don't ask me how the Broncos ended up with possession 8 yards back from the previous play because I don't have the slightest clue how that can be possible if the pass was incomplete. A correct call on that play and the Chargers are in first place this week rather than Denver. The point is: If the NFL and its referees cannot overturn a slam dunk replay, the ditch the replay rule all together. It is indeed only slowing down the game and wasting time if they can't overturn the most obvious of mistakes.
Only Fourteen Games to go, Chiefs Fans The Kansas City Chiefs have started out 0-2, and with the way they've played, I see no reason to believe things are going to get any better. During these two miserable games, they've allowed 9 sacks while achieving only 2, can't run the football, can't stop the run, and their asinine, convservative playbook is producing only 9.0 points per game. These are al the same problems that plagued them last year, en route to a 4-12 season, a 31st ranked offense, and a current 11-game regular season losing streak. Yesterday, an apparently healthy QB Damon Huard, who was recently ranked by foxsports.com as the 6th best backup QB in the entire NFL, and who was starting this game due to an injury to opening day starter Brodie Croyle, was pulled from the starting lineup in lieu of a practice squad WR Marques Hagans. Hagans was replaced by 3rd stringer Tyler Thigpen after one play, a QB draw. Hagans was inserted later in the game, for a 2nd down and 17 to go, a play in which he also ran a QB draw. Thigpen rarely attempted a throw longer than 10 yards, as evidenced by his atrocious 4.57 yards per attempt. With any luck, the Chiefs will lose the next 14 games, and by finishing 0-16, the Hunt family will have no choice but to fire GM Carl Peterson, HC Herm Edwards, and every single one of Edward's awful assistants. The worst thing that can happen to a Chiefs fan at this point is for the team to come back and finish with a respectable record, thus buying Peterson and Edwards more time to further screw up the team.
Patriots Win, But Skeptisicm Remains. I watched most of the Pats-Jets game yesterday and picked the Jets in my weekly Pro Football Pick'em on fantasysports.yahoo.com. Though the Patriots won without the best player in the NFL, QB Tom Brady, I'm planning on staying as far away from them in picks for the next couple weeks. I need to see the team play more games minus Brady before I can conclusively say that they are still a serious contender. After the Brady injury, I predicted they could do no better than 10 wins, more likely, 8. Brady makes that big of a difference. Will I pick them this week at home to beat the 0-2 Miami Dolphins? Yes. But I'm not all that confident about it, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see the 'Fins pull the upset. I'm also in a Survivor Pool on Yahoo, and there is no way I am circling New England this week. Instead, I'll look at Buffalo at home against Oakland, Chicago at home against Tampa, or Denver at home against New Orleans.
Young/Vazquez Trade a Good One for D-Backs and White Sox CF Chris Young of the Diamondbacks looks to be a stud prospect boasting speed, power, and outstanding defense. Much has been made of the former White Sox farmhand, who, on December 20, 2005 was traded along with Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino to Arizona for SP Javier Vazquez. I've heard general comments from White Sox fans saying that it was a mistake to trade Young, and recently Foxsports.com's own Ken Rosenthal quipped that this past offseason's acquisition of Carlos Quentin from Arizona would finally help ease the pain of losing out on Young to Arizona. What seems left out in this talk every time is that the White Sox acquired a bona fide #1 or #2 starter in Vazquez, who is MLB's second leading strikeout pitcher since 2001 and went 15-8 with a 3.74 ERA in 2007 while playing his home games in hitter friendly U.S. Cellular Field for a 4th place team that lost 90 games. Sure, the White Sox could use the speedy CFer in their leadoff spot right now, but something tells me that their GM Kenny Williams wouldn't be willing to give up Vazquez to re-acquire him. A potential 30/30 OFer is about the going rate these days for an Ace.
Rays' Seeason a Pleasant Surprise But... This in response to Foxsports.com's Dayn Perry'scolumn that the Tampa Bay [Devil] Rays winning season is great for baseball. It sure is nice to see somebody besides New York and Boston atop the A.L. East, but I greatly fear a Tampa divisional title would give MLB execs a false sense of parity in baseball. (By the way, they will always be the Devil Rays to me, just as the Angels will always be the Anaheim Angels, or occasionally, the California Angels). Before this season, I'd have given the Devil Rays a 0% of ever making the playoffs under MLB's current structure. I now see that they are a legitimate contender for the not only the division, but the pennant. However, these types of seasons are few and far between. MLB is in desperate need of a salary cap that would give other small(er) market teams a more fair chance more often. All top notch free agents have three teams that can afford to sign them: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mets; once in a while the Cubs, Dodgers, or Angels will join the mix. In a couple seasons when the Devil Rays' players hit free agency, they will let them walk and they'll stink again... that is if they don't head towards Marlin-i-zation and trade them all before it even gets that far. The Red Sox and Yankees will never stink so long as they are allowed to throw money around like it's candy.
Whatifsports (WIS) a Must See for Any Sports Fan Here is a unpaid advertisement for www.whatifsports.com, a subsidiary of Foxsports.com. WIS is just an amazing website, and if you're a sports fan who hasn't heard about it yet, you should check it out immediately. Ever been sitting in a bar with your buddies and argue about who would win a series between the 1927 Yankees and the 1969 Mets? Or how about Grant Hill and Christian Laettner vs Bobby Knight's undefeated Indiana team? '72 Dolphins against the '85 Bears? Jordan's Bulls against Wilt's Lakers? Whatifsports uses a highly complex simulation to match any historical teams in MLB, NFL, NBA, CBB, NHL, and CFB, and then generates a box score with play by play so you can read it as if the game were actually played. I've simmed all these games and hundreds more and I can't get enough. WIS also has SimLeagues where you can mix and match players from any era on any team and form your all time dream team (How about Nolan Ryan throwing pirtches to Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate with Brooks Robinson, Ozzie Smith, Roberto Alomar, and Keith Hernandez as their infield defense?). My favorite though is the Dyansty leagues. I'm in a MLB Hardball Dynasty where I get to play GM of a baseball franchise complete with 5 minor league teams. There's a Rule 5 draft, amatuer draft, international free agents, and full trades and free agent signing. It's just absolutely awesome.
Bears Should Keep Benson Count me in the minority of Bears fans who think that they should not release RB Cedric Benson, even in spite of his most recent run-in with the law. The Bears drafted the back whom they obviously believe will carry the bulk of the load in Matt Forte from Tulane. First, I don't think it's ever a good idea to hand a starting job to a rookie unless the team is in full-blown rebuilding mode, and the Bears think they can compete in the NFC North, especially with the retirement of a certain quarterback famous for a number '4' on his jersey. It is quite obvious at this time that Benson will never pan out to be the back the Bears thought he would be when they drafted him fourth overall in 2005, but that doesn't mean he can't be productive. Benson had a couple of halfway decent seasons as a backup to Thomas Jones before taking the starting reigns last season. He's also the best available insurance policy in case Forte gets hurt or dissapoints.
Announcers have duty to disclose the No-Hitter I was driving home late last night listening to the White Sox-Twins radio broadcast on Chicago's WSCR 670 AM on Tuesday. Late in the game, the Sox had a significant lead, but the Twins, I knew, had one run on the board. The White Sox radio team of Ed Farmer and Steve Stone, declined to announce over the waves that Sox starting pitcher Gavin Floyd had yet to yield a hit to Minnesota. As a White Sox fan, I sure would have appreciated the knowledge of history possibly in the making. I definitely would have listened more intently, as my mind often wonders while listening to baseball games on the radio. Farmer, the play-by-play man, instead said "One run and two errors for the Twins," instead of blurting out "Gavin Floyd has a no-hitter." It never dawned on me, until Justin Morneau doubled to left center field and Farmer finally came clean, that the White Sox had come this close to one of baseball's remarkable feats. While other players should not mess around with their teammate's head by making him aware of the situation, it is the announcer's job to tell the whole story, and Floyd's possible no-no was a big part of the picture.
Chiefs' fans don't expect to win Don't worry, I'm not going to beat a dead horse. This isn't going to be a rant on how much I hate Carl Peterson, or Herm Edwards. This is actually to point out that fans of the Kansas City Chiefs have grown content with losing. In recent blogs (in which I have lambasted Chief's management and called for their heads on sticks outside Arrowhead Stadium) other Chiefs' fans have accused me of over-reacting (among many other things). One Chiefs' fan commented that "13 [draft] picks this year and [next year's draft] should give [the Chiefs] a chance to compete for the AFC West title in 2010." Another posted "Even if they do finish 8-8, I will know that they are on there [sic] to greatness the following year." There was also talk of "getting ready for a championship run," and one guy even said "I don't mind being a .500 team as long as we beat the few teams we need to (you know, division rivals)." Chiefs' fans are pathetic in this manner. They are ok with rebuilding, and then two or three years later making a run at winning the division. They are ok with finishing .500 as long as they beat the stupid Raiders. Frankly, they are ok with mediocrity. Quite simply, any sports fan content with mediocrity for any reason is a loser. Sports isn't about competing for the division, beating your division rivals, or making a run at a championship. Sports are about winning the championship. If that doesn't happen, the season was a failure, but fans of the Chiefs often seem to overlook the biggest, most important part of sports.
Now that the dust as all but settled on the Jared Allen trade, and I have had time to evaluate what has recently taken place with Kansas City Chief offseason events, I have a few thoughts on the upcoming season and what I would do if I were the the GM in Kansas City (Oh, how I love to pretend I run my own NFL team).
Allen led the NFL in sacks last year, despite playing in only 14 games.
As a Chiefs fan, I'm quite obviously upset, and my initial reaction was that of fury. But then, I was able to read further into the details of the trade, and I realized a few things: 1) Getting a first and two third round picks for a franchise player isn't all that bad of a deal. 2) There was no way Allen was ever going to sign a long-term contract with Kansas City (and could you blame him?), and they would have lost him for nothing at the end of the season. 3) The Vikings completely overpaid for Allen financially.
I wrote in December that the Chief's top offseason priority should have been to sign Jared Allen to a longterm contract. At the time, the figure I had in mind was around 5 years and $55 million. He ended up signing a contract getting in excess of $70 million for 6 years, which reportedly includes $31 million in guaranteed money.
Allen is easily one of the top three DEs in the NFL, but he's not quite worth that much dough.
Just because I have come to the realization that Allen and the Chiefs were just not a match made to work out, doesn't mean I'm happy about the trade, however (Likewise, even though pulling the plug on Grandma's life support is the right thing to do, that doesn't mean I'm going out to the bars to celebrate).
I'm happy for Allen, who becomes rich beyond my wildest dreams. And I'm happy for the Vikings, who now own the NFL's best pass rushing end and best overall defensive front four. But I'm upset as a Chiefs fan, primarily because I know the Chiefs have absolutely no chance to make the playoffs next year, and most likely will not sniff .500 for several years to come.
If the Chiefs were serious about trying to win this upcoming season, they might have followed a plan similar to what I outlined in my December writing (link above). But it appears that they will not come close to achieving any of my goals.
I could much more easily come to accept this trade if Tamba Hali, the other starter at DE for Kansas City, were almost as good as Allen, and if they had a third DE about as good as Hali. As of now, the Chiefs have nobody capable of applying consistent pressure on the passer, which weakens their entire defense. The Chiefs likely figure to draft a DE in the first round, and if that player is drafted fifth overall as speculation has, the Chiefs will have to pay him about $20 guaranteed (last year's fifth pick got $18.1 million). I don't often make guarantees, but I will guarantee that neither Chris Long nor Vernon Gholston will be anywhere near as good a player as Jared Allen, a DE who comes around once every 8-10 years. Which tells me that either Long or Gholston would be paid about two-thirds the amount Allen would get for about a quarter of the production.
Another thing to take into consideration is the opportunity cost of drafting a DE with that 5th pick. As terrible as the offense was last year, I was desperately hoping for that pick to help the offensive side of the ball. Now they have a big void to fill at their rush end position.
The Chiefs do have gaps all over the place, but their one major malfunction, as I have written about so much recently, is that their GM, Carl Peterson, has an awful track record of drafting, especially recently. Over the past 8 NFL drafts (dating back to 2000), he has drafted only three Pro Bowl players. Two of them are no longer with the team (Dante Hall and Allen) and the third will probably never be the same due to overwork and injury (Larry Johnson). Peterson had his run in the early 90's but the game has changed and his way is outdated. I don't trust the Chiefs to draft a quarterback because that player is doomed to failure due to the fact that coach Herm Edwards runs an offense not conducive for a young QB to learn and develop (far too conservative). The Chiefs need a front five to protect whomever their QB is next year, but a Peterson drafted offensive linemen has not made the Pro Bowl in a Chief's uniform since.... Will Shields, picked in 1993. In the Peterson ERA (going back to 1988!), the Chiefs have yet to draft a Pro Bowl QB, WR, OT, or DT. The last Safety to go to a Pro Bowl was Jerome Woods (selected 1996), the last CB was Dale Carter (1992), and the last LB was Derrick Thomas (1989). So yes, Kansas City has 13 draft choices in 2008 and will need every last one of them to fill the myriad of holes on both sides of the ball. But I have ZERO confidence in Peteron's ability to adequately fill those holes given his recent failures in the draft. Alex Marvez recently rated the Chiefs number 21 out of 32 NFL teams in best drafts over the last five years.
There are a few players left on this team that I still like and will root for, but I find myself feeling sorry for them. Which is why I am sad to admit that I hope the Chiefs will attempt to trade Tony Gonzalez, Donnie Edwards, Patrick Surtain, and Johnson to contending teams. It kills me that Gonzalez, who in my opinion is the best TE in NFL history, gets knocked on by fans of other teams because he has never even won a playoff game, let alone a Super Bowl.
I am also sad to admit that I am hoping that the Chiefs go 0-16 in 2008. It has nothing to do with wanting a top draft choice (remember, I don't believe Peterson is adequate enough to successfully draft a Pro Bowl player in any round). It's because I think that might be the only way the Hunt family ever gathers enough stones to send Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards to the unemployment line. Edwards is a good defensive coach but he has ruined the once proud Chief's offense. The year before Edwards got to Kansas City, they had the #2 offense in the NFL and finished with a 10-6 record. In his first season they won 9 games, and last year they went 4-12, lost 9 games in a row, and had the 31st ranked offense. Hali and Derrick Johnson are much ballywhoed starters recently drafted by Peterson, but they have combined to make 0 Pro Bowls and Edwards has failed to develop them. I expect more from first round picks. Being a "good player" isn't good enough for me. Johnson was the 15th pick in the draft. I expect that by his third season he'd be one of the top OLBs in the NFL by now. He's not.
The worst thing that could happen to the Chiefs is that they rebound next year and finish 8-8. That gives the Hunt's a false sense of security seeing that they have improved. Peterson and Edwards absolutely must go. The Kansas City Chiefs will never win a Super Bowl under their leadership.
And isn't that what this league is about? Winning the Super Bowl? It's high time for the city of Kansas City to wake up and stop being content with "being a contender," "showing improvement," "making the playoffs," and being "a team on the rise." I don't care if they win the division. And I'm not happy with settling for an AFC Championship appearance. I want a Super Bowl win, and this trade of Allen sets the team back a few more years.
I was out in Las Vegas over the weekend and took notice of the favorites to win the Super Bowl next year. Your Kansas City Chiefs, at 225-1 odds, are tied with the Falcons for the worst odds to win the Championship.
I'm not the least bit surprised. They don't have a clue. GM Carl Peterson, he of the two playoff wins in 20 years as the President of the team, doesn't believe in signing free agents, so he's let talented players such as Bernard Berrian, and Alan Faneca, two players I was desperately hoping the Chiefs would take a look at, sign elsewhere. Instead Peterson has opted to bring in two free agents I've never heard of: WR Devard Darling, and LB Demorrio Williams. Peterson's strategy of relying heavily on the draft (much like the Pittsburgh Steelers) to replenish talent is not entirely bad in and of itself. Except that Peterson can't draft! Since 2000 (8 total NFL drafts), Peterson has drafted three Pro Bowlers (Dante Hall, Larry Johnson, and Jared Allen). Over that time, Pittsburgh has draftd six Pro Bowlers but three more are worthy.
The Chiefs have the second lowest payroll in the NFL, about $45 million less than what New England spent last year. They've just recently released high salaried players Ty Law ($5 million), and Eddie Kennison ($2.1 million), and a host of other players (Kendrell Bell, Eddie Drummond, Greg Wesley, and Samie Parker), players whose salries total in excess of $10 million, don't figure to be back. There's no reason Kansas City couldn't have been a bigger player in the Faneca sweepstakes. I've heard nothing about the Chiefs' interest in Derek Anderson or Donovan McNabb either.
The biggest problem with Peterson's philosophy is his goal at the beginning of every season. As we learned on HBO's Hard Knocks last year, Peterson addresses his subordinates each training camp stating that the team's goal is "to win the trophy bearing our founder's name." Of course, that trophy would be that of Lamar Hunt, which goes to the team that wins the AFC each year. I wonder if Peterson realizes that by winning the Lombardi trophy he'll have automatically addressed all other trophies coming before it. If your goal isn't to win the Super Bowl, it's never going to happen.
When the Chiefs finish the 2008 season at 4-12 again, it'll be high time for Chiefs fans to see Peterson's head on a stick outside Arrowhead Stadium. While we're there, might as well bring Herm Edwards with him.
I need help. I have a new “disease”. Actually, this sickness has existed for some time now, and I’ve had it my entire adult life, but only in the past few months have I realized and come to accept that I am AAS positive. That is to say, I’m an Adult Autograph Seeker.
That’s right. I’m a grown adult of 27 years of age, and I enjoy meeting professional athletes and asking for their signature on a piece of memorabilia. Since graduating high school I have meet several Chicago area athletes like Mike Singletary, Jon Garland, Neal Cotts, and Brandon McCarthy, and I have their signatures on photos and baseballs to prove it. I have spent my own hard earned money to purchase autographs from other collectors as well. These athletes include (among many others) Tom Brady, Tony Gonzalez, Derrick Johnson, #### Butkus and Frank Thomas.
I couldn’t dream of going to a professional game without bringing Sharpie and something for somebody to scribble their name on. What if I came face to face with one of my favorite players? I couldn’t let myself live that down. Oh yeah, and I still bring my glove to baseball games too. I'm sooooooo bad.
Obtaining autographs was something I enjoyed as a kid, and I guess I never grew out of it. I can remember meeting many all-time greats. My first autograph was Hank Aaron, so I was off to a good start. Although I was only seven at the time and I barely knew who this man was, let alone why my dad gave $10 to wait in line at the Villa Park Odium to get his autograph, I remember being honored to meet a man who had so many fans. That same day I got Willie Stargell and Stan Mikita’s autographs too. Mikita signed a game used hockey stick from his playing days in the early 1970’s. Good ol’ Dad broke his stick skating at the ice arena where the Blackhawks used to practice and an attendant let him borrow a stick from Mikita’s personal bag. My dad used the stick for about 5 seconds before taking it out to the car and driving home. That is one heck of a souvenir!
In my childhood I also attended a Blackhawks practice and got to meet and get signatures from Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, Doug Wilson, and Ed Belfour. At a card show once I met a young White Sox rookie named Alex Fernandez, who apparently was not quite popular yet. I knew this because after purchasing a Fernandez rookie card and having him sign it, my friend and I noticed there was nobody else in line behind us, so we went back to the same dealer, bought a dozen more cards and got him to sign all of them for us. At a different show years later I met Tom Waddle and Tom Paciorek. I met Bill Cartwright at a White Sox game once.
The point is this: It was fun for me as a kid, and it’s fun for me now, so why do I get made fun of or get snickers from people just because I’m all grown up?
I guess that’s just the kid in me still, or maybe it’s the sports fan, or possibly a combination of both. I won’t give up my hobby, and I couldn’t dream of giving away or selling any of my autographs. In fact, I’m all about getting more. I don’t mind spending big money to add to my collection, but my preference will always be meeting athletes in person. When I hear radio commercials touting that so-and-so will be signing autographs at this place on this date, my ears perk and my eyes light up. God, I love that feeling.
For now, all my autographs are stored away in boxes until I can finish remodeling my basement. Then, they’ll be on display for all my friends and family to view. It’ll be my favorite room in the whole wide world. I just wish I didn’t have to be embarrassed because of my AAS disease.
18-1 Patriots. Belichick walking off the field with :01 left. Manning’s throw. Tyree’s catch. Fourth and 13. Biggest upset ever? Those rascally ’72 Dolphins. There’s so much to discuss concerning the Super Bowl and I’m ready to delve in.
New England is the Better Team In my recent memory of college and professional sports history, I cannot recall a time when I’ve looked back at the Championship game and couldn’t say “The team that won was not the better team”, moreover, the best overall team in the league. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals and this year’s New York Giants are certainly the exception.
The ’03 Wild Card Florida Marlins defeated the heavily favored Yankees in the World Series. And the ’01 Diamondbacks did the same. New England beat the powerful St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Denver beat Green Bay in Super bowl XXXII. In 2006 the Miami Heat upset the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Championship, and two years prior the Pistons upset the Lakers. 2006 also saw the underdog Florida Gators take down the mighty Buckeyes of Ohio State, and LSU beat Oklahoma in 2003. In Men’s Basketball, the Gators were the highest seed in the Final Four, even though they were seeded only as a 3, and won the National Championship.
Had the number 8 seed Edmonton Oilers beaten the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup in 2006 (they lost in 7 games), I would have had almost no choice but to acknowledge them as the best team in the NHL, even though their regular season record was only 41-28-13. Carolina won 52 games, the Red Wings, who lost to Edmonton in the first round, won 58.
The list goes on and on and on. But the point of all this rambling is that the better team did not win on Sunday.
I wrote in December that the Patriots are the best team ever... Even if they lose, and I stand firm in that belief. When I’m asked in 10 years who the best NFL team in history was, I’ll say the ’07 Patriots. If they played the Giants 10 times, they might beat them 8. I give credit to the Giants for playing a hell o####ame and beating the best team ever, but New York, despite Sunday’s results, was not the best team from the 2007 NFL season.
I Rooted for the Pats Because They Deserved It Ordinarily, barring an actual rooting interest in a title game such as my favorite team playing in it, I like to root for the underdog. But I wanted the Patriots to win not because I like them, but because they played like the best team all season long and it would have put a nice cap on the season. I wanted to see them go undefeated. I would so love for a team to someday go 19-0 so that those pompous ’72 Dolphins would shut up (Ok, so the Patriots are pompous and arrogant too, but they’re the lesser of two evils for me right now). I also rarely, if ever, root for any New York team (You New Yorkers really do have a way of making Chicago feel like the “Second City”). So yeah, I’m disappointed today. Nobody will ever agree with me that the ’07 Pats are the best team of all times, and everybody will tell me I’m crazy because they didn’t win the Super Bowl. I think the rest of the world is just closed-minded. Listen, there have been other teams that have gone 18-1, 17-2, 16-3, and so on. They are in the discussion for best team, too. It doesn’t matter when your one loss came, in my opinion, as the 1998 Minnesota Vikings are also on my list of greatest NFL teams ever and they lost in the NFC Championship.
Any classy sports hero is in attendance to congratulate the athletes who break their records. Not these clowns.
The Patriots had one loss, and it was unfortunate for them it came in the Super Bowl. But looking at this season and seeing who they played and how they won was incredible. The 1972 Dolphins only played two games all season long against teams who finished with a winning record. The Patriots beat the Cowboys in Dallas. They beat the Colts in Indianapolis. They beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. And they absolutely destroyed two really good teams, the Jaguars and Chargers, at home in the playoffs. Heck, they even beat the eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants in the regular season. They had the best offense in NFL history, (arguably, by the time his career is over) the best QB in NFL history, and the second best WR in NFL history, not to mention one of the top five coaches in NFL history. That’s my case and I’m sticking to it.
Belichick Gives More Reasons to Hate Him Nobody outside of New England likes Bill Belichick. From his ridiculous answers to questions at press conferences, to his Spygate scandal, to his hideous wardrobe, he’s an easy guy to dislike. Here’s two more reasons: His arrogance propelled him to go for it on 4th and 13 rather than kick a 49-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter. That field goal, had Stephen Gostkowski made it, would have ended up sending the Super Bowl into overtime for the first time in history. The Patriots were accused on many occasions of running up the score by going for easy fourth and one’s all season long, but they did so when they were well ahead and late in the game. This play made little sense. No weather, no wind, and a decent kicker. Should have been a no-brainer.
But that’s not all. Belichick walked off the field with one second left in the game, and in his post-game interview with the media, never congratulated the New York Giants on a tremendous victory. Bill Belichick is a sore loser.
The Play that Needs a Nickname If you watched the game you know exactly what I’m talking about. Manning does his best Harry Houdini impression and escapes the grasp of two Patriot rushers, then rifles a jump ball down to David Tyree who makes a spectacular catch while falling backwards, trapping the ball between his wrists, fingers, and helmet. Nobody ever heard of Tyree before this game, but moments after scoring his first touchdown of the season, he arguably outdoes Lynn Swann for the best catch in a Super Bowl, thus cementing his name in history. Swann’s catch was surely more acrobatic and athletic, but Tyree’s was a brilliant combination of luck, balance, and more importantly, clutch. Hard to imagine anybody making a better, clutch catch, ever.
Tyree's catch was better, and more clutch, than this one.
Franco Hariss didn’t make a great play; he was merely in the right place at the right time for the “Immaculate Reception.” Dwight Clark made “The Catch” in the NFC Championship game, not the Super Bowl. I’ve heard a few suggestions for what this play might go down in history as being called, but haven’t liked one enough to make it official just yet. Maybe some readers will leave suggestions as comments to this blog.
I'm not impressed with Manning's playoff run.
Eli Manning is Still Just Average Eli Manning played four great games in the playoffs and fared well in the Super Bowl, winning the MVP. I can understand why Eli was given the award; it’s because the real MVP of the game, the Giant’s pass rush, was just too broad, and the best player from that unit, Justin Tuck, just wouldn’t have been quite as “sexy” of a pick as Manning. Here’s the thing though. Before anybody starts touting Manning as an upper echelon quarterback just for winning the Super Bowl, just remember that the four good playoff games he played is a small sample size in comparison to the fact that he’s played three full seasons as a starter and hasn’t had a quarterback rating higher than 77.0, hasn’t thrown more than 24 touchdowns in a season, and hasn’t had fewer than 18 interceptions in a season. I’m no fool. Winning a Super Bowl MVP isn’t going to distract me from the fact that he’s still Eli Manning and still hasn’t played a full season worthy of taking him with the first overall pick in the draft.
The “Roy Williams
Rule.” It was put into place because the
Dallas Cowboy safety was the player primarily responsible for ending several
player’s seasons via the horse collar tackle.
Williams has been at this since entering the league, and it’s time the
NFL makes an example out of him.
Most recently, Williams put the hurtin’ on Eagle’s QB Donovan McNabb. Though
McNabb was not seriously injured on the play, Williams drew a 15-yard
penalty. Williams’ current teammate and former
Eagle, Terrell Owens, was a 2004
victim of Williams and ended up missing the team’s first two playoff games,
almost costing them a trip to the Super Bowl.
The horse collar tackle adds significant and unnecessary risk to the game. Through the years, it has caused many
Achilles and calf injuries, and also has broken several ankles. It’s frustrating and painful for the injured
player to go through rehab, his team is worse off without him, and the fans
become angry.
Though Williams is not the only culprit in this crime, the rule was put into
place because of him and he remains today the primary offender, as the McNabb
penalty was Williams’ fourth in the last two seasons.
A one-game suspension is not nearly enough, as it has now become blatantly obvious
that Williams has not learned from his previous mistakes. He should be given a 5-game suspension, and
be forced to serve it during the playoffs if the Cowboys advance. This sort of punishment is unprecedented, but
it’s high time the NFL take proactive action against this ferocious
penalty. And Williams should be made the
example.
Dallas coach Wade Phillips, furthermore, is off his rocker for defending his
player. Attributing his actions to
having “strong hands” and not being able to adjust to the new rule, Phillips
apparently gives merit to the appeal that Williams filed today. Phillips continued “And the way it is now,
they tape those jerseys in the back, so you can't grab them, you can't hold on
to them.” Yeah, Wade, they do it so
their career doesn’t come to an abrupt end, no thanks to foul play from a
certain Cowboy defender.
Here’s hoping the NFL upholds the suspension and issues warning that further
penalties, especially from Roy Williams, will not be taken lightly.
As any fan of any team does this time of the year when their
team is all but eliminated from the playoff chase, I am posturing what the
Kansas City Chiefs could do to improve their team for the 2008 season. Here are the moves I would make if I were in
charge, and also my estimated probability of the actual Chief’s GM, Carl Peterson, making those moves.
Top Priority: Put the Franchise Tag on Jared Allen and sign him to a 5-year contract if possible. Reason: Allen has proven in
his four seasons that he’s one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL and with
him in the lineup, the Chiefs are able to put pressure on the opposing
quarterback while only rushing four men.
Allen’s 11.5 sacks leads the AFC despite his missing the first two regular
season games while serving a suspension. Estimated Probability: 93%
of the Franchise Tag, 40% of getting the long-term contract.
Allen is deserving of a huge free agent contract this year.
Next Priority: Sign unrestricted free agent OG Alan Faneca to a 5-year contract. Reason: The Chiefs
are in desperate need of offensive linemen and wide receivers, and even though
their line was still above average last year after the retirement of Willie Roaf, they are terrible this
year after losing Will Shields. Beefing up their interior line would go a
long way towards putting them back in contention. They could move Brian Waters over to RG and keep Faneca at his customary LG. The Chiefs need to add a guard and two
tackles this off season. Estimated Probability:
Signing high priced free agents to long term contracts is not Peterson’s
style. The last time I can remember it
happening was when he signed Chester
McGlockton to a 6-year, $36 million contract about 10 years ago. That being the case, 5%.
Next Priority: Release every single wide receiver on the
team except for Dwayne Bowe Reason: With the exception of Bowe, this group has to be
considered one of the worst receiving corps in recent NFL history. Samie
Parker hardly deserves to be on a team’s practice squad, and Eddie Kennison, at age 34, could not
successfully return to form after suffering a lower leg injury on the season’s
very first play. I have very little
faith in any of the other role players such as Jeff Webb and Bobby Sippio. Estimated Probability:
Considering this is a drastic change and these sorts of things rarely
happen in real life, 1%. The chances of
Parker and Kennison both being gone, however, 70%.
Next Priority: Sign
WR Justin Gage as a free agent. Reason: Gage would be
a decent compliment to Bowe for the time being or would be one of the better
third receivers in the NFL if the Chiefs were lucky enough to draft somebody
better than him in April. After 4 less
than spectacular seasons with the Bears, Gage has emerged as the Titans’
leading receiver this year. Estimated Probability:
Given that the Titans will likely make a valiant effort to keep Gage in Tennessee
and that the other available wideouts will be too expensive and likely
franchised (Randy Moss and Bernard Berrian), I’ll give it only
20%.
Next Priority: Draft
only offensive linemen and wide receivers with the first 3 picks in the draft,
and draft 3 of eachoverall. Reason: As mentioned
earlier, they are desperate for these two positions. It doesn’t matter if they go OT, OG, WR; or
WR, WR, OG;, or OT, WR, OT, or any other combination of those. Also,
if the Chiefs can’t land at least one starting linemen and one starting WR in
free agency before the draft, this act then moves all the way up to number 2 of
on the priority list. Estimated Probability:
Given that Peterson is stubborn and that coach Herm Edwards will be stupid enough to ask for at least one
defensive player (probably in round 2), I’ll give this one only 8%.
Edwards simply did not follow through on a promise he made after accepting the Chief's job.
Next Priority: Make
this the make or break season for the head coach. Reason: Edwards inherited a team that averaged close to 30
points per game and had the best offense in the NFL over the previous 4
seasons. Yes, they were statistically
better than the Colts in both points and yards.
In his first press conference as the new coach he stated he liked having
a powerful offense and wouldn’t make any changes. First order of business? Getting rid of the coordinator (Al Saunders) and installing one of his
own guys who would run his conservative style offense. The Chiefs now have the lowest scoring
offense in the AFC and second worst offense overall. He barely snuck into the playoffs last year
at 9-7 and he’s likely going to finish 5-11 this year. His leash should be very short heading into
year 3. Estimated Probability:
If the Chiefs finish over .500 next year his job is safe. If they fail to make the playoffs in 2008 or
finish under .500, the chances of him getting fired are still only 15%.
Next Priority: Make
inquiries to the Eagles on trading for Donovan
McNabb and also an inquiry to the agent representing Derek Anderson. Reason: Plain and
simple, the long term answer at quarterback is not currently on the Chief’s
roster. Damon Huard is a lifelong backup, and Brodie Croyle, from what I’ve seen, is good enough to get them
through the next two or three years until they can find somebody better, but
he’s not good enough, nor will he be, to take this team to the Super Bowl. I’m not saying they should definitely get one
of these players, but if they don’t at least inquire about the price, they are
stupid. Estimated Probability:
Chances of actually getting McNabb or Anderson, 1%. Chances of inquiring about one or both,
8%.
Next Priority: Change
the team goal from “Earning the trophy bearing our founder’s name,” to “Earning
the trophy bearing Vince Lombardi’s name.” Reason: Not all
changes involve personnel, some are philosophical. Being that I don’t have HBO, I wasn’t able to
watch this season of Hard Knocks, but it was brought to my attention that in a
preseason manager’s meeting the Chief’s president Carl Peterson addressed his
subordinates and said “Our goal this year is no different than any other year,
to win the trophy bearing our founder’s name.”
Of course, Peterson mean the Lamar
Hunt trophy, which goes to the team that wins the American Football
Conference. This is appalling. Your goal should be to win the Super Bowl,
not just make it there. Winning the
Lombardi Trophy automatically takes care of everything else. Estimated Probability:
2%
No team in the history of the National Football League is as
good as the 2007 New England Patriots, not by a longshot. No team’s offense can match what Tom Brady, Randy Moss and these Pats
can do. No team’s defense can stop
them. No tackle football team that has
ever played a game together was as dominant as these guys, and no team in the
foreseeable future has any chance of eclipsing them (possibly not even the
Patriots themselves).
Moss has reasserted himself as the premier wide receiver in the NFL
And I’ll stand 100% firm behind this indisputable fact even if they lose a game
this season.
Granted, there will always be controversy if the Patriots,
say, lost one of their remaining regular season games with backup QB Matt Cassell mopping things up for
Brady while he rests for the playoffs.
If they don’t win the Super Bowl (as of November 14th, they
were 1/3 odds. By comparison, the 12-1
Cowboys are 7/2), almost nobody would grant them the title of “Best Team
Ever.” I’ll be one. Crown them now; they’re unstoppable.
The 1998 Minnesota Vikings currently hold the record for
most points scored in a single season at 556.
Through 13 games the Patriots have scored 503 and are on pace to
absolutely shatter that record as they are on pace for a video game-esque 619
points of offense. Brady will likely
break every major single season passing record known to man, including the
coveted touchdown pass and quarterback rating records. Moss, who if he retired right now would go
down as the second best receiver in NFL history and who also played for those
’98 Vikings catching 17 touchdown passes as a rookie, is having the single best
season of any wideout of all times.
Moss’s 1264 yards and 19 touchdowns are ridiculous. The offense is achieving these numbers even
with no scarcity to injuries to their running backs.
Their defense currently ranks 3rd in the AFC and
4th overall in points allowed. Defensive studs such as Rodney
Harrison (suspension), Richard
Seymour, and Roosevelt Colvin
(injuries) have missed time. Plus, their prized
defensive free agent acquisition, Adalius
Thomas, only has four sacks on the year.
The Pat’s average margin of victory on the season, 21.7,
would absolutely destroy the 1972 Dolphin’s mark of 15.3.
The Patriots have faced a tough schedule too, playing in the
strength of the AFC. Sure, the Jets and
Dolphins play in their division and they only have 3 wins combined, but they’ve beaten the suddenly surging 7-6 Bills
twice. They’ve goneon the road and beaten
the 11-2 Colts and the 12-1
Cowboys. New England
has also humiliated other AFC playoff contenders like the Chargers, Browns, and
most recently, the Steelers.
The only real evidence I need though is to watch the games
with my own eyes. The New England
Patriots are the best football team I’ve ever seen play.
Every once in a while there is a moment in sports
broadcasting that prompts us to beg the question.
What is with the celebrity appeal in sports broadcasts?
The most recent Monday Night Football telecast on ESPN is the latest
example. The guest in the booth,
comedian Jimmy Kimmel, made a smart
alec retort directed towards former MNF analyst Joe Theismann. Whether or not Kimmel and Theismann have any kind of
adverse history is unclear, but the point is a moot one. Kimmel had no business being on the air in
the first place.
If I want to laugh (or more like contemplate suicide) I'll watch his show. Otherwise, keep him away from my NFL games.
ESPN has had other “guest announcers” in recent Monday Night telecasts,
including NBA Hall of Famer Charles
Barkley and movie star and Chicago
area meatball Jim Belushi. I couldn’t tell you what these folks add to
the presentation or what the clowns who are in charge at ESPN were thinking
when they invited them on, but I could tell you that most football fans could
do without their irrelevant comments and opinions.
Chuck knows his basketball, but there's no reason for him to spew his mouth about the NFL
MNF on ESPN isn’t the only culprit. NBC
had singer Pink doing their
introductory song in 2006, but apparently ratings weren’t high enough, so this
year Faith Hill gets the honor. Anybody who has watched a Super Bowl on any
network knows there is almost as much hoopla made of the commercials and
halftime show than there is about the game.
Fox is guilty too. Raise your hand if
your baseball intelligence is insulted by Scooter,
the talking baseball who teaches us the physics of different pitches thrown by
the starting pitcher. In football, they
have those ridiculous football playing robots and celebrity analysts giving
predictions on the pre-game show.
Every single network showing college and professional
football games have decided that more people tune into their relay if a
past-her-prime female who knows nothing about football updates us on coaches’
halftime speeches and player’s injuries.
The same occasionally is true for NBA games.
The point of all this complaining is that fans watching the games are more
annoyed by this than “turned on.” I’m
not more likely to watch the upcoming Monday Night game between the Colts and
Jaguars because I’m curious to know who the guest in the booth will be. No, I’m going to watch the game because I
want to see how Peyton Manning will fare
against one of the top three defenses in the NFL and while playing on the
road. I’m going to watch because Maurice Jones-Drew is on my fantasy
team. I’m going to watch because I like
football. Period. End of freakin’ story.
In the absolute best case scenario, many fans are prone to mute the T.V. and/or
listen to the play-by-play on the radio.
In the worst case, sports fans will watch “How I Met Your Mother.”
Getting back to ESPN and their Monday Night debacle, could anybody out there
explain what Tony Kornheiser is
supposed to bring to the table? I enjoy
him on “PTI,” but he knows less about play-by-play than Mike Tirico and knows absolutely nothing about analyzing, so what
are they paying him to do besides annoy listeners?
Here’s hoping that one day networks will wake up and tailor their sports
broadcasts to sports fans and not pray these promotional stunts grab the
attention of people who don’t care anyway.
+Denotes Home Field Advantage **Denotes First Round bye * Denotes Wild Card AFC East New England (13-3)+ New York (9-7) Buffalo (6-10) Miami (4-12)
North Cincinnati (10-6) Baltimore (10-6)* Pittsburgh (7-9) Cleveland (6-10)
South Indianapolis (11-5) ** Jacksonville (9-7) * Tennessee (6-10) Houston (6-10)
West Denver (10-6) San Diego (9-7) explanation Kansas City (7-9) Oakland (7-9)
NFC East Philadelphia (10-6) Dallas (9-7) * New York (6-10) Washington (6-10)
North Chicago (13-3)** Detroit (7-9) Green Bay (7-9) Minnesota (4-12)
South New Orleans (13-3) + Carolina (10-6) * Tampa Bay (6-10) Atlanta (5-11)
West San Fransisco (9-7) Seattle (9-7) St. Louis (8-8) Arizona (7-9)
Playoffs
Wild Card Round Cincinnatti over Jacksonville Baltimore over Denver Carolina over San Fransisco Philadelphia over Dallas
Divisional Round Cincinnatti over Indianapolis New England over Denver Chicago over Philadelphia New Orleans over Carolina
Conference Championships New England over Cincinnatti New Orleans over Chicago
Super Bowl New England over New Orleans
Individual Stats AFC Offensive MVP: Peyton Manning AFC Defensive MVP: Adalius Thomas NFC Offensive MVP: Drew Brees NFC Defensive MVP: Brian Urlacher Rookie of the Year: Calvin Johnson Coach of the Year: Sean Payton Declining Player (the long time good player who finally starts to show his age): Zach Thomas Best off-season pickup: Randy Moss, Patriots Worst off-season pickup: Norv Turner, Chargers Rising Star: Reggie Bush
Most Passing Yards: Drew Brees Most Rushing Yards: LaDanian Tomlinson Most Recieving Yards: Torry Holt Most Sacks: Shawne Merriman
In no way do I condone what soon to be former Atlanta
Falcons quarterback Michael Vick did
and I hope he is punished to the fullest extent the law allows. I have seen video footage and still photos
from dog fighting joints and they have broken my heart. I’m not one of those freakishly weird animal
lovers, but I am strongly against animal cruelty. Vick has a serious problem, and he’s going to
pay for it.
He’ll pay for it financially. He’s
likely going to lose his $22 million signing bonus from the 10 year contract he
signed in 2004. He’ll pay for it with
his reputation. He’s let his friends,
family members, former teammates, and fans all down. He’ll pay for it with his freedom. He’s going to spend several months (if not
years in federal prison). He’ll pay for
it by losing his job. The Falcons will
almost assuredly cut him and NFL commish Roger
Goodell is sure to suspend him for at least one full season upon being
released from prison.
Many won't feel justice has been served until this happens.
Once the price has been paid, he deserves a second chance. This country was built on second
chances. Heck, sports couldn’t survive
without second chances. Does the name Steve Howe ring a bell to anybody? How about Daryl Strawberry? Dwight Gooden? Tony
Mandarich? Rickey Williams? They all
committed felonies too. Sure, not all of
them served time behind bars, but just because Vick wasn’t so lucky doesn’t
mean he doesn’t deserve another chance.
Let me set two records straight, however.
If I were an NFL owner or GM, would I sign Vick when he is eligible to
do so? Absolutely not. I wouldn’t want to be the guy who brings him
back into the league. Let me also say
that I don’t predict Vick will come back as a starting quarterback in the NFL,
either. I believe he’ll sign a two or
three year deal as the backup and be given a chance to win over a starting job
in year two of that contract. To be
perfectly frank, I don’t think Vick is good enough to start in the NFL
anyway. He’s a one-dimensional
quarterback. This is, after all, the guy
who said publicly “I’ve got two weapons, my arms, my legs, and my brain.”
This is the scenario I see most likely happening. Vick serves one to one and a half years in
jail, thus missing two full NFL seasons.
After that, Goodell keeps him suspended for one full year. Vick misses three seasons and then returns to
the league at the age of 30. He’ll be
rusty but still in good shape. Some team
with a crazy owner desperate for some QB competition signs him to a 3-year, $18
million contract.
I don’t know whether Vick truly is sorry for what he did, or if he only regrets
that he’s going to have to pay such a hefty price for it. All I know is that I hope Vick hasn’t played
his last game in the NFL, and I’m predicting that he hasn’t.
Ordinarily I do a big long football preview every year for every team (check out how I did last year, it wasn't too shabby), but I am having trouble finding the time to get started this year and when I finally do post my predictions it will not be quite as in depth as in 2006. Before I post my predictions circa 2007, however, I want to give everybody a sneak preview.
The San Diego Chargers, the team that almost 90% of you have winning the AFC West and many of you have in the Super Bowl, will not appear in my AFC playoff picture for this upcoming season.
Below is the extensive list of reasons for why this will be the case.
1) Norv Turner is now their Head Football Coach.
Ok, actually the list isn't very extensive. This is the only reason. But I am pretty sure it's the only reason I need.
Turner has had only 3 winning seasons in his NFL career as head coach. Only twice has a Turner led defense been in the top 10 in the NFL. But, Turner, who is often credited with being a fine offensive mind, has also only led two top 10 offenses. His best single season was in 1997 when his Redskins went 10-6. That was the only year in which his team finished with double digit wins.
Norv Turner is, plain and simply, a poor football coach. He often forces his players to adopt to his system rather than designing a system that works with the players he has. During his tenure as coach with Washington his quarterbacks displayed an uncanny ability to mismanage the game clock.
San Diego is loaded with Pro Bowl caliber players on both sides of the ball, and on paper I should be proven wrong. However, I don't think Norv Turner has the charisma to successfully lead this group into the postseason.
