DISCLAIMER: This post is about sports. This post is only about sports. You have been warned.
Around the Horn is off the air due to the MLB Playoffs, so here is your cheap ripoff! Around the Horn, Bloggers edition! I am your host MrNFL, in the bold font, and here are today's contestants.
First up, we have NeoAC, in the Red font.
Yeah, I'm back again, but rivjo nowhere to be found, I will be sure to take it
this time! *cue evil laughter* Neil Patrick Harris got nothing on me!
Alrighty then, next is Burger21, in Green font
Hi everyone, I’m burger21, and I only took 20 pills before I got here so ignore
those 911 calls from my publicist. Drugs are bad, M'kay. Next up is Bengals9. And some where along the line, there was a miscommunication, so don't expect much from Bengals.
Finally, making his Around the Horn debut, Demonicume...who didn't write an opening. He'll be in blue font. With that, lets go!
THE FIRST WORD
It is week 5 in the NFL, and as always we have some good games on tap. But if you look at the 4 teams not playing this week, you've got three pretty good teams. Among those teams, the Bengals, Seahawks, Falcons, and the Texans. My question gentlemen, of these 4 teams, which is the best and why? We'll start with Demon.
The Falcons, plain and
simple. But first, lemme tell
you why these other teams aren't the best.
The Patriots pulled
the cover off the Bengals last week and showed the entire
league their soft, creamy. They have a very balanced offense, but they also have
some serious issues. Carson Palmer has 6 TDs in 4 games, but he also has thrown
the ball to the other tram 4 times. When he isn't throwing the ball to the other
side, he's putting it on the turf. He's got 7 fumbles, 4 for a loss. (+2) But the
problem isn't Carson, the problem is the Offensive line. The guy just came off a
serious injury and his line has let him get tagged for 15 sacks already. That's
4 sacks shy of the 19 knock-downs he took all LAST SEASON. (+2) Yup the O-Line isn't
pulling thieir weight; and if things don't change very soon, Carson will see the
turf more times that Drew Bledsoe did last season.
The other Bengal
problem is Run Defense. They can't seem to stop anyone. A supposed
superbowl contender, they are ranked in the bottem half of the league in every
meaningful category: Run Defense (26th), Totsl yards (23rd) and Points Against
(19th). It's a simple fact, you cant expect to get far in the play-offs giving
up nearly 150 yards on the ground and 21 points a game. (+3)
Keys to
fix:
they need to grow some big hairy balls in the middle of that Defense and they
need to find a way to keep their QB off his buttocks.
The Seahawks are the
perfect example of why I hate the Pack-10 : soft scheduling. I
know its not their fault that their division sucks, but I wont ignore the fact
either. Here are the teams they get to thrash twice every year:
the Cardinals, 49ners, Raiders, and the Rams. For decoration, we toss in
defensive powerhouses like the Packers and the Chiefs. The toughest team they
have left to play is Denver and that'll be after they've gone 12-1. I'm furious
because I benched Thomas Jones last week. I fell into the hype that Seattle was
for real. Then I watched Jones – who is every bit as soft as his sissy little
brother in Dallas – put up career numbers. The Bears haven't been able to run
against anyone all season, but Thomas Jones looked like Bo Jackson against
Seattle. They're fakers. They'll have a 12 or 13 win season and get blown out in
the playoffs. I don't know how they made it to the Superbowl. But now that the
Madden Curse has scrubbed their only superstar, we'll see how well they
do. (+4)
As a Dallas fan, I
hate the Texans. No real Texan can
ever truly accept the existence of another football team in our state. It's
blasphemy. The Texans are the Taiwan to our China. We'd crush them if we could,
but no one else will let us. Fortunately, the Houston front office is doing its
best to kill its own chances at every succeeding. (+1)
The worst part is that
David Carr is a good QB. Last season, he
played well enough to win a Superbowl if Big Ben is any indicator. In the right
system, with maybe 1 solid offensive lineman, this kid could be great. His QB
rating is over 100, his TD to INT ratio is great. But he's been sacked over 200
times in his last 4 seasons. I don't know when the Houston front office is gonna
wake the hell up and get this man some protection, but if were I David Carr, I'd
be trying to move to a team that would appreciate the highest rated QB in the
AFC. Yo, DAVE! Tampa is a great place to live. Beautiful beaches, beautiful
women, great weather… (+2)
The Falcons are my
pick.
It isn't because they rank in the top 15 in every meaningful category on both
sides of the ball except passing yards per game. It isn't because Vick is one of
the winningest QBs in the recent history. It's because they win my way: solid
running and great defense. John Abraham – SC in the house baby! – is back from
his groin pull and should solidify an already solid defense. They have 2 solid
backs in Dunn and Norwood – who racked up 106 yards on 6 carried as a backup
last game. And… they run the Spread Option 5 to 8 times a game. Not to kick a
dead horse, but when ever a black QB comes into the league, you always hear
whispers of intelligence. Theyre all dumb. We saw it here in Carolina, Syvelle
was to dumb to be a pocket passer. Ask Auburn hjow domb he is. Vince Young was
the only QB to have his Wonderfukt Score leaked. Analysts are always on the edge
of saying Mike Vick is too stupid to run the west coast offense. Instead they
say it's too complex. Maybe the West Coast offense doesn't suit
his skillset. Or maybe Mike never had a WR who could get open. (+6)
My only issues with
the Falcons are PLAY CALLING and WRs. Are these guys gonna catch any balls? I
watched Alge Crumpler drop 2 TDs on the same drive. The receivers they have can
not, or will nont, get open. Were I Coach Mora, I'd run the option down the
throats of every team we faced. I'd run it the way FLA is running it this year,
which allows for more passing and less getting knocked out. (+2)
Downside? The Dirty Birds face
big defenses this year – Eagles, Carolina, Redskins, Cowboys – but I can see
them running all the way into the play offs.
Good Stuff Demon, Neo, you?
Well, lets take a look at who we have sitting out.
There's the Texans,
but unless the Colts and Jaguars both suffer a massive case of collective
botulism, they aren't going to be anywhere near the playoffs. Heck, I think they
would still manage to come in third to those two. (+3)
Then we have the other
teams, who have looked extremely good in three out of four games. Atlanta
has pounded the ball successfully against Carolina, TB and Arizona, but they were
abysmal against the Saints in the Superdome. I know there was a lot of emotion
in that game, but there was no excuse for the way the Falcons played. Vick
completes only 38% and leads in rushing? Its almost like they threw that
game.......nah. Couldn't be. (+3)
The Bengals took control of the conference
in their first three games, mauling Kansas City, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
However, they were mere pussycats when playing the Patriots, practically rolling
over for them. They clearly tried to attack New England's secondary with a pass
to run ratio of slightly over 2:1 and it didn't work. The Patriots played
smashmouth football, and Cinci's line couldn't cope with Maroney busting for 125
yards and 2 TDs. And with Baltimore continuing to roll, the North may soon be
out of Cinci's reach. (+4)
Therefore, the best out of the four bye teams is
still the Seahawks. They are lucky that Shaun Alexander is getting the effects
of the Madden curse out of the way early. In the NFC West, its not going to
matter that Mo Morris is running the ball for them, they can coast until the MVP
is back up and running. (+4)
OK, My god I hate Fox's formatting....Burger you?
While the sexy pick is the Bengals, the folks who are falling over
themselves trying to get on their bandwagon are ignoring some glaring
weaknesses, namely their defense. They’re giving up 345 yards per game, barely
ahead of SanFran and Cleveland; 60 yrds worse than Oakland; and over 100 yrds
more than the Chiefs! (+4) In the last two games they’ve yielded 406 yds and 5 TDs –
on the ground alone! And on offense, while everyone has this image of a
powerhouse scoring machine, few visualized Carson Palmer dribbling more balls
than an NBA point guard. (+3) He’s put the pill on the carpet 7 times this year and
looks very rattled against competent defenses. The have played only one good
complete game – in the opener against a Chiefs team that everyone had
over-rated. Cleveland and Pittsburgh both gift wrapped wins via turnovers and
the Pats put a woodshed wuppin’ on them. (+3) You could say much of the same for
Seattle in that Matt Hasslebeck has not looked anything like a Pro-Bowl QB, and
they were strangely ineffective against Detroit of all teams. (+2) I’m going against
the grain here and saying that the best team among these three is Atlanta, with
their power ground game (ranked #1 in the NFL) and ball hawking defense (+6
turnover ratio). And while no one will confuse Mike Vick for Peyton Manning as a
passer, Vick has only two interceptions and is playing with freedom and fun in
Atlanta’s potent offense (+3)
And Bengals?
The Best is definetly the bengals. why, two words carson palmer. (+2)
Ok then...Onward...
As you are probably all aware, the MLB Postseason is underway. Very simple question, who wins the World Series and why? Burger?
I’m really not sold on anyone in the National League because both
the Mets and Cardinals have huge pitching concerns. While the Tigers look like
they’re going to make a scrap out of things, it would appear that the Yanks and
A’s will match up in what will essentially be the championship. The A’s
certainly have the pitching to make things interesting, and they seem looser and
less uptight than in previous showdowns with NY. While NY has the lineup full of
All-Stars, I feel Oakland’s arms will prevail against what is a shaky Yankees
rotation. The A’s will win it all. (+6)
Going with the A's eh? Speaking of Eh, Neo, go my Canadian friend.
In the blue corner we will have the New York Mets who score first round
knockouts of the LA Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals without so much as a
scratch.
In the red corner we have the Oakland Athletics who after
surprisingly getting rid of the Minnesota Twins, dispatch the exhausted winner
of the Tigers-Yankees series (My money's on NY). This is sure to be a
barnburner.
In the first game, Tom Glavine will get the better of
popular Met target Barry Zito, but Rich Harden will even the score over Steve
Trachsel, and send the series back to Shea knotted up at one.
Oakland
will take advantage of a ####-up Mets rotation as emergency starter Oliver Perez
gets shelled, making a winner of Danny Haren, but John Maine and Tom Glavine
come in and shut down the A bats, and head back to the Bay with a three-two lead
In Game Six, Macha plays a hunch and goes with Joe Blanton against
Trachsel, but Trachsel pitches his career-defining game, a three-hitter, and
Carlos Delgado belts a two-run shot off of Blanton in the fourth to send the
Mets to a 4-1 win, and their first Series win since 1986. (+7)
Interesting answer, Demon?
World Series? Oh,
yeah, its STILL baseball season. Damn. Is there any way we can shorten the
season at all? I don't know who wins. When the Mets had Pedro, I was a Mets man.
But now I'm going with my team from the 80's and 90's: the Oakland A's. The AFC…
ummmm, American League allows you to bat a guy who doesn't even field, and Frank
Thomas is making the most of it. The A's ride The Big Hurt all the way to a
champagn bath. (+2)
Ok then...and Bengals?
The Oakland Athletics because of there excellent pitching and good hitting. (+2)
(HORN) Wait a minute, coming into the playoffs, no one had the A's doing anything, and now everyone is picking them to get to the World Series? All a bunch of bandwagon jumpers (MUTE) With that, we'll take a commercial, Buy or Sell is next.
Mmmmmm, Pizza.....
Ok, welcome back, and it is Buy or Sell Time!
BUY OR SELL?
This weeks Monday night game should be a good defensive showdown between the Broncos, and the Ravens, who have yet to be beaten. Buy or Sell the Ravens remaining undefeated? Demonicume?
Sell: Until the Ravens
find some meaningful offense, I'm picking against them every week. You can't make it to the playoffs riding a TE. Eventually you have to score. The Ravens *may*
shut down Denver's offense, but since they cant find the endzone themselves, I
got Denver by a touch down. (+4)
Burger?
I’m selling this. The Ravens have beaten three teams (Tampa, Clev.,
Oak) with 1 combined victory, and their win over the Chargers was a border line
fluke. Their defense is not as good as the young QB’s they’ve faced are making
them look, and they’ve yet to face some one who will consistently stay committed
to running against them, as we know Denver will. Denver showed patience and
diligence to their scheme against NE and this is the type of game they always
win to make everyone believe they’re good before choking in the playoffs. The
Ravens get exposed for the fraud they are. (+6)
Neo?
I'll BUY this. Denver has looked mighty weak this year. Their offense has failed
to get anything going so far, averaging a mere 12 points per game and against
Baltimore's defense, points are going to be even harder to come by. It may be
another 9-6 squaker but I'd rather have Matt Stover than Jason Elam. (+3)
And Bengals?
I'm buying this. The broncos looked weak in there games agianst the cheifs and
rams and the ravens have looked great in all of there games. (+3)
Ok, onward...
Of course, ESPN is going to hype "Terrell Owens' Big return to Philly" My question is, Buy or Sell 100 yards reciveing for The Player. Bengals?
I'm selling because there is no love lost between the Eagles and with his broken
hand i think he loses a step or two. (+3)
Demonicume?
Buy: What do you do when
you cant stop the run because you've let your best defensive players go
elsewhere? You blitz, blitz, blitz. The Eagles have a soft pass defense,
giving up nearly 300 yards a game thru the air to the likes of David Carr and
Alex Smith. Bledsoe tossed for near 500 yards against defenses like JAX and WAS.
Will TO get his 100 yards? Ummm, yeah, and easily. As long as Jimmy Johnson
keeps blitzing, The Dallas receivers will be wide open. Witten, Glenn, Owens…
pick your poison, who you gonna double cover? If you don't blitz, Julius Jones
will run down your throat. With people like The Lesser Manning and his feeble
receiving corps coming back to embarrass the Eagles Defense, I just don't see
anyone on that defense stopping TO. I'll give Dallas the benefit of the doubt
that Glenn and TO are as good as Plexi-glass Burress and Alligaor Arm-ani
Tooner. They both got their 100 yards. (+7)
Good answer, Neo?
I'll BUY this one too. T.O. always seems to get out a little something more for
the big games, and this is a big games in his mind. If Lito Sheppard sits again,
he's going to have Sheldon Brown on him most of the game, or even Dexter Wynn
when Brown needs a breather. Brown's only an average CB, and Wynn a pre-season
cut, so T.O. should be able to get those 100 yards. (+4)
And Burger?
Terrell is one of those guys who can get 100 on limited touches
because of his ability to take it to the house from anywhere on the field, but I
am selling this. Dallas has done a good job so far in taking what the defense
gives them, as evidenced in the big season Terry Glenn is having. When teams
focus on TO (and I believe the Eagles will be just a little focused on him don’t
you think?) the Cowboys have exploited their other options. (+4)
Alright...We continue...
The Big college football game this weekend is the matchup between #9 LSU, and #5 Florida. Buy or Sell Florida coming up with a victory? Demon?
Sell, FLA has no run
game. None. I don't know how you run the spread option without a serious run
attack. If DeShaun Wynn – the closest thing they have to a RB at FLA – aint in
the game, they don't have a shot. Chris Leak is the best passer in the nation,
but LSU has the nastiest secondary in college football. The D-Line will be after
him all game. I got LSU smacking FLA down by 14. (+5)
Bengals?
I'm Buying this. Why. Honestly i don't know but i just think Florida is the
better team. (+1)
Going with your gut I see. Burger?
Again, I’m in a selling kind of mood! This may be an even better
game than LSU-Auburn, but this time LSU comes out on top. Florida’s RB is ####ed
up and if they get the Gators one dimensional, LSU will show why they’re the #1
overall defense in the nation. Offensively they have the 5th ranked
passing offense in the country behind Russell and they will be too much for the
Gators. (+4)
And Neo?
I'm almost out of money, but I'm still going to have to BUY this as well.
Florida's on a roll right now, and although LSU some very impressive offense in
check, they haven't played one as versatile as the Gators. Urban Meyer is
starting to get his kind of player in, guys like Tim Tebow, and his defense has
been playing very well as well. I think the Gators will win, but their
undefeated season ends next week against Auburn. (+4)
(HORN) Ok, we're done with two rounds, and looking at the scores, Bengals is no where close, so (MUTE), and done. Out of Bounds is next...
Sponsored by Chris Berman...seriously, why do people dislike this guy?
And two down, here's the scores. Demonicume leads with 40. Burger in 2nd with 35, and Neo behind with 32.
OUT OF BOUNDS
This Wednesday was the return of the NHL. Only the 2nd season since the lockout two years ago. My question is, what do you see for the NHL's future? Neo?
I think the NHL can have a very bright future, but some changes need to occur.
First, ditch the OLN. I don't know why they even bothered signing with them in
the first place. Even a discounted contract with ESPN or ABC would have been
smarter. (+4) Second, start promoting the young guns more. Get Crosby, Ovechkin,
Cheechoo and others out into the mainstream, be it with Bud Light, Coke or
Viagra (hey, how could Ed Belfour turn that offer down?). A little promotion
goes a long way. Finally, make going to game more affordable for the fans. I
mean I tried to go to a preseason game a couple weekends ago. One ticket cost
$75! How can the NHL expect to attract the average man, when the average man has
to fork over a third of his weekly pay to see a game? (+4)
If the NHL's
lucky, we could have a repeat of 1994. The Rangers won the Cup that year, and
America's biggest market loved it. This year, they ae poised to strike again,
and even Chicago could be in the mix, with their impressive 8-6 win over
Nashville. A Rangers-Blackhawks series would be a great thing for hockey in
America (no offense, Hurricanes, but nobody outside Carolina cares that you
won.) (+3)
Good stuff, Burger?
The NHL season is only two days old and already we’ve seen some
exciting action. The league has to provide a product that makes fans anxious for
more, and there are numerous young stars on the horizon able to deliver. I think
part of the recent demise of interest from the more casual sports fan came not
only from the Labor disaster and instability of teams and the League as a whole,
but also from a generation of front line stars fading away. (+3) The league has tons of work to do and
can’t realistically be mentioned among the Big Three, but new stars like Sydney
Crosby could go a long way toward bringing the excitement back, and I for one
hope that hockey has a rousing revival. (+2) Hockey zealots know
the players on their teams and most others, but the league has been void of the
names that everyone knew – the Marios and Gretzkys. Yes, those two are probably
the two greatest ever and they can’t truly be replaced but with many of the good
young players coming up having names that can barely be pronounced it has been
increasingly harder for fans to relate.(+2)
I agree there, and Demon?
Hockey? I'm in Carolina, and I had no clue they won the Stanley Cup last year.
They did win, didn't they? I don't even know what city the team plays in. What
would make me interested in Hockey? I'd love to be more involved with the
players. We don't need a NHL T.O. Saga, but I'm not interested in Hockey because
I don't know any of the players. I don't have to be in the city with the team to
like them. Future? I see no future. Until the NHL finds a way to market their
product in a more appealing way, I'll be changing the channel whenever its on
TV. (+4)
(HORN) Alright lets look at the scores, and we have a close one. Demon, with 44 you are safe, Neo has 43. And Burger, barely short with 42. Gonna have to say goodbye to you Burger.
I’m out…like downtownrob’s blogging career!
Yes indeed you are. Showdown up next between NeoAC and Demonicume. Two enter, and one gets to feel happy for the day. The Punching bags of Division 1-A football...
SHOWDOWN!
Showdown time now between Neo and Demon, Let's do this!
Texas plays Oklahoma Saturday in a classic rivalry game. Who ya got? Demon?
Oklahoma – Peterson is a GROWN man. He
wont win the Heisman because voters love pretty boy QBs. Advantage for Peterson
in the Heisman race? Good Ole Boy voters. If Troy Smith scrambles for more than
a a few hundred yards this season, its guaranteed some of them will write him
off as a typical running *cough* (black) QB – cuz that's what happens in the
NCAA. ESPN will show all his running highlights, and the slower voters will vote
for a guy who plays his position 'as it should be played.' Mark my
words. Texas, all the way. Colt McCoy's finally getting confident, and getting more
comfortable in that Longhorn offense, and that is bad news for the Big 12. He's
just going to get better and better as the season goes on, and I don't believe
Oklahoma will be able to handle him.
Not sure how the race card got pulled up in this question, point goes to NeoAC.Next...
Nascar at Talladega this Sunday, who ya got? Neo?
Talladega is a #### shoot. You never know what is going to happen here, as the
Big One lurks around every corner. The restrictor place, levels the playing
fiels as well, so any number of teams could logically win this thing. I;m just
going to spin the ole Wheel of NASCAR in my head and come up with a random name.
And the winner is........Little E, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who uses this win to
climb back into the Chase hunt.
I got Jeff Gordon. I like him cuz everyone hates him. He should have won earlier
this year… I don't know why anyone hates him. But it's time for Jeff to win,
smash that stupid bottle of Pepsi or milk or whatever, grab his manhood and tell
everyone to swing low.
Great NASCAR knowledge here, LOL. I'll give it to Demon, for having a reason for picking his winner.
Finally, Many MLB managers were canned at the end of the season. Of all of those managers, who goes on to have the most success? Demon?
Robinson. He's gonna move into retirement. He should find him some sweet young
thang (or two) and move to a sunny place with no ESPN. Then he wont have to be
ashamed of the what his game has become. No Grim-sley reaper. No posting Bonds.
No Roger –I'm stronger than I was at 20 but I'm clean – Clemmons. No knucklehead
Administration that somehow manages to own a team and promote competition at the
same time.
Mr. Robinson, its time
to come home, old boy. Kick back with a lager of choice, a girl 1/3 your age, a
HUGE DLP TV with a DVR that lets you skip Enzyte commercials. Then you can
subscribe to ESPN Classic and watch Old –School baseball all day.
Well, the rather obvious choice would have to be Joe Girardi. I mean he didn't
do anything wrong when managing the Marlins. The only question is will he go to
the Cubs like everyone is predicting, or will Tom Hicks try and lure him to the
Lone Star state? It wouldn't be a bad venture oppertunity. Every team that has
fired Buck Showalter has won the World Series the next year.
Sorry Neo, Demon's answer was too freaking hilarious to pass up, point goes to Demon, win goes to Demon. Face time is yours.
I'm taking a break
from ESPN. Everyday I power on my TV in hopes of getting news coverage. And
every day I am sadly disappointed. Here are my top 3 reasons for putting down
the remote and reading a good blog:
3) The don't report.
'Report' is defined as 'an account brought by one person to another." Its from
the Old Fench 'rapport' "to tell, relate" and from the Latin
'Reportare' 'to carry
In that definition, I
see no room for spin. I see no room for opinion or supposition or guesswork. I
don't know why ESPN claims to report the news when its integrity is so obviously
compromised. ESPN suckles at the #### of any company looking to sell something to
a male aged 18-45. To do this, they need story lines. To get story lines, they
need heroes and villains. We need debacles and saviors. Every week someone,
somewhere, is on the brink of losing it all. Or panicking. Or if they aren't
panicking they should be. ESPN is just as sensational as FOX news – the
conservative news channel that tried to spin a government official soliciting
sex from young boys – or MSNBC which should officially chance its name to
MSNBConspiracy TV. I'm sick of it. I just want box scores and replays. Thanks a
lot.
2. Jesus, would someone please put something big in Joe Theismann's
mouth? My zipper is stuck... damn. or Joe Walton. or Charles Barkley. They hire
any jack off the street to be a newscaster. I'll take any one of the bloggers
out here ahead of the pricks ESPN throws up there. I'm tired of 'Rumblin and
Stumblin.' i'm tired of 'BOO-YOW!' i'm sick to death of trying to guess the
width of the stick that's a foot deep in Steve Young's ####. i hate Mark May. the
only guys that interest me are the guys everyone else hates: Lou Holtz – fake
teeth, lisp and all – and Michael 'it wasn't my pipe' Irvin. I also like John
Madden, though he rarely makes sense. But sometimes, when the moons are in
alignment, he makes some HUGE points between bits of applesauce and turkey.
1. there are Warriors out tonite. in every part of the world, men, women
and children are striving to do great things. They aren't sullied by political
backgammon. They don't do it for the money or the nookie or anything else beyond
the joy of achievement. People are striving against the limitations of their
bodies and minds in pursuit one brief moment of true achievement. They say a
lifetime of misery is worth a second of enlightenment. ESPN's cameras are
supposed to be there when that second happens…
You've failed us all,
old friend, and I have outgrown you.
Interesting Demon, but a mute for taking so much time with your face time. Neo anything you want to add?
Round of Keith's on me! Don't forget to check the Pickoff!
I take it that Keith's are some form of Alcohol, and you get a (MUTE) for that.
Well thanks everyone for checking this out. I'm MrNFL, and you can re-watch this by clicking the refresh button.
Welcome everyone to the 2nd edition of Bloggers Around the Horn (Presented by Mr.NFL) I am your host, MrNFL, and I will be cheaply scoring the arguement between these 4 bloggers. Note, my comments will be in bold. With that, let's introduce today's contestants!
First, represented by red font (He requested it...) Straight from Canada, we have NeoAC.
Neo: Thank you, Mr. NFL. I know I'm the first foreign guest you've had
on your show, so I will speak slowly and refrain from using big words
so my colleagues don't get confused.
Alrighty then, next up we have Wiseguy6, who we'll give green
Wise: Down here in Tampa, I am leading
the charge for the removal of Mr. Chris Simms as our quarterback. But
other than that, I am doing pretty well.
Yeah, how bout Simms eh? Next up, in blue font, we have Rivjo
Rivjo: I’ve been told I know everything about nothing and I’m here
to prove it. It’s about to get late
early for you other guys. Second place ain’t so bad guys. Show me the way to the winner’s lounge Mr.
NFL.
(MUTE) I think Adande copyrighted the "Lounge." Hee hee. Finally, in Gold we have Burger21
Burger: Good Afternoon Mr. NFL. Thanks for inviting me to be on this
great show with such distinguished panelists (please don’t mute me right away
for sucking up). I am burger21, and I have a temperature of 104 – or is it
100.4 – anyway, I am All Sports - All the time and I am here to drop the Truth
on you!
I hope for your sake you score more than your Steelers did last week. Anyway, let's start it off with the First Word!
THE FIRST WORD
Week 3 of the great NFL season starts this Sunday, and there is some interesting matchups. Among them, two power offense vs power defense games with the Jags and Colts, and the Steelers and Bengals. Not to mention the disapointment Bowl for the Panthers and Bucs. Gentlemen, I ask, which of these games this week is the most important? We will start with Burger.
Burger: Lots of intriguing match-ups this week – Indy
vs. Jax, Bears vs. Vikings, Giants vs. Seahawks – and of course the temptation
is there for me to select my Steelers’ big showdown with Cincy. This is a huge
game for the champs to re-establish themselves after the letdown in
Jacksonville Monday, and as a divisional game it means much more. (+3) However, the
question is which game is the most important and when considering that you have
to look at the big picture, and the clear cut winner in that regard is the
Monday night game between the Falcons and Saints in New Orleans. Yes, certainly
the Saints, and perhaps the Falcons also, will be absent from contending for
the Super Bowl this year, but this game goes beyond the standings and
implications and hits the heart of America dead center. (+3) This will be the first
time the Saints play in their city in a meaningful game since the horrific
events of Hurricane Katrina last year. (+2) The game will be a rebirth for a team, a
city, a stadium, and a region; and will solidify the reputation of good ‘ole
American resolve and fortitude. While emotions and fanfare will be off the
charts, this game also is vital for the Saints to play well in, if not win,
because after all the hoopla fades away, it still comes down to football and
the fans of New Orleans need to know they have a promising future in their
team. (+2) We’ve all empathized with “Aints” fans over the years, with the bags over
their heads and their wacko owner, but over the past year they have become like
an adopted orphan to many, and everyone wants to see this team exemplify the
nation’s resiliency with a rise to glory. They may be 2-0, but everyone knows
those wins came against bottom dwellers Cleveland and Green Bay, so they need a
superlative effort and strong showing against a contender so that their
thoughts can begin to include playoff aspirations down the road (+3) (mocking Jim
Mora – “Playoffs! Playoffs!! You’re talking about Playoffs!!!??) With the debut
of Drew Brees and the dawning of the Reggie Bush era, this is a ‘can’t miss’
event for all football fans. Even Morten Anderson is making a return for old time’s
sake! (+1)
Good stuff Burger, Rivjo, what say you?
Rivjo: It may be only week 3 but there are tons of HUGE games
already. For example, all 6 AFC playoff teams from last year square off against
each other on Sunday. (+3) Two of the three games are grudge matches featuring
squads that were eliminated by their opponent. In one revenge special,
Cincinnati heads into the Pittsburgh looking to wipe their butts with some
“terrible towels”.(+3) In the other, New England looks to settle their post-season
score as Denver and the much-maligned Jake Plummer journey to Foxboro. (+2) Finally,
Jacksonville looks to get physical with Peyton Manning and the Colts in the
Dome, where only one team can leave undefeated with the division lead.(+2) Heck, the Carolina-Tampa Bay game in the NFC
South may be even more important than any of these since whoever loses here
might already be kissing the playoffs good-bye. (+2)
The most important game in the league though is on
Monday Night Football. Atlanta gets the privilege of being the first team to
visit the New Orleans Superdome as they take on the Saints. All eyes in America
will be on the good folks of Louisiana as they welcome pro football back to the
region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Sure it’s probably going to be a blowout but
this is by far the most meaningful event of the week. The others are just
games. This is much deeper than that. (+4)
Alright, Wiseguy, go.
Wiseguy: I
got to go with Carolina Panthers vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carolina
came into the season with such high expectations and where everyone’s
Super Bowl pick, but in the last two weeks they have been exposed to
some serious weaknesses. (+4)The biggest, obviously, is the fact that their
offense can’t run without Steve Smith. (+2) They are 30th in total team offense for the past two weeks without Smith, last year they were 8th with him. (+2) Good stat.
And
now to Tampa, where to begin. The offense has been outscored by the
Raiders (that by itself is sad), (+3) Chris Simms is on pace to throw 48
ints, and Cadillac Williams has yet to rush for more than 50 yards in a
game.(+2) That doesn’t sound like a team that won its division a year ago.
This game has to be Simms’s coming out party or he will be holding a
clipboard instead of the pigskin.
Plus, no one wants to start the season 0-3. (+2)
Ok, Neo, you?
Neo: Without a doubt, Carolina against Tampa Bay. Both these clubs were
highly touted coming into the season, and after this game, one of these
clubs will be 0-3, and be facing a major uphill climb to get back into
the playoff picture.
(+3)
The Panthers have been struggling to get out of the gate this
season. Whether its Steve Smith's hamstrings or John Fox's playcalling,
nothing has been up to snuff so far. (+3) The offense has been sputtering,
with only one TD scored in the first two games, (+2) and Jake Delhomme
sporting an anemic 61.5 rating. If Smith does not return soon, all hope
could be lost for the Panthers, no matter how good that defense is. (+2)
And the Buccos offense is even worse. At least the Panthers got a
TD. Chris Simms has just looked lost this year, with no TDs, 6 INTs and
a passer rating of 40. (+4) Where's Brian Greise when you need him, eh
Gruden? (+1) Cadillac Williams has a major case of the sophomore jinx going
on right now, gaining just 59 yards. And that 11:1 turnover ratio can't
be helping much either (+2). So who do you pick?
Go for the team that has managed to score. Panthers win 13-3.
(HORN) Ok, two picks for Panthers/Bucs, two for Falcons/Saints. I'm surprised no one picked the Jags/Colts or Steelers/Bengals matchups, possibly AFC Championship previews...Onward...
The New York Mets season has been pretty good, they were the first to clinch a playoff birth in the MLB, and based on record, are far superior of every other NL team. However, anything can happen in the playoffs. With that, I ask, How far do the Mets go in the playoffs? Wiseguy start us off.
Wiseguy: NLCS.
I don’t see them winning the NL because of one major thing that they
lack- pitching, pitching, and pitching.(+2) Their top two starters, Pedro
Martinez and Tom Glavine, both have injury and performance issues
heading into the playoffs. (+2) In Martinez's case, he's back from the DL
(injured calf), but he was roughed up by the lowly Pirates in his first
start since rejoining the rotation.(+3) Glavine, since the All-Star break,
has an ERA of 5.03 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of only 1.76 (+4) Great stat. If the
first-half Glavine shows up, the Mets — particularly with their potent
offense — should be just fine, but if the recent Glavine incarnation is
the one on the mound, then the NL's best team could be in trouble. (+2)
And
the back of the rotation is nothing to be proud about either. John
Maine is a rookie and has never pitched in the bright lights of New
York during playoff time (+1). Steve Trachsel (4.96 ERA) was been very
inconsistent all year and I don’t know if El Duque can turn into that
dominant playoff pitcher he is known for being. I got the Dodgers
beating them in 6. (+1)
Dodgers eh? Alright then, NeoAC you're up.
Neo: Let's look at the Mets projected path as of right now.
Mets have the best division record so they would end up playing the
wild card, which will likely be either Los Angeles, San Diego or
Philadelphia. We'll give San Diego the West for now so lets focus on
the other two. The Dodgers fared much better against the Mets than the
Phillies did, with a 3-4 record against compared to Phila's 6-9. The
Dodgers also won the series set 4-3 with the Liberty Boys, so in a
one-game playoff they will likely emerge victorious. (+3) Against the Mets
however, they would be tired from both the wildcard race and the
playoff game, so New York takes round one.
(+2)
In the next round, I project they would face the Padres anyway,
given St. Louis's recent struggles with the injury bug and their
scarcity of starting pitching. (+2) The Mets owned the Padres more than they
did the Dodgers, taking that series 5-2. The Padres don't have the
offense to deal with the power the Mets put behind the ball. So we'll
give the Mets the NL pennant as well. (+2)
However, being the best team in the NL this year is like being the
best hockey team in Malaysia. (+2) Funny stuff It just doesn't matter when you go up
against the big boys. New York, like everyone else except San Francisco
and Florida, had a losing record against the AL, going 6-9 against The
Yankees, Boston, Toronto and Baltimore. (+3) If the Athletics or Tigers win
the AL, they might have a chance, but if the Twins or Yankees show up
to play, it'll be game over for the Amazin' Mets. (+2)
Ok, Rivjo?
Rivjo:
As much as it pains me to admit this, I can’t see any team
truly eliminating the Mets in the National League. Since the season started you’ve
been getting a sense of destiny about this club that GM Omar Minaya has put
together. (+3) If anyone can get to them, they’ll be most vulnerable in the first
round series. After a long period of meaningless games it will be interesting
to see if the Mets can simply turn the intensity on again. (+3) They should probably
root for the Padres to win the NL West and the Phillies the wild card. It’s in
their best interest to have the Dodgers lose out since L.A. has 3 quality
starters in Derek Lowe, Brad Penny and Greg Maddux to go along with a solid
veteran line-up. (+5) The only scenario where I have the Mets not making the World
Series is if they draw the Dodgers first and get stunned in the short 5 game
series.(+2) Even so I don’t see it happening.
I predict another Subway Series and an eventual loss to my love em’ or
hate em’ Yankees. Call it a “homer pick” but it is was it is. (+1)
Ok, and Burger?
Burger:
You know, a lot of people look at the Mets as a young team,
primarily because of emerging stars like David Wright and Jose Reyes and because
they’ve been off the radar for several seasons, but this really is a veteran
ball club with Carlos Delgado, Pedro, Tom Glavine, Paul LoDuca, Jose Valentin,
and now Shawn Green. (+5) These guys have been in some big games, albeit for
different teams, but they have post season experience and know what it takes to
win. (+2) The big games Willie Randolph has been through as a player and coach with
the Yankees can’t be understated either. (+2)They seem to have all the pieces in
place but there are some questions that linger, foremost of which is the health
and subsequent effectiveness of their pitching. (+2) surrounded Pedro and
Glavine going in to this season and their injury setbacks have done nothing to
alleviate those doubts. (+3) How they fare in the final week of the season should
tell a great deal about their chances. The Cardinals have pitching stability
issues of their own, but I like the make up of their bench much better – the
Mets counter with the ageless Julio Franco – so they will have difficulty
getting past them. (+3) In the end though I think they prevail and make it through
the NL, only to lose another Subway Series to the Yankees. Doubts as to how much was left
in the tank (+1) Extra point for mentioning the ageless wonder Franco. (HORN) So that's end of round 1, and I find it interesting that you guys are certain on the Yankees, interesting. Well right now NeoAC leads with 33, Burger has 32, and Rivjo and Wiseguy both have 30, Wow, I gave everyone too many points, here's a (MUTE) for all of you. Commercial time, coming up, Buy or Sell!
The Greatest game show of the all, the Price is RIght! Every Monday-Friday at 11 AM ET on CBS.
BUY? OR SELL?
Buy or sell time, lets do it!
First up, last week in the NFL, there was 3 overtime games. In one of them, the team that one the coin toss (Broncos) scored before the Chiefs could even touch the ball. It also lead to a fun arguement between Phil Simms and Jim Nantz during the game. My question, Buy or Sell the NFL's current overtime system? Rivjo, you lead off.
Rivjo:
I’m selling the NFL overtime system. Who would buy it? Quite
frankly I think it’s awful. You bust your hump for 60 minutes only to have all
your hard work ruined by losing a coin flip, a good kick return, a couple of
first downs and a field goal. (+3) Okay, so maybe it’s a little harder than that but
each team should at least get the same number of possessions.(+2) On second
thought, if it was a good idea to hijack the 2-pt conversion from college I say
we do the same with its overtime system. Now that’s exciting. (+2)
Wiseguy?
Wiseguy: I would guarantee each team one possession. But it wouldn’t be like college. If the first team to get the ball scores, they would have to kick off
and stop the other team from doing the same, not give them the ball at
the 25 yard line. (+3) It’s a pretty simple solution. This way, each team
has a chance to win the game. (+1)
Gotcha, and for some reason FOX is being screwy with the colors there. Burger what say you?
Burger:
I’m selling this.
I love the fact that the college system gives each team – offense and defense –
the chance to compete and prove their mettle. (+2) Think of the classics we’ve seen:
OSU-Miami for the National Championship; last year’s Orange Bowl between
FSU-Penn State. (+3) Even this year think about the incredible goal line stands by
Iowa against Syracuse that may save their season.(+2) Great games should not come
down to a coin flip. The only change I would make would be starting each team
farther back than the 25 so it’s not just an automatic field goal contest. (+2)
And Neo?
Neo: Sell. It relies too much on chance. Adopt the college system and
just be done with it. The game will be better for it, it will give the
fans more to cheer about. And there will be no more ties! Except in
soccer, but that doesnt count. (+3)
Next, so far this season, Rex Grossman has been great. Altough it was against Detroit and Green Bay, Grossman has put up great passing numbers, but questions still loom about when he will get injured, as he always does. Gentlemen, Buy or Sell Grossman staying healthy the entire year? Burger?
Burger:
I’m buying for
now, but I’m keeping my receipt for a return or exchange later. He is
displaying a greater presence in the pocket and seems calm and less reckless as
his confidence grows, but he hasn’t been tested by a strong defense yet (though
looking at their schedule he won’t face many strong defenses). (+3)
3 points for the answer, but a (MUTE) for "keeping the reciept,", that was weak. Wiseguy?
Wiseguy: The last time Rex was healthy for
a full season was his senior year at Florida. I have a feeling he’ll
get injuryed this year; my prediction is week 9 vs. the Dolphins. (+3)
NeoAC?
Neo: Sell. There's a reason Brian Greise was brought in in the
off-season (Yikes! Two Greise mentions in one show. Eerie). I just
don't think Grossman can manage to stay off the injured list a whole
year. Him being carted off the field is a part of an average NFL
season, much like talk about Drew Bledsoe getting benched. (+4)
Two Griese mentions, I suppose that deserves a (MUTE) Rivjo?
Rivjo:
I’m buying Rex staying healthy. He’s playing behind a
veteran offensive line that is going to keep him on his feet. Center Olin
Kreutz is one of the best in the business. In fact Olin is so tough he broke
fellow Bears lineman Fred Miller’s jaw in a dispute last year. Miller by the
way goes 6 ft 7 in and weighs 320 pounds.
It’s behind them now and keeping Rex safe should be easy compared to
that. I am selling on Grossman having lots more 300-yards/4 touchdowns games
though. (+5)
Ah, dap for the O-Line! I like, you get another point. (+1) Onward...
The Jaguars last week absolutely destroyed the Steelers offense. The week before, they did a good job against the Cowboys. Buy or Sell the Jaguars as the NFL's best D? Neo?
Neo: I think I may Buy this one. But its on a rental basis first. Lets
see how they fare against Indianapolis before I make the full purchase.
If its not them, I'm going to say the best D is back in Baltimore.
(+3)
So you sorta bought it, and sorta didn't, meh (MUTE) Rivjo?
Rivjo:
I’m selling Jacksonville as the best defense in the league.
It’s too early for them to be crowned that yet. They have been impressive for
sure but against whom? Dallas has potential on offense but they have not had
enough time to gel with the pre-season T.O. hamstring escapades. As for
Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger was probably rushed back far too soon from his
appendectomy. Let’s see what the Jags do against the Colts this Sunday before
we jump to any conclusions. (+4) Wiseguy?
Wiseguy: Sell- Sure they looked great on Monday night, but that was against a bad Steelers offense with a still injuryed Ben Roethlisbeger. If they blank the colts, then I’ll change my mind. But until then, the Bears have the best defense. (+3)
Burger? It was your team that got trampled, what say you?
Burger: As much as this pains me to admit, I have to buy this until some one proves other
wise. The Bears’ defense will once again put up gaudy stats against inferior
competition; the Panthers seem in disarray; and the Steelers’ defense is great
but their gambling style lends to giving up a few big plays a game, so the Jags
are it for now. They can really cement their claim as the best defense if they
can shut down the Colts in Indy this week. (+3)
(HORN) I think we all agree that we need to see the Jaguars play the Colts. Ok, first cut time, and as we look at the scores, Wiseguy6, you are the low man, final thoughts?
Wiseguy: Forget
about the last game, Adrian Peterson still needs to get strong
consideration for the Heisman. It’s not his fault the officials
absolutely sucked. He played like warrior and deserves the recognition. (MUTE) Ok, your done for the day, Out of Bounds is next!
Ok, 2 down, here's how they stand. Rivjo leads with 46, Burger right behind him with 45, and NeoAC Bringing up the rear with 40.
OUT OF BOUNDS
This week's college football schedule doesn't look as exciting as last week. Only featuring two games with two ranked teams, and one of those games both teams are in the 20's. My question for you is, of all of the this weekends games, give me one upset. We shall start with Neo.
Neo: Not a lot to pick from, like you said, but I think I feel most
secure taking North Carolina St. over #20 Boston College. The Eagles
have just been skating on thin ice along the entire season so far. They
almost let Central Michigan take them into overtime, they survived
Clemson only thanks to a missed extra point attempt in OT, and somehow
Brigham Young also managed to push them into the extra frame. (+6) I have a
feeling they are about to make like that Pakistani acid girl from
Family Guy. (+3) Love the FG reference. I know North Carolina St. has been horrible so far, losing
to Akron and Southern Miss, but there is hope. Soph. Daniel Evans will
make his first college start against the boys from Chestnut Hill, and
he looked very good in mop-up duty, going 8/11 for 96 yards and a TD.
Chuck Amato is also going to be pulling out all the stops for this
games, because if he doesn't start now, he'll be lucky to last until
the end of the season.
(+2)
Burger?
Burger:
This question is an obvious attempt to get me to go on
record in picking my Nittany Lions over OSU, and I have every confidence that
they can and will show up strong in that game. I’m no fair-weather fan so I’ll
go ahead and say it! Penn State wins! But I expect them to win so that is not
my upset pick of the week. (+4)
While I think Michigan may be primed for a let down game
against Wisconsin, another potential letdown game jumped out at me even more:
Louisville at Kansas State. The Cards got past their big test against Miami and
have a relatively easy road until their big showdown with West Virginia. I can
easily see a stumbling block for them in the 3-0 Wildcats. (+3)
Rivjo what do you have?
Rivjo:
I hate to make this prediction, especially since I support
the Golden Domers, but I have to do it. So many intangibles go into this pick.
Currently The Fighting Irish are ranked 12th. Unless you were under
a rock last week everybody knows that they were beat down at home by
Michigan. (+3) This week they must travel to
Michigan State to play the unranked Spartans (3-0) who are fresh off a victory
over Pittsburgh. Last year the Spartans upset Notre Dame in South Bend and will
be very hungry to make it two years in a row. (+2) I think Brady Quinn and company
are still reeling from the disappointment of watching their National
Championship hopes dashed and will lay another egg. (+3) Anyone who called them
over-rated can give himself another pat on the back. I wonder if the team has
begun to believe the critics themselves. (+2)
(HORN) Wow, interesting picks from this one. Well let's look at the scores, Rivjo you're save. And NeoAC, you fall just one short of Burger with 51. Parting shots?
Neo: Well, I guess its back to the Great White North for me. I just want
to say, look for the Weekend Pickoff on Friday night, and if anyone
still cares, the NHL season starts in a month! Go Oilers!
(MUTE) NHL Season shall be great. Ok, Showdown up next, featuring Rivjo and Burger21. Two men enter, only one will survive. And Adam Best has got to love seing two of his guys in the showdown. Showdown after this commercial!
Stephen Colbert, delivering truthiness Monday-Thursday on Comedy Central.
SHOWDOWN
Alright, Showdown between Rivjo and Burger21. Lessss Go!
Earlier this week, Morten Andersen signed a deal with the Falcons. The old kicker is 46 years old, older than any active player by 4 years. The question is, at what age does he finally retire? Rivjo start us off.
Rivjo:
As long as Morton can still kick field goals I say stick
around forever. I think he willfinallyretirein the year
2010, even though it most certainly wouldn’t be as a regular. He will not only
turn 50 years old that year but he will also have played pro football during 4
separate decades. Morton began his career in 1982 and I could see some
former team letting him kick an extra point to accomplish this feat.
Burger:
I think it’s great that Anderson is back with the Falcons,
especially going to New Orleans – the scene of his best years – Monday night, but this is a one year signing and he
will be done for good after this season, or before if he fares poorly.
I like Rivjo's faith in the Great Dane, he gets the point. Next up.
NASCAR's second race in the ridiclous "Chase" is this week at Dover. Who ya got? Burger?
Burger:
Last week was a perfect example of why I dislike this
“Chase” system. Jimmie Johnson was leading most of the season, only to have a
crash and now he’s in the basement of the leader board because they have to
start over? What is that? I think JJ wins in Dover and quiets his “can’t close
the deal” critics. He won this race there last year and has 3 wins, 7 top tens,
4 top fives, and a pole in ten career starts at Dover.
Rivjo:
Nobody in “The Chase” needs a win more than Jimmy Johnson.
After his wreck last week in New Hampshire he dropped all the way down to 9th
in the standings. He can’t afford another poor showing and I look for him to
drive the wheels off of the car. Jimmy has 3 career wins at this track and here
comes number 4. After all, his luck can’t always stay awful during Chase Races,
can it? He’ll be the man to beat in Dover.
I like the Stats from Burger, he gets the point. And finally for the game.
I'm sure all of you know about the insanity that is the Oklahoma-Oregon craziness. The people at Oklahoma want loss not to count against them in the BCS Standings. The Referees have already been suspended, and OU is threating to cancel future games against Pac-10 teams. The question is, is Oklahoma in the right for continuing to push this? Or should they just move on. Rivjo?
Rivjo:
Haven’t we been here before with useless protests? I mean
sure, the replay official butchered the call on the onside kick but what does
Oklahoma expect to happen? Should they line-up the players and reply it again
on a mutual day off? That’s not happening, nor will the ruling be overturned,
so just move on. Letting Oregon get back in the game in the first place, by
allowing their offense to march up and down the field, had just a little bit to
do with the loss too.
Burger:
Sports history is littered with teams that lost games they
think they should have won due to poor officiating. You can go through the tape
of every game to pull out missed or wrong calls. While the complaints and
petitions to the league officials of both conferences were justified, asking
for the game to be erased is over the top. The on-side kick was not the final
play of the game. Even though the call was erroneous the Sooners still had an
opportunity to stop the Ducks from scoring, and had a shot at a game winning
field goal as time expired.
Very close call here, but the point will go to Rivjo, enjoy your face time.
Rivjo:
Welcome to the Winner’s Lounge. Speaking of winners, just
who the heck is going to win the NL wild card? Does it matter? Are the glasses
of the “contenders” half empty or full? They do have to play the Mets right? As
the Mets steam-rolled all season long through the National League, it became a
foregone conclusion that they were the cream of the crop. Well, all teams play
for one reason and one reason alone. As Herm Edwards so vociferously reminded
us a few years back, “You play to win the game!”
There are still a lot of excited fans in San Diego, Los
Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia. They die a thousand deaths with each
loss and experiencing a thousand dreams with each win. A berth in the playoffs
is like a lottery ticket. As long as you have one, you have a chance. Good luck
to all you baseball lovers wishing on a star. The best is yet to come. If you
are a fan of the Royals, Pirates or some other struggling team, then by all
means jump on the nearest good-looking bandwagon. It doesn’t make you a bad
person. It makes you a fan looking to identify with something appealing, even
if just on a temporary basis. Otherwise shut your traps if we see another
Subway Series and go watch football instead.
See ya when I see ya!
(MUTE) I think Adande will sue you for using the lounge, Burger anything you want to add?
Burger: Thanks once again, NFL, for letting me play along today.
This has been great.
The 2006 Ryder Cup between the defending cup champion
European Team and the American contingent opens today at the K Club in Ireland.
NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller said recently that this year’s American team is
“the worse team we’ve ever fielded.” The Golf Channel’s Steve Duemig seems to
think that Miller’s comments were made to stir the pot a little bit in order to
rile up the US golfers. I disagree. First off, these are the best golfers in
the world playing for their country after being embarrassed two years ago – they
shouldn’t need any extra motivation than that. And I’m a little confused on how
a team with the 1-2-3 ranked players in the world could be the ‘worse’ at
anything. Exactly how could our team be better? What Americans left off the
squad by the captain (Tom Lehman) could have made this better than the ‘worse’
with the top three in the world already on board? We may have four rookies on
the squad but there are first timers in every cup and the Europeans had that
many last time. No, this is more of the same old – same old from Miller. His on
air arrogance is one of the most disdainful aspects of golf coverage,
especially for this pristine event. He is widely known for being overly cynical
and belittling in his commentary, beyond the norm for unbiased critique, and
the players have little respect for him. When asked about his reaction to
Miller’s comments, Chris DiMarco replied “I never agree with anything Johnny
Miller says or writes.” Miller seems to me to be egotistical and is jealous of
the modern players for their success and recognition. While he was widely
regarded as talented and successful in his own career, he was always in the
shadow of Jack and Watson, and never seems to get over that he isn’t getting
the attention he thinks he’s due. His stinging barbs aimed toward Tiger and
Phil and others are not within the scope of his duties, and as an American in a
day when cheap shots toward Americans are in vogue the world over; I view his
jaded pessimism as unprofessional and unpatriotic. He could have easily stated
his views about the rookies on the team and our poor performances of late
without using terms like ‘worse’ in regard to the squad of his own nation. I
will tune in to cheer on our team and watch the compelling play by the best in
the world from both sides; but I will also exercise my right to do as our good
host Mr. NFL has done in this episode of Around The Horn – and use my MUTE
button.
And I shall use my (MUTE) button after that book you just wrote. Neo, Wiseguy anything you want to add?
Wiseguy and Neo: (MUTE) Forget about it! That ends the second edition of Bloggers Around the Horn. If you interested in being a part of it, send me an email, it's over in the About me section.
I suppose it's true that a kicker can kick until his leg falls off.
Morten Andersen has signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, that Morten Andersen, the same Morten Andersen who's NFL career started in 1982. He has played 23 seasons, and his return will mark his 24th season in NFL action. Andersen is 46 years old, which puts him well ahead of anyone else in the league as the oldest active player. At 46, you may be wondering, "Is he any good anymore"
Andersen still has something to offer to the Falcons. The Falcons kicker Michael Koenan also is their punter. They hoped he could do both jobs, but last week he missed 4 field goals. Andersen can teach the young Koenan, who has an incredibly strong leg, some tips to becoming a more accurate kicker.
Of course, at age 46, Andersen can't kick the long field goal anymore. Since 2002 he is 1-2 from 50+ yards, and is a bad 14-23 from 40+ yards. However, he can still make the short stuff, as in the last two years, he has made 40 of 42 yard field goals from 20 to 39 yards. With Koenan lacking accuracy, this gives them a solid guy to make the easy ones. Altough Koenan lacks accuracy, he has power, and will be the guy kicking the long field goals, he made a 58 yarder last year.
What's in it for the 46 year old? Andersen says he wanted to play till age 50, something that no NFL player has ever done. The oldest player of all time was George Blanda, who played to age 48. Andersen is also only 76 points behind kicker Gary Anderson as the all time leading points scorer, something that he could possibly reach this year.
He started with the Saints, where he played 9 years of his career. He then for the next 6 seasons played with the Falcons. Then from 2001 to 2004, he spent time with 3 different teams, the Giants, Chiefs, and Vikings. Last year, he did not play for anyone, but he is back.
The second oldest player in the league is 4 years younger than him (John Carney). But as long as he can kick, he should get a job. Many of today's young kickers are inaccurate, and even this guy can teach young kickers the path to success, and give you good accuracy.
Morten Andersen, Proof that age really doesn't matter.
And I'm still wondering when Vinny Testaverde, Sean Landeta, and Gary Anderson will get picked up this year...
So a three team trade took place yesterday between the Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons gave up power-back T.J. Duckett, who went to the Redskins. The Falcons in return got under-achieving reciever Ashley Lelie. And the Broncos get 2 un-determined draft picks.
How this changes the Falcons. One of the big weaknesses of the Falcons the past couple years was lack of recievers. They have yet to have a real deep threat, and Lelie has the speed to do that. However, that is what the Falcons thought of Peerless Price, and that flopped in their face.
They lose Duckett, who is a great power guy, and is only 25 years old. The pride of the Falcons offense has been the great running game they had between Duckett, speedster Warrick Dunn, and quarterback Michael Vick. Now Warrick Dunn will have to do more himself. Dunn is 31 years old, and being a small back, you can't expect him to take too much of an extra beating. They don't have anyone proven behind these Dunn, and I think in the end, this trade will hurt the Falcons more than it will help.
How this changes the Redskins. Getting Duckett was really just a security blanket in case Clinton Porits misses significant time. If Portis ends up fine, Duckett will probably not get the ball very much, except in short-yardage. But the Redskins are playing it safe with Portis's shoulder injury.
They have given up two picks to the Broncos, but no one knows what picks. This is a quote from ESPN.com "At worst, the Broncos will receive two draft choices from Washington -- third- and fourth-round picks -- and those picks could escalate based on a complicated formula." Giving up two potenial future starters for one insurance plan seems a little shaky, but they realize Gibbs is old, and the Redskins want to win now.
How this changes the Broncos. The Broncos are now minus a whiny Leile, who wanted out because he didn't want to be the slot reciever. They drafted him in the frist round in 2002, and he has yet to ever do anything great. They have David Terrell or Darius Watts to take the slot spot, and they won't be much worse than Lelie.
Depending on what picks they end up getting, the Broncos could end up being the real winners. If the picks do escalate, they could end up with two quality rookies who end up doing more than Duckett or Lelie.
It is indeed an interesting trade, and it will be fun to see how it all goes down.
THAT'S ALL I GOT
JOIN THE BLOGGERS PRO'PICK EM GROUP, FEATURING 38 of YOUR FAVORITE BLOGGERS AND COUNTING. JOIN NOW, AND PROVE THAT YOU ARE THE MOST KNOWLEDGBLE ABOUT THE NFL!!!
It is time for part 2 of the somewhat popular "MrNFL presents 'The NFL Preview Extravaganza!'" In today's edition, it is the teams of the NFC South, the Falcons, Saints, Panthers, and Buccaneers. For these previews, I will breakdown each position, and grade them on different things. The way the system can be found by clicking here, for I am too lazy to re-write them all, and a lot of people probably don't care. But at the end of the year, all of these numbers will be put together with the schedules, to determine what the records of each team will be.
With all of that said, LET'S GOOOO!
Atlanta Falcons
LAST YEAR: The Falcons had a shot to get in to the playoffs in the up-for-grabs NFC, but losing the last 3 games of the season finished their chances, as they finished the year with an 8-8 record.
THIS YEAR...
Quarterbacks: Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, D.J. Shockley, Bryan Randall. Ah Michael Vick, about as unique of a QB as you have in football. So far, that has not been a good thing, as he has struggled to put up decent numbers passing in his career. His running adds a dynamic, but he can't seem to get the ball to anyone. If Vick gets hurt, they will not be in terrible shape, as Matt Schaub looks to be a solid backup.
QB Score- 3/5
Running backs: T.J. Duckett, Warrick Dunn, Justin Griffith, Fred McCrary, Jerious Norwood, DeAndra Cobb The running game was extremely good last year, combining the speed of Warrick Dunn with the power of T. J. Duckett. Duckett and Dunn return, altough age is slowly catching up to Dunn. They have a solid fullback in Griffith, and a decent backup in McCrary. But if Duckett or Dunn get hurt, I wonder about the success of the running game then.
RB Score-9/10
Recieving targets: Alge Crumpler, Michael Jenkins, Roddy White, Brian Finneran, Jerome Pathon, Robert Redd, Kevin Youngblood, Adam Jennings, Cedric Bonner, Jamin Elliott, Eric Beverly, Alge Crumpler is a great tight end recieving, and is also a solid blocker. Looking at the wide recievers makes you laugh out loud however. Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are both young and inexperienced, but will one of them step up? Brian Finneran is out for the season, and that is a big hit. The vet Pathon may add some help to an extremely inconsistant group of wide-outs.
WR Score 6/10
Offensive Line: Todd McClure, Matt Lehr, Kynan Forney, Todd ####, Wayne Gandy, Austin King, Shawn Draper, Quinn Ojinkka, Garrick Jones. Trevor Hutton A solid offensive line. Todd McClure is one of the better centers in all of football. Matt Lehr and Kynan Forsey are solid guards, and #### and Gandy are solid tackles. Nothing great, but pretty solid. However, the depth of this line is in question.
OL Score 7/10
Defensive Line: John Abraham, Patrick Kerney, Rod Coleman, Jonathan Babineaux, Chad Lavalais, Chauncey Davis, Antwan Lake, Patrick Kerney is a Pro Bowler and one of the best defensive lineman in football. He now has John Abraham, one of the best defensive ends in football, on the same line with him. Along with big Rod Coleman, and the young Babineaux, the DL looks to be among the best. However, if an injury happens to Abraham or Kerney, I don't think they will be in good shape.
DL Score 9/10
Linebackers: Keith Brooking, Ed Hartwell, DeMorrio Williams, Ike Reese, Michael Boley, Martin Patterson, John Leake. Michael Boley. Not a bad group. Brooking is a great linebacker. Hartwell was solid in Baltimore, but was injured all of last year in Atlanta. I'm not sure if Hartwell wasn't over-rated because of being with Ray Lewis. DeMorrio is very young, and very fast. They don't have much depth, altough Ike Reese is a smart old vet.
LB Score 7/10
Defensive Backs: DeAngelo Hall, Jason Webster, Allen Rossum, Lawyer Milloy, Jimmy Williams, Chris Crocker, Omare Lowe, Kevin Mathis. DeAngelo Hall is extremely fast, and is getting better at his judgement. The rest of the corners are alright, Webster is decent, along with the kick returner Rossum and rookie Williams. Lawyer Milloy adds a lot to this secondary with his veteran leadership and great talent and strong safety, however, they do not have anyone for the free safety slot. That hole could hurt this secondary majorly, and if Milloy gets hurt, they have no last line of defense.
DB Score 7/10
Special Teams: Tony Yelk, Michael Koenan, Allen Rossum.
Tony Yelk, who the heck is that? He's a rookie, and rookie kickers don't usually fare to well. They do have Allen Rossum, who is always a threat to take a kick return for a touchdown
ST Score 6/10
Coach: Jim Mora Jr. Mora has been solid in his two years with the Falcons. He went 11-5 his first year, and 8-8 was not horrible last year. Mora looks to know what he is doing, as he has had the #1 running game two years straight, but he needs to work on the pass. The D does need work though.
Coach 7/10.
Final thoughts: The Falcons have brought in the free agents to improve the defense and make that a key. The running game still looks good, but without much of a passing game, they will struggle against the good run stopping defenses, and in the end, likely not get too far in the postseason.
New Orleans Saints
LAST YEAR: It did not go well for the Saints. The team was not very good. It also didn't help that they had to basically play every game on the road, as the Louisana Superdome was damaged beyond use by Hurricane Katrina. In the end, the team finished 3-13, and were just hoping to know where they would be playing for next year.
THIS YEAR....
Quarterbacks: Drew Brees, Todd Bouman, Jamie Martin, Adrian McPherson. Adding Brees from San Diego is a big addition, as he has been great for the last few years. If he is injured, they are in solid shape, with two decent veterans in Bouman and Martin. The Saints look like they have one position figured out.
QB Score 4/5
Running backs: Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush, Aaron Stecker, Fred McAfee, Mike Karney, McAllister had injury problems last season, but prior to that had been a very successful power back. The additiion of speedster Reggie Bush will help lessen the load on McAllister, and could make for a great combo. But McAllister may be burned out after so many carries so early in his career. Fred McAfee is the fullback, and he is amazingly old, at 38 years old, but is still a solid blocker. Aaron Stecker isn't a horrible backup for halfback either.
RB Score 7/10
Receiving Targets: Joe Horn, Donte Stallworth, Bethel Johnson, Devery Henderson, Mike Hass, Chris Horn, Michael Lewis, Mark Campbell, Marques Colston, Ernie Conwell, Tim Euhus, Billy Miller, Zachary Hilton. Joe Horn is a good veteran reciever who has consistantly put up good numbers each year. Donte Stallworth has improved and is a solid number 2. Bethel Johnson and Michael Lewis provide good speed for the slot reciever position as well. Tight end is a bit of a question, they have a bunch of average guys looking to fill the spot. All of them are fairly unproven, and it unknown which will get the starting spot.
WR Score 7/10
Offensive Line: Jeff Faine, Jon Stinchcomb, Montrae Holland, Kendyl Jacox, Jermane Mayberry, Chad Setterstrom, Zach Strief, Augie Hoffmann, Jahri Edwards, Jammal Brown. Not re-signing LeCharles Bentley was seeminglty a mistake, but he got hurt pretty quickly. Jeff Faine is a decent center. The guards aren't bad with Jacox and Mayberry but the tackles are fairly weak. And they don't have too much depth in case one of the guards or center get injured. This line could be the weak link of the line.
OL Score 6/10
Defensive Line: Cedric Woodard, Brian Young, Josh Williams, Hollis Thomas, Will Smith, Rob Ninkovich, Charles Grant, Tony Bryant, Clifford Dukes. This is not a very good D-Line. Adding Woodard wasn't a bad idea, as he is a solid tackle, but what can he do with Young and Williams beside him. Charles Grant is a good end, but he has tons of unproven and inconsistant guys to work with. Plus the depth is awful.
DL Score 5/10
Linebackers: Jay Foreman, Scott Fujita, Tommy Polley, Anthony Simmons, Nate Wayne, Alfred Pincher, Colby Bockwaldt, James Allen. They have a lot of linebackers who at one time were pretty good, but have yet to have success in a while. Altough Foreman, Polley, Simmons, and Wayne are veterans, but they are no longer the succesfful guys they were once supposed to be. Plus, as many of them are new to New Orleans, they have no chemistry together.
LB Score 6/10
Defensive Backs: Fred Thomas, Jason Craft, Mike McKenzie, Fred Booker, Anwar Phillips, Jay Bellamy, Josh Bullocks, Steve Gleason, Roman Harper, Bryan Scott, Omar Stoutmire They have a decent set of corners with veteran Fred Thomas and McKenzie. Craft is solid as a #3 corner. But the safeties are a major question mark. Bellamy is alright, but everyone else is for the most part inconsistant and unproven.
DB Score 6/10
Special Teams: John Carney, Mitch Berger, Michael Lewis. Carner is still a fairly accurate kicker in his old age, but he can no longer boot the long field goal very effectively. Lewis is a solid speedy returner.
ST Score 6/10
Coach: Sean Payton. He has no head coaching experience, which is a minus, but he had done a solid job working the offense in Dallas. His offenses ran the ball a lot, and his offense will run a good amount here in New Orleans
Coach Score 5/10
Final Thoughts: The Saints are in a rebuilding stage, and have a lot of things to figure out in the franchises future. No one expects great things out of the Saints, and the Saints just need to work toward some stability.
Up Next...
Carolina Panthers
LAST YEAR: The Panthers were the favorites for many to be in the Super Bowl out of the NFC. They did not disapoint in the regular season finishing 11-5. The Panthers proceeded in the playoffs to defeat the Giants and Bears, before being defeated in the NFC Championship game by the Seahawks.
Quarterbacks: Jake Delhomme, Stefan LeFors, Chris Weinke Delhomme in his Panther tenure has been very good. His statistics have been solid for 3 straight years. If he gets injured, I do wonder what will come of them. Altough Weinke is a veteran, he has not done much of anything, and I don't have a lot of faith in him as the backup. LeFors is also too young to likely do anything.
QB Score 3/5
Running backs: DeShaun Foster, Nick Goings, DeAngelo Williams, Eric Shelton, Brad Hoover, DeShaun Foster is constantly injured, and altough he's shown signs of greatness, he is hurt year in and year out. That may be motivation for the Panthers drafting DeAngelo Williams, and solid rookie back. Brad Hoover is one of the better blocking fullbacks in football. Goings and Shelton are both decent backs if Foster gets hurt as usual, and if Williams gets hurt or is inaffective.
RB Score 7/10
Recieving Targets: Steve Smith, Keyshawn Johnson, Drew Carter, Keary Colbert, Karl Hankton, Kris Mangum, Jeff King, Mike Seidman, Steve Smith was fantastic last year, and that was without anyone else to throw the ball to. He now has Keyshawn Johnson, a solid veteran who will take a lot of pressure off of him. Carter is tall and has speed, and may breakout. Also Keary Colbert is a solid possesion reciever. The tight end is a bit of a weakness with Mangum, who is average.
WR Score 8/10
Offensive Line: Justin Hartwig, Todd Fordham, Jordan Gross, Mike Wahle, Scott Peters, Rashad Butler, Will Montgomery, Qasim Mitchell. Hartwig is a solid additiion to the team
