Well, it took the NBA trade deadline to come and go to get me to put up this piece, but here it is:
The Knicks are awful. God awful.
Isaiah Thomas might be the worst GM in the history of the sport.
Yesterday's "blockbusters" involved getting two nobodys and taking on over $20 million more in salary. Yes, they increased their payroll, and really did not improve the team. At all.
They did get two first round picks though. One that will add on to their existing one this year, and one to replace the 2006 pick they gave away in acquiring Marbury.
Did I mention they're awful? So awful, I can not even bear to watch them. I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. Brutal. And that's all I have to say about that for now.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Bust a Cap
Well, I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised with the moves Seattle has made this week. Not only did they sign All-Pro tackle Walter Jones and Matt Hasselbeck to long term deals, not only did they slap the franchise tag on Shaun Alexander, but they still have over $12 million worth of cap space to play with. Check out this site here for the team-by-team breakdown of their cap situations. The salary cap is an interesting thing...
On one hand, it keeps the league pretty darned competitive and that whole parity thing is totally in effect. On the other hand, it's pretty damn hard for a team to remain competitive over a long timespan. Yes, there are a few teams like the Patriots and Packers and Broncos who seem to be right in the playoff hunt every year lately. But there are also a bunch of teams whose rise and fall each season can be directly blamed on the cap. Look at the Buccaneers and Raiders, too teams in the Super Bowl just 2 years ago. I could spend hours analyzing teams that have stayed consistent over the past 5 years or so, and another several hours looking at the teams that have been on both ends of the spectrum. But I'll save that for another time. I'm just happy to see that Seattle has kept its core of offensive players together another year, and a third consecutive trip to the playoffs looks doable, despite a tough schedule.
Oh, and the tag they put on Alexander is the non-restrictive type (whatever that means). Basically, he can still shop around and potentially sign with another team. But if that happens, Seattle gets two first round picks as compensation. I'm not sure if those picks come from the team that signs him, in the same year, or what, but that really wouldn't be such a bad thing either should that happen. Though I think it's unlikely.
What's next? How bout working on that D? I'd like to see them re-sign Ken Lucas (CB) and Chike Okeafor (DE) next, then maybe look for a linebacker in free agency. A familiar named WR who can catch the ball would be nice, and with the release of Derrick Mason and the Skins' Laverneous Coles totally wanting out, the number of quality receivers just went up, which also means their prices go down.
And, lastly, another beef with ESPN.com after Simmons' Boston/big-breasted females intern contest bias: The guy who writes the Daily Quickie commented on how the length of Hasselbeck's new contract will correspond to the same number of years Seattle won't make the Super Bowl. Now, I'm not sure this guy watches many Seattle games (does anybody besides me?), but I don't think that's fair. Engram catches that ball, and they're easily into round 2 of the playoffs, with Hasselbeck leading them on an impressive game-ending drive for the tie. His receivers catch a few more balls, or the defense doesn't collapse late, and they're 11-5 this past season. Has he had bad games? Yes, he sure has. Is it fair to say he hasn't gotten the job done in Seattle? Not really. And yes, I might call him Hasselstiff at times, but honestly, there's only about 4 or 5 other QBs in the league I want over him right now. Hell, I'll even name them: Brady, Manning, Vick, Culpepper, and maybe Drew Brees. I'll pass on McNabb and Favre, but just barely. :P
On one hand, it keeps the league pretty darned competitive and that whole parity thing is totally in effect. On the other hand, it's pretty damn hard for a team to remain competitive over a long timespan. Yes, there are a few teams like the Patriots and Packers and Broncos who seem to be right in the playoff hunt every year lately. But there are also a bunch of teams whose rise and fall each season can be directly blamed on the cap. Look at the Buccaneers and Raiders, too teams in the Super Bowl just 2 years ago. I could spend hours analyzing teams that have stayed consistent over the past 5 years or so, and another several hours looking at the teams that have been on both ends of the spectrum. But I'll save that for another time. I'm just happy to see that Seattle has kept its core of offensive players together another year, and a third consecutive trip to the playoffs looks doable, despite a tough schedule.
Oh, and the tag they put on Alexander is the non-restrictive type (whatever that means). Basically, he can still shop around and potentially sign with another team. But if that happens, Seattle gets two first round picks as compensation. I'm not sure if those picks come from the team that signs him, in the same year, or what, but that really wouldn't be such a bad thing either should that happen. Though I think it's unlikely.
What's next? How bout working on that D? I'd like to see them re-sign Ken Lucas (CB) and Chike Okeafor (DE) next, then maybe look for a linebacker in free agency. A familiar named WR who can catch the ball would be nice, and with the release of Derrick Mason and the Skins' Laverneous Coles totally wanting out, the number of quality receivers just went up, which also means their prices go down.
And, lastly, another beef with ESPN.com after Simmons' Boston/big-breasted females intern contest bias: The guy who writes the Daily Quickie commented on how the length of Hasselbeck's new contract will correspond to the same number of years Seattle won't make the Super Bowl. Now, I'm not sure this guy watches many Seattle games (does anybody besides me?), but I don't think that's fair. Engram catches that ball, and they're easily into round 2 of the playoffs, with Hasselbeck leading them on an impressive game-ending drive for the tie. His receivers catch a few more balls, or the defense doesn't collapse late, and they're 11-5 this past season. Has he had bad games? Yes, he sure has. Is it fair to say he hasn't gotten the job done in Seattle? Not really. And yes, I might call him Hasselstiff at times, but honestly, there's only about 4 or 5 other QBs in the league I want over him right now. Hell, I'll even name them: Brady, Manning, Vick, Culpepper, and maybe Drew Brees. I'll pass on McNabb and Favre, but just barely. :P
Friday, February 18, 2005
Sports Guy Intern Contest
Okay, so there's this Bill Simmons guy who writes for ESPN.com known as "The Sports Guy". He does a pretty good job of writing about actual sports and mixing in a good dose of humor and pop culture references. Anyways, he's holding a contest to find a new intern, and it's open to the public. But it's not your typical coffee fetching, shoe polishing, ass kissing internship. The intern actually gets some space on the site to write stuff while posting things like daily links and reader emails. Well, I entered…
The finalists have been announced for the contest, and I'm not among them. I really didn't expect to me, but I held on to a little bit of hope. After reading and re-reading my entry a few times (which I'll spare posting here), I think I made two fatal flaws:
1) Expecting the "how I picked my favorite team that makes no sense geographically or practically" angle to be original.
2) Including two links in the actual entry (one to my band's site and another to this here blog site). Probably a bad idea cause they could be construed as a lame attempt to get a plug. Which really wasn't what I was going for. I just wanted to kinda provide additional material in case I was kind of a borderline decision. Like they're thinking "Well, this one is decent, but not sure it's quite good enough.. But let's see what he's written at these other sites he mentions.." and then they hit the BDF site, watch the "Meet Me At The Bar" video, and suddenly I'm not only a finalist, but the odds on favorite…
I'm not bitter. Really. Some of the finalist entries are really good. However… some of them aren't that good.
Two recurring themes popped out at me in the entries:
1) Females claiming to be really hot and also know a lot about sports.
2) Boston fans sharing stories about the Red Sox. (Simmons is a Boston guy and a huge Red Sox/Pats/Celtics fan.)
Let's break down the numbers…
7 of the 25 finalists are females… 28%. 4 of them outright describe themselves as hot. 2 others imply sexual favors. Here's the breakdown for those playing at home, by entry number:
#7: "The second (fantasy) is to ride around Daytona in a stock car with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the wheel while, if I'm lucky (or drunk), having him rub my leg."
#10: "I am a versatile linguist with a pair of 36C's" and "As an aspiring model".. She also offers to send a photo if it helps her chances.
#13: "Now I am a hot chick with a journalism degree and no job." Gotta love the modesty.
#18: This one is fucking unbearable to read. She describes some mystery sexy/classy woman who walks into a sports bar and every guy is fantasizing about her, then she claims she is that woman. This one made me want to vomit.
#20: The only entry by a female that you can read and it doesn't mention anywhere that she's a woman. Bonus points for this one. However, those bonus points get lost because it's a frickin Red Sox story.
#21: "Are you kidding? I'm waiting to apply to be the Sports Mistress!" She also mentions how she's been a swimmer for 16 years…
#25: "I'm very attractive." Thanks for the news flash.
Without getting all "Women's Rights!" and shit, this seems a bit ridiculous. I'm not sure what annoys me more, the fact that all these women are arrogant enough and willing to try and use their looks to influence the judges, or the fact that it seems to be working! Not to mention the job is a faceless one where the intern sits behind a computer all day. You'd think it was a contest to become a Lakers girl or something judging by these entries.
So, the other bias seems to be the whole Boston fan thing. I guess I really can't blame him too much if Simmons gets all wrapped up in the Boston thing, but let's be fair. Some of these entries got through only because they are about the Red Sox. If they were identical stories written about the Marlins two years ago or (god forbid) the Yankees in 2000, would they have made the finals? I think not. The fix is in!
The numbers - Boston fans: 10 out of 25 entries, 40%. Almost half!
The entries: #4, #5, #10, #13, #15, #18, #20, #21, #22, #24.
#10, #13, #18, #20, and #21 are female AND Boston fans. So only two non-Boston females were chosen.. The plot thickens...
So, early odds… We'll breakdown the individuals when a few of them are eliminated, I don't feel like analyzing all 25 right now. :P
Boston fan: 3-1
Female: 7-1
Female Boston fan: 8-1
New Yorker: 200-1
Someone call Michael Moore, it's conspiracy theory time! Of course, it's his website, and I guess he can do whatever the hell he wants with it, so I have no point.
The finalists have been announced for the contest, and I'm not among them. I really didn't expect to me, but I held on to a little bit of hope. After reading and re-reading my entry a few times (which I'll spare posting here), I think I made two fatal flaws:
1) Expecting the "how I picked my favorite team that makes no sense geographically or practically" angle to be original.
2) Including two links in the actual entry (one to my band's site and another to this here blog site). Probably a bad idea cause they could be construed as a lame attempt to get a plug. Which really wasn't what I was going for. I just wanted to kinda provide additional material in case I was kind of a borderline decision. Like they're thinking "Well, this one is decent, but not sure it's quite good enough.. But let's see what he's written at these other sites he mentions.." and then they hit the BDF site, watch the "Meet Me At The Bar" video, and suddenly I'm not only a finalist, but the odds on favorite…
I'm not bitter. Really. Some of the finalist entries are really good. However… some of them aren't that good.
Two recurring themes popped out at me in the entries:
1) Females claiming to be really hot and also know a lot about sports.
2) Boston fans sharing stories about the Red Sox. (Simmons is a Boston guy and a huge Red Sox/Pats/Celtics fan.)
Let's break down the numbers…
7 of the 25 finalists are females… 28%. 4 of them outright describe themselves as hot. 2 others imply sexual favors. Here's the breakdown for those playing at home, by entry number:
#7: "The second (fantasy) is to ride around Daytona in a stock car with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the wheel while, if I'm lucky (or drunk), having him rub my leg."
#10: "I am a versatile linguist with a pair of 36C's" and "As an aspiring model".. She also offers to send a photo if it helps her chances.
#13: "Now I am a hot chick with a journalism degree and no job." Gotta love the modesty.
#18: This one is fucking unbearable to read. She describes some mystery sexy/classy woman who walks into a sports bar and every guy is fantasizing about her, then she claims she is that woman. This one made me want to vomit.
#20: The only entry by a female that you can read and it doesn't mention anywhere that she's a woman. Bonus points for this one. However, those bonus points get lost because it's a frickin Red Sox story.
#21: "Are you kidding? I'm waiting to apply to be the Sports Mistress!" She also mentions how she's been a swimmer for 16 years…
#25: "I'm very attractive." Thanks for the news flash.
Without getting all "Women's Rights!" and shit, this seems a bit ridiculous. I'm not sure what annoys me more, the fact that all these women are arrogant enough and willing to try and use their looks to influence the judges, or the fact that it seems to be working! Not to mention the job is a faceless one where the intern sits behind a computer all day. You'd think it was a contest to become a Lakers girl or something judging by these entries.
So, the other bias seems to be the whole Boston fan thing. I guess I really can't blame him too much if Simmons gets all wrapped up in the Boston thing, but let's be fair. Some of these entries got through only because they are about the Red Sox. If they were identical stories written about the Marlins two years ago or (god forbid) the Yankees in 2000, would they have made the finals? I think not. The fix is in!
The numbers - Boston fans: 10 out of 25 entries, 40%. Almost half!
The entries: #4, #5, #10, #13, #15, #18, #20, #21, #22, #24.
#10, #13, #18, #20, and #21 are female AND Boston fans. So only two non-Boston females were chosen.. The plot thickens...
So, early odds… We'll breakdown the individuals when a few of them are eliminated, I don't feel like analyzing all 25 right now. :P
Boston fan: 3-1
Female: 7-1
Female Boston fan: 8-1
New Yorker: 200-1
Someone call Michael Moore, it's conspiracy theory time! Of course, it's his website, and I guess he can do whatever the hell he wants with it, so I have no point.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
R.I.P. NHL
Okay, so I wrote this longass article on Wednesday when the NHL cancelled its season, and the fucking blog ate it.
This taught me two things:
1) Don't ever write long messages in a web browser that could easily lose your message if the submit operation times out or crashes or something.
2) I'm a fucking idiot for not always following Lesson #1 after having this happen to me dozens of times during my years of experience with the internet.
So let's just move on, and I'll try and remember most of what I typed…
Yes, I'm a hockey fan. Yes, I am pissed. And yes, I blame both sides in this debacle.
I've been a hockey fan since like 1985 or so, when my friends and I began playing street hockey. We eventually graduated to ice hockey, where I played goalie for 4 years, including a stint on the legendary Yonkers Kings, a traveling team. I'll save the details of my illustrious hockey career for another article. I feel in love with the NHL after staying up til like 2 in the morning watching a multiple OT playoff game between the Capitals and Islanders. Kelly Hrudey immediately became my idol, and my team allegiance went with the Islanders that night, then followed him to the LA Kings when he was traded. After his retirement, I came back to the local Rangers during the early Richter/Leetch era, just in time to enjoy the Cup win.
Anyways, the actual cancellation of the NHL season wasn't really a surprise, and I expected it. However, the way the final 2-3 days unfolded was frustrating and angering to the point of hoping the NHL never comes back. I've cooled down a bit since then, but basically here's what I think happened..
When the owners backed off the whole "revenue tied to players cost" demand, the deadline had already been set for reaching a deal. There were like 2 days left. It would take a miracle for things to be worked out by then. The owners offered a $40 million cap, with the clock quickly ticking away. However, the players were pretty quick in responding by accepting a salary cap now, one not tied to league revenues. $52 million, the players countered. The league then said "$42.5 million, final offer." Now, here's where things get a little weird/aggravating. They said "final offer." We all know that "final offer" doesn't REALLY mean it's final. So the players countered again and said $49 million.
So let's do a little negotiations math, shall we?
League says $40, Players say $52… Difference of $12 million.
League says $42.5, they come up $2.5.
Players say $49, they come down $3.
Difference of $6.5 million.
What's the next step?
League says $45, they come up another $2.5.
Players say $46, they come down another $3.
$1 million difference isn't that big a deal, hell, the players could just come down the extra million and make it a nice, round, $45.
Boom, done deal.
Easy, right?
Except the fucking league never made another offer after the $42.5. Apparently this time "final offer" really MEANT final offer. Who would have thunk?
So, now, the season is over. The fans are pissed off. The players are confused by their union's sudden change of stance on the salary cap at the 12th hour. (All along the players have gone with the "no salary cap at all" stance.) The owners don't have any product to sell. The TV networks will be running more infomercials than usual. Pretty much everybody loses.
And here's the worst part: They're basically back at square one right now. After the "final offer" by the owners was turned down, they immediately retracted that offer, and said that was the best offer the players would get. Which means that their willingness to remove the tie-in to revenues is gone. Which means that since the cap will again be tied to revenues according to the owners, now there's no way the players will accept a salary cap.
There are some rumors floating around that some people are still trying to salvage the season and agree to the cap number of the final deal, but everybody involved denies it. Hell, there are even rumors that Gretzky and Lemeiux have been brought in to work some hockey legend magic and save the sport from this crushing blow. I still hold on to a small glimmer of hope, but its fading fast.
If people think the last baseball strike hurt the game, imagine what this does to a sport that's already hurting for fans.
Anybody know of any cable channels that carry lacrosse games?
This taught me two things:
1) Don't ever write long messages in a web browser that could easily lose your message if the submit operation times out or crashes or something.
2) I'm a fucking idiot for not always following Lesson #1 after having this happen to me dozens of times during my years of experience with the internet.
So let's just move on, and I'll try and remember most of what I typed…
Yes, I'm a hockey fan. Yes, I am pissed. And yes, I blame both sides in this debacle.
I've been a hockey fan since like 1985 or so, when my friends and I began playing street hockey. We eventually graduated to ice hockey, where I played goalie for 4 years, including a stint on the legendary Yonkers Kings, a traveling team. I'll save the details of my illustrious hockey career for another article. I feel in love with the NHL after staying up til like 2 in the morning watching a multiple OT playoff game between the Capitals and Islanders. Kelly Hrudey immediately became my idol, and my team allegiance went with the Islanders that night, then followed him to the LA Kings when he was traded. After his retirement, I came back to the local Rangers during the early Richter/Leetch era, just in time to enjoy the Cup win.
Anyways, the actual cancellation of the NHL season wasn't really a surprise, and I expected it. However, the way the final 2-3 days unfolded was frustrating and angering to the point of hoping the NHL never comes back. I've cooled down a bit since then, but basically here's what I think happened..
When the owners backed off the whole "revenue tied to players cost" demand, the deadline had already been set for reaching a deal. There were like 2 days left. It would take a miracle for things to be worked out by then. The owners offered a $40 million cap, with the clock quickly ticking away. However, the players were pretty quick in responding by accepting a salary cap now, one not tied to league revenues. $52 million, the players countered. The league then said "$42.5 million, final offer." Now, here's where things get a little weird/aggravating. They said "final offer." We all know that "final offer" doesn't REALLY mean it's final. So the players countered again and said $49 million.
So let's do a little negotiations math, shall we?
League says $40, Players say $52… Difference of $12 million.
League says $42.5, they come up $2.5.
Players say $49, they come down $3.
Difference of $6.5 million.
What's the next step?
League says $45, they come up another $2.5.
Players say $46, they come down another $3.
$1 million difference isn't that big a deal, hell, the players could just come down the extra million and make it a nice, round, $45.
Boom, done deal.
Easy, right?
Except the fucking league never made another offer after the $42.5. Apparently this time "final offer" really MEANT final offer. Who would have thunk?
So, now, the season is over. The fans are pissed off. The players are confused by their union's sudden change of stance on the salary cap at the 12th hour. (All along the players have gone with the "no salary cap at all" stance.) The owners don't have any product to sell. The TV networks will be running more infomercials than usual. Pretty much everybody loses.
And here's the worst part: They're basically back at square one right now. After the "final offer" by the owners was turned down, they immediately retracted that offer, and said that was the best offer the players would get. Which means that their willingness to remove the tie-in to revenues is gone. Which means that since the cap will again be tied to revenues according to the owners, now there's no way the players will accept a salary cap.
There are some rumors floating around that some people are still trying to salvage the season and agree to the cap number of the final deal, but everybody involved denies it. Hell, there are even rumors that Gretzky and Lemeiux have been brought in to work some hockey legend magic and save the sport from this crushing blow. I still hold on to a small glimmer of hope, but its fading fast.
If people think the last baseball strike hurt the game, imagine what this does to a sport that's already hurting for fans.
Anybody know of any cable channels that carry lacrosse games?
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Football's over... now what?
Well, with the Pro Bowl bringing the official end to the NFL season.. what can you expect from this site now? Good question... How about some offseason football analysis, maybe even some baseball sprinkled in. Of course once March Madness starts, we'll keep an eye on that. And who knows, maybe I'll get around to writing that "God, the Knicks fucking SUCK!" piece one of these days... A couple quick football observations for now...
Did you watch the Pro Bowl? Me neither. Well, I had it on for a little while, kinda in the background. Saw the Manning TD pass to Harrison. Saw an interview with TO on the sideline. But these All Star games (in every sport I think) get less and less interesting every year. Nobody is playing hard. In sports like hockey (what's that?) and basketball, nobody plays defense. Nobody wants to get hurt. And a lot of the players who were supposed to be there don't even show up due to a mysterious injury. Like Shaun Alexander. He was selected for the NFC team, and might have even been named the starter. But he came up with some phantom injury and sat it out. Gee, I wonder if that had anything to do with his pending free agency and not wanting to risk even the slightest injury... Wuss...
Speaking of Alexander, the Seahawks are still trying to fill the executive jobs for the team, and good ol' Shaun mentioned in an interview that this is not helping his situation. Basically, he said he wants to get something done quickly, and if they're still doing interviews and stuff, then how can they focus on re-signing him? I guess he kind of has a point, but I think he's laying some more groundwork to bolt.
As for the Seattle front office.. they made a pitch to Patriots Vice President of player personnel, Scott Pioli. He turned down about $3 million a year to stay with the Pats at less than $1 million a year. Fucker. The Patriots also seem to have kept that db coach, Mangini, and promoted him to defensive coordinator. He also turned down deals from other teams worth more money. And with each additional thing that goes in favor of the Patriots, they become more and more hated.. I'm telling you, the backlash will begin soon, and people will tire of New England's dominance...
Did you watch the Pro Bowl? Me neither. Well, I had it on for a little while, kinda in the background. Saw the Manning TD pass to Harrison. Saw an interview with TO on the sideline. But these All Star games (in every sport I think) get less and less interesting every year. Nobody is playing hard. In sports like hockey (what's that?) and basketball, nobody plays defense. Nobody wants to get hurt. And a lot of the players who were supposed to be there don't even show up due to a mysterious injury. Like Shaun Alexander. He was selected for the NFC team, and might have even been named the starter. But he came up with some phantom injury and sat it out. Gee, I wonder if that had anything to do with his pending free agency and not wanting to risk even the slightest injury... Wuss...
Speaking of Alexander, the Seahawks are still trying to fill the executive jobs for the team, and good ol' Shaun mentioned in an interview that this is not helping his situation. Basically, he said he wants to get something done quickly, and if they're still doing interviews and stuff, then how can they focus on re-signing him? I guess he kind of has a point, but I think he's laying some more groundwork to bolt.
As for the Seattle front office.. they made a pitch to Patriots Vice President of player personnel, Scott Pioli. He turned down about $3 million a year to stay with the Pats at less than $1 million a year. Fucker. The Patriots also seem to have kept that db coach, Mangini, and promoted him to defensive coordinator. He also turned down deals from other teams worth more money. And with each additional thing that goes in favor of the Patriots, they become more and more hated.. I'm telling you, the backlash will begin soon, and people will tire of New England's dominance...
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Favre Returning?
Actually, got this off of ESPN…
Favre will play in Milwaukee in July
ESPN.com news services.
Brett Favre might tee it up for a 15th NFL season.
At the very least, he's going to tee it up for the pro-am and celebrity shootout in Milwaukee at the U.S. Bank Championship, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported in Thursday's editions.
His play will benefit the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation.
Favre will play in the Monday and Tuesday events at the tournament scheduled July 18-24. Whether he will play for the Green Bay Packers in the fall or retire has not yet been publicly announced.
An indication that he might return, though, came when his foundation called to check whether the dates conflicted with Packers training camp, the paper reported.
OK gang, hold on to your butts. That's as close to an answer as we've gotten. Factor in that Favre is appearing at the Packers Fan Fest in March, and that Karen says he's coming back, and I say we've got a lock.
Favre will play in Milwaukee in July
ESPN.com news services.
Brett Favre might tee it up for a 15th NFL season.
At the very least, he's going to tee it up for the pro-am and celebrity shootout in Milwaukee at the U.S. Bank Championship, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported in Thursday's editions.
His play will benefit the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation.
Favre will play in the Monday and Tuesday events at the tournament scheduled July 18-24. Whether he will play for the Green Bay Packers in the fall or retire has not yet been publicly announced.
An indication that he might return, though, came when his foundation called to check whether the dates conflicted with Packers training camp, the paper reported.
OK gang, hold on to your butts. That's as close to an answer as we've gotten. Factor in that Favre is appearing at the Packers Fan Fest in March, and that Karen says he's coming back, and I say we've got a lock.
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Super Bowl Blog: Better late than never!
Super Bowl Sunday proved to be a gastronomical Armageddon at the Samichlaus household, featuring my famous Italian breaded wings served with blue cheese and buffalo sauce, a baked brie en cruet , little pizza thingies, sausage and pepper sandwiches, potato chips, onion dip, tortilla chips, 2 kinds of salsa, cheese dip, fresh veggies with ranch dressing, Ritz crackers and Triscuits. I never did break out the pimento dip. This feast was enjoyed by the whole gang, which consisted of Karen, Holly and me.
Now, two days after the event, I’m still not feeling quite right. I’m a bit queasy, I feel run down, and frankly I haven’t taken that earth shattering poop that I’ve expected. However I must admit, the Super Bowl party was a smashing success and a good time was had by all.
The game was both entertaining and frustrating at he same time. Both teams seemed to bring their “b” game, and to make matters worse it didn’t play out exactly as I predicted. Close, but no proverbial cigar. I expected New England to open it up in the fourth quarter, but it never happened. I expected Philly to play well, but I didn’t expect them to keep it close. In retrospect, it’s not that Philly played so well but rather that New England played so poorly and despite that, won. I guess that’s indicative of how good they are. It was a game to be lost rather than won, Brady coming out slow overthrowing open receivers, McNabb throwing four picks (five if you count the one that was called back). Philly couldn’t run the ball. New England blew a pass coverage on one of McNabb’s TD passes. Absurd personal fouls.
And is it me or was the officiating a bit poor? The only people who didn’t see the pick Philly threw to spring T.O. were the referees.
Conspiracy theorists note: The fix was in. First, the kid who did the coin toss didn’t flip the coin. This gave the ball to Philly which is exactly what New England wanted (get the defense out first: that was Belichick’s mantra when he was defensive coordinator of the Giants). Second, Philly head coach Andy Reid has offered the following explanations for the abominable clock management at the end of the game:
“Well, you know, I'm trying to remember back on that. I put that away a little bit but we did try to get it going. I can't remember. I can't detail the circumstances why it didn't work as well as it should have."
"It was the way things worked out."
When asked about his equally awful clock management at the end of the first half, Reid replied “I don't remember that at all, to be honest with you."
When asked about his poor play calling, Reid said “I need to go back and kind of reevaluate what I was doing from the play-calling standpoint"
Yikes. This is the stuff that Roswell buffs live for.
Super Bowl Memories:
• During the last 5 minutes of the game, I casually remark that Philly seems to be taking “a rather leisurely approach considering they’re down by 10”. Karen is all over that. “So what??!!! Who are you rooting for? You haven’t switched sides on me, have you???” Karen is now my favorite football buddy.
• I was telling Holly about the blog and how it occurred to me whilst blogging that she should be rooting for Philly since she was from Pennsylvania. Holly looked at me sort of quizzically and said “I’m from Massachusetts”. Whoops.
• Karen is now totally enamored with Tivo. On several occasions she paused the live broadcast to (a) review a play, (b) re-watch a cool commercial, (c) point out Tom Arnold in the crowd and (d) provide me with ample time to put my laundry away.
• That 2 second shot of the center’s balls from what I’ve decided should be called the “Yam Cam”. This provided us with another opportunity to use the Tivo.
• The below standard commercials. Admit it, there were only a couple of good ones and there were several lousy ones. After the game I told Karen “I’m going to email Michael Powell and complain. I’m gonna tell him that the damn Super Bowl was lame and that next year I want commercials with farting horses”
• After hearing Paul McCartney sing “Drive my car”, Holly said “I wonder if he gets bored playing the same songs year after year?” I thought a minute and said, “Well, if he gets bored I’m sure he just opens his check book, looks at the balance, and then he doesn’t feel so bad”
• After setting the “buffet” table with my famous Italian breaded wings served with blue cheese and buffalo sauce, a baked brie en cruet, little pizza thingies, potato chips, onion dip, tortilla chips, 2 kinds of salsa, cheese dip, Ritz crackers and Triscuits, Karen incredulously observed “Don’t you have anything fresh?” Although I thought “those potato chips look mighty fresh” I quickly remembered the fresh veggies with ranch dressing.
• This years Super Bowl party was decidedly more low key, and enjoyable than past Super Bowl parties. In previous seasons we’ve run into fans that get a little too enthusiastic, sort of the way I did when the Packers lost to the Broncos in 1998. I’m getting too old for that stuff. Oh, and to all our readers who attended the “1998 Catastrophe in Carmel”, may I personally apologize and thank you once again for loaning me your TV.
Now, two days after the event, I’m still not feeling quite right. I’m a bit queasy, I feel run down, and frankly I haven’t taken that earth shattering poop that I’ve expected. However I must admit, the Super Bowl party was a smashing success and a good time was had by all.
The game was both entertaining and frustrating at he same time. Both teams seemed to bring their “b” game, and to make matters worse it didn’t play out exactly as I predicted. Close, but no proverbial cigar. I expected New England to open it up in the fourth quarter, but it never happened. I expected Philly to play well, but I didn’t expect them to keep it close. In retrospect, it’s not that Philly played so well but rather that New England played so poorly and despite that, won. I guess that’s indicative of how good they are. It was a game to be lost rather than won, Brady coming out slow overthrowing open receivers, McNabb throwing four picks (five if you count the one that was called back). Philly couldn’t run the ball. New England blew a pass coverage on one of McNabb’s TD passes. Absurd personal fouls.
And is it me or was the officiating a bit poor? The only people who didn’t see the pick Philly threw to spring T.O. were the referees.
Conspiracy theorists note: The fix was in. First, the kid who did the coin toss didn’t flip the coin. This gave the ball to Philly which is exactly what New England wanted (get the defense out first: that was Belichick’s mantra when he was defensive coordinator of the Giants). Second, Philly head coach Andy Reid has offered the following explanations for the abominable clock management at the end of the game:
“Well, you know, I'm trying to remember back on that. I put that away a little bit but we did try to get it going. I can't remember. I can't detail the circumstances why it didn't work as well as it should have."
"It was the way things worked out."
When asked about his equally awful clock management at the end of the first half, Reid replied “I don't remember that at all, to be honest with you."
When asked about his poor play calling, Reid said “I need to go back and kind of reevaluate what I was doing from the play-calling standpoint"
Yikes. This is the stuff that Roswell buffs live for.
Super Bowl Memories:
• During the last 5 minutes of the game, I casually remark that Philly seems to be taking “a rather leisurely approach considering they’re down by 10”. Karen is all over that. “So what??!!! Who are you rooting for? You haven’t switched sides on me, have you???” Karen is now my favorite football buddy.
• I was telling Holly about the blog and how it occurred to me whilst blogging that she should be rooting for Philly since she was from Pennsylvania. Holly looked at me sort of quizzically and said “I’m from Massachusetts”. Whoops.
• Karen is now totally enamored with Tivo. On several occasions she paused the live broadcast to (a) review a play, (b) re-watch a cool commercial, (c) point out Tom Arnold in the crowd and (d) provide me with ample time to put my laundry away.
• That 2 second shot of the center’s balls from what I’ve decided should be called the “Yam Cam”. This provided us with another opportunity to use the Tivo.
• The below standard commercials. Admit it, there were only a couple of good ones and there were several lousy ones. After the game I told Karen “I’m going to email Michael Powell and complain. I’m gonna tell him that the damn Super Bowl was lame and that next year I want commercials with farting horses”
• After hearing Paul McCartney sing “Drive my car”, Holly said “I wonder if he gets bored playing the same songs year after year?” I thought a minute and said, “Well, if he gets bored I’m sure he just opens his check book, looks at the balance, and then he doesn’t feel so bad”
• After setting the “buffet” table with my famous Italian breaded wings served with blue cheese and buffalo sauce, a baked brie en cruet, little pizza thingies, potato chips, onion dip, tortilla chips, 2 kinds of salsa, cheese dip, Ritz crackers and Triscuits, Karen incredulously observed “Don’t you have anything fresh?” Although I thought “those potato chips look mighty fresh” I quickly remembered the fresh veggies with ranch dressing.
• This years Super Bowl party was decidedly more low key, and enjoyable than past Super Bowl parties. In previous seasons we’ve run into fans that get a little too enthusiastic, sort of the way I did when the Packers lost to the Broncos in 1998. I’m getting too old for that stuff. Oh, and to all our readers who attended the “1998 Catastrophe in Carmel”, may I personally apologize and thank you once again for loaning me your TV.
Monday, February 7, 2005
Super Bowl Recap, Things I forgot
Oops, I forgot to mention two things. And since it wouldn't be fair to our readers for me to go back and edit the longass previous post, here's a separate one mentioning two more things...
First, let me pat myself on the back for this uncanny prediction. I wrote this on Friday:
"McNabb throws a pick early, and never really recovers. I'll say on Philly's 3rd possesion of the game, with the score 7-3 Pats, that seems about the time for him to implode."
Guess what. That pick he threw on the Patriots 3 yard-line was Philly's 3rd possession. The score was still 0-0 at the time, and he didn't completely implode. But he didn't exactly light it up after that either. 3rd possession is the key phrase. If I had only added "in the RedZone" and I might be starting my own psychic hotline right about now.
Secondly, I mentioned Irvin briefly in his knee-slapping, hand-shaking, gut-bursting guffawing, hidden racist moment with Chris Rock. What I forgot to mention was that he failed to be elected in the Hall of Fame. Now, I didn't watch the pre-game show closely enough to see if Steve Young gave him any shit about it (which I doubt he did) or if anybody at all even mentioned the Hall of Fame with Michael sitting there, but I remember a few weeks ago when Berman said something to Young about how he would likely be elected into the Hall in a few weeks, and Young said something like "Well, it could be two of us actually" looking at Irvin. Irvin had this big smile and was kinda shrugging like "Yeah, you never know, it could be!" but he still had that same cocky aura that you could tell he thought he would get in. Like he didn't say "Nahhh, it'd be nice, but I don't think so" or anything like that, he just kinda accepted the comment like he agreed with it.
I can't seem to find the actual vote counts and how close Irvin was to making it, but I wouldn't be surprised if his run ins with the law and his oh-so-irritable broadcasting style keeps him out. And, when you really think about it, was he really that dominant a player in his day? So keep laughing it up, Michael. No Hall for you!
First, let me pat myself on the back for this uncanny prediction. I wrote this on Friday:
"McNabb throws a pick early, and never really recovers. I'll say on Philly's 3rd possesion of the game, with the score 7-3 Pats, that seems about the time for him to implode."
Guess what. That pick he threw on the Patriots 3 yard-line was Philly's 3rd possession. The score was still 0-0 at the time, and he didn't completely implode. But he didn't exactly light it up after that either. 3rd possession is the key phrase. If I had only added "in the RedZone" and I might be starting my own psychic hotline right about now.
Secondly, I mentioned Irvin briefly in his knee-slapping, hand-shaking, gut-bursting guffawing, hidden racist moment with Chris Rock. What I forgot to mention was that he failed to be elected in the Hall of Fame. Now, I didn't watch the pre-game show closely enough to see if Steve Young gave him any shit about it (which I doubt he did) or if anybody at all even mentioned the Hall of Fame with Michael sitting there, but I remember a few weeks ago when Berman said something to Young about how he would likely be elected into the Hall in a few weeks, and Young said something like "Well, it could be two of us actually" looking at Irvin. Irvin had this big smile and was kinda shrugging like "Yeah, you never know, it could be!" but he still had that same cocky aura that you could tell he thought he would get in. Like he didn't say "Nahhh, it'd be nice, but I don't think so" or anything like that, he just kinda accepted the comment like he agreed with it.
I can't seem to find the actual vote counts and how close Irvin was to making it, but I wouldn't be surprised if his run ins with the law and his oh-so-irritable broadcasting style keeps him out. And, when you really think about it, was he really that dominant a player in his day? So keep laughing it up, Michael. No Hall for you!
Patriots 24, Eagles 21
Well, the Patriots won. It was a pretty damn good game. Everybody is throwing around the "D" word like it's going out of style, and its time for a Monday morning entry recapping the game and stuff. I kept a very lackadaisical (yes, I had to look up the spelling of that word) running diary. Basically, I was watching the game on the big TV in the living room, and during extended timeouts and injuries and stuff, I'd run into the computer room and type down some thoughts. I suppose I could have just used a pen and paper, but who the hell uses that any more? On with the show...
I knew the pre-game shows were going to suck and be unbearable, so basically I just had them on in the background while I was doing other stuff. Of course my thoughts immediately were proven true as soon as I turn on ESPN. Chris Rock is sitting there with the ESPN crew, and I guess they asked him for his prediction. He makes some comment about Donovan McNabb, and "Passenger 57", which immediately sends Michael Irvin into gut-wrenching fits of laughter, and initiates a complex 5-part handshake/high five between Rock and Irvin. I mean it's one thing for Irvin to make a fool of himself like this every time, but to drag respectable celebrities into it with him.. well, it was painful to watch. (I'm guessing this is a movie Chris Rock was in... hang on, time for some IMDB... oh, now this is interesting.. Chris Rock isn't in it, but Wesley Snipes is.. and apparently this is the movie where Snipes makes the comment "Always bet on black." So, basically, Rock was saying he was going with McNabb because he was black. That seems a little racist to me, no? I wonder if we'll read anything else about this anywhere today? I wonder if Irvin really "got it", or if he was just doing the knee-slapping because that's what he always does... But this actually has me a bit annoyed right now that Rock tried to slip this little racist comment by everybody...)
I'm not going to analyze every predictable and boring story they did, cause this thing would be a novel (and I do have to start working at some point today). There was one about Reggie White though, and how he embraced Judaism before he died, learning Hebrew, taking trips to Israel, etc etc. Seemed a bit out of place, but the female reporter kept talking about how White wanted to "get his message out" before he died. Weird stuff.
Probably my favorite pre-game moment was when they had Jillian Barbieri introduce American Idol judge Randy Jackson who then introduced American Idol pop star product Kelly Clarkson. Not only was it a retarded introduction for an introduction. But Jillian's introduction went something like this:
"And now, I'm happy to introduce the cool judge, the nice judge, my favorite judge! I've known him for a long time and even slept with him twice since he's so hot now that he lost all that weight! Here he is... Randy Johnson!"
Okay, I made part of that up, but not the last part. She called him Randy Johnson. He came out, and I tried to tell if he noticed or was rattled by the total fuck up, but she quickly gave him a hug and a kiss like they're old friends, and then she started blabbering about how much she loves the show. Funny stuff.
Is it just me, or does anybody else want to absolutely abolish Terry Bradshaw from appearing on TV ever again? Between his stupid sing-along with Paul McCartney (during which Terry was grabbing his arm, and putting his shoulder around him, and patting him on the back. Thankfully, he stopped short of pulling down Sir Paul's pants and giving him a hummer.), and again being a bit too touchy feely with former President Bush, he must be stopped. I mean, don't the networks realize that everybody HATES these pre-game shows? Not because of the lame predictable stories, or stupid cartoon graphics, but because of the people. God, they're the fucking worst.
Okay, enough pre-game doodoo, on to the game:
6:35pm EST: After announcing all eleventeen captains on each time, a few peewee league coaches, and some youth football players themselves, we're ready for the coin toss! They let one of the kids flip the coin. The kid lays it flat in his hand, makes an upward motion with his arm, and sends the coin into the air only about a foot over his 3-foot frame. There's absolutely no rotation on the coin at all. None. It doesn't flip once. Tim Wakefield would be impressed. The coin lands with exactly the same side up as was in the kid’s hand. I cringe for the kid as you can hear one of the players say, "Oh, that's a bad toss!" Then I think to myself, you know, they could have had this kid practice this. I mean, it's only the fucking Super Bowl! He's not THAT young that someone can't spend like 10 minutes with him showing him how to actually make the coin flip in the air. Yes, I am that annoyed at this right now.
6:46pm: Good challenge by Andy Reid. McNabb escapes a sack then fumbles the ball. Pats recover. Eagles challenge though, and McNabb's knee was down during the sack escape attempt. Good challenge, good call. Eagles still have to punt, but they dodge the turnover deep in their own territory.
6:50pm: Nice long pass with Brady almost connects with Patten in double coverage. Good sign that Brady's accuracy is on tonight. The ball was there. People keep saying how 3 of the 4 DBs for Philly are going to the Pro Bowl. Just being named to the Pro Bowl doesn't win Championships, they better play like it tonight.
6:53pm: Second three and out for Philly. Both defenses look good so far. Field position and the punting game could be key to this game. Of course, that's like saying whoever scores more points will win the game.
7:19pm: Gay gets his hands on the ball. Gay knocks the ball loose. Gay pokes it out. Gay strips him. (We could come up with homoerotic ways of describing this play all day. I'll stop there before I get carried away.)
8:00pm: Philly scored first, but here comes New England down the field. Givens touchdown, giving him touchdown catches in his last 5 playoff games. That's pretty impressive. What's more impressive is his mock TO celebration dance. Haha!
Halftime: Tied 7-7. Pretty good first half. Both defenses look really good. New England has been called for quite a few penalties, which doesn't bode well. It sure doesn't look like they are going to cover the 7 point spread. I flip around the channels looking for one of those shows they put on during halftime, like a Beavis and Butthead skit or a Celebrity Deathmatch special or the Lingerie Bowl. Well, I guess MTV gave up on those things, and the Lingerie Bowl is pay per view only, so I found myself back on Fox. Paul McCartney. At least I don't have to listen to Bradshaw and those dopes. Actually a decent performance, I didn't mind it so much.
One other comment....At this point, I've noticed Fox isn't really showing many shots of the crowd. I'm really curious to see the breakdown of Pats and Eagles fans, see how drunk they look, see if they're brawling yet. See the clever (and retarded) signs they come up with. Strangely, we're not getting ANY of these camera shots. Instead, we're treated to skyboxes of annoying famous people: Will Smith (born and raised in West Philly. Yes they said that like 239 times.), John Travolta, and President Clinton seemingly totally bored. Show the crowd, jerks! Nobody wants to see more celebrities!
8:48pm: Pats take the opening kickoff of the second half and march down the field, capped by a TD pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel from the 2. A billion flags fly on the play, and there's some discussion, but the play stands, 14-7 Pats. And just for a little added bonus, Vrabel does the mocking "wing flapping" celebration too. Okay, once is funny. Twice, it's borderline obnoxious. But I hate TO enough to not mind. Yet.
9:30pm: We're in the 4th quarter now. Pats up 21-14. Hell of a throw and catch from Brady to Deion Branch for 19 yards and a first down at mid-field! They show the replay about 5 times, and it was a pretty sweet play. They cut back to the field, and the ball is on the Philly 30. What the?!? Joe God Awful Buck informs us that oh-by-the-way, there was a roughing the passer penalty called on the end of the play. I don't think he even mentions the player the penalty was on. And we didn't get an instant replay. Now, think about this for a second: This is the fucking Super Bowl. Time is winding down. The Patriots are driving for what could be the score that seals their victory. You just had a HUGE 15-yard penalty to put them into field goal range. And you don't show a replay of the penalty? Not once? The Football Gods shall smite Fox for their incompetence. The drive results in a field goal, Pats up 24-14 with about 8 minutes left. Maybe they will cover...
That was my last official entry. The long TD pass the Pats gave up was a rare example of a bad defensive call. Maybe Romeo Crennel had a temporary lapse when he realized that Jeff Garcia would be his QB next season. If it was any team other than the Patriots, that would have been a big "uh oh" moment. But Philly did an awful, just AWFUL job in the final 5 minutes of managing the clock. Even the announcers commented on it, one of the retards... errr, I mean commentators saying "maybe they're just exhausted" to which one of the others said, "you can't be exhausted, it's the Super Bowl!" I mean, it really looked like they were just happy to have kept it close at this point. Going to the huddle, taking almost the whole play clock.. Ye Gods. At one point I was hoping they'd come down and tie it, to send it to OT. Then the Pats win the coin toss (hopefully, they wouldn't bring that knuckleballer kid back for the OT toss), take the ball, and score. And the NFL re-designs their OT system in the offseason. But it didn't happen. McNabb was his usual turnover prone self, and the Patriots are dubbed a dynasty.
Just a couple more quick comments:
* Why in the name of God is Terry Bradshaw presenting the Lombardi Trophy? This would be the equivalent of Adam Sandler presenting the Oscar for Best Actor. I mean, okay, maybe Bradshaw did have an impressive career as a player. But, in my book, he's a joke now. A walking, talking, sad excuse for a sportscaster. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but fuck it. If harsh words are needed to get the networks to change their awful pre-game crews, then so be it. (And we all know the network big wigs are reading this right now, right?)
* I suppose they could have given Brady the MVP, but they went with Branch. He deserved it, no doubt. I was just a little surprised because everybody kisses Brady's ass so much.
* So, what's next? Can the Patriots keep it up? Do they have another run in them, minus their offensive and defensive coordinators? Is their success going to cause a backlash against them now? Have they now turned into the new Yankees that everybody loves to hate because they win so much? Plenty of time to answer those questions. But for now, congrats and enjoy it! I wonder how many people skipped work in Boston today...
I knew the pre-game shows were going to suck and be unbearable, so basically I just had them on in the background while I was doing other stuff. Of course my thoughts immediately were proven true as soon as I turn on ESPN. Chris Rock is sitting there with the ESPN crew, and I guess they asked him for his prediction. He makes some comment about Donovan McNabb, and "Passenger 57", which immediately sends Michael Irvin into gut-wrenching fits of laughter, and initiates a complex 5-part handshake/high five between Rock and Irvin. I mean it's one thing for Irvin to make a fool of himself like this every time, but to drag respectable celebrities into it with him.. well, it was painful to watch. (I'm guessing this is a movie Chris Rock was in... hang on, time for some IMDB... oh, now this is interesting.. Chris Rock isn't in it, but Wesley Snipes is.. and apparently this is the movie where Snipes makes the comment "Always bet on black." So, basically, Rock was saying he was going with McNabb because he was black. That seems a little racist to me, no? I wonder if we'll read anything else about this anywhere today? I wonder if Irvin really "got it", or if he was just doing the knee-slapping because that's what he always does... But this actually has me a bit annoyed right now that Rock tried to slip this little racist comment by everybody...)
I'm not going to analyze every predictable and boring story they did, cause this thing would be a novel (and I do have to start working at some point today). There was one about Reggie White though, and how he embraced Judaism before he died, learning Hebrew, taking trips to Israel, etc etc. Seemed a bit out of place, but the female reporter kept talking about how White wanted to "get his message out" before he died. Weird stuff.
Probably my favorite pre-game moment was when they had Jillian Barbieri introduce American Idol judge Randy Jackson who then introduced American Idol pop star product Kelly Clarkson. Not only was it a retarded introduction for an introduction. But Jillian's introduction went something like this:
"And now, I'm happy to introduce the cool judge, the nice judge, my favorite judge! I've known him for a long time and even slept with him twice since he's so hot now that he lost all that weight! Here he is... Randy Johnson!"
Okay, I made part of that up, but not the last part. She called him Randy Johnson. He came out, and I tried to tell if he noticed or was rattled by the total fuck up, but she quickly gave him a hug and a kiss like they're old friends, and then she started blabbering about how much she loves the show. Funny stuff.
Is it just me, or does anybody else want to absolutely abolish Terry Bradshaw from appearing on TV ever again? Between his stupid sing-along with Paul McCartney (during which Terry was grabbing his arm, and putting his shoulder around him, and patting him on the back. Thankfully, he stopped short of pulling down Sir Paul's pants and giving him a hummer.), and again being a bit too touchy feely with former President Bush, he must be stopped. I mean, don't the networks realize that everybody HATES these pre-game shows? Not because of the lame predictable stories, or stupid cartoon graphics, but because of the people. God, they're the fucking worst.
Okay, enough pre-game doodoo, on to the game:
6:35pm EST: After announcing all eleventeen captains on each time, a few peewee league coaches, and some youth football players themselves, we're ready for the coin toss! They let one of the kids flip the coin. The kid lays it flat in his hand, makes an upward motion with his arm, and sends the coin into the air only about a foot over his 3-foot frame. There's absolutely no rotation on the coin at all. None. It doesn't flip once. Tim Wakefield would be impressed. The coin lands with exactly the same side up as was in the kid’s hand. I cringe for the kid as you can hear one of the players say, "Oh, that's a bad toss!" Then I think to myself, you know, they could have had this kid practice this. I mean, it's only the fucking Super Bowl! He's not THAT young that someone can't spend like 10 minutes with him showing him how to actually make the coin flip in the air. Yes, I am that annoyed at this right now.
6:46pm: Good challenge by Andy Reid. McNabb escapes a sack then fumbles the ball. Pats recover. Eagles challenge though, and McNabb's knee was down during the sack escape attempt. Good challenge, good call. Eagles still have to punt, but they dodge the turnover deep in their own territory.
6:50pm: Nice long pass with Brady almost connects with Patten in double coverage. Good sign that Brady's accuracy is on tonight. The ball was there. People keep saying how 3 of the 4 DBs for Philly are going to the Pro Bowl. Just being named to the Pro Bowl doesn't win Championships, they better play like it tonight.
6:53pm: Second three and out for Philly. Both defenses look good so far. Field position and the punting game could be key to this game. Of course, that's like saying whoever scores more points will win the game.
7:19pm: Gay gets his hands on the ball. Gay knocks the ball loose. Gay pokes it out. Gay strips him. (We could come up with homoerotic ways of describing this play all day. I'll stop there before I get carried away.)
8:00pm: Philly scored first, but here comes New England down the field. Givens touchdown, giving him touchdown catches in his last 5 playoff games. That's pretty impressive. What's more impressive is his mock TO celebration dance. Haha!
Halftime: Tied 7-7. Pretty good first half. Both defenses look really good. New England has been called for quite a few penalties, which doesn't bode well. It sure doesn't look like they are going to cover the 7 point spread. I flip around the channels looking for one of those shows they put on during halftime, like a Beavis and Butthead skit or a Celebrity Deathmatch special or the Lingerie Bowl. Well, I guess MTV gave up on those things, and the Lingerie Bowl is pay per view only, so I found myself back on Fox. Paul McCartney. At least I don't have to listen to Bradshaw and those dopes. Actually a decent performance, I didn't mind it so much.
One other comment....At this point, I've noticed Fox isn't really showing many shots of the crowd. I'm really curious to see the breakdown of Pats and Eagles fans, see how drunk they look, see if they're brawling yet. See the clever (and retarded) signs they come up with. Strangely, we're not getting ANY of these camera shots. Instead, we're treated to skyboxes of annoying famous people: Will Smith (born and raised in West Philly. Yes they said that like 239 times.), John Travolta, and President Clinton seemingly totally bored. Show the crowd, jerks! Nobody wants to see more celebrities!
8:48pm: Pats take the opening kickoff of the second half and march down the field, capped by a TD pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel from the 2. A billion flags fly on the play, and there's some discussion, but the play stands, 14-7 Pats. And just for a little added bonus, Vrabel does the mocking "wing flapping" celebration too. Okay, once is funny. Twice, it's borderline obnoxious. But I hate TO enough to not mind. Yet.
9:30pm: We're in the 4th quarter now. Pats up 21-14. Hell of a throw and catch from Brady to Deion Branch for 19 yards and a first down at mid-field! They show the replay about 5 times, and it was a pretty sweet play. They cut back to the field, and the ball is on the Philly 30. What the?!? Joe God Awful Buck informs us that oh-by-the-way, there was a roughing the passer penalty called on the end of the play. I don't think he even mentions the player the penalty was on. And we didn't get an instant replay. Now, think about this for a second: This is the fucking Super Bowl. Time is winding down. The Patriots are driving for what could be the score that seals their victory. You just had a HUGE 15-yard penalty to put them into field goal range. And you don't show a replay of the penalty? Not once? The Football Gods shall smite Fox for their incompetence. The drive results in a field goal, Pats up 24-14 with about 8 minutes left. Maybe they will cover...
That was my last official entry. The long TD pass the Pats gave up was a rare example of a bad defensive call. Maybe Romeo Crennel had a temporary lapse when he realized that Jeff Garcia would be his QB next season. If it was any team other than the Patriots, that would have been a big "uh oh" moment. But Philly did an awful, just AWFUL job in the final 5 minutes of managing the clock. Even the announcers commented on it, one of the retards... errr, I mean commentators saying "maybe they're just exhausted" to which one of the others said, "you can't be exhausted, it's the Super Bowl!" I mean, it really looked like they were just happy to have kept it close at this point. Going to the huddle, taking almost the whole play clock.. Ye Gods. At one point I was hoping they'd come down and tie it, to send it to OT. Then the Pats win the coin toss (hopefully, they wouldn't bring that knuckleballer kid back for the OT toss), take the ball, and score. And the NFL re-designs their OT system in the offseason. But it didn't happen. McNabb was his usual turnover prone self, and the Patriots are dubbed a dynasty.
Just a couple more quick comments:
* Why in the name of God is Terry Bradshaw presenting the Lombardi Trophy? This would be the equivalent of Adam Sandler presenting the Oscar for Best Actor. I mean, okay, maybe Bradshaw did have an impressive career as a player. But, in my book, he's a joke now. A walking, talking, sad excuse for a sportscaster. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but fuck it. If harsh words are needed to get the networks to change their awful pre-game crews, then so be it. (And we all know the network big wigs are reading this right now, right?)
* I suppose they could have given Brady the MVP, but they went with Branch. He deserved it, no doubt. I was just a little surprised because everybody kisses Brady's ass so much.
* So, what's next? Can the Patriots keep it up? Do they have another run in them, minus their offensive and defensive coordinators? Is their success going to cause a backlash against them now? Have they now turned into the new Yankees that everybody loves to hate because they win so much? Plenty of time to answer those questions. But for now, congrats and enjoy it! I wonder how many people skipped work in Boston today...
Friday, February 4, 2005
We had the answer all along
In my post titled "Taking the Schott for Slowik, I mentioned Mike Sherman's less than professional behavior to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein. In response to an inaudible question, Sherman miffed "Why don't you ask one of your unnamed sources. They're more reliable than me. Next question"
I've been wondering what Silverstein wrote that ticked Sherman off, and have not been able to find it until today. This excerpt is from an email I sent to St. Ides dated January 13th. On January 15th, Ted Thompon was introduced as GM. On January 17th, Sherman held his press conference.
I'm posting this as a reminder to our loyal reader, err, readers that your one stop shop for all the best Packer and Seahawk information is Sports Blog Steves (as if you needed convincing.)
Sherman may soon be out as Packers' GM
Harlan reportedly wants to hand off duties to Seahawks' Thompson
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 12, 2005
Green Bay - Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan is poised to strip coach Mike Sherman of his general manager duties and pursue Seattle vice president of football operations Ted Thompson as his next GM, two National Football League sources familiar with the Packers said Wednesday.
I'll bet this is how Yikes found out. The sonofabitch was probably surfing the Web and read that he had lost his GM position.
There are several more references to unnamed sources including "One NFL source said Harlan had no choice but to wait until the new GM is on board to discuss an extension. He said Harlan might have to forgo the extension and risk losing Sherman after the 2005 season." as well as "One Packers source said he doubted Sherman would not accept his new role willingly and work as hard as he could to get along with the new GM. His future in Green Bay might depend on how well his personality meshes with the new GM, however."
You know, if I found out this way that I was losing my job, I'd be a little miffed too... but at my employer, not the reporter. What ever happened to "don't shoot the messenger"?
email me at samichlaus@beerdrinkingfools.org
I've been wondering what Silverstein wrote that ticked Sherman off, and have not been able to find it until today. This excerpt is from an email I sent to St. Ides dated January 13th. On January 15th, Ted Thompon was introduced as GM. On January 17th, Sherman held his press conference.
I'm posting this as a reminder to our loyal reader, err, readers that your one stop shop for all the best Packer and Seahawk information is Sports Blog Steves (as if you needed convincing.)
Sherman may soon be out as Packers' GM
Harlan reportedly wants to hand off duties to Seahawks' Thompson
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 12, 2005
Green Bay - Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan is poised to strip coach Mike Sherman of his general manager duties and pursue Seattle vice president of football operations Ted Thompson as his next GM, two National Football League sources familiar with the Packers said Wednesday.
I'll bet this is how Yikes found out. The sonofabitch was probably surfing the Web and read that he had lost his GM position.
There are several more references to unnamed sources including "One NFL source said Harlan had no choice but to wait until the new GM is on board to discuss an extension. He said Harlan might have to forgo the extension and risk losing Sherman after the 2005 season." as well as "One Packers source said he doubted Sherman would not accept his new role willingly and work as hard as he could to get along with the new GM. His future in Green Bay might depend on how well his personality meshes with the new GM, however."
You know, if I found out this way that I was losing my job, I'd be a little miffed too... but at my employer, not the reporter. What ever happened to "don't shoot the messenger"?
email me at samichlaus@beerdrinkingfools.org
Super Bowl Analysis, Part Dos
Only 2 more days! It's Friday afternoon, the beers are on ice, you have an excuse to drink from now until late Sunday night, life is good! And about the only thing that would make it better is some light afternoon reading, and our insight into how the game will play out, right? Well, wait no more...
Do I really have to still explain the whole green and blue thing again? I didn't think so.
Basically, I'm hoping it'll be close. I'm praying for an exciting game. I want it to be a memorable Super Bowl. But I'm not holding my breath. I mean, we really can't complain too much. We've had two exciting Super Bowls that the Patriots won recently. We had that Rams-Titans game that came down to that tackle on the 1 yard line. This isn't an official count, but I think 3 out of the last 4 Super Bowls have been pretty awesome and come down to the last play. That's a good streak. Too good. We're due for a blowout.
So basically, here's what happens: Pats D knows EXACTLY what the Eagles are doing at all times. They stuff the run on running plays. They pressure McNabb and are all over TO on passing plays. They pursue McNabb well when he scrambles. McNabb throws a pick early, and never really recovers. I'll say on Philly's 3rd possesion of the game, with the score 7-3 Pats, that seems about the time for him to implode.
New England on the other hand... Well, I know they can't really claim the "no respect" thing, but I will admit that I think people don't realize their offense is as good as it is. They have a very solid running game. The have a QB who doesn't get rattled and seems to almost never make bad decisions. And they have receivers who catch the damn ball. (Just ask Seattle how important that is. Ugh. Old wounds re-opening quickly.... Blood dripping out and getting on my keyboard... Let's move on.) Oh and they have a kicker who never fucking misses. As good as this Eagles defense may be, I think the Pats will move the ball, and score.
Final score prediction: New England 26, Philadelphia 16
And now, a poem from Mr. Samichlaus to put a wrap on this NFL season:
Finishing a season with poetic justice….
When all the hype has come and gone
And all the air time’s sold
The field is where the game is played
Enjoyed by young and old.
Embolden warriors, clad in pads
Engage in ancient battle
Where teeth will fall, snot will bubble
And bones will surely rattle.
Eagles soar, Patriots attack,
A pass, a score, and then
At final gun, prevails just one…
Patriots 31 -10
Do I really have to still explain the whole green and blue thing again? I didn't think so.
Basically, I'm hoping it'll be close. I'm praying for an exciting game. I want it to be a memorable Super Bowl. But I'm not holding my breath. I mean, we really can't complain too much. We've had two exciting Super Bowls that the Patriots won recently. We had that Rams-Titans game that came down to that tackle on the 1 yard line. This isn't an official count, but I think 3 out of the last 4 Super Bowls have been pretty awesome and come down to the last play. That's a good streak. Too good. We're due for a blowout.
So basically, here's what happens: Pats D knows EXACTLY what the Eagles are doing at all times. They stuff the run on running plays. They pressure McNabb and are all over TO on passing plays. They pursue McNabb well when he scrambles. McNabb throws a pick early, and never really recovers. I'll say on Philly's 3rd possesion of the game, with the score 7-3 Pats, that seems about the time for him to implode.
New England on the other hand... Well, I know they can't really claim the "no respect" thing, but I will admit that I think people don't realize their offense is as good as it is. They have a very solid running game. The have a QB who doesn't get rattled and seems to almost never make bad decisions. And they have receivers who catch the damn ball. (Just ask Seattle how important that is. Ugh. Old wounds re-opening quickly.... Blood dripping out and getting on my keyboard... Let's move on.) Oh and they have a kicker who never fucking misses. As good as this Eagles defense may be, I think the Pats will move the ball, and score.
Final score prediction: New England 26, Philadelphia 16
And now, a poem from Mr. Samichlaus to put a wrap on this NFL season:
Finishing a season with poetic justice….
When all the hype has come and gone
And all the air time’s sold
The field is where the game is played
Enjoyed by young and old.
Embolden warriors, clad in pads
Engage in ancient battle
Where teeth will fall, snot will bubble
And bones will surely rattle.
Eagles soar, Patriots attack,
A pass, a score, and then
At final gun, prevails just one…
Patriots 31 -10
Thursday, February 3, 2005
Super Bowl Preview, Part 1
Okay, so the long two-week wait is almost over. We know that Owens is going to play. We know the Eagles are probably even a bit inspired by his "miraculous" return. We also know that the Pats coaching staff is smart enough to make sure he doesn't make any big plays that would breathe any life into their hopes of winning the game.
After reading a ton of the articles and hype out there over the past 10 days or so, It's going to be hard to write an original analysis of the game... But we'll give it a shot anyways.. :P
As always with our double analysis, Samichlaus in green, St. Ides in blue:
I'm getting the jump on St. Ides this time. Usually, I wait until he's emailed his picks to me. I carefully review his analysis, then simply go the other way. Sound advise for you gamblers out there if you want to succeed.
But seriously, here are my thoughts on the big game. First, I'm rooting for New England. Actually the whole family is rooting for New England. This was decided by mutual consensus last evening after a brief albeit impassioned discussion between Karen, me, and our friend Holly. The discussion went something like this:
Holly: I guess I'm going to root for New England because I'm from the north (editor's note: Holly is from Pennsylvania)
Steve: They're playing Philadelphia. They're from the north too. It's an all northeast Super Bowl (editor's note: Philadelphia is from Pennsylvania)
Karen: Philadelphia? I'm not rooting for those fucking animals. I'm rooting for New England! Go Patriots!
Steve: Yeah! I hate Philadelphia! Go Patriots!
Holly: Go Patriots! Who wants baklava?
Now, as far as the game goes...
Philly is going to play well for the first half. Their defense is solid and disciplined. I watched film of them against the amazing Michael Vick, and saw a unit play as well as I've seen all year. Defenders always in position, never breaking their lanes. Fast players who know how to get to the ball and tackle. I was impressed. Then again, I've watched the Packers play all year. My 1967 electric football game played more impressive defense than the Packers. You know the one, you line up the players and turn on the vibrator and away they go.
Oh, speaking of which, we were watching this Packer special a few weeks ago and they showed this little clip of Don Majkowski and Karen practically slid off the couch and said (and I quote) "Woah! Who's THAT?"
I didn't bother to answer.
Philly is going to play well. However, New England will play better. New England is the real deal. They're as good as it gets peeps and they have an offense. All you've got to know about Philly's offense is they signed Jeff Thomason. T.O. is not going to be a factor. Freddie Mitchell will not be a factor. Mc Nabb will play well but he won't be able to do it alone. By the fourth quarter, New England will begin to open it up. Brady will break down Philly's D. The final score?
That'll wait until tomorrow.
--------------------------------------
3 things I'm totally sick of hearing about:
1) T.O.
2) The Eagles claiming they get no respect.
3) The Patriots claiming they get no respect.
Read #3 again... What the?!?!? People are already calling them a dynasty, already putting them in lists of greatest teams EVER, already putting Brady on lists of best QB EVER, already putting Belichek on lists of best coach EVER... Yet they get no respect?!? The insane Rondey Harrison even went so far as to say nobody gave them a chance against Indy or Pittsburgh, despite them being a 6 point favorite ON THE ROAD in Pittsburgh. Uhm, Rodney, I hate to say it, but those spreads are made and adjusted by the peeps in Vegas based upon who people are betting on. To be that big a favorite on the road in the AFC Championship team, a TON of people were expecting you to win. Easily. Jesus H. Christ.
In some "under the radar" (ie, non-TO) news, Richard Seymour will be playing. That's a nice boost for an already dominant New England defense. I just don't see the Eagles offense doing much against this defense. I expect McNabb to be flustered and make a few mental mistakes. I expect their running game to go nowhere. I expect Freddie Mitchell and that construction worker tight end guy who just replaced Chad Lewis to both do absolutely nothing. Maybe even expect Harrison to take Mictchell's head off.
And speaking of Tom Brady... yesterday was college football's "signing day", where high school prospects committed to their schools. By all reports, Michigan had an awesome day. Depending what ranking list you read, they've been rated as having between the 2nd and 5th best incoming class of freshmen in the nation. Always hard to tell how these things will pan out, but they basically got a Top 10 prospect in almost every single position, including multiple Top 10s in a few positions like the O-Line and D-Line. I predict a National Championship for the Wolverines in 2006 - Chad Henne and Michael Hart will both be juniors, and the cream of this freshman crop ought to be contributing by then. Hell, maybe even a repeat if both Henne and Hart (who could both be Heisman candidates) stick around for their senior years.
More on the Super Bowl tomorrow. :P
After reading a ton of the articles and hype out there over the past 10 days or so, It's going to be hard to write an original analysis of the game... But we'll give it a shot anyways.. :P
As always with our double analysis, Samichlaus in green, St. Ides in blue:
I'm getting the jump on St. Ides this time. Usually, I wait until he's emailed his picks to me. I carefully review his analysis, then simply go the other way. Sound advise for you gamblers out there if you want to succeed.
But seriously, here are my thoughts on the big game. First, I'm rooting for New England. Actually the whole family is rooting for New England. This was decided by mutual consensus last evening after a brief albeit impassioned discussion between Karen, me, and our friend Holly. The discussion went something like this:
Holly: I guess I'm going to root for New England because I'm from the north (editor's note: Holly is from Pennsylvania)
Steve: They're playing Philadelphia. They're from the north too. It's an all northeast Super Bowl (editor's note: Philadelphia is from Pennsylvania)
Karen: Philadelphia? I'm not rooting for those fucking animals. I'm rooting for New England! Go Patriots!
Steve: Yeah! I hate Philadelphia! Go Patriots!
Holly: Go Patriots! Who wants baklava?
Now, as far as the game goes...
Philly is going to play well for the first half. Their defense is solid and disciplined. I watched film of them against the amazing Michael Vick, and saw a unit play as well as I've seen all year. Defenders always in position, never breaking their lanes. Fast players who know how to get to the ball and tackle. I was impressed. Then again, I've watched the Packers play all year. My 1967 electric football game played more impressive defense than the Packers. You know the one, you line up the players and turn on the vibrator and away they go.
Oh, speaking of which, we were watching this Packer special a few weeks ago and they showed this little clip of Don Majkowski and Karen practically slid off the couch and said (and I quote) "Woah! Who's THAT?"
I didn't bother to answer.
Philly is going to play well. However, New England will play better. New England is the real deal. They're as good as it gets peeps and they have an offense. All you've got to know about Philly's offense is they signed Jeff Thomason. T.O. is not going to be a factor. Freddie Mitchell will not be a factor. Mc Nabb will play well but he won't be able to do it alone. By the fourth quarter, New England will begin to open it up. Brady will break down Philly's D. The final score?
That'll wait until tomorrow.
--------------------------------------
3 things I'm totally sick of hearing about:
1) T.O.
2) The Eagles claiming they get no respect.
3) The Patriots claiming they get no respect.
Read #3 again... What the?!?!? People are already calling them a dynasty, already putting them in lists of greatest teams EVER, already putting Brady on lists of best QB EVER, already putting Belichek on lists of best coach EVER... Yet they get no respect?!? The insane Rondey Harrison even went so far as to say nobody gave them a chance against Indy or Pittsburgh, despite them being a 6 point favorite ON THE ROAD in Pittsburgh. Uhm, Rodney, I hate to say it, but those spreads are made and adjusted by the peeps in Vegas based upon who people are betting on. To be that big a favorite on the road in the AFC Championship team, a TON of people were expecting you to win. Easily. Jesus H. Christ.
In some "under the radar" (ie, non-TO) news, Richard Seymour will be playing. That's a nice boost for an already dominant New England defense. I just don't see the Eagles offense doing much against this defense. I expect McNabb to be flustered and make a few mental mistakes. I expect their running game to go nowhere. I expect Freddie Mitchell and that construction worker tight end guy who just replaced Chad Lewis to both do absolutely nothing. Maybe even expect Harrison to take Mictchell's head off.
And speaking of Tom Brady... yesterday was college football's "signing day", where high school prospects committed to their schools. By all reports, Michigan had an awesome day. Depending what ranking list you read, they've been rated as having between the 2nd and 5th best incoming class of freshmen in the nation. Always hard to tell how these things will pan out, but they basically got a Top 10 prospect in almost every single position, including multiple Top 10s in a few positions like the O-Line and D-Line. I predict a National Championship for the Wolverines in 2006 - Chad Henne and Michael Hart will both be juniors, and the cream of this freshman crop ought to be contributing by then. Hell, maybe even a repeat if both Henne and Hart (who could both be Heisman candidates) stick around for their senior years.
More on the Super Bowl tomorrow. :P
Some thoughts on defensive master Bates
I’m really excited about the new defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, Jim Bates. I wish this had happened months ago, but I realize now that it was impossible. Bates was the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins before becoming their interim head coach in the wake of the firing of Dave Wannstead.
Now there’s a guy I never got, Wannstead. He was the D coordinator for Jimmy Johnson at Dallas where his teams played pretty good D. As head coach of the Bears, he was awful, but he lasted (I think) seven years with Chicago. I would have had him out of there after 3, but considering he was replaced by the forgettable Dick Jaron, perhaps the Bears brain trust is a bit short in the dividends department. Wannstead always struck me as one of those guys who had several horseshoes shoved up his ass, because it wasn't his teams perfomance that kept him going.
Once again, I digress… Jim Bates is the topic, and I like this guy already. Here are a few quotes from the master
“If we play better defense and really get these young guys playing together and playing hard and playing with technique, being good solid tacklers, shoot, there's no reason we can't win 12, 13, 14, just with the improvement of that area of the football team."
My point exactly! If they do nothing else (which they won’t, trust me) they’ve improved the defense.
“We have a defense that people literally love to play. You can call any one of these guys and I can promise you what they'll say. I know what they'll say. They love it. They flat love playing this scheme."
How many players would say that about Bob Slowik’s “scheme”? Players were outwardly questioning Slowik by seasons end. Darren Sharper had this to say about the new defense: “As long as we're not changing what we do (each week). We need to find something and stick with it."
“We're going to bring forth excellent play, big-time effort and make it fun for the Green Bay Packers fans. The fans are so close to the situation up there they're going to be proud to watch the Green Bay Packers play defense, I promise you that."
Effort. Fundamentals. Basics. Bates kept stressing that in his telephone press conference. By the time I was done listening to the audio, I was ready for next season to start. Now let me ask all our fans: If I’m that excited, don’t you think a certain #4 is tickled pink?
Now there’s a guy I never got, Wannstead. He was the D coordinator for Jimmy Johnson at Dallas where his teams played pretty good D. As head coach of the Bears, he was awful, but he lasted (I think) seven years with Chicago. I would have had him out of there after 3, but considering he was replaced by the forgettable Dick Jaron, perhaps the Bears brain trust is a bit short in the dividends department. Wannstead always struck me as one of those guys who had several horseshoes shoved up his ass, because it wasn't his teams perfomance that kept him going.
Once again, I digress… Jim Bates is the topic, and I like this guy already. Here are a few quotes from the master
“If we play better defense and really get these young guys playing together and playing hard and playing with technique, being good solid tacklers, shoot, there's no reason we can't win 12, 13, 14, just with the improvement of that area of the football team."
My point exactly! If they do nothing else (which they won’t, trust me) they’ve improved the defense.
“We have a defense that people literally love to play. You can call any one of these guys and I can promise you what they'll say. I know what they'll say. They love it. They flat love playing this scheme."
How many players would say that about Bob Slowik’s “scheme”? Players were outwardly questioning Slowik by seasons end. Darren Sharper had this to say about the new defense: “As long as we're not changing what we do (each week). We need to find something and stick with it."
“We're going to bring forth excellent play, big-time effort and make it fun for the Green Bay Packers fans. The fans are so close to the situation up there they're going to be proud to watch the Green Bay Packers play defense, I promise you that."
Effort. Fundamentals. Basics. Bates kept stressing that in his telephone press conference. By the time I was done listening to the audio, I was ready for next season to start. Now let me ask all our fans: If I’m that excited, don’t you think a certain #4 is tickled pink?
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Enough with TO already...
Who said T.O. puts the "TO" in "tough"? Well, I haven't read that actual quote yet, but I thought I'd jump on the "easy TO headline" bandwagon before it's over.
Give me a frickin break. Not quite ready to make a Super Bowl pick yet, but for those of you who have had enough TO BS and him calling it a miracle, and blah blah blah, I point you to this article here, a talk with former Rams defender Jack Youngblood (even his name sounds tough) who broke his leg in round one AND CAME BACK FOR THE SECOND HALF!
Read about it here on CNNSI, and take particular note of Youngblood's comment on comparing the injuries: "He's been out of the game for what, five weeks? He's been convalescing. After four weeks, an amputation should be healed. Shouldn't it?"
Give me a frickin break. Not quite ready to make a Super Bowl pick yet, but for those of you who have had enough TO BS and him calling it a miracle, and blah blah blah, I point you to this article here, a talk with former Rams defender Jack Youngblood (even his name sounds tough) who broke his leg in round one AND CAME BACK FOR THE SECOND HALF!
Read about it here on CNNSI, and take particular note of Youngblood's comment on comparing the injuries: "He's been out of the game for what, five weeks? He's been convalescing. After four weeks, an amputation should be healed. Shouldn't it?"
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Dog Tired
This past Friday we had a crisis of biblical proportions that effected the email system that I manage. I worked from 8:00 AM until 1:30 Saturday Morning. Saturday was an easy day, I only worked from 4 PM to 7:30. Sunday night - Monday morning was the best. I was awoken a little after 12:00 AM and worked through Monday afternoon. When I got home, I slept for a few hours and was woken by another page. When an email from my boss mentioned that he "hoped I was sleeping like a baby" I thought "yes, I did! I slept for 3 hours and woke up hungry for some tit"
But, I digress. Today, as I write from home, enjoying a "comp" day, I am thrilled at the hire of Jim Bates as defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. Bates, a smart experienced defensive coach really showed me something when he took over for the ineffectual Dave Wannstead as interim head coach for the Dolphins. An uninsipred team under Wannstead, the Dolphins played smart passionate football for Bates who complemented his smart scheme with his obvious passion for the game. It was a pleasure
Bates brings a simple defensive plan. He doesn't over blitz, likes his corners to play a strog physical game, likes quick linebackers regardless of size. He says that players LOVE to play his scheme, something that could not be said for the dearly departed Bob Slowik, who apparntly has been given the opportunity to fuck up the Denver secondary as reward for the outstanding job he accomplished in Green Bay. Slowik was supposed to be this cerebral defensive genius, which may be true, but he was never able to communicate his genius to his players.
Something I never thought of before: Last year in an email to St.Ides, I referred to the Packers draft as an "all idiot draft". I had drawn this conclusion when I had examined the Wonderlik scores of their first 4 (I think) draft choices. To take players who score below average on the Wonderlik test and expect them to play in a complex zone-blitz defense is more of the folloy of the Double Yikes years. I need to recheck these facts, but this is pretty accurate: the average NFL player scores a 21 on the Wonderlik, the Packer picks averaged around 12. Yikes.
We have no heat in the house. My wife is burried under the covers and it's just occured to me that I'd rather be there than here...
But, I digress. Today, as I write from home, enjoying a "comp" day, I am thrilled at the hire of Jim Bates as defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. Bates, a smart experienced defensive coach really showed me something when he took over for the ineffectual Dave Wannstead as interim head coach for the Dolphins. An uninsipred team under Wannstead, the Dolphins played smart passionate football for Bates who complemented his smart scheme with his obvious passion for the game. It was a pleasure
Bates brings a simple defensive plan. He doesn't over blitz, likes his corners to play a strog physical game, likes quick linebackers regardless of size. He says that players LOVE to play his scheme, something that could not be said for the dearly departed Bob Slowik, who apparntly has been given the opportunity to fuck up the Denver secondary as reward for the outstanding job he accomplished in Green Bay. Slowik was supposed to be this cerebral defensive genius, which may be true, but he was never able to communicate his genius to his players.
Something I never thought of before: Last year in an email to St.Ides, I referred to the Packers draft as an "all idiot draft". I had drawn this conclusion when I had examined the Wonderlik scores of their first 4 (I think) draft choices. To take players who score below average on the Wonderlik test and expect them to play in a complex zone-blitz defense is more of the folloy of the Double Yikes years. I need to recheck these facts, but this is pretty accurate: the average NFL player scores a 21 on the Wonderlik, the Packer picks averaged around 12. Yikes.
We have no heat in the house. My wife is burried under the covers and it's just occured to me that I'd rather be there than here...
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