I have gotten in many arguments with my roommates. Settle this: is Pam Oliver hot? I am anxiously awaiting your response.
Relative to Tony Siragusa, yes. Otherwise, no. There are 50 more talented sideline reporters than her.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Degenerate Friday! What Is There to Bet On?
Wait, there are no football games this weekend……..so what the 
hell am I going to bet on? I could have my wife flip a coin and bet on the outcome, would that mean I have a problem? I’m definitely not going to bet on the Pro Bowl. The NFC is favored by 2.5, but who is betting on an exhibition game? That might be the sign that you have a problem. But if you forced me to take a side, I guess I’ll take the NFC and lay the points. Why? Because the AFC has the AFC South quarterbacks – Matt Schaub, Vince Young and David Gerrard. Well, almost all of the AFC South quarterbacks, with the exception of the best one, Peyton Manning. So go NFC and lay the points. But again, please call gambler’s anonymous after you cash your ticket.
So what else can we bet on now? NBA? No chance there – too many factors that can’t be controlled. You have to look at who is playing on back-to-back nights, is a team on a road trip, what’s the night life like in the city the team played in the night before, and so on and so on. Then after all of that analysis, you have to add in the “Vince Carter” factor, which is to say you have to try and guess whether a team is going to put forth 50%, 70% or 85% effort on any given night. And there is no way of ever knowing that answer. That’s why the NBA is off limits for my betting money………if gambling were legal.
College hoops? That could be a place to go because you’re going to get maximum effort every game, home court advantage can make a difference, and the teams typically only play 2 games a week. The problem? The best place to make money in college basketball is with the small conferences because it’s all about getting value. And the way to get value is throug
h information mismatches. That lack of transparency and lack of information is more prevalent with the small conference games than it is with games in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC or Big East. Yes, that means you’re gambling on Harvard laying 7 at Columbia on Friday night. But you also know that the kid from Harvard, Jeremy Lin carries a grudge because he didn’t get recruited by many D-I schools, and already lead the Crimson to a victory over ACC member Boston College, and only lost to UConn by 6. I mean, anyone can make a case for either Jennifer Anniston or Angelina Jolie. The real value is if someone can point out an up and coming superstar, like AnnaLynne McCord.
hell am I going to bet on? I could have my wife flip a coin and bet on the outcome, would that mean I have a problem? I’m definitely not going to bet on the Pro Bowl. The NFC is favored by 2.5, but who is betting on an exhibition game? That might be the sign that you have a problem. But if you forced me to take a side, I guess I’ll take the NFC and lay the points. Why? Because the AFC has the AFC South quarterbacks – Matt Schaub, Vince Young and David Gerrard. Well, almost all of the AFC South quarterbacks, with the exception of the best one, Peyton Manning. So go NFC and lay the points. But again, please call gambler’s anonymous after you cash your ticket.So what else can we bet on now? NBA? No chance there – too many factors that can’t be controlled. You have to look at who is playing on back-to-back nights, is a team on a road trip, what’s the night life like in the city the team played in the night before, and so on and so on. Then after all of that analysis, you have to add in the “Vince Carter” factor, which is to say you have to try and guess whether a team is going to put forth 50%, 70% or 85% effort on any given night. And there is no way of ever knowing that answer. That’s why the NBA is off limits for my betting money………if gambling were legal.
College hoops? That could be a place to go because you’re going to get maximum effort every game, home court advantage can make a difference, and the teams typically only play 2 games a week. The problem? The best place to make money in college basketball is with the small conferences because it’s all about getting value. And the way to get value is throug
h information mismatches. That lack of transparency and lack of information is more prevalent with the small conference games than it is with games in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC or Big East. Yes, that means you’re gambling on Harvard laying 7 at Columbia on Friday night. But you also know that the kid from Harvard, Jeremy Lin carries a grudge because he didn’t get recruited by many D-I schools, and already lead the Crimson to a victory over ACC member Boston College, and only lost to UConn by 6. I mean, anyone can make a case for either Jennifer Anniston or Angelina Jolie. The real value is if someone can point out an up and coming superstar, like AnnaLynne McCord.formspring.me
Hi Trent, I'm in college and my roommate keeps a tough cleaning and bill-pay schedule on a dry erase board for all the roommates. Kill him or tolerate him? Further, I believe a witch lives in my basement.
Your roommate is awesome. You should probably buy him drinks for the rest of the semester and invite over your slutty female friends for him.
That basement should only be used for drum solos.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Back Nine - Hitting the Links
Another way to interact……ask me anything. Here’s the link to a page wh
ere you can literally ask me anything and I’ll post an answer. It’s really that simple. So have at it. Ask me anything on anything and I’ll have an answer. You can also ask me a question through the icon on the lower right hand side of the page (below the polls but above the links). I will solve the mysteries of life………….
----------------------------------------
Paul Shirley, the most famous benchwarmer in NBA history, had an interesting take on the situation in Haiti. Unfortunately, that view got him fired from his role as a contributor at ESPN. At least he has that lucrative pro basketball career…….or never mind. Hope he enjoyed his short time not completely in the shade.
------------------------------------------
I lost a ton of respect for Tom Jackson after the Vikings-Saints game when he made the following statement “That’s the thing about Brett Favre; he’s not afraid to throw an interception. That’s one of the things I most admire about him.” Blink, blink, blank stare. What? Then Tommy must love Jay Cutler more than life itself. I mean, is that like saying the thing I like about Brad Lidge is that he’s not afraid to blow saves? He’s not afraid to let Albert Pujols launch one into orbit in the playoffs. The thing I love about Whitney Port is she’s not afraid to be the dullest thing to ever sport a bikini and allow fame whores like Heidi Montag and Kristin Cavalliri to take the spotlight. Or something like that.
-----------------------------------------
Greg Oden had an ex-flame post pictures of his wang all over the internet (the link is safe – I don’t need to look at his junk). He owned up to it, called it a mistake and is trying to move on. Not much of a story there really as it’s just another lesson on the way crazy women can get back at you. It’s right up there with the crazy mistress for the guy from Oracle/Obama’s cabinet that bought huge billboards outside the house the guy shares with his wife and posted a picture of them. But the part of the Oden presser that was entertaining was the female reporter asking him why he was embarrassed and that “a lot of people are impressed.” Alrighty then lady, why don’t you just ask him to take you to dinner?
-----------------------------------------
Well of course Brett Favre has to be involved in the whole Tiger
Woods scandal, right? Apparently Elin has been staying at the Favre compound while visiting Tig in his sex rehab. So is it because Brett’s place is nicer than any other place in Mississippi? Or is it because Favre never misses an opportunity to kind of come across like a decent person, when in reality it’s just another excuse to get some attention for himself? Then again, maybe Deanna has some advice for Elin on how to deal with a philandering star athlete spouse?
-----------------------------------------
A friend of mine has a relaunched blog: Who’s On Second. He’s a die-hard Yankee’s fan with strong opinions across the board on sports. He also has tons of info on sports card collecting as well. So check it out and send some traffic to both of us.
----------------------------------------
I know it’s a day late, but in case you dvr’d the State of the Union last night and are going to watch it while drinking this evening, here are the ground rules for the drinking game. My personal favorite:
“If you want to get buck shitty: Do a shot of liquor every time
Obama uses the words "Rescue, Rebuild, or Restore." Optional flourish: Do a shot of just beer every time he uses certain accepted synonyms for those words, like, "salvage," "reconstruct," and "Haiti."
Today, I’m going to end world hunger, stop all wars, bring terrorists to their knees, give everyone a job, and fix the economy. Wait, just saying it with great emphasis and a smug smirk doesn’t make it happen? Who knew? Well, if all else fails, I’ll just continue to blame it all on those before me that screwed it up too much for even me to fix it.
-------------------------------------------
This guy is awesome. Just a nice way to get back at a company for not returning a call or email. It also reminds me of Seinfeld (very early on in the show) when George got fired but decided to show up to work anyway like nothing ever happened and acted like it was all just a joke.
------------------------------------------
I’m definitely not the leading edge tech guy out there, and I’m sure the new Apple computer will eventually be a pretty sweet revolution. But right now, doesn’t it kind of look like a Saturday Night Live commercial for a really, really big iPhone? And others are already having a field day with the name iPad, referring to it instead as the iTampon. Should be interesting to see if the public is buying it.
--------------------------------------------
ere you can literally ask me anything and I’ll post an answer. It’s really that simple. So have at it. Ask me anything on anything and I’ll have an answer. You can also ask me a question through the icon on the lower right hand side of the page (below the polls but above the links). I will solve the mysteries of life………….----------------------------------------
Paul Shirley, the most famous benchwarmer in NBA history, had an interesting take on the situation in Haiti. Unfortunately, that view got him fired from his role as a contributor at ESPN. At least he has that lucrative pro basketball career…….or never mind. Hope he enjoyed his short time not completely in the shade.
------------------------------------------
I lost a ton of respect for Tom Jackson after the Vikings-Saints game when he made the following statement “That’s the thing about Brett Favre; he’s not afraid to throw an interception. That’s one of the things I most admire about him.” Blink, blink, blank stare. What? Then Tommy must love Jay Cutler more than life itself. I mean, is that like saying the thing I like about Brad Lidge is that he’s not afraid to blow saves? He’s not afraid to let Albert Pujols launch one into orbit in the playoffs. The thing I love about Whitney Port is she’s not afraid to be the dullest thing to ever sport a bikini and allow fame whores like Heidi Montag and Kristin Cavalliri to take the spotlight. Or something like that.
-----------------------------------------
Greg Oden had an ex-flame post pictures of his wang all over the internet (the link is safe – I don’t need to look at his junk). He owned up to it, called it a mistake and is trying to move on. Not much of a story there really as it’s just another lesson on the way crazy women can get back at you. It’s right up there with the crazy mistress for the guy from Oracle/Obama’s cabinet that bought huge billboards outside the house the guy shares with his wife and posted a picture of them. But the part of the Oden presser that was entertaining was the female reporter asking him why he was embarrassed and that “a lot of people are impressed.” Alrighty then lady, why don’t you just ask him to take you to dinner?
-----------------------------------------
Well of course Brett Favre has to be involved in the whole Tiger
Woods scandal, right? Apparently Elin has been staying at the Favre compound while visiting Tig in his sex rehab. So is it because Brett’s place is nicer than any other place in Mississippi? Or is it because Favre never misses an opportunity to kind of come across like a decent person, when in reality it’s just another excuse to get some attention for himself? Then again, maybe Deanna has some advice for Elin on how to deal with a philandering star athlete spouse?-----------------------------------------
A friend of mine has a relaunched blog: Who’s On Second. He’s a die-hard Yankee’s fan with strong opinions across the board on sports. He also has tons of info on sports card collecting as well. So check it out and send some traffic to both of us.
----------------------------------------
I know it’s a day late, but in case you dvr’d the State of the Union last night and are going to watch it while drinking this evening, here are the ground rules for the drinking game. My personal favorite:
“If you want to get buck shitty: Do a shot of liquor every time
Obama uses the words "Rescue, Rebuild, or Restore." Optional flourish: Do a shot of just beer every time he uses certain accepted synonyms for those words, like, "salvage," "reconstruct," and "Haiti."Today, I’m going to end world hunger, stop all wars, bring terrorists to their knees, give everyone a job, and fix the economy. Wait, just saying it with great emphasis and a smug smirk doesn’t make it happen? Who knew? Well, if all else fails, I’ll just continue to blame it all on those before me that screwed it up too much for even me to fix it.
-------------------------------------------
This guy is awesome. Just a nice way to get back at a company for not returning a call or email. It also reminds me of Seinfeld (very early on in the show) when George got fired but decided to show up to work anyway like nothing ever happened and acted like it was all just a joke.
------------------------------------------
I’m definitely not the leading edge tech guy out there, and I’m sure the new Apple computer will eventually be a pretty sweet revolution. But right now, doesn’t it kind of look like a Saturday Night Live commercial for a really, really big iPhone? And others are already having a field day with the name iPad, referring to it instead as the iTampon. Should be interesting to see if the public is buying it.
--------------------------------------------
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
formspring.me
Did you start this after seeing Patrick O'Bryant's page?
That dude was a beast at Bradley in the NCAA tourney. And he has a talented girlfriend, so he seems to be doing alright.
formspring.me
Rich Gannon, genius or super-genius?
Al Davis, dead or alive? Gannon went to the University of Delaware and their mascot is the Blue Hen, so he can't be a super genius.
Ranking the Best QBs of All-Time
Wednesday has turned into an unofficial day to rank things on this site. Why? I have absolutely no idea. Just seems like a nice way to spend the middle of the week. Kind of like why we decided in college that Wednesday was the best day of the week to go out. It was less crowded than the Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights, the drink specials were better and the people that were out were more dedicated to being out. Oh, and the coeds that were out felt like they were being bad by being out on a Wednesday, so they were a little more frisky. Well, like college girls need a reason to be friskier. Did we really need a reason to go out on Wednesdays and make that 8:50 Accounting class almost impossible to attend on Thursday? No, but we did it because we wanted to. In any event, today’s rankings? Given the performance that Manning just put on during Sunday’s dismantling of the Jets, let’s rank the quarterbacks of all-time. And for fun, take this quiz on the quarterbacks with the most wins all-time. I got 34 of the 41, including the top 23. There’s your gauntlet.
There are a couple of things we have to take into account before getting to the rankings. Yes, guys played in different eras and that does have an effect on guy’s rankings. The rules are easier for quarterbacks now, with less contact on receivers and more protection of the quarterbacks than ever before. Then again, defenders are bigger, faster and meaner (Ray Lewis?) than they’ve ever been in the past. So that’s kind of a wash. Rings are crucial, but are not the only thing that determines how great a quarterback is. Dan Marino has no rings, and Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Mark Rypien each have one. No one would ever take one of those guys over Marino. It's also important how clutch the guy is. If you have the ball, down by 5 with 2 minutes left, who do you want under center? If you're starting a franchise and have any of these guys at the beginning of their career, who do you want? Here is one man’s rankings.
One final note – I believe these rankings could change dramatically based on the results of this year’s Super Bowl and the next few years. If Manning gets a second ring, it will jump him up higher. If Brees wins, and puts together another couple of seasons with stats like he has the past three seasons, and he might make the list. The guy will have the same number of wins as Favre and have some prolific seasons. Anyway, on to the rankings.
1. Joe Montana
49ers & Chiefs – 1979-1994
Montana has to be at the top of the list of all-time quarterbacks. In
addition to his 4 Super Bowl titles, he has the stats to stack up next to anyone, playing in a less passer-friendly NFL than the current super stars. His ability to remain calm in the clutch and lead his team on late game-winning drives was unmatched. He had the advantage of having the best WR of all in Jerry Rice and great running backs in Roger Craig and Ricky Watters. Yet you can’t argue with 2 leaugue MVPs, one Offensive Player of the Year award, and 3 Super Bowl MVPs. A 16-7 playoff record and top ten in yards, touchdowns and passer rating (as flawed as it is).
2. Terry Bradshaw
Pittsburgh Steelers – 1970-1983
Bradshaw played before my time, so I have to go back to some film
, stats and articles to judge him more than what I see from him on the FOX NFL Pregame show. Then again, from the pregame show I learned that he dated Jillian Barberie for a while, so that’s worthy of a high ranking all by itself. The big Louisiana native was 4-0 in the Super Bowl with 9 TDs and 4 interceptions in the big game. He wasn’t a huge stats guy, only ranking 44th in passing yards and 24th in TDs (though he led the league twice in TDs). His leadership, and ability in big games more than makes up for his lack of sexy stats and puts him ahead of guys like Brady, Favre and Elway who have lost Super Bowls.
3. Tom Brady
New England Patriots – 2000-Present
Brady’s hold above Manning is extremely tenuous right now. If Man
ning wins in Miami in a few weeks, I will flip these two in my rankings. Brady is 3-1 in the Super Bowl, with 2 Super Bowl MVPs, has a league MVP award and is married to a Victoria’s Secret super model. Unfortunately, he lost his last appearance in the big game, blew out his knee and also knocked up his former girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan. He has the single season record for TDs from 2007, and also took home the league MVP award that season. His calm under pressure in winning his titles early in his career gave him a strong ranking despite his recent “struggles” – if you can call them that. He is only 32 years old, so there is a strong possibility that he may add another title, MVP and more yards to his already impressive total.
4. Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts – 1998-Present
Manning is neck and neck with Brady with the only real difference being the multiple Super Bowls that Brady has won. Manning has a chance to add another next week, which will push him to the #3 spot. He is also the only 4-time league MVP after his win this season. And being 33 years old with a Colts team reloaded with young receivers in Garcon and Collie, he has the potential to get all the way to the second spot before he hangs up the spikes permanently. He will likely hold every passing record before he retires, as he is already 4th in passing yards, and 3rd in passing touchdowns. Early in his career there was concern that he couldn’t win the big game, but after his two wins this year, he is now 9-8 in the playoffs. He is the most cerebral quarterback to ever play the position, and his dedication to film study allows his to utilize his height, accuracy and strong arm to adjust to any defense thrown at him.
5. Brett Favre
Falcons, Packers, Jets & Vikings – 1991-Present
He is the toughest guy to ever play the position and has always played l
ike a kid on the playground as the ultimate gunslinger. He never played with wide receivers anywhere near the caliber of Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Lynn Swann, or Marvin Harrison. His 3 league MVP awards and one Super Bowl title (where he deserved the MVP award) and another Super Bowl loss pair with his record consecutive games streak, all-time records for attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and interceptions. While the overall media continues to slurp on him, he has some obvious faults, most notably his penchant for turning the ball over, particularly in big games at big moments. His interceptions cost the Packers in the 2007 NFC Championship and the Vikings on Sunday. And I’m going to keep the off-the-field douche baggery out of the discussion, because the way he has flip flopped about retirement, was a vindictive a-hole to the team that stuck by him threw all of his personal troubles, abandoned his best friend Mark Chmura, abused drugs and alcohol and womanized like Wilt Chamberlain didn’t affect his ability on the field. Heck, he actually may have been better when he was drinking, partying and relying on pain killers.
6. Johnny Unitas
Baltimore Colts & San Diego Chargers – 1956-1973
Unitas was recently passed by Manning for wins as a Colts quarterback, and Manning has said Unitas was one of his heroes. He was 6-2 in the playoffs, including 1-1 in the Super Bowl, losing the infamous game to Namath and the Jets and beating the Cowboys two years later. He also won 2 NFL crowns prior to the Super Bowl, and has 3 MVPs to his credit. He had 26 games with over 300 yards passing, despite playing in a very run-heavy era for the league.
7. John Elway
Broncos – 1983-1998
While resembling Mr. Ed, Elway won 2 Super Bowls, went 14-6 in the playoffs and was famous for his game-winning drives. Ask a Cleveland Browns fan or a Pa
ckers fan from the 1998 Super Bowl, they’re well aware of the devastation Elway can bring. He has an MVP award, and is 3rd all-time in passing yards, 5th in passing touchdowns and added 33 TDs on the ground. I originally had Elway ranked higher before looking through the stats and seeing how poorly he played in his 5 Super Bowl appearances, going 2-3 in the big game. Only once did he have a passer rating over 85 in the Super Bowl (1999), and he had 3 TDs and 8 interceptions in the big game (though he did have 4 rushing TDs). He wasn’t able to break through to the championship level until he had one of the game’s best running backs in Terrell Davis.
8. Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins – 1983-1999
Marino is the first quarterback on the list without a Super Bowl title and will always be known as the best quarterback never to have won a title. He made it to the Super Bowl in his second season before losing to Montana’s 49ers. He is the Charles Barkley of the NFL. He held the records for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns before Favre and is now second in all of the categories. He had cannon for an arm, with an ultra quick release, which allowed him to continue playing long after his legs could buy him time by getting out of the pocket.
9. Steve Young
Buccaneers & 49ers – 1985-1998
After being rescued from Tampa Bay purgatory, Young had to escape the enormous shadow of Joe Montana. And he did exactly that, by finishing in the top 3 in completion percentage 8 straight seasons (leading the league 5 times). He was the Super Bowl MVP when he lit up the Chargers for 6 TDs in 1994, and who can forget him asking his teammates to remove the imaginary monkey from his back? He is a two-time league MVP with an 8-6 playoff record. He evolved from a very mobile quarterback into a true drop back passer as his career went along. He is basically the Katie Cassidy to Joe Montana’s Heather Locklear. Who is Katie Cassidy? Besides being the daughter of David Cassidy of the Partridge Family, she is the vixen of the pathetic remake of Melrose Place.
10. Roger Staubach
Dallas Cowboys – 1969-1979
This was a tough spot to fill because after the first nine guys, there is a large group
of guys that are tough to separate. Guys that won multiple Super Bowls, but didn’t really do much in those games (Bob Griese), guys with big stats but played poorly in their Super Bowl appearances (Fran Tarkenton & Jim Kelly), or guys with big stats that didn’t make the Super Bowl (Dan Fouts). At the end of the day, Staubach gets the nod because in addition to his 2-2 record in Super Bowls, he led the league in passing 4 times, and was clutch in all of his Super Bowl appearances. He was a winner, with an 85-29 record as a starting quarterback, and when he retired, his passer rating of nearly 84 was the highest of all-time.
There are a couple of things we have to take into account before getting to the rankings. Yes, guys played in different eras and that does have an effect on guy’s rankings. The rules are easier for quarterbacks now, with less contact on receivers and more protection of the quarterbacks than ever before. Then again, defenders are bigger, faster and meaner (Ray Lewis?) than they’ve ever been in the past. So that’s kind of a wash. Rings are crucial, but are not the only thing that determines how great a quarterback is. Dan Marino has no rings, and Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Mark Rypien each have one. No one would ever take one of those guys over Marino. It's also important how clutch the guy is. If you have the ball, down by 5 with 2 minutes left, who do you want under center? If you're starting a franchise and have any of these guys at the beginning of their career, who do you want? Here is one man’s rankings.
One final note – I believe these rankings could change dramatically based on the results of this year’s Super Bowl and the next few years. If Manning gets a second ring, it will jump him up higher. If Brees wins, and puts together another couple of seasons with stats like he has the past three seasons, and he might make the list. The guy will have the same number of wins as Favre and have some prolific seasons. Anyway, on to the rankings.
1. Joe Montana
49ers & Chiefs – 1979-1994
Montana has to be at the top of the list of all-time quarterbacks. In
addition to his 4 Super Bowl titles, he has the stats to stack up next to anyone, playing in a less passer-friendly NFL than the current super stars. His ability to remain calm in the clutch and lead his team on late game-winning drives was unmatched. He had the advantage of having the best WR of all in Jerry Rice and great running backs in Roger Craig and Ricky Watters. Yet you can’t argue with 2 leaugue MVPs, one Offensive Player of the Year award, and 3 Super Bowl MVPs. A 16-7 playoff record and top ten in yards, touchdowns and passer rating (as flawed as it is).2. Terry Bradshaw
Pittsburgh Steelers – 1970-1983
Bradshaw played before my time, so I have to go back to some film
, stats and articles to judge him more than what I see from him on the FOX NFL Pregame show. Then again, from the pregame show I learned that he dated Jillian Barberie for a while, so that’s worthy of a high ranking all by itself. The big Louisiana native was 4-0 in the Super Bowl with 9 TDs and 4 interceptions in the big game. He wasn’t a huge stats guy, only ranking 44th in passing yards and 24th in TDs (though he led the league twice in TDs). His leadership, and ability in big games more than makes up for his lack of sexy stats and puts him ahead of guys like Brady, Favre and Elway who have lost Super Bowls.3. Tom Brady
New England Patriots – 2000-Present
Brady’s hold above Manning is extremely tenuous right now. If Man
ning wins in Miami in a few weeks, I will flip these two in my rankings. Brady is 3-1 in the Super Bowl, with 2 Super Bowl MVPs, has a league MVP award and is married to a Victoria’s Secret super model. Unfortunately, he lost his last appearance in the big game, blew out his knee and also knocked up his former girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan. He has the single season record for TDs from 2007, and also took home the league MVP award that season. His calm under pressure in winning his titles early in his career gave him a strong ranking despite his recent “struggles” – if you can call them that. He is only 32 years old, so there is a strong possibility that he may add another title, MVP and more yards to his already impressive total.4. Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts – 1998-Present
Manning is neck and neck with Brady with the only real difference being the multiple Super Bowls that Brady has won. Manning has a chance to add another next week, which will push him to the #3 spot. He is also the only 4-time league MVP after his win this season. And being 33 years old with a Colts team reloaded with young receivers in Garcon and Collie, he has the potential to get all the way to the second spot before he hangs up the spikes permanently. He will likely hold every passing record before he retires, as he is already 4th in passing yards, and 3rd in passing touchdowns. Early in his career there was concern that he couldn’t win the big game, but after his two wins this year, he is now 9-8 in the playoffs. He is the most cerebral quarterback to ever play the position, and his dedication to film study allows his to utilize his height, accuracy and strong arm to adjust to any defense thrown at him.
5. Brett Favre
Falcons, Packers, Jets & Vikings – 1991-Present
He is the toughest guy to ever play the position and has always played l
ike a kid on the playground as the ultimate gunslinger. He never played with wide receivers anywhere near the caliber of Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Lynn Swann, or Marvin Harrison. His 3 league MVP awards and one Super Bowl title (where he deserved the MVP award) and another Super Bowl loss pair with his record consecutive games streak, all-time records for attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and interceptions. While the overall media continues to slurp on him, he has some obvious faults, most notably his penchant for turning the ball over, particularly in big games at big moments. His interceptions cost the Packers in the 2007 NFC Championship and the Vikings on Sunday. And I’m going to keep the off-the-field douche baggery out of the discussion, because the way he has flip flopped about retirement, was a vindictive a-hole to the team that stuck by him threw all of his personal troubles, abandoned his best friend Mark Chmura, abused drugs and alcohol and womanized like Wilt Chamberlain didn’t affect his ability on the field. Heck, he actually may have been better when he was drinking, partying and relying on pain killers.6. Johnny Unitas
Baltimore Colts & San Diego Chargers – 1956-1973
Unitas was recently passed by Manning for wins as a Colts quarterback, and Manning has said Unitas was one of his heroes. He was 6-2 in the playoffs, including 1-1 in the Super Bowl, losing the infamous game to Namath and the Jets and beating the Cowboys two years later. He also won 2 NFL crowns prior to the Super Bowl, and has 3 MVPs to his credit. He had 26 games with over 300 yards passing, despite playing in a very run-heavy era for the league.
7. John Elway
Broncos – 1983-1998
While resembling Mr. Ed, Elway won 2 Super Bowls, went 14-6 in the playoffs and was famous for his game-winning drives. Ask a Cleveland Browns fan or a Pa
ckers fan from the 1998 Super Bowl, they’re well aware of the devastation Elway can bring. He has an MVP award, and is 3rd all-time in passing yards, 5th in passing touchdowns and added 33 TDs on the ground. I originally had Elway ranked higher before looking through the stats and seeing how poorly he played in his 5 Super Bowl appearances, going 2-3 in the big game. Only once did he have a passer rating over 85 in the Super Bowl (1999), and he had 3 TDs and 8 interceptions in the big game (though he did have 4 rushing TDs). He wasn’t able to break through to the championship level until he had one of the game’s best running backs in Terrell Davis.8. Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins – 1983-1999
Marino is the first quarterback on the list without a Super Bowl title and will always be known as the best quarterback never to have won a title. He made it to the Super Bowl in his second season before losing to Montana’s 49ers. He is the Charles Barkley of the NFL. He held the records for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns before Favre and is now second in all of the categories. He had cannon for an arm, with an ultra quick release, which allowed him to continue playing long after his legs could buy him time by getting out of the pocket.
9. Steve Young
Buccaneers & 49ers – 1985-1998
After being rescued from Tampa Bay purgatory, Young had to escape the enormous shadow of Joe Montana. And he did exactly that, by finishing in the top 3 in completion percentage 8 straight seasons (leading the league 5 times). He was the Super Bowl MVP when he lit up the Chargers for 6 TDs in 1994, and who can forget him asking his teammates to remove the imaginary monkey from his back? He is a two-time league MVP with an 8-6 playoff record. He evolved from a very mobile quarterback into a true drop back passer as his career went along. He is basically the Katie Cassidy to Joe Montana’s Heather Locklear. Who is Katie Cassidy? Besides being the daughter of David Cassidy of the Partridge Family, she is the vixen of the pathetic remake of Melrose Place.
10. Roger Staubach
Dallas Cowboys – 1969-1979
This was a tough spot to fill because after the first nine guys, there is a large group
of guys that are tough to separate. Guys that won multiple Super Bowls, but didn’t really do much in those games (Bob Griese), guys with big stats but played poorly in their Super Bowl appearances (Fran Tarkenton & Jim Kelly), or guys with big stats that didn’t make the Super Bowl (Dan Fouts). At the end of the day, Staubach gets the nod because in addition to his 2-2 record in Super Bowls, he led the league in passing 4 times, and was clutch in all of his Super Bowl appearances. He was a winner, with an 85-29 record as a starting quarterback, and when he retired, his passer rating of nearly 84 was the highest of all-time.Did I miss anyone? Any big arguments for or against someone being higher or lower? Let me know with a comment below or email me.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Don't Ask Me About...
Quick hits today on a few random things that you shouldn’t ask me about. Why? Because I just don’t care or it’s dumb. It’s not worth the waste of air to discuss these narcissistic people or topics. So as of right now…..
Don’t Ask Me About:
- Brett Favre’s retiring. Who cares? He won’t make up his mind until August anyway, so why waste time in February?
- Tim Tebow at the Senior Bowl. We know he can’t take a snap. He never has, so why would he suddenly be good at it? It’s a not story. He should be a 6th rounder at best, but some team will reach for him in the 2nd round because the owner will panic that they can’t take a chance at missing him.
- Andy Roddick. Dude, you stink. You are the most overrated athlete since Anna Kournikova. The difference was she knew she was only popular because she was smoking hot. You try to pretend like you’re a tennis player, but you lose every big match. You’re best performance was a loss to Roger Federer. Then again, you have Brooklyn Dekker, so you still win.
- The Saints being a symbol of the city of New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Really? Because the team has rebounded and made the Super Bowl, the city is all fixed now? My guess is that people that should be spending all of their time and money on rebuilding their house and neighborhood (schools) will be blowing money to go to Miami for the game. There are still plenty of problems in the city and plenty of people that never returned, so let’s not make it out that the city is recovered because the team is winning.
- Tom Cable may or may not still be the coach of the Raiders. Listen, it’s not going to matter who is coaching the Raiders as long as Al Davis forces them to start that 300 pound anchor, JaMarcus Russell at quarterback. They will not be relevant until they find someone that can play the position.
- Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. So let’s see, Angelina wants to adopt kids from every country on the planet and live in France. Brad thinks 6 foreigners living in their house in New Orleans would be enough for him. They’ve both had short Hollywood marriages in the past. So why are we surprised that it’s not going to work out for them? My prediction: Brad is back with Jennifer Anniston before the end of 2010.
- Natalie Portman as a home wrecker. I thought home wreckers were skanks from Vegas, and want to think of Natalie as the girl in Closer or Garden State. I really can’t put Star Wars in that mix though, because I have a problem thinking anyone or thing from a science fiction movie is attractive. I’m always concerned there could be some weird power or extra appendage hidden somewhere when you’re messing with anyone from outer space.
- Kentucky basketball success. Most coaches have an issue with renting a player for one year because they are trying to build a program and help kids with their careers and lives. Not John Calipari. That greasy jag-off is completely
okay with having one-and-done guys every year making a mockery of the student-athlete and the “institutions of higher learning” monikers. He has zero integrity or class. It’s just a matter of time until he gets Kentucky placed on probation and he moves on to his next victim……errr, school.
Don’t Ask Me About:
- Brett Favre’s retiring. Who cares? He won’t make up his mind until August anyway, so why waste time in February?
- Tim Tebow at the Senior Bowl. We know he can’t take a snap. He never has, so why would he suddenly be good at it? It’s a not story. He should be a 6th rounder at best, but some team will reach for him in the 2nd round because the owner will panic that they can’t take a chance at missing him.
- Andy Roddick. Dude, you stink. You are the most overrated athlete since Anna Kournikova. The difference was she knew she was only popular because she was smoking hot. You try to pretend like you’re a tennis player, but you lose every big match. You’re best performance was a loss to Roger Federer. Then again, you have Brooklyn Dekker, so you still win.
- The Saints being a symbol of the city of New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Really? Because the team has rebounded and made the Super Bowl, the city is all fixed now? My guess is that people that should be spending all of their time and money on rebuilding their house and neighborhood (schools) will be blowing money to go to Miami for the game. There are still plenty of problems in the city and plenty of people that never returned, so let’s not make it out that the city is recovered because the team is winning.
- Tom Cable may or may not still be the coach of the Raiders. Listen, it’s not going to matter who is coaching the Raiders as long as Al Davis forces them to start that 300 pound anchor, JaMarcus Russell at quarterback. They will not be relevant until they find someone that can play the position.
- Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. So let’s see, Angelina wants to adopt kids from every country on the planet and live in France. Brad thinks 6 foreigners living in their house in New Orleans would be enough for him. They’ve both had short Hollywood marriages in the past. So why are we surprised that it’s not going to work out for them? My prediction: Brad is back with Jennifer Anniston before the end of 2010.
- Natalie Portman as a home wrecker. I thought home wreckers were skanks from Vegas, and want to think of Natalie as the girl in Closer or Garden State. I really can’t put Star Wars in that mix though, because I have a problem thinking anyone or thing from a science fiction movie is attractive. I’m always concerned there could be some weird power or extra appendage hidden somewhere when you’re messing with anyone from outer space.
- Kentucky basketball success. Most coaches have an issue with renting a player for one year because they are trying to build a program and help kids with their careers and lives. Not John Calipari. That greasy jag-off is completely
okay with having one-and-done guys every year making a mockery of the student-athlete and the “institutions of higher learning” monikers. He has zero integrity or class. It’s just a matter of time until he gets Kentucky placed on probation and he moves on to his next victim……errr, school.Monday, January 25, 2010
Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate Conference Champs
LOVE
- Once a gunslinger, always a gunslinger. Brett Favre take
s away the Vikings chance to win it in regulation with a terrible decision to throw it back across his body into the middle of the field, resulting in a pick. In many senses, if this is his last game, it’s very fitting. He took an absolute beating because his line could not protect him, yet he displayed his legendary toughness by limping around, keeping his team close, yet ultimately made the bad interception. And he didn’t get any help from his buttery-fingered teammates – they should have been up 14 at that point without the 4 turnovers before the final pick. Oh, and can we please blame Brad Childress for the “12 men in the huddle” penalty? We just need to make sure he takes some blame.
Was it strange that a running back had over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns, yet he didn’t play a great game and the coach had to be considering benching him at multiple points during the game because of his fumbling? Peterson will never be one of the greats if he can’t stop putting it on the carpet.
Interesting side note: Favre’s last pass as a Packer was the ill-fated interception in OT of the 2007 NFC Championship against the Giants. His last pass as a Jet was an interception against the Dolphins (not counting the double hook and ladder to end the game where he was called for an illegal forward pitch). Could this be his last pass as a Viking? Another interception, in another NFC Championship game. He is consistent if nothing else.
- Peyton Manning is the best quarterback I have ever seen. He made adjustments to the Rex Ryan blitzing scheme, and ate it up. He is the most intelligent, accurate and
impressive player in the game today. He didn’t go after Darrelle Revis extensively, but he wasn’t afraid to throw in his direction – including the play where Reggie Wayne shook him after the catch and left him grasping at air. The play that was the epitome of Manning’s game control was a quick-snap running play on 3rd and 5 in the 3rd quarter when the Jets still had 12 men on the field. Manning recognized it and quickly got his team a free first down. He a master of the game the same way Bar Rafaeli is the master of a bikini.
Mark Sanchez also played a tremendous game, and the moment was not too big for him. His only turnover was at the end in desperation time, and he was accurate with the ball, made smart decisions and made up for a running game that was stumped by the Colts defense.
- Not to dislocate my shoulder patting myself on the back……..but there was a certain someone suggesting you make easy money by betting on Pierre Garcon to have the most receiving yards in either game. That’s a nice little 10-1 payday from Uncle Trent. That is…….if gambling were legal.
And I also mentioned last week that I thought the Colts running game was underappreciated…..and Joseph Addai had 3 less yards than Thomas Jones & Shonn Greene combined. The Colts outrushed the Jets, which didn’t seem likely before the game.
- Aside from the football this weekend, there was an amazing ending to the Florida-South Carolina game on Saturday night. South Carolina’s Devon Downey was a monster in the game, including the go-ahead bucket by taking on all 5 Gator defenders. Fast forward to the 7:10 mark of the video. Unfortunately the video cuts off right before the replay where you can read the lips of the South Carolina coach going “No, please don’t go in……Oh no.”
HATE
- As much as the Colts won the game, the Jets did not play well overall. There were way too many penalties, including 3 that gave the Colts first downs. Their defense was not able to intimidate the Colts offense and the Jets offensive line was dominated by the undersized Colts line. While they knew they were underdogs and it was a successful season to get as far as they did, it has to be disheartening to not really come up big in the biggest game.
- I mentioned it above, but it needs to be mentioned in the hate section: The Vikings played awful, with 5 turnovers, countless pentalties and a porous offensive line. Favre took an absolute beating during the game, and yet he was never actually sacked. Despite his bad final interception, Favre was the only reason the Vikings were still in a position to have a shot at winning.
- Speaking of hitting the quarterback, what is the rule about hitting a quarterb
ack after a hand-off? In the Jets game, Sanchez was hit after handing off and no penalty was called. Rex Ryan was more livid than when they ran out of wings at the all-you-can-eat postgame meal. Then in the Vikings game, the Saints were flagged for hitting Favre after he handed off. Why is that a penalty? How does the defender know that it’s not a play action fake? Why can the quarterback block, but the defense can’t hit him? Just seems like a strange rule to me where the league treats the quarterbacks more gentle than if they were playing in the lingerie football league.
- While I’m a fan of instant replay to make sure the correct calls are made, the replays during overtime of the Saints-Vikings game really grinded the game to a halt. Reviewing the spot, then running a dive play and reviewing the spot again just took all the emotion and momentum out of the game. No real solution for it, just a general annoyance.
- When will Fox realize that Joe Buck is not their best option for their #1 a
nnouncing team. Buck thinks he is bigger than the game or the moment and always tries to overemphasize the moment with his dramatic comments. We know your Dad was a good announcer, Joe, and you sir are no Jack Buck. You have less class than Jack Buck’s cufflink. Joe is a smug little wienie who has no business calling an important game – the play-by-play guy is supposed to tell us what’s happening and leave the analysis and opinions to the color guy who actually knows what he’s talking about. Troy Aikman knows what he’s talking about, so please Joe, just shut up and let him give us the accurate information. And Buck needs knee pads more than Paris Hilton for the way he talks about Favre.
- Wisconsin hoops falling behind by 15 to Penn State in the second half. Yes, they came back to win, just like they did against Michigan, yet it is getting concerning how they keep falling behind these bottom tier teams in the conference – at the Kohl Center. It’s just a matter of time before it burns them, and they won’t be able to come back against the better teams like Michigan State, Purdue or Ohio State (whom they lost to in Columbus).
- Once a gunslinger, always a gunslinger. Brett Favre take
s away the Vikings chance to win it in regulation with a terrible decision to throw it back across his body into the middle of the field, resulting in a pick. In many senses, if this is his last game, it’s very fitting. He took an absolute beating because his line could not protect him, yet he displayed his legendary toughness by limping around, keeping his team close, yet ultimately made the bad interception. And he didn’t get any help from his buttery-fingered teammates – they should have been up 14 at that point without the 4 turnovers before the final pick. Oh, and can we please blame Brad Childress for the “12 men in the huddle” penalty? We just need to make sure he takes some blame.Was it strange that a running back had over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns, yet he didn’t play a great game and the coach had to be considering benching him at multiple points during the game because of his fumbling? Peterson will never be one of the greats if he can’t stop putting it on the carpet.
Interesting side note: Favre’s last pass as a Packer was the ill-fated interception in OT of the 2007 NFC Championship against the Giants. His last pass as a Jet was an interception against the Dolphins (not counting the double hook and ladder to end the game where he was called for an illegal forward pitch). Could this be his last pass as a Viking? Another interception, in another NFC Championship game. He is consistent if nothing else.
- Peyton Manning is the best quarterback I have ever seen. He made adjustments to the Rex Ryan blitzing scheme, and ate it up. He is the most intelligent, accurate and
impressive player in the game today. He didn’t go after Darrelle Revis extensively, but he wasn’t afraid to throw in his direction – including the play where Reggie Wayne shook him after the catch and left him grasping at air. The play that was the epitome of Manning’s game control was a quick-snap running play on 3rd and 5 in the 3rd quarter when the Jets still had 12 men on the field. Manning recognized it and quickly got his team a free first down. He a master of the game the same way Bar Rafaeli is the master of a bikini.Mark Sanchez also played a tremendous game, and the moment was not too big for him. His only turnover was at the end in desperation time, and he was accurate with the ball, made smart decisions and made up for a running game that was stumped by the Colts defense.
- Not to dislocate my shoulder patting myself on the back……..but there was a certain someone suggesting you make easy money by betting on Pierre Garcon to have the most receiving yards in either game. That’s a nice little 10-1 payday from Uncle Trent. That is…….if gambling were legal.
And I also mentioned last week that I thought the Colts running game was underappreciated…..and Joseph Addai had 3 less yards than Thomas Jones & Shonn Greene combined. The Colts outrushed the Jets, which didn’t seem likely before the game.
- Aside from the football this weekend, there was an amazing ending to the Florida-South Carolina game on Saturday night. South Carolina’s Devon Downey was a monster in the game, including the go-ahead bucket by taking on all 5 Gator defenders. Fast forward to the 7:10 mark of the video. Unfortunately the video cuts off right before the replay where you can read the lips of the South Carolina coach going “No, please don’t go in……Oh no.”
HATE
- As much as the Colts won the game, the Jets did not play well overall. There were way too many penalties, including 3 that gave the Colts first downs. Their defense was not able to intimidate the Colts offense and the Jets offensive line was dominated by the undersized Colts line. While they knew they were underdogs and it was a successful season to get as far as they did, it has to be disheartening to not really come up big in the biggest game.
- I mentioned it above, but it needs to be mentioned in the hate section: The Vikings played awful, with 5 turnovers, countless pentalties and a porous offensive line. Favre took an absolute beating during the game, and yet he was never actually sacked. Despite his bad final interception, Favre was the only reason the Vikings were still in a position to have a shot at winning.
- Speaking of hitting the quarterback, what is the rule about hitting a quarterb
ack after a hand-off? In the Jets game, Sanchez was hit after handing off and no penalty was called. Rex Ryan was more livid than when they ran out of wings at the all-you-can-eat postgame meal. Then in the Vikings game, the Saints were flagged for hitting Favre after he handed off. Why is that a penalty? How does the defender know that it’s not a play action fake? Why can the quarterback block, but the defense can’t hit him? Just seems like a strange rule to me where the league treats the quarterbacks more gentle than if they were playing in the lingerie football league.- While I’m a fan of instant replay to make sure the correct calls are made, the replays during overtime of the Saints-Vikings game really grinded the game to a halt. Reviewing the spot, then running a dive play and reviewing the spot again just took all the emotion and momentum out of the game. No real solution for it, just a general annoyance.
- When will Fox realize that Joe Buck is not their best option for their #1 a
nnouncing team. Buck thinks he is bigger than the game or the moment and always tries to overemphasize the moment with his dramatic comments. We know your Dad was a good announcer, Joe, and you sir are no Jack Buck. You have less class than Jack Buck’s cufflink. Joe is a smug little wienie who has no business calling an important game – the play-by-play guy is supposed to tell us what’s happening and leave the analysis and opinions to the color guy who actually knows what he’s talking about. Troy Aikman knows what he’s talking about, so please Joe, just shut up and let him give us the accurate information. And Buck needs knee pads more than Paris Hilton for the way he talks about Favre.- Wisconsin hoops falling behind by 15 to Penn State in the second half. Yes, they came back to win, just like they did against Michigan, yet it is getting concerning how they keep falling behind these bottom tier teams in the conference – at the Kohl Center. It’s just a matter of time before it burns them, and they won’t be able to come back against the better teams like Michigan State, Purdue or Ohio State (whom they lost to in Columbus).
Friday, January 22, 2010
Degenerate Friday - Conference Championships!!
Before getting to the Conference Championship picks for the weekend, did anyone happen to catch Steven Bardo’s slip while announcing the Indiana-Penn State game last night? He was attempting to “give a lesson” to post players about keeping the ball high, but he instead took a shot at fat girls. “All you big guys and big girls out there, take note.” And of course his broadcasting partner quickly jumped in and reminded him that he meant “post players” and not healthy eaters. Solid.
When looking at the games this weekend, I started looking at movies that were based (in whole or part) in the locations of the games themselves, which meant finding movies based in Indiana or New Orleans. Obviously for Indiana, it was Hoosiers, which has some great parrallels to the AFC Championship game between the Colts & the Jets. The Jets have the brash coach of the underdog, who is probably having the field measured to tell his team that the field is 100 yards in Indy, just like it is in New York.
Aside from Easy Rider being another movie with Dennis Hopper (he was Shooter in Hoosiers and Billy in Easy Rider), it’s based on a motorcycle ride across the country to get to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The other reason is that I found a quote that works for the game, so I’m just going to go for it. Let’s get right to it and see if I can keep improving, from 0-4 in the wildcard round to 2-2 last week, it’s time for a 2-0 weekend.
Standard weekly disclosures – recreational purposes, spreads from the NY Post, home teams in CAPS, etc.
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Hoosiers quote from George to Coach Dale
When looking at the games this weekend, I started looking at movies that were based (in whole or part) in the locations of the games themselves, which meant finding movies based in Indiana or New Orleans. Obviously for Indiana, it was Hoosiers, which has some great parrallels to the AFC Championship game between the Colts & the Jets. The Jets have the brash coach of the underdog, who is probably having the field measured to tell his team that the field is 100 yards in Indy, just like it is in New York.
Aside from Easy Rider being another movie with Dennis Hopper (he was Shooter in Hoosiers and Billy in Easy Rider), it’s based on a motorcycle ride across the country to get to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The other reason is that I found a quote that works for the game, so I’m just going to go for it. Let’s get right to it and see if I can keep improving, from 0-4 in the wildcard round to 2-2 last week, it’s time for a 2-0 weekend.
Standard weekly disclosures – recreational purposes, spreads from the NY Post, home teams in CAPS, etc.
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Hoosiers quote from George to Coach Dale
“Look, mister, there's... two kinds of dumb, uh... guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and, uh, guy who does the same thing in my living room. First one don't matter, the second one you're kinda forced to deal with.”
COLTS (-7.5) over Jets
Before getting to the game analysis, how great has Chelcie Ross’s
career been? In addition to playing opposite of Gene Hackman in Hoosiers, he was also the veteran pitcher, Ed Harris in Major League, the coach in Rudy, and Connie Hilton in Mad Men. Talk about an underrated career. Anyway, the quote applies pretty well to Rex Ryan and the Jets. He’s now doing his barking in the living room of one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game, and now Peyton Manning is forced to deal with him.I went back and looked at Manning’s stats in games against teams he played in the regular season and replayed in the post season, and didn’t find an real patterns. But the one historical time I did find which had some interesting parallels was in 2004, when the Colts played the Broncos in the final regular season game, and Peyton threw two passes and rested while the Broncos won to secure a playoff spot. Denver then came to Indy and got smoked 49-24 in the playoffs with Peyton throwing for over 450 yards and 4 touchdowns. Intresting tidbit, except that the Jets have the best running game and best defense in the league. However, digging a little deeper, the Broncos had the 4th best rushing offense that season and the 4th best defense in the league. Another parrallel was with the
Colt strong offense where they were 1st in passing offense in 2004 and they were second in 2009. The 2004 Colts defense was worse than their 2009 counterparts, ranking 28th in 2004 and 19th this season. So what does this mean? Probably not all that much, but it is a historical pattern where Manning and the Colts rebound strongly against a tough defense and blew the game open on the fast turf in Indy.I expect the crowd noise to be a difference maker in this game, and while Sanchez has played tremendous in his first two playoff games, he will need to be perfect to keep the Jets close. If the Colts can score early and get a lead, Sanchez will be forced to throw without the comfort of play action, which allows the speedy defense of the Colts (tremendously faster than the Chargers) to tee off on him. The Colts will use jabs and some dink-and-dunk passes to keep the Jets at a comfortable distance for the majority of the game. The half point hook concerns me a little, but I think Manning and Company march on to Miami.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Easy Rider quote from Billy (Dennis Hopper)
“Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened. Hey, we can't even get into like, a second-rate hotel, I mean, a second-rate motel, you dig? They think we're gonna cut their throat or somethin'. They're scared, man.”
SAINTS (-3.5) over Vikings
In theory this should be the most entertaining football game of the entire season. A potent Saints offense against a stout Vikings defense. The most balanced Vikings offense against the opportunistic Saints defense. Darren Sharper gets a shot at his former Packers teammate Brett Favre & his former team, the Vikings. The reason I chose the quote was partially based on the fact that there really aren’t many memorable movies set in New Orelans. And this movie may even be a little bit of a stretch because it’s about the guys taking a motorcycle ride from LA to New Orleans and their encounters along the way. Anyway, it’s also because this is a scary game for degenerates to get involved with. Betting on this game is the equivalent of asking out Mariah Carey, I mean, I guess it looks good, but you know you’re messing with an uns
table, and woman who is larger than she appears on television or pictures.If the crowd noise affects Favre’s ability to check out of plays, it may make Brad Childress the happiest guy in the building, but it will limit his skills at taking advantage of the blitzing Saints defense. That could force him to make rushed and bad decisions, playing right into the hands of New Orleans. Yet as much as everyone kept expecting him to have that melt down game at some point during the season, he never did. So why would we expect him to suddenly go back to his old ways? The Vikings also will likely try to pound the ball with Adrian Peterson, and they should be able to move the ball on the ground against the Saints defense.
The Saints offense is loaded with weapons and Drew Brees and his merry band of receivers will be able to put points on the board. The Vikings defensive line is banged up,
which should open up more running lanes for the Saints than have been there against Minnesota all season. If the Saints can establish any running game, it slows down Jarred Allen, which will give Brees enough time to dissect the Vikings secondary. The game will be a shoot out, not Cardinals-Packers level, but will be back and forth and at the end of the day, the Saints explosive offense will be able to put a few more points on the board than Favre and the Packers. We all know what happened the last time the Saints were in the NFC Championship game against an NFC North team (see picture) but this time they get their first trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history.LAST ADD: Just to throw a prop bet out there to break any ties in case I somehow end up 1-1, take Pierre Garcon to have the most receiving yards at 10-1 odds. With Revis on Wayne, Garcon will be the quick target for Peyton. And after he catches some dinks and dunks, he might have a shot for a deep one, putting him up around 125 yards, which should be enough. The Viking have Rice, but his odds at 5-2 aren’t that appealing. The Saints spread the ball around too much, and the Braylen Edwards will lead the group in yards lost to drops.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
All-Star Mockery in the NBA & NFL
Quick note before we get to today’s post. You know that when you start typing things into Google, it automatically suggests topics which are the “most searched” that start with the letters or words you type in. If you want to kill some time, just type in “Why Does” and check out what are the most searched topics. That’s some crazy stuff. Or my personal favorite is type in “Why Can’t” and the most searched topic is “Why Can’t I Own a Canadian” – awesome. I mean, it is a good question.
Do you know what the biggest false stat used when people argue about which player is better? Player A is a 5-time all-star and Player B is only a 3-time all-star. All
-Star games and the voting process is a complete joke and a total sham. I’m not even going to waste my time talking about the joke that is the baseball all-star game and deciding the home field advantage in the World Series in this article. Ever since “Proud To Be Your” Bud Selig threw up his hands (literally) at the 2002 game, the baseball all-star game has been a lightning rod of criticism. Instead, I want to focus on the ridiculous voting process used in the NBA and the substitution effect in the NFL, resulting in a very deflated value to being an “all-star” in those sports.
NBA Highlights Has-Beens
Since the 1970’s the NBA has used 100% fan voting to determine the All-Star teams, and the league sees it as a great way to engage their fans and a
llow them to have a say in who they want to see at their showcase event. It’s a great theory. Then again, at one point in time, “The World Is Flat” was a viable theory. It turns the game into a popularity contest and not a showcase of the best talent or brightest stars. I mean Miley Cyrus will win some “People’s Choice” music awards because young kids text in votes, but no one will make the argument it shows she is the most talented musician out there.
The best example for why the system has run it’s time and needs to be changed is taking place this year. Two aging superstars who have barely played are currently in position to start in this season’s NBA All-Star game, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson. McGrady has played in 6 games this season and the Rockets have benched him while exploring trading options. Iverson was signed in the off-season by the Grizzlies who promptly cut him 3 games into the season because his selfishness didn’t fit with their young and talented team. (We've already covered the Demise of The Answer before). Yet, that somehow is enough for the fans to vote for them to start in the All-Star games.
The players that are hurt by this embarrassment are the young stars who are ha
ving great seasons and will not get enough votes to warrant a spot. Brandon Roy is 7th in the western conference in scoring and 10th in voting among guards in the conference. Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo are all among the top 20 in the conference in scoring for the up and coming Grizzlies, yet none of the three are listed among the top 11 in votes for the All-Star game. That’s because people still think of the Grizzlies when they were in Vancouver with Bryant “Big Country” Reeves or when they gave away Pau Gasol to the Lakers a few years ago.
Thankfully there is still time left and hopefully McGrady will get passed by Steve Nash or Chris Paul.
Who is the NFL Showcasing?
As for the NFL, prior to 1995, the Pro Bowl was determined by voting from the players and coaches. In 1995 the system was adjusted to incorporate the fans vote, splitting the votes 1/3 each for the fans, coaches and players. So my problem isn’t necessarily with the voting process in the NFL. I have a problem with the number of players that have to back out of the game due to injury, disinterest, or laziness. Again, it is the players’ prerogative to decide that they do not want a free trip to Hawaii (or Miami this year) to recuperate from the long grind of the season. So someone needs to take their place so they can fill up the roster. (We've already covered the flop of putting the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl in November.)
However, if you’re the fourth alternate at your position within your conference, should you really get to consider yourself a “Pro Bowler” when talking about your career achievements? When they’re looking at your Hall of Fame credentials, they always mention that Player X was a 7-time Pro Bowler, but they never mention that 5 of those trips were only made possible because Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb and Drew Brees already went to 7 Pro Bowls and wanted to rest after the season. It really waters down the accomplishment.
If someone asked you who the best quarterbacks were in the AFC this season, who would be mentioned? Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, and Ben
Roethlisberger would likely be the names mentioned the most. And yet, Vince Young, the 10th-highest rated quarterback IN THE CONFERENCE, with less than 2,000 yards passing, will be on the AFC roster. He didn’t even play until week 7 of the season! Yet because Brady, Roethlisberger and Rivers are passing on the game for injury reasons and Manning may have a small thing called the Super Bowl still in front of him, VY will be suiting up. Again, I get that they need to fill out the roster and someone has to play. Young just should not be able to claim that he is now a two-time Pro Bowl player. When Halle Berry won her Oscar in 2001 (for her role of getting wrecked by Billy Bob Thornton in Monster’s Ball), if she couldn’t make the awards ceremony, Beyonce doesn’t get to say she won an Oscar because she picked up the award for Halle.
So please never tell me that Zach Thomas was a much better linebacker than Lond
on Fletcher because Thomas has been to 7 Pro Bowls and Fletcher has yet to make his first. Fletcher has had 10 straight seasons with more than 90 tackles. Thomas had only 5 seasons with more than 90 tackles in his entire career. In addition, Fletcher has 8.5 more sacks in one less season than Thomas. Yet Thomas did allow Jason Taylor to marry his sister, so that’s something. The number of pro bowls is an exaggerated and meaningless stat.
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Had this article forwarded to me comparing the Leno-Conan fiasco at NBC to the Packers and Brett Favre. There are some interesting parallels between them, the most surprising to me was that 1992 was the year Leno began on the Tonight Show and Favre got his first start in Green Bay.
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This is beyond explanation – a basketball league only for American-born white guys. Not surprising that they are looking for towns in the south that might be interested. There is no truth to the rumor that they’re looking at putting the 1980’s Milwaukee Bucks teams together again to compete with a team of Fred Roberts, Brad Lohaus, Jack Sikma, Randy Breuer, Scott Skiles, Paul Mokeski, Frank Kornet and Larry Krystowiak.
Do you know what the biggest false stat used when people argue about which player is better? Player A is a 5-time all-star and Player B is only a 3-time all-star. All
-Star games and the voting process is a complete joke and a total sham. I’m not even going to waste my time talking about the joke that is the baseball all-star game and deciding the home field advantage in the World Series in this article. Ever since “Proud To Be Your” Bud Selig threw up his hands (literally) at the 2002 game, the baseball all-star game has been a lightning rod of criticism. Instead, I want to focus on the ridiculous voting process used in the NBA and the substitution effect in the NFL, resulting in a very deflated value to being an “all-star” in those sports.NBA Highlights Has-Beens
Since the 1970’s the NBA has used 100% fan voting to determine the All-Star teams, and the league sees it as a great way to engage their fans and a
llow them to have a say in who they want to see at their showcase event. It’s a great theory. Then again, at one point in time, “The World Is Flat” was a viable theory. It turns the game into a popularity contest and not a showcase of the best talent or brightest stars. I mean Miley Cyrus will win some “People’s Choice” music awards because young kids text in votes, but no one will make the argument it shows she is the most talented musician out there.The best example for why the system has run it’s time and needs to be changed is taking place this year. Two aging superstars who have barely played are currently in position to start in this season’s NBA All-Star game, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson. McGrady has played in 6 games this season and the Rockets have benched him while exploring trading options. Iverson was signed in the off-season by the Grizzlies who promptly cut him 3 games into the season because his selfishness didn’t fit with their young and talented team. (We've already covered the Demise of The Answer before). Yet, that somehow is enough for the fans to vote for them to start in the All-Star games.
The players that are hurt by this embarrassment are the young stars who are ha
ving great seasons and will not get enough votes to warrant a spot. Brandon Roy is 7th in the western conference in scoring and 10th in voting among guards in the conference. Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo are all among the top 20 in the conference in scoring for the up and coming Grizzlies, yet none of the three are listed among the top 11 in votes for the All-Star game. That’s because people still think of the Grizzlies when they were in Vancouver with Bryant “Big Country” Reeves or when they gave away Pau Gasol to the Lakers a few years ago.Thankfully there is still time left and hopefully McGrady will get passed by Steve Nash or Chris Paul.
Who is the NFL Showcasing?
As for the NFL, prior to 1995, the Pro Bowl was determined by voting from the players and coaches. In 1995 the system was adjusted to incorporate the fans vote, splitting the votes 1/3 each for the fans, coaches and players. So my problem isn’t necessarily with the voting process in the NFL. I have a problem with the number of players that have to back out of the game due to injury, disinterest, or laziness. Again, it is the players’ prerogative to decide that they do not want a free trip to Hawaii (or Miami this year) to recuperate from the long grind of the season. So someone needs to take their place so they can fill up the roster. (We've already covered the flop of putting the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl in November.)
However, if you’re the fourth alternate at your position within your conference, should you really get to consider yourself a “Pro Bowler” when talking about your career achievements? When they’re looking at your Hall of Fame credentials, they always mention that Player X was a 7-time Pro Bowler, but they never mention that 5 of those trips were only made possible because Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb and Drew Brees already went to 7 Pro Bowls and wanted to rest after the season. It really waters down the accomplishment.
If someone asked you who the best quarterbacks were in the AFC this season, who would be mentioned? Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, and Ben
Roethlisberger would likely be the names mentioned the most. And yet, Vince Young, the 10th-highest rated quarterback IN THE CONFERENCE, with less than 2,000 yards passing, will be on the AFC roster. He didn’t even play until week 7 of the season! Yet because Brady, Roethlisberger and Rivers are passing on the game for injury reasons and Manning may have a small thing called the Super Bowl still in front of him, VY will be suiting up. Again, I get that they need to fill out the roster and someone has to play. Young just should not be able to claim that he is now a two-time Pro Bowl player. When Halle Berry won her Oscar in 2001 (for her role of getting wrecked by Billy Bob Thornton in Monster’s Ball), if she couldn’t make the awards ceremony, Beyonce doesn’t get to say she won an Oscar because she picked up the award for Halle.So please never tell me that Zach Thomas was a much better linebacker than Lond
on Fletcher because Thomas has been to 7 Pro Bowls and Fletcher has yet to make his first. Fletcher has had 10 straight seasons with more than 90 tackles. Thomas had only 5 seasons with more than 90 tackles in his entire career. In addition, Fletcher has 8.5 more sacks in one less season than Thomas. Yet Thomas did allow Jason Taylor to marry his sister, so that’s something. The number of pro bowls is an exaggerated and meaningless stat.----------------------------------------
Had this article forwarded to me comparing the Leno-Conan fiasco at NBC to the Packers and Brett Favre. There are some interesting parallels between them, the most surprising to me was that 1992 was the year Leno began on the Tonight Show and Favre got his first start in Green Bay.
---------------------------------------
This is beyond explanation – a basketball league only for American-born white guys. Not surprising that they are looking for towns in the south that might be interested. There is no truth to the rumor that they’re looking at putting the 1980’s Milwaukee Bucks teams together again to compete with a team of Fred Roberts, Brad Lohaus, Jack Sikma, Randy Breuer, Scott Skiles, Paul Mokeski, Frank Kornet and Larry Krystowiak.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Power Rankings - Conference Championship Breakdown
I am extremely impressed by Bruce Pearl. And it’s not just because of his penchant to pos
e with talented Volunteer fans. It’s not even because he once bought me a beer in the Gasthaus Bar in the union at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee right after he got the head coaching gig there (I was hanging out there with friends, I congratulated him on the job, and wished him luck and he bought me a beer, shook my hand and went back to his friends – very classy). He suspended 4 of his players after an incident involving guns, drugs and alcohol. He dismissed senior Tyler Smith, and has kept senior Brian Williams suspended indefinitely while recently reinstating Melvin Goins and Cameron Tatum. While working with only 6 scholarship players and 3 walk-ons, Pearl rallied his troops for wins over then-top-ranked Kansas, Charlotte, Auburn & Mississippi (and they beat Alabama last night after Goins & Tatum returned). They’ve ascended to #8 in the rankings and are playing great.
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Memo to Jim Calhoun (& it also applies to Urban Meyer): Put your ego in check and hang up the whistle. Your health and being there for your family are much more important than anything you do on the field or court. Calhoun just took a leave of absence from his UConn basketball team for medical reasons supposedly not related to his battle with cancer or past heart issues. Coaches always talk about being smart, teaching their players to be better people, and to think about their teammates. Well, coach, your family is your most important team. Be smart, step down and get healthy. Neither of you needs the money or the fame more than your kids need their fathers.
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My official picks for the Conference Championship games this weekend won’t be made until Degenerate Friday, but it’s time to start breaking the games down. And since Wednesday used to be the day for Power Rankings of the NFL teams during the regular season, I figured the best way to analyze the games was to rank the different components of each team: Coaching, Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers, Defense, & Special Teams. Then we’ll total up the rankings for each team and determine who has the talent edge.
Coaching
(1) Sean Payton, (2) Rex Ryan, (3) Jim Caldwell, (4) Brad Childress
It’s not the most distinguished group of coaches, with a total of 1 play
off win among them before this season (Sean Payton in 2006). Payton gets the nod because of his offensive creativity and the way Gregg Williams has transformed the Saints defense this year. Rex and his big talk have the Jets believing they are the best team in the league and that bravado has completely changed the attitude at their Jersey headquarters. Caldwell is untested, as we have no idea what to expect from him – he has Peyton Manning, so does he really need to do anything? And Brad Childress comes from the Andy Reid School of Choking, so there is no confidence there. If the NFC Championship Game is close at the end, expect to see Childress looking like Jim from American Pie when Shannon Elizabeth is taking care of herself: He has everything in front of him for a grand slam, but he has no idea what to do with it.
Quarterback
(1) Peyton Manning, (2) Brett Favre, (3) Drew Brees, (4) Mark Sanchez
Manning & Favre have combined for 2 Super Bowl titles and 7 league
MVP awards. Brees has put up huge regular season numbers, and Sanchez is the rookie who has demonstrated tremendous poise thus far. If Favre can win the Super Bowl, he will be the only quarterback in history to win the Super Bowl with two different teams. If I have the ball, down 5 with two minutes left in the game, I want Manning under center for me – his intelligence, mastery of the offense and calm under pressure are as good as anyone since Joe Montana. Sanchez has played well in the playoffs, but you have to wonder how long he can keep it going. Sanchez is off to a Ryan Phillipe start to his career, with good movies - I Know What You Did Last Summer & Cruel Intentions, etc., tons of adulation, and he gets Reese Witherspoon. We'll see if he crashes back to earth like Phillipe, who hasn't been in a relevant movie since Flags of Our Fathers in 2006.
Runningback
(1) Jets, (2) Colts, (3) Vikings, (4) Saints
Given that the Vikings have Adrian Peterson, you may be surprised to see
the Vikings so low, but despite Peterson’s angry style of running, he fumbles too much and has been held in check for 8 consecutive games. It’s hard to say he’s overrated, because he rushed for 1,383 yards and scored 8 TDs. He’s more like Penelope Cruz, because when she’s in the right role, she’s able to put her assets to work. The Jets have the best rushing offense in the league. Thomas Jones has been the most underrated running back in the league for the past 5 years (5 straight seasons of at least 1,100 yards). And rookie Shonn Greene is a battering ram and might be the sturdiest runner left in the playoffs. While Addai is not as explosive as Reggie Bush, he’s more reliable between the tackles and also dangerous as a receiver – did you know that Addai scored 13 TDs this year and had over 1100 total yards?
Receivers
(1) Colts, (2) Saints, (3) Vikings, (4) Jets
This might have been the easiest groups to rank because Reggie Wayne is the best receiver in the playoffs, and Dallas Clark is the best tight end still playing. Add in Pierre Garcon, who is dangerously fast and smart (as evidenced by his strip of Ed Reed last week) and you have the most dynamic group to go with the best quarterback. The Saints have a ton of solid weapons with three guys getting more than 700 yards receiving (Colston, Henderson & Meachem) and weapons like Shockey & Bush. The Vikings receivers have really blossomed receiving passes from Brett Favre as Sidney Rice exploded for over 1300 yards and 8 TDs, and Visanthe Shiancoe had 11 TDs himself. And that doesn’t take into account the dangerous Percy Harvin, who gets involved in receiving, rushing and the kick return game. The Jets are at the bottom of this group because their #1 receiver got called out by his own father for dropping too many passes. I think that’s all you need to know about that.
Defense
(1) Jets, (2) Vikings, (3) Colts, (4) Saints
This was another easy ranking, as the Jets have the best defense i
n the league, the Vikings have the 2nd best rush defense, the Saints are not above 20th in any defensive ranking, and the Colts are in the top ten for scoring defenses. It will be a great chess match between the Jets pressure and Peyton Manning. The Saints have given up a lot of points and a lot of yards, but they are opportunistic, and it will be interesting whether Favre can keep his “Inner Hulk” in check and take what is there.
Special Teams/Kicking
(1) Saints, (2) Vikings, (3) Colts, (4) Jets
The Saints return game with Reggie Bush earns them this top spot as he is a threat to take any kick to the house. The Vikings are highly rated for their reliable kicker in Ryan Longwell. The Colts have a reliable veteran kicker in Matt Stover and a solid return man in Chad Simpson. The Jets have an accurate kicker, but have missed Leon Washington’s dynamic return game for most of the season.
OVERALL TOTALS (Lower is Better):
Jets = 16
Colts = 13
Vikings = 16
Saints = 15
So what does this all mean? Probably nothing. While there is a lot of analysis to still be read and researched before plopping down a mortgage payment at the window, it looks like I’m leaning towards a Colts and Saints Super Bowl. Peyton goes to battle against the team his dad quarterbacked for many years. Then again, it doesn’t look like the gap between the Vikings and Saints is very big, so maybe we’ll have a matchup of two great quarterbacks trying to get their second title.
e with talented Volunteer fans. It’s not even because he once bought me a beer in the Gasthaus Bar in the union at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee right after he got the head coaching gig there (I was hanging out there with friends, I congratulated him on the job, and wished him luck and he bought me a beer, shook my hand and went back to his friends – very classy). He suspended 4 of his players after an incident involving guns, drugs and alcohol. He dismissed senior Tyler Smith, and has kept senior Brian Williams suspended indefinitely while recently reinstating Melvin Goins and Cameron Tatum. While working with only 6 scholarship players and 3 walk-ons, Pearl rallied his troops for wins over then-top-ranked Kansas, Charlotte, Auburn & Mississippi (and they beat Alabama last night after Goins & Tatum returned). They’ve ascended to #8 in the rankings and are playing great.------------------------------------------------------------------
Memo to Jim Calhoun (& it also applies to Urban Meyer): Put your ego in check and hang up the whistle. Your health and being there for your family are much more important than anything you do on the field or court. Calhoun just took a leave of absence from his UConn basketball team for medical reasons supposedly not related to his battle with cancer or past heart issues. Coaches always talk about being smart, teaching their players to be better people, and to think about their teammates. Well, coach, your family is your most important team. Be smart, step down and get healthy. Neither of you needs the money or the fame more than your kids need their fathers.
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My official picks for the Conference Championship games this weekend won’t be made until Degenerate Friday, but it’s time to start breaking the games down. And since Wednesday used to be the day for Power Rankings of the NFL teams during the regular season, I figured the best way to analyze the games was to rank the different components of each team: Coaching, Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers, Defense, & Special Teams. Then we’ll total up the rankings for each team and determine who has the talent edge.
Coaching
(1) Sean Payton, (2) Rex Ryan, (3) Jim Caldwell, (4) Brad Childress
It’s not the most distinguished group of coaches, with a total of 1 play
off win among them before this season (Sean Payton in 2006). Payton gets the nod because of his offensive creativity and the way Gregg Williams has transformed the Saints defense this year. Rex and his big talk have the Jets believing they are the best team in the league and that bravado has completely changed the attitude at their Jersey headquarters. Caldwell is untested, as we have no idea what to expect from him – he has Peyton Manning, so does he really need to do anything? And Brad Childress comes from the Andy Reid School of Choking, so there is no confidence there. If the NFC Championship Game is close at the end, expect to see Childress looking like Jim from American Pie when Shannon Elizabeth is taking care of herself: He has everything in front of him for a grand slam, but he has no idea what to do with it.Quarterback
(1) Peyton Manning, (2) Brett Favre, (3) Drew Brees, (4) Mark Sanchez
Manning & Favre have combined for 2 Super Bowl titles and 7 league
MVP awards. Brees has put up huge regular season numbers, and Sanchez is the rookie who has demonstrated tremendous poise thus far. If Favre can win the Super Bowl, he will be the only quarterback in history to win the Super Bowl with two different teams. If I have the ball, down 5 with two minutes left in the game, I want Manning under center for me – his intelligence, mastery of the offense and calm under pressure are as good as anyone since Joe Montana. Sanchez has played well in the playoffs, but you have to wonder how long he can keep it going. Sanchez is off to a Ryan Phillipe start to his career, with good movies - I Know What You Did Last Summer & Cruel Intentions, etc., tons of adulation, and he gets Reese Witherspoon. We'll see if he crashes back to earth like Phillipe, who hasn't been in a relevant movie since Flags of Our Fathers in 2006.Runningback
(1) Jets, (2) Colts, (3) Vikings, (4) Saints
Given that the Vikings have Adrian Peterson, you may be surprised to see
the Vikings so low, but despite Peterson’s angry style of running, he fumbles too much and has been held in check for 8 consecutive games. It’s hard to say he’s overrated, because he rushed for 1,383 yards and scored 8 TDs. He’s more like Penelope Cruz, because when she’s in the right role, she’s able to put her assets to work. The Jets have the best rushing offense in the league. Thomas Jones has been the most underrated running back in the league for the past 5 years (5 straight seasons of at least 1,100 yards). And rookie Shonn Greene is a battering ram and might be the sturdiest runner left in the playoffs. While Addai is not as explosive as Reggie Bush, he’s more reliable between the tackles and also dangerous as a receiver – did you know that Addai scored 13 TDs this year and had over 1100 total yards?Receivers
(1) Colts, (2) Saints, (3) Vikings, (4) Jets
This might have been the easiest groups to rank because Reggie Wayne is the best receiver in the playoffs, and Dallas Clark is the best tight end still playing. Add in Pierre Garcon, who is dangerously fast and smart (as evidenced by his strip of Ed Reed last week) and you have the most dynamic group to go with the best quarterback. The Saints have a ton of solid weapons with three guys getting more than 700 yards receiving (Colston, Henderson & Meachem) and weapons like Shockey & Bush. The Vikings receivers have really blossomed receiving passes from Brett Favre as Sidney Rice exploded for over 1300 yards and 8 TDs, and Visanthe Shiancoe had 11 TDs himself. And that doesn’t take into account the dangerous Percy Harvin, who gets involved in receiving, rushing and the kick return game. The Jets are at the bottom of this group because their #1 receiver got called out by his own father for dropping too many passes. I think that’s all you need to know about that.
Defense
(1) Jets, (2) Vikings, (3) Colts, (4) Saints
This was another easy ranking, as the Jets have the best defense i
n the league, the Vikings have the 2nd best rush defense, the Saints are not above 20th in any defensive ranking, and the Colts are in the top ten for scoring defenses. It will be a great chess match between the Jets pressure and Peyton Manning. The Saints have given up a lot of points and a lot of yards, but they are opportunistic, and it will be interesting whether Favre can keep his “Inner Hulk” in check and take what is there.Special Teams/Kicking
(1) Saints, (2) Vikings, (3) Colts, (4) Jets
The Saints return game with Reggie Bush earns them this top spot as he is a threat to take any kick to the house. The Vikings are highly rated for their reliable kicker in Ryan Longwell. The Colts have a reliable veteran kicker in Matt Stover and a solid return man in Chad Simpson. The Jets have an accurate kicker, but have missed Leon Washington’s dynamic return game for most of the season.
OVERALL TOTALS (Lower is Better):
Jets = 16
Colts = 13
Vikings = 16
Saints = 15
So what does this all mean? Probably nothing. While there is a lot of analysis to still be read and researched before plopping down a mortgage payment at the window, it looks like I’m leaning towards a Colts and Saints Super Bowl. Peyton goes to battle against the team his dad quarterbacked for many years. Then again, it doesn’t look like the gap between the Vikings and Saints is very big, so maybe we’ll have a matchup of two great quarterbacks trying to get their second title.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday Ramblings - Enough Revis Already!
Before getting to Darelle Revis, a Public Service Announcement: Don’t get Jose Offerman mad. Seriously, what is wrong with this guy? A few years back he charged the mound and tried to swing a bat at the pitcher. Then last week he was arguing a call and he took a swing at the umpire. Although after watching the video, I stopped being amazed by him taking a swing and was more amazed that I think he missed. He was nose-to-nose with the umpire, threw a haymaker and somehow missed. Yet the ump went down anyway. Just a very strange and sureal scene.
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The worst part about the Jets still being alive in the playoffs? The insuff
erable New York media needing to overhype and overreact to everything. The latest seems to have been picked up by the national media as well – Darrelle Revis. If I didn’t know better, I would think that the guy could walk across the Hudson when he comes from the Jets practice facility into Manhattan. If the stories about him are true, we should probably send him to Haiti and we’ll have all the devastation and death taken care and he’ll still be back in time for the AFC Championship.
Listen, the guy is a great cover corner. But let’s not get carried away. His interception against San Diego was luck – the ball fell into his lap after bouncing off of Vincent Jackson’s leg. And Vincent Jackson still had over 100 yards. Revis is a good shut down corner, but he is not yet to the level of Deion Sanders. And he does not have the overall disruptive ability of Charles Woodson – which is why it was a slam dunk that Woodson deserved the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Yet, because Revis plays in the biggest market, has the loudest coach, and has a voice in the weenie from Mike & Mike In the Morning, the casual fan thinks Revis was robbed.
Revis is one-dimensional in that all he does is cover. Yes, that is the primary
job of a cornerback. But that is like focusing purely on the chest of Christina Hendricks – and missing the fact that she is as pale as a ghost and not really that cute overall. Yes, her most endearing quality is enough to cause you to focus on it – just like Revis’s cover ability. Yet, Revis does not tackle, only 47 solo tackles and 7 assists, and had 6 interceptions, taking one back for a touchdown. Woodson had 63 unassisted tackles and 18 assists, 4 forced fumbles, 9 interceptions and took 3 back to the house. Deion Sanders returned punts and played offense in addition to being a shut down corner.
Yes, Revis is a solid cornerback, and he’s young, so he will likely get better. But let’s hold on with the comparing him to Lawrence Taylor as the best defensive player in NY (how quickly you forget Strahan setting the single season sack record), or Deion Sanders as the greatest corner of all time.
And getting an endorsement from Peter King is not exactly doing anything to help Revis’s case. I mean, well, I’ll just let Steve Czaban make my point for me right here. King is basically faker than the new Heidi Montag after her 400th plastic surgery procedure. What is wrong with that girl? I mean, honestly – she looks like a doll right now and she doesn’t look like a human. It’s just a shame she has such low self esteem and is now addicted to plastic surgery? Anyway, totally got sidetracked………
----------------------------------------------------
The worst part about the Jets still being alive in the playoffs? The insuff
erable New York media needing to overhype and overreact to everything. The latest seems to have been picked up by the national media as well – Darrelle Revis. If I didn’t know better, I would think that the guy could walk across the Hudson when he comes from the Jets practice facility into Manhattan. If the stories about him are true, we should probably send him to Haiti and we’ll have all the devastation and death taken care and he’ll still be back in time for the AFC Championship.Listen, the guy is a great cover corner. But let’s not get carried away. His interception against San Diego was luck – the ball fell into his lap after bouncing off of Vincent Jackson’s leg. And Vincent Jackson still had over 100 yards. Revis is a good shut down corner, but he is not yet to the level of Deion Sanders. And he does not have the overall disruptive ability of Charles Woodson – which is why it was a slam dunk that Woodson deserved the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Yet, because Revis plays in the biggest market, has the loudest coach, and has a voice in the weenie from Mike & Mike In the Morning, the casual fan thinks Revis was robbed.
Revis is one-dimensional in that all he does is cover. Yes, that is the primary
job of a cornerback. But that is like focusing purely on the chest of Christina Hendricks – and missing the fact that she is as pale as a ghost and not really that cute overall. Yes, her most endearing quality is enough to cause you to focus on it – just like Revis’s cover ability. Yet, Revis does not tackle, only 47 solo tackles and 7 assists, and had 6 interceptions, taking one back for a touchdown. Woodson had 63 unassisted tackles and 18 assists, 4 forced fumbles, 9 interceptions and took 3 back to the house. Deion Sanders returned punts and played offense in addition to being a shut down corner.Yes, Revis is a solid cornerback, and he’s young, so he will likely get better. But let’s hold on with the comparing him to Lawrence Taylor as the best defensive player in NY (how quickly you forget Strahan setting the single season sack record), or Deion Sanders as the greatest corner of all time.
And getting an endorsement from Peter King is not exactly doing anything to help Revis’s case. I mean, well, I’ll just let Steve Czaban make my point for me right here. King is basically faker than the new Heidi Montag after her 400th plastic surgery procedure. What is wrong with that girl? I mean, honestly – she looks like a doll right now and she doesn’t look like a human. It’s just a shame she has such low self esteem and is now addicted to plastic surgery? Anyway, totally got sidetracked………Monday, January 18, 2010
Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate
LOVE
- We discovered the key to life at brunch yesterday with a grou
p of friends. We decided that if you want the world to be your oyster, you really only need to have three talents: (1) be good at charades, (2) be good at shotgunning beer, and (3) be good in bed. I mean, if you have that, I think the world is your playground. And that discussion may or may not have taken place after our 5th cocktail. So there’s your roadmap to success, now get out there and practice kids!
- Mark Sanchez is now tied for the most playoff wins by a Jets quarterback with two. Drew Brees has the only wins in Saints playoff history. That gives you a sense of two of the franchises that will be playing in the conference championship games this weekend. The other two quarterbacks have slightly more playoff experience – maybe you’ve heard of them? Favre and Manning.
- The Colts probably should have knocked the Jets out of the playoffs before they got in. Karma brings the Jets back to Indy with a renewed sense of confidence and momentum. You have to believe the Bengals and Chargers are wishing they would have played the Texans rather than Rex’s hard-charging Gang Green.
- Brett Favre is playing better than he ever has in his entire career. He has 37 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions including the playoff game. The first touchdown pass he threw to Sidney Rice could not have been placed in a better spot if Favre was right next to him. I’m pretty sure he was singing “Just the Two of Us” in the locker room after the game. Well, maybe not. But he is playing better than even when he was going to back-to-back Super Bowls with Green Bay.
- Reggie Bush may have finally realized how to play in the NFL. Th
e guy is a great athlete and he may have finally figured out that he has the ability to lower his shoulder and just plow forward on some plays and use his incredible video game moves on other plays. He played with a purpose and ran over Cardinals defenders on some occasions and stopped and cut on a dime for the next move. There was one screen pass where he caught the ball, and put on the brakes and cut back, leaving two Arizona defenders diving at air. If he can play like that, not only will the Saints have a great chance at winning the Super Bowl, but he will have a better chance of getting a big payday when his contract is up. And maybe we’ll finally talk about him for something other than his girlfriend.
HATE
- The Chargers choked. And not just Nate Kaeding for missing 3 field goals. Phillip Rivers was not clutch and Norv Turner lived up to his awful reputation in big games. Why did he go with an onside kick? Had he kicked it deep, on that 4th and 1, the Jets would have been deep in their own territory and would have had to punt. Once again, Norv proved that he does not have what it takes to take a team to the championship.
- Can we please stop the retirement talk as soon as a team loses in the playoffs? Kurt Warner, LaDanian Tomlinson, Ed Reed, etc. all may have played their final games. Give them some time to let their emotions calm down, let their bodies heal up a little, and let them talk with their families. Then again, if you’re Kurt Warner, maybe you need a job to keep you out of the house and away from that hair. (And the streak continues) They’ve all been great players, give them time to figure out what they want to do.
- Keith Brookings is a clown. Yes, it was aggressive that the Vikings
threw the ball on 4th down with 2 minutes left in a blow out. Yet we celebrate the players for playing hard the entire game – that includes the last two minutes. So the Vikings did exactly that – they played to the final whistle. And Brad Childress can only coach his team. If the Cowboys are not able to stop the Vikings, that’s a Cowboy’s problem, not a Vikings problem. You’ve been getting your ass handed to you all day long, Keith. Don’t compound it by trying to talk to the Vikings bench and spouting off to the media after the game. You sound like a whiny little biyatch. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was watching Grey’s Anatomy because you were whining more than Ellen Pompeo.
- Think Arizona is looking for a defensive coordinator today?
- C’mon Brett you pansy. Crying in the post game presser after WINNING the game? A blow out game at that. Honestly – you’re such a drama queen. Grow up.
- We discovered the key to life at brunch yesterday with a grou
p of friends. We decided that if you want the world to be your oyster, you really only need to have three talents: (1) be good at charades, (2) be good at shotgunning beer, and (3) be good in bed. I mean, if you have that, I think the world is your playground. And that discussion may or may not have taken place after our 5th cocktail. So there’s your roadmap to success, now get out there and practice kids!- Mark Sanchez is now tied for the most playoff wins by a Jets quarterback with two. Drew Brees has the only wins in Saints playoff history. That gives you a sense of two of the franchises that will be playing in the conference championship games this weekend. The other two quarterbacks have slightly more playoff experience – maybe you’ve heard of them? Favre and Manning.
- The Colts probably should have knocked the Jets out of the playoffs before they got in. Karma brings the Jets back to Indy with a renewed sense of confidence and momentum. You have to believe the Bengals and Chargers are wishing they would have played the Texans rather than Rex’s hard-charging Gang Green.
- Brett Favre is playing better than he ever has in his entire career. He has 37 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions including the playoff game. The first touchdown pass he threw to Sidney Rice could not have been placed in a better spot if Favre was right next to him. I’m pretty sure he was singing “Just the Two of Us” in the locker room after the game. Well, maybe not. But he is playing better than even when he was going to back-to-back Super Bowls with Green Bay.
- Reggie Bush may have finally realized how to play in the NFL. Th
e guy is a great athlete and he may have finally figured out that he has the ability to lower his shoulder and just plow forward on some plays and use his incredible video game moves on other plays. He played with a purpose and ran over Cardinals defenders on some occasions and stopped and cut on a dime for the next move. There was one screen pass where he caught the ball, and put on the brakes and cut back, leaving two Arizona defenders diving at air. If he can play like that, not only will the Saints have a great chance at winning the Super Bowl, but he will have a better chance of getting a big payday when his contract is up. And maybe we’ll finally talk about him for something other than his girlfriend.HATE
- The Chargers choked. And not just Nate Kaeding for missing 3 field goals. Phillip Rivers was not clutch and Norv Turner lived up to his awful reputation in big games. Why did he go with an onside kick? Had he kicked it deep, on that 4th and 1, the Jets would have been deep in their own territory and would have had to punt. Once again, Norv proved that he does not have what it takes to take a team to the championship.
- Can we please stop the retirement talk as soon as a team loses in the playoffs? Kurt Warner, LaDanian Tomlinson, Ed Reed, etc. all may have played their final games. Give them some time to let their emotions calm down, let their bodies heal up a little, and let them talk with their families. Then again, if you’re Kurt Warner, maybe you need a job to keep you out of the house and away from that hair. (And the streak continues) They’ve all been great players, give them time to figure out what they want to do.
- Keith Brookings is a clown. Yes, it was aggressive that the Vikings
threw the ball on 4th down with 2 minutes left in a blow out. Yet we celebrate the players for playing hard the entire game – that includes the last two minutes. So the Vikings did exactly that – they played to the final whistle. And Brad Childress can only coach his team. If the Cowboys are not able to stop the Vikings, that’s a Cowboy’s problem, not a Vikings problem. You’ve been getting your ass handed to you all day long, Keith. Don’t compound it by trying to talk to the Vikings bench and spouting off to the media after the game. You sound like a whiny little biyatch. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was watching Grey’s Anatomy because you were whining more than Ellen Pompeo.- Think Arizona is looking for a defensive coordinator today?
- C’mon Brett you pansy. Crying in the post game presser after WINNING the game? A blow out game at that. Honestly – you’re such a drama queen. Grow up.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Degenerate Friday!! Divisional Playoffs
First, let me say thanks to Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated for linking to yesterday’s story on NFL Theme Songs in his AM Hot Clicks which drove a tremendous amount of traffic to the site. Let’s keep the momentum going and don’t forget to sign up on the facebook fan page, become a follower of the site (on the lower right hand side of this page) or subscribe to the RSS feed.
Speaking of songs, yesterday I’m waiting in the subway station and there is an old Mexican man playing the guitar and wailing about some woman that left him. After that lovely song ends, he breaks out into a pretty good rendition of “Happy Birthday” - which kind of sounded like a mash up of "Happy Birthday" and "LaBamba". Only he’s singing happy birthday……to himself. He belts out “Happy Birthday to Meeeeeee! It’s Saturday. Saturday – I’m 77.” Then finishes the song and lets everyone know that his mother died in 1977 and he’s turning 77 years old on Saturday. I’m not sure how any of that is connected, or even why this story is relevant. It just seemed comical that he was singing happy birthday to himself.
Now that the public service announcement and story hour are over, let’s get to it. This is a huge weekend with good matchups in the NFL Divisional playoffs. After being wrong in all four games during the wildcard weekend, it’s time to double it up in the divisional round and make some money……..ummmm, if gambling were legal. Each game needs a title, so they’re given one of the movies that won Best Picture during the past decade.
Standard disclosures: picks are for recreational purposes only, spreads from the NY Post, home teams in caps, etc.
The Departed (2006 Winner)
Cardinals (+7) over SAINTS
This game has an all-star cast of offense, from Kurt Warner, La
rry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells to Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey. The over/under is at 57, so Vegas expects another shoot out, which is pretty much what most of The Departed turned into. The difference between the movie and this game is at the end of the game, the old man in charge won’t end up dead. I see Kurt Warner being able to carve up the Saints secondary and the Cardinals playoff experience comes into play as they are not bothered playing in the loud Superdome. History says two road teams win during the divisional round, and here’s one of them. If the Vikings win, this would set up a geezer show down in the NFC Championship. And mark it down, this is the first time I've mentioned Kurt Warner without making fun of his wife for looking like Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics and then getting a make over to more resemble a woman....or Rod Steward. Dammit, I guess my streak continues.
A Beautiful Mind (2001 Winner)
COLTS (-6.5) over Ravens
This just refers to Peyton Manning’s intelligence and ability to mak
e adjustments. Although it could also compare the tempers of Ray Lewis and Russell Crowe – keep knives away from Ray-Ray and cell phones away from Russell. Baltimore will be trying to slow the game down with their running game, playing keep away from the Colts offense, yet Manning proved against the Dolphins, he doesn’t need the ball very often to be dangerous. The biggest problem the Ravens will face is that they do not have a cornerback who can run with Reggie Wayne, which could provide him with a few opportunities for deep passes. I’m a little nervous about laying this many points in a game I expect to be close, but I expect the Colts to come out ready to play and ready to put points on the board. If the Ravens need to pass to keep it close, Joe Flacco is not ready on the road.
Million Dollar Baby (2004 Winner)
CHARGERS (-7) over Jets
Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is the Million Dollar Ba
by in New York, and well, we all know how the movie ends……spoiler alert……the Million Dollar Baby doesn’t make it. It’s going to be a similar ending for Sanchez in his homecoming to the West Coast. The Jets running game will be able to shorten the game, but they won’t be able to put up enough points to keep up with the Chargers. San Diego invades Revis Island with an army of giant receiving threats, with both WRs and Antonio Gates over 6’5”. That will allow them to go up and over the top of Revis and the other members of the Jets secondary. If the Jets fall behind, they don’t have the ability to score quickly. This is the one game this weekend where I could see it getting out of hand and being over by half time. Side note – they couldn’t have found a better actress to for the part than Hilary Swank – she scares me. I mean, she played a boy in “Boys Don’t Cry” and then she was a female boxer and then shows up at the awards shows trying to look hot. She’d be better off showing up wearing a tux.
No Country For Old Men (2007 Winner)
VIKINGS (-3) over Cowboys
Based on the movie title, it would appear I should be picking against the old man, Brett Favre. The Cowboys come to town as hot as any team in the league and
Brett has never beaten the Cowboys in the playoffs (remember his only Super Bowl winning year, Kerry Collins and the Panthers upset the Cowboys). Yet the Vikings play well at home, and will be able to physically beat up the Cowboys – something the Eagles and Saints couldn’t do during the Dallas winning streak. As long as Favre can control his ego and doesn’t try to force the ball down field, Minnesota will outlast the Cowboys. And it also builds up the expectations and the hype even more for when Favre throws 4 interceptions in the NFC Championship and joins Gary Anderson among infamous Vikings playoff failures (Anderson didn’t miss a FG all season and then missed a chippy in the 1998 NFC Champsionship when the Vikings lost to Atlanta).
Speaking of songs, yesterday I’m waiting in the subway station and there is an old Mexican man playing the guitar and wailing about some woman that left him. After that lovely song ends, he breaks out into a pretty good rendition of “Happy Birthday” - which kind of sounded like a mash up of "Happy Birthday" and "LaBamba". Only he’s singing happy birthday……to himself. He belts out “Happy Birthday to Meeeeeee! It’s Saturday. Saturday – I’m 77.” Then finishes the song and lets everyone know that his mother died in 1977 and he’s turning 77 years old on Saturday. I’m not sure how any of that is connected, or even why this story is relevant. It just seemed comical that he was singing happy birthday to himself.
Now that the public service announcement and story hour are over, let’s get to it. This is a huge weekend with good matchups in the NFL Divisional playoffs. After being wrong in all four games during the wildcard weekend, it’s time to double it up in the divisional round and make some money……..ummmm, if gambling were legal. Each game needs a title, so they’re given one of the movies that won Best Picture during the past decade.
Standard disclosures: picks are for recreational purposes only, spreads from the NY Post, home teams in caps, etc.
The Departed (2006 Winner)
Cardinals (+7) over SAINTS
This game has an all-star cast of offense, from Kurt Warner, La
rry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells to Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey. The over/under is at 57, so Vegas expects another shoot out, which is pretty much what most of The Departed turned into. The difference between the movie and this game is at the end of the game, the old man in charge won’t end up dead. I see Kurt Warner being able to carve up the Saints secondary and the Cardinals playoff experience comes into play as they are not bothered playing in the loud Superdome. History says two road teams win during the divisional round, and here’s one of them. If the Vikings win, this would set up a geezer show down in the NFC Championship. And mark it down, this is the first time I've mentioned Kurt Warner without making fun of his wife for looking like Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics and then getting a make over to more resemble a woman....or Rod Steward. Dammit, I guess my streak continues.A Beautiful Mind (2001 Winner)
COLTS (-6.5) over Ravens
This just refers to Peyton Manning’s intelligence and ability to mak
e adjustments. Although it could also compare the tempers of Ray Lewis and Russell Crowe – keep knives away from Ray-Ray and cell phones away from Russell. Baltimore will be trying to slow the game down with their running game, playing keep away from the Colts offense, yet Manning proved against the Dolphins, he doesn’t need the ball very often to be dangerous. The biggest problem the Ravens will face is that they do not have a cornerback who can run with Reggie Wayne, which could provide him with a few opportunities for deep passes. I’m a little nervous about laying this many points in a game I expect to be close, but I expect the Colts to come out ready to play and ready to put points on the board. If the Ravens need to pass to keep it close, Joe Flacco is not ready on the road.Million Dollar Baby (2004 Winner)
CHARGERS (-7) over Jets
Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is the Million Dollar Ba
by in New York, and well, we all know how the movie ends……spoiler alert……the Million Dollar Baby doesn’t make it. It’s going to be a similar ending for Sanchez in his homecoming to the West Coast. The Jets running game will be able to shorten the game, but they won’t be able to put up enough points to keep up with the Chargers. San Diego invades Revis Island with an army of giant receiving threats, with both WRs and Antonio Gates over 6’5”. That will allow them to go up and over the top of Revis and the other members of the Jets secondary. If the Jets fall behind, they don’t have the ability to score quickly. This is the one game this weekend where I could see it getting out of hand and being over by half time. Side note – they couldn’t have found a better actress to for the part than Hilary Swank – she scares me. I mean, she played a boy in “Boys Don’t Cry” and then she was a female boxer and then shows up at the awards shows trying to look hot. She’d be better off showing up wearing a tux.No Country For Old Men (2007 Winner)
VIKINGS (-3) over Cowboys
Based on the movie title, it would appear I should be picking against the old man, Brett Favre. The Cowboys come to town as hot as any team in the league and
Brett has never beaten the Cowboys in the playoffs (remember his only Super Bowl winning year, Kerry Collins and the Panthers upset the Cowboys). Yet the Vikings play well at home, and will be able to physically beat up the Cowboys – something the Eagles and Saints couldn’t do during the Dallas winning streak. As long as Favre can control his ego and doesn’t try to force the ball down field, Minnesota will outlast the Cowboys. And it also builds up the expectations and the hype even more for when Favre throws 4 interceptions in the NFC Championship and joins Gary Anderson among infamous Vikings playoff failures (Anderson didn’t miss a FG all season and then missed a chippy in the 1998 NFC Champsionship when the Vikings lost to Atlanta).
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