Monday, July 28, 2008

Links coming fast and furious...



So much going on...I scarcely know where to start:

ESPN's AFC South Blogger covers Colts' camp.

Prisco takes five things away from Colts' camp...one is that Ed Johnson is a player. He also thinks we'll be pretty good this year.
Apparently, he also heard a rumor that Bill Polian knows what he's doing. Funny, I heard that same thing.

Peter King's piece on Favre is totally nuts. I swear, this is getting to be one of the most insane situations in history. The Pack is moving on? WHY???? TO WHAT? In five years, we may well look back on Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy as the biggest idiots in football history. Aaron Rodgers will be booed off the field unless he starts hot, and I mean blazing hot. I know they think they are doing this guy a favor by protecting his right to play, but the man has ZERO window with the fans. If they lose to Minnesota in week one...no check that...if he plays poorly in the PRESEASON, the fans will riot in Green Bay. Uuuuugly.

CHFF chimes in with a Star Wars reference. I wonder if the dominance of NE/Indy has more to do with the arrival of two historically great QBs than it does anything else.

Ross Tucker's words should chill the hearts of the Pack faithful.

"The coaches and GMs want to see their draft picks and free-agent signees succeed, and perhaps rightfully so. It makes them look good.
Though it should be all about wins and losses, too often it becomes more about validating one's decisions"

The funny thing is...he wasn't even talking about Favre when he said it.

I just spent waaaay too long trying to get this clip to embed correctly.  Sportsline sucks.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been totally wasted for like two weeks straight....but didn't CHFF have the over/under on NE wins (per Vegas) at 12.5 the other day?

Now it's 13.5 in the Star Wars story - am I crazy?

Deshawn Zombie said...

different odds makers. I think NE at 12 wins is a good bet for over...going over 13.5 seems awfully difficult for a team that has to play at Indy and SD, and likely won't try the stupid "KILL EVERYONE FOR 16 WEEKS SO THAT WE'LL RUN OUT OF GAS WITH TWO MINUTES LEFT IN THE SUPER BOWL" stratgey.

Anonymous said...

Dude, c'mon. You made that beef all year last year and it was as stupid then as it is now.

The kid escaped a third and forever and a guy caught a ball on the side of his head. It was a great play, a heartbreaking play, but had nothing to do with fatigue.

The loss at Indy the year before could be blamed on cross-country fatigue, but I won't blame our team.

I'll leave excuse making to you.

Over 12 is easy, 13.5 I agree, is tough no matter how soft the schedule us.

Deshawn Zombie said...

Oh, ok then. No excuses. The defense clearly wilted under the pressure of the big moment, and Brady got bomb happy at the end because he was too beat up to standt the thought of throwing 6-7 shorter passes.

Feel better?

Anonymous said...

No not really but at least it's not flat false like half your ranting and raving.

Anonymous said...

Hey jc, what do you make of this Manny stuff? Think the Sox will trade him to play in Iraq like he said he could?

Deshawn Zombie said...

lol. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that simple explinations comfort simple minds.

Anonymous said...

I think Manny actually believes there is an MLB team in Iraq. He probably got it confused with Arizona in interleague or something and nobody had the heart to correct him.

Anonymous said...

Zac:

Here's the simple explanation, something DZ is incapable of delivering because he's too busy overanalyzing stuff to make his blog seem smart.

Manny wants 4-years 100 Mil, because he can probably get it as a free agent this winter. He'd rather take his shot on the FA market at 36 years with decent numbers than wait for his two options years (09, 2010) to pass then hit free agency at 38.

Only the Mets would be that stupid to give him 4-years then. If Omar still has a job then, he'll probably give Manny that deal.

I think they'll suck it up, not deal him, not pick up his option (he's becoming a club house distraction so they say) and go after Texeira, trade for Holliday, or something of the like.

Although to get Holliday we'll have to buck up big time with prospects. We have them though.

Anonymous said...

On Favre, Yeah, Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy forced Favre out the door when he retired. It was Ted Thompson doing a Bret Favre imitation and doctored the retirement papers and Roger Goddell is too stupid to understand Bret NEVER retired.

I'd be reluctant to welcome back a guy who ditched my team for no reason other than "BOOO HOOOO, you didn't sign Randy Moss!". I don't care about everything he's done. All the touchdowns, yards, and completions. When Favre has stunk, so has the Packers. For crying out loud, he is, or close to, the carrer leader in Interceptions thrown. Aaron Rodgers sure as hell didn't throw that pick that put the Giants in the Super Bowl after they gagged the game away twice.

For people who thump their chests about being smart about football, you sure are stupid.

Bob M. said...

Is it just me or is Prisco sounding almost coherent?

Same with CHFF, really, especially since they make no proclamations based on spurious factoids--they merely look at raw data and say "hhhm this is interesting." (although I should point out their final sentence should probably have read, "the last of WHICH was an expansion team in 2002" instead "the last of WHOM...," since Houston is not a person but a team/organization. But that's just nit-picking and since CHFF is above such petty things, then so am I. Mostly.)

Anonymous said...

JC and deshawn- its a bat early to get all hostile, let's at least wait till the preseason

And Jc, do you really think someone is going to make Manny the second highest paid player in the game when both the Yanks and Sox will be out of the bidding?

Manny will get his, but he isn't getting that deal, he may not even get to the value of his two option years. Teams are backing off those kinds of insane deals.

But you are right, too, it only takes one idiot to get a bad contract done, and Minaya is just that guy. He just might bid against himself all the way up to 25 mil.

And if you guys get Holliday I'm gonna be pissed.

Deshawn Zombie said...

Which would you rather have: a whiney, sort of backstabbing, lazy (didn't want to work out in the offseason) legendary QB who might win you a Super Bowl, or a second rate career backup who will be hated by fans after they wake up and realize that they have ZERO chance to win with him.

This is about what gives you the best chance to win. Favre is an AHole first class. there is no question about that. But the Pack is INSANE for thinking that they can win with Aaron Rodgers. They are pissing away a chance to play in the Super Bowl. The Rodgers era will last less than two seasons and go down in history as a classic case of letting emotions overpower reseaon.

Deshawn Zombie said...

The word a few weeks ago was that the players wanted Favre back. That's not exactly an endorsement of Aaron Rodgers.

Anonymous said...

I'd tell Brett Favre to go rot in retirement.

Every now and then you gotta take a stand.

What he's done to that organization is bullshit.

God bless them (sorry Tony) for saying enough's enough.

Anonymous said...

What I would NOT do is trade him to the NYJ....

Deshawn Zombie said...

I 100% get and agree with the sentiment. Favre has behaved horribly. That being said, you owe it to your fans (most of whom are also the team owners) to do your best to win. So Favre has held the Pack hostage? What has it really hurt them (other than a few headaches)? They drafted Aaron Rodgers with a low first round pick a few years back. They could trade him now for nearly what they paid for him. In fact, they ought to think about moving him. At least with Favre, he's such a big ego case, that you know he'll be the only one. He wouldn't allow another ego that big in the locker room.

I say, WIN NOW. Worry about taking a stand when you have a 6-10 roster. Chances to win it all are too rare to waste on having your feelings hurt.

shake'n'bake said...

Favre bounce back year last year might have been more from his supporting cast than from him being a top QB. No QB in the league had a higher % of his yards from YAC. Brian Burke here shows the YAC is far far more a product of WR skill than QB, so much so that he uses "air yards" (passing yards-YAC) in his QB evaluations.
I still think the Packers are better off with Favre this year, but Aaron Rodgers could probably be pretty good with that supporting cast.

Deshawn Zombie said...

Here's the thing about young QBs: they suck. About 90% of the time a young QB will be terrible. Rodgers simply hasn't played enough to be good. Might he be? Sure. He might be great. I think the odds of that are about 10%. I think the odds that he's average are about 40%. I think there's a 50/50 chance he's outright horrible. The pressure he will be under is tremendous, and the fans patience with him will be nill. This is not a recipie for success.

I think it's an awful chance to take with a solid roster. The odds are strong that GM/Coach/QB are all run out of GB on a rail within 18 months. No one will appriciate 'the stand' they took if they fail to make the playoffs.

Anonymous said...

Some people are picking the Vikings to win it all despite having a young, potentially horrible QB. Why should the Pack be any different?

And Aaron Rodgers is better than Tavaris Jackson.

Deshawn Zombie said...

Those people are insane. I'm picking the Vikings to be exactly what they were last year specifically BECAUSE Jackson is horrible. It's a QB league. Too many pundits get blinded by running backs and run defenses. Jackson will KILL the Vikes this year. Rodgers will KILL the Pack. Maybe I'm wrong, but I wouldnt' bet on either one. The only reason why any of the teams in the NFC North will make the playoffs is because someone has to.

Anonymous said...

Fair enough

Unknown said...

In all fairness to JC, you have to give the Pats credit for holding on and for 16-0. Eli Manning escaped a sure sack from 3rd-and-about a billion to toss a ball to his 3rd string WR who caught it with his HELMET. It's as close to divine intervention as you can see in football. It's right up there with Brady tossing that interception to Marlin Jackson and Gary Brackett having the good sense to pull his ass down.

New England @ 13.5...I'd take the under. They have to play @ Indy and SD, both of whom are better teams this year. There's a good chance someone steals a game from them. I wouldn't bet on another 16-0. 15-1, 14-2, or 13-3.

And people are picking the Vikings because all Tavaris Jackson has to do is hand the ball to Purple Jesus and be done with it. He could face the first 11 men at the line of scrimmage defense ever. The Vikings could seriously see goal line defenses at their own 30 yard line on 2nd down. As for Rogers, he's been sitting behind Favre for three years. What's the worst he can do, throw ill-timed interceptions and let the Packers fans blame it on someone else and chalk it up to his "young gunslinger" mentality?

The NFC North should be forced to pull a Katherine Heigl and withdraw themselves from the playoffs if they send the 7-9 Vikings or 8-8 Packers, just to maintain the semblance of dignity.

Hell, send Houston. They'll probably win 10 games this season and miss the playoffs and spend the offseason making Peyton Manning voodoo dolls.

Anonymous said...

I'll give all the props in the world for the Pats going 16-0, it is one heck of an accomplishment.

I also don't think it was fatigue that caused the Pats loss in the Superbowl, or the defense running out of steam, it was just a close game that the defense couldn't quite hang onto. It was coming all season, it just happened in the big game.

Fatigue had as much to do with the Pats loss as the bye week and pulling our starters had with the Colts loss to SD.

Anonymous said...

"Running out of steam" meaning they were tired from the long season, they were just not good enough to keep pulling off all of those stops

Anonymous said...

were=weren't in that last comment. Dang, I need a nap.

Deshawn Zombie said...

I agree, they were gassed. Emotionally, physically. They weren't the same the team in the Super Bowl that they had been all season. I think "KILL KILL KILL" mode wore them out. In the end, they lost because of the things that happened on the field, but had Belichick not run his guys into the ground all season, they might have had enough in the tank to win it all.

Actually, I don't think it was that big a factor. I just brought it up so I could take a cheap shot at JC. Sue me.

Anonymous said...

"Keaton was a grounded guy. An ex-cop. To a cop, the explanation is never that complicated. It's always simple."

If I need to cite who spoke those words, your life sucks.

Anyhow, the Patriots of old vs. the Patriots of new (2001-2007) are seperated by two words and two very simple words only.

Ty Law.

He made that much of a difference. When Asante played as the second (in some cases nickel) corner across from Ty....we weren't getting beat.

Not by Big Ben, Kurt Warner, Steve McNair or any goofy redneck named Manning.

We weren't giving up 20+ point leads on the road and giving up 30 effing first downs in a game.

Brady is the man, but #24 was the real playmaker. He got you off the field on third down. He kept teams in third and long.

And he would have KNOCKED THE GOD DAMN BALL OF TYREES HEAD.

Simple.

Deshawn Zombie said...

That is an interesting point considering he picked Manning twice in 07 in the dome.

I think it's more an issue of football games being decided by lucky plays and bounces. The Pats had an insane run of close wins and big breaks. Some people thought that was because they were some kind of uber team. While they were/are undeniably great, we've seen the last couple of years that eventually luck will even out.

One day you are Tucking it under...the next you are under Tuck.

Demond Sanders said...

The Manning three-peat may well drive JC to madness.

Anonymous said...

Off the top of my head, I bet he picked Manning more than any other corner in Peyton's career, especially as we were division mates.

Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or shouldn't Favre be in a training camp, ANY CAMP, if he wants to play this year? And if the Packers don't want his ass, why not trade him? Cut him? Stop this bickering and DO SOMETHING. If he lands in NY or TB at the end of camp, he's going to be ineffective for the start of the year anyway. I understand they want to develop Aaron Rodgers, they did invest in the kid, but DZ's right, they should go with Favre. So, get him in camp to be the STARTER, or let his ass go. Favre is being an A-hole, but so are the Packers. It's time to cut ties.

BD

Deshawn Zombie said...

They CAN'T cut him. They cut him, he signs with Minnesota, and the Vikes go to the Super Bowl (after beating the Pack twice along the way).

The King article said the Pack is actively trying to deal him, not asking too much, but that Favre doesn't want to go anywhere they want to send him.

What choice do they have? They have to let him come to camp, and they don't want that. Why? It'll be all too obvious to everyone that he's the best QB. It's insane.

Bob M. said...

jc,
One of my all-time favorites. But who said it... Chaz Palminteri or Dan Hedaya? I could google it, but my money's on Chaz.

Apparently the cast didn't even know who Keyser Soze was until the movie's release as they filmed two endings, one with Byrne and one with Spacey (the only one that makes sense).

Anonymous said...

It was Spacey.

C'mon man.

HeatherRadish said...

Here's the thing about young QBs: they suck.

Yeah, Favre sucked his first four years at GB (and 2.5 of his last three years, not that anyone around here will admit it), and the fans called for his head as well as the heads of those who didn't replace him. And yet, it turned out OK in the long run.

Don't listen to Packers fans. They're even more arrogantly ignorant than Cubs fans.

If he wanted to play for the Packers this fall, he shouldn't have thrown a presser announcing his retirement. All this mess could have been avoided quite easily back in March. *shrug*

Meanwhile, I'm sure Bob Sanders is just as happy to eat A-Rodg's brains in October (my tickets arrived today!!!)

Bob M. said...

JC,
Eh, I figured it was the part where Chazz was trying to break Spacey down to admit that Keaton was Soze. Forgive me, it's been well over a decade. I last saw it on VHS.
Thre greatest trick the devil ever played... was convincing people he didn't exist.
Now back to football.

Anonymous said...

Tamme may be the most interesting item in this post. Dropped passes have had a huge impact on the Colt offense the last two years. Utecht had more than his share. If Tamme can be a more reliable receiver than Utecht (and I thought Tamme was very good at Ky), it could make a much bigger difference in keeping drives going than many realize.

The Colts are insanely good at converting on 3d down. Go back and look at how many dropped passes have stalled drives the last two years. If they cut the drops down, they will hold serve at an even higher percentage and put even more pressure on the other team's offense.

Stan

Deshawn Zombie said...

Utech's problems also extended to fumbles. I agree...there's a reason the team let him go. Frankly with Harrison healthy, I don't see how this offense can be stopped.