Deshawn Zombie has sent us a couple links direct from the EU to you.
Chad Ford thinks the Pacers could be a playoff sleeper. He's freaking me out.
Peter King offers up this interesting bit of information from a wisened Tony Romo: [Romo] had an interesting take on "winning the big game.'' Romo is 19-7 in the regular season, 0-2 in the playoffs. "What exactly constitutes a 'big game?' '' he asked. "We've had some pretty big regular-season games in the last couple of years. A couple years ago, when Peyton Manning set the touchdown record, I'm watching NFL Live, and the guys are talking about the great season he had, and someone says, 'But he hasn't won the big game yet.' I mean, he'd had two perfect playoff games -- the highest rating he could have -- to that point, but he hadn't beaten New England, and so he couldn't win the big game.
"You mean playing perfect in a playoff game and winning is not winning a big game? The way I look at this job is: If you're waiting for everyone to get on your side and think you're great, you'll be miserable your whole career.''
Pete Prisco puts his credibility at risk by mentioning Fred Taylor and Canton in the same sentence. Maybe more unbelievable is his willingness to mention Jim Brown and Barry Sanders. I respect Pete for sticking up for the small market player, but this issue is very simple. Taylor just doesn't have enough touchdowns. Try an astonishing 38 fewer rushing scores than Sanders and 45 fewer than Brown in the same number of seasons (10). Heck, most people consider #32 a stretch for the Hall at this point and he has 16 more scores than Taylor in one fewer seasons.
Monday, August 4, 2008
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7 comments:
They have to give Jags fans something to read about, right?
bd is right... that is, IF they can read!
Fred Taylor gets into the Hall of Very Good, Consistently Good, and Unfairly Maligned for Being Injury-Prone.
Edge needs 3,000 more total rushing yards, ideally 800 rec yards (not likely in that offense), and 20 TDs to be a real contender in the eyes of anyone outside Indiana and Imolakee, FL. He's only 30, so three seasons should be doable. He may well last longer. Maybe one monster postseason game, but not likely with that team.
He's had my vote for years, but I'm not a voter. I loved the stat he used to have, before LDT's ascension (I think it was 50 or 100 games minimum), that the two highest total yards per game in NFL history were Edge and Jim Brown, in that order. LDT has since risen and Edge has dropped. dang. LDT is currently at 126 YPG and 1.16 TDPG with Edge at 116 YPG and .69 TDPG. Taylor is at 102 YPG and .54 TDPG. All good numbers, but if Edge is bubble, then Taylor is out. Jim Brown stands tall at 125.5 and 1.07, FYI.
Edge will also get some serious, vocal lobbying from #18, who has called him the best teammate he's ever had. It's hard for a voter to vote #18 in on zeroth ballot and then ignore him when he preaches the merits of Edge, Saturday, Reggie, and other guys who might be bubble candidates after retirement (assuming they all have 3 or more good years left).
Can we build a Hall of Very Good somewhere else, like Florida or Texas?
We can have guys like Fred Taylor or Steve McNair, who made you go "Yeah, they're alright, but not great." We can induct Archie Manning, who was a good QB for a bad team, but made up for it by siring 2 SB and MVP winning sons. We can induct Drew Bledsoe for inadvertently keeping the spot behind center warm for Tom Brady. The possibilities are endless!
Is it just me or does this offseason/pre-season for the Colts just seem so different? The blog communities particularly here and at Stampede Blue seem to have a better sense of this team then anyone else (Reading Phil B's blog it sometimes seems we have a better sense then him too). I know I have a better sense of not only the best 53 guys but the 10 people that won't make the roster that are still NFL caliber players then in any other year. For those "Professionals" out there that deride the Blog community I have to heartily say they couldn't be more wrong. Blogs have done more to make me a more educated fan then SI, ESPN, or any newspaper ever have.
Very little I read from outside our groups really ads much of anything to my knowledge or assessment of the Colts and at this point everything other then the health status of our team is pretty much set for this season. We all know that the Colts if healthy are going to be one of the 2 or 3 best teams in the NFL, and only a serious injury to Peyton or to 4-6 other starters (that's how deep I think this team is) would change that. Even though it's nice to see these young guys perform and obviously some of them might even play a role if the starters stay healthy, at this point I've seen almost enough. I'm ready for the regular season. Bring on Da'Bears!
Re: Peyton never won a big game in his life (as of 2004 per Romo comment)
Manning graduated college having won more games as a starting QB (I hate the usage attributing the win to the QB, but ...) than any college QB in history. Yet, to the critics, none of them was a big game.
Romo cites the absurdity of the critics who claim that an NFL playoff game is not a big game. Of course, if Manning and the Colts lost in the playoffs, it WAS then classified as a big game.
And so it was for Peyton in college. Apparently, the only games that count as "big" are the ones you lose and the National Championship.
Sometimes I wonder what type of intelligence or morality is required for someone to think and write this way. To believe something so absurd requires that something be seriously amiss. They had to be either stupid or overcome with animus.
Stan
RE: rob-westside
Blogs can play to the niches. All the Colts blogs can provide what the hardcore informed fans want, while TV and newspapers play to the larger more casual fan base.
Stan,
Are you implying that Romo is jumping on the "big game stupidity bandwagon?" I didn't read Romo's comments that way at all--I think he was pointing out the stupidity of that kind of thinking just as you are. I'm glad to see that concept being stomped on by people other than Colts fans (or Bronco fans living in bomb shelters since 1996).
I never much bought into the concept that some people are "haters" but you know, some people are--it's not enough to build up their own guys, they have to attack constantly at anything and everything that is not theirs. Insecurity I assume. Bottle-fed as infants? Abandoned on a mountain as toddlers? I don't know. It's sad, really.
Of the few times my dad will call cross-country is when the Colts lose--say the 2003/2004 playoffs. "What happened to your guys today?" And I'll respond that they lost their first game in the last 9 or whatever--and have won more than anybody else over the past 6 seasons... shall we fire them all at once, or just one at a time?
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