This quagmire is dominating the offseason.Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesPicture a franchise player who was once considered one of the best players in baseball. Fans watched him grow from an ambitious kid to a superstar, to now what could be the twilight of his career. This is the case of Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.Ten years ago, Mr. Jeter signed a 10-year deal worth $189 million. He earned every penny of that contract as he perpetually hit over .300, played stellar (and underrated) defense and won more championships than any other player in baseball except for Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
his other core four teammates.However, last year was his walk year, and Mr. Jeter had undoubtedly the worst season of his career. He hit a paltry .270, and despite winning the Gold Glove, seemed a step slower in the field. 2010 was most definitely the worst season of his career. Also, he turns 37 next June and it could be a recipe for disaster.Any 36-year-old shortstop would have no business demanding a four-year deal. Like catchers and pitchers, they have a short shelf life as they rely on their speed and athleticism to thrive in the field. Couple that with naturally slowing bat speed—and a four-year deal usually does not work well for the team that signs the player. Only two shortstops in recent memory were still playing at a high level into their 40s: future Hall of Famers Barry Larkin and Omar Vizquel.That being said, Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, is pushing for a four or five-year deal. Any other 36-year-old shortstop would never receive a deal of four years, and would likely get two at most. The Yankees seem to be targeting a three-year deal.SoReebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
now, Yankees GM Brian Cashman is now stuck between a rock and a hard place. He must find a way to sign Jeter to a new deal because he is still the best shortstop available, and he is still Derek Jeter. Jeter’s place in New York is so solidified that a failure to re-sign him would vilify Mr. Cashman for the rest of his tenure in the Bronx.Both sides should agree to a three-year deal worth $45 million. Jeter’s production was way down last year, but it could also be an anomaly, where he reverts back to form in 2011. The deal would also give him a chance to reach 3,000 hits, a feat no Yankee has achieved, as well as the possibility of getting close to Pete Rose’s all-time hits record. Most importantly, it keeps Derek in the Bronx for the rest of his career—a rarity in this business.While newspapers, Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
websites and ESPN seem to be making a big deal of the contract negotiations, and Yankees officials calling the negotiations a “messy” process, a deal will most definitely be done. Expect Jete’ in pinstripes on opening day 2011.
2010年12月21日星期二
2010年12月19日星期日
20 Dec 10 Fantasy Football Week 10 Rankings: Top 60 Wide Receivers
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesHas Larry Fitzgerald finally returned to fantasy prominence? Have Anquan Boldin and Brandon Marshall fallen out as WR1? How does Randy Moss fit into Tennessee’s offense? Let’s see how the answers to these questions help shape our Reebok Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Realtree camo Jersey
Week 10 rankings (as always, there will be updated later in the week if necessary): Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – vs. Dallas Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Seattle DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cincinnati Terrell Owens – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – at Buffalo Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – at Denver Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants Steve Johnson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Detroit Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington Steve Smith – New York Giants – vs. Dallas Mike Sims-Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cincinnati Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Carolina Randy Moss – Tennessee Titans – at Miami Wes Welker – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Johnny Knox – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota Chad Ochocinco – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. Louis Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – vs. Philadelphia Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – at Cleveland Steve Breaston – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Seattle Braylon Edwards – New York Jets – at Cleveland Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – at Tampa Bay Deion Reebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
Branch – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Lee Evans – Buffalo Bills – vs. Detroit Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Kevin Walter – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville Derrick Mason – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta Mike Williams – Seattle Seahawks – at Arizona Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston Mario Manningham – New York Giants – vs. Dallas Jordan Shipley – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions – at Buffalo Michael Jenkins – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore Mohamed Massaquoi – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York Jets Jabar Gaffney – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – at Miami Roy Williams – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants Bernard Berrian – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago Danny Amendola – St. Louis Rams – at San Francisco Devin Hester – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota Josh Morgan – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. Louis Deon Butler – Seattle Seahawks – at Arizona Eddie Royal – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta Joshua Cribbs – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York Jets Brandon Tate – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Antwaan Randle El – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England Thoughts: Hakeem Nicks has certainly put his terrible Week 6 (3 receptions for 8 yards) behind him. In his last two games he has 15 receptions for 236 yards and three touchdowns. One of those games was against Dallas, where he had nine receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He has 100+ yards in four of his last five games. There is little questioning that he is the Giants' top receiver and one of the elite in the game. Would it surprise anyone if the Colts-Bengals game broke into a shootout? With the quality of receivers in the game, there could be some gaudy numbers thrown around. Anquan Boldin has had some really good games, but he’s also thrown up some real stinkers. In Week 9, he had two receptions for 28 yards. In Week 5, he had one reception for eight yards. We need some consistency in order to consider him a Top 5 option, but with the matchup he has, you have to still consider him a WR1. Finally, Larry Fitzgerald is showing signs of life. In his last two games he has 13 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe it’s the return of Steve Breaston giving defenses another wrinkle to think about, but it’s clear that he’s rediscovering his form. With a matchup against the Seahawks, who are allowing the third-most passing yards per game this season (270.5), he’s a solid WR1. Over his last three games, Brandon Marshall doesn’t have more than five receptions or more then 64 yards, and he hasn’t found the end zone. In fact, he has just one touchdown on the season and it came against the Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
Jets in Week 3. With five out of seven games of 71 yards or less, you have to downgrade him a bit despite the attractive matchup. DeSean Jackson returned with a bang, picking up seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 9. He’s easily a Top 5 option this week against the Redskins. Who will be throwing the ball to Calvin Johnson? Time will tell and could help determine his potential value. However, his talent dictates him remaining a WR1. The New England passing defense has not been good and Mike Wallace certainly appears to be coming into his own. He has touchdowns in three of his last four games, but he clearly is a big-play receiver. Players like that are a little finicky, because if he doesn’t break it to the house, he isn’t going to have value. In fact, Week 9 was the first time he had more than three receptions in a game in 2010. He has to be considered a WR2 due to the uncertainty. Percy Harvin certainly didn’t let the off-the-field problems affect his on-field performance. He had nine receptions for 126 yards in Week 9 and now has posted back-to-back 100-yard games. The Bills Steve Johnson continues to impress, coming off an 11 catch, 145-yard day. Yes, it broke his touchdown streak (five games), but there certainly is reason to believe he can get it restarted against the Lions. Mike Sims-Walker has been inconsistent, but he’s coming off a big day against Dallas in Week 8 (8 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown), has TDs in three of his last four games and gets a Houston defense that has allowed 20 passing TDs on the season. It certainly appears like he’s a good bet as a WR2 this week. It took Santonio Holmes some time to get integrated into the Jets offense, but he certainly seemed to get it in Week 9 with five receptions for 114 yards. He’s a usable option in three-wide receiver formats, but he still is a risky one. How will Randy Moss fit into the Tennessee offense? Time will tell, but he certainly didn’t light it up in Minnesota in his short time there. The Titans will certainly take their shots to him, though, in an effort to keep the defense honest. I’d consider him a low-end WR2 or a high-end WR3 until he proves otherwise. Who will the quarterback be in Carolina? That certainly has a major impact on Steve Smith’s value, doesn’t it? I’d still consider him a WR3, but he’s a huge gamble at this point. What are your thoughts onReebok Baltimore Ravens #52 Ray Lewis Realtree camo Jersey
these rankings? Who's too high? Who's too low? Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 10 Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks Top 40 Running Backs Top 20 Tight Ends (coming soon) Top 15 Kickers (coming soon) Top 15 Defenses (coming soon) Waiver Worthy Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon) Sunday Sleepers (coming soon) THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM/FOOTBALL
Week 10 rankings (as always, there will be updated later in the week if necessary): Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – vs. Dallas Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Seattle DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cincinnati Terrell Owens – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – at Buffalo Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – at Denver Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants Steve Johnson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Detroit Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington Steve Smith – New York Giants – vs. Dallas Mike Sims-Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cincinnati Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Carolina Randy Moss – Tennessee Titans – at Miami Wes Welker – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Johnny Knox – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota Chad Ochocinco – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. Louis Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – vs. Philadelphia Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – at Cleveland Steve Breaston – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Seattle Braylon Edwards – New York Jets – at Cleveland Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – at Tampa Bay Deion Reebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
Branch – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Lee Evans – Buffalo Bills – vs. Detroit Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Kevin Walter – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville Derrick Mason – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta Mike Williams – Seattle Seahawks – at Arizona Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston Mario Manningham – New York Giants – vs. Dallas Jordan Shipley – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions – at Buffalo Michael Jenkins – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore Mohamed Massaquoi – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York Jets Jabar Gaffney – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – at Miami Roy Williams – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants Bernard Berrian – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago Danny Amendola – St. Louis Rams – at San Francisco Devin Hester – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota Josh Morgan – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. Louis Deon Butler – Seattle Seahawks – at Arizona Eddie Royal – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta Joshua Cribbs – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York Jets Brandon Tate – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh Antwaan Randle El – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England Thoughts: Hakeem Nicks has certainly put his terrible Week 6 (3 receptions for 8 yards) behind him. In his last two games he has 15 receptions for 236 yards and three touchdowns. One of those games was against Dallas, where he had nine receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He has 100+ yards in four of his last five games. There is little questioning that he is the Giants' top receiver and one of the elite in the game. Would it surprise anyone if the Colts-Bengals game broke into a shootout? With the quality of receivers in the game, there could be some gaudy numbers thrown around. Anquan Boldin has had some really good games, but he’s also thrown up some real stinkers. In Week 9, he had two receptions for 28 yards. In Week 5, he had one reception for eight yards. We need some consistency in order to consider him a Top 5 option, but with the matchup he has, you have to still consider him a WR1. Finally, Larry Fitzgerald is showing signs of life. In his last two games he has 13 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe it’s the return of Steve Breaston giving defenses another wrinkle to think about, but it’s clear that he’s rediscovering his form. With a matchup against the Seahawks, who are allowing the third-most passing yards per game this season (270.5), he’s a solid WR1. Over his last three games, Brandon Marshall doesn’t have more than five receptions or more then 64 yards, and he hasn’t found the end zone. In fact, he has just one touchdown on the season and it came against the Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
Jets in Week 3. With five out of seven games of 71 yards or less, you have to downgrade him a bit despite the attractive matchup. DeSean Jackson returned with a bang, picking up seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 9. He’s easily a Top 5 option this week against the Redskins. Who will be throwing the ball to Calvin Johnson? Time will tell and could help determine his potential value. However, his talent dictates him remaining a WR1. The New England passing defense has not been good and Mike Wallace certainly appears to be coming into his own. He has touchdowns in three of his last four games, but he clearly is a big-play receiver. Players like that are a little finicky, because if he doesn’t break it to the house, he isn’t going to have value. In fact, Week 9 was the first time he had more than three receptions in a game in 2010. He has to be considered a WR2 due to the uncertainty. Percy Harvin certainly didn’t let the off-the-field problems affect his on-field performance. He had nine receptions for 126 yards in Week 9 and now has posted back-to-back 100-yard games. The Bills Steve Johnson continues to impress, coming off an 11 catch, 145-yard day. Yes, it broke his touchdown streak (five games), but there certainly is reason to believe he can get it restarted against the Lions. Mike Sims-Walker has been inconsistent, but he’s coming off a big day against Dallas in Week 8 (8 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown), has TDs in three of his last four games and gets a Houston defense that has allowed 20 passing TDs on the season. It certainly appears like he’s a good bet as a WR2 this week. It took Santonio Holmes some time to get integrated into the Jets offense, but he certainly seemed to get it in Week 9 with five receptions for 114 yards. He’s a usable option in three-wide receiver formats, but he still is a risky one. How will Randy Moss fit into the Tennessee offense? Time will tell, but he certainly didn’t light it up in Minnesota in his short time there. The Titans will certainly take their shots to him, though, in an effort to keep the defense honest. I’d consider him a low-end WR2 or a high-end WR3 until he proves otherwise. Who will the quarterback be in Carolina? That certainly has a major impact on Steve Smith’s value, doesn’t it? I’d still consider him a WR3, but he’s a huge gamble at this point. What are your thoughts onReebok Baltimore Ravens #52 Ray Lewis Realtree camo Jersey
these rankings? Who's too high? Who's too low? Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 10 Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks Top 40 Running Backs Top 20 Tight Ends (coming soon) Top 15 Kickers (coming soon) Top 15 Defenses (coming soon) Waiver Worthy Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon) Sunday Sleepers (coming soon) THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM/FOOTBALL
19 Dec 10 Michael Vick 2.0: Man, Machine or Deity?
Michael Vick, reinvented.Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesI stumbled across a quick prediction of how Michael Vick would fare this weekend against the Washington Redskins. ESPN's fantasy football system predicted 20 points for Vick, which would be his lowest output of the season. To put this into perspective, 20 points is a good day for fantasy QBs, equivalent to 250 yards passing, a thrown TD and 40 yards rushing. Vick shattered that prediction, going 20-28 for 333 yards, throwing four touchdowns (including an 88-yard bomb to Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
DeSean Jackson), rushing for two TDs and 80 yards on the day. His fantasy total? 49 points. We always knew Vick was talented. He had the arm strength coming out of college and great athleticism, but his accuracy was questionable. All offseason he prepared to prove doubters wrong and show them that he could still play in this league. This year he came into the season as the backup, behind supposed Eagles QB-of-the-future Kevin Kolb. When Kolb went down with an injury, Vick was given the chance to start. The Eagles lost that game, but it was only the beginning of his dominance. In games that Vick has started and played entirely, the Eagles are 4-0 (with Kolb starting and playing entirely, they are 2-1). Not only are they 4-0, they are 4-0 against a division-leading Colts team, a 5-4 Jaguars team, a slightly better-than-advertised 2-7 Lions team and a Redskins team that was .500 before this game and sidelined Vick in their first encounter earlier on the season. Man, Machine or Deity?Man, Machine or Deity?Man17.6%Machine41.2%Deity41.2%Total votes: 34The one good win on Kolb's resume is the 31-17 victory over Atlanta in Week 6, but in all fairness Atlanta's pass defense is nothing spectacular, ranked 23rd in the league, giving up 245.3 passing yards per game. Over Vick's 4-0 game span, he has thrown for 1,126 yards and 10 TDs with no interceptions.Vick allows the Eagles to stay in games by minimizing his turnovers; he has fumbled only twice on the year, without losing both. Oh, and Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
Vick's passer rating? 115.1, good for tops in the league, and far and above his previous career high with at least 150 passes attempted (81.6). Teams are going to look to draft QBs like Vick. Players like Denard Robinson and Cam Newton will be hot commodities when they declare for the draft. The truth is, though, Vick is a once-in-a-lifetime player. It will take a lot for Robinson and other run-first QBs to achieve what he has and be a dominant force in the NFL. This isn't the same Michael Vick who used to rush for over 100 yards every game, with around 150 yards passing. This isn't the same Michael Vick who throws costly interceptions, or looks to run first on every play. This is Vick 2.0: a mature, athletic, smart quarterback who knows his strengths and utilizes them to Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
perfection. There is nobody in the league playing better than Vick right now, and if I'm Philadelphia, I'm looking to lock him up long-term and use Kolb as trade bait. So is Vick a man, machine, or deity? My vote is a well-oiled machine, but with a few more games like this, and a couple more strong seasons, it'll be blasphemy to mention him in the same sentence as Kolb.
DeSean Jackson), rushing for two TDs and 80 yards on the day. His fantasy total? 49 points. We always knew Vick was talented. He had the arm strength coming out of college and great athleticism, but his accuracy was questionable. All offseason he prepared to prove doubters wrong and show them that he could still play in this league. This year he came into the season as the backup, behind supposed Eagles QB-of-the-future Kevin Kolb. When Kolb went down with an injury, Vick was given the chance to start. The Eagles lost that game, but it was only the beginning of his dominance. In games that Vick has started and played entirely, the Eagles are 4-0 (with Kolb starting and playing entirely, they are 2-1). Not only are they 4-0, they are 4-0 against a division-leading Colts team, a 5-4 Jaguars team, a slightly better-than-advertised 2-7 Lions team and a Redskins team that was .500 before this game and sidelined Vick in their first encounter earlier on the season. Man, Machine or Deity?Man, Machine or Deity?Man17.6%Machine41.2%Deity41.2%Total votes: 34The one good win on Kolb's resume is the 31-17 victory over Atlanta in Week 6, but in all fairness Atlanta's pass defense is nothing spectacular, ranked 23rd in the league, giving up 245.3 passing yards per game. Over Vick's 4-0 game span, he has thrown for 1,126 yards and 10 TDs with no interceptions.Vick allows the Eagles to stay in games by minimizing his turnovers; he has fumbled only twice on the year, without losing both. Oh, and Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
Vick's passer rating? 115.1, good for tops in the league, and far and above his previous career high with at least 150 passes attempted (81.6). Teams are going to look to draft QBs like Vick. Players like Denard Robinson and Cam Newton will be hot commodities when they declare for the draft. The truth is, though, Vick is a once-in-a-lifetime player. It will take a lot for Robinson and other run-first QBs to achieve what he has and be a dominant force in the NFL. This isn't the same Michael Vick who used to rush for over 100 yards every game, with around 150 yards passing. This isn't the same Michael Vick who throws costly interceptions, or looks to run first on every play. This is Vick 2.0: a mature, athletic, smart quarterback who knows his strengths and utilizes them to Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
perfection. There is nobody in the league playing better than Vick right now, and if I'm Philadelphia, I'm looking to lock him up long-term and use Kolb as trade bait. So is Vick a man, machine, or deity? My vote is a well-oiled machine, but with a few more games like this, and a couple more strong seasons, it'll be blasphemy to mention him in the same sentence as Kolb.
19 Dec 10 Michael Vick 2.0: Man, Machine or Deity?
Michael Vick, reinvented.Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesI stumbled across a quick prediction of how Michael Vick would fare this weekend against the Washington Redskins. ESPN's fantasy football system predicted 20 points for Vick, which would be his lowest output of the season. To put this into perspective, 20 points is a good day for fantasy QBs, equivalent to 250 yards passing, a thrown TD and 40 yards rushing. Vick shattered that prediction, going 20-28 for 333 yards, throwing four touchdowns (including an 88-yard bomb to Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
DeSean Jackson), rushing for two TDs and 80 yards on the day. His fantasy total? 49 points. We always knew Vick was talented. He had the arm strength coming out of college and great athleticism, but his accuracy was questionable. All offseason he prepared to prove doubters wrong and show them that he could still play in this league. This year he came into the season as the backup, behind supposed Eagles QB-of-the-future Kevin Kolb. When Kolb went down with an injury, Vick was given the chance to start. The Eagles lost that game, but it was only the beginning of his dominance. In games that Vick has started and played entirely, the Eagles are 4-0 (with Kolb starting and playing entirely, they are 2-1). Not only are they 4-0, they are 4-0 against a division-leading Colts team, a 5-4 Jaguars team, a slightly better-than-advertised 2-7 Lions team and a Redskins team that was .500 before this game and sidelined Vick in their first encounter earlier on the season. Man, Machine or Deity?Man, Machine or Deity?Man17.6%Machine41.2%Deity41.2%Total votes: 34The one good win on Kolb's resume is the 31-17 victory over Atlanta in Week 6, but in all fairness Atlanta's pass defense is nothing spectacular, ranked 23rd in the league, giving up 245.3 passing yards per game. Over Vick's 4-0 game span, he has thrown for 1,126 yards and 10 TDs with no interceptions.Vick allows the Eagles to stay in games by minimizing his turnovers; he has fumbled only twice on the year, without losing both. Oh, and Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
Vick's passer rating? 115.1, good for tops in the league, and far and above his previous career high with at least 150 passes attempted (81.6). Teams are going to look to draft QBs like Vick. Players like Denard Robinson and Cam Newton will be hot commodities when they declare for the draft. The truth is, though, Vick is a once-in-a-lifetime player. It will take a lot for Robinson and other run-first QBs to achieve what he has and be a dominant force in the NFL. This isn't the same Michael Vick who used to rush for over 100 yards every game, with around 150 yards passing. This isn't the same Michael Vick who throws costly interceptions, or looks to run first on every play. This is Vick 2.0: a mature, athletic, smart quarterback who knows his strengths and utilizes them to Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
perfection. There is nobody in the league playing better than Vick right now, and if I'm Philadelphia, I'm looking to lock him up long-term and use Kolb as trade bait. So is Vick a man, machine, or deity? My vote is a well-oiled machine, but with a few more games like this, and a couple more strong seasons, it'll be blasphemy to mention him in the same sentence as Kolb.
DeSean Jackson), rushing for two TDs and 80 yards on the day. His fantasy total? 49 points. We always knew Vick was talented. He had the arm strength coming out of college and great athleticism, but his accuracy was questionable. All offseason he prepared to prove doubters wrong and show them that he could still play in this league. This year he came into the season as the backup, behind supposed Eagles QB-of-the-future Kevin Kolb. When Kolb went down with an injury, Vick was given the chance to start. The Eagles lost that game, but it was only the beginning of his dominance. In games that Vick has started and played entirely, the Eagles are 4-0 (with Kolb starting and playing entirely, they are 2-1). Not only are they 4-0, they are 4-0 against a division-leading Colts team, a 5-4 Jaguars team, a slightly better-than-advertised 2-7 Lions team and a Redskins team that was .500 before this game and sidelined Vick in their first encounter earlier on the season. Man, Machine or Deity?Man, Machine or Deity?Man17.6%Machine41.2%Deity41.2%Total votes: 34The one good win on Kolb's resume is the 31-17 victory over Atlanta in Week 6, but in all fairness Atlanta's pass defense is nothing spectacular, ranked 23rd in the league, giving up 245.3 passing yards per game. Over Vick's 4-0 game span, he has thrown for 1,126 yards and 10 TDs with no interceptions.Vick allows the Eagles to stay in games by minimizing his turnovers; he has fumbled only twice on the year, without losing both. Oh, and Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
Vick's passer rating? 115.1, good for tops in the league, and far and above his previous career high with at least 150 passes attempted (81.6). Teams are going to look to draft QBs like Vick. Players like Denard Robinson and Cam Newton will be hot commodities when they declare for the draft. The truth is, though, Vick is a once-in-a-lifetime player. It will take a lot for Robinson and other run-first QBs to achieve what he has and be a dominant force in the NFL. This isn't the same Michael Vick who used to rush for over 100 yards every game, with around 150 yards passing. This isn't the same Michael Vick who throws costly interceptions, or looks to run first on every play. This is Vick 2.0: a mature, athletic, smart quarterback who knows his strengths and utilizes them to Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
perfection. There is nobody in the league playing better than Vick right now, and if I'm Philadelphia, I'm looking to lock him up long-term and use Kolb as trade bait. So is Vick a man, machine, or deity? My vote is a well-oiled machine, but with a few more games like this, and a couple more strong seasons, it'll be blasphemy to mention him in the same sentence as Kolb.
2010年12月18日星期六
18 Dec 10 Tom Brady: Is He the NFL's Most Underappreciated Player?
Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesNew England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was in destroy mode Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.In the team’s 39-26 victory over a team that has a strong defense, and who many opine is the best team in the NFL, Brady led the way.He went30-for-43 for 350 yards and three touchdowns, as well as one rush that earned him another touchdown.For his career, Brady 6-1 against the Steelers—4-1 at Heinz Field—and has 14 touchdowns against the Steelers and only three interceptions.Part ofReebok New Orleans Saints #9 Drew Brees Realtree camo Jersey
it is game planning: New England throws the ball against Pittsburgh 73 percent of the time and only rushes on 27 percent of the plays, as opposed to throwing it 55 percent of the time and rushing it 45 percent against every other team in the league.Still, in order to continue that trend, the Pats need to be successful throwing the ball. That comes down to Tom Brady taking charge.It isn’t just against the Steelers, though. New England, especially the way it is currently constructed, places all of its burdens on Brady.It’s cliché to say the team will go as far as he does, but there is no better way to describe it.Which begs the question, is Tom Brady underappreciated?Many would say it’s impossible for a quarterback to be underappreciated. That they get all the attention, and Tom Brady and his hair get more airtime on ESPN than all the players in the league not named Brett Favre.Is Tom Brady underappreciated?Is Tom Brady underappreciated?Yes69.6%No30.4%Total votes: 326But do people realize how important Tom Brady is to this team? And does his team undervalue him?Take last week’s loss against Cleveland.The loss wasn’t Brady’s fault; the team was bad in all phases of the game. But Brady was certainly not on his mark.He completed only 19-of 36 passes. Although he had two touchdowns compared to zero interceptions, one of those TDs he was bailed out by Aaron Hernandez, who was able to make an amazing play off a deflected pass.Brady was out of sync with his receivers and just didn’t have it going for him that day.It happens.It’s difficult to play at top level for the entirety of the season. But the Patriots are hard-pressed to find anyone to pick up Brady’s slack.The running game is at its worst in recent memory. The defense is extremely vulnerable, with a lacking pass rush and a very inexperienced and inconsistent pass defense.If Brady has a bad game, then the rest of the team isReebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
doomed. Even if you point to the Week 4 thrashing of Miami where special teams were the focus, Brady was still very accurate, going 19-for-24 and a touchdown.Brady is the emotional leader of this team as well.Look at the barking he did on the sidelines against Pittsburgh. He knows what the team needs to do to be successful.If it isn’t getting done, he’s going to tell everybody what they need to be doing. He’s competitive, he’s tough (he missed a practice this week with a foot injury) and he’s fearless.With an elite player like Brady on the roster, most teams would do whatever it took to put the best team around him and maximize his potential to take them to the Super Bowl.The Patriots organization, however, insists on getting rid of its top players. Major weapons on offense and defense (Randy Moss and Richard Seymour come to mind) have been traded away for draft picks.The Patriots have placed around Brady a bunch of journeymen, retreads and rookies.While there was a definite need to make the defense younger, the Patriots waited too long. Instead of bringing guys along, they are throwing players into the fire now.That’s not to say guys like Brandon Spikes and Devin McCourty won’t be good pros—because they do have a lot of potential—but as long as Tom Brady is on the roster, they should be trying to win now.People will say Peyton Manning does a lot with a mostly unknown cast of players, but the Colts don’t trade away all their best players—they just all get hurt.Brady will do everything he can to win games and put the young guys on his shoulders. But there will be days where it will be too much, and the Patriots haven’t put together Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
a team ready to win without his heroic efforts.He’s the ultimate team player. But for a team that believes the player is a part of a system, Brady seems to be getting the short end of the stick.By not getting the best possible players, are the Patriots really undervaluing Brady? Are they wasting the remainder of his productive seasons?
it is game planning: New England throws the ball against Pittsburgh 73 percent of the time and only rushes on 27 percent of the plays, as opposed to throwing it 55 percent of the time and rushing it 45 percent against every other team in the league.Still, in order to continue that trend, the Pats need to be successful throwing the ball. That comes down to Tom Brady taking charge.It isn’t just against the Steelers, though. New England, especially the way it is currently constructed, places all of its burdens on Brady.It’s cliché to say the team will go as far as he does, but there is no better way to describe it.Which begs the question, is Tom Brady underappreciated?Many would say it’s impossible for a quarterback to be underappreciated. That they get all the attention, and Tom Brady and his hair get more airtime on ESPN than all the players in the league not named Brett Favre.Is Tom Brady underappreciated?Is Tom Brady underappreciated?Yes69.6%No30.4%Total votes: 326But do people realize how important Tom Brady is to this team? And does his team undervalue him?Take last week’s loss against Cleveland.The loss wasn’t Brady’s fault; the team was bad in all phases of the game. But Brady was certainly not on his mark.He completed only 19-of 36 passes. Although he had two touchdowns compared to zero interceptions, one of those TDs he was bailed out by Aaron Hernandez, who was able to make an amazing play off a deflected pass.Brady was out of sync with his receivers and just didn’t have it going for him that day.It happens.It’s difficult to play at top level for the entirety of the season. But the Patriots are hard-pressed to find anyone to pick up Brady’s slack.The running game is at its worst in recent memory. The defense is extremely vulnerable, with a lacking pass rush and a very inexperienced and inconsistent pass defense.If Brady has a bad game, then the rest of the team isReebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
doomed. Even if you point to the Week 4 thrashing of Miami where special teams were the focus, Brady was still very accurate, going 19-for-24 and a touchdown.Brady is the emotional leader of this team as well.Look at the barking he did on the sidelines against Pittsburgh. He knows what the team needs to do to be successful.If it isn’t getting done, he’s going to tell everybody what they need to be doing. He’s competitive, he’s tough (he missed a practice this week with a foot injury) and he’s fearless.With an elite player like Brady on the roster, most teams would do whatever it took to put the best team around him and maximize his potential to take them to the Super Bowl.The Patriots organization, however, insists on getting rid of its top players. Major weapons on offense and defense (Randy Moss and Richard Seymour come to mind) have been traded away for draft picks.The Patriots have placed around Brady a bunch of journeymen, retreads and rookies.While there was a definite need to make the defense younger, the Patriots waited too long. Instead of bringing guys along, they are throwing players into the fire now.That’s not to say guys like Brandon Spikes and Devin McCourty won’t be good pros—because they do have a lot of potential—but as long as Tom Brady is on the roster, they should be trying to win now.People will say Peyton Manning does a lot with a mostly unknown cast of players, but the Colts don’t trade away all their best players—they just all get hurt.Brady will do everything he can to win games and put the young guys on his shoulders. But there will be days where it will be too much, and the Patriots haven’t put together Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
a team ready to win without his heroic efforts.He’s the ultimate team player. But for a team that believes the player is a part of a system, Brady seems to be getting the short end of the stick.By not getting the best possible players, are the Patriots really undervaluing Brady? Are they wasting the remainder of his productive seasons?
2010年12月17日星期五
17 Dec 10 Jon Kitna: From Detroit Lions Soothsayer To Their Latest Conqueror
Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesThe declaration grew a life of its own. It would be used first as a rallying cry, then eventually as a weapon of mockery, rubbed in the face of the source of the words.Jon Kitna’s delusional expectations for his Detroit Lions in the spring of 2007, once it hit the airwaves Reebok Pittsburg Steelers #83 Heath Miller Realtree camo Jersey
and the Internets, spread like wildfire. Or cancer—depending on how you look at it.The Lions of 2006, Kitna’s first season as Lions quarterback, rode in at 3-13. Their third win came on the season’s final week—in Dallas.So here was Kitna, talking of his expectations for his team in 2007.“I think we can win 10 games,” Kitna said.The daffy prediction drew ire, praise, and derision—depending on to whom you served it up.The words made it into the ears and through the eyes of the entire fan base within minutes, it seemed.But Jon Kitna first spoke them to me. True story.He was on the phone, chatting with me as I gathered info for the “A Few Minutes With” section of the Detroit sports magazine I was editing. Kitna was the subject. After several questions of eclectic variety, I put one more to him.“What would you say,” I said through the phone, “to the long-suffering Lions fans reading this?”He thought about it briefly; there were several seconds of dead air.Then he spoke with excitement, as if he had just remembered the answer to a trivia question.“I would tell them that we’re gonna win 10 games next season,” Kitna said.I reminded him that his words would not be printed in invisible ink.“That doesn’t bother me at all,” Kitna said.Well, a few days later, speaking to one of the radio stations in town, Kitna repeated his assertion about the 10 wins for the Lions in 2007.That’s when all of Detroit became awash with their quarterback’s delusional giddiness.Kitna’s words, so infamously uttered, became so only after he spoke them into a phone through the radio. His conversation with me had been much more private.Same declaration, totally different result.Over three-and-a-half football seasons have gone by, and the Lions have only recently surpassed Kitna’s 10-win total, predicted in the spring of 2007. The win total that Kitna thought the Lions could reach in a single season—not three-and-some-change seasons later.Since the beginning of the 2007 campaign, the Lions are 11-47; they’re 5-45 in their last 50 games. It’s unbelievable in its ineptitude, that in today’s NFL, a team could average just one win for every 10 games for over three seasons.Kitna still wears blue and silver, but it’s a different shade of blue, and there’s a Texas Lone Star on his helmet—not the futile rampant Lion.Kitna on Sunday was the latest quarterback to make mincemeat of the Lions, a team he so once gallantly led.It took the Dallas Cowboys more than a half, and a fluky punt return to kick-start them, but they had more than enough in the end to subdue the men in Honolulu Blue and Silver, 35-19.The Lions, once again, used a suicide cocktail of penalties, a poor rushing attack and a second-half swoon to blow a football game that Reebok Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Realtree camo Jersey
they, if ever so briefly, held in control.After a safety early in the third quarter put the Lions ahead, 12-7, the Cowboys’ sparkling new stadium was cast with a pall. Kitna and his offense were mostly a rumor, aside from the opening, 98-yard TD drive.When Kitna spoke his delusional words to me over the phone that spring day in 2007, he’d only been a Lion for one season. He had no idea how bizarre Lions football could be.That bizarreness was on full display during a punt by Nick Harris in the third quarter, not long after the aforementioned safety.Just when you think you’ve got a favorite bad/weird play in Lions history to hold up as a sampling of the franchise’s bungling, along comes another one.This one came courtesy of Bryan McCann, a three-time NFL loser who is suddenly one of the most dangerous return men in the league.McCann, playing in just his third NFL game Sunday, nonetheless had the presence of mind of a grizzled veteran and took off running with the football at his own three-yard line, following what appeared to be yet another great special teams play by the Lions’ John Wendling, who batted the ball from the evils of the end zone.A touchback never looked so good, after what McCann did.Up the sidelines McCann scooted, 97 yards to paydirt. Maybe one of the strangest punt returns you’ll ever see—and it went for six points. Against the Lions, natch.I remember Lem Barney against the Cincinnati Bengals at Tiger Stadium in 1970.Barney, punt returner extraordinaire in addition to being a shutdown cornerback (Lem was Deion Sanders before Deion was out of diapers), watched along with a group of Bengals as a Cincinnati punt rolled to a stop.Just before the Bengals went to touch the football, Barney bent over, scooped it up, and zig-zagged about 50 yards for a touchdown.There was a time when the Lions inflicted odd punishment, believe it or not.Momentum is one of the most overused words/phrases in sports, right up there with chemistry and unsung heroes and “on the same page” and “at the end of the day.”But sometimes those words are appropriate in their use. After McCann’s “excuse me” punt return, momentum indeed shifted, like San Francisco’s terrain during the 1989 World Series.You just knew the Lions were cooked, even though McCann’s dazzling play only put the Cowboys up, 14-12.Jerome Felton poured gasoline on the Cowboys’ fire by benevolently fumbling on the Lions’ next possession. Before long, it was 21-12, Dallas.Goodnight, nurse.How’s this for the epitome of “same old Lions”?After a week of talking and preaching and practicing in order to cut down on the before-snap and after-whistle penalties, the Lions had the Cowboys pinned on their own two-yard line for their opening possession.On the Cowboys’ first play, Reebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
Detroit DT Corey Williams jumped the snap and was flagged for encroachment.The Lions are 5-45 in their last 50 games. It took them over three years to reach Jon Kitna’s predicted 10 wins in 2007.So when you see plays like what Bryan McCann made Sunday, shame on you for being surprised that they happened to the boys in Honolulu Blue and Silver.It would be more surprising if McCann had done that to a team other than the Lions, when you think about it.
and the Internets, spread like wildfire. Or cancer—depending on how you look at it.The Lions of 2006, Kitna’s first season as Lions quarterback, rode in at 3-13. Their third win came on the season’s final week—in Dallas.So here was Kitna, talking of his expectations for his team in 2007.“I think we can win 10 games,” Kitna said.The daffy prediction drew ire, praise, and derision—depending on to whom you served it up.The words made it into the ears and through the eyes of the entire fan base within minutes, it seemed.But Jon Kitna first spoke them to me. True story.He was on the phone, chatting with me as I gathered info for the “A Few Minutes With” section of the Detroit sports magazine I was editing. Kitna was the subject. After several questions of eclectic variety, I put one more to him.“What would you say,” I said through the phone, “to the long-suffering Lions fans reading this?”He thought about it briefly; there were several seconds of dead air.Then he spoke with excitement, as if he had just remembered the answer to a trivia question.“I would tell them that we’re gonna win 10 games next season,” Kitna said.I reminded him that his words would not be printed in invisible ink.“That doesn’t bother me at all,” Kitna said.Well, a few days later, speaking to one of the radio stations in town, Kitna repeated his assertion about the 10 wins for the Lions in 2007.That’s when all of Detroit became awash with their quarterback’s delusional giddiness.Kitna’s words, so infamously uttered, became so only after he spoke them into a phone through the radio. His conversation with me had been much more private.Same declaration, totally different result.Over three-and-a-half football seasons have gone by, and the Lions have only recently surpassed Kitna’s 10-win total, predicted in the spring of 2007. The win total that Kitna thought the Lions could reach in a single season—not three-and-some-change seasons later.Since the beginning of the 2007 campaign, the Lions are 11-47; they’re 5-45 in their last 50 games. It’s unbelievable in its ineptitude, that in today’s NFL, a team could average just one win for every 10 games for over three seasons.Kitna still wears blue and silver, but it’s a different shade of blue, and there’s a Texas Lone Star on his helmet—not the futile rampant Lion.Kitna on Sunday was the latest quarterback to make mincemeat of the Lions, a team he so once gallantly led.It took the Dallas Cowboys more than a half, and a fluky punt return to kick-start them, but they had more than enough in the end to subdue the men in Honolulu Blue and Silver, 35-19.The Lions, once again, used a suicide cocktail of penalties, a poor rushing attack and a second-half swoon to blow a football game that Reebok Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Realtree camo Jersey
they, if ever so briefly, held in control.After a safety early in the third quarter put the Lions ahead, 12-7, the Cowboys’ sparkling new stadium was cast with a pall. Kitna and his offense were mostly a rumor, aside from the opening, 98-yard TD drive.When Kitna spoke his delusional words to me over the phone that spring day in 2007, he’d only been a Lion for one season. He had no idea how bizarre Lions football could be.That bizarreness was on full display during a punt by Nick Harris in the third quarter, not long after the aforementioned safety.Just when you think you’ve got a favorite bad/weird play in Lions history to hold up as a sampling of the franchise’s bungling, along comes another one.This one came courtesy of Bryan McCann, a three-time NFL loser who is suddenly one of the most dangerous return men in the league.McCann, playing in just his third NFL game Sunday, nonetheless had the presence of mind of a grizzled veteran and took off running with the football at his own three-yard line, following what appeared to be yet another great special teams play by the Lions’ John Wendling, who batted the ball from the evils of the end zone.A touchback never looked so good, after what McCann did.Up the sidelines McCann scooted, 97 yards to paydirt. Maybe one of the strangest punt returns you’ll ever see—and it went for six points. Against the Lions, natch.I remember Lem Barney against the Cincinnati Bengals at Tiger Stadium in 1970.Barney, punt returner extraordinaire in addition to being a shutdown cornerback (Lem was Deion Sanders before Deion was out of diapers), watched along with a group of Bengals as a Cincinnati punt rolled to a stop.Just before the Bengals went to touch the football, Barney bent over, scooped it up, and zig-zagged about 50 yards for a touchdown.There was a time when the Lions inflicted odd punishment, believe it or not.Momentum is one of the most overused words/phrases in sports, right up there with chemistry and unsung heroes and “on the same page” and “at the end of the day.”But sometimes those words are appropriate in their use. After McCann’s “excuse me” punt return, momentum indeed shifted, like San Francisco’s terrain during the 1989 World Series.You just knew the Lions were cooked, even though McCann’s dazzling play only put the Cowboys up, 14-12.Jerome Felton poured gasoline on the Cowboys’ fire by benevolently fumbling on the Lions’ next possession. Before long, it was 21-12, Dallas.Goodnight, nurse.How’s this for the epitome of “same old Lions”?After a week of talking and preaching and practicing in order to cut down on the before-snap and after-whistle penalties, the Lions had the Cowboys pinned on their own two-yard line for their opening possession.On the Cowboys’ first play, Reebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
Detroit DT Corey Williams jumped the snap and was flagged for encroachment.The Lions are 5-45 in their last 50 games. It took them over three years to reach Jon Kitna’s predicted 10 wins in 2007.So when you see plays like what Bryan McCann made Sunday, shame on you for being surprised that they happened to the boys in Honolulu Blue and Silver.It would be more surprising if McCann had done that to a team other than the Lions, when you think about it.
2010年12月16日星期四
16 Dec 10 Leslie Frazier Screws Up on First Day As Minnesota Vikings Head Coach
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesTop o' the morning to you, Leslie Frazier. Congratulations on the new gig. What a shame you had to screw up on your first day.I mean, naming Brett Favre as your starting quarterback this coming Sabbath is just plain boneheaded. Oh, I can think of worse Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
decisions a person could make. Marrying O.J. Simpson comes to mind. Or dating Charlie Sheen. Or letting Ben Roethlisberger buy me a drink late at night in a bar. But your anointing His Royal Fumbleness to take the snaps against the Redskins ranks right up there with the all-time head-scratchers.Among other things, it tells me you simply haven't been paying attention during this oddball NFL season and, at the same time, it goes a long way in explaining how it is that you were 0-for-7 in your pursuit of a head coaching gig before the 3-7 Minnesota Vikings kicked Brad Childress to the curb and turned to you.Head coaches are paid to make the tough decisions, the right decisions, and you didn't do either, Leslie.The tough call would have been to sit Grandpa Brett down and tell him that he had a choice: retire or grab a clipboard. Oh, I realize that might have caught the attention of the team bankrolls, because the Wilfmeisters surely don't want to be paying anyone $1 million per game to stand on the sidelines, yawn, scratch his grey chin whiskers and hold a clipboard for three hours. But it would have been the right decision.Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesIt's the decision the deep-thinkers in Green Bay made a few years ago, when they concluded that Aaron Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
Rodgers was a ready-for-primetime player and Grandpa Brett's ego was holding the Packers' future hostage. How's that working out for the Pack, Leslie?I can't imagine that there's another NFL outfit that would want Grandpa Brett as its starting QB at this point in time, and not just because of his staggeringly bad numbers (league-leading 17 interceptions, five lost fumbles, 69.8 passer rating). It's the other baggage he brings to the table. The drama queen stuff. The it's-all-about-me-and-my-legacy stuff. The Jenn Sterger stuff.If I were you, Leslie, I'd be telling Grandpa Brett to "get stuffed."But no. Instead, you say, "Brett Favre will be our starting quarterback on Sunday. Brett Favre is going to get it going, those turnovers are going to come down, and we’re going to get it going as a football team. I really believe that."Yeah, and I'm going to marry O.J. when he gets out of the joint.Do yourself a favor, Leslie, and tell Grandpa Brett to retire. Tell him he can't cling to his boyhood forever. Tell Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
him it happens to all the greats. Johnny Unitas retired. Ditto Joe Willie Namath. And Bart Starr and Joe Montana and Dan Marino and John Elway and Sonny Jurgensen and Fran Tarkenton. Gone. All of them.Tell Grandpa Brett that there's a lawn tractor in Hattiesburg that misses him. I'd like to miss Grandpa Brett, too, but I can't if you won't tell him to go away.
decisions a person could make. Marrying O.J. Simpson comes to mind. Or dating Charlie Sheen. Or letting Ben Roethlisberger buy me a drink late at night in a bar. But your anointing His Royal Fumbleness to take the snaps against the Redskins ranks right up there with the all-time head-scratchers.Among other things, it tells me you simply haven't been paying attention during this oddball NFL season and, at the same time, it goes a long way in explaining how it is that you were 0-for-7 in your pursuit of a head coaching gig before the 3-7 Minnesota Vikings kicked Brad Childress to the curb and turned to you.Head coaches are paid to make the tough decisions, the right decisions, and you didn't do either, Leslie.The tough call would have been to sit Grandpa Brett down and tell him that he had a choice: retire or grab a clipboard. Oh, I realize that might have caught the attention of the team bankrolls, because the Wilfmeisters surely don't want to be paying anyone $1 million per game to stand on the sidelines, yawn, scratch his grey chin whiskers and hold a clipboard for three hours. But it would have been the right decision.Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesIt's the decision the deep-thinkers in Green Bay made a few years ago, when they concluded that Aaron Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
Rodgers was a ready-for-primetime player and Grandpa Brett's ego was holding the Packers' future hostage. How's that working out for the Pack, Leslie?I can't imagine that there's another NFL outfit that would want Grandpa Brett as its starting QB at this point in time, and not just because of his staggeringly bad numbers (league-leading 17 interceptions, five lost fumbles, 69.8 passer rating). It's the other baggage he brings to the table. The drama queen stuff. The it's-all-about-me-and-my-legacy stuff. The Jenn Sterger stuff.If I were you, Leslie, I'd be telling Grandpa Brett to "get stuffed."But no. Instead, you say, "Brett Favre will be our starting quarterback on Sunday. Brett Favre is going to get it going, those turnovers are going to come down, and we’re going to get it going as a football team. I really believe that."Yeah, and I'm going to marry O.J. when he gets out of the joint.Do yourself a favor, Leslie, and tell Grandpa Brett to retire. Tell him he can't cling to his boyhood forever. Tell Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
him it happens to all the greats. Johnny Unitas retired. Ditto Joe Willie Namath. And Bart Starr and Joe Montana and Dan Marino and John Elway and Sonny Jurgensen and Fran Tarkenton. Gone. All of them.Tell Grandpa Brett that there's a lawn tractor in Hattiesburg that misses him. I'd like to miss Grandpa Brett, too, but I can't if you won't tell him to go away.
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