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12
Aug
2010
HBO Hard Knocks: New York Jets, Episode 1
(Photo: Photo: Al Pereira/Getty Images via NYMag.com
Last night, HBO premiered the first episode of this season’s edition of Hard Knocks featuring Rex Ryan and the New York Jets. I took the time to jot down my thoughts during the episode, which I’ve distilled below.
Essentially, this episode was about two things: Rex and Revis. Rex Ryan took center stage as expected and did not disappoint (especially in the cursing department), and Darrelle Revis was the central focus of the episode, despite (or more correctly, because of) his absence from camp.
The fine folks at JetTwit did a much better job breaking down last night’s episode than I ever could, but here are my running thoughts, in case anyone cares:
- If this show were about my favorite team, this intro would get me seriously physically aroused. I think I’m ready for football to start
- Cortland, NY is an awful town … as an alumnus of their rival Ithaca Bombers, I had the displeasure of visiting this beacon of crapitude several times during my college career, and this is not a place you want to spend your summers. But HBO managed to make it look better in 2 minutes of b-roll footage than it ever did during my time there. But I may be biased.
- It’s obvious that the Revis holdout will be big storyline. It must be maddening to have everyone asking about one player when you’re trying to lead a group of 60+ other guys who are all there to do their job
- Rex Ryan doesn’t look to have started shedding much weight yet from the lap band surgery.
- Here’s video of Rex’s opening speech to his players. His goals for the team – all 3 units – is to lead the league in wins. Radical strategy, there. But he’s definitely someone you’d want to play for. Rex is so oddly charismatic, but boy, he sure does say “fuck” a lot (and I mean a LOT – video NSFW for language):
- Rex wears black Chuck Taylors on the first day of camp … apparently this is his thing. And it elicits the “sexy Rexy” chant from a few male Jets fans, and he likes it. Read the rest of this entry »
4
Aug
2010
Brett Favre supposedly retiring again (insert dismissive wanking motion)
UPDATE: Aug 4, 2010 @ 13:10pm
This is probably the last time we’re going to post about this guy until the season starts. Given the media’s hard-on for any sort of Favre-related news, we’re going to be subjected to this kind of random speculation for at least the next month. And we’re just not going to ride that ride again.
So here’s the latest (and last from us), via ESPN.com:
Brett Favre told ESPN’s Ed Werder in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Wednesday that he has not made any decision about returning to play for the Minnesota Vikings this season and says he will play if healthy.
Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, said in a statement to the NFL Network on Wednesday that the quarterback has an appointment with Dr. James Andrews next week and will know more at that time. Andrews performed surgery on Favre’s ankle in May.
If you’re looking for Favre news for the next 5 weeks, just turn on ESPN. Trust us, it will be unavoidable.
____________________________
ORIGINAL POST: Aug 3, 2010 @ 13:43pm
So the big sports news today is that Brett Favre reportedly told Vikings teammates and officials that he’s not going to return to Minnesota this season.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune was the first to break the story early this morning, and the sports universe has been all atwitter since:
NFL sources said that Favre began contacting various members of the Vikings on Monday to say he was going to issue a press release Tuesday stating his intention to retire. Favre is not pleased with how his left ankle has responded to surgery in late May.
Of course, this report has now been followed by a statement from head coach Brad Childress that he has not heard from Favre, and is unaware of any decision by the ever-waffling QB. And Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell – one of Favre’s best friends – says he spoke with Favre on Tuesday and he didn’t mention anything about retirement. Either way, you can be assured that the Vikings brass are scrambling tonight to try and persuade Favre to come back for one more Super Bowl run.
Sorry, but we’re not buying any of this for a second. Favre also said he was retiring around this same time last year (on July 28th) and of course ended up joining the team on August 18th. The smart money says that Brett is just making another ploy to get out of training camp, so wake us in a few weeks when this decision may or may not become reality. Until then, we’ll just assume that Favre will be taking snaps in the NFL this season.
Brett Favre told ESPN’s Ed Werder in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Wednesday that he has not made any decision about returning to play for the Minnesota Vikings this season and says he will play if healthy.
Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, said in a statement to the NFL Network on Wednesday that the quarterback has an appointment with Dr. James Andrews next week and will know more at that time. Andrews performed surgery on Favre’s ankle in May.
30
Jul
2010
It’s Football, Not Pussyball, Jerry
Word out of Dallas this evening is that Dez Bryant, the Cowboys’ first round draft choice and media magnet, suffered a high ankle sprain that will keep him out of the entire preseason. Any way you cut it, this is a big deal for Big D who was relying on Bryant to turn an already good offense into one of the league’s best.
I hope that ball is traveling slow so it doesn't hurt Dez's hands. Photo from http://photos.newsok.com
That’s the dumbest thing I have heard since Jimmy Johnson announced he was going on Survivor. Make no mistake, Jones has made a pastime of foot-in-mouth comments to the media (and fans) over the years, but this may well take the cake. Bryant is a rookie, getting ready for the first season of his professional career. He has to learn a new scheme. He hardly played last year in college. If practicing hard leads to injury, playing hard during games certainly will. What exactly is the message Jones wants to send here: don’t over-exert yourselves, players? Or, don’t work ‘em too hard, coach?
Wade Phillips should walk into work tomorrow and cold cock Jerry Jones. Dallas is a talented team that, under Phillips, walks a thin line between winning and utter chaos. For a team that has demonstrated about as much toughness as Mel Gibson has restraint, the last thing Dallas needs is the return of Camp Cupcake. Like last training camp (but unlike the Hard Knocks, Cupcake year), the Cowboys were seemingly going about their work with diligence and, almost as importantly, without too much self-inflicted hype. Shoulder-pad-gate aside, there was little news being made, which was good news for a team that has a track record of sucking when distracted. If Bryant goes on to perform poorly, or if the Cowboys struggle out of the gate, the media will feed upon the “should have rested him” comments from Jerry Jones and bury Phillips and the team along with it. Time will tell if Jones’ genetic condition, which renders him incapable of saying nothing in this situation, will have an impact in how the media treats Phillips in the weeks and months ahead.
14
Jul
2010
Hit ‘em where it hurts
Brief thought: The NFL currently suspends players at the beginning of the NFL season. A suspended player typically is allowed to train with their teams, and participate in training camp and preseason games. With the real games start, the suspension hits and the player misses anywhere from one to four (or more) weeks. In most cases, even with a rocky start, the player and his team have the entire rest of the season to recover. I don’t find this severe enough.
Case in point: If Big Ben wants to head down to Georgia and cause utter chaos during the offseason, he’s still back in the saddle by (probably) Week 5 of the 2010 NFL season (although if he botches up again, it could be later). Realistically, if the Steelers can get out of their first four games at 2-2 — even 1-3 — they’ll be fine.
I’d like to see the league play with the idea of suspending players at the end of the season. Or, perhaps a combination of two games to start the year and two games to end it.
Naturally, if a suspended player is trapped on a terrible football team, there’s less to lose if the team is 1-11 when a four-game suspension would commence.
On the flip side, it would make the game’s stars think twice about their behavior if they’re forced to bail on their teams in the critical final weeks of the season.
I don’t propose hanging a mistake over a player forever. There is something natural about paying your fine and moving on. With that aside, a system of late-season suspensions might have more impact on the game. I guess it all depends if the guilty party is on my team — or yours.
One man's appeal to up the stakes by have suspended stars benched at the END of the season. (Source: static.nfl.com)
24
May
2010
THEDARKHORSE and STEVERODGERS talk ORTON, TEBOW, IRON MAN 2, and THOR!
The Dark Horse and Steve Rodgers sit down for the next (slightly disheveled) installment of a season-long fireside chat (which may be of no interest to the public).
This time ’round, they wander far from the well-mowed gridiron–and Kyle Orton’s future–to discuss “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and the state of the comic-book-movie genre (oh, and “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″).
The Broncos deny it, but is Orton on the outs in the Mile High City? (Source: mkrob.com)
THEDARKHORSE: SteveRodgers, talk to me about the following: (1) Is this the year the Patriots finally level off? Also, who wins the AFC East, and has it become as interesting a division as the NFC East? (2) Give me your thoughts on “Iron Man 2.”
STEVERODGERS: I think the pats are undervalued. There is a good chance they will stay right where they’ve been. My issue with New England is that they don’t have a strong defensive front to worry a good, opposing quarterback. So, when they get to the playoffs and have to deal with a decent QB, they have to be perfect everywhere else. So, unless a young stud steps up, I really don’t see them making any noise when it counts.
I haven’t seen “Iron Man II,” but I am positive it will be awesome. The great thing about those movies is that they’re fun. Recent comic-book movies, with the exception of “Kick-Ass,” have been heavy Russian novels, which I like, but you need to catch your breath. “Iron Man” keeps things fun, while still doing what a comic-book movie needs to do—put your hero up against impossible odds, yet somehow have him save the day at the end. The best comic book on film this year is the opening sequence of “Watchmen,” which was jaw-dropping, comic-book goodness. What has been your favorite comic-book movie? And what can you tell me about the NFC East?
THEDARKHORSE: While the NFC East is regularly the most-hyped division in football, it deserves credit for often living up to that hype. We have seen our share of strong NFC East matchups late in the season and into the playoffs over the past few years. The total dissembling of the New York Giants in 2009 makes this an critical year for the club. No matter what people think of Eli Manning, any pro team has a closing window of time where the quarterback position is set in stone, and you don’t want to waste that. I expect the Giants, who have been really quiet this offseason, to work from within to get back to where they need to be. This is a team that’s suffered off years before, and bounced back strong. The Cowboys are as talented a team on paper as any around—in my book, they have to be the division favorite heading into the summer. The Redskins and Eagles are interesting, simply by the addition and the subtraction, respectively, of Donovan McNabb. When a big quarterback moves within his own division, the league fawns over the scenario it creates between rivals. I really didn’t care much for the Redskins/Eagles rivalry, but now there’s something to watch.
My favorite comic book movie of all time? That’s a tough one. I loved the 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton. Perhaps the new installment is a better series (so far, easily), but the reason I liked Keaton’s Batman is the reason I like Downey Jr.’s Iron Man–they played against type, to some degree. Someone who looks like George Clooney would never be Batman. You already look like George Clooney–you can have anything you want. Why be holed up and angry in a cave? Batman’s journey is about pain and revenge and overcoming the demons of life—overcompensating for all of that, to create this vigilante—this equalizer persona. Question: Why are they making a “Thor” movie? I don’t know a whole lot about the character, but am I right? He’s a Norse god who comes to earth and lives as a medical student in Norway? And it’s being directed by Kenneth Branaugh? I like Branaugh’s work—but I’m a little lost as to how this will work. Or, is it his initial mythology, minus the “hanging out in Norway” part?
Another question for you: Who wins the quarterback derby in Denver? I’m hearing backroom talk that Orton may be traded.
How about these guys for an NFL backfield? (Source: multipleplayerblog.com)
STEVERODGERS: Love Keaton in the first “Batman.” Wildly underrated and forgotten-about movie that doesn’t get enough love. Most likely because they forgot about the things that made that story great in doing the next four movies, or so. The best thing, now, is that people who like and understand comics are making them. In the old days, the only one who did that was Donner with “Superman II,” which is still one of the most kick-ass comic-book movies ever. “Thor,” I am afraid, may not be for you. On the flip side, “Iron Man,” when it was green-lit, was in the same WTF category, so maybe they’ll pull it off. Thor has his issues: he is the son of Odin, and goes to Midgard (Earth) to be with the people. He is the god of thunder, and has to be a human—one with a disability at that. He is a god of war, but a healer on Earth. The most interesting thing about Thor is his relationship with Captain America. Cap is the super-hero with the least powers, but he commands Thor in “The Avengers.” Thor’s hammer can only be lifted by one who is worthy of its’ power. The only one on Earth who is able to do that is Cap. There is a great scene in one comic where Cap is riding point on a disaster in midtown, and the caption reads, “He has a voice that could command a god… and it does.” In the next panel, you see Thor creating rain to put out fires. A goose-bumps moment for Cap fans.
I love Orton. Losing him now seems like a big mistake. He’s like Trent Dilfer, but better, and a million-times more likable. He fits Denver like a glove. I love the Eagles and Redskins going at it in 2010, but, in general, those are two franchises that don’t do a thing for me, for the most part. One, the Eagles—like the Jets—have uniforms that match the turf, making them unwatchable for me. Secondly, the name “Redskins” is heinous—and if the owner had any stones, he would change it.
Would you rather have Orton, Delhomme, Tebow, or a healthy third-year Tim Couch running the offense for the Townies this year?
THEDARKHORSE: I’m slowly warming up to the idea of a “Thor” film. If they can craft “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2,” they can make “Thor.”
Between Orton, Delhomme, Tebow, and a third-year Couch, I think the Browns are best off with Delhomme; the primary reason being that this team has essentially been under the direction of young, inexperienced quarterbacks since 1999. Other than Dilfer and Garcia—who were unsuccessful in bad situations—it’s been a laundry list of half-baked rookies and draft busts. Certainly, someone like Couch was put into a terrible position with the Browns. We never got to see what Couch might have been, if he’d been patiently coached and prepped, instead of being thrown into the fire. Still, in 2010, Delhomme (who is no guarantee) brings a steady hand to a team desperately in need of leadership.
Question: Why haven’t they made a film version of “Superman vs. Batman”?
STEVERODGERS: There is a “Superman vs. Batman” animated film—“Public Enemies,” I think—based on the comic.
It’s stalled because they can’t seem to make “Superman” into a movie that anyone wants to see and Donner has either fallen out of fashion or won’t leave his gentleman’s farm in Arcata to save the franchise. The last “Superman” movie was a terrible. He is a creepy stalker/deadbeat dad, and Luthor wants to create real estate out of crystals in the ocean. Luthor, one of the best villains of all time, is reduced to being a kooky real estate agent. So boring. That is how you kill a franchise. So, no, I don’t think they’re going to have a “Superman vs. Batman” movie anytime soon. However, if they were to do one, have it be in the future, maybe the sun is blinking out so Superman has less power, so there would be real danger, and Batman was older—an old man—one last hurrah to stop a truly evil Luthor using some of Batman’s enemies as pawns.
That would be a comic book movie. Get Donner!
6
May
2010
Coaches Roundtable (Part One), with TheDarkHorse and steverodgers
Tom Cable: Sitting in the dark in Alameda. (Source: AlltheAbove)
THEDARKHORSE: Alright, steverodgers, the draft has come and gone, Pac Man’s hanging out with Ochocinco, Tony Romo’s won a playoff game sans Jessica, and Big Bad Orton’s still the starter (barely) in Denver. When will the other shoe drop? What do you see in your 2010 crystal ball?
STEVERODGERS: What do I see…? I see another glorious NFL season. I see Kyle Orton making the leap and hitting some passes for over 10 yards. I see Brady Quinn flexing in the mirror, his clipboard watches mildly impressed. I see the Pats recording only five sacks for the entire season. I see Mangini and Holmgren on a road trip, the car is full of snacks, they listen to Journey and discuss secret offenses and the Mississippi Showboats 1984 USFL Season. I see my Sunday’s spent away from my family. I see John Clayton writing article after article that I completely disagree with. DH, what do you see? Where does the NFL go this year? Who will be the heroes, the villains, the ones left with their fans in stands wearing paper bags on their heads?
THEDARKHORSE: I think, even today, Holmgren calls Mangini down to his office, and–in a slowly developing friendship–Holmgren opens the little fridge, pulls out two PBRs, cracks his, cracks Mangini’s, and pushes it across the desk. They sit and talk Montana, Young, Favre, Elway, Brady (Tom not Quinn), McCoy. Mangini is concerned about the age along the defensive line. “I need you speak with Heckert–speak with Tom–I need a lean, quick, 5 technique defensive end to spell Smith–I need two young defensive tackles… we need this by June, Mike.” Holmgren dials his admin. “Yes, Mr. Holmgren.” “Vivian, can we get two steaks, medium, and a couple of baked potatoes in here?” “Yes, Mr. Holmgren. Do you want slices of cake?” “Yes, Vivian, two slices of chocolate cake.” Holmgren hangs up and looks at Mangini, “It’s gonna’ be OK, Eric. We’re on a trajectory here.” They sit deep into the night–drinking cans of PBR, probably 10 each–at one stage, Mangini draws up a brand-new NFL defense, the 1-8-2. “I call it ‘The Drunken Tot,’ and do you see what it does?”
Mangini draws up an opposing offense with rapid, efficient strokes on the dry-erase board. “Drunken Tot will nag, defuse, and destroy the ‘The Wildcat.’ We’ll wait. We’ll unleash this Week 13 in Miami. We’ll drop the hammer, Mike.”
Holmgren chuckles to himself, drifting back into his massive, plush-leather easy chair, staring out over the practice fields below, and the distant rooftops, neon, and church spires of quiet Berea, entering nightfall.
STEVERODGERS: The Big Rex down in N.Y. runs out of steam this year. Late in the season, he ransacks Mangini’s old office, hoping to find some Aspirin, maybe a warm beer–only to find Baby Ruth wrappers and postcards of Australia. The clock is ticking. He’s hungry, but he can only eat what his stomach allows. There are meals that he has to skip. He remembers boyhood meals, sitting around the table, huge meals of pasta, milks, sodas, fried chicken, canned-fruit salad, epic deserts, and football conversations. His father would sit in his chair after and talk about “Bringing the Heat.” He’d say, “Listen boys, in the end it’s all bullshit. Your front just needs to have more than their front. Reduce it to a brawl, just bring the heat.” He would drift off to sleep. The boys would retreat to their shared room and fill notebooks with trick plays and defenses. They based one defense on the original seven G.I. Joe members. He still has those notebooks, and every time he runs. or sees his brother run, the “Clutch, SnakeEyes Right,” he smiles. He sits in Mangini’s old office, one light is on, he remembers sneaking a beer for the first time at Randall Cunningham‘s wedding–everything was white that day. He remembers his mother, always there with a grilled cheese on Sundays in front of the TV. There will be more seasons, he thinks, this is just one season of my life. He finds a piece of paper, he writes “Bringing the Heat” at the top, in big block letters. He begins to diagram plays.
THEDARKHORSE: Tom Cable out in Oakland sits in his office with the lights shut off. Pitch-black. No windows. He’d asked for an office with no windows. He’d told the Raiders’ facilities man, “No windows. This Harbor Bay Parkway is a dump–and I don’t want to stare out at a dump all day and night, now do I, slim?” They’d created Cable’s office out of a refurbished maintenance bay–tall, concrete ceilings with piping running to and fro. In the darkness, Cable listened to the waterways–and thrived. The room was sparse–a desk; a blank, standard dry-erase on the wall; and a fully-stocked liquor cabinet. In a hollow, pea-green filing cabinet in the corner, he kept five handguns, a hunter’s knife, and a map of the Canadian forest. Cable lounged in his chair, silent, alone. Occasionally, a knock at the door, but they knew not to burst in. Hours would pass–no team meetings, not a phone ringing, nothing. Every day, at 4 p.m., like clockwork, the loudspeaker at the facility would crackle to life, followed by the sound of a raspy man, clearing his throat. “Raideerrrrzzzz………… men of Oakland,” Al Davis whispers to all living beings with ear shot. “Stay classy……. Raideeerrrrzzzz.” Then it would cut out. Cable on another planet. Dreaming about guns, whiskey, and the northern woods.
STEVERODGERS: Cable is a madman! DarkHorse, I believe it’s happy hour here at ReadAndReact HQ. Let’s find Artie and C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y! and put out some calls to see how Rookie Camp is going. Ears to the ground and bellies to the bar. We’ll meet here tomorrow to finish up with our Coaches Roundtable. As they like to say in Oakland: “The autumn wind, my friend. The autumn wind.” Beer time!
THEDARKHORSE: Can we get french fries?
STEVERODGERS: Yes.
29
Apr
2010
Holiday greetings from Bill Belichick
While rummaging through storage space on a recent trip to my parents’ house, I found this little gem tucked away in a box full of photo albums, letters, and diplomas that failed to amount to much: dated 12/19/1994, the above is the net result of a year’s worth of editorials and letters sent to Cleveland Browns Head Coach Bill Belichick. In 2010, he’s not lacking for fan support and football-world adulation, but back then, Belichick was constantly in hot water with Browns fans and detested by the Cleveland sports media, who viewed Bill as a cantankerous robot capable only of spitting out a rotating selection of sleep-inducing, post-game quotes that revealed nothing. People in Cleveland, for the most part, had a hard time adjusting to Belichick’s methods, secrecy, and generally distant demeanor. For the vast majority, he was a dead man walking after he cut Bernie Kosar in Week 8 of the 1993 season, following a 29–14 loss to the Denver Broncos (fittingly, a team that haunted Kosar his entire career).
Belichick didn’t win much in Cleveland, but in ’94 he led the Browns to an 11-5 record and a playoff win over his mentor Bill Parcells, Drew Bledsoe, and a young, upstart Patriots squad. Led by Vinny Testaverde, the Browns featured a workmanlike offense and a bruising, veteran-led defense fronted by safety Eric Turner, who became Belichick’s first-ever draft pick with the Browns in 1991. Despite the abuse Belichick took in Cleveland, there was a pocket of the fanbase who supported his long-term plan–with little but faith to show for it until that ’94 season.
Despite the record, most fans still wanted Belichick shot out of a cannon into Lake Erie, but he was never fired by the Browns. Art Modell utterly topped that general request by moving the team to Baltimore following the 1995 season. Belichick was dumped in the transition, in favor of Ted Marchibroda. One little gem: during the 1995 Draft for the Browns–a year before the move–an increasingly savvy Belichick showed us the future: he traded players, traded down, and stockpiled draft picks for the following year–which the Baltimore Ravens happily used in ’96 to produce a draft class that netted two players who could have been Cleveland Browns: Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis.
It took Belichick a few seasons–and a number of wrong turns (including a highly bizarre, one-day stint as head coach of the New York Jets)–to get his mojo back. Three Super Bowl wins later, people forget he ever set foot in Cleveland, Ohio. So, the question stands: which heavily abused, yet-to-succeed head coach is the next Bill Belichick?
Let's see... who should we run out of town today? (Source: AP)
I found this quote interesting from a 1993 Sports Illustrated article describing the reaction of some Browns players to Belichick’s coaching style (these tended to be long-time Browns, who had starred with the team during its successful run in the mid-1980s, and weren’t about to change for some assistant-turned-head-coach with a personality deficit): “Several recently departed Browns–Brian Brennan, Paul Farren, Webster Slaughter–have blasted their former boss for being an automaton who offers no positive motivation and sees players only as faceless cogs. Last summer defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry finally had enough and briefly boycotted Belichick’s practices. Then, last month, receiver Michael Jackson upped the ante by fairly eviscerating Belichick during a meeting of the Ashland County Browns Backers, who are to the Cleveland brass what the UAW is to the Democratic Party. ‘If you question Bill, you’re out of line.’ Jackson reportedly said. ‘He can’t relate to the players.’ Tight end Scott Galbraith, cut earlier this season by Belichick and picked up last week by the Cowboys, calls Belichick’s coaching ‘bully-ball’ and draws comparisons to Napoleon.”
How funny. Last February, shortly after Mangini was hired to rebuild the Browns, a team insider was quoted as saying that “the atmosphere at headquarters is, to put it mildly, miserable. New Head Coach Eric Mangini is running the place like Napoleon.”
Well, well, well.
Maybe it’s time for some patience in the city of Cleveland. Otherwise, 15 years from now, some poor sucker’s left holding a Christmas card from then-Browns coach Eric Mangini–run out of town in 2010, only to end up with the Houston Texans, winning three Super Bowls and defining the next decade of pro football.
23
Apr
2010
THE 2010 NFL DRAFT 2ND-ROUND LIVE BLOG
April's version of Santa Claus is ready to rumble (Source: Baltimore Sun)
Round Two is just hours away, and we’re already hearing buzz about heavy trading activity at the top of the round. As always, the QB-focused media is asking where Clausen and Colt will end up–but there’s talent all over the place, and Rounds 2 and 3 are where teams are built.
To help you get up to speed for day 2, Gil Brandt at NFL.com has his list of the Top 100 players available: guys like Clausen, Sergio Kindle, and Taylor Mays are certainly going to be hot properties this evening. At this hour, both Cleveland and Buffalo are negotiating with St. Louis for the 33rd pick in this year’s draft–which guy are they after?
As always, we’re following the action right here. Artie and TheDarkHorse will be filing commentary, breaking news, and analysis from around the league.
Want in? Click the comments section to join the conversation.
22
Apr
2010
A meeting of the (flawed) minds…
Earlier this week, TheDarkHorse engaged in a web chat with fellow staff writer C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y-! to discuss this week’s NFL Draft, the state of the league, and some predictions for the season ahead.
It's good to be the Commish. (Source: NFLNewsWorld)
THEDARKHORSE: One of the more memorable offseasons in recent memory is about to sizzle with this week’s NFL Draft. In your opinion, is Sam Bradford a lock at #1 for the Rams? We’re hearing whispers about teams looking to trade up–is it just typical pre-Draft, rumor-based chatter, or is something cooking?
C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y-!: I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground on this one and, while I do think a number of teams–including the Browns–have and will inquire, at the end of the day, Sam Bradford will be a Ram. The asking price to move up is too high, the risks associated with jumping up to draft a guy coming off an injury are too high, and the Rams’ need for a quarterback is too high. I think the real question is what the Lions do at number two. This is a deep draft and, like many teams, they are signaling they would like to trade the pick, and reports are that they don’t even have a consensus internally on who they would like to pick. Which team is the most likely to trade UP into the top five in the first draft?
THEDARKHORSE: I don’t believe that Holmgren will sell the farm to select Bradford, which would be disappointing. The top pick is such an expensive risk. It’s tough to envision a team sacrificing multiple picks to trade up into the top five. If this draft is ultimately as deep as they say, your second-, third-, and fourth-round picks are pure gold, and if we could hear the chatter behind closed doors on Thursday evening, I imagine we’d witness teams anxious to trade down, but having a difficult time locating suitors. For my money, picking in the middle of the round is preferred: you get a high-quality player who will contribute immediately without blowing up payroll. Moreover, it takes some of the heat off that young athlete. The draft is over-analyzed and, too often, lacks reality–taking place in a vacuum, where Alex Smith becomes football’s biggest prize. The best front-office men ignore hyperbole. In the end, will Bradford be a better quarterback for being forced onto the field behind a terrible Rams offensive line? Or… does someone like Romo end up succeeding because he appeared out of nowhere and had the proper time to analyze the game and learn? With all that said, tell me the following: which draftee surprises everyone with his dominance? Which player melts into oblivion?
C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y-!: I totally agree with you. I think the player that melts into oblivion (aka the Vernon Gholston Award) is Jimmy Clausen. I have a pre-disposition against Notre Dame quarterbacks just because so many of them (Rick Mirer, Brady Quinn, and Ron Pawlus come to mind) are so hyped and, when push comes to shove, don’t produce. Clausen had a good year in some respects last year (showed some moxie against USC), but I ultimately just don’t see what is so special about him. He threw 17 interceptions last year against a schedule that included a lot of less-than-pro caliber defenses. I also think he stands to get drafted by a lousy team (Buffalo, maybe Seattle) and be thrown to the fire before he is mature enough to handle it. On the flip side, I think Dez Bryant is going to surprise people. If he wasn’t kicked out of school he would going much higher on mock boards. I also think CJ Spiller is going to be very, very good.
THEDARKHORSE: Let’s talk a little bit about this active offseason. Do you see any organizations effectively turning things around? Any others slowly imploding?
Seem like this guy's already crowned the Jets champs? (Source: AP)
C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y-!: Can you remember another off-season where so many marquee names were moved? LaDanian Tomlinson, Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Santonio Holmes. And there are still a lot of big names without a home, including guys like Brian Westbrook and Flozell Adams. Everybody is talking about the Jets’ off-season, and the Jets have had a good off-season but, to me, no team has improved itself more than the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins went out and addressed a massive need–getting a go-to wide receiver in his prime–who is going to add some serious punch and balance to that offense. Now you have a young and improving quarterback and a stud wide receiver to build around for years to come. Although they paid a lot for a non-pressure linebacker in Karlos Dansby, he is a nice addition as well. I like the pieces the Jets and Redskins added but, Cromartie aside, both teams got players past their prime. With respect to Donovan McNabb, I wonder how well he will transition into the Mike Shanahan offensive scheme. The New England Patriots have easily had the most disappointing off-season. This is a team that has a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball but have done little to address them. An aging Randy Moss, an injured Wes Welker, an aging offensive line, an un-productive Adelius Thomas, poor secondary play–questions abound. They have twelve picks in this year’s draft, but five of them are seventh rounders. When coupled with the fact that both the Jets and Dolphins have been aggressive and improved themselves, the eerie silence coming out of Foxborough is surprising. What has surprised you the most about this off-season?
THEDARKHORSE: I’m curious to see how Pete Carroll fares in Seattle, beginning with the team’s approach to the first and second rounds of the draft. The Seahawks gave up a third-round pick for QB Charlie Whitehurst–who’s essentially never played a down when it mattered. On paper, it seems like they got jobbed on that deal, but I’ll give Carroll the benefit of the doubt for now. I have been impressed with the offseason of the Baltimore Ravens. I’m not inclined to root for that organization, but you have to view them as one of the more dangerous offenses in the AFC. With the addition of Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth–to go with Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton–the Ravens passing game appears dangerous, and made more so by the threat of Ray Rice and their stable of running backs. Is there a better G.M. than Ozzie Newsome? Baltimore stands as the team to beat in the AFC North. In general, it gets easy to look at “active” teams as having improved themselves the most–but a lot of these teams are signing players who are expendable for a reason, or they’re overpaying for middle-tier free agents. I do believe that the best teams draft well, year after year. Question: Is Dallas the team to beat in the NFC East? And what do you make of the Giants implosion last season–was it a blip on the radar, or is the NFC changing?
C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y-!: Dallas’ off-season has been nothing short of bizarre. At the end of last season, Jerry Jones indicated Dallas would be an active player in free agency and that he anticipated adding some starters this off-season. He said the goal was to create competition at positions. He didn’t need to say that, but he did. Other than insulting Bill Parcells in a Youtube video, the Cowboys and Jones have not done anything… other than cut Ken Hamlin (easy choice, parlayed one good year into an overloaded contract) and Flozell Adams (odd choice). Make no mistake, Adams’ play has slipped. But, in so doing Dallas, which has long had problems with drafting offensive linemen, stripped itself of any depth on the offensive line because Doug Free–who has some talent–now becomes the starter. Free has never played left tackle in the NFL. Why not at least have Free and Adams compete for the job? For a team that used to pride itself on filling holes in free agency (to give itself flexibility in the draft), Dallas’ off-season moves have only increased needs as the draft approaches. To boot: why Dallas hasn’t signed a veteran kicker yet boggles the mind. Thus, while the Giants and Redskins have improved this off-season, Dallas has regressed. I think the Giants are my dark horse (pardon the pun, TDH) favorite to win the NFC East. Last year was an aberration for them. If they get back to being more aggressive on defense, and their young receivers continue to develop, they will return to 2008 form. That the NFC is changing is no more evident than if you look at the Philadelphia Eagles–a playoff team that unloaded two of the main reasons of past success in Westbrook and McNabb. And on the AFC side, who is the best team on paper right now?
Considering how Jerry felt about Jimmy and Bill, is this a marriage built to last? (Source: AP)
THEDARKHORSE: I don’t think a whole lot has changed at the top of the AFC. The Colts manhandled the conference last season, and while I have predicted their doom for a while now, I don’t see any reason to believe they won’t dominate that division and return to the playoffs as a favorite for the Super Bowl. I’m not lazily looking past the rest of the AFC South, but until we see a team definitively stamp the Colts, I don’t see them having trouble in that division. I don’t see a dominant team in the conference beyond Indy. San Diego needed to make a statement in the playoffs and, instead, were upstaged by the Jets–a team that intrigues me. I’ll never forget how the Jets went out and THUMPED the Bengals in the playoffs. They just beat them up. I like the coach–despite his quirks–and I like Sanchez. They’ve got some major pieces in place. The question with the Jets, for me, is do they build off last season, or regress? They play in a competitive division–and they may realistically be the second- or third-best team in the East. The AFC is a big, bad, dogfight in 2010. It does seem, to me, that we finally have some balance between the two conferences. There was that obscene streak of NFC Super Bowl wins that began with the Niners beating the Dolphins in the ’84 season, and endured until Elway and the Broncos beat the Packers in ’97. Then we saw New England dominate a very weak NFC. Today, we really have NO idea who will appear in, or win, the Super Bowl. That’s how the league wants it. Now… imagine for me, if you will, the Jones-Parcells phone conversation that took place in the wake of Jerry’s drunken, mouthy fiasco.
C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y-!: Jerry and Bill are just trying to keep themselves relevant. Classic wag the dog.
THEDARKHORSE: Nothing has changed.
15
Apr
2010
Roethlisberger police reports released, and it doesn’t sound good for Ben
Ben Roethlisberger poses for a photo on the night of the alleged incident. (Photo: Deadspin.com)
We’ve purposely avoided the whole Ben Roethlisberger debacle up until now, mainly because we didn’t want to get caught up in the speculation game before the facts of the case came out. Especially when dealing with such a sensitive subject as sexual assault.
Today, the Milledgeville, Georgia Police Department released 572 pages of records from their investigation into the alleged events of March 4th & 5th of this year (since no charges were brought in the case, these records now become available to the public). The Smoking Gun brings us the full report, and after reading through the entire thing, it doesn’t sound good for Roethlisberger.
Here is the most relevant part of the report — the alleged victim’s statement to police from the morning after:
“Ben asked us to go to his ‘VIP’ area. . . . We all went with him. He said there were shots for us, numerous shots were on the bar, and he told us to take them. His bodyguard came and took my arm and said come with me, he escorted me into a side door/hallway, and sat me on a stool. He left and Ben came back with his penis out of his pants. I told him it wasn’t OK, no, we don’t need to do this and I proceeded to get up and try to leave. I went to the first door I saw, which happened to be a bathroom. He followed me into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me. He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything. I went out of the hallway/door to the side where I saw my friends. We left [the club] and went to the first police car we saw.”
It should be noted that the alleged victim asked that the case be dropped, and her intoxication level at the time of the incident certainly raises doubts about her account of the events of that night. But witness statements seem to corroborate that something definitely went on in that bathroom:
