I love to listen to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio. His show is televised on ESPN-U every weekday morning, and since I've started to go to work later in the morning, I often get to watch some of his show (I'd listen to it on the way to work, but my '96 Jetta has LOTS of problems, and one of them is that the radio doesn't work).
Colin, in my opinion, is extremely intelligent and usually knows what he's talking about. Today he was talking about how he's not crazy about the Bears even though they're 2-0. This was in the context of talking about which NFL head coaching jobs would look good to him if he were Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher. He was saying that the Bears job looks good but it isn't. They don't have any top receivers, their quarterback's kind of a diva with a history of interceptions and pouting, their offensive line is weak, and the city itself is a brutal media market, etc. He took a phone call from a guy who asked him why he's so hard on the Bears and Colin told him it's because he doesn't think they're very good. Then the guy on the phone, who sounded a little angry (obviously a big Bears fan) asked, "What would the Bears have to do for you to like them?"
Colin's response made me laugh really hard. With a smirk he said, "They'd have to have the Packers' players!"
That's my whole story. (If you don't listen to Colin, you should.)
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Way I See It
Here are some of the biggest problem spots for Dallas, according to Yours Truly.
Offensive line: This was a major problem in Week 1 against Washington, but with a few normal starters returning from injury in Week 2, I thought they looked fine against Chicago, and will probably be fine for the rest of the season. The black eye of the unit has GOT to be Alex Barron who, as everyone knows, was quite the goat in Week 1. I think I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't think Barron was given a hard enough time after the Redskins game. Excuses were made about how he was supposed to have blocking help against Orakpo on the final play of the game, and since he didn't have it, he was forced to hold the defender because he was outmatched. Sorry, but that's a complete load of hogwash. Maybe he was supposed to have help, but that's no excuse. Watch a replay. He didn't even make the slightest attempt at doing his job the proper way on that play. The instant the ball was snapped he was in the process of wrapping his arms around Orakpo's neck in the most pathetic display I've ever seen from a professional football player.
Special Teams: How can David Buehler still be the starting kicker for the Cowboys? My mom could match his field goal accuracy (and, no offense, but she doesn't have a whole lot of place-kicking experience). And it's not really his fault. He was signed as a kick-off specialist. Last season he put just about every kickoff he had into the end zone. The poor kid never thought he'd be kicking field goals in high-pressure situations for the most spotlighted team on the planet. I don't understand, as a coach or an owner you can really believe that this guy is the right choice for that position. Nick Folk wasn't this bad (and he was pretty darn bad). I also just read that in the portion of Cowboys practice that was open to the media today, Buehler was 1-for-5 on field goal kicks.
Defensive Line: Where are you guys? Seriously. You showed up for a couple of series in the Chicago game, but then you disappeared. I think a big piece of this was the Cowboys coaching issues (keep reading), but there is no way through two games the Dallas defensive front should look as inept as it has.
Coaching/Owning(?): This is the bottom line. The play call that gave the Redskins their only touchdown in Week 1, the lack of effectiveness of the offense, the fact that one of the best defenses (and especially defensive lines) in the league has been largely irrelevant through two games, the fact that David Buehler is still the starting kicker -- all of these things point to two people: Jason Garrett and Wade Phillips. I realize that there aren't 32 elite head coaches in the league right now, but think about teams with talent who should win, and do win. The teams that come to my mind are New Orleans, Indianapolis, New England, and Pittsburgh. Do these teams win every week? No, but they almost never lose two games in a row. Why? Because their coaches make losing very uncomfortable, and because their coaches make sure the team is both mentally and physically prepared to take the field every week. When a team is only consistent in its inconsistency (looking like maybe the best team in the league one week, and the worst the next -- though so far this season it's only been "worst"), it's the mark of coaches that cannot adequately prepare the team week in and week out.
Offensive line: This was a major problem in Week 1 against Washington, but with a few normal starters returning from injury in Week 2, I thought they looked fine against Chicago, and will probably be fine for the rest of the season. The black eye of the unit has GOT to be Alex Barron who, as everyone knows, was quite the goat in Week 1. I think I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't think Barron was given a hard enough time after the Redskins game. Excuses were made about how he was supposed to have blocking help against Orakpo on the final play of the game, and since he didn't have it, he was forced to hold the defender because he was outmatched. Sorry, but that's a complete load of hogwash. Maybe he was supposed to have help, but that's no excuse. Watch a replay. He didn't even make the slightest attempt at doing his job the proper way on that play. The instant the ball was snapped he was in the process of wrapping his arms around Orakpo's neck in the most pathetic display I've ever seen from a professional football player.
Special Teams: How can David Buehler still be the starting kicker for the Cowboys? My mom could match his field goal accuracy (and, no offense, but she doesn't have a whole lot of place-kicking experience). And it's not really his fault. He was signed as a kick-off specialist. Last season he put just about every kickoff he had into the end zone. The poor kid never thought he'd be kicking field goals in high-pressure situations for the most spotlighted team on the planet. I don't understand, as a coach or an owner you can really believe that this guy is the right choice for that position. Nick Folk wasn't this bad (and he was pretty darn bad). I also just read that in the portion of Cowboys practice that was open to the media today, Buehler was 1-for-5 on field goal kicks.
Defensive Line: Where are you guys? Seriously. You showed up for a couple of series in the Chicago game, but then you disappeared. I think a big piece of this was the Cowboys coaching issues (keep reading), but there is no way through two games the Dallas defensive front should look as inept as it has.
Coaching/Owning(?): This is the bottom line. The play call that gave the Redskins their only touchdown in Week 1, the lack of effectiveness of the offense, the fact that one of the best defenses (and especially defensive lines) in the league has been largely irrelevant through two games, the fact that David Buehler is still the starting kicker -- all of these things point to two people: Jason Garrett and Wade Phillips. I realize that there aren't 32 elite head coaches in the league right now, but think about teams with talent who should win, and do win. The teams that come to my mind are New Orleans, Indianapolis, New England, and Pittsburgh. Do these teams win every week? No, but they almost never lose two games in a row. Why? Because their coaches make losing very uncomfortable, and because their coaches make sure the team is both mentally and physically prepared to take the field every week. When a team is only consistent in its inconsistency (looking like maybe the best team in the league one week, and the worst the next -- though so far this season it's only been "worst"), it's the mark of coaches that cannot adequately prepare the team week in and week out.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A couple of pre-game thoughts
The Cowboys-Bears game starts in about 45 minutes, but I wanted to say a couple of things before the game gets underway.
First of all, a couple of Dallas' regular starting offensive lineman are back from injuries this week, so the O-line shouldn't be quite as pathetic as it was last week (though, unfortunately, Alex Barron is still probably going to play on occasional snaps).
Also, I just want to say that if Jason Garrett is as awful this week as he was last week with his play-calling, I'll be calling for his firing by this afternoon. When you have three extremely dynamic running backs who all have different styles, and who, according to the numbers, haven't really ever been shut down (when used appropriately), you HAVE to let them set the tone for your offense. That's all there is to it.
Finally, as far as I'm concerned, Jason Witten and Miles Austin could be the only two players on the field who Romo ever targets, and the team would probably have more success than trying to make sure we placate Roy Williams.
Anywho... (this is me ranting before the game. We'll see what happens afterwards.)
First of all, a couple of Dallas' regular starting offensive lineman are back from injuries this week, so the O-line shouldn't be quite as pathetic as it was last week (though, unfortunately, Alex Barron is still probably going to play on occasional snaps).
Also, I just want to say that if Jason Garrett is as awful this week as he was last week with his play-calling, I'll be calling for his firing by this afternoon. When you have three extremely dynamic running backs who all have different styles, and who, according to the numbers, haven't really ever been shut down (when used appropriately), you HAVE to let them set the tone for your offense. That's all there is to it.
Finally, as far as I'm concerned, Jason Witten and Miles Austin could be the only two players on the field who Romo ever targets, and the team would probably have more success than trying to make sure we placate Roy Williams.
Anywho... (this is me ranting before the game. We'll see what happens afterwards.)
Monday, September 13, 2010
(not-so) Rapid Reaction on 'Boys-'Skins
Can you say "pathetic?"
The Redskins were, more or less, awful last night. Their offense scored six points on two field goals. The Cowboys, though, were awfulER. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a pathetic display. If I ran the world, I'd keep Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Felix Jones, DeMarcus Ware, Mike Jenkins, and probably Keith Brooking (for leadership and energy). I'd trade everyone else for some players who seem interested in playing football.
But you wanna know the FIRST thing I'd do? Fire Alex Barron. I'd have fired him before he took his pads off. In fact, if I ran the world I'd have fired him early on in the game, and then the Cowboys would have won the game. Dallas had plenty of problems in this game, but make no mistake: Alex Barron was the most disgraceful excuse for a football player I think I've ever seen in my life.
I'd also like to point out how inept Jason Garrett seems to be at his job. He had one very good season. He was awarded with the highest salary of any assistant coach in the game. And since 2007? He's been mediocre at best. Downright awful at times.
What a frustrating opener for a Cowboys fan.
The Redskins were, more or less, awful last night. Their offense scored six points on two field goals. The Cowboys, though, were awfulER. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a pathetic display. If I ran the world, I'd keep Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Felix Jones, DeMarcus Ware, Mike Jenkins, and probably Keith Brooking (for leadership and energy). I'd trade everyone else for some players who seem interested in playing football.
But you wanna know the FIRST thing I'd do? Fire Alex Barron. I'd have fired him before he took his pads off. In fact, if I ran the world I'd have fired him early on in the game, and then the Cowboys would have won the game. Dallas had plenty of problems in this game, but make no mistake: Alex Barron was the most disgraceful excuse for a football player I think I've ever seen in my life.
I'd also like to point out how inept Jason Garrett seems to be at his job. He had one very good season. He was awarded with the highest salary of any assistant coach in the game. And since 2007? He's been mediocre at best. Downright awful at times.
What a frustrating opener for a Cowboys fan.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The predictions you've been waiting for...
I wrote this post on Friday night, but I forgot to post it until now. I'm only telling you this so that you know I had all this done before the season started (I know, the season started on Thursday, but my picks were all made on Wednesday... anyway, you just have to trust me, I guess).
My wife and I were having a fun NFL discussion during a recent long road trip, and we decided to make some predictions for the upcoming season, and then come up with a way to determine who "wins" (the contest being to be the most accurate in your predictions), and we came up with a prize for the winner.
We each had to predict the winners of all 8 NFL divisions, all 4 wildcard playoff teams, the 2 conference champions, and the Super Bowl champion (and its MVP). Here are my picks, along with my reasoning (and let's keep in mind that I am NOT an expert, and I'll obviously have a lot more to say about some choices than others):
AFC North: Ravens
The Ravens are a heck of a football team. Joe Flacco seems to be the real deal at quarterback. I made this pick largely based on looking at the rest of the division and asking myself, "who else?" The Bengals fizzled toward the end of last season, and I don't think T.O. is going to boost them into perennial playoff-hood. The Steelers ought to be pretty good, but you can read about them below in my wildcard selection.
AFC South: Colts
This one goes pretty much without saying. It's Peyton Manning, and the other three teams are the Titans, the Jaguars, and the Texans. 'Nuff said, right?
AFC East: Patriots
The Jets are the trendy pick right now. Everyone loves Darelle Revis, Mark Sanchez, and pretty much everything Rex Ryan does. They did end up being quite the success story last season, so it makes sense. Still, my money's on Tom Brady.
AFC West: Chargers
Chargers win here by default. I actually think all of the other teams in the West have improved since last year, but they'd all have to make quite the jump, and I don't see it happening.
AFC Wildcards: Steelers & Texans
Big Ben's 4-game suspension won't be costly enough to keep the Steelers out of the playoffs. And, as for the Texans, I think they finally make it over the .500ish hump and put themselves in the playoffs. They've got a very good quarterback, and from what I hear, this Arian Foster guy could be something special.
NFC North: Packers
On Mike & Mike this morning I heard them say that Miami is still not over losing Dan Marino. Here in Denver we're still not over losing John Elway. But in Green Bay, Brett Favre is long gone. Not because he wasn't good, but because he was replaced right away with a very good quarterback who's only getting better. This was a tough pick (over Minnesota), but I think it's the right one.
NFC South: Saints
This was another tough pick (and if I'd made these predictions after their Thursday night debut against the Vikings I probably would've gone with Atlanta here). Even though they're the reigning Super Bowl champs, something about the Saints last season seemed very fluky to me. Don't get me wrong, they have an elite quarterback and a great coach, and plenty of other weapons on both sides of the ball. I just, for some reason, think that putting it all together for another season won't quite happen. They'll obviously be contenders for their division, though.
NFC East: Cowboys
Do me a favor. Scroll up and look at the title and subtitle of this blog. That's why I picked Dallas. Well, that and because I think they're the most promising team in the East. The Giants are an enigma. Washington, even if they improve by 4 games over last season (an incredible leap), they'll be 8-8 (and I'm just not sure McNabb and Shanahan are enough to make them good overnight). And the Eagles are another question mark because we can't be sure how Kevin Kolb will perform over a whole season. I dunno, it just seems like the 'Boys have the fewest weak spots by far.
NFC West: 49ers
Though the '9ers ought to be fairly decent, they'll be division winners because of the lack of competition in the West.
NFC Wildcards: Falcons & Giants
I like Matt Ryan, and I like where the Falcons have come in the last couple of years. They could win their division, but even if they don't, I think they'll make the playoffs. May even win a postseason game or two. The Giants, while sort of mysterious as I mentioned above, should still be pretty good. Much of these picks rest on one chance I'm taking though, which I ought to discuss now.
*A word on my choice not to put Minnesota in the playoffs: The Vikings are my second-favorite team, and I'll remain a huge Brett Favre fan forever. My decision here was based on ONE concern, and if I turn out to be wrong about it, everything changes. That concern is Brett Favre's health. I think that it is likely that the wear of the season on a 41-year old will be enough to make him miss a chunk of games at some point. If I'm right about that, the Vikings just aren't quite a playoff team. If I'm wrong about that, they could certainly win their division, the NFC, and even the Super Bowl. Last year I was unsure that Favre would be able to succeed for the whole season, and I was dead wrong. This year I'm unsure enough to pick against the Vikings (even though I'll be cheering for them every step of the way). We'll see if I'm dead wrong again. After all, this guy's an absolute force of nature.
AFC Champion: Colts
Yep, I picked them to repeat as AFC champs. I just don't see another team beating them out for it.
NFC Champion: Packers
Maybe I'm an Aaron Rodgers bandwagon jumper and I need to cool it a little bit. But I like the Pack this year.
Super Bowl Champion: Packers
I think Aaron Rodgers wins Super Bowl MVP and Peyton Manning loses his second Super Bowl in as many years. Weird prediction? Perhaps.
My wife and I were having a fun NFL discussion during a recent long road trip, and we decided to make some predictions for the upcoming season, and then come up with a way to determine who "wins" (the contest being to be the most accurate in your predictions), and we came up with a prize for the winner.
We each had to predict the winners of all 8 NFL divisions, all 4 wildcard playoff teams, the 2 conference champions, and the Super Bowl champion (and its MVP). Here are my picks, along with my reasoning (and let's keep in mind that I am NOT an expert, and I'll obviously have a lot more to say about some choices than others):
AFC North: Ravens
The Ravens are a heck of a football team. Joe Flacco seems to be the real deal at quarterback. I made this pick largely based on looking at the rest of the division and asking myself, "who else?" The Bengals fizzled toward the end of last season, and I don't think T.O. is going to boost them into perennial playoff-hood. The Steelers ought to be pretty good, but you can read about them below in my wildcard selection.
AFC South: Colts
This one goes pretty much without saying. It's Peyton Manning, and the other three teams are the Titans, the Jaguars, and the Texans. 'Nuff said, right?
AFC East: Patriots
The Jets are the trendy pick right now. Everyone loves Darelle Revis, Mark Sanchez, and pretty much everything Rex Ryan does. They did end up being quite the success story last season, so it makes sense. Still, my money's on Tom Brady.
AFC West: Chargers
Chargers win here by default. I actually think all of the other teams in the West have improved since last year, but they'd all have to make quite the jump, and I don't see it happening.
AFC Wildcards: Steelers & Texans
Big Ben's 4-game suspension won't be costly enough to keep the Steelers out of the playoffs. And, as for the Texans, I think they finally make it over the .500ish hump and put themselves in the playoffs. They've got a very good quarterback, and from what I hear, this Arian Foster guy could be something special.
NFC North: Packers
On Mike & Mike this morning I heard them say that Miami is still not over losing Dan Marino. Here in Denver we're still not over losing John Elway. But in Green Bay, Brett Favre is long gone. Not because he wasn't good, but because he was replaced right away with a very good quarterback who's only getting better. This was a tough pick (over Minnesota), but I think it's the right one.
NFC South: Saints
This was another tough pick (and if I'd made these predictions after their Thursday night debut against the Vikings I probably would've gone with Atlanta here). Even though they're the reigning Super Bowl champs, something about the Saints last season seemed very fluky to me. Don't get me wrong, they have an elite quarterback and a great coach, and plenty of other weapons on both sides of the ball. I just, for some reason, think that putting it all together for another season won't quite happen. They'll obviously be contenders for their division, though.
NFC East: Cowboys
Do me a favor. Scroll up and look at the title and subtitle of this blog. That's why I picked Dallas. Well, that and because I think they're the most promising team in the East. The Giants are an enigma. Washington, even if they improve by 4 games over last season (an incredible leap), they'll be 8-8 (and I'm just not sure McNabb and Shanahan are enough to make them good overnight). And the Eagles are another question mark because we can't be sure how Kevin Kolb will perform over a whole season. I dunno, it just seems like the 'Boys have the fewest weak spots by far.
NFC West: 49ers
Though the '9ers ought to be fairly decent, they'll be division winners because of the lack of competition in the West.
NFC Wildcards: Falcons & Giants
I like Matt Ryan, and I like where the Falcons have come in the last couple of years. They could win their division, but even if they don't, I think they'll make the playoffs. May even win a postseason game or two. The Giants, while sort of mysterious as I mentioned above, should still be pretty good. Much of these picks rest on one chance I'm taking though, which I ought to discuss now.
*A word on my choice not to put Minnesota in the playoffs: The Vikings are my second-favorite team, and I'll remain a huge Brett Favre fan forever. My decision here was based on ONE concern, and if I turn out to be wrong about it, everything changes. That concern is Brett Favre's health. I think that it is likely that the wear of the season on a 41-year old will be enough to make him miss a chunk of games at some point. If I'm right about that, the Vikings just aren't quite a playoff team. If I'm wrong about that, they could certainly win their division, the NFC, and even the Super Bowl. Last year I was unsure that Favre would be able to succeed for the whole season, and I was dead wrong. This year I'm unsure enough to pick against the Vikings (even though I'll be cheering for them every step of the way). We'll see if I'm dead wrong again. After all, this guy's an absolute force of nature.
AFC Champion: Colts
Yep, I picked them to repeat as AFC champs. I just don't see another team beating them out for it.
NFC Champion: Packers
Maybe I'm an Aaron Rodgers bandwagon jumper and I need to cool it a little bit. But I like the Pack this year.
Super Bowl Champion: Packers
I think Aaron Rodgers wins Super Bowl MVP and Peyton Manning loses his second Super Bowl in as many years. Weird prediction? Perhaps.
Friday, September 10, 2010
ESPN: You can do better.
"Bill Belichick said there is no other quarterback he'd rather have than Tom Brady"
That was an ESPN headline I just read. I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty stupid story to me coming from the self-proclaimed (and accurately so) "World-Wide Leader in Sports."
I LOVE ESPN (it looks like I was yelling that sentence, but the word "love" is the only part of it that you wouldn't ordinarily expect to be capitalized). I love almost everything they do, but c'mon. Tom Brady is one of only four quarterbacks in the history of the sport to have three Super Bowl rings. He is without a doubt one of the best QBs not just of his era but of all time. His statistics are off the charts, and today he is signing the largest per-year contract any NFL player has ever EVER had. Doesn't the above headline pretty much go without saying? To me it'd be like a headline that reads, "Rahm Emanuel said there is no other president he'd rather have than Barack Obama." What other intriguing top stories do you have, ESPN? Is Sean Payton happy with Drew Brees? PLEASE LET US KNOW!!
Alright, sorry for the sarcasm. I just figured I need to get back into the habit of some regular writing on this blog. The season, after all, has already begun! Expect another post from me within the next 48 hours on some of my beginning-of-the-season thoughts. Thanks for your loyalty (both of you).
That was an ESPN headline I just read. I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty stupid story to me coming from the self-proclaimed (and accurately so) "World-Wide Leader in Sports."
I LOVE ESPN (it looks like I was yelling that sentence, but the word "love" is the only part of it that you wouldn't ordinarily expect to be capitalized). I love almost everything they do, but c'mon. Tom Brady is one of only four quarterbacks in the history of the sport to have three Super Bowl rings. He is without a doubt one of the best QBs not just of his era but of all time. His statistics are off the charts, and today he is signing the largest per-year contract any NFL player has ever EVER had. Doesn't the above headline pretty much go without saying? To me it'd be like a headline that reads, "Rahm Emanuel said there is no other president he'd rather have than Barack Obama." What other intriguing top stories do you have, ESPN? Is Sean Payton happy with Drew Brees? PLEASE LET US KNOW!!
Alright, sorry for the sarcasm. I just figured I need to get back into the habit of some regular writing on this blog. The season, after all, has already begun! Expect another post from me within the next 48 hours on some of my beginning-of-the-season thoughts. Thanks for your loyalty (both of you).
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A guess
I'm absolutely not an expert (it takes no qualifications at all to set up a blog and write about a team or a sport). Nevertheless, I have a few initial impressions about the upcoming NFL season. Since I'm terrified about looking bad and being wrong, I'm going to play my cards close to my chest for now. I won't make a lot of predictions, but I will say this:
The three best teams in the NFC this season will be the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Dallas Cowboys (in no particular order).
Part of me thinks it won't even be close.
Maybe you'll get some more out of me over the next couple of weeks, prior to the beginning of the regular season.
The three best teams in the NFC this season will be the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Dallas Cowboys (in no particular order).
Part of me thinks it won't even be close.
Maybe you'll get some more out of me over the next couple of weeks, prior to the beginning of the regular season.
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