Fight to the very end.
Northwestern travels to Oxford, Ohio, to play Miami University in a season-opening game tonight at 7:30 Eastern. This game was supposed to be a homecoming forRandy Walker.
Instead, it will turn into a memorial for RandyWalker.
The earliest I can remember Randy Walker was when he was a running back for Miami in the 1970s.
But one of my most vivid memories was a quote about Walker in one of the Cincinnati papers after he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1977. He was picked No. 371 overall in round 13. In training camp that year (they lasted a whole lot longer then), the running backs coach for the Bengals, I believe, commented on how Walker filled notebook after notebook with info.
They were commenting that even then, he knew that he wanted to be a coach.
Walker took over the program at Miami from Tim Rose, a handsome young man who was not a great football coach. The RedHawks (or whatever they were called) were 0-10-1 and 2-8-1 in the two years before Walker took over.
When Walk took the program over, he brought back sometoughness to the team.
In 1995, he brought the RedHawks to Dyche Stadium to face Gary Barnett's Northwestern team that had just beaten Notre Dame at Notre Dame. The Hawks had a pretty good QB in Neil Dougherty. The Wildcats were in control of the game, leading 28-7 in the third quarter. But Dougherty brought them back, scored some easy TDs. And then Northwestern had two fumbled snaps from their backup long snapper to lose to Miami, 30-28.
After that game, Gary Barnett was distraught, and really didn't give Miami any credit. But Walker was having none of it. He was calm, and he said the right thing, that his team just kept fighting.
I remember when Walker was coaching the Northwestern 11 years later and they beat Michigan State in a great game in Dyche Stadium, in 2001. Charles Rogers returned a punt for a TD in the fourth quarter to put State up 20-17. Northwestern had a long drive and scored a TD with only 29 seconds left to go in the game, to go up 24-20.
Northwestern kicked off, and Herb Haygood of Michigan State returned the kick 84 yards for a TD, with only 18 seconds left to go in the game. The Spartans were up 26-24.
But Northwestern wasn't done. They got a paw on the point after, making it go wide. Michigan State only had a two-point lead. They kicked off, and Zak Kustok of Northwestern had the ball on his own 15. Game over?
Kustok threw a huge pass that was almost intercepted but was in fact completed, in State territory. Nortwestern sent in a kicker, with almost no time left, and he got it through. The Cats won the game, 27-26.
And all the years that I watched Miami football, then Northwestern football, that is the one thing that really is foremost in my memory. Any Randy Walker team would keep fighting. Fight to the very end.
http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/walker_randy00.html
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/SPT0103/608310391/-1/CINCI
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Milwaukee Brewers and the Reds
My family and I went to the Reds and Brewers game July 3 in Milwaukee. The Brewers won the game 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth off of the Reds closer, Todd Coffey. Of course, the Brewers closer, Derrick Turnbow, blew the save in the top of the ninth.
The game was fun, had everything (except good defense), and the hot dog won the sausage race.
The game was fun, had everything (except good defense), and the hot dog won the sausage race.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Super Bowl XVI (16) and Dan Ross
I was just looking over the obits for Dan Ross, one of my favorite players. And I started looking into Super Bowl XVI, or as I like to call it, Super Bowl 16.
Ross had 11 catches that game, as the Bengals tried to come back from a 20-0 halftime deficit. And they did a pretty good job, losing the game 26-21. Ross caught a TD pass, his second of the game, with less than 20 seconds left in the game, but the onside kick was recovered by the Niners.
The Super Bowl was played in the expanse that was the Pontiac, MI, Silverdome. Different stadia mean different things, and the Silverdome always reminds me of Barry Sanders, Wayne Fontes, and the wacky Lions of that era.
Ross was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He must have been some college player. And he is one of the all-time great Bengals.
Looking into Super Bowl 16, I was struck that the leading rusher for the 49ers that season was none other than Ricky Patton. Patton gained 543 yards for the Niners. It took a while to get the Roger Craig kill ya running or passing thing down, I guess.
Ross had 11 catches that game, as the Bengals tried to come back from a 20-0 halftime deficit. And they did a pretty good job, losing the game 26-21. Ross caught a TD pass, his second of the game, with less than 20 seconds left in the game, but the onside kick was recovered by the Niners.
The Super Bowl was played in the expanse that was the Pontiac, MI, Silverdome. Different stadia mean different things, and the Silverdome always reminds me of Barry Sanders, Wayne Fontes, and the wacky Lions of that era.
Ross was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He must have been some college player. And he is one of the all-time great Bengals.
Looking into Super Bowl 16, I was struck that the leading rusher for the 49ers that season was none other than Ricky Patton. Patton gained 543 yards for the Niners. It took a while to get the Roger Craig kill ya running or passing thing down, I guess.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Raider Who May Have Lost His Arc
Aaron Brooks is the new Raider starting quarterback. The plan seems to be let him start for a little while, then let Andrew Walter will take over. (I think being a starter for the Raiders is over for Marques Tuasisopo, at least in their minds).
Brooks had it all going for him, but for the last year and a half, he seems like a below average quarterback who occasionally has a good game.
Of course, this also could be said for Gus Ferotte, and he went out and had a good season for the Dolphins. And Brooks' numbers aren't that bad, taken as a whole.
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int
2000-01 New Orleans 8 85.7 113 194 58.2 1514 189.3 7.8 9 6
2001-02 New Orleans 16 76.4 312 558 55.9 3832 239.5 6.9 26 22
2002-03 New Orleans 16 80.1 283 528 53.6 3572 223.3 6.8 27 15
2003-04 New Orleans 16 88.8 306 518 59.1 3546 221.6 6.8 24 8
2004-05 New Orleans 16 79.5 309 542 57.0 3810 238.1 7.0 21 16
2005-06 New Orleans 13 70.0 240 431 55.7 2882 221.7 6.7 13 17
Career 85 79.7 1563 2771 56.4 19156 225.4 6.9 120 84
Aaron Brooks took over a newly reconfigured Saints team for Jeff Blake, who was doing a great job, and he led them to the playoffs his first year, winning the franchise's only playoff game. But the past few years, it hasn't been the same. Last year, the entire season was just a bad year for the Saints. With Katrina, one is inclined to give the whole franchise and all of the players a pass. I know I am.
It'll be interesting to see what the Raiders can do with Brooks. He has a strong arm, and they want to throw the ball downfield. And they have Randy Moss and Jerry Porter.
Andrew Walter should be ready to start in the NFL soon. He was a fine pick by the Raiders, and he will be the guy for Art Shell at some point.
Here are Walter's numbers at Arizona State.
Year G/GS Comp/Att Yds. Pct. TD/Int. Lg. Avg./G Eff.
2001 11/2 38/86 546 44.2 3/2 53 49.6 104.4
2002 14/10 274/483 3877 56.7 28/15 85 276.9 137.1
2003 12/12 221/421 3044 52.5 24/10 80 253.7 127.3
2004 11/11 244/426 3150 57.3 30/9 79 286.4 138.4
Total 48/35 777/1416 10617 54.9 85/36 85 221.2 132.6
Brooks had it all going for him, but for the last year and a half, he seems like a below average quarterback who occasionally has a good game.
Of course, this also could be said for Gus Ferotte, and he went out and had a good season for the Dolphins. And Brooks' numbers aren't that bad, taken as a whole.
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int
2000-01 New Orleans 8 85.7 113 194 58.2 1514 189.3 7.8 9 6
2001-02 New Orleans 16 76.4 312 558 55.9 3832 239.5 6.9 26 22
2002-03 New Orleans 16 80.1 283 528 53.6 3572 223.3 6.8 27 15
2003-04 New Orleans 16 88.8 306 518 59.1 3546 221.6 6.8 24 8
2004-05 New Orleans 16 79.5 309 542 57.0 3810 238.1 7.0 21 16
2005-06 New Orleans 13 70.0 240 431 55.7 2882 221.7 6.7 13 17
Career 85 79.7 1563 2771 56.4 19156 225.4 6.9 120 84
Aaron Brooks took over a newly reconfigured Saints team for Jeff Blake, who was doing a great job, and he led them to the playoffs his first year, winning the franchise's only playoff game. But the past few years, it hasn't been the same. Last year, the entire season was just a bad year for the Saints. With Katrina, one is inclined to give the whole franchise and all of the players a pass. I know I am.
It'll be interesting to see what the Raiders can do with Brooks. He has a strong arm, and they want to throw the ball downfield. And they have Randy Moss and Jerry Porter.
Andrew Walter should be ready to start in the NFL soon. He was a fine pick by the Raiders, and he will be the guy for Art Shell at some point.
Here are Walter's numbers at Arizona State.
Year G/GS Comp/Att Yds. Pct. TD/Int. Lg. Avg./G Eff.
2001 11/2 38/86 546 44.2 3/2 53 49.6 104.4
2002 14/10 274/483 3877 56.7 28/15 85 276.9 137.1
2003 12/12 221/421 3044 52.5 24/10 80 253.7 127.3
2004 11/11 244/426 3150 57.3 30/9 79 286.4 138.4
Total 48/35 777/1416 10617 54.9 85/36 85 221.2 132.6
Bears Win Race for Griese Monkey
In the race for Brian Griese, it appears the Bears beat out the Bengals. Don Pierson of the Chicago Tribune, one of the best football writers in the country, said (at least by implication if not outright) that he likes Griese better than Jay Fiedler, Jeff Blake, Gus Ferotte, Jeff Garcia, and Jon Kitna.
The one thing this does is move Kyle Orton back to third string. I am a huge Kyle Orton fan, and I think that the Bears ain't really treating him right after his stint as the starter last year. Another thing this does is give some competition to Rex Grossman. Is Brian Griese better than Sexy Rexy? I don't know, and neither, really, does anyone else.
How much does a quarterback like Brian Griese cost? It seems that he is a five year, at least $14 million with at least a $4 million signing bonus.
Brad Biggs of the Suntimes reports that Griese signed with the Bears because of Lovie Smith's quick hook for quarterbacks. Fair enough.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bear22.html
Geoff Hobson's story on Bengals dot com says that Aaron Brooks considers himself a starter, so the Bengals don't fit. They may be down to Joey Harrington and Jaimie Martin. I still want them to explore the Jay Fiedler option. But I am fine with Joey Harrington.
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5149
The one thing this does is move Kyle Orton back to third string. I am a huge Kyle Orton fan, and I think that the Bears ain't really treating him right after his stint as the starter last year. Another thing this does is give some competition to Rex Grossman. Is Brian Griese better than Sexy Rexy? I don't know, and neither, really, does anyone else.
How much does a quarterback like Brian Griese cost? It seems that he is a five year, at least $14 million with at least a $4 million signing bonus.
Brad Biggs of the Suntimes reports that Griese signed with the Bears because of Lovie Smith's quick hook for quarterbacks. Fair enough.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bear22.html
Geoff Hobson's story on Bengals dot com says that Aaron Brooks considers himself a starter, so the Bengals don't fit. They may be down to Joey Harrington and Jaimie Martin. I still want them to explore the Jay Fiedler option. But I am fine with Joey Harrington.
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5149
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
John Sandusky, longtime NFL assistant, dies at 80
John Sandusky died recently. If you were from Ohio, you knew of John Sandusky. If you were a lineman, you knew of John Sandusky.
He was a line coach in the NFL for 35 years. He coached some of the best offensive lines in the history of the NFL.
Again, I would like to state: There is a real need for referees in the pro football hall of fame. Can't have a game without them, and we all notice the real good ones from the average ones.
And there is a real need for assistant coaches in the pro football hall of fame. No team doesn't have them. And we all can spot the real good ones from the average ones.
Baltimore Sun
He was a line coach in the NFL for 35 years. He coached some of the best offensive lines in the history of the NFL.
Again, I would like to state: There is a real need for referees in the pro football hall of fame. Can't have a game without them, and we all notice the real good ones from the average ones.
And there is a real need for assistant coaches in the pro football hall of fame. No team doesn't have them. And we all can spot the real good ones from the average ones.
Baltimore Sun
"He was part Irish, part Polish," [Don Shula] the former Miami Dolphins and
Colts coach said of Sandusky. "But the Irish part, he had that great Irish voice
and he sang those great Irish songs like 'Danny Boy.' Invariably when we went
out together as a staff, John would burst out in song. And I never got tired of
listening to it."John was a great teacher, and on top of that, he was just a
wonderful human being."
The First Cut Is the Deepest: Can Any Early Cuts Help the Bengals?
The following players have been waived. Several of these players represent an upgrade at a position, and, depending on cap number, salary, and health, might be good pickups. The Bengals need a defensive tackle (or two) and a safety (or two).
Defensive Tackle
Sam Adams, DT BUFFALO
Brentson Buckner, DT CAROLINA
La'Roi Glover, DT DALLAS
Ted Washington, DT OAKLAND
Let's start at defensive tackle. Three of the four big DTs are just that, big DTs. Washington, Adams, and Buckner are big take-up-two-blockers, two-gap run-stuffers at their best. They all probably have left their best days behind. Washington at his best was a Hall of Fame type DT. Adams was a Pro Bowl level DT. Bucker was a big dude with occasional ability. All would probably be a step up from Bryan Robinson. But the Bengals will probably choose to go the youth route. I would hope, however, that they at least give Ted Washington a call. Glover is 6-2, 285 or 290. He is a one-gap DT, and was probably the premier one-gap DT for a year or two in New Orleans. Had a couple of good years for the Cowboys, but when Dallas went 3-4, Glover became a bad fit. He is too small for a nose, and, at 30-plus, he probably wasn't given the opportunity to win a DE spot. Pittsburgh would have used him as a DE, though. Glover is a step up from John Thorton, but Thorton is probably going to be more value priced. Someone will take Glover. [Note: Glover has already been signed by the Rams, who may have had a worse problem stopping the run than the Bengals]. And I think the Bengals need a two-gap guy more. It would surprise me, however, if they go for one of these older guys.
Safety
Marcus Coleman, S HOUSTON
Tebucky Jones, S MIAMI
Lawyer Milloy, S BUFFALO
To me, this is a no-brainer. After Madieu Williams and Kim Herring got hurt and missed most of the season, the Bengals were left with probably the worst set of starting safeties in the NFL. Kevin Kaesviharn and Ifeanyi Ohalete were the Bengals starters for most of the season. Kaesviharn is a former corner who doesn't have enough speed and can't cover that well. He also is a poor tackler. Ohalete -- who was cut by the Cardinals at the beginning of the season and picked up by Cincy when they put Herring on IR -- is a big safety without enough speed who occasionally hits hard. But he misses more than he hits and tight ends just roam free. I wanted the Bengals to go with Herna Daze-Jones or Patrick Body or both, just to give them experience. It didn't seem that they could be much worse. With Williams coming back, I think the Bengals need to get one veteran safety. Williams was moving toward Ed Reed territory as far as safeties go by the end of his rookie year. I hope that he if fully recovered and ready to start at free safety. As far as strong safety, I would go for Tebucky Jones, a classic strong safety, if he doesn't cost that much. He played in only six games in '05, so he may need some rehab. But he's big, fast, strong, and experienced. Lawyer Milloy is a little small for a strong safety, but he is ultra productive and would be fine. I would take a pass on Marcus Coleman. But, hey, worse comes to worse, so to speak, he's better than nothing.
Defensive End
Trevor Pryce, DE DENVER
Brady Smith, DE ATLANTA
Always pays to look at who else is out there. I like Brady Smith, but someone else will like him more. Trevor Pryce is not my cup of tea. There will probably be better DEs cut later. And this isn't really an area of need.
Quarterback
Tony Banks, QB HOUSTON
Kerry Collins, QB OAKLAND
Jay Fiedler, QB NEW YORK JETS
Tommy Maddox, QB PITTSBURGH
With Jon Kitna set to find a new home, Cincinnati needs a veteran backup QB. I would sign Jay Fiedler in a heartbeat. I like him. He is a lot like Kitna. The only problem is that Fiedler had a shoulder injury and was out for many months. I think the Jets cut him because they didn't want to chance it that he couldn't come back by sometime in training camp to help. But I think the Bengals should look longer term, and Fiedler is the sort of guy that can carry the old clipboard and make everyone feel better. So I would sign him. And, I would sign another veteran. Right now, these are the other guys available. Ouch. Out of the three of these guys, I think I would take Tommy Maddox. He will be cheap, and maybe he could be an OK guy for a couple of games if you needed him. I would feel more comfortable if he was a third-stringer. Same with Banks. Collins would be a good second-stringer, but I don't see him coming cheap. Hopefully there will be better options a little later.
Cornerback
Andre Dyson, CB SEATTLE
Michael Harden, CB SEATTLE
Reggie Howard, CB MIAMI
Sam Madison, CB MIAMI
Denard Walker, CB OAKLAND
Eric Warfield, CB KANSAS CITY
Willie Williams, CB PITTSBURGH
The Bengals have had two straight cornerbacks make the Pro Bowl in two straight years, which shows you what a crock of manure the Pro Bowl is. The base your corner play on interceptions only. On the theory that you can never have too many corners, here's what's available. I like Madison and Dyson from the above list. If value priced, I'd bring 'em in. But they probably won't be value priced. Charles Woodson is also probably going to be available. The Bengals need to suck it up and start trying to get corners through the draft. And is Keiwan Ratliff a starter? I don't know. But I think James may be nearing the end (perhaps he can be a free safety?), and O'Neal is occasionally great, frequently maddening.
Offensive Line
Brad Hopkins, OT TENNESSEE
Kevin Mawae, C N.Y. JETS
Damion McIntosh, OT MIAMI
Ron Stone, G OAKLAND
I like Mawae, and I would bring him in if you could. Hopkins would be a great backup. He can play left tackle, and he is built like a guard, so one would hope that he could play guard. Mawae and Hopkins both are probably better than a starter for the Bengals, and both could probably start. Both will probably cost too much, and are too old. McIntonsh and Stone are backup material only. Both are also probably too expensive.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Defensive Tackle
Sam Adams, DT BUFFALO
Brentson Buckner, DT CAROLINA
La'Roi Glover, DT DALLAS
Ted Washington, DT OAKLAND
Let's start at defensive tackle. Three of the four big DTs are just that, big DTs. Washington, Adams, and Buckner are big take-up-two-blockers, two-gap run-stuffers at their best. They all probably have left their best days behind. Washington at his best was a Hall of Fame type DT. Adams was a Pro Bowl level DT. Bucker was a big dude with occasional ability. All would probably be a step up from Bryan Robinson. But the Bengals will probably choose to go the youth route. I would hope, however, that they at least give Ted Washington a call. Glover is 6-2, 285 or 290. He is a one-gap DT, and was probably the premier one-gap DT for a year or two in New Orleans. Had a couple of good years for the Cowboys, but when Dallas went 3-4, Glover became a bad fit. He is too small for a nose, and, at 30-plus, he probably wasn't given the opportunity to win a DE spot. Pittsburgh would have used him as a DE, though. Glover is a step up from John Thorton, but Thorton is probably going to be more value priced. Someone will take Glover. [Note: Glover has already been signed by the Rams, who may have had a worse problem stopping the run than the Bengals]. And I think the Bengals need a two-gap guy more. It would surprise me, however, if they go for one of these older guys.
Safety
Marcus Coleman, S HOUSTON
Tebucky Jones, S MIAMI
Lawyer Milloy, S BUFFALO
To me, this is a no-brainer. After Madieu Williams and Kim Herring got hurt and missed most of the season, the Bengals were left with probably the worst set of starting safeties in the NFL. Kevin Kaesviharn and Ifeanyi Ohalete were the Bengals starters for most of the season. Kaesviharn is a former corner who doesn't have enough speed and can't cover that well. He also is a poor tackler. Ohalete -- who was cut by the Cardinals at the beginning of the season and picked up by Cincy when they put Herring on IR -- is a big safety without enough speed who occasionally hits hard. But he misses more than he hits and tight ends just roam free. I wanted the Bengals to go with Herna Daze-Jones or Patrick Body or both, just to give them experience. It didn't seem that they could be much worse. With Williams coming back, I think the Bengals need to get one veteran safety. Williams was moving toward Ed Reed territory as far as safeties go by the end of his rookie year. I hope that he if fully recovered and ready to start at free safety. As far as strong safety, I would go for Tebucky Jones, a classic strong safety, if he doesn't cost that much. He played in only six games in '05, so he may need some rehab. But he's big, fast, strong, and experienced. Lawyer Milloy is a little small for a strong safety, but he is ultra productive and would be fine. I would take a pass on Marcus Coleman. But, hey, worse comes to worse, so to speak, he's better than nothing.
Defensive End
Trevor Pryce, DE DENVER
Brady Smith, DE ATLANTA
Always pays to look at who else is out there. I like Brady Smith, but someone else will like him more. Trevor Pryce is not my cup of tea. There will probably be better DEs cut later. And this isn't really an area of need.
Quarterback
Tony Banks, QB HOUSTON
Kerry Collins, QB OAKLAND
Jay Fiedler, QB NEW YORK JETS
Tommy Maddox, QB PITTSBURGH
With Jon Kitna set to find a new home, Cincinnati needs a veteran backup QB. I would sign Jay Fiedler in a heartbeat. I like him. He is a lot like Kitna. The only problem is that Fiedler had a shoulder injury and was out for many months. I think the Jets cut him because they didn't want to chance it that he couldn't come back by sometime in training camp to help. But I think the Bengals should look longer term, and Fiedler is the sort of guy that can carry the old clipboard and make everyone feel better. So I would sign him. And, I would sign another veteran. Right now, these are the other guys available. Ouch. Out of the three of these guys, I think I would take Tommy Maddox. He will be cheap, and maybe he could be an OK guy for a couple of games if you needed him. I would feel more comfortable if he was a third-stringer. Same with Banks. Collins would be a good second-stringer, but I don't see him coming cheap. Hopefully there will be better options a little later.
Cornerback
Andre Dyson, CB SEATTLE
Michael Harden, CB SEATTLE
Reggie Howard, CB MIAMI
Sam Madison, CB MIAMI
Denard Walker, CB OAKLAND
Eric Warfield, CB KANSAS CITY
Willie Williams, CB PITTSBURGH
The Bengals have had two straight cornerbacks make the Pro Bowl in two straight years, which shows you what a crock of manure the Pro Bowl is. The base your corner play on interceptions only. On the theory that you can never have too many corners, here's what's available. I like Madison and Dyson from the above list. If value priced, I'd bring 'em in. But they probably won't be value priced. Charles Woodson is also probably going to be available. The Bengals need to suck it up and start trying to get corners through the draft. And is Keiwan Ratliff a starter? I don't know. But I think James may be nearing the end (perhaps he can be a free safety?), and O'Neal is occasionally great, frequently maddening.
Offensive Line
Brad Hopkins, OT TENNESSEE
Kevin Mawae, C N.Y. JETS
Damion McIntosh, OT MIAMI
Ron Stone, G OAKLAND
I like Mawae, and I would bring him in if you could. Hopkins would be a great backup. He can play left tackle, and he is built like a guard, so one would hope that he could play guard. Mawae and Hopkins both are probably better than a starter for the Bengals, and both could probably start. Both will probably cost too much, and are too old. McIntonsh and Stone are backup material only. Both are also probably too expensive.
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Reds' Best Lineup?
There is a lineup analysis tool on the Internet (wow, I think this thing may catch on!). It does some cipherin' on the best lineup you can have to score the most runs, based on on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Put in the 2006 Reds lineup, using 2005 stats.
Don't know why I did this, but here are the top 10 results.
Best Lineups Runs per Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4.942 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.941 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.938 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Adam Dunn Jason LaRue Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Jason LaRue Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Adam Dunn Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.933 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/LineupAnalysis.py?Player0=Jason+LaRue&OBA0=.355&Slug0=.452&Player1=Felipe+Lopez&OBA1=.352&Slug1=.486&Player2=Adam+Dunn&OBA2=.387&Slug2=.540&Player3=Ken+Griffey&OBA3=.369&Slug3=.576&Player4=Austin+Kearns&OBA4=.333&Slug4=.452&Player5=Ryan+Freel&OBA5=.371&Slug5=.371&Player6=Wily+Mo+Pena&OBA6=.304&Slug6=.492&Player7=Edwin+Encarnacion&OBA7=.308&Slug7=.436&Player8=Aaron+Harang&OBA8=.027&Slug8=.027&Model=0
And here's the tipsheet I found at another website.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/
Put in the 2006 Reds lineup, using 2005 stats.
Don't know why I did this, but here are the top 10 results.
Best Lineups Runs per Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4.942 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.941 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.938 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.937 Adam Dunn Jason LaRue Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Jason LaRue Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.936 Jason LaRue Felipe Lopez Austin Kearns Ken Griffey Adam Dunn Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Felipe Lopez Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.934 Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Jason LaRue Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Edwin Encarnacion Wily Mo Pena Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
4.933 Jason LaRue Adam Dunn Felipe Lopez Ken Griffey Austin Kearns Wily Mo Pena Edwin Encarnacion Aaron Harang Ryan Freel
http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/LineupAnalysis.py?Player0=Jason+LaRue&OBA0=.355&Slug0=.452&Player1=Felipe+Lopez&OBA1=.352&Slug1=.486&Player2=Adam+Dunn&OBA2=.387&Slug2=.540&Player3=Ken+Griffey&OBA3=.369&Slug3=.576&Player4=Austin+Kearns&OBA4=.333&Slug4=.452&Player5=Ryan+Freel&OBA5=.371&Slug5=.371&Player6=Wily+Mo+Pena&OBA6=.304&Slug6=.492&Player7=Edwin+Encarnacion&OBA7=.308&Slug7=.436&Player8=Aaron+Harang&OBA8=.027&Slug8=.027&Model=0
And here's the tipsheet I found at another website.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/
1. This is the most OBP-centric spot in the lineup. Your hitter here might very well be your best hitter, IF his best attribute is his OBP. A hitter with a .425 OBP and a .500 SLG would fit in here well, provided that there's not a better OBP threat elsewhere on the roster. When I looked at it, I decided that Derek Jeter is really the optimal leadoff hitter. He has a good OBP and acceptable power, and he's generally a solid hitter.
2. The 2-hitter should be the lineup's most balanced hitter, a good combination of OBP and SLG. David Wright fits the bill here, as does the player I chose, Chase Utley. The first guy I thought of was Mike Lowell in his prime, when I looked at the results and coefficients.
3. This was the biggest surprise: the 3 hitter should be the player that doesn't fit into any of the other spots. Every other spot has some significance, but if I were building a lineup, I would just put the leftover player in the 3 hole. This seemed very counterintuitive to me when I first heard it, but David Pinto noted, "Part of what it's telling us is that you need to spread out your easy outs." I still struggled to get this, but I'm starting to, now. Marc said something to the effect of "the worst players have to go somewhere." I guess this is really it; the other spots just have greater needs. If you can get a good hitter here, it means that your lineup is very deep.
4. This is the bopper. This guy's best attribute should be his power, with OBP being of secondary importance. He should be the foil to the leadoff hitter, in a way; both players could be similar if they're both very complete. Andruw Jones, though, is an ideal #4 hitter: slightly above average OBP, and "phenomenal cosmic power," to quote Aladdin.
5. Picking the 5 hitter is simple: it's the second choice for the two slot. Paul Konerko, who I picked for this spot, had a very similar line to our #2 hitter, Chase Utley.
6. The 6 hitter shows the biggest difference between SLG and OBP on the roster. This is because you're going to want to have guys driving in the leftovers. The 6 hitter is the most exclusively power-dependent hitter of the bunch. His OBP is VERY unimportant. Alfonso Soriano and Jay Gibbons are good picks for this
slot.
7. The 7 hitter is the less extreme version of the 6 hitter, with less of a need for power and more usage for OBP. I picked Vernon Wells here.
8. This is the worst hitter in the lineup. If it's the pitcher, he goes here, unless it's Dontrelle Willis or Jason Marquis or someone similar. This is because you'd rather not put the pitcher close to two of the best hitters in the lineup: the 1 and 2.
9. The 9 hitter should be a "punchless wonder," of sorts. Scott Podsednik, Gregg Zaun, and Brad Ausmus fit into this role nicely: guys with acceptable OBPs and absolutely no power. This is the "stereotypical leadoff hitter" to the extreme. He's not actually leading off because you don't necessarily want these guys to imbibe plate appearances, I think.
This is all very new stuff, and I could have interpreted this wrong. I think that Cyril Morong is onto something because you CAN rationalize these positions, even if there's a high level of initial cognitive dissonance. I would say that you should try to go over this checklist when you try and optimize the lineup for whatever team you want, and see if it checks out or comes close to it.
And They Called It, "Tuffy Love"
Love the Tuffy.
LOVE THE TUFFY!
Tuffy Rhodes is back and badder than ever.
Tuffy Rhodes signs with the Cincinnati Reds. I actually think he has a 1-in-10 shot to make the team (but, really, who knows? It would be a better shot if Jim Bowden were still the GM). Rhodes has been called the greatest American player in the history of Japanese Baseball (at least according to the headline from The Japan Times; I couldn't click on the story).
Tuffy Rhodes: the best ever foreign player in Japan The Japan Times, Japan - Feb 18, 2006 The 10-year Japan career of Tuffy Rhodes has apparently come to an end with the announcement last week he had signed a contract with his hometown team, the ...
Here's another story.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060222&content_id=1319606&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
http://www.middletownjournal.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2006/03/01/mj030206redsnotes.html
The Reds have signed on a lot of veteran players in the bullpen and on the bench.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/SPT05/603020326/1035
Bullpen: 36-year-old David Weathers, 37-year-old Rick White, 38-year-old Kent Mercker and 40-year-old Chris Hammond.
Bench: 34-year-old Rich Aurilia and 35-year-old Frank Menechino and 35-year-old Quinton McCracken and 36-year-old Scott Hatteberg and 36-year-old Tony Womack and 37-year-old Tuffy Rhodes.
And out of those guys, who do I love? I LOVE THE TUFFY!
Looking at that bench, hells bells, Johnny Bench is only 58.
Last year, it was Aaron Holbert. (Don't worry, Aaron. Still pulling for you this year. But Tuffy's a better story right now.)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbeaa01.shtml
This year, so far, it's Tuffy Rhodes.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rhodeka01.shtml
I live in Chicago, surrounded by Cubs fans and (curiously enough, many more) Sox fans. And never will I forget when Karl Tuffy Rhodes took Doc Gooden deep three consecutive times on Opening Day 1994. This was made especially important to me because of an inside joke I had and still have with a coworker regarding Jim Frey, who went to Western Hills High School in Cincinnati (as did Tuffy Rhodes, Don Zimmer, and Pete Rose [you betcha]). (I had a date to a high school dance with Jim Frey's niece back in the Seventies. Still cracks my friend up.) Doc Gooden was still considered a pretty damned good pitcher Opening Day 1994.
Here is the Cubs 1994 Opening Day starters (in alpha order), provided by Baseball Almanac:
1994 Chicago Cubs
Opening Day Starters
Steve Buechele
Shawon Dunston
Mark Grace
Derrick May
Mike Morgan
Karl Rhodes
Ryne Sandberg
Sammy Sosa
Rick Wilkins
And to think they were 49-64.
LOVE THE TUFFY!
Tuffy Rhodes is back and badder than ever.
Tuffy Rhodes signs with the Cincinnati Reds. I actually think he has a 1-in-10 shot to make the team (but, really, who knows? It would be a better shot if Jim Bowden were still the GM). Rhodes has been called the greatest American player in the history of Japanese Baseball (at least according to the headline from The Japan Times; I couldn't click on the story).
Tuffy Rhodes: the best ever foreign player in Japan The Japan Times, Japan - Feb 18, 2006 The 10-year Japan career of Tuffy Rhodes has apparently come to an end with the announcement last week he had signed a contract with his hometown team, the ...
Here's another story.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060222&content_id=1319606&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
http://www.middletownjournal.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2006/03/01/mj030206redsnotes.html
The Reds have signed on a lot of veteran players in the bullpen and on the bench.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/SPT05/603020326/1035
Bullpen: 36-year-old David Weathers, 37-year-old Rick White, 38-year-old Kent Mercker and 40-year-old Chris Hammond.
Bench: 34-year-old Rich Aurilia and 35-year-old Frank Menechino and 35-year-old Quinton McCracken and 36-year-old Scott Hatteberg and 36-year-old Tony Womack and 37-year-old Tuffy Rhodes.
And out of those guys, who do I love? I LOVE THE TUFFY!
Looking at that bench, hells bells, Johnny Bench is only 58.
Last year, it was Aaron Holbert. (Don't worry, Aaron. Still pulling for you this year. But Tuffy's a better story right now.)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbeaa01.shtml
This year, so far, it's Tuffy Rhodes.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rhodeka01.shtml
I live in Chicago, surrounded by Cubs fans and (curiously enough, many more) Sox fans. And never will I forget when Karl Tuffy Rhodes took Doc Gooden deep three consecutive times on Opening Day 1994. This was made especially important to me because of an inside joke I had and still have with a coworker regarding Jim Frey, who went to Western Hills High School in Cincinnati (as did Tuffy Rhodes, Don Zimmer, and Pete Rose [you betcha]). (I had a date to a high school dance with Jim Frey's niece back in the Seventies. Still cracks my friend up.) Doc Gooden was still considered a pretty damned good pitcher Opening Day 1994.
Here is the Cubs 1994 Opening Day starters (in alpha order), provided by Baseball Almanac:
1994 Chicago Cubs
Opening Day Starters
Steve Buechele
Shawon Dunston
Mark Grace
Derrick May
Mike Morgan
Karl Rhodes
Ryne Sandberg
Sammy Sosa
Rick Wilkins
And to think they were 49-64.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
NFL Combine on NFLNetwork
Did you watch the coverage of the combine on the NFL Network?
Oh, Pete Rozelle, what have you wrought?
I have major issues with the NFL combine. I think there are too many people making too many decisions about too many players instead of seeing if these players can play football.
Every time that I think it is easing up, I hear things like Jay Cutler is passing up Vince Young as a higher rated QB, based on what Cutler did in shorts in Indy. I thought that Vince Young was a first-round pick, a top-15 pick, after the Rose Bowl Game. Not the USC-Texas thriller, but the Michigan-Texas thriller in 2005 when Vince ran for 192 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 180 yards and one touchdown.
He had a better season last year, and a better Rose Bowl game for the National Championship.
I don't get it. Not Jay Cutler. Sorry. And maybe Jay Cutler will be a fine NFL quarterback. But what does Vince Young need to do?
Vernon Davis, tight end from Maryland, ran a 4.38 40 at 255 chisled pounds. The speeds of these things just keep getting more ridiculous. Having said that, I like that Leonard Pope of Geogia and would draft him first as a tight end. Probably that Byrd kid from USC would be No. 2.
Joseph Addai as a first-round pick? Not me. I think he's about Mewelde Moore. Which ain't all that bad, but not a first-round pick.
Oh, Pete Rozelle, what have you wrought?
I have major issues with the NFL combine. I think there are too many people making too many decisions about too many players instead of seeing if these players can play football.
Every time that I think it is easing up, I hear things like Jay Cutler is passing up Vince Young as a higher rated QB, based on what Cutler did in shorts in Indy. I thought that Vince Young was a first-round pick, a top-15 pick, after the Rose Bowl Game. Not the USC-Texas thriller, but the Michigan-Texas thriller in 2005 when Vince ran for 192 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 180 yards and one touchdown.
He had a better season last year, and a better Rose Bowl game for the National Championship.
I don't get it. Not Jay Cutler. Sorry. And maybe Jay Cutler will be a fine NFL quarterback. But what does Vince Young need to do?
Vernon Davis, tight end from Maryland, ran a 4.38 40 at 255 chisled pounds. The speeds of these things just keep getting more ridiculous. Having said that, I like that Leonard Pope of Geogia and would draft him first as a tight end. Probably that Byrd kid from USC would be No. 2.
Joseph Addai as a first-round pick? Not me. I think he's about Mewelde Moore. Which ain't all that bad, but not a first-round pick.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Rick Spielman and the 40 Time at Indy
There is a great column on ESPN Insider by former Dolphin GM Rick Spielman on the Combine and what scouts and medical personnel look for in Indy.
Here is the URL, but I think you need to pay for this premium content:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/insider/columns/story?columnist=spielman_rick
Below are a few of the more interesting quotes:
Spielman also spouts the usual stuff about thinking every player should run the 40 at the combine, and that fast players are fast and slow players are slow and blah blah blah. This is the one-way street stuff that galls me.
First off, NFL scouts put SO much value in the 40 time that a player can hurt his draft status incredibly by turning in a slow time. A player can enhance his status by ripping it up in the 40. There are many examples of the 40 time being a determining factor.
And the funny thing is, much like my college GPA, which I don't mention in polite company, NOBODY ever, EVER brings up a 40 time for 98 percent of the guys in the NFL again. If you can play, you can play.
(Of course, I get sucked into the 40-time thing more than I would like to. It is pretty impressive when you hear some of the 40 times of some of those guys, such as Samie Parker of Oregon or Bethel Johnson out of Texas A&M, who each seemed to have about a 4.28 40.)
Pat Kirwan wrote a column in 2004 regarding the 40 time, and I found it online.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/7095858
In it, he sort of advocates finding players who are great college players and who look very athletic in every phase of the game, but who blow their 40 times. His two examples are Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin, who had bad 40 times and were docked in the draft, and turned out to be NFL players. I don't think players should be upgraded because of bad work in Indy, of course. I think it was Bill Walsh who said that Bill Walsh's genius in drafting players was that he only really looked at what players did in college games as the indication of what they could do, not their size or 40 times or arm strenghth or anything else.
Here are some quotes from the Kirwan piece:
Here is the URL, but I think you need to pay for this premium content:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/insider/columns/story?columnist=spielman_rick
Below are a few of the more interesting quotes:
When I was with the Miami Dolphins, we would hold a specific combine meeting with everyone who would be attending to go over each player on our board and identify specific things we needed to find out about them.
Of all the tests and evaluations performed at the combine, [medical evaluation] might have the biggest influence on whether a team will draft a player, regardless of
how he grades out as a football player. Teams will take players off their draft board if the doctors decide it is not worth the medical risk to draft the player.
Some people might wonder what scouts possibly can evaluate when a player stands alone on a stage in just his shorts. ... Some teams will go as far as identifying tattoos that could be gang related.
Spielman also spouts the usual stuff about thinking every player should run the 40 at the combine, and that fast players are fast and slow players are slow and blah blah blah. This is the one-way street stuff that galls me.
First off, NFL scouts put SO much value in the 40 time that a player can hurt his draft status incredibly by turning in a slow time. A player can enhance his status by ripping it up in the 40. There are many examples of the 40 time being a determining factor.
And the funny thing is, much like my college GPA, which I don't mention in polite company, NOBODY ever, EVER brings up a 40 time for 98 percent of the guys in the NFL again. If you can play, you can play.
(Of course, I get sucked into the 40-time thing more than I would like to. It is pretty impressive when you hear some of the 40 times of some of those guys, such as Samie Parker of Oregon or Bethel Johnson out of Texas A&M, who each seemed to have about a 4.28 40.)
Pat Kirwan wrote a column in 2004 regarding the 40 time, and I found it online.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/7095858
In it, he sort of advocates finding players who are great college players and who look very athletic in every phase of the game, but who blow their 40 times. His two examples are Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin, who had bad 40 times and were docked in the draft, and turned out to be NFL players. I don't think players should be upgraded because of bad work in Indy, of course. I think it was Bill Walsh who said that Bill Walsh's genius in drafting players was that he only really looked at what players did in college games as the indication of what they could do, not their size or 40 times or arm strenghth or anything else.
Here are some quotes from the Kirwan piece:
As one prominent agent said to me this week when I asked him if his top clients were working out in Indy, he said 'no, and for two big reasons: Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin'. Both of those young players last year felt they had to do everything at the combine so they participated and they ran slow. Their draft status was damaged in the eyes of club officials with the slow times.
Why take a slow player when you can take a fast player? Maybe because the "slower" player is a better football player? Davis ran a 4.62, which is a bit too slow for an elite running back. Boldin ran an awful 4.72, which is snails pace for a wide receiver. Of course, both players went on to have excellent rookie seasons in the NFL. Davis ran for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns as the top rookie running back in the league for Houston and Boldin caught 101 passes for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns. Their football production far outweighed their 40-yard times, but Davis was drafted in the fourth round and Boldin went in the second round.
All I can think about if I were running a personnel department right now is to tell my staff, 'go find the Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin of this draft.'
I took a look at the All-Rookie team and a number of rookies who excelled this past season that were drafted no higher than the fourth round to find the common thread as to why they were drafted lower than where they actually performed.
Panthers cornerback Ricky Manning started in the Super Bowl. After he won the starting job, his team went 6-1 on the road. He was drafted in the fourth round and he ran a slow 40 (4.53) at the combine. He ran faster later in the spring but was ranked anywhere between eighth and 12th on most cornerback lists. One college scout admitted his combine 40 time was a factor.
There is a great opportunity waiting for the people responsible for a team's draft to look at combine results differently and find those special players most teams will be downgrading this week because of a less-than-stellar performance.
As one of smartest football friends I have in the NFL said to me this week, 'there is a competitive edge to be gained from changing the way I use the results of the combine. I hope after all these years I can try different ways of using the information we gather in Indianapolis'.
Shootin' the Brees: I'd Take Pennington
There are reports that the Jets are going to cut Chad Pennington because of his huge salary. Here's the math:
The team is about $26 million over the cap and needs to come to an agreement with Pennington before the start of free agency March 3.
Pennington's agent, Tom Condon, reportedly rejected a deal that would have reduced the quarterback's base salary from $9 million to $1 million.
The Jets started renegotiating with the franchise quarterback last week, hoping to slash his base pay to make his contract more salary-cap friendly.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=At2nGObED3qKvpTMq_Mtkl5DubYF?slug=ap-jets-pennington&prov=ap&type=lgns
And the Chargers are going to let Drew Brees go in free agency, supposedly.
San Diego general manager A. J. Smith said Monday the team has declined to designate Brees as its franchise or transition player.
If the Chargers had slapped either of the tags on Brees, he would be guaranteed nearly $10 million in a one-year salary next season. That's too rich for the Chargers, considering Brees was injured in the team's season finale, tearing the labrum in his throwing shoulder while trying to recover a fumble.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-chargers-brees&prov=ap&type=lgns
So two young quarterbacks, two bad shoulders. You are a NFL team. Which quarterback do you go for?
I like Drew Brees. Thought he was a heckuva QB out of Purdue. Thought the Dolphins should have picked him at the end of the first round in 2001, when, instead, they took Jamar Fletcher, the cornerback from Wisconsin (my brother-in-law, Dave-o, a huge Dolphin fan, almost had a cow, a whole steer, when the Dolphins announced that pick).
But, for my money, I would take Pennington on the open market. When healthy, I think Pennington is a better player. If they are both hurt, they are just hurt. But if they are both healthy, Pennington, in my mind, is the much better quarterback. Here are the numbers:
Brees
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int
2001-02 San Diego 1 94.8 15 27 55.6 221 221.0 8.2 1 0
2002-03 San Diego 16 76.9 320 526 60.8 3284 205.3 6.2 17 16
2003-04 San Diego 11 67.5 205 356 57.6 2108 191.6 5.9 11 15
2004-05 San Diego 15 104.8 262 400 65.5 3159 210.6 7.9 27 7
2005-06 San Diego 16 89.2 323 500 64.6 3576 223.5 7.2 24 15
Career 59 84.9 1125 1809 62.2 12348 209.3 6.8 80 53
Pennington
2000-01 NY Jets 2 127.1 2 5 40.0 67 33.5 13.4 1 0
2001-02 NY Jets 2 79.6 10 20 50.0 92 46.0 4.6 1 0
2002-03 NY Jets 15 104.2 275 399 68.9 3120 208.0 7.8 22 6
2003-04 NY Jets 10 82.9 189 297 63.6 2139 213.9 7.2 13 12
2004-05 NY Jets 13 91.0 242 370 65.4 2673 205.6 7.2 16 9
2005-06 NY Jets 3 70.9 49 83 59.0 530 176.7 6.4 2 3
Career 45 92.1 767 1174 65.3 8621 191.6 7.3 55 30
I lot of what I like about Chad Pennington is from his 2002 season, which was a long time ago. But to me, his best is better than Brees's best. And Pennington's worst isn't that much worse than Brees's worst. I would be willing to gamble on Pennington coming back and being great again.
A team is going to have to shell out a great deal of money for Drew Brees. A team will have to load Pennington's contract with a bunch of incentives. The better deal is Chad Pennington.
The team is about $26 million over the cap and needs to come to an agreement with Pennington before the start of free agency March 3.
Pennington's agent, Tom Condon, reportedly rejected a deal that would have reduced the quarterback's base salary from $9 million to $1 million.
The Jets started renegotiating with the franchise quarterback last week, hoping to slash his base pay to make his contract more salary-cap friendly.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=At2nGObED3qKvpTMq_Mtkl5DubYF?slug=ap-jets-pennington&prov=ap&type=lgns
And the Chargers are going to let Drew Brees go in free agency, supposedly.
San Diego general manager A. J. Smith said Monday the team has declined to designate Brees as its franchise or transition player.
If the Chargers had slapped either of the tags on Brees, he would be guaranteed nearly $10 million in a one-year salary next season. That's too rich for the Chargers, considering Brees was injured in the team's season finale, tearing the labrum in his throwing shoulder while trying to recover a fumble.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-chargers-brees&prov=ap&type=lgns
So two young quarterbacks, two bad shoulders. You are a NFL team. Which quarterback do you go for?
I like Drew Brees. Thought he was a heckuva QB out of Purdue. Thought the Dolphins should have picked him at the end of the first round in 2001, when, instead, they took Jamar Fletcher, the cornerback from Wisconsin (my brother-in-law, Dave-o, a huge Dolphin fan, almost had a cow, a whole steer, when the Dolphins announced that pick).
But, for my money, I would take Pennington on the open market. When healthy, I think Pennington is a better player. If they are both hurt, they are just hurt. But if they are both healthy, Pennington, in my mind, is the much better quarterback. Here are the numbers:
Brees
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int
2001-02 San Diego 1 94.8 15 27 55.6 221 221.0 8.2 1 0
2002-03 San Diego 16 76.9 320 526 60.8 3284 205.3 6.2 17 16
2003-04 San Diego 11 67.5 205 356 57.6 2108 191.6 5.9 11 15
2004-05 San Diego 15 104.8 262 400 65.5 3159 210.6 7.9 27 7
2005-06 San Diego 16 89.2 323 500 64.6 3576 223.5 7.2 24 15
Career 59 84.9 1125 1809 62.2 12348 209.3 6.8 80 53
Pennington
2000-01 NY Jets 2 127.1 2 5 40.0 67 33.5 13.4 1 0
2001-02 NY Jets 2 79.6 10 20 50.0 92 46.0 4.6 1 0
2002-03 NY Jets 15 104.2 275 399 68.9 3120 208.0 7.8 22 6
2003-04 NY Jets 10 82.9 189 297 63.6 2139 213.9 7.2 13 12
2004-05 NY Jets 13 91.0 242 370 65.4 2673 205.6 7.2 16 9
2005-06 NY Jets 3 70.9 49 83 59.0 530 176.7 6.4 2 3
Career 45 92.1 767 1174 65.3 8621 191.6 7.3 55 30
I lot of what I like about Chad Pennington is from his 2002 season, which was a long time ago. But to me, his best is better than Brees's best. And Pennington's worst isn't that much worse than Brees's worst. I would be willing to gamble on Pennington coming back and being great again.
A team is going to have to shell out a great deal of money for Drew Brees. A team will have to load Pennington's contract with a bunch of incentives. The better deal is Chad Pennington.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Maybe Reggie Bush to the Texans Isn't a Slam Dunk
According to Peter King, the Texans aren't sold on Reggie Bush. Or at least that is what Charlie Casserly, the Houston GM, has told King. or at least that is the Texans negotiating ploy.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArIekHCA5jRE6Lhg6ZPN9H5DubYF?slug=cnnsi-firstthingsfirs&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. I hope you are just blowing smoke up someone's bloomers. I think the guy is Cadillac Williams, only better. I think he is Clinton Portis, only faster. I think he is Marshall Faulk. Reggie Bush is about Marshall Faulk. And with the way that teams pass the ball, Bush doesn't have to carry it 20 times a game between the tackles every game. Just some games. And Bush has always looked plenty tough to me.
Let's take a look at the top running backs in the NFL draft for the last several years.
2005
Ronnie Brown, No. 2 overall, Miami: Looked pretty damned good his rookie year. Split carries with Ricky Williams toward middle and end of year. Hopefully didn't split brownies with Williams.
Cedric Benson, No. 4, Chicago: Held out. Couldn't win starting job from former No. 7 overall pick Thomas Jones.
Carnell Cadillac Williams, No. 5, Tampa Bay: Was the top rookie running back last season, and won several honors as offensive rookie of the year.
J.J. Arrington, No. 44, Arizona: Was it JJ's lack of burst or an offense-wide problem with Arizona not being able to run the ball? Arrington didn't look very good his rookie year.
2004
Steven Jackson, No. 24, Rams: Was good enough to take Marshall Faulk's starting job away. With the Rams moving away from a pass-drunk offense, Jackson may move to being a top NFL running back. Big and fast, Jackson needs to continue working on his game.
Chris Perry, No. 26, Cincinnati: Was slated as a second-rounder. Missed most of his rookie year with an injury, but was productive as a sophomore as a third-down back. Showed a surprising burst.
Kevin Jones, No. 30, Detroit: Looked better as a rookie than last year, though he had to battle some injury woes as a sophomore. May be getting the ball a lot as the Lions move away from the San Fran West Coast offense.
Tatum Bell, No. 41, Denver: Is a part-time starter. Very, very fast, and looks like he can be productive in the Denver system.
Julius Jones, No. 43, Dallas: There are times that Julius looks like the best back in this class. He is powerfully built, can read his blockers, and shows a nice burst with some breakaway speed.
2003
Willis McGahee, No. 23, Buffalo: Sat out a redshirt year as a rookie because of injury. There are times that McGahee looks like a top-5 back in the NFL. There are times that he doesn't. Has all the tools, and still may put them together.
Larry Johnson, No. 27, Kansas City: Looked a little like a bust after his first season and a half. There was some talk about KC giving up on him and moving on before last year. I'll be they are glad they didn't. Had one of the best half a seasons in football history the last half of 2005. He gained 1,351 yards in the last nine games of the season, with 16 rushing touchdowns. He is one of the top three backs in football right now.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArIekHCA5jRE6Lhg6ZPN9H5DubYF?slug=cnnsi-firstthingsfirs&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns
"There's been no guarantee that we'll take Bush,'' Casserly told me. "We're wideI think it is a little better to just go with the flow on this and see if you can get a talent like Bush wrapped up before the draft. I also don't want to hear the bull about Bush being durable enough. It just doesn't make sense to me.
open. We're wide open for trades for the pick. The way I see it, here are our
options. Keep David Carr and take Reggie Bush. Keep David Carr and draft Vince
Young. Take Vince Young and see what we can get in trade for David Carr. And
trade down. We're going to visit with people at Indianapolis and take our time.
Nothing will get done, I wouldn't think, until the week before the
draft.''
Peter King says: "My biggest question about Bush has been -- and continues to be
-- this: Can he be an every-down player in the NFL? This is a guy who rushed
more than 20 times twice in a three-year USC career, and who, playing at around
198 pounds, will have massive durability questions in the
NFL."
"It's the same question we're asking ourselves internally,
quite frankly,'' said Casserly. "He didn't do it in college, and you don't know
if he can do it in the NFL."
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. I hope you are just blowing smoke up someone's bloomers. I think the guy is Cadillac Williams, only better. I think he is Clinton Portis, only faster. I think he is Marshall Faulk. Reggie Bush is about Marshall Faulk. And with the way that teams pass the ball, Bush doesn't have to carry it 20 times a game between the tackles every game. Just some games. And Bush has always looked plenty tough to me.
Let's take a look at the top running backs in the NFL draft for the last several years.
2005
Ronnie Brown, No. 2 overall, Miami: Looked pretty damned good his rookie year. Split carries with Ricky Williams toward middle and end of year. Hopefully didn't split brownies with Williams.
Cedric Benson, No. 4, Chicago: Held out. Couldn't win starting job from former No. 7 overall pick Thomas Jones.
Carnell Cadillac Williams, No. 5, Tampa Bay: Was the top rookie running back last season, and won several honors as offensive rookie of the year.
J.J. Arrington, No. 44, Arizona: Was it JJ's lack of burst or an offense-wide problem with Arizona not being able to run the ball? Arrington didn't look very good his rookie year.
2004
Steven Jackson, No. 24, Rams: Was good enough to take Marshall Faulk's starting job away. With the Rams moving away from a pass-drunk offense, Jackson may move to being a top NFL running back. Big and fast, Jackson needs to continue working on his game.
Chris Perry, No. 26, Cincinnati: Was slated as a second-rounder. Missed most of his rookie year with an injury, but was productive as a sophomore as a third-down back. Showed a surprising burst.
Kevin Jones, No. 30, Detroit: Looked better as a rookie than last year, though he had to battle some injury woes as a sophomore. May be getting the ball a lot as the Lions move away from the San Fran West Coast offense.
Tatum Bell, No. 41, Denver: Is a part-time starter. Very, very fast, and looks like he can be productive in the Denver system.
Julius Jones, No. 43, Dallas: There are times that Julius looks like the best back in this class. He is powerfully built, can read his blockers, and shows a nice burst with some breakaway speed.
2003
Willis McGahee, No. 23, Buffalo: Sat out a redshirt year as a rookie because of injury. There are times that McGahee looks like a top-5 back in the NFL. There are times that he doesn't. Has all the tools, and still may put them together.
Larry Johnson, No. 27, Kansas City: Looked a little like a bust after his first season and a half. There was some talk about KC giving up on him and moving on before last year. I'll be they are glad they didn't. Had one of the best half a seasons in football history the last half of 2005. He gained 1,351 yards in the last nine games of the season, with 16 rushing touchdowns. He is one of the top three backs in football right now.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Ernie Stautner, NFL Tough Guy
Ernie Stautner died this past week.
I remember him best as the defensive coach for Tom Landry, but I also know that he was a defensive tackle for the Steelers in the 1950s and a Hall of Famer. When I was younger, it was always my impression that he was HUGE.
Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Reading some of the obits, it seems that he was a precursor to one of my favorite playes, Tim Krumrie.
Here are some obits with some great quotes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/sports/football/17stautner.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/021706dnspostautner.323f3346.html
I remember him best as the defensive coach for Tom Landry, but I also know that he was a defensive tackle for the Steelers in the 1950s and a Hall of Famer. When I was younger, it was always my impression that he was HUGE.
Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Reading some of the obits, it seems that he was a precursor to one of my favorite playes, Tim Krumrie.
Here are some obits with some great quotes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/sports/football/17stautner.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
At 6-foot-1 and about 235 pounds, he was small for his position, even in that
era, but he was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl nine times and was voted to the
N.F.L.'s All-Star team four times.
Jim Parker, the Hall of Fame offensive guard who died last July, as once saying of Stautner: "That man ain't human. He's too strong to be human. He's the toughest guy in the league to play against because he keeps coming headfirst. Swinging those forearms wears you down. That animal used to stick his head in my belly and drive me into the backfield so hard that when I picked myself up and looked around, there was a path chopped through the field like the farmer had run a plow over it."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/021706dnspostautner.323f3346.html
"He was from an era where football was built and was one of the toughest guys
I've ever known," former Cowboys safety Cliff Harris said. "In those early days
of football, there was no such thing as illegal roughness, and Ernie had broken
noses and broken knuckles, and everything was fair. I think that people have
forgotten about that era, but they laid the foundation of where football is
today, and he was one of those pillars."
Bob Lilly was in his
sixth season when Stautner joined Landry's staff as a defensive line coach in
1966. He knew Stautner as a tough-nosed player from his days with the Steelers
and saw it again as a coach.
"We're hitting the two-man sled, and we're supposed to hit it with our forearms, and Ernie says, 'You guys are hitting it like a bunch of girls. Let me show you how to hit it,' " Lilly recalled. "He comes up and almost knocked it over. By the third time, he hit this steel plate with his knuckle and broke his hand. He got our attention from
that point on."
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/steelerslive/s_424869.html
And, because he demonstrated a blue-collar work ethic (no doubt developed in his native Germany), he was a favorite of the long-suffering Steelers fans.
"Ernie's physical and relentless style of play helped the Steelers earn a reputation for being one of the NFL's toughest teams in the 1950s," Rooney said, mindful that the Steelers were 16-9-3 in Stautner's final two seasons, which included a playoff berth in 1962. "He was undersized for his position, but his strength and power were among his greatest assets."
"He was kind of the backbone of our Doomsday defenses," said Gil Brandt, the vice president of player personnel with the Cowboys from 1960-89. "He kind of coached like he played. He was a hard-working, hard-trying individual who had a lot of patience in developing young players. He was easy-going and well-liked. The thing with him was that he made everybody feel at home."
http://news.steelers.com/article/62905/
"The team in the 1950s was a lot better than anybody knew," said Rooney. "They played well. They didn't win championships, but some of that was because of injuries. Our reputation for being a tough team started a little bit before Ernie, but not to the extent that he would take it to.
"When people thought of the Steelers in the 1950s, they thought of Ernie Stautner."
http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=7438BC7C-C1BA-E12C-07CE962FB46D1FDB
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells remembered having to coach against those Stautner defenses when he was first making his way in the NFL.
"He was the first one to bring all eight," recalled Parcells, referring to the numbers of guys at the line of scrimmage and rushing the quarterback - a forerunner to what Buddy Ryan began doing with the Bears. "He was tough."
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=269853&Category=17
Lilly, a Hall of Fame defensive tackle, said that as soon as Stautner arrived, he demanded that his players pay attention to the little things in practice. “He said, ‘You guys hit that two-man sled like a bunch of girls.’ What he did was he put his right hand in a fist and came up and hit that sled as hard as he could, and he was stout,” Lilly said. “He hit it two or three times, and we were wide-eyed.
“There’s a half-inch metal plate behind that pad, and he hit that pad with his middle knuckle and broke a bone in his hand. He hit it again, and blood started squirting out,” Lilly said. “Boy, I can tell you he had our attention from then on.”
Rating the New Head Coach Hires: The First Time Coaches
Rating the New Head Coach Hires: The First Time Coaches :
B Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
I give the Saints a B for getting Payton. He is a respected quarterback guru (who will probably get a chance to show what he can do with Matt Leinert) and a fine offensive mind. He seems to have all the tools to be a big-time head coach, and he reminds me a little of John Gruden. He has a chance to turn around a struggling organization. He is probably about even with Jim Haslett.
C+ Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
Kubiak reminds me of Mike Shanahan. Both the good and the bad. Kubiak seems highly organized, he has run one of the best offenses in the NFL for more than a decade in Denver with all sorts of players, and he is ready to be a head coach. And he seems to know how to run the ball. He was a player in the league, which neither helps nor hurts. Denver has had it share of below par quarterbacking ever since No. 7 left town, so it willbe interesting to see what Kubiak can do with David Carr. Reggie Bush will help. I do like Dom Capers, but, geez, Dom, get an offensive line, would ya?
C Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions
OK, this is just me. There is something aboutMarinelli that just says "football coach" to me. Whether he is a svelte Abe Gibron, who also sort of said "football coach" to me, is another matter. Idon't think you need to have been a coordinator before taking a head job. I do think it helps. I don't think you need to have a head coach at a lower level before taking a lead job. I do think it helps. I think Detroit is a mess of a situation and it may not matter who the head coach is there, they may not be able to be successful. Is Marinelli a step up from DickJauron? Probably not, but I think Jauron needed to go, because of the interim status thing. Is Marinelli astep up from Mariucci? No.
C- Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams
Maybe I'm biased, but I thought that much of what Minnesota accomplished under Linehan's tenure as the offensive coordinator was due to Randy Moss tilting the field and Dante Culpepper being a fairly fast 255-pound quarterback with a big arm and running skills. I was never really impressed with the Vikes' consistency on offense. But they did score. Linehan did a pretty impressive job with Miami's offense last year. But the Fish were coming off the Ricky fiasco, got Ronnie Brown, and got Ricky back. Linehan has some pretty impressive college credentials as well. Is Linehan an upgrade over Martz? As a offensive mind, no, but as head coach, maybe.
D+ Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
I have to admit that I was never a big fan of Philadelphia's offense, but it IS productive. Childress is given credit for much of Donavan McNabb's success. Maybe rightly so. And, if that is the case, then he has a lot to work with in Culpepper. I thinkDante's decision skills aren't as good as McNabb's, so there will be some problem there in adopting a pass-first West Coast offense that depends on a high completion percentage. Childress is a step up from Mike Tice, if for no other reason than it was time for Tice to go. I'm not overly impressed with Childress and think he's about Mike Mularkey. There were probably better candidates available.
F Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
I think Mike McCarthy isn't even Mike Mularkey. When Andy Reid was hired as the Philadelphia coach, I gave that an F-, so you never know. But I think McCarthy wasn't even close to the best candidate available. I don't think he's ready. And I think he's come some spotty work in the past. He was the QB coach for Brett Favre for one season in which Favre threw for 4,000 yards. He was an offensive coordinator for New Orleans for five years. He had Jeff Blake, who did him proud for a year. And Aaron Brooks. Not all that great. Last year, he was the OC for the 49ers, where he oversaw the rapid development of Alex Smith. He is not an upgrade from Mike Sherman.
Eric Mangini, New York Jets F-
What is this about? I was going to make some derogatory comment about Mangini being Phil Bengtson, but Bengtson was much better prepared to be a head coach and actually deserved the job. I'm sorry. There is nothing about this guy that says "outstanding" to me. He took over a defense that was No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed in 2003 and No. 2 in 2004 and drove it to No. 17 in 2005. Now I know there were injuries and whatever, and those are just numbers, but why give this kid the job? I think that what Ted Cottrell did in his career is far more impressive. I think Norm Chow deserved a shot more. And I will tell you this, there is nothing about Mangini that says "step up from Herm Edwards." Definite stop down. Eric, you are welcome. By my giving you an "F-", you will now go out and make everyone forget Don Shula, who was 33 when hewas hired by the Colts in 1963, replacing one of my favorite coaches of all time, Weeb Ewbank.
B Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
I give the Saints a B for getting Payton. He is a respected quarterback guru (who will probably get a chance to show what he can do with Matt Leinert) and a fine offensive mind. He seems to have all the tools to be a big-time head coach, and he reminds me a little of John Gruden. He has a chance to turn around a struggling organization. He is probably about even with Jim Haslett.
C+ Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
Kubiak reminds me of Mike Shanahan. Both the good and the bad. Kubiak seems highly organized, he has run one of the best offenses in the NFL for more than a decade in Denver with all sorts of players, and he is ready to be a head coach. And he seems to know how to run the ball. He was a player in the league, which neither helps nor hurts. Denver has had it share of below par quarterbacking ever since No. 7 left town, so it willbe interesting to see what Kubiak can do with David Carr. Reggie Bush will help. I do like Dom Capers, but, geez, Dom, get an offensive line, would ya?
C Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions
OK, this is just me. There is something aboutMarinelli that just says "football coach" to me. Whether he is a svelte Abe Gibron, who also sort of said "football coach" to me, is another matter. Idon't think you need to have been a coordinator before taking a head job. I do think it helps. I don't think you need to have a head coach at a lower level before taking a lead job. I do think it helps. I think Detroit is a mess of a situation and it may not matter who the head coach is there, they may not be able to be successful. Is Marinelli a step up from DickJauron? Probably not, but I think Jauron needed to go, because of the interim status thing. Is Marinelli astep up from Mariucci? No.
C- Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams
Maybe I'm biased, but I thought that much of what Minnesota accomplished under Linehan's tenure as the offensive coordinator was due to Randy Moss tilting the field and Dante Culpepper being a fairly fast 255-pound quarterback with a big arm and running skills. I was never really impressed with the Vikes' consistency on offense. But they did score. Linehan did a pretty impressive job with Miami's offense last year. But the Fish were coming off the Ricky fiasco, got Ronnie Brown, and got Ricky back. Linehan has some pretty impressive college credentials as well. Is Linehan an upgrade over Martz? As a offensive mind, no, but as head coach, maybe.
D+ Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
I have to admit that I was never a big fan of Philadelphia's offense, but it IS productive. Childress is given credit for much of Donavan McNabb's success. Maybe rightly so. And, if that is the case, then he has a lot to work with in Culpepper. I thinkDante's decision skills aren't as good as McNabb's, so there will be some problem there in adopting a pass-first West Coast offense that depends on a high completion percentage. Childress is a step up from Mike Tice, if for no other reason than it was time for Tice to go. I'm not overly impressed with Childress and think he's about Mike Mularkey. There were probably better candidates available.
F Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
I think Mike McCarthy isn't even Mike Mularkey. When Andy Reid was hired as the Philadelphia coach, I gave that an F-, so you never know. But I think McCarthy wasn't even close to the best candidate available. I don't think he's ready. And I think he's come some spotty work in the past. He was the QB coach for Brett Favre for one season in which Favre threw for 4,000 yards. He was an offensive coordinator for New Orleans for five years. He had Jeff Blake, who did him proud for a year. And Aaron Brooks. Not all that great. Last year, he was the OC for the 49ers, where he oversaw the rapid development of Alex Smith. He is not an upgrade from Mike Sherman.
Eric Mangini, New York Jets F-
What is this about? I was going to make some derogatory comment about Mangini being Phil Bengtson, but Bengtson was much better prepared to be a head coach and actually deserved the job. I'm sorry. There is nothing about this guy that says "outstanding" to me. He took over a defense that was No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed in 2003 and No. 2 in 2004 and drove it to No. 17 in 2005. Now I know there were injuries and whatever, and those are just numbers, but why give this kid the job? I think that what Ted Cottrell did in his career is far more impressive. I think Norm Chow deserved a shot more. And I will tell you this, there is nothing about Mangini that says "step up from Herm Edwards." Definite stop down. Eric, you are welcome. By my giving you an "F-", you will now go out and make everyone forget Don Shula, who was 33 when hewas hired by the Colts in 1963, replacing one of my favorite coaches of all time, Weeb Ewbank.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Rating the NFL Coaching Hires: The Veteran Coaches
Rating the new head coach hires
A+ Art Shell, Oakland Raiders
The last hire of the year was the best. This will turnout to be one of those situations where the Bears hadto settle for Lovie Smith or Notre Dame had to settlefor Charlie Weis. Shell is the right man for the job. Art knows exactly how to be a head coach. He knows exactly how to coach the Raiders. There was only one person for this job, and it was Art. Bobby Petrino was not as good a fit for this job. Neither was KenWhisenhunt. This needed to be Art's job. Great hire byAl Davis, even if he was sorta forced into it.
A- Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills
Jauron is a fine football coach, and he has shown the ability to be a successful head coach somewhat in the NFL. He will have about the same level of talent atBuffalo that he had in Chicago several years ago. And he will have one of the same problems: a young quarterback who may not be an NFL starter with veteran ability sitting on the bench. In Chicago, Jauron had Cade McNown, who was forced into a starting role for a playoff team and failed miserably, while Jim Miller had the support of the team. In Buffalo, Jauron islooking at JP Losman, while Kelly Holcombe may have the support of the team. But, long-term, I look forJauron to succeed.
B+ Herm Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
Boy did the Chiefs want Herm. With Al Saunders sitting there, Carl Peterson went out and got Herm. And I think that's a plus. Also, he was a good to very good head coach for the Jets for most of his tenure there. I actually think he did OK last year, all things considered. How would Tony Dungy have done with Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi hurt and out in week two or three? I would have like to see Al Saunders get a shot, but the Herm hire was a pretty good one.
A+ Art Shell, Oakland Raiders
The last hire of the year was the best. This will turnout to be one of those situations where the Bears hadto settle for Lovie Smith or Notre Dame had to settlefor Charlie Weis. Shell is the right man for the job. Art knows exactly how to be a head coach. He knows exactly how to coach the Raiders. There was only one person for this job, and it was Art. Bobby Petrino was not as good a fit for this job. Neither was KenWhisenhunt. This needed to be Art's job. Great hire byAl Davis, even if he was sorta forced into it.
A- Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills
Jauron is a fine football coach, and he has shown the ability to be a successful head coach somewhat in the NFL. He will have about the same level of talent atBuffalo that he had in Chicago several years ago. And he will have one of the same problems: a young quarterback who may not be an NFL starter with veteran ability sitting on the bench. In Chicago, Jauron had Cade McNown, who was forced into a starting role for a playoff team and failed miserably, while Jim Miller had the support of the team. In Buffalo, Jauron islooking at JP Losman, while Kelly Holcombe may have the support of the team. But, long-term, I look forJauron to succeed.
B+ Herm Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
Boy did the Chiefs want Herm. With Al Saunders sitting there, Carl Peterson went out and got Herm. And I think that's a plus. Also, he was a good to very good head coach for the Jets for most of his tenure there. I actually think he did OK last year, all things considered. How would Tony Dungy have done with Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi hurt and out in week two or three? I would have like to see Al Saunders get a shot, but the Herm hire was a pretty good one.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Top Ten List of Bears QBs that Make Me Chuckle
I was saddened to hear of Jack Concannon's death the other day. In fact, there were two great columns about him that, if you haven't read, you should. One is by Bob Ryan, who discusses Concannon's BC career, and the other is from Frank Fitzpatrick of the Inquirer, who discusses Concannon's Eagles stint.
Here are the links.
http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2005/11/30/concannons_career_was_a_highlight_reel/
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/football/nfl/philadelphia_eagles/13297071.htm
Anyway, he is on my list of quarterbacks for the Bears that conjure up a team that would run the ball and run the ball and run the ball. Hit you hard. Make you pay. And lose.
The Bears sort of had a rep for years as a team that you could beat, but who would beat you up physically. And part of the reason was that the Chicago QBs were, to put it politely, not as good as the average NFL quarterback.
So here is my list of Bear QBs from the Sixties and Seventies that make me chuckle.
1. Bob Avellini
2. Kent Nix
3. Bobby Douglass
4. Mike Phipps
5. Gary Huff
6. Rudy Bukich
7. John Huarte
8. Jack Concannon
9. Virgil Carter (LOVED him as a Bengal, however. Actually met him once or twice. Nice guy.)
10. Vince Evans
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Here are the links.
http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2005/11/30/concannons_career_was_a_highlight_reel/
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/football/nfl/philadelphia_eagles/13297071.htm
Anyway, he is on my list of quarterbacks for the Bears that conjure up a team that would run the ball and run the ball and run the ball. Hit you hard. Make you pay. And lose.
The Bears sort of had a rep for years as a team that you could beat, but who would beat you up physically. And part of the reason was that the Chicago QBs were, to put it politely, not as good as the average NFL quarterback.
So here is my list of Bear QBs from the Sixties and Seventies that make me chuckle.
1. Bob Avellini
2. Kent Nix
3. Bobby Douglass
4. Mike Phipps
5. Gary Huff
6. Rudy Bukich
7. John Huarte
8. Jack Concannon
9. Virgil Carter (LOVED him as a Bengal, however. Actually met him once or twice. Nice guy.)
10. Vince Evans
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The Right Digital Camera for the Holidays
The Right Digital Camera for the Holidays
Which is the right digital camera for the holidays? This is the question. And I went looking for the answer. And for me, it seems that the answer is the Canon PowerShot A520.
The first question that I asked was, do I want a digital camera? I asked my wife if we were ready to go digital, and she said, "No." So, of course, I am getting a digital camera. All the cool kids have one.
As I was going along the buying a digital camera path, I had to answer the No. 1 question, which was: What do I want my digital camera to do? The answer for me is that I want it to replace my film point-and-shoot that I bought for $80 about three years ago.
Really, what I want is point-and-shoot capability. I want to be able to dump photos, which would be nice because my youngest, who is 5 years old, loves to take pictures but is not very good at it. Stinks, really.
So, how many megapixels do I want? You would think this would be an easy question to answer, but it's not. The bottom line is, you want at least 3.2 megapixels, but 4.0 is probably a lot better. But, any more than that (and that means 5.0 and more), and you start getting a diminishing return that hurts you in the fact that it takes more space to store all of your pixels. Most of the photos I am going to take will have a minimum of editing and cropping. So, bottom line, it seems, is that 4.0 is the best bet for me.
Wow. That really narrows down the whole digital camera game. Now, question No. 2: How much do I want to spend?
Here the answer is sort of tricky as well. I want to spend the least amount of money to get a pretty dang good 4.0 megapixel digital camera that I'll be happy with. OK. That really doesn't narrow it down all that much.
So, we do a little more research.
On Shopping.com, I am able to limit my list results to digitals cameras with at least 4.0 megapixels. Then I sort by price. I get 600 results starting at $99. So I know that I am probably going to spend at least, say, $120 or so. So, 600 results.
Let's get cracking on that research.
One of the best starting points for a free consumer-research website is http://www.consumersearch.com/ This site compiles the results of other websites that do research, and presents it into one neat package. The quick and easy
answer is that the top two sites like the PowerShot A520.
http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml
http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM?view=4#davecams
The PCWorld.com list of the best point-and-shoot doesn't include the A520, but does have it's A510 3.2-megapixel little brother. The other cameras on the list cost more than I want to spend.
So, that's it. I am going with the A520. And there we are.
Which is the right digital camera for the holidays? This is the question. And I went looking for the answer. And for me, it seems that the answer is the Canon PowerShot A520.
The first question that I asked was, do I want a digital camera? I asked my wife if we were ready to go digital, and she said, "No." So, of course, I am getting a digital camera. All the cool kids have one.
As I was going along the buying a digital camera path, I had to answer the No. 1 question, which was: What do I want my digital camera to do? The answer for me is that I want it to replace my film point-and-shoot that I bought for $80 about three years ago.
Really, what I want is point-and-shoot capability. I want to be able to dump photos, which would be nice because my youngest, who is 5 years old, loves to take pictures but is not very good at it. Stinks, really.
So, how many megapixels do I want? You would think this would be an easy question to answer, but it's not. The bottom line is, you want at least 3.2 megapixels, but 4.0 is probably a lot better. But, any more than that (and that means 5.0 and more), and you start getting a diminishing return that hurts you in the fact that it takes more space to store all of your pixels. Most of the photos I am going to take will have a minimum of editing and cropping. So, bottom line, it seems, is that 4.0 is the best bet for me.
Wow. That really narrows down the whole digital camera game. Now, question No. 2: How much do I want to spend?
Here the answer is sort of tricky as well. I want to spend the least amount of money to get a pretty dang good 4.0 megapixel digital camera that I'll be happy with. OK. That really doesn't narrow it down all that much.
So, we do a little more research.
On Shopping.com, I am able to limit my list results to digitals cameras with at least 4.0 megapixels. Then I sort by price. I get 600 results starting at $99. So I know that I am probably going to spend at least, say, $120 or so. So, 600 results.
Let's get cracking on that research.
One of the best starting points for a free consumer-research website is http://www.consumersearch.com/ This site compiles the results of other websites that do research, and presents it into one neat package. The quick and easy
answer is that the top two sites like the PowerShot A520.
http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml
http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM?view=4#davecams
The PCWorld.com list of the best point-and-shoot doesn't include the A520, but does have it's A510 3.2-megapixel little brother. The other cameras on the list cost more than I want to spend.
So, that's it. I am going with the A520. And there we are.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Eleven
Here are my picks for Week Eleven. If you are gambling with these, good luck to you.
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh)
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis)
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle)
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver)
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England)
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants)
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee)
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay)
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis)
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland)
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina)
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota)
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City)
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland)
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego)
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas)
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh) NOTE: In my newspaper, this line was off, but I looked for the line online and found Pittsburgh -4. That's what I'm going with. I am confident that the Ravens will cover this, win this game outright, and then have their problems. This has all the makings of a big upset. I'm putting all my points on the Ravens.
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis) The Bengals are six point home dogs. Indy won their last really big regular-season game of the year last week, beating the Pats at New England. I think that the Bengals at least cover, if not win outright.
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle) Am I alone in liking Ken Dorsey? Maybe. Anyway, San Francisco is not that bad, at least I don't think. And I don't know if Seattle is that good, yet, or not. But this has the appearances of a forget-it game to the 'Hawks, and I think that the Niners cover.
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver) OK, so here's the thing. I continue to not believe in the Broncos, and I continue to believe in Herm Edwards. Am I nuts? Well. Am I? ANSWER ME!
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England) The Saints never do anything they are supposed to do. They are supposed to get crushed this Sunday at Foxboro. They of course
will make it a close game. They have the receivers to do it.
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants) I hate to say this, but here it goes: I think Donovan McNabb's injury will help the Eagles for one week. I think it'll force the Eagles to do some different things on offense, which will be beneficial.
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee) The Jags have found an answer for Fred Taylor's injury-prone ways: Greg Jones. They had been dependant on Taylor to be healthy. But now, they can still run the ball without him. Tennessee comes up short in trying to win this one.
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay) Chris Simms had a good game last week, so I'm betting on him struggling on the road at Atlanta. And I think Atlanta will be able to run against the Tampa D.
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis) Can Arizona cover? That's the question here. With this many points, all the Cards need to do is load up against the run. And the Arizona wideouts should have some open space against the Rams secondary.
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland) I like the Dolphins running game more than the Browns'. It is a close call, so I'm going with the points.
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina) The only reason I'm picking the Bears is that they are home dogs. It'll be cold in Chicago, and the Bears will be used to the weather. If they can stop Steve Smith, and I think they can, the Bears win.
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota) Boy, the Pack is beat up. But with the addition of Samdon Gado, GB has a running game. That should be enough to cover against the Vikes, unless Green Bay has a complete special teams meltdown against Minnesota, ala the Gints.
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City) Houston is coming around. They are a touchdown home dog, and KC isn't that great on the road. Texans win outright.
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland) I think that this could be a close low-scoring game, but Oakland has had some troubles against the run.
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego) Buffalo should be able to contain LT and keep it within eleven, unless JP Losman has a terrible game.
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas) I am putting all of my point on Joey Harrington being able to keep it close against Dallas. The Cow Pokes didn't really look all that good against a struggling Iggles club.
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh)
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis)
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle)
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver)
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England)
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants)
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee)
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay)
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis)
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland)
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina)
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota)
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City)
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland)
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego)
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas)
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh) NOTE: In my newspaper, this line was off, but I looked for the line online and found Pittsburgh -4. That's what I'm going with. I am confident that the Ravens will cover this, win this game outright, and then have their problems. This has all the makings of a big upset. I'm putting all my points on the Ravens.
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis) The Bengals are six point home dogs. Indy won their last really big regular-season game of the year last week, beating the Pats at New England. I think that the Bengals at least cover, if not win outright.
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle) Am I alone in liking Ken Dorsey? Maybe. Anyway, San Francisco is not that bad, at least I don't think. And I don't know if Seattle is that good, yet, or not. But this has the appearances of a forget-it game to the 'Hawks, and I think that the Niners cover.
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver) OK, so here's the thing. I continue to not believe in the Broncos, and I continue to believe in Herm Edwards. Am I nuts? Well. Am I? ANSWER ME!
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England) The Saints never do anything they are supposed to do. They are supposed to get crushed this Sunday at Foxboro. They of course
will make it a close game. They have the receivers to do it.
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants) I hate to say this, but here it goes: I think Donovan McNabb's injury will help the Eagles for one week. I think it'll force the Eagles to do some different things on offense, which will be beneficial.
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee) The Jags have found an answer for Fred Taylor's injury-prone ways: Greg Jones. They had been dependant on Taylor to be healthy. But now, they can still run the ball without him. Tennessee comes up short in trying to win this one.
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay) Chris Simms had a good game last week, so I'm betting on him struggling on the road at Atlanta. And I think Atlanta will be able to run against the Tampa D.
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis) Can Arizona cover? That's the question here. With this many points, all the Cards need to do is load up against the run. And the Arizona wideouts should have some open space against the Rams secondary.
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland) I like the Dolphins running game more than the Browns'. It is a close call, so I'm going with the points.
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina) The only reason I'm picking the Bears is that they are home dogs. It'll be cold in Chicago, and the Bears will be used to the weather. If they can stop Steve Smith, and I think they can, the Bears win.
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota) Boy, the Pack is beat up. But with the addition of Samdon Gado, GB has a running game. That should be enough to cover against the Vikes, unless Green Bay has a complete special teams meltdown against Minnesota, ala the Gints.
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City) Houston is coming around. They are a touchdown home dog, and KC isn't that great on the road. Texans win outright.
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland) I think that this could be a close low-scoring game, but Oakland has had some troubles against the run.
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego) Buffalo should be able to contain LT and keep it within eleven, unless JP Losman has a terrible game.
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas) I am putting all of my point on Joey Harrington being able to keep it close against Dallas. The Cow Pokes didn't really look all that good against a struggling Iggles club.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Disappointing Bengals; So Many, So Little Time
There is an interesting list of disappointing Bengals at this website:
http://unabatedsports.blogspot.com/
I added my two cents:
Travis Dorsch, neither a kicker nor a punter, drafted in the fourth round in 2002. Drafted after him was ave Zastudil, who is a fine punter for Baltimore.
Matt Schobel, a tight end who cost the Bengals two picks in 2002, the third and the fifth, which they used to trade up to the top of the third to get him. He is an OK player, but the best blocking TE in that draft, Randy McMichael (out of Georgia, no less) turned out the be the best pass-catching TE in the draft. Drafted in the fourth round. Schobel is not bad, but I guess they don't think he is good enough in blocking to be a starting tight end. Of course, they felt they need to trade up because they screwed up so much the year before, drafting ...
Sean Brewer. Third round TE out of San Jose State in 2001, who was not on anyone's draft list. No one's. He surprised everyone. There were some better TEs available. Shad Meier. Brandon Manumaleuna. Our own lovable Tony Stewart.
Curtis Keaton, RB. Now, he was only a fourth-round pick in 2000. But Na'il Diggs out of Ohio State was still on the board, and that would have been a great pick.
Craig Yeast, WR, fourth rounder in 1999, out of Kentucky. I think he might have been the all-time leader in receptions in the SEC at one point. Yeast played and/or plays in Canada. Brandon Stokely was taken in the same round the same year.
Artrell Hawkins, CB, second round pick in 1998. This was a terrible pick. Hawkins was projected lower, maybe fifth. He was too small, and not a terribly fast smallish CB. The next three picks were Patrick Surtain, Brian Kelly, and Samari Rolle.
Jevon Langford, DE, fourth round 1996. Very next pick, Jon Runyan. Next DEs taken, Chris Sullivan and Sean Moran.
Jeff Cothran, FB, first pick, third round, 1994. He couldn't block very well. And that's about all FBs do anymore. He was a better pick than ...
Steve Shine, LB, third round, 1994, out of Northwestern. Next linebacker taken, Jason Gilden, by the Stillers, no less. Drives me nuts.
Ty Parten, DT, third round, 1993. Next DT taken, Gilbert Brown.
Bob Dahl, G, Notre Dame, third round, 1991, who started for the Browns for several years. Kevin Donnalley was just a few picks later.
Bernard Clark, MLB, out of "The U". DeMond Winston and Jeroy Robinson were still available.
Kerry Owens, 1989, LB, fourth round. Pittsburgh selects Jerrol Williams, LB, the very next LB picked that draft. Drives me nuts.
Rob Woods, 1989, T, fourth round. Jeff Uhlenhake was the next OL picked.
Rickey Dixon, 1988, fifth player taken overall in the first round. Next two players picked: Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe. Next DBs were Terry McDaniel and EricAllen.
http://unabatedsports.blogspot.com/
I added my two cents:
Travis Dorsch, neither a kicker nor a punter, drafted in the fourth round in 2002. Drafted after him was ave Zastudil, who is a fine punter for Baltimore.
Matt Schobel, a tight end who cost the Bengals two picks in 2002, the third and the fifth, which they used to trade up to the top of the third to get him. He is an OK player, but the best blocking TE in that draft, Randy McMichael (out of Georgia, no less) turned out the be the best pass-catching TE in the draft. Drafted in the fourth round. Schobel is not bad, but I guess they don't think he is good enough in blocking to be a starting tight end. Of course, they felt they need to trade up because they screwed up so much the year before, drafting ...
Sean Brewer. Third round TE out of San Jose State in 2001, who was not on anyone's draft list. No one's. He surprised everyone. There were some better TEs available. Shad Meier. Brandon Manumaleuna. Our own lovable Tony Stewart.
Curtis Keaton, RB. Now, he was only a fourth-round pick in 2000. But Na'il Diggs out of Ohio State was still on the board, and that would have been a great pick.
Craig Yeast, WR, fourth rounder in 1999, out of Kentucky. I think he might have been the all-time leader in receptions in the SEC at one point. Yeast played and/or plays in Canada. Brandon Stokely was taken in the same round the same year.
Artrell Hawkins, CB, second round pick in 1998. This was a terrible pick. Hawkins was projected lower, maybe fifth. He was too small, and not a terribly fast smallish CB. The next three picks were Patrick Surtain, Brian Kelly, and Samari Rolle.
Jevon Langford, DE, fourth round 1996. Very next pick, Jon Runyan. Next DEs taken, Chris Sullivan and Sean Moran.
Jeff Cothran, FB, first pick, third round, 1994. He couldn't block very well. And that's about all FBs do anymore. He was a better pick than ...
Steve Shine, LB, third round, 1994, out of Northwestern. Next linebacker taken, Jason Gilden, by the Stillers, no less. Drives me nuts.
Ty Parten, DT, third round, 1993. Next DT taken, Gilbert Brown.
Bob Dahl, G, Notre Dame, third round, 1991, who started for the Browns for several years. Kevin Donnalley was just a few picks later.
Bernard Clark, MLB, out of "The U". DeMond Winston and Jeroy Robinson were still available.
Kerry Owens, 1989, LB, fourth round. Pittsburgh selects Jerrol Williams, LB, the very next LB picked that draft. Drives me nuts.
Rob Woods, 1989, T, fourth round. Jeff Uhlenhake was the next OL picked.
Rickey Dixon, 1988, fifth player taken overall in the first round. Next two players picked: Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe. Next DBs were Terry McDaniel and EricAllen.
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