Wampeters Foma And Granfalloons

This is the time of year when fans of those NFL teams that stunk out the joint in the previous season work themselves into a frothy lather over draft picks and which player in the draft is “the key” to making the playoffs next year. The fact is that most of those squads are far more than one player away from the playoffs is put aside in the spirit of seeing the glass as at least 50.1% full. Fueling that interest – - some might say pandering to it – - this time of year sees a spate of “mock draft” columns. Most of them are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

One of the assertions made by many of the mock draft writers is that one need not draft a running back in the first round because there are gems to be found late in the draft – - which is unarguably correct. The problem is that the conclusion they draw from the presence of those “late round gems” is that running backs at the top of the draft need to be devalued. To look at the situation in a sort of objective fashion, I want to get away from the arguments that Arian Foster was an undrafted free agent while CJ Spiller, taken in the first round, has not performed to nearly Foster’s level. I think it is more informative to look at the running backs who gained 1000 or more yards last year.

With a 16-game schedule, a back needs to gain 62.5 yards per game to reach the 1000-yard level. If I counted correctly, 15 running backs did that in 2011; here is the breakdown as to how they were drafted:

    Round 1: 8
    Round 2: 3
    Round 3: 2
    Round 5: 1
    Undrafted Free Agent: 1

Looking at that distribution, I think the metaphor of finding a “gem” of a running back in the late rounds is very appropriate. You do not find them very often; but when you do, they are quite valuable. On the other hand, another way to look at it is this:

    Last year, about 85% of the running backs who gained 1000 yards for the season went in the top half of the draft.

One of my favorite authors was Kurt Vonnegut. One of his works – - a series of essays – - was Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons. I am not about to do a book review here but a “Foma” by Vonnegut’s definition was an idea that was taken to be factual by people who need simplicity in their lives. It may or may not be true, but believing it to be true causes no harm to anyone. I think the idea of not taking running backs early in the NFL draft is a current-day Foma.

The Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder to a 9-year contract worth $214M. That is not just a life-changing amount of money; that is a generational life-changing amount of money. Fielder is 27 years old and – - barring injuries of course – - should be a top-shelf hitter for most if not all of that contract. The fact that the Tigers are in the league that uses the DH makes Fielder’s utility to them potentially greater in the final years of this deal.

Regarding the 2012 season, the Tigers might be one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. Prince Fielder can really only play first base; he plays hard but let me be generous and say that he does not have great range at the position. If he plays first base, that means Miguel Cabrera might show up at third base on some days. Picture in your mind a six-foot high traffic cone; that is about the range Cabrera would display as a third baseman. Moreover, while those guys anchor the infield, the Tigers might put Delmon Young somewhere in the outfield… On days when those three guys are playing the field together, the Tigers’ defense will be about as effective as was the Maginot Line in the early days of WW II.

The other thing that comes to mind when considering the Tigers’ signing of Fielder is that a bunch of AL teams seem to be loading up for a run at the AL pennant at the very least. In addition to the Tigers activities this winter:

    The Angels signed Albert Pujols for $240M
    The Texans signed Yu Darvish costing them more than $100M
    The Yankees and Red Sox are hardly penurious.

Those five teams look to be “all in” – - to use current jargon – - while the “Moneyball” guys in Oakland have chosen to demonstrate how they have “run the numbers” better than anyone else with a signing announced in today’s Transactions in the agate section of the Washington Post:

The A’s signed Jonny Gomes to a 1-year deal.

Just in case anyone is wondering how any player might be worth more than $200M to a team, the answer is that by himself, the player is not worth that kind of money. However, if a player can make a team into a consistent winner/contender for the World Series and possibly a World Series Champion, he does bring a lot of money to the team in an indirect way.

    Good teams fill the stadium regularly.

    The vast majority of people who go to games these days deck themselves out in official licensed team gear.

    Plenty of other people buy and wear that official gear too if the team is a winner.

If you stood back and looked at those fashion choices rationally, you might ask yourself what these chronological adults are thinking stocking their closets with a jersey or two that can cost more than $100 each where the value is contained in the name of a player on the back of the jersey. In fact, if you look at it rationally, you might want to take some of them aside and ask – - not necessarily in the politest tone of voice:

    What the Hell are you thinking?

Finally, I started off today mentioning teams that will have high draft picks in the NFL Draft come April. Here is a Tweet from Dan Daly of the Washington Times that I found through Facebook that explains the Washington Redskins’ situation in the NFL:

“It’s not just that the #Redskins are in last place — again. It’s that pro football still doesn’t have an NIT. #NFL”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 27, 2012 – 1:05 pm Categories: Daily Rants | Comments (2)

Terrell Owens Is “Desperate For Cash”

There is a story by Nancy Hass in GQ about Terrell Owens. Ms. Hass may not be as widely known as some other sports writers, but she does have an entry in the 2011 edition of Best American Sports Writing. This story is worth reading in its entirety.

Here are some of the salient points from that story:

    T.O. has had no offers from NFL teams – - not even lowball offers – - subsequent to his knee surgery and the televised workout he and Drew Rosenhaus staged.

    T.O. is “desperate for cash”. He claims that his financial advisors – - recommended by Rosenhaus – - put him into risky ventures that collapsed.

      One of his financial advisors has shut down his company and is facing “drug charges in connection with the alleged rape of a female employee.”

    One surviving business venture is a men’s hair salon in Miami called T.O. Cutz. Given that his normal appearance is with a shaved head, potential customers might be wary of the range of options open to them there.

    T.O. is paying $44K per month to four women who are the mothers of his four children.

The closest that T.O. comes in this story to realizing that his past behaviors just might be the reason no NFL team has called to ask him to come for a workout is that he admits that he is “not a tactful person.” [Aside: That is almost as self-evident as saying that Helen Keller would not do well with a Rubik’s Cube.] At the same time, he also says:

“I think people change, but the media, they never allowed me to change. They never allowed me to be a better person.”

    Memo to T.O.: Most folks do not need the media’s permission to become a better person.

This story ought to be read by young athletes in various sports – - but it will not. Young athletes can learn a lot from reading this in terms of what they need to pay attention to in addition to things like staying in shape, avoiding felonious behaviors and the like. Terrell Owens earned about $80M in his career and he is now “desperate for cash” as he is nearing the time when he will no longer be able to play football to earn money. One can learn from role models – - both positive ones and negative ones. The thing to keep straight is to know which role models are negative ones so those are the behaviors to avoid.

Meanwhile, Roger Goodell would seem to be in a situation where he will have no financial woes for the foreseeable future. The NFL owners just extended Goodell’s contract through March 2019. While I do not recall reading anything about the financial aspects of that contract, I have to assume that his yearly income has at least two commas in the number and perhaps as many as seven zeroes… Given the financial well-being of the NFL, you can say that he earned that contract.

Let me ask a rhetorical question regarding the NFL:

    The NFL has a rule against taunting an opponent – - that is covered under the list of things considered to be unsportsmanlike conduct.

    So, how does even the most tasteful end zone celebration avoid such a penalty flag?

As coaches are shuffling around from one NFL team to another in this off-season, I think it would be instructive to take a look at the coaching staff of the New York Giants in 1956.

    Jim Lee Howell: He was the head coach. He would win the NFL Championship that year over the Chicago Bears. During his time with the Giants (7 seasons), he compiled a record of 53-27-4 and was the coach of the Giants in the “greatest game ever played” – - the overtime loss to the Baltimore Colts in the 58 NFL Championship game.

    Vincent Thomas Lombardi: He was the offensive coordinator. In early 1959, he took over a Packers’ team that had gone 1-10-1 the previous year; in his second season there, the Packers were in the NFL Championship game, which they lost. After that, his Packers dominated the decade of the 1960s.

    Thomas Wade Landry: He was the defensive coordinator. He took over the expansion Dallas Cowboys’ franchise in 1960 and was the head coach there until 1988. His Cowboys had a winning record in 20 consecutive seasons (1966 – 1985) and most folks credit him with the “invention” of the 4-3 defense still used by many NFL teams.

Today, people like to talk about “coaching trees”. That 1956 NY Giants coaching staff bore an awful lot of fruit…

Finally, here is an item from Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times:

“Harvey Updyke, the accused Toomer’s Corner tree-poisoner, has rejected prosecutors’ plea deal that would have sent him to prison for 13 years and banned him from Alabama sporting events.

“Or to put it in football terms, he declined the penalty.”

    [Aside: A prison term of 13 years for killing a tree? The prosecutors must think Judge Isaac Parker is coming back from the grave to preside over the sentencing here. Wow!]

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 26, 2012 – 12:40 pm Categories: Daily Rants | Comments (2)

The NFL Blackout Rule Under Review…

Yesterday, I mentioned that the NFL stadium experience – - and potentially future stadium attendance – - is coming up against competition from staying at home and watching the game on high-def and/or 3-D television. Then last evening, I ran across a report about a group called Sports Fan Coalition, which has managed to get the Federal Communications Commission to review the NFL’s blackout rules. Sports Fan Coalition is a lobbying group that represents sports fans; it created and circulated a petition that received sufficient attention within the FCC to get the FCC to seek public comment on the petition.

Sports Fan Coalition seeks to end the blackout rule which for the NFL says that if a game in a local market is not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff, the local channels in that local market may not telecast the game. It may be seen in the market of the visiting team but not in the local market. That sounds like a simple rule – - and since the rule came into being sometime in the 1970s, it was very precise with regard to what was covered. The problem now is that in 2012, NFL games are carried on satellite and cable networks in addition to over-the-air-television stations and the blackout rule now allows the league to prevent fans from seeing the local team even if they have purchased a satellite TV package that supposedly gives them access to all games.

As I understand it, the FCC is asking for comment about modifying the blackout rules as they apply to cable TV and satellite TV packages. If that understanding is correct, I am of two minds with regard to the outcome.

On the side of the blackouts, I refuse to believe that free and unfettered access to telecasts of NFL games is one of the rights guaranteed to citizens. Professional football games are staged by the NFL and therefore are the property of the NFL. If the NFL chooses not to present its product in a local market, that is not significantly different from a peanut butter manufacturer who chooses not to put his product on supermarket shelves in Buttbreath, Montana. That hypothetical peanut butter manufacturer is limiting his sales potential by that decision, but as comedian, Ron White has said:

“You can’t cure stupid…”

Having said that, games on cable TV are nationally televised events and when one purchases a satellite TV package to get access to all games the relationship between the NFL as the stager of the games and the fan as the consumer of the games is a different one. In addition, the NFL receives “benefits” from taxpayers in virtually every market in which the team operates and a subset of those taxpayers are the folks who might want to watch the local heroes when they play. I really do not know what the ultimate outcome here ought to be; I need more information.

While on the subject of the NFL and business decisions, I also read in the St Louis Post-Dispatch that the St. Louis Rams are going to play in the “London Game” in each of the next three years. Since the owner of the Rams is also the owner of the Arsenal Football Club in the English Premier League, his presence within the English sporting scene is obvious. Therefore, I guess this decision makes sense on some personal/business level. However, the opponent for the Rams in London in 2012 will be the Patriots. Now that surprises me…

If there were a game that ought to draw well in St. Louis next year, it would likely be a team like the Patriots – - a team in this year’s Super Bowl and a team that Rams’ fans do not get to see in person on a frequent basis. So, why put that game in London? Why not put a game against the Jags or the Vikings or the Texans in London to assure a good crowd for that pairing and save the Pats game as a home game? [Aside: I picked those teams out of thin air; I do not know if they are on the Rams’ schedule next season.] The “London opponents” for the Rams in 2013 and 2014 are still TBD.

In announcing the Rams’ participation in the “London Game”, Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke issued a statement, which said in part:

“This is a tremendous honor for our franchise, the city of St. Louis and our fans throughout the world. We are excited about the opportunity to reach new audiences globally. This is a great platform to showcase the city of St. Louis to London and the UK.”

I wonder if he would have said anything nearly that glowing had the Rams been able to sell out their last 100 games or so. Hmmm…

A second NBA coach has been relieved of his duties. The Washington Woefuls – - they prefer to call themselves the Wizards but all you have to do is to watch them for about five minutes to realize that “Woefuls” is more in compliance with truth-in-labeling laws – - fired Flip Saunders and named Randy Wittman as the interim coach. The Woefuls’ record as of this morning is 2-15. When Flip Saunders arrived in Washington, he had the seventh-best winning percentage of all NBA coaches; Flip Saunders ought never to be confused with Red Auerbach or Phil Jackson, but he is not a stumblebum either. The problem with the Woefuls is not the coach – - Wittman is the fourth one in just over three seasons – - the problem is the roster. The Woefuls do not share the ball; do not shoot well; do not play defense and rebound only when the ball bounces off the rim and into their hands. Other than those minor issues, the team is very good…

Tonight, the Woefuls play a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats bring with them a record of 3-15. The import of this Titanic struggle is simple:

    The loser will have the worst record in the NBA Southeast Division tomorrow morning.

You know, that is a game that I would not mind having blacked out in the local TV market.

Every NBA team has a bad night occasionally. Earlier this week the Orlando Magic played the Boston Celtics; here were the Magic “accomplishments” that night:

    Scored a total of 56 points – - a franchise low.
    Made only 16 field goals – - a franchise low.
    Shot 24.6% from the floor – - recreation league teams can do that.

Finally, here is a cogent observation from Scott Ostler in the SF Chronicle:

“Trying to incorporate Keys to Victory is like the old golfer joke: I just bought a great new instruction book, ‘The 73 Most Important Things to Remember During Your Backswing.’ ”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 25, 2012 – 12:59 pm Categories: Daily Rants | Comments (2)

NFL Fans And NFL Twits

The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl is the busiest time of the year for the NFL PR Department. It is like that period of American History known as the “Era of Good Feelings” when there were no serious divisions among political parties and folks worked together and got along with each other. In these two weeks – - if you were to believe all that comes from the NFL – - everything is sweetness and light. Come on everyone, sing along:

“Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day…”

Except, that is not always the way it is…

In Sunday’s game between the Niners and the Giants, Kyle Williams made two bad plays on special teams. Those two plays provided the Giants with easy access to 10 points and one can argue that those two plays cost the Niners the game. The players and the coaches have said the right things such as “we win as a team and we lose as a team,” or “no one play determines the outcome of a game.” Whether or not they all believe what they said is unknowable, but that is what they said. Now consider what fans said…

Let me acknowledge from the outset that I know where the word “fan” comes from; it is a shortened form of “fanatic”. Nonetheless, according the the San Jose Mercury-News, here are what two “fans” had to say via Twitter:

“Jim Harbaugh, please give @KyleWilliams_10 the game ball. And make sure it explodes when he gets in his car.”

“I hope you, youre [sic] wife, kids and family die, you deserve it.”

Folks, the man made two mistakes in a football game. For that heinous crime, one person thinks the coach should give him the moral equivalent of a pipe bomb and another one thinks it would be a just outcome if he and his family all died. As one might say on Twitter when trying to save space to fit one’s thoughts into 140 characters:

      YGBFKM!

Those sentiments are beyond outrageous. The only marginally rational explanation I might offer is that there is an underground group of Niners’ fans in SF that has decided to seize the reputation of “Football’s Most Boorish Fans” away from the current top contenders for that honor, Eagles’ fans and Raiders’ fans. Recall that there was a shooting at a Niners’ exhibition game earlier this season and another beatdown of a fan in a men’s room. Perhaps that underground organization is signaling to its sleeper cells opportunities to demonstrate world-class stupidity? If you do not buy into that theory, come up with a better one…

I have no idea if the geniuses who penned those thougtlets on Twitter were in attendance on Sunday; but if they were, their presence underscores a problem that the NFL will have to confront. The “fan experience” at the stadium is becoming less enjoyable. It has not yet reached the point where it is repulsive to enough fans that stadiums are only half-full much of the time, but that is not the point at which the NFL has to figure out a way to make some changes.

Interestingly, one of the major ways that most teams have gone to improve the “fan experience” is to install humongous high-def screens in the stadia so that fans can see replays in exquisite detail. All the luxury suites have high-def TVs and just so no one will miss the action while waiting in line for a beer – - or to get rid of the beer that was consumed an hour ago – -, there are more high-def TVs all around the concourses. The league and the owners realize that fans appreciate those amenities.

Recall in the movie 2001 – A Space Odyssey, enlightenment came when the glowing obelisk appeared. The NFL and the team owners have to hope that fans do not encounter the glowing obelisk at one of their new “fan friendly” stadia because the obelisk might allow tens of thousands of fans to put these pieces together:

    I see lots of the game on high-def TV here at the stadium.

    I have high-def TV at home.

    It does not cost me $100 to enter my living room; it does not cost me $35 to park in my garage; it does not cost me $10 for a beer at home.

    There are no lines to go to the bathroom at home.

    There is no annoying DJ in my living room to annoy me with irrelevant noise and chatter that he thinks is humorous.

    Friends and family watching the game with me at home are not likely to beat me down or draw a gun on me.

    No one in my living room is likely to be so drunk as to throw up on me.

      The glowing obelisk appears…

    So, why am I here…?

Oh, and one of these days, the NFL will show up in living rooms in 3-D television format…

In Europe, soccer hooliganism drove some fans away from the venues. Even today with plenty of security presence at European soccer games, you can see empty seats even for some games involving the “top teams”. The NFL needs to find ways to maintain an environment in the stadia that balances out excitement and decorum lest they risk driving their fans away from the games and to their living room couches.

The NFL will only behave in the next two weeks as if the league and the games exist in some modern day version of the Garden of Eden. They would have you believe that all is wonderful and that next season will be even more stupendously wonderful than this year was. However, the Garden of Eden is an apt metaphor here because just as mankind found itself banished from the Garden of Eden, so might the NFL find itself in a much less desirable place. The NFL has a problem and a part of that problem is that its fans are getting out of hand.

Finally, here is an interesting Tweet from Dan Daly of the Washington Times that I came across via Facebook:

“Under the new CBA, I hear, players can’t start dreaming up excuses not to play in the Pro Bowl until they’ve been voted in. #NFL”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 24, 2012 – 11:19 am Categories: Daily Rants | Comments (2)

RIP, Joe Paterno

The passing of Joe Paterno leaves the world of NCAA athletics in a poorer place today than it was last week. Until and unless there is credible evidence that he aided and abetted the alleged – - as of this moment – - sexual abuse of children by his former assistant coach, his legacy with regard to collegiate athletics is in the pantheon of coaches and administrators. To all who assert that with regard to the scandal swirling around Penn State at the moment he “should have done more”, let me say that those folks have set an unusual standard for their own behavior for the duration of their time on this planet. “Should have done more” is a standard that one might achieve in only the rarest of circumstances …

Rest in peace, Joe Paterno.

Here is a comment by Bob Molinaro from his column last Saturday in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot – - the day before the NFL Conference Championship games:

“The way it is: This Sunday, not Super Bowl Sunday, is the best day of the year in the NFL. This Sunday is for actual fans, not dilettantes who go to parties because it’s the fashionable thing to do. Sunday is about football, not fondue or chicken fingers or how many guests you can fit into your home. It’s about watching two games from start to finish and avoiding idle chatter with people you ordinarily wouldn’t want in the same room when the game is on. Super Bowl Sunday is a party that turns into a distraction. This Sunday is pure football.”

Indeed, yesterday was about football and not any kinds of distractions that might impose themselves from fancy food or a room full of folks who do not know a football from a fire truck. Other than fans of the Ravens and Niners or folks who had losing wagers on the games or people related to the Harbaugh family, it is difficult to see how a football fan could not have enjoyed those two games. Here are three observations from the telecasts:

    1. Steven Tyler’s rendition of the National Anthem in Foxboro was painful. He sounded just like some of the talentless dolts who embarrass themselves during the auditions for American Idol. Just saying…

    2. Conspiracy theory alert! During the Ravens/Pats game the NFL and NBC had a promo for the Pro Bowl game next weekend. It said it featured the NFL’s best players – - obviously with the exception of those on teams playing in the Super Bowl two weeks from now. And who were the three featured players shown in action? Drew Brees, Ray Rice and Aaron Rodgers. Say what? Rice and his team were still playing to go to the Super Bowl. So, was the fix in…? Enquiring minds – - and all that stuff …

    3. The SF 49ers are the best tackling team I have seen in a very long time. No highlight reel head shots, just hit the guy with the ball at or below the numbers and wrap arms around him and take him to the ground. It works; I wonder how long until other defensive coaches copy that style of play…

I cannot leave the subject of yesterday’s football games without giving you an item from Greg Cote in Sunday’s Miami Herald. Here is a prime example of foot-in-mouth syndrome exhibited by a career politician:

“Vice President Joe Biden, appearing in San Francisco, drew boos when congratulating the Giants “on their way to the Super Bowl.” He either meant the San Francisco Giants and mixed up sports or meant the New York Giants and forgot where he was — whichever you consider slightly less dumb.”

The truncated NBA season is almost 25% done. As of this morning, 12 teams – - 40% of the league – - are winning 40% of their games or fewer. In this shortened season that would project to having 12 teams finish with records of 26 – 40 – - or worse. Two other things to note from this morning’s NBA standings:

    In the Atlantic Division, only one team – - the Sixers – - has a record better than .400.

    In the Southeast Division, two teams – - the Bobcats and the Wizards – - have records worse than .200.

Here are comments from three sports columnists regarding NBA happenings that are self-explanatory:

“And how about [Dwight] Howard’s free throws? Is that a follow-through or a karate chop? He’s like a golfer who has a marvelous game, tee-to-green, then putts with an umbrella.” [Scott Ostler, SF Chronicle]

“D-Wade celebrated his 30th birthday and gifts included a 2012 McLaren sports car worth $250,000. My last birthday gift was a dress shoe. The right one. To go with the left one I got for Christmas.” [Greg Cote, Miami Herald]

“According to TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal, Timberwolves rookie Ricky Rubio is ‘the Italian Pete Maravich.’

“No wonder Shaq had so much trouble finding the Coliseum the first time he visited Madrid.”[Dwight Perry, Seattle Times]

Finally, here is one of the “Keys to Victory” proposed by Scott Ostler in the SF Chronicle prior to the Niners/Giants game yesterday:

“Establish the run, in order to set up your passing game.

“If that doesn’t work, establish the pass, in order to set up the running game.

“If that doesn’t work, establish the punt.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 23, 2012 – 11:22 am Categories: Daily Rants | Comments (2)

Mythical Picks – NFL – Weekend Of 1/22/12

Mythical Picks for the wild-card round of the playoffs two weekends ago were unimpressive to say the least. Mythical Picks last weekend in the divisional round of the playoffs were significantly better. Here is the recap:

    I liked the Niners +4 against the Saints. I said the Niners had a legitimate shot to win outright – - and they won outright. Yummy!

    I liked the Broncos/Pats Over 50. The game went Over. Yummy!

    I liked the Broncos + 14 against the Pats. Not even close. Yuck!

    I liked the Texans +8 against the Ravens. The Ravens won by only 7. Yummy!

    I liked the Giants/Packers Over 51.5. It took a late TD to put the game Over but they pay off – - mythically of course – - on late covers too. Yummy!

That record of 4-1 last weekend brings the season total for Mythical Picks to 147-129-13.

I have mentioned several times that real wagers should be made only when you think that the line on a game is off by about a TD. Surely, that precludes actual wagers on lots of games and particularly, it tends to make playoff games in the divisional round and later less attractive. Nonetheless, lots of folks will sidle on up to the betting windows on games such as last week’s or this week’s games. So long as those folks are not betting over their heads – - often with the idea that a big score late in the season can “get me even for the year” – - there is not much harm here because there just are not that many games involved.

Of course, no one should look at last week’s Mythical Picks and assume that this week’s picks might be similarly successful. To add to that, it would take an Olympic-sized measure of boneheadedness for anyone to use any information here as the basis for making a real wager on either of the playoff games this weekend. In fact, anyone even contemplating such a thing must take after his ancestors – - who obviously never got their act together very well when they arrived in the New World on the Juneflower.

General Comments:

First, a note having nothing to do with playoff teams… LaDanian Tomlinson is normally one of the guys who tends to “take the high road” when discussing team matters. This week, he said that the Jets’ locker room was more “troubled” than any locker room he had ever been part of. Think about that for a moment. The team did not have players like Albert Haynesworth, T.O. or Randy Moss there; yet, this was sufficiently “troubled” that Tomlinson made his feelings public. He specifically said that Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes had a “rocky relationship”.

And Rex Ryan’s response to the turmoil is to call for “team unity”. Well, good luck with that…

Going into last week’s playoff game, Alex Smith had played 16 games at QB for the Niners this season and had only thrown 5 INTs. Given all the negativity that has surrounded Smith for his entire NFL career, that is an impressive statistic and one that has not gotten the attention it deserves. And for the record, he did not throw an interception in last week’s game against the Saints… Also, for the record, Alex Smith led two drives late in the game to score touchdowns that won the game for the Niners. This season – - and last weekend’s playoff game – - does not make Alex Smith into an elite QB, but the days of referring to him as a “draft bust” should be over.

In the final 4 minutes of the Saints/Niners game, the teams combined to score 4 TDs. What happened? Did both teams forget to have 11 men out on the field playing defense?

Actually, what happened to the Saints’ defense on the final drive is that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams rolled the dice and lost. Leading by a field goal and with the Niners on their own 15 yardline with a tad less than 2 minutes to play, Williams decided to play man coverage defense to bring pressure on Alex Smith. What he did was the antithesis of the “prevent defense” – - and I am not a proponent of the “prevent defense”. However, in the coverages Williams called, the Saints only had one DB covering Vernon Davis and the safeties did not think it necessary to help out on Davis. That got the Niners a huge play to get into Saints’ territory and in field goal position prior to Davis beating single coverage a second time to score the winning TD. Williams rolled the dice; they came up snake eyes.

The Niners’ defense simply turned off the Saints’ running attack; 14 carries produced only 37 yards all day long. That is why Drew Brees threw the ball 63 times. I do not think the Saints came into the game thinking that the Niners could not cover in the secondary; I think they threw that often because they simply could not run the ball.

I have read some comments on various Internet sites that are derogatory with regard to the Niners. People point to the fact that they play in a weak division and derive from that fact that the Niners’ record is padded with wins over soft teams. I do not dispute that the NFC West is a mediocre division at best. However, the Niners have beaten the Giants, the Lions, the Saints and the Steelers this year. All of those teams are or were in the playoffs; all of those teams are “pretty good”.

The Pats/Broncos game demonstrated one thing rather clearly. The option offense that the Broncos used very successfully this year is not ideally effective when the task is to come back from a multi-score deficit. The Pats’ defense played to stop that option attack on just about every snap and produced 14 “negative plays” for the Broncos’ offense in the game. Rarely, are there that many “negative plays” in a game, but for those folks who derive joy whenever Tim Tebow is on a losing team, do not point the finger at him until well after you have pointed the finger at the OL for the Broncos.

Actually, the Pats/Broncos game was decided in the final 5 minutes of the first half. At that point, the Broncos trailed by 21-7 but had to punt the ball to the Pats. For them to overcome a 2 TD margin would have been difficult, but the Broncos needed to “stop the bleeding” and go to halftime with a manageable problem. Instead, the Pats scored quickly, stopped the Broncos one more time and then scored quickly again. That turned a Pats’ 21-7 lead into an insurmountable 35-7 lead as the teams went to the locker room.

The Green Bay Packers turned the ball over 4 times and dropped 8 passes in their loss to the Giants last weekend. The Packers might have lost to the Rams or the Colts had they played like that…

Please note that Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees – - both excellent quarterbacks to be sure – - will be home for this weekend watching games from their couches while “lesser QBs” such as Joe Flacco and Alex Smith will play on. Here is the message:

    It takes more than just a really good QB to win football games.

More than likely that message will be lost in the paeans of praise and adulation that will shower on the next QB to be on the winning side in a big game. Oh well…

I do not mean to imply for a moment that Eli Manning was the sole reason the Giants prevailed last week; he was not. Nevertheless, it is time to recognize that Eli Manning is a damned good QB and that he may have suffered some unfair levels of criticism in the past because:

    1. He plays in NYC where every success and every failure is magnified – - and – -

    2. His older brother is also pretty damned good.

The Ravens/Texans game was interesting to watch because it was close. However, that game was not exactly filled with transcendent quarterback play or breathtaking offensive plays. Nonetheless, I doubt that anyone was confident that the game had been decided much before the final whistle blew.

Joe Flacco is a Baltimore version of the underappreciated QB. [Aside: It might be interesting to listen in on the conversation Flacco and Alex Smith might have over a dinner by themselves or while they were watching a Rodney Dangerfield routine…] Flacco has never threatened to break an NFL record for passing yardage – - for a game or for a season. And when he has an off day – - as all QBs do – - he can stink out the joint. Having said all that, Joe Flacco has merely taken the Ravens into the playoffs in each and every season he has been with the team and he has taken the Ravens to the AFC Championship twice – - counting this weekend’s game. That is not bad for any young QB; he is only 27 by the way. It is particularly good for a guy who did not beat out Tyler Palko for the starting QB job at Pitt and had to transfer to Delaware to get playing time.

I said he is underappreciated and let me present the salient portion of an e-mail I got from a friend who is a football fan but not a Joe Flacco fan:

“…[Flacco] comes up small when it matters. For his career his QB Rating is 86.0 but for his career in the playoffs his QB Rating is only 66.1.”

I have not bothered to check those numbers because my friend is not one to make up stats on the fly and because I refuse to use the QB Rating as a single meaningful measure of QB performance. Remember using the QB rating on a career basis, you might conclude that Chad Pennington (QB Rating = 90.1) was significantly better than John Elway (QB Rating = 79.9). If you drew that conclusion, you would be in error.

However, I will point out that whenever Joe Flacco and the Ravens face a team in the playoffs, they are facing a team that is pretty good. During the season, the Ravens will play good teams – - and a few not very good teams. So, that might explain some of difference in the Flacco QB Rating numbers…

There was a screen graphic put up during the Ravens/Texans game that remains very confusing to me. Normally, CBS and the other networks are very careful to do fact checking on their screen graphics and their statistical reporting; that carefulness is what makes this confusing. During the game, here is the screen graphic I saw – - and wrote down on a notepad:

“TJ Yates is the only QB drafted in the 5th round or later to win a playoff game.”

Just off the top of my head, I can come up with Tom Brady (6th round), Mark Rypien (6th round, I think) and John Unitas (not drafted at all) as QBs who won playoff games. There have to be others… Therefore, either I completely misread what was on the screen or somebody at CBS really goofed.

Just asking:

    How many of you are rooting for a rematch of the “Harbaugh Bowl” from Thanksgiving night?

For those who are, I wonder if you will still feel the same way a week from next Tuesday when you have heard reports on that “angle” for the six thousandth time…

The Games:

(Sun 3 PM EST) Baltimore at New England – 7 (50.5): The stats say that the Pats gain 104 more yards per game passing than the Ravens do. That is a BIG disparity. The stats also say that the Ravens allow 98 fewer yards per game through the air than the Pats do. That too is a BIG disparity. While it is easy to focus on those numbers, I think a key to this game is how well the Pats can contain the Ravens’ running game because the long-range weather forecast calls for “wintery mix changing to snow”. The Ravens’ defense will have to find a way to contain either Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez – - or both. The Pats passing attack is not a vertical game; those tight ends are critical to how the Pats succeed in moving the ball. Ed Reed’s hip/leg/ankle took a beating last week and he came off the field at the end of that game in less than playing condition. The Ravens have to have Reed on the field at something near his best condition to win this game. One other thing to note is that all of the Ravens’ losses this year have come on the road. I do not like either of the lines posted for this game; even if I were in Las Vegas this weekend, I would not bet this game. For mythical purposes only, I’ll take the Pats and lay the points.

(Sun 6:30 PM EST) Giants at SF – 2.5 (41.5): The Giants have the “worst” rushing offense in the NFL. That stat is skewed because early in the year, the Giants did not run the ball well at all; but the Giants found their running game sometime in mid-December. They had better keep it in “high efficiency mode” because the Niners boast the NFL’s top-ranked run defense – - and it has been that way all season long. Both QBs here should be under pressure from defensive lines that generate pressure without necessarily having to rely on blitzes. Alex Smith can use his legs better than Eli Manning can to gain yards; Eli Manning is better at maneuvering in the pocket to create time enough to get the ball to receivers. I think the Giants are on a roll here and I think this will be a low-scoring game. Therefore, I will take the Giants plus the points here. While I think the Giants are perfectly capable of winning this game, the money line odds on them are not attractive so I will stick to a wager with the spread.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 20, 2012 – 12:19 am Categories: NFL Wagering, Wagers | Comments (5)

The Triffecta Of The Trifling…

Sometimes when you go to the racetrack, you see a race where there are three standout horses and you choose to box them in the trifecta. If the three of them finish in the money, you win; the order of their finish does not matter; you have them boxed. Today, I want to talk about three issues that are of zero importance. I cannot figure out which of them is the least important, but I doubt there is a fourth issue out there that is less important. So, today I am dealing with the Trifecta of the Trifling – - and I will box these three items.

Leading off the parade of inanity, consider that the United States Department of State – - yes, the one run at the moment by Hillary Rodham Clinton – - just named Kareem Abdul Jabbar to the post of Global Cultural Ambassador. According to the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ann Stock, Kareem will “travel the world to engage a generation of young people to help promote diplomacy.” Ms. Stock added that this appointment is part of Secretary Clinton’s vision of “Smart Power” combining defense, development and diplomacy to “bridge the gap in a tense world through young people.”

Kareem’s first duty will be this weekend when he travels to Brazil where he will be part of a series of events involving education. His presence intends to provide a connection point for young folks there and those events involving education. On his own website, Kareem had this to say about this new job:

“I am honored to have been chosen to represent my country as a Global Cultural Ambassador. My first assignment will be in Brazil, a country that I’m thrilled to visit. The culture there is so vibrant and engaging. I’m a big jazz fan and Brazilian jazz is a very popular part of the nations [sic] cultural profile. I think I’ll get a chance to sample some of the current jazz on this trip. And of course there’s basketball. I’ll be involved putting on some clinics for the local hoopsters! All in all this is going to be a fun and exciting trip both educationally and culturally.”

Look folks, there is no way that Kareem is going to make the world a more dangerous or tense place by his actions. The Middle East is not going to explode into even more violence than normal because of this appointment. It cannot hurt much of anything. However, it ain’t gonna change much for the better either… He is going to listen to some jazz and show up at a basketball clinic someone else has organized and advertised before he leaves town.

The second trifling issue of the moment involves Terrell Owens. I know; such a surprise… I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Owens might be joining an Indoor Football League Team in Allen, Texas and could become a part owner of the franchise in the package deal. Now, it would appear as if that has come to pass given the following statement from T.O himself:

“Uh-oh, it’s official. It just went down. I’m headed back to Texas. That’s right. IFL here I come. Allen, Tx. Here I come. I’m gonna be me. Allen, Tx., I’ll see you in the end zone.”

According to reports, players in the IFL receive payments on a per-game basis. Everyone gets $225 for playing in the game; the winning team gets a “bonus” for winning but I cannot find a reference to how much that bonus is. One report said that T.O. would have a contract worth $250 – 500K with the Allen Wranglers but part of that “worth” would come in the form of partial ownership of the franchise.

As has been the case in the past, T.O. is marching to his own music. Most players in the IFL are there with the hope that someday they can make it to the NFL. Fred Jackson, now with the Bills, started out in the IFL; Anthony Armstrong, now with the Redskins, started out in the IFL. Not overly surprisingly, T.O. is taking his career arc in the other direction…

Fortunately, the IFL has no franchises in California so there will be no games there. A couple of months ago, a judge in California issued a bench warrant for T.O.’s arrest based on his failure to make court-ordered child support payments.

The third entry with regard to nugatory events today takes us to New Zealand where a farm lobby group there hopes to make sheep shearing an Olympic demonstration sport. The New Zealand Federated Farmers issued a statement saying, in part:

“… [the] time has come to elevate shearing’s sporting status to the ultimate world stage …”

OK. I guess so. If they say so…

It is not often that you will read anything here that defends the Olympics or the Olympic Movement – - which I have in the past compared to a Bowel Movement – - but in this case, I feel compelled to point out something to the New Zealand Federated Farmers. The Olympic standard for what is an Olympic sport requires worldwide participation in that sport; baseball and softball were dropped from Olympic participation because they were not played over a sufficiently geographically diverse map to retain Olympic consideration.

New Zealand will host the World Shearing Championships later this year, which might make you think sheep shearing had a worldwide footing. The best I can find though is that participants will come from New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Scotland. Not to put too fine a point on it here, but if that is the case, five of the seven continents on the planet would not take part in these World Championships.

Here are two other issues the Olympic Committee might have with sheep shearing. The current world record holder for sheep shearing is Ivan Scott of Ireland. His record is that he sheared 749 lambs in an 8-hour period by himself. Do the math; that is about one lamb every 40 seconds. Impressive, you say…

    Now think about being the judge/referee who has to sit there and watch Ivan and his rivals do what they do for 8 hours.

    Think about the television producers who will have to provide coverage for this event and what they are going to do – - other than slit their wrists – - during the 8-hour time period where everything new and unusual will have happened in the first two minutes.

As I said, today is the Trifecta of the Trifling…

Finally, here is an item from Greg Cote in the Miami Herald that seems appropriate today since his comment deals with an Olympic athlete and something really silly:

“U.S. Olympic track athlete Nick Symmonds is auctioning off ad space on his arm: Your Twitter handle tattooed there. I’m interested. My Twitter handle is ‘@Nick Symmonds is an idiot.’ “

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 19, 2012 – 12:28 pm Categories: Daily Rants | Post a comment

Coaching Changes

The NFL coaching cauldron continues to churn. There is no surprise when, in the three or four days that follow the end of the NFL regular season, a half-dozen or so teams fire their coaches and start to interview successors. For some teams, it takes a while until they hire a new coach; but this year we have seen teams wait until well after the normal “firing period” has passed to pull the trigger so to speak. The Raiders fired Hue Jackson later than normal; and only yesterday, the Colts fired Jim Caldwell. I have no idea how much better the Colts’ record – - without Peyton Manning taking a snap during the season – - would have to have been for the Colts to decide that Caldwell was good enough to hold onto. I doubt that any coach could have made the Colts a .500 team this year. I have no idea what coach out there who might want the job will be able to make the Colts a .500 team next year if Peyton Manning is similarly unable to play.

After a long process of interviews and commuting between St. Louis and Miami, Jeff Fisher decided he would rather coach the Rams than the Dolphins. Supposedly, the nexus of his decision was that Fisher would have had to cede some personnel authority to GM, Jeff Ireland, within the Dolphins’ hierarchy. If true, you can look at that information in one of two ways:

    A. Fisher is an egomaniac who does not play well with others and does not want his next job dependent on the whimsical decisions of anyone else.

    B. Fisher looked at the roster GM Ireland assembled for this year and the last couple of years and wondered why that guy still has a job.

I do not read minds. You make the call.

Here is what Mike Bianchi had to say about Fisher’s decision in the Orlando Sentinel:

“Jeff Fisher chooses the St. Louis Rams over the Miami Dolphins. That’s sort of like choosing the beets over the Brussels sprouts.”

Meanwhile, down a notch on the food chain from NFL head coaches, Mike Martz announced his retirement from coaching. “Mad Mike” had his glory days with the Rams back when Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt were in their primes; he was the offensive coordinator under Dick Vermeil when the Rams won it all. When Vermeil retired, Martz took over the Rams, his record in St. Louis was 53-32, and yet the Rams canned him. If you look back over the reporting surrounding Martz’ last year with the Rams, you will have difficulty deciding if Martz was more like Captain Queeg, Captain Ahab or Horatio Hornblower as the guy in command of the ship.

Since leaving the Rams, Martz’ career has been peripatetic. He was the offensive coordinator in Detroit, SF and most recently in Chicago. None of those teams achieved great success – - offensively or overall – - while he was on the staff. Now, he has announced his retirement after he sought a contract extension in Chicago, and according to some reports, leaked a rumor that Arizona State was interested in him to take over the head coaching job there as a means of leveraging his contract extension request. I have no idea how long this “retirement” is going to last…

There are reports that Marty Schottenheimer is on the list of candidates to be the new coach in Tampa Bay. Last season, Schottenheimer guided the Virginia Destroyers to the championship of the United Football League. Here is what Bob Molinaro had to say about that possibility in the Hampton-Roads Virginian Pilot:

“Our guy: Not to be selfish, but should Marty Schottenheimer get the Tampa Bay Bucs head coaching job, writing about the Virginia Destroyers just won’t be the same.”

Before I leave the subject of the NFL and coaches, riddle me this:

    If the lockout and the lack of off-season “team events” were responsible for the underachievement of teams – - as has often been suggested about the Eagles and the Redskins – - how come the Niners went from 6-10 last year to 13-3 this year with a new coach, a new system and no off-season “team events”?

    Same for the Bengals going from 4-12 last year to 9-7 this year with a rookie QB…?

In college football, the word “playoff” has been heard in something other than a whisper and in something other than a negative context among the folks who run the sport. Any long-term reader of these rants knows that I am in favor of a playoff system in college football. In fact, back in the days when there were only 23 bowl games [Aside: How did we get by on such a meager diet back then?] I devised a system where those 23 bowl games would be the early round games in a bracket for a 24-team NCAA football playoff and I sent that idea to the mavens in the NCAA for consideration. I think a playoff system would be great for the fans – - more games between very good teams – - and it would be great for the schools – - more revenues coming in.

A playoff would also minimize the value and the importance of polls. Clearly, poll voters do not watch all the teams play so their votes are “uninformed” at best. This year, even after the Alabama/LSU rematch, there was ambiguity in the poll voting. Greg Cote of the Miami Herald had this insightful and incisive comment on that matter:

“Alabama got 55 of 60 votes in the final Associated Press poll. I can almost see the four votes for Oklahoma State; it’s like supporting Ralph Nader. You know you are hopeless but you get to pretend you are standing for something. But can someone please explain the one vote for LSU? After last night? That voter should be identified and stripped of his voting rights. Seriously.”

Can I get an “Amen!” here…?

Finally, I am not a Pollyanna; I know that a playoff system in college football will not remove all doubt as to which is the best team in the country every year. However, it is a step forward and not backward. Here is Greg Cote again pointing out one immediately obvious “problem” with a 4-team playoff system:

“College football commissioners are discussing a proposal that would change the Bowl Championship Series to a four-team playoff. Everybody seems to love the idea except the team ranked fifth every year.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 18, 2012 – 11:36 am Categories: Daily Rants | Post a comment

The Harbinger Of Spring

A month from today – - depending on one’s locale, one’s destination and one’s planned mode of transportation – - pitchers and catchers will begin their journeys to Spring Training. Meaning not even a shred of disrespect for Punxsutawney Phil on the most overcast day in the meteorological history of Western Pennsylvania, the arrival of pitchers and catchers in Florida and Arizona is the harbinger of spring. So, I am going to jump the gun here talk baseball today.

The Florida Marlins will play in a new park this year and by all reports, it will be a top-shelf facility. With the idea that this park will draw fans, the team has gone on a spending spree with the intention of putting a contender on that new field; clearly, the idea is that once folks come to the new facility and like the facility, a winning team on the field will bring them back again and again. Sounds like a plan…

It also sounds as if the Marlins’ owner understands the Miami market pretty well. Winners draw support down there – - in almost all cases – - but losers cannot draw a pension. Only time – - and a winning team – - will tell if the Miami market can sustain the spending binge the Marlins have experienced.

The team will be interesting to follow on the field and off the field. In addition to solid player additions such as Heath Bell, the Marlins added José Reyes from the Mets. Reyes signed a long-term deal with the Marlins to play shortstop there but the best player on the Miami roster at the end of last season was Hanley Ramirez and he too plays shortstop. Reyes is a hot-dog; Ramirez is a diva.

Sailing through those shoals may make the sail through Scylla and Charybdis look inconsequential. So, who is the captain of the Marlins’ ship to traverse these waters? Well, the Marlins will be under the firm, gentle and calming leadership of Ozzie Guillen. What could possibly go wrong…?

Add to that mix a recent acquisition, Carlos Zambrano from the Cubbies. In the past, Zambrano has fought with his catcher on the field; fought with other teammates in the dugout; purposely got himself ejected from a game and then left the park while the game was going on announcing his retirement as he left the premises and … you get the idea. Here are two comments about Zambrano – - one from the city he is leaving and one from the city to which he is heading:

“Kerry Wood said Zambrano is a nutbag only on the day he pitches. Good to know. Let me file that away. And what does Zambrano do for a living? Pitch? Yes. Well.” [Steve Rosenbloom, Chicago Tribune]

“Volatile new Marlins pitcher Carlos Zambrano, a dugout tirade waiting to happen, has been to anger-management classes. I’ve seen his control and his walks. I’d prefer he take fastball-management classes.” [Greg Cote, Miami Herald]

The Marlins will be interesting if they win 100 games this year or if they lose 100 games this year…

Another baseball saga waiting to have another chapter added to it is The Life and Times of Manny Ramirez. Manny says he wants to unretire and play again – - after serving another 50-game suspension for failing another blood test to be sure. Lots of players retire and then try a comeback; usually the public explanation for that change of mind is that the competitive fire still burns in the belly …etc. Manny and his agent must have realized that excuse would never fly since the “fire in the belly” seemed to be sorely lacking over the last several seasons. Somehow, ESPN agreed to interview Manny and to put that interview on the air and here is the meat of what Manny told ESPN:

“I want to show people that Manny can change, that he can do the right thing and to show people that I still can play. I don’t want to leave the game like I did. I also want to show my kids that if you make a mistake, don’t quit. Just go back and fix it. And if you’re going to leave, leave the right way.”

Kudos to the folks involved in the interview and those who introduced interview segments on SportsCenter for keeping a straight face during their time in front of the camera. He does not want to leave the game the way he did…

    He held up a game while he went into the scoreboard in Fenway to take a leak.

    He failed two drug tests.

    He feigned injuries and quit on his team in Boston to force them to trade him.

Just the mention of Manny Ramirez and the stats he amassed during the productive days of his career makes me think about how Hall of Fame voters might view him in about 5 years. Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times looked at that kind of question through the other end of the telescope:

“WWE Hall of Fame voters have a steroids quandary, too.

“As in, how can someone in good conscience vote for a guy who never used them?”

Finally, here is a baseball item I noticed in the Transactions portion of the agate type in a recent Washington Post:

Cleveland Indians signed RHP Willy Lebron to a minor league contract.

Let’s get this straight. A guy named Lebron is going to pitch – - in Cleveland. Put that in a Hollywood screenplay and everyone would think it was too hokey. Good luck to Willy Lebron should he ever make it to free agency…

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 17, 2012 – 11:45 am Categories: Daily Rants | Comments (3)

Deconstructing The NY Jets

Now that the kerfuffle over that story in the NY Daily News about how some of the Jets think Mark Sanchez is a less-than-perfect QB and/or teammate has died down, I think it might be instructive to look at the issues raised by the story as a lens into the team itself. On the logical assumption that the story in the NYDN is not a total fabrication, I think the most important issue raised is that there is a serious dysfunctionality in that locker room that has little to do with Mark Sanchez’ abilities or limitations as a QB. The fact that teammates – - according to the story the plural noun is appropriate here – - would reveal these kinds of personal opinions to someone outside the locker room says that there is more team disunity than there ought to be.

Frankly, those unattributed remarks call into question the value of the players making the remarks more than they call into question Mark Sanchez’ value.

At the core of the matter here, Mark Sanchez is not nearly as good a QB as the hyperventilating NY media made him out to be when the Jets took him in the draft or when the Jets win a game. Those moments of deification create expectations which are – - apparently – - beyond his ability to achieve on a regular basis. The reality at the time of the 2009 NFL draft was that Mark Sanchez was not a star QB and my personal opinion is that he is not going to become a star QB. I believe that if you ranked the 32 starting QBs in the NFL – - not by QB Ratings or through the lens of fanboy adoration – - Mark Sanchez would be about #20 on the list. He is still young; he can get better. However, the expectation created for him is that he should be at least at #5 on the list now and will certainly rise to #1 or #2 one of these days very soon. Two words, folks:

    Not … Happening.

The article indicated some players questioned his work ethic/preparation. Excuse me; did anyone watch any of the Hard Knocks episodes with the Jets as the featured team? Unless all of those “reality sessions” were staged and re-enacted after the fact, Mark Sanchez showed that he is not the most attentive student or the hardest working student off the field. Let me just say that he did not appear to be “fully engaged” in the practice and the study sessions. This observation is part of what leads me to my opinion that he will never be a star QB.

The article said that some players think he needs to have a backup QB on the team that can push him more than the current ones can. The implication is that he knows he will start at QB even with less-than-full effort off the field because the alternative is unpalatable. I do not read minds so I cannot know if that is the case; but when I consider that his backup QB competition has been Mark Brunell, Kellen Clemens and Greg McElroy, I have to conclude that he has not been threatened in any meaningful way as the starter.

The Jets created this situation – - more specifically I think Rex Ryan created this situation. In the gospel according to Rex, everything related to the Jets is “great”; they have the best talent and the best coaches and the best … fill in the blank. The worst criticism players ever hear is that they failed to make enough plays in a game. Sorry, but after a while that kind of coddling comes home to roost. While I doubt that the Jets’ locker room is the workplace of leading scholars and intellects, the players at some point realize that lack of success on the field is the product of lack of talent and/or lack of preparation.

In the aftermath of the story, Rex Ryan tried to tamp down the story and the sensation that it caused by calling for “team unity”. Given that the “disunity” comes from anonymous remarks made to a newspaper writer, I might suggest that the “team unity bus” has already left the depot. Making that plea even more hollow is the fact that he called for “team unity” at about the same time he fired multiple assistant coaches from the team. Nothing says “team unity” and “we are in this together until the end” more than handing out pink slips…

Several writers – - not the author of the original piece in the NYDN – - have opined that one of the sources for the remarks was Santonio Holmes. I have no way to know if that is correct; but if I were to assume that he is one of the sources, let me fill in some of the landscape here:

    Holmes is a team captain. I do not know if Ryan appoints the captains or if the team elects them; I do know he had a “C” on his uniform this year.

    Holmes was benched for the final quarter of a “must win” game on the final weekend of the season after a confrontation with teammates over his effort/lack of effort in that game.

    Holmes has had to sit out a four game league-imposed suspension for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policies.

    Holmes was the Super Bowl MVP just a few years ago and caught the winning TD pass with less than a minute to play in the game. Two months later, the Steelers traded Holmes to the Jets for a late-round draft pick – - fifth round if I recall correctly. If anything like that happened with regard to any other Super Bowl MVPs, I cannot recall it.

Gee, I wonder if that “C” on his uniform might stand for “Cancer in the locker room”…?

This whole thing now rests in Rex Ryan’s less than spacious lap. He has fired his offensive coordinator and other assistants; he has to face and resolve the “team unity” issues; he has to do all of this with an aging defense and a less-than-elite QB. Do not feel sorry for him; this is all of his own creation. Given team flaws, Ryan has kicked the can down the road; now the can has fallen into the sewer and he has to come up with some other way to deal with the issues. While I doubt seriously that Rex Ryan ever studied theoretical physics, I think he needs to heed the words of Albert Einstein:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Finally, to tie together the issues of QB expectations for the Jets, dissatisfaction with the QB play for the Jets and Albert Einstein, let me offer some words from two sports columnists:

“Will everybody please stop all of this crazy talk about Peyton Manning going to the New York Jets? This would be like Einstein enrolling at Mississippi State.” [Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel]

“Lotta hot air: Jets coach Rex Ryan reaps what he sows. A blowhard without dignity begets loud-mouthed players with no class. It’s almost laughable to think that if the Colts were to trade or release Peyton Manning, a consummate pro, he would want to play for the clownish Jets.” [Bob Molinaro, Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot]

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

January 16, 2012 – 11:29 am Categories: Topical Rants | Post a comment