Why I Am Avoiding Matt Cassel

Pretty much sums it up.

The Chiefs worked out free agents Amani Toomer, David Terrell and D.J. Hackett on Monday, indicating they may be in the market for a veteran wide receiver.

A lot of people seem to be pretty high on him this season based off what he did last year in New England. He ain't in New England anymore folks. That means no Randy Moss. That means no Wes Welker. That means Dwayne Bowe and.....Amani Toomer? I like Bowe, but the fact they are working out guys like Amani Toomer and David Terrell isn't all that reassuring. I'm not saying Cassel will be a bust, but you can get much better value passing on Cassel.

Told Ya So

Just. Go. Away.

n an interview posted on Sports Illustrated's Web site, Favre added another subtle twist to this endlessly open-ended story: "I truly, truly believe it's over. But if someone calls Nov. 1, who knows?"

The Guy That Won't Go Away

Like most people I saw/heard the news that Brett Favre was going to stay retired. I didn't post on it, because I don't think a guy staying retired is all that newsy, there will probably be at least 20 Brett Favre considering a comeback type stories written this year and I am too lazy to blog on a consistent basis this summer.

When everything is said and done and Favre does finally walk away from the game and stops toying with his next comeback tour I bet that there are less stories written about Brett Favre the gun-slinger and more stories about the Brett Favre who just wouldn't go the fuck away (of course Peter King will have to die first). I might be totally wrong on that, but just today I was listening to a radio show where they talked about Dan Marino being one of the quarterbacks who just weren't good enough to win a Super Bowl rather than one of the best quarterbacks to have played the game.

NFL Wish List

Referring to yourself in the third person gets you fined by the league.

"I've got a lot to prove," Bryant said. "Last year was for the haters ... this year is for the doubters. When you have a year like that, you're going to get more attention. This year, it might not be about me getting the ball. If that means Antonio has to run 89 comebacks and that'll get us in the playoffs, then I'll run 89 comebacks."

Bryant probably deserves a suspension as well considering that he drifted in and out of referring to himself in the third person.

Dear Brett Favre,

Just go away already.

Sincerely,
Me

On a more serious note....

A number of sportswriters like to portray Brett Favre as a brave gunslinger of a quarterback. I'm starting to think that the more acurate portrayal is somebody who just doesn't want to leave the spotlight.

Now We Go

The Detroit Lions have figured out how to get out of it's franchise-long funk - a new logo

.

I remember how well this worked for Ohio University back in the late 1990s... oh wait....

Braylon Edwards to Giants?

Word is heating up again that the Giants are itching to get Braylon Edwards. This would be a pretty solid move for the Giants as they are without a true No. 1 since they released Plaxico Burress. I think Edwards could even be an upgrade over Burress if he can keep his nose clean. Edwards had a rough year last year, I should know he was on one of my fantasy teams, but so did a lot of Browns.

My only question is how does this help the Browns? I didn't think the problem with the Browns last year was that they had too many offensive weapons, but that seems to be the thinking with the team looking to trade away anybody who might threaten opposing defenses. Winslow is already gone. Who is left if Edwards goes as well? Steve Heiden is who. He of 23 receptions, 249 yards receiving and zero touchdowns last season.

Starting to look like another long season in the making for Browns fans.

I Rule

Back at the start of the Cutler saga, I said this.

Not a good sign of things to come.

I think the fact that the Broncos are now looking at a quarterback competition between Chris Simms and Kyle Orton proves me right. A lot depends on what the Broncos do with their draft picks, but the Broncos have a lot of holes to fill. In the end, I just can't help but think this is a big loss for McDaniels and the Broncos. Sure they have the picks to get one of the big name quarterbacks in the draft, but that doesn't promise them a good quarterback. They had one in Cutler. Now they are back to the drawing board.

While I don't think Cutler will put up huge numbers this season, I still think it is a good move for the Bears. The weapons aren't there on offense, but they finally have something to build around on that side of the ball.

Cutler Wants Out

Cutler says : Trade me.

I remember somebody who is really smart saying that McDaniels and company were going about this all wrong. Oh yeah, that somebody would be me.

Something I find interesting is Ben Maller's take on Cutler going to Detroit.

Cutler is much closer to Jake Plummer than John Elway. If Cutler ends up in Detroit its 100% that he's the new Joey Harrington.

I just want to add that Ben Maller is an idiot.

Cutler/McDaniels Part II

For those of you not up to speed.

I find it kinda funny to see the Broncos seemingly doing everything in their power to fuck up their coming season. Say what you want about how Cutler should just man-up and realize that the NFL is a business and that trades happen. I would probably even agree with you somewhat. The problem is that what you get is what you get with professional athletes. T.O. is always going to be the kind of player that in a heartbeat can destroy a locker room. He is also the kind of wide receiver that can win you games, so owners decide to risk his antics. Cutler probably should just man-up, report to Denver and start learning the system and maybe he will. But, right now McDaniels and the Broncos front office is doing a lot to put their season in danger. First, as I said here...

You don't make the kind of move that McDaniels tried to make unless you know for a fact that you can get the deal done, because if you don't your franchise quarterback ends up pissed.

When your quarterback is pissed and no longer trusts you, trying to smooth things over with a conference call is stupid. A conference call shows that you care only slightly more than sending a couple of text messages would. If you really want to smooth things over you get on a plane and go see him. Part of being a coach is dealing with egos and learning with which players you might have to go out of your way to get on your side. McDaniels doesn't seem to know this and/or care.

The Cardinals Piss People Off

Boldin wants out. Edge want out. Now Warner has 'hurt feelings'. I'm calling it now, without Warner the Cardinals don't even make the play-offs next year.

As a side note, it feels damn good to have some NFL news to write about. I love politics, but it has gotten stale for me of late.

Philly Hates Good Wide Receivers

If I am Donovan McNabb, I'm wondering why my team didn't or isn't making a run at Houshmandzadeh. It was pretty clear he wanted to go to Philly having sent a text message to an ESPN radio station stating that he would be there tomorrow if asked.

The text read, "I don't know what's gonna happen, but if they want me, I will be an Eagle tomorrow."

Apparently, they didn't want him. The Eagles just don't seem to put much value in having top flight wide receivers or maybe they still have a bad taste in their mouth from the TO saga. The Eagles have gotten by without a top flight receiver, but the only time they made it to the Super Bowl was with a top flight wide receiver.

The Mess Josh McDaniels Created

I am not buying into McDaniels statement that he wasn't looking to get Matt Cassel from the Patriots. I think is a pretty safe bet considering that nearly everybody who has commented on the thing has said pretty much the same thing. In a different situation such a move might make sense. McDaniels knows Cassel having worked with him turning his time as offensive coordinator with the Patriots. Cassel knows the offense that McDaniels runs. Brady is coming back to the Pats and 14 million per season is a lot of money to be paying a guy that you hope never gets off the bench. A perfect situation? Not hardly.

The Broncos have a quarterback and a pretty good one as well. Last season Cutler ranked third in passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns. Cutler was able to do this with every NFL defense know that the only way the Broncos were going to beat you was if Cutler did. Cutler certainly made some boneheaded plays, but that comes with the territory of putting a quarterback (especially a young one) in the position of having to win games for you. You don't make the kind of move that McDaniels tried to make unless you know for a fact that you can get the deal done, because if you don't your franchise quarterback ends up pissed. Cutler has a new offense and playbook to learn and instead of getting in there and learind it he is now going to be laying low for awhile. Not a good sign of things to come.

Peyton Manning = MVP

MJD has a pretty smart take on Peyton Manning being named MVP.

Here's what I think happened. A lot of guys were fantastic this year. There were MVP-caliber performances all over the league. But there wasn't that one guy who stood out clearly above the rest. And it also happened to be that lot of the guys who did have MVP years don't necessarily fall in the "superstar" category. Chad Pennington, James Harrison, and Michael Turner aren't moving a lot of Fatheads, you know?

And since they don't have those big names, it might have taken a little bit of a pair to write their names down on an MVP ballot. Peyton Manning, meanwhile, because his name is Peyton Manning, is very easy to write down. Because not only is he a great player, and not only did he, like a lot of guys, have an MVP caliber year ... but he's Peyton Manning. Everyone knows how great he is. And the familiar name and his history with the award made writing his name on the ballot feel like snuggling up against a warm, comfortable, familiar blanket.

There isn't much that I disagree with there, but I think there is something that MJD missed. Because of Peyton Manning, the Colts can win the Super Bowl or at least make a pretty serious run. I can't see the Falcons making the Super Bowl because of Michael Turner, the Dolphins making it because of Chad Pennington and defensive players get zero love in such balloting. On the other hand Manning battled through early season injuries, revamping on the offensive line, injuries elsewhere on the team and is just now hitting his stride.

As well, so much of this type of voting is based off of how you finished. Manning has completed over 70 percent of his passes in the last six games. He has 10 TDs and three interceptions during the same period of time.

Manning certainly isn't a sexy pick, but it does make sense.

Pro Bowl Snub

I'm late to the party on this and don't usually complain about Pro Bowl snubs, but this one doesn't make sense.

Player A
Yds Tds Ints QB Rating
3052 21 17 86.5

Player B
Yds Tds Ints QB Rating
3515 28 11 101.4

So which player do you pick? It is pretty easy to see that Player B is having the better season. Player B, entering into this week, is actually leading the league in QB rating and is tied with the lead in touchdowns. This is a slam dunk right?

Player A is Brett Favre and is headed to the Pro Bowl. Player B is Phillip Rivers and will be staying home. The NFL really needs to rename the Pro Bowl the Popularity Bowl or just make it a yearly tribute to Brett Favre and stop pretending it is a legit reward for players have great seasons.

Also, Vic Carucci is an idiot even if he agrees with me that Rivers is a Pro Bowl snub. Vic thinks LT is a snub because his numbers are 'far from awful'. There are 13 running backs that have more rushing yards than LT. LT is also averaging 3.6 yards per carry. No those aren't awful numbers, but in order to go to the Pro Bowl you should have numbers that are a bit better than 'far from awful'.

I Predict Things

I haven't found much to write about the last couple of days. Part of that might be that I am fighting a cold, playing catch-up with work and haven't really been that motivated. So to fill some space I figured I would go with some sports predictions. I'll keep a running tally so anybody who wants can mock me when I get things totally wrong.

Anyway, I'm going with the Saints over the Bears tonight. This goes against some trends as the Saints are terrible on the road (1-6 for the season) and have lost their last two games in Chicago. Most people will see this billing as the high powered Saints offense against the tough Bears defense. I think the true match-up to watch is just the reverse. Matt Forte has had a solid season for the Bears so far, but the Saints have allowed just one 100-yard rusher all season. If the Saints can hold Forte to under 100 yards, I think they win easy. Even if Forte has a good game, I think the Saints are poised to end the Bears hopes at a play-off spot.

Andy Reid Discovers The Running Game

The complaints and boos won't stop, but McNabb showed last night what he can do with a balanced offense. After a week of hearing from many that his stop in Philadelphia was coming to a close he threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns.

I'm really not an Eagles fan, but I always find myself pulling for McNabb. Were I him, I probably would have blown town awhile ago. I would have gone someplace where they consistently utilized the running game and surrounded me with receivers who were not best described as 'average'.

The Best Head Coach In The NFL

Norv Turner.

How else do you explain a guy who in 11 years has 20 more Ls than Ws and can still find work?

All kidding aside, Chargers team President Dean Spanos and general manager A.J. Smith both claim that Turner's job is safe. This despite a 4-6 record just on year after an 11-5 showing. If this were only his second year as a head coach it would be one thing, but the guy has a track record and it isn't a very good one. If he can manage just four more losses this season (and I think he can do it) he will have posted double digit losses in six of his 11 seasons.

Ties

It really doesn't make much sense that there are ties in the NFL. This is one of those rare cases where the NFL could learn something from college football.

NFL Week 10 Random Thoughts

The Brady Quinn era has begun. This move was a couple weeks too late for my taste. Still it got off to a good start with Quinn throwing for 239 and two scores. Keep in mind this was against a Denver defense that has given up 247 yards passing and 1.3 touchdowns over the last month to the quarterback position. Still, Quinn seems to have a quicker delivery and some added mobility that should help him if teams look to put the pressure on him to carry the game.

My rookie and coach of the year at this point would go to Matt Ryan and Mike Smith. The turnaround the Falcons have seen from where they were last year to where they are now (6-3) is simply amazing.

In the battle of 9-0 (Titans) and 0-9 (Lions), I think the Titans see their zero disappear first. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Titans zero turn to a ‘2' before the Lions finally win a game.

Am I the only one who finds it tough to hate the Pats now that they aren’t blowing teams out?

The Jets seem to have finally realized that their offensive line was built for a running game, not a passing game.

I’m still trying to figure out what Andy Reid was thinking running twice in a row to end the game against the Giants.

No word if Mike Singletary dropped his pants in the locker room after the offense and Mike Martz completely fold in the last 30 seconds of Monday Night’s game.