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.

USA/Brazil

A large part of me didn't want to watch the game today. After the highs from the games against Egypt and Spain, I just wanted the whole thing to be over. I was scared to death of a let down. I didn't know if I could handle a 3-0 loss. Today's result was much worse than that, because for 46 minutes of the match I was sure the US was going to win. We were a bench player away from beating Brazil today.

Baseball, Steroids, Yawn.......

Heard Bud Selig basically refusing to comment on Sammy other than he was disappointed. Bud doesn't want to talk about the fact that there are 102 players still on that list. Bud doesn't wanna talk about the past. Bud sounds a lot like this Mark McGwire. It didn't work for him either.

In all seriousness, if Selig really wants people to move forward he should find a way to get the Players Association to agree in releasing the other 102 names on that list. You simply can't move forward when every couple of months a new name is leaked. Sure it will be a PR nightmare, but MLB is going to have to air ALL the dirty laundry before people will let him move on.

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.

I Love America

US Pole Dancing Championship.

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.

Maybe it's Ray Allen? More sensationalism

A few days ago, Celtics G Ray Allen was supposedly hotter than anyone, according to a goober on ESPN's Sportscenter. Tonight TNT color commentator Reggie Miller said this after a shot by Ray Allen in what was nearly a great comeback by the Celtics (down 28, cut it to four with 40 seconds remaining);

"You could not have shot that any better than Ray Allen just did."

The shot rimmed out.

A little perspective, please

Some Sportscenter guy last night: "There was no one hotter than Ray Allen in the first two periods."

How about this woman?

Joakim Noah on the Bulls 3OT win last night: "We were really close to death..."

How about this boy?

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.

B.S. alert

"As I sit here in Chicago tonight.... This is for the fans. This is for all of Columbus. In fact this is for the state of Ohio and all the hockey fans within the state and the loyal Jacket fans that have been apart of this great organization for the last several years." - Jeff Rimer, Columbus Blue Jackets broadcaster, FOX Sports Ohio, after the Blue Jackets clinched its first playoff berth in franchise history.

Translation = I'm making this crap up as I go along.

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.

Ken Gordon Discovers That Water Is Wet

One of the major criticisms that Buckeye fans have with head coach Jim Tressel is that that is play calling is too conservative. I think it is, at times, certainly a valid criticism as he seems too often content to punt and play field position or go for a long field goal rather than opening things up a bit more. Ken Gordon decided to crunch some numbers to prove Tressel wrong and was surprised to learn that Tressel just might be right in his conservative approach. Here is Gordon's original premise.

My thought was that while Tressel successfully avoids turnovers, he also avoids giving his quarterbacks the confidence to air it out and use their natural talent to the full potential. So yes, he may win games by being careful with the ball, but has he lost games because he played too conservatively and denied his QB the chance to build a bigger lead (such as Penn State last year?)

And Gordon's numbers and summary.

OVERALL RECORD: 43-8 (.843)

WHEN OSU HAS A PLUS TURNOVER RATIO: 23-1

WHEN RATIO IS EVEN: 7-0

WHEN OSU LOSES TURNOVER RATIO: 13-7.

In 43 wins, OSU was plus-23 in turnovers (plus .53 a game)
In 8 losses, OSU was minus-13 (minus 1.63 a game)

In 43 wins, OSU threw 21 INTs (.49 a game)
In 8 losses, OSU threw 10 INTs (1.25 a game).

Bottom line: My premise was wrong. Tressel is right.

So there you go. Gordon has proven that a conservative approach wins more than not. This, of course, is why teams like Oklahoma, Texas and Florida struggle year after year to win games.

Ken Gordon's number crunching simply shows that the less turnovers a team commits the more likely the are to win. In other words, its the execution stupid. This analysis is about as groundbreaking as showing that the team that scores the most points wins more games.

I Predict Things

Soccer: US/Trinidad and Tobago....

I think this is about as close as you can get to a lock in WC qualifying. I think there is a good deal of pride within the US National Team that they are now the top dog in the CONCACAF region. I think the US side will be looking to squash any doubts that people might have about being top dog after their embarrassing 2-2 tie this past weekend. The US will also be getting Tim Howard and possibly Gooch back in the line-up so some of the miscues from this past weekend should be cleaned up. If I were a betting man, I would feel pretty good betting the over on any 2.5 lines.

Current prediction record: 6-5

I Predict Things

Long ass time since I have done one of these, but there is much soccer on today which makes me happy.

USA/El Salvador....
I really hate the win at home tie on the road mentality that goes with World Cup Qualifying, mostly because it leads to some boring games. A lot of the smaller teams in CONCACAF tend to add one more aspect to the win at home time on the road mentality; tie at home when playing the US or Mexico. I think that might be a bit different tonight. El Salvador needs the 3 points to stay up with the leaders in qualifying so I think they will press the attack a bit more than usual. Pressing like that leaves you open to counters and that is where the US is best. I see a win for the good guys.

Current prediction record 6-4

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.