In case there was any lingering doubt, Daniel Snyder was ruled an asshole by the Supreme Court of Assholedom. You can read the full decision at the link below. Personally, I think they rated him much too low on the asshole scale (only 4697 out of 10,000). I'd easily give him 7500.
At a recent summit of DC sports team owners, Daniel Snyder reflected back on his tenure so far as Redskins owner, mistakes made, and lessons learned. Snyder has certainly had his share of high-profile free agent busts, but when asked directly about his biggest personnel gaffe he simply said, "You know. I don't need to answer this. You all know."
You know, don't you?
Full article by the Washington Post: link
Take a look at the image below. It's one of the most iconic NFL images of all time, and arguably one of the greatest sports photos ever taken. Let's set the scene a little bit. It's 1964 and Giants future HOF quarterback Y.A. Tittle has just taken a nasty hit and kneels dazed, bloody, and ancient looking on the turf. It perfectly captures the moment of an aging quarterback taking a pounding, and just maybe wondering if it's still all worth it. I like to think this was the moment when Tittle realized this would be one of his final times playing the game he loved. He was 37 at the time.
Well, whenever I've seen Brett Favre take a vicious hit this season (and let's be honest he's taken a ton of them), this photo immediately springs to my mind. I believe that Favre truly loves the game of football and that's why he's done the highly irritating and narcissistic "will-he, won't-he" retirement dance seemingly every year for the past 5 or so seasons. But there's got to be a moment when you realize it's time to move on. I think/hope he's finally(!) reached that moment, but he could have saved himself from taking such a substantial and continuous physical beating by letting go one year sooner.
In 2009 Brett Favre had one of the greatest statistical seasons of his career, and came within a play or two from leading a previously floundering franchise all the way to the Super Bowl. The old gunslinger could have rode off into the sunset, realizing he hadn't fully achieved his goal, but he'd fired every bullet in his pistol (in more ways than one), could hold his head high and shown everyone that he was still one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
But he hung on one more year in search of that ever-elusive 2nd ring, and it seems that every possible thing that could derail his chances did so: the Sidney Rice injury in pre-season; the sexting scandal; Brad Childress' astronomical ineptitude and subsequent flagrant booing by Metrodome fans, and moreover, clandestine condemnation by his own players; the return to mediocrity of once-great defense/special teams units; the constant injuries; the coaching changes; the streak, without question his greatest accomplishment (other than the ring) in serious jeopardy; the streak at an end, incomprehensibly, just four games from the conclusion of his career (I think?!); the public disgrace of whatever he allegedly did with Jen Sterger, and the humiliating interrogation and fine that followed. And let's just face it: he's not playing anywhere near the level he was last year.
Brett Favre, you hung on one year too long, and now people are going to remember all the negatives first, at least in the initial post-retirement years, when your name comes up. Personally, I don't want to think of you in purple laying face down unconscious on the turf as my last mental image of you. I want to think of you in green and gold, throwing the ridiculous shovel pass over the middle that should never even be thought about, much less attempted, completing it and having the RB juke out the MLB and score a crazy TD. And I'm not even a Packers fan, I'm just a football fan! I appreciate greatness when I see it, and sorry to say, yours has lessened a bit now. You could have gone out with pride, now you're going out on a stretcher, at least in people's collective consciousness. Don't even think about doing the "one more year" thing again this year. Will you wait until your limbs are literally torn off by James Harrison or some other ferocious player?
The negatives in our collective minds will eventually start to fade and the positives outweigh them. We'll remember you the way we would all have wanted. But we'll need time. Maybe in 5 years by the time of your HOF induction. In the meantime, thanks for the excitement and entertainment, and (as Cee Lo says) we'll forget you for a while.
Monday brought some sad news for all sports fans with the passing of Harry Kalas. His booming baritone, instantly recognizable, served as the voice of the Phillies for 38 years. Football fans will also be familiar with Kalas's more than three decades of voiceover work for NFL Films. Kalas's enthusiasm and love of baseball, best captured in his signature "Outta here!" home run call, will be sorely missed from Phillies broadcasts. Spring and summer will never sound the same in Philadelphia. The fact that he had become so closely identified with one city and one team, a rarity for sportscasters in this day and age, makes his passing all the more difficult for fans. Thankfully Harry did live to see the Phillies finally win another World Series title last fall, and was there to make the call in a thrilling moment for the city and its longsuffering fans. Fans and friends should take comfort in the fact that he died in the pressbox doing what he loved.
After 4 weeks of football the AFC East looks nothing like I predicted. It's impossible to replace the offensive production and leadership of a player like Tom Brady, and the Patriots look like a very average team without him. Backup Matt Cassel is playing alright, but it's obvious that they've simplified the playbook and don't fully trust him to run the offense. And who could blame them? Although he's in his 4th year, the fact remains that he's barely played in the regular season. The Pats are relying on screens and short passes to move the ball, and the vertical passing attack that was so deadly last season is pretty much gone. Maybe they will open it up more as the season goes on and allow Cassel to get more comfortable with the deep passing game. If not for the fact that they have a relatively easy schedule I'd say the Pats are no longer a seious playoff contender. They may still make it, but they are defiinitely underdogs to win this division now. Just a few short weeks ago that notion would have been unthinkable.
As for the rest of the division, the Bills are clearly playing the best football. The defense and special teams have played superbly and QB Trent Edwards is not making many mistakes. They are the team to beat now. The Jets could definitely make a run, but they need to play more consistently--they look great one week and semi-crummy the next. The Dolphins simply destroyed the Pats 2 weeks ago, and they hung tough against the Jets, so they will factor into the race as well.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers are head and shoulders above the rest of this division. They have solid playmakers on both sides of the ball, and running back LaDanian Tomlinson is still arguably the league's most dangerous offensive weapon. Phillip Rivers should continue to progress at quarterback. If they play to their potential they will be a serious contender for the Super Bowl. If I was a Chargers fan, I wouldn't feel too good about Shawne Merriman's decision to play the season with 2 torn knee ligaments, however--too risky.
Denver Broncos
After two straight unsuccessful seasons, Mike Shanahan has promised that the Broncos will return to the playoffs in 2008. But none of their offseason signings really excites me much. Judging by the preseason Jay Cutler seems to have stepped up his game a notch. The offense should be able to score some points. Defense could be a problem area again this year, and could cause them to miss the playoffs. If anyone can get them to play at a high level it's Shanahan.
Oakland Raiders
The pieces are in place for this team to improve. JaMarcus Russel has a year of experience under his belt. Top draft pick Darren McFadden gives them the explosiveness they've been lacking on offense. If Javon Walker can stay on the field (and off of the pavement) they have a legitimate deep threat in the passing game. They're not a playoff team yet, but they will beat some.
Kansas City Chiefs
Top draft pick Brendan Albert should help quickly revitalize an offensive line that looked like a shadow of its former self in 2007. That in turn should be good news for RB Larry Johnson who is healthy again and ready to prove that he can still be a productive back. Dwayne Bowe was one of the breakout players of 2007 and should continue to shine. But overall this is a mediocre team stuck firmly in rebuilding mode. I'm also not convinced that Brodie Croyle is the answer at QB, but we'll know after this year.
New England Patriots
After their Super Bowl upset defeat at the hands of the Giants, the Patriots are looking to repeat as division champs and advance deep into the playoffs. Their offense is returning largely intact, which is good news for a unit that set all sorts of records last year, including total points and most TD passes. Their defense still looks a little old and slow, despite the addition of LB Jerod Mayo, a potential opening day starter, in the first round of the draft. But the coaching staff is excellent at putting together schemes and gameplans to make this defense better than just the sum of its parts. Though they will obviously not go undefeated this year, the Pats should have little trouble wrapping up the division for the sixth straight year, for the simple fact that very few teams will be able to outscore them.
New York Jets
Before the Jets signed Brett Favre I would have ranked them third in this division, but Favre brings an instant legitimacy to the QB position that New York has not had in several years. Having a future Hall of Fame QB to lead the offense will increase the production of the Jets skill position players, and should translate into a couple more victories than they otherwise would have had. Upgrades at G (Faneca) and FB (Richardson) in the offseason should also allow the Jets to run the ball more effectively this year. The Jets loom as a wildcard contender but my gut tells me they will come up a little short.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been gradually improving the last couple years and that trend should continue, but ultimately this team needs better production from its offense. Will rookie WR James Hardy develop into the receiving threat they've been looking for to take some of the pressure off of Lee Evans? Will QB Trent Edwards perform better as a full-year starter (assuming J.P Losman doesn't reclaim the job at some point this season)? I have my doubts. However, the running game and defense remain decent to above average and will give the Bills a shot at making the playoffs, albeit a slim one.
Miami Dolphins
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the Dolphins will win more games than they did last year. Seriously though, this is a team with a lot of question marks heading into the 2008 season. They traded away their best player, defensive end Jason Taylor. Ronnie Brown is only 10 months recovered from a torn ACL. Their defense was downright terrible last year, and at least on paper doesn't look to be much beter in '08. And the guy expected to start at QB, Chad Pennington, was literally just signed a few days ago after the Jets dumped him. On the positive side, the offensive line will be better this year (though that's admittedly not saying very much) with the drafting of blue chip tackle Jake Long at #1. If the Dolphins win more than five games the season should be considered a massive success.
This post sums up our mock draft. There's already been one trade affecting the draft order, with KC getting the #17 pick from Minnesota, and there are bound to be more in the first round before all is said and done. Nevertheless it will be interesting to see how many of these picks we actually predicted correctly. With Jake Long just signing a deal with Miami as the first overall pick, the DC Sports Page is starting out 1 for 1.
1. Miami - Jake Long, OT Michigan
2. St. Louis - Chris Long, DE Virginia
3. Atlanta - Glenn Dorsey, DE LSU
4. Oakland - Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas
5. Kansas City - Sedrick Ellis, DT USC
6. New York Jets - Matt Ryan, QB Boston College
7. New England - Vernon Gholston, LB/DE Ohio State
8. Baltimore - Ryan Clady, OT Boise State
9. Cincinnati - Keith Rivers, LB USC
10. New Orleans - Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy
11. Buffalo - Devin Thomas, WR Michigan State
12. Denver - Jeff Otah, OT Pittsburgh
13. Carolina - Derrick Harvey, DE Florida
14. Chicago - Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt
15. Detroit - Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois
16. Arizona - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB Tennessee State
17. Minnesota - Phillip Merling, DE Clemson
18. Houston - Johnathan Stewart, RB Oregon
19. Philadelphia - Calais Campbell, DE Miami
20. Tampa Bay - Aqib Talib, CB Kansas
21. Washington - Brendan Albert, G Virginia
22. Dallas - Brandon Flowers, CB Virginia Tech
23. Pittsburgh - Mike Jenkins, CB S. Florida
24. Tennessee - Felix Jones, RB Arkansas
25. Seattle - Malcolm Kelly, WR Oklahoma
26. Jacksonville - Kentwan Balmer, DT North Carolina
27. San Diego - Gosder Cherilus, OT Boston College
28. Dallas - Desean Jackson, WR California
29. San Francisco - Brian Brohm, QB Louisville
30. Green Bay - Antoine Cason, CB Arizona
31. New York Giants - Kenny Phillips, S Miami
To conclude our mock draft the New York Giants are now on the clock with the 31st pick.
After winning a championship and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Superbowl history, the New York Giants are looking to restock their team with the talent that will allow them to make another run at the title. It is really almost impossible to accurately predict what teams will do in the latter part of the first round of the draft, but there are several needy positions on this team. The phenomenal play from the Giants defensive line last season masked an otherwise average secondary, further weakened with the loss of starting safety Gibril Wilson in free agency. Michael Strahan may end up retiring, so drafting a DL here would make some sense as well. On the other hand, they may want to address the linebacking corps, which saw starter Kawika Mitchell and backup Reggie Torbor leave to sign with other teams. Finally, there are rumors that starting TE Jeremy Shockey may be traded. No TE's have been taken yet in our mock draft so the Giants could have their pick of the bunch.
To continue our mock draft the San Diego Chargers are now on the clock with the 27th pick.
After coming within a game of reaching the Superbowl, the Chargers clearly look to be the class of the AFC West once again, and should easily repeat as division champs. This is a deep team with a lot of talent and not many serious needs. After losing Michael Turner in free agency to Atlanta, they may want to address the backup RB spot relatively early in the draft. However, in our mock draft the value is just not there with all of the first-round RB prospects long gone. CB, and OT are other positions San Diego may target in the first round. They may also want to take a QB in the mid- to later rounds because of Rivers' injury.
Pick #27: Gosder Cherilus, OT Boston College
Cherilus has been steadily climbing up the boards and most mocks now have him as a late first rounder. The Chargers could use some more depth at the offensive tackle position, and although it's unlikely that Cherilus will crack the starting lineup in his first year, he should be a solid backup lineman and someone they can groom as a potential starter down the road.
The Dallas Cowboys are now on the clock once again.
To continue our mock draft, rotating the picks among the bloggers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now on the clock with the 23rd pick in the draft.
As a Patriots fan I never thought I'd utter these words, but: I miss Bill Cowher. Nothing against Mike Tomlin, who I thought did a fine job in his first year as a head coach, but Cowher not only was a good coach, but was always entertaining to watch on the sideline. Whether he was jawing with one of the refs over a blown call (with the requisite spit spraying out from his mouth every couple of words) or staring down one of his players after a boneheaded mistake, you could bet that Cowher would do something interesting or funny just about every week (remember when he stuffed that photo in the ref's pocket to protest the lack of a twelve-men call?). In fact, he was so charismatic and famous that my non-football-watching wife even knew who he was, though I believe she used to refer to him simply as "Angry Man." Personally, I always thought that he looked like a cross between Popeye and J. Jonah Jameson, but I digress. Let's face it, the NFL is a bit less interesting without him. Now on to the pick.
To continue our own mock draft, rotating the picks among the bloggers the Detroit Lions are on the clock now with the 15th Pick in the draft.
Pick #15: Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois
With the top WR prospect already gone, you just know Matt Millen is muttering obsceneties to himself. Becuase of their recent propensity for taking receivers in the first round, the Lions will probably still give serious thought to Oklahoma's big man Malcolm Kelly here, but ultimately they will make a smarter pick with better value, filling a position need at the same time. At least I think they will, because if past drafts are any indication the Lions are just as likely to pull a surprise here. But I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they take Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall. Detroit has holes to fill at multiple positions, including offensive and defensive line, running back, and linebacker. But with most of the top-tier DL and OL gone now, Mendenhall gives them the best value at their admittedly weak draft position. If they don't want Mendenhall, they should take Virginia G Brendan Albert, but Detroit consistently drafts offensive skill position players early so I believe they will take Mendenhall if he is there. The Lions have said they want to run the ball more frequently and effectively this year, so they need to draft someone who can actually do that. Kevin Jones is gone, and Tatum Bell has been on the decline the last couple years. Will the Lions 2008 draft enable them to crack the 10-win mark, as predicted again by QB Jon Kitna? I seriously doubt it, as this team just has too many weaknesses.
With that the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock!
To continue our own mock draft, rotating the picks among the bloggers the Buffalo Bills are on the clock now with the 11th Pick in the draft.
I've never been to Buffalo, and I am perfectly fine with that. Much like Q observed for Cincinnati, there really is not much reason to go there. I mean, they only just got a Dave and Buster's. And the women... At least we can appreciate the city as the point of origin of Buffalo wings. You've really got to hand it to the guy who first thought it might be tasty to take boney chicken scraps, deep-fry them, slather them in a butter-based hot sauce, and then dip them in a dressing made from moldy cheese. At least the little celery sticks on the side give them the illusion of being slightly healthy. But you gotta love 'em. And of course, without Buffalo's contribution to world cuisine there would be no Wing Bowl. Thanks Buffalo! Now on to the pick.
To continue our own mock draft, rotating the picks among the bloggers the New England Patriots are on the clock now with the 7th Pick in the draft.
Pick #7: Vernon Gholston, LB Ohio State
After a record setting offensive season in 2007, the Pats will look to inject some youth into an aging defense that has been hit hard in free agency. The most obvious needs are LB, with the release of Roosevelt Colvin and likely retirement of Junior Seau, and CB with the free agent losses of pro-bowler Asante Samuel and nickel back Randall Gay. The Pats will consider taking the top cornerback at this spot, but with Vernon Gholston still on the board at #7 it's just too tempting to pass him up. Gholston is a tremendous athlete and will fit in nicely at the outside backer position in the Pats 3-4 alignment. The 3-4 mandates carrying an abundance of linebackers on the roster, possibly 10 or more, and heading into the draft there are several slots vacant here. Bill Belichick and company would not have expected Gholston to still be available, but fortunately for them the Jets went with a surprising pick at #6 with Matt Ryan. The Pats will now have Ohio State bookends at the outside linebacker position with Mike Vrabel manning the other side.
With that the Baltimore Ravens are now on the clock...
Pick #5 Sedrick Ellis, DT USC
With a QB depth chart that features Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard, and Tyler Thigpen, the Chiefs have to take a long look at Matt Ryan at the #5 spot. Although the jury is still out on Croyle, they will opt to give him a full year as the starter before deciding if he is the guy to lead this team into the next decade.
So the Chiefs go with the best player available, which is USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. Ellis gives them a big body up front who can play tackle in their base 4-3 and also shift to the nose when they go the 3-4. They're going to need some young talent along the defensive line to compete in the AFC West by shutting down the talented RB's in this division, namely LT, and now McFadden, and whoever Denver trots out this year to be their next 1,000-yard back.
The Jets are now on the clock...
We at the DC Sports Page thought it would be fun to run our own mock draft, rotating the picks among the bloggers. We'll be bringing that to you over the next few weeks. So without further ado here's the first pick.
Jake Long, OT Michigan
After an abysmal 2007 the Dolphins have obvious needs across the entire roster, but the offensive line in particular is in shambles heading into the draft. Selecting top offensive tackle prospect Jake Long would give them someone who could likely start immediately and shore up the right tackle spot vacated by the release of LJ Shelton. Besides, none of the other top prospects seem as natural of a fit for Miami as Long. They've got decent talent at RB and WR, and although their quarterback situation is a big question mark, it wouldn't make that much sense to draft another one this early, especially with two young (though largely untested) QB's already on the roster in Beck and Bramlet. Ryan would be a big reach here.
Parcells has a penchant for drafting defensive players early, so it wouldn't be a shock to see him target someone from this year's deep crop of defensive lineman such as Chris Long (especially if the team ends up trading defensive superstar Jason Taylor, as has been rumored) and then draft offensive line help in the later rounds. But the smart money is on Jake Long at number 1.
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was named AP Coach of the Year last week, a development that can be viewed as a bit of a surprise in the wake of his early-season spying scandal and subsequent punishment, which included personal and team fines, and forfeiture of a first-round pick. In the end, the unprecedented 16-0 mark was enough to outweigh any misgivings that may have lingered in voters' minds. And while he and the team are to be congratulated on the undefeated regular season, is Belichick's performance this year really worthy of Coach of the Year?
I really never thought I'd see an NFL team go undefeated. Even when the Broncos and more recently the Colts went deep into the regular season without losing I just didn't think it would happen. It only takes a few key plays to blow a game. A tipped ball, a key penalty, a fumble, or just an uncharacteristic performance by one of the team's stars. The Patriots have been able to minimize those types of mistakes this year, and have fought back in the 4th quarter of the games where they've been down. Yeah, they've had a few close calls (the Ravens in particular really could have knocked them off), but this is a great team, and an undefeated season is a remarkable accomplishment.
Peter King had an interesting item in this week's Monday Morning Quarterback showing each NFL team's status relative to the 2008 salary cap. Take a guess at who the only team was that is already over the cap. Yep, the Redskins. Not only are they over the cap, but they are over by a whopping $20 million. Think about that for a minute. That means the 'Skins will have to trim $20M in payroll just to be in compliance next year, to make no mention of signing draft picks or free agents. They will be able to cut that number down a little bit by getting creative and converting some of their players' salaries into prorated signing bonuses and the like, but that alone is not going to get it done, and that's really just delaying the inevitable cap crisis to a later year anyway. Some high-price veteran players will have to be cut. With the emergence of Jason Campbell, and in light of Mark Brunell's large cap number next year he is a goner for sure. Who else will be let go?
There has been a lot of talk this week about the Eagles having unearthed some sort of defensive blueprint for defeating the Patriots. I think this is nonsense. In the game Sunday I saw a Pats offense that was disrupted at times, but was essentially able to move the ball. Brady was still able to complete well over 60% of his passes and convert a number of key third downs. Look, if you are able to put pressure on the QB using the blitz, it's going to make his job tougher by forcing him to make quicker decisions. This is no big secret. But for the most part the Pats handled the blitz. More importantly, Brady made good decisions and did not turn the ball over.
The Eagles success in the game had much more to do with the play of their offense. A.J. Feely had a career game and Philadelphia was able to keep the chains moving, converting on 8 of 13 third downs, and on their lone fourth down attempt. The Eagles also used an ultra-aggressive offensive gameplan, recovering a surprise onside kick, and attempting several gadget plays, albeit with limited success. They were able to sustain long drives and limit the number of possessions by the Pats offense. This game showed that the best way to beat the Patriots is by having an aggressive, efficient, and mistake-free offense. Sure it may help your team's chances of winning if you can get pressure on Brady, but more importantly, your offense has to score a lot of points and take a lot of time doing it. Philadelphia's few mistakes were what cost them the game.
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