Man oh man am I excited about this trade for the Chicago Bears. I must say i’ve been reading a lot about this trade already, opinions from all angles. I will have to just spit my input out in bullets, because it seems as though a lot has been covered already. Here is my take (yes i’ll be rambling, so i’m just going to try to keep each point short).

 

First of all, wow, thank you Jerry Angelo! You still suck, but at least you grew a pair for the first time in your tenure, it may save you job, at least in the eyes of Bears fans.

 

A lot of people (the media) who considered J Cut (my new nickname for my new favorite qb Jay Cutler) a stud before are now calling him a slightly above average qb. The same people who called Kyle Orton inadequate are now calling him average. Very biased (ehem ESPN). They’re probably just pissed theyre golden boy Brett Favre is retiring.

 

I have to say the Bears overpaid. By a lot. But consider this, if they don’t overpay, they lose out to a team that does. They had to overpay to get what they wanted. Plus, not all draft picks work out, who knows who they would have gotten with the 18th pick.

 

Speaking of the draft, the O-line still needs help, but is already much improved. There are many many many good OTs coming out this year, and they can probably nab 1 in the 3rd round.

 

This leaves question marks at S, WR, and the D-Line. Well, pretty simple, draft a WR in the 2nd round (i’m still praying for Kenny Britt as I went to Rutgers).

 

Ok, so now you have an average line on both sides, a solid TE, RB, a stud QB, and no good WRs, but a game breaker in Hester, all with an aging but still above average defense. People are still scared. “Ohhh who is Jay Cutler going to throw too”. Um, how about the same people that Orton threw to.

 

They went 9-7 with these pieces last year, and an O-Line that wasn’t as good and a QB that wasn’t as good. The rest of the division hasn’t done much this offseason (Sage Rosenfels doesn’t count). I think another 9-7 finish is worst case scenerio. To me the Bears won out, and i’m excited!

 

They haven’t had a passer like Cutler in a long time, and there no denying that he’s better than Orton. But looking at the flip side of things, theres no denying that the Broncos made out like bandits with this trade.

 

J Cut went 8-8 against a weak AFC West. Why? Well, they had a Detroit Lionesque defense last year! Cutler is 13-1 or 12-1 when his team gives up less than 21 points.

 

So now the Broncos have plenty of draft picks to shore up their defense in the first few rounds. They’ve already added Dawkins and will be drafting plenty of players on the defensive side. Imagine a secondary with Dawkins, Bailey, and Malcom Jenkins from Ohio St.

 

2 shutdown corners, a top 5 safety and all of sudden you have 7 in the box every down and the team is not giving up 28 pts per game anymore. Kyle Orton is very serviceable. To all these bashers out there, there is a reason that he was No. 2 on their list of QBs they wanted behind only Brady Quinn.

 

So Derek Anderson, Jason Campbell and all you other overrated QBs, eat your hearts out. Denver knows what they’re doing. Now once again, as I did before with J Cut, i’m going to ask this question. If Kyle Orton can go 9-7 with a “CFL WR corp”, then what makes the media think he won’t go at least 9-7 with Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Tony Scheffler?

 

Once again this is a win/win for both teams. Everyone has been looking at the negative side of this. Orton sucks, Cutler will have no recievers now, etc. Give it a break already. We’ll see 5 years from now if this trade had a REAL impact for the franchises, but for the short term this was a great trade on both sides.

 

My last tidbit has to do with Josh McDaniels. Please, oh please, don’t give him all the credit when Kyle Orton is successful in the AFC West. This guy was not Tom Brady’s QB coach while he developed, and Matt Cassel could be a 1 hit wonder for all we know. He has nothing to do with J Cut’s development, and trust me, as a Bears fan I know, Kyle Orton is already developed. He had no O-Line and no WRs, now he does.

 

He has the best O-Line in football, and he has good recievers, what he does is because of the QB he already is, not because McDaniels is some miracle worker. For McDaniels to prove himself, he will have to have a solid defense as well.

 

At least this puts to rest Sexy Rexy (Grossman) talks in Chicago, finally! We will miss you though. Neckbeard (Orton), we will also miss you. Up next, Jerry Angelo while we have you listening to us, bring in Boldin, Plax, Braylon, Holt and/or Peppers. Orton, good luck.

 

J Cut welcome, you’re officially a Monster from the Midway tonight at 6PM. Hey, at least we’re not getting Michael Vick! Go Bears!

The Dallas Cowboys have cut their number one wide receiver and offensive weapon in Terrell Owens. So what does this mean for their upcoming season? Well it’s going to be a bumpy ride, that’s for sure. Let’s take a look at what the Cowboys have done or not done so far this offseason, and how their opponents have faired.

1 – Adam Pac Man Jones is released. Well, I may be the only one, but I think he’s a good player. Off the field is a completely different story. This move can be viewed in either direction, i’ll call it a toss up.

2 – Cowboys tender Miles Austin, Stephen Bowen, Sam Hurd and Corey Proctor. By putting a 2nd round draft choice tag on Austin and Hurd, they shored up decent 3rd and 4th wide receivers, but would soon release T.O. leaving big holes at that position. The tenders weren’t a bad move though, they were smart ones.

3 – Brad Johnson is released….finally.

4 – Dolphins sign offensive lineman Berger, Cowboys don’t care, and neither does anyone else.

5 – Cowboys sign Jon Kitna. Ok, this is a huge upgrade over Bollinger and Brad Johnson, good move, but in the end, he’s still a backup. Unless he gets to start in the playoffs over Tony Romo who only shows up for the regular season.

6 – Keith Brooking signed by Boys. That defense needs some leadership.

7 – Cowboys sign Matt Stewart. They’ve also let go of Zach Thomas.

8 – Cowboys trade Anthony Henry. Nothing major.

9 – Canty signs with Giants, steal from Cowboys. If you’re going to let him go, make sure he doesn’t go to the Giants for god sakes.

10 – And of course the two biggest splashes, Owens is cut, Roy Williams is cut.

Well, with the Giants defense getting stronger by a little bit this offseason, and the Skins making big splashes, the Boys didn’t help themselves. They are only looking better than the Eagles in that division at this point.

Roy Williams is the most overrated safety in the NFL. Yes, he can hit harder than any other safety, but beyond that, there is no beyond that, that’s all he’s good for.

Owens on the other hand is vital to this offense. Jason Witten was seeing a wide open middle of the field due to Owens being double covered. That middle of the field will be clogged up this year, those double teams will come on Jason Witten. Linebackers will be able to stuff the box and try to stop the run as they don’t have to worry about Owens anymore. Yes he had off field issues, but was it really worth giving up the centerpiece of your offense? Only time will tell.

And with their first round pick, the Dallas Cowboys select….(insert WR here)

The season is over, the Steelers and their fans are still celebrating their historical run to the championship.  Now its time for the off-season.  First up, the Chiefs picked up Matt Cassel (was originally headed for the Broncos, thank god this didn’t happen) and linebacker Mike Vrabel) for only a second round pick….I wonder which team won here.

 

The Broncos picked up linebacker Andra Davis, RB Correll Buckhalter, and safety Brian Dawkins…solid off-season so far for the team.

 

The Giants were able to land the two players they wanted the most to solidify their defense; linebacker Michael Boley and Rocky Bernard.

 

The Saints resigned linebacker John Vilma and brought back tackle Jon Stinchcomb as well.

 

This Steelers defense has that defining characteristic of every great Steelers D: a commitment to playing physical, disciplined football which makes it impossible to run the ball on them consistently or fool them with counters or trick plays.

 

However, Mike Tomlin has made them even better by fixing a lot of problems in the secondary. In years past, the Steelers blitz often left average defensive backs in one-one-one man coverage, running with receivers and in poor position to make plays. Teams that were able to pick up blitzes and elite QB’s that attacked the coverage burned the Steelers time and again, especially in the playoffs. Now, the Steelers play a lot of Cover 2 behind the blitz; the zone coverage puts defensive backs in a great position to read the QB’s eyes and make plays on the ball when the blitz is effective.

 

As for the Steelers offense, in the AFC Championship they were focused on playing mistake-free football, playing it close to the vest and winning it at the end. This week I look for them to open up the playbook and attack. The Cardinals linebackers are not particularly intimidating. I look for the Steelers to go after the LB’s with runs around the edges, away from the outstanding safety Adrian Wilson, with play action passes to receivers in the middle of the field, and anytime a linebacker is covering Mewelde Moore or Heath Miller.

What’s up with Tony Romo?  Is he the most overrated QB in the league?  Well I wouldn’t go that far (cough cough…Brett Favre…cough cough…) but he is dang near up there.  If I was Jerry Jones, I might consider ending this relationship, “Tony, it’s not you, it’s me.”  It’s like Tony is the abusive boyfriend, sure he can be fantastic and great to us sometimes, but other times he can punch us in the gut leaving us gasping for air.  Then at the next press conference he leaves us with empty promises ”Baby, I won’t ever do that again, I’ll be the leader you need.”  He can sometimes run the offense like Peyton Manning and run like a white Michael Vick (are we still talking about this guy?) but other times he looks like a 2nd string High School QB starting his first game who really doesn’t have a grip on football rather than the teams offense.

 

He became America’s sweetheart too fast.  He never really earned his title of such a highly admired QB.  Bledsoe’s career was ended by a GIANT debacle.  The Dallas Cowboys had no other choice but to bench the oldie and put in Romo as their new starting QB.  Compared to that old hag, I think a kid in a wheel had more mobility and probably more smarts than Bledsoe.  He became an instant celebrity dating Hollywood d-listers.  On a side note, did Jessica Simpson kill her career or did Romo’s constant choking make her a county fair singing loser? 

 

Well, back to Tony, is it just me or does he seem to dissapoint us further every season? Butterfingers his first playoff appearance, stinking up the field his second, and not even getting into the playoffs his third?  Let’s break this down.  Tony’s stock is dropping lower than the Dow Jones.  Jerry Jones can get a great deal for him, people think he’s one of the top 5 QB’s in the league.  Perhaps a package of Tony and TO?  Get a real QB.  I think Byron Leftwich would be a better fit for Dallas than Tony.  Tony’s just not the leader and doesn’t play with the consistency the Dallas cowboys need.  I’d trade his stock.  Get rid of the guy, and maybe the Cowboys will have a shot to living up to their hype and over expectations.

 

 

 

 

As if Tim from the NBA wasn’t bad enough. And as if the roided up umpires in the MLB wasn’t enough. Football has its own refereeing problems. Here are 3 incidents in which I was disgusted. Leave it to Ed Hoculi of course.

Norv Turner and the Chargers get duped by ref. Hoculi decides to call an incomplete pass on a clear fumble. Why not call it a fumble and review it? Another roid ref turd. Given that and the missed field goal, the Broncos would be 2-6 where they belong. Instead, people jumped on the band wagon. That lasted about 2 weeks, now didn’t it?

Jake Locker get penalized for bullshit. Literally. The ball didn’t even go higher than the 4 foot midget that was wearing a referee uniform. Come on, seriously? That was a tough loss for a team with a lot of heart at that time. That heart is now gone, and so is Jake Locker.

Former Kentucky linebacker revisits his childhood. So Stephen Garcia is starting his first game I think, and he’s doing well against a Guiness Stout LSU defense. All 12 of them. The referee, trying to get out of the way of course, lowers his shoulder and destroys Garcia. Even the LSU linebackers were shocked because they can’t hit like that.

Ok now, I’ve heard all of the arguments, stop blaming Hoculi blah blah blah, the Chargers still could have stopped them on 4th down blah blah blah. The ball was thrown in the air, and the kicker should have made the extra point anyway, blah blah blah. The ref was just trying to get out of the way, blah blah blah. No. The Chargers shouldn’t have to defend 4th down, in college the extra point is never a given especially when moved back as if it were a 30 yard field goal, and next time, Garcia, just run the motherfucker over.

How ironic. The hockey player toothed, face of the New York Super Bowl Champ Giants picks the Dallas Cowboys of all teams to win the championship. He could have gone with the Colts, Chargers, nearly undefeated Patriots, or any other of the 32 teams minus the Lions. Why the Cowboys? Roy Williams is the most overrated safety in football. The Giants are still strong. Saints look unstoppable on offense. Maybe he just thinks they can’t win without him? Tiki thought the same thing. Well Tiki is the most overrated running back in history, so no one cares what he thinks, especially Eli Manning and the New York football Giants. But Strahan? That has to get under the G-men’s skin. At least Michael is honest. Honesty is all he has going for him though, as he sure as hell isn’t going to be correct.

Auburn 3, Mississippi 2. I’m sure a lot of fans were thinking baseball season was over, wasn’t it? This was ugly. As we’ve seen after this game, Ole Miss has gotten better, Auburn is overrated and just plain sucks. This looked to be a game between two good defenses early in the year, two of the best in the nation maybe. Now it looks like Ole Miss was in the middle of their learning curve and Auburn got lucky. Hey, I thought college football was all about the offense ala Texas Tech. Oh wait, this is the SEC, they have rules and regulations.

It’s about that time. All of the teams have played at least ½ of their games for this NFL season. So many storylines as its been such a crazy season. Chad has changed his name, DeSean Jackson pulls a bonedheaded rookie mistake, the rookie running back class is ridiculously talented, the Titans are undefeated, the Cardinals are winning, and the Colts and Chargers are losing. Theres so much more to discuss, but awards are always fun, so lets do those.

Here are my picks ½ way into the season.

Coach of the Year Nominees:

Jim Zorn – Washington Redskins
Jeff Fisher – Tennessee Titans
Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers
Tom Coughlin – New York Giants
Ken Wisenhunt – Arizona Cardinals
Mike Smith – Atlanta Falcons
John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens

Well theres a lot to choose from. I saw a few others that I could mention as well, but I’m going to eliminate Tomlin and Coughlin based on the talent level of the players on the team. Wisenhunt has schemed well and that offense is clicking like its never clicked before, but theyre the Cardinals, can they play defense and can the keep this up? I say yes, history says no! Harbaugh has the Ravens contending again, with rookie sensation (and no longer Rashard Mendehall’s bff) Ray Rice, bruiser Leron McClain, Willis McKneehee, Joe Flacco and that stout Ravens defense. I just can’t come to give him enough credit though, as that Ravens defense is back, but not because of Harbaugh. Mike Smith, working with the possible rookie of the year in Atlanta, and a turf burner in Michael Turner, he has brought this franchise to life. I need to see if he can get to 8 wins first. You know who is at 8 wins? Fisher.

Winner: Fisher. Ohhh yea, I forgot about Jim Zorn. Anyone see the MNF game between the Steelers and the Skins? Anyone see the comeback that never had a chance due to horrible head coaching? Anyone see Tomlin pay Zorn off before the game? Who does Zorn think he is, Joe Gibbs? Even Gibbs would have known to give the ball to Portis in that situation or kick the damn field goal.

Rookie of the Year Nominees:

Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons
Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans
Matt Forte – Chicago Bears
DeSean Jackson, Eddie Royal, and any other awesome rookie RB (pretty much all of them)

Man oh man am I excited about the next few years of football. This class is superb. 2 winning rookie qbs, the best rb rookie class ever, and some consistent rookie wrs. Yes, consistent and rookie wide receiver can be used in the same sentence when appropriate. I have to give all due credit to many many many rookies that can be competing for this award this year if given the chance. Just to throw out a few names: Joe Flacco, Felix Jones, Jamal Charles, Ray the man Rice, DJax, Royal, McFadden, Hightower, soon to be Torain, possibly Tashard Choice, if healthy Mendenhall, let me know if I forgot anyone, I absolutely love these guys. But, i am going to go against my man-crush and against the consensus. Matt Forte is a beast, a beast that can run through or around people. Matt Ryan is the consensus. But if you have enough fantasy points to keep up with Forte and Ryan, while having to share your dinner and your touches with LenDale White, you are doing something very special.

Winner – Chris Johnson (hopefully Forte by the end of the year)

MVP Nominees:

Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints
Kurt Warner – Arizona Cardinals
Albert Haynesworth – Tennessee Titans
Clinton Portis – Washington Redskins

Well, I have to give a quick mention to Brian Westbrook as when he is on the field, he is the MVP hands down. Irregardless of record, he is the Philadelphia Eagles. And you knew it was coming, but I am going to throw Kyle Orton’s name out there, yes that Kyle Orton. Neckbeard, liver killer, the life of the party, whatever nicknames you have for him. He has been astounding. But now the real contenders. Well its hard to take either Brees or Warner without taking the other. Yes the Saints are in 3rd and the Cardinals are leading their division, but look at the teams they have to play. Anyone can easily make a case for Portis. When has he not shown up? Well lets see, the two most important games to date. Week 1 vs. the Giants, and Week 9 vs. the Steelers. MVPs show up everyday. I also feel really good to give the underappreciated players (usually defenders) the credit they deserve.

Winner – Albert Haynesworth. That defense would be cupcake without him. He is the glue. Super super glue.

Uh oh, Brady went down. I want to discuss a few topics here. First, how important is Tom Brady. Well very important apparently. About 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins worth. 5 weeks into the season, the Pats are 3-1 and are only 1 game out in the AFC East. Now, I know quarterbacks are important, but Brady is a bit overrated. Don’t get me wrong, he’s definitely a top player in the league, but he gets way too much credit. A few examples? All 3 superbowl wins were only by 3 pts, not dominant. Vinatieri was the ultimate clutch kicker. Randy Moss. Dominant defense. And of course, the ‘Tuck Rule’. Lets see how this season plays out, but when you’re throwing balls into triple coverage, the only way you’re going to get your reputation as a good QB is if Randy Moss is somehow pulling those down. (See Eli Manning/Plaxico Burress). P.S. Peyton is in a class of his own, no matter how bad he does.
With that said, I have much respect for football players, and that includes Tom Brady. That doesn’t include coaches such as Bill Belicheat. Follow the damn rules. He’s got an answer for everything and has no respect for the game. Wear something professional, act professional. When the oh so quiet Ladanlian Tomlinson says that the Patriots have no class and they get it from their head coach, it’s a huge statement. LT never opens his mouth! Well he got what he deserved, now he has to win without his star QB, lets see how he does.
As for Brady though, for a guy that during last year’s superbowl, wouldn’t even acknowledge Eli Manning during pregame when Manning said ‘wassup’, he’s still tough. Can’t say the same for baseball players. How’s this for irony. During a BASEBALL game, the commentators called out Paul Konerko and compared him to Tom Brady. Why? Well Brady has a torn ACL and MCL, which requires you to miss the season. Konerko had a strained hamstring. Yes strained. Paul had to be ‘helped off the field by 3 trainers’, while ‘Brady walked off under his own power’. Are you kidding me?! Enough said. Actually, I’d also like to point out how I lost my fantasy baseball league in the semi finals due to a bunch of rain delays. The double headers were never made up, except the Yankees on that Sunday. Well of course I have Arod and he has a strained neck….for the first game only! Yes strained. Somehow it unstrained itself within the 3 hrs between the 2 games, and he played, and sucked. Bunch of pansies on roids.