Again the hand-wringing phoney baloney moralizing from the sports talk gets my goat. Bobby Petrino, after a warm vote of confidence from owner Arthur Blank on Monday, quit the Falcons on Tuesday to become the coach of Arkansas. Colin Cowherd raged about too much money in sports, the necessity of integrity in a college coach and compared Petrino to Stave Saban, who more or less did the same thing last year jumping from the Dolphins to Alabama. His guest today was Bob Griese, who waxed rhapsodically about that paragon of integrity, Don Shula. But I found myself thinking, wait a minute, didn't Shula ditch the Colts for the Dolphins. This is from Shula's Wikipedia entry:
After the 1969 season, Joe Robbie, owner of the Miami Dolphins, signed Shula to a contract to become Miami's second head coach. As a result of Shula's signing the team was charged with tampering by the NFL, which forced the Dolphins to give their first round pick to the Colts. The decision was controversial because Shula and Robbie's negotiations and signing were conducted before and after the official NFL/AFL merger, respectively. Had the negotiations been concluded before the merger, while the NFL and AFL were rivals, the NFL's anti-tampering rules could not have been applied.
Actually Shula got the Colts job because Weeb Eubank bolted for the Jets gig in 1963. Are you still convinced Steve Saban invented this? Or was it Rick Pitino? Or Larry Brown?
Yeah, Petrino's a dick and so is Saban and all the rest. But holding up as a model the guy who was the test case for NFL's anti-tampering rules strikes me as disinegenous to say the least. More to the point, when Saban and Petrino have big wins in their new programs we'll forget all about where they came from.
It is our right to sit around and throw mud at those that are able to take advantage of the system we've created but if we really hate it so much why don't we change the system? Or, better still, let's just get used to the fact that this is how it works and always has.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
NFL Week 13
DALLAS 7.0 Green Bay
MIAMI 1.0 New York (NYJ)
MINNESOTA 3.5 Detroit
PHILADELPHIA 3.0 Seattle
TENNESSEE 4.0 Houston
INDIANAPOLIS 6.5 Jacksonville
WASHINGTON 5.5 Buffalo
San Diego 5.5 KANSAS CITY
CAROLINA 3.0 San Francisco
ST. LOUIS Off (0) Atlanta
ARIZONA 0.0 Cleveland
Denver 3.5 OAKLAND
NEW ORLEANS 3.0 Tampa Bay
New York (NYG) 1.5 CHICAGO
PITTSBURGH 7.0 Cincinnati
New England 20.5 BALTIMORE
I liked the Packers to keep it close and they almost did. The Cowboys offense is not quite Patriot-like but they're closer than the Colts, Packers or Steelers at this point. I thought Favre tried to do too much, tried to hit home runs instead of sticking to the singles and doubles strategy that Aaron Rodgers was able to score some points with. Dallas seemed like the better team maybe not the difference between Dallas and Green Bay is not 10 points great. (Maybe Rodgers will have his Brady-moment this year: supplanting the veteran, getting on a roll and knocking off the undisputed champs. Nice screenplay, no?)
I like the Dolphins. They're not that much was than NYJ and I liked their new QB Beck against the Steelers.
I think I like the Lions to make one last push toward the playoffs. I don't think they'll get there but they should edge past the Vikings.
I like the Seahawks to finish strong as well. They might get scary come playoff time.
I'm not a big fan of what the Texans are doing but the Titans are flailing right now. I can see the Titans pulling it out late but I'll take those points. I like the Texans.
The Colts need to ramp up their offense and I think a familiar opponent, tough as the Jags are, are just what the Colts need to rev it up to the end of the season.
How does the Sean Taylor factor work itself out: will the Skins be extra-motivated or distracted? Will the Bills smell blood or will they let up a little? I like the Redskins to come out focused and energized and they'll pound on the struggling Bills.
The Chargers have had games where they came out and played hard and others where they looked like they'd rather be somewhere else. I just got a feeling that this will be one of those former games, look for the Chargers to win big.
The Panthers are one of those flailing teams that need to take advantage of every weaker opponent they can find. The Niners are weaker but they won't just roll over and give it away. I think the Panthers can take it.
Even without Bulger I think the Rams are a better team than Atlanta. If they get something rolling, they'll roll all day.
The Cards and the Browns are similarly up and coming teams with exciting offenses and not bad defenses. It's an even-up game, I'll take the home team.
The Broncos seems to be getting back together but I think the Raiders can take them at home. I'll take the Raiders to be within an FG.
The Saints have more talent than Tampa Bay but the Bucs are a playoff team right now and the Saints aren't. Can the Saints take that position from them? I don't think so. I think the Bucs keep them in check.
The Giants are struggling, the Bears have been disappointing, which makes them pretty much even. I'll take the Bears to pull it out late over NYG.
The Steelers will run the Bengals out of the building.
The Ravens just cannot keep up with the Pats. The Ravens D will have their moments (I can see a pick 6 coming), but the offense just will not move the ball on a Belicheck defense. I hate those gaudy odds but I'll take the Pats.
MIAMI 1.0 New York (NYJ)
MINNESOTA 3.5 Detroit
PHILADELPHIA 3.0 Seattle
TENNESSEE 4.0 Houston
INDIANAPOLIS 6.5 Jacksonville
WASHINGTON 5.5 Buffalo
San Diego 5.5 KANSAS CITY
CAROLINA 3.0 San Francisco
ST. LOUIS Off (0) Atlanta
ARIZONA 0.0 Cleveland
Denver 3.5 OAKLAND
NEW ORLEANS 3.0 Tampa Bay
New York (NYG) 1.5 CHICAGO
PITTSBURGH 7.0 Cincinnati
New England 20.5 BALTIMORE
I liked the Packers to keep it close and they almost did. The Cowboys offense is not quite Patriot-like but they're closer than the Colts, Packers or Steelers at this point. I thought Favre tried to do too much, tried to hit home runs instead of sticking to the singles and doubles strategy that Aaron Rodgers was able to score some points with. Dallas seemed like the better team maybe not the difference between Dallas and Green Bay is not 10 points great. (Maybe Rodgers will have his Brady-moment this year: supplanting the veteran, getting on a roll and knocking off the undisputed champs. Nice screenplay, no?)
I like the Dolphins. They're not that much was than NYJ and I liked their new QB Beck against the Steelers.
I think I like the Lions to make one last push toward the playoffs. I don't think they'll get there but they should edge past the Vikings.
I like the Seahawks to finish strong as well. They might get scary come playoff time.
I'm not a big fan of what the Texans are doing but the Titans are flailing right now. I can see the Titans pulling it out late but I'll take those points. I like the Texans.
The Colts need to ramp up their offense and I think a familiar opponent, tough as the Jags are, are just what the Colts need to rev it up to the end of the season.
How does the Sean Taylor factor work itself out: will the Skins be extra-motivated or distracted? Will the Bills smell blood or will they let up a little? I like the Redskins to come out focused and energized and they'll pound on the struggling Bills.
The Chargers have had games where they came out and played hard and others where they looked like they'd rather be somewhere else. I just got a feeling that this will be one of those former games, look for the Chargers to win big.
The Panthers are one of those flailing teams that need to take advantage of every weaker opponent they can find. The Niners are weaker but they won't just roll over and give it away. I think the Panthers can take it.
Even without Bulger I think the Rams are a better team than Atlanta. If they get something rolling, they'll roll all day.
The Cards and the Browns are similarly up and coming teams with exciting offenses and not bad defenses. It's an even-up game, I'll take the home team.
The Broncos seems to be getting back together but I think the Raiders can take them at home. I'll take the Raiders to be within an FG.
The Saints have more talent than Tampa Bay but the Bucs are a playoff team right now and the Saints aren't. Can the Saints take that position from them? I don't think so. I think the Bucs keep them in check.
The Giants are struggling, the Bears have been disappointing, which makes them pretty much even. I'll take the Bears to pull it out late over NYG.
The Steelers will run the Bengals out of the building.
The Ravens just cannot keep up with the Pats. The Ravens D will have their moments (I can see a pick 6 coming), but the offense just will not move the ball on a Belicheck defense. I hate those gaudy odds but I'll take the Pats.
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