A Few Random Thoughts During My Day Of Leisure

The day's work is done, the feet are up and my cup is filled with a nice cold beverage. Life is good---but could be better if the Bruins could find some offense 'cuz I don't like what I'm seeing on the tube right now. (More on that later).

A few days ago, I expertly predicted the running attack and top notch defense of the J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! would carry Coach Ryan's to their first Super Bowl bid since 1969. Uh, I'm waffling on that now with kickoff a mere 25 hours away.

As hot as the Jets have been, I can't pick a rookie QB over Peyton Manning. Colts 24-19 in a thriller.

Down in 'Nawlins...........this should be a great game as the good folks get an early start to the Mardi Gras celebration.

The Minny D-line is the best in football and they'll have to be as the secondary could be in for a long day against Drew Brees.
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The crowd will be off-the-charts insane as the 'Aints clinch a Super Bowl berth, 38-27.

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Early candidate for D-Bag of the Year: see Arenas, Gilbert.

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Reason #8,678 that I haven't followed the NBA in a decade.
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To quote George Costanza........Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorence on this thing, because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing is frowned upon... you know, cause I've worked in a lot of offices, and I tell you, people do that all the time."

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Back to the Bruins......yes, Phil Kessel wasn't big on playing defense and his dedication to the team game sucked, but he could light the lamp. The B's got two top draft choices for him from Toronto and I am patiently waiting for the Bruin brass to deal those picks for a sniper (Ilya Kovalchuck???) or the postseason run will be brief, if they qualify.
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Almost time for pitchers and catchers.....NASCAR is getting ready to rev up the engines for another 82-week season. I like the NBA more than NASCAR, soccer too....I know, I've written that in the past. I thought I'd do it again in case anyone forgot (Mike P., Jim).

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Tom Cable is still the coach of the Raiders, for now. I'm checking the internet thrice hourly to see if the madman-who-used-to-be-a-genius has made a move. When you are on the receiving end of a joke by the Buffalo Bills GM Buddy Nix, you know you are in trouble....I'm loyal to a fault, but the last 7 years have been hell as a Raider fan. ...Any chances JaMarcus Russell and Darius Heyward-Bey are practicing their overthrows and drops right now? Hmmm............

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I say we keep the Cable guy but hire an offensive coordinator. Let someone else call the plays. Sad thing is, I don't get a vote, although I deserve one.....Ray Guy got snubbed in the Hall of Famve vote showing the complete stupidity of those involved in the selection process.
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Guy was the best punter in the history of the league. For the naysayers, ever heard of the importance of field position? This guy wasn't an afterthought on the roster, he was a weapon.
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Runner Up for Early Candidate for D-Bag of the Year: see Kiffin, Lane.
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Yeah, that tool will help SC ward off the NCAA vultures with his understanding of rules compliance. Hey, Rocky Top......TOLD YA SO!!!!!!!!!!!

NFC Preview - 2009

After hours upon hours of breaking down film and numerous all-night study sessions that harkens back to my Plattsburgh State days, the 2009 NFC landscape has come into focus for me.
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Here are the in-depth picks, AFC preview to follow soon........
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NFC East .

1-Philadelphia Eagles - Despite having a suspension to serve, Michael Vick's presence should give the Fightin Iggles the "killer" instinct to push the franchise with four NFC title game losses this decade over the top and into the Super Bowl.
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2- Washington Redskins - The surprise team of the conference but mostly anonymous given the off-season news of its division rivals. Just let Jason Campbell manage the game and turn Clinton Portis loose and da 'Skins can prep for the playoffs. .

3-Dallas Cowboys - T.O. isn't around to blame any more, neither is Jessica Simpson. Time for Tony Romo to step up and become the face of the franchise, something he won't be able to do. Jerry Jones will always be the Dallas Cowboys and will never let a player be bigger than him in Big D....Should have spent more cabbage on the practice facility to ensure better safety and cut back a bit on the new digs.

4- New York Football Giants - The best playmaker (Plaxico Burress) is on his way to prison and the G-men awarded Eli Manning with waaaaaaaaaay too much cash in what will go down as the worst contract in sports for the next few years. Eli certainly isn't his brother Peyton, and may very well be the worst QB in the division. Tom Coughlin should've gotten out after the Super Bowl win over New England.

NFC Central

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1-Green Bay Packers - Yep, the legend Favre is in Minnesota, but Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the division. After a down year, the Pack will be back in the playoffs. In fact, we'll call for Rodgers to be the NFC Most Valuable Player this year.

2- Minnesota Vikings - Good move by Minny in bringing in Brett Favre. Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels would've weighed this team down in a big way. Adrian Peterson is the best RB in the NFL and the Vikes can stop the run better than anyone. Those are the reasons, more than Favre's presence, that will allow Minnesota will grab a wild card. .

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3- Chicago Bears - The Rex Grossman era is over, the Jay Cutler era is about to commence. Sorry, Bears fans, the agony is going to get worse. This team could easily win the division but won't. Cutler attended Vanderbilt, so he isn't stupid...at least off the field. On the field, he has followed in Jeff George's footsteps as the NFL version of Nuke Laloosh......a million $$$$ arm and a 10-cent head. The next big came Cutler wins for his team will be his first.
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4-Detroit Lions - Hard to do worse than 0-16 so "up" is the only way to go. Matt Millen is mercifully out of Motown and the Matthew Stafford era should begin at some point in October, if not sooner.

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NFC South .

1- Atlanta Falcons - Wanted to pick New Orleans in this spot, but can't do it. Second year QB Matt Ryan is the real deal and, combined with RB Michael Turner, will lead Atlanta back to the playoffs.
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2 - New Orleans Saints - Remember those who ripped the Houston Texans to shreds for bypassing Reggie Bush and drafted DE Mario Williams with the top pick in the draft a few years ago? Those critics are quiet now as Williams has emerged as a dominate player and Bush has had trouble shaking nagging injuries. QB Drew Brees is solid, but the Saints will barely miss the playoffs.

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3 - Carolina Panthers - You never know what to expect from the Panthers. Lots of D'Angelo Williams will keep Carolina in the playoff hunt but QB Jake Delhomme is inconsistent and that isn't good enough with Ryan and Brees in the division.

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4 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Yeah, the Bucs got it right by firing the Punk (mr. gruden) but blew it in the draft. After winning the Super Bowl with the team assembled by Tony Dungy, Gruden accomplished nothing in South Florida except load up the roster with old, old QB's. The new regime selected the biggest bust of the first round of the draft - QB Josh Freeman - in a move that will ensure Tampa Bay picking in the top three spots of the 2010 draft.

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NFC West

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1- Seattle Seahawks - The default pick 'cuz I had to pick someone from the worst division in football. If Matt Hasselbeck is healthy, Seattle claims the division crown at 8-8.

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2- San Francisco 49ers - If they had a quarterback, they'd win the division going away. But, they don't....so they won't. Mike Singletary's hiring last year improved the Niners from day one and that improvement will continue this year. Singletary is the most fiery coach in the conference (sorry, Tom Cable allegedly beat up one of his coaches, he gets the top honor until proven otherwise). San Francisco will be much better, but Shaun Hill has no business being a starting QB in the NFL. If Brett Favre can come back, why not Joe Montana or Steve Young?

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3- Arizona Cardinals - When the planets aligne and it everything comes together, you'd

better win when given the shot because Super Bowl chances don't come often. Arizona was a few precious seconds from turning the world on its axis with its upset bid over Pittsburgh but the Cards were denied by a great effort by Steeler Santonio Holmes. QB Kurt Warner is a year older and is on borrowed time. Back to reality for Arizona, which means back out of the playoff picture.

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4 - St. Louis Rams - New head coach Steve Spagnuolo is a star in the making but this team is horrible. The Rams will battle Denver for the NFL's worst team honor, and the top pick in the 2010 draft.

Winners & Losers in Brett Favre Soap Opera

Is it really over?

Yep, and the future Hall of Famer is on his way to Broadway.

Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets to end the summer long soap opera. Might as well have something to do to kill time from the pre-draft prep until the preseason.

Winners:
The New York Jets - Hey, Gang Green was 4-12 last year and had invested heavily in veteran players in the offseason.

The question mark around the Jets was at quarterback. They knew that Chad Pennington didn't have the big-time arm to play QB and weren't sure what they had in Kellen Clemens.

GM Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini have to win NOW in order to ensure job security for the 2009 season. For a conditional third round pick - that could turn into more - this gamble was totally worth it for the Jets. There is no downside, especially considering that Favre is sure to have a chip on his shoulder heading into the season to prove the Packers wrong.

I don't want to hear about a plan for the future, and neither do Tannenbaum and Mangini. This is the NFL, win now or find another job.

Brett Favre - His biggest error was changing his mind on what he wanted to do. Retire, play, retire, play......you can't get on him too harshly for that. If his words are accurate, and the Packers pressed him for an answer early in the offseason, his initial stance makes sense.

At the end of a long football season, the body is beaten up and the thought of going thru another year - at Favre's age - it is understandable why he wouldn't commit to another season.

Favre's legacy is cemented, no matter the disaster of the summer. He'll always be an icon in Green Bay and his NFL records cannot be taken away. A successful run in New York can only enhance his legacy.

Losers:
Green Bay Packers - They've gone from a team one win away from the Super Bowl in a conference without a powerhouse club to a team relying on a QB who has never started an NFL game.

I don't want to hear that they were a team ready to move on or that they'd promised the job to Aaron Rodgers. That argument is just plain stupid.

As I said earlier, this is the NFL. Win now while you can. The window of opportunity can slam shut very quickly. Favre gave them a better chance to win that Rodgers, period.

Also, the PR disaster is one that won't go away quickly. The $20-25 million offer to stay retired? C'mon, that is insulting. GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have put their jobs on the line with this decision.

Bottom line is this, they wanted Favre out of Green Bay. Not sure why, but it doesn't matter.

The Green Bay Fans - The icon is gone and they are stuck with the above referenced management who's egos seemingly have gotten in the way of sound, logical thinking.

Aaron Rodgers - Don't blame Rodgers, who has patiently waited for his chance. Truthfully speaking, I'm sure Rodgers would have preferred to have won the job from Favre in camp than taking it this way.

Rodgers has said all the right things so far, he should be complimented for that. However, once a few of his passes fall short of the intended target, the boo-birds are going to come out in full force in Lambeau Field.

While he has done nothing to deserve the treatment that seems inevitable, Rodgers is going take the brunt of it. No matter what he does, he'll never be able to turn Lambeau Field into Mr. Rodger's neighborhood.

The frozen tundra belongs to Brett Favre and will for a long time.