I work with a British guy. He moved to the states about a year ago and started working for my employer. Anyway, the point of this post is to talk about soccer, or as he calls it being from England and all, football. But for the sake of clarity in this post, which is American, from here on out "soccer" is soccer and "football" is NFL. I am American, this is my blog, and that is how we shall proceed. Anyway, the point. We were talking about the Super Bowl last week and how huge it is. Out of the four majors here in the USA it is, by far, the biggest of the big! Hype, publicity, advertising - there is nothing bigger than Super Bowl Sunday. Well, he brought up the World Cup and threw at me that it was bigger. Yes, as far as numbers go, the World Cup gets in the billions and the Super Bowl stays in the millions. My argument was just about hype, nothing more. Anyway, he saw my angle, I saw his, and all was done. Until today, when he sent me this email:
- The last Superbowl brought a spectator rating of 89 million people (including tv) the world cup brought in just over a billion.
- Football (scoccer) is the single largest sport played in the world.
- Football (soccer) is a bigger in revenue than Baseball, Basketball and American Football combined (i didn't even want to include Hockey, is it worth it?? lol)
- FIFA (The Federation of World Football) counts 204 member countries.
- Soccer remains the #1 most popular sport in the world and the most widely played youth sport in the US.
All very valid points, I in fact like his shot at hockey in there. For only living here for a year, the dude catches on quick! Anyway, not to be out done, I came up with my own stats in response to his. Here are the ones I sent back to him:
- A good majority of that one billion are too drunk to even realize what the hell they are watching, so does that still count? Furthermore, once they do realize what they are watching, don't they burn the stands down anyway?
- It is spelled "soccer" not "scoccer" you dumb a**!! (See your second comment).
-It has to be bigger in revenue because there is no equipment to buy, all you need is grass, a net, a ball, some shoes, some shorts, some tall socks and some cards (yellow, red, green, pink - whatever!) Plus, with all the beer they sell, the money has to go somewhere right? How else would you paint those fancy white lines on the grass?
-No, it is not worth it to include hockey - just like soccer, that is not a real sport either (HAH!!!!).
-FIFA - what kind of girlie name is that? Why don't they just call it "Sheryl" (Soccer Helps Everyone Ruin Your Livers") or "Susan" (Soccer Unites Sissies Across Nations).
-Of course it is the number one sport - whether you kick a ball, a can, a cat, a dog, your baby brother or sister, any kid says they are playing soccer! Crap, that means I was a soccer player when I was a kid! Plus, like I said, all you really need is grass and a ball - how much cheaper can you get!
-For the record, I will take a beer and an "American" Football game over your "European" Football game anyday! Something about men running around in short shorts kicking balls just scares me!
Not that this has anything to do with much, but I went to the "Ron Artest School For Self-Promotion", so I felt like sharing with everyone today! Plus, I really liked my "Susan" remark! Anyway, now that I am done doing said self promotion, I have got to get back to work. Later - the sports dude!
Luke Waltons Forehead presented by the Sports Dude.
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 1:51 PM
Pointless post just for self promotion.
at 9:10 AM
Friday Morning Quickies.
Man, there have been a lot of quickies around here lately, I hope my wife ain't seeing this! Anyway, here is the list:
Quickie #1 - Disney is stopping, at least for right now, the "I am going to Disneyland" ad campaign. I guess it will be weird not to see Brady do it after his Super Bowl win this year, huh? Wait, did I say that? Sorry, just slipped out. In all honesty I am sad to see it go, even though it was kind of sappy and cheesy, it was still almost like a tradition, you know? Hey, can Disney get rid of Jarrod the Subway Subs guy next?
Quickie #2 - Tom Brady is uneasy about being compared to Joe Montana. That is why I love the dude, he is so damn humble it makes you sick sometime! He does, however, think it is funny that one of his receivers, Troy Brown, has a kid who says Brady is his favorite player - over his own dad! If I was Troy Brown, I would be cutting off someone's allowance, you know what I mean?!?! But seriously, that is the Lloyd Carr and U of M in Brady - just a great guy!
Quickie #3 - Nothing new about Maggs, but here is a Fox Sports Net article talking more about it. Nothing new on the front just yet, but we will keep you posted. It would be a huge signing for the Tigers and I hope he is healthy, they have the health in the contract and that they pull it off! A healthy Maggs would be huge in the middle of the line up!
Quickie #4 - the Pistons all but bitched slapped the Pacers last night in Indiana, beating them 88-76 at Conseco Fieldhouse. The game sent, yet again, a message to the Pacers "You want it you still got to go through us!". Sorry, even with Ron Artest the Pacers are not better then the Pistons. Hopefully these last two games will be a sign of things to come in the second half, and I think they will. The Pistons know what is at stake here and I think their "coasting" days are over. Expect a lot more winning and a lot more "D" back in the "D". Look out eastern conference, the Pistons are ( finally!!!! ) back.
Well, that is all for now, check back later to see if I felt like typing anything else. Until next time, chow! The sports dude.
Quickie #1 - Disney is stopping, at least for right now, the "I am going to Disneyland" ad campaign. I guess it will be weird not to see Brady do it after his Super Bowl win this year, huh? Wait, did I say that? Sorry, just slipped out. In all honesty I am sad to see it go, even though it was kind of sappy and cheesy, it was still almost like a tradition, you know? Hey, can Disney get rid of Jarrod the Subway Subs guy next?
Quickie #2 - Tom Brady is uneasy about being compared to Joe Montana. That is why I love the dude, he is so damn humble it makes you sick sometime! He does, however, think it is funny that one of his receivers, Troy Brown, has a kid who says Brady is his favorite player - over his own dad! If I was Troy Brown, I would be cutting off someone's allowance, you know what I mean?!?! But seriously, that is the Lloyd Carr and U of M in Brady - just a great guy!
Quickie #3 - Nothing new about Maggs, but here is a Fox Sports Net article talking more about it. Nothing new on the front just yet, but we will keep you posted. It would be a huge signing for the Tigers and I hope he is healthy, they have the health in the contract and that they pull it off! A healthy Maggs would be huge in the middle of the line up!
Quickie #4 - the Pistons all but bitched slapped the Pacers last night in Indiana, beating them 88-76 at Conseco Fieldhouse. The game sent, yet again, a message to the Pacers "You want it you still got to go through us!". Sorry, even with Ron Artest the Pacers are not better then the Pistons. Hopefully these last two games will be a sign of things to come in the second half, and I think they will. The Pistons know what is at stake here and I think their "coasting" days are over. Expect a lot more winning and a lot more "D" back in the "D". Look out eastern conference, the Pistons are ( finally!!!! ) back.
Well, that is all for now, check back later to see if I felt like typing anything else. Until next time, chow! The sports dude.
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 4:35 PM
Maggs close?
Just heard it on the radio and also read it here. Maggs has told his agent, Scott Boras, he wants to play in Detroit and instructed him to make a counter offer to the Tigers apparent offer - whatever that was. Something tells me this could be done within the next couple days and that the Tigers finally will land another free agent this off season. It sounds like the offer is in the ball park of the 5 year $70 million deal he turned down from the White Sox. He turned that one down because I am hearing he no longer wanted to play there.
It would be a great signing for the Tigers, much better than the Sammy Sosa option, as long as the contract was written like Pudge's and had "outs" for injuries and such. We will keep you posted - the sports dude.
It would be a great signing for the Tigers, much better than the Sammy Sosa option, as long as the contract was written like Pudge's and had "outs" for injuries and such. We will keep you posted - the sports dude.
at 1:12 PM
Maggs or bust? Sosa rumors?
Well, it seems to have come down to this for the Tigers - Maggs or bust! Does the dude really like being called "Maggs", by the way? I would take offense to it, kinds sound of silly, but that is just me. Then last night, while watching "The Detroit Sports Report" on Fox Sports Net, I got wind of a "RUMOR" - key word rumor - that if the Tigers strike out on Maggs, they may turn their attention to another power hitting rightfielder - Sammy Sosa. The only trick to that is it would involve a trade because he is still under contract with the Cubs, not a free agent. So then I started to think "Whom would you trade?". Here are some of the packages I came up with:
Package #1 - Urbina, Higgy, Craig Monroe and a starter not named Maroth or Bonderman.
Package #2 - Urbina, Rondell White, Marcus Thames and a starter not named Maroth or Bonderman.
We really lose nothing of significance and in return we get a pretty good power hitter. Also, here is a link to an article on Fox Sports Net about the Sosa trade rumors, which also says the Tigers would be a team interested. For the record, Sosa may be in the down swing of his career, may be a Juan Gonzalez type move for the Tigers, but if you don't give up too much ( like the guys I listed above would not be that big! ) then maybe I go for it. But, at the same time I think Juan Gonzalez again - I don't know, I just go back and forth on it. I know the Cubs were in on the Percival stuff this off season, so maybe Urbina could be the key - we shall see!
As far as Maggs or bust, I went to ESPN and for fun saw who was still out there on the free agent market. ESPN had these players named, which I then broke down by position, here we go:
PITCHERS:
Andy Ashby, Pedro Astacio, Brian Boehringer, Omar Daal, Valerio de los Santos, Mike Fetters, Kevin Frederick, Andrew Good, Franklyn Gracesqui, Buddy Groom, Curtis Leskanic, Al Levine, Jim Mecir, Ramiro Mendoza.
OUTFIELDERS:
Maggs, Dave Berg, Darren Bragg, Jeremy Burnitz, Robert Fick, Doug Glanville, Tom Goodwin, Rusty Greer, Ray Lankford.
INFIELDERS:
Carlos Baerga, Deivi Cruz, Mark De Rosa, Andy Fox, Dave Hansen, Mike Hessman, Barry Larkin, Travis Lee, Mark McLemore.
DH/CATCHERS:
Ellis Burks, Brad Fullmer, Brook Fordyce, Todd Hundley, Michael Hernandez, Sandy Martinez, Brett Mayne.
Looking at that list, I think I may make a T-Shirt that reads "Maggs or bust!" as well! There ain't too much left, so it may be to that point with the Tigers this off season. Oh well, let spring training begin!!!! The sports dude.
Package #1 - Urbina, Higgy, Craig Monroe and a starter not named Maroth or Bonderman.
Package #2 - Urbina, Rondell White, Marcus Thames and a starter not named Maroth or Bonderman.
We really lose nothing of significance and in return we get a pretty good power hitter. Also, here is a link to an article on Fox Sports Net about the Sosa trade rumors, which also says the Tigers would be a team interested. For the record, Sosa may be in the down swing of his career, may be a Juan Gonzalez type move for the Tigers, but if you don't give up too much ( like the guys I listed above would not be that big! ) then maybe I go for it. But, at the same time I think Juan Gonzalez again - I don't know, I just go back and forth on it. I know the Cubs were in on the Percival stuff this off season, so maybe Urbina could be the key - we shall see!
As far as Maggs or bust, I went to ESPN and for fun saw who was still out there on the free agent market. ESPN had these players named, which I then broke down by position, here we go:
PITCHERS:
Andy Ashby, Pedro Astacio, Brian Boehringer, Omar Daal, Valerio de los Santos, Mike Fetters, Kevin Frederick, Andrew Good, Franklyn Gracesqui, Buddy Groom, Curtis Leskanic, Al Levine, Jim Mecir, Ramiro Mendoza.
OUTFIELDERS:
Maggs, Dave Berg, Darren Bragg, Jeremy Burnitz, Robert Fick, Doug Glanville, Tom Goodwin, Rusty Greer, Ray Lankford.
INFIELDERS:
Carlos Baerga, Deivi Cruz, Mark De Rosa, Andy Fox, Dave Hansen, Mike Hessman, Barry Larkin, Travis Lee, Mark McLemore.
DH/CATCHERS:
Ellis Burks, Brad Fullmer, Brook Fordyce, Todd Hundley, Michael Hernandez, Sandy Martinez, Brett Mayne.
Looking at that list, I think I may make a T-Shirt that reads "Maggs or bust!" as well! There ain't too much left, so it may be to that point with the Tigers this off season. Oh well, let spring training begin!!!! The sports dude.
at 9:12 AM
Thursday Morning Quickies.
Quickie #1 - this article right here, which has U of M football ranked behind Ohio State and Iowa in the Big Ten for next year. I understand USC as the #1, but Iowa #3 and Ohio State #4, with Michigan #13? For the record, the Big Ten title goes thru U of M next year and I don't see Ohio State making any noise. They lost Tressel's good luck charm in Nugent, their place kicker, and he was the reason why they won so many games. Iowa? Good team yes, but sorry - not enough to get past Hart and Henne. Here is next seasons U of M Football schedule, have a look. They have seven home games and four road games. The home games are all but victories - Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan [because Oregon backed out again!], Minnesota, Penn State, Indiana and Ohio State. The hardest one out of that bunch is OSU, and sorry - ain't going to happen two years in a row! We open on the road in the Big Ten with are two toughest games, and I think that is where we will get our only loss of the season from - at Wisconsin followed by at MSU. They will likely lose one of those two games, and if I had to pick today it would be State, Wisconsin is a fraud! The other road games are at Iowa then at Northwestern ( they still play football there? ). Sorry, looking at that schedule I see a 10-1 season, no doubt about it. They are not going to lose at home, so that is 7-0. That leaves the four road games and I can only see one loss, if any, in that bunch - Wisconsin, MSU, Iowa and Northwestern. Pick one, if any, and it is definitely not Northwestern! Sorry Fox Sports Net dude, you screwed that one up!
Quickie #2 - the Pistons won last night, ending a four game slide. They looked pretty good, from what I saw, and hopefully this will be the beginning of a much better second half. That is, the type of second half we expected from them in the first half ( and all season for that matter! ). But I think the true measuring stick is tonight, against the Pacers in Indiana. Win tonight, stick it to them and I think that you will see much better basketball in the second half. But the jury is still out, so we shall see. But again, for the record, I still like the Pistons against anyone in the east in a seven game series, it is just the western opponent that scares me!
Well, that is all for now. I will check back later with some Tigers stuff, but I am out of time currently. Have a good morning my hearties - the sports dude!
Quickie #2 - the Pistons won last night, ending a four game slide. They looked pretty good, from what I saw, and hopefully this will be the beginning of a much better second half. That is, the type of second half we expected from them in the first half ( and all season for that matter! ). But I think the true measuring stick is tonight, against the Pacers in Indiana. Win tonight, stick it to them and I think that you will see much better basketball in the second half. But the jury is still out, so we shall see. But again, for the record, I still like the Pistons against anyone in the east in a seven game series, it is just the western opponent that scares me!
Well, that is all for now. I will check back later with some Tigers stuff, but I am out of time currently. Have a good morning my hearties - the sports dude!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 8:56 AM
The Wednesday List
Here we go, the weekly Wednesday list. After much time, consideration and a great deal of effort, I decided to dedicate this list to one of my favorite things - beer! My favorite beers, in general, for an afternoon of tail gating, an evening on the couch watching sports, or just playing cards! Crap, who am I kidding, I just enjoy these beers no matter what, no occasion or sporting event required. So kick back, relax and have a beer on me.
10 - Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) - about as basic as I can get, the standard beer.
9 - Bell's Two Hearted Ale.
8 - Sam Adam's Summer Ale.
7 - Labatt Blue - the basic standard, #2.
6 - Red Stripe - went to Jamaica on the honeymoon, so this has a special place in my heart! Not only can you get it on tap there, you can have it with breakfast instead of orange juice! Damn, I love Jamaica!!
5 - Bell's Porter.
4 - Goose Island Beer.
3 - Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat.
2 - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
1 - Bell's Oberon.
Honorable Mentions - Fosters, Sam Adams Boston Lager or Spring Ale, Bell's Best Brown, Corona (no lime!), JW Dundee Honey Brown.
Damn, I need a beer! That is all for now, comment on any that you feel I may have missed. Also, if there are any above that you have not tried, I suggest doing so! The great thing about Michigan, to me, is there a lot of great micro-breweries and no matter where you go, you can usually find something new and exciting on tap. Cheers!!!!! The sports dude.
10 - Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) - about as basic as I can get, the standard beer.
9 - Bell's Two Hearted Ale.
8 - Sam Adam's Summer Ale.
7 - Labatt Blue - the basic standard, #2.
6 - Red Stripe - went to Jamaica on the honeymoon, so this has a special place in my heart! Not only can you get it on tap there, you can have it with breakfast instead of orange juice! Damn, I love Jamaica!!
5 - Bell's Porter.
4 - Goose Island Beer.
3 - Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat.
2 - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
1 - Bell's Oberon.
Honorable Mentions - Fosters, Sam Adams Boston Lager or Spring Ale, Bell's Best Brown, Corona (no lime!), JW Dundee Honey Brown.
Damn, I need a beer! That is all for now, comment on any that you feel I may have missed. Also, if there are any above that you have not tried, I suggest doing so! The great thing about Michigan, to me, is there a lot of great micro-breweries and no matter where you go, you can usually find something new and exciting on tap. Cheers!!!!! The sports dude.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 8:56 AM
Moss on trade block; Lions interested?
The radio station that I listen to in the morning, WDFN the Fan, had a segment this morning about Randy Moss being on the trade block. It is official, the Vikings are looking to move the guy. Now, for the record, the Lions as far as the show knew were not officially interested. In fact, among the teams they listed as interested were the Ravens and the Falcons. ( Lets see, that would be Vick and Moss against McNabb and T.O. in the NFC Title game next year, so let us just cancel the season and save injuries. ) The guys were just talking about Randy Moss, his talent and should the Lions put out "feelers" and see what the asking price is? And, if they did, who or what would you be willing to give up?
For the record, even if it is a steal, I am not for putting Randy Moss on any team of mine, and I can not see the Lions bringing him on board. Crap, Mooch had his fill of cocksucker receivers ( please see Terrell Owens and his years with Mooch in San Fran ), do you really think he wants another? Especially another who is ten times worse? Please, Mooch would pack up his bags and leave for the hills. Besides, for the record, Moss is worse than T.O. and I can not believe I am typing those words! Talent or not, if you don't have the attitude, then you are a cancer in the locker room. I guarantee you that if Moss is gone the Vikings will have one of the best seasons they have ever known. Why? Because they found the cure for their cancer - trading Randy Moss. I hope the Lions are not that stupid, I can not see it happening anyway, and I don't want him here anyhow - done.
Now, hypothetically speaking, the station then went into what the Lions would give up for Moss. The one guy said, in a heart beat, Roy Williams and a draft pick. Someone called in and said they would rather move Charles Rogers than Williams with that draft pick. The radio host then said no way, Rogers is a better prospect than Williams, and there is no way he would move Rogers over Williams. This is where I disagree. Sorry, if you had to move either of those guys - Rogers or Williams - in a heart beat I would move Rogers. Without a doubt, without even blinking or hesitating, the answer is Rogers all the time. I still think he was a risky pick and I still think he will be a mediocre receiver at best. The future star of the Lions is Williams, hands down, and there is no doubt in my mind that Rogers is just going to be Williams' "compliment" receiver. I just about drove off the road when the dude on the radio said Williams over Rogers, because there is no way I would ever do that deal. Williams is the real talent, Rogers will be average, but until they get a real QB I guess it won't matter anyway, right? Damn, why the hell do we still have Joey? Done.
Well, that is all for now, I will try to check back later if I can. Later - the sports dude.
For the record, even if it is a steal, I am not for putting Randy Moss on any team of mine, and I can not see the Lions bringing him on board. Crap, Mooch had his fill of cocksucker receivers ( please see Terrell Owens and his years with Mooch in San Fran ), do you really think he wants another? Especially another who is ten times worse? Please, Mooch would pack up his bags and leave for the hills. Besides, for the record, Moss is worse than T.O. and I can not believe I am typing those words! Talent or not, if you don't have the attitude, then you are a cancer in the locker room. I guarantee you that if Moss is gone the Vikings will have one of the best seasons they have ever known. Why? Because they found the cure for their cancer - trading Randy Moss. I hope the Lions are not that stupid, I can not see it happening anyway, and I don't want him here anyhow - done.
Now, hypothetically speaking, the station then went into what the Lions would give up for Moss. The one guy said, in a heart beat, Roy Williams and a draft pick. Someone called in and said they would rather move Charles Rogers than Williams with that draft pick. The radio host then said no way, Rogers is a better prospect than Williams, and there is no way he would move Rogers over Williams. This is where I disagree. Sorry, if you had to move either of those guys - Rogers or Williams - in a heart beat I would move Rogers. Without a doubt, without even blinking or hesitating, the answer is Rogers all the time. I still think he was a risky pick and I still think he will be a mediocre receiver at best. The future star of the Lions is Williams, hands down, and there is no doubt in my mind that Rogers is just going to be Williams' "compliment" receiver. I just about drove off the road when the dude on the radio said Williams over Rogers, because there is no way I would ever do that deal. Williams is the real talent, Rogers will be average, but until they get a real QB I guess it won't matter anyway, right? Damn, why the hell do we still have Joey? Done.
Well, that is all for now, I will try to check back later if I can. Later - the sports dude.
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 2:51 PM
The Belichick Trophy?
Dan Joseph, the Detroit Sports Junkie, posted a comment about something he heard on a sports radio station last night. The conversation was regarding Belichick and if people thought he was the greatest coach ever. One even suggested renaming the Lombardi Trophy to the Belichick Trophy. I, like Dan, am not for it. I was just going to post a comment to him in return, but decided to make an actual post out of it instead because it got too long. Here it is.
I don't think it would be a good thing to rename the trophy after Belichick. Although I agree he is a great coach, and by far the best in the league right now, I am too much of a traditionalist to go for it. Lombardi was a hell of a coach in his own right, but who can honestly say who would get the best of the two if they could "virtually" go head to head. Each generation sees a new "great", that is what makes the game so fun. Gibbs was a great coach, Walsh was a great coach, Madden was a great coach, Don Shula - there is a laundry list of great coaches that you see evolving with each generation as the game naturally evolves. Renaming the trophy may be premature, let us see what Belichick does in two weeks and for years to come. But there is no doubt in my mind that he is the greatest coach in the game today and should remain that way for years to come. The thing to remember next year is he is, most likely, losing two key assistants on his staff - Charlie Weis to Notre Dame and Romeo Crennel, who is rumored to be a lock for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job. Will he be able to handle that? Will Brady be able to survive without Weis, who clearly has helped turn Brady into the QB he is? There are still questions to be answered and maybe a few seasons down the road the answers will be more clear. I mean, three out of four Super Bowls isn't too shabby, the dude is clearly the best of the best right now, and I am interested to see him there for years to come. But renaming the trophy, to me, even if Belichick continues this maddening success, would just be wrong. Lombardi started the whole damn thing and I think that is why you leave well enough alone.
As far as picking against the Patriots and Belichick, how could you? That is why I am going to take the next couples weeks and really look into it before I make a pick. Not that there is money or a life and death situation riding on it, but I just don't want to make a pick based on emotions. Brady is my guy, he was my guy at U of M and all that 2 quarterback stuff that happened in his senior year still burns me up inside. Henson had no right playing and I love all the success Brady has had in the pros while Henson continues to falter at everything he tries. Quite frankly, I don't think Henson will ever pan out, but that is just my opinion. See, based on emotions you would think I have a Brady tattoo and jersey, but I don't.
Right now, yes, the Patriots are my pick and with or without T.O. I feel the Eagles still don't have a chance. I truly think this will be the best Super Bowl in awhile and am excited to watch for more than just the commercials this year. What I think the keys are for the Patriots the nest couple weeks - not listening to the hype of the word "dynasty", not listening to everyone talking about how Brady and Belichick have never lost in the playoffs together, just not listening to all the "greatness" talk. To me, that is the problem with giving it that extra week - teams to often fall into that trap and listen to the hype and start believing it. But, that being said, I think that Belichick is the perfect coach for that - he is the anti-hype coach. He will take it and twist it, turn it and use it as a motivator for his team. The other key is this - Belichick has two weeks to sit and scheme his way up and down every play the Eagles run, which should be a scary thought for the Eagles. Giving Belichick that much time is like giving a normal coach months to prepare for one opponent. That being said, in the next two weeks, Belichick already has the upper hand over Andy Reid, and I would take Belichick anyday in that match up.
So, let the hype begin - I want my Super Bowl! I am off to order my keg, my party sub and to clean a spot off on the sofa for my butt to sit and watch the nipples, I mean commercials, wait I mean the game! Later - the sports dude.
I don't think it would be a good thing to rename the trophy after Belichick. Although I agree he is a great coach, and by far the best in the league right now, I am too much of a traditionalist to go for it. Lombardi was a hell of a coach in his own right, but who can honestly say who would get the best of the two if they could "virtually" go head to head. Each generation sees a new "great", that is what makes the game so fun. Gibbs was a great coach, Walsh was a great coach, Madden was a great coach, Don Shula - there is a laundry list of great coaches that you see evolving with each generation as the game naturally evolves. Renaming the trophy may be premature, let us see what Belichick does in two weeks and for years to come. But there is no doubt in my mind that he is the greatest coach in the game today and should remain that way for years to come. The thing to remember next year is he is, most likely, losing two key assistants on his staff - Charlie Weis to Notre Dame and Romeo Crennel, who is rumored to be a lock for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job. Will he be able to handle that? Will Brady be able to survive without Weis, who clearly has helped turn Brady into the QB he is? There are still questions to be answered and maybe a few seasons down the road the answers will be more clear. I mean, three out of four Super Bowls isn't too shabby, the dude is clearly the best of the best right now, and I am interested to see him there for years to come. But renaming the trophy, to me, even if Belichick continues this maddening success, would just be wrong. Lombardi started the whole damn thing and I think that is why you leave well enough alone.
As far as picking against the Patriots and Belichick, how could you? That is why I am going to take the next couples weeks and really look into it before I make a pick. Not that there is money or a life and death situation riding on it, but I just don't want to make a pick based on emotions. Brady is my guy, he was my guy at U of M and all that 2 quarterback stuff that happened in his senior year still burns me up inside. Henson had no right playing and I love all the success Brady has had in the pros while Henson continues to falter at everything he tries. Quite frankly, I don't think Henson will ever pan out, but that is just my opinion. See, based on emotions you would think I have a Brady tattoo and jersey, but I don't.
Right now, yes, the Patriots are my pick and with or without T.O. I feel the Eagles still don't have a chance. I truly think this will be the best Super Bowl in awhile and am excited to watch for more than just the commercials this year. What I think the keys are for the Patriots the nest couple weeks - not listening to the hype of the word "dynasty", not listening to everyone talking about how Brady and Belichick have never lost in the playoffs together, just not listening to all the "greatness" talk. To me, that is the problem with giving it that extra week - teams to often fall into that trap and listen to the hype and start believing it. But, that being said, I think that Belichick is the perfect coach for that - he is the anti-hype coach. He will take it and twist it, turn it and use it as a motivator for his team. The other key is this - Belichick has two weeks to sit and scheme his way up and down every play the Eagles run, which should be a scary thought for the Eagles. Giving Belichick that much time is like giving a normal coach months to prepare for one opponent. That being said, in the next two weeks, Belichick already has the upper hand over Andy Reid, and I would take Belichick anyday in that match up.
So, let the hype begin - I want my Super Bowl! I am off to order my keg, my party sub and to clean a spot off on the sofa for my butt to sit and watch the nipples, I mean commercials, wait I mean the game! Later - the sports dude.
at 9:16 AM
Monday Morning QB.
Well, the Super Bowl is set - now the wait begins! For what it is worth, I now stand at 6-4 for playoff picks this year, all but guaranteeing a winning season for me! Not that it is really worth bragging about, but it a slow day in bloggerville, so I decided to type it. In the next two weeks I hope to break each team down a little more in depth and look at whom, I feel, will win the Super Bowl. But not today, I need to do some research and such. Well, what else happened this weekend?
The Pistons have lost three in a row now and Larry is back to his "everyone hates us" mantra and his "my players are not giving effort" garbage. For what it is worth, it sounds like Ben Wallace has had his fill of Larry Brown saying that there is no effort, read the paragraph at the end of this article. ("Wallace Ticked"; Detroit News.). For what it is worth, is anyone else getting the feeling that this is Larry Brown's last year in Detroit? Just a question, but I wouldn't want Ben Wallace mad at my coaching style and saying I was sick of it! Just ask Rick Carlisle.
"HEEEEEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!!!!!!" Heaven just got a little more funny! Rest in peace king of late night T.V., you will be missed my friend! Godspeed!
That is all for now, I will check back and chat more later - happy Monday everyone! The sports dude.
The Pistons have lost three in a row now and Larry is back to his "everyone hates us" mantra and his "my players are not giving effort" garbage. For what it is worth, it sounds like Ben Wallace has had his fill of Larry Brown saying that there is no effort, read the paragraph at the end of this article. ("Wallace Ticked"; Detroit News.). For what it is worth, is anyone else getting the feeling that this is Larry Brown's last year in Detroit? Just a question, but I wouldn't want Ben Wallace mad at my coaching style and saying I was sick of it! Just ask Rick Carlisle.
"HEEEEEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!!!!!!" Heaven just got a little more funny! Rest in peace king of late night T.V., you will be missed my friend! Godspeed!
That is all for now, I will check back and chat more later - happy Monday everyone! The sports dude.
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