DAY ONE OF SUPER BOWL HYPE, BOMBARDED WITH CHIEFS' QUESTIONS & CAN WE PLEASE JUST PULL THE PLUG ON THE CHARADE CALLED THE PRO BOWL?
Super Bowl 45(isn't that much easier than XLV?) is now 6 days away & here's what I know:
1. Lots of tickets are still available on the internet but I didn't see one for less than $2,400. maybe that price will come down later in the week.
2. The Green Bay Packers are studying game film of Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger to see why he is so hard to tackle. My theory is he's very large, very strong, very tough & only hits from much bigger defenders or textbook style tackles bring Roethlisberger to the ground. He almost refuses to be tackled.
3. For those of you(like me) who can't watch baseball, mull this one over for a second. Green Bay is playing Pittsburgh in this Super Bowl right? That's the equivalent of the Pirates playing the Brewers. I know, they're both in the National League, but I'm making the point about market size. Anyone who thinks baseball's "salary cap" & "luxury tax" really works please raise your hand. I didn't think so, the salary cap in the NFL really, truly works. Indy & Pittsburgh, both smaller media markets, will have been in 5 of the past 6 Super Bowls representing the AFC & the NFC has seen 10 different teams in the past 10 years.
4. Media Day is tomorrow, giving over 5,000 credentialed media members a chance to ask really stupid & repetitive questions. I imagine 75% of these people cover one football game a year, this one. They know little about the NFL & their clueless reporting proves that to be true. But if a ridiculously lame question from Malaysia sells even one NFL licensed jersey, it's all worth it right? Right?
5. Just how extensive was the Packers' injury woes? How about this stat; 31 Green Bay players missed a total of 181 games.
A sad story to tell from right here at The Lake of the Ozarks. Lions' backup quarterback Shaun Hill has a place down here & Saturday, while working in his barn, his 60-year old father took an accidental fall & died from injuries he suffered. His dad was his high school football coach in Parsons Kansas. Ted Hill was sent by helicopter to Scripps Medical Center in Springfield Missouri but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Priest Holmes was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night. No argument out of me, Holmes had a short, but brilliant career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He should also be voted into the Chiefs' Ring of Honor but I doubt he'll make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Chiefs laid off 11 office personnel including 17-year man, Pete Morris, Assistant Director of Public Relations. Since he didn't come from New England, what chance did he have? The NY Jets have given pink slips to 30 employees since their season ended. The longer the league goes without a new collective bargaining agreement(CBA), the middle class wage earners that will be hurt. Good thing we gave millionaires & billionaires that 3% tax break so they'll keep middle class employees working. Wasn't that how the case was made for this folly?
Tho I promise a Senior Bowl week recap & I'll have thousands of words regarding the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine & Draft, I'm getting some emails from some pretty antsy people wanting to know who the Chiefs will target in the draft. Even The Kansas City Star covered that subject in today's edition. Here's a few of my thoughts:
1. "I say again, forget about Mizzou's Aldon Smith", after he wows them with his athleticism at the combine next month, he'll be out of Kansas City's range at #21. He'll likely go in the top-12 picks IMO. Same goes for Texas A&M's Von Miller, a top-10 selection to be sure, forget about him as well O.K.?
2. No wide receiver with the 21st pick either. I only see two wide receivers worthy of a 1st round selection, A.J. Green & Julio Jones. Look for the Chiefs to pick one in round two or three. I like Boise State's Titus Young, San Diego State's Vincent Brown & Miami's Leon Hankerson.
3. I could see Scott Pioli selecting center Mike Pouncey of Florida with the 21st pick. His twin brother Markice decided to forgo his senior season & came out last year. He started every game for the Steelers & made the Pro Bowl. If his identical twin is just as good, he would be an excellent choice at a position the Chiefs need.
4. Cal defensive end Cameron Jordan is also a possibility at #21. Son of former Vikings tight end Steve Jordan, he had a great Senior Bowl week. He displayed some of the best hand technique I've ever seen at this level & he has the smarts, honor student at Cal & dear old dad was an Ivy Leaguer. Question for Pioli is; "How far are they going to go with Tyson Jackson?" If they determine he's a bust, Jordan could be their man.
5. Baylor nose tackle Phil Taylor has moved into the first round with his performance in Senior Bowl practices. This is a position I believe the Chiefs will consider & at this point, Taylor is the best prospect. Whether or not he has moved into the low twenties won't be called until after the combine.
6. Georgia linebacker Justin Houston could be that pass-rushing bookend to Tamba Hali. I think this position is the most likely if the right guy is sitting there at #21, the Chiefs desperately need someone on the other side from Hali who can pressure the passer.
I promise I'll have a lot more on this subject very soon.
I'm unhappy, people are saying unkind things about my girl Erin Andrews. She signed an endorsement contract with Reebok last week. People have begun to question her credibility, can she remain objective covering college football & basketball after taking their money? I've seen this woman ask a lot of questions of coaches & players & never once was there a question about footwear. Fellow ESPN employee Chris Berman has long been a spokesperson for Applebee's & Nutra-System, however that works. It just amazes me how many shots are taken at Andrews when "the boys club" is almost never questioned. Now for the obligatory picture of Andrews.
Finally, can we please pull the plug on the Pro Bowl? Unless they turn the game into a flag football game, it simply can't continue in it's current form. Last night's two-hand touch affair was absolutely embarrassing for the National Football League. I don't know that I saw anyone go full speed two plays in a row. Of course it wasn't our main focus, We were watching the Screen Actor's Guild Awards & the Northern Iowa-Missouri State hoops contest(Linda's a Mo. State grad) at the same time. The game has become more of a joke than it had been in years past. Did you catch Eric Berry's ole' tackle attempt on Steven Jackson's touchdown run? What about the touchdown scored by Cleveland center Alex Mack after four laterals? You'd see better tackling in a powder puff game, it was shameful. If the NFL doesn't want their All-Star extravaganza ridiculed, then the level of play is going to improve significantly. Losing AFC coach Bill Belichick was questioned about his team's effort & he responded with "it is what it is." Well said Bill, what it is, is mostly a joke. A joke on the people who bought tickets & a joke for advertisers paying to televise it. Stop the insanity!!! Oh yeah, that's already been used. How about "stop it already, you're an embarrassment." Yeah, I like that one. Let's try it.
1. Lots of tickets are still available on the internet but I didn't see one for less than $2,400. maybe that price will come down later in the week.
2. The Green Bay Packers are studying game film of Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger to see why he is so hard to tackle. My theory is he's very large, very strong, very tough & only hits from much bigger defenders or textbook style tackles bring Roethlisberger to the ground. He almost refuses to be tackled.
3. For those of you(like me) who can't watch baseball, mull this one over for a second. Green Bay is playing Pittsburgh in this Super Bowl right? That's the equivalent of the Pirates playing the Brewers. I know, they're both in the National League, but I'm making the point about market size. Anyone who thinks baseball's "salary cap" & "luxury tax" really works please raise your hand. I didn't think so, the salary cap in the NFL really, truly works. Indy & Pittsburgh, both smaller media markets, will have been in 5 of the past 6 Super Bowls representing the AFC & the NFC has seen 10 different teams in the past 10 years.
4. Media Day is tomorrow, giving over 5,000 credentialed media members a chance to ask really stupid & repetitive questions. I imagine 75% of these people cover one football game a year, this one. They know little about the NFL & their clueless reporting proves that to be true. But if a ridiculously lame question from Malaysia sells even one NFL licensed jersey, it's all worth it right? Right?
5. Just how extensive was the Packers' injury woes? How about this stat; 31 Green Bay players missed a total of 181 games.
A sad story to tell from right here at The Lake of the Ozarks. Lions' backup quarterback Shaun Hill has a place down here & Saturday, while working in his barn, his 60-year old father took an accidental fall & died from injuries he suffered. His dad was his high school football coach in Parsons Kansas. Ted Hill was sent by helicopter to Scripps Medical Center in Springfield Missouri but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Priest Holmes was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night. No argument out of me, Holmes had a short, but brilliant career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He should also be voted into the Chiefs' Ring of Honor but I doubt he'll make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Chiefs laid off 11 office personnel including 17-year man, Pete Morris, Assistant Director of Public Relations. Since he didn't come from New England, what chance did he have? The NY Jets have given pink slips to 30 employees since their season ended. The longer the league goes without a new collective bargaining agreement(CBA), the middle class wage earners that will be hurt. Good thing we gave millionaires & billionaires that 3% tax break so they'll keep middle class employees working. Wasn't that how the case was made for this folly?
Tho I promise a Senior Bowl week recap & I'll have thousands of words regarding the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine & Draft, I'm getting some emails from some pretty antsy people wanting to know who the Chiefs will target in the draft. Even The Kansas City Star covered that subject in today's edition. Here's a few of my thoughts:
1. "I say again, forget about Mizzou's Aldon Smith", after he wows them with his athleticism at the combine next month, he'll be out of Kansas City's range at #21. He'll likely go in the top-12 picks IMO. Same goes for Texas A&M's Von Miller, a top-10 selection to be sure, forget about him as well O.K.?
2. No wide receiver with the 21st pick either. I only see two wide receivers worthy of a 1st round selection, A.J. Green & Julio Jones. Look for the Chiefs to pick one in round two or three. I like Boise State's Titus Young, San Diego State's Vincent Brown & Miami's Leon Hankerson.
3. I could see Scott Pioli selecting center Mike Pouncey of Florida with the 21st pick. His twin brother Markice decided to forgo his senior season & came out last year. He started every game for the Steelers & made the Pro Bowl. If his identical twin is just as good, he would be an excellent choice at a position the Chiefs need.
4. Cal defensive end Cameron Jordan is also a possibility at #21. Son of former Vikings tight end Steve Jordan, he had a great Senior Bowl week. He displayed some of the best hand technique I've ever seen at this level & he has the smarts, honor student at Cal & dear old dad was an Ivy Leaguer. Question for Pioli is; "How far are they going to go with Tyson Jackson?" If they determine he's a bust, Jordan could be their man.
5. Baylor nose tackle Phil Taylor has moved into the first round with his performance in Senior Bowl practices. This is a position I believe the Chiefs will consider & at this point, Taylor is the best prospect. Whether or not he has moved into the low twenties won't be called until after the combine.
6. Georgia linebacker Justin Houston could be that pass-rushing bookend to Tamba Hali. I think this position is the most likely if the right guy is sitting there at #21, the Chiefs desperately need someone on the other side from Hali who can pressure the passer.
I promise I'll have a lot more on this subject very soon.
I'm unhappy, people are saying unkind things about my girl Erin Andrews. She signed an endorsement contract with Reebok last week. People have begun to question her credibility, can she remain objective covering college football & basketball after taking their money? I've seen this woman ask a lot of questions of coaches & players & never once was there a question about footwear. Fellow ESPN employee Chris Berman has long been a spokesperson for Applebee's & Nutra-System, however that works. It just amazes me how many shots are taken at Andrews when "the boys club" is almost never questioned. Now for the obligatory picture of Andrews.
Finally, can we please pull the plug on the Pro Bowl? Unless they turn the game into a flag football game, it simply can't continue in it's current form. Last night's two-hand touch affair was absolutely embarrassing for the National Football League. I don't know that I saw anyone go full speed two plays in a row. Of course it wasn't our main focus, We were watching the Screen Actor's Guild Awards & the Northern Iowa-Missouri State hoops contest(Linda's a Mo. State grad) at the same time. The game has become more of a joke than it had been in years past. Did you catch Eric Berry's ole' tackle attempt on Steven Jackson's touchdown run? What about the touchdown scored by Cleveland center Alex Mack after four laterals? You'd see better tackling in a powder puff game, it was shameful. If the NFL doesn't want their All-Star extravaganza ridiculed, then the level of play is going to improve significantly. Losing AFC coach Bill Belichick was questioned about his team's effort & he responded with "it is what it is." Well said Bill, what it is, is mostly a joke. A joke on the people who bought tickets & a joke for advertisers paying to televise it. Stop the insanity!!! Oh yeah, that's already been used. How about "stop it already, you're an embarrassment." Yeah, I like that one. Let's try it.
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