Trash Talk: The Parity Before The Lock-Out

/in /by

So here’s some things to contemplate about this week in the NFL. The Jay Cutler-led Bears already won this week (it helps to play a team the week after they got cleaned out of QBs), putting them, for the moment at least, half a game ahead of the team led by Aaron Rogers and miles ahead of the team led by Brett Favre (the Packers visit the Vikes this week).   The Monday night game features the Bolts at Broncos, which oddly occupy the basement in the AFC West. One of the unexpected leaders in that division–KC–will likely get beat by the heretofore hapless Cardinals. The other–Oakland–heads to Pittsburgh in what is a probable, though not guaranteed, Stillers win.

That’s all just weird.

Meanwhile, last year’s AFC North winner, Cinci, may well get beat, at home, by the Bills (which thanks to the QB and PK-less Kitties are on a win streak of 1). Those same Kitties might have had a shot at the Boys, at home, this week, if it weren’t for the sacking of Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett’s order that the players start wearing suits.

Parity, baybay.

Some things, however, remain the same.

The Colts-Pats game is likely to be a cracker; both teams are playing behind form, but both are still winning. I think Peyton still has the Pats’ recent number, even in Foxboro.

And the Gents-Iggles game–for first in the NFC East–will be an exciting, meaningful game. I say the recent rule still stands: if Vick starts and finishes that game, Iggles win (though the Iggles won’t demolish the Gents the way they did the Skins).

In the not-quite pro league, Boise State will continue to delegitimize the BCS, Stanford will win the Big Game, Cam Newton has a weekend off to spend with his father’s money, and the Big Ten Championship is still a close exciting contest (one that won’t be disrupted when the Badgers visit the Big House this weekend). The Cornhuskers-Aggies and the Buckeyes-Hawkeyes will be the games of the weekend.

Except that the game of the week was already played this week. The best game of the week, in any sport, had to have been the UConn Huskies–with Maya Moore and a bunch of freshmen–just barely beating Baylor and their ten foot tall phenom Brittney Griner to keep their 80-game win streak alive. Watch out Wooden!

But back to pro football. The NFL Player’s Union is gearing up for a big fight against the Jerry Jones and Al Davises of the league, who are threatening a lockout. They did a conference call and launched a website this week to educate fans about what a lockout will mean. Among other details:

If there is a lockout, an estimated $140 million would be lost in each NFL city.

The owners have negotiated TV deals that guarantee them revenues even if games are not played in the 2011 season. The guaranteed television revenues that approach $4.5 billion, coupled with the elimination of $4.4 billion in player salaries and benefits during a lockout, could make a 2011 season without games profitable for the owners.

Recently, the NFL said it would not continue active player healthcare in a lockout.

The average NFL career is only 3.6 years.  It takes 3 accredited years to get just 5 years of post career healthcare.

In other words, at a time when municipalities all over the country are struggling to pay the bills, the fat cats running the NFL would take $140 million from city economies so they can get something–$4.5 billion in TV revenues–for nothing. No games. No trash talk.

I’ll be tracking the union negotiations in the coming days. In the meantime, consider signing the player’s union’s petition to tell the owners to stop being such greedy bastards.

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    • bmaz says:

      Oddly enough, most years Northwestern might not even need an endzone since they don’t particularly make much use of them. This year, they actually are decent. Go figure.

  2. croghan27 says:

    Thanks for this EW, I would never have found the websites without you.

    FWIW the Canadian Football league has it’s semi-finals this weekend: Toronto play Montreal and Saskatchewan is at Calgary.

    There is an interesting comment in the petition page …. just to put things into perspective:

    “This is the begining of socialism. They are getting to us slowly, but surely. We are Americans and football is as American as apple pie. How can you do this to us. Thank You Obama!”

    Nice to see someone drinking tea made from bags at talegate parties.

  4. bobschacht says:

    Fresno State got off to a good start defensively against Boise State– when’s the last time Boise State’s first two possessions end with an interception and a fumble? But Fresno State’s offense can’t do anything, and on its third possession Boise State’s offense is doing its usual incredible job of breaking tackles, etc. and racking up yards.

    Bob in AZ

  5. bobschacht says:

    Boise scores first, but the best they could do with First and Goal is a field goal! First time Boise hasn’t scored a touchdown in the first quarter!

    Bob in AZ

  7. Peterr says:

    the game of the week was already played this week

    No kidding.

    I am no Geno fan, but women’s hoops is something else and UConn is amazing.

    • bobschacht says:

      Good. I’m glad at least for some attention here to Women’s BB, which I prefer watching to men’s BB. However, I’d like to find some smack to talk about UConn. I hope someone can play well against them.

      Bob in AZ

  8. bobschacht says:

    Fresno’s defense is pretty good. Held Boise to field goals twice when they’ve had first and goal. Fresno held them to 20 points in the first half, the least they’ve scored all season.

    Bob in AZ

  9. bobschacht says:

    Well, Boise State is winning easily, but here it is almost three quarters done, and they’ve only scored 30 points. How many teams have held Boise State to 10 points a quarter?

    Bob in AZ

    • bmaz says:

      44-0 with most of the fourth quarter left isn’t all that bad. Kellen Moore is pretty impressive. He is not that big, but really seems to have the savvy and game intangibles that make a winner. And seems to make all the throws too. Kind of like a Drew Brees type.

  10. bmaz says:

    And I must say the writer of this blog post is to be commended for the fine musical selection. This from a reader who was hesitant and fearful of what he might find.

  11. BayStateLibrul says:

    “The Colts-Pats game is likely to be a cracker; both teams are playing behind form, but both are still winning. I think Peyton still has the Pats’ recent number, even in Foxboro.”

    Comment: Very vague

    Odds… at home, go with Patsies

    SERIES TRENDS

    Overall Record (including 2-1 in playoffs), 44-29

    Overall at Home, 24-12

    in Foxborough, 24-11

    in Boston, 0-1

    Overall on Road, 20-167

    in Indianapolis, 14-9

    in Baltimore, 6-8

    Largest Victory, 39 points (10/06/74)

    Largest Defeat, -31 points (11/26/72)

    Highest Combined Point Total, 72 points (11/30/03 and 1/21/07)

    Lowest Combined Point Total, 6 points (12/06/92)

    Longest Winning Streak, 7 (1996-99)

    Longest Losing Streak, 3 (1970-71, 2005-07)

    Seasonal Sweeps of 2 or more wins, Patriots 12, Colts 5

    • emptywheel says:

      A little secret between you and me?

      I always have to predict the Colts will beat the Patsies. Otherwise I get so consumed by my Peyton-hatin’ that I can’t bear to watch the game. This was, I can prepare myself to be pleasantly surprised.

        • bmaz says:

          You will probably not be shocked to hear…. both. The investigation is yet another Jeff Novitsky special, which means it is an abusive, ethically questionable, overblown witch hunt. That said, like Bonds and Clemens, he will not relent until he has either found what he wants or ginned it up through coercion. That spells trouble for Armstrong no matter whether he is eventually charged or not.

        • bmaz says:

          Nah, I am sure that is from the French, who have long been hot for Armstrong’s scalp. Interesting that Armstrong has PR disaster specialist Mark Fabiani, he of extreme DLC insiderism and Goldman Saks suck upism, as his front man. That must be costing a pretty penny.

  12. oldgold says:

    It is the battle of the eyes at Kinnick Stadium this afternoon. If the Buckeyes make the mistake of trying to win this on Pryor’s arm, look for

    the Hawkeyes to pull the upset.

    If you are interested in the extraordinarily juicy rumors concerning Auburn/Cam Newton saga, I recommend this rambling account [“As the Plains Burn”] at the LSU Rivals site.

    http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=22778676

    • bmaz says:

      Badgers are mean; Wolvereenies are porous. I predict a good day for Michigan today in that I think they may be able to hold Wisconsin under 80 points.

  14. bmaz says:

    Couple of early observations:

    1) In these austere times, it is good to see a Big 10.5 game this week where they can can still afford to have two endzones. Clearly Wisconsin plans on using theirs; not so much for that yellow and blue team.

    2) I wonder if Rich Rod ever contemplated utilizing a little thing called pass defense? Signs point to no…..

    • BayStateLibrul says:

      Death, destruction, pestilence and famine?

      Fuck the Big Ten, screw the SEC. The big game today is Notre Dame v Army at Steinbrenner Stadium.

      “After Notre Dame’s 13–7 upset victory over a strong Army team, on October 18, 1924, Rice penned a famous passage of sports journalism:

      Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine. But those are aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.”

    • bobschacht says:

      Michigan showed signs of life in the second half. However, the defense is so bad that one of the TV analysts pronounced how dreadful it was, and Bob Griese later noted that when he was at Michigan, there were always a number of NFL Pro prospects on defense. For the past 3 years, not so much. Obviously, Michigan has not done traditional Michigan defensive recruiting.

      Bob in AZ

        • dakine01 says:

          Griese was a Boilermaker QB

          Robert Allen “Bob” Griese (pronounced /ˈɡriːsi/; born February 3, 1945) is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League’s Miami Dolphins.

          wiki (this is one of those wiki has correct)

        • bobschacht says:

          You’re right. I’m always getting Bob mixed up with his son Brian.

          Stanford taking care of business with Cal. Luck has made some amazing throws, one recently for about 47 yards, dropping the ball into his receiver’s hands while the receiver was being sandwiched by two defensive backs. Stanford receivers have been making some amazing catches.

          Bob in AZ

      • Neil says:

        We had our fair share of polka time in W Mass at the various Oktoberfest celebrations and Saturday evening on ch 22 in Springfield. I didn’t like it so much then but I do now. It’s fun, amusing and endearing all at once. My reception (memory) of tv by antenna is a weak signal.

    • phred says:

      Thanks Neil! What they lack in lyrical skill is more than made up for with sincere goodwill ; )

      By the way, in reference to your comment about W. MA polka, it is far more restrained than the WI variety. I went to the Big E with some friends within the first couple of months of arriving at UMass and nearly took out a few elderly couples in the polka tent before I realized I needed to tone it down a bit ; )

      Like you, I didn’t care for the music as a kid, and don’t exactly go out of my way to listen to it on the radio even now, but put me anywhere near a dance floor with a polka band and I’m all over it : )

      Oh, and EW how did MI do today? No one mentioned the score… ; )

        • phred says:

          Oh well, I guess you can’t play Indiana every week ; )

          Bob, thanks for the recap, much appreciated!

          Happy Football Sunday everyone, Go Pack!

      • bobschacht says:

        I think it wound up 48-28. The Wolverines were really weenies in the first half, on both sides of the ball. In the second half, they were pretty evenly matched, but when you give the other team 21 points and then trade points with them, well that ain’t gonna win many games.

        Denard Robinson made it official, however. He’s now over 1500 yards rushing, I think, and no quarterback has EVER done that in the Big Ten before. Still the leading rusher in the Big Ten. But he’s had too many interceptions. They’re comparing him to Michael Vick.

        But the Michigan AD has to have a little chat with Rich Rod and Greg Robinson about prioritizing recruitment of defensemen as soon as the Bowl Games are over– like maybe forbidding him to sign ANY recruits for the offense until he has recruited at least 4 top-rated defensemen, including linemen as well as d-backs. They already have enough high talent on offense to last for several more years. And maybe tell him that unless the Michigan defense improves to at least average in the Big Ten next year, he gets fired. Period.

        Bob in AZ

  17. Neil says:

    Harvard Yale is 21-14 and the end of 3. It’s a more suspenseful game to watch than than Wisconsin taknig it to Michigan in the big house.

    • dakine01 says:

      Can it really be an upset alert if the underdog team is trailing?

      Shouldn’t they at least be leading for it to be considered a potential upset?

      Just my 2¢

      • john in sacramento says:

        Well, they were ahead when I started the comment (wasn’t watching the game, just checking the scores)

        And, it’s all in the eye of the beholder right? Not that I have a dog in that hunt, but if you’re within a td there’s always a chance, right? ;-)

    • bobschacht says:

      That certainly was fun to watch. Near the end of the run, Luck banged into a Cal db and knocked him to the ground– then stood there for a second looking at the db in disbelief before remembering that he still had some running to do.

      Bob in AZ

      • rosalind says:

        i saw it more like a stare-down between the two. not exactly the wisest thing to be doing in the middle of a play, but great for the tape library.

        and at half, Stanford up 31 – 0. Cal’s young QB is killing them, either throwing picks or over-throwing his open receivers.

    • emptywheel says:

      It’s a pretty exciting game. Every single pass is thrown to someone’s fingertips with another player draped over the player’s back. And often as not, the fingertips belong to the D.

      • Neil says:

        It was fantastic. Ohio State overcame a dropped TD pass to take the lead. Iowa could not overcome the pass interference non-call on the inside screen after the kick off return mostly because the Iowa receivers couldn’t shake the impressive Ohio State secondary.

    • emptywheel says:

      Btw, you gonna let me get away w/saying the Bolts are in the basement next to the Broncos, given that their inevitable end of season run would suggest they’re right where they need to be to win the hapless division?

      • randiego says:

        Btw, you gonna let me get away w/saying the Bolts are in the basement next to the Broncos, given that their inevitable end of season run would suggest they’re right where they need to be to win the hapless division?

        Well, they ARE in the basement, and yes I believe they have the rest of the division right where they want them, but who knows if they’ll go on a run again. Their special teams and turnovers have been spectacularly bad.

        I know that with PR in the game they always have a chance, but I’m not making any predictions which Bolts team will show up.

  24. JohnLopresti says:

    …I*ll be tracking the union negotiations in the coming days. In the meantime, consider signing the player*s union*s petition to tell the owners to stop being such greedy…

    Seems I recall the riverboat gambler fielding an entire team of nonroster players during a strike about 20+ years ago at Candlestick; so, owners will attract some avid pro football fans to the stadium even if it is not a closely coached, coherent squad. The regulars who were in the union settled before the playoffs, but the long bye weeks left *em visibly rusty.

  27. bmaz says:

    Well, father time, a shitty coach and a horrid offensive line finally caught up to Geezer. It is over; he is done. And the Pack are pounding the last nail in. It was bound to come to this sooner or later. Oh well, so it goes. My only regret is that the chickenshit asswipe Ted Thompson gets to smile about it.

  28. phred says:

    Anyone around here watching some real football? Ya know, NFC North where the Packers are up 24-3 on the Vikes? No? Pity, I thought fer sure bmaz would be enjoyin’ this ; )

      • phred says:

        That’s a shame, really, I am sincere about that. I have to admit, I haven’t seen much yet. Been running around the house taking care of chores and whatnot. However, my timing has been impeccable, I keeping popping in to check on the game right about the time the Pack is about to score : ) Thought I’d stick around a bit for the end…

    • john in sacramento says:

      Not watching. lol

      I figured it’d be pretty much like it’s turning out. I could write chapter and verse on how bad of a coach Chilly is

      Think of it this way: take a guy who fits the system around the players, and not the players around the system; a guy who understands that a hurry up or two minute offense at the end of the half, or game, is different than a drive to begin a game; a guy who understands clock management; a guy who understands that taking your best player (Adrian Peterson) out of the game at crucial moments is probably pretty stupid

      Now, think of the opposite of that, and you have Brad Childress

    • bmaz says:

      Better slow down there hoss, Sanchez just threw the Jets into the end zone. Wow, got to hand it to the kid for that. Jets Jets JETS!!!

      • randiego says:

        okay, how do you give up that big pass play in that situation? Play all four DBs 20 yards downfield on the sidelines, and make use their time in the middle of the field.

        Then after calling a timeout, how do you let ANOTHER guy get so open??

        • rosalind says:

          hey randiego,

          the l.a. coconut telegraph is heating up with rumors the Chargers are gonna get moved up the road to the yet-to-approved-much-yet-designed-or-funded downtown L.A. stadium.

          is your hometown putting any stock in the rumors?

        • randiego says:

          Hard to say. I don’t believe the Chargers are going anywhere – I never have, but they do need the leverage gained by the threat of leaving to build a stadium here. So much of the reporting is just guys repeating rumors.

          On it’s face, moving a SoCal team that’s been in a place like SD for 50 years, within the state doesn’t seem very sensible. LA hasn’t exactly lined up behind it’s teams in the past. One would think that the Rams, or Carolina or Jacksonville or Buffalo or Tennessee would be better candidates.

          SD isn’t a big TV market, but it’s a top-5 tourist destination, a top-10 population center, and has hosted two of the top super bowls in terms of media reviews.

          OTOH, I heard the other day that any franchise that moves to LA instantly doubles in value. Not sure about that. I’ve always believed that the Spanos’s were committed to SD, but the $$$ might be too hard to pass up.

          Here’s the question: How many $millions are enough for some people and do they want more more more, and how does that counter with being the guy who is forever known and hated for moving a franchise with a long proud history out of town?

          The San Diego Chargers have pioneered many of the advances of the game (AFL and NFL), and have been the cradle of many of the top coaches. For the NFL to lose that would be a shame.

        • rosalind says:

          thx. the leveraging/threat makes sense.

          as a l.a. resident, i just hope the economic downturn keeps even one penny of tax dollars out of any potential stadium deal, but given L.A.’s penchant for giving away the house behind closed doors to anyone with a “B” (for billionaire) after their name, i don’t hold out much hope Angelenos aren’t gonna get screwed if this statdium does come to pass.

        • randiego says:

          There was a law just passed which Arnie signed that allows for redevelopment $$$ to be used on projects like this.

          I’m torn on the issue, but I’d like it to happen. Why should NY and Philly and Houston and Dallas and Tampa and Seattle be the only ones to get new stadiums?

        • bmaz says:

          Heh, Well SD did “steal” the Chargers from LA to start with. Speaking of famous Bolts, Brady just tied John Hadl for 15th all time for touchdown passes at 244 and is 12 behind Fouts, who is 12th all time

        • emptywheel says:

          And number 30–if you hadn’t already figured out–are the Pats.

          It was probably unwise to take on Peyton w/one of the league’s worst pass Ds. But I guess if the Texans can beat them at home, the Pats ought to be able to.

  32. rosalind says:

    ew: “Woot!! Texans are about to beat the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!”
    bmaz: “Ruh roh, the Texans have come back to lead the Jets by a point”

    I sense a rift in the force…

  34. emptywheel says:

    This is my day. First, I tune in as the Stafford-less Lions are hanging in w/the Boys. They lose it quickly after I tune in.

    So I turn away and see Sanchez make an unbelievable drive to win the game with less than a minute.

    We got the guy with the crummy shoulder, I guess.

  40. bobschacht says:

    Bad Eli snatches defeat from the jaws of victory!

    Chris Collingsworth had some good observations about Vick on the move: When he moves out of the pocket to his right, he almost always runs. When he moves out of the pocket to his left, he usually passes. I bet it has to do with foot mechanics: as a leftie, moving left, throwing is easier than throwing while moving right. But he needs to work on that or he’s going to face defenses that are expecting those tendencies.

    Bob in AZ

  42. rosalind says:

    where is everyone? ya missed the SD kicker fake a punt, then connect for a 28 yard pass on the way to a Charger TD. oh, and a lot of bitchin’ by the commentators about how bad the field conditions are.