Comradebot

In all fairness, the Bengals have played three of the worst offenses in the league (San Francisco, Cleveland, Denver). Still, they did good against the Bills. I'd say of the AFC North Teams, the Ravens will be the ones still hanging around the top when the season draws to a close. Oh, and Texans are tenth in both offense and defense right now.

North Shore Mustangs. Actually have a championship ring lying around somewhere from our 5A Division 1 awesomeness back in 2003 (I was a Junior... dang I'm getting old). And now, years later, I have on my fantasy team one Danny Amendola: who was on the losing team that day. Then again, I haven't played so much as a game with friends since high school and Amendola is getting rich in the NFL, so... yeah, haha. Guess he won out.

Earl Mitchell and Andre Gurode fully agree, I'm sure.

Honestly, I don't get the thought process of Beck over Grossman. Beck's only real playing time in the regular season was back with the Dolphins in their abysmal 2007 campaign, and like the rest of the Dolphins he sucked pretty hard then. A rookie Chad Henne and noodle-armed and ailing Chad Pennington both passed him on the depth chart the next year. Grossman may be wildly sporadic, but he has shown a few flashes and flares of something. He did put up a few silly numbers games with Chicago and played well enough here in Houston to make Kubiak abandon his plans to only carry two QBs. If I had to choose between journeyman veteranish QBs, I'd rather go with the guy who has won games and passed for over 300 yards in a few games, rather than the guy who has never won in any of his starts and (just to drive home some of the loss is on his shoulders) has never reached 200 yards in a regular season game. Beck strikes me as a safe back-up as in he seems to have good ball control... but that's about it. If Shanahan can keep curbing Grossman's desires to just bomb it every single down, I think he's a more than manageable QB (and so far, that seems to be the case). Grossman's problem is he sometimes doesn't realize you can convert a 3rd & 4 with a four yard pass instead of a 40 yard pass... and it doesn't matter how deep of a pass it is, double coverage is still double coverage. As Remmy put it, the guy is a bit boneheaded at times. Still, would much rather have him tossing the rock than John Beck.

Personally, I like Rex this year, and I think Ratface knew what he was doing when he started him towards the end of last year. Thought about picking him up in my fantasy league (not the 8 man abomination/GDS "second" league that I'm technically in but am refusing to play... I'm starting my own league here next season, you can mark it down), and I'm starting to really regret that I didn't. After three weeks, he still looks pretty solid. Not fantastic, not HoF material, but solid. Much rather have him on a real NFL team starting than Alex Smith or Tavaris Jackson. Redskins still should be on the lookout for their next QB, but until then I think Grossman will be more than adequate. On a side note... I thought the Bills would be competitive this year. I had no doubt they were a better team this season than they were last and would surprise a few folks. I did NOT think they'd be good enough to make a successful comeback win against the Patriots this early in the season! Just wow, heck of a game. Ryan Fitzpatrick is looking like a geniunely NFL quality QB, Fred Jackson looks to be on his way to establishing himself as one of the premier backs in the league if he keeps up anything close to the pace he's on, and the entire recieving corp just looks silly. Wonder where all those people who thought Stevie Johnson was a one-hit wonder are now? I said he was the real deal (based on his attitude toward the game, along with his obvious on-field talents), and he's starting to look that way. Glad I was on the Bills bandwagon early (not only does it stroke my football ego, but it's why I drafted Fred Jackson in my FFB league!)

My HS school didn't do that. In fact, we got pulled or otherwise punished for doing anything dishonarable. Heck, if we got caught talking trash on the field it'd be enough. Didn't stop us from winning state. I'll be honest: it is douchey. I don't care if it's "done at all levels by some teams", it's still low. Fact is, not every team does it and "some other guys do it, too" isn't justification for it, and I have zero respect for anyone has to resort essentially to lying in order to either circumvent using time outs or stopping the no huddle when they have none. It's a football equivalent of using the ropes for leverage.

Mark Henry, really? I mean, I'm all for seeing Randy Orton lose... but Henry? Is it just me, or has the WWE gotten even hot-shottier with their world title reigns this year?

The only thing its time for with Mark Henry and the WWE is for them to stop trying. I'm a massive big man mark, that's no secret. But even I think Mark Henry blows. They've been trying for, what, a decade and a half to get him over? I'll give the WWE credit for booking him well as a monster... but he still sucks.

Haven't seen anything that says he has... That, and he's always struck me as someone that'd completely flop in the WWE. He puts on good matches, that's about as far as I've seen his entertainment value go for me. He's "eh" on the microphone... nothing really there that'd help him stand out in the WWE. Generic look+average microphone skills+at least he rocks in the ring!=not a fit for the WWE. He's a career independent star, and for good reason. Not every indie darling is getting "screwed" by not getting signed and then pushed to the top of the WWE. Claudio, on the other hand... always been pretty high on him. He has an absolutely fantastic look going for him, great in-ring worker... yeah, good chance he sees some success from this.

Woohoo Grossman to start week one!!! UNLEASH THE DRAGON!!! I'll be honest: I'm ambivalent concerning the Redskins... however, Rex Grossman amuses me.

More like I riot: he's on my fantasy squad! Who cares if Tennesse riots, just a bunch of toothless folks with banjos flinging 'possums at the capitol building/feed store. I keed, I keed! But seriously, they need to sign him. Still, their current attitude lends some creedance to my theory that Bud Adams is trying to hold onto as much of his wealth as he can before his relocation to Hell. Bet he has his eyes on a nice place right on the edge of a lake of fire. Pay the man, Bud, CJ is probably the best guy in the league at his position, one of the best offensive weapons in the league (and the best on the Titans), and it'd be a damn shame to have him sitting on the sidelines cause they had too much pride to give him what he probably deserves. And really, that's what I'm seeing right now: the Titans front office cares more about standing their ground than they do their own fans (and franchise). Yes, CJ is a bit guilty too... but he also deserves to be paid substantially more than he's currently set to recieve, based on the wages and talent levels of his fellow NFL players.

So Vince Young has just spent all of this time failing cause he'd learn faster, awesome. Considering that in college he still didn't know how the Dewey Decimal System works (yes, this is a fact, you can drive down to Texas and talk to some folks I'm dearly close to if you don't believe me), I guess that'd explain why it's taken him so long to learn. And just to go back without making an even more massive quote... 1. I said taking Kolbs STARTS, he's been very solid. If you count his first playing time, when he came in off the bench for his very first regular season playing time mid-game... yeah, he stunk it up. But how many first or second year guys who have never played in a real NFL game do you know who just jump off the bench, probably having held the clipboard through practice, and light it up? Looking at the games HE was going into as the starter, Kevin Kolb has been nothing but decent. Incredible? Hardly. But he's thrown smart and accurate enough to pull his weight, which is more than I can say for Derek Anderson. My whole point here is that he's an upgrade for Arizona, good enough to get Fitzgerald back into the game, and that's a good thing for them. Watching his mechanics, watching how he reads the field and releases the ball... I'd be shocked if he totally bombed in Arizona. Course, Arizona is where football players go to die, but... I think he's good enough to start. 2. Really? You're gonna call Trent Dilfer a great QB simply cause he was on the team that won the Super Bowl with a straight face? All that Dilfer had to do was not lose the game, that's it. In their Super Bowl run, Dilfer only completed more than 10 passes ONCE in the playoffs, with a whopping 12 in the big game itself. He also only went over 50% completions once in the wild card round (and right at 50% in the championship game). Don't get me wrong, Dilfer not losing the game is still more than a lot of QBs probably could've pulled off. A great QB, one truly perfect for the job, would be one that can potentially win the game itself rather than just focus on making sure he doesn't ruin the chances for the running game and the defense to do it. If the defense had faltered, do you really think Dilfer would've been the guy to get them back into the game? He didn't lose the game, but he didn't win it either. If you don't understand that, then you don't understand football and I kindly suggest you start following a different sport. I've heard good things about curling. But for someone who claims to be so knowledgable of the sport and not "watch it like a casual fan", it seems to me, a Texan who eats, drinks, breaths, lives, and once upon a time played football that you don't grasp the sport as well as you think you do. Do NOT insult me by thinking I'm just some simple Southern bumpkin who has zero clue to the intricacies of the sport, because honestly that's the impression I'm getting from you right now. And stop comparing stats of Cornerbacks and Lineman to that of Quarterbacks. Anyone with a pair of brain cells to rub together can tell you that an excellent CB has unimpressive stats because: 1. Smart offenses throw away from them 2. Worse CBs (and Safeties, particularyl FS's) put up higher stats because the ball DOES get thrown at them, typically resulting in them getting more tackles from the guys they can't cover properly in addition to more opportunities to make a play on the. I spent a good chunk of years as a CB and FS, so again, don't insult me. But if a QB throws an uncatchable ball or one right into the waiting arms of a defender, it's typically on the QB (unless, you know, he gets blindsided as he released without ever having a hope of seeing the rusher... or the ball gets picked cause the WR forgets it's football and not volleyball). It's apples and oranges, and I'm not sure if you don't get that or if you're arrogant enough to believe that I don't.

1. I NEVER said that about Vick, ever. I've always thought the man was a tremendous talent, as he's actually a capable passer while being a scrambler, which is a rarity. In fact, I have an old pair of Vicks I bought in high school sitting in the garage somewhere. If you can dig up a quote of me saying it, then I need to change my password cause someone else posted on my name, but please don't put words in my mouth (lord knows where they've been). 2. Okay 11 plays, most of which just forced timeouts... which is handy, but you can throw out any zany looking formation for the same net result. Throw D-Jax into the gun with Vick split off at WR, most defenses will call a timeout. It's useful, I agree, but not to the point of being a huge game changer. It could be a fun trick play, but nothing more incredible than any other trick play. 3. You're right, Young had a winning record... but in despite of Vince Young. Go look at HIS stats. The Titans were winning thanks to their running game and their defense. With a couple of exceptions, they folded whenever Vince was forced to throw. To his credit, last year he actually had a respectable TD to INT ratio, the only time so far in his career. Still, lifetime he's thrown just as many TDs and INTs, and that's NOT a good thing. By your logic, Trent Dilfer is an amazing QB cause he was the QB when the Ravens won the Super Bowl. QB=/= the team, and the majority of the Titans success when VY was QB goes to Chris Johnson and their defense. 3-a. Oh, and his best statistical year came also in the year the Titans went 6-10. Teams put eight in the box to stop CJ, Titans lose almost all their talent on defense, VY is forced to start chunking the rock, Titans lose. 4. Only counting his starts, Kolb has consistently been over 60% completions, and has thrown more TDs than INTs. The next Kurt Warner he is not, but from all the film (including preseason) I've ever seen of him he's always been accurate and dependable enough. He's an upgrade from the current selection of fail they had. 5. Only Vince Young can prevent Vince Young from being a lost cause. But, as recent as the end of the last season, I've heard him proclaiming his own greatness and demanding that he should be starting somewhere. He comes off just as arrogant, self-absorbed, and overall assholish as he was when he played here in Houston. I fondly remember a newspaper article in the Chronicle where he was interviewed saying, I quote "I was the reason we won that game, and we couldn't have done it without me". I like Reid, I like Vick, but they have their work cut out for them when it comes to adjusting VY's attitude, cause so far absolutely nothing has in over a decade. And if he can't humble himself and get off his high horse he can never be an effective leader, and if you can't be an effective leader you can't be a good QB: ask Ryan Leaf. 6. LOL at you bringing up VY's "playoff experience" and mentioning "play in big games". Yeah, that one playoff game in the 2007 season where he went 16-29 for 138 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT... 7. Matt Hasselbeck never played more than preseason really until the Seahawks took him, and that was enough evidence alone for me to know they made a good, dependable, if unspectacular grab, and I see the same in Kevin Kolb. He's not super exciting, he's not a future hall of famer, but he's also not the kind of guy that actively hurts the team. 8. Cause 8's a fun number... well, guess I can use it: Vince Young HAS the physical talent to be a star QB in the NFL, it's always been his mental state that has left him labeled a bust. I'd like to think Reid is a good enough guy and Vick, having gone through so much personaly, can be role models to a guy like Young... but maybe it isn't possible. Maybe Young is too full of himself and too stupid to realize that the only thing holding him back is truly himself. Not every douchebag is a wonderful story of change waiting to happen. Sometimes, they're just douchebags. Ask every teenage girl who dated "the bad boy".

I feel bad for Philly fans and anyone stupid enough to think VY being on their team is a benefit to them. Two QBs? Why removes a blocker or one of the Eagles many talented targets to put some childish, over-hyped hack on the field? Just to give Vick an extra challenge (on account of him being kinda on the awesome side (in terms of his on field play))? Vince Young is no Donovan McNabb... he's not even an AJ Feeley. I wouldn't be shocked to see them try it, and hey, maybe they'll get lucky... but in the end it'd just be another gimmick play that'd work at best maybe once next season. Eagles are much better off letting Vick stay on the field and do his thing. The real bonus they get for Young is that he's, essentially, a very poor man's Michael Vick... in the sense that he's a scrambler. I won't insult Vick by comparing the two's passing abilities. And while we're on the subject, Vick is a much, MUCH better scrambler even, partially due to one of the few advantages to being a shorter QB means Vick has a much lower center of gravity and can cut very, very well. Young is agile in the pocket, and he's got a good burst of speed, but Vick can break ankles. Still, having a capable scrambler under center as both your starter and back-up means minimal adjustments for the rest of the offense should Vick get injured (which seems likely, lol). Still, Vince Young overall sucks. IF he can keep his poor attitude in check, then he might still have many, many years to look forward to as a solid number two. That said, as a coach I'd always be worried he'd come off the bench when my starter got injured, proceed to suck, and then start sulking and sobbing rather than try to forget his mistakes and keep his head in the game. I guess the one real positive I can say about Young versus Vick is that at least Vince Young never murdered any dogs (that we know of ) Anywho... glad to see the Texans grab Joseph. Would've LOVED to have Asomugha, but let's be honest: he was probably just playing Houston for leverage to get a bigger pay day elsewhere. Can't blame him, he MIGHT be the best cornerback in the league (Revis being the only real competition there). Still, I've watched more Bengals games the last couple of years than I'm proud to admit, so I've seen how talented Joseph is. No Asomugha, but I'd still put him in the top tenish, or close to it. Mixed feelings on Kolb heading to Arizona... No no no, it's a great move for the Cards (even if losing DRG will hurt). I think Kolb is a very capable QB, and it'll mean Fitzgerald is back to being super scary. I just hate the fact my Rams will have to deal with that. And it's totally going to be the Patriots year, again. Belichick has a way with players with personality problems, and Haynesworth has a pay check to play for: means he'll likely actually show up this year. And Ocho is no Randy Moss, but I think he'll shine in New England's system (and with Brady throwing him the ball and Welker being generally awesome across from him!). With Fat Albert hungry for more than cake, and another geniune #1 reciever lining up with another #1 WR, ontop of what the Patriots already have... yeah. OH, and the Bengals? They're gonna be the Bengals we all know and love again this year: 4-12, anyone?

ARE YOU SERIOUS BRO?!

Ryder (as GM) or riot... WOO WOO WOO YOU KNOW IT! Honestly, considering his status as the WWE Internet Champion... and the Raw GM's use of emails as its sole means of communication (except that one, really weird angle where it had a voice like GlaDos from Portal and Edge speared the laptop...)...

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Final Countdown" data-cite="The Final Countdown" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>CM Punk? Really? I'd like for him to be pushed even stronger, but seriously...he' a multi-time world champion and a legit upper level guy. I'd hardly say they've screwed up where Punker is concerned.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Agreed, Punk doesn't go on that list. The WWE has made it very, very apparent that they want him to be a longterm cornerstone of the company. Sadly, this whole naming rights business is screwing with that.</p><p> </p><p> But, again, multi-time world champ, regularly a prominent figure on television, pretty damn over... you can't ask for much more. If you are, then you're just being silly.</p><p> </p><p> Danielson, I feel, has been booked pretty solidly so far. Only been around for about a year now in the WWE, a bit too soon to start calling him a failure still. He's a former US champion, and, again, he's been consistently on TV.</p><p> </p><p> Evan Bourne... well, let's be honest: he was never going to be a huge star in the WWE. Namely, he's never going to be a top level guy in the company. His amazing in-ring talents aside, he's still a short, scrawny white guy who rightfully never comes close to a microphone. A superstar in the WWE that does not make.</p><p> </p><p> Colt and Low Ki, I can agree with. No idea what happened with those two, but they dropped the ball.</p><p> </p><p> And, again, too early to call Kong/Kharma. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here and say the recent angle is leading to something else. Personally, I think she's just frakking with the other Divas.... which if so, it'd be brilliant.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Still GhostDogg, your "rundown of ruined indy stars" kinda sucks. Hard. I'm confident someone in less need of sleep than myself could do an opposite rundown of ex-indy stars that have had tremendous success in the WWE (which I'd personally include CM Punk on... and Sheamus, who appeared to be quite the star over across the pond) Fact is, a good chunk of the WWE/F's stars were, at one point, stars on the independent circuit. The only reason why a sizeable chunk weren't in the last couple decades is due to the existence of WCW. With two major companies vying for every potential talent out there in order to beat the other, few guys with talent were unlucky enough to end up unsigned by either for an extended period of time, and even more were snatched up into training long before they even made their in-ring debut. Never know when you just started training a guy who will eventually become your opponents top heel and future 13 world champion (bravo, WCW).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> The WWE doesn't misuse former indy stars anymore than they misuse any of their other talent. Kane's spent his entire career with the WWE, and look how many times they've used him about as horribly as possible. I miss the Big Red Machine...</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="FINisher" data-cite="FINisher" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Also could we have normal lights for Sin Cara matches? Please? <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> NO! Sin Cara must continue to wrestle on what appears to be CSI: Miami!</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="TakerNGN74" data-cite="TakerNGN74" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Really liked the match between Daniel Bryan and Sin Cara tonight on Smackdown. However they really need to not do the lighting that they have been doing for Sin Caras matches. It makes the matches harder to focus on and takes away from the match in my opinion. I understand what they are trying to do by making his matches seem special but in my opinion it isn't working.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> That lighting is actually what kept me watching. I flipped the channel over, saw the Captain Charisma/Nega-Charisma vs. Marky Henry/Sheamus brawl, left it on...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> And then saw "hey, Sin Cara vs. Daniel Bryan, this might be pretty sweet".</p><p> </p><p> And then... it looked like they were wrestling on CSI: Miami. Cracked me up, and then it turned out they (as I hoped) had a pretty excellent match.</p><p> </p><p> Though the absolute BEST segment of the night, for me, was actually something that happened last week (which I didn't watch, so this was new for me). Freakin' Wade Barrett with the "It's been a pleasure workin' with you, Zeke." Cracked. Me. Up. Been quoting it at random all day ever since. Wade Barrett, all night, was absolutely pure gold. Since there's next to zero chance they actually let Christian beat Orton again for the title, I hope Barrett ends up being the guy to do so.</p><p> </p><p> SmackDown! actually has some wonderful talent on it for a change of pace, and I may have to keep watching for a bit. Barrett, Gabriel, Christian, Byran, Sin Cara, Sheamus, Kharma, Michael Cole doing an impression of the Bubble Boy from Seinfeld... I was pleased.</p><p> </p><p> Negatives from last night were short, but... Orton still sucks, and despite my best efforts I just can't understand why such a bland hack has managed to get so over, Khali currently is working the worst gimmick I've seen since TNA debuted The Johnsons, and clearly charisma skips a generation as Dibiase Jr, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton should all be kept away from microphones at all times. Rhodes has an awesome gimmick, but unfortunately he just ain't that amazing himself. Still, fun gimmick: more than what the WWE has given a lot of folks. Like Ted Dibiase, Jr.</p><p> </p><p> Oh, and Josh Matthews and Michael Cole sound freakishly similar.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> EDIT: woops, had Striker and Matthews confused for some reason. Meh.</p>

What a frakking ridiculous decision. Between the sheer stupidity of the Cena draft shenanigans, and now THIS (on top of the whole silliness of their not being wrestling in the company or wrestlers or whatever)... WWE needs to get their crap straightened out. I've been very vocal the last couple years that they've stepped their game up from where it was in the years following the demise of WCW, but right now... ugh. Christian is twelves times the worker Randy Orton is. When he got the belt I thought "finally, little Christian's dedication to the job, excellent in-ring work ethic, and supremely awesome charisma has FINALLY paid off!" And what do they do? Spit in his face. Randy Orton blows. GJ WWE on giving the belt to a guy who can't cut a respectable promo to save his life. And it's not like he really NEEDED the title win or anything. And it's not like the WWE needs to keep Christian strong to help keep their Main Event scene strong. Considering his politics backstage in the past, part of me wonders if Blandy Boreton himself is partially to blame for this. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. Get your crap back together WWE, because right now yall clearly have no idea what you're doing.

WOOO WOOO WOOO, you know it!

I just want to pop in to say that, the double-drafting of John Cena is the worst idea the WWE has had since Katie Vick. It's not entertaining, it doesn't create any kind of drama or heat... it's just stupid. I hope in future drafts they don't keep playing up this new, magical "you can just draft them back!" crap. I can imagine it already, WWE Draft 2012: all televised picks are John Cena!

:(

So, had quite the fun time at the Smackdown! taping last night. Guess I'll put my thoughts in white to, you know, avoid spoiling it. WARNING SPOILERS My thoughts: It was a decent show, though not the best I've ever seen from the WWE live. Shelton Benjamin wrestled the dark match, beat Curt Hawkins in a decently watchable match. Good to see Shelton back in action. Pretty confident already that the new NXT (Redemption!) season is designed as a means mainly to get Darren Young over. Yoshi Tatsu and Hornswoggle both make for goofy pros, so that'll be fun to look forward to... oh, and Kozlov. Woot. That said, it felt like a collection of guys who weren't interesting enough compared to their peers to get over the first time through. After all the NXT shenanigans, we had a single match for Superstars... Chris Masters versus Tyler Reks. It went out for ten minutes, and just served to remind me that Chris Masters sucks. This very well may have been the longest match of the night, and I was just left wondering "why?". The Corre rock, but the segment seemed... wonky. Well, segments. Which were basically the same two done twice in a row. Wonky. JTG has officially reached jobber status, having been introduced with "and already in the ring!" status, before getting beat in roughly less than a minute. Crappy diva match that came later was more competitive than the spanking JTG recieved from Cody Rhodes. Might wanna drop the "Brooklyn, Brooklyn" music before folks start dubbing in "brawler". Undertaker coming out to Johnny Cash looks and sounds legitimately badass. And, the biggest and awesomest part of the night... EDGE AND CHRISTIAN RE-UNITED!!!! They looked GREAT out there, and were easily the highlight of the night (other than the Taker/HHH face-off, perhaps). Was really awesome to get to see them as a tag team again, though the WWE should've gone all in with the nostalgia. I'll admit, I was a little sad they didn't both come running in from the crowd.

Just had a friend call and say another friend couldn't make the Smackdown! show tonight. So... I'm going now in his place. Go me.