49ers First Round Review

Well the first round is in the books.  In my humble opinion, the front office did an outstanding job.  Read a great article in SF Gate by Scott Ostler.  Love this approach.

“-- Here come the 49ers, and they trade up to select tackle Anthony Davis. This has Mike Singletary's fingerprints all over it. The 49ers' draft machine is like the U.S. government, with three branches checking-and-balancing one another. You've got Paraag Marathe analyzing players mathematically, GM-lite Trent Baalke analyzing them with a football eye, and Singletary plumbing the depths of the candidates' souls.”
Read more: Here

There is a saying in football that it all starts up front.  I’ll take it a step further that great teams are built from the line of scrimmage out.  Meaning put talent on the line of scrimmage and it will make your room for error on the skill positions wider.  It means more time for QBs to find receivers and backs to find holes.  I have to agree with Scott (writer of the article) that it may signal a move to more of a run to set up play-action passing style of offense.  I hope so.  These styles of offense when in place break the spirit of the other teams by brute force.  This philosophy will set them apart in their division which is fraught with teams that try to finesse you.  They will be a team to deal with if all these kids grow up right (so to speak).

Looking forward for more magic tonight in rounds 3 and 4.  Hopefully in the form of a safety

Week 1: Firing from the hip…

We’re going to go bullets for the first blog post of twenty-o-ten.  I’ve made a resolution to be better at expressing ideas that bounce around this noggin of mine.  I don’t want to lose these thoughts so I resolved to express myself once a week.  We’ll see how it goes because I’ve never been a resolution guy. 

So here we go….

Mark McGwire – You were  one of my heroes when I was younger.  I begged my parents to take me to an Oakland A’s game when I was in sixth grade to see you and Canseco play.  While what you did was technically not against the rules back then, it was wrong.  I am glad you are finally talking about this.  I have no doubt you took your cues from Major League Baseball as they wanted to see how this panned out.  I think you could have diffused a lot of this if you came out in the forefront and be the first to admit and discuss this.

 

 

 

Pete Carroll – Pretty big jump with some pretty big repercussions on the coaching carousel.  He leaves a pretty big seat on that carousel.  Granted there looms the big possibility of some NCAA sanctions on the horizon for the Men of Troy.  I think those gathering clouds affect the potential prospects to take that job.  Let’s look for Chris Petersen of Boise to become a player in this.

 

Huskers – Wow did three weeks off do them some good.  Drubbed the Arizona Wildcats 33-0 with a previously unseen offensive explosion.  The Arizona defensive staff looked dumbfounded.  I don’t blame them though.  If anyone watched film of us down the stretch, our playcalling was bland at best.  This game will do wonders for them this off-season. 

 

Wearing Jerseys in Public – I had a facebook status update that besmirched grown men wearing jerseys in public.  I referred to going Kroger to pick up some groceries on a Thursday as opposed to actually wearing it to the game.  I gave a pass to those who wore them while in the stadium.  Here is another example of why one shouldn’t wear a jersey in public.

 

Resolutions – Now I know I just said that I’m resolving to write in this more, but do resolutions really work?  I don’t think so.  Resolutions come off as a half-hearted attempt to commit to something.  If you really want a change, you need to commit to that change and let nothing stand in the way your desired change.  I may be on a soapbox here but it’s what I’ve learned in my short time on this ball. 

 

Harry Reid – Why does he get a pass for what he said about Obama?  If it were a Republican or Conservative that said the same things there would be a firestorm.  A firestorm that would ultimately lead to a resignation in shame.

 

 

Have a great new year.  Hopefully we will see more frequent observations this year.

A Pirate, a Pony, and a Chancellor walk into an equipment shed…

 

Pride comes before destruction

Proverbs 16:18

This situation has been rehashed 14 different ways on TV, print, and the blogosphere.   Here is my take.  There are five characters at play in this tragedy.

The Pirate :  The Head Coach.  He has built an impressive program that competes at the highest level in one of the top conferences in college football.  He took what was once a backwater program and brought them into the national discussion.  Attributed to an interesting personality and offense to match.  This success has afforded a great following with a fan base in west Texas that was looking for a collegiate outlet for their friday-night-lights football obsession.  This following afforded him some capital in the public forum.  Capital that led people and press to overlook a snide personality with his penchant to publicly explore other jobs.

The Pony:  A former football great.  A former golden-boy running back who was deemed so worthy in high school that a University literally sold it’s soul to get him on campus.  He moved on to NFL glory and a career as a talking head on a major sports network.

The Receiver:  Son of the Pony with the attitude to match.  Largely been reported that he had an air of entitlement to his personality and practiced that way.  His attitude drove his position coach and the Pirate nuts.

The AD:  The poor soul who had to be the boss of an individual, the Pirate. who thought he had no boss.  He was fired from his old job as Basketball coach and received his previous job largely out of pity.  His predecessor leaves the school and puts him in the catbirds seat.

The Chancellor:  A spectator in this whole circus.  A guy who loved the success of his schools football team but had to have heard what it was like dealing with the Pirate.

Here is where I see the mistake was made.  Leach (The Pirate) let a lazy, entitled athlete with a reportedly overbearing, stage-dad get into his head.  If Adam James was such a bad teammate, Leach had many options to deal with him.  Sit young Adam on the bench, suspend him, or give him a signed release and leave it up to Adam to decide if he wants to stay or not.  Instead it appears he went Col. Nathan R. Jessup and tried to train Adam by locking him in various closets and sheds around the Lubbock Metropolitan area.  A big misread by the Pirate in this case.  The Receiver makes a call to the Pony and the public hype machine at the WWL gets fired up.  This unwanted hype and years of abrasiveness made the decision pretty easy to part ways.  All they asked him to do was apologize to the family and he refused (and not to diplomatically either).  Leach brought lawyers into it and filed a restraining order.  Leach’s representation said he couldn’t be suspended  because he didn’t have that clause in his contract.  So the Chancellor said exercised the termination clause.  IMO Leach has no one to blame but himself and his foolish pride.

Brett Favre part 76…I’m back

 Well it’s official.  Brett Favre to the Vikings.  I remember hearing several times after he agonized over his decision that this wasn’t over.  One of my friends stated that this was just a ploy to get out of training camp but that he will be  in purple this year.  Well it turns out that Chicago Bear fan was right.

If you take a step back and look at this whole situation, I believe something went really awry with the front office in Green Bay.  I see a front office who eagerly wanted to move on with Aaron Rogers and a future Hall-of-Famer who wanted to leave on his own terms.  Who was right?  I don’t know.  It is the prerogative of the front office to make sure that they put a competitive product on the field.  From Favre’s perspective, is Aaron Rogers really an upgrade?  Hasn’t he earned the right to call his own shot? 

Well we know how it has played out.  The Packer front office got their wish and convinced him enough to leave.  Favre then played his hand.  He played the NFL’s retirement system very well so he could dictate how and where he would go.  What better place than Minnesota, hated rival.  What a great way to get back at the front office than show up to Lambeau on a day that was supposed to honor your Packer greatness in the jersey of your enemy.   You say but what about his fans?  Won’t this alienate his fans?  In a word, no.  He is their hero.  He led them to greatness.  Brought championships back to ‘Titletown.’  I would be willing to bet that after the initial sting has worn off the ill feeling held by Packer fans will turn to management.  As time wears on, I would be willing to bet the prevailing thought in Wisconsin is that the Packer front office blew this one. 

Either way this is a great situation for Favre.  The Vikings possess the two things that take pressure off the QB, a premier running game and a stout defense.  The defense will keep opponents out of the endzone and Adrian Peterson and that O Line will control the clock and punish the enemy.  This puts Favre in a position where he doesn’t have to make 50 throws to be competitive.  In fact, the play action game becomes the knockout punch in their gameplans.  This means only a few throws a game for Favre which is perfect for his high mileage arm.  This addition makes the Vikings a contender in a big way.

My Michael Vick Take

Let me start off by saying I’m dog lover. I love my little pug and she is a family member to me. She greets me when I get home. As a pro-dog person, I’ve had a keen eye on the Michael Vick proceedings. I believe that his conviction and punishment were just.

I watched portions of his 60 minutes interview while I made dinner for the family and I have to say that my feelings on this have changed. I initially believed that this man should have known better and that I would be okay with him never playing again. I don’t feel that way anymore. I believe in second chances. I believe in that everyone deserves a shot at redemption if they feel bad about what they did and change the course of their life as a result. I believe Michael Vick needs a second chance to redeem himself. If he truly renounces what he did, then he should get a chance to play again. Now if he blows this second chance and reverts back to a point where he’s involved in dog fighting then all bets are off. Vick seemed genuine in his regret during the interview. How much of that was coaching of his legal and image team remains to be seen. I choose to believe at this point that he regrets this ever happened and wants a second chance.

With all that said, what changed my mind you ask…Couple of things. The fact that Tony Dungy is laying his name on the line for this man says a lot to me. I view Tony as a pretty stand up guy and for him to vouch for Michael Vick admittedly buys him capital with me. I’m willing to give Mr.. Vick a second chance because Dungy thinks he’s changed. Second and really the most important is because of my faith. Without getting into a big spiritual discussion here, I am going to say that my faith has taught me that we need to forgive when no one else will because we are forgiven when we shouldn’t be. I think that applies here.

I am going to continue to watch this situation unfold. If Vick has changed his words will become action. If his words are just that…words then he will fall back into the same traps and lose this chance. I’m willing to watch this thing unfold. I hope has seen the error in his ways and has made a true change.

Monday Musings

1. Thank goodness the Celtics lost.  I don't know what it is about the Celtics I don't like.  I think it's scars from my childhood where my Dad revered the Larry Bird and trash talked his young Laker-fan son.
2. The coolest thing about Twitter is that an Astronaut can tweet from space.  Follow this guy at @Astro_Mike.  I can just see him floating in front of his keyboard.
3. Jalen Rose on Mike and Mike gave shout outs to folks that were twittering him while on the air.  The game is changing and the world is getting smaller.   Wouldn't be surprised if the 'request line' is replaced by a twitter feed.
4. Realize I'm probably Twitter-heavy right now, but I read twitter like a news wire.  It has become my way of following the news as it happens.  I follow News organizations, politicians on both sides of the aisle, and watch things like Twit-Scoop.  Twitter provides a great vehicle to watch stories develop real time.
5. If you haven't visited Lifehacker.com or Instructables.com, then you're missing out.  These are great sites for how-tos and ways to use a little elbow grease to save some $$.  Plus if you're a pack rat like me than it is a great way to deplete your inventory.
6. Speaking of Jalen Rose,  I'm listening to the podcast of Mike and Mike from Friday.  He's tremendous.  He is captivating, carries conversation, and knows how to deliver a point.  He's got a tremendous future in the broadcasting business.  Combine that w ith his basketball chops.  He'll be a force.
7. Yellow Ledbetter:  Does anyone know the lyrics to that song?
8. Pelosi needs to answer for 'CIA mislead me comment'.  If the CIA did lie or mislead her, they can be prosecuted.  She needs to put her $$ where her mouth is.
9. I needed to read this today.  "Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you." Galatians 5:1
10. All Joe Biden needs to do now is send out the google maps link where his bunker is located.  Put a mic in front of this guy and he disengages the filter.

The Sunday Bullets

 

1. Duck-Duck-Goose vs.. Duck-Duck-Gray Duck:  So far DDG is winning by a large margin.  The only place I’ve ever seen DDGD is Morris, MN
2. I can’t be the only person who loves Wasabi Soy Sauce Almonds
3. Apparently there was some rhyme and reason for not releasing Gitmo photo and holding tribunals.  The viewpoint is a little different when you have all the intel in front of you.
4. I was really hoping the Lakers would have lost to Houston.  I think Chauncey and the Nuggets can get it done
5. Joe Mauer is awesome.  Brent Gardner thought he had home plate but Mauer made a great play.  Mauer is the man
6. Why does my 2 year old think he’s 17?
7. The Penguins of Madagascar is a really really funny cartoon.  If you haven’t seen it you should.
8. Covering the words of Jesus in Sunday School and we talked about becoming ‘Fishers of Men.’  I definitely cannot fish by the net full but I pray that I am learning the skill to cast my line.
9. Made my own Salsa Verde this week.  It was pretty good but I need to find some fresh tomatillos.  If you used canned tomatillos it may taste a little sour.

Ameer Ali you’re My Hero of the Day!!!

Ameer Ali you have moved up the charts and I have named you ‘HERO OF THE DAY’ because your willingness to Judo flip any SOONER that gets in your way.

My T-minus 12hrs Gopher Preview

ESPN Preview

Here is what the ESPN Simulator has predicted

Game Projection Pts

Minnesota 57.9

Texas 66.1

Projected High-Scorer

Damion James (TX) 14.3 pts

My co-workers can attest that most of the time I sport the Scarlet of the Huskers. There is one passion that I’ve had since I called Territorial Hall home and that is Gopher Hoops. Distance, Gangel-gate, and the Dan Monson era has done a lot to mute that passion. There were wounds left over from that era that led me to drift away from ‘the Barn.’ Since Tubby has came on board I have made more of an effort to follow blogs out of the twin cities so I can keep in touch with Gopher hoops. I have been brought back into a lather from this appearance in the tournament. Does it mean that I’m a poor fan – probably. I really don’t care at this point. I’m wearing my Gopher shirt with pride today. Coincidentally I am in the heart of Longhorn country (~150 miles from Austin, TX).

Now on to the preview. This has probably been mish-mashed a thousand different ways. I see it pretty simply.

• Westbrook vs. Abrams – I see this as a head-to-head match up. I think Abrams holds an edge with tournament experience but how Tubby calls in help for a double team. I suspect he will use Abu-Shamala or someone from that 3 position to use there length for help. Tubby will have to keep Abrams guessing by moving the help around.
• Pittman vs. Sampson/Iverson two-headed monster – Tubby has to counter Pittman’s inside game with Iverson and Sampson there to annoy and foul. The perimeter will have to challenge passing lanes. If this becomes an inside game I think Texas holds the edge. Tubby will have do something to harass those passes to the interior.

This game will be a defensive battle. Both coaches preach a physical defensive brand of basketball. This is where I think the preview is correct. However I think it will be an ugly, scrum sort of game with a final score of….

MINNESOTA 63

TEXAS 59

I guess we will see roughly in 12 hours.

The Brett Favre Phenomena

Trying to understand the phenomena that is Brett Favre. Not a new story by any means but I love the longevity of it. Every day is the same 'will he or won't he?' I personally think the Packers are in a no-win situation here. If they let him play again this year, then they are clutching on to the past, unwilling to move on. Vice-versa the organization looks like they are turning their back on a legend.

Personally I would find a strange joy in this story if Favre became a Viking. That is the storyline I am rooting for. I could see many a Packer fan go on suicide watch if Favre showed up in a purple #4. The collective laughing by all of the anti-Packer fandom in Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, San Fran, and points in between would be deafening. This would be hands the greatest, most hilarious turncoat story in the history of sport.