NFL Draft Talk and Other Happenings

I have been really busy of late and haven't had a ton of time to post here but with the draft coming up I figured I should say something.

So here it is....the GM Says:

1. Lots of talk lately about who the Lions will (or should) take with the first pick. I heard someone say that they shouldn't take Stafford cause the risk is too big. If he fails it will destroy the franchise. Really? Can it get any worse?

I really hate the idea of taking a quarterback #1 overall because they cost too freaking much and rarely pan out. BUT in this case maybe it makes sense. I mean if he fails is it really that big of a deal....they can't get any worse....

Can they??

2. Baseball is already getting boring. How anyone can sit there and actually watch a game is beyond me. Whether you are there in person or at home watching in HD it is brutal to watch without great conversation....and if you are having great conversation does the game really need to be on?

3. Someone asked me if I saw what was going on in the NBA Playoffs the other day. I responded with, "the NBA is still going on?"

4. But we did talk some NHL playoffs which has to be the best Playoff setup in sports. There are 2 tournaments that are better. 1 is the NCAA tournament (the first weekend at least) and the 2nd is the World Cup. The NHL Playoffs are great and there is so much action that you can't possibly follow it all.

I have watched at least 1 game a day since the start last Wednesday. My Capitals started slowly but are picking up their play lately and can tie up the series with a win tonight. And the Flyers are down 3 games to 1 which is almost like waking up on Christmas morning and seeing the presents under the tree. When they lose on Thursday and head home to Canada eh, it will be like opening the presents!


Is there anything else happening in sports??? I didn't think so.

The GM Says....2/27

Manny turns down 25 million(ESPN)....Manny's an idiot, so is Boras

I guess Manny doesn't care about his reputation of being all about the money. He was once a fan favorite in Boston and the people in LA absolutely loved him last season but now he is just making himself look bad. If I was the Dodgers I would not even bother talking to him anymore. Go with what you have and hope it works out. There is no reason to keep playing to Manny.


Haynesworth gets $100 million deal(ESPN)......and Daniel Snyder STILL doesn't get it

Poor Redskins fans. Every year Snyder signs a big name free agent or a couple of them and it always backfires on him. I know Haynesworth is good but just a couple years ago this guy stomped on someones head. And it was only the past couple years (when he was in contract years) that he truly started to dominate. ESPN showed a stat about sacks from defensive tackles over the past 2 years and he is only 1.5 ahead of the next group. So is he really worth this much money? $41 million is guaranteed by the way.


Tiger loses in match play 2nd round(ESPN).....and I don't care about golf again

Sorry but I am only watching golf if Tiger is involved and he is already done. If he would have played this weekend I absolutely would have turned it on. But now who do I watch?? I might flip it on to see who is playing Sunday but I won't watch it for very long.


LA starts the NFL search again(SI)....which team would it be?

LA approved something that allows the City to begin discussing a team relocating to LA yesterday. I don't know what that means but apparently they think they are going to get a team. But which would it be? Are there really any teams struggling to make it right now? I mean other than Detroit of course.


Other Links:

RStiles...tell me how you really feel about Manny and the Dodgers (Stiles Points)
Jamie Mottram gives his thoughts on Snyder's spending spree (Mr. Irrelevant)

The GM Says....2/13

Bud Selig says A Rod "shamed the game".....Bud you are an idiot.

Now is not the time to attack a star player by saying you are "saddened" by the fact that A-Rod used steroids. And why would you say A-Rod "shamed the game" when a few others admitted to using? Selig you are an idiot for that. Now is the time to stand behind your star player and support him. Celebrate him coming forward and accepting his responsibility instead of attacking him. This is exactly why you aren't liked by ANYONE!!

Police arresting people in Phelps case....I told you so!

I said on this site last week that the police in South Carolina are going to try and make names for themselves by doing everything they can to charge Phelps with something. And that is exactly what they are trying to do. They are rounding up suspects and are surely offering them deals to testify against Phelps. This is ridiculous. So the kid did something that he shouldn't have done BUT come on. Is your arresting him gonna help the fight against drugs?? NO its not. Leave your agendas off the job!

Rosenhaus says Boldin, Johnson, and Burress want traded.....Anquan come to Philly!!

Agent Drew Rosenhaus says that he has three clients that are interested in being traded from their current teams. Chad "Not Sure His Last Name" Johnson, Anquan Boldin, and Plaxico Burress are the three clients. Personally I think Burress and Johnson are solid but past their best days. I don't think there is much argument that Boldin is the best of the bunch and please please Andy Reid TRADE FOR HIM!!! Give up one of your first round picks and GET HIM NOW!!

UConn could lose one of top scorers for season.....that would hurt there chances a bit.

Jerome Dyson is scheduled to have surgery next week on an injured knee. He suffered the injury in the Syracuse game on Wednesday night. Dyson is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game. This would be HUGE for the UConn. I think if he is out for the season, which they have yet to determine, that UConn is out as serious contenders for the title. Sure they will still make the tourney and might even make a run but they won't be able to keep up in scoring with a team like UNC.

Ferentz gets new deal for same money.....wow, average gets a good pay these days.

Kirk Ferentz signed a 7 year extension today with the University of Iowa. Ferentz will get the same salary and bonus structure as his current deal had. Last season the Iowa coach made 2.84 million in salary. Hmmm...I wonder if I can find a job where average gets paid that well. In his last 4 seasons Ferentz has led Iowa to a 28-22 record. Not that great but apparently not worth a new coach either.

The GM Says....2/10

A-Rod admits to steroid use.....good for you Alex.

I don't see why everyone is so upset about this. We all knew that MULTIPLE players (maybe as many as 75-90% of players) were using steroids through this era. So what? It wasn't illegal in baseball at the time. Was it unethical? Sure it is technically cheating BUT who cares? I don't. I think Alex did the best thing he could and I was happy to hear him come out and say yes I did it.

Big Ben plays Super Bowl with broken ribs.....his fame and aura grows.

If you look across the NFL you will surely find guys that are considered tough. And surely some of them have played with worse than broken ribs but for a quarterback to do what he did in the Super Bowl with all the juking and jiving that he did to have broken ribs? Wow.

Pac-Man is no longer a Cowboy.....now he can go be a Raider.

Is there another place for Adam "not PacMan" Jones to go? Sure....Oakland. I would say Cincinnati but they seem to be interested in cleaning up their image. So that leaves Oakland to sign the troubled, and DRASTICALLY over rated, cornerback.

Lane Kiffin screw up again.....is this guy an idiot??

Apparently Kiffin and his staff did a few things that they are not supposed to do when recruits are visiting. One being a mock press conference and the other being a player entering the field through some fog. Apparently you can't simulate a game day atmosphere for a recruit. First of all lets just say that the NCAA is ridiculous. Why not let these kids get a taste of it? But that is besides the point right now. Mr. Kiffin......did you even look at the rule book??? Apparently not. You are absolutely killing your image right now and everyone is starting to ask, was Al Davis right about this guy?

The GM Says....2/4

After a little time off I am back to tell you what I think about the current sports news stories.


Signing Day in college football......important but not defining.

Some people get all excited when their team signs a top 5 class. They should. It is important BUT just ask Notre Dame how well it translates to wins! Signing day and projecting classes is like projecting NFL teams after a draft. You can't tell right away. Sometimes it takes years to figure out which players will be great and which ones won't. But you do have a better chance with a top class so it is important. But not the be all end all of your team.


Raiders keep Tom Cable as coach.....I doubt anyone else wanted the job!

Is Cable a good coach? I don't know. I write a blog and watch football, I have no idea how he is gonna be. But I can't help but wonder if Al Davis just couldn't generate much interest in the job. I mean to be the coach of the Raiders you have to be willing to give up control over player personnel and assistant coaches. And then you have to wonder if Al is going to fire you after 2 years. I can't imagine any of the top candidates were really very interested.


Bonds tested positive for drugs.....wow, that's shocking news! (yawn)

Is anyone really surprised that Bonds tested positive? I highly doubt it. If Bonds still thinks he can convince people that he is innocent than he must be getting his advice from OJ!


Tar Heels lose Ginyard for season.....BUT they are still the favorites.

Come on. Really is a single player (role player) really that important. People are acting like the loss of Marcus Ginyard is damaging to the Heels chances. I don't think so. He has only played a few games this season and UNC seems okay to me. Would his return have HELPED their chances? Yes but losing him does NOT damage their chances.


Mike Tomlin is the NFL's Renaissance Man according to Jay Mariotti.

I like the piece by Jay. I have tried to read most of what he is writing now over at AOL but sometimes I miss some. This write up about Tomlin was mostly stuff you already knew or heard about but it is still a good read. He seems to be the perfect style of coach for any NFL team and I just hope that all these teams hiring new young coordinators realize that it takes a certain STYLE of coach to do what Tomlin has done.


Chad Johnson now WANTS to be a Bengal.....probably cause no one else wants him!

I don't have a big problem with Chad Ocho Cinco or whatever the hell his name is. His celebrations aren't a big problem to me. I like some of them. His demanding a trade last off season is a different story and I think it turned some teams off of him. AND the fact that he was TERRIBLE this season surely didn't help his appearance. But I bet if Houshma-zillie resigns with the Bungals then Chad will want out AGAIN!


Dan Reeves has an office in Dallas......is any Cowboy's coaching job safe?

Reeves is rumored to be coming on as a consultant/overseer for Wade Philips. Really? That sounds like trouble brewing. If you are a boss would you want another guy standing around watching you waiting to give you advice? It is bad enough that Jerry Jones thinks he is a coach but now you have Reeves coming in. Hey....I like it. I am an Eagles guy. Come on in Dan and screw up the Cowboys more!!


Bud Selig makes a ridiculous amount of money......but is he the worst Commissioner?

I would say that Selig should take a 90% pay cut. That would pay him $1.8 million which is still more than enough. BUT some people have said he is the worst Commissioner in sports and he shouldn't be making that much. I would say that the idiot running the NHL into the ground, Gary Bettman, is by far a worse Commissioner. With expansion and labor problems the NHL has become a joke in the US and a new commissioner is needed NOW!


Jason Whitlock says referee Terry McAulay was SB MVP......why? cause the Cards couldn't do it?

Basically Jason says that there were so many questionable calls that the Cards were at a disadvantage. I am not going to argue that there weren't some bad calls. BUT 3 of those calls (all personal fouls) came on the same drive that ended with a Steelers field goal. And really the Cards Plaxico Burressed themselves on multiple occasions and just weren't good enough. I thought the officiating was average at best but so what. Calls even themselves out over a season. I am sure there were a couple wins this season where Arizona got a few questionable calls.

The GM Says....1/23

It has been a terribly boring week in sports with no real big happenings going on. Really that is how it is when the NFL isn't doing anything like this week. After the Super Bowl you start to have free agent talk then the combine and draft. But right now we have the stupid week of nothingness before the Super Bowl.

But some other idiots and sports have begun making things interesting again.

• Jay McGwire.....what the hell? This is your brother. I understand the two of you haven't spoken for a while and no one on the planet has scene Mark in a few years but still. You are currently shopping a book telling the world that you got him started on steroids and helped him do steroids for years. I believe you. But there had to be a better way than this. This just makes you look like what you are, a money hungry asshole.
• Australian Open....soon I will watch. The first rounds of the Aussie open or any tennis event for that matter are pretty meaningless. You get the top players on tv playing the worst players in the world. After those rounds the action gets much better. Unfortunately for you though the women's side took a huge hit today when Ana Ivanovic lost in her third round match. She is the best part of the women's bracket and now she is gone.
• NHL All-Star Game....probably won't watch. I am a big hockey fan but the All-Star game is a joke. Just like all the all star games actually. Sidney Crosby isn't playing in it and people are whining that players avoid the game. Yeah....so? I wouldn't want to play in it either. It's an honor to get named to the team but to play in the game....who cares.

Now on to the NFL:

• Ray Lewis....don't do it. Don't go to the Cowboys. PLEASE don't go to the Cowboys. I have 2 reasons really. 1) You are the Baltimore Ravens. You are the face of the defense and you guys are awesome on the field. 2) I hate the Cowboys and like the Eagles and don't want to see you in the same division.
• Anquan Boldin....maybe. After you were seen yelling at your offensive coordinator and then left the field and locker room long before your teammates you are now saying that the whole incident is hilarious to you. Really? I think it is only hilarious to you because you want out of Arizona.
• Chargers....TRADE LT. Seriously now is the best time to dump this guy. He has had 2 below average years by his standards and hasn't been healthy at the end of the season in either of them. His trade value probably won't be any higher than it is right now. If you trade him you can resign Sproles and either sign a guy like Derrick Ward or draft a guy like Chris Wells. If you keep him and he has another down year you will be stuck with him. The teams that are continuously at the top of the league are the teams that get rid of aging stars before it is too late.
• Tony Romo....you can't. You say you will be a better leader next season and that you will do better. There is just one problem. You aren't that good to begin with. And if you become a better leader than TO will ABSOLUTELY cause the team to implode. The reason things have gone okay until now is that TO is in charge. If you become a leader like Jeff Garcia or Donovan McNabb than Owens will blow up.

The GM Says....Weekend in Review

I wasn't around the Internet throughout the weekend as I decided to just relax and enjoy some bowl games and playoff games but I am back at work now so I have some free time again.

This entry in the GM Says will go back to New Years since I didn't post but I do have stuff to say about it.

• Penn State....what the hell? I am sure you all saw that I picked Penn State to win. Just so you know how confident I was in that pick I gave it a 1 in my bowl mania selections. Basically I was only picking it cause I was rooting for them. But I did think it would be much closer than it was. Whoever calls the defensive plays (ahem..Tom Bradley) needs to explain to me and every other fan why the hell you wouldn't change your coverage after USC figured it out? The 2nd quarter was spent allowing Sanchez to pick apart the secondary. And they didn't change anything in the 2nd half it was just that USC didn't care as much so they didn't play as hard.
• Utah....good for you! I was extremely tired Friday night and actually only saw the first half of this game but the first quarter was amazing. They absolutely deserved to be there and I don't want to hear about Alabama not really wanting to be there cause that is bullshit! Utah beat them hands down.
• University Presidents.....playoffs anyone? This year is SCREAMING for a playoff system. Who wouldn't want to see USC and Utah get to play another game after their wins? It would be amazing. New Year's day means nothing anymore...no one cares because the games don't mean anything to the fans. Sure the players want to win and I would like to see my team win but really it doesn't matter one bit. PLAYOFFS!! NOW!!
• Boston College....knock it off. First you lost to a team in Vanderbilt that while it was a great story had no business beating you. They barely won a game down the stretch and then you let them walk all over you for most of the game. And NOW you are threatening your coach. You have told him that IF he INTERVIEWS with the Jets you will fire him!! REALLY? Is that even allowed? Let him interview you jack asses. He has earned it by taking your crappy team to the ACC championship game 2 straight years.

• Arizona....congratulations. Finally you get a home playoff game and you made good use of it as you beat the Falcons in the playoffs. I was impressed with your running game and your run defense. If you can keep that up you could challenge for the Super Bowl. But I am not a believer yet and still think you will lose in Carolina this weekend.
• San Diego....welcome back. Many people continued to put you in their power rankings even though you sucked for most of the season and now you might be finally be playing up to your expectations. You completely shut down Peyton Manning and the high powered Colts offense and little Darren Sproles dominated the game. I was impressed. Good luck in Pittsburgh.
• Baltimore....next up...Tennessee. If you don't listen to the podcast, why the hell not?, you don't know that I picked the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. I think that defense is the best in football as far as making plays. Sure the Steelers have the better numbers but if Ed Reed is going to score a touchdown each game I will take their defense. The game against Miami on Sunday was NEVER close.
• Philly....my other pick. That's right I picked an Eagles/Ravens Super Bowl. Both 6 seeds are getting in this season. So far so good as the Eagles really shut down the Vikings with the exception of one Peterson run. Next up the Giants who were dominated by the Eagles in week 14. McNabb looked good and the defense looked good. They are ready for the Giants.
• New England....franchising Cassell? That tells me that Brady is NOT progressing as they think he should be. If he was on schedule to be back for the season next year would they really pay a backup around 12 million bucks? I think not. Cassell is going into next season as the starter cause Brady WILL NOT be ready to go.

The GM Says....

• Denver.....good for you. It was time to let Mike go. He has been a tremendous coach for your franchise but not good enough the past couple of years. His system just isn't working anymore. The small offensive line is getting pushed around and his defensive team is terrible. Go get Bill Cowher. He wants to be GM and you allowed it with Mike. So let Bill come coach and this team WILL make the playoffs next season.
• Buffalo....time will tell. I think you are putting a lot of faith in Jauron. Yeah I know the team was like 5-0 this season but it was just a mirage. The pieces are coming together but you are still a few players away from competing. But I can understand keeping him on.
• Jets....ouch! Bill Cowher doesn't want to coach your team. HAHA! Actually I think the coaching thing would be fine but he is only going to come if you fire your GM which you probably aren't going to do. So now what....you gonna hire Romeo Crennel since the Browns are talking the Mangini. Should we just play musical coaches? Go hard for Steve Spagnola....he will be a difference maker.
• 49ers....excellent decision. Mike Martz and Singletary are not compatible. There was no reason to keep a has been coordinator on the staff. Go out and find an innovative ambitious younger guy to build the offense that he wants. Just give the coaching staff time to turn things around. You can't be firing guys every 2 years and expect to win.

• Oregon....impressed. I am impressed with the way you handled Okie State. I know it wasn't a completely dominating performance but it was very good. I thought the Cowboys were the better team and I thought they would win. Maybe if Dez Bryant doesn't get hurt they do but Jeremiah Masoli is the real deal at quarterback...he will be good next year.
• Western Michigan....what?? Where was the offense? You were going up against one of the worst defenses in the entire country and you managed 14 points! I really thought this game would be a much better game to watch but alas the Texas Bowl again fails to fulfill. Good thing you were only on the NFL network and I got to watch the Holiday bowl instead.
• Robert Marve....bye bye! You just did Miami a favor. Jacory Harris out played you all season when he was comfortable. The problem was that he wasn't comfortable most of the season. But with you transferring he can come in as the starter and not have to worry about anything. Miami WILL CONTEND for the ACC Championship next season without you!

• Celtics....do you suck now? All of a sudden you look human and beatable. I got bad news for fans out there....I don't think this is just a road trip slump. I think teams are learning what it takes to beat them and it will continue when they return home. You are still one of the best teams in the league but you better fix whatever ails you or come playoff time you will be in trouble.

• College Basketball.....I guess I should watch now. I haven't really been paying much attention to the college basketball season but apparently I should be. Top teams are losing all over the place as 4 Oklahoma went down yesterday in a blaze to Arkansas. And Purdue lost as well. This after UConn lost the other day. With the exception of North Carolina are there any other great teams out there?

• NHL....I am trying. I am trying to follow the NHL more as I am a huge hockey fan but because the sport is so crappy on TV I find myself not knowing anyone in the Western Conference. I know my Capitals are doing very well having won 9 of 10 but I don't know anything else. But maybe you will get me tomorrow with the Winter Classic. I thought last year's sucked to be honest cause the hockey was terrible but I am hoping the weather cooperates for you tomorrow at Wrigley field.

The GM Says....

• Northwestern....so close! You almost really helped the Big Ten's reputation. I would say that you did good and you proved that the Big Ten is better than people think BUT you lost. And at the end of all the bowl games that is the only thing people will care about. They won't care that you controlled the game against Missouri and you slowed down Chase Daniel. They will only care that the Big Ten lost.
• Andre Smith....oops. Apparently you are going pro after this season. From the sound of things you are basically already a pro. You will NOT be playing in the Sugar Bowl on Friday because you allegedly had improper contact with an agent. You need to be more discreet in your conduct big man. But good news for you....Todd McShay says you are the #2 player on the board for the draft. Enjoy your millions!!
• Auburn....pretty good signing. Yesterday you signed Gus Malzahn to run your offense. I like it. He is the guy behind the dynamic Tulsa offense this season and he should get the Auburn offense moving again. But isn't this his third school in like 3 years? Do you think he will stay long? I think he is after a coaching job and this is the next step....but use him for a couple years and get the offense scoring again.

• Roger Goodell....what??? Why move the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl? Do you think more people will tune in if you move it? Don't count on it. It doesn't matter when it is...no one gives a damn. It is a crappy game that players barely want to play in and fans surely don't want to see. Keep the game in Hawaii the weekend after the Super Bowl. If you want to boost ratings do a skills competition the day before and some people will tune in but not many.
• Coaches....watch out. Dick Jauron....you could be next. Guys like Marvin Lewis, Mike Shanahan, Herm Edwards, Jon Gruden, and Jim Zorn.....you all could be fired in the coming weeks. If I were you I would be getting my resume updated and get ready to look for work. Some of you are more likely to be fired than others but all of you should be concerned.

• Baron Davis....stay in LA. You made the decision in the offseason to sign with the Clippers and now you can suck it up and play hard every night for them. You say you want to go back (or that you would be OPEN to returning) to the Warriors but if that is the case why did you leave? Oh because you thought Elton Brand would stay there and you two could win a title....HAHA!! Oh well.

• Hoyas....big win. That is a very big and very good win for the Hoyas last night in Connecticut. UConn was the #2 team in the country and they just LOST on their home floor. Not good. It raises big questions about their team and also strengthens the feelings that the Big East is head and shoulders above the other conferences.

The GM Says....

• Mike Tomlin...what the hell? You had nothing to gain by playing all your starters in this game. If you had a quarterback like Eli Manning or Kerry Collins who aren't going to put themselves in harms way every week than fine let them play. But you KNOW Big Ben is going to take shots because of his style and because your line sucks. Bad move and it might have cost you. Hopefully Ben can play in two weeks.
• Detroit....Congratulations!! You have created history. You are the ONLY team in the history of the NFL that has gone 0-16. AWESOME!! You have earned yourself the number pick in the 2009 draft which will be filled with uncertainty and will be very costly. That should fix your franchise!!
• Tampa Bay....HAHAHA! The last two weeks you had west coast teams come to your stadium for EARLY games and you couldn't win either. OUCH! You were 9-3 and you needed to basically win ONE game over your final four weeks and you couldn't do it. You lost to Carolina and Atlanta on the road and San Diego and OAKLAND at home. Really....Oakland? Awesome! And Thank You.
• Patriots....that sucks. It couldn't have been a worse Sunday for the New England Patriots. They beat the Bills 13-0 to go 11-5 on the season and MISS THE PLAYOFFS! And then it is reported that Tom Brady might miss the ENTIRE 2009 season because his knee is not healing like it supposed to. Wow...that's a bad weekend.
• Dallas....way to show up. All you needed to do was win. All week you knew that all you needed was a win. You had to go to Philly and win a football game and you were in the playoffs. And then you forgot to show up and lost 44-6. That is great for everyone else in this country! No fan of any other team wanted you anywhere near the playoffs. Enjoy the offseason.
• Brett Favre....go away. You had a terrible season. The Man-genious obviously doesn't respect you since he calls you out in meetings and stuff. Your old. And your shoulder hurts. Just retire. Was this season really worth all the trouble? You aren't going to win with the Jets next year either. Go work on the farm. We all enjoyed watching you play but this season you were more of a joke than a joy to watch.
• San Fran....right move. Mike Singletary will be the coach of the 49ers next season. I thought they should have hired him a few years ago but that's okay cause now he is there. He will get the most out of the players there which should make the 49ers competitive in that division.

• Red Sox....Brad Penny and Josh Bard? Is that how you compete with the evil empire? Penny sucked last season and Bard isn't very good. I know you weren't looking to spend much money with the economy in the tank but wow you didn't even make a splash. Personally though I hope it is only enough to beat the Yankees. Cause after the evil empire I hate you more than any other team not called the Yankees.
• Yankees....how's the economy there? You will be paying your new players Teixera, Burnett, and Sabathia a combined $62 million every season for the next 5 years. Good job. Sabathia is due for a slow down...remember he wasn't very good for the Indians last season....and an injury is possible too. Tex might be worth it. But Burnett is average and isn't worth what you gave him. But I guess you are still making money....but wait aren't you raising ticket prices now? Boy I hope the fans still come watch when they are all unemployed or working at McDonalds.

• Notre Dame....don't get too excited. All I heard at the end of the Hawaii Bowl and since then is that Notre Dame has turned the corner. That win will propel them to a great record in 2009 and they are now a formidable team. HAHAHA!! Really....you beat HAWAII!!! And not a good Hawaii team. The ONLY reason Hawaii was bowl eligible was because they played 7 home games and won 5. They aren't good. That win is not any better than the Navy win. And the Syracuse loss is still terrible!
• Pat White....learn to run routes. I know you had a good game on Saturday where you threw for over 300 yards for the first time in your career. Congratulations. Now learn how to correctly run a post pattern cause you will be mainly a wide receiver in the NFL.

The GM Says....NFL Edition

• Denver.....really? Now you have to go to San Diego for a game on Sunday night and win OR you are staying home in January. All you had to do was beat Buffalo at home. Well you better get ready because your first playoff game starts at 8:15 Sunday night.
• Atlanta....wow! If you win against St. Louis AND Carolina loses AT New Orleans you will be division champs. Congratulations on a great season.
• NY Jets....interesting. I am not sure what your plan is or how you intend to get into the playoffs at this point BUT good luck in the final week of the season. Now the question is...would you rather have Favre or Pennington right now?
• New England....impressive. Not that I expected you to have trouble with the sunny weathered Cardinals but 47-7! WOW. And the funny part of all that....you still might miss the playoffs. You have to win and either Miami or Baltimore has to lose.
• Philly.....unreal! You must have started listening to all the talk about how your game against Dallas next weekend would be for a playoff spot and you forgot that first you had to win against Washington. 3 POINTS!! In the most important game of the season? How was there no urgency in the closing minutes either? Everyone was just walking around with 3 minutes to go. It's called a HURRY-UP offense for a reason!
• NY Giants....well done. 301 rushing yards against Carolina...impressive. Now you get home field advantage for the playoffs. Does that help or hinder your cause? I am not sure yet but I am picking you to lose at some point in the playoffs. A team with ANY run defense will beat you in your home stadium.
• Pittsburgh....Big Ben? Ben, you fumbled the ball 4 times losing 2 of those. AND you threw 2 interceptions. What happened? Tennessee without Haynesworth shut you DOWN. You missed a good chance there yesterday.
• Baltimore....one more. Good win Saturday night but with New England also winning you now need another win against Jacksonville next weekend. It's at home so you should be good but I can assure you that the eventual AFC East Champs are hoping you lose....sorry but it's true, they do NOT want to play you in the first round.

The GM says....

• So is Rafael Furcal a Dodger or a Brave??? A couple days ago he was back in Atlanta and now they are saying he is back in LA. I don't know what is going on but you know what....it is only December and we really don't care about baseball anyways.
• Where will Mark Teixeira end up playing next season? Where ever it is will tell you a lot about the importance of money in sports. If he goes to Baltimore or Washington because they will pay him more than he deserves the losing that will come with it. Go to Boston or Anaheim so that you have a chance of winning!

• Peyton Manning was damn near perfect last night as he only threw 4 incompletions in the game. The Colts clinched the 5 seed in the AFC with their win over Jax. And if Tennessee wins on Sunday next weeks Titans/Colts game will basically be a preseason game for both teams as none of the starters will be in at all or for very long.
• The Vikings are going to go ahead and start Tavaris Jackson Sunday against the Falcons. If Gus Frerotte is healthy than I think Brad Childress might want to be fired. Atlanta is going to play better defense than the Cardinals and Jackson IS NOT better than Gus.
• Alex Smith is willing to take a pay cut to stay with the 49ers. I am one of the few out there that still thinks Smith can be a good quarterback in the NFL. And with the quarterback situation in San Fran right now I would say it would be worth their while to give him a nice sized pay cut and let him earn the backup job next season.
• Adam "I don't wanna be Pacman anymore" Jones will NOT miss the rest of the season with an injury. This is twice now this year that we all thought we were done with Jones, his suspension and then his injury. But he is still here. Maybe if he breaks a team rule like punching Terrell Owens he wouldn't come back.

• The BCA might take legal action to get more black head coaches in college football. It is frustrating to see all the coaches getting bypassed if it is race related, which it seems like it is. Would a Rooney rule work? Not sure but it couldn't really hurt anyway. Even if it helps just 1 or 2 get coaching jobs it would be worth it...wouldn't it?

• Nascar gave Mauricia Grant a bunch of money to basically go away now. The terms were undisclosed but she was suing for 225 million because she was the subject of racial and sexual discrimination. I am not saying she shouldn't have brought charges but $225 million??? Really? Why not just ask for the company instead?

The GM Says....

• TO says he didn't do anything wrong. And he also says that for some reason people won't let go of what happened in San Fran and Philly? Geez, I wonder why people wouldn't want to let that go?
• All this talk about the genius NFL schedule makers.....really? How many people had Carolina OR Tennessee as Super Bowl contenders when the schedule came out?
• How is this for a salary......1 MILLION dollars a CATCH!! That sounds like something I would be alright with.
• Apparently Cortland Finnegan rides with Tony Kornheiser and John Madden to get around the country. The Titans cornerback is afraid of flying and doesn't know how he is going to get to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.

• Penn State coach Joe Paterno gets a new 3 year deal. That will make him 85 when that contract expires...or will it? Both sides have agreed that EITHER side can lengthen or shorten the contract if they feel necessary. So basically Joe will coach until Joe is dead.
• Buffalo tries to keep coach Turner Gill by throwing money at him. It also helped their cause that Auburn decided they didn't want a black coach with a white wife.
• Rich Rodriguez said that "moving in a different direction" was the best move for the program as it relates to defensive coordinator Scott Shafer resigning. Well no shit Rich Rod. The defense was just as bad as your offense. Now what the University needs to do is go in a "different direction" with their head coach.

• Apparently the A's weren't the front runners for shortstop Rafael Furcal....since yesterday he reached agreement to return to the Atlanta Braves.
• A couple days ago the new World Series Champion Phillies made 2 VERY CURIOUS decisions in my eyes. Not only did they resign a 46 year old pitcher in Jamie Moyer, but they also signed Chan Ho Park to a contract. Really?? There is nothing better out there? Philly....say goodbye to any chances at a repeat!

The GM Says....NFL edition 12/15

After watching as much football as I could yesterday to make up for the lack of college games this weekend I have to say I was entertained by multiple NFL games for the first time in weeks.

In my area I got to see Bills/Jets, Skins/Bengals, Steelers/Ravens, and Giants/Cowboys. All of which were somewhat exciting to watch. I mainly watched the Bills/Jets and Steelers/Ravens but saw parts of the other two.

But anyways here are my thoughts on the NFL Sunday as a whole:

• The Redskins problems are because of the lack of a ground game all of a sudden. They started out 6-2 and are now 7-7 because Portis is not getting the ball enough. WHY, when you have CLINTON PORTIS, would you give Mike Sellars the ball from ONE YARD out.....TWICE?!?!?! And guess what...he didn't get in AND he fumbled....game over.
• Dick Jauron....what the hell was that? Marshawn Lynch had a GREAT GAME and yet with around 2 minutes to go (WITH A LEAD) and ON SECOND FREAKING DOWN you decide to roll JP Losman out to throw a pass!! Losman SUCKED ALL GAME and then he fumbled and you lose.
• Jeff Fisher...still a questionable call. I understand the wind thing and you knew how far he could kick it but wasn't there anything else you could try and throw other than a go pattern?
• Terrell Owens if you are going to complain about not getting the ball....THEN CATCH THE DAMN BALL WHEN IT IS THROWN TO YOU!!
• The Giants can get by without Burress BUT they can't get by without JACOBS!! When Jacobs comes back and he is healthy the Giants will be fine.
  
• The Steelers should be sending that referee a nice Christmas bonus cause that WAS NOT A TOUCHDOWN!!
• Herm Edwards....what kind of defense is your team playing if they can't keep an 11 point lead with 2 minutes to go?? Unreal......learn this phrase Herm....you are FIRED!!
• Cardinals....35 points to the Vikings?? 4 TD passes from TAVARIS JACKSON?!?! Wow...you are bad. Enjoy the last 2 games of the regular season because you are not making it out of the first playoff weekend!

That was fun. I think I need to do that more often. Enjoy the game tonight Browns/Eagles. And don't just assume the Eagles win here....oh wait...Ken Dorsey is Cleveland's quarterback.....go ahead and assume the Eagles win and check the score tomorrow for confirmation.