That's probably not the most accurate title for this post, but it's catchy as hell, so I'll go with it. By now you probably know that Arizona gave up a starting Pro Bowl corner, a 2nd round pick in next year's draft, and $20 million in guaranteed money to put Kevin Kolb in a Cardinals uniform this season. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, given how any sports pundit with access to a computer has written about it these last 4 months. The question is, did Arizona pay too much for an unproven product?
Let me first say that anyone they brought in would've been an improvement over last year's quarterbacking debacle. Hell, Jim Abbott could have at least gotten a start or two. But all summer I've had my doubts about Kolb, especially given the cost to acquire him. My choice was Carson Palmer,since he is a talented, proven veteran who probably wouldn't have cost as much, and could bridge the gap until John Skelton is ready to take over in a year or two. But, since Bengals owner Mike Brown has no interest in improving his team in any way, the idea of Carson Palmer coming to Glendale was just a pipe dream.
Which brings us to Kolb. As I said, I was against it from the get-go, if for no other reason than he is unproven, and I think John Skelton can be a solid quarterback. But it wasn't until I wrote the previous sentence that it occurred me how hypocritical my thinking is. Skelton doesn't even have the resume that Kevin Kolb does, but a lot of us have talked about how good he will be. Did I miss something? If we can see Skelton in 4 games and predict his future, how can we be so unsure of Kolb after 7 games? What I'm trying to say is, this is a total crapshoot. Kolb will be one of three things: a superstar, a solid QB, or a turd. After stepping off the ledge and drinking some red Kool-Aid, I honestly believe he can be a solid QB, especially in the NFC West. And if he doesn't pan out? Then John Skelton gets a chance to be the perennial Pro Bowler we all know he can be.
Now, as for the farm Arizona had to mortgage to get Kolb to the desert, I'm looking at it a couple different ways. As Mike Sando so perfectly noted in his blog earlier today, the price of the deal is "highly overrated. If the Cardinals are right on Kolb, the price won't matter. If they're wrong, the damage done will far outweigh a 185-pound cornerback and the draft pick Arizona included with the deal." I tend to agree with this assessment. The team needed a signal caller, and they went and got one. To be honest, DRC didn't look very good last year, but neither did the defense in general. All told, I guess I can live with this trade, especially if the team wins the West.
My bigger concern in this matter is the rest of free agency. While the Cards have made a couple solid pickups already, there are a couple holes to fill and a couple linemen to re-sign. I like the Daryn Colledge and Jeff King signings, but if the team doesn't bring back Deuce Lutui and Lyle Sendlein, they haven't gained a single thing. Also, regarding the hole left by DRC's departure, I'd be happy with Antonio Cromartie or Nate Clements. Unfortunately, I don't think the team is looking that route. While Patrick Peterson has stud written all over him, he has a steep learning curve ahead of him. And Greg Toler makes me nervous as a starting corner. A good FA pickup fills the roster here well.
As for WR, there is a less pressing need there. Since Steve Breaston isn't coming back, we are looking at Andre Roberts as a number 2 WR, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's still a bit early for him. I'd like to see Malcolm Floyd or James Jones come in, but I'm guessing the front office will find a serviceable veteran to bring in at a reasonable price. Given a probable commitment to the ground game this year, I don't really see the need to overpay for a number 2 WR, when there are some good options on the roster already.
As for my opinion of it all, I think the Kolb trade will work, especially if the Cards pick up another CB in free agency. We have no choice at this point but to think it will.
Thoughts?
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
July 28, 2011
May 23, 2011
No, I Didn't Lose A Bet (or "How I Became An Arizona Cardinals Fan")
People who know me know I am a huge fan of the Arizona Cardinals, possibly even moreso than I am a fan of the Kentucky Wildcats. It’s debatable, at best. Given that I live in southeast Kentucky, which is a 1,884 mile hop-skip-and-jump from Glendale, Arizona, a lot of these same people have asked me why I chose to root for the Cardinals.
It started in the summer of 2006. I had been following the NFL for about 14 years, and had never declared allegiance to a team. The “local” team is the Bengals, since Cincinnati is about 2 hours north of us; Nashville and Indianapolis are both within 3 hours. There was a brief period from 1999-2003 where I followed the Cleveland Browns, since the quarterback was Tim Couch, of UK fame. It wasn't so much being a huge fan of the team as it was being a huge fan of Couch. The downside to this, besides being a Browns fan, was watching the team shit all over everything Tim Couch did. He had no offensive line, only one good receiver, and a mediocre (at best) running back. Despite all this, he still managed to get them to the playoffs in 2002, breaking his leg in the process and being replaced by Kelly Holcomb.
So, Cleveland was out, and I needed a new team. I had one stipulation for myself: no good teams. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be considered a bandwagon fan, especially given the overwhelming presence of Red Sox caps after the 2004 World Series. I called a friend to help me, and we made a list of all 32 teams, immediately crossing off all the good ones. Just for good measure, I also eliminated the Bengals and Titans. After this, the Eagles and Dolphins went, since I had other friends who followed them. We eventually narrowed the list to four teams (two from each conference): the Saints, Chiefs, Jaguars, and Cardinals.
The Saints were scratched off the board first, if for no other reason than the hideous logo and color scheme. Granted, I did feel a bit guilty about that, since this was just months after Hurricane Katrina. Next to go were the Jaguars, because they don’t have any fans at all, and I didn’t want to be the first. That left the Chiefs and Cardinals. A buddy of mine from Oklahoma was a big Chiefs fan, and I’ll admit there are few scenes as pretty as Arrowhead Stadium on a sunny afternoon, when the entire crowd is wearing that brilliant red. But that still didn’t do it for me. Wanna know what did? Matt Leinart.
Yeah, that guy. And I’m wincing as I write this. But Matt Leinart is the main reason I’m a Cardinals fan. Here was my logic: the guy was All-everything in college, had the skills and the pedigree, and a long-sucky franchise drafted him to be their man for the next several years. I was thinking I could get in on the ground floor, watch him make Arizona a winning team, and not have to worry about being a bandwagon-jumper. Now, I wasn’t a big fan of Leinart in college, but I really enjoyed watching him play, and I honestly thought he could win at the next level. But more than anything? We are both left-handed. Yes, my allegiance comes from the fact that I write with the same hand as a guy whose NFL career is best known for pictures involving a hot tub, a beer funnel, and several gorgeous women.
While Leinart was the tipping point for my decision, the new stadium had a lot to do with it as well. I was familiar with how miserable Sun Devil Stadium was for the team, and thought indoor facilities would make a difference. Thankfully, I was right. As a throwaway point, my favorite NBA team of all-time is the ‘92-93 Suns, so I figured what the hell, let’s go with Phoenix again. It also helps that I have hated the Cowboys since the early ‘90s.
Looking back, I don’t regret my decision a bit. That first season was a bit rough, as it included an 8-game losing streak, as well as Dennis Green’s infamous meltdown after the team blew a 20-point lead to the Bears on Monday Night Football. Next year was the first for Ken Whishenhunt, and it was readily apparent that the mindset in the desert was changing. As for Matt Leinart, I hate how things turned out, and I even resented Kurt Warner for a short period of time. Thankfully, I only gave about $40 for my Leinart jersey on eBay in 2007.
There are also some other things to be proud of, first and foremost Pat Tillman. While the circumstances around his death are cloudy at best, it takes guts and principles to do what he did, and I almost feel guilty that I wasn’t a fan of the team when he made his decision. Hell, I feel guilty just using his patriotism as a reason to be proud. On a much less meaningful note, the Cardinals are also technically the oldest team in football. And aside from Leinart's shenanigans, no negative behavior is associated with the team. On the contrary, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the finest citizens the league has. Kurt Warner's philanthropy also speaks for itself. Even Darnell Dockett gets in on the action. I'm sure every team has a few upstanding guys, it's just nice to not have any dumbasses on mine getting arrested.
It sucks that I’m 1,900 miles away from my team, but I’ve been able to see them play every couple years. They won in Cincinnati in ’07, when Antrell Rolle had 2 interception returns for a touchdown, and would’ve had a 3rd had it not been for a penalty on the return. In ’09, they lost in Tennessee, when Vince Young led the Titans on a 99-yard drive in the final two minutes, hitting Kenny Britt in the endzone for the winning touchdown. The team plays in Cincinnati again this season, but the game is on Christmas Eve, so unless I convince my family that football is more meaningful than holiday traditions (it is on certain levels, but that’s a different post), then I will be watching that one on TV.
I guess I got lucky. I picked a crappy team to root for, and they made the Super Bowl 3 seasons later. The Cardinals are just good enough to enjoy rooting for, and just bad enough to make each season a roller-coaster ride, and isn’t that suspense one of the best parts of being a fan?
It started in the summer of 2006. I had been following the NFL for about 14 years, and had never declared allegiance to a team. The “local” team is the Bengals, since Cincinnati is about 2 hours north of us; Nashville and Indianapolis are both within 3 hours. There was a brief period from 1999-2003 where I followed the Cleveland Browns, since the quarterback was Tim Couch, of UK fame. It wasn't so much being a huge fan of the team as it was being a huge fan of Couch. The downside to this, besides being a Browns fan, was watching the team shit all over everything Tim Couch did. He had no offensive line, only one good receiver, and a mediocre (at best) running back. Despite all this, he still managed to get them to the playoffs in 2002, breaking his leg in the process and being replaced by Kelly Holcomb.
So, Cleveland was out, and I needed a new team. I had one stipulation for myself: no good teams. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be considered a bandwagon fan, especially given the overwhelming presence of Red Sox caps after the 2004 World Series. I called a friend to help me, and we made a list of all 32 teams, immediately crossing off all the good ones. Just for good measure, I also eliminated the Bengals and Titans. After this, the Eagles and Dolphins went, since I had other friends who followed them. We eventually narrowed the list to four teams (two from each conference): the Saints, Chiefs, Jaguars, and Cardinals.
The Saints were scratched off the board first, if for no other reason than the hideous logo and color scheme. Granted, I did feel a bit guilty about that, since this was just months after Hurricane Katrina. Next to go were the Jaguars, because they don’t have any fans at all, and I didn’t want to be the first. That left the Chiefs and Cardinals. A buddy of mine from Oklahoma was a big Chiefs fan, and I’ll admit there are few scenes as pretty as Arrowhead Stadium on a sunny afternoon, when the entire crowd is wearing that brilliant red. But that still didn’t do it for me. Wanna know what did? Matt Leinart.
Yeah, that guy. And I’m wincing as I write this. But Matt Leinart is the main reason I’m a Cardinals fan. Here was my logic: the guy was All-everything in college, had the skills and the pedigree, and a long-sucky franchise drafted him to be their man for the next several years. I was thinking I could get in on the ground floor, watch him make Arizona a winning team, and not have to worry about being a bandwagon-jumper. Now, I wasn’t a big fan of Leinart in college, but I really enjoyed watching him play, and I honestly thought he could win at the next level. But more than anything? We are both left-handed. Yes, my allegiance comes from the fact that I write with the same hand as a guy whose NFL career is best known for pictures involving a hot tub, a beer funnel, and several gorgeous women.
While Leinart was the tipping point for my decision, the new stadium had a lot to do with it as well. I was familiar with how miserable Sun Devil Stadium was for the team, and thought indoor facilities would make a difference. Thankfully, I was right. As a throwaway point, my favorite NBA team of all-time is the ‘92-93 Suns, so I figured what the hell, let’s go with Phoenix again. It also helps that I have hated the Cowboys since the early ‘90s.
Looking back, I don’t regret my decision a bit. That first season was a bit rough, as it included an 8-game losing streak, as well as Dennis Green’s infamous meltdown after the team blew a 20-point lead to the Bears on Monday Night Football. Next year was the first for Ken Whishenhunt, and it was readily apparent that the mindset in the desert was changing. As for Matt Leinart, I hate how things turned out, and I even resented Kurt Warner for a short period of time. Thankfully, I only gave about $40 for my Leinart jersey on eBay in 2007.
There are also some other things to be proud of, first and foremost Pat Tillman. While the circumstances around his death are cloudy at best, it takes guts and principles to do what he did, and I almost feel guilty that I wasn’t a fan of the team when he made his decision. Hell, I feel guilty just using his patriotism as a reason to be proud. On a much less meaningful note, the Cardinals are also technically the oldest team in football. And aside from Leinart's shenanigans, no negative behavior is associated with the team. On the contrary, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the finest citizens the league has. Kurt Warner's philanthropy also speaks for itself. Even Darnell Dockett gets in on the action. I'm sure every team has a few upstanding guys, it's just nice to not have any dumbasses on mine getting arrested.
It sucks that I’m 1,900 miles away from my team, but I’ve been able to see them play every couple years. They won in Cincinnati in ’07, when Antrell Rolle had 2 interception returns for a touchdown, and would’ve had a 3rd had it not been for a penalty on the return. In ’09, they lost in Tennessee, when Vince Young led the Titans on a 99-yard drive in the final two minutes, hitting Kenny Britt in the endzone for the winning touchdown. The team plays in Cincinnati again this season, but the game is on Christmas Eve, so unless I convince my family that football is more meaningful than holiday traditions (it is on certain levels, but that’s a different post), then I will be watching that one on TV.
I guess I got lucky. I picked a crappy team to root for, and they made the Super Bowl 3 seasons later. The Cardinals are just good enough to enjoy rooting for, and just bad enough to make each season a roller-coaster ride, and isn’t that suspense one of the best parts of being a fan?
November 08, 2010
Fantasy Football Sucks
First off, let me say that the reason I haven't posted to this thing in over seven months is because a) time has been as scarce as expendable income and b) my fiancée is needier than the kids are, so even when they were being cool, she would find something to whine about that involved me not sitting in front of the computer and thinking of mildly clever things to say. Also, whoever viewed this blog from Alaska, thank you. Tell Sarah Palin the Russians are getting tired of her staring at them all the time. And not in a "Lisa-Ann-hot-MILF-next-door-porn" type of staring, but rather a "would’ve-been-VP-if-she-had-kept-her-mouth-shut" kind of way.
I hate fantasy football. I'm sure I'm not the first frustrated owner to say that, especially in a season that has been as unpredictable as this one, but I really hate it. Even on the rare week that I win, I still hate it, because it ends up being more of a "shew, thank God I survived" feeling, as opposed to the "I just kicked his ass, bring me a leg of meat and a flagon of mead!" feeling that it should be. Because, at its essence, that is what fantasy football is: a nerdier way to show your friends that you are better than them at something. And when our friends remind us repeatedly that we are not, in fact, better than them, it tends to piss us off; we have to face the fact that we are failures, our kids are stupid, our jobs suck, and our wives have been screwing the milkman for the last several months, ever since the “incident”. (We told her a hundred times already, we didn’t realize we were that drunk.)
Ok, so maybe it isn’t quite that serious. But guys are, by nature, a competitive bunch, and when we lose on a regular basis, it tends to make us not want to be involved in whatever we are losing at anymore. (This explains the high divorce rate. Has a man ever actually won an argument?) Which brings me to my point: I hate fantasy football. I have been playing for six years, and have joined at least two leagues each year, if not three. Actually, that’s a lie. The first year I played, I was only in one league, a generic ESPN online affair. Guess how many times I’ve won it all? The first year I played, in a generic ESPN online affair. And I was pissing that season away until Daunte Culpepper got hurt. (Thank you, Kerry Collins!) So basically, my fantasy experience is a lot like sex before marriage. I got the good stuff right off the bat, but I haven’t tasted it since I’ve been committed. But, like sex after marriage, I press on diligently in the hopes that I will get to savor the sweet fruit once more.
I will admit, though, that my favorite part of fantasy is the draft; then again, I’m the same guy who makes a chart and takes notes during the offseason portion of Madden. (Gotta make sure I get the best ILB available in the draft, but I can’t reach! Don’t have much cap room.) In both my fantasy drafts this year, I had my laptop out, making a spreadsheet of each owner’s picks. For the first draft, I was in a hotel room two hours from home, with a Blackberry earpiece, laptop, six-pack of Shiner, and three different sets of rankings. My buddy had me on speakerphone on the other end, so I could hear each pick. Oh yeah, I was drafting for both myself and my fiancée. And you know what? I loved it. It was a bit of a rush, actually. For the second draft, the league where I am the commissioner, I made a poster board of draft order, with minimum and maximum roster requirements. I brought each owner a manila folder with two sets of rankings and a pen. I’m a huge nerd like that. I love organization, and the little thrill of being able to get a draft/league going. After that, things aren’t as much fun.
In my Fox league (the one with the fiancée), there are only eight teams, so everyone makes the playoffs. To be honest, I’m barely keeping up with it, aside from making sure my lineup is okay each week. Bless her heart, she obsesses over it like a stock market analyst. I’m so proud. But my ESPN league is wearing me out. I drafted Matt Forte and Darren McFadden, even though I didn’t want either of them. Of course, I sat Forte the first week, since he barely scored more points last season than I did. Guess who scored 44 points on my bench? Guess who lost by twelve? (By the way, our scoring system is badly skewed.) So, the next week, I played Forte, but sat Jahvid Best. Guess who scored 54 on the bench, in a game I lost by eleven? Long story short, every substitution I have made this year has been the wrong one, and it’s starting to get to me. Thankfully, my piss-poor substitution tendencies haven’t mattered the last couple weeks, since my entire team has decided to suck en masse.
The good news in all this is, even with a 2-6 record, I’m only one game out of a playoff spot (Fantasy football: Now with the added realism of feeling like an NFC West team!) and I own the tiebreaker against the dude ahead of me. Even better, I still have three division games left. Unless Aaron Rodgers completely disintegrates during the bye week (which is a possibility, have you seen Green Bay’s offensive line? Neither have they. People are starting to wonder if they weren’t in an accident or something), I feel pretty good about my chances. After all, my losses have been close, and all but one of them were due to me benching the wrong guy. Even better, one of the games is against a jackwagon who drafted four Dallas players as starters, including Romo. (Speaking of Dallas, was anyone else sad to see Romo get hurt? Not that I care if he is healthy or not, but it was much more fun watching the Cowboys implode with him making bad decisions, as opposed to watching them implode by not even remotely pretending to care anymore.) Looking at my schedule, I’ve got 2 guys I’ve already beat, and another with a losing record. Even if I don’t sneak into the playoffs, I’m really starting to think I’ve got a good chance.
Hmmm. Stubborn optimism in the face of repeated failure. I guess that is what fantasy football is all about.
I hate fantasy football. I'm sure I'm not the first frustrated owner to say that, especially in a season that has been as unpredictable as this one, but I really hate it. Even on the rare week that I win, I still hate it, because it ends up being more of a "shew, thank God I survived" feeling, as opposed to the "I just kicked his ass, bring me a leg of meat and a flagon of mead!" feeling that it should be. Because, at its essence, that is what fantasy football is: a nerdier way to show your friends that you are better than them at something. And when our friends remind us repeatedly that we are not, in fact, better than them, it tends to piss us off; we have to face the fact that we are failures, our kids are stupid, our jobs suck, and our wives have been screwing the milkman for the last several months, ever since the “incident”. (We told her a hundred times already, we didn’t realize we were that drunk.)
Ok, so maybe it isn’t quite that serious. But guys are, by nature, a competitive bunch, and when we lose on a regular basis, it tends to make us not want to be involved in whatever we are losing at anymore. (This explains the high divorce rate. Has a man ever actually won an argument?) Which brings me to my point: I hate fantasy football. I have been playing for six years, and have joined at least two leagues each year, if not three. Actually, that’s a lie. The first year I played, I was only in one league, a generic ESPN online affair. Guess how many times I’ve won it all? The first year I played, in a generic ESPN online affair. And I was pissing that season away until Daunte Culpepper got hurt. (Thank you, Kerry Collins!) So basically, my fantasy experience is a lot like sex before marriage. I got the good stuff right off the bat, but I haven’t tasted it since I’ve been committed. But, like sex after marriage, I press on diligently in the hopes that I will get to savor the sweet fruit once more.
I will admit, though, that my favorite part of fantasy is the draft; then again, I’m the same guy who makes a chart and takes notes during the offseason portion of Madden. (Gotta make sure I get the best ILB available in the draft, but I can’t reach! Don’t have much cap room.) In both my fantasy drafts this year, I had my laptop out, making a spreadsheet of each owner’s picks. For the first draft, I was in a hotel room two hours from home, with a Blackberry earpiece, laptop, six-pack of Shiner, and three different sets of rankings. My buddy had me on speakerphone on the other end, so I could hear each pick. Oh yeah, I was drafting for both myself and my fiancée. And you know what? I loved it. It was a bit of a rush, actually. For the second draft, the league where I am the commissioner, I made a poster board of draft order, with minimum and maximum roster requirements. I brought each owner a manila folder with two sets of rankings and a pen. I’m a huge nerd like that. I love organization, and the little thrill of being able to get a draft/league going. After that, things aren’t as much fun.
In my Fox league (the one with the fiancée), there are only eight teams, so everyone makes the playoffs. To be honest, I’m barely keeping up with it, aside from making sure my lineup is okay each week. Bless her heart, she obsesses over it like a stock market analyst. I’m so proud. But my ESPN league is wearing me out. I drafted Matt Forte and Darren McFadden, even though I didn’t want either of them. Of course, I sat Forte the first week, since he barely scored more points last season than I did. Guess who scored 44 points on my bench? Guess who lost by twelve? (By the way, our scoring system is badly skewed.) So, the next week, I played Forte, but sat Jahvid Best. Guess who scored 54 on the bench, in a game I lost by eleven? Long story short, every substitution I have made this year has been the wrong one, and it’s starting to get to me. Thankfully, my piss-poor substitution tendencies haven’t mattered the last couple weeks, since my entire team has decided to suck en masse.
The good news in all this is, even with a 2-6 record, I’m only one game out of a playoff spot (Fantasy football: Now with the added realism of feeling like an NFC West team!) and I own the tiebreaker against the dude ahead of me. Even better, I still have three division games left. Unless Aaron Rodgers completely disintegrates during the bye week (which is a possibility, have you seen Green Bay’s offensive line? Neither have they. People are starting to wonder if they weren’t in an accident or something), I feel pretty good about my chances. After all, my losses have been close, and all but one of them were due to me benching the wrong guy. Even better, one of the games is against a jackwagon who drafted four Dallas players as starters, including Romo. (Speaking of Dallas, was anyone else sad to see Romo get hurt? Not that I care if he is healthy or not, but it was much more fun watching the Cowboys implode with him making bad decisions, as opposed to watching them implode by not even remotely pretending to care anymore.) Looking at my schedule, I’ve got 2 guys I’ve already beat, and another with a losing record. Even if I don’t sneak into the playoffs, I’m really starting to think I’ve got a good chance.
Hmmm. Stubborn optimism in the face of repeated failure. I guess that is what fantasy football is all about.
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