Mid Week Rants

I'm back by popular demand.

Tebow & The Heisman
Not that I watch a lot of college football, since I get my fill of it and then some, in my line of work, but I learned this week that the Florida quarterback (Tim Tebow) has thrown for 30 touchdown passes and rushed for 20 more this fall. It’s the first time anyone has ever gone 20 & 20, let alone 30 & 20 at that level. His team is pretty good and they play quality opponents. So why is there talk of who deserves the Heisman? This guy is the hands-down winner and has been for a while. In fact, we consider him a real intriguing pro prospect. But that’s for another day.

Santana
I’m told the Yankees and Red Sox are both making a push for Johan Santana of the Twins. Hopefully, Mark Shapiro is watching closely. Whoever misses out on Santana will need to match that acquisition in the near future. That’s where CC comes in. Shapiro better pull the trigger on a deal if the Tribe can’t sign him. Otherwise, we will be all over his $#@! for not thinking long-term. We’ll stay on this one until a final decision is made.

Packers – Cowboys
The biggest game of the year in the NFC takes place tonight (November 29) and most of the country won’t see it thanks to the NFL and cable companies, who are busy pointing fingers at each other, as fans complain. By the way, it’s the NFL’s fault for putting these games on the NFL Network and expecting cable companies to fold and pick them up. The NFL is pompous beyond belief. If they don’t back off in terms of arrogance, they may eventually pay a price with the fans. That’s what happens when you’ve been the top dog so long. If it happened to the Roman Empire, it can happen to the mighty NFL.

Phil Savage Gets It
Here’s a quote on BQ from Phil Savage in today’s ABJ when discussing the future of Derek Anderson in Cleveland.

His comments on Brady Quinn - “I think Brady would plug in and do well. You have a pretty solid front line. You have a very motivated Kellen Winslow. You have Braylon Edwards making catches; you have Joe Jurevicius on the perimeter. You have a pretty solid running game. It’s a pretty enviable cockpit to be riding in right now.”

Let’s break it down, shall we.

“I think Brady would plug in and do well.”
Translation: We brought him in to be our starter, he’s developing nicely in practice and when he goes in, he isn’t coming out.

“You have a pretty solid front line.”
Translation: These guys are playing lights out, have surpassed all expectations and are making DA look real good.

“You have a very motivate Kellen Winslow.”
Translation: He’s a stud.

“You have Braylon Edwards making catches.”
Translation: He’s having a good year even with his league-leading NFL number of eight drops. (It’s more like 11 – but who is counting? Just me)

“You have Joe Jurevicius on the perimeter.”
Translation: How the hell did our previous offensive coordinator (Carthon) and wide receiver coach (Robiskie) look at these guys every day in practice and have Northcutt ahead of JJ? Thank goodness I made RC dump those two.

“You have a pretty solid running game.”
Translation: My pick up of Jamaal Lewis, coupled with the signing a quality left guard and the drafting a left tackle, will get me NFL Executive of the Year votes.

“It’s a pretty enviable cockpit to be riding in right now.”
Translation: A true NFL quarterback should be effective with this kind of talent around him and a good coordinator in charge.

Complete translation: If we had known our skilled guys would stay healthy all year long, and our O line was going to dominate, we would have put the kid out there a lot sooner.

In all seriousness, this is good news. It means Savage gets it when it comes to the most important position on the field – QB.