Props

A lot of fans are making preparations for the Super Bowl while others are making alternative plans for each weekend until next year (although it's all premature in September). There is one legion of fans that are rejoicing as if the Treasury Department is giving them the $700 billion bailout. Detroit can finally have a moment of joy in regards to the Lions.

Yes, Matt Millen was finally relieved of his duties as Lions president and General Manager after six-plus years of failed draft picks, sullied free agent signings and 84 losses. While those who reside in the Lions' den are reveling in this, the folks who are even happier are the writers, talkies and sportscasters who have lambasted the higher-ups - mostly owner William Clay Ford, Sr. - for retaining Millen for so long. This gives credence to the blame they dished onto Millen for the team's poor play and losing culture. Some have even (maybe jokingly) said that Bill Ford, the owner's son, should have a statue erected in his honor for spurring the firing with his comments on Monday.

Yet, it's far too easy and a bit unfair to give props to the younger Ford or the rest of Lions management for making this long-desired move. Far too easy because... well, this is the internet, where instant gratification is a nanosecond away. Enough scribes and/or bloggers have done that within the last few hours. A bit unfair because no matter how much one disapproves of the performance by a sports executive, this is still sports. To proverbially throw a parade for his firing or anyone else's (ask Knicks fans) is an instance of one's unfocused energy.

This is not to say that Millen did not deserve to be canned or even to say that he should have seen it through at least the rest of the season. However, if you're going to celebrate someone's dismissal, celebrate that of someone who did something against you personally. Such as a egotistical, yet incompetent supervisor, a terribly lazy landlord or a horrendous teacher who was working solely to gain tenure.

Besides, Detroit has other fish to fry.

Now, I'll get off the soapbox and come back to what this is all about; giving credit to some NFLers for Week 3.

Kickoff: Thomas Jones, New York Jets - Look, I cover the Giants, talk to these guys and I walk out of the locker room reminded of my lack of... well, lack of athletic talent, physique and cash flow. Yet, when ESPN showed a vignette on the nine-year running back, I could not help but to cry. This photo from the team's website should tell you why. Look at those guns!

He says he just works harder than anyone else (which may very well be true), but he shouldn't have to work another day in his life. Just put folks in a headlock, Thomas, and you'll get whatever you want in life, okay?

1st Quarter: The Miami Dolphins - Let's get some more fish, shall we? 'Wildcat' is the buzzword this week in the NFL afte the Fins used it against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Yet, using this play set, which is essentially a single-wing formation still doesn't work without some standout work up front. Three of the offensive linemen - Justin Smiley, Samson Satale and Vernon Carey - were a part of the same group that went 1-15 last season and couldn't protect their quarterbacks in any game. The two rookies, left tackle Jake Long (last April's top overall draft pick) and right guard Donald Thomas helped the line push forward en route to Ronnie Brown's brillant performance. Brown may have had success with last year's holdovers before his season-ending injury, but a healthy and focused Ricky Williams and a capable quarterback in Chad Pennington were the reasons why 'Wildcat' was a play worth running with some of these spare parts.

Credit due to the defensive line as well. No defensive player, whether it be Ed Reed, Champ Bailey, Patrick Willis or even Dick Butkus, can make the plays on a quarterback without some organized chaos up front. Joey Porter may have backed up his talk, but Kendall Langford, Jason Ferguson and Vonnie Holliday gave the Patriots' offensive line absolute fits as the massive men needed to be doubled up, allowing Porter and the other three linebackers on the field to keep New England off balance. Yes, Matt Cassel is under center for the Pats, yet if the defensive line keeps its offensive counterpart on its heels all day, there's little way that he succeed.

2nd Quarter: Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee Titans - The NFL has essentially handcuffed cornerbacks over the past few years, but having four interceptions in the first three games of the season is impressive. The 2006 seventh-rounder from Samson was an up-and-coming player last season, collecting 165 tackles and twenty passes defensed in his first two seasons. Being that he only had one pick in those two years, each interception is a career high.
Interceptions are a stat that shows how aggressive a corner is, but the ones that accumulate decent totals throught a season tend to also deflect a good share of passes in his direction. Six deflections and four INTs in three games is a pretty good sign of what Finnegan can do, especially considering that he defended Chad Ocho Cinco (yes, I'll call him that here) and Andre' Johnson to start the season.

Halftime: Tirico Suave - Something today made me think of 1993's great sports epic - ;) - The Program. Beyond the excellence of fictional linebacker Alvin Mack, running into this made me laugh and cry at the same time. It's old (pre-draft) and snarky sports isn't exactly my cup of tea these days, but for Tirico Suave, respect is most certainly due for this piece of 'net brilliance.

3rd Quarter: Anyone who just joined the San Francisco 49ers this year - There were 2-1 to start last season as well, but that was because the defense at the time was a well-oiled machine and the offense was at least efficient. Then, of course, the Niners just fell apart at the seams when they had the ball, leaving a talented, but young defense on the field too long. Right now, with Mike Martz calling the shots on offense, he had J.T. O'Sullivan, Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce looking like Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens... at least for a week. Defensive end Justin Smith helped a revamped defensive line frustrate an already frustrated Detroit team, giving the linebackers and secondary the time and space to shut down Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey and Roy Williams.

4th Quarter: Tampa Bay's offensive line - Yes, a lot of love for the linemen today, but when your quarterback (Brian Griese) throws the ball SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES and does not get sacked AT ALL, you've done something remarkable as a unit. Granted, the Bucs bailed on their run game against the Chicago Bears. Also, head coach Jon Gruden isn't a fan of Jeff Garcia and may have been somewhat validated by Griese's performance (38-for-67, 407 yards, two TDs, three INTs). However, Griese doesn't have that kind of play without Donald Penn, Arron Sears, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Zuttah and Jeremy 'my last name is equally as cool as Clinkscales' Trueblood.

As a heads up, you may or may not see much on Scribe for the next couple of days. The alma mater calls. In the meantime, peep the poll, don't get too hammered and check the WNBA conference finals (I'm dead serious about that).

Empathy?

Not in any way, shape or form does this reflect my opinion or actions. If any offense is taken, I hope it is not towards me as I hope to invoke a conversation without creating a controversy.

That said, I have a question:

Which one of you New England Patriots fans are responsible for this Wiki as of December 8th, 2007 at 12:07PM?

"Eugene "Mercury" Morris (is) a homosexual male (born January 5, 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former American football player who played running back in the American Football League in the 1960s and the NFL in the 1970s, and played in three Super Bowls."

"On December 5, 2007, Morris went on ESPN's Sportscenter and rapped about the 1972 Dolphins being the only team that will ever go undefeated in an NFL season. Morris was on ESPN with Josh Elliott in response to the New England Patriots undefeated record of 12-0, which, at the time, was 5 games short of matching the '72 Dolphins. Which he will be proven wrong about when the Pats are 19-0 with their fourth Superbowl"

Morris has managed to make people who despise New England sports teams and their fans to root hard for the Patriots to run the table. It's impressive, really. Now again, I don't condone or particularly care for the homosexual comment, but it speaks to how quickly a villian can become adored - if only for a moment. Sometimes, you root for a rival team so that your favorite can have a greater standing or chance in the playoffs. Yet, after these wonderful soundbites -sadly, his rhyming style is better than most rappers out now - well, comment yourself.



This weekend's theme is hoping that these villains who seem to represent wealth and cockiness (these Patriots and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.) are vanquished by a couple of heroes that are represent what is supposed to be a humble working class (the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ricky Hatton). Yet, you don't see Pernell Whitaker rounding the sports media circuits, do you?

Apex

Can the Patriots go undefeated? Can the Patriots go undefeated? Can the Patriots go undefeated?

That’s the question of the day every week regarding the NFL. Though there are plenty more questions worth asking, it’s the single question that starts a football conversation these days. So to start this post, let’s just get it out of the way.

While it’s going to be extremely difficult for the New England Patriots to run the table, doing so would hold much more significance than even fellow media types and fans could imagine… right now.

The potential unblemished season has yet to be put in perspective because 1) it’s not as guaranteed as it seems and 2) there are still the playoffs to think about. The 1972 Miami Dolphins are invoked every year a team gets past the middle of October without a loss, yet with the physical changes of the game as well as the changes in the playoff format throughout the last thirty-five years, the concept of going undefeated takes on new meaning.

After losing Super Bowl VI to the Dallas Cowboys, Don Shula sent a message to his team leading into the fall of 1972. He demanded that his team be perfect, to not only win every single game, but to leave no doubt that their loss was an aberration of how great they should be. When the Dolphins went undefeated during the 1972 regular season with a 14-0 record, they were three games ahead of the second-best team in AFC that season, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3). The Washington Redskins, the team that Miami would defeat in Super Bowl VII, also finished 11-3, having the NFC’s best mark. Within the AFC East, the Dolphins made the competition look amateurish, as the New York Jets were the division’s second-best at 7-7. Every other team in the league has already lost at least once by Week 3! Unlike the 2007 Patriots, the 1972 Dolphins didn’t have anyone chasing them into November. They also didn’t have free agency to fix any flaws. Shula demanded perfection through execution by essentially the same personnel. Bill Belichick demanded perfection through acquisition (Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker). Yet, like these Pats, the Dolphins wanted to wipe out the taste of a sour finale the year before.

Okay, there’s that Spygate thing, too.

When this was originally drafted, the Indianapolis Colts hadn't played yet. Adam Vinatieri hadn't missed two crucial field goals on a slippery Qualcomm Stadium field yet. Peyton Manning hadn't thrown five interceptions just yet. The Colts didn't lose two offensive linemen and Dwight Freeney yet. So with their loss to the San Diego Chargers tonight, the prospect of New England going undefeated may have lost a little shine, at least in this scribe's eyes. As hard as that is to believe, just imagine if the Colts ran the table until the Patriots come to play the New York Giants on December 29th? It would have left the champs with a 14-1 record going into their last game of the season; a showdown in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans the next day. The Patriots may have already won, but if Peyton Manning & Co. defeated the Titans, which would have kept only last week’s loss as the deciding factor between the first and second seed. In context, the Patriots would have needed to go undefeated in order to take home-field advantage outright. With the loss in San Diego, there is much more certainty that New England will play at home in the playoffs. A cold Foxboro in late January may be as intimidating as it gets in the league, but how cool would it have been for the Patriots to have to fight to have that edge?

If there is a team that may be able to threaten to slow down, it’s the Steelers. The Steelers have gotten little play nationally because of the dominance of the Pats and Colts, the not-so-surprising fall from grace of the Chargers and the surprise of the Lions, Browns and the defensive unit of the Giants. Yet, Pittsburgh has a top notch defense that can shut down the run and plays pretty well against the pass. With their offense able to score through the air as well as on the ground, this will be another tough test for New England. Yes, they have already faced a potent offense from Indianapolis, but this is a team that also knows what to expect from Belichick over the past few years.

At the end of it all, whether the Patriots finish the 2007 campaign undefeated or not, the only way that the record could even be discussed is if this team wins Super Bowl XLIII. Yet, they will belong in the conversation as one of the greatest teams to ever play the game if they do win the championship. Being that the Boston area is the center of the American sporting universe, do you think they’d really be upset if they lose just once during the season?

Say What?!?!: There is only one person happier about Ohio State’s loss to Illinois than anyone in the states of Michigan, Oregon, Louisiana, West Virginia and Oklahoma… Chris Fowler. Oh, he may not exactly wear the grin on his face this coming Saturday, but being one of the most consistently vocal critics of the Bowl Championship Series, Fowler might now want to embellish. He knows, as well as college football fans all over the country, that those computers – and the BCS brain trust – may find a way to keep the Buckeyes in the national title picture, regardless of their loss. There are going to be two one-loss teams in the plus-one game, whether Kansas or even Hawaii (a non- BCS school) likes it or not.
By the way, check the replay of the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley fight when you’re done watching DVR’ed episodes of ‘I Love New York’.

Bittersweet

So many people in the media business come from the same locale they cover. Even in a city like New York, you can tell who came from Atlanta and who came from around the way when people speak. It possibly explains the jadedness of some sports scribes and talkies that covered the teams they grew up loving from afar. Now for these folks, being on the inside doesn’t seem as wonderful and glamorous as it did when they were in college, trying to land the coolest gigs possible. Yet, there are plenty of us that can keep the personal affection separate from the professional obligation.

For me, Sunday, October 21, 2007 was a little different.

Though I have watched them in person at their home stadium as a fan, watching the San Francisco 49ers take on the New York Giants was about as strange of an internal conflict as you could get. In this business, you know that sort of game is coming, no matter how well or poorly the teams are playing. In so many ways, the team that you swore your allegiance to is the reason you got in the business in the first place. It’s in the back of your mind and you hope for the best scenario: your favorite teams wins, even though your professional team’s lockerroom will have a somber feel after the game.

The start of my love affair for sports came from the Niners, despite my New York City roots. Maybe it was the West Coast offense or their vastly-underrated defenses in the 1980s and 1990s or even the pretty red-and-gold uniforms, but I was hooked on the game of football because of this team. Maybe it was finally taking in a game at Candlestick Park back on New Year’s Day 2006 that still had me a little amped. No matter, I was and still remain a long-distance member of the Niner Faithful. However, my professional allegiances currently align with the Giants, one of many teams that I grew up absolutely hating with every fiber of my nine-year old being. As time has passed and both franchises have seen their fair share of ups, downs and classic moments, my rage against Big Blue has become respect as I have spent the two+ years covering the team. In my first year as a writer for the Beacon, I covered a handful of Giants and Jets games, getting familiar with the scene of a different sport being that I had also taken baseball and basketball assignments. When I became the designated Giants reporter last season, I not only got to familiarize myself with the players, but I have found a greater understanding of the game overall watching from high above in the press box.

This was a game that I figured would be a slaughter, considering how well the Giants’ defense has played over the last four weeks and how inconsistent the 49ers’ offense has been all season. It was going to be ugly, that much I knew, yet how ugly was the question. Seeing Trent Dilfer swallowed up by the Giants’ defensive line hurt my soul, but gave my recorder good quotes to feed itself from. Watching Osi Umenyiora return his fumble recovery for a touchdown in the penalty-laden third quarter comical, but not as comical as thinking that the Niners’ offensive line had a chance to contain him all game long. It’s possible that some day in about two years, I can tell folks that I witnessed the emergence of a great defense in the Bay Area as they went through their growing pains against a veteran-heavy, well-tested offense like New York’s. I wanted to give Coach Mike Nolan a hug, but something told me that Tom Coughlin wouldn’t have appreciated that.

So at game’s end, San Francisco is 1-1 when I have come to see them, winning at home against the Houston Texans in the “Bush Bowl” nearly two years ago and drop a road game in my backyard against a Giants team with a huge chip on its shoulder. I’m not a jinx, I’d like to think, but Frank Gore didn’t think of me as a lucky charm, either. These sorts of conflicts happen and one would hope that professionalism would win out. Yet, when I left Giants Stadium, I couldn’t help but to still have a little bit of that nine-year old in me that curses the Giants for using the 49ers as tackling dummies for three hours. Damn them.

Hey, at least San Francisco isn’t in as bad shape as Miami.

Say What?!?!: Speaking of the Dolphins, looking ahead to the 2008 NFL Draft, pigskin pundits are already tossing the coin between Miami and the St. Louis Rams as neither team has won a game so far this season. Quarterback does not seem to be the immediate need for both teams as the Rams locked up Marc Bulger at the start of the season and the Fins drafted BYU slinger John Beck back in April. Both have struggled defensively as Miami’s best players are entering the twilight of their careers and St. Louis can’t seem to match their speed with the power of most offenses they play. Which is why the number one overall pick next spring will be intriguing. While the top player rating will likely be Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, these two teams may already be tracking down Michigan OT Jake Long and LSU DT Glen Dorsey. Both teams need line help, notably offensive, as Bulger and RB Steven Jackson had been knocked out of games this season due to injury. With Beck as the future QB for Miami and Ronnie Brown, Long will be the most desired player. However, St. Louis can use a space-eating interior lineman like Dorsey that can let the Rams run free as they were constructed to do while Miami can take pressure off of Jason Taylor as the Dolphins decide to replace an aging defense.