They Reilly Hate Us Now

That’s hilarious…what else can you call it. Nearly all my close friends are Broncos fanatics and I am sure even they wouldn’t be ignorant enough to make the case that Ricky Jackson belongs in the HOF and Troy Aikman doesn’t. Believe me, if they could they would too, I endured 5 or 6 years of hearing about why Troy wasn’t as good as Elway (even though Elway didn’t have even one ring at that point), how Irvin pushes off on every play (yada, yada, yada), and how if Barry Sanders had Emmitt’s O-Line he would have rushed for twice as many yards as Emmitt (I guess that means like, 3000 in one season? Right…sure).

Luckily. I could always point to the Defense as the main reason for our success and then my Broncos buddies got really quiet all of a sudden. If someone hates the Cowboys they will always find some silly reason to take away from the players’ acheivements. Trust me, I have known a LOT of Broncos fans in my life, and every one of them seems to hate the Cowboys almost as much as fans of our NFC East division rivals. I think some of it comes from losing the SB to the Cowboys their first try, some of it is jealousy, and some of it stems from a strong anti-Texas bias amongst many Coloradans that I could never figure out, personally, but is very evident if you live there. It is unhealthy and funny since I doubt most Cowboys fans (other than people like me) could care less about the Broncos unless we’re playing them.

Whisenhunt and Petrino have turned down the Raiders coaching job today.

If you’re interested in becoming an NFL coach, you can email your CV with a cover letter to…

Back to the Al Michaels going to NBC thing…this has gotten even more bizarre. As compensation for letting Michaels go to NBC, Disney will receive the rights to a cartoon bunny named “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” who was Walt Disney’s forerunner to Mickey Mouse. Evidently, the character was also featured in a post-WWII comic book as well, and in films Mickey Rooney performed his voice. What’s next? Trading the rights to Busby Berkeley dance routines for Stewart Scott?

Those wacky wabbits.

The wabbit for Michaelapolous story is here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=1599890&page=1

Oswald made me laugh. There’s probably something in the will cryogenically frozen with Walt’s body that demands Oswald be regained, at all costs. Maybe they’ll try to thaw him out now.

Amazingly that the Iron Fist of Michael Eisner was never able to regain the rights to Oswald during his tenure. That’s quite a feather in Iger’s cap already, Roy should be pleased if nothing else.

I think Carl Laemmle was probably originally holding Oswald hostage from Walt with the hopes of eventually extorting a large sum out of him later for the rights. That’s the way old Hollywood used to work, as I am quite sure you know better most, given your career, Rafael. The funny part is that Walt created Mickey instead, and the rest is history. It is quite possible that Oswald might not have caught on like ole Steamboat Willie did, and maybe Walt would have had to go back to working for the big boys.

The cities of Burbank, Anaheim, Orlando, and the western section of Hollywood Blvd. would have never been the same!! I always liked the cryogenic freeze thing though…especially for such a creative genius.

I read an article about “Oswald” when I was in film school. Walt was always dismayed that Universal would not allow him to buy the rights back. There was always a rumor that universal was wanting to use Oswald to ride on Mickey’s coat tails, but they never did anything with him. I guess Disney just wanted to honor Walt’s wishes.

Maybe we’ll be seeing a OSwald feature in the near future.

On the sports side of this, I hope the Boys don’t have many night games in ‘06. I didn’t like the Michaels Madden pairing, and I like the ESPN MNF line up even less.

Oh, and Peter King said on Dan Patrick last week that he thinks the Cowboys could win the Super Bowl next year…if they sign TO. I guess he is campaigning for TO to Dallas in hopes that the Broncs don’t sign their soul away for him, thus making the team suck more than usual.

Poke

Sterling-You seriously need to upgrade your close friends, LOL.

Since the HOF topic is still relatively fresh on folks minds…Does Charles Haley or Deion Sanders deserve entry? Who would make the plug for them, from what city? I imagine they would want to be entered under any other team than Dallas just to increase their odds of getting in.

I skimmed the article and thought it was Peter King, not Rick Reilly. I guess I was so excited to use the pointless knowledge about that lucky bunny.

Poke

Sean:

These were all childhood friends, some of whom I kept in touch with over the years, some I only knew when we were all young. Actually, the ones who weren’t my friends were worse. I had to learn to protect myself at a young age against Broncos fanatics. I was brave enough to carry my little Dallas Cowboys lunchbox to school in 1st and 2nd grade, and man did I take a lot of grief at the bus stop in the mornings. However, I did learn that if things got too rough it made for a very good defensive shield and offensive weapon, especially in freezing cold weather. I also had to constantly remind those maniacs that Craig Morton was a Cowboys castoff.

I think Haley and Deion are locks for the HOF. Haley has 5 rings with two teams, and was a dominant pass rusher at OLB and DE, that has to get him in IMHO. Deion was the most electrifying DB/PR of his era, and won 2 consecutive rings with two different teams. His stats would have been even better if QB’s hadn’t been afraid of throwing to his side of the field so much. He has to get in.

If Deion Sanders goes to the HOF, what team would he go as ?

Either Falcons or Cowboys. None of the others make as much sense as those two. He was only in SF for part of one season, the Redskins was the downslope of his career, and the Ravens he was a nickelback. I’d guess Cowboys, but maybe Falcons.

Guys, I’ll give you something that I wrote defending Aikman’s induction:

In the NFL the players look up to be in the Postseason and maybe win a championship, that’s why I’ll post some numbers made by Aikman in postseason and the numbers of the Hall of Fame QB’s that played since 1980.

CMP ATT PYD PTD INT
320 502 3849 24 17 Troy Aikman (6 Pro Bowls)
463 732 5772 44 21 Joe Montana (8 Pro Bowls)
355 650 4964 27 21 John Elway (9 Pro Bowls)
322 545 3863 20 28 Jim Kelly (4 Pro Bowls)
385 687 4510 32 24 Dan Marino (9 Pro Bowls)
259 403 2834 17 14 Warren Moon (9 Pro Bowls)
292 471 3326 20 13 Steve Young (7 Pro Bowls)

Troy Aikman played in 16 games, Montana in 23, Elway in 18, Jim Kelly in 17, Marino in 18, Moon in 10 and Young in 20.

Aikman ranks second to last among them in yards per game bellow Moon (283.4), Elway (275.78), Montana (250.96) and Marino (250.56). The only joke there is Young with his 166.3 yards per game.

He also ranks second to last attempts per game, the last being Young, again, with his 23.55. The 31.38 of Aikman is almost enough for a tie with Montana (31.82) and Kelly (32.06).

In interceptions per attempt Aikman is ranked in the middle of the pack, where the lower percentage belongs to Young (2.76%), he’s followed by Montana (2.87), Elway (3.23), Aikman (3.39), Moon (3.47), Marino (3.49) and Kelly (5.14).

Reality is that in the regular season Aikman didn’t needed to throw all that much, in postseason facing the best of the Conference he had to show what he had and he won 3 Championships and lost a Conference Championship.

I’m not hearing that Moon didn’t deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, he made numbers, like yards per game in the postseason, but he didn’t won championships. Steve Young’s induction was indeed a joke, his numbers in postseason aren’t anything to brag about and he only won a championship by himself.

Chandus-Thanks for the break down. I wish there was some way to break down how effective he was when the game was still in question. During the Super Bowl years it seemed like we scored on almost every opening drive. If Aikman throws 10 for 15 for 160 yards in the 1st half and we go into the 2nd half with a 10 point lead and a sturdy defense his overall stats would be diminished. Any way to break it down by half to see if this theory holds water?

Sterling-If Haley is a lock, which I think he should be, how far has he gotten in the nominating process and who is advocating for him?

Sean:
Noup, at least with the information I hold, I just have season and postseason stats, not stats by game or by quarter.

I sure remember a lot of Cowboys games where Troy, Emmitt, and Irvin were all hanging around on the sidelines celebrating with caps on in the late 3rd quarter until the end of the game. They weren’t piling up the stats when guys like Bernie Kosar and Sherman Williams were in. I loved those days, I could relax and drink beer knowing the game was won.

Sean:

I don’t know why he isn’t in yet, maybe someone else knows. The only thing I can think of is that he might have tried to come back and play a season or two later on and that might have set his eligibility back. I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t get in, that would be as bad as some of those players from the 70’s Cowboys teams not getting in!!

Charles Haley last played a game in 1999. He retired after the 1996 season in Dallas, but was called by the 49ers in 1999 where he played the whole season as a backup. He got 3 sacks while he was there and reached the century mark.

He was elegible for this Hall of Fame voting, but didn’t got there, he’s more of a 9er (played 7 seasons in the coast compared to 5 in Dallas) so we shouldn’t worry so much, he’s going to get in.

My current thinking for LB changes is this:

Let Fujita go in FA. I didn’t like his tackling technique and I thought he played a little too soft for a 3-4 OLB. He has no pass rush and seemed slow from sideline to sideline. I saw a lot of pitch plays the last 6 games to his side where he couldn’t shed the block and make the tackle. He was brought in as a training camp backup to add depth and did his job, but isn’t worth keeping, IMHO.

Let Al Singleton go in FA. He is a good player, but who knows what he will be like post-injury. He is good, but it is time for him to move on. He is going to be 31 and it might be best to bring in some young blood.

Sign Akin Ayodele in FA. He is the same size as Singleton, but younger and more aggressive. He is a very good tackler and he can hit like a freight train…very intimidating, which is what I want our 3-4 LB’s to be. He has a good pass rush, but isn’t so great in coverage, much like Singleton. My idea is to play him both at ILB and OLB. He is a good run stuffer, so he could be used as an ILB with B-James, but he also has a good pass rush so he could be used as an OLB in certain sets, or as a blitzing ILB. My thinking is, he would provide depth, surprise blitz potential from the ILB spot, and good run stuffing ability. Plus he’s a Dallas guy, and would love to come home to play.

Draft Bobby Carpenter. He is the complete package for LB’s in this draft. From what I’ve seen of him and Greenway in the last 2 years, I would take him over Greenway. Greenway flows to the ball very well, is a very fluid athlete and quick sidline to sideline, and he is a leader on the field, ala Dat. What he lacks is what I like best about Carpenter: he doesn’t play physical or intimidating enough. Carpenter plays big, he bangs, he mauls, he plays with passion, yet he also has great burst in the pass rush, and excellent field awareness. He reminds me of a cross between Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi. I think his talents complement Ware’s, yet he can still bring a great pass rush like Ware. Having him on one side, Ware on the other, and Ayodele in between would scare every QB in this league. Which one is rushing on any given play? B-James can then concentrate on the RB and making the stop.

Add in Roy playing up where he belongs near the line next year…and a good FS to go with our CB’s…this defense will be intimidating the rest of the league all year long.

Hi Everybody!

Sterling, as to the strong anti-Texas bias the Colorado-onians exhibit so freely and contemptuously, try this out:

Explain to the the poor fools that much of their state was once part of the Republic of Texas. That should immediately initiate a sense of kinship with them.

Elaborate that a bunch of drunken outlaws, perhaps illiterate and certainly poorly bathed, were just stupid and daring enough to take on the professional Santa Anna Army (…mostly of conscripted teenagers and convicts, but nevermind that). This band of men (and some less than modelesque women) had nothing more than muskets and some cannons.

(You may have to explain that to them twice as many Colorado-ites are high on drugs and falsely believe Texas won its independence in a poker hand played by Teddy Roosevelt at some bar in Laredo they once visited while in college waiting for a guy to take them to a Donkey Show that didn’t exist).

You may then point out that Texas was gracious enough to grant these poor fools calling themselves “Colorado Citizens” most of lands in “New Mexico”, “Colorado” and portions of “Wyoming”, all names made up by the then fledgling American marketing industry. Texas chose to give the lands back to the United States after storing them in the Republic’s attic for 10 years.

(Oiler Troll sees no need to point out that the Republic was so deeply in debt that it gave the US these lands to pay the bills at the time, $10 million or so, which is 1845 must have meant a hell of a bar tab somewhere…probably Waco since nobody could dance there yet).

So, remind these folks that we do indeed take pity on our long lost bretheren, and, kind and loving people that we are (We are the Friendly State after all…) we are more than willing to share the celebration of Troy Aikman’s induction to the Hall of Fame, Super Bowl XII, and a team with neat jerseys…

….who never once sported crap brown and urine yellow as the team colors (look it up – the Broncos used to have jerseys worse than the Padres of the 70s).

Also, we are not greedy and have no desire to take John Elway away from them (Didn’t Dallas give them Craig Morton?)

Finally, posit this question to them: Rick Reilly vs. a kid in Santa Anna’s Army, one musket and one knife, who you bettin’ on?

Oiler Troll thought so.

(Oiler Troll is still a little ticked that in 1991 playoffs the Oilers had a lead against Denver, 1st and 10 on the Denver 34 with only 3:00 left in the game…yet could not pull it off. No, the 35-3 lead against Buffalo was the next year, but that is a whole other matter…)

If this plan fails, just say 28-10, suggest that Butch Johnson belongs in the HOF earnestly and keep smiling.

Anybody got a beef with the Steelers?

OT

Oiler Troll:

I would be happy to relay these truths you have so eloquently described upon those unappreciative people in Colorado. Fortunately for me, I escaped to a better life many many many years ago. Ironically, I did receive a call just this evening from one of my old Catholic school friends from there, but maturity and old age limited our football talk and allowed for more catching up on his family and our respective careers.

The anti-Texas bias there is very very real, and extremely ignorant. I think it is bourne more of jealousy and an inferiority complex than anything. Afterall…there is any number of things that are called ‘Texas Style’, ‘Lone Star’, etc. What is there that is named after anything in Colorado? A ‘Denver Omelette’, I guess. Not much to brag about. Coors beer is their biggest claim to fame. They also aren’t too fond of Californians, especially Southern Californians. They had demonstrations in front of the state capitol in the ‘90s because they were mad about the influx of Californians driving up the real estate market. If you’ve ever seen the show ‘South Park’…that’s what it is like in a lot of ways.

Who cares what anyone thinks…Dallas has the hottest women and the best NFL team of all time. What else matters? LOL!!

A bit off topic but this would comprise of a successfull ofseason for our offensive line. If Dallas could pull this off i really feel this would create a great line for the future. We should start by restructuring LA’s deal and keep him on our roster unless Peterman shows something So for the FA period I would start with upgrading RT and C. For me RT would be picking up Ashworth or Backus. If we got Backus he would play RT but could also play LT if Flozell got hurt since he is a true LT. Backus is also young so Pettiti could be our swing T and let Tucker leave this team for good. For our upgrade in C I would really persue Bentley for our C I would then move over Gurode permanently to G so that he would eventually replace Rivera. Or get rid of LA if he doesn’t want to restructure his contract and let Gurode and Peterman battle for the LG position. Our Line would then be set. But I must say that we will definitely be set after the draft. Because with our 2nd round pick we would get Max Gean Jiles as our RG for the future. He could also be in for the running with Gurode and Peterman. So our Offensive line could look like this next year and for the year after.
LT-Flozell
RG-Allen
C-Bentley
RG-Rivera
RT-Backus/Ashworth
Then for the year after like this
Lt-Backus
RG-Peterman
C-Bentley
RG-Giles
RT-Pettiti

Now for a successful defense i would say our offseason should look like this. For Free Agency we should start with upgrading FS. I say get Chaveous or Will Demps. Then if the Jets or the 49ers franchise Abraham or Peterson then we should trade as a package Ellis and Glover for either of these players. If this wasn’t possible then I would get OLB/ILB Akin Ayodele. I would also resign Fujita as he would be a good backup and let Singleton go. Then with our 1st pick in the draft I would go for Carpenter or Greenway. Now if it was possible and both of these players were somehow gone then I would try and trade down a bit and get Manny Lawson or trade out of the 1st and get a 1st for next year and a second this year and pickup Kamerion Wimbley. I would also pursue a NT with our 3rd round pick. Our 3-4 defense could look like this
DL—Spears-Ferguson-Canty
LB—Abraham-Burnett-James-Ware OR
LB—Peterson-Burnett-James-Ware OR
LB—Ayodele-Burnett-James-Ware OR
LB—Carpenter-Ayodele-James-Ware OR
LB—Greenway-Ayodele-James-Ware OR
LB—Peterson-Carpenter-James-Ware OR
you get my drift.
DB—Newman-Williams-Chaveous-Henry OR
DB—Newman-Williams-Demps-Henry
Also our backups for our defense is
DL—Ratliff-Pepper-Coleman-Draft Pick
LB—Fujita-Thornton-Fowler-Shanle
DB—Glenn-Reeves-Jones-Davis-Pile-Berriault

libeast, I like the way you think.

I would love to see Akin Ayodele in a Cowboys uniform next year. Then jags have lots of cap room so they could easily resign him if he wanted to stay. I hope the Cowboys realy go after him in FA. He is a tough physical LB exactly what I want in our LBs.

I have a question that I am sure someone here can answer.

Assuming that we can’t move Glover for a 2nd or a 3rd round pick. He’s just too good to release without compensation, so what to do?

Here’s my question, why can’t he be an ideal DE in a 3-4.

Last year, we didn’t have a choice. We had to play him at NT even though he’s really too small for it because we only had 1 true NT (Ferguson). Glover’s strength and pure talent allowed him to be adequate, but it’s not his position. This year, we could have more options. We could either play Peppers or draft a true NT to play behind Ferguson.

Wouldn’t Glover’s size, strength, and speed be an ideal fit for DE in a 3-4? I hope we can trade him for draft picks, but otherwise, he’s simply too good and too affordable to just let go.

Our DLine could look like this:
Starters: Glover, Ferguson, Spears
Backups: Ratliff, Peppers, Canty

Is this the way to go?

Madcowboy-I think Glover played DE towards the end of the season but I don’t remember whether it was in the 3-4 or 4-3. I just remember he wasn’t very effective.

madcowboy
I’m sure we could trade Glover for at least a third round pick. He’s going to his 6th straight Pro Bowl, which shows there is still alought of respect for him around the L.

I hope we can trade Glover, but what do we do if we can’t trade him. No way do you let him spend another year as a role player — he’s too good.

In a 4-3 defense, he is arguably the best DT in the game. Last year, we did what we did out of necessity. This year, we need to take the necessary steps to ensure he is in a position to dominate.

I like him as a 3-4 DE. Tell me why I’m wrong.

I just heard that Eddie Drummund is a free agent, he’s quite the return man. I would welcome him on our team in a heart beat.

Because he’s too short and performs better when playing the one-gap 4-3 DT that utilizes his speed and quickness, rather than the two-gap, read & react DE in the 3-4.

It all comes down to size.

Troll…long time, no hear. Although I still believe you to be Rafael’s alter ego, I love your style.

Having lived in Denver for 5 years (96-2001) and spent many a Christmas as a boy skiing in CB, Vail and Aspen, then later in Breck and others, I was always amazed at the anit-Texan bias. Once I got there, I finally realized what it was…

We own the damn place. Nearly every major ski resort was started and owned by a Texan…and still is, for the most part.

Considering they don’t have a single redeeming quality that they’ve contributed to American society (other than Coors, which is very debatable)…it’s just an inferiority complex.

But you got to love Boulder. 25 sq. miles, surrounded by reality…which is what South Park is based on.

The anti-Texas bias is unfair and unfounded unless you have lived in Texas…which I did for 4 long years. You then see the basis for the bias. I love Texans and have many friends that are Texans but it is a Texan’s attitude about himself and his state that rubs others the wrong way (an understatement). No offense Oiler Troll et al.

Is the draft starting soon? I’d take free agency. This time between Super Bowl and draft is gut-wrenching.

None taken

But Rick Reilly is still a putz.

I agree.

The problem with signing Adoleye and drafting Carpenter is, yes you have a great set of really young LB’s, but you are giving up on Burnett. He was a 2nd round pick, and hardly had a chance to really prove himself. Adoyele is going to get decent money, and we would still have to pay Carpenter #18 money, along with getting a top tackle, a kicker, and maybe a FS. I think the Jags will resign him. In that case, I would love to see Carpenter drafted, a veteran backup OLB brought in, and Burnett moved inside. Thorton can back up Ware.

Its the same case with drafting Carpenter and then Kai Parham. You are basically telling Burnett you are a backup and special teams player, despite being drafted in the mid second round. From what I’ve seen, Burnett is an ILB in the 3-4, and could be very good. He needs to work on technique more but with a healthy training camp and preseason he should be ready to start in 06.

I really think it is amazing how so much is expected out of a player in his first year. Guys like Burnette & Pettiti can have great NFL careers. They all cannot be Merrimans & Wares. These guys are coming from a much slower game & a much shorter season. I feel like Landry`s three year plan was right on. The 3rd year is where you really see what you have. Hey you can spend a ton of money in free agency ie: Rivera & still not get a solid player at the given position. I remember back in the 70`s very few rookies even played their first 2 years. Most QB`s sat on the bench for 2-3 years before they were even put in the game.I guess that was a different era . There was no free agency & you had time to develop a player. But still I do not see how you can make a decision in anyone`s rookie year unless he is that bad.

madcowboy,
I am with you when it comes to Glover. I think we should trade him but only for the right person or compensation. I don’t think a 3rd round pick is good compensation because i think he’s worth more than that. More like a low 2nd or maybe even a 3rd and 5th this year. I would also like if he stayed and played at least 1 more year because we do play alot of 4-2-5 nickel. Now unless we are going to start playing the 3-4 exclusively to include our nickel package then Glover still has value on this team. Now Ellis on the other hand is a different story. He doesn’t fit this team any more even though i think he’s a really good player. He deserves to go to somebody else that will play him more because of his shut up and play attitude. I really feel that we can definitely get a 3rd round pick and maybe more. We’ll see.

lou c
I am definitely not giving up on Burnett. Actually the first thing that came to mind when they drafted him was that he is our future ILB taking the place of Nguyen. But when i said to acquire Ayodele and draft Carpenter was so that you can give Carpenter and Burnett time to become good players. Not only does it buy time but it also gives you a great insurance policy for injuries or even if one of your players becomes a bust which hopefully doesn’t happen. But you never know in this league. Tell me you guys would not like to see our LB corps look like this, to include backups.
SOLB—Fujita-Carpenter
WILB—Ayodele-Burnett
MILB—James-Shanle-Fowler
WOLB—Ware-Thornton
Now some of you might be saying why is Fujita starting I think once training camp starts he is going to show alot of people that after one year in this system he can be a good player. Now another scenario could be that they move Fujita inside and keep Ayodele on the outside. Guys like Carpenter and Burnett would still see alot of playing time because we would be doing alot of rotating. All of the guys we could have as our LB can do every aspect of the game pretty damn good. They all are pretty big,fast, and good tacklers. Plus you never know a guy like Carpenter might be better than Fujita and beat him out in training camp and to me that is a great problem to have. I feel that Jacksonville can resign Ayodele but i just don’t see it happening. Now if we don’t get Ayodele we should try and get either Abraham or Peterson. Since we do still play alot of 4-3 or nickel 4-2-5 then Abraham would be a wise pickup as i have said before. Plus he is fast enough to play OLB since he already does that for the Jets. can you imagine the offensive coordinator for the other team trying to scheme against our OLB Abraham and Ware. who ya gonna double team. SCARY thought isn’t it.

lou c & JeeseNY:

I was not saying give up on Burnett, but if we let Singleton and Fujita walk then we have to have more depth at OLB, and also at ILB. There is also no guarantee that Burnett is going to be ready to start the season on time with his injury he suffered at the end of last season. I realize he was a 2nd round draft pick. but that doesn’t guarantee he will be ready to start next year, and honestly I was not real encouraged by what I saw from him last year. I think he was the weakest pick in the Cowboys 2005 draft, and I believe Parcells drafted him as much for his experience and understanding of playing in a 3-4 as he did for his talent. Just think, we could have taken Lofa Tatupu and moved him to 3-4 ILB. The bottom line is Dat is retiring, so that means we have a hole to fill at ILB. I think Ayodele can play ILB or OLB, so he provides depth at both positions.

lilbeast:

I like your lineup, except for Fujita. He may get better at understanding the 3-4 and come training camp prepared and all that stuff, but my reason for not wanting him on the team is FUNDAMENTALS. He just doesn’t tackle well. He has been in the league long enough to already know how to do that, and since he still hasn’t shown he can, I say let him walk. He also doesn’t intimidate or hit very hard. He plays way too soft for a LB that I want to see on this team.