Kalapse

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 12:23 PM) I don't think that this actually violates the spirit of the anti-trust agreement, and thus should be left alone. I do believe this combined with the see no evil approach to their drug policy will get them attention in Congress, especially when the Mitchell investigations start to turn up some dirt in the form of complicity or even aiding by the ownership higher ups in the steroid scandals. I really think we will see MLBs anti-trust exemption come up for review in the next few years as their dirty laundry gets aired in front of the entire country. That I can absolutely agree with.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 12:11 PM) Actually it does mean that Congress should be invovled because there is no other means to address the problem. The anti-trust agreement means that MLB can do whatever it wants, and pretty much violate most of the usual laws that other groups have to follow, the NFL included. Eew this is starting to feel like politics. I don't really do politics anymore. And you're right about the exemption that does put them in the spotlight for Congress, not really sure why I even put that, regardless I really don't want them to step in on this one, I don't feel it's the place regardless of MLBs numerous f***ups and exempt status.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 12:06 PM) MLB involved the Senate when they asked for an anti-trust exemption a long time ago. That leaves the Congress as their only oversight to make sure MLB is on the up and up. When they keep screwing the fans over, they are going to raise the ire of the Senate, it's inevitable. So where were they when the NFL sold the rights to Sunday Ticket? Just because MLB has an exemption doesn't mean they should be targeted by Congress when something like this happens. And the Antitrust exemption has absolutely nothing to do with why John Kerry got involved in this case.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 11:00 AM) I dont understand....riddle me dumb and confused. Brian is the Original Soxtalk Threadkiller.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) Ya, John Kerry is involved. I'm holding out hope that either the senate blocks this or that just the added pressure has MLB back out and do a non exclusive deal (basically how they did in prior years) with the new MLB channel being part of more premium packages (as opposed to basic packages). Still I don't think this is an issue the senate should get involved in. I totally agree on that, this situation sucks and all but once you have the Senate stepping in on cases such as these, they overstep their bounds. Kerry really has no case here, if they want to have an exclusive rights deal then that's their right to do so. And if this is such a hot issue for Kerry and Congress, where were they when any of the other 1000s of exclusive rights deals were going through? Even in the exact same genre, why wouldn't they step in when DirecTV bought the exclusive right to NFL Sunday Ticket? As much as I hate this deal, I don't want Congress involved at all.

QUOTE(VicRattlehead @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 11:43 AM) Kalapse....I take you're talking about his gracious ballerena style of playing LF? That and his lack of strength, unimpressive agility, constant injuries, choppy running style and the deterioration of speed we've seen over the past few years. The guy is just not an athlete.

A few trips to the DL including one sustained injury that keeps him out for about a month which leaves the team with no real 4th OF, Ozzie goes back on his word and starts Mackowiak in CF around 40 times.

QUOTE(easyw @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 07:10 AM) By mid-August, I predict Scott Podsednik will be working the deep fryer at Arby's in Tinley Park. With the scratch his wife is bringing in and his rugged good looks I doubt Pods will ever have real job again. By 2009 you'll see him modeling sports wear in clothes magazines. QUOTE(VicRattlehead @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 11:29 AM) Yes he does. Thats the problem with him...he doesnt but much anymore and he isnt that good of hitter so when he doesnt have his legs working he doesnt get those infield singles from deep in the hole at short or down the 3B line. Scott Podsednik is the least athletic 'speed guy' I've ever seen.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 09:39 AM) To be fair Grossman was 20 for 28, and that one interception had a lot more to do with weather than it did with him. Grossman wasnt what Id call pretty by any means but I spread the blame to a lot more others on the team than just him. He picked up a great portion of his completions and yards in garbage time, he fumbled twice (lost one) and threw 2 picks (he had no business tossing up either of those passes, weather or not they were both terrible). He had a horrible game, he wasn't the only one to be pathetic out there but as the most important player on the field he can't just go 3 quarters being insignificant and then give away the game in the 4th. 3 turnovers is totally unacceptable. As for the 2 interceptions, the one to Moose was just terrible, I don't know what the hell he was doing there and the one he threw to Bob Sanders was especially said considering he had Berrian open but just put too much air under the ball, your QB needs to step up in those situations, not make stupid mistakes resulting in turnovers.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 03:19 AM) I believe he was too jonEmac to be apart of the league anymore I changed his sig from jonEmac to Joan Mac for like 5 seasons, it drove him CRAZY. It's the little thing in life. I really do hate that Cub loving drunkard.

QUOTE(knightni @ Feb 6, 2007 -> 12:35 AM) We could have the Braves open soon as we will be doing team switches for 2016. No more Joan Mac?

QUOTE(DrunkBomber @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 11:48 PM) Hes a good coordinator but i think hes greatly overrated. hes just running a basic cover two and doesnt have much of a blitz package. Teams know were gonna try to beat them with our defensive line and we ran into a team who could stop it. Im not that thrilled with either coordinator but dont want to hae to learn new systems with the team being so close. You're not supposed to have to run blitz packages with the cover 2, all the pass rush is supposed to come from the defensive line so the linebackers can play in coverage and you can not blitz defensive backs because of how important they are in the secondary to the cover 2 scheme. If you put Rivera in a defense that allows for a little more creativity than the cover 2 I could see him absolutely thrive, the man knows what he's doing and frankly I think the cover 2 scheme is holding him back. I almost hope he leaves the Bears just so I can see what he's capable of doing with a non-cover 2 defense that he's able to put his signature on.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:43 PM) Question for Kalapse and Willie, where was all this pre-superbowl? I'm not saying you guys acted as if Rex was the perfect qb, or even a very good one. But why now are you acting as if Rex is a lost cause and will never get better? I didn't make many football posts this year, I waited 19 games hoping for Rex to show me some improvement. I backed Rex basically his entire career up until this season when he didn't make the strides I thought he should have after his first full season as a starter. Like most have said, it's not really fair to make judgments on a player until after their first full season as a starter. And I never said he was a lost cause just that as of now I don't think he's going to be able to overcome his many shortcomings, most of which he has yet to improve upon.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:38 PM) Like I said, 27 games means nothing. Injuries haulted any progress he was making. He can still get better at his pocket presence and in his abilities to get away from the rush. He doesn't need to be fast. Take a few stops outside the pocket, or step up into the pocket. Anything to buy some more time. And why wasn't he doing any of these things after starting 19 games this season? QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:39 PM) It's really really hard to avoid a rush when you are not only slow as s*** but you are small as all hell. Peyton Manning is not fast, but he can avoid the rush because he is a GIANT. Too true. When you're 6'5" 230 you're going to have a bit of an advantage.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:34 PM) Why not? Peyton Manning certainly did. He was a 100% pocket passer when he came into the NFL. How many plays did he make out of the pocket last night. Especially the throw across his body to Dallas Clark. By the time he was 26 he was escaping the pocket a bit so he could throw on the run and learned how to secure the ball, he also has a huge build so it's easier for him to escape the grasp of defenders.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:30 PM) And you don't feel Rex can improve upon those at the age of 26? 27 games in and he hasn't shown any improvement on anything I listed in that post and he'll be 27 the next time he takes the field.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:28 PM) How would Angelo sound saying Grossman is a franchise QB after we just lost the Super Bowl, and knowing the media would be all over Rex? And when Benson went down, the idea of running all over the Colts got shot to hell. It was during a press conference following the win over the Saints. You know the game Grossman was pretty good in.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:26 PM) Not off the top of my head. I'm sure I could if I looked. Look, I'm not looking for Peyton Manning, Dan Marino or Joe Montana. The most realistic things he can improve on that would make him better is learning how to consistently handle pressure, especially up the middle, and knowing when to attack and when to take what the d gives you. And although he's slow overall, I think he should be better as far as moving around in the pocket. I don't know if he's scared to get hurt again or what. But he needs to get over that. Ok, if he is able to get past these things then yes he will be pretty good however he hasn't improved on any of them especially his pocket presence, he still refuses to step up and by his 27th NFL game I kind of expect to see him show some success in these areas.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:21 PM) So what more do you want from him? He will never be Peyton Manning. Get that through your head right now. Height means nothing. Bring up all the stats you want, but that is not the reason he hasn't succeded. Brees is the same height as Grossman, it's been mentioned many times. Frank Tarkenton and Joe Theismann were both 6 feet tall or under. Vick is 6 feet as well. It's not just height, it's mobility Vick is one of the fastest players in the game and has insane escapability and Brees has above average mobility and pocket presence as well as the ability to throw on the run.

It didn't seem like the coaching staff had much faith in him yesterday with the ridiculously conservative stripped down offense they were running for the entire game including that final defeatist drive they had to end the game. Not to mention Jerry Angelo refusing to call Rex a franchise QB despite having called him one many times in the past.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:16 PM) Well, if you remember, the running game was pretty s***ty for the first 6 weeks or so. We still won all those games because Rex was playing out of his mind (not including the Arizona game). I agree about the defense, well, atleast when Tommie Harris and Mike Brown were healthy. The D was never the same after we lost those two. Call me a Rex jocker if you want, but I believe all the crap he's gone through this last year will make him a much, much, much better player next year and beyond. Can you think of ANY other QB in the past 30 years who found above average personal success sustained over the course of a career despite having the same physical limitations as Rex Grossman? There's no one in football right now and I can't think of any others.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:02 PM) So your disputing this based on 1 full season of work in which his team went to the Super Bowl? Yes, what's so hard to understand? Look at his positives, look at his negatives I don't see how he can even overcome some of the deficiencies in his game. If he is able to get past these, he'll be the first in a long time and the only one in the NFL to do so. The odds aren't exactly in his favor. Just because someone is the starting QB for a Super Bowl team doesn't mean he lead them their, just ask Tony Eason. QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 10:09 PM) Well, by my estimation, Rex had 4 REALLY bad games this past year (I don't count the meaningless last game against the Packers). He had more games with a 100 passer rating or better than any other QB in football. In the first two playoff games, when they absolutely needed him to make a play, he did. So, yes, I give Rex credit for getting us there. This wasn't like Trent Dilfer in 2000. I realize that in the big bad world of sports, you're only as good as your last game. And Rex played like s*** in his last game. But I choose to look at the body of work over one game, even a game as big as the SB. I'll say one thing, they certainly didn't get their in spite of Rex but I wouldn't say he lead them their. The run game and defense played larger roles in the team's success than Rex did.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 09:50 PM) Guiding a team to the SB in his first full year as the starter doesn't qualify as success? Or do you mean sustained success? Sustained personal success.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 09:43 PM) I just read through real fast so I may have missed it but another negative...reading the field, period. It takes him an incredibly long time to make all his progressions (if he even makes them). Even though he did check down a few times yesterday it was way to late as his check down receiver was hit immediately. He doesn't make the right throw a lot of the time, and has lots of trouble checking down. He is incapable of taking what the defense is giving. Yes, great call he waits forever to check down by the time he gets through all his progressions and checks down the halfback is already out in the flat with a linebacker right on him, giving him virtually no chance to pick up extra yards.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 08:45 PM) Those who disagree either just hate Rex or are still sour over the Super Bowl loss. Or in your case, Hurricanes fans. Yeah that's bulls***, after giving him the benefit of the doubt for a full 19 game season and backing him the whole way I'm putting his tools on the table, taking a look at his body of work and I'm not liking what I'm seeing, I'm really starting to doubt whether Rex can be a franchise QB or not. I'm leaning toward not. Positives: - He throws a great ball, the ball often comes out of his hand with explosion, great velocity and a tight spiral, he throws an incredibly catchable ball. - He has a a canon, enough said he can bomb the damn ball. - He does have moments of incredible accuracy on the deep ball, he's hit Berrian for a few of the best passes I've ever seen, he is capable of hitting his man in stride. - He is fairly accurate throwing to the post and seam routes when he doesn't have someone in his face, he's especially proficient at hitting the tightend/slot receiver down the seam but that's only when he has some time to work and a clear view of the receiver - He inspires confidence from his teammates and coaches, they seem to love the guy and his teammates seem to have a lot of confidence in his abilities, judging by the playcalling the Super Bowl however I wonder if the coaching staff trusts him in the big game, I'm guessing not. - He's a pretty tough guy, when he is taking a beating he tends to get back up and is ready to take some more - He's incredibly ballsy, good and bad Negatives: - He's short, 5'11"-6'0" he's one of the shortest starting QBs in the NFL, I believe Vick is the only one who is shorter - He's slow as s***, the guy can't run at all - Can not throw on the run with any accuracy - He has very small hands - He is terrible at identifying the rush and avoiding the blitz, on top of his lack of speed he has a terrible pocket presence and no scrambling ability. - He's prone to major lapses in judgment such as tossing the ball up in the air 3-5 times a game often leading to picks. - When the pocket collapses he tends to panic which leads to terrible passes and fumbles. He needs to calm the f*** down when the defense gets in the backfield. - He has trouble securing the ball, this leads to even more turnovers, when taking a sack he needs to just wrap up the ball and go down instead of allowing it to come out as he often does. - When he gets jittery in the pocket he tends to release the ball at odd angles and takes a lot of velocity off his passes leading to wounded ducks and lob passes. How many QBs can you think of had these shortcomings but have still succeeded at the NFL level? Do those positives outweigh the negatives? Can he over come his short comings and become one of the first short, slow QBs of all time to actually find success in the NFL? I'm starting to think he can't.