Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

One probable outcome of the combination of COVID-19 economic effects and Seattle's CHOP debacle is the chances of Seattle getting another NBA team have probably been flushed down the toilet. Any pro sports team expansion is probably not happening now and even if it were why would the NBA go to a city whose existing businesses will soon be fleeing?.. This was no coincidence. "10 states had unemployment rates in May above 15%. They are all states with Democratic governors, with the exception of deep-blue Massachusetts with its liberal Republican governor, Charlie Baker."...  And speaking of Seattle's CHOP - yesterday I saw that both CHOP and Jay Cutler were trending on Twitter. How funny would have been if this was because Jay Cutler was filming a new reality show about him living in the autonomous zone and not giving a shit about anything. They could call it The Ultimate Nihilist... And speaking of protests - how funny would it be if it turns out the attacks on statues in Washington DC and Philly were underwritten by the Boston Chamber of Commerce as a way to increase the value of Boston's Freedom Trail business... "What I've learned in my life is if someone is acting badly, they're in pain. It's a really simple rule, they're either scared or in pain." -Sebastian Junger...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Amid all the recent protestations I am reminded that Barack Obama arranged for an internship for his daughter Malia at Harvey Weinstein's company back when EVERYONE KNEW what type of person Harvey Weinstein was. Think about that for a moment...  IF Jay Cutler did a 23andMe do you think he'd learn that Jeff George was his biological dad?... It looks like FitzMagic may be over but just a reminder I called Ryan Fitzpatrick's NFL success way back in 2005... Just saying but the people who love the intrigue and baseness of politics must share a common trait with the people who cannot get enough of the Dr. Pimple Popper videos... Maybe its not safe to go back in the water... Every time I find a dead fruit fly in my beer I think "That's the way he wanted to die." Then I finish my beer... Andre the Giant and Bobby Orr - such a great photo... I still say my first move as President would be to make Bill Belichick my Press Secretary. Those briefings would be epic!...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

July was National Beer Month and August was National Anal Sex Month (seriously - you can look it up!). They should combine those two and make September National Regrets Month... Opulence - I has it... I would pay good money to see a remake of the movie Barfly if it cast Jay Cutler in the Mickey Rourke role... If Hillary Clinton were a Harry Potter character - there's no doubt in my mind that she'd be Delores Umbridge... Heh heh - take the guy with the huge bong!... Still say that the James Earl Jones character in Field of Dreams could have easily paid off Ray's mortgage to save the farm. That cheap fuck was a best selling author AND owned a successful software company in the midst of the tech bubble. One of the things that always bugged me about that movie... Clint Eastwood is not pulling any punches... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Republicans having to root for Donald Trump must be like Chicago Bears fans having to root for Jay Cutler... Kudos to Bob Cousy and Holy Cross... So is that DirecTV commercial implying that Lionel Ritchie and Peyton Manning are gay lovers? Why else would Ritchie be in Mannings' home first thing in the morning with Peyton's wife nowhere to be found... And yet Johnny Pesky is not in the Hall of Fame... Suzy Kolber's Mancave would be a good name for a fantasy football team... The truth is the truth...  When Scott Boras is trying to sign a new client - how long do you think it takes him to casually mention that he got JD Drew $94 million in career earnings?... Debunking the Aquatic Ape Theory... July was National Beer Month and August was National Anal Sex Month (seriously). They should combine those two and make September National Regrets Month... Interesting - why Obama won't pardon Snowden...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

How about them Patriots!... Awesome - 15 of National Geographic's Photos of the Year... Where's Frank Sinatra when you need him? The Chairman of the Board wouldn't put up with this election... Originally I thought New England should go with the "missing man" formation on the first offensive play from scrimmage and take the penalty for Tom Brady but everyone doing their job was the right way to go... Heh heh... "Kale Smoothie" should be a euphemism for diarrhea...  I would pay good money to see a re-make of the movie Barfly if it had Jay Cutler playing the Mickey Rourke role... Not 100% sure that new movie Collateral Beauty isn't supposed to be a comedy... Has anyone written about How to Talk to Girls Wearing AirPods yet?...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I can understand Tim Tebow having a dream of playing pro baseball but can you imagine how much Social Media would have melted down if Tebow announced he was trying out for the WWE instead?... Jay Cutler ladies and gentlemen... Next challenge for Michael Phelps - cage match vs ManBearPig...  It makes me sad that so many NFL fans today associate the Patriots uniform number 81 with Aaron Hernandez and not All-World tight end Russ Francis... So true... So wasn't Mike Lombardi supposed to have signed with Bill Simmons and The Ringer by now? There must be more to the story of why he wasn't retained by Bill Belichick and the Patriots... Speaking of Michael Phelps - how Americans watch men's swimming...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Ever notice that in that "skinny legs" Peyton Manning commercial the "regular" legs Peyton Manning is wearing pants throughout? Is that because regular Peyton Manning's legs aren't much bigger?... Rex Ryan checking out Bill Belichick's coaching record... I keep saying it - doesn't Jay Cutler seem like this generation's Jeff George? Are the two guys related?... Cool - a dramatic reading of the Joker's monologue from The Killing Joke... Despite the success last year - things aren't all that rosy in Baltimore this year for the Orioles. Could Dan Duquette be on his way out? If so would Dave Dombrowski consider him for a return engagement at the Red Sox GM?... So true!... I think if you are willing to bet on the WNBA - you would also be willing to gamble on the Special Olympics... Cool site. I'm going have to bookmark it and do a deep dive...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations. This is fantastic. What makes it great is the fact that you could totally picture Jay Cutler bumming around with a butt hanging out of his mouth... On a related note - I would pay to see a re-make of the movie Barfly if it had Jay Cutler playing the Mickey Roarke role... What's the difference between nude and naked?... Stories about Mitt Romney's kindness and generosity have been popping up here and there in the media. How come we never hear from people Barack Obama helped when he was a community organizer? Where are those stories?... Bobby Valentine is just 16-20 in one run games and a miserable 2-8 in extra innings. If he was halfway competent he'd be back next year but he's not so it will be adios to Sideshow Bobby Valentine... If low calorie beer was called "skim beer" instead of "light beer" - I don't think it would be quite so popular... Heh heh - Tony Stewart - sneaky ass-grabber...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Very cool - Colts Owner Jim Irsay gives away Super Bowl trip to Twitter follower on a whim... I think future historians will use Rahm Emanuel getting tossed off the ballot in Chicago as a metaphor for the Obama Administration in total. Hubris and incompetence... I wonder if Barack Obama owns a Jay Cutler jersey?... Rashard Mendenhall sexually assaults Ben Roethlisberger... Just saying but Tom Brady has not won an NFL playoff game since Heath Ledger died. Maybe Tom is still in mourning (or maybe I'm reaching for any excuse)... I found this to be a fascinating story. Bizarre tale of man who donates his forgeries to museums as real... I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor that as part of Vernon Wells deal the Toronto Blue Jays will pay for a revival of No No Nannette at local Los Angeles playhouse

Jay Cutler

I've never been on the Jay Cutler bandwagon and I'm guessing today that the bandwagon is a lot more empty. When I saw Jay Cutler on the sidelines yesterday I thought he was doing his best Ladainian Tomlinson impression. Let's take a quick look at a comparison:

Jay Cutler 15 G/ 3274 Yds/ 23 TD/ 16 INT/ 52 Sacks
Kyle Orton 13 G/ 3653 Yds/ 20 TD/ 9 INT/ 34 Sacks

I wonder how many Bears fans would make a trade Cutler for Orton straight up this morning? I know that after yesterday I think Josh McDaniels was more than justified for looking at trading Cutler for Matt Cassel (small good that does for McDaniels). If you Cutler defenders are going to say that he doesn't have any weapons to work with keep in mind that the 3rd round pick Chicago traded away (along with two 1st round picks) went from Denver to Pittsburgh who used the pick to draft Mike Wallace.

Of course an even bigger question than "Does Jay Cutler have any guts?" is the question "Why is Todd Collins the Bears back-up QB?"

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Father uses robocall to get revenge on school officials

- Boston Metro reinforces that Rex Ryan has become a punchline

- With the Yankees signing Rafael Soriano, the Red Sox are guaranteed to get the Rangers' first-round pick

- Every NFL Playoffs Quarterback Except Matt Hasselbeck Is Gay, Suggests Google

- What would Theodore Roosevelt do in the wake of Tucson

- This is so true

- This is also true

Just Saying

Here's a QB player comparison worth mentioning:

Player A: 3,023 Yards / 17 TD / 6 INT / 26 Sacks / 94.5 Rating
Player B: 2,064 Yards / 12 TD / 10 INT / 33 Sacks / 84.3 Rating

Player A is Kyle Orton while Player B is Jay Cutler (who has also played one less game this season). I point out this comparison because I firmly believe Jay Cutler is vastly over-rated and I also believe that if he was still in Denver there would be no end to his world-revolves-around-me whining and complaining.

NFL Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous NFL thoughts and observations.

Kudos to Adam Schefter of ESPN who said that Oakland was a team to watch for an upset this weekend during an appearance on WEEI radio last week... If the Patriots finish with the second best record in the AFC - then I think they and not Indianapolis will be the team to beat in the AFC and the team to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl... If Arizona found a way to score just one more point (actually all I needed was just 1/2 a point) - I would have had a much better weekend... Pittsburgh out-gained the Chiefs 515 yards to 282 but lost. This game was the poster child for the point coaches always make about the importance of turnovers (the 2 INT's by Pitt negated the huge lead in yardage they were accumulating) and special teams (completely different game without KC's game opening kickoff return for a TD)... Indianapolis' last 4 games have been won by a combined total of just 10 points. To accomplish that a lot of luck has to be in place. Sure luck favors the prepared mind and nobody seems more prepared than Peyton Manning but you have to wonder how long Indy's luck will hold up... File this under it's not over till it's over - Green Bay looked in complete control yesterday. They had a 23-3 halftime lead and everyone who bet on them was breathing pretty easy. The final score, however, was 30-24 but the line was Green Bay -6.5. Bonus for 49er fans... Do you think anyone playing fantasy football started either Brady Quinn or Matthew Stafford yesterday? Who knew?... The Cowboys have the weakest 7-3 record in football. This team won't make the playoffs. They still have to play San Diego and Philly plus games at New York and New Orleans. Not gonna make the playoffs... Justin Forsett led the Seahawks in rushing yesterday with 9 yards on 9 carries. You read that right - 9 measly yards... Carson Palmer has a career QB rating of just 88.7 to go along with 121 TD's and 75 INT's. He's not a great QB. He just isn't. In general I'm not sure what's more over-rated - USC QB's or Big 10 running backs?... Speaking of "not a great QB" - Jay Cutler is now aspiring to be as good as Jeff George...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The story of how Aaron Boone helped sportswriter Hal McCoy is always worthy of a retelling. And Aaron is right - now that the Red Sox have a couple of championships most fans can't even recall who he is or why they should dislike him... Repeat after me - there is no such thing as a sure thing. This past weekend Las Vegas and the local bookies made a ton of money off of people who thought they had a sure thing. Almost everyone thought USC was going to crush Ohio State on Saturday night and Monday everyone thought the Pats were going to crush the Bills (or at least that a tease between the Pats and Chargers would be a sure thing). How did that all work out? It just goes to show that when everyone is going one way - it is often the right move to go the other... I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the passing of Jim Carroll. I was a fan of Catholic Boy and of The Basketball Diaries but I would be kidding you if I didn't say that my first reaction to his death was "He's was still alive?"... Let me repeat once again - Jay Cutler = Jeff George (although I'm not sure if George ever threw 4 interceptions in a game)... Interesting poker hand. My reaction is that both players were in the wrong. It was a douche move on both sides but by the rules - once you muck your card(s) - the hand is dead to you. The guy with King high was trying to avoid showing his second card as to not give out more information when by rule he was supposed to show both cards...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I can't help but think about how Pete Carroll tried to talk Mark Sanchez into staying at USC for another year saying that he didn't think Sanchez was ready for the NFL. I like Pete Carroll but that purely selfish machination when it came to his star QB leaves me a bit cold when thinking about him... Have you seen the AARP commercial about healthcare reform that has the ambulance trying to get to the hospital but getting blocked by cars at every opportunity? I can't help but observe that all the cars doing the blocking are GM cars and I wonder at the unintended symbolism of one failing government program (the GM bailout) being subconsciously used in an effort to promote another massive government program... Let me repeat once again - Jay Cutler = Jeff George (although I'm not sure if George ever threw 4 interceptions in a game)... Cool - 11 hidden secrets from the movie Fight Club. Hidden Penis would be a good name for either a fantasy football team or a transvestite band... Imagine the fun Ray Guy could have had with that scoreboard in Dallas? Although I'm guessing that punters will go out of their way to miss hitting the giant TV because all a re-kick will do is wind the cover team making big returns more likely...

Whither Tom Jackson?

The Jay Cutler saga and subsequent trade to the Chicago Bears has been almost non-stop news on ESPN. You've had former Bronco Mark Schlereth giving his opinion on the subject on almost every ESPN show since the story broke but one former Bronco seems to be conspicuous by his absence. Whither Tom Jackson?

The guy is the most senior football analyst at the network and he's in the Bronco Ring of Fame but yet I haven't heard a peep from him. You would think the network would want at least a sound-bite from the guy who said Jay Cutler was a better passer than Tom Brady. But no. Nothing. Not a peep. Not even a phone-in.

Maybe ESPN has figured out that subjecting the audience to 21 years of the Joe Morgan of football analysts was enough?

We can only hope.

Jay Cutler

Just a thought but how funny would it be if Jay Cutler flunked his physical and the trade with the Bears had to be rescinded. That would be too funny.

Can you imagine how awkward it would be then in Denver?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Item - Spring Training home runs are a good indicator of a how a player will do in the season - see Ryan Howard leading all players in Spring Training HR with 10... The Bears gave up way too much for Jay Cutler who will go down with the moniker of strong armed, whiny baby Jay Cutler... Item - Spring Training home runs mean exactly nothing - see Michael Wilson who was second in Spring Training HR with 8 but still wasn't able to crack the pretty weak Mariners lineup. Wilson was actually released by the team a little while ago to make room for Ken Griffey Jr. and was not picked up by another team before re-signing with the M's. Teams may have missed out on Wilson. It will be interesting to see if he gets a call-up this season. If I ran a casino - I'd have a prop bet that Wilson will average more HR/AB than Griffey this season (as long as both get a minimum of 50 AB)... Kyle Orton gets traded to the Broncos and you can bet that not only will he not have a problem of communicating with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen they will even be able to exchange secret handshakes. Both Orton and Bowlen were members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity...

Jay Cutler

The Broncos have come out and publicly said that they have had enough of Jay Cutler and will be trading him.

If I'm the Broncos I would have called Cutler's bluff in a different way.

I would have calmly told him that - hey you want to be traded and you think you are better and worth more than Matt Cassel? Fine! Here's the deal - you and your agent get us a deal where we get a first round pick in exchange for your overrated, whiny ass and we'll sign off on the trade. If you learn that you are overrating your self-worth and cannot make such a deal by draft day - then you come back and apologize to everyone in the Broncos organization and you fire your bad advice giving agent. That's the deal and it's that simple.

Jay Cutler is No Bernie Kosar - Or Maybe He Is?

"Josh [McDaniels] has never said anything negative to me about my play or anything else, for that matter." - Jay Cutler

If that's the case then what's the problem? I'll tell you what the problem is - Jay Cutler is a whiny bitch.

Last season the Broncos were 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Their losses included whoppers against Kansas City and Oakland (two of the worst teams in the NFL). The Broncos were correct in re-evaluating everything including the head coach and the QB. Yet the QB must feel that he was blameless in the less than stellar results. The QB is deluded.

The situation brings to mind another quote:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

The Jay Cutler defenders will point out his gaudy passing numbers and pass the blame for the teams poor performance on the team's porous defense. Yes the team's defense was awful last year but haven't these people noticed the wholesale changes the new Bronco management has made to the defense in efforts to improve? And not to beat the Jeff George comparison to death but it is worthwhile to mention that George posted some pretty gaudy numbers too. While we're at it - let me tell you about two other QB's with gaudy numbers - Bernie Kosar and Drew Bledsoe.

Bernie Kosar was much more heralded coming out of college that Cutler and yet when Bill Belichick took over in Cleveland - Kosar was pushed to the side because Vinny Testaverde gave the team a better chance to win. Drew Bledsoe was the number one pick in the entire draft but he was pushed aside because Tom Brady gave the Patriots a better chance to win. Both the Browns and the Patriots did better after the QB changes. Do you think those lessons are lost on Josh McDaniels? Do you think the lesson of how even a properly prepared back-up like Matt Cassell can become a Pro-Bowler is lost on McDaniels? How do you become properly prepared when you skip offseason team meeting in a snit to make a point?

I feel bad comparing Cutler to Kosar and Bledsoe. Both Kosar and Bledsoe had much more class than Cutler.

I can't help but notice that all the press leaks on this story seem to be coming from the Jay Cutler camp. I also can't help but notice that in no place do the quotes from the Cutler camp concern themselves with winning. Maybe that's because Jay Cutler doesn't care about winning. He just seems to care about himself.

The Denver Broncos would be better off moving on. Does Jay Cutler think that Jeff Garcia or another replacement QB couldn't also "lead" the Broncos to a 8-8 record? Jay Cutler is deluded and needs to immediately grow up or be traded.