HarleyQuinn

One could also say that Jason Witten was a key TE for the Cowboys(980 yards receiving IIRC) and of course, Jeremy Shockey with the Giants.

Pittsburgh Pirates lent extra option years to SP Dave Williams and C J.R. House Pittsburgh Pirates are close to signing MR Albie Lopez to an MLC. San Diego Padres re-signed MR Scott Linebrink to a 2 year, $2.275 Million contract with a team option for 2007 at $1.75 Million, which could rise to $2.25 Million based on appearances. San Diego Padres signed SP Miguel Asencio to a 1 year contract. Oakland Athletics signed 3B Bobby Smith to an MLC and invited him to spring training. Chicago Cubs signed MR Chad Fox to an MLC and invited him to spring training. Baltimore Orioles signed 3B Chris Stynes to an MLC and invited him to spring training. Washington Nationals agreed to a 1 year, $1.45 Million contract with 1B Nick Johnson. Chicago White Sox agreed to a 2 year, $5.25 Million contract with a team option of $5 Million or player option of $3.25 Million in 2007 with OF Aaron Rowand.

That's pretty much why I ranked LT as #1. He's caught 79, 100, and 53 balls the last 3 years with a career best 8.3 YPC this season. He also had a 4.5 and 5.3 YPC prior to this season. One could also argue that Priest, as great as he is, is a product of the offensive line or system. Just look at the success of guys like Derrick Blaylock and Larry Johnson while Priest was out. Combined, they had 1,120 yards rushing in Holmes' place and 522 yards receiving. They also had a combined 4.7 YPC(Johnson had 4.8, Blaylock 4.6).

I always loved Merton Hanks' "Big Bird" dance or whatever that he got from Sesame Street

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patr...he_ok_from_nfl/ FOXBOROUGH -- Concerned about a potential quagmire at Gillette Stadium because of heavy rains Wednesday on the uncovered field, the NFL yesterday sent a representative to gauge the playing field. "Our representative said there was no issue with the field," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "He reported that the field was dry, the footing is excellent." Aiello said the field was uncovered because the grounds crew painted it Wednesday. Although the Patriots are not obligated to cover the field until tomorrow in the case of inclement weather, Aiello said the Patriots have been very cooperative. The field was covered last night and Aiello said it would be covered tomorrow night. The field had dried well, said Aiello, even though there was some precipitation yesterday. The warmer temperatures and windy conditions also helped. Puddles remained in some spots on the edges of the field. The state-of-the-art field has heating coils underneath the turf, which has also aided the process. Last season, the Patriots were asked to re-sod the field before the playoffs. The Patriots practiced outdoors yesterday to get used to playing in soggy, slower conditions. == Yeah, that sounds like the Pats are definitely ruining the field so that the Colts can suck and because the Pats are a bunch of unfair bastards. Uh-huh...

Top 5 RB #1: LaDainian Tomlinson #2: Shaun Alexander #3: Clinton Portis(Still had 1,300+ yards rushing people) #4: Edgerrin James #5: Jamal Lewis(A guy people tend to forget about, just scraped over 1,000 games but did it in only 12 games) Priest Holmes was left off due to age and injury history which scares me. Ahman Green would likely be #6 for me and Deuce #7. WR #1: Marvin Harrison(Seemingly the Curtis Martin of WR) #2: Randy Moss #3: Terrell Owens #4: Torry Holt #5: Chad Johnson #6 would likely be Isaac Bruce. Also C-Dub, the reason Muhammed was left off for me was because he had 585, 823, and 837 yards the years prior. If Smith didn't get hurt and with the emergence of Colbert, Muhammed likely would've been around 600-700 yards. TE #1: Tony Gonzalez #2: Antonio Gates #3: Alge Crumpler(Became a huge go to option for Vick. Had 770+ yards as a result) #4: Jeremy Shockey #5: Randy McMichael(790+ yards and has improved yardage wise every season that he's played). A guy who could switch with McMichael is Jason Witten who had 980+ yards this season. He needs to have another great season of that calibur for me to rank him in the Top 5 however. Kellen Winslow was left off because he hasn't done anything except get injured.

You do what you need to do to win, especially in the playoffs. And uh...in case you forget, the Patriots are also playing on that field. It's not like the Patriots will be invincible, they could easy be slipping or falling at inopportune moments as well. If the NFL doesn't make issue of it though then why can't the Pats do that? I'm sure other teams would do the same tactic if they felt it would give them a better chance of winning. Sports isn't about being fair, it's about winning and when playoff time hits, winning is the number one goal.

As much as I hate the term "system QB" it very much applies to both Brady and Bulger. They play in systems that take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. In the case of Brady, he doesn't "just win", the Patriots do. I can't stress that enough, he looks that much better because of the team that is around him. As much as he is a "system" QB, one could argue that Steve Young was a system QB, etc. Also, Brady has put up 3,764, 3,620, and 3,692 yards the past 3 seasons. He's also put up 28, 23, and 28 TD vs 14, 12, and 14 INT. The guy not only doesn't make many mistakes, but he's able to throw the ball very well anyways. With those stats, I'd put him ahead of Favre who has very similar, if not worse stats than Brady. Brady = 3764, 3620, 3692 yards. Favre = 3658, 3361, 4088 yards. Brady = 601, 527, 474 attempts. Favre = 551, 472, 540 attempts. Brady = 28, 23, 28 TD. Favre = 27, 32, 30 TD. Brady = 14, 12, 14 INT. Favre = 16, 21, 17 INT. As for my top QB's... #1: Peyton Manning #2: Daunte Culpepper #3: Tom Brady #4: Donovan McNabb #5: Michael Vick

Tampa Bay Devil Rays are close to signing drafted SP Jeff Niemann to an MLC. Milwaukee Brewers signed SP Rick Helling to an MLC and invited him to spring training. Pittsburgh Pirates signed SP Kip Wells to a 1 year, $3.175 Million contract.

I also enjoyed it though at times the scouts came off as somewhat oblivious to what the statistical side talked about. An example being Gary Hughes(?) ranting about teams only taking college players, obviously talking towards Oakland, when it's simply not true at all and is just an asinine and unfounded comment. Just because statistical driven teams don't go for high schoolers in the 1st or 2nd round doesn't mean they avoid them at will for 50 freaking rounds.

News from Rotoworld Atlanta Braves signed OF Raul Mondesi to a 1 year, $1 Million contract. Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed OF Danny Bautista to a 1 year contract. Cleveland Indians re-signed C Dusty Wathan to an MLC. San Francisco Giants are set to announce several MLC signings on Monday including SS Cody Ransom Houston Astros signed MR Dave Burba to an MLC and invited him to spring training. Oakland Athletics signed SP Keiichi Yabu to a 1 year, $1 Million contract with option for 2006. Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed MR Mark Guthrie to an MLC. Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed MR Brian Meadows to a 1 year, $1.125 Million contract. Boston Red Sox re-signed SS Ramon Vazquez to a 1 year, $700K contract. Seattle Mariners re-signed SP Gil Meche to a 1 year, $2.535 Million contract. St. Louis Cardinals signed MR Bob File, MR Chris Gissell, MR Toby Borland, 3B Mike Bell, 2B Wilton Guerrero, OF Raul Gonzalez, and OF Brandon Berger to MLC's and were invited to spring training.

We're not saying you should stop liking one team Dama...damn. It's just like when the Patriots and Cowboys, both teams I like and one team(Patriots) I'm diehard for, face off in a game. I want the Patriots to crush the Cowboys and if they lose, I'll be pissed. Being a diehard is basically living through that team. It's like if you were a fan of both Oklahoma and USC. With USC crushing Oklahoma, they'd be "well I like USC too so it doesn't hurt that bad" whereas you're a diehard for Oklahoma so when they lost, you were crushed yes? That's why we're taking you to task. You've admitted that as a fan of the the Eagles, a team you're no doubt diehard for, you wouldn't be as crushed if they lost to the Chiefs than if they lost to any other team in the Super Bowl.

As long as you still root for that team after the glory years have passed, you're a true fan. If you conveniently change allegiances when the team starts to fall apart, then you're not. I agree with that, also, with all due respect Dama , it does not help when you say you are also a fan of the Chiefs. When you use descriptions like "true" and "diehard" (from the other thread) to describe your fandom, it doesn't help when you then mention you are a fan of two teams. The only team I hate is the Dallas Cowboys. I don't like the Giants, Redskins, Bucs, New Jersey Devils or Tampa Bay Lightning. But the only team I actively despise is Dallas. Well it's really easy. The Chiefs are AFC. The Eagles are NFC. I root for the Eagles over the Chiefs. However when the Eagles aren't available I'll root for the Chiefs. Now if it comes down to the Eagles/Chiefs in the Super Bowl......I'm a happy camper, I can sit back and enjoy. But I really don't own any Chiefs stuff. I just root for them when they're on and hope for them to do well over the rest of the AFC. However I have tons of Eagles shit and have gone out of my way to watch an Eagles game(like calling into work sick). Well, the "diehard" comment makes you look dumb after you've admitted to liking numerous teams. That comment makes me doubt most of what you say because that's what a diehard fan is! It's going through the tough times and cheering teams even when they suck and go 1-15 or 3-13. To be a diehard fan, you can't just flick a switch on/off and say I like this team cause they're winning and doing well so they'll replace this other team because they did poorly. It's like you're bandwagoning, or jumping from team to team based on how successful they are. It's like saying you're a fan of Oklahoma, then they go 4-8 and you go off and start saying that you like Virginia Tech because they went 10-2 and are in a bowl game. This isn't as much a personal attack on you as it is a probable explanation for people seemingly jumping down your throat. In your example, you'd be a diehard fan of the Eagles but be considered by most to be a fairweather or bandwagon fan of the Chiefs.

Also, another interesting facet of that Pats team that people rarely talk about is their Linebackers. They are all capable of dropping back into coverage to help cover the underneath routes(where Brandon Stokely and Marvin Harrison come into play) and can pick off the ball as well as anybody else in the NFL. I think in order to get ahead, Manning needs to go deep to keep the secondary back, then start mixing in the run to keep the defense on their toes. Tedy Bruschi is the primary example of this as he can play against the run and just as easily drop back into coverage which creates havoc for the QB when it's mixed in with Belichik's schemes. Patriot LB's had 6 INT on the season with Bruschi having 3 of them. If I were the Colts, I'd be working the deep routes and then just running the ball up the middle to work the LB's stamina. As they move down the field, slowly start working in the short passes but use routes where Peyton can get the ball out quickly so the LB and secondary don't have time to catch up to the WR/TE/RB and allow them to try and gain extra yards themselves.

Well...the cursing will be gone which'll pretty much sorta kill Mason's characters(more because I felt the cursing added to his charm and appeal) but eh, better then nothing I guess. *sorta wishes HBO would pick it up*

I'll recommend - Fantastic Four - She-Hulk - Teen Titans - Ultimate X-Men - Wonder Woman

Also it's kind of hard to say that they're lucky when they force fumbles in the red zone, get INT's there, etc. To me, that's just playing well and creating turnovers like any other team does. I agree with nl in that the team gets respect but you rarely hear announcers rave about guys like a Teddy Bruschi, a Eugene Wilson, or a David Givens. I'd say the three "stars" of the Patriots in terms of being talked about are Tom Brady, Corey Dillon, and Ty Law with Richard Seymour slowly climbing up there.

The Patriots have only allowed 15 FG all year, the lowest total in the league, Also the Patriots have allowed only 9 rushing TD(T-5th) vs 18 receiving TD. So as Cartman stated, if the Pats can stop the Colts passing game then the Colts will need a way to score points in the RZ if they want to win this game.

2004 Rankings(Offensively) New England Patriots - 5th in Rushing Attempts per Game - 7th in Rushing Yards per Game - 22nd in Passing Attempts per Game - 12th in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 7th with 31:22 Indianapolis Colts - 20th in Rushing Attempts per Game - 15th in Rushing Yards per Game - 15th in Passing Attempts per Game - 1st in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 25th with 28:40 New York Jets - 3rd in Rushing Attempts per Game - 3rd in Rushing Yards per Game - 30th in Passing Attempts per Game - 22nd in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 4th in 31:51 Pittsburgh Steelers - 1st in Rushing Attempts per Game - 2nd in Rushing Yards per Game - 32nd in Passing Attempts per Game - 28th in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 1st with 34:00 Atlanta Falcons - 4th in Rushing Attempts per Game - 1st in Rushing Yards per Game - 31st in Passing Attempts per Game - 30th in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 21st with 29:10 Minnesota Vikings - 28th in Rushing Attempts per Game - 18th in Rushing Yards per Game - 8th in Passing Attempts per Game - 2nd in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 15th with 30:02 St. Louis Rams - 30th in Rushing Attempts per Game - 26th in Rushing Yards per Game - 5th in Passing Attempts per Game - 5th in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 9th with 31:05 Philadelphia Eagles - 31st in Rushing Attempts per Game - 24th in Rushing Yards per Game - 9th in Passing Attempts per Game - 7th in Passing Yards per Game - TOP: 26th with 28:26 == Thoughts: Interesting to note that the most complete teams offensively(in terms of attempts/yards per game) are the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. The other teams are extremely skewed towards one end of the spectrum so to speak. Also interesting to see that in the AFC; the Steelers, Jets, and Patriots, teams with great defenses and great running games, are near the top of the NFL in Time of Possession.

My picks - Dan Marino - Steve Young - Richard Dent(137.5 Sacks in 203 games) - Michael Irvin(11,904 yards receiving) - Derrick Thomas(126.5 Sacks in 169 games) - Russ Grimm(Member of the "Hogs" Offensive Line, made 4 SB appearances)

Ya had me interested in looking at rushing attempts on the season(not sure where I'd find time of possession) so I figured I'd do that as well. ** = team had more rushing attempts on the season. - 2003: Patriots ranked 12th, 1st: 11th in Rushing Attempts **Panthers ranked 15th, 10th: 2nd in Rushing Attempts - 2002: Tampa Bay ranked 18th, 1st: Ranked T-25th in Rushing Attempts Raiders 2nd, 6th: Ranked T-25th in Rushing Attempts - 2001: **Patriots ranked 6th, 6th: Ranked T-8th in Rushing Attempts Rams 1st, 7th: Ranked 24th in Rushing Attempts - 2000: **Ravens ranked 14th, 1st: Ranked 5th in Rushing Attempts Giants 15th, 5th: Ranked 6th in Rushing Attempts - 1999: Rams ranked 1st, 4th: Ranked T-17th in Rushing Attempts **Titans 7th, 15th: Ranked 12th in Rushing Attempts - 1998: **Broncos ranked 2nd, 9th: Ranked 1st in Rushing Attempts Falcons 4th, 4th: Ranked 4th in Rushing Attempts - 1997: **Broncos ranked 1st, 6th: Ranked 6th in Rushing Attempts Packers 2nd, 5th: Ranked 12th in Rushing Attempts - 1996: **Packers ranked 1st, 1st: Ranked 14th in Rushing Attempts Patriots 2nd, 14th: Ranked 22nd in Rushing Attempts - 1995: **Cowboys ranked 3rd, 3rd: Ranked 4th in Rushing Attempts Steelers 5th, 9th: Ranked 5th in Rushing Attempts - 1994: **49ers ranked 1st, 6th: Ranked 5th in Rushing Attempts Chargers 5th, 9th: Ranked 8th in Rushing Attempts - 1993: Cowboys 2nd, 2nd: Ranked 6th in Rushing Attempts **Bills 7th, 5th: Ranked 2nd in Rushing Attempts - 1992: Cowboys 2nd, 5th: Ranked 3rd in Rushing Attempts **Bills 3rd, 14th: Ranked 1st in Rushing Attempts - 1991: **Redskins 1st, 2nd: Ranked 1st in Rushing Attempts Bills 2nd, 19th: Ranked 5th in Rushing Attempts - 1990: **Giants 15th, 1st: Ranked 2nd in Rushing Attempts Bills 1st, 6th: Ranked 9th in Rushing Attempts === 1990 Giants: 15th in Offense, 3rd in Defense === - 2nd in Rushing Attempts 1991 Bills: 19th in Defense, 2nd in Offense - Ranked 5th in Rushing Attempts 1992 Bills: Ranked 14th in Defense, 3rd in Offense - Ranked 1st in Rushing Attempts 1994 Chargers: Ranked 9th in Defense, 5th in Offense - Ranked 8th in Rushing Attempts 1995 Steelers: Ranked 9th in Defense, 5th in Offense - Ranked 5th in Rushing Attempts 1996 Patriots: Ranked 14th in Defense, 2nd in Offense - Ranked 22nd in Rushing Attempts 1999 Titans: Ranked 15th in Defense, 7th in Offense - Ranked 12th in Rushing Attempts 2000 Giants: Ranked 15th in Offense, 5th in Defense - Ranked 6th in Rushing Attempts 2001 Patriots: Ranked 6th in Defense, 6th in Offense - Ranked T-8th in Rushing Attempts 2002 Tampa Bay: Ranked 18th in Offense, 1st in Defense - Ranked T-25th in Rushing Attempts 2003 Panthers: Ranked 15th in Offense, 10th in Defense - Ranked 2nd in Rushing Attempts Offensively, it seemed to have some corellation compared to defense. In 7 of 14 Super Bowls(excluding 2002 since they tied), the team with the better defense had more rushing attempts. So it's pretty much split half that way. Also below are the SB results with the ** = leader in RA during the season. 2003 Superbowl NE: 35 carries, 38:58 **CAR: 16 carries, 21:02 2002 SB TB: 42 carries, 37:14 OAK: 11 carries, 22:46 2001 SB **NE: 25 carries, 26:30 STL: 22 carries, 33:30 2000 SB **BAL: 33 carries, 34:06 NYG: 16 carries, 25:54 1999 SB STL: 13 carries, 23:34 **TEN: 36 carries, 36:26 1998 SB **DEN: 36 carries, 31:23 ATL: 23 carries, 28:37 1997 SB **DEN: 39 carries, 32:25 GBP: 20 carries, 27:35 1996 SB **GBP: 36 carries, 34:15 NEP: 13 carries, 25:45 1995 SB **DAL: 25 carries, 26:11 PIT: 31 carries, 33:49 1994 SB **SF4: 32 carries, 31:31 SDC: 19 carries, 28:29 1993 SB DAL: 35 carries, 34:29 **BUF: 27 carries, 25:31 1992 SB DAL: 29 carries, 31:12 **BUF: 29 carries, 28:48 1991 SB **WAS: 40 carries, 33:43 BUF: 18 carries, 26:17 1990 SB **NYG: 39 carries, 40:33 BUF: 25 carries, 19:27

NFL: New York Jets(Parcells Era till present), New York Giants(Just so god damn plain) - Jets, for the Parcells era. NHL: Montreal Canadians - Rivalry with Boston NBA: New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons - Lakers & Pistons for the rivalry with Boston MLB: New York Yankees, New York Mets - Yankees, duh. TSM Mods: 2nd Failed Mascot

Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics: Local teams and I've been following them since the late 80's. NHL: Defunct Hartford Whalers, watched them in the early 90's on NESN before NBA Action would come on. NFL: Dallas Cowboys, been a huge fan since Aikman, Emmitt, and Irvin first came together in 1991.

While it may not, I'd say it gives the Patriots/Steelers slightly better odds of beating the Colts than if it was the Colts playing the Raiders. As far as the fairly simplistic argument that a great offense can't win the SB, there's a reason that people say defenses win championships. Brackets show losing teams rank in offense, defense by PS and PA. 2003: Patriots ranked 12th, 1st(Panthers 15th, 10th). 2002: Tampa Bay ranked 18th, 1st(Raiders 2nd, 6th). 2001: Patriots ranked 6th, 6th(Rams 1st, 7th). 2000: Ravens ranked 14th, 1st(Giants 15th, 5th). 1999: Rams ranked 1st, 4th(Titans 7th, 15th) 1998: Broncos ranked 2nd, 9th(Falcons 4th, 4th). 1997: Broncos ranked 1st, 6th(Packers 2nd, 5th). 1996: Packers ranked 1st, 1st(Patriots 2nd, 14th). 1995: Cowboys ranked 3rd, 3rd(Steelers 5th, 9th). 1994: 49ers ranked 1st, 6th(Chargers 5th, 9th). 1993: Cowboys 2nd, 2nd(Bills 7th, 5th). 1992: Cowboys 2nd, 5th(Bills 3rd, 14th). 1991: Redskins 1st, 2nd(Bills 2nd, 19th). 1990: Giants 15th, 1st(Bills 1st, 6th). With the exception of the two Denver SB wins, every single team that won the SB had a better defense than the loser as far as PA goes. Every single defense in those SB's ranked in the Top 15, except the 1990-1991 Buffalo Bills. Every SB winner's D ranked in the Top 9. Are you telling me that the #1, #19 Indianapolis Colts can beat out the #11, #1(Pittsburgh), #4, #3(New England), or #17, #4(Jets) defenses and make it to the SB then beat the #8, #2 or #16, #14 defense(Philadelphia and Atlanta)? As far as the "you can say that for every game" comment, that's true but then again the USC Trojans had a damn good defense entering the game against Oklahoma. It's not like they were ranked in the lower 20 out of all the teams or anything. What I'm saying is that bad defenses tend to get scored upon regardless if they had a 50 point lead or a 14 point lead. Good defenses manage to stop the offensive output and limit the points put up, thus allowing their teams a better chance at winning.

So let's exclude the Denver regular season game. They still didn't fare well against good defenses. Were they in the games? Yes but they weren't blowing them out and acting like they were impossible to beat. At the start of the 4th quarter, the Colts were down 27-17 until the TD pass to Stokely. Colts D gets an INT but then Edge fumbles on the ensuing drive. Vandy then misses the game tying 48 yard FG. So, they were definitely in the game but IMO, their offensive exploits are fairly overrated. I think the Colts will definitely have their work cut out for them trying to do what they did to Denver against New England. Yes, they went 4-2 but what I'm saying is that the defense is very poor when it comes to allowing points to be scored against them. If that offense has an off day, then the Colts D doesn't have enough to stop the opposition from putting up 28-35 points. Also notice that of those 6 games, 4 of those games were decided by less than 10 points. So they were up 35-3, big deal? The Colts D shouldn't be letting a team suddenly get back into the game. At one point, the Broncos were down 35-17 with 1:10 left in the 3rd. All they needed was a fumble or an INT to turn into a TD and stopping the Colts O on their next drive, then scoring a TD on their ensuing drive to suddenly make it 35-31 with a TD putting them in the lead. Just because the Colts offense is amazing doesn't allow the defense to rest on their laurels. As far as the Bills go, they also lost all 4 super bowls. They lost 20-19 off a missed FG despite having 7:40 left in the 4th to take the lead before then. They then lost 37-24, 52-17, and 30-13. Sure they made it to four super bowls, but they got smacked around in all of them with the exception of SB XXV. Look at SB XXXVI and XXXVII to see better examples. New England and Tampa Bay both had great defenses and were able to stop the great offenses of St. Louis and Oakland. As a result, since the offense couldn't score, their defenses couldn't stop them and the better defensive teams won even though they weren't known for their offense.