ESPN sucks, so do thread closers

[Vern Gagne 0]

It seems like Todd McShea is becoming the new draft expert.

[lomasmoney 0]

Mel's Hair must have suffocated him

[Timmy8271 0]

They need a new host for NASCAR now. That guy that's doing it now is horrible.

 

I like Marty as a NFL analyst on ESPN.

[Mike wanna be 0]

I think there was an article up on ESPN's website around the time of this year's Super Bowl that ranked all 80 teams that have appeared in the game and Carolina was either the worst or close to the worst. I don't have the article on hand, but I remember it said that they barely snuck by a bunch of lousy teams during the year and then had a lucky couple of weeks in the playoffs. Their performance the past couple of years would seem to support this, injuries notwithstanding.

They were 79th out of 80.

Oddly enough, Carolina had 23 less points in the regular season, had more total offensive yards, tied in yards allowed, and had an opponent W-L% just 4% lower than the #32 team on the list. Y'know, the team they were a non-out-of-bounds kickoff, or a half-inch better jump from Jenkins away from going to overtime with in that very Super Bowl?

 

And when New England wins close games, it's considered an "efficient march". When Carolina wins close games, they r teh suxx and "barely outscored their opponents". Heavens, I'm sure they cried themselves to sleep for a full 7 weeks of the season because they had only won by 3 or less the previous game.

 

I also like Marty as the analyst. Think he'll retire, or try to go back to coaching?

I'm not a fan of ANY of their NASCAR coverage. It's freakin boring.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Marty will get back into coaching.

[cabbageboy 0]

I'm sorry, but the 2003 Carolina Panthers were a lame Super Bowl team. What was the point differential the Panthers had for that year, +21. That is downright pathetic for a Super Bowl team, better only than the 1979 Rams (at +14). The Patriots that year at least were +110 and went 14-2. I'm actually glad that Pats team was only 32 on that list though, since they didn't really dominate many teams that year and only had home field due to a goal line stand against the Colts. And survived Tennessee in the playoffs due to a lame intentional grounding call on McNair. And had John Kasay kick the ball out of bounds in the Super Bowl.

[Mike wanna be 0]

Lame or not lame, I won't argue. I just don't see how you can rank them #79 of 80 when they're statistically similar to several other teams, including near-even with the #32 team, as well as being one play away from having the first overtime Super Bowl in history; if New England 03 was really that much better, shouldn't the game not have been close? Hell, the 03 Panthers are ranked lower than the 85 Patriots, and look how they did.

[cabbageboy 0]

Eh, the 1985 Pats are certainly a mediocre Super Bowl team, probably one of the worst ever. But isn't some of our disdain towards that team now derived from the way they were decimated by the Bears in the Super Bowl? Both the 85 Pats and 03 Panthers went 11-5 and the Pats had a better differential for the season (+72 to +21). Panthers had more stability at QB though with Delhomme, while that Pats team had the Grogan/Eason QB controversy.

 

Who was the worst team on that list? The 1994 Chargers? Stats wise the worst would have to be the 1979 Rams, but since they gave the Steelers a scare in the Super Bowl people tend to forget how bad they sucked.

 

As an aside, why are the 1984 49ers usually not mentioned on many great teams lists? Or maybe they sorta are, but not as a 1 year team, but more as just a part of that Montana/Walsh dynasty of the 1980s. That team was 15-1 and had a differential of +248 and the 1 loss they had was to Pittsburgh 20-17. The 1985 Bears, who are more revered, were also 15-1 and had a differential of +268. The 84 Niners also had a much tougher opponent in the Super Bowl in the Dolphins with Marino...and crushed them.

 

Another team I think is somewhat underrated all time is the 1999 Rams. Awesome, awesome team but yet not usually mentioned as one of THE best ever. Maybe it'd due to the NFC being weak that year, or maybe it was their struggle in the playoffs with Tampa Bay, or the insane Super Bowl with Tennessee.

[KingPK 0]

Another team I think is somewhat underrated all time is the 1999 Rams. Awesome, awesome team but yet not usually mentioned as one of THE best ever. Maybe it'd due to the NFC being weak that year, or maybe it was their struggle in the playoffs with Tampa Bay, or the insane Super Bowl with Tennessee.

 

They only played one team with a winning record in the regular season. The 2000 team had an even better offense and the 2001 team had a top-ranked offense AND defense.

 

The Panthers stayed in that game with a bunch of big plays. NE lost Harrison and a couple other DBs in the 4th, so that opened up the passing game even more. If Brady doesn't throw that dumb INT in the red zone, that game probably is in the can for New England.

Edited February 25, 2007 by KingPK

[Timmy8271 0]

Anybody besides me can't stand John Saunders? He comes off as an arrogant prick to me.

[razazteca 0]

Shocked to see a journalist instead of a wanna be comedian on ESPN?

[Timmy8271 0]

Shocked to see a journalist instead of a wanna be comedian on ESPN?

 

Ya it is shocking to see that. But I still can't stand him. Don't know why.

[Guest Queen Leelee]

NASCAR. NASCAR. NASCAR.

 

There's only so much that can be said about guys driving cars in a circle a lot of times. Sorry to Nascar fans.

 

Ah, just a couple more weeks until the conference tournies are over, and then we get into "ignore ESPN season".

[Vern Gagne 0]

No way. That's when Arena Football starts kicking ass.

[Guest]

ESPN doesn't have an NHL trade deadline special on ESPN News. FUCK THEM, and OLN for not having one when they're the only cable network in this goddamn country that shows the league.

[treble 0]

On the opposite end, TSN and Sportsnet have WAY too many hours devoted to the deadline tomorrow. I think TSN's coverage begins at 10 and Sportsnet's at noon. TheScore will probably have a bunch of time on it, too.

[Guest]

I wish we had that kind of coverage. The NHL deadline is the best of all of them.

[CanadianChris 0]

It used to be, before the salary cap. Last year was just a whole lot of nothing. I expect this year to be pretty much the same.

[cabbageboy 0]

As far as the 1999 Rams go, yeah, the NFC being really weak that year overall hurts their overall perception. The 2001 team was possibly a bit better but we all know what happened to that team.

[Art Sandusky 0]

NASCAR. NASCAR. NASCAR.

 

There's only so much that can be said about guys driving cars in a circle a lot of times. Sorry to Nascar fans.

Think of it this way: Normal team sports have 30 or so teams to cover. There are 50 NASCAR drivers.

 

Also, unlike team sports, any story about any driver will contain loads of incidental advertising. It's cheap marketing, and it's how NASCAR grew so quickly over the last ten years. Don't worry, the bubble's going to burst within the next few years.

[Hawk 34 0]

NASCAR. NASCAR. NASCAR.

 

There's only so much that can be said about guys driving cars in a circle a lot of times. Sorry to Nascar fans.

Think of it this way: Normal team sports have 30 or so teams to cover. There are 50 NASCAR drivers.

 

Also, unlike team sports, any story about any driver will contain loads of incidental advertising. It's cheap marketing, and it's how NASCAR grew so quickly over the last ten years. Don't worry, the bubble's going to burst within the next few years.

 

Factor in that every week is a different location, different type of track. Last weekend they were in California on 1.5 mile track and this weekend, ESPN's Busch Series is in Mexico on a road course. You can't really run out of something to talk about. There's always drivers with dissension, crew chiefs bending the rules, people getting fired left and right for things like missing a beat on the pit stop and many other things. How is it any different when ESPN or any other network will devote constant coverage to a specific story, sometimes for well over a day or even a week. If they can spend 3 months talking about T.O and how he may or may not get along with his coaches before anything actually happens, you can talk about items relating to NASCAR.

[snuffbox 0]

I'd rather watch Rollerball.

[Slayer 0]

"Cars go 'round"

[snuffbox 0]

Didn't Choken One really enjoy auto racing? He was like the only person here that did. I wonder what happened to that guy.

[Timmy8271 0]

I guess i'm the only one that enjoys NASCAR here. It's a great cure for insomnia.

 

And what happened to Mel Kiper Jr.? Did ESPN fire him?

[Guest Queen Leelee]

Kiper is still hired by ESPN. They have his name on the bottom line thingy when his mock draft shows up.

 

I guess they put McShea on TV because he's easier on the eyes. And Kiper's getting pretty fat.

[razazteca 0]

Baseball Tonight needs to be back on the aire especially now that Barry Bonds is getting death threats, Arod luvs Jeter, and the big internet pharmacy bust at Spring Training Central! Whats the deal is Peter Gammons the only one from Baseball Tonight who is currently employed or what?

[KingPK 0]

Mel's toupee is holding out for a better contract.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Didn't Choken One really enjoy auto racing? He was like the only person here that did. I wonder what happened to that guy.

Many here enjoy auto racing. It just doesn't come up in this particular forum often, since most of us are Americans and hearing "racing" conjures up images of NASCAR instead of a V10 Audi TDI screaming down the Mulsanne straightaway at LeMans or a Focus RS hurtling around a dirt track on the side of a mountain in Argentina.

[razazteca 0]

Whenever racing is brought up all I see the analysts complain about Cup drivers winning Busch series races or the hate on Toyoda as cheaters who ruin companies. I think the only person in America that actually cares about F-1 or Indycart is David Letterman and by the way whatever happen to that beauty queen driver?