Load the Wagon

Big Ten grades

2009-01-23T07:07:00.001-08:00

Mark Hasty over at (The) Fanhouse has posted a two part piece grading the Big Televen football teams.

His take on Wisconsin:

"WISCONSIN: F

"Bumbling" is a harsh word, but somehow it seems to sum up the Badgers' 2008 season. It started with a terrible decision to get rid of defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who was unemployed for about the length of a commercial break. (See Northwestern above.) It continued with a thoroughly inexplicable preseason ranking of No, 13. Toss in Bret Bielema's misplaced loyalty to quarterback Allan Evridge, woeful special teams play, and a defense no better than mediocre, and you've got a formula for disappointment.

The Badgers got flogged by Penn State, 48-7, and by Iowa, 38-16, in the midst of a 1-5 stretch. Those were good teams, however. The Badgers also lost to Michigan in there, and would have lost to Cal Poly if not for the Mustangs having special teams problems of their own. Then in the Champs Sports Bowl they got cratered by what was probably the weakest Florida State team since the 1970s. It wasn't the Badgers' fault they were overrated in the preseason, but this team didn't get better as the season went on.

2009 outlook: Gut check. Bret Bielema will be on the hot seat at the start of the season. Bank on it. Since his first season the Badgers have lost more and more games every year. The Badgers will be shockingly young next year, which isn't a good sign for them. The only thing the Badgers can be sure of is that in 2009, they won't have to overcome a too-high preseason ranking."

Yeah, pretty spot on, I'd say. While next year will be a "gut check" for the Badgers, and Bielema will most definitely be on the hot seat, the homer in me still sees the future with rose-colored glasses. Seriously, it'd take a losing record two or three games into conference play with no signs of improvement to start getting pessimistic. With Evridge gone, Bielema's hand forced to utilize John Clay more and a defense that (knock wood) won't get worse, the ship could (and should) get righted....

Since You've (I've) Been Gone

2009-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

December 10th? Wow. Obviously, in the five weeks since I posted here at LTW a lot's happened. The Packers' season limped to an end. And thank goodness they didn't drop their last game against Detroit; to be an answer to a trivia question for all time would have been no way to go out.

In the wake of that game, defensive coordinator Bob Sanders and a handful of defensive assistants were given the bum's rush outta Green Bay. Amid speculation that Mike Nolan and then Gregg Williams would be named the new Packers D-coordinator, Mike Nolan and then Gregg Williams took other jobs. Ultimately, the situation has resolved itself with the naming of Dom Capers. Begin the 3-4 (well, multiple scheme, I guess) era in Green Bay! I'm actually really interested, now, in the off season transactions and upcoming draft.

Wisconsin had a fitting end to their season getting waxed by Florida State in their bowl game. Then, P.J. Hill declared for the draft. I gotta admit, I was initially against it before I was for it. At first, I doubted Hill's pro prospects. Ron Dayne was bigger, faster, and stronger than Hill. He stayed for four years, won a Heisman, and we all saw how his career panned out. But then I stopped to consider things from Hill's perspective. Another year in Madison was unlikely to help his draft position; more wear and tear on a body that's already shown itself prone to injury is good for nobody. And then, too, after a season in which redshirt John Clay seemed to be a stronger runner and better future prospect, it's hard to imagine that Hill was going to see any more touches in 2009 than 2008. In fact, it's likely that he'd see considerably fewer. (Maybe it's just me, but after Hill's first year, while he mightn't have had the sort of Dayne-ish runs exploding through the line, then running over the second and third levels of defense on his way to 50, 60, or 70 yard runs, Hill showed flashes of that potential. This past year, though, his running seemed even less specatcular than the "pedestrian" 4.1 yards per carry, or whatever he averaged.)

Being a stereotypical homer, I still like the '09 squad's chances. Both sides of the ball are losing starters, but honestly I don't see that as a huge problem. The 2008 team had a ton of starters back and we all saw how that panned out. Recruiting is such an inexact science that it's hardly worth breaking down Bielema's 2009 class. (On that note, though, the comments to the article are picture perfect demonstrations of the law of the internet: those with the least credibility to speak speak loudest. It seemed everywhere I looked during the season, commenters were on Bielema's ass about his unhealthy devotion to "measurables" over talent and yet here are a bunch of assholes going on and on about recruiting undersized players. It's almost as though none of these dipshits have ever considered the fact that these players may actually spend a redshirt year *gasp* working with the staff's trainers. I wonder if any of those people realize that a 6' 213 lb linebacker may well be 235 by the time he sees the field?)

Still, in his fourth year, Bielema's first recruiting class will be true juniors or redshirt sophomores and should, in theory, be the prime contributers to the team. Add to that the fact that you can easily point to multiple instances that coaching either failed to put the team in position to win or actively put the team in position to lose, and you can see how 2009 could well be a make or break year for BB in Madison.

And on that note, I wonder if, put in a position to fire Bielema, Barry Alvarez would search for another head coach or reinstate himself until the team was on the right track? Needless pondering. I hope.

Michael David Smith's Every Play Counts

2008-12-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

I've quite enjoyed MDS's Every Play Counts feature this year (if it existed before, I was unaware...).

This week's is as informative and interesting as all of the rest, but for obvious reasons, it's a little hard to read.

Well, that should at least end the Packers playoff scenario talk...

2008-12-08T07:02:00.000-08:00

I was at the Roller Derby, so the only thing I know about the Packers/Texans game was that Houston won on a last second(ish) field goal. My kneejerk reaction is that the defense couldn't close. Kind of exactly like last week.

UPDATE: I've just read, briefly, about the game. I still have no idea how the offense (or new punter) did, but the defense gave up 549 yards. To the Texans. At Lambeau. These last three games should function as a late season preseason for the off-season (phew). Forget about winning, get guys in situations to see who can play, who stays, who goes, and prepare for some major overhauling in the coming months. It's do or die time, TT.

I'm not gonna lie....

2008-12-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

This blog has basically fallen off my radar. While the neglect is due in part to my focus on Action Football! (and "focus" is used pretty loosely), I'll admit that it's mostly due to the super disappointing season Wisconsin treated us to, and the slightly less disappointing we're in the midst of with the Packers. First to the former, then the latter.

Since my last post, Wisconsin very nearly dropped a game against what should have been a cupcake opponent, Cal-Poly. (Spare me the "#3 in FCS" baloney; a program that should be in the top tier of a BCS conference should never be beaten by an FCS team on their home field.) To be frank, I can't even remember how the game got so far off the rails; I suspect I've just blocked it out of my mind. While the offense mustn't have played too inspired (I guess until late in the game, although were it not for all the extrapoints CPSLO's kicker missed, they'da come up short anyway), but the defense.... I can't begin to figure out why the Badgers' defense was so woeful this season. Injuries factored, sure, but every team has injuries.

So where does Wisconsin go from here? Well, immediately, to a bowl game somewhere. A few projections over at the Journal-Sentinel's Badgers blog has possible opponents of Missouri, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Clemson, and Kansas. (I also read Miami somewhere else....) Frankly, after this year, I'm not too confident with any of these games, but especially not Missouri or Kansas. Seriously, either of those teams would put about 80 points on Wisconsin's defense. While the Tigers and Jayhawks don't have defenses to write home about, there's no way Wisconsin's offense could keep pace, and when you're dealing with teams that can air it out, the time of possession battle is completely negated.

The offense and the defense, and, hell the special teams, too, underperformed this season. I guess Chryst gets a pass because he had to break in an inexperienced quarterback and Beckum - their most explosive playmaker from last season - missed, essentially the whole year with various injuries. As the season wore on Sherer looked better. In fact, he may have actually benefitted from Beckum going down for the year because he was forced to look to other receivers. And as a result, those young receivers - Gilreath, Anderson, Toon - seemed to mature which bodes well for next year. (Spring ball will be provide a really interesting quarterback battle: Sherer or redshirt freshman Curt Phillips. On the one hand you'd have a starter with game experience, on the other, although you'd like to avoid a second consecutive season dealing with a quarterback's growing pains, the prospect of having a potential four year starter is pretty seductive. Especially since Phillips is supposedly more mobile than Sherer, a bonus considering the inexperienced offensive line that will be fielded next year.)

Dave Doeren probably also gets the benefit of the doubt on the other side of the ball. You've got to give a new coordinator a season or two to get up to speed; even if Doeren's a promoted coach and not a new guy outright, so, in theory there wasn't a huge system overhaul....

And it seems high time that Bielema gives up coaching the special teams. Period.

It's not even worth looking ahead to next year's team. And forget looking at the "returning starters" as any sort of indiator; the bold majority of the '07 squad was back and that helped shit-all.

And now to the Packers. Green Bay followed the drubbing of the Bears in Lambeau by taking a world-class beating in New Orleans. It was basically the substandard play of the safeties and now released punter Derrick Frost that did them in. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Last weekend Green Bay hosted Carolina. You've heard the story: down early, second half comeback, suspect playcalling, poor special teams play, and abyssmal pass coverage late to seal the deal. Technically only two games out of first in the division, the Packers' season is done for all intents and purposes. Sure, there's going to be a lot of morons saying that Green Bay made a huge mistake not bowing to Favre's whims, but that's all poppycock.

Aaron Rodgers played as well or better than I'd hoped, and I had pretty high expectations for him. It was ultimately the defense and special teams that have hurt Green Bay and, last time I checked, Rodgers doesn't play on either of those units.

It'll be interesting to see how things develop in terms of player and coaching personnel. Ted Thompson has demonstrated an extreme reluctance to admit mistakes (otherwise, Frost would have been released weeks before) and seems to have a very overinflated opinion of his drafting prowess. With four games left (let's eliminate all hopes of a playoff spot, that way if the stars align and Green Bay does win the division, a first round loss won't stick in our craws), it's silly to start considering free agency and the draft. So I won't.

That was one rambling-ass last post.

2008-11-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

So, unfortunately for the Big Foot Chiefs, the dream season ended last night with a 20-0 loss to Wautoma/Faith Christian. The score kind of betrays how close the game really was. Both defenses were lights out, but WFC had the benefit of some suh-weet field position because of Big Foot's inability to get anything going on defense. Admittedly, Big Foot's ability to force turnovers gave them some pretty good field position, too, but they couldn't get anything going. I think Big Foot may have been a little shell-shocked; a team that probably averaged around 200 yards rushing from the first game of the year through the playoffs was completely stuffed.

The passing game couldn't get going (until the final drive, when Wautoma was playing off and keeping everything underneath) mostly because it seemed like as soon as the ball was snapped two to four defenders were in the backfield. On two occassions, Steve Dowden (Big Foot's quarterback) lost a ton of yardage on sacks, backpedalling with defenders right in his grill.

Speaking of that last drive, with just a few minutes left in the game, FSN Wisconsin put up a graphic showing that Big Foot had only gained, like, 37 total yards. The record for least yardage in a D4 game was 75. Thankfully, with Wautoma playing off, Big Foot was able to gain enough yardage to get up over that mark; I would have been pretty disappointed to see the Chiefs finally fight their way into a Championship game with only an answer to a trivia question to show for it. Now, Beloit Turner can hold on to that dubious distinction.

It's easy to play the "what if" game (and frankly, given the lack of success Big Foot could muster offensively no matter what they tried and where the ball was, it's probably a waste of time, but still...) but I look at two plays that could feasibly have changed the complexion of the game. Early in the second quarter, with the score tied 0-0 after a few short possessions and punts by both teams, Big Foot running back T.J. Schaid took the ball off tackle to the right. He had pretty good seal blocks and, after a gain of about five yards, looked like he was going to turn the corner and have a safety to beat for six. Before he got the chance, a Wautoma linebacker laid out and got him by the fackemask, twisting him off balance and tripping him up. Without that facemask, there's a good chance Schaid, with his speed and burst, is gone giving Big Foot the first points on the board. Maybe striking first gives a boost in confidence, maybe not....

The second play came shortly thereafter. Wautoma had a first and ten at the Big Foot 44 after a good scramble by quarterback Jacob Abbrederis. They lost five on a run attempt, then Abbrederis fumbled on a fake hand off, picked it up and was tackled bringing up a third and 18. A false start turned that into a third and 23 at Wautoma's 43. On the third down play, Abbrederis was getting a lot of pressure from his left; he was able to escape the pocket to his right and, while being dragged down, get off a dart to a receiver for a gain of 19. A punt on a fourth and four was downed at Big Foot's three yard line. A first down run was knocked back to the one, and a second down pass was picked at around the 20 setting up Wautoma's - and the game's - first score.

Now the rub is that a replay showed that Abbrederis's knee hit before he threw the ball. If Wautoma's punting from their own 35 instead of Big Foot's 48, there's little to no chance that ball is downed at the three. (Factor in that Wautoma's last punt was a fourteen yard shank, and there's no telling what Big Foot's field position is.) So in an alternate reality, either T.J. Schaid scores early in the second, or at the very least, Big Foot isn't forced to play with their backs on their own goalline, gifting Wautoma with the sort of field position that turns into points.

Of course, those two plays alone wouldn't change the fact that, in the second half, Big Foot was completely unable to move the ball, or that it seemed like the Chiefs' defense wore down and Wautoma's offense was able to gain some yards, but a two score swing turns a 20-0 game to a 13-7 game....

Maybe I'll start actually writing here again...

2008-11-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

I'm at least a day ahead of my recent trend of spotty posting here.

Let's start with the Wisconsin game. For the second week in a row, halftime adjustments seemed to make all the difference in the world. This time, though, it was less about taking a lead and getting their shit together than it was about reclaiming a game and finishing. While I'd prefer the Badgers play full games the way they have the second halves against Indiana and Minnesota, I'll still take shaky first halves, strong seconds instead of games like the Michigan or Michigan State game without hesitation.

I was pretty frustrated with the sloppy play of the first half, and I'll admit to feeling guilty, after the fact, of my "Are you fucking kidding me?" reaction to Kyle Jefferson's fumble. I mean, if I'd known he was concussed, I certainly wouldn't have been as critical.... Again, though, the fact that Wisconsin came out of the half and played capital eff football was good to see. (And while there will never, ever, ever be a play in a Paul Bunyan's Axe game that surpasses The Blocked Punt, the Pontiac Game Changing safety comes as close as any play I can imagine will.)

And now on to Green Bay's dismantling of Chicago; a pure, grade A, USDA prime beat down. One of my oldest, dearest friends is a Bears fan and it took every fiber of my being to not cockily shoot him text messages every, say, ten minutes after the game started. That's right, I took the high road. Like I've mentioned before, without NFL Sunday Ticket or the desire to drop $40 at a sports bar, I'm relegated to following the Packers on most Sundays by the internet and scoring game breaks. By this method, close games really try my patience. (And cardiovascular health.) Thankfully, the outcome of this game was never in question.

So, recapping, first and foremost, thank Christ Green Bay beat Chicago. Raised in a fiercely Packers supporting home, I still cling to the stance that a 2-14 record is fine as long as those two wins were against the Bears. Lovely Smith's tenure as Bears coach has been a killer, let me tell you. (Although I love the guy for two reasons: first, he's been rightfully cited by GQ as one of the most dapper dudes in the NFL, and second, he said at his first fucking press conference that beating the Green Bay Packers was his number one goal; Respect. The. Rivalry.)

Mostly, I'm glad that Ryan Grant played worth a shit in this football game. I can't imagine I'm the only Packers fan that was pissed that he and his dipshit agent had him sit out camp. Accordingly, I'm sure I'm not the only football fan whose reaction to the ESPN NFL Gameday commercial about global warming ("It's hot," "Like the NFC North's run game," "In a pass happy league, with Adrian Peterson and Ryan Grant, why not" or whatever; seriously, Ryan Grant's been a chump-ass chump this year! Consider cutting two or three versions of your dumb commercials so you don't look like assholes! And along that line, consider stopping the Antiques Roadshow-like ad after Keyshawn says "It looks like a cat." That shit's hilarious. Going on to say "Or a Panther," "And speaking of the Panthers, who do you like in the NFC South this year?" Because having Mort say "Well, historically, the team that finishes last one year, finishes first the next," doesn't hold water when you're talking about a division that's existed for six fucking years. What's historic about that? Get back to me when the trend continues for a decade, dick bird.)

Anyway, the reason I'm really writing today is that I had one helluva Saturday watching/listening to football. First, of course, was the second half comeback by the University of Wisconsin. Second, though, was the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (of Wisconsin, if the url is to be any indicator...) level four victory* by The Big Foot Chiefs which puts them in the state final. Is it hypocritical to be a big "booster" from 1000 miles away especially because I not only didn't play, but made fun of the football players when I was in school? Well, perhaps, but I'd contend that there wasn't a culture of supporting the football team when I was in school and the two years of pine-riding basketball that comprised my high school athletic career serve to indicate that my "suiting up" wouldn't have done much to improve the on-field performance. No, if there's anything that leads me to believe that "now" is different from "then" it's that there's currently a middle school tackle football program that didn't exist when I was a kid. My only introduction to tackle football was the two weeks after the flag football season that the A-team (which *fingernail polishing on the shirt* I was on in seventh and eighth grades**) engaged in. I learned two things from that: first, I couldn't run through the gauntlet, and second, that I'd definitely pay the price by trying to tackle Jake Ries at the two yardline after, as a d-lineman, I'd run the entire field - bypassing him juking the other linemen, linebackers, and secondary).

Anyway, last year's level two win was a school's best, and this year's level four win blows that one out of the water. As a Directv "Sports Pack" subscriber, I'm almost positive I get the upcoming title game televised, which is about a million times weirder than hearing my high school's football games streamed on the internet. Assuming the game is on tv, I'll be watching. And at the very least (and even if it is televised) I'll see about streaming it online (in case the tv feed cops out too early).

Much like the way I've been a bigger Badgers fan since moving away (separation making the heart grow fonder, and all that), I've grown an bigger Chiefs fan (at least football-wise, thanks Friday Night Lights*****). Since I'm afforded the opportunity to head back to Walworth at least once a year (Merry Christmas!) and the fact that, since Big Foot's athletic teams have gotten better and they've started printing them, I was able to pick up a white on red "Big Foot" t-shirt. Of course, I'm summarily forced to explain to all onlookers that "Big Foot" refers to Chief Big Foot and not the monster on an almost weekly basis....

* I think Entourage is a horrible, horrible show. Like, Sex and the City for douchebags. But worse. But still, I saw Kevin Dillon on Conan once and they talked about how his character, *shudder* Johnny Drama played a Viking whose catch phrase was "Victoryyyy!" and it cracked me up.

** The seventh grade ending in a one-tied-game tie for first place, the eighth an undefeated season and sole possesion of first place - which culminated in a school year ending presentation of an autographed football to our coach*** and a tearful speech, following.

*** Who, actually, is the father of one of the stars of Big Foot's squad, and whose presence in this post is both a testament to my unusually thourough memory as well as the fact that youth athleics coaches (and, in his case, history teachers) make impacts on young minds. (I'm not even going to get into the fact that the kid was born when I was his student or that his wife was also my high school PE teacher.... Well, not much, anyway.)

**** Although I will cop to going to a BFHS hoops game, when I was in college, with my old man and my granddad (RIP); the varsity squad was on the cusp of the state playoffs which didn't happen in my entire time in high school.

Very nearly this weekend without a post from last weekend.

2008-11-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

Wow. This blog has gotten to the point in all blogs' lives where the updates are few and far between. (I think it's hardly coincidental that my enthusiasm for the blog has pretty much followed the success of the Badgers and Packers. Now, that doesn't make me a fair weather fan - I still follow the teams the same as ever - but most assuredly does make me a fair weather blogger....)

Pretty soon all I'll be doing is dumping a YouTube video here every three weeks and that will be that.

Still, until then, here's this:

Last Saturday, I had some folks over to watch the UNC/Georgia Tech game. It's very tech snobby, I guess, but I'd rather watch a game I'm marginally interested in in high definition than one I'm actually interested in in standard def. Oh well. Still, I periodically (commercial breaks, halftime) checked in on Wisconsin, and can say that I was pretty disheartened by at the half. 24-21 over Indiana? Yikes.

Still, I was progressively more "heartened" throughout scoring updates in the second half. Thirty one unanswered points? That's more like it. From what I read, Wisconsin's defense got their heads on straight, and the offense was able to run all over Indiana. I'm hoping that those trends flow over to tomorrow's match up against Minnesota. But more on that in a minute.

On Sunday, I kept tabs with the Packers through game updates and infrequent trips to the computer. Of course, following the game, primarily, by score alone didn't give me the immediate indication of exactly how poor they played. By all accounts, based on the play of the offense and defense, Green Bay should have lost by about five touchdowns. Certainly not the play you'd hope for from a team that's still only a few games out midway through the season; a team that I'd hoped was reloading and not rebuilding....

Sunday, with the Bears in town, will hopefully show what the Packers are made of and what to expect from them down the stretch. They've split the season with the Vikings, still have two against Chicago (2-0 would be spectacular, but I could settle for 1-1), and have one more against Detroit (which, so help me if they lose...). The remaining schedule's not easy, but with New Orleans and Jacksonville not playing up to expectations and Carolina capable of games like the one against Oakland, the Packers still have a shot at the playoffs. (Although with the look of the NFC East and South, winning the division will probably be what it takes.)

As far as Wisconsin's concerned, the fact that Eric Decker's out is a huge, huge plus. I don't know who they'd have had on him, but I suspect he'd have had a big day. As it stands, Wisconsin does look like they've started to remember how to play football, and the Golden Gophers have slowed after a hot start, so Wisconsin's being picked by most analysts. I just hope they come out strong and decide not to let Minnesota back into the game (ala Michigan and Michigan State).

With the Paul Bunyan Axe on the line, high def or no, this game is going to be my primary.

Yet Another Monday Update

2008-11-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

It's hard for me to put into words my disappointment from Wisconsin's loss to Michigan State. I'm frustrated at the continued mental errors. And the penalties, oh the penalties... Niles Brinkley was called for what seemed like fifteen pass interference penalties and got away with what seemed like another fifteen.

Mostly, though, I was disgusted with the "sideline warning/unsportsmanlike conduct on the coaching staff" two-fer. Through the rest of the telecast, I don't think the commentators mentioned that penalty once, but that seemed to me the turning point for the whole game. I just don't know how Bielema expects the team to play a smart, disciplined game if they can't behave in a smart, disciplined manner on the sideline. "I learned it from watching you" indeed.

As far as Green Bay's concerned, without Sunday Ticket or the compulsion to spend $40 at a sports bar, I was unable to watch the game. Since I took the afternoon to go to the Durham Art Walk with my wife (and saw, maaaybe, two or three pieces worthwhile), I wasn't able to keep up with in-game scoring breaks or internet Game Centers. And finally, since I've used up all my Media minutes, I didn't check the score on my phone. So it was with nervous optimism that I turned on Football Night in America when we got home.

Basically, it looks like Tennessee's ability to run did the Packers in.

Still, at with the Bears at 5-3 with a banged up Orton, I still like Green Bay's chances in the division.

Hey, Another Monday, Another Post

2008-10-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

(In fairness, this blog is being underwritten because of my slightly higher focus on Action Football!)

The Badgers picked up their first Big Ten win, 27-17 over Illinois in Madison. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Wisconsin. They're now one (small) step closer to some crappy December 27th bowl game. I'm sure most Badgers fans, like me, had at least a tiny sigh of relief: the offense, while not spectacular, didn't have any crippling mistakes, and the defense finally looked like I was expecting them to look all year.

It's never too soon to start looking ahead, and while Sherer played better - and is just a junior - and, apparently Tolzien - a sophomore - had moved into the two spot on the depth chart, I'm kind of hoping red-shirting freshman Curt Phillips has a great spring and fall camp and gets himself into position to start as a red-shirt freshman. Think about getting four years out of a starting quarterback. Pair that with another three from John Clay, a handful of young receivers, big linemen on (hopefully) ready to emerge.... Maybe the year after next Wisconsin will have a team worthy of a top 10 ranking.

One thing that I noticed watching the game, that I don't really remember hearing about, is how consistent kicker Phillip Welch has been; 14/16 field goals including 1/2 of 50+. Add to that he's a red-shirt freshman, and we're likely looking at the next great Badgers kicker. It would be nice if he could get kick offs through the endzone, but I'm willing to accept less than booming kick offs for accurate field goal kicking.

No update since last Monday, huh?

2008-10-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, last Monday's "Packers, Badgers 1-1 This Weekend" is still spot on. So's the first line: "But, holy cow, what a loss Wisconsin's was." I could only stomach about half of the game. The Badgers seem out of sorts in all phases, and it doesn't look possible to get it sorted out. I'm not going to start the "almost basketball season" line because I like college football more than college basketball, and no matter how rationally gone this season is, I'm still irrationally hoping that Wisconsin will turn a corner and at least get bowl eligible....

The Packers, on the other hand, sound like they gave the Colts what for. I've seen the highlights, but have yet to read anything about the game. Perhaps I'll have something more to write after I've read the coverage.

And perhaps not.

Packers, Badgers 1-1 This Weekend

2008-10-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

But, holy cow, what a loss Wisconsin's was. I was in Athens for the Georgia/Tennessee game, but managed to find a bar (and pizza! and pitchers!) to watch the Wisconsin game with my buddy.

The two of us have a habit of finding bars a million miles away from Wisconsin that, somehow, have a table full of opposing fans to sit behind. This happened in Chapel Hill in for the 2003 upset of Ohio State and again in 2007 for the Badgers hoops squad short-lived #1 ranked loss to Michigan State. Of course the trend continued Saturday and we were sitting behind a half dozen Nittany Lions fans.

Seriously, I don't feel like talking about the game in any capacity. This team is going to have to get it together and fast.

The Packers won, apparently, but I have neither seen highlights nor read recaps. I do know they're tied for first in the division, though. (Thanks, Bears!)

This Weekend in Awful Wisconsin Sports News

2008-10-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not going to lie to you. I saw neither the Badgers nor Packers game. My wife scored free tickets to the Carolina/U Conn game, which is why I missed the former, and I'm out of region and not about to pay for Sunday Ticket which is why I missed the latter. I'd actually dvr'd the Badgers game, but since I was keeping track of the score on my phone, I only would have watched it if they'd won. Kinda counterintuitive, I know.

Anyway, from what I've read, both games were decided because the defenses didn't hold tough enough. Oh well.

Add to that the fact that the Brewers exited their first post-season appearance since Reagan's first term early (but not as early as the Cubs; enjoy that next 100 years, a-holes!), and it was a pretty crappy weekend all told.

Still, though, Wisconsin could still stay in the mix if they can beat Penn State in Madison next weekend (a scenario that seems increasingly unlikely, unfortunately). Green Bay is at Seattle, which could (should) be a win. Even with a 2-3 record, with two division wins already, the Packers are still relevant in the NFC North hunt.

Plus, the Scott Skiles era is right around the corner. Imagine how weird it'll be to see the Bucks playing defense.

Buckeyes and Falcons

2008-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin has got Ohio State in Madison Saturday night. According to The Daily Cardinal, the defense is...ready? Forgive my skepticism, but not only do I remember Wisconsin's struggles against spread attacks and mobile quarterbacks last year (UNLV, Illinois), I remember Steven Threet's 40+ yard scamper last week. And from the looks of things, Tyrelle Pryor can throw better than Juice Williams and run better than Threet. Basically, I'm going to keep my expectations really low for this week and, hopefully, won't come away disappointed. Say what you will about Wisconsin's defense, Ohio State's going to get their points. The critical aspect in this ballgame is Wisconsin's offense getting something going. Three-and-outs last week prevented Wisconsin's defense from getting any rest in the second half, and I shudder to think what Pryor and Beanie Wells would do against a tired Wisconsin d this week.

Green Bay is home against the Falcons Sunday. Not only is Rodgers's status still up in the air, it's looking increasingly like he won't start. If Rodgers is out, Matt Flynn will probably get the start. Now, it's distinctly possible that Flynn could take the world by storm with a limited playbook. After all, the Falcons' staff has very little film on him. However, you'd think that, even if Rodgers plays, it's going to be imperative that the Packers get their running game going. For what it's worth, I had a dream last night in which Grant had a monster game; I mean, like 160 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. So here's hoping I prove to be some kind of football psychic. (I almost nail the number of points South Florida put up on NC State over at Action Football! last week....)

Oh, great.

2008-10-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Cullen Jenkins is done for the season. Apparently, the Packers have signed 6'4" 248 lb. Kenny Pettway. Just what Green Bay needs, another undersized pass-rush specialist. Ugh.

In Badgers news, Paul Chryst's daughters are sticking it to him for his play calling. I wonder how old Katy and JoJo are, because they sound pretty great. Hopefully they can get him back on track for the Ohio State game. Speaking of which, the Buckeyes coaches are getting the team prepped for the atmosphere by showing them clips of the "Jump Around" tradition. And apparently, some former Buckeye told corner Chimdi Chekwa that Badgers fans throw batteries and nickels in marshmallows. Which is the dumbest shit I've ever read on the interenet. Which is saying something.

Well at Least the Brewers Kept This Weekend from Completely Sucking....

2008-09-29T08:32:00.001-07:00

Since I didn't see any of the Packers game, I'm going to hold off talking about it until I've read a few more recaps. Or maybe I'll just let it go outright. Really, it seems like the main story is Rodgers's shoulder. If he misses a few weeks, Green Bay could find themselves in a helluva hole early in the season. There was insult added to injury, yesterday, with Favre throwing six touchdown passes in the Jets' win over the Cardinals.

What I really want to write about is the Wisconsin/Michigan game. Even with a 19-0 lead at halftime, I had a really bad feeling about the game. The Badgers were virtually incapable of getting into the end zone and seemed to have to desire to capitalize on the numerous Michigan mistakes and turnovers. Evridge looked worse in that game than in any of the others, seeming to lock on to receivers right off the snap. On a few occasions, the lack of moving his eyes got him drilled from the periphery. Granted, over the past few seasons especially, the tight end has been an integral part of the passing game and Garrett Graham not playing and Travis Beckum not playing until late took away a huge safety valve for Evridge. And Beckum not practicing obviously hurt in the misalignment at the end of the game that cost Wisconsin the tying two-point conversion.

I can't remember if it was Maguire, Griese, or Nessler that said it, but one of them mentioned that Evridge was very Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in the ballgame. He either looked really sharp or really lost. He was sharpest on the final, potentially game tying drive. Say what you will about Michigan playing in a prevent-type defense, Evridge seemed a lot more confident and decisive with his passes; unfortunately, that was way to late in the game. Of course, you can't place the blame solely on Evridge for the lack of a passing attack. I don't know if it's that DelVaughn Alexander's wideout coaching finally supplanting Henry Mason's, but holy moly were there a lot of catchable balls dropped.

Finally, last season, Mike Hankwitz found himself out of a job after the defense took a huge step back. I wonder if Paul Chryst's seat might heat up if the offense doesn't start getting on track. I'm getting awfully tired of hearing about Wisconsin's mammoth offensive line and then seeing three two or three yard runs and a punt. Sure, the issue gets complicated if the lack of a passing threat keeps eight or nine defenders up against the run, but I'm pretty sure it's the offensive coordinator's job to find a way to get the passing game on track to prevent defenses from loading up. At least, from what I saw, Chryst only called the center screen (that hasn't worked in two and a half years) once.

Not Your Grandfather's Packers Fan

2008-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

This might end up being a little divisive in Packers fandom (I mean, if Rodgers' 'stache and possible nickname are too much for some to handle...), but Lil' Wayne has a new blog on ESPN. In its first entry, he says:

As a Packer fan, it's been pretty good so far. Aaron Rodgers has been wonderful, man. He's handled everything, and way more than just the football part. Of course it helps the Jets aren't doing nothing.

Now, I knew he'd reverenced Lambeau leaps and Brett Favre in songs before, which seemed weird to me at the time (although no weirder than "I am so far from the othars I mean others/ I can eat them for supper get in my spaceship and hover"), but they seem to make a lot more sense knowing he's a fan.

Anyway, Weezy is the polar opposite of the preconceived Packers fan. And I think that's spectacular.

The Gunslinger.

2008-09-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Brats and Beer pointed out yesterday that, predictably, in the wake of the Packers loss to Dallas some dipshit Packers "fans" called in to WTMJ's post-game show claiming that with B-Favre at the helm, Green Bay would have won the game.

Well, I hope that all those callers watched last night's Jets/Chargers game. Favre threw two interceptions - including a 52 yard pick six - and can actually consider himself lucky. Were it not for a case of San Diego defenders' "open field jitters" Favre easily could have thrown three more interceptions, two of which could have been taken back for scores or at least put the Chargers in really, really good field position.

Red. Zone. Offense.

2008-09-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I've decided against getting too specific about last night's Packers/Cowboys game. Suffice it to say that Dallas outplayed and out-coached Green Bay in about all aspects of the game.

The thing I think most needs to be addressed is getting the ball in the end zone. The whole complexion of the game could have been different had Green Bay come away with 14 points instead of three on their first two scoring drives.

(I realize that the picture has nothing to do with the title or the post, but, whatever - I like it.)

Everybody's Working For The Weekend

2008-09-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

So they can sit on the couch, eating poorly, and drinking beer, getting exhausted from inactivity, but then sleeping poorly because of a sore back because of the aforementioned inactivity. Then it's back to work.

Man, that's depressing.

Anyway, no Wisconsin game to watch Saturday, so that means I'll be faster and looser with the remote. And the Packers don't play until Sunday night (sing it, Faith!), so that means I won't be as glued to the tickers during the first and second games on Sunday; doubly so, since I'm not playing fantasy football this year.

So now, here are my Completely Common Sense, Insightless Keys to Victory for Green Bay:

1. The defense must pressure Tony Romo. Given the talent of Dallas's d-line, that's going to require getting creative with the blitzing: linebackers, nickle corners, safeties. His rhythm must be disrupted.

2. The corners must get physical with Dallas's receivers. If they get off the line cleanly, it's going to be up to the safeties to contain. Which means....

3. The safeties must play disciplined ball. Anytime one of them is out of position, a play could go for six. Look at tape of the Philly game: the Cowboys love to go down field; down the middle of the field.

4. Whether McCarthy uses the run to set up the pass or the pass to set up the run, it's going to take a balanced gameplan to win. Look at tape of the Philly game: you can move the ball against Dallas's defense.

5. Unless Green Bay is able to jump out to a spectacular early lead, field position and time of possession may be their best chance to win. Therefore, the kick and punt coverage must be textbook.

So there you have it, a completely milquetoast look at the keys to VICTORY!

Really, Casillas?

2008-09-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

I tend to hold Wisconsin Badgers to a higher standard than other college athletes, so it disappoints me when they get in trouble. The latest is Jonathan Casillas who was cited for DUI in August.

There's nothing funny about drunk driving, but the first time through the article I was like, "What the fuck does 'double-scoot' mean?" Rereading, it turns out that not only was Casillas scootering at nearly twice the legal limit, but he had a passenger.

I hope that passenger was a sexy lady. At least then you could maybe see why his judgment was compromised.

The Weekend in Wisconsin Football

2008-09-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, let me say how glad I am that no more Wisconsin games are going to start at 10:30 pm (Eastern). I started watching games at about noon (starting with the DVR'd fourth quarter of Friday's Kansas/USF game) so by the time the Wisconsin game got underway, I was damn near sick of being on the couch. By halftime I was exhausted, but rather than record the rest to watch Sunday morning, I decided to power through.

The game reminded me a lot of Wisconsin's bowl game against Tennessee. Both teams were kind of slugging it out. Neither offense could take control, but it seemed less due to defensive prowess and more due to the inability of the offenses to deviate from what they were doing. After Wisconsin was up 10-0, I was hoping they'd be able to take control. Instead, it was a healthy diet of run up the middle; run to the left; run to the right; punt.

Similarly, I'm not sure why Pat Hill seemed so reluctant to spread the field and open it up (though, I'm grateful he chose to play the way he did). Given Wisconsin's thin d-line (which did a great job of generating pressure, regardless), a spread passing attack likely would have given the secondary fits in the second half.

Still, though, like was pointed out elsewhere, a "seen-from-a-mile-away" goal line play on fourth and goal early, the bobbled punt that was blocked, and the "now it's a fumble, now it's not" play really kept Fresno State in the game.

At the end of the day, Wisconsin traveled across half the continent into a stadium that was amped for an upset and came away with a W. 3-0 with an actual test headed into an open week before a pretty brutal start to conference play is definitely a best case scenario.

As for the Packers, since I don't have Sunday Ticket and didn't feel like going to a bar, I relied on the ticker, game breaks, and halftime/postgame highlights to keep me informed. While I'd have preferred that the defense (ive secondary) didn't let the Lions back into the game, they seemed to right the ship late and then put it to bed with two pick-sixes.

Rodgers had another solid outing throwing for 300+ and 3 touchdowns. Most importantly, he didn't throw any interceptions (although he apparently fumbled twice, losing one). Not turning the ball over is the key to success this season for sure, and so far so good.

After watching last night's Cowboys/Eagles game, I'm sure glad next Sunday's game is going to be in Green Bay. I hope the corners and safeties were playing especially close attention to how much Dallas likes to chuck it downfield....

One and Oh! One and Oh!

2008-09-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

Before I read anything else about the game, I'm going to shit out my impressions:

1. Way, way, waaaaaay to many penalties. I was furious after Moll was flagged for illegal downfield the second time (negating that sweet 80 yard Driver touchdown) until Jaws rightfully pointed out that it wasn't his fault. (I still had a hard time letting that go.)

2. Rodgers looked sharp.

3. Jennings and Driver are a helluva tandem. When James Jones is ready to go...whoa, doggy.

4. Grant's running with authority.

5. The defense looked...okay. The backs were flying around; Barnett was getting his name called a lot (but he's going to have to reign in the after-the-play intensity, 'cause much more of that will get him flagged); the d-line was able to get pressure when it needed to, but depth - and the relative inability to rush with the linebackers - could be a factor in upcoming weeks (although that offsides call on KGB was bull); Green Bay's "physical" corners got away with at least two pass interferences.

6. Live, I woulda sworn Blackmon stepped out-of-bounds on his punt return.... Thankfully, he didn't....

7. It seems a little ridiculous to call "leverage" if a kick isn't missed or blocked. It's kind of like calling holding on the left tackle on a sweep to the right: sure, it happened, but it had zero effect on the play.

8. Jared Allen can put his helmet square up his ass.

All told I'm pretty satisfied with how things rolled, although the last three minutes gave me fits. First down, second and long, third and long runs stuffed (the last of which was with a stopped clock 'cause of the holding call on Tausch) gave the Vikings the ball and a shot with just shy of two minutes instead of the ball and a prayer with about one.

Still, it worked out in the end (thanks, Atari!) and you've gotta be pretty confident heading into the Detroit game.

Well, I Guess Five Days After The Badgers Game Is As Good A Time As Any....

2008-09-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

Time for a hazy recap. Hooray!

First and foremost, the Badgers run game is who (what) we thought they (it) were (was/is). That is to say, Wisconsin can run the ball. Racking up nearly four hundred yards on the ground and having three different running backs score is good news.

Evridge didn't do anything to make me any more concerned about the passing game, but he didn't do anything to set me more at ease either. It might have been nerves, but it seemed like a lot of his passes were sailing on him. That's not too bad against Akron, but I'd hate to see balls like that against Fresno State. Or Ohio State. Or, hell, Minnesota....

On the one hand, there was a play that he rolled out of the pocket to the left and, rather than running (for a probable first down - or close, anyway) he threw a nice ball between two defenders about eight or nine yards down field. On the other hand, he telegraphed that interception in the end zone. So, yeah, the coaching staff is gonna need to work on that decision making.

Defensively, I liked the way Wisconsin's tacklers (especially the linebackers and especially especially Jaevery McFadden) were flying around the early. Less reassuring, however, was how they seemed to slow down in the second half. Akron was on their heels early, but seemed to settle down and execute their offense in the second half. Again, not too bad against Akron, but....

So, all told, a win's a win, but I don't think we'll really get a sense of the team Wisconsin's got until that Fresno State game. Which is kind of old news.

Now That Green Bay's Preseason Is Done...

2008-08-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

It might be a good time to address what we've learned. I've learned that I don't have the stomach for preseason football.

I've also learned that it's relatively futile to try to gain any insight from preseason games.

How's this sound? I'll write what I learned from the preseason after Green Bay's Week One game against Minnesota....

Things I'm Most Looking Forward To

2008-08-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

P.J. Hill's first broken tackle;
John Clay's first real carry;
Allan Evridge's first complete pass;
The first tackle-for-loss by a d-lineman (allowing me to, momentarily, exhale);
The first linebacker gang tackle;
David Gilreath with the ball in his hands;
Bucky.

Four days to the Wisconsin game...four days to the Wisconsin game...

2008-08-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Holy, Curmudgeon

2008-08-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

Man, talk about a "I said cut those sideburns, Mattingly" moment....

Wisconsin's Super Sweet Sixteen...er, Twenty Nine

2008-08-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin's depth chart, ladies and gents. Shocking to no one in particular is Evridge at QB1. Scanning through, I see that Mo-Mo's ahead of Kyle Jefferson for WR2, though given all the reports of Jefferson's continued ball-droppery, I guess that's no shocker.

Guh, how are there still nine days until this season starts? At least I've got the BTN! Here's to being able to watch the Badgers' first two games at home!

That's a bold statement.

2008-08-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Some dude at NCAA Fanhouse linked to some other dude's blog post about overrated teams in preseason top 25s. < sarcasm >Shocker,< /sarcasm > Wisconsin gets included on the list. Granted, Tommy Rider is pretty reserved in his "criticism" of the Badgers:

I'm on record as saying how much I respect Bret Bielema as a head coach. When you have a guy like that, your team always has a chance to compete. Having said that, no way is the 12th best team in the country heading into the season. They have concerns at QB, DL and WR, while their special teams are uncharacteristically weak this year as well. The Badgers also have a tough schedule with road battles against Fresno State, Michigan, Iowa and Michigan State, while playing host to Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois. That's doesn't set up for a team with quarterback concerns to have a lot of success. I hate to underestimate the Badgers but my early guess is they won't even finish in the Top 25 this year. I know one thing for sure: They won't finish in the Top 12.

I can agree with Wisconsin not being the 12th best team, but have a hard time swallowing his prediction that they won't finish ranked. Of the "road battles" listed, the only one that really concerns me is Fresno State. Plus, Wisconsin should be able to take two of three of the "host tos" (Penn State and Illinois, likely). Worst case scenario, Bucky finishes the regular season 9-3, missing the Rose Bowl and pulling a mid-level SEC team in a Florida bowl (a-fucking-gain), predicted as woefully overmatched, either winning or losing by less than a touchdown with a final rank of 12ish (with a win) or 19ish (with a loss).

And there you have it.

Beers To You, Wisconsin

2008-08-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

A shout out to Wisconsin from EDSBS, for my money the cream of the crop of college football blogs. (It is to college football what Free Darko is to NBA basketball. But way more hilarious and waaaaay less dense; am I the only person that would love to read FD regularly but feels that Cliffs Notes are required?)

In the spirit of the post, when I get home today, I'll drink ten beers in honor of EDSBS. Cheers!

16...It's a Horse Race (LOL) To The Season....ugh

2008-08-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Not for nothing, it's only two weeks aaaand nine hours and forty five minutes 'til NC State/South Carolina get the season going. Well, technically Vandy/Miami (OH) start a half hour earlier (ESPNU), but let's be reasonable.

17

2008-08-13T06:19:00.001-07:00

Breaking News

2008-08-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

Looks like Wisconsin got a verbal commit from Josh Peprah, Packers' safety Charlie "Pep" Peprah's brother. I'm not sure how many other "news" outlets have picked this up yet, but based on no evidence, I'm going to say I'm the first getting the word out.

From Yesterday, But Still...

2008-08-12T07:57:00.001-07:00

If you're a Badgers fan, I dare you to read this and not start salivating at the fact that we're just barely over two weeks away from the start of the season.

18

2008-08-12T07:20:00.001-07:00

Whoa, whoa. I'm going to caution you against doing a Google Image Search for "eighteen" or "18" without turning your Safe Search on....

Scenes From (Well, Of) a Preseason Game

2008-08-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'm purposely writing this before reading anything else about the game. Therefore, it'll be mostly impressions with few actual facts. I'll admit that, because of a DVR'd Mad Men, I missed the first one (and a half?) series for the Packers. As such, I didn't see Rodgers's interception. And if I'm not mistaken, ESPN didn't show it again throughout the telecast. All told, the first string offense looked pretty sharp. It would have been nice if Rodgers had kept the touchdown pass to James Jones down a little - I wasn't to hype to see him hung out to dry - but it was pretty awesome to see him break free, helmet-less, and rumble in for six.

In fact, that capped a series that should pump up any Packer fan: Brandon Jackson broke out of a few tackles to turn a three or four yard gain into a twelve yard gain, Driver took a short pass in the flat upfield for a first down before delivering a knockout shot to a tackling d-back, and Jones went up high for a pass that he cought off a bobble before spinning out of a double shot that took his lid off and taking the ball in for a touchdown.

The line seemed to be getting off the ball pretty well, and it seemed that they were creating some usable running lanes. Jackson, Herron, and later Lumpkin, seemed to be running decisively. I guess the receivers dropped some balls they shouldn't have, but they seemed to be quick into open areas of the field. The second string guys were decent, although I was a little concerned with Brohm's insistence on chucking it into coverage. And it was the first I heard of him, but I'm now officially intrigued by Taj Smith.

Defensively, the first unit seemed to be playing well. The linebackers were all over the place, which is awesome. I would have preferred the line to get a little more push, but I guess they exhibited everything you'd expect from a unit missing two out of every three players with injuries. I was a little dismayed by Bigby flying over the top of Utecht on the Bengals' first touchdown. Granted, it would have been unlikely that Bigby would have kept Utecht on the half yardline (which is where he'd have made contact), but he was zoning in for a decapitator and just kind of missed. That's the kind of mentality that could get you beat bad.

On special teams, it was heartening that coverage looked pretty good on both sides of the return game, but man, what was with Ryan's six yard punt? Cripes.

Lastly, the Favre/Rodgers talk wasn't any worse than I'd expected, but it wasn't any better. I'm amazed the Bengals players weren't pissed that their sideline interviews were predominantly, "How do you think Aaron Rodgers performed?" Granted, I missed the first fifteen minutes of the telecast, so I also missed Kornheiser's intro. I did like that Jaworski called him out on his, "dalliance of vanity and pride" or whatever, not because he didn't understand it - as TK tried to imply - but because it sounded ridiculous.

So, all things considered, I'm starting to get really excited for the regular season to start. If the team can get healthier (or at least not more injured), Green Bay should be strong out of the gates and one step closer to - dare was say it, Jaws? - a shot at starting a dynasty.

M'n'N'n'F

2008-08-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Preseason's been going on for a little while now, and the snippets I've seen (about 10 minutes total of four or five different games) have made me happy to see football on television again. But not happy enough to watch a full (or most of a full) game. Yet.

Tonight's Packers/Bengals game is a different story, though. Really, the only thing that could drive me away is Kornheiser's (probable) non-stop jibber jabber about the Favre situation. It's an unfortunate perfect storm for TK: he'll be able to lead the telecast with an over the top monologue, rich with melodrama and hyperbole, and then proceed to completely ignore anything that happens on the field to beat the dead horse (that he'd killed by about five minutes into the game).

It kind of makes me ill just thinking about it....

21, 20, 19

2008-08-11T07:10:00.001-07:00

On the short side of three weeks, it's time to start getting excited.

22

2008-08-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

23

2008-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Flying in the Face of My Own Advice

2008-08-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

I was thinking, earlier this summer, about writing a post wondering aloud (well, if you read this blog out loud, I guess) whether Kissing Suzy Kolber's schtick was getting stale in the doldrums of the off-season. Like, this time last year I didn't seem to recall every post being some sort of screenplay. Then, I reconsidered, because what point would it serve "calling out" a blog that shit-tons of people read and, presumably, really enjoy when this blog has a readership of two (four on a good day!) and has about one one hundredth the amount of effort put into it (and that's proablaby a liberal estimate). But, you see, by writing about what I'd decided not to write about, I've totally written it! How crazy!

Anyway, today there's a post that reminded me why I fell in love with that site in the first place (awww). Not only was I delighted with the prose and tone of the post, but I started to get all kinds of excited to read KSK again after the season starts and there's, you know, stuff for them to write about.

Thank God That's Over

2008-08-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

As everyone surely knows by now, Favre was traded to the Jets (no linking, because good luck avoiding this story) for either a draft pick or a ham sandwich. Either way, a big win for Green Bay. Though the position may be in the majority for Packers Nation at large, support of Favre like my boy Dawg's seems to be in the minority in the Packers Blog World. In case I needed to state my stance re:Favre, I posted a comment to his post (I forgot comment moderation is on on his blog, so I can't copy and paste).

The gist is that while both the front office and Favre made missteps along the way, Favre's missteps outweight the Ted Thompson Trio's and that, in my eyes, is how Favre pissed away his good standing.

Ultimately, this whole saga is going to take the quarterbacking bar for Rodgers from high to almost impossibly high. There are scores of knee-jerk, loudmouth Packers fans that are bound to seize on any mistakes Rodgers makes and play "the Jets are always greener" game. (Like the parents of the little kid that told Rodgers he sucks.) Without naming names, I know one guy who, before Favre came back last time, spent the entire season saying he was done, over the hill, and a hinderance to the Packers progress. He surprised me when he admitted he was dead wrong after last season's success, but after Favre retired this time (psych!) he was already doomsdaying next season, rational thinking (young, talented team; still improving defense; Rodgers' showing against Dallas) be damned! I wonder how many people that will be shouting about how Favre should be the Packers' starters this season were shouting that he should be benched midway through the '06 season....

At the end of the day, I'm pulling for Favre in New York. I'll damn sure watch more Jets games than I would have, and cheering is so much easier since he's on an AFC squad. Still, for as much success as I wish him, I hope Rodgers starts off with a strong win against the Vikes and, win or lose, Favre throws a couple of back-foot picks against the Dolphins....

24

2008-08-06T06:23:00.001-07:00

I'm Some Sort of Soothsayer....

2008-08-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, anybody with half a brain coulda predicted it, but my prediction was made truth, as Lance Smith got his ass booted from the Badgers.

Too bad, really, because the kid had a ton of talent. Of course, he must be kind of an idiot, so I guess Wisconsin's better without him. Bielema seems to be doing a lot of legwork to get Lance on with another program. They're trying to find an FCS fit so he doesn't have to sit a year.

25

2008-08-05T08:08:00.001-07:00

28, 27, 26

2008-08-04T06:58:00.001-07:00

Big Ten/SEC

2008-08-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

It should hardly come as a surprise, but the ol' Big Ten/SEC talk has begun (does it really ever end?).

The thing that got me about the story, though, was regarding Lloyd Carr's advice to Bielema to spend some time away every year, Bielema says, "[Y]ou need to get away from the city you live in, thus, Madison...."

Am I the only person that wants a "Thus, Madison" shirt now?

29

2008-08-01T06:56:00.001-07:00

Sippin' on Syzzurp....

2008-07-31T08:52:00.001-07:00

A comment to a post at Camp Lambeau asked how much codeine Johnny Jolly was actually pinched with. I responded in probably too much depth, but will actually keep going with it here.

(I'm going to preface this with the fact that all of these calculations could be way, way off base. Anyway.)

Like I say in the comment, I'm guessing that the amount reported is the measure of cough syrup he had and not the amount of pure codeine. From what I understand, a common ratio of codeine to syrup is 9 mg per 5 mL. In order to have 200 g of codeine, he'd need to have 100 L of syrup - or 26 gallons.

Assuming the 200 g measurement was for the syrup, and assigning the syrup with a specific gravity of 1.25 (grenadine has a specific gravity of 1.18, and I'd guess that the syrup was slightly "heavier" than that), Jolly would have had 160 mL of syrup (which is around 5.4 oz), or 288 mg of codeine. If an adult dose of codeine is 15-60 mg, he had somewhere between 5 and 19 doses. In terms of the total ounces and the number of doses, the amount sounds about right for "personal use."

In conclusion:

30

2008-07-31T07:58:00.001-07:00

An Aside.

2008-07-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't owned many replica football jerseys in my days. For Christmas in middle school, my brother got a Majkowski jersey while I got stuck with Mandarich. (Great.) In high school, for consecutive birthdays I got a Deion Sanders Falcons jersey (what can I say, I was a sucker for Nike's marketing; four years earlier, I would have killed for a Bo Jackson jersey....) and a Sterling Sharpe throwback jersey. That was it.

(During high school I did have a brief fling with NBA jerseys - always with matching hats: Vin Baker, Shawn Kemp, and Charles Barkley. I wish, as an adolescent, I'd had the foresight to buy oversized jerseys that I could wear now. Man, if I could rock Rickey Pierce or Jack Sikma jersey...with those sweet green stripes on the side.)

Over the past few years, I've considered investing in a Badgers jersey for game days and a (increasingly unlikely) planned trip back up to Wisconsin for a long weekend and a crisp afternoon at Camp Randall. Anyway, I think I've short-listed the possibilities to Lee Evans, Chris Chambers, and Jamar Fletcher. (Although I've also considered going a little off the radar with, say, Donnel Thompson*....) The only problem is that I'd feel like kind of a poseur wearing an Adidas jersey with the name and number of a dude that played when the apparel contract was still Reebok (which would only leave Evans as an option). Of course, only about one percent of Badgers fans would notice, but I'm one of those people.... Like if I saw some dude with an Aaron Gibson jersey, I'd be like, "Oh, sweet. But the brand's wrong."

Anyway, brand accuracy aside, for the two people that semi-regularly read this blog, what jerseys would you want to get?

* There was one time I went down to State Street for a midnight release (I was there to pick up R U Still Down? (Remember Me) - let the mocking commence - and a lot of people were there for In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap - almost as pathetic) and Thompson cut about a half dozen people in front of me. About an hour later, when I was leaving, I was shocked to see Ron Dayne actually waiting in line. I gained a bunch of respect for him then.

With All This [Name Redacted]* Mess...

2008-07-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

...it's easy to forget there's, you know, training camp going on.

Luckily for us, there's Railbird Central. Read up.

* Apologies to EDSBS.

31

2008-07-30T06:45:00.001-07:00

Alvarez On Bucky's Non-Con Schedule

2008-07-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

There was a post over at The Wisconsin State Journal's Badgers Blog in which Barry Alvarez responded to critical claims regarding the toughness of Wisconsin's non-conference schedule: "Shut up. Everybody does it."

I'll admit that I'm guilty of grousing over scheduling the likes of The Citadel and Cal Poly, it's more because I get sick of hearing other people going on about Wisconsin scheduling cupcakes. Since Wisconsin isn't an old football powerhouse, they're going to have to play their way into the club (of course, they are one of the most successful programs in the BCS era, so technically they've already played in; it's just now they're going to have to prove the critics wrong) by scheduling tougher opponents for awhile. Then they can go back to beating up on the Eastern Illinois(es?) of the world.

Anyway, it got me thinking about what how Wisconsin's non-conference schedule stacked up against the teams ranked ahead of them in preseason polls.

Lindy's has Wisconsin ranked #11, so I took their top 10 and listed each team's non-conference games. Then I plugged in the team rankings (Lindy's top 25 supplemented with Rivals' 26 to 120 and the FCS ranking* I found), added 'em up and saw where everybody stood.

Here's what I found out:

Wisconsin's overall non-conference schedule was more difficult than Missouri, Clemson, and LSU; less difficult than USC, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, and Texas. (I was tempted to chuck USC, because they play three non-conference games to nine conference games, against four to eight like everybody else on the list.)
USC and Texas are the only teams without FCS teams scheduled (although, like I said, USC's short a game and Texas plays Florida Atlantic and Rice, which are like FBS Asterisk).
There are only two teams that play a ranked opponent on the road (Ohio State at USC and Wisconsin at Fresno State**).

You could probably extend the list of teams that are BCS bowl contenders out at least another ten or twelve teams. I'd wager that about 60% of them would have non-conference schedules that rank above Wisconsin's (for difficulty), but that would still keep quite a few that would seem "softer." LSU would likely get a pass for their "murderous SEC schedule," but I wonder if, at season's end, Clemson's schedule would get trashed the way Wisconsin's would (will).

* In order to stack up the FCS teams, I started #1 Appalachian State at 100, and then alternated FCS and FBS teams from there. The approach is hardly fair to the top FCS teams and far too generous to the lower tier FBS teams, but I couldn't find an integrated ranking system, and wouldn't begin to know how to compare Akron and Delaware....

** Plus, Illinois is at #5 Missouri. Iowa's at #23 Pitt.... Big Ten teams are real chickens, huh?

32

2008-07-29T08:13:00.001-07:00

Brett Favre: Evil Genius

2008-07-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Mwah-ha-ha-haaaa!

An interesting side-effect of Favre's non-retirement is how it's becoming an increasing distraction in other training camps. Already, Chad Pennington and Jeff Garcia have intimated that they're sick of hearing about Brett Favre. It makes sense that the quarterbacks would have that opinion, but it makes you wonder how many other players, coaches, and fans are tiring of the talk, too.

If, in a parallel universe, Pat Williams had retired, and then un-retired (after having been the center of such talk for three consecutive years, no less), and there was a rumor that Green Bay might be interested in trading for him, initially I might be like, "Great. He's in the twilight of his career, but he still plays at a Pro Bowl caliber, and his addition would make the d-line, and by extension the defense, stronger." Then, though, if more and more reports were surfacing that he wasn't being particularly easy to work with, and that he was kind of being a thorn in the side, threatening to report to Vikings camp, my enthusiasm would start to cool. Then, if during Green Bay's camp, McCarthy, and Colin Cole, and Ryan Pickett were being constantly asked about their thoughts about adding Williams to the team, to the extent that they all basically said that people needed to shut the hell up about it, I'd start to consider exactly how much better Williams' addition to the team would be. Sure, all might be forgiven if the trade got done, and the team was winning right out of the gates, but I suspect that I'd carry a subconscious chip that would rear up the when he blew a play, or got injured, or said something to sound like a prima donna....

Seriously, if this drama continues to play out, imagine the fan backlash in, say, Tampa the first time Favre chucks a pick six. Or fumbles on the last drive of a game, down by four. Or, perhaps worse, goes down with a high ankle sprain. Not that there wouldn't be some backlash no matter what, but I'd wager it would be way, way more vocal than if the trade'd been completed in a quiet, timely, civil manner.

Other Than Favre....

2008-07-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Overshadowed by the Favre situation is something that could have a much greater impact on the Packers' upcoming season - the inability to sign Ryan Grant. The latest break is that Alan Herman, Grant's agent was insulted by Green Bay's 6-year offer with a $1.75 million signing bonus in response to Herman's "fair and reasonable" performance based contract proposal.

If something is "fair and reasonable" to an agent, it's likely ludicrously overvalued. On the other hand, unless the annual salary was very generous (and had a portion as guaranteed money), six years is a long time to be locked up for such a relatively small signing bonus; this is not money that indicates that a team views you as their Number One Guy.

After the Packers traded a sixth-round pick to the Giants for Grant, he signed a one-year, $310,000 deal. While Herman's take ("probably the greatest bargain in the history of football") is maybe a little hyperbolic, the deal certainly did work out for Green Bay. After an underwhelming early season running game, Grant was able to step in as the starter for the last half of the year. He put up nearly 1000 yards in just 10 games, sure, but those numbers are a little misleading; in 100 yard games against Dallas and Chicago, more than 60% of his yards came on one carry (62 and 66 yards, respectively). The rest of those games he was 13 for 32 yards (2.46 per; Dallas) and 13 for 34 yards (2.6 per; Chicago). And while he was lights out in the playoff game against Seattle (27 carries for 201 yards, 3 touchdowns), he was miserable against the Giants in the NFC Championship game (13 carries for 29 yards).

My point is one good year doesn't entitle a guy to be paid like a top 5 or 10 player. Conversely, with reserve backs that failed to produce before Grant stepped in, it's in the Packers best interest to get Grant into camp. I think the ideal situation would be a one or two year deal that moved Grant to the vicinity of a top 15 paid back. If Grant proved that he wasn't a one-hit wonder, he and his agent could cash in with an extension in Green Bay or on the free agent market.

On the other side of the ball, Green Bay's defensive line depth could be hit hard depending on how Johnny Jolly's drug charges pan out. Jolly was pinched in Houston with 200 grams of codeine. Now, I'm not saying that the codeine was definitely for that purple drank, but you'd need to have a pretty bad cough to carry around a fifth of a key.... Jolly had a pretty good year last season, and a lot of people were expecting improvement this year.

Still, this is America, and if there's one thing we've learned it's that a moderate amount of celebrity will get you out of most scrapes. The worst thing for Jolly is if he ends up with a judge that wants to make an example of him, a possibility since he was busted in a region with such a heavy codeine culture.

33

2008-07-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Boy, oh boy. We're getting in striking distance....

LTW Book Report: Dixieland Delight

2008-07-28T07:13:00.001-07:00

I've decided to take a little of the edge off of the off-season by reading some books about football. First up was Clay Travis's SEC travelogue, Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference.

Clay Travis is the author of the CBS Sportsline column, ClayNation, which is, I gather, about SEC football. (Full disclosure: I have never read one of his columns. This statement may contain a certain degree of sacrilege for a football blogger.) He may also be a practicing lawyer. At least he was at one point. Which leads me to my first note about the book: Clay Travis mentions law school a LOT. In fact, if you were to craft a drinking game out of the book (overlooking the obvious alcoholism red flag that would go hand in hand with a reading oriented drinking game) that had you take a drink each time the words "law school" appeared, you'd be seeing double (at least) about a quarter of the way through the first chapter. At no point during the book does that frequency decrease. It would literally take you three years to get through the book (if your liver held up) because of the number of times you'd just pass out. If an author were to describe meeting a friend "in law school" some years back, I'd think it would be the job of an editor to suggest refering to that person as "a friend" and not "a law school friend" two sentences earlier. But, hey, law school is expensive and difficult. I guess if you go through it, you want to mention it as many times as possible.

The book was punctuated with the sort of sly/cocky/self-deprecating humor that is commonplace on sports blogs (this one included, though, I'll admit that Travis is frequently much better at it than I am). It's a tone that tends to get a little stale in book form. I'd liken it to reading The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature; entertaining in doses, but no matter how good a pony's single trick is....

(I'm going to preface this statement/criticism with the fact that for the last eleven years I've lived in a liberal college town - first Madison, WI, then Chapel Hill, NC - with a lot of exposure to humanities majors and very little to frat boys.)

Travis seemed to make a lot of analogies with fat women. I don't know if that was his natural choice, or if market research had determined that that was what his readership demographic would most likely respond to. Either way, it kind of made him seem like a douchebag. Or, more accurately (since, as author, he was able to give a few more context clues as to how he'd actually be in real life) the sort of guy that, upon meeting, you'd think, "This guy's kind of a douche," then, with time think, "Well, this guy's not so bad...but all of his friends seem like douchebags." He uses Camryn Mannheim as a punchline in two separate parts of the book; first, it seems pretty lowest common demononator, second, it seems like an example that's about four years behind the cultural curve.

The last of my (increasingly nitpicky) criticisms is concerning the actual, physical book: in addition to the glossy page centerspread with color photographs common in books of this ilk, there are small black and white photographs printed throughout the chapters. My problem is that they're printed far too small to provide any real illumination of the text, and are accompanied with captions-lifted nearly verbatim from the chapter-often just a few lines from where the sentence is on the page. So, basically you read a line, look at the picture right next to it, and read the same sentence again. After a comment I left on Kissing Suzy Kolber once, regarding the typefaces on some of their apparel for sale, Captain Caveman said: "[I]f I had high-and-mighty opinions about fonts, I’d do everyone around me a favor and kick my own ass." I suppose complaining about the layout of a book might elicit a similar response. Still, in my defense, I think: 1. Design matters, and 2. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. (No matter how much this blog seems to contradict that.)

Okay, now after three paragraphs harping on what I didn't like about the book, here's what I did like:

For the first time in my life (excepting the few months after I read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer), I actually give a damn about SEC football. Sure, by objective accounts the SEC is the best conference - top to bottom - in the country and has been forever. I get it. So while I'll still watch Wisconsin/Indiana first with Auburn/Alabama during commercials, for the first time ever I'd consider flipping the Big Ten and SEC when faced with Purdue/Minnesota and Ole Miss/Arkansas.

Travis's descriptions of the tailgating traditions, the similarities and differences, of the SEC schools has me really excited about exploring the (actually quite real) possibilities of taking in games at Tennessee and Georgia this season. The interest to check out those games is also partially tied to Travis's mention of the proliferation of hot girls at SEC campuses, admittedly. (Note: this is not at odds with my beef about his cracks at fat women; see, I'm about celebrating peoples' postive characteristics, not mocking their shortcomings. Honestly*.)

Reading back over this review, I could see how someone might conclude that I didn't much care for the book: a far larger portion of what's written is complaining. That's not actually true, though. (And I can't cut anything in the top half of the post, because everything I've ever written is pure, uneditable genius.) The book was informative (at least to someone who knows very little about the SEC), it had some humorous annecdotes, and was an incredibly easy read. (Perhaps because of his blogging background, Travis is able to avoid some - but not all - of the verbal masturbation that can trap some writers that would like to treat sports as something Greater.)

LTW Grade: B

* May not actually be honest.

Favre Update

2008-07-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Supposedly, Favre is going to show up for camp. Great. And he's probably going to get traded to the Bucs. Or the Eagles.

Actually, this post from Camp Lambeau pretty much sums it up.

Oh, For Christ's Sake...

2008-07-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently, ol' Lance Smith-Williams-Smith got himself suspended indefinitely for a failure to complete the first-offender program in which he was placed after his off-the-field troubles from last off-season. When the story broke that he'd been arrested on assault charges for pushing his girlfriend and stealing her shoes (I still can't wrap my brain around that) after an argument concerning cab fare, I was disappointed to say the least. Still, he said everything you'd expect someone in his position to say after the fact, and the suspension (no road games) was probably stricter than most programs would have doled out.

Now, though, it seems like Bielema will have little recourse but to cut him loose. I mean, it sounds like his only real obligation (beyond not, you know, beating up his girlfriend anymore) was complete this program. It's a shame, too, because Wisconsin was looking to have hella depth at running back. There still a talented bunch, but from the measurables, I don't think any of the rest of the guys are burners like Smith.

Who knows, maybe Bielema will use Gilreath like Percy Harvin with a bunch of reverses and whatnot....

Somehow, I forgot how to count....

2008-07-25T08:49:00.001-07:00

38

2008-07-24T06:55:00.001-07:00

42, 41, 40...39

2008-07-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

43

2008-07-18T07:30:00.001-07:00

44

2008-07-17T07:13:00.001-07:00

45

2008-07-16T07:27:00.001-07:00

E-FUCKING-NOUGH!

2008-07-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

This Favre situation must be resolved immediately. Granted, things definitely could have been handled better by Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson, but as this saga draws out, I'm becoming increasingly angry with Favre.

The last two offending by-products of this mess are: 1. The pathetic "Bring Back Favre" rally which saw a group of Packers fans (100 strong...wow) bring shame and national ridicule to Packers fans everywhere; 2. Favre's interview with Greta Van Susteren (?), which has Favre talking-around-but-not-so-subtly blaming Thompson and McCarthy for this quagmire. My favorite part, I think, was:

And I said, "But you guys wanted an answer in March and I gave you the honest answer." And I said, you know, "Had I been able to wait until training camp, that would have been great."

He said, "Why didn't you tell me that? We would have let you do it."

And I thought to myself well, you know, you told me before the tryout I'm a free agent. And they ended up signing two kids in the draft. So that kind of tells you.

Sweet Christ, where to start? Maybe I'm completely delusional and Thompson really did want Favre out of Green Bay as quickly as possible, but I get the sense that if Favre had said to McCarthy and Thompson that he was worn out and needed some time to think it over, but that there was a not insignificant part of him interested in coming back, they would have given him his opportunity. Instead, after understandably asking for an indication of his plans, Favre seemed to say he couldn't commit, but didn't seem to offer an insight as to his mindset.

After three off-seasons of "maybe I will, maybe I won't," who could blame the Packers' front office for getting impatient? Professional football is a business that can't accommodate down time; there's a reason coaches work 20 hour days. If Favre had been able to let them know there was a better chance than not that he'd be back, the Packers could have made their off-season plans accordingly with a contingency plan in place in case he shocked them by actually retiring. Instead, it seems like he gave them the indication that he probably wasn't coming back, so they went forward. (Now, maybe it's a little foolish that they didn't have a contingency plan for this scenario; or, maybe this is it....)

At any rate, it's unlikely at this point that Favre is going to gracefully ride into the sunset, so Thompson is going to have to say explicitly, "Brett Favre is not going to be on the Packers' roster in 2008," at which point Favre can accept it and actually retire, or say, "I definitely want to play," and demand a release or trade. Sure, Thompson is going to become Public Enemy #1 for a lot of knee jerk fans (but I'd like to think he wouldn't lose favor amongst the majority), especially if Rodgers starts out a little shakily. The thing is, though, what if Favre did come back and a few of the early season breaks the team got last year went the other way? If after four or five games, they were just around .500? Favre said that coming back would only be worth it to go to and win a Super Bowl. If they hit some roadblocks along the way, would he be able to stay focused, or would he start second-guessing his decision to come back?

In the immediate aftermath of the NFC Championship game, I said that Favre'd be back until I was blue in the face. If he'd changed his mind anytime before the draft, I'd have been all for it. Now, though, I just want him to go away.

UPDATE: This should be required reading for Packers fans. Of course, judging by some of the comments, no matter how rational the argument, if it concludes that Favre's to blame, some fans won't be hearing it no way.

46

2008-07-15T06:27:00.001-07:00

47; With a Nod to the SEC

2008-07-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

(Trust me, the Google Image Search for 47 sucks.)

50

2008-07-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

51

2008-07-10T06:29:00.001-07:00

52

2008-07-09T07:32:00.001-07:00

53

2008-07-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

54 Days Until Football

2008-07-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

(Note: I'm using Wisconsin's first game - August 30, v. Akron - as the start because, while I'll definitely watch whatever college games are shown on Thursday the 28th, this is a Badgers and Packers blog. Also, I'm not counting the NFL preseason because...actually, I don't feel I should need to explain why I'm not counting the preseason.)

Okay, Enough With Will Leitch at The Top

2008-07-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Never can say goodbye/No no no no no no no no no

Obviously the thing everybody that has anything to do with football or the Packers is talking about now is the story that ESPN broke that Favre has contacted the Packer s about, you know, maybe not retiring after all.

Now Favre's saying that "It's all a rumor."

I was at the gym - totally getting ripped, brah - when the SportsCenter Right Now thing popped up before Around the Horn. I couldn't hear what they were saying (I was blasting some hype jams while pumping iron) but what I caught of the closed captioning gave me the gist. My reaction was, "Psssh, oh great."

(For the time being, we'll assume this isn't just a rumor....) This morning on SportsCenter, Darren Woodson said that Green Bay's approach to Favre should be "Thanks, but no thanks." This may come as a surprise to some, but the more I think about it, the more I agree. Or, should I say, Green Bay's response should be, "Well, Brett, is there somewhere else we could help you play? Like, maybe an AFC team you're interested in?" I'd think that the only reason B-Favre would want back is to take a run at the Super Bowl, and really, the Packers would be his best choice. So if the Packers said that they were sticking with A-Rodg, Favre'd likely stay retired.

I know that, if the news broke that TT and MM shot down a Favre comeback attempt, they'd be met with a lot of criticism from Packers fans. (Especially if there are growing pains and missteps with Rodgers early on. Or if he *shudder* gets hurt.)

"But, but, but, Favre has deserved the right to go out on his terms!" says John Q. Wisconsinite.

Yeah, well, he kind of already did that when he retired after the Giants game. As weird as it would be to see Favre in another uni, I think I could get used to it. (As long as it wasn't a Bears uniform. Or a Vikings uniform. Or, any NFC team really.) I'm not one hundred percent sure what would be necessary for Favre to play for another team. I'd assume that if he came back, he'd need to play for or be traded by Green Bay (sort of like how the Lions unwillingness to work with Barry Sanders kept him from the spot that Emmitt Smith occupies - for now - in the record books), but then again, there was the old Junior Seau douche-bag-a-roo, "retiring" in Miami and signing with New England twenty minutes later. Did Miami grant him a release after he un-retired? I don't know, and don't feel like looking for the information. So there.

The End Of an Era

2008-06-27T07:40:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day that Will Leitch is the editor of Deadspin. As of, I don't know, Monday, he joins the ranks of... Cat Fancy, maybe? Some magazine anyway. Yesterday, Deadspin had a "Will Leitch Blogebrity Roast," which I had high hopes for - in terms of hilarity - but it turned out that the best entry was the first. Say lah vee.

Anyway, regardless of what you think of Deadspin (say, that it's more of a gossip blog than a sports blog), it changed the way a lot of people viewed and talked about sports on the internet and directly or indirectly inspired and influenced scores of other sports blogs (including this one). It apparently scared the Big Guys enough to become a target (see: ESPN, the Buzz Bissinger Fiasco).

One of the things that keeps coming up in descriptions of Will is his emo bangs. Another is that he's a super nice guy that answers every email. In the (relatively) early days of the blog the only way to get commentor status was to submit a "tip." (Or the tip, if you catch my drift....ZING!) I was really impressed by the comments (seriously, how the blog was able to avoid the lowest common denominator ALL CAPS SCREAMING PARAGRAPHS that plague most other sports sites - see: the comments to any random Sportsline story - still boggles my mind), but couldn't possibly "tip" them to anything.

ESPN The Magazine did a design overhaul, and one of the things they changed was the writer illustrations. Shortly thereafter, there was a Deadspin post about how demonic the new illustrations looked. Anyway, I emailed this:

I'm not a licensed commentor, and I'm not in any loops significant enough to tip you all off to anything necessarily, BUT...

I fancy myself a graphic design enthusiast, and those pictures gave me the heeby-jeebies the first time I saw 'em. The problem? They didn't stylize a photograph of, say, Bill Simmons' face. They stylized half the face, copied, pasted, reflected over the y-axis, and called it a day. Unfortunately, NOBODY has a symmetrical face. If you take a straight on photograph of somebody, split it down the middle, and build two separate pictures using each half, you'll have one that looks a bit off and one that looks like a damn serial killer.

Anyway, that's pretty much why they all look demonic.

And got this in response:

Sweet. I'd love for you to put up a comment about that. An invite is on its way ... and seriously, thanks ... that's a great point ...

Best,
Will

Now I now it's stupid - not to mention hella queer - to have gotten excited about not only being a Deadspin Commentor, but also getting an email from Will Leitch, but that's how I felt. And regardless of how that last sentence makes me look, Will's email should give you an idea as to what he must be like; a nice guy.

A nice guy that loves ellipses.

We Say "Big Foot," You Say "Chiefs!"

2008-06-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

According to what you can see here without being a subscriber, Travis Frederick (OL/DL; 6'5", 310 lbs) of Walworth, WI has been offered a scholly by the Badgers. I don't know who wrote this evaluation, or which camp/workout it's in reference to, but it's pretty positive.

The reason Frederick is on my radar is that he's from my hometown and is (I'd imagine) the first Big Foot High School - that's right, and no, it's not in reference to the monster - football player ever to get a scholarship offer from Wisconsin. Although I can't seem to find it now, I'm about 99% sure that I read an interview with him last season in the Beloit Daily News in which he said that, though he didn't have an offer, growing up in Wisconsin, it was his dream to play college ball for the Badgers, so I'd expect him to commit relatively quickly.

UPDATE: Well, that didn't take long.

And Part Two Of That Thing From The Other Day...

2008-06-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here.

I read this and I thought, "Man, it would be interesting to go through a workout like this." Then I think, "Well, at least for the first, like, two minutes."

See, there's a reason that when I (infrequently) go to the gym, I don't work with a trainer or with a gym buddy: I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do and how to do it*. Plus, if I'm doing something I don't need to (like exercising), I don't want to be yelled at even for the sake of motivation.

* Always lift weights with locked knees; you won't strengthen your spine if you don't put all the strain there, you know.

I'm Excited By This Kid

2008-06-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, shit, I better change that title before I get To Catch a Predatored....

Anyway, I try not to go too apey for recruits - it's impossible to tell how high school kids are going to play at the next level - this kid does catch my eye*: Wisconsin got a commitment from Montee Ball, a 5'11", 204 lb St. Louis-area running back. He's smaller than Hill, slower than Smith (4.4 40's nothing to shake a stick at, though), but sounds to be the sort of running back that'll fit Wisconsin's style: strong inside and with break-away speed.

The thing that really stands out, though, is that Ball followed an impressive 1800 yard, 15 touchdown sophomore season with a 3000 (!) yard, 32 touchdown season.

Tom Mulhern also points out that it's positive landing a player from St. Louis, an area Wisconsin used to recruit successfully. Mulhern adds that it's especially impressive that Ball chose Wisconsin over offers from Missouri and Kansas who had such great seasons last year.

In reference to "Reagan's" comment following the article, I don't think it's necessarily wise to view Kansas and Missouri as "one-hit wonders." BCS runs beget exposure beget recruiting clout. The "year in and year out" success of football programs has a lot to do with ADs and coaching staffs, too. Or maybe "Reagan" is too young to remember Wisconsin's football team before Barry.... (He does make a good point about the academics, though.)

* Christ, there I go again.

Semiregularly Scheduled Programming Will Commence Soon(ish)

2008-06-24T07:51:00.001-07:00

Before too long, I'll write some more about the goings on in football. Chances are the writings will be more Badgers oriented than Packers because: 1) the season's closer (while pre-season NFL games are welcome oases in the football desert* of early August, I do not count them as the start of football) and 2) I picked up Lindy's College Football Preview (which I purchased at a Barnes and Noble in Durham, NC, and strangely had a Big Ten cover; I think it's a sign...of something), so there's a lot more college ball on the brain.

I have decided, though, that if there was a football blogger version of "Bromance," with Spencer "Orson Swindle" Hall as Brody Jenner, after reading this, I'd probably send in an audition tape. It's relatively infrequent that I have one of those Ben Stone/Vince Vaughn "I think he'd like me" type reactions (in the past decade I think they've cropped up with the Wes Anderson Posse, Adam Brody, the Apatow Gang, and Tim Heidecker - sorry Eric**...) but I've steadily gone that route whilst reading EDSBS.

* NFL Replay is also nice for that.
** Now that I think about it, John Mulaney, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Aziz Ansari, the guys that do The Venture Bros....; I guess it's not as infrequent as I thought.

Starting to Catch Up

2008-06-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm still working out what's been going down football-wise, but for now, here's a recap of Green Bay's OTAs and here's a cautiously optimistic preview of the Badgers.

The Honeymoon's Over. Literally.

2008-06-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm back to work and all that jazz. It's prolly gonna be a minute before I find out all the updated updates in the Badgers/Packers football world, but for your reading pleasure here's a list of stuff. (Take the author's advice and read it in chunks. Or read the whole damn thing. Whatever.)

Anyway, football season's getting closer by the day, but it's still not close enough. I'm bound to be hella lathered up come mid-August....

Read FO's Four Downs: NFC North

2008-05-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

...and learn.

Unlike most other sports sites, the comments are often worth browsing. I appreciated this nugget regarding the craziness of NFC North competition last season:

It’s even crazier when you consider this fact, the Bears swept the Packers, who swept the Lions and Vikings, who both swept the Bears. Madness.

2008-05-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

Right.

Good God Football Season's a Long Way Off...

2008-05-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

This CFN season preview has got me pretty fired up, though (via JS Online Badgers Blog).

They accurately set up Fresno State as a trap game. While it wouldn't be as devastating as, say, a loss to Cincinnati, it's important for Wisco to get off to a strong start in non-conference play both to build confidence leading up to the Big Ten schedule and to keep the yappers shut on all the "Wisconsin/Big Ten is overrated" haters.

While I've been pretty confident about this team, I have to admit that seeing stuff like "the talent to get to the BCS and the schedule to have a puncher's chance of playing for the national title" in print makes me nervous. In recent history, it seems that Wisconsin's fared best when they've been overlooked by the "experts."

A Bunch of Stuff

2008-05-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Who'd've thought that a Thursday in May would stir up so much stuff to talk about.

First, an update to the rookie salary cap deal-io: It sounds as though ol' Kevin Mawae would get down on it. Initially, you'd think that a Players' Union would oppose any sort of limitation to what its players could earn , but it makes sense that veteran's would support a rookie cap with a "rookie's rights? fuck 'em, that's why" position. Owners would, likely, be on board and would tie a rookie salary cap to a general salary cap. Regardless of what Upshaw says, a salary cap would be a much easier pill for veterans to swallow if they knew the biggest piece of the pie was earmarked for them.

As I said before, I think this could be a mutually beneficial system. So, let's get this shit together.

It's no secret around here that I do not favor a college football play-off. Sure, the BCS is a little janky, but I still like bowl season way to much to let it go. Brian Cook at the NCAA FanHouse posted this little nugget about Mack Brown wanting the Coaches' Poll out of the BCS formula. It's long been understood that coaches generally have nothing to do with filling out their polls (except for Spurrier, at the beginning of the year, when he gives Duke a nod at #25, which in and of itself is an indictment against the poll), they're just pawned off on lackeys. A NCAA Tournament-esque selection committee would be a good idea, but like Cook says, it'd be a thankless (and possible dangerous) job.

While it's hard to argue for a system of secrecy like the MPAA, the transparency of the selection committee might be too much freedom of information. One of the thing's that's great about college football is the enthusiastic fanbase. One of the thing's that's depressing about college football is the rabid fanbase.

Moving along to the Wisconsin Badgers:

Early indications are that Jon Budmayr ("Buddy" from now on as far as I'm concerned) is a big-time commitment. Curt Phillips' commitment didn't make a huge splash in the recruiting world, but did stir up a lot of sleeper talk. Buddy, on the other hand, has already drawn some crazy-talk (possible "four-year starter").

The Packers OTA's are underway. If I were you, I'd check Railbird Central for updates.

The CBA (And Not The Canadaian Basketball Association LOL)

2008-05-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

As expected the NFL owners opted out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This has no effect on the next two seasons (well, except for the fact that they'll have to negotiate on another CBA), but without a new agreement, there could be a salary cap-less 2010 season and no 2011 Draft.

I suspect that what's going to happen in the next two years, is pretty much exactly what happened before this last CBA (2006 or whatever); namely, a short-term agreement reached at the eleventh hour. Players and owners are always going to want more money, but I think both sides realize how much the business of their sport would suffer if there were no CBA in place. Big market teams with out of control payrolls, small market teams jumping to larger markets, a race for top college talent so ruthless that it would make NCAA rules against agent contact and "gifts" even more of a joke. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

In my opinion a salary cap is imperative. An addition that could make both sides happy would be the addition of a rookie salary cap. It could be modeled on the NBA's model, but maybe extended from one round of predetermined salaries to two or three. Of course, given the difference in the games, certain concessions would need to be made to account for guaranteed money in the case of injury. Still, though, a short-term (two or three year) rookie deal with a fixed ceiling would save owners a considerable amount of money (and negotiation time) dealing with their rookie contracts and would give the rookies (*cough*Quinn*cough*Russell*) incentive to get into camp.

The rookie cap would even allow for the rate of increase of the overall cap to be slowed (from around 10% per year to, say, 8%) allowing for owners to see a greater percentage of profits (they claim, now, that players see around 60%), while still increasing the amount of those profits that NFL veterans receive. If both parties really wanted to be altruistic, they could earmark a small percentage of the difference as an NFL Veterans' Health Insurance trust. (Note: Don't hold your breath.)

The NFL is the most profitable and marketable professional sports league in the country without a doubt. Both sides of the divide are, hopefully, smart enough and not too arrogant to think that serious labor strife isn't going to knock them out of the catbird seat. Sure, they're in a better position than the MLB or NHL were, but those should still function as cautionary tales.

Is Paul Hubbard Who I Thought He Is?

2008-05-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

In my draft recap, I mentioned that Paul Hubbard may one day be looked at as (one of) the steal(s) of the draft. Well, not for nothing, he's already starting to make a good impression (by way of the Journal-Sentinel Badgers Blog).

In conclusion, I am a genius that knows everything that has happened and will happen in the game of football.

And Now for Some Shameless Self-Congratulations

2008-05-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

I noticed a crazy spike in visitors to this here blog. Welp, apparently one of the staff editors of The New York Times Op-Ed page decided that my Christmas Ape post contributed some "snarky outrage and completely irrelevant humor that, well, makes the sportsblogging world so great."

(Mine is the third hyperlinked "here," along with heavyweights Deadspin and The Fanhouse.)

So, without further ado:

No New Post, 'Cause That's How I Do

2008-05-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

But because I want to, here's a link to a site I think is a mandatory daily read:

Straight Cash Homey.

A clinic in awesome captions.

NFL Draft, We Hardly Knew Thee

2008-04-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

No, wait, scratch that. There were countless hours of pre-Draft hoopla and then exhaustive coverage all weekend. I spent most of Saturday afternoon noodling around the house with the tv turned up loud enough to hear what was going on. I flipped between NFL Network and ESPN a few times, but mostly only to confirm that my decision to stick with the NFL programming was the right idea. (Unpopular though it may be, I actually like Mel Kiper, Jr., but Chris Berman can eat the fattest of fat ones.)

As for Day Two, I just periodically checked up on picks on the internet, mostly to see who the Packers were taking and if any Badgers had been selected.

So for the Packers picks:

2/5 - Jordy Nelson, WR, Kansas State - Word is he's athletic with nice hands and speed. Another weapon in Green Bay's already young and talented wide out corps is fine by me. Now, it might be from following Wisconsin football (the Badgers might not be as one dimensional as they used to be, but still), but Nelson caught 122 passes in one season? Cripes.

2/25 - Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville - I wasn't surprised that Green Bay took a quarterback, but maybe a little surprised they took one with their second pick. The only thing I can say about Brohm is that for some reason I thought he was smaller than 6'3", 227.

2/29 - Patrick Lee, DB, Auburn - The secondary was a need and by most accounts Lee's a nice enough prospect.

3/28 - Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas - Here's a kid I'm looking forward to in camp. Word is he's raw, but seems to have great upside. Donald Lee emerged as a quality starting tight end option and if Finely develops, Green Bay could have some nice mismatch packages for red zone plays.

4/3 - Jeremy Thompson, DE, Wake Forest - Seems to have good size and athleticism. While it'd be great if he could pan out into a regular contributor right away, at the very least, his addition should push KGB and Cullen Jenkins in camp.

4/36 - Josh Sitton, OT, Central Florida - Adding o-line depth is good news, and it sounds like he was picked right around where he was rated.

5/15 - Breno Giacomini, OT, Louisville - It sounds like he's a little rough around the edges, but supposedly has great athleticism for his size (6'7", 303). Again, a plus for o-line depth.

7/2 - Matt Flynn, QB, LSU - I'd be pretty shocked if Green Bay keeps more than three quarterbacks on roster (I suppose one or two could show up on the practice squad) and if more than one of those were rookies, so Flynn might be a long shot to make the squad. Still, given his productivity in his brief starting stint at LSU, you can't really argue with the pick.

7/10 - Brett Swain, WR, San Diego State - A receiver with decent but not exceptional speed and size. If I had to guess, I'd peg him for the practice squad.

And now for Wisconsin Badgers selected:

4/32 - Jack Ikegwuounu, DB, Philadelphia Eagles - A lot of question marks surrounding Jake Ike's knee. And interest in stealing electronics.

6/12 - Taylor Mehlhaff, K, New Orleans Saints - First kicker taken.

6/15 - Nick Hayden, DT, Carolina Panthers - I think Hayden will be a good fit in Carolina.

6/25 - Paul Hubbard, WR, Cleveland Browns - While I'm biased, of course, I wouldn't be too surprised if in two or three years, Hubbard is viewed as one of the steals of the draft. Cleveland's got a young, talented offense, and he could end up being a great third or fourth receiving option.

UD - Ken DeBauche, P, Green Bay Packers - Joins Kevin Stemke as undrafted Badgers' punters brought into Packers camp.

UD - Luke Swan, WR, Kansas City Chiefs - I'm crossing my fingers for the Fennimore Flash.

Hot Diggity, It's Almost Draft Weekend....

2008-04-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

Who will Green Bay take with their 30th overall pick? Will they trade up? Down? Does it really matter?

Look, I'm as susceptible to getting worked up but this year I'm kind of falling in line with this opinion. Sure, it's interesting to know which new names will on the opening training camp roster (which, by the way, dates and whatnot), but that information could easily be picked up in the sports pages on Monday.

Maybe the only really interesting stories will be how the top five or ten picks shake out. Or, two through, at any rate, since Miami's already signed Michigan tackle Jake Long. Even with the first pick locked up, I'm willing to wager that it isn't announced until the end of Miami's clock. On the one hand, I suppose it's a professional courtesy to those picking after to have that time to strike deals, but it kind of sticks it to the viewing public (read: dorks). At least first round picks are down from 15 minutes to 10....

In other Packers related news, apparently the brass met with (drum roll)...Daunte Culpepper? Yeesh. Actually, like some bloggers, my initial reaction was "Oh, sweet zombie Jesus, no," but with time and reflection, I settled down. I mean, I actually expected decent things out of him in Miami. What I didn't count on was how big of a short-sighted asshole Nick Saban was (is). Culpepper was rushed back to the field behind a porous o-line on a team that was not responding to Saban's totalitarian coaching style. A recipe for success if ever there was one.

If the price was right, I don't think Culpepper would be a catastrophic signing. As long as he wasn't the only back up to A. Rodg in camp.

In the Dog Days of the Football Offseason...

2008-04-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Blogs are ripe for filler. Like lists and stuff.

As such, some guy (James Lipton, by the look of the thumbnail) is counting down the Best Moments in Big Ten Football. At #8 is a fond recollection of Wisconsin's back to back Rose Bowl double yous.

Reading the post made me remember Craig James' (who I actually like) hindsight is twenty-twenty dipshit pre-game assertion that the '99 Badgers were the worst team ever to make the Rose Bowl Game.

I seem to recall James owning up to his comments, at least.

Notes on the Badgers' Spring Game

2008-04-22T07:04:00.001-07:00

Guess what? I watched, like, ten minutes of the game. Sorry.

Interested people can find other people's takes here and here and here. The impression I got was that the banged up defense played better than expected, the running game looked good, and the quarterbacks played pretty well but made some dumb mistakes.

The NFL Draft's this weekend, of course. I'm not rightly sure how much of it I'm going to watch. Probably more than necessary, but less than too much. How's that for noncommittal?

Responding to Tom's comment

2008-04-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe it's my fault. Maybe I didn't adequately explain what I meant about Wisconsin's offensive line. Anyway, ol' Tom had this to say in response:

If NC State had the offensive line that Tom O'Brien wanted, then *shudder* Toney Baker, Andre Brown and Jemelle Eugene. Yet, NC State's line is dumb and can't do what O'Brien wants so we suck balls. I think all teams have a potential to rush for obscene amounts if given the right offensive line. Look at a place like the Denver under Gary Kubiak. So when you say some thing like, "Man oh man, if the o-line holds up" you leave a big old fat IF. And when I say fat, I mean, the IF has gotten so fat that it needs a special tool to put on its Velcro sneakers, but that doesn't matter because the IF has gotten so fat it can't get out of the house unless the fire department cuts out its bedroom wall.

From the statement, NC State's backs would have been productive if the offensive line wasn't dumb. Luckily, Wisconsin's linemen are smart. Plus, they're experienced. Plus, there's pretty decent depth so they should still be pretty productive with an injury or two. (Camp Lambeau's got a nice breakdown, in case you're interested.) Plus, Wisconsin's got a system that's allowed for P.J. Hill to rush for 2700 yards in two injury shortened seasons. Hill's healthier than he's ever been, but the silver lining of Hill being out is that back-ups Zach Brown and Lance Smith have gained game experience.

Wisconsin rushed for 2600 yards (21st in the nation) last year with only having Smith available for home games. So while "all teams have a potential to rush for obscene amounts if given the right offensive line" might be accurate (though, "most teams" would be more accurate), I'd contend that Wisconsin's got a better chance than most because - to recap:

1. Their offensive line is experienced, talented, and has good depth;

2. The top three running backs - P.J. Hill, Lance Smith, and Zach Brown - have shown themselves to be, at least, above average and, in cases, explosive runners. The fourth back - John Clay - is a former nationally recruited back with size and speed that would start at a majority of D1 programs who's also shown a growing knowledge of the system and adaptation to college speed.

So, when I say something like "Man oh man, if the o-line holds up" what I mean to say is, as long as six guys don't suffer season ending injuries and the returning starters don't actually regress - something that doesn't seem to happen too often when you're dealing with the same players in the same positions in the same system - then Wisconsin can have a prolific running game. I'd be willing to say that the "IF" that's laid out there is more like "if" because of, well, everything I've just written.

Actually, in fairness, the biggest hurdle for Wisconsin's running game has nothing to do with the line or the running backs, it's the quarterback position. If Evridge or Sherer aren't successful, opponents will be able to key on the run.

So there.

The Saga of Michael Tunison (or Christmas Ape)

2008-04-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, since this story is just about everywhere and it kinda has something to do with football (definitely football blogging) I'll post about it here, too.

Apparently, Christmas Ape of Kissing Suzy Kolber "fame" is also human writer Michael Tunison who, until recently, worked for the Washington Post. Thing is, the other day, he outed himself on the blog and the brass at the Post didn't take to kindly to it. Well, at least he doesn't seem to be too broken up about it. And bloggers everywhere have his back. Which, I'm told, is valid currency for things like rent and groceries.

Man, I hope nobody ever finds out that I'm William F. Buckley, Jr.'s reanimated corpse....

And also, he totally reminds me of some actor that's been in a bunch of stuff but I can't place him. At first I thought the guy that played Toad in X-Men, but after checking IMDB, no dice. Anyway, the guy has a tendency to play kind of a weasel. That's all I got....

Packers 2008 Schedule

2008-04-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

So the NFL schedule was released, which means the Packers' schedule was released (you see, the Packers play in the NFL).

I've come to realize that trying to evaluate a team's schedule four and a half months before the season starts is only slightly less stupid than trying to figure out which late season are intriguing match ups. I mean, you might be able to get a sense of how one team will fare, but league wide? Forget it.

So, with that said, I will not be guessing the outcomes of the games until at least the beginning of the preseason. If you want a bunch of uneducated guesswork, try any of these options.

Spring Game Saturday

2008-04-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture on the Badger Herald and started getting pumped. Man oh man, if the o-line holds up, Wisconsin could run for four hundred yards per game.

The picture will take you to the article.