Three Yards and A Cloud of Dust

NFL Week One Fearless Predictions

2007-09-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

So...With all that foolishness out of the way, We NOW begin FOOTBALL season.

THU, SEP 6
New Orleans at Indianapolis 8:30 PM
This will be a shootout. Expect lots of effusive praise from John Madden for both Quarterbacks and one wow moment from Reggie Bush. Viniateri wins it at the end, though

New Orleans 35
Indianapolis 38

SUN, SEP 9
Philadelphia at Green Bay 1:00 PM
Donovan McNabb has been better than Brett Favre for almost 5 years now. The Eagles have been better than the Packers for about that long as well.

Philadelphia 27
Green Bay 17

Kansas City at Houston 1:00 PM
Chiefs GM Carl Peterson should have the Agent for Byron Leftwich on the phone by Monday.

Kansas City 10
Houston 20

Denver at Buffalo 1:00 PM
You heard it here first. Denver isn't NEARLY as good as people think, especially outside of the Mountain Time Zone. Buffalo will be much harder to beat at home than they will be on the road.

Denver 17
Buffalo 24

Pittsburgh at Cleveland 1:00 PM
Cleveland Browns fans THINK they want Brady Quinn out there. Of course if they REALLY knew football, they wouldn't still be Browns fans. The Browns are better, but not better enough to save Romeo Crennel's Job. Boy, are they going to miss that top 10 pick they gave Dallas next year.

Pittsburgh 30
Cleveland 17

Carolina at St. Louis 1:00 PM
The Countdown until David Carr/Bill Cowher PLEASE save us begins.

Carolina 16
St. Louis 31

Atlanta at Minnesota 1:00 PM

The real question...Will Minnesota score more points or will there be more Michael Vick references by the Play by Play commentary.

Atlanta 17
Minnesota 10
Michael Vick References 35
Someone alert the Miami Dolphins...Michael Vick references WILL go undefeated this season.

New England at NY Jets 1:00 PM

America's favorite baby daddy has been given better receivers for a baby shower present. NY Jets fans will recieve another bag of rocks. It will be close and ugly...and no matter what happens, it wont be Bill Belichick's fault.

New England 27
NY Jets 24

Miami at Washington 1:00 PM

Miami will WISH they still had Daunte Culpepper long before Daunte wishes he was still in Miami. Washington will beat up on Miami and then the fans will be CONVINCED this year is the year. Nope, not this year either, folks.

Miami 7
Washington 23

Tennessee at Jacksonville 1:00 PM

Is Vince Young going to be better this year? Yes
Will Jacksonville wish they had kept Byron Leftwich? Yes
Next year, Quinn Gray will be the starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars...and there will be a white rookie for Jag fans to clamor for.

Tennessee 20
Jacksonville 13

Chicago at San Diego 4:15 PM

Nope, Rex Grossman STILL isn't very good against good teams.
Yup, LT is the most dominant offensive player in the league.

Chicago 21
San Diego 27

Tampa Bay at Seattle 4:15 PM

Jon Gruden isn't nearly the genius we thought now that Tony Dungy's Super Bowl team has crumbled around him. Jeff Garcia is going to wish he was still waiting for Donovan McNabb to get hurt in Philadelphia by the end of September. I wonder if people who gamble are familiar with how difficult it is for Eastern teams to win in Seattle?

Tampa Bay 10
Seattle 30

Detroit at Oakland 4:15 PM

If Daunte Culpepper plays a lot, the Raiders will win. Apparently he won't. But the Raiders will find a way. The Lions are FINALLY better...just not better enough.

Detroit 13
Oakland 17

NY Giants at Dallas 8:15 PM

OHHHHH are the Giants bad. But they can keep themselves warm burning copies of Tiki Barber's book while pondering what to do with that sure top 10 draft pick. Dallas will be firing up their bandwagon about halftime. With the price of gas being what it is, and the fact that Troy Aikman was in his PRIME the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game, you would think that Cowboy fans would want to wait a lil while before jingling the keys to the Super Bowl Express.

Dallas 35
NY Giants 10

MON, SEP 10 TIME (ET)
Baltimore at Cincinnati 7:00 PM

This is it...This year has GOT to be the year for Baltimore. Time is running out. A good performance by the Ravens in Cincinnati will not be a good sign for Steeler and Bengal fans. It is a near certainty that no Bengal player will be arrested DURING the game on Monday Night.

Baltimore 27
Cincinnati 23

Arizona at San Francisco 10:15 PM

If you live on the East Coast, you'll be asleep by the time this game is over so I will tell you how it ends.

Arizona is still Arizona, they just have better players. San Francisco is crawling out of the doldrums one step at a time. how far they get out of the doldrums this year is not immediately certain.

Arizona 20
San Francisco 31

The HoldOut Huddle Up (Draft edition)

2007-08-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

----------------
Now playing: Van Hunt - Dust
via FoxyTunes ----------------
Now playing: Van Hunt - Dust
We are about a Week into Training camp for just about everyone. If you don't have your #1 Pick in camp by now...something must be up, right?

Let's go through the First round

JaMarcus Russell, Oakland - Option Bonus vs. Signing Bonus? In an Option Bonus, the team can't recoup the guaranteed money, Signing bonus...they can get that money back incase JaMarcus decides he wants to get all PacMan Vick Simpson on the Raiders. Either Al is feeling rather stingy, or he thinks JaMarcus ain't quite the citizen he seems. For insurance, the Raiders signed Daunte Culpepper, who basically is JaMarcus Russell 0.5.

Calvin Johnson, Detroit - Without Russell being signed, Johnson's slot remains uncertain. Add to that rumors that he is holding fast to $30 million upfront guaranteed, and CJ may be out for a while.

Darrelle Revis, NY Jets - Jets want six years, Revis wants five. Someone needs to budge.

Brady Quinn, Cleveland - Someone needs to tell Brady that he needs to stop trying to pretend he isnt a #22 pick. Now granted, the #1 pick the Browns gave the Cowboys NEXT year will probably be top 5, but that isn't the pick that was being used.

Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City - Bowe is essentially gambling that Quinn will get an above market value deal. Since he sits right behind Quinn, that would raise up what he commands. Mostly he is just Laying low in the immense shadow the Larry Johnson holdout casts on the entire camp.

Jon Beason, Carolina - Again with the Option Bonus stuff. Why a #25 pick is holding out is kind of difficult to understand.

----------------
Now playing: Van Hunt - Dust
via FoxyTunes

Field General Studies

2007-07-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

What makes a good quarterback?

What separates the Steve McNairs of the world from the Steve Bonos of the world?

And how do you really know when you have a keeper behind center?

Admit it. You don't know. Most football fans don't REALLY have a clue until after the fact.

If people who get paid for these things cant figure out that Tom Brady is going to be Tom Brady...what chance do YOU really have figuring these things out?

Yeah, keep dreaming.

My analysis of QB begins with wins and losses. This is reality football, not fantasy football. QB play can LOSE you more games than it can win them, especially in the Post-Dynastic* period. I believe Bears fans are familiar with this concept.

I shan't belabor the point with a lot of history. You are just going to have to take my word for it. I will concede that having a franchise QB will cover a multitude of sins.

But the Colts didn't succeed in 2006 until they learned to stop the run.

The Steelers of 2005 got hot as a TEAM to overcome the road trip from hell.

Then there is Mr. Brady.

Tom Brady is able to be Tom Brady because he is surrounded by a quality team. He is a key piece to a big puzzle.

He isn't THE puzzle.

No quarterback is.

Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning in large part because I cannot remember the last time I saw a CLEAN shot at him.

Quarterbacks should always be viewed as a part of the whole. It is nearly impossible to view a QB, or any other player independently of their teammates or their system. But since you INSIST...I shall carry on and Get with the rankings.

1. Peyton Manning, Colts - He who hath the ring shall cast the first stone. Addai will be better, but if Tarik Glenn doesn't play, there could be trouble looming on the Blind Side.

2. Tom Brady, Patriots - Stallworth, Moss, Wexler, Maroney. Brady has more weapons than Neo and that girl in the Office Building scene in the Matrix.

3. Carson Palmer - He can only be MORE healthy after last year's rehab year, right?

4. Drew Brees - Drew is going to miss that last place schedule this year. Then again, he will have a more mature Reggie Bush and Maurice Colston to help him cope.

5. Mark Bulger - It may not be the Greatest Show on Turf anymore, but the pieces are still pretty noteworthy. Hopefully his wallet won't affect his passing.

6. Matt Hasselbeck - A full year of Deion Branch and Shawn Alexander can't hurt, but The NFC West is no longer the doormat collection it used to be.

7. Ben Roethlisberger - Yes, I may be a bit biased. But only #s 1 and 2 have rings. and NO ONE went through the kind of 4 month period that Ben did to start last year. (helmet-less headbutting of an automobile, emergency appendectomy, Concussion) This year will be MUCH different. And remember that Ben is at least Two years younger than anyone above him.

8. Donovan McNabb - He could be all the way back, he COULD be the Daunte Culpepper of '07. Either way, Philadelphia Fans will find a way to be unsatisfied

9. Steve McNair - The wheels are BOUND to come off sooner or later. Ravens Fans are PRAYING it isn't THIS year.

10. Tony Romo - Romo gets it. He is awash in intangibles, and he doesn't have to hold for kicks anymore. Toss in a new coach and OC and a healthy TO, AND a contract year...and Jerry Jones is about to unleash his checkbook.

11. Phillip Rivers - The sophomore slump is awaiting. Of course, Mr. Gates and LT are waiting for Phillip Rivers as well. But Eli Manning wanted to go to New York.

12. Jon Kitna - Stop laughing. If Mike Martz can turn a Grocery bagger like Kurt Warner into a SuperBowl MVP, then he can turn Jon Kitna into a serviceable starting QB.

13. Chad Pennington - Every day I thank the Lord above that the Steelers drafted Plexico Burress over Pennington, because with Pennington here, there would have been no need for drafting Ben R.

14. Jake Delhomme - if Steve Smith cannot make you look good, there is something wrong with you. Jake better find his cajun mojo before the Ghost of David Carr takes his job

15. Vince Young - I would LOVE to elevate Vince higher...but I need to see more. and VY needs MORE.

16. Matt Leinart - Matt Leinart HAS more, but what will he DO with it.

17. Jay Cutler - Jay should be higher than this, but I am docking him points just because he isn't John Elway. Of course using that logic I should be adding points because he isn't Jake Plummer

18. JP Losman - Marshawn Lynch will have a lot to say about how well Losman plays.

19. Brett Favre - The Wheels HAVE fallen off for Brett, but spunk and gumption alone gets Favre this high.

20. Eli Manning - The LACK of spunk and Gumption is what drops Eli this low. That and the Giants insistence on surrounding him with backup linemen.

21. Alex Smith - Someone tell Alex to stop laying hands on Frank Gore's broken hand.

22. Trent Green - the youngest 37 year old QB in NFL history is about to get REALLY old, really quickly.

23. Byron Leftwich - I have never seen a QB THIS big, get hurt as much as he does. You almost want to rank Leftwich and Garrard together. Of course the Rattler in me wants to see more Quinn Gray.

24. Jason Campbell - He deserved a better fate than to be pinned to the lifetime of bad karma that Daniel Snyder has built up. If there is any justice they will give up and trade him to Atlanta.

25. Rex Grossman - I refuse to rank him any higher. *folds arms*

26. Matt Schaub - I don't know who is more unhappy, Falcon Fans or Matt Schaub. Wait...I know: Texan fans are more unhappy. But Andre Johnson will STILL find a way to be the best WR never to play a night game.

27. Charlie Frye/Derek Anderson - The existence of Joe Thomas prevents whomever ends up in this spot from being DEAD last. The Existence of the Ravens and Steelers alone prevents whomever starts for the Browns from gettting very much sleep at least four weeks of the year.

28. Jeff Garcia - by October, Jeff is going to wish he was still holding the clipboard for the Eagles, waiting for the yearly season ending injury for Donovan McNabb.

29. Tavaris Jackson - This kid better be special, considering the Vikings passed on Brady Quinn. Of course even if Jackson isn't special enough, Adrian Peterson WILL be.

30. Joey Harrington - The calls for DJ Shockley will be loud and insistent by week 4.

31. Whomever is Starting for the Raiders - It REALLY doesn't matter.

32. Brodie Croyle/Damon Huard - If Larry Johnson isnt in camp by mid August it isn't going to matter WHO the QB is.

*The Post-Dynastic Period is known on this blog as the period beginning in 1994, the institution of the Salary Cap.

On: Field Generalship (the Prelude) aka The ONE Michael Vick Post

2007-07-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

As a football fan who came of age at a time when the quarterback position was lionized and elevated to deified status, I have stood by and watched with interest as the position was demystified by genius coaches who started taking credit for the End-offensive product. The field general became the errand boy. The offensive geius was equaled by the defensive genius, who started draining the raw talent resevoir and commenced to terrorizing the offense with equal physical talent.

Soon, playing quarterback in the NFL became less about winning, and more about surviving. Super Bowl winning quarterback went from being an exclusive club that contaied the names of revered figures like Starr, Namath, Staubach, Greise, Bradshaw, made way for names like Plunkett, Johnson, Dilfer, and Hostetler.

It is this cruicible that the curious phenomenon of Michael Vick entered into daily, before he ended up with other things on his plate.

This was supposed to be the moment of truth for Vick, the year he could finally prove his detractors wrong.

Those detractors are now the LEAST of this problems. He is caught in this bizarro world confluence of celebrity, race, jurisprudence, and the uniquely American phenomenon that dictates that MY dog is more important than the next man's child. That has precious little to do with football, so little will be discussed on this blog. Upon my return from a weekend away, I shall discuss what makes and does not make a Quarterback.

Any mention of Mr. Vick will be in the context of his life as a football player.

This blog is interested in little else.

Let us Begin...

2007-07-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

I was born into the family.

Not everyone has been as fortunate.

I was born on June 10, 1970 at Magee Women's Hospital in the city of Pittsburgh.

The Steelers of the modern era were born eighteen months before.

The Elders of our family maintain that the Steelers have a rich history that extends back to The great depression.

I would suppose that to be true.

My earliest memories of the Steelers start in 1974 with Joe Gilliam as the Starting Quaterback.

As a four year old Black boy in the projects of Pittsburgh, it didn't mean a whole lot to me.

But I was schooled quickly.

I learned my first Black and white lessons at the feet of my uncles in regards to Joe Gilliam.

As I grew, so did the Steelers. From Super Bowls IX and X my allegiance to the Steelers was sealed, through Super Bowls XI and XII, I learned to appreciate the game for its own merits. Through Super Bowls XIII and XIV I came of age and truly learned the game watching two of the most dominant teams in NFL history.

At the age of ten, after four world championships in 6 years of Football fandom, I was good and spoiled. It was time for the next lesson. Excellence isn't forever. Players aren't invincible and indestructible.

One by one, players aged and retired...moved on with their life's work as Chuck Noll used to say.

The eighties saw the team of my childhood evolve from Hall of Famers like Bradshaw, Harris, and Stallworth to random players like Malone, Pollard and Sweeney. It brought the rise and fall of the USFL and the American CFL. It brought labor stability and cemented football as the true American Pastime.

Let us not ignore the rise of Cable in the 80s. This broadened the power and allure of the ultimate TV spectator sport, brought about ESPN and the Nationalization (which led to the Globalization) of the NFL.

No longer were you isolated by only really seeing your own hometown team. Any of the 28, 30, 31, and then 32 teams were accessible to anyone who wanted to root for that team bad enough.

Even as Pittsburgh exposed itself as a place I would rather be FROM than be IN, the Steelers were etched in my heart.

10-6, 9-7, 8-8 became a way of life in Pittsburgh. Through sheer force of will and the power of Rozelle's parity dream, The Steelers never did sink into the doldrums of absolute horribleness.

The Nineties brought about the 12 month Football season, 24 Hour sports talk radio, the decline and fall of Baseball, the rise of Jordan, but the solidification of Football as the heart and soul of the American Sports scene.

For me the Nineties brought Cowher Power...and a return to dominance, as best you could in a small market with a old and decrepit stadium

Life took me from Pittsburgh to Tallahasse and back, then to Los Angeles and back, then to Suburban Washington, DC and back...and now to Fort Worth, TX, hopefully not to return.

The 21st century brought the power of the internet, The NFL network, and Heinz Field.

It also brought one for the thumb and the Tomlin era.

Four Decades, Five Championships, Many addresses...One team.

Here we go Steelers, Here we go!

Are YOU ready for some football?

2007-07-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

In a matter of minutes, Football Season will be upon us. This is a fact that will thrill some and make others run for the Lifetime Network.

In celebration of the start of football season, I am starting a new blog. This blog is designed to be somewhat of a catch-all for football, spanning from pee-wee to the NFL.

Needless to say, I will not be covering Pee-Wee football with the same tenacity I will the NFL, but I am not about to ignore the very building blocks of America's Pastime.

As I have pondered my foray into this new project, I realized how much of a part football has played in my life. It is certainly possible that, although I never actually played organized football, football has played a remarkably significant part of my life. Consider the places I have laid my head in my life time:

Pittsburgh(1970-1988, 1990-1992, 2002-2004): Home of the Five-Time World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and former national Champion University of Pittsburgh Panthers; Birthplace of such Football Luminaries as Unitas, Namath, Kelly, Marino, Martin, Dorsett, Ditka, Cowher, Montana (I could probably go on, but I will just stop there) Part of one of the more fertile Division I recruiting grounds in the nation.

Tallahassee(1988-1990) Home of Florida A&M and Florida State Universities; located in another fertile recruiting ground for Division I football players.

Southern California(1992-1993) University of Southern California, and UCLA, a myriad of Powerhouse High School programs and the Oak...I mean Los Angeles Raiders.

Suburban Maryland(1993-2002) Home of the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens, University of Maryland Terrapins, and a fairly significant High School Football culture.

Dallas/Fort Worth(2004-present) Dallas Cowboys, America's team...more High School Football than the law should allow.

I came of age during the golden era of NFL football, the 1970's. I watched as Baseball waned, basketball came and went and returned, Hockey muddled along....only to die and be born again.

The NFL has swallowed the AFL, smacked aside the WFL, withstood two bouts with labor strife and survived the USFL (the less said about the XFL, the better off we will all be) and become the king of the Sporting landscape.

College football has endured the worst Championship deciding mechanism since the coin flip and still is growing by leaps and bounds.

High School football is rapidly becoming a sport with a national focus.

In this environment, some needs to have their eye on the ball...and to matriculate down the field with the dynamic combination of powerful Lines of prose and speedy and steady analysis.

It is in that spirit I give you all...

THIS.