Posted by Danny Goldin on August 4, 2010
That'd be a sick tour. Let's make it happen!
What if pigs really could fly? Well, it’d kill off one of the most clichéd American expressions, and it’d make for some interesting new dynamics — and fence designs — on the farm. Swine flu would be much more widespread and airborne, literally. What if Elvis is still alive? It’d leave a whole bunch of impersonators unemployed, and it’d make for one hell of a comeback show if he teamed up for a tour with Michael Jackson.
What if Brett Favre actually retired?
Think about it… many of us, myself included, were tricked yesterday into believing that that actually might happen. But no, all it took was one day to pass before we realized yesterday’s reports were all a mirage, and that we’re still where we’ve been at the past few months… assuming that Favre will indeed be back in purple and gold. Still, it gave me some time, if only 24 hours, to think about what kind of impact his retirement this season would have on the Packers’ greatest current rival.
All of the potential options from the beginning of the offseason, such as Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Jason Campbell, are out of the window. The Vikings may have even opted to pursue guys like Ben Roethlisberger or Matt Hasselbeck, but this late in the game, they’d be forced to pick an in-house candidate to run their team.
Sage resembles "The Bachelor" Jake Pavelka, with the one exception being that Sage is certainly worse looking.
And I'm not going to rule out the fact that Jake could potentially be a better football player, either.
Sage “Poor Man’s Jake Pavelka” Rosenfels would be in the mix, but Turdvaris Jackson has apparently been getting all the first-team reps at training camp thus far, so you have to assume he’d be under center in Week 1.
Nobody’s going to knock the man’s talent, as he’s still relatively young at 27 years of age and would probably be the fastest starting quarterback in the league, but the fact of the matter is that he could not be trusted to lead a Super Bowl contender. He threw 12 interceptions in as many games, along with just nine touchdowns, in his first season as a starter in 2007. He was alright when healthy the following season but put forth a total clunker in the playoffs, going 15-of-35 with no scores and a pick in a loss to the Eagles.
The Vikings would still be a fine team, no doubt about that. Their defense, led by that scary front four, would still be a force. You can bet that they’d lean even more on Adrian Peterson, and that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing (AP’s keeper league fantasy owners just got felt something move at the thought of that scenario). Still, looking at a Vikings schedule if Favre were on board, you have to believe they’d be favorites in every home game, and I only see four probable losses: Week 1 at New Orleans, Week 5 at New York Jets, Week 7 at Green Bay and Week 8 at New England.
Without big, bad Brent? We’d certainly have a shot to pull of the sweep, and there are a number of other games (vs. Miami, vs. Dallas, at Chicago, at Washington, vs. NY Giants, at Philadelphia) that could be tough Ws for Minnesota. So, the difference between Favre being there and his greatness retiring is pretty darn huge: Super Bowl contender or borderline playoff squad.
You can e-mail Danny at dgoldin@brentfavre.com
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Posted by Danny Goldin on July 16, 2010
If you don’t follow Aaron Rodgers on Twitter, you really should. The man does not hold back his opinions. Anyway, I thought I’d highlight a few of his tweets, and then follow with a few random thoughts of my own on each one. I’ll be doing this with various other Packers throughout the year.
9:56 PM Jul 9th “I don’t know if lebron to the heat will work out. But I do know all the heat lebron is taking in the media is totally uncalled for”
Just an observation here: it definitely seems like most, if not all, athletes have been behind LeBron and have been critical of the media being so negative. Also, you gotta’ love the play on words here by Rodgers. Our quarterback is so clever!
9:13 AM Jul 11th “@ErikAinge3 I’m not an ambi-turner”
The pure beauty of Blue Steel never withers. Word on the street is that a Zoolander 2 is in the works, and I can't wait to see what new looks Derek has in store for us.
Rodgers tweets to Erik Ainge a lot, and I’m hoping this is the first and only time that Ainge and Rodgers are ever mentioned in the same sentence. C’mon A-Rod! I don’t care if you’re friends with Ainge, you should be associating yourself with fellow elite quarterbacks. I expect Rodgers to only be tweeting to guys like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Chuck Norris. I do like the Zoolander reference here though. That’s a top-five comedy of all time, no doubt.
10:03 AM Jul 11th “@ErikAinge3 60% of the time it works every time”
Apparently Rodgers likes the mix of mediocre quarterbacks with elite comedies. Nothing better than a little dabble of Sex Panther to guarantee an excellent night out. Anchorman is another top-five all-time comedy, alongside the aforementioned Zoolander, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and Superbad. Rounding out the top-10 is Hangover, Old School, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dumb & Dumber and Not Another Teen Movie. I’m not kidding about that last one, I know most of those dumb parody movies are atrocious, but NATM is comedy gold.
Sunday, July 11, 2010 1:32:30 PM “I am William Wallace and I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. Uve come to fight as free men n free men ye are”
At least Mel can claim that he gave us all fair warning about his true colors, as this mustache served as a clear indicator of his pending creepiness.
Another movie quote from A-Rod. You can never knock a good Braveheart quote, although it is a questionable time to be relaying any statement from Mel Gibson. The man is just slightly shady. I’ve found that, nowadays, watching a Mel Gibson movie is kind of like listening to “I Believe I Can Fly”, “Ignition (Remix)”, or any other R. Kelly hit; there’s no knocking either man’s talent, but knowing that they’re both total creepers definitely takes away from they’re ability to entertain.
Monday, July 12, 2010 2:33:04 PM “RT @PaulNeeb88 Who’s this nerd Hasselbeck on ESPN saying @AaronRodgers12 isn’t a Top 5 QB best analyst they can find a career 4th stringer?”
So I looked it up, and apparently Tim Hasselbeck recently listed his top-five quarterbacks in the league right now as 1) Peyton Manning 2) Tom Brady 3) Drew Brees 4) Philip Rivers 5) Brett Favre. I don’t have too much beef with that list, although I really feel Rodgers could be as high as No. 4. Regardless, does anyone really care what Matt Hasselbeck’s brother has to say? There’s no doubt about the fact the Tim absolutely would not have a job at ESPN if his wife Elizabeth, of The View, hadn’t been pulling strings behind the scene.
10:13 PM Jul 14th “I’m in Tahoe loving Edgewood and seeing some good friends. Best week of the summer”
Let’s just hope that Rodgers’ visit to Lake Tahoe goes a bit more smoothly than Big Ben Roethlisberger’s.
You can e-mail Danny a dgoldin@brentfavre.com
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Posted by Danny Goldin on July 9, 2010
Is there anyone out there that still likes/respects Stuart Scott? If so, please go burn a book.
Stuart Scott and other multiple sources have contacted me and claimed that any media outlet that has anything to do with sports is required to post material about LeBron James, so I figured I’d step up to the plate and meet the quota for BrentFavre.com. There actually are some connections to be drawn between LeBron and this site. As I discussed a few months back, the hoopla surrounding LeBron was somewhat similar to the circus that has surrounded Brent every offseason for the past half decade.
Now, like Brent, LeBron is seen as a traitor by the fanbase that grew to love him. Sure, LeBron’s seven years with the Cavs were not even half as much as the 16 Brent put in with the Packers, but LeBron was a part of his city for much longer than just his pro career, becoming a household name in Akron by the time he hit double digits. Further adding to Cleveland’s sting is the fact that LeBron flat out had a choice, 100 percent his own to make, as to whether or not to come back to his city. Brent’s decision on whether to stick with the Packers may not have been such a one-sided choice. With that said, here are my various thoughts on LeBron’s decision, both positive and negative, regarding whether or not it was the right move on his part:
LeBron made the right choice
- I do believe that, if all LeBron was thinking about was “Where can I go to win the most games and win the most titles?”, he made the right choice. I do not agree with anyone that says Miami will struggle to mesh. You have two of the top three hoopers, and another guy in the top 15, all on the same team; they’ll figure it out. They’ve played excellently together for Team USA. While they’re all used to having the ball in their hands, they also play great off the ball and are all good-to-elite passers. I believe Miami will win three-to-five titles over the next five years, especially if they can find a shooter (rumor is they may be able to sign Mike Miller following their unloading of Beasley).
- I know Cleveland feels betrayed, but I don’t think the Cavs were even an option for LeBron. They have no flexibility with their roster, and LeBron’s supporting cast has proven over the past few seasons that they couldn’t do enough to win him a title. Remember, LeBron played great in the playoffs two years ago, and the Cavs were still ousted relatively easily by Orlando. I know he had a few rough moments in that Celtics series this year, but overall, LeBron has had a fantastic playoff career, but just hasn’t received enough help.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert claiming that his team will win a title before the Heat is the biggest LOL I've heard since Sarah Palin last spoke a word.
- I loved owner Dan Gilbert’s open letter to the fans, as it was unbelievably entertaining to read, but it was also COMPLETELY AND UNACCEPTABLY immature for a person in Gilbert’s position. Wade has already commented on Gilbert’s letter, saying that it only made LeBron feel that much better about his decision, and I completely agree. Shame on him. I would love to see Gilbert say that to LeBron’s face.
- People were bashing LeBron left and right for how he handled the whole process with his decision, and it certainly could have been played out another less-volatile way. Still, included in the LeBron bashing were people ridiculing his decision to give the proceeds of the night’s events to charity. Are you kidding me? Who are you to infer what his reasons may or may not have been? Sure, he may have had some selfish intentions, but name me a single celebrity that doesn’t. The fact of the matter is that it’s better to give to charity than to not give to charity. “It’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.” – Katie Holmes from Batman Begins
- Sure, the Heat may be Wade’s team right now, but who says it will be that way forever? Wade is three years older than James and clearly more injury-prone. Also, LeBron was the two-time reigning MVP before he made his decision. Afterward, he’s still the two-time reigning MVP. Just saying.
- There’s something to be said about playing with your friends, and LeBron is known to be great friends with Wade and Bosh. I know when I go to the gym and get in a pick-up game, I have much more fun, and play with much better chemistry, when I’m on a team with my friends. These three guys are human too and are playing the same game, they just happen to be playing it at a much higher level.
Bron Bron screwed this one up
- This absolutely tarnishes LeBron’s legacy. Sure, he may win a ring or five, but what’s the meaning behind those rings? They won’t be the rings that he carried Miami to. They’ll be the rings that he was able to hand-pick by joining a stacked roster that already had two stars. This is somewhat off topic, but Gary Payton comes to mind. He was an elite player in his prime but was never able to win a ring with Seattle. In the twilight of his career, he chose to sign with a stacked L.A. team, which didn’t work out, then signed with a stacked (ironically) Miami team, and got his ring. Still, did that ring really add anything to Payton’s legacy? In my mind, not much. He pretty much just inherited it by being around the right people. I actually think this move was more understandable in Payton’s case since he was past his prime. Never once until now have three alpha dogs in their prime join forces, and it really diminishes the sense of each players’ individual value.
MJ's all-time basketball supremacy is no longer in doubt, at least not for the next decade. Kevin Durant anyone?
- More on LeBron’s legacy… one of the things I loved about LeBron was that, when I was watching him, I felt like, maybe, just maybe, when all was said and done with his career, I might have been watching the best player ever to dribble a basketball. Sure, MJ set the standard almost impossibly high, but the combination of LeBron’s skill set, size and athleticism is unmatched by anyone, ever. Now, I just don’t think there’s any way he can ever be considered the best player ever. We’ll never know, because even if he wins, people can always say it was at least partially his supporting cast.
- I know the MLB Players Union always steps in and strongly encourages all free agents to take the best offer they can get, and I don’t see why the NBA Players Union didn’t do the same. There’s a salary cap for a reason: so that teams can’t stack rosters. Despite the fact that LeBron, Wade and Bosh are all clearly max contract players, they screwed with the process by accepting less money than they could have. It’s really unfair to the rest of the NBA, especially a team like Atlanta that is forced to pay an inferior player in Joe Johnson a ridiculous $5 million or so more PER YEAR if they wanted any chance at retaining him. Think about it… Miami gets to have LeBron, Wade and Bosh, each at significantly less money than Atlanta gets Joe Johnson.
- Was it worth all this to polarize so many people? Maybe LeBron truly doesn’t care, and if so, than more power to him, but the fact of the matter is that he just went from being one of the most incredibly popular and respected athletes to one of the top-five most hated in the world. I have to believe this is all very bad for his brand.
- He should have gone to Chicago. There, it would have still clearly been HIS team, and I think they still could have been the top title contender, ahead of the Lakers, and nearly as good as Miami is now. A rising star in Rose, elite big defender in Noah, elite big scorer in Boozer, an unpopular but still decent Deng, and fine young role players like Taj Gibson and James Johnson. If for some reason he didn’t want Chicago, then he should have picked New York or New Jersey. The Knicks have a great big in Amar’e, an elite shooter in Gallinari, nice young pieces in Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas (and now Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike), not to mention that they have over $11 million coming off the books when Eddy Curry is gone after the season. As for the Nets, they have an All-Star point guard in Devin Harris, a future All-Star big who’s great on both ends of the court in Brook Lopez, and nice young pieces in Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Derrick Favors and Kris Humphries. All three of those teams would have absolutely been title contenders, and possibly title favorites, if LeBron would have chosen them. His legacy would have still been in tact, without people believing he copped out, as is the common perception right now.
You can e-mail Danny at dgoldin@brentfavre.com
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Posted by Danny Goldin on June 29, 2010
You can hate me now.
It’s been a minute. To recap from a few posts ago, I’ll be the fantasy guy/d-bag for this blog. I’ll often be ignoring the team aspect of the sport that a franchise needs to form chemistry and win games, instead highlighting the singular accomplishments of money-hungry individuals. As a wise individual (Puff Daddy) once proclaimed, “You can hate me now.”
I already discussed Ryan Grant and Aaron Rodgers’ early fantasy values. Now, onto the rest of the guys.
Greg Jennings – He may no longer be the most popular “Jennings” in Wisconsin pro sports, but I see Greg bouncing back from a relatively disappointing campaign in 2009. Entering 2010, he’s generally being ranked somewhere between 30-40 overall, and between 12-16 among receivers. That will slot him in the fourth round of most drafts. Personally, I don’t really see anything different with him entering this season compared to him entering last season, when he was going second or third round. Sure, he only had four touchdowns last season, but scores can fluctuate from year to year, and it’s not like Rodgers doesn’t look his way in the red zone; they should connect more this season. Remember that Jennings caught eight balls for 130 yards and a TD in the playoffs, and when you add it all up, I see him reclaiming his spot as a top-10, and maybe even borderline top-5 wideout by year’s end. Look for him to outproduce wideouts going ahead of him like Miles Austin, DeSean Jackson and both Steve Smiths.
The Donald knows how to stay sexy despite getting old and wrinkly.
Donald Driver – Falling about two or three rounds behind Jennings is Driver, who actually accrued a few more fantasy points than Jennings last season. Driver is a bastion of consistency. He’s played at least 15 games for eight-straight years, and he’s logged six years in a row of at least 1,000 yards. That ties him with Reggie Wayne for the longest active streak; believe or not, nobody else in the league is currently going on more than three years in a row. Unfortunately, that consistency also comes with a not-so-high upside, as he’s failed to top 1,061 yards or six touchdowns for three years running, and he isn’t getting any younger at 35. Still, we all know Driver keeps his body in better shape than most 25 year olds, so I don’t worry about the age factor much. Reliability is an invaluable thing in fantasy, as knowing that you can plug him into lineup week in and week out can allow you to take risks elsewhere in your draft. I wouldn’t reach for him in the first five rounds, but don’t let him slip later than the sixth.
Jermichael Finley – Dip another two or three rounds from Driver’s spot, and you’ll be in Finley territory, probably around the eighth round of your draft. Finley dealt with injuries for much of last year but flashed that excellent athleticism toward the end, piling up 337 yards over the final five weeks. Only Jason Witten and Brent Celek had more at the position over that period, not to mention that Finley found the end zone four times. Oh, and there was that playoff game where he led the Pack in receiving with 159 yards. Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis will most likely be the top three tight ends off the board, and after that there are two unproven but high-upside youngsters in Finley and Celek, and two steady veterans in Witten and Tony Gonzalez. Whether you’re looking to play things safe or go for the jugular is up to you, but it certainly wouldn’t be crazy to pick Finley fourth at his position.
You can e-mail Danny at dgoldin@fanball.com
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Posted by Danny Goldin on June 8, 2010
So I recently made an attempt to become more cultured by placing CNN.com as the homepage on my computer, and not surprisingly, it’s done nothing but waste 10 seconds of my day every time I open up Firefox. I wish I could get into it, but I still check ESPN, TMZ and Deadspin for pretty much all my news. Kids, do not follow in my footsteps.
Anyway, our boy Aaron Rodgers has been making his rounds across the Web lately, and you gotta’ love it! He’s showed his mug twice on TMZ over the past year for his love of the opposite sex. You can check the posts out here, and again right here. The man is irresistible!
Rodgers vs. Kornheiser, let the battle begin!
Today, he made his way over to Deadspin, the internet’s premier source of sports gossip and likely the reason why you heard about Delonte West getting busy with Gloria James, the mother of a pretty good basketball player. Anyway, here’s the link to the Rodgers column on Deadspin. Basically, it’s A-Rod just mouthing off about Tony Kornheiser. While Rodgers may come off as somewhat of a brat, I personally love when athletes show any sort of genuine, non-publicist-crafted opinion, even if it’s in a negative tone. And, in this case, I couldn’t agree more with Rodgers. While I love Kornheiser’s work on PTI, the man was nothing short of atrocious in his stint with Monday Night Football. Everything he said was completely scripted and painful to listen to. It made me wish I was the teleprompter so that I could add in a “Go fuc* yourself, San Diego!”
In addition to the Kornheiser comments, Rodgers had a few other juicy tidbits in his interview with ESPN Radio Milwaukee. Check them out…
On who he listens to or talks to whose analysis he respects:
“A good starting point is if you have played in the league and had some success. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about guys on ESPN and stuff like that. (Editor: What about Ron Jaworski?) I like him, but, when I was coming out, he did the worst segment in the history of TV about me talking about my fundamentals. It was not even close to anywhere near my fundamentals. The first time I met him, someone introduced me to him and I said, ‘Yeah I know him. He’s the guy who ripped me before the draft.’ The rest of the night he told me how great I was. I was like, ‘I know your song and dance.’ And now he loves me. I like Trent. He does a good job. He’s had success at the position. You look at Marcellus Wiley up there talking about quarterback play. The guy was a defensive end for a few years in the league. He’s not any good.”
On his top five quarterbacks (not including himself):
“Tom Brady is the best by far. It’s not even close. Drew Brees has got to be right there. Tony Romo’s a good player. I’ll take Philip Rivers there. And Peyton, he’s right there. No order except for Tom being the best. He does things that other guys can’t do. His pocket presence is better than those guys by far. He throws a better ball than just about all those guys. He’s a winner – better than all those guys.”
Feel free to e-mail Danny at dgoldin@brentfavre.com
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Posted by Danny Goldin on June 1, 2010
You’ll come to know me as the “fantasy” guy for this blog. This will become much more apparent once the season approaches and gets underway, as I’ll provide some more in-depth-type-shiz when that happens. Basically, I’m the big d-bag at the bar that will be seen cheering after witnessing Chris Johnson just get me his fourth touchdown of the day, only to get evil stares from everyone else after realizing that I completely missed the fact that Mason Crosby just missed a 34-yard field goal.
Missed field goals by Mason Crosby become a lot more bearable when you aren't watching them. This process can save many remotes from being thrown across the room.
Anyway, here’s an early look at where the two most demanded Packers stack up in the fantasy ranks. Key word here is “early”, as things will could change based on training camp, preseason and whatnot. I’ll touch on the rest of the Packers in a later post.
Aaron Rodgers – I discussed Rodgers’ “real-life” rank in one of my previous posts, coming to the conclusion that he was the fourth-best overall quarterback after the Big 3 of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. When it comes to fantasy, however, the consensus seems to be that he’s No. 2 behind only Brees, based on most of the prominent experts’ rankings right now. He and Brees are probably the only two QBs you can consider in the first round, and honestly, I wouldn’t be at all scared to take Rodgers ahead of Brees as the No. 1 quarterback off the board (though I personally like to go running back early, so I probably won’t end up with either on any of my teams this year).
Rodgers was the top point scorer among quarterbacks last season, and actually by a considerable margin. His ability to gain yards on the run, and score on the ground, gives him an edge over all the other top fantasy gunslingers (Brees, Brady, P. Manning, Rivers and Schaub). I don’t see Rodgers regressing anywhere statistically, and if anything, he could improve in his third season under center. Feel free to take him as the first quarterback off the board, and don’t feel like you’re being too much of a homer when you do it. Hey, the more reason to root for Rodgers, the better!
With many teams going to two or three-back systems, Ryan Grant is one of the few backs that doesn't have to worry much about sharing carries.
Ryan Grant – I have a secret, and hopefully this doesn’t result in a Danny Goldin Brent Favre blog banishment: I don’t think that Grant is a very good real-life running back. He’s not all that strong, doesn’t always hit the hole hard, is far from elusive/shifty and has good-but-not-great speed.
Still, that doesn’t stop him from being a bonafide fantasy back, because he has two major things going his way: a lack of competition for carries (both between the 20s and at the goal line) and a high-scoring offense to move the chains. That lack of competition has allowed him to surpass 1,200 rushing yards each of the past two seasons despite a mediocre 4.1 yards per carry over the two combined years. There are a number of backs with much more upside, but when you consider the two aforementioned factors, along with the fact that he’s quite durable, there are few safer picks at the halfback position. Add it all up, and he should be a mid-to-late second-round pick (which obviously depends on how many teams are in your league, but whatever) and somewhere between the 10th to 15th running back off the board.
You can e-mail Danny at dgoldin@brentfavre.com
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Posted by Danny Goldin on May 14, 2010
The Cavaliers were prematurely ousted from the NBA playoffs last night, and with their failure to bring LeBron James a title, we’re now about to “witness” an outpouring of media speculation as to where the free-agent-to-be will land next season.
Alright now we got a situation.
Sidenote: Am I the only person that thinks about immature things whenever the word “prematurely” is used? I really hope I’m not alone here. Even when it comes in a legitimate and completely appropriate context, that word is forever altered to me. This is similar to how Jersey Shore ruined (or enhanced, depending on how you look at it) the word “situation” for the rest of my life. Either way, it will never be the same.
Anyway, back to LeBron. A number of people have mentioned that all this speculation as to where LeBron will land will reach unprecedented heights in the media this summer, and it led me to ponder this: Have we all forgotten the back-and-forth see-saw Brent Favre has had us all riding for two-going-on-three years!?!
Now, clearly, there are some factors here that separate the two cases. Bron Bron (you think he’d mind if I call him that from time to time? Clearly he’ll come across this blog, and hopefully the moniker doesn’t bother him when he does) is just 25 years old and, and for all we know, very well may have yet to reach his peak. Favre was 38 and presumably well past his prime when he started to embark on his Packers sabbatical two seasons ago. With Favre, retirement was an option, and even when he decided to come back, it was pretty clear that his body wouldn’t let him prolong his career for more than a few years. With LeBron, whoever ends up with him could very well end up with the Association’s premier superstar for the next decade. Also, to my knowledge, Brent Favre does not have a drink named after him, though the same cannot be said for King James (by the way, I’ve gotten drunk off of solely LeBomb James’ before. While it’s unlikely to come cheap, it’s quite fun and highly recommended).
On the other hand, there is one factor that would suggest that this upcoming LeBron madness may not be that much crazier than what we’ve seen with Brent the past few years. Why not? Because the NFL literally KILLS the NBA in popularity these days. Nothing proved this more blatantly than the fact that the frickin’ NFL draft, an event where we wait 15 minutes at a time to hear the name of a guy we’ve probably never heard of, got a better TV rating (6.42 share) on the same night than LeBron’s Cavs against the Bulls (2.1 share) and Lakers vs. Thunder (3.0) received, combined.
LeBron to the Bulls? It just might happen.
Sure, the LeBron sweepstakes will be big, but we’ll have to wait and see as to just how crazy it gets.
And where, you ask, will he end up? How come nobody is throwing the Bucks out there? Fear the Dear! LeBron could stay in the Midwest, have a legitimate young point guard (Jennings), a true center (Bogut) and a number of shooters (Salmons, Delfino, Ilyasova). It makes so much sense!
Except that it doesn’t, since the Bucks won’t have enough cap space to offer a max contract thanks to Michael Redd ($18 million) and Dan Gadzuric ($7 million) still on the books for one more year. And, if LeBron wants to stay in the Midwest, he’ll clearly opt for the Chicago market, and they have both the cap space to get him and attractive pieces (D-Rose, Joakim Noah) to get him. Oh well.
You can e-mail Danny Goldin at dgoldin@brentfavre.com
Posted by Danny Goldin on May 8, 2010
The Packers drafted running back James Starks in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Starks ended his collegiate career as the University at Buffalo’s all-time leading rusher. It’s unlikely he’ll end his NFL career as the Packers’ all-time leading rusher (although hey, you never know!), though it is quite likely that he’ll end the career of the Packers’ all-time leading rusher.
Follow that?
Adding Clark to a running back corps that already contains Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson and Kregg Lumpkin (as well as undrafted rookie Quinn Porter) almost surely closes the door on any hopes unrestricted free agent Ahman Green had at getting a call to come back another season with the Pack. So ends the Packers career, and very likely NFL career, of Green Bay’s all-time leading rusher. Yep, Ahman’s 8,322 yards rank No. 1 among all Packers, as do his rushing yards in a season (1,883), yards gained in a game (218) and yards gained on a single rush (98). Green is also the only Packer ever to rush for 100 yards in four-straight games, and he did it twice. So why is this former Packer great no longer of use on any NFL team? Easy… he’s a running back, and he turned 30 years old. In case you hadn’t heard, that’s the age when NFL running backs become extinct.
Don’t believe me? Ahman topped the 1,000-yard barrier with the Packers as a 29-year-old in 2006 before he left for Houston; he’s had just 716 yards in the three seasons since. But don’t look at Ahman like some sort of worn-out freak, as he’s far from the only one to experience this phenomenon. Eddie George seemed to be the poster boy of a back overworked in his early years as a pro, only to fall off the map in the later stages of his career as he approached 30, and there have been many that have followed since.
Stephen Davis rushed for 1,444 yards as a 29-year-old in 2003, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, but was hurt just two games into 2004 when he turned 30. He came back at 31 and gained just 590 yards off 3.1 yards per carry, and had one more weak season before being out of the league. Edgerrin James is another perfect example. Edge rushed for 1,222 yards as a 29-year-old in 2007 but had his starting job wrestled away from him at 30 and gained just 514 yards on the ground. He had trouble finding work last year, and his career seems likely to be done for.
For Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson, the old age crept in a year early. Alexander led the league in rushing in 2005 with 1,880 yards at 5.1 yards per carry as a 28-year-old, but saw his average dip to 3.6 the next season and gained just 896 yards, nearly one grand less. He was even worse in 2007 and averaged a paltry 2.2 yards per carry in a brief comeback attempt in 2008. LT rushed for 1,474 yards as a 28-year-old in 2007 at 4.7 yards per clip, but fell drastically to a 3.8-yard average in 2008, and dipped even further down to 3.3 in 2009 when he turned 30.
While there may have been factors other than age that led to Shaun Alexander's demise, there's no denying that he flat out stunk.
Clearly there have been exceptions to the rule, as some backs have been able to remain effective past the 30-year barrier; guys like Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin come to mind. Still, you can’t blame Ahman Green for failing to be his old self. Instead, applaud Green Bay’s all-time leading rusher for what he’s accomplished!
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Posted by Danny Goldin on April 30, 2010
If you missed Part 1 of this column, check it out right here.
I already concluded that Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady are the consensus top-3 quarterbacks in the league, but who is No. 4? Again, I’ll be basing my decision on who I’d like under center for my team in 2010.
Cutler does have one thing over Rodgers; he's really good at throwing interceptions and then either sulking or blaming his teammates afterward.
I’ll throw a few names out of contention right off the bat. Jay Cutler might have the necessary skill set but is just too inconsistent, sorry Bears fans. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco both have bright futures, but simply aren’t there yet. Carson Palmer was excellent in 2005 and 2006 but hasn’t been nearly the same quarterback since. While all of those guys have fine potential, you’re honestly taking crazy pills if you think that any of them are No. 4.
Matt Schaub was excellent last year, but he did have more than twice as many interceptions as Rodgers. It also took him until 28 years of age to get through his first season at full health, needless to say that durability remains a concern.
Donovan McNabb has had a fine career but is undeniably past his prime. He’s never once passed for 4,000 yards and isn’t very mobile anymore (Rodgers is certainly a better runner at this point). If you look at the numbers, he’s actually only had one season (2004) that was better than either of Rodgers’ past two seasons, and you could even argue that 09 Rodgers was better than 04 McNabb, or at least just as good.
Not only is Brenda Warner really frickin' annoying, but her hair is also very short and gray.
Kurt Warner would be in the argument if he was back, but alas, he’ll be spending all his time at Home Depot with his annoying wife Brenda.
I’m going to bunch Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger together. Yes, I’m aware they’ve each won a Super Bowl (and in Big Ben’s case, two of them) but the fact of the matter is that they just aren’t that good. They’re good, just not that good. Manning really never had an above average statistical season until this past year, and even then, he wasn’t anything special after the first five weeks of the season. His team went 3-8, largely because he threw over one interception per game.
Onto Ben. First off, I’d like to kill the notion that he should be considered better than every other quarterback outside the top-3 due to the fact that he’s won multiple Super Bowls. Why am I going to kill that notion? Ben went 9-of-21 for 123 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions in his first Super Bowl win. Needless to say, they didn’t win that game because of him. If they didn’t win because of him, I’m not going to increase his rank because of it. Other than that, everything about his numbers shows a good, but simply not great, quarterback. Oh yeah, and I also hear that he’s kind of shady.
Rodgers has been pulling in the honeys lately. There's no denying that he's a very sexy man.
With all those names out the door, there are really just four candidates in my mind: Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, our boy Aaron Rodgers, and — funny how his name always finds a way to come up — Brent Favre. First, let’s look Romo. Sure, the man always tends to put up gaudy regular season stats, but would you trust him to hold your kick — let alone quarterback your team — in the playoffs? I know he won his first playoff game this past season, but I still think he’s pretty darn soft. There’s that, and then there’s the fact that he’s not even with Jessica Simpson anymore. Based on TMZ’s latest findings, Rodgers probably has Romo beat in the lady department, as well as the playing field. Rivers is legit, but his playoff resume has also seen mixed results. He’s now had four full seasons as a starter, most of them surrounded by excellent talent, and you kind of get the feeling that he’s topped out. Don’t get me wrong, most teams would happily take the level of play he’s displayed the last few years, but I just don’t see reason to believe he’ll ever be any better. Also, he’s kind of a d-bag.
That brings us down to two. Let’s be real here, and much as we love to hate, hate, hate on Brent… the man can toss a pigskin. Doing what he did at 40 years of age last year was pretty remarkable, but the reason why I’m extremely hesitant to announce him as the fourth best quarterback in the NFL is just that: he really is too old. According to a recent report, the reason Brent remains undecided on whether or not he’ll be back next season has to do with the fact that his ankle is still bothering him from the beating he took in the NFC Championship game. That’s what old people do, they die… and take really long to heal from injuries. We all know the real reason Brent remains undecided is because he doesn’t want to go through training camp, but his age is a major concern why I wouldn’t rank him over…
Instead of a picture of Rodgers here, I decided to put another photo of Cutler sucking at the game of football. He's so good at not being good!
Aaron Rodgers! That’s right, I’ll say it with confidence. Rodgers is the fourth best quarterback in the league. His numbers have been as good, if not better, than anyone else’s the past two seasons, which just so happen to be his only two as a starter (take it for what it’s worth, but he actually had the most fantasy points, using a standard scoring system, of any player in the entire NFL this past season). He’s excelled under immense pressure, and while he may be 0-1 in the playoffs, don’t blame that on him. Seriously, don’t do it; he threw for four touchdowns and over 400 yards with a rushing touchdown to boot, in case you forgot. At 26, Rodgers is the youngest of all the legitimate candidates, which gives us plenty of reason to believe we haven’t yet since his peak. As long as the Packers’ line plays better next season and allows Rodgers to not be running for his life half the time, I see even bigger things for him in 2010. A possible jump into the top-3? We’ll have to wait and see. But for now, fourth best quarterback in the universe isn’t half bad.
You can e-mail Danny at dgoldin@brentfavre.com
Posted by Danny Goldin on April 27, 2010
This blog wouldn’t exist had it not been for the flip-flopping ways of Brent Favre and his eventual divorce with the Packers. Sure, it’s fun to hate on B. Lorenzo Favre, but it’s not like we were stuck in a situation where he left us out to dry… because we had Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings, and little did we know at that point that Rodgers was/is the frickin’ man.
Rodgers was somewhat of a joke his first three seasons in the league. Despite rumors that the 49ers might take him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, he ended up slipping all the way down to the Packers at No. 24.
Aaron Rodgers (third from left) had to wait until pick #24 to hear his name, while fellow draft invitees (from left) Alex Smith, Antrel Rolle, Braylon Edwards, Ronnie Brown and Cedric Benson all went in the top-8.
He came into Green Bay as a goofy-looking surfer dude, complete with beard and flowing mane of hair, and sat on the bench like a little pee-wee scrub for three seasons as Brent ran the show. When the whole Brent circus went down, Rodgers stood by idly, and was handed an immense amount of pressure when he was asked to lead a team, and fanbase, that had known nothing but Favre for the past decade and a half.
Many would have folded under the pressure, but Rodgers thwarted the doubters and was pretty darn good. Scratch that… the man was a flat-out stud right from the get-go. After an excellent first full season as a starter, Rodgers legitimized himself as a, dare I say SUPERSTAR, in 2009 with an even superior campaign, this despite the fact that he was literally running for his life half the time behind an underperforming offensive line.
Miley Cyrus is holding an egg. It's doubtful that she was participating in an egg toss during the shooting of this photo, but the image still came up in a Google search of "egg toss".
With all that said, I wanted to take a look on where Rodgers ranks among today’s quarterbacks. My ranking will be based on who I’d want under center for my team this next upcoming season, not who I’d draft if I was starting a new franchise, who I’d prefer as my wingman at a bar, who I’d select to be my partner in an egg-tossing contest, or any other particular ranking method.
First off, let’s start off by saying that Rodgers is not, at least not yet, a top-3 quarterback in this league. Unfortunately, only Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady fall under that umbrella. There simply isn’t an argument to place anybody else in the top-3. Manning and Brees both led their teams to Super Bowls last year. Brees won it, and Manning already has a ring of his own. They were the two most accurate passers last season. Brees led the league in touchdowns and QB-rating, while Manning was second in yards and tied for second in touchdowns. Really, I don’t have to go on about those two. As for Brady, he’s still just two years removed from having the best season, um, EVER for a starting quarterback. He was still pretty darn good in 2009 despite coming off a lost season and major knee surgery. Oh yeah, and he has three Super Bowl rings, there’s that one too.
No. 4, however, is where it starts to get tricky. There are a number of intriguing names in the discussion for the four spot, though I’m going to save my take for later this week. Why, you ask? Partly because I’m tired, partly because if I include everything in this one post, it’d be really really long, and nobody likes to read really really long things… it’s science.
Who do you think should be No. 4? Is No. 3 as clear-cut as I’ve made it seem? (Answer: Yes, it is. And remember, as tough as it is for me to not think about fantasy, we’re talking real life here). Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section or to e-mail Danny at dgoldin@brentfavre.com.
