An ode to the greatest ballplayer Mile High Stadium ever saw

April 16, 2009

Al Michaels' Broadcast Booth Available for Sublease


Christmas come early, NFL fans.  In a somewhat surprising move, notorious Captain of the Obvious and Gridiron Glutton, John Madden has retired from broadcasting.  The culmination of the Michaels-Madden marriage is a welcome change as their chemistry was less genuine than a political marriage between the Clintons and Rodhams.

Many NFL diehards love the iconic Madden.  I have a difficult time respecting someone who has a fear of flying.  This is 2009.  Being afraid of flying these days is nearly akin to being afraid of electricity, the internet, and goblins.  Things Madden is not afraid of?  Morbid obesity, stepping on Michaels’ toes, driving Pat Summerall to alcoholism, regurgitating the same observations your girlfriend can gather during a game, and uttering “boom” after any tackle.

The smug Cris Collinsworth seems to be the easy choice to replace Madden on the NBC Sunday night telecast.  Collinsworth’s condescending tone and arrogance can be exhausting, but he is knowledgeable and can deliver insider anecdotes that the lazy Madden could no longer gather.

For a league that has fashioned itself in the mold of the Roman Empire of the sporting world, there is a serious dearth of strong analysts of both the booth and studio variety.  This is a league that allows the likes of Tony Kornheiser, Phil Simms, Emmitt Smith, and Dan Dierdorf to opine on its product.  Baffling.

Your thoughts?

April 8, 2009

Josh McDaniels is Mature Enough to do Pressers


Opening statement

"I appreciate everybody being here today. I want to first say that I thank you all for your patience in dealing with this situation. I know it hasn't been easy for all of you trying to get information from us and it hasn't been easy for us to deal with it either. We wanted to try to do it privately, obviously, and try to keep much of this stuff to ourselves as we tried to resolve the situation.

Guess what, sport.  Private things are nice, but you were dealing with a pampered pissed off franchise quarterback and an aggressive agent that couldn’t find microphones fast enough.  All the meanwhile, you, Xanders, and Bowlen were nowhere to be found save a couple vague press releases.  Someone needed to step up and let people know what the hell was going on.  

While we're here, it is cute that Josh has copied his old boss' love of hoodies.  I miss the days when coaches wore suits.  Josh looks like he is ready for joint number two on the day.

Again, I thank you for your patience throughout the whole process.

No problem, fella.  We don’t mind sitting back and watching you trip all over yourself in your first real managerial experience.  Broncos fans are patient – just ask Brian Griese and Wade Phillips.  It is really cute watching you “learn on the job” while you set the franchise back a few years.

"As [President & CEO] Pat [Bowlen] alluded to in his statement Tuesday night, we just felt as an organization that we got to a point where it was made very clear to us that we were not going to be able to get to a resolution where Jay Cutler could be on our football team. At that point we opened it up and let the league know that we would have an interest in trading the player.

Truth be told, you did this weeks before when you inquired about Cassel, but continue talking to your fan base like they are total retards.

Yesterday with the Chicago Bears, [we] kind of culminated the process with a deal we felt was best for our football team going forward.

“Kind of”????????  Who the hell is this kid?  You did culminate it, McDipshit.  You traded him.  Is this that old bullshit they teach business majors about “not burning bridges” and “networking”?

"We are very excited about the opportunity that we have now and [we] are looking forward to moving on, improving and working towards the 2009 season."

Chris Simms and Kyle Orton are up to the challenge!

On whether there were any regrets

"No. I think it could have worked out as I mentioned a week ago. It was going to require a two-way commitment and as Pat said, I think that it was clear to us that there wasn't going to be a two-way commitment.

Yeah, you have shown nothing but commitment to Cutler.  Look, I think Cutler is plenty in the wrong, but you can’t waltz into town like your McHugeSwingingDick and think the franchise quarterback who doesn’t know you is going to like being shopped around.

We have talked about doing everything we can do to help our football team improve. That's how this started and we are going to continue to do that."

Talking about improving and actually improving are different things.

On how the communication broke down

"Like I said, it became obvious that it wasn't going to be resolved the way that we were trying to resolve it. We were committed to trying to do that and I think at the point where it became apparent and clear that it was not going to work out the mindset was kind of: What are we waiting for? Pat released the statement on Tuesday night and we made a decision to move on."

Again with the “kind of”.  My break up with my high school girlfriend was more mature than this and she ran into the arms of some Asian dude, so that is really saying something.

On where he would put the blame

"I don't know where the blame lies or if there is blame.

Nice that you think that.  Everyone else on earth things all you arrogant pricktards are to blame and the fact you don’t acknowledge it only confirms the premise.

 Obviously it was a situation where communication became an issue and at that point it started to get progressively worse. But I understand the player's mindset.

Did Belicheck teach you this?  To refer to someone as “the player”?  Good lord this is gay.  Be a man and just call him “Jay”.  This is such petty chick garbage.

I understand that he wasn't happy with what had happened or transpired, but we dealt with the situation straightforward [and] we were upfront with him. There are many things, obviously, that have come out about this whole process and the way that it worked out. Like I said, no regrets of the whole situation other than we could have communicated the thing that we were attempting to fix the way we were attempting to fix it."

“No regrets except for the one colossal regret that this whole mess hinges on – communication.”

On how he would describe his first 90-plus days on the job

"It's been kind of a whirlwind. It's exciting and it's challenging. This is the National Football League and I understand that.

Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself of this, Joshua.

It's a production business [and] it's all about winning. In a word, we are trying to make every decision we can that's in the best interest of our team and that we feel is going to help us do that.

That’s not one word.  That is 28 words.

On whether QB Kyle Orton fits his "mold"

"There is no mold, I wouldn't say that. That's not what this is about. Kyle Orton is a player that I've watched and that I've seen and had an opportunity to study some obviously through this process and before. Kyle Orton has won in this league. He's tough, he's smart, he makes good decisions, he's accurate with the football and we're excited about having him on this team. I don't have a mold. There is not a precise ‘here is what the guy has to look like.' Tom Brady didn't look anything like Matt Cassel and Matt Cassel doesn't look anything like Kyle Orton.

It’s not ok to refer to Jay Cutler by his name, but it is ok to fellate your former quarterbacks.  Josh, welcome to Denver.  We fucking hate the Patriots.  You don’t work for them anymore.

It's a guy that can do what we want him to do, understand and process our offense, help our team win, make smart decisions and get the ball to the people that we want to do things with it. There is no special person or special guy that has to fit into it. There are a lot of players that can fit into it."

That is not true you arrogant offensive asshat.  There are only a few elite quarterbacks in the league.  Cutler was becoming one.  Orton, Simms, and the “lot of players” are not elite and they never will be.

On whether he has addressed the team

"We had a team meeting yesterday, not after the fact but before it. We addressed that and told them all at a team meeting that we were moving forward, we were going to make a decision soon and once we made that decision we weren't going to look back."

Brandon Marshall was later seen slamming his head inside his locker.

On the amount of flexibility Denver has in the draft with the acquired picks, whether it will be a defensive draft and whether Denver will consider drafting a quarterback

"It gives us a lot of flexibility. It's something that as a football coach going into the draft, the more you have, the better off you are because you can maneuver to get some players that you really feel good about and [we] have the ammunition to do some of those things. As far as it being a defensive or offensive draft, it's going to be the best players at a position that we need players at that can help our team win. I wouldn't say that it's going to be one way or the other. As far as a quarterback is concerned, we are evaluating all of those players just the same. If one of those players-whoever they may be, whenever it may be-is somebody that we would like to have on this team then we would consider drafting a quarterback."

Please God no Mark Sanchez.

On whether QB Kyle Orton's inclusion in the trade put Chicago over the top

"I think the fact that you are giving up a quarterback and you get a quarterback that has been productive and has won in this league, it's never a bad thing. When you are considering what to do and what is the right decision to make, he certainly weighed into that. That was somewhat of a factor in this deal."

What has Orton won?  A neckbeard competition?  Jack Daniels chugging contest?

On what he likes about QB Chris Simms

"Chris is in many ways similar to what I just described about the kind of guy we are looking for. He is tough [and] he's smart. He's already knee deep in the offense

And I’m balls deep in him! HEYO

 right now and learning more every day. He met with us this morning. Chris is bright, he can get the ball to the people we want him to get it to and he will have an opportunity to compete for that spot."

On if there was anything he would have done differently

"That's frustrating to me because the situation as it played out, there was communication that morning and I think there has been this speculation that everybody is withholding information. There was a conversation earlier that morning and then no communication for quite a long time. In terms of being forthcoming, I don' t know what else we would do. We called the player, we spoke to him and his agent before anything had ever happened and that's kind of where it stood from our point.

Again with “the player”.

We couldn't go forward from it because there was no communication from that point forward. I would never use that word that we would do anything over because we tried to do that and we never could get to the point where there was effective communication.

"Like I said, we were doing something at that point in time-35 days ago or whatever it is-to try to take a look at something that may or may not improve the team. There was no decision made, so we didn't get to a point where we were doing anything. We didn't get to a point where we were going to take anything to Pat Bowlen and say ‘here is what we think we should do.' At that point everything obviously went forward with Kansas City and it's done, so like I said, that's the end of all of it."

On if Jay Cutler was not "his guy"

"No. He could have played in this offense and done very well."

Didn’t you listen earlier?  Chrissy Sims and Kyle Orton will become hall of famers in this offense.  It is always the offense.

On whether he considered flying out to see Cutler

"No. I think, like I said, it's a two-way commitment. If you're going to do something then it has to be done where both people are trying to get to the same resolution. For the majority of this process that is not the way it was."

I wait three days after a date before calling a chick back.  Unless I’m drunk and horny, then I text.

On whether he had an opportunity to meet one-on-one with Cutler

"Impossible. Bus Cook (Cutler's agent) was going to be there. We would have loved to do it."

Shoot me in the face this is stupid.  Nothing like this would happen under a Shanahan regime.  Swallow your pride, McRookie, and close the deal.

On whether Bus Cook was the problem

"No idea. This wasn't about a contract, so I have no idea if Bus Cook was the problem or not."

If you are going to make personnel decisions it might be wise to brush up on agents and their motives.  Just sayins all.

On his relationship with Cutler up until the point where it went wrong

"We had multiple meetings. The player is very smart, very bright. I could see that right away. There was never any reason to think otherwise. We met on a number of occasions and he was coming in here and working with [Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks] Coach [Matt] McCoy. Again, he is going to be a good player.

He was a Pro Bowler, you obtuse douchebag.  “The player” is already a good player.  You are like the cocky prick that calls his knockout girlfriend fat after they breakup.

He is going to be a good player in Chicago now. There were no reservations about anything that I had noticed or I had witnessed in our conversations. We had good conversations and good meetings."

When?  I thought communication and lack of meetings were the problem.

On whether he was surprised that the situation grew to the point where Cutler needed to be traded

"No. Like I said, It was going to require two people to want the same resolution and to me that's kind of where it fell through."

Why would Joshy be surprised this ended in a trade.  HE IS THE ONE WHO WANTED TO TRADE HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

On when he realized that the situation was not going to be resolved with Cutler staying in Denver

"I think for Pat and I, and [General Manager] Brian [Xanders], in the last four or five days obviously it was becoming more clear and it culminated with Pat's statement on Tuesday night."

As soon as I scored the job and knew Matty Cass was coming with me to unseat Cutfuck! LOL!

On his evaluation of Jay Cutler

"He is very talented and he can do a lot of things. He is very smart. I didn't get an opportunity to coach the player on the field, so just in terms of watching him on film he obviously can do a lot of things and he does a lot of things well. The way I feel about quarterbacks is that his job is to score touchdowns and win games. Jay Cutler (Ed. Note:  uh oh!  Broke usage of “the player”!  Belicheck will be PISSED) is capable of doing that and there are a lot of quarterbacks who are capable of doing that. He is very talented, he obviously he has a strong arm, he is very accurate and he has done a lot of things so far in this league. So yes, he is a good player.

"He is a very talented player, but I will also say this: you are distinguished by getting to the playoffs and winning a lot of games. I think that's how you set yourself apart from other players in this league at any position. Is it a step down athletically? I don't know. You can say what you want to say about that. Is his arm stronger than Kyle's or Chris'? Yes it is. But can you win with anyone else.

Fuck and no.

 Sure you can. Like I said, what matters to me is that you have players at every position that we can win with, compete with and be successful with. That is what we are working hard to do every day."

On whether there is a chance to come out of the draft as a more balanced football team

"That's going to be the goal all the time-to try to be as good defensively as you are offensively and vice versa. I would say from the first moment I landed in Denver though that our goal is to improve the team. We have significant improvement to do on both sides of the ball and the kicking game. We can sit here and talk about statistics a lot. But we have improvement to do on offense,

Mostly because you stripped it of its main value, but that is neither here nor there…

 we have improvement to do on defense and we can certainly improve ourselves in the kicking game. There are a lot of areas that we are going to try to address and-in the next two years, with the extra selection we have in the first round [in 2010]-I think that helps give us some ammunition to do that."

On whether it was a situation where one player was bigger than the team

"Like I said, it just became clear that that wasn't what they wanted. At that point we are focusing on the team. We are focusing on the team every day. We are going to win as a team every day. It's not going to be one player and it's not going to be two players. It's going to be a team and we are going to win. Whichever way we are trying to win, that's the way we are going to try to win. If it's kicking six field goals, it's kicking six field goals; if it's shutting somebody, out it's shutting somebody out; or if it's scoring 45 points it's scoring 45 points. Whatever combination of those things we need to try to win with that's what we're going to try to use. It wasn't just about something like that."

To recap, scoring more points than the opponent (of any mathematical combination) results in a win.  Left off this list was 18 safeties beats 7 field goals. 

On how he reassures the fans that the team is moving forward

"We are hoping not to be patient as a franchise. The [fans] are not going to put the season on hold for us. We are going to show up, get ready to go and have a productive offseason. We are going to go into training camp with the same mindset and we are going to try to win. That's what we are going to do: we are going to try to win. And I know this, there is not just one way to do it. I know that."

As I lectured on earlier, 3-0 is a win.  45-44 is a win.  See, there is more than one way.

April 5, 2009

Final Four Trip - Day 3


I took some cheap shots at Detroit on Day 1, and I stand by those claims.  I’m kind of a dirty fighter.  I’m the guy in a brawl that hides while the big dudes trade haymakers and knock each other out until it is safe for me to score some kicks to the ribs of a fallen fighter.  I’m also the guy who will then brag to his buddies afterwards that he kicked a dude’s ass.  Again, I hold no regret for comparing Detroit to Beijing and communist Russia.

However, a big cheers is in order for the D for putting their best clubfoot forward on the big day of the Final Four (Saturday).  Final Fours are an amazing spectacle.  There are thousands upon thousands of well-moneyed fans of four separate schools that completely take over a town.  The boozed up energy leading up to the games is contagious.  I can’t imagine how hyped up on adrenaline I’d be if the Aggies ever went to a Final Four.  Alcohol poisoning and a seizure would occur and only add to the lore of it all.

Yesterday was a crisp, sunny day and I was out with the masses early.  The epicenter of downtown Detroit is actually pretty cool.  Good bars, a beautiful ballpark, and Ford Field really add to the area.  Not surprisingly, the Michigan State fans had taken over the town and were living large.

I could devote a full essay to this topic, but I’ll try to make this point concisely:  people from non-picturesque and non-fun places party harder than those who hail from desirable locations.  Michigan State fans are a prime example of this.  People from California and shit don’t have to be creative to have a good time.  There are always endless entertainment options.  On the other hand, people from a town riddled with subzero temperatures, horrible crime, and no outdoor activities have to get clever (read: drunk) to have a good time.  Midwest drinking and tailgating is a well-oiled machine – livers and obesity be damned.  An uncle once taught me this about love – drink ‘til she’s pretty.  Well the mighty Midwesterners drink till both their surroundings and their pasty dames are more than pretty.  I must give a hearty salute to such efforts.

The games were solid.  70,000 people at a basketball game is really weird, totally unreasonable, but kind of cool.  Here are some unimportant, subjective rankings of the fan bases:

Hardest Drinkers

1.       Michigan State.  As mentioned earlier, these people funneled booze in the way you’d expect from a state school in the Midwest.  Vats of domestic beer and a surprisingly strong appetite for Jager.

2.       Villanova.  These Catholics were just happy to be at the Final Four after a 24 year hiatus.  I even saw the president of the university (a priest) kicking back brewskies with his minions.  Baptists could learn a thing or two.

3.       North Carolina.  Basketball royalty and the bluebloods of the weekend.  The women knock back Pinot Grigio and the gents are a gin-by-day, scotch-by-night type of crowd.

4.       UConn.  To be fair, I hardly saw any UConn fans all day.  The ones I did see seemed apathetic and carried themselves like they had just been dragged along on a school field trip.  Crack a brew and enjoy the day, Huskies.

Best Looking Ladies

1.       Carolina and it isn’t even close.  There is top notch talent in the Carolinas, both North and South.

2.       Michigan State.  This was somewhat of a surprise, but I commend the Sparty’s for bringing their best gals.  However, not hard to take second in this category when you’re battling Nova and UConn.

3.       Villanova.  Private school girls in Philadelphia don’t exactly conjure parallels to tongue-ringed Arizona State girls on spring break in Cancun.  For the most part, Nova girls seemed cute in that “prepare a pot of chili and attend a PTA meeting” type of way.  In fairness, there were plenty of decent girls that you could take home to mom.

4.       UConn.  I didn’t see many Husky women and the ones I did see were, well, husky.  The gals in the Northeast are on the heels of sweater season, so I’ll cut them slack for the next couple days or so.

If I were a recruit, which of the four coaches would I play for…

1.       Tom freaking Izzo.  This guy might be my favorite coach in America.  Total beast.  He preaches discipline and defense without being a Grade A asshole.  He pushes the floor and celebrates in his players’ successes.  The love between him and his team is genuine.

2.       Jay Wright.  Class act that doesn’t coddle his players.  JW can coach.

3.       Roy Williams.  Roy sometimes is a total pussy.  His act of wearing Kansas garb at last year’s championship after getting curb stomped by the Hawks was super gay.  If I were a Carolina fan I would have been livid.  Nevertheless, he is a good dude who recruits good kids that graduate.  Wow, now I sound like the puss.

4.       Jim Calhoun.  Whiny, cheaty, cragly.  No thanks.

Today is the off day and I need to figure out something to do in this town.  Suggestions welcome. 

A Distraction in Badassery

This whole gong show involving the overdramatized situation with Cutler and company has left me frustrated and depressed with pro sports. To lift our spirits I want to pay homage to one of the all-time beasts of professional sports – Mark Messier.

Mess had a monstrous career as a centerman for the Oilers, Rangers, and Canucks. He has six Cups to his name. Yes, six. Mess also has nearly 600 goals and over 1800 points. He was also able to win a Cup and league MVP a mere two years after Gretzky was traded away from the Oilers where they were teammates during the dynasty.

Lest you not be convinced of his badass sainthood, take a gander at this gem of a photo:

Let us assess the badges of honor in this picture (there are many):

- 1980’s hockey locker room. Check.

- Mini chest merkin of hair. Check

- Some obscure Canadian beer in a grenade bottle. Check.

- Oversized jock to hoist his brass balls in the background. Check.

- Wash cloth/loin cloth. Check.

- Child-man, Gary Coleman, seeking an autograph while Mess is cackling manically. Check.

This might be the best picture of all time and it is the exact opposite of this wrist-slit-inducing image:

This woman needs Tony Robbins and Prozac.

Just how brassy were Mess’ stones? In the 1994 Stanley Cup semifinals against the hated Devils going into Game 6 trailing 3-2 in the series, Mess declared this statement to the brutal New York press before the game:

Messier went on to score the game-tying goal in the 3rd, then the go-ahead goal, and chipped in an insurance goal – all in the 3rd period. That’s right, accountants – a freaking hat trick to lead his team to victory after predicting as much. Just typing this makes me want to lace up the skates.

Cheers to you, Mess. Your legend helps me cope with the faggotry of some modern-day athletes.

April 3, 2009

Bowlen and the City of Denver are Pen Pals


Pat Bowlen decided to wean himself away from the tropics to address the little snafu that has been lingering around his minor $1 billion dollar business.  Oh, and instead of communicating during the snafu to his fans, he has waited to address the masses from his perch in the Denver Post.

 

Dear Broncos Fan,

Tambien this letter can be found in Espanol for our Latino season ticket holders!

I am writing this letter today because I feel compelled to give our community and our fans an explanation regarding the Jay Cutler situation.

Nice of you to join us, Patrick.  Let me get you up to speed as it seems you are just now arriving on the scene.  A briefing:  your Pro Bowl quarterback got in a little tiff with your adolescent coach.  Apparently the coach likes trading baseball and football cards and now that he is coach he wanted to trade actual humans.  He wanted to trade Jay to his old sandbox buddy, Billy, in New England for his favorite secret card, Matt Cassel.  Turns out Jay got pissed, the red-handed coach lied, and you tried to let the two mediate themselves.  Apparently you have another “authority” figure named Xanders, but he sounds like a robot and I’m not certain he knows what is going on.  As you were saying…

One of my directives to Josh McDaniels upon his hiring was that he consider everything possible to return the Broncos to the level which you and I both expect, and this certainly includes making a fair evaluation of every opportunity presented to us which might improve the team.

“After we explored Elway and Terrell’s health as well as the possibilities of undetectable HGH use, I told the little shit, McD, to let it rip on the trades like it his Madden 2005 franchise.”  

He and General Manager Brian Xanders have had my complete support throughout, and they have it now. It is important that you know that at all times we represented ourselves to Jay with honesty and integrity.

Who the hell is Brian Xanders?  Seriously.  And where was Bowlen this whole time?  Where was this “support”?  Further, does anyone find it alarming that our team is being run by guys named Josh and Brian?  These are the names of 12 year old boys who sneak into porn shops.  NFL teams are run by guys named Bud, Vince, Kurt, Art, and Dick.  Joshua and Brian can return to their Halo game for all I care.

I assure you both Josh and I made repeated attempts to reach out to Jay, and I can not speak for him as to why he chose to limit his response.

“I messaged him on Facebook and everything.  I would check his Twitter updates and send him ambiguous texts.  I even poked him once.”

 Ultimately, given his unwillingness to speak with either of us directly in the last 12 days- at the same time his agent clearly stating to us Jay's intentions- it became very apparent to me personally that he no longer wanted to play for the Denver Broncos. As such, we elected to trade him.

“How would you like playing in NFL Europe, you little bitch?  I knew Vanderbilt kids were brats, but you take this thing to a whole new level.  You’re no different than a Vandy kid named Chadwick or Archibald who graduates, gets paid too much (all while living on a trust fund), spends copious amounts on blow, and thinks the world owes him everything.”

Understand this: it remains about team. Our franchise has gone to the Super Bowl six times…

And only got blown out in four of them!

 with three different coaches and with many different players.

Reevesy, Shanny, and some other dude.

 It has never been about one player, and it never will be.

Unless your name is John Elway.  Then it is unequivocally all about you.

Coach McDaniels shares this vision, and everyone in the organization—players, coaches and staff—must understand and accept this unconditionally. If anyone does not, that person will not be a part of this franchise.

That goes for beer salesmen, parking lot attendants, and skanky cheerleaders too.

I am extremely proud of our franchise, its accomplishments, and the region and fans that we represent.

If it wasn’t for you soulless drunks coming to games, I wouldn’t be able to afford my life of leisure.  A special gracias goes to our Latino hermanos and their hard earned pesos that they spend on Bud Lights at Invesco Field.


Este es Broncos country, bitch.

We have an illustrious history, one which we are all anxious to add to, and if someone does not wish to be with us as we head in this direction, then we will move on, and move forward.

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, says adding to an illustrious history like Kyle fucking Orton.

Over 96% of our season ticket holders have chosen to renew their tickets for the 2009 season.

Recession my ass!  A typical Broncos fan’s financial priorities:

1.       Season Tickets

2.       Booze

3.       Rent

4.       Food

5.       Flat Screens

6.       Orange pick-up truck

7.       Child’s education

This is once again a compelling statement of support and trust by the greatest fans in the NFL, and I assure you my only goal is and always will be to compete at the highest championship level.

The Denver Broncos will move forward in 2009 as one team, united with the most loyal and passionate fan base in football, towards the only goal we will ever pursue.

Everyone likes a good fan HJ, but Bowlen is really laying it on thick for the Bronco faithful.  It almost sounds like he cheated on us or something.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your understanding and continued support.

This is the most any Broncos fan has read in 2009.

Sincerely,

Pat Bowlen

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