Mook vs NFL Hall of Fame

i use the "Mook vs..." as an homage to the tv show Chuck... but in this case, i may have a beef with the NFL Hall of Fame.

Mike Wilbon wrote that all 15 players deserved to go to the hall of fame

let's take a look on what my ballot would have looked like

1. Marshall Faulk
    clearly put up some of the best numbers in the history of the game. He is one of the 3 players (Marcus Allen & Tiki Barber) to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in his career and the only one to have 12,000 yards rushing, 6,000 yards receiving.[1
Some may say his umbers are bloated, but i think of Mike Martz was smarter, he would have put up even better numbers.
Not only did he get numbers, he did win one Super Bowl, and played for some other good teams... an MVP... clearly a Hall of Famer... and the voters didn't miss it

2. Chris Carter
    He has over 1,000 receptions - are you kidding me? Plus the guy was a touchdown machine. IF not for Jerry Rice, we could be talking about the best receiver in the modern era. Early in his carreer, he was kind of a  problem child- problems at Ohio st and even in Philadelphia... but he became a better person and was a highlight reel and made players like Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald better...

i read that there is a bias against receivers. i don't understand it- unless it is a racism issue. Think about it- most wide receivers- good ones - are black.
In my opinion, Wide Receiver is the most skilled position. i played wide receiver - i don't make that statement because i played that position, i played that position, because i wanted to play such a vital position. Sure receivers need a decent QB, but an average QB looks great with a good WR. They take short passes and run up their yards. Was Joe Montana that great? Or did Jerry Rice make him lookgood? They make incredible catches (how abut Duante Culpepper?). Wide Receivers deserve more respect. And Chris Carter should have been an unanimous selection his first try, and somehow he's still not in...

3. Shannon Sharpe
   He put up incredible numbers for a Tight End. And he won Super Bowls. And he was a talker. Really though, he was a wide receiver who played Tight End. In one way, that is a compliment- he was incredible at making plays, was fast...but he wasn't a great blocker. In College he actually was a WR. IF he was a WR he'd never be a hall of famer - one, because of the above prejudice and 2 his numbers aren't as impressive as a WR. but as a TE, his numbers were great as was his impact on the field. He should be in the HOF - and he was voted in.

4. Jerome Bettis
    The Bus. He's even got a nickname. He won super Bowls. He was a goal-line presence... and he is the 5th leading rusher of all-time - top 5 of all time! That should be a lock right? Who gets in? only QBs & TE's?

5. Curtis Martin
    In baseball if a player gets to 3,000 hits or 500 HR's or 300 wins- they're a lock for the HOF. i don't always agree with it.  Martin wasn't super flashy- but he was consistent and a work-horse. How can a guy with that many rushing yards be left off? but he was

6. Deion Sanders

   He's the one everyone was talking about last weekend. And i'm not so high on him... he said he wasn't paid to tackle... and if i was a coach i would have ran running backs toward him. i would have thrown screen pass or bubble screens- cuz the guy couldn't tackle. Though, i guess throwing screens even would be difficult to pull off against him. He was good. He was the definition of shut-down corner. He was an 8-time Pro-bowler, 2-time Super Bowl winner and once won AP Def PoY.
And he was a 2-sport star... well, maybe not star, but he did ok at baseball... even playing both a baseball game and football game the same day.
He was a pretty good football player... too put it lightly. Maybe he should be #5 or 4, maybe 3. Any way he is a Hall of Famer

7. Charles Haley
    If he was a QB he'd be a lock. He won 5 Super Bowls. It has been said Games are won on the lines. And that defense wins championships. Haley led defenses of 5 winners. He recorded over 100 sacks. Maybe some of the other guys are more worthy, but i'm putting him up here. He may never get in though.



8. Willie Roaf
    Offensive Linemen are usually only known for their mistakes... but those in the know, know that O-lineman are critical for team. i remember when Roaf came out for the draft and the mock drafts all had him going high for how he played against Eric Curry... i didn't understand it then b/c i was a kid, but now i know how important lineman are... he was a 11x pro-bowler. He played 13 seasons and made the pro-bowl 11 of them. That's pretty incredible. What else can a player do to get into the HOF? Still, he somehow wasn;t voted in. He may be the 3rd best on this list. seriously.

Those were my locks

9. Tim Brown
   i don't really think of him as a HOF'er... but he did put up some good numbers - 100 TD's and 9 Pro-Bowls...
10. Richard Dent
    another guy i don't think of as a HOFer... but he was 3rd all-time in sacks when he retired (now #6)
11. Andre Reed
    i guess the recievers cancel each other out... he was such a key player for those dominant Buffalo teams


a bit out
12. Chris Doleman
     i liked him when i was younger... but he's not that memorable... but he did have over 150 sacks!
  - #3 all time
13. Dermonti Dawson


NFL HOF is a bit of joke... it seems like evetually everyone gets in. And sadly some deserving locks have to wait... but then again the best players in baseball history aren't in based on speculation...

Mook vs NFL storied franchises

Since Mark Johnson sometimes reads this...

Super Bowl XLV has been a pretty good one so far.
(Go Pack!) (Maybe since they're winning and i'm rooting for them is why it has been a good one).

i'm surprised at how little hype i heard before the game... but maybe because after a week, everyone got tired of thinking about it.

The cool thing about this game is it has to be the two most storied franchises in NFL history.
But it also involves 2 very good QB's and 2 great defenses... and 2 pretty good offenses.

The most storied franchises
1. Green Bay
2. Steelers
3. Cowboys
4. Raiders (even if they've been awful recently)
5. 49ers (just think 80's)
6. Dolphins
7. Washington Redskins
8. Eagles
9. Chicago Bears
10. Colts
11. NYG
12. Denver Broncos (even if Homer Simpson makes fun of them)
13. KC Chiefs (not Chefs)
14. Pats (Though, they're recent success could propel them)
15. Minn Vikings
16. Cincinnati Bengals 
17. Browns (they never win, but they have the best fans)
18. NY Jets (great win with Joe Nameth, but not much else)
19. Buffalo Bills (sorriest of franchises, maybe? but they made a ton of Super Bowls)


as far as this game... poor Aaron Rodgers- his receivers keep dropping passes that hit them in the hands... and now Woodson is out of the game.. bad calls against the Packers... Rothlissberger and his history of winning... things don't look good for the Packers...

Mook vs Jay Cutler

When Jay Cutler was coming out of college for the nfl draft, there were many who said he should go higher than Vince Young who went 3rd or Matt Leinart who went tenth (of course, those guys are pretty much out of the league, so i guess that analysis was right).

He was praised for his confidence - which should make him a  good leader.

Now though, that confidence is seen as cockiness... and many don't like him.

When i turned on the game yesterday, Aaron rodgers threw an interception to Brian Urlacher... then the Bears took the field and Cutler was on the sidelines.

i was kinda shocked because it looked like he was benched. Then they said he was injured.
The thing was, it seemed more like a benching. But i didn't think much of it, except to think the Bears have no chance now.
Cutler isn't a great QB, but he's the best the Bears got.

After the game, all the buzz was about how Cutler quit on the team.

i have to admit, i kinda thought that too in some ways... but... i don't think it's fair to criticize a player for coming out when he was hurt - especially if the coaching staff took him out.

The problem was, i think we should have seen him fight the coaches to let him come back in the game. That's what we want to see.

The criticism that he didn't seem involved in the game was perhaps fair.
But the announcers did say Cutler was seen smiling when the Bears were doing well.
And Caleb Hanie says that Cutler was there encouraging him and helping him.

i think it is pretty ridiculous for Derrick Brooks or others to call Hanie a liar.
If all you're watching is what the tv cameras show you, then how do you know what is actually happening. You have to take the words of the people there.
So, in this case, Caleb Hanie, Lovie Smith, Brian Urlacher- they should do.

i guess people can question his heart. He seemed to be sulking.
i think he was upset for getting pulled out of the game.
He probably wanted to go out there and try to win that game and show that he is better than how he performed.
i guess i'd be upset too if i couldn't play in the championship.

You know who was a choke-artist and who was a whiner and not a team-player? Chicago should know: it's Scottie Pippen. But for some reason the media and others love him.
Even though in the Bulls biggest game to date- he struggled with migraine headaches and played awful. A headahce? really?
Or how about when he refused to go into the game when Phil Jackson called for the shot to be for Toni Kukoc, rather than him?

but i digress... i think Urlacher is onto something when he calls out people for sitting on the couch and not being in the game.

It really is a matter of perception. If people liked Cutler, they wouldn't be saying anything.

Brett Favre and Steve McNair always get credit for being tough. Why? Because they complain about being hurt all the time? Maybe they're the opposite of tough. Maybe they're wimpy and every little bump makes them whine and cry. And then we look at them and say wow because they play thru pain.

Maybe, the problem was Cutler was too tough. People complain because he wasn't on crutches. Maybe he should have been, but refused to use it. Because he is tought.
The guy got sacked 52 times this season? That's ridiculous.

Meanwhile two years ago, it was Josh McDaniels who was widely criticized when he didn't want Cutler, now the same people jump on McDaniels bandwagon...

It is easy to critique when it's not you.
It's easy to find faults in someone when you don't like them, and make excuses for yourself or those you like.

Top QBs in my opinion
1. Brady
2. Manning
3. Brees
4. Rodgers
5. Rothlissberger

6. Philip Rivers
7. Josh Freeman
8. Sam Bradford

9. Micheal Vick
10. Matt Ryan
11. Matt Schaub

after that..
Jay Cutler
Carson Palmer
Tony Romo
Eli Manning
Joe Flacco
David Garrard
Kyle Orton
Donovan McNabb
Matthew Stafford
Matt Hassleback
Colt McCoy
Tim Tebow
Mark Sanchez
Brett Favre
Matt Cassel
after that... who cares

Mook vs playoffs

Mark Cuban is apparently trying to fix the college football playoff system.
There is a lot of talk of expanding teams in both the nfl and mlb.

The playoffs is a hot topic of sorts


College Football

This is not new. There have been debate and outcry concerning playoff for years upon years.
The last two years, it has been pretty clear. (Though, i suppose Boise St or TCU could have made a case last year or this).
But, there was the year Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech all finished with one loss, exchanging losses with each other... with OU getting in, despite losing to UT...
Or how about Utah's undefeated season a few years back?

Certainly a playoff is needed if we want a true champion

  Bowls
Let's not get rid of bowl games. Bowl games are great! They're tradition. They set up some fun stuff and give teams something to shoot for. And when a team finally makes a bowl game or returns to a bowl game it gives fans, alumni, students something to cheer for... and something to do.

But let's get back to the old system instead of all the set conference match-ups... and let's eliminate some of the bowls, there are too many, making bowl-eligibility irrelevant or unimportant.

  small-schools vs cash cows
This isn't just about under dogs, though it is. The big name schools will always get more clout and recognition from the media. And often the biggest hindrance a team has is their pre-season ranking.
No, this is about money. Notre Dame will go to a big bowl if they were even half-way decent. Ohio St gets to go always.
This only lets those schools become even more popular, more famous and perpetuates them as good teams. Give others a chance.
And especially let the small schools play. They deserve a chance... and the fan want to see it.

  Ohio St
Of all schools to claim another team doesn't deserve to play for a championship game, Ohio St is the one who can't say anything. Or did they forget the 2006 & 2007 seasons?

Also, how is their schedule any better? Big Ten was not that tough. In fact, it wasn't as difficult as Boise St... for the record i think they would have lost to Va Tech (And certainly to Boise St)

None of these teams from major conferences play great non-conference games.
The SEC has been great over the years, but just because they're SEC teams mean they are that amazing.

I would have loved to see Ohio St play TCU in one of the Bowl games.
And i was really sad to see Boise St lose - i thought they deserved a shot at the championship. They're loss to Nevada - should have proved how difficult it is to go undefeated - but it probably didn't

  Solution
i say put in the 6 best conference champions + 2 at-large teams. The Big East may or may not be one of the best conferences... ACC for that matter too.
If you can't win your conference, then you didn't earn the right to play for a championship.
All conferences should have a conf championship game - most do already anyway.

      8-team playoff
Means 2 more games for the 2 championship teams. i don't think it will take away too much from the school work
1. They practice the whole time anyway
2. Games 2 & 3 can be during their Christmas break
3. Put a limit on in-season games. A lot of teams get 13 or even 14 already before the bowl game. Make the maximum 12 or even 11

This year it could have been
1. Aub vs Stanford                       1. Oregon vs Ark
2. Oklahoma vs TCU                   2. Wisc vs Boise St

Of course, the issue is money... but i think the fans would go to the game and certainly would watch.


Baseball
There is a lot of talk of expanding the baseball playoffs... if they do we'll be watching baseball in December!
Seriously? Do they not see how awful the NHL is with their long season.

Instead of making the playoffs & the season longer- they need to make it shorter!
Basball should be done by mid-October

 Changes
1. Reduce time between games.
Games 1&2 on Tuesday & Wednesday 3-5 on the weekend. Then T&W again. We only need one day for travel. Seriously. Next one can be Sa&Su, T-R, Sa &Su
And if the games are set, let's not wait a week, let's get it over with

2. Shorten the season.
It's too long as it is. Players get hurt. Teams fade. People lose interest. Take 11 games off the schedule, end 2 weeks earlier.

  What about more teams?
Why? The season is long. They all play each other throughout the season. If they can't win their division, then do they really deserve to go? Maybe better than a team in another division- which is why there is the wildcard. One wildcard is perfect.


If you add more teams into the playoffs, then what meaning does the regular season have? There has to be a limit or the regular season is just bullshit. Quit crying and win games when it counts -which is all season long!


NFL

The NFL could have more reason to add teams. They don't all play each other. The season is short. We all like football.
Still, why mess with a good thing?
The Super Bowl is already in February.
 i don't mind adding games onto the season- b/c i like watching football. And if they wanted to add two more wild cards in each conference, i probably wouldn't mind.
Still, i think it's fine as it is... even if a 7-9 team makes the playoffs this year.

Mook vs Randy Moss

The NFL continues to surprise me.

Most of the time it is the games itself - like all the close games last week.
It's amazing how a team can be horrible one year and a potential play-off team the next (See Missouri teams KC & StL this year and so many in the past).

But more-so it's the trades.
i don't get why teams will trade a 1st rd pick the next year to grab a 2nd rd pick... or multiple early picks to move up one or spots on draft day... then during the season no one gives up anything.

That's why i was surprised the Vikings were willing to give up a 2nd rd pick... for Vincent Jackson... and the Chargers delined! They are idiots.
Instead the Vikes get Randy Moss for ... a 3rd rd pick!
If the Chargers would have taken the trade for JAckson, they could have later traded for Moss.

Some are saying the Pats did well. They traded a 4th rd pick for Moss and now get a 3rd pick in return - after many years of service. But, i gotta think they could have got more... not only that, i think they shouldn't have traded him. Sure, they may be able to get AJ Green with the Raiders pick next year - but what are they going to do this year?

Their division is so loaded. i know they beat the Dolphins last week with Moss not catching a pass, but can they sustain it all year? i think they miss out on the playoffs.
But i don't think they had much of a chance of winning it all anyway... maybe... but not now.

Bellichek... seemed genius a while ago... but lately it seems his ego has got the best of him... we'll see.

i do like Danny Woodhead.

Mook vs PTI

i love the show PTI.

My friend Dan introduced it to me, or convinced me i should like it. And i started watching, and it was great! i signed up for ESPN insider so i could watch the episodes i miss (though they don't show the highlights- boo!).

But this blog will be like PTI featuring highlights from the last 2 weeks

Dallas disaster: Wade Phillips should have been fired after that game. They gave it away- twice. i always say why not try one last bomb with 3 seconds left, but a swing pass?

Calvin's Catch: Everyone knows that was a catch. Why not just give them the score. Tough year to be a Detroit fan i guess. First Galaraga loses his perfect game, then the Lions make a great comeback only to have it taken back

Vick/Kolb: Even though Vick has done well, you have to keep Kolb as the starter. He earned the job and fits the system.

Pete Carrol: biggest surprise of week one has to be the Seahwaks win over the 49ers, and not only a win, but a blowout. What can Carrol do with this team?

Jets: Looked horrible in week one, but they looked great this week. They talked a bunch, so it was fun to watch them lose

on to college

Hesiman watch: Terrelle Pryor did excellent running & passing, but Denard from Arch-rival UofM outplayed him. His performances should only continue. He may not be the best player in the game, but he will end with the best numbers. And his play that actually looks like the heisman can only help.

Boise St: The loss by Va Tech has to sting. And Ohio St beating Miami, and a big ten that doesn't look that strong. i think we'll see Ohio St playing Alabama for the championship... Boise St may wind up playing an unbeaten Oregon team in the end... and i predict TCU vs Texas. The playoff debate will continue

baseball is still going on

Tulo or CarGo: If the Rockies make the playoffs, one oe these guys has to be considered. Car Go is pretty close to a triple crown, but Tulo has really been the heart of the team. By the way i called the Rockies winning that division a month ago

Jeter: people fake getting hit by a pitch happens all the time. And replay for something so inconsequential as that?

And that's a rundown.