Before I get started today

.... I just want to take the time to thank someone. He is a true wheelman and was in total control of his Office Depot Ford Fusion last night. You most likely know him as "Concrete Carl," "Cousin Carl," or "The Distinguished Gentlemen," but to me he is simply Carl Michael Edwards II: American Institution. I said it yesterday before the race and I'll say it again now: If you don't like Carl Edwards, you are unAmerican.

Now if I could only discipline myself to stop betting on dopes like Dale Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. and giving away my profits earned by TGCE. I'm an idiot.

Okay, that thud you just heard was the sound of Chris Bennett's head hitting his computer as he passes out from the boredom of reading about NASCAR. Someone check on that kid. I'll move along:


* Speaking of Chris and speaking of Chris's dislike of NASCAR, he went on an absolutely unprovoked rant last night about how much he hates car racing, and how he hates how much Ed, Matt, and I talk about it. (He also badmouthed Jeff for an extended period but that was on a completely unrelated matter.) My point is that during this offensive and borderline racist tirade, I saw the potential Chris has to be a great blogger. If he could somehow take these moments where he finally lets it all out (Which are almost always negative and funny) and translate that into a blog, I really think it could be very entertaining. It's easier said than done but I'm sure that he can pull it off. After all, he's one of the most respected baseball cappers in Vegas, this side of The Hoff. And if you're capping bases on a level close to Hoffy's, you can do anything.

You know you're capable, Chris. Make it happen.

* After I got off work last night, I watched the Gold Medal game between the USA and Spain. Other than the soccer matches I woke up to watch in the middle of the night, that may have been the first Olympic event I watched live. (And I don't mean Jorgen and Amanda watching swimming and thinking it's live because it says so on the screen. This was actually live. Those Iowa kids are so sweet.) Call me unpatriotic if you want, but I found myself rooting for Spain. Rooting for Goliath would have been hard enough, but rooting for Goliath when he's coached by Mike Kryszwzyzwkskwziywki (See what I've done here? I am too lazy to look up the real spelling of his last name so I made a joke out of it. You should really be taking notes on this stuff, Bennett) and lead by a phony like Kobe Bryant is just not possible. Watching Kobe and his teammates celebrate just showed me what a complete fake he is. I'd be willing to bet anyone that none of the other players on the team actually like him.

Hate, hate, hate....

* The recent news that both Alex Smith and Matt Leinart have been beaten out for starting positions by J.T. O'Sullivan and Kurt Warner, respectively, got me thinking about recent NFL Drafs and specifically QBs taken in the 1st round over the last few years. I will exclude the 2008 Draft because none of those guys have had a chance to prove themselves yet. I will also exclude the 2004 Draft, as it has already produced 2 Super Bowl champions. (The second one is Eli Manning. Yeah, he won the Super Bowl. Seriously. Don't look at me like that. Fine, I'll prove it to you: Giants Win?!?)

2007 Draft

(1) Jamarcus Russell, OAK
(22) Brady Quinn, CLE


Only 2 QBs taken in the 1st round last year and both of them barely played so it's hard to draw too many conclusions at this point. Russell is now firmly entrenched as the #1 guy in Oakland and will have the opportunity to prove himself this season. He displayed a rocket arm and surprising mobility at LSU, so I feel like he could be a good NFL player. Quinn, on the other hand, is still the clear #2 behind incumbent Derek Anderson and based on Anderson's performance last season, I have to believe the Browns wish they had never made the trade to acquire the pick they used on Quinn.

2006 Draft

(3) Vince Young, TEN
(10) Matt Leinart, ARI
(11) Jay Cutler, DEN


All 3 of these guys have played extensively during their first two seasons in the NFL. Young actually made a Pro Bowl as a rookie and took the Titans to the playoffs last season. Cutler has shown flashes of brilliance. To me Cutler is basically what Tony Romo would be if he wasn't surrounded by Pro Bowlers at every key position. The talent is there but he makes too many dumb decisions and unlike Romo, he doesn't have stud WRs, RBs, and OL to bail him out. Leinart is terrible. He'll never make it in the NFL. He's not a pro quarterback. He had a good college career playing with tons of star players but he'll never make it at this level. The fact that he was just beaten out by a 37-year-old has been is all the proof I need to call Leinart a bust.

2005 Draft

(1) Alex Smith, SF
(24) Aaron Rodgers, GB
(25) Jason Campbell, WASH


On the day of the 2005 NFL Draft, I went to the Redskins Draft Party at FedEx Field with my father and brother. After the 49ers took Alex Smith first overall, I went off on one of my pointless rants about how terrible a pick that was, how Smith played in a gimmick offense at Utah, in a weak conference, and how his skills would never translate to the NFL. Now that Smith has been beaten out by something named J.T. O'Sullivan as he heads into his 4th season, I'd like to take the time to pat myself on the back for being 100% correct. (What's that, Pete? Yeah, I was complaining about the Redskins not taking Mike Williams, WR from USC. What's your point? Out of the league, huh? Look, guy, I'm not exactly Bill Polian. And I was drinking.... Cut me some slack....) Rodgers should have an easy time replacing one of the most popular QBs in NFL history this season. It's not like he's barely played or been hampered by injuries during his career. Look, I'll just come out and say it: Jason Campbell is the best QB in the 2005 Draft Class.

So where does he rank among 1st rounders taken from 2005-2007? If I had a team, and I could choose any of these QBs, here's how I would rank them. These rankings are based on long term success, not just this season:

1. Jason Campbell, WASH
2. Vince Young, TEN
3. JaMarcus Russell, OAK
4. Jay Cutler, DEN
5. Aaron Rodgers, GB
6. Brady Quinn, CLE
7. Matt Leinart, ARI
8. PASS
9. Alex Smith, SF


There. That should rile some people up for no good reason and spark some debate. For the record, I feel that ranking Campbell first is more of a reflection on the recent crop of QBs in the NFL Draft than it is proof that he's a great player. He's merely an average NFL QB but with these other guys getting beat out by players like O'Sullivan and Warner, maybe being average isn't so bad....


Yesterday: No NFL Plays

Year to Date: 2-3, -$160

(270) Indianapolis Colts -5

It's been a while since I bet an NFL Preseason game. The last time I had action on a football game was the Bills-Steelers game where I ended up betting both sides in a panic, closing my eyes, and opening them to a small profit. I am good. I read some very interesting blurbs about the Colts last night from a man with all the blogging ability in the world but none of the resources to get to Florida and start his own blog. (He still doesn't seem to understand how this works. I'm working with him, though.) In short, the Bills are banged up and will be without QB Trent Edwards and WRs James Hardy and Roscoe Parrish, among others. The Bills reserves should see a lot of playing time tonight while Colts coach Tony Dungy claims that he plans to use his starters deep into the 3rd quarter. We may even see Pro Bowlers Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders in this game. It's unusual for me to win bets that don't involve "Cousin Carl" but I like my chances tonight.


Trivia Question for Sunday: Name all the NFL teams that have won a playoff game since the Dallas Cowboys last did. (Hint: It would be a lot easier to name the few teams that have not and go from there.)

** Saturday's Answer: Barry Switzer was the coach the last time Dallas won a playoff game. The date was December 28, 1996. I was in the 8th grade. What a franchise. Congrats to Franco Cortes for nailing that one. He can now add the title of Trivia Champion to his current moniker of Beirut Master.


As I was wrapping up today's blog, I came across this article about Giants DE Osi Umenyiora, who is apparently out for the season.

That lead to this text exchange between brothers:


John: Osi out for the year.

Peter: Good. Fuck him.


I then talked to my Dad on the phone. He sounded nothing short of delighted.

We play the Giants next Thursday. The Murray family is ready. Let's hope the Redskins are as well.



Enjoy the game.