Wow, the situation with the Titans and McNair reminds me of the way Butch handled the departure of Tim Couch. Either the Titans are similarly hamfisted or Butch's finesse wasn't quite as bad as everyone thought. I'd go with the former.
Watching ESPN on the USC pro-day, I'd pretty suprised Lendale White looks like such a moron. The guy looked great down the stretch for USC and, to my eye, looked like a great pro prospect. Now he looks like just another idiot who doesn't even know how the draft-game is played.
Oh yeah, the video of White doing bench presses was p-a-t-h-e-t-i-c. I don't care how many reps he did or didn't do. It was the form -- perhaps the worst bench pressing technique I've ever seen. You would see better form at Bally's or the high school weight room.
Of course, such things cut both ways. It reflects very poorly on White's college career. But it's also got to perk the interest of coaches because perhaps, with a strength and conditioning coach breathing down his neck, White probably has more untapped potential than most guys. But you have to think it's hard to teach work ethic at this point.
It's kind of, uh, overkill for the NFL Network to have a two-hour show just to unveil the 2006 schedule. What is there to talk about? I look at the schedule and usually just think, "Hmm, how about that" and then move on with my day. Sure, I care at what point in the season the Browns play the Steelers and Ravens and if the schedule trends easier or harder and how long the road trips will be.... but c'mon, who would watch a TV show that discusses such issues for any team other than their own? Even Peter King would only care about the 1/3 of the league he covers.
You know what is sort of sad? That the Falcons could get a lot -- make that much, much more -- in a trade for Matt Schuab than trading away Michael Vick. I bet Vick wouldn't net more than the second rounder Culpepper fetched. Of course, this is also a good argument for frugality and not paying decent players huge money.
A few years back I thought Mark Chmura was the biggest putz in the world -- you know, Rush Limbaugh lovin' Packer hops in hot tubs with tean girls, etc. Sure, no crime was committed but Mr. Chmura was rightfully knocked off his high horse when it came to non-football conversation topics. Until the other day when he nailed the whole Will-Brett-Retire issue. Chmura is right -- Favre is being a dick, stringing the team along, and doing no one any favors in the process. One thing is for certain -- if Favre retires now he'll be more loved than if he plays another year. And while Brett may enjoy making the Packers front office twist in the wind, he's really just pissing away fan goodwill and making it more likely he'll get thumped out the door instead of walking away voluntarily.
Franky, I think the GM Thompson should announce right now that the Packers are planning to move on without Favre. He will take heat for it and might even ultimately lose his GM job. But he'll have solidified a career in the NFL on the football side for acting upon what probably every football scout sees: Favre should hang it up. And no, Thompson doesn't have to be brutal about it, just frank. And suggest that the best way to leave the game (other than retire immeidately) would be to help make Aaron Rodgers into a worthy successor (an admittedly unenviable task).
The Bill and Texans are arguing about compensation for Moulds. Memo to Texans -- give them the fourth rounder, Moulds is worth far more than that, especially to your team.
Sam Adams has finally signed with the Bengals. Didn't he do that, like, two weeks ago? Anyway, it's shaping up to be an interesting 2006 season for the AFC North. I think the Steelers and Bengals should be less concerned with one another than they should be looking in their rear-view mirror. The Browns and, maybe, the Ravens could cost one of those teams a wild-card birth.
Peter King (the man I love to read so I can get annoyed) thinks false-start penalties are picky. I couldn't disagree more. Offensive linemen flinching? That's gonna throw off the defense. WR's faking the start of a play? It makes a difference.
King also picks the Indians in the AL Central and Grady Sizemore for AL MVP. Hey, I hope it's true, but that is pretty insane. Later on in the article he rips Harold Reynolds for pick Bobby Crosby as AL MVP. Sure, that's less likely, but kind of funny from someone who just picked a second-year player as his MVP.
NCAA bracket action: I didn't win anything individually, but my workgroup at work won a free breakfast on Xavier (who beat the spread vs. Gonzaga, who beat the spread vs. UCLA, who beat the spread until the final). And my wife won a nice chunk of cash picking FLA and UCLA in the Final Four and FLA as the champ. That should pay for our hotel on a trip to.... Florida, of course. Pretty cool.
I'm not panicking about Sabathia unless he's out all year. It's a little scary, but this is a good team. I'm more interested in how the Tribe plays the next two weeks. They just need to stay around .500 until they get rolling.