The Sports Rotation

I usually follow a 'Say it Out Loud' policy before making big decisions in my life.  That same policy goes for the tendency to have a knee jerk reaction when the unexpected or hard to explain happens in sports. 

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It wasn't that long ago that Trent Edwards was the toast of the league. He had a 98.8 passer rating, completing 69.7 percent of his passes for 1,209 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He was a rising star who was supposed to be the quarterback steal of the draft, an afterthought behind Jamarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, John Beck, and yes Kevin Kolb. To be more specific those sentiments were related back in October when the Bills were 5-1. Now the Bills (5-5) have dropped their last 4 games and Edwards has been the main culprit, having thrown eight interceptions to go along with two fumbles and a safety. His confidence is eroding quickly along with the trust his coaching staff has in his abilities to win games right now...or was their some other reason the Bills ran three straight times with the wind against them to set up that last field goal attempt against the Browns. Edwards admitted himself, "You start seeing things you're not really seeing, and doing things you're notnormally used to doing". And so it goes with another NFL team struggling to find consistency at the most important premiere position on your team...Quaterback.

So with that in mind Eagles Fans, are you ready to give up on the talented Mr. Donovan Mcnabb? Why am I even asking that question, of course you are. You never appreciated him to begin with. Five time Pro Bowl selection, 2000 NFL runner up, 2004 NFC offensive player of the year, 179 touchdowns thrown compared to 82 interceptions. Eagles fans, do you even know that Donovan is the least intercepted quaterback in league history all while passing to the likes of Greg Lewis, Reggie Brown, and "I'd like to thank my hands" Freddie Mitchell. But hey Kevin Kolb is waiting in the backgrounds so why not give him a shot. He is the obvious answer to cure the Eagles troubles and lead them to glory in perhaps the toughest division in football. I'm sure that given adequate grooming he will surpass all that Donovan has accomplished and prove to be a much better quarterback competition against the likes of  Tony Romo and Eli Manning, both of whom haven't even hit their prime yet. Does that logic sound reasonable?

Or what about the notion to get rid of Andy Reid? That would sound reasonable if we were talkikng about Reid the GM who has failed to provide Mcnabb with a talented receiver to throw to either via the draft or free agency since T.O. left. And he has failed to see that Donovan's abilities as a running quarterback, particularly since his latest knee surgery, have eroded and the need for a dominant, healthy, everydown running back (No offense to Brian Westbrook) is crucial to protecting his aging star. If you want to get rid of that man I understand. But do you know that no other franchise since 1999 has been to more divisional playoff round appearances (6) and only Bill Belichick's New England Patriots have advanced to more conference championship game appearances (5) than Philadelphia (with 4).  Just how are you going to replace that?  I'm a Cowboys fan and I must say that the hiring of Wade Philips over Bill Parcells was troubling, considering also that this team now lacks Bill's toughness and accountability.  And last year's offensive guru Jason Garrett does little to instill confidence that he will have the answers to what ails the team now, especially with his offense struggling.  Norv Turner was supposed to be an offensive genius that would elevate a team once led by the "conservative" Marty Schottenheimer and the Chargers will soon be eliminated.  This league is about finding the right quaterback, and maybe more importantly finding the right coach (as seen by Bill Belichick's Patriots) and the two don't come along very often.  My advice to Eagle's fans is to appreciate the now because your other options don't look nearly as good.

OK, that would be a nightmare for the Bengals and Cowboys.  Afterall what other football players have caused such negative attention to be cast on their perspective franchises?  What other guys (In Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens) have caused doubt to be cast at the feet of each team's marquee and unarguably most important position at quarterback?  Or have we answered the question of why Carson Palmer has regressed so mightily the past 2 seasons.  Do we know if Tony Romo can cut down on inexcusable interceptions in the red zone and make propel the already talented Cowboy team into a playoff victory (Or dare I say a Superbowl). In all fairness, Plaxico hasn't thrown any jabs at Eli, but he would also have to be present to do so (Mr. 50 times fined for missing meetings).  Then again I could see why domestic disputes with police involvement might curtail your being present.  But do these actions really have a negative impact on the team? The answer (in my own opinion) is we don't know.  But one thing I have come to know and realize is that the more they keep talking the less flaws I see in their teams.  Their give me the ball rants, blame the quarterback tirades, and practice doesn't perfect me stances have covered up everything that is wrong with their clubs. 

Consider that fact of the Cowboys who despite throwing to T.O 19 times (and yes many of those balls were uncatchable) and even with totally ignoring their running game, they managed to put up 24 points on the board against Washington last week.  That tells me that their isn't much that is wrong with their offense (second in the league in offense and 30 points per game in case you didn't notice).  The problem is their defense not having an interception in the past 5 games they have played.  Their problem is allowing over 22 points while allowing opposing teams to gain over 100 yards rushing and a gaudy 210 yards paasing each game.  Playoff teams don't give that much up on defense.  At least the ones that plan on contending for a Superbowl victory.

The Bengals should pay every fine levied against Chad for his touchdown celebrations.  Maybe it would give him some inspiration to actually find the endzone.  While they're at it, they should also hire him as ther PR representative, because as long as he keeps talking, the more we focus on him and forget about just how bad this team has gotten.  Forget about the fact that they don't run the ball, don't play defense, don't win, and for some reason can't stay off the NFL's suspension list.  We were all just tuning in for the Palmer to Chad highlights on Sportscenter anyway.  But this team isn't even interesting.  Is it me or have we become bored by the losing ways of this team.  At least with Chad talking their is proof that life still exist on this team.

Plaxico is another interesting case because his team hasn't lost (Oh and just won the Superbowl).  But with his diva like persona (at least what the media speaks about because I haven't seen it for myself) attention is taken away from the fact that the Giants really haven't played anyone worth mentioning in their schedule yet.  I know, they made the Redskins look terrible in their home opener, but Zorn hadn't finished getting the kinks out of his offense, and Jason Campbell hadn't settled in with his receivers yet.  But who really have they beaten?  A pathetic Rams team that just fired their coach or the offensively challenged Bengals who are about to fire their coach?  Upon closer look those impressive defensive stats don't amount to much.  More importantly, they haven't played their division opponents at full strength on the road and trust me,  this team will struggle against the offenses of the Eagles and the Cowboys without  Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan causing havoc on the defensive side.

So my message to Plaxico, Chad, and T.O. is keep talking so the critics can look the other way.