An Open Letter To Tony Dungy

To Make Matters Worse...

...For Browns fans, that is.

Scouring Rotoworld this afternoon, and I fould this little blurb on (Titans Quarterback, Geico Caveman) Kerry Collins.

Kerry Collins, speaking on WFAN, said that the Titans kneeled [sic] down at the end of the Colts-Titans game because they knew the Colts wouldn't call a timeout.

Collins said that the Titans originally called a running play, but he was told over his headset that the Colts wouldn't call a timeout to potentially force Tennessee to punt with less than 20 seconds left. Pressed further, Collins said the Colts and Titans coaches had "a communication."

"A communication?" The note went on to mention possible collusion. The only question that I have is, possible? How is this considered "possible?" If the Colts let on that they threw in the towel, and the Titans did nothing to continue the game, how is this "possible" collusion?

If you were a bit preturbed by Tony Dungy before this news, you're likely not going to be feeling any better about your 10-6 football team not being in the post season. And don't get me wrong. I do not think that this would have made a difference in the game - it's just some more salt in the wound that was Jim Sorgi's attempt at looking like a real quarterback.

Oh, and don't even get me started about next season's schedule. If you haven't heard, these teams may ring a bell: Colts, Cowboys, Giants, Broncos, Jaguars, Titans, Redskins and Eagles. Yes, the Browns will suit up against each and every one of them. Don't forget those in our division either. Should be fun!

At Least This Was Cool...

While I would have preferred the outcome of the game to be a tad different, there is no denying that witnessing the hit below on Live TV was worth watching the entire 48 minutes.



Feel free to watch it over and over again. I sure am.

A Few Guys You'll Need To Know

With the fate of the Cleveland Browns resting in the hands of the Indianapolis Colts, I thought it would be best to introduce you all to the actual Colts that will be held responsible with the duties this weekend, as a win over Tennessee cements a playoff bid for Cleveland - the first in quite some time.

But no, these will not be your typical Colts featuring Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai. Oh no, you'll have to dig pretty, pretty deep to find the jerseys of the folks you'll be rooting for. After this little exercise is over, maybe we will find that things might not be too bad. Or maybe this is all just wishful thinking. Without further ado, your week 17 Indianapolis Colts.

QB - Jim Sorgi


The Indianapolis Star has already confirmed that Sorgi will play "at least" a half in this week's game. Great news. Sorgi has thrown all of 12 passes on the season, completing seven of them for 64 yards. He has been fairly effective when given the chance to play, and was recently signed to a contract extension through 2010. After the Colts locked up a spot in 2005, Sorgi threw back-to-back games of at least 200 yards and a touchdown. While he won't throw for 300 yards and four touchdowns, all is not lost when Sorgi takes over.


RB - Kenton Keith


It wouldn't surprise me to see Keith carry the load from the second quarter on this week as the Colts will have to ensure that Joseph Addai is good to go for the playoffs. Keith's season as a back-up has been pretty solid thus far, including the week five game against Tampa Bay where he racked up 160 total yards, finding the end zone twice. He has sniffed 100 yard several times this year and even racked up 60 on 10 carries last week against Houston. It could really be a lot worse in terms of a back-up running back. In fact, I'm sure there are teams out there that would love to have Keith as their starter. Yes, I'm looking at you, Chicago.

WR - Devin Aromashodu


Here's where it starts to get fun. Believe it or not, Aromashodu is right behind Reggie Wayne on the depth chart as the "second" receiver. He saw his first action of the season in the week 14 blowout of the Baltimore Ravens, and has recorded a catch in each game since. When Anthony Gonzalez left the game last week, Aromashodu hauled in three passes for 42 yards, making for a respectible game. He'll need to harness some Aretha Franklin this week and keep the respect going - the receiving game depends on it. Otherwise, it's all up to...

WR - Craphonso Thorpe


Good luck finding a picture of this cat in action. Thorpe is listed as "proabable" for this week's game, but will likely see a bit of action against the Titans. He was a fourth round selection by the Chiefs, but never really saw the light of day thanks to their stellar receiving corps. Thorpe caught five balls for 41 yards against the Chargers during week 10, but has not done much since. Here's hoping that one of the greatest names ever can actually ammount to something this week.

TE - Bryan Fletcher


With Ben Utecht not expected to suit up thanks to a shoulder injury, Indy will likely turn to Bryan Fletcher for the majority of the tight end duties. He's coming off of a strong game that saw him haul in five passes for 25 yards - part of his 17 catches and 138 yards on the season. In a game against Tennessee last season, Fletcher caught three balls for 56 yards so it's been done before!


The moral of the story is while this won't be last season's Colts championship team suiting up against the Titans this week, it could be a lot worse. In fact, given the way they played last week, I think this Colts team has a better shot to beat Tennessee than the Browns would at this point. I'm not sure how much that's saying, but Cleveland's fate will be determined soon enough.

The Q&A About DA

I've had some time to mentally digest the whole Browns potential choke as well as the pending quarterback situation. Note that I refuse to call the loss to the Bengals a full-on "choke" until this week is over. If Indianapolis beats Tennessee and the Browns make it into the playoffs, they will be lucky. If the Titans come out on top and Cleveland is sent packing, then I will whip out my best Spike Lee. But until that time, nary a word.

I received an email today asking me of my opinion on the Derek Anderson issue. Let me say first that not only will he start this coming week, but he should. Whether or not the Browns plan on re-signing the quarterback, or offering him up in a trade, you always want to maximize potential trade value. Starting Brady Quinn would not only spur a potential controversy, but it will further depress DA's value - as if the lawn chair job against Cincinnati wasn't enough.

I never thought I would say this, but Braylon Edwards could actually be a voice of reason. From the Plain Dealer:

"I can't see him doing that this late in the season and cause any controversy or anything like that [with] how we've played all year," receiver Braylon Edwards said. "There have been some chances for Quinn to get in, if that were going to be the case. He didn't take them then. I don't see him taking them now."

Now, looking forward to next year a bit - being that this game means relatively nothing in terms of the season as much as it does for individual player value - I say test the waters. The investor in me thinks that no matter what, flipping a sixth round draft pick into an earlier pick (first rounder? wishful thinking?) is a no-brainer. Three years ago, if someone told Phil Savage that he could do this, he wouldn't even think twice. Sell discipline is as key in investments as it is in sports - except there's no such thing as unrealized gains in football. (Eat shit, Uncle Sam!)

The Browns have a future quarterback, yet one of the worst defenses in the game. Yes, it is always great to have depth - just ask the guy who drafted Larry Johnson in fantasy football this year and took a bunch of receivers afterwords. However, you also want to maximize the potential that you put on the field. If the Browns have to settle for starting a defensive line that would struggle to make it on the field at all had they be rostered by a different team, they should reallocate some of their resources - assuming the price is right.

Enough Already

First, many apologies for the lack of posts lately. The 'real job' has been pretty intense thanks to year end. I'll see what I can muster up this week!

The only thing that I really want to dip in to this morning is the NFL attempting to force a Colts/Ravens "rivalry" down our throats. Yes, I know that the Colts once played in Baltimore. I get that. Yes, I know that they moved the team overnight - queue the Mayflower Moving Company plug. I'll even give you that the Ravens were actually good last season, and that they were knocked out of the playoffs by Indy.

But I refuse to believe that these two teams have a rivalry. Even the AP Preview Report says that Ravens fans have "bad blood towards the Colts franchise." A quick peruse of Ravens fan blog RavensTD and all we get is the fact that they knew they were going to be "slaughtered." Not one mention of a rivalry of any sort.

While I'll give them that 44-20 isn't exactly a "slaughter" given a few other scores that I've seen this season, but you can bet that Ravens fans are more upset about losing than who they lost too. NFL, take note. The Ravens rivalries will stick to the AFC North - specifically, Cleveland.

Enough With CBS Already*

Even when the Colts/Pats game is over, we're still inundated with the game itself. No, not the outcome. The sound system.

Everyone and their brother has voiced their opinion on the whole Colts-Pats-Crowd-Noise issues that supposedly took place this past Sunday. I say "supposedly" as I live in the Cleveland market, and did not get to see the game. But I digress.

While we can all have our opinions on both teams and their possible cheating reputations, the NFL's response to this mess has me thinking.

Via the Boston Globe, NFL Spokesman Greg Aiello states:

"CBS has informed us that the unusual audio moment heard by fans during the Patriots-Colts telecast was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast. It was in no way related to any sound within the stadium and could not be heard in the stadium."

If this is the case, CBS just needs to give up their whole coverage of football all together. Not only can the network not get the video portion of their coverage right, now they go ahead and jack up the audio? Do we ever have this with Fox? ABC? The WWL? While we may have are issues with some of the commentary within each of the networks, do any of the others get the actual transmission of the game any worse than CBS?

Not having a full stable of High Definition cameras in the year 2007 is completely absurd. Using tapes for audio sources may just be worse. Even recordable compact disks would be pushing the envelope in today's era of digital music, sound recording and editing.

Yes, I know the almighty dollar decides who gets to broadcast what games. However, networks should spare some of the money and reinvest it into the firm. Small market day-time radio shows use digital clips for their sound bites. CBS, a multi-multi billion dollar corporation, however? Nope, they go with tapes. Skipping tapes that absorb all of the NFL-related news on a Monday. CBS should thank all of sports coverage for the free publicity today - even though it just shows their further inadequacies as a sports broadcasting network.

*Entire post spoken as wishful thinking

They Don’t Sell iPods in Indianapolis? [Signal To Noise]
Fake Crowd Noise [Sports By Brooks]
CBS Checks In [Boston Globe]

Afternoon Delight: Pick 'Em (Week 8)

Think they forgot to put a "1" in front of that +2.5?
OK, so last week got a bit rough - you'll have that when New England hangs 40 on a team that loses it's starting running back to a season-ending injury. I think we should be able to get our principle back if a game-deciding injury occurs.

Like what if by some strange chance a fan takes Washington +17 this week, but when I say "takes" I mean puts a few million on the line. And that fan just happens to be a little unstable - because what Redskins fan isn't - and runs on to the field to take out Brady? You think those that took NE would want a refund if the man is successful? Bet your sweet ass.

But I digress. On to this week's picks....

New Orleans (-2.5) over SAN FRANCISCO
Let's just say that I'll be hard-pressed to take San Francisco with anything less than getting a touchdown for the rest of the season. They're awful. Plus, Darrell Jackson is likely out. And they still have Trent Dilfer. Trent Freaking Dilfer. The Saints aren't as bad as their record suggests, and San Fran isn't exactly Soldier's field in terms of a home field advantage. Give me Reggie by at least a field goal. (Edit: While they still "have" Trent Dilfer, he's not starting. Alex Smith is. Still taking N'Awlins. No turning back now.)

Buffalo (+3) over NEW YORK JETS
Take the 49ers, give them green jerseys and move them to east coast and you have the Jets. Buffalo can be thrown on all day, but until the green and white can stop an opposing running back - in this case, Marshawn Lynch - they're not going to win games. I can't believe Trent Edwards can win a game two weeks in a row. Heck, he doesn't even have to do that, just don't lose by more than three.

Indianapolis (-6.5) over CAROLINA
Are you serious? They destroyed fellow expansion team Jacksonville on the road last week and do not even have to give up a touchdown this time out? Carolina could start both David Carr AND Vinny Testeverde and I'd go with Peyton Manning giving points. Plus, that would just be stupid of Carolina. Who startstwo washed up QBs? Wait, what's that Raiders fan?

Green Bay (+3) over DENVER
Obviously, I'm not liking the home teams very much this week*. I'm just a fan of Brett Favre on Monday nights...and this happens to be a Monday night. Green Bay will need to run the ball to be successful, and DeShawn Wynn seems like a guy that can get the job done when needed. Give me the gunslinger and some points and I'm all over it on the road.


*Actually, St. Louis getting points at home is intriguing with Steven Jackson coming back - but I'm a Browns fan, so I can't do it

Morning YouTubeness: Kige Ends The Debate

Wow, I can't believe it's already Thursday. Typically a slow video day, we have one man to thank for today's post: Kige Ramsey.

Weighing in on topics like Nicole Richie and even throwing out a few shoutouts from time to time; Kige now shares his thoughts on the never-ending debate: Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning.



My, he sure is building quite the collection on that...wall. As always, big thanks to Kige.

Morning YouTubeness: Live TV Strikes Again

Nothing better for your Tuesday morning coffee drinking than a clip from last night's game. It's even better when said footage has absolutely nothing to do with the game itself.

Make sure you keep your eye out for the guy that has a bit of creativity with his "thundersticks."



Just another testament for why the DVR is the greatest thing ever.

(Edit: Just saw that Mr. I was all over this - Dudes are connected!)

Afternoon Delight: Pick 'Em

A 16.5 point spread with this guy running the ball? No thanks.
We're in the home stretch of Friday afternoon, and it wouldn't be such without a few gambling thoughts sent to the readers.

This will be the third installment of my "picks," and I must say that with a 7-for-8 going on right now, I'm feeling pretty confident. Of course, if I get blanked this week, I'll just tell you that it was house money to begin with and to quit your bitchin'. On to this week's games...

Kansas City (+2.5) over OAKLAND
I was very close to taking Cincy giving last week, but sure glad I didn't after the barrage that Larry Johnson and company put on the Bengals. This week, I expect Herm Edwards to stick to the ground. With Warren Sapp and possibly Gerard Warren missing the contests, the Raiders will be throwing third-string D-Linemen at the Chiefs. I'll take the points on the road.

Pittsburgh (-3.5) over DENVER
When you take one of the league's biggest run-first teams and pair them up against the league's worst rush defense and add in a bit of surgery for the latter team's main receiving threat, something tells me that not even a last second timeout can stop the Steelers from working the Broncos.

Indianapolis (-3) over JACKSONVILLE
Man, I'm not liking all of these road teams. But what I am liking is the Peyton Manning on Monday Night Football bit that seems to always work out pretty well. Joseph Addai is returning and the Jags main receiver is still Dennis Northcutt. That should be worth four points right there.

MIAMI (+16.5) over New England
Yea, this one I'm not too sure about. Regardless of the record, you're giving a team a three-score lead, at home, before the game even begins. Couple this with the fact that New England could be handing the ball to a white guy for the majority of the contest, and we could be in for a close one. And by close, I mean at least 14 points.


Good luck!

Hey CBS! What the F--k?

In 1998 when CBS took over the coverage of the AFC, I admit that I could not have cared less. I'm not one to complain about whether Cris Collinsworth or Jim Nantz would be the man to talk throughout a Browns game - though I would prefer Collinsworth, but that's just me.

But since the advent of High Definition Television, and even more importantly the purchase of one for my home, something needs to be done about this:



Now I know that the $14.5 billion CBS stepped up to the plate this year and "doubled" their HD coverage, but would it kill them to broadcast one more game? There's no denying that Miami at Cleveland isn't a big ticket contest by any stretch, but is Houston at Jacksonville? Tennessee at Tampa Bay?

This isn't the first time that Cleveland was fisted by the lack of HD this year as the game in Oakland was broadcasted in Standard Definition as well. I'd like to testify about the others, but I was at the stadium, thus not watching on television.

The Browns are on a bye next week, so CBS only has five games on the dockett - of course, all in High Definition. That's right, you'll get to see Tennessee at Houston or even Baltimore at Buffalo all in crystal clear imaging.

With seven AFC games for week eight, and Cleveland heading to St. Louis, I'd be willing to bet that we won't get High Def coverage for yet another week. I've noticed that while CBS broadcasts up to six games a week in HD, the 4p (ET) games always get the nod.

Typically, there are one or two 4p games on CBS, but week eight has three: Buffalo/Jets, Houston/San Diego, Jacksonville/Tampa Bay. Of the 1p games, the Colts will undoubtedly get coverage against Carolina, and Pittsburgh/Cincy is a division rivalry. This leaves Oakland at Tennessee and the Browns at (the 0-6) St. Louis vying for that final set of cameras.

All I know is that those fans in the Cleveland/St. Louis markets may want to get their HDTV's placed on "stretch" beforehand. It may limit the disappointment come game time - at least until the "THIS GAME IS NOT BEING BROADCASTED IN HD" banner roles across the bottom of the screen.

CBS Doubles HD Coverage [TV Predictions]

Morning YouTubeness: Peyton's Place

Happy Friday, compadres. Since the Colts are on a bye this week, I figured I would help you get your fix with a little "tribute" video that was created for Peyton Manning.

If the song sounds familiar, it's because you've likely heard it in a Michael Jordan commercial. It's called Let Your Game Speak, for those that download buy music these days. Definitely buy.

Anyone else think that an Alert-654-Jose is going to Anthony Gonzalez? Those crafty Colts. Enjoy.

Morning YouTubeness: Fight!!

Good morning, folks. I've been awaiting this one to be released ever since Sunday rolled around. The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts locked horns (manes?) this past Sunday. While it was Indy to come out on top, Denver's Jay Cutler ran in a touchdown of his own.

The best part of this was the panning over to Cutler's parents in the stands who appeaered to be in the middle of a verbal war. Of course, this spat was covered here. And for a possible transgression of what was said, KSK is all over it. Gosh, I love the internet. Enjoy.



Sunday Afternoon With... The Cutlers! [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

Ten Inches of Forecasting

As everyone an their step-brother are making predictions for this season, I figured that there's enough room for one more blogger to jump on board.

I had something a bit more colorful planned, but due to a lack of time - all you're getting is content today.

AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC West: San Diego Chargers

AFC Wildcards: Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals

NFC North: Chicago Bears
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers

NFC Wildcards: Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys

AFC Champ: New England Patriots
NFC Champ: New Orleans Saints

Super Bowl Champ: New England Patriots

And yes, this pick is made strictly based on my ability to curse a team by selecting them. I'm actually going to be pulling for the Saints to win the whole she-bang this season...with the Chargers close behind.

The AFC North is going to be a three-horse race, and I could easily see the Steelers getting that wild card bid over the defenseless Bengals. The Rams may surprise a few people, as well as the Cards - but I'm sticking with my Seahawk-Niners combo. And don't underestimate the Broncos this season...They could easily go 13-3.

But that's why they play the season... Go Browns.

Morning YouTubeness: Turn Back The Clock

With the New Orleans Saints rolling into Indianapolis tonight, I figured that it'd be a great time to jump in the Wayback Machine and show a little bit of the Colts' old fearless leader: Jim Mora.

While his son's likely still doing cartwheels after getting the boot from the Falcons, the Colts have obviously improved upon the seasons of Mora, Sr. I've actually watched this a few times this morning alone - loving that it opens up with the "Diddly Poo" line. Classic.

NFL Players Hate Commercials

Memo to athletes. Any time a commercial depicts an athletic event, there's typically someone that wins as well as someone that loses. Do these always directly represent perception? Of course not. If you're going to display competition, someone has to lose...it's the way it is.

Where am I going with this? Remember the LaDanian Tomlinson commerical in my last post? Well, apparently the Chicago Bears are upset that it depicts them looking like swiss cheese as Tomlinson tears them apart one by one. When asked of reaction, Tomlinson replied with the following:

"In fact I read something somebody sent me that Urlacher said to ask me how many yards I had the last time I played them four years ago. There you go. That tells me how they feel about it."

NFL.com reports that Tomlinson was "held" to 61 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in 2003. While nearing four yards a carry isn't exactly what the video shows, its still not bad.

This all goes back to Dallas Clark crying about his Madden character getting nearly beheaded in a commercial. Apparently, EA Sports should be more careful with who they select to get lit up in an advertisement. Of course, when the Colts played the Eagles, Clark did go down with an injury, so maybe the Bears are just looking out for theirs.

Nike will now have to create commercials of all athletes having fun, but not at the expense of anyone else. We wouldn't want anyone's feelings being hurt in the meantime.

Bears and Chargers Subplot [NFL.com]
Dallas Clark Is Not Happy With You, John Madden [Mr. Irrelevant]
School Says Game Of Tag Is Out [Fox News]

Like Being Knighted, Kind Of

Sometimes I wish I had as much time as Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. I'm sure that if you're reading this, you're familiar with the story book season that Dungy had last year.

Since winning the Super Bowl, Dungy has frequented parades and written a book. And now that we're in the midst of training camp, it's being reported that Dungy has been added to the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation - something that comes along with a two-year term.

Now, I'm not quite sure if this means anything at all, aside from a few trips to D.C., some PR opportunities and even some community service sprinkled in the middle.

"I think it's something where I can share some ideas and a little expertise, and maybe use it as a platform," he said.

But he insisted the new position will not distract him from his full-time job of coaching football. Nor will it lead to a political career when he's finished coaching.

"Not at all," Dungy said.

So, of the two years that Dungy will be a part of this "Council," he'll be able to devote about 4 months...total. Great addition to the squad, assuming that there are actually others on this so-called council.

Grossman: I Wasn't Being Lazy, I Just Sucked

The Fig Cap: Grossman Says, "Hayden is too sexy for his cleats... the way he's disco dancing."

It must be a slow week in the NFL when a story like this has to come out, but hey, I guess it gives me material to make fun of, right? Anyway, remember that play in the Super Bowl when Chicago Bears QB Rex Grossman threw an interception that the Indianapolis Colts' Kelvin Hayden caught and ran back for a TD? Well, it appeared that Grossman was trying as hard as I tried to go Vegan to tackle Hayden and for some reason Grossman felt like he had to answer the question when asked about his loafing:

"First, I thought he had stepped out of bounds," Grossman said. "Then I thought he was going to cut back [toward the center of the field]. Then I couldn't get around somebody and was thinking, 'What's going on?'"

The boy was just assuming things, misread an opponent's move, and was basically confused... all great qualities of a QB you want leading your team in the Super Bowl. Yeah, that was sarcasm.

But, seriously, enough Grossman bashing. It's done and a new season will be upon us soon as I'm about to be all over a hamburger after I write this. I can't wait! For the new season and the burger.