NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - The Offseason

[snoopy369]

Au contraire, Pierre...



You can disagree all you want; the usage is accurate. Thus, I would say that a perfect game is, in fact, a freak occurence. You choose to read my usage as pejorative. That's just a personal preference on your part. At no time did I say anything negative about James Harrison.


James Harrison weighs 248 pounds, perfectly normal for an NFL LB. How dare you call him a freak!!!


Let's not turn this personal. I actually belong to a gym and burn 2-3 thousand calories a week there on average. So, wrong again.

Language is all about the interpretation. 'Freakish' is used perjoratively - that's simply the nature of the language. Yes, it doesn't HAVE to be perjorative, but it connotes a negative (or at least random) nature to the event it describes. You might describe a perfect game as 'freakish', but not many people would certainly; and if you said, "The Steelers won the superbowl because of a freakish play", to someone unfamiliar, he would think that meant the Cardinals deserved to win the game, which is clearly incorrect. Personal isn't relevant; language only has meaning in the context of culture, and the cultural meaning of the word (in the US, anyhow) clearly agrees with my interpretation. There are plenty of words ("Rare", "Unique", "Uncommon", "Amazing", "Stupendous", "Spectacular", ...) that could be used and would more accurately describe the play without using one that has the negative connotations.

Referring to the later comment, I wasn't intending to be personal; it was obviously an exaggeration, although I wouldn't be shocked to find that he burned quite a few thousands of calories in running that far, that fast. [Heck, some of the weightlifters on this site probably burn 4k+ calories a day... reading those threads makes me feel like a sluggard at my mere 2500 calories.]

[-Jrabbit]

Look at my post 36: I called it a "freak play." And both statistically and by definition, it certainly was a freak occurence.

Any time a linebacker runs 100 yds for a TD, it's a freak play.

That's ALL I was saying. The rest is in your head. You CHOSE to read my comment negatively. Now you pull out a list of hypotheticals (using "freakish" instead of "freak" BTW -- nice touch) and try to lecture me on common usage/interpretation/context??? It is to laugh.

I reject your strawman attempt to invoke semantics and sociolinguistics. We both know that has nothing to do with my original post in either intent or actual meaning. It's just a feeble attempt to backpedal from your erroneous overreaction to it.

[snoopy369]

Freak <-> freakish, they have the same connotation...

What was the point of you stating that "Any time a linebacker runs 100 yards for a TD, it's a freak play" other than the sociolinguistics? Was it to say that "it is not common for linebackers to run 100 yards for TDs"? (Or, whomever initiated this discussion... I can't remember any more, must be getting old ) I have to think it was to detract from the Steelers' victory in some fashion [to imply that it was not entirely earned, that luck factored into it]. No other reading of that statement makes sense; pointing out that things known to be uncommon, are uncommon, simply to state that they are uncommon is like pointing out that the sky is blue. Why would you do it?

[snoopy369]

That's fine, as long as you know that no one agrees with you on anything, ever.

If you believe the Cardinals were the second-best team this year, then I'd love to hear your opinion.

They may have been. But as for the 2 teams playing on Sunday night, the Cardinals, despite losing, were the better team. Take out either the one freak play, or a horrible call for roughing the passer, and the cards win. Cards D sucked early game but they adjusted and by a miracle the Steelers pulled it off.

As for 2nd best overall, plenty of teams could've had that spot this past year.

There we go. That's the initial post, JR; and clearly the point of Theben using "freak" here was to denigrate the play, and suggest it was not due to skill but due to luck. I suggest it was due to skill. We can argue that all day (and I'm happy to do so!), but the semantics clearly are intended as I suggest they are.

[-Jrabbit]

Freak <-> freakish, they have the same connotation...

What was the point of you stating that "Any time a linebacker runs 100 yards for a TD, it's a freak play" other than the sociolinguistics?[ Was it to say that "it is not common for linebackers to run 100 yards for TDs"? (Or, whomever initiated this discussion... I can't remember any more, must be getting old ) I have to think it was to detract from the Steelers' victory in some fashion [to imply that it was not entirely earned, that luck factored into it]. No other reading of that statement makes sense; pointing out that things known to be uncommon, are uncommon, simply to state that they are uncommon is like pointing out that the sky is blue. Why would you do it?

There you go -- totally admitting that you chose to read all kinds of meta-meaning into a simple statement.

If you had read it in context -- ironically, something you claim is important -- you would know that I was merely agreeing coming down on the "freak" side of the "freak play or not" discussion among other posters. (See page one, discussion among Threebane, Tuberski, NYE, Lord Avalon (not me!) as to whether the Harrison TD and the long Fitzgerald TD should be characterized as "freak" touchdowns.)

I was simply helping them settle their differences by pointing out:

Any time a linebacker runs 100 yds for a TD, it's a freak play.

So no, the point of stating this was precisely to NOT be sociolinguistic. It was specifically constructed to bring a clinical view to what had been a fairly emotional discussion/series of posts by others by using the actual definition of "freak" (c.f. the definition, post 59).

I thought my post was well timed, nicely ironic and, dare I say, slightly amusing.

You, on the other hand, have attempted to pillory me for crimes undone while guilty yourself of neglecting the sociolinguistic context of the full discussion.

[Grandpa Troll]

Ben..where for art thou..lookie, we got two people fighting over strawman vs Word Nazi

Shame..shame indeedy

[Tuberski]

Just went back and checked the video. The illegal block is pretty clear. It takes place at about the 30-yd line, :22 into the video. There's no guarantee that Hightower would have made the tackle (Harrison saw him coming), but the block in the back is pretty obvious and pushed him totally out of the play.

Actually if you look carefully at the same :22 mark you will notice that Fitzgerlad gets blocked by one of his own teammates on the sideline, if that teammate was off of the white area, Fitzgerald would have caught Harrison earlier.

ACK!

[Ben Kenobi]

There we go. That's the initial post, JR; and clearly the point of Theben using "freak" here was to denigrate the play, and suggest it was not due to skill but due to luck. I suggest it was due to skill. We can argue that all day (and I'm happy to do so!), but the semantics clearly are intended as I suggest they are.

Skill vs luck?

It was the Steelers. Obviously the play was based on pure skill.

They are just THAT good.

The only reason it didn't happen before now, is because they weren't sufficiently motivated.

[Naked Gents Rut]

Why don't you go put full pads on, bulk up to 240lbs or whatever, and then play a half of football, and THEN run 100 yards as fast as you can. Tell me if it's not difficult.

I used to play football. Running the length of the field is tiring, but it's not difficult or impressive.

I wouldn't be shocked to find that he burned quite a few thousands of calories in running that far, that fast

Double ****...

[Grandpa Troll]

Chiefs hire Haley to be head coach

Whenever conversation at the Haley family dinner table turned to football, it was more than just talk.
It was education. While Dick Haley was personnel director at Pittsburgh and helping craft the great Steelers dynasty of the 1970s, Todd Haley was taking it all in.
Todd Haley rose to prominence this year as offensive coordinator for the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals and on Friday, just weeks shy of his 42nd birthday, was introduced as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I would not be where I'm at right now without my father, or without having the father that I did," said Haley.
He replaces Herm Edwards, who was fired at the end of a 2-14 season, and fills the NFL's last remaining head coaching vacancy.
Dick Haley was personnel director at Pittsburgh from 1971-90 before going on to other front office jobs in the NFL.
"He knew what good was," Todd Haley said. "And I've just always believed that was a big asset of mine, the fact I grew up in personnel, went to bowl games with him, went to practice with him, watched tape on the wall with him."
One of the people who worked under the elder Haley in New York was Scott Pioli, who was hired as Chiefs general manager last month. Pioli became friends with his new head coach when the two were with the New York Jets.
"I worked for Todd's father, Dick, who's probably one of the finest personnel men in the history of the National Football League," Pioli said.
"Todd has a very unique background, and something I told (Chiefs owner) Clark (Hunt) was important was finding a head coach who not only understands personnel, but understands scouting, understands football players. I think Todd brings a very unique background in the sense that he grew up in a football family. His father was a personnel director and one of the best ever."
Haley inherits a team that lost all but two of its past 25 games and is joining a franchise that hasn't won a postseason game since an aging Joe Montana was quarterback in the 1993 season.
"Todd is very bright," Pioli said. "He's extremely dedicated and very strong-willed. Those are the qualifications I was looking to partner with, Clark was looking to partner with, and we really feel Todd is the right guy and is going to do a heck of a job here."
Edwards was considered a players' coach by the Chiefs, but Haley can be combative and sometimes clashes with players. During the NFC championship game against the Eagles, he had a first-half argument with quarterback Kurt Warner, then a short blowup in full view of television cameras with wide receiver Anquan Boldin. He also had a spat with Terrell Owens when he was receivers coach in Dallas.
"It's part of how I coach," Haley said. "It's part of how I motivate, and I like to think I've had some success doing it. But obviously, you've got to keep things in check. It's something I'll turn to if I need to. But I'll do my best to keep from losing control."
Haley helped shape an offense that carried the Cardinals to an improbable NFC West title and came within seconds of beating Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
Behind Warner, Haley's offense set a franchise record with 427 points, finished third in scoring in the NFL and was second in yards passing.
"It's going to be a big loss for us," said Warner while practicing for the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. "He did a lot of great things for us. Shaping this offense, understanding all the pieces in place here and how to use them. We're going to need a lot of guys to step up to replace him."
Leading to the Super Bowl, Haley repeatedly was questioned about Kansas City and when he was expected to join Pioli at Arrowhead Stadium. Haley said Friday that he first heard he was a candidate for the job in Kansas City the day after the Super Bowl.
The hiring completes Hunt's overhaul of the top management rungs of the team he inherited from his father in December 2006. He accepted Carl Peterson's resignation in December after 20 years as president, chief executive officer and general manager.
Like his father, Lamar Hunt, Clark does not intend to be a hands-on owner.
"I'll work closely with Scott and Todd as they go about building the team, but it will be more about them keeping me in the loop than me helping them make decisions," Hunt said.
"I feel we've hired two of the finest football minds in the National Football League and collectively they know 20 or 30 or 40 times more than I know about football. The organization is best served if I fulfill my role on the business side and let them do what they do best."
Despite the past two years, things could be in place for a rapid turnaround for Kansas City. Several promising players got a valuable year of experience last season, and the Chiefs own the overall No. 3 draft pick. They should have plenty of money for draft picks and free agents because they're about $32 million under the salary cap.
Added to that is what amounts to a new stadium. With $250 million in taxpayer money and $125 million from the Hunt family, Arrowhead is being almost completely renovated, with swank new offices and weight and training rooms.
Among Haley's most urgent problems will be tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Larry Johnson, who both said this week they might want out of Kansas City.
"What we're doing right now is we're going to start evaluating the overall roster, not just with Larry or Tony," Pioli said. "There'll be an appropriate time for us to sit down and talk with the players."

[Grandpa Troll]

Report: Pendergast won't return

PHOENIX (AP) -- Clancy Pendergast won't return as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, two local media outlets reported on Friday.
The Arizona Republic quoted NFL sources as saying Pendergast would not return but said it wasn't known if he was leaving to take another position or had been dismissed. XTRA sports radio reported that Pendergast had been fired.
Cardinals general manager Rod Graves did not return messages left on his cell phone by The Associated Press and the team had no comment on the reports.
Pendergast was hired by Dennis Green and was retained on the staff when Ken Whisenhunt took over as coach in 2007.
The move would leave the Cardinals in need of both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley resigned to become head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cardinals will be a different team next year for sure as even Kurt Warner isnt sure if he will go another round

[duke o' york]

Any time anyone runs a 100 yard touchdown is a freak play. I can't imagine that kind of thing is taught at coaching school.

[Grandpa Troll]

Its Official Now

PHOENIX (AP) -- Clancy Pendergast won't return as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, two local media outlets reported on Friday.
The Arizona Republic quoted NFL sources as saying Pendergast would not return but said it wasn't known if he was leaving to take another position or had been dismissed. XTRA sports radio reported that Pendergast had been fired.
Cardinals general manager Rod Graves did not return messages left on his cell phone by The Associated Press and the team had no comment on the reports.
Pendergast was hired by Dennis Green and was retained on the staff when Ken Whisenhunt took over as coach in 2007.
The move would leave the Cardinals in need of both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley resigned to become head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cardinals will be a different team next year for sure as even Kurt Warner isnt sure if he will go another round

The Cardinals fired defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast on Saturday, less than a week after Arizona played Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
"Like every decision, it comes down to what's best for the team and what gives us the best chance to win," coach Ken Whisenhunt said in a statement released by the team.
Pendergast's departure leaves the team without both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was named head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.
Pendergast was hired by Dennis Green in 2004 and stayed on when Whisenhunt took over in 2007.
"He was one of the guys retained from the previous staff and has done a good job," Whisenhunt said. "But as part of the evaluation process that's done after every season, I took a look at the last two years as a whole and felt this move was necessary to help us continue the progress we've made."
The 41-year-old Pendergast has been a coach in the NFL since 1995, with the then-Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
"From a timing standpoint, we wanted to be fair to Clancy and give him a chance to seek the best possible opportunity in which to continue his career," Whisenhunt said. "In terms of filling the position, we have some people in mind both internally and externally and will begin that process immediately."
The Cardinals ranked 19th in the NFL in overall defense in the regular season, giving up 331.5 yards per game. They were 22nd in pass defense and 16th against the run.
Pendergast was known for using a variety of blitz and coverage schemes aimed at taking advantage of the Cardinals' speed.
The defense struggled in blowout losses to Philadelphia, Minnesota and New England late in the regular season, but stepped up in the playoffs, shutting down the powerful running games of Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia in the run to the Super Bowl.
Against the Steelers, the defense played well until the last-minutes drive that ended with the touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds to play that gave Pittsburgh a 27-23 victory.
Pendergast graduated from the University of Arizona in 1990, then was a graduate assistant for Mississippi State before working on the staffs at USC, Oklahoma and Alabama-Birmingham

[Grandpa Troll]

Former Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Larry Coyer has been hired to run the Indianapolis Colts' defense.
The Colts on Friday also announced wide receivers coach Clyde Christensen will be assistant head coach and University of South Carolina assistant Ray Rychleski will become special teams coordinator.
The moves come as the Colts fill out their staff under new coach Jim Caldwell, who took over after Tony Dungy retired last month.
Coyer spent the last two seasons at Tampa Bay and previously spent seven years with the Denver Broncos, the final four as defensive coordinator.
The Colts led the NFL in scoring defense in 2007 but dropped to seventh last season.

[Grandpa Troll]

The New England Patriots placed the franchise tag on Matt Cassel on Thursday, making it tougher for other teams to sign the free agent quarterback.
The Patriots might keep him if they have doubts that Tom Brady will be ready for the start of next season after sustaining a serious knee injury in the 2008 opener. If they're confident Brady will be ready, they could trade Cassel rather than pay him the $14.65 million offer for 2009 in the franchise designation.
Cassel had a breakout season in 2008, starting 15 games after starting none the seven previous seasons -- four with Southern California as backup to Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, and three after New England drafted him in the seventh round in 2005.
For now, he remains a free agent, but the Patriots can match any offer made by another team or allow him to sign with that team in exchange for two first-round draft picks. The franchise tag value is the average of the top five paid NFL players at a particular position.
If and when Cassel signs the one-year designation, he will be under contract to the Patriots and could be dealt.
"Matt has been a pleasure to coach his entire career and last season in particular, when his years of hard work and commitment resulted in a most impressive performance," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009."
David Dunn, Cassel's agent, did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Cassel's stock soared after he took over for Brady and helped the Patriots to an 11-5 record, but New England missed the playoffs.
Brady, who led the Patriots to an unbeaten regular season in 2007 and their fourth Super Bowl in eight years, went to the turf midway through the first quarter on Sept. 7 after being hit in the backfield by Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard. The two-time Super Bowl MVP had started 128 games and was replaced by Cassel, who helped the Patriots to a 17-10 win.
Brady underwent surgery for torn ligaments on Oct. 6, then had follow-up surgery to treat a postoperative infection.
On Jan. 21, he said in an interview that his rehabilitation was "going really well," but he did not offer a timetable for a return to the field. He made his comments on Toronto sports radio station The Fan 590. Brady was not asked during the interview if he expected to be ready for training camp or the start of the regular season.
Teams are allowed to place the franchise tag on one player per season. Without it, Cassel would have become an unrestricted free agent Feb. 27 and been able to sign with any team without compensation to the Patriots. The period in which a team can designate a franchise player is Feb. 5-19.
Last season, Cassel finished with 327 completions in 516 attempts (63.4 percent) for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The yardage was the fourth most in the AFC and the completion percentage was the third best in team history.
If the Patriots keep Brady and Cassel, they would have two quarterbacks taking up nearly 25 percent of the team's salary cap of $123 million for 2009. Brady's cap charge will be $14.62 million, although his actual salary for the year is $5 million with a $3 million bonus for making the roster.
Cassel is the fifth player in Patriots history to be designated a franchise player. The others were kicker Adam Vinatieri in 2002 and 2005, defensive back Tebucky Jones in 2003 and cornerback Asante Samuel in 2007. The Patriots waited until the last day to place the tag on all but Samuel, doing it six days earlier.
In 2002, the Patriots lifted the tag after they reached a multiyear agreement with Vinatieri. But he played under the tag in 2005, then left as a free agent for Indianapolis. In 2003, the Patriots traded Jones to New Orleans for three draft picks.
In 2007, Samuel held out of training camp until the Patriots agreed not to apply the tag to him again in 2008 if he played in 60 percent of the defensive snaps or they won 12 games. Both conditions were met and he left after that season for Philadelphia as a free agent.