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I just want to wish everyone a wonderful, happy, cozy Thanksgiving. We all have much for which to be thankful even if we have plenty about which to kvetch. I wish for you all more time to be thankful and less kvetching.
As for me, I am going to be heading to Dallas with a colleague and his family, the centerpiece of which will be to go to the Cowboys-Bears game in Texas Stadium on Thursday. I was a Cowboys fan when I was a kid (I know, the shame of it all) and at one point this would have been a dream. It still will be an awful lot of fun. I'll be making a turkey dinner for anyone in Odessa without other plans (or whoever wants to show up -- you're all welcome!) on Saturday.
HEY! The Vikings will return to form. We were tough looking before..our one player got injured and the defense turned back into creampuffs. Man. We're never going to win a Super Bowl.
Steve
Derek Charles Catsam -
11/30/2004
Well, good for her! Or actually, good for you as an Eagles fan. Too bad you foisted that burden on her at such a young age. But we're born into our sports loyalties. Eagles look tough, though looking tough in the NFC is like being the one eyed man in the kingdom of the blind.
dc
David Lion Salmanson -
11/30/2004
"Fly Eagles Fly" Which sounds especially good when the 2 year old sings it and flaps her arms like wings. On Saturday, as we drove relatives to the airport," she spontaneously spelled her first word. E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!
OK, she left out a couple of letters but the intent was there.
chris l pettit -
11/26/2004
Dr Jonathan Quinn!!!!
Help me!
I cant watch anymore!!
Of course I left Julius Jones on the bench this week in one of my fantasy leagues...27 points down the drain while the other guy has Harrison who put up 30...sigh
Well, think of it this way -- we can use Rebunk as an ad hoc therapy session for Tom and Jesse. Confront your demons, boys! It'll happen. I still think the Browns will be the first Cleveland team to get it done, though I suspect an Indians renaissance is coming in the next two years. I know you all think the CVavs are going to get it done. They are not.
Happy Thanksgiving, fellas (and lurking ladies).
dc
Tom Bruscino -
11/24/2004
I've tried six or seven times to discuss the Browns in this thread but my stomach is getting tired from throwing up.
Derek Charles Catsam -
11/24/2004
Great to see the football talk on Rebunk, your one stop shop for history, politics, and sports!
I think it has become almost a truism in the NFL that despite Parcells famous comments about the guy cooking the meal being able to shop for the groceries, being the player personnel guy and being the coach in the NFL are two separate full time jobs. The two ought to work closely with one another, a la Belichick and Pioli in New England, but the coach should simply not have final say and should not wear both hats.
I think Cleveland is not that far away. The D may be one player or two short of dominance. The offense needs work, but I could see the Browns as a dominant D, three yards and a cloud of dust team like the 80s Giants or recent ravens (sorry browns fans to make that comparison). Of course if they only played in the NFC thye Browns would likely be aplayoff team . . .
Have a Happy Tyhanksgiving, guys.
dcat
Jesse David Lamovsky -
11/24/2004
Chris,
The problem with the Browns is lack of talent or, to be more precise, lack of player development. The only real football man in the organization is Butch Davis, who not only coaches but GMs, and he is clearly out of his depth in the pros. What the team needs is a director of player personnel along the lines of Ozzie Newsome or Scott Pioli (both of whom were with the Browns back when Belichick was coaching the team, and the media around here was referring to him as "Beli-Choke"). Word is the Browns are going to make a play for Pioli in the off-season, but we'll see. We also need a real NFL guy as the coach, a guy like Lovie Smith or Marvin Lewis.
There are good players on this team- Andre and Andra Davis, Ryan Tucker, Anthony Henry, Lee Suggs and William Green- and another coach may be able to exploit this talent better than Butch. Either way, a change is necessary in Cleveland. I might be overstating things, but I think a championship team in Cleveland would be as positive for the NFL as the Red Sox were this year for baseball. And God, do we need a Super Bowl around here.
As far as Butch becoming the coach at Florida... in defense of the man, as far as I know he ran a clean program at Miami, so I don't think NCAA sanctions will be a problem if he comes on board at Gainesville. But if Florida has a chance at Urban Meyer, they shouldn't hesitate.
I also like Chicago's defense, and it's impressive that they've done as well as they have this season without Mike Brown, who I think is their best player. Between Grossman and Krenzel, it should come down to the guy who makes the fewest mistakes and manages the game the best, ala Trent Dilfer with the 2000 Ravens. As far as the disaster against Indy last week goes, well, Indy scores on everybody.
Jesse
chris l pettit -
11/24/2004
You know...there have been rumors that if Butch gets fired and the brass at UF (my alma mater for law school) cant convince Urban Meyer to come from Utah...they might target Butch. Great...recruiting violations and NCAA probation here we come!!!
On the bright side...i do like Lovie and our defense is not to be screwed with. of course I like Krenzel as a back up and am cheering for Grossman (a former Gator). With Thomas Jones and our receivers we should be ok.
I cant figure the browns...underachieving defense...good running back...good receivers...they should be better. i just think Butch is that bad of a coach...and they need a new quarterback!
Cheer up about the Bears, Chris. Lovie Smith looks like a man who knows what he's doing. And you've got Craig Krenzel at QB... this Buckeye fan will tell you that, while not always a pleasing sight asthetically, Krenzel wins. And wins, and wins, and wins.
Besides, it could be worse. You could be a Browns fan (speaking of DOH!).
chris l pettit -
11/23/2004
I have not seen the forecasts...but I always think back to the Dolphins/Boys Turkey Day game that had the Leon Lett "incident." Great game...and snow on the field at Texas Stadium...good stuff.
Has Peyton stopped scoring on my Bears yet? sigh...
And how many played Jamal on their fantasy tems this week? DOH!
Oscar --
Nice Tuesday Morning Quarterback reference!
We got to Irving a while ago. One thing I hate to say -- we drove by Texas Stadium on the way to the hotel, and I was a bit shocked by the condition. Hate or love the Cowboys, they are one of those teams that ought to have an iconic stadium. I hate the Yankees, but am always a bit thrilled to go to the toilet bowl in the Bronx, because it is yankee Stadium. But Texas Stadium looks awful from the outside.It needs a serioius paint job. It ought to be a bit magical, one of those places that evokes childhood memories and awe. I still get that feeling at fenway or Wrigley. The Cowboys will still be here for four years before they move to the new place in Arlington. It's too bad that the Stadium is now in the condition that it is. The Dallas Morning News have covered this extensively of late.
In any case, it should be a fun week.
Happy Thanksgiving, Oscar.
dc
Oscar Chamberlain -
11/22/2004
I grew up in Dallas, and while I don't think that I ever made it to a game on Thanksgiving, I did enjoy my sojourns to their games whether at the Cotton Bowl or at Texas Stadium. The last one I saw, I went with my brother in the early 70s and saw Clint Longley, "the mad bomber" and his thirty minutes or so of fame.
Defeating the Washington Indigenous Persons, too!
Your day may be less sweet unless you get your own mircale, but enjoy it anyway. I envy you everything but the Dallas traffic.
