Riddle Me This, Jishman

Two days ago, Phil Savage confirmed what many had believed for weeks, that the Cleveland Browns were interested trading for/signing Trent Green (former QB for the Kansas City Chiefs). This doesn’t surprise me in the least, the Browns need a veteran signal caller in the worst way, and Trent Green is by far the best one in a rather pathetic crop of available QBs. Though, I am loathe to admit it, this is a quarterback who has thrown for over 4000 yards three times and over 3400 yards 6 times in his 9 years as a starter. Even more impressive, as a QB in a system that had virtually no wide receiver help, he has a career 60.8% completion percentage.
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You may remember a while back the post that Nicky Hilton was planning on launching her own hotel chain, Nicky O.

Well, now according to my original source (USA Today’s Hotel Hot Sheet), the project is off and the developer is seeking bankruptcy protection.

Can’t say this news is surprising:

Nicky Hilton’s Miami Beach condo-hotel is kaput and her developer partner is seeking bankruptcy protection so he can turn the property into another hotel, The Miami Herald reports today.

Is anyone surprised by this? I know the Jishman is, as he was going to stay there on his next trip to South Florida.

I was recently reading Mel Kiper’s latest Big Board over at ESPN Insider and came across something extremely interesting, the comments posted by ordinary people below Mel’s projections about players:

liquified22 (3/22/2007 at 5:31 PM)

and exactly what has changed since the end of the college season? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I wish I could get paid for this…

and this one:

s1205043 (3/23/2007 at 8:40 AM)

I’m stll not sure how someone like Alan Branch can be listed in the top five two weeks ago and now he is worse than some guys who played like a late second day player…..Interesting also how rumors in the media hold no merit in real life…..

and then a user tries to attempt to explain the process:

RRebholz (3/23/2007 at 9:25 AM)

Liquified…this shows how little you pay attention to this whole draft process. Yes, it seems weird that in March people are just now moving up or dropping off, but what has changed is that these “draft experts” have been reviewing more film and watching workouts of these players. Kiper probably hadn’t seen a lot on Weddle, but over the past few weeks has been watching tapes of him from every single game he played at Utah….same for others. Which is why people rise and fall on his board.

There is some truth to that explanation but it is simplistic reason for what actually happens during the NFL draft process.

Some people reading RMTJ are asking themselves right now, why do I care? If you are an NFL fan, you care because what happens at the NFL Draft will impact your favorite team more than any other draft held for any of the other sports leagues.

If you do care, I will explain my reasoning for why people on my draft Board, Kiper’s draft Board, Jishman’s draft board and every other draft board in existence changes often for the four moth period between the title game and the NFL draft….

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Sanjaya goes home.

There is no way he can be kept after this week’s performance.

If he is kept: one of the Chris’ (Richardson or Sligh) will be sent home in his place.

I want to thank everyone who has inquired lately; as you can tell by the title, my book Reality Check has not gone anywhere, yet.

It’s been a little over two months and today, I got my fiftieth rejection letter/email. Most of the letters state that the type of book I have written is hard to market and therefore, narrows my prospects in the publishing world.

Not worried. The fun is in the writing and as Jishman said to me today, “…it only takes one to say yes!”

And maybe someone will, maybe someone won’t… oh well, not worried about it… part of the process.

Now we move onto the next real story in my mind… we’ll see how fiction pans out for me…. gotta love the stories in my head… maybe I should write them down (wink, wink)!

So, who wants another mock? I know I do. As always, I do not predict trades of picks/players until we get closer to the draft, so here’s what I’ve got.

1.) Oakland - JaMarcus Russell, LSU, QB
Oakland needs a QB more than anything beyond needing a new owner. They are taking Russell here.

2.) Detroit - Joe Thomas, Wisconsin, OT
I know Detroit traded for Foster to play Right Tackle, and spent tons of money getting people to play in both Head Coach Rod Marinelli’s Tampa 2 Defense and Mike Martz’s absurdly complex offense. I know the safe pick is Brady Quinn (QB - Notre Dame), but I’m still convinced Detroit will make a push for David Carr to replace Jon Kitna. With a high career passing percentage in an offense with NO wide receivers, I think they are going to go for Thomas here.
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How many people saw Peyton Manning on Saturday Night Live last night? I have to admit, Peyton did a really good job. (Note for Jishman: If you find any of the video from last night, link into my post and place it here)

The monologue was really good…. (paraphrasing some of it, not a full direct quote)

…So people ask me how to stay motivated after winning the Super Bowl. How do we prevent a let down year? Well, last month I was in Boston visiting a Veterans Hospital and Joe O’Malley, an 85 year old vet, who was a really nice guy, asks me, “What do Tom Brady and the Circus have in common?” Stumped, I told John that I didn’t know what Tom Brady and the Circus had in common and John said to me, “they both have two more rings than you do!”

Then Peyton went on to say:

It’s comments like that that make me motivated enough to come back and kick your ass again next year!

The part of the monologue where he introduces his family is funny, especially when he picks on his mom who “didn’t make the NFL, she was cut by the Dolphins, she tried in Canada for a while but didn’t make it there either, she’s kind of a disappointment to the family but we love her anyway.”

Kudos to Peyton Manning for having fun with it…

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1.) The other day I was talking to a friend at school about sports’ Halls of Fame and the fact that I thought those debates were always tainted with so called experts’ opinions. Now, while I do consider myself a knowledgeable sports fan, I don’t consider myself a pundit, and I certainly don’t consider myself someone people should be quoting as such. However, with the Football Draft coming up in just 36-ish days, I started thinking about some recent retirees, specifically Marshall Faulk and Tiki Barber. Faulk is widely regarded as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Barber is believed to be a barely marginal candidate, if that. But, I think what annoys me is what you see when you look at the numbers.

Let’s start with basic stats:
Player - Career Rushing Yards/Career Rushing TDs/Receiving Yards/Receiving Touchdowns
Faulk - 12,279 yards/100 TDs/6,875/36
Barber - 10,445 yards/ 55 TDs/ 5183/12

Now, let’s move onto some additional stats
Player - Return Yards/ TDs
Faulk - 18 Yards/ 0 TD
Barber - 1725/1

Okay, well, what do we end with?
Faulk total yards: 19154 (which puts him at 4th in total yardage from scrimmage)
Barber: 15631 (which puts him at 10th in total yardage)

Faulk TDs: 136
Barber TD: 68

Hmm…Let’s go further, because the number one argument I hear is that Barber didn’t play at a high level (read: starter) for long enough. How many years did Faulk start for? He was a starter for Indianapolis at the start of his career and then Saint Louis at the end (especially now that he’s going to retire), so, it was from 1994 - 2005 (he was injured for all of 2006). Barber played from 1997 - 2006.

So, basically, Barber played for 2 fewer years, but that barely scratches the surface. Barber actually only started from the 2000 season (anyone remember Fire and Ice? Anyone? Anyone?) on. Faulk started from his first game out of San Diego State in 1994, so in reality, Barber actually played on offense in for 6 fewer seasons!

Now, if you ask me, this is by far the most important piece of the argument, Faulk played on a team whose nickname was the GREATEST SHOW ON TURF! The Giants have a history — and coaches — who play run left, run right, run up the middle. And I guess, since Barber was an RB, that should have benefited him, which it looks like it did. Yet still, Faulk, 4th in total yardage with a MONSTER offense. Barber, inexplicably, for virtually no reason, 10th!!!! He started 6 fewer seasons, in an offense with fewer weapons, and STILL was 10th?!?! pro-football-reference.com>

How about this piece?

Most Scrimmage Yards, Season from NFL.com
2,429 Marshall Faulk, St. Louis, 1999 (1,381 rush., 1,048 rec.)
2,390 Tiki Barber, N.Y. Giants, 2005 (1,860 rush., 530 rec.)

And if you look at Barber’s statistics, he actually got BETTER as the season’s went on. Faulk, unfortunately, spent his last few seasons injured, and never really was ever able to keep up that kind of manic pace. Faulk was unquestionably the first in a new generation of running backs. He was smaller than most RBs around then, faster than both offensive AND defensive players and could line up at virtually ANY position on the field, and yet, could still take the punishment of playing every down. Perhaps, even Barber benefited from Faulk’s success, but were it not for Faulk, would the Giants have taken a chance on a 5′ 10″, 200 lb. RB.

I definitely believe Faulk should be a first ballot hall of famer, I just think Barber should be moved off the marginal list and maybe put up there too.

2.) David Carr gets released, no great shock here. Two days ago, Matt Schaub was traded to the Houston Texans in what might be referred to, in legal circles, as a “highway robbery.” However, here’s the thing, this might be the best thing for Carr.

Let’s take a trip in the “Way Back Machine” and look at a guy named Kurt Warner. Now, do I think David Carr is Kurt Warner? I do not. Do I think Martz knows how to take guys who have skills and make them MVPs? Yes, I do. Warner was a nobody who should never have been a starter in the NFL, and he is now a household name in Saint Louis (and for the wrong reasons in New York and Phoenix). If Carr goes to Detroit, is he going to become an MVP? I do not believe that either. There are TONS of differences between the team, I don’t need to belabor the point, I just think he’d do very well with rising stars Roy Williams and Mike Furrey (one of the top players in the NFL in catches) in a city that so desperately wants to forget the names: Joey. Harrington.

3.) Has anyone heard the rumors that the Patriots will trade their two first round selections to the Dead-skins? I heard it on TV today, but can’t seem to find it anywhere else. I’m not sure I’d understand what the Pats would be doing there, if that were true. The Pats have always been a frugal team that understands both the “team” concept and the need for flexibility (see: Dan Klecko and Richard Seymour playing Fullback, Vrabel and Bruschi playing Tight End, Troy Brown playing Wide Receiver, punt returner AND Corner Back on consecutive plays!!!). I’m not sure who they’d be targeting if they took the Deadskins pick off their hands. Levi Brown to play OT? Gaines Adams to play OLB? Leon Hall to play CB?

Well, that’s all for today. If you made it here, please respond and let me know just how many No-Doze you had to take.

Bored at work or school?

Try playing the Red Box Game

This was sent to me by Brett….

What is your fastest time?

So, sometimes I see some things that make me question my own sanity - the RIAA/MPAA, the Knicks (just in general), Kirsten Dunst (as Mary Jane Watson), things like that - but sometimes, I just can’t help be laugh and hope I forget it as quickly as I learned it.

NASCAR and Harlequin are teaming up to make NASCAR themed romance novels. Now, I’m all in favor of themed books, and it’s not as if Harlequin makes particularly tough books to read. It just strikes me as odd that instead of going with some generic “racing” theme, they went branded with NASCAR.

Oh, and just in case the NASCAR craze hasn’t caught on here at RMTJ yet, this will definitely do it. NASCAR Barbie! Oh, I wish I was kidding.

God, if only Talladega Nights was truly just a movie and not reality in some ways…

This just in from Snarky McHates-You, our roving entertainment reporter:

Tara. Reid. Fast. Food. Owner. There’s just something so wrong about that. Oooh, this quote’s my fav:

“You probably won’t see me behind the cash register. But I’ll definitely be in the kitchen making sure everything is done right.”

No, well of course not. Because that would require math skills. Can’t you see her just sitting there saying, “um, excuse me sir, my eyes are up here, not down there at my botched boob job. Thanks.”

Gotta love emails from our reporters.

Okay, not really, but this case, while it might make parents nervous, is also big in terms of First Amendment rights. See my comments on personal responsibility for more on this.

Sanjaya should go but Howard Stern and Votefortheworst.com keep saving him

Therefore:

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This weekend, I was looking for a cooking project for my five-year old son and I to do but we didn’t want to be stuck in the house all day.

I give you CHOCOLATE MESS (for my family members who are not well versed in hyper links…click on the word chocolate)

This recipe was easy to complete as JQ did most of the work.

If you love chocolate, pour a big glass of milk, top off with some whipped cream, and enjoy! You will love it, it was that good.

(Side note: Be aware of how well your crock pot cooks. Ours always seems to heat things up faster so it cooked faster than the recipe called for)