MMQB Review: Peter Doesn't Like it When Brett Favre Is Interrupted Edition

Peter King did not include a travel note of the week in last week's MMQB. He did bitch that the line for Terry Francona to sign a book was too long, but there was no official travel note. Fortunately, Peter did slip in a Brett Favre reference. It's important Peter knows where he makes his money, which is on forced Brett Favre references. We get two Brett Favre references this week. Peter also failed to understand that if the Jets got a 1st and 2nd round pick for Darrelle Revis this wouldn't be folly simply because they traded a 1st and 2nd round pick to move up in the draft and get Revis. Peter seems to think that if the Jets get in return what they traded for Revis, then the production they got from Revis doesn't really count as having helped the Jets over the last six years. Since the Super Bowl was last night, Peter obviously talks about the Super Bowl and all of the blackouts and critical non-calls that went with it.

Oh, and have no fear, while Peter has a pretty boring travel note for this week he still found time to bitch about getting free coffee.

I've watched the fourth-down pass into the corner of the end zone, the Colin Kaepernick-to-Michael Crabtree misfire, with cornerback Jimmy Smith in contact with Crabtree and Crabtee with Smith. It lasts two yards beyond the five-yard bump zone. It's close, but I don't think it was interference. Crabtree was an aggressor there too.

It wasn't the bumping that I found to be borderline in that situation, it was how Smith prevented Crabtree from moving to the back of the end zone to possibly catch the pass. It was more of Smith impeding Crabtree's progress than anything else. It's a tough no-call. If I am a 49ers fan then I am pissed, if I am a Ravens fan then I think it wasn't pass interference and being a neutral fan I can see why there was a no-call and I can see why pass interference would be called. If I was the official I probably wouldn't have blown the whistle, though it is a near-impossible call to be 100% right in making.

I still think, blitz and all, I'd like to have taken one chance with the ball in Kaepernick's hands, running on the last series (instead of a LaMichael James run for two, incompletion, incompletion, incompletion).

I thought Greg Roman's play-calling left a little to be desired in that spot. I'm pretty sure Ngata was injured and out of the game, so I probably would have used Kaepernick's mobility at some point. I'm sure Gregg Easterbrook will hammer this point home 1000 times in TMQ.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!'' Joe Flacco's extended family and friends chanted when he walked into his family's private party at Huck Finn's in the French Quarter this morning, just before 1 a.m.. Is there any doubt? Elite, schmelite. I don't care what you call it, Flacco's in the top echelon of quarterbacks right now.

I'm not sure this is true or not. Joe Flacco as an elite quarterback...I'm going to need some time to adjust to the rapidly changing emotions this is causing for me.

Still can't believe head linesman Steve Stelljes didn't throw out Baltimore cornerback Cary Williams for the two-handed shove of Stelljes in the first half. Blatant, obvious, ridiculous.

"That's because the officials clearly favored the Baltimore Ravens," said everyone on Twitter during the Super Bowl. Everyone knows Jerome Boger sent out a directive to get the Ravens a Super Bowl no matter how many shady calls it took.

The first game of the NFL's 94th season, on Sept. 5, 2013 ... think of the possibilities. Ben Roethlisberger at Baltimore. Tom Brady at Baltimore. Aaron Rodgers at Baltimore. Adrian Peterson at Baltimore. J.J. Watt at Baltimore. An embarrassment of possibilities, NBC and the NFL.

I'm pretty sure the Ravens are going to have an advantage if they are only going against one player and not an entire team. Oh, and J.J. Watt at Baltimore really isn't that exciting sounding. The Texans against the Ravens is a little bit better, but I think Peter is the only one getting a journalistic erection at the thought of J.J. Watt versus the Ravens.

It's good to see Peter is still doing hype for his employer even though the 2013 NFL season has yet to begin. Peter is a good company man. I'm just always excited to see ProFootballTalk put portions of Peter's MMQB in the "Rumor Mill" once it is posted. Corporate synergy is always exciting to see. Peter King reports a story, then Mike Florio reports on that person reporting a story, and then another NBC employee reports on the report of that report and the next thing you know corporate synergy is achieved.

We'll get to the Hall of Fame, but let's focus on the game, of course, first.

Can we first talk about the most inexcusable thing that happened during the Super Bowl first? I'm talking about Jim Nantz's tie. There is no excuse for wearing that ugly green, yellow, and orange tie when millions and millions of people are watching. Nantz chose to wear a tie with green, yellow, and orange on it. I'm surprised he didn't throw in a light red on the tie so that all colors that don't go well together could be on one tie.

In the NFC Championship Game, linebacker NaVorro Bowman had his hands on wideout Roddy White on Atlanta's last-chance play of the game. Bowman impeded White, maybe enough that it should have drawn a flag. No flag.

I thought Jimmy Smith's contact with Michael Crabtree in the Super Bowl, on fourth down in the end zone, wasn't as physical.

He definitely impeded Crabtree's progress towards the back of the end zone with grabbing. That was my issue, not so much the physical play, but the fact Crabtree was held up from a chance at making the catch by his progress being impeded.

Kaepernick still rushed seven times for 62 yards -- his fourth-highest output on the ground this season -- and he scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown with 10 minutes to play. But faced with making a goal-line stand as they clung to a 34-29 lead at the end, the Ravens were determined to make Kaepernick throw the ball.

On first and goal from Baltimore's 7-yard line, LaMichael James took a handoff but ran straight into a zero blitz, picking up just two yards before the two-minute warning. The zero blitz, or an all-out blitz, is the most effective way to disrupt the read-option.

Zero blitz takes away that wiggle room, with several defenders converging on the mesh point -- the few feet of space where it's not clear if the quarterback will keep the ball or hand it off. The downside, of course, is that an all-out blitz leaves the secondary in man coverage and wideouts will typically get open. This, however, wasn't a typical situation. A short field hems in the receivers, making the coverage effective even if the blitz is slow.

The reason I include this wall of text is because Gregg Easterbrook criticizes teams who he deems "blitz too much" in his TMQ section "Stop Me Before I Blitz Again!" I know this is MMQB, but blitzing is a good way to disrupt an offense's timing and Gregg Easterbrook can never understand this. The Ravens blitzed three out of the last four plays when making a red-zone stand in the Super Bowl. Gregg will neglect to mention this next year or even this week when he criticizes a team for blitzing too much. Like most things, when done correctly blitzing can be very effective.

During the two-minute warning, John Harbaugh asked for zero blitz, telling defensive coordinator Dan Pees through the headset, "I do not want them to run the ball right here." Pees had already called for a base defense, zone coverage, but Harbaugh had him rethinking the plan.

Matt Weiss, the Ravens defensive quality control coach who was listening in on the conversation, told Gagne. "But he didn't, and that turned out to be a great call. Dean almost got talked out of his instinct, which would have been bad for us. If we're in zero blitz there, there's a good chance they score a touchdown."

This is why (and I include myself in this statement) coaches get too much credit and too much blame when things go wrong or right. A smart coordinator is just as crucial to a team's success. If Dan Pees lets John Harbaugh have his way, the 49ers are expecting blitz and rolling Kapernick out right away from the blitz to find an open receiver.

Ray Lewis: The end.

Thank God. I have no issue with Ray Lewis, but I've had my fill of camera shots on Ray Lewis as he cries or yells loudly about something.

The Hall of Fame got it as right as any year I recall.

I am prejudiced, of course, as one of the 46 voters of the pro football shrine.

BREAKING NEWS: Peter King reports that Peter King does a good job of electing players into the pro football Hall of Fame.

But in my 21st session inside the voting room, I thought the seven-member class was just as I'd have drawn it up -- with only this proviso: Michael Strahan or Charles Haley or Aeneas Williams would have absolutely been fine with me as the fifth and final member (on my ballot) instead of Warren Sapp.

Warren Sapp needs to be in the Snitch Hall of Fame. Jeremy Shockey told me that Sapp was a snitch.

Five thoughts on the seven-man class of 2013:

Not seven thoughts, Peter? Why not seven thoughts?

The way I figure it, we could have 12 receivers with 1,000 catches who are not in the Hall by 2016, and I am just glad we, as a voting group, put one of the deserving pass catchers in this year. But it won't get easier in 2014. Marvin Harrison enters the fray next year, and that can't be good for Reed or Brown. Harrison caught 151 more balls than Reed -- in three fewer seasons.

Gregg Easterbrook still says Andre Reed could have been the greatest receiver of all-time if he had been drafted by the 49ers. If only Reed had played in a more pass-friendly offense like the 49ers had rather than playing for the Bills with that bum Jim Kelly throwing the ball around the field.

The Parcells call wasn't hard. I know some questioned his winning percentage of .570, but look at the bad teams he inherited (Giants, Pats, Jets, Cowboys), and look at his peers in the .570 neighborhood: Stram (.576), Noll (.572), Levy (.562). You take two teams to the Super Bowl, three to conference title games and four to the playoffs, you're a Hall of Famer.

Parcells' ability to take different teams to the playoffs and to the Super Bowl is impressive. This is why I wouldn't make a very good Hall of Fame voter. I can't get past Parcells constantly lying and saying he has no interest in a certain job and then taking that job. Also, his time in Dallas never really impressed me that much, once he left the Giants his team won their division twice in 11 years and he won one playoff game over the last seven years he coached. He probably is a Hall of Fame coach, but I always look at his coaching record outside of his time with the Giants and don't really feel super-impressed. I have a weird bias against Bill Parcells I can't explain. I know he is a Hall of Fame coach, but I still feel like he is more glitz and glamor than production.

As for the Class of 2014 ... Here come Marvin Harrison, Derrick Brooks and Tony Dungy, added to strong candidates Aeneas Williams, Charles Haley, Michael Strahan, Will Shields, Jerome Bettis and Andre Reed. It will be tough to argue against Harrison, and Dungy and Brooks have good arguments too. Another Saturday in paradise coming up next February in New York.

It's such a cross to bear when having to elect football players into the Hall of Fame. Pity poor Peter that it isn't an easy thing to do. What a burden.

Peyton Manning wants the Pro Bowl to continue.

Well, it should absolutely continue then. Problem solved.

"I got to throw a touchdown pass to Jerry Rice one year in practice -- I'll never forget that. One year, I'm out there before practice with Tony Gonzalez -- we're at the Pro Bowl now, everybody relaxing, supposedly -- and he says to me, 'Hey, throw me 10 balls.' I've had the chance to be coached by so many different coaches other than my own, and I've taken something from all them -- Coughlin, Gruden, Shanahan, Belichick, Cowher, others. But here's my favorite Pro Bowl story. I'm 4 years old. My dad is at the Pro Bowl, and he takes the family, and one day my mom can't find me. It's an hour, two hours. My dad and mom are thinking, 'Do we call the police?' So finally who shows up with little Peyton? Walter Payton. Walter Payton had me out on a catamaran!

Walter Payton had you on a catamaran, Peyton? Did he offer you candy to draw you onto the catamaran? He didn't want to play any games that involved taking your shirt off, did he? You can tell us Peyton, we won't be mad. How did Walter Payton lure you onto the catamaran?

"I keep hearing the commissioner wants to cancel it, and I just really hope it doesn't happen. Guys played harder this year. J.J. Watt was playing hard out there.

Well of course J.J. Watt plays hard. He's a grinder.

By the way, Peter still hasn't acknowledged that J.J. Watt spit on the Patriots logo. I can imagine Peter's reaction if one of his less-favorite players spit on another team's logo. If Jay Cutler did that I can imagine Peter would have a rather strong scolding directed at Cutler for these actions.

Pro Football Focus then details Justin and Aldon Smith's struggles in the Super Bowl and the last few weeks of the regular season...

"Last year Smith picked up 90 quarterback disruptions on 754 rushes or, to put it another way, he got pressure on 12 percent of all dropbacks, leading his position. However, since returning from a triceps injury he sustained at New England in December, Smith has managed only two disruptions on 115 rushes or on 2 percent of passing plays, a level of disruption comparable with some of the worst pass rushing tackles in the NFL.

"That lack of pressure has also affected Aldon Smith, who since Week 15 has played well only once (making life miserable for Atlanta tackle Sam Baker in the Championship Game). Thus, the rush from the right of the 49ers defense has been almost nonexistent.

"Smith had the chance to go up against a rookie making only his fourth start at the left guard position in Kelechi Osemele and with a week's rest surely things would be different. Right? Things only got worse. Not only was Smith held without any pressure, but Osemele, playing by far his finest game of the year, also bested him in the running game too, sometimes sealing him inside, sometimes pushing him back and sometimes cutting him to ground.

So the 49ers pass rush has struggled without two of their best rushers playing well. This means the secondary has to cover guys longer and work harder. Yet, Peter can't seem to understand a strong pass rush means the secondary looks good and a weak pass rush means the secondary looks bad. This isn't a hard concept. 

Fine Fifteen

2. San Francisco (13-5-1). If I'm GM Trent Baalke, I think I wake up this morning convinced I've got to do major surgery on the secondary. Just not trustworthy.

Does Peter just not get it? The 49ers secondary is trustworthy when the 49ers have a strong pass rush. When they don't have a strong pass rush then the secondary doesn't look good at all because they have to cover receivers for a longer period of time. The 49ers secondary hasn't gotten less trustworthy, the 49ers pass rush has just gotten worse.

3. Atlanta (14-4). Mike Smith has an assignment for his defensive staff later this month, and if you read the Sports Illustrated coming in your mailbox this week with the Super Bowl on the cover, you'll find out what it is.

Find a way for the Falcons offense to move the ball on the ground and chew up clock so they can hold a lead in a playoff game?

8. Green Bay (12-6). Kudos to Donald Driver, who celebrated his 38th birthday Saturday, a day after word surfaced he was retiring. One of the best seventh-round picks in NFL history, Driver had consecutive seasons as Brett Favre's go-to guy of 84, 86, 92 and 82 catches between 2004 and 2007. "The perfect receiver,'' Favre once said. "Always exactly where he was supposed to be, and great, great hands.'' 

Whew, I was very concerned that Peter King couldn't shoehorn a Brett Favre reference into this column. It was close there for a second. He even has a Favre quote to use when referencing Favre's "go-to guy." And here I thought Favre's "go-to guy" was whichever member of the opposing secondary he felt like throwing an interception to.

15. St. Louis (7-8-1). Regarding the embarrassment of sort of hiring Rob Ryan and then sort of letting him go: You're better off admitting a mistake early than ignoring it and hoping it goes away.

See, so it is a good thing Jeff Fisher made a bad hire at the defensive coordinator position for the second time in just over a year. I'm sure Fisher and King's shared agent encouraged Peter to talk up Fisher's decision and not focus on the fact Fisher has hired Rob Ryan, Gregg Williams and Blake Williams over the last year to oversee and teach the Rams' defense and none of these guys worked out. Damage control this situation quickly! Let's look at it in a way that it is a good thing the Rams admitted their mistake quickly, rather than look at it as Fisher and the Rams making another bad hire on the defensive side of the ball.

"There is no question in mind that there was pass interference and then a hold on Crabtree on the last one."
 
-- San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh, who thought his receiver was impeded to the point of penalty on the last drive of the game.

It's time for my favorite game I call "Imagine if." Anyone else notice when Jim Harbaugh throws a childish hissy-fit on the sidelines he is viewed by sportswriters and announcers as "passionate" and they marvel at how much of a fit he can throw? Imagine if Bill Belichick or a player threw a hissy-fit like that when an official made a call. Can you imagine the media and announcers proclaiming Philip Rivers as "passionate" when he acts like a child on the field? Can you imagine Jim Nantz marveling at how much Brandon Marshall cares about winning if he flipped out on a play call that didn't go his way? I realize a comparison between a head coach and a player isn't completely analogous, but that type of behavior seems celebrated when it comes to Jim Harbaugh, which I think is sort of bizarre. It makes for good television though and I guess that is all that matters.

The Super Bowl will be held in East Rutherford, N.J., on Feb. 2, 2014, outdoors in MetLife Stadium. Kickoff, unless the NFL amends recent history, will be at 6:30 p.m.

Exactly one year before that, on Saturday night at 6:30 in East Rutherford, here were the weather conditions:

Temperature: 27 degrees.
Winds: 10 mph from the west.
Wind chill temperature: 17 degrees.
Light snow began to fall at about 8 p.m., which a year from now would likely be around the two-minute warning of the first half.

I may be the only one who doesn't have a huge problem with the Super Bowl being played in cold or snowy weather. I get how it would be a problem for fans, but as long as it isn't snowing a blizzard then I think it will be interesting to see the Super Bowl played outside.

"Heck of a job, Brownie."
 
-- @ClydeHaberman, New York Times' columnist on the Metro Desk, when the lights went down in Louisiana.

New Orleanians knew exactly what he meant. If you don't, google it.

Not everyone can be the open-minded guy who is up-to-date on current and past events like Peter King. Peter encourages everyone who isn't as smart as he is to look up "Heck of a job, Brownie," on the Internet. He would do it himself but he has to berate some stupid, ignorant asshole immigrant cabbie and then bitch about a long line at a bookstore.

A multi-tweet string, from Carolina tight end @gregolsen82, after President Obama said he might not let his son play football if he ever had a son.

1: "Just tired hearing guys who made careers playing FB bash it. If it is so bad give back the money it gave u. Nobody forces anyone to play''

2: "I chose to play bc it's my passion since age 5 and allows me to provide for my family. My decision. I am fully aware of what's at stake''

3: "Of course I wish everyone could be injury free. And attempts to make safer are great. But bottom line it is COLLISION sport.''

4: "I also would never criticize a person for not allowing child to play. I understand that. All I'm saying is if you choose to play u get risks"

This is part of the reason I didn't think it meant much when much was made of Obama's "I would have to think about letting my son play football" statement. The players who play in the NFL know what they are getting into.They know they can get hurt or hurt someone else. Obama's statement was made purely on a hypothetical situation that he will very likely never have to face.

1. I think this is what I liked about Super Bowl XLVII:

c. And in the final media thing I liked: Judy Battista's New York Times story revealing the NFL and General Electric will combine to spend some $50 million to create technology to better diagnose and detect concussions, and perhaps to invent new protective devices for the brain.

Peter likes that General Electric will combine to spend $50 million on better technology to better diagnose and detect concussions. He's a good company man for NBC to bring this up isn't he? It's just a coincidence that Peter brings this story up and NBC is owned by General Electric. Just a coincidence.

f. Alicia Keys, not bad either. Longest anthem (2:35) in Super Bowl history, but who, other than Dr. Z, is counting?

I would say pretty much everyone who wanted Alicia Key to stop warbling endlessly so the Super Bowl could eventually begin was counting the length of her anthem. I'm at the point where I think some band or artist is going to turn the national anthem into a 10 minute song or just refuse to stop singing until forcibly removed from the field.

g. Ozzie Newsome, Eric DeCosta and company: That is a great free agent signing iin Jacoby Jones.

l. Jacoby Jones's homecoming. Jones, a New Orleans native, set a number of Super Bowl records on Sunday, including most combined yards in a game (290) and longest play (his 108-yard kickoff return). He also tied a record with two plays of 50-or-more yards. What a free agent signing the former Texan turned out to be by GM Ozzie Newsome.

Ignoring the misspelling of the word "in," which admittedly a six year old wouldn't have trouble spelling, isn't Peter basically restating the same thing in two separate outline entries here? Jacoby Jones was a great free agent signing and rephrasing the same thing doesn't mean Peter is saying something different. I guess it is his MMQB and he can repeat himself 100 times if that's what he thinks his readers want to read.

2. I think this is what I didn't like about Super Bowl XLVII:

a. Brett Favre not being allowed to answer a question about when he'll return to Green Bay on the NFL Network set, because there was too much shouting and merriment on the set. Lord, that stuff is tiring.

DAMMIT, DON'T INTERRUPT LORD FAVRE WHEN HE IS SPEAKING! IT'S NOT OFTEN FAVRE WANTS TO SPEAK AND WE SHOULD PAY HIM THE REVERENCE THAT HE AND PETER BELIEVE HE DESERVES!

Nothing annoys Peter King more than when someone doesn't pay Brett Favre the respect he deserves. How else are we going to find out the all-important question when Brett Favre is going to return to Green Bay? It's not like Favre craves the spotlight and will talk anytime someone throws a camera in his face.

b. Nice effort, Mr. Greatest Wide Receiver of All Time, on the Ed Reed interception.

Randy Moss did alligator-arm that pass thrown over the middle to him, but I like how Peter lets Colin Kaepernick off the hook for a horrendous, no-good pass that deserved to be intercepted no matter how much effort Moss put into catching the football. It was a terrible pass and even if Moss gave an effort I'm not sure he could have caught the pass.

j. Aldon Smith's disappearance. Playing his sixth straight sackless game, Smith finished the season with the same number of sacks -- 19.5 -- as he had as of Dec. 9.

Seems like Aldon Smith isn't much of a pass rusher when Justin Smith isn't there to hold the blockers and get Aldon Smith a free pass to the quarterback.

k. Worst, most claustrophobic winner's locker room I've ever worked. Good people in it. Just microscopic.

THIS LOCKER ROOM DOES NOT MEET PETER KING'S EXPECTATIONS! BE ASHAMED NEW ORLEANS!

e. Coach: I split my vote between Bruce Arians and Chuck Pagano, and Arians won with 36.5 votes. He's the first interim coach ever to win the award. His reward: a head-coaching job, a position he's wanted for two decades, with Arizona.

I still the split vote between Chuck Pagano and Bruce Arians is still a cop-out and doesn't make sense to me. Vote for Arians, since he coached the Colts all year.

8. I think Andrea Kremer is off to a very good start with NFL Network as its health and safety reporter. She aired an important story Sunday on Jacksonville receiver Laurent Robinson trying to recover from four concussions in four months, and he and his wife wondering about life after football.

Good work by Kremer. It's the kind of story that needs to be unearthed by her if the league's own network is going to be taken seriously on hiring a serious reporter and allowing her to do her work the right way.

I still don't believe the NFL is going to let Andrea Kremer make them look bad on their network when it comes to concussion reporting and research. She will be able to tell stories about NFL players being worried about concussions, but they aren't going to let the NFL Network air something they don't agree with or like.

9. I think it's easy for Roger Goodell to say he would let his son play football, and for Barack Obama to say he wouldn't. They don't have sons. They don't have to decide.

It hurts when I agree with Peter King. I think Peter is right though.

(punches self in face for writing that last sentence)

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Casinos are sad places. The nearest Starbucks to my hotel in New Orleans was in a casino across the street. Friday morning around 7, I walked into the place with my laptop, ready to do some writing.

What kind of nimrod goes to a fucking casino at 7am to do some writing and is shocked by what he/she sees? I get Peter was going to a Starbucks in the casino, but what did he expect when he walks into a casino at 7am?

b. Smoking in bars in New Orleans. Really? Seriously? Went to a great bar on St. Charles Street the other night, The Avenue Bar, with a very serious beer menu, and noticed a cigarette vending machine, a huge one, next to the men's room. And by about 10:30, the downstairs was full of smokers.

So not only is the Ravens locker room microscopic and the casino full of sad people, but people can smoke in bars down in New Orleans? This city does not meet Peter King's standards for a city. He's disgusted by you city of New Orleans.

d. I know the meal I'd want as my last on death row. Two questions: What would the warden say if I said I wanted scallops in cigar smoke, with cocoa puffs and ice cream for dessert? And two, does Root deliver?

Why Peter, are you planning on killing someone very soon?

e. I don't care about the blackout, and I care only mildly about the choking traffic. This is a great place for a Super Bowl.

Peter only complained about the locker room size, the smoking in bars, casinos at 7am, and the blackout during the game...so that's a good trip in his opinion. Imagine how much he would complain if it were a bad trip.

h. Coffeenerdness: Thanks for the in-room coffee, Mr. Hilton. (He said sarcastically.)

How about using those six figures per year you make Peter and go purchase some coffee at a coffee shop if you don't like the free coffee the hotel provides? Free coffee? Only if it tastes like Starbucks.

Had some hope when I saw the Lavazza packets there. But I see the Hilton has gone to the Acela School of Coffeenerdness. The Italians would blanch at that coffee-flavored water.

Holy shit, it's free coffee. Free. Coffee. In a hotel. The Hilton isn't a fucking Starbucks or another coffee shop, it is a hotel, and they provide FREE coffee as a convenience. If you don't like it, go buy some. Stop acting like an entitled-little brat when hotel coffee doesn't meet your standards for free food.

l. MMQB will not end with the Super Bowl. It continues all year, so be looking for it on SI.com next Monday. Earlier. I promise.

Look for Peter King to complain about the gas mileage in the free van he was provided last summer during his trip to each NFL team's training camp. If you give Peter free shit, prepare to pay the price if it doesn't meet his standards for free shit.