tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post441295055494870314..comments2023-10-31T06:31:41.395-04:00Comments on Bottom of the Barrel: Bill Simmons Tells Us What We Thought of the Mike Vick EraBengoodfellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-42612844583731681002012-11-16T14:36:32.359-05:002012-11-16T14:36:32.359-05:00Steve, that is highly likely. I wasn't thinkin...Steve, that is highly likely. I wasn't thinking about it that way, only in terms of when he was drafted, but not when he played. <br /><br />JJ, I don't see Buffalo as a surprise Wild Card contender. That's more of a difference in opinion than anything else. I haven't read his Thursday pick, but many of his pop culture references seem forced. <br /><br />I do like the Carrie Mathison reference though. Very true. I'm not a big "Claire Dane is attractive" guy (though talk to me when I was 13 and I may have felt different), but I get the reference. One minute she seems calm and collected and the next minute you fully expect her to try to rip your eyeballs out or throw herself out of a window. <br /><br />Most of Bill's columns fall under the category of me not caring about them or just being tired of hearing the same old crap. The mailbags are the worst. They are drag to get through. It's like a circle jerk. Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-60216853526276828432012-11-16T13:53:05.316-05:002012-11-16T13:53:05.316-05:00Most of what I read of Simmons comes from here. I...Most of what I read of Simmons comes from here. I do read the occasional Mailbag. I saw him Tweet out his Thursday column and I wanted to see his pick (as I am a Bills fan).<br /><br />http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/42970/the-sports-guys-thursday-nfl-pick-7<br /><br />The tweeted link said something about a surprise Wild Card contender (which I had assumed was going to be the Dolphins). It was actually the Bills. There still the usual Simmons tropes (the nobody believes in us, forced pop culture reference (On Ryan Fitzpatrick) He's like the Claire Danes–as–Carrie Mathison of QBs — he can look attractive one minute and absolutely frightening the next., the last paragraph).<br /><br />When skimmed, its a perfectly reasonable column minus the Simmons clutches, which exist far too much nowadays. Or maybe I care more/less depending on the perspective.JJJJShabadonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-42226585712750312182012-11-16T10:45:16.890-05:002012-11-16T10:45:16.890-05:00Bo Jackson was probably left off the list because ...Bo Jackson was probably left off the list because he never played a snap for Tampa Bay. He didn't sign, sat out the year and entered the draft again the next year.Steve Spraguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02351733579955625677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-69831518101644300252012-11-16T08:52:22.650-05:002012-11-16T08:52:22.650-05:00Snarf, I was trying to think of others but couldn&...Snarf, I was trying to think of others but couldn't. There are plenty of local athletes who had their name turned into a verb. So on a regional level, there are quite a few. <br /><br />JJ, that is one of the local verbs I was thinking about. Kimbrel'd. <br /><br />I thought about White in Atlanta, but I don't know if it was coincidence or his development that caused him to improve w/o Vick. I get the argument Vick didn't have receivers, but it is also a symbiotic relationship. The receivers and QB make each other better. It depends on your PoV whether you say Vick made his receivers better. I'm not sure he did. <br /><br />My main issue with the Madden point is Bill goes through an actual football discussion a/b Vick and then throws in Madden. It felt out of place, even if you did want to play with him. It seemed like that's not a fair way to evaluate his legacy in the context Bill was trying to do so. <br /><br />Rich, that's quite a list. I probably should have jumped harder on that comment. I don't know if Vick's issues was necessarily a "sports scandal," but even if it is included I don't know if it is one of the worst. <br /><br />I think one of the biggest scandals that seemingly went away was the NBA refs fixing games. There were other rumblings, but that went away very quickly. I still don't believe Donaghy was a lone wolf on that. <br /><br />Holy crap, I forgot about Donte Stallworth. Leonard Little also killed a person, got fined $500 (or worse than that, but you my hyperbolic point) and then came back and played at a very high level until he got caught driving while intoxicated again. <br /><br />Those rushing figures are very important and therein lies why Delhomme isn't the quarterback Vick was. The running threat added a whole new dimension to it. <br /><br />Bo Jackson. Damn, I missed that one. He should be in there. <br /><br />Anon, thanks. I was always a big fan of Simmons too. I read every column and was excited to look for them at ESPN.com. I don't know what happened and possibly it was just the natural progression of being a success, but his columns have become more and more Bill-centric and ego-filled. It annoys me because he can be better than this. It's like he has to throw a little levity in his columns or else he thinks he will become Rick Reilly. <br /><br />I never watched NBA Countdown, so I hope he does well on there. I don't think he will quit writing because at this point his mailbags seem to be a pretty good picker upper for his self-esteem to remind him of how smart he is.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-34929288960610674102012-11-15T22:10:43.161-05:002012-11-15T22:10:43.161-05:00Hey Ben, keep up the great writing. I've been ...Hey Ben, keep up the great writing. I've been following Bill Simmons since 2000 when he was simply the "Boston Sports Guy." I always enjoyed his writing, not because he spoke for me as a Boston sports area fan, but because his writing used to be funny in a, "I can read this while I need to chill out from work and be entertained," kind of way. I don't know when Bill became such a diva, but when it happened, it happened fast. Now his work is just, as you point out frequently, a retread of everything he used to supposedly HATE...being a mainstream, tired, gone-to-seed "media star." I'm hoping that once he starts doing NBA Countdown on ESPN, he'll stop writing. He'll be too busy and mega-important then, and we'll be probably less annoyed as a result. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-26458386461727298412012-11-15T17:57:36.656-05:002012-11-15T17:57:36.656-05:00We had no way of knowing one of the worst sports s...<b>We had no way of knowing one of the worst sports scandals ever was looming.</b><br /><br />Really? One of the worst? It was bad, but I'd say it's not even top 5 for the past decade let alone ever.<br /><br />If you include every sport:<br /><br />NBA refs fixing games<br />NHL lockouts<br />NBA lockout<br />Pete Rose<br />Joe Jackson<br />PEDs<br />Lance Armstrong<br />Anything involving Fifa<br />Bartman<br />Saints<br />Patriots<br />NFL replacement refs<br />Plexiglass shooting himself<br />Penny beer night<br />Disco Demolition night<br />Penn State<br />Fab Five<br />Duke Lacrosse rape trial<br />Tiger Woods<br />Anything Mike Tyson ever did<br />Ali dodging the draft<br />Vikings "party boat"<br />Big Ben<br />Tank Johnson<br />Pacman Jones<br />Chris Henry<br />Ray Lewis <br />Sam Hurd<br />Dez Bryant<br />Lawrence Philips<br />Donte Stallworth<br />Brett Favre's drug addiction<br /><br /><b>not starting a professional football game for four solid years, then shaking off the rust for his greatest season. When will we see THAT again?</b><br /><br />Jared Allen went to jail for a DUI and came back, Donte Stallworth went to prison for <i>killing a human being</i> and came back. <br /><br />There have been at least 615 arrests in the NFL since 2000, this will likely happen again. Maybe not the same level of prison time/talent, but there are guys who go to prison, get out and start (Plexiglass, Allen).<br /><br /><b>carried himself so defiantly during games.</b><br /><br />I love AI, but lets not forget that he was part of his own scandal at Georgetown and then was arrested several times once he made it to the NBA.<br /><br />The problem with Iverson wasn't any of the things Bill listed, it was the fact that he was always on the edge of legality with his actions.<br /><br /><b>Vick: 99 starts, 56-41-1 record, 80.7 QB rating, 19,375 passing yards, 120 passing TDs, 80 INTs, </b><br /><br />5500 rushing yards and 36 rushing TDs... seems kind of important to include those figures.<br /><br /><b>If you made a list of the top-five picks from 1986 through 2010</b><br /><br />I know he only played a few years, but um... Bo Jackson?<br /><br />I'd sure as shit take 4 years of Bo Jackson over Matt Stafford.richnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-56760889483541700582012-11-15T16:35:19.466-05:002012-11-15T16:35:19.466-05:00Some Braves fans were using Kimbrel as a verb/noun...Some Braves fans were using Kimbrel as a verb/noun when he was striking out the side. That's about as much proof as Simmons is using.<br /><br />Vick did have Roddy White for two years in Atlanta. Those were White's first two years in the league. White has been 1100+ yards since. That can be aging or it could be Vick. I'd probably vote aging, but its at least worth mentioning.<br /><br />The Madden point is actually a fair point in that you wanted to play with him in Madden (I certainly did), but it has far too much unnecessary detail. <br /><br />Absolutely agree with the SimmonsClones. JJJJShabadonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-81389204182174448302012-11-15T14:08:21.752-05:002012-11-15T14:08:21.752-05:00What other athletes could have their name turn int...<b>What other athletes could have their name turn into a verb?</b><br /><br />I've heard tons of people talk about someone "mossing" someone else, dating back to my days playing in HS. As you mentioned, I'm sure there are tons of other examples.<br /><br />Snarfnoreply@blogger.com