3 comments Hindsight is a Cold, Cold Bitch to Bill Simmons

What can bring me back? Bill Simmons. That's what. I haven't addressed this but I'm not "gone" and plan on writing here still. I just have to find time. Things get busy, it takes a while to write, so I have taken a forced sabbatical. I loved writing here and it literally took a change in life to where I had zero free time to rip me away from it. So I've moved back into my mom's basement, fired up the computer, and put up my Sabermetrics posters for today.

Scott on Twitter sent me this article and I couldn't not write about it. It's by Bill Simmons and it's from March 2012. It's about how terrible the Golden State Warriors are. It's not true anymore, but hindsight is a cold, cold bitch. As Scott told me, the self-appointed guru of the NBA doesn't look so great on this one. I tend to be long-winded (I know! Me?) so I'm going to only get to the pertinent parts of the column. It's a typical Simmons column. It's too long and he mistakes having a lot of content for quality content.

You might not know this, you might not believe it … but once upon a time, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship. 

Last year. 2015. Three years after this column was written the Warriors won a title.

I know some SimmonsClone is going to read this and bitch I'm being unfair to Bill by using hindsight. Get out of here. He uses hindsight all the time to tell us what "we" thought when he was wrong, and since Bill has enough of a ego to appoint himself as an NBA expert (and really believe he can be an NBA GM), it's not unfair at all to pick at him for writing a column about how terrible the Warriors were when this was no longer true less than a year after Bill wrote this column. The Warriors made the Western Conference Semifinals a year after this was written. Bill has to do better. And of course, Bill will NEVER remember he wrote this column or acknowledge it. He's too busy building a media empire.

And so it began. Three and a half decades later, the Golden State Warriors have morphed into the most tortured franchise in professional basketball. 

Professional franchises and fans bitching about how tortured they are? This is all Bill's fault. His whining about the Red Sox in the early 2000's made it okay to wallow in how tortured a team is.

the Warriors lack an identity beyond the whole “they suck every year, they always screw up, but at least they have great fans” tag.

Again, a whole three years later they won a title. I'll let this statement just sit here and let's think about how the Warriors lack an identity for a minute.

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Okay, let's get back to it. I'm not ignoring the Warriors got booed in their own building. That is true. Bill is correct. What he isn't correct about is his criticism of the 2012 Warriors and the direction the team was taking. Bill starts documenting the terrible moves beginning with the 1976-1977 season in this column. The Warriors made the playoffs six times from the 1976-1977 season until the 2011-2012 season (when this column was written).

Bill counts down 60 reasons the Warriors annoyed their fan base. He, of course, essentially repeats many of the same points along the way. He just re-phrases how he writes, "The Warriors traded for Joe Barry Carroll and had a lot of drug users on their team in the 1980's" a few times.

15. Naturally, the Warriors blew things up again, flipping Richmond to Sacramento for the rights to Billy Owens, a talented but sluggish forward who (you’re not going to believe this) never reached his potential for Golden State.

Oh no! Facts are getting in the way of Bill's argument. This is where Bill hopes no one goes to look up whether this statement about Owens never reaching his potential is accurate or not. Spoiler alert: It's a lie. Owens had his best seasons in the NBA while playing for the Warriors. Yes, Richmond was still great after being traded by the Warriors, but Owens never reached his full potential. He came the closest playing for the Warriors early in his career.

Bill also conveniently skips over smart moves like drafting Latrell Sprewell with the #24 pick in the 1992 draft. This is a footnote to the column so as not to distract from Bill's point the Warriors couldn't ever do anything right.

17. The following year, Mullin, Hardaway and Owens missed a combined 107 games for the 34-win Warriors,

Yeah, but Owens never reached his full potential anyway, right?

This is typical Bill Simmons. He writes that trading for the rights to Owens was a mistake because he never reached his full potential with the Warriors and then uses the absence of Owens as a reason the Warriors stunk during the 1993-1994 season. He wants it both ways.

27. Coming off another lottery season (30 wins), the ’97 Warriors fired Adelman, hired college coach P.J. Carlesimo

Again, Bill only pays attention to facts to the extent they support his argument. "College coach" Carlesimo had a 137-109 record over three seasons with the Trail Blazers as their head coach. But yeah, he was a "college coach" and wasn't qualified for an NBA head coaching job. Sure.

Then Bill continues to show what the Warriors "missed" out on if they had drafted perfectly every single year even though this would never happen for any professional team no matter how smart their front office is.

a Hall of Fame Absolutely-Coulda-Drafted-Him Starting Five (Bird, Garnett, Kobe, T-Mac and Payton, with McHale coming off the bench). 

By the time McGrady and Garnett were any good Bird and McHale would have been retired/too old to contribute. But again, let's ignore facts and the passage of time relative to each player's ability level to focus on the point Bill wants to prove. Bill lives in a fantasy world where he is an NBA guru anyway, so may as well just drag ourselves into this fantasy where Larry Bird and Tracy McGrady would be playing meaningful minutes together.

39. The 2001 Warriors had more players (22) than wins (17). The league’s second-worst record earned them the fifth pick (Jason Richardson); they also drafted Troy Murphy (with the pick from the Blaylock/Terry trade) and stole Gilbert Arenas in the second round. Naturally, they celebrated that draft haul by egregiously overpaying Jamison (six years, $85 million). 

A 24 year old in the prime of his career who averaged 24.9 points per game? Was it really an overpay?

47. The ’08 Warriors won 48 games — their highest win total since 1994 — but somehow made history by winning the most games by any team that didn’t make the playoffs. Only the Warriors. 

Or only any other NBA team like the Sonics, Clippers, Cavs, etc that Bill feels like writing a "woe is them" column about. "Only the Warriors," unless this column is about another NBA team. In that case, just exchange "Warriors" for that team name.

53. In July of 2010, former Celtics minority owner Joe Lacob purchased the Warriors from Cohan, said all the right things, seemed intelligent/confident/competent and promised to turn things around.

ONLY THE CELTICS AND THEIR LARRY BIRD MAGIC COULD SAVE THE WARRIORS! NO ONE DENIES THE LUCK OF THE IRISH!

55. The facts heading into this season: The Warriors missed the playoffs 29 times in 35 years … the Warriors won four playoff series total in 34 years … the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs for two straight seasons since 1977 … the Warriors haven’t made the Conference Finals since 1976 … the Warriors haven’t had an All-Star since 1997 … the Warriors have earned spots at 16 of the last 17 lotteries (impossible but true) … the Warriors have made 22 top-14 picks since 1985 (including 11 in the top eight and five in the top three) … and the Warriors made so many bad first-round picks and overpaid so many guys over the past 35 years that I don’t even have time to type all their names again.

It's almost like what a team has done in the past doesn't necessarily matter as it pertains to moves they would make in the future. After "this season" the Warriors made the playoffs three straight years and won an NBA title. Bill Simmons thinks it's crazy that a team's past can't dictate their future. It's crazy because Bill prefers talking about non-sports related reasons why a team can/can't win games.

"This team gives a lot of high-fives! This has directly led to their success!"

"This team has more than one knucklehead on the roster! That means they can't win games!"

"This team has a curse on them!"

"This team isn't fun to watch, which happens to coincide with the team not winning games!"

56. For some reason, despite everything you just read for more than 4,000 words, Lacob decided to guarantee these tortured fans that their Warriors would make the playoffs this season. 

And then the Warriors made the playoffs the next season, made the playoffs again the season after that, won the NBA title that next season, and now are making a run at being one of the best NBA teams in history. Lacob missed by one season. Bill missed by a lot more in writing this column.

57. He hired Mark Jackson as his new coach (someone with no coaching experience whatsoever)

The Warriors then fired Mark Jackson after a 51-31 season and hired another coach WITH NO COACHING EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER! Again? Why?

This other head coach the Warriors hired with no head coaching experience then immediately led the Warriors to an NBA title. So the Warriors went 188-124 when hiring coaches with no prior coaching experience whatsoever. What dumbasses the Warriors are.

and signed off when Jackson vowed to turn Golden State into an elite defensive team despite the fact that, you know, its best three players couldn’t defend anyone.

How silly of Jackson to vow that he would turn the Warriors into a great defensive team. It would have been better if he had just not tried to teach the Warriors defense at all. That's a much better method of coaching.

Using Bill Simmons' logic, it's ridiculous for a head coach to vow that he will fix his team's biggest deficiency. Remember, Bill considers himself to be brilliant.

58. His team used its amnesty on Charlie Bell (one year, $4 million) instead of Andris Biedrins (three years, $27 million) so the Warriors could overpay DeAndre Jordan (four years, $43 million) … only the Clippers matched their Jordan offer, leaving Golden State without any outs with Biedrins (who’s been in a funk for four solid years, but hey, who’s counting?).

The Warriors later cleared Biedrins' contract by trading him to the Jazz  in order to gain salary cap space that led to them signing Andre Iguodala. Iguodala was a key to the Warriors' championship run and is an integral part of the current Warriors historically great team. But hey, who's counting?

59. His team waived Jeremy Lin to sign second-rounder Charles Jenkins, then claimed after Linsanity took off in New York that they loved Lin and never wanted to lose him.

Jeremy Lin then came back to Earth, was overpaid by the Rockets and now plays in the desolate NBA wasteland known as "Charlotte" for a team run by an owner who also seems to have no clue how to build an NBA team.

60. When his team struggled to compete in a brutally tough Western conference, Lacob’s staff promptly reversed course and made two of the weirdest trades in a while: sending Ellis and Udoh⁷ to Milwaukee for the defensive center/rebounder they’d been recklessly pursuing for months (settling on Andrew Bogut, who’s injured until April and missed a whopping 108 games these past three-plus years)

This trade added another piece to the current Warriors team that is winning games at a historical pace. Bogut is a great defensive center (which of course, who cares if the Warriors are trying to have a good defensive team, that's ridiculous) who has helped the Warriors in ways Udoh and Ellis could not.

and Stephen Jackson’s Non-Expiring Contract (two years, $19.3 million remaining), then flipped Jackson’s Non-Expiring Contract for Richard Jefferson’s Apocalypse of a Contract (three years, $30.5 million remaining) and a late first-round pick

The Warriors later flipped Jefferson to the Jazz, thereby clearing more room for Iguodala's signing, and the late first round pick turned into Festus Ezeli who is another good defensive player that has continued to improve through his career with the Warriors.

AND THEN tried to spin the deal as “We can’t make the playoffs, we need to bottom out this season so we finish in the top seven of the lottery and don’t lose our first-round pick to Utah.”

The Warriors then bottomed out and finished at #7 in the lottery, drafting Harrison Barnes, who has (you guessed it!) been an important part of the 2014-2015 NBA title team and has continued to improve throughout his NBA career. So as dumb as these trades seemed at the time, these two trades ended up netting the Warriors four players that contributed to an NBA title. When writing a column about how dumb these trades were and how the Warriors continue to screw their fan base over, it's probably best Bill just forgets he wrote all this. He hopes we forget too.

Imagine you’re a Warriors fan. Imagine you just endured everything just laid out these past 35 years. Imagine you didn’t trust your owners, your front office, anybody. Imagine they just traded your most entertaining player for an injury-prone center who can’t play,

Yes, imagine the Warriors are building a historically great team that can play and Bill totally went all-in on how bad the franchise was. Imagine that. Imagine how embarrassing that would be in hindsight that Bill wrote this column.

and imagine knowing that you can’t sign anyone else for two more summers because Biedrins and Jefferson

Imagine Bill's assumption are incorrect and they signed Andre Iguodala because they were able to clear Biedrins and Jefferson off the cap.

Imagine you have some of the best fellow fans in the league, only you rarely if ever have a chance to cheer anything

Imagine this isn't true anymore. Imagine this stopped being true less than a year after this column was written.

Imagine hearing that, after months and months of Chris Paul rumors and Dwight Howard rumors

Imagine that Bill Simmons dangles Dwight Howard here as a great free agent signing/trade target and then a year later Bill writes off Howard as a franchise player. Imagine it. You don't have to. It happened.

and “PLAYOFFS! PLAYOFFS! PLAYOFFS!” rhetoric,

Imagine if this happened a year later. We can only imagine...

your team just abruptly told you, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to tank the rest of this season because we don’t want to be haunted by a stupid trade from four years ago, but seriously, thanks for paying for season tickets this year.”

Imagine the Warriors were literally building the skeletal core of their championship basketball team as Bill wrote this column criticizing these moves. Imagine...

Imagine you were a paying customer and Chris Mullin Night doubled as the last bankably fun night of the season. Imagine the emotion inside the building with those Warriors legends on hand. Imagine everything cresting with Mully’s humble speech. Imagine the arrogance of Lacob grabbing that microphone — somehow deciding that he should be the last speaker of the ceremony, not Chris Mullin — and imagine your resentment over the past 35 years suddenly swelling as you realized, “Here’s my one chance to be heard.” 

I ask you … would you boo?

Yeah, I might boo. Imagine you were a huge NBA fan who prided yourself on your knowledge about whether a team was making smart moves or not. This is your identity in many ways. Imagine you were a huge NBA fan and you were also a (part time) writer and struggled when not using hindsight to show how "we" were wrong about something. Imagine you wrote this column about how the Warriors were on the wrong path...again. Imagine you were not correct about this. Imagine you suggested the Warriors fans should have been excited about the prospect of signing/trading a player you would write off a year later.

I ask you .... would you be worried people who read your columns notice you aren't as much of a guru when you can't use hindsight to defend your opinions that are passed off as fact?

7 comments Grading Mel Kiper's 2007 NFL Draft Grades

As you all know by now, I enjoy going back and re-grading the grades that Mel Kiper has given teams after each NFL Draft. It's a pastime I enjoy and I have regraded every draft grade column Mel has posted from 2001-2006. I have already re-graded Dr. Z's 2007 draft grades back when I didn't know this would be a thing I would do for Mel Kiper, but screw it, I'll do the 2007 draft grades for Mel too. I enjoy this stuff too much. So I found Mel's draft grades on this message board where a person posted ESPN Insider columns like this on the board. I'm sure the punishment for this is 3-5 years in jail, but he risked it anyway.

Mel is famous for not really taking risks with the grades he gives. He gave out B's and C's for this draft. No really, the only grades he handed out were some variation of a "B" or a "C." There is no draft grade that is an "A" or a "D." There are certainly no "F's." Zero NFL teams did very well or very poorly in the draft. This is what Mel seems to believe. Why the fuck would you even have draft grades if you are just going to say every team did slightly below average to slightly above average? It's a wasted effort, but Mel doesn't care. The best part is he wrote nothing that would come back to haunt him. That's all that matters, being right in retrospect by not outright bashing a player or team. What a farce.

Arizona Cardinals: GRADE: B-
 
Once Joe Thomas was gone, the Cardinals had to make a decision whether to take Adrian Peterson or Levi Brown.

Should I eat pizza or dog shit? Pizza has few nutrients in it and I already had pizza this week, so maybe I'll go with the dog shit because it has to have nutrients and I haven't had dog shit lately.

Peterson would have been a luxury pick, which they couldn't afford to do, and Brown fills a hole.

Because when you have J.J. Arrington and Edgerrin James, there's no need for a running back. The Cardinals did just sign James, but still, an offense with Kurt Warner, Adrian Peterson, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Steve Breaston. That's a pretty good offense.

There were quite a few teams that didn't think there was a lot that separated Brown from Thomas. Brown has a nasty streak and can play either tackle position.

But he can he play either tackle as well as Adrian Peterson can play running back? Brown was decent, but man, passing up Peterson...

Tight end Ben Patrick is a potential steal in the seventh round. He needs to work on his concentration and catching the ball, but Patrick could have gone in the third round and no one would have argued. 

Other than getting distracted while he's on the field and not being able to catch the ball, Ben Patrick would make an excellent tight end.

This is just the beginning of a lot of "B's" and "C's." What an embarrassment.

Atlanta Falcons: GRADE: B

Defensive end Jamaal Anderson was really the only option with Joe Thomas and Levi Brown gone.

(Bengoodfella coughs) Darrelle Revis, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch.

I really liked what Atlanta did Sunday.

Okay, great. So when is a "B" grade, which is a grade that signifies the Falcons did "above average" mean that Mel Kiper really likes the draft? What is an "A" grade reserved for? Does there have to be another "really" thrown in there?

Baltimore Ravens: GRADE: B

Mel says literally nothing negative about the Ravens draft. Nothing negative. He loves it all. Every pick, yet the draft gets a "B."

Ben Grubbs:

Ben Grubbs is a great pick and pure guard.

Yamon Figurs:

Yamon Figurs has speed to burn and will be the returner the Ravens need with B.J. Sams coming off an injury and being a free agent after 2007.

Marshall Yanda:

Marshal Yanda possibly also could start at guard or right tackle.

Antwan Barnes:

Antwan Barnes is a typical hybrid combination between a defensive end and outside linebacker.

Le'Ron McClain:

Le'Ron McClain was the best pure fullback in the draft. Not only does he fill a need, but he could start since the Ravens lost Ovie Mughelli in free agency.

Troy Brown:

This was a good organization for Troy Smith to go to as a developmental quarterback. He also could push Kyle Boller, who will be a free agent after 2007.

Prescott Burgess:

Prescott Burgess had a nice career at Michigan, and getting him in the sixth round is a nice move because Burgess should have a solid NFL career. 

So how in the ever-living hell is this a "B" draft and not an "A" draft? Mel likes EVERY SINGLE PICK the Ravens made. What a joke. Why even have grades? Why even evaluate a team's draft if he is just handing out "B's" and "C's"?

Buffalo Bills: GRADE: B

Down the road, Trent Edwards could give J.P. Losman some competition.

To be fair, there are a lot of college quarterbacks who could have given J.P. Losman some competition.

And if Edwards develops in two or three years, the Bills could trade him, similar to what Atlanta did with Matt Schaub. 

Ah yes, 2007 when there was a possibility the Bills had such an embarrassment of riches at the quarterback position that they could trade their backup quarterback.

Hey look, a "B" grade. Oh, look another "B" grade coming up! There are five outright "B" grades in a row, not counting the "B-" he gave the Cardinals. Such creativity from Mel.

Carolina Panthers: GRADE: B

I'm not enamored with linebacker Jon Beason, but he has the ability to be a team leader because he has a great attitude.

I love Jon Beason, but someone should create a Jon Beason Doll that signs a new contract and then immediately gets injured when you pull his string.

The Panthers did a good job in the second round, getting WR Dwayne Jarrett and center Ryan Kalil. I thought Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson was a steal in the third round.

I'm shuddering at the thought of Dwayne Jarrett. He was so horrible. Mel was correct about Charles Johnson though.

Dante Rosario is a backup tight end;

As are most tight ends drafted in the 5th round. Great analysis, Mel.

"This guy drafted in the 5th round, try to stay with me here, but I think he may end up being a backup. That's how I project him and feel free to argue with me if you would like. I would give your ability to make an argument a 'B' grade."

Chicago Bears: GRADE: B

The Bears didn't expect Greg Olsen to be available that late in the first round; he'll give Rex Grossman a solid pass-catching tight end.

Or he will be underused during his Bears career. You know, either way.

Defensive end Dan Bazuin is perfect for the Bears' scheme.

As a 2nd round pick, Bazuin never played a regular season snap for the Bears.

Corey Graham will fight for a roster spot at cornerback and on special teams.

Or he will still be in the NFL in 2015 and have played in 125 games while having returned one kick on special teams during his career so far.

Cincinnati Bengals: GRADE: C+

WHAT? A "C+" grade? You don't say?

Mel likes every pick the Bengals made, except for Jeff Rowe, because:

Jeff Rowe was a system quarterback at Nevada, and I didn't like this pick because there were better quarterbacks still on the board;

This is a good call by Mel, because Matt Moore, Tyler Thigpen, and Troy Smith were still out there. Still, it's a 5th round pick that Mel didn't like and also he knocked the Bengals' grade down because he didn't think they helped themselves enough on defense. This despite the fact Mel had nothing negative to say about the players the Bengals chose instead of focusing on defense.

Picking Michigan CB Leon Hall without having to trade up to get him turned out to be very good value for the Bengals. Running back Kenny Irons could have been a first-round pick but couldn't stay healthy his senior season at Auburn. Safety Marvin White was not a bad fourth-round pick;

The Bengals didn't have a 3rd round pick because they chose Ahmad Brooks in the 2006 supplemental draft. They used three of their first four picks on defense, but that wasn't enough for Mel. They got a "C+," or otherwise as it's known, they did just slightly worse than the Ravens did when Mel loved every pick the Ravens made.

Cleveland Browns: GRADE: B+

The Browns were going to use the third overall pick on Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas or Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn. At the end of the day, the Browns came away with both players.

Again, pizza or dog shit for dinner?

The Browns did, however, give up a lot of picks in this draft. 

The Browns wanted Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn at #3. They traded picks to get Brady Quinn at #22 and Mel didn't like this strategy. Of course he didn't. Mel also didn't like how many picks the Browns gave up, but thought they did better than the Ravens in the draft. So there's that.

Dallas Cowboys: GRADE: B

I really liked the pick of tackle Doug Free in the fourth round because he has a lot of talent.

I'm not all negative. This was a good call by Mel.

Dallas took place-kicker Nick Folk when Mason Crosby was still on the board;

They are both kickers and it was the 6th round. Let's take it easy with this type of criticism.

Courtney Brown has the necessary skills to be a developmental cornerback. 

So Brown has the necessary skills like arms/legs/hands/a head, he played college football in college AND played college football at the position at which he was drafted by the Cowboys, so he may one day become a cornerback who can be developed into a backup or starter? Thanks Mel, that's really, really enlightening to know.

Denver Broncos: GRADE: B-

The Broncos tried to strengthen the defensive line, starting with Jarvis Moss in the first round. In the Broncos' system, he has a chance to get 10-12 sacks next season.

Or 6 sacks for his entire career. That too.

Offensive tackle Ryan Harris had a first-round grade in August, but his stock dropped and Denver grabbed him in the third round. 

What does this sentence even mean? It's interesting Harris had a first round grade in August, and yes, we know Ryan Harris was drafted in the third round. Is there a conclusion to be drawn based on these two bits of information? Mel is getting so lazy with his grades he's just going to allow his readers to guess his conclusions rather than spend the precious time he has actually writing one more sentence for the Broncos' draft grades.

Detroit Lions: GRADE: C

Drew Stanton will be measured against Brady Quinn because the Lions could have taken the Notre Dame QB.

Dog shit or meat that isn't quite spoiled yet, but getting there quickly? Which one for lunch?

A.J. Davis could be a good nickel or dime cornerback;

Davis could be or could not be a good nickel or dime cornerback. Maybe or maybe not. Stop asking Mel tough questions and just let him finish giving every team a "B" or "C" grade.

Manuel Ramirez was a nice fourth-round pick who will be a starting guard in the NFL;

Mel was correct about this.

Johnny Baldwin was a good small-school linebacker at Alabama A&M who will be a good backup and special-teams player. 

Mel was not correct about this. But hey, it's a draft where Mel didn't like one of the Lions 2nd round picks, thought another 2nd round pick had low upside, and stated the other 2nd round pick was too raw. Sounds like a "C" draft according to the dartboard that Mel has which determines his draft grades. By the way, this dartboard only has "B" and "C" on it and Mel determines if a "+" or "-" will be added by the color of the dart he throws.
 
Green Bay Packers: GRADE: C+

Defensive tackle Justin Harrell didn't fill need, but the Packers chose the best available player over need.

This was a tough pick for the Packers. Harrell had injuries, was overweight and only ended up with 28 tackles and 0 sacks over his career with Green Bay. The list of players taken within 30 picks of Harrell is depressing for Packers fans. It's probably easier to sleep knowing they have Aaron Rodgers and a Super Bowl ring since 2007.

James Jones was a decent third-round pick, a good wide receiver with natural receiving skills;

Great analysis here. The Packers drafted a wide receiver, who just happens to have natural receiving skills. I'm starting to wonder why a team would draft a wide receiver who doesn't have natural receiving skills by the time he reaches the NFL, but that's probably a question better not asked.

WR David Clowney has a lot of speed, and inside linebackers Korey Hall and Desmond Bishop should make it in the NFL as backups.

Bishop ended up being a starter in the NFL. You know Mel is starting to get bored when he just describes a guy as "having a lot of speed" and then noting that 6th round picks should be backups in the NFL. I would say he's mailing it in, but the variety of draft grades already shows that.

Houston Texans: GRADE: C-

A "C-" is an "F" based on Mel Kiper's grading curve.

The Texans took defensive tackle Travis Johnson in 2005, and he hasn't played up to his potential. They took DT Amobi Okoye

It seems the Texans wanted a pair of defensive tackles who didn't play to their potential.

when they should have been looking at a cornerback such as Leon Hall or Darrelle Revis.

Yeah, probably.

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones played at Lane College,

This is all Mel has to say about Jacoby Jones. Why even mention him if you are only going to mention what college Jones went to? This is hilarious to me. What is the reader supposed to ascertain from reciting Jones' college?

This turned out to be a typical Houston draft. The Texans didn't help David Carr when he was their QB, and they didn't do much to help Schaub. Cornerback Fred Bennett was a good pick in the fourth round, and I really like linebacker Zach Diles. He had two productive years at Kansas State and might have flown under some teams' radar. Getting Diles in the seventh round was a good move.

Diles was productive for a 7th round pick. It seems like Mel hated the Texans draft, but he just couldn't bring himself to actually grade the Texans on his feelings about their draft. And why would Mel give a draft grade based on how he felt the Texans did in the draft in acquiring talented players who fit the team's needs? That's not the purpose of draft grades apparently. 

Indianapolis Colts: GRADE: B-
 
The Texans should take a page from the Colts. They win the Super Bowl and what do they do in the first round? Give Peyton Manning another weapon on offense by taking WR Anthony Gonzalez. This was a great pick, replacing Brandon Stokley in the Colts' arsenal. 

Gonzalez really didn't do much to replace Brandon Stokley and was out of the NFL by 2012. If you ask me, while Mel likes the strategy of the Colts, I think they should have spent more time drafting for defense than giving Manning more weapons on offense. Manning has the ability to make decent receivers look greater than they are. He can't help the defense like that. That's just my opinion.

Tony Ugoh could be the heir apparent to Tarik Glenn at left tackle,

He was not.

and I really like wide receiver Roy Hall, Gonzalez's teammate at Ohio State.

He caught one pass in his NFL career.

fifth-round pick Michael Coe has the chance to be a good developmental cornerback. 

One day, MAYBE, Michael Coe could develop into a cornerback. He has a chance.
 
Jacksonville Jaguars: GRADE: C

The Jaguars needed a playmaking safety. They not only got Florida's Reggie Nelson

Eh, can't win them all.

Not only do I like punter Adam Podlesh's strong leg, but he runs a 4.45 40 time, which will force defenses to always be thinking about a fake punt.

I have never heard this type of evaluation about a punter. Credit to Mel for at least being creative about it. There could be a chance that Podlesh runs a fake punt, so that's important to know I guess.

Uche Nwaneri as a guard or center made sense in the fifth round.

Nwaneri (who turned out to be a good player) made sense as a guard or center, mostly because he played these positions in college. Mel likes to write, "Player X made sense in Y round" and then lists the player's position at some point in the sentence. Yes, it does make sense to draft a guy who played guard and/or center in college as a guard or center in the NFL. It does sound counter intuitive, but sense has been made. Probably more sense than liking a punter who was drafted because he's fast.  

"Ah, fuck it, here's a 'C' grade. You know what? Here's another one." 

Kansas City Chiefs: GRADE: C 

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is a good player, and he filled a need for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs first round pick is a good player AND he filled a need? Why did the Chiefs do that?

Justin Medlock is a good place-kicker, but I would have taken Mason Crosby. 

Yes, we know. Mel Kiper would have taken Mason Crosby #1 overall because it filled a need and Crosby can run fast in case there are any fake kicks the Raiders were looking to run. Actually, Crosby would have probably been a better #1 overall pick than JaMarcus Russell, but that's beside the point.

Mel liked most of the Chiefs picks and he gave them a "C." I have to wonder how they could have gotten a higher grade from Mel.

Miami Dolphins: GRADE: C

Passing on Brady Quinn was ridiculous.

It turns out drafting him in the first round was equally as ridiculous.  

The Dolphins were fortunate that QB John Beck was still available in the second round and they were able to salvage their quarterback situation.

Yep, consider the situation now salvaged. Wait, Mel wrote "salvaged"? I thought he meant the QB situation was "savaged." Nevermind.

Drew Mormino made sense as a backup center; Kelvin Smith has a chance to be a starting linebacker someday;

Ah yes, boring filler analysis. Mel's great at this type of thing.

and Brandon Fields has a strong leg but is inconsistent. 

BUT HOW FAST DOES HE RUN IN CASE THE DOLPHINS WANT HIM TO RUN A FAKE PUNT?

Brandon Fields has made a Pro Bowl and is still the Dolphins kicker by the way.

Minnesota Vikings: GRADE: B+

Vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman had an outstanding weekend.

But not outstanding enough to earn an "A" grade of course. That would be ridiculous to say the Vikings had an outstanding draft and then actually grade them based on this opinion.

Brian Robison is a pass-rushing defensive end and a very good Day 2 selection.

This was true. Robison has 43.5 sacks in his career.

and Tyler Thigpen is more of a developmental, third-string quarterback. 

What? You mean in the 7th round the Vikings didn't draft a capable backup or a sure-fire starter?

Outstanding job by Rick Spielman! Here's a grade that states you did above average, which in Mel's world is pretty much the same thing as doing outstanding.

New England Patriots: GRADE: B

Of the six picks the Pats had in the sixth and seventh rounds, they'll be fortunate if two of them pan out. The reason for giving the Patriots a B grade is they utilized the draft process by getting Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick as well as acquiring the 49ers' first-round pick in 2008. 

That's true, but I find it interesting that Mel grades the 2007 draft based on players the Patriots didn't select and them having the chance to select another player (a player who Mel had no idea whether he liked at this point or not) in the next year's draft. He grades this draft based on another draft basically. Just interesting. Brandon Meriweather was the only player the Patriots drafted who was on the team after the 2008 season.

New Orleans Saints: GRADE: B-

New Orleans went with Robert Meachem, the best available player on the board.

Other than Joe Staley, Ben Grubbs, Greg Olsen, Eric Weddle, and LaMar Woodley of course.

Antonio Pittman will give New Orleans more depth at running back;

Which basically means Mel thinks a fourth round pick who plays running back will make the 53-man roster. Thanks for the contribution, Mel.

Jermon Bushrod is a quality prospect at left tackle; and David Jones from Wingate was a good sleeper pick.

Bushrod was a good pick and Jones was a huge sleeper because he didn't even make the Saints roster during the 2007 season.

New York Giants: GRADE: C-

I would have gone differently with the Giants' draft.

Every single pick the Giants made was still on the roster until after at least the 2009 season. I'd be interested to know how the Giants could do better than that, in terms of depth of their draft, while having 8 picks.

Cornerback Aaron Ross has very good ball skills but not great catchup speed. I was surprised they didn't take left tackle Joe Staley because they need someone who can protect Eli Manning's blind side. The Giants took offensive tackle Adam Koets in the sixth round and even passed on left tackle Jermon Bushrod. If they had taken Staley, they could have drafted Eric Wright from UNLV instead of WR Steve Smith. I would rather have had Staley and Wright,

Yeah, maybe. It's not like the Giants made a huge mistake or anything drafting the way they did.

but Smith is a good receiver and will be someone who holds onto the ball.

That's always a nice quality for a receiver to have. Also, the Giants got Ahmad Bradshaw in the 7th round of this draft and Mel doesn't mention him at all. Definitely not a "C-" draft and this is why Mel doesn't like to take chances with his grades. There's a chance he could be wrong.

New York Jets: GRADE: B

it was quality over quantity for the Jets, who drafted only four players. They traded up to get their first two picks, CB Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris. I had Harris going in the first half of the first round, so this is a great pickup for the Jets.

And they were two good picks. Not good enough for an "A" grade of course.

Jacob Bender has a chance to be a nice developmental prospect at tackle. 

He has a chance to one day become a tackle. See? I told you Mel likes to write shit like this that may not mean too much.

Oakland Raiders: GRADE C+

JaMarcus Russell was a no-brainer because he has the chance to be a franchise quarterback.

"No-brainer" is how I would describe JaMarcus Russell too.

The Raiders have been trying for years to draft a tight end, and they took Zach Miller in the second round.

I'm confused by this. Who was stopping the Raiders from drafting a tight end? The team was handing in draft cards with a tight end's name on it and the NFL was changing the pick to another position that wasn't tight end? Was this all Todd Christensen's doing? Let's blame JaMarcus Russell for this too.

safety Eric Frampton was a solid fifth-round pick out of Washington State; and Orenthal O'Neal is a good lead blocker for a fullback. 

O'Neal is a good lead blocker for a fullback? That's nice to know considering a fullback's main role on the field is to be the lead blocker. I don't think Mel even knew where he was going with this sentence.

The Raiders did everything right except for one pick Mel didn't like, got a guy who had a chance to be a franchise quarterback and only got a "C" grade.

Philadelphia Eagles: GRADE: C-

It's the Mel Kiper version of an "F".

First, they made a trade with the Cowboys, who used the pick on defensive end Anthony Spencer. Then, the Eagles used the 36th overall pick (their first pick in the draft) on Houston QB Kevin Kolb when QBs Drew Stanton, John Beck and Trent Edwards were all still on the board.

Yeah, that was probably a smart move in retrospect.

C.J. Gaddis, I thought, would have been a priority free agent instead of a fifth-rounder; Brent Celek is an average tight end prospect;

Gaddis probably should have been a priority free agent, while Brent Celek is still being average on the Eagles roster and has 344 catches, 4300 plus yards, and 27 touchdowns on his NFL career so far.

Pittsburgh Steelers: GRADE: B

For the 3-4 defense, Lawrence Timmons was a good pick in the first round and using their second-round choice on LaMarr Woodley will give the Steelers some versatility in that Woodley could play as a defensive end in four-man fronts. I'm not sure how effective he can be as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme,

57 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, and 5 interceptions. He seems like he's been pretty effective as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

I liked the fourth-round pick on Daniel Sepulveda, a left-footed punter with a big leg;

BUT HOW FAST CAN HE RUN? FAKE PUNTS HAPPEN, YOU KNOW!

Another boring "B" grade...

St. Louis Rams: GRADE: C+

I really like the pick of Brian Leonard in the second round because he gives St. Louis options on offense. He can spell Steven Jackson at running back, play fullback when necessary, and also be used as a move tight end or H-back. 

Unfortunately, Leonard seemed to do more of that type of thing with the Bengals than the Rams.

Former wide receiver Jonathan Wade is still raw as a cornerback but was a decent third-round pick; center Dustin Fry is an overachiever; and Cliff Ryan should be able to contribute along the defensive line. 

That's it. If the "C+" grade didn't tip you off, then the lack of interest shown by Mel in evaluating these picks is a tip off that he was bored at this point in this draft grades. Mel just hands out "C's" and "B+" from here on out. Which really isn't straying too far from the grades he handed over this entire column.

San Diego Chargers: GRADE: C

Wide receiver Craig Davis was a slight reach in the first round, but he does fill a major need.

The need to draft a guy nicknamed "Buster" who ends up being a little bit of a bust?

Tight end Scott Chandler is a good pass catcher but a marginal blocker, and WR Legedu Naanee has long-range potential.

I guess there's not much to say about Naanee other than "He may be pretty good one day."

San Francisco 49ers: GRADE: B+

The 49ers got Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, Ray McDonald (for better or worse), Dashon Goldson, and Tarell Brown in this draft. It sounds like an "A" draft to me now.

After the 49ers took a tackling machine in linebacker Patrick Willis with the 11th pick, I liked seeing them move back into the first round (trading for New England's second first-round pick) and get Joe Staley, one of the best offensive tackles in the draft. QB Alex Smith needs someone who's going to protect his blind side, and Staley could do that for years to come.

And he did. He also protected Colin Kaepernick's blind side.

Dashon Goldson is more of a backup cornerback;

Or a starting safety. Either way.

Seattle Seahawks: GRADE: C

Mansfield Wrotto (4th round) went a little high for a player I think will be a backup;

A 4th round pick is too high for a player who will be a backup? Mel thinks NFL teams are expected to still find starters in the 4th round? I don't see how that's a reasonable expectation.

wide receiver Jordan Kent, son of Oregon basketball coach Ernie Kent, also has some ability. 

It's always nice that the Seahawks drafted a wide receiver with some ability. Mel's ability to give a fuck is growing weak right now.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: GRADE: C

This was a bad luck draft. Gaines Adams never really produced for the Buccaneers and never got a chance to redeem himself with the Bears before he passed away. The Bucs 2nd round pick, Arron Sears had to retire due to a neurological condition.

Tanard Jackson is an aggressive cornerback who could move inside to safety;

And he did.

linebacker Adam Hayward is a marginal prospect;

He's still in the NFL.

and offensive tackle Chris Denman is underrated and an overachiever and I like his chances of making the team. 

He did not. He was placed on injured reserve, then released prior to the 2008 season.

Tennessee Titans: GRADE: C-

Vince Young needed help at wide receiver, and the Titans had Robert Meachem staring right at them. Michael Griffin is a nice safety, but he was a luxury pick and the Titans couldn't afford to take a safety when they needed help at other positions.

What's the deal with Mel Kiper and luxury picks? The Titans needed to take the best football player that was available to them and not try to shoehorn a need into a player who plays that position, especially in the first round. Maybe later in the draft they should draft for need, but drafting for need and not finding the most talented player is a good way to miss on a first round pick. Michael Griffin is a two-time Pro Bowler, has made an All-Pro team and has had a nice career with the Titans.

The Titans also needed a running back, but Chris Henry wasn't productive in the Pac-10, so I'm not sold on taking him in the second round. Wide receivers Paul Williams, Chris Davis and Joel Filani are good but not great.

These statements all ended up being accurate. Though I have to question why Mel was so worked up over the Titans passing on getting Vince Young weapons at wide receiver when they drafted three receivers and a running back. They didn't draft the right wide receivers and running back of course, but at least they tried.

Tennessee could have done a better job of helping the offense around Young.

What's funny is Mel is so worried about the Titans offense he didn't talk about four players (Leroy Harris, Antonio Johnson, Jacob Ford, and Mike Otto) who were drafted by the Titans and had productive NFL careers. Instead, Mel gave the Titans a Kiper "F."

Washington Redskins: GRADE: C-

Washington had only one pick in the first four rounds and made the most of it, getting LaRon Landry. (You could argue Landry was the best defensive player in the draft). Drafting Landry will allow Sean Taylor to play center field and roam the middle of the field. Landry will be in the box, and that will negate his weakness, which is judging the deep ball.

Poor Sean Taylor. He was going to be considered such a great player by the time his career was over. 

linebacker HB Blades was a decent sixth-round pick although a bit undersized; and QB Jordan Palmer never really emerged as a potential starter. 

How does Mel know that Jordan Palmer never really emerged as a potential starter? It's true, but was Mel sent from the future to evaluate football players and tear down our very fabric of society by having the world laser-focused on the NFL draft so that the machines from the future can come and attack Earth while everyone is watching the draft? If so, he revealed himself here by using the future tense when discussing Jordan Palmer.

The least Mel could do if he really is from the future is be more risky with his draft grades (since he knows the outcome already) and not simply give every team some variation of a "B" or a "C." It's pointless to just say every NFL team did slightly above average or slightly below average when his only job at ESPN is to evaluate these players. He's supposed to have strong opinions based on watching tape over the year, not give out half-ass grades in order to avoid being seen as incorrect. I'm not asking for hot takes, just grades that seem to reflect his true attitude towards a team's draft.

4 comments Mark Madden Did Not Like the Steelers' Selection of Ike Taylor

I don't where I found this article. Perhaps someone posted it on Twitter and I found it. I can't remember. It's an old article. Either way, Mark Madden had the hottest of sports takes on the Steelers drafting Ike Taylor back in 2003, calling the selection "the worst draft pick ever." He thought Taylor was no Alonzo Jackson, that's for sure. Either way, I don't think Ike Taylor is the greatest cornerback in the history of the NFL, but he's been in the league since 2003 and has two Super Bowl rings to his credit. He's been pretty okay.

But man, Mark Madden went ALL IN over the draft pick of Taylor. Taylor was a fourth round pick by the way. Who goes all in on a fourth round draft choice like this? Mark Madden, that's who. I thought it was appropriate to cover this since Ike Taylor recently retired.

The Steelers made history Sunday. They made their worst draft pick ever.

Linus Sweed? Jamain Stephens? Troy Edwards?

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I like a good bad draft choice. I derived as much enjoyment from the reigns of error provided by Troy Edwards, Jamain Stephens and Deon Figures as I did from the Super Bowl years.

Mark Madden is a talk radio host and this is definitely sports talk radio logic. If it's exciting to talk about and leads to ratings then who cares if the discussion has any merit?

Being indescribably bad is often more intriguing than being incomparably good.

More sports talk radio logic.

Which brings us to Ike Taylor, the Steelers' fourth-round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Louisiana-Lafayette is technically Division I-A, but the football program's primary purpose seems to be to pick up big paydays by acting as a record-building punching bag for larger schools like, well, everybody else.

And because Louisiana-Lafayette isn't very good at football then there is no way a football player from this school could ever succeed in the NFL. This seems to be Mark's basic, terrible, no-good point. More importantly, let's use some hindsight to point out how all kinds of wrong Madden was. He wrote this article in 2003 and over the last few years Louisiana-Lafayette has become a pretty good team. Four bowl wins in a row after struggling with the move up to the Sun Belt conference from being independent. So yes, at the time they weren't very good, but they are now.

My attempt to check if Taylor sprained the knee of Middle Tennessee receiver Tyrone Calico by using (whoooo!) the figure-four leglock proved inconclusive. Check the video? Yeah, like that game was on TV anywhere.

This is as opposed to Mark Madden' alma mater, Duquesne University, which has the 3:30pm game every Saturday on ABC. Duquesne can't be any good because they aren't on television a lot, right?

Back to Louisiana-Lafayette for a second. Here are some NFL guys who don't suck and played football at UL-L.

You see Jake Delhomme, Brian Mitchell, Brandon Stokley, Orlando Thomas, and Charles Tillman on that list. Of course, Ike Taylor is included as well. Bill Bentley, Ladarius Green, and Melvin White also played at UL-L and are currently in the NFL. In fact, Louisiana-Lafayette seems to be a school that mostly produces cornerbacks into the NFL. My point is that Mark Madden wrote this column knowing Brian Mitchell and Brandon Stokley went to UL-L and he still acts like the school hasn't produced an NFL player.

Taylor's draft profile on NFL.com says he did not play in 2000 because he "concentrated on academics." Before that, he was a Prop 48. Before that, he was dumb. Probably still is.

He played long enough in the NFL to grasp the defensive concepts that Dick LeBeau is running, so obviously he isn't terribly stupid. Also, fuck you for saying because Ike Taylor was Prop 48 that he is dumb.

Probably not dumb enough to pick himself in the fourth round, though. This pick makes no sense. On a scale of one to 10, Ourlads Scouting Service gave Taylor a one.

And since when have draft services ever been wrong? And both Outlads and Mark Madden were wrong in this case.

But Taylor is a Steeler. I guarantee he will make the team. Taylor could lose a leg at rookie camp, have a lobotomy at minicamp and develop a heroin habit at training camp, and he would make the Steelers.

I like how Mark Madden is already setting up the excuses for why he was wrong about Taylor if he got called out for being wrong. Because NFL teams are always making excuses to keep a fourth round pick on the roster if that guy isn't worthy of making the team. A fourth round pick is considered a sacred cow who is given multiple chances to prove he's terrible.

When a team makes a bad draft choice, cutting him right away fairly screams the club's stupidity in all-too-short order.

So Madden already has it all set up to where he can say, "Of course I'm not wrong, because the Steelers would never cut a fourth round pick immediately." So Madden tried to hide behind the false assumption that no NFL team would cut a fourth round pick who didn't play well without giving him multiple chances to fail.

Hopefully Madden calling Taylor dumb and the worst pick the Steelers ever made would just be forgotten when they do cut Ike Taylor...which never did happen.

At 6-foot, 197 pounds with 4.33 speed in the 40-yard dash, Taylor could turn out to be the latter-day Mel Blount. Or the black Scott Shields. I'm betting on the latter.

Mark Madden bet wrong. Maybe he should have been Prop 48.

Said Steelers defensive backs coach Willy Robinson -- yes, someone actually admits to having that job -- "The one thing you can't do is teach a guy to be 6 feet, almost 6-1, 197 pounds and run a 4.3 like he can." How come no one ever drafted Jesse Owens?

That's a great point. I can see how Madden made his name in professional wrestling and talk radio. He has the whole "Lack of sense and logic" thing down pat.

With all those marvelous physical attributes, how did Taylor wind up at Louisiana-Lafayette? Why wasn't he at Southern California with Troy Polamalu?

Maybe he wanted to go to Louisiana-Lafayette. Perhaps it's really because Taylor didn't get a scholarship to play football initially and had to walk-on to the Ragin' Cajuns' football team, so there's no way he would have played for Southern California. You know, because it is impossible for a college athlete to improve athletically in his sport of choice during his time in college. A five-star football player will always be great, just like a two or three-star football player will never make it to the NFL. Ever. Doesn't happen. Lightly recruited players simply can't improve. It's science.

Wouldn't a big-time school take a Prop 48 recruit that projected as a fourth-round NFL draft pick? Absolutely. But while you can't teach anyone to be 6 feet, 197 pounds and run a 4.3, you probably can't teach Taylor to play football.

And yet, the Steelers did. Imagine that. It's just like you teach someone to be as wrong as Mark Madden ended up being about Ike Taylor. It just comes natural to Madden, so it can't be taught. The logic behind the thought that Ike Taylor wasn't a big recruit so he obviously can't be taught to play football, despite the fact Madden knows Taylor started as a running back and only played cornerback for one year at UL-L is hilarious to me. You can't teach Taylor to play football, despite the fact he learned a new position well enough in less than a year that he was drafted.  

Taylor played four different positions in high school, two in college. You say that's because he's versatile. I say it's because he couldn't figure out any one position.

I'm not sure what the reason for this hit piece was, but Mark Madden was brutal for seemingly no apparent reason. It's fun to know that a decade later, Taylor turned out to be a solid cornerback in the NFL. I guess he finally figured out how to play cornerback. It's probably because the Steelers were afraid to cut him, being a fourth round pick and all.

Taylor will be a total bust for the Steelers.

He wasn't. In fact, the only total bust is this column where Madden inexplicably put the screws to Ike Taylor.

In fact, Mark Madden has gone at Ike Taylor throughout his career. I wonder if Mark Madden is just upset that he looks like he gets flop sweat merely by moving too quickly sitting in a chair.

Madden's musical diss of Taylor.

A verbal diss of Taylor from 2012.

A written diss of Taylor from 2014.

What did Ike Taylor do to Mark Madden? Is it just that he knows he was wrong about Taylor and he just keeps piling on in order to come off as a heel?

The only person he hurts will be me after he reads this column.

PLEASE GIVE ME THE ATTENTION I SO DESPERATELY CRAVE BY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT I WROTE THIS HIT PIECE!

The choice of rag-armed Boston College quarterback Brian St. Pierre in the fifth round stinks, too.

St. Pierre stuck around the NFL until 2010, so it seems Mark Madden's ability to decide who is a bust draft pick and who isn't stays consistently bad.

Other than that, I liked the Steelers draft. Seriously.

Great, I'm glad you are being serious now. Seriously, you like two of the picks the Steelers made and one of them was a complete bust. You can't evaluate players as well as you think you can. Seriously.

As bad as the choices of Taylor, St. Pierre and what's-his-name are, the selections of Polamalu and Alonzo Jackson fit like hand in glove.

Thanks Morrissey. Speaking of fitting hand in glove, Alonzo Jackson was a second round pick who appeared in 18 total games in his career and managed a shockingly terrible 0 sacks over his career. He's another in a long line of Florida State defensive ends who have failed in the NFL, except Jackson was horrible to the point he couldn't even manage to start but one game his entire career.

Interestingly, while Mark Madden says the Steelers would never admit they made a mistake and cut Ike Taylor, a fourth round pick, they managed to realize they made a mistake with second round pick Alonzo Jackson after two years and released him. Also interestingly, while Mark Madden was criticizing Ike Taylor for moving from running back to cornerback by stating he "couldn't figure out any one position," Jackson was to be converted to a linebacker in the NFL and he failed miserably at figuring out that position. So it's sort of interesting that the criticism Madden directed towards Ike Taylor actually fit the Steelers' second round pick that year who Madden claimed "fit like hand in glove."

I think it's fair to say, the sun shines out of Jackson's behind, and we'll probably never him again. I wish I could say the same for Mark Madden.

Did the Steelers give too much to trade up to No. 16? Probably. Could they have moved up a little less high, given a bit less, and still gotten Polamalu? Probably.

Is Madden totally guessing as to whether the Steelers could have moved up a little less high and gotten Polamalu? Probably. Is a surprise to me that a guy who uses sports talk radio logic would do a hit piece and then just start guessing at conclusions he wants to reach? Probably not.

Jackson was a slight reach in the second round. But he's a true pass-rushing specialist.

Again, zero sacks for his career. I don't think that's very good for a true pass-rushing specialist.

The Steelers' defense hasn't been the same since Kevin Greene left town. Greene was far from a complete player. But he gave the Steelers an extra dimension that struck fear in foes and gave the opposing quarterback less time to make decisions.

Jackson played defensive end at Florida State. The Steelers will make him into an outside linebacker. I just hope they don't try to make him into a complete player.

Because who would draft a defensive player in the second round and expect him to at some point become a complete player? Not the Steelers, that's who. It's unreasonable to expect their second round pick to eventually become a complete player, but their fourth round pick has some high expectations to meet.

Don't teach Jackson how to drop back into coverage. Just let him be Kevin Greene.

Just don't teach him to drop back in coverage. Sure, he could possibly do this, but just don't teach it. Makes sense.

I'm chock-full of enthusiasm about the ridiculous choice of Taylor.

He ended up being the second-best player from this draft.

Just as this generation of Steelers fans (cough) deserves its own Super Bowl team, it also deserves to experience a replay of the shame of 1989, when the Steelers' 1-2 first-round punch of Tim Worley and Tom Ricketts ultimately made grown men weep. And drink.

Ike Taylor started 15 games for the 2005 Super Bowl champion Steelers, as well as had an interception in the Super Bowl that year. He started 16 games for the 2008 Super Bowl champion Steelers as well. So this generation of Steelers fans got two Super Bowls with Ike Taylor starting for Pittsburgh.

Of course, I'm hardly infallible when it comes to judging this sort of thing.

Well, you do seem inordinately focused on the wrong things when it comes to player evaluation. I chalk it up to simply wanting attention and not really understanding that hot takes based on a draftee's college career doesn't equal an evaluation of that player's ability to make it in the NFL.

I liked the choice of Edwards in 1999. Hey, gotta get a receiver, right? Wrong. I also spoke glowingly of Shields' physical skills when the safety from Weber State was chosen in the second round that same year. Conversely, I decried the choice of Antwaan Randle-El in the second round last season.

It's okay to be wrong. It's not okay to just do a hit piece on a player who was drafted simply because you haven't heard of the college he played at and think he is plain dumb overall.

But I stand by my condemnation of Ike Taylor.

You did and you still do stand by your condemnation of Ike Taylor. Standing by your point of view doesn't mean you are correct. It could very well mean you are too stubborn or desperate for attention to admit you are wrong.

Ike Turner would have been a better choice. Talk about a big hitter.

Jokes about spousal abuse are hilarious first off. Second, you stated the Steelers made their worst pick ever by taking Ike Taylor and you were terribly wrong. He's not a Pro Bowl cornerback, but he's also not the Steelers' worst draft pick ever. You were wrong in 2003, and despite your efforts to keep moving the goalposts and expect more out of Taylor, you are still wrong about Taylor now. But hey, I'm sure it got you some attention. That's all that matters.

7 comments Gregg Easterbrook States the Seahawks Are Rain-Acclimated Which He Says Explains Why They Started Playing Well When the Rain Stopped

Gregg Easterbrook followed up his prediction that either the Colts or the Broncos would win the Colts-Broncos game with the knowledge that NFL teams with stability at head coach and stability at quarterback are generally better teams. Gregg wondered why teams even fire their head coach, since obviously stability is what these teams crave. Don't fire your coach and stability will come! Winning may not happen, but hey, you will have stability. This week Gregg brags about his Seahawks-Patriots third time around pick being correct and jumps back on the Authentic Games Standings bandwagon once it reached a result that he likes. Ignore the results when they are wrong, laugh off the results when they are wrong and then brag about the results once they reach the conclusion that's correct. Gregg's big topic of discussion in this week's TMQ is that weather will play a part in the outcome of the Super Bowl. So that's a riveting topic which goes to show why Gregg tries not to stray from his usual four topic rotation (concussions, fast-paced offenses, why the read-option is dead, some crazy metric he created five minutes ago).

When it rains, baseball players trot to the clubhouse. Basketball is staged indoors. Volleyball, indoors or on sun-drenched beaches. Soccer, a summer sport, usually doesn't play in winter. Ice hockey is almost always in an enclosed arena. 

You may not believe this, but Gregg didn't do a great amount of research before jotting down these sentences. Seems to me this soccer league takes place right in the middle of winter. What do you know, this soccer league plays in the winter too. And God knows soccer never takes place in the rain. Ever.

Among the major team sports, football alone is performed in all conditions.

Except for the football games that have been canceled due to snow, like what happened this very NFL season to a game in Buffalo. But yeah, as long as Gregg ignores all of the examples that prove him wrong, football is performed in all conditions.

From sweltering humidity to freezing cold, in rain, snow and wind, football is a manly man pursuit that laughs at the elements -- unless the team has a domed stadium, of course. "Hot to cold" is a longstanding football goal, meaning the team begins training in August heat and is still playing in the wintry winds of January.

In general, football is played in all weather. Soccer is played in nearly all weather as well, outside of lightning or some other event that could very well also cancel a football game.

In rain and gusting wind at New England, the dome-based Colts were blown off the field. In rain and gusting wind at Seattle, the cold-acclimated Packers lost a close one to the rain-acclimated Seahawks, whose natural habitat is drizzle.

LO-fucking-L! The Colts won an outdoor road game the week before in Colorado. Meanwhile, Gregg is really writing that the Green Bay Packers, the Green Bay fucking Packers, aren't used to playing in the rain so that is why they lost that game to the Seahawks. Oh sure, the Packers are great at playing in frozen rain and snow, but once that rain isn't frozen it just messes their mind all up and they start making conservative play calls and bad decisions that don't initially appear to be caused by the rain, but are totally to be attributed to the rain. See, Mike McCarthy didn't call a conservative game, it's just the fact the rain wasn't frozen messed with his head so much he couldn't function as a play caller.

Gregg makes a lot of things up. It's just in his nature. 

Weather conditions dictated a strange first half at Seattle, where Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, entering the contest with six total career postseason interceptions, threw five interceptions in that half alone. Both teams dropped passes as receivers couldn't hold slick footballs. 

And of course the Packers are used to playing with snow and frozen rain on the football, so the fact the ball was slick from normal rain meant they couldn't catch the passes thrown to them. I would also like to hear Gregg explain how the Seahawks natural habitat is drizzle but they were also dropping passes because the ball was slick. Isn't he pushing the bullshit story that the Seahawks had an advantage because they are used to the rain? So how come they were dropping passes because it was raining? Where is this supposed advantage that Gregg claims the Seahawks have? As always, Gregg is simply making things up.

One Wilson interception looked like a deep completion when released, then was held up by a gust of wind.

But Gregg, you JUST claimed the Seahawks were performing in their natural habitat so they had the advantage. Detailing instances where the Seahawks struggled in the rain is contradicting the point you are trying to prove.

Rodgers threw a pick on a play that began just as the rain increased considerably.

Of course if it were snow or freezing rain then Rodgers would have thrown the ball perfectly fine.

Both quarterbacks had trouble releasing the ball cleanly and missed open receivers.

Gregg can't possibly be this stupid. If both teams struggled, there was no advantage one way or another and his point about the weather is proven to be incorrect.

When weather-based luck favored Green Bay in the first half -- helping the Packers to four Seattle turnovers and a 16-0 lead at intermission -- the visitors seemed to grow overconfident and not consider that weather-based luck might go Seattle's way later. The drop-off in rain and wind arrived just as the Hawks' furious comeback began.

Now I'm confused. So as soon as the drop-off in rain and wind occurred, the Seahawks began to come back? So the Seahawks had the advantage once there was no bad weather and the Packers had the disadvantage because they aren't used to playing in good weather? This is completely counter to what Gregg just wrote. He wrote:

the NFL teams left standing tend to be the ones that can deal with weather...In rain and gusting wind at Seattle, the cold-acclimated Packers lost a close one to the rain-acclimated Seahawks, whose natural habitat is drizzle.

Then Gregg says once the drizzle stopped the Seahawks started to score points. So his point is the Packers played better in the drizzle, the same drizzle that Gregg claims is the Seahawks' natural habitat and allowed them to win the game, while the Seahawks played better in weather without rain and win, yet Gregg claims they are used to playing in the rain and it's their natural habitat. Doesn't this mean Gregg believes the Packers struggle playing in good weather? Of course this is ridiculous. What's more ridiculous is Gregg just writes shit in TMQ and absolutely doesn't care how many times he contradicts himself or whether what he is writing makes sense.

At New England, rain was a factor in five first-half dropped passes, a muffed fair catch and a badly off-target field goal into wind. The Patriots won so decisively that the weather was irrelevant by the end.

Gregg's topic of discussion in this TMQ is how weather impacted the AFC and NFC Championship Games. Then while in the discussion Gregg is basically like, "Weather had no impact on the AFC and NFC Championship Games." Okay, then. So why even bring up the topic of weather if it didn't impact the games?

I can't wait for Gregg to talk about how the deflated balls had an impact on the Colts-Patriots game and then he'll come up with an imaginary curse that has befallen the Patriots due to this.

But in the first half, when the contest was close, Indianapolis seemed totally flummoxed to be playing in rain and wind rather than the ideal conditions the Colts are accustomed to. 

Again, they won a road game in Colorado the week before.

New England outrushed Indianapolis by 94 yards; Seattle outrushed Green Bay by 59 yards. When the weather is bad, you'd better be able to run the football.

The weather wasn't that bad and Gregg has already stated the weather had no impact on the outcome of the Colts-Patriots game.

Now Seattle and New England advance to a Super Bowl in Arizona -- ideal conditions.

Which apparently Gregg thinks are conditions the Packers would struggle in, just as they struggled once the conditions got better in Seattle on Sunday.

In TMQ news, six weeks ago this column foresaw a Super Bowl pairing of Seattle versus New England.

This was TMQ's third try at getting the Super Bowl pairing. At a certain point, it's just guessing and no credit should be given.

Sure, it was a hedged bet; during the season I made several Super Bowl forecasts -- one of them had to turn out right!

You joke, but it's annoying to hear you say you "foresaw" the Super Bowl pairing while admitting that you made several Super Bowl forecasts. I am simply afraid that some people take Gregg seriously.

In the time-honored tradition of analysts who made multiple forecasts only one of which proved correct, that's the only one I will point to.

Fine. Please explain how you say the Seahawks had the advantage because of the rainy weather and then claim the Seahawks started a comeback once the weather got less rainy. I need to know how the hell this makes sense.

I'm surprised Gregg didn't include as one of his Stats of the Week that the Green Bay Packers opened the season with a loss at Seattle and ended the season with a loss at Seattle.

On the third-and-1, left tackle Nate Solder also reported eligible -- the first time he'd done so. This should have been a bright flashing light to the Indianapolis defense. But Colts defenders didn't notice New England went unbalanced line on the play. That made Solder the tight end on the left, though to the defense he looked like the left tackle. The 15-yard touchdown pass to the 6-foot-8, 320-pound Solder was a thing of beauty, and it broke open the contest. 

Note that what happened was the guy who seemed to be lined up as the left tackle was actually a tight end -- same thing that happened on New England's big odd-formation completion versus Baltimore and on Baylor's touchdown pass to an offensive linemen in its bowl game. Because most offenses are right-handed, defenders pay more attention to the offensive right.

What? So Gregg believes because most offenses are right-handed, defenders know this and pay attention to the offensive right? I don't even know what to say to this. Wouldn't defenders pay more attention to the right side of the offense (thereby meaning the left side of the offense from the offense's point of view) since more defenses are right-handed? This is so nonsensical it almost doesn't even deserve a rebuttal. I really, really, really doubt defenses pay attention to the handedness of the offense and then turn their attention to whatever side of handedness the offense is. This is a ridiculous claim.

With Green Bay seemingly in command with the score 19-7 and three minutes remaining, Seattle threw a deep "wheel" pattern to Marshawn Lynch for a 26-yard gain --- his sole reception of the NFC title contest. The Bluish Men Group would get a touchdown three snaps later, and the fateful onside kick was set in motion. 

Middle linebacker Sam Barrington was covering Lynch deep, after first being run through a pick by Seattle tight end Luke Willson. Twice earlier, Seattle had tried this play and Willson failed to pick Barrington off; this time, he succeeded. Warned Seattle was trying to set a pick to get Lynch deep, Green Bay coaches didn't react -- and left the middle linebacker running deep with a Super Bowl invitation on the line.

Gregg is basing this criticism on hindsight. The Packers can't simply put an extra corner on the field every single time that Marshawn Lynch is on the field just in case the Seahawks run this wheel play. More times than not, Lynch will be running the football, which will require a linebacker and not an extra corner on the field. For some reason, Gregg thinks the Packers should always keep an extra corner on the field instead of a linebacker, just in case the Seahawks run this play. Either that or Gregg seems to believe Dom Capers is psychic and knew the Seahawks would run this play, yet decided to cover Lynch with a linebacker. Oh, and Sam Barrington is a lowly-drafted 7th round pick that got beaten on this play. Interesting how his draft status got left out of the discussion.

The Seahawks scored 15 points in 44 seconds to force overtime, then won the coin toss. The football gods were smiling on Seattle, possibly because with 52 degrees, rain and gusty winds at kickoff, the cheerleaders came out wearing miniskirts.

And to think Gregg got an attitude with someone on Twitter who accused him of being pervy, yet week-after-week he acts like a pervy old man who ogles the cheerleaders and encourages them to wear less clothing. Here is the Tweet:

@craigrlowell amazing how morally superior you are to people you've never met. see a therapist
— Gregg Easterbrook (@EasterbrookG) January 9, 2015

That's classic that Gregg calls the guy "morally superior" to people he hasn't met, as if the guy is judging Gregg based on something other than almost a decade of evidence in TMQ that Gregg ogles cheerleaders. As if the words Gregg writes in TMQ aren't indicative of his opinion, feelings or emotions and he shouldn't be judged by them. To take any of the words Gregg writes and come to a judgment is being "morally superior." What a crock. If I write racist crap on this blog could I just say, "Don't judge me as a racist because you haven't met me. See a therapist because you consider yourself to be morally superior to me"? Most likely that excuse wouldn't go over well.

In "Skyfall," James Bond hangs by his fingertips from a high bridge, then from a skyscraper, as does a bad guy Bond is trying to kill. Four times in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, New Improved Kirk hangs by his fingertips from a great height (the first time viewers see Kirk, as a boy, he's hanging by his fingertips). In the second movie of the reboot, New Improved Spock hangs by his fingertips. In "Elysium," Matt Damon hangs by his fingertips from a great height. On TV's "Hawaii Five-0," all the leads at some point hang by their fingertips from a great height; some guest actors too. The 2001 chick flick "Kate & Leopold" had its leads dangle by their fingertips from the Brooklyn Bridge; the movie was a romance!

Really? It was a romance and it showed the leads dangling by their fingertips? It makes no sense to have the leads in any movie hanging by their fingertips, but in a romantic comedy it makes totally no sense! All movies should have certain rules about what scenes they can and can not show based on the genre of that movie. For example, in a romantic comedy there should be no dangling by fingertips, while in action movies there should be no kissing between two characters.

Academy Awards note: Why is there no Oscar for goofiest statement by a Hollywood grandee? TMQ's nominee: Sylvester Stallone apologized for not enough violence in "The Expendables 3" and called the decision to go PG-13 "a horrible miscalculation ... I'm quite certain it won't happen again."

It's not a terribly goofy statement. Those going to see that film were going to see the violence in the movie and going with a PG-13 rating didn't allow the viewer to see the violence that viewer was expecting. Maybe it sounds goofy to Gregg, but as far as Stallone trying to appease his target audience it makes sense.

Has any team ever looked more defeated than Seattle did when Morgan Burnett picked off Russell Wilson with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter? 

Yes.

Intercepting, Burnett deliberately went down. In retrospect, many are wondering why he didn't attempt a runback. Green Bay thought the game was over: Burnett's teammates made the "get on the ground" gesture. This wasn't a bad decision on his part -- no risk he'd fumble.

It was sort of a bad decision because he could have gained additional yardage and then run out of bounds so he didn't fumble or gained additional yardage and then fallen to the ground before he was tackled to avoid fumbling. There were other options available other than falling to the ground immediately. And no, only one teammate was motioning for Burnett to get down. That was Julius Peppers. It may not have been a bad decision to avoid fumbling, but it was a bad decision to not gain as much yardage as possible before falling to the ground.

Somehow, the Packers managed to take only 64 seconds off the clock and leave Seattle with one timeout before booming a punt. On all three snaps, Green Bay rushed directly into a nine-man box.

Gregg Easterbrook every other week in TMQ: "If Team X had run the ball three straight times and not thrown the ball then they likely would have been victorious."

Gregg Easterbrook this week in TMQ: "Why did Green Bay run the ball three straight times into a nine-man front instead of trying to pass the football?"

The only consistent thing about Gregg is his inconsistency. He has no beliefs, though he loves to espouse all sorts of rules and laws in TMQ, but his only belief is an NFL team should have done what worked. So hindsight is usually required for Gregg's criticism to be justified and he doesn't mind contradicting his previous opinions.

Seattle offered Aaron Rodgers a chance to ice the contest with a long pass -- and as in every other instance in the game, given the choice between conservative tactics and being bold, the Packers went conservative.

Nearly every week in TMQ Gregg tells NFL teams to run the ball to chew up clock and they will surely be victorious. Now all of a sudden, NFL teams shouldn't run the ball at the end of the game to chew up clock. Why? Because it didn't work in this specific situation. Undoubtedly Gregg will never address his previous statements about chewing up the clock at the end of a game by running the ball, because it would show how full of contradictory bullshit he can be.

After the touchdown that made the count 19-14, Seattle onside kicked, and the Green Bay hands team botched the play. Another quick Seattle touchdown made it 20-19 home team. On the deuce try, Russell Wilson was flushed from the pocket and retreated all the way to the Packers 18 before lofting a crazy, cross-the-field pass that was in the air for three seconds -- quite a long time for a pass to be airborne. Tight end Luke Willson, assigned to block, had scrambled left when he saw Wilson in trouble. He caught the deuce pass, which Green Bay safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix inexplicably simply watched, rather than knock down.

Gregg is simply echoing the same criticism that Troy Aikman had for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. First off, the pass wasn't in the air for three seconds. I barely counted to two every time I watched the video. Second, Clinton-Dix didn't simply watch the ball while in the air. He seemed to approach Willson and then look like he misjudged the ball and jumped too short to make a play on the ball. I don't know what the hell Clinton-Dix was doing, but he appeared to try and make a play on the ball, only to fail to judge the flight of the ball correctly. Yes, he screwed up, but I think he would have knocked the ball down had he not misjudged the flight of the ball (which he seems to have done). 

Then Gregg goes on a looooooooooong discussion of politics, federal and state spending, and other non-interesting non-NFL topics that I really don't care to discuss while I'm discussing TMQ. 

Tuesday Morning Quarterback is reporting on an exclusive basis that two sources say multiple Seattle Seahawks were injected with grape Ovaltine before Sunday's NFC title contest. "Grape gives you so much more rush than chocolate," an unnamed player said. Long before 5 Hour Energy, Ovaltine promised to keep you going through the day.

What was the point of this paragraph? It's not funny at all. I don't get it.

Right now, most touts have Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota atop the draft. Don't be surprised if neither ends up there.

#analysis

First, both are Heisman-winning quarterbacks, and beware the Heisman Quarterback Curse. Of the Heisman quarterbacks currently in the NFL -- Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, Sam Bradford, Carson Palmer and Cam Newton -- none has a winning career record.

I wouldn't say this is a curse any more than it is a product of these quarterbacks being drafted by teams that aren't very good. Bradford, Newton, and Palmer went #1 overall to teams that weren't good at all. Palmer would have a career winning record if it weren't for his time in Oakland, Newton is one game under .500,and Manziel wasn't even the Browns starter for the majority of the season. So yes, these quarterbacks don't have a career winning record, but this could have as much to do with them being drafted by teams that aren't very good as much as some fake curse.

Gregg talks about the Heisman Quarterback Curse, how about the Heisman Curse overall? Mark Ingram hasn't lived up to expectations, Tim Tebow is out of the league, Troy Smith is a career backup, Reggie Bush doesn't exist anymore as a Heisman winner, Matt Leinart is out of the league, Jason White was barely in the NFL, the same goes for Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke is a career backup, and Ron Dayne didn't have a good NFL career. The last Heisman winner to not befall the "curse" (though I would argue Palmer and Newton haven't had the curse befall them) of being a non-productive player on a bad team would be Ricky Williams. He has a winning record for his career and he was a productive player.

In the past 20 years, 14 Heisman quarterbacks have departed college. Danny Wuerffel became a star for the Rhein Fire; Gino Torretta, Chris Weinke, Eric Crouch, Jason White and Troy Smith had no NFL achievements; Charlie Ward never put on pads; Matt Leinart and Tim Tebow were flashes in the pan; Palmer, Bradford and Newton became secure starters, but none has a career winning record;

Again, Palmer has a winning record if his time with the Raiders is ignored. All three of these quarterbacks were taken #1 overall by teams who aren't very good, so they started their career out with more losses than wins. I wouldn't call it a curse more than I would call it Gregg judging an individual player on his team's achievement.

This isn't much to write home about and suggests the kind of athletes who become Heisman quarterbacks aren't likely to shine in the NFL -- the major factor being that they played on stacked college teams that made everything look easy.

I would dare Gregg to name three other players on the Auburn roster during the year Cam Newton was there. I'm guessing he couldn't do it, nor could he do it for Carson Palmer or Sam Bradford.

On several downs in the Oregon-Florida State semifinal, Winston's passes sailed far from any receiver's hands. The Seminoles quarterback before Winston, EJ Manuel, has struggled in the pros with accuracy and reading defenses. There will be worries Winston will struggle in the same manner.

This is basically Gregg saying, "Hey two black quarterbacks came from the same university. I know EJ Manuel struggled with accuracy in the NFL and I saw a game where Jameis Winston struggled with his accuracy. I bet Winston has the same issue in the NFL that Manuel has."

As if Winston is the only college quarterback to ever throw a pass far from the receiver's hands or anything like that.

Winston and Mariota both play like a tall Robert Griffin III, which might be a strike against them on draft day.

Oh, a tall Robert Griffin III. Gregg does realize that Winston and Mariota are only two inches taller than Griffin, right? It's not like Griffin is much shorter than other these other two quarterbacks or anything.

With New England leading 7-0, Indianapolis reached first-and-10 at the Flying Elvii 33 and went incompletion, incompletion, incompletion. Chuck Pagano sent out the field goal unit, though a 51-yarder in rain into a stiff breeze was likely to fail. The kick missed badly, which gave New England great field position to take the ball the other way for a touchdown.

I wonder how Gregg comes up with the factual comment that a 51-yard field goal is "likely to fail"? He couldn't just be making this up could he? Surely Gregg knows that Adam Vinatieri was 3-for-3 on the year on field goals that were 50+ yards long. I kid of course. There's no way Gregg knows this. He knows the field goal missed and a long field goal seems like it would be hard to make, so he just says, "Hey, this is a tough field goal to hit, so it's likely to miss" and continues on writing without doing any type of research to see if Vinatieri had success with 50+ yard field goals on the season. Why would he do research when so many of his readers will just believe whatever he writes? 

The New England defense basically toyed with the Indianapolis offense. Bill Belichick likes to "take away" the opposition's best offensive player.

I don't know why "take away" is in parenthesis here.

The Patriots had corner Kyle Arrington shadow T.Y. Hilton pretty much everywhere he lined up -- it looked more like a basketball defense than football -- while shading a safety to Hilton's side.

Well, you know these defenders do "guard" the offensive players like it's basketball. At least that's what Gregg seems to believe.

Belichick knows Baltimore sells out to stop the run, so versus the Ravens, New England passed constantly. 

Gregg took zero steps to prove this as accurate. He's making shit up again.

Belichick knows Indianapolis sells out to stop the pass, so Patriots coaches called 40 rushing plays.

Again, what the hell does it mean and what kind of proof does Gregg have that the Colts sell out to stop the run? Gregg is just saying this is true because he wants it to be true. If the Colts always sold out to stop the pass then every NFL team would beat the Colts by running the football.

Six weeks ago, the Authentic Games metric forecast a Denver-Arizona Super Bowl. I said I didn't trust the metric this year -- though last season, in early December it forecast a Denver-Seattle Super Bowl -- and my gut said New England-Seattle.

So you, and your Authentic Games metric, are equally full of shit? Got it. Carry on.

The metric didn't start forecasting New England-Seattle until three weeks ago.

So what's the point of the metric then? If it's October and I want to use the metric to figure out who will be in the Super Bowl, then the Authentic Games metric would have been absolutely useless to me. It predicts nothing and only simply reacts to the information that it is arbitrarily given by Gregg. The metric didn't choose the right Super Bowl matchup until around the time the playoffs had started and 20 of the teams were eliminated from contention to play in the Super Bowl.

It ends by clearly endorsing the two Super Bowl entrants. If it didn't, I'd be back to the drawing board.

You should go back to the drawing board anyway, because hey, the Authentic Games metric is all for fun anyway and doesn't really predict anything. Right? Isn't that what you told your readers back when the metric was coming up with a result you didn't like? Now all of a sudden, the Authentic Games metric has authenticity again because after 8 tries it finally got the correct result.

Single Worst Game Of The Season -- So Far:

If the Packers were to win the NFC championship, they needed to be aggressive when close. Play-not-to-lose tactics wouldn't work.

Yet after reaching fourth-and-goal at the Seattle 1 in the first quarter, Mike McCarthy sent in the field goal unit, after a third-and-goal play on which the Packers just ran straight ahead, with no misdirection. (At the Indianapolis 1 yard line, Bill Belichick had a tight end shift to split wide, then another tight end shift, then a man-in-motion away from the playside, which resulted in an uncovered man for the touchdown.) After reaching fourth-and-goal at the Seattle 1, again McCarthy opted for a placement kick. Then, upon reaching fourth-and-1 on the Seattle 22, again McCarthy sent out the kicking unit.

I do agree the Packers should have been more aggressive in this situation. Though of course, I don't really give a crap about a team "doing a little dance" or anything like that. The Packers have Eddie Lacy, they shouldn't have to do much but get him to run forward with the football in his hand in order to get a touchdown.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback noted two weeks ago the Packers tend to lose the fourth quarter.

I noted this is because the Packers are often playing a softer defense due to occasionally having a large lead in the fourth quarter.

If there's one place the visitors will lose the fourth quarter, it's at Seattle. So Green Bay could not sit on its hands in the third quarter. On the day, Green Bay rushed for a 4.5-yard average. Go for the first down!

While I do agree the Packers were too conservative, Gregg consistently doesn't understand a 4.5-yard average per rush statistic doesn't necessarily mean much in a third/fourth-and-short situation. Situational down and distance tends to vex Gregg so he just lazily falls back on a team's per carry average for the game as proof that team could easily pick up the first down on third/fourth-and-short.

Next Week: Nominees for the coveted "longest award in sports," TMQ's Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP.

After taking a year long break from this ridiculous award, Gregg has brought it back. For a guy who lauds undrafted, non-glory boy players, it sure is interesting that of the 13 winners of this award 6 of them were first or second round draft picks. I'm guessing Gregg has given up on the "unwanted/undrafted" team he used to put together every year because he finally realized how ridiculous it was to say a team didn't want a player because he was cut for salary cap reasons.