Wednesday Walk Around the League

by Ed Valentine on Dec 12, 2007 6:51 AM EST in News Comment 10 comments

Let's look around the league and see what is going on.

• The big news of the day, of course, is Bobby Petrino bailing on the Falcons without even finishing his first season and taking the Arkansas job. I can't blame Petrino, since he is another of those guys who never should have left college football in the first place. However, leaving without talking to the team is a spineless move.

• Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher denies ordering a 'hit' on San Diego's Shawne Merriman.

• Coach Mike Nolan and QB Alex Smith are trying to patch things up, but things are ugly in San Francisco. Smith, who will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, said Nolan tried to "undermine" him with the team.

• Motivation won't be a problem for the New England Patriots this week against the New York Jets.

Boston Herald columnist Gerry Callahan sums it up this way.

Under normal circumstances, the Patriots would be a good bet to put up 50 and win in a walk come Sunday. These, of course, are not normal circumstances. This is a game that means nothing and everything all at once, a showdown that has no bearing on the playoff race but might be the most anticipated game of the regular season. People who wouldn't know a bubble screen from Bubble Yum will be riveted for one simple reason: Everybody understands a little thing called hate.

Hate will take center stage this Sunday. Hate will be on the field, in the huddle, on the sideline, in the hearts and minds of every player in Patriots blue. CBS viewers haven't seen hate like this since the last time Dan Rather was making stuff up about the president.

Strong words? Sure, but would you really be surprised if Bill Belichick tries to drop 80 points on the Jets? I wouldn't.

• As a Giants fan I was thrilled that GM Jery Reese was able to get a sixth-round pick from Green Bay for Ryan Grant, a running back the team didn't want or need. The Packers are thrilled that they have Grant and are now calling that move "the steal of the season."

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Can't wait

I've never been so excited to watch a J-E-T-S Suck suck suck game. I was thinking of getting drunk and hounding my wife to show me her breasts at halftime too

Patriots 62 Jets 7, Pats will call a timeout with 5 seconds left in the game to kick a FG

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 12, 2007 8:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Petrino

Yeah, leaving without talking to the team is bush, but I honestly believe the hatred between coach and players was mutual

Move over Dennis Erickson, Lou Holtz, Butch Davis, Nick Saban, you've got company

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 12, 2007 8:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hold the phone

Listening to WPLJ online (I'm old) and I heard your weather for the weekend, and a storm is coming Sunday that could be, as Bill Evans put it...."THE BIG ONE"

If thats the case, its definitely going to have an effect on the game

So I hearby alter my predicitions:

Good Weather: Pats 62 Jets 7

Bad Weather: Pats 56 Jets 7, they won't be able to kick FG's in the storm

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 12, 2007 8:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

petrino is a loser

he will get crushed in the SEC.

i am looking forward to the jets getting pummeled. i dont "hate" the jets (i reserve that for the NFC East) but i am pissed at on buddy in my fantasy league who is a diehard jets fan but is going to win the league because he has brady and moss. that is karma. taste it pal.

shawn merriman is an idiot. also a liar and roider. hell of a player, but did anyone remember listening to him try and defend himself after he got caught? merriman has no brain.

by DieEaglesDie on Dec 12, 2007 9:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

the Jets

I don't hate the Jets, mostly because everyone else in my family are Jets fans, and had I not been lucky enough to have the "wide right" Super Bowl be the first football game I ever watched, I'd probably be a Jets fan now too. That said, I AM looking forward to them getting destroyed this week, because I think it was a pretty dick move on Mangini's part to turn Bellichick in. Plus, I want the Pats riding high from 2 straight blowout wins when they come into our house and lose to Jared Lorenzen in Week 17.

by cjmulrain on Dec 12, 2007 7:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Grant

I know they think they got a steal and I like Grant, but I think that it's very telling that no one is saying that he is the "real deal". He's good for that team because they don't need to depend on the run, since Grant is not a feature back who can carry a team. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not sure he's a steal as much as he's just a good fit.

If I'm going to break them, I'm going to break them both. - LT

by potroast on Dec 12, 2007 12:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

yeah, plus

ET is right - we should be happy to got the draft pick that we did. its a steal for them but it was also the right move at the time. and if we were getting rid of him no matter, shouldnt all the other teams with RB needs be kicking themselves for not offering a 5th round pick or better for him?

by DieEaglesDie on Dec 12, 2007 12:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs