Nfl 2010

[sunvalleylaw]

So the Seahawks are on top of AFC West, despite not being all that impressive, and a not that impressive win over Arizona. Well, I am glad they are winning some and mixing it up anyway, so as a Seahawks fan, I will take it. Good to see some positive changes come for them. As a life long UW Husky fan, I have mixed emotions that it is being captained by Pete Carroll. Feels like we hired the enemy, but still, nice to see the improvements!

[R_of_G]

Seattle is definitely good enough to win what is one of, if not the, most mediocre divisions in the NFL. I could easily see an 8-8 team winning that division.

The Bucs won an ugly won at home over the Rams yesterday. I'm not nearly as enthralled with Sam Bradford as the experts. I think he could eventually be very good, but the Bucs defense was playing terribly and if he was as good as they say he already is, he should have torn them apart. Luckily for the Bucs (who killed drive after drive with stupid penalties) the Rams' defense decided to take the second half off and let the Bucs back into the game and second year QB Josh Freeman engineered a final drive capped off by a TD pass to Carnell Williams for the win. Many "fans" here in Tampa bash Freeman, but I've yet to see them make any valid points about why they don't like him, leading me to believe (combined with other comments they make about the coach) that they don't like Freeman because of his race. What I see week in and week out is a young QB who learns from his mistakes and gets progressively better each week. If the Bucs are smart enough to stick with him, they'll have a solid NFL QB for years to come.

[sunvalleylaw]

Yes, the 'Hawks should be good enough to win that division. The AZ game showed them winning not playing all that impressively. I would love to see them develop a confidence and ethic, with their new teammates and coach, to play as well as they can and establish a new standard, not just well enough to win in an mediocre division.

[R_of_G]

Stick with Coach Carroll and they should build a winning tradition over the next few years, and for once it won't be against the rules for Carroll to use money to recruit top talent.

[sunvalleylaw]

Stick with Coach Carroll and they should build a winning tradition over the next few years, and for once it won't be against the rules for Carroll to use money to recruit top talent.

Hey now, you're poking my mixed feelings as a Husky fan! (rassen frassen, southern cal, gall dang money, OC nouveau riche, entitled plastic surgery culture, frick'n USC buying the division, cheaters with perfect hair, dang trojan band hate that song Tusk GRRRRRRRRR!!!) LOL, see what I mean?

Go Seahawks! Would have been nice if the Chuck Knox football culture and the original Curt Warner/John L. Williams running game (if it stayed healthy long enough) along with Steve Largent had made it all the way through, but I am willing to let go of the SC thing since Carroll is not now banned from spending money, and see what he can do.

[Bloozcat]

Well, the Browns made some noise this weekend for sure. From crawling, to walking, to running. One step at a time...

As Winston Churchill said: "Now, this is not the end. It isn't even the beginning of the end. But, perhaps it is the end of the beginning."

[Eric***]

Stick with Coach Carroll and they should build a winning tradition over the next few years

I'm curious whether that will lead to continued success. Carroll's track record when he was in New England was awful. The players he signed turned out to be albatross after albatross that were around the Pats' neck for a few years.

Hopefully he does better with the 'Hawks.

[R_of_G]

Hey now, you're poking my mixed feelings as a Husky fan! (rassen frassen, southern cal, gall dang money, OC nouveau riche, entitled plastic surgery culture, frick'n USC buying the division, cheaters with perfect hair, dang trojan band hate that song Tusk GRRRRRRRRR!!!) LOL, see what I mean?

Personally, I don't like seeing him gone from USC (one of the teams I root for out of family loyalty). Now they're stuck with Lane Kiffin who I think is (a) a terrible coach, and (b) so over-the-top unethical that he makes Carroll look like a boy scout. As one ESPN analyst put it months ago, "If the cliche is 'if you're not cheating, you're not trying' then Lane Kiffin is trying extremely hard."

I'm curious whether that will lead to continued success. Carroll's track record when he was in New England was awful. The players he signed turned out to be albatross after albatross that were around the Pats' neck for a few years.

I agree with you there. Not sure he was ready to be an NFL head coach yet at that point. Not all former coordinators can make the jump to head coaching without falling flat on their faces. Sometimes they need to learn to be a head coach at the college level. So far, it looks like Carroll has one good draft under his belt. He needs to build on that over the next three or four years and manage to bring in complementary veteran talent. Luckily for the Hawks, they're in a division in which everyone is rebuilding (or needs to) so it may be less of an uphill climb than it might be in other divisions where the talent gap is much wider.

[sunvalleylaw]

I hope every one knows my SC rant is meant to be humorous and tongue in cheek. I will admit, USC is the one team I really do not care for, but of course I do not mean all that bile I was spewing up above.

I hope Pete does well. He seems to be making good moves so far. I also know and admit that UW went through their own recruiting scandals in the 90s. It is my hope that UW is doing a more ethical job. But who is to really say. It seems it is dangerous (to ethics at least) to be at the top, and really try to stay there.

[R_of_G]

Steve, as the UW guy you are, I'd question it if you DIDN'T feel some animosity towards USC.

[Eric***]

I also know and admit that UW went through their own recruiting scandals in the 90s. It is my hope that UW is doing a more ethical job. But who is to really say. It seems it is dangerous (to ethics at least) to be at the top, and really try to stay there.

Jerramy Stevens...

I used to have a link to a story on him that was disturbing. It made me shudder with fear for the human race when I read it.

[R_of_G]

Jerramy Stevens...

I used to have a link to a story on him that was disturbing. It made me shudder with fear for the human race when I read it.

I suspect I know the story you're talking about, though as he was not charged, I will let people google it for themselves rather than accuse him myself.

Incidentally, Stevens was, thankfully, released by the Bucs today following his most recent run-in with the law this past weekend. While this most recent arrest was for cannabis posession (a subject I have very strong feelings about) it's his previous legal troubles which made me wonder why he was still with the Bucs, still in the league at all, and still a free man.

While he was not charged in the incident I am thinking of (whether or not it's the one Eric is thinking of as well), he was charged in another incident with assault (a crime to which he accepted a plea deal) as well as being charged with and found guilty of at least three DUIs, one of which was a hit-and-run in which Stevens drove his car into a nursing home.

I am sincerely glad the Bucs have finally cut ties with the man.

[Eric***]

I suspect I know the story you're talking about, though as he was not charged, I will let people google it for themselves rather than accuse him myself.

It's a series of stories called Victory and Ruins by the Seattle Times. What that story proved to me is that for most athletes on a high level in a popular sport, there are different rules, and (at least right now) a host of willing enablers.

My point isn't necessarily to call out UW, but SVL's comment just reminded me of the story of Stevens, which is a sad statement on how we as a society deal with the concept of celebrity.

[sunvalleylaw]

Hmm, I had moved away by then and I was in the middle of having babies born into my family during the time Stevens was at UW and before, when he was a part of my old high school region. As such, I was mostly unaware and did not read about those events. As a defense attorney, I am not one to hop on the band wagon regarding unproved conduct. But certainly Mr. Stevens has had his problems. More than that, I cannot say.

[NWBasser]

I'm quite happy to see the Seahawks winning again, even if it may be a very ugly win. After dealing with such dismal coaches as Tom Flores, Jim Mora, and Dennis Erikson, I'm thrilled that Carroll is at least fielding a competetive team. They seem to have a much-improved attitude from last year.

It's nice to know that your team stands a chance of winning at least.

However, I really do miss Holmgren.

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, Holmgren seemed a class act. All the ethic of Knox, with a good deal more imagination.

[Bloozcat]

[MAXIFUNK]

STEELERS BENEFACTORS OF THE REF'S GETS A WIN IN MIAMI 5-1 heading to the big easy for Halloween night yeah boy!!!

That rule will be changed before next season starts.

[marnold***]

Well, my fantasy team is 7-0 now. Does that count?