Favre v. Packers

What we saw in the Monday Night Football game was what Green Bay used to see from Brett Favre. The reason that Ted Thompson (GB's GM) cut him semi-loose is that Green Bay hadn't seen that Brett Favre for years.
Favre made no secret that the weekly grind of film study, meetings, practice, and everything else that defines pre-game prep had become irksome to him. So he tried to get by on his native talent. Good for him because he has loads of talent. The trouble is that everyone else in the league does, too. Which means that he went into game after game for years, under-prepared mentally, not knowing what he needed to know to compete as well as his potential would allow. At the same time Favre started getting a little old. The last month or so of each season highlighted that age as his performance began to decline in those games. That is the Brett Favre that Green Bay saw from the 2000 season on.
So when Thompson traded Favre to the Jets he did so because Favre didn't seem to want to do more than just come to the games, strap it up, and let loose. Make no mistake, Favre went the the required meetings and practices, but there is a huge difference between doing the minimum demanded and what it takes to be great.
I get it, after 20+ years of playing football I'd be tired of it, too. But you just can't phone it in when you're playing at the profession's pinnacle. Favre needed a change of scenery to motivate him to play to his potential again, and he got it.
Now all that remains to be seen is what Favre plays the rest of the season in Minnesota. Without a doubt, the Monday night game against Green Bay was Favre's Super Bowl. What we saw was what we saw when Brett Favre cared enough to do everything he could do, not just what he had to do, and it showed.
Of course we also saw an offensive line that kept him from so much as getting a scratch while Green Bay's Rogers just got hammered relentlessly. Even so, the Packers were still one play from winning all the way until the last minute. If Green Bay had anything like the pass protection the Vikings generated, this Monday Night game might have been the best, ever.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda. If Favre had kept playing post-2000 the way he's playing in Minnesota this year, he would still be a Packer.
He didn't, and that is a sports tragedy.

2009 Green Bay Packers Predictions

Another off-season has come and (mostly) gone with the regular season only a few weeks away, I feel compelled to make my annual post. While I love watching the GBP and all that, normally I can't justify saying much about how they play. There are plenty of writers who have much better access and information than I do opining already. Sports isn't like other topics-for the most part what you see is what you get. Regardless, here goes.
The defense has a new scheme, the 3-4 and will hopefully learn to use it effectively this year. The player appear to be somewhat upgraded with DT/DE/NT Raji. The other high draft choice, LB Matthews may or may not be a starter this year; I'm leaning towards not. He has too much ground to make up from practice missed because of injury and the LBs already on the team don't appear willing to give up their jobs easily. The other defensive players are essentially unchanged except for being a year older. This is only a factor for the starting CBs, Woodson and Harris. Is this the year that Harris starts to get old? I'm not sure but he has seemed to wear down late in the season these last few years. Overall I would rate the defense somewhat better in terms of personnel and scheme.
The GBPs offense looks unchanged from last year, apart from the offensive line. That is however a big conditional statement there. LT Clifton appears likely to be the only holdover from the Packers dominant offensive lines from the past years and is getting old himself. How well the OL learns to work together will be a major though quiet story this season. WR Jennings earned a huge new contract and will lead a very good set of receivers this year. TE Finley in particular has appeared to improve from last season and could play a large role in this offense. QB Rogers looks very sharp and should only improve on his first season as a starter this year. With a healthy RB Grant, a settled offensive line, and the outstanding receiver group Rogers might have a monster year.
Special teams for GB have been at best mediocre and at worst an absolute disaster for several years, reflecting the team's general youth. Special teams are played by those not quite good enough to start but good enough to make a roster. With the Packers consistently the youngest team in the NFL that means lots of rookies and JAGs playing, and it showed every week. With the starters very settled now for two years the backups should have had a chance to develop enough to become quality contributors on special teams. K Crosby is in no danger of losing his job but who will be the punter? Neither P Kapinos or Brooks should get comfortable enough to sign a one-year apartment quite yet. It is no understatement that consistently mediocre would be an improvement for the punting game.
Last season the Packers appeared to be a team whose defense couldn't hold a lead late in the fourth quarter, and the offense while efficient had some troubles running the ball. The record of 6-10 should be improved on this season. When I look at the schedule I see ten wins. I expect GB will split the series with Chicago and Minnesota and take both from the Lions. I see the other wins coming from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and one from either Seattle or Arizona. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Dallas would be upsets barring unforeseen circumstances.
There is my season preview. 10-6 should be good enough for the playoffs. A lot will depend on Brett Favre, just not the way it usually.

Bill Clinton: Cheney should stick to target practice « - Blogs from CNN.com

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Bill Clinton: Cheney should stick to target practice « - Blogs from CNN.com

And Clinton should stick to interns.

Low. Hanging. Fruit. I pluck it.

Palin Ties Miss California to Obama & Clinton - The Note

Palin Ties Miss California to Obama & Clinton - The Note


The elephant in the room that nobody speaks of. Plenty of Americans don't support gay marriage, and if you are a politician of the democrat persuasion; don't worry about losing votes. After all, who will those gay men and women vote for if not you? Certainly not the republicans. They're evil, you know? So if you're a democrat talk a good game during primaries knowing that no real changes will have to be made which might cost votes later. Like Charlie Brown knows that Lucy will just jerk the football away at the last second but hoping that she won't. Even Andrew Sullivan is starting to see the light.

With Clinton, we were the means to raise money. With Bush, we were the means to
leverage votes by exploiting bigotry. Obama seemed in the campaign to promise
something else.

Again, at the risk of being an asshole, I told you so. Well, not Andrew Sullivan, but anyone who would listen. By the way, who is exploiting bigotry here? Democrats know gays generally don't vote republican. Knowing that the gay vote is safe the politicians know they won't have to take any unpopular action. Who would have thought that we would look back on Ronald Reagan favorably when remembering the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" Yet Clinton signed the DOMA and as a result of his "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the number of gay soldiers kicked out doubled. Yet Clinton tried to trumpet himself as some beacon of light to the gay.

A gay coworker (the most misogynistic person I know) still has a man-crush on Hillary and has never been an Obama Man. When Bush came into office at least he was honest about what he intended to do about gay rights: nothing. And nothing is what he did. As advertised. Now BH Obama is in office and all during the presidential campaign season talked a great talk about how things would change with him as president, and how they would be for the better. Conveniently those who supported him disregarded word that he was personally opposed to gay marriage the way republicans ignored GW Bush's penchant for spending (other people's) money.
So who is the worst of these three people: WJ Clinton, GW Bush, or BH Obama? At least Bush wasn't a hypocrite and as far as I can tell didn't make things worse for the gay. Clinton did make things worse for the gay, and Obama looks to do nothing in defiance of his own promises. So rail on all you like about the eeevil republicans; at least we don't make things worse for the gay.

So if measured objectively, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Bush, William Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama seem to have the same beliefs about right for the gay. The same ones shared by Sarah Palin and our new Miss USA. Just don't say that out loud.

BHO Signals A Change To Illegal Drug Policy

White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs' - WSJ.com

The Obama administration is likely to deal with drugs as a matter of public health rather than criminal justice alone, with treatment's role growing relative to incarceration, Mr. Kerlikowske said.

Well, why not? We don't even wage war against enemies anymore; just "overseas contingency operations." Seriously though, the whole War On Drugs has been going on forever, and as far as I know, drugs aren't any harder to get today than they were back in the 1980s. Legalizing the growing, possession, and use, of marijuana would be a wonderful start. Its time to stop pretending that smoking dope will somehow all by itself ruin the life of anyone.

I wish I could remember who wrote it, but recently another blogger noticed that the last three presidents all smoked pot and look how they turned out.

See, I don't think BHO is wrong about everything.

Rep. Shadegg Dismisses Rush Limbaugh As Just ‘A Television Personality’

Think Progress » Rep. Shadegg Dismisses Rush Limbaugh As Just ‘A Television Personality’

Like many of my lefty friends, Shadegg doesn't seem to know much about who he criticizes. News flash, hombre: Limbaugh is a radio personality. Its no wonder that modern republicanism is drowning in a sea of mediocrity.

The CIA is Non-Partisan (sorta)

Democrats: CIA is out to get us - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com

So now that democrats are taking the same CIA leaking-document beating that GW Bush did these last many years, it's "interesting." And "out to get us?" Boy that sounds weak.

The CIA has long been on the receiving end of harsh rebukes from Congress — on intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq, on secret prisons abroad and on the harsh interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects. But with the release of records showing that it briefed members of Congress along the way, the CIA has effectively put lawmakers on the defensive.

No shit, Sherlock. How can seasoned politicians and congress-critters feign surprise that the CIA refuses to let itself be made a fool of without documents embarassing to the politicians getting leaked? It was all glee and chortles when it was Chimpy McFlightsuit taking the heat, but Pelosi seems to have lost her sense of humor. Sucks to be you.

Barack Obama and Miss America Agree

Donald Trump on Miss California: Same as Barack Obama - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com

So Miss America (Carrie Prejean) and Barack Obama have the same view on gay marriage. Anyone who didn't already know this hasn't been paying attention these last few years. Perhaps those who now exhibit outrage at the beliefs of this relatively inoffensive young girl thought that BHO was just lying, pandering to those who also didn't believe in gay marriage. News flash for y'all: he wasn't lying. BHO doesn't believe in gay marriage. He has made no move to recind "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," although with just his signature he could end enforcement of the policy. You got what you voted for.
Myself, I'm all for letting anyone get married who wants to. A man to a woman, a man to a man, a woman to a man, two men to a woman, three women to each other, I don't really care. I'm also all in favor of letting "practicing" and openly gay people serve unfettered military careers. Believing otherwise isn't compatible with a philosophy that values freedom and liberty. However in a free nation everyone should also be allowed to have their own opinions, even Miss America. Even BHO.

Apparently Clarence Thomas Isn't Black (enough) To Support Leah Sears

Friendship With Conservative Thomas Complicates Supreme Court Chances for Georgia's Sears - washingtonpost.com

I can't say that I always have agreed with Clarence Thomas, or that I would ever agree with
Leah Sears, but their long-time friendship should be a favorable marker for each. Its also saddening to hear "black leaders" talk about how great it will be to finally get a black person in the US Supreme Court. Because you know, Thomas isn't really black. You know, he doesn't vote the way "real" black people vote. Tyrone Brooks seems to represent that opinion well.

State Rep. Tyrone Brooks, president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected
Officials, also begged off. "I would have been a hypocrite to go up there, skin
and grin, smile and shake hands," he said. His deep disdain for Thomas trumped
pride in Sears's accomplishment. "[I] don't think we have any black people on
the Supreme Court. It's not just the pigmentation of skin. It is philosophy, and
even though Justice Thomas has our skin, he really does not vote the way African
Americans would have him vote."

He seems to think that judges should make decisions based on something other than laws. Maybe my doctor will operate on my knee based on something other than medical training too. Sounds like a great idea. Maybe policemen should also perform their job without looking to the law to guide their actions. Who needs objective standards and binding laws anyway? Because Thomas doesn't vote the way Tyrone Brooks thinks he should not only is Thomas a traitor, he loses his race. The temerity: Thomas identifies more with his citizenship than his melanin. Though unsaid since Brooks doesn't see Thomas as black I'd guess he classifies Thomas as "white." You know, the enemy. Ugh. So much for hope and change.

T.I. Goes To Prison (Finally)

T.I.: Responsibility Is A Lifestyle: It's Time to Bury Da Beef

T.I. is headed to prison for a year, for "being in the possession of illegal firearms." Actually he was convicted of possessing machine guns and silencers unlawfully, and possession of firearms in general. Machine guns and silencers can legally be purchased in the United States, but are highly-regulated and subject to many, many restrictions. Having these items without going through the proper procedures is a federal crime. Additionally, convicted felons cannot possess any firearms legally.
Anyway, T.I. (aka Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) as he is about to begin his prison term, says

I made some bad decisions. I broke the law and will accept my punishment. With
deep reflection about where my life was headed, I have begun the process of
redemption, and decided that before I go to prison, I want to speak to young
people about responsibility as a lifestyle.

Laudable sentiments, certainly. Then this;

I hope that through my mistakes, young people can begin to learn, as I did, that
we have to put our guns down and start to give our guns back. It pains me inside
to hear about so many of our people dying because of gun violence. Just in the
past weeks, a 13-year old boy was shot in the head in Harlem, a 17- and a
19-year old were murdered in a double homicide in Queens and a 15-year-old was
chased, beaten, shot and burned in Chicago.

Hey, T.I., how about this? Maybe hoodlums should stop shooting people in the head. Its not like handguns get that restless feeling that says they could use some more drugs, or get upset other guns are moving into their territory, or get jealous because the other gun gets to go to the rifle range instead. People do the deed of shooting other people in the head. People do not die from gun violence. People die from people violence. Many of my friends are gun owners and I can't say that any have shot others in the head or otherwise.
T.I. is going to prison because he is a convicted felon who bought machine guns and silencers. He will get to spend much quality time with people who don't need guns to do violent deeds. T.I. got off light, anyway. Federal sentencing guidelines are much harsher than twelve months for this crime, more like 57 months. Nice talking about taking responsibility after getting a sweetheart deal.