Just keep plodding forward

[sigma7]

In an apparent attempt to squeeze more stupidity into 2007 than an already-saturated year could normally tolerate, Kansas City Chiefs GM Carl Peterson is returning under the guise of an "unfinished job" (dude, you've been in KC for 18 years, couldn't you have gotten around to it by now?), as is coach Herm Edwards, whose combined leadership blazed the team to a 4-12 record this year. It also appears tight end Tony Gonzales, one of the few playmakers left on the team, may be shopped around for more draft picks. It means next year will somehow be worse than this one, and I wouldn't wish that on any team outside of Oakland. Well, maybe one other.

The Bolts have the three-seed in the AFC, and they'll be hosting the Browns Titans on Sunday afternoon. Sandy Eggo's one of the weakest three-seeds in history, and even if they prevail against the Browns Titans, they stand little to no chance against the Colts. This is without factoring in Norv Turner, the Bolts' head coach and idiot-savant without the -savant. The forecast calls for torrential pain.

But for unadulterated dumb, you need look no further than Oklahoma. Or, actually, Arizona, where one of the Sooners has been sent home from their bowl-game trip after trying to shoplift a coat. Wow. Not that I think his career is over; actually, in Oklahoma, I think this makes him eligible for a few more athletic scholarships. But shoplifting coats in Tempe, Arizona...huh. Next year has to be smarter than this year, even for an election year.

Comments

[rainfletcher.livejournal.com]

The Browns? I thought for sure it was going to be the Titans due to Indy's unimpressive rest-fest last night. I think I might have preferred the Browns given the way the Titans completely owned the Bolts for 53 minutes a few weeks back.

The sports talk radio here in town is impressively (possibly even delusionally?) optimistic about the Chargers' chances this year because of the way they Finished Strong and have Been There Before and are Flying Under The Radar. They're even saying nice things about your pal Norv, who Turned It Around after the 1-3 start and 5-5 mid-ish-season mark, and Never Lost His Troops.

I hope you can tell by my use of Sarcastic Capitalization that I'm not exactly convinced, but I also never expected them to make it in 1994, so who knows? If they can beat the Titans, they go on to play a Colts team that won't have played its regulars for basically three weeks.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Yes, the Titans, sorry. I watched the entirety of the Colts/Titans game and just failed to process it. The Colts certainly didn't play like they wanted to be there, and the Titans, when they're firing on all cylinders, are still just the Titans.

The Chargers have finished strong, true. But they should've done a lot, lot better this year than they did for the talent level they have. They beat Denver and Oakland, of course, because if they hadn't, they'd be laughingstocks. Give me Shawne Merriman, LaDainian Tomlinson and Nate Kaeding and a room full of folding chairs and I can beat the Raiders this year.

I don't like the Chargers' chances, but I will say that any team in the AFC has a genuine shot. We've seen the Patriots get thrown around by bad teams this year, if not actually beaten -- closing the deal requires being able to stop Brady & co. on their powerful comeback drives, and none of the teams that had the Patriots in such a position had the defensive playmakers to do that (no, not even Ray Lewis).

I like the Colts this year, I confess. I think Tony Dungy's already worked out three ways to beat the Pats, and if he gets a chance, I think he will. If the Bolts meet the Pats, I think the players on the field match up well, but Norv will call nine consecutive time-outs or some such madness, and that'll be the difference. But I fear the Bolts' flaws will lead to them departing before then.

If nothing else, I think we're all agreed that the NFC is an afterthought this year, and regarding who wins that conference: it doesn't matter.

[rainfletcher.livejournal.com]

Very true. They should have been crushing teams the way they crushed the Broncos, but instead, many of their wins were ugly and unimpressive.

I find your lack of faith in Norv... well, certainly not disturbing. Justified? Expected? Frighteningly realistic? Good gravy, what if the Bolts actually won the Upersay Owlbay with him at the helm -- or more accurately, in spite of him at the helm? Would he be heralded as a genius? Become the next hot coaching commodity? The mind boggles.

My friend the Rabid Cowboys Fan might disagree about the NFC being an afterthought, but meh, we'll see. I just want someone to beat the Patriots so the National Media can shut the hell up.