Poll

I like my life and all, but I'm just wondering:

How many babies would you murder to switch lives with Tom Brady?

In case you forgot - 3 NFL Championships, at least one SuperBowl MVP, lots of monies, lordship of New England, good looking ex-girlfriend holding your child, best looking current girlfriend in the world (according to some) who will be featured in Playboy in September (Thank you, Hef. Thank you so much.).

Upon many minutes of reflection, I have decided that I would strangle 6 babies with my bare hands, drown 5 babies in hot water, tie 7 babies together and put them in the dryer, stick 3 babies in Publix plastic bags (tying them closed, of course), and kick 4 babies in their baby sternums.

So, in all, I GUESS I'd destroy a fair amount of babies.

Go ahead... judge. You bastards.

Kobe

Please raise your electronic hand if you'd like to see Kobe traded?

I know I am not alone. A supermegastar like Kobe Bryant getting traded could inject life into a semi-boring NBA. Without the Golden State Warriors, this postseason is almost a yawn-fest of predictability. Thankfully, the Cavs-Pistons series is up for grabs. Unfortunately, the level of play isn't fantastic. The Spurs steamrolled and will probably win a 4th Tim Duncan championship. Boring.

Put Kobe on any number of teams and that team is an instant contender. I just read a list of hypoethicals and many of them are interesting and fun to think about. Kobe lining up with the Bulls, the Suns, or even the Mavs. If any of those teams could get a deal cemented, they would have the best line-up going into 2008. Regardless of Kobe's demeanor and personality, he is one of the best 3 players in the league. He scores like mad, isn't afraid to take any shot (Lebron - watch more tape of this - your fear hurts me), hits the rack hard, and knows the taste of victory.

Kobe is a bag of crap personally, but basketball skills trump that because he is a basketball player, not a state senator. I would go to a lot of Orlando Magic games (if the tickets could be purchased reasonably) if Kobe came to town. I'd also buy a jersey and jump on said bandwagon.
Kobe and Dwight Howard? Not bad...

Franchise

I just read an article that had four different opinions on players to choose in order to build a franchise. If you only had one player you could choose to build a team around, who would it be?

I think everyone who reads this blog knows exactly what I'm going to say:

Peyton Manning. He is the quintessential franchise quarterback. He gives you everything you want from the position and offers a different type of leadership that can't be taught.

I invite everyone to post their opinions, but be wary Alge Crumpler lovers, you will be ridiculed for tomfoolery.

In My Defense...

It's no lie that my recent movie preferences are pretty opposite from Craig's. But, to blatantly lie about how I feel about certain movies is insulting.

First, I never recommended Devil Wears Prada. At most I said it was not bad and had a few good moments, which surprised me. But even so the only reason I saw this in the theatre is because of a trade I made with Nicole. We saw this movie, and then went to the midnight showing of Superman Returns.

Second, I never said I didn't want to see 300. I just wasn't foaming at the mouth to go see it like you were. I'm sure it's a great movie, and I will see it on DVD, now that it's out of the theatre. But I never read the comic book, and the trailers didn't excite me to the point of hysterics like most other people.

Third, I did enjoy Spiderman 3, even though on the whole I felt the movie was poorly done. Most of my criticisms on the movie were what it could have been, and damn it, should have been. But as a fan of the comic book, and reading them my entire life, it never gets old seeing that character on screen. I wish I could go back and just re-write the end of the movie. Keep the black suit on Spiderman and let him use the power to defeat the Sandman. Then after Spiderman almost kills him, end the movie with him getting the suit off of him in the church tower and a scene where we see Peter back to normal and the red and blue suit swinging through the city. Then, at the end of the credits, flash back to the church. We see Eddie praying to kill Peter Parker, and hear the screams coming from the tower. The symbiote comes down and merges with Eddie. Then the priest comes in, horrified, and whispers, "what are you?" Venom's face is revealed from the darkness and he says, "We are Venom." End of movie.

And my criticisms of Pirates 3 are valid. I readily admit that I'm not a giant fan of the franchise, but I have enjoyed both movies. The first one was ok, and I actually enjoyed the second one more. They both had the perfect mix of great characters, comedy, and goofy action. To me, the plot was irrelevant and boring. This movie is different though. The only word to describe this movie is epic. The story is huge, and has a ton of twists and turns. So much so that it felt like the characters took a back seat to a lot of it, which is unfortunate to me because it added a lot more of what I don't like and took out what I did like. And I felt every single minute of the 168 minutes that is Pirates 3. The worst part is that I don't know how they could cut down the story at all, because every scene is important to the story.

I have no doubt that people that absolutely love the Pirates franchise, i.e. Craig, will think this is the greatest movie. But to me, the movie was just ok. Certainly not bad. This movie did a lot of things right, and could have crossed the line into being really bad several times, but they don't. Definitely see this film if you have any interest.

Beat to the post

Before Mike incorrectly comments about Pirates 3, I wanted to call him out for his lack of movie taste as of late.

First offense: Recommending Devil Wears Prada and claiming it was "funny."
Second offense: Not caring to see, or getting excited for 300.
Third offense: I fully expected and was not surprised to hear him say something to the effect of "I kinda liked it" when referring to Spidey-3. Later, he mentioned many things he did not like, but still.
Fourth offense: Sitting through Pirates 3 and saying that they took themselves too seriously.

Clearly, Nicole is in charge of the Netflix account.

Also, it seems that no one reads this but Mike and I, so I DARE you comment, Mr. Thomas. I dare you to defend yourself.

Keyshawn Johnson Retires

Yes, the "greatest wide receiver to ever take a breath" has retired from the NFL.

Here's the scary part:

Johnson has agreed to a multiyear contract, and will appear on several ESPN telecasts, including pre-game shows on Sundays and Monday nights, and do some radio work as well.

At ESPN, Johnson will join the crew of Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown as an analyst. He will also contribute to a new weekly ESPN Radio NFL show hosted by Chris Mortensen and Bill Parcells.

Good lord. First, ESPN's pre-game shows have become almost unwatchable these last couple years, adding Johnson is only going to put that right over the top. Damn you NBC for paying to become the only Sunday night recap show! NFL Primetime was one of the best things about Sunday during football season. You can get caught up on all the games you missed during the day, and the broadcast was actually good. Shocking, I know.

And if I were to dream up the worst team to do a football radio show, I think it would be Chris Mortensen, Bill Parcells, and Keyshawn Johnson. My god, I'm going to have nightmares now about this. Two really boring guys and an asshole. The only thing worse would be if these goofballs get a show on ESPN. That would be awful.

Macabre

Should there be roof access in office buildings?

Would this kind of be like natural selection?

Somebody Needs a Muzzle

If you haven't heard, Michael Vick is being investigated for his part of a dog fighting ring that was run in a house that he owns, and where his cousin lives. And even though there is evidence that dog fighting has taken place in the house, and eyewitness reports can place Vick on the scene, investigators are still putting together the pieces to determine if charges will be brought against the NFL quarterback.

Now, it's pretty much common knowledge in our society that dog fighting is bad, and it's hard to defend someone and say it is ok if they are found guilty of running a dog fighting ring. And even though this story has been out in the media for a couple of weeks now, nobody has really put their neck out there to defend Michael Vick. And if they do, it's usually along the lines of, "well, no charges have been filed yet and we really don't know anything at this point."

So imagine how glad I was to finally see someone step up and properly defend poor, weak, defenseless Michael Vick. Not only did this person step up and speak out to defend a fellow player, he did it in one of the most ignorant, and therefore glorious, statements I've ever heard. Thank you Clinton Portis, thank you.

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog," Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis told WAVY-TV in Virginia. "If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business."

That's right America. Mind your business. Who cares if someone is using the pure entertainment that is a dog mauling another dog for a chance to make some money gambling? This is a free country!

"You want to hunt down Mike Vick over fighting some dogs?," Portis told the television station. "I think people should mind their own business."

Portis said that dog fighting is more common than people think.

"I know a lot of back roads that have the dog fighting if you want to go see it," he said.

Yes we do Clinton Portis, yes we do.

Unfortunately, the suits in the NFL front office and the Redskins organization forced him to come out with a statement later in the day, claiming that he has never been involved in dog fighting, nor does he condone it "in any manner".

4th and Goal, Episode 1

That's right boys and girls. The first episode of 4th and Goal is now online and ready to download. There are two ways you can listen. If you want to always have the newest episode automatically downloaded to your computer, you can "subscribe" to the show. The easiest way to do this is through iTunes. Right click here, and select "Copy Link Location." Then open iTunes, and under the "Advanced" menu, select "Subscribe to Podcast". Now just paste in the URL that you copied and it will begin downloading the latest episode.

If you just want to download the show without subscribing, then right click here and select "Save As".

This week we talk about the NBA and NHL playoffs, Favre and the Packers, Vick and his dogs, and our early locks for the NFL playoffs.

Hmm...

There isn't a whole lot going on in the world of NFL. A former Lion passed away, Farve goes to mini-camp, Moss shows up in Foxboro, Devin Hester is going to run routes at WR, etc... Fortunately, before we know it, preseason will rear its head and fantasy drafts will begin (joy!). Until then, though, other sports take precedence.

The Spurs won their first game of the series against the Jazz. This series probably won't be too exciting, Spurs win it in 5 games and go on to win ANOTHER ring, unless Lebron James can finally be a superstar.

The Cavs play the Pistons tonight and I'm torn on this. The Cavs can win because the Pistons tend to go on cruise control for 2-4 games. That fact, coupled with Lebron, could lead the Cavs to their first Finals in a LONG-LONG time. The Bulls never let them in the 90s, so it must be before then.

In other sports news, Roger Federer (best tennis player on Earth) finally beat his arch-nemesis, Raphael Nadal, on Nadal's preferred surface. No, it wasn't a major, but it is a big deal. 1) Nadal had a streak of 81 matches won on clay. 2) Nadal had beaten Federer 5 or 6 times in a row, prior, on clay - including 2 French Open victories. 3) The French Open begins next week and what better confidence boost going in than to beat a man the week before on the same surface? If Federer dominates like he just did on clay, he will win his 1st French Open, complete his career grand slam, have 11 total grand slam victories and be that much closer to greatest of all time.

In hockey, the Senators are in the Cup Finals and await either the Ducks or Red Wings. As fars as I know, the Ducks are leading the series 3-2, so Detroit fans... lament. I don't have much to say here, because I don't know much about hockey. I know that the Ducks have fun uniforms and the team didn't come about until after the movie (I'm pretty sure) and that movie was pretty sweet. I also know that an old friend of mine used to dress me up in hockey/football gear and slap pucks at me in his mother's living room. I was a functional goalie. Sports are awesome.

I'll be doing my best to watch Cavs-Pistons tonight. Please, Lebron, show up. Prove you are a bona-fide superstar, not an over-commercialized, 30 point averaging, blowhard. Seriously. Elevate your game.

Sooner than later, Mike will post a link to our very first podcast. Enjoy listening and make sure to comment about how you think it went.

Poll

How much inappropriate language is acceptable in an office setting?

What words can I use? What words should I avoid?

Can I use "snizz" because most (adults) don't know what it means?

Hockey

A great weekend for playoff hockey, and I missed most of it. I didn’t get to watch any of the Detroit and Anaheim series, and was only to watch parts of the Ottawa and Buffalo games. But the few parts I did see were great. Ottawa has taken a commanding lead in the series over Buffalo, winning the first two games in Buffalo. That’s incredible. I thought they were going to win one of the two, but not both. Ottawa now gets to play the next two games at home. Saturday night’s game was a great double OT win for the Senators. Buffalo managed to tie the game at 3 a piece with 5 seconds left in regulation, and was swarming around the net in overtime. But Ottawa fired a one-timer off of a face-off to win the game 4-3.

Buffalo did a lot of things right in this game, and could easily win one of the next two games (and must if they want to keep their season going). If they can just get their power play going (0-12 in the series) then they might be able to make it interesting. If they can’t then Ottawa is going to come dangerously close to sweeping the Senators.

As for the western conference finals, that series looks to be more evenly matched, with the series tied 1-1. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to watch any of those games, and since most of the games will be on the west coast, they won’t be starting until 9:00 during the week. I’ll still be watching though.

Tonight is Game 3 of the Ottawa and Buffalo series. It’s not too late to check it out.

Favre

So, the soon to be all-time TD throwing QB might want a trade out of Wisconsin. What do we think of that?

We think it could be fantastic for a team to pick him up... on the business side of things. Selling tickets, jerseys, etc... I'm sure there are some teams that would actually start him, if they got him (Cleveland, Miami, Delaware State University, etc...), however, this debate has been presented before and the argument MIGHT be even weaker now.

How many teams should go after Brett Favre and how many head coaches/front offices would start him in this upcoming 2008 season?

My thoughts: Buffalo (maybe, but they love JP), Miami, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Oakland (let the big investment in JaMarcus sit a few games), Washington, Dallas (if Jerry Jones got a little crazy), Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay (kind of a stretch). So, I think that 10 teams have a need that Favre could fill. Lay on the disagreement...

Williams at it again

Well, Ricky Williams failed his last drug test, and wont be able to get reinstated to the NFL until September. I don't know whether to think he's an idiot for throwing away his talent and thinking he wont get caught...or feel sorry for him. From the article:

"Falling off the wagon is part of rehab," a source said. "Based on the medical evidence in Ricky's case, the doctors say it's too early to come back. He had the positive test last month. Remember, he's been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder -- that's a real disease and a good percentage of those folks self-medicate with substances like marijuana, often at the moment they are about to have a high level of social interaction."

If it is a problem with his mental illness and an addiction that is out of his control, then maybe the media should pay some more attention to this. The NFL is known for only taking from it's players, and rarely giving back in times of need. Maybe if stories like this become public, then the NFL will be forced to take better care of its athletes, and everyone benefits.

NBA Playoffs - Golden State

Are the Golden State Warriors the most exciting team to watch in the past ten years? I remember watching the Lakers and Spurs in the early 2000s. I remember watching the Bulls in the late 90s. This is different.

The 2007 Golden State Warriors are fantastic. They shoot more ill-advised threes than I've ever seen in a basketball team. The irony is that they nail enough of them to warrant the gameplan. They are well coached and have almost too much raw talent. Guys like Stephen Jackson (conduct problems), Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Ellis; they are good, but not refined. Baron Davis is refined. Jason Richardson is almost refined.

I have watched every game they've played. Last night, I heard the commentator mention that the Warrior's gameplan was to launch at least 30 3-balls. That is fantastic. In fact, they threw up 40 and made almost 40% of them. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough, but watching is intense.

However, the question remains: Are the 2007 Warriors the most exciting playoff team of the past 10 years?

Steelers Sign Kevan Barlow to 1-year Deal

According to ESPN.com, the Steelers have signed Kevan Barlow to a 1-year deal. Currently it's not known how much Barlow will be paid, but assuming it's not a large amount, this is a good deal for the Steelers, in my opinion. I thought that they should have drafted a running back to add some depth to the group, but they passed on all the running backs in the draft.

He's not going to come in and start, but he will give Willie Parker some rest, add some much needed power running to the team, and more importantly challenge Najeh Davenport for playing time. Even if Barlow doesn't perform well on the field, the added rest for Parker, and motivation for Davenport could be worth it.

Draft Analysis: AFC North

Baltimore Ravens – Thought Provoking
The Ravens drafted Ben Grubbs with their first pick in the 2007 Draft. This was a good idea. He was the best guard available at the time (Thomas went third overall). The new running back, McGahee, needs extra holes to really break out. Between him and Mike Anderson, the Ravens look decent out of the backfield. The funny pick that Baltimore went with was Troy Smith in the 5th round. That’s right, the 174th pick of the draft goes to the Heisman Winner. This could actually prove to be an interesting gamble if he becomes a multi-position player. We know he isn’t going to throw anytime soon (McNair, Boller), but having Smith adds an athletic element if he wants it bad enough. The Ravens didn’t take any other big names in the other rounds, but filled some needs in their depleted linebacker corps.

Cincinnati Bengals - Fanciful
I like what the Bengals did in the first two rounds of the draft. First, they didn’t take any felons, which is cool. Second, they got Leon Hall and Kenny Irons. Hall could be the best CB in the draft class and Kenny Irons is a fantastic tailback out of Auburn. Irons won’t get many touches, but Hall will probably see immediate action if he doesn’t fire a gun, snort a line, or slap some girl’s ass during mini-camp. I’m not sure who Jeff Rowe (Nevada QB) is, but he’ll probably hold a towel for Carson Palmer anyway. In the last round, the Bungles took two Notre Dame boys, perhaps in an attempt to solidify team character.

Cleveland Browns – Double-Take-erific
I say double-take because I couldn’t believe how savvy the Browns ended up looking. Right out of the gate, they smell like crap because they don’t take the hometown boy who is dying to come there and save the franchise. Then, after drafting the big-time tackle, pick after pick after pick, that hometown boy is still there. Then, like caped crusaders, the Browns front office swoops in and grabs Quinn at 22. Amazing and probably well worth the first round choice they gave up. They were going to need a QB in the first round next year (most likely) anyway. Why not get a well-coached, well-groomed, marketable guy now? The Browns’ first two rounds were awesome. Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn, and CB Eric Wright. In the later rounds, they firmed up the D-line. The Browns could win 6-8 games next season. Write it down.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Not half bad
The Stillers grabbed Timmons and Woodley in the first 46 picks. Timmons, a quick LB from FSU was a highly touted recruit from the combine. Woodley could have been a first rounder, so the Black-and-Gold got good value for the Michigan DE with good closing speed. Through the rounds, Pitt did what they had to do adding a TE, some line assistance, a punter, and a corner. What amazes me is the seventh round pick. Dallas Baker from Florida. This could prove to be a great late-round addition to the Steelers passing offense. Baker comes from a winning program and even caught a few big TDs in his day. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of him. With a new coach and some fancy defensive help, perhaps the Stillers can NOT lose ten games.

NHL Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are heating up, and we're down to just four teams left. The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres square off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This should be a great series. Buffalo was consistently one of the best teams in the entire league, and by far the best in the East. But Ottawa has come alive in the playoffs and has easily beat the Penguins and Devils to advance. If you get a chance to watch any of the games, do so. Unfortunately it's looking like Versus is carrying all of the games so far, but I think their coverage is actually getting better, so it will still be fun to watch. Their first game is tomorrow at 7:00pm EST.

The Western Conference Finals has a surprising match-up of with the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks. Detroit has been a great team all year, but stumbled a little bit early on against the Sharks. If they can continue to get good play from Hasek, then they should advance fairly easy. But, if Anaheim can keep the pressure on the Red Wings, they can make this series very interesting.

It should be fun to watch. My predictions: Detroit in 6 and Ottawa in 7.

An Open Letter to Hollywood

Spider-man 3 came out in theaters this weekend. By all rights, it should have been an amazing movie. It has everything a good film needs, Spider-man saving people, and a couple of really cool looking bad guys. It’s very hard to screw this up. And somehow, this movie sucks. It blows. It’s awful. I got more excitement from watching Sylar and Peter square off on Heroes than I did watching this film, which was supposed to be the ultimate movie based on my favorite fictional character since I was in elementary school. Listen up Marvel Studios and Hollywood. I know I have little “experience” directing a major motion picture, and my resume doesn’t look as good compared to others (at least I’m better than Uwe Boll), but I know that I could have written and directed a movie that would have made not just a lot of money (I believe the scientific term is butt load of money), but it would have been awesome. And note that there are lots of spoilers below, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet you might want to stop reading now.

Here’s the outline of the movie. Ok, so NYC has finally accepted Spider-man, and they treat him as a celebrity. Peter, who was always on the outside looking in, is in love with his newfound fame. Conversely, the always-popular MJ is having trouble getting her career started and can’t buy a good review (probably because she can’t sing or act). At the same time we have Harry dealing with his hate for Peter/Spiderman. We also have the Sandman and his storyline. And on top of all of that Marvel Studios somehow forced Raimi to squeeze in the symbiote and Venom storyline into this. All in 2 ½ hours!

One of my biggest gripes with this movie, and most comic book movies, is the need to kill off the villain at the end. Villains do not die in comic books! Mostly they appear to die. If the villain does die, then there needs to be a way for someone to come up and take their place. The first Spiderman movie actually did this right. When they kill the Green Goblin at the end of the movie, it becomes the catalyst for Harry to descend into the Green Goblin role. This movie not only killed off one of the best characters in the franchise when they decided to kill off Harry (I said there were spoilers), but they killed off two of the best characters at the same time in the movie, and both were completely unnecessary.

So Hollywood, listen up. As a huge fan of the comic book, and a fan of these types of movies, I’m going to explain how I think the movie should have ended.

First, Harry doesn’t die. There’s absolutely no reason for Harry to die here. He’s already redeemed himself as a character in this movie. The new costume for him was actually really cool, as opposed to the original costume, which was just awful. And in future movies you can use him as a villain again. Remember, the formula he took to get the Goblin powers is supposed to make him crazy. He could slip at any time, and become a really cool bad guy. Also, Eddie Brock doesn’t die. Come on now. This was the EASIEST to get right, and you got it wrong. Eddie Brock is supposed to go to jail. Because there the symbiote comes and sets him free, and in the process creates Carnage. Carnage might not work in movie form, but at least leave that option. You could even throw Brock in jail and never come back to him, but at least we as the fans could argue that as a possibility. And, as others have pointed out, how the hell could the same bomb that just burned half of Harry’s face, completely incinerate Eddie? That doesn’t seem to add up.

Those are some of the major things I would have changed. These little things also need to be addressed:

• No spider-sense? Are you kidding me? There’s no way the Green Goblin sneaks up on Spidey like that. None. There’s no excuse for that.
• The Sandman “flying”. This just looked dumb, and didn’t need to be in there. Neither did the Sandman, but whatever.
• Emo-Peter. We’re supposed to see Peter’s dark side brought out by the symbiote, and what do we get? Peter turns himself into an Emo kid. This could have been done so much better than a song and dance montage. Seriously, what the hell was that?
• The symbiote on Peter. If the symbiote that was on Venom was like a liquid in the sense that it would flow on and off of him at will, then why was it actual fabric on Spiderman? It should have acted the same exact way, and he could have used the costume at will.
• Peter went out a lot without the Spiderman costume on underneath his clothes. This should never happen.
• Venom was tiny. Venom is supposed to be huge, and I thought in this movie I could put him in my pocket.

I felt like the entire time I was watching the fight scenes in the movie that I was waiting in line for the Spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure and watching the story that they show when you are waiting. And when you think that a big budget blockbuster title you just paid millions of dollars for is of similar quality to a five-minute loop of animation, I would hope you get a little sad about that.

Of course, none of this means anything since Spiderman 3 is setting records all over the place. But just think, if people pay this much to see crap, how much would they dish out to see the genius that is my story on screen?

A little late, but...

Roger Clemens getting a contract that pays him $4.5 million a month! The contract is essentially a $28 million/one year deal. How ridiculous is this?

Yes, he is still "The Rocket" and had the lowest ERA in the Majors (2.30) last year after June, but how many starts will he even get? 12? 15? I can't comprehend this. The Yankees are paying more than $1 million per start.

Enough is enough. I love the Yanks, but come on!

Draft Analysis: NFC East

Dallas Cowboys – Lackluster
The Cowboys did some trading, which could turn out to be fantastic, but as it stands, they picked up Anthony Spencer with a traded down pick. They do need DE help, but there were plenty of guys available. Spencer isn’t a gamble, but the ‘Boys could’ve gambled on one of the less pure players. In later rounds, the Cowboys went with O-line, which is good for Julius Jones. I have no idea with Isaiah Stanback is, but he is going to hold Tony Romo’s clipboards if he makes the cut, so that doesn’t matter. Interestingly enough, they drafted a kicker, so he may make up for the amazing accuracy of Vanderjagt. His name is Nick Folk, which won’t warrant remembering unless he starts kicking 3-FGs a game.

New York Giants – Pleasant
The Giants came out strong picking up some DB help with Aaron Ross of Texas. Some analysts were saying this was too high for Ross. I’m sure others disagreed. These guys are all over the place. All in all, the G-men need some help back there. Ross can start immediately and most likely will. In the second round, the Giants got an arguable bargain in Steve Smith, the talented WR from USC. Smith and Dwayne Jarrett were a great team for USC last season and both have the potential to be big time, deep threats. In the later rounds, New York filled out some gaps at tackle, line backer and even grabbed a 7th round running back. Unfortunately, unless this guy is Marques Colston-esque, the Giants will have no use for him.

Philadelphia Eagles – Angering
What? Why? Damn it, Andy Reid. How can you show confidence in your franchise QB if you are drafting a QB with the first pick in your draft? Granted, Kolb is a decent prospect, starting over 50 games in the NCAA, but D-Nabb is valuable, broken or not. The guy has put Philly on the map this decade. So, they take Kolb first and pick up a Notre Dame DE in the second round. From there, Philly picked up some assistance at OLB, RB, CB, and TE. I just don’t see how a team like Philly can pass up on wide array of other players and take a QB when Donovan McNabb is rehabbing to play. The man has shown (after injuries) that he can be one of the most dangerous players in the NFL. Boo, Andy, Boo.

Washington Redskins – Forgetful
Danny Snyder had only one pick in the first four rounds, so this analysis will be brief. The Skins chose to solidify their defensive backfield, giving them the best safety duo in Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry. Landry, from LSU, is talented and safeties have proven to be the least likely busts in the first round. From there, Washington added some linebackers, a QB from UTEP (Jordan Palmer) and a TE. The late round additions will have to work to make the roster, but the 2007 Draft was essentially LaRon Landry for the Redskins. Good luck, Portis, you will still have no protection running through the gaps.

De La Hoya - Mayweather

Was it the biggest fight of all time? No. Was it the best fight of all time? No. Was it even the best fight in the past ten years? Not exactly.

Those of you who saw the fight know what I mean. The fight, which lasted all 12 rounds, was worth our pay-per-view money, but didn't satisfy curiousity at all. There was no definitive victor, no knock out, hell, no knockdowns. Pretty Boy Floyd did NOT do what he said and Oscar did. Some points should have been awarded for that.

I don't know much about boxing scoring, especially since I've seen fights scored many different ways. I've watched fights where the agressor wins, regardless of punch percentages and statistics. I've seen fights where the savvier defender gets the nod from the judges. In my opinion, when it goes to the cards (as many fights do) boxing loses some of its allure.

A decision steals something from the glory of boxing. For De La Hoya - Mayweather, a rematch should already be in the works. I HOPE a rematch is already in the works. The public wants it and both of them should want it. Not even for the millions they will bank, but for the pride and actual bragging rights.

Floyd may have come out on top, but his verbal credibility is smashed. A 34-year old De La Hoya (clearly past his prime) stood toe-to-toe with the "best pound for pound" boxer and barely flinched. In fact, it was Floyd who looked scared at times. Hmm... Maybe the Golden Boy isn't quite finished.

You must read this...

The liquid of life lies stored in the male, in his jewel of naughty desires. When the male becomes aroused, internal body heat causes the liquid of life to simmer, making the jewel of naughty desires to swell so that it stretches the sac of containment. (Sometimes both jewels swell at the same time, causing a reaction known in medical circles as “letting go with both barrels”.) The liquid of life soon starts to boil and the pressure forces it up the boulevard of urgency, down through the snake of life and finally out the valve of relief. If, during this process, the male’s snake of life has passed through the female’s gate of forbidden pleasures and is buried in the avenue of rapture, the liquid of life spurts deep into the female’s hall of conception and trickles into the tube of sanctuary. There, if it is a certain time of the month, the liquid of life will encounter the oval of regret, which is dispensed at given intervals from one of the female’s two baskets of hidden dangers. The two separate agents join forces and return to the hall of conception where they are nurtured by natural body juices until, some nine months later, with the hall of conception swollen so that it can no longer contain the growth, a baby is born.


Oh, how I wish this were original "Craig" content. Alas, it is not. This was taken, word for word, from a board game called "The Sex Education Game."

Enjoy the six giggles you just got for free.

Two Quick Question

1. Tom Brady seen in public wearing a Yankees hat. Is this blasphemy? (Probably not because Brady is a winner and probably likes other winners. The Yankees aren't winners currently, but always have been and probably always will be.)

2. Two Vegan parents were convicted of murdering their baby after feeding it a steady diet of soy milk and apple juice. Since they don't believe in animal product and apparently formula slipped their mind (or has animal product in it), the baby died at just 3.5 lbs. The guilty verdict came after 7 hours of deliberation. Extremists holding on to their ideals or baby killers? Life in prison for them?

You tell me.

AFC East Draft Analysis

Mel Kiper, I am not, therefore I cannot even begin to go into the depth and breadth of the NFL draft as he does. Instead, I will take a new approach. Teams will not receive an A, B, C-, D+, etc... As many of you (I know there aren’t actually many) know, I went to school for creative writing. In that, I should know how to write, though I fail often. Whatever. The point is, I’m going to use adjectives and hopefully awesome ones to describe the different grades and draft successes/failures. Enjoy. Or don’t. Mike hasn’t told me whether I’m allowed to curse or not, so I won’t, but know that I would’ve right there.

The 2007 NFL Draft Question:

What camp do you come from? Fill your most important need OR pick up the best player available?

AFC East

Buffalo Bills – Majestic
The Bills filled a hole with Marshawn Lynch, but many are saying this was too high to draft him. I say otherwise. Lynch was probably the second best RB available and the Bills need one, now that McGahee is off to Baltimore. In the second round, the Bills scooped up Penn State LB Pozlusky (incorrect spelling on purpose). His last name will never be spelled right or pronounced correctly on THIS show. Hubris is awesome. In all seriousness, Posluszny was great in college and can add immediate impact. Follow that with star QB Trent Edwards from Stanford and another RB, Dwayne Wright from Fresno and the Bills didn’t fair too poorly. Downside? Line, line, line. Protect poor J.P. Maybe they’ll do a free agent thing.

Miami Dolphins – Ridiculous
How do you pass on Brady Quinn when you have QB needs? There are many answers to this question and NONE of them are Ted Ginn, Jr. Teddy is a fine player with speed, jumps, and hands but taking him #9 when a QB is absolutely necessary is downright idiotic. The Dolphins haven’t had a franchise 10-year QB since Marino. Don’t you think the fans deserve that, Cam Cameron? No, you don’t. You think they deserve an injured punt returner and John Beck. Even if Beck is awesome, he will forever be compared to Quinn and at the very least, Quinn would’ve sold more jerseys. The NFL is about money, but sometimes the business aspect seems lost. Miami isn’t going to win the title in 2007, so why not draft the guy that gets tickets sold, jerseys sold, and could be your guy for 10 years? On a lighter note, they did add speedy Lorenzo Booker out of FSU. I’ve seen the guy play live and if he plays East-West for Miami like he did for FSU, they’ll surely average 1.3 yards per carry on the season. Yes!

New England Patriots – Masterful
Bill, Bill, Bill. You damn genius. First, Tom Brady might be the most unselfish sports star in the history of the NFL. He takes LESS money for years in hopes of a better supporting cast. Finally, Kraft and Billy Brains get together and do it for him. They had the best Free Agent grabs for WRs and improved everything for themselves in the draft. They went defense with crazy safety, Meriweather (yes, the stomper), D-line Kareem Brown and LB Justin Rogers (who?). The bottom line for the Patriots was that Billy did some fancy trading and ended up with 8 first round picks in 2008. Seriously. Ok, so maybe he only has 2, but still. Easy 2008 Superbowl front-runner. Easy.

New York Jets – Disappointing
We all know that the Jets LOVE disappointing the fans, so this draft is no different. By the end of it, they only drafted 4 players (Dan Snyder-ish pathetic) and had to trade up to get the CB they wanted. He better be good, too, because they lost some later picks to get Darrelle Revis from Pitt. I heard Kiper say he wasn’t even the best CB, but Kiper bounces around on guys abilities like a crack baby with Pop Rocks. The Jets did get David Harris, the ILB from Michigan. This was a decent pick mid-way through the second round. Their other two guys, Bender and Stuckey, mean nothing to me right now. I’ve never heard of them and hope (for my father’s sake – he’s a fan of the J’s) that they go Colston all over the place.


More to come, folks. Mike suggested that I break up the posts into divisions (which is a fantastic idea), so I'm doing that.

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment or email us at
4thand goalshow@gmail.com.

Manning Snubbed?

Have no fear, Craig's personal draft grades are in the works and coming to a blog near you (this one). For now, I want to see if anyone will offer there opinion on the following. Peyton Manning was playing in the Wachovia Pro-Am on Wednesday (May 2). Apparently, nobody noticed. Why? Because the premier pair consisted of Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Yes. Both of them. 12 majors, 6 NBA championships, and a whole lot of NIKE stock. They stole the show at the golf engagement and my question is this: If NFL football is the most popular, how does Peyton not get some loving at this event?

Of course, I'll weigh my own opinion in. Yes, the NFL is the largest American sport and a constant cash-cow. However, Michael Jordan hasn't played a game in years and IS basketball. Tiger Woods defines golf. Peyton is a current icon for the most popular sport but isn't THE icon (maybe one day). Tiger and Michael are global, they are 100 % recognizable, they are sports. So, if Manning was snubbed, it is no slight on his game. That has been validated. If he was snubbed it is nothing more than support for two global icons, the status poor Lebron wishes to attain.

Welcome...

Not to be outdone, I must also welcome you to 4th and goal. Mike sounded so formal in his introduction, so I'll just divert from that. Those of you coming to read this (at this point in time) already know both of us, no doubt, so we hope you will enjoy our insights. This blog will feature mainly football nonsense, though I'm sure a little bit of life will pour in. Things happen, whether it be news, crap, or otherwise and who better to dish an opinion than me... or Mike. Well, me, mainly. Kidding sort of. I refer to this as half-kidding.

Again, welcome to our blog and sooner than later, our podcast. Eventually, this will be on iTunes and you can listen to us across the world. How exciting! Now, back to reality. Thank you Mom, Dad, Pollard, Reggie, and a few select others for reading this blog and listening to the podcast. Oh yes, I shan't forget Mike's girlfriend, parents and such. Our true fans.

Regardless, I (and probably Mike too) are excited for this. We get to shove our opinions out there and have people (albeit few) read them and maybe even have an opinion back. With that, I openly invite anyone and everyone to post your thoughts as comments on this blog. We encourage any conversation. Bring the racism, sexism, religism, etc... No topic is taboo for us. But, of course, our main concern is going to be football. So bring the racism, sexism, and religism that football presents. That'll be fun.

All in all, I am delighted to have a venue for my babblings. I look forward to any and all differences of opinions, including Mike's. As for friends like The Coral Snake, The Pitt Git, Opulent Oreo, etc... I bid you to read, write, and listen.

This ought to be fun.

Welcome to 4th and Goal

Welcome to 4th and Goal. Here you will find news and information on the NFL. There will be two main contributors to 4th and Goal. Craig is a writer and editor, and will be the main contributor to the blog portion of 4th and Goal. My name is Mike, and I come from a radio background, and will be focusing on the weekly podcast that will be available shortly. Once more information becomes available, I will post that here and let everyone know how to listen. This doesn’t mean that I won’t be helping out writing for the blog, you’re not that lucky.

You might notice the site changing a little bit in the next couple days while we get everything organized. But don’t worry. I’m sure Craig will have articles going up in no time. Feel free to leave comments, or send us an email at 4thandgoalshow@gmail.com.