NFL Ramblings: 10 Spot

Rolling toward the end of a good week off…awful Mets lost tonight in Pittsburgh but can’t complain too much about two of three. Although, this team is not going to do anything with lineups that feature Mike DeFelice, Marlon Anderson and Brian Lawerence on the mound.

Enough on baseball for now, though. A few observations from the past week or so related to the NFL. Some of this is not exactly “breaking news” but deal with it.

1. Norv Turner is a born loser. Sorry, Chargers fans. I was sitting watching the Bolts-Hawks preseason game with my dad earlier this week. Dad is an above-average football fan. He’s the type who watches every Sunday, can identify most of the head coaches and major players and generally has a good feel for the game. At one point, the cameras flashed on Norv and my father asked somewhat incredulously: “Is that Norv Turner?” Followed by…”he’s their new head coach?” Yep. Pops continued on to astutely postulate something about him having never really won anywhere. Actually, his career record as a head man is 58-82-1. Riiight. Now, many will correctly point out his penchant for taking over poor teams, etc, etc. I get it. He’s still a loser.

This is based on a highly-proven theory called “loser face.” Norv has it. I’ve seen it before. Art Howe had it as Mets manager. It’s that permanent facial expression that seems to convey a feeling of utter helplessness…that everything is happening to them and they are somehow incapable of proactively affecting the results in any other way. There’s nothing that can be done about it. Just accept it.

2. Giants safety Will Demps may have difficulty in pass coverage, but he apparently has no problems covering the ladies. Actually, it’s become somewhat of an albatross that poor Willie just can’t seem to shake. Woe is Will. Bonus points to the NY Post for once again raising the bar on what is news (although, I am commenting on it so…).

3. Calvin Johnson is the 2007 NFL Rookie of the Year. Mark it down. No, this isn’t exactly the sleeper pick of the year, but I’m making the call anyway. Got to see this guy in person a few months back, and he looked like a freakish hybrid of the best version of Randy Moss cross-bred with the best version of Terrell Owens. Also one of those players who appears to have been born to play his position and it just comes a bit too easily. Can’t wait to watch him play and with Martz at the controls on offense he’ll have ample opportunities. Marshawn Lynch will finish second.

4. Pac Man Jones just can’t hang out at home, huh? Apparently one of P-Man’s new wrestling colleagues has told him to “watch his back in the shower.” And, in case the whole wrastling thing doesn’t work out, PMJ is hedging his bets with a suarez into the world of hip-hop. Since there is a long and storied past of successful athlete rappers.

5. Vick is going to jail. So, is Tim Donaghy (prepare for off-topic rant). Ok, let me just spout for a moment. I heard this the other day and couldn’t believe it. Don’t get me wrong, betting is bad. Fixing games also bad. But I thought it was ridiculous how long Worm got sent away for setting up the dives against Friends Academy, and I cannot fathom that I heard correctly that even theoretically Donaghy could be sentenced to 25 years. Do we not have repeat sex offenders who are getting out in a few years these days? What gives?

6. I’ve decided that Donovan McNabb is either going to have an absolutely ridiculous year, put the Eagles on his back again and finally make (probably unfair) skeptics like me respect him as an elite quarterback…OR he’s going to be Daunte Culpepper in two years. I honestly feel like it could go either way, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised with either outcome.

7. Darrelle Revis finally signed. Have to echo the sentiments of Bassett and the Boys at The Jets Blog and just cross my fingers that this guy is the real deal. He better be. Because this the type of stuff that’s only tolerable if the guy turns out to be a legit stud. Time will tell.

8. Ummm…I’d kind of a little concerned if I was a Chiefs fan right now. Maybe I never gave Trent Green the props he deserved, but for a team with playoff aspirations the options of Huard and Croyle don’t exactly scream postseason to me. And then there’s Herm. I don’t miss him. Always been a fan of Brody, but, if he gets the call, he’s going to struggle for a good long while. And I’m still quite unconvinced Damon Huard is a bonafide even middle-tier NFL starting quarterback. Not good when those who truly follow the team speak of Huard as one of the “zeros” of their most recent preseason contest. Yes, I know it’s preseason…but you can only hand the ball to 2-7 so many times. And we know Herm will.

9. Read this Lions preview. So much for allowing any optimism to bloom near Ford Field.

10. Kornheiser is still terrible. While I would tend to agree with the folks at Awful Announcing who are the best in the blogosphere on nailing analysis of these types of things, I just can’t seem to move past him. I’ve decided it might be better if I just turn off the telecast until the opening kickoff. Because, albeit trite, one of the things that bothers me most is just how incredibly uncomfortable Tony seems to look when sitting in one of those chairs knowing the camera’s on him. It’s really painful. And then there’s the whole part where he keeps opening his mouth and awkwardly trying to somehow improve the commentary in ways I’ve still failed to grasp. Which fans in the ‘ole target audience is he supposed to be connecting with again? That said, I was fired up about Jaws from the beginning and have seen no reason to let that enthuasism fade. The point is. MNF will never be great with Tony as part of the crew. However, there seems to be promise at least in a slight improvement with Joe gone…and this…is a good thing.