Five Minutes for Blogging, Dec. 29
1. ABOUT THE PETITION, HERE’S A VIEW FROM A PSL HOLDER: This came via e-mail Sunday from a longtime Rams fan, AW: “I would have preferred the Rams players sign their petition of endorsement for Jim Haslett on the field for the past 10 games. Now, THAT would have been a great recommendation for the job. A petition in the locker room? That is the kind of ‘freedom of choice’ that unions now want with card check legislation. How do you NOT sign? Anyway, I would be more impressed if all of the free agents around the league that will replace our current roster were to sign the petition – not the bunch of losers who have been using up my PSL investment.”
OK, here’s the Bernie take on this: the fact that Rams players want Haslett back is one of the reasons why owner Chip Rosenbloom should be skeptical about the idea of bringing Haslett back. Unless I missed it, the Rams were 5-27 over the last two seasons with most of these players — so how exactly did they earn the privilege of recommending coaching hires? Why would the GM and owner listen to them? It’s like letting those Wall Street sharks write the new rules that give them the same freedom to get away with their conniving ways. It’s laughable. If Chip and GM Billy Devaney want to retain Haslett, then they should do so for other reasons.
2. A FEW GOOD REASONS WHY THERE’S HOPE FOR THE 2009 RAMS: This year’s postseason field features seven teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season… that includes Miami, 1-15 in 2007. And Baltimore, 3-13 in ‘07. And Atlanta, 4-12 in ‘07…. and the NFC West is basically mush. There’s an opening for immediate upward movement for a team that has a smart, aggressive offseason…. and then there’s Steven Jackson. The Rams RB can be a tremendous talent, and his performance against ATL was exhilirating. As I wrote in a column about a month ago, this is a much different (and better) team when No. 39 is healthy and attacking defenses. But is this the latest tease? Can the Rams ever count on Jackson operating at full throttle over 16 games? The short-term future of the franchise depends on it.
3. OUR NATIONAL NIGHTMARE BEGINS ANEW: Here we go again, and may God help us all. Will Brett Favre retire? Will he play on? Will he retire and then change his mind? Will he retire, come back, and retire again — all in the span of a month? ESPN is standing by with 24/7 coverage of this crisis — whether we want it or not.
And in a related note… Miami’s Chad Pennington – dumped by the Jets to make room for Favre — has made a compelling case for the MVP award. He finishes the regular season with a 97.4 QB rating. In the last five games, when the Jets desperately needed to win them all — he completed 71 percent of his passes for 8 TDs and one INT for a QB rating of 107. In terms of payback, it’s tough to top what Pennington did against his old Jets team on Sunday.
4. NFL FRAUD ALERT: (A) Denver coach Mike Shanahan was 54-18 (inc. postseason) with John Elway as his QB. That’s a winning percentage of .750. Since Elway retired, Shanahan’s winning percentage is .557, including a 1-4 record in the playoffs, and the Broncos are 17-22 in their last 39 games. And they just staggered to one of the worst late-season chokes in NFL history, failing to make the playoffs after holding a three-game lead through Week 14. (B) Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden. Since winning the Super Bowl with Tony Dungy’s players in 2002, Gruden is 45-53. (C) Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Since the start of the 1997 season, the Cowboys are 95-102, and that includes an 0-5 mark in the playoffs. If Jones has built such an elite franchise, please explain why he’s won fewer games than the Rams (who are 98-104) since the start of the 1997 season? Please explain why the laughingstock Rams have won six postseason games to the Cowboys’ ZERO since the beginning of the 1997 season?
5. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I’M ONE OF THOSE CRAZED, INSUFFERABLE SPRINGSTEEN FANS: But something about Bruce and the E Street Band performing at halftime of the upcoming Super Bowl doesn’t sit right. I don’t like it, and I can’t even explain why. Other Boss fans have told me I’m being silly and that I should lighten up. Maybe so. But I can’t embrace it. I’d rather that the Boss stick to what got him this far — say, by playing a 3 hour 15 minute show at an arena in Tampa the night before the Super Bowl
30-SECOND BONUS: Mizzou 37, Northwestern 27 in the Alamo Bowl. That’s assuming that the MU coaches make at least one halftime adjustment.
As always, your comments and dissenting opinions are welcome…
-Bernie
Who cares about Notre Dame or Charlie Weis? Stick to the topic!!!
Bernie:
I agree with you totally about Bruce. Can’t imagine that he can be the sweat-drenched, possessed rocker that “proves it all night” in an 18 minute half-time show. But, perhaps a few nice close-ups of Patti will be worth it!
As a Cowboys fan, I’d gladly give the Rams a coach (Wade Phillips), an offensive coordinator (Jason Garrett), a deep-pockets owner (Jerry Jones) and a big-time receiver (T.O., just ask him), and ask for nothing in return.
At least Rams fans knew they had a bad team. Cowboys fans thought we had a great one, then had the life sucked out of us week after week after week.
Bernie…bernie…bernie.
I’m not neccesarily a fan of haslett, but i was doing some research on points per quarter by the rams and came across an interesting fact. The rams best quarter BY FAR, was the third quarter. You know the quarter where good game day coaches shine. The quarter when adjustments are made. The quarter where all good coaches win. I was admittedly surprized, but facts are facts. Granted Haslett hasnt been the best at being forthcoming with the press, but how many good coaches are?
That psl holder and you need remember that the rams defense was run into the ground by jay z and scott linehan with their idiotic drafts. And what the rams players are saying is that they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If either you are the psl holder thinks the rams players liked having their MANHOOD taken away every sunday, you’ve both forgotten the value of having one. It supercedes money. And without a doubt haslett has
given that back to them. For the most part the rams have been competitive since haslett has taken over, at least as competitive as they can be. Thats what the players are saying with the petition.
I gurantee you, that with the same line (personally, i would put greco in for bell), steve jackson will be a monster next year. jay z screwed up jacksons year by signing him too, too late. Anyone with any football knowledge knew that his year would be injury marred.
Springsteen sucks. All his crappy, preachy songs sound the same. I’ll be changing the station at half time of the Super Bowl.
I am sick of Hasslet and Bruce Springsteen. If I have to listen about how Springsteen’s music is inspired by how horrible George Bush is, I am going to scream. I need to get all of my political advise from community college drop outs, like BRUUUUUUCE
Wow, that’s just shows the unending stupidity of the players in this organiztion. Of course I also believe that with pitiful, cry babies like Mark Bulger and Steven Jackson believing that they’re bigger than the team this “petition” for Haslett actually weakens his position for next year. He has to show that he has control over these players which he doesn’t. Scott Linnehan didn’t and Haslett doesn’t either. This team has got to be the biggest joke the NFL has ever seen and the only reason that the Rams weren’t the worst is cause the Lions just couldn’t deal with being outdone!
Who makes up the STL Today polls, and are they intentionally simplified so that a reasonable answer is not always possible? The classic example that comes to mind was the poll concerning the Cardinals’ greatest need this offseason, and didn’t give closer as an option. With the latest poll concerning whether to retain Haslett, how about a third option of “DEPENDS ON WHO’S AVAILABLE OR WILLING TO COME TO THE RAMS”, because this is the crux of the matter. If it’s between Haslett and Johnny Firstjob, I want Haslett. If Schottenheimer or Bill Cowher are in the equation, then bye-bye Haslett. But seriously, are the polls done by an intern, or what? In the future, I hope most intelligent options will be given consideration in the STL Today polls.
I don’t see a problem in the Rams trying a new guy or a retread. We’re forced to accept all the bad local broadcasters that keep turning up on the airwaves. Time to clean up these broadcast facilities also.