5 Minutes for Blogging, Jan. 4
I trust that everyone is having a nice weekend…
1. KURT WARNER STRENGTHENS HIS HALL OF FAME CREDENTIALS: In Arizona’s 30-24 victory over Atlanta Saturday in an NFC Wildcard game, Warner passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns and took another step closer to Canton. It was fun to watch Warner perform on the postseason stage for the first time in nearly seven years — specifically this was his first game in the NFL tournament since Feb. 3, 2002, when the Rams lost to New England in the 36th Super Bowl. It was the eighth postseason game of Warner’s career, and he boosted his Hall of Fame case.
Some numbers:
* Warner is 6-2 as a postseason starter.
* Among the QBs who have started a minimum eight postseason games, Warner’s average of 311.5 yards passing per games ranks No. 1. Those postseason numbers, provided by STATS LLC, only go back to 1970.
* Among QBs who have started a minimum of eight postseason games, Warner’s passer rating of 92.5 ranks second only to Joe Montana (95.6) since 1970.
* Among those with at least eight starts, Warner ranks fourth in yards per attempt (8.31), fifth in completion percentage (62.7) and sixth in the percentage of passes that go for touchdowns (5.7).
* Warner still holds the record for most yards passing in a Super Bowl (414) and was the MVP of Super Bowl 34. The bottom line: Warner has been one of the best postseason performers of his era. Or any era, actually.
2. UTAH SHOULD BE NO. 1: It won’t happen, of course, because voters go for the brand names, the BCS conference kingpins, and they’re just waiting to crown the winner of Florida vs. Oklahoma. The Utes are from the Mountain West, which might as well be Siberia. And I’m just as bad as anybody; I assumed Utah would lose to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, so there was no put the Utes into the debate for No. 1. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And shouldn’t all objective-minded voters hit the reset button on their brain and reevaluate this instead of automatically tapping Florida or OU as No. 1? Shouldn’t there at least be some thoughtful deliberation? After playing a virtual road game and taking Alabama apart 31-17 in the SEC-friendly Sugar Bowl, why wouldn’t Utah have a legit claim to No. 1? This is the only D-1 team that will finish the season with an undefeated record. Utah has beaten three teams currently ranked in the top 16, and another victim, Oregon State, will likely finish in the Top 25. (Oregon State is the only team to topple USC this season.) The Utes have handled every challenge. They defeated five bowl teams, and won on the road at Michigan and at Air Force. Skeptics will say, OK, put Utah in the SEC or the Big 12 South or the Pac 10 and none of this happens. They’d never survive the schedule. Look, I don’t deal in hypotheticals. All I know is this: only one team stands alone, unbeaten. And that team, Utah, hasn’t exactly played a cupcake schedule.
3. LA RUSSA AND DE WITT HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS OF CHRIS CARPENTER: Can the Cardinals count on their ace to return from pitching-arm nerve difficulties and make 30, 35 starts? Or should they find another starting pitcher, just in case? The manager and the owner don’t see it the same way. Penciling in Carpenter for 30+ starts and assuming it will happen is “not how you go about it,” La Russa said. “That’s not the attitude that I have, or (pitching coach) Dave Duncan has.” The manager and pitching coach want to be sure about Carpenter’s health and won’t assume anything.
DeWitt, however, seems to be counting on Carpenter for now. “All of the reports are good on Carpenter,” DeWitt said on our Team 1380 radio show. “It’s pretty hard to say ‘Well, I’m going to sign someone in case he can’t start.’ I don’t think a lot of clubs would want to be in a position of having six starting pitchers, counting on six being starting pitchers. If Carpenter can’t go, sure, we’ll need to get out into the market to bolster our pitching. And we were going to do that, anyway. But at this point in time, to go out and find someone to replace Carpenter when we think the odds are good that he’ll be a starting pitcher for us…let’s face it, you can’t really replace a Chris Carpenter. And to replace him now, well, we think there’s a good chance he’ll start.”
4. WILL MATT RYAN AND JOE FLACCO CHANGE THE WAY NFL COACHES OPERATE?: Usually, it takes a while to break in a rookie QB, and they often struggle through the usual growing pains. NFL head coaches are reluctant to throw them into the fire. But Atlanta drafted Ryan third overall last April, plugged him into the lineup, and won 11 games for a dramatic turnabout. Flacco, Baltimore’s first-round pick, played with great poise in giving the Ravens a good passing attack to go with the defense and running game. The kids were fearless. With so many attractive QB prospects likely to be available in the 2009 draft — Georgia’s Matthew Stafford, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Ball State’s Nate Davis among them — will more NFL teams take the plunge with rookie QBs? How about the Rams? (I don’t think so).
5. PERSONAL NOTE: I COULD USE A HOME REMEDY: I have a lousy cold, with lots of congestion. I can’t stop coughing; I can’t get a good night’s sleep. Any suggestions? Are you holding any secret cures that were passed down from your great grandmother? Give it up! LOL. Thanks.
-Bernie
Five short weeks to go before pitchers & catchers report, and as a Cardinal fan…I am not excited about the ‘09 season. No closer, major issues/questions about the rotation, Kennedy the everyday 2B because they could not trade him (lol), and now major concerns about bench depth after the Miles debacle. Still time for DeWitt to add to his roster, but I no longer trust that he will sign any “significant players”. Even there are still some quality FA’s still available.
While I am so very thankful that this town has Bernie to provide the fans with great info from DeWitt & LaRussa…sometimes it upsets my stomach. Especially now…with their opposing positions/expectations on Carpenter’s role this season.
DeWitt as the GM is now at odds with his manager? Amazing. I do not think LaRussa is asking DeWitt to “replace” Carpenter…rather I believe he wants insurance in his rotation, so they do not have a repeat of last season. Seems like a logical way to approach the staff.
I understand that DeWitt has alot of money invested in Carpenter’s contract, but the guy has arm problems that may never fully go away. Would anyone be surprised if he broke down again? The smart move is to sign a proven free agent starter now, rather than try and broker a trade in May/June.
By the way, reports were good on Carpenter last July too.
For those who palter at Kurt’s Christian comments, did you consider that Kurt is the player he is because of his faith? If you have enjoyed watching him play, please respect what he says. I’m not asking you to agree, but to abstain from disrespecting one of the most honorable professional athletes I have ever seen.
Bernie, in regards to that cough: I don’t know where you can buy it locally in St. Louis (I’m guessing Keller Apothecary is the only place that stands a chance), but there’s an over-the-counter cough remedy called Numotizine Cataplasm. Microwave it for 10 seconds, smear some on a washcloth, and put it on your chest before bedtime. It’ll loosen the cough quickly. My father and grandfather were both doctors, and this was their secret weapon. Unfortunately it’s a fairly well-guarded secret.
Bernie RE Rookie QBs:
It only works if you have really smart guys back there. We’ve had rookie starting QBs before and it always doesn’t work out, see Ryan Leaf, Michael Vick, Alex Smith. But sometimes it does, Peyton Manning, Flacco, Ryan.
I think the player’s intelligence and how well they learn their system goes a long way in keeping them within their bounds. The coaches take a lot of credit by working them in correctly too.
I see Matt Ryan calling audibles. He’s a freaking rookie, but where did he go to school? BC. No dummy. I’m sure the Falcons playbook is set up for him to succeed within his bounds and not pushing him to know too much too soon, which is why he can call the audibles. Flacco scored a 27 on the Wonderlic, which is above average for QBs.
Bernie, get well soon. As far as the Carp saga: shouldn’t last season have been enough of a lesson for DeWitt? And didn’t the second half of last season prove the Cards need bonafide starters who can throw enough innings to keep the bullpen arms from falling off?
As far as the cold remedy? A hot toddy. Hands down. You’ll sleep like a baby.
I agree that KW has great post-season stats, but I’m not sure that’s enough to get into the HOF. It would seem that history places QBs in the HOF who have been consistently strong throughout their careers - regular season subjectively seeming a bit more important that postseason. While injuries plagued KW, that unfortunately is a part of his career - and he simply doesn’t add up to guys like Montana, Marino, Aikman, etc. I like the guy and hope he has great success this year, but I think a HOF bid is a bit of a hometown fantasy. Hope I’m wrong though…
As far as the cold goes, the cough is a bit concerning. While it’s true that most of these spells are viruses and many docs don’t like to prescribe antibiotics early, a persistent cough for more than 7-10 days makes one think of a bacterial upper/lower respiratory infection. In other words, if it hasn’t run its course in the way one would expect with a viral infection, perhaps it’s time to see a doctor and consider a course of antibiotic therapy if he or she agrees. Secret cures are great for symptom suppression, but you certainly don’t want a bacterial infection to fester unnecessarily. Again though, it’s up to your doc to make that determination - but after going so long with a cough, it’s time to be seen.
Bernie,
Kurt Warner is no where near a Hall of Famer. He had two great years. Since the Super Bowl of 2002, he has not played at a high level against good defense’s. If LC Greenwood, Dick Lebeau, Ray Guy etc.. are not in the Hall of Fame, Kurt Warner will not and should not get in the Hall. Kurt is a Hall of Fame person and teammate, but doesn’t fit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.