JUST FOOTBALL

[Emeritus]

I'm wondering if all of this is just a distraction. I read that the owner is not happy about the way that things happened.

[LadyHawk]

I'm enjoying watching the Vikes implode. Childress is an absolute idiot.

So much promise and hype at the start of the season (like the Cowboys)... and they've been reduced to this. I think that's a LOT of the problem these days: media hype. As you and I discussed the other day, 16, I was in total agreement with what Shannon Sharpe (CBS) said (paraphrasing) can we quit making excuses for the Cowboys and just say that they're an awful team?

Seriously!! Or like Jon Gruden said last night...why are we spending SO MUCH time talking about horrible teams when there are so many GOOD ONES to be talking about?

AMEN!! FINALLY some talking heads get it!

[16Forever]

I'm enjoying watching the Vikes implode. Childress is an absolute idiot.

So much promise and hype at the start of the season (like the Cowboys)... and they've been reduced to this. I think that's a LOT of the problem these days: media hype. As you and I discussed the other day, 16, I was in total agreement with what Shannon Sharpe (CBS) said (paraphrasing) can we quit making excuses for the Cowboys and just say that they're an awful team?

Seriously!! Or like Jon Gruden said last night...why are we spending SO MUCH time talking about horrible teams when there are so many GOOD ONES to be talking about?

AMEN!! FINALLY some talking heads get it!

YES AMEN to that......................It really is a strange year, it seems like crap hits the fan each day. Yesterday it was Moss, today it's Shanny working JaMarcus Russell out? File this under WTF.

[LadyHawk]

If Moss is going to be a drama queen, then the Pats can have him back and continue their domination of the AFC. I don't really care that much if the Hawks are interested or not. I don't like drama queens...male or female.

[16Forever]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/ ... s-for-moss

[LadyHawk]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/30701/several-possible-landing-spots-for-moss

Yeah, I know...so far Coach Carroll is remaining quiet on the matter.

[Emeritus]

I've become accustomed to professional athletes acting like children, but Childress has proven that he can throw a tantrum with the worst of them. The Vikings are finished.

[TryThinking]

I think Childress may be on the bubble and should be getting his resume updated.
I think Wade may be just 1 loss away and they play the Packers this week.
I think Shanny is digging himself a comments hole he may need a very large shovel to dig himself out of.
I think Favre will get benched this week.
I think Moss will be picked up on waivers tonight. (at least claimed)
I think McNabb is probably really PISSED right about now, but is too much of a gentleman to whine about it publicly.
I think this is the worst job of officiating I can remember.
I think the right to vote is important and we should all exercise that right.
I think I still hate the Raiders.....
I think I'm done for now.

[16Forever]

I think Childress may be on the bubble and should be getting his resume updated.
I think Wade may be just 1 loss away and they play the Packers this week.
I think Shanny is digging himself a comments hole he may need a very large shovel to dig himself out of.
I think Favre will get benched this week.
I think Moss will be picked up on waivers tonight. (at least claimed)
I think McNabb is probably really PISSED right about now, but is too much of a gentleman to whine about it publicly.
I think this is the worst job of officiating I can remember.
I think the right to vote is important and we should all exercise that right.
I think I still hate the Raiders.....
I think I'm done for now.

I think I agree with the aforementioned.

[TryThinking]

I think Childress may be on the bubble and should be getting his resume updated.
I think Wade may be just 1 loss away and they play the Packers this week.
I think Shanny is digging himself a comments hole he may need a very large shovel to dig himself out of.
I think Favre will get benched this week.
I think Moss will be picked up on waivers tonight. (at least claimed)
I think McNabb is probably really PISSED right about now, but is too much of a gentleman to whine about it publicly.
I think this is the worst job of officiating I can remember.
I think the right to vote is important and we should all exercise that right.
I think I still hate the Raiders.....
I think I'm done for now.

I think I agree with the aforementioned.

I try thinking, therefore I am..

[TryThinking]

Moss just hit the Waiver wires...... tick tick tick

[LadyHawk]

I think Jim Rome looks younger today than he did 5 years ago. WTF?! How did THAT happen?

[16Forever]

I think Jim Rome looks younger today than he did 5 years ago. WTF?! How did THAT happen?

Botox.

[LadyHawk]

I think Jim Rome looks younger today than he did 5 years ago. WTF?! How did THAT happen?

Botox.

That's what I was thinking...combined with a lot of weight loss. Wow. I was having my lunch in the bar of a restaurant (got totally hit on by the 23 yr old bartender, by the way...=SMH=) and watching ESPN and "Jim Rome is Burning" and I thought "WTF?!" Ha!

[TryThinking]

I think Jim Rome looks younger today than he did 5 years ago. WTF?! How did THAT happen?

Botox.

That's what I was thinking...combined with a lot of weight loss. Wow. I was having my lunch in the bar of a restaurant (got totally hit on by the 23 yr old bartender, by the way...=SMH=) and watching ESPN and "Jim Rome is Burning" and I thought "WTF?!" Ha!

but did you come away with digits? ~contemplating what is a persons minimum age requirement~
Go Dolphins!

[16Forever]

I think Jim Rome looks younger today than he did 5 years ago. WTF?! How did THAT happen?

Botox.

That's what I was thinking...combined with a lot of weight loss. Wow. I was having my lunch in the bar of a restaurant (got totally hit on by the 23 yr old bartender, by the way...=SMH=) and watching ESPN and "Jim Rome is Burning" and I thought "WTF?!" Ha!

HA...LH the Cougar! You know who looks like shit now? Val Kilmer.

[LadyHawk]

Bite your tongue. LOL! Cougar has such a skanky connotation to it... ick.

TryThinking ~ I don't date men under the age of 30. So the answer to your question is a firm "no."

[LadyHawk]

LOL @ Jamarcus Russell working out with the Redskins... =SMH= What the hell is WRONG with Shanahan? Did he lose his mind?

[TryThinking]

LOL @ Jamarcus Russell working out with the Redskins... =SMH= What the hell is WRONG with Shanahan? Did he lose his mind?

Just as I was referring to earlier, the dudes got to get back on his meds his evil twin is coming through...

[LadyHawk]

Strange, strange NFL season...

[TryThinking]

From the guy that was catering the Vikings locker room
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5755561

[LadyHawk]

If that is true...if that really happened...then he's just a dirt bag who makes money playing football (seems to be quite a few of them in the NFL).

No manners, no tact...he was raised wrong. Talk about someone who needs to get on his meds!

[TryThinking]

Latest Moss drama:

Randy Moss, who was waived by the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, may have alienated some teammates when he was roundly critical of a post-practice meal in front of the local restaurant owners who catered it, Yahoo! Sports reported.

Moss officially hit the waiver wire Tuesday afternoon, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Every Friday, the Vikings invite a local establishment to cater the team's post-practice meal. Last Friday, it was a St. Paul restaurant -- a favorite of former Vikings center Matt Birk -- that served chicken, pasta, ribs and other dishes.

While his teammates lined up to dig in, Moss lashed out, according to the report.

Moss yelled "What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn't feed this to my dog," a player who witnessed the incident said, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Gus Tinucci, co-owner of Tinucci's Restaurant and Catering, which provided the spread in question, confirmed the report to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

"If [Brett] Favre would have had a ball, he would have beaned him right in the head. Favre looked at him like, 'Are you kidding me?' " Tinucci told the newspaper.

The Vikings decided to cut ties with Moss on Monday, despite having given up a third-round draft choice to acquire him from the New England Patriots a month ago.

"This decision was made based on what we thought was in the best interests of the Minnesota Vikings, both in the short and long term," coach Brad Childress said in a statement. "We wish Randy the best as he moves forward in his career."

Moss' name did not appear on the league's official waiver report Monday, but he could be awarded to another team as early as Wednesday.

Moss' agent, Joel Segal, said Tuesday on ESPN Radio's "The Scott Van Pelt Show" that Moss' departure from the Vikings came as a shock and added that only Childress knows why Moss was sent packing.

"It seemed like something did change" during Moss's short return to the Vikings, Segal said. "I don't know that I can pinpoint it. I think really the only one that would probably know would be the coach."

The player who witnessed Moss' food tirade called it "an uncomfortable moment," adding that he felt Moss deserved to be cut after the incident, Yahoo! Sports reported.

"This wasn't a chain -- it was a mom-and-pop restaurant, and you could tell it was their best stuff," the witness said, according to the report. "And [Moss] is at his locker saying, 'You know, I used to have to eat that crap -- but now I've got money.' You just felt so sad for them. I had never seen anyone treated like that.

"And by the way, the food was actually really good."

A source who was at a team meeting on Monday, in which Childress informed the Vikings that Moss would be leaving, said it was clear the coach was referring to Moss' criticism of the locker-room meal when he said "This just doesn't fit with how we treat people, how we talk to people and how we act," according to Yahoo! Sports.

Moss' perceived lack of effort in the Vikings' last two games and his postgame comments after Sunday's loss at New England have widely been seen as reasons for the Vikings giving up on the wide receiver after a month.

Following the Vikings' 28-18 loss to the Patriots, in which Moss had one catch for 8 yards, the veteran receiver announced that he would not be answering any more questions from the media for the rest of the season.

He also criticized the Vikings for not heeding his advice on certain plays the Patriots were likely to use against the Vikings. He also expressed his admiration for the Patriots.

"I'm definitely down that we lost this game. I didn't expect we'd lose this game," Moss said. "I don't know how many more times I'll be in New England again. But I leave coach Belichick and those guys with a salute: 'I love you guys. I miss you. I'm out.' "

On Monday, Childress disagreed with Moss' assertion that the Vikings ignored the receiver's advice.

"I think we did a pretty good job of heeding it, both offensively and defensively," Childress said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He gave us some windows into how we thought they would end up playing. That's obviously in his eyes."

A team can claim Moss and pick up the final year of a contract that pays him $6.4 million in base salary. Winless Buffalo has the worst record in the league and the first shot to claim Moss, followed by Carolina and Dallas (Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday he will not claim Moss). If no team claims him, the Vikings owe Moss the remaining $3.388 million on his deal. He'd be available for around $450,000 and Moss could choose the team he would like to join.

Various league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and even the Patriots are among the teams possibly interested in claiming Moss.

"Obviously, there's a number of clubs who could use Randy," Segal said on "The Scott Van Pelt Show." He added that he was not in talks with any potential suitors and would not do so until a claim is made.

"We're going to let the waiver process play itself out, see who claims Randy and then hopefully it will be a good situation," he said.

Sources close to the situation told Schefter that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is angry that his team plans to waive a player he wanted in Minnesota. Wilf played a major role in the re-acquisition of Moss and is unhappy with the way Monday's events regarding Moss unfolded.

[TryThinking]

Free Head Exam: Brad Childress:


At the end of his first full year as the Minnesota Vikings owner, Zygi Wilf gave a number of interviews to local reporters. His team had just finished 6-10 amid a tumultuous first year under his handpicked coach, and Wilf wanted to make clear he supported Brad Childress on all levels.

Except for one.

Wilf said he disapproved of the way Childress handled the 2006 departure of receiver Marcus Robinson, the only critical sentiment Wilf has uttered publicly about any aspect of the franchise. Childress, incensed by critical comments published in a local newspaper from Robinson, abruptly and unilaterally released the player on Christmas Eve.

Wilf was in the process of building an organization to reflect his family real estate business in New Jersey, one based on internal communication and well-meshed personalities. He was horrified that Childress had acted with such vengeance and enraged he had done so without appropriate discussion among the team's football leadership. Shortly afterward, Wilf installed a system of checks and balances for all significant player moves to prevent another incident.

"In the future," Wilf said at the time, "I think that issues like this will be handled in a more consistent level and hopefully we will not let certain passions overcome us."

The episode remains relevant and instructive today as another impetuous Childress decision has again sent the franchise reeling. Wilf was reportedly angered by the decision to part ways with Randy Moss, in part because he and other members of the front office weren't consulted before Childress took action. Players are family members, not employees, in Wilf's world. And proper management follows a horizontal structure rather than emanating from a single entity.

It appears Wilf won't fire Childress for this incident, but Childress' future doesn't look promising. Independent of the Moss debacle, he has presided over one of the NFL's biggest disappointments this season. Wilf is paying out one of the league's highest payrolls and has two victories in seven games to show for it. So in an extended Free Head Exam format, let's look at three issues surrounding Childress that merit further examination:

1. Childress has demonstrated what we'll kindly call a unique relationship with the truth, at least when speaking publicly. All NFL coaches protect information for competitive purposes, but increasingly over time, Childress has clumsily expressed falsehoods that call into question the credibility of most everything he says.

The pattern began in his first season, when Childress said on his radio show that he had not decided on a starting quarterback for a game at Lambeau Field. As reporters later discovered, Childress had long before told the team that Tarvaris Jackson would be the starter.

Such episodes have accelerated this year. On Aug. 17, Childress instructed two assistant coaches to misrepresent the whereabouts of three star players who missed practice while they were recruiting quarterback Brett Favre to return to the team.

On Monday, Childress told reporters that he had given Moss permission to skip the team's return flight Sunday night from New England to visit his family. Childress said he expected Moss to return Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

In fact, as the Star Tribune reported, Moss actually refused to return with the team. And Childress' description of Moss' timetable for returning came hours after he had already made the decision to waive him.

Again, half-truths and vague public answers are a part of coaching in the NFL. But Childress has been caught in so many misstatements that it's difficult to believe much of what he says. Players are well-aware of these incidents, and there is little doubt these episodes impact how they interpret Childress' words.

It's especially relevant in Childress' case because he went out of his way to portray himself as a truth-teller upon arriving in Minnesota. Here's what he said during an interview in July 2006:

Telling the truth "is the only way I know how to do it. I think people in the long run appreciate that. Just deal in the currency of truth. If I tell you a lie, the next time I can't remember what I told you the last time. If I tell you the truth, it's a lot easier to just keep telling the truth, over and over. Coaching these guys is no different than coaching anybody. As long as you're honest and direct, the guy knows where you stand, they appreciate it."
2. I have never been a fan of committee leadership structures in the NFL, but Wilf believes strongly in his and demands that his front office work together to make football decisions. Childress is expected to work hand-in-hand with Rick Spielman, the vice president of player personnel, and Rob Brzezinski, the vice president of football operations. Wilf positions himself to settle any disagreements.

Childress has now run astray of that structure at least twice, and he has on multiple occasions noted that his contract calls for him to have final say over the 53-man roster. His personal relationship with Spielman and Brzezinski is probably irrelevant, but I would suggest that Childress has positioned himself on an island within the front office and would have few allies defending him internally if Wilf considered a coaching change.

3. Childress has done a fine job hiring defensive coordinators during his tenure, starting with Mike Tomlin and continuing with Leslie Frazier. So we note with some irony that Frazier's presence provides Wilf a legitimate option for an in-season change, one that wouldn't be realistic with a less established or experienced coordinator.

If there were ever a coordinator capable of taking over a team in November, it's Frazier. He's among the NFL's most prepared men for the job, and Vikings players on both sides of the ball respect him. The potential for disruption would be minimal.

As recently as a couple of weeks ago, the idea of removing Childress seemed remote. He signed a three-year contract extension a year ago, and Wilf would have to eat a large chunk of its $15 million value if a change were made.

On its own, a 2-5 record wouldn't have been enough for Wilf to consider an in-season coaching swap. But Childress has recklessly given Wilf another reason. Wilf has proved to be a pretty patient employer, but you have to imagine he is reaching his tolerance limit. You never want to hand your boss extra fodder for an exit strategy.

[TryThinking]

For LH
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/18908/free-head-exam-brad-childress
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5755561

[Emeritus]

I think Childress may be on the bubble and should be getting his resume updated.
I think Wade may be just 1 loss away and they play the Packers this week.
I think Shanny is digging himself a comments hole he may need a very large shovel to dig himself out of.
I think Favre will get benched this week.
I think Moss will be picked up on waivers tonight. (at least claimed)
I think McNabb is probably really PISSED right about now, but is too much of a gentleman to whine about it publicly.
I think this is the worst job of officiating I can remember.
I think the right to vote is important and we should all exercise that right.
I think I still hate the Raiders.....
I think I'm done for now.

I think I agree with the aforementioned.

I try thinking, therefore I am..

Cogito,cogito, ergo cogito sum. I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.

[16Forever]

Moss has until 4pm Eastern time to be claimed, if he's not then the Vikes pay the 3 mil remaining and he becomes a UFA. Where will the next train wreck happen?

The clock is running..........................................

[Emeritus]

What is certain is that the whole thing has made the Vikings look really stupid.

[16Forever]

What is certain is that the whole thing has made the Vikings look really stupid.

Moss certainly has made an ass out of him self too.

[Emeritus]

LOL, we already knew that about Moss. Some people don't need enemies - they keep sabotaging themselves.