4_9_E_R_S!!!!! ESPN Refugee BS Thread

[MHSL82]

$160,000 for a dress because the chick showed her boobies? What? Did some saudi prince think the girl was included?

My spending habits are none of your business. I thought this was supposed to be private and confidential... and how did you know I was a Saudi prince?

I take that back, I don't know why some guy, ehem, not me, would pay that much for a dress, especially when she clearly says that she never wore it naked? (Not that that would be the deal breaker, the 160,000 is a big deal breaker, and the fact I don't like that dress for my wife. No, not for me either.)

 

[threelittleturds]

My spending habits are none of your business. I thought this was supposed to be private and confidential... and how did you know I was a Saudi prince?

I take that back, I don't know why some guy, ehem, not me, would pay that much for a dress, especially when she clearly says that she never wore it naked? (Not that that would be the deal breaker, the 160,000 is a big deal breaker, and the fact I don't like that dress for my wife. No, not for me either.)

Ha, not for you either.

 

[JMedlock5186]

So Have any of you watched the kroll show, I tried to give it a chance and I was really disappointed as it was really really dumb.

 

[mem49er]

Care of dp_broncos

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[tomikcon1971]

Love this pic.....who was that dork on the old board Shells Bells?

 

[NinerSickness]

HAAAHAHHAAAA!!! Best post of the day!

 

[BINGO]

Bowe can't go
January, 23, 2013 11:49AM ET
By AJ Mass | ESPN.com

Dwayne Bowe is a free agent and his name has come up often in discussions of what the Miami Dolphins might do to improve their wide receiving corps. However, the hiring of Andy Reid in Kansas City might well tip the scales back to the Chiefs in terms of keeping Bowe for the 2013 season.

The team can slap the franchise tag on Bowe if they so choose, and Khaled Elsayed of Pro Football Focus is happy to explain why he thinks it behooves the team to make sure that the wide receiver stays put:

Pro Football Focus
Five 'must-keep' free agents
"There is no doubt that the Chiefs need to fix their quarterback position, but that fix has to involve giving the next QB a quality No. 1 receiver to work with."

 

[MHSL82]

[YOUTUBE]TVTfegz-i50[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MHSL82]

 

[BINGO]

Is this a joke or was that for real?

 

[BINGO]

Tom Brady's decline has begun
QB can no longer cover Pats' weaknesses, signaling end to dynasty
Originally Published: January 24, 2013
By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider

Tom Brady doesn't look like the elite quarterback he used to be.

One of the uncomfortable truths about quarterbacks headed into their late 30s is that the cliff of performance decline can seemingly come out of nowhere in a relatively short amount of time.

Dan Fouts led the league in yards per attempt (YPA) at age 34 then only two years later had the second lowest YPA mark of his career. He called it quits after that season.

Dan Marino led the league in net yards per attempt when he was 35 years old. In each of the next three seasons, he failed to top the 7-yard YPA mark, a statistical feat that happened to him only once prior to 1996.

Fran Tarkenton led the league in touchdown passes and passer rating in 1975 at the age of 35. Two years later, his numbers saw a significant decrease and that drop-off culminated in a 1978 schedule that saw Tarkenton throw 32 interceptions and rank 25th in passer rating on his way to graduating into a broadcasting career.

These are but three of a large number of potential examples that illustrate just how unforgiving Father Time can be at that stage of a quarterback's life.

As painful as it is to say this, after a detailed review of the 2012 New England Patriots season, it looks like Tom Brady, who will turn 36 prior to the 2013 season, will very soon serve as another example of this type of dramatic decline.

At first glance, this might not look to be the case. After all, Brady ranked second in the league in Total QBR, fourth in passing yards and touchdown passes and was tied for first in interception percentage.

Good as those figures are, they belie some disturbing trends. Brady's YPA (7.6) and completion percentage (63.0) were his lowest since 2006 and his touchdown percentage (5.3) was his lowest since 2009.

He also showed a significant statistical drop down the stretch, as his December numbers in YPA (7.0), completion percentage (58.5) and touchdown to interception ratio (10-to-5) were the worst monthly totals of his 2012 season.

It isn't just the numbers where Brady started to show some regression.

He looked painfully slow in the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore. This was especially evident on a fourth-and-4 play in the fourth quarter when it looked like Brady had plenty of room to scramble for a first down inside the Ravens' 15-yard line. Instead, he ran sideways, looked behind him to see if anyone was closing in and eventually chucked the ball well short of his receiver in the end zone.

That play was but one of many errors Brady made, and those errors led to the first NFL home loss he has ever suffered after leading at the half.

This wasn't the only game where his weaknesses were brought to the fore.

Without Brady to mask the Pats' blemishes, New England will face new challenges.

The book on Brady since the Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII is that a strong pass rush can rattle him. Baltimore certainly achieved this in the aforementioned game (it's why Brady was looking behind him as he scrambled and was almost certainly a factor in his raising his leg to protect himself as Ed Reed closed for a possible big hit), and that same flaw showed up in the Patriots' Week 15 game against San Francisco.

The 49ers looked to have adopted the old Al Davis adage of hitting the quarterback hard early in the game, and achieved it when Aldon Smith smashed into Brady early in the first quarter. That blow set a tone as the Niners' pass rush kept Brady on his heels for most of the game. And it is worth noting that the New England offense really did not get on track until Justin Smith suffered an injured triceps, which considerably slowed the San Francisco pass rush.

All of the above issues could be enough to hinder Brady's future, but the biggest of his woes may very well be a significant decline in accuracy. His tremendous attention to detail in practicing the proper passing mechanics has led to Brady being, by far, the most accurate passer I've seen in 10 seasons of breaking down game tapes. But that trend took a big step back this past season, as Brady's accuracy was well below its norm.

This led to a tremendous number of missed completions (46 by my tracking sheets) and additionally caused a large number of completions to potentially fall short of their yards-after-catch upside because the receiver had to adjust to a pass that wasn't thrown to the proper spot.

Brady is still so far ahead of most other quarterbacks that, even with a drop-off in his performance, he will likely be a top-tier passer for the next two to three seasons.

The issue for New England is that any level of decline in his play could reduce his effectiveness in mitigating a multitude of this team's personnel issues.

These roster limitations start on defense. According to ESPN Stats & Information, New England ranked 21st in Total QBR allowed, 25th in yards per game allowed, 24th in yards per play allowed, 29th in pass yards per game allowed, 28th in net yards per attempt allowed, 21st in sack percentage and 25th in first downs allowed per game.

The offense has a pair of 31-year old wide receivers, one of whom was something of a disappointment in 2012 (Brandon Lloyd), and another of whom (Wes Welker) is a free agent whose future with the team is dependent upon New England coming up with a either a long-term contract or ponying up $11.4 million by placing a franchise tag on him.

Compounding these issues is the fact that the Patriots don't have much in the way of draft pick volume in the years ahead.

There is good news in that this year's draft is stocked with very good depth in the defensive line and safety positions, so the Patriots ought to be able to make the most of their relatively few selections.

In addition, it should be noted that New England does have a solid collection of young talent to go along with a projected $18.6 million in cap space, a total that ties the Patriots for eighth-most in that category.

Having noted those factors, it is still unavoidable that the Patriots are in a conference that has probably reached its won-loss nadir. This past season, the AFC had seven teams finish with six or fewer wins. By contrast, the NFC had only three teams end the season with a victory total in that range.

When the development of those bottom-tier AFC teams is combined with the improvements likely to occur among the AFC playoff teams, the Patriots' path to the conference title game in the near future is not going to be as smooth as it has sometimes been in the past.

Add it all up, and it could mean the world saw the end of the New England dynasty (and Brady's championship chances) in that title game loss to the Ravens.


KC Joyner
NFL Insider

 

[NinerSickness]

Is this a joke or was that for real?

There's no way that was real.

 

[MHSL82]

Is this a joke or was that for real?

There's no way that was real.

Yeah, they did that as a running joke for shows and shows on end. It wasn't just the Matt Damon part that was fake. But I thought it was funny because I saw a compilation of that before Damon came on and wondered if they would have him come out and the second he sat down, say they ran out of time. I watched some of those episodes, depending on who they had on the show.

 

[MHSL82]

This is just ridiculous. Anyone hungry? You could shoot one, they'd try to fly away, and you'd still have a good shot to getting some more, depending on your skill.


Remember this?

[YOUTUBE]-1NyIsZXeqU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[badazzk9]

 

[MHSL82]

Another message board (niners.com) has a policy of no swearing or words like heck, so it automatically changes the words to "jiveturkeygobblegobbleturkeyjiveturkeyfromjiveturkeygobblers." Or something to that effect.

 

[MHSL82]

Actually, it is "jiveturkeygobblegobblejiveturkeygobblegobblejiveturkeygobblegobblejiveturkeygobblegobbling" (but also fixed for spelling). I thought it was some weird fad they had going on, I thought, such dorks. Then when I typed "it bugs the shit out of me," it changed the word.

 

[NinerSickness]

Pretty vulgar, but I was the biggest Transformers fan on planet earth when i was a kid.

 

[BINGO]

Commentary
Colin Kaepernick can't cash in
CBA provisions prevent young bargains from getting paid what they're worth
Originally Published: January 25, 2013
By Adam Schefter | ESPN.com

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has found holes in opposing defenses and the CBA.

Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement that the NFL and NFLPA negotiated in July 2011, what San Francisco is paying Kaepernick to take the team to Super Bowl XLVII is a steal. And the Seattle Seahawks are paying even less to quarterback Russell Wilson, who took the team to the divisional playoff round and set up the franchise for the next decade.

There might not be two athletes in any sport as underpaid as Kaepernick and Wilson, two NFC West quarterbacks who figure to square off for years to come. It's off-the-charts ridiculousness, their salaries. It's thievery, nearly criminal.

Colin Kaepernick has to wait another season before he can really cash in on his early-career success.

Sixty minutes from a world championship, Kaepernick is finishing up Year Two of a four-year, $5.12 million deal that is worth more than $3 million less in full than what Mark Sanchez will make from the New York Jets next season.

Yet Kaepernick has no out. He is locked into the deal until after the 2013 season.

Wilson's deal is even more glaringly incongruous. He signed a four-year, $2.99 million deal that is worth $6 million less in full than what Kevin Kolb is scheduled to make from Seattle's division rival Arizona Cardinals next season.

Like Kaepernick, Wilson has no way out. He is stuck with the deal until after the 2014 season, despite being added to the Pro Bowl this week and looking like he could go for years to come.

These two deals expose one of the biggest weaknesses in the CBA for the players and one of the biggest strengths for owners. Young NFL players have no choice but to suck it up for three years, even if they play at the level Kaepernick and Wilson have. Meanwhile, NFL owners get to build cheaply through the draft and own players' rights for five to six years, without the threat of arbitration that Major League Baseball has.

This is why good scouting and draft picks really are more valuable than ever before. The NFL never has seen good labor this cheap for this long.

How the league got here is easy enough to understand. During the most recent CBA negotiations, we saw an extreme backlash against the outlandish deals given to top draft picks in previous years, when a player such as former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell walked away with $32 million in guaranteed money. So much attention was given to the issue that standout rookies in the new 10-year CBA now are being punished for it. In part because of Russell, Kaepernick and Wilson are underpaid.

There is no reprieve, no chance to be paid until a player has given a team three seasons. By then, some running backs, such as an Alfred Morris, will have plenty of wear on their tires. And as everyone prepares for Super Bowl XLVII, the storylines that follow it will be different than in the past.

The Seahawks get to hang onto Russell Wilson at his current bargain price for two more seasons.

Young players such as Kaepernick who help lead their team to the Super Bowl cannot demand new deals the way they seemed to regularly in the past. It used to be like this: Player helps team to Super Bowl, player demands new deal, team rewards player for helping team, new deal gets done.

But that was old-school. New-school is the ultimate form of detention for standout young players. The CBA locks up their contracts for three years and throws away the key, with no chance of parole.

It would be much more equitable if certain allowances were made for extreme examples, players who glaringly outplay expectations. It would be hard to define what that level of play is, but suffice it to say that everyone would know. Any player who helps lead his team to the Super Bowl in his second year, as Kaepernick has done, or goes to the Pro Bowl in his first year, the way Wilson has, deserves to be rewarded, at least more than his existing rookie deal does.

Until the rules are adjusted, the players will continue to be wronged. And after watching Kaepernick and Wilson this season and seeing what they will earn in future seasons, one truth is self-evident: The holes in the CBA are a lot bigger than any they find in opposing defenses.

On to this week's 10 Spot:

 

[BINGO]

1. More QB contract talk: There is no drama surrounding Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's contract, despite all the talk about it. The Ravens will sign him to a mega long-term deal or place their franchise tag on him, but either way, he is not leaving Baltimore.

Mike and Mike in the Morning

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter shares his thoughts on JaMarcus Russell's potential return, Matt Flynn's future, Super Bowl XLVII and more.

More Podcasts »

The more interesting quarterback contract is the one belonging to San Francisco's Alex Smith, who will be the object of speculation from Kansas City to Philadelphia to Buffalo. And here's the CliffsNotes version of Smith's contract, for anyone wondering about it.

If Smith is still on the 49ers' roster April 1, his $7.5 million salary becomes fully guaranteed, per a review of the deal, no questions asked. Most around the league expect the 49ers to make their move with Smith well before then.

But there are other dates that have ramifications for Smith as well. If he is traded by the third day of the league year -- March 14 -- then the 49ers owe him nothing. If Smith is cut before the third day of the league year, the 49ers owe him a $1 million roster bonus. If Smith is cut after the third day of the league year, the 49ers owe him a $2 million roster bonus.

In a perfect world, San Francisco would find a trade partner and deal Smith before March 14. But it will not be easy to find a trade partner or work out a deal. Any team that wants Smith might be willing to wait for him to be cut, putting more pressure on the 49ers. The most logical outcome might be for San Francisco to eat the $1 million roster bonus and release Smith. And then the speculation really would begin.

But whichever way it goes, San Francisco has another big quarterback decision to make on top of the one it made to bench Smith for Kaepernick.

As much talk as Flacco's new contract will generate, the Super Bowl quarterback with the most intriguing contractual situation is Smith.

O.J. Brigance receives a game ball during the Ravens' AFC championship celebration.

2. Emotional moment: The most emotional moment in Baltimore's victory celebration came when former Ravens linebacker and current senior adviser O.J. Brigance, battling ALS since 2007, was asked to present the Lamar Hunt Trophy to his team. Through his computer, Brigance typed with his eyes the message he wanted to express to the men of his organization: "Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens. Your resiliency has outlasted your adversity. You are the AFC Champions. You are my mighty men. With God, all things are possible." Brigance has been an inspiration to the Ravens and anyone who has seen his story. ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" aired the most memorable feature of this postseason on Brigance earlier this month. It is recommended watching as a primer on how Baltimore has been motivated and inspired and will be again in its matchup against San Francisco.

3. Support wasn't dropped: In another feature that ran on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown," former Ravens wide receiver Lee Evans recounted the events after his dropped pass during last season's AFC Championship Game in New England. What stood out to Evans, even to this day, was the way Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed comforted him.

"They didn't look at it as blaming one person or one guy," Evans recalled last week in Baltimore. "It was really a team thing for them, and I think that is what is so special about that team and that organization. They said it, and not only did they say it, but it was backed up by their actions. I knew from that moment on until now that [Lewis] would help drive that engine to get them right back here, like he said they will be."

Asked specifically how Lewis comforted him, Evans provided a snapshot of why the Ravens linebacker has been so inspirational to each of his teammates.

"When he tells his story about what he's going through, it kind of dwarfs everything that you know and can think about," said Evans, who still lives in Baltimore. "At that moment when you're feeling your lowest, he can tell you his story, his struggle, and you can't even compare. And when he tells you that was our journey, you know that he means it. You know that it's real to him, and you have a sense that he wanted and needed to come back and they were going to do it again and be in that position again. It was bigger things on the horizon, especially for him and his life."

Evans made it sound as if Lewis knew bigger things were on the horizon.

Will Ravens safety Ed Reed (left) follow Ray Lewis into retirement after the Super Bowl?

4. Explain this: Super Bowl XLVII will feature one player each from Florida State, Michigan, LSU, Notre Dame, Penn State, Nebraska and Texas A&M, but two from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. Washburn University -- nicknamed the Ichabods -- has produced Ravens cornerback Cary Williams and 49ers special teams captain Michael Wilhoite. Washburn is the first non-Division I school to produce two players in the Super Bowl since South Dakota State did it in 2001 with former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri and Rams guard Adam Timmerman. Break up the Ichabods.

5. Bay Area bliss: Who has it better than the Bay Area? The 49ers are in the Super Bowl, Stanford won the Rose Bowl, the Giants won the World Series, the Oakland A's pulled a comeback to catch the Rangers for the AL West title, and the Golden State Warriors are back in contention in the NBA (no need to mention the Raiders). There aren't many cities or regions that have won a World Series and Super Bowl in the same season. The Baltimore Orioles and Colts did it in 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers did it in 1979, the New York Mets and Giants did it in 1986, the A's and 49ers did it in 1989, and the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots did it in 2004. The 49ers are trying to make it another double for what could be an unforgettable sports year for the San Francisco area. Who has it better than the Bay Area? Right now, nobody!