Monday, August 11, 2008
Farve Streak In Question Due To Jets' New OL Coach
Saw this in an e-mail forward--pretty hilarious. Whoever wrote this definitely has "Callahan-speak" down pretty well.
Jets OL Coach Eager To Break Favre's Streak Of Consecutive Starts***
By BILL LYDON
New York Times
Nothing -- not age, injuries, ferocious linebackers, weather, or freak accidents -- has been able to slow Brett Favre since he became a starting NFL quarterback in 1992. For an NFL-record 275 consecutive regular season and playoff games, Favre has been firmly planted as a starting quarterback, rewriting the league record book along the way.
However, Brett Favre has never met Bill Callahan.
Callahan, the first-year offensive line coach for Favre's new team, the New York Jets, looks forward to being the man who finally breaks Favre's streak of consecutive starts.
"Anytime you can take a streak of historical significance and personally be responsible for its conclusion, that's a tremendous credit to the individual responsible for bringing the streak to its end," explained Callahan. "By and large, I've done a tremendous job ending streaks, and I know in my heart of hearts that I am more than capable of bringing this one to an end as well."
In just four historic years as head coach at the University of Nebraska, Callahan's propensity for ending streaks garnered him multiple entries in the Cornhusker vaunted record books. For instance, Nebraska had not suffered through a losing season in more than 40 consecutive years, which was an ongoing NCAA record. That hallowed streak succumbed immediately to Callahan's touch, as he led Nebraska to a losing record in just his first year on the job.
"I made no secret about my ambition to flip that culture in Lincoln," Callahan recalls proudly. "And it took me very little time to do just that. To take a 10-win program and flip it to a 5-win program within one year's time, I think it takes a certain level of competence to achieve such a turnaround. Unfortunately, there were those involved in that particular program who did not have the intellectual capacity to grasp the difficulty of such a milestone."
Nebraska had appeared in an NCAA-record 35 consecutive bowl streaks prior to Callahan's introduction to the program. He quickly erased that streak as well.
"There is only one bowl in the NFL," Callahan said, "and I'm not sure if you've heard of it. It's called the Super Bowl. And I've coached in it. To be particularly candid and blunt, I have little interest in coaching a football team in any bowl other than the Super Bowl, and I think my performance has been consistent with that philosophy."
Other streaks, such as Nebraska's 36-game win streak over Kansas, fell quickly by the wayside under Callahan's watch.
"My biggest personal disappointment is that I was not able to end the streak of sellouts at Memorial Stadium," lamented Callahan. "The streak is clearly the byproduct of living in an isolated state where intellectual stimulation is difficult to obtain. Ending that streak would have been a tremendous accomplishment, a feather in my cap if you will, in terms of changing the atmosphere of that state away from childish football adulation and into a more sophisticated intellectual scenario."
Callahan envisions ending Favre's streak by the end of September. Specifically, he has his eye on the Jets' game at San Diego on September 22, set for a Monday Night Football telecast, where Callahan hopes his influence can be seen by a nationwide audience.
To that end, he is introducing his own unique version of a zone blocking scheme that has, historically, had little to no effect on defensive linemen or linebackers. In Callahan's opinion, pairing such schemes with the aging legs of a 38-year-old quarterback make it a matter of when, not if, Favre's streak of consecutive starts comes to an end.
"Your typical fan or reporter, lay people, tend to focus more on how certain techniques and alignments appear on the football field to their own naked, untrained eye," Callahan explained, "but they have little appreciation or regard for how certain zone blocking philosophies appear when diagrammed to perfection on paper.
"My blocking schemes, and my offensive schemes in general, are certainly a thing of esoteric beauty. There are those of us who understand them, and to us, they are a source of pleasure. There are those who focus on overrated minutia such as sacks, yardage, touchdowns, and victories, and I am frankly not concerned with their opinions."
Jets OL Coach Eager To Break Favre's Streak Of Consecutive Starts***
By BILL LYDON
New York Times
Nothing -- not age, injuries, ferocious linebackers, weather, or freak accidents -- has been able to slow Brett Favre since he became a starting NFL quarterback in 1992. For an NFL-record 275 consecutive regular season and playoff games, Favre has been firmly planted as a starting quarterback, rewriting the league record book along the way.
However, Brett Favre has never met Bill Callahan.
Callahan, the first-year offensive line coach for Favre's new team, the New York Jets, looks forward to being the man who finally breaks Favre's streak of consecutive starts.
"Anytime you can take a streak of historical significance and personally be responsible for its conclusion, that's a tremendous credit to the individual responsible for bringing the streak to its end," explained Callahan. "By and large, I've done a tremendous job ending streaks, and I know in my heart of hearts that I am more than capable of bringing this one to an end as well."
In just four historic years as head coach at the University of Nebraska, Callahan's propensity for ending streaks garnered him multiple entries in the Cornhusker vaunted record books. For instance, Nebraska had not suffered through a losing season in more than 40 consecutive years, which was an ongoing NCAA record. That hallowed streak succumbed immediately to Callahan's touch, as he led Nebraska to a losing record in just his first year on the job.
"I made no secret about my ambition to flip that culture in Lincoln," Callahan recalls proudly. "And it took me very little time to do just that. To take a 10-win program and flip it to a 5-win program within one year's time, I think it takes a certain level of competence to achieve such a turnaround. Unfortunately, there were those involved in that particular program who did not have the intellectual capacity to grasp the difficulty of such a milestone."
Nebraska had appeared in an NCAA-record 35 consecutive bowl streaks prior to Callahan's introduction to the program. He quickly erased that streak as well.
"There is only one bowl in the NFL," Callahan said, "and I'm not sure if you've heard of it. It's called the Super Bowl. And I've coached in it. To be particularly candid and blunt, I have little interest in coaching a football team in any bowl other than the Super Bowl, and I think my performance has been consistent with that philosophy."
Other streaks, such as Nebraska's 36-game win streak over Kansas, fell quickly by the wayside under Callahan's watch.
"My biggest personal disappointment is that I was not able to end the streak of sellouts at Memorial Stadium," lamented Callahan. "The streak is clearly the byproduct of living in an isolated state where intellectual stimulation is difficult to obtain. Ending that streak would have been a tremendous accomplishment, a feather in my cap if you will, in terms of changing the atmosphere of that state away from childish football adulation and into a more sophisticated intellectual scenario."
Callahan envisions ending Favre's streak by the end of September. Specifically, he has his eye on the Jets' game at San Diego on September 22, set for a Monday Night Football telecast, where Callahan hopes his influence can be seen by a nationwide audience.
To that end, he is introducing his own unique version of a zone blocking scheme that has, historically, had little to no effect on defensive linemen or linebackers. In Callahan's opinion, pairing such schemes with the aging legs of a 38-year-old quarterback make it a matter of when, not if, Favre's streak of consecutive starts comes to an end.
"Your typical fan or reporter, lay people, tend to focus more on how certain techniques and alignments appear on the football field to their own naked, untrained eye," Callahan explained, "but they have little appreciation or regard for how certain zone blocking philosophies appear when diagrammed to perfection on paper.
"My blocking schemes, and my offensive schemes in general, are certainly a thing of esoteric beauty. There are those of us who understand them, and to us, they are a source of pleasure. There are those who focus on overrated minutia such as sacks, yardage, touchdowns, and victories, and I am frankly not concerned with their opinions."
Labels: Bill Callahan, Brett Favre, New York Jets, Satire
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Pete's NFL Picks: Independence Day Edition
Well, not really, but I do want to take a few to discuss the news of the day, which is quite obviously Brett Favre's alleged comeback. Also, read this to get in the July 4th mood. I found it quite striking some of the differences between Big Daddy Drew's breakdown and what ours would look like, although they both include The Hold Steady.
Anyway, back to the Favre thing. Most of the reaction I have seen from my boy MJD and various blog commenters is broken down as such:
1. How could he do this to the Packers?
2. Enough already.
3. Just go away.
My response to this, generally, is as such:
1. Are you fucking serious?
I mean, what is really the downside here, for all parties involved? Favre had his best year in a decade last year and can clearly still bring it. His family wants him to play. John Madden can emerge from his coma (wait, scratch that). His team is good (more on this later). His legacy is intact. If he has the desire (I refuse to call it an "itch"), than he has very little to lose and if the Pack win the Super Bowl, a hell of a lot to gain.
For the Packers, they get a living legend back for one more year. They can win the Super Bowl with Favre, but not with the recently clean-cut Aaron Rodgers. They are loaded at every position except QB, and immediately become the favorite in the NFC with Favre. The only thing they stand to lose is the psyche of Aaron Rodgers, which is probably already destroyed from the last four years of this. The team, according to Al Harris, my 2nd favorite NFL player, wants him back.
For the NFL, they get the most popular player of my lifetime and possibly NFL history to lace them up for a year. It's a great storyline heading into camp. As it is, all they've been talking about is rookie salaries, Pac-Man Jones and Chad Johnson. I think they would love this angle.
The age we live in is so snarky and cynical that all the joy has been sucked out of sports. Even 15 years ago, when MJ came out of his gambling suspension and unretired, he was welcomed back with open arms. I understand that one can grow tired of the mythic proportions and attention thrown Favre's way over the years, I can agree that he has been elevated by the likes of Madden to ridiculousness. I've been known to engage in the type of cynicism and snarkiness when it comes to sports but it's mindboggling in this case. What about Favre coming back isn't better for the NFL or its fans? Who really loses if he plays? If you hate him, you get to root for Jared Allen or Tommie Harris to paralyze him. If you like Favre, you get one more year to enjoy the shit that he does. If you like the Packers, you're team is instantly better. Anyone disagree?
However, he is a legend, he is interesting, polarizing, an old school hero like Ruth, Payton, or Mantle, immortal and down to earth at the exact same time, and the face of the NFL for the last 15 years, and rightfully so. Favre playing is good for the Packers, NFL fans, and the NFL itself.
What am I missing?
Anyway, back to the Favre thing. Most of the reaction I have seen from my boy MJD and various blog commenters is broken down as such:
1. How could he do this to the Packers?
2. Enough already.
3. Just go away.
My response to this, generally, is as such:
1. Are you fucking serious?
I mean, what is really the downside here, for all parties involved? Favre had his best year in a decade last year and can clearly still bring it. His family wants him to play. John Madden can emerge from his coma (wait, scratch that). His team is good (more on this later). His legacy is intact. If he has the desire (I refuse to call it an "itch"), than he has very little to lose and if the Pack win the Super Bowl, a hell of a lot to gain.
For the Packers, they get a living legend back for one more year. They can win the Super Bowl with Favre, but not with the recently clean-cut Aaron Rodgers. They are loaded at every position except QB, and immediately become the favorite in the NFC with Favre. The only thing they stand to lose is the psyche of Aaron Rodgers, which is probably already destroyed from the last four years of this. The team, according to Al Harris, my 2nd favorite NFL player, wants him back.
For the NFL, they get the most popular player of my lifetime and possibly NFL history to lace them up for a year. It's a great storyline heading into camp. As it is, all they've been talking about is rookie salaries, Pac-Man Jones and Chad Johnson. I think they would love this angle.
The age we live in is so snarky and cynical that all the joy has been sucked out of sports. Even 15 years ago, when MJ came out of his gambling suspension and unretired, he was welcomed back with open arms. I understand that one can grow tired of the mythic proportions and attention thrown Favre's way over the years, I can agree that he has been elevated by the likes of Madden to ridiculousness. I've been known to engage in the type of cynicism and snarkiness when it comes to sports but it's mindboggling in this case. What about Favre coming back isn't better for the NFL or its fans? Who really loses if he plays? If you hate him, you get to root for Jared Allen or Tommie Harris to paralyze him. If you like Favre, you get one more year to enjoy the shit that he does. If you like the Packers, you're team is instantly better. Anyone disagree?
However, he is a legend, he is interesting, polarizing, an old school hero like Ruth, Payton, or Mantle, immortal and down to earth at the exact same time, and the face of the NFL for the last 15 years, and rightfully so. Favre playing is good for the Packers, NFL fans, and the NFL itself.
What am I missing?
Labels: Brett Favre, John Madden, soapbox, Sports Wagering
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