Dude. Coaches and team owners might know theres no shot in hell, but no upper level athlete ever believes he has no shot at winning it all.
I didn't say there wasn't a shot. But it's very unlikely. The Vikes just simply aren't as good as other teams in the playoffs this year and I'd say they aren't even as good as their record this season. I think it would be different if there was a team around him, win as a team and lose as a team. When you are the team it just sucks.
You're basically saying that the Vikings should've sacrificed their sure-thing shot at the playoffs just to appease their star. Part of the reason we all were kind of rooting for AP to break that record was because Adrian Peterson is a very likable star player, and he seems like a genuinely good dude. If it were honestly more important for AP to break the record than for them to make the playoffs, then AP would be a giant dick by putting himself above the best interest of his team. Ultimately, the Vikings did what was best for the team as a whole, and it was absolutely the right thing to do. Does it suck that AP missed out on the record? Yeah, it kind of does (and I say that as a Bears fan that loathes the Vikings), but they did what was best for the team as a whole.
I understand it was never going to happen the way I said, I know the team comes first. It's just wishful thinking. Though I still believe he would have rather had the record, even if he'd never admit it.
I guess ultimately you have to understand it was only 9 yards. That was 9 yards he could've somehow missed out on week 1, or week 4, or week 9. Maybe it was when he broke off a 10 yard run that got called back for a holding penalty. That last game, that last play, that simply wasn't the time for him to get another carry. It'll still go down in history as the 2nd best rushing year in NFL history, and people will make arguments for it being the BEST rushing year given that AP had 30 fewer carries than Eric Dickerson, and AP was coming off that ACL injury, not to mention having absolutely no supporting cast.
You must also believe the world is flat. His reaction after the game was 100% clear that he was more concerned with the win. It went something like this Michelle Tafoya - We have Adrian Peterson here. Hi Adrian. Wow incredible game. 9 yards. AD - 9 yards what? (unmistakable confusion) MT - 9 yards off from breaking Eric Dickerson's record AD - We got the W that's what's important. Something just like that. Is he bummed about not getting the record yeah. Do I believe for one second he'd trade the playoff berth for the record? Not at all. Now...we at least have a unbalanced debate if the Vikes were 7-9 and this wasn't a win or go home game. But that guy seems to be a genuine team player. That and since he's a fucking robot, his programming doesn't allow him to be selfish.
You're also ignoring the progress that the team could make in the playoffs that could help the, towards a future Super Bowl run. No they may not have a good shot at winning the Super Bowl this year, but if they go into Green Bay and win a game there it gives them even more to build on for next year. Considering they were somewhere around a six win team last year if I remember correctly they are clearly moving in the right direction. The single season rushing record would have been nice, but the playoffs give them much more to build off of. And when he retires Peterson may say that record would have been nice to have but if this season helps them win a future Super Bowl he seems like he would rather that Than the record.
We were 3-13 last year. If we win the SuperBowl this year, fuck yeah, I'm glad we got the win. If we don't, I'm still glad we got the win, but the all time single season rushing record is a bigger deal than a 6th seed wild card losing team. And no, making it further into the playoffs doesn't help us in when it comes to future years, except by possibly making us more attractive to free agents. It actually lowers our draft picks if we win more games. I hate to take them as the inspiration, but I want this Vikings team to pull a Giants.
This makes me giggle. People who are defending Lovie Smith seem to be ignoring a few things: First, they missed the playoffs for 5 of the last 6 seasons. That is with their supposedly "amazing" defense carrying them. Second, they are 1-9 against the Packers in the last ten games against them. It isn't as if beating the Packers is some secondary goal anymore. The Packers are clearly the cream of the NFC North crop, and the ONLY way the Bears will win the division is to beat the Packers. Their inability to win games within their division fucks them over completely. Third, holy lord are they bad at offense. Their best offensive season under Lovie Smith involved them being ranked 15th overall (the season they went to the Superbowl). Otherwise, they're usually ranked in the bottom 1/4th of the league in terms of offense, and Lovie Smith simply ignored it. The analogy I'd use would be that you have 3 horses to pull the cart, offense, defense, and special teams. Lovie's philosophy was to completely and totally ignore the offense to build up the defense and special teams. He, unfortunately, forgot the age old adage that you're only as strong as you're weakest link, and for YEARS the Bears weakest link has been their abysmal offense. Lovie has done nothing for that offense, because he either doesn't have the knowledge. Finally, the thing I keep hearing is how much the Bears players WANT to play for Lovie. They have this desire to play for him, and how they'd run through a wall for him. Devin Hester is even talking about retiring now. My response to that is simple: It doesn't matter if you WANT to play for Lovie Smith, or if Lovie Smith gives you a desire to play. I keep hearing that players would "do anything" for Lovie Smith. Lovie's job is not to motivate the players. The players are professional athletes making hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. They can find motivation in personal pride, in their contract, or in the thousands of fans cheering for them and wearing their jersey. Their JOB is to run through that wall, and Lovie's job is to help them develop their skills and put them in a system that gives them the ABILITY to succeed, and Lovie has failed to do that. Devin Hester may be willing to do anything for Lovie, but Lovie has not developed Devin's ability to do anything, which is Lovie Smith's job. He has failed at his job to develop offensive talent, and failed to give his offense (and, by proxy, his defense) the ability to succeed. Lovie Smith was doing his job badly, and when you do your job badly, you deserve to be fired. And, for that matter, I hope Devin Hester does decide to retire. As a wide receiver, he was all but useless (he'd line up in the wrong place, and unless he was just told to "go," he couldn't run a route to save his life), and his punt/kick returning went right back down the drain when he stopped running forward again and started running side to side or backwards trying to make something happen. I respect Devin Hester for what he did as a kick/punt returner, but there is no other offensive or defensive position I'd want him in. For that matter, I am absolutely okay with Urlacher deciding not to come back, as well. He clearly lost a step last season, and it is time they work on replacing him.
I think a lot of people are just perplexed about firing a head coach with a consistent winning record. If Philly didn't ask Reid's input on all personnel decisions, I think he would still be coaching there. Also, he should have done the same thing Joe Philbin did: kid dies, take another job and start over. These last few seasons, you could tell he was spread too thin. In other news, bye bye Ray-Ray: <a class="postlink" href="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/62536/ray-lewis-greatest-defensive-player-ever" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_ ... layer-ever</a> Cue Ashley Fox calling his legacy "complex" because of his involvement in a double homicide. First...well, yeah. NFL linebacker famous for intensity and aggression commits murder? You don't say! Fuck, I'm just happy he's religious, otherwise the Wire wouldn't have needed Omar, it would have been "Oh shit, Ray Lewis comin'!" Second, why the fuck is Ashley Fox talking about football? Not to be a sexist fart-wind, but...how much does she really get about the game? Has she spent years in pads? Of ALL of the former players, NONE of them are more qualified to provide analysis that this twat? <a class="postlink" href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8803657/ray-lewis-unquestioned-hall-fame-credentials-legacy-complicated" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2012/st ... omplicated</a>
I agree with almost all of what you are saying, D26. I think people that are not Bears fans are suffering from a recency bias. They are seeing a 10 win team this year, an aberration of sorts last year when Cutler went out, and then a berth in the NFCCG 2 years ago. They then are not processing the 3 mediocre years beforehand and the a general downtrend in addition to completely ignoring the offense. They see getting Cutler and Marshall and assume its a general progress. I say this from talking to kids I went to school with who are Bengals, Browns, and Steelers fans and don't pay close attention to the Bears or the NFC North. As for Hester, I imagine he has some allegiance cause Lovie cause Lovie is one of the people who "believed", foolishly, that Devin Hester could be not just a WR, but a #1 WR, and paid him as such. I firmly believe that this insistence took away from his return game. Lets face it, Hester is a one trick pony. Granted he was the best ever at that trick, but still. And his window to be elite has seemingly closed and I think he's seeing the writing on the wall. His support to be a WR is gone with Lovie and Angelo exiting, so I think he is saving face.
The funny part is that a lot of the Chicago sports media I listen to and read basically had the same prediction about the Bears that I had. A good team that will lose when facing great opponents. They saw the drastic flaws in the Bears game, which is that Lovie simply did not put any focus on the offense at all. They brought in Cutler, the best QB Chicago has had (possibly) ever, if not at LEAST in the last 30 years. They had Matt Forte, a guy most argued as one of the best RBs in football. They brought in Brandon Marshall, the best WR the Bears have had in 30 years, if not ever, and they drafted Ashlon Jeffrey to be their number 2 Wide Receiver (and he is a guy a lot of people project to be a number 1 receiver some day). Yet SOMEHOW this offense continued to be abysmal. There is no way that can happen without it being a direct result of a coach who simply doesn't have a clue what to do with the offense. Most reports from Halas Hall said that Lovie had zero concern with the offense, and that he always completely differed to his offensive coordinator so that he could focus on defense and special teams. That is why the Bears couldn't make the playoffs this year. I honestly feel bad for whatever team ends up with Lovie as their head coach, because they'll face the same problems the Bears did unless Lovie brings in an offensive coordinator that can get the job done. Of course, if he does that, that offensive coordinator likely won't stay around long. Any team that hires him has to take that into account: this is a head coach that couldn't coach the offense of a Division 3 college team. And yes, I'd like to see Hester gone. I'd also like to see Urlacher gone. In fact, let me say this: Cutler, Marshall, Forte, Jeffery, Peppers, Briggs, Tillman, Jennings, Gould. Those are the only names in Bears Uniforms that I would be remotely annoyed to see gone next year. Everyone else? Let 'em go. There is no one else on that team that couldn't be drastically improved upon. As for other openings, it is amazing how many teams are clamoring for Andy Reid. Arizona is desperately trying to get him (so he can "fix" Kevin Kolb's career), the Chiefs are trying to intercept him and get him for their team, not to mention how he was tied to the San Diego job. Arizona is apparently also interested in Lovie (I've heard Lovie's name connected to Arizona and Buffalo, so far). Now, I've seen talk that San Diego is basing their search on the possibility that they move the team to L.A., so they may end up targeting a guy like Jon Gruden, who would want to come in with some control over personnel, but has the "personality" and the big coaching name to help the Chargers if they do end up moving to LA. Oh, and playoff stories I'm already tired of: 1) RGIII vs. Russell Wilson. Did you know they are the ONLY two players in the playoffs this week? They're going to play all four games against each other. 2) The potential for a Colts v. Broncos playoff game. The Colts need to win, and then have Houston win (not an unlikely scenario) to see Peyton take on his former team. If this happens, you'll be able to actually HEAR the collective orgasm at ESPN. 3) The above would only be made worse by the potential for Manning vs. Brady in the AFC title game.
I'd add Henry Melton who had a good year, I'd add Mcclellin, and I'd add Bush, maybe Earl Bennett cause as a strict 3rd WR, he's got potential. Otherwise, I agree. Except for Urlacher. I think you are underestimating his presence on the team beyond simple stats (which actually when you factor in his missing the last 4 games this year, weren't much of a drop off. Sure he has lost a step, but he's a smart enough football player to know how to adjust his game accordingly). If you start to rebuild that defense, I want Urlacher there to be a locker room presence for a team of young guys. And I don't think its ridiculous to see Urlacher move into a coaching role as soon as he retires. The main is a Bears legend, I'm not keen to push him out the door short of him asking for some obscene extension.
I'll be kind of happy if Reid goes to the Chiefs, because I just couldn't care less about that team. Arizona, meanwhile, actually has potential if Kolb's games this year are any indication. With that defense and Fitzgerald, they're actually only a few decent linemen from respectability. Likewise, if you actually watched the Browns this year, there was a fair bit to like there, and there's plenty of reason to think the Bills roster could be interesting. Kansas City and Reid? They deserve each other. As far as Bears players, you should also be interested in returning Evan Rodriguez. Probably Idonije, but that depends on the money. And Johnny Knox is still around there somewhere, technically. The players in uniform, with maybe the exception of Kellen Davis and some of the linemen, are not the problem. There is no good reason why the roster, as currently constituted, couldn't be competing for the #1 seed with good coaching. The gap is very small: the 49ers are getting a bye with only one more win than the Bears.
First, for Urlacher, I don't think he'll return. He was one of the most vocal about wanting Lovie to stick around, and Lovie's firing might particularly stick in his craw. He has lost a step, but there are enough defensive leaders in that locker room (Peppers, Briggs, Tillman) that I wouldn't worry if Urlacher was done. Besides, Urlacher has this arrogant way of insulting his own fans that just bothers me. I've never seen a player openly shit on his fan base as much as Urlacher does. As for the rest of them, my main feeling is that there isn't any player besides the guys I listed that couldn't be upgraded. I'd imagine a LOT of them will be back, but they can all be upgraded either through the draft or free agency. I'd really like to see them sign a good O-lineman and draft another to develop so that they can shore up that offensive line. Finally, to address MoreCowbell's last line, that good coaching could've made that team a number 1 seed: I don't think so. I think better coaching could've given them at least two more wins, but that would be at most a 2 seed (i.e. that Seattle game that they should've won, and not getting dominated by the Packers). The Falcons had that 1 seed. Their offensive line was just too neglected and not good enough. I know Green Bay also had an awful offensive line, but they also had Aaron Rodgers, who is on a completely different level than Jay Cutler. Cutler is a guy that needs time to see a play develop to be more effective, and hence the Bears NEED a good offensive line to be an effective offense.
You're correct this year. Given the abundance of tough teams, no team could compete with the Falcons' schedule. It's obscene that Atlanta avoided playing SF, Seattle, Chicago, Green Bay, Houston, and New England, whereas those teams beat up on each other. But I don't see that being true next year. I don't actually think the problem is talent on the line. Not that they have great talent, but Webb, Carimi, and Garza should be competent. They have the size and skills. Scott could be a lot worse, and Spencer should be able to shift out to guard. The issues are much more on the coaching end. With decent coaching, they should be capable, albeit not really good. And it'll have to come from coaching: the Bears are going to be too low to draft an OL who can make an immediate impact, and guys like Ryan Clady, Sebastian Vollmer, or Andre Smith aren't going anywhere. Long will either stay in Miami or be very pricey. Perhaps they could sign Levitre from the Bills, who are probably a bit cash strapped and distracted at the moment. Or Brandon Albert, should he be available. The biggest gain to their blocking personnel might actually come from Rodriguez improving with time and the tight end position, where Davis is unimpressive and really shouldn't be playing over Spaeth. It actually might be worthwhile for the Bears to look into trading up about ten spots, because that's where you want to be if you want an immediate-impact lineman (Lewan and maybe Fisher, assuming Matthews doesn't come out. Warmack if you feel OK about trading up for a guard).
There's no way he didn't know how close he was the whole time. It's like when any other athlete breaks a record and the crowd erupts, that athlete knows why the crowd is cheering. Obviously no player would ever put themselves before the team in the public light. It's like I said, if he had this season on a team that was at least somewhat equally as good as him I could see not getting the record as kind of an "aww shucks" moment. But when you are the team, it has to sting a whole lot more.
I watched "Inside the NFL" last night, and he was miked for sound last weekend. After the game, and talking to people on the field, he leans over to one of the coaches and says, "How close was I?" And the guy tells him 9 yards.
My team. The fucking Redskins. In the playoffs. The NFL playoffs. I know, right? It doesn't look good having to play Seattle in the first round, though. I think I'd rather play any other team in the conference. Here's to hoping my team will have the common sense to have their rookie sensations remain on the team long enough to become veteran sensations. The franchise would be stupid not to at this point.