The Updated Blog Plans Are Complete!

To all those who still happen to have my blog under your blogroll or RSS feeds or whatever, congratulations, you are the first to see the revamp of The Rich Liebig Blog!

I know, quite an honor.

Sorry about the absence of news blogging, there's no excuse to really cover it. Turning 21 gives you a different set of priorities to worry about. You know, like is that asshole bartender going to make your drink so strong that you have to leave the bar after one drink because you've been annoying all night by singing "Oh My My" by Ringo Starr since you walked into the place.

A run-on sentence. Great way to come back into blogging. Also, that's not based on any sort of real life experience; it was just a hypothetical situation.

Now, you might be asking where is some actual news opinion here in this post? Well, just in time for the new look for the website, my good buddy and "Hangers" tag team partner Steve Jiwanmall happened to use some of my thoughts to make a delightful Campus Philly article on how college students are expecting the Eagles to do this season with new starting quarterback Kevin Kolb. Click here to see it. I'm the first opinion, you know, no big deal.

So there you have it folks. The updated blog plans are now complete. This station is now fully operational once again. Now to actually write about the news....

Is that Brett Favre coming back...AGAIN?! THIS IS WHAT I CAME BACK TO BLOG FOR?!

NFL Thanksgiving Coverage

First off, before I do some NFL analyzing which I was going to do in this post originally -- have you noticed that when you order out food, the portions have become noticeably smaller? Is it because of the downward economy? Is it because people know you can screw around with take-out orders since they probably won't complain about it? Is it because of the rap music? President-Elect Barack Obama, please get on this.

Anyway, we'll be coming down the home stretch soon of the NFL 2008-09 season, and this is my favorite time of the NFL season because now we pretty much know where everybody stands, we can pick who's making the playoffs, and who's got the best shot at winning the Super Bowl.

So, without further ado, here's some points I got to mention:

• An All New York Super Bowl IS a Possibility -- The Giants right now are the most complete team in the NFC. They can roll into any place, any time right now and win the game. They're leading the NFC at 10-1, and are undefeated in the NFC. Although they've got a somewhat tough schedule, I think there's no doubt they should be able to clinch homefield advantage. I have the Giants finishing at 12-4 or 13-3. They are the complete package right now. On the other hand, the New York Jets are blossoming right now after winning two big games -- one after the former great division rival Patriots and one with the former-undefeated Titans. The Jets are making some noise, as they are scoring the most points in the AFC and aren't sorry for it. And the rest of the Jets schedule this season isn't that bad: Broncos, 49ers, Bills, Seahawks, and Dolphins. All of these games are winnable. If the Jets keep this momentum and high-powered offense going, they could end up 12-4 or 13-3 as well. Giants VS Jets for the Super Bowl? Sounds exciting, as far as I'm concerned. But it would be a bummer that an all New York City Super Bowl would have to be played in Tampa Bay.
• Donovan McNabb Is Done -- In this season where quarterbacks are achieving passing records in accuracy (i.e., Brett Favre has a record 70-75% completion rate in the last three games), Donovan McNabb is really disappointing. He's thrown one interception for every quarter he's been in for the last couple of games, and he's definitely not working with the Eagles' offense right now. Also, McNabb is 32 years old and is carrying a $10 million contract under the Eagles' salary cap. Whether you like it or not folks, McNabb's on his way out of Philly. The meltdown with the Baltimore Ravens was the cataylist needed to start McNabb's trip out of the Eagles' organization.
• Is My Dream of an 0-16 NFL Season True?! -- This could be it, folks! The Detroit Lions could legitmately go 0-16 this season, much to my heart's delight! The Lions are right now 0-11, and here's the last 5 games of their season: Titans, Vikings, Colts, Saints, and the Packers. All of these teams are at least at .500, and all of them look to pick up wins over the Lions as the playoff hunt gets tighter and tighter. Only the Vikings look a little shady to me, but other than that, I think we could see the Lions go 0-16! HOORAY AT PERFECT IMPERFECTION! The Dolphins teased me last season when they went 1-15, but I think the Lions this year could go all the way...down in a hole in the ground to the center of the earth! 0-16, here we come!
• WTF Fair Catch Kick Thing?! -- Honestly, did YOU know what was going on? I sure as hell didn't. Not to rehash my previous points, but can you imagine Donovan McNabb or the Lions (or better yet, Donovan McNabb with the Lions) trying to understand this?

We'll see how the rest of the NFL season turns out. I might have some time this Thanksgiving weekend to do some more NFL Coverage, but we'll see if the turkey does me in again...

Go Favre Yourself, New York!

Well, folks, it finally happened. Late Wednesday night, the iconic legend of the Green Bay Packers was traded from the team he had spent the last 15 seasons with to the New York Jets. It was very sad to see the beloved number four leave Green Bay, but now that we know where Favre's going to play his 276th consecutive start as quarterback, we know that now the drama is resolved and the soap opera is over.

Are you kidding me? You would have to be absolute moron to believe that. This story is just going to get juicer.

Brett Favre, now at 38 (soon to be 39 in October), is leaving the small city life at Green Bay where he was adored as a football god, to the biggest media frenzy that the world has to offer, New York City. Favre's going to be in exile now from the heaven that was Green Bay -- if Favre can't improve the Jets by at least making them a postseason team, New York fans are going to criticize him every week of the 2008-09 season. You thought this whole retirement thing was madness this summer, wait next off-season if Favre doesn't do well with the Jets -- New Yorkers are going to demand Favre's retirement. And I know, for a fact, there are two groups of fans you should never disobey -- Philadelphia fans and New York fans. They are just that crazy about their sports. Favre won't be playing the "Will-I-Retire-Or-Not?" game anymore, not with New York's attention on him. For Favre, it's either playoffs with the Jets or retirement.

To even add more drama to this Brett Favre saga:

• The New York Jets will play "Football's Best Team" (though, how can they be if they choked in the Super Bowl?), the New England Patriots, twice. How will Favre stack up against Tom Brady? Can Favre still play as good as today's best?
• The New York Giants (shouldn't they be the best team since they, you know, won the Super Bowl?), even though they won the Super Bowl last season, have been kept out of the press lately due to this whole Favre going to the Jets deal. You know that when the NFL Season starts, the New York media is going to compare how Favre's Jets are doing compared to the other New York team, the Giants. Who really is going to be "New York's Team" when the 2008 season is over?
• How will Aaron Rodgers fare? The man who the Green Bay Packers (and Michael Silver) have so much confidence in has some big shoes to fill. Rodgers has to lead the Packers to win the division or at the very least a wildcard playoff spot or else the Packers are really going to have egg (or cheese in this case?) on their face (oh and a conditional draft pick next year? What, that's all the Packers could get for Favre? That's getting hosed.). Rodgers is another person Favre's going to be compared to throughout this season.

As for me, personally, I am very disappointed that the Green Bay Packers couldn't just welcome Favre back into their organization, but they had to do what they had to do, and like Favre said about this trade: "It's business." Favre should be back with the Pack, but alas, instead we, the loyal Favre fans, will be cheering "J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!" this season. Yep, we're trading the cheeseheads for ... an airplane-head-type-of-hat? Well, at least the color is still green, just got to get wash away the yellow to make it white, so at least we caught a break there.

Oh, by the way, isn't there some sort of athletic spectacle that takes place once every four years happening? Someone's going to have to remind me if that's still taking place. Or maybe I'm just hallucinating from all the Brett Favre coverage I've been doing.

Michael Silver, You're Officially On My Sh*t List.

Well, folks, I'm back from the shore, and the sports world is still talking about the gossip of the Brett Favre saga. Now, I have stated my opinions on this before, and some honorable writers have disagreed with me, which is fine, as per their American right to do so. However, to insult the intelligence of fans of Favre (like me) is taking this drama to another level, which is exactly what Yahoo Sports writer Michael Silver has done is his latest journalistic piece of crap.

Did you click all the hyperlinks there? Good.

Now, for those that have lost track on the Favre story, the quarterback was recently granted permission from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to return back to active duty with the Green Bay Packers. Instead of the "open arms" that was promised to Favre (which only the fans were able to give him), Favre was met with criticism from the Packers' front office, head coach Mike McCarthy, and general manager Ted Thompson. In a sudden development, McCarthy said that after "brutally honest" conversations with Favre, he believes that Favre just isn't in the right mind-set to lead the Packers. Much speculation is now focused on a Favre trade, most likely to Tampa Bay Buccaneers if the Packers decide to follow that heinous route.

After this, Michael Silver decides to write an article to announce his man-love and boy-crush-affection on the successor of the Packers' quarterback job, Aaron Rodgers. Silver opens his column with a martyr-like story of how a fan said that Rodgers "wasn't Brett" and that he "sucks." Well, Mr. Silver, that's because Aaron Rodgers is indeed not Brett Favre and he does, in fact, suck in comparison to the great number four. Maybe you should get that through your greased up head before you start elevating Rodgers to Favre's iconic status. Mr. Silver then makes the unnecessarily rude remark that:

"...if you believe that [Favre] will soon be leaving Green Bay because those merciless meanies [Green Bay Packers' Organization] just didn’t want poor ol’ Brett around, you’ve got more than cheese clouding your head."

Mr. Silver, good job at insulting thousands of die-hard Packers fans who want Favre back to their team. I'm sure that they would love to meet with you to discuss the differences you have with about their idol. I just think that you're too much of a scared rat to do so. You're not even worthy of even smelling a 25-year-old used Green Bay Packers' cheesehead hat for that quote.

Silver then comes back to his man-crush with Rodgers saying that he "did what Favre can’t seem to do these days: He kept his cool." No, Favre has kept his cool throughout this whole ordeal. He has never lashed out against the Packers and has always kept the option open that he would like to come back to the team that made him a legend in the first place. And Rodgers hasn't been "cool," either -- he's just kept his mouth shut; you know, something a backup quarterback should do. If anything, I would say Rodgers has been chilly this whole time; and just as the late George Carlin says: "Chilly has never been cool."

Then, Silver goes over four things Favre "should" have done during this whole Brett Favre/Green Bay Packers disaster. I will go through them and prove them wrong with my usual flawless logic (ego there...):

1. Not attend the Green Bay Packers' scrimmage game -- Mr. Silver, you want Favre to lie down? Play dead for the Packers organization, perhaps? Screw you, Mr. Silver. Real heroes never stay down for the count.
2. Apologize to McCarthy and Thompson for having called them dishonest, and assure his bosses he had overcome his ill feelings and was embracing a return to the organization under any terms -- Again, screw you, Mr. Silver for wanting Favre to lie down and to act like the pussycat you are.
3. Show up for practice on Tuesday, wave to the adoring fans, meet with reporters afterward and tell them, 'I just want a chance to compete for my job and help this team' -- Brett Favre is a 9-time Pro Bowler, 3-time NFL Most Valuable Player, and holds the most victories as a starting quarterback in NFL history (and that's only some of his accolades). There is no way a player of Favre's caliber should even have to fight with Rodgers for the starting quarterback job. Favre is going to be an instant Hall-of-Famer when he's eligible, and the Packers are just tossing him aside in this mess. Now, with that in mind, what makes you think Favre would "help this team" if he didn't even have a starting job with the Packers? It's simply not logical, Mr. Silver.
4. Quietly push for a trade or his outright release and wait for the Packers...to blink first -- First of all, nothing is done quietly these days, so that part of this action is not part realistic. Second, Favre has been asking that if the Packers don't have any plans for him, that they should trade or release him. It's just that the Packers haven't done so. So, what, you want Favre to just wait in limbo while the Packers decide what to do, Mr. Silver? No, Favre can't afford to do that, especially with the 2008 NFL Season starting in a month.
   

Silver then finishes his toilet-paper worthy article with the following about Aaron Rodgers' "maturity" (even though Rodgers has only been in 7 games in the last 3 seasons):

"Hopefully, that maturity will start to rub off on Favre – and the fans who can’t find the grace to cope with the fact that their hero willfully abandoned them."

Favre has matured. He knows how to play the game. And that's the bottom line when you're deciding who should be the leader of your team. Who can play the game better than Favre? The answer is simply no one. So, why have the Packers backed themselves into a corner with this whole Favre ordeal? There really hasn't been any logic in the Packers' moves lately. The fault of this, lies sorely on the Green Bay Packers Organization and their Front Office, not Brett Favre. And if Michael Silver doesn't realize it, then I question the value of Yahoo Sports for letting an atrociously bloated article like this be published as the top headline on their site.

Well, now you guys know why Michael Silver is on my proverbial sh*t list. And if Yahoo Sports keeps this kind of reporting up, they might be the next entry on it.

The A-11 Offense

I got sent this interesting tidbit of information a couple of days ago, and I thought I should share this with you guys before I go down the shore this weekend (to quote Nelson from The Simpsons: "HA HA!"). Now, I know baseball is hitting its home stretch of the season, but I can't help but love football all throughout the year, so when I read about this, I knew I had to talk (blog) about it.

In some high schools, coaches are preparing to use the highly unusual formation known as the A-11 Offense. At first, this formation seems to be just plain retarded, but actually if you think about this formation as how the defense has to block against it, it's quite unique (in a good way). Here's how it breaks down:

• One Center -- obviously, to hike the football
• Two Tight Ends -- one positioned to the left of center, one positioned to the right of center
• Six Wide Receivers -- three positioned to the left and three positioned to the right
• Two Quarterbacks -- both positioned in the shotgun, with one to the left and one to the right

Now, when I first read this, I thought just like you guys did -- whoever actually uses this in a football game isn't going to have a coaching job anytime soon. But, think about this strategy in terms of how the defense has to control this unusual formation:

• The defense must cover all 6 wide receivers, or else risk giving up big yardage.
• Sure, only the center and the tight ends are protecting the quarterbacks, but with 6 guys covering the receivers (and for the conservative defensive coordinator, possibly adding one safety for zone support), the maximum number of guys the defense can send is four or five blitzers, at the most.
• Remember, there are two quarterbacks in this, so not only can either one of them throw the ball, they can throw the ball to each other if they get stuck in a tight situation. Also, when they start the play, they are in the shotgun, so they have a good look at the field in case they feel a blitz is coming.
  
• The biggest advantage to this formation: Every man on the offense is an eligible receiver. The quarterbacks, the wide receivers, the tight ends, and the center all can catch the ball if a play breaks down and they need to make a play with the football. No other formation in football lets an offense get away with this.

Now, obviously, this formation is only for the pass-heavy offenses. No running backs need apply in this A-11 Offense. With that in mind, consider that in the NFL:

• Most of the time, running backs are only as spectacular as their offensive line is, and most NFL teams usually don't have the complete 1-2 package of both offensive line and running back.
• The career span of a running back has shortened considerably. By the time a running back is 28 or 29 years old, they're nothing but old, injury-prone broken engines (see Shaun Alexander if you think that's not true).
• Most elusive running backs often catch the ball now in addition to running the ball (see Brian Westbrook).

Now, I'm not saying that there will be no running offense in the future. Far from it, I still believe establishing the run is one of the most important factors to success in football. But its importance has deteriorated somewhat in the NFL (see Andy Reid, who's willing to pass the ball 80% of the time during a game if he feels like it). With this crack in the foundation of the running game, maybe we will see new formations with more wide receivers than before. I'm not saying the A-11 Offense is the offense of the future; it hasn't even been tried out on the collegiate level yet. But, nevertheless, this A-11 Offense is a sign that football is evolving, and that this era might be the crucial intermediary period where we could be on the verge of a different football unlike anything fans have ever seen before. Keep your eyes open.

Why did I fall for The Leader of The Pack?

Alright, I was gone for another week due to unforeseen babysitting time with my two nephews and my one niece. But, now, I think I'm free this week, so I'm back hunting for the latest news and in the week I have been gone, there is big drama coming from my favorite NFL player of all-time, Brett Favre.

For those that don't follow Brett Favre, he was the star (legend?) of the Packers as their starting quarterback since 1992. On March 4th, 2008, Favre, who is 38 years old, announced he was retiring from the NFL. This retirement news actually was sort of shocking, considering that after last season Favre and the Green Bay Packers made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants. Nevertheless, though, NFL fans said good-bye to him, and thought that he had sailed off into the sunset and we would later hear from him when he would get inducted into the NFL Hall-of-Fame in a couple of years....

Boy, were we wrong about that.

Favre, just 4 months after his retirement announcement, has announced that he would like another shot in football. Unfortunately, though, the Packers have already started getting Aaron Rodgers (the former back-up to Favre) ready to go this season. The Packers then offered Favre an "undefined position" with the team. Favre denied this, saying that if he decides to come back in the NFL, he wants to be starting quarterback again and not anything else.

When Favre realized he would not be starting for the Packers now, he asked the Green Bay Packers to let him go on an unconditional release, which would let Favre shop around to different NFL teams. The Packers have denied Favre's request, probably because if they are going to actually lose Favre to a different team, they might as well make a trade out of it and get something out of this whole dramatic soap opera. As of now, Favre and the Green Bay Packers currently are in a standstill, waiting for the next event to in this story to happen.

Now, here's my points on this, because (yes...I'm still supporting Favre; I love Brett Favre just as much as John Madden does) I think the Green Bay Packers organization are at fault here.

• Forced Into Retirement -- With the free agency period starting and the NFL Draft approaching back in March, Favre was forced to make a decision to either go 100% with the Packers or retire. Now, after spending 15 years in football, giving your best every week during an NFL Season, and just losing in the NFC Championship Game, the possibility of retiring from football is going to seem better than returning to the game. It's just the mentality of getting done a NFL season; it strains you, both physically and mentally. Favre even admitted to an AP Reporter that he was guilty of "retiring too early." The Packers forced him to make a decision immediately and he chose what he thought was going to be the right thing to do for him and his family.
• No Aggressive Moves By The Pack -- This primarily stems from two years ago, when star wide receiver Randy Moss was available on the trading block. Favre, who knew that his team had some possibilities, pleaded with the Packers to go after him. Favre even said he would give up some of his own salary to pay for Moss to sign with the team. What did the Packers do? Offered a crappy deal, and let Moss go off to the New England Patriots. Favre has a right to be pissed off at the Green Bay Packers: they don't go after star players, and instead rely on their rookie talents and NFL Draft picks to become better (which actually worked last season, until their inexperience was shown in the playoffs). Well, Favre doesn't have the years left on his career for it, so I think he knew he would have to get out of Green Bay eventually.
• Favre Is Still Not Certain -- Favre stated that although he "has the itch" to come back into the NFL, he realizes that "the bottom line is that I might not play anywhere." So, maybe all of this hoopla is for nothing, but nevertheless, he wants to keep his options open but the Packers are closing them by not releasing (or trading) him. Favre wants to see if it would be worth it for him to return to the NFL, which is something the Packers don't want Favre to view at all.

I certainly hope that all of this nonsense gets taken care of soon before the minicamps and the preseason start. As for me, I think it would be cool to see Favre play for one more season, whether it be with the Packers (though that's 99% not going to happen) or with another team. Regardless of how this drama unfolds, I still believe Favre is the best NFL player of the current era, and as far as I'm concerned, he is still The Leader of The Pack.

Special Super Segment of Sports

...or what I like to call "SSSS." I'm going to do an all-around sports news overview today, since there we no other big headlines in the news, except for the flooding in the Midwest, but I'm not an expert in natural disasters. There was also the funeral for Tim Russert, may he rest in peace; but other than that, no major news. Anyway, let's go around the horn of sports:

• NBA: The Celtics are looking good as the new NBA Champions, but where does this leave the Los Angeles Lakers? LA Times Sportswriter Bill Plaschke commented that the League MVP Kobe Bryant, who Lakers fans were resting their Championship hopes on, was "AWFUL" and is definitely "not Michael Jordan." Bryant might be the MVP, but this 2008 postseason proved that scoring looks good on the highlight reels, but teamwork still wins championships. How are the Lakers going to rebound next season, especially in one of the toughest conferences ever in the history of the NBA? Obviously it can't rely solely on Kobe. That's why the future of the Lakers will depend on Andrew Bynum, the young 7 foot center who was injured and couldn't play for the Lakers when they needed him the most -- in the playoffs. If Bynum can perform, then the Lakers can put Pau Gasol as a power forward, Kobe should get more second chances at missed shots, and then the trio should be able to do well next season. But it really will depend if Bynum, the "A-Train," is ready to go full steam ahead. And by the way Lamar Odom fans, don't expect to see him in a Lakers' jersey next year.
• NFL: There's just some minicamps and NFL players going to parties and being robbed and getting knocked unconscious. Nothing big here. But, I'll give you two big predictions I'm making about the 2008 season:
  
• BUY -- San Diego Chargers: Remember last year? They made it all the way to the AFC Championship game until they lost to the Patriots. And for the 2008-09 season, they got the 2nd easiest schedule (in terms of strength of schedule). They're also in a relatively weak division (what competition, The Broncos? The Chiefs?) in the AFC West. As long as Philip Rivers is playing smart football, there's no reason the Chargers shouldn't be back in the Super Bowl hunt.
• SELL -- Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are stuck in a tough division (the Jaguars really could storm back in 2008; Titans and Texans are also somewhat decent) and have the second hardest schedule. Also, I'm sorry, but I just don't believe in Peyton Manning. Sure, he'll give you all the numbers you want in the season, but when he hits the playoffs, he buckles. I know he's a cool guy (with the charity he does and his SNL skits), but I really believe he's one of the overrated players in the league. Don't believe me? Check this out: Excluding the 2006 Super Bowl run, Peyton is just 3-7 career-wise in the postseason. And even in that 2006 Super Bowl run, Peyton was the only quarterback to have thrown more interceptions that touchdowns and win the Super Bowl. He won't be getting away with that now in the tough AFC Conference.
  
• MLB: I know I really don't follow baseball as well as I do with the NFL (I like football better), but when the hell did the Tampa Bay (no-longer-Devil) Rays become a good team? As of this posting, the Rays are 42-29, and, if the season ended today, would earn the AL Wildcard spot for the postseason. Can anybody tell me where the hell the Yankees are in this picture? At least the Red Sox are still leading the AL East Division.
  
• NHL: The NHL has decided to tweak some rules...again. The biggest change I think, is the one to Rule 76.2, which now places the "first faceoff of a power play in the defending zone of the team that committed the foul." I guess it's another attempt by the NHL to pump up the scoring in games. Because as we all know, fans don't care about defense, checking, and fighting, right?
• Golf: During his victory at the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods tore a ligament in his left knee and will need season-ending surgery to correct it. The PGA is concerned because nobody will care about golf now.
  

That's all you need to know in the world of sports for today. I'm Rich Liebig and this has been SSSS.