Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's Lions-Redskins, which, if we're being honest, wasn't much of a rivalry until both teams started strong this season. Sean Yuille, the guy behind Pride of Detroit, and Skin Patrol of Hogs Haven, answer a few questions. First up, Lions fan Sean Yuille.
FanHouse: It's easy to make fun of Matt Millen and his crack-like addiction of drafting wide receivers, but there's no arguing that Roy Williams is legit, and Calvin Johnson looks like he will be. Heading into the season, Detroit had other needs than pass catcher -- be honest, who did you want the Lions to take in the draft?
POD: Honestly, I was hoping that Detroit would trade the pick with someone like Tampa Bay or Atlanta, pick up a ton of extra picks, and then fill their many needs in that way. Instead, Detroit went the route of Calvin Johnson, and I must say, that works too. I would've still liked to see some of the other positions of need get addressed, but C.J. has the talent and athleticism to be one of the league's best receivers some day, so the sting of another WR is taken off a tad.
Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's the Broncos, who face the Super Bowl Champ Colts this weekend. The Sports Guru, the guy behind Mile High Report, answers a few questions.
FanHouse:Jay Cutler enters his first full season as Denver's starting quarterback. For the most part, he's played well, but has had a few "what the... ?" moments. Did you have any reservations about Mike Shanahan giving him the reins as a rookie? Any part of his game concern you now?
MHR: Absolutely not!! No doubt he has made some throws that make me want to pull my hair out but you can tell the kid has IT. All young quarterbacks go through the growing pains of becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL and one need look no further than across the field this Sunday for proof. The Broncos were not going anywhere last season, even at 7-4 under Jake Plummer. Jake simply didn't love the game as much as you have to be in the upper echelon.
I think Shanahan realized after the AFC Championship game loss to Pittsburgh that he needed to go another direction because Jake was just aloof enough to up and retire at any moment. Jay, on the other hand, lives and breathes football. He is a student of the game and football is the #1 thing in his life. That just wasn't the case for Plummer, and while that may work in Arizona, It doesn't in the building that Elway built. While there have been growing pains, Cutler has started 8 games and already lead 5 come-from-behind drives in the 4th quarter to win or tie a game. I'll take that kind of success anytime.
Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's Cowboys-Bears, two teams with very different strengths, at least through the first two weeks of the season. Dave Halprin, the guy behind Blogging the Boys, and WCG of Windy City Gridiron, answer a few questions.
First up, Cowboys fan Dave Halprin.
FanHouse: Bill Parcells retired and owner Jerry Jones hires Wade Phillips. Phillips has a pretty good record as a head coach (50-39 heading into the Bears game), but he'll forever be remembered as the guy who benched Doug Flutie for Rob Johnson. What were fans' reactions when he was first hired? And what about now, after he has a training camp, preseason schedule and two regular season games under his belt?
Dave: When Wade Phillips was hired there were a lot of Dallas fans behind the move. I would say a majority, but of course not everyone. I supported it because Dallas had spent so much effort in building a 3-4 defense through draft picks and free agency and Wade Phillips is one of the gurus of the 3-4 defense. Almost everywhere he's gone, his defenses have been good. Plus, the players needed a more relaxed atmosphere after four years of Bill Parcells. He's a great coach, but his style was starting to produce diminishing returns and he had lost some of the players.
Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's Chargers-Patriots, for, well, obvious reasons. Rob Zepeda, the guy behind BoltHype and Chargers Confidential, and Tom Masse of the Pats Pulpit, answer a few questions.
First up, Chargers fan Rob Zepeda.
FanHouse: Marty Schottenheimer goes 14-2 and gets canned. General manager A.J. Smith wasn't a big Schottenheimer fan, but how did the fans feel about him. And how do they feel about Norv Turner?
Rob: The fans had mixed feelings about Marty. He was a likable person who truly loved his players, and was a character on the sidelines. He certainly seemed like a coach, even if he wasn't calling the plays. But he had such a stigma about him; a conservative coach who played not to lose instead of playing to win. He was a guy who could build up a team by instilling discipline and work ethic in his players.
But his teams seemed to always hit a ceiling. Marty could only take a team so far. It was his nature to almost handcuff his Quarterback. Our defensive backs played timid under Marty; they seemed almost so afraid to make a mistake that they rarely took gambles and as a result never put up impressive interception numbers.
Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's Steelers-Browns, two teams with fanbases that stretch across the globe. The guys behind Mistake by the Lake, Alex and Corey Rubin, and Adam Gretz of the Black and Gold Blog, answer a few questions.
First up, Alex and Corey, Browns fans.
FanHouse: Everybody knows the Browns are a long-suffering franchise, but does the 2007 season -- or more specifically -- the 2007 draft class finally offer some hope? If not for this year, maybe in 2008 or 2009?
Corey: What offers the most hope, to me, is that in two consecutive offseasons the Browns have made the best possible moves to strengthen their offensive line, in signing LeCharles Bentley, signing Eric Steinbach, and drafting Joe Thomas. Bentley's injury has made it impossible to see any progress on the field, but there is evidence of good decision making in terms of player personnel.
Previous Browns regimes inspired no confidence whatsoever. The 2007 draft class is essentially three guys, and the team mortgaged next year's draft to get them. So while they offer plenty of hope, there is more pressure (than usual) on this nucleus to be the one that finally breaks through. That's a roundabout way of saying yes, I am optimistic about 2008 and 2009.
FanHouse: If you're Romeo Crennel, what do you do at quarterback? Charlie Frye plays just well enough to lose, and Derek Anderson regressed during camp. Of course, since 2003, the Browns are averaging five wins a season, so is there any reason not to start Brady Quinn Sunday?
AJ from HoustonTexans.com: I've been saying 8-8 since training camp started. There's no reason (barring serious injuries of course) why this team can't win two more games than last year's group. The addition of Matt Schaub and Ahman Green by itself should be worth a couple of W's. The offense should be much improved so anything less than 8 wins for this team will be a disappointment.
Keith from HoustonProFootball: The Texans have the talent assembled to post an 8-8 record this year. No doubt about it, that should be the bar that is set for fan expectations. But it's soooo hard keeping those expectations in check. The schedule is certainly in the Texans' favor. There are a few doozies, but for the most part, this might be one of their easiest schedules to date. If this team can find a way to split their games on the road, which is a real possibility, then a 9- or even a 10-win season is very much within reason. The optimistic fan in me says this might be a 9-win team, so let's go with that. 9-7.
The Brewers are certainly primed for success over the next several years here with their young core of players. At what point do you say, "Screw the next couple years talk, this team is good enough to win now!" Have you reached that point for the 2007 season?
David from Brewers Bar: GM Doug Melvin, Owner Mark Attanasio, and Manager Ned Yost have been saying "we can win this year" all season, and I think most fans have, too. The fast start convinced almost every Brewers fan that the team had what it needed to win the division and even make it to the World Series. I think trading away Will Inman and two other prospects for Scott Linebrink solidified that the Brewers management wants to win now, and the fans are still thinking that way.
What's more likely to happen: Gary Sheffield saying something nice about Bud Selig or Todd Jones striking out the side for a 1-2-3 save?
Billfer from Detroit Tigers Weblog: "I'll go with Jonesy. At least that is fathomable."
Ian from Bless You Boys: "You know, I might have been persuaded to pick Sheffield here, but after the way Bud reacted to Barry Bonds' 755th home run, I don't think there's much chance of that. I've looked happier standing in line to renew my drivers license. Unless Bud buys about 1,000 copies of "Inside Power" to distribute to friends, colleagues, staffers, acquaintances, and homeless people, I don't think he and Sheff are going to buddy up. So I'll take Jones with the strikeouts. You never know; he might face a team late in the season that just wants to end the game and go home. "
Lee from Tiger Tales: "I don't think there is any chance Sheffield would say something nice about Selig so I'll say Jones striking out the side." Samara from Roar of the Tigers: "Jonesy striking out the side, easy. Gary Sheffield will only say something nice about Bud Selig if he's been drugged or his mind has been destroyed with electrical impulses in some kind of MLB brainwashing campaign. NOBODY'S GONNA CONTROL GARY SHEFFIELD, NO WAY, NO HOW."
Kurt from Mack Avenue Tigers: "I think we've seen Todd Jones, maybe not strike out the side, but get two strikeouts in a row. So, in theory, I think he could strike out the side. Gary Sheffield, in reality, will probably never have anything too nice to say about Bud Selig, and who can blame him? Not me. Selig made an idiot of himself yet again when Bonds hit 755."
Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Today, we talk with Geoff Young from Ducksnorts, Anthony Trifiletti from Friar Watch, and jbox from Gaslamp Ball. Q. How far can the Padres go this season?
A. Geoff Young from Ducksnorts: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I think the Padres can go as far as they want this year. Of course, I thought that last year, so who knows. They have two studs at the front of the rotation in Jake Peavy and Chris Young, as well as veterans Greg Maddux and David Wells to pick up the back end. This mix gives opponents a lot of different looks, and even if they knock out the starters, they have to deal with -- statistically -- the best bullpen in baseball. It's popular to gripe about the Padres' offense, but Adrian Gonzalez is proving that last year was no fluke, while Mike Cameron, Khalil Greene, and Kevin Kouzmanoff all have been swinging the bat well of late. The addition of Michael Barrett, who destroys left-handed pitching, gives San Diego another weapon. The Padres really just need to stay healthy, keep executing well, and hold off at least one of Arizona or LA the rest of the way. Once the post-season starts, it's a crapshoot, but I think the Padres have put themselves in excellent position so far and should come out okay if they keep doing what they've been doing over the first 2 1/2 months of the season.
We're a month and a half into the season and the Dodgers lead the NL West with a 25-16 record. We asked several Dodgers bloggers what they thought about the team so far ...
Sons of Steve Garvey: The Dodgers' 25-16 start and NL West lead should make me comfortable. The pitching has been outstanding from both expected sources (Penny, Lowe, Wolf), unexpected sources (Hendrickson), and the bullpen (Broxton, Saito). And even with a sputtering offense that doesn't hit home runs and leaves more men on than the staff of the Spearmint Rhino, we still seem to be scoring a decent amount of runs overall (leading the division in runs scored). But after watching night after night of undisciplined swinging (Juan Pierre once made five fly outs on eight pitches) and the black hole that is the bottom of our lineup, it is painfully clear that Ned and Grady will each have to make a move to make us competitive over the year and beyond. First, we need a power bat, either from the minors or another team. And second, Grady's gotta experiment with the lineup to turn more of our baserunners into runs. So far, neither of the two of them have done jack--and the arms alone can't win games for us forever. Inside the Dodgers: As the public relations director, please note that my opinion should be taken no differently as a fan since I'm not involved in baseball operations here. I believe that the status of the Major League team right now is extremely positive, as the starting pitching is arguably (and statistically) the best in the league while the offense continues to try and find its groove. Coming into the season, it was pretty well known that this team wasn't going to hit a ton of home runs and that has proven to be true. However, even without major contributions from some of the players who were expected to play key offensive roles for the team, the lineup has managed to score enough to put the team in first place to this point in the season. With the back end of the bullpen being almost unhittable to date and several middle relievers starting out strong, there's a real cause for optimism, especially if Jason Schmidt comes back to be the front of the rotation starter he has been over the past several seasons and the offense begins to string together hits the way most of the players' track records show that they can.
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