Better 2010 Winning Percentage: Acta vs. Mangini
January 20, 2010Browns Add to Player Personnel Department, Sign First Free Agent
January 21, 2010While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
If you didn’t read it yesterday, read it today. Or read it again. It’s that good. “Know this: The Kobe-LeBron argument is dead. It’s over. LeBron James is the best basketball player alive. Whoever gets him this summer will treat their fans to 50-55 appointment home games for the next five seasons (including playoffs). If you were ever fortunate enough to have season tickets for a memorable athlete in his prime — Gretzky, Montana, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Pedro, Koufax, whomever — then you know exactly what this means. It’s not just about the winning. It’s about heading to the stadium or the park feeling like you won the lottery. It’s about the buzz in the crowd, the way everyone seems like they spent just a little more time getting ready. It’s about the ceiling being removed for the night. It’s about the chance that, 50 years later, your grandkid or your great-grandkid will ask you, “What was it like to see HIM play every night?” … and you’ll have an answer for him. It’s about the familiarity of excellence — constant exposure to someone who’s better at his job than you will ever be at anything — and how that superiority ebbs and flows from night to night.” [Bill Simmons]
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Speed doesn’t equal ratings, son: “Games involving Big Ten teams once again averaged the highest rating. These figures were calculated by adding the ratings for games involving teams from each league and then dividing by the number of teams in postseason play. [John] Solomon has been tracking this data for three years, and the Big Ten has finished atop each year.” [Wiz of Odds]
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No Logo Needed gives us their grades on quarterbacks and offensive linemen as we head into 2010. [No Logo Needed]
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Mover and a shaker, that Shapiro: “While none of these acquisitions turned any heads in the baseball world, they really should not in any way hurt the team. We all have a family relative or somebody we know who can come up and talk to us for a half hour non stop and then after we realize that they didn’t tell us anything the whole time. Well, [Mark] Shapiro basically made a bunch of moves this winter but hasn’t really done anything.” [Waves of Arms]
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And finally, the not-biased-whatsoever NY media… “In many ways, [Eric] Mangini made the Cult of Rex [Ryan] possible. The players went from shredding their practice reports to hearing they were the best team in the NFL, and they believed it. The bar was set so low, Ryan only had to pick up his feet a few inches to avoid tripping on it. Instead, he dove head first. Bart Scott talked Wednesday about how they wanted to play wherever Ryan ended up because he didn’t want to end up being “a robot” for another coach. “He understands this is a business,” Scott said, “but you can go about your business and have fun,
too.” [Steve Politi/Newark Star-Ledger]
15 Comments
I really enjoyed Simmons’ piece on LeBron. Simmons really showed his chops as a writer. For once, his copy didn’t include a Karate Kid or Boston-area sports reference. It was refreshing.
Plus, it was a glowing piece on northeast Ohio’s own, so that helped.
Man, I sure would have liked to click over and read that review of the quarterbacks and offensive line, it looks like an enjoyable read, but there isn’t a hyperlink. 😉
Boy, there seems to be a real divide on Mangini. Some really cannot stand the guy and others seem to love him. It all cant be a media plot the way Frowns would have us believe can it? But I have to say the Browns players sure played hard for him down the streach. I dont care if the player like a coach, just as long as they play for him. This next season should be one of the more interesting in a long time.
Where the players playing hard for Mangini, where they trying to look good for the next front office?
There’s no media plot. Why would the media care if the Jets sell tickets or not? They’re just reporting what the players are saying, plus it’s certainly easier for them to do their job when they have access and a coach who realizes it’s OK to talk about what’s going on, rather than acting like he’s guarding the nuclear weapon launch codes.
Mangini’s an insecure, controlling micro-manager. Ryan’s a football coach. That’s going to be reflected back from the players and staff members who work with the two.
@3
DCBucks, I smile every time I see your avatar. Does anyone know if a flag was thrown on that play? If Turkey Joe had done that today, the Browns would have been penalized 80 yards and he would have been suspended for 5 years .
@5
I never saw that play but my dad speaks of it like it was one the most wonderful things he ever witnessed.
Only problem with Simmons’ piece is that it includes the obligatory national press line that LeBron is surrounded by “glorified role players” and a coaching staff that just tells everybody to get out of LeBron’s way. I think we could acquire anyone to compliment LeBron and writers would still just copy and paste this line into every column. Obviously, the Cavs sans LeBron are no longer a title threat, but I think they would still be an above average team.
When exactly did the Jets become the ’85 Bears? Yeah, they’ve gotten a couple good breaks, and capitalized on a few opportunities, but they were 9-7 after stealing two games in a fashion that led the NFL to look into changing the rules.
Ryan is entertaining, but until the team shows some kind of consistency, I’d hold off on declaring every former Jet “jealous” of their success.
Regarding the Mangini talk: The Jets are in the AFC Championship game, 1 game away from the Super Bowl, and the NY/NJ Media talks about Mangini? Quality.
Bill Simmons is a genius….for today only.
Don – the links are within the blurb. Didn’t know how to go about linking to two posts otherwise.
agreed with #1 for the most part. i have always enjoyed simmons, but get so turned off when he puts his boston homerism on full display. i actually swore off him for a while a couple years ago when he compared a pats-colts game to some WWII movie (im sure you can guess who the nazis were). but i dont mind the pop culture references from time to time. i like how he connects them to sports, usually. but its pieces like this one that truly show how talented he can be as a writer. almost makes we want to buy his book…
@cweb25: Exactly my issue too with Simmons’ article (and it isn’t a big issue – it’s still a very good article, and has made me rethink how much I’ve taken having LeBron for granted at times). There are some in the national media (OMG ESPN SUX), no matter what moves the Cavs make, who will continue to belittle anyone else on the team as “just a role player.” There’s no doubt that if you put LeBron on any other team in the league, he’ll instantly make them better. But take LeBron away from these Cavs, and I believe they’d still make the playoffs in the East (I know, that’s not saying much). But I think that at least warrants not including statements like, “What will happen if he ever ends up with good teammates?”
What will happen if the Cavs finish off the regular season sweep of the Lakers tonight? Will LeBron still be playing with just a bunch of role players? Or will they then finally be considered good teammates? I won’t be holding my breath for the latter.
I read that Simmons piece a few days ago, and thought it was pretty good,
the only issue I have with it is that it came from out of town. . . which happens to be in a town that would be in the running to land him this summer.
How much of it is “Lebron is great” and how much is, “You’ll get more love like this if I get to watch you 50 times a year”?
I really don’t trust Simmons writing anymore. He has for years stated that Lebron is leaving and would be smart to do so. He really wants to be in the basketball Mecca, and he really wants that to be the place he currently lives.
It’s all just too convenient when it comes to Simmons. He’s been pretty blatant with his criticism of Cleveland and the Cavs. I remember just before the season started he was on PTI and didn’t think that the Cavs were one of the elite NBA teams. Said Lakers, Spurs, Celts (of course), and Magic. Where are half those teams now, Bill?
He’s constantly giving subtle, and not so subtle, digs about the rest of the team and this article gives his motivation. He wants to be one of those who get to watch Lebron’s season. It’s the little kid who wants a pony, but will only say “Wouldn’t it be great if my brother had a Pony? People who have ponies are so lucky.”
Well two words for you Bill. Not yours.
http://www.brainfuel.tv/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/nopony.jpg
Simmons and the EsPN idiots have tried to take possession of LeBron as it he were their creation since he entered the league. Part of this involves belittling what has been one of the deepest and most successful teams in the league for the past 4 years. It’s wearying. Plus, Simmons’s embarrassing “getting inside LeBron’s head” bit scored very highly on the Unintentional Comedy Meter (to borrow from Simmons…).