Now THATS How You Retire

While Brett Favre ponders his future in Elsinore, Louisiana Kurt Warner announced today that he was hanging up the cleats in order to move on to, what Chuck Noll used to call, "his life's work." He was composed and gracious in his press conference and seemed to be quite comfortable with the decision.

Warner doesn't get the same sycophantic reaction from ESPN, the NFL Network, Steve Mariucci, Primedouche, Chris Berman, Joe Buck, John Madden, Wranglers, Circuit City, Rich Eisen or Ron Jaworski that Favre gets, BUT he did win two league MVPs and took perennial league jokes, Arizona and St. Louis, to a total of three Super Bowls. And did it with one of the great back stories of all-time.

Think about everything that he had to over come. Grocery Bagging, Arena Football, Trent Green's knee, Dick Vermeil's incessant crying, his wife's infatuation with the Brady Bunches very own Ann B. Davis. Trust me there was a lot on Kurt Warner's plate.

It seems odd to me that Warner didn't get better treatment in St. Louis, Mike Martz kicked him to the curb a minute and a half after the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. I know what you're saying, "but Trip, you always get on Favre and he was kicked to the curb in Green Bay."

Not true. Kurt Warner was in the middle of a twelve year career and had never "contemplated" retirement through the media. Offensive genius (I don't mean an good play calling strategist), Mike Martz, whose currently getting a paycheck as an analyst (and I don't mean someone that gives insight into strategy) on the NFL Network, wanted his own guy to run The Greatest Show on Turf. Brett Favre started publicly "contemplating" retirement in 2004. He never answered the question directly when the Packer brass would ask. So they drafted a QB that slipped to them at the end of the first round, a QB that many thought should've been draft #1 Overall mind you. Favre throw a hissy fit for the next three seasons, while Kurt professionally moved on.

It's funny, Kurt Warner was successful because he was an accurate passer that wasn't afraid to wait the extra second to allow his receivers to break open. It probably cost him a few years but it allowed his offenses to be special.

There is no doubt in my mind that he will eventually end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the more interesting question? Where does he rank among the other HOFers?

I'm not saying that I would put him ahead of Favre but it's arguable. One fewer MVP, one more Super Bowl appearance, the 3 best Passing days in Super Bowl history, second all-time in average passing yards per game, second fastest to 30,000 yards, all-time completion percentage in playoffs, 2nd highest passer rating in playoff history (although I'm not a fan of the stat). All of his accomplishments happened in about two-thirds the time.

But the best stat of all...number of retirements- ONE.

Asleep at the Switch

Ok, first of all I would like to apologize for the gap in content.

No, I didn't say lack of content. I said GAP. Yeah, yeah, I know this blog has always lacked real content. Whatever. Look what I was trying to say was that I have been remiss in my blogging efforts of late and I plan to make it up to you by-

Wait a second what do you mean LACK of content? This thing has been chalk full from the go. Or maybe you have forgotten all of the interesting tidbits that I have wrapped into a snarky little bow over the last five months. You stupid-

Ok, ok, let's put this whole "lack of content" thing behind us. You said some things, I said some things...let's start fresh, ok? Why don't I just empty out the oooooll notebook so we can start anew..

I don't want to bore you with a recap of the last ten days. I mean, what kind of a narcissist would I be if I laid out examples of my personal greatness? Have I predicted many of the events of the last couple of weeks, sure  when it came to predicting the events of the last several days on this very blog? It's silly and childish and I for one won't stoop to such-

Does anyone really care that I knew Tony Romo would come up small in a big game? Or that I said Norv Turner would find a way to coached the most talented team in the field just poorly enough to lose. Clearly not...but if you do it's here.

And I am sure that you people have better things to do than to reread some old entry about how the Jets are going to be a force eventually because Revis, Greene and Sanchez are studs, but nobody wins with a rookie QB. Am I right?

And sure some folks might take pleasure in pointing out that they predicted Brett Favre's last play of the season would be an interception. Or, and I quote,

Minnesota- Brett Favre, despite what you hear from Ron Jaworski, Brett Favre hasn't been a reliable QB since the turn-of-the-century. The last play of the year for Minnesota's offense WILL be a pick, write it down.   - Trip, Tripschinmusic.blogspot.com, SEPT, 2009

BORRRRRRRRRRRing! Who does that? And who would expect any less from the Great Dane from the Bayou. And who cares if Brett Favre threw two picks in the Championship Game anyway? This next part is far more fun and interesting. Now is the two-thirds of the year that we get to speculate on whether he will or won't play again. Riveting stuff. To be or not to be. [editor's note- I really wanted to do a whole thing on Mr. Wranglers (check out Kenny Mayne's piece) because as I have mentioned before NOBODY in the history of the game GETS a pass more than this guy. Both of his interceptions were awful, rookie mistakes and had Brees made them all of the pundits would have lambasted him for allowing the game to overwhelm him. It's why I have never been happier to see an interception...other than every interception the Steelers have made since 1975. Of course that didn't happen at all this year so I am trying to remember the feeling]

You aren't going to hear about how Jay Leno ruined NBC. You can read about that here and here. Nope not from me. But I will say that Late Night television benefits when NBC Executives are idiots. Letterman was always funnier when he was renegotiating his contract back at Late Night. Ever since his move to CBS he has been too fat and happy. Thank you NBC for destroying an empire because now we get the old Dave back. All bitter and filled with venom. The gloves have come off and I hope it continues. But that topic has been beaten to death, hasn't it?

They are going to "reboot" Spider-Man with Marc Webb from (500) Days of Summer [check the list to the right of the best movies of the year]. I mean who could have seen THAT coming?

And finally, Avatar became the all-time highest grossing movie today. Shocking? To some but if you are keeping track at home.

Look I'm not saying that I am better than 93% of you...I'm just saying that I'm smarter. It's like Joan Crawford used to say to her ten year old little girl, after beating her at tennis.

I'm Bigger and I'm Faster. I'm ALWAYS going to beat you.

-Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest

[editor's note 2.0- tripschinmusic and GEOL91 Entertainment is not responsible for the any of the following predictions: Mike Vick to Buffalo, The Steelers, Eagles or Steagles winning the Super Bowl, A-Rod choking in the playoffs, Colts losing momentum, or Tiger Woods playing poker at Ken Griffey Jr. house before Elin took a nine iron to his head. Those predictions were meant to be, you know, funny. Ironic. I mean the Steelers winning the Super Bowl again. How many times can one team win the Super Bowl...SIX]

Momentum

When I sat down to write my latest entry this morning I was basking in the warm glow another late season swoon from the gun toting-wrangler wearing-gray beard. This time at the hands of Jay-eff George Cutler and that potent Bears offense. I was planning on killing Brett's selfishness and how it is killing the 3rd seeded Vikings but then I listened to the post game analysis.

These jokers spend more time covering up bad decisions than Bill Clinton's press secretary.  "The Vikings may have lost but Brett Favre is showing that he is in mid-season form and ready for a big playoff push." Really? He didn't score enough for his team to win. I mean that IS still how we determine a winner and a loser, right? The team that scores more wins. Am I right? Anyone, anyone, Bueller. And these rocket scientists were the same core group that said, "The Colts pulled their starters with a 15-10 lead, which will help to position the team for a deep run in the playoffs." Oh, I see. What they are trying to tell us is losing late in the season is a necessary step in a championship season. Right, got it....WRONG!

"You play to win the game."

Football is the most precise team sport in the world, sorry curling fans. Dialing it in does not better prepare your team for the playoffs and neither do late season losses that cost you first round byes.

I was critical when Belicheat waved the white flag by pulling Tom Bundchen and the Boys with over five minutes to go (here) earlier this season and I fully supported Mike Tomlin's decision to play Big Ben in the meaningless regular season final last season where he received, you guessed it, another concussion. Football is a game that forces you to go all out all the time because the teams that win the Super Bowl are ALWAYS the teams that are completely in-sync.

Momentum is one of the most over used words in sports. There is an ebb and flow to all sports that centers on confidence and precision. In hockey "momentum" comes in the form of a short quirky goal tender that can do splits while wearing 40-lbs. of equipment. The old saying in baseball is that momentum is only as good as tomorrows starting pitcher. And Basketball is basically a 40-minute phone-it-in-a-thon leading up to the final eight minute kick start where the ebb and flow of the game is entirely predicated on the referee's standing with his bookie (here).

Football is different. In no other sport do you have to rely on eleven individuals to work in unison, in three-phases, for 60 minutes. Any one of those phases falters and it can cost you a championship.

The only time that the Indy Colts have won the Super Bowl they had to play their way into the playoffs and into the Wild Card round. Every time they have had a bye they have lost. Oh, and please don't tell me that the Colts won Super Bowl V, I know they did but that was the Baltimore Colts they did so with a rookie idiot kicker and two guys from the Cowboys were named MVP, they were an entirely different team.

Peyton is all about timing and you don't help your timing by holding a clipboard.

In fact this decade has only seen one #1 seeded team win a Super Bowl, 2003 Patriots. That team won the final 11 games leading to the last game of the season and instead of pulling the starters Belicheat sent out the first stringers to dismantle the Bills 31-0 in a totally meaningless game.

More to the point of the nine teams that have won the Super Bowl this decade eight of them did so while playing hard through the final five games of the season. The only team that mailed one in was the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2002, where they started Rob Johnson. Of course that team won the Super Bowl because of a stifling defense. I mean I could have started at Quarterback and they still would have won.

Jim Caldwell really didn't learn anything from Tony Dungy's mistakes, in fact I think that by definition he is insane. You know the whole repeated behavior and expecting different results thing. The Colts are destined to lose early and the Vikings are just bad.

There is a silver lining for those teams however, because this year they play the Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl. So it's not like media darlings Brett and Payton won't have an opportunity to settle the on going raging debate over "Greatest Quarterback" in history (Regular Season Category) on the field...it's just going to take place in a meaningless game.

Then we can get on to the trivial stuff like who's the best team in football.

I Told You So

Wait a second Brett Favre is beginning to grumble in Minnesota? Nooo, say it ain't so.

In case you missed it, Brett Favre came out after the blowout loss to the Matt Moore led Carolina Panthers and told the world about a sideline conversation he had with his head coach. You can watch the presser here.

Favre, oddly putting himself ahead of the team, felt it was important to share this one-on-one conversation with the world. I don't want to call the gunslinging-wrangler-wearing-graybeard selfish...so I'll call him self-esque. Isn't this EXACTLY the kind of thing that should be handled internally?

"But wait, Trip. If it is handled internally nobody would ever know that the conversation took place and why is that a good thing?...Oh, because it doesn't risk dividing the locker room...and I guess it doesn't make the coach look bad in front of the entire team...and I guess there's the whole professionalism aspect...NEVERMIND."

This is exactly why the Vikings won't win the Super Bowl. Favre can't help it, he is what he is...a prima donna. It's like that documentary, by Werner Herzog, about the nut job that lived with Grizzly Bears. This guy rolled around in bear piss, growled at the bears, fed the bears and everything seemed to be going along smoothly until suddenly the Grizzlies remembered that they were 800 lbs. bears and ate him. Favre is the bear. Childress really thought that he had trained this guy into becoming the second coming of Joe Montana. No interceptions, lots of touchdown passes, and a plesure to work with on and off the field. I'm not sure of it but a source told me that Childress uses those blue urinal cakes as deodorant.

It was only a matter of time. Asking Favre to be selfless is like asking Tiger to be faithful to one mistress. [editor's note- Is it just me or is it maybe the funniest thing ever that the Cheetettes seem appalled that they weren't the ONLY one, other than his wife I mean. Genuinely upset that Tiger was catting around with other mistresses. The Today Show, Good Morning America, et al seem to give side with this premise. They actually position themselves as sympathetic to these whores',  excuse me, sluts' plight.]  

I wouldn't trade Favre for a long snapper...by the way the Steelers really need one because Greg Warren tore his ACL on the PAT to win the game yesterday.

I can't wait until Brett's final pass of the season is caught by the OTHER TEAM.