Maddux Sports Blog

As we get down to the point where we can start counting down to the NFL season in hours or even minutes, I find myself constantly looking at the upcoming season from every different angle. It will be a very good thing when the season finally gets underway, because then I can’t start looking at what actually happens instead of driving myself crazy thinking about what might happen. Until then, though, all I can do is ask questions I can’t answer. Here are ten of those questions that keep coming back to the top of my mind:

1. Does 0-4 matter? - The Patriots were absolutely brutal in the preseason. If I thought that that mattered then I would be worried about the team that are still assumed to be the class of the AFC. It’s not that simple, of course. Bill Belichick has an almost irrational disdain for the preseason, and his star quarterback has been missing in action. It would be easy to read between the lines and see brewing troubles in football paradise, but ts too early to do that yet. Isn’t it?

2. How long will public insanity last with the Jets? - I don’t have a lot of interest in how Brett Favre will do with the Jets. I’m bored by the story, and I’m sure he’ll look like what he is - a hall of famer surrounded by unfamiliar talent who is at the head of a decent team which will never be mistaken for a really good one. What I do want to know, though, is how long it is going to take for the public honeymoon with the team to wear off. Until Favre is viewed mostly as just another quarterback then the public won’t be obective about the Jets and the lines might be out of whack. The novelty factor is just annoying.

3. How’s it go, Joe? - The Joe Flacco situation in Baltimore is truly bizarre. Halfway through camp he was clearly the third stringer as he should be given his relative inexpereince (the guy didn’t even play division one ball). But then Boller got hurt and so did Smith. Now Flacco has to start the season as the man, and we have to figure out just how bad that could be. There’s not a lot of reason to be optimistic about this rookie quarterback class right now. Matt Ryan has looked good, but that’s about it. Brian Brohm couldn’t beat out Matt Flynn for the backup position in Green Bay, Chad Henne has done okay, but the Dolphins weren’t ready to trust him yet, and Andre Woodson was cut loose by the Giants in a stunning fall from grace. Those guys were in the same conversations as Flacco, so it makes sense that their lack of success, and the lack of eye-popping performance from Flacco, should make us uneasy about the start of the year in Baltimore.

4. How about Merriman’s knee? - I really have no interest in the debate over whether Shawne Merriman is doing the right thing in playing through his injury instead of getting surgery. My instinct would be to get it, but then I don’t know what the knee feels like, and I have never been a world class linebacker working towards a massive new contract, so my opinion is worthless. I am interested in two things about the story, though - will the situation negatively impact the Chargers’ defense, and will it provide a meaningful distraction for the team now and in the future?

5. Is JaMarcus Russell for real? - I find it odd that there isn’t much buzz about Russell considering he is a former number one pick about to take over his team. He gets talked about, but not as much as some players. Maybe that’s because I’m far from the only one who doesn’t have a good feeling about him. The team around him just isn’t that good, and last year and in the preseason he hasn’t done much to make us think that he will be able to overcome that. He should be helped by having a good running game to rely on, but I get the sense ths could be a long year for the boys in black.

6. Can Adrian Peterson get better? - Peterson was the most exciting part of the season last year. Things could go two ways from here. She could get even better and move towards hs goal or 2,000 yards in a season. Or injuries, opponents’ familiarity, and offensive line issues could conspire to make this year look worse than last year. How he does will go a long way to determining how well the Vikings do.

7. Will the Colts be good? - It’s partly because I really want it to be true, but I can’t get over this sense I have that this could be the year the Colts take a step backwards. Tony Dungy doesn’t seem entirely committed to football, there are obvious questions around Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison isn’t Marvin Harrison anymore, the running game is unsettled - there are just a lot of reasons to think that this team might not be as good as expected.

8. Will the Chiefs win a game? - Probably, but I sure wouldn’t bet on it happening often.

I actually don’t believe that headline, but at least we have taken a giant step forward. In the last few minutes the news has broken that Brett Favre has been traded to the Jets. We will have to endure a few more days of drama as we hear how he feels about the move, as he flies to New York, as he puts on a new uniform for the first time since his days in Atlanta, as he throws his first pass as a Jet, as he throws his first incompletion, as he… well, you get the point. Still, we are a lot closer to being able to talk about something other than this mess than we were a day or two ago. Before we move on entirely, though, let’s take a quick look at some of the interesting aspects of this move.

1. I am incredibly happy for Jeff Garcia. He is a QB who wins when given the chance, yet he always seems to be in a position where teams are looking past him. I’ve been a big fan of the guy since he was the quarterback of my hometown Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. He was fantastic in San Francisco, and would have stayed there and had a long, successful career if it weren’t for the fact that he was in the impossible situation of having to follow back-to-back hall of famers. One thing I will always remember about that stint by the bay is the game in which he completed 20 passes to Terrell Owens. That’s insane. Since then he was doomed in Detroit, decent in Cleveland, brilliant when needed in Philly, and more than adequate in Tampa Bay. He doesn’t deserve to be replaced, so I’m thrilled he won’t be. Not to call something after the fact, but I’m not surprised that Favre didn’t end up in Tampa after seeing an interview with Jon Gruden today. He looked not at all like a guy who was looking forward to playing ringmaster in a circus all year.

2. I wouldn’t bet that Chad Pennington will make the Jets now. It wouldn’t make sense to have him behind Clemens and Favre, and the team hasn’t been high on him for a while, anyway. He’d look good in a lot of other places as an experienced backup, though. I’d love to see him in Houston, for example. Heck, I even think he’d be a nice fit in Kansas City as a starter for a year or two while the team tries to sort out their mess.

3. It will be very interesting to watch the futures on the Jets. To the surprise of no one, they have changed dramatically in the last few minutes. A month ago the Jets were at 8/1 to win the AFC East. When I checked a minute ago they were at 5/2. Needless to say (I hope) that is a ridiculous move that reflects the sports books’ opinion of the public - they think that they are idiots. That’s the only way that this price move can be explained. Favre probably makes the team better, but he doesn’t close the gap on the Jets instantly, and we really can’t judge the move until we see how he reacts to it, how he fits into the first new system and setting he has had to adapt to in a million years, and how hungry he is to actually play.

It’s hot and sunny here (a rare occurrence this summer) and I am off to an outdoor music festival in just a few minutes, so I’ll apologize in advance if my concentration has been more focused at other times. I like you all, and I appreciate that you read what I write, but you don’t hold a candle to beer, music and sunshine and I’m not going to apologize for that. Before I go, though, I thought that I would share a few of the things that are bouncing through my sporting mind today:

1. Brett Favre as a Jet makes me happy. The green New Yorkers have reportedly been given permission to talk to Favre. He’d be a good fit. I don’t love their receiving situation at all, and I am desperate for the AFC East to be more competitive than it currently appears that it will be. Let’s get it done soon so we can quit talking about this endless story.

2. There is an outstanding day of horse racing from Saratoga tomorrow. I will be writing more about this tomorrow morning, but there are four very interesting races in a row from the world’s greatest race track, and it appears as if ABC is going to show us all four of them starting at 4:00 p.m. EST. Brilliant.

3. Big Papi returns to action tonight. With the trade deadline just around the corner, this is a more significant addition than Boston could make through any transaction. If Ortiz is even halfway healthy then this gives Boston a much needed boost to try to take advantage of a Tampa Bay team that is looking more mortal and is suddenly truly awful at hitting with men in scoring position.

4. Jeff Samardzija was called up by the Cubs. How smart does the former Notre Dame receiver look now? He got a massive signing bonus, he’s a pro now, and he didn’t have to live through the disgrace that is the recent Charlie Weis era

5. AFL loses commissioner. David Baker, the commissioner of the Arena Football League, resigned suddenly today after 12 years on the job. The move came two days before the ArenaBowl. I only have one real response to this - the AFL stillexists? Talk about a league that has failed to impact the public consciousness to any real extent.

I don’t know what it is tonight, but I am feeling testy. Annoyed. Short fused. I had a lot of vegetables with dinner. Maybe that’s the problem. Whatever it is, as I have been browsing through the sports betting news tonight a few things as stuck out to me as particularly grating:

Tony Dungy - The Colts’ coach said today that his star QB will be ready for the regular season opener. He may even be ready to play in the preseason. There’s nothing wrong with that specifically, and it may even be true. It’s just that Dungy drives me absolutely nuts, and it especially annoys me that he has been elevated to such a position by the media that I can’t dislike him without being a truly awful guy.

Marvin Lewis - This guy is easily the worst coach who has never been fired. Today he came out and ‘emphatically’ stated that the Bengals wouldn’t welcome Chris Henry back to the team. That’s fine - Henry is probably more trouble than it’s worth. It’s just that Lewis was so self-righteous about it when under his watch his entire team has been arrested about six times each, and he has wasted more offensive talent than most coaches ever see in their lives. Lewis is so bad that if he had any shame at all he would give Chris Henry his job and go get himself a job as a waiter at Olive Garden.

The Favre debacle - There were more developments on the Brett Favre front today. I just don’t know what they were. I am so sick of the whole thing that I just want to puke. The whole ridiculous Packers’ organization should thank there lucky stars that I am not the President, because if I had an air force I swear that I would blow the whole city of Green Bay off the map, and have my boys drop their left over bombs in Mississippi just to be sure.

Plaxico Burress - Burress is upset because the Giants won’t pay him more. He has three years left on a six year deal, but he wants more. He now says that he will come to camp, but that he isn’t going to be happy about it. What a moron. The deal he signed was good enough when he signed it, and the guys who are getting big deals now have one thing in common - they are all better than Burress. I’d rather that Burress just hold out and go away then show up and whine to anyone who will listen that he’s grossly disrespected because he only makes $4 million a year.

Wow, is the weather ever ugly at the British Open. If I showed up at a course and the sky looked like that I would turn around and go home. A links-style course does nothing to make the day look any nicer, either.

Phil Mickelson finished the first round at nine over. Way to grab an opportunity with the absence of Tiger and run with it. Seeing Phil choke is an all too common occurrence. On the plus side, I guess, he is a stroke ahead of Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

As I write this, Greg Norman is one stroke off the pace through eight holes. Imagine the story if he could keep that pace up. He’s also tied with Anthony Kim. That guy is on fire.

Adam Scott is the first player to be under par at the turn. It’s way too early, obviously, but I like his chances on Sunday. He was and is a bargain at 25/1.

James Posey left the Celtics to sign for four years and $25 million with the Hornets. This is a bit odd. The Celtics were very vocal about how key he was to their success, and he was willing to stay, but he wanted four years and they would only offer him three. The money was essentially the same - Boston was offering the full mid-level exemption - so the fact that they wouldn’t go for one year seems like a bad one. Either that or they were overstating Posey’s impact.

Now the Packers are accusing the Vikings of tampering with Favre. This whole story is never, ever going to go away. I don’t have kids, but I know that my grandkids will still be hearing about this attention whore and his  latest flirtation with a comeback.

Riccardo Ricco won two stages if the Tour de France this year. And now he got busted for doping - EPO. What a shock.

Magglio Ordonez has been activated and will rejoin the Tigers. That should be a huge boost for a team that I still like to win the AL Central.

Yao Ming returned to action in an exhibition game China played against Serbia. It was his first time in a game in six months. I bet that the Rockets wish that there was some way that they could keep their giant out of Olympic action.

The more I think about it, the more I think that there might be some value in taking the Raiders over 6.5 regular season wins given that it is at +147 at Pinnacle. I may be spending too much time in the sun without a hat.

Casino Drive, the intriguing Japanese star who missed the Belmont with a bruised foot, is in quarantine in Japan preparing for a return to the U.S. It appears that he will run a prep race in California, perhaps the Goodwood, en route to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. This horse is such a strange situation - he hasn’t raced since the Peter Pan in May. He’s just so darned talented, though, that you can’t entirely discounted. I have Breeders’ Cup tickets for Santa Anita this year, so I really hope he makes it.

This is shaping up to be a strange day full of somewhat surprising news. Only one item is truly shocking, but all are of interest.

First, the shocking one. Baron Davis is a Clipper. Huh? After saying repeatedly that he wasn’t going to opt out of the final year of his contract in Golden State that’s exactly what he did. The only theory that I can say makes sense is that his agent told him that the L.A. team that plays in the Staples Center wanted him, and he signed before he did more digging. Why else would he go to the Clippers at this point in his career. He is an elite player, but he’s not a youngster anymore, and he doesn’t really have the luxury of time to build a contender. And there is a lot of building to do in L.A. - especially sine Elton Brand and Corey Maggette opted out this week. Brand may be back, but that’s not certain. In Golden Sate he had a team that was returning its core and had won 48 games last year. They were in trouble because they were in the very tough West, but so are the Clippers. This is a step back. A giant one. Davis is in the movie business, and he is from So Cal, but I honestly don’t understand why the lure of home would be this strong. It says pretty strongly to me that winning isn’t as important to Davis as I thought it was. He traded proximity to the film business for 25 fewer wins last year, and he has joined one of the worst run teams in existence.

Now the one that is totally ridiculous but not at all surprising. Brett Favre has reportedly told the Packers that he has the itch to play this year. Shocking. Not surprisingly, the Packers only comment was to say that they don’t have a comment. The fact that Favre didn’t see this coming means that he has the self awareness of a mosquito. Favre has to realize that the Pack moved on because he told them to move on. I suspect he will spend the season in Mississippi, but it would be kinda fun to see him in a different uniform. How about going to Minnesota for one year to lead his new team past his former team? Or maybe to Kansas City - they need a QB, but since they have no one to protect him and no one to throw to that seems unlikely. I guess the thing is that I don’t really care, and I really hope that this isn’t the beginning of another annual installment of the Favre soap opera.

Finally, kudos to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They sounded like they were going to make a serious mistake, but they avoided doing so. They were reportedly shopping Evgeni Malkin so that they could sign Marian Hossa, but ultimately they let Hossa go and extended Malkin for five more years. This is absolutely the right decision. Malkin is younger, he has more upside, and he showed by how he stepped up when Sidney Crosby was injured that he is a real player. Hossa has been on two teams that couldn’t win, and the fact that Pittsburgh made the final with him has as much to do with the rest of the team as him. Malkin had a lousy Stanley Cup final, but he will only learn from that, and he is going to get better. You can’t say the same about Hossa - what you see is what you get. Malkin has had trouble with the coaching staff reportedly, but that can be dealt with as it needs to be. They weren’t going to get good value by dealing Malkin, so this was the right move, and a positive move for the future. On the other side, Hossa took a surprising risk. He signed for one year with the Red Wings, the team that beat him in the Stanley Cup finals, and he signed for $7.4 million. It makes sense in the sense that the Wings probably have another deep run in them, but they couldn’t afford to sign him long term because of the other players they will have to pay starting next year, so this was the only way he could sign wit the team. If he has a good year then it will work out for him because he will be able to sign a rich long term deal with another team next year. It’s a huge gamble, though. More money and a longer term were on the table from several teams, so if he has a bad year this year or he gets hurt then it will cost him a fortune. In balance, though, I like the move - it shows that Hossa is hungry to win, and that makes me respect him more as a player than I previously have.

Finally, here’s something that you don’t see every day - Mats Sundin was offered a two year contract to be the highest paid player in the NHL, and it appears that  he has passed on it. Vancouver was the team that offered him the preposterous contract, and Montreal and Toronto were among the teams that were also interested. He says that he wants time to think on it, and that that may take several weeks. That seems to sound like he may retire or play in Europe. That’s not surprising given that he is 37, but it is surprising in that the delay almost certainly means that the big deals won’t be on the table any more if and when he does want to return. The move makes sense on some levels, but it’s not every day that you see a player turn down an obscene amount of money.