Maddux Sports Blog

1. I still have long term concerns about how good the Favre experiment will look in December, but one thing seems certain now – this team is only undefeated because they signed him. Or at least that seems reasonable. It’s hard to imagine that Rosenfels or Jackson would have been able to lead that comeback in the same way, or could have thrown that pass to win as time expired. I don’t see this team doing any real damage in the playoffs. I don’t even now for sure what the Vikings really have to offer, and likely won’t know until they play Baltimore in week six.

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1. Brett Favre has had a personality transplant. For the second straight game he played reasonably selfless team football, and it is working for him. He didn’t take any of the stupid risks that we have gotten used to, he settled for smaller plays that would have once driven him crazy, and he was stunningly efficient. If he can keep this up and not trip over his ego then he could really do something this year. I’m not betting on it, though – he can’t keep things under control for that long.

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I’m sitting here in a hotel room in Ontario watching the first NFL game of the long season. The Steelers have just scored a TD to break the scoreless tie. So far the game has been the defensive battle that we would have expected, though it has raised a couple of questions – most notably whether the Titans will have the potential to stop the pass rush at all this year or if Kerry Collins is going to wind up in a body bag. As I watch the rest of the game along with the beatdown that Georgia Tech is (or at least was) inflicting on Clemson it seems like a good time to look forward to what to expect for this very young NFL season. Over the next two days, then, let’s look at some predictions for what I see happening. Today I’ll look at teams, and tomorrow I’ll look at individual accomplishments:

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I really don’t understand why Jeff Garcia has so much trouble sticking with a team. When he plays he wins – as simple as that. He’ll land somewhere and he’ll do well when there. As ridiculous as it was seeing him get cut I’m sure he couldn’t be anything other than thrilled to get away from the circus in Oakland. Especially if he can land somewhere like New England.

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Preseason games are ridiculously stupid. I can’t think of a single reason why there needs to be four preseason games. Well, I guess there is one, and it’s the only one that matters – four games means that owners can charge full price for two more home games every season. The league is all about money after all. I don’t endorse or enjoy preseason games, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t obviously some value in paying attention to the games. Here are ten things that have jumped out for me from what has transpired so far:

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I was reminded of an incredible stat while reading Peter King this morning – at least five different NFL teams have made the playoffs after not making them the year before in each of the last 13 years. Considering that there are only 12 playoff teams that is truly incredible. The flip-side of that, of course, is that at least five playoff teams from one year haven’t made it the next. The short handicapping lesson to take from that – last year means almost nothing.

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I want to weigh in on the whole Michael Vick thing, and I promise not to use any bad dog puns as I do so.

I have to admit that I don’t buy a lot of the arguments that are being made concerning Vick these days. The most common opinion in the media seems to be that he’s a bad, bad man who hasn’t yet done enough t earn another shot in the league. I don’t agree, and I think it’s a matter of perspective. I don’t for a second want to make you think that I condone what he did. I’m an animal lover and I’ve had lots of dogs in my life, so I think what he did is worse than terrible. Here’s the thing, though – he has spent time in prison. He was sentenced and he is almost done serving that sentence. I think that that has to mean that, provided he behaves like a responsible professional, he deserves anther chance to be one. There are a lot of guys in the league that have done a lot of really bad hings and have been given another chance – Leonard Little and Tank Johnson come to mind without even thinking about it. Vick’s crimes were worse than Johnson’s, but then so was the punishment. This idea that Vick should never be able to play again just doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t particularly respect the guy, and I’m not sure that I would want him on my team, but I believe absolutely that he deserves another shot. He should be on a short leash, and he should have to remain on his best behavior to stay in the league, but as long as he does that then I get very uncomfortable at the thought of the league making moral judgments that stretch well above and beyond the scope of the legal system. Lord knows that the league is powerful enough already without giving them total control over our thoughts and actions as well.

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The NFL schedule was released tonight. I know that the league is masterful at making their league the story year around, but this seems to have been more of an event this year than I remember it being in the past. There’s only so much intrigue that can come from the schedule since you can figure out who is playing who every year with just a bit of work if you want to. Still, the timing of games and the location can make them somewhat interesting. Here’s a look at six games that stick out for me at first glance:

Week 1 – Chicago at Green Bay – All eyes will be on Jay Cutler. He cost a fortune, and there will be little patience from fans waiting to see him play like it.

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The Redskins must operate in a different reality than the rest of us. Most people would look at their recent history – a dizzying number of high priced free agents have produced nothing but heartache – and learn from it. Not Daniel Snyder and company. Free agency had only just begun when the Redskins spent the first $154 million. $154 million! They signed Albert Haynesworth to a $100 million deal that could be worth as much as $115 million if he performs well over the course of the deal. The chances are almost none that it will play out over the whole contract, but what is particularly ridiculous about this deal is the amount of (more…)

The more I thought about the game last night, the more I realized something – I don’t really like the Super Bowl very much. Don’t get me wrong – and day of football is usually better than a day without football. It’s just that there are a whole lot of other football days that I would rather watch than that one. There are a bunch of reasons why, but here are seven:

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