I don't like to put much stock in pre-season football games. As Ted Gilbert wisely told me one day "the pre-season makes good players look worse than they are and marginal players look better than they are." As much as I try to keep these words in mind, I can't help being excited about the way the Giants played in the first quarter tonight. Eli Manning looked great, and he did it without his normal receivers. Of course, Domenik Hixon might only score three touchdowns, his total from the first quarter of tonight's game, throughout the rest of the entire year. And, after the first quarter this game melted away into nothing. I'm also aware that if I'm going to argue to you that you should only take into account the first quarter, then I'm admitting that this means nothing.
The one thing I am sure of after watching pre-season football is that JaMarcus Russell is nasty. He performed exceptionally well. I could not have been more impressed with him, even if he was dialing up long TD bombs all night (because that would have had that "pre-season flukiness" feel to it). But, what he did showed that he has the foundations to be very successful for a long time. He moves well. Even when on the run, he squares his body up before he throws. He throws bullets despite a delivery that looks virtually effortless, and (at least from what we've seen) those passes are very accurate. The experts report that the Raiders (who averaged the most rushing attempts per game last season) will be looking to ease Russell into the offense during the early half of the year. This will allow him to work within his comfort zone and build his confidence, which should foster long-term success. Expecting him to bite off more than he can chew right now, which would be more typical of this Raiders franchise, would most likely lead to a lot of mistakes and interceptions.
I said in my AFC West preview that I believed Oakland would be a surprise team this year and finish second in the division. They could also slide into a wild card spot by virtue of the weakness of their division. I also wrote earlier this summer about why Al Davis may end up looking like a genius if the NFL's next Collective Bargaining Agreement does not include a salary cap (with the understanding that if it does include a salary cap, then he's been spending very irresponsibly this off-season).
Nevertheless, the point of all this Raiders talk is that after much deliberation, I've decided to choose Oakland as my franchise for Madden 09. This is not a decision that I take lightly, and I spend the better part of the day weighing my options and checking out the individual player ratings for this year. Just to give you an idea of my process, here are some examples of teams that I eliminated:
Giants: When it comes to playing franchise mode with your favorite team, people often feel very strongly one way or the other. I don't do it. I never have and I never will.
Patriots: Considering that both Tom Brady and Randy Moss are rated 99, New England was probably the best option. The only reason I even considered it as a possibility for any period of time (about half a second) was because Randy Moss is my favorite player. But, I just couldn't do it.
Cardinals: The Cardinals are a great Madden team because Fitzgerald and Boldin are both rated above 95, and Edge is a 92. But, there are two major problems. First, this was my 08 franchise, and I can't see the sense in starting all over in 09 with a team that I already took another decade ahead. Essentially, it would mean that all my hard work last season was for not. I already won the 09 super bowl with Arizona, and 2010, and 2111, you get the idea. Second, Anquan Boldin is still requesting a trade and I wouldn't feel right about throwing to him if that trade happens (I don't think it will, but Problem #1 renders Problem #2 meaningless anyway).
Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins: Please.
Indy: Too easy
Minnesota: Adrian Peterson makes this attractive, but I like to throw a lot as well. Plus, I have a feeling that this is going to be everyone's pick.
San Diego: LaDainian is a 99, but this would make me want to lose on purpose.
New Orleans: Of all the teams in this game, the Saints might be the most fun on offense. But, the Shockey situation makes them off-limits. That's not my style.
Pittsburgh: I can't stand Ben Roethlisberger or Pittsburgh fans.
Anyways, you get the point. By the time everything was said and done, I had narrowed things down to two finalists: Cincinnati and Oakland.
The Bengals might have made more sense here, and I had essentially settled on them by early this afternoon. Their offense is incredibly explosive, and you'd think that their off the field issues and all of their yelling at each other on the sidelines last season wouldn't matter. You'd thing that right? You'd think that because it's a video game? Me too. But, apparently in the year 2009 video games take these things into account. Check out the morale ratings for some of the Bengals players. Rudi Johnson, 70. Levi Jones, 50. Carson Palmer, 75. Chad Johnson, 20. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, 30. Dexter Jackson, 70. I can't have low morale scores like that from my stars! I don't know exactly what type of impact it can have. But, it's part of the overall equation, and no other team has such low morale scores listed among all of their key players (except maybe Dallas, I didn't look them up because I never considered them). The Bengals are out.
And so it will be Oakland. I can tend to JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden and make sure that they are able to flourish and restore the pride of the Oakland faithful.
Commitment to Excellence:
The point of all of this is that it's that time again. We're not out of the woods yet, but we're preparing to get there. We're adjusting our views on pre-season football to fit exactly the way our teams perform. We're starting our Madden franchises. We're tinkering with our fantasy football draft boards. I've already checked out all the week 1 lines several times. It's hard to even think straight right now (I realize I still owe the readers 5 more players to watch in college football. It's coming). We're on the verge of greatness once again, and you need to be prepared.
And, if you're wondering, yes I did DVR women's volleyball against Brazil tonight. I know they won convincingly, but I'll still check it out once the Giants are over.
In honor of our site returning to its full-blown glory during football and basketball season, I give you these sick Baroness videos:
2 comments:
That Tracy Morgan/Warren Sapp commercial may be my favorite of all time.
I came across it because I was looking for the new Warren Sapp ESPN Fantasy Football commericial, which is hilarious. His maid putting balls in the jugs machine while he jumps in the pool trying to catch them floors me every time.
If anybody can find a link to that new Sapp commercial, send it over to oracle@roomofzen.com
Well played. I too am a huge fan of that Morgan/Sapp commercial and was going to include in a upcoming post that would also include the ESPN commercial you referenced. Unfortunately, as you said, that 30 seconds of magic is nowhere to be found. I'll still make the post because it has a different focus. But you might be inside my head. I also like the part where Sapp is grilling and has somebody next to him with a computer.
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