ESPN's Report

Inevitable Tim Graham follow-up blog post

Parcells, much to Armando Salguero's chagrin, has offered his most expansive comments yet on the new ownership situation to the New York Daily News and New York Post. I don't care if he dropped the quotes on R. Kelly's answering machine, I'm just happy to hear he seems perfectly comfortable.

Guess PSI Miami is signed on for at least one more season...

In my now-insatiable bid to seek rightful recognition of our team's accomplishments this season from the national media, I thought I'd inbox one of the few ESPN analysts whose opinion I actually respect, and ask him to chime in on Pennington's MVP credentials.

Lo and behold, his casual response:

Q: Hey John, why aren't more people considering Chad Pennington for league MVP? If the Miami Dolphins emerge with the AFC East title, how could anyone argue a player has had more of an impact on a winning team than Pennington? His stats are comparable to most other QBs in the discussion, he only has six interceptions, and he's been working with a lot less talent around him. Thanks. Adam in Cairo

A: In calling around Tuesday, there seemed to be a sentiment that Pennington was slighted [in the Pro Bowl voting] to a major degree, but my guess is that he was a second or third alternate. The team won't confirm. Ben Roethlisberger didn't finish among the top three alternates, which I think was a disservice. I know his numbers haven't been great, but Roethlisberger is on a team that already has secured a bye in the playoffs, and he has made a lot of big plays in big games. I know Jay Cutler's numbers are better, but I might put Pennington's season up against Cutler's and go for Pennington. I'm not ready to put Cutler in the top three in the league. Pennington's Pro Bowl comes in about a week. If he can take a 10-5 Dolphins team to the Meadowlands and beat a 10-5 New York Jets team led by Brett Favre, Pennington would cherish that moment more than a trip to Hawaii.

Full column

Fine, so he didn't quite read answer my question, focusing instead on Chad's Pro Bowl snub.

It's all good, Mr. Clayton. My day is officially made.

So I'm going through one of my daily sports site rounds on the interwebs today, and after perusing a number of similar pieces, I come across ESPN's MVP voting ballot. Now, granted, more often than not, like Matt Groening, I can be rightfully accused of blatant homerism. But reading some of the names being touted over Chad has left me downright infuriated.

I am all too aware that the MVP trophy is one that is far from aptly-named, that the word 'valuable' is often inconsistently interpreted as an akward combination of spectacular, popular, victorious, inspirational and statistically-congenial. But, at the end of this season, if (and, frankly, only if) the Miami Dolphins claim the AFC East scalp, Pennington has to finish at least top-three in the voting.

But he won't.

The aim of this post is not to slight or belittle any other player's achievements. No running back, in my humble opinion, has had a season worthy of an MVP title, so for the sake of discussion, I'll focus solely on America's favorite position.

(cue a litany of sexual innuendos in the comments section)

Kurt Warner has found the AC Green signature fountain of youth, and has been nothing short of brilliant. Drew Brees is still flirting with The Man's hallowed single season passing yards record. Eli's 20-8 TD-Int. ratio is straight gangster. But Chad, calling plays behind one of the youngest offensive lines in the league, has been working primarily with a still-a-work-in-progress Ted Ginn, Jr., Greg Camarillo (only a handful of receptions prior to this season), and an undrafted Davone Bess (only slightly taller than phinsguy99). I love our young receivers, but enviable they are not. Yet.

Despite all of this, Pennington will probably end the season with his highest ever yard total and, having completed at least 50% of his passes in every game, will distance himself even further from the rest of the pack as the most efficient quarterback in the history of the NFL. But my argument lies not on a bed of numbers and data, but in a cloud of 'intangibles', your favorite commentator's favorite comment.

The Jets' front office made it clear they were fairly unanimous in their pursuit of Favre, but I wonder how many Jets players felt so similarly compelled behind closed doors. The calming effect Pennington has had on our overhauled squad as a team leader has been colorfully spun dozens of times on these boards, so I'll spare you any recycled rhetoric.

To any stubborn nay-sayers, though, I simply suggest you offer them this: if your life depended on someone directing an offense, rousing his teammates and completing one crucial pass in a tight fourth quarter situation, whose hands would you entrust with your fate? Tom Brady, the thinking man's choice, is exempt from the debate just as he is from this year's race. Peyton? This year? Brees? Cutler? Warner? Eli? Fav-ruh?

Please.

I'm not saying Chad is the obvious choice, he's just obviously as sound a selection as anyone else on that list, if not more. Yet no one in the national media seems prepared to acknowledge this.

What I am saying is that if a trophyless Steve Nash can win back-to-back MVPs in the NBA, a trophyless Chad Pennington can win one in the NFL.

For the very same reason.

His value.

*The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' begins to play*

Parcells. Sparano. Ireland.

Three bad men.

Regardless of how this season shapes up, I'm still finding new ways to appreciate what these guys have done.

Truly remarkable.

Season recap so far: (S01E01-S01E12)

Continue reading this post »

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2008&week=10

Finally, The Empire admits a little Aretha for this team.

From Tim Graham, who sums things up rather succinctly:

The Dolphins have a couple of ugly losses, but they are 2-1 in the AFC East and are one fluke Brett Favre touchdown pass from being undefeated in the division.

I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe.

Because you can never come up with enough asinine ways to pledge your love to your football team. I'll start us off with a couple potential nominees. You know, because there isn't anything else to vote on these days...

• Ronnie Brown: UPS
• Chad Pennington: C-3PO
• Matt Roth: Da Rothwilder (patent pending)
• Jake Long: All Day
• Greg Camarillo: The Catch
• Ricky Williams: Tricky
• Dan Carpenter: DC$ (c) Little Nicky

Let the names begin.

I've been thinking about throwing this up as an idea for a weekly segment for a minute now*, but for some reason I haven't got around to it yet. This late kickoff (11 pm 'round these parts) seems an appropriate time.

As a record collector, there are few things I enjoy more than sharing and discussing music with people (discussing Dolphins, for one), so I'd love to post zshare links to the songs, but thought I'd check in with Matty first in case he's uncomfortable with that.

Occasionally the tracks will be classics, often times obscure, and other times regrettably cheesy, whether intentional or not.

Let's kick things off with beaming pride, dropping the needle in tribute to the path towards a once far too distant Superbowl berth these young Miami Dolphins are just beginning to pave.

Tunnel Music: Menahan Street Band - Make The Road By Walking

...off their great 2008 album of the same name. The Brooklyn band is part of an awesome music collective that also includes the groups: The Dap Kings, El Michels Affair, Antibalas and The Budos Band. If you're into classic soul, funk or afrobeat, these dudes are ridiculous. This particular ditty might sound familiar to the hipper Phinsiders among us, sampled by Diddy's Hitmen production team on Rolling Stone's single of the year in 2007, Jay-Z's 'Roc Boys (And The Winner Is) off the 'American Gangster' soundtrack.

Watching this team make their road is a joy to behold.

Weather Forecast: Chet Atkins - Windy And Warm

Finger pickin' legend. 'nuff said.

Fictional Previous Entry: Malcom McLaren - Buffalo Girls

Classic drum break. Classic Bills metaphor. Sampled twice on Public Enemy's seminal 1990 album 'Fear of a Black Planet'. If these mini write-ups are tedious, please let me know.

Ode To A Certain Amphibious Poster: Hall & Oates - Adult Education

Shouts to the daily crew, who held down the spot with a breathlessly effective combination of piercing wit and unabashed immatureness, reminding us all that these are the only two things one needs to survive on a sports messageboard.

Underlying Theme for the Season: Ratatat - Wildcat

Complete with driving bassline and wildcat roars. Like, seriously, a wildcat roaring.

Go Dolphins.

*according to my iTunes, my music nerd self now has 34.7 days of music on my laptop. Figured it was time I put it to some use.

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=tmr080821&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

He thinks Ginn will break 1000 yards with 7 touchdowns. He even gave him the only photo spot alongside Romo's empty recyclable soda bottle.

He also admits to predicting a whole lot of nonsense, but that actually sounds about right to me.

Y tu?

59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75.

Threw this into another (far more bland) post i put up about a week ago, thought it needed a little more shine. Especially considering how Ernest has been dropping more balls than puberty lately.

From rapper Wale's "Whole Time:

"I'm in a Jaguar, the Ernest Wilford/my third option, but f**k it, it still work..."

A tad dated, sure, but quite enjoyable nonetheless me thinks.

I'd put up the mp3 for any interested parties, but I think Video Saturdays have Matty worried enough about any potential copyright infringements...

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/Whispers/2008/afceast080908.htm

Not sure if it's already been mentioned here yet, but PFW claim Ernest "has been indefinitely demoted to the second team".

We all know Hagan (and pretty much everyone else) has been outplaying him in camp, and tonight's game would obviously confirm the report if true, but I thought I'd use this opportunity to showcase the first pop culture reference I've heard to our '08 Fins:

From rapper Wale's new track "Whole Time": "I'm in a Jaguar, the Ernest Wilford/my third option, but f**k it, it still work..."

A tad dated, sure, but quite enjoyable nonetheless me thinks.

Also, it could provide evidence that the trifecta are indeed willing to start any player that outperforms one of "their guys".