Are ya ready for some football?!?!?

[MUDSHARK]

I felt your negative rep was insulting and rude. At least I signed mine negative rep.

Steven's mad as hell and he's not gonna take it anymore.

 

[mazersteven]

Sure He's Not


Tiki Barber has no regrets, picks Giants to win it all.

One last time: Tiki Barber is NOT banging his head against a wall in remorse over missing out on the Giants' Super Bowl run. Or so he keeps insisting.


http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2008/01/tiki_barber_has_no_regrets_pic.html

 

[stratman]

Sure He's Not


Tiki Barber has no regrets, picks Giants to win it all.

One last time: Tiki Barber is NOT banging his head against a wall in remorse over missing out on the Giants' Super Bowl run. Or so he keeps insisting.


http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2008/01/tiki_barber_has_no_regrets_pic.html

Of course he's not.

 

[darien87]

To Maze and the others doubting LT's heart, here's what Terrell Davis says about that:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jim_trotter/01/23/tomlinson/index.html


Davis played running back for the Broncos in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and he struggled with knee injuries at the end of his career. That's why he had no problem slipping into Tomlinson's cleats.

"I've played with broken fingers, I've played with separated shoulders, cracked ribs, even turf toe," Davis said. "Those things you can kind of get away with. But when you're talking about the knee, it just ain't the same. I've had games where I've tried to do the same thing that L.T. did. I went out there and I told myself, I told my teammates that I was going to play. That was my mindset. I was trying to encourage myself to believe that I could go out there and play and be effective. But the moment of truth is when you start getting hit and you're in a game and the speed is faster and people are grabbing at your knee and twisting it.

"If it's not responding, there's nothing else you can do but just sit yourself down. I would have hated to see L.T. go out there and continue trying to play in that game and look the way he looked. You had a better chance with (Michael) Turner in the game because he gives you 100 percent of something."

Mark Klion is a board certified orthopedist who specializes in sports medicine at Mount Siani Hospital in New York. When asked about the likelihood of a running back playing with a sprained MCL, he said: "Most athletic individuals who have a mild or a moderate strain have a lot of difficulty performing twisting, pivoting activities. I don't care what level you're at, it hurts. So from that perspective, could a professional running back play where so much of his activity is based on stop-start, side-to-side direction? Even Superman couldn't play with it."

The criticism of Tomlinson is ridiculous on so many levels, but particularly when it comes from a former professional athlete who has been sidelined by injury himself.

The irony is that Tomlinson has been one of the league's more durable players since entering the league in 2001, missing only one game in seven seasons. He has played when it mattered most, and when it didn't matter at all. Consider:

• In 2003, he sustained a slightly separated shoulder the week before the season finale against the Raiders. At the time the Chargers had lost five of six and were 3-12 overall. The only things they had to play for were pride and each other, which is why Tomlinson took a pain-numbing shot beforehand and ran for a franchise-record 243 yards.

• In 2005, Tomlinson played the final four-plus games with a cracked rib. Going into the season finale, against Denver, the Chargers already had been eliminated from playoff consideration. There was no reason for Tomlinson to be on the field. But there he was.




So get off LT's back.

That being said, football season is officially over. Here's to the Chargers having another good draft.

 

[Johnd]

So get off LT's back.

Concise and to the point. Good post Darien.

Most people that have never suffered a knee injury or chronic back (or any other injury of your choice) pain fail to understand the consequences of "working through it." Or one's inability to "work through it." And often times, the consequences are not just short term (pain). I know my threshold, and it's pretty damn high. But one can never put oneself in another person's pain and lack of mobility...just can't. Every injury is quite personal. I was just laughing last night at an NBA's player sitting out because of a jammed finger. Well, the whole game of bb revolves around hands. Funny as it sounds, a jammed finger makes bb handling nearly impossible.

 

[aberkowitz]

Much of the criticism that I've read (and written to some degree) is less about the fact that he had to come out due to injury, but because he spent the entire game standing motionless on the sidelines with his helmet and dark visor on all bundled up in a coat while his team was competitive in a game to take them to the super bowl. The biggest joke out there right now is that it wasn't even him under the helmet b/c you couldn't tell!

Too injured to play- that's one thing and maybe we should cut him some slack for that. But how about cheering on your team? How about taking aside Turner and Sproles and giving them some advice as to how to hit the defense? How about speaking to Rivers to give him some confidence? How about interacting with anybody who comes off the field after making a good play? Being a leader on a team is more than just performing on the field, it's about motivating the rest of your team. You think Tom Brady would ever act like that?

 

[jonnythan]

Why does he have to "be a leader"? The best players don't have to be "leaders" on the team. Some people just aren't leaders or don't want to be. There's nothing wrong with that.

Just because he's a star player doesn't mean he's somehow obligated to give pep talks to the quarterback during the game.

 

[aberkowitz]

Why does he have to "be a leader"? The best players don't have to be "leaders" on the team. Some people just aren't leaders or don't want to be. There's nothing wrong with that.

Just because he's a star player doesn't mean he's somehow obligated to give pep talks to the quarterback during the game.

He is a team captain and has been since 2003- on competitive sports of any level a team captain is by definition a leader of the team. On the Chargers the players elect the captains, so he is recognized by his own teammates as being a leader. If he didn't want to be a leader, he could have declined being a captain.

Did you ever watch a Bulls game where Michael Jordon sat quietly on the bench? How about a Yankees/Red Sox game without Derek Jeter and Curt Schilling rallying their troops? Watch Tom Brady and Peyton Manning cheer for their defense, talking to them as they come off the field. If you want the glory of being a captain you have to accept the responsibility, whether you can play or not.

 

[darien87]

You think Tom Brady would ever act like that?

Tom Brady's a straight up punk. Look at how he acts whenever the Pats lose. Gimme a break.

 

[darien87]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/20080123-9999-1s23chnotes.html


One thing that was evidently not noticed by the national media or fans complaining about Tomlinson's demeanor on the sideline Sunday is that he was standing up most of the times when the offense was on the field and was talking on the bench with Michael Turner when the defense was on the field.

“I was definitely depressed,” he said. “But I was there for guys.”


Sorry, but you guys will have to find something other than leadership to slam LT about.

 

[mazersteven]

All I know is, this is leadership.

Luther "Shark" Lavay

In 1999, Lavay being advised by the team intern doctor that if he suffers a serious hit again, he may be killed, or permanently disabled. Lavay was a Miami defensive captain, and linebacker whose innumerable concussions, and other injuries still can’t keep him off the gridiron.

 

[jliedeka]

No disrespect to Taylor. He was a great linebacker, if you can get past his drug abouse and love for prostitutes.

Have you got something against drug abuse and prostitutes?

This weekend was a major bummer for me. The Packers who showed up at Lambeau were the same ones who showed up at Soldier field a couple of weeks ago. And what was up with that play calling? A few run attempts and long passes? And why the screens? This incarnation of the Packers sucks at screens. They need to work on that.

 

[aberkowitz]

Have you got something against drug abuse and prostitutes?

.

I only wish I could join a religion that worshipped football, drug abuse, and prostitutes

 

[stratman]

All right, lame-*** pre-season is finally over!! Let the trash-talking begin!!!

I can't wait to see my Chargers whoop up on the Bears this weekend! I think it will be a close game, but I honestly don't think Chicago can match up with us on both sides of the ball. Their defense will give us some problems, but the Chargers just have too many weapons, (LT, Gates, VJ, etc.), to stop them all. Grossman will probably be his unpredictable self, plus having the 2 Shawn's in his face all day long will blow his confidence.

I think the deciding factor is going to be special teams. Our kick coverage tends to completely blow, and if we let Devin Hester run all over the place, it could end up being a very long day.

I think this might finally be the Chargers year, (although I was sure last year was our year. Damn you Marty!!! ). I can't wait to see if my boys can finally win the big game.


Who is your favorite team and what are your predictions for the season?

I think it's neat to look in on the first post of a huge thread! My how things change!

 

[darien87]

Have you got something against drug abuse and prostitutes?

This weekend was a major bummer for me. The Packers who showed up at Lambeau were the same ones who showed up at Soldier field a couple of weeks ago. And what was up with that play calling? A few run attempts and long passes? And why the screens? This incarnation of the Packers sucks at screens. They need to work on that.

Sorry about that dude. I was definitely rooting for the Packers in that one. I didn't want Sheli getting to the big game.

 

[darien87]

I think it's neat to look in on the first post of a huge thread! My how things change!

Yep, it was ONE game away from being the Chargers year!!

After that crappy start, Norv finally proved all his critics wrong, (myself included), and showed that he did have what it takes in the playoffs. In the end, it just came down to too many injuries at the end of the season to be able to pull it out.

But dammit, I'm getting sssooooo sick of saying, "Oh well. Next year."

 

[darien87]

I only wish I could join a religion that worshipped football, drug abuse, and prostitutes

When you find it, I'm next in line.

 

[stratman]

But dammit, I'm getting sssooooo sick of saying, "Oh well. Next year." [/QUOTE]

You're kidding, right? That's a mantra here in Miami, problem is folks just doen't care anymore.

 

[jliedeka]

I only wish I could join a religion that worshipped football, drug abuse, and prostitutes

I don't know about the football part but the old fertility religions had temple prostitutes and a lot of cults have used psychedelic drugs.

So give me that old time religion.

Jim

 

[Tarub]

I think the San diego Chargers will be playing at the Super Bowl this year.