skinsfanbu Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Here's his latest: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=capitolimprovem&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns Capitol improvement Paul Zimmerman, SI.com Been away for a while. Yep, been hitting the road. Still recovering from the most significant piece of news I've seen during the absence. The House of Representatives cafeteria's designation of Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast. This'll show those Frenchmen where America stands, boy! (Just hollered to my teenage daughter and her boyfriend, "I see you Freedom Kissing out there!") You say what? That it's mailbag day and I'd better get with it before this gets out of hand? OK, here it comes: First one on Jimmy's list is a long, philosophical mind-bender from Josh of St. Louis that basically focuses on the relationship between coach and superstar. Too much ego involved on both sides. Too much manipulation, caused by the win-now mentality of free agency. Too little patience. Yes, I agree with all the components of your theory, uh, theories. It's not the relaxed, rambling world it used to be, when people certainly had more fun but made very little money. Make that the players made very little money. The owners didn't know it but they were riding a whirlwind that would bring them undreamed-of riches. Now there's a lot of money and tremendous pressure on everyone and, as you pointed out, a brand of been-there, done-that, ego-tripping college players who take special handling. The sociological implications of the game can drive you nuts if you let them. But what takes place on the field is still magnificent. And here comes the! l! ine everyone was waiting for -- thanks for your kind words about my work. Two Redskins queries. Shorter one first ... from Sean of Norfolk, Va.: "What the hell is Daniel Snyder doing?" Well, you know me, Sean. An unrelenting Snyder-basher. But I honestly do see meaning in this offseason, unlike the old days when he collected all the Deions he could find. Stephen Davis? That was a Spurrier call. Trung Canidate puzzles me, too. He seemed to fold under pressure last year; maybe they see something a lot of us didn't. But just look at some of the other blue-collar types the Skins have gone for, and this is a radical departure in philosophy. Brandon Noble, DT, Cowboys. A big, sturdy, over-achieving run-stuffer. I guarantee he'll help that D-line. Randy Thomas. Terrific young offensive lineman for the Jets, and that's just what the Skins need. And they could get lucky with Dave Fiore if he stay! s ! healthy. Matt Bowen's a sleeper. John Hall helps right away. Laveranues Coles is 25 and on the verge of superstardom. Anything wrong with getting him on the rise? Sure, they gave him a fortune, and the Jets might still match the offer sheet, but I saw this guy in every game last year, and believe me, Chad Pennington would have been deep in the dumper without this money receiver. Does all this make you feel better, Sean? It's so seldom that I praise this organization that you'd better bottle it and put it on the shelf. More optimistic is Bruce of Hyattsville, Md., who feels that Canidate replacing Davis is more in keeping with Spurrier's pass-pass-pass philosophy. Right, but don't forget that he had his share of blue-chip runners -- i.e, Fred Taylor, Errict Rhett, etc. -- at Florida as well. He isn't afraid to run the ball. He just didn't care for Davis' straight-line style. I've said hello to the Redhead for you. I'll try to keep up the good work. There! I've answered every single part of your e-mail. To Matt of San Diego, who wants my forecast on the Chargers' 2003 season: They'll start fast, then hit a lull around midseason, then pick it up toward the end and waltz into the playoffs. Either that or they'll start slowly, put on an October-November spurt, then die down the stretch. Either that or they'll do something else. Kindly check back with me after the draft and the free-agent period are over and one or two exhibition games have been played. Greg of Thompson, Manitoba, asks the following: "Please explain the importance of the scouting combine." It has less now, since so many stars are ducking it. It can be a boost for players who, as Art Rooney Jr., used to say, "look good in their underwear, but aren't worth a damn once they get on the field." It can provide scouts with more numbers, more information, more reasons to reject someone, since so many of these scouts seem so negative from the go. It can help a player who was injured during the season and hadn't really had a chance to show that he was fully functional again. It can show which players let themselves get out of shape quickly, although those guys usually duck the combine workouts. Teams that base a great part of their draft on combine numbers traditionally don't draft well. It makes more sense to use the data merely as backup information. Writers, incidentally, are barred from attending the combine w! or! kouts or interviewing the players involved. In this manner, the NFL convinces itself that it's accomplishing something highly classified and really significant. From Scappoose, Ore., object of my sneering, smirking comment as to whether it's an actual town or not, comes a second entry from Josiah (now, is that your real name or is it something more mundane, such as Joe-Bob or JoJo?). He says Scappoose is a actual name. Native American, which I had astutely deduced at the time. "It means 'little papoose,'" writes Josiah, and then he adds, "Actually I have no idea what it means," which is the type of logic that wins me over right away. Are we Scappoosed out, or do you want more? Well, why not? It's a slow news day anyway. Listen up. Scappoose has gone from being a tiny town to ... get ready now ... a suburb of Portland. With its first McDonald's. Which supplies seat belts for that first-bite experience. No, just kidding. "Really bad taste, that last one," murmurs the Flaming Redhead. And Scappoose once made the Guinness Book of World Records (Oh, God, there's more)! f! or having the world's largest candle. You know something? I'm gonna cut this off right now and move on to Josiah's football question -- and I'll bet most of you are wondering why I didn't do that in the first place: "How can the Dolphins have the NFL's leading rusher and not make the playoffs is it Fiedler and would Kordell or Griese be an upgrade?" Answer: freak statistic, that running thing. How about this? The top eight rushers in the AFC all were on non-playoff teams. So was the NFC's top rusher ... three of the top five, actually. This is either a one-year aberration or a sign that, as Ron Jaworski keeps saying, running is only useful to set up play-action passing; you don't win with it. Fiedler is hot and cold, and when he's cold he sprays the ball. So does Kordell. Before I'd hire Griese to take me to the Super Bowl I'd do a thorough research job on why Mike Shanahan, and supposedly many of Griese's teammates, gave up on him! . ! Thanks for your sentiments, Josiah. To Mike, a Dallas fan from Montreal: Again, thank you. Yes, I believe the axiom "speed kills" was never more apropos than it is in today's NFL. Parcells better get some speed on the field if he wants to compete. Who will the Cowboys draft at the No. 5 spot? Depends on who's doing the drafting, Jerry or Parcells. I'll be zeroing in on this in the weeks to come. A historical research question from Rob, a Niners fan from Arcadia, Calif.: Can I name those NFL players who have had great one-season performances and then disappeared from the game? Well, off the top of my head I have compiled a list of 283. Is that what you're looking for? By "disappeared," I would assume you don't mean totally vanished, but plummeted from prominence. I can't list all my choices, so how about two? Greg Cook, Bill Walsh's great rookie quarterback on the 1969 Bengals, whose career tanked because of a shoulder injury. Orban (Spec) Sanders, who posted incredible run-pass-punt numbers as a single-wing tailback on the 1947 New York Yankees in the All-America Conference, got injured the next year, and was gone. Thanks for your comments, Rob. Intermission for an admission. My daughter is no longer a teenager. I used the allusion to set up the line. For those short of memory who ask, "What line?" I refer you back to Paragraph One of this overlong opus. Tony of Phoenix wonders how Jake Plummer will do in Denver. It will test Mike Shanahan's coaching ability to the max, because at his best Jake is more wide-open and Shanahan is comfortable in the buttoned-up Walsh-style offense. I really don't know whether he'll be able to harness this stallion. I liked your reference to ex-Cards who blossom elsewhere ... "maybe, just maybe, the NFL does have a farm team." For many years Tampa Bay was that farm system, grooming such future stars as Steve Young. Will of Chicago is concerned about Kordell with the Bears. Personally, I don't think he'll get the kind of coaching that will allow him to flourish. Cheer up. I've been wrong before. Bill of Boston wants my opinion of the Pats' signing of Rosevelt Colvin and Rodney Harrison. Colvin merits an A+. Just what the club needs, an edge rusher, and this guy can really bring it. Harrison? Depends on how many hits that body has taken. A lot of people in Philly cheered when Blaine Bishop was brought in last year, but he was an old warhorse who made it through one season and is now gone. Can New England return to the top of the AFC in 2003? Not sure. Both lines still need a lot of work. Erick of Montreal loves Atlanta's trade for Peerless Price. Well, it certainly adds sparkle to a receiving corps that was dismal last year. Sure, Buffalo hated to lose him, but there were 42 million reasons, including 10 up front, why they couldn't keep him. Jeremy of Wheeling, W. Va., asks, "As a football fan, where would you like to see Hugh Douglas sign?" Well, someplace that has a lot of cap dollars to burn. Toward the end of last year he looked like a guy who needed lots of rest to get through a game. But he's going to collect big bucks, because pass rushers always do. I believe he'll do well in a system that gives him plenty of break time but he'll fade if he has to be on the field too long. This doesn't really answer your question, does it? I guess I'd like to see him return to the Jets, but I don't think they want to pay that kind of tariff. Corey of Rhode Island wonders what the Vikings have to do to be a playoff team. Put a coherent defense on the field. Last year's was incoherent. Let's see what kind of talent they pick up. What were my impressions of Mike Tice? Great guy to be around and talk football with. I hope he can get it all together because I don't want to see some mummy replace him. And Part Three of Corey's trifecta -- "Any fine restaurant experiences this offseason that you'd like to share with us?" I need a new paragraph for this. Well, you're asking at the right time, because the Redhead and I have just compiled our Vacation And Other Travels Restaurant Ratings. That's right, we rate all restaurants, including fast fooders, breakfast joints, you name it. In no particular order, these are our top sports: San Francisco-Oakland area ... Slanted Door in SF; Bay Wolf in Oakland. San Diego area ... none. Prague, Czech Republic ... Le Bistrot de Marlene; Bellevue Sunday Brunch; David; U Modre Kachnicky. Napa Valley ... Bistro Jeanty in Yountville. Mendocino County ... Albion River Inn; Queenie's Roadside in Elk; Harbor House in Elk; Boonville Hotel; Victorian Gardens in Manchester. Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman covers the NFL for the magazine and SI.com. His "Inside Football" column and Mailbag appear weekly on SI.com. To send a question to Dr. Z, click here. HTTR, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 He acknowledged he's a Snyder basher, and he pointed out the merits of our moves. My God, the world is turning upside down! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Add to that - that Lenny Fatsobelli is now pro-Skins and I think the apocalypse is upon us. Better go stock up on duct tape and gas masks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posse81 Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 At least he admits to openly hating the Skins, unlike some other media types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 these guys say they don't like a meddling owner and yet count among their favorite teams the Cowboys and Raiders? :laugh: you have to be kidding me and for those who say that Jones and Davis are so experienced that they are a great substitute for a GM that spends 50 hours a week on personnel, one need only look to the YEARS of spending money for no return like Davis did with the Desmond Howard and Larry Brown signings................ Jones? Between the era of Jimmy Johnson and the new one of Bill Parcells this organization made a lot of silly moves. Jones' draft choices in some years where the team came away with Dwayne Goodrich and Quincy Carter as top picks were laughable. I don't get it. Snyder has been here for 4 seasons and no Super Bowl equals no respect? Well, Davis' Raiders took TWENTY years to get back to the Super Bowl only to lose it by a 48-21 count.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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