Peter King’s latest column sucks even more than usual.
I’ve grown to really, really hate how he shoehorns things to fit a narrative. I think I grew to dislike this over the presidential campaign, as that’s how most of the news from that fracas was presented; it’s easier to understand things if they fit a simple story. However I managed to come to have distaste for it, I can’t think of someone who uses this literary technique more frequently and shamelessly than Peter King. It’s true downside is that it’s just intellectually dishonest - it ignores the facts because they are inconvenient.
This week’s narrative is “rematch weekend”! Every game this weekend is a rematch of a regular season game, and wouldn’t you know it, all those games were close! It’s almost like destiny! The Eagles and the Giants split the season series (true) and the scores in both games were within a touchdown (true). Can’t you see how evenly matches these teams are? Can’t you see how they were meant to be playing each other this time of the year?
Well, yes, the Giants and Eagles games both had close scores, but one of them wasn’t a close game. Here’s the NFL Game Center page on the Eagles win over the Giants in Week 14. Either watching the video or reading the article, you don’t get the sense that the game was close, because it wasn’t! The Giants scored off of one of the two field goals that they blocked, and they scored in garbage time with 30 seconds remaining - that’s it. This was also the first Giants game since Plaxico Burress did the perp walk, and the Giants haven’t looked all that great since then. So, King is perfectly willing to use the score of the game as evidence of how evenly-matched these teams are, but he seems to have forgotten how the games actually were played.
King later goes on to rant about overtime, which I actually agree with in principle. Overtime in the NFL is dumb. As King explains, if you win the coin flip, you are given the choice to receive or kick the ball, and everyone always receives (well, except for Marty Morninweg). Why? Because it’s a huge advantage to do so - first team to score wins the game.
Peter King stops at this reasoning though. The overtime rules themselves aren’t the only problem here. The fact that the league has made a conscious effort at making the rules more offensive-friendly is also at play here. The league wants high-scoring games, because most people would rather watch that kind of game, and more viewers equals higher advertising revenue. This is all perfectly fine and understandable, but because winning a coin flip always means your team having the ball first, it also means that you are operating under rules in which the league desperately wants offenses to be productive, and a team in effect only needs to drive about sixty yards in order to kick a field goal and win the game. That’s the next logical step that Peter King should have taken with his rant, but he didn’t.
Next, in his “Fine Fifteen” list, he ignores his complaining about how silly the overtime rules are and then gets on Tony Dungy’s case about going one-and-done so often:
For the Colts to go winless in three of the last four postseasons… is inexcusable.
Why, it’s almost as if he’s ignoring the argument he just made about how arbitrary the playoff rules are in order to frame a narrative about Tony Dungy being an underachiever! Are the rules for overtime arbirtrary and therefore unfair, or are they not? You can’t claim that those overtime rules really screwed the Colts and then claim that Tony Dungy is a failure in the same breath.
Now, you’re about to read a Texans blog defend the Indianapolis Colts, so watch out. Cover your eyes if you must. But, what happened in that one year that they didn’t go winless in the postseason? Oh yea, they WON THE FUCKING SUPER BOWL. What a hack that Tony Dungy guy is!
Let’s also forget what happened in the 2005 playoff game between the Colts and the Steelers (who went on to win the Super Bowl that year, by the way). Jerome Bettis fumbles, Nick Harper (who was stabbed in his knee the day before by his wife) picks it up and starts running, and Ben Roethlisberger makes the most awkward tackle you’ll ever see. Yup, that Dungy is an underachiever, letting his player’s wives stab them! Then the Colts drive in order for their kicker (who at the time I believe was the most accurate in NFL history, and hadn’t missed all year) to make a 46-yard field goal, in a dome, to virtually ensure going in to overtime, except their kicker misses it. You’re incompetent, Tony!
And then there’s the problem with King equating a loss in the wild-card round with a loss in the divisional round. He’s right that losing in the post-season sucks, but he goes on to set a standard that losing in one round of the playoffs is better than losing in the other. So, shouldn’t Colts fans be happier about losing in the divisional round than in the wild-card round? He acts like Colts fans should be rioting in the streets, demanding a few more losses in conference championship games for good measure. Does he really think Colts fans should be outraged with Dungy for not losing deeper into the playoffs? It’s ridiculous.
King may think going “winless in three of four post-seasons, with that talent” is “unacceptable.” But here’s the thing: you don’t even get the opportunity to go winless in three of four post-seasons on accident. You don’t accidentally have six consecutive twelve win seasons, not when the league deliberately makes teams with a good record in one year face tougher opponents the next.
Finally, King tells us how this time Favre is going to retire. No really, he’s serious. King doesn’t hide the fact that he and Favre are BFFs that text each other all the time, so it shouldn’t surprise us when King glaringly omits the fact that Favre told Green Bay that they would “be smart to not count on him and to look for a new quarterback” last off-season as well. He told Green Bay the exact same thing last year and caused their organization a shit-load of headaches, and King fails to mention how worthless Favre’s word in this regard is. King really should have taken Favre to task over this, and he didn’t. Just another lapse of intellectual honesty from Peter King.
Oh look, there’s already DBDB&D categories for comments on Peter King.
So, the dumptrucks responsible for the tubes in Matt’s hood ain’t rolling, and I am slammed at work. So, ummmmm, here’s another all Eric edition!
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“‘Tis the season” and all that is over and done! The stockings and Xmas excess take the annual ride up the attic stairs, that overhang blocking the view of your feet will last ’til next year, and the Titans still suck nutz! Also, Richard Smith is unemployed but was seen at a local Wal*Mart kiosk typing something.
From Chicago, an article that ties into your recent post (excellent BTW) on the DC position and the number of teams in the hunt. If it’s a bidding war, how much are the Texans willing to pay to get their man? To get to that next level, I hope the check reads “whatever it takes”.
If you read your SportingNews this AM, you’ll have seen this, but wouldn’t it be nice for Mario to look down the line, and feel the same?
Being that it’s slim pickin’s here in Texans news, Alan Burge @ Houston Examiner, weighs in on Sage talk and at the bottom of this page, his thoughts on the DC search.
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Thanks, Eric!
Also, remember that your National Champion Longhorns play this evening against Ohowihateohio State. Beef, I look forward to reading your loving homages to the Horns.
Given my intense hatred for Richard Smith’s defense and my corresponding joy at his firing, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a little time and look at some of the most likely candidates to replace Smith. I figure any in-depth look requires (1) a discussion of the type of system the candidate prefers, (2) a discussion of his track record/resume, (3) reasons why he might be a good fit, (4) any reasons he might be a poor fit, and (5) any random information that doesn’t fit in the first four categories but is still germane to the discussion. Note: Some of the info herein will be lifted from other posts I’ve done; if it looks familiar, it probably is.
The following guys are in no particular order other than the order they popped into my head.
Rod Marinelli
System: In Detroit, Marinelli ran primarily a Tampa-2 set. Quick, slightly-pedantic refresher: The Tampa-2 is a Cover-2 defense that drops the middle linebacker into that middle-deep zone to fill the hole left between the safeties in a traditional Cover-2. This system places a very high premium on team speed—the system literally cannot work without speed, especially in key positions like MLB—and is a very aggressive, swarming defense. This sideline-to-sideline aggression makes the defense susceptible to misdirection plays if the defensive players are not disciplined in their assignments. Track Record: Spent years as a defensive line coach and assistant head coach in the college ranks for schools like Cal and USC before taking the job as defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Bucs in 1996. Held that position for 10 years until he was named head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2006. Reasons For: Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice have credited Marinelli with being just as important in their development as Monte Kiffin was; such an endorsement matters when you look at the regression shown by Amobi Okoye in 2008 and the need for Amobi to develop into a true Under Tackle. During Marinelli’s time in Tampa, the Bucs had more sacks than any other team. The Tampa-2 requires a fast, smart middle linebacker (check), puts your corners in press coverage (making the most of Bennett and Molden’s size), and utilizes speed at the OLB spots moreso than size (meaning Adibi and Diles would not be undersized). Even better, Marinelli’s experience as a D-line guy gives one hope that we’d learn to get pressure with the front four (and would appropriately utilize Mario Williams. Read: NOT sending him into coverage repeatedly.) Hard-ass, no nonsense guy (you saw how that approach worked for the O-line under Gibbs…) Reasons Against: 0-16. Never been a DC before (though he’s been an HC, so I’m not sure a “lack of experience” argument is real persuasive). Seriously, 0-16. That’s a lot of baggage to bring into your next gig and, for a team that just got rid of a failure at DC, it seems like a step in the wrong direction. The shortness of his leash would be ridiculous just because of his history of EPIC FAIL. Etc: The biggest problem I see is that there are no real ties between Marinelli and the current Texans staff or between Marinelli and the city of Houston. While that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, often it seems like it is in the somewhat incestuous NFL.
Gregg Williams
System: Williams runs a 4-3 scheme that gets a LOT of credit for being aggressive. In reality, though, it’s a read-and-react system that just happens to send more than four rushers on a regular basis. Unlike a Jim Johnson-style aggression, however, Williams’ defense does not lend itself to any sort of freelancing and, because it is read-and-react, it asks the corners to play press coverage but also to cover for a longer time period while the blitz develops. So, yeah, it’s aggressive, but it’s not REALLY aggressive. If that makes sense. Track Record: Special Teams coach and later linebackers coach for the HOUSTON Oilers under DC Buddy Ryan, 1990-1996. From 1997-2000, he was DC for the BESFs, where he crafted a pretty stingy defense that played a large role in getting the BESFs to the Super Bowl. (Long live Mike Jones!) In 2001, he was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills, where he went 17-31 over three seasons. After he lost his gig in Buffalo, he was hired by Dan Snyder to DC for the Redskins. Overall, his Washington defenses ranked in the top 10 in total defense three times and nearly last once. He spent 2008 as the DC of the Jacksonville Jaguars, where the defense ranked 12th under Mike Smith in 2007 and 17th under Williams. Reasons For: First and foremost, he’s a “name” that, when combined with Rhodes and Gibbs, gives the Texans staff some serious street cred. (As the kids say.) When you just fired a guy whose biggest flaw—and that’s saying something—was his complete lack of aggression, even the controlled and overblown reputation for aggressiveness of Williams’ system would seem like a whole new world. He has one of the best resumes of the possible choices. Reasons Against: For a detailed explanation, see here. Long story short, he relies far too much on his corners. When he doesn’t trust his corners, he goes into the world’s softest zone. He’s an egomaniac. He can’t function without an All Pro safety (which, obviously, we lack) over the top of his coverage. He drops his DEs into coverage a LOT. His defense is susceptible to edge runs, meaning that your corners and nickelbacks had better tackle very well in the open field. For all the pressure he supposedly gets, Williams’ Redskins teams never fared very well in generating sacks or creating turnovers, both of which we have got to improve on already. Etc: This article from a couple years ago details just how big a jerk Williams is. Highlight? “Williams was heard bragging that he made more money than the head coaches he was recruiting against, that he carried more lumber than some head coaches in the league.”
Sean McDermott
System: A disciple of Jim Johnson, McDermott would almost certainly favor the same aggressive style seen in Philadephia and New York (Giants). I detailed that system here, but the high points are: 1. The OLBs are interchangeable, meaning that Diles’ lack of size for a true SLB role is not an issue. (I should note right here that I’m writing this whole post under the (probably incorrect) assumption that Diles will bounce back from his surgery and be the same player he was pre-injury.) Speed is what matters. 2. The MLB is freed to roam and ad-lib to make plays, allowing us to take full advantage of DeMeco’s range/instincts. (Seriously, DeMeco was born to play in this system.) 3. Rather than read-and-react at the line when fulfilling gap responsibilities, the initial responsibility for the D-line in this system is to get 1.5 to 2 yards up field, then flow to the ball. 4. The D-line is freed to stunt and twist more than in a standard 4-3. 5. The coverage is extremely fluid and can change to exploit personnel matchups. Track Record: 10 years with the Eagles, beginning as a scouting administrative coordinator and working his way up. Most applicable to our discussion, McDermott spent 2004-06 as the safeties/secondary coach, 2007 as the linebackers coach, and 2008 as the secondary coach. Reasons For: You can’t get more different from Richard Smith’s approach then Jim Johnson’s, so we’d never again have to worry whether we’d be aggressive. The last long-term Johnson assistant to become a DC for someone was Steve Spagnuolo. The weakest part of our defense last year, the secondary, would benefit from having a former safeties/secondary coach in charge of the scheme. Under McDermott’s watch, one of the players he was responsible for was the most productive member of the defense four of the last five seasons. Johnson’s system would be a perfect measuring stick for whether Travis Johnson could ever be worth his paycheck. Reasons Against: Rick Smith has said he wants someone experienced as a DC, and McDermott certainly doesn’t fit that bill. Banking on McDermott to be great just because Spags worked out for the Giants is risky. The personnel isn’t a perfect fit for this system (though it’s pretty dang close). He’s one of the “hot” names when it comes to young coaches, so he might cost more than his resume is actually worth. Etc.: Like Marinelli, McDermott has no ties that I can find to Houston or to the current staff.
Greg Robinson
System: Robinson’s standard alignment at Syracuse was a 4-3 Under. This is (generally speaking) a pure one-gap variation of the standard 4-3, where the SLB lines up on the line of scrimmage just outside the TE, the MLB and WLB shift over (they line up roughly where the two ILBs do in 3-4), and the FS is responsible for deep middle coverage and help over the top for the two CBs. Track Record: Defensive line coach and later DC of the Jets, 1990-1994. DC of the Denver Broncos, 1995-2000 (2 Super Bowl titles). DC of the Kansas City Chiefs, 2001-2003. DC of the University of Texas, 2004. Head Coach of Syracuse University, 2005-2008. Reasons For: Has ties to the Denver Super Bowl wins and to the state of Texas. Experienced DC. One-gap system simplifies things for the defense, removing the read-and-react aspect that seems to kill us. With a consistent pass rusher from the SLB spot, the Under alignment makes it more difficult to double Mario. Reasons Against: Our personnel is far from ideal for a 4-3 Under. SLB is still a big question mark due to Diles’ injury and he was too small for the traditional SLB role in the first place. As we saw with Richard Smith’s use of the Cover-1 Free (over the 4-6), we don’t have a FS that can consistently play deep help. The Under neutralizes DeMeco’s impact to a certain extent while requiring that the non-Mario DE have great edge discipline and tackle well in space. Etc.: I haven’t actually heard this name from anyone other than Chris, but the ties seem strong enough that it’s totally possible.
Mike Nolan
System: Ostensibly, at least if you go by the depth chart alignments for the 49ers, Nolan is a 3-4 guy. That said, if you watched the Niners’ D this year, it more closely resembled a traditional 4-3, with four DLs providing most of the rush. This is probably because Nolan ran a 4-3 during his stay in Baltimore. So, for now, let’s just pencil him in as a standard 4-3 with a Cover-2 shell. Vanilla. Track Record: 1987-1992, linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos. 1993-1996, New York Giants DC. 1997-1999, Washington Redskins DC. 2000, New York Jets DC. 2001-2004, Baltimore Ravens DC (2001, he was actually WR coach). 2005-2008, Head Coach San Francisco 49ers (18-37 career record). Reasons For: Like Williams above, Nolan is a name. He’s had the 3rd, 6th, and 5th-ranked defenses in the league at various points during his various tenures as DC. His base 4-3 would require the least amount of re-learning of any of the systems mentioned, but his fascination with the 3-4 might allow for some creativity in our defensive packages. (Something we’ve sorely lacked during the Smith years.) Reasons Against: Other than Baltimore, where he inherited a monster D from Marvin Lewis and did not have to build anything himself, Nolan’s Ds have gotten progressively worse at most of his stops and have failed to show any real improvement at the others. He inherited a Parcells-built D that would rank 5th in 1993. In the following three years, that D ranked 11th, 17th, and 14th. He took a Washington D that was already poor (it would rank 16th in 1997) and then made it worse (24th in 1998, 30th in 1999). In San Francisco, despite bringing in big name free agents (Nate Clements, Justin Smith, Walt Harris, Takeo Spikes) and doing well in the draft (Patrick Willis, Manny Lawson), Nolan’s D’s ranked 32nd, 26th, and 25th in his three full seasons. Also, there are some who suggest that his insistence on fighting the league so he could wear a suit on the sideline is evidence of a headcase/prima donna. Etc.: Nolan is part of the Dan Reeves coaching tree, so I suppose that’s enough of a tie to meet that criteria.
Wade Phillips
System: Phillips has run both the 3-4 (New Orleans (?), San Diego, Atlanta, Dallas) and the 4-3 (Philadelphia, Denver, Buffalo). I take this to mean that, for whatever faults he might have, ego is not really one of them—he’ll build a defense to fit the personnel instead of insisting that his system is flawless and the players need to change. On top of which, if you’ve watched the Cowboys much, they use DeMarcus Ware almost entirely as a 4th down lineman, so envisioning Phillips moving back to the 4-3 is not hard. Track Record: Defensive Line coach for the Houston Oilers, 1976-1980. 1981-1985, DC for the New Orleans Saints (also interim HC in 1985). Eagles’ DC, 1986-1988. Broncos DC, 1989-1992, and HC, 1993-1994. 1995-1997, Buffalo Bills DC and, 1998-2000, HC. 2002-2003, Atlanta Falcons DC. 2004-2006, San Diego Chargers DC. 2007-present, Dallas Cowboys HC. Reasons For: Seems most likely to create system design to maximize Mario and DeMeco while minimizing Jacques. Best resume by far. Regardless of alignment, favors a blitzing, aggressive defense. One of those “great coordinator, poor head coach” types. Son of Bum. Reasons Against: Currently still under contract at Dallas, so we’re not even sure he’ll be available. Hiring a Dallas castoff didn’t work real well in the Reeves deal…just sayin’. Hiring him probably means we draft DE/LB in the first even if Taylor Mays is available. Etc.: Fun Fact: Phillips still holds the career record for solo tackles at the U of Houston. And if you can picture that fat tub as a college linebacker, you have a better imagination than I do.
Larry Coyer
System: Cover-2/Tampa-2. More often than not while in Denver, Coyer ran a 4-3 with two deep safeties, splitting his coverage pretty evenly between zone and man. Fairly vanilla as such things go. He spent 2007-2008 learning from Monte Kiffin, however, so one assumes he would carry some of that Tampa-2 with him. Track Record: Extensive record as college coach/coordinator and USFL experience. 2000-2006, linebackers coach/defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. 2007-2008, defensive line coach/assistant head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs. Reasons For: Under Coyer, the Denver defense was consistently among the league’s better units (aside from a late-season meltdown in 2006). They were in the Top 7 in RUN DEFENSE (something we haven’t seen much of) every year while Coyer was there. The Broncos were very good in total defense and scoring defense from 2003-most of 2006, ranking in the Top 5 in each multiple times and never finishing outside the top-10 in scoring. Coyer’s system takes advantage of speed at linebackers and uses them to clean up most of the tackles, which could play to our advantage if Adibi is the tackle machine he looks like he could be. In Tampa, Coyer’s defensive line was part of a defense that was 2nd in yards/game and 3rd in pts/game in 2007. Reasons Against: He’s old (65). His comments when he left Tampa–that he wanted to “pursue other things”–don’t sound like the words of a man who is looking to take on the pressures of being DC again. (He might make a great line coach for us, however, if he’s wanting a job in the Alex Gibbs mold.) He’s not overly aggressive, at least compared to some of these other guys, so we might have the same issues with our secondary being exposed if we’re not getting the pressure up front. Success in Denver aside, Coyer doesn’t strike me as a much better choice than Frank Bush and at least Bush brings continuity and familiarity. Etc.: We can look at Coyer as the ultimate “we hired him because Gary knew him in Denver” choice.
Frank Bush
System: Honestly, I’m not 100% sure. My guess is that you’d see a defense that look a lot like last years’, except it would have fewer linemen in coverage, would be more aggressive with the linebackers, and would not hang us out to dry with ridiculous coverage shells. In short, it would be the non-shortbus version of the Richard Smith defense. Track Record: 1987-1992, Scout for the Houston Oilers. 1992-1994, Linebackers Coach for the Houston Oilers. 1995-1999, Linebackers Coach for the Denver Broncos. 2000, Secondary Coach for the Broncos. 2001-2003, Special Teams Coach, Denver Broncos. 2004-2005, Linebackers Coach for the Arizona Cardinals. 2006, Asst. HC/Linebackers, Arizona Cardinals. 2007-2008, Senior Defensive Assistant, Houston Texans. Reasons For: Continuity and familiarity. The players already love him. Would probably be open to letting Kubiak and Rhodes help him pick his position coaches (could we get Coyer for the DL under Bush?). If this is to be beleived, he’s already exerted some influence over the defensive scheming. Reasons Against: No experience as a DC—if you are going to hire him, despite saying you want experience, it makes little sense to dismiss McDermott out of hand. No clear picture of what his philosophy is (though we can guess). Chance that some of the bad habits from the old regime remain if there isn’t a new, outside face brought in. Etc.: A pretty strong case can be made that Bush is more of an unknown from a philosophy standpoint than anyone else on this list.
Jerry Gray
System: Most likely, a 4-3 that would closely mimic Gregg Williams’ system, as Gray came of age as a position coach under Williams. Gray’s Buffalo squads ran a 4-3 heavy on blitzing, including zone blitzing, but that also featured Cover-2 shells from time to time. He was a natural fit for Gregg Williams’ squad. Track Record: 1997-2000, Defensive Assistant/Defensive Backs Coach for the BESFs. 2001-2005, DC for Buffalo Bills. 2006-2008, Secondary/CB coach for Washington Redskins. Reasons For: Strong Houston ties. Experienced. If anyone could teach Jacques Reeves proper technique, it would be Gray. Gray’s Buffalo squads finished in the Top-5 in total defense twice while he was there. Gray’s secondary was probably the best overall unit on Washington’s D last this year. Does not have the ego of Williams, so you could get Williams’ system (if you wanted it) without the extra baggage. Reasons Against: Williams disciple means that many of the same problems I laid out with Williams’ scheme could pop up with Gray. Zone blitzing is not evil per se (I actually kind of like it), but if it leads to more Nading or Mario in coverage, we’ll probably all lose our minds. The three seasons in Buffalo where his squad wasn’t top-5, it was downright atrocious despite having quite a bit of talent on D. Etc.: Defensive back of the year in 1989 and Pro Bowl MVP in 1990. Seriously, if he can’t develop Fred, Jacques, and Antwaun, NO ONE can.
*****
So, what’s the moral here? Well, if I were grouping the coaches, I’d put McDermott, Marinelli, and Phillips in the “Definite Yes” column; Bush, Coyer, and Gray in the “Well…OK” column; and Williams, Robinson, and Nolan in the “No Thanks” pool. Really, though, Gregg Williams is the only one on this list that I am adamantly against for all the reasons detailed above.
Without the Texans, I don’t care as much. Sadly, I’ve become pretty inured to that scenario (for one more year only, however).
That said, here are my thoughts for the playoffs:
Wild Card: AFC:
Dolts > Bolts: With LT and Gates hurt, no Merriman, and Cromartie struggling, the Colts will be tough.
Ravens > Miami: Miami went 11-5. Holy Crap. Still, the Ravens’ D is tough, and Flacco has balls of steel.
Wild Card: NFC:
Atlanta > Buzzsaw: Speaking of balls of steel, here’s Matt Ryan.
Iggles > Cheap-shot, juicing mother-fuckers. And if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: FUCK. JARED. ALLEN.
Divisional Round: AFC:
Ravens > BE-SFs. It’s not only that I hate Bud Adams’ evil minions, it’s just that with a dinged up Fat Albert and a questionable offense, I don’t see them lasting long.
Steelers > Dolts. This is a tough call as it pits a great offense versus a great defense. Gotta go with the D this time of year.
Divisional Round: NFC:
Gints > Iggles: McNabb’s collapse is inevitable.
Panthers > Falcons: Panthers’ D will be too much for the Falcons with the home field advantage.
Conference Round: AFC:
Steelers > Ravens.
Gints > Panthers.
Super Bowl: Gints > Steelers.
Nothing real shocking here. No long-running Cinderella stories.
So, I was looking at the Schmap widget over there on the sidebar and trying to remember my reaction to each game, both in terms of the instant result and in terms of my feelings toward the season at that moment. Here’s what I came up with.
Week 1. Lose to the Steelers 38-17.
Instant Reaction: Whoa. What the fuck just happened?
Big Picture View: Holy Christ, is our line REALLY that bad?
Week 2. Hurricane Gustav Ike prevents my use of a press pass at the Baltimore game.
Instant Reaction: Motherfucker.
Big Picture View: Oh, well…this gives us another week to get our shit straight.
Week 3. Lose to BESFs 31-12
Instant Reaction: Really? I drove all the way to Nashville for this?
Big Picture View: Ya know, this could be a REALLY long season.
Week 4. Lose to Jags 30-27 (OT)
Instant Reaction: I would really, really like to light Richard Smith on fire in front of his loved ones.
Big Picture View: I blame you, Richard Smith. And God.
Week 5. Lose to Indy 31-27
Instant Reaction: Why? Why did he jump? I mean…just…slide. Oh, oh god. No.
Big Picture View: 0-4, huh? I wonder what bleach tastes like.
Week 6. Defeat the Dolphins 29-28
Instant Reaction: Goddamn, that was awesome!
Big Picture View: Wish those fucking BESFs would lose a couple games.
Week 7. Defeat the Lions 28-21
Instant Reaction: Phew. That was too close.
Big Picture View: Richard Smith is going to be the death of me. Why hast thou forsaken me, Jesus?
Week 8. Defeat the Bengals 35-6
Instant Reaction: Hot damn! 3-4! That was a beat down, bitches.
Big Picture View: We just might sneak back into this thing.
Week 9. Lose to the Vikings 28-21
Instant Reaction: Fuck you, Jared Allen, you inbred, alcoholic shitstain.
Big Picture View: Sonofabitch. And we were this close to being relevant.
Week 10. Lose to the Ravens 41-13
Instant Reaction: I wonder if its possible to strangle yourself with your own hands?
Big Picture View: Well, at least Richard Smith is gone. Right? RIGHT??
Week 11. Lose to the Colts 33-27
Instant Reaction: *sobs quietly*
Big Picture View: I suppose it’s time to start looking at the draft. And to up the drinking, if that’s even possible.
Week 12. Defeat the Browns 16-6
Instant Reaction: You don’t fool me, Richard. Or, perhaps more accurately, Braylon Edwards must’ve bet on the Texans.
Big Picture View: Yeah, yeah…I’m still looking at Brian Orakpo, jerks.
Week 13. Defeat the Jags 30-17
Instant Reaction: Mario Williams OWNS prime time football, bitches.
Big Picture View: Remember that scene in Castaway where you realize Tom Hanks considered suicide a while back but thought better of it? I’m there.
Week 14. Defeat the Packers 24-21
Instant Reaction: Umm, I’m not familiar with this “road win” you speak of. Are we sure it really happened? Sweet.
Big Picture View: Damn, we might just salvage this season. Not counting that pesky “make the playoffs” angle.
Week 15. Defeat the BESFs 13-12
Instant Reaction: Well I’ll be good goddamned!
Big Picture View: Wait…we’re 7-7 with the Raiders and Bears left? We could go 9-7!
Week 16. Lose to the Raiders 27-16
Instant Reaction: This is definitely the worst loss of the Kubiak tenure and maybe the worst in Texans history. Way to fuck the winning record.
Big Picture View: If this leads to the termination of Richard Smith, I suppose I can live with it. But the next DC better not consider Jesse Nading a coverage option.
Week 17. Defeat the Bears 31-24
Instant Reaction: I suppose it’s better than losing.
Big Picture View: 8-8, huh? That’s nice. Not as nice as playing next weekend, though.
In the end, even a pessimist like myself has to admit that 8-8 following an 0-4 start is about as good as one could hope. That said, there are so many moments from this year—the Rosencopter, the J’ville game, the Oakland game—that leave one with a distinct “what if” taste in his or her mouth. I suppose the good news is that the offense is very, very good and the defense had its biggest tumor removed earlier this week.
The bad news, of course, is that it will be at least a year before we find out if that’s enough.
To be honest, Matt and I have struggled with what to say about Thomas Hilton. First of all, he was far too young to go. Secondly, it’s no secret that this not so humble blog had some serious disagreements with Thomas in the past. However, a dialog between us was created, one which I believe was beneficial to both sides, making us all stronger in the process. In fact, it turned out the Thomas and I have several commonalities, and I was saddened to learn about his father’s passing during Hurricane Ike.
Addressing the disagreement directly: what ticked Matt and I off the most was that we considered Thomas to be a blogger, not a chron columnist. As such, we expected him to raise his game to that of a blogger, not lower himself to the obviously minimal bar set by the chron’s current group of newspaper contributors (Jerome Solomon, to a large extent, excepted).
And, ultimately, this is what makes the situation for Matt and I so “weird.” Absolutely no offense to Bigthrawn01, who announced what had happened, but maybe that forum wasn’t the best way to make such an announcement. Even reading Bigthrawn’s comments, one can plainly see the lack of class portrayed by the chron’s pathetic management. Thomas had plenty of devoted readers, and the chron’s decision to wait two weeks to say anything, and then brush off the announcement? Compound this with the fact that the geniuses at the chron moved the blog off the front page without a single word explaining the change. The chron sports department continues to be a major embarrassment to the city of Houston, and, in all reality, that’s par for the course for those brainless, sorry-assed fuckstains.
Thomas was, first and foremost, a fan of the Houston Texans. He wrote about them with passion, which can be a difficult trick to pull. Speaking on behalf of DGDB&D, I extend my best wishes and heart-felt compassion toward Thomas Eric Hilton’s family.
In not-really-that-surprising news, Peyton Manning was named NFL MVP today. I don’t have much to add to that, save for my usual hopes that he gets raped to death with a fencepost.
No, I post this link instead to point at the other people getting votes. Or, as grungedave so eloquently put it
Who the hell voted for Chris Johnson for MVP?
No…seriously. How did he get a vote for MVP? (Note: This was from the same group of AP writers that he thinks shouldn’t get to vote on such things. Ironic.) What was the rationale behind this vote? No, seriously, make the case for Johnson over Manning, or Michael Turner, or even over Kurt Warner. Because I don’t think it can be done.
Hell, Chris Johnson wasn’t even MVP of his own team—that would be either Albert Haynesworth or Vince Young, whose talent and fragile mental state allowed him to get the hell out of the way and not screw up the season.
So, I repeat the question: Who the hell voted for Chris Johnson for MVP? Because you, sir, are a fuckwit of the highest order.
create wildly speculative pre-draft rumors, and proclaim my brilliance for any that might come true.
convince myself by February that the Texans will make the playoffs in 2008.
Overall, I’d say we did fairly well. I never did get a cease-and-desist letter, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I definitely nailed numbers 1 and 4. In fact, only the Austin trip was a complete airball. Not bad. Might as well set some goals for 2009 while we’re at it. Just like last year, these blogolutions are written to compensate for the fact that “no one ever seems to make resolutions that reflect the hedonistic, self-destructive, and questionably-legal things they actually want to do.”
In 2009, I will:
Suffer some sort of personal or professional embarrassment as a result of this blog.
Invent at least four new derivatives of the word “fuck.”
Get blindingly drunk with at least one person who reads this post.
Promote Vonta Leach as a cult hero.
Finish the Bentley-Demps saga and create some new drama that inappropriately involves members of Gary Kubiak’s family.
Expand the blog’s actual football coverage, especially around the draft and training camp, to include more than just link dumps and other bits of laziness.
Interview someone about something.
Run Simpsons and Pulp Fiction references into the ground. Again.
Have to apologize to my interviewee for the behavior of the commenters after I post the interview.
Continue to mock the mental health of Vince Young.
Repeatedly suggest that Jared Allen should be sodomized with a variety of household objects.
Have this blog banned in China.
Like last year, feel free to add your own in the comments.
Something in the water? I’m posting this article by Pancakes for two reasons: First, he has some interesting numbers regarding the 2008 Texans’ offense. Second, the abject stupidity in the comments is actually pretty funny.
Comprehension optional. It seems BESF rookie RB Chris Johnson thinks the whole AP ROY vote is “bogus” because he didn’t win. From the article:
Johnson said his football peers and fans should select the winner of the annual award, not a panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league.
Um, Captain Dipshit? It’s the ASSOCIATED PRESS rookie of the year award. So, by definition, members of the ASSOCIATED PRESS vote on it. Sorry if that’s too complicated. Also, Steve Slaton is better than you. Just needed to mention that.
Finally. It’s still basketball season, so we are still embracing—not literally, sadly—the Houston Rockets’ cheerleaders.
Rhodes pointed at the Season. Gary stared. “What’s the matter with it?” he asked. He stepped closer, and then he echoed Rhodes’ words. “Oh, Jesus Christ!” He was down on his knees beside her. He put his hand over her heart. And finally, when he stood up, slowly and stiffly, his face was as hard and tight as wood, and his eyes were hard.
Rhodes said, “What done it?”
Gary looked coldly at him. “Ain’t you got any idear?” he asked. And Rhodes was silent. “I should of knew,” Gary said hopelessly. “I guess maybe way back in my head I did.”
Rhodes asked, “What we gonna do now, Gary? What we gonna do now?”
Gary was a long time in answering. “Guess…we gotta tell the…guys. I guess we gotta get ‘im an’ get rid of ‘im. We can’t let ‘im get away. Why, the poor bastard’d starve.” And he tried to reassure himself. “Maybe they’ll find ‘im an’ jus’ ask him to step down.”
But Rhodes said excitedly, “We oughta let ‘im get away. You don’t know Mario. Mario gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched. They’ll get ‘im killed.”
Gary watched Rhodes’ lips. “Yeah,” he said at last, “that’s right, they will. An’ Dunta will.” And he looked back at the Season.
Now Rhodes spoke his greatest fear. “You an’ me can get to the playoffs, can’t we, Gary? You an’ me can go there this year, can’t we, Gary? Can’t we?”
Before Gary answered, Rhodes dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew.
Gary said softly, “-I think I knowed from the very first. I think I know’d we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”
“Then-it’s all off?” Rhodes asked sulkily.
Gary didn’t answer his question. Gary said, “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy film room. Or I’ll set in my office till ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.”
Rhodes said, “He’s such a nice fella. I didn’ think he’d do nothing like this.”
Gary still stared at the Season. “Richard never done it in meanness,” he said. “All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.” He straightened up and looked back at Rhodes. “Now listen. We gotta tell the guys. They got to bring him in, I guess. They ain’t no way out. Maybe they won’t hurt ‘im.” He said sharply, “I ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Richard. Now you listen. The guys might think I was in on it. I’m gonna go in the showers. Then in a minute you come out and tell the guys about it, and I’ll come along and make like I never seen her. Will you do that? So the guys won’t think I was in on it?”
Rhodes said, “Sure, Gary. Sure I’ll do that.”
“O.K. Give me a couple minutes then, and you come runnin’ out an’ tell like you jus’ found her. I’m going now.” Gary turned and went quickly out of the coaches’ offices.
Old Rhodes watched him go. He looked helplessly back at the Season, and gradually his sorrow and his anger grew into words. “You God damn tramp”, he said viciously. “You done it, di’n't you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.”
He sniveled, and his voice shook. “I could of coached defensive backs and talked strategy with them guys.” He paused, and then went on in a singsong. And he repeated the old words: “If they was a playoff football game…we would of went to her…jus’ said ‘ta hell with losin’,’ an’ went out and won her. Never ast nobody’s say so. An’ they’d of been a Super Bowl and rings…an’ in the winter…the Pro Bowl…an’ the draft comin’…an’ us jes’ plannin’.” His eyes blinded with tears and he turned and went weakly out of the coaches’ offices, and he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his hand.
Outside the noise of the postgame stopped. There was a rise of voices in question, a drum of running feet and the men burst into the lockerroom. DeMeco and Dunta and young Xavier and Mario, and Travis keeping back out of attention range. Rhodes came after them, and last of all came Gary. Gary had put on his blue denim coat and buttoned it, and his black hat was pulled down low over his eyes. The men raced around the coach’s desk. Read More..
After the news that Richard Smith has been executed, I feel a little silly coming with a lateday version of a Kickoff. Still, Eric and socctty did solid work coming up with a LOT of links over the last two days, so I’m putting them up.
The Colts have 6 consecutive 12-win seasons. How ridiculous is that? [Not only is it ridiculous, it's also maddening, annoying, and yet another reason to fucking hate them.]
Teh Schaub ended the year as the 7th best QB, according to FootballOutsiders (12th-best according to cumulative statistics). That means that he was the 12th-best over the yea,r but the 7th best if you consider only the times that he actually played. If only this guy could stay healthy. In retrospect, is Favre the worst Pro-Bowl choice for QB ever? What a farce that guy is.
Andre Johnson is, by all statistical measures, the best WR in the NFL. And Kevin Walter is #16! [The latter is the one that is amazing to me. I mean, we all knew Andre was greatness personified, but who would have predicted K-Dub in the top 20? Stop lying, you did not.]
Watch this vid and tell me that Mike Tannenbaum isn’t a piece of shit. Eric Mangini is a weasel and I have zero interest in him ever being a coach on the Texans’ staff, but he got screwed on this one.
FREE AGENCY NEWS (also by socctty):
Good news: it’s DeMarcus Faggins’ last year, according to these guys. [And only four years too late!!] Side note: if Dunta makes it to free agency, I’d rather we went ahead and signed Nnamdi Asomugha over Dunta. Dunta’s a bad-ass but he’s coming off an injury, and business is business; while both will be given huge contracts, Asomugha will be closer in value than Dunta will, I’m afraid. [I agree with this completely. I love Dunta, but Nnamdi is a ridiculous upgrade.] Adimchinobi Echemandu is his cousin, btw. [I've heard that somewhere.]
Eugene Wilson, CC Brown, and Nick Ferguson are also free agents. I’m sure at least one of them come back, specifically Ferguson. If they don’t, you can pretty much bank on us drafting Taylor Mays from USC. [I'm not going to lie to you guys; I just got hard.]
We’ll be getting thin at DE with Earl Cochran and ND Kalu leaving, as well. Could Julius Peppers or Terrell Suggs be far away? [Julius Peppers + Mario Williams? I need to lie down.]
From Eric:
I’m having a tough time with Dunta predicament. I realize he’s the heart and soul of the defense and in a sense deserves to get a “big” contract but, I don’t think he warrants top 10 money. Clearly, he was abused against the Bears’ Pop Warner all-star receiving corps and an off season may help him further recover but, damn, 8-10mil a year (top pay) for “maybe” is a whole lotta cap money! Kubiak, at his presser, told Dunta that, in the player eval, he wants him back. Dunta wants to come back but, would be pissed with a franchise tag and feels he’s earned top dollar and a long contract:
Also, from Kubes presser is that lil Shanny called the entire game on Sunday! Think of this, 3 of 4 times in the red zone we scored against the Bears “D” (2 TD, 1FG). Shanny doesn’t call the plays from the coaches box but, from the sideline. He has an assistant from up there relay the formations he see’s and calls it from the field.
Gibbs only signed a one year contract so, it’s his call on if he wants to come back. Kubes wants him back in a bad way and who could blame him? What, if any, drop off would there be if he decides to retire Ray Rhodes also signed a one year deal and Kubes wants him back? Kubes in his presser stated that he would bounce ideas off of him and that he helped Kubes become a better coach. With Rhodes being asked to stay, what will a new DC think about him in an overhaul of the defensive coaching staff?
http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=5074
The teams we’ll play next season is out. Chris talked about it on his blog and I commented that with parity, I can’t really look at any team (Lions excluded) as being real dogs. Miami, Baltimore, and Atlanta proved that! Was it coaching, was it the players, was it Durga, that turned these dogs into a playoff team, one year removed from being laughed at and ridiculed? Somehow, they caught lightning in a bottle and created the “perfect storm” to come back from the abyss. Who’s next year’s Cinderella?
I just wanted to bring everyone’s attention to something I noticed over at profootballtalk.com. In an article describing Eric Mangini’s firing, Mike Florio said this:
Mangini could land somewhere as a defensive coordinator. In Houston, for example, coach Gary Kubiak reportedly will be dumping his entire defensive coaching staff.
He goes on to talk about what a weasel Mangini is, which is funny, because that’s what I was typing in an e-mail to bfd and Matt about potential defensive co-ordinators. Plus, he’s a 3-4 guy. Kubiak is probably going to enter next year with some heat on his seat, and he can’t afford to transition to a 3-4. At any rate, I wish he would have fleshed out the “Kubiak reportedly will be dumping his entire defensive coaching staff” part! There’s no reference or anything.
So I ask, why hasn’t there been any talk about Ray Rhodes being defensive coordinator? OK, I guess he falls under “entire defensive coaching staff.” But he does have a pretty decent resume; does it all just come down to him having a mild stroke a few years ago and not wanting to take on a heavy load?
There are two other guys I’ve seen floated around as possibilities for other teams at DC: Sean McDermott and Dave McGinnis. The first one is the longest-tenured assistant under Jim Johnson in Philly. He’s a finance major, too.
The second is the current Asst. Head Coach / LBs coach in Tennessee, Dave McGinnis. Jim Schwartz is probably going to get hired away from the Titans this year as a head coach, and with McGinnis already as the “assistant head coach” in Tennessee and presumably next-in-line to inherit a stellar defense, I have a hard time imaging him leaving, but you never know. It’s worth clicking on that link if only to see the ridiculous photo they have of him.
I looked at the coaches I think are reasonable shots at being fired and none of them really make sense to me as hires for the Texans: Rod Marinelli (Cover-2, 0-16 stink); Marvin Lewis (probably won’t get fired by cheap owner, Cover-2 guy); Romeo Crennel (3-4 guy); Mike Nolan (already fired, 3-4 guy); Wade Phillips (3-4 guy, Jones says he won’t fire him); Herm Edwards (Cover-2 guy, plus I don’t think he has any co-ordinator experience); Dick Jauron (probably won’t be fired, a 4-3 guy though). I’m probably missing a few there, too. I suppose a Cover-2 is reasonable, although it wouldn’t be a Colts/Bucs type of Cover-2 since our players are pretty big for that.
Who have you guys seen floated as possibilities?
UPDATE: Totally stolen from Stephanie, Jay Glazer is the one reporting that Kubiak is making changes on defense. I’ll just link to Stephanie’s page so that you can get to Glazer’s report from there, as Steph’s blog is always worth checking out anyway. Update 2: From the mothership, Kubiak sez (on reports of defensive coaching changes) “That’s unfortunate, but that’s part of our job.”
These are my three takeaway plays for the 2008 season.
3. Fuck Jared Allen cheap shots Matt Schaub. Twice.
2. Matt Schaub up the middle versus the Miami Dolphins. To me, this was a major psychological victory, which just happened to coincide with a real victory.
1. ROSENCHOPPA!!!!
What are your three takeaway plays for the season?
According to my very rough calculations, Matt Schaub will end up with a passer rating of 92.3 for the year, which will place him about 6th or 7th in the league on the year.
Over his past nine games (throwing out the Steelers and 1st BS-SFs)? How about 102.3, which would be good for 2nd, and he averaged 295 yards per game INCLUDING his paltry 139 against the Vikings. He threw for 14 TDs vs. 5 INTs. Overall, in games he started, he went 6-5.
Ladies and gentlemen, Matt Schaub is one helluva QB.
Tomorrow is the last game of the 2008 season for your beloved Houston Texans. During the off-season, Matt and I will take a look at what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong with the team as we prepare for 2009. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be preparing for 2009 in December 2008. So I’ve got three words heading into tomorrow’s swordfight with the Chicago Bears:
What. The. Fuck.
As in:
What the fuck happened to our defense?
What the fuck happened to Fred Bennett? Or Amobi Okoye? Morlon Greenwood?
And so on.
I think many of us saw the woes on the defensive side of the ball in the pre-season, but it was hard to fully grasp the problems we had on our hands. In the first game of the season, Pittsburgh down-right dominated our sorry asses and were eventually forced to bring in the scrubs.
Then there was a hurricane? WTF?
Next was a winnable battle against a beatable BE-SF orgy in Molestation-Land, and we didn’t bother to show up (for the record, that whole hurricane thing might’ve had the team a wee bit distracted). Three weeks and two games into the season, I started feeling like Ophelia while our sweet Texans went mad. And it was time to start chugging the bleach.
From Miami through the re-match with the BE-SFs at home (I wonder if the BE-SFs were frightened by electricity and women wearing pants and stuff like that while in town), we went 7-3. No, that’s not a typo. We played .700 ball for 10 games. WTF?
And then we lost to the fucking Oakland Raiders? And, truly, the defense never really did improve.
We go into the game against the Bears with the fourth lowest ranked defense by DVOA on Football Outsiders. And in this WTF moment, we are ranked better against the pass than against the run (this is probably due to the fact that, with such success against our run defense, teams simply don’t bother passing). Super Mario leads the team with 11 sacks. Tim Bulman is second with four (DAMN YOU, CHRIS!!!). Earl Cochran ranks third with his pair of sacks, and nobody else has more than one. We are fourth worst in the league in sacks, and we have Mario Fucking Williams on our team.
So, who wins tomorrow? We do. It’ll be a fitting end to an ignominious season, a season of shame on one side of the ball while the offense moved into borderline elite status as long as Teh Scahub is under center. We’ll win because we are at home. Most of all, we’ll win because it’s the end of the tease of a season that should’ve been, but we had too many WTFs to deal with, many of which were self-inflicted on a Shakespearean scale.
I still feel like crap from the big ball of flu Santa laid on my ass, and Eric was in prime form today. So, again, kudos to Eric!
——
In fact, the Texans joined into the celebration and had the day off yesterday! However, news is news and from the desk of the bizarre, the first two links are from the “Tales from the Crypt” file.
The heavy weight contenders, Titanics and G-men, will player their starters but, pull them out to rest them for their bye-week and insert the scrubs. Eli will get pulled sometime in the game for…Ack! He lives!!?…David Carr! Normally, that would only bring one to laugh hysterically, but it could impact our game some.
The G-men play the Vikings who need a win to see the post-season and a division title. With Carr driving, well, they may not look too hard for their late Xmas gift. However, Coughlin wants his boyz ready for the post-season and a win in Minny, would go a long way. Eli got man-handled by the Steelers and ole Davy will be looking at Minnie’s D licking their chops. I think he might die this weekend.
It might affect how da Bears come to Reliant. They need a win for a chance to see the post season and bring their usual defense as well. If the Texans play like they did in Oakland, the Texans finish out 7-9 and the last time that happened…2-14 followed.
Anyway, we’ll win and Jared Allen and the Williams fucks can go on and lose in the first round.
The other QB, fresh from Bellevue, is the legendary VY, who just wins! Fisher plans to get him and Chrissy Simms (why is it that football players from UT seem to be gay? VY with drunken shirtless men and Kyle Shanny and Chris Simms sharing tatoos?). Playing the Colts, who already have a post season slot (but, need to rest a battered team) will be like watching an armless, legless man on a hot sidewalk: cruel but humorous in a sick way to watch.
Finally, from Sportswriter79 at HT.com message board, some figures to look at as we wind down another season:
Default 2008 Summary, 2009 Preview
2008 (With 15 games played):
Combined record of teams we beat: 30 - 64.
Winning %: 31%. The teams we beat have an average W-L record of 5-11.
Teams we beat with winning records (2): Titans, Dolphins.
Teams we beat with losing records (5): Bengals, Lions, Packers, Jaguars, Browns.
Combined record of teams we lost to: 74-46.
Winning %: 61%. The teams we lost to have an average W-L record of 10-6.
Teams we lost to with winning records (6): Steelers, Ravens, Colts (twice), Vikings, Titans.
Teams we lost to with losing records (2): Jaguars, Raiders.
This is the same story as last year; in that 8-8 season, we primarily beat losing teams.
2009 Schedule:
In addition to our division, in 2009 we play the NFC West and the AFC East, plus two others
(Note: probably the Browns and the Raiders again, since they’ll finish 3rd in their division like us).
Teams with winning records (8): Titans (twice), Colts (twice), Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Cardinals.
Teams with losing or probably even records: (8): Jags (twice), Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Bills, and two others.
Once again, it is not an easy schedule, particularly in our division.
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Latest Entry
Epic fail immortalized. Go ahead and guess which Texans moment shows up on the NFL.com 2008 Season video. Flight 18, you are cleared for take off.
In not-really-that-surprising news, 
About a year ago, I made my 
Something in the water? I’m posting 
Rhodes pointed at the Season. Gary stared. “What’s the matter with it?” he asked. He stepped closer, and then he echoed Rhodes’ words. “Oh, Jesus Christ!” He was down on his knees beside her. He put his hand over her heart. And finally, when he stood up, slowly and stiffly, his face was as hard and tight as wood, and his eyes were hard.
After the news that Richard Smith has been executed, I feel a little silly coming with a lateday version of a Kickoff. Still, Eric and socctty did solid work coming up with a LOT of links over the last two days, so I’m putting them up.
He’s gone!
