yesterdayinsports

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are now 2 and 0.  Not a bad start for a guy who might have been wondering if he would ever get the chance to be a starter.  Taking over for the legendary Brett Favre, he was given a team that had great success the previous year, so he took over a loaded team.  It will be a while before we can really say if Rodgers is a great quarterback, but he seems to be comfortable in his position.  Maybe other NFL teams will use this as a future model for how to draft and groom a quarterback.  Taking a 22 year old as a top pick and expecting him to immediately change the fortunes of your team that has a lousy offensive line and no running game is a recipe for disaster.  How many top ten quarterback picks from the past ten years have already disappeared from the game?

The NFL is a faster, harder hitting game than college, and expecting a rookie to come in and be ready to play the most important position on the team is setting that player up for failure.  Unless the last name is Manning, I don’t think it is wise for teams to draft  a quarterback when they need a starter.  Give them some time to develop behind a veteran, and they will have a much better chance for future success.  Just look at what Steve Young did when he took over for Joe Montana.

The Chargers were burned at the last minute for the second week in a row, and yes, referee Ed Hochuli missed the call that could have changed the game’s outcome.  However, when you let bad calls decide the outcome of the game, you get burned.  Give the other team a beat down and it isn’t an issue, but the Chargers defense let the two point conversion put them to 0 and 2.  It isn’t panic time yet.  San Diego can still win the division and go on to choke in the playoffs like they do every year.

So I was wrong about the Monday night game.  I said it would start slow.  But my prediction that it would be high scoring and down to the wire was pretty good.  I almost got the score right too.   Hardly any defense, but what a bunch of entertaining plays, except DeSean Jackson, what a moron.   Throwing the ball away before you cross the goal line is not what coaches mean when they say ‘Act like you’ve been there before.’

Why is it that receivers are the biggest head cases when it comes to on the field showboating.  Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Keyshawn Johnson.  This list could go for a while, but it doesn’t matter because Andy Reid will still play Jackson because he has the talent to make a run for rookie of the year.

Speaking of runs, the Dodgers have been hot ever since Manny Ramirez joined the team.  They had good pitching but no hitting and then suddenly it seems they have all stepped it up with his arrival.  He may have been burnt out and sabotaging things in Boston, but he sure seems recharged in L.A.  They may be the team that makes the Cubs suffer again this year.

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