On Going Double-Contrarian

There are certain things in life that become popular enough, that you want to push back against them.  For instance, I have a friend who grew up in the middle of Dallas Cowboys country, and became a Redskins fan to be different.  

Allow me to introduce you then to the concept of going double-contrarian.  On a not-yet-released Sports Limelight episode that Drew and I pre-recorded (nod to George Carlin here - "When else are you going to pre-record it, afterwards!?"), we discuss things we like, which aren't the most popular amongst our peers, mainly in sports and music.  I ask Drew if he's ever gone the double-contrarian route in liking something, and I give the example of Tim Tebow.  Tebow's meteoric rise led to a group of haters pushing back against what they deemed to be an inordinate amount of hype.  (Let's put aside the off-field agenda of these folks who were anti-Tebow for a different reason; I am referring strictly to football.)  However, in a double-contrarian play, I therefore became a big Tebow fan, to push back against the Tebow haters. 

Another example, from South Park, was when Stan asked the three goth kids to join his dance troop.  The first two refused, citing how "conformist" it would be to join a dance troop...then the third says that he's such a non-conformist, that he won't conform with the first two, and will join the dance troop.  So I guess I'm often that third goth kid.  

This year, I've found another place where I feel good about going double-contrarian: Christmas music.  Like comedians doing bits about airline food, or the old workplace joke that the ladies of the staff often win the office football pool by choosing teams at random, I think the whole "whining that Christmas music is played too early" thing is so played out, that it's downright hackneyed.  So I say, give me Christmas music all year 'round!  

Want to see the most annoying ad in the world?

The above ad puts together two of the worst seemingly new Internet advertising tactics there are.  In fact, it would have hit the trifecta had it also contained a ridiculous animated .gif of someone dancing or making a silly face.  Alas, we'll just have to live with these first two...

1) "Trainers hate her."  I see variations of this all the time now, whether it's an ad selling financial services ("Credit card companies hate him."), or whatever.  It's a variation of the "Good cop, Bad cop" game..."Those trainers are jerks!  But not us - So it's you and us versus the mean, hateful trainers!  Why they can't just learn to love her, we'll never know..."

2) "...this weird trick..."  It's WEIRD.  If you only understand one thing about this trick, let it be that.  Just take all your preconceived notions about what is a normal or traditional trick and be prepared to throw them out the window, because things are about to get WEIRD.  Also, it's a "trick" so you won't have to work very hard, kinda like a shortcut.  

Murphy's Law - Self-flushing toilet edition

When you're at a toilet with a flushing sensor, having done your business, it will flush several extra times while you are still standing there...then once more while you are leaving the stall.

When you're entering a stall with a flushing sensor, you will find someone else's waste still sitting in the toilet, the flushing mechanism not having flushed at all, when the other person was in there.

Q: What's wrong with the Giants? (A: How much time do you have?)

The Giants are 0-5, and while I think I'm doing a good job of not letting it affect my happiness most of the time, here is a rundown of what is wrong with the NFL's worst team:

*By unit, the Giants' offensive line and linebackers are the worst in the league.  You can only go so long not spending high picks on any unit before it catches up to you, and that addage has certainly caught up with these two groups.  They did use a 1st rounder on OT Justin Pugh in 2013 - and I think he'll be an okay pro - but it was too little, too late.

*The Giants are the NFL's easiest team to prepare for.  Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride and Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell are constantly out-schemed, and are horrible at making adjustments. 

*Metaphorically punch this team in the mouth early, and it will roll over.  Or, if one thing goes wrong in the early going, they won't recover.  Contrast this with another winless team, Pittsburgh, who in spite of being clearly outmanned, is feisty and battles you for 60 minutes.
*Eli Manning has turned back into the bumbling enigma he was criticized for being prior to 2007.  For a 10-year veteran, 2-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback, he throws a lot of dumb interceptions.  And long gone are the 4th quarter comeback wins that were his calling card from 2007-2011.   

*Most of all, the players are simply not very talented.  Turnover in NFL rosters happens so fast, that if you have 2 or 3 subpar drafts in a row, suddenly the cupboards are bare.  That has happened with this Giants team, with GM Jerry Reese having added so few good picks since 2010.  Add that to letting of key contributors like Bradshaw, Boley, Canty, Umenyiora, Blackburn, and Bennett, all walk for nothing in return, with no adequate replacements for most of them, and you've got a rotting corpse of a roster.
 

One man I didn't mention here is Tom Coughlin.  Sure, when you're 0-5, everyone is to blame, but Coughlin's way down on my list.  He's trying to make chicken salad out of chicken crap, and just can't do it anymore.  I don't think Vince Lombardi could win with this team.  I also give Coughlin a ton of credit for being front and center for the media after every loss, patiently answering every question when there is really nothing he can say.  Jerry Reese can hide, but Coughlin's got to take the slings and arrows.  Coughlin certainly can't say Reese gave him a garbage roster, even if that's painfully obvious.
 
I've seen some Giants fans say the 2011 run was the worst thing that could have happened to the franchise, because it covered up so many deficiencies.  I'm not one of those fans though.  I'll take a Super Bowl any way it will come, and if this was the Giants' version of "selling their soul" for a championship, then fine, mission accomplished.  If they don't win another for 17 years, it was worth it.  (That's the "Years Between Giants Championships" pattern in the Super Bowl era after all...1986, 1990, 2007, and 2011, makes 4-17-4...next one's 17 then, due in 2028.)  But, I do believe there is something to that "2011 covered up a lot of problems" theory, as well as two other theories that seem to fit these Giants perfectly:

*A team tunes out its head coach eventually

*Every dynasty - or even every good-to-great team - has an expiration date.

Pre-Preseason 2013 Giants thoughts

Giants owner John Mara said today that going into camp, his team has the talent to compete with anyone.  

I'm always wary of anyone in the Giants organization - even the man at the top - proclaiming the Giants to have a promising roster, especially with the dreaded "on paper" argument.

That said, I have more optimism going into 2013, than I had going into 2012, and here's why.

In 2012, they spent a full offseason on the banquet circuit, and being told how great they are. (I don't blast them too much for that, it's simply human nature that's hard to overcome.)

In 2013, they spent the offseason having missed the playoffs, and having finished 30th in the league in team defense. And it's not like the offense was the model of consistency either.

Distractions should be less this year, and that's when the Giants thrive. It won't be easy - we know this team just doesn't do dominant regular seasons very often - but I think they're in good shape.

Of course, one injury during camp can change everything, and there's a long way to go until September 8th.

ESPN 30-for-30 Reviews

I've watched nine of these now, and while I don't have profound or wordy reviews on any of them, feel free to use this post as a guide if you have not seen them...


Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL? - Good

As someone who was a toddler when the USFL rose and fell, this one was worth watching, just for the history lesson.  

The Legend of Jimmy The Greek - Average

It seemed a little long, and hard to get into if you didn't care about Jimmy The Greek Snyder specifically.  It was pretty cool to see some old NFL Today footage though.  

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks - Good

Although I am not much of an NBA fan, and don't have a favorite team, Miller ranks behind only Larry Bird as my favorite player to have watched.  So it was fun to relive the Knicks-Pacers rivalry.  

Silly Little Game  - Good

Another worthwhile history lesson.  I didn't know how fantasy sports had such a marked beginning.  (I'd have had fantasy baseball's origin pegged similar to real baseball's: developing vaguely over time, with no one entity able to claim creation.)

Tim Richmond: To The Limit  -  Good

At 53 minutes - some of these tend to seem a little bloated - this one was an efficient look at an interesting character.  I learned that so many aspects of the movie Days Of Thunder, were based on Richmond.  (A young driver, who came from open-wheel racing up north, teams with a crusty old crew chief.  He doesn't know much about cars, but he has talent.  Even the "50 laps his way, 50 laps my way" scene in the movie happened with Richmond.)  

Broke - Bad

Boring and repetitive, it felt like 77 minutes of a 3-minute intro to a more in-depth piece that never came.  Young athletes don't know how to manage their newfound wealth and go broke - okay, we get it.  Save your time and skip Broke...or just watch the first 5 minutes.  The only redeeming part of this one, is the schadenfreude, if you're into that kind of thing.  

You Don't Know Bo  -  Excellent

It's hard to go wrong with a documentary based on Bo Jackson, chalk full of highlights and interviews with figures from Jackson's heyday, including Jackson himself.  Bo Jackson was almost a real-life superhero in his sports feats.  

Survive And Advance  -  Excellent

The touching story of Jim Valvano and his 1983 NC State Wolfpack's miracle run to the NCAA title.  The inclusion of beefy highlight packages from several key games, was a nice addition.  

Elway To Marino  -  Excellent

A fascinating look at the 1983 NFL Draft.  Pretty much the opposite of Broke; to call Elways To Marino in-depth would be an understatement.  And for me, when it comes to anything to do with the NFL, and historical drafts, getting too in-depth is not possible.  

So, thus far, I've watched 3 excellent, 4 good, 1 average, and 1 bad.  I hope to watch more soon.  

Surprising, but also not...

Former Giants, Eagles, Rams, and Buccanneers receiver Steve Smith announced his retirement today.  I wouldn't be shocked if he attempted a comeback eventually, only being 28, but for now, a once promising career is over.

It's surprising, and not surprising, at the same time.  Surprising because in 2010, he was poised to become an elite-level NFL receiver - if he wasn't already - and less than three years later, he's out of the league.  But not surprising, because it shows the fleeting nature of a life in pro football.  

The great Mike Garafolo touches on it at the end of his article, and I keep coming back to Victor Cruz and how this relates to his current contract dispute with the Giants.  

If you're Cruz, you dig in even more in contract negotiations, and say, "This is why I need as much guaranteed money as possible"  

If you're the Giants, you also dig in even more, and say, "This is why we can't give you as much guaranteed money as possible."

So as far as Cruz's contract goes, hopefully a compromise can be reached.  I have to think Cruz is smart enough to know that, hypothetically, $7 million a year with the Giants is better than $9 million a year with the Chiefs, as his marketing value more than makes up for the difference in NFL salary.  Not to mention how much better he looks with Eli Manning throwing him the ball, like Steve Smith did before him.

And on a personal note, I can't help but remember how much of a disaster I thought it was for the Giants when in 2011, Smith signed with the Eagles as a free agent. 

Daylight Saving

On this special occasion that comes but twice a year, I'd like to remind everyone that it's "Daylight Saving," not savings. 

You're welcome.

Picking up the Pieces

The Giants' season ended Sunday with a 33-14 defeat at Baltimore, a week after being shut out 34-0 in Atlanta.  They are technically not eliminated from the postseason, but there is no point in entertaining any of those scenarios. 

Now the first question that has to arise is: Why should anyone care about this team, after what they have done the past two weeks?  Well, it's for the same reason a child typically feels worst when they get the following reaction from a parent - I'm not angry at them...I'm disappointed in them.  Because they were capable of so much better.  And it's not just that they lost; it's the lack of effort that I found downright disturbing.  

This is by and large the same team that only 11 months ago ran roughshod through the Jets, Cowboys, Falcons, and 15-1 Packers, then beat San Francisco in their own building in weather conditions laid out perfectly for the 49ers, en route to a second thrilling Super Bowl victory in five seasons.  And between then and now, they showed flashes of this unmatchable level of play, beating the 49ers 26-3, again on the road, and beating the Packers 38-10 at home - with both teams out for revenge.  

So what happened?  Let's take a big picture look at the smoldering wreckage.  

Firstly, in general it is human nature to be satisfied with what you have done.  There is a reason that in this era of parity, no non-cheating team has won back-to-back Super Bowls since 1999.  Teams that remain hungry after reaching the top of the moutain, are the exception rather than the rule.  

These Giants spent much of the offseason enjoying parades, banquets, and being told how great they are.  That has to have an effect.  What GM Jerry Reese has to do this offseason then, is find hungry players to replace the dead wood on this roster.  And that brings me to the next aspect of what went wrong.  

When you win a championship, there is a tendency to think all was/is perfect, and not tinker with your roster in ways that you may have, had you not won the championship.  It's a feeling of, "Hey, what could be wrong with Player X, he was part of a team that won it all!" 

So, now that Reese is no longer beholden to loyalty to players coming off of a Super Bowl, here is my list of who needs to go.  I will try my best to be objective here; after a two-game stretch like the Giants just had, the urge is to say, "Fire everyone."  But I am considering contracts and possible replacements here.

Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride - If I see one more shotgun draw on 3rd down in my life, it will be too soon.  It has become obvious over the second half of this season, starting with the Dallas game from which the Giants narrowly escaped in Week 8, that opposing coordinators have Gilbride's offense figured out.  And Gilbride is not imaginitive enough to adjust.  Eli Manning and Gilbride have a good relationship and have reached great heights together, but Manning has clearly plateaud under Gilbride and a new leader is necessary.  Ideally this would be Norv Turner.  A failed Head Coach but a known QB guru, Turner is likely to be fired in San Diego and I don't see him being offered another head coaching job. 

Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell.  Like GIlbride, also woefully outmatched and unable to adjust.  The Giants' personnel does not fit his scheme - a scheme described as "read and react," but as was pointed out by legendary NJ.com commenter Carbo, it would more accurately be called "stand and watch" - and last year's Super Bowl was won in spite of him, not because of him.  Fewell was just along for the ride, but it's time to cut him loose.  As for his replacement, I'd see if former Giants' DC Steve Spagnuolo becomes available.  Spags helped shut down the most prolific offense in NFL history in Super Bowl XLII, and is currently the DC for the Saints.  

CB Corey Webster - A horrible game yesterday, after a subpar season.   Being toasted by Joe Flacco is all the evidence you need, that he can't cover anymore.  Side note on Flacco, I told my wife Tuesday as we were watching last Sunday's tape of the NFL Matchup show (the only ESPN show I watch), that although Flacco is one of the worst QBs in the league, the Giants will make him look like best.  They did exactly that.

DE Justin Tuck - Did he even play this year?  No way the Giants should give a new, lucrative contract to the mopey defensive captain.  Thanks for your play in both Super Bowls Justin, but you either don't have the heart anymore, or cannot overcome nagging injuries

. 

T David Diehl - A human turnstyle.  Eventually he will get Manning killed. 

RB Ahmad Bradshaw - A fiery player on both championship teams, but his body is broken.  It's David Wilson's time now.  It's hard to imagine Bradshaw is finished at 27, but this is the Circle of Running Back Life.  

MLB Mark Herzlich - A great story as a man who has overcome bone cancer, but he can't play linebacker on an NFL level.  When Chase Blackburn is out of the game - and Blackburn himself is closer to the end than the beginning so it is time to look for his replacement - the Giants are gashed up the middle as Herzlich is slow to attack the hole, and is pushed 5-10 yards backwards.  

DT Marvin Austin - At least try to look disappointed when carted off the field.  A 2nd round bust.

WR Ramses Barden - A 3rd round bust.  It speaks volumes that in spite of being 6'6", Barden was a healthy inactive for 4 games this season.  He had all of 14 receptions this year, and 10 came in the Carolina game when Manning had no one else to throw to.  

Finally, on Tom Coughlin, I am not calling for him to resign, but I am also ready for what's next for the Giants.  It would be unfair to make the sort of sweeping conclusion that he has lost the team, but I don't see the same success the next 4 years with Coughlin as we saw in the previous five. Although, Coughlin has earned the right to coach at least one more season on his terms no matter what.

Sayings

I know you couldn't care less, but I am champing at the bit to show you the correct versions of a few misused or misspelled sayings that I have heard.  For all intents and purposes, this might help a lot.  

PS: Super Bowl.