tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post2903830992604758964..comments2024-03-28T21:41:57.264-05:00Comments on Pacifist Viking: Football BlizzardPacifist Vikinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630996018868040440noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-63040302076399573622008-03-30T06:57:00.000-05:002008-03-30T06:57:00.000-05:00Despite his inaccuracy, McNabb has an incredibly l...<I>Despite his inaccuracy, McNabb has an incredibly low interception rate.</I><BR/><BR/>His lower completion% isn't inaccuracy, per se, it's that he <I>intentionally</I> makes it more difficult to catch his passes, both for his receivers and for defenders, by throwing the ball low. He's accurate, it's just that he's aiming low. It lowers his completion% a little bit, but it also drastically lowers his interception%, which is critical for the pass heavy offense that Andy Reid uses. And the only year he had an elite receiver to throw to, he completed 64% of his passes, so part of it is just that he hasn't been throwing to great receivers for the most part.<BR/><BR/>It's worth mentioning that the only two QBs who put up really good numbers on the Eagles in Reid's tenure are McNabb and Jeff Garcia. Not coincidentally, both of them are very mobile QBs who have an extremely low interception%. In fact, the list of active QBs with the lowest career interception% begins with McNabb and Garcia. <BR/><BR/><I>Why is every hurdle Favre has jumped over presented as the Pillars of Hercules, while a guy like Owens is dismissed as a loudmouth?</I><BR/><BR/>Partly because Owens wants attention, and he wants the kind of reputation he has. The media doesn't really hate Owens, as much as they might sometimes vilify him. They like him for much the same reason they like Favre: he gives them something to write about. And I mean this in a very specific way - Owens presents himself publicly as something of a spectacle, everything with him is very theatrical. He gives them storylines that entertain people, and enthusiastically seeks out the spotlight. So the media plays along, and gives him the spotlight, lets him be a confident hero one moment, or an insidious villain the next, all a part of his show. Owens really would make an excellent actor when he retires from football, I think. In any case, the media certainly doesn't "dismiss him as a loudmouth". It obsesses over him, over his talent and the controversy that always seems to follow him. Owens feeds off that attention, and knows how to keep getting more of it. He gives the media something outrageous to report, and they keep coming back for more, hanging on his every word. Which is exactly what he wants.<BR/><BR/>Of course, Favre has a different way of giving the media something to write about. Favre is so loved by the media because he lets them in, he gives them access, and not just superficially. He doesn't avoid their questions in interviews or give them 30 second soundbites, he really tells them exactly what he's thinking. That's extremely rare in the NFL, where players and coaches are usually very careful about what they say and how they say it. <BR/><BR/>One reason the media hates Bill Belichick so much is that he never gives them any interesting answers in press conferences or postgame interviews. He's always talking in a dull, obviously affected voice, and virtually never says anything other than the usual "Opponent X is an excellent team, and we're going to have to play very well if we want to beat them. We're just taking things one game at a time" crap that tells you nothing. <BR/><BR/>Imagine you're a sportswriter covering the Patriots. How much harder must it be to figure out something interesting to write when the person you're trying to talk to gives you the same boring answers week after week, with different names switched in? How annoying must that get?<BR/><BR/>Contrast that with Favre, who always gives reporters a real answer, is always willing to talk with them. If a sportwriter needs to come up with a story, they can talk to Favre, and much of the work is done for them. I think people underestimate the importance of this professional courtesy to Favre's media adulation. The people who report about sports go to great lengths to speak well of Favre because he makes life easier for them, and has for over a decade now.<BR/><BR/><BR/>-AlexAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-16547699010584293852008-03-06T08:19:00.000-06:002008-03-06T08:19:00.000-06:00Despite his inaccuracy, McNabb has an incredibly l...Despite his inaccuracy, McNabb has an incredibly low interception rate. I think McNabb shows that if you're going to be occasionally inaccurate, it's better to hit your receivers in the feet than to throw it over their heads (see Eli Manning, who is a playoff hero now but also threw 20 picks last season--he's often throws the ball too high, leading to interception opportunities).Pacifist Vikinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16630996018868040440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-16451071689718380312008-03-06T05:19:00.000-06:002008-03-06T05:19:00.000-06:00yeah i don't know why i wrote that. it makes no se...yeah i don't know why i wrote that. it makes no sense.<BR/><BR/>rkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-34399440720062331252008-03-05T16:41:00.000-06:002008-03-05T16:41:00.000-06:00Thanks for the mention of the blog, hopefully the ...Thanks for the mention of the blog, hopefully the Vikings can also find quarterback that works with the new additions!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-57592931964918724992008-03-05T15:40:00.000-06:002008-03-05T15:40:00.000-06:00RK-Wasn't the point PV was trying to bring up was ...RK-<BR/><BR/>Wasn't the point PV was trying to bring up was that he might think that McNabb has a low completion percentage (because of all the reasons you state) because of his throwing with his non-dominant hand. I dont' think he would argue with you that McNabb does all those things, but rather wonders if he would do those things if he had learned to throw with his dominant hand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-29835581610547821132008-03-05T14:39:00.000-06:002008-03-05T14:39:00.000-06:00mcnabb's completion pct is low because he tends to...mcnabb's completion pct is low because he tends to throw the ball inaccurately. he tends to throw the ball too low. even his really hot streaks don't involve the sort of wow throws favre and manning or some other top passer would make.<BR/><BR/>RKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-8827371688522655662008-03-05T12:29:00.000-06:002008-03-05T12:29:00.000-06:00Hicks also covers kick off returns something which...Hicks also covers kick off returns something which should help the Vikes in the future.How many times have the Vikes kicked a FG to allow the opposing team a 35 yard return or more on the ensuing kickoff.<BR/> Should be an interesting year.speedlodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08172064895550453606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23140411.post-12676224470564509352008-03-05T12:04:00.000-06:002008-03-05T12:04:00.000-06:00Ownes is treated like a loudmouth because he very ...Ownes is treated like a loudmouth because he very frequently treats people extraordinarily poorly.<BR/><BR/>I really dislike it when "professional journalists" ask extraoedinarily silly rhetorical questions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com