Writers of Pro Football Prospectus 2008

printable version

Extra Points

Articles from around the Web

Need Help with KUBIAK or Premium?

blog advertising is good for you


23 Aug 2010

MMQB: Childress Has No Regrets

This week, PK catches up with Brad Childress and his "by any means necessary" ethos, gives his take on the progress of the labor talks, adds his name to the long of list of people who are not happy about the firing of Redskins PR guy Zack Bolno, handicaps Hines Ward's Hall of Fame odds, and explains why the Giants were smart to pick up Shawn Andrews.

Posted by: Doug Farrar on 23 Aug 2010

72 comments, Last at 26 Aug 2010, 6:54am by Raiderjoe

Comments

1
by Raiderjoe :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:12am

Anddews good get by Gants. H Ward close but id had vote would not rake him for hall. C. Branch better. Gett him in first. H. Jackson and D. Pearson too. . Mac speedie also. Get them in first

13
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 12:43pm

I don't think Ward is even close to belonging in Canton. He has never been a first team All Pro. He has never led the league in a major statistical category. He has been to only four pro bowls, and has only one season with 1200 yards or more. He is, at the absolute very best, the sixth best receiver of his generation (Moss, Owens, Harrison, Holt, Bruce). Raiderjoe is quite right that he ought to be behind Branch, Jackson, Pearson and Speedie, not to mention Brown, Carter, Herman Moore and some others (not that I think all thoses guys should go in either). He would be an even worse choice than Swann. Could someone tactfully explain to Peter that total career receptions is a terrible metric for greatness? Or that in the salary cap era, great teams are likely to have fewer Canton-worthy players than they did in the past? Eesh.

28
by Tracy :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 5:18pm

Agreed. In addition to Moss, Owens, Harrison, Holt, and Bruce, you could add Steve Smith and Rod Smith as peers who were better than him. If your best argument for induction to the hall of fame is that you're better than Lynn Swann, you probably don't belong.

33
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 8:02pm

I don't really have a problem with Ward being ranked ahead of Rod Smith, another accumulator who is vintage Hall of Very Good material, and for some reason I feel like Steve Smith belongs to the next generation (clearly behind Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson in a group with Reggie Wayne, Chad Variable Surname and some others).

It does raise the question of which noughties Steelers should go to Canton. I say absolutely yes to Faneca, quite possibly (depending on future performance) to Polamalu, maybe (depending on future performance and with no doubt whatsoever that he'll actually go) to Roethlisberger and very possibly (despite the fact that there's almost no chance either of them get serious consideration in the real world) to Smith and Hampton. Younger players (notably Woodley) are not yet at a point where any sensible evaluation is possible.

45
by chemical burn :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:53pm

I think Polamalu is in a tough spot because he's a safety, a position that has a tough time getting into the hall anyway, and he's going to be in line behind Ed Reed and Brian Dawkins at very least. There's a also the problem of John Lynch, who a lot of fans are going to feel should be a lock. Somebody (probably even somebodies) is going to be the odd man out and Polamalu can't slip up for even a handful of seasons if he wants to keep pace (which makes the injury issue all the more pressing...)

I think Smith is going to get screwed for the Stat Factor that over-rates certain kinds of players. People are going to look at Freeney and Peppers and the like and say "look at all those sacks!" and not even give Smith half the credit he deserves. Plus, I think if two "non-Stat" d-line guys go, it's going to be the Williams wall, which puts Smith in an even worse spot. Throw in the fact that he's only got one Pro Bowl and he has absolutely no shot.

Faneca is a slam dunk and depending on Roethlisberger's life plays out, I think he's a safe bet as a 2 Time SB winning QB. Those guys are locks. Ward is an interesting case because I think he's such a symbolic player and so many sports writer and commentators and coaches see him as exemplary of what a player should be. His stats aren't terrible and then to top it off he's seen as the ultimate, hard-playing, hard-working, nitty-gritty, get in there and block, selfless player. I think he has a good shot. I wouldn't object because I'm off the "it should be a combination of fame AND stats" mindset. Can you tell the story of Pro football without mentioning Hines Ward? I think it would be tough, considering his Superbowl performances and what he meant to a very successful era in Pittsburgh football.

(Can you tell the story of Pro Football without mentioning Herman Moore? Absolutely.)

52
by Mr Shush :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 6:21am

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't think Moore should be in the Hall either.

I just think that, while lots of other things come into it, a necessary (not sufficient) condition of induction should be a performance peak that was dominant and at least somewhat sustained. Ward misses, comfortably, the "Was he ever at least plausibly the best player in the league at his position?" test, and for me that makes his Hall case pretty much a non-starter, as it would for any non-QB (I'm just fine with QB over-representation in Canton; it's RB and WR over-representation and interior line under-representation that gets my goat). Fans of teams facing the Steelers thought "Hines Ward is a really good player. He'll hurt us if we don't do a good job covering him." When Randy Moss came to town, they thought, "Oh f***, we gotta play Randy Moss." That's the key difference, for me.

Couldn't agree more on Smith. 3-4 DEs almost never get voted to pro bowls, let alone all pro teams; to some extent I understand why, but it does make it murderously difficult for them to get to Canton. Smith has been an absolutely outstanding player, a key contributor to the stronger unit on a great team, and should get Hall of Fame consideration some day, and won't. Hampton, aided by his greater number of Pro Bowls (and perhaps his spectacular play in the 2005 post season, demolishing a string of pro bowl centers) may get slightly more of a look, but I very much doubt he gets in (and frankly, there's no way he should at least until Kennedy has). I agree that Polamalu probably has to maintain an elite level of play for a few years yet and remain healthy while doing so, but my guess is that certainly Reed and probably Dawkins, both of whom I think are about to play their respective final seasons, will already be enshrined by the time Polamalu is eligible, so that may not hurt him too much. Somebody (other than LeBeau) has to go in to represent the Noughties Steelers defense, and for my money Polamalu is the most obvious (and arguably best) candidate.

62
by Pat (filler) (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 11:25am

I agree that Polamalu probably has to maintain an elite level of play for a few years yet and remain healthy while doing so, but my guess is that certainly Reed and probably Dawkins, both of whom I think are about to play their respective final seasons, will already be enshrined by the time Polamalu is eligible,

Here's the thing: Dawkins is thirty-six. This is his 16th season, and he's been a very good-to-elite player for basically all of that time. That's what it takes to get into the Hall as a safety. It's just about the worst position you can have as a defensive player. Even Ed Reed would be dicey if it wasn't for the ludicrous number of interceptions he's got.

Troy's 29. This is his ninth season. He's a great safety, and if he ends up with Dawkins's longevity, he'll probably get in. But I think that's unlikely. There've been a lot of players that looked Hall-worthy at their peak, but quickly fell down to earth.

37
by Bowl Game Anomaly :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 9:31pm

What I learned from the chart is that Swann plus Stallworth combined into one player might actually be worthy of making the Hall of Fame.

49
by Jerry :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 2:20am

It's your loss that you never got to see them play.

58
by dbostedo :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 9:03am

If you're going to compare 70's WRs to today's WRs, you almost have to throw the stats out the window - or at least not directly compare them. There is a huge disparity in the amount of passing between then and now. 50 catches in a season used to be a very good accomplishment.

In 1975 10 players had 50 or more receptions.
In 2009 69 players had 50 or more receptions.

In 1979, after the pass defense restrictions were in place, the number was still only 35.

59
by Bowl Game Anomaly :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 10:25am

All true. My comment was a bit unfair. However, Stallworth doesn't really even live up to his contemporaries. Harold Jackson, Harold Carmichael, and Cliff Branch all arguably had better careers than Stallworth (who never lead the league in anything) and are equally deserving of induction if not more so. Hell, Stallworth played more of his career in the 80s than any of those other 3, so if anything he's the one with the inflated numbers. (Also, did Stallworth actually make the Pro Bowl in 1983 with 8 catches for 100 yards and no TDs in 4 games? Because... what? I'm going to assume that's a mistake by P-F-R.)

I won't even talk about Swann.

65
by Raiderjoe :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 8:58pm

(Also, did Stallworth actually make the Pro Bowl in 1983 with 8 catches for 100 yards and no TDs in 4 games? Because... what? I'm going to assume that's a mistake by P-F-R.)

not mistake by PFR. Stakllworth reallyl make Pro Bowl after 1983 seoaosn when catch 8 passes 100 yards and 0 toduchowns. only played 4 of 16 steelers reg seaosn games. Many Por Bowl voters drunk that seaosn.

what see below is some years of stallowrth career, catc hes, yards, t-downs
1977- 44, 784, 7
1978- 41, 798, 9
1979- 70, 1183, 8
1981- 63, 1098, 5
1982- 27, 441, 7
1983- 8, 100, 0
1984- 80, 1395, 11
1985- 75, 937, 5

thosoe 77 numbers very verty good. 78 numbers nice too.
79 excellent, 81 sweet, 82 very good becauuse only 9 game seaosn (strike), 83 crap 84 greta, 85 nice

all those good yearrs but only make 4 pro bowls and one of theose pro bowls cmae when stallworth had crap injury seaosn. makes not lot of sens,e

maybe someone else ca explain it better

68
by Jerry :: Wed, 08/25/2010 - 4:08am

It looks to me like the Chiefs' Carlos Carson was in the Pro Bowl after the 1983 season, not Stallworth.

69
by Raiderjoe :: Wed, 08/25/2010 - 6:04am

both made it. PFR forgott to put in carson on list.

Pro football hall of fmae site have this on Stallworth apge:

"Stallworth caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all Steelers team records. A veteran of six AFC championship games and all four Steelers Super Bowl triumphs, Stallworth was named All-Pro in 1979 and All-AFC in 1979 and 1984. He also played in four Pro Bowls following the 1979, 1982, 1983 and 1984 seasons."

71
by Jerry :: Thu, 08/26/2010 - 6:43am

Here are the rosters for the January 1984 Pro Bowl. Marino, who underwent surgery, isn't listed for the AFC, so we can assume they were up to date. And here's the box score, where we see that Carson, Collinsworth, Chandler, and Duper all caught passes for the AFC. No Stallworth; maybe someone misread "Collinsworth" and the misinformation spread.

72
by Raiderjoe :: Thu, 08/26/2010 - 6:54am

Total football II book show Collisnworth and stallworth both Pro Bowl players for 1983 seaosn

so, somebodyy misreaidng collisnoworth and changing it to stallworth by mistake not seem to be what happened

lots of different sources have stallworth as pro bowler for 1983 seoasn. any stelelers fans shed light on thisz?

66
by BGNoMore (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 9:01pm

Raiderjoe, in his Sierra-influenced state, has apparently forgotten that Mac Speedie also coached the Denver Broncos for two years, thereby rendering him ineligible for any kind of Raiderjoe accolade.

67
by Raiderjoe :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 10:34pm

am know that. still okay with Speedie making hall of fame soemdya. Speedie never beat Raiders as brocnos coach.
had 6-19-1 record.

also wrote on FO one time that R. Gradishar good pick for Hall of fame. so not always against Broncos players. usually tell it like is.

2
by dmb :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:13am

"I've never run a half-marathon (actually, I've never run half of a half-), but in trying to ratchet up my training, I did run 10.2 miles on Friday in Boston and Cambridge ... in exactly two hours."

Running more than 10 miles if you've never previously gone more than 6.5 sounds like a good way to injure oneself.

3
by Adderley (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:18am

Pretty hard to injure oneself "running" 5.1 mph.

12
by donk (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 12:36pm

Obviously you have never been a runner.

4
by FireOmarTomlin :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:20am

This blubbering idiot devotes a 1/4 page of pandering to the Maras about the Rooney Mara movie 'news', and then effectively reveals he doesn't even know that it's already been made into a movie trilogy internationally?

Goddammit I hate this overinflated sycophantic windbag. It's bad enough he can't get half his football analysis even close to right.... you'd think he could at least get the pop culture crap he devotes so much time to down cold ...

-----

Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure.

8
by buzzorhowl (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 11:34am

I don't see how you figure that King "effectively revealed" that he didn't know they were made into European movies. He doesn't say anything that implies knowledge or lack thereof, that I can see. One thing's for sure, the American version will be much higher-profile in this country--and let's face it, probably everywhere.

In unrelated news, I really really hate Brett Favre. I never want to hear his name again.

11
by Shattenjager :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 12:36pm

I think you're underestimating how high-profile the Swedish films were.

I just watched The Girl Who Played with Fire--I was not the only person there and it's been at that two-screen theater for almost three months.

I work at a Blockbuster store--we've had The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for about six weeks. You still have to get lucky to find a copy in the store.

Plus, the American film industry is not dominant everywhere. India might actually have a stronger film industry than the US does, and it dominates Asia far more than Hollywood does Europe.

There are Americans who pay absolutely no attention to any foreign films, but to suggest that an American film is automatically higher-profile, especially when you add "probably everywhere," is an exaggeration.

17
by FireOmarTomlin :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 1:44pm

"(who knows how they'll look in the movie)"

a good baseline first estimate might* be the very successful international film the American film will be derived from

derp

-------
Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure.

25
by MJK :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 4:34pm

Yeah, I was confused by the same thing. I've seen both the first two movies and am eagerly awaiting the third.

First off, I didn't even realize that Hollywood was making a version...my first thought was "Why? What's the point? Someone just made the movies..." I've seen the first two in theaters already and they are extremely well done...arguably best-picture worthy if they were in English (certainly better than recent Best Pictures such as The Departed, for example).

Second off, I was wondering why King would ask the readers to imagine what the books would look like on screen when most readers (if I and my circle of friends are at all representative) already know what they look like on screen (although, granted, an American Hollywood version probably would be even more violent but not as graphic sexually...because we're weird).

Then I remembered that there is probably a non-negligible portion of the U.S. population that doesn't realize that foreign-language films exist, no matter how well made, successful, and well distributed, and have never read a subtitle in their life.

Then I figured that Peter King was probably in that portion.

27
by tuluse :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 4:49pm

I thought The Departed was excellent.

30
by >implying implications (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 6:05pm

I agree, The Departed is one of my favorite foreign language films.

34
by BarbOutsideBoston (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 8:18pm

Ouch!

29
by dbostedo :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 5:58pm

The other issue is that there might be a sizable portion that realizes foreign-language films exist, has tried to appreciate them, and just can't stand sub-titles or dubbing. I know a lot of my friends fall into this category.

44
by FireOmarTomlin :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:50pm

Other other issue

Noomi Rapace -- better character fit than Rooney Mara ?

------------
Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure.

47
by Shattenjager :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 1:45am

I don't know Rooney Mara at all, but Noomi Rapace was fantastic, so I think it's likely.

However, I wonder whether Rapace was actually the right choice, since in The Girl Who Played with Fire there are three reference to how ugly she is and Rapace is definitely not ugly.

5
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:31am

Of all the dumb things written and said about Fvare over the past two preseasons, the dumbest are the "Oh, my goodness, catering to Favre's ego will ruin the Vikings as a team!!", even when it is said by someone with credibility, like Jimmy Johnson. What will ruin the Vikings as a team is crappy qb performance. If Favre plays well, there will be no problem. If he doesn't play well, or gets hurt, and Tavaris Jackson has to start, the grumbling in the locker room will be a front page story, but the grumbling won't an issue with regard to wins and losses; the crappy qb performance will be the issue. If Childress could get 33 td passes and 7 interceptions by wearing a Vikings cheerleader outfit and shaking pompoms in the town sqaure of Hattiesburg, then that is what he would do, and so would any other coach with Tavaris Jackson as his second option.

On The Kingster Watch, ol' Petey really shows again what a well-adjusted person he is, by printing the quote from his driver/intern, which puts The Kingster on a pedestal, so Petey can then get into faux self deprecation mode. I'm sure the intern's father appreciates it.

6
by Theo :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:34am

Favre reminds me of Vincent.
15 million dollars of base salary for Favre to play this season is 'please'.
Sending the guys over is just saying 'pretty please, with sugar on top'.

7
by Venger :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 11:07am

He was wrong about Asante Samuel, too. Revis was thrown at 33 times more than Asante. I too, would like a column where I make up reasonable-sounding bullshit about sports. Is Wednesday Morning Quarterback taken?

9
by Eli (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 11:36am

Reasonable Sounding Bullshit sounds like a good column name

10
by Dean :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 11:51am

A lot of people have made a lot of money selling it - and not just about football.

14
by chemical burn :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 12:49pm

I would actually read a column called "Reasonable Sounding Bullshit."

15
by young curmudgeon :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 12:57pm

Somewhere between 35-60% of the stuff I read on the internet would qualify. I think you need to be more specific.

And yes, the thing about his intern was dreadful; one would like to think that PK was trying to joke around and be "ironic," but it came across all wrong. Sorta like rain on your wedding day.

16
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 1:18pm

The intern anecdote really is consistent with the infamous column in which Kingey informed his audience of his essential Kingeyness by recounting how he snookered a grade schooler out of a foul ball with the aide of a security guard. If NBC is still looking for a replacement for the Steve Carrell character in "The Office", they alredy have a guy under contract, and he doesn't need acting lessons.

18
by Floyd (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 1:57pm

King is a self-absorbed jerk. Way to insult the kid's father while patting yourself on the back, Petey. I can see why your intern is so smitten with you.

19
by Raiderjoe :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 2:37pm

Didnt read article uet. will later. wabt to see what guy wrote sbout ward for hall of fame.
Seems like some peiple here dint like P. king. Mike florio another reporter guy like King but more of rumor mongrel. He gets trashed a lot too

Out of Petter King and Mike Florio which one fo reders like more??

20
by Dean :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 2:47pm

Shouldn't Easterbrook from TMQ be in this discussion as well?

I don't mind Florio at all. He at least has some awareness of what he is. He's a rumormongor in a rumormongors clothes.

King has no self-awareness. He writes a gossip column and doesn't realize it. He has arguably the best sources of anybody on the NFL beat, but his utter ignorance of how the game is played ruins him. If he was at least aware of his lack of knowledge, that would help, but he doesn't even realize that he doesn't know jack.

Then add in the smug New York/New England arrogance, make 60% of the article about things other than football, add a healthy dose of bootlicking, and you really don't have much to like. It all adds up to a tragic waste of a great rolodex.

22
by Dean :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 2:51pm

I should also add that none of this is really expected to be any kind of revelation to anyone around here.

23
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 3:14pm

Whew! Easterbrook or King!? Man, that may be like a Jamarcus Russell vs. Ryan Leaf debate!

What is so priceless about this latest endeavor into Kinginess, with the intern anecdote, is how The Kingster sets it up, leaving us with three alternatives. Either the kid is an idiotic ingrate, what with his saying that driving Kingey around for a couple of weeks was more important to his life than 18 years with his dad. Or the dad had fatherhood skills similar to Antonio Cromartie's. Or The Kingster is a towering genius, who can impart more wisdom to a kid who is driving The Kingster around for a couple of weeks, than a decent father can in 18 years around the kid.

But no! The Kingster informs us know that the kid is not a moron filled with ingratitude, and is, in fact, "a good boy", and The Kingster also implies that the dad is not a Cromartie clone, by telling the dad, "don't worry". Why, it should have been obvious all along! Peter King really just is one fantastically wise and caring human being! And modest, too!

26
by MJK :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 4:37pm

I would argue that Easterbrook is more like Kordell Stewart...He seemed kind of new and different and exciting when he was first discovered, and was worth watching the first few times because fun things happened, then you start to realize that it's really just the same old stuff over and over again and once you adapt to the "novelty" he because absolutely useless.

32
by Spielman :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 7:49pm

I can add nothing to this masterly summation, but wish to state my agreement with it.

43
by matt millen's brain (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:45pm

Well, if Chris Berman got in the HOF for his work as a broadcaster, you could make the case for Peter King being in as a writer. And at least King is easier to ignore.

35
by BarbOutsideBoston (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 8:33pm

You did recognize Bruce Cornblatt, right? I think that's what the joke is.

40
by Raiderjoe :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:19pm

Read thing. ididnt recongize joke. Petter King say willie cornbalt intern,. aand then say Cornbalt like King and want to be him soemday. so then King write about fsther named Bruce. king wroote that he talked to Bruce and told Brunce thnat willie is good son and that King taking over from here as new father.

so what yolu seem to be saying Barb is that Bruce Conrballt is some joke person? a movie or tv s how charytare? so willie clornballt not real perosn?

think joke not good if hardlly anyone know person mentioined in joke.

41
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:28pm

I just googled it. Why would a reader be expected to know the name of The Kingster's t.v. producer? Anyways, I retract the assertion that Kingey was engaging in typical jackassery, and put forth the assertion that he was just engaging in his typical crappy writing.

42
by tuluse :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:33pm

I think this was a case of him using his column for his own personal blog. He was just telling an inside joke to his friend.

46
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 12:56am

Unless he is posting for PeterKing.com, that's really crappy writing.

48
by Jerry :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 2:19am

What do you think of his work in the magazine?

50
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 3:22am

I haven't read the magazine in years, and I'm not inclined to, based upon the quality on-line. That's the point. If your by-line appears on a SI web page, and the writing sucks like a fusion-powered Dyson, it hurts SI's brand. I can't believe they don't edit this meathead.

51
by Jerry :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 3:40am

Basing your opinion of the magazine on the on-line content is like basing your opinion of a restaurant on the snacks at the bar. It may turn out to be valid, or the chef might handle lamb chops much better than she does wings.

So far as I can tell, MMQB is meant to be a much less formal adjunct to King's print work, and the print stuff is much more tightly edited. You don't have to like either, but you should recognize the difference.

53
by Raiderjoe :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 6:33am

magaizne John Madden
online Lane Kiffin

any queostions?

55
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 8:48am

A chef who doesn't care enough to make good food for the bar ain't gettin' my business for the restaurant. It's a big world, with lots of options; why spend time with people who sometimes like to mail it in? I normally skip The Kingster altogether these days, and the only reason I visited this week was because I'm a Vikings fan, and the Childress headline hooked me.

Have fun in the world ol' Petey!

56
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 8:49am

A chef who doesn't care enough to make good food for the bar ain't gettin' my business for the restaurant. It's a big world, with lots of options; why spend time with people who sometimes like to mail it in? I normally skip The Kingster altogether these days, and the only reason I visited this week was because I'm a Vikings fan, and the Childress headline hooked me.

Have fun in the world ol' Petey!

54
by DaveRichters :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 7:12am

Will, what's with the vitriol? I find it very hard to understand how anyone can hate King so much. He's not a great writer, sure, but great writers don't write football columns. You just miss Dr. Z, don't you? It's okay, we all do.

57
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 8:58am

I hate Bernie Madoff. I don't hate Peter King.

He's a bad writer. He has frequently represented himself as a jerk. I think it is somewhat amusing that one of the largest media companies in the world has selected him to be their senior writer, for the most popular sport in the world's wealthiest nation. It's like hanging a five year old's crayon drawings in The Louvre.

60
by DaveRichters :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 10:31am

It's like hanging a five year old's crayon drawings in The Louvre.

Nah, it's like the Valpincon Bather being in the Louvre. Also, there's a McDonalds at the Louvre now, so you should have at least used that. Do you really think SI's other writers are better than King? I think he is better than most, and none of them would be worth reading if they were writing about a topic that I didn't already find interesting. If you think comparing King to Don Banks is like comparing a child's drawing with some of the most celebrated artwork in human history I'll have to disagree with you.

61
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 11:16am

I'm guilty of hyperbole. King or Banks in SI (and I harp on King more because he is their lead guy) is like some guy, who sells his paintings for $100 at your local arts and crafts fair, getting an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan. SI has gone over a cliff in terms of the quality of the writing and reporting.

63
by DaveRichters :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 2:28pm

I don't mind hyperbole, but I still think you are suggesting that fabulous writers are available for this job. Maybe they are, I don't know, but none of the people that I consider fabulous writers would stoop so low (I think). I guess Hunter S. Thompson wrote for ESPN for a bit, so there's that.

I do think a football column written by Salman Rushdie would be awesome, so I guess we are hoping for the same thing.

64
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Tue, 08/24/2010 - 6:22pm

At this point, I'd settle for "doesn't suck". Look, I'm old enough, unfortunately, to remember SI with writers like Dan Jenkins. If Jenkins was not a Rembrandt, he might have been a John Singer Sargent. Guys like King and Banks produce dogs playing poker.

70
by Xeynon (not verified) :: Wed, 08/25/2010 - 10:15am

Will Allen, between writing twenty-three consecutive posts relentlessly bashing him as a writer and a human being, and actually reading the column, how much time have you devoted to Peter King today? I'm betting far more than a writer with no redeeming qualities is worth.

If you don't like the guy's writing, fine. I myself am pretty indifferent to it, but then again, I find certain writers on FO (not naming names) nigh unreadable for many of the same reasons people bash King - repetitive schtick, overly self-referential style, a tendency to digress on too many football-unrelated tangents, etc. Crappy sportswriting is in the eye of the beholder.

I understand your opinion. But I don't understand why you'd want to belabor the point. We get it. You do not like Peter King. Understood. Why not spend your time in the comments sections beneath articles written by authors you DO like?

21
by Will Allen (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 2:49pm

Florio understands at some level that he is a jackass, and thus doesn't take himself too seriously. Kingey is completely clueless.

31
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 7:31pm

Right. Florio is probably considerably smarter than King, is, in a smug and kinda toolish way, self-deprecating, and definitely has a reasonable idea of what he is. More importantly, though, his site does an outstanding job of getting any and all interesting stories out there fast, and in one specific area (legal/contract stuff) his analysis is expert, readable, to the point, and generally field-leading. If I want to know about CBA negotiations, I will read Florio - and not just for speed of news. If I want to know the details of a recently signed contract, I will read Florio, because he cares about the specifics, and there are plenty of players Halsell won't cover. Florio may be kind of a dick, but he has real merits which make him uniquely valuable. King has great access, but he very rarely gets anything really interesting out of it, and his status as a Hall of Fame selector is frankly insulting.

38
by Raiderjoe :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 9:38pm

Petetr King wannt Steve Tasker in profootball hlall of fame . if not awrare ofthat already then you prosbly more insulted now, mr Shush.

(soorry for typing might be drunmk)

24
by FMTEMike (not verified) :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 4:00pm

and thank God the world will be a better place as the SUVs queue up outside drive-thru Starbucks with their engines running

36
by Theo :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 8:43pm

thank who?

39
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 08/23/2010 - 9:40pm

I will indeed take it as a positive sign, correlation not being causation, if Drive Thru Starbucks the world over are besieged by idling SUVs. And not just in a "win-win" kind of way.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
To skip this, please log in.