Out of Bounds
by Joe Pritchett
Apparently, some of my biggest "fans" want me to expound on topics other than my
soon-to-be-London/LA Rams (LOL). Be careful what you wish for...
•Blame 49ers kick returner Kyle Williams all you want (and he deserves plenty of it),
but when you can hardly complete a forward pass all game long, don't be surprised if you
come up short. The team with the better quarterback won, and Giants QB Eli Manning has
silenced all the doubters for good...
•Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff reportedly got on the field late for that fateful field goal
attempt at the end of the game. All kickers miss from time-to-time; but to not be prepared
(he said he thought it was third down) and ready is inexcusable. Also, that's where
coaching has to come in. The Ravens had a timeout left. Why wasn't it used?...
•San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh seems to have a real problem controlling
his emotions sometimes. Dude, Jim, just calm down already. Dealing with the "irritating"
media is part of the job...
•Steven Tyler...really, New England? Talk about past your prime. Just about anybody
can get up there and sing the national anthem these days, apparently. Next time, consider
somebody who won't sound like an embarrassment...
•Will the Rams or Bears ever find a diamond in the rough like Victor Cruz? That's how
you get to a Super Bowl after an up-and-down 9-7 season. Playmakers make the
difference. It's just like baseball...you can smack singles all day, but home runs and clutch
hits get the job done quicker and more efficiently. In football, churning out first downs is
nice, but what about the guys who can take it to the house on any given play? Remember
that, RAMS, when you think about drafting another offensive linemen in April (and yes, I will
continue to beat that dead horse)...
•This could be the year for the University of Missouri men's basketball team. This just
in...these guys are pretty good. College basketball is the ultimate "any given night" sport
these days, with upsets happening all over the place. But the Tigers have a great chance
to make the program's first-ever trip to the Final Four this season. And I think they will do
it...
•And, apparently, Frank Haith is a better coach than Mike Anderson. Who knew?...
•I'm done trying to figure out the Illini. You decide. I said up and down, take the good
with the bad, but there's some serious regression going on right now...
•Oregon's Chip Kelly has turned down the Tampa Bay job. And at the end of the day,
how can you blame him? He's got a dynasty of sorts going on in the Pacific Northwest,
and Phil Knight's Nike money has turned Oregon into a powerhouse of star recruits, top
notch facilities and gaudy uniforms. The grass isn't always greener on the other side...
However, I'm wondering when the day will come that the full-time, spread option
offense will come to the NFL. Kelly might have brought that to Tampa. It's only a matter of
time, I think, especially with so many good quarterbacks coming in from the college game,
and rules changed every year to limit the effectiveness of defenses...
•Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas declined an invitation to go to the White House
with his team. Who cares? Shall I list all of the members of the Cardinals who didn't
make it to see President Obama last week? If Thomas wishes to make a political
statement, that's his right. And he'll deal with the consequences. But his refusal to go is
part of living in a free country. Tolerance of political statements on BOTH sides of the aisle
would be appreciated...
•Great, I guess I have to dive into politics now...the Republican field is a mess. Each
candidate is flawed; but each would do a better job in the White House than President
Obama. This much, we know. But at the end of the day, who is going to be the guy to rally
around? I'm not a big fan of all these debates, the attack ads and the constant bickering
between the candidates. And NBC's silencing of the crowd at the last debate was
particularly disturbing. Look for that trend to continue in the Presidential Debates, for
(gasp) we wouldn't want someone being allowed to cheer for Obama's opponent or agree
with a statement other than one from the establishment. Heaven forbid. The applause
should be heard, just as it is at the State of the Union speech...
Newt Gingrich is, quite simply, a polarizing figure. One minute, you're standing and
shouting in applause; and the next, you're shaking your head in disgust. With the morality
clause now in play as a qualification to be President (Bill Clinton, anyone? Let's talk about
the morals of an impeached President who lied under oath), Gingrich faces a torrent of
critics from both the left and right. And he's got plenty of baggage to go around in a lot of
areas from his years in politics. But Newt is the ONLY candidate who can put the
mainstream press in its place, and he excels in debates. But he is, again, exceptionally
flawed...
I've never been on the Mitt Romney train, but he has the most money and the biggest
political machine in place. Rick Santorum is a nice story, but it's about time for him to be
done. Ron Paul has a number of die-hard supporters, and the fact that the CNN folks
couldn't give him equal time last week with just FOUR candidates on stage was a joke.
Paul also has a number of flaws, but he also has a lot of common sense...
Finally, the fact that Newt or Mitt is the best the Republican Party can come up with is
not good. Better options would have been Chris Christie or Marco Rubio, just to name
two. But you can't force people to run for President, and the race is what it is. One big
mess. I'm out.
by Joe Pritchett
Apparently, some of my biggest "fans" want me to expound on topics other than my
soon-to-be-London/LA Rams (LOL). Be careful what you wish for...
•Blame 49ers kick returner Kyle Williams all you want (and he deserves plenty of it),
but when you can hardly complete a forward pass all game long, don't be surprised if you
come up short. The team with the better quarterback won, and Giants QB Eli Manning has
silenced all the doubters for good...
•Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff reportedly got on the field late for that fateful field goal
attempt at the end of the game. All kickers miss from time-to-time; but to not be prepared
(he said he thought it was third down) and ready is inexcusable. Also, that's where
coaching has to come in. The Ravens had a timeout left. Why wasn't it used?...
•San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh seems to have a real problem controlling
his emotions sometimes. Dude, Jim, just calm down already. Dealing with the "irritating"
media is part of the job...
•Steven Tyler...really, New England? Talk about past your prime. Just about anybody
can get up there and sing the national anthem these days, apparently. Next time, consider
somebody who won't sound like an embarrassment...
•Will the Rams or Bears ever find a diamond in the rough like Victor Cruz? That's how
you get to a Super Bowl after an up-and-down 9-7 season. Playmakers make the
difference. It's just like baseball...you can smack singles all day, but home runs and clutch
hits get the job done quicker and more efficiently. In football, churning out first downs is
nice, but what about the guys who can take it to the house on any given play? Remember
that, RAMS, when you think about drafting another offensive linemen in April (and yes, I will
continue to beat that dead horse)...
•This could be the year for the University of Missouri men's basketball team. This just
in...these guys are pretty good. College basketball is the ultimate "any given night" sport
these days, with upsets happening all over the place. But the Tigers have a great chance
to make the program's first-ever trip to the Final Four this season. And I think they will do
it...
•And, apparently, Frank Haith is a better coach than Mike Anderson. Who knew?...
•I'm done trying to figure out the Illini. You decide. I said up and down, take the good
with the bad, but there's some serious regression going on right now...
•Oregon's Chip Kelly has turned down the Tampa Bay job. And at the end of the day,
how can you blame him? He's got a dynasty of sorts going on in the Pacific Northwest,
and Phil Knight's Nike money has turned Oregon into a powerhouse of star recruits, top
notch facilities and gaudy uniforms. The grass isn't always greener on the other side...
However, I'm wondering when the day will come that the full-time, spread option
offense will come to the NFL. Kelly might have brought that to Tampa. It's only a matter of
time, I think, especially with so many good quarterbacks coming in from the college game,
and rules changed every year to limit the effectiveness of defenses...
•Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas declined an invitation to go to the White House
with his team. Who cares? Shall I list all of the members of the Cardinals who didn't
make it to see President Obama last week? If Thomas wishes to make a political
statement, that's his right. And he'll deal with the consequences. But his refusal to go is
part of living in a free country. Tolerance of political statements on BOTH sides of the aisle
would be appreciated...
•Great, I guess I have to dive into politics now...the Republican field is a mess. Each
candidate is flawed; but each would do a better job in the White House than President
Obama. This much, we know. But at the end of the day, who is going to be the guy to rally
around? I'm not a big fan of all these debates, the attack ads and the constant bickering
between the candidates. And NBC's silencing of the crowd at the last debate was
particularly disturbing. Look for that trend to continue in the Presidential Debates, for
(gasp) we wouldn't want someone being allowed to cheer for Obama's opponent or agree
with a statement other than one from the establishment. Heaven forbid. The applause
should be heard, just as it is at the State of the Union speech...
Newt Gingrich is, quite simply, a polarizing figure. One minute, you're standing and
shouting in applause; and the next, you're shaking your head in disgust. With the morality
clause now in play as a qualification to be President (Bill Clinton, anyone? Let's talk about
the morals of an impeached President who lied under oath), Gingrich faces a torrent of
critics from both the left and right. And he's got plenty of baggage to go around in a lot of
areas from his years in politics. But Newt is the ONLY candidate who can put the
mainstream press in its place, and he excels in debates. But he is, again, exceptionally
flawed...
I've never been on the Mitt Romney train, but he has the most money and the biggest
political machine in place. Rick Santorum is a nice story, but it's about time for him to be
done. Ron Paul has a number of die-hard supporters, and the fact that the CNN folks
couldn't give him equal time last week with just FOUR candidates on stage was a joke.
Paul also has a number of flaws, but he also has a lot of common sense...
Finally, the fact that Newt or Mitt is the best the Republican Party can come up with is
not good. Better options would have been Chris Christie or Marco Rubio, just to name
two. But you can't force people to run for President, and the race is what it is. One big
mess. I'm out.
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Issue Date: Jan. 26, 2012
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