FB: American Rivers Conference

[Klopenhiemer]

Get ready to bash me becuase I will make some bold comments.

Job realted addictions. Office manager drinking 5 cups of starbucks to make it through the day. Outside sales force smoking two packs a day stressed out from pressure to close deals. Police officers who are alcoholics due to seeing the horrible side of life. Pro athlete hooked on vicodin so he can play.

It all boils down to one thing. We all have our vices. Some more than other. You do what you do and you make choices so you can perform and provide for your family.

When is the time anyone ridiculed a CEO for smoking. I get tired of seeing people get ridiculed with no perception of their own self being.

[Wartburg Fan]

Get ready to bash me becuase I will make some bold comments.

Job realted addictions. Office manager drinking 5 cups of starbucks to make it through the day. Outside sales force smoking two packs a day stressed out from pressure to close deals. Police officers who are alcoholics due to seeing the horrible side of life. Pro athlete hooked on vicodin so he can play.

It all boils down to one thing. We all have our vices. Some more than other. You do what you do and you make choices so you can perform and provide for your family.

When is the time anyone ridiculed a CEO for smoking. I get tired of seeing people get ridiculed with no perception of their own self being.

  Great post       +k

[New Storm]

Get ready to bash me becuase I will make some bold comments.

Job realted addictions. Office manager drinking 5 cups of starbucks to make it through the day. Outside sales force smoking two packs a day stressed out from pressure to close deals. Police officers who are alcoholics due to seeing the horrible side of life. Pro athlete hooked on vicodin so he can play.

It all boils down to one thing. We all have our vices. Some more than other. You do what you do and you make choices so you can perform and provide for your family.

When is the time anyone ridiculed a CEO for smoking. I get tired of seeing people get ridiculed with no perception of their own self being.

Amen

[doolittledog]

Just to switch the topic a little bit.  How much do heights and weights get fudged for football players???  And is it the school doing the fudging or the players giving false info.  Keith on the basketball board mentioned he was listed at 6'6 and 200lbs when in reality he was 6'4 and 180lbs.  Jermar Jackson was listed at 5'10 and said on the radio he was 5'8.  Daugherty for UD is listed as 6'1, when my dad saw that in the program he started laughing...we guessed 5'10 if he really stretched out for the measuring.  

How close to reality were the former players on this board listed in the football program???  Or others that you know of???  Just curious.  

[DutchFan2004]

Doolittle,

I can not speak for others but the one player in the IIAC that I am close to the numbers listed in the program were actually pretty close.  The height was spot on and his weight was pretty close.  He lost weight over the season.  I think he was listed at 195 and I think he was about 185-190 at the end of the season. 

[BeaverOfYore]

Just to switch the topic a little bit.  How much do heights and weights get fudged for football players???  And is it the school doing the fudging or the players giving false info.  Keith on the basketball board mentioned he was listed at 6'6 and 200lbs when in reality he was 6'4 and 180lbs.  Jermar Jackson was listed at 5'10 and said on the radio he was 5'8.  Daugherty for UD is listed as 6'1, when my dad saw that in the program he started laughing...we guessed 5'10 if he really stretched out for the measuring. 

How close to reality were the former players on this board listed in the football program???  Or others that you know of???  Just curious. 

At BV, each player filled out a card with their info for the SID.  As long as the figures given in the height/weight section weren't too far from reality, no one said anything.  I remember a friend of mine sticking a 10 lb. weight in his shorts right before weigh-ins so that he could bump his program weight up even higher without the coaches calling him out on it.

I know my weight in the program was less than accurate when I was younger.  I remember being listed at 240 as a sophomore starting at offensive guard when I was probably less than 230--I didn't want the other teams to know that I was that small and send the house at me in passing situations.  As I got older (read: heavier), my weight on the program was exactly what I weighed at the beginning of camp.

[BeaverOfYore]

Get ready to bash me becuase I will make some bold comments.

Job realted addictions. Office manager drinking 5 cups of starbucks to make it through the day. Outside sales force smoking two packs a day stressed out from pressure to close deals. Police officers who are alcoholics due to seeing the horrible side of life. Pro athlete hooked on vicodin so he can play.

It all boils down to one thing. We all have our vices. Some more than other. You do what you do and you make choices so you can perform and provide for your family.

When is the time anyone ridiculed a CEO for smoking. I get tired of seeing people get ridiculed with no perception of their own self being.

Agreed.

[DutchFan2004]

Here is something to talk about.  Looking at the conference only stats.  How does Coe finish 4th with the best in conference turnover margin.  Usually that stat is a tell all stat.  I didn't look at the game by game stats but the games that Coe won they must have rolled on that category and the close ones and losses must have been close.  I guess that proves you can stay in games if you can win that battle. 

[doolittledog]

Here is something to talk about.  Looking at the conference only stats.  How does Coe finish 4th with the best in conference turnover margin.  Usually that stat is a tell all stat.  I didn't look at the game by game stats but the games that Coe won they must have rolled on that category and the close ones and losses must have been close.  I guess that proves you can stay in games if you can win that battle. 

Central got all the luck in the league and Coe got a lot of bad luck 

As Mark Twain once said.  "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics!!!" 

[doolittledog]

Here is the second part of my earlier question.  Where does a player usually start the year weight wise and where does he end?  Lower??? A lot lower???  Heavier???  A lot heavier???  The same???

I know for me as the fall starts I'm usually at my leanest because of all that lawn mowing during the summer.  Then as the fall starts and the mowing slows down, add to that I watch a lot of football along with more buttered and salted popcorn, beer, pop, wings, brauts and the like.  I usually end the football season heavier than I began it!!! 

[BeaverOfYore]

Here is the second part of my earlier question.  Where does a player usually start the year weight wise and where does he end?  Lower??? A lot lower???  Heavier???  A lot heavier???  The same???

I know for me as the fall starts I'm usually at my leanest because of all that lawn mowing during the summer.  Then as the fall starts and the mowing slows down, add to that I watch a lot of football along with more buttered and salted popcorn, beer, pop, wings, brauts and the like.  I usually end the football season heavier than I began it!!! 

I can't speak for everyone, but my weight was always highest at the beginning of camp.  It was lowest at the end of camp, partially due to some dehydration.  My weight usually leveled off somewhere in between for most of the rest of the season.  Sometimes I gained a little at the end of the season when practices started getting shorter and I was getting less reps.

[5 Words or Less]

Here is something to talk about.  Looking at the conference only stats.  How does Coe finish 4th with the best in conference turnover margin.  Usually that stat is a tell all stat.  I didn't look at the game by game stats but the games that Coe won they must have rolled on that category and the close ones and losses must have been close.  I guess that proves you can stay in games if you can win that battle. 

Nationally Coe T-7th, Cental 18th

[5 Words or Less]

Here is something to talk about.  Looking at the conference only stats.  How does Coe finish 4th with the best in conference turnover margin.  Usually that stat is a tell all stat.  I didn't look at the game by game stats but the games that Coe won they must have rolled on that category and the close ones and losses must have been close.  I guess that proves you can stay in games if you can win that battle. 

Nationally Coe T-7th, Cental 18th

9 of top 20 made playoffs

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings

[Walston Hoover]

My weight was always pretty accurate. I think I was listed at 6'2. Might have been stretching it a little. I'm between 6'0 and 6'6 depending on which convenience store I'm walking out of.
Gotta love Blue Collar Comedy.

I do know some guys who's weight was put lower than what they actually were. 

[sportsknight]

This is the last I'm going to talk about the whole Favre thing.  And I've got a feeling this is going to be a long post.  You've been warned.

Let me get this out there first and foremost - I have nothing but respect for the career Favre has put together.  He definitely deserves to be in the conversation about the best ever.  He was one of those guys that brought his lunchpail to work everyday and did his job.  I have a great deal respect for anyone that does that, whether it be Cal Ripken, Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, Walter Payton, or Favre.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that I admire the guy, but then again the only athlete that I'd put into the "Admire" category is Lance Armstrong. 

On the radio this afternoon, I heard Favre compared to George Clooney, and I think that's a very fair comparison.  Both guys, if nothing else, make it look like a lot of fun.  They might get more praise than they actually deserve at times, but they make it seem that any Joe Schmo off the street can walk in and take their place. 

I'd also say that Favre is a class guy.  You'll never hear him say it, but I'd be willing to bet that a big part of his decision to retire has to do with the Packers' reluctance to go after Randy Moss these past two years.  Favre is a good enough guy that he doesn't want to bad-mouth the franchise that has been so good to him over the years, and there's a level of decency in that.

I guess what has always bothered me about Favre is the double standard that has existed between him and (almost) every other quarterback in the league.  Through no fault of his own, Favre came to be viewed as the "gunslinger" and in the eyes of many fans and commentators, he could do no wrong, when in actuality, there were many things he was doing wrong.  For instance, a couple years ago Donovan McNabb was roundly ridiculed when it became known that he was battle a flu bug late in the Super Bowl against the Patriots.  Many said that he was being selfish and should have taken himself out when he couldn't perform to the best of his abilities.  What if Favre was in the same situation?  I'd be willing to be that would have been chalked up to Favre "just loving the game that much" and "wanting to do whatever it takes to help the team."  As if that's not what McNabb was trying to do. 

The thought that Favre loves the game that much more or wants to win that much more than anyone else is complete BS.  Every quarterback wants to do whatever he can to win.  But when those other QBs make a mistake, they effed up.  When Favre does the same thing, it gets chalked up to competitiveness.  One of the most competitive guys to ever walk the planet was Michael Jordan.  But the difference between the two is that you rarely saw Jordan force shots.  He wanted the ball in his hands when the game was on the line, but was also smart enough to know that he wasn't the only one that could get the job done.

The line "he just plays for the sake of playing ball" always amazed me too.  As much as I'm sure Favre loved playing football, I never saw him offering to give up a game check.  Tom Brady came up in this discussion earlier.  Brady went to his front office after last year and said he wanted to restructure his contract so they'd have room to bring in better talent.  When did Favre ever offer to take a pay cut to make room for better players to come in around him?

Farve many times seemed like the guy that owns an SUV and drives 80 mph in a snowstorm.  We all (well, maybe not Heys) see these guys cruising past us, hoping that they don't spin out right in front of our vehicle.  Its almost as if they think "Well, I've got these big tires and this 4 wheel drive - I can get myself out of anything."  Same way with Favre.  Too often he played with the mindset of "Well, I've led us to so many wins in the past and I've still got this cannon for an arm - as long as I've got this arm we'll be OK."

And if records are the way we're judging greatness now, then where would you rank Jim Brown and Gale Sayers among the best NFL running backs of all time?  Neither of those two have hardly any records to their name, but you'd be hard pressed to find two better backs.  Favre has all records, but after 17 years, he probably should.  But along with having thrown more TDs than any other QB, he's also thrown for more interceptions.  If you stick around long enough, you'll get your name in the record books plenty.

The other thing that always gets me is the complete acceptance or dismissal of his past addiction issues by Packer fans.  Their Saint Brett has never done anything wrong, and if you don't believe me, just ask one of them.  There was a pretty good profile of Favre on ESPN.com late last season that centered on his life away from the field and how he hardly ever attends his own postgame parties anymore.  Back in the day, he'd be there at the head of the table, tossing back chicken wings and beer just like everyone else.  You think that everytime he went to one of those gatherings, he had somebody drive him home after taking down a few beers?  I kind of doubt it.  And for God's sake, don't bring up the pills around Packer fans.  I have an uncle (married into the family) that's been a lifelong Packer fan.  We were having a late August birthday party for my grandma a couple years back, and the week beforehand Favre had gone on record as saying that Packer team (coming off a 4-12 season) was the best one he'd ever been around.  I brought it up to my uncle, and jokingly said "Are they going to be that good, or is Brett just on the pills again."  The facial expression I got back would have made you think that I just threatened to violate the guy's mother with a broomstick.

I've done enough rambling on this topic for now, but I guess the overriding thing I've tried to get across is this:  when the day is over, the guy was just a football player.  Was he a good one?  Absolutely.  One of the best ever?  Probably.  But let's hold off on canonizing him just yet.  One of you guys mentioned something about Favre being someone that your kids can look up to.  If you think Brett Favre is a great role model for your kids, that's your call.  I'm not going to argue it with you.  But if I'm lucky enough to be blessed with children, I'd rather they looked up to police officers, firefighters, doctors, and other people who genuinely make a difference in people's lives.