a gratuitous rant because I'm bored at work...
ah yes, cold pizza...after all, it's not gourmet, it's DiGiorno
yeah, he's "overrated" next to a guy who played with the 80's Niners!!!...I mean just look at all the help Tom gets compared to Montana...I mean would anyone really take Jerry Rice over Troy Brown or Branch or Reche?...or Roger Craig over K-Faulk/elderly Dillon/A-Smith?...or John Taylor over D-Giv...or Brent Jones over Daniel Graham?
I mean yeah, Joe had that all-pro line, but Tom has had a great group of blue-collar lunch-pail guys who are "well-coached" by the immortal Scar...I'll take the crappier line any day.
Ok, ok...enough sarcasm. Nobody disputes that Joe had a far superior offensive supporting, cast but Tom has consistently had the better defense. After all, who could honestly take Joe's defense (which allowed from 81-90 -- not counting the strike-shortened 82 season -- 260 pts/season) over Tom's (which has allowed from 01-07, 281 pts/season).
Yeah, Tom is a veritable flea compared to JM.
But he's not a stats guy...he's not a great passer...it's about intangibles for TB.
Next time you're asked what goes into a "passer rating," you can give one of two accurate answers:
1. YPA, TDs, INTs, or...
2. supporting cast, quality of opponent, playing conditions
both are inarguably accurate...but you never hear anyone mention the second part.
And now to the real crux of the crit..."too hollywood"...
Yeah, those Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor and Paul Hornung guys might've been pretty good if they hadn't been major league playboys. I mean you can't enjoy yourself and ever hope to be a great player...you have to either marry (as though having kids and a wife is a real boon in the focus department) or practice abstinence by using a sock twice a day...that's the deal...no hot chicks under any circumstances.
why don't these journalist wannabes just admit they're bitter with envy? Do they really think it's not ridiculously obvious?
At what point can we all agree to stop pretending the guy's lucky instead of great?
Maybe when his playoff record reaches 22-4? 30-7?? Why isn't Adam's win/loss record in the postseason ever discussed?...answer: because nobody is dumb enough to ascribe a playoff record to a freakin kicker!
Has there ever been a guy who had it widely held against him that he consistently took grossly inadequate teams (fellow fans read: "overachievers") to multiple titles all while achieving major upsets by razor thin margins...I mean what's his excuse for 2002, 2005?...where are the rings from those seasons, hmmm?? I mean he had ADAM VINATIERI so what's his excuse for not winning five straight rings in the parity era??
Just once I'd like to hear a pundit fire back by asking why nobody had heard of the great Adam before Mo Lewis?...pure coincidence I'm sure. Better yet, let's poll kickers and QBs themselves as to who was luckier, Adam or Tom?
Would a single player pick Adam? Then why do miserable journalists constantly make this mistake?
Sports journalists grow tired of pretty boys...to be a truly great pundit with your own radio show you need to ignore the substance and follow the sea of ignorance and perception...He ought to just replace the name on his jersey with a sign saying "don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful."
By the way, has Adam ever given this many interviews? After his 5-kick game he was on every single network doing an interview -- at the same time...has a guy ever campaigned for the hall of fame more than Adam ...alright, I'll give you Michael Irvin.
the critics just add more fuel to the fire -- Tom's admitted to his dad that 06 was his best season ever.
his passion goes beyond a mere "hunger to win" to near sadistic bloodlust levels...at no time was that more evident than last Sunday. 99% of us would be totally fat and happy after all of his success and flattery...that he's still intensely driven is a testament to the level of obsession at work here.
heartless assassin with a very sensitive ego -- a combustible combination guaranteed to produce success on the field regardless of how popular he may be on the gossip pages...the two are just not connected as much as we'd all like to think.
he's not going gracefully off into the sunset...they keep waiting for the "decline"...he's too young for the onset of physical decline so we expect him to lose his edge...they're just sharpening his blade...shining it up for the next slaughter.
just ask the chargers how many different ways you have to kill him before he's actually dead...ask any team for that matter.
Most of America has finally figured it out (latest ESPN poll has him beating Peyton by a 7:3 margin)...could turn in a hurry of course...but overall he's finally getting the respect most of us never thought we'd see.
now, cold pizza...that's another matter.
