lethalweapon3

Speaking of HateradeTM, our old friend C-Webb is missing his pacifier again tonight. He needs a timeout... ~lw3

:cant believe: :help wanted3: If you hear about a dude buying up all the scratch-off tickets at the convenience store, that's me. GTAA supporters should do a telethon, or a "We Are The World"-style song ("We want you gooooone... we want you fired..."), or a bake sale, or somethin'. Anything! We can't beat Oglethorpe for gawdsakes! Morris Brown wants a piece of us! ~lw3

LD's expressed vision to his team: "A Five-Man Tag Team." I like. ~lw3

One more name to throw out there: Dereck Whittenburg? I know these guys are available this time of year for a reason, but at least he's experienced and familiar with the program. Also Cliff Warren, who would be harder to pry free from Jacksonville U. with the season just starting. ~lw3

How is our new second baseman fielding-wise? Can he keep the baseballs from rolling between the wickets? ~lw3

How about Mark Price? It's not like Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis need any help with shooting. ~lw3

Minny-St. Paul says, "Noooooo!" Atlanta says, "Hell Noooooooo!" ~lw3

That was the Braine-less wonder (Dave Braine) ~lw3

I think his trade value is best maximized if paired with Marvin. However, props to those of you with the patience to see this (Teague's development) through a little longer. ~lw3

Sorry it took me forever to respond, but I'd see it as Bibby as Option 1, and Lou and Jeff as Options 2A and 2B, respectively. Lou would provide the offensive spark we'd lose with Jamal gone (could be nice alongside a developing JC2), but his potential as a defender (and a passer) is not where Teague's is, so Jeff can come in when we need to protect the ball and impede the PGs that Bibby can't. If trading Jeff, though, I think he'd be more useful packaged with Marvin than with Jamal, but if it was part of this deal, either Jodie Meeks or a Sixer-protected future 1st rounder might do the trick. ~lw3

Blown out of the gym by Kennessaw Friggin State? Shooting 28 percent against Charleston Bleepin Southern? Dragged into OT by Clark Freakin Atlanta? Forget ACC contention, is this the best college hoops team in the 404 area code? Will this team's winning percentage fall below their annually abysmal graduation rates? (EDIT: Kennessaw State lost its home exhibition contest two weeks ago to Division III LaGrange College, who then got blown out in their opener by the Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe University. Triangulate at will...) Pay the man his parting gifts and start over. Who's out there now to pick up the pieces? ~lw3

Should Etan ever see the floor? Quoth the Hawk fan, "Nevermore." ~lw3

Gary Payton! :tongue: <--- (runs and hides) ~lw3

LOL @ Marvin Bibby. I kinda like that guy! Well done! I'm working on all my Joepologies, Joexplanations, and Joescuses. Might take a minute, though! ~lw3

MVP-wise, he stepped in for an injured Kevin Kolb and outscored what was then a popular pick for the NFC title in the second half, became the Offensive Player of the Month, then got injured diving for the end zone one quarter into a loss to the Redskins, making amends with an epic performance against the Skins last night. Everything else in between has looked pretty darn good so far. He has the league's highest passer rating, no interceptions through four complete games, no lost fumbles, and the highest per-rush average of anyone with more than 10 rushes. The Eagles' offense doesn't need to dominate every week, but he, DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy need to keep winning (11-5 or better) and stay healthy. ~lw3

No need for forgiveness, CBA. You have every right to feel continued disdain for Vick, and no one needs to convince you or anyone else otherwise. The inhumane atrocities committed by himself and the accomplices he sustained, together with the mountain of lies he offered to this organization to sustain his devious operations and the blatant, wholly unprofessional attytood he presented to NFL fans, brought forth legions of unforgiving, unforgetting people, millions of whom could care less about football. Vick understands that these are his permanent scars, his crosses to bear, and no tonnage of yards gained and avoided tackles can do anything to remove that. That said, as a Falcon fan, imagine for a moment that Vick fumbled and stumbled through his megabucks Falcon contract for several more years to become 80 percent of the player we witnessed last night (I don't think we ever had the personnel to make him any better than that). The Falcons finally achieve NFC prominence and are well on their way to the Super Bowl... and THEN Vick's insidiously crafted house of cards collapses with the dogfighting allegations. Sure, it would have been better to have been addressed earlier (like, in college? high school?), but if you accept that Vick's brash, ignorant self was headed for an inevitable fall, the timing could have been much more disastrous (for scores of animals, much less the Falcons and their fans) had it gone on any longer. Vick's resurgence and emergence above his earlier years is palatable to Falcons fans only because the Falcons pulled a Gloria Gaynor, making enough wise moves to recover in just a couple of seasons. Many of us believed the jailers should have thrown away the key, that his crimes and his attitudes toward them were worthy of lifetime sentencing. But Vick served the time he was given, has been following (with at least one significant birthday slip-up) the terms of his release and probation, and has earned in the eyes of our judicial system an opportunity (one not granted to just anybody) to.make something productive out of his freedom. So far, he is doing just that. Let's all hope he keeps it up, whether or not we believe he will. Whether he has significantly matured as a human being is still an open book being written. Purely from a football perspective, however, his poise, dedication, responsiveness, and focus are at levels we have not seen before, and I don't think we would ever have seen anything approaching his current play in a Falcons uniform had he continued being saddled with his demons. Undoubtedly, the adversity of losing and injuries will come, and we will all see whether his character (on and off the field) has developed in the face of such adversity. We also remember how Vick was before, and after, his first mega-contract from Arthur Blank. Following what is shaping up to be The Decision 2011 and the next big payday, we will see whether he continues to strive for personal improvement. As I mention often, I'm a poorly-closeted Philly sports fan as well. I recall being floored when it was announced that the Eagles, of all teams, signed Vick. I was loaded with doubts (How does this work with McNabb looking over his shoulder? What about Kolb? Are we making him a receiver? After the T.O. saga, can Reid even coach this guy? He couldn't graciously handle fickle Atlanta fans, so what will he do with the original BooBirds?) But I also recognized that joining the Eagles put Vick in a low-pressure situation where he didn't have to put his tattered Superman cape back on right away, where he would have ample time to get his **** together off the field and learn how to improve as a reliable pocket QB on the field. So far, it's working, and my hat's off to the Eagles' brass and coaching staff for the guts to try and make it work. In Atlanta, it's a bit frustrating, because you always have the yahoos who are more fanboys for star players than fans for teams. They're at the stadium, in the bars, on sports talk radio. The red #7 jerseys are back on the streets en masse, and I can swear you can smell the mothballs on them. My Falcons #7 jerseys met the untimely demise of the trash bin after his selfish and murderous actions nearly crippled this franchise. But I hope everyone recognizes that Red #7 is not the Vick jersey to wear. Because it is clear he is not THAT player anymore. And while it remains to be seen, it is becoming clearer he is not THAT man anymore, either. ~lw3

I misplaced my earlier post... a bit premature, yes, but how about Eagles-Falcons at the Dome for the NFC title? Ya think that might sell out the Dome, maybe? That would be absolute craziness. ~lw3

Way too premature, but wouldn't that be kinda nice? I think the Georgia Dome would sell out for that one, no? This assumes the Eagles don't suffer from exhaustion after the shellacking they're giving the Skins tonight. Vick is still in (for some godforsaken reason) and pushing 60 points as we speak. Vick plays at just half this pace for the rest of the season and somebody's going to open up their pocketbook for him next season, lockout or not. ~lw3 EDIT: Ah, there it is! Bail me out with a transfer, mods ("Other Sports").

One false move and it's the LeGarrette Blount Bowl (Boise St. vs. Oregon) for the title. ~lw3

Depends on the timing, assuming the offer was partially true. If it was offered during the summer and we responded, "No, thanks, Geoff, we got Etan Thomas on line two," then I'd have reason to shake my fist. But otherwise, it's too late now to give consideration to that transaction. Presumably we'd have to give up a second-rounder or something to make it even out. We'd be knee-deep in questionable frontcourt reserves. And we'd be looking for somebody as a reliable stopgap for Bibby, either due to his limited defense or in case of a potential injury. ~lw3

Would they trade Ish Smith for his old teammate (Teague)? ~lw3

And then we get that slippery ice-rain like we had the last Super Bowl Weekend and the NFL will swear never to return, anyway. They didn't even like the outdoors Super Bowl weather when the game was played inside. Georgia Dome seems to be in fine enough shape to me for any sporting event. I think Blank likes the potential flexibility of having an outdoor primary stadium with an indoor option as a backup. That said, as long as they put in that rollover roof (ex. Seattle Mariners?) for our fair weather fans, the Falcons would be okay attendance-wise... assuming, as usual, there's an exciting-enough and winning product on the field. ~lw3

...and then had the class to apologize to fans for the team being "very flat." Hope he continues diversifying his offensive skills over the course of the season, but who can fuss with that jumper when it's falling? ~lw3

Just my opinion, but the window for any trade considerations (by the Hawks' brass, not necessarily by us 'Squawkers) should not open until December 15, when the trade restrictions expire on Powell, Etan, and JC3. Not that there will be any clamoring for any of those guy's services, but it will enhance our flexibility in negotiating trades of more desirable assets like JC1. Joe's restriction ends on December 15 as well, for whatever's that worth. ~lw3

With apologies to overpriced men's clothing shops everywhere, I'd rather take a flyer on Brooks' Brother. As poorly as he's been playing, the upside is B-Lo's value is as low as it can get right now. Net fans are all-but-through with his lackadaisical effort and his subpar shooting and rebounding so far this season, but it remains to be seen if Avery and the team staff feel remotely the same way. ~lw3