ESPN's all-1st round QB pick: the height of lazy sportswriting
by shake n bake on Apr 16, 2010 6:49 PM EDT
in Bad Journalism
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PrintLeading up to the draft ESPN has been running a series looking at the best players at each position to come from each round of the draft. Today it culminated with the all-1st round pick team. That 18to88 ran the link as "ESPN goes insane" should let you know where this is going. Their choice for the best QB to ever be taken in the 1st round was fairly called
Awful. Unconscionable. Indefensible.
by the Zombie Bros as 18to88. The pick?
How can we select just one quarterback from among the likes of Troy Aikman (1989, Dallas Cowboys), Bob Griese (1967, Miami Dolphins) and Peyton Manning (1998, Indianapolis Colts)?We tab the first-round draftee quarterback with four Super Bowl rings -- Terry Bradshaw (1970, Pittsburgh Steelers) -- and we rest our case.But based on that logic, why wouldn't Paul Hornung (1957, Green Bay Packers) and Franco Harris (1972, Pittsburgh Steelers) be automatic starters behind Bradshaw, since both Hornung and Harris boast four NFL titles each? We're just promoting debate here, folks, not providing empirical evidence of any player's superiority.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a lazier evaluation and defense than "The individual player with the most team championships" and "We're just promoting debate, we don't have to make any effort to support our pick." Let's follow their logic for evaluating other QBs.
-Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson better get their HOF induction speeches ready because they are better QBs than current HOFers Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino and Dan Fouts. Look at the rings, we rest our case.
-What a lucky time we live in to have 5 QBs in the league today (Eli, Brady, Peyton, Brees, and Big Ben) who are so clearly HOF caliber QBs. Look at the rings, we rest our case.
-Kurt Warner a HOFer? How can you even question it? He's better than Dan Marino! Just look at the rings, we rest our case.
-If the Steelers, unhappy with Big Ben's tarnished reputation called up the Colts or Saints, they'd swap QBs with them in a heartbeat and throw some picks the Steelers way too, to even out the deal. Just look at the rings, we rest our case.
I invite the readers to continue with their own ESPN caliber QB analysis in the comments, but remember; you don't have to defend your statements. You are just promoting debate.
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Epic Fail of course
I actually randomly stumbled upon someone’s Youtube that uploaded the Steelers/Rams Super Bowl, and I watched part of it, and was very unimpressed by Bradshaw.
Realistically, he was an average to above-average quarterback who was surrounded by Hall of Famers and was considered great based on the teams’ success. If Bradshaw played anywhere else not one person would remember him.
Looking at the numbers of QB’s who played the same time as Bradshaw, Ken Anderson, Staubach, Roman Gabriel, Tarkenton, Bob Griese, Dan Fouts are guys who definitely look better, and you could also make cases for guys like Ken Stabler, Billy Kilmer, and even Ron Jaworski.
In the end, I say Bradshaw is the second most over-rated player of all time. Joe Namath is by far the most over-rated, he was incredibly mediocre.
Insert Clever Statement Here
Epic Fail for sure...
This makes me want to smash my face into a brick wall.
WTF?
by bluecoltsfan on Apr 16, 2010 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Bradshaw is barely a top 25 QB of all-time
He had the best defense of all-time along with two great receivers, a great offensive line, and a great running back. I think Matt Cassel could have multiple rings with that cast.
"What the Helen of Troy is that?
Did I hear you say my rhymes is wack?"
-Beastie Boys, "Triple Trouble"
I think I could have multiple rings with that cast
Nothing's complicated if you understand it.
I am taking Peyton
My brother and I argue all the time about Bradshaw. My brother thinks Bradshaw reinvented the forward pass. If Peyton had the defense behind him that Bradshaw had, Peyton would have 8 rings, 5 MVP’s, no one would ever bring up Brady, Montana or Bradshaw ever.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
"Horrifying incompetence"
is, I believe, the most apt description that comes to mind.
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
Espn's logic
is the same as a certain FOX NFL commentator who always says that as long as Manning doesn’t win a second Superbowl he isn’t as good a QB as Brady. And who is this brilliant commentator? Terry Bradshaw!
Everything everyone said above
times infinity.
Terry. Freakin’. Bradshaw.
Whatever.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
Cutting Jim Sorgi was idiotic,
as he is clearly a better QB than Jim Kelly. Look at the rings.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
I mean
how many rings would Marino have if he was on that team?
"Pressure is something you feel if you don't know what the hell you're doing."-Peyton Manning
by P0RKINS2 on Apr 16, 2010 7:47 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I was going to make a remark on the value of winning Super Bowls
But I think I’ll sit back and watch the fireworks! :-P
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stampede Blue's Resident Steelers Fan
"[T]he Steelers have been evil pieces of crap for a long time who play dirty and seek to injure their opponents, and one day there will be a reckoning."
FriarBob
Can't you just feel the love?
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Apr 16, 2010 7:51 PM EDT reply actions
One of the commenters at the ESPN site had it right:
You say Bradshaw is the best because he won 4 championships, yet list Jim Brown as your best RB with no championships. You can’t have it both ways and have this list actually mean anything. This list has no credibility because of flaws such as this.
Quoted for truth.
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
Brown played before the SB era
That commenter needs to brush up on his history.
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stampede Blue's Resident Steelers Fan
"[T]he Steelers have been evil pieces of crap for a long time who play dirty and seek to injure their opponents, and one day there will be a reckoning."
FriarBob
Can't you just feel the love?
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Apr 16, 2010 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
He didn't win an NFL Championship either.
"Pressure is something you feel if you don't know what the hell you're doing."-Peyton Manning
by P0RKINS2 on Apr 16, 2010 8:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
True, but
Jim Brown doesn’t need a championship to make him the greatest RB in NFL history. Even if he is an idiot.
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stampede Blue's Resident Steelers Fan
"[T]he Steelers have been evil pieces of crap for a long time who play dirty and seek to injure their opponents, and one day there will be a reckoning."
FriarBob
Can't you just feel the love?
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Apr 16, 2010 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Because
he was badass in the Dirty Dozen. Gotta love the running sequence with the grenades.
And he punched out some aliens in Mars Attacks!
Insert Clever Statement Here
The point of the criticism wasn't to diminish Jim Brown
… who I agree is a candidate for best RB ever. The point was the inconsistency of the criteria. Why is championships the determining factor in Greatest of All Time QB, but not in G.O.A.T RB? That was the whole point of the statement.
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
I have no clue
You could try emailing the authors, but I doubt they respond to mail much.
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stampede Blue's Resident Steelers Fan
"[T]he Steelers have been evil pieces of crap for a long time who play dirty and seek to injure their opponents, and one day there will be a reckoning."
FriarBob
Can't you just feel the love?
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Apr 17, 2010 1:01 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Why isn't Jeff Hostetler
in the Hall of Fame? He’s just as good as Peyton, who is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. I rest my case.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
Oh,
and Jim Plunkett is twice as good as Johnny Unitas. 2 rings to 1. I rest my case.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
You're right!
Plunkett’s two SB rings ( for two world championships ) CLEARLY
outpaces Unitas’es one SB ring ( and three world championships ).
Wait a minute….
I'm just promoting debate here.
I don’t have to defend my statements.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
I think the world
just suffered a ten year setback in intellectual progress. THANK YOU espn…
Chinese is a crazy language: literal translation for cake = "terrible egg" and half the word for catching a cold is "to belch."
by oxymoron on Apr 16, 2010 8:18 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Jacob Zuma is a better president than Abraham Lincoln. Look at the rings. I rest my case.
by BostonColtsFan on Apr 16, 2010 8:51 PM EDT reply actions 14 recs
You win the thread
Luck is probability taken personally, clutch is probability attributed to individuals.
Just how deeply can your senses be wrong? With some VR goggles, a camera and a touch on the back researchers were able to overcome a person's sense of being inside their own body.
by shake n bake on Apr 16, 2010 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Aww shucks
And I think that was my first post.
by BostonColtsFan on Apr 16, 2010 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Impressive.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
Hahaha yes!
"What the Helen of Troy is that?
Did I hear you say my rhymes is wack?"
-Beastie Boys, "Triple Trouble"
This is fantastic.
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
My mouth dropped when I saw the pic of Terry Bradshaw
ESPN has lost it’s fuckin’ mind.
Y’all just do not fit the picture, turn your widescreen on
If you thinkin’ I’ma quit before I die, dream on
~Drake "Over"
To be fair
Its the same people that said the Ben deserves a 2 game suspension at the worst. Intelligence isn’t something you should expect from ESPN. They have their favorites and they will stick to them regardless of any evidence to the contrary.
I looked at the rest of the list
The other Steelers were Joe Greene(of course), Lynn Swann(eh) and Troy(maybe, but too early). These guts certainly don’t have an anti-Steelers bias! 0_o
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stampede Blue's Resident Steelers Fan
"[T]he Steelers have been evil pieces of crap for a long time who play dirty and seek to injure their opponents, and one day there will be a reckoning."
FriarBob
Can't you just feel the love?
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Apr 17, 2010 1:03 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Swann is a definite no as well
That’s ridiculous.
"What the Helen of Troy is that?
Did I hear you say my rhymes is wack?"
-Beastie Boys, "Triple Trouble"
Holy Effin Crap Batman!
Really I can’t even believe ESPN. Why are they kissing Bradshaw’s ass with this drivel? Must be in the works for a cheap contract for Bradshaw, I mean seriously Troy Aikman, Dan Marino, John Elway, Peyton Manning (even though he is my arch nemesis) there are so many QB’s who are way above Bradshaw. And to comment on something someone else stated, David Carr could have a couple rings with Bradshaw’s team.
"Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries! Now Go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"
Go Texans!
and it seems like a
one of the defining factors to making the list is how many SB rings a person has., this is ridiculous ESPN once again proves they are worthless.
"Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries! Now Go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"
Go Texans!
Amazing You Forgot
Manning will likely get my vote as ‘best 1st round qb’ of all time when he retires. But as
you all have rightly pointed out, ‘best’ does not mean the number of rings won. ‘Best’
should include the player who demonstrated the most ability. Who dominated? Who
scared the bejesus out of opposing defenses? Who could throw 80-yd. bombs with
pinpoint accuracy, or cross up the defense by running past them for the score?
During the ’70’s, when Bradshaw, Stabler and Staubach also played, one QB stood
head and shoulders above them all. Here he is…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLl7Pd-r0a8
Know your Colts history.
Never heard of him
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stampede Blue's Resident Steelers Fan
"[T]he Steelers have been evil pieces of crap for a long time who play dirty and seek to injure their opponents, and one day there will be a reckoning."
FriarBob
Can't you just feel the love?
Cornell University Class of 2014
by LV Steelers Fan on Apr 17, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought he was 17.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
I'm 17 and Brazilian
And I know about Bert Jones. Hell, I’m feeling awesome right now
Love learning, hate studying
Bkiws?
Is this some foreign language I’m not aware of?
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
k and i are one key away from l and o
Luck is probability taken personally, clutch is probability attributed to individuals.
Just how deeply can your senses be wrong? With some VR goggles, a camera and a touch on the back researchers were able to overcome a person's sense of being inside their own body.
by shake n bake on Apr 18, 2010 4:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Odd that you would notice this drunk,
and I don’t notice that at all.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Maybe I could use this service.
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