The AntiFin

No. There would be a contract out on anyone who did it. That's how "those people" roll. --------- "I KEEL YOU!" -- Achmed the Undead Terrorist (via Jeff Dunham)

"We learned about what happens when a coach gets hormonal and tries to freakin' jam it down their throat for the touchdown there right at the half," Carroll said. Linky This is a Coors Light commercial waiting to happen...

And, he seemingly has a cool agent -- If that's really his agent who posts here from time to time. (Never know with the Internet; I hope it is!)

Rooting for the Blowfish = sacrilege. I'll root against the other team.

This. Great points. Washington is just horrible.

Best I understand it, Polamalu's "punching of the ball" was a penalty, but the refs can't factor that in on review -- even though it was blatant. They were reviewing whether or not it was recovered inbounds, I think.

That safety = insult to injury.

Did they just say NE hasn't recovered an onside kick since 1994? Never under Billyboy?

My favorite part of this game: Nine sacks Shutout Amazing defensive play Freddie gone wild (again) Surpassed our win total from last year.

Who cares? I MISS MAYBIN! It was tough to keep a straight face typing that.

So, my "central premise is false?" Interesting. And your attribution of phantom quotes to me had nothing to do with this, right? Choice was "bounced." The Bills chose not to resign Donte. Do you not see the difference between the two? So, to my question: "What would Lil' Donte have Tweeted (inferred: had he been cut like that)?" It's rhetorical because he was NOT cut. I never asked "what he Tweeted on his departure," as you misquoted me. His "departure," for the record, was the end of the 2010 season, when he became a free agent. So, let's compare apples to apples, because you're comparing apples to watermelons -- and all the misquoting in the world isn't going to win you this point. Choice's immediate response when it was clear the Cowboys no longer needed him (in the form of a cut) was pure class. Donte's first reply when it was clear to him that the Bills no longer needed him (in the form of DB drafts) was juvenile drivel and mockery. (I'll remind you, he was NOT part of the Bills on draft weekend, as you seem to suggest -- He already had departed, whether he liked it or not). Your link to Donte's tweet is from Aug. 6 -- two days after he signed with the Niners. I'll give him credit for posting "niceties" after he finally landed a job. Where were they up to that point? If you choose to reply, please properly quote me instead of making up your own quotes. I'm glad we can agree that he was an inferior player who seemingly mailed it in years ago. At least it's something. If you're going to make stuff up, enjoy debating alone. For the record, it's a pretty weak way to "win" an argument. Correct. Pure class. Bledsoe did the same upon leaving New England -- in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald.

Because Tashard didn't make an a$$ out of himself on Twitter when he was a Cowboy and alienate the fans. Can you say the same about your buddy Donte with the Bills? I can't stand Donte. Sue me.

It's called a "rhetorical question." Look it up. Someone knocked some sense into him. If you think he did that on his own -- Well, I have a bridge to sell you. Lil' Donte earned every bit of disrespect he received on this board.

Unfortunately, these preceded it: http://twitter.com/#!/dontewhitner/statuses/64378859109359616 http://twitter.com/#!/DonteWhitner/status/64719009362354177

Tashard Choice after being waived by Dallas: http://twitter.com/#!/tchoice23 Kudos to Choice. What would Lil' Donte have Tweeted?

Sorry, John... Couldn't resist.

The AP Stylebook should be your Bible! Just kidding. I enjoyed the banter as well.

"All of it comes as Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's self-imposed deadline for crafting a stadium plan approaches." The Vikings are trying to bully the Minnesota Legislature. So is the governor. So is the mayor. It appears the Dems are caving. The Republicans are standing firm on their pledge to not raise taxes. It's the same game of chicken that happens on a multitude of issues in a multitude of cities on a daily basis. If the Vikings leave, it's their own fault. They're the ones trying to force the State's hand. It's like a bratty kid who throws a tantrum because he doesn't get the video game he wants. The parents -- rightfully so -- don't buy him that game until he behaves. I find it amusing that all Republicans are considered "Tea Partiers" by some. Conservative Jim Kelly likely disagrees. Wouldn't it be ironic if he ends up leading an investment group that buys the Bills? Darn Wall Street! Darn capitalism. Occupy NOW!

And, as you so eloquently pointed out, we're all entitled to our opinions. My opinion is that I value your articles over your editorial insight on this board. What if I were to point out the obvious grammatical error in your sentence? ... "that person has a right to their opinion." (Note: "person" is singular, so "their" should be "his or her.") I'd never go there, though. I still enjoy your articles.

Photographers write cutlines/captions, and copy editors (ALL copy editors of all newspapers or online publications) are responsible for editing them and ensuring accuracy. Photographers are notorious for introducing errors. Good (or even decent) copy editors know this -- and do this. I never said it was your mistake. It was the mistake of the website's copy editor, and I noted that your byline happened to be on that page. My point is that I believe your time is better served pointing out mistakes there than here. I think now we've gotten to your point. Why not take on the OP instead of correcting TWO posters in the thread with the same juvenile line? Just seems petty for someone like you, John. Of course it's your right. Just like it's our right to judge you -- as a professional -- by these actions. I could ask you the same question. This is a friggin' message board. Let it go. For the record, I enjoy reading your articles. This crap -- not so much.

From the article: "It's a bold move by Nudo, who I believe used to be known in the WWE as 'Paul Bearer.'" I nearly spit Coke all over my monitor after seeing the picture of Nudo. T.O. could do a lot worse than "Paul Bearer" for an agent. Ask Ricky Williams.

Doesn't change the fact that your byline is on that page -- And the very error you're pointing out is on that page. C'mon, John -- You of all people should know that copy editors are the ones responsible for those errors, NOT the photographers. Photogs' captions are known to be plagued with inaccuracies. Hence, the need for a copy editor. Point being, I'm sure they'd be happy to fix it if you contacted them. Apparently, you'd rather correct posters here. To each his own.

John, Just curious: Do you think your time is better spent correcting posters on this board, or copy editors who make that same error on Web pages on which your byline appears? http://sports.nationalpost.com/tag/shawne-merriman/ (second photo caption) Yeah... That's what I thought, too.

Hey, for the purposes of this particular debate -- I had to go by stats. Anything else is wildly subjective. We're not talking about a QB who could prove me right or wrong this year, next year, etc. As I wrote earlier in this thread, I'm not a fan of individual QB stats. A QB has to have "heart" and show up for the big games. That's what makes him a winner and a leader. That's how he earns the respect of his players. It elevates their level of play, too. Preaching to the choir here. Fair enough -- But I did mention the fact that he played for New York likely was another major factor. "Broadway Joe" is much more marketable than "Ordinary Joe." Yes, he definitely had a storied career in college -- but that's college. I'm not sure how that factors in to HOF discussions. He had one or two good years in the pros. Many more were abysmal, though. The fact is that Namath is a HOFer, whether or not I like it. I had to compare apples to apples. I don't believe, statistically, it gets much closer than Namath and Stabler. See, I don't agree with this. And if he's not in, I don't think Namath should be. The Hall is for select athletes who rise above and beyond their peers. I fail to see how Namath did that consistently on the field. Now this is an argument I'll buy. I don't agree with the principles behind it -- but I agree with your statement. Would you put him in the Hall based on his on-the-field accomplishments alone? The game -- meaning "the guarantee," coupled with the symbolism of a Jets' win in that Super Bowl. Surely we aren't talking about the way he played in that game. I don't see how we can. Hey, as long as the Pro Football Writer's Association bought it -- Whatever works, I guess. He's in. I enjoyed your points and appreciate the perspective -- Even if we disagree on Namath.

You bet. I love watching games from previous eras. And there were far more lowlights than highlights for Namath -- including Super Bowl III. He was essentially a non-factor in that game. If it weren't for "the guarantee," would he be in "The Hall?" I say no. I take your point, and I appreciate your insight. But if you're talking about his stats -- and in this thread I've made it clear that I'm not a big fan of individual stats for QBs -- Namath falls way short, even for his era. Forget about comparing him to modern-day QBs. Let's compare him to QBs in/close to his era, with a bit of overlap. I'm not going to bother with Johnny Unitas or Otto Graham a decade-plus earlier; that just wouldn't be fair. Of his era, nearly any stat seems to suggest that he takes a back seat to Fran Tarkenton, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Len Dawson and even Ken Stabler. So, if we must, let's compare Ken Stabler (not in the Hall and last on my list) to Namath (in the Hall), career-wise. Stabler: 2,270 of 3,793; 27,938 yards; 59.8% completion; 194 TDs, 222 INTs. 7.4 YAP; QB Rating: 75.3; Playoff record: 6-5 Namath: 1,836 of 3,655; 27,663 yards; 50.1% completion; 173 TDs, 220 INTs. 7.4 YAP; QB Rating: 65.5; Playoff record: 2-1 Namath's numbers -- all of them -- are inferior. Couple that with Stabler's amazing success in the two-minute drill (talking "clutch" here) and the fact that he led his team to far more playoff appearances -- the only rationale behind Namath being in the Hall and Stabler not is "the guarantee" -- AND the New York factor. Hardly seems fair. For better or worse, it's done all the time -- in every sport. There is always going to be a debate as to who is the "greatest of all time." I don't see a way around that, and I don't think that'll ever change in pro sports. If it were to change, there would be no more "Lombardi Trophy," or "Cy Young Award." They'd have to phase out legends -- or skew our perception of legends -- and there's no way they do that, as sports are built on legends. That's why on the rare occurrences when modern-day athletes break "unbreakable" records -- Cal Ripken comes to mind -- it's all the more impressive. For every argument that it isn't fair to compare old-timers to modern-day athletes, there will be the same argument of why modern-day athletes shouldn't be compared to old timers. Amen.