Offside Number 76

I've been to two "state of the art" football stadiums, and the cigar bars and club-level amenities add absolutely nothing to the experience. In fact, they distract and detract--because there's always someone who wants to spend 20 minutes checking out this feature or that one, and that's time away from the game. Luxury boxes and semi-private areas (such as the M&T club) are no fun no matter whether the stadium is old or new.

Both your response and wildrabbit's response present some decent reasons to reconsider what I wrote. (Corp, I know you from SS, so I'm hardly shocked.) I did. I'm sticking with my opinion. But damn, you each really put forth some compelling arguments, and against TBD convention, you did it without being dicks. I'll tell my kids about Montana, Jordan, and Gretzky. They'll still be bored.

I've never quite understood it. He won a super bowl. ONE. Did we hear this much about Simms or McMahon or Williams? No freaking way. Good QB. Not great. More interceptions than anyone, ever. Played behind a very agile and able line, but yeah, GB won that SB because of him (not being sarcastic; he was the reason). One hell of a nice guy, too, from all reports. That doesn't hurt. And I have nothing at all against Favre or the Packers. (They're both too, well, NICE. How could you really dislike them?) But let's evaluate him on the facts, and not on whether he's folksy enough or easy to identify with. Kelly with a better plan, Marino with a better RB, Esiason with better luck, all would have won more than one. Elway won two, Aikman three, but we didn't really hear the praise (normally reserved for religious figures) for them that we have heard for Favre. Favre will make the HOF, mostly because he brought a title back to Green Bay, but come on. He was a very good, not great, quarterback. He hardly was legendary. That said, good for him that he's got a job opportunity, and good for the rest of the NFCN to play him twice. Looks like the Lions might have a shot to win one this year.

I don't know what they're for--I just know that they're out there. Mostly because a coworker got his hands on a site with a Napoleon Dynamite soundboard a couple of years ago and wouldn't let go. Said coworker is in his 40s, too. Sad.

That's correct. It's ok if you didn't listen to the calls (I want those three minutes of my life back, the calls were so stupid), but if you do listen, it's pretty obvious that it's someone using a soundboard. All it takes is an Internet connection (soundboards are easy to find; here's one for Homer Simpson: www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/homer), a telephone, and a complete lack of a life. Sincerely, Rome fan who completely understands why not everyone is a Rome fan.

No no no no...it's just some idiot with a soundboard. It isn't actually Rome making the calls. But they aren't very funny, either.

You don't have to "believe"; it's right in the same thread. Go back to the post ... the lament was what the world may have become and not about you personally. I do think the world has become too sensitive, and I'm a guy who's a complete freaking lefty on social issues, too. This is getting silly. The thread is about reebok products, which I'll probably never buy (no occasion to) but which look slightly humorous. Great for reebok winning that contract. Wish it was a firm who made products in the US, but hey, whatever. The interpretation that the shirt could have meant "kick her" still is completely strained and questionable to me. (There is no H at all on the shirt, much less the word "her," FFS.) The person who wrote "TAPPED" still was funny to me. You obviously don't see it the same way. I, and I daresay the entire TBD community, will deal with the gulf between us without too much trouble. Let's let it go. Ok? Otherwise, beerball is going to have a freaking heart attack.

You're looking at the wrong criterion. It's my appreciation for humor that is consistent. And actually, there isn't any chauvinism involved in either the shirt or the post that I appreciated.

nicely done

It almost takes a degree of depravity to think that "kicker," in reference to a mother-to-be, means anything other than a baby in the womb who is a little on the physically active side. Did you all really take it some other way? Wow. Just wow. Maybe our world has become so screwed up that we look to the sinister rather than the obvious.

No, he isn't a "pretty good mention" for being underrated. He is, and was, correctly rated. He's not overrated, and he's not underrated. Three Pro Bowls was about right for him; he's not a Hall of Fame guy, and he was no middling role-player, either. He was a very good wide receiver whose time is up. But he never was underrated. The ESPN writer who mentioned him as "overrated" was wrong, but so is this.

Whoa--you didn't mean me, right? I'm the one who doesn't smoke (my personal choice) but who thinks it's ok if others do (their personal choice). You quoted my post, but not sure if that's what you meant to do.

5 pages about wings, when you explicitly asked about food other than wings. Amazing. Anyway. Had a burger at Anchor once; wasn't impressed, but it wasn't horrible, either.

Presumably, none of those are counterfeit, though. Do you people really think it's okay to buy counterfeit goods? Seriously? Do you really think no harm is done to the US-based trademark holder? Or to the US economy in general? What if it isn't a shirt--what if it's, oh, toothpaste. What happened when the Chinese were counterfeiting that? Hell, I'll drop out of the debate. Have fun & save yourselves a few bucks. Please read this first, though: http://www.uspto.gov/go/dcom/olia/ip_quotes.htm

Yes. It just conflicts completely with their mission statement. And, I'm not sure the money is where they think it is. Do they really think people in NYC and San Francisco are going to care about these teams? Put one in Des Moines or Santa Fe, though, and maybe they'll have a following. Maybe.

UFL Mission Statement: "To fulfill the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved by professional football by providing a high quality traditional football league comprised of world class professional football players. The UFL will serve the communities with pride, dedication and passion, and uphold a leadership role in the development of football worldwide. The UFL will provide every fan with an affordable, accessible, exciting and entertaining game experience." Underserved. So they put two of their four teams in markets that have not one, but TWO NFL teams, and they put another team in Florida, which has three NFL teams. Way to fulfill those unmet needs.

Hold on there. People's opinions don't necessarily reflect their activities--how can you tell who is a pot smoker and who is not?. I voted "no." I don't think marijuana is very harmful, and I certainly don't want the state and federal governments wasting one more penny on the issue. I want it legalized and taxed. But: I DON'T smoke pot. I don't care for it at all. So, am I a "deluded pot smoker?" A "pothead?"

I think it's a Chevelle, and that's Lynch's car. He had it shipped here last week. (I happened to be at the dealership Lynch used as his shipping destination at the right time.)

Wow. There aren't too many top-notch programs represented there, but there are a few, and certainly all of those kids, except one, seem to be headed to Div. I or Div. II teams. I'm surprised--I thought that college coaches wouldn't have allowed participation in such a program. If two weeks is enough time to build cohesion and learn a playbook, then indeed, this team could be something. Still, I wouldn't count your country out. This apparently is our first attempt at fielding a national team. I'm not going to head to Canton to watch, but if there's a game on TV and I've got nothing else to do, I'll tune in.

Did you read my option 2? Where is the tearful icon when I need it? PS: Please don't follow the advice of dumbasses who can't spell "hundred," even when it was spelled correctly for them in the post they quoted. Please help our country get better, not worse.

Please don't do this. Please don't buy counterfeit goods from other countries to save a hundred bucks. Either (1) buy the real thing--it might be manufactured elsewhere, but the licensing fees do come back to the US and do somewhat support the economy of this country; or (2) go without. There is no need to support Chinese (or insert country that doesn't respect US intellectual property rights here) counterfeiters AND inhumane labor practices at the same time. It is unpatriotic.

France may have more of a chance than you think. I don't know that the USA will field an especially strong national team--our best under-19 football players are in college programs. Our next-best under-19 players are in I-AA college programs. Unless Florida State is letting its recruits play for Team USA, I think we're probably looking at kids who are either at the lowest level of American college football, or can't play at the college level.

Some guys back in 1776 felt like that. Damn, they must have been unpatriotic.

I'd pay extra to have the place redecorated. Man, does Marino have some sh*tty taste. He probably drives a BMW. The other place in the slideshow, now that looks awesome.

Not exactly an order of magnitude that should discourage a move.