Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 They seem to think that Donte Whitner is the 64th best defensive player in all of football. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9492362/2013-nfl-player-rankings-defense-70-61 They must have missed that game in early February. Or most any other for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I don't know...Whitner seems to be be pretty highly-regarded outside of WNY. I don't think it is just ESPN. Like most any DB, he has missed, but he also made some pretty big plays for the 49ers last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Hehehe....I kept telling BillNYC that Donte Whitner was a good draft pick, but did he listen? Oh no. Any opportunity to bash ESPN will be taken by me until they go back to being the quality brand they once were. No people in history talk about their "brand" more, while simultaneously being more blind to the fact that their brand is crap. Yes, let's have some more Skip Bayless. Let's have some more Colin Cowherd. I'd much rather listen to Andrew Peters stutter and burp his way through 2 hours, than ever have to listen to Cowherd say "I'm not a company man", and then spend his next two hours talking about why hockey sucks. How embarrassing for him. How embarrassing for the ESPN execs to have their agenda made so transparent. Andrew Peters is interesting, because for all his insecure goofiness, he is: SINCERE. And, this isn't over. ESPN is going to have some real competition very soon. We'll see if they can continue to get away with their horrible "divide and conquer" marketing strategy, which has taken the air out of both Baseball AND the NBA. Look at it: ESPN covering the big markets, and belittling the small, has destroyed people's interest in both sports. Ratings are down, and ESPN is laying people off because they've destroyed their own market interest in live programming. That's what happens when you divide and conquer: everybody stops caring. "Divide and Conquer" is the ONLY reason that Donte Whitner is even on that list at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Whitner was a hard worker and good player for us. He took alot of crap from fans here because he was not Ronnie Lott. It wan't his fault he was drafted so high by the Bills. He got the last laugh though. He got paid and plays for a superbowl contending team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 I don't know...Whitner seems to be be pretty highly-regarded outside of WNY. I don't think it is just ESPN. Like most any DB, he has missed, but he also made some pretty big plays for the 49ers last year. According to Pro Football Focus, Whitner gave up more touchdowns (8) than any safety in the league last year. And this is on a great defense. The perception of his worth is based solely on the success of the parts around him. He is not at all a good football player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Well, off the top of my head, here are the DBs that I am confident are better (in no particular order): 1. Cromartie 2. Byrd 3. Polamalu 4. Reed 5. Talib 6. L. Webb 7. Haden 8. L. Hall 9. J. Joseph 10. Weddle 11. Berry 12. C. Bailey 13. P. Peterson 14. C. Finnegan 15. R. Sherman 16. B. Browner 17. C. Chancellor 18. E. Thomas 19. C. Woodson 20. C. Tillman 21. J. Greer 22. D. Goldson 23. W. Moore 24. T. DeCoud 25. B. Carr Whether you agree with that list or not, there's probably a fair number of swaps that could be made, so take it with a grain of salt. My opinion is that it's probably not a stretch to say that an equal number of DL and LBs are better players than Whitner. So, at best, he may be top 75, but I think top 100 is more realistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gale Gilbert Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I remember last summer, I was out of town and settled on listening to Cowherd on the radio while I was driving. He opened his show by insisting that he wouldn't talk about Tebow, then spent about 15 minutes saying why he wouldn't talk about Tebow. I got out of the car or changed stations or whatever, but when I checked back in after about 90 minutes, he was still talking about Tebow. He's an imbecile. I never had much of a problem with Whitner, but I also didn't mind it that he left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatloaf Sandwich Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 For someone that hates ESPN you sure love to support the site by going to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Without quoting your post, Bandit, where is Gilmore on your list? He is already an infinitely better player than Donte Whitner ever was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsGuyInMalta Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) Hehehe....I kept telling BillNYC that Donte Whitner was a good draft pick, but did he listen? Oh no. Any opportunity to bash ESPN will be taken by me until they go back to being the quality brand they once were. No people in history talk about their "brand" more, while simultaneously being more blind to the fact that their brand is crap. Yes, let's have some more Skip Bayless. Let's have some more Colin Cowherd. I'd much rather listen to Andrew Peters stutter and burp his way through 2 hours, than ever have to listen to Cowherd say "I'm not a company man", and then spend his next two hours talking about why hockey sucks. How embarrassing for him. How embarrassing for the ESPN execs to have their agenda made so transparent. Andrew Peters is interesting, because for all his insecure goofiness, he is: SINCERE. And, this isn't over. ESPN is going to have some real competition very soon. We'll see if they can continue to get away with their horrible "divide and conquer" marketing strategy, which has taken the air out of both Baseball AND the NBA. Look at it: ESPN covering the big markets, and belittling the small, has destroyed people's interest in both sports. Ratings are down, and ESPN is laying people off because they've destroyed their own market interest in live programming. That's what happens when you divide and conquer: everybody stops caring. "Divide and Conquer" is the ONLY reason that Donte Whitner is even on that list at all. I've got a very good friend who works at ESPN and if it makes you feel any better, everyone who works at ESPN hates Cowherd as well. I've been told on numerous occasions how unprofessional and difficult to work with Cowherd is. On the flip side of the coin...the nicest on-air personality? Nomar Garciaparra. Apparently a really awesome guy. Edited August 22, 2013 by BillsGuyInBallstonSpa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 You think I care if other people hate him? I don't even know your friend how would I know I wouldn't hate them? .....Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatloaf Sandwich Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 .....Huh? I am wondering why you hate ESPN yet you seem to always be in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 I am wondering why you hate ESPN yet you seem to always be in it? I was referring to your odd comment prior to this one, but to answer your question, I don't "Hate" ESPN as a whole, I have just grown increasingly frustrated by their lack of quality insight on NFL-related issues. NFL Network, PFT, PFF and others have all passed them in this category. And how would you know if I'm "always" on their site, Loaf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 He's a good football player. Harbaugh thinks so. Thats good enough for me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) I've got a very good friend who works at ESPN and if it makes you feel any better, everyone who works at ESPN hates Cowherd as well. I've been told on numerous occasions how unprofessional and difficult to work with Cowherd is. On the flip side of the coin...the nicest on-air personality? Nomar Garciaparra. Apparently a really awesome guy. Cowherd is merely a symptom, and so is Bayless. Neither is the disease. Feeling has nothing to do with this. This is about thinking. Specifically, it's about marketing thinking. I know bad marketing when I see it. The worst is that ESPN has screwed themselves with this approach, and you can bet that they know it. You know who else knows it: FOX and NBC. That's why they are now putting their 24/7 sports channels forward. The ONLY reason that the NFL hasn't suffered the same fate as MLB and NBA? ESPN doesn't have the same level of control over the NFL. The most ironic thing: Reporters in Boston are writing articles about why Dallas and the Jets are getting so much attention even though both teams suck. http://bostinno.stre...-team-receives/ They don't realize that they will be in the exact same place as Dallas and the Jets, after Brady leaves(and Belechick right after). Edited August 22, 2013 by OCinBuffalo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benderbender Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I don't know...Whitner seems to be be pretty highly-regarded outside of WNY. I don't think it is just ESPN. Like most any DB, he has missed, but he also made some pretty big plays for the 49ers last year. Trent Edwards was also highly regarded outside of Buffalo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I've got a very good friend who works at ESPN and if it makes you feel any better, everyone who works at ESPN hates Cowherd as well. I've been told on numerous occasions how unprofessional and difficult to work with Cowherd is. On the flip side of the coin...the nicest on-air personality? Nomar Garciaparra. Apparently a really awesome guy. Apparently ESPN hasn't gotten the word...Cowherd is now going to be part of their Sunday pre-game programming. I can't tell you how much I loathe Cowherd...I couldn't overstate it...yet, like Whitner, he has his supporters! I think it is funny, the people who like him always defend him by saying he is "different", or is "too high brow" for the usuasl sports talk radio neandrathal (me, I guess!)....I think that is a crock of ****, and these people are just buying the snake oil that Cowherd is selling. He is terrible...to me he represents, as much as any one person in sports media, everything I hate about the modern "business of sports"...just a souless demon spawn of ambition and ESPN. The same adoptive parents of people like Skip Bayless. He is the worst... Trent Edwards was also highly regarded outside of Buffalo By who? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 People that write for ESPN have their opinions just like the people that disagree with them. In the end, you're reading and promoting ESPN, good or bad, which is exactly what they want. They win. You lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 People that write for ESPN have their opinions just like the people that disagree with them. In the end, you're reading and promoting ESPN, good or bad, which is exactly what they want. They win. You lose. If you listen to ex-ESPNers, though, they might have their opinions, but they are often told what their opinion will be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) ESPN is arguably the most successful network in the history of TV, and continues to ascend at about 9% growth per year. The FOX and NBC efforts are a direct result of ESPN's success, they want a piece of this enormous pie that ESPN has made, and not because ESPN is ripe for picking. They are going to generate 9 billion in revenue this year, and one out of every four cable dollars earned is earned by ESPN. Disney bought ABC just because ABC had ESPN. It's a ridiculous success story, and they know what they are doing. That doesn't mean they do everything right, are not deserving of criticism, or don't put out a crappy product sometimes. But ESPN is a juggernaut. http://www.businessw...-profit-network Edited August 22, 2013 by Kelly the Dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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