Whipped Cream Difficulties

This week: TMQ’s AFC preview, and this is the last time we’ll ever have to read about “Friday Night Lights”. After the jump…

We here at WCD have a tendency to boil the first few hundred words of TMQ down into one sentence, and suggest skipping the rest. We’re not suggesting that this week; for once, the start of Easterbrook’s column actually makes a good point and develops it with additional background information that hasn’t been covered elsewhere. In this case, Easterbrook’s point is that “a cheap team that loses might have more profits than an expensive team that wins”. This explains why teams aren’t spending all the funds available under the NFL salary cap (a situation that will change in 2013).

Perhaps the most interesting statistic in this portion of TMQ’s column is the estimate that “each sold home seat represents around $30 in profit”. This jibes with figures from the one team that does release financials; the Green Bay Packers 2010 profit worked out to about $18 per seat.

In other news, why does Baltimore keep losing to Pittsburgh? Buffalo finally got rid of their ugly uniforms, along with many of their recent draft choices.

“Didn’t Ohio used to be a hotbed of football culture?” Christmas creep. Denver’s problem is “instability at defensive coordinator”, and Brady Quinn should give up being a quarterback. TMQ is with Lawrence in thinking that Wade Phillips will make a difference for the Texans.

To hell with “Friday Night Lights”.

TMQ apparently doesn’t believe that Peyton Manning is getting older and slower. “Expect big things from someone on this list: <list of 14 undrafted free agents for the Colts deleted -DB>”. My, Gregg, what a nice shotgun you have there.

Jacksonville has been trading up for draft choices. How’s that working for them? “…two ones, two twos, two threes, a five and a seven for a rookie quarterback”.

If Miss USA is in favor of marijuana legalization, does that indicate public opinion is swinging in the same direction?

Rushing isn’t enough for the Jets. Is KC for real? (Probably not.) Miami’s quarterback mistakes.

Remember Our Stolen Future, the book that argued trace chemicals in the environment were causing a decline in human fertility? Yeah, about that…

Easterbrook’s point here is in general a good one. But WCD takes exception to his characterization of The Coming Plague. “Now antibiotics and vaccines also oppose disease, while improved public health makes the human family more resistant.” And the increased use of antibiotics also makes disease more resistant, Gregg, as you well know. “But natural history does not contain any examples of runaway super-diseases.” I’d be curious to hear why TMQ discounts the Black Plague or the 1918 influenza pandemic. I’m aware that medical science has advanced since 1918 (let alone 1313) but…

Even with modern antiviral and antibacterial drugs, vaccines, and prevention knowledge, the return of a pandemic virus equivalent in pathogenicity to the virus of 1918 would likely kill >100 million people worldwide.

That doesn’t qualify as a “runaway super-disease”?

The football gods are still punishing New England. “Next will the Raiders plead nolo contendere at halftime?” Given recent events, they very well may. The Steelers major weakness is the fourth quarter. What happened to San Diego? More creep. It is a good sign that the Titans have two Hall of Fame players serving as coaches now.

Finally, should college football and basketball players get stipends? TMQ thinks so. WCD is inclined to agree; however, we’re not sure that stipends would have made a difference in the most recent round of scandals. Would $1000 a month really deter a college player from accepting hookers offered by a Ponzi schemer?

That’s a wrap for this week. Next week, the NFC, and, if we’re lucky, perhaps some SF film bashing.

 

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 at 1:56 pm and is filed under Sports, TMQ watch, TV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.