TheOak

There are some commonly stated misconceptions that I hear in forums, media , tabloids etc.. So I figured I would clear some of them up.

QB vs QB
There is no such thing as QB vs QB. Its QB vs opposing Defense. Brees/Brady, Brees/Rogers, Brees/Manning, will never happen unless they meet up somewhere and play golf, basketball, ping pong etc...

Super Bowls/ Rings/ Quarterbacks (this is a long one)

Great Quarterbacks are defined by Super Bowl Rings
Quarterbacks win Super Bowls

BULLH!T

TEAMS win Super Bowls. Brees did not take us to the promise land with out interceptions by Sharper, and Montana would not have all of his rings with out Rice.

Some of the same people who say Super Bowls are won by Quarterbacks also say Defenses win championships... Make up your mind. Unless you are trying to say the Defense won the conference championship but the quarterback won the Superbowl... Which just doesn't compute.

Elite Quarterbacks are not defined by wins or Super Bowl rings. Teams are. Elite Quarterbacks are defined purely by stats, not one years worth of stats but many years worth of stats. "Elite in your position" is not defined by TEAM ACHIEVEMENTS. It is solely based on how you stand up to the rest of the players at your position strictly on YOUR performance. Given that receivers play a huge roll in that.

Defenses do not win Championships
Evident by the past few Super Bowl champions having less than spectacular defenses, and teams with top defenses not winning any Super Bowls in recent years.

Out of the last 5 Super Bowl Champions only the Steelers had notable Defenses.

Incomplete passes
If a receivers finger tips even touch the ball the incomplete is on him. If he can git is fingertips on the ball he damn well better find a few more inches to catch it.

Great Quarter Backs have to be tall

Drew Brees

Great Players make a Great Team

Great players only make a great roster... Great Teams are teams that bond, and know how each other plays. They fit together like a puzzle and each players strengths off set another players weakness.

Enough of the frikken "dream team" designation before the first regular season game has even been played.

Dome Teams are not as good as Stadium teams

Well there may be some truth to this according to the Super Bowl Champions but we are still going to whip your azz.

The Jets are worthy of conversation

Simply no.

Professional Football is a gentleman's sport
No. It is a gladiators sport. It is a sport where penalties and not for cheating, they are for getting caught doing something the other guy didn't get caught doing to you. 60% of the players are not roll models... They are thugs you would not bring home for Christmas dinner with your family. The league does an "ok" job of cleaning up the presentation but the reality is that that most of the players play football because it is the only legal lucrative profession they are qualified for, or could succeed doing.

DeMaurice Smith is at odds with Roger Goodell
Do not be fooled for a minute.. They are in bed, not at odds. The NFL is too powerful of a machine to have any rogue intelligent life form at odds with it for too long. The suspended players and Coaches NEED the League, otherwise all of them would be working at JC Penny telling the league to shove it for the way they were treated.

Lastly.. The CBA

The CBA does not protect the players. It is actually a mask that the league wears to keep the players under thumb... The league knows that if the $ amount in the CBA looks right, the players will swallow any and erery other demand put in it by the league... Thats why we are where we are now with Bounty Gate... Smith and the NFLPA saw a $ figure that looked good and forgot to read the rest that made Goodell King, Deity, and Commissar.

Please feel free to add to the list, discuss or debate.

Danno

You can never have too many <insert position here>.

Yes you can. If you have 17 CB's on your roster, you have too many.

SaintsBro

Nice post, but this part I have to kinda disagree with. Some players today are complete thugs, no doubt. But I think that a lot more of these guys -- probably the majority of them -- DO have extreme sides to their personalities: mean, psychotic, violent, aggressive, even thuggishness. But based on the three or four that I have sorta known, or ones that I've had interactions or run-ins with over the years, and their families (I've known a couple of relatives or family members of Saints players over the years) I think it's more often something that these dudes turn ON and OFF, like a switch. Just one side to them.

There are PLENTY of players who fit that Willie Roaf type -- the huge body, mean as heck when he's out on the field, but who in reality is actually kinda soft and quiet and really thoughtful.

I mean that's like the dream stereotype of the offensive lineman, the huge hulking guy who smashes people on Sundays, breaks bones, but then he loves his weak little kicker and QB like a little brother, and hugs them, the way Nicks picked up Drew in his arms and bear hugged him when he broke the record. The terror of the gridiron who cries and sniffs at the sad parts of a Pixar cartoon movie with his kids. This is a cliche, but it's kind of a real NFL thing too. My impression is that a lot of players, really are like that, in person.

Take someone like Jonathan Vilma -- the man is very bright and super articulate off the field, but he also has a dark side, enjoys poker and high rolling. The man was U of Miami, but don't think for a minute that his business degree from there isn't real. You know he is right there in the huddle with the lawyers, for all this stuff he's doing in court.

Deuce is another one. The man was a raging beast on the field, but talks so quiet in person you can barely hear him. Extremely humble.

Courtney Roby is completely bat**** crazy, insanely violent gunner on special teams, but he's also a deeply religious and spiritual person -- prays in the end zone at almost every game. He was deeply upset when he accidentally clobbered that officiating guy holding the yard marker that one time on a kickoff. Prayed for him, even visited the poor guy in the hospital, felt horrible about it. I don't know what the hell else Courtney Roby could do with his life and his violent skill set, as a profession, being a maniac like he is, but his heart is in the right place.

While we're on misconceptions, I also think that a lot of people tend to think Drew Brees is some kind of hero and angel -- and that's probably NOT ENTIRELY TRUE as well. He doesn't show it much, but I'm sure he has that "locker room side" to him, as well.

TheOak

Duly noted and OP corrected, you have personal experience that can not be ignored. And while I agree thats its probably lower than 90%, I will bet it is a lot higher than it was in say... 1978.

How many times do you think Brees looked at Meachem and said... You catch like a bitc4! Really MF-r? It was in your hands!.. LOL

I agree with you... There are no angels in football... The public likes to paint certain players in "savior light".

CharityMike

Wait...you mean there is no Drew Breesus and the Holy Graham

Danno

The best 53 players will make the roster

Wrong. There are numerous players cut who are better than the rookie draft pick that did make it. The rookie has much more potential down the raod, but a lot of those journeymen and veterans are currently better players than the rookies.

Danno

Why do we carry two fullbacks?

We don't. We carry one fullback and a great special teams player who also happens to play fullback. If you must, change his position from FB to ST.

Shoe.

Yo 626, looks like you hit a nerve with ol' Danno

lol j/k Danno, but man you sure got fired up quick!

pinch

Left tackle is the most difficult offensive position to play.

Beastmode

Doug Flutie was a good QB and he was what 5'10". Ditka should have made him a Saint, instead we got Billy Joeses.