It's a very trustworthy garment. I've always been really slow to believe accusations about Tressel running a dirty program simply because of the sweater vest.

People who don't acknowledge fumble luck when analyzing football should have the **** kicked out of them.

I pretty much ignore it. I look at forced fumbles if I wanna talk about a defense (or against an offense) but recoveries fall to the average over a long enough sample anyways so shrug.

Minnesota Vikings are fraudulent and should feel fraudulent.

Inevitable regression to the mean is just not something that works in football, given the season length. It's a romantic idea that everyone's breaks pretty much even out over the course of a season, but it's obviously not true. Over the course of all time, sure, but that's only analyzing it from a point of view where all breaks are the same, when the reality is that there are breaks in really high-leverage spots and then there are breaks that are functionally meaningless.

In conclusion, **** the Arizona Cardinals and all who support them.

The notion of "let's feel good for the Cardinals because they've always sucked and this is really nice for the five or six people in Arizona who have civic pride and have always been Cardinal fans" is just the absolute worst.

But I realize that rant is a rerun.

The 2001 Bears are the most obvious example of this. On a side note, one of the easier NFL bets I ever made was the Eagles against them in the playoffs that year.

Bill Parcells once saying "you are what your record says you are" is maybe the fiercest attack on intellectualism in sports that has ever been launched.

He says that. Then hundreds of concussed former athletes go on the air and repeat it as if it's gospel. Then people in everyday life say it in conversation when discussing sports.

It's stab-yourself-in-the-balls awful.

The Minnesota Vikings appear to believe that they're playing on a field that's like two yards narrower than it actually is. I don't know if I've ever seen a team just openly concede the corner more times in a game.

Not helpful when Minnesota loses two fumbles on drives in scoring territory and then drops a horrible pass that was earmarked as a pick-six. Here's a live feed of America watching Arizona get those breaks:

All of that said, it's completely impossible for me to hate Larry Fitzgerald. Yes he wears an ugly uniform that represents a state full of flaky transplants, but it's not his fault. Fitz is just one of those rare athletes who you can't hate.

That's a fair viewpoint and I don't disagree that not all breaks are created equal. My thing is more that teams have no real control over who the ball bounces towards once it hits the ground so it's hard to give teams credit for it. Additionally, if you focus on the forced fumbles (which ignores luck) and then try to factor in recovered fumbles, doesn't that double count things?

It's definitely not perfect or anything (again because it's not all equal) but I'm not really sure what to alter.

I'm basically a "I like Palmer" person and don't mind seeing him succeed when my team blows. Ever since Pit (who I hate) cheap shot him in the playoffs knowing they couldn't beat him and the subsequent "Marvin Lewis and the FO, your philosophy and approach blows and won't ever win a title so either trade me or I retire" ****show just made me like him. Anyone that is smart enough as a player to say "hey, marvin lewis is a moron and I need to go elsewhere to title" is aok in my book.

I don't actively cheer for them or anything, but it's a fun team to watch with a lot of speed. Plus good for Fitz. Most qq SB image for me is Fitz mouthing no no vs the Steelers.

This x 100

Despite the fact that I phrased my first post specifically to fumble luck, it was more of a general gripe about how fans tend to like to stick to a notion that a team deserves their record. Sort of where I eventually got in taking a run at that Parcells quote.

More specifically I saw the Cards catching breaks in a game and it angered me. And then I thought about how it didn't anger anyone else watching around the country, and THAT angered me. And then suddenly I had made 10 posts.

I dunno, I'm indifferent about Palmer really. I can appreciate the Steeler hate of course.

So based on these last two Thursday nights, I'm just going to assume that we're headed for some nightmare Packers-Cardinals NFC Title game that will make me want to reach into a running blender.

Oh, in that case you're absolutely correct haha
YOU ARE YOUR RECORD stuff is lol

we're def in for something like washington and tampa or something to full make this season be a cluster****

Not gonna lie, I didn't think that all of my ranting was going to coincide with a Vikings comeback.

We should laugh at the person that was calling the vikings fraudulent earlier

Oh for ****s sake. Accidental first downs by Arizona linemen. That's what happens late in the game for the Cardinals this season.

loooool thats running hot

Arizona is a rare team that will actually be smart enough to try to convert 3rd and 16 here.

God, I was ready to explode over the unintended receiver nearly making a mostly game-clinching catch.

I would just like to say that I'm very happy for the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals, etc., etc.

****ing jackasses, I'll root for Aaron Rodgers over them if I get forced to.

I'm pretty sure that was me.

Buncha frauds

I mean, they're pretty fraudulent in terms of their record vs. their quality, but I guess I never got the sense that they were getting widespread respect over their record.

I'm guessing they get a 6 seed at best and end up jobbing in Green Bay even though GB doesn't seem all that good either.

Well I meant that they also willingly employ a scum of the earth who everyone is praising this year and totally forgot about what a ****ing pile of **** he is.

Anybody have a good link for UFC 194? Only watchable one I've found is in Spanish.