How To Start An Internet Rumor In Five Easy Parts (Gruden, Reid, Media, Etc)

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Today’s show starts with a brief conversation about the insane numbers the NFL gets on TV (more on that later today) before focusing most of the conversation on this ridiculous and unfounded, yet wildly discussed, rumor that Jon Gruden was going to replace Andy Reid as head coach of the Eagles.

This is not the first — and certainly won’t be the last — internet rumor that has turned into somewhat of a breaking news story, in that the news being broken is that there is, in fact, no story.

In fact…that’s an interesting choice of words, I suppose. Fact, as it seems, has very little to do with any of these rumors. Let’s get to the list (note, we talk about all of this in the show that’s linked above so I’m not sure if you should read this first or listen first, but please…do both.)

Part One: Create Rumor

A rumor can come from anywhere and only needs a modicum of believability to spread. If Kyle Eckel’s Facebook page — or aREAD MORE

DL515: Football & Football; David Akers, Family, Robots & January Transfer Window

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The show is in two parts. First, Nick and I discuss Ashley Fox’s front-page Philadelphia Inquirer story on David Akers, his family, the struggles his daughter has been going through in her battle with cancer and what impact that may have had on two missed kicks in the playoffs. We discuss the story itself and how Fox framed the situation, Akers’ past financial woes and Andy Reid’s post game comments to curry sympathy for the kicker. It’s a terrible situation for his family, but was the story too sympathetic? Is that possible?

Second half of the show is with Jon Tannenwald of Philly.com talking soccer, and specifically the January Transfer Window. Is Fernando Torres the equivalent to Nomar? Why would a team like Blackpool even entertain trading away their captain for a few million euros? And how about the way the media covered the day, with stakeouts and Twitter fights and rumors of helicopters throughout the day.

Thanks for listening, as always.

If Jim Harbaugh Becomes NFL’s Richest Coach, Should Current Coaches Hold Out For More?

[If you are a regular to the show, you've certainly heard Nick make reference to "our buddy Mike McKeeman" and the wonderful, if somewhat out-of-left-field ideas he has over email. This is one of those ideas. The words below are his.]

I want to see an NFL coach holdout. I complain all the time about petulant wide receivers who whine that they’ve outplayed the contract extension they signed just two years ago and threaten to sit out training camp and the regular season. But I would love it if an NFL coach decided to take this tact against an owner. I just want to see what would happen.

Could it happen next year? Rumors have Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh signing a deal with the Miami Dolphins, or two or three other teams, that would make him the NFL’s highest paid coach. Harbaugh has been extremely successful at Stanford, taking over a team that went 1-11 the year before his arrival and leading them to an Orange Bowl victory and a Top 5 ranking four years later.READ MORE

On Vick, Kolb, Reid, Karma & Fantasy Football

I believe in Karma.

It’s a little more complex than simply ‘do good things and good things happen’ (or the converse ‘do bad things and bad things will happen’), but the general principle of being responsible for one’s actions is an important part of everyday life. More than seeking reward for being good, it’s the potential — and propensity — for Karmic retribution that should govern our decisions; do not transgress and you won’t have to pay.

The problem, of course, with believing in Karma is that not everyone else does. Karma — or whatever I’m call Karma — is more a guideline to try and be a positive part of society, and a good influence in every day life. So how can you justify watching people do terrible things — or even moderately bad things — and end up getting rewarded for it? Does Karma tell us that they’ll end up with stomach cancer later in life or that they’ll get hit by a bus or something? Does Karma tell me that I’m going to wakeREAD MORE

Will Donovan McNabb Get Booed This Weekenzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The hot topic in the NFL this week is Donovan McNabb’s return to Philadelphia. And while most people should care about the fact that the Eagles were rebuilding with Kevin Kolb and are suddenly contending with Michael Vick or the fact that McNabb could play at a Pro Bowl level and it still may not help the Washington Redskins avoid a 1-3 start that sure a heck looks like 1-6 if they can’t win on Sunday, it seems most conversation surrounding this game starts with whether or not McNabb is going to get booed when he runs out of the tunnel.

Here’s CSN Washington’s Brian Mitchell — who played in Philly as well as Washington — talking with Andy Reid (via DC Sports Bog):

“They remember the good times,” Reid told Brian Mitchell, when asked about Eagles fans. “They might give him the business during the game or something, but he’ll get a great reception.”

Later, B Mitch asked if McNabb got a fair shake in Philly.

“Absolutely,” Reid said. “I think the organization does these different polls around theREAD MORE

DL439: Twins Win! Plus, Phillies vs. Eagles and Andy Reid vs. Controversy

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Nick and I talk about the Twins completely running away with the AL Central and take a look at the standings now when compared to July 23rd when the Twins were three back in their division, the Phillies were seven back in theirs and the Reds were half a game back in theirs.

A lot can change in a baseball season. It’s good that the Twins still have something to play for (home field) or this could be a long time without meaningful baseball? Did they win the division too early?

SPECULATION STATION:

Phil Sheridan has a fantastic column in today’s Philly Inq. You have to read that. It talks about the power struggle in Philadelphia between the Eagles and Phillies, a topic Nick and I take and run with. The latest, of course, is the quarterback controversy in town — I said earlier in the week it wasn’t a controversy until someone from inside the organization says something, so how about the head coach creating this one? That counts.

What was Andy Reid thinkingREAD MORE

DL437: Is Bitching About Bitching Better Or Worse Than Just Bitching?

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We recap the NFL’s week two and take a look at some of the surprises in the league. Did anyone think the Cowboys would be 0-2 and the Dolphins would be 2-0? There are a lot of surprises, and a lot of hindsight is 20-20 “how did we not see this coming” things. For example: Joe Flacco stinks. Oh, and so does Brett Favre.

We do address the quarterback situation in Philadelphia, from a fan/media perspective and that does include the Phillies which devolves into me bitching about people bitching about coaching all the time. People just can’t be happy with a winning team that THEY THINK should be winning more. We all do it, but it’s a ridiculous mindset to employ, and one that, frankly, I think other people around the country don’t have as much as the “I’m right, here’s why” crowd around this town.

I’ll be honest, it’s been a long day, so maybe bitching about bitching about coaching wasn’t the way to go. It’s either a great rantREAD MORE

DL352: Gary Thorne Talks MLB2K10, Floating Realignment & More. Plus: McNabb Rumors, Tiger, Union Debut & Print is, in fact, Dead.

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We’re back. Please tolerate the congestion.

Pleased to have Gary Thorne, venerable broadcaster and the voice of MLB2K10 on the show. We talk a bit about the game and the process by which he records all those sounds. I never knew they do it in a booth with no visual aids. They are basically calling an imaginary baseball game? Wait not just one game…like 70 hours of imaginary games.

We talk about the fact that Thorne isn’t given a script – that he’s hired for the way he calls the game as much as his voice – and how different the game is when there’s nothing to cross-talk about. Isn’t the cross talk what makes baseball announcing so much fun?

We discuss actual baseball as well, as I ask Thorne about the differences between calling national games and local games for the Orioles. And being in Baltimore, does he find his audience is much more dedicated, and therefore baseball savvy, than a larger audience of bandwagon jumpers may be in, say, Philadelphia or Boston?READ MORE

A Present to Me: We go FJM on SAS

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With all apologies to the fine folks at Fire Joe Morgan, who took columnist dissection to a whole new level, we break down the most recent column of PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER COLUMNIST Stephen A. Smith.

SAS talks about how Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid are linked forever. It’s a new concept, it seems. He thinks that they should both be back, but if people want McNabb gone, he thinks Reid should be gone too. Rather than break it down here, just give it a listen. And if you think we went overboard, consider it a birthday present to myself.

“Ooh, I got a poorly constructed column to dissect! It’s what I always wanted! And it’s wrapped in newsprint…how clever.”

Thanks for indulging us. Be safe in the snow.