Has anyone heard Smerlas on WGR

[DeLuca1967]

Think part of it is the timeslot itself -- lot harder to book guests for 7am than for an afernoon drive or evening slot, especially in a field conditioned by evening gametimes and late-night deadlines.

And I think you're correct about the difference in production; while I was okay with Jimmy B's work on Empire, I absolutely detested his morning-show act. The "Bambi" junk never would've flown in the 3-6 slot.

 

Seems like I recall hearing, back in the NSA days, that Simon couldn't wait to get off the morning shift. Now he's back there, and has to deal with both Smerlas and ChuckieD on a weekly basis? He has my sympathy...

 

Now, as to Drew Brees: anyone remember the fourteenth start of his career? Right here at the Ralph. He absolutely reeked that day, and ended up getting benched for Freddie's buddy Flutie...

790638[/snapback]

 

Which means nothing.

 

No one has said that Brees is a HOF QB. That he was perfect. He is much better than Losman and was much further ahead at start #11 then Losman is now.

 

As for Howard Simon? It seems like he gave up at some point. Maybe J White is holding him back somehow. I know it's hard to get guest at 7 AM. But you have a whole days worth of sports to talk about and you don't have to worry about something having been said since you're the first on the air.

 

It seems when Simon starts to talk about sports White jumps in to turn into some type of list. Simon starts to talk a little golf and White jumps in with the 'Top five golfers named Paul' or if Simon talks baseball White jumps in with ' Top five Mets named Paul'.

 

They should have Simon on with Sullivan for the pregame show. It's a waste of Sully to have him on with White. I tune in Sunday morning and what do I hear. Another gimic. Jerry is there to talk Bills and NFL Football and White is there with another list

for 'Bills Speed Round' or whatever.

 

WGR has gone towards the Sports talk version of fart jokes. It would be nice if they find sometime in their day to talk serious sports. Simon and Schoop have proven in the past they can do it. Sullivan is great at it. And they have some great guests from ESPN radio. I know sports should be fun. But it should also be a few levels beyond 'pull my finger' type talk.

[bradjames24]

http://eod.liquidviewer.com/wgr-od/wgr/weei.mp3

 

Rebuttle from the station in Boston....

[Dan Gross]

By his 11th game Brees had already shown signs of being an NFL QB. JP has done nothing.

 

Really? So why was San Diego drafting his replacement in 2004?

As far as Big Ben? It just proves it takes more then an arm to win in the NFL.

 

Yes it takes good coaching. Coaching that recognizes the limitations of your players and works with those limitations to put in a solid game plan. Coaching that puts a young QB in a position to make fewer, higher percentage throws and letting the rest of his capable offense (including a very good o-line) support him during his development.

 

Which is something Losman just doesn't get. Ben makes smart plays. He makes the right decision most of the time. And he wins.

 

No, the Steelers win because he's been put in a position to make said smart plays.

 

But I do look forward to your post where you try to tell me that JP's first 11 starts are more impressive then Bens and that all of his wins and the SB ring mean nothing. 

790590[/snapback]

 

See, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that the rare QB's that are successful early are not just successful because of "pure talent" on the QB's part.

[I 90]

Think part of it is the timeslot itself -- lot harder to book guests for 7am than for an afernoon drive or evening slot, especially in a field conditioned by evening gametimes and late-night deadlines.

790638[/snapback]

 

They are not working hard enough (or they like the Smerlas conflict angle as much as I do).

Morning drive is the money slot. Three to six is the OPRAH slot -- it doesn't matter what quality the guests are. It is not a coincidence that Sullivan comes on as late as possible in afternoon drive.

 

Fan 590 spam alert... they drag the Raptor, Leaf and Argo coaches out of bed in the A.M. for their Insider segments. You just can't strand the morning crew on an island (of favorite cheeses).

 

.

[Lori]

Just a few thoughts...

DeLuca: We'll have to agree to disagree WRT Brees. I'll just reiterate the point Simon was trying to make, that the Chargers were ready to dump him (to the point of spending a high #1 on Manning/Rivers) before he finally 'got it'.

I'm not going to quote your entire post, but if your main point was that Simon would have a better show flying solo, I'm with you on that one. I liked the Simon&Brinson pairing because JB was solid in the sports HS didn't care about (such as hoops), and vice-versa. That same dynamic doesn't exist between White and Simon, one of the increasingly-rare sportstalkers who learned the craft before Rome and his ilk turned the genre into an insult-fest.

 

And S&B didn't feel the need for the obligatory Point/Counterpoint action, either... which is why I join Dan Gross in continuing to lament the demise of Empire/NSA.

 

On a happier note, I hear Roby has signed on for a weekly show. (Wednesday mornings, I think?) Now that was some good interplay; I still remember him and Howard yelling at each other on a Sharpshooters segment about whether or not to re-sign Miro Satan, with an amused Jim Kelley letting them go at it...

 

I 90, you make a valid point regarding the guest-list. Trouble is, Jauron and Levy are already on 97 Rock, and I can't see very many players willing to set their alarms that early unless there's some decent $$$ involved. Dunno what kind of jack Entercom is willing to spend.

It's different with the Sabres, since GR does hold their rights: both Ruff and Regier are regulars in the AM. (You probably already knew that...)

[Bob in STL]

By his 11th game Brees had already shown signs of being an NFL QB. JP has done nothing.

 

I disagree ... If so then why did San Diego end up with Rivers? Nice try.

[Olaf Fub]

I think stations put him on the air because he's a loud mouth jerk.  He gets people riled and that is good for ratings.  I rarely see threads about other guys WGR has on regularly.  He is a small minded biggot and a proud flag waver for the republican party.

790508[/snapback]

 

Thank you for being honest. This is the real reason for all the vitriol in this thread.

 

What did Fred say in that interview that remotely warrants this response? The Rob Johnson comparison is a little blunt but he's pretty much making the same points as a lot of other analyists.

 

Joe D metioned Monday on WGR that a first round pick when he played didn't get this much time to develop. Vic Carruci has said every Sunday that JP has to start showing some progress.

 

I think they are all wrong. I like JP and I'm rooting for him. But my reasoning as to why I think they are wrong is based a lot more on hope than it is on logic. We're at the quarter pole of JP's 3rd season and he's still a big question mark.

 

I think for every QB that gets to this point and makes it, there are probable ten that are flops. I think he's going to be one of the ones that turns out to be pretty good but, based on some of his performances so far, it's not exactly crazy talk to say that he's not.

[BuffOrange]

If it were 1999 I might be bitching about Smerlas and what an idiot he is. Since it was so clear so long ago, I've just accpeted it, ignored him completely, and shook my head at how he can possibly still be on the air. He's a retard.

[Buftex]

Thank you for being honest. This is the real reason for all the vitriol in this thread.

 

What did Fred say in that interview that remotely warrants this response? The Rob Johnson comparison is a little blunt but he's pretty much making the same points as a lot of other analyists.

 

790810[/snapback]

 

 

You have to hear Smerlas a little more than once...I don't know if he does his segment with Bob Matthews on WHAM anymore (it used to be archived on their web-site) but what inkman says is pretty dead on. Personally, I have no problem with his political views (which I am in know way in agreement), it is just the lack of fact that he uses to proclaim himself as the absolute voice of all things correct. He applies the same lack of logic with his sports opinions. He is dead wrong about the way Brees career went in San Diego (he has his timeline very !@#$ed up) and applies double standard logic to make his arguments. His assertion that Steve McNair "still can't read defnses" is also absurd....Fred has never had a nice word to say about a black QB, that wasn't followed with a qualifier...

 

I have some serious doubts, based on the "observations" that he makes, that he even sees most of the games he comments on. Some of his opinions on players are outdated, like he hasn't seen them play since their rookie year... or he just hears random things, and repeats them as his opinion, you know, like most of the sports talking heads do, nowadays.

 

He is free to his opinions, but if he is getting paid to give them, you would think they would be formulated a bit better. He made some salient points, but then destroyed his own argument, about Losman, by making up total BS about Brees, to support his argument.

 

As he was in his playing days, Fred seems to think he can get by, by being a bully, rather than having a brain in his head...everytime he opens his mouth, he comes off as an ass-kisser, or a complete moron...or both! I think Simon exposed him for being the complete turd that he is...

[I 90]

some decent $$$ involved. Dunno what kind of jack Entercom is willing to spend.

It's different with the Sabres, since GR does hold their rights: both Ruff and Regier are regulars in the AM. (You probably already knew that...)

790739[/snapback]

 

$$$ is only part of the story...

 

The Bills don't see the need to make people available all across the dial. It is shortsighted. The dog and pony act that Donahoe managed to refill the stadium is gone, and the feelgood return of Marv could turn around TOMORROW. Optimism AND friends in every media corner (for insurance)

seems prudent.

 

Fan590 manages to dominate sports radio here without the Leaf rights, a neat trick IMO.

 

.

[Dan Gross]

$$$ is only part of the story...

 

The Bills don't see the need to make people available all across the dial. It is shortsighted. The dog and pony act that Donahoe managed to refill the stadium is gone, and the feelgood return of Marv could turn around TOMORROW. Optimism AND friends in every media corner (for insurance)

seems prudent.

 

Fan590 manages to dominate sports radio here without the Leaf rights, a neat trick IMO.

 

.

790851[/snapback]

 

Thing is, it seems to me that Marv has been on WGR more times since he started as GM than TD was on during his entire reign. Again, the enmity between TD and WGR was clear, and it seems WGR has much more access now to Bills' employees at all levels than they did when TD was running things. It's just obvious that with the broadcast rights (as 97 rock has) comes perks like preference for when Bills' employess are on-air etc.

 

Again, not that I think WGR is the be-all end-all, just the facts as I see them.

[inkman]

...but what inkman says is pretty dead on. 

790839[/snapback]

 

 

Thank You

[inkman]

Thank you for being honest. This is the real reason for all the vitriol in this thread.

 

What did Fred say in that interview that remotely warrants this response?

790810[/snapback]

 

I know Buftex metioned it but I will eloborate. I've been subjected to Fred and his moronic spewing for years now. If it wasn't on Bob Matthews, then it was on WEEI when I was tuning in for Red Sox talk. BTW, if people think his football takes are bad, you need to hear his takes on a sport in which he knows nothing.

 

So my take on Freddie is based on his vast portfolio of stupidity and not just his comments on Howard's show. Although I'm getting the feeling that you may side with a lot of Fred's political views. After all, you did highlight that part of what I said.

[DeLuca1967]

I disagree ... If so then why did San Diego end up with Rivers?  Nice try. 

790740[/snapback]

 

You think it might have to do with Rivers being a really talented QB? Just because you have a quality QB it doesn't mean you pass on a great talent. And let's not forget that the Bills would have picked Rivers if he fell. They setteled for Losman.

 

Speaking of nice trys. It was a nice atttempt to distract from the point I made. Rivers vs Brees has nothing to do with Losman. Except that the Chargers ended up with two really good QB's and the Bills have none.

 

Which briings up another point. How can the Chargers draft two quality NFL strating QB's in span of 3 years and the Bills have come up empty the past 23 years.

[inkman]

Which briings up another point. How can the Chargers draft two quality NFL strating QB's in span of 3 years and the Bills have come up empty the past 23 years. 

790899[/snapback]

 

Because they drafted 2 QB's in the top 32 picks. (different years obviously)

[inkman]

You think it might have to do with Rivers being a really talented QB? Just because you have a quality QB it doesn't mean you pass on a great talent.

790899[/snapback]

 

No. It was because Brees sucked. Their is no denying it. I saw it. You saw it. The Chargers saw it. He sucked because he needed time to develop, just like most QB's. If Losman will ever develop is anyone's guess, but considering this is the bed our current administration made, I suggest sleeping in it.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

Brees showed little prior to the 2004 season, which is why SD drafted Rivers. It was only during the 2004 season that he showed he could be a top-flight QB (of course having Tomlinson, Gates, and a good O-line helps). His games prior to that were marked with inconsistency and had Rivers come into camp on-time, he likely would have been given the starting nod.

 

And I can't understand why people still think JP is a question mark? The Bills were in EVERY game this year, and if not for mistakes made ALL-AROUND, the Bills would be undefeated. That's all you can ask of a young QB, especially one with only 8 starts and 2 seasons under his belt (at the start of this season).

[DeLuca1967]

Because they drafted 2 QB's in the top 32 picks.  (different years obviously)

790905[/snapback]

 

The Bills had a lot of high picks during that span.

[DeLuca1967]

Brees showed little prior to the 2004 season, which is why SD drafted Rivers.  It was only during the 2004 season that he showed he could be a top-flight QB (of course having Tomlinson, Gates, and a good O-line helps).  His games prior to that were marked with inconsistency and had Rivers come into camp on-time, he likely would have been given the starting nod.

And I can't understand why people still think JP is a question mark?  The Bills were in EVERY game this year, and if not for mistakes made ALL-AROUND, the Bills would be undefeated.  That's all you can ask of a young QB, especially one with only 8 starts and 2 seasons under his belt (at the start of this season).

790908[/snapback]

 

I'll give you everything you posted as true. Brees was still far and away a better QB then Losman.

[Buftex]

I'll give you everything you posted as true. Brees was still far and away a better QB then Losman. 

790941[/snapback]

 

That may very well be true...but it doesn't mean he always will be. While I will admitt, I am not as familiar with JP's football heritage, I saw Drew Brees play numerous times as a high school quarterback. He attended Westlake high school, which is one of the premier high-school football programs in the large state of Texas (if not the country). Brees was much further along in his development when he was drafted in the NFL, than JP was. If you recall, Losman was considered a third round draft pick at best, by many NFL scouting staffs. He was considered a raw talent.

 

True, there were a few teams that coveted Losman more than that (Buffalo, Green Bay, Arizona and maybe a few more) but he was considered a high risk in the first round. In fact, I am fairly certain that Tom Modrak liked JP a lot, but not as a first round pick...

 

Just pretend that JP was a third or fourth round pick...would you think he was that awful? Smerlas, and you it seems, seem to be holding his draft position against him. We should all know by now, draft position means nothing in the end.