Mike McCarthy is THE STIFF, Not Matt Flynn

As a New England Patriots fan, nothing was more enjoyable than watching the Green Bay Packers final drive of the game on Sunday fall flat on its face.

But unlike the rest of the sports world, I don't fault the Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn for the embarrassing last play of the game on a potential game winning drive.

Everyone seems to think that with 20 seconds left, Flynn should have been able to receive the play from McCarthy and then execute a game winning touchdown pass.

Well not me.

It was obvious the play took too long to come in and Flynn took too long directing traffic before snapping the ball.

But let's be serious. This is the NFL. Coaches are supposed to be prepared. That's right, I say McCarthy blew the game.

If that was Bellichick with the game on the line and a backup quarterback taking the snaps - do you honestly think he wouldn't have been prepared.

4 days earlier in practice he would have been practicing the 2 minute drill with very simple plays, and very simply named plays at that, ready to go.

If the tables were turned on that last play, Bellichick would have simply said something like "dog' or "rabbit" or whatever and everyone on the field, including the backup quarterback, would have known their assignment. Bellichick would have dumbed it down so there was no room for error.

But what does McCarthy do? He goes to his playbook and calls something that Matt Flynn probably had never executed, never mind practiced. You could see it on the field. No one knew the call and Flynn was pushing people left and right trying to just get A PLAY run.

I mean how do you just not have a go to play in that situation? With an unexperienced backup quarterback you just have to have a simple play ready. Who cares if you use it 6 times in the same game. It is your responsibility as a coach to manage the game for a guy with no experience.

So where was McCarthy's "dog" or "rabbit" play? What was he thinking? Was "X-45, Z, 2, Out" the play to call with the clock ticking, the crowd yelling and the game on the line?

Nope.

For your epic FAIL - Mike McCarthy, you are THE STIFF OF THE WEEK.

I've been waiting to write this one

Today's Stiff of the Week is well known to Boston Red Sox fans everywhere. He is caustic, boorish, pompous, arrogant, self-centered, self-righteous and above all, contemptuous. Let's have a hearty chorus of boos for Brian Cashman, Yankees GM, who just experienced one of the biggest OOPS moments ever. He let Cliff Lee slip through his hands and now that left-handed Boston lineup doesn't have to worry about 3 or 4 starts from Lee against them.

The truly pitiable part of all this is that Brian Cashman cannot understand why Cliff Lee signed with a bunch of bums such as the Phillies. How could he not yearn for pinstripes? Who wouldn't want to play with A-Fraud, besides most of baseball? Why wouldn't he want a 900 sq. ft apartment in Manhattan for only $35,000/month + utilities? Why wouldn't he want a state tax on his income of about $17.5 mil from the proposed contract? Why wouldn't he want to play in one of the most crowded and ugly parts of any city in the country?

Brian fails to see that Cliff cares about people, places AND last of all, things. He liked Philly. He liked the people there and they liked him. He had his own devoted fans. He doesn't need any more Joe six-packers or corporate honchos hanging all over him. He wants to win and with that rotation, he will win. Brian's team is older and slower and more tedious and plodding than ever. Did i mention slower? Pettitte's arm will soon fall off or collapse from age. CC is just one pizza away from a total explosion where he won't be able to pick up the rosin bag, Posada is Jason Varitek and the sox aren't planning to use him. AJ Burnett - oh, nevermind - I can't write about him - it's just too funny and pathetic. He is clearly the worst #3 starter in baseball and the Yankees only paid him $18mil per year for what seems to them now like forever.
Cashman could not produce a winner with a $235m payroll in 2010. Now what, Bri? Let's face it. you thought that the name " NY YANKEES" would be enough to have Cliff begging to come there. Guess what, Buddy? Wrong again !!!!

You offered him 7 years and $175m and he said "NO". What does that say about how his feelings for the Big Apple, Hank S. and all the other clowns there? It says - you're not as wonderful as you think. Come down off that high horse. You were lucky to get your other mercenaries in the past, although many of them are total busts as well ( see- AJ Burnett ).
I can't wait for 2011. Unless CC is in shape and pitching every other day, you've got a big problem, pal. I know, you have Phil Hughes and Joba the mutt. Good for you!!! Let's go with them, OK?

Yankee fans are soooooo forgiving. some are already calling for your head. Nice place to work there, isn't it Brian? Good luck to you in 2011. I know a nice Subway franchise in queens that will hire you, as long as you don't let the sandwiches slip through your fingers as well.

Wah Wah Wah Anaheim Angels

Tom Hanks said it best when he said " There's no crying in baseball!" . The California Angels of Anaheim need to take a lesson from that. For the past 18 hours, they have been crying that the Boston Red Sox stole Carl Crawford away from them. I don't remember Carl saying that he wanted to go to Boston over Anaheim ( a no brainer, though ) or that he wanted to go anywhere. Carl was on the "open" market, up for the highest bidder. The Angels chose to give him a less lucrative offer and for fewer years, so he's now headed to Boston.

Torii Hunter even came out today and said that he wanted to play with Carl. Well, you should have ponied up some of your own cash there, Torii, and maybe he would have signed with your team. Of course, you could always ask to be traded to Boston and then you and Carl can be best buds on the Red Sox juggernaut for the next 6-7 years.

No one has the right to complain when they get outbid for the services of a player. The Red Sox are clearly going for it now this year and are not concerned about whether or not they make a profit for the 2011 season. Ego does that to people and it drives them to perhaps overpay for a player, so that they can keep interest high.

The Angels problem is the fan base. They show up for a game in the 3rd inning after having a few margaritas and a wheel of brie downtown, then they sit on their hands for most of the game, and leave after the 7th inning stretch, so that they can still make the buffet at Red Lobster.

Anaheim is not a baseball town. They don't deserve Carl Crawford or even Broderick Crawford ( remember him on highway Patrol? ). Joan Crawford lived nearby - so they should be happy with that.

The Angels had plenty of money to spend. After all, now they want Beltre and Soriano, neither of whom will come cheaply. But be careful, LA, you could easily lose them too if someone else throws in a few extra bats and gloves to the deal and you balk at making a move.

You are the stiff of the week - your ownership, your fan base and yes, even the city (ha-ha) of Anaheim. You have worries this year about Oakland and Seattle as well. Best of luck with that -see you on the way to the AL West basement.

Handy Randy ain't quite so dandy, Andy

So let's see, who is Randy moss "playing: for this week?

I believe that he was claimed off the scrap heap by Tennessee a few weeks ago and he actually made one catch in last week's game. That brings his season's total to somewhere south of 20 catches. Now he wants a long term mega-deal with some team. Randy must have flunked basic math class in school.

The equation is quite easy.

The more you produce, the more you earn. The less you produce, the less you earn. I think I have that correct.

Randy USED TO BE productive. Randy USED TO BE a deep threat. Randy USED to work on every down - well maybe not that one. After all, it's a long way to run down the field, come back and do it again a few times per game. Let's not be overcritical of the man now.

He will probably want to get paid now by CBS, Fox, etc. because he is now conducting his own press conferences. There's no need to send correspondents out there or news people to speak to him. He will ask the questions and answer them, without even doing voice changes. This must be worth something to the networks.

Randy also can make some money giving food tips to hotels and restaurants about what to serve, how to serve it and when to serve it. There's no need for any of those food service managers anymore. Just ask Randy.

He is certainly a jack of all trades- at least in his own mind. That's OK though, because that's where Randy Moss lives.

Randy, you are the stiff of the week.

As Randy would say... " I'm Out!"

Theo Theo Theo - what were you thinking????

Theo Epstein, boy genius, must have failed his college statistics classes. Stats don't lie buddy and you just cost the Red Sox 12.5 million dollars that you will never get production for. Here are the numbers you missed:

David Ortiz

2004-2006 240+ extra base hits
2008-2010 178 extra base hits

2004-2006 OPS around .400 each year
2008-2010 OPS around .325 each year

2004-2006 Consistent average at or above .300
2008-2010 Average plummets to BELOW .200 only comes back to .266

He is making more money than any full time DH on any roster for the 2011 season next year.

He hit .211 vs. left-handed pitchers this year with 2/3 of his strikeouts.

Moving the right field fence in 9 feet next year won't help him with his loss of bat speed through the hitting zone ( 15-17 mph slower than in his prime ), but it will help younger opposing lefties.... nice idea.

In April and May, he had the opportunity to drive in the tying or lead run after the 7th inning in 36 games. He did it exactly twice.

This is a horrible move since D.O. wanted long -term big contract, so besides being horrible, he will be disgruntled and the team does not have $12.5 mil to spend on " talent."

Revis the Stiff

Dear Mr. Darelle Revis,

You are a stiff.

Stop faking injuries when you get burned.

Sincerely,

S.O.T.W. Staff

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Revis Island: Beware of Stiffs

WEEI reported the following earlier today:

"Revis, who played his first game back Monday night after missing all of training camp in a contract dispute, was limited on Thursday in practice by hamstring tightness and his availability for Sunday is unknown."

I am just going to say it now:

If Darrelle Revis does not play this Sunday, he is automatically the stiff of the YEAR.

As long as he is alive and his thigh bone isn't sticking through his skin, he better being playing.

It seems way too much like an excuse for when he gets burned by Randy Moss because he isn't in football condition or is hurt.

After all his trash talk, contract hold out and hype about "Revis Island" how lame is it to lean on the excuse of hamstring tightness.

Either sit out until you are ready to play at NFL speed, admit you are scared of Moss or don't hold out in the first place.

Revis should have been running parachute assisted wind sprints 24-7 or at least sit ups in his driveway (the T.O. workout) while waiting for his contract. What was he doing all day, eating Twinkies and playing Madden '11?

But in all fairness... injury, out of shape or whatever, as long as Moss burns him for at least a couple touchdowns and the Patriots beat the Jets, I will be very happy.