Green Bay Packers Draft History
| 2009 | |||
| Rnd | Name | College | Note |
| 1 | B.J. Raji | Boston College | |
| 1 | Clay Matthews | Southern Cal | |
| 4 | T.J. Lang | Eastern Michigan | |
| 5 | Quinn Johnson | LSU | |
| 5 | Jamon Meredith | South Carolina | |
| 6 | Jarius Wynn | Georgia | |
| 6 | Brandon Underwood | Cincinnati | |
| 7 | Brad Jones | Colorado | |
| 2008 | |||
| Rnd | Name | College | Note |
| 2 | Jordy Nelson | Kansas State | |
| 2 | Brian Brohm | Louisville | |
| 2 | Patrick Lee | Auburn | |
| 3 | Jermichael Finley | Texas | |
| 4 | Jeremy Thompson | Wake Forest | |
| 4 | Josh Sitton | Central Florida | |
| 5 | Breno Giacomini | Louisville | |
| 7 | Matt Flynn | Louisiana State | |
| 7 | Brett Swain | ||
| 2007 | |||
| Rnd | Name | College | Note |
| 1 | Justin Harrell | Tennessee | |
| 2 | Brandon Jackson | Nebraska | |
| 3 | James Jones | San Jose State | |
| 3 | Aaron Rouse | Virginia Tech | |
| 4 | Allen Barbre | Missouri Southern State | |
| 5 | David Clowney | Virginia Tech | |
| 6 | Korey Hall | Boise State | |
| 6 | Desmond Bishop | California | |
| 6 | Mason Crosby | Colorado | |
| 7 | DeShawn Wynn | Florida | |
| 7 | Clark Harris | Rutgers | |
| 2006 | |||
| Rnd | Name | College | Note |
| 1 | A.J. Hawk | Ohio State | |
| 2 | Daryn Colledge | Boise State | |
| 2 | Greg Jennings | Western Michigan | |
| 3 | Abdul Hodge | Iowa | |
| 3 | Jason Spitz | Louisville | |
| 4 | Cory Rodgers | Texas Christian | |
| 4 | Will Blackmon | Boston College | |
| 5 | Ingle Martin | Furman | |
| 5 | Tony Moll | Nevada | |
| 6 | Johnny Jolly | Texas A&M | |
| 6 | Tyrone Culver | Fresno State | |
| 7 | Dave Tollefson | Northwest Missouri State | |
| 2005 | |||
| Rnd | Name | College | Note |
| 1 | Aaron Rodgers | California | |
| 2 | Nick Collins | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 2 | Terrence Murphy | Texas A&M | |
| 4 | Marviel Underwood | San Diego State | |
| 4 | Brady Poppinga | Brigham Young | |
| 5 | Junius Coston | North Carolina A&T | |
| 5 | Michael Hawkins | Oklahoma | |
| 6 | Mike Montgomery | Texas A&M | |
| 6 | Craig Bragg | UCLA | |
| 7 | Kurt Campbell | Albany (NY) | |
| 7 | William Whitticker | Michigan State | |
We had 34 draft picks in the first 3 years of Thompson as a GM. The current starters from that pool are:
- Aaron Rodgers, QB
- Nick Collins, FS
- AJ Hawk, ILB (who might not be starting right now if not for injuries)
- Greg Jennings, WR
- Daryn Colledge, OG
Jason Spitz was our starting center this year, so he should count at #6, but unfortunately he went on IR this week. Allen Babre was starting at RT, but he was so bad we had to re-sign Tauscher.
For a team that believes in building through the draft, we’ve done a miserable job of it. Here’s a look at our Week 9 starters and where they come from:
Offense
QB: Aaron Rodgers – TT Draft Pick
HB: Ryan Gran – Trade
FB: John Kuhn – Waivers
WR: Greg Jennings – TT Draft Pick
WR: Donald Driver – Pre-TT
LT: Chad Clifton – Pre-TT
LG: Daryn Colledge – TT Draft Pick
C: Scott Wells – Pre-TT
RG: Josh Sitton – TT Draft Pick
RT: Mark Tauscher – Pre-TT
Defense
LE: Johnny Jolly – TT Draft Pick
DT: Ryan Pickett – Free Agent
RE: Cullen Jenkins – Pre-TT
LOLB: Aaron Kampman – Pre-TT
ILB: Nick Barnett – Pre-TT
ILB: AJ Hawk – TT Draft Pick
ROLB: Clay Matthews – TT Draft Pick
CB: Charles Woodson – Free Agent
CB: Al Harris – Pre-TT
FS: Nick Collins – TT Draft Pick
SS: Atari Bigby – Free Agent
By my count, that’s 8/22 starters that Thompson has drafted. He’s drafted 51 total players in that time frame. That makes his success rate for drafting starters just over 15%. That doesn’t mean the other players that are starting are all bad. We have a lot of talented players that were either here when Thompson arrived or that were acquired outside the draft. The problem is, with so many poor draft picks (23 draft picks – 45% – are not on the team), we’re really lacking in depth and have clearly over-valued at numerous positions. It’s bad. Top it off with McCarthy stinking the joint up and we’re heading the wrong direction.
The NFL season officially begins tomorrow! The fun has already started. The Lions got a pretty sizable boost in their team by trading Dre Bly to the Broncos for Tatum Bell, George Foster and a 2nd day draft pick. Assuming Kevin Jones is healthy this year, those two will make a really nice halfback tandem. The Lions also have a decent improvement to the offensive line, as Foster is big enough to likely succeed outside of the Denver blocking system.
Beyond that… what an offseason for defense this will be. Joey Porter just got released by the Steelers, Adalius Thomas is going to be out there, so is Nate Clements. Patrick Kerney will probably get a decent deal too.
Not only that, but Drew Bledsoe is officially a free agent!
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1. Listen to the birds.
That’s where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how
it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch
hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren’t
going anywhere.
2. Your guitar is not really a guitar Your guitar is a divining rod.
Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar
is also a fishing rod. If you’re good, you’ll land a big one.
3. Practice in front of a bush
Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread
and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen’t shake, eat another
piece of bread.
4. Walk with the devil
Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the “devil
box.” And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity
employerin terms of who you’re brining over from the other side.
Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other
spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy.
But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.
5. If you’re guilty of thinking, you’re out
If your brain is part of the process, you’re missing it. You should
play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap
that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.
6. Never point your guitar at anyone
Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord
then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an
open field.
7. Always carry a church key
That’s your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He’s one. He was a
Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade
instrument. His song “I Need a Hundered Dollars” is warm pie. Another
key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s guitar player. He
just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up
her dress the whole time to see how he’s doing it.
8. Don’t wipe the sweat off your instrument
You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.
9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you’re not playin your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark
place. If you don’t play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you
put a saucer of water in with it.
10. You gotta have a hood for your engine
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on
your house, the hot air can’t escape. Even a lima bean has to have a
piece of wet paper around it to make it grow
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I finally (after almost 2 dreadful years) ended my relationship with Honda today. I did it in rather glorious style. The Civic is already a distant, slow, ugly, uncomfortable memory. What did I replace it with? An old friend, in a sense.
Today I came home in a brand new, 2007 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sedan. I’m leasing it, which makes total sense now that I don’t drive nearly as much as I used to. I’m paying a tad less than on the Civic, don’t have as long a comitment to the car and don’t have to worry about being in debt with the thing when it’s time for something new.
Anyway, the car is nice. Much nicer than the old WRX was. It feels like it handles better and is about as fast as a stock WRX as well. The interior is familiar to the two previous Subarus, but there are a few notable changes. The two-tone gray/black mesh seats that come with the current generation cars are a huge improvment over anything in the past. If you haven’t seen them, keep in mind the photos below are in terrible light. The flash on the camera makes the seats look almost white, but they are really a darker gray. The shifter is also a softer/nicer feeling leather than before. I swear the dash is the same, but it almost feels like the center (radio/HVAC controls) are aimed slightly toward the driver. Maybe the Civic was just more obtrusive in this sense, but it really does seem different. It’s quite nice. I wasn’t crazy about the new front end, just like I wasn’t with the ‘04-’05 cars, but it grew on me. I really quite like it now (although I still don’t enjoy the current STi look). The car stands out enough to not be mixed up with an every day econo-box, but is certainly not loud and gaudy either. Subaru seems closer to getting it right with the current 2.5i/WRX. The wheels are much nicer looking than what came on the old WRX. The seats feel about as firm as they did in the STi, but the sides offer a little more room for your rib cage to wiggle. I don’t know the specs off hand, but the clutch seems very similar to the WRX, that same ambiguous feel to it that I somehow grew to love. Back to looks, I really like the new back end, with the large Subaru logo replacing the big silver letters on the trunk. I’m not sure what else to really add… I have barely put 15 miles on the car so far. In a rather dorky way, I feel kind of proud to say that I’ve owned all 3 body styles from the bugeye on. I’m also one of probably not a ton of people who have owned a WRX, STi and now a 2.5i (it’s really hard not to call it a 2.5RS, but I’m sure I’ll get over it).
Here’s to less Civic and more AWD!
It’s still kind of hard to believe that the Raiders would actually give up Randy Moss for a 3rd round pick and a receiver. Seems just last season the same team was looking for a 1st round pick in exchange for considerably lesser-valued receiver Joey Porter. I realize that Moss hates Oakland (with good reason) and that his production will likely continue to dwindle away to nothing if he stays, but this is still the Raiders. Al Davis is one of the worst owners in the modern history of the NFL. It seems completely contrary to his management style to give up such a talented player for such a low price.
At any rate, Randy Moss could very well be a Packer this season. Even if it costs a 2nd round pick, it would be hard to argue that you are getting a much better value with Moss. This is a player who, back in ‘03, averaged OVER 100 yards and 1 TD per game. With 2 years in the bag with the Raiders, he’s still managed over 1500 yards and 11 TD’s despite having HORRIBLE QB’s and being plagued with injuries and a bad attitude. Personally, I don’t blame him for the attitude part. Receivers *might* touch the ball on 5-10% of all offensive plays. That’s bad enough. Top that off with being one of the best receivers in the league stuck on a team with no desire to win, no clue who to hire as a coach, an offensive coordinator who was running a bed & breakfast prior to the season start and quarterbacks who would have a hard time getting starting jobs for AA schools… anyone with a passion for the sport would be furious in this situation. We just have to hope that if Moss somehow lands himself in a Packer uniform that Favre can have a brief career revival along with Moss. The receiver has easily 4-5+ good years left in him if he can turn his career around. Favre certainly isn’t afraid to chuck the ball up and pray, and what better target than this guy? The only real downside… almost $10million owed to him in ‘07. Yikes…
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I just installed a new extension in Firefox called “Performancing.” It’s a blog editor that installs in your browser status bar. I can click a button and start typing whatever comes to mind. I guess I can also click/drag photos from whatever website I’m viewing into the blog post. Let’s try it…
No, this post is not sponsored by M&M’s… it was just handy. Interesting. It’s got just about everything. I can pick what category I want to post in, I can save drafts, whatever else I’m not thinking of.
Just gives me more access to posting nonsense.
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So my Dell laptop is crapping out. I’m having some luck with electronics lately (did I mention the turn signals on my car went out today? I’m guessing blown fuse, didn’t have time to look). Anyway, the power supply is breaking loose of the motherboard. It’s a common problem on that model motherboard. My options are pretty much 1) send it to some company that charges $180+shipping to repair the a/c plug. 2) buy a refurbished motherboard from Dell for $250 (the cost new isn’t worth mentioning).
I decided to go with option 3, fix it myself. The a/c plug got so bad that the laptop no longer worked off a/c power. So I tore the thing apart, got my soldering iron out and went to town. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a ton of free time during the week to do this, so I went the lazy man route. I didn’t completely remove the motherboard from the case. Thus, I could only reasonably access the a/c plug from one side. It seemed to be held in place pretty nicely, but once I re-assembled everything, the thing was noticeably loose, still. However, it does work off a/c power again. It’s back to the previous state where you can wiggle the plug and the power will cut in and out.
So, I guess over the weekend I will be tearing the laptop apart again. This time I’ll do it right and remove the entire motherboard. I really didn’t want to disassemble the heatsink and everything else involved. I suppose it will be worth it to get it done for nearly free and quickly.
The laptop a/c plug officially died Tuesday night. If I sent it out today for repair, I would get it back Tuesday at the earliest and I would be $180 + $40-50 in shipping poorer. Let’s see if I can get this fixed by Monday for under $15 (I had to go to Radio Shack, because my low-watt soldering iron is lost in storage).
What does this mean? We’re one step closer to a beach cologne!!!
So gray wolves in Wisconsin are no longer considered endangered. Under new regulations, you are able to trap/shoot wolves that attack or pose a threat to your wildlife. You can also get a permit to shoot many wolves over time if you have a recurring problem.
I understand that wolves can be a big threat to farmers and that cattle are not cheap… but do we really need to be able to shoot more creatures? I’ve read nothing about folks just trying to keep the wolves off their property without resorting to slaughtering them.
Anyway, this makes me wonder… can we get this kind of law in place for other creatures? If the neighbor dog keeps crapping on my lawn, that presents harm to my cats as they might eat the crap and get some terrible disease. Can I shoot the dog?
Can I shoot the Jehova’s Whitnesses that keep coming to my door? Or hell, even the kid selling $4 candybars?
Can I get a permit to shoot a certain number of homeless people each year if they don’t leave me alone? How about drivers who ride my tail? Or drivers who go slow in the left lane? Well, just about anyone in a car…
Can I shoot the creators of CSI for making such a stupid show? Same for Survivor.
Can I shoot people in the area who honk their horns, let their car alarms go off constantly or scream and yell as they leave the bar?
Ugh…
It’s official. I threw the piece of crap out. Done. Gone. No more Madden. No more fun. Goodbye cruel world.
So this lady on the end of the hall has always been a tad off. She constantly looks like she is ready to either burst into tears or call you an asshole for no reason. I regularly see her running from her apartment to the elevator and frantically pressing the “close door” button to avoid having to share space with anyone else. Several times we’ve been too close to the elevator for her to close the door on time. I think she’s developed a new strategy. Since we seem to leave for work the same time as this nut-job, and she doesn’t want to come in contact with people, she’s had to go to great lengths to avoid us. It seems that she now sits in her apartment and watches out the peep hole for us to leave. We’ve even left later than usual lately and regardless of the time, she has regularly been seen coming down the 2nd elevator a matter of 30 seconds after us. She is literally going out into the hallway and pressing the elevator button the moment she sees us go by. There is no other logical explanation. If only we weren’t cutting it so close on making it to work on time, I would happily pretend to be getting in the elevator only to open the door back up moments later and greet her. Maybe some day I can make that happen. For the record, this is a person that does not live next to us, has had no contact or conversation with us other than being in close proximity in the elevator. There’s no rivalry or anything, she’s just a hateful bitch.
I don’t think I’ll be able to watch. Maybe Rex Grossman and Peyton Manning can somehow break both of their throwing arms in at least 15 places during warmups. Or maybe Prince will pull out a gun and simply murder Manning. Too far?
I’m pumped about games today. I know, it’s almost 7:30PM EST, but thanks to my genius idea of DVR’ing the games and watching them back without all the commercials, sideline commentary and halftime shows means that I have no idea what has happened so far. Anyway, even though the Bears are still in it, I am pumped about the match-ups this week. Just like Al Michaels says on Madden, the Conference Championship games a lot of times ARE better than the Super Bowl. No better example of it than the Pats-Colts. I don’t care if people are sick of seeing the Patriots win in the playoffs. I don’t care if people are sick of seeing Manning blow it in the playoffs. It’s a great rivalry. You’ve got the offensive Juggernaut against the crafty and smart team that just knows how to win.
In other news, we went to Red Robin for dinner tonight. I haven’t had a burger in many many months. Very tasty, but my stomach is paying the price. On the bright side, Febreeze makes this citrus scented aerosol spray. It does wonders for getting rid of bathroom odors. On the down side, Red Robin has far too many TVs in their joint. Normally that is great, but when you’re trying to avoid watching the football game, it’s terrible. On the way out, I was looking down at the ground to avoid seeing anything, and they have a TV in the frickin’ floor!
We looked at some more places this weekend. Most were a disappointment, as usual. Some places inspired some hope. We looked at a few more upscale places. Found one in New Berlin that offers a fantastic place, a super nice 24 hour fitness center, quiet community and premium bragging rights with others. It’s affordable, but it’s sad to think that you’re paying $15k/year for rent. Still, there is little other option at this point. Trying to find a place that will accomidate our space needs, not be an embarrassment to live in (that extra $200-300/month gets you much nicer ammenities, newer appliances, better finish on everything, it’s like going from a Kia to a BMW), be a reasonable distance from work/school and be affordble; is damn near impossible. Even if we live a little further away to save $100 a month or so, we’ll easily make up for it in gas to make our normal commute. Argh… I think I’ve even said it before in this blog, but the thing that frustrates me the most about looking for apartments in the Milwaukee area is this: around here, people don’t live in apartments because they want to, they do so because they have to. That attitude is really reflected in the quality and the management almost anywhere you go.
Well, the season ended up being a lot better than though for the Packers. Sure, they didn’t beat any really talented teams (aside from maybe the Bears in a meaningless game). They did beat most of the teams they were supposed to beat. They also put up a reasonable fight (for at least a half) against tough teams like the Saints, Eagles and Seahawks.
For next season, the offense will probably be the biggest question. There is hope, though. The offensive line wasn’t great, but got better with time. The unit will stay in tact and should only get better, whether via free agency or simply experience. Vernand Morency looked really good. He is quick, good at seeing/hitting gaps and really understands how to use cutback lanes. Ahman Green may be back. He had a fairly productive year, but is aging. I couldn’t see the Packers (or any team) investing a long-term deal in him, but he certainly won’t be signed as cheaply as he was this year. There’s also potential through free agency, with a guy like Michael Turner out there. Plus, you never know how far Adrian Peterson could slip in the draft after missing most of the year. The wide receivers were horreble most of the season, but there is hope there as well. Koren Robinson will be back next year. Ruvell Martin looked like he could be a decent #3 option. Hopefully Greg Jennings will continue to improve. He mainly lacked consistency and seemed to be injured most of the 2nd half of the year. Bubba Franks won’t likely return, whether he is traded on the cheap of just cut. David Martin finally looked like he was developing as a receiver this year, and might be worth resigning.
The defense actually looks like they are going in the right direction. Woodson and Harris are one of the better duos of shutdown corners in the league. The defensive line improved a ton when KGB started playing limited downs. Who knows what will happen with Kabeer over the offseason… he’s rather expensive for a 3rd down pass rusher. As long as Nick Barnett doesn’t freak out and demand a huge contract, the linebackers should be solid. Actually, it might be better if we try and trade Barnett. He continually misses open field tackles and brings shame to the team every time he jumps and screams after making a routine tackle. The safeties are still a liability… but got better when they stopped playing coverage rolls and mainly played the run or deep zones. Manuel is still horribly slow, but we can always look for other options.
Anyway, with one of the higher chunks of available cap space and one of the lower number of free agents… the future looks bright for the Packers. They could easily make a playoff run next year. Depending on how aggressive Thompson wants to get, they could maybe go deep in the playoffs. Who knows. Why not make a push as long as Favre is willing to come back?
Good job Grossman… I knew he would stumble tonight, having had 2 “good” games in the last 2 weeks. He’s done that pretty much all year long. 2 good weeks and then a disaster. Boy, was this one a disaster. Grossman finished with a QB rating of 0.0!!! ZERO!!! This is the starting QB for your conference champion Chicago Bears. Griese didn’t look much better, but he was thrown into an impossible situation after halftime. I don’t know that he faired well enough to earn a potential start in 2 weeks, but he did okay.
Now comes the big countdown to Favre. What’s he gonna do? The Packers could have a winning team with him next year (assuming there is no severe drop in talent over the offseason). I don’t know that Favre is good enough to win a Super Bowl anymore, but who knows, the team might be able to buy enough talent around him to make it happen. If it’s Aaron Rodgers next year… good luck.
Is the NFC that bad? Oh yes… it is. The chances are somewhat slim, but the green & gold could see some January action. It is possible. The Bears will certainly be looking to keep their rivals out of the postseason, it’s the only thing they have left to play for. However, there is some advantage to Chicago throwing the game. The Bears have nothing to lose, save some momentum. They also have the advantage of letting the Packers in the playoffs to throw another weak team into the fold. If the Packers get in and play someone like Seattle or Dallas in the 1st round, who knows what could happen. They could even win. Either way, one would think that a young, unexperienced, poorly coached team with a reckless QB would be a much better matchup for teams than a potentially explosive team like St Louis or a tough defense like Philly. There’s also the obvious fact that the Bears don’t want to risk hurting somebody. They have enough injuries on defense as it is… my gut tells me they will be sitting a good number of players.
Anyway, here’s the skinny on how the Packers can make it to the playoffs. Maybe one last run at it for Favre (or some extra incentive to come back next year, aside from chasing Marino).
For scenarios 1-4 to work, Green Bay must also WIN:
(winning teams in bold)
1. NY Giants @ Washtington + GB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over NYG – You never know, the Redskins will want to play spoiler
2. NY Giants @ Washtington (or tie) AND St Louis @ Minnesota (or tie) – I can’t see Minnesota winning… but the Rams have been bad the 2nd half of the year
3. NY Giants @ Washtington (or tie) AND Carolina @ New Orleans – Saints have nothing to play for (can’t move up/down in seeding) but they still might give the pathetic Panthers a run
4. NY Giants @ Washtington (or tie) AND Atlanta @ Philly – I suppose the Atlanta game could go either way. I think it will be tough to beat the Eagles right Or
5. Green Bay @ Chicago (tie) AND NY Giants @ Washtington AND St Louis @ Minnesota AND Atlanta @ Philly (or tie) AND Carolina @ New Orleans (or tie) – that’s too wacky a scenario to really be possible.
As for that strenght of victory business – it’s even worse: Green Bay clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over N.Y. Giants if: Arizona, Detroit, Miami, Minnesota and San Francisco all win and Carolina, Houston and Tampa Bay all lose.
The Journal-Sentinel has a decent write-up on how the Packers can make it to the playoffs – http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=545983
I have a love/hate relationship with finding apartments. I love touring nice properties that are well beyond my budget and seeing all the fancy things they have to offer. I hate touring places that are within my budget. We’re looking to spend considerably more this time around however. We’re also looking for a place much further in advance than last time. It’s still tough hunting. A lot of places in the Milwaukee/Waukesha area are old. Even the fairly expensive places are 20ish years old. Some more. No matter how well kept the places are, you’re still going to get some signs of wear. Whether it’s the appliances, the cabinets or the tennants (lots of families with kids, etc), you can’t hide age.
A lot of places are just not worth the money. There are many 1,000-1,200 sq feet 2 bedroom places with minimal ammenities (small fitness centers, boring club houses, etc) that charge around $1400/month. It seems these places just charge high rent to ensure they have non-disruptive renters. Rent around the $1500 mark in other suburban communities will usually net you a rather glamorous lifestyle (assuming you’re not near an ocean or something). That isn’t the case around here.
The other problem is the damn income assistance. 1 person can make $27k/year or less and 2 people have to make less than something like $31k. More than 2 people and you have to be below the poverty line (or damn close). Even if one of us quit working, it wouldn’t happen. Almost the entire city of milwaukee is full of income assistance properties. You end up getting a super swanky place for like $700/month when everyone else has to pay double. One place we toured had a huge gym, basketball court, driving range, movie theater… but it could never be afforded due to our income. It’s not fair. There should be brackets or something… like “if you make between this and this amount, you get this percentage off the normal rent”. There’s no need for “poor” people to get ultra-exclusive apartments. There are plenty of places to live that are well kept and in safe neighborhoods that go for $500-700/month, why not have those people live there? I just don’t get it.
Anyway, I’m touring places tomorrow and Friday. Probably a bunch on Saturday. We need to get as many done as possible before school starts in a couple weeks. So far there’s only one potential winner. It’s off a super-busy road and neighbored by some trashy apartments. It’s a newer place and in good condition, but it doesn’t look THAT new. Still, tons more space than we have now and almost anything is better than living in Waukesha. Yuck.
Bunch of drops and dumb plays. Tried to blow 2 chances to win the game with a fumble at the goaline and a holding call that would’ve put us at 1st and goal from the 3. Oh well, Packers won. They’ll probably finish .500 and miss the playoffs on some funky tiebreaker.
I lost my playoff game by 2 points. I had 80 points sitting on the bench. Now I’m not sure how I feel. I’m doing next years draft based on your finish this year… so I can’t get a #1 pick and I can’t win the league, what’s the point?! haha
Back for a brief moment to say that trading Carson Palmer to get Shaun Alexander was a dumb move. Seems every week I start the wrong QB. Between Brady and Rivers, neither can have back to back decent performances. Last week I started Brady and he got mauled by the Dolphins. This week I start Rivers and he does nothing but hand the ball off to Tomlinson.
It’s the 1st round of the playoffs right now. I’m the 4 seed playing the #1 guy. I’m down 15 points with Reggie Wayne and Vinatieri left to play. Opponent still has Chad Johnson. That 15 points is exactly what Brady scored over Rivers yesterday.
Damnit all to hell.
So Gil Meche signed for $55million… the guy had 11 wins and a 4.48 ERA last year!!! Now he’s making $11million a year to pitch for the Royals. The Cubs are giving $10 million a year to Ted Lilly, who is a career .500 guy with a 4.60 ERA!!! Has pitching gotten this bad? Has hitting gotten this good? How do these average players get these huge contracts? Two years ago, if the Brewers signed Ted Lilly, everyone would say he’d make a great #3 guy. Now he’s worth $10 million a year? This is insane. Then there is Barry Zito, who had a “good” year with 16 wins and an ERA slightly south of 4… all the talk has him getting $100million from some team. It’s just out of control. I’m afraid of what will happen when the next GOOD pitcher comes up for a new contract. When Willis or Zambrano or whoever else has their deal expire, it will probably make A-Rod look like a bargain.
It’s a casual dream of mine to write a book someday about nachos (and queso dips) nationwide. It’s kind of silly, but if such a book doesn’t already exist, I think one should. There are countless reviews of restaurants, wines, beers, steaks, etc… why not nachos?
So as part of this… I’m going to start examining what makes good nachos. I think this will start as a very random and general concept, but I hope to get some good ideas flowing down the road.
One of the consistantly best nacho plates I’ve found in the Milwaukee area is sadly, at a chain restaurant. Rock Bottom Brewery has some damn good nachos. I think there are four keys to their nachos. 1) Refried beans. Most places will avoid putting beans on their nachos, but I think it is a great way to go. It adds a good variety to the flavor and also makes the plate safe for most vegitarians. 2) Two kinds of cheese. Cheddar and Montery Jack in this case. Too many nacho plates are ruined by overpowering cheddar cheese. You need to lighten the cheese load up, and I think this is a great way to do it. 3) Yummy guacamole. Always should be served on the side, but can really add to nachos. Rock Bottom has just the right amount of seasoning in their guac to make the taste stand out. I think guac with nachos is really underrated. 4) Meat added last. Beef or chicken is optional on these nachos, as I almost feel it should be… the most important part is that Rock Bottom’s nachos at least do not taste like they are cooked with the beef (some places will bake the entire platter with the meat, making the bottom chips so soggy you can’t eat them). I think the biggest key is that the meat isn’t standard. I like beef with nachos, but I don’t always want it. Plus there are so many people these days that don’t eat beef, and a lot of places will still charge you full price if you don’t get it. Doesn’t make sense.
