Marvin Philip, Come on Down

Oh, about 24 hours ago some Steelers fans were discussing if Chukky Okobi would even make the final 53-man roster. Now, it looks like that won't be an issue because he's got a ruptured disk in his neck and will probably be out for the season, and maybe forever. Now, all of a sudden, 2006 sixth-rounder Marvin Philip is second behind aged Jeff Hartings and depth at the position doesn't look so, um, deep. The team likes Philip but he certainly doesn't have the experience of Okobi and god-forbid anybody else goes down on the offensive line (Trai Essex has a groin pull and will miss 7-10 days). The good news -- if you want to call it that -- is Philip and Willie Colon will see more practice time, and from all I've read, the Steelers really like Colon too.

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Jabbs left this comment yesterday:

Speaking of making little sense on any level, check this out. Imagine, the youngest QB to lead his team to Super Bowl, highest YPP in the league, clutch decision maker, impromptu playmaker when protection breaks down, and then this guy.

I am proud to say that I am the first to post this complete horse__it on this blog. It will not be topped unless Randy Moss tries to choke Art Shell during the 2007 season a la Spre.

Enjoy.

By the way, does anyone know who the hell "KC Joyner" is anyway? Sounds like a porn star to me, not a "Football Scientist". Sounds like a personal problem to me.

I saw this yesterday and thought it was kinda weird. 18 months ago, KC Joyner was some dude who taped every NFL game, game-charted every single play, and then self-published a book of his results. ESPN hired him last fall and he now writes a few columns a week for The Network.com. Because I absolutely refuse to pay ESPN one dime for any of their "insider content," I only get to read what The Site offers for free. And this particular piece is, shall we say, a head scratcher. Here's what I wrote on the SCI message board yesterday:

I love stats, but one of the problems is that Joyner penalizes QBs for attempting a pass after being hit. Uh, Roethlisberger had a higher QB rating after contact than when he was untouched. Why penalize him for being able to make plays after contact? Also, and I think this was mentioned above, his rating system seems arbitrary.

"If the quarterback's mistake did not lead to a turnover (e.g., a dropped interception, a recovered fumble, etc.), the mistake is given only one bad decision point. If the mistake led to a turnover, however, it is given two mistake points and also is subject to a graduating scale of points based on how damaging the turnover was..."

Does this mean that a mistake that leads to a turnover is twice as bad as a mistake that doesn't? And if so, how did he come to that conclusion. And as much as Steelers fans love to rail on the Seahawks, Hasselback is one of the top-5 QBs in the league. Anybody who'd prefer Drew Bledsoe is certifiable.

And I still stand by that. And here's a different take on the whole situation. Not bad. Just different.