30 for 30 running thread

O'Brien also didn't have much mobility, which also hurt him with the Jets' shitty offensive protection with a line that was a mix of too young (Jim Sweeney) or too old (Joe Fields).

But he had a heckuva group of skill position guys for a few years.

 

I saw it last night... Loved it... My favorite 30 for 30 by far...

I didn't think Jack Elway came across badly. John Elway made it very clear he didn't want to play for Baltimore and he wasn't shy about saying so, unlike Eli in 2004, who would get as wishy-washy as you can get when asked if he would play in San Diego.

Both Archie Manning and Jack Elway did right by their sons.

 

As someone who has followed the draft very closely, I was stunned by the number of, "Wow, I didn't know that..." moments from the 30 for 30... I loved the clip of Elway being asked about playing baseball in NY after saying he wanted to play in warm weather and he said, "Well, baseball is played in the summer..."

I thought the potential Montana for Elway trade was a bit overblown. It sounds like they had a conversation, but not serious talks...

I knew about Al Davis being mad about the league preventing him from getting Elway. It's always interesting when someone defends Davis' paranoia.

It is truly amazing how little the Colts got for Elway considering what their initial demands were (Three No. 1s and two No. 2s). Irsay looked the worst of the whole bunch by far.

I have former co-workers who were covering the playoff game that they left to cover the Elway trade presss conference. I've heard the stories on that one, that are pretty fascinating... I'm sure that was surreal, covering a playoff game and leaving early to cover the Elway press conference...

 

I might be paraphrasing.

 

When Jack pretended to not remember Ernie Accorsi's name at the press conference following the draft, I thought that was low. And for as good a coach as Jack Elway may have been, Ernie Accorsi was a great GM who worked for one of the 3 worst owners in NFL history, maybe the worst.

 

Yeah, I can't imagine what else they could have done to make Irsay look worse.

I get why Accorsi made the pick immediately. It was a bad move, but I understand why he did it. Don't let a team think you might pass on him, but it would have been smarter to sit there and see what other offers were coming in, but based on what they were asking, it would have been hard to imagine them getting that asking price.

I interviewed Gil Brandt about a decade ago and asked him who the best prospect he'd ever seen was and he said it was Elway, and it wasn't close...

 

FWIW, the AV Club gave the draft episode "only" a B. http://www.avclub.com/articles/elway-to-marino,96856/

One critique: "it suffers from a superficial, uncritical approach to its subject matter. There are legitimate, fundamental criticisms one can make of the NFL draft process, many of which are briefly raised in the documentary but then never explored."

 

You don't have to do anything to make Irsay look worse. Remember, this is the guy whose own mother called him the devil on Earth. Actually, to rival Mizzou's Cool-Story-Bro vibe, I was a 16-year-old in the Colts' locker room in 1986 when Robert Irsay made a rare appearance because they won their first home game of the season (in game 15), and I heard him, very red- and shit-faced, congratulate players ("Great game, Alfred!" he said to Albert Bentley), and then come over for the main event -- to announce he was suing Sports Illustrated for the article that included the aforementioned mother comment (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065650/1/index.htm). I remember it, too, because he said that GTE (a precursor to Verizon) had pulled its advertising as a result of the story, which I found interesting given that was my father's employer.

Of course, he never sued. Hell, he probably didn't remember saying that. Hell, he probably didn't remember being in the locker room. Hell, he probably didn't remember being in Indianapolis. Hell, he probably didn't remember...

There are two pro sports franchises who improved by miles the moment their owners died -- the Indianapolis Colts, and the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

Judging from the recent SI, you might add the Raiders to that list as well. The Al Davis of the 70s would have canned the Al Davis of the 00s.

 

The key is whether Mark Davis follows the lesson of Jim Irsay and Rocky Wirtz: ask what Dad would do, and then once answered, do the opposite.

 

It sounds like Mark Davis understands that the franchise was run into the ground - the story about the extra $1 million to a free agent?, no direct deposit?...I just hope he stays the course with McKenzie.