Libertarian Librarian

About a month ago, on the day after the opening Sunday of the NFL regular season, I wrote the following about Peter King's first 2005 Monday Morning Quarterback column: "Well, it's still well-writing, but not all that interesting and certainly not edifying." Since that time, King's columns have been marginally better, but still generally not interesting or edifying. This week, it not only isn't interesting or edifying, it isn't even well-written.

1st page: "Favre hit him in stride at the Panthers 21." Oops, missed that pesky apostrophe. Okay, not a big thing.

2nd page: "Twice since 1997 he's [Favre] had back-to-back games with seven touchdown passes or more." Wow! Favre not only had seven or more touchdown passes in one game, he had seven or more in back-to-back games! Incredible! You'd think with 14 touchdowns in two games that he would've challenged Marino's TDs in a season record. Okay, that's not what King meant, but it is what he wrote. E,S,L.

3rd page: Not actually an E,S,L moment. Just King being really ridiculous. On a week where King raves about Favre's resurgence, where Matt Hasselbeck throws for 316 yards, two TDs and no interceptions without his top two wideouts, where Tom Brady shreds a strong Atlanta defense and Matt Schaub steps in for Mike Vick and plays a strong game, where Vinny Testeverde, at 93 the oldest person to ever wear NFL pads, engineers a game winning touchdown drive against a very good defense, where... well, you get the idea. On a week when there were a TON of good options to pick for the "Offensive Player of the Week" award, King selects... Jarrett Payton, backup running back for Tennessee who accumulated 11 yards and 1 touchdown on eight carries. Why? Because he's Walter's son. That's it. There is no other reason. Now, Jarrett Payton's story is a nice one, and worthy of mention-- but not in the context of the "Offensive Player of the Week" after rushing eight times for only 11 yards and a touchdown.

Also several missing apostrophes-- see 1st page, above.

4th page: 'S okay.

5th page (yup-- it's a longgggg article): Again, not an E,S,L, but man did King's reverence for the Saints-- the new "America's team" according to King-- fade fast. For the past few weeks, he's been extolling their trials, tribulations and successes with bated breath. This week, they're making him puke. Fair weather fan, Mr. King?

Phew. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fun of berating King's idiocy here on my own, nigh-onto-perfect blog, I wouldn't even bother reading MMQB.