The most popular NFL rebuilding strategy in 2011 is...

I have heard it said that several NFL teams, most specifically the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers are going to attempt to acquire Stanford's Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck as a package deal. This seems to be the most popular theory today vis-a-vis producing a quick turn around in your team's fortunes.

It seems like the entire NFL establishment is enthralled and mesmerized by the tremendous offensive chemistry of Harbaugh and Luck. They speak of these two as a dynamic duo like Batman and Robin. They all seem to think there is enough horse power in this duo to right just about any founding ship in the league.

If true, this is another feather in the cap of the Capricorn-Virgo synastry camp. Jim Harbaugh is a 12/23/1963 Capricorn. Capricorn is the cardinal leadership sign of the Earth clan. Andrew Luck is a 9/12/1989 Virgo. Virgo is Braniac sign of the Earth clan. Christ I feel old! I am less than 3 years younger than Harbaugh and I was already 23 and stationed in Germany in the U.S. Army on the day Andrew Luck was born!

Readers of my blog will know that Capricorn and Virgo go together like corn flakes and milk, like bread and butter, like peanut butter and jelly, like cream and coffee, like pork and beans, like the Internet and porn. We just can't help it. We were specifically engineered to work together. It just works. Even when the relationship is less than perfect, it still pays big dividends. This is one of the top match-ups on the Synastry board.

There have been other dynamic Capricorn and Virgo Coach-QB combos in NFL history. Chuck Noll is a Capricorn and Terry Bradshaw is a Virgo. Don Shula is a Capricorn and Dan Marino is a Virgo. Marty Schottenheimer and Drew Brees reversed the relationship a bit, as Marty is a Virgo and Drew is a Capricorn.

Once upon a time, I was teamed with a certain Argentinian Capricorn female at work. She was the project manager and I was the software developer. Dems was the best days that ever was... Of course, I could refuse her nothing, and she appreciated that greatly. I thought she was the greatest. She thought I was the greatest. I was inspired every day to go above and beyond, and not because she nagged me. There was a great dynamism there, and everybody noticed. Certain political enemies came to fear that dynamism, and they split us up. Break up the Yankees!

Years later, I'm still pissed off about this. If you want to know what really gets my blood boiling...

My take on Harbaugh-Luck is pretty simple. Interested parties inside the league are pretty well on track. Your hunch looks like it's on the money. Whenever Capricorn and Virgo get together, good things are sure to follow. If a dynamic Virgo Capricorn pair form a partnership, that's best partnership your going to find. You should keep them together. You will be ill-advised to split them up. Splitting them up could mess up both parties.

Capricorn Season starts now

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The NFL's Greatest Myth: Joe Montana is the greatest QB in NFL history

It just ain't so. We would not even entertain the notion if it had not been for that masterful myth-maker Steve Sabol. He was the guy who first advocated the notion that Joe was the greatest in history.

This policy was set for crass materialist gold-digging reasons. It behooves the NFL (financially) to claim that the greatest X in history is playing on the field right now. This is how you promote an entertainment spectacle. This is especially true in the case of the Quarterback position. You sell a lot replica Jerseys, a lot of tee shirts, and license a lot of film footage for the greatest Quarterback in history... who ever that is. We should remember that in 1993, the year Steve Sabol started this bullshit, Joe was still playing. He was headed for Kansas City, to be specific. You can sell a lot of #16 49er Jerseys and a lot of #19 Chief Jerseys by advocating this notion.

Don't under-estimate the power of the profit motive in the fine art of bullshit weaving.

Certain wimploid QBs with weak-ass arms--like Pat Hayden--joined in the chorus very quickly. Pat is a former Ram, so I claim family rights to bitch slap him for joining in with this foolishness.

I was one the guys acting as if the tribal gods had been offended. I wasn't the only one. I was in very good company. In his 1993 Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Dan Fouts took a hard shot at the "Joe is the Greatest" camp by declaring that the only reason he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame was his good fortune to learn at the feet of the greatest QB in the history of the game, Johnny Unitas. Unitas was the starter in San Diego in when Dan Fouts was drafted. Fouts was taught the craft by Unitas. That was a political speech. It was delivered with a curl of the lip and a snarl in the voice. The statement was intentionally pointed. It occurred at the very moment that the Joe band waggon was starting to roll. Dan Fouts was throwing his shoes at Pat Hayden and Steve Sabol... on camera... in front of a national audience... at the Hall of Fame.

I loved every frickin' second of it. I couldn't have agreed with Dan Fouts more. Dan Fouts knows a thing or two about quarterbacking. You aught to pay him some heed. Johnny Unitas remains the greatest Quarterback in NFL history. Let's leave it that way.

Pat Hayden reacted to that speech a couple of times. He was a color man for ESPN Sunday Night football in those days. Believe me, he was defensive about Fouts. He knew Fouts had, cryptically, told him to sit down and shutup. He tried to defend his position on Montana with most of the common arguments made today, but he was nervous. Fouts had a lot more clout that Hayden.

I once made this argument for an old timer who remembered Unitas well. The old timer was a resident of Concord California, and a big 49er fan. He had a few moral problems declaring that Hoe... excuse me, Joe, was the best of all time. After a few moments of consideration he asked:

"Well you at least have to admit that Joe is the greatest of the Super Bowl era, right?"

"Nope, Johnny Unitas played in Super Bowl III and V. The Colts won V against Dallas. Unitas played in the Super Bowl era."

"Oh yeah... I forgot that. well, you have to admit that he is the greatest QB in recent history?"

"Nope, the truth be told, Joe isn't even the greatest QB in 49er history, much less recent history. The guy who replaced him--Steve Young-- was better than he was in every respect."

The old man looked conflicted. He felt like the tribal gods had been offended, but at the very same time, this dedicated 49er fan knew why a serious man could think this thought. Joe had a weak arm. Steve had a strong arm. Joe was mobile. Steve Young was a threat to run the distance of the field for a touchdown. He did that much more than once. Joe threw a lot of TD passes to Jerry Rice. Young threw 30 more TDs to Jerry than Joe did. That is a literal figure. Joe was clutch, but he needed to be clutch. Steve was clutch when he had to be, but he usually got his work done by the 3rd quarter. Steve didn't need a lot of comebacks. Joe once threw 5 touchdown passes in a Super Bowl. Steve threw 6. Joe retired with the highest lifetime QB efficiency rating ever recorded (92.3). Steve retired later on with an even higher passer rating. Steve Young still has the highest lifetime efficiency rating ever recorded by a retired career quarterback (96.8). Joe is in the Hall of Fame. Steve is in the Hall of Fame. I watched Joe & Steve run the same offense with most of the same players. That offense was far more explosive and dynamic under Steve than it was under Joe.

It should be noted in passing that Kurt Warner has a lifetime efficiency rating of 93.8. He's shooting right through the middle of those two. If he finishes well, who knows...

There are good and valid reasons why the NFL's Top 10 rated Joe & Jerry as the #3 passing combo of all time. There are better reasons why they rated Steve & Jerry as the #2 ranked passing combo of all time. Jerry was the same lethal Jerry. Steve was just better than Joe. That is the difference between #2 and #3.

The old timer from Concord California chewed it over a for a few and he said:

"Yeah, but Joe won 4 Super Bowls and Steve only won 1 Super Bowl."

"Nope. Joe never won a single Super Bowl. Steve never won a single Super Bowl. Joe was part of four 49er teams that won the Super Bowl. Steve was part of three 49er teams that won the Super Bowl. No Quarterback ever won a Super Bowl."

Nothing pisses me off more than this false notion that quarterbacks win Super Bowls. You need a complete offensive, defensive and special teams package to win the Super Bowl. You need some good luck too. It takes at least 40 good men to win a Super Bowl.... and a couple of good bounces... and a couple of bad calls.

So who is the greatest Quarterback of the past 30 or so years?

There are a few candidates, and it is hard to choose between them because it is hard to compare. If I had to call it, I would name three candidates in no particular order.

1. John Elway

2. Steve Young

3. Dan Marino

In terms of pure passing skills, nobody compares to Marino. Marino could hit a golf tee on the sidelines from 65 yards away 9 out of 10 tries. Nobody had more control or accuracy than Marino. He also had incredible vision. He didn't miss open receivers down field. He did a good job of picking the most open receiver when his three guy gave him several options. It is a pure crime that Dan Marino doesn't get mentioned more often when we discuse the greatest QB of all time. There aught to be a congressional investigation. He was incredible. He was the greatest pure-passer I ever saw.

You know why they don't mention Dan...? It's this goddamn fucking stupid shit about Quarterbacks winning Super Bowls. You know how I feel about that already. That doctrine is a completely FUBAR doctrine.

Steve Young and John Elway are almost left handed and right handed mirror images of each other. Amazing athletes. Incredible mobility, but Young was better. Great arm strength and accuracy, but Elway was better. Great in 2 minute situations, but Elway was better. They both ran Shanahan's West Coast, but I think Steve Young ran it better. Elway did a hell of job, though.

In terms of the complete package of passing skills, mobility, running for yardage, 2 minute comebacks, efficiency, Young and Elway have to outrank guys like Marino and Fouts. Marino and Fouts were pure pocket passers. Either Elway or Young is the greatest QB of the recent era.

What about the young fellows like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning? Let's not comment on them. Their careers are not finished. They have plenty ahead of them. Let's see how they finish.

What about Brett Farve? Don't go there. Way, way, way too many interceptions.

For those who still want to claim that Joe is the greatest. I strongly recommend you watch three NFL films which are factual and not mythological. Watch the NFL's Greatest Games 1981 NFC championship and 1983 NFC championship. You will see things from Joe you never though could happen. You will see highly erratic performances where he turned over the football 4 times in one and several more in the other. Further, watch the "America's Game" 1988 49ers. You will see that Roger Craig was the man on that team, and the 49ers were trying to replace Montana with Young. An unvarnished look at those films will damage your doctrinaire view of Montana.