Q+A with Captain K

-George from New Jersey asks

What are your thoughts on the Lakers going after Ron Artest and trading Lamar to get him? I always liked Ron but he can't seem to separate the streets and his business on the court. If the Lakers get Ron, how much of an impact do you think he would do for the Lakers and is that enough to win the West? Lakers are also interested in trading for Marion. What are your thoughts on those 2 guys?

George,

As far as the Lakers going after Artest, I think it is an excellent fit for L.A. Ron is a good offensive player but more important for the Lakers, he is a top of the line defender. He can take the opposing team's best offensive player and make life very difficult for him. He is a two way player and would be an asset to any team, especially one that just made the Finals last season. They won the West last season without him, so of course they can win one with him.

As far as Marion, I was never a big fan of him. His offensive game is very ugly and seems to me, that his #s were inflated by the combination of D'antoni and Nash. I also think the guy is VERY overrated defensively. Now maybe it's because he was on a team that collectively played no defense, but I never saw what made him so highly regarded defensively. I definitely think that Artest would be a much better fit than Marion. Thanks for the question George.

-Jason from California asks

Obviously the Rays have had an amazing year thus far, but recently a tough losing skid has hit them. Do you believe that this team is for real, or is about to head down the division with the the defending champ Red Sox and the Yankees? Now, assuming they still in contention (which I believe they do), what kind of moves are you looking to make at the deadline? Do you need to bring in a veteran player to lead the team? Any other ideas?

Jason,

The Rays have been a nice story so far. They are a nice squad, but they are tough to get a read on. I believe that they are for real, but if they don't start hitting soon, the Red Sox will soon be a blur in the standings. As far as moves they can make, they can try and acquire some type of bat. Maybe a Jason Bay? A Matt Holliday? I'm not too big on Holliday because I think he is a product of his surroundings but who knows, he could probably help. They could also use some serious help in that pen. Their pen is terrible. Someone like a Brian Fuentes could help in that regard. Life or death, as of today, do the Rays make the postseason? I'm going to have to say, no. Thanks for the question Jason.

-Ray from New York asks

What do you think about the Jets offensive personnel (excluding QB, you've voiced your opinion enough on that :) ) ?

Ray,

As a whole the Jets offensive personnel leaves a lot to be desired and a lot of questions asked. Right now we don't know the Jets don't know who their #3 WR is. Chansi Stuckey has a lot of potential but has an injury history is incredibly long so he cannot be relied on to stay healthy. Marcus Henry, a rookie out of Kansas, is a big guy with good hands who can provide a safety blanket for Clemens.

At TE, you have a mediocre TE in Baker who does nothing particularly well. You have Dustin Keller who can be a mismatch nightmare for most defensive players, but he is an unproven rookie. Starting at WR, you have 2 nice WRs, but neither one is a #1 at this point, and neither is a threat to stretch the field really. Though I do believe that Coles will spring loose deep more with Clemens at QB. I'm not a big fan of Thomas Jones. In my opinion Leon Washington should be getting more carries, and Jones is an overpaid, overrated ordinary running back. The offensive line I like on paper but they need to mesh. Overall, the Jets are about an average offensive unit that has the potential to be a good one if a few things break right. Thanks Ray.

-Amani from California asks

Is John Madden football on the Ps2/xbox360/PS3 worth all the hype out there?

Amani,

As an avid madden player for basically my entire childhood up to now, I do not think the game is worth all the hype. The Playstation 2 version, which is the one I play mostly, leaves a lot to be desired. Manually catching is a little easier than it should be, the random blitz angles are annoying, the olinemen consistently standing their with their collective hands up their butts gets old as well. As far as defense, there isn't much that isn't wrong with it. The angles that the safeties take in Cover 2, the way that the defensive players play the ball in zone defense, among many other things. The New Gen versions will be good in time, but they have a sluggish feel to them. Thanks Amani

-Tanner from Seattle asks


What are your thoughts on favre holding the Packers hostage, and what are the possible effects of this on the NFL in general? What teams do you see as a legitimate possibility for Favre and how do you think the Packers will and should handle this?

Tanner,

I think the Packers are handling this situation as well as they can. It is a terrible situation to be in, as Favre is a legend and basically a god in Green Bay. Favre retired, they asked him if he wanted to come back and wanted him to make a decision before training camp due to Rodgers and his contract status. He said no, and rightfully so, they moved on with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. They went through minicamp with him and adjusting the playbook somewhat, to fit his strengths.

I don't blame them for wanting to move on with the future especially considering Rodgers is approaching the end of his contract and has been sitting on the bench for three years. What's the sense in completely wasting a 1st round draft pick? They want to see what they have, and I don't blame them. If Favre had done anything worth noting as far as postseason play recently I wouldn't mind if the Packers buckled. If they went to the SB last year it would be different. Favre hasn't been to an SB in a decade, so playing him is essentially saying in neutral. He's a legend, and he's still a productive quarterback, but eventually Green Bay has to move on and that is exactly what they are trying to do.

As far as effects on the NFL, I don't think it will have any effects on anything in the future. This is a special instance, and won't have effects on anything else with any other player or team. Thanks for the question Tanner.