Really!?!

Even though we are called "Release the Hounds", I believe that none of us actually own a dog. Even so, Michael Vick's actions just boggle the mind, and I have to say something.

Now that Vick has plead guilty to all those dog-fighting charges, one just has to wonder what in Scooby Doo's name was he thinking? Even if you ignore the sheer cruelty of dog fighting (and executing the losers...WTF!), how did he think that in the Internet era this was not going to come out? Britney Spears can't even get out of a car without everyone seeing her naughty bits, so how did Vick think he'd keep this quiet?

I mean, he's one of the highest-paid and marquee players in all of the NFL...did he think that taking part (or running, as it's appears) in dog-fighting wasn't going to be made public some time? I mean, if Brad Pitt was to start his own real-life Fight Club, how long until someone breaks the first two rules? A week? A day?

Of course, Michael Vick has never really proven himself to be a man of good judgement (and that has nothing to do with his 49/38 touchdown to interception ratio over the past 3 seasons...zing!). This whole situation reminds me of what he did back in January, which was summed up best by Seth and Amy of Weekend Update.



So, what was he thinking? That's the problem...he just doesn't think.

Why is the door open?

So, Simon wants to start the Hounds mentoring program:

I did want to keep pushing on one area that most folks commented on as being of interest: setting up development mentors within the team. I really see the benefit of this from my own experience – for example on Monday Tien specifically watched me from the sideline and constantly talked to me about field positioning – cutting and clearing – and I found it very helpful.

Now obviously this is optional, but I would really encourage everyone to get involved; mentoring at any level is helpful, even just picking someone to watch you and give you feedback at the end of each game.

Please respond to me with:

1) An area of strength that you would be willing to mentor someone else on
2) An area you would like to develop. Also any suggestions of who you would like your mentor to be

If we get a good level of engagement I will compile likely pairings and chat with individuals to get folks matched up.

I just hope it's better than this mentorship program...

We missed the first half of the Super Bowl for a tie?!?

Well, the showdown with Wasabi was excellent...well, until the final few minutes. But more on that later...

Thanks to Lyanne and Matt for hosting us for the 2nd annual Hounds Super Bowl Party. Of course, with any Lyanne-catered affair, there was tonnes of good food, lots of beer and slushy Coke. Austin was the big winner of the evening (and maybe the Colts as well), sweeping the squares pool. Did you buy a Super 7 ticket on the way home?

As for the game against Wasabi, I'll let Simon sum things up:

Well team, that's another fine mess you've got us into...the classic problem with poking a bear is that it wakes up angry!

Yessir, those fine folks over on Planet Wasabi are surely going to bring the heat at playoff time!

So, what happened? Well I have to say that we played a fine game all in all. I think we showed tough intensity all round, passionate sideline involvement and nice flow on the field. Our spirited performance no doubt shocked several of the Wasabi players as we lead by 3-5 points all game...the big improvement seemed to be our Defensive Intensity and smart coverage - we had some huge interceptions (uncharacteristic for such an experienced team) and forced many high stall count dumps that I doubt they're used to having to resort to. On offence we demonstrated that the quick & sure throws were the order of the day, with rapid flow effectively breaking down their defence; this was so effective that it made our few ill advised long/late throw decisions stand out as unnecessary errors.

Some key takeaways from this game for me were:

1) Quick disc release causes flow that is extremely hard to defend against

2) Our zone defence is fairly potent and we should keep it up right to the end

3) We are able to throw a zero turnover game...if we keep our composure & focus high

Overall I was very impressed at our performance against a team that has always given us stiff competition and has never trailed us in the course of a game before. This is a clear indication of the continued development of the mighty Hounds - and by the way we're still top of the league!

And since you ask, no, I don't think the draw was unfair...if we didn't want to draw we should have defended our 5 point buffer harder ;)

Happy Commenting!

I think Simon's just being nice...here's what he really wants to say:

Only 12 days of interviews left

A quick copy and paste of the email that Lyanne sent out today about the Superbowl party. Michelle and I are looking forward to it.

"Hey all you Hounds!

Super Bowl is coming up! What better excuse to eat tons of food, drink lots of beer, and bet money on all things related to every minute of the big game (from who which team will win the coin toss, to which team will win the game)! Fortunately, Chris managed to schedule our game for that day nice and early, so we're all set (Chris - you're the man!)

Here are the details:
DATE: Sunday, February 4th (not this Sunday, but the Sunday after that)
TIME: As soon as our game is over
LOCATION: TBD - we'll host at our place, unless someone else wants to volunteer their house
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING: Money (probably about $20 or $25; a portion of that will go to covering food/beer/drink costs, while the rest will go into some fancy betting schemes that Chris will be drawing up... you may leave this party richer than you arrived!)
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Just let me know whether or not you'll be coming, and whether or not you're bringing someone with you

That's it for now... more details to follow later - just thought I'd get this message out now, so that you can get this Hound-o-rrific event marked on your schedule!

RELEASE THE HOUNDS!

Lyanne"