The Blog Wiser Hot Seat: Matt Mosley

by Stan and Rupert, Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

Ladies and Gentlemen, we reeled in a biggun. I guess the banjo minnow really does work. We had the opportunity this week to "sit down" with one of our personal favorite personalities in the MSM/Blogosphere, Matt Mosley - NFL football wunderkind and lead writer for ESPN Hashmarks - and chew the fat. We are huge fans of Hashmarks and can honestly say it is getting better by the day. As the 2007 NFL season gears up, Hashmarks is without a doubt a daily stop.

First off, we would like to thank Matt for taking the time to answer a few questions for us today. Thanks Matt, you are the ambassador of Kwan. Keep up the solid work. Well, without further ado, let’s get the show on the road…

Ghosts: We’ve noticed you have the Lions ranked at #13 on your power rankings. As Lions fans we are always curious as to the reasoning? Are you buying into Jon Kitna’s bold predictions or has he completely lost his mind?

Mosley: Stan and Rupert, I’m sad to report that the Lions have fallen five spots to No. 18 in my latest power rankings. You have to understand that the last time I saw the Lions in person, they were destroying the Cowboys’ defense on New Year’s Eve. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but Mike Furrey may have had 29 catches in that game.

With that in mind, I spent part of the offseason talking to Lions college scout Dennis Gentry, whom you might recall from the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl team. Dennis convinced me that you guys had the greatest draft in NFL history, and that Calvin Johnson would soon make Jerry Rice seem irrelevant. Anyway, I eventually came to my senses and recalled that Fernando’s Hideaway and Stan Wilson were your starting corners. I do think Kitna will channel Eric Hipple’s magical 1985 season, and finish with at least 28 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

Ghosts: Everybody has an opinion on this whole Michael Vick saga. In your opinion who suffers the most from this sad story…the NFL, the fans, Vick himself, the dogs, the city of Atlanta, etc?

Mosley: Honestly, I’m sick of writing about it. I think fans across the country are suffering from Vick fatigue, so I’ve backed off a little bit the last few days. That said, it’s an unbelievable story. A superstar athlete in the prime of his career is going to do some serious prison time.

Roger Goodell has come out and said he doesn’t think the league will suffer because of what happened. That may be true to some extent, but I think Vick’s conviction will leave a permanent stain on the game. It will hang over the Falcons for years because they basically entrusted their franchise to Vick.

As you guys know all too well, any team that features Joey Harrington as its starter will go through a long period of suffering. So put me down for the Falcons when it comes to who will suffer the most, but that doesn’t mean I have much sympathy for Vick’s chauffeur, Arthur Blank.

Ghosts: With your extensive NFL inside info, surely you must have one surprise to watch this season in the NFL. Which team is ready to take the leap from mediocrity to relevance?

Mosley: Based on my “extensive” knowledge, I’m going with the Buffalo Bills. I know it sounds ridiculous, but bear with me. One of the many reasons this team is 20 games under .500 this decade is because the offensive line has been awful. Well, the Bills overhauled their offensive line in the offseason, bringing in right tackle Langston Walker and left guard Derrick Dockery. I’ve said for several months that think Jason Peters is on the verge of becoming one of the best left tackles in football. Put J.P. Losman and rookie running back Marshawn Lynch behind that line and you may have something. I think it would be nice for the Bills to be relevant again.

Ghosts: Having read your ESPN work it is evident that you have some nice connections in the NFL. Do you have any funny stories or embarrassing insights from the players that you can share (without risking a beat down of course)?

Mosley: This isn’t a player, but I once had a quarterbacks coach come up to me and spill his guts about Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo and Drew Henson. I’d barely even spoken to the guy, and suddenly he’s giving me all this incredible insight.

Well, a couple days later he saw me writing something in a notepad and he stopped to ask what I was doing. Turns out he’d mistaken me for the team doctor, and that’s why he gave me all that great stuff. I can only tell the story now because he’s the offensive coordinator at Arkansas, and a really great friend.

Ghosts: Do you play Fantasy Football and if so, you really should’ve been on ESPN’s Expert draft, some of those guys had no clue what they were doing. Care to give us one fantasy sleeper?

Mosley: Yes, I’m in the Art Vandelay League with about 15 old fraternity brothers from Baylor. Our draft’s tomorrow night, so I’m hesitant to reveal my sleeper. But for you guys, I’ll let you know that Texans tight end Owen Daniels would be a really nice option late in the draft. He could put up 700 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ghosts: Even as a couple struggling little bloggers, we get a pretty decent amount of hate mail and comments, so I can only imagine you must get your fare share with your level of traffic. Has anything a reader said ever really offended you?

Mosley: At some point, you sort of get past that. As I’m sure you know, folks don’t think of us as human beings. We’re basically just spitting out information, and sometimes it makes people really upset. Unless the email is a death threat, I’ll generally say something polite in response. A lot of times that’s when the e-mailer realizes that openly rooting for your death may be a little over the top.

Ghosts: According to our calculations, you spent the late 1980s in high school. Can you provide us with a little insight to your 80s style? For instance, did you have any or all of the following: a Camaro, a crush on Molly Ringwald, parachute pants, or a Van Halen OU812 T shirt?

Mosley: I graduated from high school in 1991, so we were past the parachute pants era. At one time I owned two pairs of parachute pants (black and gray) and had a Members Only jacket with obscene amount of zippers. My father tried to start me out in a 1964 Ford Comet, but it was a bad fit. I felt more at home in my 1984 Buick Century.

Because of my Southern Baptist roots, I was scarred by years of listening to Contemporary Christian Music. I dabbled in Beastie Boys and Def Leppard, but was instructed to feel very bad about it. When I finally summoned the courage to fully embrace secular music, I was still haunted by Amy Grant, who suddenly realized that singing suggestive songs with Peter Cetera could provide her with more income and not completely block her path to salvation. I’m happy to say that I’ve now turned the corner musically.

Ghosts: What is the significance of the name Trooper Taylor for your dog? We read your bio on the website; we're really not stalking you.

Trooper Taylor played defensive back and returned kicks at my alma mater, Baylor. He’s now the receivers coach at Tennessee, and he’s regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation. I talked to him a couple of months ago, but felt weird telling him my chocolate Lab was named after him.

Ghosts: Was going to high school in Texas as cool as it looks from Dazed and Confused?

Mosley: It was cooler. I went to a Class 3A High School and only had about 110 people in my graduating class.

Ghosts: Everyone knows you are a whiz on the NFL, but how about college? Care to give us your predictions for the BCS champ and Heisman trophy winner.

I think this is the year Les Miles gets it done at LSU. This Flynn kid doesn’t have anywhere near the talent that JaMarcus Russell had, but he has the potential to be a great college quarterback. I don’t think he’ll make mistakes. Still not completely sold on John David Booty at USC, but the team is stacked as usual. At Baylor, we focus on the Ray Guy Award, which former BU alum and current Steeler Daniel Sepulveda won twice. Once Mike Singletary was snubbed for the Heisman in 1980, it lost all relevance. But McFadden will win.

Ghosts: Who gets the drunkest at the ESPN company party? Is it Linda Cohn? It's gotta be Linda Cohn.

Mosley: I’ve never had the pleasure of sharing a drink with Linda.

Ghosts: How is the benefits package at the Wolrdwide Leader?

Mosley: Still waiting to hear about it. But I’ve only been there since January, and haven’t had any catastrophic events. I am hoping to be reimbursed for my newborn daughter at some point.

Ghosts: On ESPN radio (The Pulse) a few weeks back you said you really high on Tony Romo. So you really think last year is in the past and he is ready to pick up where he left and take his game to the next level?

Mosley: He may be the most confident kid I’ve ever been around. Even after the snap-fu, he wasn’t worried about himself. He just felt bad for everyone else. He’s really good at only worrying about the stuff he actually has control over. I think he’s poised to have a big year.

Ghosts: Having followed the Cowboys in the past, do you think the notion of TO being a distraction is pretty much a dead issue and he now is what he is and we can expect him to be a non-issue in Dallas?

Mosley: It’s funny how he’s sort of blended in on this team. He’ll still do some weird stuff every now and then, but the new head coach isn’t going to butt heads with him. And when T.O. feels appreciated, everything seems to go smoothly. Now, it only takes one loss for that to change, but for now, he is sort of a non-issue.

Ghosts: Being a relatively prominent writer/blogger, are there any other smaller blogs out there that you try and tune into (aside from the Ghosts of course) when you can? Any sites you find intriguing and insightful that are probably still way under the radar?

Mosley: I love these guys for obvious reasons - Bear Meat. You guys and Mondesi do a great job talking about teams in your hometowns. Honestly, I’ve never really gotten into the whole Blog Roll thing. You guys should know. With our ridiculous blog tool, it took me about two weeks to figure out how to add you.

I also enjoy looking at DS, TBL, KSK, WL (yes, I’m abbreviating for a reason) and AOL. I’m not really allowed to post all the great pictures that end up on those sites, but I enjoy scrolling through.

I read a lot of political blogs, and I’d love to incorporate some of that into Hashmarks.

Unfortunately, some of our hardcore football readers get very disturbed when I link to political stories, so I try not to do it that often. Oh, and I really enjoy a couple of entertainment blogs. Tim Goodman, the TV critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, has The Bastard Machine and former Dallas Morning News TV critic Ed Bark’s Above the Fold blog.

Ghosts: Have you heard of or read Epic Carnival?

Mosley: Yes, I was on there earlier this evening looking at the wide receivers entry.

Ghosts: Do you ever feel like due to somewhat heightened and trendy popularity these days that blogs in general will ever make a lasting impression into the mainstream media?

Mosley: I think blogs have already made a significant impact on mainstream media. I remember when Dan Rather got in trouble over that 60 Minutes story a few years ago. That whole story was driven by independent blogs. I don't think every mainstream media organization would be launching blogs if all the independent blogs hadn't been so successful. The hard part for talented guys like yourselves is to maintain that quirky, independent spirit.

Someone might come along and try to purchase your blog, and suddenly you're having to change what made you so successful. It happens. (Author's note: make it happen people.)

It's 5:24 a.m. I can't make any sense of this answer, so I'm signing off. I really appreciate your interest, and always keep me in mind when you come up with something good - which is almost all the time. Talk to you guys soon.

Ghosts: Ok, last question…your Super Bowl prediction?

Mosley: Patriots