Rhubarb Report 079

Speechless. Yes, that would have been me this week. It wasn't for lack of verbal capacity. I was speechless because I found myself without a voice this week. In reality, I still had a voice, but it was some strange amalgam of squeaks and crackles. It was a vocal sound worthy of puberty far more than that of a 48 year-old man.

This is what happens when the allergens start kicking up in Austin. For all the positives of life in Central Texas, the pollen counts definitely have a negative impact.

I am sure you can imagine that there were at least a few students (and probably a few friends as well) that were more than happy that I was a little speechless. But I digress.

So what do you do when you are tending to a vocal impairment? Stop talking and start ... writing! Welcome to episode 079 of the Rhubarb Report.

1. Another person that is probably a little speechless these days is Vince Young. He was released by Green Bay - in favor of back-ups Seneca Wallace and Scott Tolzien. Who? Exactly. Aaron Rodgers gets injured and now Wallace starts - for the first time since 2011. Now he's injured and untested Scott Tolzien steps in to the fray. What makes this harder to believe is that Young had a great record as a starter, and now can't seem to find a bench to sit on.

The Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League were prepared to give him a two year contract, but Young still believes he should be playing in the NFL. I would agree with him. But with that said, Joe Theismann, Warren Moon and Doug Flutie turned CFL careers into NFL careers. It would seem to me that playing football - anywhere - is better than consuming potato chips on the living room sofa.

2. There's a new sheriff - otherwise known as the Athletic Director - at the University of Texas. Let's all welcome Steve Patterson to the Forty Acres. I, for one, am glad to see some new blood in Longhorn Nation. I would imagine that Mack Brown, Rick Barnes, and Augie Garrido are probably not as happy as I and are probably all squirming just a little bit these days. Bring on coaching accountability.

3. Word on the street these days is that the Health Insurance Marketplace website has been having some, shall we say, issues? I am waiting for the conspiracy theorists to enter the discussion. Frankly, I am surprised they haven't already! I keep waiting for the reports of some dark, sinister, Republican-led plan to plant rogue web developers in the mix, ensuring complete and total failure when Congress couldn't.

Or how about this - maybe it was just a lousy choice of web developers? Hey, now that is something that happens on a daily basis across the globe.

But I have to admit, the conspiracy theory sounds far better and more worthy of a documentary or two. Coming soon to a theater near you ...

Photo credits: Wikipedia

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