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Sometimes I just don't get it !!!

As offensive coordinator for the san Francisco 49ers last year, Mike McCarthy's offense finished 32nd and dead last in the nfl. How bad was it ??? That offense finished 32nd in passing, 22nd in rushing, and was 30th overal in points going eight games of a sixteen game schedule without an offensive touchdown.

As quarterback coach of the Packers during Ray Rhodes short-lived and ill-fated 1999 regime, McCarthy guided Bret Favre to his second worst season as a professional with the future HOFer throwing 24 pics to just 23 touchdowns. Favre's 74.7 QB rating was was only supraceeded by his 1993 sopomore season rating of 72.2 and this year's train-wreck of 70.9 yet this week Mike McCarthy was brought back to green Bay and hired as the 14th Head Coach in arguably the most storied franchise in nfl history.

The Packers had to know that this was a controversial hire as the McCarthy news conference seemed to be more of a damage control preemptive rather than a celebration of the man that was going to restore tarnished lustre and return green Bay to the promised land.

McCarthy was lauded for his past accomplishments, particularly his work with the Saints spanning 2000-2004. During that time, the Saints established 25 team and 10 individual marks. Joe horn who caught 437 passes for 6289 yards and 45 TD's during McCarthy's tenure. New Orleans led the nfl in points (432) and toucdowns (49) during the 2002 season.

McCarthy's prior work with the Kansas City was also cited. As quarterback coach of the Chiefs between '95-'98, the combo of Gannon, Grbac, and Bono threw an AFC low 52 interceptions over that four year period. Huh ??? Whupdidoo !!!

In his year with Favre, Bret did throw for 4,091 yards but the Packers were just seventh in passing and ninth overall in total offense.

At the press conference it was also brought up that McCarthy had spent most of last year mentoring the leagues first overall draft pick, Alex smith - possibly an inference that Aaron Rodgers would be in good hands if Favre decides to call it a career.

Alex Smith's season by any standards was an unmitigated disaster! Smith's numbers were horrific - 84-165 (50.9%) for 875 yards and a 1/11 TD/INT ratio. Granted, smith had little to work but based on his freshman year, he's well on his way to becoming a bust in the proportions of tony Mandrich and Ryan Leaf.

McCarthy becomes the youngest coach in the nfl, three months younger than john Gruden. He inherits a a young (26.04 years at season end, 3d in NFL) team that is filled with uncertainties like the health of Javon Walker and Ahman green and the return of Brett Favre.

Mike McCarthy was a surprisingly desperate hire from a surprisingly desperate franchise. The Packers had been to the playoffs five of the six years under Mike Sherman and while the talent level of the team has fallen appreciably due primarily to poor drafts, the whole Packer post-season shakeup wreaks of panic!

McCarthy's coaching background:

1987-88, fort Hays State - Graduate Assistant
1989-91, Univ. of Pittsburgh - Quarterbacks
1992, Univ. of Pittsburgh - Wide Receivers
1993-94, Kansas City Chiefs - offensive Assistant/Quality Control
1995-98, Kansas City Chiefs - Quarterbacks
1999, green Bay Packers - Quarterbacks
2000-04, New Orleans Saints - offensive Coordinator
2005, san Francisco 49ers - offensive Coordinator
2006, green Bay Packers - Head Coach

Summer is in full swing and many people are taking advantage of the great weather and bright sun for outdoor activities. Most people however, dont know that summer offers them a unique opportunity to freshen up their decor.

Yes its true; the summer season gives us an opportunity to do some quick and cheap interior decorating to liven up our homes. Bright colors, breezy fabrics and fragrant flowers are the fundamentals of an easy summer decor.

One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to make an impact is with the addition of fresh flowers. I recommend fresh cut, brightly colored flowers either from your own garden (if you happen to be so lucky) or from the local florist. Place them in a light and understated vase; avoid heavy, dark or bulky vases and let the flowers take center stage. Placement should be casual and on table/counter tops to ensure the flowers are always visible. Consider the foyer, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom as prime locations.

The second decorating idea Id like to share with you involves livening up the colors in your home. Its no secret that color has an impact on our moods and plays a major role in any decor. Since were trying to take advantage of the bright summer sun and increased light levels, its a good idea to choose bright and airy colors or patterns. These are sure to raise energy levels and lift your mood. A great way to do this is with small accessories such as throw pillows and table runners. These are items that are available at just about any home store and can be had for as little as a few dollars each.

Last but not least, consider changing your curtains. Forget about those dark heavy drapes; instead think light, translucent curtains that will let the sun and light breezes into your home. A light airy curtain can transform your home! Just think of all the extra sunlight and those lovely summer breezes blowing a breath of fresh air into your home. Take advantage of the nice weather as it wont last forever!

You can get more quality information and tips on Interior Decorating from the authors website, Modern Flat

Petar Zivkovic is the owner and author of popular home and furniture blog ModernFlat.com where he shares ideas and showcases interesting ideas and products.

After the release of the Xbox and ps2, in the highly competitive world of video gaming consoles it appears like nintendo was pushed out of the game. Now, with the brand new Xbox 360 and the soon to be released ps3, nintendo needs to definitely do something cool in order to keep up with the 2 giants that are leading the game so far. Nintendos answer to this situation is the in-development-stages Nintendo Wii. Hopefully, this will be a console capable of competing with Xbox 360 and ps3. Will Wii really manage to give nintendo a breath of relief? Well, only time can show.

Nintedo Wii has been in development for quite some time now. The initial name of the project was nintendo Revolution but later on, the guys at nintendo decided to change its name to Wii (its pronounced we). The console itself is a black (it can also come in other colors, thats a common practice by Nintendo), sleek, rectangular box with a blue, beautiful, LED illuminated slot-receiver. The exterior follows the concept keep it simple and effective and its completely different from the flashy Xbox 360.

Leaving the eye-candy aside now, lets talk about the actual features of the Wii console. First of all, nintendo promised that the Wii will bring a whole new gaming experience upon its arrival. part of the implementation of this plan is a small controller that comes along with Wii. Although it appears just like a simple TV controller, it contains motion sensors; this feature will be utilized in various gameplay aspects. For example, Titles such as legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Red Steel take advantage of the new controller technology in order to provide the player with an effective way to aim.

Regarding interior hardware aspects of the Wii, what we know by the moment is that it will be equipped with an IBM CPU, an ATI graphics card and a RAM memory of 512MB. Of course, it features wireless controllers, 2 usb ports and a built in antennae for WiFi internet access. Saddly for those who consider it a must, Wii will not support HD output but it still has the potential to look pretty good on a HDTV due to its wide screen friendly mode and the 480p progressive scan.

The last thing to add is that Wii features an amazing backwards compatibility feature. You can play literally any game that nintendo has ever produced. Yes, even retro games! Finally, another good thing about the Wii is that it will come at a very affordable price; according to nintendo it is going to cost something less than 250$!