Can someone please show me the official NCAA rulebook? If you have a copy, please send it to me. I will even send you a self-addressed, pre-paid, Fed-Ex envelope in which to send it. I challenge anyone to produce this document, because I simply don’t believe that it exists. Until I see this book with my own eyes I will believe that the National Committee of Asinine Administrators are simple making up the rules as they go along, with a focus on accommodating the growth of their pocket books and the well-being of their highest revenue generating member institutions.
It’s no secret that I hate the NCAA, and would like nothing more than to see this hypocritical organization broken up like the $710 million revenue generating monopoly that they are. (This $710 million figure is according to THEIR 2009-2010 revenue budget), so FORGIVE ME FOR THINKING THAT THEY ARE NOT REPORTING EVERYTHING AND THAT THIS NUMBER IS INDEED UNDERSTATED!
I know that I may sound like the Mad Blogger right now (I keep hearing a voice in the back of my head shouting “tell’em why you mad son”), but the NCAA’s handling of the most recent incident at The University of Ohio State (at least that's what Pryor thinks that school is called) is absolutely ridiculous. Everyone outside of Auburn, Alabama should be mad as hell at this farce of a punishment that was given out to the NCAA darlings that reside in Columbus Ohio. Auburn fans, just keep your mouth shut on this one because you all are currently getting away with things that would make former SMU boosters proud (Cam Newton may be the highest paid state employee in Alabama).
Apparently four prominent (and six total) Buckeye football players (and allegedly student-athletes) have been found by the NCAA to have accepted improper benefits. These benefits were the proceeds that the players made by selling championship rings, jerseys, and other awards for cash. While I disagree with 90% of NCAA rules, I do believe that these stupid rules should be enforced fairly and evenly throughout all of their member institutions. This means that if players at two different schools violate an NCAA rule, they should be subject to the same punishment. This is obviously not the case with the NCAA. Apparently the punishment for selling memorabilia is a four to five game suspension (although I seriously doubt that we will see that in writing anywhere). I am guessing that this is the punishment because University of Georgia wide receiver AJ Greene (who should be the first receiver drafted in April) was forced to sit out four games and pay back the proceeds that he got from selling an Independence Bowl jersey. He sat out the first four games of Georgia’s season (presumably because they were the next four games after he was found to have violated the rules), which basically ended their season before it got started. The University of Ohio State on the other hand is governed by a different set of rules. Since they are among the NCAA and the bowl system's favorite programs, the punishment for their star players will be slightly different from Greene’s. They will face a five game suspension as opposed to Greene’s four game ban, however, this suspension does not start until next season. This means that these players will be able to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 4th.
Many people are wondering how you can suspend players for the following season for violations that you discovered this season. Also isn’t it much more of a deterant to other players if the players are forced to miss a BS (the “C” is optional, so you can include it if you like) game. It is logical for people to feel this way, but the logical people who have these questions must remember two things. 1) The NCAA is not a logical organization therefore they do not make logical decisions, EVER! and 2) This is The University of Ohio State, which means that they are indeed above the law.
Just think back to the days of Maurice Clarett, who received thousands of dollars in improper benefits while leading the old Scarlett and Gray to a National Championship in 2002. In addition to the improper benefits, he repeatedly lied to NCAA investigators about his dealings in Columbus. Instead of punishing the program, the NCAA let The University of Ohio State simply toss Clarett to the wayside, without suffering any punishment. So in essence, the player who led the team in rushing and practically won the National Championship for them single-handidly (by making great offensive and defensive plays) was dismissed from school (which he deserved), but the school got to keep their National Championship and all of the revenue that came with it, and coach sweater-vest is still stalking the sidelines in Columbus beating up on glorified high school teams around the state of Ohio, while playing in a BS game almost every year. Their non-conference schedule annually includes Ohio University, Akron, and Youngstown State. In addition to that, they play in a Big Ten Conference that usually proves to be pretty weak, yet year in and year out they are highly ranked and virtually ensured in playing in a top bowl game. Even this season, when the Big Ten Conference had a three-way tie at the top, the Buckeye's still received a BS bid over Michigan State, because they have more of a national profile and they “travel well” (I guess any vacation is better than going to Cleveland), and thanks to the NCAA they will be traveling with their starting quarterback, running back, and two other key starters.
The thing that really makes this punishment laughable is the fact that the four key players that were suspended for the first five games of next season are all eligible to enter the NFL draft. If they choose to do so (which I am sure at least three will), The University of Ohio State would receive virtually no punishment for this incident, which is to be suspected because the boys up there in Columbus are definitely above the law. The NCAA stated along with this decision that postseason play is a “unique opportunity” that is “evaluated differently” when it comes to punishment, which is in essence saying that this is a high-profile game and we want to put our best product on the field, damn the rules that we created to govern ourselves by.
Although I gladly cheer each time this asinine organization makes a bone-headed decision that makes them look like the idiots that they are, I must applaud them for at least pretending to crack down on players who sell their memorabilia and paraphanelia. There are some that argue that these items belong to the players and are theirs to sell if they please. I strongly disagree with this argument, because this will open the door to players selling their $300 conference championship rings to boosters for $20,000. If that wouldn’t amount to a recruiting advantage, I don’t know what would. Just imagine coach sweater-vest telling a recruit that he should come to The University of Ohio State where he can win Big-Ten championships and sell the rings for tens of thousands of dollars. Worse yet, boosters of schools that are recruiting high profile prospects could potentially start buying thier high school championship rings and t-shirts for thousands of dollars, just to let the recruits know how much they "love a winner".
For all of the Division 1 athletes that may read this entry, I want to leave you with some words of advice. Do not sell your personal rings and other awards until you are eligible to go pro, and your chances of getting away with it increases ten-fold if you attend The University of Ohio State.
One Final Thought: The NCAA ruled the players eligible to play, but the idiots at The University of Ohio State can take a stand and do the right thing by suspending the players themselves. I seriously doubt that they will do such a thing, but there is still the remote possibility that they will do what's right.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK:
BALLER OF THE WEEK: LeBron James (Miami Heat) – Last week he messed around and got a triple-double against the Lakers. LeBron proved once again that he is the best player in the league with his 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists on Christmas day.
BALLER OF THE WEEK: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – 25 of 37 for 404 yards with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. They say that big-time players show up in big-time games, which is what Rodgers did in a must win game for his team’s playoff hopes.
SCRUB OF THE WEEK: The NFC West – If Seattle beats St. Louis on Sunday they will win the division with a 7-9 record. Worse yet, they will have a HOME game to open the playoffs. If this happens, something tells me the NFL will be reseeding playoff teams by record next season. The NFL also shares in this honor for making this game the NBC Sunday Night Football game. What did the rest of us do to deserve to have this as a nationally telvised game? This punishment should be reserved for the people in Seattle and St. Louis only!
Totally Unrelated to the World of Sports: If you enjoy hip-hop and are in the market for something new to bump in your iPod, I strongly recommend Friday Night Lights by J. Cole. Give it a listen if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed. As a matter of fact, if you download it for FREE from his website at http://www.jcolemusic.com/ and don't like it, I will give you your money back!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
I HOPE YOU MISSED ME WHILE I WAS GONE
I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this, this evening. You're far to kind. You could be anywhere in the world, but you’re here with me. I appreciate that. (Since I am currently reading Decoded, I’m in a Jay-Z frame of mind.)
Thanks to my educational pursuits (I have completed my MBA), it has been a while since I last posted. But the important thing is that I am back now, and I will do my best to make this blog better than ever. Since I’ve been gone, quite a bit has happened in the world of sports. Let’s discuss a few of them, shall we?
Cam Newton wins the Heisman Trophy (at least temporarily)
Many people believe that Cam Newton will eventually have to return the Heisman Trophy. I am not one of those people. That is because I don’t think they ever let him take it home. Sure they let him pose with it for lots of pictures and hold it up triumphantly after he was announced as the winner. But after the ceremony, I believe that they just asked him to leave it with them to save the return shipping, that would otherwise have to be spent when it is taken away in the near future. In my opinion he is definitely on Auburn’s payroll, because I simply refuse to believe that it was going to cost Mississippi State $180,000 for his services, but Auburn got them for free. NO CHANCE! I hate the NCAA (the most hypocritical cartel in all of sports) and I wish them nothing but the worst. Anything that makes them look bad makes me feel better, so I am enjoying all of the bad publicity that they have been receiving over this poorly handled fiasco.
That being said, I would like to explain something to all of the old school sports writers and commentators who hold the Heisman Trophy in such high regard. I have heard so many people refer to it as the most significant honor in all of sports. That may have been a true statement 30 or 40 years ago, but that is no longer the case. I am pretty sure that very few high school or college football players would list winning the Heisman Trophy as their main individual goal. Honestly, they could care less. The most significant honor in college football is now, A FIRST ROUND NFL PAYCHECK! That’s the ultimate goal, not a 25 pound bronze statue that symbolizes that you are the best volunteer football player in the entire nation (although I’m pretty sure that all of them weren’t “volunteers”.) With that in mind, don’t feel sorry for Cam Newton when his picture is removed from the walls and placed in a back room of the Downtown Athletic Club along with Reggie Bush, because they won’t be feeling bad at all. They will simply log on to their bank’s website and hit balance inquiry. At that moment they will realize that they have indeed won.
LeBron James Takes His Talents to South Beach
All of the haters can now suck on a baby’s bottle full of haterade and just stop talking. Anyone who though that Wade, Bosh, and James wouldn’t be able to play together, obviously don’t understand basketball. Let’s just put LeBron James’ otherworldly talents into perspective. He led a Cavs team that wouldn’t win the Big Ten without him to 60+ wins each of the last two seasons. He was the entire team, and the future was not going to get any brighter. He had reached his plateau there. The team was not going to improve, because with him there they were too good to get high draft picks. Also, they were never going to sign any of the top free-agents because, well….(not to offend anyone’s hometown), but it's Cleveland. I challenge anyone to name ONE top free agent in any sport that CHOSE TO PLAY IN CLEVELAND. It's simply not happening, and LeBron knew that as well. Any player that it traded to Cleveland will surely leave as soon as their contract is up. Do I think that they are going to win a championship this year? NO, because my Celtics (led by my favorite NBA player, Rajon Rondo) will. However, outside of Rondo all of the Celtics best players are a year or two away from AARP eligibility, therefore we can expect the Heat to have a nice five-year run beginning next season. In the meantime, don’t hate the man for wanting to play with better players, live in a city with better weather, and enjoy better scenery (draw your own meaning from that) while hanging out on an off day. Like I said, no disrespect to Cleveland, but it's Cleveland. I think the great bow-tie wearing NBA philosopher Joakim Noah said it best when he asked, “When was the last time someone said that they were going on vacation to Cleveland?”
Joe Johnson Becomes an Elite (at least in salary) NBA Player
You have to love free-enterprise. Only in Atlanta, can a player who has career playoff averages of 16.3 points, 3.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, and is yet to lead his team to a second round playoff win (NOT WIN A SECOND ROUND SERIES, I AM TALKING ABOUT WINNING A SECOND ROUND GAME!!!!), be rewarded with a 6-year, $119 million contract. Don’t get me wrong, these would be excellent numbers for Marvin Williams (actually I would wash Marvin Williams car if he ever performed this well, even in the pre-season), but Joe Johnson is allegedly our best player and team leader. Giving a playoff scrub this contract ranks up there with other brilliant Hawks personnel moves like trading away Dominique Wilkins for Danny Manning. This is also the franchise that at one point was paying Jon Koncak more than Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird were making at the time. Now Joe Johnson is definitely a better player than Koncak, but when you look at bang for the buck, I wonder which deal was better. I wonder if they have the same agent? And if that agent has pictures of a Hawks executive riding through Buckhead with a woman other than his wife (shout-out to Damon Evans).
Andy Reid Gets Lucky
This off-season the Philadelphia Eagles traded franchise icon Donovan McNabb to make room for Kevin Kolb to become the team’s starting quarterback. Kolb was injured in his first start, which forced Reid to turn the reigns of the team over to Michael Vick. And the rest is history. There really isn’t much more to say about this, if you have been living under a rock and have missed Vick’s season (it looks like he is playing a video game and has all of the cheat codes), you will just have to clear some time and watch the highlights on YouTube. You know, I think Kolb is now 100% healthy, why isn’t he playing? Wasn’t he the player that they thought would be better after watching both of them all through training camp? I guess Andy Reid was wrong, but fortunately, he finally got it right.
The Eagles and Falcons look to be on a collision course to face one another in the NFC title game at the Georgia Dome. Everyone in America (that doesn’t play defense for the Falcons) is looking forward to that possibility.
Brett Favre Breaks New Ground
For the first time in team sports history, a player served as his coach’s boss. This is essentially what happened in Minnesota when Brad Childress sent three players down to Mississippi to beg Brett Favre to come back for his 83rd NFL season. Anyone who knows anything about the narcissistic diva that is Bret Favre knows that he loved this feeling of being the only girl at a homecoming dance at an all boy’s school. All of the attention and power was his. Even though Favre had a 3-7 record and had thrown only 10 TD’s in comparison with 17 INT’s, Childress did not have the authority to bench him for his poor play, simply because his authority as coach went out of the window of the private jet he sent to Mississippi. Thanks in large part to Childress’ brilliant coaching and Favre’s Hall of Fame level of play, one of the most talented teams in the NFL is currently playing with an interim coach and are out of playoff contention. Just to add insult to injury, the roof of their stadium also collapsed. I guess, when it snows, it pours.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK:
BALLER: Michael Vick & DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles) – This combination is absolutely scary! You have Michael Vick who should be doing commercials for the penal system, because he is the first person that I have ever seen be rehabilitated by prison. He is simply not the same person he was when he enterened prison (maybe T.I. can learn a thing or two from him). He is either a changed man or a ridiculously talented actor. Either way, I commend him on his play on the field and who he appears to be off the field.
O'Dog (my nickname for DeSean Jackson) has to be the second scariest player in the NFL (only behind Vick). He can score from anywhere on the field. His speed is ridiculous (I think he is the fasted player in the league, apologies to Chris Johnson and Devin Hester). I for one am glad that he is such a successful football player, and I hope that he has a long and successful career. Although he is a little fella, he just strikes me as one of those Ball or Rob guys. I hope that I'm wrong, but he seems like the type that would be a Menace to Society if he wasn't a professional athlete. Therefore we should all be glad that he chose to rack up the statistics on the football field and not become a statistic off the field.
SCRUB: ESPN - Brett Favre is injured and did not play last week. As a matter of fact, he may not play again ever. Yet, somehow there is a Brett Favre story everyday on Sportscenter. "Come on Man!" are you serious, it is now time to find a new athlete to stalk. I hear Tim Tebow is looking for some attention.
SCRUB: Tony Dungy (NBC Football Night in America) - Tony, you are now a talking head on television, which means that the NFL no longer gives you clothes to wear each Sunday. Therefore you are now responsible for dressing yourself. The dress code for you current position is a suite and tie. Since you are on national television, i suggest that you stop buying your suits off of the clearance rack at JC Penney's. I am not saying that you have to spend a fortune on your clothes, but your suits have to at a minimum be nicer than mine. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with JC Penny's, but as a person on network television, you should look like a person on network television. Hit me up if you need some help, I have a homeboy that is a manager at a national men's retail chain that can help you out.
Thanks to my educational pursuits (I have completed my MBA), it has been a while since I last posted. But the important thing is that I am back now, and I will do my best to make this blog better than ever. Since I’ve been gone, quite a bit has happened in the world of sports. Let’s discuss a few of them, shall we?
Cam Newton wins the Heisman Trophy (at least temporarily)
Many people believe that Cam Newton will eventually have to return the Heisman Trophy. I am not one of those people. That is because I don’t think they ever let him take it home. Sure they let him pose with it for lots of pictures and hold it up triumphantly after he was announced as the winner. But after the ceremony, I believe that they just asked him to leave it with them to save the return shipping, that would otherwise have to be spent when it is taken away in the near future. In my opinion he is definitely on Auburn’s payroll, because I simply refuse to believe that it was going to cost Mississippi State $180,000 for his services, but Auburn got them for free. NO CHANCE! I hate the NCAA (the most hypocritical cartel in all of sports) and I wish them nothing but the worst. Anything that makes them look bad makes me feel better, so I am enjoying all of the bad publicity that they have been receiving over this poorly handled fiasco.
That being said, I would like to explain something to all of the old school sports writers and commentators who hold the Heisman Trophy in such high regard. I have heard so many people refer to it as the most significant honor in all of sports. That may have been a true statement 30 or 40 years ago, but that is no longer the case. I am pretty sure that very few high school or college football players would list winning the Heisman Trophy as their main individual goal. Honestly, they could care less. The most significant honor in college football is now, A FIRST ROUND NFL PAYCHECK! That’s the ultimate goal, not a 25 pound bronze statue that symbolizes that you are the best volunteer football player in the entire nation (although I’m pretty sure that all of them weren’t “volunteers”.) With that in mind, don’t feel sorry for Cam Newton when his picture is removed from the walls and placed in a back room of the Downtown Athletic Club along with Reggie Bush, because they won’t be feeling bad at all. They will simply log on to their bank’s website and hit balance inquiry. At that moment they will realize that they have indeed won.
LeBron James Takes His Talents to South Beach
All of the haters can now suck on a baby’s bottle full of haterade and just stop talking. Anyone who though that Wade, Bosh, and James wouldn’t be able to play together, obviously don’t understand basketball. Let’s just put LeBron James’ otherworldly talents into perspective. He led a Cavs team that wouldn’t win the Big Ten without him to 60+ wins each of the last two seasons. He was the entire team, and the future was not going to get any brighter. He had reached his plateau there. The team was not going to improve, because with him there they were too good to get high draft picks. Also, they were never going to sign any of the top free-agents because, well….(not to offend anyone’s hometown), but it's Cleveland. I challenge anyone to name ONE top free agent in any sport that CHOSE TO PLAY IN CLEVELAND. It's simply not happening, and LeBron knew that as well. Any player that it traded to Cleveland will surely leave as soon as their contract is up. Do I think that they are going to win a championship this year? NO, because my Celtics (led by my favorite NBA player, Rajon Rondo) will. However, outside of Rondo all of the Celtics best players are a year or two away from AARP eligibility, therefore we can expect the Heat to have a nice five-year run beginning next season. In the meantime, don’t hate the man for wanting to play with better players, live in a city with better weather, and enjoy better scenery (draw your own meaning from that) while hanging out on an off day. Like I said, no disrespect to Cleveland, but it's Cleveland. I think the great bow-tie wearing NBA philosopher Joakim Noah said it best when he asked, “When was the last time someone said that they were going on vacation to Cleveland?”
Joe Johnson Becomes an Elite (at least in salary) NBA Player
You have to love free-enterprise. Only in Atlanta, can a player who has career playoff averages of 16.3 points, 3.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, and is yet to lead his team to a second round playoff win (NOT WIN A SECOND ROUND SERIES, I AM TALKING ABOUT WINNING A SECOND ROUND GAME!!!!), be rewarded with a 6-year, $119 million contract. Don’t get me wrong, these would be excellent numbers for Marvin Williams (actually I would wash Marvin Williams car if he ever performed this well, even in the pre-season), but Joe Johnson is allegedly our best player and team leader. Giving a playoff scrub this contract ranks up there with other brilliant Hawks personnel moves like trading away Dominique Wilkins for Danny Manning. This is also the franchise that at one point was paying Jon Koncak more than Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird were making at the time. Now Joe Johnson is definitely a better player than Koncak, but when you look at bang for the buck, I wonder which deal was better. I wonder if they have the same agent? And if that agent has pictures of a Hawks executive riding through Buckhead with a woman other than his wife (shout-out to Damon Evans).
Andy Reid Gets Lucky
This off-season the Philadelphia Eagles traded franchise icon Donovan McNabb to make room for Kevin Kolb to become the team’s starting quarterback. Kolb was injured in his first start, which forced Reid to turn the reigns of the team over to Michael Vick. And the rest is history. There really isn’t much more to say about this, if you have been living under a rock and have missed Vick’s season (it looks like he is playing a video game and has all of the cheat codes), you will just have to clear some time and watch the highlights on YouTube. You know, I think Kolb is now 100% healthy, why isn’t he playing? Wasn’t he the player that they thought would be better after watching both of them all through training camp? I guess Andy Reid was wrong, but fortunately, he finally got it right.
The Eagles and Falcons look to be on a collision course to face one another in the NFC title game at the Georgia Dome. Everyone in America (that doesn’t play defense for the Falcons) is looking forward to that possibility.
Brett Favre Breaks New Ground
For the first time in team sports history, a player served as his coach’s boss. This is essentially what happened in Minnesota when Brad Childress sent three players down to Mississippi to beg Brett Favre to come back for his 83rd NFL season. Anyone who knows anything about the narcissistic diva that is Bret Favre knows that he loved this feeling of being the only girl at a homecoming dance at an all boy’s school. All of the attention and power was his. Even though Favre had a 3-7 record and had thrown only 10 TD’s in comparison with 17 INT’s, Childress did not have the authority to bench him for his poor play, simply because his authority as coach went out of the window of the private jet he sent to Mississippi. Thanks in large part to Childress’ brilliant coaching and Favre’s Hall of Fame level of play, one of the most talented teams in the NFL is currently playing with an interim coach and are out of playoff contention. Just to add insult to injury, the roof of their stadium also collapsed. I guess, when it snows, it pours.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK:
BALLER: Michael Vick & DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles) – This combination is absolutely scary! You have Michael Vick who should be doing commercials for the penal system, because he is the first person that I have ever seen be rehabilitated by prison. He is simply not the same person he was when he enterened prison (maybe T.I. can learn a thing or two from him). He is either a changed man or a ridiculously talented actor. Either way, I commend him on his play on the field and who he appears to be off the field.
O'Dog (my nickname for DeSean Jackson) has to be the second scariest player in the NFL (only behind Vick). He can score from anywhere on the field. His speed is ridiculous (I think he is the fasted player in the league, apologies to Chris Johnson and Devin Hester). I for one am glad that he is such a successful football player, and I hope that he has a long and successful career. Although he is a little fella, he just strikes me as one of those Ball or Rob guys. I hope that I'm wrong, but he seems like the type that would be a Menace to Society if he wasn't a professional athlete. Therefore we should all be glad that he chose to rack up the statistics on the football field and not become a statistic off the field.
SCRUB: ESPN - Brett Favre is injured and did not play last week. As a matter of fact, he may not play again ever. Yet, somehow there is a Brett Favre story everyday on Sportscenter. "Come on Man!" are you serious, it is now time to find a new athlete to stalk. I hear Tim Tebow is looking for some attention.
SCRUB: Tony Dungy (NBC Football Night in America) - Tony, you are now a talking head on television, which means that the NFL no longer gives you clothes to wear each Sunday. Therefore you are now responsible for dressing yourself. The dress code for you current position is a suite and tie. Since you are on national television, i suggest that you stop buying your suits off of the clearance rack at JC Penney's. I am not saying that you have to spend a fortune on your clothes, but your suits have to at a minimum be nicer than mine. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with JC Penny's, but as a person on network television, you should look like a person on network television. Hit me up if you need some help, I have a homeboy that is a manager at a national men's retail chain that can help you out.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
THERE’S ALWAYS SPORTS RADIO
After my customary break to focus on finishing up the semester strongly (I got two A’s this semester and I am only five classes away from my MBA), I AM BACK!!!! So sit back and enjoy, because I want to discuss a topic that at one point or another has entered the minds of all football fans (NFL and NCAA). That topic is the future of myth and legend that is known as Tim Tebow.
Florida fans and the television powers that be (primarily ESPN & CBS) have had a huge football love affair with this kid since the day he stepped on campus. As a freshman, he was nothing more than a backup fullback (wearing a quarterback’s number) who attempted all of 33 passes that season. Yet for some inexplicable reason, he received more attention than Chris Leak who was Florida’s senior starting quarterback. You may remember him; he was the guy that actually led Florida to the national championship that season. Yet, when mentioning Tebow everyone always says that he won two national championships. I find that to be a bit disingenuous. While Tebow definitely won the National Championship in 2008, saying that he won it 2006 is like saying that Drew Bledsoe won the 2002 Super Bowl for New England, or that Byron Leftwich won the Super Bowl last season. Chris Leak did a lot for that program, and I just hope that when they celebrate the 10-year anniversary of that championship, that they at least invite him to be a part of the festivities.
I also found it quite nauseating that CBS interviewed him on the field immediately after Florida’s SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama. Now, I have watched a lot of college sports in my day, and I can’t recall any other instance where a losing player was interviewed on the field after a game. That usually happens outside of a somber locker room, or in the pressroom, but never on the field. That was Alabama’s moment, and CBS should not have let their obvious love affair with Tebow cast any shadow over Alabama’s celebration. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS tries to pressure AFC teams into drafting him so that they can cover his sure to be brief NFL career.
Although I have been absolutely annoyed by the media coverage that Tebow receives, and equally annoyed by his carefully crafted image (more on that later), I will admit one thing: THIS KID WAS A GREAT COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER! While it is true, that he has had the great fortune of playing on some phenomenal teams at Florida (a school that doesn’t have to recruit, they simply pick who they want), he has made his share of big plays to lead them to victories. His skill set is perfectly suited for the college football game, but not the NFL. He has proven that he can complete passes to receivers who are open by five yards. This happens a lot at Florida because their receivers are simply better than most secondary’s that they line up against. However, in the NFL if a receiver is consistently open by five yards, a defensive back will lose his job. Open in the NFL is basically having your inside shoulder inside of the defender’s inside shoulder. Tebow doesn’t have the arm or accuracy to consistently complete that pass. In college, he also proved to be a tough runner who can simply run through most defenders. If he tries to do that in the NFL, he will quickly be given Google Map directions to a place called injured reserve. Simply put, try that in the NFL and Ray Lewis will break you in half. Trying to run by NFL defenders is also not an option, unless you have the speed of Michael Vick or Vince Young (which Tebow does not). He will quickly learn that the majority of NFL defensive ends are much bigger, faster, and stronger than him. The bottom line is that Tebow is a quarterback with an average arm (can throw far with a lot of air under the ball, but can’t really throw the ball on a rope), who does not possess the skills to be a pocket passer in the NFL. He also isn’t fast enough to be a run/pass threat like Michael Vick, Steve Young, Vince Young, or Randall Cunningham.
I think that I have made it pretty clear that I don’t think that Tim Tebow can play quarterback in the NFL. However, I do feel that there is a place for him in the league. I think he could play an H-back position (sort of a fullback/tight end hybrid), and maybe hold for kicks. Now that I think of it he could possibly excel at being the personal protector for the punter on the punt coverage unit. But quarterback? NOT A CHANCE!
To me, Tim Tebow comes across as a carefully crafted political figure. I just get the vibe that his handlers are already preparing him for a career in politics. He acts like he grew up next door to the Cleavers and is the most wide-eyed and innocent person in college football. There have even been stories of him spending his spring break in third-world countries performing surgical procedures on children. He even writes bible verse, which some people can alter or interpret to be game results (please see picture below).
BALLER: John Wall (PG University of Kentucky) – He is simply the best player in college basketball. Over the past week, he has led Kentucky to victories over North Carolina, Connecticut, and Indiana. This kid is amazing. If you haven’t seen him play yet, make some time and check him out. He is definitely worth it. However, if you want to see him in college you had better hurry up because he will only be there one season. I hope his one season in Lexington leads to a National Championship.
Florida fans and the television powers that be (primarily ESPN & CBS) have had a huge football love affair with this kid since the day he stepped on campus. As a freshman, he was nothing more than a backup fullback (wearing a quarterback’s number) who attempted all of 33 passes that season. Yet for some inexplicable reason, he received more attention than Chris Leak who was Florida’s senior starting quarterback. You may remember him; he was the guy that actually led Florida to the national championship that season. Yet, when mentioning Tebow everyone always says that he won two national championships. I find that to be a bit disingenuous. While Tebow definitely won the National Championship in 2008, saying that he won it 2006 is like saying that Drew Bledsoe won the 2002 Super Bowl for New England, or that Byron Leftwich won the Super Bowl last season. Chris Leak did a lot for that program, and I just hope that when they celebrate the 10-year anniversary of that championship, that they at least invite him to be a part of the festivities.
I also found it quite nauseating that CBS interviewed him on the field immediately after Florida’s SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama. Now, I have watched a lot of college sports in my day, and I can’t recall any other instance where a losing player was interviewed on the field after a game. That usually happens outside of a somber locker room, or in the pressroom, but never on the field. That was Alabama’s moment, and CBS should not have let their obvious love affair with Tebow cast any shadow over Alabama’s celebration. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS tries to pressure AFC teams into drafting him so that they can cover his sure to be brief NFL career.
Although I have been absolutely annoyed by the media coverage that Tebow receives, and equally annoyed by his carefully crafted image (more on that later), I will admit one thing: THIS KID WAS A GREAT COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER! While it is true, that he has had the great fortune of playing on some phenomenal teams at Florida (a school that doesn’t have to recruit, they simply pick who they want), he has made his share of big plays to lead them to victories. His skill set is perfectly suited for the college football game, but not the NFL. He has proven that he can complete passes to receivers who are open by five yards. This happens a lot at Florida because their receivers are simply better than most secondary’s that they line up against. However, in the NFL if a receiver is consistently open by five yards, a defensive back will lose his job. Open in the NFL is basically having your inside shoulder inside of the defender’s inside shoulder. Tebow doesn’t have the arm or accuracy to consistently complete that pass. In college, he also proved to be a tough runner who can simply run through most defenders. If he tries to do that in the NFL, he will quickly be given Google Map directions to a place called injured reserve. Simply put, try that in the NFL and Ray Lewis will break you in half. Trying to run by NFL defenders is also not an option, unless you have the speed of Michael Vick or Vince Young (which Tebow does not). He will quickly learn that the majority of NFL defensive ends are much bigger, faster, and stronger than him. The bottom line is that Tebow is a quarterback with an average arm (can throw far with a lot of air under the ball, but can’t really throw the ball on a rope), who does not possess the skills to be a pocket passer in the NFL. He also isn’t fast enough to be a run/pass threat like Michael Vick, Steve Young, Vince Young, or Randall Cunningham.
I think that I have made it pretty clear that I don’t think that Tim Tebow can play quarterback in the NFL. However, I do feel that there is a place for him in the league. I think he could play an H-back position (sort of a fullback/tight end hybrid), and maybe hold for kicks. Now that I think of it he could possibly excel at being the personal protector for the punter on the punt coverage unit. But quarterback? NOT A CHANCE!
To me, Tim Tebow comes across as a carefully crafted political figure. I just get the vibe that his handlers are already preparing him for a career in politics. He acts like he grew up next door to the Cleavers and is the most wide-eyed and innocent person in college football. There have even been stories of him spending his spring break in third-world countries performing surgical procedures on children. He even writes bible verse, which some people can alter or interpret to be game results (please see picture below).
Is there not a more perfectly crafted image of a wholesome, All-American boy? I’m not buying it. It all seems fake and phony to me. My only advice to him is if you are going to say one thing and portray one thing, you had better live it. There have been several high-profile instances of the exact opposite happening. You don’t want to become one of them.
The bottom line is this. If NFL teams are smart, he will not be drafted before the third round. At that point, the financial commitment will not be devastating if he doesn't pan out. The team that drafts him should immediately make him their H-back. He should have a decent career there. But we all know that's not going to happen. Some team will be stupid enough draft him in the first or second round to play quarterback (it has happened before with less accomplished college quarterbacks). Their thinking is that it will do wonders for their image. They will then learn the hard way that Tim Tebow does not have the ability to play quarterback in the NFL. He will certainly work hard and give it the old “college” try, but after three seasons of sitting on the bench or failing miserably on the field (depending on how stupid the coach is), Tim Tebow will begin his second career which is indeed his true calling. He will be a sports-radio host in Gainesville Florida, where he will always be considered a god. Hey, it worked for Buck Belue.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK:
BALLER: John Wall (PG University of Kentucky) – He is simply the best player in college basketball. Over the past week, he has led Kentucky to victories over North Carolina, Connecticut, and Indiana. This kid is amazing. If you haven’t seen him play yet, make some time and check him out. He is definitely worth it. However, if you want to see him in college you had better hurry up because he will only be there one season. I hope his one season in Lexington leads to a National Championship.
BALLER: Mark Ingram (RB University of Alabama) – Although I am not an Alabama fan, Mark Ingram is by far my favorite college football player. He plays the game the way it should be played. He is a hard runner that can run by defenders, but would much rather run through them. I also have never seen him run out of bounds to avoid contact. He’s so tough that he makes you forget that Shaun Alexander (softest NFL RB in recent history) once played for Bama. Ingram definitely deserved to win the Heisman. Congratulations!
SCRUB: Tiger Woods (Professional Golfer) – I know that he isn’t the first person or high-profile athlete to cheat on his wife, but he is the latest to learn that eventually the mistresses will come out and say something. While I am disappointed in him for his “transgressions” as he likes to call them, I am not surprised. I mean, he was a filthy rich man who married a trophy wife. Did anyone really think that there was real love and respect there? Unfortunately, this type of thing happens all the time. He is a famous and wealthy guy who thinks that all of these women want him for his looks and charisma. I find that funny because to me he simply seems to be a corny dude who happens to be great at golf (which has made him extremely wealthy). He is waaayyyy to lame to think that he could pull off this lifestyle long-term. He had to know that eventually he would get caught. If not, shame on him.
SCRUB: Tim Tebow (QB University of Florida) – After your team got slaughtered by Alabama, you were on the sidelines crying like a little girl that didn’t get the bike she wanted for Christmas. I just want to know if you were crying because you lost the game, or because you realized that your athletic career would be all down-hill from there? Either way it goes, save it for the locker room. The man, the myth, and the legend that is Tim Tebow should not be seen crying after losing a game.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
WHAT? HE MISSED!
Kickers, Kickers, Kickers. There is one thing that I have always noticed about kickers on a football team. From the outside looking in, it really doesn’t appear that they are actually a part of the team. This is at all levels of football. The kickers, punters, and the long snapper (if he doesn’t also play another position) usually camp out during the game in their own little world that usually exists at the back of the sideline near the 30 or 35 yard line. Why is it that way? I really don’t know. Do the other players on the team not respect them? Do the other players on the team simply dislike them? Is there some rule in the football rulebook that specifies where kickers must stand on the sideline and how far they must be from the nearest teammate? Are players scared that if they stand too close to a kicker that their kids will grow up and become kickers? Someone please answer this question for me.
I am a daily listener to NFL radio (I was actually on air last Saturday, which was AWESOME!!!! because it is so hard to get through). One of the things that I like about NFL radio is that players and coaches tend to be very candid during interviews. I guess they let their guard down and say what is really on their mind because there are no cameras in their face. Usually television interviews with athletes go as Andre 3000 describes a bad rap battle in TWO DOPE BOYS IN A CADILLAC, they simply “spit (or in this case talk) and stumble of clichés” without really saying anything. However, on the radio they tend to be more likely to talk as if they are hanging out with friends at a bar while shooting pool and enjoying the beverage of their choice. It is very rare that any player interviewed on the radio speaks glowingly of their kicker (with the rare exception being Colts clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri). As a matter of fact when anything relating to a kicker comes up, I have hear many players simply laugh and say that they don’t pay the kicker any attention and that he should just stay out of everyone else’s way. A lot of them won’t even comment on anything kicker related.
Without a doubt, kickers have the most and least job security of any position in the NFL. A great kicker can kick FOREVER!!!! Five of the seven oldest players in NFL history were kickers (this includes George Blanda who was also a quarterback, but was a kicker for the final nine years of his 26 year career). For a less than spectacular kicker, your job is basically week-to-week. There have been several instances where a kicker has been cut following a bad game or they show up at practice Wednesday and there is a new guy there that you must compete with to keep your job.
Over my 28 years on this earth, I have seen more football than you can ever imagine. I have witnessed my fair share of blowouts as well as close games. Most of the close games that I have witnessed have come in the NFL, where the average margin of victory is less than a touchdown. The outcome of these close games sometimes rest on the mismatched shoe foot of a kicker. This fact makes me wonder, “Can a kicker lose a football game?”
I have heard several answers to this question. There is the school of thought that says that you can’t place the blame solely on a kicker for losing a football game, when the rest of the team could have done better during the rest of the game. Some NFL players take this perspective after a kicker has missed a potentially game winning kick. They try to deflect the blame from the player whose name they probably don’t even know, and place it on the entire team. I feel that is the admirable thing to do, because the last thing that you want is a kicker with confidence issues. I have also heard people say that kickers can’t lose a football game because they feel as though no kick is automatic. These people feel like it is up to the other players on the football team to play well enough to win the game, and that anything the kicker does (besides extra points) are a bonus. I even had one person tell me that not only can kickers lose the game, but he went so far as to wonder how the game of football would be without kickers altogether. While that may appear to be a ridiculous thought on the surface, after further discussion, I realized that he might be on to something (more on that thought to come in a later entry).
As most of you know I watch a great deal of NFL, NBA, and College Basketball games. I also watch some college football, but Saturday afternoons are usually reserved for homework and around the house activities. I say this because watching each of these sports has helped me to realize one of the biggest differences between the college and professional versions of basketball and football. College basketball is full of bad free throw shooting. I know that there are some terrible free throw shooters in the NBA (mostly power forwards & centers), but as a whole the free throw shooting is pretty good. In college basketball on the other hand, most players are pretty bad, especially in clutch situations. As far as college football goes, the field goal kicking leaves a lot to be desired. Except for the one or two kickers a year that eventually make the NFL, any field goal of 35 yards is an adventure. I am not surprised because there are close to 120 Division I (or whatever they call division 1 nowadays) football teams, plus countless others at other levels. With that many teams, you can’t expect all of them to have great kickers.
The NFL on the other hand is different. There are only 32 teams. While most teams carry 3 quarterbacks, 5 running backs/fullbacks, 6 wide receivers, and countless others at each position, THEY ONLY CARRY ONE PLACE KICKER! I specifically said “place kicker” because many place kickers in the NFL only have one job. That job is to kick field goals. A great deal of them, DON’T EVEN KICK OFF! They have a “kickoff specialist” to handle that. This means that there are only 32 people on the entire planet who are employed by NFL teams to kick field goals. Since this is such a small number, you would think that these are without a doubt the best in the world at this craft. With that being said, I feel as though A KICKER CAN MOST DEFINITELY LOSE A FOOTBALL GAME!
For an NFL kicker there are some kicks that should simply be automatic if there is a good snap, the ball is cleanly placed down with the laces turned out, and the offensive line does not let anyone through. While I acknowledge that some things are simply out of the kickers control, if the aforementioned events go without a hitch, ALL NFL KICKERS SHOULD MAKE EVERY EXTRA POINT THEY ATTEMPT! If the game is being played outdoors where mother nature can cause other variables to come into play, an NFL kicker SHOULD MAKE EVERY FIELD GOAL INSIDE OF FORTY YARDS! This means that if the offense gets the ball to the 22 yard line, there is no excuse for a missed kick (for those that don’t know, the actual distance of a field goal is 17 yards longer than the spot from which the ball is snapped, because the ball is kicked seven yards from where it is snapped and the goalposts are located 10 yards past the goal line). Inside of a dome where it never rains, the field is never muddy, there is no wind, the sun never causes any type of glare or shadows, and it is always a comfortable 72 degrees, an NFL kicker SHOULD MAKE ALL KICKS INSIDE OF 50 YARDS! This means that the offense is responsible for getting the ball to the opponent’s 32 yard line (which would be a 49 yard field goal for all of you non-math majors). While I know that no one is perfect and that every kicker will miss some kicks in their careers, they must be held responsible if the snap, hold, and blocking is good and they miss any extra point, or any kick inside of 40 yards outdoors or inside of 50 yards outdoors. While many NFL kickers can make 50+ yard field goals, no team should reasonably expect their kickers to make kicks from this distance. If a kicker happens to make a 50+ yard kick, the team should be elated and consider those points as a nice bonus, because it is totally unrealistic to expect your kicker to regularly make a kick from that distance.
I have absolutely no tolerance for kickers who let their team down by missing what should be makeable field goals. Most of them have one job on the football team and get paid a minimum of $310,000 per season, with some earning several million dollars per season. While it isn’t quarterback money, but it is certainly a nice living to DO ONE THING! In fact, I wonder if kickers even get a playbook like the rest of the team, or do they simply get a 3x5 index card that says, “Kick the ball between the uprights”? Really, they don’t have any plays. There is the occasional fake field goal, but even on that play the kicker simply goes through his normal kicking motion making it look as realistic as possible.
The only thing that place kickers ever do is kick the football. They do regular conditioning, weight training (at least on their lower body), and stretching. Other than that, they simply kick. Every NFL team has a special teams segment in practice where all of their special teams units practice their blocking and kick coverage. This is also when kickers get a chance to work on their kicking. Not only can they practice during the special teams segment of practice, but I don’t see why they can’t continue practicing their kicking during the nine-on-seven (run game practice) and seven-on-seven (pass game practice) segments of practice because most, if not all NFL teams have multiple fields at their practice facilities. They obviously aren’t needed during these segments, so they could get more reps on a separate field. They also have their very own kicking net on the sidelines that they can use to ensure that their steps are correct and that they make good contact with the ball. NFL teams certainly have enough resources to enable kickers to work on their craft as much as they would like to.
In no way, shape, or form am I diminishing the skill that it takes to be an NFL kicker. It is an extremely difficult job that only 32 people in the entire world have. But what I am doing is not letting them off the hook for missing field goals that professionals should make. Just like quarterbacks get blamed for missing wide open receivers (or in the case of Jason Campbell, refusing to throw to wide open receivers that are more than 15 yards away from you), and running backs get blamed for loosing fumbles, and Keith Brooking gets blamed for missing tackle opportunities in front of the first down marker, kickers should be blamed when they mess up as well.
I have arrived at several NFL games early enough to see the kickers warm up (which usually happens before the rest of the team warms up). These kickers can routinely make 70+ yard field goals in warm-ups, which show just how strong and accurate their legs are. Yes, I know that warm-up conditions are totally pressure free unlike the real games. But at least we know what they are capable of. To be a good NFL kicker, you must have nerves of steel (especially on the road) and be able to concentrate on the task at hand. While this is pressure, it is no different than what a quarterback must do when throwing a pass with 250 – 300 pound defenders diving at you to take your head off. It is also no different from what wide receivers must deal with while going over the middle to catch a pass that was thrown a tad bit high. It is also no different than the pressure that any Green Bay Packer tackle was under when facing Jared Allen this season (can you believe he had 7.5 sacks against the Packers in two games this season). Bottom line is that everyone on the football field is under intense pressure during the game (except for maybe the kickoff specialist, which is by the way the best job in all of sports). The ability to not only handle, but also thrive under that pressure is why they are in the NFL. Whether or not these players thrive under the pressure or succumb to it will ultimately decide the fate of their team, and KICKERS OR NO DIFFERENT!
ON A TOTALLY UNRELATED NOTE: I have had the misfortune of seeing the Washington Redskins play a few times this year. Am I the only one that notices that Jason Campbell looks as if he is expecting to get sacked each time he drops back to pass? Pay attention to him the next time you see the Redskins play or highlights of him getting sacked on SportScenter. It looks as though he takes the snap; looks for his first read (who is either covered or too far for him to get the ball to him) and then immediately balls up into the tornado drill position that you had to do in elementary school and waits to get hit. I’m not making this up. Check it out.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK:
BALLER: Jamal Crawford (Atlanta Hawks) – My Atlanta Hawks are off to a 5 – 2 start. It has definitely been a total team effort. Josh Smith and Al Horford are playing out of their minds. Joe Johnson is being the regular season Joe Johnson that we all know and love (the post-season Joe Johnson is an entirely different issue). Marvin Williams is still making me wonder why we drafted him over Chris Paul and Deron Williams (my therapist is helping me to get over my hang up on that issue). But the engine that is currently making the Hawks go is sixth-man extraordinaire, Jamal Crawford. He is averaging 18 points per game off the bench and is given the Hawks the secondary scorer that they thought they drafted in Marvin Williams (sorry, I am really working on this). If he keeps up this pace, my Hawks will be hard to beat and will certainly get a crack at Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This week I couldn’t decide between two candidates for Scrub of the Week, so I decided to honor them both.
SCRUB: The NFL’s Southeast Division (better known as the SEC) Officials – Although I don’t watch nearly as much college football as I do NFL football, I do occasionally enjoy a good college football game. One game that I am definitely looking forward to is the SEC Championship Game. I would love to see a rematch of last year’s game and see Alabama play Florida. Obviously the SEC feels the same way that I do, because their officials have made terrible calls or no-calls for both Florida and Alabama this season. Just yesterday, they disallowed an interception of Alabama by LSU by saying that the LSU player never got his foot down inbounds after catching the ball. While watching the game live, I definitely saw that he indeed did get the required one foot down in bounds. Then CBS showed countless replays from several angles, that all showed that his foot was down. The most daunting evidence that was ignored by the officials was the divot left in the grass by the LSU player when HIS FOOT CAME DOWN INBOUNDS! In the same game, the officials missed an obvious facemask (hands to the face penalty) by an Alabama defensive lineman that grabbed a LSU offensive lineman’s facemask and used it to drive him back so that he could get to the quarterback. I don’t know how they missed that one, the kid’s head snapped back. I’m not saying that the outcome of the game would have been any different had the correct call been made in these situations, but it would have been nice to let the players and coaches on the field decide. The officials in this game definitely had a HUGE affect on the outcome. It really shouldn’t be that way.
We all know that Tim Tebow (I can’t wait until he gets exposed in the NFL) is the chosen one and that his ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game was punched when Spring Practice started, but now the SEC is even hand picking his opponent. This is ridiculous. The NCAA has to take a look at the poor quality of SEC officiating and their obvious biases, and step in and do something. The SEC obviously has an agenda and has empowered their officials with the ability to ensure that their agenda comes to fruition.
SCRUB: Elizabeth Lambert (New Mexico Women’s Soccer Team) – I know the last names are slightly different, but I wonder if she is related to Bill Laimbeer.
Check out the video.
I am a daily listener to NFL radio (I was actually on air last Saturday, which was AWESOME!!!! because it is so hard to get through). One of the things that I like about NFL radio is that players and coaches tend to be very candid during interviews. I guess they let their guard down and say what is really on their mind because there are no cameras in their face. Usually television interviews with athletes go as Andre 3000 describes a bad rap battle in TWO DOPE BOYS IN A CADILLAC, they simply “spit (or in this case talk) and stumble of clichés” without really saying anything. However, on the radio they tend to be more likely to talk as if they are hanging out with friends at a bar while shooting pool and enjoying the beverage of their choice. It is very rare that any player interviewed on the radio speaks glowingly of their kicker (with the rare exception being Colts clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri). As a matter of fact when anything relating to a kicker comes up, I have hear many players simply laugh and say that they don’t pay the kicker any attention and that he should just stay out of everyone else’s way. A lot of them won’t even comment on anything kicker related.
Without a doubt, kickers have the most and least job security of any position in the NFL. A great kicker can kick FOREVER!!!! Five of the seven oldest players in NFL history were kickers (this includes George Blanda who was also a quarterback, but was a kicker for the final nine years of his 26 year career). For a less than spectacular kicker, your job is basically week-to-week. There have been several instances where a kicker has been cut following a bad game or they show up at practice Wednesday and there is a new guy there that you must compete with to keep your job.
Over my 28 years on this earth, I have seen more football than you can ever imagine. I have witnessed my fair share of blowouts as well as close games. Most of the close games that I have witnessed have come in the NFL, where the average margin of victory is less than a touchdown. The outcome of these close games sometimes rest on the mismatched shoe foot of a kicker. This fact makes me wonder, “Can a kicker lose a football game?”
I have heard several answers to this question. There is the school of thought that says that you can’t place the blame solely on a kicker for losing a football game, when the rest of the team could have done better during the rest of the game. Some NFL players take this perspective after a kicker has missed a potentially game winning kick. They try to deflect the blame from the player whose name they probably don’t even know, and place it on the entire team. I feel that is the admirable thing to do, because the last thing that you want is a kicker with confidence issues. I have also heard people say that kickers can’t lose a football game because they feel as though no kick is automatic. These people feel like it is up to the other players on the football team to play well enough to win the game, and that anything the kicker does (besides extra points) are a bonus. I even had one person tell me that not only can kickers lose the game, but he went so far as to wonder how the game of football would be without kickers altogether. While that may appear to be a ridiculous thought on the surface, after further discussion, I realized that he might be on to something (more on that thought to come in a later entry).
As most of you know I watch a great deal of NFL, NBA, and College Basketball games. I also watch some college football, but Saturday afternoons are usually reserved for homework and around the house activities. I say this because watching each of these sports has helped me to realize one of the biggest differences between the college and professional versions of basketball and football. College basketball is full of bad free throw shooting. I know that there are some terrible free throw shooters in the NBA (mostly power forwards & centers), but as a whole the free throw shooting is pretty good. In college basketball on the other hand, most players are pretty bad, especially in clutch situations. As far as college football goes, the field goal kicking leaves a lot to be desired. Except for the one or two kickers a year that eventually make the NFL, any field goal of 35 yards is an adventure. I am not surprised because there are close to 120 Division I (or whatever they call division 1 nowadays) football teams, plus countless others at other levels. With that many teams, you can’t expect all of them to have great kickers.
The NFL on the other hand is different. There are only 32 teams. While most teams carry 3 quarterbacks, 5 running backs/fullbacks, 6 wide receivers, and countless others at each position, THEY ONLY CARRY ONE PLACE KICKER! I specifically said “place kicker” because many place kickers in the NFL only have one job. That job is to kick field goals. A great deal of them, DON’T EVEN KICK OFF! They have a “kickoff specialist” to handle that. This means that there are only 32 people on the entire planet who are employed by NFL teams to kick field goals. Since this is such a small number, you would think that these are without a doubt the best in the world at this craft. With that being said, I feel as though A KICKER CAN MOST DEFINITELY LOSE A FOOTBALL GAME!
For an NFL kicker there are some kicks that should simply be automatic if there is a good snap, the ball is cleanly placed down with the laces turned out, and the offensive line does not let anyone through. While I acknowledge that some things are simply out of the kickers control, if the aforementioned events go without a hitch, ALL NFL KICKERS SHOULD MAKE EVERY EXTRA POINT THEY ATTEMPT! If the game is being played outdoors where mother nature can cause other variables to come into play, an NFL kicker SHOULD MAKE EVERY FIELD GOAL INSIDE OF FORTY YARDS! This means that if the offense gets the ball to the 22 yard line, there is no excuse for a missed kick (for those that don’t know, the actual distance of a field goal is 17 yards longer than the spot from which the ball is snapped, because the ball is kicked seven yards from where it is snapped and the goalposts are located 10 yards past the goal line). Inside of a dome where it never rains, the field is never muddy, there is no wind, the sun never causes any type of glare or shadows, and it is always a comfortable 72 degrees, an NFL kicker SHOULD MAKE ALL KICKS INSIDE OF 50 YARDS! This means that the offense is responsible for getting the ball to the opponent’s 32 yard line (which would be a 49 yard field goal for all of you non-math majors). While I know that no one is perfect and that every kicker will miss some kicks in their careers, they must be held responsible if the snap, hold, and blocking is good and they miss any extra point, or any kick inside of 40 yards outdoors or inside of 50 yards outdoors. While many NFL kickers can make 50+ yard field goals, no team should reasonably expect their kickers to make kicks from this distance. If a kicker happens to make a 50+ yard kick, the team should be elated and consider those points as a nice bonus, because it is totally unrealistic to expect your kicker to regularly make a kick from that distance.
I have absolutely no tolerance for kickers who let their team down by missing what should be makeable field goals. Most of them have one job on the football team and get paid a minimum of $310,000 per season, with some earning several million dollars per season. While it isn’t quarterback money, but it is certainly a nice living to DO ONE THING! In fact, I wonder if kickers even get a playbook like the rest of the team, or do they simply get a 3x5 index card that says, “Kick the ball between the uprights”? Really, they don’t have any plays. There is the occasional fake field goal, but even on that play the kicker simply goes through his normal kicking motion making it look as realistic as possible.
The only thing that place kickers ever do is kick the football. They do regular conditioning, weight training (at least on their lower body), and stretching. Other than that, they simply kick. Every NFL team has a special teams segment in practice where all of their special teams units practice their blocking and kick coverage. This is also when kickers get a chance to work on their kicking. Not only can they practice during the special teams segment of practice, but I don’t see why they can’t continue practicing their kicking during the nine-on-seven (run game practice) and seven-on-seven (pass game practice) segments of practice because most, if not all NFL teams have multiple fields at their practice facilities. They obviously aren’t needed during these segments, so they could get more reps on a separate field. They also have their very own kicking net on the sidelines that they can use to ensure that their steps are correct and that they make good contact with the ball. NFL teams certainly have enough resources to enable kickers to work on their craft as much as they would like to.
In no way, shape, or form am I diminishing the skill that it takes to be an NFL kicker. It is an extremely difficult job that only 32 people in the entire world have. But what I am doing is not letting them off the hook for missing field goals that professionals should make. Just like quarterbacks get blamed for missing wide open receivers (or in the case of Jason Campbell, refusing to throw to wide open receivers that are more than 15 yards away from you), and running backs get blamed for loosing fumbles, and Keith Brooking gets blamed for missing tackle opportunities in front of the first down marker, kickers should be blamed when they mess up as well.
I have arrived at several NFL games early enough to see the kickers warm up (which usually happens before the rest of the team warms up). These kickers can routinely make 70+ yard field goals in warm-ups, which show just how strong and accurate their legs are. Yes, I know that warm-up conditions are totally pressure free unlike the real games. But at least we know what they are capable of. To be a good NFL kicker, you must have nerves of steel (especially on the road) and be able to concentrate on the task at hand. While this is pressure, it is no different than what a quarterback must do when throwing a pass with 250 – 300 pound defenders diving at you to take your head off. It is also no different from what wide receivers must deal with while going over the middle to catch a pass that was thrown a tad bit high. It is also no different than the pressure that any Green Bay Packer tackle was under when facing Jared Allen this season (can you believe he had 7.5 sacks against the Packers in two games this season). Bottom line is that everyone on the football field is under intense pressure during the game (except for maybe the kickoff specialist, which is by the way the best job in all of sports). The ability to not only handle, but also thrive under that pressure is why they are in the NFL. Whether or not these players thrive under the pressure or succumb to it will ultimately decide the fate of their team, and KICKERS OR NO DIFFERENT!
ON A TOTALLY UNRELATED NOTE: I have had the misfortune of seeing the Washington Redskins play a few times this year. Am I the only one that notices that Jason Campbell looks as if he is expecting to get sacked each time he drops back to pass? Pay attention to him the next time you see the Redskins play or highlights of him getting sacked on SportScenter. It looks as though he takes the snap; looks for his first read (who is either covered or too far for him to get the ball to him) and then immediately balls up into the tornado drill position that you had to do in elementary school and waits to get hit. I’m not making this up. Check it out.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK:
BALLER: Jamal Crawford (Atlanta Hawks) – My Atlanta Hawks are off to a 5 – 2 start. It has definitely been a total team effort. Josh Smith and Al Horford are playing out of their minds. Joe Johnson is being the regular season Joe Johnson that we all know and love (the post-season Joe Johnson is an entirely different issue). Marvin Williams is still making me wonder why we drafted him over Chris Paul and Deron Williams (my therapist is helping me to get over my hang up on that issue). But the engine that is currently making the Hawks go is sixth-man extraordinaire, Jamal Crawford. He is averaging 18 points per game off the bench and is given the Hawks the secondary scorer that they thought they drafted in Marvin Williams (sorry, I am really working on this). If he keeps up this pace, my Hawks will be hard to beat and will certainly get a crack at Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This week I couldn’t decide between two candidates for Scrub of the Week, so I decided to honor them both.
SCRUB: The NFL’s Southeast Division (better known as the SEC) Officials – Although I don’t watch nearly as much college football as I do NFL football, I do occasionally enjoy a good college football game. One game that I am definitely looking forward to is the SEC Championship Game. I would love to see a rematch of last year’s game and see Alabama play Florida. Obviously the SEC feels the same way that I do, because their officials have made terrible calls or no-calls for both Florida and Alabama this season. Just yesterday, they disallowed an interception of Alabama by LSU by saying that the LSU player never got his foot down inbounds after catching the ball. While watching the game live, I definitely saw that he indeed did get the required one foot down in bounds. Then CBS showed countless replays from several angles, that all showed that his foot was down. The most daunting evidence that was ignored by the officials was the divot left in the grass by the LSU player when HIS FOOT CAME DOWN INBOUNDS! In the same game, the officials missed an obvious facemask (hands to the face penalty) by an Alabama defensive lineman that grabbed a LSU offensive lineman’s facemask and used it to drive him back so that he could get to the quarterback. I don’t know how they missed that one, the kid’s head snapped back. I’m not saying that the outcome of the game would have been any different had the correct call been made in these situations, but it would have been nice to let the players and coaches on the field decide. The officials in this game definitely had a HUGE affect on the outcome. It really shouldn’t be that way.
We all know that Tim Tebow (I can’t wait until he gets exposed in the NFL) is the chosen one and that his ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game was punched when Spring Practice started, but now the SEC is even hand picking his opponent. This is ridiculous. The NCAA has to take a look at the poor quality of SEC officiating and their obvious biases, and step in and do something. The SEC obviously has an agenda and has empowered their officials with the ability to ensure that their agenda comes to fruition.
SCRUB: Elizabeth Lambert (New Mexico Women’s Soccer Team) – I know the last names are slightly different, but I wonder if she is related to Bill Laimbeer.
Check out the video.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
KEEP YOUR WORD COACH
**Remember that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (thus the pink blog). Please do whatever you can to contribute to finding a cure for this terrible disease that affects so many.**
The one skill that separates good college football coaches from great college football coaches is their ability to recruit. Great players can make average coaches look much better than they actually are (i.e. Larry Coker during his Miami run), and average players can make great coaches look average (i.e. Steve Spurrier at South Carolina). College coaches are willing to do any and everything to get these great players to play for them. For instance, I am yet to figure out how Ron Zook can consistently get great players to play for him. Some coaches bend the rules to get recruits on campus, while other coaches flat out break the rules to get recruits on campus. There are even those who play by the rules. No matter what approach they take, success in big-time college recruiting comes down to one skill. The ability to make an 18 year old kid feel like he is an athletic god, and convincing his parents that you will take care of him as if he was your own son, make sure he gets a great education, and do your best to help him get to the next level in life, whether he intends to play in the NFL or be one of the remaining 94,328 (whatever that commercial says) players that will go pro in something else. I am not going to sit here and call all college coaches liars, but I am sure that they some interesting things to players, parents, and high school coaches to convince them that their university is the right place for them.
In Saturday's game against the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma quarterback (and reigning Heisman Trophy winner) Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game for the second time this season with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The first shoulder injury caused Bradford to miss three games, and it is thought that this injury is similar to the first one. For those of you who don’t fully understand the significance of an injury to a quarterback’s throwing shoulder, I will try my best to explain. I want to make it clear that I am not a medical doctor nor am I a football coach, but I think I can explain this one. The quarterback is the player on the football team who is responsible for throwing the ball. You throw the ball with you arm, and the shoulder is the second most important part of the arm (behind the elbow) when it comes to throwing a ball. To make a long story short, Bradford is one serious shoulder injury away from throwing like Chad Pennington. No disrespect to Pennington, who gets more out of a dollar store water pistol arm than any quarterback in NFL history, but being compared to Chad Pennington will definitely have an adverse affect on Bradford’s draft prospects. In my very knowledgeable opinion, he is on track to become the next quarterback of the St. Louis Rams. (That’s my fancy way of saying that he will be the first pick in the 2010 NFL draft.) While most players would dread being drafted by a franchise in such disarray, the $40+ million in guaranteed money that the first pick will receive, should do a lot to make St. Louis look like a wonderful place to play football.
With so much at stake for Bradford, It is now time for Bob Stoops to put the player’s physical and financial health ahead of his desire to win games this season. I am sure that Bob Stoops made the same empty promises to Bradford’s parents that he has to every other star player that he has recruited. But now, it is time for Stoops to be a man of his word, and SHUT DOWN BRADFORD FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON!!!!
Oklahoma is currently 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in the conference, with that loss coming to Texas (who would own the tie-breaker if they finished with the same conference record). Therefore, it is safe to say that they will not be playing for the national championship this season, and their chances of playing for the conference championship are essentially dead as well. That being said, it is clear that they really don’t have anything to play for, except pride, which is a responsibility that your backup quarterback should be able to handle. Truth be told, if they were undefeated and ranked 1st in the nation, I would still feel as though it would be irresponsible for Stoops to allow Bradford back on the field.
Bradford is twenty-two years old, and is obviously going to want to get back on the field as soon as possible. If he comes out and says that he wants to shut it down for the season to protect his draft status, college football fans and the college football media are going to bash him repeatedly for being “selfish” and for “thinking about himself more than the program.” Which is why, he should continue to rehab as hard as possible and say all of the “right” things about wanting to get back on the field with his teammates and win games for Oklahoma (blah, blah, blah). Bob Stoops on the other had should be the responsible adult who protects the kid from himself by making sure that he never plays another down as a college football player. It is the job of Stoops to make sure that everyone sees the big picture, and realize that he must do what is best for Sam Bradford the person, and not the Oklahoma football program that will still be there long after Bradford is gone.
Truthfully, I don’t believe that college football programs or the NCAA really cares about what is in the best interest of their student athletes. The only thing that they really care about is money. With Bradford on the field, Oklahoma would definitely get more media exposure (which would help recruiting). They would also win more games, and play in a third tier bowl game, instead of a fourth tier bowl game (more money for the school). Bob Stoops would also get to increase his career wins. Basically, everyone EXCEPT BRADFORD has something to gain from him risking a career altering or ending injury, and continuing to play.
Now is the time for Bob Stoops to step up and show future recruits that he really does have their best interest in mind and will always do what is best for them long-term, even if it hurts the short-term future of his program. Whether he is man enough to do it remains to be seen. All I know is that Sam Bradford is one shoulder injury away from becoming Chad Pennington, and it would be a shame if he suffers that hit on a college football field before he ever gets to cash in on all of his talent and potential. Stoops, DO THE RIGHT THING & SIT THE KID!!!! The future of the Rams is in your hands.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Mark Ingram (Running Back - University of Alabama) - Although I despise Nick Saban, I absolutely love to watch the University of Alabama football team. Simply put, THEY PLAY THE GAME THE WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED! They play clean, hard, and with BAD INTENTIONS!!!! The ring leader on their offense is running back Mark Ingram. Ingram earns Baller Status for his 24 carry 246 yard performance against South Carolina. For those of you who aren't very good at math, that's a whopping 10.3 YARDS PER CARRY! He also had a touchdown. HE IS A BAD MAN!!!!
SCRUB: Rush Limbaugh (REJECTED Owner of the St. Louis Rams) - Rush, you being my Scrub of the Week has nothing to do with your political beliefs. This is America, and you have the right to be either Democrat, Republican, Independent, Any Combination of Them, or Neither. That is your business. However, the reason that you are my Scrub of the Week is because you actually tried to become a part owner of a team in a league that is nearly 70% African-American after you have made numerous racial and prejudice statements about African-Americans and black NFL players over the years. Are you serious? This isn't a politcal blog, so I won't get into Limbaugh's infamous quotes. Let's just say he isn't the type of person who needs to own a team that is mostly made up of African-Americans. Nothing good can come from that situation.
The one skill that separates good college football coaches from great college football coaches is their ability to recruit. Great players can make average coaches look much better than they actually are (i.e. Larry Coker during his Miami run), and average players can make great coaches look average (i.e. Steve Spurrier at South Carolina). College coaches are willing to do any and everything to get these great players to play for them. For instance, I am yet to figure out how Ron Zook can consistently get great players to play for him. Some coaches bend the rules to get recruits on campus, while other coaches flat out break the rules to get recruits on campus. There are even those who play by the rules. No matter what approach they take, success in big-time college recruiting comes down to one skill. The ability to make an 18 year old kid feel like he is an athletic god, and convincing his parents that you will take care of him as if he was your own son, make sure he gets a great education, and do your best to help him get to the next level in life, whether he intends to play in the NFL or be one of the remaining 94,328 (whatever that commercial says) players that will go pro in something else. I am not going to sit here and call all college coaches liars, but I am sure that they some interesting things to players, parents, and high school coaches to convince them that their university is the right place for them.
In Saturday's game against the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma quarterback (and reigning Heisman Trophy winner) Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game for the second time this season with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The first shoulder injury caused Bradford to miss three games, and it is thought that this injury is similar to the first one. For those of you who don’t fully understand the significance of an injury to a quarterback’s throwing shoulder, I will try my best to explain. I want to make it clear that I am not a medical doctor nor am I a football coach, but I think I can explain this one. The quarterback is the player on the football team who is responsible for throwing the ball. You throw the ball with you arm, and the shoulder is the second most important part of the arm (behind the elbow) when it comes to throwing a ball. To make a long story short, Bradford is one serious shoulder injury away from throwing like Chad Pennington. No disrespect to Pennington, who gets more out of a dollar store water pistol arm than any quarterback in NFL history, but being compared to Chad Pennington will definitely have an adverse affect on Bradford’s draft prospects. In my very knowledgeable opinion, he is on track to become the next quarterback of the St. Louis Rams. (That’s my fancy way of saying that he will be the first pick in the 2010 NFL draft.) While most players would dread being drafted by a franchise in such disarray, the $40+ million in guaranteed money that the first pick will receive, should do a lot to make St. Louis look like a wonderful place to play football.
With so much at stake for Bradford, It is now time for Bob Stoops to put the player’s physical and financial health ahead of his desire to win games this season. I am sure that Bob Stoops made the same empty promises to Bradford’s parents that he has to every other star player that he has recruited. But now, it is time for Stoops to be a man of his word, and SHUT DOWN BRADFORD FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON!!!!
Oklahoma is currently 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in the conference, with that loss coming to Texas (who would own the tie-breaker if they finished with the same conference record). Therefore, it is safe to say that they will not be playing for the national championship this season, and their chances of playing for the conference championship are essentially dead as well. That being said, it is clear that they really don’t have anything to play for, except pride, which is a responsibility that your backup quarterback should be able to handle. Truth be told, if they were undefeated and ranked 1st in the nation, I would still feel as though it would be irresponsible for Stoops to allow Bradford back on the field.
Bradford is twenty-two years old, and is obviously going to want to get back on the field as soon as possible. If he comes out and says that he wants to shut it down for the season to protect his draft status, college football fans and the college football media are going to bash him repeatedly for being “selfish” and for “thinking about himself more than the program.” Which is why, he should continue to rehab as hard as possible and say all of the “right” things about wanting to get back on the field with his teammates and win games for Oklahoma (blah, blah, blah). Bob Stoops on the other had should be the responsible adult who protects the kid from himself by making sure that he never plays another down as a college football player. It is the job of Stoops to make sure that everyone sees the big picture, and realize that he must do what is best for Sam Bradford the person, and not the Oklahoma football program that will still be there long after Bradford is gone.
Truthfully, I don’t believe that college football programs or the NCAA really cares about what is in the best interest of their student athletes. The only thing that they really care about is money. With Bradford on the field, Oklahoma would definitely get more media exposure (which would help recruiting). They would also win more games, and play in a third tier bowl game, instead of a fourth tier bowl game (more money for the school). Bob Stoops would also get to increase his career wins. Basically, everyone EXCEPT BRADFORD has something to gain from him risking a career altering or ending injury, and continuing to play.
Now is the time for Bob Stoops to step up and show future recruits that he really does have their best interest in mind and will always do what is best for them long-term, even if it hurts the short-term future of his program. Whether he is man enough to do it remains to be seen. All I know is that Sam Bradford is one shoulder injury away from becoming Chad Pennington, and it would be a shame if he suffers that hit on a college football field before he ever gets to cash in on all of his talent and potential. Stoops, DO THE RIGHT THING & SIT THE KID!!!! The future of the Rams is in your hands.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Mark Ingram (Running Back - University of Alabama) - Although I despise Nick Saban, I absolutely love to watch the University of Alabama football team. Simply put, THEY PLAY THE GAME THE WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED! They play clean, hard, and with BAD INTENTIONS!!!! The ring leader on their offense is running back Mark Ingram. Ingram earns Baller Status for his 24 carry 246 yard performance against South Carolina. For those of you who aren't very good at math, that's a whopping 10.3 YARDS PER CARRY! He also had a touchdown. HE IS A BAD MAN!!!!
SCRUB: Rush Limbaugh (REJECTED Owner of the St. Louis Rams) - Rush, you being my Scrub of the Week has nothing to do with your political beliefs. This is America, and you have the right to be either Democrat, Republican, Independent, Any Combination of Them, or Neither. That is your business. However, the reason that you are my Scrub of the Week is because you actually tried to become a part owner of a team in a league that is nearly 70% African-American after you have made numerous racial and prejudice statements about African-Americans and black NFL players over the years. Are you serious? This isn't a politcal blog, so I won't get into Limbaugh's infamous quotes. Let's just say he isn't the type of person who needs to own a team that is mostly made up of African-Americans. Nothing good can come from that situation.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
IT IS TIME FOR BOBBY TO GRACEFULLY BOW OUT
I am going to change up the format of this week’s blog. Instead of ending with the Baller & Scrub of the Week, I am going to start with my Baller of the Week and then end with my Scrub of the Week.
BALLER OF THE WEEK: THE NFL – While watching the NFL last Sunday, you may have noticed that a lot of coaches were wearing baseball caps with pink bills. Officials are also wearing pink wristbands. The goal posts are protected by pink padding, and commentators & game analysts have been wearing their best pink shirts and ties. Most notably, the players have been wearing pink wristbands, gloves, and thanks to a brilliant idea by DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers, pink cleats. For those that don’t know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer affects roughly 1 in every 8 American women and countless other worldwide. The purpose of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness of the disease and to also raise money to continue to improve treatment and ultimately find a cure. The NFL, which is the most popular sports league in America, is definitely doing its part to raise awareness through its high-visibility support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many of the pink items that are being worn by players and coaches can be purchased from nflshop.com with a portion of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.
All over America, a variety of fundraisers are taking place to raise money to fight breast cancer. Walks are one of the most popular types of fundraisers. My wife will be participating in American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.” If you would like to sponsor her by making a donation to the American Cancer Society’s efforts to fight breast cancer, please click on the link below.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY10SouthAtlantic?px=13127018&pg=personal&fr_id=19944&fl=en_US&et=5ytmJfK6d1OE2FiXxAR-xw..&s_tafId=360975
You may have noticed that this week’s entry appears to be written in pink font. Don’t adjust the color settings on your monitor. This is my way of contributing to the fight against breast cancer. Therefore all entries written this month will be done in pink (with a dark background so that it can easily be read).
Now for this week’s entry:
This is by far the most difficult blog entry that I have had to write since I started STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! For those of you who know me or read this blog regularly, it is obvious that I am a huge sports fan. Although, I enjoy watching many different sports, players, and teams there are four entities that I am especially loyal to. I am obviously a HUGE NFL FAN! I enjoy the entire league, I don’t have one particular team that I am a fan or, I am simply a fan of NFL football. I watch and follow every team in the league. I am also the Self-appointed President of the unofficial Atlanta Hawks fan club. I have been a Hawks fan forever, and have been serving in my current capacity of self-appointed President since 2004. I am also a big fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program, and the Florida State University football program. The fact that I have been a Florida State football fan since my childhood is what makes this such a difficult entry to write. I regretfully say that IT IS NOW TIME FOR BOBBY BOWDEN TO GRACEFULLY BOW OUT!!!!
Since 1976 (before I was born) Bobby Bowden has been a stalwart on the sidelines at Florida State University. During his illustrious tenure with the Seminoles, Bowden has won 12 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships (FSU didn’t join the conference until 1991) and 2 National Championships. His career record as a head coach (including stints at Samford University & West Virginia) is 384-127-4. His 384 career wins are second all-time behind only Joe Paterno of Penn State (388 wins). Of Bowden’s 384 wins, 311 of them came at Florida State. Needless to say, he is a legendary coach and figure in college football. He has also coached many future NFL stars such as Warrick Dunn, Deion Sanders, Derrick Brooks, Peter Boulware, Darnell Dockett, and Leon Washington just to name a few. I could name more but it really would take up too much space. However, I would be remised if I didn’t mention Charlie Ward, who never played in the NFL for reasons that are an entirely different blog topic.
In the 73 years of football at FSU before Bowden’s arrival Florida State had a combined record of 157-136-14. This includes a 19-37 record in the in the last four seasons before Bowden took over. This basically shows that the Florida State University Football Program was built by Bobby Bowden. Unfortunately, today it seems as though it is being destroyed by Bobby Bowden.
There are those that say, “Bowden built that program from nothing, so he should be able to coach as long as he wants to.” I used to be amongst that crowd until I stood back and took an objective look at the program that I have loved since childhood. The truth is that since the end of the 2000 season, FSU has a record of 69-40. Now I know that some of you are wondering what all the fuss is about, because that is a respectable record that a lot of schools would love to have. That is true for most schools, but not for an elite program, the caliber of which Florida State used to be. Prior to 2001, FSU had an unprecedented streak of finishing the season ranked in the top five for 14 CONSECUTIVE YEARS!!!! Do you really think a program that had grown accustomed to that type of success can deal with living in the land of the mediocre programs? We are talking about a team that had grown accustomed to annually playing in the few bowl games that should actually exist. Their last three bowl appearances have been in the Emerald Bowl, Music City Bowl, and the Champs Sports Bowl. Now, I am not putting down other programs that would be celebrating such bowl appearances, but at Florida State this is flat out embarrassing.
There are also those that say that, “It may be time for Bowden to step down, but FSU has to handle this situation better than they have.” To those people I ask, “How can Florida State handle the situation any better than they have?” Not only does everyone know that this should be Bowden’s last season as head coach, they also know that his last season should have been about four years ago. The Florida State University administration has been tremendously patient with Bowden. They have endured countless scandals, the recent losing, and in my opinion, six years of the worst offensive play-calling in the history of college football. The six years I am referring to are 2001-2006 when Bobby’s son, Jeff served as offensive coordinator. With Jeff Bowden calling the plays, you could be certain of one thing. You were going to see a plethora of screen passes each Saturday afternoon. Down and distance didn’t matter, he was going to be sure that he got at least 30 screen passes into every game plan. Whether they up by 20 or down by 20, you can be sure that a screen pass was coming at some point on each drive.
I must commend FSU for being proactive and going ahead a hiring their next head coach. I feel as though Jimbo Fisher will do an excellent job to restore Florida State back to their rightful place among college football’s elite programs. He is an innovative offensive mind who has a track record of success. Many people say, “Bobby doesn’t coach now, so why bother forcing him out as head coach?” I agree that at this point Bobby Bowden is no more than a figurehead. His primary role at this point consists of mostly shaking hands and kissing babies to raise money for the program. However, there is one problem with him staying on in his current figurehead capacity. He still has the title of head coach, therefore giving him complete control over the coaching staff. Bobby is an extremely loyal person, which is why his assistant coaches enjoy great job security. There needs to be some staff-wide changes that won’t take place until Jimbo is officially made head coach. Mickey Andrews is certainly not the defensive genius that he once was and Bobby even welcomed back fired NC State coach Chuck Amato (who was originally on Bobby’s staff from 1981 to 1999). The bottom line is that it is time for sweeping changes at FSU and they won’t take place until the Jimbo Fisher era officially begins.
You may have noticed that I have not mentioned Bowden’s age one time in this entry (he will be 80 years old in November), because that honestly doesn’t matter to me. Truthfully, if FSU were still winning and competing year in and year out for Conference and (more importantly) National Championships, I would not be writing this blog. I feel as though, as Tony Kornheiser likes to say, “THIS IS A GOTS TO GO SITUATION!”
I know that everything is cyclical, but at no point in the cycle should Florida State be the fourth best college football team in the state of Florida (behind Florida, Miami, and South Florida with Central Florida and Florida Atlantic fast approaching at this pace). The arrow on this program is clearly pointing down, and I honestly don’t think it will ever point up again under Bowden’s leadership.
By no means am I saying that FSU should kick Bowden out like yesterday’s trash, I mean he did build the program. He should be given a football related role within the athletic department and he should be paid his entire coaching salary (over $2 million annuallly) for the rest of his life. However, he should no longer be the football coach. The 2010 season should start a new era of Florida State football.
SCRUB OF THE WEEK: Florida State University Football Team – You are currently 2-4 overall with a 0-3 conference record. That’s why you are my Scrub of the Week. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
BALLER OF THE WEEK: THE NFL – While watching the NFL last Sunday, you may have noticed that a lot of coaches were wearing baseball caps with pink bills. Officials are also wearing pink wristbands. The goal posts are protected by pink padding, and commentators & game analysts have been wearing their best pink shirts and ties. Most notably, the players have been wearing pink wristbands, gloves, and thanks to a brilliant idea by DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers, pink cleats. For those that don’t know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer affects roughly 1 in every 8 American women and countless other worldwide. The purpose of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness of the disease and to also raise money to continue to improve treatment and ultimately find a cure. The NFL, which is the most popular sports league in America, is definitely doing its part to raise awareness through its high-visibility support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many of the pink items that are being worn by players and coaches can be purchased from nflshop.com with a portion of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.
All over America, a variety of fundraisers are taking place to raise money to fight breast cancer. Walks are one of the most popular types of fundraisers. My wife will be participating in American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.” If you would like to sponsor her by making a donation to the American Cancer Society’s efforts to fight breast cancer, please click on the link below.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY10SouthAtlantic?px=13127018&pg=personal&fr_id=19944&fl=en_US&et=5ytmJfK6d1OE2FiXxAR-xw..&s_tafId=360975
You may have noticed that this week’s entry appears to be written in pink font. Don’t adjust the color settings on your monitor. This is my way of contributing to the fight against breast cancer. Therefore all entries written this month will be done in pink (with a dark background so that it can easily be read).
Now for this week’s entry:
This is by far the most difficult blog entry that I have had to write since I started STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! For those of you who know me or read this blog regularly, it is obvious that I am a huge sports fan. Although, I enjoy watching many different sports, players, and teams there are four entities that I am especially loyal to. I am obviously a HUGE NFL FAN! I enjoy the entire league, I don’t have one particular team that I am a fan or, I am simply a fan of NFL football. I watch and follow every team in the league. I am also the Self-appointed President of the unofficial Atlanta Hawks fan club. I have been a Hawks fan forever, and have been serving in my current capacity of self-appointed President since 2004. I am also a big fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program, and the Florida State University football program. The fact that I have been a Florida State football fan since my childhood is what makes this such a difficult entry to write. I regretfully say that IT IS NOW TIME FOR BOBBY BOWDEN TO GRACEFULLY BOW OUT!!!!
Since 1976 (before I was born) Bobby Bowden has been a stalwart on the sidelines at Florida State University. During his illustrious tenure with the Seminoles, Bowden has won 12 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships (FSU didn’t join the conference until 1991) and 2 National Championships. His career record as a head coach (including stints at Samford University & West Virginia) is 384-127-4. His 384 career wins are second all-time behind only Joe Paterno of Penn State (388 wins). Of Bowden’s 384 wins, 311 of them came at Florida State. Needless to say, he is a legendary coach and figure in college football. He has also coached many future NFL stars such as Warrick Dunn, Deion Sanders, Derrick Brooks, Peter Boulware, Darnell Dockett, and Leon Washington just to name a few. I could name more but it really would take up too much space. However, I would be remised if I didn’t mention Charlie Ward, who never played in the NFL for reasons that are an entirely different blog topic.
In the 73 years of football at FSU before Bowden’s arrival Florida State had a combined record of 157-136-14. This includes a 19-37 record in the in the last four seasons before Bowden took over. This basically shows that the Florida State University Football Program was built by Bobby Bowden. Unfortunately, today it seems as though it is being destroyed by Bobby Bowden.
There are those that say, “Bowden built that program from nothing, so he should be able to coach as long as he wants to.” I used to be amongst that crowd until I stood back and took an objective look at the program that I have loved since childhood. The truth is that since the end of the 2000 season, FSU has a record of 69-40. Now I know that some of you are wondering what all the fuss is about, because that is a respectable record that a lot of schools would love to have. That is true for most schools, but not for an elite program, the caliber of which Florida State used to be. Prior to 2001, FSU had an unprecedented streak of finishing the season ranked in the top five for 14 CONSECUTIVE YEARS!!!! Do you really think a program that had grown accustomed to that type of success can deal with living in the land of the mediocre programs? We are talking about a team that had grown accustomed to annually playing in the few bowl games that should actually exist. Their last three bowl appearances have been in the Emerald Bowl, Music City Bowl, and the Champs Sports Bowl. Now, I am not putting down other programs that would be celebrating such bowl appearances, but at Florida State this is flat out embarrassing.
There are also those that say that, “It may be time for Bowden to step down, but FSU has to handle this situation better than they have.” To those people I ask, “How can Florida State handle the situation any better than they have?” Not only does everyone know that this should be Bowden’s last season as head coach, they also know that his last season should have been about four years ago. The Florida State University administration has been tremendously patient with Bowden. They have endured countless scandals, the recent losing, and in my opinion, six years of the worst offensive play-calling in the history of college football. The six years I am referring to are 2001-2006 when Bobby’s son, Jeff served as offensive coordinator. With Jeff Bowden calling the plays, you could be certain of one thing. You were going to see a plethora of screen passes each Saturday afternoon. Down and distance didn’t matter, he was going to be sure that he got at least 30 screen passes into every game plan. Whether they up by 20 or down by 20, you can be sure that a screen pass was coming at some point on each drive.
I must commend FSU for being proactive and going ahead a hiring their next head coach. I feel as though Jimbo Fisher will do an excellent job to restore Florida State back to their rightful place among college football’s elite programs. He is an innovative offensive mind who has a track record of success. Many people say, “Bobby doesn’t coach now, so why bother forcing him out as head coach?” I agree that at this point Bobby Bowden is no more than a figurehead. His primary role at this point consists of mostly shaking hands and kissing babies to raise money for the program. However, there is one problem with him staying on in his current figurehead capacity. He still has the title of head coach, therefore giving him complete control over the coaching staff. Bobby is an extremely loyal person, which is why his assistant coaches enjoy great job security. There needs to be some staff-wide changes that won’t take place until Jimbo is officially made head coach. Mickey Andrews is certainly not the defensive genius that he once was and Bobby even welcomed back fired NC State coach Chuck Amato (who was originally on Bobby’s staff from 1981 to 1999). The bottom line is that it is time for sweeping changes at FSU and they won’t take place until the Jimbo Fisher era officially begins.
You may have noticed that I have not mentioned Bowden’s age one time in this entry (he will be 80 years old in November), because that honestly doesn’t matter to me. Truthfully, if FSU were still winning and competing year in and year out for Conference and (more importantly) National Championships, I would not be writing this blog. I feel as though, as Tony Kornheiser likes to say, “THIS IS A GOTS TO GO SITUATION!”
I know that everything is cyclical, but at no point in the cycle should Florida State be the fourth best college football team in the state of Florida (behind Florida, Miami, and South Florida with Central Florida and Florida Atlantic fast approaching at this pace). The arrow on this program is clearly pointing down, and I honestly don’t think it will ever point up again under Bowden’s leadership.
By no means am I saying that FSU should kick Bowden out like yesterday’s trash, I mean he did build the program. He should be given a football related role within the athletic department and he should be paid his entire coaching salary (over $2 million annuallly) for the rest of his life. However, he should no longer be the football coach. The 2010 season should start a new era of Florida State football.
SCRUB OF THE WEEK: Florida State University Football Team – You are currently 2-4 overall with a 0-3 conference record. That’s why you are my Scrub of the Week. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
JUST MY THOUGHTS, JUST WHAT I WAS FEELING AT THE TIME, RIGHT OR WRONG
I know, I know, I have been away for a while. School and work have kept me pretty busy over the last few weeks, BUT I AM BACK NOW!!!! Since I haven’t written anything since the NFL season officially started, I decided that I would simply give you my thoughts on the things that have happened up to this point (5 pm on Sunday, September 27th). Today’s early games are done, so I will have some thoughts on those as well.
First of all, the DETROIT LIONS came through for me. I picked them as one of my upsets of the week, and THEY TOOK DOWN THE PATHETIC DEANGELO HALL LED WASHINGTON REDSKINS!!!!
After watching Jason Campbell play so far this season, I now totally understand why the Redskins tried so hard to replace him this off-season. Initially, I felt bad for him, but now I understand why they don’t want him anymore. YOU ARE THE FIRST QUARTERBACK TO LOSE TO THE LIONS SINCE DECEMBER 23, 2007. THAT WAS DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION!!!! I hate to say this, but Jason Campbell days as an NFL starter are numbered.
To date, my top three running backs which all happen to be named Adrian Peterson currently have 357 rushing yards through three games. Peterson is 1,748 yards behind Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. He has to average 134 yards per game for the rest of the season to break the record. Stay tuned, I will be tracking his progress throughout the season. If I were a betting man, which I am not, I would bet that he is going to break the record this year.
Speaking of the Vikings, shout out to the Diva that I love to hate. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, I am referring to Brett Favre. The game winning touchdown pass against the 49ers was amazing. As amazing as that play was, I would be remised if I didn’t warn Viking fans to temper their excitement. This is what Brett Favre does; he makes amazing plays to win big games. But he also throws lots of picks to lose big games. So enjoy this week, because he could very easily throw you out of the game next week.
Please raise your hand if you thought the Tennessee Titans would be 0 – 3 after three games. I certainly didn’t. Now to be perfectly honest, I picked them to finish third in their division (behind the Colts & Texans), but I never imagined that they would be 0 – 3 (especially with Future Hall of Famer Vince Young still on the sidelines).
Mike Singletary has proven to be a much better head coach than any of us could have expected. The fact that the 49ers are 2 – 1 with wins over the Cardinals & Seahawks and a last second loss to the Vikings, shows that he definitely has them on the right track.
Speaking of the 49ers. Where’s Waldo? I mean Crabtree. I don’t know if he realizes it or not, but they don’t exactly miss you right now. It will probably be in your best interest to take the $20 million and join the party, because you are losing leverage with every Shaun Hill touchdown pass. Sorry, bad analogy. I mean to say with every victory because they are hardly throwing the ball.
Speaking of touchdown passes, when did Joe Flacco morph into Dan Marino? He has already thrown for 839 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has already had 2 – 300 yard passing games. Last season, he had the exact same number of 300 yard passing games as I did.
Did anyone reading this ever think that they would see the day when the Pittsburgh Steelers were among the worst rushing teams in the NFL? Their ground game is pathetic. Look for Willie Parker to be removed from the starting lineup soon, simply because they are going to have to try something else. Also remember, they did use a first-round pick on his backup.
Why haven’t the fans in Carolina voted to impeach Jake Delhomme? Why didn’t the Carolina coaching staff and front office bring in a competent backup when they lost Josh McCown for the season? How many picks will Jake throw this season? How many picks does Jake have to throw before Steve Smith punches him in the face (you know he loves doing that to teammates)?
RAY LEWIS IS STILL AWESOME! Check out his game winning tackle below.
Why did Leodis (that is really his name) McKelvin bring that kickoff out of the end zone? Not only should he have known better, but his coaches should have told him to take a knee in that situation if the kick goes into the end zone. Furthermore, he should have fell down on first contact instead of fighting (and exposing the ball) for two extra yards.
How awesome is Peyton Manning? Last week the Dolphins outgained the Colts on the ground 239 yards to 61 yards. The Dolphins also ran 87 offensive plays to the Colts 35. The Dolphins also had the ball for 45:07 of the 60 minute game. And guess what, the Colts still won 27 - 23, because Manning simply scored virtually every time they got the ball (with no threat of a running game). He was also playing with two new recievers. That's all that I have to say about that.
How cold hearted is Bill Belichick? Not only did he trade Richard Seymour, but he sent him to Oakland. Can you imagine how it must feel to be a Patriot one day and then a Raider the next? That’s like winning your first Video Music Award only to have Kanye West deliver your speech. You went from being happy to wondering what in the world happened. To make matters worse, Belichick wasn’t even man enough to tell Seymour (a player that helped him win three Super Bowls) face to face that he had been traded. He told him over the phone. WHAT A SPINELESS BUSTER! I have no respect for that guy. That was a MAJOR MAN-LAW VIOLATION! If I were Tom Brady, I would watch my back when dealing with that guy. Look at how he has treated such players as Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Mike Vrabel, Drew Bledsoe, Willie McGinist, and most recently Seymour. If your knee doesn’t return to form very quickly, you will be the Rams starting quarterback next season.
Last but not least, who will win a game first the Buccaneers or the Rams? They don’t play each other this year, so I am really beginning to wonder if one or both of these teams can follow in the Lions footsteps. There aren’t simply two teams who haven’t won a game yet, THESE ARE TWO TERRIBLY PATHETIC TEAMS!!!! I hate to say this, but the Cleveland Browns (with Anderson at QB) would handle both of them. Now that tells you how bad they are.
These are just my thoughts on the NFL season thus far. Feel free to respond to any of these thoughts, or chime in with some thoughts or observations of your own.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) - I am fair. I will beat you up for throwing picks and acting like a DIVA, but I will also give you props for one of the best game winning plays that I have ever seen in my life. GREAT JOB! But don't get it twisted, when you throw four picks, with one of them being the one that seals a loss for your team (you know its comming), you will be the SCRUB OF THE WEEK. However, this week you saved the day. So you are the Baller of the Week. Congrats!
SCRUB: Atlanta Falcons Defensive Line - I just wanted to chime in and let you all know that in football, IT IS OK TO RUSH THE PASSER! YOU CAN EVEN HIT OF SACK HIM IF YOU GET THERE IN TIME! You guys were terrible against the Patriots. Last I checked the Patriots did not exactly have a stellar offensive line. If you don't believe me, ask the Giants, Jets, and Bills. In case you haven't noticed, the secondary isn't exactly filled with Hall of Famer's who can cover for 8 seconds (which is about how much time Brady had in the pocket). He could have finished reading War & Peace during each play, with the amount of time you were giving him. YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!
First of all, the DETROIT LIONS came through for me. I picked them as one of my upsets of the week, and THEY TOOK DOWN THE PATHETIC DEANGELO HALL LED WASHINGTON REDSKINS!!!!
After watching Jason Campbell play so far this season, I now totally understand why the Redskins tried so hard to replace him this off-season. Initially, I felt bad for him, but now I understand why they don’t want him anymore. YOU ARE THE FIRST QUARTERBACK TO LOSE TO THE LIONS SINCE DECEMBER 23, 2007. THAT WAS DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION!!!! I hate to say this, but Jason Campbell days as an NFL starter are numbered.
To date, my top three running backs which all happen to be named Adrian Peterson currently have 357 rushing yards through three games. Peterson is 1,748 yards behind Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. He has to average 134 yards per game for the rest of the season to break the record. Stay tuned, I will be tracking his progress throughout the season. If I were a betting man, which I am not, I would bet that he is going to break the record this year.
Speaking of the Vikings, shout out to the Diva that I love to hate. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, I am referring to Brett Favre. The game winning touchdown pass against the 49ers was amazing. As amazing as that play was, I would be remised if I didn’t warn Viking fans to temper their excitement. This is what Brett Favre does; he makes amazing plays to win big games. But he also throws lots of picks to lose big games. So enjoy this week, because he could very easily throw you out of the game next week.
Please raise your hand if you thought the Tennessee Titans would be 0 – 3 after three games. I certainly didn’t. Now to be perfectly honest, I picked them to finish third in their division (behind the Colts & Texans), but I never imagined that they would be 0 – 3 (especially with Future Hall of Famer Vince Young still on the sidelines).
Mike Singletary has proven to be a much better head coach than any of us could have expected. The fact that the 49ers are 2 – 1 with wins over the Cardinals & Seahawks and a last second loss to the Vikings, shows that he definitely has them on the right track.
Speaking of the 49ers. Where’s Waldo? I mean Crabtree. I don’t know if he realizes it or not, but they don’t exactly miss you right now. It will probably be in your best interest to take the $20 million and join the party, because you are losing leverage with every Shaun Hill touchdown pass. Sorry, bad analogy. I mean to say with every victory because they are hardly throwing the ball.
Speaking of touchdown passes, when did Joe Flacco morph into Dan Marino? He has already thrown for 839 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has already had 2 – 300 yard passing games. Last season, he had the exact same number of 300 yard passing games as I did.
Did anyone reading this ever think that they would see the day when the Pittsburgh Steelers were among the worst rushing teams in the NFL? Their ground game is pathetic. Look for Willie Parker to be removed from the starting lineup soon, simply because they are going to have to try something else. Also remember, they did use a first-round pick on his backup.
Why haven’t the fans in Carolina voted to impeach Jake Delhomme? Why didn’t the Carolina coaching staff and front office bring in a competent backup when they lost Josh McCown for the season? How many picks will Jake throw this season? How many picks does Jake have to throw before Steve Smith punches him in the face (you know he loves doing that to teammates)?
RAY LEWIS IS STILL AWESOME! Check out his game winning tackle below.
Why did Leodis (that is really his name) McKelvin bring that kickoff out of the end zone? Not only should he have known better, but his coaches should have told him to take a knee in that situation if the kick goes into the end zone. Furthermore, he should have fell down on first contact instead of fighting (and exposing the ball) for two extra yards.
How awesome is Peyton Manning? Last week the Dolphins outgained the Colts on the ground 239 yards to 61 yards. The Dolphins also ran 87 offensive plays to the Colts 35. The Dolphins also had the ball for 45:07 of the 60 minute game. And guess what, the Colts still won 27 - 23, because Manning simply scored virtually every time they got the ball (with no threat of a running game). He was also playing with two new recievers. That's all that I have to say about that.
How cold hearted is Bill Belichick? Not only did he trade Richard Seymour, but he sent him to Oakland. Can you imagine how it must feel to be a Patriot one day and then a Raider the next? That’s like winning your first Video Music Award only to have Kanye West deliver your speech. You went from being happy to wondering what in the world happened. To make matters worse, Belichick wasn’t even man enough to tell Seymour (a player that helped him win three Super Bowls) face to face that he had been traded. He told him over the phone. WHAT A SPINELESS BUSTER! I have no respect for that guy. That was a MAJOR MAN-LAW VIOLATION! If I were Tom Brady, I would watch my back when dealing with that guy. Look at how he has treated such players as Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Mike Vrabel, Drew Bledsoe, Willie McGinist, and most recently Seymour. If your knee doesn’t return to form very quickly, you will be the Rams starting quarterback next season.
Last but not least, who will win a game first the Buccaneers or the Rams? They don’t play each other this year, so I am really beginning to wonder if one or both of these teams can follow in the Lions footsteps. There aren’t simply two teams who haven’t won a game yet, THESE ARE TWO TERRIBLY PATHETIC TEAMS!!!! I hate to say this, but the Cleveland Browns (with Anderson at QB) would handle both of them. Now that tells you how bad they are.
These are just my thoughts on the NFL season thus far. Feel free to respond to any of these thoughts, or chime in with some thoughts or observations of your own.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) - I am fair. I will beat you up for throwing picks and acting like a DIVA, but I will also give you props for one of the best game winning plays that I have ever seen in my life. GREAT JOB! But don't get it twisted, when you throw four picks, with one of them being the one that seals a loss for your team (you know its comming), you will be the SCRUB OF THE WEEK. However, this week you saved the day. So you are the Baller of the Week. Congrats!
SCRUB: Atlanta Falcons Defensive Line - I just wanted to chime in and let you all know that in football, IT IS OK TO RUSH THE PASSER! YOU CAN EVEN HIT OF SACK HIM IF YOU GET THERE IN TIME! You guys were terrible against the Patriots. Last I checked the Patriots did not exactly have a stellar offensive line. If you don't believe me, ask the Giants, Jets, and Bills. In case you haven't noticed, the secondary isn't exactly filled with Hall of Famer's who can cover for 8 seconds (which is about how much time Brady had in the pocket). He could have finished reading War & Peace during each play, with the amount of time you were giving him. YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!
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