2/28/09

Cassel is Chief



Free agency is taking in effect in full swing already with the signing of Haynesworth and many other trades around the league. We saw Bart Scott signed with the Jets and the Jets have also got a new corner for next season in former Eagle, Lito Sheppard for two future draft picks sent to the Eagles. Also, it was announced officially that Brian Dawkins signed with the Denver Broncos. Most surprisingly in the day was the trade between the Patriots and Chiefs. The New England Patriots sent QB Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs gave up their second round draft pick (34th overall) for Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel.

This trade between the Patriots and Chiefs caught me by surprise. I knew ahead of time that Mike Vrabel was going to the Chiefs a day ago. Then I heard Matt Cassel was going too, it really got me off guard. I was not expecting that at all. I would have thought that the Patriots would’ve kept Cassel as an insurance policy if Brady was not ready by next season or couldn’t perform like he did before he got hurt. Maybe the Patriots believe that Brady will be ready by then and will be able to perform at a 100% level when the season starts. Let’s hope they got a new insurance plan.

When I thought about this trade, I could see why the Chiefs got Cassel and Vrabel…Scott Pioli. Pioli was the director of personnel with the Patriots and he knew the players very well. He knew of their work ethic and that they could play well on the field. “I have a long history with both players,” Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli -- and former Patriots personnel director -- said in a statement. “Mike and Matt are men that I respect both personally and professionally. I look forward to having them as new members of the Chiefs family.” So the trade made sense. The Chiefs needed a linebacker and got a great one in Vrabel who can fill in the leadership role that the Chiefs defense lacks. He can even play a little offense too at tight end. Getting Matt Cassel helps the Chief’s QB situation as well. Before the trade the starter looked like it was going to be Tyler Thigpen. Thigpen can play and has showed that last season, but he’s not a quarterback you’re too sure about as of yet. Now the Chiefs’ have two decent quarterbacks on the roster with Thigpen and Cassel who will compete for the job, but I believe Cassel will get the job come September. So they have some wiggle room in the QB position. If Cassel can’t play like he was in New England, they can bench him and move on with Thigpen. Let’s remember that Cassel was good because of the coaches in New England and the supporting cast on offense. So there is no real 100% guarantee on how this deal will work out as of now. On paper this looks like a great deal, but that could change when he begins to play come next season.

Overall, I think this deal will help the Chiefs out tremendously. They got a QB and a LB where they needed some help on their roster. With that set, they can focus on getting some help for Cassel at the wide receiver position. They already have Dwayne Bowe, but they should add another wide receiver that will compliment Bowe in the offense. A good option could be to get one from free agency. Maybe get Lance Moore or Laveranues Coles. If not in free agency, draft one in the late rounds. Or if LB Aaron Curry is taken before the third pick in the first round, then draft a wide receiver in Crabtree or Maklin, but I believe Curry will be there at that spot and they should take him. There are other options at wide receiver that will be available by the second/third round like Hakeem Nicks, Brandon LaFell, Jauquin Iglesias, or Derrick Williams. Hopefully Tony Gonzalez is happy with the moves the Chiefs are making this off season.

Weapon X to the Broncos?



Aside from the Albert Haynesworth deal on Friday, the Broncos made a splash too. The Broncos made some deals in free agency. They went out and got running backs J.J. Arrington (ex-Cardinal) and Correll Buckhalter (ex-Eagle). In addition to the running backs, the Broncos also got safety Renaldo Hill who was a Dolphin last year. They even beefed up their offense by adding wide receiver Jabar Gaffney to the team from the Patriots. The biggest move has yet to be made. Brian Dawkins is meeting with the team and could be signed by this weekend with the team.

Man, what an impact has first time head coach Josh McDaniels has made so far. He has gotten a WR in Gaffney from his Patriots offensive play calling days. I think Gaffney will be a great slot deep threat in the Broncos passing game. With corner’s locking up with Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall as the number 1 and 2 WR’s, Gaffney will make the big plays like he did in New England (let’s hope he catches them). Plus, head coach McDaniels knows how to use Gaffney properly and will use him in the offense well. Let’s not forget about Tony Scheffler, the guy can catch. So they have weapons on offense. In addition to the passing game, the Broncos added some running backs where last year they were thin in the position losing many to injuries. Buckhalter was a great player when Westbrook was hurt last season for the Eagles, and played well in the games when he was called upon. I think I can see Buckhalter as the number one running back with Selvin Young as the number 2 running back. Also the guy is from Nebraska, there is something I love about Nebraskan running backs. Ahman Green and Brandon Jackson are Nebraska alumni who have played well for the Packers. You just can’t go wrong with a running back from Nebraska in my opinion.

With the reports that Dawkins is meeting with the team and could become a Bronco by this weekend, will help the team which didn’t play well on defense last season. The defense will get a big boost with Champ Bailey at cornerback and with the additional help from Dawkins and Hill. Along with Dawkins, comes his leadership ability and the way he motivates his team. I think that leadership mentality will help the Broncos next season play well on defense and not give up. The guy plays tough and never gives up on any play. The man is a true wolverine. If he does join the Broncos, it will be very odd seeing him in anything else, but Eagle green. Also, I’m just saying, if Dawkins comes to the Broncos…is there a possibility that Ray Lewis might not be far behind? The defense will be stacked with Bailey, Dawkins, and Lewis. With the draft coming in about 2 months, I think the Broncos should draft a defensive tackle in BJ Raji or a linebacker in Rey Maualuga or Everett Brown, but if Aaron Curry is still available and falls to them at that spot, take him, but that will be very unlikely.

2/27/09

A lot of money[Haynes]worth to the Redskins




It wasn’t long for Albert Haynesworth to find a new home. Haynesworth found a new home in Washington, as the Redskins offered the big guy a 7 year $100 million dollar deal. In the deal, $41 million is guaranteed with incentives as well. It was a day ago, where the Redskins also gave CB DeAngelo Hall a six year deal worth up to $54 million.

Was this a good move? I don’t know. I was surprised that the Redskins offered him a deal after a couple hours into free agency. The Redskins did need an interior tackle and they got him, but they could’ve gotten someone else without spending so much. The Skins are known for being big spenders with Dan Snyder at the helm. That is what they did, by spending $100 million worth on Haynesworth. I know the guy can play and he is a monster for opposing lineman to cover, but there are some uncertainties with him. The guy hasn’t even played an entire NFL season due to injuries and has been known to take plays off. What if the Skins lose Haynesworth in the middle of the season due to another injury for a few weeks or even the entire season? What do you do now? You’ve invested so much money on the guy and in return he won’t be on the field. You won’t be getting you monies worth from the guy.

To me, the Redskins mentality is “we want to win a Superbowl and we want to win it now” type of mindset. I understand that, every team wants to win the Superbowl. That’s what you’re competing for every season, but it’s their approach in how they’re pursuing it, which I do not like. The Redskins are buying their way to the Superbowl. This isn’t the first time where the Redskins have paid a large sum of money for a player. Dan Snyder is known for spending a lot of money in free agency. I’m a true believer in building the team from drafting young talent and developing them over a time period. I’m not saying don’t get free agents, but it has been a trend with the Redskins year in and year out. Being a Packers fan, the Packers have drafted well for the past 2/3 years and are developing their younger guys. Their first round draft picks have been questionable at first, except for Aaron Rodgers. Last year the first player they selected in the second round was Jordy Nelson, the year before it was Justin Harrell in the first round and Hawk in 2006. The Packers are building their team via the draft. Greg Jennings was drafted as a second rounder in the 2006 draft along with Johnny Jolly and Will Blackmon. Now Jennings is the second WR on the depth chart and a very good one along with Donald Driver. The Packers usually don’t spend too much in free agency because they building their team with young talent instead paying big contracts for big name players like the Redskins and Cowboys.

2/26/09

Top 5 Free Agents by Position



Top 5 Free Agents by Position:

QB:
1. Bryon Leftwich
2. Kurt Warner
3. Kerry Collins
4. Jeff Garcia
5. Dan Orlovsky

RB:
1. Derrick Ward
2. Fred Taylor
3. Correll Buckhalter
4. Warrick Dunn
5. Maurice Morris

WR:
1. TJ Houshmandzadeh
2. Jabar Gaffney
3. Marvin Harrison
4. Laveranues Coles
5. Lance Moore

OL:
1. Jeff Saturday
2. Mark Tauscher
3. Matt Birk
4. Jon Runyan
5. Jason Brown

DL:
1. Albert Hanyesworth
2. Chris Canty
3. Bertrand Berry
4. Rocky Bernard
5. Jovan Haye

LB:
1. Ray Lewis
2. Monty Beisel
3. Derrick Brooks
4. Kieth Brooking
5. Cato June

CB:
1. Chris McAlister
2. Jarrett Bush
3. Dre’ Bly
4. Joselio Hanson
5. Ricky Manning Jr.

What the Buc Man?




On Wednesday, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released 11 time Pro Bowl Linebacker Derrick Brooks and four other players from their roster. Along with Brooks, the Bucs also released; Warrick Dunn, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, and Cato June. All men were first round picks with the exception of Cato June who was selected in the sixth round by the Colts. Brooks spent his entire NFL career playing for the Bucs (13 seasons) and Dunn played for the Bucs from 1997-2001, before he played for the Falcons, and then back with the team in 2008. To Brooks, his release came by surprise. “Right now, like all of you guys, I’m just trying to get a feel for it all, trying to come to grips with it,” the 11-time Pro Bowl selection said by telephone. “I don’t even know what to think.”

What the Buc? Some fans in Tampa might feel surprised by the releases. I’m not at all. I’m not saying that I saw this coming, but I’m not surprised. The players that they released are in their mid thirties, except for Cato June who is still 29, a year younger than the head coach Raheem Morris. So age is becoming a factor for these guys, but that is still not the reason why they were released. The real reason why they were booted out, is because of a new blue print. The Bucs are rebuilding developing their future talent. “You never replace a guy like Derrick Brooks. This was not a money issue or a youth movement. This is a direction change. We are moving forward, we’re going to play some people that were behind these guys and let them compete.” Have you noticed how since 2002, (when they won the Superbowl) the Bucs haven’t been making a big splash. Since the 2002 playoffs, the Bucs have not won a playoff game. They made two playoff appearances after their Superbowl win, but lost in the wildcard round to the Redskins in 2005 and then to the Superbowl winners Giants, in 2007. Also, their record in regular season games after the 2002 Superbowl win, has been 40-42. Even since the Superbowl win, the team has been playing with the same old blue print with the same players.

Gruden thought that he could win another championship with the same team like he did with his old 2002 Bucs’ team, but with a new older QB. No way, not at all. During free agency, the team got Warrick Dunn and then they got Jeff Garcia and other QB’s in their stable of QB collection. Gruden didn’t even get a big time WR for his QB’s in his time with the Bucs. Galloway who is now 37, was almost approaching his middle thirties after his Superbowl win with the Bucs. The only WR help they got Jeff Garcia was Antonio Bryant. Aside from WR, who was the real QB of the team? Was it Chris Simms, Garcia, Brian Griese, or McCown? The Bucs never had a real set QB. I believed they should’ve developed Chris Simms and built the team around him.

Now with a new head coach and Monte Kiffin gone, there are going to be some shake ups. Now they are switching defenses from the Tampa 2, to now the 4-3 under Morris’s new regime. In the Tampa 2 defense, speed was what the defense relied on along with great tackling ability where they need fast front lineman unlike the big bulky strong lineman many are accustom to in the 4-3. The LB’s on this scheme needed to quick enough to be able to cover the middle, along with the CB’s and SS and FS. Now switching to the 4-3 defense, you need top notch players on every position, but more emphasis on the DE and LB positions which need to be quick to pressure the QB. The front line has to be fast but more importantly bigger and stronger to execute this defense well. With the MLB, his job is to stop the run/blitz and drop back into his zones on pass plays. With a new coach and staff in place for the new blue print for the Bucs, changes needed to be made. That is why they made the releases that they made on Wednesday. The Bucs’ higher level people saw that the Gruden’s blue print wasn’t working and ripped that apart by firing him from his head coaching position. The Bucs saw something in Raheem Morris that many of us might not, which is why hired him to become the new head man in Tampa. His blue print can work or it can fail. We will need to wait and see in due time.

2/24/09

Andre Smith: To Draft First or not to Draft First?




Many of you might already know about Andre Smith leaving his Combine workout this past weekend. What caused the first rounder to leave? He was not prepared to workout. He showed up out of shape at the combine and decided to leave. In the draft alone, Smith was considered to be the best tackle in the entire draft board. With his actions, this hurts him a lot. This will hit him in his wallet (costing him around $23 million dollars). Now GM’s are looking at other potential left tackles to be taken before Smith. Tackles such as Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Jason Smith (Baylor) and Michael Oher (Mississippi) are all first-round left tackles who can be taken as the first tackles in the draft before Smith. Last season, Smith was the All-American for 2008 and won the Outland Trophy playing for Alabama under Nick Saban.

The guy was a guaranteed first rounder to be drafted within the first five draft picks. With his recent actions of not working out at the combine, hurts him a lot. Even his interviews were very iffy. Andre Smith was unprepared for the biggest job interview of his entire life. His life depended on his combine day, and he didn’t show the scouts and GM’s anything. Would a guy applying for a job at Microsoft, right out of college not be prepared for his interview? The guy would practice at home in front of a mirror and work at it with family or friends. That guy would also wear a tie and shirt too. You’re not gonna get that job wearing a regular polo shirt and blue jeans, my friend. To get a job at Microsoft, you’re going need a collar shirt with a tie and nice slacks. No one is going to hire a guy who doesn’t show how much he cares about working for a future employer. Smith pretty much went into the combine unprepared and then left without showing his employers anything. This was his biggest job interview and he dropped the ball big time. Smith even knew he messed up big time, “If I had the chance to do it all over, I wouldn't have handled it the way I did. I should have told my group leader that I was leaving, and I didn't. I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers or step on any toes. I didn't mean to grandstand anyone at the combine. That was not my intention at all, and I apologize for my mistake.”

Can Smith redeem himself? Yes he can, by working his tail off to be back in shape in time for Alabama’s Pro Day (March 11) and perform well for the scouts. Even if he does well at the Pro Day, he still is a liability. Scouts, GM’s, and Owners won’t be sure of his trust and loyalty to his future team and employer. What if the guy quits on the team next season? I’m just saying it could happen, but I don’t think it will. The guy lasted through seasons of losing games at Alabama before last season where Alabama got a Sugar Bowl Bid, which he didn’t even play in. I’m sure that people will take a second look before drafting Smith in April.

2/23/09

2/22/09

First year NFL Coaches I think will do great next Season




First year NFL Coaches I think will do great next season: (1- being the most successful with team and 11- being the worst)

1.Colts- Jim Caldwell
2.Chiefs- Todd Haley
3.49ers- Mike Singletary
4.Seahawks- Jim Mora Jr.
5.Browns- Eric Mangini
6.Broncos- Josh McDaniels
7.Jets- Rex Ryan
8.Buccaneers- Raheem Morris
9.Rams- Steve Spagnolo
10.Raiders- Tom Cable
11.Lions- Jim Schwartz

2/21/09

Giants GM unsure of Plax's future with Team




In the last four weeks of the 2008 season, the New York Giants were 1-3, losing two games to two division rivals. Then with one week bye before their first playoff game against the Eagles, they lost in a bad showing, with no offense at all. During those last 4 regular season games and the one playoff game, the G-men were without their # 1 wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress was suspended by the team for an incident where Burress shot himself on his right thigh (accidentally) at a night club. It was clear that without Burress, the G-men had no real air threat because defenses had them all locked up and disrupted Eli Manning (throwing only 3 TD’s in the final 5 games). Their running game was there (Ward ran for 215 yds against the Panthers), but you can’t always rely on the run. Overall, Plaxico Burress was a real threat for all defenses and when he was suspended, the team suffered losing their last 3 out 4 games in the season. Then they ultimately lost to the Eagles in the playoffs where the Giants only scored 11 points in the entire game (3 field goals & a safety and scoreless in the 4th quarter). It was clear that without the Plax, there was no real offense for the team. It showed how valuable Burress was to the team.

Giants GM Jerry Reese expressed at the NFL Combine, that he would like to see Burress back with the team, but wasn’t sure if it would happen. “I hope he's motivated, but the legal process is what's most important right now and his health is what's most important right now,” Reese said. “But we'll prepare as if he's not going to be here, and if he is, it's a bonus.” That’s a good message to Burress. It’s a very (if you’re there great, if not…O well, forget you) type of feeling towards him.

Plaxico’s agent Drew Rosenhaus has told the Giant’s that Burress wants to be traded. Really? Why, because he was suspended for his actions by the Giants? Come on, what would a team do if they had a WR who had some brushes with bad incidents with the team. This wasn’t Plaxico’s first “opps” moment. The guy had restraining orders against him in 2008, he owes money to people, and he had some incidents with Coach Coughlin as well for being late and not following team policies. The guy has trouble following him all over. Why do you think the Steelers let him go? On game day, he does his job I’ll give him that, but all his troubles hurt the team’s locker room. It has to suck being asked about Plaxico’s current issue every time after a win or loss. It’s really annoying after awhile being asked the same question by reporter after reporter. It hurts the locker room and the team’s chemistry. I think the Giant’s should trade him away for a draft pick(s) or something. They can draft a WR in the draft in the later rounds (2nd or 3rd) if they see themselves without Burress next season. I think he might not be back. If he does come back I will be surprised. How much more can Coughlin take of this? He’s a no nonsense type of guy.

Do I feel bad for the guy? No, not really. I think when you’re an athlete who has gone to college and have been educated; you can make good decisions on your own. You know right from wrong and are responsible enough in life to see that. The guy can’t even pay for his debts and there simple petty debts not sums of $10,000 or anything. Simple as in around $500 worth, which I think he can afford (don’t know his financial situation, but I think he’s doing fine). The guy had warnings from Coach Coughlin and even had to pay fines more than once for being late to meetings or not showing up at all. When will the message get across to him? If he had only had the safety on, we wouldn’t be here right now.

Browns QB: Anderson or Quinn?




In 2007, the Browns surprised everyone with how well they played ending the season at 10-6. Following the 2007 season, everything was looking pretty good and the Browns were hoping to build from their 2007 season. Well, things didn’t go accordingly to plan. In 2008, the Browns ended up with a 4-12 record. What happened? The Browns got Shaun Rogers from the Lions, Donte Stallworth, Terry Cousin, and Corey Williams from the Packers. They had some good pieces to build from their 2007 season, but tings never really took off for them. Before the season started in 2008, we knew they were going to lose some games against tough teams like the Cowboys, Steelers, Ravens, Colts, Eagles, and Giants (they beat them, what a surprise). The reason why they lost was that they weren’t consistent in the QB position and WR as well. Braylon Edwards was out for the early part of the season because of a foot injury and Joe Jurevicius was out for the entire season.

Then on November before their game against the Broncos on Thursday Night, Brady Quinn was announced as the starter for the Browns. Quinn did pretty well for his first start from what I saw. Then on November 23, Quinn was pulled and then Anderson was put in from the bench. So the Browns were not consistent with the QB position. I think the Browns should’ve stuck with Anderson as their QB for the entire season before Quinn had his first start. I knew Anderson wasn’t playing well (9 TD, 8 INT, 1615 yards), but they should’ve given him more chances and he didn’t have all his receivers healthy early on in the season. If the Browns waited and gave the WR’s time to get healthy and establish something with Anderson, maybe he would’ve never had been benched. At the QB position, you can’t change a QB in the middle of the season when it doesn’t need to be done. The Brown made the change at QB because they gave into the fans demand for their hometown boy Brady Quinn. The Fans wanted Quinn to be the starter when they saw Anderson playing poorly. The Browns gave in. You need to do what best for the entire team. Don’t let the fans dictate what the team does. If Anderson got injured then go ahead put in Quinn, but Anderson was pretty much demoted when he shouldn’t have been, in my opinion.

Well that was last season. Since then both QB’s (Quinn and Anderson) got injured during the end of the season and the Browns had to resort to their 3rd QB. Also Romeo Crennel was fired and GM Phil Savage was too. Now with new head coach Eric Mangini, there are some QB questions for the team. Who will ultimately be the team’s starter? The Browns new GM George Kokinis said that there isn’t any hurry with releasing Derek Anderson. He believes that next season he will have the two QB’s compete for the job.

If it was up to me, I would’ve had Anderson keep the job and not have had benched him. Then that wouldn’t have given me the opportunity to see Quinn play in a game. When I saw Quinn play, he did ok. He made short throws and kept the chains moving, which is what every QB should do. He did make the long throws when he had to, but he did what the coach wanted him to do and that was get the chains moving. Even though he only threw 2 TD and 2 INT, his presence won me over. He seemed like a real leader on the field. I think I would pick Quinn over Anderson. The Browns did draft him in their first round for a reason. They see the future of the Browns in Quinn’s hands. You can have a little QB competition, but let’s remember why the Browns drafted Quinn. Plus Quinn has bigger guns than Anderson. I didn't know QB's arms were suppose to be that big.

On a side note Mangini is looking at RB Derrick Ward who will be a free agent. “Yeah, he's a guy that we'd look at it. I can tell you we're looking at all the free agents,” Mangini said. If the Browns get Ward, it will help out their running game a lot. They can’t depend on Lewis any longer. If they get Ward, they can use Lewis and Ward in a two monster back like the Titans and Panthers did last season.

2/20/09

Harrison getting Cut by the Colts?



As we might speculate, Marvin Harrison’s days in Indy might be over. Yes, Marvin Harrison might be cut from the Indianapolis Colts by next week. Why? Well cutting Harrison would save some cap room for the Colts salary cap. Yesterday (2/18/09) the Colts signed CB Kelvin Hayden to a 5 year deal worth $45 million. There is a chance he might come back, but it seems very unlikely with the resigning of Hayden and even Colts head coach Jim Caldwell wasn’t too sure either, “We certainly hope so,” Caldwell said, but the 36-year-old's time in Indianapolis could be drawing to an end because of salary concerns. If the Colts do decide to keep Harrison, his salary cap for next season will be around $13 million.

I can see why the Colts would be cutting Harrison. I don’t think it’s a bad move. The guy is in his mid-thirties now, and he’s not the receiver he used to be. He is still a good receiver, but age is now becoming a factor for him. Last season, Harrison only had 60 receptions for 636 yards and 5 touchdowns. In the 2006, the season where he was injured; Harrison had 20 receptions for 247 yards and only 1 TD. Those stats are his lowest since his rookie year through the 1998 season in the NFL. We can see his numbers are declining and cutting him wouldn’t be a bad move for the Colts to develop other receivers on the roster. I think though the move might hurt the offense’s chemistry with Harrison and Manning. In my opinion, it’s time for Manning to focus using Gonzalez into the offense (if Harrison is gone) as Reggie Wayne is already a big part of the offense. The question now will be is who will fill in the slot at WR? Maybe they can find someone in free agency or use someone already on the roster. The Colts can also draft a WR. Maybe they won’t get Crabtree or Maclin, but they sure can draft a WR in the 3rd round or 4th in a Quan Cosby, Juaquin Iglesias, or Hakeem Nicks and build them into the program.

If Harrison is cut, where will he go? He could retire or he could be reunited with a fellow Syracuse classmate from his college playing days. Harrison was a three year starter at SU, playing with McNabb as his QB. I know Philly needs a WR and I think the fit will be good as McNabb is close to getting an extension with the Eagles. If Harrison keeps himself healthy, he can play 2 to 3 more seasons. I would love to see Harrison going to the Eagles catching TD’s from his old college QB. That would be a cool sight. Imagine, Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, and Marvin Harrison.

DefyingTheOdds

2/19/09

Politics vs. Sports = Not Good



Tennis is not a sport that I follow. I might watch it from time to time. I love when Nadal and Roger Federer play against one another. That is always an epic matchup that lives up to its card. But this story stuck out to me. As we all know sports and politics equal a bad combination for everyone. Those two shouldn’t be mixed together. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have denied a star Israeli female tennis player entry to the city-state of Dubai to participate in an international tournament. That star player is Shahar Peer. They are not letting her in and granting her a visa for her to enter UAE. UAE is preventing Peer from playing at the Dubai Tennis Championships because that country doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Israel. Peer says, “The only reason is just that I'm Israeli and playing for Israel and I have an Israeli passport and we're not allowed to get into Dubai, which I think is unfair for me as a tennis player,” she said.”I think they really crossed the red line because they should not involve any politics in sport.”

Tournament director Salah Tahlak told reporters: “We do not wish to politicize sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events in the region and not alienate or put at risk the players and the many tennis fans of different nationalities that we have here in the UAE. … Public sentiment remains high in the Middle East and it is believed that Ms. Peer's presence would have antagonized our fans who have watched live television coverage of recent attacks in Gaza.”

In my opinion this is wrong and sad. I don’t follow too much on what’s going on over there, but I do have some little knowledge of what’s going. But since this has happened, some sponsors have withdrawn from the event such as The Wall Street Journal, and some sport channels won’t even televise the event because of this. If Peer doesn’t get in to play the tournament and others are able to play, her ranking will go down. She is currently ranked at 48th in the world. Also to point out, Andy Ram who is an Israeli doubles specialist will be allowed to play in the tournament in Dubai. How come he can get a visa to come, but not Peer? You know what the other tennis players should have done like The Williams sisters, Jankovic, and others? They should’ve boycotted the event. I think this is a race issue and gender issue. Andy Ram got his visa and was a player from the same location as Peer. The only difference was that he was a male as Peer is a female. It’s very sad that a person who doesn’t have any effect on what’s going in her country to be punished and penalized. Just let her in and let her do her job, which is play.

DefyingTheOdds



Now tell me that was one hell of a goal? If hockey has a savior it's Alex Ovechkin. He is the face of hockey.

2/18/09

DTO

With the Mike Leach contract talks going on, it was a no brainer to put Michael Crabtree's game wining TD catch as one of the defying the odds moment.

Texas Tech vs. Mike Leach



Last season, Texas Tech. was not a school that I thought would have won 11 games, maybe 8 to 9 games. I would’ve picked Texas beating Texas Tech last year by a long shot. In one of the greatest games last year and one of the best games to ever been seen in Lubbock against Texas, many would have been surprise to hear rumblings of Coach Mike Leach on the verge of being fired over at Tech. Yes I said fired. Why would a coach who won 11 games last season for the team be on the edge of being fired? Since 2000, Leach has been the coach of the Red Raiders with last season winning 11 games as their head man. Since his tenure at Texas Tech, Leach has won a total of 76 games and 39 losses with 9 total bowl game appearances and 5 bowl wins.

He has never had a losing season at Texas Tech.
Well this Tuesday, Coach Leach missed a deadline on accepting the arrangements of his new contract and now the school’s board of regents will meet on Friday to discuss his future. “Coach Leach has declined our $12.7 million contract,” Myers said (Athletic Director of Texas Tech). “We will enter the decision-making process and should have some announcements by next week. Our decisions will be based on the best interest of Texas Tech and all of its supporters.” Before Leach declined to accept this new contract, he already accepted the term of a previous contract which was set at five years and that would average out to $2.54 million per year. The reason for not accepting the contract was because of certain clauses in the contract. One clause states that Leach will lose $1.5 million if he interviewed with another team for a coaching job.

I think Texas Tech should do everything in their power to retain Leach. The guy can coach and he didn’t play college football. It’s rare to see a college coach at the college level with no college playing experience as the head man of any program. A big college program wouldn’t consider hiring someone without the right credentials such as playing experience at the college level. So for Tech to have hired Leach by investing so much into the guy 9 years ago, they can go all out and make the guy satisfied without those clauses. What Leach is to Tech is what Pete Carroll is to USC. Leach has had an above .500 winning percentage in every season and has gave Tech its first 11 game winning season. If Leach doesn’t sign the new contract and decides to leave, that wouldn’t be a bad move either in my eyes, but it will be a bad move by Texas Tech. The fans will be mad and so will the students. I can be sure of that. If he does leave, it wouldn’t surprise me. Why? Well, Texas Tech is not your destination job for college football, but it getting there. The problem now lies is what will Tech do next season? I mean Tech is losing both of their key players on offense in QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree to the NFL draft. I don’t know if Tech will be an 11 game team next season. Maybe an 8 or 9 game winning team next season. So if Leach doesn’t come back, we would see why in the absence of his two key players on offense. That’s one reason why he might not come back and leave. If he doesn’t come back, be sure that there will be a college program waiting to hire the guy. He might not coach for a year and sit out, but he sure will get a coaching job by next season.

2/17/09

Defying the Odds: DTO

Defying the Odds is a new series of sports clips from around the world of different sports. They’re clips of extraordinary plays that go above and beyond to what we know as our everyday limits. They defy the momentum of a game, they change the mood of the game, and they entice our imaginations.

In today's clip we see Favre making a pass to Antonio Freeman, making a great catch that wins the game in overtime for the Packers, almost over 10 yrs ago. I remember watching this game when I was younger and I couldn't believe what I saw when I saw this play come to life before my eyes.

Ortiz: 1 Year ban for Offenders from Baseball



At Fort Myers, Florida, during spring training for the Boston Red Sox; David Ortiz was asked on the issue of substance abuse in the MLB. Ortiz wants players who used and who got caught using performance enhancing drugs to be suspended for the entire baseball season, not just the 50 game suspensions that the MLB has implemented now. “I would suggest everybody get tested, not random, everybody,” he said. “You go team by team. You test everybody three, four times a year and that's about it.” The current system in the MLB has a 50-game suspension for a player who tests positive the first time. If he gets tested a second time and it’s positive, it’s 100 games and finally a lifetime ban for a third positive test, but then a player can seek to return after two years.

I like Ortiz’s stance on this issue. Others have spoken about this issue like White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen and Astros Pitcher Roy Oswalt. In my last blog about this issue, I felt like the people were cheated on with A-Rod’s use of PED’s. It was a slap to the face to every fan who looked up to the guy and who inspired to be like him. He was a role model to kids, but now he has tainted himself.

A-Rod wasn’t the first guy to use drugs in the MLB. Others have used and will continue to use unless MLB draws up stricter guidelines for offenders. Why just have a 50 game suspension? Install a one season ban from the sport without pay for first time offenders. That will hit them hard. Players will think through their mistakes when they don’t see the paychecks coming to their front doors. Also that off-season they were training for, would be wasted on by their dumb mistakes. Those long days in the winter working out and busting your chops would be for nothing. If they abuse the rules a second time, suspend them another time with no pay for an entire season and reduce their salary for the next season, if the team chooses to keep the offender. If and I really mean if, the offender abuses the rules again then ban him from the sport entirely. Take him away. If you can’t learn from your mistakes the before the third time around, then you have no comprehension of what the MLB is trying to convey to you.

The question now lies…what if someone does test for s substance, but they weren’t aware of what they were taking? There will always be some gray areas in my opinion.

2/16/09

Beast Mode is under Arrest



Back in the draft two years ago (2007 Draft), the Packers had the 15th overall pick. I was hoping the Packers would draft Marshawn Lynch from Cal, but they ended up drafting a DT in Justin Harrell. At the time I was a little disappointed because I knew the Packers needed a RB at the time, but things have worked out fine. The Packers have an ok set of RB’s in Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson who dowhat they need when their names are called upon. When I look back, I’m happy we didn’t get Marshawn Lynch, because of the trouble he carries with him.

This past Wednesday, Lynch was arrested for felony charges for possession of a concealed firearm. “A subsequent field investigation led to the discovery of a loaded firearm,” the report said. “The officers determined the gun belonged to Lynch and he was arrested for possession of a concealed firearm.” Let’s not also forget what happened last summer with Lynch. Last summer, Lynch was involved in a hit and run incident in Buffalo where he hit a woman in the street and sped away.

We can see his brush with the law already. Now as a Packers fan who really wanted the Packers to draft him, thank goodness that they didn’t. Thank goodness for the Buffalo Bills for drafting (12th overall pick) him before they even could consider it. Green Bay is not a place for these T.O./PacMan prima donna/troublesome athletes. I always say this, but grow up and be a good citizen and role model. You’re in the NFL with a new start and already he has two brushes with the law. How do the Bills feel about this? The Bills are paying him a six-year, $18.935 million contract. The deal included a $3 million signing bonus too. The Bills have invested so much money into the player. Let’s hope he doesn’t end up like Adam “PacMan” Jones.

On a big picture view note, I believe the NFL should have some sort of gun permit class or something. This is the second incident where two players have been under arrest for gun related incidents. The first player was Plaxico Burress and now Lynch. The NFL should have some sort of gun program instituted that educates its players about gun issues and gun safety.

Shaq + Jabbawockeez = Shaqawockeez

As some might know, I stopped watching All-Star games a long while ago. They just don't matter to me unless I'm going to a All-Star game live in person. The games don't have any weight of importance at all, doesn't matter if it's a NFL, NBA, or MLB All-Star games. The games don't carry the same weight like regular season games. Sometimes though, the games can be funny. Last night Shaq performed with ABDC season 1 winner the Jabbawockeez. It was very funny.

2/15/09

Culpepper, the Lions future?



A former WR for the Lions Mike Furrey, said that Culpepper will be the team’s starting QB next season. “I've spoken to a couple of my friends who are backups there and I know [the Lions] are going to name Daunte Culpepper as the starter,” Furrey said during a Sunday morning appearance on Sirius NFL Radio.

Ok, let me put my two cents on this. Are you freaking serious? I hope Furrey was kidding when he made that statement. I hope he would’ve laughed a little after he made that outrageous comment. When Culpepper came back to the NFL from retirement to the Lions, he was fat and out of shape. I know Culpepper is a big guy, but it looked like he was eating one too many burgers and hot dogs while he was in retirement. I vividly remember in the Thanksgiving game, Culpepper running outside of the pocket, and he was slow. He wasn’t very mobile at all. When he ran, he didn’t move like the old Culpepper like in Minnesota or Oakland. I understand that Culpepper and his old Offensive coordinator will be together again from the Vikings days (Scott Linehan), but I don’t think he will be the starting QB. During the past season, Dan Orlovsky had to start in for the injured Jon Kitna. Orlovsky played so much better than Culpepper did in many games even though he lost all of them. Orlovsky, gave the Lions more of a chance to win games than Culpepper would have in the entire season.

Going into this year’s draft, the Lions better draft a QB. They cannot and should not rely on Culpepper for their future. In my eyes, Culpeper is a backup with how he played last season. If it was up to me, my depth chart would be: 1) Rookie QB, 2) Orlovsky (will be a free agent), and then 3) Culpepper. For the past couple of drafts (with Matt Millen at GM), the Lions have made some bad draft choices in drafting WR’s Charles Rogers and Mike Williams who were first round draft picks no longer with the team anymore. Two years ago they drafted a WR in Calvin Johnson who is still with the team and will grow into a great WR soon with a good QB in place for the team. So with that being said, the Lions should draft a QB with their first round pick. They have to and if they don’t the fans will boo the heck out of them. There is a reason why Matt Millen ins’t there anymore. Let’s hope the new GM can make good draft decisions.

Got Towels?



Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, today when I was going over the major headlines, one headline stuck out to me. It was a headline dealing with Steelers kicker Jeff Reed. Reed got in some trouble this past weekend. Reed threw a temper tantrum at a convenience store. Why? Did someone ask for his autograph after a fan kept bugging him for it? No…nobody wanted his autograph. Then what happened? To my dismay, Reed got into a heated temper tantrum because the bathroom at the convenience store had no towels in its restroom. Yes, I said towels. When police got to the store, they said that Reed had destroyed the towel dispenser and used bad language with the employee working there. “Reed caused damage to a towel dispenser as he was infuriated at the fact that there were no towels in it,” according to a news release by Trooper Shawn Askins, who issued the citations.

Ok, this incident that happened was very dumb and stupid on Reed’s part. I usually don’t care about kickers too much, unless it’s Mason Crosby (Packers Kicker). This story just stuck out to me and I couldn’t believe what he did. Seriously, you’re gonna cry and get pissed off because you can’t whip your hands after using the restroom. Come on, grow up. You have to tell me that this can’t be the first time Reed has gone to a restroom where there weren't any towels left to wipe his hands with. I’ve been in many situations over the years (mostly in movie theaters) where I’ve used the restroom, and there were no towels to wipe my hands with after washing my hands. I didn’t go bust up a towel dispenser or use bad curse words to the people that should’ve put in towels. I just used my shirt to dry my hands. It does suck when there aren’t towels, but you need to deal with it. People sometimes forget to put them in because they are busy with their work. Maybe the guy at the store forgot to do it, which happens everywhere. What so stupid is that Reed got a ticket for his foolishness and may pay a fine up to $300 and 90 days in jail. That is going to suck when your cellmates ask you what you did to get in jail. “I broke a towel dispenser in the bathroom.” Overall, this was a very funny headline when I was online reading articles and browsing.

2/13/09

NY Jets: Looking for a new Pilot?



Since Brett Favre’s retirement, the Jets are left looking for their future QB to fly the Jets up and away. So the question now lies with the Jets and the GM, what to do now? Finding a QB is very tough unless you have a great draft pick in the draft, which the Jets don’t have (in the 17 position). Also with drafting a QB, you never really ever know for sure if your draft pick will be a great pick or a bust in the futures to come. For instance look at Ryan Leaf, who was picked ahead of Peyton Manning (Superbowl winner and 3x MVP winner)…or heck even Favre who was drafted in the 3rd/4th round in the draft. Let’s not also forget about Tom Brady, who was drafted in the 6th round (he did pretty well, 3 Superbowl rings in total and MVP winner). Like last year, Matt Ryan who was drafted by the Falcons, was a very iffy pick. People weren’t too sure what to expect of him, but as it turned out…he did very well as a rookie QB this past season winning Rookie of the Year honors last season. So there is always a be chance at drafting a QB.

Should the Jets draft a QB in the 09 draft? I think if someone is available and that someone maybe Mark Sanchez, then yes. We all know that the Lions will most likely draft Matthew Stafford, or at least be picked before being available by the time the Jets pick. Then Sanchez will be the most obvious choice for the Jets. If you look at the draft picks before the Jets, who need a QB (49ers, Chiefs) he might not be there at that time. If Sanchez is there, take him and make him be the QB of the future for the Jets.

Now the question will be if they pick Sanchez, should they start him right away? In their case, yes and no. Yes, if the Jets see that Kellen Clemens can’t get the job done, but I think he will be the starter next season because of what he knows as a QB who has been in the NFL already. The Jets did draft him in the 2nd round of the draft for a reason right? If Clemens is progressing well, then start the guy. I’m not saying that he will definitely start the season, but he has a better understanding of the speed of the game. If you just throw in Sanchez, the game will be much quicker and faster compared to the college games. He’ll make his rookie mistakes. Let’s not forget that he didn’t play too much over at USC and is not returning for his senior season at USC. His coach didn’t think he was ready either…"I'm disappointed that's his decision, because I think there's a lot of information that says [leaving early] is not going to help him out as much as he thinks," said USC Coach Pete Carroll. If the Jets do pick Sanchez, I think the Jets should take the Packers and Bengals route of devolving their young QB. If you look at Carson Palmer before he got hurt, he was a decent QB, and Aaron Rodgers did very well this past season too. Give him time to learn the game at this level.

Another thing the Jets can do is get a Veteran QB. If Warner and Kerry Collin are free agents, get them ASAP. To tell you the truth, that is not going to happen at all. Those guys will be back playing for their teams or retire. The one Veteran the Jets could get should be Byron Leftwich. Leftwich got cut by the Jags and then the Flacons, but got a job being Ben Roethlisberger’s backup in Pittsburgh. His time with the Steelers, he seemed like the old Leftwich with the Jags. He played well when Big Ben got hurt and drove the team scoring touchdowns. I think getting Leftwich would be a decent idea for the Jets. The guy appeared in 5 games last season and he completed 21 of 36 attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions for a 104.3 passer rating. That’s not bad for a guy who sits on the bench. He was prepared and knew the playbook on the back of his hand. He shows that he still has what it takes to play.

Whatever the Jets do, they have many options. They could draft someone which could work and not work, depending on how Sanchez does at workouts and what not. They can even go out into the market and get a veteran QB in free agency. I don’t think that Jet fans should be freaking out because they have some options. Remember the Jets next season won’t be the same Jet’s of this past season. Brett Favre brought a new dimension to them, a winning spirit and knowledge to the team. If Clemens or Sanchez start next season, they’re not going to be playoff contenders right away. If they do get Leftwich, they sure have a better shot.

2/11/09

Destruction of Baseball: A-Fraud & many others



As you all are aware of, Alex Rodriguez was using performance enhancing drugs (PED) in the 2001-2003 baseball seasons. On Monday, he broke out the truth by admitting to these allegations that were made this past weekend. If you look at A-Rod’s numbers throughout the years from his rookie year to right now, his number are all consistent. His numbers from the 2001-2003 are pretty much the same (.305 batting average, 52 home runs, from those three years with PED use total) that we would have seen any signs of him using PED’s. Ok, from the years in New York as a Yankee (2004-2008) his batting average is .302 with 42 home runs batted in. You can kind of see the difference a little bit, but nothing really too drastic. The point I’m trying to make is what an idiot he was by doing what he did in Texas. This guy made around 28 million with the Yankees this past year. Heck back then in 01-03, he was making around 20 mill. If you’re making that much dough, you don’t have too much to prove, but to stay consistent and play well. He needed to cheat in order to play a little better and by doing so he got burned this past weekend. You can play with fire, but sooner or later it’s gonna burn you.

Why would he take the PED in the first place? The guy’s numbers were pretty consistent and there really wasn’t a need for him to take these enhancers. He made a very bad decision on his part for what he did. Also I want to mention that in 2003, he won the American League MVP award and a Golden Glove Award (which should be taken away from him). Even on 60 minutes he admitted to Katie Couric, that he never used any performance enhancing drugs. What a liar.

So, now since A-Rod confessed on Monday to his drug use…everything should be forgotten. No! The MLB, in my opinion should take away his awards that he won while using the PED and give them to the person who was behind Alex. It’s the only fair thing to do. Beside the fact of records, I want to speak beyond the lines. There are many kids in high school and colleges around the world who look up to A-Rod. How do you think they feel? Before A-Rod admitted to using PED, there were many others that came before him. Those kids and people looked up to those players much like Alex too. Whenever one pro baseball player was found in mist of some drug use, it felt like someone was stabbing the hope of the kids around the world. These athletes that kids look up to are hurting their image and the sports image. They’re telling kids that they need to cheat in order to make it big in the pros. Kids all would love to be like A-Rod and be able to play in the MLB. What happens when a young kid takes the same route that A-Rod took to perform his best? What if Johnny can’t build muscle quickly in order to be the starting QB for his football team? What would Johnny do, would he take the A-Rod path or bust his chops in the weight room like my coached preached to me? It’s true what they say that kids follow what their role models do. It’s really a shame that this had to happen because A-Rod was the last shinning hope for baseball’s image. Baseball has now really been beyond a tainted sport now; it’s really a sport that has been destroyed by the corruption of these performance enhancing drugs.

Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, believes that the guys who have used PED should have their own record books. “Their numbers shouldn’t count. They should have their own record book, and it shouldn’t count. All the guys before us they’re cheating them. These guys from the past are in the Hall of Fame, and these guys (who are on steroids) are breaking their records. It shouldn’t count. It’s not fair.” Oswalt also adds on by saying, “they can have their own record book and they can have their own records. They shouldn’t have it with guys that did it on natural talent that played the game right like I did.”I have to agree with where he stands. Why should these abusers be in the same books like Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., and Roberto Clemente? All those who have broken the rules are spitting at the names I’ve listed above. In my opinion, Barry Bonds home run that broke Hank Aaron’s record shouldn’t count. Hopefully one day, Major League Baseball will fix the mess that they have on their hands. Let’s now hope, that no one else that we don’t suspect becomes known to be a steroid user (ex: Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedrioa, Chipper Jones…to name a few).

Favreless NFL




Today we have learned that Brett Favre has retired from the NFL. This time it wasn’t a tearful commotion like last year around March. Favre told his agent that he wanted to retire and walk away from the game he’s been playing for the past 18 seasons. "There are several things that went into decision but most importantly, the most important thing, was that physically, you know with my shoulder the last half of the year it hampered the way I played," Favre said. "I'm 39, I had several options [to have surgery] and to let it heal. How that would affect me in terms of playing I had no idea and it wasn't something I was going to risk."

Over the last month for Favre, playing for the Jets, we could see that he wasn’t himself. Favre wasn’t playing too well near the end part of the season. We’ve seen Favre play poorly before in Green Bay any times before, but this time it was different. It was as if the age factor kind of settled in. Remember, Favre played some tough games last season against the Pats, Titans, and the Dolphins. These teams and other as well sacked Favre and made him move in the pocket. It had to be sooner or later when the hard hits would take a toll on his body. I believe in the last part of the season, that is what we saw. We saw a drained out Favre who couldn’t make the great plays when he needed to, or the forced plays that the old Favre could in Green Bay. Even in Green Bay in the 2007 season, he looked uneven at times playing. In Green Bay, he had an ok running game and very good starting receivers and back up receivers (R. Martin) who could get open to stretch out a play for Favre. When it comes done to it, Favre retired because he couldn’t play anymore. This happens with age, you don’t play like you use to five years ago or ten years ago. Something you did five years ago can’t be done now. Favre realized that and retired. I still think Favre is a very good QB when he doesn’t make his mistakes over and over again.

Do I really think he is retired? I don’t know. As a Packers fan and Favre fan, I think he could come back next season. There is always that possibility with him. Favre is unsure of finality. The guy doesn’t want it to end because he loves what he does. Maybe in the off-season around May and June, Favre might get the itch again to play. Many times the temptation to come back could force him to the NFL. I’m saying he might come back. Or maybe in the season around week 4, 6, or 8 a veteran QB on a team could get hurt. Favre could see this as another opportunity to come back and put the helmet back on again. That could be another way for him to come back. Even at his press conference, he sounded very unsure of his decision about retiring. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back. Also, he will NOT come back to play for the Vikings. The Packers put in a suicidal clause in his contract that the team who trades Favre away to the Vikes will have to give 3 first round picks (to the Packers). You really never know what Favre could do. To me he’s 50/50.

I will miss Favre from a fan’s POV. It will be different not hearing about Favre’s name in the NFL or ESPN anymore during the football season. Since I’ve started watching football and cheering on the Packers, I heard the name Brett Favre in every NFL season. It will be different, but I knew the day would come one day when he would have to walk away from the game. I guess the next time we can expect to see Favre again will be in Canton, Ohio.

2/9/09

Big Ben's Broken Ribs

It’s been an entire week since the Superbowl where the Steelers won against the Cardinals. In that win in Tampa, Big Ben was playing with two broken ribs. Before the game, x-rays didn’t show any broken ribs, but after the game when Big Ben got a MRI the case was not the same. The MRI’s showed that he had two broken ribs. We knew ahead of time before the Superbowl game that Roethlisberger had some sort of rib/back injury.

Even though he didn’t know about the injury Roethlisberger knew that something was wrong. “Luckily, in the game, I didn't take any big hits to make ‘em hurt,” Roethlisberger told SI.com. “But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn't have been anything that could have been done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play.”

This just shows you how Big Ben is a very committed to his team. He knew something was wrong ahead of time, but he sucked it up and played. The guy had two broken ribs. That takes some major balls. I remember the time when I sprained my ankle and couldn’t play soccer for a few days. Imagine how it feels to play with two broken ribs. The pain must have been bad. Just throwing the ball had to be very difficult for Roethlisberger. I’ve said before that Big Ben isn’t your favorite QB. He’s not a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady type of player, but he does one thing for his team and that is WIN. He doesn’t get fantasy players the points they want, but he does win and that is a lot in the NFL to be successful. If you can win, you will have a job in the NFL as a QB. If you also look at his past seasons, his best season was in 2007. He had 32 TD and 11 INT that season. His average TD’s in a season is 20 and INT’s is 13. So don’t expect him to get you lots of fantasy points, week in and week out. I got to give it to him that the guy can play and play well when he needs to.

I don’t know who I would take…Rivers with his injury game against the Pats or Roethlisberger’s broken ribs play in the Superbowl?

2/7/09

Don't mess with Superman's coach

This past week was recruiting week. The week where all colleges get most of their recruits signed. To get to the point, Lane Kiffin is the new first year coach at Tennessee. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC with Pete Carroll as the head coach. After his days at USC, Kiffin got a job with the Raiders to be their head man…which didn’t turn out so well. Kiffin got fired this year after the team started the season out as 1-3 (5-15 overall with Raiders). This past season in college football, Tenn ousted their coach, Coach Phillip Fulmer after a bad season. In came Kiffin to take over as the head coach for the Vols.

Ever since signing as the head coach of the Vols, Kiffin has been rubbing people the wrong way. Kiffin has falsely accused Nick Saban and Urban Meyer of NCAA violations. At the football get together for his boosters, Kiffin told his boosters that Meyer cheated in getting their recruit Nu’Kesse Richardson. He said that Meyer called Richardson while he was visiting UT on a college visit. “Just so you know, when a recruit's on another campus, you can't call a recruit on another campus," Kiffin said. "I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him.” Well, guess what? That didn’t happen from the AD of Florida and Meyer did not break any rules according to NCAA rules.

Ok here comes my rant. Why would you open your mouth and brag already? Kiffin has not accomplished anything yet as a head coach. We saw what happened over at Oakland, and it didn’t end pretty. They hired a Cable guy over there that did much better than he did as the head coach (4-8, but his players looked inspired to play). Kiffin already got Richardson as one of his recruits, why would he bring up that Meyer was cheating in front of the boosters? Why even talk about? Are you trying to be over cocky? You already got the kid and just move on to spring football. You have more things to worry about that accusing people of things that you weren’t sure about. Be happy that the kid came to your school to make your team better. Be happy he didn't end up with Florida.

Do you (Kiffin) even know who you’re messing with? Urban Meyer isn’t just a mediocre head coach. He’s won the National Championship twice and help pit Utah on the map. Also he’s the head coach of Superman (Tebow). You don’t mess with Superman’s head coach. Can you believe what will happen when these two teams will meet next season? If Urban Meyer can and I think he will…he will curb stomp the Vols in their game and run up the score if he can. Hey remember last season’s game against Georgia. Meyer’s team beat them in a score of 49-10. One season after Coach Richt sent his entire team out to celebrate with the team in a touchdown dance. Come game week next season, I bet you the Meyer will use this to fuel his Gators. Circle your calendars folks…this is going to be a beat down for the Kif.

In closing, I believe people of any profession should be professional with the people you work with and compete with. If this cheating did happen, Kiffin should have dealt with this in a more professional matter and behind closed doors. If you look at it, Saban and Meyer are superior to Kiffin. They have the resume that Kiffin would love to have one day. You don’t mess with your superiors until you have proved something to them. So far Kiffin hasn’t even coached against them yet and should have kept quite. Be professional about it…that’s all I’m saying.

2/4/09

A Football team in Hartford, CT



Ladies and Gentlemen, this upcoming summer there will be a new football organization debuting. It’s not an extreme style of football debuting like the failed WWE venture called the XFL, but a league called the United Football League (UFL). The league is still in its initial planning process as we speak with gathering potential team markets for its teams and what not. The UFL is being organized by Michael Huyghue who will be the Commissioner of the league and who once was the Jacksonville Jaguars VP of personnel and investors from Wall Street and Google’s senior executive Tim Armstrong.

The league will play its games on Thursdays and Fridays starting in September and end with a Championship Game in late November. In its first season there will be up 6-8 teams competing in the league. The cities that will part take in the UFL’s first season in 2009 are…
• Hartford, CT
• Las Vegas, NV
• Loa Angeles, CA
• New York City, NY
• Orlando, FL
• San Francisco, CA
Potential other Markets:
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Monterrey, Mexico

As of today, I have learned that Jim Fassel, former Giants head coach will be the head coach of the Las Vegas team in the UFL. Teams will have a salary cap in the league such as…
• Player’s salary cap: 20 Mill
• Team Coaching Staff Salary Cap: 3 Mill

In my opinion, I don’t know what to make of this new football league. It’s the first I’ve heard of it. I can’t say I like the idea or hate it, but I will need to wait and see what happens with it. I think it’s good for the NFL to have some competition, but will it really be a competitor with the NFL? The NFL is big now. We’ll have to wait and see. The league is still in its initial starting process and will take time to expand into something bigger. The NFL first was a small league back when it started off. If the league does what it need to which is make the audience aware of its product and advertise its main great players it could do well. Players who can’t get drafted into the NFL or get cut from the NFL can go the UFL instead going over the border to play in Canada in the CFL. Why should America lose its own talent to Canada? I think it’s about time that there will be a league for people who don’t get drafted or cut for a second chance. As we speak QB Chris Leak is playing in the CFL. Maybe some AFL players will play in the UFL instead of in the AFL. Not many players make it to the NFL from the AFL. That is because of the difference in the style of the game. The only position that has translated well from the AFL to NFL has only been QB. Now with the UFL starting up, those players have new options in playing actual football with 100 yards instead of a 50 yards field.

From a fan’s POV who lives near Hartford, CT. I’m kind of happy to hear about the news of CT getting a football team. Hartford once was a hockey city with the Hartford Whalers playing at the Hartford Civic Center back in the 90’s (1979-1997). Well, they left and we were left with a minor league hockey team (Hartford Wolfpack). We’re known for our hoops for both men and women’s and the Uconn football team is getting some attention with 3 bowl appearances (2-1) for the football team. The closest thing we have to a football team was and could’ve been the New England Patriots (once were going to relocate to Hartford, CT…which didn’t happen and never will). I think it’s about time for CT to get a football team and it could work. Many fans do show up to the college games and I believe people will show up to the UFL games as well. So next Fall, let’s fill the Rent in support of the UFL.

I wonder what other coaches will come to the UFL. Heck Jim Fassel has signed as a coach. What other coaches will sign on…Jon Gruden, Mike Shananhan…maybe not.

Why the Pro Bowl sucks


This weekend will be the official last week of actual football. There isn’t even Arena football this year (some people consider it football, but I don’t). This is the time where many men and some women as well, have to pack their bags until preseason until the summer for a glimpse of some football action. Before we can seal the deal on this season…let’s end the season with an All Star game known as the Pro Bowl. Are you serious? The NFL Pro Bowl is a joke and many will agree with me. I’ve stopped watching the NFL Pro Bowl since my freshmen year in high school because of a teacher’s thinking behind it. I asked my teacher if he was going to watch the Pro Bowl. He responded “No, why should I watch a game where nothing really matters in it?” He had a point. Ever since then I tried to watch the Pro Bowl, but I would lose interest after a quarter or two of the game. Then I finally stopped watching the game.

First off, every other major sport has its own All Star game. NHL, MLB, and NBA all have one. So what’s the difference with their All Star game? It’s not the last game in the entire football season. They’re all in the middle of the season. I’m not saying that the NFL Pro Bowl should be in the middle of the season, but move it to a different date. Well, guess what happened this year? They moved the game the week before the Superbowl. I like the move of the game, but not the move of its location. They’re gonna have the game be held at the location of the Superbowl which will be Miami next year. Why would you want to move it? They’ve held the game in Hawaii since the 1980’s…why change the location of the game? I understand that the game had different venues before Aloha Stadium, but playing the game in Hawaii distinguishes it as the Pro Bowl. NFL players all played in the Dolphins stadium before. That is something ordinary for them. Playing at Aloha stadium is something sacred, it’s special. It’s something new for those first timers going to their first Pro Bowl’s ever. It’s like you need to work you butt off in order to even play in that stadium.

So they moved the Pro Bowl a week before the Superbowl which is a great move, because the season should end with its greatest game as the finale. Hey what happens if a guy in the Pro Bowl who is gonna play in the Superbowl the week after gets injured…like a QB or WR? That’s a tough one. Hope no one gets injured next year who will be playing in the Superbowl.

Another thing that makes me not want to watch the Superbowl is that the game is just an exhibition game. The players are playing for nothing. In the other sports, their All Star games matter, because whichever conference wins the All Star game, that conference team gets home field advantage in the finals of its championship games. Which is a very big advantage in the NBA and NHL. I can’t see the NFL doing this with their All Star game (they already have selected the venue for every Superbowl in a few years advanced), but find a way to make the game matter to the players or something. Maybe the players playing the game would take the game more seriously. Just award the winning team with a check for winning the game and the losing team goes home empty. Also can the guys play the game like a real game? What is it with no blitzing or blocking the kicks on a field goal attempt? That is trash. In the preseason they all play hard in the game and actually block and what not. What makes the Pro Bowl any different? Make the game matter.

2/3/09

Warner...Hall of Famer or not?

Kurt Warner’s Superbowl loss last Sunday was tough, but I believe he’s grateful for the opportunity to just play in the game for his third time. Since the loss some people are wondering if Warner will get elected into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Some people say yes and others say no. I’m going to divulge in this question and give you my two cents.

Warner was stocking grocery stores before he came to the NFL. The guy came from the bottom and worked his way up, paying his due. In 1998, Warner played in the AFL for the Iowa Barnstormers (now the NY Dragons) and led them to two Arena Bowl Championship games. In 1999, Warner signed with the Rams and was sent to NFL Europe (also to note, his back up was Jake Delhomme…now playing for the Panthers). So coming back from playing in Europe, Warner’s world was fine as backup to the Rams QB Trent Edwards… until Trent Edwards got injured in the preseason and Warner needed to step in. That year, Warner had a breakout season that no one saw coming. He threw for 4,353 yards and 41 TD’s. Later on Warner would lead the Rams to a Superbowl appearance playing the Titans. Warner and the Rams won by a yard (so to say). So the guy’s first actual season in the NFL, he wins his first Superbowl. The guy got the Rams to the Superbowl. Warner got the Rams their first Superbowl title ever. I don’t want to down grade Edwards, but if Trent Edwards was playing, I don’t think he could’ve led them to the Superbowl like Warner did.

In 2001, Warner led the Rams to the Superbowl again, this time against the New England Patriots. The Rams were 14-2 that season playing the Pats led by Tom Brady. The Rams were the heavy favorite. In his 365 passing yards and one passing TD and rushing TD, Warner fell short and lost. Many people were stunned, but the Rams didn’t play well because of the Pats D kept the Greatest show on Turf from not scoring any TD’s until the fourth quarter of the game. Where it became too late. The next season, Warner started his first three games losing. The season after that (2003) Warner gotten injured and Bulger came in as the new future QB of the Rams, replacing Warner. Warner would eventually go to the New York Giants to be Eli Manning’s teacher and got replaced by the rookie QB that same season because of poor play. In 2005, Warner signed a new contract with the Cardinals. The first few years with the Cardinals Warner had struggled a bit. When the Cards drafted Matt Leinart from USC Warner would be a great teacher to the young buck. Leinart started games the first four games in 07, but when he struggled, the Vet in Warner would step in to win the games that they needed. Leinart would be placed on IR and Warner had taken over the team. In the 07 season, Warner had thrown for 3,417 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes, and 89.8 passer rating were all his best since the 2001 season. The following season Leinart was named the starting QB, but that changed when Coach Whisenhunt started Warner at QB leading the team to its first Superbowl appearance since 61 yrs. Warner that season threw for 4,583 yards, 30 TD and 14 Int which was good enough to be him to the Pro Bowl.

Over his years playing, Warner has stacked up 182 TD’s, 114 Int’s, for a total of 28,591 yards. Warner has played in the NFL for total of 10 years from 1998 to 2008. Even though he was injured in between some seasons (with Rams) and or benched (Giants), the man deserves to be in the HOF. Why? The man bought two franchises that were in the dumps to the Superbowl. He led the Rams twice and the Cards once (in a 61 yr drought). That’s a big accomplishment from the QB who was working at a grocery store. Even though he played for 10 years, I believe his work should be looked at by his accomplishments…not by how many years he has played in the league. I’ve heard some people saying that Warner shouldn’t go into the HOF because of the years he was bad. Every QB has some bad times playing. People should look at his entire body of work, not just focus on the bad years when he was playing. Look at Brett Favre…are people still not going to induct him in the HOF because of all the INT he throws? No, because voters will look at his body of work, just as they should with Warner. Also people should look at his achievements (from Wikipedia)…
• Second Highest Completion Percentage, Career (Min. 1500 attempts) - 65.75%
• Highest Average Passing Yards Per Game, Career (Min. 100 games) - 261.2 yards/game
• Most Yards Passing, Super Bowl (Game) - 414 yards vs. Tennessee Titans (only QB to pass for 400+ yards in the Super Bowl; also owns 2nd and 3rd highest yardage total in Super Bowl with 377 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 365 against the New England Patriots).
• Most Yards Passing, Super Bowl (Career) - 1,156 yards.
• Highest Rate of Games w/300+ Yards Passing (Min. 100 games played) - 45.2% (47/104)
• Most Consecutive Games w/300+ Yards Passing - 6 (tied w/Steve Young and Rich Gannon)
• Most Games with a Perfect Passer Rating, Career (regular season only) - 3 (tied w/Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger)
• Only NFL quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season (1999).
• Most Touchdown Passes in a Single Postseason - 11 (in 2009, tied w/Joe Montana, who did it in 1990)
• Most yards passing in a single postseason - 1147 (2009)
• 4 time selection to the NFL Pro Bowl (99,00,01,08)
• 2x AP NFL MVP (99,01)
• Superbowl MVP & Winner (2000)

If those credentials can’t get him in…then what will? The guy will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame whenever he retires.

2/2/09

Post Superbowl

Last night’s game was pretty decent, but not great like last yr’s game with the New England Patriots and New York Giants. From what I remember, that game was very competitive until the very end and people were watching on the edge of their seats. The game didn’t even come close to the greatness of last yr’s game at all. People are saying last night’s game was one of the best because of the ending. The ending of the game was great, but not the entire game. There were too many penalties from both teams which did play an effect on the game. I would like to say that the Steelers were the better team to beat the Cards and Homles deserved his MVP trophy. Ben was 21/30 with 1 TD and 1 Int whereas Holmes had 9 catches for 131 yards and one game changing TD catch…that seemed impossible.

My prediction was wrong and I’ll admit it. I picked the Cards to win. On offense the Cards were much better than the Steelers. Warner threw all around the Steelers with 377 yards total and 3 TD’s and 1 Int. The only reason the Steelers were able to march down the field was because of the poor D of the Cards. Holmes was running all over them with his 9 catch performance. They could not finish. If you have a great offense, but not a great defense that could not stop the opposing team…it’s a bad equation. That offense (Cards) will either get a big lead to win the game or the defense of the other team (Steelers) will make some stops to get the ball back where the Cards D couldn’t stop them on some possessions, which is what happened on there come back winning TD drive in the last possession of the game. Holmes caught four (I think, but could be wrong) clutch passes on the last drive to win the Superbowl. Arizona’s D just couldn’t stop the passing game of the Steelers. Even though the stats don’t show it, but Big Ben played well when he needed to. I said that Ben wasn’t your fantasy first rounder type of a QB, but when the time comes, he goes out there to get the win. He is 8-2 in the playoffs and has two rings now. I was very surprised how well the Steelers D could stop the running game of the Cards. Edge only had 33 yds of rushing. That aspect of the game hurt them a lot. You just can’t always throw against a great defense every time. You need the run to set up the pass.

Defensively, the Steelers looked a little lackluster in the game. Warner threw over 370 yds against them with Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breston getting some key plays in the game. That 64 yd pass TD from Warner to Fitz showed how Haley exploited the Steelers D by having the number 1 and 2 receivers running an out pattern and Fitz in the slot, running a cross in the middle for the TD catch. Also I believe the Cards scored too quickly with too much time on the clock left for the Steelers to come back (2:37). I believed they should’ve ran a couple times and then set up that pass play, but I wasn’t calling the plays and I didn’t see what they guys up in boxes were looking at. I want to mention how well the O-line for the Cards was allowing 2 sacks and keep Warner protected to throw for 3 TD’s and 1 Int. They should get an honorable mention, but not Gandy.

What made the game…penalties. There were some that were questionable such as the roughing the passer in the 3rd quarter (I think). There were some that affected the game such as 3 holding calls against Gandy for the Cards. I believed Harrison was too much for Gandy in the trenches. There were a total of 18 penalties in the game where the Cards had 11 of those. Last yr’s Superbowl only had a total of 9 in the game.

In closing, the game was fun to watch, but not even close to where it ranks against the Pats and Giants game. Even the commercials weren’t as good, but fair. The only commercial that really stood out was the Cash4Gold. I better get on there and sell my gold for money with this economy. Seeing Ray Lewis doing ballet was priceless in the Sobe ad. The “I’m Good” PepsiMax was very comical. That Transformers spot was very good; the movie will be one of the must sees of this summer.

2/1/09

I have a dream...Post Superbowl Holiday

We all watch the greatest one day spectacular known as the Superbowl. After the Superbowl comes the dreaded Monday, where everyone has to go to work or like myself school. It really sucks to tell you the truth. The idea of knowing that Monday will be the day for all of us to go back and carry on with our lives. When I was younger I always wished that the Monday following Superbowl Sunday should be a day of for everyone. It should be its own holiday.
Many Americans watch the Superbowl every year. There is a reason why big companies spend 3 Million for a short 30 seconds ad, it’s because they know everyone is watching. If everyone is watching they know they’ll be marketing to every person in America with their eyes glued to the tube. Or some people go use the bathroom, which is a crime. Some people just watch the game for the commercials because they’re great and new. It’s not everyday where we see new ads, it’s the only time where we don’t need to change the channel to avoid the commercials. Also last years’ Superbowl which pitted the New York Giants against the New England Patriots, was the highest Superbowl watched (97.5 mill) and was ranked second behind the finale of M*A*S*H. You know Alan Alda was trembling. Superbowl XVI had a viewer rating of around 40 million. So from Superbowl XVI to Superbowl XLII, the viewership has been growing.
There is even a website called http://www.superbowlmonday.com/ which is petitioning to get the following Monday to be a national holiday. Hopefully Congress will give in, come on Obama make it happen. It could happen in our dreams, but never say never. It was Obama who wanted to see a playoff installed in college football…which I disagree with, we can discuss that on a later day. This is why the Monday after the big game should be a holiday. This can’t happen with any other sporting event. March Madness is not that big and the College Football’s National Championship game isn’t that big either (26 million viewers this yr). They don’t draw up the viewership like the Superbowl. I also watch hockey and like the sport even though people think it’s dying, but it doesn’t even deserve a day off after its final game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Unlike the Superbowl, it’s special. It’s special because it happens on one day alone where other sports like the NBA and NHL have up to 7 games to crown a champ and in the NFL it’s one and done to the road to its championship game. Come on and give in Congress. Stop making people call in sick the next day taking a day off where really they’re drunk from the night before watching the game or are really sick from eating themselves to death.


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