Extra Points

After a hiatus, I am backing to blogging. Let's get started.

1. Why did Jim Harbaugh switch to Colin Kaepernick?-It's simple as this Kaepernick is a better passer and a faster runner than Alex Smith. As much as announcers and former players bemoaned the moved because Smith loss his job due to injury, in the end its the right move. Alex Smith was having trouble getting the ball down field. I don't care about passing efficiency or passer ratings. The Niners went out and got weapons at the receiver position (Randy Moss and Mario Mannigham) and they needed a quarterback with a strong arm to get the ball down field. If you noticed none of the vets complained because as much as they love Alex, in their hearts they knew its the right move. To have an opportunity to win a Super Bowl, the window is very short, sometimes you have to do an unpopular thing to get your team that title.

2. St. Louis Rams Experiment-Are the Rams playing better under Jeff Fisher? YES!! However the experiment with Sam Bradford could comeback and haunt this team in the future. Not bashing Bradford but the one thing you notice and OU fans can tell you this as well, his ball just hangs in the air for an eternity. Db's sit back and wait for it to come down and its an easy pick. Bradford doesn't have any zip on the ball. Not taking Robert Griffith III with that pick could cost the team a shot at some deep playoff runs.

3. End of an Era? Part 1-After watching the Broncos dismantle the Ravens, I was struck by one of the sidelines shots of Ray Lewis staring at the Jumbo tron. He just looked defeated. My thoughts were this: Baltimore missed a ton of opportunities to get back to the Super Bowl and when they look back at it, it will always be a dropped pass here, a misssed block there, or a missed field goal in the case of last year. Two of the greatest defenders (Lewis and Reed) will most likely not get the opportunity to play on that stage (for Lewis it would be his second trip). Their teams always seem to come up short some way or somehow. Really puzzling.

4. End of an Era? Part 2-The same can be said with the Steelers only its a little different because they have won a Super Bowl within the last 4 years. When you look at the Steelers, you just see an old team. The extra battle have worn them down and there is very little fight left in the old warriors. You can see their bodies are in the right position to make the plays but the younger, faster players just shoot right by them.Father time has caught up to the AFC North.

5.Teams Your Favorite squad does not want to see in the playoffs-Indianapolis, Washington and Seattle, the funny thing about that is all three of these teams all have rookie quarterbacks. Luck, RGIII and Russell Wilson strike fear into the hearts of defenses, especially having to prepare for them on a short week.

Thanks for reading.....

Extra Points (NFL)

1. Kind Of Tired Of Vilma..: And the other Saints players complaining about Bountygate and suing the Commissioner and dragging this case out longer and longer. Saints interim coach Joe Vitt told the NBC crew that for anyone to think the Saints put players and coaches put out a bounty to hurt other players is ludicrous. I got news for you Joe, EVERYONE KNOWS YOU DID!!! If you are a good leader what you do is own up to your mistake and take your punishment like a man. The sad thing is the Saints defense is so bad that Vilma and Vitt can't make a difference. My advice would be take the suspension and ask for the league to pay you and end it.

2. Michael Vick Is Not The Problem: Initially after watching the Eagles play, Vick was turning over the football at an alarming rate. But his last three games, Vick has two interceptions and one fumble, which is good. The Eagles problem for the last two years has been their defense. Nnmadi Asomugha has been just awful at DB. Asomugha has been chasing receivers from behind all season, this is after he said the defensive calls were bad. How about you get in proper position and technique and start covering receivers correctly? Also Andy Reid has almost exclusively fell in love with the pass and has forgotten LeSean McCoy. This quickly becoming a nightmare season for the Eagles, which could possibly cost Reid his job.

3. Was It Wrong That I Took Pleasure in the Cowboys Collapse: Loved seeing the Cowboys get bombed in the beginning of the game against the Giants, and then comeback to take the lead and at the end get their hearts ripped out. How much longer can the Cowboys keep running Dez Bryant out on the field, when clearly the guy runs the wrong route, turns the ball over just as much as Romo, and the quarterback does not trust him. Bryant has a world of talent but with that talent comes a responsibility to be there for your teamamtes, coaches, and owner. It would not surprise me to see the Cowboys part ways with the troubled player, which may be a good thing in order for him to get his life right.

4. Peyton Has Played Great But: Not sold on the Broncos as Super Bowl contenders. What you do see when you watch him run the Broncos offense is you see the same offense that is ran in Indianapolis. The Broncos receivers will only get better as the year progresses but the Broncos defense is suspect. Real suspect to most observers. 

Thanks for reading and comments are always welcomed...

Extra Points (College)

Another great weekend of College Football games this weekend. So let's get to top games this weekend and my thoughts about them:

1. Notre Dame v. Oklahoma: Here's the scenario the Fighting Irish have not been 8-0 since 2002. Bob Stoops, lost his very first game against the Irish. Brian Kelly has a superior defense but using two quarterback's has to catch up with them at some point. Landry is a senior QB facing a young secondary. This has the makings of a classic.

2. Miss. St. v. Alabama: In most years on paper the Mississippi St. Bulldogs would be completely over matched against the Crimson Tide and this year looks to be the same, except I think the Bulldogs can give Alabama some trouble. The Bulldogs schedule has been really soft up to this point but what they have is a good offensive coach that can make Saban raise his game on defense. In the end the defense of the Crimson Tide should carry them to victory but except the Bulldogs to keep it close.

3. Georgia v. Florida: If Georgia wants to turn its season around this game would be the game. Florida comes in No.2 in the BCS and by winning this game they clinch the SEC East. Georgia defense after playing well the first few games got torched by South Carolina and hasn't played a good game in three weeks. They have a chance to make the one-dimensional Gators pay. Florida has to throw the ball better if it wants a shot at a National Title.

4. Texas Tech v. Kansas St.: Texas Tech is 6-1 in the Big 12 South and K-State is undefeated in the North. This game is crucial for Colin Klein's Heisman hopes as well as a National Title chances. Tech is a great story because no one expects them to be in this position of spoiler and sleeper for a Big 12 title but they are. Think about how Tech took apart West Virginia and made Geno Smith look human. The Red Raiders defense is very good and will give Klein and Snyder trouble.

5. Duke v. Florida St.: Yes, that is the Duke Blue Devil Football team and not basketball. Probably the most underrated and unnoticed team and coach is the Blue Devils. Coach David Cutcliffe (who Ole Miss fans lose their minds when you say his name. The guy who coached Eli Manning and never made a real bowl game) has the Blue Devils bowl eligible at 6-2 and facing a Seminole team missing some key defenders. Its just weird talking about Duke football being good. Come to think of it the last time Duke was in a bowl game was in 1994. Way too long.

Extra Points (College and NFL)

1. Florida @ No.2?-I've been on record saying who the BCS simply doesn't like any schools in the western time zone. But for once I believe they have it right by putting the Gators AHEAD of the Ducks. My only objection this year is that the SEC is a little more overrated than most years, so while having the Gators in front now is OK, in the end Ducks, as long as they stay undefeated should be playing for the National Title. Alabama is superior to all others in the SEC, while LSU (has no offense), South Carolina (tough schedule and injuries sealed their fate) and Georgia (crumbled as usual) are not really as good as most people thought.

2. Any Reason For Saban To Leave?-No way Nick Saban is going to leave Alabama for Cleveland, right...No one truly believes this but with a new ownership group and fan base that is desperate for a winner, the Browns will talk to him and offer him most of Fort Knox to get him back to Cleveland. Saban is a smart guy and with an ego the size of Texas and the money and power that the Browns can offer will definitely have them flirting for a while. But why leave a place like Tuscaloosa for Cleveland? The challenge of matching his buddy Belichick and making up for his failure with the Dolphins. People forget that Saban desperately wanted Drew Brees while he was with the Dolphins because he knew that would turn the franchise around. Having that franchise quarterback makes life in the NFL a little easier. Just ask the Saints, who with Brees have won a Super Bowl.

3. Notre Dame Is Squeaking By-The Golden Domers are still undefeated after getting past BYU.Looks like they will finally get a BCS Bowl bid, barring a massive collapse. This team is playing a lot like Brian Kelly's Cincinatti teams minus the offense. Their defense has been devastating and the have a true defensive player as a Heisman candidate in Mantei Te'o. As long as they keep winning Te'o will be in New York City and the first defense player threatening to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson. 

4. Kansas State Came From Nowhere-The Wildcats of Manhattan have completely caught many people off guard with their play. Colin Klein (as of right now leading the Heisman vote) is like Tebow but his passing is worse. Bill Snyder is proving that you can win in your late 70's and has the resurgent Wildcats threatening for the National Championship. The tough part of the schedule is behind K-State and the most difficult games are at home. No one expected this team and the coach to be in the hunt but they are proving it with tough play. The problem is if they are undefeated and Oregon is, who would the people want to see face Alabama?

5. Is Your NFL Team Moving?-The NFL had an owners call this past week and stated to all the owners, don't plan on moving your team to L.A. in 2013. 2014 is the target date for teams to move.Still believe the candidates are Oakland, San Diego, St. Louis and Jacksonville. Eventually L.A. will have two teams to balance out the league but the first step is getting one of those teams to move. I believe its a toss up between the Rams and Raiders. Both have stadium issues and both cities are dragging their feet to get the teams what they want. The clock is ticking....

6. Jay Cutler got Crushed-By Suh. Suh is such a dominating force but I thought the was a little much. It will be interesting to see if the league fines him.

Thanks for reading....

Extra Points

1. Not Cool Booing Your Own Guy-Matt Cassel in my humble opinion is not a good QB, however, Kansas City Chief fans should be ashamed of themselves by booing Cassel when he got hurt. Everyone knows the season isn't going the way you guys thought it but to boo your team player when he is hurt is classless. These guys go out and perform at high levels, some guys play a lot better than others and that's OK. When a player makes boneheaded mistake after boneheaded mistake then booing is acceptable, even if it is your own guy. Booing an injury, especially to your own guy tells how far we have come in society.

2. The Promise (Lambeau Version)-"I set the bar high and I expect to play at a higher level. (I've) been making just some mistakes I'm not used to making," Rodgers said."My solemn promise is I'm going to work every day to get better," Rodgers said. "I'm going to clean up some of the things I'm not doing as well as I should. But, the proof is in the pudding. Right now, I'm not getting it done. I've got to look at myself first."
Does this sound familiar? Tim Tebow said something similar as a Gator and Florida went on to the championship game. If the 2-3 Packers season turn around after this and they win the Super Bowl, a statue will be erected in Green Bay and these words of Rodgers will be inscribed on it.

3. Mama Said Knock You Out-If RGIII keeps acting like Sonny Liston or Mike Tyson sparring partner by staying in bounds and taking big hits, his career will not be long. The way officials officiate the game with a running quarterback versus a pocket-passer is completely different. RGIII needs to sit down with Steve Young or Randall Cunningham and learn from them on how they played the game. He's too talented to have his career cut short by playing so recklessly. (For those of you who didn't get pop reference the headline is from LL Cool J)

4. I think Brees Is A Good Quarterback But-What's more important to be have a record that Johnny Unitas held or have your team in contention for a playoff spot. Football is about championships not records and the last few years Brees has racked up the records. But the game has changed and it is geared more towards offense, especially quarterback putting up big numbers. Brees has benefited from paying in this era and having that Super Bowl win helps solidify his place in history. Just wonder if the emphasis on the old records when the game was different is fair.

5. Pretty sure The Chargers-Are wondering where the replacement refs are? The regular officials had 2 egregious calls that could have cost them the game.

6. Really, Jimbo Fisher? Really!?!?-After a devastating loss in the final seconds to N.C. State that cost his team a shot at playing , Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher told reporters that his team still controls its own destiny in the ACC. The ACC, the ACC!!! Memo to Jimbo: The ACC doesn't matter!!! Winning Championships, do!!! Apologize for screaming but sometimes coaches just frustrate me.

7. South Carolina Destroyed Georgia-But why does it feel like the Gamecocks will lose one of their next to games.Those next two games are at LSU and at Florida. They can thank the schedule makers for those two beast of a game.

8. My Apologies To The Country On Saturday Afternoon-Because CBS has Alabama at Missouri and that game will not be pretty. Missouri will be missing their starting quarterback and two offensive linemen. Getting queasy thinking about the potential outcome.

Going to watch the Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday!!! Pics and updates forth coming.

Extra Points (NFL)

The fashionable question to ask quarterbacks is if they believe they are elite. Which franchise has their guy that can lead them to the promise land. But I have a different question, which is what franchise quarterback is setting them farther away from a Super Bowl? Here are a couple of suspects:

1. Matt Cassel-The Chiefs have paid a lot of money to the former Pats backup and he has not produced. Outside of 1 playoff appearance, that was really on the legs of Thomas Jones and Jammal Charles, Cassel has been terrible. Cassell has not protected the football and has not been able to lead this franchise back to respectability in the mediocre AFC West. Scott Piolo, the GM, was trying to create the Patriots of the Midwest by bringing Cassel over, has put his job in jeopardy. The backups are Brady Quinn and Ricky Stanzi  which neither guy is impressive. It looks like the Chiefs will have to use a high draft pick to get a quarterback.

2. Blaine Gabbert-It might be too harsh to say this after two years but Gabbert has been just awful in Jacksonville. What makes his stats even worse is MoJo (Maurice Jones-Drew) is in his prime and a good ground game normally helps a young QB grow faster, Gabbert is just the opposite. He has regressed from his rookie season and his new head coach is quarterback coaching guru. The Jags may be better off either getting an established QB so Gabbert can learn or just starting over in the draft. Who knows maybe Tebow is on the horizon.....

3. Carson Palmer-At first glance of the trade of Palmer, everyone said the Raiders got the better end of the deal because Palmer was a perennial Pro-Bowler, he was coming home and hit was the missing link to the Raiders success. Boy were they wrong!! Late last year, the Raiders were contending in the weak AFC West but this year, the offense looks confused, out of sync, and Palmer looks disinterested in playing. Losing can do that to you. The Bengals on the other hand look great with Dalton and Green and have used the Raiders pick to begin building a more stable franchise. Yes that last sentence was actually typed. The Cincinnati Bengals are in way better shape as a franchise than the Raiders.

4. Tony Romo-As previously chronicled in my prior post Extra Points, Romo is not the answer in Dallas.

Honorable mentions to this list are: Josh Freeman, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kevin Kolb or John Skelton.

Other points:
The Rams were terrible few years with Steve Spagnulo at the helm, so is it any surprise that Saints defensive side is awful this year with him in charge. Look Spags is a good guy but he has lost his touch in developing talent and inspiring players. For a team that is already void of leadership, his passive style of coaching is not helpful.

Jeff Fisher has the Rams over .500 for the first time since 2006 and I'm not surprised. The Rams have had a ton of top picks but no one to lead them, this why Fisher is the right coach for this franchise. The Rams play harder, do not quit and play inspired on offense and defense. Kudos to Fisher for making them relevant again.

The NFC West, once the laughing stock of the league know has arguably the best defense's in the NFL. The Niners, Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals all have had games of 5 sacks or more on a quarterback. Defense reigns supreme in this division.

Enjoy the games....

Extra Points (College Football)

After a week of duds in football, this weekend is a good one to put off doing that honey-do list and eat really unhealthy foods and watch some football. Here's why:

1. Big Ten Showdown-Nebraska travels to Ohio St. which shapes up to be a good one. I think if you wore blue to the Horseshoe, I know you will standout. The difference in this game will be which quarterback can complete more passes because both defenses are pretty good against the run.

2. Pac-12 Track Meet-Can you name a team that is more fun to watch than the Oregon Ducks? They play fast, and faster and just exploit teams with their speed. Speaking of speed, Nick Saban is complaining about the spread and how it puts team at a disadvantage. "I just think there's got to be some sense of fairness in terms of asking, 'Is this what we want football to be?' "
 "The team gets in the same formation group, you can't substitute defensive players, you go on a 14-, 16-, 18-play drive and they're snapping the ball as fast as you can go and you look out there and all your players are walking around and can't even get lined up. That's when guys have a much greater chance of getting hurt when they're not ready to play."-Saban on his radio show this week.

What Saban is doing here is planting a seed about his team and not being able to match-up against teams and their speed. Saban also knows if he wins out and Oregon wins out they could face each other. What he should know the that bigger should always win out but if Oregon or any other team who runs the spread offense correctly, can keep scoring points, his offensively challenged team may not be able to keep up. 

Can you tell he is a Belichick disciple? Stop the whining and line up and play ball. If you want to compete and you are such a defensive genius Saban, then study the tape and expose their weaknesses. Auburn did it and I'm pretty sure you can figure it out.

3. Geno Smith vs. Texas D-That's all you can say about this game is if Texas can hold West Virginia to 35 points they may have a chance to win. This game is huge for Geno's Heisman hopes because this is the first defense that he will see with a few potential pro prospects. If Smith can play well and lead his team to victory over Texas, then the Heisman race might be over before November.

4. SEC Doubleheader-No.4 LSU travels to No.10 Florida and No.5 Georgia heads to No.6 South Carolina, enough said.

5. Purple Shout-Out Part II-Northwestern Wildcats are 5-0 and face Penn State tomorrow and if they win tomorrow and next week they could be hosting Nebraska and be in the top 15 in the country. Kudos to the Fighting Fitzgerald's.

NFL thoughts tomorrow......

Extra Points (NFL)

1. Didn't Know Romo Was On The Bears-I seriously thought Tony Romo was playing for the Bears last night. 5 interceptions, with two for scores I'm sure Cowboy fans thought the same thing. Two of the picks were not Romo's fault (more on that in a second) but after 7 years in the league and being a starter in Dallas isn't it time for the Cowboys to start looking elsewhere at that position. Romo has led just two scoring drives in the last three weeks. How much longer can Jones and co. keep making excuses for him?

2. In Dez They Trust?-There was a reason why Bryant would have dropped in the draft. His off-field problems in Stillwater and Dallas are well chronicled. From a football standpoint I don't understand why the Cowboys would play Bryant in the spot the Miles Austin was in and move Austin who is just as explosive and more reliable receiver. This just shows you how dysfunctional and poorly coached the Cowboys are. All their hopes are placed in a player who stops short on routes, runs the wrong route and is very immature.

3. Cutler Is Talented But...-Jay Cutler is uber-talented. Cutler has replaced Favre and the modern day gunslinger in the NFL. Like Favre, Cutler throws the ball off the wrong foot, into double coverage just like Favre would do. There is one difference between Jay and Brett. Cutler is not coachable. Jay has utter disdain for his Offensive Coordinators from Mike Martz, whom he cursed out, now to Mike Tice, whom Cutler walked away from while he was talking to him. Favre was coachable and although he would change the play, he still respected his coaches. Cutler on the other hand, believes he is smarter than all of his coaches and changes the play and if it doesn't work he blames his teammates and not his decision. Cutler needs to win more so that everyone buys into his genius. Otherwise he comes off as smug and a bad teammate and I'm not sure how long people will continue to tolerate that attitude when you can't win.

4. Purple Shout-Out-If you had the Vikings at 3-1 to start the season with wins over the 49ers and Lions, then go out and buy me a couple of lottery tickets. Christian Ponder is the only quarterback in the NFL that doesn't have and interception, which is saying a lot after four weeks of play. My only concern with the Vikes is the carries they are giving Adrian Peterson, who is coming off a serious knee injury. Most teams would err on the side of caution but the Vikes are working Peterson like normal and making their run at a playoff now. The NFL is better when the Vikes are competitive.

5. Refs are Refs-Everyone is so happy that the regular refs are back. Fans are giving them standing ovation, players are hugging the refs, all seems happy in NFL-ville. Except when you look at the numbers, the replacement refs actually called the same amount of penalties as the regular refs (14.9 to 15.3) and the game times were slightly longer (3.5 to 3.7 hours). The biggest difference is supposed to be the confidence in major calls. Well the Packers nearly got hosed again in their game against the Saints, when the officials missed a fumble that would have given the Packers fantastic field position. What everyone has to realize is the refs are human and they are going to make mistakes whether they are replacements or not.

Extra Points (College Football Edition)

1. Welcome to the Big 12?- If you missed the Baylor vs. West Virginia game on Saturday, you missed a barn burner. The score at half was tied at 35 a piece. There was barely any defense played in this game. A couple of missed field goals, a fumble and about two punts is all the fans were treated to from a defensive standpoint. Heisman candidate Geno Smith (pictured above) had a phenomenal day throwing the football. Here are his stats: 45 of 51 for 656 yards and 8 TD's. WVU had 3 receivers with 40 catches between and the 8 TD's. The Moutaineers broke 4 school records!! Completely insane numbers for football.  Baylor's quarterback wasn't bad either. Nick Florence was 30 for 48 for 582 yards and 5 TD's. Terence Williams had 17 receptions for 314 yards and 2 scores. This was exhausting typing out the stats, can only imagine with the defensive players feel like.

2. Whoa Pig Stinky!!- Arkansas coach John L. Smith has had a tough couple of weeks. First the loss to University of Louisiana-Monroe, and then losses to Bama and Rutgers and to top it all off Smith at a press conference forgets what school he is coaching. To lay this all at his feet would not be fair, the majority of the blame falls at Bobby Petrino. Petrino has and will always be a man that is void of leadership skills as well as character. And when he was fired, those players and Smith were put in an awkward position of trying to play football without a leader,specifically their leader. Its even more difficult when there is no leader on or off the field, especially when the head coach is a lame duck coach. To make matter worse for the Hogs they got blasted again by Texas A&M. This team is spiraling out of control and it all stems from a selfish act from their former coach.

3. Did I just watch a SEC game or a PAC-12 game?- Watching Tennessee vs. Georgia and one would expect a little scoring but a game that featured absolutely no defense in the SEC is just shocking. Derek Dooley is fighting for his his job and this performance by the Vols will not help his case.

4. Understand the Rule but..-The new player safety rule that states if a player loses his helmet, he must sit out the next play, is good in theory but it has it flaws. There is no punishment if a player rips off or pulls the strap off a player, that said player should have to sit out as well. Sometimes good intentions punish the wrong people.

5. Is there a better College Football announcer than Chris Speilman?-Speilman is very knowledgeable, calls the action likes he sees it. Doesn't pull any punches when a player does something boneheaded. He calls the game smart, precise and full of energy, just like he played.

Extra Points

1. The yelling and the screaming about the NFL referee lockout is not going to make them sign any faster. When you understand what the league is trying to get them to do, it seems within reason. They want them to have performance reviews, switch their pension to a 401k and a couple of other items, it can make you almost side with the league. UNTIL you witness the worse call ever and then you want the league and the owners to cave in because the integrity of the game is at stake.

2. The bigger mistake was not the TD catch but the non pass interference call. That was the larger miss by the refs.

3. The MNF game was a tale of two halves. The Seahawks were dominating the Packers in the first half with 8 sacks of Rodgers. All the commotion may have everyone overlooking how bad the Packers O-line may be. In the second half, the Pack found a running back in Cedric Benson and used him to nearly get the win.

4. Bill Belichick needs to be suspended BUT the league will not do that. You never should put your hands on another man, especially a so-called leader of men. The NFL will fine him but they should take into accounts his past transgressions into their punishment, that's why I say a suspension is warranted.

5. Does anyone realize the Arizona Cardinals are 3-0? Who knew their defense could be so dominating. Calas Campbell and Darnell Dockett are nearly impossible to block.

6. It's not a good thing when Oregon is the 2nd ranked team in the land. If Oregon is the best shot to beat Alabama, then the college football season is over.

7. The SEC is not nearly as dominating as in years past. LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida are good but not nearly as good to carry the rest of the league.

8. If Florida St. can get past USF and Miami, they may be the real sleeper for a National Championship.

9. I truly believe the Rams will regret not trading Sam Bradford and drafting Robert Griffin III. RGIII is a smaller version of Cam Newton with a better arm than Michael Vick.  Bradford looks scared in the pocket and is not as mobile as many thought he was. The Rams also passed on DeSean Jackson. Hopefully Jeff Fisher can turn Bradford into a superstar.

10. Two most overrated teams in the NFL: Dallas and the New York Jets. With Darrell Revis lost for the year, the Jets are in serious trouble. They can skate past a few teams but facing the Pats and Bills four times without Revis will be tough.Dallas on the other hand, will only be good when Jerry Jones actually puts football people in charge.

11. Paging Nick Foles, Paging Nick Foles.. Might be wondering who this is. He will be the Eagles starter by the end of the year, if Michael Vick keeps up his erratic play.



Thanks for reading....

2 Point Conversion (5 Games to Watch)

Ok,ok, I know I have not posted in a few months. Job loss, new job, added a dog, traveling across the country BUT I'm back and ready to post. For those of you who continue to read my post thank you very much and to the newbies I hope you enjoy it!!  Football is back so let's get to work. I'm going to cover the top 5 games to watch college and pro. Let the debate begin!!!

1.Welcome To The SEC:  Georgia vs. Mizzou. Mizzou opens in the SEC at home against the 6th ranked Georgia Bulldogs. People were going to watch this game because it has its newest member opening at home under the lights against arguably the best conference in all of college football. But Sheldon Richardson has made this game even more intriguing by what he was quoted saying about Georgia football playing last weekend against Buffalo. Granted the Dawgs did struggle but here is what Richardson said:"I watched that game. I turned it off, too," Richardson (pictured above) told the Columbia Tribune on Saturday night. "It's like watching Big Ten football. It's old-man football." Coach Pinkel said they have handled the matter internally but those words do add some fuel to the fire. SEC purist have been putting down Missouri and Texas A&M since they were invited to join the league. The Tigers and Aggies have been told initially that they can't and won't be able to compete with the big boys of the SEC. I think Richardson just got tired of being put down. Is there some truth that Mizzou will struggle with the size and speed on the offensive and defensive lines? YES!!! Who doesn't struggle within the SEC with that. However,if the Tigers can outscore their opponents, in this case Georgia who is missing some key defensive players, they can win this game. My gut says the game will be close and the Tigers pull it out with a field goal. Maybe I'm just being a homer and hoping the Tigers don't get a thrashing on national TV....

2. Welcome To The SEC Part 2: Florida vs. Texas A&M. No one is giving the Aggies a chance to compete in the SEC as well. Their road will be tougher than the Tigers because they are in the vaunted SEC West. Having to face LSU, Alabama and Arkansas year in and year out will be a difficult mountain to climb. This weekend by opening against a semi-talented Gator team, the Aggies will have a shot. Kyle Field is a tough place to play and the Gators offense, especially at quarterback is a mess. Don't be surprised by the Aggies upsetting the Gators. This is not the same Florida program.

3. Say It Ain't Tebow: Bills vs. Jets. T-minus 36 hours until Tebow is fully unleashed on New York. Wait, did I miss all of the nauseating coverage of Tebow by ESPN and NFL Network? Nope but on Sunday this is when it really counts. The Jets plan on playing Tebow a lot and by that I believe Sanchez will be replaced by week 6, especially if he struggles early in the first few weeks. Tebow just inspires the guys he plays with, the coaches, the fan base and really makes it difficult for another quarterback to play. While watching a Jets preseason game, the offense moved the ball better when Tebow was in. The line blocked and protected him better, the backs ran sharper. its simply amazing to see. His teammates do not want to fail him. It really is and will be fascinating to watch, especially since its in New York.

4. Wish This Could Be The Super Bowl: 49ers vs. Packers. This game is too good to be a season opener. Its really not fair because I would like to see these two teams play each other maybe in week 8 or 9 when their offense's and defense's are clicking. Who would have thought Alex Smith would turn into a decent QB? I know I didn't and the Niners weren't so sure which is why they went after Peyton Manning. Smith is serviceable and they have put some real weapons around him by adding Mario Manningham, Brandon Jacobs and Randy Moss. Not much to say about the Packers except they have the league's best QB and offensive talent. This game will be a good one.


5.Welcome Back Peyton: Steelers vs. Broncos. Peyton was almost a 49er, and if he was then I would say they would have been in the Super Bowl within the next two years. But alas, he chose Denver and now his first game is against the vaunted Steelers defense. The Steelers return to Denver where they lost on a last second TD by Tebow in the playoffs. I know redemption will be on the mind of the players but they will probably be without James Harrison and Ryan Clark, two of their better defenders.But this will be about Peyton and his return to the game after a year off. He will be facing a really tough defense but he will be at home and that should help.

NBA Observations

So after a brief hiatus, I'm back writing about the NBA. This season has gone by so fast, with games just about every minute, it was hard to keep track with all the comings and goings, storylines and mishaps. But I'm going to try and update the season so far with some observations. Also, there will be some thoughts about Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats.

1. First thing first: The Miami Heat will not win an NBA title as they are currently constructed. Let me first say I like the Heat. They have star power as players and in the stand, however their team is not constructed correctly to win a championship. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade essentially play the same position and neither knows how to play with each other when they are on the floor together. Chris Bosh doesn't rebound effectively and is almost clueless in the post. Recently they have had awful defense lapses where they aren't guard the point guard, nor are they defending the the post. Ultimately, I see Erik Spoelstra being fired and this team dismantled if they don't win a championship this year.

2. I finally figured out why the majority of sports fans are turned off by the NBA. The players have way too much control over teams and the perfect example of that is Derek Fisher. Fisher, who was with the Lakers, is also head over the players union. It used to be when a player was traded, and he didn't like the team he was traded to, he wouldn't report to that team, force a buyout and rejoin his old team, basically dictating his trade. However, they changed the rule, well sort of. Fisher was traded to the Rockets, who were in desperate need of point guard and leadership, while fighting for a playoff spot. But Fisher didn't like that and forced his way out of Houston and ended up on the OKC Thunder. If the players union head manipulates the rules to his advantage, then the rest of the players will follow. Where's the integrity in the NBA?

3. Speaking of integrity, Carmelo Anthony, who forced his way out of Denver to New York, decided that Mike D'antonio and his scoring offense just didn't fit him. So what did Melo do? Talk to the coach, or try to find out how he could better fit with his teammates? Nope, he just quit playing for D'antonio and got him fired. Then amazingly when Mike Woodson is named coach, Melo inexplicably said he now feels energized and is ready to play. Doesn't he owe the Knick fans and his former coach an apology for being lazy? Not in his mind. The one team that is happy to see his spoil ways gone is the Nuggets. In the long run they are better off without the wanna be superstar.

4. It's not just those two guys who have had a bad PR year. Dwight Howard alienated his teammates, coaches and fans in general with his waffling back and forth about being traded or staying in Orlando. Andrew Bynum openly defied his coach by taking a 3 point shot and then laughed about getting pulled from the game after it. This is what happens when you have a league that is devoid of veteran leadership from all its top players and the players see themselves as bigger than the team.

5. My favorite player all-time is Michael Jordan. The way he played the game of basketball play transcended anything I had ever seen. He was so dominant on the court and the Nike empire he built off the court, just captivated me. Now I see some flaws in him. Not in his personal life but in a business sense, especially when it comes to his life as an NBA owner. The Charlotte Bobcats are just awful. They are absolutely the worst team in the league. The problem I believe Michael has is relating his dominating and hard working style that he had as a player and moving that into the boardroom. Conversely, everything that Magic Johnson has done away from the game has turned to gold. Magic has clearly figured out a way to be dominant in business as well as on the floor. This is a discussion me and kdc had about Michael and Magic:

kdc: I wonder if - post retirement - Michael wishes he were Magic & not Michael? Seems like he hasn't figured out how to be a civilian & being much more than "Michael Jordan, the best player of his generation" (but that was a long time ago in the internet age).

Momo: Michael has not shown a personality that makes him likable off the court plus poor business decisions have made it worse. Think about the success Magic has had in boardroom and in TV, his presence on TV but overall his personality is magnetic and Magic lets it show. Conversely, Michael, poor decision with Wizards and in Charlotte and a messy divorce, makes Michael alot more vulnerable. Even Bird has had more success off the court than Michael.

kdc: It's like he's still the Michael on the court & that doesn't work in the real world. He can't not be that Michael - & that Michael isn't all that appealing to civilians (vs. fans). He's rich but not too savvy basketball wise (off the court) nor business-wise.

Momo: Agreed. His biggest issue is that he has not allowed fans to get to know him.For instance, all books that have been written about him have not been authorized by him. Reporters who covered him have written about the Michael Jordan on and off the court and have received quotes from people who are supposedly close to him. Michael has not figured out how to make the media and today's social media to his advantage. Unlike Magic and Bird, he's has stayed far away from the press instead of showcasing some of his personality. Magic is competitive and loves to win at business, however he has taken to a platform and shown people his effervescent personality and it works. It's like Michael doesn't know how to communicate with others off the court.

kdc: In fairness, almost no one can compete w/Magic's outgoing personality, but that doesn't make him a shoe-in business wise & he's done a great job there.

To the side, I also think it's interesting Bird (while hardly brilliant as a GM, but incredibly successful w/coaching), is the only one that's made basketball work post-playing career. So few do competently.

Michael Jordan has always had people around him that catered to his needs and never challenged him. The people who challenged him and told him no were his father and Phil Jackson. In the boardroom, MJ is now surrounded by "Yes Men", men who never disagree and only agree with all the decisions he makes. Until he puts someone in place that will challenge all decisions that his franchise makes, the Bobcats will never prosper and MJ will fail again in life after basketball.

Up next: 5 overrated player and 5 underrated players....

Sean Payton Isn't Remorseful

So when commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the penalties to the the Saints last week, Sean Payton issued a statement saying "he took full responsibility" for the bounty program and "he was sorry". There is no true remorse from Payton because today he said he was thinking about an appeal and that he didn't lie to the NFL. The problem with these statements is that the league and the 50,000 pages of documents refutes everything that came out of Payton's mouth. So either the league and its team of investigators are lying or Payton believes the country is stupid and will take his word over facts that is stacked as high as a building. To me this totally confirms the fact that if Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints, had any intestinal fortitude he would immediately remove Payton as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Instead of laying low and out of sight, Payton is making himself available to the media and walking around the owner's meeting like nothing happened. Of yeah did I mention the fact that now he is trying to get his mentor and good friend Bill Parcells to coach the team in his absence! Everyone knows that Payton would basically coach through Parcells and give him instructions over the phone or via e-mail. Does this sound like a man who is remorseful for actions that hit at the integrity of the league. On top of that Payton and Mickey Loomis are ignoring the fact that they would have to interview a minority candidate to satisfy the "Rooney Rule". What candidate in his right mind would want to be a token interview for these guys? You know they have a guy in place and the interview is just a formality so they can look good to the league. Also if I'm an assistant Pete Carmichael, offensive coordinator, and Steve Spagnulo, Payton just showed he doesn't trust your judgement or ability to run the team in his absent. Who would want to work for a boss that doesn't trust you? Not me. Also keep in mind that the Saints will release/cut Jonathan Vilma and make him the scapegoat for Bountygate. You just wait and see and Payton will thank him for his service and move on to another linebacker. This whole thing reeks and Payton is at the forefront.

But wait, it gets better. Payton is going to lose a little over $5 million dollars, so in order to recoup some of his loss funds, he going to go work for Fox NFL Sunday. If that is not giving a middle finger to Goodell and the NFL, I don't know what is. I can't coach my team on the sidelines but I'll comment on their games and work for one of the leagues partner and showcase how great I am. This guy is unbelievable!!! Any other employees that work for a corporation that lied to his superiors, including the CEO and shareholders would be shown the door. This guy is going to work for another division of the same company, while taunting the CEO. Only in America could this take place.

You can tell how much of a hands off owner Tom Benson. He has allowed Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum (Payton and Loomis) tarnish and ruin the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton is not remorseful for his actions. He believes that since he won a Super Bowl that entitles him to dictate the terms of his suspension. A truly remorseful person would have taken, and I cannot believe I'm writing this, the Gregg Williams way. Which is we have not heard a word from him since he apologized. If I'm Goodell I think I change Payton's suspension to indefinite, just like Williams. Not out of spite but because if it is the responsibility of the coaches and the players to protect the shield, that is the National Football League, Payton is showing that he believes he is bigger than the shield. And is proving it everytime he opens his mouth.

New Orleans Saints Done?

When I saw the penalties handed down by the NFL to the Saints organization I was shocked and stunned. Suspending Rams coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely, Sean Payton for a year, the GM for 8 games, an assistant coach for 6, fined them $500k and took away two 2nd round picks for the next two years, the first thought that came to mind was the Death Penalty that they hand out on college. The NFL sent a clear message that the way the game used to be played, where bounties were tolerated, would no longer be allowed. It's unbelievable to me that Sean Payton ignored the league when they informed him to stop the program and then lied about it to them is just plain stupid on his part. Also they have an email where someone asked Payton to put"$5,000 on taking Aaron Rodgers out of the game".This isn't the first time Payton and the Saints have been in trouble. I wrote a few years ago about the DEA investigating the team for illegal use of prescription drugs. That was surprisingly swept under the rug. This is the type of offense that puts the franchise in a precarious situation. What does owner Tom Benson do when Payton returns? Does he keep him? I believe its a huge risk because Payton has now made the Saints a target. Say a person gets hurt from a hard hit, the Saints will be scrutinized and penalized. Payton and Williams for their parts in lying and covering up will find it hard to continue working in the NFL. Also hears another angle, if I'm Drew Brees I would want out of New Orleans. The Saints will probably be really bad next year, because most of their defensive players, including their heart and soul and captain, Jonathan Vilma, will be out multiple games. Who would want to be around this team when they will get asked everyday about Bountygate and on top of that you are losing games. Brees will have to throw for 6,000 yards just to keep this team competitive. Or let's take it another way and say the Saints win without Payton, why keep him? Sean Payton decided that he was bigger than the league and condoned the actions of trying to intentionally hurt other players. The worse part about all this is the players suspension have yet to be released. If I'm Brees, I do not want to be apart of this sinking ship. This situation is going to get much worse before it gets better.

Elway's Job Is On The Line

Peyton Manning signing a 5-year $96 million contract with the Denver Broncos was finalized on Tuesday. My initial take was shock at the length and guaranteed money in the contract. Manning who has had four surgeries on his neck and did not play all of last season, is now the highest paid player in the league. There is no player, especially one coming off the type of surgery, is worth that type of money. But for the Broncos, Manning is worth every penny. Simply put, John Elway and John Fox wanted nothing more but to find a way to stop the Tebow train. Peyton gives them the out they wanted, an excuse to bring in a Hall of Fame quarterback, so they could ship Tim Tebow out of town. Elway and Fox do not and will never like Tebow or his quarterbacking style. They never truly embraced him and at times it seemed they wanted him to fail. In Manning, the Broncos get an offensive coordinator and quarterback, the guy closer molded to their hearts. There's no need for quarterback coaches to teach mechanics or having to try to dumb down their offense, in their view. Peyton has total control of the offensive schemes, which is what he truly wanted and Elway wanted a guy that was a passer like him. It's a win-win for both guys if it works. However, history tells another story when it comes to HOF quarterback changing teams toward the end of their career. Johnny Unitas failed in San Diego. Joe Namath only played a few games with the Rams and did not have any type of success. Montana achieved some success with the Chiefs but never the same heights he had with the 49ers. Lastly, Brett Favre went to two different teams but never won another Super Bowl. What Elway is trying to do is get instant success by bringing in the grizzled old vet, instead of waiting patiently and developing his team around Tebow. Will the Broncos be better than 8-8? Yes. Is the AFC West easy to win? Of course. But I believe Manning does not have that much more time left to play or that much left in the tank to make a serious contender. The Broncos have more holes than he and Elway think. If Manning really wanted a fast track to the Super Bowl he would have went to San Francisco where the pieces are already in place and where he would be the missing link. Manning stated its a win now situation for him. The win now situation is not only for him but it's on Elway as well. This decision will either bring an instant championship or the Broncos will be setback for another decade. People in Denver have been searching for the next John Elway to lead them to the promise land. Don't believe a semi-healthy Peyton Manning is the answer.

Peyton's New Home

Here is what KDC and I discussed about Peyton going to the Denver Broncos:

KDC: To me, Denver was the worst team he could've joined. I know he likes familiarity, but TN would've been a better fit to my mind. Yes, the AFC West should be easy to win, but ... so much turmoil there. He could've hidden out in Nashville w/nary a problem...

Momo: Not being bias but if he really wanted to win another championship it would have been San Fran. What Peyton wants is control over everything from the offensive side. Also he does not want to block Eli from getting to another Super Bowl, however, if you really want to be a champ then embrace Montana, embrace Young and beat your brother. I think familiarity with John Fox helps but I don't in the long run you can with with that roster. Peyton thinks he can mold those young receivers and that team in his Indy image and that's why he's there.

KDC: I'm a 49ers hater & i think SF would've been the place to go. If you guys hadn't had a couple goofs in the NFC champ game, you'd of been in the Super Bowl. I get the brother thing & the NFC being tougher than the AFC right now, but TN would've been a better choice than Denver IMHO.

Momo: Tennessee is better than the Broncos BUT 1. he doesn't want to face the Colts twice and then what would happen if he lost to them? His pride would take a huge hit. Playing Indy will be hard for but playing them twice would be unbearable. It would have been better in Tenn because he had a running game and a pretty good defense. Plus he is/was so revered here it was probably too much to bear.

Momo's March Madness Pick'em

Sign up for your chance to compete with me and others.

Here is the link: Pick'em and password is tourney. You have until 11 a.m. central.

The Madness Begins

It's my favorite time of year. March Madness!!!! The brackets are out and the tournament technical starts tomorrow with the first four game but everyone else starts paying attention on Thursday. One note, last year VCU started play on Tuesday of last years tournament and made it all the way to the Final Four. Could that happen this year? Possibly, but not likely. The tournament is all about matchups. I'm going to take a look at a few of the matchups that are intriguing to me for this week slate of games from each region. First up the South:

Iowa St vs. UConn: This is a classic case of the turtle and the hare. Iowa St. is the turtle and UConn is the hare. Meaning the Cyclones will try to slow UConn down and make it a half-court game. UConn likes to run and have an uptempo game. Plus you have an experienced, HOF coach, Jim Calhoun versus a second year coach Fred Hoiberg. I'll take the old coach and the defending champ in this one.

Wichita St. vs. VCU: This will probably be one the better games of the tournament. Both these teams play similar styles. Both have young and up-coming head coaches. Both are mid-majors who experienced success last year(VCU to the Final Four, Wichita St. won the NIT) and its the classic 5-12 matchup. Doesn't get any better than that.

East

Gonzaga vs. West Virginia: Not a lot of glamorous games in this bracket. Since I am typing this, watch how a lot of the upsets come from this region.

West

Memphis vs. SLU, New Mexico vs. Long Beach St., Louisville vs. Davidson, Murray St. vs Colorado St.. I love this region. You got a good mix of experience coaches and young coaches. Rick Majareus at St. Louis Univ, Josh Pastner at Memphis, Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, Steve Alford and Billy Donovan just to name a few. Plus there are a lot of underrated players/stars in this bracket. You have Will Barton of Memphis and Casper Ware of Long Beach St (probably the two best pro prospects) and Bradley Beal from Florida. This probably has the "best" teams in the tournament. By that I mean teams that don't rely just on one guy to shoulder the load. Teams that have multiple scorers and play tenacious defense. SLU, Mizzou, Louisville, Memphis are all teams that play well together and can make some serious noise this week.

Midwest

Not a lot of great matchups initially in this region. Looks like an easy run for North Carolina or Kansas. Possible upsets by Creighton or Georgetown could make it interesting.

For the 4th straight year, I created a group for us to compete in a bracket game. Go to Pick'em and look for Momo's Sports Musings and the password is tourney. I'll post update throughout the week.

Bounty-Gate

The NFL "recently" discovered that teams, mainly on the defensive side of the ball, put out bounties, or cash payments to players who knock out other players. This has been apart of football for years. The New Orleans Saints are the first team ever to get caught and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was the ring leader. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how I thought that Jeff Fisher should consider someone else for the D-coordinator job in St. Louis. I knew that Williams and Fisher have been for over 20 years and that would override everything but my point was that the Saints got scored upon with easy in the last few years. Now I understand why. Williams made payouts for big hits on star offensive players, especially quarterbacks, fumbles and interceptions. If you watched the Saints defense the last few years, one always wondered why the left their feet for routine tackles, and why their were always out of position on most of their plays. The worse part about all this is the "intent to injure" players. The bounty part, although not a good thing, has always been apart of the game for motivation and for entertainment. But when you add the intent to injure, then you not only put your team at risk but also the league as well. Looking back at the 2009 season in particular, the Saints tried to take out Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning. After watching those games, I remember vividly feeling like I was hit. Most of the Saints hits were high-low, and by that it was at the qb's knees and trying to break him in half. The hit on Kurt Warner after an interception, basically ended his career. If you track Williams career, the one thing you will find that all the teams he coached play through or after the whistle. For instance in 2007, Tony Dungy(read here) has talked about the play that Manning hurt his neck on. It was against a Williams Redskins where Manning was hit so hard that during the timeout, he told backup Sorgi to get ready.

Why put your team at a disadvantage by getting penalties called against you? One word explains it all. Intimidation. Fisher and Williams learned at the feet of Buddy Ryan, and Buddy ball is all about intimidation. Just ask his other protege's Rex and Rob Ryan. The problem going forward is that if Fisher keeps Williams on board, anytime there is a personal foul, or a player from the opposing team gets hurt, people will immediately think bounty. Fisher's teams normally play close to the whistle. Does his regime really need this scrutiny? Can the Rams, a struggling franchise afford to have the league poking around all the time? Williams actions have not only put his previous employer in trouble but has definitely put his current employer in a tough situation as well.

I will leave with this question. Sean Payton knew about the bounty, as well as Mickey Loomis, the GM. Jonathan Vilma is mentioned in the report as well as a few other defensive players. My question is what did Drew Brees know about this bounty program?

Coming up later this week March Madness Preview

End Zone (Off Season)

1. Rams have hired Jeff Fisher, who has coached Albert Haynesworth and Randy Moss, see them coming to St. Louis?

KDC: That's a great question, because what eventually occurs will either confirm or change a trend. It appears almost every high maintenance skills player (Terrell Owens, Tiki Barber, etc) that is available is not being pursued because of their past behavior. As if the NFL sent out a memo warning teams away - or maybe everyone finally got smart & realized no talent is above their team. All that said, I can see Moss getting passed over (he barely tried in TN & had nothing to show for it), but if Fisher felt like he could get back into Haynesworth's head correctly, I could see that as a go.
Momo: Fisher said some nice things about Moss, BUT he also saw Moss just tank those last few games in Tennessee. I don't think he will give him a look even though the Rams have a glaring need at receiver. Haynesworth has more of a chance just because Fisher drafted him and also has seen Albert at his best. The biggest problem with Haynesworth is keeping him motivated and I don't know if you want that type of attitude around a young team. Haynesworth is more likely than Moss but if you ask me, the better risk is Randy Moss because he is easily replaceable.

2. Who would you rather have Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers if you are starting you are starting your franchise?
KDC: Great question. You can't go wrong with either guy, as they're both team-oriented leaders who know how to win. That said, I'd go w/Rodgers for a couple reasons - 1) He's 2 years younger than Eli, so he should have more opportunities; 2) Rodgers, at least in the last 2 years, doesn't have the huge ups and downs that Manning always seems to have. Eli always seems to have a couple games each season where he's absolutely awful. But really, I'm ready to start my team with either....
Momo: These two young guns are at the top of their games right now. You can't go wrong with either guy but I may lean a little more toward Eli because of his toughness. That's not saying the Rodgers isn't tough but Eli stands in the pocket and takes a lickin and keeps getting up. When other players on the Giants see his resilience, it inspires them to play harder. Rodgers is clearly more mobile than Eli by a long shot. The other thing I like about Eli is in the 4th quarter he is money. Manning led the league in 4th efficiency and Touchdown passes. Eli stepped up win it mattered most. Again, you can't go wrong with either guy but Eli to make just beats Rodgers.

3. Is Linsanity bigger/better/more deserved than Tebowmania?
KDC: A lot of people have taken late shots at Tim Tebow because Jeremy Lin is a more accomplished point guard than Tebow was a QB. Maybe so, but QB is the hardest position to learn in any sport, the NFL is the largest sporting stage in North America, and no one --no one!-- had Denver winning a home playoff game this season. So let's not diminish Tebowmania because its reception was waaaaay over the top, because there was a reason for the way it started and continued. If the Knicks make a run through the playoffs, then we can talk comparisons. That said, why can't we enjoy both? They're both outspoken Christians who pursue excellence in their position & somehow their stories have stayed major news.
Momo: This Jeremy Lin story is getting out hand. Here's the deal with both guys: the sample of games is too small to actually determine how good they can or will be. In Lin's case, if you actually analyze the teams the Knicks have played one or two may have been over .500. What Lin has done is historic but I want to see him against tougher competition over the long haul, and the same can be said with Tebow. Tebow has never had an offseason of NFL workouts, camps, or instruction. Each guy has been thrown into their teams system without fulling having an offseason to get integrated on what to do an improve in areas where they are weak. The stories are great but I think we are quick to rush to judgement, instead of letting these guys grow into what they could be.

Josh Hamilton Interview

Josh Hamilton story has been told for the last few years. If you are not familiar with it, its a story of great heights, and a tragic fall, and now a man who is battling with the demons of his past. This past week, Hamilton sat down with his pastor, James Robinson, to discuss his recent alcohol relapse. Josh speaks very candidly about the demons that have been haunting him for years, his struggles trying to be a father and husband. Its one of those interviews that is really intimate and eye-opening. I commend Josh for opening up like this and exposing himself for the world to see. He is one the guys I root for not just for the great comeback story, but because he is real and is allowing the world to see his struggle. Most athletes hide behind the curtain and let very few people see who they are. Hamilton is trying to be different b allowing the rest of the world see his faults as well as his goodness. Hopefully Josh leaves behind a message of redemption and triumph that inspires others to get off the roller coaster of drugs and start to live a productive and peaceful life. I hope you enjoy the interview: Hamilton interview

Like Father, Like Son?

"I just want to be like you. Walk like, talk like, even think like you. I just gotta be like you"-Lecrae (Christian rapper)

Little Boys want to be like their dads. They think their dads are the greatest in the world at everything. Dad is the strongest, funniest and smartest guys in the world. All you want as a son is to have the approval of your father. That approval means everything to the son and in some cases can even validate their lives. So it's interesting that in football there are four franchises that are now being ran by sons and three of those franchises have seen the sons make some interesting moves. Some moves that maybe their fathers wouldn't have approved of. I'll analyze the three sons and their moves:

Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders

When Al Davis passed away last year, the Raiders lost their face of the franchise. Davis was a football guy. He was an innovator in the AFL as well in the NFL. Although he made some mistakes over the last few years, no one could dispute the impact and legacy he left on the Raiders franchise or professional football for that matter. Controlling interest to the Raiders was left to his son Mark. From all accounts over the past few months Mark is in over his head(read here). Michael Silver does a great job of profiling him in this piece written in January. It started with the firing of Hue Jackson, who became the face of the franchise when Davis passed away. Jackson was the one who pulled the trigger on the Carson Palmer deal. Jackson was the one who rallied the players and got them to play hard and play for Al. I believe that Mark wanted to put his own stamp on the team and try to become the new "Don" in Oakland and that is why he fired Jackson. It doesn't make sense for them to rid the franchise of the first coach who got the team close to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Mark Davis wants to bring in his own people loyal to him and thinks he knows a lot about football because he was around his dad. We will see if this pays off for him.

Art Rooney II
Realistically the Steelers could have been in the Super Bowl if they would have believed that Tim Tebow could pass the football. But they doubted it and got burned big time. This team has been to two Super Bowls in the last four years. They have a quarterback in Ben Roethleisberger that is an All-Pro and it can be argued a top five passer in the league. However, Art Rooney wants a team and offense that mirrors the blue-collar Steelers in the 70's. What!?!?!? So even though Mike Tomlin said that former Bruce Arians would be back, Rooney II overruled that and Arians was out and in come former Chiefs coach Todd Haley. Rooney likes to brag about his football knowledge coming from his time he spent lifting weights with the older Steelers teams. If that's the case my knowledge came from working out with NAIA players over the summer , so now I'm qualified on how to tell a team what's best for their offense too. If I remember correctly, the problem with the Steelers was not their offense but it was with their defense. They had a ton of injuries and still managed to get to the playoffs. Ben's comfortable with the offense they had, as well as all of their starters on that side of the ball. It will be interesting to see if this dynamic works out. Art Sr. and Dan never meddled in the decisions of the coaches and players. It just wasn't their way and it wasn't the Steelers way. Looks like times have changed.

Jim Irsay
Now Irsay has won a Super Bowl and up until recently you never heard from him. But he is a guy who is starting to seem more like Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban. He has been using Twitter to interact more with fans and media alike. Issuing statements about the team and more important about Peyton Manning. What Irsay did do to turn the franchise around is hire Bill Polian, who then drafted Manning. But instead of rebuilding again with Polian (you can watch an interview with Polian), Irsay turned around and fired him, while Polian was in a meeting with Manning. Also, if he fired Polian and his son, Irsay should have fired the entire coaching staff. Instead he brought in a new GM and that guy fired the coaching staff. Of course Peyton Manning would feel uneasy by seeing all the change and disruption that was occurring around him. Ill give Irsay credit he didn't move the team out of town like his father did, but the rest of his moves lately have been really odd.

All of these gentlemen could totally prove me and the rest of the world wrong with their moves. They are starting legacies for their teams and franchises. Taking different paths than the ones blazed by their father's.

Super Bowl Recap

1. The game was dull until the last few minutes. Of course the NY media will say it was a great game. From kdc:It's intriguing that the huge market NY vs Boston Super Bowl drew smaller ratings overnight (but not by much) than last year's record Super Bowl between 2 great traditions (but miniscule markets)

Obviously, big markets can only deliver so much success that can be nullified by other factors (if you're just going for the record). After all, is there any juicier storyline than a rematch? (Actually yes, the battle between 2 great traditions.)

Game pulls 47.8 rating [vs 47.9 last year] in overnights... Madonna halftime show drew a 48.3; Final 15 mins of game pulled52.8... Boston 56.7 rating blowout; NYC reached 49.7...

2. Eli Manning has Brady and Belichick's number, after they have tormented Peyton for years.

3. If Gronlowski has a good ankle does he catch that tip ball at the end?

4. Hakeem Nicks easily could have been the MVP. 10 catches and 109 yards is spectacular. Sometimes it easier to give the award to the quarterback and not look at other players who contribute.

5. Belichick screwed over NBC by not coming out on time for the coaches end of game press conference. He did this four years ago when he lost to the Giants and sent Brady out to face the media. To be acknowledged as such a great coach, he truly acts classless and like the biggest sore losers when things don't go his way. Too bad no one in the media calls him out on it. He did show up 45 minutes later and did a quick session that I found on NFL Network. Still he has an obligation to NBC and the larger audience to speak to them. Ask every other losing coach in a championship game.

6. Love Cris Collinsworth as an analyst. As kdc says" He's fearless." And that's what I look for when you hear these guys call a game. Don't be afraid to give your opinion and call people out when they do some things. Like when the officials miss an obvious pass interference call. Collinsworth wasn't afraid to point it out. Also the analysis on Manningham having to "Hold the Line" as receiver was excellent and right on point.

7. The Patriots have still not won a Super Bowl since "Spygate". Karma? I think not. This shows me clearly that Belichick had an unfair advantage when he played those teams. This is how you know it was bad, the NFL destroyed the tape and did not make it public. That cheating image still hangs around the Patriots and it may have benefited them in the short term but nationally it hurts people's view of them. Here is another thing to keep in mind, all of the coaches that were on the team when "Spygate" happened (Crennel, Weis, McDaniels and Mangini) have had good coaching stints in the NFL or college.

8. Peyton passed a lot of knowledge to his little brother about what the Patriots like to do on defense. I think the Peyton has an obsession with beating the Pats and he breaks down their tape better than most coordinators. I know Eli took great notes and used that to his advantage.

9. M.I.A. flipping people off is the reason no real and relevant acts can perform at the Super Bowl. These mid-level artist just don't get it. The show is not about them. Just perform and keep your selfish and obscene gestures to your own concerts where YOUR fans actually PAY to see you.

10. Think Eli win doesn't motivate Peyton? If you don't you are dead wrong. His brother just won his second Super Bowl and can been seen pushing him to the background. He was medically cleared to play and with that I know he is done in Indianapolis. If you want to see the teams that will pursue him read "Peyton's New Place".