Going into Week 15 of the NFL season, a couple of matchups immediately caught your attention, mainly because of playoff implications. The Eagles-Giants matchup was probably the biggest for several reasons. Other good matchups involved the Jaguars-Colts, Jets-Steelers, and the Packers-Patriots games. The Eagles and the Giants, however, both entered their matchup tied at 9-4 and sitting atop the NFC East division. Their first meeting, November 21 at Lincoln Financial Field, was a close meeting between division rivals, in which the Eagles were able to finish them off in the fourth quarter, combined with too many turnovers from the Giants. This time around, whoever won this game would certainly get a leg-up on winning the division and possibly getting a first-round bye.
The first half was unlike anything we'd seen from the Eagles all year. The Eagles look overmatched by the Giants in all areas of the game, and the Giants raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson fumbled the ball in about the same manner Giants QB Eli Manning did in their first matchup. That gave the Giants the ball in good field position, in which Manning took advantage by throwing an easy touchdown pass to TE Kevin Boss. At 31-10 and over seven minutes left in the game, everyone watching must've thought the game was over at that point. However, the scores started coming in bunches for the Eagles. All of a sudden, Eagles QB Michael Vick was unstoppable, and with under two minutes to go, the game was tied at 31. The Giants got the ball back with a chance to win the game, as many thought there was plenty of time left. The Giants offense stalled, but with only 14 seconds remaining in regulation, it was a lock for overtime. Then disaster struck and you guys know the rest of the story!
C'Mon Man. Many people blamed P Matt Dodge for the loss. I blame the entire Giants' defense for the loss. The way the Eagles' offense have been playing all year, there was no reason for letting up defensively. If we can remember, just about a month ago, the Eagles scored 28 points in the first quarter against the Redskins, and 45 in the first half. They are certainly capable of putting up points on the board very quickly. The pressure applied to Vick in the first half should've continued. Instead, the Giants looked undisciplined in their blitzes, allowing huge holes for Vick to scramble, as he would rush for over 100 yards for the first time all year. The bad punt by Dodge was the nail in the coffin for a team that played so poorly in the fourth quarter. They can't hang their heads on this loss because they can clinch a playoff spot with a victory at Green Bay. It's important the Giants focus on this game, and not the massacre last week.
The Diamond Head Classic, in Hawaii, is an invitational tournament with eight schools. This year, only one of them, Baylor, happened to be a top 25 squad. The play of Baylor wouldn't be the fireworks that came out of this tournament, however. On Thursday, Mississippi St. defeated San Diego 69-52 to improve their record to 8-4. So far, Mississippi St. hasn't even played a true road game, so their record doesn't come close to indicating if they're a legit team. Also, their eight victories have come against Tennessee St., Appalachian St., Detroit, Troy, North Carolina A&T, Nicholls St., Alabama St., and San Diego, none of which come from power conferences. Their first road game comes in conference play, January 13, against Ole Miss.
After their victory against San Diego, the team decided to stick around and watch the game between Utah and Hawaii. However, instead of watching a game in which could give the players insight on their next opponent, F Rinardo Sidney and F Elgin Bailey decided their differences in a matter we don't know about was worthing fighting about, in public. It took everyone by surprised as Sidney and Bailey fought in the stands for several minutes, with punches being thrown, before the fight was broken up by teammates and other members of the team and audience. Sidney and Bailey were immediately removed from the venue and sent back to their hotel rooms. They were subsequently suspended by coach Rick Stansbury for the rest of the tournament and their game against St. Mary's in Las Vegas. Both players were sent back to Mississippi.
C'Mon Man. How embarrassing for yourselves and the program to be fighting amongst each other. Stansbury said in his 13 years of coaching this program, he's never had anything like this happen before. They would go on to apologize, but it still doesn't save themselves and the program the embarrassment. The interesting thing about this scenario is what they could've been talking about that got both of them upset to the point where they began fighting. Being in Hawaii is a great experience, especially for free. Who knows if these players were fighting over a female(s) they met in Hawaii, or if it's something else very personal. It doesn't bode well for athletics at Mississippi St. especially with them still dealing with the death of DE Nick Bell from the football program.
The Heat have been on a roll lately, winning 13 out of their last 14 games heading into their Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers. This is the kind of play that we expected from them, considering they have two of the three best players in the league in G Dwyane Wade and F Lebron James. It took a while for them to click initially, starting off a 9-8. However, their play, combined with their stifling defense as of late, has them playing better than any other team right now. As Wade and James have finally figured how to play with each other, we should expect more success as the regular season continues, heading into the playoffs. They haven't beaten the Celtics yet in two tries, so that has to be their concern in the Eastern Conference. They also lost twice to the Mavericks, but the only time they'll see them again is in the Finals, which is less of a worry.
James made a decision in the off-season that turned many of his fans into haters. Many people didn't like the way James announced his decision to sign with another team. He also didn't let the Cavaliers know of his intentions to sign elsewhere, which was seen as unprofessional and wrong. This week, James made some comments that seem to justify his decision to join Wade and F Chris Bosh in Miami. He told reporters the NBA needs to go back to the 1980s and find a way to get multiple All-Stars on the same team to make things more competitive. G Derek Fisher commented on what James had to say, and disagreed with that notion, seemingly because of the fact that it could eliminate teams and provide less jobs in the NBA.
C'Mon Man. This man is starting to make some off-the-wall comments and is solidifying my point that he isn't a realist. Through James' entire career, he's always been phony, trying to impress the media and his fans by saying all of the right things. For the people who could truly see through it, they all knew he was a phony. This is why so many people were disappointed when James decided to make his announcement on "The Decision." It didn't surprise me one bit, because I knew that was the kind of person he was. Now, James knows he is one of the most hated people in America, so he's freely speaking his mind the way he's always wanted to do so. I prefer that he is keeping it real with us and sharing how he truly feels about his decision and the state of the game. I disagree with his notion of contraction. In the 1980s, the talent pool was better than it is now. The Lakers didn't go out and sign F Magic Johnson, F James Worthy and G Byron Scott. They drafted them. The Celtics didn't sign F Larry Bird, C Robert Parrish, and C Kevin McHale. They were drafted by them. That just speaks to the talent pool back then and the lack of talent now.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
Sal Alosi has went from unknown strength and conditioning coach for the New York Jets, to being the most notorious man in the United States of America. We all know the stunt he pulled against Dolphins CB Nolan Carroll. Was it bush league? Absolutely. Alosi made a split-second decision to try and help his team, but wasn't thinking of the backlash he would receive for it. Immediately after the game, a couple Dolphins players had some choice words about the incident, in which they probably should've kept their mouths shut considering who they are. I can't remember an incident where someone did something of this nature, so it certainly surprised me. It also didn't help that the cameras actually caught the incident and the commentators were able to recognize what he was doing.
Of course I expect Alosi to be suspended for the rest of the regular season, since there's only three games left. What Alosi did certainly warrants about a three to four game suspension. The Jets also decided to fine Alosi $25,000, half of his roughly $50,000 yearly salary. There were many who were even calling for his job. Then the Jets did their internal investigation and came across some new information. Alosi ordered a wall on the sideline to deter gunners from using the sidelines for more room. The Jets decided this was serious enough to increase his suspension, so they did. Now he's suspended indefinitely, and his job may be on the line. I wonder if Roger Goodell ordered the Jets to make this move.
C'Mon Man. Isn't it enough that he's suspended for three games and won't be paid for those? How can you justify fining someone $25,000 when they only make $50,000 yearly? That is nonsense. An appropriate punishment for this type of crime would've been suspension for the rest of the season. That's it! The fact that Alosi ordered a wall doesn't even matter because Carroll is OUT OF BOUNDS! It is not his territory to be in. How is it a penalty to run out of bounds and come back in, yet we punish this guy for this? The Jets won't reconsider this decision, but it's going to be costly for him. I hope he's able to recover from this financially. It's unbelievable that we have no sympathy for someone making $50,000 but have all the sympathy in the world for someone making $5 million. What a shame!
When I begin to talk about the Redskins, it's hard to find where to start. During the offseason, they made a splash by trading for QB Donovan McNabb and trading QB Jason Campbell. Campbell has been labeled as the one who was holding back the Redskins' offense. In comes McNabb, and the lofty expectations followed him over. The Redskins also hired Mike Shanahan as their head coach. Shanahan won two titles with the Broncos back in the late 1990s, with Hall-of-Fame QB John Elway. Shanahan has struggled to win playoff games since Elway retired. It would start a very unfortunate season for Redskins fans.
The latest turn of events in this week-to-week dramatic episode was the Redskins loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Down 17-10, the Redskins, led by McNabb, drove down the field, and scored a touchdown with nine seconds remaining. In comes the part most people never think about; the extra point. The Redskins managed to screw that up. The snap went right through the holder, P Hunter Smith's hands, effectively ending the game in a heartbreaker. That would later culminate in Shanahan announcing he's benching McNabb in favor of QB Rex Grossman, whose years in Chicago has been marred with a lot of inconsistent play.
C'Mon Man. Can it get any worse for Daniel Snyder? Here's a guy who purchased a proud franchise, one that he rooted for growing up. He has clearly shown that he has no football knowledge because he keeps dishing out hefty contracts to players who don't perform up to the contract. It has gotten to a situation where the only way they'll have a shot at the Super Bowl is if Snyder sells the team. As for Smith's mishandling of the snap, it cost him his job. It's unfortunate for him, but he wasn't getting the job done as a punter either. The Redskins shouldn't just cut Smith. They should cut everyone with a hefty contract; DT Albert Haynesworth and CB DeAngelo Hall, in addition to McNabb. The Redskins need to draft a quarterback in this draft. That is a must. Until then, we can all sit back and laugh at what it's looking like in the nation's capital.
Of course I expect Alosi to be suspended for the rest of the regular season, since there's only three games left. What Alosi did certainly warrants about a three to four game suspension. The Jets also decided to fine Alosi $25,000, half of his roughly $50,000 yearly salary. There were many who were even calling for his job. Then the Jets did their internal investigation and came across some new information. Alosi ordered a wall on the sideline to deter gunners from using the sidelines for more room. The Jets decided this was serious enough to increase his suspension, so they did. Now he's suspended indefinitely, and his job may be on the line. I wonder if Roger Goodell ordered the Jets to make this move.
C'Mon Man. Isn't it enough that he's suspended for three games and won't be paid for those? How can you justify fining someone $25,000 when they only make $50,000 yearly? That is nonsense. An appropriate punishment for this type of crime would've been suspension for the rest of the season. That's it! The fact that Alosi ordered a wall doesn't even matter because Carroll is OUT OF BOUNDS! It is not his territory to be in. How is it a penalty to run out of bounds and come back in, yet we punish this guy for this? The Jets won't reconsider this decision, but it's going to be costly for him. I hope he's able to recover from this financially. It's unbelievable that we have no sympathy for someone making $50,000 but have all the sympathy in the world for someone making $5 million. What a shame!
When I begin to talk about the Redskins, it's hard to find where to start. During the offseason, they made a splash by trading for QB Donovan McNabb and trading QB Jason Campbell. Campbell has been labeled as the one who was holding back the Redskins' offense. In comes McNabb, and the lofty expectations followed him over. The Redskins also hired Mike Shanahan as their head coach. Shanahan won two titles with the Broncos back in the late 1990s, with Hall-of-Fame QB John Elway. Shanahan has struggled to win playoff games since Elway retired. It would start a very unfortunate season for Redskins fans.
The latest turn of events in this week-to-week dramatic episode was the Redskins loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Down 17-10, the Redskins, led by McNabb, drove down the field, and scored a touchdown with nine seconds remaining. In comes the part most people never think about; the extra point. The Redskins managed to screw that up. The snap went right through the holder, P Hunter Smith's hands, effectively ending the game in a heartbreaker. That would later culminate in Shanahan announcing he's benching McNabb in favor of QB Rex Grossman, whose years in Chicago has been marred with a lot of inconsistent play.
C'Mon Man. Can it get any worse for Daniel Snyder? Here's a guy who purchased a proud franchise, one that he rooted for growing up. He has clearly shown that he has no football knowledge because he keeps dishing out hefty contracts to players who don't perform up to the contract. It has gotten to a situation where the only way they'll have a shot at the Super Bowl is if Snyder sells the team. As for Smith's mishandling of the snap, it cost him his job. It's unfortunate for him, but he wasn't getting the job done as a punter either. The Redskins shouldn't just cut Smith. They should cut everyone with a hefty contract; DT Albert Haynesworth and CB DeAngelo Hall, in addition to McNabb. The Redskins need to draft a quarterback in this draft. That is a must. Until then, we can all sit back and laugh at what it's looking like in the nation's capital.
Friday, December 10, 2010
What Are You Thinking?

Time and time again, many coaches, college football analysts, and other members of the media have called for the discontinuation of college football's BCS system. It's a system that continues to confuse me, and the amount of bowl games that are in existence waters down the importance of playing in one. Auburn and Oregon, as expected, were selected to play in the national championship game. Did all of the other bowl games matter? Does it matter that Wisconsin and TCU play in the Rose Bowl? What does the winner of that game get? It's just as significant a win as the winner of the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. It's a system with no importance to any of the winners except the one who wins the national title.
Temple finished the season at 8-4, but they lost their final two games to Ohio and Miami (OH). Miami (OH) won the MAC conference championship with their victory over Northern Illinois in the conference title game last week. With Northern Illinois finishing with a 10-3 record, they were a sure bet to be in a bowl game with Miami (OH) from the MAC conference. Ohio, Toledo, Temple and Western Michigan finished with at least six wins to be bowl eligible. Western Michigan, however, finished with a 6-6 record. Ohio and Toledo received bowl bids. Temple and Western Michigan were left out.
C'Mon Man. I'm interested in hearing a logical explanation for omitting Temple from this year's bowl season. Most bowl games have select conferences that takes part in the game. They need to scrap this. Clearly, Temple is better than several teams who will be playing in a bowl game. How did Temple get passed over in favor of UTEP, BYU and Florida International? All three teams have 6-6 records. Temple beat UConn, who will be playing in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, a BCS bowl even though they probably don't deserve that. Temple played Penn State very competitively, losing 22-13, at a time when Penn State was in the top 25. None of those three 6-6 teams won their conference championship, so there is no justification for them being in a bowl game over Temple. It makes no sense and this whole bowl system needs to be scrapped immediately.
The Steelers-Ravens and the Jets-Patriots matchups were billed as the best games this weekend by a landslide. Both games were division games and all four teams have been billed as the best four teams in the AFC. The Jets clearly didn't show up in their game, losing 45-3 and losing the AFC East lead to the Patriots in the process. The Steelers-Ravens game was much closer, and it came down to under a minute to go in the fourth quarter. A couple of plays turned out to be the difference in the outcome of the game. The Steelers took this matchup 13-10, evening the season series after the Ravens beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh back in Week 4, granted without QB Ben Roethlisberger.
This was a classic nasty matchup between the Ravens and the Steelers. Both teams were unable to put up a good amount of points. When you're going up against either defense, that tends to happen! Both quarterbacks weren't spectacular, but Roethlisberger or QB Joe Flacco are never really spectacular. Both teams usually rely on a solid running game that has potential to open up the passing game a bit. Both teams have capable running backs, which is why I'm baffled with a decision Ravens' offensive coordinator Cam Cameron made in the fourth quarter up 10-6. Instead of running the ball on 3rd and short with the lead, Cameron wanted to throw. That proved costly as S Troy Polamalu stripped Flacco of the ball, giving the Steelers great field position, en route to their go-ahead and eventual game-winning touchdown.
C'Mon Man. You have to run that football in that situation. The Ravens have two capable running backs in RB Ray Rice and RB Willis McGahee. Run the ball and get the first down. If you don't get the first down, punt the ball and put the Steelers offense in a harder position. The problem is they're trusting Flacco, when he hasn't necessarily shown he is capable of leading that offense. Flacco hasn't excelled yet, even with the additions of WR Anquan Boldin and WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh. They need to run the ball in situations like that and not trust Flacco with making plays in situations like that. It's not going to work. Flacco also messed up when he had a second chance, short-hopping a pass to WR Ed Dickson on 4th down to end it.
The Washington Wizards started their three-game West Coast trip on Sunday, and concluded it on Wednesday. They came back home with no wins. The Wizards lost by an average of 16 points to the Suns, Lakers and the Kings. The most competitive matchup in the three losses just so happened to come against the defending champion Lakers, who beat the Wizards by 8. The Wizards are currently sitting at 6-15, last in the Southeast division. This was expected, as the Wizards surprisingly received the #1 pick last year, after having a bad season. The positive is G Gilbert Arenas' return to action this season, even though that may not be a complete positive for the team.
The youth on the team is a positive. They drafted G John Wall with that first pick in the last draft. They also have young, productive players in G Nick Young, C Andray Blatche, and C Javale McGee. McGee had 13 points and 9 rebounds in their blowout loss to the Kings. His numbers weren't astounding, and what he did at the end of the game wasn't astounding either. With the Wizards down 116-91, the eventual final score, McGee intercepted an inbound pass and was all alone on his way to the hoop. However, McGee thought he was Dr. J. He cradled to the ball and never had a good handle on the ball as he was going up for the dunk. His dunk attempt never came close to the rim, as he lost it in the air and it bounced high off the glass.
C'Mon Man. This is not the dunk contest. McGee should not be doing that in a game where he's getting blown out by 25. Lay the ball up and call it a night. It was embarrassing to himself and his team's performance that night. The Wizards didn't have big expectations going into the season, but their season is looking frustrating for coach Flip Saunders. Wall has been bothered by injuries, and their schedule has been pretty tough so far. That does not mean you have to lose your mind. Of course there should be no disciplinary action with this one, but if McGee sees the replay, he should discipline himself for that stunt.
Friday, December 3, 2010
What Are You Thinking?

Bills WR Steve Johnson has made my article again, for a completely different reason. It turns out this may be even more absurd than the stunt he pulled two Sundays ago, when he decided to come to the postgame press conference looking like a thug. Johnson had another good game this past Sunday against the Steelers. Johnson caught 7 passes for 68 receptions, which brings his season total to 59 catches with five games remaining. Not bad considering Johnson was the Bills 7th round draft pick back in 2008. It looks like he has become a big part of the offense since QB Ryan Fitzpatrick took over the starting reins from QB Trent Edwards.
While Johnson had a good game, there were two drops that most would say cost the Bills the ball game. With a little under three minutes left in regulation, Fitzpatrick fired a pass to Johnson, which bounced off of his fingers into the hands of S Troy Polamalu for the pick. Then, the biggest mistake came in overtime. Johnson beat S Ryan Clark and CB Ike Taylor to the end zone, and Fitzpatrick through an excellent pass. It went into Johnson's hands, and then it came right out. The Steelers ended up winning the game, and Johnson seemed very emotional after the game. But when he took it to Twitter, he took it way too far. Johnson posted this on his Twitter page after the game. "I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND IS THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO . . ."
C'Mon Man. WHAT? I'm starting to get the feeling that he's going to become another one of those diva receivers like WR Terrell Owens and WR Chad Ochocinco. WR Brandon Marshall already confirmed he's heading there also by saying recently he's been too boring this season. It's not about the entertainment you provide with your mouth. Go out on the field and get the job done. Get rid of the Twitter, and all the antics that you guys think are entertaining. Soon, the Bills will start growing tired of Johnson if he starts acting like those guys. By the way, how many championships does Owens, Ochocinco, and Marshall have combined? ZERO.
Many have complained about the inconsistencies from the NFL so far this season. Many players are being fined large amounts of money like never before. The Steelers have certainly complained openly, because one of their guys, LB James Harrison, has been fined four times for a total of $125,000. Harrison has every right to complain, as that is a lot of money. However, the Steelers have no business of complaining, as they have shown to be the dirtiest team in the NFL. With that being said, there still is no real criteria on the amount of fines and what warrants a suspension in the NFL.
This past Sunday, Texans WR Andre Johnson and Titans CB Cortland Finnegan got into heated battles, which culminated in a nasty fight in the fourth quarter, leading to their ejections. Finnegan seemed to incite the whole fight, hitting Johnson in his facemask as soon as the ball was snapped. It turned out to be a running play, so there was no reason for Finnegan to do what he did. However, Johnson grew tired of Finnegan and threw several punches that landed, getting him tossed immediately. Everyone, including Johnson, knew a suspension was inevitable. Wrong! The NFL fined him and Finnegan $25,000 instead.
C'Mon Man. Now I have completely had it with Roger Goodell. The NFL certainly needs Paul Tagliabue back or someone else. Goodell's criteria is so screwed, it is almost certain he is protecting the star players, while not giving a damn about all of the other players. Last night, Texans QB Matt Schaub got hit in the helmet twice by the Eagles, with no calls on each one. Colts QB Peyton Manning got a slap on his helmet a couple of weeks back against the Eagles on 4th and 18, and he got the call. It's ridiculous. Calls have to be made for everyone. Most importantly, guys should not be fined $50,000 for making illegal tackles with their helmets, while someone who basically assaults another player on the field gets half the fine and no suspension. Be consistent Goodell, or the players will come after your head.
Moving on to the NCAA, where stupidity lives. The news of the week came when the NCAA ruled Auburn QB Cam Newton eligible for Saturday's SEC Championship Game against South Carolina. This happened a day after Auburn themselves ruled Newton ineligible, probably to save themselves embarrassment if the NCAA had to do that themselves. The NCAA explained that Newton had no knowledge of his father, Cecil, shopping his son around to schools for pay. The NCAA has acknowledged what Cecil Newton did was against NCAA rules, but decided Cam shouldn't be affected by something his father did.
The NCAA recently came down hard on the USC program for violations that occurred from the time RB Reggie Bush was with the program. Pete Carroll, USC's coach back then, bolted this past year to coach the Seahawks at the NFL level. That left new coach Lane Kiffin in an ugly spot once the NCAA made their rulings. Bush and Carroll are no longer there, and are currently making millions of dollars, living life luxuriously, while the USC football program suffers. The NCAA did find that Bush's parents benefiting from the money the agents supplied was an indictment on him as well. However, Cecil Newton's actions had no bearing on Cam Newton.
C'Mon Man. If you're going to have a set of rules to play by, institute them. How did the NCAA figure out Cam Newton had no knowledge of his father shopping him around? If I was headed to a football program and my father had that agenda, I'm pretty sure I would know about that agenda. Time and time again, inconsistencies have hurt the name of college athletics. The NCAA is simply looking for Auburn to be in the title game. If they win against South Carolina on Saturday, they're in the title game. Had Newton been ruled ineligible, that probably puts TCU in the title game, which the NCAA clearly doesn't want. Just like the NFL, the NCAA is protecting the interests of themselves only. Just a shame!
Friday, November 26, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
Buffalo Bills WR Steve Johnson has relatively been unknown coming into the team's Sunday game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, in the 10 games before Sunday's game, Johnson had 45 catches. At that rate, he was projected to end the season with 72 catches, which is a pretty decent season. On Sunday's game against a struggling defense, Johnson erupted with 8 catches for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns. Johnson actually had a better game a couple of weeks before, against the Chicago Bears, when he had 11 catches for 145 yards.
The Bills chances of beating the Bengals were looking bleak at halftime. They were down 31-14 at halftime, and with the Bills only winning one game at that point, it was looking like another loss. The Bills proceeded to score 35 unanswered points in the second half for the victory. That was a great showing by Johnson and Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is showing he should be a starter in this league. The worst happened when Johnson decided to show up at the postgame press conference in his undershirt, showing all of his tattoos.
C'Mon Man. After that performance from the Bills offense, especially against a Bengals team with WR Chad Ochocinco and WR Terrell Owens, football fans across the nation appreciated the victory. Johnson then proceeded to turn away a couple of admirers with his decision to come to the postgame press conference unprofessionally. I wondered if Roger Goodell would hand a fine to Johnson for that stunt. I hope someone in that organization told him not to do that again. That was not a good look for himself as a black man, and it certainly wasn't a good look for the organization.
The matchup between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles was pitted as the best game of Week 11 by some. Both teams came into the game with the same record, sitting atop the NFC East. The anticipation was especially high considering Eagles QB Michael Vick put up 59 points against the Washington Redskins six days earlier. There were people who expected the Eagles were going to put up an offensive display against the Giants as well.
The game turned out to be great, as the Giants limited Vick's running ability. However, this game had a lot more mistakes than great play. Some could make the argument that the Giants simply lost the game because of their own miscues. The Giants turned the ball over five times, and the Eagles had two turnovers themselves. The two big blunders of the game were the highlights, however. Eagles WR Jason Avant dropped a pass wide open in the end zone in the second quarter that could've put the Eagles up 20-3. Later in the fourth quarter, Giants QB Eli Manning made a great play on 4th and 6, getting a sure first down on a scramble. However, Eli dived to the ground and simply lost the handle on the football, turning it over and costing the Giants the game.
C'Mon Man. The look on Vick's face said it all after Avant's drop. Vick couldn't believe it. It appeared as if he wanted to stay out there on 4th down to get another shot at the end zone. That didn't happen as the Eagles failed in the red zone again. Luckily for Avant, that drop didn't cost the Eagles the game. As for Manning, the Giants as a team have reverted back to their undisciplined ways in losing two straight. Penalties and turnovers, especially from RB Ahmad Bradshaw, have cost them dearly in their four losses, while they have looked like a Super Bowl contender in their six wins. With the NFC this tight, the Giants have to eliminate all of the mistakes, or they'll be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Back on November 2, the Philadelphia 76ers lost a heartbreaker to the Washington Wizards when they lost in overtime 116-115 in overtime. In that game, G Cartier Martin hit a lucky three-point shot to tie the game and send it into overtime. The 76ers would visit the Verizon Center again, this past Tuesday. The 76ers looked better in this game, as they held a double-digit lead at one point.
It turned sour in the fourth quarter, as F Elton Brand was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul on Wizards C Javale McGee. It got worse at the end of regulation, as the 76ers found themselves up three again. However, G John Wall came down the court, and saw G Jrue Holiday was approaching him to foul. It looked like a smart thing to do, avoiding any Cartier Martin play this time around. However, Holiday decided to foul Wall when Wall already came onto his side of the court, instead of fouling him early. Wall put up a three-pointer during the foul, thus getting a chance to tie the game. He tied the game, sent it to overtime, and the Wizards won 116-114.
C'Mon Man. I know Doug Collins didn't come up with that kind of strategy. If you're going to foul, foul as soon as possible. Do not wait until he comes to the three-point line to do so. It's mistakes such as this that have killed the 76ers season so far. They have not played terribly. They lose a lot of close games, and decisions like that one have been the reason why. Even worse, they lost to the Wizards in almost the same fashion as the first time. Collins has to be banging his head against a wall. Quite frankly, there isn't much he can do with this team.
The Bills chances of beating the Bengals were looking bleak at halftime. They were down 31-14 at halftime, and with the Bills only winning one game at that point, it was looking like another loss. The Bills proceeded to score 35 unanswered points in the second half for the victory. That was a great showing by Johnson and Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is showing he should be a starter in this league. The worst happened when Johnson decided to show up at the postgame press conference in his undershirt, showing all of his tattoos.
C'Mon Man. After that performance from the Bills offense, especially against a Bengals team with WR Chad Ochocinco and WR Terrell Owens, football fans across the nation appreciated the victory. Johnson then proceeded to turn away a couple of admirers with his decision to come to the postgame press conference unprofessionally. I wondered if Roger Goodell would hand a fine to Johnson for that stunt. I hope someone in that organization told him not to do that again. That was not a good look for himself as a black man, and it certainly wasn't a good look for the organization.
The matchup between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles was pitted as the best game of Week 11 by some. Both teams came into the game with the same record, sitting atop the NFC East. The anticipation was especially high considering Eagles QB Michael Vick put up 59 points against the Washington Redskins six days earlier. There were people who expected the Eagles were going to put up an offensive display against the Giants as well.
The game turned out to be great, as the Giants limited Vick's running ability. However, this game had a lot more mistakes than great play. Some could make the argument that the Giants simply lost the game because of their own miscues. The Giants turned the ball over five times, and the Eagles had two turnovers themselves. The two big blunders of the game were the highlights, however. Eagles WR Jason Avant dropped a pass wide open in the end zone in the second quarter that could've put the Eagles up 20-3. Later in the fourth quarter, Giants QB Eli Manning made a great play on 4th and 6, getting a sure first down on a scramble. However, Eli dived to the ground and simply lost the handle on the football, turning it over and costing the Giants the game.
C'Mon Man. The look on Vick's face said it all after Avant's drop. Vick couldn't believe it. It appeared as if he wanted to stay out there on 4th down to get another shot at the end zone. That didn't happen as the Eagles failed in the red zone again. Luckily for Avant, that drop didn't cost the Eagles the game. As for Manning, the Giants as a team have reverted back to their undisciplined ways in losing two straight. Penalties and turnovers, especially from RB Ahmad Bradshaw, have cost them dearly in their four losses, while they have looked like a Super Bowl contender in their six wins. With the NFC this tight, the Giants have to eliminate all of the mistakes, or they'll be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Back on November 2, the Philadelphia 76ers lost a heartbreaker to the Washington Wizards when they lost in overtime 116-115 in overtime. In that game, G Cartier Martin hit a lucky three-point shot to tie the game and send it into overtime. The 76ers would visit the Verizon Center again, this past Tuesday. The 76ers looked better in this game, as they held a double-digit lead at one point.
It turned sour in the fourth quarter, as F Elton Brand was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul on Wizards C Javale McGee. It got worse at the end of regulation, as the 76ers found themselves up three again. However, G John Wall came down the court, and saw G Jrue Holiday was approaching him to foul. It looked like a smart thing to do, avoiding any Cartier Martin play this time around. However, Holiday decided to foul Wall when Wall already came onto his side of the court, instead of fouling him early. Wall put up a three-pointer during the foul, thus getting a chance to tie the game. He tied the game, sent it to overtime, and the Wizards won 116-114.
C'Mon Man. I know Doug Collins didn't come up with that kind of strategy. If you're going to foul, foul as soon as possible. Do not wait until he comes to the three-point line to do so. It's mistakes such as this that have killed the 76ers season so far. They have not played terribly. They lose a lot of close games, and decisions like that one have been the reason why. Even worse, they lost to the Wizards in almost the same fashion as the first time. Collins has to be banging his head against a wall. Quite frankly, there isn't much he can do with this team.
Friday, November 19, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
In Sunday's game between the Texans and the Jaguars, a victory was seemingly lined up for the Texans. With the score tied at 24 with under a minute to play, the Texans offense was moving the ball toward field goal range. Then came the first of the biggest blunders for the Texans. Clock management could've been better up until that point, but TE Joel Dreessen fumbled the ball with 8 seconds left to give the ball to the Jaguars. At this point, everyone in EverBank Field in Jacksonville are relieved because the Jaguars have now forced overtime.
The Jaguars didn't have overtime on their minds. QB David Garrard completed a 15-yard pass to TE Marcedes Lewis and Lewis went out of bounds, stopping the clock with three seconds remaining. Then came the second of the big blunders for the Texans. With no time being run off, before the snap, DE Antonio Smith jumped offside, giving the Jaguars five extra yards. Those five yards would cost the Texans dearly, because on the next play, Garrard fired a Hail Mary pass that didn't seem harmful at first. The pass was intended for WR Mike Sims-Walkers. It didn't reach him. Instead, it was batted down by a Texans defender, but luckily for the Jaguars, it ended up in WR Mike Thomas' hands for the touchdown with no time left.
C'Mon Man. I don't think I have seen a series of dumb mistakes like this before. First of all, Dreessen can't fumble that football. The Texans were driving with a chance to win, even though the probability was not good since they had no timeouts left. Kudos to Jack Del Rio, for giving it one more shot to win the game with 8 seconds left. Someone has to tell me what Smith was doing on the offside penalty. There's no need for a great pass rush in this situation. The Texans aren't worried about it. If they were, they would've blitzed. Instead, he gave them five more yards, where Garrard could finally reach the end zone with a Hail Mary. I can't blame the Texans on the Hail Mary pass, however, because the defender batted it down like they always tell them to do. They were just the recipient of bad luck, but with everything that happened before that play, they deserved to lose.
Todd Haley and his Chiefs team received a beatdown at the hands of the Broncos on Sunday, to everyone's surprise. The Chiefs came into the game 5-3, sitting atop the AFC West division. Meanwhile, the Broncos came in at 2-6, riding a four game losing streak, which involved a home beatdown at the hands of the Raiders. The Broncos certainly came in ready for the challenge. They jumped out to a 35-0 lead in the second quarter, before the Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard. The Broncos ended up beating the Chiefs 49-29, in one of the highest scoring games in history for the Broncos.
That isn't the issue, however. What ensued after the game becomes the problem. At the conclusion of the game, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels and Todd Haley go to meet and shake hands, at least that was what McDaniels was thinking. Haley had other ideas. Clearly upset over something McDaniels may have done, Haley refused to shake hands with McDaniels, and gave him a piece of his mind with his finger directed at his face. McDaniels afterwards didn't seem to understand what Haley was upset about. Haley didn't necessarily give a clear indication either of what he was upset about. He apologized a day later, but the damage was already done.
C'Mon Man. I know Todd Haley got a lecture on sportsmanship when he was a young kid. You don't show up yourself and the winning coach like that. It's unprofessional period. It doesn't matter if you thought McDaniels ran up the score to embarrass you. The Broncos didn't cheat to win the game. They clearly outplayed, outhustled, and executed better to win. No shame in that. Now take the loss like a man. Maybe RB Larry Johnson was right when he talked about Haley's past when he wasn't involved in football and doesn't know football. Act with some class the next time.
So let me get this straight. I'm clearly confused about the Redskins nowadays, so I have to take some time to break it down. Two weeks before, QB Donovan McNabb was benched in favor of QB Rex Grossman during the two-minute drill against the Lions. Coach Mike Shanahan gave two explanations, that both seemed to be a slap in the face to McNabb. He initially explained McNabb didn't have the "cardiovascular" endurance to run the two-minute offense. Then he said he didn't know the terminology of the offense well enough. So what the Redskins do in light of this situation? They pay McNabb $78 million for the next five years. That looks like a resolution, or does it?
What's more strange about this contract extension is that it came hours before McNabb and the Redskins were set to play McNabb's old team, the Eagles. Clearly, the timing of it all had a lot of people confused. Then the game came. As if it were a protest against McNabb's long contract extension, the Redskins defense decided to take the night off. It wasn't as if they were good anyway. They came into the game ranked last defensively in total yards given up. The Monday night game was atrocious, as the Eagles made the Redskins defense look like a junior varsity defense, to the tune of 45 points in the first half. The Eagles eventually won 59-28, in what turned out to be the most points scored in a Monday night game ever.
C'Mon Man. The Redskins, all of a sudden, are turning into the Raiders of the East Coast. Dysfunctional is the only way to describe that football team. Owner Daniel Snyder has repeatedly talked about being a Redskins fan growing up, and it was a dream come true when he bought the team. Maybe it'll be a dream come true once he sells the team, because they are not going anywhere with him. Management can't do anything right. This was a team who made the playoffs just three years ago. After that, they took a nose dive into the bottom of the NFC East. Luckily for them, the Cowboys hold that spot this season because of their chaotic situation and overrated players. I hope Snyder doesn't have any long-term goals for this team. His goal should be short-term. Sell the team tomorrow!
The Jaguars didn't have overtime on their minds. QB David Garrard completed a 15-yard pass to TE Marcedes Lewis and Lewis went out of bounds, stopping the clock with three seconds remaining. Then came the second of the big blunders for the Texans. With no time being run off, before the snap, DE Antonio Smith jumped offside, giving the Jaguars five extra yards. Those five yards would cost the Texans dearly, because on the next play, Garrard fired a Hail Mary pass that didn't seem harmful at first. The pass was intended for WR Mike Sims-Walkers. It didn't reach him. Instead, it was batted down by a Texans defender, but luckily for the Jaguars, it ended up in WR Mike Thomas' hands for the touchdown with no time left.
C'Mon Man. I don't think I have seen a series of dumb mistakes like this before. First of all, Dreessen can't fumble that football. The Texans were driving with a chance to win, even though the probability was not good since they had no timeouts left. Kudos to Jack Del Rio, for giving it one more shot to win the game with 8 seconds left. Someone has to tell me what Smith was doing on the offside penalty. There's no need for a great pass rush in this situation. The Texans aren't worried about it. If they were, they would've blitzed. Instead, he gave them five more yards, where Garrard could finally reach the end zone with a Hail Mary. I can't blame the Texans on the Hail Mary pass, however, because the defender batted it down like they always tell them to do. They were just the recipient of bad luck, but with everything that happened before that play, they deserved to lose.
Todd Haley and his Chiefs team received a beatdown at the hands of the Broncos on Sunday, to everyone's surprise. The Chiefs came into the game 5-3, sitting atop the AFC West division. Meanwhile, the Broncos came in at 2-6, riding a four game losing streak, which involved a home beatdown at the hands of the Raiders. The Broncos certainly came in ready for the challenge. They jumped out to a 35-0 lead in the second quarter, before the Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard. The Broncos ended up beating the Chiefs 49-29, in one of the highest scoring games in history for the Broncos.
That isn't the issue, however. What ensued after the game becomes the problem. At the conclusion of the game, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels and Todd Haley go to meet and shake hands, at least that was what McDaniels was thinking. Haley had other ideas. Clearly upset over something McDaniels may have done, Haley refused to shake hands with McDaniels, and gave him a piece of his mind with his finger directed at his face. McDaniels afterwards didn't seem to understand what Haley was upset about. Haley didn't necessarily give a clear indication either of what he was upset about. He apologized a day later, but the damage was already done.
C'Mon Man. I know Todd Haley got a lecture on sportsmanship when he was a young kid. You don't show up yourself and the winning coach like that. It's unprofessional period. It doesn't matter if you thought McDaniels ran up the score to embarrass you. The Broncos didn't cheat to win the game. They clearly outplayed, outhustled, and executed better to win. No shame in that. Now take the loss like a man. Maybe RB Larry Johnson was right when he talked about Haley's past when he wasn't involved in football and doesn't know football. Act with some class the next time.
So let me get this straight. I'm clearly confused about the Redskins nowadays, so I have to take some time to break it down. Two weeks before, QB Donovan McNabb was benched in favor of QB Rex Grossman during the two-minute drill against the Lions. Coach Mike Shanahan gave two explanations, that both seemed to be a slap in the face to McNabb. He initially explained McNabb didn't have the "cardiovascular" endurance to run the two-minute offense. Then he said he didn't know the terminology of the offense well enough. So what the Redskins do in light of this situation? They pay McNabb $78 million for the next five years. That looks like a resolution, or does it?
What's more strange about this contract extension is that it came hours before McNabb and the Redskins were set to play McNabb's old team, the Eagles. Clearly, the timing of it all had a lot of people confused. Then the game came. As if it were a protest against McNabb's long contract extension, the Redskins defense decided to take the night off. It wasn't as if they were good anyway. They came into the game ranked last defensively in total yards given up. The Monday night game was atrocious, as the Eagles made the Redskins defense look like a junior varsity defense, to the tune of 45 points in the first half. The Eagles eventually won 59-28, in what turned out to be the most points scored in a Monday night game ever.
C'Mon Man. The Redskins, all of a sudden, are turning into the Raiders of the East Coast. Dysfunctional is the only way to describe that football team. Owner Daniel Snyder has repeatedly talked about being a Redskins fan growing up, and it was a dream come true when he bought the team. Maybe it'll be a dream come true once he sells the team, because they are not going anywhere with him. Management can't do anything right. This was a team who made the playoffs just three years ago. After that, they took a nose dive into the bottom of the NFC East. Luckily for them, the Cowboys hold that spot this season because of their chaotic situation and overrated players. I hope Snyder doesn't have any long-term goals for this team. His goal should be short-term. Sell the team tomorrow!
Friday, November 12, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To CB Asante Samuel of the Philadelphia Eagles, for his actions during the second quarter when WR Austin Collie of the Indianapolis Colts was knocked unconscious in their game on Sunday. QB Peyton Manning threw a pass over the middle to Collie and Collie proceeded to make the catch and was leveled by S Quintin Mikell and S Kurt Coleman. Collie was knocked unconscious by the hit and the referees called it incomplete and gave a personal foul penalty to Mikell for the hit. Subsequent replays showed there was no helmet-to-helmet contact, and after seeing the replay, Samuel showed his displeasure with the call right around where Collie was laying unconsciously.
C'Mon Man. That has to be the most disgusting display of emotion I will see all season. Usually, when someone is not moving on the field, both teams get on one knee and pray for a recovery from the guy. Instead, Samuel decided to parade around at the call. Are you kidding me? I would love to see Samuel knocked out, so the opposing team can celebrate and cheer the hit. The Eagles fans booed once they saw the replay, but to their credit, they didn't initially know the magnitude of the injury until a couple of seconds later. Samuel knew it instantly, as he was standing right there. He should be ashamed of himself and coach Andy Reid should too for allowing it.
To the Cleveland Browns team, for giving a Gatorade shower to coach Eric Mangini during the last minute of their victory against the New England Patriots. With the Browns leading 34-14 and on their way to victory, a couple of Browns players decided it would be worth it to douse him with Gatorade. Mangini didn't look too thrilled once the Gatorade hit him. The Browns improved their record to 3-5, with wins over the Patriots and the New Orleans Saints.
C'Mon Man. You can't do that after a regular season win that doesn't mean anything. The Browns have a right to feel accomplished. They are in a rough three game stretch and they've won the first two. However, the Gatorade shower might've been a slap at Patriots coach Bill Belichick. One thing teams shouldn't do is get QB Tom Brady or Belichick fired up. They have a knack for coming back at you hard, and Mangini knows that from 2006. When Mangini was the coach of the New York Jets, the Jets beat the Patriots in New England during the regular season and Mangini was one happy man on the field afterwards. In the playoffs, Belichick showed Mangini who was boss, by easily handling them. For the Browns, save your coach some trouble.
To F/C Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies, for his postgame blunder after the Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 109-99 on Monday. Randolph had an excellent game, with 23 points and 20 rebounds. His performance on the court wasn't the thing being discussed days later. It was what he said immediately following the game. When being interviewed by a reporter about his performance and the team's performance, Randolph said his team executed the whole way and "played the whole 42 minutes." Randolph either didn't know there were 48 minutes in a basketball game, or he caught a case of brain freeze.
C'Mon Man. I know Randolph had to be tired after the game, and a little bit out of it after his hard-working performance. You can't make a mistake like that though. You have to know how much time there is in the sport that you play for a living. I would like to give Randolph some slack in some way, but I just can't find a reason to. Some could probably say he mixed up the NBA time with college time. However, he's been in the league since 2001, and the college regulation time is 40 minutes. Where did he get 42 minutes from? That's a big question. It's a question he can only answer, and if you were to ask him where he got that number from, he probably couldn't tell you either. At the end of the day, it's not what you say to a reporter after the game, it's how you perform during the game.
C'Mon Man. That has to be the most disgusting display of emotion I will see all season. Usually, when someone is not moving on the field, both teams get on one knee and pray for a recovery from the guy. Instead, Samuel decided to parade around at the call. Are you kidding me? I would love to see Samuel knocked out, so the opposing team can celebrate and cheer the hit. The Eagles fans booed once they saw the replay, but to their credit, they didn't initially know the magnitude of the injury until a couple of seconds later. Samuel knew it instantly, as he was standing right there. He should be ashamed of himself and coach Andy Reid should too for allowing it.
To the Cleveland Browns team, for giving a Gatorade shower to coach Eric Mangini during the last minute of their victory against the New England Patriots. With the Browns leading 34-14 and on their way to victory, a couple of Browns players decided it would be worth it to douse him with Gatorade. Mangini didn't look too thrilled once the Gatorade hit him. The Browns improved their record to 3-5, with wins over the Patriots and the New Orleans Saints.
C'Mon Man. You can't do that after a regular season win that doesn't mean anything. The Browns have a right to feel accomplished. They are in a rough three game stretch and they've won the first two. However, the Gatorade shower might've been a slap at Patriots coach Bill Belichick. One thing teams shouldn't do is get QB Tom Brady or Belichick fired up. They have a knack for coming back at you hard, and Mangini knows that from 2006. When Mangini was the coach of the New York Jets, the Jets beat the Patriots in New England during the regular season and Mangini was one happy man on the field afterwards. In the playoffs, Belichick showed Mangini who was boss, by easily handling them. For the Browns, save your coach some trouble.
To F/C Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies, for his postgame blunder after the Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 109-99 on Monday. Randolph had an excellent game, with 23 points and 20 rebounds. His performance on the court wasn't the thing being discussed days later. It was what he said immediately following the game. When being interviewed by a reporter about his performance and the team's performance, Randolph said his team executed the whole way and "played the whole 42 minutes." Randolph either didn't know there were 48 minutes in a basketball game, or he caught a case of brain freeze.
C'Mon Man. I know Randolph had to be tired after the game, and a little bit out of it after his hard-working performance. You can't make a mistake like that though. You have to know how much time there is in the sport that you play for a living. I would like to give Randolph some slack in some way, but I just can't find a reason to. Some could probably say he mixed up the NBA time with college time. However, he's been in the league since 2001, and the college regulation time is 40 minutes. Where did he get 42 minutes from? That's a big question. It's a question he can only answer, and if you were to ask him where he got that number from, he probably couldn't tell you either. At the end of the day, it's not what you say to a reporter after the game, it's how you perform during the game.
Friday, November 5, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To WR Randy Moss, for chastising a local restaurant owner for their food during practice last Friday. The incident would come to light after Moss was surprisingly released by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. According to numerous sources, Moss lashed out at the restaurant owners who were catering the food, putting many people in an awkward situation. Moss reportedly said aloud, "I wouldn't even feed this to my dog." Moss also ranted about how he used to eat that way growing up because his family had no money, but it's changed now that he has a lot of money. The rant apparently alienated teammates, and was the last straw for coach Brad Childress.'
C'Mon Man. Wow is all I have to say about that one. Moss is about inches away from being alienated by the NFL altogether. When Moss was released, 26 teams passed on him before the Tennessee Titans claimed him off of waivers. If that isn't any indication of where teams stand on his childish behavior, I don't know what else would indicate it. Moss throwing around his millions of dollars in people's faces is not acceptable, something a 19-year-old rapper would do. Moss is 33 years old, so there is no excuse for his behavior. When he was traded by the New England Patriots in the beginning of October, his rants about wanting a contract extension forced him out. Now he's on his last legs. If he doesn't shut his mouth, he won't be with a team beyond this season.
To Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, for not challenging what should've been a touchdown for RB Rashard Mendenhall in their game against the New Orleans Saints. The play occurred in the second quarter, shortly after the Saints successfully challenged that WR Antwan Randall-El didn't get a touchdown on a pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger. They were placed at the one-yard line. Mendenhall put the ball over the pile line in what appeared to be a touchdown. NBC subsequently showed numerous replays indicating the same. However, the challenge flag didn't come out, and the Steelers were stopped short of the end zone on their following plays. They settled for three and lost the game eventually 20-10.
C'Mon Man. I have the slightest feeling Tomlin simply wasn't paying attention. Tomlin said afterward that the replay millions of viewers saw on national television was not the same one his people saw upstairs. That's lame, and it gets a little tiring how analysts consider this man one of the best coaches in the NFL. Put him on the Cleveland Browns, and he'll be worse than Eric Mangini. He has no involvement in his offense. He was a defensive coordinator with the Vikings before he got here and Dick Lebeau still runs the Steelers' defense. Tomlin is left in no man's land. He's a motivational speaker at best, and he was handed a Super Bowl winning team when Bill Cowher retired. People need to stop giving this man credit, and give credit to Roethlisberger, Harrison and Polamalu, who are getting the job done.
To Boston Celtics' F Kevin Garnett and Michael Wilbon, for Garnett's incident involving Detroit Pistons F Charlie Villaneuva in their game on Tuesday night. After the game was over, Villaneuva tweeted that he was very upset with Garnett because Garnett called him a "cancer patient." Garnett responded by saying he told Villaneuva he was a cancer to his team and the league. Wilbon, on ESPN's PTI show, said he knows Garnett and doesn't know Villaneuva and knows Garnett would not say anything like that.
C'Mon Man. The "cancer patient" joke from Garnett is something 13-year-olds say to each other. Garnett is 34. Grow up! I have a hard time believing Garnett would tell Villaneuva he's cancerous to his team and the league in the heat of a game. Why would Garnett care anyway? It's clear he's lying, and Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers have come to Garnett's defense. They should, because they are all family in the same organization. However, what in the world is Wilbon talking about? Here's a man, along with Magic Johnson, who talks glowingly about the same NBA players. It gets tiring and they're bandwagoners. It's about time Wilbon keeps quiet about Garnett, Lebron, Kobe and Durant, because he says nothing but positive things about them, like they aren't human beings. He shouldn't be on the NBA shows, and he should be removed from PTI because he brings nothing exciting to any show. It's quite disgraceful that he would even take sides in this scenario. At the end of the day, I don't agree with Villaneuva stating that on Twitter. However, Garnett just needs to apologize to him and that's the end of it.
C'Mon Man.
C'Mon Man. Wow is all I have to say about that one. Moss is about inches away from being alienated by the NFL altogether. When Moss was released, 26 teams passed on him before the Tennessee Titans claimed him off of waivers. If that isn't any indication of where teams stand on his childish behavior, I don't know what else would indicate it. Moss throwing around his millions of dollars in people's faces is not acceptable, something a 19-year-old rapper would do. Moss is 33 years old, so there is no excuse for his behavior. When he was traded by the New England Patriots in the beginning of October, his rants about wanting a contract extension forced him out. Now he's on his last legs. If he doesn't shut his mouth, he won't be with a team beyond this season.
To Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, for not challenging what should've been a touchdown for RB Rashard Mendenhall in their game against the New Orleans Saints. The play occurred in the second quarter, shortly after the Saints successfully challenged that WR Antwan Randall-El didn't get a touchdown on a pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger. They were placed at the one-yard line. Mendenhall put the ball over the pile line in what appeared to be a touchdown. NBC subsequently showed numerous replays indicating the same. However, the challenge flag didn't come out, and the Steelers were stopped short of the end zone on their following plays. They settled for three and lost the game eventually 20-10.
C'Mon Man. I have the slightest feeling Tomlin simply wasn't paying attention. Tomlin said afterward that the replay millions of viewers saw on national television was not the same one his people saw upstairs. That's lame, and it gets a little tiring how analysts consider this man one of the best coaches in the NFL. Put him on the Cleveland Browns, and he'll be worse than Eric Mangini. He has no involvement in his offense. He was a defensive coordinator with the Vikings before he got here and Dick Lebeau still runs the Steelers' defense. Tomlin is left in no man's land. He's a motivational speaker at best, and he was handed a Super Bowl winning team when Bill Cowher retired. People need to stop giving this man credit, and give credit to Roethlisberger, Harrison and Polamalu, who are getting the job done.
To Boston Celtics' F Kevin Garnett and Michael Wilbon, for Garnett's incident involving Detroit Pistons F Charlie Villaneuva in their game on Tuesday night. After the game was over, Villaneuva tweeted that he was very upset with Garnett because Garnett called him a "cancer patient." Garnett responded by saying he told Villaneuva he was a cancer to his team and the league. Wilbon, on ESPN's PTI show, said he knows Garnett and doesn't know Villaneuva and knows Garnett would not say anything like that.
C'Mon Man. The "cancer patient" joke from Garnett is something 13-year-olds say to each other. Garnett is 34. Grow up! I have a hard time believing Garnett would tell Villaneuva he's cancerous to his team and the league in the heat of a game. Why would Garnett care anyway? It's clear he's lying, and Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers have come to Garnett's defense. They should, because they are all family in the same organization. However, what in the world is Wilbon talking about? Here's a man, along with Magic Johnson, who talks glowingly about the same NBA players. It gets tiring and they're bandwagoners. It's about time Wilbon keeps quiet about Garnett, Lebron, Kobe and Durant, because he says nothing but positive things about them, like they aren't human beings. He shouldn't be on the NBA shows, and he should be removed from PTI because he brings nothing exciting to any show. It's quite disgraceful that he would even take sides in this scenario. At the end of the day, I don't agree with Villaneuva stating that on Twitter. However, Garnett just needs to apologize to him and that's the end of it.
C'Mon Man.
Friday, October 29, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler, for throwing four interceptions to the same person in their 17-14 home loss to the Washington Redskins. Cutler was also sacked four times and the Bears offense committed six turnovers altogether. CB DeAngelo Hall was the lucky recipient on all four of Cutler's interceptions. The second one was a highlight, as he made the interception with one hand and proceeded to take it 92 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, which proved to be the last score and the game-winner. Cutler threw a touchdown and also completed 65% of his passes, but the turnovers did them in.
C'Mon Man. How do you get picked off by the same guy four times in one game? How does it happen against Hall of all people, who is overrated? After the second interception, Cutler had no business going Hall's direction for the rest of the game. You have CB Carlos Rogers on the other side, who everyone knows he can't catch. I'm trying to pick him apart if I'm Cutler, but his Vanderbilt education was for naught. The more troubling part is his postgame comments. He basically stated he threw Hall's direction all game because he knows Hall isn't good. Well, my friend, I thought the same thing too. But he didn't intercept me four times. He did that to you so the next time you play against him, change your strategy after the first interception.
To Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bob Stoops, for punting the ball down nine with a little over two minutes left in their loss against Missouri. The Sooners had a 4th down at their own 7 yard line down two scores. Usually, coaches will go for it in hopes of a start to a dramatic comeback. Instead, Stoops sent out his punt team, and the Missouri ended up winning the game by nine. Stoops explained afterwards that it was "futile" to go for it on 4th down pinned that deep in their own territory. Oklahoma was #1 in the BCS standings going into the game, and after that loss, they dropped to #9.
C'Mon Man. Herman Edwards famously said, "You play to win the game. HELLO!" I don't think Stoops was paying attention when Edwards said that. There's no way you punt in that situation. How can you expect your team to play hard for you for 60 minutes if you give up on the opportunity for a comeback? It doesn't make any sense. But don't blame Stoops. Blame the BCS. Stoops clearly did it so Missouri won't score another touchdown and blow out the Sooners. He knows that would've dipped them even lower in the BCS rankings had they scored again. It's time to get rid of this stupid BCS system and create a real playoff system. The excuses have to go and a real champion needs to be determined. Call me if you want a playoff format for college football. I already got one thought out.
To FOX Sports, for making the NFL on FOX theme music the universal theme music for all FOX Sports presentations. People began to take notice during Game 1 of the NLCS between the Giants and the Phillies. Every time they were going to a commercial break, they would play the NFL on FOX theme. Most people were searching for answers via Twitter or other social networking sites. FOX Sports explained afterwards that they made the NFL on FOX their universal theme music, and therefore ditched every other theme music.
C'Mon Man. How you do something like that? They had me thinking it was Sunday and the New York Giants were playing. There's no way a switch like this is good for FOX Sports. The NFL on FOX theme music is synonymous with the NFL and the hard-hitting action every Sunday. The MLB on FOX theme music was synonymous with MLB on Saturdays and October. They may not change it before the end of this World Series, but they certainly have to change it back to how it used to be for next season. I will stop watching baseball on FOX if they play the NFL theme music. It doesn't sound good with baseball, period. I don't know who suggested the idea to FOX Sports, but whoever did, it's a big FAIL. Some sports are synonymous with theme music, for example, the NBA on NBC, Monday Night Football on ABC, and college basketball on CBS. I would have to say the NFL on FOX and the MLB on FOX is close behind, so don't ruin it forever.
C'Mon Man. How do you get picked off by the same guy four times in one game? How does it happen against Hall of all people, who is overrated? After the second interception, Cutler had no business going Hall's direction for the rest of the game. You have CB Carlos Rogers on the other side, who everyone knows he can't catch. I'm trying to pick him apart if I'm Cutler, but his Vanderbilt education was for naught. The more troubling part is his postgame comments. He basically stated he threw Hall's direction all game because he knows Hall isn't good. Well, my friend, I thought the same thing too. But he didn't intercept me four times. He did that to you so the next time you play against him, change your strategy after the first interception.
To Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bob Stoops, for punting the ball down nine with a little over two minutes left in their loss against Missouri. The Sooners had a 4th down at their own 7 yard line down two scores. Usually, coaches will go for it in hopes of a start to a dramatic comeback. Instead, Stoops sent out his punt team, and the Missouri ended up winning the game by nine. Stoops explained afterwards that it was "futile" to go for it on 4th down pinned that deep in their own territory. Oklahoma was #1 in the BCS standings going into the game, and after that loss, they dropped to #9.
C'Mon Man. Herman Edwards famously said, "You play to win the game. HELLO!" I don't think Stoops was paying attention when Edwards said that. There's no way you punt in that situation. How can you expect your team to play hard for you for 60 minutes if you give up on the opportunity for a comeback? It doesn't make any sense. But don't blame Stoops. Blame the BCS. Stoops clearly did it so Missouri won't score another touchdown and blow out the Sooners. He knows that would've dipped them even lower in the BCS rankings had they scored again. It's time to get rid of this stupid BCS system and create a real playoff system. The excuses have to go and a real champion needs to be determined. Call me if you want a playoff format for college football. I already got one thought out.
To FOX Sports, for making the NFL on FOX theme music the universal theme music for all FOX Sports presentations. People began to take notice during Game 1 of the NLCS between the Giants and the Phillies. Every time they were going to a commercial break, they would play the NFL on FOX theme. Most people were searching for answers via Twitter or other social networking sites. FOX Sports explained afterwards that they made the NFL on FOX their universal theme music, and therefore ditched every other theme music.
C'Mon Man. How you do something like that? They had me thinking it was Sunday and the New York Giants were playing. There's no way a switch like this is good for FOX Sports. The NFL on FOX theme music is synonymous with the NFL and the hard-hitting action every Sunday. The MLB on FOX theme music was synonymous with MLB on Saturdays and October. They may not change it before the end of this World Series, but they certainly have to change it back to how it used to be for next season. I will stop watching baseball on FOX if they play the NFL theme music. It doesn't sound good with baseball, period. I don't know who suggested the idea to FOX Sports, but whoever did, it's a big FAIL. Some sports are synonymous with theme music, for example, the NBA on NBC, Monday Night Football on ABC, and college basketball on CBS. I would have to say the NFL on FOX and the MLB on FOX is close behind, so don't ruin it forever.
Friday, October 22, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To Miami Dolphins LB Channing Crowder, for saying he intends to still use his helmet to make tackles. Week 6 saw some brutal hits, which lead to a couple of concussions. The NFL didn't react to well to them. Concussions have been a big issue in the past couple of years, with research and studies being more frequent than it's ever been. The NFL fined Falcons CB Dunta Robinson $50,000, Patriots S Brandon Meriweather $50,000, and Steelers LB James Harrison $75,000 for their helmet-to-helmet hits on Sunday. Harrison didn't take the fine too well, threatening to retire because of the restrictions being placed on tackles and hits. Crowder chimed in afterward and made his comments.
C'Mon Man. Here's what the NFL is going to start doing. Look at Crowder's tackles. Harrison made a comment after the game that probably didn't sit well with the NFL, and that's probably why he got a hefty fine. The NFL is probably going to look at Harrison's tackles more. The same goes for Crowder. He is going to be looked at more because of his comments, which is a pretty stupid thing to talk about that. He just needs to keep his mouth closed and play football. All Crowder does is talk and doesn't show a good product on the field. He reminds me of Packers LB Nick Barnett. They are guys who just talk and their stat line ends up very unimpressive at the end of the game.
To Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson, for the comments he made after the Titans beat the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Johnson was invited to the ESPN set with Stuart Scott, Matt Millen and Steve Young to talk about his performance after the game. Scott asked him what's different about his performance early this season than early last season. Johnson responded by saying the Titans were much more effective early last season running the ball and they need to get back to that this season to continue being effective. Johnson had 26 carries for 111 yards in the win.
C'Mon Man. Can anyone remember how the Titans started the season last year? If you can't remember, let me remind you. They started 0-6, culminating in a 59-0 loss to the Patriots. How in the world do they need to get back to what they were doing last season if they started 0-6? This makes no sense at all, and Johnson is a classic case of selfishness. Before this season started, Johnson was talking about gaining 2,500 yards. He has struggled to get yards this season, and that's probably why he is frustrated. He is nowhere on pace to get 2,000 yards, but the Titans are winning. The Titans need to keep doing what they are doing now because it's winning football games. Do not listen to Johnson.
To Miami Heat F Lebron James, for revealing the hateful tweets he received after he decided to join the Heat. James decided to re-tweet the hateful messages he received and show them to the public and his 900,000 followers. Some of the messages he received were racist, proving his management's point that there were a lot of racist attitudes when he left Cleveland. James is currently less than a week away from the start of the regular season, so the preseason is the time he's been using to get acclimated to Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
C'Mon Man. Seriously, do you need any more attention? Do you want more attention? I'm done talking about James. I didn't agree with his decision either. But I'm over it and I'm pretty sure a lot of people are over it also. James recently said Cleveland fans need to get over it. It seems as it is James who hasn't gotten over it. He keeps bringing it up. Why? Shut up and play basketball, and try to achieve what you came to South Beach to do. Win a championship! Everyone knows his legacy is tarnished. Heck, even James knows that. At this point, we are three months removed from "The Decision" so he is no longer a story until the regular season starts. Stop making yourself a story!
C'Mon Man. Here's what the NFL is going to start doing. Look at Crowder's tackles. Harrison made a comment after the game that probably didn't sit well with the NFL, and that's probably why he got a hefty fine. The NFL is probably going to look at Harrison's tackles more. The same goes for Crowder. He is going to be looked at more because of his comments, which is a pretty stupid thing to talk about that. He just needs to keep his mouth closed and play football. All Crowder does is talk and doesn't show a good product on the field. He reminds me of Packers LB Nick Barnett. They are guys who just talk and their stat line ends up very unimpressive at the end of the game.
To Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson, for the comments he made after the Titans beat the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Johnson was invited to the ESPN set with Stuart Scott, Matt Millen and Steve Young to talk about his performance after the game. Scott asked him what's different about his performance early this season than early last season. Johnson responded by saying the Titans were much more effective early last season running the ball and they need to get back to that this season to continue being effective. Johnson had 26 carries for 111 yards in the win.
C'Mon Man. Can anyone remember how the Titans started the season last year? If you can't remember, let me remind you. They started 0-6, culminating in a 59-0 loss to the Patriots. How in the world do they need to get back to what they were doing last season if they started 0-6? This makes no sense at all, and Johnson is a classic case of selfishness. Before this season started, Johnson was talking about gaining 2,500 yards. He has struggled to get yards this season, and that's probably why he is frustrated. He is nowhere on pace to get 2,000 yards, but the Titans are winning. The Titans need to keep doing what they are doing now because it's winning football games. Do not listen to Johnson.
To Miami Heat F Lebron James, for revealing the hateful tweets he received after he decided to join the Heat. James decided to re-tweet the hateful messages he received and show them to the public and his 900,000 followers. Some of the messages he received were racist, proving his management's point that there were a lot of racist attitudes when he left Cleveland. James is currently less than a week away from the start of the regular season, so the preseason is the time he's been using to get acclimated to Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
C'Mon Man. Seriously, do you need any more attention? Do you want more attention? I'm done talking about James. I didn't agree with his decision either. But I'm over it and I'm pretty sure a lot of people are over it also. James recently said Cleveland fans need to get over it. It seems as it is James who hasn't gotten over it. He keeps bringing it up. Why? Shut up and play basketball, and try to achieve what you came to South Beach to do. Win a championship! Everyone knows his legacy is tarnished. Heck, even James knows that. At this point, we are three months removed from "The Decision" so he is no longer a story until the regular season starts. Stop making yourself a story!
Friday, October 15, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To G Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards, for admitting he faked an injury and sat out a preseason game. On Tuesday's home preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, Arenas sat out of the game with an apparent knee injury. Coach Flip Saunders believed Arenas had a minor knee injury and was okay with Arenas sitting out of the game. However, after the game, Arenas told reporters that his knee was fine and he faked the injury. He explained he faked the injury because he wanted to give teammate G Nick Young a chance to play since he was frustrated with the possibility he may not be a regular in the rotation.
C'Mon Man. Hasn't Gilbert's mouth gotten him in trouble countless times before? I'm pretty sure there's been numerous players in all sports who have faked injuries for whatever reason. However, you do not tell that to the media. Arenas himself said that he screwed up again by telling the media about this. The Wizards ended up fining him an undisclosed amount of money. I'm just starting to believe Arenas is depressed in D.C. and is either looking for a way to leave the Wizards or he's just looking for attention. I'm convinced Arenas is not in the NBA to win anymore, and he is doing a disservice to the Wizards and the NBA by being in the league.
To referee Kane Fitzgerald, for giving F Kevin Garnett two quick technical fouls and subsequent ejection during the second quarter of the preseason game between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. It all occurred when C Jermaine O'Neal was called for a loose-ball foul late in the quarter. O'Neal started arguing about the call to referee Zach Zarba and got hit with a technical from him. All the way near half-court immediately after, Fitzgerald gives Garnett the first technical, and when Garnett didn't end the chatter, he gave him the second technical and an ejection. Garnett seemed very surprise at the ejection and Celtics announcer Tommy Heinsohn certainly spoke his mind and voiced his displeasure for the referees after the call.
C'Mon Man. This is just another example of the watered-down NBA. How is it acceptable that referees can make such horrible calls at times and the players can't voice their displeasure at it? That doesn't make any sense at all, and that needs to be fixed. Commissioner David Stern is the force behind this, trying to crack down on player-referee arguments. It's just stupid. Fans pay a lot of money to see these stars come out and play good ball. Ejecting them in the second quarter isn't giving them their money's worth. If the referee and Stern continues this quick disciplinary action, they'll begin to lose fans. It's simply unacceptable for the game. The referees cannot dictate how the game goes, and that's what it's looking like right now.
To the special teams of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football program, for committing one of the dumbest special teams plays ever. It occurred in the first quarter of their matchup against the Baylor Bears. After Texas Tech scored a touchdown to tie the game at 7, coach Tommy Tuberville decided to ignite some energy and surprise Baylor with an onside kick. When the ball wasn't kicked the required 10 yards for an onside kick, players from Texas Tech stood around the football waiting for it to roll a couple more yards. That's when RB Terrance Ganaway picked it up and ran 38 yards for the touchdown, completing a disastrous special teams play.
C'Mon Man. What's up with these onside kick calls early in the game? There's no reason for Tuberville to make that call with the game tied at 7. Even worse, what exactly were the players waiting for? I hope they weren't waiting for wind, because it wasn't coming. They stood around like a bunch of idiots and watched a Baylor player walk right in and pick up the ball. That's inexcusable on the part of the players. Luckily, it didn't affect the outcome of the game for Texas Tech, as they won 45-38. However, next time for Tuberville, don't make that call again. For the players, when the ball is at a complete standstill, please pick up the ball, and be aware of your surroundings.
C'Mon Man. Hasn't Gilbert's mouth gotten him in trouble countless times before? I'm pretty sure there's been numerous players in all sports who have faked injuries for whatever reason. However, you do not tell that to the media. Arenas himself said that he screwed up again by telling the media about this. The Wizards ended up fining him an undisclosed amount of money. I'm just starting to believe Arenas is depressed in D.C. and is either looking for a way to leave the Wizards or he's just looking for attention. I'm convinced Arenas is not in the NBA to win anymore, and he is doing a disservice to the Wizards and the NBA by being in the league.
To referee Kane Fitzgerald, for giving F Kevin Garnett two quick technical fouls and subsequent ejection during the second quarter of the preseason game between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. It all occurred when C Jermaine O'Neal was called for a loose-ball foul late in the quarter. O'Neal started arguing about the call to referee Zach Zarba and got hit with a technical from him. All the way near half-court immediately after, Fitzgerald gives Garnett the first technical, and when Garnett didn't end the chatter, he gave him the second technical and an ejection. Garnett seemed very surprise at the ejection and Celtics announcer Tommy Heinsohn certainly spoke his mind and voiced his displeasure for the referees after the call.
C'Mon Man. This is just another example of the watered-down NBA. How is it acceptable that referees can make such horrible calls at times and the players can't voice their displeasure at it? That doesn't make any sense at all, and that needs to be fixed. Commissioner David Stern is the force behind this, trying to crack down on player-referee arguments. It's just stupid. Fans pay a lot of money to see these stars come out and play good ball. Ejecting them in the second quarter isn't giving them their money's worth. If the referee and Stern continues this quick disciplinary action, they'll begin to lose fans. It's simply unacceptable for the game. The referees cannot dictate how the game goes, and that's what it's looking like right now.
To the special teams of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football program, for committing one of the dumbest special teams plays ever. It occurred in the first quarter of their matchup against the Baylor Bears. After Texas Tech scored a touchdown to tie the game at 7, coach Tommy Tuberville decided to ignite some energy and surprise Baylor with an onside kick. When the ball wasn't kicked the required 10 yards for an onside kick, players from Texas Tech stood around the football waiting for it to roll a couple more yards. That's when RB Terrance Ganaway picked it up and ran 38 yards for the touchdown, completing a disastrous special teams play.
C'Mon Man. What's up with these onside kick calls early in the game? There's no reason for Tuberville to make that call with the game tied at 7. Even worse, what exactly were the players waiting for? I hope they weren't waiting for wind, because it wasn't coming. They stood around like a bunch of idiots and watched a Baylor player walk right in and pick up the ball. That's inexcusable on the part of the players. Luckily, it didn't affect the outcome of the game for Texas Tech, as they won 45-38. However, next time for Tuberville, don't make that call again. For the players, when the ball is at a complete standstill, please pick up the ball, and be aware of your surroundings.
Friday, October 8, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To CB Nate Clements of the San Francisco 49ers, for blowing the game for the 49ers in their matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Just when it couldn't get worse for the 49ers, it magically appeared to happen. With under two minutes to go and the 49ers leading 14-13, Clements picked off a pass from QB Matt Ryan and proceeded to run 39 yards down the left sideline. Clements was also setting up his blocks so he can return the interception for a touchdown. WR Roddy White proceeded to run down Clements and strip the football, in which it was recovered by the Falcons. They drove down the field with a second chance and kicked a game-winning field goal with four seconds left.
C'Mon Man. How in the world do you commit the same mistake CB Dre Bly did last year? In last year's matchup between the Falcons and 49ers, this time in San Francisco, Bly intercepted a pass from Ryan and was running it back when he started show-boating. There goes that man again! WR Roddy White ran him down from behind and stripped the football from Bly and recovered it, and the Falcons blew out the 49ers. This time, the 49ers are struggling, at 0-3. You have to make that pick and fall down. The 49ers easily go with run plays until the Falcons use all of their timeouts and then the 49ers sit on it for the win. To Clements' credit, that won't happen too often. That's just a case of bad luck. However, if the 49ers play the Falcons again next year, please just fall down. You're better off.
To the University of Tennessee football, for blowing what would've been a big win for the program this season. With under five seconds left in the game, and LSU at the 1-yard line, LSU QB Jarrett Lee got a bad snap that went behind him. That right there was seemingly the game, and Tennessee pulls off a big upset. But there was a flag. Tennessee's defense had 13 men on the field. LSU got another chance with an untimed down, essentially the last play of the game, and RB Stevan Ridley ran it in for the touchdown and a 16-14 win.
C'Mon Man. What was Tennessee coach Derek Dooley doing? I can understand having 12 men on the field. Even though it shouldn't happen, it happens sometimes. But 13? Now you just have no control over your team. You have to be more organized than that. Tennessee could've gotten a big win over a top 25 conference team on the road and bring their record over .500. Now, the struggles for the Volunteers continues, with two losses in the SEC now. With Alabama and South Carolina coming up down the road, you can call this another mediocre season for the Volunteers.
To head coach Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles, for the Eagles getting a delay of game penalty after a timeout against the Redskins. RB LeSean McCoy had a run in which the Eagles thought was a touchdown. The referees took a look at it and then decided that he was a yard short. Then Reid called a timeout, and during the timeout, he argued with the referees because he thought the spot was too far. Then QB Kevin Kolb ran out onto the field with 10 seconds left, not enough time to call the play and run it. They were called for delay of game, and then had to settle for a field goal before halftime.
C'Mon Man. I thought clock management issues were a thing of the past. Eagles fans used to blame QB Donovan McNabb for those issues, but this time, McNabb certainly realized the clock on the other sideline. Now it's starting to look like Reid has clock management issues. Regardless of who's fault it was, you cannot devote an entire timeout to talking with the officials. The play clock is going to start eventually, so you got to use the timeout to make a play call. What was Kolb doing on the sideline anyway? He should've been out there the whole time. That would've made the communication a lot faster. The Eagles lost 17-12 also, so a touchdown instead of a field goal probably has the game tied. Now, the Eagles deal with an embarrassing loss to McNabb and they have an injured QB Michael Vick.
C'Mon Man. How in the world do you commit the same mistake CB Dre Bly did last year? In last year's matchup between the Falcons and 49ers, this time in San Francisco, Bly intercepted a pass from Ryan and was running it back when he started show-boating. There goes that man again! WR Roddy White ran him down from behind and stripped the football from Bly and recovered it, and the Falcons blew out the 49ers. This time, the 49ers are struggling, at 0-3. You have to make that pick and fall down. The 49ers easily go with run plays until the Falcons use all of their timeouts and then the 49ers sit on it for the win. To Clements' credit, that won't happen too often. That's just a case of bad luck. However, if the 49ers play the Falcons again next year, please just fall down. You're better off.
To the University of Tennessee football, for blowing what would've been a big win for the program this season. With under five seconds left in the game, and LSU at the 1-yard line, LSU QB Jarrett Lee got a bad snap that went behind him. That right there was seemingly the game, and Tennessee pulls off a big upset. But there was a flag. Tennessee's defense had 13 men on the field. LSU got another chance with an untimed down, essentially the last play of the game, and RB Stevan Ridley ran it in for the touchdown and a 16-14 win.
C'Mon Man. What was Tennessee coach Derek Dooley doing? I can understand having 12 men on the field. Even though it shouldn't happen, it happens sometimes. But 13? Now you just have no control over your team. You have to be more organized than that. Tennessee could've gotten a big win over a top 25 conference team on the road and bring their record over .500. Now, the struggles for the Volunteers continues, with two losses in the SEC now. With Alabama and South Carolina coming up down the road, you can call this another mediocre season for the Volunteers.
To head coach Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles, for the Eagles getting a delay of game penalty after a timeout against the Redskins. RB LeSean McCoy had a run in which the Eagles thought was a touchdown. The referees took a look at it and then decided that he was a yard short. Then Reid called a timeout, and during the timeout, he argued with the referees because he thought the spot was too far. Then QB Kevin Kolb ran out onto the field with 10 seconds left, not enough time to call the play and run it. They were called for delay of game, and then had to settle for a field goal before halftime.
C'Mon Man. I thought clock management issues were a thing of the past. Eagles fans used to blame QB Donovan McNabb for those issues, but this time, McNabb certainly realized the clock on the other sideline. Now it's starting to look like Reid has clock management issues. Regardless of who's fault it was, you cannot devote an entire timeout to talking with the officials. The play clock is going to start eventually, so you got to use the timeout to make a play call. What was Kolb doing on the sideline anyway? He should've been out there the whole time. That would've made the communication a lot faster. The Eagles lost 17-12 also, so a touchdown instead of a field goal probably has the game tied. Now, the Eagles deal with an embarrassing loss to McNabb and they have an injured QB Michael Vick.
Friday, October 1, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To San Diego Charges OL Marcus McNeill, for agreeing to sign with the Chargers for a one year, $630,000 tender last week. If you can recall, the Chargers offered McNeill and WR Vincent Jackson over $3 million tenders each because the Chargers were unsure of the upcoming uncapped season. Both of them decided they were worth long-term deals, so both of them held out of all offseason activities until they got a long-term deal. The Chargers stayed firm in their stance, refusing to offer any of them long-term deals with the uncertainty of next season and beyond.
C'Mon Man. Are you serious? $630,000 over $3 million? He must've been very desperate because that is a significantly less amount of money. Even worse, he will only make $407,000 because he won't be paid for the other three games he'll miss because the Chargers got a roster exemption. That means he'll have to miss the first six games of the season. Can you say dummy move? Jackson has stayed firm in his stance, knowing he'll get a long term deal with another team. That is exactly what McNeill should've done. I guess he needed the money now.
To referee Carl Cheffers, who was the lead official of last Sunday's game between the Cowboys and Texans. During the early stages of the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys up 17-6, a punt was returned by the Cowboys and there were multiple penalties on the play. After converging with the officiating team, Cheffers announced the penalties, but as it turned out, he was confused himself. After attempting to explain it the first time, he took a personal timeout to talk with the officiating team again.
C'Mon Man. As a referee, you need to know, or at least look like you know what you're doing out there. He clearly needed a moment chewing over a Twix because that was the only thing that was going to save him. Even worse, he explained the penalties the second time and still seemed confused. At the end, he forgot which team had possession, stuttering before stating that the Cowboys had possession. This is just another embarrassing moment for the referees, but to his credit, it didn't impact the game at all. I'll cut Cheffers some slack, because there was a lot going on in that play. To see the video, http://youbeenblinded.com/referee-carl-cheffers-struggling-at-cowboys-texans-game/9340
To ESPN, for actually going out to Florida to cover the training camp for the Miami Heat. As if they haven't gotten enough coverage, the people over there at Bristol decides it was worth the watch to go down to cover their training camp. I wonder who's idea that was, because I'm certainly not interested in watching coverage of their training camp, and neither is a lot of other people. Also, the Heat decided to hold part of their training camp at an Air Force base. I wonder who's idea that was, because they're just trying to look like the good guys when there's nothing to prove.
C'Mon Man. Who even knew the NBA had training camps? It's well noted that the NFL has training camps, most times in sweltering heat. Spring training in baseball is known to a lot of people. Training camp for basketball? I don't think a lot of people knew it existed, but they know now. No one is interested in training camps or preseason basketball. We're all waiting for October 26th, when the Heat play the Celtics in the first regular season game of the season. However, as of now, we can keep Lebron, Wade, and Bosh out of the spotlight till then.
C'Mon Man. Are you serious? $630,000 over $3 million? He must've been very desperate because that is a significantly less amount of money. Even worse, he will only make $407,000 because he won't be paid for the other three games he'll miss because the Chargers got a roster exemption. That means he'll have to miss the first six games of the season. Can you say dummy move? Jackson has stayed firm in his stance, knowing he'll get a long term deal with another team. That is exactly what McNeill should've done. I guess he needed the money now.
To referee Carl Cheffers, who was the lead official of last Sunday's game between the Cowboys and Texans. During the early stages of the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys up 17-6, a punt was returned by the Cowboys and there were multiple penalties on the play. After converging with the officiating team, Cheffers announced the penalties, but as it turned out, he was confused himself. After attempting to explain it the first time, he took a personal timeout to talk with the officiating team again.
C'Mon Man. As a referee, you need to know, or at least look like you know what you're doing out there. He clearly needed a moment chewing over a Twix because that was the only thing that was going to save him. Even worse, he explained the penalties the second time and still seemed confused. At the end, he forgot which team had possession, stuttering before stating that the Cowboys had possession. This is just another embarrassing moment for the referees, but to his credit, it didn't impact the game at all. I'll cut Cheffers some slack, because there was a lot going on in that play. To see the video, http://youbeenblinded.com/referee-carl-cheffers-struggling-at-cowboys-texans-game/9340
To ESPN, for actually going out to Florida to cover the training camp for the Miami Heat. As if they haven't gotten enough coverage, the people over there at Bristol decides it was worth the watch to go down to cover their training camp. I wonder who's idea that was, because I'm certainly not interested in watching coverage of their training camp, and neither is a lot of other people. Also, the Heat decided to hold part of their training camp at an Air Force base. I wonder who's idea that was, because they're just trying to look like the good guys when there's nothing to prove.
C'Mon Man. Who even knew the NBA had training camps? It's well noted that the NFL has training camps, most times in sweltering heat. Spring training in baseball is known to a lot of people. Training camp for basketball? I don't think a lot of people knew it existed, but they know now. No one is interested in training camps or preseason basketball. We're all waiting for October 26th, when the Heat play the Celtics in the first regular season game of the season. However, as of now, we can keep Lebron, Wade, and Bosh out of the spotlight till then.
Friday, September 24, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To Kansas City Chiefs DL Shaun Smith, for grabbing the crotch of Cleveland Browns C Alex Mack during the Chiefs-Browns game. The incident occurred in the second quarter, though it isn't clear when exactly it happened. This is an accusation from Mack, as Smith vehemently denies grabbing his crotch. Mack apparently chased down Smith after the play, but didn't get to him because the play ended and the punt team was coming onto the field. However, later in the quarter, Mack took out his aggravation on LB Derrick Johnson, pushing him violently from behind and getting a 15-yard penalty for it.
C'Mon Man. If this is true, you know this is foul. You never go anywhere near another man's genitals if you're a man. That is foul territory and Smith better be right when he says it isn't true. There have been other incidents where players have gone that low. Boston Celtics G Ray Allen elbowed Cleveland Cavaliers F Anderson Varejao in the genitals and got a technical foul for it. Way back when, G Rafer Alston was ejected from a playoff game when he punched G David Wesley in that area when Alston was with the Heat and Wesley with the Hornets. In regards to Smith, however, at least the Chiefs won the game and got revenge for their poor outing against the Browns last year, when they allowed RB Jerome Harrison to rush for 286 yards.
To Miami Dolphins CB Vontae Davis, for hurting himself during a celebration after making a great tackle. Davis is a good corner for that Dolphins team, but his celebrations aren't as good. After a great tackle on Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe in the third quarter, Davis got up and stopped his foot violently and snapped his back violently as well. That's when the pain came. He started favoring his shoulder and signaling toward the sideline to indicate he was hurt, to the laughs of his teammates on the sideline. It was diagnosed as a shoulder stinger, but Davis returned to the game.
C'Mon Man. You haven't looked at past celebrations that have gotten players hurt? K Bill Gramatica is the poster boy for getting hurt while doing celebrations when he tore his ACL jumping up and down after making a simple field goal back in 2000. That play is constantly shown over and over, and that is the only thing he's known for in his career. Davis would've been better served going back to the huddle and trying to make some more stops. To his credit, he was able to come back in the game a play later, so it wasn't as devastating. But Davis should learn now to just go back to the huddle as opposed to celebrating on a simple tackle.
To New York Mets P Francisco Rodriguez, for texting his girlfriend 56 times after his girlfriend and her father were given a court protection order of no contact with each other. Rodriguez beat down his girlfriend's father at Citi Field and was promptly arrested. In the weeks after, he managed to text her numerous times against the court order, and got busted for it. Now he's being charged with seven counts of criminal comtempt for those text messages.
C'Mon Man. How stupid can you actually be? The Mets started talking about voiding his contract after the fight happened. Then he proceeds to compound his problems by sending those text messages. He's pretty much telling the jury and the judge to put him in jail, because that's where he'll end up if he does anything stupid again. I wonder what he had to say to his girlfriend in those text messages. It hasn't been revealed but I hope they weren't any threatening messages. If they were, that'll only add to his problems. At least Rodriguez has enough money to retire off of right now.
C'Mon Man. If this is true, you know this is foul. You never go anywhere near another man's genitals if you're a man. That is foul territory and Smith better be right when he says it isn't true. There have been other incidents where players have gone that low. Boston Celtics G Ray Allen elbowed Cleveland Cavaliers F Anderson Varejao in the genitals and got a technical foul for it. Way back when, G Rafer Alston was ejected from a playoff game when he punched G David Wesley in that area when Alston was with the Heat and Wesley with the Hornets. In regards to Smith, however, at least the Chiefs won the game and got revenge for their poor outing against the Browns last year, when they allowed RB Jerome Harrison to rush for 286 yards.
To Miami Dolphins CB Vontae Davis, for hurting himself during a celebration after making a great tackle. Davis is a good corner for that Dolphins team, but his celebrations aren't as good. After a great tackle on Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe in the third quarter, Davis got up and stopped his foot violently and snapped his back violently as well. That's when the pain came. He started favoring his shoulder and signaling toward the sideline to indicate he was hurt, to the laughs of his teammates on the sideline. It was diagnosed as a shoulder stinger, but Davis returned to the game.
C'Mon Man. You haven't looked at past celebrations that have gotten players hurt? K Bill Gramatica is the poster boy for getting hurt while doing celebrations when he tore his ACL jumping up and down after making a simple field goal back in 2000. That play is constantly shown over and over, and that is the only thing he's known for in his career. Davis would've been better served going back to the huddle and trying to make some more stops. To his credit, he was able to come back in the game a play later, so it wasn't as devastating. But Davis should learn now to just go back to the huddle as opposed to celebrating on a simple tackle.
To New York Mets P Francisco Rodriguez, for texting his girlfriend 56 times after his girlfriend and her father were given a court protection order of no contact with each other. Rodriguez beat down his girlfriend's father at Citi Field and was promptly arrested. In the weeks after, he managed to text her numerous times against the court order, and got busted for it. Now he's being charged with seven counts of criminal comtempt for those text messages.
C'Mon Man. How stupid can you actually be? The Mets started talking about voiding his contract after the fight happened. Then he proceeds to compound his problems by sending those text messages. He's pretty much telling the jury and the judge to put him in jail, because that's where he'll end up if he does anything stupid again. I wonder what he had to say to his girlfriend in those text messages. It hasn't been revealed but I hope they weren't any threatening messages. If they were, that'll only add to his problems. At least Rodriguez has enough money to retire off of right now.
Friday, September 17, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
To the referees of the Lions-Bears game, for reversing the touchdown by WR Calvin Johnson, essentially losing the game for the Lions. QB Shaun Hill threw a deep pass to the right sideline for Johnson, and he was able to go up and get the football for the touchdown. As he was getting up to celebrate, he lost the football, and the referee reviewed it and came to the conclusion that he did not have full possession of the football.
C'mon man. He completely had full possession of the football and the Lions should've been awarded the touchdown. It does say in the NFL rulebook that he has to maintain possession throughout, but that is a dumb rule. The ball clearly didn't move as he got it and landed. That is a catch, and the Lions had a chance to win a road game, something they haven't done since the 2007 season, and start off 1-0. Now they face the Eagles, a team that we don't know about yet but also a team that can beat the Lions. They're staring at 0-2 just because of a bad rule and a bad call.
To TE Dustin Keller of the Jets, for not picking up the first down on 4th and 10 during Monday Night's game between the Ravens and the Jets. The Jets offense had struggled all day, but they got the ball back with under two minutes to go down 10-9. The Jets didn't do much up to that 4th and 10. However, QB Mark Sanchez made a good throw to a wide-open Keller for nine yards. He had some space with no defender around him. Instead, Keller decides to make sure his feet is down and not stretch the ball out for the marker.
C'mon man. That would've been a big boost for Sanchez, and all the Jets needed was a field goal to win. To Keller's credit, he did get blasted by LB Ray Lewis on a pass over the middle from Sanchez earlier in the possession, so he may not have been thinking straight. Whatever his reasons may be, he should've put the ball in his left hand and put the ball past the marker, and he would've easily gotten the first down. Now the Jets, who came in as Super Bowl contenders, are 0-1 with the Patriots ready to come in this week and hand them another loss.
To OF Carl Crawford of the Rays, for trying to tag up to third base on a flyout and getting tagged out for the final out in Tuesday's game against the Yankees. OF Matt Joyce flied out to right field with one out, effectively making the second out. However, Crawford decided to try to advance to third base using his speed. However, OF Greg Golson made a perfect throw to 3B Alex Rodriguez, and he applied the tag to end the game in the 10th inning, giving the Rays a 8-7 loss and dropping them back behind the Yankees in the AL East.
C'mon man. Crawford could've easily scored and tied the game on a single had he stayed at second base. However, he decided to get greedy and tried to make what he thought was the smart play. Wrong! To Crawford's credit, no one really knows who Golson is, being that he is a rookie who was just called up to the majors. It was the 10th inning, however, and that out was the final out that sealed the victory for the Yankees. You never make the final out doing that in a ball game. At least Crawford learns his lesson now, so he won't make that mistake in the playoffs and cost the Rays an important game.
C'mon man. He completely had full possession of the football and the Lions should've been awarded the touchdown. It does say in the NFL rulebook that he has to maintain possession throughout, but that is a dumb rule. The ball clearly didn't move as he got it and landed. That is a catch, and the Lions had a chance to win a road game, something they haven't done since the 2007 season, and start off 1-0. Now they face the Eagles, a team that we don't know about yet but also a team that can beat the Lions. They're staring at 0-2 just because of a bad rule and a bad call.
To TE Dustin Keller of the Jets, for not picking up the first down on 4th and 10 during Monday Night's game between the Ravens and the Jets. The Jets offense had struggled all day, but they got the ball back with under two minutes to go down 10-9. The Jets didn't do much up to that 4th and 10. However, QB Mark Sanchez made a good throw to a wide-open Keller for nine yards. He had some space with no defender around him. Instead, Keller decides to make sure his feet is down and not stretch the ball out for the marker.
C'mon man. That would've been a big boost for Sanchez, and all the Jets needed was a field goal to win. To Keller's credit, he did get blasted by LB Ray Lewis on a pass over the middle from Sanchez earlier in the possession, so he may not have been thinking straight. Whatever his reasons may be, he should've put the ball in his left hand and put the ball past the marker, and he would've easily gotten the first down. Now the Jets, who came in as Super Bowl contenders, are 0-1 with the Patriots ready to come in this week and hand them another loss.
To OF Carl Crawford of the Rays, for trying to tag up to third base on a flyout and getting tagged out for the final out in Tuesday's game against the Yankees. OF Matt Joyce flied out to right field with one out, effectively making the second out. However, Crawford decided to try to advance to third base using his speed. However, OF Greg Golson made a perfect throw to 3B Alex Rodriguez, and he applied the tag to end the game in the 10th inning, giving the Rays a 8-7 loss and dropping them back behind the Yankees in the AL East.
C'mon man. Crawford could've easily scored and tied the game on a single had he stayed at second base. However, he decided to get greedy and tried to make what he thought was the smart play. Wrong! To Crawford's credit, no one really knows who Golson is, being that he is a rookie who was just called up to the majors. It was the 10th inning, however, and that out was the final out that sealed the victory for the Yankees. You never make the final out doing that in a ball game. At least Crawford learns his lesson now, so he won't make that mistake in the playoffs and cost the Rays an important game.
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