Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The PAIN PROGRAM


Let the dawgs loose Gregg


Since the news broke last Friday about the Saints and the 'so-called' bounty program, I've just been sitting back, gathering thoughts and listening what both former players and those who have very little understanding of the workings of professional sports - WHICH IS MOST OF THE MEDIA. I've listened to call-in shows and watched media do interviews on the street with fans. Now it's time for me to say a few words on the issue.

First of all, let me be transparent: I am a Saints fan and also have played football on a high level. I am in my 40's so my perspective is going to be a little different from this soft world we live in. Now, with that said, I will try to be as unbiased as possible in my thoughts regarding this issue.

First let me get this out the way, I hate the word bounty. Sounds very sinister and governmental. In addition, if you want to look at the true meaning of the word, it can mean to kill. That's pretty brutal and cold hearted.  I will talk a little more about the nature of football....or what it used to be shortly. For now, I will call it a 'Pain Program'. I will venture to say that 100% of this pain money was not for the intention to severely injure, or end another players career. Even the Oakland Raiders of the 70's and 80's didn't look to take another player out for their career. As much as people would like to believe that Jack Tatum intended to paralyze Darryl Stingley on that infamous hit few people have actually seen, the hit was legal and within the rules. Also, let me make this clear, IT WAS JACK TATUM'S JOB TO MAKE A RECEIVER PAY FOR COMING ACROSS THE MIDDLE TO CATCH A PASS.
 


In fact, as the story goes., Al Davis drafted Tatum for that specific reason. Al was said to be disgusted by teams in his division running and completing 20-25 yard deep in routes. Well, Jack put an end to that real quick. You ran that route at your own risk against the Raiders. Were there instances of the Raiders playing dirty? Yes!. The NFL even changed the rules due to a lot of the their style of play in order to penalize dirty play.

 
 A clean hit paralyzed Stingly. It's the cost of playing

What was not changed was that Football, AT EVERY LEVEL, is about ENFORCING YOUR WILL on another player until you totally break their will. Hitting them extremely hard until either they are too soft physically to play anymore or they stay in the game, but are too mentally weak and they hide from the physical nature of the game. That's football in its simplest form, from Pop Warner to the NFL.

Pop Warner ally drill. Players learn early to inflict pain
 You want your opponent to leave the field both physically and mentally humiliated. Remember the old line from Denzel in Remember the Titans when he yelled, 'make sure they always remember the night they played the Titans'. What do you think he was talking about? He even went as far to say that the opposing team better not get another first down. In order for that to happen, a team must be in a total 'fly around the football', disregard for their own bodies and most of all, disregard for the other team mentality. That means to physically abuse the other team. And if someone gets carted off in the process, IT'S PART OF THE GAME.


This is never good to see, but what are the odds of it hapenning

We were taught to tackle by running trough the ball carrier and we were taught to block by running through a defender. As a running back, we were taught to run through the tackler. If you are not in full speed mode in football you will get hurt, BUT also, you WILL hurt somebody in the process. As an ex free safety I looked up to Ronnie Lott and Dennis Smith as the guys who I wanted to emulate. They hit you hard so that you felt it and hit you hard enough, that your wind is just squirting out of you like air out of a balloon when squeezed. That flush hit. Heck yeah baby.

Needless to say, with the desire to knock the crap out of people comes joy. Let me take the media out of the situation and keep it to the players. When you get a big lick on a guy and he is laid flat out you look forward to seeing that in the film room the next day. The coach or player who has the clicker, keeps hitting rewind about 10 times before you watch the next play. Your teammates, who you are really playing for (sorry fans and media, players don't give a crap about you), jump up on the sidelines and congratulate you when you get that big hit. Some teams used to give out the big hit of the week award as long as it was clean. You would get a gift card to a restaurant or to a spa so that your wife./girlfriend could go. It's just how it works.

THE UNWRITTEN CODE OF FOOTBALL:

As a true player, you don't mind playing against good players but there are a few types of guys who get 'special attention' on the football field:

1. The prima donna QB. Always a target to get his butt spanked and abused when given a chance. With the rules basically placing the red, no-touch jersey on the QB,  if you can get to them, you try to drive them in to the ground with extreme force. And heaven forbid he throws a pic......oh my.

Definitely going after him with bad intentions














2. Scat-back running back. Think  of the Reggie Bush, pretty boy type. The back who is quick and fast and always seems to sneak out of bounce before you can get a good lick on them. Hey, it's not their fault they are quick, but he will definitely be a target  on the field.

3. The prima donna wide out. The Chad Johnson's and Terrell Owens' of the NFL are always targets to be  'taken out' or in players term, 'to shut them up'. League rules have now given these types of guys freedom to catch passes AND not be hit, that when a defender gets a chance to hit them, defenseless or not, they will run trough them when possible.


Players want to lay the wood to these two ladies


You don't think players want to be the one standing over Hines
 4. Any dirty player. How long have people been trying to take out Hines Ward. As we saw this year against Baltimore, someone has been waiting to give him the same medicine he's been dishing out. They knocked Hines silly in that game and every player on Baltimore's sideline cheered at the hit. It was vicious and legal.

The type of players mentioned above, will get talked about a lot leading up to a game by the opposition. No player wants to be embarrassed on the field and these guys know, especially now that every thing is reported in the media, what other players do. If a receiver likes to do the salsa after touchdowns, other players know it and they do not want to be the team that he does it on. What do you think the team talks about during the week? Dancing with him? And football isn't the only sport. You don't think there were pain contracts on MJ when he came in to the NBA? Ask him about the so-called Jordan Rules that the Detroit Pistons used back in the 80's and 90's. Do you think that it was a pure defensive strategy? All Chuck Daley probably said was, every time he goes to the basket make him pay. Is this monetary pay? Think again my friend. This was about inflicting Jordan with enough pain that he would become a jump shot player. If they break his nose or blacken his eye in the process.....oh well.

No 'bounty' here


THE CASH.

I hate these idiots using the play for pay statement. It's the NFL, THEY ALREADY PLAY TO GET PAID. And they get paid well. Do you think $2,000 is going to make a difference to these guys. That's literally pocket cash to these guys. Even an undrafted rookie makes a minimum of $375,000. Do you think even he is driven by an extra couple of grand. Maybe start upping that to $10-20,000 and guys start really caring, but how big a game would that have to be for that type of money to be offered for a play. And trust me, that play would have to change the complexity of the entire game. An example of that is the hit Kurt Warner took when he played the Saint's during the playoffs during the 2009 season. That changed the game and yes, I hope some cash was dolled out. It was legal as heck and as much as I like Warner and respect him as a man of God, he shouldn't have thrown the pic, and most of all, he knows the rule with defenders after an interception which is to look for the QB or a dude like T.O to hopefully get a good hit on.

These guys don't get off on the money, it's the fact that they did what it took to get it: that's the high. What's the difference in that example and a manager going to a sales force and telling them if you guys hit this number we all will take off tomorrow, or if a sales guy brings in X amount of dollars, you get two days of 'free' vacation. No difference in my book shorty.

So as you can tell, I can care less that friendly bets or rewards were made for big hits and hitting a guy so hard that they leave the game. It happens with interceptions, fumbles, sacks, etc. It's done on every team,  and in every league that has a level of physicallity. What worries me is that the league is now suddenly all stunned and alarmed. Are you kidding me? Really? You had no idea that any of this was going on? It's just another way players feed off the fact that this is a physical game and it is feast or famine. As a football player from birth you learn certain rules: Keep your head on a swivel, don't stand around piles, play till the whistle is blown. There are many unwritten rules or laws that you must abide by in the NFL because if you don't, you will be taken out eventually. In addition, as a player, you know that if given the opportunity to get a big hit on you by the opposition, its lights out baby. Nothing personal. Just Business.

The league is definitely changing and not for the good. Yes, the protection of players will always be important but the commissioner has done a bad job of keeping the game of football what it stands for: FORCING YOUR WILL. What's next to destroy this game I don't know but it feels that we are heading towards flag football in the future.

Now that you know where I stand, I will give you the biggest disappointment, in my mind, of this whole Saint's issue: SOMEBODY RATTED.
 


That's the dude, not Gregg Williams, Sean Payton or any players, who should have his butt whipped. This person is not a whistle blower who uncovers something illegal like a embezzlement, or lying to a consumer, or child labor. This is a bitter dude who should have kept his mouth shut. Yes, NFL is a male fraternity and one of it's main rule is, 'what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room'. You don't go home running your mouth to your wife or girlfriends or especially the media about anything that happened in the locker room. I've seen an instance where a brother got his butt kicked for that transgression. Thats one of the things about the new breed of NFL players, or this whole generation in general, that is really bad, which is the need to let everyone know everything. Not everything needs to be shared with the public and this Pain Program was was one of them.

More disgusting is individuals like Coy Wire who feel the need to get their last 5 minutes of fame by plastering his face all over the national media telling his story. Also, others, like Steve Young, have chimed in about their total shock and disgust at the report. Pretty well expected from a QB. What I do like is how Brett Favre, a target of the so-called bounty, and Michael Vick, who both said they are ok with being targeted and that they know it's just part of the game.

Lastly, the media should be taken behind the woodshed for their coverage of the investigation and how they are comparing it to the spying that the Patriots did. Really? That conversation is for a different time.

Here is what I do know: Football, until they get out the flags and take off the pads, will always be a man's game and a game of physicality. Big men run full speed at each other. Some of them, like my old friend Howard Ballard, could separate the nastiness of the game from doing a job. But for others, its a game of busting somebody up. As long as there are Southern brothers playing, it always will be that type of game - you know I had to sneak that in.

Peace

Monday, February 13, 2012

NFL Relapse

The wait for 2012 Kickoff has began

This weekend was weird for all of us football fans across the country. Though the actual playing is over, football never ends. With the impending draft in April as well as the Peyton Manning decision which is fast approaching at the end of March, the NFL will still be alive and kicking.
This ain't ending pretty

Though the game has been dramatically changing over the years and though I think these changes have taken away from what I remember the game to be, it is still the best game in the world to me - more on the college level, in my opinion.

I do like some of the rule changes which protect the players and also those which allow for the refs to make better calls and have them not be the deciding factor in a game. I like the stance that the league is taking: The Eye in the Sky don't Lie.
LOVE IT!!!!!!!! THEY HATE IT



Though I believe in the safety of the players, I think they have gone too far in protecting them. When I played the violent nature of the game was accepted as being part of it. There were guys who got crippled or paralyzed playing but what are the chances of that happening to one player during the course of your playing days. Even if you only play high school football and you start, you may play 30-40 snaps a game. Multiply that by 10 and then multiply that by the number of kids playing high school foot ball. Now check to see how many people were paralyzed during one year. I would bet that the probability of getting paralyzed while playing  high school football is under 1%. I don't think most ball players who play football truly think about being paralyzed or severely injured while playing. We all accepted that risk while playing, if you played scared you will either ultimately end up hurt, get someone else hurt, or both. I do think the better equipment, especially helmets, have done wonders in helping to cushion some of the blows sustained during football.

The probabilities of ending up like Stingly aren't great

Equipment alone does not fully protect players from sustaining concussions and this is where the NFL stepped in to attempt to remedy the possibility of head trauma. They are now penalizing for helmet to helmet tackles as well as hitting a defenseless receiver.  These two rules, in addition to protecting the QB rules, are really awful.

Here is my problem with it: You are going to tell a huge man, who is moving at full speed to mentally stop, gauge where the offensive guy's head is and then make adjustments to how to hit him, all while making sure he protects himself? Are you kidding me. Or, with respects to the defenseless receiver rule, you're telling me that a QB throws a bad ball and WR has to jump for or stretch out to get it and the DB has a clear kill shot that he shouldn't take it? That he should wait to see if the WR catches the ball and then tackle him? Really? This is still football correct? This is still the game where the team who physically dominates another team and breaks the other teams will is the one who wins correct? Is this not the league who made a living off of selling 'Sudden Impact' and 'The NFL's Crunch Course' DVDs?  I thought that you get paid more for the risks involved. If that's the case, then the players now a day are over paid. I do think that given the TV contract and merchandising money, NFL players are properly paid. They are paid what their market value signifies. But, we as fans are getting the watered down version of what a  lot of us remember as football.  We are being robbed. I want to see dudes get crushed and receivers get hit so hard that they have no idea where they are at. Not dirty but 'old school' legal. If the rules get any more soft we will be watching flag football in a few years. At the rate America is raising these soft boys now, flag football will be as big as ever by then.

Maybe the league should put a limit on the size and speed of players to ensure that the collisions will not be as hard and you know how the league will look if that ever happened. I will leave that alone for now.

Anyway, if the NFL really cared about the health of players then why don't they mandate knee, thigh and hip pads? Those aren't necessary? So let me get this straight, you don't want guys to tackle up around the head, but you would rather them to go after parts that aren't protected.
 What's protecting his legs?

Add to that, most times the players would have to duck their heads to make these types of tackles. Is it me, or do most of the neck injuries occur when a player ducks their head and leaves their necks exposed?

Does the NFL want this to be proper form?

With all of this said, I think that some of these rules need to be looked at again and changed or eliminated totally. Why not fine the QB for throwing a pass that leads a WR exposed. I do think that the launching rule is good for protecting the players but a pure head to head is just part of the game. Get it straight NFL.

One thing I liked to see this year was the emergence of the TE position and how this will totally revolutionized the game and how defenses play. Thanks to Tony Gonzales (who may have the finest, classiest wife in the NFL) and Antonio Gates, offenses are now making the TE a focal point of the passing game. The Gronk, Aaron Hernandez, Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham are making it very difficult for defensive coordinators.

And who will you have covering Vernon Davis?

Think about it, just as the league began to  draft more CB's to play safeties because of the 4 and 5 receiver offensive sets made it impossible to keep those Sean Taylor, no-covering type safety's on the field, a new problem has occurred. Introducing the 6-6 260lbs, 4.4 running behemoth. Where before hand you used to use your SS to play the TE, then they became too big for the SS so you got your best coverage LB playing them. Well, the TE's became too fast for the LB's - Vernon Davis, a 4.3 40. DB's aren't consistently running that fast. Now where do we go? Just as DE's have become hybrids so will you next LB. He will have to be 6'5  and 250lbs with the athleticism of a small forward and the speed of LaRon Landry. Just as they have turned basketball players to TE's they will have to use these same guys to play LB's and I believe there will be a market for them- 3 down linemen, 3 LB's, Hybrid Position and 4 DB's.  Welcome to the new NFL.



One last note is that I was wayyyyyy off on my Superbowl pick, but there is one consolation prize: Chad Johnson did not get a ring and most of all he was a non factor. Johnson is one guy who I really don't like. Never have. I just don't like people who NEED attention and will do anything to get it. I always thought he was overrated and a loud mouth and a bad influence to our young African-American boys around the country - thanks Prime Time. So, I don't mind being wrong if that's the price.


Hey look a me!!!!!!!!1 Please


Have a great day and talk to you soon.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Super Bowl Blog

6:01 - The boys are all here and its party city. I've taken a nap and getting ready to roll. I think NBC has done a great job of the pre game. Yes it's always over the top but I like the way Dungy and Harrison has given a true superbowl perspective

The TV




6:13 - They just introduced both teams. it's amazing how unfazed by the hype. It's all about to go down now baby

6:16 - Obviously these two singers are country singers singing Oh Beautiful. Not bad though

6:17 - Lets see what Kelly Clarkson can do. Awesome rendition. Lets get Al Michaels going

6:19 - The Dictator preview was just shown. I will definitely be renting that when it comes out.

6:21 - OK, i thought there would be no women here and I hear female voices in the kitchen. Giggling and laughing. Not what I came for. They gotta go before kickoff.

6:23 - I'm trying to figure out why people do not like Chris Collinsworth. He can not be any worse than Troy Aikman. Aikman seems to have no emotion but that's just my opinion

6:25 - The boys just remarked Curtis Martin looks like a little Sammy Davis Jr.

6:27 - Love the pornstache that Wes Welker has going on

6:32 - Looks like Eli is unphased and wants to get the ball out quick. NY;s running game has a allowed a little play action for the Giants. Even if they are unable to run, the threat is what counts

6:35 - The Giants are going right at the corners for the Pats.

6:37 - Belicheck is mixing in zone and man and has confused the Giants a little. NY punts on first series

The Chef is cooking it up



6:40  - who was the sister sitting next to Mrs Tom Brady. Forget Brady's wife , who's the sister.

6:41 - Brady just panicked. Good call by the refs. I can't believe Brady was unaware of where he was.

6:47 - The Giants are driving after the safety and the Pats look like their heart been taken from them. Like their whole emotional make up depended on how Brady Plays

6:50 - Eli is playing tough

7:04 - a very good first qtr. Brady has to get 7 out of this drive.

7:06 - you ever wanted to go to the go-daddy site. Hmmm. I think I would like to do it.

7:16 I love when the game is slowed down now and you have to start to playing and the emotion is stipped out

7:18 - Having a discussion about why the Bills never won a superbowl. My argument was that it was Marv Levy's fault. Others thought it was the players. Having a real relationship with those teams, I can say coach's actually win the championhips and how the players respond to them during the week. The Superbowl is won during training camp. Trust me

7:25 - The Pats are so out of sync both offensively and defensively. Maybe I was wrong about the momentum factor. The Giants seem as though they just believe that they sould be winning

7:30 - That kicker from the Giants is the MVP right now

7:49 - TD Pats. That was huge. And they get the ball back to start the 3r qtr. Notice after the touchdown how emotional Brady was. Now look at the kickoff. BAM!

As a side note, the Giants have 32 minutes to sit in the locker room. How much of their confidence has been zapped from this scoring drive.

ALERT ALERT ALERT  SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY DANCING GIRLS WILL BE DANCING WITH MADONNA. I may have to watch halftime now baby



8:18 - Madonna sucked. Old tail need to sit down with that bad lip sync job. She needs to get her but back in the church of scientology and sit down.

C-lo sucks also. Not much of a fan of the crap he sings anyway.

Now back to the game.

THe Pats now are in ssyn and look ready to explode. If they get 7 on this first drive, it can spell doom, or it will be a scoring fest in the 2nd half

8:25 - Just watched the Pats do a play action play and Piere-Paul just stopped in his tracks before rushing Brady. There is where the Pats are getting the advantage in slowing down the Giants rush

8:29 - TD Pats. So I'm sitting here before the touchdown and I'm looking at the Giants D and I said, are they going to leave the middle of the field open and sure enough, Hernandez with the TD on a quick cross.

NY needs a long sustained drive for 7. Need to physicall abuse the Pats D

8:33 - Watching Craft give high fives is hilarious. Old white guys and high fives are so awkward. GOtta love it.

8:39 - OK the fiat commercial got a rise out of the brothers. Sex sells

8:43 - This gme is about to get a little interesting. Both QB's are so in tune with the game.

8:45 -  l love the NSX commercial with Seifeld and Leno. I wanted an NSX real bad in my 20's. It's good to see them back and re-done. You never know, I still may have the opportunity to get one.

8:56 - Looking at the stats of the QB's let you know how well those defenses are playing. Both Eli and Brady has both over 100 passer rating. The defenses are tightening up at the right time to force punts

9:01 - Being in Buffalo, I just saw a commercial of our local NBC affiliate ch 2. One scene of black people in a whole video. Very buffalo. They let you know what they truly feel about the black folk here

9:04 - What the heck is Brady doing? Heck of a defensive play on the interception by the middle backer

9:07 - The Matthew Broderick commercial was good for us old schoolers


9:21 - the carreer builders commerical with the monkeys were hilarious

9:22 - Brady is looking real scared. He doesnt want to step up in to the pocket and make a throw. He just looks a little frazzled. I would not be surprised if he sneaks in a couple runs so that they can get a little play action pass going.

The Giants are playing real good defense and forcing Brady to not stand tall. This is obviously going to come down to the end

9:31 Wes Welker dropped the ball. WOW.

9:32 Ok here we go. Eli's shinning moment.

9:33 Manningham  what a catch. He is in. Eli said F-it. I'm going to win this thing.

Ok Collingsworth needs to shut the hell up. Trying to defend Brady's throw and deflecting the cause to the WR. And now saying Manningham didn't catch the pass.

9:38 SO what does NY do. Go for the FG or the TD I say go for the TD

9:55 - Wow what a game. I do not mind being wrong when its a great game. Eli officially put himself in the Hall of Fame along with Coughlin.

The Gronks foot just lost the game. He couldn't move to get the ball. It was there for the taking.

And my Super Bowl Pick is.................

Less than 24 hours and the Super Bowl will be live and in living color, and for some, High Definition. For fans, we've been able to fill our time with work, and watching all those annoying position and coaching breakdowns. We get to see some old players talk about how they dealt emotionally with the time leading up to the big game. The media, God Bless their soul, dissects every small story that comes out of each team camp. It can be overwhelming with the stories and experts and fans. And it get worse on game day. How the heck do you need a 6 hour pre-game show.It can be overwhelming sometimes. It makes it unenjoyable. But we love football. We need football. We crave it baby. This is what makes Super Bowl week so great. Just the fact that a lot of us grow up wondering what it would be like to come out the tunnel or be on the sidelines when the national anthem is sung. Some athletes have said that they have had to fight back tears because their emotions are so overwhelming. Most American men grow up wondering what that would feel like and to play for a world championship on a world stage. Knowing that people have set aside everything for this day. Even our military, who protects our freedom, gives the troops time to watch and enjoy the game. It's the Super Bowl and it deserves the hype.

With this said, lets begin to break down this game and look at the match ups. As I stated in my previous blog, winning games is all about match ups and that's what will decide this game.

Momentum: Much has been said about how the Giants were 7-7 and on the verge of not making the playoffs and how they won the last two games to win the division, dominate both the Falcons and the Packers and then knocked off the 49ers at Candlestick to advance to Indy. They come to the dance with a great amount of momentum and swagger (I hate that word). Yet, do you realize that the Pats come in on a 10 game winning streak? They have been very quietly putting together a very good run of their own except in true Bill Belichick fashion, they have been mum about their accomplishments. I actually give the edge to the Pats on this one because during their winning streak, they have gotten better in every aspect of the game, except one:Tom Brady. Tom the Terrific has been, well, terrific, but has struggled in a few games. That doesn't bode well for the Giants. Yes, he doesn't like to be hit, but I believe that the Pats will attack the Giants differently this game: runs and screens. Both of these plays will literally make the NY pass rush void. This Pats team sorta reminds me of the 1988 49ers. The team that actually went 10-6 during the regular season as Joe Montana looked good but not as invincible as previous years. In my opinion, Brady is sort of like Montana in that, in a big game would you really want to bet against him? The Giants have been doing a lot of talking about hitting Brady and how they expect to win ( they should expect to win and I don't see why the media is making such a big issue about it). They are talking as if the game is already in the books. This is not a very good strategy against the highest winning Coach-QB combo in the history of the NFL. Could this two weeks be enough time for the Giants to lose their mojo? Possibly

Nastiness: I think that the Giants are the more physical of the teams. But this is true more on offense than on defense. I like the Giants commitment to the running game with Bradshaw and Jacobs. This could definitely make a huge difference in a tightly contested game. Neither defense is especially physical and I do not see those nasty and physical linebackers and safety's of past teams. There are no Rodney Harrison's, or Teddy Bruschi's for the Pats, or Antonio Pierce's for the Giants. The NFL has opted for speed and with this speed comes more guys who can be pushed around. I have watched the Patriots play and they seem to just totally abandon the run, even on the goal line. They would rather pass the ball. I believe this is where the Giants have the advantage. If this game does become a slug fest, the Giants can do what they did to the Packers and break the will of the Pats.

Big Balls Factor: Eli vs Tom, Tom vs Eli. I think this match up is actually even. Eli, to the chagrin of my dad, has proven he can flat out play. I don't think people look at him as lucky or as a game manager any more. He has shown that he is en elite QB. We already know what Brady can do so no need to talk about him. It isn't the QB's who will decide the game, it will be who he has around him who will step up on the biggest stage and not have stage fright. Victor Cruz, and the rest of the Giant receiving corp has become the darlings of playoffs by having some monster games. They have definitely stepped up to the plate. But for some reason, I'm not seeing them as making THAT catch at THAT time to score THAT TD. Because of the Patriot way of doing things, I can actually see their guys having no care or feeling no pressure to perform. They go out and do things at a level and composure that few do. To me its the Pats who have the advantage in this factor.

Coaching: Much has been made of the Bill Belichick model of consistency. He is easily one of the greatest coaches since Bill Walsh. When your team is referred to as the Evil Empire, then, in my mind, you've done the right things. Once criticism of Belichick is that he cheats. Well if he has cheated, oh well. In the NFL, you can not consistently cheat and when. It's literally impossible. It will catch up to you. He is a master at preparation and talent evaluation and his teams always plays hard and enjoys beating peoples butt. On the other sideline is Tom Coughlin. I like his old school approach and the way his teams are structured. Line up, run the the rock and play D. What more do you want. He believes in playing great special teams and just being an all around solid team. It works well and he has seemed to put up the middle finger to the NY press and stand toe-to-toe with them. Like Belichick, his teams are prepared and motivated in big games. He has gone mind game to mind game with Belichick and has beaten him two consecutive times. Simply, he knows how to get his players ready.I think there is actually no edge in this match up that sticks out  unless you count the 8 super bowls Belichick has been in as an assistant or head man. But, if someone was to put a gun to my head, I'd have to bet my life on Belichick just because he seems to always find that one flaw or that one angle to motivate his team.

Flaws: Exposing a weakness of a team takes a lot of time and patience. You kind of gnaw at a team until an opportune moment and then expose them. We saw the 49ers do that against the Saints in the playoffs. Remember the crucial third down when Alex Smith rolled out and ran for the score. Well, I'm sure the coaching staff waited all game to catch the Saints in their all out, man-to-man blitz, knowing that the QB would not be accounted for. End result TD. I love the way the Pats seem to expose your strengths and weaknesses. They know the strong part of the Giants is their pass rush and how their line stunts in certain situations. The Giants know how the Pats like to get the ball to Wes Welker in critical third downs and how he is usually Brady's first read. These are obvious things, but it's the little small areas which coaches look for that they try to expose. It could be something as simple as a half yard split by a wide out that can tell you where the play is going. It's these small, minute things that will make the difference in a game. Ask the Saints Tracey Porter who waited almost a full game to take advantage on one Peyton Manning flaw - going to Reggie Wayne on the read slant. These instances are what is going to make the difference in the game. I believe the advantage goes to the Pats. I think Brady will expose some of the Giants issues in the secondary better than the Giants defense can expose Brady's dislike for pressure.

With that said, I think this game has the makings of a good Super Bowl, but for some reason I see a blow out. I think this will be both Tom Brady's and Bill Belichicks stamp on being the true dynasty and set the franchise apart from any other. I like the Pats to win big and make a mockery of the Giants early.

Final Score
New England 38 -  NY 13

Have fun watching the game and check back soon

Friday, February 3, 2012

The NFL Playoffs and the Superbowl



Well we are finally down to the best two teams in the NFL. The fight for the Lombardi trophy, a $88,000 payout and a big fat ring

  
Cash and bling - a young brothers dream.

I know some of you may say that other teams should have made it but if they should be there, they would be there. Don't believe me? Lets look at some of those teams who everyone feels 'should' be going to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. The list includes those who didn't make the playoffs as well as those who made the playoffs.

Philly Cheese Eagles: First of all, it was Vince Young who proclaimed the Eagles as the dream team. Yes the weak minded, I'm going in to recluse, Vince Young. Nuff said. The Eagles were a preseason favorite of many and with Michael Vick as the QB they had good reason. Add to that a slew of big name free agents, and you have a 'sure fire' recipe for success.What Happened: The Eagles stumbled out of the gate. They failed to give Vick an offensive line to protect him and Vick committed a lot of turnovers. In addition, the defense could not play as a unit in spite of probably the best corner combo in the league. The Eagles seemed to put it together late in the year and played some inspired ball but still fell short of the playoffs. Given how they finished the year, there will be a lot of jockers for the 2012 season. The lack of consistency is what kept Philly out of the big game.

Pittsburgh Tomlins: The Steelers will always be my favorite team in the AFC because of Tomlin. The brother can coach - plain and simple. Pittsburgh's issue lies in the fact that they got away from who Pittsburgh is and what the city stands for offensively: A butt kicking running game and an efficient passing game. Instead, we saw Big Ben tossing 40 passes a game while tossing 14 interceptions with only 21 TD's. He got the crap beat out of him by standing in the pocket waiting for long route combo's and when they needed to run the ball in the playoff game against the Bronco's they could not. They need to go out and get a big dark nasty RB from somewhere who's sole desire in life is to punish defensive players - in other words, they need a running back with the mentality of James Harrison. Moving ahead, with their aging defense, the Tomlin would be wise to get a running game upgrade or his defense will tire out in some games.

Baltimore Ravens: The preseason mindset was, IF Joe Flacco can step up, they would have a legitimate shot at winning a Super Bowl. Well Flacco was consistently inconsistent and even though the Ravens went 12-4 it was due to the running of Ray Rice and a very good defense. Talk about a team who could use Peyton Manning. Flacco was unable to make the Patriots play honest defense and that was the issue in Fox borough. To give Flacco credit, he did deliver a good pass to that idiot, worthless piece of crap Lee Evans but he dropped it - pretty fitting way for that useless receiver to end his wastless career. As you can guess I'm not feeling Lee Evans. He lost me a $1 bet. Bastard.

New Orleans Saints: Two darn consecutive years these dudes refuse to tackle. Two years in a row that Roman Harper is involved in a missed tackle that resulted in a TD. He sucks, the D sucks, Gregg Williams sucks. How the heck do you go with a full blitz and leave freakin Roman Harper as your lone safety. This dude has about as much coverage skills as I do at 44 years old. Why not Zone blitz and give Alex Smith some different looks and force him in to a bad throw. I'm glad Williams is gone, and take Harper and the rest of the no tackling squad with you. Damn that felt good to get out. Moving on.

Green Bay Packers: Green Bay was obviously almost every one's choice to win the Big One. They had arguably, the best QB in the league and a great organization. They stormed out to 13 straight wins and looked to be heading towards Indy. The problem I saw with the Packers is that they never peaked. In this league, it is important to hit a stride, especially in your weak link. This weak link was the Packers defense, who I never felt was getting better. If you have the number 1 ranked offense, you can get a false sense of security as a defense. You are rushing the passer so much that you look like world beaters on defense because the opposing team insone dimensional. Well that may work against week opponents, but not against the Giant's. In that game, when the Giant's D made some stops and forced a few quick possessions by Aaron Rogers, and the defense had to play both run and pass for a full game, we saw their true colors. Until that defense can consistently make stops and make tackles, they will lose to teams who can extend the game.

As you have read, each team had a flaw or two, but each team had a shot at getting to the Dance- but they didn't. I prescribe to the motto that if something should of happened it, it would have happened. The two teams who should be in the Super Bowl, New England and New York, are there. If the Saints could tackle, they would be there. If the Ravens had a consistent QB, they would be there. If my grandmother had balls, she would be my grandfather. IF IF IF.And the list goes on.

Both the Patriots and the Giants have played outstanding football and their head coaches are great motivators and game planners. And most of all, both teams are peaking in those areas which they were vulnerable during the early stages of the season - defensively. Both teams were said to have weak defenses during the season. Both teams have two of the worst pass defenses in the league. The key to their championship run and with any run in sports is the match-ups. Could the Patriots win in Pittsburgh against a franchise QB in Big Ben, and could the Giants beat New Orleans with Drew Brees? Probably not. It's not their fault that they got match ups against Joe Flacco and Alex Smith. Both defenses won with their front seven, but in different forms. The Giants have gotten through the playoffs defensively by putting big time pressure on the QB's - they played three games vs teams who liked to pass instead of using a more balanced attack. The Pats used their front seven to stop the run - they played two teams who rely heavily on the run and have inconsistent QB's.

Ah the perfect storm. They played teams who played teams who fell right in to their defensive strength. Again, getting to the Dance, is all about match-ups than it is how well of a team you have. If the Giants would have missed the playoffs, and say Dallas made it, then Green Bay may have been in the Superbowl. MATCH UPS WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

So where are the match ups for the Super Bowl and who has the advantage and who do I think will win? Check in Saturday as I make my final Super Bowl pick. Until then.

Peace

My bad, I almostforgot the most important part about the game. THE FANS

       

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Jordan Jefferson GOT PAID

I hope it was worth it!

Congrats to the Bama Tide for capturing their 2nd National Championship in the last 3 years. Was it the most exciting or electrifying BCS title game ever? Hecks no! Was it an SEC game at it's best? Not really? Then what exactly did we witness in Alabama's 21-0 woodshed beat down of the LSU Tigers? I honestly can say that we may have seen the best defense in college football history - EVER. Throw out the statistical facts of leading the country in the four major statistical categories. I don't want to hear about some 1950's Notre Dame team that played against wing-T teams. Maybe the Miami and Florida State teams of the 90's can compare, but this Bama D is on a whole different level with respects to speed and sheer desire to hit any fool carrying a football - or even a fool who looks like they want to carry the football. We witnessed what is termed a swarming defense - no inside runs, no outside runs, no bubble screens, no QB draws, no nothing. LSU couldn't manage jack. Holding the number one team to less than 100 yards of offense is just pure insane. No one except this Tide defense could do that. How do I know? Because LSU has laid, on average, 39 points a game during the year. And that includes the lowly 9 they scored against Bama in the first game. Take away that game and LSU was averaging almost 42 points a game. This from a power running offense. Ive told people this today and I truly believe it: if LSU played Oklahoma State in the title game, they would have won by a score of at least 42-14.

So what went wrong with the LSU offense?

Just plain SEC hard

The picture above is of Dont'a Hightower of Alabama. The photo isn't from last nights game, but it is meant to illustrate the relentlessness of the BCS title game defensive MVP. First of all, dude looks as though he has no desire to slow down and will, if necessary put his head right through the ball carrier without any care in the world. This is what LSU's offense had to deal with all night plus 10 more dudes who were flying to the ball with bad intentions.

Now as lets flip the script a little. As good as Bama was on defense, Jordan Jefferson was just as bad. Not just bad, but 'I got paid to lose this game' bad. Don't lie! You were thinking it also. This dude looked uninspired and drugged. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Not only that, every time they showed him on the sidelines he looked like he was on the synthetic marijuana that the Honey Badger was suspended for taking. You have to wonder if this dude even knew the plays he was running - which brings me to another point. LSU's had no offensive game plan - I'm sure they had plays which were on a sheet but there was nothing that showed they were setting up something, attempting to get in a rhythm or even trying to compete. It seems like they were trying to not to lose, or like they thought that at some time our defense or special teams will make a play and turn the tide. While Saban was dialing up the D, it looked as if they were playing against their own 'look squad'. These are the guys who run the other teams offense during the week leading up to a game. They are told by the coaches to not go hard and give the defense a good look so that they can get to their spots. In addition, the scout team QB is told to throw up a couple of passes so that the DB's can get some work at intercepting some balls. This is what Jordon Jefferson and LSU's offense looked like - A scout team. Every time they ran a play, it looked like Bama was there before they were.

This leads me to the main reason LSU loss. Preparation. One of the players remarked after the game that they won because of the Saban Factor. The player said that if you give Coach Saban 45 days to prepare, it's a done deal. Saban hit trumps early (if you don't play spades, forget about this reference) and went for the win. Les Miles looked as though they were uninspired and had no pop to them, and that's on the the Mad Hatter. I don't know what went on for the month leading up to the game but Les didn't do it right. It may have worked against any other team with lesser talent, but not Nick Saban and Alabama. I've been fortunate to be involved in championship games as a player and a coach and the one thing you need to do as a coach is to know that you need to be mentally peaking at game time so that the players can be physically unleashed when the ball is kicked off for the first time.

Miles didn't do it and it seemed that LSU, as a whole, was caught off guard in all facets of the game:

Offense - LSU never got in a rhythm of running the ball and seemed to just be out played and out smarted by Bama

Defense - Never got comfortable with the play action passes and the different formations of the Tide's offense

Special Teams - The LSU kick return team had 6 opportunities to make a momentum changing play before Bama put the game way away. Even after 5 field goals as well as the opening kick, LSU never had a return that gave them any good field position. In addition, the Honey Badger had no room to make a decent return. When your starting defense is playing special teams and covering kicks, then tells you how serious Saban and the team thought winning EVERY part of the game was.


From what I hear, Les Miles is getting it bad from the LSU fans via the airwaves. That is understandable. Once thing that the LSU faithful must realize is that, Miles was matching wits against possibly the best coach, motivator, recruiter and college football CFO EVER - yes ever. And not only that, Bama fielded, in my mind, the most athletically, and physically dominating defense ever. Could Les have had a better game plan? Yes. But in hindsight, neither he nor his players had a chance last night.

Looking good Bama! Looking good! ROLL TIDE




Monday, January 9, 2012

EVEN GOD IS SMILING IN BUFFALO


The picture above is an actual picture taken outside of my office in downtown Buffalo New York on January 9th, 2012. Let me shed light on a few interesting things about this photo. First, it is January and there is no snow on the ground - not even a drop. Usually we are dealing with a good amount of snow fall here in Western New York during the month of January. Actually, the weather here has been downright beautiful. Saturday, we saw a 50 degree day.Heck, that's shorts and wife-beater weather out here. Even today, it's in the mid-to-upper 30's. Now the kicker: THE SUN IS OUT!!!!!!! For those of you who do not know Buffalo, the sun is rarely out during these months. We usually don't see the sun around these parts till about April. A brother from Mississippi would turn pale here during winter. No Joke.

I'm mentioning this to make the point that today is the day that even The Lord Himself is smiling on Buffalo, and the whole world, as a matter a fact. WHY? BCS CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT. God is extremely pleased with mankind for finally getting a match up correct: An all-SEC BCS title game. It should always be like this right? When you look back at the past 5 championship games which an SEC team won, you can argue that another SEC team could have snuck in the mix and played for the title also:

2006 - a 10-2 LSU team could have joined Florida  in the big game. Their two loses came at the hands of an 11th ranked Auburn team and to eventual BCS Champion Florida

2007 - a 11-2 Georgia team who demolished Hawaii in the Sugar joke game could have made a better game than Ohio State. For that matter, anyone except thee Ohio State could have stepped in and shown more heart. The best part about an LSU vs Georgia championship game was that they hadn't played each other that year so at least it wouldn't have been rematch.

2008 - Though USC, Texas and Oklahoma were powerful teams, Alabama was definitely the second best team in the NCAA.That Tide team got Tebowed in the SEC Championship 31-20, but easily could have been given the rematch. Florida was a juggernaut and Nick Saban had Alabama on the rise. Both teams were undefeated during the regular season and ranked 1 & 2. Oklahoma pulled the votes for the championship and got slapped again. I think Alabama would have easily given the Gators a better game.

2009 - This was a reversal of fortune year as the undefeated Tide met the undefeated Gators in the SEC Championship game. This time, the Bama came out on top and the Gators got left out of the title game. This was Tebow's senior year and many thought he would and should have a chance to repeat. Texas, who also came in undefeated ( but from the Little 12), was the recipient of the SEC beat down this time. I know that Texas fans will note that once Colt McCoy got hurt it wasn't a real game. My rebuttal: Don't get hurt! That easy.

2010 - This year marked the beginning of the current run which LSU is on. Auburn, Led by Cam Newton, was phenomenal in 2010 and they rode that stallion all the way to the BCS championship game against Oregon. I like watching Oregon. They are entertaining with that offense and all of that speed. But lets be serious. They are in the PAC 12 (PAC 10 at the time). LSU, though losing two games (one to Auburn 24-17 and the other to Arkansas), would have easily been a better game. Yes, I know Oregon played the Tigers to the wire but...........it's Oregon. LSU, on the other hand demolished Texas A&M in the Cotton bowl 41-24. Do you know who the MVP of the game was? Tyrann Mathieu the Honey Badger. Nine months later LSU would show the NCAA world why they should have been in the BCS Championship by demolishing the Ducks, in the Jerry Dome, 40-27. And it wasn't that close.


LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide 2012 BCS National Championship Game Bound Dueling Pin
That brings us to the clash of the titans in my home town of New Orleans tonight. The BCS has finally realized that by sticking in another conference champion to battle the SEC is useless. Who wants to see another Big 10 team, all slow of foot and overly matched athletically go in to the ring against a bunch of Men. Or a PAC 12 team with all that speed and lack of heart to tackle, get trounced by a real team made up of real players. Or even worse, a Big 12 team......nuff said.

It will be a great game to those of us who understand football. I enjoyed the first one. No player left that game without being hit. People remark about the lack of offenses in the first game. Next time they show ground level views of the game, watch the speed of the defenders. This is why the SEC is the best conference. A running lane doesn't stay open for long in that conference and all that Oregon spread stuff will get your QB and RB's broke. When LSU and Bama played anyone else in 2011, they were laying up 30-40 points. That's because they aren't playing each other. Oregon put up 27 points and West Virginia laid up 21 points against the Tigers. LSU put up 40 in each of those games. In fact LSU rung up 40 points NINE times this year. You want offense, then deal with that.

Another LSU Score

On the flip side, Bama gave up 21 points against Georgia Southern and that was about as good as it got against the #1 defense in the land. Auburn and Arkansas laid 14 on the Tide defense, but in both of those games, the Tide dominated and won by over 20 points.

So if you don't think these teams will ring up the points, well, you are stupid. The difference with the scoring of these two teams versus, lets say, Oregon, is that at some point they break the will of the opponent. They physically wear you out and then you just get tired of their o-line pushing on you and those big, greasy, nasty, hard, backs running through your d-line, up to your secondary. At some point, those DB's get tired of tackling those brothers. The issue from the first game is that neither defense backed-the-F down. The DB's were just as fierce as the linebackers. That's what separates these two teams from everyone else. Arkansas is one of the better teams in the country, but they just got their will taken from them by both LSU and Alabama.

It's all good between these two until Monday night

With all this said, I believe it will be a great game tonight, IF, you understand football and IF you are not an SEC hater. This will be football at it's best AND GOD IS SMILING because of it.