Chuckleheads, this NBA season has caused a lot of controversy. How many steps is too many to be considered a travel? How many superstars is Lebron recruiting, and what will the team look like next year? How do the New York Knicks have so much money and continue to be so bad? That’s all great and, in time, fans might get the answers – but let’s look at the Lakers. Show Time is back, Magic is in charge, and, a few weeks ago, the team was going to consist of Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Now that all the trade talks have calmed down, the Lakers sit at 27-28: 3 games out of the final playoff spot in the West, with 25 games left to go.
For the Lakers to get to 50 wins, they would need to go 22-3 for the remainder of the season. Given that, the Lakers still must deal with 13 of the 25 games consisting of the Rockets, Nuggets, Thunder, Jazz, Warriors, Raptors, Clippers and the best team in the NBA to this point by record: the Bucks. With that schedule, the Lakers will not get to 50 wins; it might even be a struggle to get to 47 wins – which most experts think is the minimum wins to get into the playoffs. The upside if you are a Lakers fan is that the team is getting healthy. Lebron is getting healthier, but is still nursing a groin injury. Lonzo Ball is set to return, and Kuzma and the rest of the Lakers are looking to make the second-half playoff race very interesting, to say the least.
With a healthy roster, the Lakers appeared to be a top 4 team in the Western Conference. Now, the pieces of the “Show Time” puzzle are coming back together – just in time to make a playoff run. But what happens if they do sneak into the 8th seed in the West? Does Lebron’s season end the same way it has the past 4, at the hands of the Warriors? That is exactly how this season could play out. The Lakers have had some good wins – most recently right before the All-Star break when Rajon Rondo hit a put back against the Celtics with no time left on the clock. Without Lebron in the lineup, though, things have not been good on the floor, with the Lakers going 6-11 during his 17-game absence. The young players just don’t seem to be taking advantages of their time on the floor when Lebron is not in the lineup.
Let’s go back a little bit to last offseason: Magic Johnson and Lakers landed Lebron James, but acknowledged that this was still going to be a process. Did you believe that when it was said, chuckleheads? You shouldn’t have and here’s why: everywhere Lebron has gone there are two things for certain: the head coach and the young players have been on the cutting block. If the Lakers do not make the playoffs, the same will be true. Luke Walton will more than likely be out of a job, and the young players that seemed to be available for the Anthony Davis trade option will definitely be available and will be moved if they do not make the playoffs.
I think the Lakers sneak into that 8th seed in the West, and they will meet the Warriors, who will beat them in five games. Then Lebron will get on the recruitment trail – with Anthony Davis high on the Lakers and Lebron’s wish list. Kyrie Irving has said he wouldn’t rule out a reunion with Lebron – but that does not seem very likely. The other player that seems to be the one that is a lock to end up in LA is Kawhi Leonard, who seems to be heading for California once the season ends. Regardless, the Eastern Conference – as pointed out by Lebron – is all excited at the fact that the Eastern Conference Finals do not have to go through Lebron, as they have for the past eight seasons. Lebron will have his earliest exit of the playoffs in a long while, but will get healthy and come back stronger than ever in 2019-2020.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
The Season is over, The Circus is Not!
Chuckleheads, come one, come all to amazing, dysfunctional, traveling Pittsburgh Steelers Circus. Antonio Brown via social media stated: “Steeler Nation thank you for a big 9 years!!!!! Time to move on and move forward.” Brown, the player hasn’t missed a beat, having another strong year on the field, was maybe putting on an audition for his potential suiters. 2018 for the Steelers was jammed full of drama and AB seemed to be at the center of a lot of it. The killer BS has diminished to just Ben – and maybe that says more about the internal problems than anything else. Sometimes the team feels more like a reality show, and with the confirmation of Brown wanting out, it’s only going to get wilder as draft day approaches.
Last week of the season: the team must win, and another team must lose for the Steelers to be in the playoffs. Wednesday practice began and the bad blood between Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger continued: words were exchanged, Brown left the field and screamed “I’m done.” He did not return to the organization until Sunday: the day of the game, where he was told he was not playing. The move appeared to be a “you think you can win without me, see how open Juju is without me” from Brown’s perspective – and he wasn’t proven wrong. For most of the game against the Bengals, the Steelers struggled to move the ball or sustain any sort of momentum from the offensive side of the ball. Now with Brown looking to leave town for good, the Steelers have to be asking themselves what happened two years ago: you had the “killer Bs” and now the offense will rely heavily on if Roethlisberger can win with the young talent surrounding him, or if the window for Steeler nation been slammed shut.
2018 saw Antonio Brown do what Antonio Brown does on the field, catching 104 passes for 1,297 yards and career-high 15 touchdowns. Six straight seasons with 100 plus receptions and 1000 or more yards. In his 9 years with Pittsburgh, Brown has had quite a career, racking up 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns. There is no question Tony Toe Tap can play the game; he’s a 7-time Pro Bowler and 4 time All-Pro. The 30-year-old is in year 3 of a 5-year contract worth $72.2 million, and now he wants out. The Steelers are on the hook for him regardless of what they decide to do. If they keep him on the roster, he is owed $2.5 Million, due on the 5th of March: 5 days into the new NFL season. The Steelers would then be on the hook for $22.16 million in cap if no trade is made. If he is traded, they would be on the hook for $21.12 million. If you trade him, what are teams willing to give up? If you hold on to him, is he going to play for you? That second question gets brought to light more with his off-the-field issues and changes in Brown’s personality in recent months.
Off the field, Brown has had just as many issues as he seems to have with Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger. First, he had an issue with a reporter both in OTA’s and training camp when questioning possible injuries. Brown had an issue in the off season come to light during the season, where Brown reportedly threw things from a balcony where he was staying: damaging property and being sued for those damages. Antonio denied the allegations, and as of last reported, planned on fighting both lawsuits. Fast forward to November and Brown gets cited for going 100MPH in a 45MPH zone on McKnight road in Pittsburgh. On January 17th, police responded to a domestic disturbance, where Brown allegedly shoved a woman with both hands to get her off his property after failing to pay the woman for his daughters’ hair appointment. The same day he officially announced to his fans that he was “leaving” Pittsburgh, he failed to show up for his hearing for the reckless driving in November. There have been a few other instances with Brown not showing up to events for fans on time and the whole “filming the locker room” thing the week before playing the Patriots two years ago.
Who are the early front runners to go after Antonio’s services? Well, the Steelers have moved on from big name receivers in the past: Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes, and Mike Wallace to name a few. But with the drama and baggage that Brown brings with him, what can you get for him? Brown wants to go to the 49ers and has made that clear, although so far reports have said there is not that big of a market for him. Oakland and head coach John Gruden have the draft picks to play around with that could make for an interesting lead up to draft day. The Green Bay Packers are a team that needs a solid number one receiver and also happen to have two first-round draft picks to play with. Lastly, the Indianapolis Colts, who will have more cap space than any other team, could trade for and sign a new deal with Brown. Interesting thing about the Colts: they are also rumored to be interested in Brown’s former teammate, running back Le’veon Bell.
Looking at the whole picture, Brown is one of the (if not THE) best receiver in the NFL today. On the field and in his offseason both, no one can compete with his work ethic and no one can argue the production you get from him. His time in Pittsburgh has come to an end: he did not handle wanting to leave in the best way and if anything has damaged the product, he is by acting in the manor that he has. He will be on an NFL field next year. Honestly, if I’m Kevin Colbert, I explain to Brown’s people that they should come talk with us and come to an agreement to get Brown on his way and the organization compensated for it. If Brown doesn’t want to sit down and the Steelers are going to have to take the cap hit regardless, I would fine him a game check every week that he doesn’t want to cooperate. Regardless what Brown wants, not returning to teammates, coaches, management, or ownership is not the way to accomplish what you want. That all being said, I have enjoyed watching Antonio Brown play and wish him the best: his business is productive on the field, but I will be happy to see the off-field drama gone.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Ownership Dedicated to Success?
Chuckleheads as I sit here and write this, I do realize that the Super Bowl just happened, but I don’t really feel like talking about that Patriots and their 6th Super Bowl. So instead, this week we are going to look at the Pittsburgh Pirates with spring training right around the corner, February 12th to be exact. That’s when the Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers will make their way to Bradenton, Florida, and thus the beginning of another Pirates baseball season. The Pirates have been very quiet this offseason, making a handful of moves – none of which jump off the page as an improvement on the 82 wins the 2018 ball club had. A couple questions management must answer: who’s the fifth starter in the rotation? Who is going to make up the middle infield this season? How can you tell fans that ownership is dedicated to winning with a projected $74.5 million payroll? Until proven otherwise, Bob Nutting is equal or maybe even worse than the lady that owned the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League.
Starting pitching for the Pirates is mostly locked into place with Jameson Taillon is the teams ace, and a pitcher that some are calling a dark horse for the Cy Young. The rest of the rotation is as followed: Chris Archer, Trevor Williams – who was the big strength in that Pirate rotation a season ago, and Joe Mustgrove. Now, if you count those up, that’s only four pitchers. That means there is a fifth spot open to be won at Spring Training. The front runner for the fifth spot is Jordan Lyles, a former first round pick of the Astros back in 2008. Lyles split the 2018 season between the Padres and the Brewers with a 4.11 ERA in 87.2 frames. Not numbers that jump off the page, but the change of scenery might be what Lyles needs. The Pirates have also suggested Nick Kingham, who is out of minor league options, and Steven Brault, who has seemed to find a home in the bullpen. Kingham had moments last year where he looked to be capable, but they were few and far between. Steven Brault, much like Kingham, has looked good at times; but as a starter, it doesn’t seem to be the right fit. Brault has seemed to find his calling in the bullpen.
Another issue the 2019 Pirates face is who is going to make up the middle of the infield. The Pirates parted ways with shortstop Jordy Mercer and 2nd baseman Josh Harrison – leaving a hole up the middle. The outlook coming into spring training has Adam Frazier penciled in at 2nd base, but they also have the option to put Jung ho Kang there as well. The shortstop position sees two players competing for the job: Kevin Newman who was anything but impressive at the end of last season bating .209 for 91 at bats. The other option the team has is newly acquired Erik Gonzalez, who, in 81 games, batted .265 for the Cleveland Indians in 2018. General manager Neal Huntington said of the two shortstops, “We like Erik Gonzalez and Kevin Newman and we like what we feel is the level they can produce at in comparison to what else is truly out there.”
The last thing that needs to be addressed is more of what general manager Huntington said during the offseason that should have Pirate fans a little worried about where the mentality of the ownership is. Huntington said of the growth of the organization: “we have the ninth best record over the past six years.” He went on to say, “we are one of the few teams that have made the post season three times in the last seven seasons.” Fans should find this crazy that the team is bragging about three post-season appearances in seven years – where the team did not advance past the divisional series. Why is this a bench mark that the team seems to be so proud of? The Pirates’ last playoff birth was in 2015, in which they went 98-64 third best in the majors. There was a 2016 78-83 payroll reduction, 2017 75-87 payroll reduction, and then in 2018 82-79 yup, you guessed it, cut payroll again. For 2019, the Pittsburgh Pirates are projected to have a $74.5 million payroll – which is grossly under lthe eague average of $121 million and is good enough to rank the Pirates 29th out of 30, with only the Tampa Bay Rays lower on payroll. Huntington also stated on the culture in the front office: “There is a tremendous group of people whom I am honored to work with and they are committed to bringing a championship to Pittsburgh. We believe we have a strong group of young players that can grow and get better. We have an ownership group that is fully committed to bring a championship home.” I don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, but having a $74.5 million payroll leaving you with close to $50 million in open space, doesn’t seem like the effort the Pirates claim to be putting forward.
Chuckleheads be happy that baseball season is right around the corner: pitchers and catchers report in a week. This means the continuation of being told by management and ownership about a commitment to winning with arguably less effort towards that cause than they ever have. Ownership has no interest in spending money to grow into a championship-caliber team, which has a trickle-down effect throughout the ball club. Lack of money spent handcuffs the general manager in, who he can bring to the club. The general manager can only play with the talent that he is given. My hope is that some of this young talent that we as fans have been told about for years can develop into solid big leaguers, and that the current big leaguers can put together some wins and get the fan base back to the excitement that was the 2015 season – when they won 98 games.
Starting pitching for the Pirates is mostly locked into place with Jameson Taillon is the teams ace, and a pitcher that some are calling a dark horse for the Cy Young. The rest of the rotation is as followed: Chris Archer, Trevor Williams – who was the big strength in that Pirate rotation a season ago, and Joe Mustgrove. Now, if you count those up, that’s only four pitchers. That means there is a fifth spot open to be won at Spring Training. The front runner for the fifth spot is Jordan Lyles, a former first round pick of the Astros back in 2008. Lyles split the 2018 season between the Padres and the Brewers with a 4.11 ERA in 87.2 frames. Not numbers that jump off the page, but the change of scenery might be what Lyles needs. The Pirates have also suggested Nick Kingham, who is out of minor league options, and Steven Brault, who has seemed to find a home in the bullpen. Kingham had moments last year where he looked to be capable, but they were few and far between. Steven Brault, much like Kingham, has looked good at times; but as a starter, it doesn’t seem to be the right fit. Brault has seemed to find his calling in the bullpen.
Another issue the 2019 Pirates face is who is going to make up the middle of the infield. The Pirates parted ways with shortstop Jordy Mercer and 2nd baseman Josh Harrison – leaving a hole up the middle. The outlook coming into spring training has Adam Frazier penciled in at 2nd base, but they also have the option to put Jung ho Kang there as well. The shortstop position sees two players competing for the job: Kevin Newman who was anything but impressive at the end of last season bating .209 for 91 at bats. The other option the team has is newly acquired Erik Gonzalez, who, in 81 games, batted .265 for the Cleveland Indians in 2018. General manager Neal Huntington said of the two shortstops, “We like Erik Gonzalez and Kevin Newman and we like what we feel is the level they can produce at in comparison to what else is truly out there.”
The last thing that needs to be addressed is more of what general manager Huntington said during the offseason that should have Pirate fans a little worried about where the mentality of the ownership is. Huntington said of the growth of the organization: “we have the ninth best record over the past six years.” He went on to say, “we are one of the few teams that have made the post season three times in the last seven seasons.” Fans should find this crazy that the team is bragging about three post-season appearances in seven years – where the team did not advance past the divisional series. Why is this a bench mark that the team seems to be so proud of? The Pirates’ last playoff birth was in 2015, in which they went 98-64 third best in the majors. There was a 2016 78-83 payroll reduction, 2017 75-87 payroll reduction, and then in 2018 82-79 yup, you guessed it, cut payroll again. For 2019, the Pittsburgh Pirates are projected to have a $74.5 million payroll – which is grossly under lthe eague average of $121 million and is good enough to rank the Pirates 29th out of 30, with only the Tampa Bay Rays lower on payroll. Huntington also stated on the culture in the front office: “There is a tremendous group of people whom I am honored to work with and they are committed to bringing a championship to Pittsburgh. We believe we have a strong group of young players that can grow and get better. We have an ownership group that is fully committed to bring a championship home.” I don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, but having a $74.5 million payroll leaving you with close to $50 million in open space, doesn’t seem like the effort the Pirates claim to be putting forward.
Chuckleheads be happy that baseball season is right around the corner: pitchers and catchers report in a week. This means the continuation of being told by management and ownership about a commitment to winning with arguably less effort towards that cause than they ever have. Ownership has no interest in spending money to grow into a championship-caliber team, which has a trickle-down effect throughout the ball club. Lack of money spent handcuffs the general manager in, who he can bring to the club. The general manager can only play with the talent that he is given. My hope is that some of this young talent that we as fans have been told about for years can develop into solid big leaguers, and that the current big leaguers can put together some wins and get the fan base back to the excitement that was the 2015 season – when they won 98 games.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Back to the Beginning, 17 Years Later
Chuckleheads, the Super Bowl is here and once again Tom Brady and the Patriots will go for another Championship. Much like last year against the Eagles, this year’s Super Bowl will be another rematch. 17 years later the Los Angeles Rams –formerly in St. Louis – with its strong defense and young offense – lead by Goff and Gurley – and the New EnglandPatriots – led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – will face off, as the Patriots are not quite ready to give up their dominance of the league just yet. The Patriots are favored to win and thehistory between the two teams leans opinions in that way. I’m not here to tell you what your opinion should be. I am simply going to give you some information and you can decide for yourself who will come away with the win this year.
Nine times in 17 years, Super Bowl week has been headlined by Brady and Belichick, and it all started with a showdown with, at the time, the greatest show on turf. The St. Louis Rams were led by QB Kurt Warner, RB Marshall Faulk and WR Isaac Bruce – just to name a few Rams players at the time. That game ended in what was labeled an upset win for the Patriots. Now, however, we look back on it and ask ourselves if it was really an upset. Tom Brady got the ball back with 1:21 left on the clock at his own 17-yard-line and proceeded to drive his team close enough for Adam Vinatieri to kick a 48-yard game winning field goal. At the time, it may have very well been an upset. However, 17 years later, we ask: is it just what Tom Brady does? When the team needs him to, he always manages to drive them down the field and either allow the kicker to solidify the victory, or he makes it happen with his arm. These two teams have almost flipped places from what they were 17 years ago. The patriots are coming into the game as the reigning power in the AFC, and the Rams with the collective young talent who seem to be a team on the rise in the NFC.
For the Rams, there is quite a large bit of controversy surrounding their road to the Super Bowl after a no-call on pass interference/helmet to helmet that helped propel the game to overtime where the Rams’ kicker, Greg Zuerlein, booted a 57-yard field goal to send them to the Super Bowl. The fact that the Super Bowl – like the NFC Championship – is in a dome, it has to make you wonder that if the game is close, will Zuerlein play a factor in how the game could end? Tom Brady will have to be on high alert this Sunday against the defensive line for the Rams, led by Aaron Donald and his league-leading 20.5 sacks this season. It has been said in the past that the best way to rattle a QB like Brady is to get pressure on him and get him off of his spots in the pocket. The Rams do this better than most teams. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams will rely on third-year-QB Jared Goff and his weapons. His primary receiving target will be former Patriots’ WR Brandin Cooks, who caught seven passes in the NFC championship for 107 yards. The running game for the Rams will need to be clicking on all cylinders with fourth year stud Todd Gurley, who had his worst game of his career against the Saints: ten yards on four carries. They will also need RB CJ Anderson, who has emerged as a solid second in the backfield.
Bill Belichick will have his team ready to do what they do, with a fundamental offense running between the tackles and throwing short-timing routes. What Belichick and his Patriots do so well is they lull you into complacency and then hit a big play to the likes of Chris Hogan or Rob Gronkowski. When that does work the Patriots do not change or alter, they stay to the game plan and, nine times out of ten, they win with it. Gronk is a matchup nightmare: when you choose to double him, Brady seems to have the knack to find the open man. The AFC Championship was a clear sign of this: any time there was a double near the mammoth tight end, Gronkowski, Julian Edelman was Tom Brady’s go-to, as he is Tom’s safety blanket.Hate them or love them, the Patriots win games because of attention to detail and waiting for the other team to make a mistake to capitalize upon. In order to win against New England, you have to play a perfect game or force them to make uncharacteristic mistakes.
Throughout the playoffs, Brady has been playing in to the narrative going around the sports media outlets that has beensaying that he is “too old” or that “the dynasty is dead.” If that was even remotely the case, then the Patriots would not be going back to the Super Bowl for the third straight year. Has father time started to creep up and catch Tom? Can Tom Brady still get the job done? Until someone proves otherwise, I would say that he can still get the job done. The last thought I will leave you with chuckleheads is: wouldn’t it be an interesting “end” to the dynasty if the Patriots lose to the team that the dynasty started with?
Prediction: Patriots 27 Rams 24, Patriots win on a last second field goal……… history repeats itself.
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Is “Player Safety” Really the Focus?
Chuckleheads, it has been too long and I have a lot to talk about in the sports world: so let’s get back on this journey together!
For years now, the NFL has painted a picture that their main goal is to make the game safer. In print, the idea sounds great, but is it really helping with safety? The league seems to only make calls for helmet to helmet when it is suits them. The push for seasons expanding to 18 weeks has been floated around. Football is a contact sport, and if athletes continue to grow bigger, stronger, and faster, there is going to be an added element of danger. Changing rules and staples of the game has not and is not helping the game or the product the NFL is producing.
The NFL leads the way with teaching proper tackling to prevent injury. This has included implementing programs such as the “Heads Up” training. This program offers – and, in many states, requires – youth and high school programs the opportunity to learn the proper way to tackle to avoid head, neck, and spinal injuries. The NFL also started using an independent athletic trainer know as ACT spotters. The purpose of these trainers is to spot potential head, neck, and spinal injuries. This all sounds great, right? Ask yourself why week in and week out you see plays where players get up and are visibly disoriented, and yet are back in a play or two, or even worse: left on the field. Concussions and injuries are a part of the game and players fully understand that when they start playing – now more than ever. The question is: why put all these people in place to identify these injuries if they are just there for show?
With players getting bigger, faster, and stronger every day with new training supplements and private training sessions, the league is taking the stance that the lower the hit, the better. This is a good and a bad thing all rolled into one jumble. With head safety, eliminating or trying to eliminate helmet to helmet hits makes total sense – no one can argue that fact. Targeting is the penalty that is used as a deterrent for these types of hits. It’s simple: the officials deem your hit to be targeting and you are gone for the rest of the game, plus what the league gives you as a punishment. Targeting is where the argument goes off the rails. Countless times we have seen textbook-form tackles called as targeting, and that’s where the League is forcing players to change tactics to make a tackle. Players are now forced to make a split-second decision to hit a player in the chest or go lower. The lower the hits go, the greater the increase is for lower body injuries such as knee injuries, ankle injuries, and other lower body problems. In reality, they have attempted to solve one risk injury by opening the players up to other types of injuries. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
The league only claims safety when they are getting bashed for being unsafe, and then the solution to the problem is to make the games unwatchable because, as an average fan, you have no idea what a good tackle and bad tackle is and players are still getting hurt. Improving the form of tackling will help the head, neck, and spinal injuries to decrease. Quit teaching people to launch themselves into others and teach them to wrap up and keep the legs moving. The League has started to do this with things they have implemented, but there is still enormous room for growth and improvement. The biggest lie is that the NFL doesn’t love the big knockout shots, and do you know why that is? Because the fans of the football love to see big hits – because that is what the game is.
Written by: Carlo Guadagnino
For years now, the NFL has painted a picture that their main goal is to make the game safer. In print, the idea sounds great, but is it really helping with safety? The league seems to only make calls for helmet to helmet when it is suits them. The push for seasons expanding to 18 weeks has been floated around. Football is a contact sport, and if athletes continue to grow bigger, stronger, and faster, there is going to be an added element of danger. Changing rules and staples of the game has not and is not helping the game or the product the NFL is producing.
The NFL leads the way with teaching proper tackling to prevent injury. This has included implementing programs such as the “Heads Up” training. This program offers – and, in many states, requires – youth and high school programs the opportunity to learn the proper way to tackle to avoid head, neck, and spinal injuries. The NFL also started using an independent athletic trainer know as ACT spotters. The purpose of these trainers is to spot potential head, neck, and spinal injuries. This all sounds great, right? Ask yourself why week in and week out you see plays where players get up and are visibly disoriented, and yet are back in a play or two, or even worse: left on the field. Concussions and injuries are a part of the game and players fully understand that when they start playing – now more than ever. The question is: why put all these people in place to identify these injuries if they are just there for show?
With players getting bigger, faster, and stronger every day with new training supplements and private training sessions, the league is taking the stance that the lower the hit, the better. This is a good and a bad thing all rolled into one jumble. With head safety, eliminating or trying to eliminate helmet to helmet hits makes total sense – no one can argue that fact. Targeting is the penalty that is used as a deterrent for these types of hits. It’s simple: the officials deem your hit to be targeting and you are gone for the rest of the game, plus what the league gives you as a punishment. Targeting is where the argument goes off the rails. Countless times we have seen textbook-form tackles called as targeting, and that’s where the League is forcing players to change tactics to make a tackle. Players are now forced to make a split-second decision to hit a player in the chest or go lower. The lower the hits go, the greater the increase is for lower body injuries such as knee injuries, ankle injuries, and other lower body problems. In reality, they have attempted to solve one risk injury by opening the players up to other types of injuries. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
The league only claims safety when they are getting bashed for being unsafe, and then the solution to the problem is to make the games unwatchable because, as an average fan, you have no idea what a good tackle and bad tackle is and players are still getting hurt. Improving the form of tackling will help the head, neck, and spinal injuries to decrease. Quit teaching people to launch themselves into others and teach them to wrap up and keep the legs moving. The League has started to do this with things they have implemented, but there is still enormous room for growth and improvement. The biggest lie is that the NFL doesn’t love the big knockout shots, and do you know why that is? Because the fans of the football love to see big hits – because that is what the game is.
Written by: Carlo Guadagnino
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Suspension Happy NFL’s Newest Set of Blunders!
This past weekend in the NFL, there were a handful of plays that drew the attention of the league office. Rob Gronkowski, Juju Smith-Shuster, and George Iloka all received one game suspensions for plays that occurred Sunday and Monday night. The NFL considered Gronkowski’s incident a blatant, dirty hit after an interception by the Buffalo Bills warranted the same level of discipline, as Smith-Shuster and Iloka’s plays that were not even close to being dirty plays. Is it fair to give the same consequence or penalty to events that were not on the same wavelength?
The NFL league office once again showed inconsistencies and lack of credibility by the decisions to suspend all three players. The Gronk hit was by all accounts, just short of assault. While the plays that cost Smith-Shuster and Iloka one game a piece, were plays that happen regularly in the NFL. The two may have deserved a fine at the absolute most, but of course Roger Goodell and league managed to fumble this decision.
Rob Gronkowski’s Cheap Shot
With under five minutes left in a game, the New England Patriots had a 20-point lead in, Tom Brady looked to connect down field with tight end Rob Gronkowski. There was some contact with Gronkowski by rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White; White would come away with the interception, and be out of bounds on his stomach. Gronkowski, who got up, visibly upset, adjusted his helmet and then proceeded to dive elbow first, with all his weight into the back of White’s head, causing a concussion. This is the type of cheap shot plays the NFL needs to take a hard stance against as there is no place in the game for them. How did the league respond you might ask? For concussing a player with visible intent to injure, one game suspension. One game. The NFL claims to be about player safety and improving the safety of the game, but in the words of Herm Edwards “come on man”!
Dicey in Cincinnati
Steelers and Bengals games over the last couple years have been wars on the field, to say the least. There is always a play here or there where the questioning of a hit or a call altered the game. On Monday night that was no different, an absolute battle and at times hard to watch with the level of violence. With time against them, on the drive where the Steelers would tie the game, JuJu Smith-Shuster, in a flow of the play laid Bengals Vontaze Burfict out. The block appeared to be within the rule, the taunting of Burfict by Smith-Shuster after the hit standing over the fallen linebacker was not.
The taunting and mixed with the way the play looked deserved a fine at most, but no the NFL suspended the Rookie WR for one game for the hit. Later, that drive when Ben Roethlisberger heaved a pass to Antonio Brown in the end zone, in a bang band play George Iloka met Brown helmet to helmet as Brown made the catch. Iloka was penalized for the hit which is understandable, but the play was not dirty in any way, shape, or form. Instances such as these can surface at any point during a football game since we are talking about a contact sport. If the league wants to issue a punishment, at best these were fineable offenses but not suspension worthy.
Both Juju Smith-Shuster and George Iloka intend to appeal the league’s decision. If the league upholds these suspensions and bulls them in with what Gronkowski did, then it just goes to show how bad the front office is and how out of touch with reality the commissioner has gotten. If the plays that got Smith-Shuster and Iloka suspended warrant one game suspension, then Gronk should have been suspended at least three games if not more. Once again, the league mismanages the interpretation of the rules and blurred the lines of what will cost you a game and paycheck. The NFLPA really needs to look at things like these three plays and help draw a clear line of what is and is not an action that can result in suspensions. I repeat there is no place in the game of football for what Rob Gronkowski did. If the league is truly worried about player saftey, they sure dropped the ball on this one to prove that plays like that will not be tolerated. Hey what else is new in the Roger Goodell run NFL……inconsistency week in and week out.
Written by
Carlo Guadagnino
Edited by:
Daniel Bishop M.A.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Roger Goodell’s Time Has Come...... To Be Replaced!
The worst commissioner in recent NFL history, is currently in negotiations with the NFL for a contract extension. Goodell has taken a league that was once a cash cow that could not fail, and turned into one controversy after the other. The man sits atop his position and makes decisions that have cost the NFL money, ratings and most important the fans. What further proves that he is no long welcome or wanted in professional football, is more than half of the leagues owners are not in favor of giving the extension right now. The best thing that could happen to the NFL and football as a whole, is for Goodell to go back to bartending or garbage collecting or whatever his skills qualify him for. He is the worst thing about football and a league that once was the crown jewel of the sporting world!
What Goodell Wants
Reports all over the country are releasing Goodell’s extension demands. He reportedly wants $49.5 million, health insurance for life, and a private jet for life. The league is already over paying Goodell to the tune of $31.7 million. Under performing at his job and destroying the brand makes him feel he is entitled to 17.8 million dollar raise? In the real world it wouldn’t be a question of giving him an extension and a raise he would be gone. Jerry Jones is one of the owners leading that charge saying, “if the NFL wants to move past its multiple serious problems, the owners should not only refuse to extend Goodell and just replace him.” Jones has gone so far as to seek council to block and fight the commissioner getting an extension. The private jet request is just dumb, so I’m not even going to say anything about it. Lastly, this man wants health insurance for life, he doesn’t put his body on the line week in and week out but wants health insurance for life. To put that in perspective the players that play week in and week out, do not get health insurance for life, so tell me why Rodger Goodell deserves that privilege. The answer is, he does not, in fact the Players Union should take that from him and work it into the next collective bargaining agreement, then maybe the commissioner can be considered. You know, after the players that have potential health risks based on their profession.
League Issues Under
It seems since Goodell took over the control of the league in 2006 it has been one issue or controversy after another. The first big issue came when he went after the New England Patriots the first time in 2007 for “SpyGate,” where the Patriots were caught filming defensive signals from division rival New York Jets, the punishment was $500,000 fine for head coach Bill Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the team, and loss of 2008 first round draft pick. As we know New England is going to come up again later for air and footballs. The came “BountyGate,” where New Orleans Saints, players and coaches, were supposedly paying Saints players for taking opposing players out of games. Players and coaches were suspended and then reinstated by Goodell’s predecessor Paul Tagliabue.
Having the guy that had your job before you did change a decision that you made clearly showed how unqualified Roger Goodell was at his job. If that was let bad enough, the summer of 2014 ensured the entire country how bad Goodell was at his job. Ray Rice, who got in trouble for beating his then girlfriend in an elevator, the league reviewed it and deemed a fine and two game suspension was good enough, then a video surfaced a from the elevator that showed how bad the situation was. Goodell claimed that he had never seen the tape before, but the hotel staff, police, and Ray Rice all stated that Goodell had all the evidence in front of him when he made his initial punishment. After the tape surfaced, Rice and his contract with the Ravens, was terminated and he was suspended from the NFL indefinitely.
Then came “deflategate” once again Goodell was after Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. In 2015 he suspended Brady for 4 games for deflated football in the previous playoffs. Although the suspension was inevitably upheld, the whole entire situation was dragged out clear into 2016 and pretty much cemented the fact that Goodell is awful to be the commissioner of the NFL.
I do not know Roger Goodell personally, he might be a great guy outside of football. As a football commissioner, he is the worst thing to be in a leadership role in the NFL. It is time the owners do what’s best for the brand and for the league and just remove the stain of Mr. Goodell from the league. In closing, Roger do us all a favor and just go away find an island that has never heard of football, take enough food and water and never think speak or look at a football game for the at least one year. You sir are suspended from the NFL per the fans until further notice.
Written By
Carlo Guadagnino
Edited By:
Anna Riddle
References:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2017/11/14/nfls-roger-goodell-seeks-50-millionyear-contract-extension-sources.html
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.detroitnews.com/amp/107720186
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2017/11/15/nfls-roger-goodell-doesnt-deserve-raise-he-should-be-fired-commentary.html
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