Ball or Nuthin' » NFL

Why We Need the NFL: Top 10 Reasons

T Lamont — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:34:02 +0000

Can’t the players and owners just all get along?

One day, we get news saying that the lockout is over. The next day, it’s reversed. Throughout it all, players don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing. Organizations don’t have rules to follow, and as far as rosters go, they’re facing times of uncertainty.

What about us?

Well, at least we get the NFL Draft, right? The League’s alteration of the Draft format helps extend the pigskin excitement somewhat – especially when you consider the current state of confusion, and the real possibility that the draftees may be watching the World Series instead of making an impact to a franchise that needs their services.

But indeed, the fans will also take on quite a burden if the NFL doesn’t play ball this fall. Here’s some of the top reasons why we would miss the NFL:

1. Now we would all be subject to the never-ending use of social networking by Chad Ochocinco. For anyone trying to escape his exposure, Ocho is unfortunately available through just about every medium possible. And without him being required to practice or play football, that’ll leave him with more time to share all that he desires to with the public. Good luck in your efforts to be Ocho-free…

Watch out for Ochocinco. He's about to do something to get your attention...again.

2. Being a huge basketball fan, football balances my life. Being the individualist that I am, it took me a little longer to appreciate football than it did basketball. Growing up in the era of perhaps the greatest hoops player ever (and I shouldn’t have to name who that is), people in my generation naturally became enamored with one person’s ability to achieve superhero status. That’s a bit more common to see on the hardwood, where supreme athleticism and talent can totally override the lesser abilities of the opposition. But on the gridiron, a complete coordination of team execution is required to achieve success. Don’t believe me? Just ask Barry Sanders.

3. Since you have become an adult, have you ever purposely experienced Thanksgiving without football? Me neither. The turkey and dressing goes down much easier with your eyes closed and the television tuned in to Fox.

4. Sure, ESPN tries to place Chris Berman on some baseball coverage. But let’s face it: Berman might be taking sabbatical if the NFL is out of service. Sundays in the fall without hearing the chant of “Prime-Time” or the infamous “Whoooop” would seem just plain weird.

5. Am I the only one who is fascinated by the FOX Sports animated transformer doing football-related stuff right before coverage resumes?

6. Of the major professional sports, the NFL is the only one in which every game matters. The NBA, the NHL, and major league baseball could never generate the type of excitement that the NFL does for its regular season contests. There are no series – one game takes it all. Be prepared to win or be prepared to go home. No second, third or fourth chances.

7. We need to give Michael Vick some attention. I have the feeling that NFL fans encourage Vick. Many still remain hostile toward the decisions that he made and don’t want to see him succeed. I truly think Vick uses that – as well as the people who wish him well - to propel himself forward. In the case that there’s no professional football in 2011, we can only hope that Michael’s maturation has been true and can keep him on track without the focus that playing the sport he loves naturally brings.

What will football diehards like Jackson and Berman do with their extra time?

8. With no football to discuss, how will we ever break out of our “the weekend was too short” mindsets in the office on Monday morning?

9. Does anyone even know what other programming is on the air on Sundays? In the past, the Real Housewives of Atlanta and Celebrity Apprentice have been scheduled on that night. Now before you judge – if you haven’t seen Nene Leakes in action, you might want to put that on your bucket list. But even Nene can’t get top billing over Sunday Night Football.

10. In most major sports, prior to the start of the season we could probably correctly guess at least three of the final four teams that will be left in their postseason. The NFL? Not so much. Who would have thought that the Saints and Colts wouldn’t be back in their respective conference championship games last year? And the year prior saw Baltimore, Philadelphia and Arizona made unpredictable runs to the conference championships, as well.

So, with the bleak situation presented by the NFL, I have only one lingering question:

Can other schools follow the PAC-12′s lead and propose holding their games on Sundays?

Marijuana – The NFL’s Drug of Choice

T Lamont — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:54:30 +0000

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Randy Moss…Percy Harvin…DeSean Jackson.

Those are just a few names of offensively talented NFL players who have been tied to reports of recreational marijuana use – at the very least. But how much of an imprint does the drug have in the National Football League?

Well, if the reports from this year’s incoming rookie class are accurate, the imprint is significant. More than one-third of 2010′s projected first-round selections have had run-ins with the pot police while they were in college. Which brings us to an important question?

Do team executives really care about the mixed messages that they are sending to the general public?

In many aspects, NFL Commissioner Goddell has distinguished himself as a no-nonsense leader…one that will do his part to protect the integrity of a sport that has become the most popular in the United States. But to what lengths will his honor reach?

Ricky Williams could probably smoke up a whole forest in one weekend.

The NFL knows that it has players on its teams payrolls that openly engage in the puffing past time – and at the moment, teams use their own discernment when it comes to players that reported have the habit. The subject of marijuana and the effect of its abusers on society is obviously not as clear cut as that of a murderer, cocaine dealer or rapist. And thus, there’s this gray area over sports when it comes to this subject. Even the most aggressive opponent of drugs would have the tendency to shrug his shoulders when asked whether weed is an altogether bad thing – and should be classified with other hardcore drugs.

One thing is for certain – just like alcohol, we know that the most damaging effects could be experienced by accident victims, or those not under the influence who get caught up with those who are. So unlike hardcore drugs, marijuana is more likely to affect others than one’s self. And perhaps that’s the exact reason why the NFL is willing to put blinders on when it comes to this.

The mixed message is there - the NFL doesn’t want its players touching some drugs, but they only discourage them from partaking in certain others. And it’s not as if there haven’t been some recent tragedies from the “softcore” drugs. I think we all remember Dante Stallworth’s manslaughter case. And we’d be fooling ourselves if we thought that Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t under the influence of something during his nightclub escapades.

So, when the NFL starts screaming about the drug problem that it might have, let’s just remember that it was the league’s choice to accept the choices of its workforce.

Building a winning team costs money. But in this case, building a winning brand could ultimately cost the league some respect.

Pro Bowl is Much Worse Than the NBA All-Star Game

T Lamont — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:41:22 +0000

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As I’m catching the closing bits of the NFL Pro Bowl, I am thinking to myself…

“Now I see why the NFL has such an issue with figuring out what to do with this game…”

There’s always the dilemma in all-star type events of a lack of intensity. Is there any motivation for the players to play hard?

Major League Baseball thinks they have come up with something - but I think it’s pretty ridiculous to have an all-star game decide home field advantage in the World Series. But when comparing the NFL Pro Bowl with the NBA All-Star Game, the NFL certainly comes up short.

The reason why?

Quite frankly, both games are void of any defensive effort. That alone basically strips the game of any general sense of competitiveness. But the NBA wins out easily because of the ability to execute spectacular plays.

In the NBA’s midseason extravaganza, there are always breathtaking dunks, no-look passes, long shots…and even in a non-competitive exhibition those moment of athletic brilliance will make the most casual fans jump up out of his seat in appreciation.

How spectacular can a Pro Bowl play be? A touchdown in a non-intense game is fairly unspectacular. As a matter of fact, any play in football becomes rather plain without the all-out effort from players on both sides of the ball. The reason is simple – - at its core, football is truly a team game. The structure of the game itself makes it very difficult for individual excellence to be demonstrated. The more individualistic game of (NBA) basketball lends itself to fantastic exhibitions of its greatest participants.

So, what should be done with the Pro Bowl?

Well, at the very least, don’t make me watch it before the Super Bowl.

NFL Pro Bowl Week Rambling…

T Lamont — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:39:33 +0000

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With a couple of big football events coming up over the next two weekends, the NFL season is rapidly approaching its climax.

Here are some football-related ramblings…

- Mark Sanchez got some very valuable experience this season. Playing with a Jets team that was in, then out, then snuck back into the playoff picture, he went through a couple of seasons worth of emotions in just one campaign.

- I did not expect the Vikings to totally dominate their playoff games the way that they did. The manhandled the Cowboys on both ends of the field, and the Saints were heavily outgained (from a yards perspective) by Minnesota. As much as it pains me to say it, Brett Favre should be in the Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini can only wish that he had a quarterback of Favre's caliber on his team.

- Speaking of Favre, he’s already starting his “I thinking playing next year - oh no I’m not – yes I am…” stuff. Can he please let us enjoy the last two games of the season before he begins holding the media hostage? Note to the Vikings: Draft a young quarterback that you can develop (a la Aaron Rodgers)…and do it fast. Your team is too good to be molded by Favre’s intentions…

- I don’t agree with this Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl thing, but I can understand why it was repositioned. Ratings…viewers – and that’s the bottom line. It’s not going to add any excitement to Super Bowl week. Super Bowl is its own entity, and if you aren’t interested in it prior to watching the Pro Bowl, you won’t be any more interested in it after watching the Pro Bowl.

- Besides, if I’m the coach of one of the teams in the Super Bowl, I’m not necessarily happy about my players participating in the Pro Bowl. After all, the important game is only a week away. And in theory that’s just wrong, because they’ve earned the right to be there and should be able to enjoy it as much as everyone else.

- The Saints and the Colts are definitely the teams that people want to see battling it out. They were the best in the regular season, and it’s always good when the teams that performed the best throughout the season square off against one another.

NFL Sunday Rewind – Week 1

T Lamont — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:15:47 +0000

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Week 1 of the new NFL football season always proves to be an important one. Every city, regardless of last season accomplishments (or lack thereof), breathes with the excitement of a fresh, clean slate – and the chance at doing things right this time around.

At NFL Sunday Rewind we’ll examine my random thoughts about each game. Some of them will be meaningful, while others, well…not so much…

Dolphins 7, Falcons 19 – Miami Dolphins tight end Al Fasano had 2 receptions on the day. He also had two fumbles. That’s a football touch - turnover ratio of 1 to 1 or 100%. I heard rumblings that Falcons head coach Mike Smith ran to the visiting locker room to gave Fasano the game ball.

Reggie Wayne put up big numbers against Jacksonville.

Jaguars 12, Colts 14 – Reggie Wayne’s 10 receptions and 162 yards receiving highlights a little known fact - that he’s been the backbone of the Indianapolis receiving corps for years before Marvin Harrison’s departure.

Chiefs 24, Ravens 38 – Brodie Coyle should be very upset next week. It’s pretty obvious to me that the Chiefs just flat out didn’t want Matt Cassel’s Kansas City career to begin in a rugged fashion against an aggressive Baltimore defense. Coyle gets props from me for making this game a tough one for the Ravens.

Eagles 38, Panthers 10 – Panthers coach John Fox says that the 5 Jake Delhomme turnovers were “not all his fault.” Well, of course not you moron. After all, the defense had to catch the 4 passes that were thrown to them.

Lions 27, Saints 45 – The New Orleans Saints are the Golden State Warriors of the NFL. They’ll put up the points, but can their defense keep pace with their offense? After this week’s game against the lowly Lions, I believe we’ll have to revisit that question next week when they visit Philadelphia.

Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 21 – Tony Romo starts the season in grand fashion once again (353 passing yards, 140.6 QB rating). Let’s see if he can be the undisputed leader of this team not that T.O. is gone.

Broncos 12, Bengals 7 – Cincinnati loses a real heart-breaker on a tough, tipped ball reception by Brandon Stokley. Plays like this normally end up having a bigger effect than they should. All of a sudden, Denver has a realistic shot at starting the season 3-0 (they play at home against the Browns and then on the road against the Raiders) while the Bengals might be 0-3 (at GB next week, and at home against Pittsburgh in Week 3).

Sanchez played like a veteran in his first NFL regular season game.

Jets 24, Texans 7 – Check this: Mark Sanchez was 12-15 for 191 yards on third downs. Thomas Jones did his best to make sure that Sanchez’s regular season debut was a good one by providing strong ground support (107 rushing yards).

Vikings 34, Browns 20 – Now that Minnesota has a passer, they are that much closer to having a well-rounded offense. The complete package of their team was just too much for Cleveland. And, oh yeah – they have Adrian Peterson.

49ers 20, Cardinals 16 – This was a rugged game. With neither team establishing a running game (Frank Gore: 30 yards rushing, Beanie Wells: 29 yards rushing), you’d figure that Arizona would have the advantage. Maybe they would have if Kurt Warner wouldn’t have thrown 2 interceptions.

Redskins 17, Giants 23 – New season, same old Redskins. They just don’t have enough in any aspect of the game to put together a performance that is complete enough to consistently win games – especially in a tough NFC East division. The Giants stormed out to a 17-0 lead in this game, led by its strong defense.

Rams 0, Seahawks 28 – The Rams got beat in every facet of the game in Week 1. Marc Bulger and Stephen Jackson will have to be more spectacular for them to compete in any game this year.