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NFL Vs College Football

Shane Mclendon
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NFL Vs College Football

college ncaa vs nfl

In the south, where I reside, college football gets more love than the NFL. I get it. The college game is a bit more passionate and players and fans are not so jaded about the sport. The NFL can be a cold hard business for fans and players alike. For my money though, I will stick with the NFL for a few reasons.

I could go on for ages about the fairness factor being a difference in college football and the pro league. I am disgusted by the hypocritical people running universities and the NCAA who have gotten over on the athletes for decades now. The profiting off free labor has worn my patience for college athletics in general. But a reckoning is coming due to the Ed O’Bannon case decision. Once the ridiculous appeal is over and denied, I hope to see college athletes get better treatment and be able to take part in capitalism and actually get paid for an autograph if they choose.

There is a lot wrong with the NFL and I am not blind to that fact. In a perfect world, football would not exist. The injuries, the disloyalty of teams and players, and the off the field stuff are not invisible to me. But when choosing the better entity, college or pro football, there is more justice in the NFL. That includes the playoffs.

Some folks may criticize the NFL’s playoff system, but at least they have mathematical guidelines. Teams know what they have to do to get in the post season each and every year. There is no voting involved. In college football, that is all that matters, voting. If a team is way too low in the rankings at the start of the year, they have little chance to make it all the way to the top four spots. And those early rankings are based on nothing. Not a game has been played at that point. Even though the NFL playoffs allow some teams in that are mediocre and happen to be in a weak division, that is still better than some guy voting on who he wants to see in the college “playoff.” I am well aware that the NFC South will send a team to the post season this year with a losing record. That may suck, but at least it was determined before the year with the guidelines. Win your division and you are in. No voter ballot needed.

Another mistake college football makes is the big layoff between the regular season and the bowl games. There is too big a break in between those games. A four week break in the past has been ridiculous and this year’s layoff is only slightly better. A team on a roll can go cold with that kind of layoff. The NFL does not fool with that type of schedule. They get right to the playoffs immediately after the last regular season game, the way it should be.

The NFL may be a bit less passionate than college football, but I will take the justice of the pros over the rah-rah of college games. From paid work to a consistent way to fill the playoff schedule, the NFL is a more fair place to play football. Just a few tweaks could make college ball just as fair as the NFL. All it would take is for the players to demand it. By demand it, I mean sit out games until something changes. They deserve to be paid in some fashion and they deserve a true way to find a champion each year. Baby steps have been taken and more leaps will soon follow. The O’Bannon decision was huge and the Northwestern football team unionizing is progress also. I’m OK with the college game getting turned on its head or even destroyed. I have the NFL.

Five Exciting Things With NFL Season Wrapping Up

Shane Mclendon
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Five Exciting Things With NFL Season Wrapping Up

aaron rodger nfl bulge makes it for green bay packers 2015

It will not be long before I am crying over the NFL season being over. Not actual crying….I am not an emotional train wreck generally. But I will be missing the sport once the season wraps and I try to entertain myself with the off season combine, draft, and of course knuckle headed players making news off the field.

We head into Thursday night’s game between the Rams and Cardinals with only three weeks left in the regular season. Time flies when you are having a ball, especially when it’s of the pigskin variety. I can remember the preseason just like it was yesterday and how all my predictions for the Super Bowl would come true. Reality has set in and it is apparent that betting on my Falcons in the preseason when the odds would have paid me like 30-1, would have been money poorly spent.

Lots of narratives have changed since the beginning of the 2014 season. Each week has been a roller coaster ride with most teams turning out to be pretenders after a couple of great performances leads their fans on. Here are the five top story lines that will play out over the last three weeks of what has been another awesome NFL regular season.

5. Cleveland fans hoping for a mini miracle will get their wish as Johny Manziel will get the start this week. ESPN and the like will finally get their wish as well, since they have been begging for this storyline all year. I am shocked that some low level ESPN reporter was not tasked with planting drugs on Brian Hoyer to get him locked up, thus forcing a J-Football appearance.

4. The Patriots keep finding ways to stay in the mix every year. Early in the year it looked like Tom Brady had run out of magic, but it was simply due to his lackluster receivers. Once he whipped them into shape, the Pats have been on fire. The playoffs have exposed the Patriots’ weaknesses the past few years so we shall see if this year is any different.

3. The NFC South has become a laughing stock as none of the four teams involved has done anything to pause the laughter. The Saints were preseason favorites to get to the Super Bowl but have been dismal. The Bucs at 2-10 were only mathematically eliminated from winning the division just last week! That tells you all the info needed to determine this division as the worst in a decade. As I type, the title is still up for grabs.

2. Jim Harbaugh is the most successful young NFL coach, not named Jimmy Johnson, that has ever been run off by ownership. The separation of the two parties hasn’t happened yet, but it is coming. Harbaugh took the 49ers to three Title games in a row, in his first three seasons. Even if I hated the guy, as an owner I would put up with him. This year his team has fallen on harder times, but this guy is a great leader and coach. The team that lands him will be super lucky that the Niners didn’t appreciate him.

1. Aaron Rodgers has cemented himself as the best in the game. True experts of the game have known this to be an absolute for a couple of seasons. But now every pundit’s knee is bowing and every talking head’s tongue is confessing. I will go on record right now and take Green Bay to win it all. Seattle is playing much better than their mid season drift and could be a roadblock to Rodger’s second Super Bowl. An NFC Title game in Lambeau, I will give the edge to the Packers however.

Andrew Luck Vs Russell Wilson

Shane Mclendon
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Andrew Luck Vs Russell Wilson

andrew luck vs russell wilson

A few years back we all heard the talk about the possible competition between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III for best young quarterbacks of the future. Luck has always been the favorite to run the town called the NFL once he got a few seasons under his belt. He is proving to be better than advertised and that is not an easy task with hyperbole running rampant in this day and age. RG3 on the other hand has been a flop and not worthy of comparison to Luck in any shape or form. Griffin did get hurt at the end of his stellar rookie year. That could be the biggest reason for his fall off, or maybe he foolishly thought the NFL would be easy since his first campaign was a success.

The 2012 QB class comparison now shifts to Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. No other quarterback from the class of 2012 qualifies. No other young QB at all for that matter.

Luck is John Elway reincarnated. He is that good.

He is a deadly pocket passer that has as much ability to run as almost any quarterback in the NFL. He is smart enough to know when to do so however. Wilson may be the most exciting QB in all of the NFL. He may also be the easiest to root for, at least that is the case for me. I love the fact that the guy that slipped to the third round of the NFL draft has made teams rue the day they passed on the Wisconsin star.

What makes this quarterback comparison even better is the fact that they play in opposite conferences. So a matchup in a future Super Bowl is a possibility and a likely one. Manning versus Brady has been a fun rivalry over the years. Not only the games pitting the two against each other, but the stat comparisons have been fun to mull over and debate. But those two legends never had the chance to play in a Super Bowl against each other. Peyton beat Rex Grossman and lost to Russell Wilson. Brady lost to Eli not once but twice, after winning in his first three trips to the big game.

It will take more than a decade to sort out which of these young stars was the best. It may take a decade after the two wrap up their careers. They will be that close in terms of achievement unless something goes horribly wrong injury wise. Luck has more natural ability than any other QB in the world and knows how to use it. Wilson is no slouch athletically and that is clear. The possible difference could be a chip that sits on Wilson’s shoulder from being drafted so late. It would make sense in a Tom Brady sixth round pick kind of way. There is surely a burning desire that makes Wilson the hardest working player on his team and one of the most dedicated professionals in the league. Being thought of as third rate by many teams during the draft lit a fire under an already motivated athlete.

I would love to see these two guys make a Super Bowl opposite each other sooner rather than later. That would be the ultimate indicator of just who is the best field general. As I think about it more compared to the Brady and Manning battles, which Brady clearly dominated, maybe it would be better if Wilson and Luck were in the same conference. Instead of one or two shots at a Super Bowl matchup, we could get almost yearly playoff battles between these two young ballers.

Who would I take if I were starting an NFL team? First, I would wonder where the hell I got the funds to buy an NFL team. Then I would have to go with Wilson. That may sound crazy to some folks and I loveAndrew Luck. But who would have started their team with Tom Brady over Peyton Manning all those years ago?

NFL Week 13 Recap 2014

Shane Mclendon
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Week 13 in the NFL was spread out over a few more days with the Thanksgiving holidays. Instead of just one Thursday game, we got three. I had the unique experience of watching the day games on Thanksgiving from the deck of a cruise ship. A rainy day on vacation gave me the perfect excuse to just relax and soak up all the NFL I could. I was pretty surprised at all the Detroit fans that ended up on a ship with me that set sail from Tampa, Florida. I’m still not sure what was up with that.

The early Turkey Day game between Detroit and the Bears was not close in the end. But early on this one was a decent contest. The Lions had a great second quarter in which they scored 21 points to give them a ten point lead at halftime. Chicago tried to match Detroit’s wideouts with their own stars, Jeffery and Marshall, but were ultimately no match for Megatron and company. Calvin Johnson had 11 catches for 146 yards and had two touchdowns to boot. Detroit went out on top of the Bears 34-17.

Dallas has a big Thanksgiving tradition to uphold. They failed to do so this year with an ugly loss to division foe Philadelphia. This game got so out of hand that Fox had to go to Jimmy Johnson in studio to rehash the old Buddy Ryan bounties on Dallas from 100 years ago. Tony Romo was sacked several times as he simply gave himself up when in danger of being hit. That made it obvious that the guy is hurt and didn’t want to risk a big hit. Tony Romo is not one to give up on plays and he is known to play tough, so if I were a Cowboys fan I would be really concerned about his health. Philly has quietly stayed at the top of the league all year long and is now the NFC East leader. This game ended with the Eagles taking Dallas’ manhood 33-10.

The late holiday game featured two teams on the border of not being postseason relevant. The Niners, in the midst of more Jim Harbaugh trade rumors, took on Seattle. This game had been pegged as a key matchup ever since the start of the 2014 season. The two teams have not lived up to expectations, but that didn’t mean the game wasn’t important. San Francisco mounted virtually no offense, gaining only 164 yards total. The measly three points were not enough to keep up with Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense. They didn’t exactly look like an offensive juggernaut, but 19 points proved enough in this one.

Houston beat up on Tennessee 45-21 in a game that saw Ryan Fitzpatrick ruin fantasy lineups all over the nation. Fitz threw six touchdowns on his way to a 358 yard day. I wouldn’t look at this as a sign this will happen on a weekly basis, or ever again actually. J.J. Watt caught another touchdown pass to prove he is a freak, as if anyone doubted his freakiness. The Texans are 6-6 with playoff hopes still alive, and now the Titans fall to 2-10 in a race to the bottom.

The Raiders were pounded 52-0 by the Rams. I should stop right there, but I didn’t want to leave out the Tre Mason performance. This kid is something special and I have been on board with him since he was at Auburn gashing defenses. This performance was not an aberration either. Look for more games like this three touchdown performance from Mason.

The Ravens came from ahead to lose to the Chargers 34-33. San Diego needed three fourth quarter touchdowns to get the win and get to 8-4 on the year. Strong second half finishes are not the hallmark of the Bolts, but that is mainly for the second half of seasons.  Baltimore is now 7-5 with the loss.

Buffalo did away with Cleveland pretty handily 26-10. The biggest news from this game was J-Football finally getting into a game. Brian Hoyer wasn’t getting it done and hasn’t been great recently. ESPN and their ilk would like nothing more than for Manziel to be named the starter so they could go into hyperbole mode. Then they would love to have the kid be found with a pallet of cocaine on a private jet with 15 Korean hookers. Meanwhile, journeyman Kyle Orton has quietly led his Bills to a decent record. A tough defense has certainly helped.

A 14-13 win over the Tampa Bay Bucs is nothing to brag about. However, the Bengals are now 8-3-1 with that “win.” They are at the top of their division, which is proving to be very tough with the rest of the pack at 7-5 currently.

The Colts laid waste to the Redskins who were led by Colt McCoy. Andrew Luck did his thing on way to a 49-27 win. McCoy looked impressive once again this year and may be the Redskins longterm answer if they could give him enough help, namely a competent offensive line.

The NY Giants managed a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars to make sure Tom Coughlin was sent off to a rocking chair next year. You simply can’t lose to the Jags, but they did and the Coughlin era is almost at an end. Eli may not be far behind the coach, as crazy as that sounds.

35-32 looks closer than it was between Pittsburgh and New Orleans. Big Ben jacked his throwing hand up early in the game and that may have changed the game plan around. But the Saints were going to be hard to stop in this one offensively. They put up 35 in a game that they barely bothered to look at Jimmy Graham. The Steelers got a couple of late scores that closed the gap but the Saints were never in danger in this game.

Arizona dropped a game to the NFC South leading Falcons 29-18. Drew Stanton will have to do more to keep the Cardinals at the top level of the NFC. Carson Palmer’s fill-in had good numbers, but he will need to find the end zone if the Cards are to keep pace. Atlanta is a dismal 5-7 after the victory. The good news is that dismal is good enough to lead the NFC South. The Falcons and Saints apparently think it is OK to start playing tough in week 13.

The Broncos pushed Kansas City back into the muck of reality with a 29-16 win for Manning’s crew. The Chiefs are a nice story this year, but this is the outcome when they play a team with a superior QB like Manning. The Broncos are now in firm control of the AFC West.

The game of the week was supposed to be the Packers versus the Patriots. It lived up to the billing. The game was back and forth and the Pack was never in full control of the game. Who didn’t think Brady was going to bring the Pats right down the field to take the lead on their last drive? I know many Packers fans were holding their breath. To the Pack’s credit, their defense made the big plays on Brady at the end to preserve the win, 26-21.

Carolina also lost to the Vikings, while the Jets melted away to lose another game. This time it was to the Dolphins.

NFL Week 14 Preview 2014: Ready For Tony Romo To Choke Again Plus Predictions

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week 14 Preview 2014: Ready For Tony Romo To Choke Again Plus Predictions

nfl 2015 logo image

Well, it’s December. Time for the competitors to really step up, the northern teams to freeze, and Tony Romo to choke like it’s the game-winning drive. Here’s the Week 14 match ups:

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins: Baltimore lost a close one to the Chargers, while Miami nearly blew it against the Jets of all teams. Baltimore has a lot of experience in big games, and with their division as tight as it is this is as big as it gets. Ravens win.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals just don’t look good this season. They’re inconsistent, and it seems like giving Andy Dalton more money actually made him worse (if that’s even possible). The Bengals barely survived in Tampa Bay, so the Steelers should be able to bounce back from last week’s home loss for a big win here.

Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns: The Browns decided to stick with Brian Hoyer despite his recent struggles. Andrew Luck has started very slow the last few weeks. In Cleveland, the Browns defense should be able to do enough to stop Luck from catching fire. That’s right, I’m calling three upsets in three games this week—Browns win.

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville actually won last week, but all that does is ruin their chance at the first overall pick. The Texans are coming off a week in which Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for six touchdowns. Neither of these teams are as good as they looked last week, but the Texans aren’t the Jags. J.J. Watt will tear up Blake Bortles. Texans win.

New York Giants at Tennessee Titans: The Giants blew a huge lead last week against the Jaguars, but I’m calling bookie magic. Over 90% of the nation bet on the Giants, so Vegas would have lost too much money. This week, neither team is favored; thus the Giants win.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints seem to have gotten their offense back, and the Panthers still can’t find their team. The Saints won in Carolina, so a victory in New Orleans should be no problem. Saints win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions: The Buccaneers look really bad on offense, and the Lions have a great defense. The Bucs will be lucky to score, and Calvin Johnson will have no problem scoring. Lions win.

St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins: Colt McCoy did well, but the Redskins defense blew it for him. The Rams just beat the Raiders 52-0, so they are in the perfect position to be upset. Provided McCoy plays well, Redskins upset the Rams.

New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings: The Jets lost by 35 a few weeks ago, and then this past Monday they almost beat the Dolphins. No one knows what to expect, but everyone knows they’ll lose in the end. Vikings win.

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos: The Bills won big against Cleveland, but they just don’t have the squad necessary to matchup with the Broncos. Peyton Manning has too many options. Broncos win.

Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals: Both teams were hot heading into the last two weeks, and both teams fell flat on their facemasks. The Cardinals have home field, so I give them the nod. Cardinals win.

San Francisco at Oakland Raiders: The Raiders got blasted last week, so fans will probably start selling their tickets to Niner fans. The Raiders want to bounce back against a struggling Colin Kaepernick, but that might be a stretch. It may be close, but the 49ers pull out the victory.

Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles: The Seahawks haven’t done well on the road this season despite their impressive victory in San Francisco. The Eagles have had this game marked for a while. Chip Kelly would love to show his stuff against the Legion of Boom. Eagles win.

New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers: The Patriots haven’t played well on the road this season, but in the end nothing can slow down Rob Gronkowski. Patriots win.

Atlanta Falcons at Green bay Packers: Green Bay pulled off a great win at home against the Patriots, and Atlanta is certainly not the Patriots. The Packers should have this game wrapped up by halftime. Packers win.

NFL Week 13 Recap 2014: Redskins New Swagger with Colt McCoy

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week 13 Recap 2014: Redskins New Swagger with Colt McCoy

I’m back! Sorry for the wait. It was another game day full of surprises in the NFL. The Jaguars cost themselves a chance at Marcus Mariota, and the Raiders looked like they want to lose for him. Here’s the rest of Week 13 in the NFL:

Washington Redskins 27 at Indianapolis Colts 49: It’s hard to believe this game was close at one point. The Redskins had a new swagger with Colt McCoy under center, but then the defense gave up. Andrew Luck got very lucky as three of his five easy touchdowns were from 48, 73, and 79 yards out. Poor Redskins. Even when they fix their offense, the defense gives out.

Tennessee Titans 21 at Houston Texans 45: Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for six touchdowns, and hell froze over. J.J. Watt caught one of the touchdowns the play after he stripped and recovered a fumble on a sack. There is no reason that Watt should not win MVP this season. He is by far the best and most consistent player in the NFL this season.

Cleveland Browns 10 at Buffalo Bills 26: The NFL was blessed with Johnny Manziel for the first time this regular season. The Bills weren’t ready for him; however, Brian Hoyer had dug such a deep hole for the Browns that Manziel could only do so much. Manziel should be the starter moving forward, and his legs will certainly make him a threat to defenses.

San Diego Chargers 34 at Baltimore Ravens 33: Still not sure how the Chargers managed this. Philip Rivers looked horrible for most of the season, and him and the Chargers looked really bad in the beginning of this game. However, Rivers turned it around. Rivers finished with 383 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, including the game winning touchdown at the end.

New York Giants 24 at Jacksonville Jaguars 25: I felt bad for Tom Coughlin before this game, but now it’s just amplified. The Giants are on a seven game losing skid, have 18 players on Injured Reserve, and for some reason everyone feels the need to blame Coughlin. The Giants really suck this season, and the Jags just ruined their chance at the first overall pick. Other than that, this game has no real significance.

Cincinnati Bengals 14 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13: This game was way too close for the Bengals. They may go on to win the division again, but no way Andy Dalton gets his first playoff win this season. Speaking of Dalton, he’s really bad at football. 176 yards, three interceptions, and $100 million later, the Bengals barely beat the Buccaneers in a low scoring affair.

Oakland Raiders 0 at St. Louis Rams 52: Let’s not get hung up on this game. The Raiders have one win, so they don’t have to worry about going 0-16. The score was 38-0 at halftime…

New Orleans Saints 35 at Pittsburgh Steelers 32: This game was not as close as the score might indicate as two of the Steelers touchdowns came in garbage time (the latter of the two came with only four seconds left in the game). Ben Roethlisberger had big yardage; however, it was his two interceptions that really cost his team the game. Drew Brees finally looked like himself, finishing with 257 yards and five touchdowns.

Carolina Panthers 13 at Minnesota Vikings 31: This game was never close. Carolina had two punts blocked in this game, and just like that Minnesota had a 21-0 lead. The Panthers actually did well on offense, outgaining the Vikings by about 140 yards; however, they were never able to overcome the early deficit.

Arizona Cardinals 18 at Atlanta Falcons 29: Who could have guessed it? The Cardinals may have just blown their divisional lead over the Seahawks, which means despite their poor play this season the Seahawks may just make it back to the Super Bowl after all (provided they play all of their playoff games at home). The Falcons are also still the best of the worst in the NFC South, but who really cares.

New England Patriots 21 at Green Bay Packers 26: Rob Gronkowski can’t win every game for you. The Patriots defense really did well, but Gronkowski and Julian Edelman had a hard time getting open most of the night. Tom Brady can’t do anything without wide open receivers to throw to, so he had a lot of incompletions and only 245 yards. The Packers just outlasted the Patriots in this game.

Denver Broncos 29 at Kansas City Chiefs 16: Peyton Manning didn’t have his best game of the season, but the Broncos still won. Wait what. The team that literally relies solely on Peyton actually came to play this weekend. The defense stepped up, the special teams looked somewhat competent, and the running game of C.J. Anderson was outstanding. Unfortunately for the Chiefs that means another loss. Sorry Andy Reid.

Miami Dolphins 16 at New York Jets 13: At least the Jets are still trying right? They were actually winning at halftime 10-3. Unfortunately for New Yorkers, both of their teams ended up losing in the end. Geno Smith finished with 65 yards and an interception, so at least we can all get a good laugh out of the game.

No One Can Get Enough Of Johnny Manziel Overexposure

Shane Mclendon
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No One Can Get Enough Of Johnny Manziel Overexposure

johnny manziel forecasted to be big bust for 2014 nfl

I am not sure how many headlines I have read about Johnny Manziel in the past week. ESPN, NFL.com, and other major sports outlets are not hiding their longing for Johnny Football to get the starting gig in Cleveland. After the former A&M star QB took over for the struggling Brian Hoyer last week, big media’s chops were wet with the desire for more Manziel. If I were Brian Hoyer I would be careful being in public too much, since it is possible a hitman could be hired by the major sports networks to whack the Cleveland Browns QB just so Manziel can get in the game full time.

I will admit that Hoyer hasn’t set the NFL world on fire recently. But the Browns are 7-5 and are ahead of where anyone thought they would be before the season began. Hoyer hasn’t done enough wrong to lose his gig just yet. If Manziel was the right guy, he would have been named starter from the jump.

I get why ESPN and the like want Manziel to get the starting job. The guy moves the needle. That’s why there have been so many J-Football headlines. People want to know what he is doing and they will click on links to stories about him. It is the tail wagging the dog.

Believe me, the big time sports news networks would love for Manziel to swoop in and get Cleveland on a roll. The stories and interviews would pile up like my FanDuel losses (1-11 currently). You would see SportsCenter leading with Manziel this and that. PTI would feature at least three debates on hot Manziel issues of the day. Around The Horn would dissolve into a Johnny Football wasteland, with talking heads climbing over each other’s blow-hard opinions to get in a word or two about the rookie quarterback. Twitter would likely freeze up permanently and be no more, due to a Manziel tidal wave of stupid tweets.

All this Manziel coverage would go great for ratings. And as long as he was doing well on the field, it would go great for him. But once he started losing, the viciousness of 24 hour sports reporting would be unleashed. The hours would no longer be filled with pundits talking about how wonderful Manziel was playing, or how the Browns needed the kid’s spark. No, it would turn plum nasty. Manziel would be dragged through the muck at every turn just to fill up time and get ratings. Big media would do what they do, namely build a guy up just to tear him down.

Any athlete should always take what the media says about them with a grain of salt. They should never get too high or low on what reporters and opinion makers say. Athletes should go the Bill Belichick route and just basically ignore the big media. His approach doesn’t let them bother him or his plans. He just treats them as an annoyance and tolerates their existence. If and when Johnny Manziel becomes the starter for Cleveland, he should pay little attention to the headlines. If he believes what they write at first, he will think himself a football god of some sort. If he is swayed by the later headlines, he may begin to think he is a serial killer or worse.

Ray Rice’s NFL Job Hunting

Shane Mclendon
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Ray Rice’s NFL Job Hunting

ray rice job hunting

Now that Ray Rice has been somewhat vindicated, not from his violent act, but from his interactions with Roger Goodell, he is seeking new employment in the NFL. After an arbitrator ruled that Rice was unfairly punished twice for the same offense, he is free to try and latch onto another team. Whether that will happen this year is doubtful. 2015 will be a different story if a need is there and the guy shows he can still deliver as a top level running back.

We could debate endlessly whether Ray Rice deserves another chance in football. I don’t have endless time so I will debate it for a few lines here. I don’t think Rice is the devil, but what he did was atrocious obviously. But should he be punished forever, if he is truly trying to make it right? I don’t think so. I know he is sorry for what he did. Most normal people would be. The fact that it became a national story for months on end surely made him more sorry for what happened in that casino elevator. If the act had happened in private, who knows if he would have tried to get his act together without the consequences he has faced since the act went public.

The biggest point to come out of this arbitrator’s ruling is the fact that Roger Goodell is not as honest as Ray Rice. Being below the honesty level of a domestic abuser is not a good look for a allegedly upstanding leader like Goodell. The man charged with running the most successful pro sport’s league in the world should be more trustworthy than that. But this point is not a big shock to many people. I think the majority of people believed that Goodell was trying to cover up what he and Ray Rice talked about months ago in their private meeting. Goodell wanted to appear deceived by Rice, so that the commissioner’s two game suspension didn’t look so bad. Also, if Rice mislead Goodell about what actually happened in the elevator, Rog’s indefinite ban on Rice looked justified.

The bottom line on Ray Rice being able to get back in the league is value. The NFL is a business and all decisions are based on that fact. Sure, some teams won’t touch the guy on principle alone. But most will take at least a look at him. If his value to a franchise outweighs his baggage, then he will be signed. I have no doubt about it. And each day that passes, his baggage is less memorable to the average NFL fan. Let us not forget all the women who wore Ray Rice jersey’s the game after the video of the actual punch came out. I remember outrage over what Mike Vick did to his dogs. But he was eventually signed again. And when it was evident that he could help the Eagles, he got another big time contract.

Ray Rice will not see another huge contract. He is an aging running back and no one would give more big time money for that position in the NFL. He will play again though, just as long as he is better than any other back on a given team. After enough time has passed, fans will forget or forgive. At that point teams won’t have to deal with daily questions about Ray Rice, and he can just be another guy on the roster….or as close as a guy can come to that after what happened.

Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Bette Midler Smacks Down Ariana Grande

Julie Wein
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Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Bette Midler Smacks Down Ariana Grande

bette midler ariana grande feud

This week’s celebrity gossip includes some less than ladylike behavior between Bette Midler and Ariana Grande. The young starlet is more than accustomed to fellow celebrities putting her down and Bette Midler is the latest one to do so. Handling the situation with a grace not many celebrities possess Ariana Grande issued a dignified reply in response to a rant Bette Midler publically made against her. Midler stated in her rant that in a recent music video Grande was “slithering around on a couch,” and that she has a “silly high voice.” Grande’s reply to this was that Bette Midler used to be a feminist who would tell women to do what they want to do and not listen to those who judge them. The singer then commented that the feminist Bette Midler was the one she wanted back but that in the meantime, Grande is still a big fan of Bette Midler’s work.

The cheesy reality show “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” recently featured Kendra Wilkinson admitting on camera that she didn’t fully understand what she was getting into when she agreed to move into Hugh Hefner’s mansion as one of his young girlfriends. Only 18 when she did the show, Kendra admitted to being naïve and not realizing part of her agreement was sleeping with Hugh Hefner. She reported that when Heffner asked her to go upstairs to his bedroom her response was “sure, let’s have fun.”

Proving that just about anyone can find someone to settle down with former Jersey Shore star Snooki prepared for her wedding this week by celebrating with friends at her rehearsal dinner. The celebration for some odd reason had a 20s theme to it as if Snooki even knows anything about the subject.  Her Jersey Shore co-stars were her guests at the dinner.  This trial run for her wedding included Snooki in a white dress and her bridesmaids decked out in black formalwear.

In an interview with Jennifer Aniston, BBC reporter Chris Stark turned things awkward when he asked Aniston how she makes the initial move when she’s seeing a new man. Aniston declared the question to be inappropriate and after a few minutes of tense questioning, Stark’s boss stepped in and told Stark he and Aniston had been playing a joke on him. This was actually a clever way of promoting Aniston’s new movie called Horrible Bosses 2.

Apparently Jennifer Aniston is on a prank binge as earlier in the week she also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Prior to doing the interview she put on a bra that was inflatable. At the beginning of the interview everything seemed normal and as it progressed her breasts started expanding. During the interview the actress and the host played a game where they had to substitute a swear word for a non-offensive one. At the end of the interview Aniston made a joke that her growing breasts were her version of Kim Kardashian’s buttocks implant.

In a recent Entertainment Weekly interview Angelina Jolie admitted that filming her upcoming movie Unbroken proved to be a difficult challenge for her. The movie tells the story of Louis Zamperini, a POW survivor from World War II. Jolie said that it was daunting but she was up to the challenge.

It’s been a nightmare of a week for Bill Cosby. People are coming out of the woodwork accusing him of sexual abuse. The latest accuser is Frank Scotti, a retired employee of NBC that worked at the studio while “The Bill Cosby Show” was being filmed. He stood guard outside of Bill Cosby’s dressing room when models would come to the set. Frank Scotti claims that he felt like Cosby’s pimp as Cosby would tell him to ask the women coming to visit to pay him using $100 bills. Scotti also said that Cosby was making Scotti cover for him so no one would know women were coming to his dressing room for sexual intercourse.

Not to be outdone, former aspiring actress Renita Chaney Hill is also alleging that she was sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby. When Cosby worked on a TV show called Picture Pages Hill met him and allegedly found him taking advantage of her shortly after. The plot thickens when we find out that at the time of the alleged sexual assault Hill was only 17 years old. Hill reported that Cosby would fly her to whatever city he was currently working in and would invite her to his hotel room on a nightly basis. Cosby’s lawyer is denying the allegations and has stated that many women are falsely accusing the actor of sexual assault.

In some romantic celebrity gossip newlyweds Ryan Sweeting and Kaley Cuoco celebrated her birthday in style this week. The Nobu restaurant in Malibu was rented out by Sweeting to throw Cuoco a party marking her 29th birthday. While most parties have one theme, the couple chose to assign three themes to the party. Sweeting chose a pink and black color scheme as one theme and the others were their love for each other and horses. In July Sweeting hired a wedding planner to help him organize the festivities without Cuoco knowing what he was doing. As if the party itself wasn’t enough, Sweeting arranged for a song to be written about his wife in honor of her birthday. The party guests were given the song beforehand and everyone sang it to the guest of honor.

A new TV ad that just started airing this week stars Katy Perry and the purpose of the ad is to promote her upcoming performance at the halftime show for Super Bowl XLIX. The singer’s act will include a great white shark that breathes fire, as well as unicorn.

That’s it for this week’s celebrity gossip. Check back next week to see what your favorite stars are up to and to find out more information on ongoing scandals such as Bill Cosby.

Related articles

  • Jennifer Aniston Goes Topless with Her Hairstylist for ‘Allure’
  • Cosby Friend Is Saddened by Allegations
  • Hugh Hefner: Cosby allegations ‘truly saddening’
  • Hugh Hefner ‘would never tolerate’ abuse Bill Cosby is accused of at Playboy Mansion

NFL Week 13 Preview 2014

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week 13 Preview 2014

nfl 2015 logo image

Washington Redskins at Indianapolis Colts: Robert Griffin III is going to be sitting on the bench, so maybe the Redskins can avoid being blown out. Either way, the Colts win this one.

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans: Ryan Mallet is out which means Ryan Fitzpatrick is back. Fortunately for the Texans, the Titans are in town. They may as well be playing the Jags. Texans win.

Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills: The Browns and Bills both showed their stuff in victories this past week, but the Browns are definitely the better team. That being said, the city of Buffalo has really rallied around their team this season, especially with the snowstorms affecting the city. The Bills should be able to pull out another big victory at home.

San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens: The Chargers are very overrated this season, especially Philip Rivers. The Ravens are coming off a huge road win over the New Orleans Saints. The Chargers would be hard pressed to win in San Diego, never mind Baltimore. Ravens win.

New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars: It’s been a tough season for Tom Coughlin, but maybe beating his old team will give him a little bit of satisfaction. The Giants are only a six game losing streak, but what better what to break that than against the Jaguars?

Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bengals may not be the best team in the league, but they are on top of the AFC North. The Bucs are the worst team in the NFC South. If the Bengals can win in New Orleans, they’ll have no problem in Tampa Bay.

Oakland Raiders at St. Louis Rams: The Raiders are coming off a win, and the last time they were in St. Louis the Rams managed to upset the Broncos. The Rams defense has really come alive recently, and the Raiders don’t have an offense. Rams pull out a victory.

New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Saints just lost three in a row at the Superdome. It’s like they don’t even want to win anymore. The Steelers on the other hand have the winning attitude that they had back when they were winning Super Bowls. Steelers win.

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings: Both teams suck, and games like these normally come down to home field advantage. Teddy Bridgewater isn’t exactly good, but even he can handle the Panthers. Vikings win.

Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons can’t win, and the Cardinals (despite last week) believe they can’t lose. This is a big game for the Cardinals to stay on top of the division, and big teams win big games.

New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers: The Patriots have been riding the defense and Rob Gronkowski to seven straight wins; but the Packers have looked great, especially at home. As long as Aaron Rodgers doesn’t screw up, the Packers should be able to secure the victory in front of the home crowd.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs: The Broncos have looked bad the last few weeks. No one on the team has done anything (except Peyton Manning, of course), but maybe a division matchup can change that. A win here coupled with a Patriots loss would put the Broncos a little closer to the first seed. Broncos win.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: The Jets are a joke. And now Geno Smith is starting again? The Dolphins are still chasing a Wild Card, so they’ll come to play. Dolphins win.

A Closer Look At TOTAL DIVAS Cast Season 3: John Cena the Player

Julie Wein
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A Closer Look At TOTAL DIVAS Cast Season 3: John Cena the Player

The cast of Total Divas includes the most popular and most interesting divas the WWE has. The most experienced one on the show is Natalya, who comes from a wrestling family and has been getting in the ring longer than any of her reality TV co-stars. The two second most experienced divas on the show are Nikki and Brie. Then there are the newcomers, like Cameron and Naomi, Eva Marie and now Summer Rae, who is the newest diva on the show and in the ring.

summer rae hits natalya for total divas season 3 images 2014

The most likely reason why the WWE chose to add Summer Rae to Total Divas is because she and Natalya frequently get into verbal spats in front of the cameras. Whether this is all for show or the two really don’t get along, we may never know. However, if it isn’t real they make it look pretty convincing anyway.

In one infamous scene from the completed first half of season three, Natalya is driving Rosa Mendes, Eva Marie and Summer Rae in her rental car and Summer Rae makes a comment about Natalya’s husband TJ that angers Natalya so much she actually pulls over to the side of the road and kicks Summer Rae out of her car. All the while Rosa Mendes and Eva Marie are trying to talk her out of doing it, but Natalya is having none of it.

From the very first moment Summer Rae was introduced on Total Divas drama followed her like baby ducks follow their mother. No doubt she was added to the cast to keep the ratings high and keep viewers tuning in week after week. There is nothing like a good catfight between two women who can’t stand each other to get people to watch.

While we’re at it, it’s worth mentioning that when Rosa Mendes started appearing on the show there was almost immediately tension between the her and poor Natalya. Seems Natty can’t escape the drama of Total Divas no matter how hard she tried.

john cena bulge with nikki bella total divas images 2014

Another aspect of the show worth mentioning, and one that was particularly prevalent so far this season, is that several of the divas featured on the show are married to or dating a fellow WWE wrestler. With Natalya being married to TJ, Naomi being married to Jimmy Uso, Brie Bella being married to Daniel Bryan and of course Nikki Bella dating John Cena it’s not surprising that these were the particular divas chosen for the reality show. Even in Summer Rae’s case when she first appeared on the show she was seen flirting with Fandango, her in ring boyfriend at the time.

By specifically concentrating on the divas in romantic relationships with the wrestlers, E! virtually doubled the cast of the show since each lady is often seen interacting with her significant other on camera. This adds an element to the show that viewers love since most of the viewers of Total Divas are women and most women enjoy watching reality show couples.

There is also guaranteed drama when you take several couples and film their social activities, as Total Divas does. The cast (guys and girls) were seen celebrating a night out to mark the occasion of Eva Marie’s wedding to her new husband Jonathan. They have also been seen celebrating each other’s birthdays and even took a trip to Las Vegas together. These events are always good for some drama and intrigue. In one infamous scene Natalya got herself into hot water when she repeatedly drunk dialed Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, to complain about her standing in the company.

Other events saw the divas arguing with each other and with their significant others as well. Some of these arguments happened at their homes but many of them happened in public too. The drama between each couple is a big part of what has kept the show going this season and will continue to keep it going in the second half of the season, debuting in January of 2015.

brie bella with daniel bryan total divas season 3 images

That means viewers will have to wait weeks upon weeks to see how Natalya and TJ’s marriage is fairing as well as the fate of Nikki and John’s relationship. The new year will be here before viewers finally get to see how Daniel Bryan is recovering from a broken neck and whether a return to the wrestling ring is in his near future. Viewers will also find out what newlywed life is like for Eva Marie and Jonathan.

The WWE is great at stringing viewers along with their storylines both in the ring and on Total Divas. Pairing with the E! Network has allowed them to become even more of a powerhouse and this means that they have no problem making viewers wait all this time to see what the second half of the season will bring. They know that the long break in new episodes will only get viewers more intrigued and continue to peak their interest in the show.

Each diva brings something unique to the show and between the entire cast there are many different personalities which is an instant recipe for the kind of drama that guarantees ratings for the network. The divas were likely chosen for this show based on who the fans and viewers have the most interest in as well as who is the most personable.

No other reality TV show cast is quite like the cast of Total Divas. These women (and the men they love and/or love to hate) bring a unique energy to the world of reality TV and are helping to keep the genre alive. Frequent promotion of Total Divas on WWE programming ensures that viewers all over the world will tune in to see what their favorite divas are up to when they are not in the wrestling ring. The show will likely continue to attract new viewers and act as promotional material for the already ridiculously popular WWE for many years to come.

Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Beyonce Scare Mother Off Scientology

Julie Wein
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Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Beyonce Scare Mother Off Scientology

beyonce scientology scare for mother

This week’s celebrity gossip includes some disappointing news for TV fans as well as both good and bad news in the world of Hollywood.

Betty White fans will be sad to learn that her TV Land series, Hot In Cleveland, finishes a six year run that saw the addition of such stars as Wendie Malack, Jane Leeves and Valerie Bertinelli. These three stars each spoke out about the show’s cancellation via Twitter, expressing their sadness and disappointment at the series’ end but stating that the show is going to go out with a bang when the series finale airs in April of 2015.

In two sad celebrity deaths Mike Nichols, director and husband of Diane Sawyer, passed away at 83 years old after going into cardiac arrest and Motown singer Jimmy Ruffin passed away at 78 years old, though no cause of death has been announced.

Comedian Tracy Morgan is still suffering from the results of injuries he sustained when his tour bus was hit by a Walmart delivery truck in June. His lawyer recently informed the media that though Tracy is still struggling he is determined to get better. He has started a lawsuit against Walmart over the accident and Walmart is countersuing in response.

Beyonce is busy trying to prevent her mother from being dragged into scientology. Mom Tina’s boyfriend Richard Lawson, is associated with the church of scientology and Beyonce has reason to believe he is pressuring Tina to join as well. Beyonce’s agent has not confirmed or denied this piece of gossip.

To remind us just how catty Hollywood can be, after a recent custody battle between Bode Miller and his son’s mother, who is not his current wife, the wife is making claims that Bode’s son’s mother took a used condom out of the trash and had Bode wear it so she could get pregnant with their child. She fought back and stated that she got pregnant “the right way.”

Continuing to recognize the cattiness that Hollywood brings out in people, this week’s gossip mill includes Gwyneth Paltrow baking a cake allegedly meant to knock Martha Stewart for the jail sentence she receive due to participating in insider trading in previous years. Gywneth posted a picture of the cake on her website, which was made using whipped cream and chocolate wafers. The implication is that the chocolate wafers are the bars on a prison cell.  She alleged baked this cake in retaliation for Martha Stewart for running a story on “Conscious Coupling,” in her magazine Martha Stewart Living. This story was allegedly meant to criticize Gwyneth for breaking up with husband Chris Martin. If this is true it makes no sense why Martha Stewart would care one way or another, what happened between Gwyneth and Chris.

In some rather disturbing celebrity gossip Iggy Azala is lashing out at Eminem for a rap song about raping her. While the lyrics only allude to her rape, she is still understandably concerned. The song’s lyrics mention both Iggy and Nicki Minaj. Iggy said on Twitter that her 14 year old brother is a huge Eminem fan and he is upset that the rapper has implied the rape of his big sister.

Jessica Simpson’s father Joe Simpson, who is divorced from her mother after announcing that he is gay, is the subject of rumors that he has proposed marriage to boyfriend Jonathan Keith. Not one to hide his relationship, Joe brought Jonathan with him to Jessica’s July wedding. Rumor has it that Jessica is trying to get used to the idea of her father being gay, and that he has discussed getting married again with her.

On a side note, the gossip mill has revealed that in an interview Jessica’s ex-husband Nick Lachey gave to “Watch What Happens Live,” an interview where he stated that he was happy to not be married to Jessica anymore because now he didn’t have to “play footsie” with her dad under the table at holiday gatherings.

Since we can’t get through one week of gossip that does not include the Kardashians this week we can all cringe at the fact that Kim is a mother when so many deserving women in this world can’t be. Kim recently told a radio station in Australia that she would have no problem with daughter North West posing naked when she reaches adulthood. She proudly stated that she would support North West in anything she ever decides to do. Which means 20 years from now we’ll be seeing “Keeping Up With the Next Generation of Kardashians.”

While some people love the Kardashians and everything they do, one Hollywood celebrity is adamant about disliking Kim Kardashian. Angelina Jolie reportedly made sure Kim was banned from Angelina’s movie premiere in Sydney, Australia. She reportedly didn’t want Kim (who was in Australia for her own promotional needs,) there because she is trying to get nominated for an Oscar and she was afraid allowing Kim to walk the red carpet at her premiere would prevent that from happening. Angelina allegedly took steps to ban Kim after Kim made an effort to get an invite to the premiere so she could get near Angelina and husband Brad Pitt. Kim is convinced that if husband Kanye West had been with her Angelina would have welcomed her to the premiere with open arms. Personally I have my doubts about that. Angelina Jolie is smart enough to know that avoiding the Kardashians in general is a good plan.

The Kardashian family continues to have problems as Kris Jenner’s young boyfriend, Corey Gamble, has a past filled with violence according to his ex-girlfriend. His ex claims that once they split he became violent towards her. Apparently these rumors aren’t enough to convince Kris to dump her boy toy, proving once again how dumb the Kardashian family really is.

That’s it for this week’s celebrity gossip. Check back next week to find out what other messes the Kardashians make.

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