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NCAA’s Hypocrisy With Todd Gurley

Shane Mclendon
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NCAA’s Hypocrisy With Todd Gurley

todd gurley suspended by ncaa

Would somebody please have the guts to stand up the NCAA. Anybody? A coach, an athletic director, anyone with some stones. Heisman hopeful, Todd Gurley of Georgia, has been suspended indefinitely by the almighty and simultaneously pathetic NCAA. Gurley did not rape or kill anyone. Guy didn’t even get caught with drugs. His crime was not even a crime, just a violation of ridiculous NCAA policy. He had the nerve to think he could sell the rights to his own autograph. While his name is Todd Gurley and his signature is his own property obviously, he can not charge money for it because he is a so called amateur!

Whether he actually did commit this violation is irrelevant. The fact that these insane NCAA rules are still in place is the issue. Todd Gurley is the best player on the Georgia Bulldogs football team and likely in the entire nation. He now has to sit out while old men in suits hash this matter out. He could be done for the season for simply making a few dollars on the side. By the way, he was sighing his own jerseys allegedly. These jerseys are not handouts that the University Of Georgia gives away freely to fans of course. They charge handsomely for the right to wear #3 which does not sport “GURLEY” on the back but it is obvious who the jersey represents. So it is OK for the school to take in thousands of dollars in Todd Gurley jersey sales, but a travesty of justice for the actual player to make $20 for autographing the UGA gear. I can’t imagine the thick-headed person who can’t see the hypocrisy in that. It is as plain as day!

I wish Georgia’s coach would stick up for his player and state publicly that the NCAA is a joke. But that won’t happen. Mark Richt is a nice guy and a decent coach, but he is not going to make those kind of waves. The president of the university is certainly not going to make such a stand. There will a few on the big TV networks that will talk about the injustice being done to Gurley, but many will go with the tired line of, “rules are rules”. Yes, rules are rules and the NCAA has about 8,543 too many of them. I really don’t know who is willing to stand up in a meaningful way for these college players who keep getting in trouble for NCAA issues. I am not talking about real crimes like Jameis Winston was accused of, but NCAA issues that harm NO ONE AT ALL.

Maybe the NFL Players Union could make some sort of stand and unite the college football players across America. These pro players know what it is like to walk around campus with no money in their pockets and not have the right to work, per NCAA rules. It would only take a few high profile players or former players to get the ball rolling. The Northwestern football team had the right idea by trying to unionize. But I want to see something done right now. Immediately. If the NFL Union could rally enough big time college players to sit out next week that would make headlines like you can not imagine. Or maybe have the top 50 players in the nation do a public autograph session for $20 a pop to really shove it in the faces of the NCAA brass and college leaders too cowardly to make a stand of their own. All this is far fetched since no one wants to rock the boat. But the boat is in danger of sinking. The NCAA is ruining the game of college football by taking out the best players year after year.

If I were Todd Gurley, I would get with an agent right now and make some money for the rest of the season. I would sign as many jerseys as I could and start selling them online. Gurley would make about $100K in a few days. He should realize that he was playing football for a corrupt system that is broken and he is too good to be involved further. The NFL is certainly not a perfect solution, but at least he won’t be playing for free when he gets there next year. In the meantime, I will keep hoping for someone to stand up to the NCAA. I know there are a few NFL players like Arian Foster who have publicly stated how bad the NCAA is, so maybe the NFLPA as a whole could be the group to stand up to the bully that is wrecking college football.

NFL Week 4 Review 2015

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week 4 Review 2015

We’re about a quarter of the way through the NFL season (times flies, I know), and it seems like no team has yet to really make itself stand out from the rest. Only two undefeated teams remain, but they can both thank their Week Four byes for that. Without further ado, here’s the recap of all Week Four’s matchups:

New York Giants 45 at Washington Redskins 14: Eli Manning looked like his brother on Thursday Night. Manning finished 28 of 39 for 300 yards, five total touchdowns, and one interception that should have been called a touchdown if the NFL’s scoring rules made sense. Manning was nearly flawless in all aspects of the game and had his way with the Redskins defense whenever he wanted to. Kirk Cousins on the other hand reminded the league that he’s really not that good, finishing with four really ugly picks in the second half.

Carolina Panthers 10 at Baltimore Ravens 38: Steve Smith promised everyone blood and guts, but he kept his cool and let his game speak for him. Smith finished with seven receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens absolute rout of the Panthers. Cam Newton did nothing for four quarters, finishing with only 197 yards and a touchdown. Newton is clearly still not 100 percent out on the field, and he looks reluctant to run and limps around when he does.

Miami Dolphins 38 at Oakland Raiders 14: London may have been stuck with the NFL’s worst, but at least they got to see some scoring. We really didn’t learn anything about either team in this game. The Raiders are absolutely horrible, and the Dolphins aren’t that bad. Ryan Tannehill looked pretty good, but he was playing the Raiders. Dennis Allen is out of Oakland, so maybe they can at least win a game this season.

Green Bay Packers 38 at Chicago Bears 17: This game was fantastic up until halftime. In the second half, however, Jay Cutler looked terrible throwing two picks and managing only 83 yards. Aaron Rodgers on the other hand silenced his critics by finishing with 302 yards and four touchdowns to bring the Packers back to 2-2 after their disappointing start. This is the kind of game the Bears could have definitely won this game if they had kept Josh McCown around.

Buffalo Bills 17 at Houston Texans 23: The Texans and Bills were both 2-1 heading into this matchup. The Texans are now 3-1. That’s right, Houston is only one win away from doubling their win total from 2013. Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t improved at all, but the rest of the team has been able to pick up the slack. E.J. Manuel had a horrible performance for the second week in a row finishing 21 of 44 for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. In fact, Manuel’s performance was so bad that Doug Marrone has announced Kyle Orton will be replacing him as the starting quarterback for Week Five.

Tennessee Titans 17 at Indianapolis Colts 41: The Colts absolutely gave it to the Titans. The Colts prepared a game plan that included reverses, surprise onside kicks, and pretty much everything else. The Colts were 1-2 heading into this game, and they were serious about returning to .500. Andrew Luck finished with four (nearly five) touchdowns and 393 yards. Trent Richardson was, once again, out run by Ahmad Bradshaw. Delanie Walker was the only stand out for Tennessee, finishing with 84 yards and a touchdown.

Detroit Lions 24 at New York Jets 17: Calvin Johnson only had two receptions for 12 yards, and the Lions won. What. The Lions just may be for real this season. For the first time in years, the Lions have been winning close games consistently. The Lions used all their weapons to secure the victory, but they also got some help from Geno Smith. In fact, the fans were chanting for Michael Vick in the second half. Smith doesn’t deserve all the blame though, Eric Decker still can’t catch.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 at Pittsburgh Steelers 24: After routing the Panthers last weekend, the Steelers shouldn’t have had any problem against the Buccaneers. Mike Glennon stepped up for the Bucs in the second half, and he was even able to lead the team on a game-winning drive with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Antonio Brown had a huge game, finishing with 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven catches.

Jacksonville Jaguars 14 at San Diego Chargers 33: The Jaguars can feel good about this game only because they finally made the right decision and started Blake Bortles. He is an improvement over Chad Henne, although it’s hard to do much with the Jags in general. Bortles finished with 253 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. At least he was able to score 14 points. That’s a lot for Jacksonville.

Philadelphia Eagles 21 at San Francisco 49ers 26: The San Francisco defense looked fantastic. Nick Foles was held to 21 of 43 for 195 yards and two interceptions. The 49ers offense still looks horrible however. The game really isn’t as important as the aftermath. Despite the victory, the Niners players still seem to want Jim Harbaugh out as coach. He has completely lost control of the 2-2 team, and if things don’t improve the players may have their wish granted very soon.

Atlanta Falcons 28 at Minnesota Vikings 41: The Falcons and Matt Ryan proved once again that they cannot compete away from the comfort of the Georgia Dome. To be fair though, Teddy Bridgewater had a fantastic first career start against a pitiful Atlanta defense. Bridgewater made some fantastic plays and had Vikings fans in an absolute frenzy. Unfortunately, Bridgewater had to be carted off the field after limping to the side. A big problem in the draft was Bridgewater’s durability, so this may be a common occurrence in Minnesota.

New Orleans Saints 17 at Dallas Cowboys 38: Don’t let the score fool you, the Saints were absolutely demolished in this game. Sean Payton admitted after the game that this was one of the worst games he has ever he as a coach. The Saints made every mistake possible: drops, silly runs, missed field goals, red zone fumbles, and overthrown balls. It was a mess. The Saints defense gave up 445 net yards to the Cowboys. DeMarco Murray had 149 of those yards. It was a sad day in New Orleans.

New England Patriots at Kansas Chiefs: “When I suck, I’ll retire.” Time to retire, Mr. Brady. Tom Brady lost this game for the Patriots (although to be fair Jamaal Charles helped him along the way). Brady was horrible, overthrowing everyone, making bad decisions, trying to force balls into tight coverage. Brady is lucky he only had two interceptions. Alex Smith did well, but Charles stole the show with 92 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards, and three big touchdowns. It’s only downhill from here for New England.

Tom Brady’s Bashfest Continues

Shane Mclendon
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Tom Brady’s Bashfest Continues

tom brady bashfest crying 2014

The trend of the NFL this week has been a Tom Brady bash-fest. After the Chiefs gave the Patriots a good and proper beat down on Monday Night Football, Brady became the object of ridicule. “His skills have diminished, he is not what he once was, is the Tom Brady era over”, were all talking points after the KC game. Brady has been untouchable for most of his career. Early success and Super Bowl wins gave him a pass on any criticism for a bad game here and there. Even when the Pats were not playing well, he was never blamed on ESPN and the like. That tide seems to have turned and I’m not sure it is warranted just yet.

If any other quarterback in the NFL had the team of receivers that Tom Brady has at his disposal, they would file for unemployment. Not many QBs could keep their jobs as starters with guys like the Patriots have on staff to try and catch the ball. Julian Edelman is the top wideout for the Patriots and I would have started this sentence with, “no disrespect to…” but I have no choice but disrespect Edelman. I am sure he is a nice young man, but the fact that he is the top receiver on the Pats roster shows just how bare the cupboard is for Tom Brady. Edelman would not start on most other teams, at least in America. I am sure there would be a starting role for him in Canada somewhere. But this is the NFL where teams have guys like Roddy White, Jordy Nelson, and Dez Bryant. Tom Brady would hire Aaron Hernandez to kill for a wideout like the names mentioned. But Hernandez is in a cage and unable to complete such a mission, so Brady is stuck with Edelman, a patchwork Gronk, and guys so anonymous that no one would ever ask them for an autograph.

Sure Brady has made due with some ho-hum receivers in the past. But there was always some talent there. This year is different. The guy was no weapons that could scare even the Jaguars secondary. In the past he had decent players that stepped up and made plays. He of course had one of the best receivers ever in Randy Moss at one point. He had Wes Welker until the team, in all its salary cap wisdom, let him walk away before last year. I don’t want to gloss over the fact that Gronkowski‘s injuries have been a big part of the problem on offense. Those things just happen in football and sometimes they happen to a key weapon like Gronk. Aaron Hernandez being an alleged serial killer is not something that most teams expect either. Those two guys together should have set the table for Brady and the Patriots to be in the title hunt at least until the quarterback turned 40. Those dreams are over as Hernandez rots in a jail cell and Gronk just tries to stay on the field.

I know Tom Brady can’t be great forever. Father time is undefeated at like 80 million and 0. The golden boy may not be what he once was and quarterbacks can fall off fast. But when you don’t supply any players to throw the ball to, I don’t know how Brady can be judged so harshly. Some pundits say that since Brady has done well in the past, that he should be doing fine with these jabronis. That is bad logic since this crew of wideouts doesn’t compare to guys he had in the past. If we could do one of those stupid switcharoo moves like Hollywood likes to churn out every few years in the form of a movie, I’d like to see what Tom Brady would do in Denver with their receivers. Put Peyton in New England and see what happened. Brady would be on an explosive offense and Manning would be getting called washed up.

Sure, great quarterbacks should make average receivers look good. But the Patriots would need to upgrade their wideouts to average first. What Brady has been given to work with is asking for a miracle.

Jameis Winston Desperately In Need Of A Mentor

Shane Mclendon
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jameis winston scandals hurting nfl career 2015 images

I am no fan of Deion Sanders but I have respect for what he accomplished over a long career, both in college and in the NFL. Not many players have had the impact on the game of football that Prime Time had back in the day. He was so good that even the many years since he was actually on the field have not clouded peoples’ memories of just how great he was as a cover corner and return man. True greatness in sports doesn’t get forgotten. All this gives Sanders the credibility to mentor any young athlete coming up in the game today. They may not listen, but he has the platform and the experience to give needed advice to may athletes that are trying to navigate the waters of college and professional football. Sanders said recently that he has spoken to Jameis Winston about his conduct off the field. Sanders knows what it is like to be in the bright spotlight as a superstar at FSU, so who else would be better to mentor the wayward Winston?

Sanders says he has spoken to Winston as have other Florida State alumni recently. He says that Winston is hard to understand since he shouldn’t be the poster boy for bad behavior. He comes from a good solid home with two parents unlike many young men who find trouble after being raised in a broken home full of drama and hardship. Sanders says that Jameis should know better than do what is busy doing, namely embarrassing himself and risking his football career. He is very good at what he does on the turf, but he is on a path of disaster. He has proven he is above the law for now, but that junk eventually catches up with you no matter who you are.

Were I a player in the position of Winston, I would have Prime Time on speed dial. I am aware that the FSU QB is a grown man and has his own ideas about what his life should look like. But clearly there is a problem with his plan of action. All his actions seem to be backfiring at the moment. Any and all advice from a made man like Deion Sanders should at least be considered by Winston. It certainly couldn’t hurt to listen to a Hall Of Fame NFLer who was one of the top two or three corners ever. Not to mention the success Deion has had after football. He is one of the faces of the NFL Network and is as popular as any former player you will ever see. He also has the respect of his peers. Guys like Rich Eisen, a veteran of big time sports media, could not be more of a fan of Sanders’ professionalism.

Jameis Winston needs someone to mentor him or he will self destruct. He may believe he is being targeted by the powers that be. That may be somewhat true but if he is not giving any public ammo to them, then there will be no trouble. Stealing crab legs is no big deal, but it is still theft. Acting a fool at a college assembly is not a big deal, but coming on the heels of a rape allegation makes it a serious matter. He needs someone with more star power than him to show him the way. His way will not work forever. Talent will get an athlete so far. But all the talent in the world can’t save you from your own destructive behavior. Winston needs to learn to live in what we all call society. This is not his world. He is only a tiny part of it. He can be a positive part if he gets his act together. I don’t think that will happen unless he seriously considers the advice of former players like Deion Sanders.

Eagle’s Chip Kellys’ Strange Strange Ways

Shane Mclendon
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Eagle’s Chip Kellys’ Strange Strange Ways

chip kelly strange ways nfl

Many NFL experts thought that Chip Kelly would be getting in over his head when he came to the NFL from college. The Oregon teams he coached were great fun to watch and he certainly had a different style but the thought was that he couldn’t transfer that to the NFL. And while the NFL is an entirely different animal, Chip Kelly is proving all the naysayers wrong so far. His Eagles had a successful first year under him and are 3-1 so far in the 2014 season.

I am sure many of the Eagles players were surprised at all the strange techniques that Chip Kelly brought to the game. Unless a player had been with the Ducks in their college playing days, how could they be used to what he was trying to implement. I know big time college teams try to promote proper nutrition, workout habits, and treating the body right. But Kelly was going to a whole new level by bringing in sleep experts, deeply focused nutritionists, and running practices like a fire drill to get everything in as fast as possible. He was not afraid to change things up when he got to the big leagues of the NFL. If he was going to fall on his face, he was going to fail by doing it his way, not using the same old techniques of every other coach.

The biggest testament to Chip Kelly‘s big brain for offense was the success his quarterback Nick Foleshad last year. The guy played lights out the whole year and his TD to INT ratio was absurd at 27/2. No expert thought Foles was capable of leading such a season or those crazy numbers from last year. I heard the term “quarterback proofing an offense” just the other day when a football pundit was discussing Kelly. I had never heard or thought of that term before but it was brilliant. I don’t know if that is the goal of Kelly or not. But if it is, and he can make that method work for multiple seasons with different QBs like he did in college, I will be super impressed. That feat would make him one of the greatest offensive minds in the history of football. NFL coaches in the past have had success over the long haul using different QBs along the way, but not by throwing the ball most of the time like Kelly’s teams. Those other coaches used a running game and a stout defense to hide their quarterbacks’ weaknesses. Kelly is using an innovative offense to protect his quarterback from his own weaknesses. That is truly genius.

The status quo always tries to knock down any new ideas, so I love it when the status quo is made to look a fool. The high school coach out in Arkansas, Kevin Kelley, who NEVER punts and almost always does onside kicks, is a great example of doing things differently in the game of football. His story is one of putting aside old traditions that are still in place simply because most coaches are too cowardly to try new approaches. It is too easy to just do things the old school way.

Chip Kelly is doing his outside the box thing on the pro level and making the experts look foolish. 2014 is a time full of innovations in everyday technology. I am glad to see football is not being left out thanks to guys like Chip Kelly and Kevin Kelley. It takes some guts to try different things in the face of traditions that are many decades old. I am glad they had the stones to try these new styles of play. It makes the game better and leads to more innovation in the future. It is too bad that so few football coaches are wiling to take a chance.

Celebrity Gossip Roundup: George Clooney Taken Off Market 2014

Julie Wein
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Celebrity Gossip Roundup: George Clooney Taken Off Market 2014

george clooney married 2014

It’s been a week filled with highs and lows for the celebrities we love, the ones we hate and especially the ones we love to hate. Here is a rundown of the week in celebrity gossip.

After years of swearing he was a confirmed bachelor George Clooney has finally taken the plunge and married fiancée Amal Alamuddin in a Venice, Italy ceremony. In attendance at the ceremony were famous faces such as Matt Damon, Bono and Bill Murray. The night before the wedding the couple parted ways to enjoy their bachelor and bachelorette parties respectively. Though many people don’t realize it, this is actually George Clooney’s second marriage, as he was briefly and quietly married to Talia Balsam during the 1990s.

In other wedding related celebrity gossip, everybody’s favorite Full House alumni Mary Kate Olson allegedly tied the knot with a man 17 years older than her. Olivier Sarkozy had proposed to the actress earlier in 2014. Their wedding allegedly took place in secret sometime during the summer. Just recently the couple was spotted dining at a Hamptons restaurant and both were wearing wedding rings.

The drama continues for the Kardashian clan as Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s published book goes nowhere fast. Titled Rebels: City of Indra the book has not sold well at all, despite the fact that its publisher was sure the Kardashian name would sell copies. In the three months since it was released only 13,000 copies have been sold. It is rumored that one of the reasons the book is doing so poorly is that the girls refused to do much publicity for it. Reportedly it was tough to even get them to sign more than a few copies of the book, which they only did when cameras were rolling. There have also been complaints that when they did promote it they were rude to their fans.

In other Kardashian news, Kylie is allegedly throwing herself into her music career to mask the pain of her parents impending divorce as she had been hoping they could reconcile.

As she continues to prove to Hollywood what a train wreck she really is, Paris Hilton reportedly recently spent $230,000 in one trip to a bar. After earning $2.7 million as an acting DJ at one of the hottest nightclubs in NYC, Paris celebrated by treating her friends to bottles of champagne each worth $100,000. She reportedly purchased bottles of Ace of Spades champagne as well as 11 bottles of Grey Goose, Patron and Cristal vodka. The one piece of credit you have to give her is that when the evening was over she paid the nightclub/bar staff a tip totaling $47,000.

In some rather disturbing news a picture of Eddie Cibrian and his children was leaked onto the Internet after his second wife, Leann Rimes, supposedly photoshopped herself into the photo. This is evidenced in the fact that she doesn’t cast a shadow in the picture and now that she is in it one of Eddie Cibrian’s children now looks like they are missing a hand. If this is true Eddie Cibrian might want to rethink his marriage to Leann Rimes.

Apparently some celebrities never learn, as actress Amanda Bynes was arrested for DUI this week. The problem is that she is still on probation for her last DUI and this could cause her even more trouble. She was reportedly pulled over by a San Fernando Valley police officer who then arrested her on suspicion of being high on an unspecified narcotic. Many people are also speculating that Bynes is now smoking weed again after having stopped when she was sent to rehab. The actress reportedly got out on $15,000 bail and went to her parents’ house, as that is where she is currently living.

To further prove that some celebrities never learn, Chris Brown is coming under fire again for shoving one of his female fans at a recent concert appearance. He reportedly put his forearm on the woman’s chest and forcibly pushed her away from him. Apparently Chris Brown’s parents never taught him to solve his problems with words instead of violence. Anyone that knows Chris Brown’s public history shouldn’t be surprised that he would shove a female fan.

Robert Pattinson may be fleeing the United States in his quest to further continue rushing his relationship with his British girlfriend known as FKA Twigs/Twiggy. The couple is already facing controversy as Twiggy is being bombarded with racial insults direct from Pattinson’s fans. In a recent interview Pattinson stated that he thought he might be done with L.A. implying his desire to go home to the U.K. It is a known fact that Robert Pattinson is looking to settle down and have children and this may be why he is seemingly rushing his relationship with Twiggy.

Over the weekend the Global Citizen Festival took place in NYC’s Central Park and during a surprise, unadvertised performance, Beyonce suffered a wardrobe malfunction. At one point the singer’s blouse came open, revealing a glimpse of her bra. This malfunction apparently didn’t bother her in the least as she kept giving a flawless performance. The good news is that of the other acts that performed at the festival, Beyonce’s wardrobe malfunction is the only one that happened.

The current season of Dancing With The Stars features actor Antonio Sabato Jr paired with professional choreographer Cheryl Burke. Rumors are swirling that the married actor is having an affair with his temporary dance teacher. Interestingly enough, the rumor was started by fellow DWTS choreographer Val Chmerkovskiy who is battling rumors that he is having a love affair with Janel Parrish, his celebrity partner for the season. There is reportedly tension between Sabato Jr and Chmerkovskiy after he let Cheryl Burke know that Sabato Jr has a reputation for cheating. His response was to state that he is happily married and that Chmerkovisky needed to stay out of his business.

Stay tuned for more hot gossip weekly!

Adrian Peterson Child Abuse Case More Than Just Another NFL Black Eye

Shane Mclendon
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Adrian Peterson Child Abuse Case More Than Just Another NFL Black Eye

adrian peterson child abuse case nfl 2014 images

As the NFL deals with a new abuse case almost weekly, there is one that sticks out. The Adrian Peterson case involves not a woman, but a child. Peterson has been indicted on charges of injuring a child. The charges stem from what Peterson refers to as a spanking he gave his four year old to discipline him. Peterson has never had off the field issues before this popped up. Also, this case had went to the grand jury in Texas more than once before they finally handed down an actual indictment. This case is much more complicated than the Ray Rice situation that was escalated with a video showing exactly what happened. There is no video in the Peterson case, but there are pictures of the result of the whipping that was given to the young boy by his father, Adrian Peterson. The photos are quite shocking and upsetting to many people. And with the NFL on notice from the public that they are not going to stand idly by and cheer for beaters of women, the Peterson case is right in the bright spotlight now.

Peterson has been suspended from the Vikings and will not be back on the team until the legal matter is straightened out, whatever that means. That process could last until 2015. So basically the Vikings will be without their best player for most of this season unless the trial is moved up. That is not the focus of this situation but it is a real issue for a team that is playing millions for a player that is not going to be able to contribute to the team for a while, maybe ever again. You can bet the fan base has their own feelings about Peterson’s actions as well. But their views are likely skewed by their desire to have a winning football team.

The part of the public that is shocked at the photos does not believe in spanking, whipping, or what they would simply call beating a child to discipline them. The other people who think Peterson was just doing the same thing that their parents did to them as kids to keep them in line are not appalled at this case. While the photos may show a dad that went a bit too far, folks with experience as the spanker and the spankee know quite a bit about this discipline method. And despite what some in the media say, there is a difference in how discipline is handed out depending on the part of the country that you grow up in. It also matters about the culture one grows up in to a large extent. Families lower on the economic scale are more likely to use spankings as a way to make their kids mind. All that must sound insane to a person opposed to hitting a child, even if the kid is in need of punishment of some sort. There lies the problem. The two groups of people will never agree about what is abuse when it is borderline. And despite the photos in this Adrian Peterson case, it is borderline.

I live in the South and kids get whipped here. I felt the sting of a belt many a time for doing something wrong. I don’t think I was hit as a four year old in the way Peterson hit his boy. But I certainly did have whelps from spankings over the years. Was it abuse? No. It was done to discipline me. This is where the high minded folks like Bob Costas, whom I respect a ton, would say that is an abuse victim’s mentality……to not admit being hit was abuse. I disagree, but I will say that hitting a kid as a disciplinary action is still using violence against another person unnecessarily. That is why I stopped spanking my kids years ago. Whipping them, even for misbehaving, is being violent and I don’t believe that is the right way to do things anymore. There are other ways to discipline kids, but I would never tell other parents not to spank their kids. They are the ones who have to live with these young people, not me. It is fine for people like Costas and Boomer Easiason to speak about how they would discipline a child, but they get to go home to their own lives. They don’t have to worry about other people’s kids and how they behave going forward. It is easy to be an armchair quarterback when it comes to raising other folks’ kids, quite another to deal with these youngsters on a daily basis. I would love to see how those opposed to spanking deal with some of the worst behaved kids I have seen in public. Yes, if you spend time with the children and talk to them and teach them patiently, they will do right most of the time. But many parents work two jobs, are single parents, and are so pressed for time it is ridiculous. It is a shame that so many people can’t take a few minutes to discipline kids in a peaceful way. But that is a reality.

The bottom line in the Peterson case will be intent. Peterson has said that he went too far. He made a mistake but he was not being evil. A four year old does not deserve a whipping of that magnitude of course. But those critical of the man did not grow up as he did. Peterson may feel like he has to keep his son in line from the get go so there is no chance of him ending up in jail later on for lack of respect for rules. I don’t know the running back’s thoughts either, and that is just a guess. I believe Peterson will be found innocent of these charges. I don’t know much about Texas but it sounds like spanking is not a foreign technique to the citizens there.

I know this is 2014 and not the 80’s when I grew up, so there is a conversation to be had about spanking. I know there are better ways to keep kids in line with the rules. I also think children should be protected from real abuse and neglect. The Peterson photos are appalling to some, but he had no evil intent and realizes his mistake I believe. Many in the sports media didn’t even know what a “switch” was when this story came out. Yet they felt qualified to say how Adrian Peterson should deal with his son. If these well meaning people know so little about the way some cultures hand out punishments, do they really know much about the rest of their culture and daily lives?

NFL Week 4 Preview 2015

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week 4 Preview 2015

nfl 2015 logo image

Have you been outside recently? It’s finally starting to feel like football weather! It only took four weeks. A few teams are also starting to stand out from the crowd. With that, let’s take a look at all the Week Four matchups in the NFL:

Miami Dolphins at Oakland Raiders: The Dolphins take on the Raiders in Wembley Stadium in London this Sunday. At least this matchup will be a little more even than last year when the 49ers crushed the Jaguars 42-10. This game will probably be really low scoring, so all the soccer fans in England may enjoy it even more. The Dolphins may have looked great since their Week One upset over the Patriots, but they should have no problem taking down the Raiders.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: The Bears have won two straight road games, and now they head home to take on the struggling Aaron Rodgers and the 1-2 Packers. This should prove to be a great matchup: the Bears want to show the NFL they’re for real, and the Packers are desperate to win and avoid falling behind in the division. Normally it’s a bad idea to underestimate Rodgers, but he has yet to prove himself this season. The Bears just may have his him beat in Chicago.

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans: The Chargers showed the league that the Bills were vastly overrated last week. The Texans aren’t a great team (you can’t be great with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center), but they are certainly better than the team that went 2-14 a season ago. Bill O’Brien and the Texans defense will help them bounce back from their loss to New York and take down the Bills.

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts started 0-2 and then took out their frustration on the Jaguars last week. Well, don’t expect the Colts to get over their poor sjust like that. The Colts are an offensive powerhouse that loves to beat up weak teams, especially the ones in their division. The Titans are one of those weak teams.

Detroit Lions at New York Jets: The Lions always seem to pull out a victory in Detroit, but they have yet to prove that they can win on the road. Both teams love to shoot themselves in the foot when they seem to have victory secured, but at the same time the Jets always seem to rally around Rex Ryan coming off of a loss. Unless the Lions can cut down on stupid penalties, this may be the upset of the week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin’s squad looked like the Super Bowl XL and XLIII champions they are against the Panthers. The Buccaneers looked like the winless team of 1976 against the Falcons. The Panther are better than the Falcons. You do the math. The Steelers will have no problem blowing the Bucs out of the water.

Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers: Upset of the week…just kidding. Blake Bortles will be starting his first game on the road in San Diego. He looked only slightly better than Chad Henne at home against the Colts, so don’t expect too much from the rookie quarterback. The Chargers will have no problem earning their third win in a row.

 Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers: Through three weeks, the Eagles are the best second half team in the NFL, but the worst first half team. The 49ers are the exact opposite—they have been spectacular in the first half of game but disappear after halftime. The Eagles are undefeated right now, while the Niners are coming into this game at 1-2. A loss here would basically end the 49ers season. Expect them to rally back in front of their home crowd and save their season with a win over Philadelphia.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings: The Falcons are coming off a huge victory over the Buccaneers at home, and they may be a little too confident heading into Minnesota. The Vikings will be starting rookie Teddy Bridgewater this week, who really hung in there during last week’s loss in New Orleans. Matt Ryan looks flawless at home, but he wasn’t able to do anything in Cincinnati. This game could easily be a big upset if the Falcons aren’t careful.

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys: Both teams have amazing offensive power but very sad defenses. The Saints defense looks horrible, but the Cowboys still have yet to even show that they have a defense. The Saints offense struggled at home last week; but they have abused the Cowboys in the Drew Brees era, so they should have no problem getting back on track in Dallas.

New England Patriots at Kansas Chiefs: Someone needs to tell Tom Brady that the season has begun, because clearly he hasn’t realized it yet. Brady looks atrocious. The Chiefs are nothing like the team that started 9-0 last season, but a primetime game in front of an excited crowd at Arrowhead Stadium could be more than enough to propel them past the struggling Patriots.

Floyd Mayweather’s Thoughts On Ray Rice & NFL Response

Shane Mclendon
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Floyd Mayweather’s Thoughts On Ray Rice & NFL Response

floyd mayweather bottoms out for ray rice nfl abuses 2014

It would be nice if the best boxer in the world would simply go away. That is a shame to have to say about one of the best athletes alive today. But Floyd Mayweather‘s recent comments on the Ray Rice case just reinforce what a horrible human being the biggest draw in boxing is. The undefeated champion came out publicly to defend the Baltimore Raven’s running back after the NFL changed their decision and booted Rice from the league indefinitely. The punishment changed after the video surfaced of Ray Rice punching his then girlfriend in the elevator. Floyd Mayweather stated that the NFL should have stayed with their original punishment and not switched up even after the video was made public by TMZ. “I think there’s a lot worse things that go on in other people’s households, also,” Mayweather said. “It’s just not caught on video, if that’s safe to say.”

It is pitiful that this man does not know when to shut his mouth or have anyone in his camp that is able to reign him in a bit. But stupid statements like these just show how out of touch with reality Mayweather really is. I am not sure why he thought he was the right person to wade into the deep waters of domestic abuse cases. He is not exactly a scholarly fellow. He recently was called out online by rapper 50 Cent for being illiterate if that tells you anything about the guy’s mental capacity.

Domestic abuse is a serious subject that needs insight from people who don’t go around acting a fool, talking about their private jet, and being a general douche bag. I don’t think the NFL is going to call in Mayweather to be on any kind of panel to straighten out the league now that abuse has come to the forefront there. Or perhaps I am wrong. Since Mayweather has been caught up in a few domestic abuse cases himself, maybe he would be a good consultant to Roger Goodell. Perhaps the NFL’s upper management could get a clear idea of what goes on in the mind of a man who has no problem putting his hands on a female. And since the boxer has no problem making statements about the subject, he might be the right guy to shed some light on just want makes a woman beater tick. This would help the NFL figure out a way to deal with domestic violence going forward with its players. It would be hard to stomach listening to Floyd Mayweather for very long since he is a loud mouth who repeats himself often, but the NFL could use his opinions to help shape their abuse policy. They would be able to see into the mind of a coward who hits women and apparently likes to share thoughts about other athletes who hit ladies as well.

If anyone thinks I am being too hard on Mr. Mayweather, they should dig deeper into his past as a woman beater. Or his present…for all I know he is still doing the same thing. He has shown no remorse for the cases he has been involved in before. The guy spent a couple months in jail in 2012 for hitting his girlfriend with his kids watching at the time. He took a plea deal that kept him from the possibility of a longer jail sentence. He was not going to face a long sentence though. Let’s be honest. He is Floyd Mayweather and is filthy rich. I mean filthy.

He of course maintains his innocence in that case.  But that is not the only incident that he has been caught up in that involves domestic abuse. There are too many incidents to list in this space. He is a serial woman beater and deserves no respect from any boxing fan or any thinking person for that matter. And the idea that he thought he should weigh in on the Ray Rice situation is almost laughable, if he were not such a disgusting person. If you would like to read about all the incidents that detail this guy’s awful history with hitting ladies, please checkout this piece on Deadspin from IronMikeGallego http://deadspin.com/the-trouble-with-floyd-Mayweather-1605217498. Be prepared to have your stomach turn a bit.

I was once a huge boxing fan. But the sport has fallen on hard times for a few reasons. Dirty promoters, crooked judges, too many titles, and terrible people like Floyd Mayweather representing the sweet science are among those reasons. Boxing will never be what it was back in the glory days. Its time has come and gone I am afraid. And that is really a shame. Boxing is a great sport that is filled with glorious fights between true warriors. I could watch old fights all day long. I could read about the sport and its athletes again and again. I hate that boxing has fallen so far so fast. And the fact that the best fighter in the world of boxing is a man who allegedly beats women consistently is the real shame. Boxing is on life support right now and no glorious return is on the horizon. I hate to think that what my generation will remember as the last great boxer is going to be Floyd Mayweather. The sport deserves better than that. Or maybe not. Perhaps this is just karma catching up with the once proud sport of boxing. All the shady Don King deals. All the rigging of outcomes. All the champions lining up whipping boys instead of real challengers. All the corrupt boxing councils. All these things may have added up to boxing deserving a pathetic guy like Floyd Mayweather being the king of the worst sport in terms of public appearance in 2014.

It would be nice if somebody gave Mayweather a just beating in the boxing ring. That is doubtful to ever happen as he winds down his career. But it would be nice to see. I have a feeling he will get his due eventually outside of the ring. He is not going to be able to control himself. One day he will hit another woman and end up in prison for a longer stretch. Or worse, he will lay hands on the wrong woman who believes in the 2nd amendment and takes the law into her own hands to end his streak of wins versus females.

NFL Week Three Recap 2015

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week Three Recap 2015

nfl 2015 logo image

Falcons 56, Buccaneers 14: This may be the biggest blowout in the history of Thursday Night Football. The Falcons did whatever they wanted on offense while the Buccaneers struggled to stop turning the ball over. The Falcons aren’t the best team in the league, but the Bucs are really that bad. The biggest thing to take away from this game is that Devin Hester has certainly found his niche in Atlanta. Hester had his 19th return touchdown (breaking Deion Sanders’ record in his old stadium), and he also have a 20 yard reverse touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. Unless Steven Jackson’s performance improves, Hester could be the main running threat on the Falcons offense moving forward.

Bengals 33, Titans 7: Putting up 33 points was enough to push the Cincinnati Bengals to number one in the NFL power rankings. For a team that normally releases on their defense, the Bengals looked all right on offense (to be fair though, they were playing the Titans). A.J. caught six passes for 102 yards while battling turf toe, Giovani Bernard punched in a few touchdowns, and even Andy Dalton caught a touchdown pass. Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, the touchdown reception was about all Dalton did in that game. He finished 15 of 23 for 169 yards and a sad interception. Dalton continues to struggle, and when the Bengals play a good defense they will probably lose that top ranking.

Chargers 22, Bills 10: Looks like Bills fans got their hopes up for nothing again. The San Diego Chargers came into this game the underdogs and absolutely manhandled Buffalo’s offense. The Chargers don’t exactly have the best defense in the NFL, but don’t tell E.J. Manuel that. Yes, Manuel finished with 238 yards and a touchdown; but it took him 39 pass attempts to do so against the Chargers usually weak secondary.

Ravens 23, Browns 21: This was a very even matchup. The Browns seemed to have the game locked up in the fourth quarter, but the Ravens were able to drive down the field and win the game on a last second Justin Tucker field goal. The Browns had a hard time defending the Ravens run game all day, giving up 154 yards to the Ravens running backs even without Bernard Pierce and Ray Rice in the backfield. The Ravens on the other hand couldn’t seem to stop Brian Hoyer’s passing attack. Hoyer finished 19-of-25 with 290 yards and a touchdown. Despite the loss, Hoyer will retain his starting position for at least another few weeks.
Lions 19, Packers 7: Both the Lions and Packers really looked like they were trying to lose, and for once someone was better at losing than Detroit. Green Bay looks horrible this season, and Aaron Rodgers isn’t doing much to help and his offensive line isn’t doing much to give him a chance to help. The Lions stuffed Eddie Lacy in the end zone for a safety; and although they technically only sacked Rodgers twice, they were constantly pressuring him and causing errant passes. Rodgers finished 16-of-27 for 162 yards and a touchdown, ruining fantasy owners’ days across the country. The Lions had multiple turnovers and missed field goals, but the Packers couldn’t do anything with them managing only one touchdown the entire game.

Colts 44, Jaguars 17: What better way to fix a 0-2 start than a trip to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The Colts gave up only two first downs the entire first half and outgained the Jags 330-55 in total yardage. Head coach Gus Bradley even threw a challenge flag with about a minute left in the first half (for those of you who don’t know, there are no coach’s challenges allowed within the final two minutes of either half). Blake Bortles came on the field to start the second half. He didn’t play very well and collected most of his yards in garbage time, but he was a clear improvement from Chad Henne.
Patriots 16, Raiders 9: This game was just sad if you’re a Patriots fan. The Raiders defense couldn’t stop Geno Smith or Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Tom Brady made them look like the Seahawks. Brady looked horrible, missing wide-open receivers down the field and finishing 24-of-37 with only 234 yards and one touchdown. Brady was also nearly picked off multiple times, and if they had been playing a decent defense he would have thrown at least two interceptions. The Raiders were actually in a position to tie the game late, but Derek Carr threw a game-sealing interception.

Saints 20, Vikings 9: This was a sad game for the Saints. The Saints are one of the best teams in the league when they play in the Superdome, but they struggled greatly against the Vikings. The high-powered Saints offense managed only 20 points after jumping to a quick 13-0 lead. For the Vikings, Teddy Bridgewater came in after Matt Cassel was carted off the field; and he looked good for a rookie quarterback playing in New Orleans. He does, however, need to work on his reads. The Saints atrocious defense left Cordarrelle Patterson wide open a couple of times, but Bridgewater never spotted him.

Giants 30, Texans 17: There’s really not much to this game—the Giants protected Eli Manning and he reminded us that he is indeed a Manning. Manning finished 21-of-28 for 234 yards and two touchdowns against the vastly underrated Texans secondary. Rashad Jennings also had a fantastic day. J.J. Watt landed a few big hits on him, but Jennings was still able to finish with 176 yards and a touchdown. The biggest reason for the Texans loss was Ryan Fitzpatrick. At halftime, Fitzpatrick was 4-of-13 for 39 yards and two interceptions. Don’t let his stats fool you, Fitzpatrick is not a good quarterback.

Eagles 37, Redskins 34: This was probably the best game of the week. This game featured DeSean Jackson’s return to Philadelphia and multiple fights including an all-out brawl that led to two ejections. At the end of the day, Nick Foles played about three points better than Kirk Cousins. Foles finished with 325 yards and three touchdowns; whereas, Cousins finished with 427 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Cousins cost his team at the end of the game, however, when he failed to gain a single yard on the team’s final possession right outside of field goal range.

Cowboys 34, Rams 31: Clearly the Rams aren’t as bad as everyone thought they were. The Rams had a 17-0 lead at one point but saw it slip from their grasps. Tony Romo threw a horrible pick-six early in the game, and had only 89 yards at halftime. Romo made up for the poor first half performance with multiple clutch plays in the second half. DeMarco Murray also improved significantly after the half, with 60 of his 100 yards coming in the second half of the game.

Cardinals 23, 49ers 14: Things are getting bad in San Francisco. The 49ers lost this game because of stupid personal fouls. Anquan Boldin’s head butt erased a touchdown opportunity, forcing the Niners to kick a field goal which was blocked. Arizona was flagged for a hold on one play, but fortunately for them the 49ers taunted out of bounds negating the hold. The Niners defense then was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Larry Fitzgerald. They also dropped multiple potential interceptions. Jim Harbaugh appears to have completely lost control of his team. Colin Kaepernick did pretty well, but two sure pick-sixes were dropped. All in all, the Niners could have won this game if they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with all of the stupid penalties.
Chiefs 34, Dolphins 15: Miami must have thought that Week One against the Patriots was the Super Bowl. The Dolphins have yet to show up to a game since their victory over the Patriots, and lost big time to the 0-2 Chiefs this week. Ryan Tannehill is a big reason for the Dolphins loss. Tannehill finished 21-of-43 for only 205 yards and a touchdown. Lamar Miller ran well, rushing for 108 yards on only 15 carries; but for whatever reason Joe Philbin kept calling for the pass. After such a disappointing performance, rumor has it that Philbin may bench Tannehill come Week Four.

Seahawks 26, Broncos 20: This game is what Super Bowl XLVIII should have been like. This game showed everything from both sides: a great Seahawks defense, a sad Broncos defense, a sad Seahawks offense, and a Broncos offense led by Peyton Manning that can turn it on when it needs to. The Broncos played it conservative until the fourth quarter, but unfortunately they waited too long. If the Broncos don’t drop one or two more passes, they could have won this game in regulation. Manning made it look easy at the end, driving down the field in 40 seconds with no timeouts to score the game-tying touchdown; however, sadly, the Broncos horrid defense lost the game as soon as they lost the coin toss.

Steelers 37, Panthers 19: This was probably the biggest surprise of Week Three. The Panthers absolutely imploded, and the Steelers looked like the team that’s won two Super Bowls in the past nine seasons. Carolina’s run defense, supposedly the best in the NFL, gave up 265 yards to Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount. Bell was responsible for 147 of those yards, including an 81 yard explosion in the second half. Antonio Brown had his way with the Carolina secondary, catching 10 passes from Ben Roethlisberger for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Bears 27, Jets 19: The Jets outgained the Bears 414-257 in total yardage, but they still lost by eight points. The officiating was horrible; Marty Mornhinweg provided he has no idea what he’s doing, especially in the red zone; and Geno Smith is just not an NFL quarterback. Mornhinweg’s offense crossed the Bear’s 25 yard line seven times but only have 19 points to show for it. Mornhinweg blew it every trip, however, calling stupid designed quarterback runs despite Chris Ivory’s effective running throughout the game. Smith is still the main reason the Jets couldn’t get enough points on the board. Smith started off with a pick-six and continued to struggle with accuracy throughout the game. As if things couldn’t get worse for the Jets, Muhammad Wilkerson may miss a few games. The Jets defense won’t be the same without him on the field.

What Did NFL’s Roger Goodell Really Say About Ray Rice Videos?

Shane Mclendon
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What Did NFL’s Roger Goodell Really Say About Ray Rice Videos?

roger goodell september 2014 press conference translated 2015

On September 20th, Roger Goodell met with the press to give updates on how the NFL will proceed on domestic violence cases. He not only made a statement but also fielded numerous questions from the reporters on hand. Goodell is feeling pressure from all directions so he had to come out in a public stance at some point. Womens’ groups are calling for his resignation, sponsors are getting nervous about their NFL partnerships, and sports pundits are calling the commissioner out on his inconsistent behaviors. All in all, it is not a good time to be Roger Goodell. And I am pretty sure this press conference did not help his cause.

Usually a guy like Roger Goodell will get a ton of leeway in Q&A sessions with lapdog reporters. Powerful people don’t normally get pressed for the truth when they fail to be open with answers. If you have ever seen a presidential debate or any politician doing an interview, you will know exactly what I mean. Obvious lies and doublespeak are just overlooked by the interviewer generally as a show of respect for the position the person is in.

This Goodell press conference got flipped on its head as reporters actually stayed on the commissioner when he did not answer the question to their satisfaction. Some got down right aggressive with Goodell, which is what they should have been doing all along. Powerful people get by with their sins because of two reasons. Reporters just happy to be in the room with them won’t ask tough questions and demand truthful answers. Also, the American public does not take action on the rare occasions that a reporter with some stones does drag the truth out of a powerful entity or breaks a story worthy of protest. We are happy to just sit back and complain about a corrupt government or corporation, but taking any action would get in the way of our cable TV watching. From this point forward, if the public wants Goodell to be fired then the pressure is on us as NFL fans. The reporters finally have done their jobs. Finally!

In the days since the second Ray Rice video was released by TMZ, several female reporters for the big networks have played a role in chastising the NFL for their lack of concern about domestic violence. Several sideline reporters and other female commentators have laid the wood to Goodell and his lack of real action. During this presser, Rachel Nichols of CNN jumped on Goodell like an angry bulldog and didn’t let up when he tried to bully her. She asked a few pointed questions that made Goodell look like a liar or just incompetent. Her best question was about the “independent” investigator who will be handling the Ray Rice debacle to get the facts about what the NFL actually did or didn’t do. Robert Mueller’s law firm has ties to the NFL which are a legitimate concern for getting an honest investigation. Goodell tried to shame Nichols for insinuating any disrespect toward the integrity of the former FBI director. But the former ESPN reporter let Goodell know that even if the investigation was completely honest and forthcoming, the appearance of any underhanded dealings would devalue the entire process. By the way, I would guess that about 80% of Americans don’t give any credence to the fact that Robert Mueller is a former FBI director. I just assume anyone that high up in any organization like the FBI is corrupt from his feet up to his dome. Trust me, most thinking Americans feel the same way, especially after the Edward Snowden leaks about government agencies.

Roger Goodell used a pile of words to answer many of the questions. Lots of unnecessary words that were meant to go around the actual questions and eat up time. The main points that Goodell is afraid of are obvious to me. We all know he wants everyone to believe he never saw the second video of Ray Rice. But just as important, judging from his refusal to give a straight answer, is what Ray Rice told him happened in the elevator. The commissioner would just assume go on a drive by with Aaron Hernandez, as tell reporters what exactly Rice told him that led to a mere two game suspension. Whatever was told to Goodell by Ray Rice warranted more than a two game sit out. By stating it out loud, Goodell would make himself look like he doesn’t give a damn about women getting hit…as long as it was just a slap or maybe a punch with his weaker hand. I believe if he were to tell the truth about what Rice said to him directly, he would not recover from the backlash. He hopes to wait it out and let it all die down to save his $40 million a year job with the NFL.

I can imagine the fury that was built up inside the big bully of the NFL as he had to answer a question from a TMZ reporter: “You suspended Ray Rice after our video. Why didn’t you have the curiosity to go to the casino yourself?” Goodell spent about 150 words not answering that one with any honesty. The TMZ guy followed up with this drop the mic question: “Mr. Commissioner, we found out by one phone call. You guys have a whole legal department. Can you explain that?  We found out by just one phone call.” Goodell’s pathetic response to that was, “I can’t explain how you got that information.” The guy just told him how he got the info….with one freaking phone call. He basically just said you didn’t do your job Goodell, and that if you didn’t have the tape it was only because you didn’t want it.

I hope this press conference was not the best idea Roger Goodell had in order to save his job. If it was then he best shine up that resume a bit. He is so used having his way with the media that he thought he could come in and toss a few sound bytes around to satisfy the masses. He was dead wrong this time. At this point in time the NFL is no longer above reproach. An issue bigger than the game of football has finally rocked the boat. The commissioner is learning the hard way about the consequences of being a bully. He was such a stickler for discipline, now he is going to take some of that medicine. How’s it taste commissioner?

NFL Week 2 Recap: More Drama Off Field Than On

Shane Mclendon
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NFL Week 2 Recap: More Drama Off Field Than On

nfl baltimore ravens week two recap own daniels

The upper management of the National Football League would sure like to see more headlines that begin with talk of late game heroics or overtime shockers. But week two of the young season was about as bad as week one when it comes to horrible publicity. There were some good games that we will get to, but we can’t ignore the abuse headlines that seem to be as hard to stop as JJ Watt.

The Ray Rice debacle has left the NFL wide open to criticism from all directions. In the past you would never see the major networks directly critical of the league’s leadership. But with more players getting popped for abuse cases, the talking heads of TV land have no choice but to confront the major issues. As Roger Goodell continued to squirm his way out of looking like a liar in regards to the Ray Rice video, Carolina was trying to figure out what to do about their defensive standout, Greg Hardy, who was convicted of beating his girlfriend. San Francisco had to deal with a newer case involving Ray McDonald, who was recently arrested for domestic abuse. Then comes the Adrian Peterson news of child abuse. Peterson is the biggest name so far to be dragged through the mud of this nasty subject. The Vikings running back is the best in the game and his team will suffer mightily if he is gone for long at all. Not to be left out of all this chaos, Arizona had a running back, Jonathan Dwyer, accused of domestic abuse most recently. The NFL has a major public image problem that is not going to be easily fixed. Now that the spotlight is brighter than ever for these abuse cases, more and more of them are going to be uncovered. The ones in the news are just the easiest ones to find for reporters. More digging is going to result in more terrible press for the NFL.

I hate to even have to take up space with off the field issues in the middle of a recap. But these are impact players that make a difference in individual games and the long term hopes of some teams. Off field issues are going to play a part in some of these teams’ playoff hopes, especially if the cases keep appearing week after week.

Now for the action. The Thursday night game saw the Steelers get whacked by the Ravens. This game showed that teams can play well even when they are on the hot seat of the media. The Ray Rice fallout did not stop the Ravens from having their way with their hated rivals, 26-6.

Don’t get too excited yet, but the Buffalo Bills are 2-0 to start 2014. They have started hot before only to fizzle out in a hurry mid season. The Dolphins fell to the Bills 29-10. The Phins appear to be the same old team that will be mediocre at best. When the weather turns cold, they should really start to fade.

Along with all the criminal activity that hit the NFL in week two, injuries also took a toll on several teams. RG3 of Washington had a nasty looking ankle dislocation that will keep him out for several weeks. The guy impressed folks in his rookie year, then got hurt and hasn’t been the same since. He built a name for himself at Baylor where they played a bunch of scrubs. Now that he is in the big leagues, he is being exposed as average and fragile to boot. Lucky for his team that his backup, Kirk Cousins led them to a big victory over the Jags, 41-10. The buzz is now that Cousins is more suited to this new Redskins offense. Maybe that is true, but it was just one game and the Redskins may be trying to find the proverbial bright side to the fact that their franchise QB is about done.

Arizona made it through week two without a loss, as they handled the inept Giants 25-14. The Cardinals won this game with their backup quarterback as well. It appears there will be another coach in New York next year unless things turn fast in Giant land. Eli just doesn’t look like a Super Bowl QB anymore and the team just doesn’t have any star power. Even Victor Cruz has fallen off from his electrifying play of a couple seasons ago.

The Vikings, without Peterson, had no shot against the Patriots. New England knows how to prepare for a team without their best player. They hammered Minnesota 30-7. The Vikings’ season will be a complete loss if the Adrian Peterson case drags into 2015, which is the word from the legal experts.

The New Orleans Saints were a hot Super Bowl pick by many in the preseason. Going 0-2 is not going to make that very likely. Losing to the Browns makes them look even worse. The defense is falling apart and that is causing friction between Sean Payton and Rob Ryan. Payton shouldn’t have to concern himself with the defense. All they have to do is slow the opposing offense down. Brees and company can outscore most teams. Ryan appears to be incapable of having a consistent defense no matter what team he ends up on.

Carolina is surprising the league with their 2-0 start. Most experts had Carolina struggling this year with the poor receiving corps that had enlisted. They got Cam Newton back who looked good in his return from his rib pains. Detroit’s offense was stifled by the Panthers defense the entire game, only scoring 7 points. Megatron was a non factor compared to his week one performance.

The biggest surprise of week two was Seattle getting smoked by the Chargers. The Hawks’ defensive backfield got embarrassed by Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates. The longtime duo connected for three touchdowns in the 30-21 victory that has everyone dissecting the road woes of Seattle.

In some other games of note, the Broncos looked average but won against the Chiefs. The Eagles came back to clip the Colts, who are winless after two games. The Bears surprised the Niners and the Packers survived a scare from the Jets.

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