Another Coach Bites The Dust

Well, were only two days into the week and two coaches are already with out a job.  On Monday Ram's coach Scott Linehan was fired after his teams dismal 0-4 start, and today Lane Kiffin was told he was no longer the coach of perhaps the most dysfunctional team in the NFL, the Raiders.  Linehan inherited a team that won 8 games the year before he got them, and the following year they won 3, and this year they have yet to win let alone show any signs of life.  This is the same Rams that won the Superbowl a few years ago and was once called "The Greatest Show on Turf".

The Raiders were also in the Superbowl a few years ago, and while they did not win, they were once a dominate force in the NFL.  Once being the key word in that sentence.  When Kiffin was hired he was the youngest head coach in the NFL, and many thought he was doomed from the start, the biggest reason being that the Raiders are not just owned, but CONTROLLED by Al Davis.  He is known for hiring and firing of coaches like its a hobby of his, and he makes all choices on what players are drafted, what trades to make, who to hire and what salaries will be paid.  With a force that controlling no coach, not even Bill Belicheck can succeed.

While Kiffin did not bring the Raiders to the Superbowl, let alone playoffs, he tried his best given the situation he was in.  It's hard to coach a team you have no control over, or when you have a rookie quarterback and running back who need time to develop.  However, the way Kiffin was treated was very wrong.  From the second the first game of the season was over all ESPN was reporting was that Kiffin was going to be fired today, then it was tomorrow, then it was any day now.  Honestly, shut up.  When he's fired he's fired, until then let it be.  It just got annoying when they would report it everyday, yet he still had a job.  The worst was when they asked him during press conferences what was going on.  Would you like people to come to your job and ask when you are going to be fired.  I thought not.

Just like most quarterbacks are benched too soon, many coaches are fired too soon as well.  It just shows how impatient people are when it comes to results.  Just look at Titans coach Jeff Fisher, he brought his team to the Superbowl, and yes they lost, and yes they've had some rough years since then, but he's held his job and now look at the Titans, 4-0 and one of the best teams in the league.  Like I said last blog, patience is a virtue.

To Bench, Or Not To Bench

There is an epidemic in the NFL, and it is Benchitis.  Some teams have it bad, really bad, and some are just starting to show symptoms.  What is benchitis you ask?  Very simple my friend, benchitis is when teams bench their starting quarterbacks in hope of turning things around and saving the season.  I can understand when a team needs to change quarterbacks, such as if there is an injury, or the starting quarterback is really not getting the job done, but some teams just take it too far.

For example, the Chiefs started out their season with Brody Croyle, who would soon hurt his shoulder which will keep him out the rest of the year.  I understand that they switched to Damon Huard, but I do not get then going to Tyler Thigpen, then switching back to Huard.  Make up your mind!  How do you expect to get any consistency from your quarterback when you keep changing who starts?  Another team with benchitis, but a far less serious case is the Minnesota Vikings.  They started with Tavaris Jackson, the quarterback they said would help the team win, but when he started the first two games and put up horrible numbers, they decided to give Gus Frerotte the job.  I understand them making the switch, but don't say that Frerotte is your starter for the rest of the season when you will most likely have to make another switch if and when Frerotte begins to falter.

Then you have a team such as the Cleveland Browns, who have begun to show signs of benchitis.  Their starter Derrick Anderson had a great season last year, which no one expected and almost led the team to the playoffs.  So this season expectations were high for him and the team, and when they lost the first game, then the second, and now the third, people began to wonder when backup Brady Quinn, who the Browns traded up in the draft to get.  A lot of people questioned the pick, and while Quinn is the future for the Brown's, one can only wonder when he will get his chance.  Now I understand that Anderson has not been playing up to the level he should be, but it is not his fault.  The offensive line is hurt and playing poorly, giving Anderson no time or protection to throw.  There are also injuries and the tons of dropped passes by the wide receivers.  Anderson is holding up his end of the bargain by throwing the ball, it's not his fault that people can't catch.  

Unfortunately in the NFL, and with any other sport or basically anything these days, people want instant gratification.  If a quarter back is playing poorly, just bench him and start someone else.  If a television show has bad ratings after one episode, chances are the second episode won't make it to air.  People want the best now, not tomorrow, not next season, not next game.  But you know the saying, patience is a virtue. 

Different Year, Same Collapse...

The New York Mets won tonight...finally, and while they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and it seems they will most likely win the N.L Wild Card.  Even though I'm am a Mets fan I can honestly say that it doesn't matter how they make it into the playoffs, they wont be there long.  I love the Mets don't get me wrong, but this is just not they're year.

In fact, I am surprised that they haven't blown all of their chances yet, as after loving 5 of their last 8 it seemed like another collapse was inevitable.  The bull pen was doing what they do best, giving up the lead and the offense looked like a bunch of lethargic buffoons.  It got to the point that when I would turn on the game I actually expected to see them losing.  I feel bad saying that but sometimes you have to learn to expect the worse.  After last years collapse, which I wont even go into since ESPN has already beat it to death, once the Mets started to drop game after game this year it just seemed like a repeat of last year. 

It's kind of sad when your team is limping into the playoffs and they want you to be passionate about them.  Its like watching a wounded gazelle walk into the lions den.  The Mets are riddled with injuries and poor performances, and will have to contest with the likes of the Cubs, Phillies(who they can't beat to save their lives) and most likely the Dodgers who have the likes of the red hot Manny Ramirez who very well could win the N.L MVP.  But, regardless of how stacked the odds are against the Mets, I will be cheering for them, rooting for that upset.  After all that is what makes sports great, you never know what you are going to get.

ESPN:The Downfall of Sports

Don't get me wrong, I love sports.  And I love that ESPN is the place to watch sports, any sport.  I've seen everything from baseball, soccer, worlds strongest man, to the strange such as tractor racing.  And while Sportscenter is a sports fanatics wet dream, it is slowly ruining sports.  In fact, ESPN is just making sports worse all together.  

It all starts with ESPN's new marketing tool, Sportscenter live from 9-3.  When I was growing up Sportscenter was the best thing.  You could watch highlights, see games you did not get on tv, and get insight into your favorite teams or sports.  Mixed with the wit and sarcasm of the anchors Sportscenter was always a good hour of television.  

But going live from 9-3 is too much.  Especially when they talk about the same things over, and over, and over!  Enough with talking about Tom Brady's injury and how the Patriots will move on, we heard you the first time they will go with Matt Cassel.  There is no need to constantly beat sports stories to death.  All they are doing is ruining the excitement of sports.

Another thing ESPN does well is use past athletes to talk about their sports.  For example, Orel Hersheiser, a former pitcher often talks on ESPN or co-hosts baseball games.  Or Emmit Smith, perhaps one of the greatest running backs to ever play, who now works on NFL Countdown.  These are players who know what they are talking about.  So can ESPN stop hiring people who did not make it in their respective sports such as Tim Hasselbeck or Steve Phillips who could not cut it as a GM.  There should just be a rule that if you did not have a good career, you can not work for ESPN.

While ESPN has helped spread sports across America and the world, at this rate no one will want anything to do with sports because ESPN will over saturate it to death.

Official Misses The Call

Sometimes it is the smallest of plays that make the biggest of differences.  In Sunday's Chargers vs. Broncos game, referee Ed Hochuli made a wrong call when he called a Jay Cutler fumble a dead ball, when in fact it was a live ball which was recovered by the Chargers.  At that point in the game the Chargers had come back from a 21-3 deficit and had made it 38-31 with one minute remaining.  The Broncos were fortunate to get the call to go their way and ended up scoring soon after, and then going for two making it 39-38 with under 20 seconds left.

With the loss the Chargers fell to 0-2 and the Broncos went to 2-0.  It was the second last drive loss in a row for the Chargers and was a real heart breaker for a team many thought to be Super Bowl favorites.  What made it worse was that after the game Hochuli stated that he made the wrong call, but that did not change the outcome of the game.

The strangest part of all of this was that even with booth reviews the call was not reversed, which could have saved the NFL and its officiating crew from this nightmare.  In a league which prides itself on instant replay and making the right call, this is the last thing we would expect.  However, in sports if we have learned anything it is that these refs are human and they do make mistakes.  The NBA has admitted to making incorrect or missing fouls numerous times, even during championship games, and just this year the MLB installed instant replay for the first time after various incidents regarding home runs that were called otherwise.

While the refs clearly made the wrong call, which totally changed the outcome of the game and greatly affected both teams, that is part of sports.  There will be good calls, bad calls, and missed calls.  And while it would appear easiest to just blame the ref, lets remember that they have enough work to do already and most do a good job as it is.  

The Other League

Its official, if there is anything that people talk about as much as football, it is fantasy football.  And as someone who has done it for years, it really is very fun.  It gives people the chance to act like a head coach and general manager rolled into one.  It all starts with perhaps the biggest day of the year, draft day, and for seventeen tough weeks it puts you against your opponents, player knowledge vs player knowledge.

But, if there is one thing that annoys me, it is when people say they are "great" at fantasy football, or they "own" at it.  Excuse me for a second...COME THE f&#@ ON!  No offense, but it really comes down to luck.  Sure you need to know to pick Tom Brady or Ladanian Tomlinson over Alex Smith or Maurice Morris, but in the end you can not predict that Brady would suffer a week one injury, or that a rookie would have a breakthrough season and set records left and right.  It is impossible to predict that your team will win you a fantasy league championship, and therefore once you draft that team all you can do is hope that no one gets hurt, or that people put up the numbers they are predicted to. 

Fantasy football is still fun however, no matter how angry it seems to make me, it really is an enjoyable side hobby or whatever you want to call it.  I mean it probably takes away from production at work, but hey at least now it gives you something to talk about besides what you had for dinner or last night or how that guy definitely was not smarter than a fifth grader.

One Knee To Change It All

It only took one play, one very painful, and sure to be talked about to death play.  In the first quarter of the season opener Patriots vs Chiefs, Tom Brady was hit on his left knee and left the game.  He did not return and as the day went on rumors started to fly that he would be out for the season.  If you are not a huge football fan I will put this into context that can be easier to understand how big of a loss this is for the Patriots.  

This would be like Eva Longoria leaving Desperate Housewives, or Jennie Finch being hurt before this years Olympic Games, or even better (or worse depending how you look at it), Michael Phelps not being able to swim his part of a relay race.  Clearly these losses would have dire consequences and many people would be affected by this.

The team that suffers most from this is clearly the Patriots.  They lose their MVP quarterback, the man who threw 50 touch down passes and led them to an 18-1 record.  Might I just add that one loss came to my NEW YORK GIANTS!  But I digress.  The Patriots were favorites for many to win their division and even the Super Bowl.  Now everything is turned upside down though.  The Patriots are without their best player, and have to turn to a backup quarterback in both college and the pro's to lead them to what they hope can be a decent season.  But more importantly this changes the whole dynamic of the AFC.

The division the Patriots play in, the AFC East is also home to the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.  Teams that have not been able to wrestle control of the division from the Patriots for some time.  Also, this changes the AFC playoff picture for other teams as now there is less of a chance of having to play the Patriots at home in the playoffs as they are nearly unbeatable at Foxboro in the winter.  Whether or not the Jets, Bills or Dolphins will be able to take control of the division is unclear, one thing that is for sure is that the Patriots won't be making a run at a perfect season again.  

And It's Back!

Tonight at 7 the 2008-2009 NFL season kicked off and with it came the sound of fans cheering and cash registers filling up.  The NFL, like the MLB which grosses over 6 billion annually is more than a sports league, it is a money making machine.  Tickets run in the hundred dollar range, food can easily come to $20 for a hot dog or two, fries and a drink.  And then once you tally up the beer sales, forget it, the owners are just laughing all the way to the bank.

The NFL is in itself a business, a very smoothly run business that generates money from every angle possible.  Companies pay top dollar to finance multi billion dollar stadiums or just the team in general.  Next time a coach is giving a post game interview or press conference look at the wall behind him, it will most likely have a corporations logo adorned on it, such as Wachovia Bank for the Giants.  Not only do corporations pay top dollar but broadcasting companies pay even more to show NFL games, especially the Super Bowl, which currently is the most watched sporting event, and don't even get me started on the advertising prices for the Super Bowl.

However, if you step back and look at it, the NFL needs to generate high revenues due to the insane contracts they give players, case in point Jake Long, the top draft pick of this year who got $37.5 million guaranteed!  But don't feel bad for the NFL, they'll just charge you more for team gear such as jerseys, hats or jackets.  In the end the NFL is run by the team owners who are rich to begin with and just want to get richer, and as long as that is the case they will continue to get money from every angle possible.

Healthy or Hypocritical?

It always amuses me when I leave the gym whether it be at school or home, and see people who were just working out smoking cigarettes.  Am I missing some great workout tip about smoking and a better workout?  Is it the new Whey Protein or something?  It's just interesting that people who go to the gym as a healthy activity would almost cancel out what they do by smoking something that can be so harmful.  Would you do a grueling ab workout and then go to McDonalds and get a Big Mac and super size fries?

I also find it interesting when athletes are seen smoking cigarettes.  Here you are being payed millions of dollars at times to play a sport at the highest of levels and you are compromising that by smoking.