The NFL's Problem Children

I finally decided to weigh in on the legal woes of three NFL players and the spot commissioner Roger Goodell finds himself in.

When Goodell to the reins of the NFL, he promised more law and order. He worked with players and the players union to come up with a personal conduct code for players, coaches and basically all NFL personnel. In his term he has suspended several players including high profile problem child Adam Pacman Jones. The policy doesn't just include legal problems but an behavior that can tarnish the league's brand. So far I believe Goodell has done a good job of using his judgment.

First, I'm going to go back to a show I heard on ESPN Radio. I can't remember the show but an interesting question was raised around the time Goodell issued an indefinite suspension to WR Donte Stallworth and the postponement of Plaxico Burress's court date. Typically Goodell waits until a case has wound through the legal system before issuing his ruling.

The host asked his callers this question: Should Roger Goodell be judge, jury and executioner and punish a player more severely if the legal system doesn't seem harsh enough? He was referring to Stallworth's case. Stallworth received a relatively light sentence for DUI and manslaughter while Michael Vick received more prison time for killing dogs. Stallworth served 30 days in prison and received probation for killing a pedestrian while intoxicated. The host didn't take sides as the question was posed for discussion.

I started to think about the personal conduct policy and Goodell's duty as commissioner. I think the question boils down to one simple concept. The NFL is a private business enterprise with the goal of making money. Goodell's job is to steer the ship and to maximize the profits of the business. He has the duty to protect the image and marketability of the league. If a players actions hurt the image of the league, then Goodell has the right to punish those players. Players are the most visible employees of the league. How they behave and act off the field can impact the league as much as play on the field.

In the private sector, employees usually have to adhere to some kind of behavior policies at work. Just as a player can get suspended for getting a DUI, an employee in the private sector can be terminated, suspended or other actions. A company, and the NFL, must act to protect its best interest.

While Goodell is under no obligation to come down hard on a player, he has every right to do so in the interest of preserving the integrity of the NFL.

I wrote all that to preface what I think Goodell should do in the cases of Vick, Stallworth and Burress.

Michael Vick took a hard fall. He was on top of the football player financially, in popularity and successfully on and off the field. That was until it was discovered that he funded a dog fighting ring. Vick did federal time for his crimes. He lost all his wealth and filed bankruptcy. In all but a few quarters he is wildly unpopular.

In my opinion, I think Goodell should reinstate Vick. His crimes were horrendous. He lied initially about his activities. In no way, shape or form do I condone what Vick did. What I believe though is Vick paid a huge penalty. I also believe he should have a chance at redemption. The commissioner has stated that Vick must prove that he is sorry for his crimes. If Goodell truly believes that Vick in humble and sorry, I think there is no further reason to not allow him to play. However, Goodell also should make it very clear that any further mishaps may lead to a permanent ban from the NFL. Despite if he is reinstated, Vick must still convince a team owner, GM and coach to sign him. Just because Vick is reinstated doesn't mean he will ever play another down of football again. Teams may choose not to sign him. It's a big public relations risk to sign him. I believe whether or not to sign him should be left up to the individual team.

In the case of Donte Stallworth, Goodell should issue an definite suspension. Unfortunately, I can't judge on what length of suspension is appropriate. Like Vick, I no way condone Stallworth's actions. Stallworth killed a man while driving intoxicated. In an image driven business, perceptions are everything. Some seem to think Stallworth skated with a 30 day sentence and probation. For whatever reason, the judge, prosecutor and probably the victim's family all decided it was enough. Stallworth took responsibility for his actions. He didn't try to run from the law or blame others. He settled up financially with the family. No matter what a price
cannot be put on human life. However, Stallworth paid the family and they seemed content and that is their business on how they handled the situation.

Goodell probably will weigh Stallworth's actions and what appears to be honest behavior and responsibility along with the seriousness of the situation and, of course, the perceptions of Stallworth's legal consequences. In the end, I think Stallworth should be reinstated and allow teams to make their own decisions on to sign him or not.

Finally at the opposite end of the spectrum is Plaxico Burress. Generally Goodell awaits the legal system before making his decisions. In the case of Burress, he imposed an indefinite suspension. I think it's mostly because of Burress actions after the incident that Goodell acted. Burress has done everything but take personal responsibility for his actions. He tried to get others to cover up for him. He used a fake name at the hospital where received treatment. He has not tried to reach a plea agreement. He's putting off settling the case in hopes of playing the 2009 season. Instead of waiting for the case to come to a conclusion, Goodell is being proactive and gathering information on Burress. It is likely Goodell issues his punishment before the a judge and jury do. If being honest, contrite and responsible are traits highly valued by Goodell then Burress is probably gone for the season.

Another Reason I Hate Peter King the Hack

Sometimes, like Official Hack Little Dickie Justice, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King makes an uninformed observation along the lines of point number 7:

7. I think the Rex Grossman signing in Houston says one thing to me: The honeymoon's over for Dan Orlovsky as the walk-in, no-doubt backup to Matt Schaub.

Granted, King states it as an observation. However, as any observer of the Houston Texans will know, King is simply wrong.

Bigfatdrunk at DGDG&D breaks it down on why Orlovsky is better than the Sex Cannon

There is a further discussion over at the Battle Red Blog comparing the Sex Cannon to the late signing and early release of Quin Gray before camp last season.

So go beat that dead horse at those two blogs if you must. I won't.

The real reasons I hate King are multiple. His constant online blowjob of Brett Farve is tops. I think he even tops John Madden in publicly performing fellatio on Farve.

Also his constant bragging on who he texts with during the off season and after games smacks of elitism.

His Tuesday column reaches a new low in his "I know these people, you don't" attitude. Most writers either talk about "sources in the organization" or something along those lines. King goes out of his way to say who texts him and who he talks to on their cell phone.

The second paragraph is a classic King texting marathon. Three times he brags on his texting skills:

But Monday night, I texted McDaniels, who is a big texter.

Texted his assistant and got back that the coach is laying low

Texted Marshall, who's also a texter.

Enough King. We get it! You know players and coaches. You know their cell phone numbers. Farve is your BFF but you have more than five people in you Circle of Five. Give it a freaking rest now. Farve is supposedly retired. Go blow him on the privacy of his ranch.

As if his texting buddies wasn't enough King has to remind us he's also BFF with a New York judge:

I'm friendly with a judge in the New York area

I honestly wouldn't have a problem with a friend judge and his anonymous comments if it wasn't for the fact that King hadn't rubbed it in my face about all his texting butt buddies.

Then there is finally the obligatory lick to Farve's nut sack when King gives his brief take on Farve's HBO interview.

To get an appreciation of Peter King's magnitude of suckage, one must read the whole body of work over the course of an NFL season. A casual reading doesn't come close to revealing how bad a writer he is. Over a year one notices certain patterns: his constant bragging of texting players and coaches, his tiresome Brett Farve lovefest, his inane observations of teams he has no interest in covering and his Ten Things I Think I Think feature that goes well beyond ten.

Congratulations Peter King. You are now the latest entry in to Unkle Monkee's list of Official Hacks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins

When the dust settled and the horn sounded, the Pittsburgh Penguins stood tall with Sir Lord Stanley's Cup. What a beautiful sight to behold. All Hail the Pens!

I was more nervous than a whore in church. Game seven is it. All the marbles. Winner take all.

Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was unbelievable again. I can't say enough good things about him. The way he rebounded from that 5-0 thrashing in game five was incredible. When the Pens needed Flower the most, he stood tall. He stonewalled shot after shot in games six and seven. In the closing seconds of game seven, he made one last stop to avoid overtime and win the Cup for the Pens.

Maxine Talbot also came up big in game seven. He made the best of two opportunities by putting the puck past Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood. The first was on a turnover that went off Pens start Evgeni Malkin. Talbot took the rebound and found the back of the net. Latter, on a two on one play, Talbot chose to shoot versus passing the puck. He scored the two goals for the Pens. It was all the scoring they needed.

For the Pens it was the role players that stepped it up a notch. Sidney Crosby only had one goal and two assists during the Finals. In game seven, he was injured on a legal hit in the second. The Pens sucked it up and played on without him. He tried to come back on the ice but wasn't able to move around much. Instead of staying out and becoming a liability, he stayed on the bench and let his teammates finish up.

The Red Wings played strong obviously. They started the series fast by going up 2-0 but were unable to put the Pens away. For his part, goalie Osgood was fantastic. Osgood has his critics but anyone who blames him for the series loss is either blind or doesn't know hockey.

I thank both teams for an incredible back and forth series. It was exciting hockey and a great final series.

As a Pens fan, I'm on cloud nine today. Fans and media began to write the Pens off, as did I, when they were tenth in the play off race. They fired the head coach and made a charge all the way up to the fourth seed. It was a roller coaster season that ended on the ultimate high for Pens fans.

Thank you Pittsburgh Penguins for an outstanding season.

See you all next season.

Go Pens!

More Stanley Cup Finals Goodness

Honestly, is the NBA Finals really going on? If that snorefest of passing, dribbling, isolation, pass in then out for the three still going on?

Even my beloved Spurs can be heard to watch sometimes. That's bad coming from a diehard.

On the ice, the excitement and action have been much more entertaining that nba.

Not just because I'm a Pittsburgh Penguins fan doesn't skew my view of the leagues. Hockey is all out war for three 20 minute periods. Hits, checking, face offs, power plays, on the fly changes and non stop action. The opposite of the NBA.

The Real Finals
I don't know what the TV numbers are but I'm sure the NBA finals ratings were higher than Sir Lord Stanley's Cup Finals. I do know they were a better entertainment attraction.

Game seven will decide who takes home Sir Lord Stanley's Cup on Friday. Will the Detroit Red Wings keep the Cup one more year or will the upstart but strong Penguins return the favor and hoist the Cup at Joe Louis Arena.

It's been a hell of a Finals. As a Pens fan, it has sent me through the ringer. Games one and two were fun to watch but the results were painful.

I felt down about the next game considering it was a must win for the Pens to avoid going down 3-0. They stormed back to win three and four and leveling the series at two.

What happened next was a reality check. Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury gave up five goals in about half a game and was pulled. The score stood as a 5-0 final. Any momentum the Pens had built up slammed against a brick wall.

To say The Flower rebounded in game six is a vast understatement. While the Pens hacked away at Chris Osgood and were stone walled, Fleury held his own when he had to. The game finished 2-1 in favor of Pittsburgh.

Fleury was the hero and Rob Scuderi the savior. Scuderi stopped the puck at least three times on a furious finish in front of the Penguins net. Otherwise overtime and only the Hockey Gods know what would have ensued.

Game seven is Friday night....bring it on and Let's Go Pens!

Moral Victories
After the second period, my friend sent me a text saying the Red Wings have a moral victory in that they were only down 1-0 after being out shot so much. I replied that if anything Pittsburgh has a moral victory after being pound federal prison style 5-0 in game five.

Plus I told him that moral victories are for losers and vaginas who grasp a straws when they can't win. The only thing that matters is the scoreboard.

NHL Conference Finals vs. NBAConference something or other

The NHL conference are underway. I missed the first game of the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings series. I caught game two tonight and last night's opener between my Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes.

I find hockey so much more exciting than the NBA playoffs. People who bitch and moan about low scoring have never actually watched a game or taken time to understand it. I got into a discussion at work about NBA vs. NHL. Everybody either groaned or walked away when I brought up how exciting the NHL conference finals were much more exciting than the dullards know as the NBA.

I'll take any NHL game, except for a Spurs game, over the NBA any day. During the regular season I had both NHL Center Ice and NBA League Pass. If the Pens and Spurs played on the same night, I watched the Pens until the game was over and then switched over to the Spurs game.

I can sit and watch any NHL game. I can't stand an NBA game if the Spurs aren't involved.

The other night me and some friends went to Hooters. It was game seven between the Hurricanes and Bruins along with game six for the Rockets and Lakers. I live in Houston. I left after I ate to watch the hockey game.

Those, like my coworkers, that sneer the second hockey is mentioned are just narrow minded. I think if they took the time to learn the game they would appreciate it. Instead the look at the score and scoff at watching a 3-2 game.

Ah well, their loss. I'll enjoy the Pens run and the Stanley Cup Finals even if they don't make it.

Pens Win! Pens Win! Pens Win! Poor Caps!

What a series the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals played! As a Pens fan, it put me through the ringer of emotions.

First despair. The Penguins behind 2-0 in the series.

Then relief The Penguins tied the series up at 2.

Then elation. The Penguins took the series lead 3-2 in a thrilling overtime win.

The a sinking feeling. The Pens couldn't close out the Caps on home ice.

Then anticipation. Game seven on the road against the Caps who took back the series momentum in game six.

Then joy. Up 2 goals, 4 goals and then more. The blowout was on. The Pens clinched the series and now await the winner of game seven between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes.

For now, I'll enjoy the moment. Next series the emotional roller coaster starts again.

The Religion of Football - A Primer

The Religion of Football
A Primer

Saturday April 19th was the opening two rounds of the NFL Draft. I’ve always treated football, especially the NFL, as my religion. It’s actually quiet convenient. Instead of every Sunday for church, we meet at a huge Cathedral (there are only 32) and worship only ten times a year. The first two don’t count. The other eight are like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter rolled into one Sunday. Worshippers come from all walks of life to celebrate and cheer the gladiators on the field.

Reliant Cathedral

Like many religions, there are various factions, sects and experts on the subjects. Even within the 32 churches there are factions. But one thing rules above all else: support (or lack of) for one of the 32 teams.

Like the Roman Catholic-Protestant split or the Sunni Islam-Shia Islam split, so is the Religion of Football split. Unlike those other religious splits, the football splits are less violent and worshippers may partake of multiple rites in the various denominations. Fans (as worshippers are commonly referred to) my even have loyalties beyond one team. Though worshipping more than one team is frowned upon in some areas, the practice is not uncommon.

The various levels of football are the professional, college, high school down to Pee-Wee for little kids. Professionals are the highest level of play. But even in the various levels there is a hierarchy. Only one team is crowned champion on Super Bowl Sunday. College is split among regional conferences and BCS and non-BCS schools. Even high schools are arranged by division due to the disparities in student populations.

Depending on location, winning programs and competition from other football teams, support for teams varies. In some states, college football rules supreme due to a major college or two and no professional teams in the team. Alabama, Nebraska and Oklahoma are three states that are dominated by the college game. Some states, like Texas, Florida and California, have dominant programs on both levels and loyalties of the fans crosses over levels. It’s not uncommon for a Houston Texans fan also be a worshipper of the Texas Longhorns.

Rivalries play an important part of football too. Watching a rival lose brings as much joy as watching one’s team win. Beating a rival or dominating a rivalry is the second best outcome of a season to winning a championship. Sometimes fans enjoy the success of a rival only so they can take greater joy in watching that team fall short of winning a title.

The Holy Holidays
Like all religions, football to has its holy holidays. The rank of the holy days is usually a personal preference but specific days are recognized as very important no matter the ranking.

The holiest holiday in the NFL varies from follower to follower. Some view Opening Day as the holiest day. It can vary from team to team due to the schedule: Opening Thursday, Opening Sunday and Opening Monday Night Football. In general, two games are celebrated on Opening Thursday and one on Opening Monday Night Football with the remainder on Opening Sunday. Others view the First Home Game as the holiest day as it gives the home fans their first look at the team since the previous season. Obviously for some teams, Opening Day and First Home Game Day coincide.

Others will counter that Super Bowl Sunday is the holiest day of the NFL. They claim since it is the coronation of a Champion to the season it must be the holiest day. Others counter that it is the holiest day only for the two teams competing in the game. Regardless all fans agree that it is a must see event. If nothing else most watch to witness the crowning of the Champion and put a target on the team to knock off for next season.

Many consider Draft Day One to be the second holiest holiday. For many fans it gives hope that new players will help elevate their team to the Playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl.

Like Passover for Jews, Ramadan for Muslims or Holy Week for Christians, the NFL too celebrates its religion over an extended time. The Playoffs is an extended celebration of NFL in which only the Division Champions and Wild Card teams compete for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

To be continued.