NFL Waiver Moves

Today, 2 high-profile NFL players were picked up on waivers.  Randy Moss and Shawne Merriman were picked up by the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills, respectively.  Moss will now join his third NFL team in a month, and Merriman will escape the bright lights and many temptations of San Diego to join a winless Buffalo Bills team.

The road these two players have taken is an interesting one.  Both were once superstars in the NFL, and both recently have let their words and actions off the field drive their release from their respective teams this week.  Merriman was a short-term NFL superstar; he was voted to 3 Pro-Bowls in 5 years, and he has played only 3 full seasons healthy.  Moss has been a defining wide receiver in NFL history.  A lock for the Hall of Fame, Randy Moss trails only Jerry Rice in touchdown receptions (153 to Rice’s 197).  Randy Moss is arguably the best deep-threat receiver in the history of football.

If only the stories ended at the talent of these players.  Both players have had their careers impacts by their off the field actions.  Merriman has been a Hollywood regular, as he has made appearances on television shows, namely, “Entourage,” has made appearances in music videos, and has let the Southern California lifestyle affect his football far more than the San Diego organization would have liked.  In addition, Merriman made the stubborn decision to forgo necessary surgery for 2 torn ligaments on his knee in the 2008 offseason so he could try to play “all 16 games.”  He then found after only 1 game that he could not play on 2 torn ligaments, and the subsequent poorly timed surgery ended his season.

Moss has been more outspoken and has caused more controversy than Merriman throughout his career.  Moss has left games early (2004 regular season finale against Washington), pretended to moon the Green Bay fans in a 2005 playoff game, hit a police officer with his car and had marijuana in the car at the time (2002), and minimized the impact of the Marshall plane crash during his time at the university.  In addition, Moss is renowned for quitting on offensive plays and quitting on his routes.  Moss is one of the most talented and controversial players in the history of football.

With all the similarities of these players, they now enter completely different situations.  Moss moves from a team in utter chaos to a team with a legitimate chance to win the extremely competitive AFC South.  Merriman, on the other hand, moves from a team that, while struggling, still has a chance at the division title in the weak AFC West, to the worst team in the NFL right now, the Buffalo Bills.  Both players’ contracts are up after this year; however, and will need to perform well in the last 8 weeks of the season to prove their worth once again to the rest of the NFL after allowing outside factors to compromise their former superstar status.

Podcast: 10/20 Sports Podcast

Title: 10/20 Sports Podcast

In this Bob Long’s Sports Podcast, Chris and I discuss many issues in sports, including the new BCS rankings, the NHL power rankings, and the issues of headshots and other illegal hits in the NFL.

Link: http://bobsportsblog.podomatic.com/entry/2010-10-20T14_57_18-07_00

What to do about the Agents?

The most prevalent and daunting problem in college football right now is that of illegal benefits given to college athletes by agents, and the premature contact between the player and agent.  It has led to the controversy surrounding Reggie Bush, and has cost USC scholarships, bowl appearances in the future, and was very close to costing the university its 2006 National Championship.  The university, clearly scarred in a bad way by the scandal, returned its copy of the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush in an effort to distance itself from the running back and from that corrupt era of Trojan football.  Now the Heisman Trophy Committee is considering stripping Bush of the trophy altogether.  Why has USC and Reggie Bush incurred such shame?  An agent gave illegal benefits to Reggie Bush while still in college, including the financing of a new house for his mother.  This incident 5 years ago and the recent investigation of this issue brought a dark, secretive, illicit part of college football into the bright lights in the past week.

In the past 5 days, 3 players were accused by the NCAA of illegally accepting money and benefits from agents.  South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders, Alabama defensive end Marcell Darius, and most notably, Florida center and 2010 First Round draft pick Maurkice Pouncey have been accused by the NCAA.  Specifically, Pouncey was accused of accepting $100,000 from an agent, an accusation Maurkice has denied.  Now, Georgia has been informed that it will be investigated by the NCAA this week.

This issue has caused coaches such as Nick Saban and Urban Meyer to address the issue as an “epidemic,” and has led Nick Saban to now infamously refers to these agents as “pimp”-like.  SEC media day was controlled by talk of the agent problem in college football, and football itself was second fiddle.  And for good reason; this problem is extremely important.  These athletes abide by the rules and regulations of the NCAA, the governing body of college athletics.  The NCAA regulations state that any improper benefits taken by players from agents or otherwise will result in the loss of the player’s eligibility.  The loss of a player’s eligibility can also impose sanctions on the university for which he plays, as USC has learned in a harsh way.  Therefore, this pervasive problem needs to be fixed, and offseason media days need to become less focused on corruption and scandal in college football.

Before providing a solution, lets get to the root of the problem itself.  Who is to blame for this problem?  The answer is everyone, including the NCAA, but most importantly and most to blame are the players themselves.  It is comparable to steroids.  In terms of the steroid problem, the manufacturers who made the products too readily available were to blame, the doctors who allowed the players to take them were to blame, the managers and players who knew about it but didn’t say anything were to blame, the owners who knew about it but enjoyed their revenue flow too much to say anything were to blame, and many fans and journalists who showed their apathy with their checkbooks were to blame.  So many people were to blame, and these other people and sources enabled the culture, but who took the steroids?  The players.  Yes, the influences on these players from outside sources were not positive, and there were pressures on the players to take steroids, but at the end of the day, it was the players who stuck needles into themselves.

The same situation exists in college football.  There is no way that Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Pete Carroll, among others, did not know that something was amiss.  Reggie Bush came from a poor family, and when he began driving Escalades and Corvettes to practice, Carroll knew indirectly if not directly that something was being done that wasn’t quite right, or legal.  The coaches knew.  The athletic directors had to know.  Obviously the agents knew.  However, even though the problem could have been stymied by all these sources, the fact is that the first move was made by the players themselves.  Reggie Bush didn’t need to take the money, the cars, and the house.  He didn’t need to handicap his program for years after his departure, he didn’t need to jeopardize his program’s 2006 National Championship, and he didn’t need to risk his own Heisman Trophy.  He knew it was wrong, he knew the possible sanctions, and HE ACCEPTED THE IMPROPER BENEFITS.   Nick Saban said in his press conference, “How would you feel if someone did this to your son or daughter?”  Nick, the fact is that these college students are adults who can make their own decisions and need to accept responsibility for these decisions.  These players aren’t puppets to whom something is “done” without their control.  Opportunities are presented (some of them illegal) and these players decide to put their interests ahead of that of their university, their coaches, and their teammates.  Therefore, the root of the problem is the players themselves, with the influence of the agents dependent upon the consent of the players themselves.

How can this problem be fixed?  First, the player needs to be addressed.  However, at this point, the player already faces heavy sanctions if discovered during his college career.  He loses his eligibility immediately and is unable to resume college play.  The only problem with this strong sanction is that most players engaging with agents are planning to move to the NFL, and therefore their eligibility isn’t extremely important to them.  The next and more important step is to heavily penalize the schools themselves.  For example, in the USC case, if a precedent was set in the form of a vacated National Championship and, say, a 10 year ban from bowl play, a message would be sent to coaches and athletic directors that this behavior and acceptance will not be tolerated, and that heavy, program handicapping penalties will ensue.  If these type of penalties are established, there will no longer be coaches and AD’s looking the other way on these cases the way Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer appear to have done.  These coaches will instead seek out the problems in order to quell them before the NCAA can find out and impose sanctions on the program.

The next way to address the problem is to address the agents.  If an agent is caught with a player in college, his license should be suspended for five years.  Players in the NFL who have hired these agents will have to find new agents if their agents are caught with college players.  This solution will do two important things.  First, it will discourage many agents from attaching to college players, because while the rewards will still be there, the risks will be significantly higher, and because of the steps I defined in the previous paragraph, the chance of being caught will be much higher.  In addition, agents would be much less likely to associate themselves with college players because their existing clients will be likely to switch agents if they knew of their agents’ dealings with college players in the past.  These NFL players will not want to face the possibility of their agent being taken from them without their control, and thereby some will leave their agents on their own terms in order to find a more stable option (ie. an agent who will not get his license suspended at an arbitrary time because he does not deal with college players).  These two consequences of this proposed regulation will invariably force the corrupt agents from the sport and will quickly clean the image of the college football stars, and that of college football itself.

Should Ben Roethlisberger be Suspended?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is in the process of deciding whether or not to suspend Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  The potential suspension would be the result of the accusations that Ben sexually assaulted a college student in Milledgeville, Georgia.  For the past month, there has been an ongoing criminal investigation against Roethlisberger, and just last week the verdict was released.  The court did not charge Ben with sexual assault because of a lack of evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the assault indeed took place.

Considering all that has been released about the incident, should Ben Roethlisberger be suspended?  There are two schools of thought on the issue.  The one school of thought says that since Ben Roethlisberger was not charged with any crime, he technically did nothing wrong, and thereby would give no reason to be suspended.  The other school of thought says that since Roethlisberger brought unwanted attention and shame upon the NFL shield and Roger Goodell, he should be suspended.  Supporters of this school of thought also cite the fact that other players who had never been arrested were suspended as well (ie. Pacman Jones), so Roethlisberger should not escape similar treatment.

I happen to fall somewhere in the middle of these theories.  Ben Roethlisberger underwent a thorough investigation by very talented detectives and police officers, stood in front of a judge to defend himself, and the evidence was studied for as long as was necessary to make the correct verdict.  After all this treatment, it was decided that Ben Roethlisberger was innocent.  The United States Legal System determined that it could not be proven that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted anyone.  From that point of view, how can Goodell realistically suspend Roethlisberger?  For placing shame upon the NFL shield?  To Goodell’s statements on this subject, I have a question:  How could Roethlisberger have avoided the unwanted attention that he incurred if he didn’t do anything wrong?  The point is, although one may think that Roethlisberger should not have gone to that nightclub, he did not do anything wrong.  Football players are allowed to go out to nightclubs, and they are allowed to associate themselves with women.  As far as the legal system determined, as was their jurisdiction in this case, Ben Roethlisberger did nothing illegal. 

Anyone could have been accused of doing something illegal.  Goodell himself could have been accused of something when he went out at night.  If a DA were to declare Goodell innocent, and that he had been falsely accused, would he be so quick to suspend himself from his position at Commissioner?  I tend to think no.  Therefore, while the Commissioner does want to restore the name and reputation of the NFL shield, he should not be trying to do it by suspending players who are declared innocent.

To this argument many would retort that Pacman Jones was also never charged with a crime, so why was he suspended for a whole season?  To that statement I have 2 responses.  First, the Pacman Jones suspension was too long in my opinion; I think 4-8 games would have sufficed.  Second, the reason Pacman Jones should have been suspended, and should have been suspended longer than Roethlisberger will/may be is because Jones WOULD HAVE FACED 2 felony charges for his actions in a Las Vegas strip club had he not accepted a plea agreement that resulted in probation and extensive community service.  Therefore, the police found sufficient evidence against Pacman Jones to charge him with 2 felonies, whereas the police and investigators could not find sufficient evidence to place any charges upon Roethlisberger.  That is the main difference between the Pacman Jones suspension and the potential Ben Roethlisberger suspension. 

I wise this did not have to be done in this day and age, but I must assert that there is no preferential treatment based upon race as some have come to believe.  The difference in how I would suspend Jones and how I would suspend Roethlisberger is not that Jones is African American and that Roethlisberger is white.  It is simply that their actions were not of the same severity.  Jones had enough evidence against him to warrant 2 felony charges, but Roethlisberger didn’t have sufficient evidence put against his name to warrant even 1 charge.  To those believers that racism still exists in the NFL, take a look at the facts for once and realize that Pacman over his career had gotten into significantly more trouble than Roethlisberger has, and the difference in suspensions has nothing to do with the color of their skin.

Returning to the potential suspension, it is important to remember what the legal system decided.  Whether one believes that Roethlisberger did or did not assault the young woman is simply not important.  No one has the knowledge and evidence from that night in Georgia that the detectives have, and they could not even convict Big Ben.  Why then, does Roger Goodell have the ability or right to arbitrarily decide that Roethlisberger indeed assaulted the woman and should be suspended.  Suspensions should come from wrongdoings, not just “shame brought upon the NFL shield,” because it is possible for shame to be brought upon the NFL without a player’s wrongdoing and without a player’s specific actions causing the shame.  This is exactly what happened with Ben Roethlisberger, and he should not be suspended simply because someone accused him of something that couldn’t be proved.

New Overtime Rules in the NFL

Yesterday, the NFL owners voted 28-4 to pass a new overtime system that will be implemented for the playoffs next year.  The issue will be revisited next year to decide if the rule should be implemented in the regular season as well.

The new rule states that, if the first team to score in overtime scores a field goal, the game is not over, but instead the opposition will have the opportunity to have the ball.  If the opposing team scores a touchdown, the game is over, but if the team scores a field goal, the game would be tied and the game will then proceed as sudden death.

However, if the first team to score produces a touchdown, the game is over, and the opposing team will not have an opportunity to score.

One final condition states that if any team scores on defense or special teams, that team wins and the game is over at that point.

Confusing, right?  Donovan McNabb will have trouble with this one.  Seriously, though, this new system is unnecessarily complex.  It complicates overtime and introduces many new scenarios and strategies.  This may not seem like a bad thing to some, but in my opinion, this deviates from true football.  Mike Golic said it best on NFL Live yesterday, when he said, “Just play football!”  He advocated a 10 minute extra period, much like one that fans would see in basketball or hockey.  He felt like this was the simplest, most effective, and truest way to resolve the overtime debate.  I tend to agree.  Why not just add 10-15 minutes to the clock and let the teams score as much as they can and then see who is the winner?  If the teams are still tied, then there can be a tie (if it is implemented in the regular season).  If it were a playoff game, then a 2nd overtime period would follow if the teams were tied after the first overtime.  That is one good solution for the NFL overtime problem.

Another solution that would have been an improvement would be a system similar to the college system.  In the college system, each team has an opportunity to score from the 25 yard line, and if after each team’s possession the score is still tied, then a 2nd overtime period starts, and the cycle repeats until a winner is determined.  This would prevent ties.  In the NFL, if each team started at the 50 yard line, and the system operated under college rules, that would be an exciting, fair, and viable solution for overtime in the NFL, and would eliminate ties if it were implemented in the regular season as well.

Both these systems would be simpler and more exciting than this new system will be.  The new system is too ”out there,” in terms of strategy and execution.  It seems to be too different than an actual football game, and the NFL could have done much better in its design of a new overtime system.

Conference Championship Weekend Preview

Both NFL Conference Championship Games will be played on Sunday, January 24th.  In the AFC Championship, the upstart, underdog New York Jets will travel to Indianapolis to play the top ranked Colts.  This game is ripe with storylines.  First, the Colts and Jets played in Week 16.  The Colts were 14-0 and had a chance to have an undefeated season with a win over the Jets and then Buffalo.  However, the Colts decided to rest the starters to prepare for the postseason and avoid injury.  In addition, the New York Jets were, at the time, on the edge of the playoff race.  The Jets needed to win their final 2 games in order to make the playoffs.  The Colts had a 15-10 lead in the 3rd quarter before removing the starters, and the Jets appeared to be on the brink of playoff elimination.  However, after inserting backup quarterback Curtis Painter into the game, the Colts produced under 30 passing yards for the remainder of the game and gave away the game with a 29-15 loss.  Therefore, in this game the Colts gave away the perfect season and gave the Jets a chance to make the playoffs.  How ironic it is that these same Jets have a chance to eliminate the Colts this Sunday.  If the Colts do lose this game, the team will be mocked for its decision to rest the starters and thereby enabling the Jets to make the playoffs.  What a story that would be for these same Jets to eliminate the Colts.

Another exciting storyline for the game is Rex Ryan’s past in Baltimore.  Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, known for its stout defenses, before he was hired as the Jets head coach.  The Ravens have played the Colts multiple times over the years, including a game in the 2006 AFC Divisional Round.  The Ravens had a bye and were 13-3 in the regular season, and faced the 3^rd seeded Colts.  This game was a defensive struggle that did not produce a touchdown for either team, and the Colts defeated the home Ravens 15-6.  This year, the Rex Ryan defense bears many similarities to the Raven defense, and the Colt offense remains relatively the same as 2006.  In addition, the current Jet and Raven offense of 2006 bear many of the same similarities, including an emphasis on the running game.  It will be interesting to see if this game shows any resemblance to the 2006 AFC Divisional Game.

Finally, this game is a rematch of Super Bowl III.  The Jets and Colts met in Super Bowl III, and the Colts were heavily favored in the game.  However, Joe Namath had confidence in the underrated Jets, and was not afraid to say it.  Namath guaranteed a Jets win, which sounded ridiculous to some.  However, in one of the greatest upsets of all time, Namath and the Jets beat the Colts 16-7 to win Super Bowl III.  This AFC Championship pairs the same teams, and there was somewhat of a guarantee issued by the Jets.  Coach Rex Ryan produced an itinerary for his team at the beginning of the playoffs, which concluded with a Super Bowl win and a parade in New York.  Now the team has marketed championship gear even before the game.  Therefore, the Jets will look to win another Namath-style guarantee game against the now-Indianapolis Colts, moved from Baltimore in 1984.

My prediction:  The Jets story has been great, and Rex Ryan has done a great job with the team.  The strong running game and defense has fueled the team, but the dream run will end this Sunday.  Peyton and the Colts will be too much for the Jets to handle. 

Colts 24—Jets 13

In the NFC Championship Game, the Minnesota Vikings will travel to New Orleans to play the Saints.  This game does not have nearly the amount of storylines that the Jets Colts game does, but it has as much or more anticipation.  The Saints and Vikings have been the best and second best teams in the NFC all year.  This game features the greatest statistical quarterback of all time, Brett Favre, and arguably the quarterback with the best passing numbers in the NFL this year, Drew Brees.  Both offenses have shown the ability to score at will this year, but both defenses have been inconsistent at times.  The Vikings defense; however, has proven itself to be more talented and formidable than the Saints defense.  The key in this game will be which defense will be able to contain the opposing offense best. 

My prediction:  The Saints offense will prove to be unstoppable again, even against the Vikings defense and talented pass rush, and the Saints defense will hold the Vikings offense just enough to go to the Super Bowl.

Saints 35—Vikings 23

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

After wins by the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, and Baltimore Ravens in Wild Card weekend, the Divisional Round will provide four exciting games.

The New Orleans Saints (1 NFC) will play the Arizona Cardinals (4 NFC).

This game is a game with many complex subplots.  The Cardinals defense has struggled at times, and the New Orleans offense was the best offense in the league for a majority of the season (although not recently).  In addition, the New Orleans defense has struggled this season, and the Cardinals offense put up 51 (45 offensive) points against the Packers, a top defense in the NFL.  This game will come down to which defense can contain the other team’s explosive offense.

My prediction:  The Saints offense will return to form and will outperform the Cardinals offense in a shootout. 

Saints 45–Cardinals 38

The other NFC Divisional Round game will be the Minnesota Vikings (2 NFC) against the Dallas Cowboys (3 NFC).

This game is also very difficult to pick because of how the teams have played down the stretch.  The Cowboys have looked like the hottest team recently, both on offense and defense.  The Vikings have looked good for the majority of the season, struggled a bit down the stretch, but then crushed the Giants in Week 17 to put a positive end to the regular season going into the bye week.  The key to this game will be whether the Cowboy defense can continue its almost unfathomable stretch of defense against dynamic offenses.

My prediction:  The Cowboys defense will slow down the Viking offense, and the Cowboy offense will continue to control the ball and time of possession (TOP), and will move on to the NFC Championship Game.

Cowb0ys 27—Vikings 14

The AFC matchups pair two very different teams in terms of personnel and philosophy.

The Indianapolis Colts (1 AFC) will face the Baltimore Ravens (6 AFC).

This game pairs the running minded Ravens and the passing minded Colts with MVP Peyton Manning at quarterback.  The game will come down to whether or not the Raven defense can keep the Colt offense in check, and whether the Ravens offense can keep the ball out of Mannings hands.  Another key will be the impact the resting of starters for 2 consecutive weeks will have on the Colts.

My prediction:  The Colts will not play poorly, but will not be crisp early in the game, and the Ravens will take advantage.  The Colts offense will be limited in its possessions by both the Ravens defense and its offense reliance on running the ball and time of possession (TOP).  

Ravens 24—Colts 20

Finally, the San Diego Chargers (2 AFC) will play the upstart New York Jets (5 AFC).  This game will be extremely interesting, as the Jet defense has looked stellar, while the running game has remained the best the league has to offer, led by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.  The Chargers have been arguably the best team in the league the last 2-3 months.  Therefore, this game will pair two very talented teams who are playing very well right now.  The key to this game will be whether the Jets defense can force turnovers on the explosive Chargers offense.

My prediction:  The game will be closer than expected, but the Chargers offense will take control late in the game.

Chargers 31—Jets 21

RIP Colts Undefeated Season

The Colts were 14-0 going into yesterday’s game against the Jets, and had a chance to have a perfect regular season, which would put the team in elite company.  Only the 2008 New England Patriots and the 1972 Miami Dolphins have had undefeated regular seasons.  However, the team, in simple terms, gave up.  The Colts had a 15-10 lead in the 3rd quarter when coach Jim Caldwell decided to take out many of the starters, including quarterback Peyton Manning, in order to rest them for the playoffs.  Backup Curtis Painter took over and the offense gained a total 23 yards, with Painter causing two turnovers.  The Jets scored off these turnovers and won the game 29-15.

Why did the Colts decide to replace its starters with the perfect season on the line?  According to head coach Jim Caldwell, the team is more worried about winning the Super Bowl than the undefeated regular season.  Many in the football community are extremely upset about this decision, including myself.  There is just something special about going undefeated; one can see this when understanding the pride the 1972 Dolphins have as the only team to ever go undefeated and win the Super Bowl.  The Colts certainly had that opportunity.  The Colts, had they left Peyton in the game and beaten the Jets, would have played Buffalo next week with a chance to go undefeated in the regular season.  To that I say, leave your starters in and beat the Jets, then sit them against Buffalo if you want.  You aren’t going to lose to Buffalo. 

In my opinion, the Colts did a disservice to the NFL and its fans.  Fans pay to see the extraordinary, and the Colts simply did not care that they were the biggest story in football.  Jim Caldwell needs to learn his place as a first year head coach.  He could have been the only first year head coach ever to lead his team to an undefeated season.  Instead, he really embarrassed himself and his team, because now everyone is scrutinizing the team’s decision to give up a perfect season.  Since a perfect season has only been acheived twice, I believe the Colts had the responsibility to at least leave its starters in the game Sunday to pursue the perfect season.  The Colts owed it to themselves, the fans, and especially Peyton Manning, who has done everything right in Indianapolis and had a chance to further enshrine himself into football history.

However, since the team decided to give up, fans should simply not care.  I am angry that a chance at football history was given up in order to rest a few starters, but I do not feel the least bit sorry for the Colts as a whole.  I feel bad for Peyton and the other players who wanted to play, but it serves Caldwell right to lose that game.  Resting players is not what football is about, and it is not what the fans pay to see.  Honestly, I hope and think that the Colts deserve to get crushed in the first round of the playoffs, which could happen if a team like Baltimore played the Colts.  Even if they don’t lose, and they win the Super Bowl, the Colts will just be one of 44 teams that are Super Bowl winners.  The team could have been 1 of 2 teams to win the Super Bowl with an undefeated season.  If the team is happy to simply be a Super Bowl winner and does not care AT ALL about the undefeated season, well then I guess Coach Caldwell made the right decision.  But the fans, simply stated, should not care about the Colts and the perfect season, because the team gave away its chance, no one else. 

The Colts will not be an undefeated team, and it serves them right.  If they didn’t want it, then they do not deserve it.  Fans pay outrageous prices to see these games, and Colts fans with tickets to these games were most likely ecstatic to have the opportunity to see their team have a chance to go undefeated.  Instead, they paid to watch Curtis Painter (no offense Purdue fans) blow the game against the Jets, and to give away a chance at the perfect season.  It is like paying for a preseason game.  If the NFL keeps going down this road and teams start the trend of resting starters extensively when their playoff spots are clinched, fans simply won’t show up for the latter games of the season.  So to coaches like Jim Caldwell, don’t be surprised if your fans stop showing up at the end of the season, and the lack of attendance causes blackouts in your areas.  And when that does happen, don’t look to blame it on anyone else but yourself.  It is embarrassing what these coaches are doing, and it is one reason why college sports are on the whole so much better than the pro sports.

Comment on your thoughts? What did you think about the Colts decision to sit the starters?

The Ed Block Courage Award

The Philadelphia Eagles’ players all voted to determine the winner of the Ed Block award, given to the Eagle who has shown the most courage.  The players unanimously voted for Michael Vick, who as a result won the award.  There is something to be said for when an entire team feels one way about a player, and that may have some validity in this case.

However, I can’t help but question the decision to give Michael Vick the award.  Let’s recap what he has been through.  He killed dogs in dogfighting matches when he was the franchise player for the Atlanta Falcons, then spent about 2 years in prison.  He came back and signed with the Eagles, which was about the only bidder for Vick.  Now, with the Eagles, he has had very limited playing time.

Therefore, my question is, what makes him deserving of the courage award?  What was he so courageous about?  He handled himself like a professional, said all the right things, and did not complain about his backup role.  However, I fail to see why every Eagle player thinks that he is the most courageous player on the team. 

How about Sheldon Brown, who is getting underpaid, complained about his contract before the season, and still went out and played a pro-bowl caliber season.  That is playing for the love of the game and not worrying about the money, like almost every other NFL player does.  Sheldon has also been playing with a torn ligament in his leg as well.

Therefore, when you think about players with courage, it is important to look beyond the obvious.  Michael Vick may have the best story, where he improved himself and now acts like a professional, but a courage award is one specifically where a player shows courage over the course of the season.  Michael Vick hasn’t showed extraordinary courage, but instead is acting like any NFL player should.

When one looks at Sheldon Brown, one sees a Pro-Bowl caliber corner, playing for love of the game after not engaging in any contract negotiations that he desired, and playing tremendously with a slightly torn ligament.  That is courage.

An Undefeated Super Bowl Matchup?

There are two remaining undefeated NFL teams.  The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts both won this weekend and are both 13-0 heading into Week 15.  Both teams have three regular season games remaining, and I am here to say that both teams will at least end the regular season 16-0.

The Saint’s remaining regular season schedule is fairly weak.  Next week, the Saints play on the NFL Network’s Saturday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys.  The Cowboys have lost the past two weeks, granted against two good teams (Giants and Chargers), and consistently have played poorly in December.  The Saints have played unbelievably at home this year, and will use the emotional atmosphere of the SuperDome to fuel their play.  This game will be New Orleans’ toughest remaining regular season matchup.  The Saints play Tampa Bay at home Week 16.  The combination of the Bucs poor play and the Saints’ dominance at home this year will make for a blowout.  In Week 17, the final week of the regular season, the Saints play the Carolina Panthers on the road.  Carolina has been a mediocre football team this year, and will not beat New Orleans unless New Orleans gives the game away.  The only way this would happen would be if the Saints defense broke down and allowed the Panthers to score often.  Playing on the road has been a difficult test for the Saints this year, as the team has almost lost multiple road games to inferior opponents. 

The Saints should be able to end the regular season undefeated.  If the Saints can beat the Cowboys next week on Saturday Night Football, the stage is set for the Saints to cruise to a 16-0 regular season.

The Indianapolis Colts also have a favorable schedule to end the regular season.  In Week 15, the Colts will face their toughest test against Jacksonville on the road.  The Jaguars are an AFC South team that has shown the ability to beat the Colts in the past, even when the Colts have been the superior team.  The fact that the Colts are playing on the road also provides a difficult test.  If the Colts can win next week, the team will have two relatively easy games left on the schedule.  In Week 16, the Colts will play at home against the Jets.  The Jets are in turmoil right now, as Mark Sanchez, who hasn’t played well this year, is coming off a knee injury that he suffered against the Buffalo Bills.  Finally, in Week 17, the Colts and Bills will play at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Buffalo has struggled this season and may well be packing up for the offseason by the time the Colts come to town.

Therefore, if the Colts can beat rival Jacksonville on the road next week, the team will be well on its way to an undefeated regular season.

Now the playoffs may be a different story.  Both teams have shown the ability to come from behind on multiple occasions against non-playoff teams.  However, as the teams play become more talented each week, the margin for error is reduced significantly.  Therefore, lets examine the playoff matchups on a week by week scale.

Both teams will get a bye in the opening round of the playoffs.  The following predictions are based upon the current records and how I believe these teams will finish their seasons.  The Colts will most likely play the winner of Cincinnati v. the 5 seed, which could go to any one of four teams.  Cincinnati hasn’t been the most consistent team this year.  The Bengals can either play a great game based upon a strong running game and stout defense, or they can play poorly and abandon the running game.  If the Bengals can pound the ball through the running game and control the clock, the Colts may have a tough time winning in the Divisional Round.  In the AFC Championship, the Colts would play either the New England Patriots, the San Diego Chargers, or one of the lower seeds.  The New England Patriots and Chargers use more passing style offenses than the Bengals, but I think the Colts would be more likely to beat these teams.  The Colts thrive when Peyton Manning and the offense are on the field.  Teams like Cincinnati hold on to the ball for a long time and limit Manning’s effectiveness.  However, passing teams typically do not hold the ball for as long, which allows the dynamic Colt offense more scoring opportunities.  Therefore, the Colts would most likely have a favorable matchup in the AFC Championship.

In the NFC Divisional Round, The Saints would most likely play either the Arizona Cardinals or the Green Bay Packers.  The Saints will win this game, simply because of their consistent dominance at home.  In the NFC Championship Game, the Saints would most likely play the Vikings, Eagles, or some other low seed.  The Vikings and Eagles would both provide tough tests for the Saints because of the combination of strong defense and dynamic offense on both sides.  The difference will be the response of the Saints defense to these strong offenses.  In addition, the Saints’ 12th Man, the fans in the Super Dome, will provide a difficult atmosphere for the opposing team.

If these teams pass these many tests and enter the Super Bowl with undefeated records, it will be a Super Bowl that will be unmatched in terms of hype.  It would be the only time that a Super Bowl will pair two undefeated team, and only the third time that any undefeated team has played in the Super Bowl.  I believe that the Saints would win this dream matchup.  The Colts have not blown out teams the way the Saints have.  The Colts have narrowly escaped defeat in many games this year, while the Saints have been extremely impressive, especially in their home games.  Balmy Miami will feel just like the 70 degree SuperDome that the Saints call their home.  Therefore, it will still take some impressive wins by both teams to produce an undefeated Super Bowl matchup, but if it does occur, the Saints will win this matchup of the undefeated teams.