Archive for the ‘Rants’ Category
Regaw Rants: #23 Simply the Best
This weekend Michael Jordan and a talented group of basketball players and coaches will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame located in Springfield Massachusetts. With apologies to David Robinson, John Stockton and the others that made it to the Hall of Fame the day and the stage belongs to Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan may be the greatest athlete that any of us will ever see in our lives. He paved the way for superstars like Tiger Woods and was exciting to watch anytime he took the court. He was more than a basketball player and people would flock to see him play basketball, golf, and even baseball. He showed every athlete how to be the ultimate pitchman, and still sells products today. He made movies, sold shoes, and did everything that was asked. He was surrounded by controversy at times, but on the basketball court he could not be matched.
The enshrinement ceremony took place at Springfield’s Symphony Hall, because Jordan was too big for the Hall of Fame. The move to the other building allowed for a crowd of about 2,600, more than double what the Hall can accommodate. He has MVP’s, championships, and records but overall I will remember Michael Jordan as the best athlete there has ever been.
Well let me start with this, tragic. In the long haul Blount has talent and is suspended for the rest of the year. Since he is a senior it will be the end of his college career. This is sad because Blount has talent and will drop in the NFL draft because of this incident. It is sad on so many different levels but what is really sad is the reaction by the NCAA and the media. The incident can be described as bad sportsmanship on both players. Boise St DE Hout started talking smack for no reason and even went out of his way to grab Blount and let him hear about it. If you were going to take the high road then you walk away but Hout had it coming. He smarted off and was a wise ass as if winning was not enough and he took one in the chops and a good one too. Part of me thinks that if Blount did not go Ron Artest in the fan section on the way out of the stadium this would have been a less severe punishment. The NCAA is coming out like the guy should be sent to death row and the media (for the most part) is beating up Blount but not Hout. I do have to take my hat off to college game day as they believed that Hout was not a “victim” and should be suspended for his action as well. What the NCAA should focus on is that no other player jumped in on the fight. Both teams could have started a melee like others have in the past but instead they separated the players and went to the locker rooms. Blount may have been better off staying away from the crowd and Hout may have been better off keeping his mouth shut. The reality of it is Blount loses his career (for now) and Hout becomes a You Tube sensation. If Blount stays clean and makes the NFL then Hout would have gotten the worst of it, but for now Blount has lost his career and the NCAA is worried about saving face.
It was announced this morning that the Denver Broncos have suspended troubled wide receiver Brandon Marshall for the rest of the preseason. This is just the latest problem with the wide receiver since he dragged himself into camp. This latest suspension was based on detrimental conduct. It’s been much more than that. First he came kicking and screaming into camp after the Jay Cutler deal and demanded a trade or a new contract. Then he missed a preseason game to go to court, and then he was taken out of a preseason game because he did not know the play book. This would be different if Marshall was a great player on the field and a good teammate off the field. He may be great on the field but he is far from great off of it. He has had numerous brushes with the law for “allegedly” beating his girlfriend and problems with anger management. In short this guy has been a nightmare. For rookie head coach Josh McDaniels this has been a tough gig from the start. He botched the trade for Matt Cassell and alienated perhaps the best offensive player on the team. He then traded the QB just to have the rest of his team boycott the moves. Just when he is starting to get things under control along comes Brandon Marshall. With news crews watching practice he refused to run with team, batted balls down he was supposed to be catching and was a distraction while showing disregard for the coaching staff. McDaniels finally had enough and had to suspend Marshall. If they agree to trade him they open the door for other players to jump ship and his trade value drops as other teams will see him as a distraction and trouble maker to the team. There is no way on earth you can offer him a contract extension with the mindset he is in. The best thing to do was remove the cancer that he has become and get him away from the team. What are Brandon Marshall and his agent thinking? This lowers his trade value and if he keeps it up he will not play in the regular season and could cost him money. As much as he may hate it Marshall has to get on the same page have a great season and then get out of town. In the meantime he is a cancer on this team and the Broncos are doing the right thing here in my mind.
Tags: Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos, Josh McDaniels
Yesterday Brett Favre played in his first game for the Minnesota Vikings. The fans were very excited to see #4 in purple after all the year of torment they caused for him when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers. I for one think that the fans have a right to be very excited and that Brett Favre is the missing piece that will bring the Vikings to the superbowl. A strong running game: The Vikings already have possibly the best running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson. Last year the all pro ran for over 1,700 yards and scored ten touchdowns and this was without an established quarterback. Defenses had the luxury of keying in on him and stacking the box with as many players as needed to try and stop the run. With Favre in place it forces the defense to respect the option to pass and may free up Peterson for a big season. A Stout Defense: The Vikings over the recent years have built a respectable defense that can shut down even the best offenses in the league. Last year, the Vikings defensive unit ranked 6th overall in the NFL and first against the run, their third straight year they led the league in that category. The number six ranking was their highest ranking since 1994. But despite fielding one of the best defensive units in the league, the Vikes feel like they can get better. They return all but one starter from this great defense from a year ago and have looked good in preseason and in camp. Familiar environment: Brett Favre said that the reason he struggled so much with the Jets last year is because he spent all week trying to figure out the offense and he did not have any time to work on the opposing defense. In Minnesota he gets to work with the same offense he had for 16 years in Green Bay. This will give him time to focus on the defense and attack it better every Sunday. The Vikings are +1200 to win the Superbowl One player cannot win a Superbowl it takes an entire team to go the distance in the NFL. For the Vikings they now have all of those pieces and this year have the best shot they have had in a long time to go all the way and play in the Superbowl!
This may sound like a bold statement to some but let’s look at a few things that are already in place for the Vikings.
Here are the latest NFL Future odds for the Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are +500 to win the NFC Championship
The Vikings are +140 to win the NFC North
Michael Vick is a great signing for the Eagles. Last week Michael Vick signed with the Eagles and the fan base of Philadelphia was outraged. Every where you looked or listened fans were beating up the signing. They attacked the signing and the character behind the man himself. They have a right to attack him, after all he did just do time for killing dogs and it was a truly horrible thing to do and the details are gruesome. Rest assured there will be protests outside the camps and during the game when the regular season starts. When the dust settles I have a strange feeling that the Eagle fans will be cheering Michael Vick and this could be exactly what the Eagles need to be put over the top and win a superbowl. I would like to look at this as just a football issue but it is more than that, and so I have to look at all the issues involved. This is why in the long run I believe this signing is good for the Eagles. First Vick is doing and saying all the right things. He is remorseful, he admits to doing some inhumane things and he is humbled. He has the blessing of the Human Society and has already begun to perform community service to talk about the evils of dog fighting. He has surrounded himself with the right people, most notably Tony Dungy. Tony Dungy is respected throughout the league and has been a positive influence on Vick. There will be some problems with protestors and unruly fans on the road (and maybe at home) but that will start to slow down as the season progresses. From a football standpoint this has more positive outcomes. They got Vick into camp early so he can work with the system. He is familiar with the west coast system and the coaches that run the system. He has the backing of Donovan Mcnabb and will be welcomed back by the players of the Eagles. He can slowly get integrated into the system with spot plays. They can use him in different positions and different formations, making him flexible for the team and what they can do with him. The Dolphins proved that with the right personnel that the wildcat can be effective. Bringing him in can change the entire make up of the team and what can be done on any given play. If he can prove to play like the Michael Vick of old he may be a great insurance policy since the Donovan Mcnabb era is ending in Philadelphia. Even if the Eagles do not see Vick as the future of quarterback in Philadelphia, if he plays well they can even consider trading him and getting more than he is worth. Either way I see this as a win / win for the Eagles and Michael Vick.
Before anyone freaks out,this is a prediction on my part but I figure with all the speculation I would throw in my best guess but I have my reasons. Before you beat up for trying to grab headlines, hear me out. The Ravens were one of the first teams that came out and said that they have interest in signing Vick. The fans in Washington wanted him to sign with the Redskins but the Redskins have announced that there is no chance that they sign with Washington. This gives Baltimore a chance to shine and get some fans to pay attention to them. Michael Vick can fit in this safe offense and have time to grow. He will be surrounded by players that have been in trouble before like Ray Lewis, that know how to handle the media and could mentor him. Chris Mortenson reported that he believes that the Ravens are still in the hunt with other teams like the Patriots and the Packers, but feels the Ravens have the edge. After that GM Ozzie Newsome came out and denied they were courting Vick which is another reason I think he ends up in Baltimore. I have to hand it to Michael Vick, at least he is surrounding himself with the right people. Tony Dungy is one of the classiest guys in the league and well respected by front office people in the NFL. It is Dungy’s connection in the NFL that will land him in Baltimore and help him with the transiton back into the league.
The big news over the last couple of days is the new contract that was signed by Eli Manning. Eli has agreed to a new six-year, $97-million contract extension with the New York Giants that will make him the highest-paid player in the NFL, with an average salary of roughly $15.3 million. Now I can’t blame the guy, but the inevitable would happen and sure enough it did. Since he now becomes the highest paid player in the league the question is does he deserve it? Before we break that down I want to make one thing clear. Regardless of talent or team any player that is offered a boat load of cash and takes it is okay in my book, after all that is the American dream. Now back to the topic at hand. Giant fans will say he deserves it. He won a superbowl in the toughest media market in the world. He rallied late against one of the best teams in the history of the NFL to win it. He does not have the best supporting cast and can handle scrutiny from the media as well as other players. In a nutshell he gets the job done. On the other hand when it comes to the best player in the NFL Manning is far from #1 and when we talk about best quarterbacks in the league he falls very short. Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and even big brother Peyton are better quarterbacks. There is a big difference between getting paid like the best player in the NFL and being the best player. Did you know that the top player salaries in the NFL right now belong to Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, and Julius Peppers? They are hardly the elite of the league although very talented. The bottom line is if you can get the money, than go get it, and Eli got it. Now we will see how he can really handle the pressure.
Michael Crabtree is making a huge mistake The latest news out of the NFL is that Michael Crabtree is ready to sit out an entire year over his contract. The 49ers and the talented youngster out of Texas Tech cannot see eye to eye on a deal. The thought is to hold out for a year and renter the NFL draft in 2010. A representative for 49ers draft pick Michael Crabtree told ESPN that the wide receiver is prepared to sit out the entire NFL season and re-enter the draft if he can’t reach a contract with the team. “We are prepared to do it,” David Wells, a cousin to Crabtree, told ESPN. “Michael just wants fair market value.” There is no deal that this kid is a talent and the 49ers want him on the field, but if you’re listening Michael Crabtree heed this advice. Don’t do it. Holding out for the most money that you can get is not a bad idea. Missing training camp will put you behind the power curve but it’s not the end of the world, but missing a year is. The perfect example is Michael Williams out of USC. He sat out a year and has never been the same and that was after a great college season. If Crabtree sits out for a season you may expect a similar outcome. One thing for sure is I cannot see how sitting out a year will help is cause. His stock will drop because of all his inactivity; his value will drop because the money will not be there for a unproven talent with a huge ego. This will tell every GM that he is difficult to deal with and he will ask for too much money. This is not something that NFL general managers like to deal with. If he is as good as advertised then he will get his money. Sign a three to five year deal and prove your worth. Then you will find your money just like Eli Manning has done and others before have. If is as good as he says he is then his reward will be in playing now and not sitting out. Tell your agent your ready to play, suit up and take the money!
Tags: 49ers, Crabtree holdout, michal crabtree, SF 49ers
It was reported today that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were two of the players that tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. This is big news because Manny and Ortiz were two big reasons that the Red Sox finally won a World Series after a long drought. According to the report, when David Ortiz was asked about the 2003 test, he responded: “I’m not talking about that anymore,” and said “I have no comment.” While it is sad news does it really surprise anyone? Manny has recently served a suspension for using banned substances and David Ortiz has been in one of the worst slumps in his career and many were speculating it was because he was coming off steroids. The real question maybe does anyone still care? The fans of baseball have been over saturated with reports of players using all types of substances to try and get better as a player or recover from injuries. We have been through the drama of Roger Clemens in the court house and Rafael Palmeiro wagging his finger on Capitol Hill. This is just another sad example of how the drugs dominate the sport and perhaps may have put an asterisk over a decade of baseball. It won’t be long before this becomes less and less of an issue and people forgive the players that used and they vote them into the hall of fame.
Vick can take part in practices, team meetings and preseason games but will have to wait until October to play regular season games. Like all arrests in the NFL and player suspensions there are plenty of opinions on what have should have happened to Vick. I for one applaud the commissioner for this move and think it works on all levels and for everyone involved. The league also announced that former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy has agreed to work as an advisor and mentor to Vick. This will give Michael Vick some clout with someone as classy as Tony Dungy on his side and may just convince a team to take a shot on him. Here are the teams that I think will take a shot at Vick. The Falcons, Jets, Cowboys, and the Giants came out and said they don’t want any part of the troubled QB but who will? San Francisco 49ers-The 49ers have been on the verge of being a playoff team but have had problems with the QB position. They could slowly get Vick into playing shape and give him a shot if the usual QB’s in SF flop. New England Patriots-Well Tom Brady is the man so Vick would get limited playing time and they could give him plenty of time to work into a system. Bill Belichick has a reputation for molding troubled players like Randy Moss and making them stars again. Tampa Bay Bucs-Tony Dungy has some roots in Tampa Bay and the QB spot down there is not exactly settled. He got talk management into giving Vick a shot with the promise that Dungy could keep him in check. Oakland Raiders-Why not? He is the perfect character for the team and the fans and Al Davis has the rocks to pull it off. Minnesota Vikings-Since they did not get Brett Favre, Michael Vick could have a shot at playing in purpl. Regardless where he plays it will be interesting to see how that team handles the negative press and Michael Vick handles himself as he returns to the NFL.
