Tag: NFL

NFL Free Agency Continued (Day 2)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Day 1 of free agency in the NFL was just a warm-up for the real action.  Day 2 is where all the big moves came pouring in.  There were many big moves all across the NFL, but one clearly stood out amongst all the rest.  Wes Welker, the longtime Patriot signed with their AFC rival Denver Broncos.  This is a huge deal for the Denver Broncos.  Let’s take a quick peak at that receiving core and see the weapons Peyton Manning will have to work with this coming season.  He has Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker on the outside, and now Wes Welker will fill in the slot for Manning’s high powered offense.  Combine that with the Broncos good young defense and solid rushing attack, and you might see Peyton playing in Eli’s house come Super Bowl Sunday.  While I’m sure that Tom Brady is upset to lose such a dependable receiver in Wes Welker, the move they made Wednesday is not a bad replacement for Welker.  The New England Patriots signed Danny Amendola to their roster.  Danny Amendola is a younger version of Wes Welker and should fit nicely into the Patriots offense.  I think Amedola will actually improve with Brady’s help, assuming he can stay healthy.  The only concern with Amendola is that he is injury prone.  However, in New England being one of many options should keep him healthier longer, unlike in St. Louis where he was the only receiving option.  His workload with the Rams could have a lot to do with his prior injuries.  Another huge signing Wednesday was the former Miami Dolphin Reggie Bush signing with the Detroit Lions.  WOW, can’t you just see it now?  Megatron and Reggie Bush on the same field should be something special to watch in the Motor City.  Another running back on the move Wednesday was Rashard Mendenhall.  The former Pittsburgh Steeler was signed by the Arizona Cardinals.  When healthy Mendenhall is a very solid back that could help any team.  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up a solid safety in former San Francisco 49er, Dashon Goldson.  And as if the Seattle Seahawks defense needed to get any better, they signed former defensive end and former Detroit Lion Cliff Avril.  This should strengthen their pass rush and bring more toughness to their defense.  One last defensive signing that took place on Wednesday was former Philadelphia Eagle Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie signed with the Denver Broncos.  Maybe this will keep the Broncos secondary from having any deep balls launched over their heads.  Ouch.  Too Soon?  Na, definitely not soon enough.  Ah yes, I almost forgot, the New York Football Jets.  What a train wreck they are.  The news regarding the Jets is not who they’ve signed.  It is the lack of signings by the Jets and the amount of players they’ve not re-signed and let walk out the door that is the concern.  Strong Safety Laron Landry has signed with the Indianapolis Colts and should give Andrew Luck some help on the other side of the ball.  He is a hard hitting safety that should bring the pain in the middle of the Colts secondary.  The Jets also let Shonne Green slip away, as he signed with the Tennessee Titans.  This move I’m not all that upset about because I never thought Green was good enough to be a featured back anyway, but they need to sign someone.

There are still some big names in limbo in free agency, that should get signed in before the weekend.  Some of those names are: Greg Jennings, James Harrison, Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Steven Jackson, and last but certainly not least Brian Urlacher.  All of these names have yet to find their final destinations for the upcoming season.  Hold on to your hats because this ride isn’t over yet.  You can check back tomorrow for the rest of the signings here @ DaveTalksSports.com.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook athttp://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

To Leave Or Not To Leave, That Is The Question (Either Way It’s All About The Benjamin’s Baby!!)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 P.M. marked the beginning of free agency in the NFL. It didn’t take long for teams to start signing and resigning players shortly after the 4 O’ clock hour. There were many moves that happened right away, and there are many moves that are still going to take place. I will give you a recap of what moves have been made and where your favorite players will be suiting up next season. I will also give you a quick rundown of some key players who have yet to sign a new deal. Some of these moves make you scratch your head from a football standpoint, but you need to remember these moves are about one thing and one thing only; money. With that being said, let’s take this thing for a ride.

One of the biggest signings so far has surely been Mike Wallace. Tuesday afternoon, the former Pittsburgh Steeler, signed the dotted line to play for the Miami Dolphins. The deal is reportedly for 5 years and 60 million dollars (30 million of which are guaranteed). It appears that the Steelers only offered Wallace 10 million per year, however Wallace was looking for a minimum of 12 million per year (cha ching). Another significant signing that occurred on Tuesday was the Cleveland Browns signing former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger to a 5 year, 40 million dollar contract. This is big money for a pretty unproven player in Kruger. He is a good linebacker but does not have the track record that would merit a contract of this magnitude. Only time will tell if the Browns made a smart move by signing Kruger (considering we are talking about the Browns I’m sure this move will backfire). There were a couple of moves at the tight end position Tuesday with Martellus Bennett and Anthony Fasano both on the move. Bennett, the former New York Giant, inked a 4 year, 20 million deal with the Chicago Bears, giving Jay Cutler another legitimate option other than Brandon Marshall. Anthony Fasano formerly of the Miami Dolphins signed with the already very busy Kansas City Chiefs. The deal is reportedly for 4 years and 16 million dollars. The Chiefs continue to improve their roster, and dare I say that the Chiefs might sniff at a winning record this season? Yeah you’re right, probably not. The biggest news at the tight end position by far was the decision by future Hall-Of-Famer Tony Gonzalez to come back to play one more season with the Atlanta Falcons. This season will be Gonzalez’s 18th, and based on his production from 2012, I’m sure the Falcons are giddy at the news of his comeback.

On the defensive side of the ball there hasn’t been as much noise, but there have been some moves that will impact the New York teams next season. The Giants had released Chris Canty who is now a member of the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. In his place, the Giants have brought in Cullen Jenkins formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York Jets made some noise a day prior to the free agent frenzy with the earth shattering signing of David Garrard, however they made a couple moves Tuesday as well. They restructured Santonio Holmes’ and Antonio Cromarties’ contracts and they can wave bye-bye to Mike Devito as he is off to the most popular place to live these days (apparently), Kansas City. Another noteworthy move from the defensive side of the ball was that the Eagles released Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha is one of the worst free agent signings in recent history (don’t worry Albert Haynesworth, your’e still #1 in my heart). Another notable release was Ryan Fitzpatrick being let go from the Buffalo Bills. At least they didn’t wipe their butt with all that money (haha). William Gay, formerly of the solid Arizona Cardinals defense will add some depth to an aging Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Also, Dunta Robinson, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, signed with the new and improved Kansas City Chiefs.

At this point there are still some big names hanging out in free agency that have yet to sign somewhere. Most notably Wes Welker, Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw, Greg Jennings, Rashard Mendenhall, and Steven Jackson. All of these guys will find a home in the coming days, it is just a matter of where. You also have Victor Cruz in waiting as a restricted free agent. For those of you who don’t know what it means to be a restricted free agent allow me to explain: A restricted free agent can negotiate with any team until April 19th. If another team presents said free agent with an offer, the original team has an opportunity to match or exceed the offer. If the original team decides not to match the offer, they will receive draft compensation based on the qualifying offer. While I like Victor Cruz as a player (and I’m sure the Giants like him too), it’s not about the player, it’s about the money. Can the Giants keep Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz? I highly doubt it.

Let us move on to the other New York “team”, the Jets. The New York Jets are going to be one of the worst teams in the league this year. They have two quarterbacks who are both completely useless, and they are losing players in bulk this offseason. They already released Calvin Pace, Bart Scott, and Erik Smith in February. As I mentioned earlier, they lost mike Devito to free agency, they waived Sione Po’uha, and it is likely that Darrelle Revis will be traded before this years draft. It is safe to say that they are in rebuilding mode.

All in all it has been a busy couple of days in free agency, and the fun has only begun. As it stands so far, you’d have to say that the Kansas City Chiefs are the big winner so far. There are big names still left to sign so that may change in a heartbeat. Stay tuned for the rest of the moves around the NFL.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Let The Madness Begin!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Gotcha!! You all thought this was a college basketball story didn’t you? Well, sorry to get your hopes up but it’s not. This article is all about NFL’s Free Agency, which begins today at 4:00 P.M. Come 4 O’ Clock teams will begin signing free agents in hopes to build a championship contender for the future. Some NFL teams couldn’t wait and started making moves Monday afternoon. Most notably, Anquan Boldin and Percy Harvin were both traded. Anquan Boldin was traded from the Baltimore Ravens to the San Francisco 49ers for a 6th round draft pick. Percy Harvin was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Seattle Seahawks for a 1st round draft pick this year as well as 2 other draft picks. If you ask me, I don’t really understand the Ravens’ thought process here. Why in the world would you trade the guy who just helped you win a Super Bowl for a 6th round pick? To save yourself 2 million dollars a year? If that’s the case, solid move Baltimore. You’ll see just how good Joe Flacco is without his most dependable wide receiver. The big winner in this situation is the San Francisco 49ers. They pick up a big physical receiver to play on the opposite side of the field as Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. Happy Birthday Colin Kaepernick. Ahhhh I get it. It has nothing to do with the fact that Boldin refused to take a pay cut (rightfully so). It’s because John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl, and now he wants to make sure his little brother Jim wins one next year. Now, I’m sure that the Seattle Seahawks will have something to say about that next year. With these two trades, the NFC West has become the best division in football. The Seahawks gave up an arm and a leg for Percy Harvin, but this trade is clearly a perfect fit for them if he stays healthy. Think about it, all they are missing is a big play receiver. Last season prior to his injury, Harvin had 62 receptions for 677 yards (in only 9 games) on a team with a less than stellar quarterback. I’d say that’s exactly the type of production the Seahawks need to get over the hump. Harvin’s not too shabby in the kick return game either.

The New York Jets certainly made the biggest move of the day. Hell, this might be the move of the year! The Jets signed David Garrard as their backup quarterback. Their hope is that he can compete with Mark Sanchez for the starting job. To this I say nothing. I say nothing because it doesn’t matter. Garrard is not going to push Sanchez to another level, and if Sanchez falters Garrard is not going to come in and set the world on fire. I am pretty indifferent on the move, but I’m sure that Rex Ryan is sending save the dates to all his friends for the day after the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, they think they’ll be in Disney World, but actually they’ll be on their couch just like the rest of us. The actual news regarding the Jets is the status of Darrelle Revis. Revis must be traded, it is as simple as that. The question is what can they get for him in return? Due to the ACL injury he is coming off of they won’t get top value for him right now. The Jets would be taking a huge risk though if they hold on to him for this season. They would end up paying him plus they wouldn’t get anything in return in this years draft. Plus, he could play poorly due to the injury or even worse he could re-injure himself (then they would really be screwed). I think the Jets should get as much as possible for Revis before this years draft and before they are obligated to pay him another penny.

No matter what the Jets decide to do with Darrelle Revis, today should be a busy and fun filled day around the NFL. Buckle up your seat belts and let’s go for a ride. Check back tomorrow to see the grades I dish out for each teams major free agent signings.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

You gotta fight..for your right..to fiiiiggghht!!(Thanks Beastie Boys)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Hey hockey fans don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. Everyone I talk to is excited to have hockey back, and I don’t blame them. The Chicago Blackhawks have started out on fire winning 10 out of their first 13 games, as they are still the only undefeated team in regulation left in the NHL. The New Jersey Devils have also gotten off to a nice start this season as they head up the Eastern Conference. And as usual, My Islanders are hanging out in the bottom of the barrel(there’s always next year). On a serious note, Islanders fans may have something to get excited about. They will be moving to Brooklyn after the 2014-2015 season. This move should give the New York franchise a badly needed fresh start. The Nets of the NBA can tell them how nice it is to call Brooklyn home. Personally, I haven’t been to The Barclays Center, but everyone can’t get over the awesome atmosphere inside the arena. This move should also help attract talented free agents. Another headline early on in the season is the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings getting off to an extremely slow start. They have played 8 of their first 11 games on the road, so they shouldn’t be as worried as their fans are.

The story grabbing all the headlines so far in the NHL is the same issue plaguing the NFL. Of course I am talking about player safety. Hockey like football is a very physical sport, however hockey is not a violent sport by nature. Some of you, if you could see me, would probably be looking at me like I have 4 heads. Hear me out now. Fighting in hockey is a tradition. It is as much a part of the game as line changes or shoot outs. Let me be the first to say that I would stop watching hockey entirely if they banned fighting. Fighting in hockey serves a purpose. It’s not just there for the sheer entertainment of the fans(even though it is a huge part of the attraction for casual hockey fans). See, it’s kind of like a retaliation pitch in baseball. When a baseball player shows up an opposing team or player, they get thrown at in their next at bat. When done respectfully and not done out of anger, it accomplishes something important. It’s the same in hockey. This tactic is used when an opposing player does something uncalled for or out of line(in layman’s terms: when you do something dumb you get punched). This solves problems quickly, and it can be part of a teams strategy. Fighters and instigators also have their own place on NHL rosters. A fighting ban would certainly put some NHL players out of work. These guys simply make a living playing that role. It is the same as a defender or rebounder in the NBA who lacks offensive skills. A prime example is Dennis Rodman. He played to his strengths and filled an important role for his team. There are guys just like that in the NHL. Their only role is to rough people up, retaliate, or instigate. To take fighting out of hockey would be like taking charges out of basketball, it would change the culture of the sport.

When NHL players were asked about this issue, 97% of them said they’re against banning fighting. That is an astonishingly high number! I also guarantee you that if you polled hockey fans, at least 95% of them would want to keep fighting in hockey as well. I understand that player safety is a real issue that every sport should take seriously, but this is not the right issue to take a stand.

I am also a contributing author @ intheneutralzone.com. If you enjoy my writing, please check out more of my work there.

2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Congratulations to the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.  Congratulations Warren Sapp, Bill Parcells, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson, Larry Allen, Curley Culp, and Cris Carter!!  It is the most prestigious honor a football player or coach can receive.  This years ballot was certainly loaded with worthy candidates, but unfortunately only a certain number of players can make it in each year.  Which begs the question, why in the world are there minimums and maximums for the number of players that can be inducted into the Hall of Fame every year?  I personally don’t understand this concept.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame is supposed to be the measure of a players or coaches career and whether they deserve to be enshrined along side other legends of the game.  Here are a few quick excerpts I grabbed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame website that should shed some light on the subject:

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 46-person Selection Committee is charged with the vital task of continuing to be sure that new enshrinees are the finest the game has produced.”  That is the first line from the Pro Football Hall of Fame website under the Selection Process Tab.  My intention is not to disrespect the Hall of Fame, but only to educate.  See guys, logic would dictate that the Hall of Fame should only allow in the best of the best.  This means that setting minimums and forcing inductees into the Hall of Fame makes no sense whatsoever.  Here’s another quick excerpt from their website: “There is no set number for any class of enshrinees but, the Committee’s current ground rules do stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year.”  If you set a minimum and a maximum on the amount of inductees you will or can have for each year, you are doing a disservice to the Hall of Fame.  If you have a “weaker” list of players to select from on a given year, but you are forced to induct at least 4 players, you are watering down the contents of the Hall and therefore not sending only the best of the best to the promised land.  On the flip side, if you have a year like 2013 where you have 8 worthy candidates, then you are forcing someone to wait at least an extra year to enter the sacred Hall of Fame.  For example, this year Michael Strahan deserved to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, however he was the 8th best player on the list this year, so he must wait.  Why??  You got me.  I have no freakin’ clue.  Hopefully someone can explain it to me.  It’s hard for me to understand how the NFL, a multi-billion dollar machine, can get something so simple so wrong.  I did notice that in 1973 and 1976 they only inducted three players, so  maybe there is hope for change after all.  Here’s a little side note that I have to mention:

Man do I feel bad for Dave Robinson.  For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Dave Robinson was announced immediately following Jonathan Ogden on Sunday prior to the big game.  Whoever decided the order that the inductees should be announced should be fired.  With a Pro-Ravens crowd on hand, you had to know that Jonathan Ogden was going to get a standing ovation.  Even Dave Robinson noticed it.  You could faintly hear him say, “Damn it’s bad after that.”  Why you wouldn’t put Ogden last is beyond me, but as you can see the Hall of Fame doesn’t seem to be getting anything right.

Congratulations class of 2013!!  Better luck next year Mr. Strahan.

Out of Darkness(Super Bowl Recap)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 4 Comments

The Super Bowl was certainly worth the wait this year wasn’t it?  It had a little bit of everything.  There were offensive explosions, big plays, a little bit of controversy, and definitely a whole lot of drama.  Let me start by saying congratulations to The Baltimore Ravens for becoming Super Bowl Champions.  This was a team victory that took every member of the Ravens to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.

Just as I expected the Ravens jumped out to a lead, I just didn’t know they were going to grab that big of a lead.  Did anyone really expect them to dominate that much in the first half?  Now, I myself have underrated Joe Flacco up until this point.  I always thought he had a great arm, and physically he is built like your standard pocket passer.  However, I just never thought he was a guy who would take his game to the next level, and play as well as he did on the grandest of stages.  Boy did he ever, and prove all of his naysayers wrong in the process.  Joe Flacco in his 5th NFL season, outplayed 2 Canton bound QB’s on the road en route to his first Super Bowl appearance.  He played mistake free football throwing 11 TD’s to 0 INT’s in these playoffs.  His stellar play culminated in his first Super Bowl victory and the honors of being named Super Bowl XLVII’s MVP.  While Flacco continued to impress and quiet the critics, this was a team effort and we must give credit to all 53 men on the Ravens roster.  Flacco was the MVP of the game, but the two most crucial plays of the game were made by Jacoby Jones(a dazzling 56 yard receiving TD and a 108 yard kickoff return for a TD).  Anquan Boldin has played like a men possessed, matching his regular season TD total(4) in these playoffs.  The defense that everyone was calling too old to compete was able to contain Kaepernick when it mattered most.  Kaepernick did get his yards on the ground and a rushing TD, but it was the pressure applied from the outside that forced Kaepernick into traffic and caused rushed throws.  Once again the Ravens definitely outplayed their competition, but I saw the better team on paper(the 49ers) make numerous little mistakes throughout the entirety of the game; and that ultimately cost them.  Their long list of inexcusable mistakes began right from their first drive.  On the first play from scrimmage, Kaepernick threw a beautiful ball to Vernon Davis for a 20 yard gain.  On a delayed flag, it turns out that Davis was called for an illegal formation negating the completion and backing them up 5 yards.  This was a sign of things to come.  On the Ravens first possession, it appeared that the 49ers defense made a stop on a 3rd and 9, however Ahmad Brooks had jumped off-sides.  This gave the Ravens another shot at a much more manageable 3rd and 4.  What happened on the very next play?  You guessed it, a touchdown pass from Flacco to Boldin.

On to the 2nd quarter we go with a score of 7-3(Baltimore).  The 49ers started with the ball on their own 20 yard line.  Four plays and a quick two and half minutes later, they found themselves all the way down to the Baltimore 24 yard line, primed and ready to score.  On the very next play Lamichael James(doing his best Michael Vick impression), while attempting to turn a run for a loss into a small gain, FUMBLES THE BALL back to the Ravens.  They proceed to charge down the field and score another TD to make it 14-3.  At this point that score could easily be flipped had the 49ers taken care of the ball and avoided silly mental mistakes.  Now at the time I really hated the fake field goal try by the Ravens, and while I still don’t know if I would have done it, I only slightly dislike it after having time to think about it.  In hindsight it worked perfectly.  John Harbaugh kept the pressure on the great Kaepernick and challenged him to demonstrate his ability to overcome adversity in a 2-minute drill from his own 6 yard line.  He went 3 and out and gave the ball back to Baltimore with a short field.  You’ll never guess what happened next; oh wait yeah maybe you can, touchdown Flacco(am I sensing a theme here?).  I think you all know what happened next.  After what I thought was a pretty decent halftime show(we get it Beyonce, we think you’re hot, and you think you’re really really really really hot), Jacoby Jones returned the opening kickoff of the 2nd half 108 yards for a spectacular TD.  This made the score 28-3 and most of the sports world thought that was the nail in the coffin, but it wasn’t.

The 49ers came out for their first offensive possession in the 2nd half and what came next was exactly what everyone was expecting, right?  Eh probably not.  There was a power outage throughout the ENTIRE STADIUM.  This unprecedented turn of events caused a delay that lasted 34 minutes!!  This occurring on the biggest stage in the world is uncalled for, embarrassing, and down right inexcusable.  Needless to say I’m sure heads are rolling today.  Now all you conspiracy theorist out there can blame the power outage for the swing of momentum in the game, but the 49ers are way too talented to get blown out.  You are probably the same group of people blaming karma for Chris Culliver’s horrid performance last night.  For those of you who don’t know, Culliver is taking a great deal of flack for his anti-gay comments from media week.  Psssssst, Culliver isn’t very good, and the better Harbaugh knew that and took advantage of his opponents weakness.  Which brings me to my next point.  John Harbaugh clearly out-coached his little brother, Jim.  When it came to clock management, play calling, and overall scheme I found Jim to be outmatched in all areas.  Jim did give it his all though in pleading to the referees after Kaepernick’s 4th down try fell to the ground incomplete.  I’m not one to blame the referees for “costing” someone a game, but even my Grandma could see that was a hold.  The Ravens defender must have been childhood friends with Crabtree and really wanted to give him a huge; that’s all.  In retrospect the 49ers should only look at themselves for missed opportunities, not at the referees.

In the end, the play of Flacco, Jones, Boldin, and the Baltimore defense proved to be too much for San Fransisco.  It’s not all bad news for San Fran though.  If you saw that Jell-O commercial you’d know that the city of San Fransisco is getting 10,000 free cups of Jell-O’s chocolate pudding from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.  So keep your heads up guys, you get to have pudding today!!  In all seriousness, the 49ers should take the positives from last nights game.  I know it’s heartbreaking to be that close to victory and then have it snatched from you at the last moment.  However, this was a great experience for a young team led by a great young quarterback.  From what I’ve seen from Colin Kaepernick I believe that the sky is the limit for him and his squad.  Don’t be surprised if you see the 49ers being fitted for rings a year from now.  Finally, let us all be thankful there will be another NFL season next year, so Ray Lewis definitely doesn’t get the last word.

I have roid rage

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

Steroids and professional sports, they go together like peanut butter and jelly don’t they? People might say, ha that’s funny. What people don’t realize is that it’s only funny because it’s true. Steroids are prevalent in every professional sport known to man, whether we want them to be or not. Now, I’m going to do my best to write this piece objectively, for if you ask me there is no right answer on how to handle this issue. I want to shed some light on the topic of steroids, while withholding my opinion, for now. I know steroids is a serious issue, but from the general public’s standpoint we will never know the whole truth of what transpires. And that right there is the problem. With the procedures the major sports have in place, there really is no surefire way to bring every steroid or performing enhancing drug user to justice. Psssst, want to know a secret? They don’t want you to know who’s using illegal drugs. They like it the way it is. By they, I mean everyone that’s bringing home an enormous paycheck thanks to those users. I know, its shocking. See at some point in time whether it’s right now or 20 years ago, from your bench-warming professional athlete all the way up to the best players in the game, guys have used performing enhancing drugs. It’s everyone and it’s everywhere. People now a days are being naive or just really don’t want to admit it, but everyone is doing it. There are tons of examples I can make, but I’ll try to start with the best ones.

This issue isn’t a new one. If you’re one the naive people I mentioned earlier, try to open your mind and see the world for what it is and it might make this easier to realize. People in this world do drugs. Now, I personally don’t do them, but people have been doing drugs since they were discovered. That part shouldn’t be a surprise. This goes for our heroes in sports 100 years ago all the way up to our rising stars today. See, “back in the day” guys were doing different kinds of drugs, and some were doing the same drugs that are being used today; there was just no testing going on at those times. I know I know, a lot of you out there are saying, well how do you know that? You don’t know any of this as a fact! And they are right, I don’t know any of this to be true. That’s the beauty/horror of this argument. There is no clear-cut winner of this argument, and without catching someone red-handed there really is no way to condemn someone for using steroids. There is public pressure and mounting circumstantial evidence in most cases, but it’s difficult to draw a hard line between guilty and innocent. Even if your name has been hinted at being in the discussion of illegal drugs, you’re guilty. Think about it this way, it certainly would be painful for me to learn that Mickey Mantle or Joe Dimaggio did something “illegal” to gain a competitive advantage, but that’s the harsh reality that could have been very possible. Thank god we will never really know for sure. To say it would be damaging to the foundations of America’s pastime would be an understatement.

Everyday you’re hearing about someone new being tied to PED’s. You’re also hearing people’s names that you would never look at and say, oh yeah he definitely “juiced”. No, that’s not a Jose Canseco reference. I wish that guy would shut his mouth and stop trying to make a few bucks at the expense of others. It’s your fault your broke and nobody else, so stop ratting people out and just go away. Anyway, think about it, Rafael Palmeiro was busted for steroid use. He looked like a normal guy who just happened to be really really good at baseball. Someone who’s 6 feet tall and 215 pounds doesn’t exactly scream I do steroids. Most people have this misconception that steroids are this magical pill that makes you huge, and cut, and turns you into an athletic monster that’s twice the size of your former self over night. That’s not how it works. Let me reiterate that I don’t do drugs, and I don’t condone the use of drugs. However, steroid users still have to put in their time in the weight room. They still have to pour out blood, sweat, and tears to achieve their goals. It’s not magic from a cartoon like Popeye’s spinach that turns you from dud to stud in 5 seconds. Not everyone takes steroids and doubles in size and starts hitting 7357 home-runs like, ahem Barry Bonds, ahem. I wish we could get rid of steroids, PED’s, deer antler spray (hahahaha), and all of this illegal nonsense all together. Unfortunately, it’s just not possible. Some people are trying to take a stand against it thought and that’s great. The voters for MLB’s hall of fame are at the forefront of the fight. In this years hall of fame ballot you had arguably the best hitter of all time (Barry Bonds) and the best pitcher of all time (Roger Clemens) on the ballot. Neither of them got in because of their ties to PED’s. Actually, no one got in from the entire ballot. That hasn’t happened since 1996, and it is only the 8th time in the history of baseball that no one was elected to the hall of fame. Think about that, one of the best hitters of all time and one of the best pitchers of all time used PED’s to gain a competitive advantage. There are more names tied to drug use than I have time to mention, so I’ll leave that to George Mitchell. Logic dictates that almost everyone out there has, at minimum, tried PED’s.

Now I could go on forever with all the different big names that have used PED’s and how they effected their sports in a positive way, and in turn damaged their own livelihood and personal image, but I won’t. I think you get the point by now. If these drugs are the difference between making the team or not, or recovering from an injury in 3 months opposed to 6 months, or hitting a home-run or only having warning track power, you are going to use them. See like I said before, they don’t want you to know everyone who uses. Why you ask? Cycling is literally built on doping. Lance Armstrong finally admits what we all knew for years, who cares. They couldn’t give his trophies to anyone else because virtually everyone in the sport has been caught doping. Thanks to PED’s baseball became relevant again in the 90’s. Thanks to the “steroid era”, we learned what chicks have apparently always known, we dig the long ball. You can keep Mark Mcgwire and Sammy Sosa out of the hall of fame all you want, but you can’t tell me you weren’t watching that home-run race in the summer of ’98. I know I was. I was 12 years old, and I was captivated by each and every home-run trot, every chest bump by Mcgwire, and every shuffle down the first base line by Senor Sosa. I know I get goosebumps just thinking about it. They literally brought baseball back to life. And football, I mean let’s be real. Football has practically been built on HGH and PED’s. It is a violent sport that will stay that way because well, we want it that way. We don’t watch football for the kickers and to watch QB’s slide to safety. We watch for the huuuge hits and spectacular plays.

Since Steroids, PED’s, and HGH have all contributed to the growth and popularity of many of the sports we enjoy today, how do we go about testing for them and ultimately removing them entirely? I personally think we should put serious random testing in every sport. We should come up with a definitive list of what is banned and what is okay for athletes to use, and then we should institute random monthly tests for everyone. I know some would say well that would be too expensive, but let me tell you something; for the amount of money these organizations and franchises generate, they’ll find the money from somewhere. This should take place in all sports at all levels, because the real message behind this conversation is to keep children away from these drugs. Do I think these changes will ever take place? Nope. Cynical of me I know, but it’s just like anything else, it will only change if we stand up together and do something about it.

Lastly, what do I think we should do with all the tainted players that based on statistics alone should be in the hall of fame? I also don’t know if there’s a definitive right or wrong answer, but I will do my best to tackle that topic in my next article.

Oo Yea I almost forgot….The Super Bowl

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Does anybody else hate the fact that we have to wait an extra week for the Super Bowl? Personally, I hate it. Now I know this will never change because god forbid we take money out of anyone’s wallet. That would be a crime. But, from a fans perspective it really irks me that we have football every Sunday for 20 weeks in a row, and then before the most important game of the year we decide to take a week off. The only thing in sports worse than this is the time they take off before the College Football National “Championship”. Now I get why they take the week off. It helps set the stage by building up the anticipation for the game, the players get to have time with their families and friends in a different city every year, and the NFL gets to grab its share of the prize through player appearances and media week. Also, the host city boosts its economy while the NFL is in town. With all that being said, I still wish they would do away with the circus that is media week.

Lets move past the things we can not change. However, I do think the week off has an effect on the outcome of the game. The Ravens have been riding this wave of “destiny” as some would call it. When people say that Ray Lewis is destined to win this Super Bowl in his last season, I say they are carrying momentum through the playoffs. Most of this momentum is due to getting injured players back at the right time and Joe Flacco playing out of his mind right now doesn’t exactly hurt either. In my opinion the week off definitely favors the 49ers. It gives some of the injured 49ers a chance to get healthy, most notably Justin Smith. And it could possibly slow the Baltimore train that steamrolled its way through New England(which feels like a month ago not a week ago). Now am I saying that I want the Ravens to win and it’s an unfair advantage for them to have an extra week off? No not at all. I actually want the 49ers to win, due to my slight dislike of Ray “I didn’t do it” Lewis. What the Ravens need to do to win this game is try to be the more physical team. That is not an easy task when playing San Francisco. If you have watched them play this year you’d know that Navorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, and Aldon Smith are beasts on the football field. So, lets assume that the 49ers are going to be the more physical team on Sunday. How else can the Ravens win this football game without divine intervention? Well, a heavy dose of Ray Rice would be a nice start, but that will only be effective if Joe Flacco starts the game by taking deep shots down the field. This will stretch the field, keep the 49ers secondary honest, and prevent them from creeping towards the line on running plays. Once a nice balance of run and pass has been established that should allow an opportunity for them to go play action to Torrey Smith or Anquan Boldin throughout the game. This game plan should allow the Ravens to regain their momentum they’ve been carrying the past couple of weeks. While I believe this will work in the first half and the Ravens should jump out to an early lead, I don’t see them sustaining their offensive attack. Ultimately, I think the outcome of this game will come down to the team that is more physical and whichever QB plays better. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been waiting for Colin Kaepernick to make a huge “rookie” mistake that will cost his team a game. It just hasn’t happened yet, and I’m not about to pick this game for it to start. I think he’ll play mistake free football and manage the game as he has done since he took the reigns of this machine 10 weeks ago. I see this being a close game where the Ravens jump out to an early lead. However, in the end I see the 49ers controlling the time of possession and just playing too physical a brand of football for the Ravens to withstand. Sorry Ray, your “path” ends in New Orleans. You’ll have only your own shortcomings to thank for losing this game. My prediction for this game is 27-23(San Francisco). Enjoy the game!

AFC Championship Recap

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 3 Comments

Let me be the first to say that I was wrong.  I tried to pick this game with my brain rather than my heart(my heart bleeds green when it comes to football), which seemed like the right thing to do at the time.  As I wrote in my preview, I figured that the Patriots offense would be too much for the Ravens to handle.  Boy, was that not the case.  It turned out that the Ray Lewis driven defense was too much for Tom Brady to handle.  They put pressure on Brady and forced him to throw 2 interceptions.  Everyone is blaming the Patriots loss on continual small mistakes like the drops they had throughout the game.  If you watched the entire game, you would have seen that it was more than that.  The Patriots were completely outplayed and supremely OUT COACHED.  I don’t put out coached in that it looks like I’m yelling font because of my strong dislike for Bill Belichick.  I say it like that because he was simply the 2nd best coach on the sidelines on Sunday.  That is a rare occurrence for someone considered to be the best coach of his generation.  And, while that might be true, let’s delve into the mistakes that he made that cost him another trip back to the promised land.  Now we all know there was no Gronk, but we’ve known that for some time now so that’s not part of the problem.  For me it all started with their decision to run the ball on a 3rd and 2 on their second offensive drive.  This possession was the first of many trips to the Ravens red zone that did not end in a touchdown(The Patriots were 1 for 6 in terms of touchdowns inside the Ravens 25 yard line).  I think Ridley is a nice little back that should be successful for years to come, but what they should have done was play action to him and allow Hernandez to delay across the middle.  I mean all they needed was 2 yards and an inch.  Now let us move on to what I would call Bill Belichick’s worst blunder of his career.  Let me paint a picture for you of where they were.  The Patriots got the ball back on the ravens 43 yard line, with 2:32 on the clock in the 2nd quarter, and all 3 timeouts.  That kind of time on the Ravens side of the field is an eternity for Tom Brady, usually.  So they proceed to get a first down on a really nice 4th and 1 play where Tom Brady pretended to be getting a new play called in to his headset and Woodhead take a direct snap for a 1st down.  They were then forced to use their first timeout.  This play caught the Ravens completely off guard, and they seemed to be heading for 7 points right before the half to extend their lead to 17-7.  This would not be the case, and here’s where everything went awry.  After two incomplete passes, Brady completed a nice pass to Hernandez going towards to the right sideline, and what does Hernandez do?  Instead of running out of bounds and saving their 2nd timeout, he spins up field and maybe gains 2 yards out of the play.  Here, at the ravens 10 yard line, the Patriots are forced to burn their 2nd timeout with 26 seconds left in the half.  Now, even after that first blunder, having 26 seconds left and a timeout would lead you to believe that Brady can still get off 3 plays and try to punch one in the end-zone.  This was also not the case.  On the next play, Brady gets forced out of the pocket to his left and rather than throw the ball away he runs up field for a lousy 3 yards, while throwing his leg up high in his slide and nearly catching Ed Reed in his “family jewels”.  This was clearly intentional and while I knew Brady had inherited that smug cold-hearted attitude from Belichick, I never saw Brady as a dirty player.  Anyway, the Patriots jump up, doing their best Dallas Cowboys/Tony Romo impressions and act like they are going to get back to the line and spike the ball.  Instead they let the clock run all the way down to 4 seconds.  This forces them to call their final timeout and kick a field goal on 2ND DOWN!  The words awful, horrifying, and horrendous just don’t do this 2 minute drill justice.  I haven’t seen a horror movie this bad since The Wicker Man.  Have you seen this movie?  Man, that is some bad stuff.  You would think that Nicholas Cage would still want to make good movies, since he’s broke and all.  “Yeah, I think I’ll buy another island today.”  Yeah good investment, buddy.  Anyway, back to the ineptitude of Bill Belichick.  So, instead of going in to the half up 17-7, the Patriots carried a 13-7 lead into the locker room.  Now this may not have mattered in the grand scheme of things but it was a microcosm of how this game played out.  Once Aqib Talib went down with an injury Anquan Boldin became the Patriots worst nightmare.  Talib’s backup made Boldin look like Larry Fitzgerald out there.  Can someone please get that man a QB in Arizona, I mean how bad do you feel for that guy?  The Arizona Cardinals’ general managers are actually depriving us of a chance to watch a great show and possibly history.  Fitzgerald was primed and ready to become the next Randy Moss, or better.  Yea I said it, but the guys just never had anyone to throw him the ball.  I digress, again.  In the end, the pressure was put on Tom Brady to throw, throw, and throw some more once they got down in the 2nd half.  I have to put a tiny bit of the blame on the drops and little mistakes(lets call that %10), some of it is on Brady(maybe 30%), but I leave most of the blame for Belichick to shoulder(the other 60%).   I must give credit to the Ravens defense though who hung tough with Brady.  Also, Joe Flacco seems to save his best for when he’s going up against the best.  He outplayed Brady, again.  Only this time there were no dropped touchdown passes.  This game was never in doubt once the Ravens took the lead.  Now it’s on to the SuperBowl for Joe Flacco and the Ravens.  So the question is, will Joe Flacco rise up against the stingy 49ers defense or will he fold and let this golden opportunity slip through his fingers?