Call It Maybe (NFL Replacement Officials Parody) - KFAN FM 100.3

Star Driven Day in Sports

Some sports day we had yesterday. It was a day of comebacks so its only fitting that I "comeback" to blogging. First Tiger Woods has a tremendous day and wins an event to tie The Golden Bear for second place on the al1-time wins list. To do it in Jack's on tournament is special. To accomplish this a full 10 years younger is elite. Tiger has that unquantifiable "it" factor that makes people "stars".  I don't watch golf but I pay attention when Tiger is in the hunt. No other golfer has that factor.

This second comeback did not quite make it. The Heat had a ferocious 2nd half to make it interesting down the stretch. They just couldn't seal the deal. I am rooting for the Heat to make the finals and face OKC. Why? The same reason I watch Tiger play golf. I want to see stars in the finals. While the Spurs and Celtics both have all-time great players, they don't have stars in my opinion. The Spurs do not have a single player that I have to watch. For all the great play that Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce have produced their careers, you can take your eyes off them. True star players grab your attention and force you to watch them regardless if you like the player or not. The closest thing to a star on Celtics is Rando. If he can fix that broken jumper of his he may become a superstar. Let's pray for a Heat vs Thunder Finals so the true stars can shine.

Say Hello to the Bad Guy.....

Thank You Ndamukong Suh. Pro football was in dire need of a dominant bad guy. The NFL has become too sanitized. Too clean. Gone are all the players who push the envelope. No more Andre Waters. No Bill Romanoskis. No Kevin Gogans. I grew up watching the Philadelphia Eagles place bounties on players heads. Now you can't breathe on quarterbacks and wide receivers can safely go across the middle. The league also had rogue coaches like Buddy Ryan and Jerry Glanville. Now pretty much everyone toes the company line. There are few characters. So I salute you Mr. Suh. Dare to be different. Be aggressive. Be a dirty player. The game is just more fun to watch when you have a healthy hatred for players on the opposing team. And I for one, love a good bad guy.

Players like Suh are good for the league. Fans love to see athletes they dislike lose. Think about the last NBA finals. The story wasn't that the Mavericks won, it was that the Heat lost. Likewise its not just Floyd Mayweather's immense talents that drives his Pay Per View sales, its also that people want to see him get his ass kicked. Hatred equals ratings. Ndamukon Suh's dominant play and off-kilter demeanor have made the Detroit Lions relevant for the first time since Barry Sanders retired. That's good for the league. Now if we can only get a couple of more players like Suh and really make this league exciting.


Note: Even I can admit Suh's stomp was dirty and significantly hurt his teams chances of winning. However, players such as Suh, make the game more interesting.

Should you cheer for your team to lose?

So what makes a true sports fan? I ask this because I work with people who have been actively rooting for their beloved sports team to lose. Yes, you read that correctly. These so-called die hard fans actively want their favorite team to lose. That team, Ole Miss, has lost at such a level that their head coach has been fired after four seasons. These "fans" believe that the massive losing was worthwhile since it served the purpose of getting Houston Nutt and Athletic Director Pete Boone out of town.

Personally, I have a hard time following this line of thinking. I can't stand losing. I could never actively hope my favorite teams lose just to get rid of a coach. I truly can not fathom hating an individual coach enough to WANT my team to lose.  Maybe I played and coached to long and I'm totally off base. I want to win every time my team lines up. It appears many would disagree with me.  So tell me. If you are a true fan, is it every ok to root for your team to lose?

NFL Power Rankings - Week 2

Week 2 Rankings

One thing is for certain, Team Defense got lost in the lock-out. There is a whole lot of scoring going on. With the last two Super Bowl winners being explosive offensive teams and the NFL being a copycat league, high scoring is everywhere.

1. Green Bay - Another week, another shoot-out. What happened to their D? They have All-Pro personnel at each level so the defense should be better than this.

2. New England - The Pats look like they will break all the scoring records this year. The problem will be  their defense could give up even more points that they score. Can the team score 35 every week to keep winning?

3. Jets - This team actually tries to play defense. They also try to run the ball. The teams ahead of them hardly pretend to do either. They will probably have to open up the offense too though since their running game is sputtering. LaDainian Tomlinson is ready for the nursing home and Shon Greene is underachieving.

4. Lions - You could see this coming. After finally getting rid of Matt Millen, the Lions have drafted very well. They have playmakers everywhere. Matt Stafford looks like the real deal. If he stays healthy, this team could do some serious damage.

5. Buffalo Bills - I don't really think the Bills are the 5th best team in the NFL but they are 2-0, have scored a ton points and are a good story. I probably should put the Texans here but they get off to fast starts every year and then fade into oblivion. If the Texans beat the Saints this weekend, then I'll rank em.

All Time Team - The Receivers

If you've been following my selection of my all-time NFL team, you'll notice I have an affinity for players with "certain" reputations. I'm sorry, but football is a mean and nasty game and to a certain extent, you need players with surly dispositions. My receiving corp is filled with these kinds of individuals. After, defensive line (my former stomping grounds), I think receiver is my favorite position. I love watching the athleticism on display from high level receivers. I'd argue that there is nothing more beautiful that a perfectly executed bomb in all of sports. Nothing!

I love three receiver sets. As such, my line-up will start three. I only need a full back for short yardage and goal-line so the fullback on the squad will be a back-up/ specialist. Here are my starting three.

Randy Moss

Moss may not only be my favorite wideout, he might be my favorite player overall. I know he got criticized for not giving 100% on every play. To that I counter that no one else in history has had to run more go routes than Moss. Moss has world class speed.  You ever watch Olympic sprinters after the race? They can't talk, they can barely stand and they surely couldn't run another sprint 30 seconds there after. I admit I'm turning a blind eye to Moss and his many faults but the Dallas game his rookie year is branded in my brain. Three catches, 3 touchdowns. All spectacular. So I'm a Moss apologist to the end. If I were to revisit this list 20 years from now, I'm certain that three positions will remain exactly the same. Deion Sanders will still be one corner, Randy Moss will still be one wide out and Bruce Smith will be rushing off the right corner.

Andre Rison

If its true that Randy Moss has retired, he ends his career second in nearly every category to Jerry Rice. My second receiver is also very controversial. An also like Moss, you got the feeling that Andre Rison

could have gotten more out of his career. From his tumultuous relationship with Lisa Lopes to his fight with Prime Time to Left Eye burning his mansion down, there were always things going on with Bad Moon Rison. He was a big time play-maker and was a Super Bowl winner with Green Bay. I loved watching him play.

Year after year, one player consistently makes the list for most dirty player. That player is Hines Ward. The fact that he plays receiver in amazing. The other players on the list are always defensive players with an occasional offensive lineman. Ward plays a position know for diva activity with a reckless abandon. He plays so recklessly that the league has changed rules because of him. He also is remarkably consistent. Being that my other receivers are tempermental, I need at least one who maintains a consistent level of play and can always be counted on. Ward is just that guy. Be it a run play or a pass play, you will get 100% out of him. Plus he will occasionally lay a defensive player out. He also can save a roster spot by being the emergency QB. All in all, this is a great group. I've got speed, hands and attitude. Hell this may be the most surly position on the team. Wonder who I'd have to get to coach them? 

NFL Rankings - 1st Week

First Week Rankings

Ahhhh, its that time of year again. Fall is in the air and football season has began. Here are my power rankings for the first week.

1. Green Bay - Their offense is in mid season form. They look unstoppable

2. Baltimore - The team totally crushed the defending conference champion Steelers. Flacco looked much improved

3. New England - Tom Brady looked nearly unstoppable. But the Pats D looked like it couldn't stop anyone either.  Lots of shoot-out this year.

4. Jets - Got lucky in Dallas but good teams seem to always find a way to win.

4. Bears - Team took the Falcons behind the woodshed. Tough defense and always excellent on special teams. Will there be enough offense?