Saturday, September 20, 2014

The NFL Puppet Show

Let's start with this - when TMZ can make the NFL Commissioner look and sound like a complete buffoon you know things are bad. I mean.....TMZ?? Really?

With Goodell's loooong overdue press conference, the most important of his career mind you, you'd think he would have his facts sorted and his story straight. On the contrary. Goodell seemed to approach this press conference like someone who has been procrastinating yard work for weeks, and when they finally get to it, they take half assing it to whole new levels. All in all, I would say that this press conference led to far more questions than answers.

I won't rehash the countless recaps and sound bites, but I will say this: Roger Goodell may be the most incompetent and spineless commissioner in the history of professional sports. What I feel very sure about on this fine Saturday morning is this: Goodell damn well saw the video; The Ravens damn well saw the video; and both (in their own way) damn well did everything they could to keep it under wraps. As far as I'm concerned, the Ravens and the Commissioner are clear pieces of shit. And make no mistake, firings, fines, and possibly even the stripping of ownership in Baltimore are coming. Ozzie Newsome - congratulations as you're likely to be the first casualty.

I can't wait to see what happens here because trust me on this - this ain't over. And hiring a few women to help "shape your policy" does nothing but show how incompetent you really are Commissioner.

Now on to real football...

Licking the Longhorn Wounds
That loss STILL stings. Not because I thought they would win, but because they were in a position to and SHOULD have won. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I (and many MANY fans) have grossly overestimated this team's chances this year. The good news is now we know so we can accept it - something Texas fans are no good at by the way. As we head into the most needed bye week in the history of sports, let's examine the good, the bad and the ugly of this team after one quarter of the season.

The Good - Believe it or not, there are some good points we can look at with this team. Number one, they actually came out pumped up, aggressive and ready to play against UCLA. That was great to see. Also, NO TURNOVERS. That was great to see. And finally, Swoopes is looking better and better each week - and starting both games completing his first 8-10 passes is a great way to build his confidence.  I'm looking forward to see how he develops throughout the rest of the season.

The Bad - Mental errors, mental errors, mental errors. Losing containment in that long punt return against UCLA, running into the punter on consecutive Bruin punts, kicking the kickoff out of bounds and of course, the great coin toss incident of '14. Another thing that's concerning to me is the consistency of the defense. While they have some really great moments, there are times when they seem to have lapses, giving up 10-12 play drives - the kind that demoralizes the defense and of course keeps the offense off the field.

The Ugly - Between the New York Giants and the Texas Longhorns, we're looking at some record-breaking injury bugs. Between injuries and suspensions, this Texas team is THIN. This will not bode well against the Baylors and OUs of the world. I don't necessarily blame the team/coaches for this, but the injury report each week is starting to look ugly. One other thing that deserves to be in the ugly bucket was the offensive series immediately following UCLA's turnover. 5+ minutes to go, Texas has the lead and just forced the only turnover of the game. First play was a Malcolm Brown run up the middle for 6 yards. At this point, Texas coaches decided we need to get into hurry up offense. On the next play, the ball was snapped with 18 seconds on the play clock and went for no gain, and the next play was snapped with 24 seconds on the clock and was an incomplete pass, stopping the clock. All in all, the Horns ran off a mind blowing 40 seconds, gained 6 yards and punted giving UCLA PLENTY of time to go down to take the lead (by the way, it only took 1 play). The coaches and players grossly mishandled that series and that, to me, was the game.

We'll see what Strong and company can do with this bye week, followed by a trip to Lawrence, KS (another bye week of sorts). After that it's Baylor and OU back-to-back. Shit's going to get real starting in 3 weeks.

Random Thoughts
  • Looks as if Florida State administrators and the Tallahassee PD have been reading the NFL Book on Handling Troubled Players. Here's a quick hint guys: If you continue to allow Winston to get away with this kind of crap, he'll continue to do this kind of crap. I'm sorry, going from one half of a game to one game is a joke. 
  • The FSU/Clemson game just got a little more interesting...
  • We are going to learn a hell of a lot more about Oklahoma tonight than we will about W. Virginia. I think the Mountaineers can make it interesting, at least for 2-3 quarters. 
  • While I don't think Seattle is going to beat Denver like they did in the Super Bowl, I do think they just have too much, especially at home. Until I see someone take them down at home, I have to go Seahawks. 
  • Demarcus Ware is looking like a good signing for Denver. He's having a nice season thus far. 
  • I realize Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice are big stars, but where the NFL really missed the boat was not being decisive and severe with those guys - had they done that, the good will feeling towards the NFL, and thus the opportunity to create more loyal fans, would have been measurable. 
  • Adrian Peterson is a f'ng coward and I hope he never plays another down again. I used to like him (even though he was a Sooner), but after hearing the details of his ordeal. F'k that guy. I would love to see someone do that same shit to him. 
  • Still makes me laugh though when he spurned Texas for OU because, as he said, "I want to win a national title and that's just not in the cards at Texas". Hmm.....who won a title while you were in college, Texas or OU? Dumbass. 
  • Roger Goodell makes $44 million per year. Let that sink in. 
That's what I got gang - enjoy the weekend.