Kevin Kolb has been the story of the lockout. He was the number-one topic of conversation during the labor dispute and soon will be the most scrutinized starting quarterback of the 2011 season. The scrutiny will begin in earnest Thursday night when the Arizona Cardinals play the Oakland Raiders in week one of the NFL’s […]
A few months ago I spoke to the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, Mike Miller, and I asked him how the game has changed from when I played (1985-95). Mike looked at me and said, “It’s really changed in three primary areas: complexity of scheme, overall talent from top to bottom, and you cannot […]
If all goes well the NFL is on the precipice of a spectacle unlike anything the league has ever seen before: a condensed “free-agent frenzy” that may start on Friday and end next Friday, July 29th. And this forced spectacle may become the NFL’s newest component to dominating the offseason like no other sport in […]
The lockout is on its last legs. Training camps are set to open at the end of July and things appear to be going well between owners and players. All signs point to a deal getting done before July 15 and I don’t think all the lawyers in the league could derail a settlement from […]
There is good news coming out of the Windy City and it has nothing to do with hot air. The owners seem relatively unified in approving a structure for the new CBA. Tuesday marks day ninety-eight of the lockout, the longest work stoppage in NFL history.
GAME 4 Copious Thoughts from the Abstract Raw, Uncut, Unedited NBA FINALS: GAME 4 1 The Mavericks are desperate; look at their faces. Defense is the word; both teams speak it, say it and do it well. Points are at a premium. A three is power, Rick Carlisle gets T’d up; he has a case; […]
Recently, I had the pleasure of telling graduating students they will discover in life that what they know is no match for what they believe. One can know, understand and comprehend all things but it means nothing unless it is put into action. If one’s knowledge, understanding and comprehension does not shape them as a […]
Rule changes were unanimously approved by the NFL on Tuesday. As expected the biggest rule changes involve player safety. The biggest change of all has nothing to do with rules. The biggest change of all includes a fundamental shift in the way the game is played. The NFL has issued their latest edict. The following […]
Vincent Van Gogh is my favorite painter. The things he painted, the amount of paint he used, the vibrant colors and the strokes of rage project an emotion and passion few can understand but many have tried to duplicate. His paintings have shaped and influenced the world of art for over a century. He is […]
Rajon Rondo has my respect. Playing in game three after suffering a dislocated elbow was beyond the call of duty. He played the entire fourth-quarter with a throbbing elbow when most would have called it a night. It was Mr. Rondo’s call after all: it was his decision to return to action in Boston’s game […]
LeBron James is not Michael Jordan. Without coming right out and saying it, King James will tell you this. If you watch what he does and listen to what he says and read between the lines, the differences are considerable. No matter how many rings Mr. James wins he should never be compared to Michael. […]
This was a great pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Patrick Peterson, CB out of LSU, was the surest thing in this draft. He was rated the number player overall on many draft boards. Picking him at number 5 gives the Cardinals instant value in the first-round. Peterson will do four primary things for Big Red: […]
We all want control in our lives. What person do you know that proclaims his or her undying gratitude for their life spinning out of control? Control can be pathological for some and complicated for others but never rejected by mainstream America. Control, not greed, is good. Kevin Kolb seems to be trying to manipulate […]
Remember the movie Predator? Google it, my young crunks! In the movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the sole survivor on a commando mission in the jungle. Why they were there and what they were doing is inconsequential. All a young crunk need know is that Arnold’s mercenary party had the gross misfortune of running into an […]
Many people today don’t take care of the things they have, don’t maintain them, because another one can be purchased to replace the old one. We live in a disposable world where electronics, appliances, cars, houses and even people are neglected and discarded. Knowing when an item can be maintained and knowing when it is […]
Quarterbacks are paid the money. These guys make big bucks. Other than the center repeatedly snapping the ball, the Q is the only player on the team that actually does something with the ball on every play. They impact the team in ways that no other position can challenge. Quarterbacks make others around them better. […]
I am a former player. My perception of sport will always be seen through the invisible crossbar that still covers my views and opinions. Players deserve everything they get. I begrudge them nothing and will never turn my back on my brothers that play this game. I was a good soldier. I would not cross […]
Something is going on in the NBA and I don’t know if it will end well. The league is faced with a menace they may not be able to overcome. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire Burn and cauldron bubble… By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. Admittedly, Shakespeare was drawn […]
Whether there’s a CBA or not, the draft is going to happen and team building in the National Football League is a fascinating study. Indianapolis Colts President, Bill Polian, created the modern model for how teams are built in the National Football League. He used this model to get the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive […]
I really wanted Keith Butler to be the next defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. Butler is very close to Ken Whisenhunt. Butler is certainly qualified, the understudy of Dick LeBeau. And he certainly would have Whisenhunt’s trust. It seemed too good to be true; it was. The Steelers were obstructionists after all. Despite preliminary […]
The best down-and-distances in the game of football are 1 & 10, 2 & 1-6, and 3 & 1. The reason for this is quite simple: they are all traditional run-down situations and run-down is fun-down. Run-down, a situation teams are in more than any other, says there is a high percentage chance the offense […]
I will admit my eyebrows rose when I saw Jay Cutler on the sideline in the second-half of the NFC Championship game against the dreaded Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. My brow furrowed even more when I saw the flaccid look on Cutler’s face; his slumped shoulders and laissez faire attitude made me think […]
There are so many things in life we take for granted; not having to fight the Mongolian Menace is one of them. Huns stormed over walls in the 4th century and the Mongolian-Shanghai-Swine-Flu-Surprise stormed over the walls of the Wolfley Compound early Tuesday morning. Clarity is a beautiful master and there are few teachers better […]
