Helmet hits a part of the game

The NFL decided to go tough on NFL players who commit "dangerous" or "flagrant" hits by suspending them.  Before this players were either fined or ejected for committing these hits.  More specifically it's about the recent helmet-to-helmet hits.

While I agree that players must be protected.  Helmet-to-helmet hits to defenseless players need to continue to be flagged and players fined as long as there was malicious intent.  But with that being said, it's just a huge gray area.  It's hard to tell if a player is maliciously hitting a player to hurt or injure them or if they're just doing their job.

These hits are a part of the game.  Just because you fine or suspend somebody doesn't mean they're going to suddenly stop.  Sure, you can protect players, which is important and a must, but these hits will continue to happen whether we want them to or not.

The NFL is a difficult and dangerous job.  In other words, it's a privilege to play in this league.  Players know the risks with strapping on that helmet.  A lot of people risk their lives with their jobs every single day.  Firefighters know they could die running into a house fire, power line operators know they could be electrocuted at any point.  Same goes with the NFL and taking a bone crushing hit.

What about baseball?  You could say pitchers should be suspended for hitting a batter in the head.  We don't know if they did it with intent or not.  The same goes with the NFL.

I do agree they should be illegal and something needs to be done.  But will suspending players make it stop?  It won't.  Helmet-to-helmet hits are a part of the game.  Players know the risks of playing in this league and taking excruciating hits.  Most players understand that.  The NFL needs to understand that too.

My Head Examination for the NFL

It seems like concussions have been occurring more than ever through the first 6 weeks of this NFL season. In fact, some sources count 46 known and diagnosed concussions thus far this season. The topic has been nearly unavoidable in the sports media the last few weeks and the NFL just announced that they are going to start suspending players for excessively violent hits to the head. Here is my free head examination for the NFL, its owners, and its players.

I love football. In many cases what happens on Sunday sets the tone for my entire week. I agree that something must be done to protect the game's biggest assets (the players), however I don't believe that suspending players for helmet-to-helmet hits is the correct decision right now.

The NFL is a violent game. It earned its popularity in America by being a violent game and has for many years treated it as a selling point with highlight reels and countdowns of huge hits backed by rock music. To have the first reaction of the league be to attempt to de-violence play on the field seems hypocritical to me, especially when it comes out that the league is selling photos of these violent hits. To try to de-violence the way the game is played is unnecessary at this point. The NFL profits from the violent nature of the league (literally). To me this looks like a panicking, knee-jerk decision by the NFL.

This is a problem that could be taken care of differently by the commissioner, or even by the owners independently. If I were an NFL owner, I would make it mandatory that all my players wear the newer, lighter helmets that have scored the highest in the most recent league safety testing (the Schutt DNA Pro+ scored highest in the NFL's test). These helmets are stronger, have more padding, and are lighter, aka less of a weapon than other helmets. For this to be most effective it should be mandated league-wide so that everybody wears the same helmet.

I would also require all players to wear mouth guards. Wearing a simple mouth guard is one of the best and easiest ways to protect yourself from concussions, yet many players do not wear them today.

Along with the mandatory helmet changes, and mouth guards, I would also mandate all players buckle their chinstraps like the rules are written (the last time I remember the league even addressing the chinstrap rule/issue was 2007!).

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for player safety and I think the NFL's intentions are good; they just aren't the right actions at this point. The league suspending players is unnecessary right now. It just creates more opportunities for judgement calls to be made by league officials that could significantly alter a team's season. The league needs to enforce the current rules it has in place, as well as proactively force owners to protect their players by issuing leaguewide safety regulations like the ones mentioned above. This would be a proactive way to react to the vicious spike in concussions the league has seen this season. Realistically the league shouldn't even have to mandate it. Any smart owner should be more than willing to protect their most valuable assets.

The league should encourage owners to make these safety regulations and monitor the effects on the field. If the problem does not improve or worsens, then something additional may need to be done like suspending players for certain hits. For now, it is in the best interest of the league, its owners, and its players to address this issue at square 1. I believe this starts with somethings as simple as equipment and safety regulations.

Players and owners are constantly referring to the NFL as a business. They are always expecting fans and players to understand that the game is a business. If the game truly is a business then common sense would tell you to protect your revenue generating assets. Enforce safety regulations on the players that you pay to play for you so that you can keep them out on the field! Even if it weren't league mandated like I suggested, any owner taking these steps would be doing themselves, their fanbase, and their players a favor. We all know they can afford it and it is the right thing to do.

Bold, Daring Fantasy Football Predictions for 2009

Fantasy football drafts are coming up and I'm sure some of you have already partaken in a few, here's some bold predictions for the up-coming season.

- Donovan McNabb will finish as a top-5 QB

- Jonathan Stewart will finish with more fantasy points than DeAngelo Williams

- Calvin Johnson will finish with 1500+ yards and 15 scores

- Dwayne Bowe will finish the year as a top-10 WR

- Adrian Peterson will not finish as a top 5 overall fantasy player

- Steve Slaton will finish as a top-5 RB

- David Garrard will be a top-10 fantasy QB again

- Donovan McNabb will not miss a game this season

- Anthony Gonzalez will double his 664 receiving yards from last season

- Donald Brown will be a top-25 fantasy RB

- Maurice Jones-Drew will finish as the top fantasy RB.

- Tom Brady will have his best fantasy season yet!

- Jamal Charles will have a better fantasy season than Larry Johnson

- Greg Jennings will lead all NFC WR in scoring

- Joe Flacco will finish as a top-10 QB

- Dwayne Bowe will finish the year with the most receiving yards in one game

- Greg Olsen will finish as a top-4 TE

- Ryan Grant rushes for 1450+ yards and 10 TD

- Willis McGahee doesn't get injured before week 7

- Javon Ringer will finish with more fantasy points than Chris Johnson

Favre Made the Right Decision

So it is now official. After my summer of anxiety and agony (where I had already mentally prepared myself to see someone not named John David Booty wear a purple #4 jersey), Brett came through for me and Packer fans alike one last time. He decided to stay retired!

Most of you know that I am a lifelong, die-hard Packer fan and grew up with Favre as my childhood hero. But I truly believe that this was the best football decision that Brett has ever made. His arm virtually fell off the last 5 games of last season and he just flat out did not play well. He was not going to make the Vikings immediate Super Bowl contenders. Two to three years ago, yes. This year, NO!

Regardless if the Vikings would have gotten Favre or not, they would have still started the year with the 3rd best starting QB in the division! Granted Favre probably would have been a step up from Tjack, or Rosenfels, adding him would have torn the locker room apart. I must say that the Vikings did not handle the situation very well at all, and now they need to pull themselves together as a team and move on from all this garbage.

It would have made for some great drama next season, but it is for the best. Thank you Brett for making the right decision. Now please try to enjoy your retirement like a normal player. Everybody knows what you are capable of. Everybody knows what you did 2 years ago in Green Bay. Everybody also knows what you did in New York last season.

Did you tarnish he tarnish his legacy? Yes he did. Should he have retired after the NFC Championship loss to the Giants? Probably. There is no denying that people will remember the whole retirement limbo that he's played at the end of his career. But for us true fans, we will look past it and remember the Brett pictured above.

Brett Favre is one of the greatest QBs of all-time and will go down like that. It's time that the old gunslinger realize that he has nothing to prove. Now let's hope we don't have to hear his name or see too much of him on ESPN until he steps up to the podium in Canton, OH!

My Quick on Vick

Former NFL star Mike Vick was released from federal custody Monday morning at his home in Virginia. Now starts the real comeback trail. Vick has a few different options, some maybe not exactly what he had in mind, but options nonetheless.

Now, he's made it fairly clear that he wants to once again prove himself on the football field. Obviously getting reinstated to the NFL would be choice number one. The only problem is that he's going to have to go through Mr. Roger Goodell first. This actually could be tricky. Many experts feel that Goodell may try to stick Vick with some sort of conditional reinstatement; where if a team picks him up he can go to camp, but after all the practices, time, and effort spent Goodell would have the ultimate ruling and could still decide not to reinstate Vick before the season begins.

Rather he is given complete reinstatement or this "conditional" option there is a distinct possibility that nobody would want him right now. Notice that I say "right now". In my eyes there is not a team that would fill an imminent and immediate need by adding Vick to their roster. Most teams will shy away from him from the publicity standpoint. Not to mention that nobody really knows where his game is at right now.

That's why I believe Vick should take a little gander at the UFL. He can play through their season, get his mechanics back figure out what he's doing out on the field and by the time their season would be over (November) there would most likely be teams who need him at a skill position or even at QB if he plays well in the UFL. It would be a good chance for him to make decent money while he proves what he can do and I would be willing to bet that someone would be willing to add him for a playoff push.

What about Vick?

You will see me defend Michael Vick until he is a complete free man and playing in the NFL once again. He's over payed his dues, now let the man play.

Now to the main point of my post, Donte Stallworth was given 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to DUI Manslaughter. I'm not saying Stallworth deserves more then that, I mean the man is truly, truly regretful and knows he has made mistakes and is trying to do the right thing and move on. He immediately called authorities and gave himself up. But there's no way Vick's crime is any worse than Stallworth's.

What about Vick? It just goes to show how society works now days. First off, I'm one of the biggest dog lovers there is and grittysquirrels can vouch for me, but killing dogs is nowhere near the killing of a human being.

Obviously Vick deserved some punishment, but I think it was just another case of a professional athlete hanging out with the wrong crowd at the wrong time. But how does Stallworth get off that easy? Maybe he won't get to play in the NFL again, unlike Vick, but come on now. Vick had to serve about two years in jail and is now being highly monitored by federal officials and will be placed on house arrest for two months. Not to mention more punishment is coming for him from NFL commish Roger Goodell.

The same thing goes for Donte Stallworth. Sure, he pleaded guilty, so he got a reduced sentence because of it, but I also feel a little sympathetic for him. It was a spur of the moment thing, a rather unfortunate accident and now I doubt Goodell will let him back in the league either. Which I believe he should be allowed back in after his punishment.

Maybe Stallworth doesn't deserve the same amount of time Vick got, however, neither does Vick...

The Redskins Nickname Must Go

Last Friday (the 15th), in a judicial decision that hinged on a legal technicality, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., upheld the right of the local pro football team to keep its unconscionable nickname, "The Redskins". Coincidentally, the day before (Thursday May 14th) the North Dakota Board of Higher Education voted unanimously to do away with the University of North Dakota's "Fighting Sioux" nickname by October 1, 2009 deeming it both "hostile and abusive". Anybody see a problem with this? Because I do.

Obviously this is a little bit of an apples to oranges comparison being that the Redskins are in the NFL and that much of the resistance to UND's Fighting Sioux nickname came from the NCAA and specific tribes.

Now, as a University of North Dakota student I am obviously very biased in my views on the Sioux nickname. And I will admit that i was a bit crushed when I heard the nickname was going to be eliminated completely. However, I am going to put my feelings for that aside here. My complaint with the Redskins nickname is a completely separate entity in my mind.

In clinging to the most racially offensive moniker held by a major U.S. professional sports team ever the franchise continues to offend some Native Americans and boggle my mind. How can more people not be offended? Imagine trying to explain “Redskins” to a foreign visitor or someone from the future? Especially when people get so worked up over nicknames like "Fighting Illini", "Fighting Sioux", "the Warriors", and "the Savages". This is a nickname that affects and should anger not just one or two tribes in a small state. This is a nickname that puts down ALL Native Americans in the US. Every time I say or hear "Redskins" I am baffled as to why there isn't more widespread outrage.

You can spare me the speech on how the name is actually a tribute to Native Americans, or how other allegedly similar groups (think Vikings) achieve mascot status. You can skip the talk about the importance of the team name to its fans or the tradition that would be compromised were it to be changed. Why? Because I've lived it! Granted I'm not a Native American but I go to a university with a very rich athletic tradition that is losing a nickname that it has served honorably.

Like I said, I fully comprehend the differences in the situation. The Redskins are a professional football team and a privately owned organization. They also do not fall under the jurisdiction of the NCAA. Despite these differences the nickname is unbelievably racist and offensive to an entire race of people. What if an NFL team "honored" our country's African-American population by being named the Brownskins? I've thought it for a long time and given the ironic timing of these court rulings I've got to put this out there: The Redskins nickname flat out needs to go.

Let Vick Be

They're finally letting Mike Vick out of prison this week, but he still won't be a free man. After he's let out of prison he will be highly monitored by federal officials and will be placed on house arrest for two months...

Is this not insane? Come on. Give the man a break! He's long over payed his dues. The man has gone through all of this long enough. He's been in jail what? Two years? This was also Vick's first arrest as an NFL player.

There are an average of 43 arrests per year among NFL players, and about 21 of those are violent crimes, crimes against other human beings. A lot of these guys serve a few games suspension and/or community service and are back on the field a few weeks later.

Mike Vick, a guy who has been scrutinized and slammed by the media and animal right groups (PETA) repeatedly, deserves forgiveness. In my opinion, dog fighting is not that serious of a crime. (Yeah I said it.) There are far worse crimes in this country that you can commit.

OJ Simpson walked away a free man after one of the worst court hearings ever. Ray Lewis was charged with murder nine years ago. Look at him now. Pac Man Jones was given unlimited chances after all of the garbage he pulled. I honestly feel Vick would've been better off hurting another human being over a dog. That's just how society is now days. And look at Vick now, two years of jail and all the crap he had to go with and now he will be highly monitored after he steps out of jail, when is enough enough?

He has paid his due to society and lost the richest contract in NFL history. It's not even about dog fighting anymore, it's how much we can screw Mike Vick and how broke we can make him. It's sickening how people are these days. There are a lot worse things he could have done, but people are ripping him a part and will no longer look at him the same because of it.

Yeah, he did deserve some punishment obviously, a fine, a few game suspension and a month of jail time would have been ideal. Him being kicked out of the league was unnecessary and stupid. I hope he is back playing in the league, the sport that made his early career. Mike Vick deserves to be back in the NFL!

Order Restored to MNF

It is official. MNF just got a hole lot more football-relevant and tolerable for me next year. Tony Kornheiser has been replaced on MNF by former Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden! The network said Monday that Gruden will be in the booth with Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski when the show starts its 40th season this fall.

What a relief! I like Tony Kornheiser alright for PTI but he was absolutely horrible on MNF. ESPN tried for something different with him and it just didn't work out. He just tried way too hard to be funny, in my opinion, and lacked the football knowledge that I crave when I tune into watch a football game on a Monday night.

When asked about his dismissal Kornheiser responded, "If I could handpick a replacement of a football guy, I would cast a net and drag in Jon Gruden. He is the two things you most want — smart and funny — and has the two things I don't — good hair and a tan." Vintage Kornheiser.

All in all I'm not writing this to bash Kornheiser like many will. It is all personal taste, I'm sure some people loved him on MNF. I was not one of those people. I'm writing this because I am extremely excited to see a new face in Jon Gruden in the MNF booth. It's got me even more excited for Packers vs. Vikings on October 5th!

Our thoughts and prayers are with Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper

NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper along with 2 others are reported missing at sea after a fishing trip. Both have been gone for about a day and there are still no traces of them.

The Coast Guard has been searching all day Sunday and will continue all throughout the night and into Monday morning.

Smith is a starting defensive end for the Detroit Lions and Cooper is a LB for the Oakland Raiders.

TSF is asking to keep these guys in your thoughts prayers and we hope that they will be found alive soon.

I Love the Vikings

So, just in case you are a first-time or simply casual reader I will clear the air right now. Any one who knows anything about me or my sports/interest, or has read much of my work on TSF knows that I hate the Vikings. So when I title a post, "I Love the Vikings". Please don't get the wrong idea.

I love the Vikings because of how pathetic they are. To be quite honest the Vikings scare me. The last 3 seasons they have entered into the season with a pretty scary-looking team. I love them because they almost always choke or underachieve. They have a great window of opportunity here with a star-studded defense and the best young RB in the league in his prime. As a life-long Packers fan this scares me. It is common knowledge to NFL fans everywhere that the Vikings are a QB and a upper-tier WR away from being insanely good. In fact, with a new QB and WR I would almost guarantee the Vikes to be favorites to at least go to the Superbowl.

So, when I saw on ESPN's front page headlines, "Report: Vikings Near Deal for Texans QB" I got scared. I thought maybe someone struck some sense into Mr. Wilf/Mr. Childress. I thought the Vikings realized their window was closing and they were making a play at Matt Schaub. Then I clicked on the link and had all my thoughts on the Vikings reaffirmed. Nope, they were going after SAGE ROSENFELS! I immediately had a vision of him diving for that 1st down against the Colts with the lead last year and fumbling away the game (PICTURED ABOVE). I literally laughed out loud.

Granted he may be a small upgrade because Jackson is complete dogcrap and Ferotte is old and injury prone, and not good at headbutting. But if you're going to upgrade why not truly upgrade!? Sage Rosenfels is basically a younger version of Ferotte and a lifelong back-up. Hell, he's even backed-up Ferotte before! He might be a small upgrade but he is certainly not the answer and as a Packers fan I find it so entertaining to watch the Vikings chase after the answers to their problems in such a ridiculous way. I also love when my friends who are Viking's fans can't stand their own team and their way of doing things. So go ahead Minnesota. Use that 4th Round pick on Sage Rosenfels so you can have 3 2nd-string QBs on your roster and we'll watch you underachieve again next season.

2009 AFC Championship Preview/Prediction

Now that the college football season is done we can all focus on the NFL and the conference championship showdowns this weekend. Is it us or has defense been the theme of these playoffs? Pittsburgh and Baltimore (division foes) will square off in Pittsburgh for the passage to the Super Bowl (and a Browns fan's worst nightmare). While the Arizona Cardinals will host the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC’s spot in the big game. I will preview the AFC Championship while Stefan handles the NFC and his beloved Eagles.

The Steelers are a very well coached team that has play makers on each side of the ball and Vegas has them as the favorite here. The Ravens, on the other hand, have reached this round of the playoffs with a rookie QB from a FCS (Football Championship Series) school, Delaware, and a rookie coach. The Ravens offense last year average 17.2 ppg and 302 ypg, which landed them with the 22nd best offense in the league. They moved up to #18 this year scoring 24.1 ppg while producing 324 ypg. The Steelers rank 22nd in offense this year scoring 21.7 ppg and racking up 347 ypg.

However, offense is not going to be the story here. Defense is how each of these teams succeeded this year and its what will win on Sunday. The Steelers and Ravens are the top 2 defenses in the league giving up 13.9 ppg and 223 ypg and 15.2 ppg and 244 ypg, respectively. The Steelers won both matchups this year by a combined 7 points. This is a tough game to call but Baltimore will ultimately win, I just feel it.

I expect both teams to be able to establish the run on each other and the difference maker will be on defense. Look for guys like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed to win this game for the Ravens by pressuring Big Ben on D, getting some big hits in, and creating turnovers while Joe Flacco does just enough to win the game. It will be a great game to watch as there is snow in the forecast with a high of 27 and I love me a good defensive struggle. I say Ravens and Eagles in the Superbowl. But we'll just have to see what Stefan says about that!

Prediction: Ravens 17 Steelers 13

NFC Divisional Playoff Predictions

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers
The Cards could be a good choice right now, but they did face an inexperienced team with a rookie QB in the Falcons. Plus, they're a pretty good team at home. Arizona is obviously a great passing team with Kurt Warner and a trio of WRs in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston. But Carolina is amazing at home; they're unblemished, a solid 8-0 in Charlotte. I think the Panthers are on a mission to finally get something done. Jake Delhomme has picked up his game compared to the last few seasons and DeAngelo Williams has been very impressive running the ball for Carolina towards the end of the season. Defense has been a question sometimes, but at times they've also looked very stellar. The Panthers have enough firepower and some defense to shoot the Cards.

Panthers 31 Cards 23

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
A lot of people are jumping on the Eagles bandwagon and that could be easy for me to do. They have a lot of momentum right now. Donovan McNabb is looking as good as he's been in several years, and their defense is phenomenal right now. The Giants are also a little banged up; the two-headed monster in the backfield are both less than 100%. Brandon Jacobs could be the key, if he isn't his normal self, I think the Eagles have a great chance. Also, remember no Plaxico, which is something the Giants didn't have in their last game vs. the Eagles, in which they lost. Can the Giants defend their title? Or will the Eagles continue to ride the wave of momentum?

Eagles 27 Giants 24

AFC Divisional-Round Playoff Predictions

Pittsburgh Steelers over the San Diego Chargers

I don't like doing this because when it comes to predicting the NFL playoffs I go by which team is hottest. It's also worth mentioning the last 3 SB winners have come from wildcard weekend. This is going to be a great game no matter what. The Chargers are hot right now without question. But, with an injured LT things become questionable. Darren Sproles carried the work load and did a magnificent job of it against the Colts, but it will be another challenge entirely to do it against the Steelers and the leagues best defense. The weather looks to be in the high teens and snowing, playing into the Steelers favor. The Chargers will make it a game no doubt. But I think the Steelers are just the better team, and will (hopefully) play like such but I'm not overly confident.

Steelers-17, Chargers-13

Baltimore Ravens over the Tennessee Titans

The Ravens are red hot right now and Joe Flacco's got me thinking about the year when the Steelers won the Super Bowl with Roethlisberger at the helm as a rookie. I feel like the extra time off hurts the Titans here too especially how hot the Ravens are right now. The Ravens have the D to shut down the run and make Collins beat them with the pass. Kerry Collins might be old but if forced to he can still beat teams....just not the Ravens. Flacco is plenty good enough to take advantage of the field position given to him by his D and gets some help along the way. I forsee a very defensive game.

Ravens-10 Titans-6

Now here's an idea....

With the celebrity world abuzz over the engagement of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen I got a great idea. Maybe Bill Belichick would like to be the videographer for the wedding!? Seems fitting doesn't it?

How would Ed Hochuli Rule this One?

So I don't know if anyone else has seen this but Kyle Orton's neckbeard is not very good at spiking a football. But I must draw the comparison....was his arm moving forward or not? What's the ruling Ed? Compare and contrast...

The Williams Wall Needs to be Very Careful

So most of my friends who like football are Vikings fans. Most were heartbroken when they found out about the suspensions to Pat and Kevin Williams. Then they were elated when they heard that their suspensions are being fought in court. Well don't jump to conclusions my silly purple-loving friends.

This appeal is not necessarily good. So if they fight this off long enough odds are is that they will be allowed to play this weekend against the Detroit Lions. The thing is that in the court of law these men are innocent until proven guilty. But what is innocent and what is guilty in this case? Players are claiming that the league knew that this masking agent was present in the starburst or whatever they are called. But the league is very serious about players knowing what they put in their bodies. These players have no defense against that. They can fight and say that they didn't know that that masking agent was present in the pill. But will that matter? They can say that others knew but they weren't told. Will that matter either? It is their responsibility to know what they put into their bodies, and the NFL is very clear about that. Not to mention that there are dozens of better ways to lose weight that a dietetic.

If they fight this they might be able to hold off long enough to play this weekend against the Lions. But is that a good idea? By fighting this off for a week and then if the NFL rules they still have to serve the suspension that will mean that they must sit out the last 3 regular season games AND THEN the wildcard weekend playoff game that we are assuming they'd be able to hold on to. Is it worth it? For all my silly purple friends out there I hope that they put a little bit of thought into this and assess the risks of fighting this in court.

An Idea To Save the NFL on Thanksgiving

Ok, so I'm sure that most of you sports fans like me love to watch NFL football on Thanksgiving. This is not a far fetched assumption by any means because the Thanksgiving Noon game is the 2nd most watched game of the year (second only to the SuperBowl!). So assuming you all watched like I did I'm sure you were also disgusted by how unentertaining the games really were.

It is truly a tragedy to have the Lions host one of the games each and every Thanksgiving. What a waste of quality entertainment. The Cowboys I can understand because they are America's team really. Now, I know that you can't very easily just take Detroit off of Thanksgiving day and leave Dallas. People wouldn't like that very much because It is breaking the tradition. But what if there was a new tradition?

Here is what I propose, let me know what you think. There are 3 games each Thanksgiving. The teams that win their respective games host that game the next season. For example, Tennessee hosts the noon game next year, Dallas at 3, and Philly's got the night game. It would add a cool feel to it I think and would help add some variety and some added quality to the Thanksgiving day match ups. Wouldn't you agree?

Best TV Sports Commercials

Here's some great sports commercials over the years and whether funny or just bone-chilling, this is what keeps us going between games...

Everybody loves the SportsCenter Commercials...


"Next time have some ID"


Remember Y2K?


Who's up for a game of Ping-Pong?


New Kid


50th best heavyweight, in Georgia


Big Buddy


ESPN NBA


Now for the bone chilling ones...


A Tradition Unlike any Other


Leave Nothing


Let Your Game Speak


United We Rise


Where Amazing Happens


Just do it


The Time is Now (Bare with me, this is still a good commercial)


This was a little lengthy, but I know you'll appreciate it...

Bigger surprise thus far, Miami Dolphins or Atlanta Falcons?

I've seen and heard this question tossed around the blogosphere a bit so I figured I'd give you my answer.

Now, I realize that the Dolphins were 1-15. Which is really bad, and for the Dolphins to be 5-4 right now with an outside shot at the playoffs right now is truly outstanding. However, I'm going with the 6-3 Atlanta Falcons as my biggest surprise in the NFL this year so far.

Notice that I said "surprise" and not turnaround because the Falcons were actually 4-12 last year so by wins-losses the Dolphins have had a better turnaround. However, given the state that this Falcons team was in last year I don't see how you can't be more surprised by their success. I mean with Parcells coming into Miami you knew he would change the culture and turn them around. I guess people didn't think that it would happen so quickly but it was more expected.

With all the turmoil the Falcons incurred (being ditched by their coach, Vick in prison, star players leaving) I don't think anyone expected Head Coach Mike Smith (wait Mike who?) and rookie QB Matt Ryan to have this team at 6-3 with playoffs even within grasp is almost outlandish to think about.

Both teams are great surprises thus far but I've gotta go with the Falcons as my pick (and not just because of their record is better than the Dolphins). Who do you think has been a bigger surprise so far this season?