Entries Tagged 'Rants and Raves' ↓

It was funny for a little while, and at one time, he even had a half-decent point, but it’s about time Skip Bayless give up his seemingly-personal vendetta against Terrell Owens.

Today, as I half-watched ESPN 2’s First Take, Bayless blasted T.O. for the 1785th time, this time for the note that he left on his locker yesterday, in reference to this weekend’s matchup between the Cowboys and Patriots, and the matchup of the two 81’s, the ‘Original,’ meaning him, and the ‘other,’ meaning Randy Moss.

When Owens was with the Eagles and being unruly, disruptive, disorderly T.O., I didn’t feel too bad about what Bayless said. And, even when Owens created a few issues last season, I didn’t mind it that much. Owens’ impact on the field was one thing, but he wasn’t exactly being the best teammate or most productive part of the locker room.

But, come on Skip, give it a rest. You’ve been recycling the same comments for a few years now, and it’s becoming less and less amusing, and more and more redundant and annoying. Then again, it is Bayless being Bayless, ranting for ranting’s sake, whether or not he’s actually making a point (see: Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Allen Iverson, Peyton Manning) or if he’s playing favorites.

It is worth saying though, that T.O. has put himself in a position to be criticized, with his past behavior, but Bayless makes it seem like he’s unable to change. Can’t a guy have a little fun without it supposedly causing trouble? The game would be boring without guys like T.O. But, even T.O. knows that there’s a time to turn it down a notch or two.

Sure, Owens is still going to make some waves. Sure, there was the celebration thing earlier this season, and he did vent his frustrations openly on Monday night, and he did write that note, but he‘s improved by leaps and bounds in terms of his demeanor and overall character, and that‘s almost as important as him making a big touchdown catch.

You can get riled up on this note if you want, but like Stephen A. Smith (who, combined with Bayless, makes for the loudest duo in sports), but it was a) T.O. having a little fun and being T.O., b) actually putting more pressure on himself, than giving Moss or the Patriots grounds to get riled up, and c) showing how focused he is about Sunday’s matchup, because, as the note says, he‘s going to let his play do the talking, and keep quiet until after the game‘s over.

T.O.’s not causing any problems on the team this year, and seems far more focused on the prize than he has before, which means he’s become about the team, and not Team Owens, like he used to be. Not only does the new, more even-keeled coach help, but so does knowing that he’s not getting any younger and that this year and the next couple might be his best chance to get the championship that has thus far eluded him.

A fine example is Monday night’s game. Instead of berating Tony Romo when things were going very poorly Monday night, he had his back, even when he wasn’t having his best night himself. He had a couple of pivotal drops, but instead of scowling about an off-night, he was celebrating like a wild man, with the team, when Nick Folk’s field goal went through.

And, both Wade Phillips and Romo know that T.O. needs the ball, not to satisfy his ego, but to make the offense as productive as possible. His presence is going to be as key as ever on Sunday, because if T.O. plays like T.O., the 81 vs. 81 matchup will live up to its hype, and so will the matchup between the teams.

But, even if the Cowboys come out on top, and T.O. comes up big, Bayless will likely continue to talk, until someone shuts him up, or T.O. shoves a championship down his throat, like Manning did.

If there’s anyone who can’t change, it’s Bayless.

Henry Gets Honored

CB Anthony Henry was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week today for his performance against the Bears on Sunday.

Henry picked off Rex Grossman twice, returning the second one 28 yards for a touchdown that was the killed off the Bears’ hopes, as it put the Cowboys up 27-10 early in the fourth.

Gramatica Gets Cut

After being on injured reserve for the last few weeks, following the last round of preseason cuts, Dallas released kicker Martin Gramatica yesterday.

Gramatica had been in competition with rookie Nick Folk for the starting placekicker role, but Folk took the lead in the competition with his consistent accuracy, and then Gramatica suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason loss to the Texans, which put him out of commission for the last week of action and handed the job to Folk.

Gramatica came on board last season, after the Mike Vanderjagt experiment ended 11 games into the season, and made six of eight field goals in the last five games of the season, and was a perfect 14 of 14 on extra points.

Gramatica was a third-round pick of the Bucs in 1999, and for a while, had a reputation as one of the most accurate and strong-legged kickers in the game. In his career, which also includes a brief spell with Indianapolis, is 144 of 188 (76.6%) on field goals in his career, with a career-long of 55 yards, and 204 of 206 (99%) on PATs.

Someone Needs a Slap in the Head

A day after Michael Vick gets more charges added on to his dogfighting case, it’s revealed that he tested positive for marijuana in a recent test, and is now even more screwed than he was already.

Vick won’t be able to leave his house between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (but Mom, why do I have to have a curfew? I’m 27!), and will have to be electronically monitored and subjected to random drug tests.

The failed test happened only two weeks ago, on Sept. 13, so it appears that Vick, as contrite as he appeared to be in his apology, is either incompetent or intent on skirting the rules and restrictions any way he can. How hard is it to lay off the green stuff when you know you have to, not only according to the law, but for the sake of your future? He got out of the water bottle situation, but now that he’s in deep doo-doo already, there’s no getting around this one.

That could cost him when he’s sentenced in December, because if he hasn’t followed the rules in between his indictment and his sentencing, then there’s no real reason to be the least bit soft on him. So, if I were Mike Vick, I’d straighten up very, very quickly, or at least get the Whizzinator.

The additional charges on his indictment may well have seemed a little excessive, considering the potential penalties each individual dog killing carry, but this really isn’t going to help his case either.

Someone, anyone, needs to get in this guy’s ear, and tell him that he’s one misstep away from having zero chance of getting back into football, because you know every little slip he makes, Roger Goodell is taking note of it, and not only that, I don’t think he would be allowed to resume his NFL career as a part of a work-release program.

QBs coach Wade Wilson is going to miss the first five games of the season due to a suspension related to his use of human growth hormone while he was an assistant coach with the Bears. WIlson has said it was to help improve his quality of life because of his diabetes, and not for any other reasons.

The same investigation by the NFL that ‘busted’ Wilson also got Patriots star safety Rodney Harrison, who was suspended for the first four games of the season, and resulted in the firing of a Steelers’ team doctor, Richard Rydze. And, it’s no doubt going to get a few more names as well, in the NFL and elsewhere.

Some people are standing behind Wilson, and some are a little surprised by the events, while others are a little skeptical about his explanaton for using ‘the stuff,’ but no matter how you shake it, it doesn’t look particularly good for him.

Nor does it for Harrison, who’s made his living as one of the NFL’s biggest hitters. He maintains that he never used HGH for competitive use, but to hasten the healing process after injury, and also that he never used steroids.

The problem is that we’ve heard some form of the same explanation so many times recently that it’s no longer easy to differentiate between who’s telling the truth and who’s trying to spin the fact that they got busted. It’s easier to indict some people (i.e. Barry Bonds), but even the guys you wouldn’t imagine ever doing anything are just as susceptible now. No one’s off limits.

This isn’t directly towards Wade Wilson, if he’s being completely honest. There isn’t any reason to think he’d be dishonest, but as I said above, taking someone’s word isn’t the easiest thing to do these days.

But, there are just some things that you don’t mess with. You get only one body, and if you mess it up, or even risk it, you can’t go online and get another one like you can get another shipment of ‘roids. Of course, not everyone who takes HGH or anabolic steroids is a rampant user, but each time you inject yourself, you’re taking a risk. You’re taking a risk on getting hooked, on endangering your body, on hurting your quality of life down the line. It may make you better for a little while, but just like with any other illegal drug, the good effects are only temporary. The negative effects may take a while to set in, but they can be anything but fleeting.

There’s nothing wrong with sculpting your body the right way. It’s guilt-free, and it’s au naturale.

There’s nothing wrong with sitting out an extra week or two to let yourself heal. You get the paid vacation, and your team will live without you.

In the end, it’s much better for you. And, in the end, it is your choice, and solely your responsibility. We can only hope that people make the right decision, whether or not they’re someone like Barry Bonds, Bill Romanowski, Rodney Harrison, or the guy at the local gym that’s trying to make himself look buffer for the ladies.

But, it’d be a little foolish, to say the least, to think that everyone’s going to listen, even with all the warnings, the examples, and the growing cloud that envelopes steroids.

And above all else, that’s the saddest thing, that some people won’t ever learn, or even try to.

Tomorrow afternoon, Michael Irvin will get his official recognition as one of the game’s greatest players when he’s enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

His induction is one that’s being greatly debated by many, for a number of reasons.

A lot of people argue that other receivers with much better numbers should be in the Hall ahead of him. And, if you look at the numbers, he had only a few seasons where he was really, really good.

A lot of people argue that he wasn’t the best or near the best during the era in which he played, so he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall. Randy Cross, I’m talking about you.

Then, naturally, there are those who say that his off-field troubles should have delayed his selection at least a little while longer.

Those are all good arguments, but he’s still getting his bust in Canton. And, he deserves it, too.

In Irvin’s first three seasons, he caught only 79 passes for 1,445 yards and twelve touchdowns. That was when the Cowboys were only 11-37, and were the worst team in the league in both ‘88 and ‘89.

But, things turned in 1991. He had 93 catches, for 1,523 yards, and scored eight touchdowns, and the Cowboys made the playoffs for the first time since 1985. That was the real beginning of the triplets - Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Irvin, three young guys who were all just about to really hit their stride. Those three guys were Dallas’ #1 picks from ‘88-90, and would be the keys to what was about to be a dynasty.

In the next four years, when the Cowboys would win three Super Bowls and make another appearance in the NFC Championship Game, Irvin was the go-to guy at receiver, and one of the NFL”s best. He averaged 89 catches and nearly 1,400 yards a season, and scored 29 touchdowns. He had one of the best seasons for a receiver in NFL history in 1995, as he caught 111 balls for 1,603 yards and ten touchdowns. That season, he had 11 100+ yard receiving games, which is not only a Cowboy record, but an NFL record. He also tied an NFL record with seven straight games with 100+ receiving yards.

All in all, from 1991 to 1998, he had seven 1000+ yard receiving seasons, and was especially dominant in that five-year span from 1991 to 1995.

It may well be true that he wasn’t the best receiver of his time, but then again, it’d be hard to find a receiver that holds a candle to Jerry Rice. And, during his time, he had to compete with the likes of Andre Reed, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, and Isaac Bruce to be among the NFL’s best as well.

Also, it must be remembered that having Emmitt on the team meant that his numbers weren’t as great as they could have been. Even in his best season, he had only ten touchdowns, and that was the season in which Emmitt had a then-record 25 touchdowns. Also, Emmitt had seasons of 18 (1992) and 21 touchdowns (1994).

And, look at Troy Aikman’s numbers during that time. There was only one season where he had over 20 touchdowns, and in the season where Irvin had his most TDs (1995), Aikman threw for only 16. His numbers might be considered be considered average by some, but that didn’t prevent him from getting into the Hall quickly. He was the leader under center of those dominant years, and Irvin was his go-to guy and the unquestion heart of the team. And, if Aikman is in, and he is deservedly, then Irvin deserves to be as well, without a doubt.

And, he also played less seasons than many in the top 20 in the all-time receiving statistics, having played only twelve seasons. When you’ve got guys who’ve played 14, 16, 17, 18, and even 20 seasons, your numbers might not stack up as well.

It’s unfortunate that guys like Art Monk and Irving Fryar aren’t in the Hall. But, there aren’t many guys who’ve had as great of an impact as Irvin did, especially from ‘91 to ‘95. And, you have to gauge his worthiness not on his career numbers, which weren’t shabby in the least, but on just how valuable of a player he was. And, he was invaluable and incomparable in his prime.

And sure, he has had his share of troubles, and many people might not like what he says on TV these days, but there are players who’ve had more decorated pasts than him, and that hasn’t stopped their inclusion. He hasn’t killed anyone, he hasn’t bet on his team or his sport, and he has also done well to try to keep his nose clean since his troubles. It’s likely Brett Favre will get in during his first time on the ballot, and no one will bring up his issues with painkillers in the mid 90s. I’m not trying to call Brett’s character into question, because he is one of my favorite football players (and a Mississippi guy like me), but I’m just stating a comparison.

So, while there might be some who will boo Irvin, and they may be justified in doing so, he’s earned his bust, and it won’t be much longer until the last of the triplets joins he and Troy in Canton.