((ht: cbssports.com))
Sometimes it's best to back off a bit.
On the heels of a press release announcing that the Oprah Winfrey Network was to produce a reality series following St Louis Rams rookie Michael Sam as he tries to make the team as the leagues first "Openly Gay" player, that series has been put on hold.
The network announced Friday night they shelved the series after reaction to it was a bit less positive than they were expecting.
Sam, a former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, who's exploits have now been well chronicled since announcing this winter he was gay and was going to try and play in the NFL has garnered an immense amount of publicity during the buildup to last weeks draft.
He was chosen in the 7th round by the St. Louis Rams a selection hailed by most but questioned by some who say he either should have been picked higher if he hadn't "Come Out" or that he shouldn't have been picked at all because of it.
We say he...or his advisors are at least somewhat self-aware. And that's a good thing.
After covering the NFL over the past 20-years, one thing we can say is most of the players in the league don't care about his personal life so much. They want to know essentially one thing--Can you help us win? If you can, you are good. Period.
One thing they don't want is a circus around someone who hasn't played a down, someone they don't know that well and don't know what to expect from. And "beginning" your career with a reality show is NOT a good way to get acquainted with your teammates. The impression given: You are exploiting your situation to make a buck instead of proving you belong.
Without going on and on, we fully believe that Sam will ultimately be judged by his performance on the field, despite what the "News" media says. If he can make plays and contribute, he will make the team. Period. If he's a liability, he won't.
The Rams and other teams are leery of situations like what happened with Tim Tebow. Someone who came with tons of hype...and thanks in large part to ESPN, essentially a traveling circus. NFL teams don't want that. They are willing to put up with some of it if you can perform at an exceptional level, but that's the exception, not the rule. Right, wrong or otherwise, the NFL is and always will be a "Put-Up" or "Shut-Up" league. They don't want 10-cameras following the every move of a low-round draft pick. Players won't stand for it.
If Sam makes the team and has some success, we are very happy for him. It means he put in some hard work and earned his way on the team through effort and success, not because there were cameras everywhere he went. And if he puts in that kind of effort, he should be rewarded in whatever way he, his teammates and his team sees fit.
Just our 2-cents...
The guys from ESPN's NFL Live speak well to this issue:
Showing posts with label NFL Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL Draft. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
Houston Newspaper Guy Eats His Own Paper
((HT: chron.com))
The Houston Chronicle's John McClain said that he would eat the front page of the Draft Day Chronicle if the Texans did not draft a quarterback in the first round...
The HQ thinks this bet was doomed from the start...
The Texans picked Clowney and McClain had to make a plan for some roughage...
Here's the meal...
The Houston Chronicle's John McClain said that he would eat the front page of the Draft Day Chronicle if the Texans did not draft a quarterback in the first round...
The HQ thinks this bet was doomed from the start...
The Texans picked Clowney and McClain had to make a plan for some roughage...
Here's the meal...
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Michael Sam Drafted After All By St. Louis
((HT: Fox 2 St. Louis))
Here's the phone call that made history on a lot of different levels...
The skinny on Sam was that he would go anywhere from the third to fifth round. He went into the seventh...
Which was fine... Sam, admittedly a tweener size-wise for defensive linemen and linebackers, could be an effective speed rusher for a defense that is already getting pretty stout.
It was a bit of a home town selection- which was also fine.
Here's the home town coverage from KSDK
Sam is ready to go for the Rams and the Rams seem ready to accept him and will look at him for his athletic abilities and finding a place for the SEC Defensive Player of The Year on their roster...
Here's the phone call that made history on a lot of different levels...
The skinny on Sam was that he would go anywhere from the third to fifth round. He went into the seventh...
Which was fine... Sam, admittedly a tweener size-wise for defensive linemen and linebackers, could be an effective speed rusher for a defense that is already getting pretty stout.
It was a bit of a home town selection- which was also fine.
Here's the home town coverage from KSDK
Sam is ready to go for the Rams and the Rams seem ready to accept him and will look at him for his athletic abilities and finding a place for the SEC Defensive Player of The Year on their roster...
Falcons Looking Past Shembo's Past For Draft...? (UPDATED: Dimitroff Comfortable With It)
For the 139th overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Prince Shembo from Notre Dame...
If the name strikes a chord, it comes from here...
Shembo acknowledged for the first time, back at the Scouting Combine in February, that he was at the heart of allegations made Lizzy Seeberg- a Saint Mary’s College student who committed suicide back in 2010 (pictured right, thanks WLS-TV).
Shembo also said at the combine that the university did not want him to speak on the issue. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, of course, denied this to the Chicago Tribune before spring practice started:
“We made a decision based upon the information we had. We felt it was in Prince’s best interest that this was not a matter that needed to be discuss. But that was certainly something he could have decided to discuss.
“We didn’t threaten him with he couldn’t play or we were going to put him on the bench or we were going to throw him out of school. It was still his decision.”
Sure, okay...
Shannon Ryan and Chris Hine's piece from practice says that Shembo maintained his innocence.
The Tribune reported in December 2010 (Stacy St. Clair and Todd Lighty's piece is here) that the family felt "betrayed" by the university lack of action over their daughter's complaint of a sexual attack.
On August 31, 2010, Seeberg was in Shembo's room alone and started to feel uncomfortable after friends of both Seeberg and Shembo left the room.
From St. Clair and Lighty:
Seeberg then described how she cried and her body froze as the alleged attack ensued. Her allegations did not describe penetration; the campus police log listed the complaint as an alleged sexual battery. Under Indiana law, a sexual battery is the unwanted touching of another person to satisfy one's own sexual desires.
The incident ended when the player's cell phone distracted him, Seeberg wrote.
Shortly afterward, the other couple returned.
Upon returning to her campus, Seeberg wrote a hand-written statement, documents show. She sought assistance the next morning from Belles Against Violence, a St. Mary's program that helps victims of sex crimes and whose name pays tribute to the nickname for the all-female student population. She also went to a hospital, where she reported the alleged attack to authorities and consented to a DNA evidence kit.
Through texting, Shembo's friend asked about the night before and the exchange included:
"Don't do anything you would regret," the text said. "Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea."
Seeberg forwarded the message to a campus detective within ten minutes. That same night, she sent a link of Shembo's player bio to university police with the header- "assault suspect"
Seeberg started suffering panic attacks and died September 10, 2010 from an overdose of prescription medication.
The question was even addressed by Chris Matthews
((HT: MSNBC))
The university seemed not to move swiftly in their investigation of the assault. And all the Seebergs were looking for were answers in a timely fashion- they still aren't seeming to get them even to this day...
Tom Seeberg, Lizzy's father, was interviewed Combine Week by The Game Radio in Chicago after Shembo's comments were made public. He said in part:
"I think the context of revealing his name maybe adds to maybe why we certainly accused Notre Dame of conducting a superficial investigation," Seeberg said. "But maybe it adds context to why they might conduct a superficial investigation. In a he-said-she-said matter, you can quickly gather forensic evidence to try to determine what happened there, or you can let it linger like they did. Let evidence spoil."
Todd Lighty and Rich Campbell's piece from the Tribune during Combine Week is here
Seeberg has maintained that the university pursued the Manti Te'o situation with more zeal and purpose than their daughter's case.
Which brings us back to the Atlanta Falcons...
All the front office really needs to say is that since Shembo was never charged- that's good enough for them...
But, what will their answer be...? Something more in-depth...?
The HQ doubts it... and for a franchise that prides itself in being a community-driven and respectful outfit, it's an odd selection- not because of need, but because of character...
SUNDAY UPDATE: Props to Vaughn McClure over at the four-letter for catching up with Thomas Dimitroff and asking:
The response still doesn't wash with the HQ...
"We're very, very aware of the seriousness of the incident," Dimitroff said. "Obviously, it's a sad situation for the young lady involved. We've done a lot of research at many levels from our security standpoint, from all the research that we did at Notre Dame. And he was never charged, never suspended from the team or the school.
"We've done our due diligence as far as making sure that we felt very comfortable with making that decision. Only glowing endorsements from the university. And again, pleased to have him a part of this organization going forward."
Of course, Shembo is getting glowing endorsements from the university that did virtually nothing to investigate...
Of course he is...
If the name strikes a chord, it comes from here...
Shembo acknowledged for the first time, back at the Scouting Combine in February, that he was at the heart of allegations made Lizzy Seeberg- a Saint Mary’s College student who committed suicide back in 2010 (pictured right, thanks WLS-TV).
Shembo also said at the combine that the university did not want him to speak on the issue. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, of course, denied this to the Chicago Tribune before spring practice started:
“We made a decision based upon the information we had. We felt it was in Prince’s best interest that this was not a matter that needed to be discuss. But that was certainly something he could have decided to discuss.
“We didn’t threaten him with he couldn’t play or we were going to put him on the bench or we were going to throw him out of school. It was still his decision.”
Sure, okay...
Shannon Ryan and Chris Hine's piece from practice says that Shembo maintained his innocence.
The Tribune reported in December 2010 (Stacy St. Clair and Todd Lighty's piece is here) that the family felt "betrayed" by the university lack of action over their daughter's complaint of a sexual attack.
On August 31, 2010, Seeberg was in Shembo's room alone and started to feel uncomfortable after friends of both Seeberg and Shembo left the room.
From St. Clair and Lighty:
Seeberg then described how she cried and her body froze as the alleged attack ensued. Her allegations did not describe penetration; the campus police log listed the complaint as an alleged sexual battery. Under Indiana law, a sexual battery is the unwanted touching of another person to satisfy one's own sexual desires.
The incident ended when the player's cell phone distracted him, Seeberg wrote.
Shortly afterward, the other couple returned.
Upon returning to her campus, Seeberg wrote a hand-written statement, documents show. She sought assistance the next morning from Belles Against Violence, a St. Mary's program that helps victims of sex crimes and whose name pays tribute to the nickname for the all-female student population. She also went to a hospital, where she reported the alleged attack to authorities and consented to a DNA evidence kit.
Through texting, Shembo's friend asked about the night before and the exchange included:
"Don't do anything you would regret," the text said. "Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea."
Seeberg forwarded the message to a campus detective within ten minutes. That same night, she sent a link of Shembo's player bio to university police with the header- "assault suspect"
Seeberg started suffering panic attacks and died September 10, 2010 from an overdose of prescription medication.
The question was even addressed by Chris Matthews
((HT: MSNBC))
The university seemed not to move swiftly in their investigation of the assault. And all the Seebergs were looking for were answers in a timely fashion- they still aren't seeming to get them even to this day...
Tom Seeberg, Lizzy's father, was interviewed Combine Week by The Game Radio in Chicago after Shembo's comments were made public. He said in part:
"I think the context of revealing his name maybe adds to maybe why we certainly accused Notre Dame of conducting a superficial investigation," Seeberg said. "But maybe it adds context to why they might conduct a superficial investigation. In a he-said-she-said matter, you can quickly gather forensic evidence to try to determine what happened there, or you can let it linger like they did. Let evidence spoil."
Todd Lighty and Rich Campbell's piece from the Tribune during Combine Week is here
Seeberg has maintained that the university pursued the Manti Te'o situation with more zeal and purpose than their daughter's case.
Which brings us back to the Atlanta Falcons...
All the front office really needs to say is that since Shembo was never charged- that's good enough for them...
But, what will their answer be...? Something more in-depth...?
The HQ doubts it... and for a franchise that prides itself in being a community-driven and respectful outfit, it's an odd selection- not because of need, but because of character...
SUNDAY UPDATE: Props to Vaughn McClure over at the four-letter for catching up with Thomas Dimitroff and asking:
The response still doesn't wash with the HQ...
"We're very, very aware of the seriousness of the incident," Dimitroff said. "Obviously, it's a sad situation for the young lady involved. We've done a lot of research at many levels from our security standpoint, from all the research that we did at Notre Dame. And he was never charged, never suspended from the team or the school.
"We've done our due diligence as far as making sure that we felt very comfortable with making that decision. Only glowing endorsements from the university. And again, pleased to have him a part of this organization going forward."
Of course, Shembo is getting glowing endorsements from the university that did virtually nothing to investigate...
Of course he is...
Friday, May 9, 2014
The Buffalo Bills Love Clemson Playmakers. Bills Select Sammy Watkins At #4, Joins C.J. Spiller
 |
| Sammy Watkins |
The Bills coveted Sammy Watkins but their number nine draft position was too low for a football player with elite speed and great hands.
The Bills would need to make a bold move and did trading draft positions with the Cleveland Browns for this year draft and giving the Browns their first and fourth round picks in 2015.
"We went into this draft saying we were going to be bold, and we made a bold move." Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon told the Buffalo News.
I couldn’t be happier to put on the @buffalobills Royal Blue and Red and rep #OurColors, @TideNFL! #Spon
— Sammy Watkins (@sammywatkins) May 9, 2014 That also means Watkins is now teammates with C.J. Spiller who provided similar thrills for Clemson fans."This is just unbelieveable." Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "Two of the greatest players in Clemson history are now teammates."
Swinney added, "This could not be a better situation for Sammy. The first thing I said to Sammy's mother is that he could not have a better mentor than C.J. Spiller. He'll show Sammy the ropes."
WOW that pipeline of Clemson boys run deep in buffalo
— Cj Spiller (@CJSPILLER) May 9, 2014In fact a total of five Clemson Tigers are on the Bills roster now that Sammie Watkins has been picked. Safety Jonathan Meeks and offensive linemen Antoine McClain and Chris Hairston were the Bills colors.Not that the Bills are looking for a quarterback but Tajh Boyd is still on the board.
Sammy Watkins! Bills mafia bih
— Tajh Boyd (@TajhB10) May 9, 2014Mark Gaughan and Tim Graham from the Buffalo News say this move by the Bills means they want to win now and make a playoff push.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Mizzou DE Sam Says He Is Gay, Patrick Crayton Not A Fan...
((HT: ESPN))
Michael Sam could be drafted this year for a team that needs some help up front...
Teammates have known since the beginning of the regular season that he is gay, but he is now telling Chris Connelly the same and he is now the first openly gay pro prospect...
Here's a piece of his interview...
Sam led the SEC with 11-and-a-half sacks, and 19 tackles for loss. Most NFL draft projections see him as a Day Two selection, with some saying Sam could go as high as the third round. He may have to change from DE to a linebacker because of his college size...
Here's instant analysis
It will be interesting to see if Sam can:
A) Stick to a roster and,
B) Not be subjected to the stereotypical locker room culture that the HQ knows exists- on every level...
Will we all be adults...???
What the HQ feels and what may actually happen are two different things...
UPDATE: The Cowboys Patrick Crayton is the first over the bar...
In a series of Tweets, the receiver showed his true colors- until he says his account was hacked or the comments get removed...
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." To urself!!!
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." Stay in the closet and keep
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." trying to figure why annonce
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." Oh wow!!! There goes the NFL!
He proceeded to get in a Twitter battle with Johnny Knoxville of all people...
Heterosexuals aren't walking around saying I'm straight!!!
Stay classy...
Michael Sam could be drafted this year for a team that needs some help up front...
Teammates have known since the beginning of the regular season that he is gay, but he is now telling Chris Connelly the same and he is now the first openly gay pro prospect...
Here's a piece of his interview...
Sam led the SEC with 11-and-a-half sacks, and 19 tackles for loss. Most NFL draft projections see him as a Day Two selection, with some saying Sam could go as high as the third round. He may have to change from DE to a linebacker because of his college size...
Here's instant analysis
It will be interesting to see if Sam can:
A) Stick to a roster and,
B) Not be subjected to the stereotypical locker room culture that the HQ knows exists- on every level...
Will we all be adults...???
What the HQ feels and what may actually happen are two different things...
UPDATE: The Cowboys Patrick Crayton is the first over the bar...
In a series of Tweets, the receiver showed his true colors- until he says his account was hacked or the comments get removed...
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." To urself!!!
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." Stay in the closet and keep
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." trying to figure why annonce
Missouri DE Michael Sam, a projected mid-round pick, said today he's gay. Story now on ESPN2." Oh wow!!! There goes the NFL!
He proceeded to get in a Twitter battle with Johnny Knoxville of all people...
Heterosexuals aren't walking around saying I'm straight!!!
Stay classy...
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Johnny Football Says He's Ready For The National Football League
 |
Photo: Texas A&M Athletics |
Never accuse Johnny Manziel (aka, Johnny Football) of being to full of himself.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner will be seeking advice from others before making a final decision about the NFL Draft but Manziel self-assess himself rather high.
“In my mind, I think I am,” Manziel said in a press gathering.
That's a big hint as to Manziel's intentions following Texas A&M's Chick-Fil-A Bowl game against Duke.
“I feel like I’m playing, for the most part, at a really high level of football. I’m putting the ball where I want it to be and I’m throwing it with a lot of velocity.” Manziel said.
Manziel did have a strong year finishing ninth in the NCAA in passing averaging 311 passing yards per game, just ahead of Jameis Winston who many feel will win the Heisman Trophy Saturday.
While Manziel will get the input from his head coach Kevin Sumlin and from George Whitfield, Jr. who privately tutors quarterbacks.
“You don’t want to go and be unprepared for the National Football League and leave two years on the table." Manziel said. "It all comes down to making the best decision for you. Whether you’re ready. Whether teams are quarterback-needy. You look at all your factors.”
Manziel will but you get the impression his mind is made up and will play his last game for the Aggies at the Chick-Fil-A bowl.
Friday, April 26, 2013
LSU's Tharold Simon Plans To Own His Hometown...
((HT: WBRZ-TV))
But he'll have to get his whole arrest thing figured out first...
Simon, waiting to figure out where he'll be drafted into the NFL, was arrested in his hometown of Eunice, Louisiana Thursday night for allegedly intimidating a police officer, resisting arrest, and an unnecessary noise violation.
According to police records, Tharold Simon's (pictured, right thanks KATC-TV) car was blocking a street when an officer asked him to move it. The arrest report says Simon then told the officer quotes like "I own Eunice," and "I'm gonna buy these projects and you are gonna be mine."
Simon went ahead and moved the car, but he spun his wheels and floored it going in reverse. He cranked his radio up and the report also says Simon told the officer that "the mayor was on [his] side" and that the officer would be fired if he wrote a ticket.
He was released on bond, and was supposed to have an event proclaiming Friday as "Tharold Simon Day."
Eunice Mayor Rusty Moody changed his mind and cancelled the event...
As well he should have...
Here's what NFL teams would be getting if they decide to draft him after all...
But he'll have to get his whole arrest thing figured out first...
Simon, waiting to figure out where he'll be drafted into the NFL, was arrested in his hometown of Eunice, Louisiana Thursday night for allegedly intimidating a police officer, resisting arrest, and an unnecessary noise violation.
 |
| Future owner of his home town...??? |
Simon went ahead and moved the car, but he spun his wheels and floored it going in reverse. He cranked his radio up and the report also says Simon told the officer that "the mayor was on [his] side" and that the officer would be fired if he wrote a ticket.
He was released on bond, and was supposed to have an event proclaiming Friday as "Tharold Simon Day."
Eunice Mayor Rusty Moody changed his mind and cancelled the event...
As well he should have...
Here's what NFL teams would be getting if they decide to draft him after all...
Thursday, April 25, 2013
OSG Opinion: We Mock What We Don't Understand
So, it's NFL Draft day and people with very little to do with their lives all over the world are frothing at the mouth with excitement.
And we have no idea why....
Sure, it's a chance to find out who your favorite NFL Team is going to pick and try to replenish their roster with. We get that part. It's sort of important.
Sort of.
However the part we don't understand is the 3 month build up. The 6-plus versions of the Mel Kiper/Todd McShay mock draft. The 841,000 Mock Drafts that come from everyone who has ever written a Sports story or been on Sports Talk Radio.
Why?
Yeah, speculating is nice. It's something to keep you occupied on a dull day. But why all the Mock Drafts? Does it really matter what ______ Sports Writer from the Green Bay Gazette or some other small, obscure website thinks all 32 NFL Teams are going to do with their 1st round picks.
And think about it....does not the term "Mock Draft" mean that you are making fun of the draft? Because Mocking something is roughly synonymous with Satire...or at least that's the literal interpretation.
Maybe we're just cynical (ok, we are cynical), but we've never understood the crazed excitement. I'm a huge Sports fan/borderline Sports Geek who probably knows more about how Sports works and the history of it than most people should.
Yet I don't get "Freaky Excited" over the draft.
Realistically, it's a "Best Guess" as to who is going to be a good player for your team. There is no "Exact" science to this. NFL personnel people are an odd, wacky bunch who sometimes obsess over things like 40-yard dash times, speed in the cone drills and the .2 sec difference in release times. Yet they often overlook the person and their performance.
And a lot of times, they are flat-ass wrong. JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Lawrence Phillips or anyone picked 1st by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the last 5-years--all examples of why you shouldn't go Ape Shit over the draft. Your team could get lucky...or the guy you pick could blow out both his knees in the 1st exhibition game and never play again.
But yet you all obsess over this.
Please NFL Fan, I strongly encourage you to watch and enjoy the draft. The NFL in their infinite marketing wisdom has managed to figure out how to drag it out for 3-days. If you watch all 3-days of this, you need to do some serious evaluation on your life and how you are living it.
Yes, we encourage you to support your favorite team. Support them. Be happy when they succeed, be disappointed when they don't. But PLEASE--please stop obsessing for months on end about whom they will draft at the end of every April. PLEASE don't be crushed if they don't pick who you thought they would. PLEASE go watch a baseball game, go play golf, go hit tennis balls--just do something that you should be doing in late April/early May instead of worshipping this over-hyped, over-blown, manufactured, artificially created drama that in reality never will, never has and never should be so controlling over your every day life.
And we have no idea why....
Sure, it's a chance to find out who your favorite NFL Team is going to pick and try to replenish their roster with. We get that part. It's sort of important.
Sort of.
However the part we don't understand is the 3 month build up. The 6-plus versions of the Mel Kiper/Todd McShay mock draft. The 841,000 Mock Drafts that come from everyone who has ever written a Sports story or been on Sports Talk Radio.
Why?
Yeah, speculating is nice. It's something to keep you occupied on a dull day. But why all the Mock Drafts? Does it really matter what ______ Sports Writer from the Green Bay Gazette or some other small, obscure website thinks all 32 NFL Teams are going to do with their 1st round picks.
And think about it....does not the term "Mock Draft" mean that you are making fun of the draft? Because Mocking something is roughly synonymous with Satire...or at least that's the literal interpretation.
Maybe we're just cynical (ok, we are cynical), but we've never understood the crazed excitement. I'm a huge Sports fan/borderline Sports Geek who probably knows more about how Sports works and the history of it than most people should.
Yet I don't get "Freaky Excited" over the draft.
Realistically, it's a "Best Guess" as to who is going to be a good player for your team. There is no "Exact" science to this. NFL personnel people are an odd, wacky bunch who sometimes obsess over things like 40-yard dash times, speed in the cone drills and the .2 sec difference in release times. Yet they often overlook the person and their performance.
And a lot of times, they are flat-ass wrong. JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Lawrence Phillips or anyone picked 1st by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the last 5-years--all examples of why you shouldn't go Ape Shit over the draft. Your team could get lucky...or the guy you pick could blow out both his knees in the 1st exhibition game and never play again.
But yet you all obsess over this.
Please NFL Fan, I strongly encourage you to watch and enjoy the draft. The NFL in their infinite marketing wisdom has managed to figure out how to drag it out for 3-days. If you watch all 3-days of this, you need to do some serious evaluation on your life and how you are living it.
Yes, we encourage you to support your favorite team. Support them. Be happy when they succeed, be disappointed when they don't. But PLEASE--please stop obsessing for months on end about whom they will draft at the end of every April. PLEASE don't be crushed if they don't pick who you thought they would. PLEASE go watch a baseball game, go play golf, go hit tennis balls--just do something that you should be doing in late April/early May instead of worshipping this over-hyped, over-blown, manufactured, artificially created drama that in reality never will, never has and never should be so controlling over your every day life.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Honey Badger says "Honey Badger is a 1st Round Pick" (Updated Twice)
((ht: @brucefeldmancbs))So, the NFL Draft is a day away (Thu.) and everyone who's ever written a sports related story or talked about it on the radio has come up with their own "Mock Draft".
We don't partake in such trivial matters here at OSG Sports, but we do find some of the speculation absolutely fascinating.
Kind of like the picture you see to your right.
Yes, that's right, the day before the draft, Tyrann Mathieu, he of "Honey Badger" fame at LSU before being kicked off the team is having a party this Thursday in New York.
He took this photo on Instagram and Tweeted it to the huddled masses.
To celebrate himself being a "1st Round Draft Pick".
((UPDATED---Mathieu tweeted to FOX Sports shortly after this picture made the rounds that he did not give approval for the "For 1st Round Draft Pick" part of the flyer. We believe him, because he probably had nothing to do with writing it.))
Hmmmm....
Does he know something the rest of us don't? We aren't saying that Mr. Mathieu won't be drafted, he will. But 1st rounder? After word got out he was admitting to double digit failed drug tests?
Of course, he'll be on his best behavior at THIS event, so if you find yourself in the Big Apple Thursday eve, drop on by, you too can party like a first rounder.
Just sayin'....
((2nd Update 6 pm---@Mathieu_Era There will be no party for Tyrann Mathieu. Hmmm...your thoughts?))
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Overhyped, useless or greatest day ever: NFL Draft Day
 |
| This yrs #1 pick Andrew Luck |
Think about it.
And read what I'm about to say before you pass judgement.
The NFL Draft is the 2nd most overhyped, over-produced event in all of football.
Number 1: College Signing Day.
Yeah, sure, my NFL crazed friends are already saying: "You are out of your mind". "Draft day should be a holiday". "It's the best 'non-NFL' gameday of the year".
And to that I say this: Prove it.
Between the 812,972 different people doing their "Mock Drafts" and the 712 incarnations of Mel Kiper Jr. (who pretty much shouldn't exist if this event wasn't made to be so big); the event (draft day) has become a parody of itself.
And yes, despite the railing about NFL Owner Welfare (stadium building), the railing about the inanity of this event, I enjoy my NFL Football (and no it isn't because my Dolphins wouldn't know a good draft pick if it fell on top of Jeff Ireland's head).
Really, it isn't even about the "Restocking" of your favorite team. Because that restocking needs to be done. But rather my aggravation and lack of interest in feeding the machine.
That machine gets cranked up immediately after the Super Bowl. Our friends at the 4-letter word (ESPN), are the biggest offenders, feeding us a daily dose of Kiper and Todd McShay arguing and debating over the upside and measureables of 22-year old men.
It gets worse when the NFL Network gives us non-stop, breathless coverage of the combine. That same combine where NFL Scouts drool over the same 22-year olds in their underwear, not looking for the best football player, but rather the biggest and best looking player who can excel in the tests.
What the slobbering scouts and the fans without lives always seem to forget is that the draft is an incredibly inexact science. You can make a guess how a 22-year old will adjust to the NFL, but you never know for sure. For every Peyton Manning and Calvin\ Johnson, there is a Ryan Leaf or Akili Smith or Mike Mamula.
You just don't know.
But that isn't going to stop the masses from watching, from slobbering and from criticizing their teams. And really, it shouldn't.
But don't judge what they do. Don't judge the players before they play. You can't. Because until they lineup on the field and square off against the 32-year old, 10-year vet who is just as big, fast and strong as they are, you don't know how well they will perform.
And neither do they.
I cannot think of a more appropriate video accompaniment on multiple levels.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Redskins go "All-In" for this years draft
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| Robert Griffin III |
The Washington Redskins made what easily will be the boldest move for this years NFL draft. They've acquired the St. Louis Rams pick, the second overall. In return, the 'Skins will give the Rams, their 1st and 2nd round pick this year and their 1st round pick the next 2 years.
The reason: Robert Griffin, III.
And while it may seem like a "No-Brainer" for most any team, we really wonder if it is another reach for the Redskins, a team noted for their incompetence over the past oh...10 years or so.
The Redskins have one of the league's most annoying owners, Dan Snyder, who has no qualms about spending money, but never seems to spend it wisely. And they have perhaps the most "Over-rated" coach in the NFL, Mike Shanahan.
Griffin we, like most, think is a "Sure-Fire" can't miss prospect. He has all of the tools and seems to be incredibly smart. He's got personality and should be a star.
But will he be in Washington under the current regime?
We have our doubts. But we could be wrong. We really, really like RG3 and on almost any team, he'd be a MAJOR NFL star. And he may turn out to be one in the NFL, but right now...we aren't ready to proclaim this the "Great Trade" that most NFL writers seem to think it is.
Like everything else football related, we say evaluate it in 3-years.
Friday, March 9, 2012
TE Prospect Orson Charles charged with DUI
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| Orson Charles |
This is never a good way to increase your draft stock.
It appears that now former University of Georgia tight end and current NFL draft candidate Orson Charles is in some trouble with the law.
According to reports, Charles was arrested early Friday morning and booked on DUI charges.
Charles is considered one of the top tight end prospects in April's NFL draft. He's been charted as a possible late 1st round or early 2nd round pick.
No guarantee that this will impact his draft stock, but it will certainly make some teams take a closer look at or throw his off of their draft boards.
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