Are you familiar with the term collateral damage? How about occupational hazard? Allow me to shed some light on the subject. When one becomes a coal miner, that person is well aware that there are certain inherent dangers that go along with being a coal miner. For instance there is a constant threat of being entombed alive from a collapse and a constant danger to their lungs from all the pollution and unclean air. The coal worker is well aware of these dangers yet every day thousands of people go into the coal mines. If Roger Goodell was commissioner of the coal workers union the world would have far less coal in it. At the first sign of a cough or if one person got trapped, he would suspend all work in that mine for fear of that worker's health.
Now to collateral damage. Have you ever gone swimming on a really hot day? Diving into a pool is incredibly refreshing and satisfying. You could stay in that water all day. Have you ever, after a day of swimming, had water in your ear that you couldn't get out? Or what about those awful wheezing pains you get in your lungs if you've stayed under water too long? This doesn't always happen, but sometimes its the unintended result of swimming. Collateral damage is precisely that, unintended damage that is the result of a separate action. If Roger Goodell was the commissioner of lifeguards, he would make sure someone was to be held responsible for your swimmers ear.
I write this due to the epidemic that has taken hold of the National Football League and that is the "unnecessary roughness of a defenseless player". Now I don't want to come off as an insensitive bastard who wants to see violence and injury. But I am also a fan of the game of football and at the end of the day football is an incredibly violent game. Every single player who is fortunate to play in the National Football League is well aware of the inherent dangers that come with it. Sure everyone wants to stay healthy, and no one would be in favor of injuries, but let's be honest when you play football, people are going to get hurt. It's the very definition of occupational hazard. If you don't believe me here is the Webster's dictionary definition...
Occupational Hazard : A risk accepted as a consequence of a particular occupation.
NFL players are not only well aware of these risks but they are also more than comfortably rewarded for taking these risks. In my opinion its very simple. If you don't want to put your body at risk then you forfeit the opportunity to make millions of dollars playing a game. But that's not the case. And every Sunday we have warriors putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment, and in return they get to cash their very large employment checks. Now of all the sports, NFL players make the least (compared to MLB and NBA) but that's a whole different story. I think NFL players should get paid the most comparative to the other sports mentioned.
If you don't believe me maybe you should ask the thousands of NCAA football players who never get the chance to chase their dreams of playing in the NFL. They get to the top of the mountain, as close as you can get to fulfilling their dreams, only to be turned away forever. Ask them if they would be willing to put their future health on the line for chance of millions of dollars, success at the highest level and fulfilling their childhood dreams. I know my answer. I'd do anything to play in the NFL and if that means I will have arthritic knees and a spotty memory then so be it. At least I followed my dream and competed at the highest level.
If I was a wide receiver and I took a hard hit over the middle I would milk it, pretend to be hurt and the refs would throw a flag for unnecessary roughness. Why not? It happens like clockwork. A violent hit over the middle in which the defender separates the receiver from the football (something they are taught to do since the first day they played the game as kids) is flagged and the offense is rewarded. What Roger Goodell is trying to do is reverse a lifetime of football instincts and what he is finding out is that it is harder to rid the game of these hits than he thought. If I was Mr. Rooney, the owner of the Steelers, I would personally pay every fine that James Harrison receives. Because Mr. Rooney earned a lot of money off the violent actions of Jack Lambert and the Steel Curtain Defense. Now is watching as an ambitious commissioner tries to ruin the league. Let them play football and stop trying to make it two hand touch.
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PART 2: TEBOW vs BRADY
But this Tebow thing goes way beyond his performance on the field. It's been one of the most fascinating storylines to come out of the NFL in as many years as I can remember. But why? Why does every media outlet and every radio station obsess over Tim Tebow. I'm not here to give you my opinion on why people love or hate Tebow, that would make me no different from every pundit in the world. Instead what I am here to do is analyze this from a football perspective.
I don't care if Tebow is the lowest rated passer in the league. I don't care if every expert in the world says this style of offense can't last in the NFL. I'm along for the ride and the past 8 weeks have been amazing to watch. It's like he flips a switch and all of a sudden, come crunch time Tebow is a different player. There really is no explanation for it. But what I can see, the tangible element that Tebow brings to the table is his ability to lead. It's a truly rare talent and its something that coaches and GMs search for on a regular basis. Tebow inspires his players, and unless you have played on a team with Tebow you really can't understand it or quantify it. But it just seems like everyone who plays besides him is willing to put in a little more effort and that's a quality that can't be replicated. It's why I want to see him succeed, I want to see his team make the playoffs and see if this unconventional style of play can work in the NFL. And this week is the biggest test.
The most conventional quarterback of the last half century invades Denver this weekend and it seems to me like Tom Brady is out to prove a point. This season, despite putting up record numbers, Brady is being overshadowed by guys like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees and deservedly so. They are playing at an incredible level. But there's old Tom, up to his usual tricks. It's hard to imagine that the Patriots are 10-3 considering they have the league's worst defense. And besides Wes Welker (who was nothing special in the years before coming to New England) and Rob Gronkowski, there isn't a single offensive player on their team that I would want on my team. Brady and Tebow share something special, and that's the ability to lead a team. You can see how competitive each man is every Sunday and their will to win is unlike anyone else's in the league. Which makes this Sunday's game all the more interesting.
I am curious to see what happens. Logic says that Tebow will be able to move the ball against the league's worst defense. But how will Brady fare against one the top defenses in the league? My guess is he will do just fine. Something happens to competitors like Brady when people begin to forget how good they are or overlook their abilities. It's that desire that every athlete has to prove people wrong. And coming into this Sunday's game, all anyone seems to be talking about is Tim Tebow. I have a feeling that Brady is going to come out firing. Like he wants to prove what a "true" quarterback can do. It almost reminds me of A Few Good Men when Tom Cruise is talking about his plan to crack Jack Nicholson. It's a great scene that goes like this....
I think he wants to say it. I think he's pissed off that he's gotta hide from this. I think he wants to say that he made a command decision and that's the end of it. He eats breakfast 300 yards away from 4000 Cubans that are trained to kill him. And nobody's going to tell him how to run his unit least of all the Harvard mouth in his faggoty white uniform. I need to shake him, put him on the defensive and lead him right where he's dying to go.
I think Brady is pissed off about all the attention Tebow is getting and he is just going to go off like Colonel Jessup. Brady is going to deliver the following message to Tebow..
"Son we play a game that needs a quarterback. Who's gonna do it you? You Tim Tebow? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for the spread option and you curse the pro style. You have that luxury, you have that luxury of not knowing what I know. That downfield passing and pre-snap reads win games. And my existence to you, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, wins games. You don't want the truth because deep down in offensive meetings you don't talk about zone blitzes or four verticles. You want me under center, you need me under center. We use words like hot route, x-under and new mike. We use these words as the backbone of a downfield offense. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who wins and loses in the league I've been a part of for 12 years and then questions the manner in which I win. I would rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you start throwing downfield and reading defenses. Either way I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to."
So there you have it. I hope this game is everything that it's been hyped up to be. If Tebow somehow pulls out another 4th quarter miracle then I am officially on board the Tebow express. But like I said, I have a feeling that Tom Brady is out to prove a point this weekend.
The blog is back and I would appreciate any comments or topic ideas going forward. Until next time, as always....STAY CLASSY
Good Read
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