The 2010 Sport You’re Most Thankful For Debate… Hope Springs Eternal in the NFL

November 24, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Babe Ruthless.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is without a doubt my favorite holiday (and that is only PARTLY because of the feasting)! Personally, I have been very blessed over the past year, and have much to be thankful for. The list of those things I am thankful for includes all the staples – family, friends, health, and the like… as well as some unique privileges that I am very grateful for, such as sharing this space each day with a group of people who are not only great writers, but who have also become great friends.

What can I say? Things are nice at Casa del Bleacher Fan!

So as I tuck in to a little lot of deep fried turkey (yes, it really is THAT good) with all the fixin’s, let me tell you why I am thankful for the NFL…

First, from a personal standpoint as a fan of Cleveland sports, this was a tough year for basketball and baseball. The Indians decided after about only 15 games that they were going to just mail in the 2010 seasons. And as for basketball, well, I’d rather not talk about it (although I must admit that there is something cathartic in the knowledge that LeBron James isn’t having any fun). But then the Cleveland Browns season started, and it became a wonderful distraction from all the other garbage.

It is not a distraction because the Browns are successful on the field. In fact, they are only 3-7 right now. The reason why the Browns are able to provide a distraction to Cleveland fans is the very same reason why fans across the country should be thankful for the NFL.

Unlike baseball or basketball, where seasons can essentially be scripted before the first actual play ever unfolds, the NFL is the one sport where “Worst-to-First” is not only possible, but it is actually PROBABLE. You see, every season in the NFL is a fresh start for every team. It doesn’t matter that your team only won four or five games last season because, in the NFL, last season is ancient history. THIS season, your team is just as good as last year’s Super Bowl champion.

Take a look at the NFL standings. Of the eight division leaders, four finished last season with losing records (Kansas City, Jacksonville, Seattle, and Chicago), and NONE of those teams that won the division last season are currently sitting atop the leader board.

Likewise, two of the pre-season favorites to contend for a Super Bowl bid, the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, share a combined six wins, while last season’s worst team, the St. Louis Rams, are only one game out of first place.

Now, compare that parity to the NFL’s college counterpart. In the NCAA ranks, a team must not only win games to be successful, it has to also convince voters. So a team like Boise State, which has not been beaten since December of 2008, could still miss out not only on the national championship game, but may not even get a BCS invitation if TCU also continues to win games.

Or compare it to a sport like Major League Baseball, or the NBA, where championships can be bought and sold like commodities on the free agency market.

But as the countdown to the 2010 NFL season continued over the summer, who could have guessed that Michael Vick would be the most exciting quarterback in the league, that the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks would be leading divisions, or that the head coaches for two different pre-season Super Bowl contenders would be unemployed before Thanksgiving?

The NFL system provides a proving ground where all 32 teams enter the fray on truly equal ground. With each season comes the mystery of the unknown. As each season plays out we are treated to a rollercoaster of surprises, excitement, and drama that is unparalleled in the fan experience for any other sport. Every fan can enter a fresh season with legitimate hope that, “This will be the year.” There is no subjectivity, and wins are the only currency that can buy a team a shot at the championship.

So, from a jaded, beaten, and broken down Cleveland sports fan, I say “THANK YOU” to the NFL! With each new game and each new season you give every fan, regardless of the team they follow, a reason to tune in and watch. That is an accomplishment no other sport can duplicate.

Thank you, NFL, for giving me hope!

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The NFL What to Watch For in 2010 Debate… Blackouts Could Black Out NFL’s Popularity

September 13, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Babe Ruthless.

The NFL got off to a spectacular start in week one with thrilling finishes in several games. Surely you saw some of them. What has people talking this morning is the play at the end of the Bears-Lions game where Lions’ receiver Calvin Johnson had a touchdown catch taken away after not holding on to the ball throughout the entire “process of the catch.”

But there are storylines building out there that could drown out any “on the field” stories that may build over the course of the season. Unfortunately, I’m talking about that “B” word that neither the league nor the teams even likes to mention. I’m talking about blackouts.

You may recall that The Sports Debates had a debate on the NFL blackout policy last September. Having a game “blacked out” locally means a game cannot be televised locally if the game isn’t sold out. It’s an NFL policy that’s been in place for thirty-seven years, and one that I don’t agree with at all. But they didn’t ask me. It ended being a real problem last season as 22 games were blacked out in local markets. The blackouts came courtesy of five teams (Jaguars, Lions, Chiefs, Raiders, and Rams), including a disturbing seven blackouts in Jacksonville. This season, blackouts are possible in those cities and also in markets featuring three 2009 playoff teams (Arizona, Cincinnati, and San Diego). It will be a miracle to have fewer blackouts this season that last.

Yesterday, the home opener – yes, THE HOME OPENER – at Tampa was blacked out because the game wasn’t sold out. It really wasn’t close to sold out as only 41,554 walked through the turnstiles at Raymond James Stadium. It’s never a good thing when that’s the attendance at the first game. What’s the attendance going to be like when the Bucs host the Detroit Lions on December 19th? If there was ever a regular season game flagged for a blackout, that would have to be it.

Blackouts are such an issue that even a United States Senator is voicing his opinion. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown recently wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, asking for a change in the NFL’s blackout policy. He fights the good fights for his Ohio constituents, saying that “is deeply troubling that increasing blackouts could deprive families and friends the tradition of watching their beloved Cleveland Browns or Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoons.”

As the season goes on and blackouts continue, fans are the ones that will continue to lose. Many of you may not live in a “local” market, so the blackout rules don’t apply to you. But to those of you that do live in the local market of your team, you obviously have a huge interest in how ticket sales go. If you live just outside of Kansas City, there’s a good chance you won’t be watching the Chiefs host the 49ers in week three because the game could be blacked out locally. It’s an ongoing problem the league is facing. And I don’t see it going away.

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The Best Game of The Weekend Debate – Got Any Spare Change?!

October 16, 2009

Read Sports Geek’s and Loyal Homer’s arguments about which game will be the best to watch this weekend.

Happy Boss’s Day Everyone!

In honor of this most excellent occasion designed to recognize the efforts of bosses, managers, supervisors, and leaders everywhere, I want to remind everyone out there that top performers are not the only ones worth watching. Although the reasons may not always be positive, the underperformers require focus as well. There is a matchup this weekend in the NFL that will likely not make any headlines, but it is worth watching nonetheless. That matchup will take place at FedEx Field in Washington, where the Redskins will play host to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Why is this game worth watching? There is a good chance this game may end up deciding the first pick of the 2010 NFL draft (although the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders may have something to say about that. Editor’s Note: Uh, how about those Brownies, Bleacher FaN??).

Before I get into the matchup, though, the boss in me wants to give some long-overdue recognition to the Washington Redskins, who may be the most charitable team in the NFL!

If the NFL were a major city, then FedEx Field would be its soup kitchen. The Redskins just HATE to see a fellow NFL team suffer. They graciously open their doors to all the struggling, down-on-their-luck, win-starved teams of the league, offering a brief period of respite along with the opportunity to feel like a REAL football team again, even if only for just one day!

Consider some of their charitable deeds of the past few seasons.

During the 2008 season – the ‘Skins welcomed the St. Louis Rams, a team that at the time was 0-4 – and gave the Rams their first win of the season. Later that season the ‘Skins played the 1-11-1 Cincinnati Bengals and allowed the Bengals to enjoy only the second win of the season.

The Redskins 2008 season was not a cheap attempt at a good tax deduction, though, for the charity of the Redskins knows no bounds. In 2009, the Redskins have continued their charitable ways, allowing the Detroit Lions a win, the first since 2007 (ending a 19-game losing streak). The Redskins followed that gift up by allowing the Carolina Panthers to realize the first win of the season last Sunday. That does not include additional noble efforts against Tampa Bay and St. Louis, BARELY escaping those two games with wins by beating St. Louis by a score of 9-7 and Tampa Bay by a score of 16-13 (sometimes, there is just no helping a team that refuses to acknowledge they need the help).

Well, it seems that the word is out, now, and the underprivileged teams from around the league are lining up outside of Washington with their open arms, hoping for a brief opportunity to accept a helping hand so graciously offered by the Redskins. Did you know that every opponent that has faced the Redskins this season was winless going into the matchup?! That means this Sunday the Redskins will play their SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WINLESS TEAM (technically, the New York Giants were winless when the two played as it was the first week and the Giants were 0-0) of the season, which makes the 2-3 record EXTREMELY disappointing! Next in line are the 0-5 Chiefs, a team that has played more competitive football this season than the winless record indicates.

The Chiefs are coming off of a VERY competitive game against the Dallas Cowboys, a team that needed overtime to pull out a victory at Arrowhead Stadium last weekend. For the Chiefs, Washington may be their best hope to follow in the footsteps of the 2008 Rams and the 2009 Lions and Panthers, earning the first win of the season against those kind-hearted Redskins.

Let me be the first to stand up and applaud the Washington Redskins for realizing that there are more important things in life than winning a game, and one of those things is to help out a struggling neighbor in need!

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The Biggest Surprise From the Weekend Debate – Who the Heck is Brodie Croyle?!

September 14, 2009

Read Sports Geek and Loyal Homer’s arguments about the which event they believe was the biggest surprise in football over the weekend.



Here’s a question: How did the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense allow Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Brodie Croyle to throw for two touchdowns, a 116.1 passer rating, and fail to force a single turnover?!

If you were to ask me before week one in the NFL which defense was going to have the best performance, I would have said the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, the Ravens ranked second in the NFL for total defense and had more interceptions than any other team. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs were ranked offensively among the bottom ten teams in the league for total offense (24th), points per game (26th), and turned the ball over 24 times (including 16 interceptions). Add to that the fact that the Chiefs were forced to start Croyle after it was decided that starting quarterback Matt Cassell would not play. All the signs were pointing towards a good ol’ fashioned beat down by the Ravens.

I could not have been more mistaken.

Despite winning the game, the Ravens should be very disappointed in their performance on Sunday, and VERY concerned that this might be an indication of how they will match up against an offense that is actually able to produce consistently.

Croyle, who has never won a game as a starting quarterback, should have been easy pickings for one of the most dominant defenses of the last decade in the NFL. He has a career passer rating of only 67.5, and has thrown only six touchdowns to eight interceptions since joining the Chiefs in 2006. Defending against a player with those credentials should have been like shooting fish in a barrel for defensive back Ed Reed, linebacker Ray Lewis and company. But, it was not.

The Chiefs went on to score 24 points against a Ravens defense that only allowed an average of 15.3 points per game all season in 2008, and only allowed 24 or more points four times during all of 2008 (which understandably came against high-powered offenses such as the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants). By allowing the Chiefs to score 24 points behind a second-string quarterback, the appearance is that this is not the same Ravens defense we are used to seeing.

Perhaps age has finally caught up with Baltimore. This is a defense where many of their superstars are now well into their 30’s (Ray Lewis – 34, Ed Reed – 31, Trevor Pryce – 34), and the AVERAGE age for the starting 11 is slightly above 28 years old.

Another factor that may have serious implications for the Ravens on defense is the loss of Rex Ryan as the defensive coordinator. Ryan joined Baltimore in 1999 as their defensive line coach, and was promoted to the defensive coordinator position in 2005. The son of legendary coach Buddy Ryan, Rex Ryan has established himself as one of the elite defensive-minded coaches in the league. That reputation helped save his job in 2008 after the firing of then head coach Brian Billick and all of Billick’s staff (except for Ryan, of course), and eventually led to his current assignment as the head coach of the New York Jets. Perhaps he was the secret ingredient that helped make the Ravens’ defense one of the best in the league.

In fairness, it is also possible that the game against Kansas City on Sunday was just a blip on the radar. It is entirely possible that the Ravens will come out of the gates next week in San Diego with guns blazing, and will shut down the potentially dangerous Chargers’ offense.

It can be difficult to gauge a team’s likelihood of success or failure off of only one game, especially when it is a game that the Ravens won (regardless of how pretty that win looked). Nevertheless, I expected a much better performance out of the Baltimore defense last Sunday. If this game serves as any indication that the Ravens (who have never been mistaken as an offensive powerhouse) are going to have to rely on quarterback Joe Flacco, a committee of three different running backs, and Derrick Mason as the top receiver to carry the load in the 2009 season, then Ravens fans had better buckle-up and prepare for a VERY bumpy ride!

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The NFL Head Coach Hot Seat, Training Camp Edition – Who Dey… Think is Going COACH the Bengals?!

July 24, 2009

Read Sports Geek’s argument that Brad Childress has the most pressure to perform early, and Loyal Homer’s argument that Wade Phillips is the man in the crosshairs.



I feel like a kid trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve! We are just a few short days away from the opening of NFL Training Camps, and while the old adage that ‘every team is undefeated’ may hold true for now, there are several coaches in the league who already find themselves on the “hot-seat.”

Loyal Homer will argue that Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys is the man with the target on his back, and Sports Geek will argue that it is Brad Childress whose head is first on the chopping block.

As for Bleacher Fan, I believe it is Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals whose number has finally come up!

The fact that he’s been able to avoid speculation this long is astonishing to me. Let’s be honest, it’s not like the Bengals were a well regarded team when he took over the reigns from Dick LeBeau in 2003, but to say that the team has actually REGRESSED under Lewis’ tenure is a dubious honor that I’m sure he won’t be writing home about any time soon!

Sure, his first three seasons with Cincinnati showed promise. He took the team from a 2-14 record in 2002 and turned in records of 8-8, 8-8, and then 11-5 respectively. The 2005 season also marked the first division championship AND playoff appearance for the Bengals in 15 years. Things were looking promising for Lewis.

Something changed, though, following the knee injury to Carson Palmer in the 2005 Wild-Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals came into the 2006 season full of promise, but that promise never materialized into success.

Their records for the following three years plummeted, dropping from 8-8 in 2006 to 7-9 in 2007, before finally bottoming out at 4-11-1 last year. All told, in six seasons as the Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis has only turned in one season with a winning record, and his career record in Cincinnati is 46-49-1 (.486).

Accompanying that severe decline in performance came a string of legal charges against players within the Bengals organization that made Lewis look like the NFL’s real life version of Nate Scarborough. Then came the icing on the cake – Chad Johnson (I refuse to call him by his “new” name). I will give the man his due, he is a top-tier receiver, but he has turned his existence in the NFL into a media circus that has created far more controversy than it has touchdowns. Between the off-field drama around Johnson’s “happiness” with the organization, and his antics on the field, he has become more of a distraction than anything else.

So where does that leave Marvin Lewis? When you consider the personnel issues, compounded by the lack of success on the field DESPITE having players like Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (who isn’t even a Bengal anymore), it gives off the appearance that Lewis has zero control over the players within his organization. He comes off as a hapless victim, rather than the leader of a professional football team.

Fast forward to the 2009 season, and this year’s training camp… what is Lewis’ solution to these problems? He welcomes even greater public scrutiny by allowing his Bengals to be the focal point of the HBO mini-series Hard Knocks. That means that every decision he makes in the preseason, and every incident that occurs during training camp, will not only be scrutinized by Bengals fans, beat-reporters, and the Bengals organization, but will actually be scrutinized by a national television audience!

How has that worked out in the past? During the return of the series in 2007, the show watched Herm Edwards as he led the Kansas City Chiefs to a record of 4-12 (Edwards was subsequently fired in early 2009). In 2008, the series travelled to Dallas, where they witnessed the preseason hype around the Dallas Cowboys, preseason favorites to be NFC Champions, and who subsequently melted down mid-season and missed the playoffs altogether. Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips barely escaped the season with his job, and his job-security is still very tenuous, as Loyal Homer points out in his argument today.

Between the increased public scrutiny over his every move in this pre-season, the inability to maintain control over the players within his organization, and the abysmal performances turned in on the field over the past three seasons, Marvin Lewis will need to come out of the gates with guns blazing if he wishes to stay employed in the Queen City much longer.

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