Big Ben Barbequed

If you’re a casual sports fan, you’ve probably heard about the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault case that came up last week. Since the story broke, the entire world has wanted his head. Stephen A. Smith was interviewed Tuesday on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd. Both men cited that even if he’s acquitted, he should be suspended. Let me repeat: even if he's ACQUITTED, meaning all these charges are fabricated. Although this situation has brought immense negativity to the Pittsburgh Steelers and therefore the NFL, should we be so fast to crucify the man? Now if he’s convicted, heck, even if he settles out of court I will be the first to stand up and demand punishment. But for right now stop your agenda, think rationally, and take a look at the FACTS that we have right now. As of right now, the only thing that he can be blamed for is bad judgment, and even that could be debatable. Well, looking at the “Drink Like a Champion” picture with the 2009 case accuser Andrea McNulty, maybe bad judgment is a slam dunk charge. Classy Ben, simply classy.

Speaking of the judiciary debacle of last summer, could this current outcry be influenced by the charges brought up against him last year? Once again, going back to the facts, there is no reason this should have any pull. It was just some nut-job looking for a payday. Ben was acquitted of all charges. So now, to the current facts. Here’s what we know. Roethlisberger celebrated his 28th birthday in the middle of nowhere, also known as Milledgeville, Georgia. He then went to an Atlanta area night club. At said night club, he then met a young woman. Later the woman went to a local hospital to treat some injuries (including a head injury) and stated she had been sexually assaulted by Roethlisberger. So far, those are the only FACTS that we have. Everything else is hearsay. No debate. End of story. At this point, for all we know this could be another wacko trying to get some buyout from a loaded professional athlete. There are something about this story that do seem a little different from the 2009 incident, but still, at this moment it’s all gossip. There has been nothing done or said yet that force the media to condemn the guy.

Amid the new TMZ world of celebrity idolization and constant surveillance, apparently no one is safe. At one point in our history, sexual assault meant rape and only rape by intercourse. As our society progressed, so did our legislation concerning sexual assault, and now the term describes a number of actions ranging from an ill-advised inappropriate touch to full-fledged felony. The unfortunate mental remnant is that “sexual assault,” is actually translated by the public as “rape.” Yes, any action associated with “sexual assault” is wrong, but there is a big difference between a stupid drunk dude slapping a girl on the butt in a bar and a predator raping someone in an alleyway. Unfortunately in our legal system, the term “sexual assault” applies to both. At this point, Roethlisberger has admitted that there was sexual contact, but no intercourse ever took place according to an article by CBS News. Other details are emerging that are pushing the situation in Roethlisberger’s favor. Apparently two off-duty police officers were with him the entire evening and “didn’t see ANYTHING inappropriate” according to the Associated Press. To be fair, these are also both unconfirmed reports, but given the circumstances and other statements made thus far, I’m already starting to lean Big Ben’s way.

I’m not saying he’s innocent, I’m just not saying he’s guilty. With seemingly dozens of cases where celebrities and people of power have worked our judicial system through big bucks and slick lawyers, it’s easy to be skeptical and go looking for blood. But let’s wait to bring out the torches and pitchforks until we’ve got something to go on. Until then, we just look like a bunch of misinformed quacks. Also, it discredits the times when the court of public opinion may truly be in the right. OJ anyone?

Raiders Get Robbed

Even though there were so many positive things to be taken out of last nights game against the Chargers, the Oakland Raiders still face an all too familiar result: defeat. Newly appointed head coach of the silver & black, Tom Cable seems to be turning this perpetual NFL punch line around.
The one-two punch of the Raiders’ Darren McFadden and Michael Bush proved to be almost too much for the Chargers’ defense. For several key plays, McFadden or Bush were the go-to guys because the Bolts just couldn’t contain them. They completely outshined the headlining LaDainian Tomlinson & Darren Sproles who totaled only 78 yards between the two. McFadden alone held 68 total rushing yards for the evening. The Raiders actually outdid the San Diego on just about every stat that matters, the exception: points.

It is never an excuse to blame anything on the refereeing, and by and large, the evening was officiated very well. The Raiders also had every chance in the world to win that game. No one play decides the outcome of a game. Ever. That’s why the game is four quarters long. There was, however, one situation that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Late in the first half, surprisingly effective Raider Quarterback, JaMarcus Russell hits Rookie WR Louis Murphy (pictured top right) in the dead center of the end zone for a touchdown! But wait, was it? Apparently not. Even though he caught the ball in the air, landed on two feet, then fell to the ground no where near a sideline with his arm under the ball, it wasn’t a touchdown. Even Mike/Mike/Steve Young in the booth were confused as to why it was even being reviewed. It seemed a clear touchdown from everyone’s standpoint except the officials. No touchdown. Instead of going in at halftime up 4 points, it’s a tie ball game at 10-10.

The officials were right to question the call on the field because the ball did move. Nancy Gay of Fanhouse quotes the NFL Rule Book:

"A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure
possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain
control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or
the end zone.”

Let me state once again for the record, I’m an outspoken Kansas City Chiefs fan. The Raiders are the Chiefs’ arch rival (and no, not arch rival for the worst in the NFL… although it could be argued). Both of these teams are in the AFC West with KC. There is no benefit for me to defend either team. So here’s my problem, he DID have possession all the way to the ground. We saw the replay eight times and each time he landed with his arm under the ball. This play should never have been reviewed, let alone REVERSED. Where’s that “conclusive” evidence we hear every single time something’s reviewed. The football moved yes, but it moved with his hand on it, and it moved after he had already originally secured it. If you even take a look at the picture above, the only way Murphy could secure the ball any more would be to put it in a fanny pack. Sorry refs, you messed this one up. Losing those four extra points proved to be incredibly costly; Raiders lose by 4 on the Monday night opener, but like I said, it's never just one play. Sorry Al Davis.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Ok, so I’m not exactly a Swami/Dali Lama/Elijah and I tanked pretty hard on some predictions (well, not so hard, I only went 2-1 this week), but there was plenty of good watching this weekend in the world of football. The NFL kicked off with some pretty fun match-ups and a slow week in the college game ended up with some interesting outcomes.

On the NFL front, pretty much everything went according to plan. The good teams won and the not-so-good teams lost (with the minor exception of the trash bath of Denver vs. Cincinnati). The best match-up of the week was the first, which I covered last week. Steelers/Titans were by far the most evenly matched teams. New Orleans/Lions, Seattle/St. Louis, and tonight’s New England/Buffalo are the most lop-sided matches of the week. All you fanatasy fans had better have started Drew Brees, throwing for 6 touchdowns and 358 yards, he had the biggest opening game in NFL history and tied a Saints' in game record. In the Patriots/Bills game tonight, expect T.O. to have a couple of catches tonight and not much else from the Bills. Tom Brady’s first regular season game back will have a few bumps, but for the most part will be overwhelming for the Bills’ underwhelming secondary. Other than the Kansas City Chief’s surprising decent offense, the 49ers upset over the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals, and Indiana’s lack of scoring, the rest was pretty much a normal day at the office.

While anticipating the 2009 NFL season, the drama of college football was inciting a bang. The two big punches came from Ann Arbor and Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 18th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into Michigan’s “Big House” in Ann Arbor thinking that this Wolverine squad was the same team that lost to Appalachian St. last year only to find a 2nd year coach starting to turn his program around. Several experts (including Lou Holtz and Beano Cook) thought Notre Dame was returning to their former glory just because they aren’t in the stink pot this year and predicted an undefeated, national championship season. Even though they don’t have any ranked team on their schedule besides USC, there’s no way this team will even make it to a BCS game now. We definitively learned that Notre Dame is not the national championship team so many would have loved to believe.

Stillwater, OK. 5th ranked Oklahoma State hosts heavy underdog Houston. The Houston Cougars got out early and it was just too much for the Cowboys to catch up to until they finally took the lead in the 3rd quarter. The fourth quarter became a quick shooting match until the Cougars pulled away in the last 7 minutes of the game. This game was as loud of a wake up call as you can get. Oklahoma State's defense needs some serious work. When it comes time to face Texas, Oklahoma, and even Mike Leach's newly renovated Texas Tech offense, they'll be in serious need to fix some holes. This loss is surely a devastating blow to the Cowboys, but it's also a major blow to the Big 12. With two top 5 losses in the first two weeks for the Big 12, it will take several weeks to bring back legitimacy to their strength of schedules.

As far as the USC/Ohio State game goes, I either drastically overrated USC’s offense, or gave no credit whatsoever to Ohio State’s defense. I haven’t decided yet which is which. Admittedly I put no weight on the power of the 12th man on the field for Ohio State: the crowd. With the Horseshoe filled to capacity at over 102,000, I greatly underrated their influence. USC’s top offensive line was completely neutralized, evening out the mighty Trojan running game. Whether USC’s front five just didn’t show up to play or Ohio State’s defensive line was really that good is difficult to say. One thing’s for sure though, USC did everything they wanted to do the last drive of the 1st half and the last drive of the 2nd half (thanks to Joe McKnight [left]). As far as Ohio State’s offense was concerned, their match up with USC’s spectacular defense was pretty close to what I expected. With the exception of a fluke safety, Ohio State only scores one more field goal than anticipated.

So we’re officially underway. NFL and NCAA are both in full swing and as the top teams try to keep their eyes on the prize, we all keep our eyes open for upsets. We’ve been blessed so far with 3 or 4 big ones in the first few weeks, but don’t get too excited. The best teams always rise to the top. Well… usually.

Super Bowl Champs Pull Out a Squeaker, NFL Back on Top

The NFL season is upon us, and the first game of the year certainly didn’t disappoint. Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers overcame the Titans 13-10 in overtime. But it came with a price, former USC Trojan Troy Polamalu went down and will be out approximately 6 weeks. As the biggest impact player on the Steelers defense, his presence will be greatly missed. These two big physical teams certainly showed that they’re two of the best teams in the NFL and will probably be hanging around at the end of the season. This was probably a preview for the AFC Championship game. Although the Patriots defied all odds and went undefeated, it’s near impossible to win every game, and the Titans will certainly rebound.

In terms of popularity, NFL is still the undisputed heavyweight champion. The season-opening game received incredibly high rating of 17.75 rating. To put that in perspective, it’s the highest TV rating by about 5 points in the last several months. People are aching for football and the NFL has masterfully turned their product into a year-round anticipatory experience. I’m as unbiased a fan as I can possibly be, but I would’ve dropped everything to watch a Raiders vs. Rams opening game, but to see the two of the four AFC powerhouses battling for a good foothold on homefield playoff advantage in September, that’s almost the best opener you could ask for.

There’s really about 4 or 5 teams in the AFC that are relevant and everyone else can be forgotten: Pittsburg, Tennessee, New England, Indianapolis, and Baltimore. AFC Playoffs: #1 Pittsburg (assuming they can still win without Polamalu over the next few weeks), #2 New England, #3 Tennessee, #4 San Diego (because of a weak division), #5 Baltimore (Wild Card), and #6 Indianapolis (Wild Card) – although the Texans might surprise some people and beat the Colts out for this spot.

The NFC is a little more complicated. They’re more like the NBA’s Western conference, there’s a lot of good in the top half, as opposed to the other conference’s top three. The NFC East is going to be a nasty division and the best one to watch. I’ll go ahead and predict the Giants making it to the NFC Championship game and coming out of the division on top, but Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and Redskins… someone could potentially win 11 games in that division and not make the playoffs. I’ll go ahead and make my playoff prediction though, but will also refer to the major disclaimer in my previous syntax. NFC playoffs: #1 Giants, #2 Seattle, #3 Minnesota, #4 Carolina, #5 Dallas, & #6 Arizona.

I’ll stick by my AFC predictions, but if my NFC predictions fall through, I’m deleting this post. Enjoy the NFL season everybody. Football is officially back.

The Axe: Bail Out Johnny

This is something that I needed to get in before the football season starts. I knew a kid in high school who’s favorite team changed every year, we called him Beetle, I don’t know why, but we did. The Ravens win the Super Bowl and Beetle dawns a Baltimore jersey and touts that “the Raven’s are my team, man.” Next year the Patriots take the Lombardi Trophy and the next day he’s wearing a Brady Jersey exclaiming that “I’ve always been with the Pats. I knew it from the beginning of the season.” Not only was this Beetle a bail out Johnny football fan, but he’d do the same for the Yankees, Red Wings, Spurs, and practically every major sport. This is a prime example why so many people hate the major franchises, because guys like Beetle hop from team to team in order to claim false bragging rights.

There’s no problem with liking a team because they’re good, but that’s the way allegiances START. Once you’ve found your team, you need to stick with your team. There are exceptions to every love, but most of us have ties to teams from our childhood. I’ve been a Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was 5 years old. Very few fans have seen more mediocrity and disappointment in the last 15 years of the NFL than KC Chiefs fans, but they are still my team and I will always be their fan. Even after their worst season in franchise history, I am still their fan. Even after they traded my all-time favorite player, Tony Gonzalez, they’re still my favorite team and I hope they go to the Super Bowl. I know they won’t because I’m not “Irrational Fan,” but that’s a topic for another Axe.

A fan CANNOT dump a team because he knows that they’re going to be bad. That is against the unwritten fan-code that puts your forever in Beetle status. My respect for team hoppers is so low, that I seriously wish they would just stop watching sports all together and leave the real participation to people who understand the definitions of honor and loyalty. Do you have to hate everyone else in order to love your team? Of course not, I root for the Saints because I once hung out with Reggie Bush and I like Drew Brees. But if the Saints face the Chiefs, I’d better be rooting for the Chiefs to win by 42 points. Never leave your team. Never abandon ship. If your team’s going down, you go down with the ship. Whether you go down gracefully or kicking and screaming is up to you, but never trade in your team’s jersey for a Beetle costume.

NAACP to March for Vick

Michael Vick makes his debut as a Philadelphia Eagle tonight at Lincoln Financial Field, but apparently his one-year, $1.6 million contract with a second-year team option for $5.2 million wasn’t enough. The NAACP has felt an overwhelming need to march in support of the three-time NFL Pro Bowl, two-time Virginia Penal All-Star. Apparently he hasn’t gotten enough chances.

President of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, J. Whyatt Mondesire, informed the Associated Press that his chapter and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia were going to march tonight. According to ESPN.com, Mondesire said, "We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society, and deserves a second chance, and the animal-rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life." After spending two years in prison only to be released to the option of having one of the most privileged, high-paying jobs in the world wasn’t what this African American Civil Rights group was looking for. They’re holding out for a moral victory.

In short, it just seems as though the rest of the world is confused. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was one of the most, if not the most just cause in the last century. True utopian equality may never be achievable, but the United States has made it a priority over the last 50 years, and rightfully so. Will there be discrimination even with the current social and political legislature in place? Absolutely, but there will be unfairness towards all races in these relatively infrequent occurrences, including Caucasian males. But these scenarios happen due to bigoted individuals that could stare freedom in the face and laugh at it, never having changed for the better. So what are groups like the NAACP and other minority rights organizations to do once their main cause has been achieved? I guess they support convicted felon soon-to-be-millionaire pro-athletes get more.

Whether or not he’s being treated fairly by animal rights groups is irrelevant. He’s a high profile public figure who lives in a world of different rules. He’s done his time, yes, but does that simply mean all is forgiven? Truthfully, no. There is still a long way that Vick has to go to redeem himself in the court of public opinion. It’s not just the dog fighting, but the marijuana charges before he was sentenced. It’s the life-long career of making bad decisions. It’s even, unfortunately, the legal problems of his younger brother. Vick has paid his debt to society through his prison time, but he still has to take responsibilities for his actions. That’s what it appears the animal rights groups are trying to do, however overzealous they may be.

So the question remains for the rest of the country, how many chances should Michael Vick get before a march of support is no longer necessary? This Jail Bird turned Eagle should feel like the luckiest guy in the world. By all accounts, the NFL was within their rights to ban him from the NFL for life. But he’s not only got another chance, but is once again in the front pages with pretty good PR, playing for a potential major playoff contender, and has an opportunity to make more money in two years than many honest, hard-working, non-felony-committing Americans make in a lifetime. So what is this march about again?

"We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society, and deserves a second chance, and the animal-rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life."

Second chances, that’s right. Oh wait, couldn’t this be considered a third chance? Or maybe a fourth? Potentially a fifth for several separate questionable endeavors? Or does several years of calculated bad mistakes (when done over a long period of time are no longer “mistakes” but personality traits) all bundle up into one chance? Animal rights groups would probably cry that every animal he abused was each it’s own individual chance for redemption that he failed. And I might be willing to agree with them.

One thing is for certain, this NAACP pro-Vick march not only feels unnecessary, but could easily become a turn off to trying to give Michael Vick more of anything. He got what he deserved, now he’s getting what he doesn’t. So why march? I’m all for giving him the opportunity to play in the NFL, I’m in agreement with the NAACP on that. If Roger Goodell hadn’t given him the opportunity, I might have rallied for him because even though he doesn’t deserve a second, third, fourth chance, it shows mercy and compassion on the side of the NFL and gives the American public an opportunity to forgive. Even if he didn’t get the chance, the NAACP shouldn’t have anything to do with it because it has NOTHING to do with the fact that he’s African American. It’s because of his actions, not his color.

Hopefully, this won’t blow up in anyone’s face and make the NAACP look like the National Association for the Advancement of Dog Fighting. Regardless, this will probably be enough for the ready-at-the-drop-of-a-hat Animal Rights groups to shout “PHILISTINES!” from the rooftops (even though the dog of one of Vick’s most fervent critics recently died after being left in a hot car). For the record, PETA has not scheduled a pro-Vick march at this time.

Brett Farve: Vain or Indecisive?

Now that Brett Farve is back (again) and happens to be playing for his former team’s division rival, many questions were raised about his once again waffley flip-flop return. Is he just drawing this out because he just loves the attention? Did he sign for the Vikings out of some unquenchable spite against Green Bay? Or is he just some confused old man?

This 39 year-old superstar may be in his 70s in NFL years, but he still has a cannon who could probably still blast the ball 60 yards if he needed to. After all of the injuries and surgery, he could be the $25 million dollar man, rebuilt better and stronger. Brett Farve, Quarterback. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Brett Farve will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster. Regardless of bionic capabilities, he can still play. Maybe not as well as he did 10 years ago, but he still has mileage left in him, and he certainly makes the game more interesting when he’s taking snaps.

Whether he acts from a spirit of vanity is another question and one that only Farve could answer. From the public eye, it could certainly appear so. But whether you love, hate, or are just plain tired of Brett Farve being in the news, it’s undeniable that he loves to play the game. This Southern boy has a heart for the game more than almost anyone and simply cannot deal with a life on the sideline. His flip-flopping doesn’t have anything to do with being in the limelight, he wants to play, but doesn’t know whether he can withstand the rigors of making it through an entire season. If you think about it, any professional goes through the same process. Any CEO loves the perks of their job, but doesn’t want to deal with all of the meetings, traveling, and grunt work that goes along with being successful. When it comes time to retire, it’s very easy to let those perks entice you to stay longer than you should, but in the end, it’s your decision on whether you stay or go. That’s where Farve is now. He wants the perks, but not the pain. So he holds out and is able to miss training camp. Farve: 1, Brad Childress & Vikings front office: 0.

In the end, the Vikings are a better team with Farve on the roster. Are they a better team 3 years from now? We’ll have to see how the ball bounces in terms of upcoming drafts and trades because once Farve leaves, they’re going to be in the same seat they were a month ago: without a leading quarterback. Farve will probably waffle again in two years (or possibly even next year) about staying or playing. We might even get a heart-felt, tear-laden delivery on Sports Center, which he will probably sincerely mean. But Farve really won’t be content playing golf on a Sunday in November until he has to use a walker to get there. He’ll be playing until his body won’t let him anymore, and then maybe he’ll try for a few more games after that. So let’s all just be prepared to see Brett Farve in a jersey until he’s old, tired, and grumpy wearing Velcro shoes.