It's championship Saturday, Ohio State is struggling on offense, somehow the Minnesota defense has found the formula to shut down one of the best offenses in the country. On the other side of the ball Chase Young has been out since the 2nd drive with an apparent hamstring injury and the Gophers offense has used that to their advantage. Minnesota is holding a 13 point lead with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Suddenly Ohio State has life, Fields starts finding his receivers and the Buckeyes march down the field and get the game with 6 at the 3 minute mark. Ohio State elects to kick it deep with 3 time outs remaining. Minnesota obliges and Ohio State gets the ball back with 2:35 left on the clock. Fields again gets it going as the Buckeyes drive the 68 yards and score a TD as time expires, it's pandemonium, the roof is ready to blow off Lucas Oil Stadium, the Buckeyes need an extra point to win the Big Ten Title and finish the season 13-0. They snap it back and a Minnesota LB Carter Coughlin blocks the kick, defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. scoops it up and runs the ball 90 yards the other way and converts giving Minnesota a 29-27 win and they win the Big Ten Championship. PJ Fleck is rowing his way to the Rose Bowl, somewhere the Gophers haven't been to since 1962. What an amazing moment, you can't believe it happened, you look on social media and what is everyone talking about? Fox throws it to the studio show what are they talking about? You watch Sportscenter, what are they talking about? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE PLAYOFF. An incredible turn of events ruined by one talking point, "does Minnesota belong in the playoff?" And that my friends is why the playoff sucks.
The college football playoff is a cool idea in theory, we take 4 teams let them settle it on the field. My problem with playoff though is it takes moments like the one above, possibly the most unlikely scenario in the history of football, (aside from the kick 6 and Michigan vs Michigan State 2015), and makes it the second part of the story because of the all important playoff. The playoff hangs over college football like a cloud all year long. Lose a game in September, what does this mean for their playoff chances. A "surprise" team is 8-0 entering November, "why doesn't the playoff committee respect us." Alabama, "how is the playoff committee going to make sure they make it." The playoff which let's be honest really only affects about 8 teams in college football, is the driving force behind every conversation about the game. No other sport has these discussions because the margin for error is much broader in every other sport. It riles up fan bases and makes their expectations super high.
To me college football is special and unique, it has it's flaws. Mainly the CTE without getting paid, but that's slowly changing. I prefer the college game to the NFL, not because I think it's a better game but because I like seeing guys with flaws make plays. There is an excitement to a college game that you just don't get in the pro's, that's my opinion it's probably wrong just me though. Part of the specialness of the college game is playing your neighbors, and all of your neighbors have a team. College is built on rivalries, whether it's OSU-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, Army-Navy, even Colorado State-Wyoming, which I didn't know was a rivalry until Josh Allen called Colorado State the sheep last week. Being regional is what drives the game. What the playoff does, is it takes some of the edge out of that rivalry. 2 weeks ago a small but vocal group of Iowa fans called the Minnesota game "meaningless" after Iowa's loss to Wisconsin thus leaving Iowa out of the B1G Championship Game. When you play Minnesota for Floyd of Rosedale it isn't meaningless, it's a big ass game and I don't care if Minnesota is 9-0 or 0-9, it means more. But the playoff has changed the narrative, as soon and someone not in the chosen ones loses a game their season is "over" and the bowl game is "meaningless" and winning 9 games is "mediocre" and so on and so on. Basically the playoff has given fans another thing to bitch about and they don't need more to bitch about.
And that's the next point, the playoff just turns into a big bitchfest. Why does the SEC and ACC only play 8 conference games while the other 3 conferences play 9, THAT'S NOT FAIR. Your cupcakes were softer than our cupcakes. We play our cupcakes September not November. They haven't played anyone, And on and on it goes. College Football lives for debate, but the playoff hasn't squashed any of the debate, in fact it's enhanced it. Instead of arguing over 2 teams claiming a National Title, we're arguing over why Penn State was ranked ahead of someone they lost too when Penn State had a huge game in 4 days and when the new rankings were coming out they would either have earned that spot by winning their huge game or fallen back behind by losing that game. Look I did this dance in 2015, I yelled at the TV, demanding respect for Iowa, but I also said if they go 13-0 they will get in. The debates are so over the top they are basically political all the time, there is so much "what about isms" it's a joke. People brag about who they lost too, well our loss is better than your loss so we should be higher. That's so stupid, winning doesn't matter anymore it's all about who you lose too.
Another thing about the playoff is 2 of the last 3 years it was unnecessary, Alabama and Clemson destroyed their opponents both years as #1 and #2, now it doesn't always happen that way but we everyone knew they were the best 2 teams them seasons, the semifinals were formalities. It's just and unneeded extra game that gets played on weird nights because of when New Year's Day is and the Rose Bowls refusal to not be New Years Day in the late afternoon. In the BCS, or even the prehistoric preBCS days the champ game could be played without the crappy 31-0 drubbing in the semifinal. Those games aren't entertaining and that's what the playoff is, a television show for entertainment.
That brings me to my final point, what is the goal of college football every season? Crowning a National Champion is cool and all, but to me it isn't the most important part of the season. If winning a National Championship was the goal for everyone then after week 3 80% of teams would be done. To me college football is about everything I've written about, it's about your rivals first, then your conference, and if you're good enough then we can talk National Titles, but with the playoff those first 2 things become mute because winning a conference title isn't a prerequisite for the playoff. The playoff is fine if it's put in proper perspective, but it isn't. The playoff drives the narrative of college football year round and drives fan bases crazy for no reason. Let's go back to the BCS and with just 1 game, let's get the magic back in college football, and let's have fun arguments instead of these silly playoff discussions 1 minute after every game.
That's all I got for this one, I know my opinion is unpopular but I'm ok with that. This was kind of a jumbled mess but I think I got my points across. Hit me up on twitter @derekbredeson. Come back next week for more, maybe.......
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Them Cheating Cheaters
It's been over a week since Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich blew the lid off Major League Baseball by publishing a report about the Houston Astros using a sophisticated system to steal signs from the catcher and a not so sophisticated way or relaying the signs to the hitter during the 2017 regular season. If you haven't yet go to the Athletic and read their reporting, they have a follow up story about telling their scouts to film signs when they are in opposing stadiums. After reading the article for on twitter and find @jomboy as he breaks down the at bat in 2017 that Rosenthal and Drellich use as a testimony from former White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar. The video is very damning. Since then there have been a few questions about the practice and I figured why not give my view on a couple parts of this. I haven't done much research aside from reading the original article and watching a couple ABs from Astros hitters from 2017 where you can hear the banging before a home run.
First question: Is it cheating? Yes, in my opinion it's cheating. You got a runner on 2nd, he picks up the signs and relays them to the hitter, that's gamesmenship, you put a camera in CF and have a guy bang a garbage can with no runners on base that's cheating. Sign stealing by humans is as old as baseball and part of the game. What the Astros did is over the line, you can't have that kind of system in place. An employee sitting there banging a garbage can watching a monitor in real time is cheating beyond cheating. The signs from a catcher to a pitcher are important for many reasons and one of the biggest is player and umpire safety, if a catcher isn't sure what pitch is coming he's in danger. Every watched a video of a catcher crossed up, it usually doesn't end well. Anyway so signs are a necessity and aren't going away. They must be protected, especially in this era where MLB limits how many times a catcher can talk to a pitcher in the middle of an inning.
Second question: Are the Astros the lone offenders? I doubt they are, but the Astros are maybe the most hated franchise in baseball at the moment and other clubs are willing to line up and speak out against their actions. The Astros from office isn't well liked for some of their practices (see ex: Osuna, Roberto) and I think other clubs were willing to let their players put their names on this report with repercussion just to make the Astros look bad. I'm not sure who else could have been doing it and I doubt we'll ever find out, the Red Sox were fined after 2017 for using Apple Watches to communicate during the game. One of my favorite games is wondering who is the worst team from 2017 to use this cheating method, like if the Giants or Tigers cheated their way to 64-98 records how funny would that be? Anyway I'm sure this story is far from over so in due time another team or 3 will be named.
Third question: What should be done? This is wear this get tough, what can MLB do to the Astros or any other club found to be cheating to this magnitude. The Red Sox were fined in 2017. Early word is the Astros could be fined 2 million dollars and draft picks, honestly drop in the bucket. 2 million is nothing to these teams, so I think MLB has to come down hard. They can't take the World Series title away, they aren't the NCAA. I think they have to come down on the faces of the franchise and I propose, 200 game suspension for AJ Hinch (the manager) and 3 year ban for Jeffrey Luhnow (the general manager). MLB has to show they take this seriously much like the NFL came down on the Saints after bounty gate. Hinch was feet away from the garbage can so you know he was aware of the system, and Luhnow is in charge of everything so he had to approve the scheme. I don't think you can go after the players but you can make an example of the team, and hopefully put an end to this.
That's it for this one, I'm looking forward to seeing what MLB does and if they find out more than the initial report. Either way it's a bad look for baseball and not what you want in the off season news cycle. Let me know your thoughts on twitter @derekbredeson or drop a comment. Hoping to keep doing a couple of these a month.
First question: Is it cheating? Yes, in my opinion it's cheating. You got a runner on 2nd, he picks up the signs and relays them to the hitter, that's gamesmenship, you put a camera in CF and have a guy bang a garbage can with no runners on base that's cheating. Sign stealing by humans is as old as baseball and part of the game. What the Astros did is over the line, you can't have that kind of system in place. An employee sitting there banging a garbage can watching a monitor in real time is cheating beyond cheating. The signs from a catcher to a pitcher are important for many reasons and one of the biggest is player and umpire safety, if a catcher isn't sure what pitch is coming he's in danger. Every watched a video of a catcher crossed up, it usually doesn't end well. Anyway so signs are a necessity and aren't going away. They must be protected, especially in this era where MLB limits how many times a catcher can talk to a pitcher in the middle of an inning.
Second question: Are the Astros the lone offenders? I doubt they are, but the Astros are maybe the most hated franchise in baseball at the moment and other clubs are willing to line up and speak out against their actions. The Astros from office isn't well liked for some of their practices (see ex: Osuna, Roberto) and I think other clubs were willing to let their players put their names on this report with repercussion just to make the Astros look bad. I'm not sure who else could have been doing it and I doubt we'll ever find out, the Red Sox were fined after 2017 for using Apple Watches to communicate during the game. One of my favorite games is wondering who is the worst team from 2017 to use this cheating method, like if the Giants or Tigers cheated their way to 64-98 records how funny would that be? Anyway I'm sure this story is far from over so in due time another team or 3 will be named.
Third question: What should be done? This is wear this get tough, what can MLB do to the Astros or any other club found to be cheating to this magnitude. The Red Sox were fined in 2017. Early word is the Astros could be fined 2 million dollars and draft picks, honestly drop in the bucket. 2 million is nothing to these teams, so I think MLB has to come down hard. They can't take the World Series title away, they aren't the NCAA. I think they have to come down on the faces of the franchise and I propose, 200 game suspension for AJ Hinch (the manager) and 3 year ban for Jeffrey Luhnow (the general manager). MLB has to show they take this seriously much like the NFL came down on the Saints after bounty gate. Hinch was feet away from the garbage can so you know he was aware of the system, and Luhnow is in charge of everything so he had to approve the scheme. I don't think you can go after the players but you can make an example of the team, and hopefully put an end to this.
That's it for this one, I'm looking forward to seeing what MLB does and if they find out more than the initial report. Either way it's a bad look for baseball and not what you want in the off season news cycle. Let me know your thoughts on twitter @derekbredeson or drop a comment. Hoping to keep doing a couple of these a month.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Top 10
The beauty of music is that whatever music hits you and makes you groove makes that music good to you. I have been guilty of telling people their music sucks but I've tried to change that mentality in recent years. You can't help what a song makes someone feel, whether it's a memory, an important point in their life, or even the video being so good they learned to love the song. So in my return to blogging I'm going to publish my top 10 songs ever. This list could change in a week, it could be the same in a year, you never know, hell I might find a song I love tomorrow (not likely I've hit the point where new music isn't for me and I've accepted that, I'm 37 nobody writes good music after they turn 35). So here we go, my favorite songs ever, ever ever.
#1 Metallia "Nothing Else Matter" I used to listen to the Black Album every night when going to bed. I had a portable CD player and little speakers plugged into the head phone jack. I listened to that CD every night for 3 years. Nothing Else Matter was and still is my favorite song from that album, you don't hear it often but the song just speaks to me in a lot of ways.
#2 Notorious B.I.G. ft/ Bone Thugs and Harmony "Notorious Thugs" Another song from my high school years. I got Life After Death and would listen to it on the way to basketball and baseball games. Notorious Thugs was a great start to the double album and I usually played it right before getting off the bus, I'll still play the CD every once in a while.
#3 Billy Joel "Piano Man" In my college years my brothers and I would lock arms and sing this song at every party and we still do it at weddings. I know all the words and in my drunker years I would sing it at karaoke without looking at the screen.
#4 Gary Allen "Right Where I Need to Be" It's the song I chose for our first dance at our wedding, we went and saw Gary Allen for our 5th anniversary. Was a great show and a fun night, still love the song and reminds me of the days when I first met my wife and I was traveling all over the place for work.
#5 Sevendust "Face to Face" You want to see me make a fool of myself? Play this song and I lose my shit, I have no idea why but it just hits me. The words and the music just fit and it's the best damn Sevendust song there is. I become a 1 man mosh pit whenever it hits.
#6 Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" It's the best damn pop song ever in my opinion. It's catchy as all hell, it's got the perfect verses and the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders made the best version of the lip synch video. This song is my damn jam, I love it I love it I love it.
#7 Nelly "Batter Up" I like Nelly, I like baseball, Nelly raps a song with baseball as the theme, what else could you want? It's on the Country Grammar CD and I wore this song out with Country Grammar, Ride Wit Me, and St. Louie. Man that album was the album of the summer in 2000, you couldn't get away from it. I remember moving into my dorm that fall and 4 rooms had the album playing and after I got my stereo plugged in it was 5 rooms, so many memories. Plus Nelly and Ali do play by play on the song, so great.
#8 Dispatch "The General" This entire idea started the other day when I heard this song on Pandora and it got me thinking about what my top 10 are. I found this song years after it was made but I still love the hell out of it. It's just a simple song that's totally great and has a great story. It doesn't have some deep meaning to me, I just love it.
#9 Rise Against "From Heads Unworthy" Such a damn good song. Falls into that category of not the most popular song on the album, but the deep cuts are what true fans like, right? I'm kidding but seriously I love this song, it's got 3 different breakdowns in it, lots of great lyrics. One lyric I love, "I'm not after fame and fortune, I'm after you, when I served my time I swear I will come back for you" just that verse makes the whole song for me, so good.
#10 Semisonic "Closing Time" Well much like my wedding I have to end with this one. Not sure why, but it's been my jam forever. I can't remember when the light bulb went off for me but it hasn't gone off yet. The song is about life and it's a great listen, just remember "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here."
There you have it, my favorite 10 songs. You may not like it and think I'm crazy but that's the beauty of music, everyone hears it differently. Of course I would be remiss to have an honorable mention. Every song from the first 2 Linkin Park Albums, every song from Eric Church's Chief Album, "Happy" by Mudvayne, "Psychosocial" Slipknot, "South Texas Death Ride" The Union Underground, and "Breathe" Nickleback. That's the list, let me know some of your favs, we can hash it out. Follow me on Twitter @DerekBredeson and who knows I might do a few more of these.
#1 Metallia "Nothing Else Matter" I used to listen to the Black Album every night when going to bed. I had a portable CD player and little speakers plugged into the head phone jack. I listened to that CD every night for 3 years. Nothing Else Matter was and still is my favorite song from that album, you don't hear it often but the song just speaks to me in a lot of ways.
#2 Notorious B.I.G. ft/ Bone Thugs and Harmony "Notorious Thugs" Another song from my high school years. I got Life After Death and would listen to it on the way to basketball and baseball games. Notorious Thugs was a great start to the double album and I usually played it right before getting off the bus, I'll still play the CD every once in a while.
#3 Billy Joel "Piano Man" In my college years my brothers and I would lock arms and sing this song at every party and we still do it at weddings. I know all the words and in my drunker years I would sing it at karaoke without looking at the screen.
#4 Gary Allen "Right Where I Need to Be" It's the song I chose for our first dance at our wedding, we went and saw Gary Allen for our 5th anniversary. Was a great show and a fun night, still love the song and reminds me of the days when I first met my wife and I was traveling all over the place for work.
#5 Sevendust "Face to Face" You want to see me make a fool of myself? Play this song and I lose my shit, I have no idea why but it just hits me. The words and the music just fit and it's the best damn Sevendust song there is. I become a 1 man mosh pit whenever it hits.
#6 Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" It's the best damn pop song ever in my opinion. It's catchy as all hell, it's got the perfect verses and the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders made the best version of the lip synch video. This song is my damn jam, I love it I love it I love it.
#7 Nelly "Batter Up" I like Nelly, I like baseball, Nelly raps a song with baseball as the theme, what else could you want? It's on the Country Grammar CD and I wore this song out with Country Grammar, Ride Wit Me, and St. Louie. Man that album was the album of the summer in 2000, you couldn't get away from it. I remember moving into my dorm that fall and 4 rooms had the album playing and after I got my stereo plugged in it was 5 rooms, so many memories. Plus Nelly and Ali do play by play on the song, so great.
#8 Dispatch "The General" This entire idea started the other day when I heard this song on Pandora and it got me thinking about what my top 10 are. I found this song years after it was made but I still love the hell out of it. It's just a simple song that's totally great and has a great story. It doesn't have some deep meaning to me, I just love it.
#9 Rise Against "From Heads Unworthy" Such a damn good song. Falls into that category of not the most popular song on the album, but the deep cuts are what true fans like, right? I'm kidding but seriously I love this song, it's got 3 different breakdowns in it, lots of great lyrics. One lyric I love, "I'm not after fame and fortune, I'm after you, when I served my time I swear I will come back for you" just that verse makes the whole song for me, so good.
#10 Semisonic "Closing Time" Well much like my wedding I have to end with this one. Not sure why, but it's been my jam forever. I can't remember when the light bulb went off for me but it hasn't gone off yet. The song is about life and it's a great listen, just remember "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here."
There you have it, my favorite 10 songs. You may not like it and think I'm crazy but that's the beauty of music, everyone hears it differently. Of course I would be remiss to have an honorable mention. Every song from the first 2 Linkin Park Albums, every song from Eric Church's Chief Album, "Happy" by Mudvayne, "Psychosocial" Slipknot, "South Texas Death Ride" The Union Underground, and "Breathe" Nickleback. That's the list, let me know some of your favs, we can hash it out. Follow me on Twitter @DerekBredeson and who knows I might do a few more of these.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Chase Utley
If you follow me or the QC Hassle guys on Twitter you might of saw how we passed the time during the World Series and part of the NLCS. It all started with a terrible tweet by me, I asked if anyone could describe Chase Utley's hair cut to me. And well this started. I didn't filter anything, I tried my best to find all of them on twitter, our threads were all over the place and we had a lot of reply fails, but here you go. Some are awesome and some suck but let me know what you think either in the comments or on twitter. I would love to pick 10-20 and do something cool or put them all in some sort of coffee table book, if anyone has access to a printing press. So again starting in the NLCS Dodgers vs Cubs I tweeted, Can someone talk to Chase Utley about his hair?
Utley looks like the guy who worked at his dad’s insurance
agency for 12 years while being the Assistant Coach of the local High School
baseball team. Then the Head Coach job was opening up, so he returned to
college as a non-traditional to get his education degree. Now he is currently your P.E. Student Teacher
and it’s just awkward. @JAY_FOS
Now he’s in his late 30’s and thinks he’s still got it so he
goes all out at open gyms for the basketball team. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley would name his kid Chase Utley Jr. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley would throw inside at coach pitch 8U Little
League @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley once started a bench clearing brawl at the
company softball game. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley threatens to take his bat & ball and go
home, and he does. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley argues balls and strikes at beer league
softball. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley coaches his daughters Junior High Basketball
team and dunks on them during drills. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley thinks it’s hilarious to start a foot race with
“Ready. Set. Smoke a Cigarette.” @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley barks out coverages on defense playing 2 hand
touch football in the back yard. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley replies to every @ tweet. But only with “You Mad
Bro?” & “Why So Serious?” GIFs. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley buys college girls drinks all night and tries to
fight their boyfriends in the parking lot at bar time. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley loves the song “Don’t Stop Believing.” @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley orders a Seagrams 7 & 7Up drinks by saying,
“I’ll have a 14.” @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley drives a Firebird with the T-Tops off year round
and has Whitesnake on repeat in the CD player. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley offers to help you move apartments but he
doesn’t lift anything and just eats your pizza and drinks your beer for
“helping: @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley always screams “I GOT IT,” after hitting a pop
fly. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley has a “Gas, Ass, or Grass Nobody Rides For Free”
sticker in the back window of his pick up. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley licks Puig’s bats. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley always tells his taxi drivers the “quickest way
to get there” directions. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley always takes your last beer. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley is a HUGE Game of Thrones fan. Big Time. Like,
the biggest. Owns every season. Read every book. Don’t believe him? Just ask
him. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley is secretly a scientology follower. @troythewino
Chase Utley believes MLB would be better if Brian McCann
were the commissioner. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley knocks his empty glass on the bar & calls
the female bartender a barmaid #Dodgers. @troythewino
Chase Utley thinks Hooter Waitresses and Stripper really
like him. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley never takes less than 17 items into the 12 items
express register at the grocery store. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley is completely unaware on how to navigate a
roundabout. @troythewino
Chase Utley spent your entire wedding hitting on your mom.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley hit on my wife at my wedding. @troythewino
Chase Utley raps on the Burger King spice spice baby nugget
commercial. @troythewino
Chase Utley owns 2 pit bulls, 3 cats, a guinea pig, 1 boa
snake, & 14 chickens in a coop. Guess what they are named? Yep-Chase Utley.
@JAY_FOS
These are the Chase Utley Games 1 and 2 of the World Series
Tweets
Chase Utley sings Journey at Karoake bars. @milrey76
Chase Utley gives kids fun-sized tins of long cut Skoal
every Halloween @DaveLevora
Chase Utley still says “spoiler alert” when he talks about
the Sixth Sense. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley has a cigar box stuffed with ticket stubs from
every Limp Bizkit concert he’s ever attended. @davelevora
Chase Utley calls Peoria “Little Chicago.” @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley clears his browser history daily. @troythewino
Chase Utley strongly argues Billy Martin’s side of the
“Pinetar Incident.” @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley hope the #WorldSeries gets over in 5 games so he
can go trick or treating on Tuesday in his favorite costume-Chase Utely.
@JAY_FOS
Chase Utley routinely takes sleeping pills because he wants
to prove his 1984 statement, “I would totally kick Freddy Kruger’s ass.” @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley secretly drums for GWAR. @troythewino
Chase Utley still uses Ask Jeeves as his search engine.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley gets excited when his AOL account says “you got
mail.” @troythewino
Chase Utley thinks “Pressure” and “Ice Ice Baby” sound
nothing alike. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley uses the “Stars and Scrubs” approach to his
auction fantasy baseball team. He pays $238 for Chase Utley $1 per scrub.
@JAY_FOS
Chase Utley thinks Jerry Maguire is a sports movie.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley was on Family Feud by himself. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley thinks the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Braves were
successful. @milrey76
Chase Utley thought that game sucked. @DerekBredeson (game 2
World Series)
Chase Utley thinks Tony Romo is terrible in the NFL booth
and Troy Aikman is fantastic. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley think Applebee’s is his neighborhood bar and
grill. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley only plays Powerball because lottery scratch off
tickets “are for pussies.” @davelevora
Chase Utley tells people that Jack Dawson & the movie
“Titanic” is loosely based upon him and paddleboat accident he once was in.
@JAY_FOS
Chase Utley only tells “you had to be there” stories.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley prefers the original Cy-Hawk Trophy. @tykash21
Chase Utley thinks Blue Moon is a craft beer. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley thinks Major League 3 is the best movie in the
franchise. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley needs assistance every time he uses self check
out at the grocery store. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley bets $1 on every dog in the number 6 race just
so he can say he won later on. @milrey76
Chase Utley was deputized by the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s
Department. @milrey76
Chase Utley always leaves just his phone number as hit tip
to waitresses. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley got stuck in the 53rd St Middle Rd
roundabout for 23 minutes. @troythewino
Chase Utley will shake off all steal signs because you
should pay for that fucking Doritos Locos taco you hippie. @milrey76
Chase Utley starts all his tweets with “Don’t @ me.”
@JAY_FOS
Chase Utley thinks he’s better looking than Jay Foster &
Bryce Harper. @troythewino
Chase Utley gives Natural Light a 5 on Untappd.
@DerekBredeson
Now these are from games 6 and 7 of the World Series
Chase Utley gives fun size granola bars out for Halloween.
@derekbredeson
Chase Utley wears Chase Utley pajamas. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley only gets on base by unlikely hit by pitches. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley asked to be the most interesting man in the
world. Denied. @troythewino
Chase Utley prefers the Godfather Part 3. @milrey76
Chase Utley has a MOM tattoo on his bicep….still thinks it
says WOW. @troythewino
Chase Utley thinks he’s funny when every time he goes to
Burger King he orders a Big Mac. @DerekBredeson
6-4-3=2 6-Utley-3=Safe. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley didn’t join Scientology because he failed
Biology. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley ALWAYS dekes a tag. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley just tagged the dirt, that isn’t a “Chase Utley”
joke, he literally just did it. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley wants a Turner mask for Halloween. @troythewino
Chase Utley hasn’t been taken out like that since prom.
@troythewino
Chase Utley insists on separate checks. @milrey76
Chase Utley gives his entire name when ordering Starbucks.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley bought Joe Buck that tie. @troythewino
Chase Utley just sent that brunette back left of home plate
a hot dog. @troythewino
Chase Utley plays 2 innings and is spent. @DerekBredeson
In High School Chase Utley worked at Foot Locker and called
fouls on the customers. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley talks himself INTO speeding tickets.
@DerekBredeson
If the Dodger lose Chase Utley is going to put his World
Series ring on and tell his teammates see what I did without you fucks.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley still shops at Spencers. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley knows Carly Simon was singing about him.;
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley keeps photos of himself in his wallet.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley has a bumper sticker that says “I Chase Utley am
an honor roll student at Chase Utley Junior High.” @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley is celebrating in the Dodgers Clubhouse right
now and when asked why he says because I’m Chase Utley and just keep raging.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley is upset Chase Utley wasn’t named World Series
MVP
Chase Utley wrote his autobiography but he refuses to read
it because reading is for nerds. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley would choose Limp Bizkits “My Way” as his
retirement song. @milrey76
Chase Utley cock blocks his wing man. @DerekBredeosn
Chase Utley always takes up two parking spots so his ’87 Camaro
doesn’t get door dinged. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley created and runs his own Twitter fan account,
you can follow him @UtleyChasers. @crap_heads (that might be me, but don’t tell
anyone)
Chase Utley calls fouls in pick up basketball at the Y.
@milrey76
Chase Utley thinks Dane Cook is funny. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley requests music at the Strip club. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley has all of Mark Wahlberg’s movies on blu ray.
@milrey76
Chase Utley brings a gun to a knife fight. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley gives all his one night stands an autographed
Chase Utley baseball card. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley gave himself a nickname, that nickname is Chase
Utley. @crap_heads
Chase led the Dodgers team huddle before the game and said “play
like Chase Utley tonight and we’ll win.” @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley’s favorite Van Halen front man? You guess it, Chase
Utley. @milrey76
Chase Utley quote retweets his own tweets when he tweets
something that hits. @tykash21
Chase Utley joins into jokes a week and half late and isn’t
funny. @DerekBredeson
Chase Utley stacks his license plate registration stickers
above the old ones vertically. @tykash21
Chase Utley has personalized plates that read I (heart
emoji) UTLEY. @DerekBredeson.
Chase Utley is now dating Madonna. @troythewino
Chase Utley has broken up with Madonna. Now looking for a
hotty from Philly. @troythewino
Chase Utley is going to write the forward for Brian McCann’s
ironically titled book “Unwritten Rules of Baseball.” @milrey76
Chase Utley just started telling anyone in earshot about how
long he has been a Houston Astros fan. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley never breaks kayfabe. @milrey76
Chase Utley still hasn’t decided on what to order when the
busy bartender finally gets to him. @tykash21
Chase Utley just put $20 worth of Journey songs on the jukebox.
@milrey76
Chase Utley orders his steak well done with ketchup.
@tykash21
Chase Utley never hits on 16 at blackjack. @milrey76
Chase Utley invented the gimmick of asking someone if they
can hear your middle finger and then asking if they want you to “turn it up.”
@davelevora
Chase Utley owns a golf cart with a T-Top roof and naked
lady silhouette mud flaf. He has never played golf. @davelevora
Chase Utley has Monster Mash as his ringtone. 365 days a
year. @davelevora
Chase Utley really seems like a cat person. @tykash21
If Chase Utley started a band he would insist on calling it “The
Chase Utley Experience” and it’s all Dave Mathews covers. @milrey76
Chase Utley calls out “oh Chase Utley” when he climaxes.
@DerekBredeson
Chase Utley tells people he was the ghost writer for that
2014 SI cover article predicting the Astros WS Champ. @JAY_FOS
Chase Utley saw this and said he would kick your ass but it
was leg day at the gym and he’s a little sore. @DerekBredeson
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Super Bowl LI Preview.
A tradition unlike any other, my annual Super Bowl Preview. I only turn this thing on once a year and that's to do a tale of the tape for the upcoming Super Bowl. I'll break it down by positions until we have our winner, with no further ado let's check out the Falcons and the Patriots.
QB Advantage: Patriots, This is nothing against Matt Ryan this is only because according to this reporter Tom Brady is the greatest ever. Brady playing in his 7th Super Bowl with a chance to win his 5th (most for a QB). Brady and Ryan are both playing at a high level but if you look at who has what, (which we'll get to) Tom has the slight edge. If both guys plays to their abilities we'll have one hell of a game.
RB Advantage: Falcons, I like the 3 headed monster New England rolls out with Blount, Lewis, and White, but Freeman and Coleman are both studs. For context I used Tevin Coleman in fantasy football all year and he was the "back up." Last week Coleman torched Green Bay, with his running and pass catching, him and Dion Lewis are a lot alike but Coleman is better and Freeman is a lot better than Blount who hasn't gotten going in the postseason.
WR Advantage: Falcons, no #disrspkt to New England's white guy posse, but Julio Jones is in the conversation for best WR in the league. Sanu is a good 2nd fiddle and that Gabriel can be a secret weapon of sorts. I love Edelman, Hogan, and Amendola but Julio is a match up nightmare and if he does his thing, Atlanta should be in business.
TE Advantage: New England, Martellus Bennet has the edge on Austin Hooper only because of his age and experience. Imagine if New England had Gronk.
Offensive Line Advantage: Falcons, Atlanta has started all 18 games with the same Offensive Line, that's a huge deal. Center Alex Mack got dinged in the NFC Championship Game but should be back. If one of these teams can run the ball they will win. The lines have to be sharp in pass protection and stay away from penalties.
Defensive Line Advantage: Push, I will admit I haven't watched much of either team, but from what I saw last week, New England will only rush four. Atlanta did get after Aaron Rodgers a little bit but not much with just 4 guys. If New England can get to Matt Ryan with just 4 guys huge advantage to them.
LB Advantage: Falcons, only because I like Vic Beasley, other than that not sure. New England really relies on the LB's in pass coverage, will be interesting how/if they use LB pressure to get to Matt Ryan.
Secondary Advantage: Patriots, and they're gonna need it. The Belichik Formula is we'll take away your best weapon, so if they neutralize Julio then they got a shot. Against Pittsburgh they sat back in zone and rallied to the receiver. Atlanta has a different obstacle, to stop the short passing and WR screen game of the Patriots. This will be where the game is won, if someone can force a turnover they get the advantage.
Special Teams Advantage: Push, the kickers are the same, punters won't be a factor and either of the returners have ability to break one.
Coach Advantage: Patriots, this isn't even close. Belichick is in the pantheon of great coaches, Dan Quinn isn't.
Final Score: Patriots 4 Falcons 4, a first ever tie. Can't say I planned it but it just so worked out perfectly. I don't have a good feel for this game, I love Brady but I also like Atlanta. I'm a Julio guy since his Bama days and Matt Ryan is my QB on my Madden Franchise. This is the first Super Bowl I can remember where I'll be happy no matter who wins. Brady and Belichick getting #5 would be special and maybe people would realize they are witnessing history. On the other hand Atlanta getting one would be awesome for the franchise the great players on their team. Let's have a great game and good time watching, enjoy. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson for my thoughts during the game and in general, see ya next year. Forgot my score prediction, New England 36 Atlanta 35, Patriots score as time expires and they go for 2 and get it.
QB Advantage: Patriots, This is nothing against Matt Ryan this is only because according to this reporter Tom Brady is the greatest ever. Brady playing in his 7th Super Bowl with a chance to win his 5th (most for a QB). Brady and Ryan are both playing at a high level but if you look at who has what, (which we'll get to) Tom has the slight edge. If both guys plays to their abilities we'll have one hell of a game.
RB Advantage: Falcons, I like the 3 headed monster New England rolls out with Blount, Lewis, and White, but Freeman and Coleman are both studs. For context I used Tevin Coleman in fantasy football all year and he was the "back up." Last week Coleman torched Green Bay, with his running and pass catching, him and Dion Lewis are a lot alike but Coleman is better and Freeman is a lot better than Blount who hasn't gotten going in the postseason.
WR Advantage: Falcons, no #disrspkt to New England's white guy posse, but Julio Jones is in the conversation for best WR in the league. Sanu is a good 2nd fiddle and that Gabriel can be a secret weapon of sorts. I love Edelman, Hogan, and Amendola but Julio is a match up nightmare and if he does his thing, Atlanta should be in business.
TE Advantage: New England, Martellus Bennet has the edge on Austin Hooper only because of his age and experience. Imagine if New England had Gronk.
Offensive Line Advantage: Falcons, Atlanta has started all 18 games with the same Offensive Line, that's a huge deal. Center Alex Mack got dinged in the NFC Championship Game but should be back. If one of these teams can run the ball they will win. The lines have to be sharp in pass protection and stay away from penalties.
Defensive Line Advantage: Push, I will admit I haven't watched much of either team, but from what I saw last week, New England will only rush four. Atlanta did get after Aaron Rodgers a little bit but not much with just 4 guys. If New England can get to Matt Ryan with just 4 guys huge advantage to them.
LB Advantage: Falcons, only because I like Vic Beasley, other than that not sure. New England really relies on the LB's in pass coverage, will be interesting how/if they use LB pressure to get to Matt Ryan.
Secondary Advantage: Patriots, and they're gonna need it. The Belichik Formula is we'll take away your best weapon, so if they neutralize Julio then they got a shot. Against Pittsburgh they sat back in zone and rallied to the receiver. Atlanta has a different obstacle, to stop the short passing and WR screen game of the Patriots. This will be where the game is won, if someone can force a turnover they get the advantage.
Special Teams Advantage: Push, the kickers are the same, punters won't be a factor and either of the returners have ability to break one.
Coach Advantage: Patriots, this isn't even close. Belichick is in the pantheon of great coaches, Dan Quinn isn't.
Final Score: Patriots 4 Falcons 4, a first ever tie. Can't say I planned it but it just so worked out perfectly. I don't have a good feel for this game, I love Brady but I also like Atlanta. I'm a Julio guy since his Bama days and Matt Ryan is my QB on my Madden Franchise. This is the first Super Bowl I can remember where I'll be happy no matter who wins. Brady and Belichick getting #5 would be special and maybe people would realize they are witnessing history. On the other hand Atlanta getting one would be awesome for the franchise the great players on their team. Let's have a great game and good time watching, enjoy. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson for my thoughts during the game and in general, see ya next year. Forgot my score prediction, New England 36 Atlanta 35, Patriots score as time expires and they go for 2 and get it.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Super Bowl 50 PREVIEW
This is weird, I haven't blogged in over a year, but I'm home sick today and figured hey why not throw up one of the old stand by's from when I blogged a lot. So without further ado, here is my tale of the tape for the Super Bowl 50.
QB Advantage: Carolina This isn't an all time discussion, this is who is better right now. Cam is playing at a high level. Peyton had 9 TD's and 17 INT's that's pretty bad. If Cam wins this game and does some Cam shit I think he'll be put in the discussion for Top 5 QB's in the league, in fact he's already there I think. Look at it this way, who would trade their QB straight up for Cam? I think everyone but Green Bay, Indy, and Seattle. I think even New England would since Cam is over 10 years younger than Brady. Either way Cam is the better QB in this game, and probably the best RB.
RB Advantage: Caroline I think Jonathan Stewart is better than Hillman and Anderson, let alone what Cam can do. Tolbert is also a weapon at FB, I heard Arians say last week when Tolbert gets the ball Carolina isn't trying to break a big run, their trying to punish you for 5 yards. I think Carolina is gonna have to keep the pass rushers from Denver honest and if they can run, and keep Ware and Miller guessing they'll dominate. Denver didn't run well last week, they'll have to though or Manning will die back there.
WR Advantage: Denver D. Thomas and Sanders are better than the cast of characters Carolina marches out there. Carolina made the Super Bowl without their best WR from a year ago, Kelvin Benjamin has been out all year and they've used a committee to make up for his projection. If Corey Brown breaks a big one like last week well Denver has no chance. For Denver they have a reputation of dropping a lot of passes, in their defense they get some of the ugliest balls thrown their way. These guys are gonna have to show up, even last week Owen Daniels was the main weapon.
TE Advantage: Carolina Greg Olsen is the man, probably the 2nd or 3rd best TE in the game right now. Owen Daniels is good enough, but he isn't Olsen.
O-Line Advantage: Push The Blind Side starts at LT for Carolina, he isn't a LT, but Denver isn't much better up front. The Tackles for Carolina are gonna have to great against those pass rushers, where the interior lineman for Denver are gonna have their hands full with that inside push Carolina gets. Biggest thing for Carolina is to keep discipline and not get called for holding when Cam is back there improvising.
D-Line Advantage: Carolina Kawann Short is the difference maker for me, he gets a push up the middle much like Warren Sapp in his prime. I haven't watched a ton of Carolina but when I watch them he stands out. For Denver their guys are space eaters for the pass rushers who play LB. Also interested to see if Jarred Allen shows up with that broken foot.
LB Advantage: Denver This was tough b/c Carolina has Keuchly, but with Thomas Davis having that broken forearm I think Denver's group is better. Ware and Miller have already been mentioned, and Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan need to shut down Olsen and tackle Cam before he gets in the secondary.
Secondary Advantage: Denver Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are both shutdown corners, TJ Ward is a missile and will be looking to knock someone out. Josh Norman will take away Thomas, but the safeties for Carolina are old and Cortland Finnegan is old. The back end of the defenses are gonna have to work.
Special Teams Advantage: Carolina Ted Ginn is still dangerous. Gano is solid and who is a punter?
Final Score Carolina 5 Denver 3 and for the first time ever I'm sticking with my tale of the tape. I think Carolina wins this in a walk, Cam is gonna dominate just like the first 2 playoff games for them. I don't think Denver has a shot at all, but I also thought before the Champ games that the NFC winner was going to win the Super Bowl. We are in for a snoozer unless you like Cam and dancing then you will enjoy this game a lot.
QB Advantage: Carolina This isn't an all time discussion, this is who is better right now. Cam is playing at a high level. Peyton had 9 TD's and 17 INT's that's pretty bad. If Cam wins this game and does some Cam shit I think he'll be put in the discussion for Top 5 QB's in the league, in fact he's already there I think. Look at it this way, who would trade their QB straight up for Cam? I think everyone but Green Bay, Indy, and Seattle. I think even New England would since Cam is over 10 years younger than Brady. Either way Cam is the better QB in this game, and probably the best RB.
RB Advantage: Caroline I think Jonathan Stewart is better than Hillman and Anderson, let alone what Cam can do. Tolbert is also a weapon at FB, I heard Arians say last week when Tolbert gets the ball Carolina isn't trying to break a big run, their trying to punish you for 5 yards. I think Carolina is gonna have to keep the pass rushers from Denver honest and if they can run, and keep Ware and Miller guessing they'll dominate. Denver didn't run well last week, they'll have to though or Manning will die back there.
WR Advantage: Denver D. Thomas and Sanders are better than the cast of characters Carolina marches out there. Carolina made the Super Bowl without their best WR from a year ago, Kelvin Benjamin has been out all year and they've used a committee to make up for his projection. If Corey Brown breaks a big one like last week well Denver has no chance. For Denver they have a reputation of dropping a lot of passes, in their defense they get some of the ugliest balls thrown their way. These guys are gonna have to show up, even last week Owen Daniels was the main weapon.
TE Advantage: Carolina Greg Olsen is the man, probably the 2nd or 3rd best TE in the game right now. Owen Daniels is good enough, but he isn't Olsen.
O-Line Advantage: Push The Blind Side starts at LT for Carolina, he isn't a LT, but Denver isn't much better up front. The Tackles for Carolina are gonna have to great against those pass rushers, where the interior lineman for Denver are gonna have their hands full with that inside push Carolina gets. Biggest thing for Carolina is to keep discipline and not get called for holding when Cam is back there improvising.
D-Line Advantage: Carolina Kawann Short is the difference maker for me, he gets a push up the middle much like Warren Sapp in his prime. I haven't watched a ton of Carolina but when I watch them he stands out. For Denver their guys are space eaters for the pass rushers who play LB. Also interested to see if Jarred Allen shows up with that broken foot.
LB Advantage: Denver This was tough b/c Carolina has Keuchly, but with Thomas Davis having that broken forearm I think Denver's group is better. Ware and Miller have already been mentioned, and Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan need to shut down Olsen and tackle Cam before he gets in the secondary.
Secondary Advantage: Denver Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are both shutdown corners, TJ Ward is a missile and will be looking to knock someone out. Josh Norman will take away Thomas, but the safeties for Carolina are old and Cortland Finnegan is old. The back end of the defenses are gonna have to work.
Special Teams Advantage: Carolina Ted Ginn is still dangerous. Gano is solid and who is a punter?
Final Score Carolina 5 Denver 3 and for the first time ever I'm sticking with my tale of the tape. I think Carolina wins this in a walk, Cam is gonna dominate just like the first 2 playoff games for them. I don't think Denver has a shot at all, but I also thought before the Champ games that the NFC winner was going to win the Super Bowl. We are in for a snoozer unless you like Cam and dancing then you will enjoy this game a lot.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Draft Revisited: 2006
This is the best draft I've looked at so far. Just completely loaded. I think there are a few Hall of Famers here. If you look back at the this class, you had Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush as the big names, however the rest of the guys are the ones who make this draft memorable. So here we go again, we'll go over the top 10 then the rest of the notable guys taken.
#1 Houston-Mario Williams-NC State. With all those huge names Houston goes off and takes this guy #1. Boy were they right Mario has had a better career than Reggie Bush and Vince Young (who was the hometown Houston boy). Wow this sounds awfully familiar, Houston has the #1 pick and they have the choice between a big time DE or the hometown dynamic athletic QB. Wow can't believe I just put that together. Anyway back to Williams, he turned out pretty good and even though he left as a free agent I still think Houston made the proper choice.
#2 New Orleans-Reggie Bush=USC. Supposed to be on of the best RB's ever coming out of college. Can do it all, can run, can catch out of the backfield, can return kicks. Reggie had it all, and even though he was never a breakthrough feature back, he has been in the league and is still a valuable player. Maybe not #2 worthy but he's still a good pro.
#3 Tennessee-Vince Young-Texas. Well VY bursted onto the scene he senior year. Lead Texas to a national title. He then was talked about go #1 to Houston but he fell to 3 and Tennessee. He had a great start to his career but soon he fizzled out. He tried to latch on at other places but never really made it. He is currently without a team but I don't think he's technically retired. Is he considered a bust? Not sure how to answer that exactly but I don't think he's an all out bust just a sort of bust.
#4 New York Jets-D'Brickashaw Ferguson-Virginia. Was probably my favorite player in this draft, mostly for his name. Brick has made a few pro bowls and is one of the better paid lineman in the league. He's a solid player and honestly one of the best players in this draft.
#5 Green Bay-AJ Hawk-Ohio St. Not often a MLB goes top 5, but Green Bay felt he filled a need. He has been a good pro, has a ring, and is till in GB. The guy is pretty good.
#6 San Francisco-Vernon Davis-Maryland. Once again not a typical position to see in the top 10. Davis has been stud in SF. The guy could be in the HOF when it's all said and done. He's had some weak points, being called out by former coach Mike Singeltary, bur for the most part a pretty solid career so far.
#7 Oakland-Micheal Huff-Texas. What is it about Oakland that when they draft the safe positions it still doesn't work. I mean they took Gallery he fizzled, and Huff wasn't much better. The guy was maybe thought as the surest thing in this draft. He's bounced around but still hasn't been much. He's bust worthy and even though he wasn't a head scratcher during the draft he seems to be now.
#8 Buffalo-Donte Whitner-Ohio St. This guy has been one of the better DB's in the league. He isn't the best probably not considered a top 5 CB, but he has been reliable.
#9 Detroit-Ernie Sims-Florida St. Finally Detroit doesn't take a receiver in the top 10, but Sims didn't pan out much better than the rest of their picks. Bust
#10 Arizona-Matt Leinart-USC. If he would've came out a year earlier some say he would've gone #1. Instead he stayed in school, fell to 10 and honestly should've fell farther. Pretty big bust.
Now onto some other notable picks,
You don't have to go far to find the next best player Denver took Jay Cutler at 11, easily the best QB in this draft.
Baltimore got Haloti Ngata at 12, could be a HOF type guy, even though he killed RG's knee.
Hawkeye Chad Greenway went to Minny at 17, he's been a pretty good player for them.
Picks 20-29 gave us 6 eventual Pro Bowlers, Tamba Ali, Davin Joseph, Johnathan Joseph, Deangelo Williams, Marcedes Lewis, and Nick Mangold. Also Pittsburgh got Santonio Holmes in the 20's, so that's 7 difference makers taken in that neighborhood.
Bears took Devin Hester in the 2nd, a pretty good steal for the best return man ever.
Jacksonville got MoJo Drew in the 2nd as well, his #'s compared to Reggie Bush are actually better so that seems like a pretty good steal.
The 4th round yielded some studs, Owen Daniels, Jahri Evans, Leon Washington, and Stephen Gostowski.
Denver had a pretty awesome 4th round, they got Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil.
Thorn in my side Cortland Finnegan went in the 7th to Tennessee, nice pick by Jeff Fischer there.
The best players to slip through the cracks, were Miles Austin and Tramon Williams.
Really feel that Ernie Sims, Mike Huff, and Matt Leinart were pretty big busts and all 3 teams could've done better.
I think Denver had the best draft, they got 3 Pro Bowlers and Marshall could be an a HOF'er.
That's it for this one, if I have time I'll try to keep this up, follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson
#1 Houston-Mario Williams-NC State. With all those huge names Houston goes off and takes this guy #1. Boy were they right Mario has had a better career than Reggie Bush and Vince Young (who was the hometown Houston boy). Wow this sounds awfully familiar, Houston has the #1 pick and they have the choice between a big time DE or the hometown dynamic athletic QB. Wow can't believe I just put that together. Anyway back to Williams, he turned out pretty good and even though he left as a free agent I still think Houston made the proper choice.
#2 New Orleans-Reggie Bush=USC. Supposed to be on of the best RB's ever coming out of college. Can do it all, can run, can catch out of the backfield, can return kicks. Reggie had it all, and even though he was never a breakthrough feature back, he has been in the league and is still a valuable player. Maybe not #2 worthy but he's still a good pro.
#3 Tennessee-Vince Young-Texas. Well VY bursted onto the scene he senior year. Lead Texas to a national title. He then was talked about go #1 to Houston but he fell to 3 and Tennessee. He had a great start to his career but soon he fizzled out. He tried to latch on at other places but never really made it. He is currently without a team but I don't think he's technically retired. Is he considered a bust? Not sure how to answer that exactly but I don't think he's an all out bust just a sort of bust.
#4 New York Jets-D'Brickashaw Ferguson-Virginia. Was probably my favorite player in this draft, mostly for his name. Brick has made a few pro bowls and is one of the better paid lineman in the league. He's a solid player and honestly one of the best players in this draft.
#5 Green Bay-AJ Hawk-Ohio St. Not often a MLB goes top 5, but Green Bay felt he filled a need. He has been a good pro, has a ring, and is till in GB. The guy is pretty good.
#6 San Francisco-Vernon Davis-Maryland. Once again not a typical position to see in the top 10. Davis has been stud in SF. The guy could be in the HOF when it's all said and done. He's had some weak points, being called out by former coach Mike Singeltary, bur for the most part a pretty solid career so far.
#7 Oakland-Micheal Huff-Texas. What is it about Oakland that when they draft the safe positions it still doesn't work. I mean they took Gallery he fizzled, and Huff wasn't much better. The guy was maybe thought as the surest thing in this draft. He's bounced around but still hasn't been much. He's bust worthy and even though he wasn't a head scratcher during the draft he seems to be now.
#8 Buffalo-Donte Whitner-Ohio St. This guy has been one of the better DB's in the league. He isn't the best probably not considered a top 5 CB, but he has been reliable.
#9 Detroit-Ernie Sims-Florida St. Finally Detroit doesn't take a receiver in the top 10, but Sims didn't pan out much better than the rest of their picks. Bust
#10 Arizona-Matt Leinart-USC. If he would've came out a year earlier some say he would've gone #1. Instead he stayed in school, fell to 10 and honestly should've fell farther. Pretty big bust.
Now onto some other notable picks,
You don't have to go far to find the next best player Denver took Jay Cutler at 11, easily the best QB in this draft.
Baltimore got Haloti Ngata at 12, could be a HOF type guy, even though he killed RG's knee.
Hawkeye Chad Greenway went to Minny at 17, he's been a pretty good player for them.
Picks 20-29 gave us 6 eventual Pro Bowlers, Tamba Ali, Davin Joseph, Johnathan Joseph, Deangelo Williams, Marcedes Lewis, and Nick Mangold. Also Pittsburgh got Santonio Holmes in the 20's, so that's 7 difference makers taken in that neighborhood.
Bears took Devin Hester in the 2nd, a pretty good steal for the best return man ever.
Jacksonville got MoJo Drew in the 2nd as well, his #'s compared to Reggie Bush are actually better so that seems like a pretty good steal.
The 4th round yielded some studs, Owen Daniels, Jahri Evans, Leon Washington, and Stephen Gostowski.
Denver had a pretty awesome 4th round, they got Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil.
Thorn in my side Cortland Finnegan went in the 7th to Tennessee, nice pick by Jeff Fischer there.
The best players to slip through the cracks, were Miles Austin and Tramon Williams.
Really feel that Ernie Sims, Mike Huff, and Matt Leinart were pretty big busts and all 3 teams could've done better.
I think Denver had the best draft, they got 3 Pro Bowlers and Marshall could be an a HOF'er.
That's it for this one, if I have time I'll try to keep this up, follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson
Draft Revisited: 2005
2005 in my eyes is a horrible draft, you got a few diamonds (see Rodgers, Aaron) but for the most part it was pretty weak. 3 of the top 5 picks were RB's, and 2 of the top 5 aren't in the league anymore. Let's go through the top 10 then look at some other notable guys taken.
#1 San Francisco-Alex Smith-Utah, a lot of people will say bust and I will agree slightly. Honestly though he never got a fair shake in SF, Alex had a good year in Kansas City last year, he's not elite but he's a starting QB in the league, just not #1, don't say Aaron Rodgers to 49er fans.
#2 Miami-Ronnie Brown-Auburn. As you'll see Auburn had 2 stud RB's in this draft, I honestly though Cadillac was better than Brown, but Ronnie has stood the test of time. He had a few good years in Miami and has since bounced around a little. As time has shown though taking a RB in the top 5 these days is never a good decision.
#3 Cleveland-Braylon Edwards-Michigan. I of course loved this pick, I was a huge Michigan fan and I thought Braylon was a great receiver. Even though he did have 1 great year where him and Derek Anderson were on the same page, he never could find that magic again and has been out of the league for a couple of years now.
#4 Chicago-Cedric Benons-Texas. Well he's still in the league, has a had a few run-ins with the law which lead to his exit from Chicago. He was a decent player but still the cautionary tale of taking a RB in the top 5.
#5 Tampa Bay Carnell Williams-Auburn. The Cadillac was pretty awesome in college. But he only had one 1000 yard rushing season (his rookie year) in the league. Never had more than 6 TD's in a season. He had some knee problems and is no longer in the league. Hard to call him a bust since he won rookie of the year and you can't predict a guy tearing both patella tendons.
#6 Tennessee-Adam Jones-West Virginia. The Pac-Man is still in the league as well, but has a long arrest history and a few suspensions. The fact he's still around is actually pretty impressive.
#7 Minnesota-Troy Williamson-South Carolina. Umm bust? Dude had 87 catches for 1100 or so yards and 4 TD's in his 5 year career, too think Aaron Rodgers went 24th and Minnesota got this guy at 7.
#8 Arizona-Antrell Rolle-Miami (FL). I remember hoping he would fall to the Redskins at 9, hoping him and Sean Taylor could recreate some of the U in DC. Rolle has been a good pro, he has a ring from the Giants, can't say horrible things about the guy he's a good pro.
#9 Washington-Carlos Rogers-Auburn. We're 9 picks in and we have our third Auburn player. I've always though Carlos was a good DB, and he could cover about anyone. His one knock is he can't catch a cold. He eventually left DC for San Francisco and he had a great year 2 years ago, can't fault the Skins for taking him.
#10 Detroit-Mike Williams-USC. In the words of Mike Ditka, he's a slow tight end in a receivers body. Let's just say Matt Millen had no clue how to draft. BUST
Now some other notable players taken.
Gotta start with the best player in this draft Aaron Rodgers went 24 to Green Bay, he's got an MVP and a ring, yeah the first 23 teams all screwed the pooch.
Picks 11-15 yielded 4 Pro Bowlers, DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Jammal Brown, and Derrick Johnson. Merriman isn't in the league anymore but he had a few good years.
At 17 one of my favorite guys David Pollack got taken by Cinncy. He could've been awesome but had neck problems and had to retire early. Love the guy on ESPN now.
Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New England all made nice moves late in the first getting Heath Miller, Roddy White, and Logan Mankins respectively.
This draft does have a pretty famous guy in it, in the 3rd St. Louis took Richie Incognito out of Nebraska.
Matt Cassell went in the 7th to New England.
I would say Green Bay had the best draft, they got some guys who were the foundation for the Super Bowl run a few years later. Of course they got Rodgers, they got Nick Collins in the 2nd, Brady Poppinga in the 4th.
The biggest omission to me would be Josh Cribbs who signed as a free agent with Cleveland.
That's it for the 2005 draft, I think I'll break down 2006 next. In the meantime follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson.
#1 San Francisco-Alex Smith-Utah, a lot of people will say bust and I will agree slightly. Honestly though he never got a fair shake in SF, Alex had a good year in Kansas City last year, he's not elite but he's a starting QB in the league, just not #1, don't say Aaron Rodgers to 49er fans.
#2 Miami-Ronnie Brown-Auburn. As you'll see Auburn had 2 stud RB's in this draft, I honestly though Cadillac was better than Brown, but Ronnie has stood the test of time. He had a few good years in Miami and has since bounced around a little. As time has shown though taking a RB in the top 5 these days is never a good decision.
#3 Cleveland-Braylon Edwards-Michigan. I of course loved this pick, I was a huge Michigan fan and I thought Braylon was a great receiver. Even though he did have 1 great year where him and Derek Anderson were on the same page, he never could find that magic again and has been out of the league for a couple of years now.
#4 Chicago-Cedric Benons-Texas. Well he's still in the league, has a had a few run-ins with the law which lead to his exit from Chicago. He was a decent player but still the cautionary tale of taking a RB in the top 5.
#5 Tampa Bay Carnell Williams-Auburn. The Cadillac was pretty awesome in college. But he only had one 1000 yard rushing season (his rookie year) in the league. Never had more than 6 TD's in a season. He had some knee problems and is no longer in the league. Hard to call him a bust since he won rookie of the year and you can't predict a guy tearing both patella tendons.
#6 Tennessee-Adam Jones-West Virginia. The Pac-Man is still in the league as well, but has a long arrest history and a few suspensions. The fact he's still around is actually pretty impressive.
#7 Minnesota-Troy Williamson-South Carolina. Umm bust? Dude had 87 catches for 1100 or so yards and 4 TD's in his 5 year career, too think Aaron Rodgers went 24th and Minnesota got this guy at 7.
#8 Arizona-Antrell Rolle-Miami (FL). I remember hoping he would fall to the Redskins at 9, hoping him and Sean Taylor could recreate some of the U in DC. Rolle has been a good pro, he has a ring from the Giants, can't say horrible things about the guy he's a good pro.
#9 Washington-Carlos Rogers-Auburn. We're 9 picks in and we have our third Auburn player. I've always though Carlos was a good DB, and he could cover about anyone. His one knock is he can't catch a cold. He eventually left DC for San Francisco and he had a great year 2 years ago, can't fault the Skins for taking him.
#10 Detroit-Mike Williams-USC. In the words of Mike Ditka, he's a slow tight end in a receivers body. Let's just say Matt Millen had no clue how to draft. BUST
Now some other notable players taken.
Gotta start with the best player in this draft Aaron Rodgers went 24 to Green Bay, he's got an MVP and a ring, yeah the first 23 teams all screwed the pooch.
Picks 11-15 yielded 4 Pro Bowlers, DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Jammal Brown, and Derrick Johnson. Merriman isn't in the league anymore but he had a few good years.
At 17 one of my favorite guys David Pollack got taken by Cinncy. He could've been awesome but had neck problems and had to retire early. Love the guy on ESPN now.
Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New England all made nice moves late in the first getting Heath Miller, Roddy White, and Logan Mankins respectively.
This draft does have a pretty famous guy in it, in the 3rd St. Louis took Richie Incognito out of Nebraska.
Matt Cassell went in the 7th to New England.
I would say Green Bay had the best draft, they got some guys who were the foundation for the Super Bowl run a few years later. Of course they got Rodgers, they got Nick Collins in the 2nd, Brady Poppinga in the 4th.
The biggest omission to me would be Josh Cribbs who signed as a free agent with Cleveland.
That's it for the 2005 draft, I think I'll break down 2006 next. In the meantime follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Draft Revisited: 2004
With the NFL draft in a just a few days I had a thought, why not try a series of posts looking back at drafts. Everyone projects the next draft, gives grades right after, but hardly ever do people go back 2, 5, or even 10 years to see the effect a draft had on a team. I'm going to try to do this everyday but don't hold your breath. So here is my first installment of Draft Revisited.
2004 had a lot of intrigue, Eli Manning didn't want to play for the San Diego Chargers, and he was the consensus #1 overall pick, I think we all remember how that worked out. Eli got traded from San Diego to New York after he had to awkwardly hold the Chargers jersey. In return San Diego got Phillip Rivers the 4th overall pick, they also got a pick they used on Nate Kaeding in the 3rd round. I would say that draft worked out almost even, San Diego got 2 pro bowlers and Rivers has been the face of the franchise for the last decade. Manning has 2 rings but also an assload of interceptions since then. Ok fine New York won. Let's look back at the whole Top 10 and then the notable players selected.
#1 San Diego-Eli Manning-Mississippi, traded to New York Giants, 2 rings later, both of which came at Tom Brady's expense, the guy is ok. Not my favorite but I don't think they win with Rivers.
#2 Oakland-Robert Gallery-Iowa, Never panned out at tackle like he was supposed too. Eventually got moved to guard and was serviceable, just not 2nd pick great, especially when guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, and Ben Roethlisberger were available. Another miss in Oakland I say.
#3 Arizona-Larry Fitzgerald-Pittsburgh, in my eyes probably the best player in this draft. The guy is a good QB away from being the best WR in the game. Has been to one Super Bowl and honestly should have better numbers.
#4 New York Giants-Phillip Rivers-NC State, traded to San Diego. He's good, could be better, not sure Big Ben would be better in SD, probably the right call for them, Eli was never going to play there. Only thing getting Rivers did was push Drew Brees out the door, which may be a mistake.
#5 Washington-Sean Taylor-Miami (FL), could've been the best safety in the game, guy had an attitude but was starting to fix it until his untimely death. The Redskins were really set back by his death considering it's not like they get a do over and can get another game changing safety in the top 5. My 2nd favorite Redskins player ever.
#6 Cleveland-Kellen Winslow II-Miami (FL), the guy is out of the league, was a decent player for a few years. I would say another whiff in Cleveland, you don't draft in the top 10 all the time when you make the right picks.
#7 Detroit-Roy Williams-Texas. Well this is the theme Detroit had for a few years, taking a WR in the first round. They whiffed with Charles Rogers, sort of hit with Williams until eventually hitting a home run with Calvin Johnson. I will admit that I loved Roy Williams coming out of Texas, I wanted him for the Skins. However I was wrong, and he is now out of the league.
#8 Atlanta-DeAngelo Hall-Virginia Tech. Dude is a decent player, not as good as he thinks he is, but he's been in the league for 10 years now. He eventually left Atlanta, went to Oakland and is now in Washington. He's found a home with the Skins, he's been very servicable.
#9 Jacksonville-Reggie Williams-Washington. Who? That's right, he's been out of the league for 4 years now, amassed a total of 18 TD's, yeah Jacksonville whiffed bad, imagine Ben in Florida.
#10 Houston Texans-Dunta Robinson-South Carolina. He's still in the league, one of my favorite players in Madden since he always seems to get better. He plays in Atlanta now, he's alright, always been a starter or a nickel back since coming in the league. Once again you can't help but wonder what Ben could do in Houston with Andre Johnson.
That's the top 10 let's look at some other notable picks in the 1st round.
I've mentioned him about 5 times but Big Ben went 11 to Pittsburgh, the rest is 2 rings history.
Jonathan Vilma went 12 to the Jets, he of course was in the middle of the bounty gate in New Orleans, along with #18 pick Will Smith.
Vince Wilfork went to the Patriots and Steven Jackson went to the Rams. Those are about the best picks of the first round.
Some of worst picks are Gallery and of course Reggie Williams. Some other questionable guys Micheal Clayton to Tampa, and JP Lossman to Buffalo. But for sure Williams was the biggest bust. I would say though this first round shook down pretty well, and this class actually stood up for itself, hell they have 4 rings at QB in 9 seasons, that's pretty good.
Let's look at the later rounds, I won't dwell too long here. Colts got Bob Sanders got in the 2nd, he's out of the league now but he did win one defensive player of the year.
The Bears were very focused on the on the front 4, taking Tommie Harris in the 1st and Tank Johnson in the 2nd. They also got Nathan Vasher who a lot of Bears fans loved for a few year.
San Diego had a great draft getting Rivers, Kaeding, Nick Hardwick, Shaun Phillips, and Micheal Turner, probably some of the best players. All of whom have played in Pro Bowls.
Kansas City got Jarred Allen in the late 4th. Probably one of the biggest steals, too bad he didn't pan out for them, but he dominated in Minnesota.
The Redskins took another of my favorite all time players in Chris Cooley in the 3rd.
Matt Schaub was also in the class going in the 3rd to Atlanta.
Gotta give love to Green Bay getting Scott Wells with about 5 picks left in the draft, he worked out alright for them.
Now who do you think is the biggest snub of this draft? Wes Welker went undrafted and signed with guess who, San Diego, further separating themselves as my best draft. Too bad they didn't turn that into a Super Bowl.
Hopefully I'll do a few more before Thursday. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson
2004 had a lot of intrigue, Eli Manning didn't want to play for the San Diego Chargers, and he was the consensus #1 overall pick, I think we all remember how that worked out. Eli got traded from San Diego to New York after he had to awkwardly hold the Chargers jersey. In return San Diego got Phillip Rivers the 4th overall pick, they also got a pick they used on Nate Kaeding in the 3rd round. I would say that draft worked out almost even, San Diego got 2 pro bowlers and Rivers has been the face of the franchise for the last decade. Manning has 2 rings but also an assload of interceptions since then. Ok fine New York won. Let's look back at the whole Top 10 and then the notable players selected.
#1 San Diego-Eli Manning-Mississippi, traded to New York Giants, 2 rings later, both of which came at Tom Brady's expense, the guy is ok. Not my favorite but I don't think they win with Rivers.
#2 Oakland-Robert Gallery-Iowa, Never panned out at tackle like he was supposed too. Eventually got moved to guard and was serviceable, just not 2nd pick great, especially when guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, and Ben Roethlisberger were available. Another miss in Oakland I say.
#3 Arizona-Larry Fitzgerald-Pittsburgh, in my eyes probably the best player in this draft. The guy is a good QB away from being the best WR in the game. Has been to one Super Bowl and honestly should have better numbers.
#4 New York Giants-Phillip Rivers-NC State, traded to San Diego. He's good, could be better, not sure Big Ben would be better in SD, probably the right call for them, Eli was never going to play there. Only thing getting Rivers did was push Drew Brees out the door, which may be a mistake.
#5 Washington-Sean Taylor-Miami (FL), could've been the best safety in the game, guy had an attitude but was starting to fix it until his untimely death. The Redskins were really set back by his death considering it's not like they get a do over and can get another game changing safety in the top 5. My 2nd favorite Redskins player ever.
#6 Cleveland-Kellen Winslow II-Miami (FL), the guy is out of the league, was a decent player for a few years. I would say another whiff in Cleveland, you don't draft in the top 10 all the time when you make the right picks.
#7 Detroit-Roy Williams-Texas. Well this is the theme Detroit had for a few years, taking a WR in the first round. They whiffed with Charles Rogers, sort of hit with Williams until eventually hitting a home run with Calvin Johnson. I will admit that I loved Roy Williams coming out of Texas, I wanted him for the Skins. However I was wrong, and he is now out of the league.
#8 Atlanta-DeAngelo Hall-Virginia Tech. Dude is a decent player, not as good as he thinks he is, but he's been in the league for 10 years now. He eventually left Atlanta, went to Oakland and is now in Washington. He's found a home with the Skins, he's been very servicable.
#9 Jacksonville-Reggie Williams-Washington. Who? That's right, he's been out of the league for 4 years now, amassed a total of 18 TD's, yeah Jacksonville whiffed bad, imagine Ben in Florida.
#10 Houston Texans-Dunta Robinson-South Carolina. He's still in the league, one of my favorite players in Madden since he always seems to get better. He plays in Atlanta now, he's alright, always been a starter or a nickel back since coming in the league. Once again you can't help but wonder what Ben could do in Houston with Andre Johnson.
That's the top 10 let's look at some other notable picks in the 1st round.
I've mentioned him about 5 times but Big Ben went 11 to Pittsburgh, the rest is 2 rings history.
Jonathan Vilma went 12 to the Jets, he of course was in the middle of the bounty gate in New Orleans, along with #18 pick Will Smith.
Vince Wilfork went to the Patriots and Steven Jackson went to the Rams. Those are about the best picks of the first round.
Some of worst picks are Gallery and of course Reggie Williams. Some other questionable guys Micheal Clayton to Tampa, and JP Lossman to Buffalo. But for sure Williams was the biggest bust. I would say though this first round shook down pretty well, and this class actually stood up for itself, hell they have 4 rings at QB in 9 seasons, that's pretty good.
Let's look at the later rounds, I won't dwell too long here. Colts got Bob Sanders got in the 2nd, he's out of the league now but he did win one defensive player of the year.
The Bears were very focused on the on the front 4, taking Tommie Harris in the 1st and Tank Johnson in the 2nd. They also got Nathan Vasher who a lot of Bears fans loved for a few year.
San Diego had a great draft getting Rivers, Kaeding, Nick Hardwick, Shaun Phillips, and Micheal Turner, probably some of the best players. All of whom have played in Pro Bowls.
Kansas City got Jarred Allen in the late 4th. Probably one of the biggest steals, too bad he didn't pan out for them, but he dominated in Minnesota.
The Redskins took another of my favorite all time players in Chris Cooley in the 3rd.
Matt Schaub was also in the class going in the 3rd to Atlanta.
Gotta give love to Green Bay getting Scott Wells with about 5 picks left in the draft, he worked out alright for them.
Now who do you think is the biggest snub of this draft? Wes Welker went undrafted and signed with guess who, San Diego, further separating themselves as my best draft. Too bad they didn't turn that into a Super Bowl.
Hopefully I'll do a few more before Thursday. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Paid to Play?
I was watching "Meet the Press" last Sunday and on it they had a debate about paying college athletes. On the show they had the President of the NCAA Mark Emmert, United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who played basketball at Harvard, and former Obama Aide Reggie Love, who played football and basketball at Duke. Each of these guys made points about why or why not college players should be paid, they did a much better job than I ever could. I encourage you to look up the segment and watch it. This however is my blog where I spout my views so I'm going say why I feel college players should be paid but also why there are a few stumbling blocks in the way of that happening. I probably should do more research but I'm not going to, this is a blog not a term paper, here we go.
The biggest reason I feel players should be paid is that the University's make money off of them and don't have to give much back in return. But Derek they get a scholarship and have their tuition and room paid for. Yeah your right a kid that helps you earn millions of dollars from TV deals, apparel sales, and sold tickets is compensated with a $9,000 a semester tuition and then housing and meals which is another $9,000 a semester, so we'll say $36,000 a year. Let's compare that to the Iowa football team that made $50.6 million in 2011-2012. Football teams are allowed 85 scholarships which rough math equals $3.06 million in tuition and boarding per year. Now there is other things including travel, coaches pay, facilities, recruiting and other fees but that's a $47.54 million difference. The kids play for "free" and the college gets 47 million, and that's Iowa the team that was 18th in revenue in 2012. I also just looked up a James Morris #44 Hawkeyes jersey, it sells for $59.95 on the internet, not a single cent goes to James Morris, even though it's not his name on the back we all know who's jersey that is. Once again the money from that sale goes to the university.
Last June the Big Ten Network gave each of the 12 members of the conference $284 million from TV contracts and NCAA tournament revenue. Now I know they have studio shows, camera crews and whatever else but they gave the schools 284 EACH after they took their chunk that's 3,408 million dollars in profit. That's probably b/c they don't have to pay the people who make their shows watchable. If you don't have to pay the help you just get to keep all the money for yourselves. All the programming is basically free for the network b/c the field hands get a scholarship that gives them a "free" education.
Let's visit that term "free" education. That thing isn't free, you have to work your ass off to earn it. You have to go to class, go to practice, workout in the off-season, not be allowed a job b/c a booster may give you an unfair wage. If something happens to you, your athletic scholarship can be taken away at the end of the year, b/c a scholarship is only a one year deal. Let's say your a kid from a poor family, you work your ass off get a football scholarship. You start as a freshman, first game of the year your ruin your knee, football career over. Now some schools will honor that scholarship but some won't, and boom you got 1 year of education then you're out the door. Back home with a wrecked knee, no money, and 1 year of college. But Derek that's the risk they take, your right that is the risk and for some that was the only way out, but if they had made some money with say a 1 year contract they at least could land on their feet.
Now the hard question, how much should they make? That is where things get sketchy. I would propose say full tuition and board x2, so $36,000 a year in "salary." That is just the jumping off point. Who should make the money is another question. I think if they are a revenue maker for the school those athletes should be paid, and by revenue I mean if the sport makes a profit, after scholarships, coaches, travel, and equipment. Most sports that doesn't happen in college, in fact most schools football and basketball fund the rest of the university. Now a few may make money off of other sports say hockey at North Dakota or whatever, but mostly we're talking football and basketball. Those are the revenue generators for almost all the major colleges sports. Mark Emmert made a valid point on "Meet the Press" if we pay these athletes then they become employees of the university, and what university is going to make an employee go to calculus. That I don't have a counter for b/c I don't want to sound dumb and haven't done enough research to counter his argument. I will say if you put stipulations about earning potential and grades in the rules, BUT then that leads to buying grades and whatever else, I never said this isn't a slippery slope.
Somebody on Sunday told me, "Where does it stop? Do you pay high school kids? Do you pay D2 or D3 kids?" The answer is it stops at basketball and football at Division 1 schools. D2 and D3 don't offer scholarships, and frankly there isn't a lot of generated revenue. High School kids don't draw a lot of revenue either, somebody told me what about kids who make it to state, I'm pretty sure most state tournaments break about even. The answer to any where does it end question is simple, it ends somewhere right now, so if you change it a little for it to end at D-! schools that's where it ends.
So here is my proposal: For the 5 major conferences ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, and Pac-12. You offer 85 scholarships for football and 13 for basketball (both of which are the current allotments) with full tuition and board as well as $36,000 in salary per scholarship player provided they maintain a GPA of 2.0. If you have another sport that generates revenue from ticket sales and TV deals then you can pay those athletes as well, we don't want boosters giving money for these funds. Also if a player has jersey sales they should get 10 percent of the profits. Also each contracted player shall be given full medical coverage for 10 years after graduation (must graduate) if they don't go professional in sports. Well that's my proposal I'm sure it has holes and flaws but that is just what I came up with off the cuff. The rest of the conferences well those schools don't generate as much money, and if they think it's an unfair advantage guess what guys it's already unfair b/c Alabama plays on CBS every 3 Saturday's and your lucky to be on CBS College Sports Network once a year. Your already behind b/c big schools can offer more.
This is just the beginning of this debate there are numerous lawsuits filed against the NCAA currently by former and current "student" athletes. I think these kids should be paid, they sacrifice a lot for a sliver of hope of making millions in the pro's. Less than 1% of college athletes make it to the pro level, and I think some of the millions should be spread out. I embrace this debate with anyone as long as they have an open mind and are willing to make valid points not just resort to name calling and telling people that's the way it is. That's it for this post follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
The biggest reason I feel players should be paid is that the University's make money off of them and don't have to give much back in return. But Derek they get a scholarship and have their tuition and room paid for. Yeah your right a kid that helps you earn millions of dollars from TV deals, apparel sales, and sold tickets is compensated with a $9,000 a semester tuition and then housing and meals which is another $9,000 a semester, so we'll say $36,000 a year. Let's compare that to the Iowa football team that made $50.6 million in 2011-2012. Football teams are allowed 85 scholarships which rough math equals $3.06 million in tuition and boarding per year. Now there is other things including travel, coaches pay, facilities, recruiting and other fees but that's a $47.54 million difference. The kids play for "free" and the college gets 47 million, and that's Iowa the team that was 18th in revenue in 2012. I also just looked up a James Morris #44 Hawkeyes jersey, it sells for $59.95 on the internet, not a single cent goes to James Morris, even though it's not his name on the back we all know who's jersey that is. Once again the money from that sale goes to the university.
Last June the Big Ten Network gave each of the 12 members of the conference $284 million from TV contracts and NCAA tournament revenue. Now I know they have studio shows, camera crews and whatever else but they gave the schools 284 EACH after they took their chunk that's 3,408 million dollars in profit. That's probably b/c they don't have to pay the people who make their shows watchable. If you don't have to pay the help you just get to keep all the money for yourselves. All the programming is basically free for the network b/c the field hands get a scholarship that gives them a "free" education.
Let's visit that term "free" education. That thing isn't free, you have to work your ass off to earn it. You have to go to class, go to practice, workout in the off-season, not be allowed a job b/c a booster may give you an unfair wage. If something happens to you, your athletic scholarship can be taken away at the end of the year, b/c a scholarship is only a one year deal. Let's say your a kid from a poor family, you work your ass off get a football scholarship. You start as a freshman, first game of the year your ruin your knee, football career over. Now some schools will honor that scholarship but some won't, and boom you got 1 year of education then you're out the door. Back home with a wrecked knee, no money, and 1 year of college. But Derek that's the risk they take, your right that is the risk and for some that was the only way out, but if they had made some money with say a 1 year contract they at least could land on their feet.
Now the hard question, how much should they make? That is where things get sketchy. I would propose say full tuition and board x2, so $36,000 a year in "salary." That is just the jumping off point. Who should make the money is another question. I think if they are a revenue maker for the school those athletes should be paid, and by revenue I mean if the sport makes a profit, after scholarships, coaches, travel, and equipment. Most sports that doesn't happen in college, in fact most schools football and basketball fund the rest of the university. Now a few may make money off of other sports say hockey at North Dakota or whatever, but mostly we're talking football and basketball. Those are the revenue generators for almost all the major colleges sports. Mark Emmert made a valid point on "Meet the Press" if we pay these athletes then they become employees of the university, and what university is going to make an employee go to calculus. That I don't have a counter for b/c I don't want to sound dumb and haven't done enough research to counter his argument. I will say if you put stipulations about earning potential and grades in the rules, BUT then that leads to buying grades and whatever else, I never said this isn't a slippery slope.
Somebody on Sunday told me, "Where does it stop? Do you pay high school kids? Do you pay D2 or D3 kids?" The answer is it stops at basketball and football at Division 1 schools. D2 and D3 don't offer scholarships, and frankly there isn't a lot of generated revenue. High School kids don't draw a lot of revenue either, somebody told me what about kids who make it to state, I'm pretty sure most state tournaments break about even. The answer to any where does it end question is simple, it ends somewhere right now, so if you change it a little for it to end at D-! schools that's where it ends.
So here is my proposal: For the 5 major conferences ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, and Pac-12. You offer 85 scholarships for football and 13 for basketball (both of which are the current allotments) with full tuition and board as well as $36,000 in salary per scholarship player provided they maintain a GPA of 2.0. If you have another sport that generates revenue from ticket sales and TV deals then you can pay those athletes as well, we don't want boosters giving money for these funds. Also if a player has jersey sales they should get 10 percent of the profits. Also each contracted player shall be given full medical coverage for 10 years after graduation (must graduate) if they don't go professional in sports. Well that's my proposal I'm sure it has holes and flaws but that is just what I came up with off the cuff. The rest of the conferences well those schools don't generate as much money, and if they think it's an unfair advantage guess what guys it's already unfair b/c Alabama plays on CBS every 3 Saturday's and your lucky to be on CBS College Sports Network once a year. Your already behind b/c big schools can offer more.
This is just the beginning of this debate there are numerous lawsuits filed against the NCAA currently by former and current "student" athletes. I think these kids should be paid, they sacrifice a lot for a sliver of hope of making millions in the pro's. Less than 1% of college athletes make it to the pro level, and I think some of the millions should be spread out. I embrace this debate with anyone as long as they have an open mind and are willing to make valid points not just resort to name calling and telling people that's the way it is. That's it for this post follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
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