A Little Fantasy Football Recap for my Philly League

Week 3 is over and what in the name of Ed Hochuli is going on?  After Monday night’s debacle apparently Ed and the “real” refs may be back this week.  In the effort to save money the NFL has used replacement refs and has cost a few NFL teams and countless fantasy teams games.  In a related story, in a similar cost saving move both the Iron Shitty Brawlers and the Queers have apparently been using replacement owners.  Carrington was seen with his kids at Gorgas Park in Roxborough Picketing not getting his fantasy winnings from last year.  Never in league history has someone taken not getting paid so far.  When will this insanity end?  For the sake of the integrity of the League, Vasili, pay this man!   

Other stories we are following this week: It appears that Vasili can focus 100% on his fantasy team now that the wedding is over.  Jimbo apparently has contracted a severe case of the Freemans.  Jaitley is still feeling the effects of Hurricane Irene, Doc Dino gets into the win column, The Mustache Rides weren’t who we thought they were, Scotty is in cupcake heaven at 3-0, and Commissioner Schnide rolls at the expense of Local Celebrity; Superstar Johnny Marks.  We look at these stories plus more on this edition of Philly League Fantasy Recap.

In our first game the Commish took on our favorite radio host.  Superstar Johnny looked to go 3-0 while the Commish looked to avoid the dreaded 1-2 start.  The Commish came out firing and took down JMTS 114-87.  The Schnide was led by MJD and in a Ned Flanders move, the Cardinals defense.  Superstar Marks was led by Bears D.  Both teams now sit at 2-1 along with the Skins atop the East division.   It is possible that Marks was looking ahead to this week’s showdown with Tony the Tiger himself, while San Diego’s finest travel to the Tastykake factory to take on the Busters in a matchup of ex-roomies.

Speaking of Jake the Flake and the Skin Flutes they welcomed Mr. Leero himself to town.  Apparently in a sign of solidarity with fellow “replacement” owners JJ and JC, RL decided to have his kids put his lineup this week.  It also appears that after years of ribbing, Jake has finally got rid of the Freeman curse and given it to Jimbo.  Frosted Flake took down Raymond and the Rides 128-56.  Sir Jamaal Charles led the way for Tony while Mikel “jersey” LeShoure.  The most disheartening thing has to be that Jake won the game despite leaving two 24 point plus scorers on the bench.  I think it may be time to state the obvious….that boy good.  Equally as disheartening was Ray Ray leaving 99 total points on his bench.  Yes that is not a misprint; Mr. Leero pulled his best Scotty Balls impersonation.  Perhaps Ray Ray will leave the boycotting to the Jay’s and take over ownership duties of the Rides this week.   Or was it his kids who were making the decisions the first two weeks and Ray who took over ownership duties last week?  We will be investigating……

In our 3^rd matchup, something had to give as Dr. Toes and Casper the White Ghost came into the game winless.  When the smoke cleared it was the good Doc getting his first win as Jaitley just can’t seem to figure this game out since he got married last year.  84-49 was the final, Drew “summer” Brees led the way for the league’s #1 ranked podiatrist while Andre “I’m a beast” Johnson paced the brawlers.  Bonehead moves can sum up this one for the Brawlers.  First it was starting Cry me a Rivers over Cotton Schaub at QB.  Someone should take a Schaub to Jaitley’s head.  Then it was pulling the Homer Simpson and starting the Steelers D over the Giants D.  These 2 costly moves proved to be the difference.  Philly League Recap in depth analysis shows that since getting married and then the Northeast getting hit with Hurricane Irene, The Brawlers are just 6-12.  What does it all mean?  Damned if we know.  Maybe it’s the whole replacement owners thing.  Meanwhile Dino, while still the most sucky Barbounis Brother, no longer has to wear the scarlet label of “best of the winless teams”.

In our Game of the WEAK, the defending champs looked to avoid dropping to 0-3 while Scotty too Hotty looked to improve to 3-0.  Injuries have seemed to plague the defending champs this year as they dropped to 0-3 after losing 102-82. Cousin Larry Fitzgerald and Tom Brady led the way for the chumps.  This is a team in trouble.  Let’s hope Carrington gets paid soon as another loss would essentially skunk the Beers.  Meanwhile Reverend Twinkie has quietly established himself as the team to beat in Philly League this year.  Hopefully the pressure isn’t too much to handle.  Although a look back shows that in that magical 2007 season the busters went an incredible 13-2 to capture the teams only Super Bowl.  That year they did it with defense allowing a stingy 77.5 points per game.  This year’s team appears to be opposite, average an obscene 110 points per game.  Time will tell if Chubby Wan will be able to maintain this pace or if the pressure will get to him and he pulls a patented disappearing act.

After our Game of the WEEK we expected to know just how real the Crackers and All-Stars were.  After it was all said and done we found out…..nothing.  In a Game of the WEEK that lived up to all the hype V Funk downed J Funk 88-87 that came down to the wire on Monday night.  The Crackers came in needing Aaron “discount double check” Rodgers to outscore the Green Bay defense by 10 points.  Rodgers did by 8.  The Crackers were led by Mean A.J. Green while V Funk was led once again by Arian “the Nation” Foster.  The win kept Vasili tied with the Busters in the not so Least Division but more importantly kept him 2 games up on Big Bro Dino in the Battle for Barbounis Supremacy.  It appears the Funk is the real deal this year as they keep finding ways to win.  The Crackers remain an enigma.  They have the talent if they can put it together but much like the Phillies this year, let’s hope it’s not too late.  Also a concern is whether or not Jimbo has contracted the dreaded Freeman curse.

Let’s take a look at next week.  In our first matchup ex Parktowne Place Roomies Comminsioner Schnide and Captain Cupcake battle.  This intra division matchup could go a long way in proving that the Least Division is here to stay.  Let’s not forgot in that magical 2007 season, Scotty too Hotty had an 8 game win streak.  Vegas has Rev Twinkie as a whopping 19 point favorite.  Commish Schnide has dominated the series 14-4 including the regular season matchup in 07.  Scotty knows how to win this one….just like the Super Bowl in 07.

Our 2^nd game puts the defending Champs vs Lil V.  Lil V is looking to remain atop the Least Division while “they call me” Jay Carrington is looking to avoid the dreaded 0-4 start.  One more lose and it may be time to make some drastic changes….not that anyone would want anyone on that team.  Perhaps the end of the lockout could help J.C. as baby Joey just isn’t cutting it making decisions.  V Punk is a slim 5 point favorite and leads all-time 8-4.  Don’t count the defending champs out yet….they find a way to win.

Game 3 is equally important to the Towels and the Crackers.  A loss would drop both teams to 1-3 and the way that V Funk and the Busters are playing, that’s a huge hole to climb out of.  Both teams are looking for respect and to prove they belong.  Both teams coincidently are looking to win their first Super Bowl.  A loss makes that hard.  The Towels are favored by 1 and lead all-time 7-4….The return of Fab 5 Freddie Jackson isn’t enough….Sorry Dino, every time I pick the Crackers to win they lose….Towels win.

In our Game of the WEAK Double J takes on Double Ray.  Double Jay is in the midst of a historically bad season while Double Ray is well, Double Ray.   Just one week ago we were ready to anoint Double Ray.  The Rides are favored by 5 but have lost 8 of 13 to the white ghost.  We like history…..Rides win.

Our Game of the WEEK is a matchup for East Division Supremacy.  The Skins are out to prove that the Freeman curse has indeed passed on while Local Celebrity Johnny Marks is out to prove that last week’s loss to the Commish was a fluke.  Jake the Flake is favored by 9 but Johnny Marks has dominated 14-6 all-time.  Sorry Jake, sometimes you have to go back to the basics.  Pick the Crackers to lose that means Skins Win.

It’s now time for the world famous, often imitated but never duplicated power rankings.  This week’s power rankings are brought to you by Western Union.  Western Union, the fastest way to send money.  Hey Vasili, Western Union has millions of locations worldwide.

1.  Balls Busters – Living like it’s 2007 all over again.

2. V Funk All-Stars–Slightly edges out the Skins, but are they for real?

3.  Snake Skins– Out to take down Local Celebrity John Marks and finally shed the curse.

4.  San Diego’s Finest– How does he do it?  Will somehow end up being the favorite by gametime.

5.   Jon Marks the Spot– Can make fans forget about last week’s loss by taking out the Skins…but more importantly , does anyone listen to his show any more?

6 Tie.   Terrible Towels– A loss would be more devastating than a cure for bunions.  

6 Tie.   CoalCrackers– Let’s hope this isn’t the start of yet another long losing streak

8.    Mustache Rides – Will they ever get it together?

9.  Beers – Pay the man.  Although not getting paid is no excuse to have a team playing this bad.

10. Iron City Brawlers– Ladies and Gentleman, Jaitley may owner of the two worst teams in league history before it’s all said and done.

There you have it.  Will Carrington get paid?  Can anyone beat the Busters?  Can the Brawlers beat anyone?  Crackers and Towels; poster teams for mediocrity.  Has the Freeman curse been eradicated?  Did I really see someone ask Johnny Marks for an autograph at the last Eagles tailgate?  Find out the answers to all this and more next week on Philly League Fantasy Recap.  Until next time this is Jimbo saying “this has been 2 hours of my life that I’ll never get back”.

Fantasy Recap

The weekly recap is back to kick off this 2012 season with a bang. First things first, we want to wish Durkin well in his future fantasy endeavours as you will be easily replaced, I mean missed!!! With that being said lets get to the week 1 recap!!

We will start with a few family matchups that took place in week 1. Starting with the Great White Hope taking on the Cherry Poppers. GWH seems primed to make another deep playoff run this year as they put boots to asses and whooped up on the Poppers 162-122. Led by Julio Jones with 33 and Peyton "I'm still the Man-ning" with 29, GWH was too much for the Poppers led by Tom Brady with 21 and Demarco "Glory Holes" Murray with 20.

In our next family affair, the Killers from Kinzer took on the Taints in a tightly contested matchup. The Taints emerged victorious over the self proclaimed "this is my year" Killers 150-138. Led by Drew "blowing in the" Brees with 32 and Reggie " thanks Peyton" Wayne with 27, the Killers could not beat the Taints high powered offense led by Andre Johnson with 30 and Stevan Ridley with 27. The Killers will look to bounce back in week 2 if they want to make good on their proclamation for this year!!!!

Our final family affair saw the brothers Montgomery square off in a battle for fantasy supremacy. The Crackers were hypocritically led to victory by Tony Romo with 34 and helped by Shady McCoy with 22. The Funk could not get anything going as Matthew Stafford led the way with 20 points. To add insult in the loss, the Crackers did not replace Denarius Moore who was scratched from the lineup and they still held on 126-106. The Funk need to regroup if they want to make their first playoff appearance in their franchise's history!

The defending champion Chicken Hawks took on Team Hensley in what they hoped would be the start of their successful defense. Team Hensley noticed the target on the hawksbarack and dominated the defending champs 143-107. Led by Demarius " thank god Tebow is gone" Thomas with 32 and Darren " I catch balls" McFadden with 24, Team Hensley seemed too much for the Arian " Nation" Foster led defending champs who got no help from their defense who managed -3 points. Something tells me the waiver wire is already on fire from potential moves the Chicken Hawks want to do following their embarrassing loss and sources say that heads will roll.

In our closest matchup of the week, Spider Monkeys took on the appropriately named Better than Durkin. BTD got their first win by knocking off the Monkeys 129-125. Led by Aaron Rodgers with 31 and Rob " The Big" Gronkowski with 18, BTD was too much for the Monkeys who were led by Herman Moore and Barry Sanders....... I mean Megatron with 22 and Kevin Smith with 24. It's obvious that the Spider Monkeys have put a great amount of their hopes on the Detroit Lions offense and as history has proven, that should bodwe well for the rest of the league!!!!

In our marquee matchup, former roomate's and ex-champs collided in an opening week matchup for the ages. The Bluntz pounded Roc Nation 194-156 to get off to a great start this year. The all star team of Matty Ice, Ray Rice and Brandon Marshall proved to powerful for the Roc. Roc Nation had good efforts by Mike Vick, Frank Gore, and Pierre Garçon but it proved to be not enough for the overmatched Roc Nation. The Bluntz look strong and could be the team to beat this year unless they get but by the injury bug.

There is the Week 1 recap. Remember, 1 week does not make a season, but it will annoy the shit out of you having to hear Randler talk shit!!!!

Until next week, good luck in week 2!!!!

Down and out????

Well, unless they make a never before seen run, it looks as if for the first time since 2006, the Phillies will not make the postseason. Being a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan I've seen this happen before. These "new" Phillies fans that can't name a player from the last Phillies team to not make the postseason are spoiled. It's one thing to expect greatness from your sports teams, like we all do, but it's another to understand the total package of the sport. This includes the business aspect as well. Ultimately that's what all professional sports are, a business first. From the owners all the way down to the players, there is a business first mentality. With contracts being what they are in today's sports world, it becomes a "what have you done for me lately" scenario. 

As a Philadelphia sports fan, I have learned to check my emotions at the door and not get attached to the players because they could be gone the next season, ala Reggie White, Charles Barkley and Brian Dawkins. The Phillies have tried to do the right thing by keeping their homegrown nucleus of Hamels, Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Chooch together for a long time but at what cost?? Knowing that they have a great amount of money tied up in just a handful of players does not give them many options to make this team better moving forward. The Phils are faced with that always hard but inevitable position of who to keep and who to trade in order to be a contender next season. Going through the times of what seemed like all 10,000+ losses this organization has growing up, this team is nothing like those teams. I know this team has the talent, ability, mentality, and yes, heart to be the team we have been used to the past 5 years, but they have to make business decisions in order to improve. The only thing that could make this worse is if Cole Hamels came out and publically stated he is against gay marriage and is the new co-owner of Chick-Fil-A!!! 

The point I am making is simple. True fans understand that seasons like this occur and you have to go through times like this to become better. When the trade deadline comes and goes there will more than likely be a few new faces as we as fans say goodbye to some of our favorites, but such is life. Remember one thing, a true fan is a fan of the name on the front of the jersey, not the back of it. Im sure there will be a number of fans who will no longer like the Phils because of the trades they make in the upcoming days and that just proves my point about those so called "fans". So when you fair weather fans and bandwagon jumpers want to jump back on board with the Phillies when they're doing good again go ahead but just remember that you will not be considered a true fan.

I'm Kyle Montgomery and this has been my two cents. 

Chick Fil Gay

As I’m following the whole Chick-Fil-A situation I’m trying to figure out what the big issue is.  Now before anyone starts in on me, I fully support gay rights and gay marriage and I have stated so on this blog.  The issue I’m trying to wrap my head around is why everyone has their panties in a bunch.

First of all what Dan Cathy said was his opinion.  He said he personally doesn’t support gay marriage and he uses the religious argument.  I’ve said before (if you click on the previous link you can see the full post) that I think that argument is weak at best.  However, when I see people lambasting Cathy and Chick-Fil-A I have to say hold up.  Is freedom of speech not guaranteed by the first amendment of our constitution?  Just to refresh your memory:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

What Cathy said is protected by that text.  In fact he bases his argument on the bible which also is protected by the first amendment.  No matter how stupid, idiot or archaic the thinking, it is protected.  I disagree with his position but if someone wants to base their way of thinking on a 3000 year old book, I say more power to him.

I challenge anyone to show me an example of where Chick-Fil-A discriminated in hiring or serving anyone who is gay.  Everyone in this country is entitled to think and say what they want no matter how much you may or may not agree.

The second thing that bothers me is the “protests” that are going on.  The mayors of Chicago and Boston have openly said they don’t want Chick-Fil-A in their cities.  Huh?  Everybody is up in arms about Cathy’s opinion and again there is no proof that Chick-Fil-A discriminates in hiring or serving gay people.  These two have the balls to say Chick-Fil-A doesn’t belong?  Can somebody please tell me how this is not discrimination?  Not allowing a business based on its CEO’s beliefs?  They are worse than Cathy in my opinion.  Do they not believe in the constitution?  Doesn’t appear so. 

Then there are the people who say we need to boycott Chick-Fil-A.  Again, I support your right to do that but what good would that do?  Sure you may hurt the business a little but will there be a full boycott?  Doubtful.  There are plenty of people who support Cathy’s beliefs that will still go to Chick-Fil-A.  Besides, if I go to Chick-Fil-A does that mean I’m anti-gay?  No, it means I like chicken sandwiches with pickles.  I don’t agree with Cathy’s opinion but why would I deprive myself of something I like simply because I don’t agree?  I have one question for all of those holier-than-thou people who like to stand on their high horse.  A lot of the goods we buy and use everyday are made overseas, if you use them does that mean you are anti-American?  Where’s the outrage there?  Oh that’s right, wouldn’t want you not wear your Polo Shirts and Nike sneakers.  Cathy came out and gave his opinion but do you check the opinions of every business you frequent? Seriously, I’d love to know.  It’s ridiculous. 

Finally, the fact that someone’s sexual orientation is even an issue today is insane.  However as long as people use their religion to justify what they think it will always be an issue.  There are many more other pressing issues in our country.  I’d like to see these holier-than-thou high horse people actually pick an issue that will do some good in this country to support.  Instead of trying to get people to boycott Chick-Fil-A because they don’t agree with the CEO’s opinion, why not stand up and try to fix our education system?  (Shameless teacher plug)

So in conclusion our priorities in this country are screwed up.  Dan Cathy didn’t do anything wrong.  He has an opinion and he stated it.  We can argue whether it’s a misguided opinion or a smart business move to even come public with it in the first place but there is no argument that he has the right to be misguided and not a smart businessman.  What if he came out and said he supports gay marriage?  There are plenty of people in this country who don’t agree with that.  These same people would probably be lambasting his detractors.  Until next time this is Jimbo saying come on America, get your priorities straight.

Weapon Xceptional........

Courtesy of hatlaczkiadam.deviantart.com

 A great football career has come to an end. Brian Patrick Dawkins has decided to hang up the cleats and call it a career after a wonderful 16 season run. A legendary player and an even more legendary person, B Dawk will always be remembered for his intensity in between the pylons. The intensity he played with was unmatched by few in the league during those 16 years and proved to be influential on his teammates as well.  As an Eagles fan, it's hard to put into words what Dawk has meant to this fanbase or to each fan individually, but I plan to give my take on this man's career through my eyes and I'm sure you'll have a hard time disagreeing.

In Philadelphia there has been legends associated with the number 20. Mike Schmidt, Andre Waters, Chris Pronger ( Go Flyers!!!), and of course, Brian Dawkins. I can remember when the Eagles drafted Dawk, and I remember telling my brother how good this guy from Clemson was. As a Florida State fan, I watched B Dawk lay a hit on Warrick Dunn in 1995 that hurt me as I watched it!!!! It was then I started what I do every year now watching college football, I said to myself, "He'd look good in Eagle green!!!!". 

courtesy of clemsontigers.com

In the upcoming draft, the Eagles used a 2nd round pick on Dawkins. With his hard nosed play, he immediately became a fan favorite and became my favorite player. I never had a jersey of a favorite player mainly because they were so expensive but in 1998 I saved my money and purchased 2 jerseys, #53 Hugh Douglas, and #20 Brian Dawkins!! 

Courtesy of phinallyphilly.com

Dawkins became the team leader on that 1998 3-13 team and changed the way I thought as a fan. Our defense was a feared defense again, and it was a large part due to Brian Dawkins and the mastermind behind the scheming, Jim Johnson. Dawk was the most feared hitter in the defensive secondary for 10 plus years under Johnson's schemes and brought an intimidation factor back to the Eagles defense that was lacking since Reggie and Jerome of the early 90's. B Dawk was exactly the type of athlete we wanted and needed in Philly; a tough, hard nosed player who gave everything he had on the field and in the process expected the exact same from every single player along side of him.     

There are numerous highlights that can be brought up when remembering Dawk, the suplex, the interception of Favre in the infamous 4th and 26 game, the Superman tackle, the fake punt he took to the house, the list goes on. The memory that I will always have and the picture that is stuck in my mind to remember Brian Dawkins was before, during, and after the 2004 NFC Championship game.   

The pre-game introduction ( a thing he became known for and if you were lucky enough to witness them like I did, are still bone chilling to this day) was something that if you did not get hyped up for, you didn't have a pulse. Setting the tone early in the game by hitting significantly larger Alge Crumpler across the middle with a bone crunching hit. Then later in the game picking up the pylon and slamming it down sending the crowd into a frenzy as usual. 

courtesy of sportsjourneyradio.wordpress.com

The everlasting memory was Dawk after the win holding that George Halas Trophy and his post game speech to the fans!!! Still gets me pumped up and brings a tear to my eye every time I hear him say, "Give us our dang respect!!!!!!". 

In the age of free agency, Dawkins was loyal to the team that drafted him for 13 seasons until the Eagles decided not to re-sign him. In true Dawkins form, he handled it with the class we came to love about him and the respect for the game that he expressed over his years in Philly. I can't express the feeling I had knowing that as a season ticket holder, I'd attend a game without B Dawk in an Eagles uniform. 

courtesy of blog.daytonc.com

Throughout my 9 seasons as an Eagles season ticket holder at that point, I never attended a game without Dawkins in uniform. It was a tough pill to swallow but in interviews, Dawk expressed his love for Philly and the fans so it made it a little easier to swallow. In all my years as a Philly sports fan, I never had such a love for an athlete where I wanted to follow that player and like his new team because I felt my favorite team let Dawk and the fans down by not re-signing him.

Weapon X, Wolverine, B Dawk, Dawk, or just Brian Dawkins; one things for sure, there will be "Hall of Famer" said before any of those names in the near future. Brian Dawkins was by far my favorite athlete ever and I'm sure it will be a long time until someone takes over that spot. He will go down in history as one of the greatest safeties to play the game and one of the most feared defensive players ever. For 13 seasons he was the heartbeat of my beloved Eagles and for that I can say I was privileged to watch a Hall of Famer play week in and week out. He played the game hard, but with class. On the field he was a badass, but off it he was a gentleman. Brian Dawkins, THANK YOU!! Thank you for being a great player, leader and role model for those needing guidance. Congrats on your retirement and 16 "X" traordinary seasons in the NFL. I bleed Eagles green and it is with pride that I say this....In my eyes, you were arguably the best player in franchise history.

This is Kyle Montgomery, and this has been my two cents!!!!!

The Quicker Picker Upper

courtesy of bountypapertowelcoupon.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS

 Maybe you’ve heard something recently in the news about “Bountygate”.  It has been found out that the New Orleans Saints, led by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, were running a bounty system from 2009-2011.  The players were reportedly paid $1000 for “cart-offs” and $1500 for “knock-outs”.  The NFL is currently trying to figure out how to punish the Saints and those involved and there is even talk to possible criminal charges against Williams, who is now with St. Louis. 

Football is Violent

Let me start by saying football is a violent sport….duh.  From the moment kids start playing football, the harder you can hit the more respect you get.  Think about it.  In a pickup game of tackle football the people that everyone wants either have speed, an incredible arm, or can hit hard.  Even in the lower levels hitting hard is encouraged.  Players are going to get hurt.  Players are going to continue to get bigger and be taught to hit harder.  It’s the evolution of the game.  Get used to it.

courtesy of sportsrapplive.com

As far as “bounties” are concerned, they too are nothing new.  Think back to that pick-up game.  There was always that one player who was much faster than everybody else.  Everyone knows if you hit him hard when he’s going out for a pass or basically anytime you can it throws him off of his game.  While you weren’t getting any money, you did get the respect of the players for changing the course of the game and helping to “even” things out.  This led to being selected sooner in subsequent games.  I remember during my days playing middle school football, I had a coach (who will remain nameless…V) who would reward big hits or “crunches” with Nestle Crunch bars.  The whole concept of hitting hard therefore is then taught from the very beginnings of learning the game.  It doesn’t stop there though.  Once players get into high school and college, players get helmet stickers for, among other things, “big sticks”.  The most notable of these are the Ohio State Buckeye stickers.

Once players make it to the biggest stage of the all, the NFL, the stakes are much higher.  Contrary to what many people would like to believe, NFL players are playing for money.  Like it or not, it is their jobs.  Hell, I love teaching kids but if they didn’t pay me I'd be out.  Sorry kids, Mr. Montgomery needs to pay his bills.  As a teacher my shelf life is arguably 30-40 years.  The average shelf life for an NFL player?  Roughly 3.5 seasons. (Courtesy of NFLPlayers.com)   See where I’m going?  NFL players need to make as much money as quickly as possible.  Who gets the contract?  Just like that pick-up it’s the guys with the strongest arm, fastest legs, and yes those that hit the hardest.  So these guys are rewarded for hitting hard.  If these young kids can make a few extra dollars on the side by making some big hits, who cares?  Who knows how much longer they have in the league.  Don’t give me the "what about taxes bullshit".  It’s no worse than mowing someone’s yard for a few extra bucks.  Did you report that on your taxes this year?

Bounty Bowl

So where do bounties come into play in the NFL?  They have been around as long as the game itself.  Most notably back in 1989 the Eagles and Cowboys partook in the infamous “Bounty Bowl” where Eagles coach Buddy Ryan “allegedly” placed a bounty on Cowboys’ and ex-Eagles’ kicker Luis Zendajas.  It has to be noted that no punishments were ever handed out.  CBS which broadcasted the Eagles vs. Cowboys game 2 weeks later, advertised the game as “Bounty Bowl II”.  I know that this was almost 25 years ago but bounties were illegal back then but the NFL allowed the game to be promoted “Bounty Bowl II”?  Seems somewhat hypocritical to me.   

Hard Hits 

As I was watching Mike and Mike on ESPN this morning they were interviewing Marcellus Wiley, an ex-defensive player turned commentator.  His points were that informally this stuff goes on all the time in the NFL.  Guys are constantly shouting things like “1000 bucks for another big hit”.  He also told a story about how as an 11 year old he took a shot during a Pop Warner game.  When he spoke the player that hit him at an all-star game a few weeks later the player apologized for the hit and said his coach informed the team that if they took out Wiley, they could win.

That leads me to my next point.  Opponents of the Saints and the bounty scandal are saying that trying to “take out” an opposing player is wrong.  Uh, excuse me?  As an Eagles fan I see all the time, “If they can get hits on Vick, they’ll be in good shape.”  Hmmm….seems like a team’s game plan may be to put “hits” on Vick.  Going back to the Wiley Pop Warner story, was that coach wrong?  If you contain the best player doesn’t it give your team a better chance to win?  If you hit a player hard, aren’t you going to put some doubt in his mind for next time?  It’s all a part of the game.

courtesy of sportslogos.net

Do I have a problem with bounties in football?  Nope.  I feel hitting and injuries are a part of the game and actually makes the game that much more enjoyable.  Should players play dirty and take cheap shots?  Of course not.  However, if a player can put a “legal” hit on a player that can either put some doubt in the player’s mind or even “rough” him up a little bit then why not?  Again, if the hit is legal so what?  Football is a violent game.  People are going to get hurt.  Even in basketball there are such things as “hard fouls”.  The point?  Send a message to the player.  As long as the hits are within the rules what’s the problem?  If receiving a little monetary reward for hard hits motivates players, again as long as they aren’t playing dirty what’s the harm?  If you don’t want to get hurt, then don’t play.

Now What?

Is this situation messed up?  Yes.  Should there be punishments handed out?  Yes.  It’s against the rules of the league and they got caught.  You do the crime you do the time.  If this had been just between the players it would be one thing.  I would liken it to a March Madness pool at work.  Sure it’s illegal but it’s not as though the company is sponsoring it, it’s just something between co-workers.

courtesy of sportslogos.net

 This is an institutionalized bounty system which is clearly against the rules.  The issue that is being overlooked is that once this was first discovered the owner of the Saints informed the general manager to put a halt to the practice.  He didn’t.  Why is he not on the hot seat?  I know if I blatantly ignored something my boss told me to do, my ass would be punished.  Why is Gregg Williams the scapegoat here and not Mickey Loomis?  Sure Williams was the one that instituted the program and it’s coming out that he had similar programs in place in other coaching stops, but Loomis and owner Tom Benson are also responsible somewhere in this mess.

Will bounties ever truly be eliminated?  I doubt it.  As long as there are superstar players that make the difference in a game there will be bounties.  As long as quarterback hits and hurries are stats that the networks (including the NFL network, how’s that for hypocrisy) carrying the games keep, there will be bounties.  As long as schools like Ohio State give out helmet stickers, there will be bounties.  As long as there is that one guy who is far better than everyone else on the playground, there will be bounties.

Will all the punishments handed down by the NFL do away with “Institutionalized Bounties”?  Probably.  Will there always be those informal bounties?  Absolutely.  Look, if you tell me I can win a game by taking out the opposing team’s best player I’m going to try my damndest...as long as it’s not a cheap shot...to take the player out.  Until everyone has “equal” abilities, the bounties will be there.  Don’t like it?  Don’t watch.  What’s next, the National 2 Hand Touch League?  Until next time this is Jimbo saying, I’ve played in some pretty intense 2 hand touch games.