Tom Brady is “The Man”

Tom Brady was voted the No. 1 player in the NFL Network’s Top 100 players of 2011.  Players on the list were voted by their peers based on their performances during the 2010 NFL Season.  I raised eyebrows on some selections throughout the list, but the consensus on Tom Brady being the top player is bona fide.

OK, let me get this out of the way.  Tom Brady is a Michigan Man.  Yes, I studied at The University of Michigan.  Yes, I worked for Coach Lloyd Carr while Brady played in college.  Yes, I have an affinity for Michigan Football.  Yes, I bleed maize and blue.  I am biased, but I don’t ignore the facts.

So for the quarterback debate, let me give you the facts on Tom Brady.  In 2010, he had 36 touchdown passes and only four interceptions.  He did this without a corps of Pro Bowl receivers.  His deep threat receiver, Randy Moss, was sent to Minnesota a couple of weeks into the season and he made adjustments to lead the Patriots to a 14-2 season.  In contrast, Peyton Manning threw 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Many times I feel like quarterbacks only look as good as their wide receivers.  It helps to have receivers like Chad Ochocinco (Cincinnati Bengals) and Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions).  These are the types of guys who will make big plays out of bad passes.  Brady did not have that luxury last season.  He took his young receiving squad and made things happen.  New England was just a touchdown away from playing in the AFC championship game.  Take Brady away and the Patriots would not have even made the playoffs.

I don’t like to use championships as part of the criteria in discussions about the best players in team sports.  However, since the sports world insists that it matters, I’ll go there.  Brady has three Super Bowl rings.  No question he is the best.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Michael Vick’s past still haunting him

The NFL Network has been counting down the Top 100 players of the NFL 2010 Season voted by current players.  Yesterday, they revealed the 20^th player down to the 11^th player.  I was amazed to see Michael Vick at #20.  Number 20 is not justified for a guy who was not supposed to start and ended up not only starting, but also carrying his team to the playoffs. 

I’m not disturbed by Vick’s placement among his counterparts at the quarterback position.  Landing at #20 puts him in the Top 5 among quarterbacks.  Aaron Rodgers is#11.  Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are sure to be unveiled in the Top 10.  All of these guys are Super Bowl champions.  For some reason even though football is a team sport, a player’s skill level gains more respect with a championship.  So, it is to be expected that they would rank higher than Vick.

What is alarming to me is that when you take the quarterbacks out, there are 15 other players who are ranked higher than Michael Vick.  I have respect for all positions, but it isn’t a secret that the NFL is a quarterback driven league.  So how does a defensive end on a team that is ranked #23 in total defense rank higher than Michael Vick?  DeMarcus Ware is a beast.  He had 80 sacks, but the Dallas Cowboys didn’t even make the playoffs. 

I believe the ghost of Michael Vick’s past reared his head once again.  It is the reason that after a remarkable season he was not the league’s MVP, was runner up in the Madden 2011 cover contest and is now #20 on the NFL’s Top 100.   Michael Vick saved his team.  The same can’t be said for many of the guys in front of him.

The final 10 players will be presented on Sunday on the NFL Network at 8 p.m.  EST. Who do you think will be #1?

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

NFL lockout threatens New Year’s Day football

Last week the 2011-2012 College Football Bowl Schedule was released. One thing was glaring to me – the absence of a bowl game on New Year’s Day. College football fans and alumni look forward to seeing their schools play in a “good” bowl game. This was defined by its proximity to New Year’s Day. At Michigan it was the Rose Bowl. Yes, prior to the BCS, the Big Ten champ always represented the conference in Pasadena, CA. But, it was also a New Year ’s Day game. Not a pre-Christmas game. The entire nation watches New Year’s Day games.



This season there will not be any college football on New Year’s Day. The Gator, Outback, Capital One, Ticket City and Rose bowl games were moved to January 2. This is not because of classes or finals. January 1 is a Sunday and the planned finale of the NFL regular season. A full schedule of NFL games are slotted for New Year’s Day, so that means no college football. If the NFL does not have a season, it means no football at all.


Check out the bowl schedule, but don’t make plans for the BCS Championship Game. It is scheduled for January 9, but will move to January 7 or 10 if the NFL pushes its regular season schedule back a week because of labor negotiations.

Ciao!
Heels & Helmets®

NFL Lockout Blues

We’re at Day 93 of the NFL Lockout. There has not been a decision from the court. The NFL and NFLPA released a joint statement last week telling fans that they are conducting confidential discussions before Chief Magistrate Judge Bovian. This does not excite me. They have been talking on and off for months and have not made any progress.

The issues remain the same. At the center is money. Players want to keep what they have and the owners want more. Players want to see the books. Owners are not showing their books. I don’t see how more discussions will get them past this impasse. Unless both sides make some concessions (and soon), we will not have professional football this fall.

I’m mad about not being able to countdown to the start of the NFL season. I’m just hoping that there is a season. How about you?

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Plaxico Burress is free and job hunting

Plaxico Burress is a wide receiver from Michigan State University who played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2004) and New York Giants (2005-2008) before serving 20 months of a two-year sentence for a gun-possession charge.  He was released today because of good behavior.  Now the Super Bowl Champion who caught the winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII is unemployed.

Where will Plaxico get a job?

New York Giants – This is the last team that Plaxico played for.  I don’t see this happening because I believe that John Mara (Giants Co-owner) is still upset that “a player could carry a loaded gun into a nightclub, shoot himself and miss the rest of the season but get to keep his entire signing bonus.”

Chicago Bears – Mike Martz’s offense would improve greatly if Jay Cutler had an aggressive quarterback like Plaxico.

St. Louis Rams – The Rams could use a veteran wide receiver to help their young quarterback, Sam Bradford. 

New England Patriots – The Patriots have not replaced Randy Moss, so Tom Brady does not have a deep threat wide receiver.  They survived the season and made it to the playoffs without one, but lost to the New York Jets 28-21 in the divisional round of the playoffs.  A guy like Plaxico could have made the difference.  His catch in Super Bowl XLII ended the Patriots’ perfect season.

Philadelphia Eagles - Coach Any Reid gambled on Michael Vick and it was successful.  Plaxico is talented, but is not an exceptional player like Vick, so the risk may not be worth it to Reid.  However, he also grew up in the Tidewater region of Virginia like Vick.  Maybe this is Reid’s good luck region.

Plaxico is 33 and will be 34 by the time a season starts.  Even if he did a great job staying in shape, he has not played football since the end of 2008.  It will take him some time to get back to competing at a high level.  This doesn’t mean that teams should shy away from him.  I’m sure that he can still play and he can be acquired for a good deal because he has a lot to prove.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Game around my favorite game

I can’t believe that we are here.  No minicamps.  No workouts with coaches.  No rookie symposium.  No free agency.  The only thing coming up is another court date.  This Friday, June 3, the NFL and some of its locked-out players will travel to St. Louis, Missouri to present their arguments at the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

This is the game eclipsing my favorite game.

Greed.  Politics.  Disrespect.  Greed.  Ego.  Courts.  Greed.  

Yes, nice playbook.  What victory has it gotten?  Surely nothing for the fans who built professional football into the most popular sports league.

On the day that our nation celebrates and shows gratitude to all of the members of our military who died during service, I only have one comment about the NFL lockout.

Seriously???

Are the owners who own billions truly fighting to get more money in the most profitable sports league? 

Is leadership more focused on posturing instead of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement?

Are NFL owners really demanding that the players do more work and accept less pay?

Is the NFL honestly claiming broke after securing the largest media contracts ever AND guaranteeing the money if there was a lockout?

Are the owners seriously asking the players to believe their purported financial distress without opening their books?

Do the players genuinely feel like using the court is the only way to resolve the labor disputes?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes.  I hope that the NFL owners and players get it together.  I understand that it is business, but if they continue with the playbook they have been using, they will lose millions in dollars and fans.

My request is simple.  Stop playing games, so I can enjoy my game. 

Thank you.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

What’s wrong with NFL players enjoying a snow day?

In this era of instant communication, anything that a celebrity does or says is quickly broadcasted to the masses, analyzed and manipulated.  This includes NFL players.  During the last month, several players have been called out for comments that many people interpreted as their satisfaction with the NFL lockout.

Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Lewis commented, "To me, this is probably the greatest window of opportunity I've ever had in my life. It's been 25 years of my life that I've never had a summer to myself."  New England Patriots Wes Welker said, "Let's do a lockout every year.”  Both comments were used by the NFL in court to demonstrate that some NFL players were excited about not working.

New Orleans Saints’ Reggie Bush tweeted, “Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I'm making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I'm good!”  After over 1.6 million followers responded angrily, Bush explained that he was joking and basically told everyone to calm down. 

I believe that the players want to go work.  They were at the doors trying to do their jobs during the few days that the lockout was lifted last month.  They are organizing to prepare for the season without direction or a facility.  However, like most people, I think they can appreciate a good snow day every once and awhile.   Who hasn’t smiled because they unexpectedly got some time off of work? 

I’m not mad at the players.  I’m just annoyed that I’m not talking about rookies in mini camps.  Herm Edwards, ESPN Football Analyst and former NFL player and coach said it best, “We’re on SportsCenter talking about him (Reggie Bush) tweetin’ instead of football! That’s bad!”

I couldn’t agree more.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®