Hmmmm, where do I start?
Do I start with naming the countless records he holds? Or do I start with by highlighting his career with the Indianapolis Colts then proceed to his career with the Denver Broncos? Or do I start with the way he revolutionized the game of football?
Or do I just start with what today means to me?
I think that is a good place to start. Continue reading “My ‘Untitled’ Peyton Manning Piece”
For two days straight, my phone has been blowin up.
A buzz here. A buzz there. A notification here. A notification there. A retweet here. A retweet there. Everywhere a tweet, tweet. It feels like my phone buzzes every other minute. Welcome to the frenzy that is NFL Free Agency.
Donte Whitner. His release HURT!! For real. DeMarcus Ware. Darrelle Revis. Antoine Bethea. Jared Allen. Julius Peppers. LaMarr Woodley. Aqib Talib. T.J. Ward. Karlos Dansby. This would make a nice Pro Bowl roster.
And then, the hammer dropped and everyone in North Carolina and South Carolina heard the news that they did not want to hear, the Carolina Panthers would start training camp in July without all-time leading receiver and arguably the franchise’s most famous cat, Steve Smith. The rumblings began at the NFL Combine when Panthers General Manager, Dave Gettleman, offered a noncommittal response when asked about Smith’s future with the team. Many were stunned by the response including Smith. In 2012, Smith signed a three year extension which many felt would guarantee that Smith would retire as a Panther. That was what Smith wanted and at the time it was what the Panthers wanted. Loyalty seemed to be at the root of the deal as everyone walked away from the table happy. Unfortunately, loyalty does not always rise up from its hole each year. And loyalty does not score touchdowns. And loyalty does not guarantee good seasons. And loyalty does not guarantee championships.
Buzz. 9:05am. Alert from SportsCenter. Panthers to cut WR Steve Smith Thursday, a league source told NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Once Schefter tweets it/says it, you can bank on it.
Wow. I was in Bank of America Stadium to witness Smitty’s last game as a Panther.
This part of the NFL just makes me go ugh. I have dissected this move from many angles. Smith is 34 years old. He is 5’9(not that his height has ever been an issue but short WR’s are becoming less common). He is coming off a knee injury. The Panthers would potentially have to pay him seven million in 2014. They need to get under the salary cap. Yada yada yada. Everyone will scream it is business and move on. To me, I do not believe this is JUST a business move. I think this was personal. Sure we do not know what kind of year Smith may have next year. He may have a horrible year. He may have a great year. He may have even decided to retire. That is just the nature of sports. You can make all the predictions you want but none of us know what will really happen during the year. Right? Or are you trying to tell me you picked Seattle to win the SuperBowl. Anywho, back to Smitty. Regardless of what is going to happen, the Panthers will be paying Smith three million dollars. It is part of the guaranteed money that he got for his extension. So, they essentially saved four million dollars which I hope they use to spend on another wide receiver because I am not sure that Tavarres King, Martin McNutt or R.J. Webb can step in and fill Smith’s void. Oh and did I mention that the four million saved does not really put a dent in the cap space needed.
Perhaps the most telling sign that this is a personal move is the fact that the Panthers never asked Smith to restructure his contract. Let that sink in. Business or personal? You be the judge.
The past two days have been a doozy. I am almost positive that there have never been so many big name players released at one time. For as much as I love the game, I absolutely hate this part of the “business” where feelings have to be separated from reality in order to save dollars. But I have learned to accept it. If the 9ers can trade football royalty in the form of Jerry Rice and Joe Montana then anything is possible. Here is to hoping today is not as hectic. I have work to do and I do not need any distractions!
Until next time…TOODELLS.
Follow me on Twitter @Kassienette
P.S. To Smitty….thank you for your dedication, loyalty and hardwork. As a Panthers fan, it has been a joy to watch you play the past 13 years for the blue and black. May GOD bless you abundantly in your next chapter.
Hi, my loyal Korner Kickers!! I hope you all are well. I want to apologize for my lack of posts last week. I have a lot going on!!! Good stuff though and I have not had time to write. This is another hectic week but once I get through it, I will be back to my usual writing schedule.
As you all know, IT IS SUPER BOWL WEEEEEEK!!!! I can hardly contain my excitement. Just wait until next Monday when I am posting about the San FranSIXco 49ers!!!!!
In honor of SuperBowl week, I have decided to blog about memorable Super Bowls. They may not be memorable to you but they are to me and in some instances it may not be because of the game.
My 9ers have appeared in five Super Bowls and have won all five. Although, I was a fan of the 9ers as a youngster, I did not really start developing my love for the game until I was in middle school. Therefore, the 9ers SuperBowl appearance that stands out most for me is SuperBowl XXIX(29). My 9ers vs the San Diego Chargers. Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Deion Sanders, Merton Hanks and the chicken dance, Ricky Watters, Bryant Young, Dana Stubblefield & Ken Norton, Jr. vs Junior Seau, Natrone Means, Stan Humphries and the other Chargers. My 9ers were 18.5 point favorite, rightfully so.
The game was deemed as a coming out party for Steve Young as he emerged, in the eyes of many, from Joe Montana’s shadow. On the opening drive, three paid into the game, Young found Rice in the endzone and just like that the route was on. Young threw for touchdowns on his way to MVP in a 49-26 win. Equally as impressive in the win was the fact that Rice had 29 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Greatness.
As I celebrated loudly in my living room, I had no idea it would be another 18 years before we would grace the big stage again but we are back!!! That is what makes REAL FANS so special. They are there through the good and bad times. LETS GO NINERS!!!! BRING THE TROPHY BACK TO THE BAY!!!
The debate happens all the time, who is the greatest football player of all-time?
Marino? Brown? Montana? Sanders? Rice? Payton? Butkus? Brady? Manning? LT? Unitas? Smith? Sayers?
I think it is safe to say the G.O.A.T.(Greatest Of All Time) resides on the offensive side of the ball. With that being said, to me there is no debate…JERRY LEE RICE is the G.O.A.T.
Look at the players I named. Does anything stand out? Rice is the ONLY receiver named. You can have the QB debate all day. You can have the RB debate all day. You can have the LB debate all day. The WR debate, starts and ends with Rice. Still not convinced? Here are the facts…
Records Rice holds
208 total touchdowns, 33 more than the next guy
22,895 receiving yards, 691 more than the next guy
1,549 receptions, 400 more than the next guy at the starts of the 2012 season
1,848 yards, most gained in a season
17 seasons with 50 or more receptions
14 seasons of 1000 or more receiving yards
274 straight games with a reception
197 receiving TDs
13 consecutive games with passing TDs
23,540 yards from scrimmage
23,546 yards gained
13 time Pro Bowler. 12 time All Pro selection. 3 Super Bowl rings. 1 Super Bowl MVP. 2 time NFL Offensive POY. 3 time NFC POY. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
In the words of Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, “Men lie. Women lie. Number’s don’t.”
I present to you my 12 favorite athletes of ALL-TIME, in no particular order…
1. Ken Griffey, Jr~~I can admit, I was a little obsessed with Junior back in the day. I have a Griffey pennant on my wall(at my mom’s). The first pair of hi-tops I ever bought were the original Griffeys. I had a VHS tape full of his highlights and Home Run Derbys. I would watch SportsCenter over and over just to see Junior. And I still stand by a statement I made a couple of weeks ago: the man has the prettiest swing. EVER.
2. Jerry Rice~~This should come as no surprise. When you think of the 9ers, you have to think of Jerry. The man holds bookoo(is that how you spell it?) records: most TDs scored with 208, most career TD receptions with 197, most career receptions with 1549, most career receiving yards with 22,895 and the list goes on. Add to that three Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl MVP, Offensive player of the year honors, numerous pro bowl selections, a spot in Canton and you have the G.O.A.T.
3. David Thompson~~Man oh man. How I wish I was alive to see him play. Or how I wish he was playing when I was around :-}. The stories I have heard about Skywalker are just mind boggling. His athleticism, precision, vertical abilities and sheer domination are reasons enough to You Tube him. Need more convincing, Google David Thompson blocks Bill Walton. If you do not have Skywalker in your list when it comes to college basketball’s G.O.A.T. then you really do not know roundball at all. And if you have Michael Jordan on that list and not DT, then you have LACK credibility. It is that simple. GO PACK!
4. Kristi Yamaguchi~~You would have thought I was dreaming of being a figure skater as much as I loved to watch Kristi skate. Her routines were flawless!! She was flawless! And her last name was flawless!
5. Michael Johnson~~I have been a track and field fan since I was a tiny tot. Loved participating. Loved watching. And I loooooooooved watching Michael Johnson obliterate the competition every chance he got especially in the ’96 Olympics. Other than Namath claiming a Super Bowl win, I have never seen a more bold proclamation than when Michael Johnson stepped onto the track in Atlanta in gold spikes. His then record-breaking 200m run is still my favorite Olympic moment.
6. Josh Hamilton~~If you have been around me the last few years then you know how I feel about Josh Hamilton. God-given extraordinary abilities, #1 pick out of high school, develops a bad drug habit, suspended from baseball numerous times, during a “high” moment stumbles into his grandmother’s house, she welcomes him in, he tries to go to sleep in her spare room, notices a Bible, flips through it until his eyes land on James 4:7, decides to dedicate his life to Christ, gets sober, gets back into baseball, finds a home with the Texas Rangers, sets a record in the 2008 HR Derby with 28 homers in the first round, 2010 AL MVP and is still adding to his resume. And his explanation for it all, “It’s a God thing.” Now do you understand why he’s one of my faves? Btw, if you have not read his book, Beyond Belief, do so!! Life changer.
7. Steve Young~~Yes, I love me some Joe Cool. However, Steve Young was my guy in the 90s. Dude was smooooooove, calm, cool and collected. Could scramble, throw on the run and was not afraid to talk a little trash. Plus he had that curly hair. My man.
8. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway~~Talk about a throwback. Just like I was with Griffey, I was a little obsessed with Penny. I did not have highlight tapes but I did have his name plastered all over my wall and I used to record Lil Penny commercials. If only those injuries had not plagued him…
9. Gail Devers~~This was my girl!! That hair! That speed! Those nails!!
10. Russell Wilson~~Gamer. Baller. Professional. Hardworker. Resilient. Determined. Playmaker. Gamechanger. Anklebreaker. Humble. Kind. Leader. Wolfpacker for life.
11. Vince Carter~~I know. I know. Feelin a little bit like a traitor. He is a smerf but even I have to be honest when it comes to VC. Between ’99-’06, there was no baller player I enjoyed watching more than Vince. His athletic ability was like other worldly. Once he truly developed his game to go along with his athletic prowess, dude was nearly unstoppable. That 2000 dunk contest?! Best. Ever.
12. Peyton Manning~~Now normally, I would make the smerf LAST on my list but I can not let a smerf occupy my favorite number. I am sure ya’ll were wondering where #18 was. Do I even need to explain why he is on the list?
Until next time…TOODELLS.
They say there is a first time for everything. Welp, I am experiencing another first….blogger’s block. Ugh. I have a few topics that I want to write about but for some reason I just can not seem to get them going. Instead of trying to force it, I have decided to take another route with this post. So here it is…a plethora of thoughts from Kassie….
1. Ken Griffey, Jr. had the prettiest swing. EVER.
2. As big a sports fan as I am, I have never seen Hoosiers, Bull Durham or Caddyshack. I have seen Blue Chips though.
3. I went to my first North Carolina State football game at the age of 2. I have a reoccurring flashback of me sitting with the family in the upper deck.
4. I was at The Cheesecake Factory in DC about 10 years ago with some friends when all of a sudden a very tall man arose from a table near us. It was Dikembe Mutombo. Before I could even catch myself I yelled out, MUTOMBOOOOOOO! If looks could kill. For that reason alone, he deserves more than two sentences.
5. Earvin “Magic” Johnson does not get the respect he deserves. Dude was a ballerrrrrrr, you hear me?!
6. When I was in middle school, my granddaddy would make me cheese toast for breakfast. I would eat it while watching Scooby Doo then I would turn and watch SportsCenter.
7. Ya’ll know the ‘This is SportsCenter’ commercial with Jay Harris and Larry Fitzgerald, where Larry catches all the stuff that falls in the office? I was with Jay on the day they emailed the script for the commercial to him. I have always thought Larry was a kutie and I told Jay that. About a week later I got a text from a friend that was sent by Jay that said, “Kassaundra, Larry told me to tell you hey.” Yep! That deserved extra sentences.
8. My all time favorite football player is Jerry Rice. Greatest of all time.
9. Quite often during football season, I lose my voice. It is a good thing that I do not have to talk to blog.
10. If you have never been to a Virginia Tech football game, GO!! That ‘Enter Sandman’ intro almost made me tackle someone in the stands.
11. Leave Lance Armstrong alone! He has raised over 500 million for cancer research. That will have a greater impact than anything he has done on a bike.
12. <—–My favorite number so I have got to make this good….44 days until the marathon!!! Have you made your donation :-}??
13. Some of my favorite athlete names…..Milton Bradley, Picabo(pronounced Peekaboo) Street, Tim Biakabutuka, Doug Flutie, Anfernee Hardaway and Alan Kulwicki.
14. I want to go to Soldier Field to see a Chicago Bears home game so I can sing “Bear Down” as loud as I can after the Bears score a touchdown. I love to randomly sing that song, just ask my mama :-}.
15. I keep up with the NBA but I do not like it. Do. Not. Get. Me. Started.
16. Everyone should experience a hockey game. LIVE.
17. I have been trying to learn how to play poker. The only thing I still understand how to flush a toilet.
18. This year’s baseball playoffs are going to be something special. You heard it here first…..Go Rangers!!
19. I am still giggling at the fact that they kept playing “Lean Back” by Fat Joe at the Broncos game Sunday night. Whoever was in charge of the music needs to not be in charge of the music anymore.
20. Until next time….TOODELLS.
Kassie Nette's Korner 