Tag: NFL

The NFL Top 100

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

Last night on the NFL Network, the top 10 players in the league, as voted on by the players, were revealed. They are…

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Peyton Manning
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Tom Brady
5. J.J. Watt
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Aldon Smith
8. Arian Foster
9. Von Miller
10. Patrick Willis

My thoughts about this list….no surprise that AP was voted number one. He dominated last year despite tearing his ACL near the end of the previous season. Peyton is my number one quarterback but I was a tad surprised that he was the highest ranked quarterback. Guess I know what I am talking about after all when I say “he puts in work.” Rodgers not being in the top three was a shocker. That is all I know to say. Aldon Smith went from not making the list in 2012 to being number seven this year. Talk about respect from your peers. All in all, I think the list is solid. It is easy to sit at home, analyze and critique the list. The players are the ones who go out and play the game every week. Therefore, making them experts on who is the best of the best. Congratulations to all 100 players who made the list. There is no higher compliment than the ones your fellow peers give you. Oh, did you all notice my 9ers have two players in the top 10 :-}??

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!

Until next time…TOODELLS.

And another one: The Foxboro Wake-Up Call

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

Gun. Execution style. NFL. Murder. Four words you will not typically find in the same story but this became a reality on Wednesday when former New England Patriot, Aaron Hernandez, was charged with first degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd.

When this story broke last Monday, I will admit that it did not seem to be anything major, initially. The one thing that did peak my interest was the fact that they were reporting that the place where the body was found was near Hernandez’s home. That bit of information would lead one to believe the authorities are looking at a possible connection between Hernandez and the death of Lloyd. As the week went on, there were rumblings of a destroyed cellphone, destroyed surveillance videos from Hernandez’s home and pending obstruction of justice charges. Helicopters followed Hernandez as he left his home and went to the Patriots facility. Reporters ambushed him at a gas station. He disappeared off the public radar for a few days. Then a hush fell over the crowd…

All was relatively quiet until yesterday. 8:45am. Breaking news. Aaron Hernandez arrested. Charges unknown. Approximately, two hours later, the Patriots made a statement regarding Hernandez via Twitter. It simply said, “The New England Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez.” And there is your red flag. The fact that the Patriots felt that they needed to take this position lead me to believe that whatever charges had been levied against Hernandez were serious. I was thinking accessory to murder, maybe aiding and abetting along with obstruction of justice. I never once thought a first degree murder charge was what was levied against Hernandez. Wait, there is more. In addition to the murder charge, he was charged with one count of carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of possessing a large-capacity firearm and two counts of possessing a firearm without an FID( firearms ID card and allows the holder to possess non-large-capacity rifles and shotguns in his or her home)card. Wow. Just wow. Maybe I was being naive. Maybe I should have figured out by now that he was going to be charged with the murder. Hey! I am not a police officer, an attorney nor do I work in law enforcement so yes I was shocked.

So what do we know? We know that Hernandez, Lloyd and two others were together the morning of the murder. There is surveillance footage of Hernandez leaving home with a gun. We know that Lloyd texted his sister, “do you see who I am with?”. When she responded with “who”, he texted her at 3:22am and said “NFL.” Within a few minutes after that text was sent, Lloyd was shot multiple times and died at the scene. Wow. Just wow.

We all know the law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty. The only people that know for sure what took place that night were the people who were present and unfortunately one of them is dead. As a fan of the NFL, I would like to believe that no player is reckless enough to commit such a despicable act but you just never know. I never expected to wake up on December 1, 2012 and hear that  former Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher committed a murder-suicide. I never expected to wake up one week later on December 8, 2012 and hear that the Dallas Cowboys Josh Brent had killed his teammate, Jerry Brown, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Just because a player plays for the NFL does not mean they are not capable of committing crimes just like anyone else. One is just left to wonder why a person would do such a thing when they have been gifted an opportunity that many wish they had. Why throw it all away in a split second?

All of these situations serve as wake up calls. Not just for NFL players. Not just for professional athletes. They serve as wake up calls for all of us. Whether they serve as a call for people to get help, change their lifestyles or examine the company they keep, they all serve as a reminder that lives can change in an instant when bad choices are made. Each one of us owes it to ourselves to sit down and evaluate our lives to see if there are changes that need to be made in order to assure we live a life that is meaningful, purposeful and not harmful to others. Typically, if we do our part to ensure that evil, envy, deceit and anger is not present in our lives, it rarely finds a way to damage the life we have worked so hard for.

Until next time….TOODELLS.

It’s not football season but this will do, for now….

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, Panthers, Sports3 Comments

Whoop whoooop!!! It is not football season but hey at least we have the 2013 NFL S.chedule!!! I have some planning to do :-}.

Below, I have listed the most intriguing game or games of each week. Let me know what you think!

Week 1: Seahawks @ Panthers. Russell vs Cam. Yes!! Packers @ 49ers. Second year in a row these two teams have met in week 1. Should be another good one. Ravens @ Broncos. Now this is an interesting matchup. Interested to see how the Ravens look after having that yard sale in the off season.

Week 2: 49ers @ Seahawks. Kaepernick vs Russell. 49ers D vs Seahawks O. 49ers O vs Seahawks D. Nuff said.

Week 3: Chiefs @ Eagles. Andy Reid going back to Philly will be the big story. I am interested to see how these teams bounce back after disappointing seasons last year. Texans @ Ravens. For reasons other than Ed Reed going back to Baltimore, I think this matchup will show us a lot about these two teams

Week 4: 49ers @ Rams. Lets hope the game does not end in a tie, again! Seahawks @ Texans. Once again, two prolific D’s are featured. Looking forward to seeing if the Seahawks O-Line can contain the Texans JJ Watt. Bears @ Lions. The Lions Stephen Tulloch predicts that the Lions will bounce back this season. We will see.

Week 5: Chiefs @ Titans. Yeah, no one pays these teams any attention but hey it could be a good game! Broncos @ Cowboys. By week 5, we ought to know which Cowboys team we are dealing with. Texans @ 49ers. How can you not be excited about this game?

Week 6: Giants @ Bears. The Bears have been underachieving for a few years. Lets see if they can bounce back. Redskins @ Cowboys. Romo better win this game. I mean his $108 million dollar arm should be able to do it, right? Colts @ Chargers. I keep holding out hope that things will turn around for Philip Rivers out in Diego. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Week 7: Bears @ Redskins. This has the potential to be a great matchup. Then again, it has the potential to be a blowout. Broncos @ Colts. Peyton’s singing, “I’m coming home. I’m coming home. Tell the world, I’m coming home!!!” Ravens @ Steelers. One of the best rivalries in the game right now. Lets hope it does not lose its luster with all these roster changes.

Week 8: Redskins @ Broncos. I fully expect #18 to slice and dice the Redskins D. Love watching “The Surgeon” work.

Week 9: Steelers @ Patriots. Everyone is always gunning for the Patriots. The Steelers are no different. Colts @ Texans.  Interested to see what young Andrew Luck can do against that Texans D. Bears @ Packers. Another classic rivalry.

Week 10: Seahawks @ Falcons. I am sure the Seahwaks want payback for losing their NFC Divisional game to the Falcons with less than a minute left. Still shaking my head on that one.  Panthers @ 49ers. My two favorite teams. Go 9ers! Go Panthers!

Week 11: Jets @ Bills. Welp, for years these teams have been pretty terrible. Not expecting it to be any different this year sooo yeah, should be a good game! Falcons @ Bucs. I think the Bucs are going to be a much better team this year. They could challenge for the NFC South crown. 49ers @ Saints. Hope they are not already dishing out Kaepernick payments.

Week 12: Saints @ Falcons. Another NFC South matchup. Broncos @ Patriots. Peyton vs Brady. Yep, that is all you need to know. 49ers @ Redskins. Kaepernick vs Griffin III. Yep, that is all you need to know.

Week 13: Packers @ Lions. I hope this is a good matchup. Watch, one of these teams is going to be not so good. Haha. Saints @ Seahawks. Can not remember the last time I have seen the Saints play in Seattle. Lets see how they handle the 12th man. Jaguars @ Browns. Another one of those these teams typically are not very good so this matchup should be.

Week 14: Seahawks @ 49ers. At this point in the season, this game could very well decide who wins the NFC West.

Week 15: Texans @ Colts. At this point in the season, this game could very well decide who wins the AFC South.  Ravens @ Lions. I am just interested to see what the Ravens look like at this point in the season.

Week 16: Falcons @ 49ers. At this point in the season, this game could very well decide who gets is the #1 seed in the NFC. Plus, the Falcons are probably still bitter from last year’s NFC Championship debacle. Bucs @ Rams. The Rams were slowly improving last year. Too bad no one paid them any attention.

Week 17: Redskins @ Giants Eagles @ Cowboys NFC East matchups! Could the division title be decided the last week of the season???

 

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALLLLLLLLLL??!!

The No Fun League??

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

A lot of fuss has been made regarding the National Football League(NFL). Oh, it has gotten too soft. Oh, they will not let you hit  hard anymore in games. Oh, why not just make it flag football. Earlier this week, the owners voted to ban players from using the crown(top) of their helmet as a means of making forcible contact. This rule change has been criticized by players and fans.

Look, I get it. You all know how much I love the NFL. You all know how much I love big hits but lets face it, the NFL is changing. What worked in 1970 does not work in 2013.

A few years ago, former NFL player, Dave Duerson, committed suicide with a gunshot wound to his chest. The reason he did not choose to shoot himself in the head was because he wanted his brain to be used for medical study. He wanted doctors to study his brain to see if the mood swings, erratic behavior, depression, etc were directly connected to the hits he had sustained in the NFL during his 11 year career. The news of his death and his request sent shockwaves through the sports world.

In 1994, the NFL formed the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. The committee was established to provide additional support to teams who had players suffering from concussions as well as provide information to current and former players about the short/long terms effects of concussions. Many former players have claimed that the committee was misleading in terms of providing accurate information to players. Not happy with the committee, commissioner Roger Goddell determined in 2010 that new leadership was needed and a new direction for the committee needed to be established. The committee was renamed the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Medical Committee. Chosen to head the committee were Dr. H. Hunt Batjer and Dr. Richard G. Ellenbogen, both neurological surgeons.

Look, I get it. You want to see the NFL of old. You want players to be able to ram into each other with no consequences but lets face it, the NFL is changing. What worked then does not work now.

Many have criticized Goddell for “watering down” the game, for taking all the fun out of it. Football is a violent sport, period. No amount of rule changes and penalties will ever change that. However, we are all aware that their have been studies done that show direct correlation between football and brain deficiencies. How do you propose that issue be addressed?

Well, on one hand you have a commissioner who is trying to eliminate “unnecessary” hits. You know those kinds where the players only mission is to severely injure someone. Or those hits where the main point of impact is at the head. You know those hits. On the other hand, you have players who complain that the NFL has not done enough to prevent them from sustaining concussions or that they have not provided much assistance to those who are suffering long term effects from concussions.

Bottom line, you can not have it both ways. You can not want the commissioner to do provide more assistance without allowing the commissioner to try and make changes that may decrease the amount of assistance a player needs over time. Players can not complain that not enough is being done and then turn around and get mad when the commissioner adjusts a rule that will hopefully result in there being less head injuries. You can not have it both ways.

I like what Goddell is trying to do. I would rather the changes be made now than for some player to have to suffer tremendously in his latter years. Now I know it is not realistic to think that all these changes will guarantee that players will not suffer ill effects from playing football. However, if it can lessen the pain then I am all for it. Hey, maybe it all goes back to what is being taught. You know the fundamentals of football. Maybe we can start there. You know teaching kids how to properly tackle, run with the football, quarterback, etc. Art Rooney, President of the Pittsburgh Steelers, probably said it best in reference to the change of players not being able to make contact using the crown of your helmet as it related to fundamentals, “Jim Brown never lowered his head. It can be done.”  I agree Mr. Rooney. I agree.

Until next time….TOODELLS!!

Just got paid, Friday niiiight…

On By kassienetteIn Football, NFL, Sports, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A quarterback got paaaaaaaid Friday. A quarterback landed the a deal that gave him the second highest amount of guaranteed money, ever. A quarterback, not surprisingly, became the highest paid player in NFL history. What is surprising is that this quarterback’s last name is NOT Manning, Brady, Brees or Rodgers. His last name is Flacco. first name Joe. Some of ya’ll are probably saying, who?

When news broke on Friday that the Baltimore Ravens were preparing to make Flacco the highest paid player in NFL history, I was stunned. Six years, $120.6 million. $52 million guaranteed. We all knew a deal was coming but I do not think there were many who expected such a historic deal. Lets face it, even now Flacco does not routinely make it into analysts conversations about “elite” quarterbacks. He has the same amount of rings as Peyton Manning, Rodgers and Brees. Has appeared in more championship games than them the past five years. And he is still in his 20s.

Flacco is a baller. He is very boring. Even his dad admitted that. However, the numbers he has put up the past five years especially in the playoffs can stand up against any of the ‘elite” qb’s. I am still not convinced he is worth $120.6 million but hey, I ain’t mad at him. Get that money Joe!!!

Until next time…TOODELLS!

The San Francisco Shuffle…

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

When my beloved 9ers drafted Alex Smith in 2005, I was not happy. I felt we needed a wide receiver and I wanted us to draft Braylon Edwards. Ok, you can stop laughing now. For six years, I was right about not wanting Smith as our QB. The team was a mess. No consistency. No winning seasons. No playoffs. Then 2011 happened. We went 13-3, won the NFC West, played in the NFC Championship game and Smith had the best year of his career. Who knew he had it in him??

Then 2012 happened. Smith was having an even better year when he got a concussion. Insert back up QB, Colin Kaepermick. Talk about seizing the moment. On one of the biggest stages, Monday Night Football, Kaepernick played like a starting QB. The shuffle was on. The speculation began about whether or not Smith would regain his starting spot. That answer was no and yesterday the 9ers made the decision to trade Smith to the Chiefs, for draft picks, ending an era.

As a member of the Faithful, I want to thank Smith for all he has meant to the 9ers organization. I wish you nothing but the best in Kansas City!!!

By the way, did you hear the rumblings about Darrelle Revis coming to the bay?? I know it is early but maaaaaaaaaaaaaan….

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Follow me on Twitter @KassieNette

 

Round of applause…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, NASCAR, SportsLeave a comment

I have been debating all morning about which topic I want to write about, Oscar Pistorious or Danica Patrick. I woke up this morning and saw that Oscar was trending on Twitter so I was leaning towards that until I watched ESPN First Take. One of the topics of debate was Danica. There has been a lot of chatter about Danica not deserving the “hype” surrounding her.

I agree that Danica has gotten a lot of publicity and “hype” that is typically reserved for those who have proven over a period of time that they are winners. I agree that a lot of the “hype” stems from the fact that she is a pretty woman and in our society women are typically judged on how they look, first, before they are even recognized for their abilities. However, that is not her fault and I do not think she should be ridiculed for it. Has she capitalized on it? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t? Happens all the time. Just ask the dude who sings “Gangnam Style.”

The media hypes up the “next” such and such on a daily basis. It happens all the time in football, ie Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, Reggie Bush. It happens all the time in basketball, ie Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison, Michael Olowokandi. Do I need to continue? What has happened to Danica is no different than what has been happening for years. The difference is she wears makeup and everyone I listed does not.

No one knows what type of career Danica will ultimately have but I find it deplorable that members of the media, especially women, have taken it upon themselves to call her out for what she has not done opposed to what she has done. Yes, I know she has participated in almost 200 races and has only been declared the victor in one. By society’s standards she has failed. In my opinion, she has succeeded. She is participating in a male dominated sport, one where there is not a separate league for women. Her peers do not look like her. Just because she has not won a lot does not mean she does not have an impact. I think her not winning speaks louder than winning does. It shows us that even when the odds are against her she is willing to get in the ring and fight even if she knows she has little chance of winning. That is what life is all about, right? Getting knocked down and continuing to get back up to continue the fight.

Even if Danica never wins another race, she has already helped pave the way for female drivers that will follow in her footsteps. The truth of the matter is not everyone will make it to the mountaintop. Some of are here to make the path easier for others to follow. That could be Danica’s purpose. Judging by her actions, I think she is ok with that. And for that, she deserves a round of applause.

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Follow me on Twittter @KassieNette