The NFL Is No Longer a League of Parody

There is one thing that stands out to me so far in this football season. There are some really awful teams out there. The NFL used to pride themselves on having the most parody of any other professional sport. Any given team can win on any given sunday. Well this season is making that statement look like a thing of the past. The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, and Oakland Raiders are all a complete joke this season. They should really be in a league of there own because they truly cannot compete with even mediocre teams in the NFL. Unfortunatly, this has caused me not to have any motivation to watch these teams play, because I already know the outcome. This week my friends asked me if I wanted to attend the Browns vs. Lions game in Detriot. I am a huge fan of the NFL, but I would not want to spend even 20 dollars on a ticket to watch the Browns and Lions both punt the ball 12 times. The leagues setup to help teams in the NFL draft by not using a lottery and having the best talent land on the worst teams, however owners like Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders make the draft a joke by drafting players because of there speed and overall ability. If this continues I believe Goodell might have to step in and help this teams be more successfull.

Fanhood or Fantasy Football: what do you put first?

I have been a long time fantasy football fan, and even a longer time NFL fan. I found myself last week in an interesting conundrum between rooting for my fantasy team, or my New England Patriots. I will always be a diehard Patriots fan, and it pained me to see that I was going against Tom Brady and Randy Moss this week. The Patriots played their most important game so far this season against the Colts, however my fantasy team(in which the winner receives 600 dollars) was in a grueling matchup between the top two teams in my league. How am I supposed to hope Randy Moss and Tom Brady don't succeed when they are my two favorite players in the NFL? Personally, I put my fanhood of the Pats above my love for winning money and decided it was best for the Patriots to win. There is a very thin line between rooting for fantasy teams and actual teams. In a lot of situations you will have a player going against your favorite team, but still hope they have a good game. In my opinion fantasy football can both enchance your experience watching football, but can also make you scratch your head in confusion as to what is right.

Freddie Barnes

You may not be aware of it but BGSU has the top Wide Receiver in the nation statistically. Senior Freddie Barnes is leading the nation in both receiving yards(1285) and receptons(117) and is leading by a landslide. This leads me to believe Mr. Barnes will likely be drafted when April rolls along. Originally, Freddie came to BG as a quarterback but switched to wide receiver once Tyler Sheehan began taking all the snaps under center. My question is how can you value Freddie's draft stock since he plays in the MAC? At 6 feet tall 210 lbs Freddie is certainly considered a little undersized, however his ability to run routes and get open is underrated. Unfortunatly for Freddie, he may be overlooked by some teams because of the conference he plays in. Still, Barnes has been turning heads this season and has been interviewed on ESPN's morning show First Take. He has also received recognition from NFL draft guru Todd McShay after BG's win over Buffalo last Thursday saying." Barnes draft stock is going up every week". All in all, the NFL combine will determine where Barnes will place in the draft. If Barnes' 40 time and strength impress NFL executives, I can see him going as early as the 4th round this coming April.

Genius is Often Misunderstood

Before I began my rant, let me start off by saying Bill Belichick is a Hall of Fame coach, and will forever be in my heart for winning 3 Superbowls in 4 years.

I am guessing you were watching the game Sunday night between the Colts and Patriots. I sat down with my buddies, broke out the chips and salsa and watched Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots do work against the Colts, leading by 17 at one point in the 4th quarter. I was estatic because I have waited for this game all season long, and it couldn't have gone any better then I imagined...until Bill Belchick made one of the worst coaching moves in recent history.

The Pats are up 6, with the ball on there own 29 yard line, and 3 minutes remaining in the game. One first down and the game is over, the Patriots can run out the clock, I can dance around Founders celebrating how much better my team is then everyone elses, life would be grand. Well, it didn't work that way because of one man, and one decision to go for it on 4th and 2. I realize this is supposed to be a "gutzy" move and would just add to Bill's legacy if converted, but sometimes in football you have to check your ego at the door and play by the numbers. Giving Peyton Manning a 30 yard field to score a touchdown is like letting Michael Jackson babysit your kid...you just wouldn't do it. You MUST punt the ball in that situation and let your defense win the game for you, just like they have always done in the past. Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi, whom both played under Belichick last season, went on air and ripped their former head coach publicly, and in my opinion deservingly so. So why go for it? Was Bill that cocky where he thought there was no way Brady would ever be stopped? Or does he have zero faith in his defense? It is probably a combination of both, but on Sunday night that combination resulted in a losing formula.