Archive for the ‘NFL’ Category
Monday, December 20th, 2010
"Thank you Mr. Vick. Thank you Suh."
Tashard Choice…YOU my friend, are a noodle. As a matter of fact, you are a wet, limp, ramen-style noodle. Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past week, you have probably seen, or at least heard about Cowboys’ Running Back Tashard Choice asking Eagles Quarterback Mike Vick to sign his gloves, ON THE FIELD, directly after a Sunday Night Cowboys loss to the Eagles, on national television. Now judging from the opinions of many people on TV, radio, print, and even our own War Room Sports Facebook forum (www.Facebook.com/WarRoomSports), my disdain for this apparent act of extreme “richard-ridery” seems to fall somewhere in the midst of the minority….which is actually cool with me, because when my overall opinions begin to align with the masses, that is when I will know that I am slipping.
Now back to this rather odd CHOICE by Tashard (pun intended). I’ve heard all of the defenses… “Players do this all the time”, “it was a sign of respect”, yadda yadda woopty damn doo. Well, obviously players don’t grovel for the opposing teams’ autographs ON THE FIELD, ON CAMERA, AFTER A LOSS, AT HOME too much. If that were the case, this “all the time” occurrence would not have been national sports news in the days following the game. So if this happens ALL THE TIME, make it happen ANOTHER TIME…not directly after a tough loss to a division opponent. If this is a “sign of respect”, then respect that man somewhere else…not in the middle of your home field in front of 100,000 angry home fans…not to mention the millions of viewers watching on television. Even his head coach remarked that “there is a time and place for that”.
The funny thing about this whole thing to me is that most of the people that I’ve had personal conversations with about this topic are Eagles fans. None of them seem to have a problem with it. To that, I say…FOH Eagles fans. WE…and yes I say WE…were the same group of fans who took Donovan McNabb to the proverbial verbal woodshed EVERY time he made a boneheaded play and then left the field with a smile on his face. Imagine if McNabb or any other Eagles player had solicited an opposing players’ autograph after a tough loss on national TV. You Eagles fans would have lost your mother-loving minds. So again, I say FOH Eagles fans. It was a punk move…BOTTOM LINE!
It goes back to my co-host Jimmy’s “Pass The Rock” rant and subsequent blog about how sports are getting soft in general. It is yet another occurrence that leads paying fans to believe that these spoiled millionaires just don’t care. I’m pretty sure Cowboys fans would have rather seen him walk off the field appearing as if he was upset about losing yet another game, rather than chasing the opponent’s quarterback halfway across the field for his John Hancock and a fatherly pat on the head. But if you all think this display of noodlery is okay in a “so-called” competitive environment, than more power to you and your cotton swab-loving tendencies. By the way…I’ll be signing autographs for all my fans throughout the holidays. Just send your valuables to the address listed on our website and I’ll get them back to you all signed up as soon as possible. Fatherly head pats not included.
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Cowboys Fans, Dallas Cowboys, Devin McMillan, Donovan McNabb, Eagles Fans, Facebook, James "The Blueprint" Williams, John Hancock, Michael Vick, Pass The Rock, Philadelphia Eagles, Tashard Choice, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »
Sunday, December 19th, 2010
Tags:ESPN, Internet Radio, John Wall, MLB, NBA, NFL, Podcast, Sam Bradford, Sports, Sports Podcast, Sports Talk, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NBA, NFL | No Comments »
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
Stop "hating" on Lebron
The other day, at the end of the school day, a few of my students had engaged in a conversation about basketball while preparing for dismissal. The conversation quickly turned to the Miami Heat and Lebron James. Several of the students began to praise Lebron James, “he’s the best player in league,” “he’s unstoppable,” etc. The normal banter one would expect to hear from middle school aged children. One student, while agreeing with the others, made the following statement about Lebron, “man, for as big as Lebron is, I wish he would post up more.” I thought this statement was an accurate observation for an 11 year old to make. However, this statement was quickly shot down by his peers and the student was called a “Lebron James hater”. Was this student’s comment one based in hate?…Or just an observation he made about one of his favorite players’ ability, or lack thereof, to post up another player. Yet he was quickly labeled as a “hater” by his peers. These types of conversations happen on a daily basis in barbershops, in classrooms, in sports bars, and on social networking websites, just to name a few. Hence, people making logical observations and expressing their opinion of an athlete’s ability on the court, field, etc that go against the “norm” are quickly labeled as “haters” in an attempt to dismiss the validity of his or her comment/statement.
The term “hater” is commonly used by individuals in an attempt to discredit anyone who criticizes him or her or displays displeasure in his or her actions or abilities. Using this term appears to be the “trendy” thing to do in our society these days to discredit someone’s opinion, by saying he or she is “hater” or that they are “hating.” Using this term seems to quickly dismiss the persons comments as jealousy, however, calling he or she a “hater” is not a very strong argument and holds about as much weight, in my opinion, as someone saying, “I know what you are but what am I”. I refer to the use of the word “hater” as a form of “superstar athlete protectionism”.
In sports, if you notice, certain athletes appear to be above criticism, like Lebron James, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Sidney Crosby, Alex Rodriquez, Kobe Bryant, etc, rather it is the way the media portrays these athletes as players “above the game” in their respective sports. It also appears that the casual fan perceives them to also be these “bigger than life” figures that are above criticism. Even to the extent that they ignore certain players’ shortcomings on the field, court, etc and if someone else brings up these short comings. For example, if I say “man Ryan Howard struggles with hitting a curve ball”, the casual fan will just respond, “what, your just a Ryan Howard hater”. However, the same protection is not allotted to a lower status athlete such as Andre Iguodala. For example, if you say “man Iggy plays soft or has no jump shot”, no one will respond with “you’re an Iggy hater”, yet if you say the same thing about a Lebron James, legitimate criticism, you are automatically labeled a James hater.
The really sad part is that some knowledgeable sports fans are guilty of the same behavior, discrediting other sports fans’ arguments when he or she believes the debate is not going his or her way, by labeling the other person as a hater. In summary, I often refer to the words of one of my all-time favorite rappers, Common, who said “just because I don’t like it, that don’t mean that I’m hating”. Using the terms “hater” and “hating” is a poor and easy defense against anyone in a sports debate who makes an observation or gives his or her opinion about an athlete’s shortcomings or poor performance, and the minute you resort to using these terms, your sports IQ drops 50 points in my opinion.
Nairann Merceir, Philly/Fantasy Sports Contributor to The War Room, and guest blogger for War Room Sports
Tags:Alex Rodriguez, Andre Iguodala, Common, Hater, Hating, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Miami Heat, Nairann Merceir, Peyton Manning, Ryan Howard, Sidney Crosby, The War Room, Tom Brady, War Room Sports
Posted in General, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Grow up DeSean
Dear DeSean Jackson:
Although I love that fact that you are probably the fastest thing on two legs and that you are an employee of my team, The Philadelphia Eagles, I would totally appreciate it if you grow up. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad about celebrating on the field when you’ve just ran, what 81, 91 yards for a touchdown, but seriously, the falling back in the end zone? I mean seriously? Just play the game. Not too long ago you weren’t really doing anything on the field. You dropped passes, missed routes, you even got called out by your coach. Look, I love your explosiveness, I even love your attitude (even when it’s funky), but you need to calm down on the excessive celebration (which cost your team 15 yards) and get down to business. It’s funny because I said to my boyfriend, “what happens if the defense goes out and gets an interception or a fumble and he’s over there on the sidelines needing oxygen, falling all over the ground? What he is going to do then when he has to go back out there?” Low and behold the defense does their job and gets a turnover. Now you have to go out there gassed with rubber legs, all because you wanted to be a highlight on SportsCenter. Well I’m here to tell you DeSean, you want to get big boy money then start acting like a big boy.
Brady's Mop
Dear Tom Brady:
Everybody else may be sniffing your jockstrap, but not me. I don’t like you. Sure you’re breaking records, yes you are probably going to win MVP, it’s most likely that you’ll even go to the Super bowl and win, because apparently the who’s who in the sports world think so. Well I don’t care, I still don’t like you. I don’t like your uniform, I don’t like your smile, and I don’t like your wife or even your silly haircut. You have everybody else fooled, thinking you are the ultimate golden boy, but you can’t be this perfect, nobody is. Yes I may just be angry because my team can’t have the amount of success that your team has, but I don’t care, I still don’t like you. You may be the best there is, but I can’t jump on the wagon. I won’t jump on the wagon. Maybe it’s because you won’t cut that mop upon your head because your wife said so, but when you were thanking everyone under the sun after the Thanksgiving game against the Lions, you could barely remember you had one. Or maybe it’s because you bitch and moan when a defender touches you with the tip of his finger. I don’t know what it could be, but I just don’t like you.
There's no pouting in football Mark
Dear Mark Sanchez:
Pick yourself up off the floor, dust yourself off, look yourself in the mirror and say “I am a NFL Quarterback.” You are on the verge of becoming a joke. You know how many 23-year-olds would kill to be you? Stop pouting and get your head in the game. You have ups and you have downs, that’s how the game goes. Sunday, versus the Dolphins, you looked so defeated and you did it to yourself. Your teammates look to you to be a leader. If you want to be considered an upper level QB, then you need to become the presence on the field that you’ve been conditioned to be. No longer can you fall upon the sword of novice because you are now a veteran. Look at your mistakes and learn from them or you will become just another overrated wanna be quarterback who never lived up to the hype.
Stephanie C. Curry, Guest Blogger for War Room Sports
Tags:Desean Jackson, Detroit Lions, Golden Boy, Mark Sanchez, Miami Dolphins, MVP, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Sportscenter, Stephanie C. Curry, Superbowl, The War Room, Tom Brady, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NFL | 6 Comments »
Friday, December 10th, 2010
The sports I grew up watching were a lot tougher and a lot more competitive. Now I have nothing against sportsmanship but what I have been seeing lately is utterly ridiculous.
In the NFL you are not allowed to hit anybody without giving the NFL a rebate, in the NBA you are not allowed to have any emotion without hurting your team by getting a technical foul.
I watched Lebron James go back to Cleveland and make jokes with his former teammates after an off-season where he basically called them all garbage. He chose to leave a team that won over 60 games to play with his two friends and a bunch of players that wouldn’t make it on the bus if this was an And 1 try out.
It is ridiculous. I see players in football and basketball knock each other down and then rush to pick up the player they just knocked down. “WHERE THEY DO THAT AT?” I sit back and think of the “Bad Boy” Pistons or the Pat Riley Knicks or Heat teams and imagine them picking up a player they just knocked down. YEAH RIGHT!
I sit back and wonder what Buddy Ryan would have said if Andre Watters or Wes Hopkins would have picked up a wide receiver they just knocked down! That would have been an offense comparable to Colonel Nathan Jessup ordering the code red on William Santiago.
I know why Sports have become this way. It’s an amalgamation of free agency, corporate sponsorships, and athletes becoming businesses themselves. When Tom Brady said he hates the Jets I got excited and thought “that’s the way it is suppose to be”. Stop being politically correct and telling people what they want to hear! Tell your opponent you hate them and then do your best to defeat them.
I guarantee if sports stopped being so soft, the contest would mean more to the athletes and we as fans would get better contests. More players should be like Tom Brady and hate their opponent. Then again Tom Brady wears Uggs so he is also soft. Oh well!
Jimmy Williams
Tags:A Few Good Men, And 1, Andre Waters, Bad Boys, Buddy Ryan, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, ESPN, Lebron James, Miami Heat, NBA, New York Knicks, NFL, Pat Riley, Podcast, Soft, Sports, Sports Podcast, Sports Talk, The War Room, Tom Brady, Uggs, War Room Sports, Wes Hopkins
Posted in General, NBA, NFL | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
When will we all stop being Mike Vick's judges and jury???
I have been sitting on this topic for quite a while hoping that it would just die down. Nevertheless, in the world of never ending media, some things never do. I’m starting to see a pattern where people tend to harp on the negative aspects of a person, place, or thing instead of trying to find something good out of it. I’m not one to tell you how to think, I merely like to make suggestions.
Let’s take the subject of Mike Vick and his ties to fighting and killing dogs. I personally know people who have served less time for more heinous crimes and then forgotten with the wind. I understand that he is a professional athlete who is in the public eye, but for him to be scrutinized at every turn is draining. I could stop reading or listening to all the opinions of how terrible it is that the man is given a second chance at becoming a better person, but instead I have chosen to write how I see this situation.
Michael Vick committed a crime; he was caught and became a national pariah. He served 19 months in jail and came home to a massive amount of debt and virtually nobody in his corner. Then the Philadelphia Eagles announce they are signing Michael Vick, which turned out to be a lucrative relationship for all involved.
Only people won’t let him ever forget what he did. I don’t blame them, but I’m starting to feel like this matter has become a witch-hunt for people who are angry and miserable about their own shortcomings and faults that did not allow them to have the opportunity to have a second chance and succeed the way that he is doing right now.
I read an article where someone called the media out because they praised Michael Vick for his performance on the field at the same time sweeping his unforgettable crimes under the rug. I find that I must disagree with this accusation, because for the first time the media has decided not to dwell on the negative role that Michael Vick used to play. Instead, they made a choice to show that a person can try to change their life around and find a way to live as a good person.
We focus too much on negativity instead finding a way to learn from the mistakes that other people make. Where is the spotlight when this man goes out and admits over and over his shortcomings and his downfall? Where is the media when he is trying to advocate against the violence of animals, when he is working with organizations like The Humane Society?
I’m not here to make excuses for Vick, but my point is he is no ordinary man, but maybe an ordinary man who decided to make the wrong choice can now get a second chance in life to make it right. However, this can only happen if we learn to forgive and trust that people can change.
Stephanie C. Curry, Guest Blogger for War Room Sports
Tags:Humane Society, Michael Vick, PETA, Philadelphia Eagles, Stephanie C. Curry, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »
Monday, December 6th, 2010
Tags:Donovan McNabb, ESPN, Football, Internet Radio, NFL, NFL Football, Podcast, Redskins, Sports, Sports Podcast, The War Room, War Room Sports, Washington, Washington Redskins
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Tags:Basketball, ESPN, Football, Internet Radio, Kobe Bryant, Mike Vick, NBA, NFL, OJ Simpson, Podcast, Sports, Stupid Sports Fans, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NBA, NFL | No Comments »
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Tags:Colts, ESPN, Football, Internet Radio, Mike Vick, MVP, NFL, NFL MVP, Patriots, Peyton Manning, Podcast, Sports, Sports Talk, The War Room, Tom Brady, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Tags:Andy Reid, Desean Jackson, ESPN, Football, Mike Vick, Monday Night Football, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, The War Room, War Room Sports, Washington Redskins
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »