Breaking News Wednesday - It's an NFL Circus!

Holy breaking NFL news, Batman! What a crazy day, and it's only 1pm! Let's start with the Saints, yes?

Photo Credit: ESPN.com

NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell brought the hammer down on the New Orleans Saints for their "bounty system" that Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams headed. This disgusting system was finally brought to light, and we all knew that there were going to be serious consequences. I'll be honest, though, I didn't think they'd be this intense. Head Coach Sean Payton is now suspended for the 2012 season without pay beginning April 1, the team will be fined $500k, they will lose a second round draft pick in 2012 and 2013. Additionally, as expected, Williams is suspended indefinitely, which to me, says he's out for eternity. The Saints' general manager, Mickey Loomis, will also be suspended without pay the first eight games of this year's regular season and assistant head coach Joe Vitt is suspended (again, without pay) for the first six games of the 2012 regular season. For more specific information on the penalties, suspensions and overall picture of the sheer amount of trouble the Saints are in, read Adam Caplan's overview here. As a Falcons fan, this brings me immense amounts of satisfaction, but let's be honest, we always want a strong competition with the Saints. It's sad to see a team have this kind of serious infraction, and even harder to watch the fallout after. What happens to Brees and the rest of the Saints is up in the air. Without Payton, this team will undoubtedly be lost. He's one of the best coaches in the league, and it's really unfortunate to see this happen on his watch. However, there is a price to pay for such egregious acts such as this so-called "bounty system" that Williams had in place, and this is the result. We're still waiting to see if there will be individual player fines and suspensions handed out - my guess is it's just a matter of time. Was Goddell too heavy handed? I don't know, but it sure sends a very clear message. 

Moving on to the second piece of serious breaking news...Tim Tebow has officially been traded to the New York Jets for fourth and sixth round draft picks (the Broncos will also receive a seventh round pick). Fourth round?! SIXTH?! That's IT?! Wow. If that ain't a slap in the face. BUT, the Jets may just be a good fit for him, now that I think about it. Either that or (as my friend Jess and I discussed) Rex Ryan is asking to be fired, but whatever. He'll compete with Mark Sanchez (who is having his own set of issues right now) for a starting job that he may just get. I hope Tebow is prepared for New York fans, they're slightly different from the fickle Denver fan. Sanchez, hope you have your big boy pants on...get ready for Tebowmania, part two...this time, with the colorful Jets. Let's hope he has some Jets branded earmuffs for Rex Ryan's meetings, we know Tebows ears aren't prepared for the language he uses.

Days like this make me fall even more in love with football and the NFL (if even possible). This game is full of ups and downs and will throw you for a loop when you're not even remotely prepared for it. It's the business of it, the love for what happens on the field, and the thrilling fact that...well, it's pure entertainment. Keep your eyes glued to ESPN, friends, I'm sure there's more to come (and of course, you know I'll cover it).

Til next time...
S.

**UPDATE** There has been a snag in the Tebow-to-New York Jets trade. Apparently, Tebow has $5 million worth of recapture language...this means the Jets would have to pay back money to Denver. Jets have said they are unwilling to do this. If they can't get through this hang-up, Tebow would be back on the market and the trade would be nullified. Reportedly, the Rams are interested in him and would be willing to be a new trade parter with the Broncos, but if this is true, the terms of the trade change and of course, the question becomes "What of Sam Bradford?" Stay tuned, folks. He may just end up in Jacksonville, after all. Here's the latest from Pro Football Talk.

**UPDATE II**  It's official. The Jets now have Tim Tebow on their roster, for now, as Mark Sanchez's backup. The Jets have agreed to pay half of the $5 million to Denver, which apparently was good enough for them. "Dear Timmy, you're not worth more than a 4th and 6th round pick and half of the $5 mil we wanted. So. See ya. Love, the Broncos." Ouch. Well, here goes. The all-mighty Tim Tebow is now going to be tabloid fodder (Page 6 has to be in heaven right now) and will have to face hungry Jets fans. I'm sure Ryan will use him in the Wildcat - how successful that will actually be remains to be seen. Once again, Pro Football Talk has a great breakdown, which you should read.

Super Bowl Redux: Pats vs. Giants Part 2 (Plus, a special apology for being MIA)

First of all, I think I should start by recognizing my lack of activity here on my blog. All I can say is, whoops. Sorry! I've been unbelievably busy trying to get my life in order. I've been heavy into some serious changes and have been dealing with some serious curveballs. I will say, though, that the curveballs came, some good, some bad, but I'm right where I need to be. I'm making some big moves on the career front and I'm doing really well. That being said, I hereby promise to stay on top of this blog more than I have been. My bad. (In the event that you do want to check out some of my other stuff in the meantime to see what I've been up to you can go to with video content, BeyondUSports, The Falcoholic and the Atlanta Falcons.)

So, let's just jump right into it, shall we? Let's talk about those two intense playoff games yesterday and, of course, Super Bowl XLVI.

Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

I think it's safe to say that yesterday in the Patriots vs. Ravens playoff match-up, most people were banking on the boys from Baltimore. It's also equally safe to say it was a hell of a game. Games like that are ones that reinforce why I love this game...it was thrilling, exciting, back-and-forth, and a game that seriously tested both teams' players, coaches and play-calling abilities. The game would've gone into over-time in a serious throw down, but Ravens' kicker Billy Cundiff blew it on what should've been an easy 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds on the clock. It looked like perhaps the hold was wrong or he went into the kick with a weird angle. Either way, the ball went wide left and that was the end of the Ravens' run to the big game. Ray Lewis spoke about the missed FG in his post-game interview, and was quick to make the point that the loss couldn't be hung on Cundiff. Fair. It is a team game, after all. I think Cundiff should maybe hire a bodyguard...at least temporarily. Joe Flacco (and his 'stache) actually had a decent game. He threw for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns. It's clear he looked like the superior QB in the match-up, actually. Pats' QB Tom Brady had a weirdly-off game, which maybe made Flacco look even better. He threw for 239 yards (decent enough) but no touchdowns. Even he admitted in the post-game presser that he wasn't at his best and that the defense really were the guys who stepped up. Right? The Patriots' defense put a stop to Ray Rice (who, by the way, is the league's rushing leader) and did a solid job of forcing turnovers, including one at the end of the game which shifted momentum right before the Cundiff's missed field goal.  Regardless, Mr. Brady is now on the same level with my personal football idol, John Elway, with 5 trips to the Super Bowl. The biggest question here is can Brady, Belichick and company face the Giants again, this time with a very different outcome? My answer is yes.

I'm going to rewind to recap the 49ers vs. Giants match-up before we cover the all-important redux of the 2008 Super Bowl between the Giants and Pats. I won't lie, folks...I was really rooting hard for the Niners (not just because one of my best friends, Jess, is a life-long fan - I've included a screen shot of part of our conversation mid-game. Yes, guys, girls do talk football on the regular.) because I really do think the team deserved to go to go all the way. John Harbaugh did a hell of a job in his first year as head coach, Frank Gore is a beast, Alex Smith proved he's not just some wannabe QB and Vernon Davis (and his man-tears) were pretty epic. I hate to admit this, but Giant's quarterback Eli Manning finally proved that, yes, he is elite. He threw for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns and had no interceptions. These stats are impressive on their own, but even more so considering how highly touted the 49ers defense has been all season. On the flip-side, the Giant's D looked solid and limited Smith to 196 yards (ouch) and was only 12/26. Gore was plugged up as well, and had no touchdowns and only 74 yards. Without totally re-capping the game in statistical babble, the Giants outplayed the 49ers, and have miraculously have found themselves back at the Super Bowl, facing the Patriots again. Good grief. What a day in football.

NFL.com

So here we are, a week away from the Super Bowl, a redux of 2008 (and unfortunately, not "HarBowl" part 2). In case you missed that game, I'll give you a recap in a nutshell. The Patriots looked awesome and poised to win. The Giants came back and played defense that made the Patriots look beatable, a feat that had yet to be accomplished at that time. Eli Manning set up a fourth-quarter drive that ended in the game winning play with the only TD catch that mattered by wide receiver Plaxico Burress. They proved that favorites and talking heads on sports stations can call the game all they want, but at the end of the day, when a team puts everything on the gridiron, that's what wins games. So, let's talk about this rematch and who has the goods this year to win it all. The Patriots are less cocky as they enter this rematch versus the last time they walked in against the Giants. The Giants, on the other hand, come in hot again but now they have the ego. As usual, this game will come down to turnovers and defense. Brady and Manning are on equal planes when it comes to elitism, so what happens on the defensive side of the ball will determine who walks away with the win. I think New York's pass rush is better, but I think the Patriots have a better offensive line and the Brady-to-the-Hernandez/Gronkowski duo is dangerous. It seems obvious to me that this game will be close, but I'm going to give the edge to the Patriots...it's hard to disagree with Brady (and his Justin Bieber hair) and Belichick. Just a few more days until we find out.

...Til next time.
S.

SEC Championship - A whole lotta love

UGA Fans at FanFest

I was lucky enough to spend time today covering the SEC Championship from the fans' perspective with my colleague, Ari Russell, who is the founder of BeyondUSports.com - another site to which I'm a regular contributor. We shot a ton of awesome video with UGA and LSU fans all over the World Congress Center and Georgia Dome, plus a really kick-ass tailgate. I really understood a lot more about SEC football today...at the end of the day, despite being fiercely loyal to their teams, these fans love everything about SEC traditions. That means being classy regardless of the outcome of the game. There were fans from various SEC schools at the tailgates, FanFest, and the game itself just supporting the glory and tradition that is so deeply valued in the SEC. 

The game started off with a bang. UGA came out swinging and held looked like they may just pull off the upset...until LSU decided to come alive. We all knew it was inevitable.

Intense LSU fan

Obviously, LSU won by a massive margin tonight, but I think UGA has a lot to be proud of. They came a long way after a shaky start to their season and proved many haters wrong (hey...haters gonna hate, anyway). So cheers to a great day, lots of fun and another fabulous college football season!

Check out the video coverage of all of the SEC Championship game events posted below or on BeyondUSports.com.

LSU vs. Bama...I'm Still Waiting

Image Courtesy SportsNola.com

Ok. I feel like I need to write something. This "pre national championship" game has been mediocre at best thus far. I love that these two teams are major rivals and both fan bases are incredibly intense and passionate...but come on this is silly.

It's currently the 3rd quarter and this is what I've gathered: both teams have fantastic defenses, both teams have overrated offenses, neither team is playing quite right, and I've heard the guys in the booth mention Julio Jones one too many times (FYI: he's playing for the Falcons now...they obviously missed the memo). So...can we get something big going in the next quarter and a half? I know both these teams have it in them, and I get the argument that they're so evenly matched that of course this is a low scoring game. To that I say "duh." But, 6-3? Seriously? Sigh.

Stay tuned...full post-game recap to come tomorrow...hopefully with a few more points and a lot more excitement.

...til next time.
S.

**UPDATE** LSU just had a huge interception by cornerback Morris Claiborne. Glad they decided to inject some excitement into this game (finally). It was then lost on me when they couldn't convert and had to settle for another field goal...it's now 6-6...and I'm bored again.

Tact Is A Good Thing...

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

I can't help but shake my head. In an appearance on the "Cooley Zone" on the LaVar Arrington Show With Chad Dukes, Washington Redskins TE Chris Cooley had some choice words to talk about Dallas Cowboys' QB Tony Romo. I know, I get it...the 'Skins and Cowboys are big time rivals, but is this really necessary? Cooley said the week before he wanted to "fight Tony Romo" and this week he touched on how Romo choked the game away against the Lions. Cooley said, "It's amazing to watch him choke like that...I'm just saying, if I'm up 24 points in the third quarter, if I'm the head coach, I feel like I could probably just take a knee for the rest of the game, put it away and there's no way that Detroit is gonna drive on you that many times." Oh yes, there's more. He continued, "The only way you're gonna give up that many points is turnovers, right? It's hilarious to watch him throw pick-sixes, too, back to back. I loved it."

SportsAge/Icon SMI

It's one thing to have that kind of smack talk come from a former/retired player...it's entirely another matter when the player is still in the league! I know, I know...the rivalry, whatever. Here's the thing, he's just made it a hell of a lot harder on the Redskins' defense next time they meet up, and I guarantee you the Cowboys' offense is looking for him, and revenge for being an ass. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Cooley went off again on Romo about how he could beat him in the cage and referred once again to the 24 points he gave up. Yeesh.

 I know Deion Sanders also chimed in on the Romo-hate-a-thon, but he handled it in a slightly better way. He's right though, Romo does need to be called out, but not the way Cooley did it.

Boys will be boys, I suppose. In the meantime, click here to listen to Cooley sharing his joy in Romo's collapse.

....Til next time.
S.