Sports Fan Laws: Break ’em and Lose Your Fanhood

Throughout my stay at Bleacher Report, my whole “theme” is usually dedicated to examining the relationship between the fans and their teams.  I’ve developed personality traits, anecdotes, and even referring to a stadium as a “second home.” 

But there’s only so much we notice.  I’ve been away from BR for a while (this is only my second article in a few months) but I’ve noticed several things while I was away from this site.

These are the “What Not To Do” as a sports fan rules, and doing any of these actions will result in the stripping of fanhood (after a fair trial).

Fitted Hat Rule:
This is more of a generational thing, but everyone from James Knox Polk to an octuplet has seen this violation.

With more and more of these “crazy” kids (myself included…sort of…just read on) buying these hats, this law needs to be created.

From this point on, no serious fan will be allowed to wear a team hat that’s not of their own team.  I’ve constantly seen Phillies fans rocking Braves lids and I’m actually pretty offended.

A new favorite of mine was seeing a Phillies hat with the New York Mets styled font. I’m still debating if that’s a violation of anything.

Fantasy Sports
The one gray area for me involving real sports and my fantasy squads is how to root for them when they face my teams.  Regardless of how much money you may win from now on, you cannot celebrate an opposing player’s accomplishments for the sole fact that it gives you six points.

This rule is set in stone for Jets fans who have Tom Brady or Randy Moss or any other rivalry buster. This rule can be overturned if a truly amazing play has occurred that causes you to gasp.

It can also be overturned if your real team is dominating by a total of three possessions or more in football, non-close situations in baseball, over two goal deficits in the NHL or six possession leads in basketball.

Giving Up The Season
Regardless of how bad your team is, even if they are in contention to draft Joe Montana or Stephen Strasburg, you can never root for your team to tank it.

Sure getting the No. 1 pick definitely has its perks so it’s not a total strip of the fanhood. But you’ll lead a double-agent life. You have sinned against your team and must suffer through having that “rooting against your team” on your conscience.  Consequences of such nature can and probably will be blamed on you. 

Abandoning Teams and/or Players
This is where it gets tricky to deduct punishments. Seattle Sonics fans lost their team but it still lives on in Oklahoma City Thunder colors. Now what is a fan to do in a situation where a team abandons their home city? There are a multitude of options that include:

1. Continue rooting for the departed team.
2. Secondary teams can be pursued but should be limited to closest (unless it’s a rival to your ex) in proximity, an ex-favorite coaches/player’s new haunting grounds (unless it’s a rival to your ex) or a team that was local in your childhood.
3. Abandoning the sport is feasible and you will be admitted back if your city gets its team back.

Same goes with players that you loved and dedicated your time to by acquiring merchandise or reaching to draft them in fantasy drafts; only to see the front office turn its back on them.

If they are that “special” player that leaves in their prime to an opposing team, they are allowed to be your secondary team.  However you only have one offseason to make this acquisition or a day if it’s an in-season one (sorry). 

Questioning the Fanhood of Others
Yes, this is a bit of a play on the espn360 commercial that dwells into this topic. If you are in a group of friends and one of the friends doesn’t know that a game is on you are allowed to question their fanhood. 

There has to be a group discussion as questioning the fanhood has its consequences, it is almost like doubting someone’s love of their family or dogs. A formal questioning is needed with at least two other friends present and then you can discuss pressing charges.  The questioning needs to bring up the following statements:

• Explanation on why they weren’t attending the game (or gathering)
• Explanation on how they could miss something
• If they didn’t know a game is on, a one-on-one deep conversation is needed.

Once that is done, the questioned fan needs to know that he is endanger of losing his fanhood.  However if they prove you all wrong and has overthrown you all, you are in jeopardy of getting the tides to turn on you.

If they prove you right, no matter what they do they aren’t a true fan anymore. They can comeback only if they astound you all or win a bet that results in the reversal. But no matter what they do, you are allowed to not take them seriously.

This is severely impacted if you only have one friend.

If you have your own rules, feel free to add them.

Memo to the NFL: Add a Playoff Round, Not Regular Season Games

Remember how much of a feel good story the Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl run was?

The NFL has a gold-mine staring itself in the face, and they don’t know it.

Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to create a longer regular season.  It would happen by essentially transforming one or two preseason games into regular season games.

The intent behind such a move would be two fold; to create more revenue through ticket sales and television marketing, and to allow fans the opportunity to see their star players play more often instead of the backups.

With the Patriots out of the playoffs, I chose to follow the Cardinals and their chance at making a run at a Super Bowl victory.

They surprised everybody, and if not for a great last-minute drive, they would have won the Super Bowl.

So my idea is simple.

Instead of adding regular season games for every team, where the regular season would likely end with quite a few meaningless games, just take the idea of more games and add a playoff round.

Fans want to see their star players play more, but I believe that they would prefer that playing time be at the end of the season, and it would give more teams a chance at putting together a run at a great story.

Week one would begin where week four of the preseason is now, and a new round would start during what is currently week seventeen.

As the playoff system stands, 12 teams make the playoffs out of 32. That’s six from each conference.

In this new system, sixteen would make the playoffs. The four division winners, and the next four best records from each conference.

This is how the system would look for one conference:

 

Hypothetical Conference Bracket

True Wild Card      Wild Card       Divisional         Conference        Super Bowl              

                                                     1st Seed

                               3rd Seed                                 1/3/5/8 Seed    

5th Seed                                        3/5/8 Seed               

                               5/8 Seed 

8th Seed                                                                                           1-8 Seed

                                                     2nd Seed

                               4th Seed                                 2/4/6/7 Seed

6th Seed                                        4/6/7 Seed

                               6/7 Seed

7th Seed

 

Analysis

Pros

As you can see, the top two seeds in each division would get two bye weeks in order to get some well earned rest and preparation time.

The two remaining Division winners would play in Wild Card games after one bye week. Their opponents would be the winners of the True Wild Card weekend.

This would generate more interest in the league, based on the idea that more teams would have a opportunity to shock the world by doing what the Cardinals almost did last year.

All of the games would be nationally televised, creating an opportunity to increase revenue with commercial advertisement.

It would create more competition and motivation to be top seeded teams in the playoffs, as it would take less games to win the Super Bowl.

It would give opportunity to the the non-division winners of strong divisions (11-5 New England Patriots) to enter the playoffs, and prove they are better than the winners of weaker divisions.

All of this without taking away the reward of making the playoffs by winning your division.

 

Cons

Some drawbacks to the idea would be the thought that teams cool off after a bye week and that the top teams taking too much time off would actually be considered a burden, rather than a reward.

There would be less preseason games, taking away from young players a chance to get some professional playing time and experience. Although, this plan could happen without taking away any preseason games.

Some people might feel that letting teams with weaker records into the playoffs will degrade the competition in the playoffs.

History would prove that wrong, as early as last year.  The Cardinals weren’t expected to go anywhere in the playoffs, but look at what they did.

The fact is the system now is broken, in that good teams don’t make the playoffs and weaker ones do, as long as they are in a weak division.

This would create equal opportunity across the league. It would also be a smarter financial decision than adding extra regular season games.

It is a win-win situation for everyone. The fans, the teams, and the league.

 

Andrew Cahill is a true Boston sports fan. Check out his website, “Patriot Pat’s Patsies.”

Redskins Jersey Number History: 1 – 2

A Fan’s Letter To Minnesota Vikings’ Rick Spielman

Dear Mr. Spielman,

For a seemingly ancient twenty-one years, I’ve worshiped the purple. My first Vikings’ memory was kicking my mother inside the whom in 1987 when the Vikings opened their regular season with a win to the Detroit Lions. Man was I one exuberant leprechaun that day.

My tears, blood, and sweat are all purple. I enjoy every minute of Vikings’ football. There isn’t anything I would rather do on a Sunday but watch the purple and gold go head to head with the biggest names in sports.

I do everything I can to cheer my team on. I go to the games and shout at the top of my lungs when All-Day makes his seemingly routine 60-plus yard touchdown sprints. I lose my voice when Berrian ties the NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown catch. I go absolutely bonkers when Chester Taylor turns a five yard catch into twenty yards.

If simply cheering isn’t enough, my walls are decorated in Vikings’ paraphernalia and my on my bed, a 6 x 4.5 foot Minnesota Vikings fleece blanket lay. My PS3 even has a Minnesota Vikings skin on it.

The chair in the corner where my Sunday grilled hamburger/hotdog, baked beans, potato salad, peaches and my Dr. Pepper sit has a Vikings’ throw-over. Oh, and the plate that the food sits on, it’s got a giant picture of Adrian Peterson (thanks mom). Not to mention, the grill that I cook with has a Vikings’ grill cover.

Yes Mr. Spielman, I can’t wait for Sundays or the occasional Monday night. Football season is the best time of the year. With seventeen glorious weeks of football, what else could we Vikings’ fans ask for?

Let me answer that question for you.

I don’t want just seventeen weeks anymore. A year is only fifty-two weeks long and watching football for only seventeen weeks is pitiful. Here’s what I want more than anything: the full twenty-two weeks.

I want to sit on that Vikings’ throw-over and watch my Vikings taking on the NFC’s best in a winner takes all scenario with all my friends and family. After the Vikings’ have finished the rest of the NFC off, I want to after those punks in the AFC.

It would make my day to have Peterson own James Harrison like he did to Al Harris in week one of the 2008 season. You know, the one where Al Harris is flat on his back looking up at the massive frame that is Adrian Peterson. I’ll even settle for Antoine Winfield taking the ball away from Randy Moss and running back the other way for six.

Have Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Ray Edwards, Ben Leber, EJ Henderson, Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Antoine Winfield, Madieu Williams, and Tyrell Johnson show the NFL why they belong to be considered with the likes of the 1970 Purple People Eaters.

How do you plan to do that Mr. Spielman? Do you plan to draft an offensive tackle to give Sage or Tarvaris a little extra breathing room to throw? Are you going to draft a playmaker wide receiver to give the defense something other than the running back duo of Chester and Adrian to worry about?

I just want to see something done! This offseason, I’ve seen fat kids running faster toward a 24/7 fitness center than I’ve seen anything done in your front office. What acquisitions have you made? Let’s take a look, shall we?

We traded for Sage Rosenfels for a fourth-round draft pick and resigned Jim Kleinsasser and Heath Farwell. That’s great news, but after those acquisitions, nothing, nadda, zippo from your front office.

Then, we watched future Hall of Fame center Matt Birk walk to the Ravens and Darren Sharper leave to the Saints. Sharper was old and his weaknesses showed, but Birk still had a few years left. For right now though, I’m content with having Sullivan at center. Please be sure to address the right tackle position before training camp.

Then there was TJ Houshmandzadeh. What was up with that? We let him go to Seattle. That too was okay with me because that would be one heavy price tag. But if we pursued Housh so much, why not Holt who is far more accomplished and even better than Housh? We could even get him for less!

Lastly, there is the Jay Cutler saga. It was reported that the Vikings were the first to ask about Cutler, but withdrew offers because someone on the coaching staff was unsure about certain “elements”. What elements exactly? You mean to tell me you’re not sold on Jay Cutler, but you are when it come to Tarvaris Jackson? Something’s not right in that scenario.

You have left many Vikings’ fans scratching their heads Mr. Spielman.

Over the past week, my Fargo, North Dakota has been fighting for its life as record setting flood waters pound the area. As I volunteer my sandbagging services to strangers, I see how happy it makes them to realize someone genuinely wants to help them.

It’s a gratifying feeling to help others out, but why don’t you want to help us Vikings’ fans? The feeling of helping others out is unmatched by anything. Bringing a long postseason run would make all of our days just splendid. Do you really not want us to win?

Our team doesn’t need much, but please! We have been waiting too long for immortality. Do something, ANYTHING to bring us what we need (okay, don’t bring us Adam Jones). Tarvaris Jackson has shown us he is not yet the answer. He could be, but not yet.

Childress has been dragging you along for the ride Mr. Spielman. Dump him and his good buddy Darrell Bevell back in Philly. Promote Frazier to head coach and hire Brian Billick to run your offense once again. Bring back the 1998 Vikings offense that dazzled the NFL! Just bring us our championship, okay?

Sincerely,

Andy Rarick

Analyzing the Minnesota Vikings’ Offense

If the Minnesota Vikings are to have any chance of getting to the Super Bowl, they will need consistent production from the offense to keep the defense off the field and fresh.

They will open training camp with a huge question at the most important position on the field. Who is going to be the starting quarterback? If they had Tom Brady on the field with the talent on this roster they would be the Super Bowl favorites in Vegas. Let’s take a look at all the positions on offense.

Quarterback

Who will it be, Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels? My guess is both of them will start five or more games in 2009. So a more important question might be: Who will be the quarterback in January?

My guess is Tarvaris Jackson. He showed his potential when they provided him adequate protection, i.e. in the preseason and against two bad defenses: Detroit and Arizona. That brings me to the next position.

Offensive Tackle

An even bigger hole in Vikings offense last year was right tackle. Ryan Cook played so bad he was replaced by a guy whose natural position is left guard—Artis Hicks.  A first or second round pick surely will be spent on this position, as long as there is a guy Childress and Spielman feel can start from day one. 

Bryant McKinnie is an above average tackle who plays at an elite level except for two to three plays per game when he has a mental error.

Offensive Guard

Steve Hutchinson is the best guard in football, enough said.  Herrera is an up and coming player who fits in great because he a menacing run blocker.  If the Vikes lined him up next to a legitimate right tackle, he would be able to take the next step. 

Center

With the departure of Matt Birk, the Vikings will field a new center for the first time in 10 years.  John Sullivan is expected to be that man. Birk wore out his welcome in Minnesota with the botched snap in the playoff loss against Philadelphia that took away any shot at a comeback. 

I expect Sullivan to prove a better run blocker than Birk was in his last couple of years at Minnesota.

Running Back

Who is the running back in Minnesota? 

Wide Receiver

Bernard Berrian is a better than average No. 2 receiver.  He cannot consistently make plays if he has to carry the load as a No. 1 receiver.  Sidney Rice has shown good hands and could be a good possession receiver if he can stay healthy. 

None of the other guys on the roster can get open on a consistent basis even though they are facing one on one coverage with the second and third corners on the other teams defense.  The Vikings need an upgrade over Bobby Wade, and Aundrae Allison has been given enough chances. 

I expect this area to be addressed in the draft. 

Tight End

Shiancoe started to make plays last year after he figured out how to catch the ball.  Kleinsasser is probably the best blocking tight end in the league.  Garrett Mills has potential as a pass catching tight end if he can stay healthy, and Jeff Dugan is an average player at both tight end and fullback.

Full Back

Tahi is a good blocker, but not a good fit for their scheme.  Beside the fact that Peterson prefers no fullback, Childress likes to run the fullback screen.  Tahi does not catch well enough or turn his body after the catch fast enough to gain the desired three to five yards.  Most of these plays resulted in a dropped pass or a one to two yard gain. 

The Vikings could benefit from a fullback that catches well out of the backfield. 

A couple of good draft picks at wide receiver and right tackle could greatly improve the Vikings offense and give whoever the quarterback is a better chance to succeed.

Defending Eagles Coach Andy Reid: An Open Letter to Philadelphia

I hear a lot of fans criticize Andy Reid and the way he does things in Philly. Mainly, people complain of his stoic ways and very political press conferences.

But think about it…do press conferences mean anything to us fans? Do we really need to hear why Reid thinks the Eagles lost, or what he thinks about the opposing defense?

Would we agree with him anyway? If you’re being truthful as an Eagles fan, you know you wouldn’t.

I believe I have pinpointed the origin of this situation, and maybe identifying it will help us address it.

Reid really gets under the skin of the mainstream Philly media because he doesn’t give them the juicy headlines or reactions worthy of a Coors Light commercial.

So Philly fans log onto philly.com or tune into 610 WIP and listen to the media bash Reid. But those people are only bashing him because they don’t like him. Or, more specifically,  the way he operates with them.

We Philadelphians let people like Anthony Gargano and Angelo Cataldi whip us into a frenzy to the point where we’re ready to grab our torches and pitchforks with the sole purpose of running Andy right out of the NovaCare Complex forever.

And for what? Because the Philly media feels spurned by Reid. He doesn’t cry for them, like Dick Vermeil, or create infamous quotes, like Buddy Ryan’s “I’d trade him for a six-pack, wouldn’t even have to be cold.”

I hear things all the time along the lines of “Andy Reid insults our intelligence as fans because of the interviews and press conferences he gives us.”

What?

At what point did the press conferences become a reflection on how he feels about the fans and not simply about how he obviously doesn’t trust the Philly media? He only wishes to avoid them misconstruing something he says to trying to make a story out of it.

Now, yes, Reid has come out and publicly said that he doesn’t really care about fan reaction. But you know what, Philly?

I’m okay with that. In fact, I applaud it.

Ryan once said that if a coach listened to the fans, he would wind up sitting in the stands with them. With that, Ryan hit the nail harder on the head than when he nailed Kevin Gilbride.

Another well-respected coach, Tony Dungy, talked about how at one point in a press conference he said, “Our defense played soft against the run today,” and that somehow led to the headline “Dungy Calls Defense Soft.”

Now is that what he said? Of course not. But is that what the media heard? You bet.

It’s just an example of how any coach who gives the media anything on a Sunday after the game will pay for it Monday morning in the papers.

Reid does what he does because he believes it’s the best thing for this football team. He bleeds green just like the rest of us. He stays up until late hours of the night working and working just to see his team on the winning side come Sunday night.

The front office may be another story; I’m not exactly sure how I feel about them anymore. I’m just as confused and angry as everyone about some of the things that have gone down this offseason.

But the one thing I will never do is say that Andy Reid is somehow this lying, coniving, evil man who is just out to irritate and annoy Philly-nation.

He wants that Lombardi just as bad as we do. It kills him just as much as it kills us when we lose in the playoffs.

We may not agree with how he handles the team sometimes, and he deserves criticism just like everyone else, but to somehow imply that he doesn’t care about this team or the city is just plain wrong. That impression cannot be allowed to continue to run rampant through our wonderful city.

So, I beg you, Philly, yell at him because you don’t agree that our receivers are fine the way they are. Yell at him because he doesn’t run the ball enough (I’ve lost my voice more than once doing that). Even yell at him just because we lost; he’s the head coach, and that comes with the job.

But whatever you do, don’t yell at him because the vindictive Philly media tells you to. Continue to bleed green, Philly-nation, and let’s go Eagles!

A Chance Meeting with a Raiders Legend

My love of watching athletic competition on any level and the simple act of supporting a friend’s daughter participating in a weekend High School Track & Field meet in Southern California converged into a chance meeting with Raiders Legend Greg Townsend.

Beyond the occasional face plants, hurdles being knocked down, and runners collapsing from exhaustion I witnessed the kids put forth a strong effort in various events awaiting my friends daughter’s event.

I had no advance acknowledge that Greg was going to attend the event but on a rather cold afternoon for Southern California, 48 degrees with 35 mph winds very close to the coast it happened. Prior to both of us donning our hoodies due to the wind while looking over the crowd I recognized him.

A few moments later, there I am, face-to-face with one of my favorite players, Raider legend Greg Townsend. I stepped to him, introduced myself, and told him that I was a die hard Raiders fan and obviously a fan of his.

He greeted me with a handshake and a smile. We spoke and I told him that I missed watching him play. He responded “all good things come to an end.” I had to mention to him that I felt he was the best Defensive End in Raiders history.

Some Raider fans might argue about that and even say Howie Long was the best. I love Howie Long and enjoyed watching him play for the silver and black as well as being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

But when you consider Greg Townsend holds the team records for games played (190), Sacks (107.5), and Tackles (338) he is second to Charles Woodson in forced fumbles with 13, my statement is justified.

He is in good health and running a football camp called “The Lineman Combine” teaching kids how to play both offensive and defensive line positions and how to play the game the right way.

What better way to learn to play the game of football than having hands-on teaching from a guy who was selected to the Pro Bowl twice, a guy selected All-Pro four times, a guy who is 15th on the NFL all time career sacks list and a Super Bowl champion.

Stay tuned Raider fans, I will track him down again and interview him and talk Raiders football in “The Locker Room”.

Will We See Brett Favre In a Browns’ Uniform?

In NFL news, the Kansas City Chiefs running back, Larry Johnson, was sentenced to two years probation Friday after pleading guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace for separate incidents involving women at nightclubs last year. The 28-year-old Johnson was originally charged with assault in the two incidents, but those charges were changed to disturbing the peace on Friday.

While on probation, Johnson will not be allowed to consume alcohol or be at any Kansas City bars or nightclubs after 9 p.m. He also must complete anger-control counseling and 40 hours of community service.

Johnson is so athletically gifted but he is throwing his talents away. Maybe I am wrong on this, but Johnson appears to not to like playing the game of football.

For Larry, it’s about SHOW ME THE MONEY! He and his agent will meet with the Kansas City Chiefs over the amount of guaranteed money due.

Johnson was such a significant distraction to the Chiefs locker room last season, that Kansas City actually improved during his absence.

The bottom line: Kansas City cannot trust Larry Johnson. He has a history of broken promises.

Johnson’s next team may well be Oakland or Dallas. He will underachieve with his next team as well.

Former Jets QB Brett Favre could make an appearance at Browns camp this season as a guest of his former coach, Eric Mangini. Favre is still under contract with the Jets, but he could show up in Cleveland as an instructor for Browns QBs Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

Does Favre have an itch to “instruct” or coach? Does Mangini have Favre in mind as an emergency quarterback if neither Anderson nor Quinn plays well?

Will we see Favre in a Browns’ uniform? Probably not but it can not be completely ruled out either.

Mangini and Favre, the Jets starting QB last season, have been discussing the possibility of Favre working in Browns camp this summer. Apparently he couldn’t become a full-time assistant coach because he is still under contract to the Jets.

Don’t Anderson and Quinn need to work on fundamentals? What would Favre actually teach them? How to shake off another unnecessary interception?

Browns fans everywhere now fear that they may see Brett Favre as their opening-day starting QB.

Of course, the NFL continues to “sissy-fy” their rules under the guise of “player safety.” Changing the wedge on kickoffs to “two-player” wedges is ridiculous.

Eleven rules changes?!!

The new wedge rule is the one I detest the most.

Forming a “wedge” on a kickoff return is no longer legal. If three or more players line up shoulder-to-shoulder within two yards of each other, it will be a penalty.

Traditionally, kickoff return teams line up about four guys in a wedge in front of a kick returner and tell them to stay lined up, run as fast as they can, and clear a path for the ball carrier. Meanwhile, the kicking team will send players down the field, running as fast as they can, with instructions only to hit the players in the wedge as hard as they can.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made some news Thursday at the owners’ meeting in Dana Point, California, saying he’d be in favor of expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 games by 2011. This would also decrease the number of exhibition games down to two or three.

So the NFL manufactures new rules to promote player safety but recommends expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 games, exposing players to more potential injuries?

It seems that the league will not distinguish between intentional and unintentional contact, which is ridiculous and most unfair to defenders.

A defensive player on the ground may no longer lunge or dive at the quarterback’s lower legs.

What’s next? Outlawing tackling or redefining tackling as “in the grasp’”?

Maybe a QB should wear flags and the defender “takes” the flags for a sack. Or try two hands touching below the waist.

The NFL continues to go soft. The league can’t protect against every possible contingency, but it seems that is what they are trying to do.

Atlanta Falcons: Targeting a Tight End in the First Round?

The Atlanta Falcons approach the 2009 draft having lost five starters from a defense that ranked 24th in the NFL in 2008, and zero starters from a young offense that ranked 6th.  Even with the Falcons’ areas for improvement seemingly obvious, some observers believe the Falcons will target a tight end with the 24th pick of the draft.

Thomas Dimitroff has apparently mastered the art of pre-draft posturing.

The masterful misdirection perpetrated by the GM this year should not come as a surprise.  Last season the Falcons entered the draft with a massive hole at the most important position on the football field, yet Dimitroff had many believing the Falcons would draft Glenn Dorsey.    

The idea of the Falcons drafting a tight end with the first pick is so insane that I am not going to waste any more of my time, or the readers’ time, debunking it. 

The Falcons will go defense in round one, and I suspect they will stay on that side of the football for rounds two and three as well.  Because the Falcons lost both Michael Boley and Keith Brooking to free agency in the offseason, many pundits have the team targeting linebackers in the first round, but there are compelling reasons to think the Falcons will look in another direction.

The Falcons thought enough of Coy Wire at the end of 2008 to give him the starting nod over a healthy Michael Boley, and the Falcons signed veteran LB Michael Peterson from the Jaguars in the offseason.  Throw promising third-year LB Stephen Nicholas into the equation, and the Falcons need at OLB appears less urgent.  The other factor is the deep draft class itself as Atlanta can acquire a similar caliber of player with the 55th pick as they would be able to draft with the 24th pick.  This is not the case at other positions of need.

The Falcons have an obvious need at safety, but there is not a safety in this draft worthy of first round consideration, so the Falcons will look elsewhere with their first pick.

The two positions the Falcons will likely target in round-one are defensive tackle and cornerback.  The Falcons have one solid young starter at each of those positions in Jonathan Babineaux and Chris Houston, with the balance of those roster positions filled by journeymen type players.  The cornerback situation is a bit more stable as Brent Grimes played well at CB for the Falcons in the first half of the 2008 season, and Von Hutchins is returning from injury.

Against this backdrop, I predict Peria Jerry is the player the Falcons will target with the 24th pick of the draft.   Jerry is an athletic player with excellent measurables to go with outstanding production in the toughest conference in college football.  He will fill a pressing need in the middle of the Falcons defensive line and be a fixture on the Falcons’ defense for years to come. 

Most importantly, there is an enormous drop off in the draft class at Defensive Tackle after B.J. Raji and Jerry are gone.  This makes him the easy choice if he is on the board.

If Jerry is not available when the Falcons pick, I believe the second choice will be CB Vontae Davis from Illinois.  If both Jerry and Davis are off the board, and that would be unfortunate for the Falcons, the team might look at CB Darius Butler of Connecticut or look at trading down to the top of the second round for more draft picks.

This is how the first four rounds of the Falcons draft might play out, with alternative picks in parentheses –

1^st round – pick 24 – Peria Jerry     (Vontae Davis, Darius Butler)

2^ndround – pick 55 – Clint Sintim  (Ron Brace, William Moore)

3rd round – pick 90 – Chip Vaughn (Macho Harris, Sen’Derrick Marks)

4^thround – pick 125 – Bradley Fletcher (Jonathan Casillas, David Bruton)

In round-five, the Falcons will finally get their Tight End when they draft John Phillips from the University of Virginia.

In 2008, the Falcons laid the foundation for the Falcons offense by drafting Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, and Harry Douglas.  This draft will be used to do the same for the defense.

Jets Want To Move Training Camp Away From $75 Million Facility In New Jersey

Talk about a con job.

After years of work, $75 million spent on building a facility, and increased taxes on the people of New Jersey and Morris County, the Jets are telling the Garden State that their new Florham Park training facility is not good enough to host a training camp.

According to a report from the Newark Star-Ledger, the Jets and new coach Rex Ryan are now looking to move the team’s camp to Cornell University in Ithaca, or the State University of New York at Cortland, which, by the way, is a three hour and 47 minute drive from Florham Park, New Jersey, and four hours and nine minutes from New York City.

This leaves the people of New Jersey with nothing but questions. Why build a gigantic complex that is twice the size of the old one at Hofstra University with an indoor practice field and a swimming pool included for good measure? Plus, what ever happened to the idea of obligating a contract? The Jets are under a 99 year lease with the NJSEA and the state of New Jersey to hold training camp and games in New Jersey. It makes no sense for the Jets to pack up and work out in another complex, when all of the necessary amenities are right there in Florham Park to begin with.

As for dorms? Ummmm? In case you are wondering, there are three schools near the Jets new home: Drew University, Farleigh Dickinson University and the College of Saint Elizabeth.

All three schools have dorms. The only people who would take up residence in the dorms during the summer are college athletes preparing for fall sports. That leaves enough room for the Jet players to take a little nap.

Unless Drew, FDU, and Saint Elizabeth told the Jets thanks but no thanks, which makes little sense to begin with, there is no excuse for the Jets not to have explored the possibility of living in one or two of these schools.

In fact, FDU has a brand new dorm that is exactly across the street from One Jets Drive. Gee, I guess the Jets don’t want their players walking across the street. Heaven forbid players would have to wait like the rest of us for the traffic light to change to cross the street.

The Jets also complained that there are no bleachers for the fans. Is it really that hard to go out and buy a bunch of steel bleachers and throw them somewhere. I mean, the Jets do have five fields at this new facility; can’t they throw up a couple of bleachers?

When the Jets were at Hofstra, the only room for fans was standing room. Parents had to throw their kids on their shoulders to watch their team practice. There were some bleachers, but not many. Nobody complained.

Fans would not have cared that there were no bleachers and only standing room; they just wanted to see their team. Surely, the same is true for the New Jersey site.

But, I guess there are bleachers at Cornell and Cortland. Too bad nobody from New York or New Jersey will be there to watch because it is a longer distance to travel than it was from Jersey to Hempstead and back.

Maybe the Jets can have a scrimmage and share some laughs with Terrell Owens and the rival Buffalo Bills nearby. The Bills are closer to Cornell and Cortland than the Jets will be to their own training facility and stadium.

Did the Jets know that it’s a bad economy right now, and people are pinching pennies to the point that they will not travel very far in order to save on gas? I guess the Jets missed that memo.

With no Jets in Jersey, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be lost that could have been had by restaurants, hotels, and small mom and pop shops. Summer jobs will be lost, or never created, because the Jets are not in town to attract people to visit.

In short, the Jets would be contributing to an already crippling economy. Life is bad enough right now.

Michael Frodella, who is the executive director of the Park Avenue Club, was quoted by the Ledger as saying that the lack of the Jets presence could hurt business in the area, “It could have a negative effect on other eateries in town.” (Star Ledger).

Even Senator Richard Cody is pissed at the Jets. “It’s a great site to build up a great fan base in New Jersey,” Cody said, “Taking camp somewhere other than Florham Park, that is a mistake.” (qtd. Star Ledger).

Sure, New York City fans were not happy to see the Jets move away from their Long Island home for New Jersey, but the drive from Hempstead to Florham Park is only ninety minutes with no traffic.

This pending move is a black eye for Jets owner Woody Johnson, who already has a black eye from his PSL plan. Moreover, Johnson’s business is located in New Jersey; he should have put his foot down to prevent such a drastic move. What is he thinking? It’s his cash that built the house to which nobody is welcome.

Johnson can do countless interviews on SNY, claiming that he is selling tickets, but the fact is that the regular fan can’t afford to pay for tickets anymore, and the regular fan now can’t afford to see his favorite team even during training camp, unless he or she is willing to fill up their car three different times.

Thank you, Jets organization. You continue to prove that the New York Jets are the most incompetent franchise in football.  This move is so bad, you guys make the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders blush.

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