NFL Quickly Discarding Limbaugh May Come Back To Haunt Them

The concern and negativity expressed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay, and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith over Rush Limbaugh potentially becoming a limited owner for the St. Louis Rams was certainly the right thing to do from a public relations standpoint.

 

And it certainly accomplished its goal, as Dave Checketts essentially had no choice but to drop Limbaugh from his group that is interested in the franchise, which he did last week.

 

But from a business standpoint, it sends a bad message to prospective owners and could end up hurting the league’s bottom line as a whole.

 

Not only was the potential for an overlooked team that lacked tradition in St. Louis to become meaningful in the eyes of NFL fans everywhere discarded, but Limbaugh’s tremendous platform that could have been used to promote the league was also lost.

 

Limbaugh’s job description and resume as a conservative shock-jock speak for themselves, and stating that you want President Barack Obama to fail and insinuating that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is overrated because he is black are not the best things to say if you want to become a part of the increasingly P.R. conscious NFL.

 

But Goodell and Irsay seemed to focus more on what Limbaugh has said, than to whom he has said it to.

 

Millions and millions of people, many of who like him and many who despise him, and more importantly, many longtime NFL customers combined with those who could not care less for the sport.

 

I don’t know how having Limbaugh as an owner would have hurt teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, who can’t sell out their stadiums, because Limbaugh could have been the Jerry Jones of owners for liberal sports fans everywhere.

 

And I also don’t know how it wouldn’t have increased the value of the NFL’s TV and cable contracts, its advertising spots, and the amount of Rams’ merchandise sold across the country.

 

Advertisers gobble up spots for Limbaugh’s radio show, why wouldn’t they do the same for games featuring a team owned by him?

 

And the notions that Limbaugh being a minority owner for the Rams would have hurt the team’s ticket sales and resulted in players refusing to sign with the franchise are false.

 

If there is one thing that fans do best, it’s separate their teams from their owners.

 

Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling has admitted to paying for sex and has been accused of housing discrimination, but that doesn’t stop the team’s small number of loyal fans from showing up at the Staples Center.

 

And Lions fans still support their team sufficiently even after years of poor ownership by the Ford family.

 

It’s easy for players to say that they wouldn’t have taken Limbaugh’s money now, but I don’t know if that would have ultimately been the case.

 

ESPN NFL analyst Chris Mortensen said it himself when talking about the subject: “Money talks.”

 

Is the NFL powerful enough to continue to be the most successful professional sports league in America without Limbaugh?

 

Obviously.

 

MLS commissioner Don Garber and the NHL’s Gary Bettman would have played Russian roulette with Andrei Kirilenko if it meant having an owner with the shrewd marketing skills and audience that Limbaugh possesses, and would have put up with all of his potential Mark Cuban-type moments on the radio because of that.

 

The NFL is not the MLS nor the NHL.

 

But with that said, perhaps the biggest consequence of Goodell and Irsay writing off Limbaugh so quickly will be revealed in the near future when current owners try to sell their teams.

 

There are only so many multimillionaires with squeaky clean reputations that are interested in becoming an NFL owner.

 

Former CEOs of insurance companies, Russian oligarchs, and Saudi princes may prefer to spend their money on an NBA or European soccer team instead of making a bid for an NFL franchise at the risk of their character being publicly criticized.

 

In a league where teams can be worth more than a billion dollars, that could cost an owner millions.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Week Four: Guaranteed Locks

I had a tough week three (8-8), as a lot of games didn’t turn out the way that I expected them to (see Jacksonville-Houston, Tennessee-New York Jets, and Indianapolis-Arizona).

However, I now have a better feel for each team after watching another week’s worth of games, and that is why I expect to have a big week four. Lets get off the ball like Olin Kreutz and hit these picks, which are in bold and based on the Bodog spread. Log onto VincentManning.com every week for guaranteed college football and NFL locks for free from now until February, and also be sure to follow me on Twitter @PeterCady.  

Record as of Oct. 3: 28-20

NFL Week Four Locks:

Oakland at Houston (-9)
Tennessee (-3) at Jacksonville
Baltimore (+1.5) at New England
Cincinnati (-7) at Cleveland
New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs (+9.5)
Detroit at Chicago (-10)
Tampa Bay at Washington (-7.5)
Seattle at Indianapolis (-10.5)
New York Jets at New Orleans (-7.5)
Buffalo (-1.5) at Miami
St. Louis at San Francisco (-10)
Dallas (-3) at Denver
San Diego (+7) at Pittsburgh
Green Bay at Minnesota (-4, My Beverly Hills Lock)

DISCLAIMER: THESE LOCKS ARE INTENDED FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THERE IS NO WAY TO 100 PERCENT ACCURATELY PREDICT THE OUTCOME OF A FOOTBALL GAME, AND SPORTS GAMBLING IS ILLEGAL IN EVERY U.S. JURISDICTION BESIDES LAS VEGAS AND DELAWARE. BET SMART, WHICH MEANS ONLY BET WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO LOSE. VINCENTMANNING.COM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYBODY WHO GETS INTO LEGAL OR FINANCIAL TROUBLE AS A RESULT OF THESE PICKS, AND REMINDS YOU TO REGISTER YOUR OFFSHORE GAMBLING ACCOUNTS WITH THE IRS BY OCT. 15.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Guaranteed NFL Week Three Locks

I went 9-7 in the NFL last week, which puts me at 20-12 for the year. I think I have a good feel for today and Monday’s games, so lets get off the ball like Steve Hutchinson and hit these picks, which are in bold and based on the Bodog spread.

Note: Due to an upcoming investments midterm, I do not have time to explain these picks, so please trust me that I have done my research for every game. Thanks.

Log onto VincentManning.com for guaranteed college football and NFL locks from now until February, and follow me on Twitter @PeterCady.

NFL Record as of 9/26/09: 20-12

NFL Week Three Locks:

Tennessee (+3) at New York Jets
Jacksonville at Houston (-4, MY SOUTH BEACH LOCK)
Kansas City at Philadelphia (-8)
Cleveland (+14) at Baltimore
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (+7)
Washington (-6.5) at Detroit
Green Bay (-7) at St. Louis
San Francisco (+7) at Minnesota
Atlanta at New England (-5)
Chicago (-3) at Seattle
New Orleans (-6.5) at Buffalo
Miami at San Diego (-6)
Pittsburgh (-4) at Cincinnati
Denver at Oakland (+2)
Indianapolis at Arizona (-2.5)
Carolina at Dallas (-9)

DISCLAIMER: THESE PICKS ARE INTENDED FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THERE IS NO WAY TO ACCURATELY PREDICT WHO WILL COVER IN A FOOTBALL GAME, AND SPORTS GAMBLING IS ILLEGAL IN EVERY U.S. JURISDICTION EXCEPT LAS VEGAS AND DELAWARE.

BET WITH YOUR HEAD, AND THEREFORE ONLY BET WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO LOSE. VINCENTMANNING.COM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYBODY WHO GETS INTO LEGAL OR FINANCIAL TROUBLE AS A RESULT OF THESE PICKS OR THIS SITE.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Eagles Defense Always Great under Jim Johnson

Not being an Eagles fan, I did not have a profound knowledge of Jim Johnson, who died of cancer on Tuesday at the age of 68.

 

However, I do know he was a great defensive coordinator whose innovative, blitz-heavy schemes made the NFL entertaining to watch for me and so many other fans.

 

You could tell that he was a one-of-a-kind coach just by listening to guys like Troy Aikman and John Madden gush about him on TV. His blitzes were a huge factor in the Eagles success in the NFC East.

 

And if you are stats geek, you could see it through his defenses always being at the top of the heap in most important categories since the new millennium.

 

For Andy Reid and Johnson’s 10 seasons together from 2000 to the end of last year (where they recorded seven trips to the playoffs, five NFC Championship appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl), the Eagles never really had a dynamic offense aside from Terrell Owens’ one full season with the team in 2004.

 

Sure, they have had a great quarterback in Donovan McNabb to go along with a major threat at running back in Brian Westbrook and the efficient Duce Staley. Other than that, the offense usually consisted of scrappy backs, receivers, tight ends who made plays but co keep them in the game.

uldn’t change the momentum of a game with quick scores like Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson can.

 

Reid was usually able to overcome this with his solid offensive game plans that focused on a heavy dose of the run-and-short passes.

 

However, if the offense was struggling, he did not have to worry, for he always knew that Johnson’s defense would get fumbles and interceptions to keep the Eagles in every game.

 

Johnson would blitz a quarterback from all angles with little fear for giving up a big play, allowing for pretty much every player to have the opportunity to get a sack or two. This would put his linebackers and defensive backs in position to get picks with rushed throws throughout the course of a game.

 

We saw this against the Cowboys in December of 2006, where Johnson’s defense held Tony Romo and the Cowboys to seven points in a crucial Week 16 Christmas Day win at Dallas as the team rumbled into the playoffs.

 

And who can forget about the efforts of Johnson’s squad in last season’s victories over the Steelers and Cowboys in the regular season? Not to mention the postseason wins against the Vikings and Giants in January.

 

Brodrick Bunkley and the rest of the Eagles defense sacked Ben Roethlisberger nine times in their 15-6 win over the now-Super Bowl champion Steelers in Week Three to go along with three turnovers and a safety.

 

The Eagles defensive unit also forced Tony Romo, Tarvaris Jackson, and Eli Manning into crucial interceptions in its three consecutive wins from Week 17 to the NFC Divisional Championship game.

 

In those games, the Cowboys, Vikings, and Giants offenses managed a mere 29 points combined against Johnson’s D.

 

And last but not least, recall how Johnson’s schemes caused fits for the greatest NFL head coach in today’s era, Bill Belichick.

 

Johnson and his squad’s effort against the Patriots in the 2005 Super Bowl (where they held Tom Brady and company to 24 points in a respectable effort) were almost enough to bring the City of Brotherly Love a championship.

 

Two years later Johnson’s defense posed the most hassle for New England during its undefeated regular season, as they held them to 24 points and, at times, flustered Brady in what turned out to be a narrow 31-28 loss at Gillette Stadium in late-November.

 

I am certain that then-Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (who was an assistant for Johnson in Philadelphia) probably benefited a great deal from using the tape of that game to put together his defensive game plan, which played a crucial role in helping the Giants beat the Pats in that year’s infamous Super Bowl.

 

All in all, Johnson’s Eagles were second in the league in sacks with 390 from 2000-08. During that time, the man saw 26 of his players take the trip to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl.

 

It is a shame that such a great coach like Johnson never became an NFL head coach, though less-deserving assistants have gotten jobs in the past.

 

We will never know how great of a head coach he could have been, but based on the level of respect that players seemed to have for Johnson, it seems like he would have been a successful one.

 

And we will see that success in what we like to consider the best mark of a great coach, their coaching tree.

 

Johnson’s tree includes Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Rams head coach Spagnuolo, along with Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

 

Harbaugh has already become a respected coach in the NFL, while Spagnuolo and Rivera are considered top-notch DCs. Frazier is not too far behind them. 

 

Hopefully, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will someday recognize great longtime coordinators and give Johnson a shrine in Canton, as he and fellow DCs Dick LeBeau (who didn’t have much of a shot at winning as a head coach for the Bengals) and Monte Kiffin definitely shouldn’t be left out of football history.

 

It’s not their fault their peak came at a time when owners and GM’s preferred youngsters like Jon Gruden and Mike Tomlin over wise coaching veterans.

 

Thanks for your schemes, Mr. Johnson; they provided me and fellow football fans everywhere with the certainty of an exciting Eagles game every Sunday.

 

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010