Brutal Truths
by J.D. Cook, guest “Tailback”
I like to think of the Tuesday Morning Tailback as a feature that says the things that sports journalists cannot. On Big Blue Bullfrog, we aren’t bound by political correctness, donations or trends! We just tell it like it is. So here are some brutal truths and opinions that you won’t find anywhere else.
The NFL’s History is Dying
Last night, the Colts and Giants played and, although the contest barred no similarities in terms of game-play, it did remind of the famous 1958 Championship game that put the NFL on the public’s mass radar. How times have changed since then…now sudden death overtime, the very thing that made that game so classic, has been disbanded by Roger Goodell‘s ‘progressive’ thinking. How long will it be until the game we all grew up with no longer resembles the one that we grew up with?
It Already Does
Because Goodell has essentially outlawed kick returns by moving kickers up on kickoffs one of the most exciting aspects of the game is diminished to the point of having little impact. You are lucky if you see one or two good returns in a game. This was done in the name of safety but common sense and a lifetime of watching football make me aware that injuries happen in the game no matter how many precautions are taken. It’s part of the game.
Goodell Hates Kickers!
Seriously…everything I’ve heard him say and many of his decisions that have indicated that he does not see the kicker as a vital NFL position. Hence why they can no longer win games in overtime or have an impact on starting position on kick offs. This wouldn’t bother me so much if Goodell would just axe kickers instead of constantly trying to do it so half assed. If you don’t want kickers to determine winners in overtime…make it sudden death without kicks. If you don’t want people getting hurt on kick offs then just have one team punt to the other.
Adrian Peterson will Probably Return to the League
I don’t know how these players get away with the things they do. Does talent on the football field translate to a free pass off of it? I’m a dog lover, so I still can’t understand how Vick is playing in the NFL again. This is shameful and I hate to be Mr. No-Forgiveness but if you play in the NFL you are held to a higher standard and if you beat your child with a hickory stick to the point of injury, you should immediately loose the right to play in that league.
Hail to the Redskins…
How much longer will I be able to say that? While I can see both sides of the controversy I tend to side with people who defend the name. It’s existed for 82 years and there were few to no calls to change it prior to the recent flare up of it as a ‘hot topic’.
Hot Topics Suck
On that note remember only just a couple of years ago when the sports media tended to focus on sports? Now it seems like everything is discussed and looked at from every angle – except football. Dare I say that Sundays are AN ESCAPE! We don’t watch the sport to be bludgeoned with political correctness or opinions! We watch it because we want to see our team compete with another one for pride, bragging rights and sheer entertainment.
The NFL is NOT the World Cup!
A few years ago the NFL tried something called NFL Europe. It started some minor franchises overseas and it was an interesting concept. It failed pretty fast though. So why on Earth are Goodell and the NFL so obsessed with pushing games to London? It is okay for the NFL to be America’s Game! If the head honchos in the N.F.L. are so obsessed with diversify and becoming multicultural, why don’t they open franchises in Canada, Mexico or any other countries that are on our side of the pond?
The NFL’s going down the toilet but don’t be mad at us, we’re just reporting what we see while it does.
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Tuesday Morning Tailback is a weekly article during football season which take a critical look at the NFL. We do this from the base belief that NFL football is the greatest game in the history of mankind, but some recent policies and the overall direction of the league has chipped away at this greatness. Our primary goal is to spark debate on these subjects, so please leave your own opinion on this article in the comment box below.
Nice Tailback, Jack.
A few things here. First, that whole “Redskins” outrage kind of blew up in their face and may have even played a part in last night’s election as very effective Ads were run in Virginia during the Redskins-Cowboys Monday Night game a few weeks ago.
Next, the NFL kind of has a gentleman’s agreement with the Canadian Football League to never expand there (although the CFL briefly had a team in Baltimore before the Ravens arrived). I kind of like the weird old, quarky CFL and hope it doesn’t go away. Back in the day, preseason games between the Oilers and Cowboys were held in Mexico City, but the crowd was totally confused by the game.
As for London, I’m telling you this is just an old-fashioned trade agreement, as the Premiere league started popping up on American media about the same time the NFL started playing games over there. But that’s as far as it will go – you will not see a Cleveland vs. Canterbury football game in the future, any more than you’ll see a Miami vs. Manchester United soccer match. I watched the Atlanta-Detroit morning game a few weeks ago and the crowd look like an NFL Pro shop ad with jerseys from every team – even the Giants! It’s all about the merchandising.