Assisted suicides are supposed to be illegal, since the days of Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

 
Meet Bill Belicheck, who has likely committed ‘Hall of Fame’ suicide, as detail after detail comes out in the aftermath of the Spygate scandal seven years back.

 
You remember the story. Eric Mangini, former Belicheck assistant, who became head coach of the New York Jets, turned his boss in to the NFL for taping signals of opposing coaches during games using sideline cameras.

 
How would Mangini know all this? He was one of Belicheck’s trusted assistants before becoming a head coach.

 
ESPN’s Outside the Lines investigative show, spilled all the sewage out on the table yesterday, and as it came pouring thru your TV, you could sense NFL fans and the media, will never view this Super Bowl winning head coach again in a positive spotlight.

 
Document after document detailing how Belicheck illegally taped opposing coaches during 40-different games over a seven year period. That depsite having been warned by the NFL league office, it was against the rules.

 
His tepid response, hey 80,000-fans in the stadium are looking at the same signals too.

 
Now we find out he hired a Director of Information to break down the Spygate tapes, and come up with game plan information that was fed from the Coaches booth to Belicheck during the game.

 
The report confirmed assistants went into opponents locker rooms during pregame warmups, looking for Play-Call sheets, that could detail formations and play scripts at the start of the game.

 
Indications are at least 19-teams hired special secujrity to sweep locker rooms at Gillette Stadium looking for bugs, micorphones or cameras.

 
And it went on and on-till Mangini, working with NFL security, on a sting operation, nailed a Patriots employee, decked out in NFL Films gear, with video of sideline signals during a game at the Meadowlands.

 
This was a forerunner of course of Deflate-Gate, so once a cheat, always a cheat.

 
Sure Belicheck has been blessed with great quarterbacks like Tom Brady and before that Drew Bledsoe. And of course, you can always say h was just looking for an edge in a game.

 
Or you can buy the forever ‘we are innocent’ press releases put out by New England owner Bob Kraft.

 
Now when you think of his name, it should probably make you think of Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. You know how they’re viewed these days.

 
Of course the coaches response, “I’m just getting ready for Pittsburgh’ on Thursday night in the NFL opener.  Maybe he doesn’t care right now.  Some day he will wake up and understand how he will be forever viewed.  The NFL has been his life of accomplishment.  You’d think he’d want to leave a better legacy-memory.

 
I’m not sure you’d ever want to see a suicide in person. But here nationwide, we are looking at a Hall-of-Fame suicide by the Patriots coach, who probably will now never get voted in.

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Assisted suicides are supposed to be illegal, since the days of Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
Meet Bill Belicheck, who has likely committed ‘Hall of Fame’ suicide, as detail after detail comes out in the aftermath of the Spygate scandal seven years back.
You remember the story. Eric Mangini, former Belicheck assistant, who became head coach of the New York Jets, turned his boss in to the NFL for taping signals of hand signals of opposing coaches during games using sideline cameras.
How would Mangini know all this? He was one of Belicheck’s trusted assistants before becoming a head coach.
ESPN’s Outside the Lines investigative show, spilled all the sewage out on the table yesterday, and as it came pouring thru your TV, you could sense NFL fans and the media, will never view this Super Bowl winning head coach again in a positive spotlight..
Document after document detailing how Belicheck illegally taped opposing coaches during 40-different games over a seven year period. That depsite having been warned by the NFL league office, it was against the rules.
His tepid response, hey 80,000-fans in the stadium are looking at the same signals too.
Now we find out he hired a Director of Information to break down the Spygate tapes, and come up with game plan information that was fed from the Coaches booth to Belicheck during the game.
The report confirmed assistants went into opponents locker rooms during pregame warmups, looking for Play-Call sheets, that could detail formations and play scripts at the start of the game.
Indications are at least 19-teams hired special security to sweep locker rooms at Gillette Stadium looking for bugs, microphones or cameras.
And it went on and on-till Mangini, working with NFL security, on a sting operation, nailed a Patriots employee, decked out in NFL Films gear, with video of sideline signals during a game at the Meadowlands.
This was a forerunner of course of Deflate-Gate, so once a cheat, always a cheat.
Sure Belicheck has been blessed with great quarterbacks like Tom Brady and before that Drew Bledsoe. And of course, you can always say he was just looking for an edge in a game.
Or you can buy the forever ‘we are innocent’ press releases put out by New England owner Bob Kraft.
Now when you think of his name, it should probably make you think of Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. You know how they’re viewed these days.
Of course the coaches response, “I’m just getting ready for Pittsburgh’ on Thursday night in the NFL opener.
I’m not sure you’d ever want to see a suicide in person. But here nationwide, we are looking at a Hall-of-Fame suicide by the Patriots coach, who probably will now never get voted in.

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Who knows where their careers will take them next, but for a 24-hour period, it surely had to be an all time high.

The Chargers began preparations yesterday for the opening game of the season, and for a couple of the rookies on the roster, it had to be a day to remember.

No one knows where nor how long the NFL careers of linebacker Jerry Dzubnar, wide receiver Tyrell Williams and kicker Josh Lambo will go. But for Monday, it had to be a dream come true.

Dzubnar was a walk on linebacker at Cal Poly, once made famous by player turned General Manager Bobby Beathard. Dzubnar now has another notch in his gun belt walking into the Chargers camp as an undrafted free agent, and making the opening day roster. Not bad for a smallish linebacker who epitomizes the adage ‘all football all the time’.

“Dubs” plays with such a big heart.

Williams comes to the NFL from the small time program at Western Oregon. Tall, wiry, quick, he reminds you of another small time receiver who has done well in the NFL, ex-Charger Vincent Jackson, who hailed from Northern Colorado University. Williams might be the next version of Malcom Floyd, headed into the final year of his career.

Lambo is the most unique of all of them.

A former soccer goalie, who was in the camp of the MLS-Dallas Sidekicks, deciding to retire from soccer to give kicking a try. He rewrote all the kicking records at Texas A&M, and arrived in San Diego, producing so much, that popular veteran Nick Novak was sent packing.

There are lots of stories that have days like this around the NFL. Nobodies, who make a roster, with the hopes they can become somebody soon in the NFL.

The trio may not be a super star in the waiting like a Rivers or a Weddle. But they are part of the opening day 53, a dream fulfilled, thanks to opportunity, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time.

Dzubnar, Williams, and Lambo will be in uniform come Sunday against the Detroit Lions, succeeding against all odds, to get this far in their career, hoping opening day is the beginning of lots of days for them in a career hoped for, now about to launch.

A fun day for the 1st day of the opening of the NFL season.

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It makes you want to scream, it makes you want to curse, it makes you feel bad.
It felt so weird to be in the Padres clubhouse this weekend before games.
Music played. Players brought their kids in. Even dogs were in the clubhouse. And in the afternoon, Padres players threw frisbees in the outfield. Strange considering where they are in the standings.
And then to validate my thinking, what we saw on the field.
Indeed a full range of emotions by the time we got to the end of this lost weekend with the Dodgers.
The excitement of the huge come from behind slugfest win on Thursday, was eradicated by the Dodger home run hitters on Friday, the defense on Saturday, and the garbage-can play late in the game on Sunday.
It was more than just Nick Vicent’s choke throw on a routine ground ball that should have ended a bases loaded threat, but instead led to 3-runs.
It was poor play from Justin Upton in left; loafing by the infielders It was lost concentration by the relievers. It included foolish replay requests by the manager.
It was bad body language, horrific relief pitching, and a general malaise that has set in. Losing 3-of-4 as they did to LA, compounded by terrible losses to lowly Milwaukee and Philadelphia on prior homestands earlier, have extinguished the enthusiasm about this team.
Then the Dodgers broadcast team, led by Rick Monday, piled on Sunday, ripping the team for taking plays and days off. Critiquing the leadership of manager Pat Murphy. Hammering the front office for the firing of the popular Bud Black. Evaluating fundamentals and dedication137-games into the schedule.
If you read body language on Sunday, as the game degenerated, it was almost as if the Padres quit against LA this weekend.
For every gritty pitching outing from Andrew Cashner, or the strong string of starts by Ian Kennedy, to the strength of Tyson Ross, it’s all been offset by other things that happen. .
James Shields has just 3-wins since June 23rd, and is more a 6-inning pitcher than a starter.
A whole series of relievers in that bullpen are pitching their way out of this organization.
And performances like we saw this weekend make you wonder whether some on this roster are just playing out the string.
You get angry thinking about how many disappointing nights we have at Petco this summer.
You wonder if Murphy has the brass to rip into this team, which has lost 10-of-14, or whether he was just glad to be in the show for a time, travel and stay in first class hotels, and be in a major league dugout. Is leadership lacking?,
You ache when you learn pitcher Josh Johnson is going to meet with Dr. James Shields, wondering if he will attempt to salvage his career by having a 3rd elbow operation, or whether he should just walk away.
It’s just a strange feeling in that Padres clubhouse right now. 1-more road trip, 1-more homestand, then it’s over.
Hopefully the stench of this weekend’s garbage, what we saw on the field, will go away, put out on the curb before the Rockies arrive in town..
Somebody in that front office should be worried about what Padres baseball, and the roster has turned into.

Tom Brady will play opening day for the New England Patriots. They should win against Pittsburgh.

Roger Goodell keeps going to work, going to court, and keeps losing. You can find his name in last place in the NFL-credibility standings.

The out-of-town NFL scoreboard looks awful.

Lose in Tom Brady case, after spending 5M in the Ted Wells report. The judge rules ‘unfairness’ tactics. Breach of law in terms of discovery information that should have been made available to the quarterback. Tampering with the so-called independent arbitrator by having NFL lawyer Jeff Pash review and write the decision. Trying to insert evidence and information that was not part of the union agreement.

And the NFL keeps yelling about integrity of the game as a key issue in the Brady case. How about the integrity of the leadership on Park Avenue?.

Four game suspension becomes a no game sanction.

This follows the reduction in the 10-game suspension to ex-Carolina Panther defensive end Greg Hardy, down to four games.

That on the heels of the reinstatement of Viking running back Adrian Peterson. And the reduction in the sanctions against Ray Rice.

Of course the NFL admitted no wrong doing whatsoever, but was willing to write a massive check in the multiples of NFL concussion lawsuits.

And then the outcome of the Jerry Jones-Dallas Cowboys-Super Bowl seat scandal. Of course, we have had the Hazing Club, Spygate, the Bounty Club too in recent seasons.

It just goes on and on. How’s that shield looking now?

The NFL evidentially thought they could make up the rules as they went along. Treat people as they wished. Toss away any linkage towards due process.

Roger Goodell always preaches about ‘protecting the shield’, but he should also know the difference between right and wrong, fair and unfair.

I wonder how much longer the current owners will allow this leadership to go on. The stain on the NFL’s business dealings is right there for everyone to see. And Goodell has lost one of his key backers, Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

You wonder if the long supporting Mara family (Giants), or the heritage of the Rooney family (Steelers), will lose faith in his leadership ability too?

Much has been made of the enormous profits the NFL makes. Maybe someone should remember the old axiom ‘Money and Power Corrupt’, and question if this is what the NFL has been allowed to become?

Will somebody step up soon and say ‘Goodbye Goodell’?.

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