Shame on this Union

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They have met, they made no progress and the problems continue to exist.
 
Real problems, image problems, problems for the NFL, the Players Association, the game.
 
Four hours of talks led to a breakdown, with neither side willing to give an inch, while the credibility chasm around the players grows wider and wider.
 
Perception outflanks reality when it comes to NFL discipline.  The league wants to remake its procedures of how to handle players, their salaries, their roster spots, once they are arrested, charged, or indicted for a criminal act.
 
Up till recently, Commissioner Roger Goodell let the law takes its course before disciplining players, and then he himself, handling whatever appeal process took place.  That luxury no longer exists, thanks to Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and some of the other ilk in the NFL.
 
Society wants action.  An embarrassed league needs to take action.  The Union is stone-walling the whole process, hiding behind the ‘due process shield’.  You know the one about innocent till proven guilty, let me keep playing and collecting my paycheck.
 
So what if I whipped the son to the point of causing significant cuts and welts on four different body part.  So what if I choked my girlfriend, even if she was pregnant.  So what if I tossed another down stairs, into a wall and onto a bed like I was making a quarterback sack.  So what if I blew (.17) on a DUI traffic stop.
 
The league is facing pressure points to deal with the minimal few bums in the league who keep getting into trouble.  The union is trying to use league discipline as a bargaining chip, as if the NFL should give them something for the right to have a black and white set of rules and penalties.
 
Troy Vincent, former star DB, a union activist, has gone to the other side.  He now runs Player discipline on Park Avenue for the commissioner.  Vincent hit a TD bomb when he said the union has a right to bargain for free agency, salaries, bonuses, cap money, health issues, working conditions, but they have no right to try and negotiate right-vs-wrong.
 
It would be nice if the two sides joined hands and came up with a program that if you are charged with a crime, you are taken off the active roster, and your salary is frozen in an account.  If convicted you get real NFL discipline and sanctions.  If not, you go active again and get your back pay.
 
Anybody out there besides me that thinks it is a disgrace Adrian Peterson is getting 690,000 per week to sit at home in Texas and watch his Vikings on TV, till his case goes to trial?  You bothered that Greg Hardy is collecting 7M in salaries over a 10-week span, waiting for his domestic abuse trial?  And it goes on and on with other players, alleged rapists, drunk drivers, etc.
 
The only one penalized right now is the club, losing the player.
 
Unions are great to represent their clients against ownership.  Unions are wrong trying to use discipline laws as a bargaining chip at the negotiations table.
 
DeMaurice Smith, the Union boss wants his players to play, or get paid, regardless of what they do on the field on in the streets.  Put your union card away and stop shouting about your rights.  The fans and the media to start shouting the union and its anarchist ideas are wrong.

Dollars for Dementia

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All types of players, from all walks of life, have their names on the massive NFL concussion lawsuit settlement.  And the clock is about to strike midnight on those still living, for they have a decision to make.  It’s too late for a number of others, tragic victims of the game of football.
 
Junior Seau, Dave Deurson, Ray Easterling, Mike Webster, Terry Long, and their families, are all caught in the vortex of a storm over the many deaths of players in the NFL, and whether they are being properly compensated for the pain and suffering and then death brought on by concussions, dementia, Alzheimer’s and then CTE.
 
Their lives ended by a shot to the head, a shot to the heart, by a hanging, by a raging drunk driving accident, by carbon monoxide poisoning, by drinking anti-freeze..
 
The midnight deadline is upon us, for players living and suffering too, the families of those who died, to declare whether they are willing to accept terms of the $765M settlement proposed by the NFL.
 
Fixed fees have been agreed upon for players who are living but suffering, the aftermath of brain damage from all those hits.  Fees for dementia, for Alzheimer’s, for loss of brain functions.  A separate set of fees for the families of players who took their own life, unable to cope with the life they had to face in retirement. 
 
But how do you put a price on mood swings, personality disorders, alcholism and pain pill addiction?  What is the price on divorces and lost families?
 
The total amount of money to be paid out sounds enormous, till you read the fine print of the limitations attached to taking a check.  A limited payoff covering five years; smaller amounts for older-dying players.  No amounts for some players who had settlements earlier in their  career.  And no money for any player today, who might develop all these symptoms tomorrow, when their careers are over.
 
The NFL admitted no guilt in hiding information about concussion dangers over the last couple of decades.  It is hard to believe they offered up this money out of the goodness of their heart, when they saw all the suffering players were going thru for years, and did little to help.  Now they have conscience, once it was determined they might wind up in court.
 
A panel will decide who are the neediest, from players in care facilities, to those in wheelchairs, or many limping into doctor’s meetings.  There seems to be such a large gray area, no one has quite figured out, how they came to the awards clauses in the agreement.
 
To fight this further in court, would tie up all this money, stopping any of it from getting to the players most needy.  But deep in your heart, it still does not seem to be enough.
 
The deadline to accept or opt-out is upon us and the confusion, the protests and the uncertainty is still very loud, loud as a drumbeat. 
 
A drumbeat everywhere except at the gravesites with the headstones that read Seau-Duerson-Waters and so many more.
 
Football was their life.  Football took their life.  And no amount of money can make up for what they gave up, what happened to them, or how it ended.

Failure in the Fall

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It was supposed to be “Red October-vs-Dodger Blue” in the World Series at the end of this month.
 
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan.  Sometimes players get hurt.  Sometimes you invest in the wrong talent.  Sometimes the manager screws it up. .  Sometimes the player choke up. 
 
They are like you and me, watching it on TV.  They being the 98-win Angels and the 94-win Dodgers, both knocked out in the first round divisional series, despite having home field advantage and being rested.
 
A huge disappointment, and now the blame game is about to begin.
 
In Anaheim, Arte Moreno’s Halos had failed to get to the postseason four years in a row, despite a really high payroll.  Mike Scoscia was indeed on the hot seat as manager.  Moreno, despite his spending sprees, had nothing but aggravation to show for the massive investments he made in the likes of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.
 
But it was pitching, both starting, and relieving, that helped do the Angels in.  The devastating end of season losses of strong armed right-hander Garrett Richards, to a knee, and sensational rookie Matt Shoemaker, to an oblique, buried the staff.  The two hardest throwers, between them, had combined for 30-wins and were really becoming the aces of the staff.  Lots of miles, and lots of erratic performances, left Jared Weaver and CJ Wilson, the remaining starters, non-trustworthy.
 
Of course, the Halos stopped hitting too, odd for a team that was so deep in talent with big averages during the back end of the schedule.  The Angels hit an anemic (.170) in getting swept by the Royals in the ALDS.  Pujols and Hamilton went a combined (3-37), Howie Kendrick hit (.154) and superstar Mike Trout (.083) in a crash and burn conclusion to the season.
 
Up the freeway, the Dodgers spent 246M this year to win the division, but you never got the sense, it was a team, but rather a clubhouse of individual contractors. 
 
The ace, Clayton Kershaw ran out of gas, from too many innings, losing twice to the Cardinals, and is now a stunning (1-5) in postseason play in his career.  Beyond that, the rotation was thin and injured, and the 35M-in relievers, led by Kenley Jansen was highly erratic.
 
Manager Don Mattingly continued to have his hands full with Yasiel Puig, eventually sitting him, in what was the must-win game of the season, a loss, to St. Louis.  Puig struck out 8X in his 12-at bats in the series.  Dynamic infielder Dee Gordon looked gassed, hitting just (.176) in the leadoff spot.  Slugger Adrian Gonzalez was pitched around (.188) and did virtually nothing.  Aging Juan Uribe hit (.118).
 
The blame game finger is being pointed more at GM-Ned Coletti than anyone else, and indications are the payroll will likely come down, and there may be some changes in the exec suite as well as the roster.
 
Of course there is a knot in your stomach feeling too this week in places like Detroit, Washington, Pittsburgh and Oakland, where great seasons ended badly by 1-game playoffs (Pirates), bad managerial decisions (Nationals), injuries (Tigers), or bad trades (Athletics).
 
The biggest (payroll) and best (raw talent) does not always add up to success.
 
Hard to believe we might have a Red-and-Blue World Series, not the Dodgers-Angels, but rather Royal blue as in Kansas City, and the Redbirds, as in St. Louis Cardinals.

Raiders vs. Chargers

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It’s typical coach-speak, and it hardly-ever ever happens.  But it did in the waning moments in the O.com -Coliseum in Oakland.  The rookies saved the day, the Chargers beat the Raiders in a back and forth game, and the next man up, sealed the victory.
 
I’ve been worried about the injury attrition on the Chargers.  I have been concerned about their shortcomings in both offensive and defensive lines.  The (5-1) start has been triggered by the fact they have played against four bad teams and four kid quarterbacks over the last month.
 
It almost did them in as the sun set in the East Bay, but the first year players made the difference in the end, in that (31-28) win over the winless Raiders.
 
Aside from big play quarterback Philip Rivers, I don’t think the Chargers are elite.  His ability to make plays down the field is the reason they are in lst place.
 
But yesterday, running back Branden Oliver came up with critical runs in the 4th quarter, personally hand-carrying the ball to the one yard line, then punching it in for the go ahead score with under 2-minutes to go.  The rookie capped a 101-yard rushing day with the critical yards on the final series that got them the win.
 
Easy field position on that drive was set up by another of the youngsters, punt returner Keenan Allen, who had a huge return to help start a drive in at the 39-yard line.
 
And then with red-hot handed Raiders quarterback Derek Carr driving his team, lst round pick Jason Verrett made a leaping interception in at the 4-yard line with (:34) left to seal the win.
 
The glare of the spotlight was on the young players because of the injury siege at running back, and the Sunday injuries, to Brandon Flowers, Eddie Royal and more.  Oliver has been a stunning surprise, small, tough as nails, with a burst, and shiftiness.  He is a long way from the University of Buffalo, and this isn’t the Mid-American Conference. Verrett did yesterday what he did at TCU-display great athleticism, leaping ability, sure hands, in making multiple plays during the day and the critical play at the end.
 
It was a typical Rivers afternoon.  San Diego added 8-more plays of 20-yards or more during the day to an impressive array of stats they have compiled this season, going down the field.  But it also brings into the spotlight, glaring problems San Diego has, defending the run, holding up against quality passers, and still run blocking and pass protecting.  Luckily it was the Raiders; against someone else it might have been a loss not a victory.
 
The Raiders could have won, but didn’t by virtue of their own mistakes, 11-penalties, a missed field goal, poor use of the clock at the end of the first half, maybe even the deep throw at the end of the game, when all they needed was a field goal to play on into overtime..
 
But in an NFL where there is such a fine line between winning and losing, there is also a fine line between being a good team or being substandard.  
 
The Chargers because of Rivers are still viewed as elite.  And on this sun-splashed day in the East Bay, Oliver and Verrett saved them from a horrible loss to what really is a bad Oakland team.
 
Injuries have hurt this franchise extensively.  For 1-day at least, Mike McCoy’s favorite Monday press conference verbiage, ‘next man up’, brought the team a victory.  It was ugly, it was painful, but it was a win.  The kids made the plays count.

 

Chargers vs. Raiders

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Don’t say it can never happen, because it has in the past and it could again.
 
The Chargers head to Oakland this weekend to face the Raiders, feeling good, and rightfully so about their (4-1) record.  But they need to be aware there are some potential ambushes out there on the upcoming schedule, regardless of what the standings say.
 
The stat sheet shows a torrid big play offense, with Philip Rivers matching TD throws with his historical rival Peyton Manning, Sunday by Sunday.  It shows the Bolts ranked third in the NFL, averaging 281-yards per game, leading the league in plus 20-yard pass plays..
 
That same stat sheet shows San Diego allowing an NFL best 194-yards per game on defense, choking anyone and everyone.
 
And yes the schedule shows the beating they put on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, and the excitement ESPN is showing over the Bolts, ranking them 3rd this week in their power poll. 
 
It’s all fine and good, because they are wins no one is going to take back.  But let’s be realistic.
 
Sunday, San Diego faces another kid quarterback, the Raiders Derek Carr, surrounded by a bunch of journeyman on offense and a virtually nameless, next to last place defense.  The Chargers should lay a beating on Oakland too.
 
In all the hoopla of the great start, let’s realize though they have just come thru three games against the worst teams in the league, all whom started kid quarterbacks, who are really struggling.  Buffalo-Jets-Jacksonville have a combined (4-11) record so far.  San Diego terrorized the kid QBs and their bad offenses, holding them to 204, 175, 184 yards in those three wins.
 
Once they are done with Derek Carr and the woeful Raiders, they start playing real people.  Alex Smith, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and so much more.
 
I know it’s convenient for the fellow media covering this team to write in glowing terms of this (4-1) start.  Am I the only one who understands who they beat, how bad those teams were, and how impossible the job is for EJ Manuel-Blake Bortels and Geno Smith, learning on the job?
 
Just a bit too early to starting saying Chargers-Super Bowl or AFC Championship game.  Not cheerleading, not piling on, just telling you the truth.
 
4-kid quarterbacks in 6-weeks, you better beat them.  Let’s see what happens in the next six weeks, as they start playing real people with real firepower.