The Crystal Ball 2014 Week 16

The Cleveland Browns defended Andrew Hawkins and his right to protest after Hawkins was criticized for wearing a "Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford" shirt on Sunday before Cleveland’s game against Cincinnati. Good for the Cleveland Browns, and shame on everyone else who criticized Hawkins for his stance.

It’s called Freedom of Speech, and despite other countries trying to take it away from us, so far it’s still legal in America, and the last time I checked constitutionally protected. Too often I see people complain that athletes do not stand up for important causes or movements,, that they do not do enough with their time and or money to stand up to injustice or an unfair world. Then when they actually do say or do something, they get savaged for their stance.  What kind of message are we sending to these athletes? No wonder many of them say and do very little.

Even if you disagree with what the man says, you must let him say it. Too much anymore there’s too much outcry to quiet people with whom we disagree. It’s becoming more of a trend, and social media is very good with its mob mentality of shutting down and drowning out dissenting voices, even if the voice is wrong or crazy. When we stop listening to one another, and only want to hear from those with whom we agree, we stop growing as a society and start down a path toward mistrust, anger, intolerance and hatred.

Opening Kickoff

"They don't know how to lead and organize and set a culture for doing what you have to do to play winning NFL football. It makes me want to throw up. That's the results you get when you do that stuff." – former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar on his team’s continued failings, struggles and mismanagement

Boy, that makes Merril Hoge’s issues with the Johnny Manziel draft choice seem very small in comparison.

The Way It Was

I was hoping the AFC playoff race would be clearer after Week 15. Boy was I wrong.

Wow, it is true. No one does circle the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. The Bills did a number on the high flying Packers and kept their playoff hopes alive.

It would appear that Aaron Rodgers is mortal, who knew. I guess Hanz and Franz had best get over to Lambeau for some additional training.

While we’ve had a ton of fun ridiculing Johnny Football for his epically terrible performance, and rightfully so, let’s not overlook the “established” quarterback in this game also had an equally horrific performance, and one we’d be dissecting if not for Manziel. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton went 14 for 24 for a total of 117 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception and 2 sacks. Not exactly your Fed Ex Air Player of the Week.

I laugh at the final days of the Jim Harbaugh regime. Good luck with that megalomaniac Michigan.

Good gravy Arizona, how snake bitten is one team at one position? The other teams in the NFL with severe issues at quarterback, which includes Tennessee, Houston, Chicago, New York Jets and Tampa Bay, are either horrible or a dim longshot to make the playoffs. Yet the Cardinals keep finding ways to win, it’s astounding.

Speaking of quarterback issues, Houston starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, who reclaimed his job after Ryan Mallett was lost to injury, is now out for the season as well with a broken leg. If I were Bill O’Brien, I’d just surrender to the obvious and start J.J. Watt at quarterback.

Ok, we all know Peyton Manning has never looked comfortable doing anything but throwing the ball, and he is almost 40. But this has to be the most pathetic block anyone has ever attempted. My dogs can block better than that. I’d excuse him from such play, but I haven’t seen a truly funny Peyton Manning commercial in years so I no longer give him quarter. Bring back the funny Peyton, and I’ll let the little things slide. Deal?

The Steel Pit

Steelers 27 – Falcons 20

Well, not quite the pyrotechnics everyone was expecting or even hoping for, but it was the result I predicted and expected.

The game featured another excellent offensive performance, one that included both Bell and Brown setting new Steeler records. With Bryant and Wheaton becoming viable contributors, and Heath Miller having a little left in the tank, the offense this season has been unlike anything Pittsburgh has previously seen.

For that matter, so is the defense, but for much different, much more unfortunate ways. But the unit did well last week, minimizing the overall damage, and contributing to the scoring with William Gay’s interception return for a touchdown. Plus, Brice McCain and Antwon Blake played very well in the secondary.

And as much as we all hate to say it, their performance proved on undeniable fact. Ike’s done. And I think even he realizes it. Now it’s up to the coaching staff to have the grapes to KEEP Ike out of the lineup. It has to be done. Just give Ike a jacket, let him stand next to Keisel, and say thanks for a hell of a career.

The only issue I had with the game was the terrible roughing the passer call on Jason Worilds. Worilds made clean contact on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, hitting him squarely in the chest and avoiding any contact with the head and shoulders or the legs. But Worilds was flagged anyway, and two plays later the Falcons scored a touchdown. I know the NFL claims it cares about player safety, but at what cost?

Many defensive players have adjusted how they play the game, but if they still get punished for playing the game correctly, what are players supposed to do? This is yet another example of how the NFL needs to transition to full time officials. Officials who work year round will be able to better spot, identify, and see these kinds of plays at game speed when they have time to practice in the off season, rather than just studying up after their normal working hours. Until that happens, the NFL will continually face these issues.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

Former Steeler quarterback and current Fox commentator Terry Bradshaw has turned on Roger Goodell for his double standard. The more prominent players, and former players, that turn on Goodell, the bigger of an embarrassment for the league he becomes.

AS the Jim Harbaugh soap opera continues to swirl, it appears there are still rumors of a trade. The 49ers are nuts. Everyone knows they want to get rid of the jackass, why would they give up anything for him now? Someone please teach 49er management about the difference between a seller’s and a buyer’s market.

A man was shot trying to break up a fight between Raiders and 49er fans. No surprise Raider fans were involved. But the more news I hear about bad behaving San Francisco fans, the more troubling I am finding their fan base.

Best wishes to Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Cancer is always terrifying, but especially in young, healthy people.

I would be remiss to neglect well wishes and a speedy recovery to ESPN’s Stuart Scott, locked in his own battle against cancer. This disease knows no boundaries. Hopefully one day we can live in a cancer free world.

AMC’s The Walking Dead is consistently beating the NFL and Sunday Night Football in the ratings. No big surprise there, I mean how many times can you watch Denver or Green Bay in prime time before it just gets repetitive? Come on NFL, mix it up a bit.

Apparently, Andrew Luck is so polite out on the field, its freaking out opposing players. Boy is that a commentary on how many jagoffs play professional football.

Upon Further Review

The independent arbiter reinstated Ray Rice into the NFL, claiming disparities in the testimony and narrative provided by Roger Goodell and Ray Rice. This comes as a surprise to absolutely no one, as it was fairly evident before the investigation reached this point that Goodell was lying to cover up a lackadaisical and dismissive initial punishment of Rice and an ignorant stance on domestic violence. Enjoy the transcript for your own reading enjoyment.

Add to this the NFL looks to possibly be lying about their handling of the Adrian Peterson suspension, and their claims of what punishment would be sufficient for the disgraced running back versus what may have been promised behind the scenes.

Now the NFL has released their new personal conduct policy that was forced into existence by public outcry over deplorable player behavior and apathetic NFL policy and punishment. There still is no real punishment for domestic violence unless there is a conviction. And with every player having access to high priced lawyers, we all know how rare a conviction is or will be. The issue seems to be the player’s union and their involvement. The union claims they have not seen the policy until the NFL released it to the public. The NFL, however, claims this is nonsense and that the union had input into the policy. Considering the NFL’s track record in recent years, tell me who you believe?

I re-watched League of Denial again this week, and I have to ask, should we be surprised at lying or deceit recently perpetrated by Goodell and the NFL? They spent years lying and deceiving when it came to life or death matters and player safety, and only made changes when it threatened public perception, and revenue, of the league. Why would their treatment of domestic violence and violent crime offenders be any different?

I know that Goodell is the perfect fall guy for the NFL owners, as he squirms on the hook for their transgressions, their unwillingness to change, their inability to part with money, their dismissive attitude toward violence against women and their tragic treatment of the disabled men upon whom the game was built and their fortunes were made. Goodell takes all the heat, the blame and the outrage for all of this behavior, with a hefty paycheck in return.

Goodell deserves the heat he takes, because while he takes direction from the owners,, and his decisions are made to benefit the owners the most, he still has a position of power for which he could do good. Dealing with criminal behavior shouldn’t require a consultation with a financial spreadsheet before something is done that benefits society. It shouldn’t take a genius that not addressing and dealing with domestic violence is not only wrong from a moral and societal standpoint, but also alienates over half of your fan base. You don’t need to be an attorney to understand doing the right thing will in the long term solidify your fan base and grow your bottom line.

Goodell may be the perfect fall guy, but at what point do they pull their heads out of the sand and realize he’s a liability and harming the long term health of the National Football League?

A Thousand Words or Less

(AP Photo/David Richard)

Ladies and gentleman, Johnny Football!

He Said He Said

"He is a guy that does not know what he is doing. Jay Gruden in particular better watch his back and get Jim Haslett out of the door. Jay Gruden better get him out the door because he’s probably back-stabbing Jay Gruden like he did everybody else -- like he did to Scott Linehan in St. Louis and like he did to Mike Shanahan in Washington." – former player London Fletcher on his former coach Jim Haslett

Well, Haslett is an ass clown.

“All I know is, you mess with me, YOU GOT PROBLEMS!” J.J. Watt miked up for NFL Films during the Texans-Titans game

Ok, just reading the text terrifies me.

“According to Mike Florio, the NFL’s revised PED policy allows the league to ‘publicly disclose information relating to the discipline of a Player to correct inaccurate public claims made by that Player or his representatives about the discipline.’ In other words, Roger Goodell can legally call someone out for being a liar. OHHHHHHHH THE IRONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” – Grantland.com’s Bill Simmons

Hee hee hee, oh I love it. Keep going after that gigantic liar.

"You'll get a bit more movement if Manziel's the quarterback. The thing that they did against Buffalo. But other than that, no, it doesn't impact you at all. You've got to go defend the offense, you don't defend the player, particularly a midget." – Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis

Considering the quality of Lewis’ own quarterback, if I were him I wouldn't be throwing stones.

"He didn’t play well. He looked like a rookie, played like a rookie. He made some obvious mistakes that typically a veteran quarterback won’t make." – Browns head coach Mike Pettine

Well duh.

"It doesn't matter what happens. At the end of the year, we're hoisting that trophy. I don't care if New England doesn't lose again." – Broncos defensive lineman Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton

"It doesn't matter what you say. It matters what you do." – Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in response to Knighton’s guarantee

BURN!

Idiot of the Week

"I've tried to spend my entire season learning what it takes to become a pro."

This was said by Cleveland starting quarterback Johnny Manziel in an interview before his first pro start. Cleveland was brimming with joy that finally the future of Cleveland football was taking the field to salvage this season of potential. What happened next?

Manziel went 10 for 18 for a total of 80 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 3 sacks. And if possible, he looked even worse than the numbers reflect.

Manziel was an epic disaster. So why is he this week’s idiot? Well, when you claim to be a pro, continue to have national ad campaigns running, despite being a backup quarterback for most of the season, admit you don’t put in as much work as some of the most dedicated, and successful, quarterbacks in the league all while calling yourself Johnny Football and then strut onto your home field and drop that massive of a turd, well, you’ve thoroughly earned the title of idiot. Congratulations Johnny on your award. Keep playing like that, and you won’t have many more opportunities to win.

On Tap This Week

Much like all good NFL teams, I’m getting hot at the right time of year.

Last week: 12-4

Thursday: 1-0

Season to Date: 152-69

What’s the best part of this time of year for NFL addicts? Saturday games of course!

Saturday

Philadelphia (9-5) at Washington (3-11)

Well, maybe Mark Sanchez isn’t the big answer at quarterback for Philly. At this point in Washington, who is?

Eagles over Snyders

San Diego (8-6) at San Francisco (7-7)

The crater that will be the 49ers season will get a bit bigger today. And the Harbaugh Farewell Tour hits another sour note.

Chargers over 49ers

Sunday

New England (11-3) at New York Jets (3-11)

I wonder what snarky comment Rex Ryan will have for the post-game press conference. I hope it’s good, it’ll probably be his last opportunity to take a dig at Belichick as a head coach.

Patriots over Jets

Minnesota (6-8) at Miami (7-7)

Minnesota is quietly putting together a respectful season and giving their fans hope for next year. Good for them. Miami, well they’re still tough to figure out. But I think they put it together for this game.

Dolphins over Vikings

Detroit (10-4) at Chicago (5-9)

Detroit has to win, for the big division showdown next week against Green Bay. Chicago is making it more difficult for that to happen, by benching Jay Cutler. It stuns me that it took Chicago THIS LONG to figure out Cutler is a massive waste of time and no true leader. I wonder what a real quarterback could do with all those offensive weapons.

Lions over Bears

Atlanta (5-9) at New Orleans (6-8)

The winner of this game will be the embarrassing winner of the NFC South, and most likely get to host a playoff game where they get blown off the field in their home stadium. The loser gets, well not those things and a better draft spot. Tell me again why winning this division is a good thing?

Saints over Falcons

Baltimore (9-5) at Houston (7-7)

I know, a 4^th string quarterback against a stout running defense. But Houston still has Arian Foster, J.J. Watt, home turf and something for which to play. Call me crazy, but I smell a minor upset.

Texans over Ravens

Green Bay (10-4) at Tampa Bay (2-12)

No way Green Bay gets embarrassed 2 weeks in a row. No way they lose two straight before their big showdown next week. No way.

Packers over Buccaneers

Kansas City (8-6) at Pittsburgh (9-5)

Let’s see, a big game, with big implications, against a quality opponent. Sounds like a recipe for Jekyll Pittsburgh to show up. Yay!

Steelers over Chiefs

Cleveland (7-7) at Carolina (5-8-1)

Ok, what’s worse? If Cleveland would have just tanked earlier in the season, and brought in Johnny Football earlier so while he would struggle through more games, at least he’d start learning. Or this, with so much hope built up for so long, but to watch it all come crashing down and end the season in crushing failure? Yeah, this is worse.

Panthers over Browns

New York Giants (5-9) at St. Louis (6-8)

If only St. Louis were in the NFC South. Poor guys.

Rams over Giants

Indianapolis (10-4) at Dallas (10-4)

This is a tough one, but I think Dallas manages to pull one out even despite the Demarco Murray hand surgery issues the team are now facing.

Cowboys over Colts

Buffalo (8-6) at Oakland (2-12)

There’s still a chance Buffalo can make the playoffs. Go Bills!

Bills over Raiders

Seattle (10-4) at Arizona (11-3)

This one’s for the division, folks. Yes, I know Arizona has been strong all year. But combining their quarterbacking issues with Seattle’s new found dominance, I see a tight game pulled out by the defending champions. Either way, I have a feeling this will be an excellent game!

Seahawks over Cardinals

Monday

Denver (11-3) at Cincinnati (9-4-1)

Denver must win to keep pace with New England and Terrance Knighton’s big proclamations. My concern would be how off Peyton’s throwing was last week. I know apparently he was sick, but his passes had no zip on them and the ball looked like a giant wounded duck. I think something’s up, despite Denver’s protestations otherwise. But at least today they’ll take care of business.

Broncos over Bengals