AAF

This weekend a new football league debut was said to have started with a fan base. Of course I like football especially now since football is far from being in the news.

The NFL will be building up for the next show of the NFL draft. But this league showing isn’t as huge as the XFL. But we all know what happened to that circus. It was full of gimmicks and wrestling showmanship but not focused where it belonged on the coaches and players. The games and those that made plays while playing.

I read a story that the league needs superstars. However I disagree. It doesn’t need superstars of old. They don’t need to draft and hire players who’ve been in the NFL. What they do need is to introduce all the marketing strategies and rule changes that the NFL would like to explore since the connection to the NFL while not being talked about it’s got to be there.

They’ve hired great coaches and those coaches would have great hires on the staff. The two unknowns is how long will they be able to operate? If the players in the AAF can post players having success in the NFL and continue for years then the players who play in that league know that they’ve got a chance to make it to the NFL

Superstars aren’t created in high school or college. They happen all the time because of what they do during games. The money in the NFL is such that the top players in the country end up in the draft and many of the players don’t last. That leaves a lot of players looking for work in the CFL and AAF and soon the XFL.

As long as the networks and teams honor the game and play games. The cream will rise to the top. It’s going to be up to the players to make themselves superstars.

Tom Brady came in as a 199th pick from Michigan. However in Michigan he wasn’t a star. He wasn’t a star his first year. But he now is the GOAT. He did that for all the years he performed his job at Quarterback.

Superstars are created in the fire of the work. It’s on the field where players get recognition. Aaron Donald didn’t get any accolades when he joined the Rams. Now he’s the best at what he does.

AAF just needs to keep on filling rosters and those players have to perform so that they gain a following by fans and the NFL.

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Patriots Perspective

Tom Brady is one of the best ever at QB. Julian Edelman did catch a lot of passes for many yards. But the Patriots defense is the unit that held the Rams to only 3 points in the Super Bowl. The Rams defense wasn’t bad either. But the offense of New England was able to make up the difference.

The perspective that everyone looks at is always offensively. We’ve always had everyone that covers sports look at the offensive players who are most likely to be on sports center highlights. But we’ve got to take a wider view when viewing sports.

The New England defense should have got the MVP. At least someone on that side of the ball. But in a team sports it’s just not about an individual player or coach. It’s about the entire team. The Patriots have been the best team. They rely on a couple of constant people Brady and Belichick. But for the most part the other players are a blur to everyone watching.

Team. It’s hard to do get all cozy and fuzzy thinking you would honor everyone on the team. But it should be done like a graduation. All the players on the team coaches included should be recognized. But we don’t do that. We rather recognize a single player and spotlight them. I don’t think that would ever change.

But I would like to see a more team perspective when it comes to sports. Take the Dodgers vs Red Sox last season. Boston won as a team. The Dodger simply couldn’t get it done. The Dodgers hitting or pitching wasn’t able to keep up. Players do make plays. But it isn’t just the glory plays. It’s the routine ones that count also. You can’t win in a team sport with just a single player even though it seems like some teams have.

GE Belongs to Patriots

The Patriots have played in 9 super bowls in the Bill Belichick era. He started in 2000. In 2001 they won the first of three in 4 years. In 19 years Belichick has almost a 50% chance of making the Super Bowl. That’s incredible.

Patriots are the GE. Belichick is the GE as head coach and general manager. And Tom Brady is GE also along with Robert Kraft another GE.

GE. Greatest Ever…. The track record of this team doesn’t change and those three factors of Kraft, Belichick and Brady have been the constant within this franchise. No further discussion is necessary. However this three some is not over

I don’t know what will happen if Tom Brady isn’t the QB of this team. I’m almost sure if Belichick leaves it would change the fortune of this franchise. However we’ll see. So whoever or why anyone would question that the Patriots are making the 2020 Super Bowl they’ve 9 super bowls and 6 wins with 3 losses. They’ll probably go to another next season. All others may or may not make it. So be careful if the Patriots still have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick start next season just like all the other seasons.

Lakers A Player Away

Does a coach matter in the NBA? Yes or No? Do players matter more? The Lakers got LeBron James and that one player turned the Lakers into a contender until he got injured.

Now the news is Anthony Davis is now being projected to join LeBron in Los Angeles and Klay Thompson might be interested if Anthony Davis signs. Doesn’t that change the Lakers roster a lot since if those two players want in. A team will be formed from those big three.

A coach just an afterthought not like the Bill Belichick, coaching led NFL.

Cowboys OC

It’s Jerry’s team. The Cowboys did better this season. However it’s not to the satisfaction of Jerry Jones. The person that Jones should be interested in probably will never coach football. But you know what they say about not saying never.

Scott Linehan has left the building. And a headline I read said Cowboys don’t want Jason Garrett to call plays. He’s the head coach doesn’t he decide who call plays and who will be Offensive Coordinator? Not in Jerry’s house. Not on Jerry’s Team. Jerry Jones may want to offer Tony Romo the offensive coordinator position? He’ll turn it down since he’s carved out his own position. Giving him ample time to work on his golf game.

Cowboys in need of an Offensive Coordinator who will be willing to go to the Cowboys and be micromanaged by Jerry Jones? I think for the right amount of money a lot of OC’s would take the job.

Ridiculous

The NFL missed the call the most of the Saints nation will never forget or forgive. But football is filled with non calls and calls that don’t need to be made while others should be. But for me it’s a game.

We all know the officials didn’t make the call in the Saints vs Rams game. That of course led to replay officials to follow the rules of replay. You can’t change a call that wasn’t made on the field. Rule. No further discussion could alter that result or the result that happen in the game.

The result could have been altered by the Saints beating the Rams anyway. But the Rams won.

But the most ridiculous thing that resulted was Nickell Robey-Coleman is being issued a fine that wasn’t called a penalty. How can he be made to pay a fine? If the game officials didn’t call a penalty and the replay officials couldn’t do anything based on the NFL rules of replay. 26,789 dollars for something the league never said was a penalty. Huh? Ridiculous! Absolutely Ridiculous!

More NFL Review

Tired of review. This slow motion look from every angle is long and not always clear. Second most of the time the referee and officials get the call right. It’s a game. I’ve always thought when I coached in my small section of the world that the officials are human beings. The call not always correct. But I can’t change them. We play on. We play through.

Sean Payton obviously would like to see more reviews. The league after the biggest blown call that was obvious have allowed the Rams to meet the Patriots and if the Rams win the Saints would like to call for an asterisk next to there victory. But consider if Greg Zeulein didn’t get an opportunity to kick the 48 or 57 yard field goals we wouldn’t be taking about it.

He made two kicks in which the Rams had to come up with the yardage to put Zeurlein in position to make the field goals. How about the interception which gave the Rams the ability to not have to drive the length of the field. Brees threw an interception. What if they punt? Would they have won. Of course you can say if they call that penalty on the Rams they never get the ball back.

I hate that the game has turned into frame by frame review. It isn’t played in slow motion. The officials have to make calls in real time. Too many reviews. I say less reviews. I say put the rules that make coaches have 2 challenges per game or one challenge. So that way the game can keep going.

The pass interference rule is horrible being a spot foul. That should be a automatic first down and the ball moved 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. You’ve got to give the defense something. This game is all about the offense. The case when receivers run into the defenders beyond the 5 yard mark happens all the time. No calls. We need to go back to bump and run coverage and contact between defender and receiver can happen as long as neither player holds. The non contact point when the ball is in the air.

But I know they’ll put more tech into the game as time goes on and a lot less contact. Play on. We did it all the time in tackle the man with the ball. But I know it’s not just a game. It’s a business with millions of dollars at stake.

The Brady Bunch

A long time ago a TV show the Brady Bunch aired from 1969-74. It was about a family with a house keeper a mother who had 3 daughters and a father who had 3 sons and together they made the Brady Bunch. The series was about the different things that the family experienced between all the brothers and sisters and mother and father.

Fast forward. The time is 2000-present. The place is the NFL. A quarterback named Tom Brady drafted with no fan fare from College and being one of the slowest players as far as 40 time. Brady was a non factor his first season. Belichick in his first year posted a 5-11 record.

Belichick and Brady start out together in 2001 with a Super Bowl win over the Rams. Belichick molding the team as GM/Head Coach. Romeo Crennel as the defensive coordinator and Charlie Weis as the offensive coordinator.

2002- 9-7, 2003 Won Super Bowl vs Panthers, 2004 Won Super Bowl vs Eagles.

Belichick stays with Weis/Crennel until 2005.

Crennel was hired in 2005 as the Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns until 2008. Weis became head coach at Notre Dame 2005-09.

By the time 2005 Belichick won 3 super bowls in 4 years.

Belichick took over the offense in 2005 and hired Eric Mangini as defensive coordinator.
2005 10-6,

2006 Belichick hires Josh McDaniels as OC and Dean Peas as DC
2006 12-4, 2007 16-0 lose super bowl to NYG, 2008 11-5,

2009 Belichick releases Josh McDaniels to Denver HC 2 seasons and Rams OC 1 season as Dean Peas remains as DC
2009 10-6,

2010 Belichick releases Dean Peas took job with Ravens
2010 14-2,

2011 Belichick promotes Bill O’Brien OC out of football for 2012-2013 HC Houston 2014
2011 13-3 lost super bowl to NYG

2012 Belichick rehires Josh McDaniels as OC promotes Matt Patricia DC
2012 12-4, 2013 12-4, 2014 12-4 win Super Bowl vs Seahawks, 2015 12-4, 2016 14-2 won Super Bowl vs Falcons, 2017 13-3 lost Super Bowl vs Eagles,

2018 Belichick releases Matt Patricia HC Lions, Josh McDaniels still OC,
2018 11-5 Super Bowl vs Rams

Weis, Crennel and Mangini was part of Belichick staff in 1997 with the New York Jets. Crennel and Mangini was part of the New York Giants staff in 1990. Crennel has been with Belichick since 1981 New York Giants staff under Bill Parcells. Belichick was the defensive coordinator the offensive coordinator of the Giants was Ron Erhardt. That name is associated with a base offense that is used in whole and in part throughout football. Belichick coached defense but was exposed to the Erhardt system of offense.

Throughout it all the Brady Bunch or the Belichick Bunch has been the constant along with the owner. Belichick genius is obvious to all as a head coach but he also is the mentor and the guide for his coaching staff. His leadership as both the GM/Head Coach is something I can’t remember anyone else having so much sustained success in both areas. A lot of coaches have tried to be successful and GM’s have tried but to be one person that does both jobs at the level and as long as Belichick none compare. He can get another Super Bowl victory with another appearance in another Super Bowl. This season 2018 has got to be one of the most satisfying if the Patriots can beat the Rams in Super Bowl 53.

As long as Belichick is in New England I think they’re always the favorite. Tom Brady has been the other constant. You might not like him. But you’ve got to know he’s a competitor. He’s someone that will always work on himself and try to bring all of his teammates up to the level that is expected by a Bill Belichick coaching staff. Being smart and doing everything like it suppose to be done on every play.

9 Super Bowls 18 years. 5-3 in Super Bowls. The Rams will make the 9th time the Patriots have made the Super Bowl but you’ve got to remember the other 9 years everyone considers those years as a failure not winning the Super Bowl. Brady doesn’t take those loses easy. Not a good loser. He puts it on all his shoulders. But he keeps on coming back.

So 16 playoff appearances in 18 years. Most teams would be happy. But not the Patriots. 5 Super Bowl wins with another game coming up. For the Patriots they want the 6th Super win for the franchise and count that as a good year. Anything short of that isn’t good enough. While other franchises are happy with making the Super Bowl. These guys aren’t the other franchises.

Is It Worth that Much?

Manny Pacquiao just won a title at 40 years old great right! But Pacquiao might have suffered a career and life altering injury to his left eye. Pacquiao complained about having lost vision in his left eye. How much vision did he lose? How long will the results from that fight stay with him the rest of his life? Was it worth that one fight to lose his vision?

I remember the great running back in our area of Southern California. The best running back I ever saw like a bowling ball was Michael Alo. He was destined for greatness. But he suffered a neck injury that left him temporarily paralyzed. The paralysis didn’t last long and Michael wanted to continue playing football. But he wasn’t able to because doctors felt that if he was hit and suffered the same injury that he might not regain his use of his legs. Is it worth it.

Southern California has a lot of beaches. Of course it’s just one big Pacific Ocean. But it stretches everywhere on the coast. The beaches change names and have different waves because of where they are and how they are laid out. It’s a fun pastime to go out on a boogie board (sponge) or surf board and enjoy the sun and waves.

One day a long while back I decided to go out to Seal Beach. It was not anything different. Sometimes I’d go to Manhattan beach. Sometimes Seal Beach. But I’d go out park in my usual spot. Take my fins and my board and half suit and lay out on my board. I really enjoyed the sun. I didn’t care about all the battling for every wave. It would get wild sometimes as spongers and surfers would compete for waves. Frankly surfers had the advantage on spongers because they could always have the advantage of kicking the board out on you or just jumping on you.

I didn’t care about the competition. I just liked the sun on my skin. But on one day I went out and after I was finished the routine is to shower off and dry up and get ready to go to the car and drive home. This day I noticed a slimy film that couldn’t wash off. I didn’t think anything about it. As I was walking to the car my eyes started to burn and felt like I had something in both eyes. I continued to wash it out. As I approached the car it was still the same. I got into the car and noticed my eyes red and my vision was starting to get blurry. I drove home and tried to wash my eyes out with some eye wash. Still over the next 3 days my eyes got a white fluid and then the burning all the while I’m thinking could I lose my vision because of the ocean? Is it worth it? After that I’ve never been in the ocean and no one could pay me enough money to get in the ocean ever again.

We all push ourselves to the limits. Sometimes we don’t always use the best judgment. I saw a guy in a gym I use to go to. He came in and started to workout with over 300lbs on the bench. He noticed an old man who just had set a gym record and all of us who always are at the small neighborhood gym bench over 500lbs. As we were breaking the weight down he sternly instructed we leave 315 on the bar. That’s 6 45lb plates 3 on each side. The person who set the record told him to warm up first he was defiant and ignored our pleas. He unracked the weight. The weight hit his sternum as if his arms never stopped the weight from falling and hitting his chest. It was an awful sound. The old man who broke the record that day instructed us to quickly get the weight off of him and call 911. He had crushed sternum. Is it worth it?

All I’m saying is that we have a choice what we are going to do. Whether it’s for a job or for sport. We all should take a little time to decide is it worth it and weigh all the things that could happen before we make the choice.

We trust where we eat and sometimes you find a place that you think is going to be good and after you’ve eaten. Your stomach and restroom are all your thinking about for the next few days. Food poisioning isn’t something we all think about but it can happen. You just find yourself avoiding the restaurants with the same name as the one you’ve had the bad experience.

No choice is guaranteed. Well most of them. Choices come and go as quickly as a decision comes another choice comes up. We all keep going. Enjoying life. Taking chances or not. Is it worth it only the person can answer that question.

Patriots over Chiefs

The Patriots beat the Falcons and lost to the Eagles and now face the Rams in Super Bowl 53.

The joy of Tom Brady after winning this AFC championship game just shows how much this game took out of him. This one went down to the overtime. But Mahomes and KC couldn’t even get a chance to play in OT.

The rule that the NFL has to change is the overtime rule. All games should be in overtime. Not the first team that scores a touchdown. This has to be changed. If not in the regular season then in the playoffs.

They should put up so many minutes of overtime and allow tied teams to play until that time is over. This allowing the team that gets the ball to win if the score a touchdown is short changing the other team they just tied the game also. If one team possess the ball the other should be able to possess the ball to. I don’t know how they came up with that rule but it basically sucks. It makes no sense. But it’s what the rule is now.

Patriots will be a huge favorite against the Rams. Brady and the Patriots are going all out to win this one since the Eagles beat them last season. McVay and Phillips have to plan for the dynasty. Patriots and Rams will be ready come Super Bowl Sunday in Atlanta in two weeks. Until then we’ve got to hear all the talk about everything leading up to the Super Bowl.