My Reaction to and my Thoughts on the Tony Romo Contract Extension

When I saw the news of Tony Romo’s 6 year $108 million contract extension which includes $55 million guaranteed I was not only shocked but I laughed as well.  Donovan McNabb’s tweet is actually how I saw the news due to a friend of mine tweeting me what had been said, I laughed as well because he is RIGHT, I don’t understand how a guy who is 1-3 in the playoffs would ever earn this contract.  Oh yeah and how did he get more guaranteed money than Joe Flacco who just won a super bowl and who has also made the playoffs in all his years as a starter in the league?  Makes no sense, but then I realized that Jerry Jones who is the 21^st century Al Davis clearly has no clue as to what he is doing when it comes to personal decisions.   Whatever happened to winning super bowls Jerry?

Romo has never been a big game quarterback, there is no arguing with that, in 2011 and 2012 he had a chance to lead his cowboys to the playoffs and then he did what he does best, choked.  This past year was just awful, he threw a horrible pick to lose the game against the Redskins, and the year before he wasn’t all that great against the Giants.  I could go on and on about his past blunders like his first playoff against the Seahawks, then there was the game at home verse the Giants in the 2007 season when yet another one of his interceptions cost the Cowboys a game.  Again proving why he is not worth all of this money, I never thought he should have been signed to a long term extension like this, and to be honest he needs to be put on a short hook.

If you ask me a quarterback should be paid based on his success in the league, and while Romo has had some solid regular season numbers he is horrible in big games and big spots (yes I am repeating myself, but sometimes when it comes to his fans I need to keep saying this over and over).  The other issue is that when he does make the playoffs he isn’t great, 1-3 record, and the one win came over a Donovan McNabb who was at the tail end of his career and I think that is something most people can agree upon.  His regular season this past year was not that great either, he threw 28 touchdowns to 19 interceptions and lost 3 fumbles, meaning that he threw 28 touchdowns and had 22 turnovers to go along with those passing scores.  That will not get it done in the NFL, and again he failed to prove himself this past season.

I understand that he has put Dallas on the map after years of quarterback shuffles and a coaching carrousel but he is not a big time guy, and the only reason he is getting paid the big bucks is because he is the Cowboys quarterback.  If he was starting for some small market team he would not be praised the way he is by not only Cowboy fans and the organization but also the media and players alike. 

I would also like to note that McNabb is spot on with his tweet due to the fact that he played Romo a good amount of times over his career in Philadelphia and Washington, just goes to show how players and media outside of Dallas actually feel about Romo.

The Strengths, Weaknesses and Needs of Teams Picking 13-16 in the 2013 NFL Draft (Part 4 of 8)

13.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Strengths- Run defense, they only allowed 82.5 yards a game which is very impressive, that is a must especially playing in a league that is starting to have more read option type offenses being installed.  They ranked 10^th in passing yards, and their run game came on later on in the season as well.

Weaknesses- They ranked dead last in pass defense and only registered 27 sacks which was 29^th in the league and when you play Drew Brees and Matt Ryan twice a year you need better production out of your secondary.

Needs- A pass rush and defensive backs, like I said when you play Ryan and Brees a total of four times in one season you need help because you cannot lose those games if you want to make the playoffs.  Another pass catcher would be helpful as well to help Josh Freeman.

14.) Carolina Panthers

Strengths- Run game (no surprise here) they were ranked 9^th in the league last year with 2,088 yards and were 3^rd in rushing touchdowns with 21.  Their pass rush was ranked 9^th in the league with 39 sacks and allowed 12 rushing touchdowns which ranked 11^th in the league meaning their front seven are playing well.

Weaknesses- Receivers, outside of Steve Smith and tight end Greg Olson they need some help for Cam Newton, can’t build a stronger offense without any pass catchers.  Their secondary did not do a great job of picking passes off either, only had 11 in 2012 which must improve.

Needs- Defensive backs and receivers.

15.) New Orleans Saints

Strengths- Passing game and offense in general, but that is about it.

Weaknesses- 31^st in pass defense, they allowed 4,681 passing yards, tied for 25^th in sacks with 30, again not good.

Needs- Defense, defense and oh wait… DEFENSE!  Can’t have their defense play as badly as they did last year

16.) St. Louis Rams

Strengths- Pass rush, they were tied for 1^st with 52 sacks in 2012, very impressive, they had 17 interceptions on defense, and their defense allowed a TD-INT ratio of 16-17, which isn’t easy to do.

Weaknesses- Offensive line, what an awful line they have out there, they need to protect Sam Bradford.  

Receivers were subpar as well.  They need to catch up the Seahawks and 49ers because those teams are loaded now.

Needs- Offensive line, pass catchers, and defensive backs

Rape and Athletes

When it comes to athletes on any level it never seems to be their fault when they rape someone, we have seen instances of this in the past and just recently regarding the incident that took place in Steubenville, Ohio.  Not only did the players’ friends and family try to defend the players’ horrific actions the media and coach also tried to make them out to be good kids, well sorry what they have done up until the point of raping the girl no longer counts.  It makes me sick to think that the coach was even going to cover this accident up and shield his players from being prosecuted, and it seemed that nobody in the mainstream media had any issues with any of this.

This is not the only case where athletes accused of rape and many people have come to their defense, the same can be said about Kobe Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger, I remember both instances well, many said they “never did it”.  Other things I have heard about them is that because they are wealthy athletes women lie about being raped by them, even if this is true the problem is that so many people are blamed for being raped even though they are the victim.  Why is it that when it comes to athletes or “good kids” the victim is blamed because of what they wear or that they were drunk?  Last I checked rape predates skirts and women being allowed to go out (yes I am talking about ancient times), how about the Indians that were raped they were just living on their land.  Is their fault for being there? NO!

The point I am trying to make is that we as a society need to hold up the same standards of the law and opinion towards athletes as we do for the ordinary citizens that commit rape and sexually assault.  Why is it always the middle class and low class offenders that get harsh penalties and are looked at the way they deserve but yet a high class athlete or at least athlete of any type somehow it is not their fault for what happened?  Athletes get the hero worship just because they play a sport, but they really do not deserve the worship they get, their hero image is what creates so much animosity towards victims of their actions.  But if anyone I know did this they would be scumbags (and deservingly so) but if athletes do it well it is never their fault.

Things need to change.

The Strengths, Weaknesses and Needs of Teams Picking 9-12 in the 2013 NFL Draft (Part 3 of 8)

9 New York Jets

Strengths- Sorry don’t see one outside of the secondary

Weaknesses- Run game and passing game, or in other words the entire offense which was nothing short of terrible in 2012.  The Jets ranked 30^th in yards per game with 299.2, 30^th in passer rating with a 68.3 29^th in turnover differential with -14, 28^th in points per game and the list goes on and on.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a team that played so poorly get so much attention in the media while stinking up the joint.  I think Tebow is the reason they got so much but they are just pathetic with moving the ball, or in other words attempting to move it.  Oh and let us not forget about the turnover king himself Mark Sanchez…

Needs- Quarterback, receivers, tight end, running back, I would go with the skill position players first then wait another year to go for  a QB in the draft.  Garrard may have a decent year this year if he is to start for the Jets.

10 Tennessee Titans

Strengths- Run game, Chris Johnson improved this past season and I think he can excel in 2013, if the Titans can utilize a pistol type offense around him and QB Jake Locker I think that could work out well despite the fact that they ranked 21^st in rushing yards in 2012. 

Weaknesses- Passing game, I do not think they will be top 15 or even 20 unless Locker can improve, but with him being injured last year it set him back, he needs to prove himself this season in my mind.  I like what I see in him when he plays hard and consistent, but he is wild with his accuracy from time to time.  The defense was not that great either they were 6^th in the league in yards allowed and allowed 29.4 points a game while only scoring 20.6 a game.

Needs- A second running back, defense  and some pass catchers, Jared Cook the tight end may not be around so they need to figure this out.

11 San Diego Chargers

Strengths- I liked what I saw out of their defense last year, they were 9^th in yards per game and 1 out of every 4 turnovers got ran back for a touchdown which I think is pretty good as well.  Even though they ranked 16^th in points per game with 21.9 I felt they did a good enough job and they can continue to grow as a unit. 

Weaknesses- Offense, for a team that ranked 11^th in passer rating this team had some turnover issues starting with Philip Rivers who I just called out in my 4 quarterbacks that need to prove themselves blog.  They ranked 24^th in passing yards and 27^th in rushing yards that is not impressive at all, and should be concerning they really do not have any deep threats or a running back for that matter.  Ryan Matthews has yet to stay healthy long enough in a season and really has not proven himself worthy of being on the team.  The Chargers need a lot of help on the offensive side of the ball.

Needs- Running back (must be number 1 priority when playing Payton Manning to keep the ball away from him), wide receivers and a tight end.  A secondary player is also a need.

12 Miami Dolphins

Strengths- Defense, even though they were 21^st in yards allowed they ranked top 10 in passing and rushing touchdowns allowed, the stats for that are as follows:

Passing TDs: Rank 6^th with 18

Rushing TDs: Rank 8^th with 10

I like that myself, and that is impressive considering how they played the Patriots twice and also had to play teams like the 49ers and Seahawks who both can run and throw the ball for scores almost at will it seemed.

Weaknesses:  Not a fan of their receiving corps, the wide receivers only had 3 touchdown catches all season and that is out of 13 passing touchdowns meaning they accounted for 23% of all passing touchdowns.  I didn’t like this group going into the season, bringing Hartline back will help and if they can land a good free agent WR they will be in okay shape for the 2013 season.

Needs: Receivers and a running back I think having those two voids filled can help this team out. 

Potential Landing Spots for Jamarcus Russell if he Does Make a Comeback

Former number 1 overall pick and Oakland Raider quarterback Jamarcus Russell is on a comeback trail as he attempts to make it back to the NFL after being cut in 2010 by the Oakland Raiders before preseason.  Many have labeled him as the biggest bust in NFL history even in front of Ryan Leaf who still struggles with his legal issues to this day. I think he can and will make it back to the NFL, he hasn’t started a game since 2009 but what I have seen from him in recent videos of him working out he seems to be hungry to come back and land on a team.  Does this mean he should start right away?  I don’t think he should and probably should take a year to learn from a quarterback with a few years under his belt.  I created a list of what teams I could see him playing on.

Cincinnati Bengals- Andy Dalton is certainly a solid starter and has had success in the NFL but the issue with this team is their backup quarterbacks who are Bruce Gradkowski and Zac Robinson, I think Russell could be a perfect fit for this team.  He played with Gradkowski in Oakland and head coach Marvin Lewis can turn troubled players around such as Pacman Jones who has had success on the Bengals.  I could see Russell learning a lot on this team and they could shop him to a team in need of a starter.

Cleveland Browns- This team is in need of some building, I don’t think Weeden is the answer and I am still befuddled as to why he was ever drafted in the first round, but to be fair the Browns have no weapons outside of Trent Richardson.  Russell is a strong armed QB and he would bring some excitement to the Browns team and their fans, this is a team that he could easily start for.

Jets- Well Sanchez is not a quality starter that is a fact, David Garrad may not be too good anymore and Brady Quinn, well he is Brady Quinn and both those QBs are in the Jets sights.  But why not Russell?  He can throw the ball far and has the skills to avoid the rush and he can scramble if he needs to do so.  The Jets love headlines and Russell would give them many of those, it is a win-win, Jets get headlines and Russell can start for this team. 

Denver Broncos- Jamarcus once played in the NFC West and he can learn from the great Payton Manning, I think if he was to sit behind him for a year or two he could gain so much knowledge and would also know how to act and perform in a professional matter.  I think that if he sticks around long enough he can start once Payton leaves, the Broncos do have some very talented pass catchers and I think this could help Russell out.

New Orleans Saints- Drew Brees would be a great teacher for Russell as would Sean Payton, I believe that Russell would be best to go to this team.  He would learn some complex plays and also have plenty of talent around him to help him improve, oh and learning from Brees and Payton would not be too shabby either being that Brees has broken records while playing for the Saints.  I like this match the best, I think this could be the team he lands on.

Arizona Cardinals-  Why not?  Larry Fitzgerald is going to be at Russell’s pro day, and Russell could easily start for the Cardinals who have had nothing but back luck at the QB spot since Kurt Warner retired.  If he lands here it could be interesting, he has a cannon arm and can stretch the field with Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd as well.