Tebow!

     Tim Tebow isn't a person. Tim Tebow is a character. Tim Tebow is old school grit, rah-rah attitude, and wholesome American values. Sure, there is a man named Tim Tebow, but people aren't polarized by him, but the character that has been built up since ESPN showed a high school game of his. That's what I'm writing about, the TV character Tim Tebow.

     When Tim was a Florida Gator, nobody cared about his throwing style. Nobody cared that he couldn't read Cover 2 schemes or blitz packages. College Tebow was a winner. College Tebow fired up his teammates, he threw jump passes, wrote Bible verses under his eyes, and played football in a way that made your grandma proud. The media loved Tim Tebow, so much so that they turned a lot of sports fans off.

     This isn't the first (or last) time this will happen. Remember Tyler Hansbrough? I hate that guy. ESPN raved about him for four years at UNC to the point it turned me into a Hansbro-hater. We live in a world now where it is easy to over saturate the market with stories and fluff pieces about a certain player, especially one who isn't even a pro yet.

     Anyway, back to Tebow. Last year in the draft, something bad happened. Tim Tebow was drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. We as sports fans had watched Tebow play in Gainesville with the mindset that Tim Tebow would fade away after he graduated. He might get drafted, but like a lot of QBs of his type, would fade away quickly. Like a bad guy in a horror movie, Tebow wouldn't die. And this year, he found new life, as the NFL version of Sanjaya.

     The new version of Tim Tebow is a culmination of media over-hype and 24/7 over analyzation. We've been told he's great, not ready for next level, best college player ever, won't know NFL defenses, ultimate team player, horrible mechanics, devout Christian, better career chance if he changes positions, super awesome guy, and will set your franchise back 5 years with him as QB.

     So after being told he's great, then told he sucks, what are we supposed to think about Tim Tebow? I feel like opinions of Tebow, more than any athlete ever, have been shaped by what other people have told us about him. We've hated him because people loved him too much, we loved him because of all the wonderful things we're told about him, we've hated him for not fitting the mold we were told makes an NFL quarterback, and we've loved him because people hate him so much.

     None of this makes sense, and yet it all makes sense. That's Tim Tebow.  I've face-palmed at least a half-dozen times writing this post. I can't put my finger on what I want to say about what I think Tebow is, and it's probably for the best.

NFL 2011 Preview

     The NFL season is finally here. There was talk that the season might not happen, (yea right) but we made it through the preseason and we should have a pretty good idea of who is good (Packers, Ravens, Eagles, etc) and who sucks. (Bengals, Broncos, Panthers, etc) Normally, these things don't pan out, and the guy making the predictions ends up getting things wrong. Well, nobody reads this anyway, but for those that do, they'll forget by November anyway. Besides, if I get things right, I can toot my own horn. So without further ado, here is my 2011 NFL Preview. Enjoy.


NFC South:

Big Question - Are the Bucs for real?

     I think they are. They have a lot of player makers on both sides of the ball and I think Josh Freeman can be Big Ben 2.0. Not to mention they drafted one of the best players available in the draft in DaQuan Bowers. If he can play half a season at full strength, they got a steal. Atlanta is still the class of the division, but they aren't as good as last year. The Saints are a little overrated, but could outscore anyone any week. Carolina confuses me because even though they have two solid RBs and Pro Bowlers at the O-line, I can't see them doing much.

Falcons: 11-5
Bucs: 10-6
Saints: 8-8
Panthers: 3-13


NFC West:

Big Question - Are any of these teams any good?

     A question as old as time, but it still rings true. I could see all four teams going 8-8, 4-12, or somehow 0-16.  The best team in my mind is the Rams. I don't think Lynch can run in "beast mode" for 16 weeks. So Darren Sharper, you're safe. San Francisco doesn't jump out at me in any way other than their sweet unis. The Cards upgraded from Derek Anderson to Kevin Kolb. Which is like upgrading from a sewer to a garbage dump.

Rams: 9-7
Seahawks: 6-10
49ers: 6-10
Cardinals: 5-11


NFC East: 

Big Question: Will Mike Vick's encore be as good?

     Quick, name all the big games Andy Reid and Mike Vick have won in their careers. Vick's win at Lambeau and Reid's 4th try at an NFC title come to mind. That's it. This team has 2010 Vikings written all over it. Other than the fact that Philly has no real running game. Don't be surprised if they blow some leads and if they are one and done in the playoffs. Dallas looks to rebound and I can see them making the playoffs this season. The Giants are in the same boat as Dallas and could be a potential playoff team. Washington looks like they might win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Giants: 10-6
Cowboys: 10-6
Eagles: 8-8
Redskins: 3-13


NFC North:

Big Question:  Can Matt Stafford stay healthy?

     If he can, I think the Lions make the playoffs this year. Will he? I can't say that he will. Of all the NFC teams, I could see them winning 11 or losing 11 games. The Packers will still be the top team in the NFC North. I think the Bears were all in last year and overachieved a little. The Vikings continue their regression to the bottom of the NFC.

Packers: 12-4
Lions: 9-7
Bears: 7-9
Vikings: 4-12


NFC Playoffs:

Wildcard Round:
Cowboys over Rams
Giants over Bucs

Divisional Round:
Packers over Cowboys
Giants over Falcons

NFC Title Game:
Packers over Giants


AFC South:

Biggest Question: Will Peyton Manning be healthy?

     It's tolling on your body to play in the NFL, if you've played as long as Manning and not missed time, it will catch up to you. I think Manning's consecutive game streak ends in 2011. With that opening, this is the Texans chance to finally jump out and take over the division. The Titans will be a tough out, but won't make much noise. The Jags don't strike me as a team to worry much about.

Texans: 11-5
Colts: 8-8
Titans: 8-8
Jags: 5-11


AFC West:

Big Question: Can the Chargers put it together?

     The kickoff rule helped the Chargers out more than anyone else. The leagues best offense and defense was hamstrung by the worst special teams ever.Kansas City looks frisky, but I can't see them winning the division again. Oakland lost their best player, but they are still a solid team. Denver sucks.

Chargers: 13-3
Chiefs 9-7
Raiders: 8-8
Broncos: 4-12


AFC East:

Big Question: Are the J-E-T-s the B-E-S-T?

     This season, yes. I think they go from a wildcard to a first round bye team. The Patriots will fight, but they will be battling for a wildcard spot. The Bills and Dolphins will be jobbers to the bigger teams.

Jets: 13-3
Pats: 11-5
Bills: 6-10
Dolphins: 6-10


AFC North:

Biggest Question: Will the Steelers offensive line hold up?

     The Achilles' heel to the potentially best offense in the AFC. I think the Ravens and Bengals will be getting a lot of pressure on Big Ben. Even though the Steelers will be good, their line will hold them back. The Ravens and Joe Flaaco look to get over the hump. The Browns have a future star in Colt McCoy, but they need more weapons. The Bengals? They need more players, period.

Ravens: 11-5
Steelers: 10-6
Browns: 7-9
Bengals: 4-12


AFC Playoffs:

Wildcard Round:
Ravens over Steelers
Patriots over Texans

Divisional Round:
Chargers over Ravens
Patriots over Jets

AFC Title Game:
Chargers over Patriots

Super Bowl:
Packers over Chargers

     Look, the Packers didn't really lose anything and other than Woodson, they have a core that should maintain or improve production. Barring an Aaron Rogers injury, this team looks poised to make a run at a repeat.

What's your number?

     There has been a big issue brought up about numbers lately. Andy Dalton is wearing number 14, Kenny Anderson's old number. A number that should probably be retired. Not only that, Bruce Gradkowsi is wearin number 7 and LeFevour is wearing number 8.

     In need of a topic, and the fact that lists always get people riled up, I'm making a list of the best numbers in Bengal history. Basically, what number makes me instantly think of a player and how weird it would be to see someone else wear it.

     Let's get it started, from worst to first.

• #11 - Akili Smith. How could a guy so bad, be worth so many draft picks?
• #32 - Ki-Jana Carter. was an overrated bust. What I mean is, yea his career didn't pan out. But he got hurt, it wasn't because he wasn't good. He still played in the NFL for several years, he just wasn't a stud.
• #81 - Carl Pickens. A very good reciever that became the first in a long line to really complain about the Bengals. Remember when he seemed like a cry baby? The guy was a forerunner.
• #14 - Kenny Anderson. I didn't see Kenny play, but if you ask older Bengals fans, the fact that Dalton wears his number makes 'em mad.
• #8 - Jeff Blake. The king of the deep ball.
• #30 - Ickey Woods. The most overrated Bengal of all time. In fact, I'm going to start calling him the Los Del Rios of Bengals players.
• #71 - Willie Anderson. Maybe the only good player of the Mike Brown era to stick around and not talk bad. Willie was the kind of guy that did his job and expected his teammates to do the same. Great guy.
• #78 - Anthony Munoz. The Hall of Famer. Most offensive linemen don't get pub. But when Anthony will always have a place in our hearts.
• #85 - Chad Johnson. You're not going to believe this, but Chad is the most underrated Bengal of All-Time (more on that on a later date)
• #7 - Boomer Esaison. He was the QB during the good times. Even his run in 1997 was pretty awesome.
• #28 - Corey Dillon. Corey is my favorite Bengal of all time. A great player on bad teams. Unlike most Bengals, I have more positive memories of him than neative. Which says a lot. The Thursday night game as a rookie. The Denver game. The game were he threw his equipment in my section as the crowd chanted his name. I was so happy he got a ring. Congrats Corey, you're number one in my book.

Meet Jimmy Clausen 2.0

     It's only been a year, so I'll shorten the history lesson. Jimmy Clausen fell the Carolina Panthers in round 2 of last years draft. Seemed like they were going to make him their starter. Of course, they had the worst record in his first season so now the Panthers drafted a new QB, franchiser Cam Newton. Maybe Jimmy wasn't the guy they thought he was (and they let 'em off the hook). But one year is all he gets? It's not like the rest of the team was so good he brought him down, and for a project like Cam Newton? That just seems silly.

     The reason I bring it up is because of Bengals rookie QB Andy "The Orange Outlaw" Dalton. In my first ever blog post, I said that the Bengals need to ride him out this year. After all, if you really think he's going to be your guy, why not? The problem lies with what happens next year.

     Presumably, Andrew Luck, QB out of Stanford will go in the draft and be the number one pick. And the Bengals could own that pick. Do they take Luck? Of course they do, but then they basically wasted a second round pick on a guy that will never see the field again for that team. A team like the Bengals can't just throw away high draft picks.

     The worst part? The 2012 Bengals looks A LOT like the 2011 Bengals. A rookie QB has to learn the ropes, again. The problem is that the only other good players we have are going to be a year older, which could mean they are running on fumes or left on free agency. And the fans get another season of 5-11 football. It's not about the money, Dalton's cap number is small. It's about time. Time Dalton needs to develop, time before certain players clocks run out, and buffer time between Mike Brown hitting the reset button.

Jerome-mania

     I want to start off by saying that I have nothing against Jerome Simpson as a person. In fact, you have to pull for a guy that goes to a school like Coastal Carolina and instead of getting money for his jersey, he got money by delivering pizzas. To make it to the NFL, drafted in the 2nd round no less, takes talent and hard work.

     Having said that, he's been in the league for 3 years, and up until this season, he had one catch for two yards. In 2010, he "exploded" for 20 catches, 277 yards and 3 TDs. Not bad, though in 2009, Brandon Marshall had 21 catches for 200 yards and 2 scores... in one game. In his defense, Jerome basically did all of his magic in the last few games of the season, but the question needs asked, WHAT TOOK SO #$%& LONG?

     We've been keeping this guy on the roster, while letting other WRs go and bringing in tons of new faces. drafting seven wideouts, two tight ends, and bringing in TO and Antonio Bryant since drafting Jerome Simpson. The Bengals have desperatly been looking for more weapons and a future successor to Chad Ochocinco as the number one wideout.

     Side Note: Not that it matters, but if the Bengals had drafted small size DeSean Jackson over small school Jerome Simpson, we would have our big play guy. And if we would have made a better offer to Mike Vick, we wouldn't be discussing Carson at all. Of course, two years ago I would have thought bringing in Vick would have been dumb. And maybe Chad's antics paired with DeSean's unpredictability would have been volitile. Hindsight 20/20 I guess.

      Ok, so why all the Jersome Simpson talk? Well, certain retailers are now carrying Jerome Simpson jerseys and having him do autograph signings. Really? Twenty-one catches in three seasons makes you marketable? After the team you play for drafted a guy at the same position in the top 5 of the draft? All I'm saying is maybe we should cool off Jerome-mania.

     And I'll say it right here, if Jerome Simpson has any of the following, 10 TDs in a season, 1,000 yards in a season, or 100 catches in a season, I will wear a Jerome Simpson jersey for an entire week. And if he makes a Pro Bowl, I will hand write an apology for this article and deliver it in person. And if Jerome Simpson makes the Hall of Fame, I will legally rename myself "Jersome Simpson's Number One Fan".

What to Expect When You're Expecting (Football)

     Remember when Major League Baseball had a strike in 1994? Really hurt the league. The NBA and NHL also have had labor disputes over the last 12 years. But the NFL? This is AMERICA'S game! The most popular and profitable sport there is. There is no way there can be a problem, why mess up something that's good?

     If you really think about it, we all should have seen this coming. Something like this happens every year. Let's say a running back runs for 2000 yards, awesome. He's only (only?) making 1.25 million per year, not awesome. What does he do? Hold out for a new contract. The NFL has been raking in tons of money off of these players and they want a bigger cut. After all, they are the ones putting their bodies on the line.

      Now I hear all the time, players signed a CONTRACT, they shouldn't gripe over what they get paid. They shouldn't have signed that deal if they didn't like it. Fair enough, but if the owners can cut that same player and not have to pay him his contract, how is that any better? I believe the players have every right to look to get a better deal. We feel like we should be able to go to our bosses if we think we deserve a raise. They should too.

      The big sticking point is that the players want the owners to open their books. The owners claim that profits are down. Other leagues are claiming the same issue, so that is plausible. But why not let the players and fans know how dire the situation is? The owners want to get 2 billion of the 9 billion dollar pie before sharing it with the players. That's 62,500,000 per team before splitting the last 7 billion with the players.

     I would love to see these books. I'm curious how owners of publicly funded stadiums that currently get 31,250,000 million for operations yearly are not making money. I did a little research to compare attendance numbers of NFL teams with a league that is struggling, NBA. Six out of thirty-two NFL average less than 90% attendance at home in 2010. Fifteen of thirty NBA teams claim the same thing. That's half of the NBA. They have 41 home games, compared to 8 in the NFL. That's five times as many games to pay for event staff and other game day operations. Am I missing something?

     This problem is a lot bigger than just for owners and players. NFL teams are cutting salaries and laying off staff. Cities build business around their franchises, with no season, those business could close down. Not only that, but schools, police, and other services are being cut because cities and counties are paying for stadiums that may or may not be in operation this fall.

     Do I think that they will get past their differences and have a 2011 season? Yes. The players will go broke before the owners will. Let's just hope that it's a deal that lasts a while, and we aren't doing this again in 4 or 5 years.