Dolphins Chances at 0-16 Dashed

From the reaction in Miami you'd think that they just won the Super Bowl. They haven't. In case you didn't know, the Super Bowl is in February and, well, the Dolphins suck. But after somehow making it to overtime, and Raven's kicker Matt Stover missed a 44 yard game winning field goal, the Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon hit Greg Camarillo, who broke free for the 64 yard touchdown.

Don't get me wrong, as a Pittsburgh fan I thoroughly enjoy every since Baltimore loss. And good on the Dolphins for picking up a victory. But it's still a little sad to see the chances at a 0-16 season go down the drain.

Vick Sentenced to 23 Months

The word has come from a courthouse in Virginia, and a District Judge has sentenced Michael Vick to 23 months in jail. Early speculation put Vick's sentence time at around a year, but when his co-defendants, who appeared to be more forthcoming with prosecutors, received 18 and 21 months, it became clear that the Judge was sentencing on the higher end of the range.

Vick, who was found guilty of federal dog fight charges, elected to start serving his sentence early, voluntarily surrendering on the 19th of November. Apparently he's not a big fan of Thanksgiving.

It seems as if Vick didn't do himself any favors during the legal process. It definitely factors into the sentencing when you lie about using drugs and then test positive, or claim to have never actually killed a dog, only to have his co-defendants and partners testify otherwise.

On the steps of the courthouse Vick's representative Billy Martin suggests that Vick could get out early, around 18 months, for good behavior. But if the past is any representative for the future, I imagine Vick will serve every day of the sentence.

Morning Headlines: 12/3/07

- The lowly New York Jets thrashed the Miami Dolphins 40-13, putting the Dolphins perfect season (0-16) only 4 games out of reach. Somewhere out there the '76 Bucs are getting nervous.

- The BCS Bowl game match-ups were released and Ohio State will face LSU in the championship game. Let's all get really excited and pretend that the BCS Rankings mean anything more than a Teen Choice Award.

- MLB winter meetings kick-off this morning, and if like me you are a subscriber to MLB.tv then you'll be able to follow the whole thing in streaming video. I'm making some popcorn.

- Having completely won over the American markets the NHL will be expanding television coverage to China. Also the new schedule will fix everything that's wrong with hockey. I mean, everything that Sidney Crosby hasn't already fixed.

- Just when it appeared as if nothing else could possibly go wrong for the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury, Don, Stephon's father, suffers a fatal heart attack while in attendance at MSG.

Morning Headlines: 11/21/07

- The Green Bay Packers DBs are under investigation as to whether they have broken the NFL Bounty Rule. Somewhere in this is a great Boboa Fett joke.

- Ryan Getzlaf signed a 5-extension worth $26.625 million with the Anaheim Ducks, ensuring what the people really want, many more visits to the KTLA Morning Show.

- Jimmy Rollins takes home the NL MVP award in a close race with the Rockies Matt Holliday.

- The New York Mets orchestrated a trade with the Brewers to pick up veteran catcher Johnny Estrada. Don't waste your time, I googled it, they aren't related.

- It's expected that Priest Holmes will announce his retirement today following an attempted comeback from his 2005 neck injury. He reinjured his neck last Sunday agaist the Colts in the 2nd start of his comeback. Priest Holmes is a 3-time Pro Bowler and was a member of the Super Bowl XXXV Champion Ravens.

Yes, the Ravens did actually win a Super Bowl. I've been trying to block it out too.

Seattle Punter Josh Brown Levels Devon Hester

There's two things that I love, when a fan makes a specular catch on a foul ball and when a punter or kicker lays down a big hit in a football game. And with that we have Seattle Seahawks Punter Josh Brown leveling Chicago Bears Pro Bowl kicker returner and Madden 08 extraordinar Devon Hester.



Extra Points for the celebration.

Packers Defensive Backs May Have Violated NFL Bounty Rule

The NFL has been void of scandal for a while now. It's been months since a player has been caught fighting dogs or a coach has been caught filming opposing teams playcalling. But we are trying our best to make do. Terrell Owens waving around a touchdown towel, I guess we can try and make that work. Referees reviewed a field goal, which is technically not reviewable. It was a bizarre play, but not exactly an earth shaking scandal.

But the Green Bay Packers defensive backs have stepped up to the plate. It appears that by offering their own teammates, more specifically the defensive linemen, $500 a head to hold Adrian Peterson under 100 yards, they have violated the "bounty law". Possibly. Maybe.

The NFL is investigating the charges, but it's not even certain if the players violated the rule. In fact I'm not even sure if an actual complete NFL Rulebook exists. Unlike the MLB, NHL, or NBA the NFL does not offer anything more than the "for dummies" look at the rules online. Plus there's the whole Tuck Rule thing.

The intention of the bounty rule is thought to be to prevent the organizations or staff from offering bounties on injury opposing players. And it appears that the practice of motivating teammates performance with a reward, such as a couple hundred dollars, while illegal, is and has been a common place practice in NFL locker rooms.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kita, who will face the Packers this Sunday, doesn't seem to find anything wrong with it, granted there is no intent to injure.

Although Adrian Peterson was in fact injured in the game against the Packers, there is thus far nothing to indicate there was a bounty for anything more than holding Peterson to under 100 yards.

The most famous instance of the Bounty Rule was when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones claimed following a 1989 match-up with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, that Eagles coach Buddy Ryan offered his players a bounty for knocking out Cowboys QB Troy Aikman or kicker Luis Zendjas.

Perfection: 16-0 or 0-16

Let's face it, if you were watching football at 4 o'clock (EST) yesterday then you really didn't have an option to watch anything but the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts meet in what was the battle of the remaining undefeated teams. In fact, somehow the term Super Bowl 41.5 showed it's ugly face again. Even though it makes even less sense this time as it did the last, mostly because both the Patriots and Colts are AFC teams.

But we watched. Or at least I did, and you probably did too.

When the then undefeated Cowboys met up with the Colts in Week 6 the game averaged 29.1 million viewers. The highest regular season game in ten years, and CBS's highest rated game in almost twenty years. As of now the numbers are still being tabulated, but early expectations are the Colts vs. Patriots may top it.

And now here we sit today with only one undefeated team now. And, spoiler alert, it's the Patriots. Are they going to finish undefeated? I don't think so, but I'll leave that up to CBS, FOX, and ESPN, because really it's all they want to talk about. More and more they abandon the reporting aspect, leaving us ambushed with Sports Prognosticators. Whatever sells.

But something big is happening. Something that hasn't happened in over thirty years. And something that has never happened since the regular season expanded from fourteen games to sixteen.

In case you haven't been indoctrinated by years of NFL Film tapes, the 1972 Miami Dolphins were a perfect 14-0 and went on to win Super Bowl VII. Including the playoffs they went 17-0. The 2007 Patriots could perhaps go down as the greatest team ever, if they can match the feat in the modern era, going 19-0.

Impressive? Certainly. But right now I'm much more interested in what's going on in Miami and St. Louis these days. The Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams have their own untarnished seasons going. Both teams sit at 0-8, a mere 8 losses away from setting NFL history with it's first 16 loss season.

In their inaugural season the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0-14. On average they were defeated by 20 points a week. 5 times they were shut out. They did not just lose, they were decimated. They sit atop all other teams as the only team in modern NFL history to go perfectly defeated.

Others have toyed with it. The 1982 Baltimore Colts went 0-8-1 in a strike shortened season. 7 teams have gone 15-1. In 2001 the Detroit Lions started 0-13 before picking up their first victory, and eventually finishing the season 2-14. But with the Rams and Dolphins sitting at 0-8, it looks feasible. Could this be the year? Is it even possible in this, the age of parity.

I'm sitting on the edge of my seat fingers crossed. Though, unfortunately for the television ratings the Rams and Dolphins paths don't cross this season, as I'm sure the Neilsen Ratings would be off the scale. Going undefeated, that's one thing, but everyone slows down to see the car wrecks.

I Had My Popcorn Ready

The NFL Bye Week. Does a fan ever feel more like a fish out of water than when your getting ready for the NFL weekend, and your team isn't even playing? Instead I had the consolation prize of the match-up of two 5-0 teams, the Dallas Cowboys against the New England Patriots. Or as the media dubbed, "Super Bowl 41.5". An asinine phrase I hope to never hear again. And something, I might add, that if there is any justice is this cold world, will equate to neither of these teams making the Super Bowl.

All week it was the fodder of the talking heads and pundits. T.O. leaves a note on his locker, explaining he will not be talking to the media. This is headline news, and is debated indefatigably (that took me about 5 tries to spell right and spell-check had no idea what I was talking about, by the way). Owens versus Moss. 81 versus 81. This was force feed to me all week long, when all I wanted to see was highlights from some college ball games or whether or not the Rockies game was going to be rained out.

But, of course, I tunned in. This is because, like the sad pathetic fan that I am, the sports industry has me hook, line, and sinker. I even made some popcorn.

The first problem of the headlining match-up was whom to root for. I should say that usually I don't have this problem, as mostly I'm gearing up for a Steelers game, and when I'm watching another game it's for entertainment. But seeing as this was "the game" I figured I should be in one corner or the other. Now according to logic, as an AFC team fan, I should be pulling for the NFC team to win in any cross conference match-up. I understand this, however there is one underlying problem. The Cowboys are utterly unlikable. Not untalented. With all the problems Owens had created in the past, he's still a great receiver. And begrudgingly I'll admit that Tony Romo is actually quite a promising young QB. But still, completely unlikable. A lot of which comes less from the actually players, then the franchise. I haven't forgotten Super Bowl XXX.

And then there is the Patriots. Again, talented, of course. But likable, not at all. As stated earlier, I'm not going to root for an elite AFC team. And then there is the entire videotaping scandal that unfolded a month ago. Not to mention that they have eliminated the Steelers in the AFC Championship game twice in the last 6 years.

In other words, if I rooted for the Patriots, my family would disown me. And rightfully so.

So anyways, I find myself watching a game I fully know is completely over hyped, between two teams I absolutely despise. Like I said, the sports industry owns me. The best I can hope for here is an injury filled battle that ends in a tie. Maybe a 0-0 tie. That would be embarrassing for both sides. I'm imagining the old NFL films clip where someone fumbles at the goal line and 3 or 4 players try to pick it up or fall on it in the endzone, but it rolls out of bounds. If you too were raised on NFL films tapes then you know what I'm talking about (and if you remember the teams, leave them in the comments, it's killing me). If you weren't raised on NFL films then I'm just rambling. Or you probably quit reading 3 paragraphs ago. Whatever. Sixty-five toss power trap.

Either way, no luck. Not surprisingly, it actually turns into a shootout. And also not surprisingly, the Patriots pretty much have the game from the coin flip. Sure both teams were undefeated, but it doesn't take a genius to tell you the Pats and much better than the Cowboys. Touchdowns are had by all, numerous annoying Peyton Manning commercials are quickly muted, and by the time the game has reached its dying throws I'm still more interested in whether or not the Colorado Rockies game is going to be rained out or not.

Oh, NFL bye week, you are a cruel one.

League Reviewing Video Confiscated from Patriots Employee

Is it just me, or has every big sports story in the news lately involve the seedy under belly of sports.

The latest comes from the New England Patriots of the NFL.

On the sidelines during Sunday's season opener against the New York Jets, a video camera was confiscated from a Patriots employee and sent to the league office for review. The tape is suspected to confirm rumors of New England filming defensive play-calling signals for later reviewed in conjunction with actual plays in order to decipher signals. Something that could be a huge advantage against a team in the same division, who face each other twice per season, which the Jets are.

The league has specific guidelines barring any recording devices on the field, in the coaches booth, or in the locker rooms. In an official statement the NFL acknowledged warning clubs that filming play-calling signals is strictly prohibited.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com was the first to report the story. His sources include an undisclosed member of the NFL competition committee who was quoted referring to the Patriots alleged violation, "It's not their first time."

A statement Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlen collaborates, admitting the same New England employee was removed from the sidelines during a 2006 match-up between the Packers and Patriots.

The news might come as a shock to most fans, but considering the amount of money that hangs in the balance, it's surprising this doesn't happen more often. You need look no further than the extracurricular activities of corporate America to see how rampant corruption becomes when money and power are on the line. Juiced players, stealing signals, corked bats. These are the sports industry's answer to accounting fraud and industrial espionage.

But as the league reviews the evidence against the New England Patriots, the same foul question hangs in the air that was left following the Enron scandal. Are the Patriots the only team resorting to such tactics, or is such corruption widespread, and are they the only ones stupid enough to get themselves caught?

Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

Right now it's great to be Mike Tomlin. A commanding season opening victory against a division rival. It's quite the way for one to kick off a coaching career with one of the most storied franchises in the NFL.

The Steelers came out of the gate strong, forcing the Browns 3-and-out on the games opening possession. On 4th down Browns kicker Paul Ernster dropped the snap, and after recovering was only able to punt the ball 15 yards to the 32 yardline. On top of the poor punt, the Browns committed 4 fouls on the play. The Steelers accepted the 10 yard holding call, and were set on prime location for the seasons opening drive; the opponents 22 yardline. 4 plays later Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward in the right corner of the endzone for a 5 yard touchdown pass. And all this only slightly over 3 minutes into the first quarter.

On the second play of the Browns second possession Deshea Townsend intercepted Cleveland starting quarterback Charlie Frye on the Cleveland 38, and returned it to the 21. The drive ended with a 26 yard field goal by Jeff Reed.

Later in the first quarter James Farrior forced Browns halfback Jamal Lewis to fumble on his own 36. Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden recovered the fumble at the 40. On the first play of the ensuing drive Roethlisberger found second year wide receiver Santonio Holmes in the middle of the endzone for a 40 yard touchdown pass.

Towards the later half of the second quarter backup quarterback Derek Anderson came in for Cleveland to replace Frye. Frye was 4 for 10 with 34 yards and an interception.

Leading off the second half, Roethlisberger lead the Steelers downfield on a 8 play, 71 yard drive, capped off with a 5-yard completion to back up tight end Matt Spaeth.

The Browns finally responded, breaking the shutout with a short play action pass on 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line. Anderson found fullback Lawrence Vickers for the touchdown.

Roethlisberger completed his fourth touchdown pass on a 22 yard toss to tight end Heath Miller. He was 12 for 23 with 161 passing yards, and no interceptions. He had a quarterback passer rating of 114.3.

Jeff Reed put in a 31 yard field goal at 7:16 of the fourth quarter, elevating the Steelers to the eventual final score of 34-7.

Browns replacement quarterback Derek Anderson was 13 for 28, with 184 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception.

Pittsburgh wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes both unleashed leveling blocks throughout the game, opening the field for halfbacks Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport. Parker had 27 carries for 109 yards, and Davenport had 8 carries for 48 yards. The Steelers were 6-1 last year when Parker rushed for over a hundred yards.

Rookie Punter Daniel Sepulveda had an exceptional first game, with 4 of his 6 punts ending up inside the 20 yardline; 2 of which were inside the 5 yardline.

Roethlisberger had success throwing to tight ends to the tune of 5 receptions for 4o yards and 2 TDs.

Next week the Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Buffalo Bills at 1:00 pm at Heinz Field in their home opener.

NFL Network Video Recap

NFL Team Schedule Difficulty

The NFL released the schedule for the upcoming 2007 football season, and I've gotten around to working out the difficulty of each teams schedule. They are sorted by Opponents Win Total (OWT), but I also included Opponents Over Five-Hundred (OOF). The AFC and NFC are separated, and only a quick glance at the numbers will show what everyone who paid attention last season knows, the NFC is weak. Looks like the Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders really got the short end of this deal.

(Sorry about the dashes, blogger formatting can be a pain.)

AFC-----------------------OWT -- OOF

Denver Broncos---------129-----10
Houston Texans---------129-----11
San Diego Chargers-----129-----11
Baltimore Ravens-------130------9
Cleveland Browns-------130-----10
Jacksonville Jaguars----130-----10
Miami Dolphins-----------131-----10
Cincinnati Bengals-------131-----10
Pittsburgh Steelers-------131-----10
Indianapolis Colts--------132-----11
Kansas City Chiefs ------132-----11
New York Jets-------------132-----10
Tennesee Titans----------133-----11
New England Patriots---137-----10
Buffalo Bills----------------138-----12
Oakland Raiders----------138-----11


NFC-----------------------OWT -- OOF
Arizona Cardinals--------118-------9
Chicago Bears--------------119-----10
San Francisco 49ers------120-----10
Atlanta Falcons------------121-----10
St. Louis Rams--------------121------9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers--121------9
Carolina Panthers---------122------9
New Orleans Saints-------124------9
Seattle Seahawks----------125------9
Green Bay Packers--------126-----10
Dallas Cowboys-------------127-----10
New York Giants-----------127------8
Minnesota Vikings---------128-----10
Philadelphia Eagles--------128-----10
Washington Redskins -----128-----10
Detroit Lions-----------------129-----10

The New NFL Personal Conduct Policy

Fresh off his first season as NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell has wielded the full force of his power for the first time, enacting an new stricter NFL Personal Conduct Policy. The aim of the new policy is to crack down on the increasing number of off-the-field problems encountered by NFL players. As many as 40 players were arrested during the 2006, facing charges from spousal abuse to possession of a concealed weapon to burglary.

Through the updated program NFL players will attend mandatory briefings given by law enforcement representatives, covering weapons, drugs, drinking and driving, and domestic disputes. The NFL has also expanded it's mandatory rookie orientation programs, aimed at helping first year players successful adjust to the league through educating players on personal finance, media, family issues, and life after football.

Each club will also make available more counseling and treatment programs for those that violate league policy.

However, the largest change comes in the carrying out of discipline for those that violate the policy. The league holds the ability to fine or suspend a player, even if his violation is not criminal in nature. They vow longer suspensions and bigger fines, and aggressively dealing with repeat offenders, reiterating transgressions need not result in a criminal conviction.

NFL clubs will also be subject to league disciple for the violations of it's club employee's. The Cincinnati Bengals have seen 9 of their players arrested since January 2006.

While the policy appears to be widely accepted, with both the support of the owners and NFL Players Association, there is still some underlying concern about the amount of power it affords the league. With no conviction needed for assessing fines or suspensions, it comes down to the league's determination on which conduct violates it's higher standard.

To see the dangers of such a position, we need to look no further than today's very own sports section.

Last year after allegations of rape surfaced against several players of Duke's Lacrosse team, the season was canceled and the players suspended. Today prosecutors dropped all remaining charges, after DNA samples exonerated the young men, and a significant change in the accuser's account.