HEADACHES, OTHER INJURIES & BIG TROUBLE FOR 2 OF THE UNDEFEATED
Ben Roethlisberger practiced all week & then wasn't cleared by team doctors after suffering headaches Friday & Saturday. Recurring headaches are thought to be effects of an unhealed concussion. The brain is bruised, it swells & the healing process is different for everybody. But blurred vision & headaches days later are a sign things aren't back to normal. With all of the emphasis the NFL is putting on concussions & their long-term effects, team doctors are going to err on the side of caution & scratch the player from the active roster. The Steelers lost 20-17 in overtime to division rival Baltimore & afterwords WR Hines Ward said he & "maybe 50% of his teammates thought he should have played." It's this kind of thinking that cut short the careers of Al Toon, Wayne Chrebet, Harry Carson & more. It's the long term damage that has resulted in over 50 ex-NFL players who can barely speak. I saw Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey 2 weeks ago in a 60-minutes piece & he isn't able to talk at all. Other than that, he pretty healthy for a 68-year old man. Hall of Fame center Mike Webster left home, lived on the street & eventually died, his problems were traced to repeated concussions. Hopefully you'll see more & more of this 'forced rehab of the brain'. Playing every week isn't worth a future of living like a vegetable for some of these concussion sufferers.
Giants' middle linebacker, Antonio Pierce was placed on injured reserve because of a bulging disc problem in his neck. Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers went on I.R. with a broken ankle. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan suffered a turf toe injury, will not play this Sunday vs. Philly & will be listed as week-to-week. Carolina QB Jake Delhome sustained a broken finger that may require surgery. He will not start Sunday against Tampa bay, backup Matt Moore will get the start. Rams #1 draft pick, offensive tackle Jason Smith, suffered a concussion in Sunday's game with Seattle. The Rams don't want to rush their young stud tackle back into action, they've already listed him as doubtful for Sunday's game at Chicago.
Ed Hocculi, the NFL referee with the worst call of '08, costing the San Diego Chargers a game in Denver, got lucky Sunday night in the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game. He made a critical mistake, but this time it didn't matter. With seconds left in regulation, Raven QB Joe Flacco, was sacked & fumbled at the Steeler 42, the ball was kicked around & a Raven recovered at the Steeler 37. The umpire quickly placed the ball ready for play as the Raven field goal team rushed on the field as the clock continued running. At 00:02, the ball was snapped & kicker Billy Cundiff's 54-yard field goal attempt was about 1 yard short of clearing the crossbar. Hocculi's mistake was apparent to NBC's Al Michaels & to a few old time football fans like myself. Back in the 70's the league instituted the "Casper Rule", named after Raider TE Dave Casper. Casper caught a ball on the last play of the game & instead of being tackled short of the endzone, he fumbled the ball intentionally & kicked it twice into the Charger endzone where it was covered by a Raider for the winning touchdown. The rule states that only the player who fumbled the ball may advance the ball from the spot where it was originally fumbled. So since Joe Flacco fumbled & didn't recover his own fumble, the ball should have been placed down at the Steeler 42, making the field goal attempt 59 yards instead of 54 yards. Had Cundiff made the kick it would have been a mess for Hocculi & the league. The Ravens won the game in overtime anyway, but Hocculi needs to reread his rule book before next Sunday.
Some things I think you're going to see in the next collective bargaining agreement between the NFL & the NFL Player's Association would include an expanded schedule. I believe it will involve an 18-game season, with 2 bye weeks, a 2-game exhibition schedule, as many as 6 international games & possibly 1 more wildcard team in each conference. I'm pretty sure a rookie pay scale, similar to the one used in the NBA, will also be part of the agreement. Personally, I'm against an expanded schedule, in fact I'd like to see one fewer exhibition game & have an extra bye week. Some of these teams limp into the playoffs to the point winning the Super Bowl isn't about the best team, it's a war of attrition. The fans get a bunch of games, but you're not seeing the best the league has to offer.
I took the Saints last night & there was no question New Orleans was the best team on the field. I did have a few problems with the game. Please don't interpret this as sour grapes, I lost my total bet by a point & a half. With the score 31-17 & 8:08 left in the 3rd quarter, Bill Belichick went for a 4th & 4 inside the Saints' 25-yardline. There is 23 minutes left in the game & putting 3 points on the board, cutting the deficit to 11-points isn't a good call? I thought pulling his starters out with 7 minutes to go was waving the white flag. After Saint kicker John Carney missed a 39-yard field goal(thanks John, thanks a lot!) Brian Hoyer came in at QB & most of the starters were pulled. I wonder if Belichick realizes his team isn't going anywhere come playoff time. Their defense is a shell of the vaunted group that won 3 Super Bowls, I don't know that this defense is even in the upper half of the AFC.
Another very selfish college player put his own gratification ahead of his teammates last night & his school comes up a big loser. Florida's Carlos Dunlap was arrested at 2 AM this morning after falling asleep behind the wheel at a traffic light. After failing 2 field sobriety tests, he was booked for DUI & jailed. Dunlap was the MVP in last year's National Championship game & a sure-fire, very high 1st round draft pick. Tho the university hasn't commented as of yet, Dunlap's father, Carlos Sr., said in an interview with The Orlando Sentinel this afternoon, he spoke with coach Urban Meyer & was told his son would not play in the SEC Championship game. What else can Meyer do? Anything else would wreak of hypocrisy. Losing a defensive end of Dunlap's talent will certainly be a problem for the Gators.
Boise State wide receiver Austin Pettis will miss this Saturday's game with New Mexico State & might miss their bowl appearance with a broken bone in his lower leg. Pettis leads the team in touchdown receptions with 14 & is second with 62 catches for 850 yards. This is a huge loss for the Broncos. They can handle NMSU in their street clothes, but if he can't go in whatever bowl they accept, it will be tough for Boise to be sure.
Giants' middle linebacker, Antonio Pierce was placed on injured reserve because of a bulging disc problem in his neck. Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers went on I.R. with a broken ankle. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan suffered a turf toe injury, will not play this Sunday vs. Philly & will be listed as week-to-week. Carolina QB Jake Delhome sustained a broken finger that may require surgery. He will not start Sunday against Tampa bay, backup Matt Moore will get the start. Rams #1 draft pick, offensive tackle Jason Smith, suffered a concussion in Sunday's game with Seattle. The Rams don't want to rush their young stud tackle back into action, they've already listed him as doubtful for Sunday's game at Chicago.
Ed Hocculi, the NFL referee with the worst call of '08, costing the San Diego Chargers a game in Denver, got lucky Sunday night in the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game. He made a critical mistake, but this time it didn't matter. With seconds left in regulation, Raven QB Joe Flacco, was sacked & fumbled at the Steeler 42, the ball was kicked around & a Raven recovered at the Steeler 37. The umpire quickly placed the ball ready for play as the Raven field goal team rushed on the field as the clock continued running. At 00:02, the ball was snapped & kicker Billy Cundiff's 54-yard field goal attempt was about 1 yard short of clearing the crossbar. Hocculi's mistake was apparent to NBC's Al Michaels & to a few old time football fans like myself. Back in the 70's the league instituted the "Casper Rule", named after Raider TE Dave Casper. Casper caught a ball on the last play of the game & instead of being tackled short of the endzone, he fumbled the ball intentionally & kicked it twice into the Charger endzone where it was covered by a Raider for the winning touchdown. The rule states that only the player who fumbled the ball may advance the ball from the spot where it was originally fumbled. So since Joe Flacco fumbled & didn't recover his own fumble, the ball should have been placed down at the Steeler 42, making the field goal attempt 59 yards instead of 54 yards. Had Cundiff made the kick it would have been a mess for Hocculi & the league. The Ravens won the game in overtime anyway, but Hocculi needs to reread his rule book before next Sunday.
Some things I think you're going to see in the next collective bargaining agreement between the NFL & the NFL Player's Association would include an expanded schedule. I believe it will involve an 18-game season, with 2 bye weeks, a 2-game exhibition schedule, as many as 6 international games & possibly 1 more wildcard team in each conference. I'm pretty sure a rookie pay scale, similar to the one used in the NBA, will also be part of the agreement. Personally, I'm against an expanded schedule, in fact I'd like to see one fewer exhibition game & have an extra bye week. Some of these teams limp into the playoffs to the point winning the Super Bowl isn't about the best team, it's a war of attrition. The fans get a bunch of games, but you're not seeing the best the league has to offer.
I took the Saints last night & there was no question New Orleans was the best team on the field. I did have a few problems with the game. Please don't interpret this as sour grapes, I lost my total bet by a point & a half. With the score 31-17 & 8:08 left in the 3rd quarter, Bill Belichick went for a 4th & 4 inside the Saints' 25-yardline. There is 23 minutes left in the game & putting 3 points on the board, cutting the deficit to 11-points isn't a good call? I thought pulling his starters out with 7 minutes to go was waving the white flag. After Saint kicker John Carney missed a 39-yard field goal(thanks John, thanks a lot!) Brian Hoyer came in at QB & most of the starters were pulled. I wonder if Belichick realizes his team isn't going anywhere come playoff time. Their defense is a shell of the vaunted group that won 3 Super Bowls, I don't know that this defense is even in the upper half of the AFC.
Another very selfish college player put his own gratification ahead of his teammates last night & his school comes up a big loser. Florida's Carlos Dunlap was arrested at 2 AM this morning after falling asleep behind the wheel at a traffic light. After failing 2 field sobriety tests, he was booked for DUI & jailed. Dunlap was the MVP in last year's National Championship game & a sure-fire, very high 1st round draft pick. Tho the university hasn't commented as of yet, Dunlap's father, Carlos Sr., said in an interview with The Orlando Sentinel this afternoon, he spoke with coach Urban Meyer & was told his son would not play in the SEC Championship game. What else can Meyer do? Anything else would wreak of hypocrisy. Losing a defensive end of Dunlap's talent will certainly be a problem for the Gators.
Boise State wide receiver Austin Pettis will miss this Saturday's game with New Mexico State & might miss their bowl appearance with a broken bone in his lower leg. Pettis leads the team in touchdown receptions with 14 & is second with 62 catches for 850 yards. This is a huge loss for the Broncos. They can handle NMSU in their street clothes, but if he can't go in whatever bowl they accept, it will be tough for Boise to be sure.
Comments