MORE NFL VICODIN TROUBLES, POSSIBLE COLD-WEATHER SUPER BOWL SITES & SOME UGLY ISSUES SURFACE IN JAYHAWKLAND
The lure of Vicodin has raised it's ugly head again. Chargers' starting safety Kevin Ellison was pulled over for speeding Monday night & a bottle containing 100 Vicodin tablets was found in the center console of his car. The arresting officer stated Ellison was acting "very erratically" & after Ellison stated he had nothing to hide in his car, he consented to a search & the painkillers were found. Ellison's legal problem arises from not having a prescription for the class-3 narcotic. He told police "I have them so I don't have to keep bothering people to get them a few at a time" & "I got tired of going back & forth." Like I said he was somewhat erratic. It looks as tho the team has decided to let him hang himself, he was dismissed from the mini-camp that started today & a team spokesperson said he wasn't issued the drugs by the team. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson has two DUI charges against him & the team hasn't sent him packing yet. But then he's a vital cog in the Charger offense. Ellison suffered three major injuries while he was at USC, so it's likely he's had experience with pain medication. Vicodin & Percodan always upset my stomach, I was a Lortab, Oxycontin or Demerol guy. Seems like Vicodin is the painkiller drug of choice in the NFL. I feel for anyone with extreme chronic pain, football players certainly qualify, six years ago I became a believer in pain management, not painkillers. The name alone is a misnomer, the drug doesn't kill pain, it just dulls the pain receptors in your brain. You still feel the pain, you just don't care. But speaking from experience, it's a lousy way to live.
Joe Gibbs thinks the Eagles made a mistake trading Donovan McNabb to a division rival. The Hall of Fame former Redskin coach & current NASCAR team owner said McNabb had great success against Washington, winning 13 of 19 starts. He doesn't have a problem with the Eagles trading him, just not in their division. We'll see who made the right call on this trade.
The doctors who have evaluated Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will present their findings to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday. If the reports are favorable, Big Ben could be reinstated for mini camp & training camp. He will not be able to attend meetings, practice or play in games the 1st 4 weeks of the season. If he doesn't fare well in these evaluations, he could be looking at a 6-week suspension.
Just a couple of hours after NFL owners awarded East Rutherford New Jersey with the 2014 Super Bowl, other cold-weather cities began chirping about hosting the big game too. Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington, New England & Oakland all stated their desire to host a Super Bowl. I knew this was going to open up a can of worms once the owners ignored the 50-degree rule. It's been in place for decades to prohibit any Super Bowl game played outdoors in a locale that doesn't have an average daily temp of 50-degrees on the date of the game. The head of the Miami group that was eliminated first yesterday said the whole thing "was fixed." The league "told the Giants & Jets, build a new stadium & you'll get your Super Bowl" he added. he also said the Miami & Tampa bids were "only cosmetic", they never really had a chance. It was a rather mysterious deal. The league protects itself to such a degree, it's difficult to believe they would risk a Super Bowl with empty seats or blizzard-like conditions. Personally, I have no problem with it, I've spent many frozen Sunday's tailgating at Arrowhead, football is an outdoor sport. Since the playoffs are played in cold-weather cities, why not the Super Bowl? By the way, according to the Weather Channel, the average high in East Rutherford on February 2nd is 37, avg. low 22, record high of 58 & low of -2. It's that last number that scares the crap out of people. Plus, twice last winter, New Jersey received 15+ inches of snow in one fall. What the hell, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Saw Al Michaels on The NFL Network tonight. He loved the vote on East Rutherford & thinks there should be more cold-weather Super Bowls. Seeing Michaels on the tube gets me revved up a little, his voice alone says "football." Al was a welcome customer of ours at Bellagio, he loves to play craps & we got to know Mr. Michaels very well. He is one of the nicest people connected to the NFL I've ever met. He was very popular with everyone in our dice pit. More than anything tho, he is the best sports broadcaster of his generation.
Things are pretty ugly on the campus of the University of Kansas. A story broke last night regarding a ticket scam of ridiculous proportion. In fact it was such a staggering dollar amount, I waited to speak of it here until something more concrete was put forth. Today university chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little strode grim-faced before the press, with A.D. Lew Perkins in tow, to tell the world just how bad things really were in Jayhawkland. Six university employees have scammed a minimum $1 million in stolen tickets. They were fired & are expected to be charged with a slew of felonies. From an outside audit conducted by a Witchita law firm, it was revealed the group had stolen & resold nearly 17,000 basketball tickets & almost 2,200 football tickets. These were really good seats, the kind of seats big donors & alumni expect to sit in. Instead, they were sold on the open market or sent to a ticket broker in Oklahoma who had worked with 3 of these people when they were employed at OU. The report stipulated that since they had no supeona power, this is all they could substantiate right now. It could be worse, possibly in the $3 million neighborhood. KU donors & alums are really up in arms which is understandable, the stolen tickets were better than the seats they had, despite six & seven-figure donations to the university. The group also sold stolen parking passes & Arrowhead Club tickets for the annual KU - MU football game in Kansas City. What surprised me was the salaries these people were making. The ringleader, Rodney Jones, went from a $76,000 salary in 2005 to $156,000 this year, nice increase. Lew Perkins brought Jones with him from UConn. Ticket Manager Charlette Blubaugh was in charge of doling out the tickets & even got her husband Tom on the payroll as a "consultant" & paid a hefty $115,000 per year for the past 3 years. Perkins admitted he didn't know Blubaugh was on the payroll at all. Lew is one of those guys people either love or hate. He has an extremely polarizing personality that has alienated many donors & alumni. How he wasn't flushed with the rest of this group is beyond me. Is it possible Perkins is clueless but not criminal? Maybe he'll be fired later for not knowing what was going on in his department. The lack of a moral center, the unbridled greed, we've seen it in politics, on Wall Street, in the banking & mortgage business & now people already making 6-figure salaries in Lawrence Kansas have decided it's just not enough, so let's just take what we want. Jayhawk teams should survive, but don't look for any new facilities on campus in the near future, many donors will demand a complete audit of everything pertaining to the athletic department, their tickets & budgets. Can you blame them?
To GruvyDave: Thanks for reading. I appreciate having another "Chiefs expert" giving me input. I've been waiting for a good defensive line for 13-14 years, but you suggest Dorsey & Jackson should be given time for "strength & conditioning." This will be Dorsey's 3rd season, what this year, next year? Jackson should be given until 2011, 2012? Now for a few facts. Dorsey played against 2 rookies, Joel Bell & Eugene Monroe, Ryan Clady twice, who like Dorsey, was drafted in '08 & two 3-year vets, Mario Henderson & Stephen Heyer. It wasn't Joe Thomas & Flozell Adams every week. I think Dorsey would be awesome in a 3-gap scheme playing for a 4-3 defense. What about Ron Edwards, he's been in the league 10 years? In those ten years he has amassed 166 tackles, that's 16 per year. I know you're not going to suggest he should be given a pass for strength & conditioning. This line had better make major strides this season, no more excuses, two playoff wins in 40-years doesn't cut it. Agreed?
To SMSGT Flores: Thank you for reading, you're the 2nd airman who has contacted me from your locale. Sorry, but I don't see a Mizzou being serious competition for Nebraska in the Big-12 North. The game is in Lincoln this year. Even with Suh, Phillips & Asante gone, Bo Pelini could still field the best defense in the conference. As good as Gabbert, the O-line & Derrick Washington are, they have no experienced receivers & as always, the defense is a crap shoot. Great potential at DE & LB, who knows about the rest? They'll be 2nd best in the North Division & will easily be invited to a bowl, but I don't see a third North Division title in 4 years, not in 2010 anyway. As a fellow Air Force veteran, I would like to thank you for your service & urge you to stay safe.
To Rick in St. Joe: Thanks for reading, I might take you up on your offer if I make it up there for training camp. If so, I'll email you & maybe we can have a beer.
Have a comment or question? Please leave any comments at the end of any post. If you have a question, email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com
Today's Real Name of the Day:
Xzavier Dickson - defensive end - Griffin High School - Griffin Georgia
Joe Gibbs thinks the Eagles made a mistake trading Donovan McNabb to a division rival. The Hall of Fame former Redskin coach & current NASCAR team owner said McNabb had great success against Washington, winning 13 of 19 starts. He doesn't have a problem with the Eagles trading him, just not in their division. We'll see who made the right call on this trade.
The doctors who have evaluated Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will present their findings to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday. If the reports are favorable, Big Ben could be reinstated for mini camp & training camp. He will not be able to attend meetings, practice or play in games the 1st 4 weeks of the season. If he doesn't fare well in these evaluations, he could be looking at a 6-week suspension.
Just a couple of hours after NFL owners awarded East Rutherford New Jersey with the 2014 Super Bowl, other cold-weather cities began chirping about hosting the big game too. Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington, New England & Oakland all stated their desire to host a Super Bowl. I knew this was going to open up a can of worms once the owners ignored the 50-degree rule. It's been in place for decades to prohibit any Super Bowl game played outdoors in a locale that doesn't have an average daily temp of 50-degrees on the date of the game. The head of the Miami group that was eliminated first yesterday said the whole thing "was fixed." The league "told the Giants & Jets, build a new stadium & you'll get your Super Bowl" he added. he also said the Miami & Tampa bids were "only cosmetic", they never really had a chance. It was a rather mysterious deal. The league protects itself to such a degree, it's difficult to believe they would risk a Super Bowl with empty seats or blizzard-like conditions. Personally, I have no problem with it, I've spent many frozen Sunday's tailgating at Arrowhead, football is an outdoor sport. Since the playoffs are played in cold-weather cities, why not the Super Bowl? By the way, according to the Weather Channel, the average high in East Rutherford on February 2nd is 37, avg. low 22, record high of 58 & low of -2. It's that last number that scares the crap out of people. Plus, twice last winter, New Jersey received 15+ inches of snow in one fall. What the hell, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Saw Al Michaels on The NFL Network tonight. He loved the vote on East Rutherford & thinks there should be more cold-weather Super Bowls. Seeing Michaels on the tube gets me revved up a little, his voice alone says "football." Al was a welcome customer of ours at Bellagio, he loves to play craps & we got to know Mr. Michaels very well. He is one of the nicest people connected to the NFL I've ever met. He was very popular with everyone in our dice pit. More than anything tho, he is the best sports broadcaster of his generation.
Things are pretty ugly on the campus of the University of Kansas. A story broke last night regarding a ticket scam of ridiculous proportion. In fact it was such a staggering dollar amount, I waited to speak of it here until something more concrete was put forth. Today university chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little strode grim-faced before the press, with A.D. Lew Perkins in tow, to tell the world just how bad things really were in Jayhawkland. Six university employees have scammed a minimum $1 million in stolen tickets. They were fired & are expected to be charged with a slew of felonies. From an outside audit conducted by a Witchita law firm, it was revealed the group had stolen & resold nearly 17,000 basketball tickets & almost 2,200 football tickets. These were really good seats, the kind of seats big donors & alumni expect to sit in. Instead, they were sold on the open market or sent to a ticket broker in Oklahoma who had worked with 3 of these people when they were employed at OU. The report stipulated that since they had no supeona power, this is all they could substantiate right now. It could be worse, possibly in the $3 million neighborhood. KU donors & alums are really up in arms which is understandable, the stolen tickets were better than the seats they had, despite six & seven-figure donations to the university. The group also sold stolen parking passes & Arrowhead Club tickets for the annual KU - MU football game in Kansas City. What surprised me was the salaries these people were making. The ringleader, Rodney Jones, went from a $76,000 salary in 2005 to $156,000 this year, nice increase. Lew Perkins brought Jones with him from UConn. Ticket Manager Charlette Blubaugh was in charge of doling out the tickets & even got her husband Tom on the payroll as a "consultant" & paid a hefty $115,000 per year for the past 3 years. Perkins admitted he didn't know Blubaugh was on the payroll at all. Lew is one of those guys people either love or hate. He has an extremely polarizing personality that has alienated many donors & alumni. How he wasn't flushed with the rest of this group is beyond me. Is it possible Perkins is clueless but not criminal? Maybe he'll be fired later for not knowing what was going on in his department. The lack of a moral center, the unbridled greed, we've seen it in politics, on Wall Street, in the banking & mortgage business & now people already making 6-figure salaries in Lawrence Kansas have decided it's just not enough, so let's just take what we want. Jayhawk teams should survive, but don't look for any new facilities on campus in the near future, many donors will demand a complete audit of everything pertaining to the athletic department, their tickets & budgets. Can you blame them?
To GruvyDave: Thanks for reading. I appreciate having another "Chiefs expert" giving me input. I've been waiting for a good defensive line for 13-14 years, but you suggest Dorsey & Jackson should be given time for "strength & conditioning." This will be Dorsey's 3rd season, what this year, next year? Jackson should be given until 2011, 2012? Now for a few facts. Dorsey played against 2 rookies, Joel Bell & Eugene Monroe, Ryan Clady twice, who like Dorsey, was drafted in '08 & two 3-year vets, Mario Henderson & Stephen Heyer. It wasn't Joe Thomas & Flozell Adams every week. I think Dorsey would be awesome in a 3-gap scheme playing for a 4-3 defense. What about Ron Edwards, he's been in the league 10 years? In those ten years he has amassed 166 tackles, that's 16 per year. I know you're not going to suggest he should be given a pass for strength & conditioning. This line had better make major strides this season, no more excuses, two playoff wins in 40-years doesn't cut it. Agreed?
To SMSGT Flores: Thank you for reading, you're the 2nd airman who has contacted me from your locale. Sorry, but I don't see a Mizzou being serious competition for Nebraska in the Big-12 North. The game is in Lincoln this year. Even with Suh, Phillips & Asante gone, Bo Pelini could still field the best defense in the conference. As good as Gabbert, the O-line & Derrick Washington are, they have no experienced receivers & as always, the defense is a crap shoot. Great potential at DE & LB, who knows about the rest? They'll be 2nd best in the North Division & will easily be invited to a bowl, but I don't see a third North Division title in 4 years, not in 2010 anyway. As a fellow Air Force veteran, I would like to thank you for your service & urge you to stay safe.
To Rick in St. Joe: Thanks for reading, I might take you up on your offer if I make it up there for training camp. If so, I'll email you & maybe we can have a beer.
Have a comment or question? Please leave any comments at the end of any post. If you have a question, email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com
Today's Real Name of the Day:
Xzavier Dickson - defensive end - Griffin High School - Griffin Georgia
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