TILLMAN HALL OF FAME DISCUSSION HEATS UP & WHY IS THE NFL LOOKING AT AUTO RACING & THE MILITARY?
Funny how one innocent remark can blow up into a national debate. A letter from Peter King's mailbag late last week asked the Sports Illustrated & NBC Sports reporter if he thought Pat Tillman should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was picked up all over the internet & has been debated since. King is one of 44 HOF voters, so his opinion does matter. Before the holiday weekend was over, many of the football media had weighed in with their thoughts on his chances of making the HOF more for his military record & less emphasis on his playing career. Tillman gave up his NFL career after 9/11 to enlist in the Army & become a Ranger. He was killed by friendly fire on April 22, 2004. His death was distorted by the Army & after a full investigation, the true cause of his death became known. It took 6 months & full blown congressional hearings to get to the bottom of the true circumstances of his death. The entire episode was horrific for his family, they were completely betrayed by the Army. The Army wanted to use his death as a recruiting tool so they fabricated a story that suggested Tillman was hero, repelling numerous Taliban attacks on his position. Part of the story was true, he did fight to the death, sadly he was killed by one of our troops. He was awarded a Purple heart & Silver Star posthumously. It was a very sordid story that made me cringe with every lie that was exposed. A young man tries to do the right thing & even in death, he was used like a puppet. It was tragic. I remember when he turned down a new $3.6 million deal from the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army. Just a few days after his enlistment former teammate Simeon Rice, a Pro Bowl defensive end, was on Jim Rome's radio show. When Rome asked him what he thought of Tillman giving up his NFL career to enter the Army, Rice responded with "well, he didn't have much of a career to give up did he?" Rice went on to say "he's a sucker for turning his back on his teammates & the fans to go play soldier." Rice became one of the least favorite players in the league almost overnight. He offered a half-ass apology a few weeks later. After Tillman's death, there were members of the media who couldn't pass up the chance to tell the world he was an agnostic & was rumored to disagree with the Iraq invasion. Of course he wasn't around to dispute those rumors, so they pretty much went unchallenged. The way people abused his memory was as shameful an episode as I've seen in many years. He was on his 2nd tour in Afghanistan when he lost his life.
Pat Tillman was a decent NFL safety after being named the PAC-10 defensive player of the year as an Arizona State senior. He was a 7th round draft pick of the Cardinals & didn't earn any post season honors in his 3 seasons. Bottom line, a player elected to the Hall of Fame should have had a Hall of Fame career. I agree with King completely, tho there was a lot of sentiment for Tillman's election. He certainly didn't have Hall of Fame stats & tho I think he was heroic to walk away from a lucrative contract, he doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame. Arizona State retired his #42 & the Cardinals retired his #40, plus they had a statue of him erected outside the Cards' stadium. The Army desecrated his memory, a few of his former teammates & some in the media said some truly despicable things about him, putting him up for a Hall of Fame vote he simply can't win just damages his memory even more. Let this supremely brave American rest in peace, please, no more arguments regarding his worth as a possible Hall of Famer.
It appears very likely Detroit running back Kevin Smith will not be ready to go by opening day, so the Lions will most likely place him on the PUP(Physically unable to perform) List. This would enable him to continue his rehab & after week six of the regular season, the team would have to either activate him or put him on injured reserve, ending his 2010 season. So you're saying "who cares?" Fantasy football owners care because now the Lions' second 1st round selection, Cal RB Jahvid Best, will get every opportunity to start opening day. Best is recovering from two concussions last season, the second was one of the more frightening injuries I had ever witnessed, against Oregon State. Best has said openly he's still scared somewhat from that injury. I have no idea how an NFL running back can play to his full potential if he's scared. It will be imperative for any owner considering Best to see his performance in preseason contests.
ESPN.com's Jeff Chadiha has some advice for Chiefs' fans who are looking for a major improvement because Charlie Weis & Romeo Crennell have joined the team as coordinators. "Sit down, take a deep breath & check out the depth chart. Players win games & from all indications the Chiefs still don't have enough difference makers on the field to accentuate whatever wisdom they have gracing their sidelines. They'll be better, but will still be picking in the top-10 in next April's draft" Chadiha wrote.
If you have a problem with Chadiha's comments or some of my opinions regarding the Chiefs, I would like to add this one from NFL Films' Greg Cosell, the creator & producer of NFL Match-Up on ESPN. He watches more game film than most NFL coaches & when asked if he'd rather have Jared Allen rushing the passer or Darrelle Revis playing cornerback, he said Allen with no hesitation. "You would always go with a pass rusher. The goal is to speed up the quarterback. The QB is the most important part of the passing game, not the receiver. So altering his rhythm is the most important part of a defensive scheme, make him move or throw before he wants to" Cosell said in an interview yesterday. He's right & so is Chadiha. With little improvement in the Chiefs' front-7, it's very tough to see a major jump in wins. Maybe next year.
The NFL convened their "Concussion Seminar" Wednesday. Team doctors & medical personnel from all 32-teams are in attendance. The seminar is headed by Drs. H. Hunt Batjer & Richard G. Ellenbogen, both neurosurgeons. This is the first time for a meeting like this but it won't be the last, they have scheduled two more of these summits before the end of the year. Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear this is one of his top priorities. One afternoon will be devoted entirely to examining helmets from auto racing & the military. Both are generally considered to be superior protection for the person wearing it.
Pat Tillman was a decent NFL safety after being named the PAC-10 defensive player of the year as an Arizona State senior. He was a 7th round draft pick of the Cardinals & didn't earn any post season honors in his 3 seasons. Bottom line, a player elected to the Hall of Fame should have had a Hall of Fame career. I agree with King completely, tho there was a lot of sentiment for Tillman's election. He certainly didn't have Hall of Fame stats & tho I think he was heroic to walk away from a lucrative contract, he doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame. Arizona State retired his #42 & the Cardinals retired his #40, plus they had a statue of him erected outside the Cards' stadium. The Army desecrated his memory, a few of his former teammates & some in the media said some truly despicable things about him, putting him up for a Hall of Fame vote he simply can't win just damages his memory even more. Let this supremely brave American rest in peace, please, no more arguments regarding his worth as a possible Hall of Famer.
It appears very likely Detroit running back Kevin Smith will not be ready to go by opening day, so the Lions will most likely place him on the PUP(Physically unable to perform) List. This would enable him to continue his rehab & after week six of the regular season, the team would have to either activate him or put him on injured reserve, ending his 2010 season. So you're saying "who cares?" Fantasy football owners care because now the Lions' second 1st round selection, Cal RB Jahvid Best, will get every opportunity to start opening day. Best is recovering from two concussions last season, the second was one of the more frightening injuries I had ever witnessed, against Oregon State. Best has said openly he's still scared somewhat from that injury. I have no idea how an NFL running back can play to his full potential if he's scared. It will be imperative for any owner considering Best to see his performance in preseason contests.
ESPN.com's Jeff Chadiha has some advice for Chiefs' fans who are looking for a major improvement because Charlie Weis & Romeo Crennell have joined the team as coordinators. "Sit down, take a deep breath & check out the depth chart. Players win games & from all indications the Chiefs still don't have enough difference makers on the field to accentuate whatever wisdom they have gracing their sidelines. They'll be better, but will still be picking in the top-10 in next April's draft" Chadiha wrote.
If you have a problem with Chadiha's comments or some of my opinions regarding the Chiefs, I would like to add this one from NFL Films' Greg Cosell, the creator & producer of NFL Match-Up on ESPN. He watches more game film than most NFL coaches & when asked if he'd rather have Jared Allen rushing the passer or Darrelle Revis playing cornerback, he said Allen with no hesitation. "You would always go with a pass rusher. The goal is to speed up the quarterback. The QB is the most important part of the passing game, not the receiver. So altering his rhythm is the most important part of a defensive scheme, make him move or throw before he wants to" Cosell said in an interview yesterday. He's right & so is Chadiha. With little improvement in the Chiefs' front-7, it's very tough to see a major jump in wins. Maybe next year.
The NFL convened their "Concussion Seminar" Wednesday. Team doctors & medical personnel from all 32-teams are in attendance. The seminar is headed by Drs. H. Hunt Batjer & Richard G. Ellenbogen, both neurosurgeons. This is the first time for a meeting like this but it won't be the last, they have scheduled two more of these summits before the end of the year. Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear this is one of his top priorities. One afternoon will be devoted entirely to examining helmets from auto racing & the military. Both are generally considered to be superior protection for the person wearing it.
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