UGA A.D. OUT, A CHILDRESS FAMILY REUNION, TIGER DB ARRESTED & SOME RANDOM RAMBLINGS
I told you the other day about Georgia Athletic Director Damon Lewis' encounter with Atlanta's finest Thursday night. I read the Atlanta police report on the traffic stop & subsequent charge of DUI & it wasn't your garden-variety drunk driving stop. He had a "companion" with him who is significantly younger than his wife & mother of his children. His companion was apparently more intoxicated than Lewis as she kept interfering in the field sobriety test administered by two officers. After putting her back in the car twice, she was warned if she got out of the car one more time she would be arrested, any question what happened next? One thing I forgot to mention was her red panties were wedged between Lewis' legs when approached by police & as she sat in the patrol car, she kept screaming about her red drawers. Lewis told the officers he was the A.D. at Georgia, but he wasn't trying to bribe them, but according to the report, he kept bringing that to the officers' attention. He also suggested they take him & his companion to a motel so they could sleep it off, no need to go to jail. After arriving at the jail, Lewis told the arresting officer, he was only trying to help this young woman home as she was drunk, there was nothing between them, he was a married man with children. His companion told the other officer they had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks. When Lewis was told to exit the police car to enter the jail he "fell to the ground sobbing." Probably saw his life passing before his eyes. Today University president Michael Adams asked for & received Lewis' resignation. Just another really bad decision.
I mentioned two weeks ago four NFL coaches were heading to the Middle East to visit the troops on a USO-sponsored visit. John Fox, Marvin Lewis, Andy Reid & Brad Childress made the journey that also included two days in Germany visiting wounded service personnel. At an Afghan base, the four exited their aircraft & proceeded down a line of about 60 Marines shaking hands. Near the end of the line, Brad Childress recognized one of those Marines in the welcoming party, it was his son, Lance Cpl Andrew Childress. After a tear-filled minute-long hug, they walked off together for some father & son time.
The Childress family reunion
photo by Fred Greaves-USO
Just like the four NFL coaches that made this trip last year, they were overwhelmed by their reception & gained even more respect for our men & women serving in our military. One thing they were bombarded about was the lack of The NFL Network on the Armed Forces Network. How is this possible? This is something the commissioner should address ASAP.
After having a squeaky-clean record for several years, the Mizzou athletic department fell victim to one of their kids screwing up & bringing the wrong kind of attention to their program. Safety Jarrell Harrison, a starter, was arrested Friday night for shoplifting at a Columbia area Spencer's Gifts store. He was suspended indefinitely by Tiger football coach Gary Pinkel.
Peter King, of NBC Sports & Sports Illustrated, has been covering the World Cup for the past 4 weeks & his column, The Monday Morning Quarterback, has been written by NFL players in his absence. Last week Texans' offensive lineman Eric Winston came up with a brilliant idea. One that I can't believe hasn't already been adopted by the NFL. The Super Bowl on a Saturday evening instead of Sunday. They already have 2 weeks off between the conference championship games & the Super Bowl, cutting it to 13 days won't change a thing. What it will do is make it way more fan-friendly. Easier on those traveling to the game, easier on those who attend the Sunday evening Super Bowl parties & have to work on Monday. Easier on all the kids who stay up late on a school night to watch the game. I hope this is discussed by the owners, it really makes sense, good job Eric!
Also in King's column today he revealed one of the oddities for those who attend the World Cup games in person. Would you believe they don't have a scoreboard showing the score & game time anywhere at the venue? Truly strange. King also pointed out the lack of any accountability for game officials who make questionable calls. There's no appeal process, no one from FIFA admits there's been an incorrect call & officials never face the press.
I have had a few negative comments regarding my support for Don Coryell's Hall of Fame election. To those who pointed out that both of his assistants that went on to the Hall, Joe Gibbs & John Madden, had won Super Bowls, I want to point out Gibbs was a Coryell assistant at San Diego State, St. Louis & for the Chargers. He won 2 more games than Madden did. Coryell is the first coach to ever win 100+ games at both the college & pro level. Tell me any big innovations John Madden brought to the pro game, don't get me wrong, I think Madden belongs in the Hall of Fame, but so does Coryell, so much of what is done in today's passing game began with Coryell. Ever hear of the "hot receiver?" That was his, as was puting the tight end in motion, throwing to backs 60-80 times a year, spreading the field, thereby spreading the defense. Just like today's spread offenses in college, spreading the field limits defensive communication which creates mismatches & blown coverages. John Madden said yesterday, "the best testament to Don Croyell isn't about passing the football. It's about how many players & coaches wanted to work for him. You have no idea how many people wanted to be a part of his college program & later, with the Chargers. I worked for him & I coached against him, I'll tell you this, his integrity, his intensity, his ingenuity were all Hall of Fame caliber."
To those who questioned me about whether Michael Vick will stay in Philly or will the Eagles cut their ties with the baggage-laden backup QB. Unless something comes out in these investigations from his B'Day party, I can't see how Philly can go into the season with just Kevin Kolb, a 2-game starter & rookies Mike Kafka & Joey Bennett, so-so Big-10 quarterbacks. Just too dangerous. Vick is their insurance, really annoying, untrustworthy & expensive insurance, but I think they'll keep him.
I read the Chiefs' forecast in a lengthy article from The New York Times & I hate to keep harping on this but they have come to the same conclusion I have, without significant improvement from their front seven, this team is nowhere near playoff caliber. Their other major reservations were the receiving corp & both OT slots, sound familiar?
I'd like to give a non-football space to a very impressive electronic device known as Roku. I knew little about it before my bro-in-law bestowed one on us a few weeks ago. It took all of 10-minutes to hook up & begin enjoying. Here's what it is & does:
Picks up entertainment off the internet from a wireless router. Ours' is in the media room hooked to our bigscreen. It receives it's content from the router in my office. If you have a Netflix account, you can stream hundreds(possibly thousands) of movies instantly. Instead of waiting for the post office to deliver a dvd, you can watch movies on demand endlessly, all without hiking your bill. They are in high definition too. You can pause for the cause as often as you need.
The remote has less than 10 buttons on it. It is very user-friendly. The main unit is really small, in fact, it's smaller than a wireless router.
Roku has a number of movie channels, most requiring subscriptions, a load of music channels(most commercial free) & a lot more. I can see Roku expanding it's content steadily giving you home entertainment options you've never experienced. There's an NBA channel, can football content be far behind?
There are no monthly/yearly/lifetime subscription fees for Roku like say TIVO. The money you spend to buy it is all you're obligated to pay, there are plenty of free channels already on Roku. I love the music channels. I had bookmarked 9 blues channels from around the world before I ever watched any movies.
Our Fourth of July here at the Lake has been wonderful. My sisters & their entire families have been here since last week. My sister Ann(who lives next door 6-months out of the year) & I have done a lot of the cooking & the food has been exceptional if I do say so myself. We've been out once & it's gonna be dinner for 14 at El Jimador Mexican Restaurant tonight. Since we live in a part of America that allows anything explosive, short of dynamite or hand grenades, to be set off by average citizens 365 days a year, we've been to 2 huge fireworks displays & thanks to the older nieces & nephews, we've had 2 awesome displays here. But I'm starting to get ooohed & aaahed out at this point. What I never tire of is the hilarity this group brings to the table everyday, we laugh ourselves silly on a nightly basis, I only wish Dana's sons & the Longs could have been a part of this get together. Linda had to work today, alas, she is an accountant & it's month closeout time plus I needed to put something fresh on here today. So here I sit in my office, with a 9' wide window looking out onto the Lake, with a little Duke Robillard & William Clarke blues blasting away, writing about football. I'm a pretty lucky guy(forget the 5 Wolf spider bites I sustained last week & my deteriorating right shoulder) & I know it. I love doing this, I'm approaching the 900,000-word plateau since beginning this site last year & I hope I can keep your interest for another 900,000 words & beyond. Don't forget to write.
I mentioned two weeks ago four NFL coaches were heading to the Middle East to visit the troops on a USO-sponsored visit. John Fox, Marvin Lewis, Andy Reid & Brad Childress made the journey that also included two days in Germany visiting wounded service personnel. At an Afghan base, the four exited their aircraft & proceeded down a line of about 60 Marines shaking hands. Near the end of the line, Brad Childress recognized one of those Marines in the welcoming party, it was his son, Lance Cpl Andrew Childress. After a tear-filled minute-long hug, they walked off together for some father & son time.
The Childress family reunion
photo by Fred Greaves-USO
Just like the four NFL coaches that made this trip last year, they were overwhelmed by their reception & gained even more respect for our men & women serving in our military. One thing they were bombarded about was the lack of The NFL Network on the Armed Forces Network. How is this possible? This is something the commissioner should address ASAP.
After having a squeaky-clean record for several years, the Mizzou athletic department fell victim to one of their kids screwing up & bringing the wrong kind of attention to their program. Safety Jarrell Harrison, a starter, was arrested Friday night for shoplifting at a Columbia area Spencer's Gifts store. He was suspended indefinitely by Tiger football coach Gary Pinkel.
Peter King, of NBC Sports & Sports Illustrated, has been covering the World Cup for the past 4 weeks & his column, The Monday Morning Quarterback, has been written by NFL players in his absence. Last week Texans' offensive lineman Eric Winston came up with a brilliant idea. One that I can't believe hasn't already been adopted by the NFL. The Super Bowl on a Saturday evening instead of Sunday. They already have 2 weeks off between the conference championship games & the Super Bowl, cutting it to 13 days won't change a thing. What it will do is make it way more fan-friendly. Easier on those traveling to the game, easier on those who attend the Sunday evening Super Bowl parties & have to work on Monday. Easier on all the kids who stay up late on a school night to watch the game. I hope this is discussed by the owners, it really makes sense, good job Eric!
Also in King's column today he revealed one of the oddities for those who attend the World Cup games in person. Would you believe they don't have a scoreboard showing the score & game time anywhere at the venue? Truly strange. King also pointed out the lack of any accountability for game officials who make questionable calls. There's no appeal process, no one from FIFA admits there's been an incorrect call & officials never face the press.
I have had a few negative comments regarding my support for Don Coryell's Hall of Fame election. To those who pointed out that both of his assistants that went on to the Hall, Joe Gibbs & John Madden, had won Super Bowls, I want to point out Gibbs was a Coryell assistant at San Diego State, St. Louis & for the Chargers. He won 2 more games than Madden did. Coryell is the first coach to ever win 100+ games at both the college & pro level. Tell me any big innovations John Madden brought to the pro game, don't get me wrong, I think Madden belongs in the Hall of Fame, but so does Coryell, so much of what is done in today's passing game began with Coryell. Ever hear of the "hot receiver?" That was his, as was puting the tight end in motion, throwing to backs 60-80 times a year, spreading the field, thereby spreading the defense. Just like today's spread offenses in college, spreading the field limits defensive communication which creates mismatches & blown coverages. John Madden said yesterday, "the best testament to Don Croyell isn't about passing the football. It's about how many players & coaches wanted to work for him. You have no idea how many people wanted to be a part of his college program & later, with the Chargers. I worked for him & I coached against him, I'll tell you this, his integrity, his intensity, his ingenuity were all Hall of Fame caliber."
To those who questioned me about whether Michael Vick will stay in Philly or will the Eagles cut their ties with the baggage-laden backup QB. Unless something comes out in these investigations from his B'Day party, I can't see how Philly can go into the season with just Kevin Kolb, a 2-game starter & rookies Mike Kafka & Joey Bennett, so-so Big-10 quarterbacks. Just too dangerous. Vick is their insurance, really annoying, untrustworthy & expensive insurance, but I think they'll keep him.
I read the Chiefs' forecast in a lengthy article from The New York Times & I hate to keep harping on this but they have come to the same conclusion I have, without significant improvement from their front seven, this team is nowhere near playoff caliber. Their other major reservations were the receiving corp & both OT slots, sound familiar?
I'd like to give a non-football space to a very impressive electronic device known as Roku. I knew little about it before my bro-in-law bestowed one on us a few weeks ago. It took all of 10-minutes to hook up & begin enjoying. Here's what it is & does:
Picks up entertainment off the internet from a wireless router. Ours' is in the media room hooked to our bigscreen. It receives it's content from the router in my office. If you have a Netflix account, you can stream hundreds(possibly thousands) of movies instantly. Instead of waiting for the post office to deliver a dvd, you can watch movies on demand endlessly, all without hiking your bill. They are in high definition too. You can pause for the cause as often as you need.
The remote has less than 10 buttons on it. It is very user-friendly. The main unit is really small, in fact, it's smaller than a wireless router.
Roku has a number of movie channels, most requiring subscriptions, a load of music channels(most commercial free) & a lot more. I can see Roku expanding it's content steadily giving you home entertainment options you've never experienced. There's an NBA channel, can football content be far behind?
There are no monthly/yearly/lifetime subscription fees for Roku like say TIVO. The money you spend to buy it is all you're obligated to pay, there are plenty of free channels already on Roku. I love the music channels. I had bookmarked 9 blues channels from around the world before I ever watched any movies.
Our Fourth of July here at the Lake has been wonderful. My sisters & their entire families have been here since last week. My sister Ann(who lives next door 6-months out of the year) & I have done a lot of the cooking & the food has been exceptional if I do say so myself. We've been out once & it's gonna be dinner for 14 at El Jimador Mexican Restaurant tonight. Since we live in a part of America that allows anything explosive, short of dynamite or hand grenades, to be set off by average citizens 365 days a year, we've been to 2 huge fireworks displays & thanks to the older nieces & nephews, we've had 2 awesome displays here. But I'm starting to get ooohed & aaahed out at this point. What I never tire of is the hilarity this group brings to the table everyday, we laugh ourselves silly on a nightly basis, I only wish Dana's sons & the Longs could have been a part of this get together. Linda had to work today, alas, she is an accountant & it's month closeout time plus I needed to put something fresh on here today. So here I sit in my office, with a 9' wide window looking out onto the Lake, with a little Duke Robillard & William Clarke blues blasting away, writing about football. I'm a pretty lucky guy(forget the 5 Wolf spider bites I sustained last week & my deteriorating right shoulder) & I know it. I love doing this, I'm approaching the 900,000-word plateau since beginning this site last year & I hope I can keep your interest for another 900,000 words & beyond. Don't forget to write.
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