REDSKINS ACCUSED OF "CHEATING," ANTONIO GATES' CONTINUING FOOT ISSUES, MCCLAIN BOASTING ON TWITTER & SAINTS DO A WONDERFUL THING
If you watched the Monday Night game, you saw repeated early snaps that created a bunch of negative yardage for the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Tony Romo yelled & screamed at center Phil Costa for snapping the ball before he was ready. Now the Cowboys are accusing Washington defensive linemen of cheating. Costa & his fellow line mates said that some 'Skins were calling signals in the same cadence used by Romo. This is against the rules at every level of football, defensive players are not allowed to bark signals similar to the offense. The Cowboys recently released defensive lineman Stephen Bowen & he landed in Washington as a starting defensive end. After practicing against Romo since 2006, it's a cinch Bowen knows his cadence, so it's very believable either he or someone he taught could simulate it. Doubtful anything will come of this, if the onfield officials didn't throw a penalty flag, it's unlikely the league office will take action. But it does explain a lot, I'm surprised the ESPN broadcast team hadn't a clue.
Man the battle for selling those $8 cups of draft beer is really getting nasty in New England. The MillerCoors Company has filed a lawsuit against the Patriots for allegedly reneging on a verbal agreement to make MillerCoors the official beer products at Gillette Stadium. The executives of MillerCoors claim the Pats agreed to exclusivity, selling only their products inside the stadium. Currently, there's a major Budweiser presence at Foxboro & they might be sued as well if it can be shown they influenced the Patriots in anyway. Now I've never been to Gillette Stadium but I'm going to put my opinion out there anyway. I've been drinking beer for about 45-years & I know I've consumed something close to 6 truckloads of Budweiser, BudLight, & Michelob Light. Plus the nice people at Budweiser took me to a lot of Chiefs' games & tailgate parties. If I was forced to drink MillerCoors products, I just wouldn't drink beer(cue the Crown Royal, Grey Goose & Patron). Here's what I think should happen, the official beer of Gillette Stadium should be Samuel Adams, the local favorite. When you go to Edward Jones Dome or Busch(DUH!) Stadium, they sell Bud products. At Wrigley it's Old Style, Lambeau Field or Miller(DUH part II) Park, you get Miller. Coors Field(DUH part III), it's Coors products. It's not that difficult. We don't need lawsuits, just logical, reasoned discussion. No more lawyers damnit! If you're a MillerCoors drinker, relax, I'm just kidding. If you're a Keystone drinker, you obviously have your own problems & shouldn't be pointing a finger at anyone. So if they pass on the correct choice, Sam Adams, what's it gonna be Patriot fans?
Typical MillerCoors drinker Typical Anheuser-Busch drinkers
Tho they've been kicked around lately, ex-Chiefs Larry Johnson & Brodie Croyle could find themselves employed again. L.J. by the Bengals....again & Croyle worked out for the Manning-less Colts on Tuesday. Kerry Collins has the after effects of a concussion & may not play this Sunday. That leaves Curtis Painter all by his lonesome. Dan Orlovsky was also worked out yesterday.
Chargers all-pro tight end Antonio Gates traveled across country on Tuesday to be examined by a foot specialist. His plantar faciitis isn't getting any better & there's concern this has become a never-ending, very painful condition. He & the Chargers want to know if he needs total rest for 3-4 weeks. Losing him completely changes the San Diego offense.
Reggie Bush is slowly but surely being squeezed out of playing time by rookie Daniel Thomas. The Kansas State product has out rushed Bush 202-69 & Thomas didn't dress for the first game. He's a much tougher runner between the tackles plus he's averaging nearly 3-yards more per reception. Bush got a new 2-year deal worth over $8 million to come to Miami, but I think his days as a Dolphin are numbered at season's end.
I got three emails yesterday wondering why I didn't mention Leonard Pope removing his helmet & drawing a 15-yard penalty? Three reasons, one, after a superb kickoff by Ryan Succop, the penalty didn't make a lot of difference. Two, during the lockout, Pope saved a kid's life by diving into a swimming pool fully dressed & grabbing him off the bottom of the deep end. Three & most importantly, I forgot, which happens a lot nowadays.
Kansas City fullback Le'Ron McClain made a bold prediction on Twitter yesterday. He said the Chiefs would win the next five games. Let's examine his prediction shall we?
Game 1--Minnesota, currently 0-3, so it's certainly possible.
Game 2--at Indianapolis, they're a mess too & Brodie Croyle could be their QB.
Bye Week
Game 3--at Oakland, sorry Le'Ron, don't see it, but hey, it's Oakland, you never know.
Game 4--San Diego on MNF, possible.
Game 5--Miami, also 0-3 right now so a win is absolutely possible.
Game 6 is Denver at Arrowhead, so if McClain's right, they could make it 6 in a row. They better win the lion's share of these upcoming games, because the meat grinder starts after the Denver game:
At New England on MNF
Pittsburgh on SNF
at Chicago
at New York Jets
Green Bay
Oakland
Realistically, I doubt Kansas City wins three of the next six, but I could be wrong, I hope I am. It's possible the Oliver Luck sweepstakes could come down to the last week of the season which looks like this:
Kansas City at Denver
Jets at Miami
Indy at Jacksonville
Seattle at Arizona
On September 25th 2006, the New Orleans Saints returned to the Louisiana Superdome to play for the first time in 21-months. It was the first post-Katrina home game. It was a Monday night game & was about as electric as it comes inside that building. Everyone in the country, with the exception of Georgians & Falcon bettors, were rooting for the Saints that night. Atlanta received the opening kickoff but went three & out & in came punter Michael Koenen. The ball was snapped & as Koenen stepped into his kick, New Orleans safety Steve Gleason flashed into the picture, blocking the punt into the endzone where it was covered by Curtis Deloatch for a touchdown. It was one of the most special moments in Saints history, right up there with Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal in 1970 & the now-famous onside kick after halftime in the Saints Super Bowl win. Gleason was with the Saints for 8-years & in that time, the guy from Washington State, started a foundation that helped Louisiana kids. After Katrina, he raised over $500,000 to buy backpacks & fill them with school supplies for students returning to school. He is a cherished member of the New Orleans community for his efforts. After his retirement in 2007, he attended Tulane University to earn a masters in business. But this past January, Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He received support from many of his old teammates as well as the new Saints' players. Before kickoff Sunday, he was brought out to midfield & awarded one of the Saints' Super Bowl rings in an emotional ceremony. It's so wonderful when good things happen to really good people.
Gleason's famous punt block 9/26/06 Gleason receives his Super Bowl ring
Man the battle for selling those $8 cups of draft beer is really getting nasty in New England. The MillerCoors Company has filed a lawsuit against the Patriots for allegedly reneging on a verbal agreement to make MillerCoors the official beer products at Gillette Stadium. The executives of MillerCoors claim the Pats agreed to exclusivity, selling only their products inside the stadium. Currently, there's a major Budweiser presence at Foxboro & they might be sued as well if it can be shown they influenced the Patriots in anyway. Now I've never been to Gillette Stadium but I'm going to put my opinion out there anyway. I've been drinking beer for about 45-years & I know I've consumed something close to 6 truckloads of Budweiser, BudLight, & Michelob Light. Plus the nice people at Budweiser took me to a lot of Chiefs' games & tailgate parties. If I was forced to drink MillerCoors products, I just wouldn't drink beer(cue the Crown Royal, Grey Goose & Patron). Here's what I think should happen, the official beer of Gillette Stadium should be Samuel Adams, the local favorite. When you go to Edward Jones Dome or Busch(DUH!) Stadium, they sell Bud products. At Wrigley it's Old Style, Lambeau Field or Miller(DUH part II) Park, you get Miller. Coors Field(DUH part III), it's Coors products. It's not that difficult. We don't need lawsuits, just logical, reasoned discussion. No more lawyers damnit! If you're a MillerCoors drinker, relax, I'm just kidding. If you're a Keystone drinker, you obviously have your own problems & shouldn't be pointing a finger at anyone. So if they pass on the correct choice, Sam Adams, what's it gonna be Patriot fans?
Typical MillerCoors drinker Typical Anheuser-Busch drinkers
Tho they've been kicked around lately, ex-Chiefs Larry Johnson & Brodie Croyle could find themselves employed again. L.J. by the Bengals....again & Croyle worked out for the Manning-less Colts on Tuesday. Kerry Collins has the after effects of a concussion & may not play this Sunday. That leaves Curtis Painter all by his lonesome. Dan Orlovsky was also worked out yesterday.
Chargers all-pro tight end Antonio Gates traveled across country on Tuesday to be examined by a foot specialist. His plantar faciitis isn't getting any better & there's concern this has become a never-ending, very painful condition. He & the Chargers want to know if he needs total rest for 3-4 weeks. Losing him completely changes the San Diego offense.
Reggie Bush is slowly but surely being squeezed out of playing time by rookie Daniel Thomas. The Kansas State product has out rushed Bush 202-69 & Thomas didn't dress for the first game. He's a much tougher runner between the tackles plus he's averaging nearly 3-yards more per reception. Bush got a new 2-year deal worth over $8 million to come to Miami, but I think his days as a Dolphin are numbered at season's end.
I got three emails yesterday wondering why I didn't mention Leonard Pope removing his helmet & drawing a 15-yard penalty? Three reasons, one, after a superb kickoff by Ryan Succop, the penalty didn't make a lot of difference. Two, during the lockout, Pope saved a kid's life by diving into a swimming pool fully dressed & grabbing him off the bottom of the deep end. Three & most importantly, I forgot, which happens a lot nowadays.
Kansas City fullback Le'Ron McClain made a bold prediction on Twitter yesterday. He said the Chiefs would win the next five games. Let's examine his prediction shall we?
Game 1--Minnesota, currently 0-3, so it's certainly possible.
Game 2--at Indianapolis, they're a mess too & Brodie Croyle could be their QB.
Bye Week
Game 3--at Oakland, sorry Le'Ron, don't see it, but hey, it's Oakland, you never know.
Game 4--San Diego on MNF, possible.
Game 5--Miami, also 0-3 right now so a win is absolutely possible.
Game 6 is Denver at Arrowhead, so if McClain's right, they could make it 6 in a row. They better win the lion's share of these upcoming games, because the meat grinder starts after the Denver game:
At New England on MNF
Pittsburgh on SNF
at Chicago
at New York Jets
Green Bay
Oakland
Realistically, I doubt Kansas City wins three of the next six, but I could be wrong, I hope I am. It's possible the Oliver Luck sweepstakes could come down to the last week of the season which looks like this:
Kansas City at Denver
Jets at Miami
Indy at Jacksonville
Seattle at Arizona
On September 25th 2006, the New Orleans Saints returned to the Louisiana Superdome to play for the first time in 21-months. It was the first post-Katrina home game. It was a Monday night game & was about as electric as it comes inside that building. Everyone in the country, with the exception of Georgians & Falcon bettors, were rooting for the Saints that night. Atlanta received the opening kickoff but went three & out & in came punter Michael Koenen. The ball was snapped & as Koenen stepped into his kick, New Orleans safety Steve Gleason flashed into the picture, blocking the punt into the endzone where it was covered by Curtis Deloatch for a touchdown. It was one of the most special moments in Saints history, right up there with Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal in 1970 & the now-famous onside kick after halftime in the Saints Super Bowl win. Gleason was with the Saints for 8-years & in that time, the guy from Washington State, started a foundation that helped Louisiana kids. After Katrina, he raised over $500,000 to buy backpacks & fill them with school supplies for students returning to school. He is a cherished member of the New Orleans community for his efforts. After his retirement in 2007, he attended Tulane University to earn a masters in business. But this past January, Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He received support from many of his old teammates as well as the new Saints' players. Before kickoff Sunday, he was brought out to midfield & awarded one of the Saints' Super Bowl rings in an emotional ceremony. It's so wonderful when good things happen to really good people.
Gleason's famous punt block 9/26/06 Gleason receives his Super Bowl ring
As a non-native New Englander (my ancestors didn't arrive on the Mayflower), and former Missourian (land of Budweiser), I couldn't agree more with your recommendation of having Sam Adams be the official beer of Gillette Stadium. Or even Harpoon, another local brewery. Not that it matters to me. I sit at home and watch the games on TV, so I drink whatever beer I want, for a fraction of the Gillette Stadium price.
As usual, I'm loving both your radio show and your blog. So glad football season has rolled around again. All the hyperventilating about the Red Sox historic collapse is so tiresome. You'd think that their appearance in the playoffs (or lack thereof) was a life and death matter. Plus, you don't write about baseball, which is a little bit sad for me, since I always hearing your in-person commentary at Royals' games.
Reply to this
Sadly, being a Chiefs fan almost requires a Sunday 12-pack of something, anything.
I can't imagine the extent of hand wringing & anxiety over tonight's Sox game. Talk about needing a few drinks. It'll all be over in a few hours, unless a 1-game playoff is required, can you say Bucky Dent?
Reply to this
Hi Rich!
Great call on NOT calling out Leonard Pope. Didn't matter anyway. However, kicker Ryan Succop needs to be called out and done so loudly. His issues in accuracy go back to beginning of pre-season.
Mr. Pioli continues to operate with a revolving door policy; Anthony Becht is released and coming in is... Jake O'Connell.
SHARP!
Reply to this