Icing on the Cake

This past weekend, December 10th and 11th, will go down as one of the most notable weekends of 2011. What made this weekend so different you might ask? Well we had many different events occur, some good and some bad, that all combined for one incredible weekend. Let’s break it down a little but listing the highs and then the lows of this past weekend.

The first story to come out of this weekend was the announcement of the 2011 Heisman Trophy. This year’s race was one of the most competitive in recent years and the winner was Baylor’s very own Robert Griffin III, known to most as RG3. He was Baylor’s first, and possibly last, Heisman Trophy winner. Nobody can argue that he did not deserve it. He was second in the nation in total yards per game and led Baylor to a 7-3 record. Some people originally tried to argue that he lost 3 games, but I think the way you had to look at is that he helped Baylor ONLY lose 3 games this season. That is quite an accomplishment for a school that was the laughingstock of the Big 12 for many years. He has led the team to its best record in nearly 20 years. It was not just incredible what he did, it was who he as able to do it against. He put up huge numbers against some of the best teams and defenses in the nation including Oklahoma and the top ten defense of the Longhorns. His game against Texas was the clincher. The second play of the game he found a sprinting wide receiver over the top of the defense for a 60 yard bomb and his numbers just continued to grow from there. He is projected to be a top ten pick in the 2012 NFL draft and I think there are a lot of teams who see him as a Michael Vick type athlete with a much better arm, but only time will tell.

The second best moment of the weekend was Tim Tebow leading the Broncos to another incredible, unbelievable, unfathomable…you get the point, come from behind victory against the Chicago Bears. For 57 minutes, the Broncos looked stagnant, going 3 and out many times. For the final 3 minutes, they looked incredible. Tebow was making great passes, McGahee was running over defenders, and the defense was making big stops. It helped that Marion Barber become the goat and made some absolutely idiotic mistakes, but that is just how Denver wins. They keep a game relatively close, Tebow makes big plays late, and they rely on a little luck to get them over the top. Now the Broncos, who at one point were 2-5, are 8-5 and division leaders with just 3 games to go. Of course if you ask John Elway, Tebow is still a week by week decision. I will avoid all of the religious talk that goes into a normal Tebow discussion and I believe that Tebow really is just that clutch.

The final highlight of the weekend was the Houston Texans, on their third string QB, clinching their division and making the playoffs for the first time ever. The Texans were introduced to the NFL in 2002 and they brought professional football back to the city that had been without a team since 1996 when the Oilers headed for Tennessee. The Texans first draft pick was David Carr and the city was buzzing. The Texans started their inaugural season by beating the Dallas Cowboys in their first ever regular season game. They would eventually go 18-46 over their first four seasons under the leadership of Dom Capers and after a coaching change that brought Gary Kubiak into that role in 2006 the team has had more up and down seasons. Before this season, the Texans best overall record was 8-8 but this season, with a dominating defense and an incredible ground game of Arian Foster and Ben Tate, the Texans are sitting at 10-3 and in the driver seat for a first round bye and possible home field advantage through the AFC playoffs. What makes this feat even more incredible is how they have been able to continue to win with all of the problems that have plagued them this year. Yes we know the Colts have had their issues, but the Texans have had no cake walk to get to the record they are at. Let’s start with the defense. They statistically have one of the best defenses in the league this year and this is happening with their best player, Mario Williams out for the season. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle early in the season and will not return this year. They were able to add some key players in the secondary and they have been able to have a great season so far. The injury bug has hit the offensive side of the ball even harder. The first issue this season was the health of Arian Foster. He was sidelined early but has healed completely and returned stayed a consistent force in the backfield. Andre Johnson has battled issues all season with pulled muscles and has only been completely healthy for a handful of games. The biggest blow to the offense came in their week 10 victory of Tampa Bay where the quarterback Matt Shaub broke his foot and has been placed on the IR list for the remainder of the season. So what do the Texans do? They bring in Matt Leinart as the starter and he goes down with a broken collarbone the following week. “No problem!” says Houston, “we have rookie TJ Yates.” Yates has stepped up and has continued to win for the Texans including a come from behind victory this weekend in Cincinnati, in which Yates drove down the field and threw the game winning TD with 2 seconds left on the game clock. The touchdown won the game, the division, and millions of football fans around the state of Texas who never were quite ready to believe in this team.

Lets turn things around and look at a few disappointing events that took place this past weekend and we will start with Saturday afternoon when Xavier and cross-town rival Cincinnati took the court in a heated basketball game. If you missed the end of the game then you missed a terrible fight between the two schools. It started with verbal jabs thrown at each other and ended with one player having his face bloodied from a punch and kick to the eye. The game was called with 9 seconds remaining and after the carnage was reviewed, it was determined that 8 players total would receive suspensions ranging from 1 game up to 6 games for two of the players. It was a terrible display of sportsmanship that never should have occurred. The officials did not call a bad game, but the coaches allowed immature freshmen to stay on the court when it was obvious things were about to get out of hand. The first people to throw the punches were these freshmen. I bet they think twice before doing that again…that’s if the coach even lets them put a Cincinnati jersey back on. If you saw the postgame interview you would know what I mean about that last statement. Go YouTube it, it’s classic.

The second biggest disappointing story to develop over the weekend was news that NL MVP Ryan Braun had failed a test for performance enhancing drugs. This comes as shocking news especially after the MLB has done so much in the past couple of years to try to fix its image that was terribly damaged when we it was discovered that many of the biggest names in the sport had also used these drugs during their careers. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and the list just grows from there. When news first broke about this failed test, Braun had a very well thought-out, obviously scripted, response of “It is BS!” Thank you for your respectable response and I hope you are correct. Braun has quickly become the face of the Brewers, but he will quickly become the new poster child for PED’s if this is not cleared up soon.

And to put the “icing” on the cake, we will conclude with Cowboys talk. For a second straight week the Cowboys have lost a very winnable game by missing a field goal at the end of regulation. If you watched either of these games, you saw the kicker gets “iced,” once by his coach and once by the Giants coach. Both times he made the first attempt and then missed when it actually mattered. They were both very makeable kicks, and Bailey had been lights out from all distances this year. Now they have become the joke of the NFC again after finding ridiculous ways to lose and are in a neck and neck race with the Giants for the division title. Just when we thought they had turned a corner and could become legit playoff contenders, they do something this bad and remind us that they are still just the Dallas Cowboys.

This weekend was filled with highs and lows, award winners, accusations against award winners, blocked kicks, and realized dreams. Each week we see new and incredible stories come from sports but very rarely do we see so many of these stories all in the span of 48 hours. These stories are not finished however. The Cowboys still must find a way to win, RG3 will now have to show he can play in the pros, Braun will try to clear his name, and Tebow will continue to make headlines if he keeps finding ways to win. Until next weekend, enjoy these musings and let's see what can happen next.

- Edward Jennings

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Rookie Rollcall

Each year the NFL gets a new batch of rookies; many through the draft and then many more that are undrafted free agents. There are the big name first round picks such as Cam Newton and Von Miller and then there are the lesser known, late round picks, such as Jermale Hines who is a Safety out Ohio State who was drafted by the Rams in the fifth round. Yes, I had to dig deep to find that name. Each year the NFL draft includes 7 rounds and normally each team gets at least one pick that round, barring any draft pick trades and such. That means there are approximately 224 players drafted each year. Obviously not all of these rookies make the team and many start out on the practice squad, but then we have those that do make the team, end up in the starting lineup at some point that first year and quickly become household names.

There have been many notable draft selections in recent years including the #1 pick in 2007 Adrian Peterson who has been a force from day one in the league. On the complete opposite end of the draft board we have Marque Colston, also known as Mr. Irrelevant, who was drafted with the 252nd pick of the 2006 draft by the New Orleans Saints. Colston has been impressive from the get go as well. He quickly become a starter for the Saints and with Drew Brees throwing the ball to him, he has become a regular early round pickup in many fantasy football leagues. There have also been many big draft picks that turned sour very quickly including Maurice Clarett, the third round pick by the Broncos in 2005, who now happens to be a first round pick for most jailhouse football games. Everyone knows about David Carr, the 11th overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Houston Texas. If you’re wondering about his current whereabouts, he is the one leaning over to pick Eli Manning up off the ground after he gets throttled by the Packers this week. This list of draft duds could go on for many pages but that is not why you are here. We are here to break down the 2011 NFL draft and get an idea of who has earned their paychecks so far and who is just hoping to keep their paycheck next week. Let’s start at the top with the first pick this year, Cam Newton. Even the average football fan has most likely heard of the stats that this guy is putting up so far…well all stats not based on wins. Cam, thru 13 weeks, has 239 completions for a total of 3,093 yards. That is good for 7th in the league and is in front of names such as Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan. Not too bad for a rookie QB in the NFL, but it his work on the ground that has been most impressive. So far this season, he has carried the ball 86 times for a total of 456 yards. That does not sound too great but when you consider that he is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, you realize how impressive it is for a QB, much less a rookie. You would imagine that for all the running he has done he has probably scored a few touchdowns as well and yes you would be absolutely correct. He has rushed for a whopping 10 TDs so far with is third in the league…out of EVERYONE. The only two people ahead of him in that department are LeSean, “I have four capital letters in my name,” McCoy and Adrian Peterson, no surprise there. With McCoy having already played this week and Peterson out for the game against Denver Sunday, Cam may even catch those two this week. If you’re looking for a rookie QB that has been performing well AND winning then look no further that the red headed Horned Frog leading Cincinnati’s reemergence. Andy Dalton has been the starter from day one for the Bengals, thanks in large part to Carson Palmer waking up and realizing he was still living in Ohio when he could be living in Cali. Dalton has put up a very respectable 2,509 yards passing and has 16 TD passes but more importantly he has his Bengals team at a very impressive 7-4, two losses to Baltimore and Pittsburg both decided by less than one score, and is in the thick of the AFC playoff race. You can not say the same for the Cam’s Panthers team with its 3-8 record. In Cam’s defense, his defense has not played very well and they were very close to knocking off the Packers and several other high profile teams. Did I mention that Dalton was not even the Bengals first pick this season? That honor would go to AJ Green who was taken with the 4th overall pick this season. Green has also been one of those impressive rookie players on the offensive side of the ball this season. He has 44 receptions for 735 yards and nearly 17 yards per catch. He has also converted 6 of those catches into touchdowns for the Bengals.

Now let’s get a bit defensive. The obvious choice for defensive rookie of the year has to be the Broncos OLB Von Miller, taken second overall in this year’s draft. Through 13 weeks, Miller has an outstanding 10.5 sacks which is tied for 4th in the league and only DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, and Jason Babin have more sacks. That is some pretty scary company to be in. Miller has also forced 2 fumbles and has helped the Broncos defense become one of the best in the league this year. This monster will be seen in many quarterback’s nightmares for years to come. The 5th overall pick in this year’s draft was Patrick Peterson out of LSU. The Cardinals have been blessed to have this man returning punts for them this year and he has quickly become a force. He averages just over 18 yards per return and has a league leading 4 TD’s. To put that into perspective a little, Devin Hester only has two TDs from punt returns.

We can’t look at all the great rookie performances without throwing in some of the high profile picks that have been less than impressive so far. The Lions first round pick Nick Fairley, who dominated quarterbacks at the college level, was supposed to come in and instantly help the Lions defense. Due to injuries, however, he has only played in six games and only has 6 total tackles to his name. We won’t call him a dud yet but he has a lot to prove over the last 5 weeks if he wants to show he was worth the first round selection. Looking further down the draft order we see a couple of quarterbacks that were taken early and have yet to really produce. Blaine Gabbert, the starter for the Jaguars, has failed to get the job done so far and was even benched this past Sunday against the Texas. Colin Kaepernick…don’t know who that is? Taken with the 4th pick in round 2 by the 49ers, Colin has worn a baseball cap on the sideline more than he has worn his own helmet. It is not all his fault. Alex Smith is having a pretty decent year and San Fran only has two losses so it would be ridiculous to think anyone else besides Smith should be starting.

We still have a lot to learn from the 2011 draft class but so far it has been filled with many players destined to be stars and many other players who may soon be bagging groceries at the local 7-11. One thing we do know for sure, with the incredibly reduced rookie payroll, all teams are getting their money's worth from their rookie starters.

- Edward Jennings

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Take Your Pick- Week 12

Week twelve isn’t the best time to start a “take your picks” game, but here we go. Seeing as were so tardy, lets jump right into it. We pick every NFL game (excluding two this week), one bonus question for points, and two purely for giggles. Rules are as follows:

· +1 pt. for correct prediction (no penalty for missed calls)

· +1 for correct bonus, -1 for incorrect bonus

· Pick no more than 3 lines, +1 for correct prediction, no penalty for a miss

Please feel free to comment and/or criticize!

Matchup	Line	The Milkman	Jack Hamburger	Edward Jennings	Hackattack
San Francisco @ Baltimore	BAL by 3.0	San Francisco	Baltimore	San Francisco	San Fransisco
Cleveland @ Cincinnati	CIN by 8.0	Cincinnati	Cincinnati	Cincinnati	Cincinnati
Minnesota @ Atlanta	ATL by 9.5	Atlanta	Atlanta	Atlanta	Atlanta
Tampa Bay @ Tennessee	TEN by 3.5	Tampa Bay (+)	Tennessee	Tampa Bay	Tennessee
Carolina @ Indianapolis	CAR by 3.0	Carolina	Carolina	Carolina	Carolina (+)
Arizona @ St. Louis	Even	Arizona	St. Louis	Arizona	Arizona
Buffalo @ New York Jets	NYJ by 9.0	New York	New York	New York	New York
Houston @ Jacksonville	HOU by 3.5	Houston(+)	Houston(+)	Houston (+)	Houston (+)
Chicago @Oakland	OAK by 4.0	Oakland	Oakland	Oakland	Oakland
Washington @ Seattle	SEA by 3.5	Seattle	Seattle(+)	Washington	Washington
New England @ Philadelphia	NE by 3.5	New England (+)	Philadelphia	New England (+)	New England
Denver @ San Diego	SD by 6.0	San Diego	San Diego (+)	San Diego (-)	San Diego (+)
Pittsburg @ Kansas City	PIT by 10.5	Pittsburg	Pittsburg	Pittsburg	Pittsburg
New York Giants @ New Orleans	NO by 7.0	New York	New Orleans	New Orleans	New Orleans(+)
Bonus: UT @ TAMU (+1 for line only)	TAMU by 7.5	TAMU +	TAMU -	TAMU -	xxx
*** Turkey or Ham		Ham	Turkey	Ham	Turkey
*** Mila Kunis or Scarlet Johansson		Mila Kunis	Scarlet Johansson	Mila Kunis	Mila Kunis with Scarlet Johansson’s boobs

12 pts 12 pts 14 pts 15 pts

(+) Cover the spread (-) Not cover the spread (***) No points awarded (xxx) entry not accepted

Seeing as it is Thanksgiving and I am thankful for friends and family, I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from my father to kick this game off, “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” Until next week, gobble gobble.

--- The Milkman

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Whatcha Drinkin’?

Here we are two thirds of the way through an NFL season that almost wasn’t. With five weeks remaining on the schedule and with playoff pictures slowly taking shape, the only think that is clear is that the NFC, at least for this season, has surpassed the AFC as the dominant conference in the NFL. Beyond that, I’m not sure what to make of it. Tebow is winning, the Texan’s are atop the AFC with third stringer/rookie T.J. Yates set to start, and the Lions are regressing due in part to their inability to keep a running back healthy. With so many uncertainties, let’s stick to what we know. I’ll hit some hot topics and tell you what punch I’m drinking, and what I wouldn’t touch.

Tim Tebow

Anyone surprised to see him on this list? Ok, probably not. He’s one of the most polarizing NFL figures since Mike Vick and Brett Favre. Retired NFL QB Jake “The Snake” Plummer was recently quoted saying “I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I'll like him a little better”. How should that figure into your opinion of him? Well, it shouldn’t but I do think he speaks for a lot of Tebow haters. Let’s throw out some numbers. The Bronco’s are giving up 8 fewer points per game with Tebow in the starting lineup. Maybe it’s the lack of turnovers or maybe Denver’s defense simply decided to step up. Broncos with Orton and Brandon Lloyd : 1-4. Bronco’s with Tebow and they’re professional impersonation of a NCAA offense: 5-1. Concerning yardage, they are 31^st with the pass (153 yards/game), 1^st with the run (160 yards/game), 17^th against the pass (235 yards/game), and 18^th against the run (121 yards/game). So what the verdict? DRINK UP! If Tebow is serving it, I’m taking seconds without asking questions. Set aside the fact that they have managed to go from 1-4 to 6-5 with a quarter back averaging a 45.5 completion percentage and 80.5 QB rating. I know the wins look good but the completion and qb rating is nasty. Consider the fact that his touchdown to turnover ratio isn’t shabby at 11 to 3. Compare this to Orton’s ratio of 8 to 9. The guy doesn’t turn the ball over. I bet that stat isn’t news to his defense. This offense is probably a fad like the wildcat (I know its still ran, but is it nearly as effective anymore?). The way he commands his team and wills a win late in the game must be comforting to the other 10 men in the huddle. Is he the future? Maybe not. Can he become a “true” NFL QB? He already is. He wins and leads his team. I’m pretty sure that’s high on his job description. Bottom line is they are winning here and now and Tebow has his team set to make a play off push. Drink up doubters!

Bob Costas’s half time report

If you saw the Sunday night game, and held your bladder through halftime, I’m sure you took notice of the montage depicting many of the infamous TD “celebrations” of recent years. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good celebration. There is certainly a time in the game when some sweet dance moves are acceptable. Many would argue that the NFL is a “no fun” league since they are chipping away at the acceptable celebrations. Stevie Johnson’s celebration was flagged, not because it was in poor taste, but because he went to the ground during the celebration. Jared Allen’s hogtie sack dance faced an alteration when league officials made it known last season that he would be penalized if knelt during the celebration. So how do I feel about Costas’s words regarding celebration dances? DRINK UP! I’m not saying don’t celebrate, but there is a time and place for it. Sure the “what’ll he do next” aspect is fun and I fancy a player with a flair for the dramatic, but there is something about the way they had the clips strung together that made me step back and say “what a clown”. Brown’s receiver, Josh Cribbs, interacts often with fans. He recently had a dance planed, and had his fans tuned in. Did it happen, no. Why? Cribbs later tweeted, “Sorry no dance had to get ready for kickoff”. Here is a player that seems to get it. Stevie’s celebration was definitely in poor taste, and I know I’m not the first to draw attention to the implications of his infraction, but I won’t be the last. Not only was it distasteful, but it was poor timing. It gave the Jets a short field as they prepared to take it in for the second half. Who scored the ensuing touchdown?… none other than Plaxico “Cheddar Bob” Burress. Icing on the cake? A four point win. I wonder if anybody is thinking about the difference a first half-ending field goal would have made. When you plan your celebration around the opposing players troubled past, it leaves you little time to reflect on how many big drops, and big mistakes you have made. Let’s save some time and tell you how I feel about Stevie Johnson and his apology, POUR IT BACK! There are many more big drops by Stevie still to come, a fitting end to a disappointing season thus far. The kids has potential and lots of it, but right now he is known more for his big drops than his big catches. Hey, Stevie, “Why so serious”?

New York Jets

J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets! Another win and they’re in second in the AFC. With a corner that you dare not throw against in Derell Revis, and a great defensive football mind like Rex Ryan, you would think they would be better than 6-5. No they are not out of it, far from it. Will they win their division, probably not, seeing as the Pats are 8-3 with no signs of stopping. Do they have to win their division to make the play off this year? No, the AFC is down this year. As it sits, they are behind Pittsburg and Cincy in the AFC wild card picture, and are tied with Tennessee and Denver at 6-5. Yet, the offense moved this week, with Sanchez throwing 4 touchdowns to his lowly one interception and a 90.5 QB rating. A team with a .defense like the Jets have (on paper) does not need a great quarterback. Let’s stop Rex before he takes the podium to promise another AFC title game. DON’T DRINK THAT!!! Sanchez threw the ball thirty five times, and the jets only ran it twenty three times. Is this the same Jets team that made a living on the ground last season? The same team whose coach said he would get back to the ground game. Evidently in the toe sucking, cryptic world Rex lives in GQ=QB. I see no reason to think the Steelers and Ravens won’t both make the play offs. I’m not crazy about the Titans, nor do I think the Bengals will make it (that would make a great story though). I’ll take the field on this one.

Dwayne Bowe

The kid was great at LSU, and he’s great in KC. He’s had plenty of moments we could point to and say “this kid is really something”. We won’t though. Did you see the last play of KC’s final drive Sunday? Say it with me, DON’T DRINK THAT!!! Yea Palko isn’t Brady, nor is he Tebow. Those guys win late. You know what though; their receivers make plays for them. Well, in Tebow’s case it might be a down field block. Bowe’s performance on the final play spoke volumes. Did Palko miss his spot, yes. If it’s on target is Bowe hung out to dry with a target on his ribs, yes. Did Bowe throw his arms up in an attempt to at least bat down the ball, no. Do something, please! If you don’t want to go down with the likes of James Thrash step it up and don’t be Downy soft. In a league inundated with technology, and a world where we can YouTube Chase Daniel’s eating his boogers on the Mizzou sideling, Bowe’s young career hardly needed a blemish like this. Was he set to get rocked; most assuredly so. The game was on the line though. Down 13-6, the Chiefs needed a touchdown on a last effort drive and Bowe threw his hand up like he was open. He went up, but evidently didn’t feel the pass was worthy as he held his arms close to his side. His grade for the game? I can’t even be cheesy and say “E for effort”, the kid gets an F. F for the foul taste it left in the viewers’ mouths.

As always, hate it or love it let us know. We’re my stats wrong? I’ve been wrong before, let me know. We’re my opinions wrong? Don’t be silly, but feel free to respond. Here at TryThePunch, we welcome all responses. We’ll admit when were wrong, but don’t hold your breath. As always, grab a cup and take a seat.

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One Last Hoorah

As a native Texan I feel like it’s somewhat unusual to find an avid sports fan around here who doesn’t have a true allegiance to either Texas A&M or the University of Texas. Growing up in Houston I didn’t have as much interest in football as basketball since I was a young Duke and Rockets basketball fan in their heydays. However, in lieu of recent events I have found myself taking sides like never before. I have narrowed down my reasons for this to a few main points.

From the beginning, I was not a fan of A&M’s move to the SEC. It still seems like a knee-jerk reaction out of jealousy over UT signing a fat contract with ESPN for the Longhorn Network (no matter how badly it could fail). As a relatively neutral observer, I don’t get it. I’ve tried to look at it from the financial standpoint, but the benefits are truly minimal for individual schools. Not to mention how tough the competition in the SEC is. On top of it all, the school is knowingly putting an end to what they admit to being a great rivalry.

It was clear that A&M was going all-in with this home finale against their archrival. They were ready to walk out of Kyle Field with a win and gloat forever about how they were better than Texas University. That would be conveniently forgetting that Texas has 75 victories to A&M’s 37 in the all-time series coming into the last Thanksgiving meeting for the foreseeable future.

Within the context of the last 15 years, while both have had successful runs, there is no question which school has produced more prominent players at both levels and won more big games; The University of Texas. Texas has gone 3-1 in BCS games, including their 2005 National Championship and 7 Conference titles. In the same time period the Aggies have 3 Conference titles and a loss to Ohio State in the 1998 Sugar Bowl.

Many times in this state I feel hesitant to rag on A&M as a neutral fan, and until recently I never had any real reason to. Today though, I think it is appropriate to mention that the way Texas A&M has handled this ugly break-up has been less than exceptional. As many have already mentioned, the only result I can hope for is an eventual renewal of one of the best rivalries in college sports.

- Jack Hamburger

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The Implications of an Injury

Injuries are not just a part of the game, they can often rewrite the game completely. They can wreck one player’s career, while jump starting another’s into super stardom. There have been many instances throughout NFL history where a player has suffered a season ending injury, went through 9 months of rehab, got back into playing shape and then return to find his spot has been filled by some up and comer who has suddenly made a name for himself. At this point in the conversation you are probably thinking about one person in particular. I can’t think of his name but he plays for the Patriots and has a wife who has dabbled a little in modeling. Ok, ok, enough joking around, we all know who I am talking about. Tom Brady, the man who set the standard for QB play in the 21^st century, was only given that opportunity because of a season ending injury to another QB. Drew Bledsoe was the starter for the Patriots in 2001 when he suffered internal bleeding while playing their week 2 opponent, the NY Jets. Brady was called off the bench to take over and the rest is history. He had a few rough games at first but quickly found his footing and…well we will let the numbers tell the story from there. He is two time MVP (2008, 10), holds or is tied for over 40 different NFL records, including fewest starts to reach 100 wins (131 starts) and most career Super Bowl completions with 100. He has won 3 Super Bowls and 2 Super Bowl MVP awards and still one of the most feared players in the NFL; not to mention his, super hot, supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen. The irony with Tom Brady’s situation is that when he went down with an injury 3 years ago, it allowed Matt Cassel the chance to step up and make a name for himself. He did just that and is now a starter in Kansas City, well sort of. He is out for the season with an injury now but fortunately for him, his job will probably be there when he returns next season.
On the other hand, as Indianapolis has shown us this year, the season ending injury to a player can also be the worst thing that could happen. We all know that Payton Manning is out for the season and we can also see that the Colts are, as Charles Barkley would say, just “TURRIBLE.” They have yet to win a game this season, and for most games, they have not even been competitive. Kerry Collins tried to help but that backfired and it allowed Painter to show us that he is no better of an option. To my knowledge it has never been done before, but can we all agree that Payton Manning may be the most valuable player NOT PLAYING this season? This all brings up the very interesting question of whether or not the Colts should take Andrew Luck in the 2012 draft or will they stick with the hope that Payton Manning will be back to his old self next year. There is no way that Payton will allow them to draft Luck if he is still a Colt next year which makes us wonder just how much control he actually has with the front office. My guess is he will be their QB next year but Luck will be sitting on the sidelines with a headset on ready for his Tom Brady moment. If the Colts do not take him he may very well fall 4 or 5 spots to Washington or Miami. At the moment, I don’t see Carolina, Minnesota, or St. Louis ready to drop their future QB to bring in another rookie, although it would be a lot cheaper now with the new rookie pay grade.
Let’s throw out a few more injuries situations that have changed a team for better or for worse. Multiple WR injuries in Dallas allowed for Miles Austin to have a breakout game and now is he considered one of the top receivers in the league…when healthy. This brings me to HIS replacement this season, Laurent Robinson. The 5^th year wide receiver out of Illinois State has bounced around the league before landing this season in Dallas but only because of the injury to Austin. He has done nothing but make big plays this season including 7 touchdowns in just the past 5 games. He took his opportunity and ran with it and at the same time has helped Dallas win their last four games and take over the division lead. On the other hand, injuries to the running game in Cleveland, mainly Peyton Hillis, have drastically hurt the Browns chances of winning many games for the foreseeable future. One winner that has risen due to an injury is running back Michael Bush. We all knew he would decent but with Darren McFadden on the sidelines, Bush has been a major workhorse for the Raiders and he may be about to get a nice little raise in the near future.
A shot to Carson Palmer’s knee in the AFC playoffs in 2005 against the Ravens cost the Bengals a legitimate shot at a title that year and the Bengals were not able to recover from that for several years and Palmer appears to just now be finding his stride again but with a new team. Speaking of that new team, a season ending injury to Jason Campbell of the Oakland Raiders allowed them to bring in Palmer and continue winning as they currently are the division leaders at 6-4.
These injuries can cause a chain reaction of events that can often be felt three or four teams deep. For instance, Matt Cassel is out for the season and the Chiefs have picked up Kyle Orton on waivers. Let’s say he suddenly finds his own teammates more often than the safeties and they win 5 of their last 6 games and just barely miss the playoffs. So now we have a dilemma at the QB position next season and maybe the Chiefs decide to go with Kyle Orton. Matt Cassel is good enough to start for many teams and so now suddenly the Dolphins go after him and sign him to a 6 year deal worth more money that you can fathom ever having. They no longer will go after Andrew Luck and suddenly the Redskins are salivating at the opportunity to draft him with the 6^th pick. This now leaves Grossman and Beck looking for new homes next season. These two guys are not the worse pick for QB and there will be teams looking at signing them. Just like that, one injury has caused a chain reaction affecting potentially 5 or more teams.
So as you can see, an injury to an NFL star never affects just that player. It affects the team and in many instances those affects can be felt more many years and can lead to many years or misery or joy, depending on if you’re a team like New England or a team such as the Colts. I could go into the effects this has on Fantasy Football owners but as I have said before, we have all been there and dealt with that. Losing a starting QB to a season injury can be as devastating as losing your dog to old age. You knew it could happen but you just felt it would never happen to you.

-Edward Jennings

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