REMEMBERING BLACKHAWKS CENTER TROY MURRAY WHO ALWAYS WILL BE A CHICAGOAN

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Some professional athletes that play their game in your town for so many ‘X’ amount of years then linger around after their career is over. You feel like they are part of the city. They are a citizen of your town. Many athletes come to your town, get paid for what they do, and leave for another city. Many don’t even stay during the off-season. Like Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, there is no place like home. For 12 seasons, Troy Murray skated for the Blackhawks in the NHL and was the team that drafted him in the 3rd round in the 1980 draft. When Murray finished his NHL career, he was not done playing hockey. He suited up 1 more season for the minor league hockey team in Chicago, the Wolves, who played at the time for the IHL (International Hockey League.) After 16 years of professional hockey, Troy, nicknamed “Muzz,” took another job with the Blackhawks as one of the team’s broadcasters. He was a hockey analyst giving the Blackhawks fan base the insight of the game from 1998 until he recently as he passed away after battling cancer the last 5 years. Troy Murray was part of Chicago and the sports landscape for 45 years. He is also a guy we lost way too early at the age of 63.

Troy Murray started his NHL career during the 1981-’82 season making his debut for only 1 game. His NHL career ended playing his final year for the Colorado Avalanche where he helped them win a cup. That is a nice way to ride off into the sunset because that was the only Cup he would ever hoist in his professional hockey career. Murray played hockey before the Blackhawks at University of North Dakota, where he helped the Fighting Hawks win the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship in 1982. From 1980-82 he played in 80 games for the Fighting Hawks scoring 55 goals while dishing out 74 assists for 129 points. He then would go from the Fighting Hawks to the Blackhawks. Murray was from Calgary, Alberta in Canada where most hockey players are factory-made. In 15 seasons in the NHL, he suited up for 5 different franchise which also included the Jets, Senators, and the Penguins. He had two stints with the Blackhawks. He missed playing with the Blackhawks team that made it to the Stanley Cup with the Penguins by one season which was the 1991-’92 season. The first time he left the Blackhawks organization as a player, his last season was 1990-’91. He was a center by trade. He was awarded the Frank J Selke award being the top defensive forward for his play in the 1985-’86 season. That season was by far the best season he had in the NHL. That year he scored 45 goals and had 99 points for the Blackhawks. During his career he did hit 20 or more goals in a season a total of 5 times. With the Blackhawks points-wise he did the most damage on the back of his hockey card with 197 tallies, dishing out 291 passes for goals, and accumulating 488 total points. For his career in played in 915 NHL games. Lit the lamp 230 times while dishing out 354 assists which tallies up to 584 points.

During the 1980’s and early 90’s the Blackhawks were always a fixture in the post-season it seemed. Back then the Blackhawks owner was Bill Wirtz and he was a terrible owner. The only way to watch the Blackhawks on television were only their road games and they were on cable, not regular TV. The home games were blacked out. Only way to see them play was going to the game. They were a hard ticket to buy back then. Especially for someone like my father, who was raised during the Great Depression. Troy Murray played with many great players during his time on the ice in Chicago. Like Dennis Savard, Eddie Belfour, Steve Larmer, Bob Murray, and the great Doug Wilson to name some of them. I think if the Blackhawks had a halfway decent owner at the time, his management may have went out and added to this core of players to make them Stanley Cup worthy. After being swept by the Penguins in the 1992 Stanley Cup finals, the Blackhawks went into the dark ages of one of the worst franchises in sports. It would be Bill Wirtz’s son after the passing of his father that helped get this original six franchise out of the dark ages in 2008 and 2009 when things started getting exciting again. They won the cup in 2010. That was the Blackhawks dynasty with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane which Troy Murray was part of because he was an analyst for the team. He would end up being around the Blackhawks hoisting more than one Cup during his time with the organization. Murray was also the President of the Blackhawks Alumni Association after his playing days came to an end. During the dark ages of the Blackhawks, the Wolves arrived at the perfect time. You saw Murray as the captain of the team. You saw former Murray’s teammates like Al Secord and Chris Chelios suit up for the Wolves who are still around today. The IHL folded up shop. The Wolves moved into the AHL which is the American Hockey League. The Wolves games were cheaper to go to than the Blackhawks. Many years it was well worth it seeing better hockey being played by the Wolves over the Blackhawks who were playing in front of crickets than actual fans.

In 2021, Troy Murray told everyone he was diagnosed with cancer. He still worked as a broadcaster for the Blackhawks in the last 5 seasons. He did not have the full tilt schedule he had so many years doing all the games. It’s far too young to pass away at the age of 63. Cancer has gotten many people in this world, which sucks. He will be missed on the airwaves. He had terrific insight in every game he called. He will never be forgotten wearing the Indian-head sweater and the Wolves. He was a solid player who gave it his best every game he played. Being from Canada, but always a Chicagoan in my book spending most of his life in this town for so many months a year. It counts. We lost a neighbor and I’m sure a friend at the same time. You may watch a game on the ice this weekend with a cold one. Make sure you raise a glass, can, or bottle to good ole number 19, Troy Murray. May he rest in peace and our prayers go out to his family.

THE SAINTS ADD SOME SOLID PIECES AROUND TYLER SLOUGH

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When Kellen Moore was hired to be the head coach of the New Orleans Saints last season, he was coming into a very difficult situation. After Moore’s short playing career on the gridiron came to an end with the Dallas Cowboys, he immediately went into coaching. The Cowboys gave him his first coaching job in the NFL. Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles when they stampeded over the Chiefs in Superbowl LIX and became one of the hotter coordinators which the Saints pounced on. Moore is only 37 years of age and took a job with the Saints with three young quarterbacks of whom two were drafted in the later rounds. Not one of them was drafted in the first round. The team was in salary cap hell. The Big Easy was not going to be easy for Moore who had his team in almost every game as they hit many bumps in the road along the way. It took until the middle of the season to finally find a quarterback out of three guys without much experience coming into the 2025 season. Moore, who was a former quarterback in the NFL, got the best results from rookie Tyler Shough. The Saints drafted him in the 2nd round as he played his college ball with Oregon University and Texas Tech. Shough would start 9 games, had a winning record of 5-4, and finished the season off strong.

In 2023 the Saints went out and signed veteran quarterback Derek Carr after the Raiders benched him in ’22 & then released him into the wild. It seems like back then the Saints were in salary cap hell. In ’23, Carr was supposed to be the team’s savior and get the Saints back to the post-season. The Saints just missed the post-season as Carr finished with a 9-8 record. In 2024 Carr would try again, started 10 games, and finished 5-5 for the season. His season was cut down short due to injury that would lead to his retirement after the season concluded. Those other seven games went to the young-en’s. Like Jake Haener who was drafted in the 4th round of the 2023 draft. He went to multiple schools, as he played college ball at Washington University and Fresno State. He lost his only start. Spencer Rattler received the most action out of the three young QB’s in ’24 & ’25. Rattler was drafted in the 5th round of the 2024 NFL draft. He also went to multiple schools as he played his college ball for Oklahoma and South Carolina University. He finished 0-6 for the season. Then Rattler would be Moore’s number 1 guy starting the 2025 season. After 8 games, Rattler did win his first ever NFL start. However he started 8 games and finished 1-7. Then Moore made the switch and found his starter with Tyler Shough.The Saints, who drafted a quarterback three straight seasons, finally hit pay dirt. Shough completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 passing yards. He threw 10 touchdown passes and did have 6 interceptions. The 26 year old showed you poise in the pocket. He showed he had great mobility as he used his legs on several plays for a touchdown or to extend the drives. The Saints won 4 straight games and 4 of their last 5 games to end the season. Let’s remember the Saints traded away one of their top playmakers in their receiving core at the deadline. The Seattle Seahawks acquired speedster Rashid Shaheed from New Orleans at the deadline. In Shough’s 9 games, he had some key injuries to some of his other playmakers on the offense. The Saints continue to march with Shough and Moore being the QB whisperer.

The Saints salary cap became less than a burden with some big names coming off the cap hitting the free agent market. The Saints made two interesting moves to give Moore’s offense more traction. The Saints signed 27 year old running back former Jaguar Travis Ehienne who went on a tear in the second half of last season. Travis is a Louisiana native as well and wanted to be closer to home. Then solidifying the offensive line with 28 year David Edwards who helped protect Josh Allen for the Bills the last three seasons. Etienne gets a 4 year deal worth 52 million. While Edwards also gets a 4 year deal worth 61 million. Etienne was drafted in 2021 and was a first round pick out of Clemson University by Jacksonville. Meanwhile Edwards is from my home state of Illinois where he hails out of a suburb called Downers Grove. He played his college ball at Wisconsin University. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2019 NFL draft by the LA Rams where he played 4 seasons and helped them win a Superbowl.

With the addition of Travis Ethienne, what will the Saints do with their other star running back Alvin Kamara? Kamara already has 9 seasons in the NFL. Kamara is a duel threat style running back who can run through the tackles and also catch the ball out of the back field while being productive. Karmara was reduced to only 11 games last year with injuries. He tallied up 471 rushing yards and caught 33 balls. With Kamara’s arrival in the league being drafted in 2017 by the Saints, he shared the load with Mark Ingram II. They formed a solid two-headed monster in the back field. Ethienne last year tallied 1,107 rushing yards and found the end zone 7 times. In 4 seasons he has tallied up 3,798 rushing yards and has 25 touchdowns. Kamara seems like that type of guy that would be okay with splitting the duties. Kellen Moore may get better production out of both running backs splitting up the carries or go with the hotter hand that game day. Kamara could be a nice 3rd down back. The Saints could also trade Kamara and get some draft capital for this April’s draft.

The Saints are residents in a terrible division with teams like the Panthers, Buccaneers, and the Falcons. The Saints finished the season last year in last place but beat the Panthers and Buccaneers. Panthers were swept by the Saints and won the division. These are some savvy moves by New Orleans landing a guy like David Edwards to reinforce the line who has a ton of playoff experience. Then adding a talented running back like Travis Ethienne automatically upgrades that position. The Saints have a number 1 receiver in Chris Olave who caught 100 balls last year for over 1,000 yards with 9 touchdown catches. If Tyler Shough continues to develop, this Saints team is marching in the right direction for a change.

THE RAVENS ADDING MAD MAXX IS THE TELL-TALE HEART BALTIMORE NEEDS TO FINISH GAMES

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The Baltimore Ravens have never in the history of their franchise traded a number one pick for a veteran player. The Ravens are looking for new ways to find an old format they used for plenty of years by establishing a solid defense. Just having Lamar Jackson, their best quarterback in franchise history, is not cutting the mustard to win it all. The purple and black old recipe was a psychopath like Ray Lewis storming your front door off the hinges and killing your quarterback while his friends murder your entire family. The Ravens have won Superbowls with middle tier quarterback play with veteran guys like Trent Dilfur and Joe Flacco. Jackson seems to vanish in the 4th quarter as the Ravens in the last 5 seasons have blown 16 leads. The ole purple and black defense can’t even protect two of those games that the Ravens had double digit leads in. Jackson would be too cool for school yucking it up with his posse on the sidelines thinking most of these games were in the bag. The Ravens fired their head coach John Harbaugh who helped win one of the Ravens’ two Superbowls. However he has not won one with Jackson as his quarterback. The Ravens went out & hired another defensive minded coach and added a disruptor to their defense. Another psychopath. A guy that can blow the doors off the opponent’s offensive line and kill the quarterback. The Ravens paid a dear price to acquire Mad Maxx Crosby from the Raiders. It will cost them two first round picks, one this season and the other in 2027. Now the Ravens have found a closer for the 4th quarter.

Maxx Crosby was perfect for the Oakland Raiders who drafted him in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL draft from Eastern Michigan. The name Maxx comes with an intimidating beard along with all the tattoos & wearing silver and black with the Raider logo on the helmet. Playing in front of a fan base that was called the Black Hole. He had to earn the nickname, Mad Maxx, which did not take long as he had 10 sacks in his first season. The Raiders moved to Las Vegas where Maxx has played the last 6 seasons. In 7 seasons Crosby has played in 110 games and has racked up 69.5 total sacks. He has racked up 278 solo tackles and has forced 11 fumbles. He has made 5 Pro-bowls in 7 seasons. Last year he played in 15 games in his last season wearing the silver and black. He had 10 sacks, 45 tackles, and forced 2 fumbles. The Raiders gave their beloved defensive lineman a 3 year extension worth 106.5 million. The Raiders had another clunker of a season and Mad Maxx was not liking his Thunderdome. He has only played in 1 career playoff game with the Raiders which was a loss in 2021. The Raiders management sent Crosby home before the season concluded, claiming he had a knee issue. He missed two games. Some think without Crosby on the field it helped the Raiders tank the rest of the season to land the number1 pick of this April’s draft. The Raiders ownership has done weird things with their star players like Crosby. They had a beef with Derek Carr as he was benched and was sent home instead of working out their issues with their star players. Crosby finishes 3rd all-time on the Raiders sack list.

Greg Townsend is number one tallying up 107.5 sacks. The great Howie Long is number 2 all-time on the silver and black list with 84 total sacks. Then Mad Maxx finished with 69.5. If he stayed with the Raiders you have to believe he would have broken Long’s and Townsend’s record.

Will opposing quarterbacks hear the heartbeat of the telltale heart louder in the 4th quarter with Mad Maxx Crosby on the field? The Ravens did not make post-season and their defense was freaking terrible the last two seasons. The last time the Ravens had a solid defense it was when Mike Macdonald was the team’s defensive coordinator. As you know he has been in Seattle only two seasons and the Seahawks have already won the Superbowl with a defense he established called the Darkside.

It was Seattle’s defense that played a huge part of winning the Superbowl several weeks ago. The Ravens went out and got one of the best defensive coordinators in the league to be the next team’s head coach as they hired Chargers’ Jessee Minter. Now adding Maxx Crosby to the present Ravens defense that includes a stud line backer in Roquan Smith and safety Mike Hamilton, the Ravens got a solid piece up front, in the middle, and back of their defense. Like the Ravens of the old with Ray Lewis in the middle. They had Ed Reed at the back end. Then Terrell Suggs rushing the QB. Those guys had other cast members which the Ravens will have to find. When it comes to finishing games, Maxx Crosby has 22.5 of his sacks in the 4th quarter. He has 17 tackles for a loss of yardage in the final 5 minutes of regulation. Lamar Jackson couldn’t win by himself. So they gave him wide receivers to help the passing game. Same results. They could still not win, so they went out and signed the best running back in the league in Derrick Henry. Same result – they could not win in post-season play. Jackson’s record in post-season is 3-5 which is not very impressive. Can Crosby change that?

The Ravens are paying Maxx Crosby a big amount of money and it’s costing them a lot in draft capital just to get his services.To rubs some salt on wounds from the strenuous salary cap of the Ravens after taking on Crosby’s contract. The Raiders may have added the last laugh after acquiring two first rounders from Baltimore. They signed the Ravens top offensive lineman center free agent, Tyler Linderbaum, to a big contract.

Welcome to salary cap hell as the Ravens will be living the dream. Believe me every team would want to have a Mad Maxx Crosby with a motor that never stops. I think his jersey will sell more than Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. I believe that Baltimore defense will get back to their old recipe with more sauce. I think this franchise needs a change at the quarterback position. Jackson will never win a Superbowl. The Seahawks won the big game with a guy in Sam Darnold that was going down First Round Bust Boulevard for several years. Jackson is a superstar in the NFL. He does not have the mentality to win the entire league. Crosby will not be the guy that gets Jackson to the promised land. It will be another quarterback that Mad Maxx will be riding with down Fury Road.

The Ravens management will see when the telltale heart starts growing louder & louder with Jackson’s failures. Until the mind set starts to explode with all the Jackson noise. In the end the signs were all over the woodwork, which they missed. Find someone that will take on Jackson’s contract. Then invest your money wisely. Find that guy like a Darnold. Improve the cast on that Fury Road defense. Then you will see the Ravens winning the Superbowl with their old format.

BILLS & BEARS HAMMER OUT A DEAL TO HELP EACH OTHER’S NEEDS

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The NFL trade market is heating up right before free agency starts. The Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills strike up a big time deal that both franchises hopes each side will benefit from. The Bills acquire wide receiver DJ Moore from the Bears along with a 5th round draft pick in 2026. Meanwhile the Bears get the Bills second round pick this April along with getting rid of Moore’s huge contract from the books. Did the Bills finally get a legit number 1 receiver since Stephon Diggs was sent packing a few seasons ago?

DJ Moore was drafted originally by the Carolina Panthers back in 2018 in the first round out of Maryland, 24th overall. Moore has played 8 seasons in the NFL – 5 with Carolina and three with the Bears. He is 28 years old. Last season he played in all 17 regular season games, caught 50 balls while tallying up 608 receiving yards, and hauling 6 touchdown passes. In 8 seasons in the NFL, Moore has caught 608 passes for 8,213 yards and has 41 receiving touchdowns. Moore has never made it to the NFL Pro-Bowl. He has racked over 1,000 receiving yards in 4 out of the 8 seasons he has played in the NFL. Last year playing in his first post-season games, in 2 games he was targeted 15 times & caught 11 balls. He had two touchdowns. In the OT game in the divisional round, it looked like he stopped his route short versus the Rams which led to Caleb Williams’ interception. Moore was part of a deal that landed the Panthers their first round quarterback in Bryce Young in a trade with the Bears. The two teams basically swapped number one picks as the Bears found their quarterback in Williams the next season after the Panthers picked Young in 2023.

The Chicago Bears had a magical season last year going deep into post-season. The Bears slayed their dragon finally beating the Packers twice in one season and one of those wins came in the post-season. Ben Johnson had done a terrific job in year one with the Bears. Finally, for the city of Chicago that has starved for a quarterback since the 1940’s when Sid Luckman played for the Bears. Chicago has seen quarterbacks but mostly they have been bad and not a franchise QB for years to come like Caleb Williams. Johnson has done wonders with Williams in only year 1 as Caleb will be in his third season in ’26. Why are the Bears trading one of Williams’ weapons away? The Bears benefited from an easy schedule last year. The team has plenty of needs on the roster. Especially on the defensive side. By trading Moore, the Bears salary cap loosens up. The Bears also released one of their stud linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds which will free up another 15 million dollars for the Bears. The Bears center, Drew Dalman, suddenly retired at the age of 27 after signing a 3 year deal to come to Chicago after playing for the Falcons. The Bears will need to address the center position. The Bears number 1 receiver is Rome Odunze. The Bears like how their other young receivers have blossomed in the NFL already with Jahdae Walker and Luther Burden III. The Bears could be shedding money off the books and collecting draft capital to pull off a big deal in the works. After making the playoffs, the Bears will differently get a tougher schedule this upcoming season. The Bears could use this available money and draft capital to plug in all the holes they have on this roster. To avoid looking like a pretender this upcoming season.

For the Bills it was another loss in heartbreaking fashion in post-season. This time it was not the Chiefs. It was the Broncos in OT in the AFC divisional round.

If Brandon Cooks comes down with this ball in OT vs the Broncos, Bills would have went to New England to play in the AFC Championship game. After that loss, the Bills owner axed their head coach in Sean McDermott. The new hire was in-house for the Bills in Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator. The Bills offense was still one of the tops in the NFL even with one of the worst receiving cores in the league. The Bills were riddled with injuries at that position. The team has counted on Keon Coleman, a 22 year old receiver, who completed his second season in the NFL from Florida State University, who the Bills selected in round two. He regressed in year 2. The Bills General Manager has tried to put a band aid on the position by gambling on average veterans which has not worked. The Bills had one legit receiver on their roster in Khalil Shakir. He thrives playing in the slot. The Bills had him doing a little bit of everything. Landing DJ Moore can put Shakir back in his comfort zone. Moore is yet another Carolina Panther connection as the Bills have feasted on that franchise’s coaches and players for several years now. Yes, Brady has worked with Moore back in their Carolina days.

The Bills are so desperate for a number one receiver you would have thought they could get Moore at a cheaper rate than giving up a 2nd round draft pick. Moore is coming off his lowest production season of his NFL career. He is 28 years of age and now will cost the Bills 24.5 million on the salary cap. Which the Bills are not in good shape with the salary cap. The Bills have plenty of their own free agents which they would like to bring a few of those guys back. If this deal works out, Moore is under contract through the 2029 season. I still would like the Bills to add another solid playmaker to the mix to go along with Moore and Shakir. I’d like to see the Bills bring back their two offensive linemen who will be testing the free agent market in center Connor McGovern and guard David Edwards. The Bills offensive line the last few years have been a staple of this team. The protection of Josh Allen is the most important thing. Plus, the line created holes for James Cook who won the league’s rushing title last year. The Bills GM, Brandon Beane, will have his work cut out for him this off-season, especially after this move by acquiring Moore from the Bears. The Bills still need defensive reinforcements for a new scheme they are putting down this upcoming season. Adding Moore will create more explosive plays the Bills lacked last season. Ben Johnson’s offense is run heavy at times with the two headed monster they have had at the running back position. The Bears have plenty of weapons all over the field which could have resulted in a down year for Moore stats-wise. In Buffalo it could be a total different story for Moore because right now he is the best receiver the team has. The Bills still have plenty of weapons with their tight ends and running backs. With Moore, defensive teams have to know where he is at all times. His addition gives Khalil Shakir less attention which could pay off in many ways. Joe Brady, like a Johnson in Chicago, has clever ways in the offensive scheme to use all his weapons. Right now I hate this move only for the money it will cost the Bills. This move is good for the Bears. I need to see another solid receiver option for the Bills this off-season while making sure that O-line does not suffer because of adding a high price receiver. This is a trade that could work out for both the Bears and Bills.

HOUSTON KNOWS THEY HAVE A PROBLEM ON OFFENSE

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The Houston Texans last season had one of the best defensive units in the entire NFL. The Texans dug themselves out of a gigantic hole in the first half of the season going 2-5 in the standings. Not until they leaned on that ferocious defense. The Texans won 9 straight games, finished 11-5, and clinched the top wild card spot in the AFC conference. The Texans went into Pittsburgh and gave the Steelers a beatdown in the wild card round of the post-season. Then in the divisional round, the Texans defense could not overcome the mistakes the offense made in New England. CJ Stroud has regressed since his rookie season as he threw 5 interceptions in New England as the Texans were eliminated from the post-season. If Stroud avoided three of those interceptions, maybe the Texans defense could have saved the day once again. The Texans could have certainly won the AFC Championship game by beating the Broncos without their starting quarterback Bo Nix if they got past the Patriots. One of the first moves made by the Texans this off-season was adding a solid running back as they acquired 28 year David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions.

One of the quarterback’s best friends besides the offensive linemen who protects them is a solid running back. The Texans averaged 108 yards per game last year which is good for number 22 in the entire NFL rankings from the 2025 season. The Texans ran the ball by committee with two backs last year. Houston used veteran running back Nick Chubb, who the Texans signed in the off-season. Chubb had some great years with the Browns but with a season ending injury in 2024, Cleveland elected not to re-sign him. Chubb averaged 4.1 yards per carry last year in his first and probably only year in Houston. The Texans relied more on their rookie running back Woody Marks down the stretch to give Houston more of a balanced offense. Marks only averaged 3.6 yards per carry. The Texans still have Joe Mixon, the former Bengal, on their team but he missed the entire season with a foot injury. The Lions are breaking up their two headed monster they had going on the last few seasons with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. He who certainly is climbing the charts as being one of the best running backs in the NFL. In return the Texans send the Lions two draft picks and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. Those draft picks are a 4th round selection in this April’s draft and a 7th round pick in 2027. The Lions did not make it to post-season last year. Montgomery was not happy last season with a reduced role. He played all 17 games but had the lowest amount of carries in one season of his entire career.

David Montgomery was originally selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2019 NFL draft in the 3rd round from Iowa State University. Montgomery would play four seasons in Chicago as the number 1 back on bad teams. In 2023 as a free agent, he would sign with one of the Bears arch-rivals in the NFC North, the Lions. In three seasons with the Lions, Montgomery had scored 33 touchdowns and tallied up 2.506 rushing yards. The Lions were in the post-season in back-to-back years. People would look at you funny if you told them the Lions would be in post-season in back-to-back years. Lions football has been dead in Detroit for decades before those two seasons in ’23 & ’24. Montgomery was one of the cogs that worked well in Ben Johnson’s offense as the Lions have been one of the high scoring teams over the last few seasons. Johnson left Detroit after Montgomery’s second season to take over the head coaching duties for the Bears. Last season Montgomery did average 4.5 yards per carry as he rushed for 716 yards and found the end zone 8 times. He shared the load with Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs got more carries. The Lions have all kinds of weapons in the passing game as well. Gibbs can also be used in the passing game. Montgomery is great at running up the middle as he can break many tackles. Great back for goal line situations as well because he can get the tough yards while getting the ball over the goal line.

Running backs are a dime a dozen these days in the NFL. The Lions have been pretty good at finding solid offensive linemen. The Lions missing the post-season is forcing them back to the drawing board. They are retooling. Juice Scruggs is a 26 year old offensive lineman who was drafted in 2023. He has three seasons in the NFL all with the Texans as a back up along with being a rotational piece on the interior part of the O-line. He is a massive 300 pound man that stands at 6’3″. The Lions get rid of David Montgomery’s salary while also adding some draft capital. The Lions could find another back to play Montgomery’s part next season. The Lions also could just make Jahmyr Gibbs their featured back and only give carries to a back up running back when he needs some rest. The Lions created some cap space for other needs on their roster with this move.

The Texans will most likely release Joe Mixon who can be a solid back but can be a headcase at the same time. Mixon is a back that can run the ball and make catches out of the back field for your team. Teaming Mixon up with Montgomery you have two sets of backs with two different sets of skill sets. Which could be a good thing and a bad thing.You have to think why the Texans made this trade. They are making Montgomery the number 1 back which will not go well for Mixon being that head case that would cause a rift in the locker room. How is Mixon’s foot that sidelined him a entire season? The Texans have upgraded their back field with this trade. Woody Marks can still get the ball and build off his rookie campaign. Montgomery can work well with others but he just needs to run the rock more to satisfy his needs. A solid running game can take the pressure of CJ Stroud. The Texans had some problems with their offensive line last year. Part of the setback was the O-line in the beginning of the season. If you are trading away guys, you have to be thinking of replacements this off-season. They have to be better replacements than the guys you are getting rid of. Montgomery will need guys ahead of him plowing him some openings. The Texans need better pass protection as well. If Houston has a solid running game, it opens up the play action pass. If the running game is solid it will help their stellar defense get more rest in the game. With a a rested defense they could be even more of a deadly unit. It seems like the Texans are taking a page out of the Seahawks playbook. Solid defense. Great running game. All’s Stroud has to do is play up to the level of a Sam Darnold who is not in the top 10 quarterbacks in the entire NFL. Darnold did not hurt his team in the post-season like Stroud did. If Stroud is still the number 1 guy in Houston which I think he is, he will have to take better care of the football. The Texans back up QB Davis Mills went 3-0 filling in for the injured Stroud. In those three wins he took care of the football.

NEW CHICAGO

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The state of Indiana wants the Chicago Bears. The Bears have tried several times with the state of Illinois and city of Chicago to come up with a plan to build a new stadium for the Monsters of the Midway. The Bears have even purchased 326 acres in Arlington Heights, a suburb that is located northwest of downtown Chicago. The land was once the Arlington Park Race Track. Which was probably the best horse racing venue in the state of Illinois for many decades. The Bears want to invest 2 billion into a new stadium. The Bears are looking for the state of Illinois to provide public funding for the infrastructure around the new stadium like roads, sewers, and railroad adjustments. The amount the franchise is seeking is 850 million clams. The state of Illinois has been unable to balance the books in some time. The state of Indiana has a sweet deal for the Bears right across the Illinois/Indiana border. The state of Illinois has been dragging their feet on the Bears stadium search for years with multiple site ideas. While the state of Indiana has been getting things done to make this happen. Maybe the state of Illinois should let this happen. It may be cheaper for them to invade Northwest Indiana and take the property from them. Kind of like a plot used in the movie Canadian Bacon. Like New Mexico. We can call it New Chicago.

The Chicago Bears President of Operations Kevin Warren has been dealing with the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for a new stadium for a few years. The Bears thought Arlington Heights would have been a done deal by now. That has been up and down. The Bears have checked out land by Soldier Field by the lake in the downtown area of Chicago. Kevin Warren has checked out areas in the southern burbs of Illinois. Many think Warren and the Bears are using Indiana as a bluff move but since the president checked out sites in the state of Indiana, things started jumping in Hoosier-land. The lawmakers in the state house approved the amendment to the Indiana State Bill 27. The vote was 24-0 which would give the Bears a clear path to build a stadium in Hammond, Indiana. This bill creates the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority the power to issue bonds. The bonds would be used to acquire land along with finance construction for the stadium. The governor of Indiana Mike Braun says his state is open for business. The stadium would be located by Wolf Lake which is at the border of Illinois and Indiana along interstate 90.

The state of Illinois still has a chance to keep the Bears as this is not a done deal. Now the pressure is on Jelly Belly Illinois governor J.B Pritzker. The Illinois governor looks like he did a complete belly flop in the pool and is treading water as the Bears going to Indiana is not quite a bluff anymore. Pritzker’s family pockets are lined with big business. The governor of Illinois some day wants to make a presidential run for the country when he can’t even keep his state from losing the biggest team in Chicago, Da Bears. The Bears stadium would be a gold mine for the state of Illinois in the long term of things. The city of Chicago will lose no matter what because the options for moving out of the city are more attractive then trying to squeeze something in a downtown area that has been mostly a ghost town since Covid. The Bears are looking for a dome. They are looking to build around the dome. Around the new stadium in Arlington Heights, there will be plenty of business opportunities for hotels and restaurants. They could have a great atmosphere around the new stadium with plenty of room to add a casino. Being a domed stadium could attract the Final Four, the Superbowl, and other big events in sports or other stuff. Being a dome in the off-season they could host all kinds of concerts and other performances in this state of the art new venue. It’s 326 acres of land as the Bears could move their headquarters from Lake Forest to Arlington Heights. The 850 million the state will get back from tax money means they would profit off it for years to come. I think if the Bears move to Indiana ,ole Jelly Belly could kiss his dream of being president good bye. Like he would have a chance even if the Bears stayed in town.

The state of Indiana would house two NFL teams if they get the Bears. How would that work? The Bears moving to Northwest Indiana will not effect the Indianapolis Colts fan base. Indianapolis is hours away from the state line of Illinois and Indiana. Northwest Indiana is mostly made up of Chicago people. The area gets Chicago radio and television, not Indianapolis air waves. From downtown Chicago where Solider field is located, it is only 25 minutes to the state line. I do not speak for everybody but if the Bears do decide to move to Indiana it would be closer to my house and by far the easiest location to get to. Easier than trying to work your way downtown to see the Bears on a game day even though most of them fall on Sundays. Arlington Heights would be a haul from my house. Arlington Heights you would not have to maneuver into the city and have parking issues. The Bears would still be called Chicago if they moved to Arlington or Indiana. Many teams in the NFL right now do not play in the major city where they are from. Both New York teams, the Jets and Giants, play all their home games in New Jersey. Many teams like the Bills, Patriots, and 49ers play their home games in the burbs from the big city where they are from. The Chiefs may move out of Kansas City, Missouri to the state of Kansas for their new stadium. This Bears move is not something new. Soldier field is a dump. The city of Chicago renovated Soldier Field in 2002 and was completed in 2003. It looks like they put a spaceship on the old pillars of the stadium. It’s still a dump with bathroom issues and holds the smallest crowd in the NFL. The skinny on this is if the Bears move to Indiana, it’s not the end of the world. The state of Illinois will lose out on tax money. The Illinois politicians will look like dumbasses. Nothing has changed there. If the residents of Illinois still feel bad about the move to Indiana, then why not just take Northwest Indiana from them. Call it a blundering idea out of Donald Trump’s handbook. We could leave downtown Chicago to the homeless people who have slowly invaded the areas since the pandemic. Call that the New Hammond. While we call the old Hammond by Wolf Lake the new Chicago. Which Gary, Indiana has a pretty new casino called the Hard Rock. We will name Gary Larry a new suburb of New Chicago. GO BEARS!!!

WOMEN’S USA HOCKEY IS OLYMPIAN DYNASTY

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I have never really watched any women’s sports. Yes, occasionally I watch what’s going on in the Olympic games with women’s sports. Perhaps some college softball on ESPN. The WNBA is on another planet with the NBA. Professional basketball is not very good in my opinion. Over the Winter Olympics, watching women’s hockey was must see television. I tune in because the town where I grew up is where Abbey Murphy is from. She is a big part of the women’s hockey team. The month of February is the worst sports month of the year starting after the Superbowl. The Winter Olympics in Milan brought me to some new horizons. Last Thursday USA hockey had a close affair with their arch rival Canada and won their 3rd gold medal in a come from behind victory. The Women’s hockey team versus Canada is a different story than the Men’s. The Women’s hockey team is like the Dodgers, Yankees, or Patriots. A well-oiled machine that has massacred the competition for a long period of time. While the Men’s hockey did prevail this season over Canada to win the gold, but over the years the Maple Leafs have owned the red, white and blue.

When it comes to women’s hockey, the U.S. team owns Canada. The U.S women’s hockey team has now beaten their arch rival Canadians 8 times in a row including two victories against them in Italy. They faced Canada before the medal round and shut them out 5-0 in the first meeting. In the second meeting, Canada came to play battling USA for the gold and held on to a 1-0 lead late in the game. It took the U.S. team late in the 3rd period in the last few minutes of the game to notch things at one and send the game to overtime. The Americans had to take out their goalie to get the extra skater and the captain of the team, Hillary Knight, tied the game with her goal with 2:04 on the clock.

Hillary Knight has set the record in the Olympics for most goals & points by either a female or male player. She has played in 29 career Olympian games, has scored 15 goals, and dished out 18 assists for 33 points which is impressive. The U.S women’s hockey run before the gold medal game with Canada they were blowing up the competition. They won six straight games only allowing one freaking goal. Canada scored one goal in the 7th and final game. They only gave up two goals in Milan. The team had 5 shut outs in Milan. In those 7 games they outscored the competition 33-2 which is tournament records.

Aerin Frankel was a wall in front of the net for the U.S. team. She had 30 saves versus Canada which included the overtime in the Gold medal game. She is the first Olympian goalie with 4 wins, 0.39 goals against average, .979 save percentage while recording 3 of those shut outs in 5 games played. This team had it all and were rolling like a well-oiled machine on all phases of the game of hockey. This team found a way to fight back when the script was suddenly flipped on them. In OT they quickly found the killer instinct which was a pass from Taylor Heise to Megan Keller who lit the lamp for the game winner. It was their first Gold since 2018 when they beat Canada for the Gold in a shoot out at the Pyeong Chang Games. It’s the first team since 1998 at the Nagano games to go undefeated like they did in the Olympics tournament. That was the first ever Gold any U.S Women’s Hockey team has ever won in Olympics history.

Sixteen players from the U.S. Women’s Hockey team play professionally in the new female league. The league is called the PWHL which is the Professional Women’s Hockey league. The league has six teams. The league is in their 3rd season.

Another Chicago player, Kendall Coyne Schofield, plays for the Minnesota franchise. Hillary Knight is with the Boston franchise. Taylor Heise is also on the Minnesota franchise. While Alex Carpenter is with the New York franchise to name the few of the 16 players from that U.S Women’s roster who are making money on the sport they love. With the USA Women’s hockey team winning the Gold this should give the PWHL a big time boost at the ticket window. The way these women played in the Olympics it should give this league roots of establishment. It may already have before these Olympic games were played in Milan, Italy. I always loved watching hockey. The Stanley Cup playoffs are one of the best post-seasons in sports. Nothing wrong with adding more hockey to the pallet on the weekends or weeknights. These women play the game the right way. They are fun to watch. They probably care about the game more than many of these cry baby professional athletes in both genders that make all the money and could care less about the fan base. When the pandemic in 2020 shut down sports, I missed even lumber jack Olympics. I would have paid to watch something that year. Women’s hockey should get in the regular queue of all your favorite sports each year we watch. I can’t wait until the next Winter Olympics to see what this team can do. You know they will not have all their women back from this year’s roster. You know they will have other additions on the roster. Young and hungry players looking to keep this dynasty rolling.

DO IT FOR JOHNNY HOCKEY

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The U.S Men’s hockey team slayed their personal demons on Sunday in Milan, Italy as they beat the Canadians in the finals. The United States earned themselves the gold medal for the first time since 1980 when the Miracle on Ice took place in Lake Placid. In 1980 it was college players pulling off the major upset beating the Russian machine for the gold pulling off one of the biggest miracles in sports history. Then 46 years later a U.S team made up of NHL players beat the country that breeds and bleeds hockey, the Canadians, 2-1 in overtime. They pulled off an upset against a neighboring country that was loaded as well with NHL talent across the boards. The USA Olympic hockey team has formed a brotherhood of players built like a fraternity of close friends and family. The roster actually has two sets of brothers that are actually blood related. The Hughes and Tkachuk families who made a big dent in why the US. team went a perfect 6-0. They played for one of their fallen teammates as well, Johnny Hockey. Johnny Gaudreau had his life cut down short when he and his brother were mowed down by a drunken driver in New Jersey while cycling. The motivation and the comradery of this team pulled off something special that will go down in the history books on Sunday with this team pulling off the gold medal while many loaded NHL U.S. teams have failed miserably against the Maple Leafs.

It was Jack Hughes’ shot in the extra frame that ended the demons of the past that gave the United States their second goal of the game and the decider. It was a great pass by Zach Werenski that gave Jack the perfect shot and his biggest goal of his career. Jack plays for the Devils & he had 4 goals and 3 assists in the 2026 Olympics. His brother Quinn Hughes, who plays for the Minnesota Wild, had 1 goal and dished out 7 assists in the ’26 Olympics. It was Matt Boldy who got the U.S. team on the board in the first period in the gold round to give his country the 1-0 lead. In the second period it was Cale Makar with the equalizer that tied things up after two periods. The Tkachuks made their presence in every game of the Olympics that the USA played. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the biggest cogs in this USA wheel as he had 6 assists. His play is all over the ice doing the dirty work and the little things that don’t find their way on the stat sheet at the end of the night. He has now won two Stanley Cup championships in back to back years with the Panthers. Both championships were the last two years and he now adds a gold medal to the back of his hockey card. His brother Brady who plays for the Senators had 3 goals and 2 assists in the Olympics. Back to Jack Hughes who was playing with a bloody mouth and had some teeth that went missing in this big game. He still played through the pain and really came up big. After the game he commented on the brotherhood of this USA team which goes back to other teams that have lost to Canada in the past in these Olympic games.

In 2002 in Salt Lake City, the U.S. lost to Canada in the gold medal round 5-2. In 2010 in Vancouver it was Sid the Kid Crosby’s memorable goal that ended the USA in the gold round 3-2 in OT.

In the preliminary round of 2010, U.S. did beat Canada 5-3 but the Maple Leafs would get the last laugh in that one. Then in 2014 Canada shut out the United States at the Sochi Winter Olympics 1-0 in the semi-finals. The Canadians have been a thorn in the side for U.S teams for decades in these Olympic games.

This game between USA and Canada came down to solid goal tending by both countries. Jordan Binnington for Canada was amazing but came up short giving up the second goal in OT. Connor Hellebuyck was just better perhaps with a little help from the spirit of Johnny Gaudreau, especially how the hell he got his stick on a puck Devon Toews could have gotten in the net in his sleep. Devon got the rebound and tapped it into a practically wide open net. In the last second, Hellebuyck reached out with his stick to stop that shot. In second period he also snuffed out a breakaway from one of the NHL superstars in Connor McDavid. How many goalies could say that they stopped McDavid coming right at you by themself? He also stopped a breakaway from Macklin Celebrini that was a huge save in the game. Hellebuyck stopped 41 out of Canada’s 42 shots including overtime.

On August 29th of 2024, Johnny Gaudreau was in the prime of his hockey career when he was killed at 31 years of age. Johnny and brother Matthew were riding bikes near their home the night before their sister’s wedding. He played 11 seasons in the NHL which started with the Calgary Flames. He played 9 seasons in Calgary. The last two seasons of Johnny Hockey’s career he suited up for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played in 763 NHL games & scored 243 goals while dishing out 500 assists for 743 total NHL points. He would have been a part of this gold medal team if he was not killed. The team honored him by having his number 13 jersey displayed in the locker room. They brought it out to the bench. They had a banner with both Gaudreau brothers in their hockey uniforms. Matthew was in his Boston College uniform. The Gaudreau family was in attendance. This includes his parents Jane and Guy Gaudreau. His wife Meredith and their two children, 3 year old daughter Noa and 2 year old Johnny Jr.. After the Americans won, for the celebratory picture on the ice with the team a few of the players brought Johnny’s kids out there. They ended up in the picture which really makes this win very special in many ways. We really have never seen USA Hockey win the gold medal because it’s been almost 50 years. To win it this icon medal for your country and give a player and his family a tribute is really something the world should take notice of. This is how humanity should be coming together after going through some kind of tragedy. Johnny would have been 32 years of age and you have to believe he would have made the USA team and contributed to this magical run they had this season. The family of Johnny needed that. These tributes celebrate the fallen like the Billy Joel song, “Only the Good Die Young.” All these athletes playing in the Olympics have their own stories. They had people they loved that have passed away. The motivation. How they got here. How they performed for those missing people who are watching from the heavens. The NHL players are professional players. Sometimes professionals need a little reminder that life can be good, bad, and ugly. It’s how you handle yourself. They handle it by achieving their goal winning the gold. Some day I hope Johnny Graudeau Jr. becomes a professional hockey player. Johnny Hockey II, sounds like an up and coming superstar in the NHL. Maybe he will help USA win another gold medal.

PONCHERELLO EXPRESSES HIS BEST WISHES ON THE CHEETAH’S RELEASE FROM SOUTH BEACH

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On September 29th of 2025, wide receiver Tyreek Hill AKA the Cheetah had his season came to an end with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were playing the Jets and FLASH suffered a severe season ending injury as he tore his ACL along with dislocating the knee. Hill would only play in 4 games in 2025 and now he will be looking for a new team next season along with continuing to go through rehab for his injury as the Dolphins released the difficult talented wide receiver. The Dolphins look to be in full rebuild after another disastrous season. Hill’s South Beach career lasted 4 seasons in Miami and the Dolphins did not even win one post-season game with his services which they acquired from the Chiefs. After the news came out about the Cheetah’s release, one Dolphin fan had plenty to say about Hill. Danny Torres met Hill before a game in 2024 on the highway as they had an altercation that went viral.

“Hmmm… I guess it took a bit, but karma got you. Now that I’m retired I can tell you how I feel about you.

You’re an entitled ASSHOLE and an embarrassment to the team and the city that kissed your ass.

I wish you the best and hope you are able to afford all that child support, especially now that you’re unemployed.

But I’m sure someone will pick you up and you will cause havoc in their town. Just how you did in Miami.

BTW, next time, roll your fucking window down.”

The old memories that Danny Torres is talking about were on September 8th of 2024. Torres at the time worked as a motorcycle cop for Miami-Dade police. In Miami everyone has a tan as Torres looks like the character Ponch who is Frank Poncherello, played by actor Erik Estrada in the series Chips. If this incident ever turns into a movie, Estrada will play Torres. Obviously Tyreek Hill was pulled over before a home game the Dolphins were about to play in a few hours. Hill was running late so he was speeding. Torres and his partner pulled Hill over for reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt. Torres got angry because Hill would not keep his window down during the stop. The Dolphins wide receiver claimed he was calling his lawyer. Things got heated as video shows Torres removing the Cheetah from the car. Then placing him in cuffs as he sat on the side of the highway hours before game time as the cops completed their stop. Hill would be released and made the game on time, but the incident exploded and went viral. Torres was documented as being too aggressive. He was taken off the streets after the incident and went on administrative duty until the investigation was complete. He may have had to do some desk duty at some point when he returned. The highway patrol man took heated backlash by Joe Public and others for the handling of the situation. Torres had a history of suspensions before his run in with Hill. From 2014-’19, Torres had been suspended close to 50 days for other infractions. Now Torres is retired so he could go on social media and say his farewell to the Cheetah without worrying about his department coming down on him. You wonder if Torres took an early retirement because of that situation.

Tyreek Hill is no saint either. His rap sheet we will rap about. The Cheetah likes to beat up the women in his life. During his college days, domestic violence may have made its first appearance in his life. I doubt that. During his Chiefs days there were allegations of child abuse. Then he had a lawsuit filed against him in Miami by Instagram model Sophie Hall who claimed the Cheetah broke her leg in a football drill at his mansion. Can you make this stuff up? Obviously the highway incident with the Chips in Miami. I can see both sides of that situation. Did Danny Torres have to rip this asshole out of his car like that? He probably deserved that for other incidents the Cheetah has done. Why is Hill closing his window and making this police stop into something? This incident both guys poured gasoline on the fire instead deescalating the situation. Perhaps with both dudes not working at this time they could apply to ICE. After all their specialty is pouring the gasoline on the fire. Then Hill had another domestic violence claim with his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, in 2025. The next team that does take a flier on Hill’s knee will be in for a treat.

Will Tyreek Hills be the same Cheetah on the field when he is done rehabbing his knee injury? Hill has played 10 seasons in the NFL. He started with the Chiefs and played in Kansas City for six seasons, helping them win a Superbowl. The Chiefs and Andy Reid won Superbowls without their talented wide receiver. The Chiefs knew Hill would eventually be too expensive. They probably thought he could be a loose cannon. Hill is not the greatest teammate as he has given up on plenty of plays in Miami. He would be the guy jumping off the Titanic into the boat with the kids and women. In 10 seasons he has solid stats. He has caught 819 balls and tallied up 11,363 receiving yards with 83 touchdown catches. He has made 8 Pro-Bowls. Some team may get him on discount because of his knee injury. I’m sure Hill hopes to hand pick the locker room he would like to be the next cancer in. You would want this talent on your roster by any team just by looking at the numbers. The organization that takes a chance on him will have to be prepared with the baggage you will get with the signing. He is in present day the Antonio Brown of the league. A guy that could snap at any time. I would sway away from paying this guy any big money. Knee injuries of football players are like leg injuries to horses. It may be time to put the Cheetah down. Danny Torres may be a fan of that.

VARSITY BLUES CAST HAS BEEN SNAKE BITTEN

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The 1999 football film Varsity Blues, you can compare to the series of Friday Night Lights. You could even compare it to the original movie version of Friday Night Lights. It’s all about high school football under the lights in the state of Texas. How some of these small Texas high schools treat their football program like it’s at a college or professional level. How the small towns close down practically to watch the home games. The coaching staffs are always on the hot seat because of the pressure cooker jobs they have as they need to win. Everybody is obsessed. Everyone eventually wants to get out of the town like the players and cheerleaders. Like most small towns, they are stuck there as they are rooted and never leave. Like playing football is the key to leaving these small towns. Throw in high school kids drinking & doing drugs after the football games like it’s a college town. Then the addition of all the twisted sex plots to the mix between the cheerleaders and players. Every team has a football player that is laid more than Hugh Hefner in these epic high school Texas football movies. The West Canaan Coyotes established a solid cast as Varsity Blues is not the worst football movie. It’s also not the best. But it is entertaining. Now the cast seems like they dropping dead like flies in recent years at young ages which has snake bitten this 90’s movie. Or perhaps Varsity Blues is getting a better following as they have already lost three main actors who played ball players in this movie over the last several years.

This movie starts with John “Mox” Moxon who was played by the star of Dawson’s Creek, James Van Der Beek. Van Der Beek is the most recent star of this movie to have passed away, he on February 11th. He was the star of the movie. He passes away at 48 years of age after dealing with Colorectal cancer. Mox is the back up quarterback for the Coyotes and is probably better than the starter. Before Mox is thrown into action when the starting QB for the Coyotes is hurt and lost for the season, he was enjoying life as the back up. He had a girlfriend & they talked about future plans for going to college as football was not his forte even though he had a cannon for arm. The Mox also had a high IQ for the X’s and O’s of the playbook, so he didn’t like to do conservative style play calls like his head coach wanted him to do so. The Mox butted heads with the head coach Bud Kilmer who was played by Jon Voight for not using the back up’s plays. You can tell early on in the movie that Mox does not see eye to eye on things with his father or head coach. A precision pass by Mox to his father hits him dead on the nose that breaks which was on purpose. Things change when Mox takes over the starting duties for the team and the Coyotes look better, but Kilmer is not a fan of how they are winning. Mox’s head grows bigger by each contest which draws friction in his relationship with his steady girlfriend.

Anybody for dessert? The whipped cream bikini in the movie Varsity Blues will always be compared to Princess Leia chained up to Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Two fantasies men would love to live at some point in their lives. The actress in Varsity Blues, Ali Larter, wears the whip cream bikini well. You may know her from the series Landman where she plays Billy Bob Thornton’s other half on that epic Paramount show. Larter’s character in Varsity Blues was Darcy Sears, who was the boyfriend of Lance Harbor, the QB that got hurt and was the captain of the team. Knowing Lance was not coming back on the field, Darcy quickly showed Mox everything and wanted him as her ticket out of this Texas town. Lance Harbor was played by Paul Walker who died in 2013 at the age of 40 from being in a car crash.

Lance Harbor would play a important role later in the movie. He would take over the head coaching duties after Mox and the entire team stood up to the dictator Bud Kilmer. Kilmer was a bad dude who only cared about himself and winning football games. When his players went down with injuries, he wanted to pump drugs in these high school bodies to get them back on the field quicker. The character Wendall Brown, who was the running back for the Coyotes, almost was a victim of Kilmer telling his staff to plunge a needle into his knee. The character Brown was played by actor Eliel Swinton. He is a black guy like most running backs in football. Kilmer was a racist asshole who did not mind Brown running the ball up and down the field. On the goal line the ball for the touchdown went to the white dude for the touchdown. Mox changed that mindset and called a play for his running back to get the easy goal line score. Kilmer did not like that.

Everyone loves a big fat dude that can drink his own body weight. Varsity Blues had the blind side protector in a perfect Texan named Billy Bob. Ron Lester played Billy Bob who would drive a old pick up truck that had his name on the door. He would shoot his gun. He would do anything for his quarterback playing the offensive line. He is a guy that could drink by the gallons. For dinner he probably would consume a 145 pound defensive back. He was one of the big stars in this movie as he died at the age of 45 in 2016 of liver and kidney failure.

The child actor who played John Moxon’s brother in Varsity Blues Joe Pichler went missing when he turned 18 years of age. He was last seen on January 5th of 2006 after hanging out with friends in Bremerton, Washington. They found his car on January 9th of that year as it was abandoned. He vanished without a trace.

In Friday Night Lights the series, Tim Riggins played by actor Taylor Kitsch slept with an older woman while in high school. In Varsity Blues the team finds out one of their teachers strips at the local strip club. Of course they all went to see her. She would then proceed to party with her students after her dance in the club. In the series of Friday Night Lights, they certainly had a local strip club which both establishments looked like they were on the outskirts of town. Not affecting the local Applebees in town. Texas high school football is under the lights. Along with sex, drugs, country music, and all kinds of drama. Coaches that are pressured like they coaching the pros. Finding out that for some of these towns the local high school football is all they have. As they breathe and die by it.

I have read plenty of reports that James Van Der Beek before he died raised some money for cancer in general. He autographed a bunch of John Moxon West Canaan Coyote jerseys to raise money to fight this terrible disease that takes younger people away far too early in life. In general, cancer can kill people of all ages which is terrible. It is sad in general that this movie has lost that many people already after being released in 1999. Jon Voight always plays a great bad guy in many movies. Voight is 87 years of age. I loved Voight in the series of Ray Donavan. Another questionable character he played in that. Varsity Blues did not take home any awards. It was a movie that had some really good moments. It is a movie many people that grew up in the 90’s most definitely watched. Friday Night Lights was the Jaws of Texas under the lights of high school football. While Varsity Blues was maybe that second best shark movie that you can’t quite think of the name. You know you have seen many bad shark movies trying to be better than Jaws on shark week. I rewatched Varsity Blues as I thought I had it. I may have it on VHS. I was able to stream it and the first time was still better then watching it today. It did entertain me and I did not fall asleep during it as it may have been past my bed time while I enjoyed old times. Let’s hope the rest of the cast stays healthy for many years to come to stop the snake bite from oozing anymore more venom.