Month: February 2025

WHEN DID THE NFL KICKER/PUNTER TURN INTO SAVAGES?

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The job as a kicker or punter in the NFL was always a quiet position. They were two positions that were known as your outcasts on the team’s roster over the years. Kickers and punters don’t get down and dirty. The only time you would hear about a punter was if their kick was blocked or if he somehow botched the punt and it cost your team. The regular kicking job was a different story as you are either loved or hated. If you deliver a game winning kick on Sunday, they may be hoisted on the team’s shoulders in celebration. If these kickers miss a game winning field goal, they may be shunned in the locker room by their teammates. They may receive hate mail with death threats. The kickers/punters jobs are no longer the guy from the soccer team booting the ball for his team. No longer the foreign guy kicking the ball for your team. The positions have evolved as they are no longer the hush puppy on the sidelines. In the game of football, many players turn into savages in a violent game. It’s no longer the big guys in the trenches that have lost their marbles on the football field. It’s no longer the primadonnas at the wide receiver position talking foolishly. Suddenly the kicker and punter are contributing to those dramatic off the field stories like the rest of the players.

We start with our Deshaun Watson of the kicking world. The last player from the Baltimore Ravens team that won the 2012 Superbowl is Justin Tucker. He’s 35 years old and has played 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the Ravens. Tucker has played in 212 NFL games and has hit 417 field goals while knocking through 524 extra points. He has made quite the name for himself on the football field kicking winning field goals and burying long distance kicks through the uprights from high 50’s to 60-something yards out. He is a 7 x Pro Bowler and was part of the HOF All Decade 2010’s team. Tucker, like Watson, has the same problems on the massage table as he wants to fondle the merchandise. So far 16 massage therapists have come out of the woodwork just like in Watson’s case as he had more. All of them from the Baltimore area which makes sense. All the allegations are from 2012-’16 so Tucker eventually stopped. Or found the right girl with everything in the package deal. He exposed himself during the massage and probably handled all the girls stroking them on the inner thigh while leaving a wet spot on the table when concluded. More details will emerge.

Other recent news is a former Viking punter from 2005-’12 was arrested in California at a city council meeting. Chris Kluwe is 43 years old and he spoke at the meeting as he made his feeling clear that he is not a Donald Trump supporter. He compared the Make America Great Campaign to the Nazi Party. He compared Trump to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. He had to be dragged out of the meeting during his speech as things got heated. It was the Huntington Beach city council that were installing a plaque at the local Library of Donald Trump’s slogan Make America Great Again and giving MAGA their support. This is not the first time Kluwe has had words against this same library who were banning books a few years back. Kluwe said he’d rather play video games than be a politician which the Democrat party has been knocking at his door. He may consider running as multiple topics have him venting against the Trump regime. He played in 127 games in the NFL which was 8 seasons all with the Vikings. He says when he became an activist for gay rights and same sex marriages, his career was terminated by the Vikings and the NFL after the 2012 season.

The Kansas City kicker used his soap box in 2023 in a commencement speech at his Alma Mater, Georgia Tech University. Harrison Butker is the opposite of what Chris Kluwe is preaching. In that speech he said women that get degrees get excited more about getting married and having children than having a career. This is freedom of speech. It can be true and false, just an opinion. He goes on saying Catholic leaders are pushing ideologies on the youth of America. He ripped Joe Biden’s stance on abortion. Made comments on Pride month and the LGBTQ community. Butker did not get in trouble for his speech but did get some backlash. It’s freedom of speech but using all your political stance in a commencement speech is a little odd. He did not do it on the Chiefs clock. Maybe Butker and Kluwe will debate in the future of this country.

Then you have a former Buffalo Bills punter who was drafted in 2022 in the 6th round who got cut from the team because he was involved in a group rape back at his college, San Diego State. Matt Araiza calls himself the punt god. The girl in this sticky situation said she was 18 years old and she was at the college campus partying. She was only 17 years of age. At first it was said that Araiza got oral sex from the Jane Doe 17 year old, outside somewhere during the parties. Then led her back into the house where his teammates got a turn on Jane Doe as she was drunk and most likely everyone had a fair share. It went on for over an hour where three of the punt god’s teammates gave her a ride. The Bills did cut ties with Araiza who turned out to be innocent as the case was dropped. Araiza played his first season in the NFL with the Chiefs this season and played all 17 regular season games including the playoffs. You have to wonder why this kid put himself into a situation like this. Sure he is probably innocent, but some truth even if it’s a sliver of it means this kid made a bad decision. I blame the girl as well and whoever she hangs out with should not be called a friend of the future. She may have been embarrassed and was caught in a pickle or more. Someone could have paid her to go away. Maybe the others got the blame. The nickname punt god… give me a break. Kick the ball and that’s it. Do your job.

Marquette King played 84 games as a punter in the NFL. He played six seasons in the NFL 5 with the Raiders and one with the Broncos. He is now kicking in the UFL United Football League for the Arlington Renegades as he may tell you the NFL black balled him. King was a solid punter and he still is presently. In football, every player has to use the referee’s signal for first down when they achieve one. You have your touchdown celebrations. You have your sack dances on defense. Now on a turnover from all the defenses in the league you have, your group dances for that particular celebration. It’s really pathetic. King had his punt dances which would draw flags from the referees. King would also get in fights with the special teams coaches because he would call his own plays on the field. Like instead of kicking the ball, he’s going for the first downs and not getting them – putting his team in bad field position. Which some of these calls surely resulted in losses which head coaches are not going to like. King is a talent as he is also a pop and hip hop artist. Just do your job on the field and do your other stuff on your own time. No fan wants to see their punter dance or call plays on the field. Stay in your lane. King suffered an injury in his last season in Denver which may be the NFL’s excuse not to bring him back.

I remember when Todd Sauerbrun was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL draft from West Virginia University. He purchased a sports car he showed up to training camp in with vanity license plates that said “Hang Time.” It’s better than punt god. Why does a punter or kicker have to be flashy or use their position as a soap box opportunity? Justin Tucker is hot garbage like Deshaun Watson. The old days you never heard anything about kickers or punters off the field. Present days with social media everything is game and out there to read. You would think being in the spotlight just playing the game would be hard enough and not add off the field issues to the situation. All athletes are under the microscope. For Tucker he should be arrested. For Harrison Butker and Chris Kluwe, wait until your career is over and then get into the politics game. Look what happened to Colin Kaepernick. No team wants him bringing that kind of baggage to any locker room in the league. It would be stupid talking about day in day out “Colin this Colin that.” He was just an average QB. If a player is average or below average and your off the field issues are loud, you’re expendable. Marquette King is a solid punter but an easy change of the light bulb as a replacement. I think Tucker will be out of a job soon. Even if Tucker was winning Superbowls with the Ravens, he would still be kicked out the door. He is not a QB. Even though Watson should be done in the NFL because he not a very good QB anymore. The Browns are heavily invested and have their hands tied. Only a few kickers and punters play in the NFL. Only 32 punters and 32 kickers. Maybe some teams keep an extra kicker to do kick offs. Imagine how many kickers and punters that play in college and want a job in the NFL. Many!! You can replace a kicker and a punter easily. The best referees are unknown in the game. The best punters in the league are unknown. The best kickers you know because they convert when they are called upon in the clutch. Tucker will not be remembered now by those big kicks. He will be remembered as a sexual predator like Watson. Two peas in the same pod could compare their war stories on the massage table. The world has turned the footballer into a common savage like all of the others.

MY HOLLYWOOD FOOTBALL ROSTER

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Since the NFL concluded a few weeks back, I still have my football juices flowing. The month of February is the worst sports month of the year. I thought it would be a perfect time to create my football roster based on fictional characters from Hollywood. I assembled my roster using actors that have played football players on the big screen or in a television series. I took the best characters from all different decades and filled in my football roster with a coaching staff, owner, cheerleaders and a football roster. My football roster has each position filled on my offense and defense and I even included special teams. I have one movie I picked one guy from that was based on a true story. Everyone I picked has been from fictional movies or television shows.

MY TEAM NAME & HELMET

I went with the best logo I thought as my team name. In the movie Any Given Sunday, their team name is the Miami Sharks. The black colors make this team intimidating. I can also use the great phrase, ‘taking my talents to South Beach.’

MY CHEER SQUAD

In the movie the Replacements, I went with the Washington Sentinels cheer-leading squad. I guess during the football strike in the movie, not only did the players walk but also the cheerleaders. The replacements were dancers from the local strip club. Strippers go with my team being located in Miami.

SPECIAL TEAMS

On my special teams I have three kickers on my roster. On this roster we can use one as the punter. One option is kickoff and long distance field goals. Short range field goals and extra points. I could probably rotate the three of them if I want to on any game day. Whoever has the hot leg and believe me my kickers have nice legs.

KICKER NUMBER ONE

From the movie Unnecessary Roughness & who hails from Texas State Fighting Armadillos, Lucy Draper. She is my female kicker and is played by the beautiful actress Kathy Ireland.

KICKER NUMBER TWO

From the movie the Replacements, there’s my foreign former soccer player Nigel “the Leg” Gruff. He’s my smoking Jay Cutler. Has the killer nickname for a kicker called, “The Leg.” He is played by actor Rhys Ifans.

3RD KICKER

I have both genders on my roster. Now I have an animal as well. A field goal kicking mule. Gus came out in 1976 which had a loaded cast of talent as Don Knotts was the head coach in that film.

Every special teams has that player that blocks a punt, kick, or makes the most tackles.

I had to put Rudy Ruettiger somewhere on my roster. I have him on my special teams making those clutch plays on special teams. Rudy was played by actor Sean Astin and is the only character I have on this roster in a movie based on a true story about Rudy’s big moment on the college gridiron playing for the Irish. Notre Dame.

TEAM OWNER

Most of all owners in any sporting landscape suck. They are greedy. I went with the beautiful owner Christine Pagniacci who was the owner of the Miami Sharks in the movie Any Given Sunday. She is played by actress Cameron Diaz. She’s beautiful and wants her franchise to be a winner which I give her credit for. Most owners want just the money and don’t care what the team looks like. However she is a bitch as a character in the movie. She checks a few boxes at least.

DEFENSE

MY STARTING DEFENSE

CORNER BACKS/ SECONDARY

Stefen “Stef” Djordjevic from the movie All the Right Moves is a corner back on one side of the field. Actor Tom Cruise played the part and he showed all the right moves to get a college scholarship from a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania. The high school he played for in that movie was Ampipe, nicknamed the Bulldogs.

Dr. Death may have one of the best nicknames as a corner back in any movie. In the movie Best of Times, Vister Hays played the character Dr. Death for the high school Bakerfield Tigers.

Dreamer Tatum played defensive back in the movie Semi Tough. Tatum was played by Carl Weathers who was a free safety in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders before he became a Hollywood actor. Weathers looked and played the part of a solid defensive back in the 1970’s. The name Dreamer goes well with a defensive back. Former Raiders safety Jack Tatum was nicknamed the Assassin in his NFL career.

Then Ray Barnes who played for the Cougars in the series called the Playmakers. In an episode, he’s arguing at halftime with the doctor about to wrap his hand up, and saying that he did not need a pinkie to play ball. Barnes was played by actor Benz Antoine. I believe he only was on one episode of that series, but he is cemented in my secondary for playing on.

Luke Cafferty from the series Friday Night lights is my free safety. He was played by actor Matt Lauria and played for East Dillon Lions high school on the Texas battlefield of Friday Night Lights. He’s a guy that can defend the pass and bring down those interceptions.

LINE BACKERS

Alvin Mack was the best trash talker in the movies and delivered the punishment on the field. Mack is captain of my defense with sayings like “kill the quarterback” and putting the fear into the running back by saying he killed his mother. Mack was played by actor Duane Harris in the movie the Program for the ESU Eastern State University Timberwolves.

Then I have Adam Sandler who played the legendary line backer Bobby Boucher in the movie the Water Boy. Boucher played for a team named the Mud Dogs. Boucher had mommy issues he worked off on the field and became a hunter on the field going east and west as a tackling machine.

I added my second defensive member from the Cougars squad in the series the Playmakers. Eric Olczyk who plays middle linebacker for that Cougars defense. The actor that plays Eric is Jason Matthew Smith as that series would only last one season on ESPN. The network ESPN got pressure from the NFL to shut it down and they did, which was a shame. It was a great show that painted the NFL truthfully and they did not like it.

My final linebacker on my defense comes from the movie Any Given Sunday. Luther “Shark” Lavay is actually played by former Hall Of Fame great NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Lavay plays for the Miami Sahrks and is one of those wily veterans doing it all to hit that final sack bonus before he walks away from the league.

WORKING THE TRENCHES

The man in the middle of the defensive line is my jumbo guy against the run. From the movie Wild Cats, Phillip Finch who looks like William the Refrigerator Perry. Tab Thacker is the actor that plays the big man from Goldie Hawn’s Wild Cat movie.

On one side of my defensive line, I have my second player from the movie Unnecessary Roughness in SINBAD playing Andre Krimm as my defensive end. Krimm “gets down and parties” for the Texas State Fighting Armadillos. He’s my guy with the best sack dance on my defense.

Steve Lattimore is my best defensive lineman and second best player on this defense next to his teammate at ESU – Eastern State University’s Alvin Mack. The actor that plays the steroid freak in the movie The Program is Andrew Bryniarski. The owner of the Miami Sharks will keep the former Timberwolves out of trouble with clean piss tests to the league.

My defense plays a 3-4 style with 3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers. I feel good about my front 7 giving the QB everything including the kitchen sink.

MY COACHING STAFF

HEAD COACH

I’m heavy on the Sharks personnel from the movie Any Given Sunday. At the time this football movie came out I was very lucky I had two different dates during that time span and saw Any Given Sunday twice in the movie theaters. Tony D’Amato had the stellar press conferences with the media. He had the best fuck you speech I’m leaving this place for greener pastures and taking QB1 with him. He also had great speeches to motivate the team. The legendary Al Pacino played Tony D. He has been one of the best actors in the Hollywood landscape for years.

MEET THE REST OF THE STAFF

I plucked the rest of the coaching staff from the Orlando Breakers who are the same guys that helped Minnesota State’s Screaming Eagles win a National Championship on the college gridiron. From the 1990’s sitcom Coach, I have Hayden Fox as my offensive guru. I have Luther Van Dam as my defensive coordinator. Then Dauber Dybinski as my special teams coach.

THE OFFENSE

THE TRENCHES

From the sitcom Parker Lewis Can’t lose is my pillar in the middle of the offensive line, my center. Bud-Lite Kaminski is my third guy from the Program of ESU (Eastern State University.) The center of the Timberwolves O-line in the movie The program is played by actor Abraham Benrubi who has been in lots of stuff over his career. He’s going to keep these offensive doggies rolling being the guy in the middle of the O-Line.

From the sitcom Coach, Travis McKenna was in 9 episodes playing offensive line for the Minnesota Screaming Eagles. His character was named Fred Webb, a big guy that liked to eat. On game day he finds a way to play with the right weight to protect his QB.

Then Patrick Mad Dog Kelly, one of Tony D’Amato’s guys from the movie Any Given Sunday. He was played by actor Andrew Bryniarski and will be the guy that keeps that opposing defense from getting away with cheap shots. He came with the team we picked in the beginning of this article.

A guy named Guard Dog Fredericks has to be the guy protecting the blind side of the QB at left tackle. Guard Dog was played by actor Gabriel Hogan in the series The Playmakers as he plays for the Cougars. The Cougars have been another popular place where we’ve been drafting from. The Philadelphia Eagles liked guys from the University of Georgia on their defense. We have a few movies where we have multiple guys from that show or movie.

You would not want to meet a guy named the Boogey Man or Beast Man in a dark alley at night or even a day game on a Sunday. Another player we inherited from the Miami Sharks in the movie Any Given Sunday. Everyone knows the Boogey Man is also a pro-wrestler. He will not be the Beast Man in the new He-Man Masters of the Universe movie that will be coming soon to movie theaters everywhere.

TIGHT ENDS

We have two tight ends on the roster. Both blockers who can catch the ball.

He played the deaf tight end in the movie The Replacements, actor David Denman. His character name was Brian Murphy and he was a replacement player that did well for the Washington Sentinels. He was a nice target for the quarterback for big chunks of yards and a security blanket as well to make those hard first downs.

We may have more than one gay player on this roster. The only one we know for sure about is the character that played the Tight End position on the Cougars in the Playmakers. His character name was Thad Guerwicz played by actor Dan Petronijevic. In the series the Playmakers he was named as one of the all pro tight ends in the league. On the football field if he’s catching passes over looking at rear ends then we have him play, winning games for the team.

RUNNING BACKS

Al Bundy from Married with Children as you know and I know scored 4 touchdowns in one game for Polk High during his high school days on the gridiron. We have invented something like the hot tub time machine, we may call it the cold freezer time machine that we went back into time and claim Bundy off waivers after high school. Now he’s playing football for this Miami Sharks squad. Ed Harris played Al Bundy and did very well.

We are keeping the back field with the old guys. We already have Adam Sandler’s character in the movie Water Boy playing on defense. We went old school and went with the original running back from The Longest Yard in Burt Reynolds who plays for the Cons in the penitentiary. The character name in the Longest yard is Paul Crewe and he takes his running game to new levels versus the Guards.

FULL BACK

We have the best full back in the game. Tim Riggins who played high school ball for the Dillon Panthers in the series Friday Night Lights. Riggins was played by Taylor Kitsch and destroyed people blocking or running the ball on Friday nights. The man could drink some beers after the game was over because he knew where the parties were.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS

Our first and only player from the movie Varsity Blues. Charlie Tweeder will be a nice slot receiver as he played well for the West Canaan Coyotes in the movie Varsity Blues. The actor that played Charlie was Scott Caan who went on to play one of the detectives in the reboot of the series Hawaii 5.0.

Every team needs one of those wily veterans that can move the chains on those third short plays. From the movie North Dallas Forty, Phillip Elliot was a broken down veteran who continued showing up every Sunday. He would smoke, drink beer, and ice himself down after every game and practice and get the job done. He would play for the Dallas Bulls and the actor that played him was a younger Nick Nolte.

We have to show one of the receivers the money and it may as well be Rod Tidwell from the Tom Cruise movie, Jerry Maguire. Tidwell played for the Cardinals of the NFL in that movie. He was played by Cuba Gooding Jr. as he did end up getting PAID!!!

THE QB

QB 3

We went with a wily veteran as QB 3. Just in case of emergency, we break the glass and give the nod to Joe Pendleton of the LA Rams in the movie Heaven can Wait. Pendleton goes to heaven after getting killed by mistake and is sent back down to earth in another man’s body to play QB for the Rams. Pendleton is played by Warren Beatty. If his body is not working well, perhaps he can Quantum Leap into another one he could use.

QB 2

Cane is Able to be our QB 2. I promise you that Joe Kane is the last of the ESU guys from the movie, The Program. Kane reminds me of the Punky QB in Jim McMahon who helped the Bears win their only Superbowl. He drinks, has fun with the ladies. gets plowed, and does wild and crazy things. The talent is all there. Kane was played by Craig Sheffer and may have gone down as one of the best Timberwolves of all-time. That’s just an opinion because they didn’t ruin The Program by doing a sequel.

QB 1

He may have the best QB name in movie history being called Reno Hightower. In the movie the Best of Times with Robin Williams, Hightower is the best QB that a small Californian town ever saw in Taft High School, home of the Rockets. Hightower was played by Kurt Russell who looks and plays the part of a legitimate QB. He should have won the big game in high school with his powerful arm, but the receiver dropped the football that was right in his hands. He hurt his knee after the play and would never play again. No worries, we fixed his knee and he’s okay to play again. He’s a guy that plays the game in the cleanest white spikes that you would ever see. We feel like he is our true number one QB in the history of Hollywood movies and television shows. This is the guy that will lead this team to the promised land.

MY LIST OF CRY-BABY RUNNING BACKS IN THE NFL ALL-TIME

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The running back in the game of football does not have a long shelf life.

In the NFL, many experts will tell you running backs are a dime a dozen. If your team is in need of one it’s like changing a light bulb – inserting a new one & throwing out the old one without missing a beat. In seven rounds of the NFL draft, any team should be able to find a decent option for their back field. The running back is like a gallon of milk, sour cream or cheese. They expire quickly even if refrigerated with a good offensive line. Any carry could be a devastating knee injury. Any catch out of the back field could be the end of a running back’s career. It’s just football 101.

When you can run the ball in football, your team has a great chance to win the game. Running the football can wear out the opposing defenses. Some running backs get better as the game goes on. Bruising running backs can make an opposing defense feel pain.

This year veteran running backs in the NFL made a difference. Look what Derrick Henry did for the Baltimore Ravens. Adding a power back with the legs of Lamar Jackson, who’s going to get the ball? Then if you are defense you gear up to stop the run with ten men in a box. That’s when defense get gashed with the passing game. The best offensives in the leagues are well-balanced which means they can run the ball when they want to and pass the ball when they want to. The play action pass worked well in Detroit because of the two-headed monster the Lions had at the running back position. For the Eagles it was Saquon Barkley who ran the Eagles all the way to the Superbowl. Barkely was what the Chiefs defense keyed on in the Superbowl which opened up other doors for the Eagles offense. What if the Bills continued to run James Cook down the throats of the Chiefs defense in the AFC Championship game? Could the have Bills prevailed in that game? You could say Henry, Barkley, and the emergence of Cook for each of their teams helped them win games and go deep into post-season. Barkley and Henry have been in the league for years and they contributed to helping new teams rise up in the league. Do you still believe running backs are a dime a dozen? What about the ones that held out the next season looking for riches after a good season? That’s where James Cook comes into play after another great season in Buffalo, He has made his demands and wants 15 million a season. He has wiped his social media clean of anything to do with his current team, the Bills. We do not know what is going to happen here. Will Cook hold out? Will Buffalo cave in on their star running back? I constructed my list of crybaby running backs that held out or just were some kind of pain in the rear for their respective team or teams. Starting with number ten counting down to the worst all-time number 1 in our books for the biggest jackass that carries his demands off the field.

#10. DALVIN COOK

I will start off with James Cook’s brother, Dalvin. Giving bad advice!!! Before James went on social media with his new contract demands to be paid a few days ago, his brother was saying this while regular season was going on. Dalvin has played 8 years in the NFL and had some great seasons with the Vikings. I’m sure he made his demands known in Minnesota before they were done with him. Why don’t you worry about your own career instead of your brother’s? That is my question. In two games this season, Dalvin had 8 carries for the Cowboys for that whopping 20 yards. Then in 2023 playing for the Jets and Ravens he had 67 carries for 214 yards. That averages out to 3.2 yards per carry. Sorry Dalvin, that is not good enough in the NFL. Why don’t you keep your mouth shut and let your brother have a nice career without these outbursts?

#9. CURTIS ENIS

Curtis Enis was a first round bust in the 1998 NFL draft selected in the first round number 5 overall. Enis played his college ball at Penn State and had a nice career running the football for the Nittany Lions. Enis and his representation did not like the contract the Bears were dishing out. This instead of coming to some common ground and hammering out a contract before he even played a game in the NFL. He held out 25 days of important training camp. The NFL was not as easy as the college gridiron. Enis learned the hard way & lasted only three seasons tallying up 456 carries for 1,497 yards averaging 3.3 yards per carry. He did have 4 rushing touchdowns. Who really needs training camp? Practicing is for suckers.

#8. CEDRIC BENSON

Another Chicago Bears running back that held out before he ever took a carry in the NFL. Cedric Benson was the first round pick of the Bears in 2005 in the NFL draft 4th overall out of Texas University. His rookie season he was behind the eight ball as he only played in 9 games making 1 start. He carried the ball 67 times for only 272 rushing yards. Many of the players in the locker room did not like him because of the hold out. He played 8 years in the league with the Bears and Bengals. It took Benson until his fifth year to have his first 1,000 yard rushing season. It was 2009 and he was in his second season playing for the Bengals. He would play in 96 NFL games for his career and averaged 3.8 yards per carry when he finally hung up the spikes for good. I believe if he did not hold out his rookie season, he would have had a better career overall.

#7. ERIC DICKERSON

Eric Dickerson is a Hall of Fame running back as he played in 146 NFL games and tallied up 2,996 rushes for 13,259 yards averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He had 90 rushing touchdowns. Why is he on this list? He had two hold outs in his 11 year career, one with the Rams and the other with the Colts. He got his money and after the first hold out, played well. During his second hold out with the Colts it was at the end of his career as he tried to bank back to back solid campaigns. He would miss five games in 1990 holding out. In Dickerson’s last 4 seasons in the league, he would never reach 1,000 yards again in one season. I will mention this season when Saquon Barkley should have broken Dickerson’s single season with the most rushing yards in one season and he griped about it. Dickerson said it would have taken Barkley 17 games to break his record which he did it in 16. Barkley did not play the last game of regular season as the Eagles rested him for the Superbowl run. Let’s not forget that Dickerson broke OJ Simpson’s record in 16 games. OJ set that record before in 14 games.

#6. JOHN RIGGINS

John Riggins sat out the entire 1980 season after two back to back solid seasons of 1,000 yards. Riggins, like Dickerson, is a Hall of Fame running back. Riggins played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Jets and Redskins. He played in 175 NFL games as he ran the ball 2,916 times for 11,352 yards while scoring 104 rushing touchdowns. When Riggins came back in 1981, he did not play like his old self. He went back to back years without hitting the 1,000 yard rushing mark. In 1983 & ’84 he found his old self as he had back to back solid seasons by getting over 1,000 rushing yards. His last year in the game he missed the 1,000 yard mark. He finished his career averaging 3.9 yards per carry. If he played in 1980, I believe that average would have been better.

#5.STEVEN JACKSON

We have another Ram on the list, this time St.Louis. Steven Jackson played in 160 games in the NFL. In 12 seasons Jackson tallied up 2,764 rushes for 11,438 rushing yards and found the end zone 69 times. In 2008, Jackson felt like he was underpaid and wanted a bigger deal so he held out for 27 days during the pre-season. The Rams caved in with a 6 year deal. In 2008 he would miss 4 games with a thigh injury but still get to 1,000 yards. It was the second year in a row he missed 4 games. In 2009 he turned back into a running back beast with 1,400 yards on the ground. Then his numbers started to drop each season after being paid a hefty contract. By 2012 he gained 1,045 yards. In 2013 he went to Atlanta and only gained 543 yards in 12 games. He would never again hit the 1,000 yard mark after two years as a Falcon and then tried to latch on to the Patriots only to play two games as his career came to an end.

#4.CHRIS JOHNSON

In 2009 Chris Johnson ran over the entire NFL. He had 358 carries for 2,006 yards in his second year in the NFL. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry scoring 14 touchdowns. In 2010 Johnson would run for 1,300 yards on the ground. By 2011 Johnson was holding out for more money. That year Johnson would not miss any regular season games but ended up only running for 1,048 yards, his lowest, at the time, of his career. He played six seasons in Tennessee and left town getting 1,000 or more yards each season he played in Nashville. His final 4 seasons, one with the Jets & three with the Cardinals, he would never hit that 1,000 yard mark again. He played 10 seasons, gained 9,651 rushing yards, scored 55 touchdowns on the ground, and finished his career averaging 4.5 yards per carry which is impressive. Once again these guys’ hold out to get paid meant their number dwindled. Plus, it’s wear and tear on their bodies.

#3. LARRY JOHNSON

Let’s go with our second Johnson. This time Larry Johnson. Larry had back to back seasons with the Chiefs of 1,700 or more yards in 2005 & ’06. Larry thought he should hold out in 2007. He finished his hold out and would miss 8 games in 2007 with a bum foot. He played in 8 games and ran for only 559 yards averaging 3.5 yards per carry. In 2006 he averaged 4.3 yards per carry. In 2005 he averaged 5.2 yards per carry which is insane. After the 2007 season concluded, Johnson finished his 5th season in the NFL. He would never get to a 1,000 yard rushing season again after those back to back 1,700 seasons he had. After the Chiefs he played for the Bengals, Redskins, and Dolphins to conclude 10 seasons in the NFL.

#2. JAMAL ANDERSON

In 1998 Jamal Anderson had a monster season for the Falcons. He rushed the rock 410 times for 1,846 rushing yards and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground. He needed to bank from that season so he held out. In 1999 he played in two games and tore his ACL during a Monday night game. He was done for the year. In 2000 he did come back and ran for 1,024 yards. By 2002 he only played in 3 games as his career came to an end after 8 seasons.

#1. LE’VEON BELL

Le’Veon Bell was one of many head cases the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have collected over the years. After Bell’s fifth year as a Steeler, he decided to sit out the entire 2018 season. In 2017 Bell had a great year running the ball 321 times as tallied up 1,291 yards on the ground with 9 touchdowns. He came off back to back seasons of over 1,200 yards. The Steelers released Bell and the Jets gave him a monster contract in 2019, 4 years worth 53.5 million to average 3.3 yards a carry in New York. By 2020 Bell ended up with the Chiefs as he split the covid season with New York and Kansas City. Then in 2021 he played for another two teams, the Ravens and Buccaneers. That was the last season in the NFL for Bell who did 8 seasons total. After Pittsburgh he never gained another 1,000 yard season.

James Cook is getting better each season with the Bills. As the former Georgia Bulldog just completed his third season in the NFL as he’s still playing his rookie contract. Cook played in 16 games this season and rushed for only 1,009 yards on the ground. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry which is impressive. He can also be a threat in the passing game. He rushed for 16 touchdowns during the regular season. He showed his ability to get in the end zone in the post-season. In three seasons in the NFL he is averaging 4.9 yards per carry as he has racked up 2,638 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. The Bills should have beaten the Chiefs in the AFC championship game. The Bills with Josh Allen and James Cook and all the others they have means this is one of the best offenses in the NFL. The Bills have a great offensive line. However do the Bills need Cook like the Eagles needed Saquon Barkley this season? Do the Bills open up their wallet and pay this guy what he demands? Running backs are a dime a dozen. Cook is a guy the Bills have not had since Thurman Thomas carried the load at running back in the 1990’s. You would think the Bills organization would come to some terms with Cook to make this work. You wonder will Cook hold out if he does not get what he wants? He could turn out to be one of these guys on this list. Something about running backs that hold out and get what they want backfires on both parties. This is still a rookie deal the Bills and Cook have going. The brother Cook Dalvin is just pouring gasoline on the fire. The Bills could spend money to help their defense or get Allen a receiver. This should be about winning a Superbowl and taking this team to the next level. Running backs are valuable, just ask the Eagles. The Bills have a decision looming this off-season. Can they replace Cook with another talented back out of the draft? Can Cook come to his senses. I get running backs can end their career on one play because this is a violent game. What happen to the Walter Payton’s and the Barry Sanders’ playing the team concept as money will come. It’s not like these running backs are not making money either. Stay tuned for more developments on James Cook’s future and the Bills.

REMEMBERING THE 2001 CHICAGO BEARS WITH HEAD COACH DICK JAURON

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When it comes to the Chicago Bears, decades and decades have gone past without a franchise quarterback. The jury is still out on Caleb Williams’ rookie season this past season. When it comes to head coaches, the Bears have had a list of clunkers since the team fired Mike Ditka in 1993. The Bears have been looking for a solid coach since they fired Lovie Smith in 2012. He led the Bears to a Superbowl loss in 2006, the last time they made it to the big game. We know with Ditka the Bears won their only Superbowl in 1986. We know before Ditka, Papa George Halas was a legendary head coach in Chicago for decades. The Bears have not figured out a way to find a head coach better than Smith. Many will say the Bears have not found a better replacement than Da Coach. In between Ditka and Smith, the Bears did find success. It was 2001 when the Bears went 13-3 under the former Yale graduate of Dick Jauron who had the Bears in the post-season in one entertaining magical year in team history. Jauron coached 28 seasons in the NFL and played 8 seasons as a player. He was loved by all whereever he worked as a coach and a player. It’s a shame when good people pass away as Jauron quietly did less than a week ago at the age of 74.

Dick Jauron was born in Peoria, Illinois. Jauron would attend grammar school in Rensselaer, Indiana. He played his high school football at Swampscott High School located in the state of Massachusetts. He was named top ten best high school players in the state of Massachusetts. He then played his college football at Yale University where he was 3 x First Team all Ivy-League. The Detroit Lions drafted Jauron in the 4th round of the 1973 NFL draft as a safety. He was also drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a short stop in the 1973 MLB draft. However he chose football over baseball. He played 8 years in the NFL with two teams. The Lions for 5 seasons and then the Bengals for 3 seasons. He earned his only pro bowl nomination in 1975 as he was still with the Lions. He played in 100 NFL games as a free safety and had 25 career interceptions. He had two defensive touchdowns. His NFL career ended after the 1980 season. In 2015 Jauron made it to the College Football Hall of Fame for his stellar play for the Yale Bulldogs.

Dick Jauron then took his talents to coaching as he started in 1985 with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive backs coach. Then from 1986-1994 he held the same job he had in Buffalo, only he did it with the Green Bay Packers. From 1995-98 he was the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin. Then the Bears gave him his first head coaching job from 1999- 2003. In 2001 he led the Bears to the post-season as they were one and done. They were quickly dispatched in the wild card round by the Eagles. Jauron would get fired by the Bears and finished with a 35-45 record in 5 seasons in Chicago. In 2005 Jauron was defensive coordinator in Detroit the last few years after Chicago and he took over the head coaching duties. In the last games in 2005, he finished 1-4 as the interim HC. It was good enough that the Bills gave Jauron his next head coaching job in 2006. He was fired in week ten of the 2009 season as he lasted 4 seasons. Jauron had three straight 7-9 seasons in Buffalo until the 4th year when things got worse. He started the season with a 3-6 record and was fired. He finished with a 24-33 record in Buffalo. In 10 seasons as head coach he had a 60-82 record and only coached one playoff game which was the loss to the Eagles. After Buffalo, Jauron did one season in Philadelphia as defensive backs coach.Then got the defensive coordinator job in Cleveland for another three seasons.

The Bears before the 2001 season were picked by the experts to be one of the bottom feeders in the league. The Bears most likely played a weak schedule from being a bad team the year before. Like the LA Chargers this season played well, got into the playoffs, and looked like they did not belong. I think the Bears may have gotten lucky in some of these games they played in this magical season where they went 13-3. It was a year that they were 8-0 in games decided by 7 points or fewer. The things most Bears fans remember were the back to back overtime games they won that year with Dick Jauron as the head guy. These two games were comebacks by the Bears to send them to OT. The Bears then won both overtime games against the Browns and 49ers with Bears safety Mike Brown scoring two defensive touchdowns to seal the deal in back to back regular season games. Jauron instilled a work ethic with these guys in 2001 and it was working.

Mike Brown was Johnny on the spot as you would think he had some magnet that had the football go to him like a dog bringing back a stick after you tossed it. Every winning season has some luck. Look at the Kansas City Chiefs blocking a field goal to deny Denver an upset this past season. Then all those games where the zebras gave the Chiefs the call that sent Kansas City home with a slew of victories and followed that same MO throughout the postseason until they were denied in the Superbowl. What comes around goes around.

Dick Juaron won 13 games with quarterbacks named Jim Miller and Shane Matthews as the starters. Miller was one of my favorite Bears quarterbacks of all-time. Miller arrived in Chicago in a clunker he drove from Pittsburgh. Probably his high school car. He was a fat guy who tested positive for steroids. Something has to be wrong with the NFL testing when you see a QB fleshy and gooey. Miller that season was 11-2 behind center as the Bears’ main guy. Matthews went 2-1. The Bears had the A-Train at running back.

Anthony Thomas was bruising back the Bears drafted from the University of Michigan. He had a solid season for the Bears rushing for 1,183 yards with 7 touchdowns. Jauron had the defense playing well and the offense. The QB’s were game managers taking what the defense gave them and not making the mistakes to cost their team. It was the last year in Soldier Field before the city gutted the insides and put a space ship on top of the stadium in an all out makeover.

The next season the Bears played all their home games at the University of Illinois while the makeover was going on.. That did not help Dick Jauron’s team. It would also be the quarterback play that eventually doomed Jauron’s first head coaching job. The Bears signed former Falcons veteran Chris Chandler who was at the end of his NFL career. Chandler made 7 starts in 2002 and went 2-5 as the starter. The Bears also gave another washed out veteran a chance in former Steelers QB Kordell Stewart, aka Slash. The Bears then drafted Rex Grossman in the 2003 NFL draft as Chandler would linger another year after 2002 to be the bridge guy. The Bears did not play well after 2001 and Jauron was fired.

Dick Jauron was a players’ coach like Lovie Smith. These coaches were always calm, cool, collected and more like father figures than an NFL head coach. Jauron was head coach of two of my favorite teams that I follow to this day, the Bears and Bills. He came into both jobs when both franchises were not playing well. He was a guy that was a straight shooter to his players, media, and people in general. He did things his way. You knew where you were at with Jauron. He treated everyone like how he would want to be treated. Both the Bills and Bears did not have a solid team built for him to work with. He took average guys and made them better. You would have loved to see what he could have done if he had a solid roster to work with. Smith had the horses as he was the guy hired after Jauron. Jauron was hired by a different General Manager than the one that fired him. Jerry Angelo was the guy that fired Jauron and he probably had no choice to keep Dick after that 13-3 record. Angelo did more moves-wise for Smith than Jauron. You could say the deck was stacked against him after that 2001 season.

Watching Bears football over the years Dick Jauron would not be the worst coach I’ve seen on the sidelines. He definitely is one of my favorites. In Chicago we have had a lot of bad teams in the Windy City landscape. Jauron would not make that list of all the bad coaches we had in this town in the four main sports. He was a brilliant mind. Played the game smart. He was a better college player than professional. In 28 years of coaching in the NFL he called some great games on the defensive side of the ball for many teams. Jauron was diagnosed with cancer and lost his battle at the age of 74 years old which is a shame. He stepped away from the game to help his wife deal with dementia. He always put others ahead of himself. The NFL world lost a wonderful guy, husband, father, coach, and friend. The 2001 Bears team was one of the best seasons being a fan of a very bad franchise. You have to thank a guy like Dick for giving us something to cheer for in bleak times. As Bears fans, we hope Dick RIP!!!

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM

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Back in 1787 the United States constitution was signed at the Assembly Room of Independence Hall in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia has the cracked Liberty Bell that has rung since the 1800’s. It’s a town that packs quite a punch with the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich on hand. It has seemed like the city of great underdog stories that is home to the Rocky Balboa movies with the Rocky statue perched on top of the many stairs of the Museum of Art.. Rocky is the greatest underdog story ever to have hit the big screen. The Philadelphia sports landscape has always been blue collar teams like Charles Barkley bringing the toughness to the hardwood court. The Broad Street bullies, those Flyers teams, that dished it out in the 1970’s on the ice. From Mike Schmidt hitting those towering home runs for the Phillies on the baseball diamond. The Philly faithful are dedicated to their teams and if they don’t like what is going on, just ask Santa Claus as he’s been pelted with snow balls because of what took place on the field. They get fired up and will be heard if they don’t like how things are going. They are passionate. The Philadelphia Eagles football team now has taken down two evil world power tyrannies in the NFL world. Nick the Dick Foles in 2018 defeated the Evil Empire of the Patriots in the Superbowl with a play called the Philly special. On Sunday, the Eagles gave Patrick Mahomes and the hated Kansas City Chiefs a beat down in the Superbowl 59 we will never forget.

Andy Reid has the most wins in Eagles history, but he has never won the Superbowl in Philadelphia. Reid has the most wins as a head coach in Kansas City and has helped them win three Superbowls including one against his former team, the Eagles, two seasons ago. Then you have the great Patrick Mahomes coming into this Superbowl with a 17-3 record in post-season. Mahomes had an 8-0 record versus Vic Fangio as a defensive coordinator. Fangio has been a D-Coordinator for a few teams as he took the job in Philadelphia after the Dolphins fired him after one season in Miami. The Chiefs had the best record in the AFC and were the conference champions once again going for the 3-peat, something that never happens in the sport of football. The Chiefs going into the Superbowl seem to have the referees behind their back like an angel all season steering them out of any trouble they got themselves in. How many games did Kansas City win by one score or few points with some break from a penalty called on the other team or a no call favoring them? The Chiefs threw that 3-peat phrase around like they were the showtime LA Lakers of the 1980’s. If the Three-peat occurred, then would we have seen the meat head Travis Kelce propose to the annoying pop singer Taylor Swift? The state farm commercials of the Chiefs would have lingered all the way to next season if the 3-peat would be pulled off. The Chiefs were favored but not by much. For any team beating the Chiefs, it seems the odds are stacked up against you like prisoners versus the guards in a friendly death match of a football game.

Jalen Hurts played a very good game versus the Chiefs. More on him later. It was the Eagles defense that made this victory happen for Philadelphia. Vic Fangio remembers the times he has played Mahomes in the post-season with the 49ers and Dolphins. He made some adjustments. The Eagles were able to establish a nice healthy system of a 4 man front that was in the face of Mahomes the entire night. The Eagles contained Mahomes in the pocket most of the night and sacked him six times. Josh Sweat had 2.5 sacks in the game. They were able to rush his passes and Mahomes made mistakes throwing two interceptions and one, a pick six from Cooper De Jeans. Then the other was a diving snatch by line backer Zack Baun right before halftime. The Eagles blanked the Chiefs in the first half 24-0. The Chiefs offense had 23 yards total offense in the first half.

Jalen Hurts earned the MVP of the game which should have went to the entire Eagles defense. “Hurts So Good,” the John Cougar Mellencamp song played in my head as he rushed for 72 yards and scored a rushing touchdown on the tush push. Hurts was not impressive versus the Commanders in the NFC Championship holding on to the ball way too long and taking the bad sacks. Hurts threw one interception. He threw some nice touchdown passes as he had two for the night. The 46 yard throw to De Vonta Smith was a work of beauty by Hurts which made 34-0 in the second half and one of the final nails of the Chiefs’ coffin. You know the Chiefs defense zeroed in on running back Saquon Barkley as he rushed for only 57 yards on 25 carries. It was Barkley that got the Eagles back in the Superbowl. The Chiefs were baffled by a few misleads going after Barkley when Hurts would take the ball the other way. Barkley did add a few big catches as that Eagles offense rolled like a well-oiled machine. By the time the Chiefs found the scoreboard, it was in garbage time. The beat down was for real as the Eagles got their revenge against the Chiefs and their old head coach Andy Reid knocking the nuggies out of the bully.

I bet every Superbowl party across the nation looked like some kind of St. Patrick’s Day party with everyone wearing some kind of green. Andy Reid now has lost three Superbowls, two with the the Chiefs and the other one with the Eagles earlier in his career. The meathead Travis Kelce finished the night with 4 catches for a meager 39 yards. We did not have to listen to his Rocky-style slurred speech at the end of the game licking Mahomes’ tush because they did not win. Balboa in Rocky 4 rambled on after beating the Russian in Russia in that movie. The pop singer was MIA most of the game which was priceless. Who was Travis’ brother rooting for? His old Eagles team or Travis? Jason Kelce looks like the guy you call if you need a possum removed from your attic. Who felt sorry for poor old DeAndre Hopkins wide receiver for the Chiefs telling the world that no flags were called against the Eagles defense? The Chiefs all year get all the calls their way & now will react by crying like they always do when things do not go their way.

The Philadelphia Eagles win their second Superbowl in their history. Now the league has a blue print for how to beat the Chiefs which will be in all stores next season when everything gets fired up once again. How many University of Georgia defenders do the Eagles have on that defensive unit? That might be the pinch of salt in the blue print recipe to beat up on Patrick Mahomes and company next season. Do the Eagles become the next dynasty? Is this the end of the Chiefs dynasty? I believe these two teams will be in the thick of things next year. Just like Ivan Drago in Rocky 4, once you draw first blood you can beat Mahomes just like Rocky beating the Russian. Goat like? Mahomes has been impressive in the post-season. However Tom Brady was never blown out in a Superbowl. Brady took three Superbowl losses. All close games. Now Mahomes has been blown out twice in Superbowls. One last Sunday and let’s not forget about Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers who gave Mahomes the first beat down. In that one the Buccaneers defense pressured him all night long like a hooker that was going to get paid for that act she just did. I feel that Philadelphia freedom Eagles are like the resistance. They have slayed the Evil Empire in 2018. Now they have come back after another evil-doer treated them like the Empire Strikes Back. They returned as the Jedi and brought much needed peace to the NFL and the football world to prevent the league from toppling in a Chiefs three-peat that would have left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths all year. Finally Good has prevailed over Evil at least for one night and the future is hopeful once again.

JIMMY BUCKETS HAS TORCHED EVERY PLACE HE HAS PLAYED

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I don’t think any teams that Jimmy Butler has played for in his entire career will retire his jersey in the future. Any reunions or future team functions from all these teams Jimmy has played for, his invite is lost in the mail. He has burned the bridges of every organization he has ever played for. His latest torch job is South Beach as he put the heat on the Miami Heat for his latest exit out the door kicking and screaming. Pat Riley plays the newest Batman style villain in the mind set of Jimmy Buckets, a nickname he earned torching the net on the basketball hardwood. Riley orchestrates a deal sending Butler to the west coast where he will team up with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Good riddance thoughts have to be playing in the mind of the GM Riley of the Heat. Now they can move on from this South Beach saga that has gave this franchise the publicity they did not want. In weeks and weeks dealing with Jimmy Buckets’ exit strategy. Now the Heat, like the other teams in Butler’s past, close this chapter for good.

Jimmy Butler is 35 years old and has played in the NBA for 14 seasons. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1st round of the 2011 NBA draft 30th overall from Marquette University. He played six seasons in Chicago and Miami. In between Chicago and Miami, he had stops in Minnesota along with Philadelphia. This year Butler has only played in 25 games as he was suspended multiple times by the Heat unhappy with the organization. Jimmy Buckets this season has averaged 17 point per game with 5.2 rebounds while dishing out 4.8 assists per game. Over his entire career, Butler averages 18.3 PPG, 5.3 TRB, and 4.3 Assists. Butler is a 6 x All-Star, 5 x All-NBA and he is one of those rare guys that plays solid defense as he has been selected 5 x All Defense as well. In 2022-23 he earned himself Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Right now the Miami Heat are the number 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Golden State Warriors need the Butler spark as they the 11th seed right now and obviously wanting to move up past the play in post-season to get a better seed.

In Chicago Jimmy Butler once called his head coach Fred Hoiberg soft, and he was a hired puppet at the time. He butted heads with Derrick Rose as he moved up the food chain on the roster depth charts. He questioned the younger players and exchanged unpleasant words with other Bulls veteran players on the way out of Chicago such as Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo. The Bulls traded him to Minnesota to reunite with his former head coach Tom Thibodeau who helped Butler develop into all around player. The Bulls would only make the playoffs once since trading Butler and were dispatched quickly in 2022 by the Bucks in the very first round. In Minnesota things started well as it always does when Butler first arrives into town. The Timberwolves had assembled a nice young group of talented players. Minnesota would make the playoffs in Butler’s first season, but they were quickly dispatched by the Houston Rockets. Butler was fed up with the surrounding cast and he made his thoughts clear to the media and the GM of the Timberwolves. Butler would turned down a extension by Minnesota and request a trade. The one famous practice where Butler teams up with all the bench players in a scrimmage to play the starters. Jimmy Buckets’ team of scrubs won the scrimmage as he would yell to the GM at the time, Scott Layden, “You fucking need me.”

Jimmy Butler then was traded to Philadelphia. The 76ers relationship would last only one season. Butler aggressively challenged the Head Coach, Brett Brown, of the 76ers. Butler created a rift with his Head Coach speaking out in negative ways in a film session about how the offense was run. The 76ers has Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons with Butler which gave them a solid three in the starting line up. Despite Coach Brown’s offensive strategies, Butler took it upon himself to take over the 4th quarter with plenty of highlights that turned into game winners. That 2018-19 season, the 76ers made it to the second round of the playoffs versus the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference. Butler played outstanding as the series went the full length. The Raptors would eventually win the series and went on to win their first title ever. In the end Jimmy proved the offense ran better with the ball going through him. In the off-season, the 76ers were excited about the younger talent of Tobias Harris and moved on from Butler who could have had gotten a extension. Butler would get revenge on the 76ers being in a Heat uniform and knocking out Philadelphia years later. Butler would then say, “Tobias Harris over me?!”

Then with the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler continued his epic post-season moments. The Miami Heat were the first ever play in seed to get the the NBA finals. It was Jimmy Buckets who made that happen in 2023 where the Heat stormed through the Eastern conference. The Heat took down the number one seed Milwaukee Bucks as Jimmy averaged a sick 37.6 point per game in that series. The Heat finished off the Knicks and then the Celtics to move on to play the Nuggets in the finals. The Heat would win game two of the series versus the Nuggets, but Denver would prevail the rest of the way and win their first NBA title. It’s pretty much the same story that keeps happening in Jimmy life in his professional career. The coach and the surrounding cast around Butler. Then the front office not being able to get him the players he needs to get the job done. Butler would miss the team’s flights. Skip out on mandatory team functions. He would walk out of practices fed up. Eventually the match was lit and the Heat franchise would go up in flames. Now as things are smoldering and both parties have moved on without each other.

New life for Jimmy Butler with the Golden State Warriors. The big three will feature Stephon Curry, Draymond Green and now Jimmy Buckets. How will this work for a Warriors team that are about at the end of their ropes with this dynasty that has been over for the last few seasons? Is Butler there to save the day & this dynasty from the plug being pulled? Curry is the number 1 guy on this team. Can Butler coexist with Curry being the number one guy? This may be the best team that Butler has played for. He has played with aging washed up NBA veterans at the end of their playing careers. Mostly Butler has been surrounded by a younger cast. Curry and Green are on a different playing level then any of the guys Butler has played with before as they can still get the job done every night on the hardwood. Let’s face the facts this is Butler’s last chance. If he gets out of control, he may just as well hang up the shoes for good. The Golden State Warriors head coach is Steve Kerr who played with Michael Jordan and won titles with him as a player. He has coached all these Warriors championships with Curry and Green. Kerr is no Fred Hoiberg. He by far is the most decorated head coach Butler has ever played for. Playing with Jordan who did everything including throwing the kitchen sink at winning the game. Butler has that winning is everything mentality. Kerr may know how to utilize Butler’s talents to mesh with Curry’s like the splash brothers where they both get the ball enough. Kerr could pound that team concept into Butler’s noggin. NO I in TEAM. You could say Butler has that Jordan mentality in him. Even Jordan needed a cast surrounding him to win the titles. Before that he was a one man show. Jordan changed his game when he finally got guys like Scottie Pippen and others to play with. Butler does not have to be just Butler and could use this opportunity into a possible championship he has been seeking since day one. The Warriors need some kind of spark. Now they once again have that three-headed monster that every NBA team needs. This will be interesting how this goes down. We know these guys can score points. The NBA does not play defense like they did decades ago. Defensively adding Butler with Curry and Green, that’s something to watch. All three guys can can play both sides of the court and do it well. The Butler move here by the Warriors will either launch this dynasty back into some kind of relevance or the time bomb is slowly ticking away to blow it all up. We will wait and see if drama occurs and if Butler once again burns this time the Golden Gate Bridge, leaving elsewhere.

REMEMBERING WHEN WE ALL ROOTED FOR THE PATRIOTS AND THE CHIEFS BEFORE THEY TURNED INTO THE MACHINES THAT RAN OVER THE ENTIRE LEAGUE

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How long ago was it when we could stomach the Chiefs and the Patriots? Do you remember the New England Patriots before Tom Brady? Do you remember when we rooted the Chiefs on during those Marty Schottenheimer days when they would go pretty much one and done in post-season play? That after some stellar regular seasons in the late 80’s and 90’s. Right before Patrick Mahomes, who did not root for Alex Smith? The Patriots in their first ever Superbowl were blown up by the Chicago Bears, 46-10.

That was 1986, Chicago’s only Superbowl with the great Walter Payton and perhaps the best defense of all time. I rooted for the Patriots when they played the Bears’ arch-rival in 1997. The Packers beat up the Pat’s in that one 35-21 as Brett Farve had a better day than Drew Bledsoe. One of my favorite running backs of all-time suited up for the Chiefs.

I wanted that poster above of Christian Okoye who had one of the greatest nicknames in sports aka the Nigerian Nightmare. I believe Priest Holmes was one of my first ever selected running back in my first ever fantasy football league I joined. Derrick Thomas tallied up over 100 sacks during his days in a Chiefs uniform. I remember rooting for the Patriots in February of 2002, who were heavy underdogs versus the greatest show on turf. Love Kurt Warner back then but his wife led the league back then in side line camera shots like the annoying pop singer Taylor Swift. Back then we did not really know that Tom Brady was a nozzle. Warner may have the best underdog story – bagging groceries & then playing arena ball before taking the Rams all the way to the promise land and winning. The Patriots had their own underdog story which was Brady, a quarterback drafted in the 6th round in the year 2000. Bledsoe was the next Walley Pip story.

Walley Pip played first base for the Yankees and got hurt. Then Lou Gehrig took over and his MLB career was launched with the pinstripes. Then the saying was, “Don’t get Walley Pipped.”

Tom Brady would take over for Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots were suddenly in the Superbowl. It should have been the Rams blowing out the Patriots in that game. The Rams out-gained the Patriots that Superbowl, 427-267. It was Adam Vinatieri and a walk off boot of 49 yards that gave the Pats their first ever Superbowl while ending the Rams’ potential dynasty in St. Louis in 2002. Now we regret that. Bledsoe would be elsewhere the following season. The Pats and Tom Brady would win 5 more titles as the Evil Empire dynasty collected a six pack of titles. The Patriots did lose three Superbowls as they made 9 total. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski became annoying and still may be the most hated dynasty in sports history but Mahomes and company are catching up.

Then came the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes only played one game in his rookie season. That was all Andy Reid needed to see as the Chiefs future was bright. Everyone was rooting for poor ole Andy Reid. A hard luck loser in his Philadelphia days with Donavan McNabb never winning a Superbowl. Mahomes showed the entire NFL he could razzle dazzle all his opponents playing the Quarterback position like a basketball point guard on the hardwood. In 2019, everyone wanted the Chiefs to knock off Tom Brady and the Patriots in post-season. It was the Chiefs and Patriots in the AFC Championship. Tom Brady showed he was the GOAT and knocked off the future GOAT of present day in the NFL. Mahomes was able to beat Brady in regular season going 3-1 against him. In the playoffs, Brady beat Mahomes twice. Sounds very familiar with Josh Allen and Mahomes.

Before Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady squared off in the Superbowl in 2021, Mahomes won his first ever Superbowl in 2020 as the Chiefs beat the 49ers. Then Tom Brady left New England, and signed with the Buccaneers, and he had Tampa Bay in the Superbowl in 2021. Everyone was rooting for the Chiefs still. Brady and the Buccaneers would prevail 31-9 versus Kansas City. Brady would never get back to the Superbowl after that season winning his 7th title of his career. I’m sure that was fine with the Chiefs who then became that dynasty everyone hates as they beat the Eagles in 2023. Then last year in another rematch with the 49ers, they beat them again to win their 3rd Superbowl since Mahomes became the starting QB for Andy Reid. Now the Chiefs will go for the three peat which does not happen in football. As they have a rematch against the Eagles who they beat in 2023. They even call it the Andy Reid Bowl II, because he was the best head coach in Philadelphia by wins and best ever in KC history.

Remember all the breaks the Patriots used to get? The NFL let New England go on plenty of scandals involving cheating by the Patriots. From deflate gate to Bill Belichick recording teams’ practices. The tuck rule when Tom Brady fumbled versus the Raiders and how magically the call gets reversed in a divisional game. Look at the Chiefs getting away with murder versus the Bills. The first down by Josh Allen in the AFC championship. Two officials had opposite spots on that 4th and 1 play at a pivotal point in the game. One saying Bills got the first down. While the other saying Kansas City stopped them. The Chiefs got the call and avoided a back breaker play that could have ended them easy and scored the right way on turnover on downs. The Chiefs squeaked by many of their games this season. The Chiefs won most of these games on some kind of play that went their way late in the game. It was the same thing in the divisional round when Chiefs finally knocked off the Texans. The joke is why does Mahomes wear number 15? It’s a 15 yard penalty if you make contact with him or if you even try to tackle him you may be flagged. In the Texans game ghostly penalties called on Houston costed them.

Many people may boycott Superbowl 59. They think the league is rigged. They see it with their own eyes how the Chiefs get away with bloody murder especially this season. Since 2002, the Patriots and Chiefs have won 9 Superbowl titles combined. They have been involved in 13 Superbowls combined. If you count Tom Brady’s Buccaneers Superbowl that is 14. In a total of 24 Superbowls since 2002 including this season in a game not yet played the Chiefs, Patriots and Brady have been involved in someway for 15 of them. I can see why people across the nation and perhaps around the world are pissed off. It’s the same script with basically two teams and the rest of the league are moving parts thrown a bone. You can say this sport is hovering around at the wrestling level of being fake with written scripts. Is this not why the NFL went with a salary cap? So the league would have some parity? That science experiment has blown up all over the faces of all these NFL executives. Everyone will be wearing green like it’s St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday going Eagles. It may not matter because Mahomes may need to tie Tom Brady in titles. Will we have to relive the same game like in the movie Groundhog Day as Bill Murray lives the same day over and over. Not sure the teams that I like in the NFL will get selected as the next dynasty. Let’s get some new writers in the NFL script department and give another team a whirl. The NFL All-Star game has gone to flag football. The Superbowl has gone to Harlem Globe Trotters versus the Washington Generals.

Hopefully Jalen Hurts’ Eagles are the Generals that are due and need to win against this SKY NET machine the Chiefs are. It’s time to terminate the Nuggies and the State Farm commercials. Take Taylor Swift with you as well. Maybe next year we can have the Go Go’s band in some team’s box. Not in the script.

PETE CARROLL IN SIN CITY LEADING THE RAIDERS MAKES SENSE ON ALL LEVELS

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In Steven King’s masterpiece, The Stand, the devil at the end of civilization set up camp in Sin City, Las Vegas. The Stand is about a pandemic that wipes out most of the population. All the survivors find their calling to be good or evil. The good set up in Colorado. The evil were led by a character named Randall Flagg, the devil. He had a full head of hair, trimmed up beard, had probably even seen the fountain of youth. You would think Satan or vampires that are hundreds of years old never age. The owner of the Raiders, Mark Davis, is trying to get back that razor’s edge that made the entire league regret playing the silver and black a long time ago, in a galaxy far away. Since the Raiders have moved from Oakland to Las Vegas, it has been musical chairs at the head coach position. The Vegas Raiders finally found their Randall Flagg to get back that edge and that is the ageless wonder 73 year old Pete Caroll who some may think is the spawn of the devil.

By the time next season starts up again in 2025, Pete Caroll will be 74 years of age. He for sure does not look like a guy in his 70’s. Caroll still has that upbeat energy and is a players’ coach. He can still build your franchise a winning culture and that’s why he got a three year deal with an option year for a 4th season with the Raiders. When Caroll took over Seattle, the only Superbowl the Seahawks ever made was in 2005 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Carroll’s first season, the Seahawks won their division with a 7-9 record. They even won a playoff game that season. Carroll turned the Seahawks franchise around quickly as he started in 2010 and they won their first ever Superbowl with him in 2013. The Seahawks went to back to back Superbowls, but only won one of them. They should have won their second, but a bad play call in the last minute of the game down at the goal line ruined that as the Patriots intercepted a Russell Wilson pass that gave Tom Brady and New England another title. In 14 seasons in Seattle, Caroll had the Seahawks to the post-season 12 times. His record in Seattle was 137-89-1.

When the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020, they were a team on the rise. The Raiders had a solid head coach in Jon Gruden that was bringing back that winning excellence, “Just win Baby,” in his second stint with the franchise. In 2020 the Raiders finished 8-8. In 2021 the Raiders were off to a pretty good start with a 3-2 record. Then the league uncovered Gruden’s old racist emails from the days he was just a coach in Washington. Those were dark times just after the pandemic as there were plenty of racial tensions throughout the United States. The league was investigating Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, and his dysfunctional franchise at the time. Gruden would step down from his head coaching duties and the interim job went to Rich Bisacia. It was Bisacia who went 7-5 as the H.C. and the Raiders made the playoffs but were a quick exit in the wild card round. The owner of the Raiders decided against giving Bisacia the permanent gig as the head coach. Instead Mark Davis would hire Josh McDaniels and that was a complete disaster. The interim head coach duties went to Antonio Pearce after McDaniels was fired and he led the Raiders over the Chiefs in a Christmas Day victory in 2023. That victory sealed the deal for Pearce. This time Davis gave the Interim Head Coach the full time gig the next season. Pearce and the Raiders in 2024 were one of the bottom feeders in the NFL. The Raiders would clean house and start fresh with a new General Manager and new Head Coach.

The last time the Raiders have been to the Superbowl was 2003 when they lost to their former head coach Jon Gruden who was traded to the Buccaneers. If you remember, Gruden’s Raiders had Tom Brady and the Patriots on the ropes in a 2002 divisional playoff game as they forced a fumble on the legendary quarterback and recovered the ball. A turning point in the game which could have been a dagger in the Patriots coffin but was overruled as the referees would dig something so deep out of their assholes. Suddenly the tuck rule was formed as his arm was going forward. The Patriots would win that game. The Raiders would trade away Gruden the next season which might have been the worst mistake this franchise ever made because of Tom Brady. If Raiders win the tuck rule game, do they get to the Superbowl in 2002? If the Raiders won that tuck rule game they may have kept Gruden for 2003 and may have beat the Buccaneers. Gruden with the Buccaneers knew everything about his former team the Raiders in that Superbowl to give Tampa Bay an advantage. The Patriots QB played well enough to beat the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, but Tom Brady was not on the field to seal the deal. The Patriots defense, which was led by Bill Belichick, and Pete Caroll letting his offensive coordinator call a pass play. This instead of giving the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch to run the ball in at the goal line cost Seattle and their head coach another Superbowl title. The Raiders have made Brady 10% of their ownership after he retired. Brady most likely is calling most of the shots. At one time, Brady, Raiders and Pete Caroll versus the Patriots were enemies of the state. They now have joined forces to resurrect Raider nation who last won a Superbowl in 1984 versus the Washington Redskins.

The AFC West is loaded with each team having one of the brightest minds in the game as their head coach. First the Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid are looking for a three-peat. Then Jim Harbaugh had the Chargers in the post-season in his first season in LA being hired by one of the worst franchises in football. Harbaugh has a great track record leading the 49ers to the Superbowl years ago and then recently he led his old school, the University of Michigan to a national championship win. Sean Peyton won a Superbowl title with the Saints and found a QB in the draft, Bo Nix, and he had the Broncos in the post-season this season. The Raiders were the only team in the division not to make the post-season.

The Raiders would be bringing in a very decorated head coach in Pete Caroll who has only sat out one season after leaving Seattle. Before Seattle he won the National Championship with USC in a 9 year stretch where he went 7-2 in bowl games. His college record in regular season was 97-19 overall. What if Seattle won back-to-back titles? You would be saying Seattle had their own dynasty, although not as big as the Patriots or present day Chiefs. Before Pete Caroll took the job at USC, he had gigs that did not go well with the Jets and Patriots in the NFL. That was many moons ago and Caroll has evolved and learned from those experiences. As an NFL coach, Caroll has a record of 170-120-1 as he is 30 games away from 200 wins in the NFL.

Every team in the AFC West has a better roster and quarterback than the Raiders. If you are Pete Caroll, do you think Aidan O’Connell can be the guy behind center in the future? He has made small strides. Do you think the Raiders set up a Caroll reunion with Russell Wilson? Wilson versus the Broncos intensifies that rivalry with all the wasted money Denver spent on the former Seattle QB and how he irked some of his teammates who are still playing there. Can Caroll set up that Legion of Boom defense like he had in Seattle? Maxx Crosby is a nice starting piece building that kind of defense. Caroll has his work cut out for him as this will be a project for him. His presence in Seattle meant he was an instant winner. For a guy like Mark Davis, who can’t even get his hair cut right with that bowl style do. He has not done well as an owner like his father Al Davis. You have to make a deal with the devils of the past to be the devils of the future like the red team in the division. Tom Brady was the first Lucifer who he let buy in. Now Brady thinks Carroll will give this Raiders team stability in the future starting with present times. The Raiders got their Randall Flagg. Now the AFC West teams not named the Chiefs have followed each other’s path of getting the MAN to help their own franchise get better and knock off Andy Reid and Kansas City. The sin city team may be behind the 8 ball, but these new hires could be in the Chiefs rear view mirror soon as objects are closer than you think.