Remember back in 2018 when the Bears landed Khalil Mack from the then Oakland Raiders. The Bears defense in 2018 resembled some of those great defenses they had in the past like in 2006 and I will dare to say even the ’85 Bears with the addition of Mack. The move by then General Manager Ryan Pace looked like a golden move at the time, a game changer. The Raiders at the time welcomed back Jon Gruden as their head coach on a ten year deal. Khalil Mack wanted a contract extension. Gruden’s name would be dragged through the mud by agreeing to deal Mack to Chicago. Gruden wanted draft capital as he knew his roster had too many holes. Bears gave Mack a six year 141 Million dollar extension and 90 of that was guaranteed. Bears would have a magic year but lose to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs by the double doink of the field goal kicked by Cody Parky trying to end the game to put Chicago into the second round of the playoffs. The Bears had a very good defense that post-season which could have carried them to the Superbowl if they did win that game. We never will know as the doink is still ringing in the ears of many Bears fans. After that the Bears would completely fall apart as they did make the playoffs in 2020 by sneaking in the back door. Gruden’s Raiders team would make the playoffs without him in Vegas. Now the Bears are the one unloading Mack, and the Chargers have that Ryan Pace feeling like Mack is the piece they need to get them over the hump.

The Bears have a new Sheriff in town at the General Manager position. From the Kansas City Chiefs organization, Ryan Poles is guy who’s not messing around. The Bears roster is riddled with holes like a Russian tank shot up by the Ukrainian Army. The fired Ryan Pace who used his draft picks like Monopoly money, or maybe toilet paper is a better comparison. Pace at the time gave the Raiders a 2019 first and 6th round draft pick for Khalil Mack. As well as another 1st round pick in 2020 with a 3rd rounder. Bears would get a 2nd round pick back with a conditional 7th rounder. That is quite the large draft capital on one guy who lasted 4 seasons in Chicago. Bears do not have a first round draft pick in 2022 because they used that to get Justin Fields last year. The new Ryan, Ryan Poles has his work cut out for him. Poles will get two draft picks back from the LA Chargers for Mack’s services. Bears will get the Chargers second round pick this season’s draft and a sixth round pick in 2023. The best part of the deal is the Bears will clear the rest of Mack’s contract off the books which is 84.9 Million over the next three seasons. Bears can add a lot of pieces with that kind of money now available. It shows you how the Bears do Math. The team gave up a boat load to bring Mack to Chicago. Then they sell off the cow for a can of baked beans.

Khalil Mack was 27 years old when he arrived in Chicago. Mack played in 53 games over his 4 seasons as a Midway Monster racking up 36 sacks. Mack is one of the best in the league at the strip sack of the quarterback as he forced 14 fumbles in a Bears uniform. Mack, one of the best edge rushers in the league, had 52 hits with 35 tackles for loss in 53 games in Chicago. Add two interceptions as well to the mix. Last year Mack only played in seven games for the Bears as he had a season-ending injury. In those 7 games, Mack had six sacks with 15 solo tackles. In 8 seasons Mack has played in 117 games in the NFL playing four years with both the Raiders and Bears out of Buffalo University. He has registered 76.5 sacks so far in his career.

At the age of 31 years old, pairing Khalil Mack up with Joey Bosa another star edge rusher in the league, gives LA a scary tandem at the bookends of the defensive line. In the AFC West with all the great quarterbacks in place, Chargers could have a scary front seven along with their star quarterback Justin Herbert and a talented offense. Can they be the team to peak at the right time like the 2018 Bears? Mack would reunite with his former coach Brandon Staley, who is the Chargers head coach. Chargers would not give up a lot for Mack’s services, but they will have to pay him. Both Mack and Bosa are very talented edge rushers but can they stay on the field together for the long haul? Both pass rushers have missed games in their careers. Will Mack be the same player when he returns from last season’s foot injury that required surgery? Chargers can cut Mack in 2023 if this trade does not work out and save 16.9 Million off the cap. If Chargers wait until 2024, they save 20.3 Million off the cap if they cut him. Bosa is probably due for an extension soon as well. Chargers may be eyeballing next season only with this move landing Mack from Chicago as it only costed them a two picks.

For the Chicago Bears, this is typical stuff we see happen all the time. I remember drinking the Kool-Aid when the Bears made the big trade that year to land Khalil Mack. After seeing Mack play in the first game of the 2018 season versus the Packers going after Aaron Rodgers even though the team lost, I did not think about those first round picks being given up. I did not see that offensive guru, the Bears new head coach Matt Nagy, would screw up Mitch Trubisky. Then Ryan Pace throwing away picks. Then any of Ryan Pace’s first or second round picks turning into busts for the Bears, but other teams found the diamond in the ruff with some of these guys. It was a collection of dumb moves, bad deals, and horrible coaching that put the Bears into this position today. Maybe Khalil Mack is just a great player that plays for bad teams. We will see if the Chargers do well and for how long? The new GM for the Bears, Ryan Poles, should not stop dealing. I would get rid of all these big money guys, collect draft capital to use them wisely, and construct a nice team around some of the core younger guys on the roster. Watching Mack play four seasons with Chicago was awesome. Maybe Roquan Smith will be that next Bears stud. At the end, the Mack ran out of diesel & so did the Bears.

When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Carson Wentz in the first round in 2016, I thought for sure they had acquired a stud quarterback that would be the team’s franchise leader for at least ten seasons. Loved that Wentz was from a smaller university out there in the sticks. One from states where the university and local high school football team are the entire weekend for the local folks. Look at Josh Allen out of University of Wyoming, who checks all the boxes for a quarterback coming from a smaller university. Wentz has shown flashes of an elite quarterback in the NFL. Wentz after six seasons now in the NFL still has shown a lot of erratic play. Everyone will remember his last game. Colts needed a win versus the Jaguars to make it into the post-season in the final week of the season. Wentz had his worst game of the season with a costly interception taking on so many sacks and his accuracy was totally off. The Jaguars game will be Wentz’s last game in a Colts uniform as he has been dealt to the Washington Commanders after only lasting one season in Indianapolis.

When it comes to the Washington Football team, it is not an ideal place to play quarterback. They are the team that took a few seasons to decide on a new name after being forced to abandon the Redskins, and now are the Commanders under which they will debut this 2022 season. The Washington franchise is in disarray due to just a bad ownership, and a soap opera going down in the front office and behind the scenes which even the league has been investigating.

The Commanders had a deal in place with Seattle for Russell Wilson. Wilson declined the trade and accepted the one with him going to Denver. Carson Wentz coming to Washington is definitely not the Commanders’ first choice. The Commanders want an upgrade on the quarterback position over Taylor Heinicke who went 7-8 last season passing for 3,419 yards while throwing 20 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions. Washington has had 32 different starting quarterbacks since winning that Superbowl in 1991. In the past three seasons, Washington has marched 8 of those 32 quarterbacks behind center. Wentz, at 29 years old, is an upgrade over Heinicke. Can Wentz be the guy for Washington for years to come?

In February of 2021, the Eagles sent Carson Wentz to Indianapolis for a 3rd round pick in 2021 and a second round pick that converts into a first rounder this upcoming draft. Colts unloading Wentz to Washington means they will receive in 2022 a 3rd round draft pick. Both Indianapolis and Washington will switch second round picks so the Colts will be now picking 5 spots ahead of the Commanders. Then the Colts get the Commanders’ 2023 third round pick that can turn into a second rounder if Wentz takes 70% of the snaps in 2022. Colts will need a quarterback once again for this season as they will have Wentz off the pay roll so they could swing a deal for another guy that’s available in free agency or in a trade. Head Coach of the Colts, Frank Reich, apologized for backing up the idea of getting Wentz in the first place. Reich coached Wentz in Philadelphia. It leaves you scratching your eyeballs out as the quarterback position has been a revolving door in Indianapolis since Andrew Luck retired. Jacoby Brissett showed why he can’t be a full time starter. Phillip Rivers lasted only one season as he got the Colts into the playoffs, but age caught up to him. Colts have a nice roster set up, but can’t get the most important position figured out on the field.

In 2017 in year two of Carson Wentz for the Eagles, he was in cruise control as he was 11-2 as the starter and threw 33 touchdown passes with only 7 interceptions. Then Wentz went down with a season-ending injury. We all know what back-up Nick Foles did for the Eagles after that. Let’s throw Foles in the mix for the Colts starter this season as Frank Reich has coached him to. Wentz would never be the same after the injury as he was up and down the next few seasons. Wentz would never again get to the 30 plateau in TD passes. Eventually Eagles would select Jalen Hurts in the draft and he would be the guy replacing Wentz. Eagles might replace Hurts this off-season. Last season, Wentz was 9-8 as a starter for the Colts as he threw for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdown passes and once again lucky seven in interceptions. It’s the last two games for Wentz that would doom him from returning to Indianapolis. Colts needed one win to make the post-season and losing to the Jaguars is a kick in the head. Colts beat teams like the Bills, Patriots, and the 49ers all by double digit points, and those were playoff teams. At one point towards the end of the season, Colts looked like a scary team if they made the post-season. Nobody wanted to see them as Jonathan Taylor was gashing teams for yards. For both teams I’m curious to see if the Commanders or the Colts will solve their quarterback issues this season. The Commanders have at least Taylor Heinicke who they can use once again if things don’t work out. Colts have two inexperienced guys on their roster right now behind center. Wentz will have plenty of motivation in his play this season, especially after being dealt again. Playing the Eagles twice may elevate Wentz’s quarterback play. For Wentz, was losing to the Jaguars last season in the season finale worse than now being the starter in Washington? Talk about being at the level of bottom bottom of the barrel and perhaps lower in life on your craft.

The Denver Broncos shot the starting pistol to get the off-season games started at the musical chair quarterback competition. Last off-season in a Mega-deal between the Lions and the Rams, we saw Matthew Stafford go to LA while Jared Goff headed to Detroit. We all know what Stafford did for the Rams a few weeks back. Russell Wilson gets his wish as he is out of the Emerald City and will be headed to Denver. Talk about circling the wagons as Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the MLB draft. Did John Elway finally find his answer at the quarterback position that goes all the way back to when Peyton Manning walked away from the game after he helped the Broncos win the Superbowl in 2016? The Seahawks get a boat load from Denver in return for Wilson. The question is whether the Seahawks are rebuilding or retooling?

How long will Head Coach Pete Carol stay in Seattle? Will Carol once again lead the Seahawks back to the playoffs and Superbowl like he did when he arrived in the Pacific Northwest? Seahawks could quickly turn things around if their plan is not to blow up everything. Seattle gets a slew of top draft picks from Denver that include the 2022 1st rounder 9th overall selection. Possible quarterback? Seahawks also get Denver’s 2022 second round pick, the 40th overall along with a fifth rounder in the up and coming draft in April. Then Seattle will get another first rounder from Denver in 2023 along with another second round pick. Plus Seattle gets a starting Defensive lineman in Shelby Harris who was a locker room leader for the Broncos and had six sacks last season. Seattle also get a pretty good tight end in Noah Fant who caught 68 balls for 670 yards with 4 touchdown grabs. Can Pete Carol and his staff fix 25 year old Drew Lock? Lock is coming to Seattle as well. Lock has played in 3 seasons in the NFL has an 8-13 record as a starter throwing 25 touch down passes in 24 games. Lock’s interceptions are a problem as he has thrown 20 of those. If Seattle can address their offensive line and either draft a young guy or fix Lock, remember the Seahawks have a pair of top notch Receivers on their team in Tyler Lockett and a beast in DK Metcalf. Adding Fant to the mix at the tight end position, they have an aerial game that just needs a launcher to hit their targets.

Russell Wilson should have two Superbowls to his credit. Many would say if the Seahawks in 2015 would have ran Marshawn Lynch at the goal line with under a minute left versus the Patriots, they would have won that Superbowl. Wilson in ten seasons with Seattle has top of the line quarterback numbers. Wilson in 158 games behind center for the Seahawks has a record of 104-53-1 which is 51 games over the 500 mark. Wilson completes 65.5% of his passes and has thrown for 37,059 yards with 292 touchdown passes with only 87 interceptions. Wilson has engineered 24 career comebacks with 32 game winning drives. Broncos want to be involved post-season, and Wilson is the key master. In ten seasons, Wilson has gotten the Seahawks into the post-season 8 times. Wilson has a 9-7 record as a starter in the playoffs during which he has thrown another 25 touchdown passes and only 12 interceptions.

In the AFC West, the division is loaded with star-studded quarterbacks: the Raiders’ Derek Carr, Justin Herbert of the Chargers and Super Chief Patrick Mahomes. If the Broncos are going to make the playoffs, they had to move on from guys like Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock and the rest of the castaways that John Elway thought were a good idea at the time. With Russell Wilson, Broncos get a top tier quarterback in the league at 33 years old. Wilson, a duel threat quarterback, can run if needed. Broncos going down the same slippery road the Rams did last season in Superbowl or bust after giving up the future to land Wilson. If the Broncos can survive the AFC West, they still will have their work cut out for them in the post season with many top teams in the conference like the Bills, Titans, Ravens, Colts and Joe Burrow’s Bengals. Former Bronco head coach Vic Fangio leaves the Broncos with a pretty good defense intact. Wilson will have weapons he can throw to. Broncos have talented receivers in Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick. How will Broncos new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, do? Hackett, former Packers Offensive Coordinator, was part of Aaron Rodgers’ successful MVP season. How will Hackett fare as the man?

This is a risky move by the Broncos giving up what they did to get Wilson. If Broncos win at least one Superbowl, it will be worth it. In a big game or big moment, most people would like Wilson’s odds. Wanting out of Seattle and for what Elway gave up to bring him to Denver, it is a big amount of pressure on the 33 year old’s shoulders. How many years left does Wilson have in the NFL as a starter? Wilson has taken a lot of sacks over the years in a Seattle uniform, especially last season. Wilson missed three games last season which was the first time in his career he missed any game action. I like the move. It does not feel like the final piece like Stafford was for the Rams. Not saying the Broncos will not strengthen their weaknesses through draft or free agents. The road to the Superbowl for the Broncos is a long dark highway drive with bumps in the road, full of pot holes, while traveling with no lights on.

With Tom Brady set to retire from the NFL, finally for the ageless wonder, it leaves a question. What will Rob Gronkowski do? Nicknamed the Gronk at the age of 32, standing at 6’6″ & weighing in at 265, he’s just a monstrosity at the tight end position. Will Gronkowski retire? If so, it would be the second time as he came out of retirement and followed Tom Brady to Tampa Bay. This which we all know resulted in another Superbowl ring for the both of them. Does the Gronk have unfinished business on the gridiron? Would winning another Superbowl suited up for someone else, be something the Gronk would be interested in? Without Tom Brady, is that sac religious on the Gronk’s part? What about going home to play in front all your family and friends? Gronkowski hales from upper state New York and he grew up watching the Buffalo Bills. What a coincidence that the Bills are interested in bringing the tight end that haunted them all these years home. Could Gronk be that one extra piece to put this Buffalo Bills team over the hump into the Superbowl and beyond?

This is really not such a far-fetched idea. Last season, Rob Gronkowski was still very productive as he played 12 games catching 55 balls for 802 yards with six touchdown grabs. The Bills starting tight end last year, the young Dawson Knox in his 3rd season, at 25 years old has improved every season he played. Knox played in 15 games & caught 49 balls for 587 yards with 9 touchdown grabs. Not saying for the Bills to get rid of Dawson Knox. If the BIlls offense next season had both Knox and the Gronk on the field at the same time, imagine with the rest of the arsenal of weapons Josh Allen has it disposal. Bills had one of the best offenses in the league last season, so adding Gronk to the mix could make defenses shit their pants. Gronk alone is very hard to cover as he’s so big with great hands. Sometimes he takes on double teams. How many times did you see Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski play pitch and catch out there on like a Summer day, but in crunch time. Look at what Travis Kelce does for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. These guys make problems for defenses. You can’t cover them with a linebacker in a one-on-one match-up. Gronk and Kelce win these match-ups all day long. Eventually these guys just demoralize the opposing defenses.

The old saying is, “keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.” In the War on Terror for the United States Military, soldiers had decks of playing cards with them with pictures of all the terrorists. Gronkowski would not be the ACE of Spades in the deck if the Bills Mafia had such a thing. That Bin Laden card would be Tom Brady himself. Gronkowski definitely would be in the deck as the Bills passed him up in the draft, as New England picked him. Bills settled for a defensive line man who was an bust that year. Gronkowski has destroyed his childhood team over his entire career playing 16 games against the Bills catching 74 balls for 1,132 yards while scoring 12 touchdowns. That is like having Bo Jackson in the first ever Tecmo Bowl video game for Nintendo at your disposal. Can Bills players welcome a guy like Rob Gronkowski to their locker room? Remember in 2017, Tre’Davious White’s interception off Tom Brady? Gronk went haywire and speared him in the back when he was on the ground. If the Bills players can let bygones be bygones, this signing could work. Remember when the Chicago Bulls traded for Dennis Rodman? Rodman when he was with the Pistons was not riding a tandem bike with Scottie Pippen, singing my buddy. That Rodman trade resulted in three more NBA championships for the Bulls.

My biggest concern is, is Rob Gronkowski on his last legs in his football life? The Gronk took on collision in a game versus the Rams that sidelined him for the rest of that game and for weeks after, early in the 2021 season. I like the idea of the Gronk slicing and dicing his former team, the New England Patriots, twice a year, especially wearing a Bills uniform. I like the playoff experience that Gronk could provide for this Bills team. Gronk’s playoff stats alone would make you smile like the Joker if he was on your team and healthy as he caught 98 balls for 1,389 yards with 15 touchdown grabs in 22 playoff games. Gronk’s regular season stats are so productive with all the games he has missed over his career catching 621 balls for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns. Could the Gronk get 8 more regular season grabs in one more season to walk off with 100 in that department? With Josh Allen as your quarterback, that is very possible. Buffalo has a nice roster intact right now for another run. You definitely want to see the Bills go after their own free agents and bring them back. After that, Bills need some players on the outside of the organization that can help them hurdle the Chiefs in the AFC. These free agents are like mercenaries. Gronk’s move to help Tampa Tom the last two years makes him one of the biggest mercenaries in the galaxy in many ways.

The Klitschko brothers want to fight one more round. Both brothers are former heavyweight boxers and are not looking to step back in the ring. Their fight involves the invasion of the Ukraine by the new Hitler of modern times, Vladimir Putin and his Russian Army. The Klitschko brothers both were born in territories once upon a time ago occupied by the Soviet Union. The Klitschko brothers’ father, Wladimir Rodionovich Klitschko, was a Colonel in the Soviet Union Air force. The Klitschko brothers want nothing to do with Russia as they were able to live elsewhere to escape the tyranny of the USSR. Nicknamed Dr. Fist, the older Klitschko brother, Vitali, could throw a devastating punch in the ring. He is 50 years old and mayor of the Capital City of Ukraine, Kyiv. The younger brother, 5 years younger, is 45. Wladimir, who had the longest reign as heavyweight champion at 9 years, has enlisted in the Ukrainian Reserve Army. One more round is defending their country they call home from one of the world’s superpowers. In this fight they find themselves in that underdog role.

According to the Guinness Book of World’s Records, the Klitschko brothers have the most boxing titles held by a pair of brothers. Both brothers started their boxing careers in 1996. Vitali’s career ended in 2012. The youngest brother, Wladimir, had a career that lasted until 2017. Both were great boxers, but Wladimir was better as he held multiple belts from 2006-2015. That’s nine years. Wladimir won a gold metal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta that year. Wladimir finally lost to current heavy weight champion of the World right now, Tyson Fury. Wladimir would finish his career in the ring with an impressive 64-5 record. Remember the WWF wrestler Jesse “the Body” Ventura? He went into politics after the ring and became the 38th governor in Minnesota. Vitali retired from boxing, went into politics, and served in the Ukraine’s parliament for a few years before getting the mayor spot in 2014. Besides politics and boxing, both brothers can speak multiple languages and hold Doctorates.

You wonder why the Klitschko brothers are not big fans of Russia when they have roots in the old Soviet Union? Their father, Wladimir Rodionovich, died in 2011 from cancer. Doctors said his cancer was linked to radiation exposure due to responding to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. Vitali helped lead the 2013 Euromaiden demonstrations when Ukraine was being operated by Russian puppets of Vladimir Putin. Those Russian leaders did not want to sign to bring Ukraine into the European Union. Both former boxers, have come out and said this is a senseless war. The Klitschko brothers are not afraid to take up arms and fight the invaders. Most athletes would not give it all up to take up arms and fight the invaders. Most athletes off the field are rich cry babies. NBA’s King Lebron James would not fight for his home no matter which team is paying him at the time that he might call home. I give both these former boxers credit as they have never lost their marbles in the ring. Smart guys. I’m sure both of these guys could have left the country filled with violence and lived happily ever after. You have to think both are great boxers, and all those years paid them well. Protecting your home for anyone is the fight of your life. I would love to hear a story coming down to a Russian soldier losing his weapon and his last thing he sees is a fist from one of these brothers knocking him into tomorrow.

Do you remember when the sports landscape throughout \the World was shutdown due to the invasion of the Covid-19 virus? How sports are a huge factor in everyday life for many people? Sports are the escape from everyday life, from family problems, or the daily grind of the job. Many people lost their jobs and could not draw their attention to a three hour match-up that involved one of their teams. These teams, as a fan you get invested in them. Like having another kid in the household. You want to know what is going on with them on a daily basis. Some sports are preferred over hanging out with your loved ones. For lonely people, sports is what they need and the only thing they have. Innocent citizens in Russia will be getting cranky when their sports are taken away due to their sociopath leader, Vladimir Putin, and his invasion of the innocent country of Ukraine.

The most popular sport in the entire world is soccer. March 24, 2022 starts the UEFA World Cup qualifying schedule. World Cup is a big deal when it comes to soccer. Russia would face Poland. Sweden would face the Czech Republic. Then on March 29, 2022, the winners of each match-up on the 24th would face each other. The only problem is Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have refused to play Russia. At home or even on a neutral field. No way any of these countries want to fly into Vladimir Putin’s backyard. Cooler heads prevailed in the think tanks of these international leagues. Yesterday, FIFA-UEFA will ban Russian teams from the games this March. Maybe the Russian people, if they are allowed to watch the games on their television, could tune in and watch the Ukraine team. The Ukraine team made the quarter finals of Euro 2020. The Ukraine this year has finished 2nd in the World Cup qualification round. Ukraine had two match-ups with France, the World Champions. Soccer experts say the Ukraine could make it to Qator in 2022.

What about the Russian athletes that play outside of the country for other leagues? The NHL National Hockey League was considering Russia hosting some games. NHL now has come out and cut ties with any future plans involving their league in the backyard of the next Hitler. What about the Russian players and their families after the season? Superstar Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is in a tough spot helping Vladimir Putin in his campaign in 2017. Ovechin wants peace, but people might not care for him knowing that. The Penguins have Eugeni Malkin and former Blackhawk, Artemi Panarin. I still question the Blackhawks getting rid of Panarin. Do all these guys now have a target on their back? War brings out total dirt bags even if they are not on the bad side of things. People might want to relieve their stress & anger on a Russian individual. I know citizens in Russia protested the Big Boob, Putin, for invading a country. Those protesters can easily get 20 years of prison time speaking up against the weasel-eyed turd in charge over there. If you’re a hockey fan and you watch the NHL to see your countrymen play or follow a team, now you might not be able to because of the Invasion.

How will the invasion of Ukraine affect individual sports like tennis? Daniil Medvedev is the number one men’s tennis star. Will Medvedev stay number one in future matches? Then Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was scheduled in Mexico with a match-up versus a Ukraine female tennis player, Elina Svitolina. Svitolina did not want to play Pavlyuchenkova and wants athletes to be stripped away their country status from any Russians or Belarusians to make them neutral athletes. Svitolina wants tennis organizations to follow the Olympic International committee. This past Winter Olympics, Russia was known as ROC neutral where they could not use their own flag or anthem. Pavlyuchenkora does not want war as she just grew up playing tennis and trying to live out her dream. Now with the invasion, she even said it feels like being held hostage. Then Andrey Rublev took the ATP 500 event in Dubai. He wants to play tennis and live in a peaceful world. Even people who came from the old country can feel the heat of the invasion. Amanda Anisimona, an American tennis player whose father and mother came from Moscow, will probably never go back there. What if these players in individual sports go home? They might not be able to leave to play and live out their dream.

It took awhile for sports to creep back into my life during the pandemic. Re-watching classic games for several weeks got very old. Ultimate Fighting was one of the first sports to return, I remember. I was never a big fan of the cage match-up. Boxing, I always liked better. At the time, the Lumber Jack games on ESPN 999 would have been awesome. Baseball did not start until the end of July. I remember staying up late to try to watch Korean Baseball (KBO) in the wee hours of the morning to get my fix. Russia might have a better selection than they did in the pandemic, but with the invasion sports will be taken away from them because of their government. Ukraine athletes in any sport they play in will be under the microscope and have the biggest fan following in hopes that they do win. They will be inspired because of all the people that stayed in the country and fought the Red Army savages. Savages who were most likely brain washed by their moronic leader, Putin. No way Russian television will tune into the Ukraine soccer team in the World cup. Sports are irrelevant in the battle field. Sports can cope with the pain in ways. Russian people may not get the fix they would like. As their sports will be like Groundhog’s day, every day. They might call it “Wolverine Days,” at least the Red Dawn shit being put down by the Ukraine resistance against the Big Red Machine out of gasoline.

George Gervin’s last game in the NBA was on April 20, 1986, playing for the Chicago Bulls. It was the game when Michael Jordan scored 63 points versus the Boston Celtics in a round one playoff game. It was game two of the series in which one superstar was building his legendary status while the other would end his NBA career. The Bulls would be swept in the series by the Celtics as many will remember Michael Jordan’s 63 point game. They will remember Air Jordan’s flight to greatness taking off in the NBA. Meanwhile George Gervin would dish out one assist, playing 5 minutes in that game. Known as the Ice-man, George Gervin would walk away from the court very quietly after 14 seasons in the ABA & NBA. The 1985-86 season, Jordan only played 18 regular season games due to an injury. The Bulls’ 30-52 record was just enough wins to clinch the final spot in the Eastern Conference. Many would forget if it was not for the Iceman averaging 16.2 points per game that regular season playing in all 82 games, that Jordan’s 63 points versus the Celtics would have had to wait another season.

George Gervin started his career in the ABA American Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires back in 1972. It was former Bulls great announcer/ coach Johnny Red Kerr at the time who liked what he saw from Gervin when he played for the Pontiac Chaparrals of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and signed him and brought him to the ABA. The Squires were a team on the verge of bankruptcy and had to fold up shop and do a fire sale on all their players. Gervin was living the Will Ferrell movie about the ABA in Semi-Pro. Gervin would then be sold off like a piece of meat to the San Antonio Spurs. After two seasons with the Squires, Gervin would play for the San Antonio Spurs of the ABA. In 1974, Gervin became eligible for the NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns selected Gervin in the third round which was the 40th pick overall. Gervin would elect to stay playing with the Spurs in the ABA. Gervin would play 4 seasons in the ABA. Eventually in 1976, the ABA and NBA would emerge. The San Antonio Spurs would be one of the teams from the ABA to move into the NBA. Some teams of the ABA just folded up and did not move to the NBA.

Before David Robinson. Before Tim Duncan. San Antonio basketball was all about the Iceman, George Gervin. Gervin was an offensive juggernaut his entire career. Gervin became the Iceman because he played the game of basketball at a high level and it did not matter who he went up against, he was a cool cat. No signs of struggle from him on the court each night; the man did not show fear or even perspire during the games. The Iceman had his signature move the simple finger roll, which prevented defenders from blocking his shot. The Iceman led the NBA in scoring three years in a row from 1978-80. Gervin averaged 33.1 points per game during that 1979-80 season. Before Michael Jordan, the Iceman had the most scoring titles in league history playing the guard position. In 1980, the Iceman suffered a injury and was out three games. Gervin’s replacement, Ron Brewer, averaged 30.0 points per game. Iceman came back and put up over 40 something points making a statement the cool way. Iceman was asked about his big game returning. His cool cat response was, “Just the way the lord planned it.” Then added “Ice be Cool.”

I wonder if Michael Jordan would have stayed healthy in that 1985-86 season. If the Bulls could have figured a way to use the George Gervin and Jordan who were both guards at the time in the same offense while running a scheme tailored to both players’ strengths. If both built a nice chemistry in regular season, maybe the Bulls would have grabbed a higher seed than the 8th. In the 1978-79 season, the Iceman led everyone in playoff scoring averaging 28.6 points per game. He had the Spurs one win away from getting to the finals in 1979, but the team blew a 3-1 series lead to the Washington Bullets who won three straight. Gervin, like Jordan, has his playoff demons and foes he beat up on. Before losing to Washington, the Iceman got by his arch-rival, Julius Ewing of the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1976, Julius Ewing guided the New Jersey Nets in the ABA finals over the Ice man’s Spurs and took the series 4-3 in best out of seven.

When the Bulls acquired George Gervin from the San Antonio Spurs for forward David Greenwood, Michael Jordan was not happy with that deal. Coming to Chicago & leaving San Antonio, that was the Iceman’s home for over a decade which has to sting. Then playing the same position as the team’s up and coming superstar, probably does not help matters. Gervin played all 82 games for the Bulls during regular season. Gervin would walk away from the NBA and play on the hardwood courts of Europe. During the 1986-87 season in Europe, the Iceman averaged 26.1 points per game. The Iceman would finish his career in another CBA league and play one year with the Quad City Thunder.

George Gervin was born in Detroit and played his college ball at Eastern Michigan where he averaged 29.5 points per game. What a great career for the Ice Man. Eastern Michigan retired his number, 24. San Antonio Spurs retired his number, 44. The Iceman was on the ABA All-time team. The Iceman was voted one of the greatest 50 players of all-time in the NBA at the 50th year anniversary of the league. Same thing for the 75th NBA Anniversary. The Iceman made the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame. Gervin will go down as one of those greats that never won the championship. The more I read about this guy, the more I like him. Established himself in two different leagues. Cool, calm, and collectively put up 26, 595 points combined in both leagues. That’s playing with ice in your veins.

In the game of football, the most important position on the field is the man behind center, the quarterback. When it comes to these Professional Spring football leagues like the return of the USFL, the quarterback position is going to be a crap shoot. Teams will be picking guys from the free agent pool that went undrafted. Guys that clung to a practice squad position in the NFL. Perhaps a guy who has had a cup of coffee in the NFL, would be your seasoned veteran compared to the rest of the unknowns. Maybe even a Spring league veteran from the past football leagues would be a guy taking a few snaps and perhaps be the most seasoned of them all. In the first round of the USFL, teams went quarterback shopping. Teams went after guys that young with potential and not experience in professional football. I’m sure more seasoned veterans who have done more will be plucked away in weeks coming if they want to play Spring ball. Guys will be added from Spring leagues of the past as well. That brings me to the second selection of the first round by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL draft, as they selected former St. Louis BattleHawks starter of the XFL part two Weekend at Bernie’s. Looks like Jordan Ta’amu will be the most seasoned professional quarterback in round one just because he played 5 games in the XFL in the 2020 spring League. Ta’amu was the least seasoned when he was picked in the XFL draft in 2020, & it was his first ever professional football contract.

Jordan Ta’amu might be happy to just play football again or use the USFL as a catapult back to the NFL. The NFL road has not worked out well as Ta’amu was originally signed by the Houston Texans in 2019. Then Texans cut ties with Ta’amu as the young quarterback was undrafted and did not even finish the pre-season in Houston. This after a half season playing in the XFL, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus invasion. Ta’amu was one of the very few players that some of the NFL teams signed. The Kansas City Chiefs signed Ta’amu to a reserve/futures contract with which months later he was waived. Ta’amu would never get any NFL action, but he landed on few practice squads of the NFL. T’amu did two stints in Kansas City and Detroit with pit stops in Washington and Carolina from which he was released in early January.

Jordan Ta’amu is only 24 years old and his journey in football has been a mile long already. In college, Ta’amu played two years for the New Mexico Military Institute in 2015-16. Ta’amu then transferred and made it to a bigger university, Ole Mississippi. Then signing that first professional contract to play in St.Louis of the XFL, got people’s attention. St. Louis fans used the BattleHawks like the rebound girlfriend when their Rams of the NFL moved from back to LA. Ta’amu is a duel threat quarterback as he can use his legs as well as pass the rock. In 5 games as a BattleHawk, Ta’amu completed 97-134 passes for 1,050 yards with 5 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Both those interceptions were coming against the undefeated Houston Roughnecks, Ta’amu did have a combined 316 yards in battle all the way to the end. Ta’amu also had 41 rushes for 217 yards with one touchdown. Ta’amu’s biggest game was against the Dallas Renegades where he passed for 209 yards while rushing for 77 in a BattleHawk win. At the midway point of that XFL season, Ta’amu had the Battlehawks in a three way tie in the Eastern Division.

In the last USFL of the 1980’s, Tampa Bay called their team on offense, Bandit Ball. Jordan Ta’amu might be right now coming into his first season of the USFL behind center as one of the top guys with the most seasoning when it comes to a track record of something in professional football. In the 1980’s, the Bandits had John Reaves behind center, a home town guy who played his College Ball for the University of Florida. Reaves would play 8 seasons in the NF, of which one of them was after the USFL folded. He stayed in town and did one more year with the Buccaneers. In Reaves’ three seasons as a Bandit, he threw for 10,011 yards completing 766-1,364 passes for 62 touch down passes and 61 interceptions. Who knows if the first go-around of the USFL stats will interact with the second go-around of the league. Ta’amu will not want all those interceptions that Reaves threw. Tampa Bay football fans probably would like to see Ta’amu be the next Steve Young, a guy who can stay in the pocket and pass and run when needed. Ta’amu would probably thrive in a well-balanced attack with a good running game to be successful. Ta’amu does not make a lot of mistakes behind center, so Bandit Ball II could be resurrected, but he’s not much eye candy. I like that fact that Ta’amu has had success in the Spring league environment. Imagine being on the practice squad in the NFL and just soaking it all in. Ta’amu might take his game to a new level. Who knows? Just playing the game and being 24 years old, he might stay awhile. Doug Flutie came back to the NFL after being very successful up North In Canada. I think most people are just hoping this next Spring fling just finishes an entire season.

Sid “the Kid” Crosby scored his 500th goal of his career last week. In his 17th season, is Sid still the kid? The 34 year old center will always be Sid the Kid in my book and to many others in the hockey world. Crosby joins Washington Capital superstar, Alex Ovechkin, as the only active players in the NHL with 5O0 goals or more. Crosby becomes the 46th player in NHL history to reach the 500 goal milestone. Crosby scores the goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins archrival, the Philadelphia Flyers. In 17 years, Crosby has scored 50 goals and dished out 69 assists in 79 games versus the Flyers. Will Sid “the Kid” Crosby ever become the King Penguin of all-time in Pittsburgh?

Sid “the Kid Crosby is playing in his 17th season all in Pittsburgh and has 500 goals with 871 assists which is good for 1,371 points. Mario Lemieux played in 17 seasons, all with the Penguins, and scored 690 goals while dishing out 1,033 assists which is good for 1,723 points. Lemieux’s sidekick in the 1990’s, Jaromir Jagr, played 11 seasons alongside Lemieux and scored 439 goals with 640 assists totaling up to 1079 points. Jagr left Pittsburgh and played several season with other teams. Jagr retired from the NHL and played in 24 seasons scoring 766 goals with 1,155 assists for 1,921 points total. Lemieux had back problems that ended his career. While Crosby has missed about 120 games over his career in a Penguins uniform for several different injuries. How long can Crosby play?

Sid “the Kid”s Crosby this season has played in 40 games while scoring 15 goals and dishing out 32 assists for 47 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins have one of the best offenses in the NHL this season. The Penguins have 7 guys including Crosby that have scored double figure in goals this season already which does not include guys close to the double figure mark. Jake Guentzel is the Penguins’ top scorer with 25 goals. Bryan Rust has 18 tallies. Evan Rodrigues has 16 tallies. Then comes Sid the Kid in the Penguin pecking order. Crosby is 34 years old and is not the main cog in the Penguin machine. Crosby is still a very productive player on the ice but the Kid does not have all the pressure to be that number one guy. Penguins offense has many weapons and who knows which one will get the opposing team on any given night.

Sid Crosby is in his 17th season while Mario Lemieux has played 17 total seasons in the NHL. Crosby needs 190 goals to tie the great Lemieux in goals scored in a Pittsburgh uniform. Crosby has only scored 50 goals in one season which was the 2009-10 season. Crosby did have a monster year in the 2016-17 season as he scored 44 goals. Crosby these days probably averages about twenty-something goals per season. Since Crosby is not the number guy, he most likely will not catch the great Lemieux. Crosby has played in 1,079 so far games. Lemieux only was able to play in 915 NHL games and to score 690 goals in that time is amazing. What an amazing kind of force he was on the ice.

Sid “The Kid” Crosby and Mario Lemieux only played 26 games together. Lemieux had to hang up the skates due to an irregular heartbeat. Who is the king Penguin? Crosby has been a part of 3 Stanley Cups. Lemieux has been a part of only two Stanley Cups. After retiring, Lemieux went on to become the Penguins owner. As an owner Lemieux, was a part of those other three cups watching it from his sky box which gives him 5 total. Jaromir Jagr ended up with more goals than Lemieux career-wise. No way Crosby will catch Jagr’s 766 goals. Jagr was more the Scottie Pippen to Lemieux as he played like Michael Jordan on the ice. All three players may be in the top ten all-time of the NHL greats. It depends who you ask. Crosby will be a for sure Hall of Famer if he hung up the skates right now. The King Penguin still has to be Super Mario as Sid the Kid’s younger brother Luigi. Jaromir is just one of those invincible stars along the way who help Mario and the penguins win more games and save the princess.

Maybe the next Jake “The Snake” Plissken movie can be called Escape From Detroit. The Snake already escaped New York and LA. The motor city mostly looks like something out of Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome already. Hollywood would not have to pay for a complete makeover for a city desperate for money and a good football team. Matthew Stafford can play Jake “The Snake” Plissken, a player who escaped the tragedy of playing Detroit Lion football. Now it will be based on a true story as Matthew Stafford escaped Detroit by being traded last off-season to the LA Rams. Stafford last Sunday helped the Rams win the Superbowl in his first season after all those bad years playing in Detroit.

The last time the Detroit Lions won a playoff game was in 1991. Lions at that time were playing their home games in the Pontiac Silver Dome in Pontiac, Michigan. Lions moved into Ford Field in 2002 and it took all the way until 2019 to finally get the last remaining pieces of the Pontiac Silver Dome removed from the property, which Amazon would end up purchasing. The Lions have never won a Superbowl. To remember the last time the Lions won ,you’d have to go back to 1957 when they won the NFL Championship. Lions have 4 NFL Championships, all of them coming between 1935 and 1957. During the 1950’s, Lions won three of those NFL Championships. The 1991 Lions actually had a bye the first round as they were the number two seed. Erik Kramer behind center led the assault on the Dallas Cowboys at the old Pontiac Silver Dome and they crushed them 38-6. Cowboys did not have Troy Aikman in that one. The Lions then would get crushed in the NFC Championship by what was then the Washington Redskins. Matthew Stafford spent 12 seasons in Detroit and played in three playoff games, all losses. Stafford’s one season as a Ram, including the Superbowl win, went 4-0 in post season play.

Ndamkong Suh was another Lion that escaped Detroit. Last year, Suh won the Superbowl with the Buccaneers. Suh spent 5 seasons in Detroit before he left to Miami, then played a lone season for the Rams, and finally went to Misfit Island in Tampa Bay. Suh played with Matthew Stafford on the Lions as the former teammates exchanged some heated words in the playoffs a few weeks back when the Rams went into Tampa Tom’s house and beat them. Suh has been known as a dirty player over his career. I did not mind how he beat up on Jay Cutler when he was on the Bears and Suh was on the Lions. If anyone needs to get a beat down, it would be Jay Cutler. Suh reminds me of a guy in those Jake “the Snake” Plissken movies that runs the prison camp even though he is a prisoner himself. Whatever goes on inside the Apocalyptic city that is just a prison camp, everything needs to go through Suh who is in charge as he put the fear into anyone who dares to step in his way. Suh would be the guy who could leave and come back at will. Suh would be a Lion who got out of Detroit and earned a ring. Not many can say that.

That 1991 playoff team, the Lions had the best running back in the league, Barry Sanders. That 1991 Lions team also featured some very talented wide receivers in Herman Moore and Brett Perriman. Let’s not forget Lions legendary linebacker Chris Spielman on defense. Years later Megatron, Calvin Johnson, would emerge in the motor city. Megatron was one of the elite receivers in the entire league. Just a quarterback’s dream, being a tall target who could jump high and grab the ball out of the thin air and come down with it. Barry Sanders and “Megatron” Calvin Johnson both walked away from the game and retired at an early age. Barry Sanders would have easily broke, at the time, Walter Payton’s record for the most rushing yards if he continued to play. Megatron could have added to all of his stats as well. Megatron rewrote all the Lions receiving records in nine seasons he played in the NFL, all with the Lions. What’s it tell you about Detroit when two Hall of Famers walk away from the game early?

For the Rams this year, Matthew Stafford tied a career high for himself and threw 41 touchdown passes. For Stafford, in 2011 was the first time he threw 41 touchdown passes. Stafford’s record behind center in 12 seasons in Detroit was 74-90-1 as he threw 282 touchdown passes with 144 interceptions in a Lions uniform. Stafford still threw his interceptions of which a number of them this season for the Rams were pick sixes. Stafford was one of the league leaders with his mistakes. Difference is, what Stafford is surrounded by in LA rather than what he was surrounded in Detroit by. Stafford is a middle tier quarterback in the NFL. Stafford would need to win more Superbowls before I consider him to be Hall of Fame material. Even Jim Plunkett of the Raiders had two Superbowl rings and he is not enshrined in Canton, Ohio. You can see what he could have been in Detroit if the Lions did get enough talent around him and a good defense. You need every aspect of your team to be good to have Stafford as your guy.

Jared Goff is probably feeling the size of a golf ball after watching his replacement win the Superbowl. Goff is a young quarterback still and has time to improve his game. Goff has been to a Superbowl and won playoff games. Goff has also lost in the Superbowl and was only able to muster up 3 total points in perhaps the biggest yawner of Superbowl, a few years back versus the Patriots. Goff’s throwing stats will probably be on the rise because the Lions seem like they are always playing from behind. Goff had to throw the ball a lot in his first season behind center in Detroit, just like all those games Mathew Stafford had too. Nothing changes in Detroit. Except now and then they fire and hire another coach. Not sure who the next Lion to escape Detroit and get to the Superbowl will be. Goff might not be that Plissken-like to find his escape as he would get taken out by his own teammates before getting to the wall to climb out of the Detroit metropolitan Apocalyptic Lion world. Not many can escape Detroit, and live the Superbowl dream to talk about it.