Ravens need to tell Ray Rice to take a hike (UPDATEx2)

*UPDATE* The Ravens have announced via their Twitter account that they have terminated Ray Rice’s contract.

*UPDATE 2* – The NFL has announced that they are suspending Ray Rice indefinitely based on “new video evidence that became available.”

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In an email response to ESPN looking for a comment on the release of the Ray Rice punch tape the NFL said, “We have no comment at this time. Thank you.”

You’re God damn right you have no comment. There isn’t any comment to be made.

You (the NFL), the NLFPA, the Ravens…you all fucked up.

The moment this man admitted to hitting his girlfriend (now wife) Janay Palmer he should have been punished severely.

How can you, as a league, justify a year long suspension of dope headed Josh Gordon and a mere two-game suspension for a man in your league that knocked a woman unconscious?

Wait, not just unconscious, but then appeared to spit on her and drag her lifeless looking body around.

If the league itself will not persue further penalty against the woman beating coward the Ravens as an organization needs to step up.

Remove him from the roster. Suspend him in addition to the league’s. Keep him on the roster and not play him. Make him play, but he has to carry the ball a minimum of 30 times…with no helmet.

Something needs to be done by someone.

Like many others I couldn’t be more disgusted.

Get your shit together NFL.

Public Enemy #1

I will openly admit that I was an Alex Rodriguez apologist.

The key word is ‘was‘.

Those days of trying to explain away and most likely just convince myself that he wasn’t baseball’s Stalin so that I could continue to root for him to do well and, one would think, in turn the team to do well are over. I can’t do it anymore.

I kept quiet when the Biogenesis story initially broke. I kept quiet during his back and forth with the Yankees about whether he was healthy enough to play. I kept quiet when he continually ran his mouth about letting the arbitration process run its course.

How can I now?

The most hated man in sports (arguably) appears to have upped his game. While it’s indirect, you would have to think that Alex had to give the go ahead for his people to leak other players (including Ryan Braun and his own teammate Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli) to the media as PED users, at least according to a report by “60 Minutes”.

If it’s true that Rodriguez’s inner circle did in fact I have no idea how he could ever recover. Even if there was a slim chance before, that slim chance would now be downgraded to no chance.

I’m fed up with this man. He’s a rat and a shit stain on the sport of baseball.

I still stand by the 211 game suspension by MLB in lieu of a lifetime ban. Why force the MLBPA to go above and beyond to defend a man who is a bane on their existence? It’s just that much more reason that MLB and the Players Association can get together with a mutual interest for much, much more harsh penalties for PED users. It’s rare that the league and it’s PA has a mutual interest in anything.

From the ESPN.com article on Rodriguez being a rat;

Rodriguez’s lead attorney, David Cornwell, released a statement Friday morning denying the latest allegations:

“These allegations are untrue and are another attempt to harm Alex, this time by driving a wedge between him and other players in the league,” Cornwell said.

Hysterical. It’s simply hysterical that Cornwell thinks that a wedge the size of the Grand Canyon doesn’t already exist between Rodriguez and other players in the league. For every Mike Trout and John Lackey who expressed themselves, there’s probably a hundred more, at least, that kept quiet, yet feel the same way.

So Alex can have his appeal and he can play his games until the original suspension is upheld (and I do think it will be upheld). He can delude himself into thinking that there’s more than fifty people in all of baseball who have any respect left for him after all this.

Antonio Margarito, warrior?

How stupid does this sound?

Margarito cheated once for sure and most likely many more times than that and he gets called a warrior?

Eff that.

A warrior is Arturo Gatti, Micky Ward, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, among others.

Calling Margarito a warrior does a massive disservice to those in boxing who actually deserve it. To those that poured their heart and soul into this sport without having to resort to the sort of thing Margarito has done (more than once, in my opinion).

So lets just save the warrior talk for the actual warriors and leave Margarito with the legacy he created for himself; cheater.

TomBoxingAsylum (Tommy Allan)

None of Margarito’s haters have 1% of his nuts or guts. He will always be more man than every one of you #TrueWarrior

10:08 AM Jan 17th via web
http://twitter.com/TomBoxingAsylum/status/291925042961477632

Six Fights for 2013

Well, that’s that for a possible (going on 4 years) Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr mega fight.

Since the fight that would be on (should have been on) everyone’s “Fight I want to see this year” list is destroyed with a superbly timed counter punch KO, it’s time to leave that fight in the past.

There are plenty of other fights to whet your appetite this year, and I’m sure some you want to see happen.

Here’s my six (in no particular order);

Klitschko’s retiring will revitalize heavyweight division

Brothers of Destruction

The moment the dominant giants known as the Klitschko brothers retire from the sport of boxing is the day the heavyweight division begins its march back towards relevance.

I don’t mean that negatively towards the brothers Klitschko, I mean it as a compliment. They have been dominant for so long (Wladimir hasn’t lost since 2004, Vitali since 2003) that they are all anyone can think of at the mere mention of the heavyweight division. They have crushed all competition and they have beaten anyone and everyone that has stepped into the ring with them over the last 8 years.

The moment that both brothers are retired, I think, will be the beginning spark that is needed to bring the division back into being relevant.

Remove the Klitschko’s and you now have a very level playing field with multiple challengers for the right to be called the best  heavyweight in boxing.

It may seem bleak thinking about the division without the two, but it’s really just a beginning. A beginning of a new era where there is no dominant figure, where there’s basically a level playing field.

Assuming Vitali retires later this year and Wladimir sometime in 2014 there will still be a good group of fighters available to pair up and have exciting fights.

Seth Mitchell, Johnathon Banks, Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin, Kubrat Pulev, David Haye, Chris Arreola, etcetera all will clamor for their piece of the heavyweight crown.

After the Klitschko’s are gone it goes from a division of two to a division of many.

The DKY NFL Power Rankings 2012 (Week 16)

1. This particular Giants team has no heart. If you watched their pitiful effort on Sunday you know why I say that.

2. It wasn’t just the Giants that played as if their balls were missing, the Lions, Bills, Chargers, and Buccaneers also were nutless.

3. When you head coach is saying that your season has “gone off the rails” you’re probably in for a slew of changes. The Lions have tons of talent and no direction or execution.

4. Brian Urlacher just needs to shut up.

5. Adrian Peterson now only needs 188 rushing yards over his last two games (@ Texans, Packers) to become the 7th man to reach the 2,000 yard plateau after his 24 carry, 212 yard destruction of the Rams.

6. Calvin Johnson needs only 182 receiving yards to break Jerry Rice’s single season receiving yardage record of 1,848 set in 1995.

7. I wouldn’t get too excited about the Falcons either. They did destroy the Giants, but that’s really nothing to write home about. The Falcons are a good team, they will most likely end up with a #1 seed in the NFC and a bye, but they will not beat the 49ers, in my opinion.

8. As I type this the spread of the Giants @ Ravens game is currently Giants -1. I realize the Ravens played poorly against the Broncos on Sunday, but they are home against a wildly inconsistent Giants team that got destroyed in every facet of the game and the spread favors the Giants? Did I miss something?

On to the rankings!

Shut up, Brian!

Brian Urlacher is a hell of a football player. He is a sure-fire, first ballot Hall of Famer.

No doubt about it.

However, this isn’t about his accolades or accomplishments, it’s about him questioning his own fans.

Sunday in Chicago the Bears lost against their rival, the Green Bay Packers, 21-13 in what was their fifth loss in their last six games. Four of the five losses came in Soldier Field.

The fans were frustrated and disappointed after starting the season 7-1 only to lose 5 of 6 to end up 8-6 with two games remaining, so they booed. They booed loud and often.

“Our crowd was pretty good today for the most part,” Urlacher said Sunday during his weekly segment on Fox Chicago. “They were loud for a minute there. The boos were really loud, which is always nice. The only team in our division to get booed at home is us. It’s unbelievable to me.”

Why is it ‘unbelievable’ to you? You started 7-1 and easily led your division, then dropped 5 of 6 to fall to 8-6 where you currently sit on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Is it so unbelievable that your loyal fans would be pissed off at the possibility of missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons? Is there some rule that states only ‘real’ fans don’t boo their team?

That’s bullshit.

You bought the ticket and paid for the parking and the excessive food and drinks, you have every right in the world to boo the shit out of your team if they play the way you’ve played. The ‘unbelievable’ thing to me would be the fans not caring enough that they didn’t boo.

The booing, to me, shows they care more than you think they do. It means they don’t want to settle for what you’re giving them. It means they actually care how you’re playing. That’s a good thing.

Your offense managed a pitiful 107 passing yards on Sunday against a not-so-good Packers defense. In week 11 against the 49ers you threw for, wait for it, 58 yards. Disgusting.

So, Brian Urlacher, your fans have every right in the world to boo you. Play better or shut up.

Bills Have (lots of) Holes

The Buffalo Bills have tried to fix/start over/rebuild themselves for well over a decade now.

After their loss to the run-up-the-score Seattle Seahawks yesterday they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for the 13th straight season.

Yeah, the thirteenth straight season. Also, coincidentally the longest streak in the NFL.

The main reason for this is the ownership and the misguided signings (or lack thereof) of the GM Buddy Nix.

It’s not that the signings he made where bad (they weren’t, well not all bad anyway), it’s that he didn’t go far enough. Mario Williams started slow, but has come on nicely after becoming more healthy.

DE Mark Anderson has been absent most of the year having only appeared in five games and managing only one sack and 12 total tackles. On paper though, I couldn’t hate on the signing because it made sense. Pairing him with Williams and DT’s Kyle Williams & Marcel Dareus seemed to fit. It, obviously, hasn’t worked out.

The Vince Young signing was a bust, but no harm no foul as it was only a 1 year, $2 million dollar deal.

Now the lack of filling in the holes is what hurt the Bills. Through free agency and the draft they had ample opportunities to fill at least a portion of their glaring deficiencies.

Delusional Bills

“He’s my coach. I’ve got his back. Those people who want him fired, they must not understand football,” RB C.J. Spiller said Monday, per the BuffaloNews. “I mean, he’s been in this business for a long time. He understands what it takes to win. … For people to say he needs to be fired and all that stuff, that’s bogus, and I’m going to leave it at that.”

I’m not one for name calling, but C.J. Spiller appears to be delusional.

“Those people who want him fired, they must not understand football…” – Maybe I don’t understand football in the way you understand football, but I know enough that Chan Gailey should not be a head football coach in the NFL.

A coordinator? Sure, fine. A head coach? No.

His first season as a head coach in the NFL was a success, going 10-6, but followed it up with a disappointing 8-8 season. Both years were with the Dallas Cowboys and both years they made the playoffs, but exited after Wild Card round losses in both years.

Then he had a two year stint as offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins before moving on to become the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He underachieved his way to a 44-32 record from 2002-07.

After the Yellow Jackets bought Gailey out of his contract, the Kansas City Chiefs hired him to be their new offensive coordinator in 2008.

The Buffalo Bills then made Gailey their 15th head coach (and 5th in the last 10 years) in January 2010.

Since Gailey has taken over for the Bills he has compiled a win-loss record of 15-30 (as of 12/9/2012).

“He understands what it takes to win.”

His career NFL winning percentage of .429 seems to say otherwise. The truth is Chan Gailey needs to be fired. It’s just not working.

The DKY NFL Power Rankings 2012 (Week 15)

1. How bad are the Cardinals? After starting the season 4-0 they have now lost 9 in a row.

2. In those 9 losses they have been outscored by their opponents, 231-95.

3. The Houston Texans were my pick to make the Super Bowl out of the AFC and while I’m not ready to jump ship, that ship is getting a bit creaky.

4. Adrian Peterson has exactly 1,600 yards rushing this season through 13 games. He’s averaged 123.1 rushing yards per game at 6 yards per carry (both lead the NFL).

5. His last three games are @ Rams, @ Texans, Packers. He needs 400 yards to reach 2,000 on the season. To become the 7th man to reach the milestone, Peterson would have to average a robust 133.3 yards rushing per game.

6. I’m a fan of the Buffalo Bills. It’s clear that I’m quite self loathing.

7. Giants rookie RB David Wilson had a breakout party! It took a lot longer than some would have thought (myself included), but he shredded the Saints D to the tune of 13 carries, 100 yards & 2 TD’s. Also not to be overlooked
was his personal decimation of the Saints special teams unit. Greg McMahon (Saints special teams coordinator) had to be talked into giving up all sharp objects after the game.

8. Drew Brees leads the NFL with 4,028 passing yards. Matthew Stafford is second with 4,006. Their teams are 5-8 & 4-9 (respectively). It begs the question, “Has there ever been a season in which the two leaders in passing yardage were both from teams with losing records?” Rather long-winded question.

9. Calvin Johnson has a chance at breaking an all-time greats record. Jerry Rice accumulated 1,848 receiving yards in 1995. If Megatron can manage 303 receiving yards he’ll be the new record holder for most receiving yards in a season.

10. My top 5 for MVP (in order);

Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
Aldon Smith, DE, San Francisco 49ers

On to the rankings!!

Week 15 Power Rankings
(last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1 (3) – Broncos (10-3)
2 (4) – Patriots (10-3)
3 (1) – Texans (11-2)
4 (2) – Falcons (11-2)
5 (5) – Packers (9-4)
6 (6) – 49ers (9-3-1)
7 (8) – Colts (9-4)
8 (9) – Seahawks (8-5)
9 (7) – Ravens (9-4)
10 (12) – Giants (8-5)
11 (10) – Bears (8-5)
12 (14) – Redskins (7-6)
13 (11) – Steelers (7-6)
14 (16) – Vikings (7-6)
15 (17) – Cowboys (7-6)
16 (13) – Bengals (7-6)
17 (15) – Buccaneers (7-6)
18 (21) – Rams (6-6-1)
19 (24) – Jets (6-7)
20 (18) – Dolphins (5-8)
21 (20) – Lions (6-7)
22 (19) – Saints (5-8)
23 (29) – Panthers (4-9)
24 (26) – Chargers (5-8)
25 (27) – Eagles (5-8)
26 (28) – Browns (5-8)
27 (23) – Bills (5-8)
28 (22) – Cardinals (4-9)
29 (25) – Titans (4-9)
30 (30) – Jaguars (2-11)
31 (31) – Raiders (3-10)
32 (32) – Chiefs (2-11)