Category Archives: NFL

Violence Again the Topic of Another Weekend’s NFL Headlines

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By Nick Muhl

Many of this weekends National Football League games brought about more headlines discussing the violence and the aggressive nature of some of its players. Rather than game recaps and analysis, many media outlets have taken this opportunity to once again criticize the NFL for not doing a better job in educating players to avoid these types of incidents.

The largest incident this weekend by far came in the game between the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. Late in the third quarter, Jets quarterback Geno Smith and Titans defensive lineman Jurell Casey exchanged words following a play. Jurell Casey seemed to take offense to something Geno Smith said, and threw a punch into the right side of his helmet as Smith walked away. Chaos ensued after, with both teams clearing benches into a massive brawl.

In the game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, Redskins receiver Santana Moss had to be ejected from the game after his furious outburst in the face of an official. Moss was upset after the officiating crew overturned a Robert Griffin III touchdown at the end of the first half.

Reporters and writers did not shy away from reporting on a heated exchange of words between Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. The two players only seemed to jaw at each other for the most part, but the conversation did not look like a friendly one.

While some of these examples may seem petty, it brings to light an important issue the NFL must face. Since news stories of Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Darren Sharper, Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald broke, the NFL has tried to distance itself from being associated with questionable characters. All of these are either current or former NFL players currently under investigation in cases involving domestic violence, rape, child abuse, and other violent crimes.

This weekend is another example of how much work the NFL still has ahead of it, if it wants to repair its image and regain the respect of many. Sundays NFL games were another example of how the media will do everything it can to continue to highlight the NFL’s issue as long as it remains fresh on fans minds. The NFL may continue to grow frustrated with many media headlines, but they must focus on changing the culture of the NFL and it’s players if it wants to avoid further such headlines.

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A Carolina Miracle: Panthers QB Newton Sustains Minimal Injuries After Severe Accident

By Savannah Malnar

December 9th could have been a tragic day for the NFL. Cam Newton, starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, was hospitalized in what looked like a deadly car wreck. Every image of the accident looked like something out of an action movie.

The initial reports of the accident included a picture of Newton smiling at the camera while being attended to by paramedics at the scene. He came out of the accident with just a few fractures in his back and was transported to Carolinas Medical Center for precautionary measures and has since been released. His fractures are extremely similar to the injury that sidelined Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo for one game early in the season. Newton had been going the posted speed limit in an intersection notorious for being dangerous; a car clipped the back of his truck and caused it to flip multiple times.

Just a few days later, Newton spoke directly to the media regarding his accident. He strayed away from talking about himself, saying “As far as when I’m coming back, who cares.” He expressed his concern that his injury was an unnecessary distraction and that the media and fans need to be instead focused on supporting the Panthers’ backup Derek Anderson in Sunday’s key game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers need to win against Tampa Bay in order to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Despite not wanting his accident to become a distraction, the media certainly has pounced on it. Many articles have been published simply quoting Newton’s entire Instagram post that included a picture of his demolished truck and a lengthy yet inspiring caption all about living life to the fullest and not holding grudges.

Newton has retained an exceptional attitude throughout the days following his accident. His words to the fans and the media have been encouraging and uplifting and truly show his thankfulness that he survived a crash that many would not. Reports said that initially he seemed upset that he had let his team down, which sounds funny coming from a guy who did nothing to cause the accident. But on Thursday he said, “It’s no time to sulk. There is something that has to be done come Sunday. I’m excited about it. I’m going to be the biggest supporter.”

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Marvin Lewis hurts more than just Johnny Manziel

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By Alex O’Connor

On Monday in an interview with Lance McAlister of 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis called Cleveland Browns QB Johnny Manziel a “midget” when referring to the uncertainty of who will be at quarterback for the Browns and the potential game plans that the defense will try to plan for. When Lewis first apologized on Tuesday, he cited that he was sorry to the Browns fans, employees as well as Johnny Manziel. However, he neglected to mention the fact that the word “midget” has a universal effect on society that expands much further than Manziel and the Browns organization. Today, Lewis apologized for the second time, citing “I’m aware that my comment on local radio last night was offensive to people of short stature and to their families and friends.” The second apology was submitted via the Bengals Twitter account, showing an additional insincere gesture on behalf of both parties. Lewis essentially had to “right is wrong” twice, and had to do it both times in the public eye.

Several media and outside organizations have heavily criticized Lewis’ comments as well the manner in which he apologized. The Little People of America is just one example of a group that finds the word offensive and alienating. The Little People of America is an organization that provides support to individuals of short stature and commented that the word has several negative connotations and is often used as an insult. In addition, NBCSports.com has received numerous Bengals fans’ messages regarding the comments made by Lewis. They take aim at the coach, noting that “It’s straight wrong, unmoral, and ignorant” as well as, “I’m a fan of the Bengals, but Marvin just left the most disgusting taste in my mouth.” The general consensus at NBC Sports is that the “m-word is a word that all of us should remove from our vocabularies.”

I understand that coaches can sometimes over-exaggerate their point in the heat of the moment. However, the way Lewis and the Bengals used social media to convey their second apology was not right. First off, only one apology was necessary, and they simply messed it up the first time. National media had the right to critique the statement and ultimately put pressure on Lewis and the organization to make another one. The Little People of America also had the right to emphasize that the Browns and Manziel are not the only ones being effected by Lewis’ comments. The second time should have been conveyed through a communication medium other than social media. The entire situation that has unfolded has also indirectly heightened the intensity of the game on Sunday. Lewis and the Bengals handled the situation poorly, and now have to deal with the media and organizational scrutiny that they are receiving.

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Reggie Bush Stands in Protest

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By Ellen Chlumecky

On Sunday Reggie Bush, took a stand during pregame warm ups before the Detroit Lions’ game against Tampa Bay. During pregame warm ups, Reggie Bush showed up in a blue Detroit Lions shirt with “I Can’t Breathe” written in black marker. This statement was signifying the last words of Eric Garner, the New York man who died while being placed in a choke hold while the police attempted to arrest him.

Bush had a great deal to say about the statement during the pregame warm ups. Bush stated that the situation is a terrible and unfortunate one and he is disgusted that these types of events are still happening in our society today. He continues by saying that it does not just affect a few people, it affects everybody. He explains that we are all in this situation together and it’s not just one person’s problem.

While Bush did not run the decision by coach Jim Caldwell, but Caldwell did support his statement. Caldwell said that he would be a hypocrite if he didn’t believe in the cause. He stated that some of the Dr. King non-violent protests that occurred are part of the reason he is standing there today. He supported Bush in his decision to wear the t-shirt.

Reggie Bush is not the only one makes a statement. The day before fellow athlete, Derrick Rose wrote an “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt in pregame warm ups  before the Bulls’ game on Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors. Bush admitted to seeing it and being impressed with the action. Bush believes that because as professional athletes, they have a voice and can use it to act as role models and lead by example. Cleveland Browns cornerback Johnson Bademosi warmed up in a shirt with the message. St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Davin Joseph wore the same message on his cleats.

This is not Reggie Bush’s first statement on the topic. It has been a continuous trend of protest for Bush. He took to Twitter last month after Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was not indicted by a grand injury in the killing of Michael Brown. Bush was not shy about expressing his opinion on the subject. Bush believes that the system seemed flawed and the situation was not handled well. Bush expressed his disdain and how the whole situation made him sick to his stomach. However, even though he was upset with the situation, he explained that people rioting was not the answer and was embarrassed because of the way people were handling the situation.

While most people don’t tend to mix sports and serious events going on in the world, these athletes want to take a stand. As Bush said, they are people who fans respect and listen to, if they make it clear that violence and riots are not the answer, maybe they will have an impact. The death of Eric Garner is a huge loss and tragedy. Violent protests are not the way to solve problems. However, these athletes want to stand up for those who can’t, by protesting peacefully.

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Another NFL Poor Decision

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By Kia Tyus

Personally, I am sick of celebrities getting special treatment for felony type crimes.

Ray Rice went into a drunken rage against his wife. He punched her and dragged her out of the elevator. Let’s be honest, we all saw the video. Rice came forward and told the National Football League (NFL) what he did. The NFL chose to cover up a superstar and now Rice has won his appeal and can be signed to any team in the NFL.

Multiple NFL players have been suspended for failing drug test and substance abuse test. Yet, they only get suspended for a few games then, they return to the field as if nothing has happened.

Gregg Rosenthal wrote an article about Josh Brent returning to the Dallas Cowboys.

Last year, Dallas Cowboys Josh Brent was involved in a drunken car crash that killed former Dallas Cowboys and best friend Jerry Brown.

A regular civilian would have been sentenced to multiple years in prison as well as a lengthy probation afterwards. Not in the case of Jerry Brown.

Jerry Brown instead was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Now, Brown has recently been reinstated with the Cowboys and can play Sunday. Also, Brown has been practicing recently with the team.

I understand that everyone should receive a second chance. But, I feel as though the NFL’s and the laws priorities are not in order. Michael Vick went to prison for participating in dog fighting, but he wasn’t the ones actually fighting the dog.

Yet, a guy who was drunk behind the wheel of a car is not only returning to the Cowboys, but signed a contract extension that will last to 2015. The Cowboys felt that Brent would be an asset to Dallas’s rush defense.

The way that the Rosenthal article was edited further gave me the impression that the NFL doesn’t really believe in punishing the players even if the law let’s the players get off. I think that the NFL needs to increase their punishments for breaking the rules. Players simply aren’t taking them seriously because they know that their punishment won’t be that severe.

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Media Weighs in on Cleveland Browns Starting Quarterback Position

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By Nick Muhl

Late in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland Browns game Sunday versus the Buffalo Bills, starting Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer was benched for the rookie Johnny Manziel. The highly awaited move by Browns head coach Mike Pettine was loudly cheered for as Mr. “Money” Manziel stepped on the field. Manziel did lead the Browns on their single touchdown-scoring drive of the day, capped off by a Johnny Manziel rushing touchdown. Following the 26-10 loss, the Browns coach did not make a decision on who the starting quarterback would be the next week for the Browns versus the Indianapolis Colts.

In his past three games, Hoyer has thrown one touchdown and six interceptions. The Browns have lost two of their   last three games. Despite his slow streak in the past three games, Hoyer still has the Browns at a 7-5 record and facing their best chance to win the AFC North and capture a playoff spot in many seasons. However Hoyer still faces losing his starting position to the former Texas A&M heisman trophy winner.

Hoyer had this to say about his starting position on Monday in a post-practice interview, “You don’t get to 7-5 in the NFL just lucking into it,” Hoyer said. “It’s been a lot of hard work, and I think I’ve proven that I’ve gotten us to this point. I feel like I can carry us through the next four games.”

The Cleveland Browns traded up in the first round of this past year’s draft to select Johnny Manziel with the intention of him one day being the starting quarterback for the franchise. However, is the time now? Up until this point Pettine has remained firm in his position that the veteran Hoyer gives the Browns the best chance to win.

There is no denying Johnny Manziel’s popularity, following the NFL draft Manziel remained the number one NFL selling jersey for many months. His level of popularity has already put pressure by the media on the Browns franchise to answer the question, when will Johnny become the starting quarterback for the Browns?

After benching Hoyer this past Sunday, the media pressure has reached an all-time high. According to Washington Post writer Mark Maske, there is no turning back now for the Cleveland Browns franchise,

“The Browns invested plenty of hope in Manziel when they drafted him, and now it should be time to find out whether he can deliver. It’s the way of the NFL. Once a team turns to its young, would-be franchise quarterback, it generally stays with him until he demonstrates whether or not he can play. It would be extremely difficult to go back to Hoyer now.”

The Washington Post wasn’t the only paper to publish articles urging that now is the time for Johnny Manziel to be given the job. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Chicago Tribune, ESPN blog writers and many more all weighed in this week on the largest new story in the NFL at the moment. An overwhelming majority appealing to Pettine to give the headline grabbing rookie a chance this week against Andrew Luck.

The Browns franchise has faced many obstacles in its search for its first Super Bowl and a franchise quarterback. Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, and Colt McCoy are just a few high draft picks the Browns have used over the past 15 seasons in hopes of finding a franchise quarterback who could lead them to victory and capture an AFC North title. It remains to be seen if Manziel will be given the chance this week against Indianapolis. 

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The Old vs. the New: Hoyer or Manziel?

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By Ellen Chlumecky

After a two-day debate on which quarterback for the Browns would be playing on Sunday, coach Mike Pettine finally made his decision today. Pettine announced that Brian Hoyer will continue his 13th straight game as the quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts. While the decision was tough, it seems like the majority of Browns’ fans still aren’t pleased. Who would think that there would be so much controversy over who the starting quarterback would be for the Cleveland Browns?

Cleveland Browns fans, that’s who. As soon as Manziel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft. So many fans thought Manziel was going to be used immediately when he joined the team. The majority of Browns’ fans worshiped the ground Manziel walked on and were highly upset when Pettine picked Hoyer over Manziel for this Sunday.

Everyone seemed to have their own opinion. Some people agree and some people think that Pettine made a huge mistake. Sports writer Pat McManamon said that the Browns are making the logical move by choosing Hoyer over Manziel. He believes that this is just a chance for Hoyer to show Pettine he made the right decision. While write Field Yates, another ESPN writer, believes that the Browns would have been better off picking Manziel to start over Hoyer.

While Pettine has explained his reasoning, he is receiving the heat for this decision from all the Manziel fans out there. However at the end of the day, Pettine has expressed on several occasions that as a rookie, Manziel still is quite unpredictable. While they are still monitoring his progress, he is still a question mark in whether or not he’ll start. Throwing a rookie in a playoff push would give any intelligent coach hesitance. However, still contrary to the coach’s opinion, Manziel fans are pushing for him relentlessly.

Since the Browns are finally in a playoff push, fans are freaking out. While Manziel may seem like the all star, Hoyer is a veteran who has been part of their success and shown their ability to bounce back. Pettine was not swayed by the fans’ complaints. Pettine knows that Manziel has the talent but it is not where it needs to be right now. While the Browns’ fans are going to complain till the cows come home about every move not involving Manziel, Pettine is going to stand firm with his decision on Hoyer. It shouldn’t make or break the team because they do not have a quarterback-centric offense. But at the end of the day when it comes to a decision about Manziel, everything has to be a big production.

 

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Cleveland’s Quarterback Dilemma

By Savannah Malnar

Johnny “Money” Manziel may have been the most hyped rookie coming to play in the NFL this season. The college star was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, and immediately there was speculation as to if he would start over last year’s starter Brian Hoyer. Despite the rumors, Manziel only saw the field once (on a trick play to catch a pass from Hoyer) until last Sunday. The Browns were down 20-3 to the Buffalo Bills, and Cleveland coach Mike Pettine had enough of Hoyer and gave Manziel the field with about 12 minutes left in the game. Manziel promptly drove the Browns down the field and ran in a 10-yard, marking the first rushing touchdown for Cleveland in four years.

The Browns still ended up falling to the Bills 26-10, but that didn’t stop the rush of people again calling for Manziel to start for the remainder of the year. Cleveland fans seemed to all be on the same side; the team should no longer be Hoyer’s.

Local and national media humanized the event a little more, highlighting Hoyer’s disappointment in being pulled. Hoyer spoke with reporters post-game, and the most common quote in each media account of the event is, “So I think you guys know from before, I’m never going to just hang my head and feel sorry for myself. We have four games left and whatever coach decides to do, I’ll be here to support this team and obviously I feel like this is my team and this is my job so we’ll see what happens moving forward.” Hoyer still believes the starting position should be his, especially after the strong start the team showcased early in the season.

One Browns beat writer, Mary Kay Cabot, focused on Manziel instead. Her article discussed his gratitude for the chance to play and also his humility and acknowledgement that he couldn’t have performed as well without the veterans on the Browns offense. Manziel felt lucky that his one fumble got overturned as an incomplete pass despite his opinion that his arm had not moved forward yet.

Cabot and most other sports writers seem to be under the same impression: Manziel is going to get his chance to start soon, if not in Week 14.

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“Yeah” – Marshawn Lynch

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By Kate Roth

Seattle Seahawks star running back Marshawn Lynch had one of the most interesting interviews you will ever see this past Sunday following the 19-3 win of the Arizona Cardinals. Really I could sum up the interview for you in just one word, “Yeah.”

After continually being criticized and fined for his lack of communication with media, Lynch finally decided he would take questions after the game. I imagine that the reporters at the time of hearing this news had to have been excited to hear that they would finally get some cooperation from Lynch, but that excitement could not have lasted long.

Lynch starts off the interview by responding with, “Yeah”, to the first question and then asking the reporters to hold on for a moment so that he could grab something from the locker. At this point in the interview it seemed as though Lynch was going to sit down for a while and actually give the reporters something to work with, unfortunately for the reporters this was not the case.

As the reporters began to ask Lynch more questions it soon became clear that he was going to continue on with one word answers, the majority of the time falling back on his favorite word of the day.

Marshawn did however take a quick moment to spread a foundation dinner he will take part in holding on December 14th to help fund the construction of a new youth center for inner-city youth. So while the responses to the questions that were being asked may not have been what the reporters or fans were hoping to hear, we all did get to see another side of the star athlete.

Throughout the rest of the interview Lynch continued on with short responses consisting of, “Yeah” “Maybe” and “I don’t know”. The only other times he strayed away from these responses were to mention that his pump up song for the day was No Juice by Lil’ Boosie, and then to correct a reporters pronunciation of Lil’ Boosie.

As the interview went on it was clear to see that Lynch was not trying to make anyone mad, he was just being himself and even started to smile a bit as he gave his one word responses. You can even hear the reporters in the background start to chuckle as well while they were receiving the responses that were not only short, but also made no sense when considering the questions that were asked.

The fact of the matter is, this is Marshawn Lynch and there is nothing we can do to change that. The NFL can continue to fine him over and over again for not cooperating with the media, but that is not going to make him change. Through this interview Lynch showed that he is a very quiet person that likes to keep to himself and from my point of view there is nothing wrong with that. Would I like to see Marshawn give an interview every once in a while, absolutely, but I think it is clear that the best we are going to get from him quite simply put is, “Yeah”.

So let’s all give a big round of applause to the master of the interview, Mr. Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch.

http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/big-buzz/marshawn-lynch-gives-one-word-answers-in-interview-112414

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The Greatest Catch in NFL History?

By Savannah Malnar

Amazing things happen in sport games every day. Records are set and highlights are made. Perhaps one of the most impressive highlights, well, ever, was made this Sunday during an NFL team.

Odell Beckham of the New York Giants made what seemed like an impossible catch. With three fingers. Watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hn7ur1f30g

This catch made headlines around every media and social media outlet on the internet. Not only did it litter the front pages, but it also drew many comparisons to other impressive NFL plays. Yahoo! Sports writer Frank Schwab released an article that did just that; it compared Beckham’s catch to every other catch that could have been called the greatest in the NFL.

The catch was compared to historical plays such as “The Catch” by Dwight Clark in the ’81-’82 NFC Championship game, Santonio Holmes’ Super Bowl winning catch, and Calvin Johnson’s catch in triple coverage. Despite this impressive list of highlights, the only play that beat out Beckham’s was the “Helmet Catch” by David Tyree who played for the Giants as well.

There is something about the use of comparisons that make articles interesting to read. This technique can be found in many articles pertaining to impressive plays in every sports. It’s a highly effective form to draw in fans attention and not only expose them to the more recent top-10 worthy highlights, but also plays that will go down in history.

Perhaps the reason comparisons in sport media are so effective is because it allows the fan to decide for themselves. The writer in question may take a side, but sport media writers seem to always mention that their picks are open for interpretation and frequently ask for feedback from their readers.

When it comes to Beckham’s catch, I personally think that it cannot be called the greatest catch in NFL history without it holding any sort of playoff, conference championship or Super Bowl impact. While it was certainly impressive (well, practically impossible), the greatest and most well remembered catches always spawn from those pivotal games we as fans enjoy most.

What do you think?

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