NFL Football

[O Really]

Manziel.. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... grace.html

I'm trying to feel some sympathy for a guy who was born into a comfortable life, great physical skills, opportunities out the ying-yang, lots of people trying to help him be successful, and who tosses it all away being an asshole. Hmmmm, nope. Can't do it. As far as I'm concerned, he can spend the rest of his life wondering "if only..."

[Vrede too]

I'm reminded of Ryan Leaf, whose "career" I slightly followed.

[O Really]

I saw somebody quote Leaf to say something like, "Manziel reminds me of me." (and not as a compliment)
But I can work up some sympathy for a guy who grew up in Compton or wherever, has no real education and finds himself with a lot of money and surrounded by hangers-on and riff-raff, and goes off the rails. I could say why doesn't he appreciate what he got? Why didn't he get better management or look for better friends? But for every Beast Mode you get who makes wise business choices, you get a bunch of people who never leave the 'hood. Or they can't take the small town country out of the kid who's now a star in the big city. Whatever. But Manziel is not those guys. He had a wealthy family who - from most reports - made a decent effort to keep him on track. He wouldn't have been overwhelmed or intimidated at Aggieland, and had a lot of support from the coaching staff. His whole life he had people who wanted little from him and worked to let him make the most of his exceptional talents. And it worked. He won a Heisman, got drafted as a quarterback in the effin' NFL (well, Cleveland, anyway), and tosses it all away, gets more chances and tosses them. And whether he has an alcohol addiction problem or not, that's not even the main issue. NFL history has lots of drunk quarterbacks, but they didn't keep hanging around with women they kept getting arrested over/with. They might have been hung over, but they showed up for games and meetings and practice. They didn't get caught on video (more difficult now than back in the day, but still..) And they kept the respect of their team and their coaches even if they were a pain in the ass. Maybe Manziel thinks he's another Broadway Joe. He's not. I hope even the Raiders wont' take him.

[Vrede too]

Does wealth make you less likely to screw up, or just less likely to get caught?

[O Really]

Does wealth make you less likely to screw up, or just less likely to get caught?

In some cases, less likely to be penalized. I'm pretty sure that if Manziel had been a black guy not in the NFL that he would have been treated differently by the Ohio and Texas cops over his, ummmm, "domestic disturbances" and ummmm, "strange" driving. But although Manziel is reported to have been a bit of a partier his whole life, he doesn't seem to be significantly worse than many other jocks. And his parents did apparently use both carrot and stick in trying to keep him focused. No "affluenza" or built in disregard of society rules there, it seems. So other than not being tossed off the team or out of school, Manziel didn't just "get away" with everything when he was younger. So given a first year to get a bit of maturity, he's really out of excuses.

[Vrede too]

Not that I'm sympathetic to Manziel or Leaf, but I imagine it's difficult to have all that money, testosterone and popularity while having to live a way more circumspect life than the average young man.

[O Really]

Not that I'm sympathetic to Manziel or Leaf, but I imagine it's difficult to have all that money, testosterone and popularity while having to live a way more circumspect life than the average young man.

So maybe they should pursue another occupation with different conditions. It's not like somebody getting into professional sports doesn't know they may be a tabloid target. Or that the majority of players manage not to get into serious trouble, despite the highly publicized ones that do.

[Vrede too]

Sure, it's a deal they make and are rewarded handsomely for, but it has to be hard to uphold their end of it for many. I wouldn't want that level of scrutiny away from work.

[Seth Milner]

[O Really]

Sure, it's a deal they make and are rewarded handsomely for, but it has to be hard to uphold their end of it for many. I wouldn't want that level of scrutiny away from work.

Reminds me of people who work hard in law school, get a job in a big white shoe firm, get paid an outrageous amount for somebody who has no practical experience or real-world knowledge at all, and then whine because they're working 70 hours, treated like crap, and still have to show up for community service events and marketing opportunities. Like they didn't ever bother to ask anybody what first and second year associates do at the big firms?

[Vrede too]

Somewhat related: After a few years of activism I was on track to run for office or otherwise be a part of the establishment political system - lobbying, running campaigns and even trying to get appointed to replace a disgraced state legislator at one point. Can you imagine US Representative Vrede too?

I decided that the trade-offs were too harsh and that I was more suited for gadfly activism.

[Vrede too]

Well, that's a bit of a surprise. Both defenses killed it, Denver's was big play better.
1st fumble return for a TD since SB XXVIII. Denver's special teams - kick coverage, FGs, punt return - did well, too.

Good for Peyton.
Not good, but good enough to win. The fumble cost 3 points, but that was a monster INT by a defensive lineman in FG territory and no points were scored off of it. So, he cost Denver 6 points but had a hand in helping to score 14 (7 defensive, 3 came after they started in FG range).
1st starting QB to win with different teams.
200 wins, most ever in the NFL.
Can't retire any better than that.

[Seth Milner]

"I'm So Hungry, I Could Eat A Horse!"

Guess he'll have to settle for crow . . .

[Seth Milner]

Cam Newton goes from Superman to Incredible Sulk!

[billy.pilgrim]

Cam Newton goes from Superman to Incredible Sulk!

Of course he was upset, he lost and was upset. So was everyone else on the team.

Although the headline echoes the thuggishness media line about Cam, the photo shows a smiling Cam congratulating Peyton on the Broncos win

[Vrede too]

... He gave some credit to the Broncos – "They just played better than us" ...

... he did make sure to congratulate Peyton Manning on the field....

Finally he was asked about how difficult this defeat was for his team.

He stood up and left....

He didn't whine, didn't blame the refs, coaching or teammates, and did give the better team props. I can handle his being depressed and not wanting to bare his soul pointlessly for the media.

[Seth Milner]

Cam Newton goes from Superman to Incredible Sulk!

Of course he was upset, he lost and was upset. So was everyone else on the team.
Although the headline echoes the thuggishness media line about Cam, the photo shows a smiling Cam congratulating Peyton on the Broncos win

I believe the article was homing in on Newton's cockiness that he displayed the days prior to the game. Reminded me of the line from a movie: "I Am Invincible!" I hate they lost the game, but someone had to.

Jeff Legwold ESPN Staff Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib started playing football when he was 5.

And, all along, he had a plan for his future.

"I got in trouble in fourth or fifth grade for writing a paper on what we wanted to be when we grew up," Talib said. "I put an NFL player.

My teacher told me we're doing 'really serious jobs.' So, I said, 'Just 'cause you're not that talented and you're not going to the NFL doesn't mean I'm not going.'

Got me a little in-school suspension for that and everything.
Gotta love it!

[billy.pilgrim]

some people play everything better when they are cocky - I always have. More limited to cards and pool these days, but I love to put pressure on myself to win.
Cam's game was bigger than mine
Cam is still pretty much a kid

He probably needed this loss.

[Vrede too]

This Could Be The Real Reason Cam Newton Walked Out Of His Press Conference

... it turns out post-game interview logistics, of all things, could have been the reason behind Newton’s decision to walk out mid-interview. Speaking in the next “room” — and emphasis is definitely being added here — was Broncos cornerback Chris Harris. Per a transcription of Harris’ post-game comments, the cornerback talked about the Broncos’ game plan of shutting down Newton, which includes Harris asking the question, “Can you throw the football?”

In the video below, one can clearly hear Harris speaking:

THIS is why Cam walked out (listen to what's being said in the background). https://twitter.com/bmweezy13

— Brian (@bmweezy13) February 8, 2016

That was Chris Harris talking in the background. Here's the full quote. https://twitter.com/bmweezy13/status/69 ... 49/photo/1

— Brian (@bmweezy13) February 8, 2016

Still hurt from losing the biggest game of his life, Newton understandably had a hard time listening to that. Not helping matters, surely, were the utterly useless questions he was being asked:

I mean, it's not like Cam was walking away from some great questions… https://twitter.com/bmweezy13/status/69 ... 49/photo/1



— Max Olson (@max_olson) February 8, 2016

Piecing all of this together might explain why Newton reacted the way he did. The separate conversation is whether he should have behaved that way at all. Frankly, there’s not a great answer. (Lest we forget, too, Newton isn’t the first player to react poorly [coincidentally Peyton Manning] to losing a Super Bowl.)

... To be clear, Newton didn’t handle Sunday night’s loss well at all. He didn’t play well, either. Both of those things are non-debatable. But the question we need to ask ourselves regarding Newton’s post-game reaction is whether we really care about so-called professionalism in a job that’s unlike any other in the world — or if we’re just pretending to care.

Because if it’s the latter, Newton’s reaction makes him more honest than the rest of us.

[Vrede too]

Here's What Peyton Manning Had to Say About Cam Newton's Quick Postgame Interview

After a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton kept his post-game comments brief. When asked about his thoughts on the disappointing loss, Newton told reporters that his Panthers were just outplayed.

“They just played better than us,” the 26-year-old quarterback said, according to ESPN. “I don’t know what you want me to say. They made more plays than us, and that’s what it comes down to. We had our opportunities.”

On what led to the Carolina Panthers’ loss, Newton said, “It wasn’t nothing special that they did. We dropped balls, we turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw errant passes. That’s it. They scored more points than us.” Newton had little to say after that, shaking his head and saying, “I’m done, man.”

Many football fans took the football player’s disappointment as classlessness, voicing their opinions on social media....

However, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning saw things differently.

“I’ll tell ya’, Cam couldn’t have been nicer to me,” the 39-year-old athlete told TODAY Monday morning. “He was extremely humble, congratulated me, wished me the best. I told him just congratulations on his outstanding season, and just what a great future he has ahead of him. He’ll be back in that game, I can promise you.” ...