NFL Football

[GoCubsGo]

You may get to stomp or be stomped by him twice a year for a very long time.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh interviewing with Vikings, per reports

All talk for now.

[O Really]

I think Flores is going to have a hard time with his lawsuit. Without commenting on the facts of NFL racial discrimination (probably is some, but I don't know), we've got as lead plaintiff a black guy who's just gotten fired after three meh seasons as head coach with the Dolphins. He's mad about that, and he's mad that he didn't/hasn't gotten hired again yet and says his interview was "sham" and that somebody else had already been selected. He says that the NFL now only has 1 black head coach. OK, so maybe he's got grounds for being mad, and maybe he was treated poorly, but that's a long way from proving that the reason he was treated poorly was because he is black. Here are the black guys who have been head coaches in the last 20ish years:
Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell, Anthony Lynn, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Leslie Frazier, Brian Flores. The one who still has his job is Tomlin. Tomlin has been with the Steelers for 14 years, went to the Super Bowl once, has had three 8-8 seasons, but never a losing season. Lovie Smith was mostly OK in Chicago, but went 8-24 in two years with the Bucs. He went off to college and had a 17-39 record over 5 seasons. He still got hired by Houston as Defensive Coordinator. Tony Dungy retired and went to TV. I don't know most of the rest of those guys. Did they get booted because they were black? Were they replaced with a white guy because he was white? Would the Giants and Bills who rejected Flores have taken a Tomlin or Dungy? Did Flores get booted from Miami because he's black or because the sleazebag interfering criminal-ish owner found him to be too ethical and a pain in the ass?

He's probably got a better set of facts against Miami than any of the others or the league, but given how shittily NFL coaches get treated overall and how teams make arbitrary and sometimes hard to understand decisions on coaches (see Vikings/Harbaugh), proving its all about race is gonna be a sharp uphill. If I was 40 years old and had 10 years of assistant and 3 years of head coaching on my record, I'm thinking it wouldn't be in my best interest to be a martyr for a likely losing cause. But hey - I could be wrong and he could end up NFL commissioner.

[GoCubsGo]

Didn't he file a class action lawsuit?

Won't he have a burden to show this is widespread to justify and need other plaintiffs to sign on?

[O Really]

Didn't he file a class action lawsuit?

Won't he have a burden to show this is widespread to justify and need other plaintiffs to sign on?

That's what he wants to do, and yes. That's part of his problem with the suit. He can get other plaintiffs, but it's going to be really hard to show the circumstances of all were comparable. If the hiring process was more objective, e.g., X number of years; X number of wins; minimum winning percentage, etc. then it would be easier to show if the black guys with equal qualifications got rejected, or if the criteria was skewed toward the white guys. But it's very subjective - for everybody - and to make matters worse, you've got 32 different, independent-ish teams, not just one huge NFL corporation. And the demonstrable qualifications and criteria for each one are different. Again, not saying that some owners don't discriminate - they very likely do, even to the point of telling the GM don't even think of hiring a black guy. But absent that sort of evidence, it's going to be difficult. You've also got the overall team coaching makeup. If you've got 20 coaches and 10 of them are black, even if the head coach is a white guy, you don't have automatic discrimination. Even if the head coach has always been a white guy. He may be able to prove it all, but I'm doubting it.

[GoCubsGo]

Yeah, there's no standard of measurement for a case like this.

Guessing he's just attempting to bring attention to the entire issue and to a certain extent he's succeeded but it will probably only last a cycle or three.

Then what?

It's going to be even more difficult for him to get a gig.

[Vrede too]

(Vikings missed their chance to get Jim Harbaugh)

I disagree with Mike Florio. Harbaugh is a dick and offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback at San Diego State Kevin O'Connell is a reasonable pick.

[GoCubsGo]

(Vikings missed their chance to get Jim Harbaugh)

I disagree with Mike Florio. Harbaugh is a dick and offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback at San Diego State Kevin O'Connell is a reasonable pick.

Yeah, Harbaugh is a good coach but that's definitely no guarantee of winning the superbowl.

Just as importantly, he's a head case and the odds of buyers remorse are higher than winning a championship based in his track record.

[O Really]

Yeah, there's no standard of measurement for a case like this.

Guessing he's just attempting to bring attention to the entire issue and to a certain extent he's succeeded but it will probably only last a cycle or three.

Then what?

It's going to be even more difficult for him to get a gig.

I don't know what kind of contract issues or torts Flores might pull into this, but as long as it's discrimination, the process goes like this:
Complainant says "the Jim Crows didn't hire me (or any black guy) as head coach. They discriminated against me because of my race, which is black."
Defendant says: "Oh no, the Jim Crows never discriminate unlawfully. We didn't hire him because of [a thousand other possible excuses]
Then the Complainant has the burden of proof to show that the excuse given by the Jim Crows is either false or a pretense to cover discrimination. Saying it is one thing; proving it is entirely different. And there's only 32 of these jobs in the league. And people stay in them for several (sometimes many) years. And there are a bunch of people who think they are qualified, and may certainly look to be so. And on, and on.

[O Really]

Washington logo is a taco holder

[O Really]

I've joked around about the team formerly known as Redskins' fight song, but really they ought to retool the lyrics and keep it. It's one of the top team fight songs ever - right up there with Michigan's and Notre Dame. And way better than whatever that Yammer Hammer is that Alabama has.

"We're not the Redskins
They cancelled our name
We're the Commanders
Yes - we know - it's lame"

[Vrede too]

"We're not the Redskins
They cancelled our name
We're the Commanders
Yes - we know - it's lame"

One of the reasons for the name change, perhaps the chief reason, is DC govt's refusal to consider a new stadium under the old racist name. Maybe they'll continue the ban until the name isn't so lame.

[O Really]

"We're not the Redskins
They cancelled our name
We're the Commanders
Yes - we know - it's lame"

One of the reasons for the name change, perhaps the chief reason, is DC govt's refusal to consider a new stadium under the old racist name. Maybe they'll continue the ban until the name isn't so lame.

Maybe they could have become the Chargers and moved to San Diego. This city has decades of experience dealing with asshole huckster owners. The could give their other name to the LA Traitors.

[Vrede too]

Imagine getting blitzed by a 6-foot-3, 245-pound linebacker who's also one of the fastest players in the NFL.

Micah Parsons, listed at 245 pounds, wins NFL's Fastest Man race (sort of)

Cowboys.

[Vrede too]

Opinion: Eric Dickerson's ailments are grim reminder of NFL glory's heavy bodily toll

[GoCubsGo]

Opinion: Eric Dickerson's ailments are grim reminder of NFL glory's heavy bodily toll

Yeah, they all say pretty much the same thing. At age 50 their quality of life really starts to diminish.

A few of my 85 Bears are in really bad shape.

[GoCubsGo]

So I just flipped on the "Pro Bowl ".

Apparently this game is not tackle football.

I've watched maybe 5 minutes. It's kind of embarrassing.

[O Really]

So I just flipped on the "Pro Bowl ".

Apparently this game is not tackle football.

I've watched maybe 5 minutes. It's kind of embarrassing.

We went to it a few years ago in Orlando. It wasn't really tackle football then, either. Sort of touch and roll over. But still fun to watch in person. On TV, not so much.

[Vrede too]

viewtopic.php?p=153561#p153561

AP Contact the Newsroom

Hi,

Please do NOT even consider giving Kaaron Rodgers the 2021 MVP or any other award. He is a liar and a public health hazard, and should not be considered "valuable" by any standard. Honoring him would be slap in the face to the families of 850K dead Americans, and to hundreds of millions of honest living Americans. It will not reflect well on the AP, the NFL, sports in general or sportsmanship.

Just don't do it!

Sincerely,
(Vrede too)

[GoCubsGo]

viewtopic.php?p=153561#p153561

AP Contact the Newsroom

Hi,

Please do NOT even consider giving Kaaron Rodgers the 2021 MVP or any other award. He is a liar and a public health hazard, and should not be considered "valuable" by any standard. Honoring him would be slap in the face to the families of 850K dead Americans, and to hundreds of millions of honest living Americans. It will not reflect well on the AP, the NFL, sports in general or sportsmanship.

Just don't do it!

Sincerely,
(Vrede too)

He needs a shower and a stylist. That is not a good look.

[Vrede too]

He needs a shower and a stylist. That is not a good look.

No fashion MVP for greaser Kaaron this year.

Famed Houston entrepreneur places largest Super Bowl bet ever on Bengals to win

A famous bettor stands to win over $8 million if the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.

Houston's Mattress Mack wagered $5 million on the Bengals to win their first Super Bowl in team history at the Caesars Sportsbook. The bet, which would return $8.5 million at +170 odds, is the largest bet ever placed on the Super Bowl at a regulated sportsbook in the United States....

The Gallery Furniture owner, whose real name is James Franklin McIngvale, has a long history of placing large wagers on sporting events. He's wagered nearly $10 million total on a Bengals win in Sunday's Super Bowl after this latest bet, and the book said that he would win over $16 million if the Bengals can get the win....

McIngvale backed the Bengals before the Super Bowl too. He wagered $1.1 million on the Bengals to cover a 3.5-point spread as underdogs in the divisional round against the Tennessee Titans. His winnings from that Bengals victory helped cover a bet he placed on the Titans to win the Super Bowl.

McIngvale sometimes pairs his sports bets with sports-related promotions at his stores. Last fall, his stores ran a promotion that would refund mattress purchasers if the Astros had won the World Series. That promotion was accompanied by McIngvale's bets on the Astros to win the World Series to help cover any potential losses.

The only losses that happened came from McIngvale's betting account. The Atlanta Braves won the World Series and McIngvale's over $3 million in bets on the Astros didn't cash.

A Bengals win nets such a high return for McIngvale and other moneyline bettors because Cincinnati enters Sunday's game as 4.5-point underdogs to the Rams. Los Angeles is -200 to win the game straight up, meaning a bettor has to wager $200 to win $100.

Nearly $100 million in counterfeit sports merchandise seized ahead of Super Bowl

Nearly $100 million in counterfeit sports-related items were seized at flea markets and retail outlets around Los Angeles in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVI, federal officials announced this week.

More than 267,500 items, including fake jerseys, jackets, hats, rings, souvenirs and tickets were seized as part of "Operation Team Player," a joint effort involving U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protections, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the NFL, among other agencies....

Wow.