The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I'd venture to guess a majority of NFL analysts will lay claim that a quarterback is the most important position in all of sports, let alone football. While I won't deny it's an incredibly important position, I think it's overrated in terms of its overall importance to a team's success or failure, and more NFL teams would be wise to spend more money on building around their quarterbacks than to just invest the lot on the man behind center. What do successful NFL teams typically have in common? A strong defense, a good offensive line, an effective and flexible system on offense, consistent special teams, and a knack for not making the big mistake. It doesn't matter how good a quarterback is if the offensive line can't protect him. A quarterback can only do so much when his defense allows 30+ points per game. A quarterback has no control over the kick or the return game. If a quarterback's skill set is at odds with the team's offensive system, he...

It's being reported that NFL referees have decided to take a stand against former NFL vice president of officiating and current rules analyst, Mike Pereira, by giving him the silent treatment in response to his recent criticism of them. In Sunday's NFC Wild Card game between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, Pereria harshly criticized the officials for picking up a flag for defensive pass interference midway in the 4th quarter, and also for not calling defensive holding on the play, which largely aided the Cowboys in their 24-20 come-from-behind win. He's continued his criticism in the days following, even allegedly saying behind closed doors that, "Stevie Wonder could have seen those penalties!" and "These officials lend credence to that old phrase, 'I'm blind, I'm deaf, I wanna be a ref!" In response, NFL officials have vowed to give Pereira the silent treatment until he apologizes, by saying, "If you wear stripes, you're a...

After the Buffalo Bills kicked a 58-yard field goal in the final seconds to defeat the Detroit Lions 17-14 in Detroit on Sunday, some Bills players carried defensive coordinator and former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz off the field. If that wasn't a douchey enough move as it was, word later came out that it wasn't a very spontaneous move either. As Buffalo Bills linebacker Randell Johnson later told the media, "He (Schwartz) said once he plays his former team that he wanted to be carried off and chant and have fun, and we just tried to make a dream come true." That's right, Jim Schwartz had all of this planned back in the spring during Organized Team Activities. In five seasons as coach of the Detroit Lions, Jim Schwartz had a combined record of 29-51 (.363). He had one winning season and made the playoffs once in the five years he was there (2011). In those other four years, he went a combined 19-45 (.297). Last year was Schwartz's final season in Detr...

For the second time in the past four years, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson had a touchdown catch overturned in the team's opener due to what is known as the "process rule." The rule states that in order for a touchdown catch to be legitimate, the receiver must "complete the process of the catch in the end zone" - meaning he must control the ball throughout the entire "process." In the game today, Johnson had control of the ball as he crossed the goalline and dove into the end zone. However, since once he hit the ground, the ball came loose, the touchdown was reversed to an incomplete pass. This happened to Johnson and the Lions in their season opener in 2010 in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The catch would have resulted in a Lions victory. Fortunately for the Lions today, the call reversal didn't result in a loss, as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 34-24. This call makes absolutely no sense to me. When a team runs the football in...

Last night, the Detroit Lions pummeled the New England Patriots by the final score of 40-9 in the teams' third pre-season game. This has already gotten ESPN fired up, where they're blowing things out-of-proportion like Fox News does regarding anyone with the last name of Obama.  ESPN already aired a televised segment entitled "Patriots Panic Meter," released an article where the first line read, "I know it's just a pre-season game, but...," and Vegas odds have it at 1 : 2 that someone affiliated with the organization will at some point today ask the question, "Have the Patriots lost it?" Psst... It's just a pre-season game. Two weeks from now, every team will be 0-0 and this game will have meant next to nothing as far as records and playoff chances are concerned. Quarterback Tom Brady just played the first half, and while his Patriots trailed 16-3 at halftime, that was a much more respectable score than what it wound up being. If he ...

Sometimes I really wonder why articles are written, and this has especially been the case over at ESPN in recent weeks it seems. Well, ESPN is at it again, thanks to Kevin Seifert's recent article, entitled, "Nick Fairley: Lions will be Super." When Seifert asked Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley about his thoughts on the upcoming season for his team, Fairley said, "I expect big things. I am going to say we are going to the Super Bowl because I am competitive, and that is what I want for the team, and it is one of the goals. I am sure we are going to take it game by game and day by day." Seifert then commented on Fairley's statement by saying history wasn't in the Lions favor, having gone just 4-12 a year ago. Come on... For how many years have players been saying exactly what Fairley said in the run-up to the regular season? What did Seifert expect Fairley to say? "Gee, I don't know, man. We were just 4-12 a year ago, so if we g...