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Myles Garrett and the NFL

I love the NFL. I think that it is better entertainment product than college football. I think it is better than the NBA or MLB. I love the physicality of the sport. I love the fact that you have to be smart. Where are the holes in the defense? Did you pick up the blitz? Did your running stone that blitzing linebacker or did he get run over? I love it all.

It is also important to mention that football is a violent game. Big men are running very fast and hitting other big men. Yet, I really, really don’t want to see violence outside of the framework of the game. Albert Haynesworth (video here) is an excellent example. He ripped a player’s helmet off and while the player was on the ground, he stomped on the player’s head with his cleated shoe. There was no excuse for that. None. (Here’s an article on many of the over the top violent acts in the NFL over the last decade or so.)

The Myles Garrett situation is different. Mason Rudolph was tackled by Myles Garrett. Rudolph did something to Myles as Myles was getting up. It appears that Mason tired to rip Garrett’s helmet off. Then all hell breaks lose. Punches are thrown. More guys enter the fight. Myles rips off Rudolph’s helmet then, with a huge wind up, nails Rudolph in the head with his helmet. Many other folks get sucked into the fight.

The NFL is violent enough. It does not need to be any more violent. Everyone involve should be suspended. Garrett should never, ever play in the NFL again. Playing in the NFL is a privilege. These players get to play a game for lots of money. There is nothing else in the world that Myles Garrett can do and be paid over $24 million. (He has made just over $24 million in his 3 years in the NFL.) Because you are playing a game that millions of Americans watch you must be held to a higher standard. When you break that standard you must pay the consequences. Everyone else who was involved in the fight needs to be fined and suspended. The NFL must send a clear signal that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.

By ecthompsonmd|2019-11-18T11:29:55-04:00November 16th, 2019|NFL|Comments Off

Zeke and the Cowboys

Yeah, Zeke Elliott got paid. Now, the Cowboys are ready to go out and do… what exactly? The Dallas Cowboys can be a good team. I don’t think that they will be a great team until Dak, not Zeke, steps up his game. Dak is a good quarterback. He is not great. He can make great throws. Unfortunately he is not that accurate. At times, it seems that he has trouble pulling the trigger. Sometimes, you need to drop back, read the play, hit that back foot and throw the ball. Troy Aikman was great at this move. Dak Prescott is not great at this move. He will pat the ball. He wants to be 90% sure, 95% sure, 100% sure that the receiver is open and that the throwing lane is clear.

Zeke will play well. He will run hard. He will get even better than he is right now. I think that he will become a better receiver.

I have no idea what to expect from Amiri Cooper. Can he consistently beat the #1 cover corner? Can he consistently beat double coverage? I don’t know. Who is going to be our go to slot receiver? Randall Cobb? Whose best days were 5 years ago? Who seems to be hurt, a lot? What about Trevon Austin? Can he be the security blanket that Dak needs? Can Jason Witten be the guy, again? The answer to all of these questions is I don’t know.

Just for a second, I think that the Cowboys defense can be one of the best in the league this year. If Dallas fans want something to cheer for then this is it. If the offense doesn’t turn the ball over, then the defense will keep us in the game. The secondary is very good. Our linebackers are very good. We should be able to stop the run and rush the passer.

Finally, this may be the last year of the Jason Garrett show. He has been the coach of the Cowboys for awhile. He has been the best average coach in the league. His record is as close to 8-8 as it can be. He almost never loses big. He almost never dominates. Is he awful? I don’t think so. The real question is can he lead the Cowboys deep into the playoffs? Can he take the Cowboys to the Super Bowl? In the end, that’s what it is all about isn’t it? The Super Bowl. If you can never see Garrett leading the Cowboys to the Super Bowl then what is the point of having him?

By ecthompsonmd|2019-09-05T22:44:08-04:00September 5th, 2019|Domestic Issues, NFL|Comments Off

Tiger Woods gets the Presidential Medal of Freedom

So, look. I’m a Tiger Woods fan. I think that he is the best golfer that I have ever seen. He can do some amazing things with a golf ball.

The golfers before Woods who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom are Arnold Palmer. Jack Nicholas. Charlie Sifford. (Charlie Sifford was the first Black man to play the PGA tour. Yep, he deserved the medal.)

Tiger Woods isn’t any of those guys. Tiger Woods is a great golfer. That’s it. He is not an ambassador for good. Woods didn’t create a path for others to follow. He has not invest his riches in the inner city. Yes, he has a charity just like every other successful golfer. Can anyone tell me what his charity does? Is it a game changer? No. He has changed the tour for the better but that really doesn’t get one the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Tiger has been rewarded because he is friends with Trump and Trump needed to change the narrative away from the Mueller Report and North Korea. Remember Tiger and Trump have played golf together. As far as I know, Tiger has never played with Barack Obama.

There are some athletes that have rolled up their sleeves and are trying to change the communities their grew up in. That ain’t Tiger. Tiger is a focused golfer. He can putt, chip, pitch and drive better than most. (Pun intended.)

As I told a friend of mine, I look at Tiger, kind of like, I look at Clint Eastwood. I forgive Clint Eastwood who is a great director, actor and movie maker, but who is also a tool for the Republican Party. Tiger Woods is all about Tiger. He is one of the best golfers in the history of the game. Period. Does he deserve the Presidential Medal of Freedom? No.

By ecthompsonmd|2019-05-08T19:57:21-04:00May 7th, 2019|Sports|Comments Off