Saints Coach Sean Payton Banned From All Contact with NFL

Head coach Sean Payton lost his appeal of his yearlong suspension from coaching and now will have to wait until after the Super Bowl to apply to be reinstated.

As reported by ESPN.com the terms of his suspension include that he is to have no contact with any one that is currently employed by the New Orleans Saints or anyone in the NFL period. No phone calls, text or emails. If he does make contact with someone, he must inform the league of the incident and they will rule from there.

This is going to be quite interesting, considering that Sean Payton and General Manager of the Saints Mickey Loomis own beach homes on the about one mile apart from each other. Per the terms of the suspension they are to not talk to each other, and if they happen to run into each other they have to tell the league.

Where Payton went wrong, is he repeatedly lied to Commissioner Roger Goodell about the existence of a bounty program and instructed his assistant coaches to lie as well. If it’s one thing we’ve learned about Goodell, never lie to the man, because if you do, he will drop an anvil of punishment on you, special ordered from acme.

Related: Smooth Shots Every Tuesday 11pm Hosted By JbSmooth84

However, all isn’t lost thanks to PeytonsHead on twitter, we now also know what Coach Paytons schedule will look like this year.

Kirby Wilson Steelers Running Backs Coach Burned in House Fire

There are times when life intervenes and is more important than a football game. Kirby Wilson, Running Backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers was absent for the Steelers lose in Denver after he was admitted to the hospital after his Seven Fields Townhouse caught fire early Friday morning.

At 2:42 am firefighters arrived at Wilsons’ home where he was home alone and found him severely burned. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette he suffered burns to 30%-50% of his body.  Jeffrey Schueler, director of public safety in Cranberry, Pa said after being taken to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Cranberry  he was then transferred by helicopter to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh Pa.

Steelers President Art Rooney II had this to say in a statement released on their team website;

“First and foremost our thoughts and prayers are with Kirby and his entire family. We are saddened to hear about this unfortunate situation but we know that he has the best medical care in the country treating him. The entire organization is praying for Kirby to have a full recovery and we will be by his side through this difficult time.”

As a burn survivor of 22 years and having multiple surgeries in relation to my scar, I can empathize with what Wilson is going through. One of the biggest obstacles he will have to overcome will be the sensitivity of his scars, not just the burn, but also from the skin graph (surgeons remove healthy skin from another part of the burned person’s body and graft it to the burned treat to cover the wound; For more information visit http://www.pacinfo.com/medicine/burn.html). His recovery will be long and tough. However, with proper care and a positive mind state he can maintain a lifestyle that he always has. With not knowing where exactly the worst scars are, it would be hard to say if it will affect his coaching at all.

I wish Mr Wilson a safe recovery, and would tell him to stay as positive as he can as he goes through his recovery.

While We All Want A Playoff, What About the Kids

With bowl season upon us one thing we can all agree on is that the BCS
isn’t the fairest system in sports. However, similar to the NFL the
BCS and NCAA in tandem have found a way to consistently generate
attention. For good or bad, you make sure to take time out of your
Saturday to watch your favorite school and a team that ISN’T your alma
mater. From 11 am Saturday to 2 am Sunday you can watch as much
college football as your significant other will allow. But lost in the
lure of tradition, pads thumping and bands playing is the wear and
tear on the kids.

While many will bang their own drum advocating for a playoff system in
hopes of declaring a true champion, the student athletes are the ones
who will get the short side of the stick. If a playoff system was
instituted it would take up much if not all of the kids winter break.
Remember, those same student athletes who don’t get any tangible
payments for playing college football. Those same student athletes who
can’t work, allow a booster to buy them dinner, or even sell their own
memorabilia.

Even if we all agree that the notion of student athlete is a farce,
the fact still remains you want these athletes to play more games with
the same amount of compensation. In what other realm of
society/business is it ok for people to do more work and not get
compensated accordingly? Save the argument that they get a free
education, you can’t spend the knowledge you would get from your 7
ideas course. How about a little pocket money; nothing extravagant,
just enough to make them think before they accept something from
people who are offering them that could get them in trouble. Don’t you
think if they had a modest amount to rely on they wouldn’t be so
tempted to take illegal benefits?

However we want them to unwillingly forgo their vacation, play more
games and still not get paid. Sounds like fans are the selfish ones in
this equation. At this point having a playoff system matters none to
me. Until the players are compensated more and coaches are held to the
same standard to honor their contract the same way student athletes
are when it comes to them honoring their scholarship, I don’t care.
Now before you are so quick to speak about how unfair the BCS system
is, just remember the student athletes who have to deal with the short
sighted NCAA and think about all the study time they would lose out on
if a playoff was to come to fruition.

Students Suspended After ‘Tebowing’ at School

While it seems like defenses can’t stop the Tim Tebow madness from happening, Riverhead High School principal put an end to the ‘Tebowing’ craze. According to Yahoo nearly 40 students decided to bow down in the hallway to pay homage between classes, and do the Tim Tebow pose.

The school suspended four students who they believed organized the impromptu celebration for one day saying they were ‘blocking the schools hallways’. Conner and Tyler Carroll who both play on the football team, Wayne Drexel and Jordan Fulcoly were the four students disciplined,

Conner was the most surprised about the punishment levied upon him;

“The administration told us that our Tebowing was blocking the halls and could potentially cause a riot, because they were growing in number and if the wrong kid gets pushed a brawl could ensue. We had no idea that we could get suspended for such a thing. It was a joke between a group of friends that took a life of its own. We figured at the most we would just be told to stop.”

Now if you ask me they shouldn’t have been suspended, they should be applauded. To arrange such a celebration shows valuable skills such as leadership. Can you imagine how hard it was to coordinate 40 other people do something at once? Furthermore to be that organized alludes to their knack for preparation. And think of it this way, you suspended them for an act of fun, allowing them to have a day free of school… doesn’t seem like much of a punishment if you ask me.

Colt McCoys’ Dad Says He Shouldn’t Have Re-entered the Game

On Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers viewers weren’t the only one to see canaries flying around Colt McCoys head. After the game Brad McCoy father of Colt, told the Plain Dealer that his shouldn’t have been put back in the game and let his feelings be known.

Brad McCoy said.

“He never should’ve gone back in the game. He was basically out [cold] after the hit. You could tell by the rigidity of his body as he was laying there. There were a lot of easy symptoms that should’ve told them he had a concussion. He was nauseated and he didn’t know who he was. Colt takes a severe hit like that, and he’s back in the game [two plays] play later? If he took another blow to the head, we could’ve been talking about his career here. I certainly didn’t think he’d be out only [two plays], it would’ve taken my high school trainer longer than that to determine if he was OK after a hit like that.”

You can tell Brad McCoy is upset and suspect of the Browns handling of Colts’ concussion. This wouldn’t be the first time the Browns training staff has been question, in a span of 4 years (2004-2008) they had 6 players come down with a staph infection.

McNabb Happy He Wasn’t Claimed off Waivers

Donovan McNabb will go down as an all-time great quarterback and borderline hall of famer; however no one will ever look at him as the poster boy for having a back bone. Per ESPN.com Donovan sent text messages on Friday saying he was happy he went unclaimed.

Who’s happy to get fired and not get hired by teams who could use his services? If you look at his stats he wasn’t great, but by no means was he terrible either. He completed 60% of his passes thus far and with slightly over a thousand passing yards racked up, would’ve had a good shot to hit the three thousand yard mark.

Now as Robert Littal will point out, Donovan will kill his share of gophers, nonetheless he was decent this year and to be happy to be unemployed may be the sign that he doesn’t have the passion to put in the work anymore. I understand his thought process of being unclaimed, which would then give him the option to sign with whoever he wanted to. However it’s not like the teams that were considering him were bums, the Texans and Bears are in the middle of a playoff run and if he could lead them to the promise land it would only do wonders for him. The Cowboys could’ve gave him a roster spot and we know Tony Romo is one bad play away from being thought of as a bum and has never had a legitimate backup to push him to be great.

We’ve always seen Donovan be the utmost professional, always say and do the right thing. Although it seems as he’s gotten older he lost his knack to be the professional, or at least be portrayed that way. I mean, who goes on national TV after being let go with a ‘Make it rain’ shirt on expecting to get a job. Furthermore if you’re going to go with the ‘make it rain’ shirt, you must have a Slick Rick type chain to compliment, not that weak rope he had on.

Kyle Orton Claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs, Pros and Cons

According to John Clayton the Kansas City Chiefs have claimed Kyle Orton off waivers. Now that Orton is out from the shadows of Tim Tebow and his bible, let’s see how he performs for the rest of the year. This not only impacts the Chiefs, but the Bears as well we were considering Orton to replace Jay Cutler who recently had surgery on his thumb. As with most things there are pros and cons to this deal as well.

Pros

For the Chiefs they get a proven quarterback, no more having to scrap the bottom of the barrel for a practice squad player to just get you by.

He’s played in the division. With 2 divisional games left, he already has a familiarity with your team and the teams you will face off with while fighting for your playoff life. And can help your defense against Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

He’ll be motivated. Nothing like having someone playing with a chip on their shoulder to show they’re old team that they should’ve never been let go. During the final 6 weeks he’ll play two teams that basically told him he wasn’t good enough. With this motivation he’ll have an added incentive to be on top of his game.

Cons

It’s already Tuesday and with a game on Sunday he may just bomb in his first game. Look at how well Carson Palmer did in his first start. Time is not on their side, he doesn’t have a whole lot of time to learn the playbook and generate a rapport with the offense.

Even with upgrading the qb position, the players around him still have to produce. After signing in K.C. in the offseason Steve Breaston hasn’t been as productive as need be and Dexter McCluster hasn’t had the same impact as he did a year ago. Overall the offense ranks 28^th. The supporting casts’ performance will be equally as important to the Chiefs success down the stretch.

The Chicago Bears who were rumored as one of the teams who were going to put in a claim for Orton.  Since they weren’t rewarded Orton they’ll turn to Caleb Hanie who almost guided them to victory when Jay Cutler injured his knee in the playoffs. As I see it, I don’t think picking up Orton now would help them. Mike Martz runs a complicated offense that is going to take more than cliff notes to pick up. Hanie having already been there should be able to nurse the team along until Cutler comes back.

This should make for an interesting AFC East division race as. The Chiefs are 4-6 and still play the Raiders and Broncos in week 16 and 17, which gives them some control over their own destiny.

Ex Florida State Head Coach Bobby Bowden: “Joe was a little negligent”

”Joe was a little negligent; it’s sad what happened at Penn State.”  Is how Bobby Bowden when asked about his friend Joe Paterno when he spoke at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes luncheon at Doublegate Country Club. Reported by the Albany Herald, when Bowden was asked about Jerry Sandusky “I knew him like I knew you folks, it’s a shocking story. I couldn’t believe it. He was one of the nicest guys you could ever met.”

Bobby Bowden has a long history with both Paterno and Sandusky as he coached against Penn State yearly during his time as head coach with West Virginia for years and Bowden and Paterno were inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame together in 2006.

Bowden tried not to crush his friend Paterno in the decisions he made, but made it clear that the focus should be on the kids when asked if he was upset with how Paterno was let go Bowden proclaimed “there’s no nice way to dismiss somebody. That’s not what upsets me. What happened to those young boys is what upsets me. It shouldn’t have happened because somebody didn’t report it. They could have cut it out eight or nine years ago.’’

From Worse to 1st who’s for Real: 49ers or the Bengals?

This time last season the 49ers and Bengals were a mess. The 49ers had no set quarterback and Mike Singletary was losing control of the team, while the Bengals had a quarterback that didn’t want to be there, aging receivers and injuries that never allowed them to sustain any consistency. Fast forward, both of these squads are in first place and hold complete control of their playoff destiny.

The Bengals behind a rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton and rookie receiver AJ Green haven’t missed a beat replacing Carson Palmer and OchoCinco. With a very good offensive line and Cedric Benson running the ball, the Bengals have a solid surrounding cast around Dalton so all the pressure isn’t on him. An above average defense that doesn’t get much credit, but they have very aggressive linebackers and a secondary that can make opposing teams suffer when they make mistakes. Usually bad drafters, they last few years they’ve hit on players like Rey Maualuga, Carlos Dunlap and they’ve quietly established an offensive that can protect their quarterback.

The 49ers with essentially the same team, with a few additions have only one lost, and that came in overtime. Alex Smith looks like a serviceable quarterback and has been consistently average, which is all they need from him. Frank Gore, who is on pace to rush for over 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns has carried the team this year when needed. Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree both have 30 catches so far and have the ability to have the mismatch every game. Very solid and physical defense and have created 22 turnovers and look to annihilate you when they step on the field. Harbough has found a way to motivate this team differently Singletary did a year ago which shows in their record.

Now the question is, which of these two surprise teams do you think is for real, 49ers or Bengals. Going through some of the key positions, it breaks down to be even. I give the Bengals the edge at qb, though a rookie, I’ve seen Alex Smith enough not to trust him. I’d say at coaching their even and give the 49ers the edge in the running department. Defense I’d lean towards the 49ers and special teams is a toss up. I’d put my money on the 49ers considering the weak division they’re playing in, but I don’t expect the Bengals to just drift away, I fully believe both teams will be in the playoffs though. So cast your vote, who do you think is more legit, Bengals or 49ers?

The Young & the Yardless

For the Cleveland Browns this season, there’s been more drama than your average daytime soap opera. From the drama pertaining to Peyton Hillis and his contract, to the numerous injuries the Browns have suffered all of this has been compounded on top of their lackluster play on the field. However, I won’t be the one to trash them and leading the ‘get rid of everyone’ charge. This team was bad, we knew this going into the season, so why when they look horrible are we surprised? Even through all of this, there are some positives to extract, but let’s first get to the one thing they’ve done the worse, which is protecting Colt McCoy from getting clobbered. In the last 4 games he’s been hit and sacked a combine 42 times. That’s just unacceptable. At some point Shurmur is going to have to make changes if he expects Colt to survive the last 8 games. Either beef up the protection schemes, or play some guys who can keep Colts uniform from needing Tide laundry detergent extra strength.

What also needs to happen is the Browns need to execute better. Though the play calling may not be the greatest, at some point you have to execute the plays that are called. Now we may not like the 5 yard passes, but when you drop them, throw them behind the receiver, it makes no difference. Also, the coaching staff has to do a better job in game planning and adjusting faster. Every game this season, it’s taken them until the 2^nd qtr to find a rythmn on offense. Why? Why can’t we adjust the scheme earlier? Why haven’t we figured out what works for Colt and mix some of that in with the West Coast Offense? I understand injuries factor into this, which limits some of the flexibility you have, but you cant continue to wait until the 4^th qtr to let loose. The Browns offense is terrible, 5 out of their 8 games they’ve have less than 300 yards total offense. Only the Colts ( 6 games under 300 total yards) and the Jaguars ( 8 games under 300 total yards) are worse in the AFC. I get the theory of seeing if Colt can make the guys around him better in your system, but at some point you have to put your team in a position to succeed, beyond the scope of what you originally had planned.

Now everything isn’t all bad. The defense for the most part has been pretty good. A few breakdowns here and there wouldn’t be so bad if the offense gave them some cushion. The secondary is above average, D’Qwell Jackson is having a great season, and the rookies on the line have played well. Now we do need a stud pass rusher, but there’s no glaring weakness on the defense that you can point to and say, he’s the weak link. Depth would be great, but with their extra draft picks that will come.

For all the doom and gloom, this team still has a chance to win 3 or 4 more games and finish right where we thought they would. Though the process is rough, it’s nothing you can skip. You have to be patient and give them time to turn this thing around. I’m not saying give them a free pass, but give them more than 8 games to build their foundation.