Mile High Drama... & Oh Yeah, That TO Guy....

by Matt Brannen

With all the controversial and absurd things that have happened in sports over the last month and the end of an exciting "winter" sports season on the website, your intrepid blogger has yet to weigh in on the long-standing feud between Denver Broncos QB Jay Cutler and new head coach Josh McDaniels and the recent move of WR Terrell Owens from Dallas to Buffalo. Even though it's the off-season, you know the NFL is still good for some juicy issues to chew on.

Let's start with the Cutler controversy. Much ado has been made in league circles since New England traded Matt Cassel to Kansas City and it was leaked that Denver "listened" to a last minute offer for Cutler. Most reports indicate that an unidentified team (many have speculated that it was Tampa Bay) contacted Denver in the hopes of swinging a three-way trade between the Patriots, Broncos, and this 3rd team where Cassel would end up in Denver (to be reunited with former offensive coordinator McDaniels), Cutler would end up with the third team, and New England would receive draft picks for dealing Cassel. None of this ever materialized, beyond the initial presentation stages, because New England more or less had the Cassel for a 2nd round pick deal with Kansas City already worked out. However, the idea that Denver would listen to an offer for Cutler has caused the former Vanderbilt QB to take action.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-broncos-cutlerrift&prov=ap&type=lgns

What is amazing about this is how Cutler and his advisors have so quickly attempted to distance himself from the franchise and their fan base. It is obvious that no player wants to think that he can be traded, but Cutler's actions and comments have continued to paint himself into a dangerous corner. My question is this: Didn't Cutler see what happened with Brett Favre and Green Bay last off-season? Favre kept pushing the issue with the Packers about wanting to return and, ultimately, forced their hand and he was traded to the Jets. While Favre's 1st half of 2008-2009 was fine, the 2nd half of the season turned into a nearly self-admitted train wreck, resulting in him retiring (again). It must be noted here that Cutler is significantly younger and healthy than Favre with many more productive seasons left in the league. Yet, the statements and actions he has been a part of since the non-trade are drawing Denver closer to a position where they may feel that they cannot bring him back, like Favre in Green Bay. With Josh McDaniels in his 1st year as head coach, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen might find himself having to throw his support fully towards his coach and this mean the end of the Jay Cutler era in the Mile High City. If he doesn't play his cards right, Jay Cutler could be the starting QB for the Detroit Lions in 2009-2010 and it was all because he thought he was "disrespected" because the team answered a phone call that they didn't even act on.

There has been no shortage of drama in the AFC East since our last NFL post either. Dallas finally said "bon voyage" to Terrell Owens and decided that his release may well be "addition by subtraction." Quick to react, Buffalo snapped up the mercurial All-Pro WR for what is believed to be a 1 year, $6.5 million contract. What is most surprising about this move is that Buffalo has long been considered a fairly conservative franchise when it comes to player moves. Few NFL insiders saw the Bills as a likely landing spot for Owens and it took less than a week for the signing to be agreed on/announced. Clearly, the Bills have made a calculated gamble by bringing in Owens, hoping that a 1 year contract will keep his attitude in check and that Owens could be the difference in Buffalo winning the competitive but not overwhelming AFC East. However, TO, always looking to establish his autonomy, has already announced that he will eschew voluntary team workouts in favor of his own pre-season training regimen.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-owens&prov=ap&type=lgns

Owens was equally quick to mention that he would not miss any mandatory off-season team activities, but that he wanted to continue with his personal tradition of working out on his own. It shows that Owens has probably not learned the full lesson of his release from Dallas and that his presence in the Buffalo lockerroom could be that of a "wild card" throughout the season. Congratulations, Buffalo and welcome to Terrell Owens' world.

I had e-mail communications with an old friend and co-worker during last football season when the Plaxico Burress self-inflicted gunshot wound scandal first happened. His point was that NFL players would learn from the punishment meted out to players like Michael Vick and Burress for their indiscretions. My position was (and remains) that a good deal of NFL players (and pro athletes for that matter) live in such an isolated world that situations that occur to other athletes are far more secondary than we, outside of that bubble, understand. Part of the reason why these players have become so good is that they focus on their own games and ability. They have not been able to achieve the highest levels of their sport by spending lots of time focusing on what is going on with other players. However, on the other hand, this means that they don't know and/or consider how other players' decisions might impact their own circumstances. To a degree, this is the job of the players' agents. Yet, the agents concern is the player and protecting their spot/salary. In the end, the circle of bad advice and bad decisions continue. Let's hope that there are some athletes and agents out there watching Jay Cutler and Terrell Owens right now and see that their paths might not be the best way for others' careers in the future.

The Madness of March

by Matt Brannen

While you might think this post is about the NCAA men's and/or women's basketball tournaments, it is actually about Major League Baseball's World Baseball Classic. You see, there are a lot of folks that aren't paying any attention to this event and those in America that are, well, can't be too happy right now. Why? The United States team, considered one of the strongest in the field (due to having every player on its roster currently in the Major Leagues), got pummeled last night by Puerto Rico. In fact, the game was so one-sided that the ten run rule (AKA-"The Mercy Rule" as it is often called in recreational softball) was enacted to end the game early. Yet, the pressing point is, given where Major League Baseball has been with the Peformance Enhancing Drug scandal and spiraling economy, should anyone even care?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-useloses031409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Major League Baseball and its media partners continue to promote the WBC like it is a combination of the NCAA basketball tournament ("Upsets could happen at any moment!") and the Summer Olympics (The U.S. squad as the "Dream Team of Baseball"). However, after one round of play, Panama and the Dominican Republic are the only teams eliminated that were expected to make a potentially large splash in the tournament. Unless the U.S. loses its next game, the Americans remain alive in double-elimination round 2, even with its "embarrassing" loss (Derek Jeter's words, not mine) to Puerto Rico. As to the issue of star power, many Major League baseball stars have decided to not play in this year's tournament (Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, and Cole Hamels just to name a few) or were told by their teams that they couldn't play (for fear of injury or hurting their rehab from injury). Furthermore, some players have chosen which teams they would play on based family ancestry/ethnicity and not the country where they were born. A hot topic of debate and possible controversy, in what seems like a very long, long time ago, was Alex Rodriguez's decision to suit up for the D.R. team, even though Rodriguez was born in New York City and raised in Miami. Of course, Rodriguez's recent steroid admissions and, more importantly, hip surgery has kept him out of the tournament. So, the WBC hasn't been exactly what the MLB has claimed it to be. Given everything else surrounding Major League Baseball, that shouldn't be a real shock.

The idea of having a tournament to determine the best baseball playing country in the world and including Major League Baseball players sounded like a great idea a few years ago when it was first announced. Yet, as we trudge our way through WBC 2.0, it is becoming readily apparent that many involved in the process (especially coaches like the U.S.A.'s Davey Johnson) are treating the event like it is simply an extension of Spring Training. If that is going to be the case, MLB needs to step in and change the event to the end of the regular season in October/November or, even better, late February when the sports landscape is as barren as the winter-laden roads of the Northeast and Midwest. Do I have any faith that anything will be done to improve the issues that I have brought up in the post? My answer to that question is another question: Aren't the people running this event the same people that bring us the possible annual All-Star tie because not enough pitchers are available at the end of tie/extra inning games?

It's The Economy, Stupid...

by Matt Brannen

As a fan of an NFL franchise that has never won the Super Bowl (you can do the research and figure it out for yourself), the onset of free agency always feels like a chance to get better and maybe, just maybe, make the big breakthrough to a Lombardi trophy. However, with the current state of America's economy, one has to wonder what some NFL owners are thinking with the amazing contracts they have doled out over the last week.

Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was the undisputed "crown jewel" of this year's free agent class. The massive former Titan had a dominating season for a team that truly got more out of its talent than any other team in the league last year. Tennessee attempted to sign Haynesworth prior to him becoming a free agent, but the big man and his agent held off and snared a $100 million contract from Washington. Once again, Redskins owner Dan Snyder pulled out the proverbial credit card and attempted to turn his team into a fantasy football franchise.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=An0rxIB0u6bmCC5oZq6yyHJDubYF?slug=ap-redskins-haynesworth&prov=ap&type=lgns

What is most surprising about Haynesworth's signing is the sheer amount of money that was guaranteed. $41 million. That's right, $41 million. NFL analysts have often made fun of the NBA and MLB because those sports guarantee contracts, regardless of future injuries, and an NFL player is literally an irreversible moment from his career and paycheck disappearing forever. Yet, it seems like the NFL is heading down a very slippery slope this off-season.

While Daniel Snyder is one of the owners most responsible for dishing out large signing bonuses and contracts like breath mints, he is not alone. This year's pre-free agency signing period began with Oakland forking out $28 million guaranteed over the next 2 seasons for All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (In total, a 3 year, $45 million pact). On the same day, the Raiders resigned punter Shane Lechler to a 4 year contract for more money than has ever been paid to a punter in the history of the league (Aside: I should have paid more attention during the punt portion of the "Punt, Pass, & Kick" competitions as a kid). These were the first warning signs that things would be skewed financially this year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-raiders-asomugha&prov=ap&type=lgns

Let's be clear here...NFL owners are businesspeople, first and foremost. Many made their fortunes through shrewd investments or the bravado needed to become mega-rich. Yet, some act like the revenues of the league will never run-out. The sad part is that these contracts have been handed out while many teams are laying off employees to save money that is a small percentage of the free agent contracts being handed out everyday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell even took a 20 percent pay cut, after the league laid off workers and slashed the budgets of certain aspects that the league supports (like legendary NFL Films). Times are, indeed, tough but do the owners really care?

I heard some comments on NFL Radio the other day that were very interesting. The discussion about Haynesworth's contract led, I believe, former NFL personnel director Pat Kirwin to say "You know, the owners sometimes need to be protected from themselves" (when it comes to spending money). If this blizzard of guaranteed money continues and the American economy doesn't rebound as fast as everyone hopes, it isn't absurd to think that the NFL could have to join many of the other major corporations that have had to be "bailed out" by the American government. It would be a massive disappointment if something like that had to happen, especially because owners couldn't hold off their free-spending ways.