Earlier this week, I read an article about Tom Brady's thoughts regarding Patriots fans leaving the home opener against the Bengals, a bit too early. Brady admitted that he wasn't too happy about fans rolling out before the clock said 0:00 and even indicated that Jets fans probably don't hit the road before their team is done playing.

With Brady's comments(comments I agree with), I started to think about Fairweather fans. For the record, I'm not saying the Patriots have them, but if you're a Pats fan and was offended by my segue, then maybe the shoe fits more than you thought. Anyway, I wanted to know what teams did folks think were a "Fairweather Fan" team, a team that has support (or maybe not) when they are doing good, but they disappear into thin air when they do bad.

So I took the question to my Twitter and Facebook pages. I wanted to get an idea of what the general public thought about this. I calculated the Top 3 teams that were mentioned the most. Here's what I got based on my social networking survey:


#3

When asked why people mentioned the Bengals, I had one tweeter say the following:



The Bengals are a hard team to follow. They haven't been the most consistent team in terms of winning. And even though they won the AFC North last year, fans still haven't gone out and bought season tickets. One can blame it on the bad economy, but ticket sale problems were long before America faced such issues. As for the tweeter, maybe there is some truth to that. Neither the Bengals nor Browns have won a playoff game since the Browns came back to Cleveland in 1999. No excuses, but I understand.

#2 /

I found it ironic that I had an equal amount of folks say both the Jags and the Panthers. Especially since both teams became expansion teams in the same year, 1995. This is probably the one that's a head scratcher. The Jags have been pretty competitive and have even won playoff games. The Jags beat the Steelers at home, twice in one season in 2007, something that had never been done before they did it. The Panthers have been to the Super Bowl and was very close in beating the Patriots, a team that many consider a dynasty. But when asked about the reasoning behind the vote, one tweeter summed it up for both teams:



I disagreed with this initially, simply because the Ravens aren't 20 yrs old yet they have always had the backing of their fans at home. But I had to remember that Baltimore was and still is a football city, even when the Colts left town. These 2 cities, not so much. Jacksonville is Gator Country and Carolina fans already had teams they rooted for and have yet to fully converted. After further review, maybe she has a point after all.


#1

I received the most votes for the Falcons.... and it wasn't even close. The reasoning was pretty much the same amongst many: Atlanta is a transplant city, full of non-natives. So people already have a team prior to moving there. Even with the Braves and Hawks in town, it's pretty common to know that it's not just the Falcons, but all Atlanta teams struggle with the Fairweather syndrome. One person's response made me giggle a little:

>

Another person thinks it's more about fans liking a player and not the team that they play for:


The public has spoken. Falcon fans are as fairweather as they come. Not a good look when you have other cities that would rob and steal for an NFL team. The thing about it is, the Falcons have a pretty decent squad right now (on paper, at least). Time to get out and support them, people!


Honorable Mentions:

Many folks believes the city of Miami belongs to "The U", the University of Miami. So the loyalty to their NFL isn't strong.

Most people believe that before Brady, no one cared about the Pats. Need I remind folks that Drew Bledsoe was the QB before Brady and led his team to a SB, but I digress. It's also noted that Boston is Red Sox crazy, so there is No Country For Pats Football in Beantown.

Thanks to all that participated in my survey.

24 star Kiefer Sutherland came to the Davis Letterman with a dress on. When asked about his god awful green ensemble, Sutherland explained that he was so sure New England was going to win this past weekend, that he placed a bet that if they lost, he would wear a dress on The Letterman Show. I'm a HUGE fan of Jack Bauer and the show, 24. But ummmmmm.... I'm an even bigger Ravens fan. Sucks to be you, Mr. Sutherland.

I'm sure most of you were like me and were plastered to the TV the entire weekend, with your full attention on the NFL Playoffs. Whether it was a blowout, total domination or an OT game, all of the games were good to me. It's the playoffs, so anything that can happen, did happen. Here are my thoughts over the weekend's games:

Ocho Cinco celebrated his birthday on Sat, the same day as his playoff game against the New York Jets. That was pretty much all there was to celebrate though. The Bengals looked dazed and confused, and Palmer looked like a deer in headlights. The Jets beat the Bengals the week before to secure their playoff spot, so they had all the confidence in the world coming into Cincy's house. While Bengals RB Cedric Benson did run wild on a league-leading Jets defense with 169 yards, Gang Green simply made more plays and beat the Bengals convincingly, 24-14. There may have even been an Ocho Cinco tears sighting. But it was hard to tell.

*extra point* How does Mark Sanchez play more like a veteran than Carson Palmer on such a large stage???

Sanchez has said numerous times that Palmer was someone he looked up to, back from their days in Southern Cali when Sanchez attended Palmer's high school games. But it was Sanchez who was schooling Palmer on Saturday, passing 12/15 for 182 yards and a TD. It was kind of sad to see, the Bengals just can't get right in the playoffs.


The Cowboys.... wow!!! First off, let me congratulate you on your playoff win. It was long overdue. But good lord, who knew you were gonna come out swinging like that?! You made the Eagles look like some regular team that didn't belong in the dance. Even Roy Williams came out to play and caught some good passes, which means he was in RARE form. I'm finally a believer that the Cowboys have a serious chance of representing the NFC come February. They earned it, and Tony Romo had a very good day.

*extra point* I must say, the highlight of the night was McNabb "taunting" the Cowboys fans. I didn't find it taunting at all, I thought it was kinda funny.... But I'm not a Cowboys fan so...........


*2 pt conversion* Okay I'm officially scared............


There is nothing I love more than what I saw yesterday. The Ravens treated the Patriots like they stole something, and I was like a proud mama, cheesing the entire time. They came to play and they did just that, which was one of the best games the Ravens played the entire season. Of course I wrote a column about it on Gridiron Gals, but I had to show my boys some love over here too. They beat the Darlings of the NFL, there is nothing cooler than that.

*extra point* Shout out to the Ravens fans that went to Boston. Baltimore may not be recognized as a well traveled team, but we do more than alright. Just ask Vince Wilfork.


By far the best game was the Packers-Cardinals game. It had the most offense out of all the games this weekend. The Pack were down 17 points in the 1st qtr, but found their way fighting back and staying alive in the game, eventually tying up the score 45 all and taking the game to OT. Over 1,000 yards of total offense and 96 totals points from both sides combined. The biggest thing that has me scratching my head, is the Packers were ranked #2 overall in defense prior to yesterday's game, but still managed to give up over 500 yards of offense.

So with such a high scoring, offensive game, imagine every one's surprise when the play ended because of defense. If I didn't see if for myself I, wouldn't have believed it.


Congrats to the Cardinals. That was the most exciting game of the weekend. You earned that win.

*extra point* I kinda feel bad for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers was clearly hit in the face mask which startled him and the fumble then came. I hate ticky tacky calls and giving the QBs extra leniency, but that was a blatant call that was missed. I'd bet money that if Brady or Manning were the guy behind center, three flags would have come out. The officiating this season has been horrific, and it showed again in the OT game.



*2 pt conversion* That being said.... the Packers shouldn't have let them get up 17-0 in the 1st qtr. I'm just saying........


This weekend's matchups are set and ready. The Cardinals travel to the Crescent City to play the Saints while the Ravens go to Indy to play the Colts on Saturday. On Sunday, The Cowboys head to Minnesota and the Jets will be in San Diego to face my boo Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers. I doubt that any of these games will disappoint, unless your team is on the losing end when the game is over. Each team earned the right to be there, so I expect big things for the Divisional Weekend.

*extra point* I found this on Blitz Nation and I couldn't resist.... What in the world is LT doing???? And Why??????

It's time! Yes, there are so many people that need to sit their azz down, and it's time to call them out. I'm so sick of man-divas and I'm calling you out today!


Michael Crabtree


After months of holding out, complaining and looking to be paid higher than the 10th overall pick, Crabtree finally decides to sign with the 49ers. Excuse me if I could care less. Sounds to me like a perfect case of "They're gonna need me more than I need them" gone wrong. You see, Crabtree probably assumed that the 49ers really needed them and that they weren't gonna be a decent squad (if Shaun Hill was your QB, I'd assume you would have thought the same). But the 49ers are 3-1 and are one play away from being 4-0. Shaun Hill is playing well and they look just fine without his services, please and thank you.

So now the pressure is on. Crabtree doesn't have a contract and he's missing out on doing what he loves to do, which is play football. And because the 49ers are playing well, they don't need to hound him about signing a contract. So he and his agent buckle down and get a deal done.

Now Crabtree has missed all offseason activities and training camp all in the name of greed. At blog time (similar to press time, LOL) , the contract details weren't released, but I'm guessing not much was changed from the initial contract offered to him.

Crabtree is a diva who had a serious reality check. I hope he plays well in the NFL, because if not this dude can easily be the laughing stock of the league if he doesn't produce on the field. I hope Mike Singletary makes him pay for every day he's missed so far. Gotta love the guy, NOT! Go sitcho spoiled azz down!

Tom Brady

During the Ravens-Pats game on Sunday, Ravens TB Terrell Suggs fell down and barely brushed the leg of Tom Brady. So what does Brady do??? Point to the ref and lobby for a flag.

Now, this is when it gets ugly. Brady starts clapping, pointing and borderline taunting Suggs for getting the penalty. It was truly classless on his part. I've been told a million times, don't be mad at Brady, be mad at the refs for listening to Brady, he's just doing what most would. Bull Hockey! Cause I don't remember Peyton Manning looking for flags for such foolishness. I also don't remember Manning making Suzy Kolber run him down and do an interview while out of breath.



This whole "roughing the Brady" penalty could backfire on the league. Defenses will start to actually try and harm these QBs if they know they are gonna be flagged/fined for it. They'll make the personal foul official, and start to purposely try and take these players out of it becomes too ticky tacky if they don't step in and make some changes.

On Sunday, Rodney Harrison went on Football Night In America and told Brady to "take off the skirt and put on some slacks". While Harrison claims that he was speaking in jest, I think he couldn't have said it better. Brady may as well put on his wife's 4 inch heels and change his last name to Mr. Bundchen. Brady sitcho wussy azz down!

Memo to the players of the NFL: Being a diva is a female trait. If being is diva is what you are about, then you can borrow my earrings, makeup and nail polish. We can even go shopping for shoes if you like. But don't play in the NFL. I prefer to watch men play. Go sitchoazz down!

If you haven't had the time to see this show, make time. This has become one of my favorite shows in just a 3 week span.

The show takes Bengals LB Dhani Jones all over the world to different countries, mainly to learn their sport. Whether it's schwingen in Switzerland, Muay Thai fighting in Thailand or Rugby in England, Jones gets his hands dirty in every challenge.


Jones is the perfect host for the show. His charismatic personality is not over the top like his other NFL counterparts *cough* Ocho Cinco *cough* T.O. *cough*. But his warm smile and his passion to learn, is saying and doing enough to keep the show entertaining and interesting. Not to mention, he's easy on the eyes (sorry guys.. but he is LOL). The only thing I wonder is, how could a player under contract participate in such physical sports outside of American football. But if the Cincinnati Bengals like it, then I love it.

The show focuses on the most important part of the experience- learning how to train for and play a new sport. Jones goes through an intense week of training and preparation to have him ready for his feat at the end of his journey (the ancient rock throwing as training?! Who would've thought!). Jones also tackles cultural events and happenings during his tenure. In Switzerland, he learned how to make meringue. In Thailand, he was taken to a Red Light District when he asked the driver to take him to a "fun place". And in England, he partied hard while learning the sport of fox hunting.



Acceptance from locals isn't always immediate for Jones, and it wasn't an easy task. During the rugby game, Jones only got in the game during the last 2 minutes, while his schwingen contest was a hard one to win the fans over. But once he gained the respect of the players/fans, he was accepted with open arms.

Here are a few of my favorite moments on the show:

LMAO moment- When Jones was in England to learn the sport of rugby, the players participated in 3 legged races, while going to all 14 pubs inside the stadium to get WASTED. In England, it's common that the players would go drinking in every single pub after a win. You could tell the following morning, he was really feeling the after affects of his "celebration laps" around the stadium. Can you say, hang over??? Somebody give this guy an 800ml.


WTF moment- While in Thailand, his trainer Pit took him into town and tried to get him to eat bugs. The bugs included crickets, cockroaches and frogs, among others. The grossest thing I have ever seen (I HATE bugs) and it almost made me change the channel until I thought the clip was over. Jones tried it like a trooper, but you could tell he was just as grossed out as I was.

OMG moment- Going foxhunting in England, Jones along with others were riding their horses. His horse attempted to jump, but Jones fell off the horse, and got stepped on in the process. Glad he was okay (probably was more embarrassed than anything), but it didn't stop me from saying DAAMMMN! When I saw it.


Whether it's milking cows, learning how to yodel or going through mazes, Jones adapted well to his new surroundings. But he was even better at learning a new sport and competing with nothing but determination to conquer it. If you like to travel and you loves sports, then this is the show for you.

Dhani Tackles The Globe is a great show. If you didn't find time before now to watch it, make time. You won't be disappointed

Free agency has been a non stop machine since 12:00 Friday morning

I think I'm in Free Agency Overload. Just when I think I know who's going wear and what team signed who, something happens to make me see different.

A lot of players who made their careers with one team, now have new homes. Brian Dawkins a Bronco? Does even feel right to say that. Fred Taylor a Patriot? Feels wrong and dirty for some reason. Ray Lewis going to....oh wait, Ray Ray didn't get an offer from another team yet (tee hee hee)


But trying to keep up with this year's free agency requires a full time job. Shout out to guys like Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen that do nothing but call, text and email to give us, the fans, the latest scoop on their favorite team. Let's review the biggest moves in free agency this weekend, shall we?

Broncos Go Crazy!- Okay, by now we all know that Brian Dawkins is now rocking a horse on his helmet, and no longer an Eagle (from what I hear, Philly fans are LIVID about this).


But in addition to Dawkins, they went on a spending spree and also signed WR Jabar Gaffney (Pats), RB Correll Buckhalter (Eagles), RB JJ Arrington (Cards), WR David Anderson (Texans), S Renaldo Hill(Dolphins), Tom, Dick, Harry, Craig and nem....

Okay seriously. There were more people to the list, but you get my point. The Broncos weren't playing around. They were about business and they plan on contending this season.

In addition to adding all of these new player on the roster, there were trade rumors swirling around, regarding QB Jay Cutler and QB Matt Cassel. Even though it didn't happen, poor wittew baby Cutler was upset with the notion and even stated that the team would go in an uproar if he were traded.


Really?! Do you really think other guys would fight tooth and nail over someone other than themselves. Man please!


Now, with all of these new acquisitions they have, they better be competitive this upcoming season. If they just so happen to stink up the joint again, like last year, I'm gonna be the first one cracking up at this news. Mainly because I really don't like Cutler anyway. I think he's a whiner and a brat- two things I hate the most.

Matt Cassel, Mike Vrabel traded to KC for 2nd round draft pick-


Are you kidding me?!?! Seriously, when I read this, I thought this was a rumor. But it turns out to be true. After Belichick put the franchise tag on Cassel, I thought one of two things would happen. Either he would stay with the Pats at least another year, to make sure Brady's knee is okay. Or he would be traded and the Pats would get 2- 1st round picks, as that is the usual trade offer for a tagged player.

But to get 2 players for the price of one draft pick? And it's not even a 1st rounder? Wow!

Who knows if Brady is healthy enough to start on opening day. Hell, who knows if he's ready to give up his schmoozing sessions, with him and Gisele being joined at the hip nowadays.


But if Belchick likes it, then I love it. It doesn't hurt that Cassel's $14+ million cap space is lifted either


Giants beef up defense, signing Canty and Bernard- Okay, am I the only one surprised by these signings? The last time I checked, the Giants were the 5th ranked defense in 2008, and that's without Osi, who was placed on IR last year. So why are they stacking up so much on defense?

Word has it, their #1 receiver, Plaxico Burress, is acting as if he isn't a member of the team, sending out notions that he wants to be traded. Even if he didn't want to be traded, he has a gun charge held over his head. Who knows if he'll be in jail by the time the season starts anyway.


Once Burress was no longer on the field, the Giants WRs looked average at best.

I know the Giants were a Top 10 offense. But let's be real... it was because they had the #1 rushing offense in the league. That will make your overall yardage go waaaayyy up. Their passing game averaged 198 yards per game.

My point? Defense was never the problem. Giants, get a WR and get it NOW. TJ Whoseyourmama is still out there. Give him a call!!!



OT- My prayers are going out to the families and friends of NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, along with the two other guys missing. The 4 young men went on a fishing trip on Saturday and has been missing ever since. I'm praying for a miracle.