I'm sure you heard or read by now the comments that former Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton said regarding Brett Favre. Tarkenton was on 790 the Zone in Atlanta and made some harsh comments about Favre. Tarkenton looks like a sweet old man. I never knew he had it in him, really. I decided to break down what he said and give my opinion... bit by bit

"I think it’s despicable."

Ummm.... did anyone else read that in a Daffy Duck voice???

"What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here’s an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn’t about Brett Favre"

Can't argue with this comment here. I feel the same way, I think Favre thinks folks owe him something when they don't. I'll let this one ride

"In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favre’s of the world so much, they think it’s about them."

Again, can't argue here

"He goes to New York and bombs".

Bomb he did not. Break down at the end of the season, he did

"He’s 39 years old."

Okay, and?! I know that NFL years, he's about 230 1/2 years of age. But kickers last til they are close to 50. This was irrelevant.

"How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year (playing for) the Vikings, or I retire, and go play for the Packers."

You and Nitschke are old dudes... no one really cares cause we know you won't.

"I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail."

Uuuuhhhhhhhhhh..............................



What kind of bitchassness type of comment is this?? Who says that??? You wannabe Rush Limbaugh. How can you love the Vikings, but want Favre to make a mockery of your beloved team??? real smart, genius!

"I think he has been a great flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I’ve ever seen."

Maybe, but he still has more records than you...

"Look at his final game in a Packers uniform. He blew that game against the Giants"

Touche'... can't argue there

"He’s playing against Eli Manning, I love Eli Manning, but he’s still not a great quarterback. He’s not Peyton yet, or Tom Brady. He’s just a guy."

He's just a guy??? Dude, are you serious..... Why are you side swiping Eli Manning now... how much Haterade did you have for breakfast???

How many Super Bowl MVPs have you won??? Oh, that's right. You don't have a Super Bowl WIN! Let's not go there............

"And they’re (Packers) are playing at home, and they’re in a tight situation, they went to overtime and he (Favre) throws the interception that allows them (the Giants) to come back and win the game. He has done that and driven his coaches crazy all of his career."

Tarkenton was a great QB in this league for 18 years. He also has the right to say whatever is on his mind. But he needs a serious does of STFU soup. Not only does he insult Favre, but he takes shots at Eli Manning, a topic totally unrelated to the initial target. I'm wondering if someone forgot to take their Aricept before the interview.

Please go back and tell 40 year old football tales to your grandchildren. You've embarrassed yourself enough for the year. Remind me to add you to my next "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" blog. You'll be my honorary dedication.

Tarkenton, take my advice.... this is all you need to do....


Trust me.... it's for the best!

With the 2009 NFL season approaching us, the Indianapolis Colts have dealt with a lot of adversity off the field, with 4 coaches either retiring or resigning from their respected positions

By now, I'm sure all of you football fans heard about of Ryan Leaf's recent indictment of drug and burglary charges. I think this story is well beyond sad.

Leaf seems to be a common story for a few ex-NFL stars deemed to greatness before they even stepped on the pro field, other than fall hard and never seem to rise up afterward. Lawrence Phillips and Charles Rogers are two good examples.

Ryan Leaf came into the NFL with great expectations. It's no secret that some had Leaf, the former star from Washington State , regarded higher than Tennessee's Peyton Manning.

While Manning has lived up to his hype and then some, Leaf fell flat on his face and, even today, is looking for a way to pick himself up off the floor.

Anyone remember how that started??? Let's see.... after the 1998 NFL Draft, Leaf was allegedly in Las Vegas instead of being at Chargers headquarters. He then skipped the always-mandatory Rookie Symposium and was later fined. But that didn't stop Leaf. In his world, he was the King of Zamunda. He was invincible.

Leaf started off looking like the QB the Chargers thought they had, winning his first 2 games. But from his 3rd game on, he was awful. He finished his rookie season with 2 TDs, 15 INTs, benched towards the end of the season, and a 45.3 QB rating.

Who can forgot the now-infamous locker room incident? Leaf yelled at a San Diego Union Tribune employee, which alerted Junior Seau and another teammate to pull him away



The "apology" Leaf gave later on was just as pathetic. Leaf read an apology letter on a small piece of paper with no emotion, then balled the paper up and threw it in his locker shortly after finishing, in front of everyone. What a stand up guy!

In 1999, Leaf was place on IR for a shoulder injury, but instead of rehabbing, he had more important things in mind. You know, like golfing and playing flag football that just so happened to get back to the Chargers via video tape. It started the demise of his career in San Diego.

Leaf returned for the 2000 season and did nothing to show the team he was serious about being their future, and the Chargers finally released him, with only 4 wins in 3 seasons.


Leaf tried to make comebacks with the Bucs, Seahawks and Cowboys but didn't last long, due to a wrist injury that Leaf refused to have surgery done. He had disappeared for a few years.

In 2006, Leaf emerged as a QB coach at West Texas A&M, and had done pretty well for himself.

But in 2008, Leaf was placed on indefinite leave from his duties for asking for pain pills from one of his players. Shortly thereafter, Leaf resigned. Back to the dark side he went.

Which leads us to today's latest news. Most people, like myself, aren't surprised this has happened. But in all honesty, I wanted Leaf to end up victorious. Granted he was a pure a-hole during his NFL days, but life sometimes has a way of saying, "Hey... either you become humble on your own, or by force" . I wouldn't doubt Leaf probably saw himself as untouchable, like a lot of pro athletes tend to do. But he got a slice of reality pie and that's why he's where he is today.

I hope Leaf finally gets the help he deserves. Per ESPN, Leaf has been going to drug rehab in British Columbia. Maybe it's his way to stay out of jail, but I hope along the process he works it out so that he can defeat his demons. Hopefully he can look back at all of the ups in his life that led to all of the downs, this one included, and say that he's ready to be on the sunny side..... for good this time.

Eleven years ago, starting with the NFL Draft, we saw his whole downward spiral begin. Who knows how this saga ends. Hopefully for Ryan Leaf, he'll come out on top

So I finally got the chance to watch the new Spike TV show, 4th And Long With Michael Irvin. If you haven't heard about the show, let me give you a quick rundown on what it's about.



The show has former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin as the host. He brings in a group of WRs and DBs to compete for a spot on the Dallas Cowboys 60 man roster. In order to win the competition, the players will have to go through a series of drills to show their skills and study film on their competition to make it to the next round. In addition to these drills, the players will be tested by some of NFL's best, including WRs coach Joe Avezzano (aka Coach Joe) and DBs coach, former S Bill Bates.



Each player has played football at some level, but each didn't make it to the pros for a variety of reasons. One player said that he was too small (he is 5'7") and that NFL coaches aren't knocking down doors for him. Another player said that his agent tried to put him in a package deal with another player and use that to get teams to sign both players. Well, he's on this show now, so it's clear that THAT plan didn't work out well, now did it??



Here are a couple of things I noticed while watching the first episode:



Michael Irvin being a bad guy is kinda funny to me. He really comes off as this bunghole of a host, but I found it quite amusing. Don't ask me why....but his poker face stares, yelling and cursing made me snicker every time. Sorry Irv, you don't scare me. Now if you still had those lines cut in your fade, THAT would scare me.



Another thing about Irvin, the cliche he used during the first half was very corny. His line, "It's 4th and long, think you got what it takes to move the chains on your life???" made me give my TV this face


Dude.... we get it. This is their last chance.. go sitco dumb-cliche-saying-azz down



This show is not for you if you have a weak stomach. I think this show set a record for most people throwing up on camera in one segment. It was gross! The players were throwing everywhere. I had to keep turning my head when I thought they would get sick. I love football but some of the intangibles I can do without.



The coaches were hard on those players, man. They started with the gunned down drill, then they proceeded to a conditioning drill, known as "110s", running to each side of the field. And then to finish it off, they each had to run the 40 yard dash directly after. I felt bad for those poor boys. Times like that make me glad I'm just a spectator and not a player.



With football season not getting started until July when training camp starts, this is the best way to get your football fix. I loved watching the players fight through pain and injury to live another day for their dream. In all fairness, they're not even guaranteed to make the final roster. But to see them give 100% for something they all want, makes me wish football season would get started already.



I really enjoyed this show. It's a reality show like no other I've ever seen. The coaches physically brake the players down. There is no bachelor pad type house that they lounge in. Instead they stay at the Cotton Bowl in the locker rooms. And this is real life for them, unlike the other reality junk we see on TV. I'm looking forward to watching this every Monday night at 10pm to see what happens next.


Overall, this show is a hit. If you miss football as much as I do, this is the show for you. But remember, it's not for the weak stomachs, or weak hearts either.

If you missed the first episode, check it out here and tell me what you think

Michael Vick is officially out of jail today, finishing his sentence via home confinement in VA. I, for one, am glad.

Look, I think dog fighting is wrong. Killing dogs is even worse. But do I think Vick should have served the time he did??? Absolutely not.

There are players in this league who have done worse in my opinion, yet got an easy ride. Jamal Lewis' drug federal case??? Only 4 months in prison and served all of his time in the offseason. Leonard Little drunk driving and killing a pedestrian??? Just 90 days in jail. I'm sure there are more cases I could use, but you get my point. Vick was made an example of, and he's served his time.



No matter how you feel about Vick, you cannot deny his talent. Vick was dubbed the most exciting player in football, coming out of Virginia Tech, and lived up to that hype with the Falcons . While his overall stats didn't live up to the hype (53.8 comp %, 75.7 career QB rating), his legs skyrocketed the team, even beating the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau (a rarity up until that loss) and advancing to the 2004 NFC Championship.

With the current craze over the wildcat formation, thanks to the Miami Dolphins, Vick could immediately be a factor moving forward in his career. Hopefully he'll find a new NFL home and move on with his life. He's served his time, now it's time move to the next chapter.

If you missed last night's NFL Total Access, check out this video of the Michael Vick Roundtable, with Deion, Marshall, Warren and Jamie. Very interesting.

Welcome Back Vick! May you pick up where you left off and resurrect your image and career!

TGIF Boys and Gals! Here are a few great blogs to read before the weekend gets here!



MKRob asks the question on everyone's mind. What is going on with Boston's David Ortiz? Find out what he thinks.

Mindpinball talks about this weekend's Preakness race, something that both he and I are familiar with, being Maryland natives. But with the new changes and the owners filing bankruptcy, does that put a damper in this year's second leg of the Triple Crown?? You decide

My girl PigskinLovingLady has the scoop on Ray Lewis' special honors and Tiki Barber out and bout. Find out what they've been up to.

Who's your favorite baller in a basketball movie?? Jesus Shuttlesworth, Neon Boudreaux, Quincy McCall (my fave!!)?? Ed The Sports Fan tackles the Greatest Movie Hoopers Ever

Sports Illustrated posted their top 5 and worst 5 owners in each sport last Friday. So we're going to take a close look at the owners they selected for football. Let's analyze each ranking and see how accurate SI is when it comes to picking who's smooth sailing or who needs to sell their team ASAP!



Top Five Owners


5. Steve Bisciotti, Baltimore Ravens- Now y'all already know... I'm totally biased to this pick and I love it. Bisciotti purchased the franchise from Art Modell as a minority owner in 2000 and took over the team in 2004 as the majority. Since 2000, the Ravens have 5 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl championship and a historic defense. Not to mention one of the best GM's in the league in Ozzie Newsome. I've met Bisciotti before, and he is the coolest owner I've ever met (okay... my ONLY owner to ever meet, but he's still cool as a fan). Plus he always has the tannest looking tan you've ever seen!

Bisciotti's tan has the Rick James aura, so you know that means he's great. Love this pick!! I'm The NFL Chick and I approve this message!

4. Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles- I have no real issue with this pick, but I do have 2 slight objections. One, since Lurie bought the team in 1994 the Eagles have had 9 playoff appearances. But 0 championships. And two, Lurie is known to be cheap at times, constantly being way under the salary cap and letting team leaders go to other teams (Brian Dawkins most recently. Is McNabb next???). Hey.. I have an idea! Switch Bisciotti and Lurie's spots and I'll call it even. No?? *sigh* okay (I tried Steve, sorry....)

3. Mara & Tisch Families, New York Giants- Okay, one stat I just saw that blew me away... They bought the franchise for $500 back in 1925. Five hundred dollars??? Okay, I'm sure that is equivalent to a million dollars now, but wow, that sounds like chump change. I'm totally cool with this choice. The Giants helped build the NFL with the 1958 Championship game against the Baltimore Colts, also known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and they pulled a hell of an upset over the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Whenever history takes place, the Giants name pops up.

2. Robert Kraft, New England Patriots- Kraft has done what no other team has been able to do since the salary cap was created, build a dynasty (remember the Cowboys teams were intact by the time salary cap started in 1994). With the help of puppet mas.. I mean, NFL genius Bill Belichick, the Pats are contenders every season.

Even with the loss of QB Tom Brady in 2008, The Pats were still able to go 11-5 with an unknown QB and an old defense. And from what I hear, Patriot Place is an absolute beauty and a gold mine (which I will be seeing in October). Kraft deserves this spot. The Pats have earned it

1. Rooney family, Pittsburgh Steelers- Who else would you have picked for the number one spot?? Six Super Bowl championships and one of the most followed teams in football, the Rooney's deserve this honor. The Steelers are my ultimate nemesis, but I respect the team and the Rooney family a lot. They constantly bring in playmakers and great head coaches, and they never tend to overpay for a player and find ways to move on when they are gone. However, I think this should be a little more specific.

Art Jr and Dan Rooney are responsible for their success, not the Sr. It's no secret that until the 1970's the Steelers were not good at all. When the sons took over, the franchise took off. Hats off to the Rooney's for a great job!


Worst Five Owners


5. Denise DeBartolo York, San Francisco 49ers- See now.... this is why women aren't taken seriously when we lead. When Denise's brother Eddie was involved in a gambling scandal and she took over, she handed the business off to her husband, John York. Like a woman in love, she let her emotions get in the way of business, by giving him the keys to the car. York is a horrible owner. The 49ers were the first team to reach 5 Super Bowls, and has since fallen off the wagon. One of the most storied franchises has since been a laughing stock in this league. From poor coaching, bad draft picks and head coaches pulling down their pants at halftime, they are in bad shape.

4. Mike Brown, Cincinnati Bengals- This should be the number 1 pick out of all of the owners in the league. Since taking over the team from his father, the late Paul Brown, the Bengals have the worst winning percentage out of all the 5 worst owners with .351%. That's beyond sad, that's a disgrace!

In addition to poor ownership, Brown also acts as the GM. Remember Akili Smith, Peter Warrick, Ki-Jana Carter??? All bust picks since Brown took over the team in 1991. While the Bengals seemed to have made strides for change with one of the best drafts last month, their overall record is Gawd awful. SI was dead wrong on this one. This is number 1!

3. Daniel Snyder, Washington Redskins- I'm one of the people that think Snyder is an idiot. I'm not a big fan on how he operates. He loves to overpay free agents (Deion Sanders, Adam Archuleta and most recently Albert Haynesworth) and most of them tend to never pan out for what they are worth. He tends to confuse the NFL with Fantasy Football and he always find ways to bring in players with no cap space available. A football owner he is not. However, I think Snyder is one of the smartest owners when it comes to marketing. His franchise tops Forbes list every year in NFL franchises (sorry Cowboys fans.. it's true) and is at the top in revenue year in and year out. I think he is extremely smart in that aspect of the franchise. If Snyder could allow a real GM to come in and shape the franchise the way it should be done, i.e. smart free agency signings, more draft picks, etc, then the Redskins will be much better off. Is he a bad owner? In my opinion, yes. But #3 is too high.

2. William Clay Ford, Detroit Lions- One good thing about Ford, he's loyal. He hired former-player-turned-broadcaster Matt Millen to take over the handling of personnel of the team and stuck with him for 7 long, horrible years and they were beyond bad during that time. Millen never produced a winning team, drafted a bunch of busts and never gave fans any hope that the franchise was moving forward instead of backward. Yet, in 2005 he gave Millen an extension anyway.

He finally let Millen go during the 2008 season- the same season in which the Lions did something no other team has ever done. Go 0-16. Since Ford's tenure as owner, the Lions have had a .411 winning percentage. It's still better than Brown's, but Ford could be a clear contender for the worst owner in the league. 0-16??? You know that's bad when you can't win ONE game. That's what loyalty will get you... 0-16

1. Al Davis, Oakland Raiders- Now I think, just like everyone else, that Davis is a either a nut case, or he has stage 3 dementia. But I don't agree with this ranking at all. And I'll tell you why. Based on the SI article, Davis has a .569 winning %, 21 playoff appearances and 4 championships since 1966. His winning pct is better than owners of the Steelers (who has more titles), Giants (who's been around since... forever) and Eagles(who still has no championships), all who were in the Top 5 for best owners. Three Super Bowls and one AFL Championship, not to mention the 2002 SB appearance takes Davis far away from being the worst owner. Look, the guy is like 112 years old and reminds me of Skeletor from the cartoon He-Man.

But in his prime, Davis was a winner. Anyone who has a slogan that says "Just Win Baby" cannot be #1 on such list, I'm sorry. Mike Brown and the Fords should duke it out for the worst. And where's Bill Bidwill in this conversation?? The Cardinals had their first playoff appearance since 1998 and he suddenly gets a pass??? I demand a recount... or some new writers to come up with a more accurate list. I'm not buying this one at all!

Let me know what you think. What owners do you think got snubbed as the best owner? Or give me your opinion on Davis being unfairly deemed as worst owner.

Ever watch a football game and listen to Joe Buck or Phil Simms say the same ol' stupid NFL cliches over and over again??? I know I cannot possibly be the only one that gets annoyed by certain ones that either make no sense, or is simply stating the obvious.

A few years ago, Dan Patrick did a segment on NFL cliches, were he and Keith Olbermann thought of the most used cliches and made fun of them. It was pretty funny, so I decided to do a few of my own. I'm no Dan Patrick, so mine should be better. Because I'm not as corny and my hair looks WAY better than DP's (if you listened to his show, you know he was obsessed about how his hair looked LOL).


He's a vertical threat- So.... do the other receivers go horizontal???

He's a possession receiver- Isn't that what they all do?? Possess the ball when it's thrown to them???

The road to the Super Bowl goes through [insert team here]- this is a football curse, just like the Madden cover and tattooing your boyfriend's name on you. Almost anytime you hear this, that team gets bounced in the first round or don't even make the playoffs

That's a costly turnover- Since when were turnovers NOT costly. I don't care if you're winning 35-21 or was trying to come from behind to win it, they all are costly. If not for the game, then at least for stats.

Welcome to the NFL. (Said after a rookie quarterback is sacked during his first game)- Getting hit is the easy part. Trust me, he was welcomed during minicamps and training camp, way before his first game. With the vets hazing, making them carry their bags and taking them out to eat... They know exactly what the NFL is about.

He ran into a brick wall- No, he just ran into a really fat dude

He's gonna feel that one on Monday- Not a medical genius or anything but.... it is a contact sport. Don't they all???

The defense had that play sniffed out- So what did it smell like when they sniffed it??? Roses, B.O.?? Enlighten me, inquiring minds wanna know....

They have to make plays on both sides of the ball- Ya think???

We're a bend but don't break defense- You only hear that when offenses go down the field on your team but was unable to score. There's nothing cool or good about bending but not breaking. If I bend my finger backwards, that means I'll possibly sprain it, which hurts almost the same as if I break it. Just say we sucked on that drive but we dodged a bullet when they didn't score. Be real in your underwear!

[insert QB here] is a real gunslinger- I tend to say this a lot, myself. But what does firearms and bad Western movies have to do with how you throw a football???


There is no love lost between these two teams- How do you lose love anyway? Can you go to lost and found if you do??? Either you love somebody or you don't. But I doubt it gets lost like your mail or your car keys.


They should go out there and play physical football- What am I missing?? The last time I checked, football was a physical contact sport? Did I miss the memo or something?? Folks who know otherwise, school me please and thanks!

[insert player here] is a throwback type player- Okay... If you play in the NFL right now then you are NOT a throwback type player. With all the rules and uniform changes the current NFL has, trust me..... no one now is a throwback player. If you've never played against the Steel Curtain, been hit by Jack Tatum or defended Johnny Unitas during the 2 minute drill, you are NOT a throwback player. You should be slapped for saying such Tom Foolery, especially if you're an offensive player. Go sit down!

You all know I love the NFL and I try to write about all 32 teams whenever I can. But in the midst of doing that, I tend to neglect my favorite team. My boys in purple and black. As you all know, I'm a HUGE Ravens fan (so what I just repeated my bio!). So I need to show my hometown team some love more often. Starting with... today.

The Ravens haven't been around that long (they are going into their 14th NFL season), but boy do they have a lot of history behind them. A Super Bowl title, 3 Defensive MVPs, one of the greatest Defenses of all time (statistically), and record breaking INTs, just to name a few. In their short time, the Ravens have truly made a name for themselves. I wanted to dedicate today's blog to my Top 5 players in Ravens history. I'm sure for all of my fellow Ravens fans, you will have a different list, adding and/or subtracting others. But they're all favorites to me... okay, sorry for the corny moment. But you get my point. Here we go:

#5- RB Jamal Lewis



One stat that has Jamal on my Top 5 list- 2,066 yards. That was the amount of yards Jamal rushed for during the 2003 season, adding him to an elite class of the 2,000 yds club. Of those yds, 500 of them alone came against the Cleveland Browns (Lewis set a single game rushing record of 295 yards, which has since been broken by Adrian Peterson). Without J Lew, the Ravens don't get into the playoffs that season. Kyle Boller was hurt and Anthony Wright came in to fill the QB spot, which meant that Jamal had to carry the load and he did just that. Jamal would have been higher on my list, but when he signed with the Browns in 2007 he became a real jerk and talked bad about the Ravens and their offensive line- the same line that helped him get those 2,066 yards. After that, it wasn't hard seeing him go at all. But he still makes my list.



#4- TE Shannon Sharpe




Okay, I know what you are going to say... Sharpe only played 2 seasons with the Ravens, why is he on this list?? Well, because I truly believe we do not get to the Super Bowl in 2000 if it weren't for him. Look, we all know the Ravens defense was a monster back then. No one could run or throw against us, we were that good. But how many have forgotten about how poor the offense was? Who remembers the 5 game drounght without a TD?


That was a rough time to be a Ravens fan. When the playoffs came around, Shannon was on his A game. In the Wild Card game, he turned a possible INT into a TD to beat his former team, the Broncos. In the Titans game he had a key catch that led the Ravens inside the Titans' 10. In the AFC Championship game he had a 96 yard TD against the Raiders. If Sharpe isn't on this team, the Ravens don't win the Super Bowl, point blank. Not to mention, he gave the best sound bytes while he was here (remember him calling Plaxico Burress "Plexiglass" LOL). I don't care if he was cut after the 2001 season, that's my dawg and I'm sticking to it.



#3 T Jonathon Ogden




This seems really unfair to put him at #3. He's the Ravens first ever draft pick (thank goodness Ozzie didn't listen to Modell and choose Lawrence Phillips). A cornerstone on the offensive line for 12 seasons. Future Hall Of Famer. He's done so much to help the Ravens during his tenure. Affectionately known as JO, he's been one of the most consistent players this team has ever had. And passionate. Whenever JO had a problem with the offensive scheme, play calling and protection, he had no problems telling his coaches what was on his mind. When Ogden had toe issues and missed playing time, he still came in the game and dominated while making it to the Pro Bowl. That's the kind of player he was. JO retired after the 2007 season, but no fan will ever forget him. Ogden will go down as one of the greatest offensive tackles in the NFL. He'll most certainly be our very first Ravens inducted in Canton, and I can't wait!




#2 S Ed Reed




I guess by now you see I have some kind of football love affair with Reed. He was #1 on my Fave Five list and now he's #2 on this list. But how can he NOT be on this list?! Coming out of Miami (the U) in 2002, Reed was a monster on special teams, especially blocking punts. But when he came into his own at the safety position..... he elevated his game to a new level. Reed is highly regarded around the league and Ravens fans adore him. A nice guy and a great player, Reed gives his all on the field week in and week out. Folks wait for him to make plays just so they can call his name, "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDD" at M&T Bank Stadium. People who can't stand the Ravens usually to make an exception to the rule with Reed. How do you dislike the guy and keep a straight face saying it?




#1 LB Ray Lewis



Do I really have to explain why he's #1 on this list??? *sigh* okay.
13 years in the league, 10 Pro Bowls, 8 All Pros, 2 Defensive MVPs, 1 Super Bowl MVP, and a partridge in a pear tree. Case closed.

Remember the Chappelle show skit, "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong"? One of my favorite skits on the show (Outside of Charlie Murphy's Hollywood stories, of course). Ever read a story and you don't know whether you want to


or simply



Well, the NFL always has a few keeping it real stories like that, particularly in the off season. Let's take a look at the most recent "Keeping It Real" situations that went terribly wrong:

Two New Orleans Saints Arrested For Lewd Conduct



So, if you haven't heard the story by now, Saints WR Biren Ealy and TE Kolomona Kapanui were arrested over the weekend. If you missed it, here's what happened c/o Sports Illustrated:

"Two women, who weren't identified, were riding in a vehicle when they reportedly saw Ealy and Kapanui urinating in the parking lot of an apartment complex around 12:42 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

"One of the women told Ealy to stop. Authorities said Ealy turned around while exposing himself and began making lewd comments. Moments later, Kapanui allegedly exposed himself to the driver of the vehicle and made lewd comments, the sheriff's office said."

Okay I don't know about you, but this is about one of the dumbest reasons for getting arrested, if there is any such thing. Seriously. And to make matters worse, these are two guys that you probably never heard of until now, unless you are a die hard Saints fan. If they were on the bubble of making the team, this may have been the deal breaker. Nothing worse than having two irrelevant people on a football team get arrested for something as dumb as not being able to keep their man parts in their pants..... When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong............



Seahawks LB Leroy Hill Released After Curry Falls To Team



Okay, this was one of the funnier "keeping it real" moments to me. Mainly because there is a happy ending behind it. Seattle puts the franchise tag on LB Leroy Hill this offseason. Hill decides that he doesn't want to sign the one year tender. Then draft day comes. Everyone projected that LB Aaron Curry would go no lower than 3rd. But he did fall, and the Seahwaks wasted no time to pick him up with their pick.

So what happens next? Well, if they drafted a LB and they had another LB that was disputing the franchise tag, why do they need both players? The Seahawks took the franchise tag off of Hill and released him shortly after the NFL Draft.

So why is this under "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" standards??? Because this is what happens when players get greedy. Player waits until the final weeks of training camp to sign their franchise tenders, mainly by the guidance of their agent. Surely having a franchise tag means the team NEEDS you on their team, right?! Well, that was WRONG in this case. The drafting of Curry showed Hill that he could easily be replaced. The Seahawks gave him the door and Hill was temporarily out of a job.

The good news is, since then, Hill has agreed to a multi year deal that brings him back to the team. But I know he's thinking that was a close one. That reality check hit him hard as bricks, I bet. This should be a message to players. There are only a handful of guys that aren't replaceable (See My Fave List For Reference). The rest of you.... ehhh.... a new, hungry player comes a dime a dozen. When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong.........

With all due respect to John Clayton, Michael Silver and Peter King.... sports bloggers rule!

I know, I know.. such a brass statement to start a blog, right?! Well, I am starting to believe this is the way of the world now. Blogs have become the new way to get your sports information.

I have nothing but love for the guys I mentioned, as well as others. They are very good at what they do, without a doubt (well, most of them anyway). But the fact of the matter is, there are so many outlets to getting your sports fix nowadays, you don't have to go to ESPN or CBS Sportsline to get what you're looking for anymore.

This past week, the Baltimore Sun laid off a substantial amount of writers and editors, because of the financial troubles the newspaper has come across. It's been documented that the NY Times and the Chicago Tribune are also in jeopardy. The bad economy could be a major roll in it, no question. But I think the blogging world has also been a contributing factor as well.

While I do tend to read my local paper's sports section daily (online, of course), they don't give me the updates as fast as I like them too. Sites such as Pro Football Talk, message boards and... again... even blogs have become the major way to get my football fix. It's simply the sign of the times.

It's unfortunate for journalists who dedicated their careers on giving us the inside info and their commentary on the teams we love. But on the upside, it allows regular people, like myself, to gain readers and give them what they want to read.



Remember what the acronym FUBU stood for? For Us By Us. I used that analogy simply because that is the world of today's blogging. Blogs are mostly regular folks and read by regular folks. Water cooler talk has now been converted to great blog topics. Not only that, but we can be as critical about teams as we want... because we don't work for anybody. So, if we want to say, "[insert team here] f@*king sucks!", then we can say that in anyway we please and not have to worry about censorship. It's our words, and quite frankly, people love it that way.

Tell me what you think. Do you prefer blogs over newspapers, or vice versa???? Tell me why and give me your explanation. If blogging is what you like, give me a list of your favorite bloggers. I want to know what you guys think.

As you all know, I'm totally awesome! And I love using the word "awesome" as much as I possibly can. But in this blogger world, there are so many other awesome bloggers that have great stories worth reading.

If you are on Twitter, you know today is Follow Friday, or known as #followfriday to us twit-a-holics. Well, today I want to you guys to follow the following blogs today. These guys and gals are great reads. Hope you enjoy them!

Pigskinglovinglady shows us the NFL stars who were out and about this week. See what Peyton Manning has been up to during the off season. Not a big fan of Manning cause his big head is a distraction?? See what other celebs like Darrell Revis, Ray Lewis and Dwight Freeney have been up to. She has all of the behind the scenes scoop on the NFL. Check her out



Hear about the new Lingerie Football League? My buddy MKRob has the latest on the league, with teams, featured players and pics the men will love! The 2009 College Football Hall of Fame is set. Check with his site to see who was inducted.


ListenToLeon is one of the funniest guys in the DC area. He has his say on sports too. Jose Canseco wants another butt whupping???? Find out what he's talking about in his blog.

My fellow Ravens fan, Mind Pinball, tackles a huge issue with the Ravens draft from last weekend. Why didn't Ozzie and Co draft a wide receiver??? Did the Ravens forget such a big need? See what he says in his latest blog.

While you know I shiver at all things Black and Gold, I do like my fellow female football fan, SteelerGurl. If you're a Steeler's fan, this is where you need to be. With Polamalu and Fitzgerald both gracing the cover of Madden 2010, SteelerGurl asks do you believe in the Madden Curse???



There you have it. Check out my equally awesome blog friends discuss all topics in football and/or sports.