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.

So I've come to a conclusion, there are too many athletes doing/saying stupid things in the world. It's my job to point it out to you and tell them, "Go sitchoazz down!".


So every week, or when needed, I'll award an NFL'er (old and new) the award.

Usually, one person is eligible for this award, but I think 2 people need to receive it, this time around.

The first award goes to Vince Young.

This past weekend VY was in B-More for Titans teammate Jason Murphy's charity event. Young told local reporters the following:

"I definitely want to get back out there playing ball and picking up where I left off, winning games and having a good time with my teammates and with the fans. At the same time, if them guys don't want me to be in there, it's time for me to make a career change for myself. Because the fact is I'm ready to play ball. If they're not ready for me to play ball, then somebody is."

To read the entire story, click here.



Ummmm.....okay I'm going to totally ignore the "them guys" line. His Ebonics-laden sentence is another topic for another day. But Young, you haven't played well since your rookie season. And last year you struggled and your team won 10 straight games without you behind center. Are we supposed to forget your mental breakdown when you went missing for hours because you were booed at home????

Forget proving that you can start for the Titans, what you need to do is go out and prove that you can play in the NFL on a consistent basis.

I've always said that I didn't think Young would be a great QB for this league, and certainly not worth the #3 overall pick, when he was selected. He was always overrated to me and his Championship game against USC took him from an early 2nd round pick, straight to the top. But hey, I'm just a blogger and not a GM, what do I know??!!

VY, go sitcho azz down!!!



My second award goes to Falcons OL Quinn Ojinnaka.


Ojinnaka was arrested and released, stemming from a fight with his wife. Ojinnaka's wife confronted him regarding a female friend on Facebook. Ojinnaka allegedly tossed her down the steps and threw her out of the house.

*BIG SIGH*



There are two lessons to be learned here. Lesson one... domestic abuse is NEVER okay. Throwing your wife down the steps and out of the house is very un-cool. If this really did happen, he should get counseling and a fine and/or suspension. Putting your hands on a woman should never happen, no matter how much we get on your nerves and nag you. Cause I know we do, but hey, it's a part of our DNA.

Lesson two... Facebook is the devil. Not sure who the "female friend" was, but if it's your jump off, groupie, homieloverfriend or whoever, then maybe it's not a good idea to have her as your FB friend.. you know... just in case your wife sees it.

Ojinnaka, go sitcho azz down!!!!!

The 2008 QB class of Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan elevated the expectations very high for future QB's because of their efficient play during their rookie seasons. I feel sorry for the 2009 QB rookie class and the QB classes beyond. These two QBs have some GMs believing a rookie can come in and make an immediate impact. Both QB's came out strong Week 1 of the 2008 season. Ryan threw a TD in his first pass to start his NFL career. And Flacco's 38 yard run for a TD and killer block for a TD in his first stint had fans "Wacko For Flacco".

But with the hype over the two QB's in 2008, how will they fare in their sophomore seasons in 2009??? Let's take a close look at their rookie numbers and the obstacles they hold ahead of them:



Matt Ryan


W-L record: 11-5, 2nd in NFC South
Comp pct: 61.1%
TDs: 16
INTs: 11
QB Rating: 87.7
Rushing yards: 104
Fumbles: 6
Playoffs: Lost in Wild Card round




Joe Flacco


W-L record: 11-5, 2nd in AFC North
Comp pct: 60.0%
TDs: 14
INTs: 12
QB rating: 80.3
Rushing yards: 180
Fumbles: 11
Playoffs: Lost in AFC Championship


While Ryan's number are a little better Flacco's, their rookie numbers were pretty much even, and quite impressive. Now let's take a look at the intangibles:

Ryan's upside: Drafting of DT Peria Jerry. Acquisition of TE Tony Gonzalez, better supporting cast w/ Turner, Norwood, Jenkins and White

Ryan's downside: Not enough off season moves to improve Atlanta's defense, ranked 24th in 2008. Strength of schedule for 2009: 3rd hardest schedule



Flacco's upside: Defense, defense, defense. Still intact despite loss of Rex Ryan and Bart Scott (Jets). Drafting of OL Michael Oher @ RT position. Strength of schedule for 2009: 27th hardest schedule

Flacco's downside: No upgrade at WR in the off season. Injuries at TE position. Has to play against Pittsburgh's defense (best in league) and Cincinnati's vastly improved D.


How I predict they will fare: Both QB's have challenges ahead of them for different reasons. Ryan has the better offensive cast, but a sub par defense that may stay on the field longer than his offense. Depending on how the QB situation pans out in Tampa, it seems that though the NFC South will be the tougher division. Flacco's WR group doesn't scare many defenses. While the Steelers are the cream of the crop for the AFC North, whether the Bengals may or may not become a sleeper is the big question. The Browns looks to be at the bottom of the division once again, which seems, right now, that the AFC North isn't as brutal for thr Ravens as the NFC South could be for the Falcons.

The Falcons have the 3rd hardest schedule, while the Ravens have the 27th hardest schedule. Now, in hindsight this means nothing (the Ravens had the 4th hardest strength of schedule, and the Falcons with the 24th in 2008, yet both had the same record), but still one point to throw out there, for all of you stat lovers.

I think both QBs will have good seasons. They have both shown me that there will be no sophomore slump for either of them. How they elevate their game to the next level will be what folks look for, which may be a deciding factor.

I give the edge to Flacco. Not because I'm a Ravens lover, but because of the softer schedule, easier division, better defense and Flacco's playoff experience, which is 2 games more than Ryan's.

Overall, I think Ryan may be a better QB, but I learned a long time ago that offense sells tickets, and defense wins games. If his defense can stay off of the field.. then he has the advantage. Only time will tell if the Falcons D will hold up their end of the bargain.

So who'll be better in 2009 to you?? Let me know what you think.