JaMarcus Russell let your Actions speak not your tongue……..

I have to admit, I have been an Oakland Raiders fan since childhood. Growing up in the southeast on Sunday, the Raiders were the only late game showing. Even with static on the T.V. you could still see the long bombs by Pluckett to Cliff Branch or the amazing runs by Bo Jackson.  The glory days where really nice, full of winning seasons and  Super Bowl victories.

The Oakland Raiders have not been to the Super Bowl since 2003 and have no winning record since then. You must take into account all the factors that play a part in having winning seasons. Good game plans, injuries, defense, coaching, good players, bad players, schedule, desire, and so on. Everyone likes to win, and we all know that sometimes you lose. The real question is when do you get sick and tired of being sick tired of losing?

The last few years showed glimpses of possibilities of what could be. This years season opener gave me hope once again, but it was brutally ripped away. We all know key players incite a team to move forward to the common goal. We also know key players can ruin it for everyone on the team. Take for instance how Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger push there squads to victory. You can see the opposite with Terrell Owens and Larry Johnson who both have been destructive with words or lack of performance. Now we can narrow down key factors as to why the Raiders have become the laughing stock of the NFL .

Let me first  say that Mr. Davis has been trippin the last few years, but he is now back on his meds. The direction of the team was off. Now we want  to win instead of just collect a pay check. We have key players back in place and less veteran players living out there last years in Oaktown. We all know we have a head coach that will drop the hammer or a right hook when needed.  I need to go back to the pay check statement.  JaMarcus Russell, the starting QB, has a strong arm but his football wits and motivation are in question. Take notes Russell, you as QB are at the top of the list of cause when your team wins or loses. When you place blame on anyone other than yourself YOU look like an idiot because everyone (including my grandmother who only speaks of football because two of her grandsons play in the NFL) knows the QB can elevate the play of his team with words or his play. Just how many times have you viewed the game tapes to see your errors? You remember the fumbles and errant passes, I’m not going to mention bad reads. You, Mr. Russell, are the leader of your team, not Cable, not Seymour, not Janikowski, or Mr. Davis, you Sir are the capitan of the ship.  Here is a suggestion, observe Donovan McNabb’s career. He has not always had much to work with, but he did what he had to do to get a victory.  McNabb places blame only on himself , throws catchable balls, plays to win(not  just to collect a check), and prepares during the off-season (does not come to camp every year overweight). The key things here are winners win with hard work and positive actions.

Look at what you have Russell, and put it to use. Remember NFL really stands for Not For Long. Put the team on your shoulders and “Just Win Baby”. That is something to say about that.

Let Deion be Deion…………….

DRE BLY please, please, please, be yourself during games. If you don’t know it, you have lost a step. The young receivers are really fast, faster than you. You can’t catch them or out run them. I’m sure Deion Sanders appreciates your salute to him after you intercepted Matt Ryan Sunday. Can I suggest, that next time you pick a pass off . Run as fast as you can , don’t make mocking gestures,  and what ever you do don’t fumble the ball back to the other team. That is something to say about that.

83-0, What went wrong?

 I want to congratulate Chaminade-Madonna high school football team in Hollywood, Florida on their victory over Pompano Beach.  Chaminade-Madonna played football the way it should be played, to the full extent of their abilities. Their play produced a grand victory of enormous proportion, 83-0.

Football is a aggressive game both physically or mentally, you must come ready to play the game. Some have said this humiliating beating was unnecassary. Coach Tim Tyrell of Chaminade-Madonna advised the media he did not intend for the score to go that high. The team starters were pulled at half time after the score was 42-0.  Everyone at the game saw that Chaminade-Madonna played second string players and only threw one pass in the second half.  Pompano Beach actually did themselves no juctice by turning the ball over several times along with horrible speacial teams play. When Pompano Beach coach Greg McGirt was questioned about the game, he refused to discuss it. That goes to show even he knows his team laid down and refused to fight, in fact they never showed up either physically or mentally. When a team refuses to fight in football game things always get out of control real fast. 

We should not blame Chaminade-Madonna high football team for beating Pompano Beach so badly. We should hold coach Mcgrit  accountable for not having his boys prepared to play a football game. In coach Tyrell’s first season 2008, Chaminade-Madonna won two games,  allowed five teams to score at least 40 points on them and lost to Pompano Beach. Chaminade-Madonna has started the season off with a bang, two victories outscoring their rivals 132-7.  The next to games will be a sure test for Chaminade-Madonna, playing LaSalle-Miami Fl. and Monsignor Pace who beat Chaminade-Madonna 41-0 last year. Now we will see what coach Tyrell is all about in his second year with his Chaminade-Madonna team. WHAT TIME IS IT, IT’S GAME TIME, and that is SOMETHING  TO SAY ABOUT THAT.

The American Justice system on crack!!!

I’ll make this short and sweet, sorry about that.  We all can be a little crazy at times, maybe a little more if we are making millions playing football on Sundays. I want to make this very clear, Plaxico Burress did break the law by possessing an unregistered handgun in New York. I would have to say he has already paid the price. It was when he had the silly idea to be a ”Dumb OG” and go out to a club with his gun in his sweat pants. You would think the D.A. would be lenient since Burress did shoot himself in the thigh when he tried to keep the gun from falling out his sweat pants Hahahaha. O.K it’s not funny, maybe a little. Well, to tell you the truth, thats what a Dumb O.G. gets for being dubm and carrying a loaded weapon in his sweat pants. Now back to the real…We, including the D.A., know that a two year jail sentence is insane for shooting yourself. We all know THEY ARE MAKING AN EXAMPLE OUT OF PLAXICO. It goes back to what the “Old Heads” always say, ” be very careful boy, they can take it away, just as quick as the gave it to you.”  The crack pipe was also in the other court room with Chris Brown when the judge gave him five years probation for beating the s – - t out of Rhianna. I wonder what he would have gotten if he shot himself also. Crack kills and Thats something to say about that.

The American Justice System is……………

Here is a little something to think about today. Is it odd or weird that here in America Plaxico Burress can possible get a 3 year jail sentence for shooting himself by accident. How about  MikeVick doing 2 years in Leavenworth Federal Prison for bank rolling dog fights at a house that he owned. Think hard about Dauntee Stallworth doing 30 days in the county lockup after hitting and killing a pedestrian (a human being), while he was driving drunk. I don’t know, but there is something a little off about all of this. That is some to say about that.

Is proving yourself too much to ask?

Can someone answer this question for me? Is a man worth more for his potential or his proven track record? Can you go to into Mr. Warren Buffet’s office on your first interview and demand top pay because you attended Harvard and graduated top in your class? Some may say yes if you have the stones, but what can you tell the richest person on earth that he does not already has knowledge of about making money? This leads to the question of Mr. Michael (people said i was the best, now pay me more) Crabtree.

Michael Crabtree is the player from Texas tech who made the highlight reel by scoring the last second TD that beat Texas last year. He was said to be the best receiver in the draft,  predicted to go high in the draft, destined to make big time money for doing so. Here is the catch…he did not get picked high in the draft; instead, he was the second receiver chosen behind Darrius Heyward-Bey  who was picked by my beloved Oakland Raiders.

 It’s like this in the NFL (NOT FOR LONG )–the higher you are drafted, the more money you get paid. I know a few people, including NFL veterans, think that the unproven potential of college players should not get the big money so soon. Crabtree is trying to put a whole new spin on the potential scenario.

In the NFL draft, being picked early is better than being picked later, and the  the big money contract comes along with it. Darrius Heyward-Bey was drafted 7th overall by the Raiders, and Crabtree was  drafted three picks later by San Francisco in the 10th spot. When you look at those standings Heyward-Bey should get a bigger contract than Crabtree just based on picking order. Crabtree wants a bigger contract than the $23 million guaranteed to Heyward-bey because scouts said that he is the best of the lot. Yep, I know what you are saying, give me a million and you would be happy, or just let me play on T.V. every Sunday. O.K. this is the big league and big paper is thrown in this arena.

Once again, 7 is better than 10 in the draft. It’s understood that higher picks get paid more money, not the lower ones.  Another thing, scout rankings and people polls don’t mean a damn thing when the pads pop on a NFL football field. What did the scouts say about Kurt Warner and Tom Brady? Not much, but look at the records they hold, and do not forget the “rings,  my precious, ohh the rings.”

Potential is so much different from proven. It’s like fantasy football and the the real thing.  In fantasy you get pleasure from anothers’ actions; the real gets you product from proving what you can do. We can’t knock the guy for trying, but lets keep it real here. Prove what you can do this season and get more money showing proven skills. That’s something to say about that.

I told you, the money is still out there….

I know the economy is bad, and you know the economy is bad. We all know the deal, I thought. Jerry Jones, owner of  America’s Team the Dallas Cowboys, believes things will get better, at least by opening day. He must have a crystal ball sitting on stacks of thousand dollar bills and so do the people paying for luxury suites at his new stadium. I really think Mr. Jones bumped is head or really does not give a damn about the regular Cowboys fans in Texas.

Here is a little sample of the prices for the new luxury suites at the new stadium. It will cost only $800,000 a year to sit in the suite. Oh, and you still have to buy the tickets to the games.  If a company or anyone can afford that, we all need to do some serious book checking.  Really now, if a company I’m giving my hard earned money to can afford to blow a million on football games, I know I’m paying to much for something they sell. Wait a minute, I retract that last statement partially, onlyWal-mart and 32 NFL teams can be allowed to blow that kind money on football games. And just watch, I know one of the companies that the bailout money went too  is plotting. They are thinking whos’ grandmother can we get to call into purchase the suite and the tickets, or better yet the gardener, Javier.  That’s just the beginning of the horror story.

Everybody, including the people who makeup the concession stand prices, know they are too freaking high. The prices can be $6 for a cup of beer, $3  for a broiled weenier in a bun, $4 for a handful of fries etc. etc. etc.. It’s a different world in the luxury (ZONE) suite at the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. Let us check out the nice prices of the nourishment in the suite. We can start  off with some cheese pizza, $90(that’s not a miss print…I can type a little bit). We can wash it down with a twelve pack of  Bud or any American brew for $66 (is that the can or the long neck). That is a SUITEEE deal, if I do say so myself . I know that food better be brought in by the players themselves both old and new. I wonder if  Toney Dorsett will be slicing pizza on opening day, or maybe Tony Romo(0-2 in the playoffs) will be passing out  Buds during half time.  I know what, Tom Landry will come in during time outs and throw his Stetson Fedora on the floor and do a jig around it. I knew there was plenty of money still out there to blow on LUXURY.  

Lets take a look at the big picture. There are only so many luxury suites for $800,000 in the new stadium that cost a cool billion to build. Who do you really think will end up paying for the cost? Maybe the Cowboys can win a playoff  game this year to soften the blow to Cowboy’s real fans’ wallets. That’s something to say about that.

When will things change in the job market?

The question continues to come up. When will this job market change? We all know the economy is in a pit. What can we do to get it going again and put food back on our tables? Some people are blessed to be working, but the group that’s not working have become restless beyond understanding. We have done what we can to bring in money, everything from car pool shuttle for the ones who are still working to volunteering to be considered for the  first opening at a company. I have cut lawns this summer and painted to help with bills. We need a change soon, things have become desprate  for many. If  you look around some have not been affected by the economy. They still shop at the malls and vacation overseas. Some people are still spending and enjoying life. I guess this is the beginning of the haves and have not to the extreme for the masses.  We have to see it for what it really is and make things happen for ourselves.

 I believe we will become a society of  business owners like in the old days when everybody provided for themselves.  More people will need to contract themselves out and sale the skills they have to the big companies. We all need to hone our skill sets to make them profitable to ourselves not just the big companies we have worked for the last five to ten years.

That is my take on the economy and the state of a wonderful union. What do you have to say?