We Don't Walk Slow

Why the NFL is the Best League on the Planet

Now that football season is here you’ll see more posts dedicated to what I consider the best sport on the planet. This summer I’ve spent some time watching soccer and even participated in a fantasy baseball league. Fact of the matter is, both sports are slower than molasses and I probably watched less than 5 hours total. I’ve probably already spent 5 hours researching football.

This post will outline why I love the NFL so much and it has a lot to do with their players, personalities, and dynamics involved with the league.

Sam Bradford

When Sam Bradford was acquired by the Eagles from the Rams for Nick Foles the city was in disbelief. Most assumed that Chip was up to his old tricks and was bundling him with a draft pick in order to feed the city who was salivating over Marcus Mariota. 3 preseason games, 32 plays, and 4 TD’s later, you’d be hard pressed to find many Philly fans who wouldn’t want to see Sam Bradford in action this year. I am one of them.

How can a player move from “I can’t believe we got this guy with 2 busted knees” to “I’m drafting this guy in my fantasy draft because I think he’s going to have a huge year” in a matter of months? Going 11 for 11 against the Packers helps. It goes to show that fans sentiment is all about how a player performs. If you do well, we like you. If you suck, you’ll be run out of town. Oh yeah, and this pump video does it right.

JJ Watt

I watched all of the Hard Knocks episodes this year and there is one true stand out star and that is JJ Watt. He lives up to the hype of being the best defensive player in the league. He’s the leader of the team who pumps up the players in the huddle. He stays after practice for hours signing autographs for fans. He is the consummate professional.

One fascinating tidbit I took from last night’s episode was that he only eats, sleeps, and breaths football. He doesn’t get into extra curricular activities and leads a boring life where he goes to bed at 9pm, gets 10 hours of sleep, eats healthy, works out and practices like an absolute maniac. This is the lifestyle required in order to be the best of the best. He is so damn likable and by far a machine on the field. He is all about the right stuff…and he lifts an 1,000 lb tire 65 times a day.

Tom Brady and Deflategate

How can I conclude a football post without mentioning Tom Brady and Deflategate? You can’t.

The ruling is supposed to come by the end of this week but who really cares anymore? The NFL had to pose a suspension to appease the Colts and the rest of the teams in the league that cheating is wrong. However, the proof is sketchy and the player involved is being shady doing weird shit like breaking cell phones. The whole ordeal is bizarre and needs to get behind the NFL.

Also what kind of world do we live in where a sketch is blown into a big story? The woman actually received threats drawing Tom Brady like a full blown retard.

By Tom Stortz|2015-09-02T11:26:58-04:00September 2nd, 2015|Sports|1 Comment

Blame Deflategate on Brady

Yahoo! has a good article on deflategate. The report targets 3 people:

“Based on the evidence, we also have concluded that it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of [Jim] McNally and [John] Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls,” the report said.

Belicheck and Kraft are out of the loop and it is all coming down on these 3 individuals. WHEW!!!! Kraft can make comments that no hard evidence was found and it’s futile to fight the league but talk about a relief. Your untouchable QB is being targeted and 2 expendable equipment personnel. 10/10.

Punishments haven’t been handed out yet but what’s the worst that can happen? Brady gets a 2 game suspension and the Pats start the season 0-2? Is the league really going to suspend the star QB for the entire season? I don’t see that happening.

I also suspect that after reviewing the report Brady was 100% aware of what was being done. Read this:

McNally took the game balls into a bathroom before the AFC championship game, locked the door and remained in there for approximately one minute and 40 seconds. He apparently took the game balls in a breach of standard pregame procedure, the report said. Referee Walt Anderson said it was “the first time in Anderson’s nineteen years as an NFL official that he could not locate the game balls at the start of a game,” according to the report.

19 YEARS as an official! They did it. They freaking did. What are the chances that all of their balls were deflated compared to 0 of the Colts balls? Brady even had text correspondence saying that he was upset with the air pressure in the balls during a previous game. He’s aware of the issue and knows the type of football that gives him the better chance to win. Win / Win for the Pats here. Slimy bastards though.

By Tom Stortz|2015-05-07T14:05:22-04:00May 7th, 2015|Sports|3 Comments

Awe Crush – Football Edition

People may consider an awe crush a man-crush, however, I do believe they are a bit different. When people use the term “man-crush”, I get the feeling people are crazy enough to be a servant to a celebrity and do absolutely anything they ask. Anything. An awe crush has more to do with respect. I respect these athletes because they are the best at what they do. If you don’t respect the absolute best then your value system may be a little skewed and that’s perfectly acceptable. Everyone has different perceptions of what the best is or what they like, but liking mediocrity says something about yourself. However, liking a guy like Reggie Evans or Rasheed Wallace just shows how closely you follow your sport and your idea of awesomeness, which is almost better than liking the best. Back to the point, the following list are not men that I actually have a crush on but who I admire because their ability is a level above everyone else. I may actually use this idea for another post but for now we’ll stick to football.

Tom Brady
His personal life has nothing to do with why I like him although it is still interesting enough to put him over the top. He ended a relationship with Bridget Moynahann shortly after he found out she was having his baby and then started dating Gisele Bundchen while Moynahan was pregnant. That is such a bizarre move to find out you impregnated a hot chick and then leave her for another supermodel during the process. That aside, I salute Tom Brady for what he does on the football field. His passes are accurate and sharp and he rarely throws interceptions. He brings an aura of confidence that is hardly found in any QB aside from maybe Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning. My feeling is that he’s the smartest player on the football field at all times. In 10 seasons he’s been to the Superbowl 5 times, won 3 times and probably should have won the other two. He went from an approx 2:1 TD to INT ratio for the first 6 seasons of his career to a few staggering totals in recent years:
2007: 50-8
2009: 28-13
2010: 36-4
2011: 39-12
2012: 30-6

Tom Brady just owns life.

Cam Newton
I like Cam strictly for Fantasy value. I tout Cam as the best fantasy QB and I was glad to see him finally live up to expectations at the end of the year. Cam’s ceiling is higher for fantasy points than practically any other QB. Sure the Panthers suck and he has a major attitude problem but one thing is for certain, this guy wants to win. I think it’s great that he cops a major attitude when he loses games. Somebody who doesn’t give a shit that they are always losing isn’t the guy you are looking for to run a team. I’m not arguing that Cam is that guy because he showed how inconsistent he can be early in the season. I just think this guy has the ability to be around for a long time and will put up numbers that will break NFL records. He’s young and will continue to dominate.

Adrian Peterson
A-Pete is the best running back in the league, period. I heard that on third and fourth and 1, when the other team knows he is getting the ball, he was averaging about 8 yards a carry. The guy is unstoppable. He has a speed unlike other backs in the league. Once he gets in the open field he is gone. He’s also amazing at making something happen on plays that look like they should have ended. The fact that he was trying to chase down the single season rushing record is amazing after, hold on, he recovered from a torn ACL/MCL at the END OF THE LAST SEASON. He is unquestionably the best back currently and potentially of all time if he keeps it up.

Other guys who are shooting up my list and a few who have fallen off:
Rising Stars:
Dez Bryant
Michael Crabtree
Russell Wilson
Colin Kapernick
Percy Harvin

Fallen Off:
Jamaal Charles – He’s still great but he’s too hit or miss. Get him on a better team and he’ll prevail.
Darren McFadden – The injuries just prevent me from liking him too much.
Antonio Brown – I still expect big things out of Antonio but an injury plagued season never helps.

By Tom Stortz|2012-12-26T13:11:58-05:00December 26th, 2012|Sports|3 Comments