Published: Aug 2nd, 2014
Comments: Comments Off on Roger Goodell is lying again.
Roger Goodell is lying again.
Tags: 2 games, Ben Roethlisberger, female abuse, Lier Roger Goodell, NFL discipline, NFL SUSPENSION, Ray Rice, Roger Goodell, Suspension
First of all, the Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell doesn't have the guts to answer questions in a real press conference. He had to hide behind the noise of the wind and others talking around him to answer questions about the Ray Rice suspension. What was he trying to hide? The answer is that the NFL does not care about women as fans or give a rats hind end for their safety.
Here is what he said and my comments on those responses.
Our policy is clear.
The NFL policy on abuse of women is anything but clear. In 2010 Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual battery in Georgia. Although it was the second accusation of sexual abuse against him no charges were filed in either case. Goodell suspended Roethlisberger for 6 games. Under appeal it was ultimately reduced to 4 games. Until now that was the standard. Now that standard has been reduced to a gentle tap on the back of the hand.
In this case not only did Rice admit guilt (it is hard to deny when there is video evidence of the crime) but he was sentenced. Admittedly the penalty of a diversionary program is not sever. But it was a conviction and sentencing anyway.
The NFL has a very firm policy that domestic violence is not acceptable.
Rog, you had a fairly firm policy but that was thrown out with the Rice decision. Now the NFL has told women they are own against NFL players. Before even an accusation was enough to generate a suspension. Now anything goes and the penalty will be just a couple of games.
You run through the process of evaluating the issue and if there will be discipline
There could not have been a lot of evaluating on the Rice issue. There was video inside as well as outside the elevator where the assault took place. I am sure that the NFL got video of the assault. Even so, they still let Rice off lightly.
You have an opportunity to sit down with that individual to determine how that individual is reacting to it.
Frankly, I don't care how he reacted to his attack on his lady. Of course he is sorry that he was caught on video. He is sorry he had to talk with Goodell. But that does not diminish what he did.
Criminal justice system put him in a diversionary program with no discipline
By accepting entry to the diversionary program, Rice admitted he was guilty. The fact that he got off with next to no punishment should not have affected his discipline by the league. Could it be that Atlantic City likes having NFL players come to town. With a number of casinos shutting down, it looks like they can use all the visitors they can get.
We thought it was appropriate to have discipline.
Then Rog, why did you tap Rice on the back of the hand rather than making a point with a substantial suspension?
Ray has said he wants to make a powerful difference in this area.
Rog, he has made a powerful difference in the area of spouse abuse. Every future abuser will appeal the suspension claiming that the "Rice Principle" should be applied. You made sure that we will hear about the light suspension for years to come.
We have to remain consistent. We can't just make up discipline. It has to be consistent with other cases.
I explained how consistent the Rice decision was in my article "Roger Goodell's NFL Wheel of Misfortune!" which appears below this post. Rog, you seem to pulling the suspensions for abuse of females out of your …. You have been making up discipline as you go based on very little. This has to stop.
I heard from Ray and Janay.
Confronted with you, your staff, the management of the Ravens, and her new husband, Janay had no choice but to comply with the company line of what happened. She indicated she provoked him prior to the attack in their joint press conference earlier. But with all that impressive and imposing testosterone in the room, what choice did she have but to beg you for a reduced suspension for Ray?
The NFL has turned it back on retired players by doing everything they could to prevent having to pay for decent retirement or health care. The NFLPA does not even claim to represent the interests of retired players. Now the NFL has turned its back on women. I would not be surprised if a woman's rights group would picket the Ravens home games this year. It is a sad day when a league that pretends to care so much about breast cancer allows players to knock their women out cold. The Rice Principle indicates the NFL refuses to punish the players involved.
That is what I think. Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.
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Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/ and the live show Mondays at 6 PM Eastern time on .
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Published: Mar 1st, 2011
Super Bowl 2011: A Commentary
Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Dick Lebeau, Green Bay Packers, pittsburgh steelers, rashard mendenhall, Super Bowl, Troy Polamalu
Image by avinashkunnath via Flickr
Another NFL season has passed, and another Super Bowl is in the books as the Green Bay Packers were crowned the leagues best by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Rodgers had another great game, and in doing so, cemented himself as perhaps the league's premiere quarterback. However, we already knew he was a great quarterback, and there was one more important thing we learned from this game.
The Packer defense has been near the top of the league in many categories over the last few seasons, yet they have never been considered among the league's elite. That moniker has been bestowed on teams like Baltimore, San Diego, and of course the Steelers. It happened throughout the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. We heard more than we ever wanted to about "Blitzburgh," and Dick Lebeau, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, etc.
The only Packer on the defensive side of the ball you ever heard about was Clay Matthews. He may as well have been on the field alone, as you never heard a word about anyone else. It may have been Aaron Rodgers who climbed out from under Brett Favre's ghost and led the Pack to a 31-25 victory at Cowboys Stadium, but the Packer defensive players were the ones who brought the Lombardi Trophy back to its birthplace.
In Titletown
You may be one of the handfuls of people who missed this classic and attempted to catch up by just reading the box score. You probably looked and saw that your defense allowed 25 points and 387 yards of offense. Well, that doesn't seem all that impressive, right? The Steelers may feel differently. The Packers employed a strategy that all winning teams do, bend but don't break. They made every big play that they had to, and turned three Steeler turnovers into 21 points.
You could make the argument that the Steelers mistakes were their own fault, and that Ben Roethlisberger's first quarter interception returned for a touchdown by Nick Collins is completely on Ben's shoulders. That couldn't be further from the truth. This was just one of many great plays made by the Green Bay defense on this day. This particular play was made possible when Howard Green steamrolled Chris Kemoeatu to force Roethlisberger into an ill-advised throw.
Roethlisberger did his best to recover
Ben tossed another pick before halftime that would lead the Packers to an 11 point lead at the half. However, give the Steelers credit as they made a game of it. The Black and Gold had the momentum on their side after Rashard Mendenhall trampled the Packer defense during an 8 yard touchdown scamper to cut the deficit to 21-17. Roethlisberger led the Steelers onto the Packer side of the field looking to take the lead, but Clay Matthews forced a Mendenhall fumble with a big hit to negate that opportunity.
Rodgers would then lead the Packers down the field and toss a touchdown to Greg Jennings to extend the lead. Even so, Pittsburgh climbed back to within six at the two minute warning, and it was setting up as another memorable Roethlisberger comeback. The Packers wouldn't allow it though, as Tramon Williams knocked down a 4th and 5 pass to ignite the celebration across Packer nation. The day was owned by the Packer defense, and this was a fitting ending.
Most of these players have Twitter profiles. You can use some people search engines to find and follow them!
Three Brilliant Super Bowl Ads 2011 (mailamovie.info)
The only things that are certain are death, taxes and NFL Coaching changes. (fryingpansports.com)
Published: Apr 1st, 2010
The Steelers are having off field problems with their players.
Tags: Art Rooney, Ben Roethlisberger, Davis, Florida, Georgia, Las Vegas, local tv station, Orlando, Pennsylvania, pennsylvania state highway patrol, Pittsburgh, Time, Washington, woman
Star QB Ben Roethlisberger is in his third scrape since joining the team as a rookie. First there was the motorcycle accident that cost him a chunk of the preseason and slowed him early in 06. At the time he was not wearing a helmet. Most teams have included in their contracts a prohibition of "dangerous" activities for key players. Those conditions usually include riding motorcycles.
Then last year he was accused of sexual battery by a woman in Las Vegas. The woman was a worker at a casino and reportedly was asked by Roethlisberger to come to his room and fix a TV. She claims that Roethlisberger prevented her from leaving the room and forced her to have sex. The woman in that case did not go to a hospital or immediately inform police of the incident. According to reports, the woman decided against filing a criminal complaint but did file a civil suit against the QB. While Roethlisberger insisted he had done nothing wrong, there was a confidential settlement, presumably including a payment of some sort, with his accuser.
Again this off season, a 20 year old college student has accused Roethlisberger of sexual assault that reportedly occurred in a ladies bathroom in a bar in Milledgeville Georgia. The QB has a home in the area. This time the accuser both reported the alleged attack immediately and got treatment in a local hospital. The police took a report and are investigating. The police have requested a DNA sample from Roethlisberger.
Reportedly, there was video tape coverage of everything that happened or did not happen in the area of the bathroom. However, that tape mysteriously got taped over before it could be viewed by local police despite the fact that the bar security guy told a local TV station that they do not recycle tapes. Another twist to the story is that Roethlisberger was accompanied to the bar by 3 lawmen including 2 off duty Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol officers and a local deputy sheriff that was on duty at the time. It was the latter that took the original complaint from the accuser.
Steelers WR Santonio Holmes has been accused of assault by a Florida woman. She claims that he threw a glass of alcohol in her face on March 7 at the Rain Night Club in Orlando. While Orlando police refused to take a report, she has filed a civil lawsuit. Art Rooney 2 issued the following statement: "We are disappointed to learn about the recent incident involving Santonio Holmes in Florida. While we are continuing to gather the facts, I cannot comment further until we have more information and have spoken to Santonio and his representatives." Reportedly Holmes offered the woman some money but nothing was paid to her at the time. Now the suit asks for 15K which is not a lot of money given his income.
We don't have much more information about this incident but the issues that the Steelers are facing point out two things. First, every team in the league is more worried about their players doing something stupid in the off season than getting hurt in the off season OTAs. Of course that does not apply to Mangini allowing a player to run a contact drill without shoulder pads like he did with RB Davis last year.
The Steelers have been known as a high character and tight discipline team. We have not seen this from Pittsburgh before. So why now?
Frankly, it has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. The entire world has very little discipline or good judgment. Just look at the pinheads we send to Washington. A regular part of any sports broadcast could be devoted to the police blotter. Sports, politics, movies and music stars all seem to be lacking judgment. So what is the common factor? Youth.
The combination of a lot of money and a lack of age and experience can be a dangerous. Every pro league has this problem. Not only are very young rich men likely to put themselves in questionable situations but they are targets for anyone looking for a quick buck. As the economy gets worse, players are going to have to realize that more and more non-players are looking for just that kind of opportunity. There are also a gaggle of money hungry ambulance chasing lawyers that will talk accusers into filing a suit.
Players have to show better judgment than to put themselves in a situation where they are alone with women or in a position to be accused of inappropriate behavior. I can not understand why at his age he would be going to a college bar and inviting co-eds under 21 back to a VIP room for free drinks. What part of that seemed like a good idea at the time? If he showed that same kind of decision making on the field, he would be a 3rd string QB.
All pro leagues need to do a better job reminding players not to put themselves into these kind of situations. Unions need to be reminding players as well. DeMaurice Smith of the NFLPA and his counterparts in the other player unions need to not only make annual presentations to the rookies but also to the vets. Parents should have taught their kids better as well.
None of us know what happened in any of these cases or who is telling the truth and who is not. Thank God in the US everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But the leagues, teams and the players take PR hits any time something like this happens. Given the future financial struggles of pro sports, no team can afford to lose even a few fans due to accusations of bad behavior.
That's what I think. Tell me what you think and thanks for checking our site out.
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Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. He is a regular contributor on Cleveland Sports Radio http://www.sportstalkcleveland.com/ Monday afternoons at 1 Eastern. He has also published several novels on
and edits .
Technorati Tags: Roethlisberger,NFL,DeMaurice Smith,Holmes,Steelers. lawsuit,Georgia,sexual assult,NFLPA,off season,preseason
Comments: Comments Off on Tuesday Morning QB: What we learned from the NFL Preseason.
Tuesday Morning QB: What we learned from the NFL Preseason.
Tags: Alabama, Atlanta, Ben Roethlisberger, Bradford, Cleveland, D. The, game, Matthew Stafford, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tampa Bay, Virginia
The 4th preseason game was a preview of the 09 Lions and the UFL.
There were a lot of players in the last preseason game that will end up cut by their current teams. Several of those were picked up by the Lions on waivers. Some of the most notable included Yamon Figurs (WR), Kevin Hobbs (CB), Copeland Bryan (DE), Marcus McCauley (CB), and Cletis Gordon (CB). McCauley (Mn) has started in the league and may start for the Lions.
The UFL has been scouring the cut lists to get players. Expect them to sign as many "name brand" NFL players as possible. Teams have also been stocking their practice squads with young players (2 full years playing credit or less). Any team can sign a player to its 53 man roster from another teams practice squad.
Quarterback starters are named except in Cleveland.
The Jets named rookie Mark Sanchez the starter. Sanchez is not ready to start. He has the same problems that all rookie QBs. See the detail of these issues below.
Tampa Bay has picked vet Byron Leftwitch as their starter. Leftwitch won the job as a seat warmer for QB of the future rookie Josh Freeman. That seat won't be warm for a while. If the Bucs fall out of the playoff chase, Freeman may take over. However, he is much further away from be ready to start than Sanchez. The Bucs traded Josh McCown.
The Lions are going to start rookie Matthew Stafford. Stafford is going to have a very rough season unless the O line comes together.
Then there is the Browns. Coach Mangini has not announced which QB will start. Everyone assumes it will be Quinn. If he is hoping that keeping the starter a secret will give him a competitive advantage in game 1. Based on how the Vikes D and the Browns O looked, whatever advantage that might be is not going to be nearly enough.
Why do so many rookie QBs that start end up failing?
There are 3 areas that even the best rookie QB has to get experience in before he can be successful. First, the speed of the NFL game is many times that of college. Patterns develop faster. The rush gets to the QB faster. The DBs close on receivers faster. A QB has to adjust to that and the adjustment takes time.
Second, the defensive players are all better and smarter than the best college player that they ever faced. They bait rookies into interceptions and hide coverages much better than college D ever could.
Third, the complexity of the O and D playbooks in the NFL. A typical college playbook is 100-150 pages. The average NFL playbook is closer to 1000. A college QB has never faced the combinations of man/zone coverages, zone blitzes, and rotating zones that he will in the NFL.
Why did Matt Ryan (AT), Ben Roethlisberger (PT) and Joe Flacco (BA) succeed when so many others failed?
All three of those above had a couple of things in common. The most important was a great running game. They were not asked to win games. Rather they were asked to keep the chains moving and not lose the game. All three had solid O lines. You don't get a good running game without a good O line. The other thing each had was an above average D. Pittsburgh and Baltimore had outstanding Ds. Atlanta's D was better than most think.
In the case of most of the failures, the teams had none of those qualities. When you ask a rookie to be the QB, he will not succeed without some of those factors around him.
College Football snippets.
Ohio State has to play better on the O and D lines than they did against Navy if they want to win vs. USC.
The Buckeyes were unable to run up the gut against a lighter D line. They were also unable to protect the passer effectively. The Midshipmen were able to run the ball at will against what was supposed to be a great OSU D. If they play the same way against USC, it is going to be a very long game.
BYU makes a statement to be included in the BCS.
Those that didn't watch the Oklahoma BYU game may have thought that the upset by BYU was due to the injury to QB Sam Bradford. That is not the case. Even when Bradford was in the game, the BYU team was putting pressure on him, stopping the run, and moving the ball against the Sooner D. The way BYU played indicates they are a very solid team. Even if they go undefeated, they will lose out to a 1 loss SEC or BIG-12 team for consideration for the national championship game.
Bradford's injury shows the danger for a top junior player skipping the draft.
Had Bradford been part of the 08 draft, he would have been the #1 pick. Upside is that he and his family would be set for life financially. Downside is he would have to play for the 0-16 Lions. I wrote that Bradford was making a mistake by not going into the draft. He had nothing left to prove to NFL scouts. Now that he is hurt and his team has a loss in non league competition, the chances for the Sooners making the national championship game are reduced by half. The news about the injury is promising and we all hope he gets back to action soon.
Virginia Tech is not ready to compete for the NCG.
The game vs. Alabama was a must win for VT to have any claim on a spot in the big game.
Talk of Rutgers being a national power is at best premature.
A above average Cincinnati team spanked Rutgers. So much for preseason rankings. Does anyone remember Georgia being #1 in the preseason polls of 08?
Technorati Tags: NFL,NFL Draft,Fantasy football,Lions,UFL,PRATICE SQUAD,Waivers,transactions,NFL Cuts,Sanchez,Leftwitch,Buccaneers,McCown,Stafford,Browns,Mangini,Quinn,Vikings,Matt Ryan,Ben Roethlisberger,Joe Flacco,Sooners,BYU,Ohio State,Navy,Virginia Tech,Rutgers
Published: Jul 24th, 2009
Roethlisberger hoping for a little more protection in 09.
Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Bill Smith, game, line, nfl, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh, rashard mendenhall, Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes, season, Steelers, Super Bowl, Troy Polamalu
Big Ben Roethlisberger has gotten his bell rung a lot more often than he would like. He was sacked 139 times over the last 3 years and that has to stop. A lesser man like backup Charlie Batch who is coming back after a broken collarbone last year wouldn't have lasted as long as Ben. The only obvious weakness in the Steelers this season looks to be the O line.
Roethlisberger has 2 Super Bowl rings but has yet to play well in the big game. He has been the beneficiary of the run first Pittsburgh offense. To get to the Super Bowl, he is going to have to play better this season. The Steelers have an easier schedule on paper but some of the key competitors are better. Every team will be pointing to knock off the Steel men.
The Steelers shuffled their O line a lot in 08. Four starters were new to their positions. The only sure thing on the O line is C Justin Hartwig. LT Matt Starks lost the RT position to Willie Colon but is expected to try to hold down the left side this year. The guards are nothing special.
The running game did not produce as well last year as in the past due mostly to RB Willie Parker being hit in the backfield. Getting hit as he gets the ball slows Fast Willie down. Reserve Rashard Mendenhall missed the last 12 games of the regular season and the playoffs due to injury. If the running game is going to get back to the top of the league, he has to contribute.
There is very little behind WR starters Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. 3rd WR Nate Washington left via free agency and will be missed. FA pickup and ex-Lion Shaun McDonald could be the slot receiver to replace him. At TE Heath Miller has to stay healthy because there is nothing behind him. Miller is Ben's security blanket and is one of the best combo block/catch TEs in the league.
The D line is solid and deep. Ends Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel keep the linebackers clean and NT Casey Hampton is a load and three quarters. Chris Hoke and Travis Kirschke have experience and I like rookie DE Ziggy Hood.
As always in Steel town, the linebackers are the heart of the D. LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons and James Harrison are as good a unit as there is in the league. They are tough against the run and the pass. Add the Blitzburgh scheme and your QB will need Tylenol 34 because Tylenol 2 won't be strong enough. There is no experienced depth and that could become a problem.
With the exception of SS Troy Polamalu, the D backfield is only slightly above average. They look a lot better with the great pass rush that the system and the front 7 generates. Quality depth is a problem as well. Bryant McFadden is gone and at 33 Deshea Townsend may not make the final roster. The Steelers added vets Roy Lewis and Keiwan Ratliff who should help.
The key to the Steelers 2009 season will be the O line. If they can protect Ben and get some push to help the running game, the team will be in the playoffs and will challenge for a title again.
Technorati Tags: Steelers,NFL,NFL Draft,Roethlisberger,Parker,Ward,Holmes,Hartwig,Super Bowl,McDonald,Hampton,LaMarr Woodley,James Farrior,Lawrence Timmons. James Harrison,Polamalu