June 30th: Holding Out for a (Football) Hero

Hockey season is over. Basketball season is over. Too much of America is baseball illiterate. Which means it is officially time to start beating the football horse to death.

Training camp is right around the corner, and teams begin to get their first look at what the 2015 season will look like on the turf, as well as on paper. This is, of course, assuming the players show up.

Some don’t, you see. Some players are going through contract negotiations, and choose to sit out of training camps and workouts, in favor of holding out for a bigger contract. Some are worried about their health, and don’t want to hurt themselves during an active contract conversation. Others feel under-valued, and are going to remain off the field until they get what they believe they so rightly deserve.

Adrian Peterson tried the tactic, hoping to get traded by the Minnesota Vikings, a team he felt didn’t do enough for him while he was experiencing legal problems last season. Martellus Bryant, the Bears Tight End, stayed (loudly) away from optional mini camp, telling reporters that he was looking for a new deal. Dez Bryant, after being franchise tagged by the Cowboys, feels slighted that he isn’t able to provide for his family (yeah, he tweeted about how 13 million won’t cut it because, ya know, #Family1).

As a football player, you are being paid millions of dollars to play the sport you love. You sign a contract to play ball and come to practice, and are asked to do your job. For these men to refuse to play or participate because they are engaged in discussions for their NEXT contract is ridiculous. You have a job to do, and you should be executing on it.

If I were an executive for a day, I wouldn’t entertain the notion of a holdout. You want to take yourself off the field to get more money out of my team? Good luck with that. Teams should have no faith in a player who is willing to put his own paycheck ahead of the team that he is already under contract to play for.

You don’t see baseball players hold out. Baseball players talk contract during the off-season, then put it on hold from March to October. Hockey players and basketball players don’t hold out. They wait until the offseason to do their contract work. Sure, football is a more violent sport, with a much greater chance for injury, but that doesn’t change the fact that players know what they sign up for.

Even more importantly for the sports world: fans don’t hold out. You don’t get to stop going to work because you don’t think you get paid enough or don’t think you have enough job security. Go ahead and try it if you want; you’re going to get fired. Football players should be held to the same standard. You signed a contract to play football. So go play football. If not, don’t expect to play football later.

I understand the need to take care of one’s family, especially in a sport as violent as football. Football players have an average career length 3.3 seasons long (according to the NFL Players Association), so players have to do everything they can to line up their contract before injury catches up to them. That can’t come at the expense of the team dynamic, though, and should be all squared away by the time players are ready to take the field. If they aren’t, then it is time to play out the contract you have, and prepare for next off-season, when you can get the chance to look for a new one. Any player who holds his team hostage because he is unhappy with his current deal isn’t really aware of the way the business world works, and should not be expected to contribute to the team in a positive way.

Players are a vital part of the football experience, of course, and teams should be doing what they can to look out for the individuals that make the game what it is. That being said, the players need to remember that a contract is their agreement to be on the field when they are expected to be there, and should be honored, regardless of a desire to get a new, better one.

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January 6th: In Like a Playoff Team, Out Like the Lions

If controversy is the way we gauge how much fun we had during NFL Wild Card Weekend, then the Lions, Cowboys game was clearly the highlight!

After having led for most of the game, the Lions squandered a 20-17 lead, giving up a bullet passed by Tony Romo to the back of the end zone with 2:30 left to go. With the Cowboys now up 24-20, Matthew Stafford attempted to run a last-chance offensive stand, Alas, a forced fumble ended it, sending the Lions home, and the Cowboys to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the divisional round.

Sounds simple enough. Except, there was a play with over 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter that has NFL fans in Detroit and beyond up in arms.

With the lead, the Lions were stringing a drive together. On 3rd and 1 in plus-territory, Stafford dropped back to pass, finding Brandon Pettigrew a good 20 yards downfield. Except, Pettigrew, tangled up in Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, doesn’t catch the ball. The flag is thrown. Defensive pass interference is called. The first down is given. Again, fairly simple. Except that the officials later took the penalty back.

Out of nowhere, after the penalty had already been announced, the officiating crew decided that no pass interference had happened after all, and that it was 4th down.

Cue the panic. When Detroit eventually lost the game (c’mon, it was Detroit, we saw that coming), players and fans alike pointed at that play as the reason the Lions were headed home. ESPN commentators tore the play to shreds. Fans shamed the NFL for allowing such a thing to happen. Even Dean Blandino, the NFL Head of Officiating, came forward and acknowledged the blown call. Or, rather, the correct call that was taken back.

At the end of the day, though, the Lions lost. Fans want to believe that it was the fault of that one play. All of a sudden, everyone is looking back at the game for every possible penalty. Dez Bryant coming out onto the field without a helmet. Ndamukong Suh being held on a critical 4th down opportunity. Anything that could be found WAS found.

The only thing that couldn’t be found, though, was the Lions clutch factor. It is absolutely understandable, as a fan, to be furious that the officiating played a role in such a pivotal moment. But that was one minute of play. What is the excuse for the other 59 minutes? What’s the excuse for the fact that the Lions had over two minutes left on the clock at the end of the game with the chance to win, and didn’t? Where is the argument that the Lions could have had their foot more firmly on the gas and been winning by 14, rather than three, in the fourth quarter? Where is the second-ranked Lions defense, who gave the Cowboys the ball in a home-field advantage situation late in the game, allowing them to march down the field in 11 plays for the game-winning score?

The bottom line is this: the officiating team screwed up. The call should have favored the Lions. They should have had excellent field position, and held onto the ball a little longer, burning more time off the clock. The Cowboys should have had a harder time stealing the victory late in the game like that. But, when all was said and done, the Lions let one minute be the excuse for 59 other minutes of football.

A team that allows a play midway through the fourth quarter to be their excuse for relinquishing the lead and eventually losing the game lacks the winning pedigree necessary to make a championship run. THAT is why Detroit will be watching next week’s games from the couch.

January 3rd: NFL Playoff Preview

After 256 games, the NFL Playoffs are set to kick off this Saturday. Something things went exactly as planned. The Seahawks and Broncos both won their divisions and won first round byes. Some things went as expected, but in a very different way.  The Patriots won their division, but in much grander fasion than I predicted. Some things were downright unexpected. The ZP: Left Fielder predicted a Bears division win. Need we say more?

But, now that the chips have fallen where they will, it is time for the real hard work. The Left Fielder tackles the playoffs, from Wild Card Weekend to Super Bowl Sunday.

Wild Card:

Cardinals at Panthers

The Panthers are trending up at exactly the right time, while the Cardinals are limping at best. Arizona has been the season’s feel-good story, but that can only go so far, as a fourth string quarterback won’t be enough to cut it. I’m a big Cam Newton fan, and he will put this team on his back.

Ravens at Steelers

If Le’Veon Bell is out, it may change the result of the game. But a Ravens team that loses in Houston and is tied with the Browns at half-time isn’t one destined for a long playoff run, and I think the days of the Steel Curtain are beginning to look more familiar in Pittsburgh. A rivarly match-up in the playoffs is always a treat, though.

Lions at Cowboys

The Lions were a lot of fun to watch this year, and often won in resilient fashion. That being said, nobody can match the flash of the Cowboys this year, who have found a three-headed dragon on offense in the form of Romo, Murray, and Bryant. Even the Lions’ dominant defense won’t be able to slow ‘dem Boys.

Bengals at Colts

I’ve gone back and forth a lot on this one. I love both teams, as I now have educational roots in each place. I think Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in the NFL’s future. I think Andy Dalton is one of the least appreciated players in the game. That being said, I was all ready to give a slight edge to the Bengals, but without AJ Green, I don't think that's possible. Colts win by default.

Divisional Round:

Panthers at Seahawks

Does anybody remember the matchup for the Seahawks and Panthers in the middle of the year? Well, it was the beginning of a bad slide for Carolina and the last straw for a Seahawks team that was about to turn on the jets. This is going to be another turning point, except the Panthers will be going home embarressed, and the Seahawks will be tuning up for a long run. Will Marshawn Lynch lead this team back to the promised land? “Thanks for asking.”

Colts at Patriots

The Patriots were not kind to the Colts in Week 11. This won't be any different. The Patriots are showing just how dominant they are as a franchise, and the Colts look like they don't want to succeed. This won't be close, and it probably won't even be fun to watch.

Cowboys at Packers

The Packers appear unbeatable at home. The Cowboys are absolutely dominant on the road. Who wins out? I’m probably making a heart pick, rather than a head pick here, but Big D can ball, and I want to see the Packers go down at Lambeau. Aaron Rogers will have an unstopable day, but so will Romo, as the Cowboys win a high-scoring shootout.

Steelers at Broncos

Everyone has jumped off the Broncos bandwagon in the last few weeks. Yet, the team’s defense is playing better than ever before, and the running game is clicking in a way that should scare, well, everybody. Peyton will be Peyton, and will force Big Ben to play at a high level, which he has proven incabable of doing four quarters in a row this year, let alone four weeks.

AFC Championship Game:

Broncos at Patriots

We’ve been biding our time for this game. This is, really, what everyone wants, and will be the talk of Sportscenter all week. It will be unbearable.

The Patriots were embarressed on the road last year. The Broncos were embarressed at home this year. The slate should be clean for the Manning-Brady Bowl.

I think these teams are as evenly matched as theyve ever been before, and it will make for a thriller. Two Hall of Fame Quarterbacks. Two much-improved secondaries. Two running games with no name recognition but gritt.

That being said, we will return to what I’ve said every week for much of the year: Never, EVER bet against Peyton. I don’t care how many picks he threw against the Bengals in Week 16. Don’t. Bet. Against. Peyton.

NFC Championship Game:

Cowboys at Seahawks

This year’s most intriguing team against the defending Super Bowl champs. That’s what football is all about.

The Seahawks defense will slow Romo and Co. down a little, and the Cowboys defense will be able to manage against a Seahawks offense that is efficient at best. This will be a chess match, and is, for all intents and purposes, a hard one to call.

The cards will fall in favor of the Seahawks, though, based on playoff experience, toughness, and overall a will to win.

Super Bowl:

Broncos vs. Seahawks

A Super Bowl rematch is what many expected heading into this year, although it is impossible to anticipate how we got here. The Broncos have planned all offseason and all regular season for this matchup, and you can bet they will come out angry, looking for a revenge. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have proven that, despite some early season hiccups, they are not going to succomb to the post-championship hangover.

This will be a much better game to watch, and will come down to the wire. The Broncos proved in the regular season that they can play with this team.

I’m going with the Broncos for two reasons. Reason #1: If they got here, they will have had to beat the Patriots, who I think are their biggest test. Once they’ve done that, they will be raring to go. Reason #2: I don’t see this squad allowing themselves to watch Seattle hoist the trophy against the again. This will a revenge grudge-match, and Peyton will get his second ring.

Now comes the fun part. Grab some friends and the remote. It’s almost Game Day.