Drinking, Driving, and Touchdowns

Why It's Time For  Roger Goodell to Lay The Hammer Down on DUI's

Crush a bit, little bit, roll it up, take a hit

Feelin’ lit feelin’ light, 2 am summer night.

I don't care, hand on the wheel, drivin drunk, I'm doin’ my thang
Rollin the Midwest side and out livin’ my life getting’ out dreams



Perhaps it was Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" that blared from the car stereo as the newly drafted rookie sensation swerved across multiple lanes on an Oklahoma highway. It was oddly enough a warm summer night, and the time was around 2 AM when Justin Blackmon saw flashing red lights in his rear view mirror. 


The draft's most highly touted wideout in the 2012 class now found himself covered by the best cornerback in the world, the United States Police. He usually never had any trouble exploding off the line of scrimmage and getting open, but his lack of awareness and blood shot eyes were making this game a little harder than those past. Slurring his speech and stumbling uncontrollably, Justin exited the vehicle. "I"m literally not a drinker. I'm literally not a drinker." The former college All American and Biletnikoff award winner repeated these words over and over throughout the night, hoping someone would hear his plea.

Every game comes to its inevitable end, and this time the fourth quarter occurred in the back of a police car. The post game festivities were held in a Tulsa based penitentiary. At 10AM central standard time, Justin Blackmon found himself in shackles under federal custody. 

The Goodell Signal

In the face of frightening peril and inescapable evil, one light shines over the city of Gotham to comfort and protect its citizens. Hey Commisioner Gordon while you're up there, you mind turning on the Goodell Signal for us too? Things appear grim down here. Really grim. 


Despite constant media coverage surrounding the bounty gate scandal, driving under the influence is the league's most vile and rampant epidemic. Almost every 90 seconds a person is injured in a drunk driving crash. Nearly half of all traffic related incidents are due to intoxication behind the wheel. One in three Americans is involved in a drunk driving accident in their lifetime. Yet it seems everyday we awake to the news of one our Sunday heroes putting not only his own life in grave danger but also the well being of others. 


Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley and New York Giants Offensive Lineman David Diehl both dominate the trenches but were recently the latest offenders of this egregious crime. Diehl decided to get loaded and nail a few parked cars with his BMW before calling it a successful night out. Fairley felt like evading the authorities before he blew a breathalyzer to the moon.


What drives legends of the gridiron to take such chances? It's extremely easy for me to sit from afar and ponder "Why don't they just hire a freaking driver. Is it just alcohol induced decision hazy decision making, arrogance, or just an exhilarating rush to put the lives of innocent women and children at risk?" 


In a well written essay by Mike Freeman, the CBS sports journalist details that players do not trust car services due to "extreme paranoia." Some fear that pictures will be taken of them in car services and sold to tabloids. Others enjoy the thrill of showing off their personal cars and driving them through town.


At their very core, some NFL players believe they are invincible. These young men grow up as the pride and joy of their families, friends, towns, and communities. In a sense, some become their own Gods that can do no wrong and never face the consequences of their actions. And who could blame them for thinking so? Aren't we the ones who turn them into  monsters?


Regardless of the psychological and sociological reasons behind the vast number of athletes driving drunk, something drastic must be done to protect the innocent and the NFL. And there's only one man for the job.

Dropping The Hammer

On June 13th amidst the DUI fever across the league, Roger Goodell sent out a memo to all 32 organizations that was forwarded to management and player personnel. 

"There have been several negative law enforcement incidents in recent months involving both players and non-player employees. These incidents primarily have involved alcohol or drug-related offenses, specifically driving while impaired. Clearly, operating a vehicle under the influence of any substance poses a significant risk of injury to the driver and others. These risks are underscored by well-known tragedies within the NFL family.

"The Personal Conduct Policy makes clear that we must all conduct ourselves in a manner that is "responsible, that promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful." Every negative incident undermines the respect we have earned from our fans, erodes the confidence of our business partners and threatens the continued success of the league.

Sincerely,

NFL Commisioner

-Roger Goodell

This is what Goodell should have sent to all 32 teams.

"If you drive while incapacitated, I will take every last cent you out out of your wallet. You think I fine James Harrison pretty frequently? I will make your ass more broke than Pac Man Jones after a wild night at the strip club. Bottom line, I own you. The NFL is the most dominant brand in all of sports and I will do everything in my power to make sure a player, who on average last less than 2 years in this league, doesn't put America's most powerful corporation in jeopardy. Bow before me. In the words of Mark Zuckerberg, I'm CEO, Bitch.

Sincerely,


-Roger Goodell
NFL Commisioner


 Sure, Roger might not be able to use similar verbiage, but it's time to drop the hammer like Thor. No commissioner in professional sports is given more free reign in disciplining players. The former lawyer and Rooney disciple sent one of the strongest and most controversial messages in league history regarding the New Orleans bounty gate scandal. Some feel punishments received by Saints players and coaches were too severe, but one thing is clear. No NFL team will ever set bounties against other players again. No team can afford to lose its personnel for a whole season and possibly forever. I have commended Goodell for his commitment to player safety, but now its time to further commit to player safety and citizen safety once more. If player on player crime such as bounties can result in huge penalties, how much more severe should the sanctions be when innocent people could potentially be killed? Currently, the maximum fine a player can receive for DUI's is 50,000 dollars and game suspensions. It's time to tremendously up the monetary ante so players fear the repercussions of their actions and do everything in their will to get a designated driver.

One message desperately needs to be sent to NFL players about driving while under the influence. 

You Can't Afford It.

Big Leapers

BIG LEAPERS

Players primed to breakout or take the next step into NFL stardom

Dez Bryant - Bryant will be looking to shed his "Manchild" reputation or at least the child part of that and become a Man (though not yet 40). With the physical skill set Dez is blessed with there's no corner he cannot beat. Theres not a coverage that can hold this monster if hes fully committed to excellence. Bryant has admitted to not being at his best conditioning wise last year. He had a knack for disappearing in games. Mental lapses. All that appears to be behind him according to all camp reports thus far. Romo and Jerry Jones have praised his conditioning, maturity and chemistry. If Dez has indeed matured his upside is near unlimited. There's nothing he can't accomplish given his elite abilities and situation. Posting top 5 WR numbers can easily be achieved.

Fred Davis - Despite shaky QB play for much of last season Davis still had 796 yards in just 12 games (a pace for over 1061 over 16 games). With RG3 under center better and more consistant QB play can be expected. Theres a learning curve with all rookies yes, but Rookie QBs tend to lean on their TEs' for security which will only inflate Freds' numbers. Davis has all the attributes needed to take the next step towards the games elite TEs'. For those of you who enjoy a good bargain, target Davis in 2012 drafts as he's sure to be a steal.

Jake Locker - Although his sample size of game action last year was small one thing is certain. Raw, yes, but Locker is immensely talented. He's said to be in the middle of a QB battle with Matthew Hasselbeck, but I don't see any way Locker doesn't come out on top. He's there future and there best shot at a present. With Kenny Britt, Kendall Wright, Nate Washington, Jared Cook and Chris Johnson as his arsenal the ceiling for his 2012 season will be very high even with it being his first as an NFL starter. He will step in with 4000 yard 25 TD 400 rushing yard upside. In addition to his laser arm capable of making any throw Locker is gifted with tremendous athleticism. His sub 4.6 forty and elusiveness coupled with the opposing defenses' attention focused on Chris Johnson and the rest of the Titans young playmakers numerous running lanes will be open for the young gunslinger.

Robert Meachem - Meachem was only asked to do one thing in NO due to their plethora of weapons, go deep. Now that he's in SD and replacing Vincent Jackson he will be asked to expand his game. Meachem has always held ample upside as a WR, but just hasn't been in a situation to be leaned on. Reports thus far have been nothing but complimentary on Meachem. To reiterate that I'll provide a quote from Norv Turner, "He's a deep threat, but he's also a more versatile receiver than I thought... He can do a lot more things than he did in New Orleans because they didn't need those things from him because they had other guys. But he's an outstanding route runner, he's a good 'feel' receiver and he does have outstanding hands."  Turner goes on to predict a 1000 yard campaign from Meachem this season. Bullish? Perhaps, but it's certainly possible given the situation.

Demaryius Thomas - Thomas averaged 90 yards a game over the last 5 games of the season showing great ability after the catch and exactly what he's capable of when healthy. All that was with Tebow under center. Now he has one of the greatest signal callers of all time delivering him the ball. Thomas already an icredibly explosive WR plans to cut 10 lbs this offseason to further add to that. Former NFL scout Gary Horton says Demaryius Thomas "will be something special" if he stays healthy this season. That seems to be the issue with many of the elite talents in the NFL, but never-the-less his upside with Manning is vast.

Jared Cook - Cook averaged over 113 ypg over the final 3 games of last season. Head coach Mike Munchak attributes the late surge to "growing confidence". Cook has all the physical tools needed to succeed and if he can carry that momentem and confidence into 2012 you will witness a very special player at the TE position for the Titans. At 6'5" 250 lbs with a 4.5 forty Cook has the build to dominate much like Vernon Davis does.

Pierre Garcon - Garcon is fastly becoming one of my favorite WR's to target this season. He played exceptionally well last season despite the lackluster QB play from Colt signal callers. His receiving totals have gone up each yr of his career and after a 947 yard outburst last season I think he's ready to eclipse the 1000 yard mark, possibly with ease. RG3 can immedietely step in and have one of the games best deep balls complimenting Garcons' skill to perfection. I believe the two will combine for one of the leagues best big play tandums. In fact, A "trusted" NFL personnel man told NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah that Pierre Garcon will "put up huge numbers" in the Redskins' offense. I couldn't agree more. Garcon will flourish in Washington producing game changing totals from a guy who could be drafted as your WR3.




                                                                                                                          ~ Joseph Turnbull ~

Offseason Notes Part 2

ENDZONE ALLEYs' Offseason Notes Continued

Ray Rice - Ray Rice is in the middle of a holdout and as Chris Johnson displayed to perfection last season, runningbacks who hold out under perform and are more susceptible to injury. His workload since 09 is 332, 371 and 367 touches (not including playoffs). Perhaps those high touch totals played a part in the Ravens trading up to land Bernard Pierce in the 3rd round. The Ray Rice hold out is definitely a situation to monitor as the longer his holdout lasts the stronger the chances are of, if nothing more, a sluggish start (which is the norm for holdouts).

Maurice Jones-Drew - MJDs' touch total the last 3 seasons looks like 365, 333, 386 respectively. An obvious heavy workload. It was noted earlier this month that he had lost a step and now he's in the middle of whats shaping up to be "a lengthy holdout" according to Adam Schefter. MJD is built like a human bowling ball yes, but eventually the wheels will fall off. At the very least his production should take a significant dip this season as its very doubtfull hes able to exceed 1600 rushing yards back to back seasons.

Demarco Murray - Murray has been cleared to play and dazzled thus far in camp. According to Fox Sports SouthWest, "it's obvious that DeMarco Murray is going to be the featured back". It appears Murray is ready to step in and pick up right where he left off last season before going down with injury. Dallas also passed the ball in the redzone at a rate of 87% last season. One that is highly unlikely to be repeated and give Murray many more scoring opportunities.

Darren McFadden - McFadden possesses the highest upside of any RB in the NFL. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to reach his full potential due to injury history. His latest injury will likely draw enough of a red flag to fantasy owners to slide him outside the top 12 picks. If you fortunate enough to have DMac fall to your 2nd pick you simply snatch him without hesitation. Yes, it hurts to "whiff"
 on an early pick and his injury risk certainly warrants ample "whiff" potential, but you can't play not to lose. As Herm Edwards would say, "You play to win the game".

Matt Forte - Forte is a no show thus far and as that along with the signing of Michael Bush and his prior injury could all add up to one big red flag I still sit optimisticly on the issue. Forte has never totaled under 1400 scrimage yards in a season in his career. He's comming off a career high in ypc at 4.9 and if you had the pleasure of watching him last season you will remember how his play was without question elite. Forte will continue to run with great motivation and possibly more than ever with Michael Bush on his heels. Forte wants to get paid and get paid generously. Jay Cutler was quoted to say "He was huge, all ripped up," "I was like, 'What do you do?' (Forte replied) 'All I do is go to the weight room. I've got nothing else to do.'" As long as Forte signs be ready to pay for his consistant top end numbers he produces week to week.

Kenny Britt - Due to a recent set back Britt was forced to under go yet another knee surgery this offseason to clean up his torn ACL. Although it was minor he should be dropped in early rankings until further notice. Britt has mamouth upside when healthy but as a player who relys heavily on explosiveness he may end up being a player to avoid this season if hes not 100%.

Greg Little - Little only played one year of college at the WR position. He came into the NFL as a very raw talent which lead to expected rookie "growing pains". Despite his lack of polish and being on one of the leagues most stagnant offenses Little still posted a respectable 61 catch 709 yard season. His open field moves resemble those of Brandon Marshalls. Little lacks the same explosiveness, but hes doing his best to change that. He's lost 11lbs due to "working out and good nutrition". With a full season under his belt and a full offseason of work Little could be primed for a 1000 yard campaign. In fact The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot believes WR Greg Little is capable of "maybe even a Pro Bowl-type of year if Brandon Weeden wins the starting quarterback job." Sure, that may be a little ambitious, but Weeden does appear to be in the driver seat for the starting job, he is a QB upgrade and Little looks to have more polish to go with his after the catch skills.

Lestar Jean - His camp play thus far earned him the nickname "big play". He's been said to have learned all 3 WR positions and thus shouldn't have a problem finding ways on the field. Kevin Walter is all that stands in his way from making some serious noise in fantasy circles. At 6'3" 215 lbs with sub 4.5 speed to his credit a potential starting gig opposite Andre Johnson would put him in consistant mismatches. As a possible "camp sensation" Jean is most certainly a player for all to monitor.





                                                                                                                                 ~Joseph Turnbull~

MISC Offseason Notes

Its now June and OTA reports are already rolling in to provide hype or red flags on players based on their "fitness" level and performance in shorts. It seems almost every update includes something along the lines of "best shape I've ever seen" or "showed up x amount of lbs overweight". Universal opinion may be split in either one, over hyping "shorts" updates or two, disregarding them all together. I believe every item of note... is an item of note. Keep it all in mind. Store it and look for similar trending future updates. McFadden, was said to be in premier condition last offseason and jumped out to a blazing start before going down with injury. Chris Johnsons' fitness level was questioned and he had an unbelievably slow start.

2012 Offseason Check in: Part One

Ryan Mathews: I list him first not only for reports of him being in the best shape of his career, but because I believe he will the biggest swing player of round one. Meaning stealing him in the latter part of round one could be your first major step in the direction of a Championship. Yes, it could be that quickly. Obviously there is countless variables in Fantasy Sports but landing the potential number one RB and Most Valuable Fantasy Scorer at the end of Round one tilts the table in your direction. You will then be allowed to Pair him with another premier high upside player which gives you a lethal scoring duo and allows for some "misses" down the road. Mathews only received 222 carries last season and 157 the year prior. He has more than enough tread on the tires to handle a major work load in 2012. HC Norv Turner has a history of using a workhorse. Ricky Williams had two seasons of at least 383 touches under him. In this case Turner has a Clydesdale for Mathews can simply do everything a RB needs to do and do it as well as anyone. There won't be a better blend of situation plus talent than Mathews in 2012.

Adrian Peterson: He's an absolute freak. So what if he tore his ACL in late December. Who cares. He's been running since February and has been beating the likes of Percy Harvin and Joe Webb in sprints. He is light years ahead of schedule, The Vikings landed a big upgrade to their line with premier OT Matt Kalil. Christian Ponder should be productive enough to keep defenses honest. I would NOT let AP slip out of the First round in my draft. Don't let the ACL progression chart scare you off. AP is no normal Human. Again... He's an absolute freak.

Jamaal Charles: Charles is one of the biggest Wild Cards of the 2012 draft. His game is built on explosion, speed and sharp cuts. Everything the ACL limits. On top of the the chiefs added Peyton Hillis this offseason which will only further cap his upside. That being said I'm one of the biggest Charles supporters. When he says he's coming back bigger, stronger and faster I believe him. Charles is not a boastful arrogant look at me type player. He's one of the most humble players in the game today and he was only further humbled by his injury. There's no doubt in my mind as I am typing this that Jamaal is out there somewhere working out like a madman with one this on his mind. Redemption. In his mind he was robbed of his 2011 season which could of very well been his rise to the top of the leagues RB hierarchy. 2012 will showcase a Jamaal Charles who won't be looking for 10, 20, or even 50 yards. He will be looking for a house call each and every time he has the ball in his hands and will be looking to inflict as much pain on all those who doubt him as possible. Do NOT doubt Jamaal Charles in 2012. Fear him. Fear what he will do against you.

Chris Johnson: Yes, it's true I was bald for much of the 2011 season from pulling my hair out due to his ABYSMAL effort and production for much of the year. Last season Johnson was under weight and out of shape. Even in the latter part of the season where he "broke out" he was still not at 100%. Johnson is now back to his Rookie season weight and is in tremendous physical condition according to reports. Johnson will bounce back in a big way providing nice dividends for trusting owners.

LeGarrette Blount: Blounts' disappointing 2011 season was in large part due to his team and game flow. Not his ability and although the drafting of Doug Martin could mean a bench role for Blount he should be able to provide a nice profit margin for believers. The Bucs will be as run heavy as any team. Their offensive line is improved and their Defense has no where to go but up to effectively balance game flow to give Blount his fair share of chances. I'd look for him to fit the Brandon Jacobs role to perfection. 8-10 carries a game providing over 5 ypc as he will be in FULL on "Blount Force" mode with those limited carries to keep him nothing but fresh. A demotion to a back up role will only further anger Blount. Reports are he's already highly motivated to keep the starter role and in tremendous physical form. Having seen him in person this offseason I can actually vouch for those updates. He's in freakish form. Look for him to provide multiple highlight reel runs consisting of countless Broken tackles leading to stat lines such as 8 carries 100 yards 2 TD's. No I don't think its unrealistic to expect multiple stat lines similar to the one mentioned. He should hold onto the goaline role on an offense that is much improved featuring Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin now. Josh Freeman is a natural born leader. He will bounce back nicely for the Bucs.