The Detroit Lions. This team rings three bells in my head: Barry Sanders, Thanksgiving, and losing. Barry Sanders is retired, the annual Thanksgiving game is their yearly highlight, and the losing was more evident after a historically horrid 0-16 season in 2008. The first two are not going to change, but the solution to the losing has been discovered and fixed instantly.
Was it the general manager... no.
Was it the lack of talent... no.
Was it poor coaching... no.
The uniforms have been the issue. That's right, the soft powder blue and silver are fine, but the logo wasn't mean enough. So, the new lion featuring teeth and the "fierce" letters are a sure fire way to turn around one of the worst franchises in NFL history. Give me a break!
To make matters worse, they had six players put on a modeling show on a mini runway. If I were running the show in Detroit, which isn't the craziest idea in the world, I would be in the weight room, class room, or on the field instead of wasting time putting on a show for cameras. You are not the world champion Steelers, who by the way are not putting on a modeling show following their record sixth NFL Championship. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lions brought Tyra Banks on as an assistant coach. Until next time...
Branden E. Jones
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Madden Madness Makes Me Morose
John Madden. Name sound familiar? A lot of people from my generation recognize the last name from the best selling sports video game series in history. Madden football games began in 1988 and have continually sold millions of copies growing its franchise every year. So who is this Madden figure?
A professional gamer... no. An electrical techie geek... no?
What if I told you that John Madden is a Hall of Fame professional coach for leading the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory and having the number one winning percentage for any coach with at least 100 wins. That's right, step aside Lombardi, Landry, Shula, Noll, Parcells, Belichick, or any other Hall of Fame coach.
Now, at the age of 73, Madden is retiring from broadcasting, his follow up career that surpassed his coaching achievements in longevity and notoriety. However, his number one accomplishment may be the $50 video game that comes out every August branding his name. There are tournaments to compete in this game and even a show on ESPN featuring the best Madden players around the world.
Despite the enormous success that his video game line has produced, it is sad that one of the premiere football coaches in NFL history will be remembered for video games and broadcasting before his coaching accolades. It is a similar fate that former World Heavyweight Champion boxer George Foreman has to live with with his self named kitchen grill and Midas Brakes sponsorship. Do John Madden a favor and understand the history of the NFL and give him the credit he deserves as a coach first, a broadcaster second, and a video game innovator third. Until next time...
Branden E. Jones
A professional gamer... no. An electrical techie geek... no?
What if I told you that John Madden is a Hall of Fame professional coach for leading the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory and having the number one winning percentage for any coach with at least 100 wins. That's right, step aside Lombardi, Landry, Shula, Noll, Parcells, Belichick, or any other Hall of Fame coach.
Now, at the age of 73, Madden is retiring from broadcasting, his follow up career that surpassed his coaching achievements in longevity and notoriety. However, his number one accomplishment may be the $50 video game that comes out every August branding his name. There are tournaments to compete in this game and even a show on ESPN featuring the best Madden players around the world.
Despite the enormous success that his video game line has produced, it is sad that one of the premiere football coaches in NFL history will be remembered for video games and broadcasting before his coaching accolades. It is a similar fate that former World Heavyweight Champion boxer George Foreman has to live with with his self named kitchen grill and Midas Brakes sponsorship. Do John Madden a favor and understand the history of the NFL and give him the credit he deserves as a coach first, a broadcaster second, and a video game innovator third. Until next time...
Branden E. Jones
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Another Repeat in Loom at USC
USC Football. These two words stand for national championships, conference titles, All-Americans, Heisman winners, and most importantly, national prestige. Head coach Pete Carroll has given the current generation of Trojan fans a ample tasting of the glory John McKay and other great coaches before him brought to Los Angeles. With 25 First Team All-Americans, seven consecutive PAC-10 titles (record), three Heisman trophy winners, three consecutive Rose Bowl victories (record), two national championships, and oh yeah... all in only eight seasons of work.
An impressive blue print has been set, leading to expectations of repeats in numerous aspects of the program. However, this football season will bring about a lesser documented repeat that is developing in the spring. The open quarterback spot is a three man race following the early departure of Mark Sanchez to the NFL Draft. It involves a high school phenom who left school early to join SC in the spring (Matt Barkley), a redshirt sophomore from Orange County (Aaron Corp), and the third wheel with the most experience (Mitch Mustain). This trio is eerily similar to the one in 2003, who replaced highly touted NFL number one pick Carson Palmer. That group compares to this years batch almost identically and mark my words, the results will be the same.
Barkley = John David Booty. Corp = Matt Leinart. Mustain = Matt Cassel. This is a simple equation that will unfold like seven years ago and lead to the same success. Both Barkley and Booty were high school football national players of the year who left high school early. They were seen as the front runner/heir apparent for the job before ever throwing a pass at Howard Jones Field or the LA Coliseum. Both Corp and Leinart hailed from major Orange County programs in Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei, respectively. During spring, both displayed the poise and patience needed in a West Coast Offense with good game management and fewer turnovers than their counterparts. Mustain and Cassel were the number two quarterbacks the previous season and were both juniors when vying for the starting spot the following spring.
The equation will play out exactly the same at the top with Corp nabbing the starting spot, but will see some shuffle from 2003 with Barkley getting the backup spot leaving Mustain to hold the clipboard in the third spot on the depth chart. Nothing is decided yet, but history is history and it always comes back for a second helping. Until next time...
Branden E. Jones
An impressive blue print has been set, leading to expectations of repeats in numerous aspects of the program. However, this football season will bring about a lesser documented repeat that is developing in the spring. The open quarterback spot is a three man race following the early departure of Mark Sanchez to the NFL Draft. It involves a high school phenom who left school early to join SC in the spring (Matt Barkley), a redshirt sophomore from Orange County (Aaron Corp), and the third wheel with the most experience (Mitch Mustain). This trio is eerily similar to the one in 2003, who replaced highly touted NFL number one pick Carson Palmer. That group compares to this years batch almost identically and mark my words, the results will be the same.
Barkley = John David Booty. Corp = Matt Leinart. Mustain = Matt Cassel. This is a simple equation that will unfold like seven years ago and lead to the same success. Both Barkley and Booty were high school football national players of the year who left high school early. They were seen as the front runner/heir apparent for the job before ever throwing a pass at Howard Jones Field or the LA Coliseum. Both Corp and Leinart hailed from major Orange County programs in Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei, respectively. During spring, both displayed the poise and patience needed in a West Coast Offense with good game management and fewer turnovers than their counterparts. Mustain and Cassel were the number two quarterbacks the previous season and were both juniors when vying for the starting spot the following spring.
The equation will play out exactly the same at the top with Corp nabbing the starting spot, but will see some shuffle from 2003 with Barkley getting the backup spot leaving Mustain to hold the clipboard in the third spot on the depth chart. Nothing is decided yet, but history is history and it always comes back for a second helping. Until next time...
Branden E. Jones
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