Rolle Reversal

All the talk is about Joe Flacco and the O... but lets talk about the D. Without Samari Rolle the DB's are on an island. The only problem... it's the island from the show LOST. Foxworth will be a large addition, once he's comfortable. But that will take a few more weeks and Walker, Washington & Carr are all serviceable at best. Funny how things change from O to D or in the case of the Ravens D to O. With hopefully a full season of health from both Reed and Landry the safety position should help equalize any deficiencies in the back. Look for more points this year, and not just from Flacco, yeah he'll get his with the high powered Cam Cameron at the helm... but I'm talking about points against. Teams that are pass first will get on the board plenty and in years past that posed problems, not this year. This year the D is still better than most and the O has caught up... Finally. SO, while it would be nice to shut teams out, this season the Ravens truly have a shot to out score teams. I'd say it's a welcomed role reversal, but not as welcomed as Rolle will be if and when he comes back.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

Don't call it a comeback

Derrick Mason is now back with the Baltimore Ravens, but was his return really ever in question? Not to me and like minded thinkers. It was apparent from the day Mason "retired" that he didn't want to walk away, he even said as much. It was the business of football and sports in general that, in part, caused him to walk. Derrick Mason: a proven player, leader and #1 WR for this Baltimore bunch, still not enough to warrant a contract he and the team felt comfortable with. Hence the retirement, short lived yes, but he felt his hand was being forced and as such needed to show his willingness to turnover the remainder of his career. The sad story is Mason needed to bluff just to get any momentum going in his favor. What a shame, a shame that's how our sports world lives today. A place where Tom Moore, Offense Coordinator for the Colts has to retire to retrieve money owed to him, just to rename his title and give him a consulting job to skate around crazy rules. The term "business of sports" is used as a blanket to cover all issues that comes with today's money and fame, but it doesn't change the fact that our sports society is totally screwed up. The Mason's and Moore's of the world shouldn't have to play shadow games just to stay in football. But they do and I guess it's just the world we live in. I just wish we lived in a world that made sense.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

FRESH PEPPERS

I've written in the past about the franchise tag and how I don't understand why players and agents don't like it. My feeling is simple, if one is good enough to be franchised they will more than likely not be worrying about making a team. Which is to say they will be playing for someone and making big coin. There is no concern about something, anything, money wise. At that level (top 5 at a position) it comes down to ego, team and respect. What better way for a team to show respect than to give that player a HUGE monster deal, the type of deal reserved for just ONE player per team. And in going through all the "trouble" to tell that player they HAVE to play football, the league makes them pay that player 16.7 million dollars a year, in the case of Carolina and Julius Peppers. Which by the way is way too much money and I think Peppers is an amazing player. I'm known to side with players more than most but that's just too much money. God Bless him and his family and I'm not saying he shouldn't take the cash if it's in front of him, but WOW.

Back to the theory of the TAG, who can complain about that? Yes, that player is risking injury and the lack of a longer term deal. TRUE. But remember that player is an elite one and will remain that way for the near future. The team can franchise 3 times. That's a long term deal and then some dollar wise, and each individual year is guaranteed once on the starting roster. Some may say: What about a career ending injury? If that's the case they wouldn't be playing anyway, the only money guaranteed is the bonus and the huge one year deal is not all that far off from the biggest bonuses we've seen. AND THAT'S WORST CASE. Any other scenario is in the favor of the player. Some may also say: He has to play in a city he doesn't like. I say who cares! Do you know how many people I know that make between 35 - 65 thousand dollars a year who don't like where they work. That's part of life my friends. So to all that don't like the franchise tag. I say this... Stop crying, do the Math and think what exclusive company that moniker puts the player in and please STOP looking at the negative side. Because in life nothing is ever perfect and you can't control everything, so why not control what you can, your perception.

Glenn Younes
SIRIUSXM SATELLITE RADIO

Boom... He's Gone

So John Madden has left the broadcast booth. He was a player, coach, a color guy but moreover a pitch man. From his video game, hardware commercials and steak restaurant spots Madden seemed to sell everything except actual football knowledge, which made him famous in the first place. Was he a football icon for what he did in Oakland? Sure. And then for his antics as a broadcaster. But years ago he stopped talking about football and continued his stumbling, bumbling and rumbling. Or is that another guy? I’m not knocking Madden, he did a great job entertaining the masses. I just thought it would have been nice to mix in a touch more football. He’s John Madden for crying out loud, how can I say such things? I’m just being honest, and I loved the guy but the act, if it was one, got old to me. Sort of like he did. Once one loses their fastball the crafty veteran must resort to other forms of trickery in order to remain effective and relevant and that’s exactly what Madden did. An Amazing career as a broadcaster and entertainer has come to an end, but in the end it must be noted, John Madden, like we all should, was just having fun while cashing his pay check. Or in his case rather large checks.

Glenn Younes
SiriusXM Satellite Radio

Cutler and Crew

You want football you got it…. Jay Cutler, that’s the big story right. Pissed off QB, Pissed off Coach… ended in a trade everybody happy. I guess. Is Cutler a talent? Yes. Is he worth a 1st and 3rd this year and a 1st in 2010 plus a starting QB in Kyle Orton? That is TBD. And before you start I’m not saying K.O. is a world beater but he could start for at least 5 teams. Lions, 49ers, Raiders, Bears (until trade), Chiefs, Vikings etc. But back to the question is that a lot. Hell yeah it’s a lot, too much if you ask me. But for the Bears it’s what they wanted. They now have a QB in Cutler, a RB in Forte and a decent TE in Olsen. The O-line has holes and the WR core is not stellar. The D is stacked and expected to keep them in games. Could a 1st and 3rd this year have added another lineman and WR, keep Orton and been in a better situation. I think maybe but I’m no GM. So now the new look Bears have a gun slinger and no one to shot at. Oh well such is life in the NFL. Unless of course you’re a hand full of teams who consistently give themselves a shot by simply being smart. Building inside out and through the draft, dabbling in free agency but never shatter the earth. They are in no particular order, the Ravens, Pats, Giants, Steelers, Panthers and, under the radar, Bucs.

I think I’ve pinpointed the reason. Laziness and stupidity. It’s hard work to scout and really evaluate young unproven talent. But if / when done properly it’s the key to VALUE. Buying Vets and other peoples players is easy, expensive and takes no real talent other than a good Cap guy. Hence the reason the above mentioned teams win much more than they lose and the losers are always playing catch up by buying players. If the buyers, i.e. rest of the league, would just keep their hand in their pockets, like the country should be doing, and stop buying and start cultivating maybe they’d see a turn around too. Note to the Bears, Cutler may work and may help. But selling the farm for one guy long term is NOT the key to success even if it works here and there.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

Cell phone alarm clock

So I’ve been thinking about the alarm clock more lately as I now get to work at 6am or earlier most weekdays. This thinking has really led to paranoia and, most importantly, a really good question or two. Now I have to, have to, have to be awake at a certain time everyday. It’s not like I have 30 minutes leeway for any number of reasons or excuses. I got stuck in traffic, needed gas, felt a little sore, a little tired, anything, but the big one… My alarm clock didn’t go off. I just have to be at work or it’s a huge major problem. I don’t mean to the world, who cares? I mean for my job and let me tell you I love my job. I don’t want to risk my job for anything, so I need to be on time everyday not matter what.

SO… I set my cell phone alarm, it's been great, never let me down. But I’m a freak so I think about a 2nd alarm, just in case. Then I think, “Why would I do that? Have I ever been burned by the cell phone alarm NOT going off?” And the answer is simple, NO, I’ve never been late for anything because the cell phone alarm never went off. Then I think “Wow, that’s been a long time, 10 years almost, that I’ve used a cell phone alarm exclusively with no issue. And if that’s the case, then why keep making alarm clocks? I’d bet they aren’t selling many of them and that number will continue to drop with the advances in cell phones etc. The cell is an alarm clock, it is a radio, it is a cd player, and it’s an mp3 player. What in the world do I need that for? To see when I wake up in the middle of the night and get pissed off when I realize how little time I have left to sleep. I know I can do without that shit. So, if you are listening electronic companies, only old people are buying clock radio type stuff even if it can dock your ipod. Yes, you all have them and yes they are good for a living room, or office or dorm room etc. But the true clock radio’s are out. I’d think of selling something else to fill night stand space, because cell phones are small.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

Privacy in MLB

Off the football topic a bit I'm going to scream via print about the complete joke that is major league baseball. Its been talked about for weeks now but I have to throw in my two cents too. Years back baseball realized they had a steroid, HGH, and other performance enhancing drug problem. So they decided to gauge the level of abuse by asking the players to take drug tests. A drug test they said was to be kept anonymous. We all know how that turned out. How in the world did this happen? 104 players tested positive in 2003 and now in 2009 Alex Rodriguez has his name come out. People keep saying " they said it was confidential" who cares. My question is the real one, why were the players names even taken down, given a number or even registered at all?

There was zero reason to know the players that were being tested. All there should have been was samples to be tested. A nerd scientist with sample # 1, #2, so on and so on. Why there were corresponding names anywhere to be linked back to the players is beyond me. Why the union or league kept those records is another question. If you ask me I think the plan may have been to out these guys all along. Maybe keep this info in their back pockets in case things got bad. A way to sway the balance of power back to baseball and out of the players' and unions' hands if need be. Far fetched? Maybe, but what the hell else explanation is there?

There is no way this was just a mistake. Or that the union forgot to shred the docs, which again should have never existed in the first place. Half the players want the names revealed to prove they were clean, the other half want them kept private for a couple reasons. First, simply because they said they would be. They were told private, it should be private. Second, for self preservation because they may be on the list. And don't forget about the players that were using and aren't sure if they tested positive or not. Yes 104 total players including A-Rod tested for roids but you can bet your ass there were player who juiced that masked their use or only used trace amounts that did not show during testing. If I had to guess I'd say there were triple the amount of players using that did not test positive than did. This entire thing is FUBAR. There is no right answer, no solution and nothing in sight to fix it. Baseball, the Union and the Players are all in for a long bumpy ride and they did it to themselves.

Glenn Younes
Sirius Satellite Radio