What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

We offered long-time blog reader and commenter "Big Ben is Back!", whom we now refer to simply as "BBiB!" a chance to guest blog as a reward for his brilliant work in keeping score on our various contests.

And here we go with his rant on all that's wrong with youth sports in this country.

(It's a very interesting read, and please feel free to comment - both for and against - to let BBiB! get a taste of what life's like in the blogosphere.)

The Problem with Youth Sports Today

This post is brought to you today by BBiB! as I cash in my ‘thanks for tracking the NFL Draft and NFL Playoffs for me’ reward from BG.

By no means can the idea I espouse below be considered original, but it is meant to stir up ‘conversation’ amongst the parents out there whose youth are participating in sports. If I’m ever granted a second guest posting, I’ll try to drum up interest in some guilty pleasure banter. I’ve learned some very useful information about our resident NFL Guru, BG, that you should all get a kick out of.

Ok, so, it’s the first day of 9-10 year old Little League and yours truly, BBiB!, is managing a team of spirited boys. I figure by this age, the boys will be ready to compete and be excited about winning and playing in the playoffs and for a championship. I introduce myself and meet the players before asking if there are any questions before beginning our first practice. The one and only question I received summed up the problem with American youth sports perfectly, “Hey Coach, when do we get our trophies?” If I could have, I would have slapped that entitled boy silly. Instead I cringed and looked forward to another of season of “nice try”s and “atta boy”s for every little accomplishment.

Continue reading "BBiB! speaks! Here's what's wrong with youth sports" »

It's not unusual to see football players fight in training camp. Or even mini-camp.

But to have nearly all 85 players on your team involved in fisticuffs during a practice in early May?

Whoa.

Welcome to the NFL, coach Harbaugh.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has heard the outcry over Cedric Benson's arrest on May 3 on charges of boating while intoxicated. And Angelo has heard all the calls for him to simply release Benson, who has been a bust on the field and hasn't done himself any favors off the field with this latest incident.

But Angelo says he's not cutting Benson, and that he'll simply wait for the legal system to play out.

Smart call.

The Bears have invested far too much in Benson to simply release him over this incident (reminder: the charges were misdemeanors and will almost certainly not result in jail time). Besides, there are enough questions about this case expressed by people who were with Benson at the time that at least make it conceivable Benson ought to get the benefit of the doubt.

Benson will never win a popularity contest in the Bears' locker room, where teammates have questioned his leadership. But last week's won't determine whether he stays or goes. That will be up to his performance.

If the past three years are any indication, things don't look too bright for the former Texas star. But you still don't just toss the guy on the street. Especially not if you're the general manager who staked his reputation on the guy in the first place.

You let things play out on and off the field, and then see where you stand.

For those of you with a morbid fascination for things like this, here's a video of Cedric Benson being booked last weekend on charges of boating while intoxicated.

That's what teammate Greg Ellis says about the Cowboys' veteran strong safety.

Ellis says that's why Williams seems to be distancing himself from some teammates in recent weeks.

Um, Greg, there's a good reason Williams isn't comfortable with head coach Wade Phillips' system. It's because Williams has been a liability in pass coverage throughout his NFL career. So, for all the hard hits and the horse-collar tackles, the bottom line is that Williams' ability as a defensive back leave plenty to be desired.

In fact, he is still questioning the NFL over its handling of Spygate.

And by the time he speaks personally to former Patriots video employee Matt Walsh on Tuesday, we suspect he'll have a lot more to say.

Rock has erupted with a flurry of blog posts today from Giants rookie camp, a Best-like performance that deserves a shoutout.

Can only imagine what it'll be like when the season starts.

Not sure what to expect from this year's rookie class for Big Blue, although I suspect it won't have quite the same impact as last year's dazzling class. Jerry Reese hit it big last year with contributions galore from first-rounder Aaron Ross to seventh-rounder Ahmad Bradshaw.

With a Super Bowl roster stacked with talent, it will be that much tougher for this year's rookie class to make inroad. But if even just five players make contributions, the Giants will be ahead of the game.

Kenny Phillips seems about as can't-miss as you can get, and he should fit right in now that Gibril Wilson is gone. The real test of the draft might come with third-round receiver Mario Manningham, whose past problems can be erased with quality play on the field and responsible behavior off it.

Matt Walsh will talk with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday, and is expected to address the media afterward.

If you knew what Walsh knew, what would you say?

(P.S. Yes, we have blantantly ripped off Stapler's "Q of the D" headline. We rather like it and plan to use it plenty. As far as we know, Staple neglected to get a copyright on the phrasing.)

The former Patriots' video employee is scheduled to speak on Tuesday with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and the league has confirmed that Walsh has been invited to and is expected to address the media at a press conference.

We'll be there on Tuesday at the Intercontinental Hotel for a press conference that will start anywhere from 10 a.m.-noon. It all depends how long Goodell and Walsh, as well as Walsh attorney Michel Levy, meet. They're set to convene at 7:30 a.m.

In light of the fact that Matt Walsh has supplied the NFL additional tapes of the Patriots illegally videotaping opposing teams' offensive and/or defensive signals, do you believe commissioner Roger Goodell should slap additional sanctions on Belichick and/or the Patriots?

Personally, I think it should end here. Now that we know Walsh doesn't have a tape of the Rams' walk-through practice the day before the Patriots' first Super Bowl win after the 2002 season, my feeling is that the issue is now over.

Yes, Walsh has additional examples of Belichick cheating. But the NFL's penalties against Belichick and the team were for all previous illegal videotaping activity, which Belichick acknowledged during the league's investigation.

Curious to see what you think.

Sure seems that way.

Former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh has turned over eight tapes to the NFL, all of which showed the videotaping of opposing teams' offensive and/or defensive signals.

The key here is that Walsh did not turn over - nor does he have in his possession - a tape of the Rams' walkthrough session the day before the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl after the 2001 regular season. The Boston Herald reported the day before the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl last February that such a tape existed; had that been the case, Pats coach Bill Belichick likely would have received further sanctions and possibly been fired or forced to resign.

But Belichick and the Patriots continually denied the existence of such a tape, and Belichick said at the NFL owners meetings last month that he has never taped an opponents' practice in 34 years of coaching.

The fact that Walsh had additional tapes of what the Patriots already admitted they were doing - and were already sanctioned for - means that the league is not expected to take further action.

"This is consistent with what the Patriots had admitted they had been doing, consistent with what we already knew," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press last night.

The league has said the fines ($500,000 for Belichick and $250,000 for the team) and the removal of a 2008 first-round draft pick were penalties for taping procedures that went back to the 2000, the year Belichick became the team's head coach.

Walsh will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell next Tuesday. Goodell said he will hold a news conference shortly after the meeting.

The Spygate saga started, of course, when the Patriots were caught illegally taping the Jets' defensive signals on the sidelines in a Week 1 game last season at Giants Stadium.

The fourth-year running back was arrested over the weekend for boating while intoxicated, but a woman who was with Benson at the time tells a far different story that might ultimately show Benson was not being as disruptive as police reports indicate.

See for yourself.

There has been plenty of sentiment from fans that the Bears simply release Benson, who has been a major disappointment on the field and a questionable chap off it. But that simply doesn't make sense, even in the wake of last weekend's incident. First, the charges are misdemeanor and will almost certainly not result in jail time. Second, if the woman's statements are accurate, Benson might not be in the kind of hot water the team initially feared. And third, he's the starting running back for a team one year removed from a Super Bowl run.

Well, if that headline won't get your attention, then nothing will.

Seems all the news about football these days is off the field - see: Cedric Benson, Pacman Jones, Matt Walsh, etc.

Now this: Football player "Ronaldo" is in the middle of a bizarre set of circumstances that is all the rage. It involves cross-dressing prostitutes. It's complicated. Please read.

Rock sent us an e-mail last night that temporarily sent shockwaves through the Glauber household.

He wrote that Archuleta was sent packing, a reference we initially took to mean that David Archuleta was somehow out of the competition at American Idol. This in spite of the fact that last night's competition hadn't yet begun.

Rock was being silly, of course, and sent a link that Adam Archuleta had been released by the Bears, a transaction the Idol-obsessed Glaubers could care less about.

Adam A. has largely been a bust through a once promising NFL career, and we suspect he won't amount to much after being kicked to the curb by Lovie Smith, his former mentor in St. Louis.

As for David Archuleta, the future is bright. We're thinking Jason Castro gets the boot from Idol tonight, which would leave David A., Syesha Mercado and David Cook as the final three. Then again, there have been some shockers at this point in previous Idol competitions. If Castro somehow makes it through, it means there's a problem.

It is not necessary to read this blog post.

The sole purpose of this post is to somehow tap into the bizarre world of Google "hits" and get some page views to make an otherwise slow month in the NFL respectable in our relentless pursuit of Best. It won't happen this month unless Matt Walsh has tapes of Bill Belichick that will be damaging enough to result in Belichick's firing or resignation as the Patriots coach.

Matt W. and Roger G. are scheduled to meet in New York next Tuesday to discuss what information he has on BB HC of the NEP.

...

For some reason, "Antonio Pierce" was Google's hottest search this morning. It was because he appeared on Stern's show, which I do not get. Adam Abramson gets it and listens to it because he has satellite radio. I do not have said apparatus. I do not have Versus, either.

Thus, my withdrawal symptoms from not being able to watch the NHL playoffs continue.

Have a nice day.

I'm eating an egg white omlette at IHOP.

Black N Gold suggested that perhaps Rashard Mendenhall should have been eating an egg white omlette at an IHOP or Denny's the other night in Chicago. B N G surmises that the rookie running back might not have been robbed at gunpoint had he been enjoying our favorite meal.

Strahan insists that money isn't the issue with whether or not he wants to play in 2008.

He insisted the same thing last year, and played for the $4 million on his contract.

My sense is things could be different this year, though.

My sense is that it could take up to $7 million for Strahan to decide to play one more year.

Remember, team president John Mara said he's willing to re-tool Strahan's deal, which currently has one year at $4 mil remaining. Whether the Giants are willing to go that high remains to be seen.

But in talking to people who known Strahan and his situation, it seems evident that he has decent options outside of football - see: Fox broadcaster - and that playing another year in the NFL will require more than what's on his contract.

I hope Strahan does play again. He's still good. He's still one of the most interesting players to cover. He even offered me a ride in the Weinermobile. And - did I mention? - he's still good. If the guy was just hanging around, I'd tell him to walk away. But he can still play.

Besides, Best has a bet going that Strahan will play in 2009.

... so a judge has allowed him to travel outside Hamilton County, Ohio to go for a tryout.

Henry, released by the Bengals after a series of off-field troubles, will be released from electronic monitoring and house arrest so he can go to the tryout. It's uncertain which team is giving him a look.

Henry’s attorney, Perry Ancona, had previously asked Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Rich Bernat if Henry could be allowed to try out for other NFL teams, but the request was denied until today.

“We’re willing to give him some latitude given the fact that he obviously needs to find some employment,” Bernat said.

Before Henry will be allowed to travel for tryouts, he must bring a letter from the NFL team.

The veteran running back, dumped by the Seahawks, paid a visit to the Bengals today, and he's headed to New Orleans later in the week.

This is news on two fronts. First, Alexander will likely have his pick of teams in the coming days and/or weeks. Second, there is no guarantee that Saints running back Deuce McAllister, who recently re-did his contract, is going to make it back from knee surgery.

McAllister tore the ACL in his left knee, but he also had microfracture surgery to correct a problem in his right knee.

Deuce says he's on schedule to return, but it sounds like the Saints are looking into some insurance in the event he can't come back.

Just got word from trusty Internet watchdog (no, not you, Best) JeffP that the lovely Scarlett Johansson is engaged to be married.

Fear not, though, Mr. Fang. JeffP gives it two years, tops.

In the meantime, happy first anniversary on the blog, Ken. Best was so self-absorbed with celebrating his own first anniversary by shattering my 32-post record that I barely noticed you'd celebrated yours.

Kudos for doing so in a far more restrained and far less creepy way than my compatriot.

The Bears' fourth-year running back admits there was alcohol on his boat when police arrested him, but he said he was not drunk, that he passed field sobriety tests, and that police unnecessarily used pepper spray to subdue him.

"They gave me a field sobriety test, told me to say my ABCs and told me to count from 1 to 4 up and down," Benson told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm thinking, I passed all the tests, did everything right. Then the officer told me we needed to go to land to take more tests. I politely asked him why we needed to go to land to take more tests when I took every test. Then he sprayed me with mace, on his boat. I'm not handcuffed. I'm not under arrest. I'm not threatening him. I'm not pushing him. I'm not touching him. And he sprays me right in my eye."

Benson said by that time, he was far removed from the family and friends left on his boat, a group that included his mother.

"Nobody saw what he did to me," Benson said. "I started screaming for my mother to come. That's when they put me under arrest. And the officer threw a life jacket over my head.

"Once we got to land, the Travis County police grabbed me and kicked my feet from under me. So I landed on my back while I was handcuffed. They held me down and held the water hose over my face. I couldn't breathe, I'm choking, I'm begging the cops, 'Please stop. Please stop.' Then they picked me up and dragged me backward toward their car. And I'm still being polite, asking them, 'Sir, could you please allow me to walk like a man to your cop car?' They just kept dragging me on."

I read this morning where the Stars eliminated the Sharks in a four OT thriller.

Would love to have seen it.

Don't have Versus.

As I may have mentioned to you before, the NHL has taken away my sport.

Best will probably have the miniscule numbers Versus drew for Sharks-Stars. Best, too, laments the fact that the NHL has essentially removed itself from the discussion by botching their television contract, although he doesn't seem to whine about it as much as I do. He really should whine about it. In print. Maybe the NHL suits will pay attention and fix their broken sport.

(Yes, I did see Rangers-Penguins Game 5, and it was a beauty. Thank you, NBC ... come to think of it, this will be like the old days. You know, one game on television a week ... thanks again, geniuses of the NHL for taking away my sport.)

... I'm sorry for carrying on like this, but I grew up playing hockey. It got me through a lot of stuff as a kid. I went to Tam O'Shanter Hockey Camp in Agincourt, Ontario. My buddy stole a pair of ankle guards from a nearby department store, and I didn't report it. I'm sorry. Tam O'Shanter eventually burned down. It is now a shopping center. Some of my instructors were Peter Mahovolich, Ron Stewart, and former linesman John D'Amico.

I'm glad I have Black N Gold. He understands. Good luck against the Flyers. I will now be a Penguins fan because of you.

This Crosby kid really is good.

Very nice story here about Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer and his younger brother trying to live out a family dream.

If you didn't know any better, you'd think Carson and Jordan Palmer were twins.

Jordan is getting a shot to become the Bengals' No. 3 QB.