The "New" Tom Brady Rule

Over a year ago, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a horrific knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs when safety Bernard Pollard, while falling down, rolled into Brady's left knee, tearing the ACL and ending Brady's season.


On Sunday, Baltimore Ravens pro bowl defensive end Terrell Suggs was pushed while rushing Brady as the Ravens and Patriots faced off. Suggs stumbled and fell perilously close to Brady's legs again. Brady was able to sidestep the brunt of the hit and then looked back at the referee with a look like "what was that?" Despite completing his pass to running back Sammy Morris who was stopped short of the first down.

Suggs was hit with a 15-yard personal foul penalty which extended the Patriots' drive that ended with a touchdown run by Morris to extend the lead to 17-7.

My point is that quarterbacks in the NFL are being babied way too much these days. If a defensive player hits a quarterback anywhere except squarely in the chest, the chance of a unnecessary roughness penalty exists. The quarterback is the only position where a single referee/umpire is totally devoted to one position.

The hit on Brady a year ago was gruesome and spelled trouble for the Patriots hopes that season, but no penalty was called on the play. Suggs did not even knock down Brady on the play but because of the new rules and the way Brady played it up as well as a soccer player, a penalty was called that led to a touchdown drive for the Pats.

Defensive players are not always in control of themselves. Half of the players in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball can't even properly tackle a running back or wide receiver, let alone hit a moving, scrambling quarterback in a three-foot area while being shoved by humongous 300-pound linemen.

Even Brady admits it's tough.

"I never think those guys are being malicious out there. They are trying to make a play, make the tackle, and it's tough for a defensive player to [pull off] a quarterback," Brady said.

I understand that quarterbacks are fragile and their egos are even more fragile, but we can't change the entire game of football just to protect these guys. Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann had his leg broken in a game back in the day but there was no penalty because the defensive player made a great play.


The referees and head-honchos in the NFL need to figure out a better way to protect players without compromising the integrity of the sport.

Hockey Season! Football Season!

Football may be the most popular sport in the country due to its wide audience but with the NHL opening its regular season on Thursday, I have to tell people in the DC Area what they're missing by not watching the Good Ole Hockey Game.

The Washington Capitals are one of the most exciting teams in any sport. No I'm not exaggerating. Their up-and-down, north-to-south, hard-hitting, high-scoring show dazzles viewers and keeps people excited. And they're style of play along with improved defense and goal tending (hopefully) is the reason that many "experts" are picking them to win the Eastern Conference and possibly even the Stanley Cup.

It starts at the top and owner Ted Leonsis is as big a fan of his team as anyone. He sits in his suite at center ice wearing a jersey instead of a stuffy shirt, tie and suit. This man bleeds red and rocks the red as well as any zealous fan. He gives his team the energy that they show on the ice.

General Manager George McPhee has pieced together an amazingly dynamic team that sells out every home game. By trading away over-priced veterans for draft picks and prospects, the Caps built their team from within centering around #1 pick Alex Ovechkin. McPhee sold away a dreary team that made Verizon Center seem "like a morgue" according to new forward Mike Knuble, formerly with the Philadelphia Flyers. Now it's getting very difficult to find a ticket for a Caps home game. My favorite idea thus far was selling home tickets only to people with MD, DC, VA zip codes and shunning all PA buyers during their playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins last year.

Bruce Boudreau came from the Capitals farm team in Hershey, PA to the spotlight a year and a half ago when management fired their previous coach Glen Hanlon after a record worst start. Boudreau turned the team around and actually squeaked into the playoffs after a record-setting run from when he took over the reins. His coaching style is emotional and nothing is more fun than seeing Bruce jump up and down on the bench along with his players after a big goal.

The centerpiece of the whole organization is Alex Ovechkin. Some people have told me that Ovechkin is not the best player in the NHL right now. I respectfully disagree and I'll tell you why. People say Ovechkin is just a scorer and only works in open space.

In the words of Wayne Campbell, "shyea, right....."

Ovechkin is a dynamic player regardless of the situation. He is a dynamic scorer and that's his bread and butter. It's basically impossible to shut this guy out of a game. He fights so hard to score and yet rejoices just as much when a teammate scores. In his first game of the season last night, Ovechkin assisted on the first goal, and then scored the second and fourth goals for his team with wicked wrist shots.

People might think that someone who is so good at scoring would be easily shaken or intimidated by hitting. Ovechkin is not a fighter but he never flinches at the chance to hit somebody. He often leaps, shoulder-first into opponents, with devastating results.He elevates his team to a different level and everyone else falls in line behind his energetic enthusiasm for hockey.

From the front office to the front line on the ice, the Capitals are going places where other DC teams can never reach. The Redskins are terrible again, the Wizards are on shaky, oft-injured legs and the Nationals/Orioles are vying for the title of worst MLB team. Watch a hockey game like I did last spring (where the Caps came back to win Game 7 against the Rangers in their first-round playoff matchup) and tell me this isn't the sport than DC-natives should be clamoring about.

(Awesome hockey youtube video I just had to share)

Running Blog from Nationals Park

Ala Bill Simmons, I decided to recount my night with friends at Nationals Stadium on Tuesday where everything that could have gone right, did go right. If only I were Bill Murray and could relive the same day everyday, I would relive those 4-5 hours over and over again until I wanted to kill myself too.

Monday Night - At our weekly poker game, my friend Pat asked the group of fellas if anyone was interested in coming to a Nationals game on Tuesday. I, of course, was interested because I am the second coming of George Costanza. Now my Halloween costume from this past fall is coming true because "I'm unemployed and I live with my parents." Hence I was psyched to go.

Tuesday 5:30-ish - I begin my trip into downtown Silver Spring heading to the Metro. No terrible "Office Space-worthy" traffic on the way, so already in a good mood.

6 pm - I realize it's hilarious when other people miss their Metro trains, especially when their friend is standing inside of the doors laughing. A woman was a step late and watched her friend ridicule her as he sped away to the next stop. Priceless!

6:30 pm - I meet Pat on the Metro ride there and we immediately begin talking about our hatred of certain fans. Pat, a Phillies fan, was abhorring all the Mets fans on the train with us while I spewed venom about Red Sox and Yankees bandwagon fans who crowd Camden Yards on a regular basis. I'm still amazed to this day how many Boston fans find themselves in Baltimore and I'm firmly convinced that 80% of them are posers who only like the Red Sox after they won a World Series.

7:00 - Pat and I grab two hotdogs and a bag of peanuts respectively as we go to willcall. Pat's friend and former co-worker Rembe (awesome name btw) was able to get us free tickets as he works with the Nationals operations. Through the gates we receive free t-shirts. Free tickets maybe 20 rows up from behind the first base dugout and free t-shirts. Off to a great start.

7:05 - After meeting our friends Jordan and Bob the builder, we discover that Bob was endowed by the sports gods with four luxury suite tickets by a random person on the Metro. Incredible! We trek our way up and sit in king-like chairs with an awesome view behind home plate. Here's the view

7:15 - We search the suite to see what lies within and quickly Bob discovers a bottle of Johnny Walker Red underneath the sink (which seems like a reasonable place to keep fancy liquor). We all quickly walk out of the suite, buy cheap sodas and realize that we just saved maybe 15-20 dollars apiece on booze. Shots are poured and the night is getting better every second.

8:00 - Three business men from out of town join us and sit down to begin a strange betting game. Pat being a very personable guy asks the details and joins in. I now endorse this game to anyone who ever wants to make baseball a more interesting game to watch.
Everyone throws in a dollar into the pot and it starts at one person with one corresponding batter. If the batter strikes out, the person holding the pot throws another dollar into the pot and passes it to the next bettor. If the batter walks, the bettor hangs onto the pot for another batter. If the batter hits into an out/error, the pot is passed to the next bettor. If the batter gets a hit, the bettor wins the pot, takes the money and the pot is remade with a dollar from each participant. If the batter knocks one out, all the other bettors owe the pot-holder five bucks apiece.
Awesome game that gets better with liquor.

8:45 - Pat wins his first pot and rejoices. We all cheer for him as we watch the Nationals and Mets play the most worthless game ever.

9:00 - Bob and Jordan go out for Dippin' Dots ice cream. After getting some ridicule on their way out, they return to tell us they got free ice cream. The vendor had shut down her station due to a lack of cups, so Jordan and Bob borrow cups from the suite and the vendor gives them free ice cream for being so resourceful. Could this night be any more free?

9:30 - The Mets implode in the eighth and the Nationals take one from a team with twice their payroll. Good end to a game for everyone except Jordan (a Mets fan). We part and head home on the Metro

Awesome night that I had to share with everybody. I encourage people to go to eliminated-from-playoffs games because almost everyone will not care and then you have "free" reign over the stadium if you play your cards right.