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.

Friday Awards

I've thought of a new section in the blog that will address funny and terrible moments in the sporting world from each week. (I need a name for this section and am currently accepting suggestions). So here we go with the inaugural ridiculous moments in sports from No Offense.....

Coolest youtube video:
Perfect Shot
These kids tried to throw a basketball from Texas A&M's stadium's second level, decided to go up another level and then sank the shot. These fools were invited onto ESPN to talk about their video.
No Offense......but the video looks fake and he forgot to call bank on the shot.

Coolest dream scenario come true:
Drunk Russian Goal
During a Russian soccer league match and as one team lines up for a penalty kick, a drunken fan runs onto the field and blasts the ball past a stunned goalie and then runs and celebrates the goal.
No Offense....but was it worth having the KGB "break you like mule"? Also tell your slightly slower friend to stay in the stands next time as it looks like he would follow you anywhere (no homo....).

Freak injury of the week:
Derrick Lee injures neck
Are the Chicago Cubs truly cursed? Second baseman Jeff Baker hit a two-run, walk-off homerun against San Fransico Giant's closer Brian Wilson. After first baseman Derrick Lee crossed the plate with the tying run he was slapped on the helmet by teammate and reliever Angel Guzman. Lee has had neck and back spasms all year and aggravated the injury when Guzman slapped his helmet.
No Offense......But John Madden once said, "You know, there's a rule in sports. Don't do anything great if you can't handle the congratulations." This is almost as lame as Gus Frerotte injury his neck after head butting a wall in celebration.
*Runner up goes to Marion Barber's blown tire quad injury against the Giants Sunday night.

Moment most deserving of cuss words:
Lefty Shoots 8 at 14th
Sitting at 1-under par and after hitting a great tee shot at the 14th hole, Lefty put his approach into a bunker short of the green. From there he pitched it over the green and into the rough behind the hole. From their he pitched it back into the same trap from before. After that he failed to get it out of the trap. After finally getting the ball on the green he 2-putted for an eight and finished the day at 3-over.
No Offense....but as bad of a hole was for Lefty(almost excruciating to watch), Sportscenter anchor Robert Flores made a great call of this sequence on Sportcenter's Not Top Ten alluding to this sequence from Caddyshack.
Spalding Smails: Turds.
Judge Smails: Spaulding! How many times have I spoken to you about your language?
Spalding Smails: Sorry grandpa I forgot.
*Takes another whack...
Spalding Smails: Double turds.
Judge Smails: Spaulding!

Most devastating injury/injuries of the week:
The Philadelphia Eagles are without QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook and WR DeSean Jackson on offense and lost MLB Stewart Bradley for an extended period of time, driving them to work-out Jeremiah Trotter?
No Offense....but with a cupcake game against Kansas City this week and an early bye week next week, leave Trotter's fossilized-self at home and get some cajones for this week (I hate the Eagles and almost all Philadelphia teams in case you didn't know and I'm not ashamed to be biased).

That's it for the first-time-around. Let me know what you think of this section/idea and please feel free to spitball more ideas in the comments section.

Draft Money Talks

I think a gleam of hope shined upon the world. Maybe an angel got their wings. But when the audio clip emerged of President Barack Obama calling Kanye West a jackass after his latest stunt at this year's Video Music Awards, everyone was simply ecstatic that someone in the spotlight said what everyone else wanted to.

Today in an article on ESPN, reporter Scoop Jackson began his article/column by comparing Kanye West's jackass-ness to that of Michael Crabtree, the only unsigned rookie from this past year's NFL draft.

Crabtree was taken 10th overall by the San Francisco 49ers which made him the second wide receiver chosen behind Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey (HEY BEY BEY!) who was taken 7th by the Oakland Raiders.

People in Crabtree's "camp" expected the receiver to go 5th despite the fact that he missed many workouts for teams with an ankle injury and requested money deserving of a fifth-overall pick and supposed "savior" to the teams thin receiving corps.

256 players were drafted by NFL teams this year and yet only one remains. The 49ers have offered around $20 million to Crabtree (which is a heck of a lot more than he makes sitting at home watching the games). Crabtree has threatened to sit out this season and re-enter into next season's draft in order to hopefully go higher and earn more money.


SURVEY SAYS??? XXXXXXXXXXXXX!

Crabtree is trying to hold the Niners hostage in this situation but in my opinion all he's doing is hurting his own stock.

Who is going to want to spend a first-round draft pick on this guy if there's no guarantee that he will actually sign with the team? Plus he's going to be a year out of the game! A year's worth of rust to shake off along with the eventual learning curve that all rookie's go through and this guy won't score more touchdowns than I will.

There's no doubt that Crabtree is a talented player. What he did to Texas on national television last year was simply amazing. But why cause such a stink about being the second pick taken (and five picks late according to his agents)?

Playing in the NFL is a privilege and he's lost sight of that. The Niners for their sake have never looked back at Crabtree and have started off their season 2-0. A surprising start for the team and their success only further weakens Crabtree's arguments and causes.

It's time for him to suck it up and realize that he screwed himself, and try to become part of a team that may be this year's Arizona Cardinals. San Fran may have a chance to win the NFC West (almost any team in the division has a chance). Why not make a big apology and come crawling back to a now successful team.

To Kill a Boo-Bird

If you were a Maryland Terrapins' fan this weekend, you may have booed when the team lost to Middle Tennessee State for the second time in as many years. A team that is barely qualified as Division-I defeated an ACC contender in each of the past seasons. They deserved to be booed with a pathetic effort that allowed their opponents to win on a last second field goal. Only a week before the Terps barely squeaked by James Madison, another under-qualified D-I school, in a close overtime victory.


When a team doesn't live up to their potential especially against much weaker opponents, then true fans may become unruly and begin to question their coach, ownership and especially a quarterback. When the athletes LOSE a game to worse competition, booing is a completely acceptable way to tell the team that they simply did not perform well enough.

Now contrast the collegiate team with the pros. The Redskins performed poorly in their opener against the New York Giants but still remained close enough in the game to make it respectable (they ended up losing 23-17). If they were at home last week, the boo birds would have been accepted because the team lost after playing poorly.

However I am amazed that as the Redskins took a knee to run out the clock as they defeated the St. Louis Rams 9-7, the boo birds came out again. The team that had some terrible difficulties trying to score touchdowns had officially won their first game and first home-game but that wasn't enough for fans at the game.



Being a true fan is being part of your team no matter what. When your team loses after a poor effort, booing doesn't mean you hate you team. It means you didn't like their effort and want them to step it up. Skins fans booed during the game when their team was held out of the end zone all five times they got close.

However it's never acceptable to boo after a winning effort. Competition and skill is at such a high level in the professional leagues that winning is not guaranteed ever. It may be a cliche but a win is a win. In a 16-game season, any win is a very positive step for a team. Don't boo your team because they won in an ugly way. Be proud that despite all their shortcomings in the game, they were still able to win.

Boo birds need to fly away when a team wins. There are good wins and bad wins but a win is always a million times better than a loss.

Jay Cutler and his ego

Broncos new head coach Josh McDaniels must be patting himself on the back right now. He probably bought himself a beer for having such good judgment this off season.

After quarterback Jay Cutler made a huge fuss over the firing of former coach Mike Shanahan and the hiring of McDaniels and he went head-to-head in arguments with his new coach, the Broncos finally decided to trade the whiner to Chicago to be the Bears new hurler. The Broncos got Kyle Orton as compensation but we'll get to that later.

The guy reminded me of Willie Beaman in "Any Given Sunday". Anyone who cries about their situation and then doesn't perform really needs to re-evaluate themselves. Cutler made such a fuss about his situation (which has now spread to his go-to receiver Brandon Marshall) that the only way he could justify what he did was by going out and throwing the pill around like the second-coming of Brett Favre. OK more like the 8th coming of Favre??

Cutler is a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. Don't get me wrong, the kid can flat-out play. Unfortunately after throwing a huge temper-tantrum over the coaching change, he really had to perform in Chi-Town. And he didn't....

Four picks including some in a still close game, taking two sacks, and throwing more tantrums than touchdowns on the field. His performance can only be described as atrocious. Cutler at one point was on the sideline just chilling and buzzing his lips while having a career-worst day.

Now do you believe in karma?

McDaniels made a great reputation for himself as offensive coordinator in New England. He orchestrated three Super Bowl wins for the Pats while helping Tom Brady become the superstar that he is today. He also helped Matt Cassel emerge out of invisibility to become a great quarterback (unfortunately he now operates in Kansas City where quarterbacks go to be hit). How could you be upset that your team brought this guy in to help you too? His track record is as good as Usain Bolt's! Cutler's ego must have been larger than the entire cast of "Biggest Loser" if he didn't want to learn from McDaniels.

If Cutler wanted to go to another city.... fine. Don't poison your team before you leave and then under-perform after you get there.

Cutler's replacement? Orton throws a game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds left to win for his team. How is that trade looking now Jay?

I understand that players move all the time in the NFL. It's part of the business and can't be changed. However when your ego becomes so over-inflated you think you're bigger than the team, go take your sorry act somewhere else. Now Chicago is without Brian Urlacher (wrist surgery) for the season and must count on cry-baby Cutler to lead them in a revamped NFC North.

There may be plenty of tears in Chicago this season and it seems like a lot of them may be from Cutler.