My 2 Cents

by: Jeff

Again, it has been a long time since the XPS show has seen any activity. Nonetheless, I dusted off the ol' site, and decided to post an edition of "My 2 Cents". This is my opportunity to talk about whatever I want to talk about in the world of sports. Without further ado...here are my 2 cents - NFL Edition (whether you like it or not!):

Bounty-Gate / New Orleands Saints:
- Its been THAT long since we've had a post, but here are my thoughts on Bounty-Gate. First, does everything have to be given the suffix "-Gate"? We all know about water-gate, spy-gate, and now bounty-gate? Can't we just call it the Saints Bounty Scandal? Or something like that? Anyways, I digress, I feel that Roger Goodell is sending a swift message with his punishment of the coaches, players, and front office staff that were involved in this scandal, BUT I think that he is also

viewed as being inconsistent because they are choosing not to share the evidence with the public. We all heard the audio of Gregg Williams telling his team that they should go after Frank Gore's knee and "kill the head and the body will die", but we haven't seen anything with Jonathan Vilma or the other players who were suspended. If he wants to justify these suspensions, he needs to show us why he did so. Back to the Williams' comments from his audio clips...is there a defensive coordinator in the NFL that hasn't told his team they need to "get after them", "try to rip their heads off", or "break their spirit"? I doubt it, so I don't take too much into his comments, people use this type of stuff as motivation! The question for the readers out there is this: With news that the Saints were also involved in a wire tapping incident and being able to hear the coordinator / coach communication, which is worse: the Patriots Spying Scandal, or Wire Tapping? I'm interested to see what you think...

The NFL Draft Needs Adjusted:
- To me, the NFL draft is the first sign that we are finally getting out of the dog days of basketball and hockey, and there is light at the end of the tunnel...and that light is the NFL season. I love how the NFL has taken the draft and lengthened it to a 3 day process to keep fans involved and getting more TV time. There is one thing that I would do to make even more people tune: The NFL should tell all teams

that they are NOT permitted to release who their picks are before Goodell take the podium. This year was the first year in a long time that there was a little debate at one point as to who was going to go #1 overall - RG3, or Luck? Unfortunately, the Colts released on Tuesday that they will take Luck, then the Redskins announce they will take RG3, and now I have no need to watch the first hour of coverage of the NFL draft. Make them keep it a secret!



Junior Seau's Death:
- As a young adult about to turn 30 next year, I remember almost all of Junior Seau's career. He was the first really noticable linebacker of the 90s. He had it all, the agility to cover, the speed and strength to rush, and the charisma to top it off. He was one of those guys that I loved watching play the game. Even though I don't like the Ravens, I do like watching Ray Lewis play football. Junior Seau was the same way for me. It was a shame to hear that he ended his life, but I think some people are drawing way too much into this. Did he suffer adjusting to life

after football? I'm sure he did, but I'm not going to say that is the sole reason he killed himself. Did he suffer from brain injuries? There is a good chance, but again, I'm not going to draw all of these conclusions because this man obviously was haunted by some serious demons that NO ONE will ever know. I feel for his family and his close group of friends that have lost a loved one, but I hope the NFL is listening as EVERYONE is talking about what they are doing for their retired players...it needs to be addressed with most players done with their careers by the age of 35.

QB Carousel = Success for All?:
- On the last XPS Show, Danny and I talked about where Peyton Manning was going to end up. We talked about alot of teams, and Denver won that race. So what happens to Timmy Tebow? He goes to the NY Jets! We all know this, but how will it work for these two teams? I don't see Peyton Manning being super affective based on the fact that NO ONE has said that Manning is 100% ready / healthy to play a down in the NFL. He is throwing, and people say he looks good, but until I see him under center, I am going to be doubtful. What about Tebow and the Jets? This is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. This is a team that although it talks a big game (mainly from Rex Ryan) is also extremely fragile. Look at last year when Santonio Holmes blew up in the last game and was benched. Then the team went off on Mark Sanchez about how he wasn't good enough to be the starter, etc. So what does the

team do? Gives him an extension...it makes sense. The front office brass are showing their trust in the QB of the team. All is right in jet-land until they go out and sign Tim Tebow! The most polarizing figure in the NFL last year is headed to a team that is bound for a blow up if Sanchez comes out of the gate slow. However, is Tebow even the answer? I don't think so. I don't think he is ANY NFL teams answer at the QB position. Now you hear the Jets Speical Teams coach saying they will use Tebow on Punt team?! This is a circus waiting to happen. Who will have more success this year? Petyon Manning and the Broncos, or the Timmy Tebow / Mark Sanchez led Jets?

Leave your comments below XPS Fans! Until next time...