Random Rumblings: April 20th

RIP Pearl

We randomly rumble on a sad day as we found out this morning that Dwayne "Pearl" Washington has passed away at the age of 52. The Syracuse basketball legend might be the most important player in program history. It's either him or Carmelo Anthony. That's it. That's the list.

In the early 80's as The Big East began, Pearl was one of the stars. The league's success can be directly tied to TV (and ESPN specifically) and that success can be drawn back to the star players. The bigger than life coaches, such as Jim Boeheim, John Thompson and Rollie Massimino all had major roles, but they had to have players to make the product worth watching.

Washington was not only an outstanding player, but he was a showman. He played with uncommon flair. I was watching "With A Kiss" yesterday, the documentary on CBS analyst Bill Raftery, who coached in the early 80's in the Big East at Seton Hall. Jim Boeheim was featured in talking about the Big East, and he told a story about a trip to the west coast. He landed at LAX and was waiting at baggage claim when someone shouted at him "Hey! You're Pearl's coach!" This was in the early 1980's in Los Angeles about a player in The Big East! That was the power of Pearl. He was the first recruit in Boeheim's best stretch of coaching success until the last six years.

There was no better guy and there’s nobody who has meant more to our basketball program than Dwayne Washington.#CuseFamily

— Jim Boeheim (@therealboeheim) April 20, 2016

I can't sum it up better than Boeheim. RIP Pearl, a true legend.

Will you shut up about RGIII? No.

The relationship between Robert Griffin III and Redskins fans is endlessly interesting to me. To start to understand the dynamic, you have to understand that there are numerous segments of the Redskins fanbase. There is a segment that is actually more RGIII fans than they are fans of the team. There's another group that despises Griffin. There's another group that just wishes anything about Griffin would go away. There's another group that's more rational and doesn't really care about Griffin, but understands why he's a story. Note: that is the rational group. It is likely larger than you think, but silent so we don't hear from them very often.

Smh, why are we talking about a Browns QB in DC ? I am missing something here. https://t.co/FgXXvvcAqq

— Ricky Jean Francois (@Freakyjean99) April 19, 2016

To Ricky, the rest of the fanbase and anyone else interested in the story, I'd like to explain media to you as succinctly as I can. First, our job isn't to help the team. It's STUNNING to me how many players and fans think that's our job. "Why aren't you more supportive?" Because that's not my job? I'm not paid (when I'm being paid...#HireMe) to bash the team either. I'm paid to say what I see and talk about what's interesting, without taking into consideration how it may effect the team. It's simply not a concern.

Secondly, just like whatever you do for a living, we are trying to make money. We make money by talking about the things that are interesting to you so that you'll listen. For a website like CSN, an article about Griffin's first mini-camp for the Browns will do well. You can call it "click-bait" but it's also good business, and it's really not that cheap. There is genuine interest in Griffin in DC because he's one of the most significant athletes to come through this market in 25 years. He's gone, but that doesn't mean the interest is. That's okay! In fact, it's completely normal.

Right now in Chicago, there's still an immense amount of talk about Tom Thibodeau. The former Bulls coach has been gone for a year. Where he goes next is one of the biggest topics on talk radio. The feud between him and the team was the number one underlying story of the Bulls' season. There's still an obsession with Phil Jackson in LA. There's still an obsession with Jeff Van Gundy in New York. LeBron is a topic of conversation in Miami constantly, although, much like Griffin, he's a topic of conversation everywhere.

The most interesting thing about Griffin and the DC market is how unique the DC market thinks it is. I've always laughed at this notion that the Redskins are a bigger mess than say the Jets or the Raiders, or that Griffin is getting some special treatment unseen before in the history of earth.

The point is these things happen. A star player, especially one with the star power of Griffin, leaves and people talk about him because he mattered to them significantly. I understand why some fans want to move on. I understand why players really want to move on. However it's the media's job to serve the largest portion of their audience, which does have some interest in that player. If you're not in that group, don't click! That's all. That's how you send your message. When the clicks/listens/views stop rolling in, we'll stop producing the content. Just don't click. Or change the channel. Whining about it actually makes it worse because you keep the name in the news. It proves that there is interest.

In our business the opposite of hate is not love and the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of both is apathy. Voice your concerns accordingly.

Reads of the Day:

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne with a masterclass on how to use access after she spent the day after retirement (and more) with Kobe Bryant: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/undefeated-kobe160419/former-lakers-star-kobe-bryant-left-nba-just-getting-started

"An Unbelievable Story of Rape" will mess up your day, leave you feeling sick and is 100% worth your time. From ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story

Syracuse coach Mike Hopkins tweets his tales about Pearl Washington: https://storify.com/CraigHoffman/mike-hopkins-on-pearl-washington

Random Rumblings: April 19th

After some travel time, I've returned to rumble randomly. The travel was to my alma mater, Syracuse University, for the chance to work with the next generation of media superstars. Joe Lee, GM of WAER, invited me to work with his sports talk department and it turned into an incredible 48 hours on the hill.

It's hard to accurately describe what the student media, both WAER and Z89, mean to and have meant to my career. The shortest version of an attempt is merely saying that I would've gotten nowhere without them. The reason those places are so special is because the alums are so generous in giving back. Not only have some of the best and brightest in our industry established and passed down a standard of excellence when they were students, but they've also made sure to continue to go back and ensure that standard is upheld.

The fact that Joe reached out and specifically targeted me to come back and work with his staff is an honor. I was more than happy to make the trip. What I found, not shockingly, is an incredibly talented and driven group that craved the feedback and want to get better and continue the tradition. There's a reason there are so many Syracuse alums in this industry and there's a reason we're obnoxious about where we went to school. It's worth being proud of and it was abundantly clear to me after last week that the next generation understands that and will continue to live up to the expectations of being "one of those Syracuse guys" (or gals!) in every corner of media.

Kobe

I left for Syracuse at 6 am on Thursday morning, making it an unwise decision to stay up and watch Kobe's final game Wednesday night. So I didn't. I watched the first six minutes, in which he didn't hit a shot, and went to bed knowing it was on DVR for me to consume later.

I woke up Thursday morning bleary eyed and looked at my phone AND KOBE DID WHAT?! No amount of coffee or IV dripped caffeine could've had me come to attention faster than seeing that Bryant scored 60 on his final night. I immediately went to the box score and saw he shot fifty times, but he still scored sixty points!!! However as I started to read some of the reaction from Twitter the night before, then listen as I hit the road, I understood that this wasn't some chuck-fest. This was an all-time moment.

I finally got to watch this morning and it was pure magic. Were there some bad shots? Sure. He shot fifty times. You think they were all awesome? However there were also glimpses of a Bryant we all, including Kobe himself, thought was long gone. Snakes to the rim, ending in crafty finishes accounted for a solid percentage of his points. The pull-up jumper that made him the NBA's best player for a solid stretch of the early 00's looked as sure as it ever had. I'd use another word, but magic is the proper description.

For a player whose reputation as a closer was typically overstated (his percentages in clutch situation were terrible), this close was literally perfect. While he often forced shots and missed, there was no denying that Bryant always wanted to take the final shot. He thought it was his duty, and he had no fear of failure. That's admirable for an athlete, even if at times he should've played the percentages better. Wednesday night wasn't a time to play the percentages. Wednesday night was time to put on a show. He did, in the most unimaginable way possible.

He's inarguably one of the best fifteen players ever. He's almost inarguably one of the best twelve. He's arguably one of the best ten. He's done things few others have done in the modern era and some (his 81 point game) that none have done. From a pure sporting context, it doesn't get much better than  his performance on Wednesday. Also, Mike Tirico said "fo shizzle" late in the game going to break as the telecast showed Snoop dancing which is as all-time of a moment as anything Kobe did.

However in an age where we know more about our athletes than ever before, I'd feel like a total hypocrite if I didn't at least mention that Bryant was charged with rape in 2004. It was largely not mentioned during the Kobe farewell tour until the final few days as I saw it appear a few times on social media. I was pretty young during the trial, so I went back and looked at some of the reporting from the time and it's certainly damning of Bryant. At absolute best, Bryant committed rape amidst confusion about consent. This is directly from Bryant's statement after the charges were dismissed:

"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."

It takes two to have consent. The woman not believing she had consented constitutes rape, even if Bryant was under some other impression. Other accounts paint a much darker picture in which there's no confusion at all, and that there may have been other similar instances with other women that went unreported. We have a legal system that often fails victims of domestic and sexual violence. There are no winners in any of this. The charges against Bryant were dropped after his legal team engaged in horrifying victim blaming.

There's no good way to make all this into some grand conclusion. It feels like there's grey area here. Bryant rehabbed his image in part by doing an extremely high amount of charity work. He saw hundreds of Make-a-Wish kids, never denying one of their requests. His work with the homeless of LA is awe-inspiring. Does any of that make what he was alleged to do okay? Of course not. I don't know what the "right" response to all of this is. Watching his final game gave me great joy as a sports fan. Writing the last two paragraphs about a horrifying thing he is alleged to have done makes me feel really guilty about that joy. That's really all I've got.

Trade That Pick!

Making as hard of a left turn as we can, the Browns should trade the number two overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft and they shouldn't think twice about it. It's pretty clear the Rams are taking one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz at number one after trading with the Titans last week. That leaves any other team who wants one of those quarterbacks needing to trade with Cleveland to ensure they get their man.

The Browns don't need either if they're committed to Robert Griffin III at quarterback. Even if they're not, they should trade the pick anyway unless they believe one of them is truly special. The reality is the Browns stink. They're not winning this year with anyone they can possibly acquire at quarterback. They need a lot of players. The only way to get a lot of good players is to draft a lot of players. The way to draft a lot of players is to have a lot of picks, which you can acquire in a trade for the number two overall pick pretty easily.

NFL Draft picks, no matter where they are, are like lottery tickets. The higher the draft pick, the better chance that ticket is a winner, but the real goal is to get as many tickets as you can. If you go 50% on your picks, but only have six picks, you've only developed three players. If you have 12 picks? Now you've got six NFL caliber players and are making headway towards becoming good again.

Since multiple teams are likely to want in on whichever QB is left (multiple reports say it will be Wentz stating that the Rams like Goff), the Browns can probably get a great return for their pick. Making a deal is all about leverage. The Browns have it. They should use it, and then be patient as their stable of players develops and maybe, just maybe, they'll have a winner in Cleveland a few years down the road.

Reads of the day:

This Seth Wickersham piece for ESPN The Mag on Robert Nkemdiche is great. It shines a light on one of the draft's bigger question marks and how questionable the draft process is: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15159447/should-teams-worry-robert-nkemdic-nfl-future

NBA Player Wayne Ellington writes about his father's impact on his life and his cold-blooded murder for The Player's Tribune: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/wayne-ellington-nets-father/

If you want some great Kobe stories, Baxter Holmes has written some remarkable stuff for ESPN LA the past few weeks. This, on his shooting routine, is one of my favorites: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15179469/kobe-bryant-famous-pregame-shooting-routine

The Talk Radio Host's Guide to RGIII

Part of hunting for talk radio jobs is doing research, meaning listening to talk radio from around the country. That allows me to stay current on what's going on in markets around the country (specifically ones that there are openings in), and it's a nice chance to do some research on the craft. When you're working, you don't get to listen to other stations other places. You've got to be locked in on what's happening in your market. Being able to listen to other stations is beneficial not just to stay in tune with what's happening in other places, it's a chance to study how others do the job.

However, no matter where I turn, or how hosts are presenting their material, there seems to be one thing in common: they're all talking about RGIII! It's unbelievable. I can't escape!

What's more unbelievable than a country full of football obsessed people talking about a formerly effective, high-profile quarterback who is about to be a free agent though, is how consistently wrong they are about basic facts of Griffin's time in Washington.

I pause here, momentarily, to establish that I rather like Robert Griffin III as a human being. I've gotten to talk to him quite a bit, even though he was completely off limits to the media the entire year. None of those conversations were on the record and almost none of them were about the Redskins.

We often talked about college football. When Syracuse hired Dino Babers, who was with Griffin at Baylor, Robert found me and said "man, you just got a great coach!"

I really like Robert. I hope he succeeds, and there's a reason that's the near unanimous chorus amongst media members in Washington. He's an incredibly personable human being who takes a genuine interest in conversation. That's a refreshing change from many star athletes who see any media member's presence as a total nuisance.

On the field, he inarguably provided the most electrifying run in Washington sports since the Redskins last Super Bowl, however what's happened since 2012 seems to have not made it that far outside the beltway.

So with that, we come to "The Talk Show Host's Guide to RGIII," which you can bookmark, reference and cite as often as you'd like!

First and foremost, Robert Griffin III lost his starting job in Washington because of performance, not injury. In fact, whether Griffin was even injured or not is up for debate. His camp says he was never concussed after being blasted by the Lions in week 2 of the preseason. The Redskins and the league obviously disagree, as they put him in the concussion protocol and deemed him concussed. For about two weeks, Jay Gruden didn't know what the hell was going on and I can assure you he never wants to hear the words "independent neuropsychologist" again.

However whether Griffin was concussed or not, he was getting benched.

Gruden said that whether Griffin was available or not, Kirk Cousins was going to get some starter's reps in the 3rd preseason game. Griffin wound up being unavailable, giving all the starters reps to Cousins. When Gruden revealed this in a press conference, I asked him to elaborate on what the split would have been and who would've started. He declined to expand, saying it was in the past and there was no real benefit for him to divulge more. For his sake, that was correct. For ours? Meh.

Given that there was now the green light for an open competition, Cousins was going to win the job. He was miles better than Griffin during the off-season program and in training camp. The Redskins coaching staff touted Griffin's progress because they had to. Going into the season saying "we're screwed" at quarterback doesn't do anything publicly, and they had to convince themselves privately so they didn't go to work every day with a defeatist attitude. It was true that Griffin was getting better, but not by much, and he still couldn't operate basic plays in the offense as late as August.

Despite those worries, Griffin had the job because he wasn't allowed not to have it. Eventually, ownership allowed the football staff to put whoever they wanted in place, and Cousins was awarded the job on merit. Also note that Griffin wasn't just demoted to being the backup, he was demoted to third string. While that may have had something to do with his $16 million injury option, he was also their third best quarterback.

However the misremembering of Griffin's history goes back beyond the 2015 preseason. I've heard praise for how Griffin closed the 2014 season, with a 336 yard performance against the Cowboys.

He threw two interceptions in that game and in which Washington lost 44-17. But hey, he threw for a ton of yards.

Earlier in that season was the low point of Griffin's time in Washington, as the Redskins got beaten badly by Tampa Bay. After the game Griffin commented that everyone had to play better, which rubbed many the wrong way. My former co-worker Chris Cooley, who watches tape weekly and grades players, was unable to grade the offense that week because Griffin operated at such a low level. He said the coaches had to completely abandon the gameplan and return to "Day 1 of training camp offense" to try and get anything going. He was that gun shy. His ability to decipher what to do with the football was that low on that given day.

That, in the end, is the fatal flaw for Griffin in a pro style offense, unless he made a completely remarkable jump while on the bench last year. He hasn't shown the ability to read a defense, because prior to being in the NFL, he didn't have to.

Bryce Petty, who played in the same system at Baylor that Griffin did, described the learning curve to The Wall Street Journal:

Petty admits to grappling with tasks such as hearing and calling the play, identifying defensive backs in coverage and identifying which player in the defensive backfield was the “mike” linebacker, the central part of the defense whose location teams base their offensive line protections on. “As crazy as it sounds, at Baylor, we did not point out the ‘mike’ linebacker,” Petty said. 

Petty was unfamiliar with making adjustments to the play or the formation before the snap. 

“Honestly, I wish I’d done a little bit more as far as being proactive to get into a pro style [offense],” he said, singling out the need to decipher fronts or coverages. “It was things I have never seen before.”

Those are basic, elementary tasks in a pro offense. So how did Griffin succeed in 2012? Two things.

First, Mike and Kyle Shanahan created a hybrid offense that had elements of Griffin's old system in it. This was the definition of putting a player in a position to succeed. The results were solid early, as Washington started 3-3. The third win was sealed with this play:

A coach, who was with the team at the time, told me that play changed changed how defenses attacked Griffin, which leads to the second factor of his rookie success.

Teams started playing very basic defenses, not wanting to risk giving up a similar big play. Griffin saw the same few, easily identifiable defenses for the rest of the season and never really had to concern himself with setting up protections and deciphering pre-snap disguises. Like at Baylor, it was line up and play. Washington lost the next 3 games, and then went on a seven game win streak to close the year. Griffin was great, won rookie of the year and then got hurt in the playoff game.

Before the 2013 season, Griffin told the Shanahans he didn't want to run anymore. His dad even said publicly that any quarterback that wants to run more than pass is a loser. Tension was at an all-time high. You probably know about all that.

With Griffin returning from injury and less likely to run, teams started mixing coverages. He struggled, as defenders were doing things he'd never seen before. His interception numbers sky-rocketed. He was sacked constantly. The team went 3-10 with him as a starter. The Shanahans were fired.

We've now almost come full-circle. Jay Gruden was hired after his stellar work with Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. Gruden and Griffin had some public moments they'd both rather have back. Griffin didn't perform well in Gruden's system. Gruden knew he was not giving his team the best chance to win as better options sat on the bench. Griffin got hurt again. Those better options didn't do much as they hadn't gotten much practice time. Griffin came back. He wasn't good. He got benched. The team stunk, but hey he had that 336 yard game to close the year against Dallas! Now we've finished the circle.

Reviews were mixed behind closed doors of how Griffin handled this season. I can attest to the fact that he wanted to stay quiet and lay low, which he did. He absolutely could've spent the season leaking complaints and keeping himself relevant. He intentionally did not as to not be a distraction. He didn't have a whole lot of ground to stand on because of how well Kirk Cousins was playing, but there was some space early in the year before Cousins turned it up. We didn't hear a peep.

I talked to many of his teammates who said Griffin was a great teammate. I also heard rumblings that he wasn't as happy for Cousins' success as Colt McCoy was, even though McCoy had every right to complain as well. He was the only quarterback not to be benched for performance in 2014, then lost the starting job before he even knew it was available.

Side-note: no one knew it was available until it was. Not McCoy, not Cousins, not Griffin and not even the coaches. The old "compete/prepare like you're the starter" adage was never more relevant than this year in Washington. McCoy absolutely did. He just got beat, but you can understand his frustration. He handled it like the pro's pro he is, publicly and privately.

Griffin absolutely did his job as a scout team quarterback too. Jay Gruden told a story the week of the playoff game about Griffin running around, simulating Aaron Rodgers, before chucking a ball 70 yards down field. He brought the same energy to practice he did as a starter. I talked to one teammate who said he was always engaged as well, showing progress in reading and deciphering coverages from the sideline as Cousins was on the field.

Doing it from the sideline and doing it from on the field are completely different stories though, and that's the question for Griffin moving forward. He has supreme physical talent as a straight line runner, and he has a terrific arm. However a quarterback's success is more reliant on his ability to read and react than it is his physical talent.

If I were in a market with a team looking at Griffin, I wouldn't endorse him as a lone option. I'd love him as a backup with potential, so long that I knew he was on board with that idea, dedicated to learning the system and the starter was entrenched so there would be no controversy. If he were to be brought in to compete for a starting job, I'd want another option. I'd want him to have to earn it. I'd want him to know that nothing is guaranteed.

I'd also know that he very well might lose that job to someone who is far less famous. Griffin is still young. He's only 26. He's completely healthy and has been for nearly a year. Saying "I'd take the risk on him" isn't some moronic opinion.

Just realize what the risk is, how we've gotten to this point and why a player who once looked like the future of the NFL is now going to be available after his rookie contract. Which you do. Because you've made it to the end.

The end.

Film Breakdown: Championship QB's

Cam Newton and Peyton Manning aren't completely different. They both went to school in the SEC, were drafted #1 overall and have led their teams to Super Bowl 50. Alright, thanks for playing. That ends the similarities.

Newton is the most unique athlete in the history of the NFL. He's got arguably the strongest arm in the league attached to a 6'5", 250 pound frame. He's an absolute tank, which allows him to run and take hits that no other quarterback could stand up to. In fact, he's often delivering the blows. On top of his physical elite-ness, he's developed into a highly effective pro quarterback that's learned to play from the pocket at a very high level.

WATCH: SportsTalk including a video film breakdown:

Manning is arguably the smartest quarterback the league has ever seen. Despite the fact that his arm strength has greatly diminished, he's still effective because he's seen every defense an opponent can throw at him. It's impossible to trick him. He's not as effective as he once was thanks to his accuracy falling off this season, but he's still managed to find his way to his fourth Super Bowl. It might be cliche to say he's doing this on brains and guile, but it's also completely accurate.

Below are two plays that show off the skills of the two championship signal callers in a crack at a Cooley-less film breakdown.

Manning - TD Pass to Owen Daniels

This first quarter throw ended the Broncos first drive in six points. The Patriots look to be in a basic cover 2 zone. The two outside players have hook/flat responsibilities. The two high safeties (red boxes) are playing deep. It'll be up to the middle linebacker to cover the middle of the field between the two safeties. That player is Jamie Collins, who is lined up over the inside slot receiver, Owen Daniels, who has come in motion across the formation to his pictured spot below. Manning has seen this coverage roughly three billion times in his NFL career.

Note: the previous number is completely made up. But it's probably close...ish.

The Broncos have a hitch-fade combination on the outside with Daniels working the middle of the field. This route combination completely opens the middle of the field thanks to the slot receivers pressuring outside and deep. The safeties have to account for those routes, widening the space (blue box) in the middle of the field.

Daniels works Collins on a double move, getting behind him. Collins should be dropping (orange arrow), but instead falls for the move and stumbles forward.

Manning has a massive window to throw into (blue box, now bigger!). You can see how wide the safeties have gotten thanks to the deep developing routes. Both are nearly 10 yards outside the hashes. All Manning has to do is loft the ball over Collins and let Daniels run underneath it. He does. The Broncos took the lead and never gave it up.

Newton - QB Sweep, Rush TD

The Panthers offensive staff has done an incredible job over the past two season of figuring out how to use Cam Newton's unique set of skills to create the most versatile run game in the league. Ted Ginn's first quarter reverse touchdown was set up by the mere threat of Newton's ability to run. Here, they Panthers use that ability on a QB sweep.

Newton sends Mike Tolbert in motion and at the snap, Tolbert sprints away from the play, taking the middle linebacker with him. The look for this play is perfect. The hardest block in terms of angle is #68 Andrew Norwell, who has to get around the defensive tackle to seal him off. The other three down-blocks are all on great angles, while center Ryan Kalil (#67) and right guard Trai Turner (#70) will pull to block the corner and safety. The numbers and angles are all in Carolina's favor.




Norwell hits his block, as do the other linemen allowing for Newton to get the edge with relative ease. Greg Olsen has the toughest time, but the tight end does just enough to get Newton to the edge.

It's now 2-on-2 on the outside with the pulling linemen needing to block two defensive backs. That's harder than it sounds because of the quickness of the DB's, but it's a matchup in the Panthers favor.

Right tackle Michael Remmers (#74, on the 10 yard line) does an outstanding job sustaining his block, creating an alley for Newton to run in. Norwell destroys the corner (he'll finish the pancake in the next picture) and the play scoring will come down to Kalil landing on the safety.



Kalil lands his block as Newton steamrolls towards the end zone. He probably could've walked in around the edge, but he's Cam Newton, so he flies instead. Supercam leaps over the top of Kalil and the safety for six and the Panthers continued rolling into Super Bowl 50.



The two quarterbacks will surely be the focus of the next two weeks. Can Manning ride off into the sunset like John Elway did with the Broncos, as Elway promised when he recruited him a few years ago? Can Newton solidify himself as the face of the league with a title a la his friend Steph Curry did in the NBA?

All those storylines will be dissected over the next two weeks. The answers will heavily rely on their performances against the toughest test either will face all year.

London's Calling...Don't Pick Up

A report from the BBC News says that the NFL still has an eye on London for a permanent franchise. I don't understand why.

Well, I do understand why. The NFL wants to make money and, in theory, could do so by expanding internationally to a new market.

However, there is a point, even in making money, of diminishing returns. Eventually, you have to remember that these aren't pieces you're moving around a game board to make money. There are people involved. A company with the resources of the NFL should surely be able to treat them as such.

It takes a lot to run a football team. There are players, coaches, trainers, video guys, marketing people, a public relations staff, executives of all of those things and so much more. Do you think any of those people want to live in London?

There's nothing wrong with London other than it's really far away. It's that simple. Most of us value some level of accessibility to our families, and even if we live across the country, it's not across an ocean.

Forgetting everyone but the basic football people, the thought that a London franchise could be consistently competitive is laughable. They would never get a top flight coach. Any coach with options would have to be grotesquely overpaid to pick leaving everything they know in the states to head to Britain.

The same would be true for top flight free agents, or even lower level ones. Any players with options would not live in London if given the choice. That holds true for draft picks as well. Even if the London franchise hit on absurd level of picks, they'd have to build up so much loyalty while the players were on their rookie contracts that they wouldn't want to leave the instant they got the chance.

Drafted players are mostly 21-23 year old kids, many of whom have never left the country in their lives. You are absolutely insane if you don't think some flat out wouldn't sign, even if drafted. Would most? Probably. Having to sit out a year isn't fun, but there are absolutely players who would refuse.

This is all before you get to the scheduling and travel logistics. Could you really ask players to travel back and forth across the pond for eight road games? Getting across the ocean takes long enough, but what about that first Londoners game in LA? That's another six hours in the air for enormously large men who barely fit in an airplane seat to begin with. Then you want them to perform athletically at a high level, turn around and go back without time to recover? Good luck with that.

You could just split the schedule. They could host 8 games, have a bye, and then travel the states like nomads for the final 8 games of the regular season. I'm sure the folks in London will love that. "Hey guys, is our team coming back?"

The NFL owns the American sporting landscape and apparently that's not enough. I fully understand the desire to expand because who doesn't want to make more money, but there are limits to all things. I could make more money if fraud, theft and tax evasion weren't illegal. Just because there's a way, doesn't mean it's a good idea bereft of consequences.

The problem isn't about some xenophobia or even American exceptionalism that we're not willing to share our game. It's simply the constraints of space and time. Scheduling would be a disaster and London's a long ways away.

Don't overthink this one NFL. Unless you've got a teleportation machine you're hiding. In which case can I borrow it? I hear there's a lot of snow coming.

Incomplete

It's amazing that a season that sprinted past every reasonable expectation could end feeling so incredibly incomplete.

The 2014-15 Dallas Cowboys were supposed to stink. They returned scraps of what was one of the worst defenses in the history of the NFL in the previous season. To make matters worse, they lost their best player, Sean Lee, to a season-ending ACL injury in OTA's.

The quarterback was coming off back surgery, again. The diva wide receiver was going into a contract year, which would surely be a distraction.

But none of that held the Cowboys back. Sure, there were defensive lapses, Romo scares and some unwanted contract headlines here and there, but they did as their coach instructed them. They fought. They went 12-4 and continued to fight last weekend, coming back to win a playoff game against Detroit in a most un-Cowboys way.

Today? Dallas played fine, but failed in at least three key sequences to make plays that could have changed the game in course of its favor. Instead, the Cowboys left the game in doubt late and a call changed the course of their history. First the three sequences:

The End Of The First Half

The end of the first half was disastrous for the Cowboys. First, they jumped offsides moving a 46-yard field goal attempt back to a 51-yard attempt. While Dan Bailey is normally terrific, that's a massive difference in the cold with a frozen ball. Bailey missed the initial attempt, somewhat making the penalty a mute point, but the psyche changes once the whistle blows, so who knows what would have happened. The one that counted? It was blocked and not even close.

The Packers took over with solid field position and slowly moved the football until rookie Demarcus Lawrence came up with an enormous sack of Aaron Rodgers, setting up a 3rd and 15 where the Packers needed a large chunk of yardage to get back into field goal range. The one thing you cannot do defensively is give up a long completion there.

They gave up a long completion. Aaron Rodgers dropped a dime to Randal Cobb for 31 yards and a first down.

The Packers' Mason Crosby nailed the field goal a play after another Rodgers completion. The Bailey miss and the Crosby essentially made it a six point swing going into the half. The final margin was five.

DeMarco Murray's Fumble

The Cowboys' first possession of the second half came with 12:19 to go in the 3rd quarter. They started to move the ball and then there it was: A massive hole for DeMarco Murray opened off the right side. He had a full head of steam. The only problem was he lost the football.
Fumbles happen. These are massive human beings running into each other at incredible speeds. This fumble did not happen in a massive collision, or even as someone tried with all their might to rip the ball loose. It happened on a simple swipe. It happened in softer than routine contact.

That's inexcusable. Troy Aikman said on the FOX broadcast he would have "hit his head on the goalpost." The Cowboys would have lead 21-10.

Randall Cobb's Fumble

Murray's fumble resulted in another Crosby field goal, shrinking the deficit to one. The Cowboys responded with purposeful drive that only saw 2nd down once. Dallas gained massive chunk after massive chunk before Murray finished the drive with a short touchdown scamper.
On the ensuing kickoff, Randall Cobb fumbled. The ball squirted high in the air before hitting the turf directly beneath Cowboys tight end James Hanna. It was at this point we found out why Hanna is the blocking tight end. The ball went through his hands and the Packers recovered.

If Hanna had managed to hold on to the football, the Cowboys would have had great field position, momentum and a chance to build a 28-13 lead with another touchdown. Above all the others plays, that was their moment.
Instead the Packers stayed close and eventually took the lead. It set up a chance for Tony Romo to play hero in his hometown and a fateful 4th and 2.

The Catch*



No one wants a game to hinge on a referee's call and that's what happened to the Cowboys for the second straight week. Last week's was as difficult to call and, like this one, was changed. Of course, last week's was changed unceremoniously to the point of absurdity while this one was done via replay and by the book.

Both calls were incredibly close. Had they been kept in their original states, the other fan bases would've been upset.

It's not that referees took the game out of the players hands. The game simply dictated the referees had to make difficult calls and they did the best they could.

Unlike last week's call, this one didn't have to be so difficult. That's what makes this scenario so frustrating.

The one thing that everyone agrees upon is that we all want this to be a catch. We don't want it be a catch so we can tell our grandkids about one of the best plays we'll ever see with our own eyes given the circumstances and general spectacularity of it turned out to be an incompletion. We want it to be a catch because every ounce of our rational football logic tells us it should be a catch.

Dez Bryant catches the football. He gets both feet down and takes an additional step. He dives for the goal line. In the meantime, he's in contact with a defender. His arm hits. The ball comes loose.



We don't care if every referee on television and the ones that actually made the decision tell us that the rules were enforced correctly. The rule requires a law degree to decipher. This is football. We shouldn't need a law degree.

Article 3 Completed or Intercepted Pass. A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:

1. (a)  secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
   
2. (b)  touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
   
3. (c)  maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.).
   

Note 1: It is not necessary that he commit such an act, provided that he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.
Note 2: If a player has control of the ball, a slight movement of the ball will not be considered a loss of possession. He must lose control of the ball in order to rule that there has been a loss of possession.
If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any part of his body to the ground, it is not a catch.
Item 1: Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control,
the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

The bottom of this rule (Item 1) is the problem for the Cowboys - "he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground." My retort would be, "why?"

If a player establishes control, why does it matter whether he's run five yards or 50 yards? Dez Bryant secured the ball, touched the ground with both feet and maintained the ball long enough to make a football move. And yes, it was a football move. He dove for the goal line, something players do all the time. But that goes out the window because he was falling down?

This of course makes no sense, which is not the fault of the referees, but the fault of the rules. The NFL's Competition Committee should change the rule in the off-season. In fact, they should have in 2010 when Calvin Johnson fell victim to a similar fate.

None of that helps the Cowboys now. Instead there is the cruel reality that a team coached by Jason Garrett, a man who has preached "process" for five years, sees its season end in large part by not completing one.

Problems Change, The Solution Doesn't

Last week was the worst week in NFL history. Multiple stories of domestic violence involving high profile players and a response from the league and its teams that sparked outrage nationwide.

It wasn't just the main story on SportsCenter either. It led every network evening news program in America along with the President's plan to eradicate ISIS. Let that soak in for a second.

The outrage was certainly warranted. The way the NFL, and specifically Roger Goodell, handled the Ray Rice case was improper at every turn. It would be comical if it wasn't so tragic. Anything they could have done wrong, they did, and it's not done yet as Rice is appealing his rash, indefinite suspension.

It's an appeal Rice has a great chance to win. He was punished twice for the same crime by the league and the second didn't fall in line with a policy Goodell had announced less than a week earlier. That means the two most high profile suspensions of the Goodell era will have been overturned (along with the Saints players in "Bountygate"). For a commissioner who many think is inept and incapable of doing the job, this is merely piling on.

However there is outrage in other places that, while completely understandable, isn't helping anything.

Do you want to be mad or do you want to be a part of the solution?

If you want to be mad, just go back to Twitter. There's plenty of mad to go around. If you'd like to be a part of the solution, keep reading.

This thought trail came to me for the first time when I saw tweets from Pacers forward Paul George which in short stated that if Janay Rice stayed with her now husband, who was he to judge? Immediately he was met with the wrath of people who were understandably angry with such a simple view of an anything but simple situation.

What George clearly didn't know is that many who are abused stay with their abusers. Many have made that leap insisting Ray Rice is that despite everyone involved says this was a one time horrible moment. I find that rather irresponsible, however those statistics are very, very real and could not be more relevant in pointing out the problem with George's sentiment.

So what's the better angle? To blast George for being an idiot, or realizing that he's uneducated like so many others when it comes to domestic violence and being part of the solution? Give me the latter.

A tweet is one thing. Beating a child is another.

The preceding two sentences combine to make perhaps the most obvious point in the history of mankind. With that said, the concept of what I said about George oddly applies to the Adrian Peterson case.

Every reasonable person agrees Peterson went too far, even if you believe in corporal punishment. The force was excessive. The aim was reckless. And the child was four years old. The details are nauseating.

So is the fact that Peterson didn't think that he did anything wrong. The solution here needs to be education, on top of whatever the legal system determines for Peterson. They don't have to be and shouldn't be mutually exclusive.

There are mounds of research pointing that corporal punishment causes long term problems for children. Sure it might teach short-term discipline, but the long-term problems are not worth the short-term reward and there are certainly other ways to achieve those goals.

When Charles Barkley went on CBS and stated that every black (and many white) parents in the south would be in jail if "whooping" their kids were illegal, he's not kidding and I would guarantee you that damn near all of those parents are unaware of the research referenced above. It's just how they were brought up. They think they turned out alright. It's how they learned how to parent from their parents and now that's how they're bringing up their child.

It takes education to break the cycle. Cris Carter spoke passionately about it this morning on Sunday NFL Countdown. He said on national television his mother was wrong. That's change. That's what's needed. We need more of it.

It is why I struggle with what I think of Peterson and even to an extent Ray Rice. I know I'm sick about what they did and I know I'll never look at either man the same way. But what's next?

If Peterson (after being punished fully and fairly by the legal system) learns from his mistake and speaks in his hometown communities about the dangers of corporal punishment and the benefit of disciplining a better way isn't that a good thing?

If Rice's incident was really a one-time, alcohol-fueled moment of rage and he becomes fully educated on domestic violence and prevents others from making the mistake he did, isn't that a good thing? Shouldn't we want good things?

The alternative is neutral or negative. If neutral, nothing changes. If negative, Rice, Peterson and others repeat their offenses and we can all agree that's worst case scenario.

Being mad is okay. It's natural. Quite frankly if you can read these stories and not be irate you don't have a soul, which is why Goodell's initial reaction was disturbing. However, eventually the anger has to turn into something.

When Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and then turned the gun on himself, we were shocked and horrified and largely did nothing. This time let's not repeat our mistake.

The only way to break cycles is education. This is a responsibility of many. It's on the league to provide education to its players. It's on the media to uncover problems with the goal of helping to fix them, not just exposing those involved. The discussions need to advance beyond "he's an awful person who did an awful thing."

Last but not least it's on the players. One of the most valuable skills a person can have in life is to understand what he or she doesn't know. Take some personal responsibility. As situations with your colleagues come up, do some homework. There's a reason they're in hot water.

Anger is a natural reaction to things we don't like. It's often warranted. It's useless unless harnessed and focused positively. In short, that's the lesson here. For everybody.

Hoffman Uncut: NFL Preview Podcast

The NFL season starts full bore on Sunday which leaves just enough time for the "Hoffman Uncut's Really Quick Because The Season's Here NFL Preview" with ESPN's Robert Flores!

Michael Sam to sign with Cowboys

After a very productive preseason, Michael Sam found himself on the outside looking in at a talented Rams defense and without a job. The first openly gay player drafted into the NFL is going to have to wait to play in it. It had nothing to do with his sexuality and everything to do with the reality that he's not a special talent by NFL standards. That said, he's good enough to be in the league and we knew he wouldn't be without a job for long. The Cowboys made that wait less than a week.

Sam is flying to Dallas tonight to take a physical tomorrow and sign with the team's practice squad. Despite many people wanting this story to go away, it can't until it happens. There's still history to be made and there likely will be soon.

For all his flaws as a general manager, Jerry Jones is a phenomenal owner and someone who cares an incredible amount about the well being of the NFL. In this interview with "The Afternoon Show," Adam Schefter (who broke the news) doesn't rule out that could have played a factor in Jones bringing in Sam.



It simply looks bad for the NFL when Sam produced in the preseason and didn't make a roster. Not making the Rams roster is one thing. He lost out to a player who has position flex (for non-football types, that means he can play multiple positions while Sam plays only one spot) on a loaded defense and nobody can argue with that. Not making any roster is a little harder to comprehend. It just didn't look good. Jones knew that. Roger Goddell knew that. Schefter didn't exactly rule out the commissioner "suggesting" Jones make a move, perhaps even in return for the league not pursuing tampering charges against Jerry Jones for talking with Adrian Peterson this off-season.

With that said, it's also a football decision. The Cowboys need edge rushers. Sam is that. He had as many sacks as anyone this preseason. He can play. The Cowboys need players that can play. The question is when will he play and it might be more significant than you think, which is saying something for the history that it would mean.

Consider this tweet that astonishingly flew under the radar over the weekend from Yahoo! Shutdown Corner's Eric Edholm.

There's an NFL team that signed a player they know to be gay to hefty contract extension recently. It's not the controversy people think.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) August 31, 2014

There won't be any added pressure on the Cowboys to add Sam to the active roster and play him, but there almost should be. Why? To get to the next guy. In order for this not to be news, we need it not to be significant. The first gay player in the NFL is significant and at this point, that player will be Michael Sam.

No other gay player is going to come out before Sam plays because Sam was the one who was brave enough to be the first. He was the one who answered all the questions and had to deal with all the attention (positive and negative) of being the first. Another player isn't going to swoop in and take the accomplishment.

With that in mind, Edholm's tweet is significant. Once Sam breaks the barrier, I fully expect others to come out as well. If you don't think there are gay players currently in the NFL, you're both naive and wrong.

Step one has to come before step two, so for now we wait on step one, and Michael Sam looks like he will take that step with the famed Cowboys star on his helmet.

The Actual Future of American Soccer

As I drove home this afternoon, the words in my head were coming out of my speakers. Jorge Sedano was talking on SVP and Russillo about where we are and where we're going with soccer in America. The day after USA's loss in the World Cup, that was the lead on most talk shows in America. Most of the takes quite frankly had nothing to with the future of American soccer. They had to do with how much the given host didn't care.

To those people, there is nothing those of us who do care can do. I categorize myself in the "care" group not because I have some lifelong love affair with soccer. Nor do I get up on weekend mornings and watch European soccer (yet). However it's the number one sport in the world and it's undeniably growing in this country and I'd very much like to see where it goes.


Podcast: ESPN NBA Insider and lifelong soccer fan Amin Elhassan and I discuss the future of American soccer.

Many of the "get off my lawn" types who are poo-poo'ing the USA's result in the World Cup and screaming how much they don't care point to the passionate soccer crowd who's been telling them soccer is coming for 25 years. Two things:

1) There is no worse way to express how little you care than talking about a topic non-stop. If you don't care, then don't care. Just stop talking.

2) Soccer is here.

It is not dominating. It won't take over the NFL. However the NHL and depending on who you ask, even Major League Baseball might soon fall behind nationwide interest in soccer. There are definitely pockets of the country where it already has and those pockets might be expanding. There are statistics that say soccer is more popular amongst teenagers than baseball, as tweeter Bobby alludes to here:

@craighoffman this is the part that is overlooked. The 12-24 demo is watching more than ever and it will show over the next 15/20 years.
— Bobby Perry (@BddoyPerry74) July 2, 2014

Amongst my generation, which will soon be the money generation every company in this country is after, soccer is apart of our sporting culture. It just has an odd place. MLS's following is growing at a very solid, but not rapid pace. The morning EPL games are watched by a higher percentage of people than you'd think, but a 7:30 am start on the east coast means 4:30 am out west, so how many people are watching those games live? However the national teams (yes teams, women included) are must-watch television.

For the women it's really Olympics and World Cup only, but you could easily make the argument that the single biggest star in American soccer is Alex Morgan. It's harder to make that argument the day after Tim Howard reached American legend status, but Morgan's in more ads in this country year round than anybody on the men's national team.

When the men play though, no matter the meaning of the game, people are watching. Not the record numbers that ESPN garnered during the world cup, but people nonetheless. It's taken awhile, but soccer is here.

The "it's taken awhile" part is what the problem is for some. They refuse to recognize the revolution because it didn't happen overnight. Maybe revolution isn't even the right word. These things take time and that's exactly what Sedano eloquently expressed today and as my friend John Nolan poignantly points out here:

@craighoffman Yep. Really, it makes sense. Drastic, cultural change takes decades. (See: History.)
— John Nolan (@John_G_Nolan) July 3, 2014

So what now?

The Olympics are the next major tournament, but Olympic soccer is tricky and that's hard for the American sports fan to understand, especially post-dream team era. It's primarily an under-23 tournament (each team gets a few players over that age limit) so many of the names the average fan just learned won't be present for it. Most world soccer powers don't have stellar records. That said, many of the young guns who made an impact will. Deandre Yedlin was electrifying. He's 20. Julian Green's first touch was a goal that gave the US last minute hope. He's 19. The list goes on, and a big time American run could be a huge next step in part because most American's don't understand and quite frankly don't care about the U-23 implications.

Looking at the bigger picture though, there is a major problem for soccer in America that is worthy of discussion. In fact it should be at the center of discussion. It's going to take a person with much more knowledge than me to figure out the solution, but when I solicited tweets on the purposely generic topic of "the future of American soccer," it was one of the first responses I got from my co-worker Tyler Sloan.

@craighoffman Can soccer grow here when the best leagues & players are in Europe? Fans here can go to NFL NBA MLB NHL games & see the best.
— Tyler Sloan (@tsloan_17) July 2, 2014

What is best for the US National Team and what is best for MLS are in direct conflict.

Jurgen Klinsmann has said time and time again that he wants his players playing in Europe against the best competition. The reason is simple. There's no better way to get better. However the best Americans playing in Europe means the MLS is a minor league, even if it is AAA.

The ideal solution is that the world's best (American born or otherwise) flood MLS and it becomes another top tier league along with the English Premiere League, Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A.

I think the best bet for that to happen is to start by convincing the best South American players that the US is a better stop for them than Europe. Right now those players are going to Europe. If you can convince say, Colombia's James Rodriguez (currently playing in France) that he doesn't need to switch hemispheres, we can get somewhere.

Clearly the best solution long term for American soccer is for the American league to be top notch. It's the first step in the cycle that ends with the USA being a world soccer power. A better American league leads to more American interest which leads to more of our best athletes choosing soccer. More of our best athletes choosing soccer means we're better at soccer. Duh.

Us being better at soccer means we have a better league and the cycle continues until good becomes great and we go from "can compete with anyone on a given night" to "expect to win."

The question to which I don't have the answer is how do we get there? Is the best short term step for our best to be playing against the better competition in Europe? When does the switch then happen where they need to come back to America?

Reality of life also enters the conversation. Clint Dempsey was a legitimately good player in the EPL for years before deciding to come back to the states and play for Seattle. Klinsmann wasn't happy about his decision, and understandably so. In a piece for ESPN, Dempsey explained the move had a lot to do with wanting to raise his family in the United States. That's hard logic to argue.

I don't know what the solution is, but I do know this is the conversation that smart people should be having. Whether or not there's interest and "does soccer matter?" isn't.

That conversation is pointless. As self-important as we think we are in the media, we're reliant on what fans want. We don't control the conversation. They do. We talk about what fans want. We don't talk about Lebron James, Johnny Manziel and other stars every day because we want to. We do it because research tells us that when we do, you watch and listen.

So if soccer numbers continue to rise and interest continues to grow, it becomes a part of the discussion more than once every four years. The conversation will shift from whether people are interested to actual discussion of what's going on like other sports.

Soccer isn't going to be #1 anytime soon and probably won't be in my lifetime, but that's okay. Only one thing can be number one. Do we talk about basketball like we currently talk about soccer because it's not football? Of course not. The goal shouldn't be domination. It should be participation, as in being a part of the regular conversation.

The game's growth is undeniable. We need patience though, and in the current microwave society, we have none of it. So instead we get people screaming how much they don't care and that that soccer will never matter and blah blah blah.

One of the other questions that does have merit is will this change anything in the short term? Can MLS and soccer in general get a boost from this World Cup? People asked the same question about the women's game after the 2011 World Cup. The WPS had historic attendance that summer. And then folded.

This is different though, as the infrastructure of the men's game worldwide as sturdy as could be. I know personally I will watch more. I've used this World Cup to learn more about the biggest stars in the game and I fully plan on watching them when they return to their clubs. I'll be more inclined to watch an MLS game and will certainly tune in for the weekend morning EPL matches. Will that win my TV over a basketball or football game? No, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been progress.

Patience, like soccer is something we're not great at in this country. Unlike patience though, at least soccer is trending in the right direction.

2-8 Hoffman and Platt

Jeff and I are live Saturdays at 2 pm CT on 103.3 FM in Dallas and online at KESN1033.com. Follow along on twitter @craighoffman and @jeffplatt. We'll also be taking calls at 855-787-1033. Here's what we're doing on Feb. 8th:

2:00 - Mavs: The Week that Was

2:15 - Would You Go To Sochi?

2:30 - Calvin Watkins answers the five biggest Cowboys off-season questions

2:45 - Best of Six Pack

3:00 - How Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly are changing football.

Your pre-listening reading - http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9581925/seattle-seahawks-use-unusual-techniques-practice-espn-magazine

3:15 - Mavs: how high in the standings can they climb?

3:30 - Hoffman’s guide to college hoops now that you’re paying attention

3:45 - The Value of Signing Day

4:00 - Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com NBA Writer

4:15 - Talk To Me - you call, we answer and that's a bout it at 855-787-1033

4:30 - Winter Olympics

4:45 - One Last Thing - Adreain Payne and Princess Lacey

Bleacher Report's Jason King joins us discuss his heart-wrenching story of a 6'10" college basketball star and an 8 year old fighting for her life. Read the amazing story here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947345-the-adreian-payne-story-how-michigan-state-star-became-the-ultimate-role-model

We'll hope you'll join us!

2-1 Hoffman and Platt

Jeff and I are live today at 2 pm CST on 103.3 FM in Dallas and online here. Follow along on twitter @craighoffman and @jeffplatt. We'll also be taking at 855-787-1033. Here's what we're doing:

2:00 - Preview Super Bowl XLVIII

2:15 - Looking back at an odd week for the Mavericks

2:30 - Eric Edholm, Yahoo! live from the Super Bowl

2:45 - Best of the 6 Pack

3:00 - ESPN Denver's Les Shapiro and 710 ESPN Seattle's Jessamyn Mcintyre

3:15 - Mavs: Is Monta Ellis bringing the team down? Plus, NBA Power Rankings and David Stern's legacy

3:30 - Best of Super Bowl Week: the sounds from players, coaches and our ESPN analysts. Plus, what responsibilities do players have to the media?

3:45 - Rangers: Michael Young retires. Plus, "Would You Rather?" - Super Bowl Edition

4:00 - ESPN Dallas: Are the Cowboys closer to a top 5 pick or the Super Bowl? 

4:15 - Talk to Me - you call, we answer and that's about it at 855-787-1033

4:30 - How to watch and how to bet the Super Bowl

4:45 - Super Bowl predictions and One Last Thing, this week on Kevin Durant.

We hope you'll join us and #BeatDuke!

One Last Thing - Richard Sherman

Every Saturday at 4:50 pm, I share "One Last Thing" on Hoffman and Platt. It's an essay on a topic that caught my eye during the week. This week I chose to close a week of conversation on Richard Sherman. Listen to Hoffman and Platt Saturdays at 2 pm on 103.3 FM ESPN.

This week an older man named Jack called into Friedo and Fitzsimmons on the topic of Richard Sherman. "I didn't like what he did with his crazy hair and his crazy eyes" was the gist of his call. I cringed. The underlying racism eats at me. The crazy hair is Richard Sherman's dreads, a hairstyle worn predominantly by black folks and it has nothing to do with who he is.

However when discussing the call with someone later, I brought up the first thing I thought of when Jack described the crazy eyes. It was Marshall Henderson. The volatile shooting guard from Ole Miss whose eyes are crazy by the description of his own coaches. The response - "Yeah, but Henderson's one of the blackest white guys out there."

Which leads me to a simple question - what the hell does that even mean?

Race means the color of your skin. If we talk about Marshall Henderson or even if we go further down the "black white guy scale" to say, Eminem, we're still not talking about someone who would have had to pee in the "colored" restrooms in the 1940's. Not jarring enough? If this was the 1830's, there's no way Eminem could've been enslaved.

We'll never take the next step of having intelligent discussion on race in this country until we disassociate characteristics from skin color. Someone who speaks well is articulate, not white. Someone who listens to hip hop and maybe even can dance with some soul and rhythm isn't black, they just have some rhythm and soul.

When the Texas job was open, there were people who didn't want Charlie Strong to get it because he is black. Not because of any other reason. No personality trait. Not his skill as a football coach. Because he was black. That kind of racism I don't know what you do with because there's no advanced thinking there to be had. Quit being an ignorant tool. That's about all I got. 

But for the other kind. Characteristic racism if you will, it's time to grow up. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. 

If you say you didn't like what Richard Sherman did because barking in a camera about your own greatness isn't how you think someone should act - you prefer a winner with grace - then fine. Say that. Don't call him a thug. He's not a thug. He's loud. He's brash. And while some people will still see that through racial glasses, you've made your point without using race and hopefully meant it. 

Which leads to the final problem. There's got to be a way for the majority, in this case white people, to say something about a minority, black or otherwise, that is critical without the minority playing the race card. I agree with Sherman that some people were being racist cause I saw the tweets that used the N-word and, like Sherman said, some people used thug in replacement of it. You'd have to be beyond naive to think race was an element for some here.

But there were also people who just didn't like what he did and it had nothing to do with race, which is typical in these kinds of things. The racists are always going to come out, but it's not everyone.  If I think a black athlete does something wrong, I shouldn't have to fear being called a racist if I criticize him on nothing to do with race.

It's a group effort. People need to be smarter about what they say. A lot smarter. Quit insinuating racist things and instead say what what you really mean. Then it's up to the "attacked minority" to quit trying to tie them back together. It's a group effort and I'd love it if we could finally start.

1-25 Hoffman and Platt

Jeff and I are live today at 2 pm CST on 103.3 FM in Dallas and online here. Follow along on twitter @craighoffman and @jeffplatt. We'll also be taking a lot of calls today at 855-787-1033. Here's what we're doing:

2:00 - Mavs: recapping a disappointing roadtrip

2:15 - Josh Brent discussion

2:30 - Trey Wingo, ESPN's NFL Live 

2:45 - Best of 6 Pack

3:00 - Let’s Fix The Mavs: Call us with your reasonable Mavericks solutions at 855-787-1033

3:15 - Do the Cowboys have a new playcaller?

3:30 - Josh Brent: your thoughts at 855-787-1033

3:45 - Does the NBA play too many games? Read Henry Abbot's article we'll discuss here.

4:00 - Cowboys: Recapping a week of perplexing comments at the Senior Bowl

4:15 - Talk To Me: You call. We answer. And that's about it. 855-787-1033

4:30 - More Mavs discussion and our NBA Power Rankings.

4:45 - One Last Thing - How to actually advance the racial discussion in America

We hope you'll join us!

Richard Sherman - Just Shut Up (you, not him)

Note - there have been a few updates to this piece since it was originally posted this morning around 9 am CST. Two have been added as footnotes at the bottom. The other is the video from 'The Dan Patrick Show' in the middle. 

Much of America got introduced to Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman yesterday for the first time and the reaction was predictably shameful. "Who is this angry, self-centered ego-maniac that's making it all about him?" was about the lightest of the criticism I saw. There was the predictable racial side of the criticism too, but I'm not going there. If you make it about race, you don't deserve my thoughts and nevertheless my (virtual) breath. There's just no hope for you. So I'm not trying.

But to those who were honestly upset about Sherman, I ask why? Is how Sherman acted what I would describe as ideal? No. Is that how I'll teach my kids to act someday? Nah. But do I have a problem with it? Not one iota.  Consider:

1) He's a 25 year old man who just made the biggest play in the biggest play of his life to send his team to the Super Bowl. If that's not enough, he just beat his rival, made the play over a guy who's been talking negatively about him, and that was the most physical game in the NFL this year. He's jacked up on incalculable amounts of testosterone. You're lucky barking at the camera was all he did and FOX is lucky he didn't swear. I thought this tweet from ESPN producer Ande Wall summed it up well:

Y'all are mad at Sherm? The man just destroyed people for 3 hours and he's supposed to be measured and calm right after?
— Ande Wall (@AndeWall) January 20, 2014

Exactly.

2) As I tweeted afterwards, there are two sides of Richard Sherman.

Richard Sherman is a Stanford educated, really thoughtful guy. He also grew up in Compton. That's a baaaad man! #SFvsSEA
— Craig Hoffman (@craighoffman) January 20, 2014

To overcome the odds of escaping where he grew up, you've got to have more than a little self-belief. If some of that spills over in the biggest moment of your life, I'll live with it. To call Sherman an idiot or a thug though is just wrong. He is neither and it's not even close. Yes he grew up in Compton. Yes he's got dreads. This is 2014. Are we still really confusing that with a lack of intelligence? I'm not saying there aren't dumb football players but Richard Sherman is the farthest thing from one. The guy graduated 2nd in his high school class and then graduated from Stanford, getting a start on his Master's degree before he left.

In a way, the reaction to Sherman reminds me of the common thoughts on Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant. People who aren't paying attention see the occasional outburst and display of immaturity and don't have a clue who Dez is. He's a great teammate. So is Sherman. He's thoughtful. So is Sherman. Is there some immaturity? Sure, but if that's what it takes to get that kind of play on the field, I'll happily live with it.

I joined "The Carter Bryant Show" to discuss Sherman, the Super Bowl and more

The Carter Bryant Show -- 103.3 ESPN Dallas Craig Hoffman on Richard Sherman & Super Bowl by Carterbryantradio on Mixcloud

3) With the exception of the shot at Michael Crabtree, who he called a sorry receiver (he's a very good player), Sherman was right. Richard Sherman is the best corner in the league bar none. Quarterbacks have a league low QBR (quarterback rating) when targeting Sherman. Most cornerbacks are under six feet tall. Sherman is 6'3" with incredible ball skills. Trying to throw a ball over his head in that spot was stupid.

When I pointed this out, I got a lot of "I didn't hear his name all day before that!" which is proving my point, not yours. If a cornerback is doing his job, the receiver he's covering isn't open. That means the quarterback will throw the other way. That means you won't hear the corner's name. Sherman spent a lot of his day covering Vernon Davis. He was targeted only 3 times. I just went back and watched every single one of Colin Kaepernick's completions. You know how many of them were against Richard Sherman? Zero.

They targeted Sherman twice all day. The first was a holding penalty on him and the second was the final play the 49ers ran. There's a reason. He's that damn good. Part of playing professional sports is realizing you're that damn good. Confidence is everything in sports. If a player is confident in what he's doing, he trusts the endless hours of training and studying he's put in and combined with his physical abilities he's going to do his job. Richard Sherman does his job better than anyone else with his job and if he wants to tell us about it after showing it, I'm not gonna smoke him for it.

In the end what bothers me the most is how lazy people are when judging others. I've seen Richard Sherman interviewed enough times to know what he is. He talks a lot. He also backs it up. He's also one of the really thoughtful guys in the NFL. If you saw the two other interviews he did on FOX after the game, you wouldn't think of him the same way as you did in the heat of the moment after with Erin Andrews.

In fact, Michael Strahan told Sherman "I think you scared Erin Andrews in that interview!" as Sherman was on the FOX set and the look on Sherman's face was priceless. He looked mortified and based on that look it wouldn't surprise me at all if he apologized to her the next time he saw her. I don't think he has to (and neither does EA), but it wouldn't surprise me. (Update: Andrews said this morning on The Dan Patrick Show that she wasn't scared at all. She also nails the explanation.)



These are young dudes playing the most physically demanding sport in this country. The goal is to physically manhandle the guy in front of you. Yet in the 30 seconds after the biggest win of a guy's life we expect extreme composure? That's irrational. Instead we got exactly what we should expect - an expression of vindication from a player who's beaten the odds time and again. He made it out of Compton. He's a 5th round pick thanks in part (if you ask Sherman) to his college coach talking him down in the draft. That coach, Jim Harbaugh, was on the other sideline now with the 49ers. The player he beat on the final play also had done his fair share of talking. If there was ever a time to talk, that was it. And he can keep on talking all the way to New York.

UPDATE: Richard Sherman has been writing all season long for "The MMQB," a superbly done all-football website run by SI's Peter King. He wrote this morning. I encourage you to read it - http://mmqb.si.com/2014/01/20/richard-sherman-interview-michael-crabtree/

UPDATE #2: Sherman sent a text to ESPN's Ed Werder apologizing for the one thing he needed to apologize for - taking the attention away from his teammates. As I say at the top of the piece, how Sherman acted wasn't ideal, I just won't kill him for it because I don't think that's warranted based on circumstances. However now that we've seen how it's all played out, I don't see how anyone couldn't give Sherman props for apologizing. He wasn't trying to make everything about him, but it happened. So he apologized for it. Sherman's a smart guy and by all accounts stand-up guy. All he's doing, as cooler heads have prevailed, is proving it again. The high road is always the best long-term option. I just don't get the vitriol towards him given the circumstances.