Roger Goodell Has No Spine

There are a few truths that we hold to be self-evident.

• The Detroit Lions is the worst franchise in the NFL
• Unless handed a no-brainer pick, the Sonics/Thunder will draft a project power forward/center
• The Cubs will always disappoint
• Tom Brady is one good looking dude
• The voice of DJ Khaled should be added to the Geneva Conventions' interpretation of what consistutes torture

Here's another one: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has no spine.

Yeah, I went there. Many feel strongly that Adam "Pacman" Jones should not have been reinstated for his repeated indiscretions and would not have been reinstated unless he played for the NFL's most marketable franchise, the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, not only has Jones been reinstated since becoming a member of the Dallas Cowboys, he is back in the news this week for getting into a fight with the team-issued bodyguard. Not surprisingly, Mr. Win At All Costs himself, Jerry Jones, has come out already and stated that the other Jones will not be suspended by the team. Ironically enough, or not so much at all, #1 cornerback Terrence Newman had surgery to repair a tear in his groin muscle and will be out for approximately a month. To date, there has been no suspension from the Commissioner's office for a player who was granted reinstatement on the assumption that no funny business would be tolerated. I wonder what Odell Thurman thinks about that.

While I understand that the Commissioner's office has to do its due diligence in any investigation of wrongdoing, it has acted swiftly in other matters that involved franchises of lesser stature (see the Cincinnati Bengals). Need I mention Spygate and which franchise was involved? Some have argued that the stripping of New England's first-round pick was an enormous penalty and that Goodell could not have taken away the 7th pick New England held which they acquired via trade from San Francisco for the rights to Joe Staley. My response ... he's the Commissioner and he can take away whatever he wishes. If he wishes.

At the end of the day, it's easy to come down hard on franchises that have more arrests than wins. It's a low risk, high reward situation for Goodell. When he came down hard on recidivists like Odell Thurman or Chris Henry, he was applauded by many for rooting out the bad behavior that his predecessor addressed with less purported ferocity.

In the case of the Commissioner addressing indiscretions coming from "America's Team" or the only team to win three Super Bowls this decade, it has to be considered high risk and medium (at best) reward. By coming down hard on the league's most valuable franchises, Goodell would be biting the proverbial hand that feeds him. Unfortunately, in the case of Roger Goodell, biting the hand that feeds him precedes doing what is right and what is consistent with his mission of improving player conduct in the NFL.

For those reasons, Roger Goodell is spineless and fits in pretty well with his political equivalents in Washington. What Goodell needs to do is to shape up and make decisions based on what is right for the league rather than making inconsistent judgments based on the ideals of self preservation.

Tangled Up Bungles

As a DCPO (Disgruntled Carson Palmer Owner) and for no other reason, I am curious to know why the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense has stumbled out of the blocks in 2008.

It's put up or shut up time for the Bengals

Credit: Third and Long

Key Statistics from Week 2

First Down Differential: -5
Yards Per Carry: 3.1
Net Opp. Rushing Yards: 177
Turnover Differential: -1
Time of Possession: 27:26
QB rating: 41.3

Key Statistics from Week 1

First Down Differential: -13
Yards Per Carry: 2.8
Net Opp. Rushing Yards: 229
Turnover Differential: 0
Time of Possession: 23:45
QB rating: 35.3

As a result of their ineptitude, the Bungles rank dead last (NFL averages) in first downs, time of possession and passing yards and 30th in rushing yards allowed. Through two games, Cincinnati is averaging less than half of their first downs last season (20.0 per game) and are vastly underperforming from their 2007 season ranks in the passing department (7th), total offense (10th) and points scored (11th).

Though I’ve heard the phrase “Carson Palmer is done” more than a few times in the past couple weeks, I simply remind those people of Drew Brees who was comparatively atrocious and played poorly for four straight games prior to waking up from his quarter season-long coma.

Could it be cutting Rudi Johnson? Or, perhaps the sending off of tackle Willie Anderson in favor of the less experienced Stacy Andrews? Did Chad Johnson’s antics piss off more people than you or I thought it would? Are the wide receivers unable to get open for a QB who’s moving at Jason Campbell speed through his progressions? Has Marvin Lewis lost the locker room? Have “the same five plays”, as Clement puts it, made defenses ready for what’s coming and made Bob Bratkowski’s once-thriving offense (http://www.bengals.com/team/coach.asp?coach_id=5) obsolete? Does the defense lay out a welcome mat for even the most obscure opposing backs to run all over for games on end?

Bengal WRs: Nowhere to be found

Credit: CNN/SI

In a single word, … YES. It’s all of these things and a few more, like welcoming back criminal recidivist Chris Henry. While it’s too early to declare this season over and order a massive overhaul after two poor showings, the Bungles had better make things right internally before their Week 3 tilt with the defending Super Bowl Champion, the New York Giants.

Tuesday FourCast: Week 9

My apologies for the slight delay this week, but since this gig pays me the equivalent of the number of touchdown passes thrown by Ryan Leaf since 2002 I opted to take care of other pressing matters first. In any case, it was a crazy weekend in the NFL, chock-full-of broken records, concussions, and that little game that was played out in Indianapolis.

#1: How Many Fingers Am I Holding Up?

I’m probably one of the biggest fans of solid hits delivered on the football field. The view of a crushing blow that lays out a wide-receiver after goes across the middle for a pass, or of a special teams player causing a punt returner to leave his feet because the return man idiotically forgot to signal a fair catch, is just pure gold. That is, it’s great, if the guy who got decked can get up and play again in the same game. But when the result is a massive concussion, or other serious injury, I’m less happy.

This season we have seen quite a few players leave and/or miss games due to concussions. We may have even seen Trent Green’s career come to an end. Yet, too often, players who suffer concussions are rushed back to the playing field. The Carolina Panthers are desperate to rush David Carr back to the field after his concussion this past week. Laveranues Coles is desperately needed by the Jets and Kellen Clemens, even though he suffered a concussion recently as well. Hopefully Coles will continue to heed the advice of former teammate Wayne Chrebet. And hopefully more coaches will take the lead of Cam Cameron, who refuses to let Trent Green risk his future health and happiness even though the quarterback is dying to get back out there.

While the big hits are entertaining, I’d rather see the players have full careers than mistake my two fingers for four.

#2: Still Not Crowning Their Ass

WARNING: Mandatory item on the Patriots. All haters please skip down to #3.

What a game. Sure, it wasn’t the 41-38 final score that most people were hoping for, but we did get to see just how important defense is, even in a contest of offensive heavyweights. Early on, it was the Colts who pressured Brady into mistakes and miscues (even though I contend that the interception just prior to the Addai touchdown would not have been a pick if Randy Moss were the intended receiver rather than Stallworth). And in the end, pressure by New England’s front-seven led to Manning’s “fumbleception” to Roosevelt Colvin.

But even though the Patriots remained resilient, and played impeccable football against the other NFL powerhouse in 8 of the final 2 minutes of the game, I still refuse to crown them. I see three potential games that the Pats could conceivably lose, plus, they’ll still have to make it through 2 playoff games and the Super Bowl. The three games which, in my opinion, could cause the ’72 Dolphins (whose regular season opponents, by the way, had a winning percentage of 0.364) to drink their champagne yet again are: November 18 at Buffalo, December 9 against Pittsburgh, and December 29 at the Giants.

#3: Return of the Macks

This week will see the return of two solid players who were suspended by Roger Goodell because of their off-the-field conduct. First, DT Tank Johnson will return to the playing field on behalf of the Dallas Cowboys. Johnson received his suspension due to various events, ranging from his possession of guns to DUIs, that occurred during his tenure with the Chicago Bears. Even though Johnson remained unsigned until after the second week of the regular season, the commissioner allowed those two weeks to serve against his suspension. Logic? None, but then again this does relate to the Cowboys, so no logic is the norm.

Secondly, Begnals WR Chris Henry returns this week as well. Henry received his suspension on the same day that Pacman Jones was suspended for the entire season. This could not come at a better time for the listless Bengals, who are struggling with a 2-6 mark and who might be without Chad Johnson for a week or two. Ironically, this comes right as Titans RB Chris Henry is about to begin a suspension for substance abuse. Note to self: don’t name my children “Chris Henry.”

#4: And I Thought 196 Yards Was A Good Day

It’s no secret that I’m a Redskins fan. Therefore, it’s no secret that I cringe most every week when I see a Joe Gibbs team passing on 3^rd and 2. This weekend finally gave me some sort of a sigh of relief thanks to Clinton Portis’ 196 rushing yards. Sure, we barely beat the 1-8 Jets, but we got our ground game going and our starting running back was assured to be the week’s rushing leader. What? He finished second?!? By 100 yards?!?!?! Holy $#!†.

Adrian Peterson is a beast, there’s no other way to put it. The Chargers are known for their weak secondary, not a weak run defense. But just by looking at the highlights from that game, it’s clear that Peterson was a man on a mission … either that or he’d been smoking the peyote and running like crazy. I fully admit, I thought he would’ve been injured by this point in the season and I drastically underestimated him. That said, I’m really thankful for the trade in which I acquired him for Chad Pennington in my fantasy league. To think, I hesitated on pulling the trigger on that deal.

Last year, the rookie who was breaking records left and right was Devin Hester. Now we’ve got Peterson, who is well on his way to breaking the single season rushing record as well. An even greater feat would be for Peterson to lead the Vikes into the postseason, and in the NFC that’s a very real possibility.

Goodell Suspends Jones for season, Henry for 8 games

On Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the stiff suspension imposed upon Adam “Pacman” Jones (entire 2007 season) and Chris Henry (eight games). In his statement, Goodell emphasized, “It is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right. These players and all members of our league have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis."

The PHSports contributors sound off on topics such as professional athletes serving as [unintended] role models, the image ramifications of poor behavior by NFL players, as well as comments on the disciplinary measures taken by the league office.

Pacman: Forbidden to "Make It Rain" for 2007 season

Photo courtesy: www.cantstopbleeding.com

Armin
As a youngster, I was the biggest Charles Barkley fan I knew. I loved his hustle on the court, and his humor off it. I was a homer in the truest sense. Nothing Barkley could do was wrong. Then came his, "I am not a role model" commercial, and as much as I struggled with my homerism, I knew deep in my heart that something wasn't right with that statement. I concluded that Charles was only half-right in the commercial. Parents should be role models, like he said. However, professional athletes don't have a choice. They are role models whether they like it or not.

The NFL is slowly becoming a haven for criminals. Of course, this is unfair to the majority of the NFL players who lead decent, non-criminal lives. However, one can see how the image of the league can be tainted by the few. These are the people that young athletes look up to. What kind of lesson are we teaching them if we continuously let these thugs get away without punishment, and let them continue to play a game that, at the professional level, is a privilege and not a right. This is why I stand and applaud Roger Goodell for handing down hefty suspensions to Adam "Pacman" Jones (full season) and Chris Henry (8 games). Goodell has thrown down the gauntlet. While Pete Rozelle fostered the success of the NFL and Paul Tagliabue cultivated it into a powerhouse among professional sports, Roger Goodell could very well be known as the man that cleaned the image of the league, making it the envy of professional sports.


Clement
In regard to the suspensions handed out by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, eight games for Bengals wideout Chris Henry and an entire season for Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Titans, for their ridiculous barrage of off-field incidents (and relative carelessness at the actual crimes they committed, and not being caught) … good riddance, for now.

Ironically enough, Pacman's suspension (who many claim is being punished before being proven guilty of the 'rain-man' incident - not that he didn't have any priors either) from the NFL may be the least of his problems these days.

In reference to the commissioner’s official statement from earlier today, I couldn't agree more. In fact, I think this is exactly what professional sports should be looking to undertake in all facets. I called for Chris Simon to miss an entire year. I didn't complain when Melo got 15 games, even though the instigators should've received similar lengths in their suspensions.

Interestingly, ESPN's Chris Mortensen dropped some rather surprising information on the Dan Patrick radio show today. He told Patrick that nearly 80% of the NFL Player Representatives (2-3 per team typically) discussed at their annual meetings that Pacman and Henry should receive potential 'lifetime bans'. This wasn't just talk on the golf course or by the swimming pool either.

NFL Players are clearly fed up with the reputation. Goodell's advisory committee most likely agreed with this ruling and probably wanted a stiffer penalty for Henry. They are tired of being labeled as thugs, gangsters, adulterers, and overall bad guys. I, for one, can't blame them. One bad apple can't spoil it for everyone. However, only when the Players, and specifically their Union, speak out publicly against situations and players acting like this will true progress be made.

My gut reaction hasn't changed since the talk of major suspensions, or potential bans, came out: strike them down swiftly and quickly. Great work, Roger. Mr. Upshaw, don't fight this too rigorously, or it will bite you and the players much more than you think.

Paymon
Accountability. That is the single word which can be applied to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decisions to suspend Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones for the entire 2007 season and suspend Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry for eight games. It is that same degree of accountability which should strike fear into current NFL players who would think of putting themselves in a position of danger.

No one can blame Goodell for these suspensions. Some have said that Goodell stripped the men of their livelihoods, but let’s be honest. They were stripping themselves eons before the commissioner’s office stepped in to resolve an issue. Both players have had it coming with poor conduct taking place long before they stepped on the professional gridiron, or even when both starred at West Virginia. Jones and Henry have a combined 4 years of NFL service, are in their early 20s and on a fast-track to either life in prison or an untimely death. In my eyes, Goodell’s decision did them both a favor.

The next few months are all about growing up for the two young men. Neither have done so yet and neither have shown any indication that they were on the verge of doing so until an intervention came via the one man who can cut them off permanently from their only legal way of making a half-decent living. This is the chance to make things right internally, as both men, especially Jones, have unresolved legal problems lying in wait.

As for the league, they must take responsibility for its players actions – and we realize that they are by the perception hit that the league takes – by improving its programs for new players. In fact, league offices from the major sports should make it their job to convene with another and develop a set of best practices in terms of maximizing player conduct. While this is no panacea, it’s a way of doing more to attack the root cause of the problem rather than simply suspending repeat offenders.

Sum
After all the time wasted by the NFL by handing out fines and suspensions for celebrations, it's nice to see some legitimate action by the league's front office. Adam "Pacman" Jones and Chris Henry have wasted the incredible opportunity afforded to them by life. Their conduct has eclipsed the whining of T.O., the cell-phone incident of Joe Horn, and the on-again, off-again relationship between Ricky Williams and pot ... combined.

Jones has been interviewed by police in relation to 10 different incidents since being drafted by the Titans 2 years ago. The man has more "heart-to-hearts" with the police than I have had with women. Henry, on the other hand, had 4 arrests over the course of 14 months. It's rumored that he was just logging visiting hours with inmates as part of the NFL's latest United Way campaign.

Ultimately, these two athletes earned what the NFL dished out to them. In a world where the days of professional athletes as positive role models has seemingly gone out the window, we need to combat any chance of them becoming destructive influences on children. Roger Goodell has already made himself a force to be reckoned with when it comes to disciplining players. The suspension of Albert Haynesworth took care of that. The new action against Jones and Henry was necessary. The NFL has a system in place for substance abuse, which calls for at least a year-long suspension after the third infraction. These two young athletes, while not officially breaking the substance abuse policy, acted as menaces to society apart from drug and alcohol abuse. Ten infractions in 2 years for Jones and 4 in 14 months for Henry. The suspensions doled out by Goodell were more than justified, and frankly, I think he could've given Henry a full year as well.

Let the iron-rule of Goodell continue as long as it's necessary to get the NFL back on track.