NFL Draft 2011: "Green To Cincy Makes The Most Sense" Says John Clayton

John Clayton thinks the most logical destination for former Georgia wide receiver, A.J. Green, will be the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 4—Carson Palmer or no Carson Palmer. That offense is built around the passing game and with Terrell Owens out and Chad OchoCinco likely on his way to free agency soon, the Bengals will be looking to add some young, playmaking talent.

If not them, the Browns are still a very good possibility at the No. 6 spot—assuming they don't decide to select Julio Jones. The Browns need receiver help and Green would not only fill that role, but would be just the impact guy they need to expand their offense and give Colt McCoy more viable options in the passing game.

Here's what John Clayton had to say:



Either way, it sounds like Green will be selected in the Top 10.

Marvin Lewis on OchoCinco: "He's Being His Mopey Self"

You know, with a coach like Marvin Lewis, who needs enemies?

Reportedly when coach Lewis was asked about the recovery status of Chad OchoCinco, he had this to say, "Well, he's being his mopey self. Hopefully, he can pull himself out of it and move forward ... When things don't go Chad's way, that's kinda how it happens."

Uh huh, tell us how you really feel Marvin.

To further aggravate the situation, Lewis added the following when asked how he deals with such behavior from his other media-friendly receiver, "I don't deal with it...we just move on. We'll put a new guy in there. If he's not ready to go Sunday, we'll have somebody in there ready to go and go from there."

Wow, coach, I didn't realize you had so many grand options at that position—especially considering your other head-case, wait, I mean playmaker is out for the year.

Mr. Lewis might need to learn how to be a touch more diplomatic when discussing his players. It's a trait that could serve him well when he searching for his next job—which could be soon.

As for how OchoCinco feels about this, well, he did say something about being thrown under the bus.

Things are getting hot in Cincy. Looks like there's still plenty of drama left for No. 85.

Mike Ditka and Joe Paterno: "Lose The Masks, Lose The Hits, Lose The Injuries"...Any Questions

The solution offered by both, the former Chicago Bear, head coach Mike Ditka and current Penn State head coach, Joe Paterno seems insane on the surface because that's precisely what it is—insane!

The logic is sound enough: if you take away the armor that shields the defender from possible harm, then he will think twice about how he approaches his tackle. After all, in this day of big egos trying to make it in other avenues besides football (television, movies, and music), who wants a jacked up face or a misaligned set of teeth?

Well, most players in today's game aren't always thinking about the consequences of a hit, but rather the hit itself. They won't mind taking the risk, of slight pain or injury, if they feel it's going to be worth it in the end.

Even more, there are plenty of grudges in the NFL. There would be a section of guys who would just love to get a big lick on the quarterback that's always annoyed them or beat their team.

Think about it, how many guys would love to get a big hit on pretty boy, Tom Brady or endless pitchman, Peyton Manning? You think Ray Lewis would dismiss the opportunity to show Carson Palmer how he really feels?...Just putting that out there.

Removing the helmets might change the approach for some but, for others, it would present a challenge and make them more creative as far as how they could still get the hit without causing too much bodily harm to themselves. Either way, removing the face guard would do, relatively, little to curb the violent hitting behavior we see on the football field.
 
What say you?

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Ray Lewis: Tell Em' Why You Mad, Son!

Saw this vid on ESPN News and just knew it needed to be on this blog for the day. So, thank you YouTube for being a go-to point for all things video and thank you WNST Baltimore for uploading it for public consumption.

Ray Lewis, a future Hall of Famer—without question—decides that he wasn't going to be "politically correct" about the Ravens loss to the Bengals on Sunday. On the contrary, he was going to try and keep it "real". His take on the game, the referees gave it away by calling two pansy-ass calls on the Bengals for what they deemed to be rough hits on Bengals QB Carson Palmer.

The NFL has done a stellar job of trying their best to protect offensive players from the big hitters, like Lewis. They have instituted all types of rules that tell a defender how he can hit a guy, where he can tackle him, how much distance he has to give him in a particular situation, etc. However, what the NFL has not done is take into account that it's just as much the job of the defender to stop points from being put on the board as it is the offensive players job to put said points on the board.

Where's the balance and, Ray makes a valid point, where's the call for instant replay on defensive plays that come into question? Clearly, there's a need for some type of review process to keep defenders from getting hosed as well.

Anyway, I like Ray's honesty, but he needs to direct some of that anger to his own quarterback as well—the refs didn't make Flacco  throw those four picks.

Be it Cincinnati or St. Louis, for Terrell Owens, The Result Will Be The Same

Multiple media outlets are reporting that former Buffalo Bills receiver, Terrell Owens, could land in St. Louis. The Rams are said to be "aggressively pursuing" him at this time, and a deal could possibly be made between the two entities within the next 48 to 72 hours.

My opinion of Terrell Owens and his immature antics have already been made clear and, in light of this newest information, I have to say that if the Rams or the Bengals were to sign him, they would both be making a huge mistake.

Both Cincinnati (a team with a penchant for adding reclamation projects) and St. Louis (a team that is currently stuck in rebuild mode) may have space for a guy with Owens skills but is he really worth the headache and the potential setback he could hand their respective quarterbacks?

Sam Bradford will be a rookie in 2010 and he will have his hands full attempting to build chemistry with his new teammates.

Furthermore, he will face hiccups along the way as he deals with running a new offensive system in a league where the defenses can, and often have, eaten newbies like him for breakfast—do you really want to add in the catastrophe that can be "T.O."?

After all, Owens is no longer the game-changer he once was and to throw a young, inexperienced, and ill-equipped Sam Bradford into a situation where he is forced to contend with the personality that is "T.O.", in his rookie season, seems like a lot to ask because despite what anyone might say about Terrell Owens, he is not a team player.

As for the Bengals, Carson Palmer seems to be back on track and he already has a couple of receivers on the Bengals roster who make him a happy man when airing out the football—one of them is named Ochocinco (AKA, Chad Johnson).

Can Johnson and Owens truly exist on the same football field without one or the other caving in to prima-donna behavior?

In my opinion, the only place that Owens truly belongs, at this point, is on the unemployment line. He's just too negative a personality for any team to handle.

Is he talented? Yes, without question.

Does he have the ability to make a team better? Maybe. Maybe not.

Is he worth the trouble anymore?  Not really.

If either of these franchises are smart, they will do what every other team this offseason has done where Owens is concerned—pass.

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