Destruction, Cheating, and Stealing Are All Keys To Victory In The NFL

I hate Bill Belichick!

Bill is one of my least favorite people in all of the NFL.

It all goes back to when I was just a young strapping lad, a little tike who against all odds rooted for the New York Jets. I was a huge Bill Parcells fan until he decided to retire, (for the third time) after the 1999 NFL season. With the Jets head coach position vacant Bill Belichick was named by ownership as Parcells successor. As a fan I was saddened to lose Parcells, but excited to have a very capable replacement.

“Smooth transition” is what I figured.

However Belichick had other ideas.

Bill proceeded to play a 72-hour game of footsie with Jet ownership and the New York media before announcing his resignation. He never coached a single game. His reason for resigning was to assume the coaching duties for the New England Patriots where he remains to this day.

Now as a Yankees fan first and foremost; Patriot Nation is my winter home for Boston abhorrence. So I have always looked at the Belichicks actions as vile. Of course 1999 is where the origin of my hatred can be found, but over the last eight years my hatred for Bill evolved well beyond his disloyalty to the Jets.

Belichicks overall physical appearance, how he represents his team, and how he represents the NFL is pretty disgraceful. Bill is just down right nasty when conducting himself with media, most particularly in post-game interviews, but overall too. He is constantly defying the NFL dress code by wearing his customary battered sleeveless sweatshirts on the sidelines.

A stark contrast can be found in Jacksonville Florida, as just one coaching example. Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Jaguars has sported a suit and tie from the sidelines more then a few times over the last two seasons. A classy old school move not found in Foxborough. Polite and courteous with fans and press, Jack is a model citizen in the NFL off the field, and can be found leading his team with morals and ethics on the field.

In 2002 former Patriot Linebacker Ted Johnson says that Belichick pushed him to play thru several concussions in preseason. Playing thru these injuries has lead to permanent damage to Johnson. The evidence to these accusations was first made public last January during Super Bowl week. Suffering from Post Concussion Syndrome myself, I know of Johnson’s struggles, and I have no love for a coach who would attempt to push one of his players thru such aliments. Forcing players to compete through physical injury is the tell tale sign of a person who put victory above all else.

And then of course there is the most recent Belichick smut.

During the kickoff to the 2007 NFL season, the New England Patriots were in the Meadowlands to play the Jets in their week one home opener. An old crony of Belichick, Jet head coach Eric Mangini, caught Bill and the Patriots breaking one of the NFL’s most delicate rules. During the first half of the opener Mangini caught a camera technician employed by the Patriots filming the game from the Jets sidle lines. More specifically he was filming in an attempt to steel defensive signals used by the Jets to gain an advantage over their opponent.

Mangini, who has recently appeared in cameo roles on both the Sopranos and Sesame Street, combined Elmo and Big Bird values with Tony Soprano results. He caught Belichick red handed. He and his Patriots were ensnared in the direct act of cheating.

Well now the story is on going. The NFL is currently studying all videotape recorded by the patriots to see if further cheating can be found. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has stated he will continue to reprimand Belichick and the Patriots if further evidence is found that New England has cheated. Belichick has been fined 500,000 dollars and his team has lost its first round draft pick. No suspension or direct reprimand that affects the Patriots this season has been sited.

The punishment doesn’t quite fit the crime.

Bill is the type of guy who will punch you in the junk in a street fight, and think nothing of it. He is like the evil coach in all the sports movies who pushes his players in immoral and unethical ways. But all Hollywood movies end with the fairy tail underdog team defeating the nasty bad guys, and everyone lives happily ever after.

But here in the real world Belichick's New England Patriots are winners of the four of the last seven super bowls and are Eastern Division Champions each of the last five seasons.

The Patriots are 3-0 this season. Experts (including the entire panel on HBO’s Inside The NFL) are predicting that New England could go undefeated this season. No team in the AFC East including my old squad the Jets are going to beat them. So what the NFL and commissioner Goodell has showed is that cheating is ok. Winning at the expense of ethics, right and wrong, or good and evil is completely acceptable.

And Belichick is still the worst coach with the best record in all of professional sports.

Woods, Fed Ex Champion

Look, I get it!

The three or four of you out there who read my sports blog (optimistic) do not want to read another Tiger Woods story, or another article where I sing the golf pros praises. I hate to keep worshiping my golf hero and kissing his backside at every prospect, but I once again had an incredible Tiger Woods experience. Furthermore not only did I have an incredible Tiger experience, Tiger has once again had an incredible two weeks on the PGA circuit.

Tiger is the type of Iconic athlete that is either loved or hated.

There is no happy medium. There are plenty of great arguable points on both sides too. “He is too dominant, he owns an monopoly on the sport, and he is not fan friendly, he thinks he is better then the game and doesn’t need it.” All valid points against Woods. But sports history has had far greater villains who have accomplished far less.

So I realize those who hate Tiger, and read my blog are being alienated. However every sports journalist has a favorite. Howard Cossell had Muhammad Ali, and Steven A. Smith has Allen Iverson. And Peter Gammons has the Boston Red Sox. So why shouldn’t Tiger be my guy. As for the Blogers who actually stop at my site, if you’re a Tiger hater, stop reading now. Check back in two months, (optimistic) and maybe I will have something new to say.

I was in Chicago last weekend, once again working a corporate event at Cog Hill Country Club. Set up on the 12th hole, I watched Tiger up close and personal as he worked his way from the 11th to the 12th. I was so close to him as he walked through the crowd from hole to hole; I could have reached out and touched him.

The 12th is a Par 3, 212-yard hole. Tigers first shot was a line drive bullet straight up the fairway and right onto the putting green just 15 to 20 feet from the white flag. I moved in close to my corporate tent, which was up a hill to the left of the green. From there I watched Tiger’s second shot. After a few moments of mental preparation, Tiger hit the ball with a slightly aggressive tap. With his short swing the ball just kept rolling down hill along course with the hole.

The ball just kept moving and moving.

The noise of the crowd growing and growing, as the ball assumed this magical course.

Finally after what seemed like minutes. The ball hit the edge of the cup and sunk right in. A Par 3 in two of the most gorgeous shots I have ever seen on a Golf Course. The crowd went nuts, as Woods celebrated with his standard fist pump. From there it was a formality! Tiger took the trophy at Cog Hill and then it was off to Atlanta for the Championship at East Lake.

On Wednesday afternoon I was walking the course at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta looking for the concession tent where lunch was being served. Lost in my own thoughts, mainly thinking of food, I walked the spectator’s sidewalks between the sixth and seventh hole. East Lake Country Club was closed to fans, so only employees and tent workers were on the course. Suddenly while I was walking everyone around me had stopped. Golf carts and walking workers dead in their tracks as if time itself had come to a screeching halt. I remember thinking

“What the hell are these fools doing?”

as I walked on by. Then suddenly directly to my right, no more then four feet from where I stood was Tiger swinging his driver. He shot me a mildly dirty look, and I realized what I had just done!

I had just cut off Tiger Woods while he was preparing his tee off on six.

Embarrassed by my lackadaisical clumsiness on the course, I pulled off to the edge of the sidewalk, and watched the remainder of Tigers tee shots. I pulled my arms behind my back and stood at attention. Not even a mouse squeak could be heard from me. Turns out I was the fool!

Luckily Wednesday was just a practice!

But I highly doubt my interrupting the World’s Greatest Golfer slowed him down for even a second. Five days later, Woods recorded his 61st PGA victory. His victory was huge, as he was just crowned the first ever FedEx cup champion. A ten million dollar payday among other things. An accomplishment worthy of Tiger. Greatest golfer at East Lake, greatest golfer in August and September, and well on his way to the greatest golfer ever.

Ok, my butt kissing is done!

Now I promise to write something about MLB or the NFL and leave Tiger alone!