Bleacher Report - Articles by Jason Siesser

NFL Draft Movers and Shakers

Jason Siesser — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:34:00 -0400

The NFL Draft is one day away! I am anxious to see who goes first and what the Chiefs, Browns, Skins, Jet and Pats do in the first round.

I will be tuning in at 2200 CET to watch and, for the Chiefs pick, on the phone with my dad back in Missouri. I tried to get the old man to join me via a webcam but that was too high tech for him.

The draft is always exciting and it is all we have to live for until the preseason, which I don't enjoy since I am viewing from Europe and preseason isn't interesting.

Will we see the Chiefs and their new GM maneuver out of the top three? Many NFL analysts believe that is what the Chiefs plan to do. The team lost their only pass rusher in their trade with the Vikings and their D-line didn't look like anything special.

The trade of Tony Gonzalez to the Falcons for a second rounder in 2010 was a little baffling to me, but I am just a humble wannabe writer. I was dreaming of trading Tony and Larry Johnson and getting two first round picks and something else for them. I am an optimist.

The Chiefs, in the opinion of some, should pick a big tackle. I wouldn't say no to that. However, if they could drop to pick five or six and still get Andre Smith or Michael Oher plus something in another round, why not? I would prefer Jason Smith but we can be certain that he and Eugene Monroe will be gone in the top four. Alas, we must wait.

The Pats are another interesting team to watch. Their maneuvering to get Mayo last season was fantastic. I hope that they are able to work their six picks in the top 100 into a fantastic group to build a new championship team around. 19-0 baby! Their dealing of Cassel to KC for the 34th overall pick was masterful.

I can't fault the Chiefs for taking the deal but that was expensive since it is just two picks outside of the first round. I know nothing effects a team more than the QB, but still that could have been another special player.

The Jets and Skins are only interesting because they are both eyeing QBs that they cannot quite get to with their current picks. The Jets could land Freeman, but is he the next Flacco? That is something only a season will tell us. I think that if the Skins trade up for Sanchez they are fools. Morgaging a franchise for a player hasn't worked in the past so why would it work now?

The Browns are of interest simply because they too seem to want to move out of their position. If they are able to move, what will they be able to get for the fifth pick? Will they trade Braylon Edwards? If so will they be able to get a No. 1 for him?

These questions and their answers are just 26 1/2 hours away!

Go Chiefs!

The Tragedy That will be the End of the Brett Favre Saga

Jason Siesser — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:22:50 -0400

The tragedy that will be the end of Brett Farve's career is looming as he seeks a trade.

He should pick up the phone and call John Elway and Emmit Smith and speak with them about their retirements. He should ask Elway if he regrets not asking for a trade to Kansas City for another Super Bowl run with the team where old QBs go to realize they should retire. He should ask Smith if he would rather have ended his career in Dallas or did the beating he took with the Cardinals satisfy him that his time was up?

I think that if he did this, he would realize that if he can't come back to Green Bay, he should just hang up his cleats. I would love to see him in Green Bay again. I think he could still be effective there. Sure, I feel sorry for Aaron Rogers, but come on man it is Brett Favre! However, the Packers stance is understandable and even easily defensible. This is why many in the media are poking fun at Favre.

It is easy for me, sitting at my computer, to say that he should retire, but I wouldn't say it, since I am a fan, if I didn't believe I was right. If Farve comes back what will he do? If he ends up with the Jets, Vikings, Bears, or anywhere that doesn't end its season in Tampa Bay, on February first, then what will be the point of coming back? Sure, he will add to his record book, but at the cost of his legacy as a Packer great.

This will do nothing more for his career except to send it out with a whimper.

I was not one of the people who had a problem with him coming back. I think he should be allowed back with the Packers. I just feel that it is sad that he cannot come back there and, to be honest, if he isn't able to come back to Green Bay then what is the point?

Favre may make his point felt on September eighth, if we are all lucky. This, in my opinion, would make the Favre vs the Packers saga worthy of watching as the season begins. I would love to see him come into Green Bay and layeth the smack down on his old team. I would certainly make the time to watch that game.

I guess we wannabe writers and sports fans will just have to see how the Packers and Favre play out their drama.

NFL vs U.S. Government

Jason Siesser — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:42:00 -0400

The idea that the U.S. government has taken a special interest in the problems of the NFL smacks of ulterior motives!

What could they be? Is the NFL not generating enough tax dollars?

Specter, or should we rename him Senator Spectacle, apparently said that “they are enormous role models for everybody. If you can cheat in the NFL, you can cheat in college, you can cheat in high school, you can cheat on your grade-school math test. There’s no limit as to what you can do. I think they owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility.”

I am beyond shocked at this. A politician telling someone not to be a liar. If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is! It goes without saying that cheating is bad, and getting caught at cheating is worse.

However, there are bigger issues for the NFL, and bigger issues at hand for the U.S. government. The NFL certainly handled it poorly. However, what are you going to do? Strip the Patriots of their titles? If you do that you might want to take away the Super Bowl XXV victory for the Giants. Their defensive scheme contained the favored Buffalo Bills, and their offense was among the best of the early 1990s.

This is the problem; where do you stop? The results are in, and if you want to correct history, then there is much to do, and it is all pointless in the end. A Super Bowl win means endorsements, sales, and prestige. If you go back and award the trophy to some other team, they still do not profit from the win. Certainly they get the statistical win and the trophy but it doesn't come with the real effects.

It would be like awarding the presidency to Al Gore after discovering that George Bush Jr. had cheated. We would still have the effects of the past eight years of the Bush administration. The Rams would not benefit from the Super Bowl win.

It has been insinuated that Senator Spectacle is a Steelers fan and that his team was affected by the Patriots filming. If this is so, then it certainly was wrong.

However, the Steelers were recent beneficiaries of some of the worst officiating of any game I've ever seen when they won Super Bowl XL. Should the referees go back and correct their calls, and fix that game in which the far superior Seahawk team was robbed of a championship that they deserved? I was hoping that the Steelers would win that game but not the way it was won.

The big picture is that this is not about cheating or even championships. The real reason is money. The U.S. government is looking to influence professional sports, and as it has in the past, it will succeed. We will either end up with guidelines and government oversight or another league to compete with the NFL.

I am of the hope that it is a new league, and not government interference with a sport that has become a spectacle in its own right. If the U.S. government wants to fix the NFL, perhaps it should look at fixing itself first!

Shall we start by ridding ourselves of the Electoral College? A popular vote wins the election. We can then limit terms of the Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court. To be perfectly honest it is insane to give someone the job of Supreme Court Justice with a lifetime guarantee! The Senate and House at least stand for elections.

What else can we change? Maybe healthcare, as someone else already said. We can stop listening to people who endorse fossil fuel use ,and start looking for a healthier alternative, preferably the healthiest! Government should not exist to profit those holding office! This means that when someone is in government, they should not have any influence over government contracts that benefit companies to which they belong.

It is absurd that a Senator is calling anyone out for mishandling anything. I certainly hope that there is an outcry for no further waste of time or money spent on this topic.

Redskins' Fred Davis: Late for Practice is a Headline?

Jason Siesser — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:27:46 -0400

It is a sad day when sports news is: a player overslept. What is more human? This has happened to almost all of us? We set that alarm for 5:00 and forget to check if it was AM or PM. I am not saying that this is what happened but, after reading the comments by Redskins coach Jim Zorn, it seems likely to be the case.

Zorn said, of second-round draft pick Fred Davis, “Everybody was scouring. Nobody heard from him, so there was one of two scenarios: either there was some real trouble and we needed to find him, or he screwed up. I haven’t even got to talk to him yet. I know he has been found. I believe it is more in the ‘I screwed up’ category.”

When does this become worthy of news?

I guess when someone like me reads the column and decides to comment upon it. Seriously folks get a life! Let the Redskins and the other 31 NFL teams run their organizations without the media trying to see if their star players have hangnails, hangovers, or hang out at a strip club.

Boys will be boys and boys with millions of dollars will be really dumb boys.

This is a case of no real news, like Zorn promises the revamped Redskins offense will make the Patriots of last year look like they were standing still. I hope that tomorrow I don't open a webpage and find something insane and entirely unimportant like Pacman Jones actually plays Pacman in his spare time.

NFL Week 1

Jason Siesser — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:37:45 -0400

NFL Schedule Week 1 Predictions

Week 1 features 8 games within divisions plus 2 statement games. The rest of week 1 looks irrelevant. Rivalries will be the focus of week one.

The Jets and Dolphins face off in a game of who cares. Neither team is tooled enough to hope to challenge the Patriots so they will probably be playing for last place. Gholston vs Long might be the only aspect of the game worth watching as the Jets will probably spank the Dolphins.

The Ravens and the Bengals will play in an attempt to reclaim their status as teams who can challenge for their division title. Will Chad Johnson still be a Bengal and if so will be play? Will the Ravens feature their number 1 draft pick, QB Joe Flacco? Were they insane taking him when they did? He would have still been on the board along with Henne and Brohm in the late second round!

The Saints and Buccaneers will try to begin their 2008 campaign with wins against what appear to be the top teams in their division, each other. Will Bush run wild or will the Tampa D dominate the Saints as they attempt to reclaim their glory of 2006.

The Jags face the Titans in what will be a test of the Jags new defensive front. Truthfully this will be a slaughter. The Jags will stomp the poor Titans in an attempt to prove that they are the new power in the AFC South.

The Cardinals and the 49ers will waste our time with an unimportant game in which Alex Smith and Matt Leinart will try to emerge as the salvation of their teams. Perhaps it will be a game of Kurt Warner vs Shaun Hill.

The Monday night games feature division rivals the Vikings and Packers, who may be the top two teams in the NFC North. Will Aaron Rogers avoid the rush of Jared Allen and the revitalized Vikings D-line or will the Vikings disrupt the Packers offense and to take the crown of the NFC North?

The last game of importance is probably also another pointless game. The Broncos vs the Raiders. Will the expensive Raider roster pay their fans back with a win or will Jay Cutler and the Broncos demonstrate that they can challenge for the AFC West title?

The rest of the games are pointless. The Pats will begin by dismantling the Chiefs. The Falcons and Detroit will try to cure their respective woes. The Bills and Seahawks might be the best irrelevant game since these two try to challenge for their division titles? The Rams and Eagles will try to return to the tops of their divisions. No other games are worth watching except…

The game of the week is also the first game of the new NFL season. The Redskins vs the Giants should prove a fantastic starter. Will the Redskins additions to their receiving corps bring about a new era of Redskins offense? Will the Giants defend their title by beginning their season with a win? The Giant’s offense, powered by a devastating running game may run over and through the Redskins to begin the 2008 season.

Charlie Weis' Woes Lead to Poor Choice of Words

Jason Siesser — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:14:11 -0400

Head coach of the University of Notre Dame's football team has made a grievous error in our age of politically correct world of consequences for ones ill chosen words. Weis, apparently frustrated by a losing season and dealing with questions of his ability to coach the Fighting Irish successfully made a mistake and vented his frustrations saying that it is more difficult to win without thugs on the team.This has already been featured on Pardon the Interruption and is sure to have consequences in our world of political correctness. What is implied by this poorly chosen wording? Could he be saying that successful programs that feature star performers are not recruiting them for their Sunday Christian facade? Certainly there are good athletes at Notre Dame but it is a school that does not recruit solely based on physical talent. There are superior programs out there that allow in your less academically focused students. They have their share of good scholar athletes as well. The difference does not come down to thugs versus altar boys. The difference is coaching.I would not hang Coach Weis for his ill chosen words. I would certainly ask him to think before he speaks next time. Sadly someone will read deeply into his words and say something dumber than Coach Weis already said. I look forward to a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton saying, "What are you getting at Coach Weis? Are you saying black athletes aren't scholars?" Talk about ironic. Coach Weis said thugs and this will immediately be read into as African American athletes. I truly look forward to reading somewhere that someone from the ACLU or NAACP has forgotten to clean off their shoe before inserting it into their mouths.

What should really be looked at is whom Coach Weis is calling the thug superstars. Is he saying that the thuggy stars outshine the well-spoken and less loud players who are also superior athletes? I hope not. For every thuggin' player who loves to thank his god for the ability to run fast, jump high, and catch or carry a football, basketball, or any other ball-oriented sport you have similar athletes who do not shoot their mouths off and speak poorly. I don't want to point any fingers or add fuel to the fire but in all seriousness we, the consumers, are who drive the market for the loud mouth, trash talking, poorly spoken sports figure that exists. Without you and me watching the games and paying for memorabilia some of these jokers would be playing backyard sports and working at McDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken or being bouncers at your local strip club. I guess some of them would feel right at home there.