Bleacher Report - Articles by O'Dell Isaac II

Regardless What His Agent Says, Brett Favre is Mulling a Return

O'Dell Isaac II — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:48:49 -0400

When Michael Jordan was recently voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he said it was a bittersweet honor.

While every player aspires to one day be enshrined with the all-time greats, Jordan explained, the Hall of Fame announcement was a drop-dead confirmation that his career was, indeed, finished.

So it goes with great athletes in the weeks, months, and in some cases, years after their retirement. Logically, they know they're too old to run with the kids anymore.

But on some days, they wake up with an extra spring in their step, or they're playing catch with their kids and the ball pops out of their hands the way it used to, or the jumper falls eight or nine times in a row, and the athlete begins to think, "Hmmm..."

This, I believe, is what is happening to Brett Favre. He still wants to play, and many of us football fans still want him to play. So, when the Jets gave Favre his outright release Tuesday, football "experts" and fans immediately began speculating, not on whether the QB would come back, but where he would end up.

The consensus seems to be the Minnesota Vikings, where an above-average quarterback could mean a deep playoff run, and where Favre wanted to go once his divorce with the Green Bay Packers appeared to be final.

I don't profess to know Brett Favre any more than you do, but make no mistake: Favre wants to play.

He loves the game, and frankly, he doesn't know anything else. He's been a quarterback for about 30 years. He would also love to wave away the stench of his brief tenure with the New York Jets.

Last season, Favre was rarely spectacular, often mediocre, and sometimes flat-out awful. Several knowledgeable NFL people said he was obviously hurt in some way, and they turned out to be right: Favre had a torn tendon in his right biceps.

But the off-again-on-again Favre has had some time to heal. He can probably still wing the ball.

And whether he says so or not, the prospect of sticking it to the Packers twice a season is enough to at least make him pick up a football, toss it around his back yard, and think about things.

Favre's agent, Bus Cook, says his client has no interest in playing football again, and that he simply obtained his release so he could retire as a Green Bay Packer.

Sounds perfectly logical, except for two things: One—sports agents are hardly known as champions for truth. And two—if Favre isn't at least considering returning to the game, why does he still have an agent?

There is a contingent of sports fans who are sick to death of hearing and reading about Brett Favre, and wish the guy would just fade away and make room for a new and exciting generation of players.

These folks have a point. But who are we, really, to tell him that his time is up? Who are we to say that he doesn't have every right to squeeze every single drop out of his athletic ability, then make his own decision to retire?

That decision lies with Favre and Favre alone, and regardless of his maddening indecision on the matter, we should just mind our own business and let him work it out for himself.

Favre—or at least his agent—is saying all the right things. But what do you bet that Favre picked up a football sometime today, twirled it around in his hands, and thought, "Hmmm..."

Mike Singletary Serves Notice In Loss

O'Dell Isaac II — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:15:20 -0400

Some of you, sadly, are too young to remember Mike Singletary as the Hall of Fame player he was. He was a perennial All-Pro linebacker with a quiet intensity.

The quarterback of the Chicago Bears' famed "46" defense, Singletary was a soft-spoken individual. Yet, he was one of the fiercest players in the game. His eyes would open wide as saucers just before he put the thump on you.

The newly-minted interim coach of the San Francisco 49ers put the thump on a couple of his offensive players during yesterday's 34-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

First, he benched quarterback, and turnover machine, J.T. O'Sullivan in the second quarter. This move was long overdue, as O'Sullivan is responsible for nearly 90 percent of the team's giveaways this season.

However, the move that really got tongues wagging came in the fourth quarter, when Singletary sent tight end Vernon Davis to the locker room after an unnecessary roughness penalty.

Davis headed to the locker room, only to be called back. Why? Because he had forgotten his helmet.

It served notice that Mike "The Coach" Singletary has not mellowed since his days as Mike "The Player" Singletary.

In a postgame press conference, he summed up his coaching philosophy thusly: "I want winners. I want people who want to win."

Now mind you, Singletary is auditioning for a job. It appears he wants the "interim" tag taken off so he can become the San Francisco head coach; if he can't coach there, he wouldn't mind catching on somewhere else. (He was a candidate for the head coaching job in Atlanta recently).

So, taking the former No. 6 overall draft pick and sending him to the showers is a good way to open some eyes around the league. He has almost certainly caught the eyes of some NFL front-office people who would like to inject a little fire into their own locker rooms.

But, I don't think getting the attention of others is why Singletary did what he did. He's always been intense. He's always been intolerant of laissez-faire players. And I think part of his intent was—to paraphrase "Nuke" LaLoosh—to announce his presence with authority. Whether he intended to or not, he certainly did that.

There's every chance in the world that Singletary's actions will go for naught. The 49ers are owned by Denise DeBartolo York and her husband John. They make up the worst ownership tandem in the NFL and prove that two heads are not always better than one (Eddie DeBartolo, Denise's brother, was the former owner).

Many of the team's problems are organizational, and cannot be changed by a coach trying to put a little life into his players.

But you can bet that, right now, several Niners are thinking to themselves "Wow! I'd better shape up!"

Meanwhile, for any other 49ers with a lackadaisical attitude, a word of advice: If you see Mike Singletary come at you with his eyes bulging wide, tuck in and brace for impact.

Adam "Pacman" Jones: Just a Nasty Guy, Doing His Nasty Thing

O'Dell Isaac II — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:31:59 -0400

So I had this great idea for an office pool, but it went up in smoke this week. The idea was to bet on the month that Adam Jones went back to being his old, lovable Pacman self.

Personally, I would have bet on November or December. The winter months can be harshly cold in Dallas, and the unforgiving winds can drive a man into the warm comfort of a strip club.

But October? I have to say I was a little surprised.

What doesn't surprise me is the fact that the Cowboys appear to be sweeping this latest little incident under the rug.

Details are still a little sketchy, but reports say that Pacman (I think it's okay to go back to calling him Pacman) had a fight with one of his own bodyguards in a Dallas hotel early Wednesday morning.

One report said that Jones followed the bodyguard into the bathroom, waited until the man was concentrating on the urinal, and jumped him from behind.

That's our boy! We knew he'd be back!

Pacman is a nasty guy. Everyone knows this, including Jerry Jones, who took the unprecedented risk of trading for a player who was still suspended. Jones (Jerry) did everything he could to create a positive environment for Jones (Adam), including hiring security to keep him out of trouble. A guy who attacks a member of his own security detail is truly a nasty guy.

But the truth is, every good football team has a few nasty guys on it. They are integral to a team's success.

Football, someone once said, is a violent sport, played by violent individuals, violently. Of the toughest, hardest-hitting football players in recent memory, how many of them were nice guys? When I played in high school, our best players were also some of the nastiest individuals you'd ever want to meet.

Everybody wants nice guys on their team. They make good teammates and promote team cohesiveness. Some of them are even fine athletes. But nasty guys are what give a team its identity. When a team gains a reputation for being physical, you can bet there are some nasty guys on the roster.

(Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Walter Payton was one of the toughest runners in NFL history, and no one ever had a cross word to say about him. Conversely, the Cincinnati Bengals are full of nasty guys, and they stink.)

Scouting reports for college players will often comment on whether the player has a nasty streak. When a scout calls a player "nasty," it's meant as a compliment.

The problem with many of those guys is that they can't turn off the nastiness between games or in the offseason. So the attribute that serves them best on the field tends to get them in trouble in civilized society.

Civilized society tends to frown on folks who (allegedly) punch strippers in the face. In civilized society, (allegedly) attacking a man hired to protect you from yourself isn't just wrong, it's utterly ridiculous.

But Jerry Jones will hold on to Pacman if he can, because he prides himself on taking castoffs and weaving them into a winning team framework. And while he would probably never admit it, I suspect that Jerry Jones likes nasty guys. His Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1990s had more than one or two of them.

Memo to B/R Editors: Urine DOES NOT Improve the Taste of Water

O'Dell Isaac II — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:35:41 -0400

A lifetime ago, I served in the Navy as a journalist, and I had the poor fortune of having to edit the work of a friend. One day, he called me aside and told me this story, in the guise of a joke. I know now that it was more allegory than joke, and that the story was a thinly veiled shot at my paltry editing skills.

The story went like this:

A writer and an editor are stranded in the desert. At the same time, they see an oasis in the distance. They run toward a beautiful, blue lake full of clear, cool water. The writer immediately sticks his face in the lake and begins to drink deeply. After a time, he hears a strange noise. He looks up to see the editor urinating in the water.

"What the hell are you doing?" the writer asked.

"I'm making the water better," the editor replied.

At the time, I was a bit too dense to realize that he was telling me I had just peed in his water. I have since come to my senses, and my friend remains my friend to this day—so much so, in fact, that my children call him "Uncle."

Years and years later, he still gives me rations of crap about the time I peed in his water. I take this abuse stoically, because I know I deserve it.

I hadn't thought of that story for years, until I joined the Bleacher Report a couple of months ago. Since then, quite a few members have viewed my stories and edited them. A select few Bleacher Creatures have genuinely improved my stories: Mosang Miles and Sean Wagman come immediately to mind.

But more often than not, I have received editing strictly for the sake of editing. I do not believe this is the spirit of the Bleacher Report's editing feature.

Rather, I feel that some folks have been peeing in my water.

Mosang Miles is the rare Bleacher Creature that is both a good writer and a good editor. Not only have I accepted his edits, I have, on occasion, asked for his opinion on my articles, including this one. He has a good eye and a deft touch.

Sean Wagman read one of my more recent articles and liked it, but decided to play with one of the sentences. This bothered me until I realized that he had changed my sentence from passive voice to active voice. Written English almost always reads better in active voice. It was a great catch, and I told him so.

There have been other members who have genuinely sought to improve the quality of my articles, but they have been the exception rather than the rule.

Here are just a couple of pieces of advice for those of you who are simply peeing in the water. You may know who you are, but you probably don't.

1. Familiarize yourself with the Associated Press Style Guide and Strunk & White's The Elements of Style.

If you've never heard of these books, you have no business editing anything, anywhere, at any time.

2. If you see a word/phrase/sentence you don't like, read it to yourself out loud and see if it sounds awkward.

If it does, fix it. If it doesn't, leave it alone.

3. Try very hard not to replace words and phrases with your own.

As an editor, I was very guilty of this offense. When you do this, you inject your own voice into another person's article. No matter how smart you are (or think you are), your voice doesn't belong in another person's article. Save it for your own.

4. Know your punctuation.

If you see punctuation that appears ungainly to you, take a good look at it before you edit it. If you think the article will be genuinely improved by deleting a comma, or inserting a semicolon, then make the change. If you simply don't like the punctuation, consider leaving it alone.

I could offer more pieces of advice, but those four guidelines are a good start.

Someone—maybe several someones—will undoubtedly edit this article. If/when they do, I will probably laugh and change it back. One of the great things about the Bleacher Report is that you can veto the edits. Therefore, the pee sits on the surface of your water like oil, and can be easily filtered out.

I have not written this article to discourage would-be editors. Despite my larger-than-average ego, I welcome the chance for improvement, and I'm sure most others do as well. Just don't edit a story simply because you feel like it.

I'm sure I'm not the only Bleacher Creature with sensitive taste buds.

Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers: Save Some Love For Later

O'Dell Isaac II — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:26:41 -0400

The offseason saga involving Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers seems to be moving toward a satisfying conclusion for all parties.

On Sunday, Favre, in his Jets debut, threw two touchdown passes and showed some of the grip-it-and-rip-it swagger New York was hoping for when they traded for him. In his post-game press conference, he said (again) that coming out of retirement was, without a doubt, the right thing for him to do.

Jets lovers couldn't agree more.

Last night, the Aaron Rodgers era began on a highly positive note as the Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-19. Aided by a dominant running game, Rodgers put together a coolly efficient performance, throwing for a touchdown and running for another.

Buoyed by a supportive crowd, Rodgers spiked the ball and did a long-awaited Lambeau Leap. The fans welcomed him into the fold, and just that quickly, Aaron Rodgers was Their Guy.

And everybody lived happily ever after, right?

Not so fast. While the Packers and Jets fans should be happy their respective quarterbacks have piloted them to 1-0 records, they need to save some of that love for later, when Rodgers and Favre have a greater need for it.

Rodgers showed once again that he is a pro in every sense of the word. He handled the Packer reins last night as easily as he dealt with Favre questions in the summer.

His role will be different from Favre's because Mike McCarthy wants a game manager under center, not a superstar. As long as he sticks to the game plan, Rodgers won't ever have a spectacular, Favre-ian flameout. His coach won't allow it.

However, we'll see how the Packer fans and media react when Rodgers has his first bad game. He has been in the league four years, but he is still a very young quarterback, and young quarterbacks make mistakes.

They get flustered by aggressive pass rushers and tricky defensive backs. A bad game is inevitable for Rodgers, and when he has one, he'll realize the ghost of Brett Favre is never far away.

Favre, for his part, was spectacular. His second touchdown pass was Favre at his improvisational best: going for it on 4th-and-13, half-running, half-falling, with a defender's arm around his waist, mustering just enough strength to heave the ball into Chansi Stuckey's waiting arms. Even Favre admits he didn't think the ball had a chance of being caught -- at least, not by anyone in a Jets uniform.

After the game, Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King wrote that a passer with even the slightest concern for his quarterback rating would never, ever have thrown that ball. That's a big part of what makes Favre great.

Unfortunately, that's also, what gets Favre into trouble. Favre deserves a place at the table with the all-time greats. But remember that the all-time leader in touchdown passes is also the all-time leader in interceptions.

That's not an insignificant statistic. It tells you that interceptions are a part of the Favre package. Not just interceptions, mind you, but some egregiously bad throws.

McCarthy got him to rein his game in last year, and it resulted in a highly efficient, near-MVP season. But Favre threw an interception that cost the Packers a Super Bowl berth.

Favre is still better than most of the passers in the league, but he is going to throw some head-scratchers this season, and I'd be willing to bet he has at least one three-interception game. For all his greatness, it is simply a part of who Favre is, and Jets fans would do well to remember that.

So, Jets and Packer fans get to bask in the afterglow of an opening-day victory, and are lavishing all their love on the passers who helped author those wins.

But save some of that love for later, fans. Both quarterbacks will probably need it at a time when you're most reluctant to give it.

Who Does the NFL's Scheduling, and Why Is It So Screwed Up?

O'Dell Isaac II — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:51:02 -0400

I’m lucky enough to be married to a woman who is a die-hard football fan. My wife may be even more of a gridiron junkie than I am. So when the Giants kicked off the 2008 season with a win over the Washington Redskins, it should have been a festive evening in my home. But only part of my household was happy that night.

You see, my wife’s favorite team is the San Francisco 49ers. She hasn’t had a truly happy season since the Niners beat the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. But these days, she’s downright livid.

She’s not mad about San Francisco’s 16-32 record over the last three years. She’s not upset over the uncertainty at the quarterback position, or at the fact that the team’s owner, John York, is one of the worst in professional sports.

OK, she is upset about all those things. But right now, something else has her fired up.

The San Francisco 49ers went 5-11 last year and missed the playoffs, placing third in the NFC West. Their schedule, however, does not appear to reflect their 2007 record. This season, the Niners play six teams that made the playoffs last year, including the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New England Patriots.

That, in itself, would be bad enough. But I made the mistake of telling my wife about the New England Patriots’ schedule.

To recap the Pats’ 2007 season, they were the first team to have an undefeated regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Along the way, they rewrote the offensive record books. Quarterback Tom Brady broke the single-season record for touchdown passes. Wide receiver Randy Moss enjoyed a career renaissance, breaking the single-season record for touchdown receptions and re-establishing himself as one of the elite wideouts in the game.

The Pats also came agonizingly close to winning a Super Bowl, and despite losing that game, they are widely considered to be the best team in the NFL.

Guess how many 2007 playoff teams New England will face this year?

Four.

They don’t play against a playoff team until Oct. 12, when they visit the San Diego Chargers.

Seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it?

My wife asked me to write a brief article about the disparity between the two schedules. When I asked her, specifically, what I should say about this, she answered thusly:

“We’re getting screwed!”

I can’t say that I disagree.

Marion Jones Disgraced Herself Along with Fans Who Wanted to Believe Her

O'Dell Isaac II — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:33:54 -0400

We wanted to believe her, and she let us down.

Marion Jones was loud, defiant, and emphatic in the face of accusations that she rose to the top of her sport with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs. She had never failed a drug test, she said, and therefore did not deserve to be accused.

When Victor Conte, the head of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), described Jones' drug use in 2003, she sued him. Never mind that as the architect of BALCO's designer steroids, Conte would be in a position to know. We wanted to believe her, not him.

When Jones' ex-husband, C.J. Hunter, stated that she had used steroids, she denied it, and we dismissed the whole thing as sour grapes. Never mind that Hunter himself tested positive for steroids, and never mind that Tim Montgomery, the father of her child, is a steroid user as well. We wanted to believe her, not the disgruntled ex-husband.

As we all know by now, Marion Jones turned out to be guilty of taking BALCO steroids and lying about it to federal investigators. She was America's sweetheart, winner of five Olympic medals, the best our country had to offer.

Now, stripped of her medals, she leaves prison today, a disgraced ex-convict.

Once one of the world's most recognizable and beloved athletes, her release from prison was a mere footnote at the bottom of ESPN's screen. We would just as soon imagine she disappeared from public life forever, because we wanted to believe her and she let us down.

Barry Bonds, the former San Francisco slugger at the center of the BALCO controversy, also denied that he took steroids. He, too, was defiant in the face of accusations. However, he was convicted in the court of public opinion long before the evidence began mounting against him.

This certainly is not a race thing. Both Jones and Bonds are black. This is, in part, a personality thing.

Jones was bubbly and beautiful, always smiling, generous with the media. Bonds, by most accounts, is a jerk. He's surly, arrogant, and paranoid. (His head is also about the size of the Goodyear blimp.) During his playing days, he was consistently aloof and dismissive with the media.

It's really that simple. We liked her. We never liked him. Because of this disparity, we did not want to believe Marion Jones was guilty. However, we never entertained the idea that Bonds might be innocent.

(Of course, he's not. He went from looking like an outfielder to looking like a linebacker, and played some of his best baseball at an age when most players retire. I never saw him actually take steroids, and neither did you, but I have no doubt that he's dirty.)

Ironically, Bonds was recently invited to a ceremony honoring the San Francisco Giants' greatest outfielders. It will be a while, however, before Marion Jones is invited to anything.

We are angrier at Marion Jones than we are at Barry Bonds. Why? Because we wanted to believe Marion Jones, and she let us down.

Giants Kick Off Season With 16-7 Victory Over Redskins

O'Dell Isaac II — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:24:30 -0400

The opening game of the NFL season is always very exciting, but it doesn't usually answer very many questions.

A textbook example is the New York Giants' 16-7 win over the Washington Redskins last night.

The prevailing wisdom about the Giants is that they caught lightning in a bottle last year, getting hot at just the right time and riding the momentum to a Super Bowl championship.

So the big question for them was this: Are they the team that beat the seemingly invincible Patriots last year, or are they the mediocre team they appeared to be before they faced the Patriots in the final regular-season game of 2007?

The Redskins rebounded from a 5-7 start and the shocking death of safety Sean Taylor to clinch a wild-card playoff berth. Can they parlay their strong finish into a winning season and a deep playoff run in 2008?

Predictably, neither question was answered last night.

The opening festivities at Giants Stadium whipped the home crowd into a frenzy. Retired defensive end Michael Strahan, with the Lombardi Trophy in hand, exhorted the Giant faithful before introducing the defending Super Bowl champions, and the fans responded in kind, with an explosion of cheers.

The Giant offense came out swinging, opening the game with an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Eli Manning. It was to be the Giants' only touchdown of the night, but combined with four field goals by recent pickup John Carney. It was enough to get the job done.

The offense appeared to behave like a sprinter during the early heat of a track meet, shutting it down and coasting to the finish line once victory seemed assured.

The Giants' defense, however, exhibited no such intentions. Despite the loss of Strahan and the injured Osi Umenyiora, the Big Blue D held the Redskins to 209 total yards (125 pass, 84 rush).

The Giants' offense displayed typical ups and downs. Brandon Jacobs was a beast, bruising the Redskins defense for 116 tough yards, and Plaxico Burress had 10 receptions for 133 yards. Eli, however, threw several bad balls, including one that was picked off by Fred Smoot.

Additionally, the Giant receivers seemed a little out of sync with their quarterback, at times failing to get their heads around in time to make a catch and letting a ball or two slip between their fingers.

For their part, the Redskins weren't able to get anything going for new Head Coach Jim Zorn, gaining only 51 yards in the first half and never really getting on track on either side of the ball.

Still, it was only Week One, and both teams have plenty of time to improve before they meet again November 30. The Giants will try to remain undefeated September 14 against the Rams in St. Louis, while the 'Skins try to improve to 1-1 when they play their home opener against the New Orleans Saints.

USA Basketball: Time to Give (or Maybe Just Loan) it Back to the College Kids

O'Dell Isaac II — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:16:35 -0400

The Dream Team, the original 1992 Olympic basketball squad, was the right team at the right time.

Nearly every sports fan, including myself, embraced the idea of it. The heavily favored U.S. team, anchored by David Robinson, had faltered in the 1988 games and the Russian team ended up winning the gold.

For those of you who might not be old enough to remember, this was an unacceptable situation. The Cold War was drawing to a close, but to many of us, the Russians were still considered “The Enemy.” We had been bested by our arch-nemesis. Even worse, while the U.S still ruled the basketball world, it was becoming painfully obvious that the gap between us and everyone else was closing.

Geopolitically speaking, the world was a bit different back then and athletic superiority was exceeded in importance only by military might.

So it made sense for the U.S. to assemble its best players—not just NBA All-Stars, but some of the best players in the history of the sport—to give everybody a good whipping and firmly re-establish our place at the top of the basketball food chain.

This year’s Olympic hoops squad (the aptly-named Redeem Team) accomplished its mission, which was twofold:

1. To re-assert USA Basketball’s dominance of the sport; and

2. To repair the boorish image of the American professional basketball player.

Led by Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the U.S. team (which boasted a couple of future Hall-of-Famers of its own) got it done. They brought the gold back the States and did it with class. They immersed themselves in the unique culture of the Olympic Games, supporting their female counterparts as well as their fellow American athletes in other sports. They were visible, in a very good way, and they won.

Now that they’ve done that, it’s time to give the Olympics back to the college kids.

Before you respond with a very loud “NO,” hear me out.

I’m not suggesting that we completely turn it over to the collegians. The NCAA talent pool is diminished by the mass exodus of one-and-done players to the pros. I’m suggesting that we alternate between college and pro—collegians in 2012, pros in 2016, and so on.

Yes, the rest of the world is rapidly improving at the game, but a well-assembled team of college players, led by a skilled group of coaches, could be competitive and perhaps even win. It would give our youngest players increased exposure to the international game and it would reduce the risk of injury to our best (and, let’s face it, highest-paid) players. Most owners would embrace that, especially Mark Cuban.

We Americans are very arrogant about our basketball, partially because the sport was invented here (although Dr. Robert Naismith was a Canadian) and partially because we’re a bit arrogant about everything. We want to be the best at it, and we’ve proven that we are. Now it’s time to return to the mythical Olympic spirit of competition and let the college kids play, even if no other country does.

Just think of the bragging rights we’d have if our collegians actually won in London.

The Heimlich Awards: Top 10 Chokers in Sports History

O'Dell Isaac II — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:22:56 -0400

The first time I ever heard the word "choke" in reference to athletics, the word had been directed at yours truly.

A lifetime ago, in the waning seconds of a basketball game, I dribbled the ball off my foot, and my team lost. Someone said I choked, and I didn't know what it meant at the time.

Of course, I do now. We all do. But for simplicity's sake, let's go with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition.

"Choke: To lose one's composure and fail to perform effectively in a critical situation."

There. I think that covers it.

Is it fair to call a pro or college athlete a "choker"? These guys represent the top one percent of all the athletes in the world. They can do things you and I can only dream of.

Where do we get off, the frustrated hoopsters and armchair quarterbacks of the world, on our barstools and Barcaloungers, criticizing those who provide the very entertainment we live vicariously through?

Do we really have that right?

Maybe. Maybe the purchase of a ticket, or of a DirecTV package, gives us that right. Maybe not.

Either way, here I go with my first online installment of the Heimlich Awards. For anyone familiar with the Heimlich Maneuver, this title should be self-explanatory.

First, the team category.

New York Yankees, 2004

As a lifelong Yankee fan, it pains me to place them on this list, but they belong there just as surely as they belong on any list of all-time great sports teams. The Yanks had a commanding 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS.

That they lost that series—and helped launch the BoSox to the first of two World Series victories—qualifies them for a Heimlich.

Memphis Tigers, 2008

This is the essence of the team choke debate: Does one blame the players, who couldn't make their free throws down the stretch of the NCAA Championship Game, or does one point the finger at John Calipari, who couldn't keep his troops composed enough to hold on to a nine-point lead in the final two minutes?

King Solomon would have broken the Heimlich Award in two and given half to each.

Buffalo Bills, 1991-1994

If you're a Bills fan, I know what you're thinking: If Scott Norwood makes that field goal against the Giants in Super Bowl XXIV, the score is 22-20 Bills, and they don't make the list. True.

Here's some more truth: Norwood missed the field goal (more on him later), and the heavily-favored Bills lost to the Giants, who were playing without Phil Simms.

Dallas Mavericks, 2006

Up two games to none against an inferior Miami Heat team, the Mavericks couldn't close the deal and lost the series, 4-2. You could make the argument that the Heat (particularly Dwyane Wade) received some assistance from the refs, but the Mavs had the title in their hands, and they choked it away.

Houston Oilers, 1992

Ironically, the Buffalo Bills were on the other end of this all-time choke job. Ahead 35-3 in the third quarter of the 1992 AFC Wild-Card Game, the Oilers frittered their lead away and lost 41-38 in overtime.

And now for the individuals.

Jackie Smith, Dallas Cowboys

Every receiver puts the ball on the ground on occasion. Not even the great Jerry Rice was immune from dropping passes, and Terrell Owens has led the league in the category. But Jackie dropped a potential winning TD pass in Super Bowl XIII. Need I say more?

A Heimlich for Jackie, please.

Mike Tyson, former undisputed heavyweight champion

Who had heard of Buster Douglas before he put Tyson's lights out? Tyson's loss to Douglas may have been the catalyst that started his long and spectacular descent from the heights of athletic stardom.

Bill Buckner, Boston Red Sox

The Sox' two World Series victories have gone a long way toward healing this wound. But think of how many routine ground balls Buckner has casually scooped up since Little League, and think of the one that he missed.

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Someone much wittier than I recently wrote that A-Rod is the Paris Hilton of baseball, except that Paris knows what to do with men in scoring position. That's unfair to Rodriguez, but only a little.

He's a wonderfully, spectacularly, ridiculously talented player who can't get his team to the promised land. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer right now, but it's probably fair to say, at this point in his career, that A-Rod chokes for a living.

Scott Norwood, Buffalo Bills

Dear, dear Scott. As a Giants fan, Norwood holds a special place in my heart. Hopefully the Bills will win a Super Bowl in Scott's lifetime, so he can one day experience the forgiveness that Bill Buckner has. In the meantime, though, Scott gets the final Heimlich.

Honorable Mention

Lots of names could go on this list, and the order is always debatable, which is why I didn't use numbers. Anyway, here are a few (dis)honorables: Chris Webber, Thurman Thomas, John Starks, Patrick Ewing. I wanted to include U.S. hurdler Lolo Jones, but I didn't have the heart. Her wounds are still too fresh.

So there you have it: my list of teams and individuals who embody the flipside of heroism—let's call it goatism.

To use our new word in a sentence: The winners of the Heimlich Awards earned their places in history by showing extraordinary goatism in the line of duty.

The Osborne Identity: Former Coach Tom Osborne Looks to Restore Husker Luster

O'Dell Isaac II — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:32:32 -0400

Saturday was a lovely day in Lincoln, Neb. It was unseasonably warm, the skies were clear, and it was an excellent day for a football game. And at sold-out Memorial Stadium, more than 80,000 raucous red-clad fans watched the Nebraska Cornhuskers decimate the Broncos of Western Michigan University, 47-24.

This joyous Husker day was the culmination of a process that began last October.

Fed up with the damage Bill Callahan had done to the program, and exhausted with athletic director Steve Pederson’s poor decision making, the university fired Pederson and brought in legendary former head football coach Tom Osborne to take over as AD.

Before the ink had dried on Osborne’s new contract, Callahan was out of there, and former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini had been hired to take his place.

While Osborne has promised “no miracles and no quick fixes,” it is clear that he and Pelini are expected to bring back a part of the Husker culture that had been lost during Callahan’s tenure.

Winning has been a part of the Nebraska identity for decades, but it wasn’t just winning that made them special. It was how they won.

As more and more colleges went to pass-happy, pro-style offenses, Nebraska was a proud anachronism, winning with smash-mouth, blood-and-guts football. They lined up their gargantuan, homegrown linemen and their fast, physical backs and dared you to try and stop them from ramming the ball down your throat. Defensively, the “Blackshirt” defense was every bit as hard-nosed.

The fans knew their team was a throwback, and they were proud of it.

Then Osborne retired in 1997. His chosen successor, Frank Solich, was successful, but not successful enough, and newly-hired AD Pederson fired Solich in 2003. Callahan was hired, and he quickly began an attempt to “modernize” Nebraska football.

The results were disastrous. Not only were the Huskers not winning—they had become a pass-first offense. Worse, the defense had lost its edge.

A state that had always been unified by its devotion to the Cornhuskers was beginning to fracture.

Exit Pederson. Enter Osborne and Pelini.

The 71-year-old Osborne has preached patience in his return to Lincoln. The dominant Husker program wasn’t built overnight, he cautions, and it won’t be rebuilt overnight. The Huskers didn’t play a perfect game: Pelini is doubtlessly lamenting the number of defensive errors made Saturday.

No one will truly know how good these Huskers are until perhaps Sep. 27, when they square off at home against Virginia Tech.

But on this Saturday afternoon, the sight of their old coach in the stadium, and of former Husker greats (Mike Rozier, Irving Fryar, and Brendan Stai, among others) in the stands, was enough to make the Nebraska faithful believe their beloved program is on its way back.

Atlanta Falcons To Repeat As NFC South Cellar-Dwellers

O'Dell Isaac II — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:55:49 -0400

Three of the four teams in the NFC South have a legitimate shot at winning the division. The Atlanta Falcons are the only team out of the running, but this is considered a rebuilding year for them. They have already named former Boston College standout Matt Ryan as their starting quarterback.

A first-string rookie quarterback is a microcosm of his team. Like his team, he is not ready to be a league standout. Like his team, he will take regular weekly beatings. Like his team, he will make costly errors. And like his team, he labors in the hopes that his ordeal will make him better in the long run.

History suggests the opposite scenario.

Since it takes a couple of years to fully learn an NFL playbook, starting rookie QBs typically learn on the fly, working behind subpar offensive lines while trying to read aggressive defenses led by aggressive coordinators. The physical and mental beatings -- magnified by a constantly-growing media -- are more likely to break a young passer than make him stronger. Ask David Carr. Or Alex Smith.

I said all that so I could say this: Atlanta is probably making a mistake in starting Ryan. But it wouldn't be the first time the Falcons made an erroneous quarterback decision (Michael Vick, anyone?).

In the wide-open NFC South, only one thing is certain: The Falcons will finish last.

New Orleans Saints

There are a lot of questions with this team, not the least of which is this: Will Reggie Bush become the back everyone believed he would be? Whether he justifies his salary or not, this team is offensively loaded. Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Marques Colston, and a rejuvenated Jeremy Shockey figure to put lots of points on the scoreboard. But can they stop anyone?

Circle this date: Oct. 26, vs. San Diego (in London). Drew Brees doesn't have a cross word to say about the team that dissed him in favor of Phillip Rivers, but you can bet he's looking forward to this game.

Outlook: I don't think this team is a fluke. Sean Payton has put together a team that prides itself on its toughness and consistency. I expect to see them at or near the top of the division for the next few years.

Projected finish: 11-5, good enough for tops in the division. And maybe even a first-round playoff win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There is something about Jeff Garcia that teams seem to dislike. He was jettisoned in his prime by the 49ers. He was run out of town in Cleveland and Detroit. And after a Pro Bowl season that seemed to trumpet the rebirth of his career, the Buccaneers tried to get the recently-unretired Brett Favre. If he weren't married to the 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Jeff might be feeling a little insecure.

Circle this date: November 30, vs. New Orleans. Garcia and Drew Brees shoot it out in a game that could have serious playoff implications.

Outlook: Defensive toughness will make up for the Bucs' lack of a consistent running game. Garcia has another solid season, but, at age 38, how many solid seasons does he have left?

Projected finish: 10-6.

Carolina Panthers

Let's see...a quarterback coming off Tommy John surgery, a star receiver serving a two-game suspension, the lack of a proven running back...doesn't look good. But John Fox knows how to do more with less, and the Panthers always seem to be in the thick of things near season’s end.

Circle this date: Sept. 21, at Minnesota Vikings. This should be Steve Smith's first game back from a suspension (levied by the team after Smith broke his teammate's nose in a fight). Expect him to have a breakout game.

Outlook: The Panthers have talent, but something always seems to be in their way. This year, it's several somethings. Jake Delhomme's elbow, Smith's shortened season, a revamped offensive line, and a decimated defensive line.

Projected finish: 8-8.

Atlanta Falcons

When your best player gets banned from the league and hauled off to Leavenworth, you’ve got problems. These guys have problems. They've got a rookie quarterback in Ryan, a running back (Michael Turner) who is unproven as a starter, and they have had several key losses on both sides of the ball.

Circle this date: Oct. 5, at Green Bay Packers. This is my Upset Special. If the Falcons can pull this one off, they might even parlay it into a two-game winning streak with an Oct. 12 victory over the Chicago Bears. Hey, anything’s possible. Kevin Garnett said so.

Outlook: Bleak. This is probably the worst team in the National Football League.

Projected finish: 3-13.

Should the NFL Take a Chance on a Player with Ties to Sept. 11?

O'Dell Isaac II — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:40:59 -0400

During my naval service, I made friends with a guy from Iran. This guy—let's call him Jalil—is friendly, soft-spoken, and brilliant. He is fluent in four languages and is pretty fair at three others.

Jalil hails from Iran and served in the Iranian Special Forces before moving to America. He is a judo champion, a highly-trained paratrooper, and has a number of other skills that you and I have zero chance of learning.

I, like you, live in a post-Sept. 11 world, and as I learned these things about Jalil, I couldn't help but think, "This guy would make a pretty effective terrorist."

It's a shame that so many Americans think that way, but it's part of the new reality.

Jalil, who is also college-educated, came to America to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut. When he told me this, I didn't have the heart to tell him that his dream was unlikely to come to fruition. Sadly, he was born in the wrong place, at the wrong time, to the wrong people.

The same could be said of Muhammad Abdulqaadir.

Muhammad Abdulqaadir was an all-conference running back for Southern Illinois, surpassing 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior seasons before entering the 2004 draft.

He wasn't expected to be drafted because he is smallish (5'7", 195 pounds) and a not terribly fast (4.6+ in the 40-yard dash), but he might have caught on as an undrafted free agent somewhere, if not for his familial connection to the deadliest terrorist attack ever to take place on American soil.

Abdulqaadir's father has a well-documented relationship with Zacharias Moussaoui, who has confessed that he was supposed to have flown a fifth airplane into the White House on Sept 11. Moussaoui could not do so because he had been arrested in August.

Abdulqaadir's father reportedly has allowed Moussaoui to stay at his apartment and even bailed Moussaoui out of jail once. No NFL front-office person will admit this, but I believe Abdulqaadir will not get a chance to play for an NFL team because, fearful of the potentially explosive PR backlash, teams have shied away.

Conveniently, teams can hide behind their scouts, who say they took a look at him and decided he wouldn't be able to play at the next level.

Those of you who have played the game, or followed it, or both, know there is a phenomenon called "game speed." A player with game speed is one that can run faster under game conditions than he can during a combine.

Jerry Rice, who was clocked at around 4.7 in the combine, was rarely caught from behind because he had game speed. Videotapes of Abdulqaadir as he played for Southern Illinois and the Indoor Football League's River City Rage suggest that he has game speed.

He breaks tackles. He runs for daylight. He can catch the ball. At worst, he could be a third-down back or a return man for a lower-echelon team. But those teams will not touch him. He's worse than untouchable; Abdulqaadir is radioactive.

As a military veteran, I am as patriotic as the next guy. But on his radio show, Dan Patrick asked this question: "If you were an NFL general manager, would you take a chance on this kid?"

I had to answer no.

Professional sports franchises, above all else, are businesses. They exist to make money. Winning games while making money is the ideal situation, but profit comes first. Ask John York of the San Francisco 49ers or Donald Sterling of the L.A. Clippers.

Having a player with a traceable terrorist connection would be a drain on profit. And what if Abdulqaadir's father showed up at a game? Chaos would ensue; the kind of chaos that would make European soccer brawls look like whiffleball.

By all accounts, Muhammad Abdulqaadir is a good kid. His former teammates (one of whom is New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs) believe he can play in the NFL. Scouting reports say he could catch on somewhere as a third-down back or special teams player.

But not a single team took a chance on him. Is it because he simply can't play? Or is it because no NFL front office wants to deal with the headache? Quite possibly the latter.

It's a shame, but it's part of the new reality.

Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings Will Battle for NFC North Supremacy

O'Dell Isaac II — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:30:52 -0400

If the front-office people in the NFC North have any sense, they are starting their training camps without visions of Brett Favre dancing in their heads. When this drama is over, not only will he not be a Green Bay Packer, but Favre will not quarterback any team from this conference. (Actually, Don Banks wrote a very interesting column on SI.com, in which he postulates that Favre will likely not play football at all this year. But I digress.)

I may be totally off-base here, but this doesn't look to be a really promising season for the NFC North. A 9-7 record may be good enough to win this division. Expect the divisional matchups to be hard-hitting, though, and expect three of these four teams to be battling for the division title in the final weeks.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikes boast perhaps the league's most potent rushing attack; but this team's prospects rely mostly on the continued development of young QB Tarvaris Jackson. If he takes a step in the right direction, so will the Vikings. If he falters early, it's back to the drawing board with Brooks Bollinger or—ugh!—Gus Frerotte at the reins.

Circle this date: Sept. 8, at Green Bay. All the elements for a juicy drama are there: A Week One battle between two division rivals with two young quarterbacks. For the icing, Brett Favre's jersey-retirement ceremony at halftime (maybe). Should make for fun TV, and maybe even some watchable football.

Outlook: Adrian Peterson and a tough Minnesota defense should help win games when Jackson stumbles—and he will stumble. I've seen predictions that have the Vikes finishing as low as third in the division, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and pick them for a first-place tie with Green Bay.

Projected finish: 9-7.

Green Bay Packers

This is the time of year when some coach, somewhere, stands at a podium and tells the assembled gaggle of reporters, "We're only going to talk about the players that are here right now." Right now, that coach is Mike McCarthy. I'll let you guess what player he doesn't want to talk about.

Circle this date: Same as above, for obvious reasons.

Outlook: Only a record-setting season could save Aaron Rodgers from the kind of scrutiny he's in for this year. If he's tough enough to withstand it, then the Packers will have their quarterback of the future, and Green Bay should have a good-enough record to contend for the playoffs.

Projected finish: 9-7.

Chicago Bears

They say the great athletes and coaches all share a stubborn streak. By that yardstick, Lovie Smith is one of the all-time greats. Why else would Rex Grossman still be in a Bears uniform?

Circle this date: Dec. 7, at home vs. Jacksonville. I'm calling this my upset special. The Jags may well have sewn up a playoff berth by then and might slack off a little.

Outlook: The defense is solid, as long as Brian Urlacher can anchor the middle for a full season. Devin Hester has been re-signed to a new four-year deal, but can the offense score any points?

Projected finish: 7-9.

Detroit Lions

Someone tell me Matt Millen's secret. He has presided over one of the league's worst teams and has engineered some of its worst personnel moves since being hired as the Lions' General Manager in 2001. How has he kept his job? Only God, Matt, and Isiah Thomas know for sure.

Circle this date: Dec. 14, at Indianapolis. Detroit routinely pulls off one or two improbable upsets per year, and I'm thinking this could be the one.

Outlook: This could be John Kitna's best year. A great wide receiver can make a good quarterback look great (ask Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, or Tony Romo), and Calvin Johnson has the look of a great one. That combo may be worth two or three additional wins this year. Otherwise, it's more of the same for these Lions.

Projected finish: 6-10.

Dallas Cowboys Are Still Tops in the NFC East

O'Dell Isaac II — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:11:26 -0400

Many sports fans think of the summer months as the deadest period of the year, but for football junkies like me, this is a very exciting time, full of optimism and possibility. Most NFL training camps have either already begun, or will begin in a day or two. And until the NFL season kicks off September, our favorite teams are undefeated.

This is also the time when folks like me peruse the regular-season schedules, go over the offseason trades, and make predictions about the upcoming season. The first regular-season kickoff is still more than a month away, but as a wiser man than I once said, "It’s never too early to be inaccurate."

With that in mind, I’ll begin my series of predictions with the NFC East. I’m starting with this division for two reasons: First, as a Giants fan, I’m an NFC East homer; and second, all four teams have relatively stable quarterback-situations, and therefore are not currently being held hostage by the Brett Favre debacle.

Dallas Cowboys

Painful as this is for me to admit, the Cowboys were the best team in the NFC last year, and they haven’t incurred any significant personnel losses in the offseason. Tony Romo, Marion Barber, and Terrell Owens anchor one of the league’s best offenses. A young, pesky defense has added Zach Thomas and Pacman—oops!—Adam Jones.

Circle this date: Nov. 2, Cowboys at Giants. The ‘Boys will be looking to avenge their playoff loss to the Giants.

Outlook: The regular season hasn’t been a problem for Dallas in recent years. It’s those damn playoffs that keep tripping them up. I expect this to be the year they get off the schneid, not because they’re significantly better than last year, but more because of the law of averages. Sooner of later, this team has to win a playoff game. They’re too good not to.

Projected finish: 12-4

Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan McNabb's championship window is closing rapidly; in fact, it is very nearly shut. He turns 32 this year, and he hasn’t had an injury-free season since 2004. The Eagles’ fortunes ride heavily on whether No. 5 can keep it together for a full year.

Brian Westbrook is unhappy with his contract situation, and he’s 28 and rapidly approaching 30, the not-so-magic number for running backs. Still, this is a team that is built to win now, and it was the Eagles’ defense that wrote the blueprint on how to contain New England’s juggernaut of an offense.

Circle this date: Dec. 28, at home vs. Dallas. With a little luck, the Eagles could be playing this game for the top spot in the NFC East.

Outlook: This season hinges on a lot of ifs. If McNabb can stay healthy. If Westbrook can repeat last year’s performance. If Andy Reid can concentrate on the season despite his sons’ troubles. I have the feeling this is now or never for these Eagles, and that they will play like it.

Projected finish: 11-5

New York Giants

I may get slammed for predicting a third-place finish for the defending champs, and as a Giants fan, I may seem egregiously disloyal, but I still think Eli Manning has some growing to do. Entering the regular-season finale against the Patriots, he was the very definition of mediocrity, with 19 touchdown passes and 19 picks. Has a Super Bowl victory transformed him into a more accurate quarterback? We’ll see.

Circle this date: Sept. 4, at home vs. Washington. A Thursday-night game, it’s the first game of the season, and the Giants will be looking to prove they’re no fluke.

Outlook: I hope I’m wrong, but I see a little Super Bowl hangover for the Giants. Also, Michael Strahan (retirement) and Kawika Mitchell (free agency) are significant defensive losses.

Projected finish: 10-6.

Washington Redskins

This is a team in flux. New head coach Jim Zorn takes over a team still reeling from the shooting death of safety Sean Taylor. Quarterback Jason Campbell is learning a new offense for the third time in four years.

Circle this date: Nov. 16, at home vs. Dallas. Regardless of how the Redskins may be playing, they always get up for the Cowboys. They’ll be hovering around .500 and playing with desperation. Will it be enough to beat the Cowboys? Tune in and find out.

Outlook: After years of trying to buy a championship, Daniel Snyder appears to be trying to build through the draft. If successful, the ‘Skins will be tough. But not this year.

Projected finish: 8-8.

Brett Favre: They Tried To Make Me Stay Retired, And I Said No, No, No

O'Dell Isaac II — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:30:30 -0400

If you’re a fan of the Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Ravens, or any other NFL team in need of stability at the quarterback position, the Brett Favre situation is a painfully ironic one.

One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, the league’s all-time leading passer, wants to play football, and his former team doesn’t want him back. If sports columnists, bloggers, and online pollsters are to be believed, almost no one—save his wife and kids—wants him to play again.

According to the latest reports, Favre sent a text message to Green Bay GM Ted Thompson on Saturday, and Thompson replied that he was on vacation, and would address the situation when he returned.

Something tells me that, if Thompson had his druthers, he wouldn’t “return” from vacation until halftime of the Packers’ opening game, just in time to retire Favre’s jersey and bring the saga to a close.

Clearly, Favre ain’t goin’ out like that. He wants to play, and it’s beginning to look like he’s going to force the issue. The Pack reportedly sent an emissary to his Mississippi home to try to talk some sense into him, only to be rebuffed.

If Favre insists on scratching his itch at all cost, it places the Pack in an uncomfortable situation. They basically have three options: bring him back, trade him, or give him his outright release.

Let’s take a brief look at each.

Bring Favre Back

This option is the least likely to happen. The Packers have closed the door on the Brett Favre era. They have handed the reins to the heir apparent, Aaron Rodgers, and they need to put him on the field so they can see what they have. They drafted not one, but two quarterbacks in this year’s draft. The message is clear: thanks for the memories, Brett. Best of luck.

If the Packers choose this option, they will essentially be cutting their own throats. Favre is 38. At most, he’s got two good years left. Aaron Rodgers’ contract is up in 2009. If the Packers take the ball away from him and give it back to Favre, what are the chances that Rodgers will want to re-sign with them?

Trade Favre

This is a more likely scenario than Option One, though not by much. Off the top of my head, I can think of anywhere between five and 10 teams that would be very interested in Favre, but he would almost certainly veto any trade to a non-contender, and several QB-needy contenders toil in the NFC.

Two of those teams, the Bears and the Vikings, are divisional rivals. Only a great fool would trade Favre to either of those teams, and Thompson is not a great fool.

Can you imagine Favre jogging onto Lambeau Field in a Bears uniform, slicing up the Packer defense to a chorus of boos? Can you imagine being the guy who engineered the trade of a player viewed by many fans as God in a yellow helmet?

Neither can Ted Thompson. Option Two is a non-starter.

Release Favre

This, too, is an uncomfortable choice, but possibly the least so. Favre could still end up with a divisional rival, and the Bears and Vikings are a quarterback away from making serious noise in the NFC.

Minnesota, in particular, with stellar running back Adrian Peterson, would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Favre at the helm.

Not an attractive scenario, but at least Thompson wouldn’t be blamed for actively trading Favre. Surprisingly, the Packer faithful appear to be split on the issue.

Some believe Favre represents the best chance to win now, and that he should be allowed to play until he is no longer able. This contention has some merit; the Packers very nearly got to the Super Bowl last year as Favre enjoyed one of his best statistical seasons. (Of course, an ill-advised Favre interception was chiefly responsible for the Packers’ NFC Championship loss to the Giants, but with Brett, bad throws are part of the package.)

The other camp is of the opinion that it’s time to move on, that Rodgers is the guy now, and that Favre is putting his own ego above the long-term health of the team. There is merit to that opinion as well, but as a former athlete, I don’t come down on that side.

Here’s my two cents on the situation.

Yes, Favre is putting the Packers in a lose-lose situation. It is a bit selfish. But try, for a moment, to look at it from Favre’s point of view. If you count high school and college, he has been playing quarterback for 25 years. Jackie Robinson was right when he said that athletes die twice. Retirement from football is a death of sorts, and when he gives it up for good, then Brett Favre the quarterback dies, to be replaced by Brett Favre the … what?

Favre himself doesn’t know what his next incarnation will be. Can we blame him for not wanting to find out yet?

Also, remember that just two years ago, when Favre was mulling retirement, it was Thompson who begged him to reconsider. If Thompson remembers this, he’ll do the right thing and free Favre up to play somewhere else.

Don’t blame Brett Favre for putting his legacy at risk by trying to play again. You can only mow the lawn so many times before it gets old.

Len Bias: Where Were You When You Heard?

O'Dell Isaac II — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:47:34 -0400

Today, the Boston Celtics and their fans celebrated their 17^th NBA title with a “rolling rally,” a parade to honor a team that climbed its way from the cellar of the league to its penthouse.

Twenty-two years ago today, the Celtics and their fans were dealt a death blow when their top draft pick, Len Bias, died of a cocaine overdose.

For basketball fans of a certain age, Bias’ death qualifies as a “Where were you?” moment, as in “Where were you when you heard?”

I remember where I was when I heard.

I was at my high school graduation rehearsal when a friend approached me with a newspaper in his hand and a stunned look on his face.

“Did you hear about Len Bias?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “What?”

“He’s dead,” my friend said.

“That’s not funny,” I said.

He held up the New York Daily News.

“I wasn’t joking,” he said.

Even as I read the article, I could barely believe it.

Two days before, several friends and I had skipped school to attend the NBA Draft at the Felt Forum.

We were Knicks fans, the four of us, and while we knew we had no shot at landing Bias, we were hopeful of picking up homegrown point guard Dwayne “Pearl” Washington.

Pearl, like his namesake, was a New York playground legend. Unlike his namesake, he turned out to be a colossal bust.

Twenty-two years later, there are three things I remember most clearly about that draft.

I remember the Knicks fans, incensed by the drafting of Kentucky forward Kenny Walker, chanting, “Bull-! Bull-! Bull-!” (I remember this quite clearly because I was one of those fans.)

I remember the sharkskin suit Pearl Washington wore to the Felt Forum.

And I remember seeing Len Bias.

Even from my perch in the nosebleed seats, Bias was larger than life. He was 6’8” and 220 pounds with speed, power and a dazzling array of skills.

As he strolled up to the podium, I stared at him in awe, envy and disgust. You see, as a Knick fan, I was legally required to hate the Celtics, the reigning league champion.

It was bad enough that they had just won a title; now they had just picked the stud duck of the ’86 Draft.

I, like many others, was certain this meant another two or three rings for the boys in green.

His grin was wide and his stride was confident. He was a two-time national collegiate player of the year.

He was set to make a pile of money and, unlike most top draft picks, he was headed to a championship team.

Len Bias, the Number Two pick in the NBA Draft, had two days to live.

At his University of Maryland campus, in celebration of his bright future, Bias made the biggest mistake of his young life, and thus began the Celtics’ downward spiral that finally ended this year, when Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale conspired to bring Kevin Garnett to Boston.

Ainge and McHale were teammates in 1986, still basking in the afterglow of the Celtics’ victory over the Houston Rockets.

They, like Bias, were sitting on top of the world.

I wonder where they were when they heard.