Bleacher Report - Articles by Drake D'Ambra

Hero For Hire

Drake D'Ambra — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:45:49 -0400

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008...

As another season passes by, finding another hero like Walter Payton seems hopeless; almost like trying to find fire under the ocean. There is too much greed and selfishness in the league today to find a hero like Walter Payton. There is no player in the league today that is loved by everybody, even his rivals and their most die hard fans.

If a player died today, would he be remember eight years after his death just as much as he was when he was alive? Probably not. Scratch that...NO.

So here is a letter written to all the potential heroes (LT, Manning, Merriman, etc..) of our nation.

Dear Potential Heroes,

To be a hero in this nation there are certain requirements that must be filled:

1) Absolute dominance: to be a hero in the first place you have to draw attention to yourself. So being a force on the field is the automatic given for being a hero. There are a couple of players out there that come to mind: Ladanian Tomlinson, Peyton Manning.

2) Humble: knowing you are good, but playing as if you are an undrafted rookie fighting for a spot on the practice squad. Staying humble even though your right to brag would disgust most people. Sorry Kellen Winslow, you may make linebackers think twice about letting you slide down the field, but you’re not what we’re looking for.

3) Commitment: having the ability to complain about your present contract, or how bad your teammates are, or complaining about another team period, but you don’t. It is all held in because you made a commitment to your team. Sorry, Chad Johnson, but not playing because you aren’t happy doesn’t send a very good message to the youth of this nation. Ladanian Tomlinson, you may win the rushing title every year but hearing you complain about the Patriots makes my ears hurt… and I hate the Patriots. Oh and not playing in the AFC Championship game didn’t send out a good message. Walter Payton played with a broken rib. I’m sorry, you bruised your knee?

4) Off field loyalty: commitments off the field are just as important as the game. Reaching out to the kids on a daily basis by signing all the autographs you have time for, talking with fans of your own free will, and helping out multiple charities are a must for a hero. That is where all candidates are lost; no player talks with or come down to a personal level with fans and children anymore. When was the last time you saw a great player spend his afternoon in the mall signing autographs for… enjoyment?

5) Dedication: a bone breaking work ethic—running, lifting, even eating right. A player that has dedicated his life for the next play and the next opportunity to prove himself, even though he is already proven. But at the same time the equal amount of dedication off the field.

6) Love: playing for the love of the game, because that’s what makes this game so fun to watch. This category can cross off most players: goodbye Lance Briggs, goodbye Bernard Berrian, and goodbye Asante Samuel money is what really motivates you three.

I greatly appreciate everyone for attempting to be a hero, but as the saying goes, “maybe next year.”

Best Regards,

Drake D’Ambra

Herm Edwards, head coach, of the Kansas City Chiefs is the kind of man the NFL needs. He makes it clear to his players that he will have no nonsense because he wants his players to all set positive role models for kids. He understands that through football he can change the world for the better— one player, to one kid at a time.

Judge Roger Goodell: The Law Enforcer

Drake D'Ambra — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:49:03 -0400

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008...

The new NFL commissioner has continued to lay down the law in the NFL. As many know earlier this season the New England Patriots were caught cheating by video taping signals from the sideline. As a result the league did a “full” investigation and penalized the Patriots and their head coach, Bill Belicheat. The commissioner took away the teams first round draft pick (pick 31) and made the organization pay $250,000. Roger Goodell also made Bill Belicheat pay $500,000 because it was under his command and knowledge that it was done.

Recently the San Francisco 49ers were caught tampering with the league’s anti-tampering policy by contacting Lance Briggs’ agent Drew Rosenhaus during the season.

Due to the violation of the policy the San Francisco 49ers fifth-round draft pick will be forfeited. They will also swap third-round draft picks with the Chicago Bears. The swap will involve San Francisco’s seventh pick and Chicago’s twelfth pick, both of the third round.

The commissioner really seems to be cleaning up the league. This season he has taken care of two “cheating” scenarios. Fortunately, that is not all he has done to help clean up the league and give it a better image.

Adam “Pacman” Jones was suspended for the entire 2007-2008 season for conduct problems away from the field. Pacman Jones was involved with many legal problems outside of the NFL including an arrest, assaults charges, felony vandalism, petitions, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and two strip club shootings.

Roger Goodell also suspended Terry “Tank” Johnson (of the Chicago Bears at the time, presently with the Dallas Cowboys) for an eight game period due to his troubles off the field. Tank Johnson had a hand gun on him while being at a club in November of 2005, which lead to 18 months of probation. Following his probation his house was searched three months later and six firearms (some loaded) were found without any licenses. He then had a traffic violation which resulted in him being cut from the Chicago Bears.

Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals was the other player suspended for a long period of time (eight games) for conduct problems on and off the playing field. Chris Henry was responsible for a traffic violation, drug possession, violating the league's personal conduct and substance abuse policy, providing minors with alcohol, and some assault reports also.

Roger Goodell is making a clear point that the NFL will not put up with any nonsense. If a player is unwilling to follow the law off the field then there is a problem on the field, after all football is just football and the greatest aspect about the sport is teaching the future leaders of this country the right way. Athletes have a responsibility to the kids and that is being a positive role model, as do the teams which is why the Patriots and 49ers have been penalized the way they were.

Chicago Bears: Disappointment Reigns Supreme This Offseason

Drake D'Ambra — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:19:02 -0400

Offense, offense, offense. Such was the prediction for the Chicago Bears this offseason. However, to the fans' dismay, it has been a very disappointing offseason to say the least.

The Bears' offense has been holding Chicago back from being a dominant force in the National Football League for a while now. Since 2005 the Bears offense has averaged 23rd in YPG, while their defense has averaged 11th place in YPG.

The biggest issue facing the Bears is their offensive line. Everybody expected the Bears to make some sort of move this offseason to patch up some of the wounds. Jerry Angelo decided to cut two starting linemen: Ruben Brown and Fred Miller from the team, but has failed to find replacements.

All hope for a winning season seemed to disappear when Bernard Berrian left the organization for the Minnesota Vikings and a six year, $42 million contract and $16 million in guaranteed money. However, hope was reinstated when Lance Briggs was re-signed with a six year, $36 million contract and $13 million in guaranteed money.

The Bears clearly have offensive line issues and it's disappointing that they haven't made any improvements yet. The offensive line position that really needs to be fixed is guard. Alan Faneca was the top runner for offensive linemen (particularly guard) and the Bears were not fortunate enough to grab him, but that's not a problem considering how much he went for.

However, what is disappointing is letting someone of Jake Scott's status go. The Bears' problem is that they are not willing to give up a nice contract, but what they do not realize is that they aren't going to get all-star players without doing so.

Another guard that would have been nice to pick up would have been Justin Smiley from San Francisco, however he was sent east to Miami. San Francisco also has another guard, Larry Allen, in free agency, but he has said he wants to stay in the Bay Area. Although money could take Larry Allen anywhere, his age is a concern, and if he is signed he will only be a short term fix.

The tackle position was expected to be the only offensive line issue heading into the draft; however, as of now it seems the guard position may be with it. That is a huge problem for the Chicago Bears. They need a running back on top of their offensive line issues. Cedric Benson hasn't turned out the way anyone expected, averaging 3.4 YPC isn't going to get the job done on a run-first team.

Many believe the Bears may draft Rashard Mendenhall with the 14th overall pick, but the men that will block for him is still a huge question mark. The draft this year has a nice selection of tackles which is headed off by Jake Long out of Michigan. Other tackles that are drawing attention for themselves is Chris Williams, Sam Baker, Ryan Clady, Jeff Otah, and Gosder Cherilus. One of those players will most likely be dressed in a Bears uniform next season.

Bernard Berrian packed his bags for the Minnesota Vikings, which wasn't the best choice for him. He stated that his return to Chicago would depend on who would be quarterbacking the team next year. Well, he left for a team that has very shaky quarterback play from Tarvaris Jackson.

Not that Chicago's QB situation is amazing, but Rex Grossman vs. Tarvaris Jackson...ends with Rex Grossman. The team also let Muhsin Muhammad leave, and their replacement was Marty Booker. Marty Booker has worn a Bears uniform before and performed quite nicely in it; however, his playing days are numbered as he enters his 10th season.

They also brought in Brandon Lloyd and to say the least, he is quite unproven. The Bears will certainly address the receiver position sometime in the draft, the third round seems to be the best time for them, and drafting someone along the lines of Eddie Royal would fit them nicely.

Re-signing Lance Briggs is the only bright part to the Bears wasted offseason. Drastic changes to the offensive line need to begin promptly if they have any hope of an offense in 2008.

Much media attention has been directed towards the two major lightening poles on the Chicago Bears: Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson, but it is no wonder they struggle with what is called an offensive line in front of them. The Bears must make some fancy moves on draft day if they want any hope of making the playoffs next season.

Even though their defense struggled last season, finishing 28th in YPG, they had many injuries that slowed them down. The 2008 Chicago Bears will have a strong defense, but as the season progresses they will have some glitches because they will be unable to get off the field due to their offense's traditional three and outs.