Good Guys and Bad Guys of the NFL: Knowing Whom to Love and Whom to Hate

As I heard the news that Terrelle Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, I thought, "Appropriate.  A selfish prima donna playing for a criminal organization."  Then, my mind wandered into the good guys and bad guys of the NFL.

I have to confess, calling myself an avid college football fan and apathetic NFL fan would understate both positions.  To find any interest in the National Flag Football League, I have to force myself to sort teams into "Good Guys," "Bad Guys," or "I just don't care."  As such, I present my list for your consideration as you prepare for the 2011 season and beyond.

GOOD GUYS

The hallmark of a good program restricting selfish attitudes, managing the team appropriately, and exhibiting this formula for success on the field.  The following teams do the best job of developing and instituting these policies.

1.  New England Patriots

Yes, the Patriots were notoriously convicted of violating NFL rules by covertly taping opponents' practices and walk-throughs, but knowing multiple sources in the NFL, I can assure you these tactics are common practice throughout the league.  The Patriots were simply unlucky casualties in a continuous war to gain the upper hand.

Moving past this violation, the Patriots are the preeminent owners of "team."  Their superstars reluctantly seek the spotlight.  They control the bad boys like Randy Moss.  Ultimately, they manage selfish "I," "me," and "my" mentalities.  That has translated to repeated success on the field, despite being overmatched physically.

The team model espoused by the Patriots is one that should be revered by coaches at all levels.  When the Patriots manage to tame both Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson and Albert Haynesworth, you'll know exactly how successful the Patriots' team model works, and why they occupy the top spot for "Good Guys" on my list.

2.  Pittsburgh Steelers

Again, the Steelers are a "team."  In fact, one could call them a "family." 

Yes, they've had some black eyes, recently, including Ben Roethlisberger putting himself in bad positions, James Harrison sounding harsh though venting understandable frustration with the NFL, and Rashard Mendenhall unmistakably sounding foolish in his mention of terrorism; but none of those situations truly merits the spotlight they've garnered as compared to the negative attitudes and criminal acts of their counterparts at other franchises. 

The "me" mentality doesn't exist at Pittsburgh like it does at so many other organizations.  Though the media highlights players like Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward, they are as reluctant as the Patriots in their accolades. 

Furthermore, the Steelers' management is quick to discipline its team or remove bad elements from the program.  Again, the "team" mentality translates to success on the field.  It's doing it the "right way" that makes the Steelers my second choice on the list of "Good Guys."

3.  New York Giants

The New York Giants play tough, hard-nosed football, but they maintain a light demeanor off the field, as can be seen by Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan in their Subway commercials.  Furthermore, Tiki Barber's understanding that a world exists outside of football reveals maturity within the program. 

Yes, Strahan is out of the game and Barber has taken a nice hiatus, but the current Giants' players carry themselves the same way. 

While the face of the franchise, Eli Manning, is not as polished as his brother, the program itself merits its third position based on the totality of the team's attitude and its success on the field.  It isn't perfect, however, which is why it's not higher on the list.

4.  Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning runs his team like a captain runs his ship.  However Manning carries himself, the team follows.  The media largely ignores the rest of the Colts, taking its cue from Manning's emotions and interpretation of the game. 

Manning is a general on the field and commands the respect of his teammates and opponents alike.  Because of Manning's superior leadership, the Colts are considered one of our ultimate "Good Guys."

5.  New Orleans Saints

The punching bag of the league for years and the sole reason Eli Manning refused to play for a mismanaged Chargers franchise, after seeing how mismanagement destroyed his father's career, the Saints have finally put together a franchise worth respecting. 

Drew Brees distributes the ball evenly to all teammates, ensuring no superstars emerge, because it's about the sum of all parts.  The defense also has no all-stars, yet the Saints managed to win a Super Bowl under the command of their humble leader. 

Additionally, the loss of Reggie Bush significantly boosted the Saints' ranking, ridding themselves of the dead weight of an under-performing player who put his fame before his teammates in college.

BAD GUYS

These teams are mismanaged, selfish, and have a damaged moral compass.  Failing to appropriately manage its players while forsaking the good of team and fans by making selfish decisions will land a team on this list.

1.  Oakland Raiders

When an owner can't let his staff do the jobs they were hired to perform, one should understand there is a high probability that the program is a problem.  Furthermore, when a program refuses to discipline its players and continues to draft bad attitudes and thugs, one can see directly in the negative culture of the organization. 

Its fans pride themselves on their hostility, including shooting other fans in a recent preseason game.  The organization has never controlled its bad boys and hardly deserves mentioning in any meaningful category, except for being the No. 1 criminal organization in the league.

2.  Cincinnati Bengals

This is an organization who led the league in off-field incidents a few years ago and continues to have problems with player attitudes. 

Yes, the organization relieved itself of Chad "Ochocinco," but does not avoid the fact that the Bengals are notorious in the media and mediocre on the field, despite having a prolific passer at the helm. 

It's attitude.  It's management.  It's discipline.  The Bengals hardly have any of these.

3.  Dallas Cowboys

They call them "America's Team"?  That's an insult to this great country.  Jerry Jones is a dictator and accepted Jimmy Johnson's soul in return for Super Bowls. 

However, Jimmy Johnson already sold his soul to the devil when he cheated at Miami, so Jerry knew Johnson was his.  Bad attitudes dating back to Leon Lett have plagued this team, and due to the inability of Jones to let go of his team, he's run his team down into mediocrity. 

Tony Romo is not a bad person, but his slight obsession with fame has been his Achilles' heel.  While the team is not nearly as bad as the Raiders or Bengals, its inability to escape the iron grip of Jerry Jones is insurmountable. 

Jones, in fact, had the audacity to put a JumboTron in the stadium in such a way that punters have to kick around it.  Nothing says, "I'm more important than the game," than the Jones ignoring the game itself for his own grandiosity. 

Such selfishness at the top and historically bad attitudes place Dallas at No. 3 on this list.

4.  Baltimore Ravens

Ravens fans are some of the most hostile fans in the league.  "Hey, it's the NFL!  The players are mercenaries!"  Ravens ownership uprooted a historic franchise from a city whose fans were among the most loyal in the league.  The birth of the Ravens from the death of the Browns is unforgivable. 

Considering that the Ravens also employ Ray Lewis only magnifies their position as a "Bad Guy."  I've heard people say that Lewis was ruled innocent, which is wrong.  Lewis was ruled "Not Guilty" which simply means the Prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict him. 

It doesn't mean he was innocent of any crimes.  As far as I'm concerned, Lewis is a criminal, and the organization is criminal for not only employing him, but also allowing him to be the face of the organization. 

The offense is a non-entity, while the defense led by Lewis, steals the spotlight.  Doing the unforgivable and holding out Ray Lewis as the face of the organization solidifies Baltimore's spot on the list of "Bad Guys."

5.  Washington Redskins

When was the last time they were relevant?  When they had a cocaine addict on the team?  While Mike Shanahan adds credibility to the program, Shanahan may not last at an organization that has been so mismanaged for years.  Plus, Shanahan has had his run and is on the downside of an otherwise productive career. 

The Redskins have repeatedly drafted underachievers and negative attitudes like Albert Haynesworth.  They've also looked for the quick fix, like Donovan McNabb, only to throw him away sooner, rather than later. 

Additionally, their management is questionable at best, knowing that some in the higher echelon of leadership will place their own incompetent family members into positions for which they're unqualified, forsaking the success of the organization, which is evident on the field. 

Mismanaged with no sense of team first, the Redskins round out the list of "Bad Guys," even without mentioning their gaudy, outdated uniforms.