Ryan Leaf movie? Really?

by Andy | Dec 5, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

While I’m a frequent listener to the local Minneapolis-St. Paul sports talk radio shows, I’ve been tuning in more and more lately to the Dan Patrick Show. I do so because I enjoy the national perspective and because he’s got a variety of guests and issues that are less available at the local level.

This morning Patrick interviewed Tim Carr, an independent film maker who is putting the finishing touches on a movie about Ryan Leaf. Yes, the Ryan Leaf of San Diego Chargers infamy whose three-year career ended with a 4-17 win-loss record and a 14-36 touchdown to interception radio.

Carr defended doing a movie on Leaf because it’s different than stories like Rudy and Rocky that have already been done before. He wanted to take a look at Leaf as a potential subject for “redemption”. And perhaps he’s correct. He told Patrick that though Leaf didn’t want to be involved in the project he was cordial and professional on the occasions when they talked.

He also mentioned that Leaf has been active with charities and had really seemed to find himself after getting back into the game as a coach at West Texas A&M.

In fact, Carr got me curious about possibly watching “Leaf” when it comes out. After all, Leaf was a young man who suddenly found himself with millions and millions of dollars and probably too much free time when he couldn’t make the jump from college star at Washington State to face of the San Diego Chargers then-foundering franchise.

And, in the big scheme of things, though he came off as a jerk at times during his playing days, should a person’s life be defined by whether or not they reach star status in the National Football League? His career was over before he turned 25 – at that point he’s got two-thirds or more of his life left yet to live.

Sadly, Leaf’s “redemption” story hit a snag when he asked one of his players for a pill to help deal with pain from a past injury, an offense for which he ended up resigning from West Texas A&M in November. But here’s hoping Leaf can eventually conquer whatever demons still face him so he can get back into coaching or charity work or whatever it is he needs to make his life feel complete.

Raiders rivaling Lions’ futility

by Andy | Dec 4, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

San Diego leads the Oakland Raiders 24-0 with 5 minutes left in the second quarter. The Raiders have already allowed Vincent Jackson to eclipse 120 yards receiving and LaDainian Tomlinson has gotten back on track in the first 20 minutes as well.

The Raiders, for the first time tonight, were driving when they were hit with back-to-back personal fouls by rookie running back Darren McFadden and free agent megabust tackle Kwame Harris – who not only grabbed an onrushing defensive lineman’s facemask – BUT ALSO FAILED TO KEEP HIM FROM DRILLING THE QUARTERBACK?!?!?!?!

Seconds later, on 4th-and-thirty-something, the Raiders punted.

This team is terrible. JaMarcus Russell can’t find any of his wide receivers. The running back can’t gain any yards and other than Nnamdi Asomugha, the defense can’t stop anyone. This is a proud franchise but for the last half-dozen years they’ve cycled through five coaches and have been unable to build any kind of organization.

This team doesn’t belong in the National Football League or on national television and by the looks of it, the Raiders won’t belong there until they find a new owner who can figure out how to reshape this thing from scratch.

Al Davis, for the good of the game, for the good of your legacy, for the good of the Raiders – step aside. This is pathetic.

With or without the Williams Wall Vikings cannot lose

by Andy | Dec 3, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

Stud defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams have filed suit in Hennepin County District Court Wednesday afternoon seeking a restraining order against the NFL that would allow the duo to play Sunday when the Vikings travel to Detroit.

While the case will likely take awhile to resolve itself completely the Vikings might actually have them for the game. Regardless of whether they are there or not, there is no excuse for Minnesota to lose this game.

The Lions were putrid on Thanksgiving. They are playing an out of shape quarterback who has the plays plastered on cheat sheets on both arms and they are in the playoff race. They have Adrian Peterson. And the 0-12 Lions showed no life or heart in their Thanksgiving day slaughter against Tennessee.

The Lions’ coaching staff will likely use the drug suspension as a rallying cry, trying to get the troops to believe this is the break they needed in order to break through with their first victory. If it works, the Vikings might as well fire the coaching staff, bolt up the doors to Winter Park and shut ‘er down. If you are in first place fighting for your playoff life and you can’t beat a winless team 12 games into a lost season even with backup defensive tackles, there are no excuses.

This remains a must-win game.

Lions don’t make case for staying on Thanksgiving

by Andy | Nov 27, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

I heard it the first time on the Dan Patrick show on Wednesday and I heard it again today. Terry Bradshaw during the postgame show after Tennessee pasted Detroit said “The Lions usually have pretty good bite on Thanksgiving, but not today.”

This isn’t to single out Bradshaw – my brother heard one of the Westwood One radio guys say something similar. But the results – both this year and over the last eight – just don’t bear that out. The now 11-1 Titans collected a turnover and turned it into a score during the first couple minutes of the game and then toyed with the Lions, taking a 35-10 lead into halftime.

And this means that during the last eight Thanksgiving day games, during which the Detroit is 1-7, the Lions have been outscored 242-123.

There’s been talk lately of revamping the Thanksgiving day slate of games and, frankly, both of the early games today were boring and void of suspense. The Lions have yet to win a game and by the five minute mark of the first quarter the only mystery left was by how much they would lose today. In the afternoon game it wasn’t necessarily Dallas’ fault that Seattle comes in beaten up and strugging. But again, other than a brief period in the third quarter when the Seahawks held Dallas on a couple drives in a row, there really wasn’t much doubt that the Cowboys were well in control.

The NFL Network night game looks to be a fairly decent matchup with a desperate Philadelphia team hosting an Arizona Cardinals franchise eager to win its first division and host its first playoff game since the mid 1970s. While I have no issue with the tradition of Dallas and Detroit hosting the games it certainly wouldn’t bother me to actually see games with some playoff implication.

Flex scheduling? That’d be an option, albeit hard for selling tickets. Alternating hosts such as is done during the preseason games hosted internationally or the Hall of Fame game? Another compelling option.

It’s not a major issue with me. I’ll watch either way. But it would be nice for my Thanksgiving nap to be brought on by the overconsumption of comfort food rather than the boredom associated with many of the NFL games played on Thanksgiving this year and in many other years in the recent past.