Mr. Royal covers today. I now have my “catch of the day,” and he now has his “3 and OUT.” Enjoy.
3 and out
Every once in awhile when I don’t have a lot of time I’m going to do a “3 and out.” Similar to Filler’s “Catch of the Day” idea. A little less long-winded than I usually am.
1st down: All This Controversy Is Exhausting…
I’ve said before that the reason I love sports so much, the very reason I write about them is that sports are both an escape from “the real world” but also necessarily intersect with society and our views of society.
The escape part is easy. I admit the number one reason football at the professional level is my favorite sport to watch and follow is because it occurs on Sunday. I love Sundays. Sundays are MY day. I go to church, maybe play 9 holes, and then come home and binge-watch Sunday Ticket or the final round of a major. There’s no grass-cutting, no house cleaning, no laundry, no workout. I escape and get lost in something that’s ultimately completely inconsequential to my every day life.
The second part – the societal part – is a double-edged sword. We have the moments that absolutely make us proud of sports figures and the games they play. Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. Hank Aaron playing in the midst of death threats – shattering Babe Ruth’s record, seeing white fans cheer him on and round the bases with him (literally). Or more recently, watching Kevin Durant give the most touching and heartfelt MVP acceptance speech, where practically handed the trophy to the single mother that raised him.
But then there are the other moments. Donald Sterling’s chilling rant of how he detested the thought of black people being closely associated with him. The new recurring murder charges that seem to pop up every six months against Aaron Hernandez. Watching Ray Rice hit his wife. The reports of domestic violence among other players across the NFL. The use of a new drug among prominent NFLers as the war against drugs rages on (whether you care or not). Hawks GM Danny Ferry being suspended indefinitely for racially insensitive remarks. Adrian Peterson being indicted on child negligence/abuse charges. Chris Davis suspension for amphetamines – explaining why he suddenly can hit 40+ home runs a season…
The temptation is to get exhausted with this stuff and respond in two extremes: Jump to a conclusion, exact justice, and fire/suspend everyone involved to make ourselves feel moral; OR, we can ignore it, say “hey, they’re just athletes, not role models, let the legal system deal with them, I just wanna watch sports.” Us caring about the athletes that play our sports is important. We should care about their integrity and character. But its another thing entirely to look at a sports organization and say things like, “This is an opportunity for the NFL to take the lead on a societal issue.” That’s idiotic. I don’t want a sports organization taking the lead on controversial social issues. I want us in society to dictate how we deal with these issues in sports. Its just weird the other way around.
2nd down: Sherman Island
I don’t think Richard Sherman was “exposed” on Sunday against the Chargers. He’s still the best corner in the league and if you don’t respect that, you will pay. Having said that, the Chargers did prove that not throwing towards Sherman is a stupid strategy that doesn’t work. The last two teams who decided to not throw in Sherman’s direction were the Broncos (who got demolished in the worst Super Bowl I’ve ever seen) and the Packers last week (who didn’t even smell the spread I thought they would cover). The last two teams who did throw in Sherman’s direction were the 49ers (who took the Seahawks to the brink in the 4th) and the Chargers (who decidedly beat Seattle last week).
The problem with not throwing towards Sherman is that he doesn’t move around the field and cover your best guy. Lots of guys, namely Patrick Peterson, have cited this as a sign of weakness in Sherman. Guys like Peterson, Joe Haden, etc. take pride in following the best receiver around the field. While Sherman just plays one side – no matter which receiver is on it.
I don’t see this as a sign of weakness, but rather a brilliant defensive strategy by the Seahawks. Seattle has scared the league into thinking that Richard Sherman is invincible. He’s not. He’s just really, really good. It doesn’t mean you avoid him entirely. When you don’t throw in Sherman’s direction, you literally don’t use his side of the field from the hashmark to the sideline. You cut the amount of field you can use in your passing game from 50 yards to about 30. That’s too predictable. I don’t care if you where you keep your good receivers and if you leave your pedestrian receivers on Sherman’s side or not. Its dumb. Again, he’s good – but he’s not that good. The Chargers proved it, and showed the league that you can take it to the Seahawks without shying away from the boogeyman.
3rd Down: Will RGIII ever start for the Redskins again?
This seems like a preposterous question on its head. He was the #2 overall pick, and the only thing that kept him from being the #1 pick was a once in a generation type of prospect in Andrew Luck – a consensus #1 with almost zero downside. The Redskins quite literally mortgaged their franchise on him (three first-rounders and one second-rounder). How could he not start for them?
Well the answer is simple. Under the new CBA, you don’t have to shell out the big bucks for high risk-high reward rookie QBs like the Rams did with Sam Bradford. The picks are gone. Donezo. Acceptable risk for what we all saw out of RGIII in that 2012 rookie season: exceptional talent with Olympic-sprinter speed, leaping ability, athleticism and an underrated cannon. But now the glaring fact remains that while Kirk Cousins may lack for Griffin’s athleticism and potential, his decision-making and propensity for staying on the field make him an undoubtedly better option for winning games right now.
With as bad as RGIII has looked since that knee injury – and make no mistake, he’s been awful – if Cousins wins or even just plays well, how do you pull him for RGIII? Doesn’t RGIII become the trade asset for a desperate team looking for a starter? A return home to Texas with Houston?