Friday, March 28, 2014

Stricter Rules to be added to the NFL in 2014

Over the last decade or so, the NFL has become the entertainment powerhouse of the world. Leaving most of its competitors in the dust, the multi-billion dollar brand that is the National Football League is the reigning champ when it comes to being the most lucrative product in the U.S. and has always been about "more." With the proposals of more regular season games being added to the NFL schedule to the addition of more playoff teams thrown into the postseason mix, rule changes are also a hot topic and is something the league looks to add more of. And with the NFL Annual Meetings this week, many of those potential rule changes that were discussed whether accepted and declined, were the talk of the sports world. Here's just a few rule changes the NFL looks to tackle at the start of the 2014 regular season.

One of the most talked about and more controversial rule changes that the league hopes to take head on is banning the use of the 'N' word. In hopes of cracking down on those who use the word on the field, officials will now be assessing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against anyone who's seen or heard using the term which derives from and often reminds us of some of the darkest days our country has ever seen. In the eyes of league officials, cleaning up the language used on the field and eliminating this word is the NFL's way of addressing a mutual respect sportsmanship issue according to the suits. Though playing football in the NFL isn't your everyday occupation, it's a job nonetheless and if someone working at the grocery store for example isn't allowed to use the word when on duty, the same should be said in this case. Not to mention the case that if not all players can say it (those that aren't African American), nobody should be able to. But then again there's always the possibility of calling the penalty on the wrong player which could could open up a can of worms and cause more harm than good.
While the next potential rule change isn't exactly as controversial as the last one, it's guaranteed to be equally as unpopular among players. Having taken a bad wrap for being known as the "No Fun League," the NFL just got a lot less fun for players who enjoy celebrating a certain way after scoring a touchdown. Several seasons ago the NFL went forward with the ban on using the football as a prop immediately following celebratory antics by the creative minds of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens among others who didn't quite invent the touchdown celebration but without a doubt changed the way we look at them today. Starting next season, officials will be issuing penalties to those who dunk the football through the goalpost. While it's not yet known how many yards will be assessed on the call, this has to be devastating news for Saints tight-end Jimmy Graham who's made it his signature move after paying the end zone a visit. With 41 career touchdown receptions under his belt, including a personal-best 16 TD's last season which led the league, Graham slamming the ball through the uprights has become just as synonymous with his game as his scoring ability. Unfortunately for him, it'll now be followed by a penalty unless he picks up a new move. 

But Graham can't get too infuriated regarding the rule change because he's partially to blame. During a road meeting with the division-rival Atlanta Falcons back in November, Graham scored a go-ahead touchdown and put an exclamation mark on the play by dunking the ball Shaquille O'Neal style with two hands, tilting the goalpost in the process. What would end up being a goalpost malfunction, would create a delay of game, requiring a maintenance crew to bring out a ladder and a level to straighten things out (pun intended). Graham took to his Twitter account after news broke about the new rule change, giving us some laughs by tweeting: "I guess I'll just have to lead the NFL in penalties next year! #FunPolice". Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers is another dunk happy tight-end that'll be saddened by this news. Meanwhile, former tight-end Tony Gonzalez who like Graham and Gates comes from a basketball background and also took to the slam dunk quite a few times throughout his Hall of Fame career, seems to have hung it up at the perfect time as he announced his retirement at the end of last season. 
While adding another 5 feet to the goalpost was passed with little debate, potentially tweaking the PAT (point after touchdown) to the 25 yard line has not yet been approved and will be tested during the first two preseason games starting at the 20. It's no wonder that kickers successfully converted on 1,256 of 1,261 extra point attempts this past season, making the PAT virtually outdated and downright unnecessary given how automatic they are. Commissioner Roger Goodell who's looking to breathe some excitement back into the PAT, is hoping this proposed experiment which would basically make the extra point a 37-yard field goal attempt, will do just that. It'll also be a hell of a lot more exciting for teams in the mid-west or far east who play outdoors and endure extreme weather conditions. Assuming it gets approved, it'll also be interesting to see what influence this will have on teams in favor of the two-point conversion.

A few other needed adjustments moving forward include what's being called the "NaVorro Bowman Rule" which allows officials to make the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play a reviewable call. This comes after the blunder that took place during January's NFC Championship between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks in which Bowman severely injured his knee after clearly recovering a fumble to no avail due to the play being non-reviewable. And while we're on the subject of reviews, refs can now seek help if needed by consulting with the officiating department in New York during replay review. Lastly, the game clock will now continue following a quarterback sack outside of two minutes. While many including myself would say the league has tacked on far too many penalties when it comes to hits on the quarterback or players in general, this latest batch of proposed rule changes seem a lot more tolerable than those added in the past. 


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Lakers' Bryant shutdown 'til 2014-15 Season

Earlier today, Laker fans were given the news nobody wants to hear regarding their team's star player when news broke that Kobe Bryant's 2013-14 campaign would come to a premature end. The 16-time All-Star who missed all but six games this season for the injury-rattled Lakers while batting ailments of his own, was officially shutdown for the remainder of the season on Wednesday, a joint decision made by Bryant and team doctors. Kobe, the franchises' all-time scoring-leader who signed a 2-year, $48.5 Million extension back in November,  has been out since December 17 while nursing a fractured left knee that has healed much slower than anticipated. 

Eight months after going under the knife to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered last April, Bryant was forced to miss the first 19 games of the season which led to the highly anticipated return that would last only six games before the Black Mamba was once again bit by the injury bug and forced back on the shelf. In the small sample size we got to see Kobe on the court, each game saw him get better than the last. After being given very little time to shake off the cobwebs, Bryant averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and a 42.5 shooing percentage, statistically the worst season of his career despite still being voted by fans into the NBA All-Star Game. Whether or not Kobe would've been game ready before the end of the regular season, a return this late in the year with the Lakers this far behind in the standings would make virtually no sense and would do more harm than good. Though it's never positive news when your star player is ruled out for the year, it could be in L.A.'s case.
With the Lakers unofficially in full on tank mode, Bryant's return at this point in the season would not only jeopardize his career in what's been a lost season but it would also hurt his team's draft stock. In what's been a historically bad season for the purple and gold who sit tied for the worst record in the Western Conference at 22-42 and will miss the playoffs for only the sixth time since 1948, the team's best bet at this point is to continue losing in hopes of improving their chances in the NBA Draft lottery. With this year's draft class regarded as the best in quite some time and expected to showcase the talent of many future star players, rebuilding from the ground up might be general manager Mitch Kupchak's best way to construct a winning team for the long haul as father time has seem to have caught up to the team's franchise player who has 18 years under his belt and will celebrate his 36th Birthday in August. 

With all eyes now on the start of the 2014-15 season as the expected timetable for Kobe's return, the questions of whether or not he can return to the All-Star caliber player he once was will begin to form. But regardless of his critics, nobodies expectations of Kobe will be as lofty as his own. 


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

49ers Family Fued

Only a month after the last snap of the 2013 NFL season and into the offseason and we've already got one of the more juicy coaching situations developing in the Bay Area. Since the firing of coach Steve Mariucci following the 2002 season, the San Francisco 49ers have looked high and low in search of a winning head coach to no avail. That was until 2011 when the 49ers handed the reigns to Jim Harbaugh who made the leap to the pros after a successful run at Stanford where he coached the program to its first Bowl win since 1996. Even prior to his tenure at Stanford, Harbaugh had tasted victory while at the University of San Diego where he won consecutive Pioneer League titles. So it was no surprise Harbaugh translated his winning ways to the professional level. The speed he did it in, however, was.

Sure he inherited a team rich in young talent, but it was one in need of guidance which Harbaugh supplied along with a system to buy into. Since the marriage that landed him in San Francisco, the 49ers have been one of the most winningest teams in the National Football League. Through three seasons, the 49ers are 41-14-1 (including playoffs) and have made it to three straight NFC title games as well as a Super Bowl appearance under Harbaugh who was named Coach of the Year in his first season and has done virtually everything but hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Something he came one play shy of in 2012. All things considered, the 49ers have finally found themselves a stable coach. However, reports as recent as last week had the 49ers front-office on the verge of sending Harbaugh on his way. News broke out that the relationship between Harbaugh and Niners GM Trent Baalke was a rocky one and has been for some time once trade talks began brewing with San Francisco possibly shipping Harbaugh to Cleveland after the Browns contacted the 49ers and inquired about their coach.
The negotiations that didn't last long before being put to bed were more than enough to send the sports world and social media networks alike, buzzing for days. Team owner Jed York confirmed the story by saying talks were made and discussions were had but nothing further came of it. But the first mistake the 49ers made was listening to the offer in the first place which regardless if the deal goes through or not, can only spell doom for a front-office and their relationship with a head coach moving forward, not to mention one that has already bumped heads with the GM. With the 49ers on the cusp of greatness and a sixth Super Bowl title on the horizon, the team would be stupid to show Harbaugh the door simply because there's no better coach that's currently available to fill the void.

As for those that are pointing the finger at Harbaugh and believe he's the one threatening to leave in favor of a head coaching position in the college ranks, consider this: Never has an NFL coach that endured such success as Harbaugh has, downgraded back to coach at the collegiate level. Why would one possibly leave a team that has made it to three straight NFC Championships and is nesting one of the brightest nucleus' of young NFL players for a college program he would have to recruit for and more than likely build from the ground up? Reports also claim Harbaugh has demanded that he wants more power in the organization as well as more money, both of which the 49ers coach has denied ever saying during an interview with Sports Illustrated where he also had nothing but positive things to say about the organization. Unlike many other feuds we've seen between a head coach and the front-office, Harbaugh has not lost the locker room as 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin told reporters shortly after agreeing to re-sign with the team on a two-year, $12 Million deal. Boldin who led the team in receiving this past season, also explained that coach Harbaugh was one of the main reasons he decided to return in the Bay Area for two more years instead of testing the market as a free-agent.
The funniest part of all might be that the media which has portrayed this whole thing as the downfall of the franchise, has already declared Harbaugh close to being on his way out after this season despite the two years remaining on his contract. The premature assumptions of Harbaugh needing an extension before his current contract is up only fuels this overblown story about the Niners possibly looking to shop their coach. A lot can happen in the course of a year including a Super Bowl victory which would be the perfect antidote to solve the ongoing dispute between Harbaugh and Baalke who's done nothing but draft star-studded talent since being named GM in 2005. While it's the GM who 49ers owner Jed York feels isn't going anywhere anytime soon and has leaned on the side of Harbaugh being the more expendable of the two according to sources, there's plenty of time between now and the start of the season for both sides to mend fences and squash this whole beef if in fact there is one. 

Though often having a flair for the dramatic, Harbaugh has described both he and Baalke as being, "two competitive people that want the same thing." If that's true, they'll settle their differences and work things out for the betterment of the team. As long as San Francisco is putting up W's in the win column, the two can and will coexist on the team's quest for six. 


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest