Monday Morning Left Guard

October 24, 2011, 6:41 pm

By Bernard Bokenyi

I will get to the overdone propaganda of the day in a few, but first I would actually like to highlight NFL story lines worthy of talking about.

Sunday was a statement win for the Atlanta Falcons. I really liked what I saw, especially from their defense. They kept the Lions in check and escaped with a win. There was a scary moment in the third quarter when quarterback Matt Ryan rolled his ankle; he even had to go into the locker room. However Ryan came back in, finished the game and has his team back in a good spot as they stand at 4-3. Atlanta is back in control of its own playoff destiny. This team has a lot of talent and could be one to watch in the second half of the season.

As for the Lions, I have to be concerned about back to back home losses. Yes they are still 5-2, but you have to protect your own house. I really like the direction their franchise headed in. I wonder if this year though could slip away. Detroit has struggled to win on the road in recent years and now they are slipping a bit. I think it would be great for the league to have Detroit in the playoffs. I admit I am openly rooting for that to happen. They are a young team that has to get back to business.

The Packers continue to impress. I will not start that silly 16-0 talk like some places do. First off it is WAY too early, second of all, it doesn’t matter. Green Bay has amazing balance and I don’t know that I can really point to any major flaws. As much as I want to say the lack of consistent running attack is a problem, their offense doesn’t need it. Aaron Rodgers spreads the ball around as good as any quarterback I have ever seen. It is unreal the timing he has with all of his receivers. Even rookie Randall Cobb looks like he has been in this offense for several years.  The Packers are the easy favorite to win the NFC. Winning at Lambeau Filed in January is tough. Even though the Giants and Falcons have found a way to get that job done in recent years, something tells me that Aaron Rodgers though won’t make the kind of mistakes that a former Packers QB used to make.

Civilization was set back at least a few centuries in Cleveland on Sunday. Watching the Seahawks and Browns battle was beyond irritating. It was quite possibly the worst NFL game I have ever watched. A combined nine points were scored between the two.
However, the worst performance on the day may have been by the referees. Seattle had a punt return for touchdown called back on a block in the back penalty that never happened. After watching that game I feel I should start carving on walls and begin hunting for food with a wooden stick. Mankind has made great progress but we can’t overcome the atrocity that occurred in the shores of Lake Erie this past weekend. I have mercy for any football fans that had to witness that game.

Tampa Bay is a team that I just cannot figure out one bit. They lose to the Bears on Sunday, in London, just a week after knocking off a strong New Orleans team. The Buccaneers can’t use the youth excuse anymore. They where 10-6 last year and have much of the same roster back. If they are going to make strides they need to be much more consistent. I never really know what to expect from Tampa Bay week in and week out. They just may be that 8-8 team that never really takes a step in either direction.

Now as far as London, I can’t stand this. I understand why the league is playing games in foreign countries, but I don’t care. This is AMERICA’S game! Buccaneers fans should be up in arms about losing a home game. It is ridiculous that NFL games are not being played where they should be. Let Europe and other nations play their communist kickball all they want. There are many things that make this country great. Football is right up there with why we are a great nation. Sports are a true part of our culture and I think that is a great thing. We declared our independence as a nation because we had a right to pursue our own freedoms. Football is our game and I don’t want to have it subject to foreign lands. The fact that the NFL is trying to make a few extra bucks is not a good enough reason to do this. Put games on TV in international lands all you want. The games belong here!

Alright, so now down to the business at hand. I have been pulling out my hair these last 24 hours after the nauseating coverage of Tim Tebow. I have just covered several NFL storylines that are worth discussion. However, all over TV and the internet, we are stuck having Tebow shoved down our throats. Great, he won a game, big deal. First off, Miami may truly be trying to lose every game. You can make a case for that since Andrew Luck is on the line. Watch the entire game as I did, and you will see that Tim Tebow is a horrible NFL quarterback. The Broncos had to tailor their offense to what he can do. All he can do is scramble around a little bit. That won’t last; this is not the SEC where size will win ten games a year. The NFL continually proves that you have to have a quarterback that stay in the pocket. As good as Ben Roethlisberger is at keeping plays alive, the Steelers win when he stays in the pocket and completes passes. Tebow is unable of doing this and I have yet to believe he ever will.

I have said it before and I will continue to say this. The fact the Tebow feeds kittens and does whatever he does off the field is meaningless, he can’t play at the NFL level. His scrambling for a touchdown or two will not last. His off the field activities are independent from his ability to play football. I have no issue with who he is as a person. I applaud his efforts and wish more human beings did what he does. But this is not related to his abilities on the field. The media should be embarrassed with the way they talk about Tebow. He should be rated on his abilities on the field. There is a definite racial element in this because most of the media is white. I have spent enough time in locker rooms to tell you this is real. It is not necessarily intentional, but it is there. Coming off the Michael Vick prison term, the media wants to be able to point to a white quarterback that is a role model for youth. This is part of the subconscious of a lot of writers, reporters, producers and all media types. You can be mad at me all you want for bringing light to this, but it is real. Standing in NFL locker rooms is frustrating at times. I can recall waiting thirty minutes for any player to show up so we could interview them. Hearing discussions between media members over the years is why I see this situation for what it is. Tebow will get the rest of the year to show what he can do. I would be highly shocked if he is under center long term for Denver.