EL BARRIO, EL FALLS: I had two of today’s pieces in my head before looking for one more topic… and finding two! It’s tough coming up with something not covered by my esteemed colleagues already this week. Anyway, on the menu for today: NFL Becomes Like Big 3, Smokim Noah, Liberty U’s deal with the Devil, Bama being Bama.
NFL Becoming like other Big 3: What has happened to the NFL? They are becoming like the NBA or NHL and NBA. A couple of years ago, a mid-season firing was just unconscionable in the league. This year we have already seen 3 firings, including 4 coaches. It used to be that NFL owners didn’t chop heads off until the Monday after the season. But GMs aren’t waiting that long these days. Cleveland got rid of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley a few games into the season, as the two couldn’t get along. Then Green Bay got rid of head coach Mike McCarthy (Short Matt’s cousin, I believe) and Angry Ward’s Vikings fired Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo… Jackson should have been gone years ago. Haley was brought in to help him but they are the Browns – so nobody cared/noticed The firing of McCarthy and DeFilippo are the eyebrow raisers. 
Their teams were not eliminated and still had chances at the Wild Card at the time of their axing. So the normally conservative NFL has joined the wild, mid-season firing ranks. Now if they could only get the trading deadline to mean something.
Smokim Noah: One of the podcasts I listen to is Bodega Boys, a couple of jokers from the Bronx that made it big. One of the things they do is take a celebrity name and mix with drug and use it as their aka…. Kid Mero, Lionel Dutchie, Henrik Bluntquist, D’Ya-Yo Maradona, Smokim Noah, etc. Turns out the Smokim Noah aka was kind of true. Noah, in an interview with a local Memphis show, talks about how the party life in NYC did him in. He was in Chicago before, so it is not like he is a small town guy. But he can be added to Walk of Shame that the NYC nightlife chewed up and spit out. Playing in the bright lights of NYC has destroyed the likes of Jeff Weaver, Kenny Rogers and Tom Glavine (though he never had his heart in it), add Kris Benson’s marriage. In basketball, you have Kenny Anderson, Rod Strickland, JR Smith and Noah.
I haven’t paid enough attention to hockey to name people but plenty of players have come to the Rangers and never been as good as they were before they got here. Michael Peca, for instance.
In football, same thing. How about Plaxico Buress and… most of the players the J-E-T-S sign?
I am disappointed in Noah because I though he was a professional who knew how to focus on the job at hand but instead he was a party boy. Then again, this is a city where in less than 30 minutes you can get your drug of choice and people to party plus a boy/girl for fun in under 30 minutes and that wears on the weak, it seems.
The Seediness of College Sports reminds you it lives:
Liberty Uinversity’s Deal with the Devil: I have disdain for Christian Evangelicals. Long story short, it is more about power than good, despite what they tell you. Now, in the school founded by Jerry Falwell, we have two interesting hires. First the school goes and hires Ian McCaw to be Athletic Director. McCaw was the AD at Baylor when it turned into a rape-a-torium into a national disgrace, as it was mired in a rape scandal. If that wasn’t bad enough, McCaw’s first hire is Hugh Freeze, a guy who was found guilty of recruiting violations – such as calling escorts from his phone to be at parties and “work” recruits, paying players family, buying cars and etc. Freeze says only Jesus can handle his junk. Somebody wake up Cheesy Bruin!!! He has been useless on Sunday’s this year but he knows Vegas. What are the odds this ends in a sexual assault scandal by one of the players? How long will McCaw be there? What is the over and under on Freeze lasting 3 years? How long until Coach/AD or both violate one of Liberty’s moral clauses? If this makes it past 3 years, it will be a miracle and may start me going to church on Sundays again.
Alabama Hires DJ Durkin: So the former head coach of Maryland, who was finally fired after massive backlash and protest by students and staff, has landed safely in Alabama. This comes after a 5.4 million dollar buyout – because it is likely that his actions, or lack of action – played a role in the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. Durkin has been hired to be a consultant for Alabama. The fact that Nick Saban is a dirt-bag should not surprise anyone that doesn’t reside in Tuscaloosa. But to bring this guy on because he is a defense guru to help defeat Oklahoma and win another title is shocking. It is not like Alabama is like a weak team or over-matched in any way. Morals are for losers, winners do what it takes to win.!
Share your thoughts below and come back tomorrow for another gem by Cheesy Bruin. You can also find us on Twitter – @JunoirBlaber, @MeetTheMatts & @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram – @MeetTheMatts – and Facebook – Meet The Matts
