Players

I really hate seeing people’s secrets exposed. It feels filthy. It feels like you snuck into their room and read their diary or grabbed their phone and went through it before it locked. I’m an only child so privacy is really important to me and I don’t like people spilling my tea. And that’s why I’ve felt so sad this week seeing the private photos of Kerry Rhodes some dude named “Hollywood” who thinks he’s going to be famous cause Bossip and BallerAlert and whatever other gossip blogs gave him server and bandwidth to be messy. 

Full disclosure, Kerry is a friend of the blog. He helped me promote it with a contest when I first launched. I find him to be very kind and approachable. But even if not, I’d still be sick about what’s happening to him now.

It’s one thing when homophobic politicians are exposed to be dabbling with the kids or some holier-than-thou leader is found with a mistress…in those cases I can see the point and motivation in outing someone (although, to be honest, I can’t think of any instance in which the outing changed a damn thing!) But when a person is simply living their life, probably in shame, outing them just feels gross and wrong.

I know that there are many people like me who are ready to see the NFL become a safer space for gay players. But that doesn’t mean we want to see people thrust into sharing their private preferences (and pictures!). Plus, if what Hollywood said was true–that Kerry’s teammates saw them together and never bothered him about it– it really begs the question why anyone outside of an athlete’s immediate circle even needs to know anything. Maybe this is what “out” in the NFL is…”out” to those who need to know.  Besides, I don’t think NFL players, on a whole, are as close minded (and may have never been!) as people would like to believe. Lots of secrets are kept between teammates and coaches and agents and sexual habits are just one type.

Still and all, what this fame-seeker is doing to Kerry is a complete violation of trust, privacy, and human decency that I could have lived without. He just seems like an awful individual. 

I’m wishing Kerry the best as he searches for a new team. He played well last season and should get another shot. 

When Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said the Ravens wouldn’t break the bank repeat their Super Bowl win he wasn’t lying. Thus far, the Ravens have let multiple starters and key players to their run last season go: Anquan Boldin, Dannell Ellerbe, Paul Kruger, Bernard Pollard, Cary Williams, and possibly now their most well known and beloved active veteran Ed Reed.

As I type this, Reed is back at the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium after spending most of yesterday with the Texans including a dinner that lasted well into the night. If he doesn’t sign with the Texans, the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts are still calling.

Yesterday, Reed told Comcast Houston the following:

“I think, as an organization, they kind of want things on their terms. Seeing how things have transpired over there right now, it’s like wow, I just kind of can’t believe how things are happening from a business standpoint when guys give you blood, sweat and tears and give you everything. And try to do the best for the team. Players definitely did that. Baltimore is a great organization over the years as we all know, and do the right things for the organization. You’ve got to respect that. Every organization does it.”

Reed is right, every organization wants things on their own terms and the Ravens’ refusal to extend Reed long before now seemed a clear sign that their commitment was waning. In fairness, Reed often publicly flip flopped on the possibility of retiring and thoroughly mishandled his off season last year. All in all, leaving the Ravens could be good for both parties despite the hurt feelings that are clear in Reed’s statement. If Reed leaves, the Ravens don’t have to face the likelihood that Reed pulls a Ray Lewis and angles to continue to play long after his effectiveness is gone and Reed gets to play for a likely contender with a great fan base the rest of his career (2  moreyears lol!).

Yesterday Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and New York Jets cornerback Darrell Revis got into a back on forth on twitter about who is the better player. Sherman, who is known for talking a lot of trash and is a superfan of stats, basically argues that in one season he’s put up bigger numbers than Revis (interceptions, forced fumbles) and that Revis will be “irrelevant” upon his return. To that, Revis says that Sherman doesn’t have a lot of followers and that he runs his mouth “like a girl.” Oh Revis, I will not forget that comment.

My stance on Sherman vs. Revis is simple. There’s not a big enough sample at this point to say who is currently playing better. Revis was out almost the entire season with a torn ACL, but to Revis’ credit he has had multiple seasons being a top corner to which Sherman has exactly one. It’s also important to remember that stats don’t tell the whole story. Depending on the defensive scheme (press vs. man, for example) a corner may not have much of a chance to grab INTs. It doesn’t mean he’s not doing his job. Revis, certainly, doesn’t give up many yards or  big plays or catches at all for that matter. So the man to outdo remains Revis.  And I’m a huge fan of Sherman but my favorite corner is still Lardarius Webb. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s talk about Sherman’s chitter chatter.

Sherman talks a lot and I think he should continue to do it. Part of the reason Revis is so popular is not just because of his play. It’s also because he plays in New York , cause he had a controversial contract hold out and because he has a coach in Rex Ryan who has done the bulk of trash talk for him. Sherman has none of those advantages at the current time. Sports fans are NOTORIOUSLY slow to realize who is playing well vs. who has a reputation for playing well. If you look at the Pro Bowl, there’s plenty of evidence. It sometimes takes years for fan bases to realize that the guy who was once a pro bowl caliber player is now playing respectably but not great. Sherman shouldn’t wait for everyone else to catch up especially since he plays on the west coast and he’s 6’3 so the window for him to be a top corner is shorter as taller DBs tend to lose a step faster than the 5’11 guys like Revis.

If it wasn’t for Sherman’s big mouth, there’s no guarantee he’d be gaining the popularity he’s gaining right now. You don’t see Bleacher Report and ESPN and, by proxy, the average fan hyping Peanut Tillman or Tim Jennings who were stellar corners this year as well. It’s conceivable that with the Ravens having won the superbowl, had Webb not gotten injured he would be getting the bulk of attention right now rather than Sherman.

Guys talk trash about each other all the time…this is a sport where every dude is hocked up on adrenaline and you need to have confidence to survive. If it bothers people that Sherman is loud and abrasive, that’s fine. But I don’t think he should stop drawing attention to himself because people don’t find him “likable.” Likeability comes with time, access and success. Right now it’s most important for Sherman to stand out from the crowd.

I can point to numerous athletes who tried hard to be liked and were unsuccessful like Lebron James who people seriously hated for no reason. Or athletes who were completely abrasive but protected for various reasons like Michael Jordan. Or guys like Kobe Bryant who don’t give a damn if you like them or not and have succeeded just fine without mass personality approval.  Getting endorsements is what’s important not having the fans want to cuddle with you at night time. I think Sherman is headed toward being a spokesman for brands and it’s in large part due to making a spectacle of himself. Revis has a shoe, I’m sure Sherman would like one too.

If Sherman puts together another top season media types will be clamoring to write profiles singing his praises and the public will come around just like many did when they saw his Bleacher Report video (below). After this latest digital skirmish it’s probably time for  Sherman to shift the way he talks trash now that he’s gotten a general positive result from it.  You don’t want people to “tire” of you. Being disliked is fine, but when people groan when they see your name that’s heading in the wrong direction. 

If you’re interested in analysis of Sherman and Revis’ games check out this article by Pro Fooball Focus. They got you covered.

I know I haven’t blogged about the Superbowl yet so how dare I post about something else. However, I haven’t decided what to write about the game yet and since I have no editor or deadlines I also have no urgency! That’s the great terrible thing about owning your own blog.

This post is about a random clip of Ray Lewis I found from back when The Best Damn Sports Show Period was still on the air. Lewis was a guest they hooked to a lie detector test and asked a series of questions. No, none were related to the murder people keep bringing up over and over. I thought they asked him some good things the one most relevant today being “if you knew you wouldn’t get caught, would you use PEDs?”

I don’t want to give the clip away but he looked nervous as hell. Maybe not quite as nervous as when they asked him about Trent Dilfer, but the faces he was making were HILARIOUS given the current deer antler spray controversy.

Speaking of which, I almost ordered some on amazon. I’m not saying I don’t believe Lewis when he says he didn’t use it. I’m saying whatever Lewis is using that has him looking so fine at 37,  I’m willing to try it as long as it doesn’t affect the size of my penis.

Enjoy the clip! BTW, given how stale sports shows are right now, BDSSP looks pretty progressive in restrospect. 

N’damukong Suh will take his choir boy act to ESPN this week as he sat down for a one on one interview to air during their 3-hour Sunday NFL countdown. If this were any other player in the same situation I’d be itching to watch. But I already know what Suh does when he’s interviewed. He turns into the sweetest kindest gentlest very large person you’ve ever seen. He’s softspoken, articulate, polite and all “I don’t know why people think I’m an asshole” etc. etc. 

Last season when Suh appeared on CBS’s NFL show people expected fireworks but they got nada as Suh was on his bestest behavior. Definitely tune in if you haven’t seen him do his thing on the media before.

[N'Damukong Suh will appear on Sunday's NFL Countdown]

If you’re really interested in learning about what makes Suh tick check out his GQ profile. He’s a strange bird who hasn’t left the nest. [N'damukong Suh: He Didn't Mean to Hurt You]