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Blackbird Singing - Blackbird Singing: Bengals Streak Rolls on, now 9 for 9

CB Joseph added to string of arrests plus other tidbits around the NFL

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Posted On: 1/23/07

Written By:  

Tony Lombardi

BEEN DAZED AND CONFUSED FOR SO LONG IT’S NOT TRUE ~ This past Friday I had a lengthy discussion with a friend of mine who for reasons unconscionable to me remains extremely loyal to the horseshoe.  Yes, this lifetime Baltimorean is still a diehard Colts’ fan. And it’s not as though he’s a bandwagoner.  He’s been an uninterrupted fan of the team since birth, over 46 years ago.

 

We discussed the then upcoming game between the Colts and the Patriots and he sincerely marveled at my steadfast conviction that during the AFC Championship Game, when I wasn’t thinking about why the Ravens weren’t in it, I would be a HUGE Patriots fan.

 

He wondered how I could not love the horseshoe and the colors.  I told him that for me that love affair ended on March 28, 1984, the day Robert Irsay broke our hearts. 

 

Our conversation then turned towards the Washington Wizards, a team that since the arrival of Gilbert Arenas I have supported from afar.  I suppose I’ve hopped on the “0” bandwagon.

 

My friend wondered how I could support one team that abandoned us and not another.  I said that it was easy…Abe Polin didn’t lie like Irsay.  He didn’t take our NBA heritage around the country and showcase it to other cities the way a hooker might lift her skirt to a recently docked sailor.  Polin had no choice but to leave.  The arena in which he played was obsolete the day it opened and there was absolutely no way a new arena was going to be built – the same embarrassingly obsolete arena that is our city’s “drawing card” for entertainment to this very day!

 

Besides, the then Bullets tried to continue to draw from Baltimore plus draw from DC. They moved less than 40 miles away and they didn’t do so in the middle of the night.  Who could blame Polin for moving?  The team even continued to play a handful of games per year at the shoebox on Howard Street for a number of years until what is now the Verizon Center was built. 

 

Clearly the situations are different and besides, comparing the NFL to the NBA is like comparing The Beatles to The Bay City Rollers.

 

I WA-WA-WA-WA-WONDER….WHY ~ Recently Peter Angelos took a page from former Redskins owner, the late George Preston Marshall, when he bumped prices on Orioles tickets to games against the Red Sox and Yankees.  Marshall did exactly that back in the Colts’ heyday to take advantage of Baltimore fans traveling to DC to watch the Colts battle the Redskins.  I have to wonder though will Angelos drop prices on games against the Devil Rays or the Royals?  It would be interesting to see if he slashed all tickets to $1.00 what the attendance would be against these quasi-AAA teams.

 

NO, NO, NO, NO I DON’T SMOKE IT NO MORE ~ Michael Vick has been given a temporary reprieve after his Miami airport incident with the now infamous water bottle equipped with an Inspector Gadget-like compartment was dismissed as nothing more than a misunderstanding.  But Falcons owner Arthur Blank has to be sick over Vick.  Blank back in January of 2005 for all intents and purposes gave Vick a “blank” check.  Vick signed a 10 year, $130 million contract that included $37 million in guaranteed bonuses.  With that kind of dough you’d think Vick might hop a private charter, eh?

 

Arthur Blank “stare” must be kicking himself over this one.  Given the acceleration of signing bonus money, Vick amounts to a $30 million cap noose around his neck should they consider a release or a trade.

 

So let’s see, there’s the Ron Mexico fiasco, then the unflattering digit he flashed at Falcons’ fans and now this.  Let’s call it Vick’s Formula 4-Disaster.

 

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES, TURN AND FACE THE STRAIN ~ A strain is exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers could be facing next season.  The newly hired first-time head coach Mike Tomlin has been a defensive coordinator for one season with the Vikings and he is a proponent of the 4-3 defensive alignment with the Cover 2, not exactly staples of the Steelers zone blitzing scheme.  Factor in these changes, the loss of offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and perhaps a slightly disgruntled Russ Grimm and the Steelers may have a tough go of it early in the 2007 campaign.  It might be a good thing for the Ravens to catch them early in the season.

 

I WANT YOU TO WANT ME ~ Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb apparently has had his feathers ruffled and has a “Chunky Beef” with the team’s management. Word is McNabb wasn’t too happy about not being able to travel with his teammates to New Orleans.  There is an Eagles team rule that players on IR do not go on the road with the club, but c’mon Andy Reid, this is your franchise QB here.  You might think that a playoff team would want the support of its leader on the sideline and perhaps even his input during the game – unless of course the team was sending a message.

 

I HOPE THAT SOMEONE GET MY MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE ~ This message was delivered to USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin by Oakland Raiders’ management and it said…YOU’RE HIRED!  Kiffin, the son of Monte Kiffin, the Bucs’ defensive coordinator, is now the league’s youngest head coach at 31.  I have socks older than Kiffin.

 

I READ THE NEWS TODAY OH BOY ~ In other NFL news Patriots CB Assante Samuel is looking to cash in on a stellar close to the 2006 season.  Samuel is a free agent and will be looking for a big pay day…Make it 9 for 9 for the Cincinnati Bengals.  Promising CB Johnathan Joseph was escorted to the pokey early on Monday making him the 9^th Bengals’ player arrested in the last 9 months.  Joseph was arrested in northern Kentucky where the blue moon wasn’t shining so brightly for the former Gamecock.  Boone County law enforcement officials said that a woman companion was driving Joseph on a suspended license while accelerating slowly and weaving.  When Joseph was asked to step out of the car, officials detected an odor similar to Ricky Williams’ VW van.  After checking Joseph’s bag amazingly a bag of Mother Earth’s finest appeared.  I’m waiting for the, “I was carrying this bag for a friend” excuse to pop up any minute now.  The stripes are obviously apropos for Marvin and his boys.

 

Photo by Sabina Moran

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Enlarge Text Decrease Text Print this Article send this article to a friend Add This bookmark facebook twitter rss

Posted On: 1/23/07

Written By:  

Tony Lombardi