NFL Officials deciding games - THIS IS THE NFL!

THIS IS SPARTA!!! Everyone knows where that line is from and how it sounds, whether you saw the movie 300 or not. In case you don’t know you can watch the link below.

Why is this relevant to sports? I will get to that, but first lets talk about the NFL and the officiating of games. The refs this year has been atrocious. No matter what game you are watching, there have been terrible calls all around. This happens every year in the NFL. This year though, the calls for Personal Fouls, or Roughing the Passer have gotten out of hand.

When the NFL refs see any violent hit it seems that yellow confetti fly’s (Yellow flag).  They are horrible at calling it, just because there is a violent hit doesn’t mean they should throw the flag.

Why am I talking about this? In the last few weeks there have been some questionable calls and non-calls that have decided games. See that is the issue here, the refs deciding games.

Three weeks ago, the Bengals played the Ravens, and Bengals defender Carlos Dunlap was called for a Horse Collar tackle on Quarter back Joe Flacco. The former head of the NFL officiating committee Mike Pereira even tweeted it was a bad call. It ended up costing Cincinnati and they lost the game.

Last Sunday the late in the Saints and 49ers game, a 49ers player hit Quarterback Drew Brees of the Saints viciously. When I first saw the hit live I was screaming for the flag. Bree’s neck looked like it did the Egyptian slide. It appeared as if the 49ers defenders arm close lined Bree’s neck. When they slowed down the replay, you could clearly see the defenders arm hit his chest and slid up. That is not a penalty.  Bree’s fumbled the ball and the 49ers recovered. It was negated! The 49ers were charged with a 15-yard personal foul penalty. It ended up costing them the game.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/11/ahmad-brooks-drew-brees-gif/

Then on Monday night football, there was a controversial flag thrown on the last play that was picked up. You can read more about the controversial non-call in the Patriots Carolina game by clicking the hyperlink.

I want to focus on last night’s game. This game also involves the Saints, this time against the Falcons. Early in the game “Hicks hit Falconsquarterback Matt Ryan in the face with a hand while Ryan was in the pocket.  No flag was thrown by referee Ron Winter” (per Profootballtalk.com). That non called backed the Falcons up 8 yards, they could not convert a 1^st down, so they settled for a field goal instead of a touchdown. They lost by 4 points. If they get that touch down instead, they are tied and the game goes into over time later. Once again, the Refs are deciding a game.

The lack of consistency between different groups of officials is horrible. They are getting way too involved lately in deciding games.

Here is a solution, if they are going to throw the flag they need to have some way besides 4-5 refs conferencing in the middle of the field discussing whether it was a personal foul or not. Perhaps they should allow a coach to challenge a personal foul hit with a coach’s challenge. The refs should not be deciding games.

Finally, I will answer the first question, what does THIS IS SPARTA!!! Have to do with this post? Well the NFL built its image on violence and excitement. This is the Gridiron, a new version of the Coliseum from Roman days. Bottom line just because a hit looks vicious doesn’t mean a flag should be thrown automatically. If it does mean that a flag should be thrown to error on the side of caution, let the play be reviewable or challenge eligible. THIS IS THE NFL!!!

I warn you the video gets a bit graphic. Viewer discretion is advise.

Dolphins Incognito

            Even if you don’t follow the NFL or sports in general, you heard about the events of last week between Johnathan Martin and Richie Incognito. Both these men and I stress men, are Professional Football players on the Miami Dolphins. They play next to each other on the offensive line. When you play next to each other in the same unit usually a bond is made. This was not the case.

            Let me quickly recap the situation before I give my opinion. Martin left the Dolphins facility two weeks ago after a practical joke. His teammates refused to sit next to him in the cafeteria because he was ‘sick.’ Martin snapped and threw his tray and stormed out of the facility. Reports came down that he had an emotional break down due to constant bullying in the locker room. Further reports came out that a particular player Richie Incognito bullied him. There were voicemails and texts messages with extremely offensive language and derogatory statements that have lead some to deem this a racial hate crime since Incognito is white and Martin is black. Other reports have come out since then that Incognito was told by the coaching staff or someone in the organization to toughen Martin up. Now there is a full-blown investigation into this matter, from top to bottom the entire Miami Dolphins organization is under investigation.

            There are numerous issues with this situation that should be addressed. I plan to give my opinion on only two because I believed they are linked.

            The first issue is bullying in the locker room. Yes there is bullying in the NFL, there is hazing, but there are limits. It takes a moral man to know his limits. Throughout life we are tried and tested constantly by bullies. They come in all shapes and forms. In the NFL it is expected. You bully the other team on the field imposing your will on them. Sometimes coaches have to be bullies to get the maximum potential out of their players. Its how you go about the bullying that can make it acceptable or not.

            I have no doubt in my mind that someone in the organization ordered Incognito to toughen Martin up mentally. Martin was a high profile draft pick and the Dolphins needed to get a mean streak in this kid so he could dominate at the line of scrimmage. Whoever ordered the “code red” should have monitored the situation.

            There is no way anyone can say this is not Incognitos fault though he is trying to deflect blame. I don’t care if he that he was ordered to administer the treatment. He crossed a line with how you do it. You do not go as far as he did. This is not a race hate crime rather a abuse crime in this case mental. It's interesting to note that Dolphin players have come out defending Martin. Some players have come out defending Incognito. How can there be such a schism in the locker room? It starts with the organizations lead and the coaching staff. They set the tone. So clearly there is something wrong in Miami.

            The second issue is that it was ordered and not monitored. I have no problem that it was issued. Some kids in the NFL and in life need some toughening up. I can speak from experience. I was bullied non-stop as a kid. I was even beat up a few times. Looking back now I don’t think of those situations as such a bad thing. They helped shape me and mold me into the man I am. I needed toughening up, perhaps it could have been done in a different way, but that was how it was done. Going back to the Dolphins organization, if you ordered it, follow up and make sure its being done right. It could be that the man ordering the “code red” didn’t think that Incognito take it as far as he did, but that is still no excuse. 

            The bottom line here is that Dolphins organization and Incognito are both at fault. I have no doubt that after the investigation is done and the reports are released both will be held at fault. The reports will be made public according to the NFL.

            Which once again brings me back to the word “code red” why do I keep using it? Because this situation reminds of the movie a Few Good Men. I warn you the clip below has some vulgar words in it.

The Business Plan - Cuban/Greiner Style

            There was no specific part of my business plan that Mark Cuban or Lori Greiner advice helped on. In fact their advice actually helped in a different aspect. You can have an amazing business plan but if you can not present it correctly who will invest? These are things I’ve begun to work on using Cuban and Greiner’s advice. How will I present the business plan? Does each section require a different tone? Who is my target audience during the meeting? Should I be trying to sell them on the plan that it can actually work? Or do I try to sell them on the idea and forget about why the consumer would want this or even need it?

            This leads to the hardest part. Most people think they know everything or can find the information they need. The truth is, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Cuban and Greiner both look for people who put the hours in. They look for people who are willing to admit they don’t know everything and can be humble.

Anything can sell just look at the Pet Rock. There are another hundred examples of things I could list that have no real use in the world but they sell. Why do they sell? It’s all about marketing. I believe that no matter your product or service if you have the right marketing whether it is a video, catch phrase, slogan, or some cheesy mascot, if it can catch on it can almost assuredly sell. It is one thing to stand in front of investors and sell your start up/ business plan. Its another to sell it to the market or is it? They can be one in the same. Capture investors with your marketing plan and you can capture the market as well. That is what I think investors look for. They may think does this product have use, but in the end even if you just have the pet rock and investors look at you like you are crazy, the marketing plan can sell it to them and the consumer.

Entrepreneurs – What the Experts believe it takes

           So I’m taking a step back from sports related themes this week. I’m going to be writing about Entrepreneurs. I try to catch Shark Tank every week. If you haven’t seen the show you should go watch it. On Shark Tank, Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban are two investors on a panel of judges/investors who listen to people’s business plans and ideas and offer to help contestants build up their companies with money and buying shares of ownership. (So I lied, Mark Cuban technically has a sports connection.)

            Lori Greiner has invented over 400 products, and holds 115 U.S. and international patents. She stars on hit entrepreneurial business show, Shark Tank on ABC. Some of her investments from the show are the highest success stories.

            Lori’s number one rule is: Do your homework. She talks about the research involved that someone must do. She emphasizes that this is the first step before anything else in an interview she did one on one with Entrepreneur.com

            The other thing Lori says she looks for in an entrepreneur surprised me. In an interview the cast did with Entrepreneur.com, she was asked what she believes defines an entrepreneur. Her response was “I also think it’s drive. Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week.” By this I think she means people who are willing to sacrifice for their dreams, work hard, and get the job done. That is critical to anyone wanting to start his or her own company. When you start your own company you will be working like a madman for years until the company is solid. All people going into business on their own, they need to understand that investors are looking for that mentality. You could have a great business plan and idea, but investors who don’t see the right attitude could easily turn you away.

            Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, investor on Shark Tank, and entrepreneur.

            Mark Cuban did an interview with YahooSports and gave his 6 tips for success. They are; You don’t know everything, If you don’t know something, seek help, Everyone has ideas, Focus on your plan, Don't invest in sports -- most of the time, and Invest in Diet Mountain Dew, The last one is a joke as he drinks a lot of it.

            At first glance these tips don’t seem to mean much when creating a business plan. They actually do though. When anyone goes to create a plan or come up with an idea for a company, you need all six…well the first five at least.

The Washington Redskins could learn from the Chicago Bulls: RG3

How is that a team can rush a player back into action before they are fully healthy. There have been numerous medical controversies in sports recently when it comes to franchise players. In football the most recent case is Robert Griffin the Third the starting Quarterback for the Washington Redskins.. He tore his ACL last year in the NFC wild card game. Going into the game he was already injured and hurting, but pushed through to help his team. He should have been benched. The coaches made the descion to let him play or was it the teams medical staff, or was it the medical staff being pressured by the coaches to clear him? After all was said and done, the NFL and the fans have no idea.

Flash forward to this football season. The Redskins held RG3 out of the preseason, but RG3 has started every game of the regular season. So far it seems he is a shell of his former self. People were exepcting him to recover and have a Adrian Peterson like recovery, sadly he has not. You can tell that he's ailing, that his accuracy is off, his speed is down. Now questions are coming up on whether he is full healthy, whether he should have been cleared, whether he should be playing at all, or is it all mental?

The NBA went through and is still going through a simliar situation with the Chicago Bulls and their franchise player Derrick Rose. He tore his ACL two years ago, and despite being cleared by the doctors to play, he did not play all last season. Some people said it was mental, some people said it was physical, but the organization left it up to Derrick Rose and his people on whether or not he would play. Either way, Derrick Rose sitting out was the right move.

In both situations the player is the star of the franchise and have big contracts. In both situations it has affected the over all performance of the team. The Bulls made it to the playoffs last year and made it deep into them. The Redskins are 0-2 going into week 2 of football season. The Redskins also drafted Kirk Cousins who is basically the same player as RG3 to back him up. He could start for the Redskins while RG3 sits.

Should the Redskins take a page out of the Bulls book and sit their star until he's %100, or should they continue to allow him to play? Yes, when it comes to RG3 the Redskins should learn from the Chicago Bulls situation with Derrick Rose. Some might say that RG3 is just rusty from lack of preseason play and he will come along just fine as he keeps playing. Sometimes these players don't know what is best for them, and it’s the organizations obligation to see to the health of their players. The Redskins drafted Kirk Cousins just in case a scenario like this would happen. So use the back up plan Redskins.