Not too much going on over the last two weeks but we still need to do some catching up. Let's start with Sunday's NFL Conference Championship games.
NFC Championship Game
Green Bay Packers 21 - Chicago Bears 14
The difference was this Pick-Six by the Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji from 18 yards out, an agonizingly slow "run" to daylight. The score does not reflect the overall domination by the Packers who are now seeking their 13th NFL Championship and fourth Super Bowl trophy.
AFC Championship Game
Pittsburgh Steelers 24 - New York Jets 19
The Steelers are just so darn physical! Pittsburgh will be trying to win their seventh Super Bowl rings in eight tries.
Even though the Las Vegas odds makers like the Packers by 2 1/2 points this morning, I believe that the Steelers will win because of their toughness.
Now, in news from the net. . .
I got a request from one Tina Sans about two books titled, "Ten Most Dramatic Bowl Games of All Time" and "Ten Legendary Coaches in College Football History." Check them out at these links:
Johan Hammarqvist forwarded me thisc article from NorraSkåne about the latest doings with the Hässleholm Hurricanes 2011 season:
Scott Fujita
NFL Veteran Linebacker
Kansas City Chiefs, 2002-2004
Dallas Cowboys, 2005
New Orleans Saints, 2006-2009
Cleveland Browns, 2010
I received this rather interesting e-mail from Scott Fujita, a former Rio Mesa H.S. player who is now with the Cleveland Browns, about the upcoming NFL Labor unrest. It is something to think about for sure.
Please accept my apologies for the mass email.
I encourage everyone to view the links at the bottom of the page and share with anyone you think might be interested.
We're approaching the end of the current league year in the NFL, and if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement isn't reached by midnight March 4, the players could be locked out. Translation: We can't even show up for work. The players have suggested having a "lock-in," where we would basically hunker down in a hotel somewhere for as long as needed and hammer out a new CBA before the clock strikes midnight. We have received no response from the league about this.
What all this means is that our families will lose their health coverage, injured players will no longer get treated by our doctors and trainers, and games could be cancelled. Do I expect anyone to feel sorry for us? Absolutely not. The real issue is what's at stake for everyone involved in the business of football and the undeniable impact that a lack of football will reap.
Each NFL city is expected to lose about $150,000,000. Trust me, the city of Cleveland can't afford that. And as for the city of New Orleans, whose economy is so dependent on the service industry and visitors staying in their hotels and eating in their restaurants, it's just not fair to them. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently claimed a lockout wouldn't be all that devastating. For someone with his level of influence, that's one of the most irresponsible things I've heard yet.
This is much bigger than some gripe the owners have with the players. So what's the gripe? In a nutshell, the owners are demanding that the players play two more games each year AND take an 18% pay-cut. And when we ask why, they tell us it's none of our business. The players are willing to be reasonable about this, and if we knew the NFL had fallen on hard times and that sacrifices were a must, then that's a different story. But as we all know, the league is doing just fine. Revenues are as high as they've ever been and the fan-base is growing every year.
This season, TV ratings for regular season NFL games blew the World Series out of the water. The NFL has negotiated TV deals that will pay them $4.5 billion in 2011...even if NO games are played. So when we ask them to explain how the "current economic model is broken," I think that's a pretty justifiable question. And this season, when it comes to player safety, the NFL suddenly pretended to be the flag-bearers for our health and well-being. This comes after years of denying even the possibility of a link between the game of football, concussions, and long-term traumatic brain injury. And despite the raised level of awareness concerning our post-career health realities, they still want two more games and haven't even suggested any improvements in post-career care. Their hypocrisy infuriates me.
Right now we get just five years of coverage after leaving this game. Five. And that's only if you're lucky enough to become vested. In the meantime, more and more of our brothers fall victim to ALS, dementia and depression, among other afflictions. My heart screams for these men. Add to that the hip and knee replacements that are sure to come up 10, 15, 20 years after we stop playing. And through the whole PR battle that's currently being waged, in what some are calling a battle of greed between "millionaires and billionaires," the players have asked for nothing. Ultimately, we just want to be taken care of after we leave this game.
My message to the NFL: You say you care about us. . . now please, prove it. For the sake of guys like Andre Waters, O.J. Brigance, Orlando Thomas, Earl Campbell and Mike Webster. . . prove it.
So what can you do? Visit NFLLockout.com to submit your petition to block this lockout and to find out how you can participate with "Let us Play Day" on Tuesday, January 28.
And if you're feeling really ambitious, a letter to your local Congressional leader could potentially go a long way. I know a lot of people would prefer that Washington just stay out of this; that it's none of their business. But when whole communities of people will be adversely affected by this lockout, my feeling is that they absolutely have an obligation to take an interest in what's at stake here.
Listen, I know there's a lot of posturing out there right now, and I recognize that this email could be viewed in the same light. But everyone in this email chain are friends and family, and as things start to get cloudy these next few months, I wanted you to hear the truth from me. And trust me, I "get" that this is just a game. But I've lived and worked in communities that I'm convinced can't afford to lose football. And there are people very dear to me whose current health and well-being may have been negatively influenced by this game. These are the issues I care about. These are the issues that light my fire.
Thanks for taking the time to read. I wish you all the best for the new year.
Scott Fujita
Linebacker, Cleveland Browns
Executive Committee, NFLPA
As you read this, the Italian and Swedish football seasons are getting started with pre-season workouts beginning. For the first time in three years I am not going to be a part of one of those seasons of EuroBall and I'm already missing the excitement of coaching and living in Europe for six months. . . DAMN!
At least I was comforted by last night's great sunset over the Pacific Ocean as viewed from our home in Camarillo.
Ciao!
God Natt!
