Pre-season NFL football.
What’s more tedious than that?
Watching grass grow?
It’s something like that.
So we’re not out to add to the boredom of watching or discussing these meaningless games played by athletes who hope to earn a spot on the roster, as much of a long-shot that it is.
There is no game-planning against the opponent.
Which means there is no strategy in an attempt to win a game.
It is an empty three plus hours of something billed as a match-up between two NFL teams.
What teams now do, is schedule scrimmages against the team they will face in the next contest.
These practices against a foe seem to be more valuable to coaches than the actual upcoming game.
Before we get down to something alarmingly serious, let’s deal with a couple of items filling the air before the real games begin.
It is evident that there are times when teams get to tangle with a group apart from their teammates, they lose control.
An ugly brawl broke out during joint practices between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers.
A cheap shot during a kickoff by Panthers safety Kenny Robinson on Patriots wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson in the head and neck area left Wilkerson motionless on the field.
Robinson proceeded to stand over the injured player and taunt him.
We’ve seen that movie in regular season games, but come on, in a practice?
The Pats receiver suffered a concussion and was slated to miss some time.
It was senseless and unnecessary.
Why, you hardly see the same scenario in pre-season games.
Then, there is the Tom Brady saga.
After practicing with the Tampa Bay Bucs August 11, Brady disappeared, under the full understanding of the club.
The Bucs never gave an explanation, other than revealing that it was an understanding between the team and the quarterback, when he came out of retirement to play once again.
It was not a health issue, nor a family problem, so speculation was rampant.
Brady finally returned to the Bucs last Monday.
Head coach Todd Bowles said he had a good practice.
One of the strongest rumors of why he missed 11 days was that he was vacationing with his family in the Bahamas.
Whatever comes out, it doesn’t really matter.
It’s not the end of the world, but it is strange that the 45-year old who has been so adamant in getting all receivers on the same page with the offense long before camp has begun in the past, would take 10 days off at this time.
There is no question he can get ready to play in three weeks, but you can’t say it isn’t a bit unsettling.
One major factor that has emerged in Tampa Bay’s goal of returning to their Super Bowl appearance two years ago, is the clear decimation of their offensive line.
A key retirement, two injuries and a revolving door of replacements at one of the guard positions have severely weakened the one group Brady needs to survive.
An offensive front needs cohesion and split-second timing more than any other unit on a team.
The question of opening up room for the ball-carriers to execute, and most significantly, protecting any quarterback, especially Tom Brady, from pass rushers is paramount.
He comes back to a major problem.
Now, we get down to the number 1 story in the NFL entering the coming season.
Deshaun Watson.
If you’ve ever needed proof that a double-standard exists, and you probably didn’t, the story of Deshaun Watson is exhibit A.
Watson is the 26-year old quarterback who was accused of more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions early in 2021.
He sat out that season, and was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns in March 2022, who signed him to a five-year $230 million contract, one of the most expensive pacts in NFL history.
Watson denied any wrongdoing but settled 20 of the claims.
The NFL was now faced with the task of punishing Watson, and it landed on the desk of an arbitrator who came back with a ridiculous 6-game suspension.
The league wasn’t satisfied and hinted at a full year’s suspension, much of it for show.
Forcing Watson to sit out the 2022 campaign would open a can of worms for the league on many fronts, including dealing with the NFL Players Association.
So, the NFL settled on an 11-game suspension, a $5 million fine and attending a treatment program.
But Deshaun Watson doesn’t get it.
And the ramifications of his situation could get rocky.
Watson has sent mixed messages, saying he should be accountable for what he did, then shortly after claiming he was always innocent.
He did appear briefly in the Browns pre-season opener and was booed by the crowd.
He won’t practice again with the team until mid-October, and his first appearance would be December 4, against of all teams, the Texans, in Houston.
Watson will earn nearly $7 million per game upon his return.
What is unknown is the reaction of fans at the stadium when he is back in action.
But in the bubble we know as the world of sports, people somehow care less about the real values in life, at the expense of performance on the field.
If the Browns win, and Deshaun Watson is leading the way, his horrible treatment of the women who accused him will be ignored.
We know that’s the feeling of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who said these words: “I struggle a little bit. Is he never supposed to play again? Is he never supposed to be a part of society? Does he get no chance to rehabilitate himself?
That’s what we’re gonna do, OK.
You can say that’s because he’s a star quarterback.
Well, of course”, He chuckled at that last remark.
Well, of course, he should be a part of society.
Of course, he should be given a second chance and play again.
Of course, he should get a chance to rehabilitate himself.
But is he really remorseful?
Is an 11-game suspension adequate?
Does a $230 million contract seem right?
My answer to these questions is No, No, and No.
We have seen the NFL operate in their own world before.
So, I am not surprised at all, of the double-standard we have witnessed with Deshaun Watson.