Rookie Hazing on HBOs Hard Knocks

If you are a rookie in the NFL and are lucky enough to make the team it means somewhere along the line you got a nice hazing. HBO’s “Hard Knocks” visited the New York Jets this year during their training camp to get an inside look at an NFL player.

We got to see Rex Ryan cuss and piss off Tony Dungy and also Antonio Cromartie trying to name some of his 7 kids by 5 different moms.

The latest video out shows Jets Rookie Brian Jackson getting a rather nasty hazing by the vets. Turns out Jackson is a little mouthy with his trash talk and the veterans decide to put him in his place. Click on the video below to watch the clip.

Six NFL Players on the Bubble

The NFL Preseason is halfway through and that means the rosters get smaller.  It’s only a few more weeks until the  the regular season begins and that means a few players out there will need all the game time they can get to safely secure their spot on the team.

Players out there can be on the bubble for various reasons.  Some are because of injuries.  Some are just aging vets losing spots to young studs.  And then there’s a group of guys who just can’t seem to get it going.

Here’s a look at six of those players who are just running out of luck… and time

LenDale White, RB – Denver Broncos

LenDale went from being half of the “Slash and Dash” duo with Chris Johnson in Tennessee to being kicked out of Seattle by his college coach, Pete Carroll.

White found a home in Denver in the meantime but will face a 4-game suspension for substance abuse and then try to find a home on the Broncos squad that already has Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter on the roster.

Both Moreno and Buckhalter are facing injuries but should be back in the lineup before White’s suspension ends which might leave LenDale looking for work.

Sage Rosenfels, QB – Minnesota Vikings

No player must have hated the return of Brett Favre more than Sage. Besides being named after a herb, Sage has the unfortunate luck of being the second string QB….without Brett.

With Brett, Tavaris Jackson is second banana and that leaves Sage the odd man out since there’s a chance that the Vikings would not keep 3 QBs.

Plus, many fans believe that Sage was the source of the Yahoo! Sports report that stirred up trouble stating Brett Favre had no respect for coach Brad Childress a week after Lord Brett reappeared.

Sage’s fortune might actually come in the fate of Favre. I’m going out on a limb and stating that this will be Favre’s actual last year so if the Vikes believe that as well they might hold onto Sage to compete for next years spot.

LeGarrette Blount, RB – Tennessee Titans

Blount went undrafted after a lengthy suspension last year at the University of Oregon.  He was touted as the next big RB in the Pac 10 before punching a player during a game.

It turns out even with all the criminals on the Ducks roster, Blount was a bad apple.  Now that takes talent from a program I’m certain requires a criminal record to suit up.

The Titans took a chance on the troubled athlete and it didn’t take long for Blount to show his true colors.

Pat White, QB – Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have put the faith of their franchise in the hands of Chad Henne and then given Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen the clipboards.  Pat White has been shuffled down to 4th string QB.

White didn’t even play in the preseason games so it’s pretty obvious that he’ll be looking for a new home soon.  It’s not a matter of ‘if’ now, just ‘when.’

Brady Quinn, QB – Denver Broncos

The future of the Broncos lays in the hands of Tebow. Whether or not he can actually be a great player will not change the fact the Broncos will give him the chance when they feel his is ready.

Just look at the fact that the third-string QB is one of the most popular players in Denver and the most talked about player around the net. Everyone has an opinion about Tebow, who must be a dream come true for the Bronco PR department.

But for now, Kyle Orton is the starter (recently signed an extension) and Brady Quinn is second string.  Like his stint in Cleveland, Quinn has yet to show this preseason any reason why he should be kept around.  If you need someone to come off the bench and go three-and-out, then Quinn is your man.

Tebow is a project so he will be around for awhile.  And Coach Josh McDaniels has already stated he’s leaning toward keeping only 2 QBs on the roster this year.  That’s just bad news for the former Irish QB.

Matt Leinart, QB – Arizona Cardinals

The man who was supposed to guide the Cardinals out of their miserable ways has yet to show the potential that made him the big man on campus at USC.  Instead, Leinart flopped during his rookie year and let Kurt Warner step in and show up the young stud.

Now Warner is retired and the Cards are struggling with Leinart so much that Kurt Warner had to reaffirm his decision not to play football again to the fans and the press.  Needless to say, that upset some fans who are not happy with the QB situation in Arizona and less happy that the team passed on QB’s like Tebow, McCoy, and Clausen in the draft.

Backup QB Derek Anderson would be the answer for the Cards if Leinart chokes again but it’s hard to say if he will work out.

Can Leinart be the man?  He had a chance during his rookie season and didn’t do much.  Maybe, just maybe, he’s learned over the years what he needs to do to be the leader of this team.  Sadly, he’s making us wait until the regular season to find out because his preseason games have been less than stellar.

Thursday Pigskin Doctors Links with Fantasy Football

VIDEO: Sideline Reporter Pegged by Soccer Ball – BroBible
Our soccer coverage pretty much stopped when the World Cup ended. However, we’ll still show you this amusing video of German sideline reporter Jessica Kastrop getting owned on camera while going about her pre-game business.

How to Build a Fantasy Fantasy Team – The Smoking Jacket
Fantasy Football is great…if you love football, gambling or just publicly busting your friends’ balls in online message boards. However, I do find myself questioning where all the “fantasy” in Fantasy Football is.  I propose that in 2010, instead of drafting untested rookies and unreliable kickers, we put the FANTASY back in a Fantasy Draft and actually “pick” people who we fantasize about.

How To Be a Female Pop Star in 8 Easy Steps – Funny Crave
Pop stars seem to have some of the best lives around. Female pop stars have it even better. By simply having a vagina and singing songs about it, you are allowed to do and say damn near anything and the public will just let it slide because your misfortune is pretty funny. If you follow these 8 easy steps, you too can be a famous walking catastrophe.

Best NFL Player by Jersey Number – Sports Illustrated
A team of SI.com’s finest numerologists crunched the data on jersey numbers to come up with the best performers in professional football at each number from 00 to 99. We based our decision on a combination of factors, including the player’s impact on the game, statistics and his team’s success during the time he wore the number.

AMC’s The Walking Dead Trailer Is Mighty Fine – Dave and Thomas
The Zombie Apocalypse is coming and it’s gonna be fun. AMC, the channel behind Mad Men and Breaking Bad, has a new series coming out based on Zombies. Now I’m pretty sure that’s all you need to know right there. A weekly series about zombies. ‘Nuff said, you and I are there.

Bucs Cheerleaders in the Preseason – Unathletic
Every single time I think I might have a new favorite cheerleading squad in the NFL the Tampa Bay Buccaneers keep luring me back. I mean when you take into account the uniforms, the push up bras, the “stripper” quality that these girls have, it’s tough to argue against them.

NFL Cheerleaders – Maxim’s 2010 NFL Preview: Cheerleaders on trampolines!

The gods of football have bestowed another monster season of bone-crushing awesomeness upon us. Get pumped for the season with Maxim’s 2010 NFL Preview: cheerleaders on trampolines!

Here’s a fantastic video about the making of the photo shoot. Can you seriously imagine being the guy who has the job of gathering NFL cheerleaders to jump around on trampolines while you take pictures? Whoever that is I hope understands what a lucky, lucky person they are.

T.O. and Ochocinco Batman and Robin Photoshoot

The Dynamic Duo has finally reunited. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco are now teammates and they’re not afraid to to point out that they are the new Batman and Robin.

It became official this offseason after T.O. signed late in the summer with the Bengals. Chad Ochocinco had been talking that if T.O. would sign with his team that he would be the Robin to Owens Batman. The two played it up for most of the offseason as they constantly exchanged Twitter messages about their new identities.

If these two talents can work together on the field as hard as they do off the field (TV shows, cereal, endorsements,…) then the Bengals might have a rather dangerous receiving duo.

Cincinnati.com recently attended a photoshoot for Chad and T.O. posing as Batman and Robin at Paul Brown Stadium which will appear September 5th. Here’s a first look of the guys complete with a replica of the original Batmobile from the Adam West television show.

CBS’ top team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will be doing the Bengals-Patriots game in Week 1 as the network announced its pairings for the first three weeks. Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon will do the Week 2 game vs. Baltimore and the Week 3 contest at Carolina.

But that’s not why you’re here. Today at Paul Brown Stadium we had our cover shoot for the special section which will be running the week of Sept. 5. [via]

2010 Fantasy Football Positional Preview: Quarterbacks

The latest trends in the NFL favor teams that are successful passing the ball. Look no further than Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans Saints versus the Indianapolis Colts. The two teams combined for nearly 10,000 passing yards and 68 passing touchdowns during the regular season. Name the two best quarterbacks in the NFL? Most people would probably say Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.

In 2008, five teams passed for more than 4,000 yards. In 2009, that number exploded to 12. It may not last, but of those 12 passing teams, nine of them were playoff teams. So all we can really extract from this is that passing the ball appears to translate to more success.

In fantasy football, quarterbacks run deep. If you’re playing in a 10-team league, you can end up with a Brett Favre or Jay Cutler as late as round 9 or 10. It all depends on what you want: the safe bet (Brees, Manning, Aaron Rodgers) or the late upside (Joe Flacco, Kevin Kolb).

(Note: Catch up on previous Fantasy Football positions here: Running Backs, Wide Receivers )

Rankings

Tier 1

1. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints (Bye: 10)
2. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers (Bye: 10)
3. Peyton Manning – Indianapolis Colts (Bye: 7)

Whether you select Brees or Rodgers, there is no wrong answer as to who is best on paper. Rodgers is coming into his own and Brees has strung together terrific years consecutively. Manning, despite his tremendous reputation, has fallen off a tiny bit. His status will get him drafted this high, but it’s possible he continues to slip to Tier 2 this year.

Tier 2

4. Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys (Bye: 4)
5. Tom Brady – New England Patriots (Bye: 5)
6. Matt Schaub – Houston Texans (Bye: 7)
7. Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers (Bye: 10)

Romo had a big year in 2009 and despite all the Cowboys haters out there; the Cowboys have a ton of playmakers on offense which gives him the advantage in this tier. Brady had a solid year after returning from injury and I feel he’ll improve. But if you think Brady will return to his 2007 form where he threw for 50 TDs, you’re mistaken. Schaub and the Houston Texans pass the ball a lot, I mean a lot. There is some slight concern as Schaub has had a history of injury but you’ve got to go with him because he still has upside to replace Manning in Tier 1. Rivers gets a slight downgrade for me with the loss of WR Vincent Jackson for most of the season, plus he might be traded. Rivers is still one of the more underrated QBs in the league but I foresee the Chargers relying a little more on their run game.

Tier 3

8. Brett Favre – Minnesota Vikings (Bye: 4)
9. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens (Bye: 8 )

Favre actually finished 2009 as a top 5 QB. Flacco is coming into his prime and the Ravens added dynamic playmaker WR Anquan Boldin. Favre is the safest choice. But Flacco is a sleeper pick who is dropping in drafts due to Favre coming back.

Tier 4

10. Kevin Kolb – Philadelphia Eagles (Bye: 8 )
11. Jay Cutler – Chicago Bears (Bye: 8 )
12. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons (Bye: 8 )
13. Eli Manning – New York Giants (Bye: 8 )
14. Carson Palmer – Cincinnati Bengals (Bye: 6)

This tier is where things get complicated. Kolb is finally getting his shot in Philly, and you have to think there is a reason the Eagles want him to play now. Chicago has added Mike Martz as offensive coordinator so Cutler will be passing the ball in true gunslinger mode. “Lil” Manning has a trio of good receivers in Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham and a very inconsistent run game. Those two things together equal a more pass-reliant team. Lastly, the Bengals added Terrell Owens alongside Chad Ochocinco and no matter what you think of these guys, both were No. 1 WRs last season and one of them is going to be covered by No. 2 cornerbacks all season long. That’s called a mismatch. There is an argument for all these guys to have improved years but the Bengals, Giants and Falcons are all teams that like to establish a run game. Kolb has little experience and Cutler and the Bears looked awful last year. There is lots of risk but between these guys, but someone will blow up for a big year.

Tier 5

15. Donovan McNabb – Washington Redskins (Bye: 9)
16. Chad Henne – Miami Dolphins (Bye: 5)
17. Alex Smith – San Francisco 49ers (Bye: 9)

Here we have upside versus a career fading away. McNabb has a lot to prove this season, but he’s hasn’t put together a great fantasy season anytime recently. I’d pass on him. The Redskins receivers simply aren’t as good as the Eagles. Expectations for Henne and Smith are rising. Both are sleeper picks all across the web. Henne has Brandon Marshall to lean on and the 49ers are a consensus pick to win the NFC West.

Tier 6

18. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers (Bye: 5)
19. Mark Sanchez – New York Jets (Bye: 7)
20. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions (Bye: 7)
21. Matt Leinart – Arizona Cardinals (Bye: 6)
22. Matt Cassel – Kansas City Chiefs (Bye: 4)

Roethlisberger is the perfect backup QB this year if your starting QB doesn’t have his bye until after Week 6. Roethlisberger is suspended for six games and it might drop down to five. Sanchez has the least to prove of the remaining four. After all, he led his team to the AFC Championship game in his rookie year. He’s not a great fantasy QB, but he’s going to improve. As for Stafford, Leinart and Cassel, all three have big question marks. The Lions and Chiefs have struggling passing attacks with underachieving star receivers. Leinart has to fill the shoes of a Hall of Famer and it remains to be seen whether he can get it done. Your best bet is to point and pray if you’re picking amongst these guys for a backup. None of them are sure things but I like the way Sanchez and Stafford lead their teams.

Tier 7

23. David Garrard – Jacksonville Jaguars (Bye: 9)
24. Matt Hasselbeck – Seattle Seahawks (Bye: 5)
25. Jason Campbell – Oakland Raiders (Bye: 10)
26. Vince Young – Tennessee Titans (Bye: 9)
27. Kyle Orton – Denver Broncos (Bye: 9)

Ideally, you don’t want these guys unless the matchup is perfect. Garrard and Hasselbeck can be solid but they are simply game-managers. They make the easy throws and minimize mistakes. That isn’t a winning fantasy formula. Campbell, Young and Orton are all big question marks. Campbell went from bad to worse in his move from Washington to Oakland. Young lacks ideal pass accuracy but can create enough with his feet to make you sometimes forget that he’s not a great passer. Add to the fact that the Titans are going to run Chris Johnson into the ground with upwards of over 300 carries and it’s difficult to imagine Young ever having a big passing year. Orton looked good to start 2009, but with the loss of Brandon Marshall, there’s little reason to be exciting about Denver’s passing game.

Tier 8

28. Matt Moore – Carolina Panthers (Bye: 6)
29. Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Bye: 4)
30. Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams (Bye: 9)
31. Jake Delhomme – Cleveland Browns (Bye: 8 )
32. Trent Edwards – Buffalo Bills (Bye: 6)

Gluttons for punishment need only apply. These guys are awful. Moore did finish the 2009 season looking pretty good but most of his opponents had closed down shop with their place in the playoffs already set. Freeman is vital to the Bucs’ success but their offense is atrocious. He also recently suffered a thumb injury to his throwing hand, which is never good. Bradford should only be selected in keeper leagues but the Rams need so much work done on their offense that it may be a few years before he is fantasy viable. Delhomme and Edwards are only for those with a death wish, I have nothing positive to say about either. Avoid these final five guys as best you can.

Ochocincos! Yummy Chad Ochocinco Cereal

PLB Sports, makers of the great Flutie Flakes, has teamed up with one of our favorite NFL personalities, Chad Ochocinco, to launch a line of cereal called OchocincO’s! Yum.

OchocincO’s are a honey nut toasted oat cereal.  No word yet if they will offer toy surprises inside but if they had a box with a bonus gold grill for kids teeth I’d buy up a case right now.

The company hopes to sell around 100,000 boxes of the celebrity cereal in the Cincinnati area Kroger supermarkets which will no doubt help out the Ochocinco Twitter Relief fund after a hefty $25,000 fine this week from the league.

PLB has in the past worked with athletes in a wide variety of food products including jerky, condiments and they were the company behind Big Ben’s Beef Jerky which they stopped promoting after Big Ben couldn’t stop being a douche.

My favorite PLB product would have to be the line of products for ex-Denver Bronco Ed McCaffrey. They made several products for the lanky receiver but my favorite would have to be the super great Limited Edition Ed McCaffrey Condiment 3-pack. That would be a rather unique gift for someone.

Wicked! Titans WR Lavelle Hawkins Jumps over Defender

Titans WR Lavelle Hawkins makes an Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marshay Green look like a rookie who will be unemployed in a few weeks.

Oh wait, Green is a rookie. Guess we’ll have to wait a few weeks to see if that second part will be true.

After taking an end-around run, Hawkins and Green meet up. Green decides to try and stop Hawkins with the patented Greg Louganis dive mixed with a no arm tackle which doesn’t quite work out. Instead, Hawkins hurdles the flopping defender on his way down the field.

Seriously, at this point in your career if you don’t know how to wrap-up a tackle you probably shouldn’t be on the field. Here’s video proof of why that is. Roll the highlights!

Tuesday Pigskin Links with Cheerleaders

Another Japanese Baseball Player Uses Ninja Moves to Make an Amazing Catch – BroBible
Two weeks ago we were wowed by Hiroshima outfielder Masato Akamatsu’s dazzling, ninja-like catch off the outfield wall. According to Deadspin, history has pretty much one-upped itself in Hiroshima’s Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium.

Trophy Girls: Playboy Babes Model IZOD’s Vintage Racing Tees – The Smoking Jacket
Hot girls in guys’ duds? Very hot. Hot girls in guys’ racing gear? Scalding. Check out our video and gallery of IZOD’s official Trophy Girls modeling the new line of vintage men’s T-shirts from IZOD. We had to cut the T-shirts up to fit the girls better, but we doubt you’ll mind.

3 Quick Rules For Punching People In The Face – Funny Crave
When it’s time to throw down, will you know what to do? Probably not. You’re pathetic. You punch like a bitch. Real vagina-like. We’d tell you to remove your tampon before you tossed out your fist in an angry fashion, but your maxi pad is obstructing your grasp of the string. Yeah, that’s right! Your punches are so girly that your monthly vaginal discharge can only be suppressed by both a cottony plug and a blood pillow.

5 Pitfalls of NFL Betting For Fantasy Football Junkies – Maddux Sports
It’s the same reason why you don’t like to bet on your favorite team; it’s impossible to do it without some sort of bias. By Week three players on your fantasy football team feel like close friends that you’ve known for years

A History of (Sports) Violence – The Campus Socialite
Last week as I was flipping through channels, I stopped on ESPN, wide-eyed and mouth agape. Apparently, after the Mets unsurprising loss to, Francisco Rodriquez (better known to some as K-Rod) had been arrested. Some thoughts going through my mind were “what an idiot” and “how much worse can get it for the Mets?” But mostly I was thinking, that was really, really stupid of him.

Inebriation: The Inception Parody – Next Round
A couple weeks late but better than never for the best Inception parody I’ve seen (and I’ve clearly seen a lot). “It’s only when we sober up that we realize we were actually plastered.”

8 of the Most Awkward Video-Dating Profiles Ever – Asylum.com
Back before the Internet and online personals were born, there was a phenomenon called “video dating.” One of its advantages over today’s methods: it was a lot harder to exaggerate your physical appearance or mislead with those from-above MySpace shots.

Five Reasons Why You Should Fear the Discovery Channel – The Smoking Jacket
With the notable exception of the History Channel, there are few basic cable channels that appeal to men more than the Discovery Channel. As if Shark Week and Myth Busters aren’t enough reason to watch, they also have Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild, hell, they even have a show that’s just called Swords. How badass is that?

Dang. Stalled Again. – Dave and Thomas
Don’t you just hate it when this happens [pic]

How to Make A Game Out of A Movie (That Doesn’t Suck) – Uproxx
It’s a well-known, and generally accepted, rule among gamers: games based on licensed movies are, by and large, steaming half-rotten piles of fecal matter. They’re terrible, generally badly made cash-ins using a license to sell a mediocre game that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

Britney Spears’ Tongue: Sexy or Weird? [vid] – Heavy.com
Did you ever notice the thing that Britney Spears does with her tongue in just about every video? You’re about to.

Oregon St Player Naked and Tased in a Three Point Stance

Tyler Patrick Thomas, the mullet pictured at the right, used to be an Oregon State University football player. As of this week he is no longer with the team after his own personal “Don’t Tase Me, Bro” episode.

Tyler has been dismissed from the OSU team following an arrest early Sunday morning that left a drunken, naked Thomas on the floor.

Arrests happen all the time in the world of sports but it looks like Tyler took a page out of Golden Tate’s “Top Pot” playbook and got busted in his own, unique way.

And then he took it up a notch!

Police responded to call from a 32-year old woman stating a naked man was upstairs in her office.

When officers arrived, they ordered him (Thomas) to get on the ground several times, but he refused.

Then Thomas, who had reportedly been drinking, got into a “three-point stance” and lunged at the officers, who Tased him.

Tyler Thomas was arrested on charges of first-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief and resisting arrest.

In his defense Thomas is from Montana and this is just his usual courting ritual he uses at home.  Of course, those moves are used on sheep so they’re more effective.

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