Tag Archives: athletics

Thursday Morning Ramblings

January 6, 2011 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

In professional football, there is a small group of ultra-elite players who transcend even the Hall of Fame. Players like Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton changed how the game is played by their talents and work ethics. The legends of these players have passed from generation to generation, and their names have outlived their playing days because of the brilliance of their performances on the field, usually against championship level competition.

The most difficult position in all of professional sports is NFL quarterback. The speed and violence of the game combined with the inherent demands of the position make the job an amalgam of leadership, toughness, fearlessness, decision-making, and athleticism, more so than any other position in any other sport. The great quarterbacks who have played the game at the highest level are all legends. Fran Tarkenton, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady are some of the best of the best, and each one exemplifies what makes a great quarterback, and we could debate until the end of time who is the absolute best of them all.

However, if you look at the numbers, one quarterback, and only one, holds every single career record that matters. For 20 seasons, Brett Favre played the position as well as anyone ever has. Yes, those of us who follow the game grew weary over the last three or four seasons with the retirement/contract game he played, and yes, he might have sent some inappropriate pictures to a reporter, but on the field, he was a general, a surgeon, a gambler, a rock, and a little boy all rolled into one. I’ve not enjoyed watching a quarterback play more than I enjoyed watching Favre, even when he was playing against my Steelers. In fact, one of my favorite Favre moments came in the 95 season when Greg Lloyd came untouched on a blitz and absolutely crushed him. Favre had to be helped from the field, went to the sidelines for one play, threw up from the pain, came back in the game, and then threw a touchdown pass. That’s tough, the kind of toughness he displayed for 20 seasons, even at the end.

The game will not be as fun without him. His sense of humor and love of the game made it a pleasure to watch him compete, and his willingness to put it all on the line every single play is why he was so great. Yes, he threw more interceptions than anyone in history, but he also threw more touchdowns and won more games. In the end, that’s what it’s all about. Thank you, Brett Favre, for all of the great, breathtaking moments you gave us. Thank you for playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. You will be the standard against all others will be measured for many decades to come.

General Posts, Ramblings of Thanks

Wednesday Morning Ramblings – Thankful #10

November 10, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

I’m thankful for the opportunity to have played organized football as a young man. Most former players would probably agree that there’s no greater sense of being alive than on the field in a game. All of your senses are heightened, and on every single play, your physical abilities are tested against someone else’s. There’s no way to explain it to non-players. Like many of the greatest things in life, like becoming a parent for the first time, this experience is ineffable. Unless you played, you simply can’t understand just how much fun it was.

Yes, it took a physical toll on my body. My right knee is held together by scar tissue and wishes; my left shoulder has some nerve damage; from nowhere, my body sometimes reminds me of an old injury I had forgotten about. But I wouldn’t trade the memories, experiences, and lessons earned on the field for a pristine body with no aches. These physical ailments are just part of the price for wisdom and strength, and I gained both of these from having played the game for eight years.

At least once a week, I dream about being back on the field. Usually, I’m at practice, preparing for an upcoming game. Sometimes, I’m in the middle of an important game. Regardless, I always wake with a yearning to be a teenager again, back out on the field with my chinstrap buckled tight and my teeth clamped down on my mouthpiece. I lay awake for a few moments, savoring the dream, reliving the hits I got to dish out on ball carriers and quarterbacks. There’s always a mix of joy and sadness after I awaken from this dream. Happiness that I got to experience it. Sadness that those days are gone forever.

I’m thankful for my experiences as a football player, for my coaches, for my teammates. I loved being part of the game as I’ve never loved any other experience, and I will cherish my memories for as long as I draw breath.

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General Posts

Monday Morning Ramblings

October 25, 2010 D.A. Adams Leave a comment

I’ve been thinking about the $75,000 fine imposed on James Harrison for his hits on two Browns receivers a week ago. Now, I’m all for player safety, and I agree that helmet to helmet shots need to be phased out of the game. Of all people, I understand the long-term effects of a severe concussion. However, I have a problem with the hypocrisy of fining Harrison for his hits and not holding other people accountable as well.

For instance, the offensive coordinator designed a pass route that brought his 190 lb. receiver into the zone of the 260 lb. defensive MVP who is known for his unreal strength (I think he benches nearly 600 lbs.) and nasty disposition. Instead of penalizing Harrison for doing what he’s been trained to do, which is deliver punishment to offensive players who enter his territory, why doesn’t the NFL fine the coordinator for putting his player in harm’s way? Maybe the offense should design pass routes that keep their receivers matched up with defensive backs.

Also, the quarterback who threw the pass should have seen Harrison lurking in that zone. Maybe if his throw had been more accurate, the receiver would’ve had more of an opportunity to protect himself. Shouldn’t the one who threw the bad pass be just as accountable as the one who delivered the blow? If QBs had to pay fines for nearly getting their WRs killed, maybe they would be a little more careful where they put the ball.

My point is this: Football is a brutal sport. Everyone who has ever played the game is aware, or should be, that on any given play, their body could be maimed forever. Defensive guys are by nature a mean-spirited and nasty lot. We enjoy hearing the groans of pain when we smash into an offensive player’s body. That’s what they get for thinking they could get by us. No amount of legislation or enforcement can remove the instinct to inflict pain. For at least 32 years, season after season, the NFL has tilted the rules in favor of the offenses, trying to make more exciting games with more points and more passing. At some point, the league needs to accept that as long as football is a contact sport with pads, there will be serious injuries, including blows to the head.

I’m not saying that helmet to helmet blows should be legal or that players shouldn’t be fined for cheap shots. What I’m saying is that the offense needs to be just as accountable for these hits as the defense. If offensive coordinators and QBs shared in the blame for putting their receivers into prone positions, the defensive guys would have fewer opportunities to deliver these blows, but I guarantee that in the hypocrisy that is the NFL League Office, there will be no attempt to rein in the offensive side of the ball.