Holding Out....

Ah yes, basketball is over, baseball is nearing its All-Star game, NFL OTA's are nearing an end, that means it's the beginning of holdout season. Yes!

Brandon Marshall has asked to be traded because the wideout wants a new contract. Understandably so, he is underpaid in terms of his production which has been two back to back 100 catch plus and 1200 plus yard seasons. He also made his first Pro Bowl last year. Marshall is in the final year of his rookie contract. His former base salary for 2009 was 535,000 but he made his roster bonus and that salary has been up'd to 2.2 million.

As inept as I think the Denver Broncos are, I actually agree with them on this one of not wanting to re-up Marshall's contract. I also would like to slap Marshall's agent in the back of the head as well. I am a big Brandon Marshall fan too by the way. I was convinced after he did my boy Antonio Cromartie very dirty last year in Week 2. But he's in the final year of his contract, which means he is going to be an UNRESTRICTED free agent after this year. B-Marshall, go ahead make you 2.2 million base salary plus any bonuses and dip next season. I mean worst case scenario, you don't produce like you have in the past two years. You can fall back on the fact that Kyle Orton is your quarterback and you were in a new offense. I mean do you really want to be a Bronco that bad? It's cold in Denver and got colder once Coach Shan left, and became dangerously cold once Jay Cutler bolted. I hope you know what happens to receivers when their Ace QB departs, just look at Chad Ocho Cinco last year or Terrell Owens when Romo got hurt. Plus, to be honest, you've put yourself in this position. You were a first round talent with off the field problems which is why you fell to the 3rd round of the '06 draft. You've had 13 incidents with the cops, most organizations aren't going to risk money on you when they feel that chances of you getting in trouble again are high.

B-Marsh. Stick it out and ball like you have been for the past two years and you're pay day will come. Patience is a virtue.

Now that leads me into Julius Peppers for which I am also a huge fan. He has expressed his desire to get out of Carolina and go play for a 3-4 defense even though he's the perfect 4-3 DE. I'm not sure if he wants to get a chance to drop back in coverage more with zone blitzes or get less sacks because a 3-4 defense is a blitzing linebackers paradise, but not ideal for a DE. Either way he wants out. The chances of that happening are extra slim, because the Panthers have placed the franchise tag on Peppers, which means he'll get the average of the top 10 highest paid DE's for 2009 which will be a little over 16 million, damn! Let me get a loan homie.

In recent weeks, Mr. Peppers has said he will be in camp. Smart move dogg. The classic Charles Woodson move.(he got the franchise tag two years in a row before he dipped to the Packers). A team can only place the franchise tag on a player two years in a row. The chances they do it next year are low, because another marquee player may get the tag instead.

Peppers situation is different, it's not about money, so I can't just say get paid a big bank roll for two years and dip. I just know that many players have left teams and that same year that team make the Super Bowl. I think Peppers is making the right decision, and if he gets the tag two years in a row, I strongly feel that the Panthers will be in the Super Bowl one of those years.

Last thing on holding out, I don't understand why rookies do it. I mean, you're a rookie. You already have a bulls eye on your back because you are making more money than the veterans and Pro Bowlers on the team. Yes, I understand getting the most money, because the NFL is dirty in how it does business with the lack of guaranteed contracts. But how does you not being in practice help you? It puts you behind. Problem is they are listening to their agents who have never played a down of football most likely, and don't know how hard it is to work your way into shape and up the depth chart when you didn't start at the same time as the rest of the team. If you come to camp on time, but your deal is not quite worked out, you have leverage on the team actually. You are doing all the right things, working hard, and in all honesty that is going to make the owner more apt to pay you or at least meet you halfway.

That's my take at least,

Ricky Writer

The Deadline

Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, has imposed a deadline of this week on future Hall of Fame QB, Brett Favre to decide if he will play for the team this upcoming season. Tell you something you don't know right? Thanks, ESPN.

I'm sure he did this to get Favre in camp so he could get in and learn the offense faster, work with his teammates, and most importantly avoid the chaotic situation that happened last year in Green Bay and New York. Fire back, sorry I like to talk backwards sometimes, I mean backfire is exactly what happened.

Childress should have known that nothing good would come of this. You don't give an ultimatum to one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time first off. Second thing, you know he just had surgery on his bicep, so if he rushes back and re-injures the elbow what is that going to help? You have a good relationship with Brett, and you pull this stunt. What is next, you're going to bench him if he does is usual 3 interception game at least once in the season? Let's not ignore the media, well just ESPN, uproar that has occurred and all the attention it has brought to the the team.

Way to go Brad Childress. You've made great decisions over the past year. Flip flopping your quarterbacks during the season, Letting AD punk you into going for it on 4th and 1, etc. This is another great decision you've made. Keep up the good work.


Peace,



Ricky Writer

Spike TV's "4th and Long" star: Moses Washington

I sat down with Moses Washington, OU track & field star, who is giving it his all for a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The show is hosted by Hall of Famer, Michael Irvin, and comes on Monday nights on Spike TV at 9/10pm EST. Click on the link below to visit the website. Check out the interview. Have a great Monday.

http://www.spike.com/show/31809

Who has the Pee-Wee prowess?

I told you all last year about the 13 year old internet football phenom Cody Paul. Cody was doing his thing in that highlight film that is all over YouTube. Haven't heard much from young Cody of late. I think he should be entering the 8th grade or 9th grade next year. If he lives up to his highlight tape he will be one of the dopest high school running backs to come out of Cali in a long while.

I know bring to your attention, Cameron Burnette. This kid is only 4'9" 85 lbs and 10 years old. He was recently featured in Sports Illustrated Kids Top 20 athletes under 20. He's the only kid 10 years of age or younger on the list and only one of two football players.

Everything comes to pass and the times of high school athletes not being NFL ready are slowly winding down. The closest I've seen was Adrian Peterson. Darren McFadden was probably NFL ready as well.

For now, I'll let you all check out Young Cody and Cool Cam get busy on the field. Tell me who you think is better.

Peace,


Riverboat Ricky



Young Cody




Cool Cam

How to cure your offseason football ailments

It is the eve of the 2009 NBA finals. I hope it is a seven game thriller. To be honest, I'd rather see Melo and Bron Bron go at it. You know, start a true east-west rivalry like Bird and Magic in the '80s. Instead, Kobe and D.Howard had to wreck my hopes and dreams. Either way, basketball, my second favorite sport is being played. After the finals are over, what do I have to do? Of course, I have football to look forward too, but what do I do from mid-June until late August?

I don't own a PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii to play Madden or NCAA football on. I can't stand watching baseball. Track meets come on tv once in every blue moon. What can I do that will entertain me?

Buy a high priced gaming system and play video games that will quickly bore me? Get a girlfriend for the summer time and ditch her once football season starts? Na, that will have serious repercussions and I don't anyone interfering with my football time with the " you sorry piece of manure" line that most women like to tell men after they've been dealt a harsh reality that we don't want them anymore. I can cut one dreadlock off my head one day at a time until they are all gone by August. I can learn Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc. I can download the Wale and B.O.B. mixtapes and hear those young cats out. I can watch NFL network until I can't stand Rich Eisen's voice any longer. I can watch NFL live and College Football Live everyday on ESPN.

I honestly don't know what I am going to do. I am faced with this traumatic experience every single year and I make it through. How? I can't remember. Maybe that's how, I drink myself into a two and a half month coma. I could sell my tv and give up the internet so I am totally oblivious to all things until late August and force myself to play catch up on what little news I did miss.

I have no clue what hell I am going to do. So if you all have any suggestions on things I can do for the next two and a half months while I have no meaningful sports to watch please let me know.


Thanks,


Ricky Writer

What about the good things?

I got home late last night from being back home in the great state of Oklahoma. It was very nice to get out of Longhorn country and actually see the Longhorn sign turned the right way, upside down that is. The sight of crimson and cream everywhere was pleasant as well as opposed to the burnt orange I am forced to deal with in Austin. As I ate my P.Terry's burger you already know what channel I turned to, ESPN, my love for the channel is endless.

My football withdrawals will begin to increase once the NBA playoffs are over in about 7-10 days. The burger tasted so good, but what I saw on television disturbed me. Sportscenter ran an entire Outside The Lines story on Denver Broncos wideout, Brandon Marshall, and his domestic abuse history with his ex-girlfriend.

The story featured his ex-girlfriend, Rasheeda Watley's accounts of the domestic abuse from Marshall, and interviews with her parents. The story also featured 911 calls by Watley and her friend while being involved in incidents with Marshall. There's always two sides to a story and Marshall declined to share his side for the Outside The Lines piece, but talked with Bob Ley about the incidents after the piece. He denied that he ever physically abused his former girlfriend.

My opinion on whether or not he is lying doesn't matter. The truth will come out sooner or later and I hope for his sake he is telling the truth. If he is lying, I hope he gets counseling and is able to put this behind him.

My concern is the purpose of the story. Who approached who? Did ESPN contact Rasheeda Watley or did she contact them? What was the true purpose of this story? To make Brandon Marshall look bad? Highlight domestic abuse in the NFL? Show that according to the Watley's, the NFL condones domestic abuse?

I have a huge problem with ESPN especially with stories like this. It's a love hate thing. I love the channel, but to be honest do I have an alternative, Fox Sports? Nope, I'm right, I don't have an alternative. I love ESPN for all that they do, but why do I hear about the negative sports news 51 weeks out of the year and they only feature the "Make a Wish" foundation segment one week out of the year?

The only time they talk about the good things an athlete does is during their "Make A Wish" segment or when they are glorifying Tim Tebow.

I just want the station to even it out a little bit. For every bad story about Pac-Man, Plax, Mike Vick, and now B-Marshall, I want a story about an athlete who has done some exceptional for his/her community. I mean there are 1,696 NFL players in the league. One of them has to be doing something great for his community that is worth reporting.


ESPN do better please,


Riverboat Ricky

OMG....give your degrees back

Media! Please, do something with yourselves. I know you all have better things to do than to report or make news of Tony Romo not calling T.O. by his name.

This is the Associated Press' excerpt,

" Though Romo didn't say anything negative, the quarterback referred to Owens with nothing more personal than "he."

If I read the transcripts correctly, Romo was asked a question then proceeded to compliment Owens, by saying " he was a great player....etc". God forbid he not call him by name, when a direct question about T.O. was just asked. The media and everyone there knew who he was talking about.

Does the media not have anything better to do. I thought the media's job was to report news not make it. Of course, they knew once they brought it up to T.O. that he was going to make some obnoxious but heart felt statement.

I am disgusted and annoyed. I really am. There are players in the league doing great things. Players are going on missions, doing great things for the community, and all you have to report is Tony Romo not calling Terrell Owens by his name when clearly, Romo was asked about Owens, so it made no sense for Romo to say Terrell Owens was.....all he needed to say was "he".

Get a life or give me your jobs,


Ricky Writer