Bryant McKinnie REALLY likes champagne

Now THAT…was a party.  Especially if you’re Bryant McKinney who made sure he and his guests had a very good time.  According to TMZ, McKinnie spent over $100,000 last Thursday night at a pre-NBA All-Star Game celebration:

Sources at the NBA All-Star “Kick Off Party” at MyHouse nightclub — hosted by rapper Rick Ross and model Rosa Acosta — tell us the 6′8″, 335 lb lineman ordered more than 15 bottles of expensive champagne … among other things.

We’re told some of the bottles of champagne were so big — the entire club stopped to watch the wait staff bring them to Bryant’s area to crack ‘em open.

…Bryant is reportedly due to make $4.9 million in 2011 (barring a strike).

‘Among other things’?  Was there a ‘champagne’ room at this party?  If so, McKinnie must hit that place about 167 times.  Look, people are free to spend their money however they want, but there’s something McKinnie might  have considered before he over-indulged.  There’s a very important piece of evidence in the court of public opinion that celebrities should never forget: appearances.

In the current battle between the NFLPA and NFL owners over revenue sharing, rookie wage caps and long-term health care, the side that looks the most exploited is going to win out in the public eye.  When a player blows 100 grand in one night on booze and, well, one can probably guess what else, it makes the argument that NFL players are being exploited by management seem utterly ridiculous.

You can bet that the union and its chief, DeMaurice Smith, have got to be sweating this to some degree.  Smith’s reputation is riding on these talks.  He needs the players to look put upon and treated unfairly.  And no matter how much these guys make, $100,000 is a huge sum of money, and fans probably aren’t going to be especially sympathetic to guys who toss around that much jack at one time.  Moreover, the NFLPA has recently finished disseminating information to players on how to handle their finances in case of a prolonged lockout.  Then one of their own spends that kind of money on an evening out?  I can imagine this little exchange between McKinnie and is union rep:

Rep: Yo, B-Mac

McKinnie: S’up

Rep:  So, uh, you had a pretty good time the other night, right?  I mean you blew some serious chedda.  Musta been one helluva party.

McKinnie: Yeah, man, it was bumpin’.  I had a real good time.

Rep: Yeah, well, you realize we’re in the middle of a CBA negotiation and we’re tryin’ to look good, right?  And that, in one night, you spent just under twice the average yearly household income in America?  And that if NFL fans are actually paying attention, you just made all of us look like a bunch of a-holes, right?

McKinnie:  Say what now?

Again, McKinnie has the right to spend his money however he wants.  Besides, who among us hasn’t blown way too much cash in the name of a good time?  But someone should have told him to do it a little more discreetly.

Imagine an SEIU employee, just done walking the picket line, going out and buying a brand new BMW M3.  That would be ludicrous.  Even if they could afford it, behavior like that is just not good for the cause.  And somebody probably should have told McKinnie and his colleagues that when these negotiations began.

[PhotoSource: Baller Alert]

For the second time since Friday night, Vikings Defensive End Everson Griffen has been arrested by LAPD.  He was booked Friday night for being drunk in public.  On Monday, he was stopped by Hollywood police near the USC campus around 4pm.  He failed to produce identification and decided it would be a good idea to make a run for it.

Apparently, the 6′3″ 275 pounder wasn’t fast enough – this is probably why he doesn’t start for the Vikings – and was tasered to the ground.  Griffen was then booked for felony assault.  He’s currently being held at the 77th Community Police Station jail in L.A.  His bail is set at $50,000.

This is a shout out to ALL the NFL players who like to drink.  Hire somebody to drive you around.  Trust me, it’s worth it.  It will save you quite a bit of jack, as opposed to being suspended without pay and/or booted from your team; a situation that is possible, if not probable, for Mr. Griffen.

[Source: TMZ]

As fans, we’re always hoping our teams will gamble just at the right time.  We’re constantly rooting for coaches to ‘go for it’ on 4th and short almost any time our favorite offense creeps over the other teams’ 50 yard line.  It’s in our nature…we’re fans, as excited about the potential for championship glory as any actual player or coach.  And in this two week down time between conference championships and the Super Bowl – I won’t count the Pro-Bowl here – even lukewarm fans are choosing sides and hoping to see high flying, gun slinging, riverboat betting antics on February 6th.

According to Vic Carucci at NFL.com, the Super Bowl tends to reward teams that take chances.  And Carucci sets the losers aside and takes a look at eight of the greatest gambles – that paid off – in NFL History:

No one saw it coming. Not the 74,059 fans in Miami’s Sun Life Stadium. Not the millions watching on television. And, certainly, not the Indianapolis Colts. It came off exactly as its name, “The Ambush,” implies it should.

The New Orleans Saints truly blindsided the unsuspecting Colts when they opened the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with an onside kick. They recovered the ball and quickly turned a halftime deficit into a 13-10 lead. Although they would fall behind again, the play provided the momentum boost necessary to carry the Saints to a 31-17 victory and their first Super Bowl championship.

And here are some others – quite a few in recent memory – that make the list:

The Washington Redskins‘ fourth-and-1 handoff to John Riggins that resulted in a 43-yard gallop to the end zone, the pivotal score in their 27-17 triumph over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.

The New York Giants’ flea-flicker that produced a 44-yard gain and set up a touchdown to open the flood gates in their 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI.

The Giants’ decision to use only two defensive linemen, essentially daring the Buffalo Bills to run, an approach that was key to their 20-19 victory in Super Bowl XXV.

The New England Patriots choosing to go for the win with a young quarterback named Tom Brady — rather than playing it safe and going to overtime — in the final moments of their 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

The Steelers using wide receiver Antwaan Randle El to throw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass off a reverse in their 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

Carucci includes Former Kansas City Chiefs’ coach Hank Stram’s use of kicker Jan Stenerud and the legendary “65 Toss Power Trap” play in Super Bowl IV and Chuck Noll’s decision to run on 4th and 9 with 1:29 left in the game against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X.

Now, this is an impressive list.  However, Noll could have punted on 4th and 9, pinning the Cowboys deep.  Instead, the got the ball on the 39 yard line.  He actually put the Steelers in a worse position with that gamble.  That Steelers’ free safety Glen Edwards intercepted Roger Staubach a few plays later has little to do with the 4th down call.  I suppose Noll thought, since Dallas was out of timeouts, running 30 more seconds off the clock was more important.

I take serious issue with Carucci’s idea that using a young Tom Brady – with the score tied 17-17, 1:20 left in Super Bowl XXXVI – to move his team into field goal position against the Rams was ‘gutsy’.  Isn’t that what your quarterback is supposed to do?  Even if Brady were a rookie at the time, all he did was dink and dunk the ball to receivers who had the presence of mind to get out of bounds.  Playing for overtime is rarely, if ever, a good decision.  Playing to ‘win the game’, as Herm Edwards famously said, is how you play in the NFL.

Well, there you go.  A trip down memory lane; a couple of controversial plays; everything a good top 10, er, 8 list needs to stir up the fan in all of us.  I wonder what kind of gambles this year’s game has in store.

[Source: WIRED]

It looks like the Minnesota Vikings have seen enough out of interim head coach Leslie Frazier to give him a shot next season.  According to the Associated Press:

Touting Leslie Frazier’s communication style, crisis management skills and credibility with players, the Minnesota Vikings decided to strip the interim tag from the former NFL cornerback and make him their head coach.

“We took it very seriously and we took a lot of input on this, but clearly Leslie is the right man for the job,” team president Mark Wilf said. “He listens and makes good decisions. We saw a lot of that through a lot of the adversity, especially the last few weeks.”

It’s that time of year again, kids!  No, not the NFL Playoffs.  It’s the yearly coaching “carousel” that begins spinning at the end of every football season.  Underachievers are sacked – and often hired someplace else – and coordinators have an opportunity to step into the limelight has head coaches.  So let’s look at who’s likely fired and who might be hired.

John Fox of the Carolina Panthers is gone, but that’s not really news.  Everyone knew he was leaving months ago.  There will be no ‘in-house’ hirings as the entire staff has been let go.  There are no high-profile names being tossed around, but Perry Fewell – defensive coordinator for the New York Giants – is currently in the running.

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to hire Jim Harbaugh away from Stanford, but there are other candidates in the mix in case the Harbaugh deal falls through.  According to Niners’ Nation, Jason Garret of the Cowboys, Jeff Fisher of the Titans and Leslie Frazier of the Vikings are all being considered.  But although these coaches would all be big improvements over recently fired Mike Singletary, Harbaugh is far and away owner Jed York’s first choice.

Eric Mangini of the Cleveland Browns has been fired according to Dawgpound Daily.  Mangini doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be a successful head coach but he could be an effective coordinator for another team.  He could take over as d-coordinator for the Giants or the Texans, especially since Houston has just fired Frank Bush.  Along with the Panthers opening, Perry Fewel of the Giants is also in the running for the Browns job.

To say that Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals is on the hot seat is like saying Terrell Owens doesn’t mind a little media attention.  The ‘Bungles’ simply fell apart this season after making it to the playoffs in 2009.  Lewis no longer seems to be the answer in Cincinnati.  It’s difficult to say who would be willing to take over there, but Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden are – technically – still available.

Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano still has his job, but could be fired in the next couple of days.  Sparano was expected to lead Miami back to the playoffs with a stingy defense and a much improved offense, but quarterback Chad Henne has not quite been the saviour they were hoping for.  There were rumours that Bill Cowher might take the job, but if those rumours were true, Sparano would have been fired a week ago.

There are a slew of coordinator openings, some of which we’ve touched on earlier.  A couple of notables are o-coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and d-coordinator for the New York Giants.  We’ll let you know when anything new happens on those fronts.  Until then, enjoy the playoffs and good luck snagging that head coach you’ve been dreaming of ever since your team was eliminated from the post season.

[Source: Who Dat Dish]

It looks like Brett Favre will start Monday night against the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium.  That’s according to ESPN.  In other bad news, Adrian Peterson – the Vikings’ best player – is out.  Unless Favre reverts to form circa 2009, this is gonna be one long night for men in purple.

[Source: Blippitt]

It’s possible that the NFL rules on injury reporting are being stretched, but that doesn’t seem to bother the Minnesota Vikings.  1500 ESPN Twin Cities is reporting that Brett Favre’s injury status has been upgraded from “out” to “questionable”.  That’s a little bit like having a broken leg one day, then walking around on it the next.  But, apparently, this kind of borderline chicanery is perfectly legal.

According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, “If a player’s medical status changes, the club can update his playing status prior to the game.”

Prior to the game?  Like, 14 minutes prior?  Well, regardless of Favre’s status, it will do little to help the Vikings fend off the Chicago Bears.  Starting him continues to make no sense for the future of the franchise.  And for the sake of Favre’s health after football, he should probably just sit down and start penning his retirement to-do list.  Again, those incriminating photos #4 has of Minnesota’s coaching staff seem to be doing the job.

[Source: Fanattic]

Cleveland Browns (5-8) at Cinncinnati Bengals (2-11)

Backed by a power running game featuring the surprising Peyton Hillis and a decent passing game with rookie quarterback Colt McCoy, the Browns have turned a miserable start to the 2010 season into what may very well be a mediocre finish.  That’s a lot more than can be said for the Bengals, whose star free agent receiver TO has been blaming the coaching staff for their lousy record.  The Bengals are done.  The Browns still have something to prove. Browns 24, Bengals 17

Washington Redskins (5-8) at Dallas Cowboys (4-9)

The Cowboys have shown they have way too much talent to be as bad as they looked the first six weeks of the season.  Sure, they lost to Philadelphia at home last week, but there’s nothing about the Eagles that remotely resembles the bumbling Redskins.  Any team that has to bench Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman is in serious trouble.  If the Redskins finish the season any better than 5-11, it would be a minor miracle.  Cowboys 28, Redskins 17

Houston Texans (5-8) at Tennessee Titans (5-8)

Both of these teams had promising starts.  The Texans took down Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts and the Titans routed the Oakland Raiders.  But for the past 5 weeks or so it’s mostly been downhill for these clubs.  At this point, neither one is threatening to win the AFC South.  The Texans, however, still seem to care about their season.  Vince Young is out in Tennessee.  Chris Johnson’s quest for 2,500 yards rushing is looking more and more like a bad joke.  And in the NFL, rule #213 is this; never bet on Kerry Collins as your starting quarterback.  Texans 28, Titans 20

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) at Indianapolis Colts (7-6)

Unlike Texans v. Titans, this one is probably for all the marbles in the AFC South.  If the Jaguars win, they will likely take the division, given their two game lead and very winnable games in weeks 16 and 17 (vs Washington and at Houston).  If the Colts win, however, they hold the tiebreaker over the Jaguars with games at Oakland and vs Tennessee.  Unfortunately for the Jags, their not the San Diego Chargers.  Manning will pull this one out, but Jacksonville will keep it close. Colts 28, Jaguars 24

Buffalo Bills (3-10) at Miami Dolphins (7-6)

Miami still has a shot at the playoffs (with some help) and it all starts here.  Figuring out how to win a game at home would help.  The Bills aren’t really as bad as their record would indicate, but they have trouble moving the ball against good defenses.  If Chad Henne can have an efficient game,  they Dolphins should handle the Bills.  If the Bills find a way to win this one, the Dolphins’ playoff hopes are officially ’squished’.  Dolphins 20, Bills 17

Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) at New York Giants (9-4)

Okay, this game is one to get excited about.  Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson against a stout Giants’ defense with a game lead in the NFC East on the line should be enough to get any football fan jazzed.  Both teams will make the playoffs, but this game could mean the difference between a third seed division champion and a sixth seed wild card.  If the Giants take this one, they not only grab a one game lead but the tiebreaker as well.  The Eagles have extremely winnable games at home against Minnesota and Dallas to finish the season.  The Giants still have to go to Green Bay.  I think it’s safe to say whomoever wins this game takes the division.  The Giant’s will find a way to slow down Vick, but it’s almost a pick ‘em. Giants 27, Eagles 24

Detroit Lions (3-10) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5)

Prediction: The Lions will be good…one day…within the next decade.  Given Detroit’s history, I’d say that’s a bold prognostication.  Sadly, that doesn’t help them this season.  Tampa Bay, though still hard to figure out, is playing well behind quarterback Josh Freeman.  Eh, well, at least the Lions will be in good draft position in 2011…again. Buccaneers 28, Lions 20

Arizona Cardinals (4-9) at Carolina Panthers (1-12)

Look, at one time this season, Arizona had some say in the NFC West divisional race.  Not anymore.  Face it, if you’re not a fan of one of these teams, you really don’t care anyway.  Ah, what the hell. Panthers 44, Cardinals 17

New Orleans Saints (10-3) at Baltimore Ravens (9-4)

The Saints have found ways to win on the road and the Ravens have shown that their defense is not as dominating as in seasons past.  But it’s still very good.  After an incredibly emotional win last Monday night, though, the Ravens will find it difficult to keep up with the New Orleans and a pass-happy Drew Brees.  The Saints will find a way to hold off Ray Lewis and the boys, and Joe Flacco will have a tough time with the Big Easy’s defense.  But if the Ravens can get their running game going, they could just beat the NFC’s second best team. Saints 24, Ravens 20

Altanta Falcons (11-2) at Seattle Seahawks (6-7)

The NFC’s best team takes on the division leading Seahawks.  Too bad that division is the NFC West.  Seattle has a beautiful stadium with a great game day atmosphere, lots of crowd noise and Tom Skerrit It won’t be enough.  The ‘Hawks will put up a good fight, though…just before they get trounced.  Lucky for them, somebody in the NFC West is going to win it with a 7-9 record.  Ugh! Falcons 31, Seahawks 17

Denver Broncos (3-10) at Oakland Raiders (6-7)

The AFC West has become a two-horse race, but the Raiders can still make the playoffs if they win out, San Diego loses one of it’s two remaining games and Kansas City loses one of theirs – that’s not including the game the Chiefs would have to lose to Oakland in week 17.  Yeah…good luck with all that.  Denver is beyond bad and is currently paying TWO head coaches, neither of which actually work for the team anymore.  Oh, and Tim Teabow is starting in place of an injured Kyle Orton – they guy who has produced 90% of the Broncos’ touchdowns this season.  It won’t be the 59-14 spanking that Oakland laid on Denver back in October, but the Raiders should win this one handily. Raiders 27, Broncos 10

New York Jets (9-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)

Three weeks ago, this would have been a great game.  But the last two weeks the Jets have scored a total of 9 points, and quarterback Matt Sanchez has looked more like a clueless rookie that a franchise player.  Pittsburgh’s home-field advantage is just too big.  And unless the Jets can figure out a way to win a game without using their coaches to trip opposing players, New York will be sitting at 9-5 by Sunday evening.  It won’t be ugly, but it ain’t gonna be very pretty, either. Steelers 24, Jets 17

Chicago Bears (9-4) at Somewhere in Minnesota Vikings (5-8)

Assuming the field is ready, the Vikings will host the Bears to Minnesota’s 9th loss.  Brett Favre probably won’t start, but does anyone really care anymore?  The streak, and Favre’s career with the Vikings, is over.  It is really time they both moved on.  In their defense, the Vikings have shown a little fight over the past 5 or 6 weeks, but the 2010 season has been an abyssmal failure for a team that finished 12-4 in ‘09.  The Bears are surprisingly good given the fact that most people thought Jay Cutler sucked. Bears 28, Vikings 20

Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) at St. Louis Rams (6-7)

It’s the battle for the Governor’s Cup in the Show-Me-State.  That’s Missouri, by the way.  I could tell you were wondering.  Both teams lead their respective divisions and have been nothing less than pleasant surprises for their fans.  Rookie Quarterback Sam Bradford has done wonders for the Rams and Matt Cassel – before his appendectomy – was on a pro-bowl pace, winning AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November.  The Rams have played well at home but they’re catching the Chiefs at a bad time – one week after an embarassing shut-out at the hands of the San Diego Chargers.  Look for the Chiefs to be focused and get the job done.  Of course, if Brodie Croyle is in at quarterback again, all bets are off.  The Chiefs will probably win this one, but not by a lot. Chiefs 27, Rams 21

Green Bay Packers (8-5) at New England Patriots (11-2)

Okay, am I the only football fan who is officially sick of the Patriots.  It must be nice to draw the Packers at Foxboro just when their starting pro-bowl caliber quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is out.  Green Bay still has a strong defense led by linebacker Clay Matthews, but it probably won’t be enough to beat the home team.  Tom Brady continues to look like Superman in a football helmet, leading the league in TD passes with 29 while tossing only 4 picks.  It makes me urp up a little to say it, but the Pats will win another one on Sunday. Patriots 31, Packers 24

[Source: Dotsperiod]

For what seems to be the 14th time this season, Vikings quarterback Brett Favre as been called a game-time decision to play against the Giants tonight at Ford Field in Detroit.  Actually, Interim Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier called him “doubtful” but then said “but sometimes you never know with him.”  Okay.  Apparently, the Vikings have given up on this season and a good chunk of next season too.

It’s time to sit Favre down, not just for his sake, but for the Vikings franchise as well.  Only a team in complete denial wouldn’t at least give Tavaris Jackson a chance to start, especially since he was instrumental in getting the Vikings a win after Favre left the game last week with another shoulder injury.  Sure, Jackson threw 2 interceptions, but that would be a pretty good throwing day for Favre.  Sure, the Vikings are still 5-7 and alive in the NFC playoff race, but most of those wins have come on the back of Adrian Peterson.  And if the Vikings do make the playoffs with the 41 year-old Favre, where are they going from there?  One and done would be an understatement at this point.  It’s time to find out if Jackson is the future or an excuse to pick a quarterback in the first round of the 2011 draft.

The most bizarre aspect of the Vikings’ devotion to Favre is that they seem to be mortgaging the future for a consecutive starts/games played record that has already been achieved and probably should have ended 8 games ago.  Perhaps the franchise just can’t forget about last year when they went 12-4 and won the NFC North.  Last season, the Vikings had a stout defense and an amazing quarterback.  But in sports, last season means nothing.  And over the course of 11 months their defense got soft and their quarterback aged about 2 decades.  So what is it, exactly, that Favre has on the Vikings coaching staff that allows him to come back week after week just to throw multiple interceptions?

The Vikings’ love affair with Favre paid off in the 2009 season, but the team chose to ignore the big picture.  And it begs the question, how old did they think their 41 year-old signal caller was going to be this year?  Maybe it’s a ploy by Leslie Frazier to keep his job, but it certainly didn’t work for Brad Childress.  If Favre starts tonight, those pictures of his privates must not be the only naked photos he’s got stashed away.  That must have been one crazy party.

UPDATE: Brett Favre is on the inactive list and will not play tonight, ending a streak of 297 consecutive NFL starts at quarterback. There is no word if he has played his last game in the NFL or not.

[Source: EveryJoe ]

Minnesota coach Brad Childress cut Moss after growing tired of Randy’s antics, lack of effort, and professionalism

The Titans lost their top WR Kenny Britt on Sunday to a hamstring injury.  He is likely to miss several games.

The Vikings had just traded a 3rd round pick to the New England Patriots for Moss last month.

Tennessee had the 22nd waiver claim which means that 21 teams passed on Moss before the Titans claimed him.

Moss is the most talented wide receiver in NFL history, but to say  he comes with a bit of baggage would be an understatement.