THE WARRIOR MENTALITY

The reaction of current and former players to the removal of Jay Cutler, quarterback of the Chicago Bears, from the NFC Championship game in the third quarter last Sunday due to a knee injury, just seemed so wrong. Maurice Jones-Drew, a running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, tweeted: "All I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee....I played the whole season on one....". Former player and ESPN analystDeion Sanders wrote:"Folks, i never question a players injury but i do question a players heart."Mark Schlereth, a former Redskins lineman, Mike Ditka, former tight end for the Bears, Asante Samuel, cornerback for the Eagles and Dornell Dockett of the Cardinals all had similar negative remarks to make about Cutler's lack of mental toughness.

What concerns me in this case is the warrior mentality reflected in the comments. Warriors are supposed to be tough and take their share of pain. It also indirectly implies that the game of football is about inflicting pain, with a warrior being somebody who cannot be intimidated by the threat of pain. This mentality also breeds a culture of violence that turns tackling into an attempt to take off somebody's head, or hurt them so badly that they do not want to play. A warrior does whatever it takes to make the other person back down and lose heart for the game.

The warrior mentality threatens the very definition of the game of football. Football is a violent sport as it requires you to stop a player from advancing immediately or they will score points. The idea is to score points by passing or running. That is the game, not to see how many players can be carted off the field. You don't score points for physical damage.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that intimidation is a weapon that can be used. If you can distract somebody from doing their job by making them afraid, it is easier to do your job. I played football. I did well enough to be the target of those threats. I was on the bottom of piles with opposing players ripping out the hair on my legs, biting me, or trying to scratch me. I thought the idea was to ignore the threats, not let the fear stop me, and go play the game. I used the taunts and ugly stuff to motivate me to do even better. Nothing felt better than to score a touchdown and toss the ball in the face of some guy who was threatening me. To me, ignoring the game inside the game was the right way to play the game.

I don't know what the game is anymore. I love football. I don't like violence. Leave that for street gangs and drug lords. I like to see people play the game the right way. I just don't know if the current NFL players know what that is anymore.

LOVE OF THE GAME

One of the truisms in sport is that playing for the love of the game is the best reason to play a sport. If you are playing to please a parent or coach, make money, or for the fame and glory, you will be sorely disappointed. Your father or mother may not approve of what you are doing. Your coach will yell at you sometimes. You may not get the contract that you hoped for. And fans are fickle, pulling for you one minute and throwing beer at you the next.

The one thing that pulls you through all that adversity is the love of the game.....playing your sport your way and the right way. It is great to see that two of the Philadelphia coaches, Doug Collins of the 76ers and Peter Laviolette of the Flyers, seem to agree with that idea. The 76ers are a young team and learning how to win. They have lost many games so far in the this season due to making mistakes in the last minutes when it mattered most. Their record is 5-14 in games decided by 8 or fewer points. They are 1-7 in games when the difference is less than 5 points.

Collins solution is to preach the love of the game. Central to that idea is to respect for the game itself and what it can teach you. As he is often heard saying to his players, "You can't cheat the game.....I don' t think I ever evaluated myself as a person until I got my heart broken in some way. Where was I going to with that?.....The strength of the human is in those moments."

Laviolette believes in teaching the love of the game. His methods are different because he has a veteran team who playing great hockey and are first in their division nearing the half-way point of the season. His problem is to keep them at the top. So how does he remind them of the love of the game? He schedules an outdoor practice in Central Park yesterday before the Ranger game today. Playing outdoors reminds the players of playing as a kid on frozen ponds, one of the things that brings fond memories to the players. Listen to what several of them said: "Skating outside is just a lot of fun. (Danny Briere)......It's fun to get out here and get back to your roots (Matt Carle)...Sometimes you need these kinds of days....It just makes you think of why you play hockey (Claude Giroux)".

Two great coaches who understand their sport and the love of the game.

SEX, VIOLENCE AND THE NFL

I wish I did not like the game of football so much. I love watching the games but the culture of the NFL is making me sick. Money talks, and TV money is big money.The Seattle Seahawks 41-36 upset win over the New Orleans Saints earned the highest TV rating in over two decades for a wild card game, an 18.3 rating with a 33 share, up 8% from last year's equivalent wild card game. Similarly, the Jets-Colts 17-16 last second victory earned the highest rating since 2002.

Obviously, the NFL is doing well as a business, and doesn't want to anything to interfere with this money making machine. Sex and violence are marketed carefully to attract a TV audience without going over the top. There are pole dancing cheerleaders but they keep their clothes on. While there have been many fines, there is yet to be a suspension for any violent hit for the entire 2010 season. Sex and violence translate into significant TV ratings.

But then there are those players who push the limits of the sex and violence culture. Brett Favre is a good example. Nearly two years after texting a Jets hostess, Jen Sterger, he is supposedly investigated by the NFL for sexual behavior that is inconsistent with the standards set by the NFL for their players. Yeah, right. First, it takes two years to discover. Then the NFL investigation takes several months and doesn't get disclosed until the last week of the season. Notice Brett is not suspended which would potentially reduce the TV ratings for a popular player with a high TV draw. Then, the NFL makes itself look good by fining him $50,000 for interfering with the investigation.

But now for the most disgusting part, it turns out Jen Sterger wasn't the only one who had to put up with Brett's predatory sexual behavior. Two part-time massage therapists who worked for the New York Jets, Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole, were fired from their jobs after also complaining about receiving sexually suggestive text messages from Brett. They have sued Brett for unspecified damages. Don't expect to hear much about this case in the future. Brett will pay enough money to make this go away long before it goes to court and interferes with his TV popularity. The NFL will make sure of it. It just would not look good on TV.

Ain't What It Used To Be

Especially as a kid, I looked up to athletes. They seem to embody the best of what it means to be a person - play hard, play by the rules, and get your rewards. You could even make a mistake, even a big one, and redeem yourself. The sports world seemed simple and the rules made sense.

Not any more. You can find redemption if you are the best at what you do and everybody wants to watch you. Just ask Michael Vick. Still not sure if he has learned his lesson. May seem that way today, but we have to wait to see what he does when he comes into the big money again. Wonder how much he is going to donate to the Humane Society.

You can also find redemption if you know somebody important. Just ask Brett Sutter, a Calgary Flames hockey player recently traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. Brett got into a fight outside a bar in Arizona and was jailed on suspicion of assault. Somebody else might be run out of the league, but Brett is too well connected. His father, Darryl, is the Flames GM and his uncle, Brent is the coach. So they cook up a family arrangement to send him to play with his younger cousin, Brandon, Brent's son, in Carolina. Amazing the extent to which families will go to keep problems hidden under the rug.

Then there is the case of Albert Hainsworth in Washington.He doesn't deserve any redemption. Turns out he gets suspended for the remaining four games of the season for insubordination. Not only does he not like the defense he is playing, he recently informed the GM, Bruce Allen, that he will no longer talk to his coach. His agent, Chad Speck, is incensed that Albert was not given prior formal notice that his behavior was a problem. Maybe Albert didn't know the right people....

And last but not least, let's not forget Brett Favre, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. Brett is accused of sending sexting with a Jet hostess, Jennifer Sterger while playing for this NY team last year. But it turns out that he may retire before he can be punished by the league. The investigation has dragged on for two months, enabling Brett to maintain himself as one of the league's premium TV draws. I guess he does know somebody after all. Wonder if his wife is as enamoured of him these days as the league appears to be.

Sports just isn't what it used to be. Wonder if we all are saying the same thing about ourselves and the world we live in.....

REASONABLE VIOLENCE

Even the NFL can't figure out what to do to control the violence in football. Every Sunday, more than ever before, there is a concussion and a gurney on the field carting off another player with a severe life-altering injury. Two weeks ago it was DeSean Jackson. This week it was Colts wide receiver Austin Collie. Throw in a casual concussion to starting right guard, Max Jean-Giles that nobody even saw.

Despite the severity of the injury, the Eagles safety, Kurt Coleman was assessed a penalty on the play, resulting in a touchdown for the Colts and nearly a loss of the game for the Eagles. Fans thought that Coleman was going to be levied the same fines as other recent violent offenders. Eagles linebacker Ernie Sims was fined $50,000 for his recent hit in the Titans game. A hit by Packer's safety Nick Collins on Dallas receiver Roy Williams cost him the same amount. This was nothing compared to the fines on a Steeler linebacker who was fined $100,000 for several flagrant hits.

Problem is that officials, the league office, and even the players don't agree on what defines a flagrant hit. Roy Williams, the Dallas player who was the victim of the hit by Collins said, "Commission Goodell, don't fine the guy. It wasn't that bad of a deal, he shouldn't get fined. It was a football play, a football player making a football play. No injury, no harm." So Williams criteria for a violation is based on the extent of the injury. Problem is, that can't be assessed at the time of the play, unless the appearance of the gurney alone constitutes a reason for a $50,000 fine to somebody.

So if several guys are included in a hit, as is often the case in football, who do you fine? Both safeties, Kurt Coleman and Quintin Mikell hit Collins at the same time. As a result, the Eagles Coleman was not fined. The reason stated was: "Because the helmet-to-helmet contact was a result of Collie being driven toward Coleman by Mikell's legal hit, there will be no fine for this action." The play did receive a penalty for unnecessary roughness and almost cost the Eagles the game. So the referees were wrong on this one or were they right? The gurney did appear on the field, but it was deemed inadvertant.

Seems the real problem is that you can't legislate intent or level of violence. Football is a violent game, and can only be made reasonable by the choices of the players involved. A player knows when another player is going "head hunting". The culture in football that breeds and rewards challenging people at this level are trying to change the way the game is played. It has always been a rough and tumble game, but you don't want it to become a game where the end justifies the means and surviving hits that will maim people for life is the sign of a real man.

Whenever we are ready to make it change, just turn off your TV set for several Sundays and watch what happens. Bet the league office will move quickly to suspend players for games or the season and really mean it. Since football is as popular as ever, and people love the big hits, it turns out that we are the violent ones and the players are only imitating real life.

WEAKNESSES AS OVERDONE STRENGTHS

In a recent 37-19 loss to the Tennessee Titans on October 24, Eagles cornerback Ellis Hobbs was torched by Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt for 7 catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns. Hobbs did not seem himself and was several steps slower than Britt on numerous occasions. Turns out that Hobbs had been bothered by a hip flexor strain. His injury was not reported in the Eagles official injury report as he never informed the coaches or the medical staff of his injury.

When questioned about Hobbs performance, Head Coach Andy Reid said: "You're dealing with a very tough individual who's very quiet and doesn't say much...He's a tough nut and a very good football player." Turns out Hobbs toughness got overdone and turned into a liability for his team. Like the rest of us, his weakness was an overdone strength. Football players learn to play hurt. There is a fine line between pushing yourself to play hurt and hurting the team because you can't perform. It's a hard line to distinguish. It's not much different than the good listener who overdoes it to become too passive. Or the person who can tolerate great stress but overloads in the end because they never felt it coming.

People's greatest weaknesses truly are overdone strengths. Just ask Ellis Hobbs......