Week 2's games unfolded under the depressing pall cast by another round of terrible CTE news. So, business as usual, then, except the NFC East is totally screwed.
For all the NFL's many public failings, whether it's protracted suspension appeals or the fact that Roger Goodell will never be removed from his role in the league's disciplinary process despite being impossibly bad at it, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the league has no answer for—or even the willingness to fully acknowledge—its biggest and most far-reaching ongoing crisis: football causes brain damage to the people who play it.
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On Friday, new figures released by researchers at the nation's largest brain bank showed that 96 percent of former NFL players tested had CTE. What's more,Forty percent of those who tested positive were the offensive and defensive linemen who come into contact with one another on every play of a game, according to numbers shared by the brain bank with FRONTLINE. That finding supports past research suggesting that it's the repeat, more minor head trauma that occurs regularly in football that may pose the greatest risk to players, as opposed to just the sometimes violent collisions that cause concussions.These findings run counter to everything the NFL is currently trying to do to fix this problem. The league is trying to limit and better treat concussions in the sport, and is working to eliminate helmet-to-helmet targeting. That's a fine undertaking, to be sure, but the problem is not flashy killshot hits; the problem is football. Which means the solution is that football has to be radically changed, provided we care about CTE. It's possible that we don't, and that Americans are fine compartmentalizing the suffering and suicides and struggles as something to cringe at during the week before tuning back in on Sundays.
These latest figures elicited the usual outpouring of outrage and concern, and, as usual, it had mostly dissipated by Sunday. It's naive to expect the NFL's broadcasting partners, who are as vested in football's future as the league, to discuss these findings during games. I can't say I heard anything about it.
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Based on the outsized TV ratings for Week 1's games, the public's love for the NFL is as strong as ever. But while the NFL is doing well in the areas that matter most to its most powerful players—revenue, ratings, and nothing else—something is undeniably very wrong, here, and it raises uncomfortable questions about our role in perpetuating it. The NFL has made it clear on numerous issues, on the field and off, that it will not change unless it absolutely must. People that care about football have pressed an intractable league into some significant changes in the past year. Either we have to do more or make peace with what this sport does to the people playing it.Well, that's a grim opening. On to the takes!
When you are still setting up the punchline. — Photo by James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
2015's New Hot Garbage Division: The NFC EastIn 2014, the joke division was the NFC South, which sent a team with a losing record to the playoffs. The ineptitude was so dense that we'd surely be mocking it forever.But that's why the people say things like, "the NFL stands for Not For Long." Or is it Never Forget (J.P.) Losman? Both? Anyway, 2015's new very bad division is the always overexposed NFC East.Through two weeks, Washington is the only team to have a win outside the division. Sure, Dallas is 2-0 after defeating the bumbling Giants and Eagles to start the season, but now they're without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant for an extended period. The offensive line is good enough that even Brandon Weeden might be able to ride a few stellar defensive performances to victory. Over the next six weeks, Dallas has the 2-0 Falcons, the 2-0 Patriots, a rematch with the Giants on the road and a game against a Seahawks team that will have presumably gotten its shit together by then. Those are some big tests for Doopy Pantz.
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Jerry Jones' Present Mood LevelLower than a "crippled cricket's ass," apparently. That's Jerry's delightfully (?) homespun expression for being stuck with Brandon Weeden as your quarterback. I am going to assume that Ol' Double J yelled "hoppin' horny toads" when Romo went down, so that I can continue to picture him as a Texas version of the old man from "Rugrats."Penalties? You Bet!Six games on Sunday had more than 200 combined penalty yards. Patriots-Bills had 259. That's the good stuff, NFL. There's still one game left to be played in Week 2, and there have already been 73 more penalties issued than in Week 1. Fans asked for slower, sloppier, more painful-to-watch games, and the NFL listened.Which Quarterback Did God Favor In Week 2?
According to Aaron Rodgers, that would be the Packers. You may recall that after Seattle defeated Green Bay in last season's NFC Championship, Russell Wilson attributed his early struggles in that game to God setting him up for a more dramatic finish, but all the nanobubbles in the world aren't going to help you when God is in the other team's corner. Not all fans believe God intercedes on behalf of specific players, but the NFL's official theology is clear: 1) players are allowed to ascribe divine will to the outcome of games, 2) provided they win.A Possible Farewell To Football Played On Baseball DiamondsAs the AP notes, Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Oakland Raiders might just have been the last NFL game ever played on a baseball diamond. With the Oakland Athletics eliminated from playoff contention and the Raiders perhaps relocating to Los Angeles next year, the sight of a defenseless receiver being decleated right where the shortstop usually stands could be a thing of the past.
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It's a shame. Having the baseball diamond on the field gave an NFL venue a rare divey feel, and reminded viewers that sometimes even rapacious behemoths like the NFL have to share things once in awhile. Naturally it must be done away with.The Aussie Live Blog: Once More With Feeling (And Confusion)The Guardian's live blog featuring an Australian rugby blogger attempting to follow the exploits of Jarryd Hayne in the NFL was such a success on social media in Week 1 that there was no way they weren't going to that well again. The encore performance may not have been as much of a hit, but it was appreciated all the same. And it appears Matt Cleary has parlayed the stunt into an extended "Aussie explores American sports" feature for the publication, so good on him. I'm really looking forward to his coverage of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.This Week In Players Sent To The HospitalAnother week, another NFL player loaded into an ambulance and transported to a hospital. In Week 1, it was Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin who was loaded into an ambulance after a concussion initially left him with little movement in his extremities. Yesterday, Bills safety Aaron Williams was placed into an ambulance from a stretcher on the field after suffering a neck injury. Williams was already released from the hospital by Sunday night. That's welcome news, although…anyway, you read the introduction. The injury occasioned some somber reflection by the war boy Bills fan above. Big questions. Much to think about.
Kudos to the Browns cornerback coming through on his word and helping to hold a rookie quarterback making his second career NFL start to only a pretty good 96.3 passer rating. It takes real guts to make that claim, folks. In the battle of recent Heisman winners, it was Johnny Manziel who came out on top, even though Johnny Idiotface only needed to complete eight passes all day. Two of them were touchdown passes to Travis Benjamin of 50 yards or longer, though, which helped. Meanwhile, Manziel's agent delivered some taunting emoji action for those TV factorback lovers out there. Everything's going great.The Slightly Crooked End Zone Letter That Made The Internet Smugly Spit-laugh
If there's anything makers of Internet #content enjoy, it's minor typographical errors. Got to love that #ChyronFail. So it was a boon to that community that the grounds crew at Soldier Field left a letter in an end zone slightly askew on Sunday. Ha ha, that perfectly readable word looks a little off. "I bet some intern got fired for that," quipped the worst Twitter account you follow.Fan Of The Week
The Bears aren't giving their fans much to treasure about the 2015 season, so Chicagoans are just going to take whatever they can get—even if that means being chased throughout town by an extremely committed ballboy for daring to take a football that flies into the stands. Typically, employers discourage non-security personnel from pursuing thieves. Knowing the NFL, though, the ballboy presumably loses two paychecks if a ball goes missing.Extra points to Chicago for pointing out that their quarterback is bad at suicide. Mental health is a serious issue, but clearly not as serious as throwing interceptions.
Y'all, hell is all cold and shit right now because a bunch of bad teams won games in the same week! Also, the Milwaukee Bucks now apparently play in the NFL. With all the traditionally bad teams winning at the same time, NFL survivor leagues will doubtless speak of the dread second week of 2015 for years to come.A Stat About 0-2 Teams That No Other Football Writer Will Cite
You heard it here first, folks.Five Winners Who Covered Their Bloodline In Glory1. Tom Brady2. Matt Jones3. Larry Fitzgerald4. The Steelers when they went for two5. Dustin Colquitt and his 52.5 yards per punt on ThursdayFive Losers Bathing In The Hard Water Of Infinite Shame1. Jamaal Charles2. Brent Celek3. Olivier Vernon4. The Steelers when they kicked extra points5. Britton Colquitt, who averaged only 42.7 yards per punt facing his brother. THE LOSER COLQUITT!A Quick List Of Things With More Rushing Yards Than DeMarco MurrayThrough two games, the 2014 rushing champ has 11 yards on 21 carries. That [runs elaborate statistical regression] is not good!On Monday morning, Chip Kelly said a radio interview that no immediate changes will be coming to the Eagles offensive line, meaning we can look forward to these cheap jokes for weeks to come.WaluigiThe duck army vineAll the people complaining about the EmmysThose pop-up Halloween storesAhmed's clockDavid Cameron's piggy friendsWhoever is on your fantasy benchAs For Tonight…I don't do game picks because, like all football pundits, I'm stupid and always wrong. This is Dumb Football, not Smart Football.It's tempting to say that this is a critical game for the Colts, as they would prefer to avoid an 0-2 start. But they play in the AFC South, where a 10-6 record likely wins the division, so there's a little larger margin for error.Still, there has to be considerable pressure on head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson, given that there's already word that Jim Irsay is considering going "big game hunting" for the team's next coach. Letting your coach know he's on the way out a week into the season is textbook executive best practices. Better bag you a Saban, Jimmy!
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