The “Brady Rule” is Making a Joke of the Quarterback Position

I get it. Carson Palmer got hit low in a playoff game and sat out for a long period of time. It sucked. Tom Brady got hit low and missed an entire season after leading the Patriots through an undefeated regular season the year before. It sucked. Nobody wants to see the star players of the NFL get injured, standing on the sidelines with no pads for long periods of time. I get it.

But that’s football. Injuries happen.

The personal fouls that were called against Baltimore’s defense on two hits (if you can even call them “hits”) on Tom Brady were horrendous and Ray Lewis had every right to make those statements after the game.

If you’re a football fan and don't know what I'm talking about, take a look for yourself.



Terrell Suggs was pushed well after Tom Brady released the ball, and fell into Brady’s legs. And the “Brady Rule” prohibits any hits on the knees or below of quarterbacks – whether the defender leads with his helmet or his shoulder.

However, Suggs barely grazed the leg of the golden boy of the NFL. In fact, there wasn’t even enough contact to make Brady go to the ground. Brady intentionally and successfully dodged Suggs, stayed on his feet and actually argued for a 15-yard penalty.

Are you kidding me?

The New England quarterback reacted in a way that a center in a professional basketball game argues for a charging foul (except there’s more contact on a charging foul in the NBA than there was on this play).

Of course, the roughing the passer call occurred on a critical third down and kept the drive alive. And of course, the Patriots converted that gift from the refs to seven points.

Earlier in the game, Baltimore defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was questionably penalized for roughing the passer and New England turned that into seven points as well.

Ray Lewis was absolutely right when he said, “it is embarrassing to the game.” The referees should be embarrassed. The NFL owners who lobbied for the “Brady Rule” should be embarrassed. And Tom Brady should be embarrassed (although I doubt he is).

The “Brady Rule” might as well include flags on the waist of the quarterback and eliminate contact on the QB all together. All the defender would have to do is pull the flag and that would count as a sack. Because if rules like this one keep being implemented, then the game is going to turn into something close to flag football.

When former Patriot and teammate of Tom Brady, Rodney Harrison, says that Brady should “take off the skirt,” you know that the penalty was a disgrace to the game of football. - Michael Klopman

----------

Have a Fantasy Football or Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

Oher entry

As a Yankee fan, every time I watch Nick Swisher, I feel like a proud father watching his son in little league. No, I am not his father, in fact, we are not even related. I get this feeling because I read Michael Lewis’s book Moneyball and have been following Swisher’s career ever since I was introduced to him in the book. Well, now I have a new guy to root for in the NFL. He plays on a team I hate, the Baltimore Ravens, but that is mostly because of the grudge I hold for the Super Bowl in 2000 when they humiliated my Giants. But this kid has such a compelling story, I would be a scrooge of a sports fan to not root for him.

Michael Oher was drafted this year in the first round with the 23rd overall pick. He was a four year starter at Ole Miss and is the starting right tackle for the Ravens. With a drug addicted mother and uninvolved father, Oher was brought up in foster homes most of his life. He got bad grades and was held back several years in school. He was living with a friend’s family sophomore year of high school, when he was accepted to a prestigious private school for his junior year.

Oher had played football for only a season, having dropped the sport after his freshmen year. Then he took the game up again as a junior and his prodigious talent unfolded before America. He was named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl his senior year, and was considered the number one tackle prospect in the country. In the meantime, he was adopted by a family at his high school and caught up with his classmates academically.

I cannot do justice to the emotional appeal of this story, and luckily I don’t have to. Oher was the subject of another Michael Lewis book, The Blind Side, which chronicles the evolution of the left tackle position and Oher’s life. I would highly recommend it, as it is much more than the average sports book about overcoming adversity. This gives an in-depth look at the evolution of football strategy and player development, not in an complex or overly technical manner, but rather, it enriches every snap a person watches thereafter.

Reading the book has made me an automatic fan of Oher, and I no doubt will have that proud father feeling when I see the Ravens play. In a league where guys are constantly making news for screwing up, this is a story that really brings out the positives of the game. And for those of you who hate to read, the movie based on the book comes out in November… - Matt Aibel...

----------
Have a Fantasy Football or Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

NFL Week #3 Picks

Last week we were + $72.50 for the week.

Week #1 = + $77.50
Week #2 = + $72.50

Total = $150.00 after 2 weeks.

Remember, we are using a $1,000 betting pot to start out with so we are up 15% after 2 weeks (winnings go to charity). Slow and steady wins the race……

This week we are picking 2 NCAA games and 4 NFL games. Here we go.

Not a knock against higher ranked VT (depending on the poll) but Miami is on a roll and momentum will propel them.
$50 -Miami Hurricanes -3.0 (EVEN)

Nebraska is baacckk…..
$75 - Nebraska Corn Huskers -27.0 (-110)

I think Eric Mangini is starting to regret taking that job.
$50 - Baltimore Ravens -13.0 (-110)

Alright don’t laugh…… It’s gonna happen sometime
$25 - Detroit Lions MONEY LINE (+250)

Singletary’s 49ers are playing with confidence. Gore outrushes Peterson. A long day for Favre…
$50 - San Francisco 49ers MONEY LINE (+250)

John Abraham in Tom Brady’s face all day. Same result as last week
$25 - Atlanta MONEY LINE (+180)

Pittsburgh doesn’t lose 2 games in a row... At least not this one. Grandma Fairchild could be playing safety, they run away with it late.
$30 – Pittsburgh -4.0 (-110)

Robert Fairchild is a professional sports gaming professional. He legally wages on professional and collegiate sporting events for a living. Robert is NOT suggesting that you quit your day job and try to wager on sports for a living. He is contributing his thoughts and experience to assist you in a recreational activity that you as an informed adult may choose to take part in.

----------
Have a Fantasy Football or Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

Ray Rice is your guy...

Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Marion Barber, Frank Gore…. I’m certain that these were all players off the board early in your football fantasy drafts this year. The obvious ones are easy. How hard is it to know that if you ended up with Adrian Peterson and Drew Breese in your backfield that you did well? But it’s those second level picks that will win you a league championship.

It’s great that you got Peterson, but the other guy has Jones-Drew. It’s great that you have Breese, but the other guy has Brady. Who else do you have? Who’s your second running back? What kind of depth do you have?

I’m here to tell you that Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens is your guy. If you live in the NY Metropolitan area I’m sure you know all about Ray Rice. This 5-8, 210-pound 2nd year NFL player had an All-American career for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights – setting every school rushing record along the way.

In his rookie year Rice had 33 catches for 273 yards (8.3 per reception) and 107 carries for 454 yards (4.2 per carry). He played sparingly learning his craft behind veteran Willis McGahee. Now in his 2nd year Rice is listed number 1 on the depth chart at tail back and is ready to let loose.

Rice no longer has to be taken off the field on crucial passing downs because of complicated NFL blitz protection schemes that almost all rookie backs struggle with and the Ravens can now take advantage of his superior skills as a receiver out of the back field as well as his runs from the line of scrimmage.

In week # 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rice had 19 carries for 108 yards and 2 catches for 12 yards. Assuming he stays healthy I would expect Ray Rice’s year end numbers to be well in excess of 2,000 yards from the line of scrimmage.

That’s what you need from your second level running back to win a league title. - Mike Cardano

Mike Cardano is the founder of the Around The Horn (Baseball Blogs) and Extra Point (Football Blogs). Mike is also the founder of the fantasy sports games Ultimate Franchise Baseball™ and Ultimate Franchise Football™.

----------
Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship!