The blog is again coming to you from the beautiful North Georgia mountains:
Let’s go to the gridiron:
More fallout from the bullying allegations from Dolphins headquarters. Last night, the Fins suspended offensive lineman Richie Incognito indefinitely for “conduct detrimental to the team” for his role in the situation regarding Jonathan Martin, who left the team last week due to verbal abuse and threats from Incognito and some teammates. This has gotten really ugly and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The NFL is looking in to the situation, including allegations of racially-motivated threats.
MY TAKE: The hazing of rookies by veteran players in the NFL has been going on for ever, but these allegations are much, much worse than that. Incognito has been known as one of the dirtiest players in the league during his career, and this is now extended into his own locker room. Incognito has probably worn out his welcome in Miami and this behavior could be a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy and will probably warrant further action from the league. Martin should also realize that he is an adult, not a little kid in a school cafeteria, and should have put a stop to this immediately. Inviting someone to join you in the cafeteria, and then getting up and leaving when that person sits at the table has been going on since the beginning of time. There are reports that Martin himself participated in the same lunch-room pranks against other players, including offensive lineman Nate Garner, who is white. There are also reports that the veteran players made rookies pay of expensive outings, including expensive dinners, strip clubs, and even a trip to Las Vegas. That is the equivalent of the school bully taking your lunch money. This is just really messed up, and the responsibility should fall squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff and head coach Joe Philbin. It seems impossible to me that the coaches didn’t know this was going on. Coaching is much more than just on the field. It includes the managing of an entire team roster. Some responsibility also has to fall on the doorstep of GM Jeff Ireland, who drafts these players out of college and brings in free agents such as Incognito. This is a real messy situation.
The Fins’ next game will be next Monday night, in Tampa, against the Buccaneers, who are still winless this season, after blowing a 21-point lead against the Seattle Seahawks yesterday.
More from Armando Salguero:
In this week’s picks, I am 2-3-1 against the spread, pending tonight’s Chicago-Green Bay matchup. Record so far this season is and 30-28-4 against the spread, and 38-23 straight up.
Here is this week’s NFL schedule, along with the rest of my picks:
THURSDAY
Miami 22 Cincinnati 20 OT
SUNDAY
Tennessee 28 St. Louis 21
NY Jets 26 New Orleans 20
Cleveland 24 Baltimore 18
New England 55 Pittsburgh 31
Indianapolis 27 Houston 24 PUSH
Kansas City 23 Buffalo 13
Washington 30 San Diego 24
Dallas 27 Minnesota 23
Carolina 34 Atlanta 10
Philadelphia 49 Oakland 20
Seattle 27 Tampa 24 OT
TONIGHT
Chicago @ Green Bay -9 8:30 pm ESPN
The Pack has beaten the Bears six times in a row, and have won 11 consecutive games at home overall. The Bears will be without QB Jay Cutler and linebacker Lance Briggs. I’ll take the Packers and give the 9 points.
Here’s ESPN’s NFL Nation Blog, with more news from all around the league:
Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs.
In college football, the Florida State Seminoles trounced the University of Miami Hurricanes 41-14. The Seminoles led 21-14 at the half, and Miami had the ball to begin the second half with a chance to tie the game, but it wasn’t to be. The Seminoles dominated in the second half to send the Canes to their first loss of the season. Florida State is now ranked #2 in the country, while Miami fell to #11. Worse news for the Canes is that star running back Duke Johnson is out for the year after suffering a broken ankle.
Next up for the Canes: Virginia Tech this Saturday at 7:00 pm at the Seven Names Stadium.
Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have more from Coral Gables:
The FIU Panthers lost to East Carolina at the Cage on Saturday, 34-13.
Here’s all the latest from FIU, courtesy of David J. Neal:
Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and #2-ranked FSU:
FSU blog | Seminoles Chant
From Gainesville and the University of Florida:
Here are the NCAA Football rankings for this week:
Here is the complete schedule in College Football for week 11, including TV listings:
Moving to the hardwood,
The Heat lost to the new and improved Brooklyn Nets on Friday, 101-100, and were home yesterday and defeated the Washington Wizards 103-93. Next game for the Heat is tomorrow night in Toronto against the Raptors. They will then have four games in a row at the AAA, beginning on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clipppers.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The Heat are 2-2 to begin the season, so this team is obviously in trouble. They need to fire the head coach, break up the team, etc, etc. We’ve heard this before, haven’t we? What was the team’s record the last three years after four games? The answer comes later, alligator.
Here is the Heat’s complete regular season schedule:
In news from around baseball,
On the NHL ice, George Richards has all the latest on the Panthers:
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I’m selling three lots totaling a little over five acres in the beautiful North Carolina mountains, overlooking the New River, a quick 35-minute drive from Boone and Blowing Rock. Click here to see some photos and feel free to contact me if you have any questions:
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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The Heat are 2-2 to begin the season, so this team is obviously in trouble. They need to fire the head coach, break up the team, etc, etc. We’ve heard this before, haven’t we? What was the team’s record the last three years after four games?
In 2010-2011, the Heat was 3-1 and finished 58-24. In the strike-shortened 2011-12 season, the team started 4-0 and finished 46-20. Last year, the team was 3-1, including an embarrassing 20-point loss to the Knicks on their way to a 66-16 regular season. Bottom line, don’t panic. The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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