Interview with Austin Pettis: 78th Overall Pick 2011 NFL Draft: St Louis Rams

June 29, 2011 1 Comment

Interview

by

Griffen Raustis

Griffen: What is your biggest weakness on the field?

Austin: Haven’t established myself as a down-field threat yet.

Griffen: What NFL WR inspires you?

Austin: Larry Fitz.

Griffen: I think you will be the next Larry Fitzgarald. In your opinion what is your biggest threat on the field?

Austin: I hope so and speed of the game is big

Griffen: What NFL QB, RB, and WR would you want to join the rams?

Austin: I don’t know which team would take him probably one who missed out in the draft on a QB. I’m happy with all the players that are on the team now.

Griffen: I agree. Do you think Sam Bradford has the talent to be starting QB for years to come?

Austin: Yes of course, I think he proved that already.

Griffen: Yes he did. Do you think you will ever be wildcat QB?

Austin: No I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.

Griffen: Who is your favorite QB in the NFL right now?

Austin: Sam Bradford

Griffen: Who do you think has the most talent to be starting QB for the Denver Broncos? Orton or Tebow?

Austin: I don’t know enough about either one of them. I can’t say

Griffen: What was your favorite college football memory?

Austin: The success with my teammates over the 4 years.

Publishers Notes:

Griffen Raustis is a young man who guest write’s and interviews athletes for our sports blog. He is very driven and active on twitter. We appreciate all the work Griffen gives us here at The Fans Opinion. School is out so we will be hearing more from Griffen.

Filed under #fansopinion, Interviews, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

For the future success of the NFL : Roger Goodell Must Go!

June 22, 2011 2 Comments

I will beat my drum till I am blue in the face shouting my message that Roger Goodell needs removed from his position as the commissioner of the NFL for the future success of the National Football League. It is no secret that this has been my opinion during this lockout process. But since the lockout seems close to ending in the near future I will sound the alarm again and again until the fans hear my message.

Under the watch of Roger Goodell the NFL was dragged into a stalemate that did not have to happen. Yes both sides were far apart at the end of the 2010 season when it came down to crunch time. But the NFL league office and the owners had two years to put proposals on the table for the players to consider. It was the owners who opted to end the old CBA agreement not the NFL Players Association. The owners knew what was going to happen and even got caught trying to stash away 4 billion in revenues without telling the NFLPA while preparing for the lockout.

When the negotiations started to take place in March of 2011 the NFL waited till the last hour on the last day of the deadline to put forth a silly offer they knew the players would not accept. It seemed like the NFL was not taking the NFLPA seriously and were calling their bluff. As far as income goes for this year the NFL owners have the upper hand. They are due to get paid via the TV contracts in place regardless if a season is played in 2011 or not. By continuing the lockout it is the same old tactic used against unions in the past trying to force a deal favored by the owners of the business negotiating the contracts. The thought process is if we can make them lose their salaries and go broke they will be in a dire situation and accept a contract not in their best interest and favoring the business owner.

What the NFL did not expect or they did not care about was the fans reaction to their obvious disillusion to the common football fan. The owners are so rich and out of touch with the average football fans, they have an arrogant presence of entitlement that radiates off their faces when they talk to the media. It’s like they believe the fans are going to swallow the garbage excuses they are spitting out at the microphone. Well I have news for you Mr. Goodell someone has to pay for this mess and the poop rolls up hill on this one.

You Mr Goodell have to take responsibility for the mess you allowed your league office and the owners that make up the NFL to make. The NFL commissioner has to be a visionary not a reactor. You need to be proactive not reactive to problems and crisis that affect the NFL and its fans. You had two full seasons to come up with a plan that would work for the league and its players. What did you do during those two years besides collect a pay check and fine players for illegal hit and problems off the field?

Sir with all due respect its time for you to go! Mr Goodell I am calling for you to resign as the commissioner of the NFL. It does not matter at this point whether you are a hero and orchestrate a deal with the NFLPA and its players. You have already showed you really do not care about the future of this league and its fans by sitting on your hands for two years plus. A true leader does not care what his colleagues or peer’s think about his directions. A true leader is only concerned about what is best for the people and families he or she represents. I would argue Mr Goodell you have tried to only protect your personal and crony owners best interests. You have not given one iota of respect to the fans that create your revenue and the future revenue of the league. By dragging this out for over two years you have set the NFL back at least a decade. No matter what conclusion you and the NFLPA come to the NFL as we have known it in the past will never be the same. And for that Mr Goodell YOU MUST GO!

WE SPEAK OUR MIND!

 

Filed under #fansopinion, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Terrelle Pryor’s Battle To Success

June 11, 2011 Leave a comment

Written By

Griffen Raustis

Recently I have interviewed UFL Offensive Tackle Ryan Cave and NFL nose tackle Chris Baker. After asking them about the Terrell Pryor situation both men’s answers pointed to Terrell playing in the United Football League.

As the NFL lockout moves deeper into the year there is a huge threat of a shorter season. The UFL is entering their third season and need Terrell Pryor to bring fans to the stadiums.

If Terrell decides to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft it would be very risky and time-consuming. Day by day Terrell knows that there’s a big chance there will not be a whole NFL season.

The UFL needs someone to bring crowds and their offering Terrell the gift of picking his team. If he does indeed go into the UFL he will bring a spark to the field. Terrell will learn more about the game and get a chance to learn from veterans about the game.

He also will not have to deal with the lockout frustration if he joins the UFL and will have his mind on the game. The United Football League will be the best choice for this young QB.

 

Filed under NCAA, NCAAFB, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout, UFL, UFL Football Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Terrelle Pryor Should Play In The UFL!

June 9, 2011 1 Comment

Terrelle Pryor

The allegations against Terrelle Pryor former QB of the Ohio State Buckeyes are well documented. The purpose of this article is to portray in a positive light why Terrelle needs the UFL and why the UFL needs Terrelle Pryor. Whether the allegations are true or not the fact is the Terrelle Pryor has played his last football down in college. The question now is where should Terrelle play football in 2011?

With only 2 years experience in college football Terrelle Pryor is a prospect at the quarterback position on an NFL team at best. Which team would take a chance on Terrelle with his alleged behavior background and his limited experience? He is a supplemental draft consideration. But with the NFL lockout situation and the limited time that is available for training camps NFL teams are going to go with veteran QB’s on the roster. There is no time this year to train and let a ‘prospect’ take up a roster spot.

So what options does that leave Terrelle with? The CFL and UFL football leagues are his only viable options. With his inexperience at quarterback and the rule differences in the CFL his best option is to play in the UFL.

The UFL has NFL proven coaches on every team and play a pro style NFL offensive system. The UFL is also a league of second chances. It would be a great opportunity for Terrelle Pryor to prove his maturity and show he is a team player. The coaches in the UFL have gained a lot of respect in the NFL and would be able to give good advice to the NFL teams interested in him. It would allow Terrelle to start eight games in a league with NFL caliber athletes. If he were to sign with an NFL team and go to training camp he might get two reps a day at most. The UFL would give him on the job NFL training.

Why would Terrelle Pryor signing with a UFL team help the league? With the UFL being in the adolescent stages of its maturity (third season) the notoriety of such a popular athlete would bring instant recognition nation wide to the league. It would show the public the quality of the coaches in the UFL and endorse the second chance policy of the league. The UFL has signed players in the past (Maurice Clarett, Omaha Nighthawks) but with the NFL lockout situation and the stories of the allegations being so fresh in the minds of sports fans this would be instant notoriety for the league. As the lockout lingers on the fan base of the UFL is growing. The signing of Terrelle Pryor would sell a lot of season tickets for all five teams in the league.

WE SPEAK OUR MIND!

Filed under #fansopinion, College Football, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout, UFL, UFL Football Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If it look’s like a Duck, walks like a Duck, and talks like a Duck. ITS A DUCK!

May 22, 2011 Leave a comment

As an extreme fan of american football both at the college and professional levels I do not understand why draft picks are not vented more. If I was a billionaire and was going to make a 100 million dollar investment it would not be on a convicted felon.

With the story on Aquib Talib of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his mother it makes you wonder how much the colleges and the NFL teams really look at these athletes past.

The NFL combine tests these athletes body to every degree medically possible. Maybe they should put as much significance on the mind. Doing a background check is not enough for these athletes. Most of their crimes are committed while they are in high school. Their juvenile record is extremely important since the investment is made when they are only 19-22 yes old. There are states where you can get a juvenile record on athletes (not all 50 states allow it).

News comes out today that as a junior in college Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboy’s allegedly was given loans amounting to 850,000. They were secured by his handler David Wells, the players adviser and co-defendant. Now who in their right mind would recommend or allow a 20 yr old college athlete secure 850,000 in loans on jewelry and sports tickets? It just shows you that the athlete is playing the sport for looks and acclaim, not because they love the sport.

Now lets get into the story of Pacman Jones for a minute. It was well know in college that he was trouble while he attended WVU. He was even suspended while he was there, and arrested on a criminal charge as well. Why any NFL team drafted him, or why the NFL gave him a second chance? I have no idea!

I can go on with many examples of the same general thing. Here is my opinion.

I think the NFL teams should put the players that have a “checkered” past on a “Red Shirt” year on the team. Let the players take part in training camp, practice with the team, and spend the “Red Shirt” year on the practice squad. This would give the teams a little longer to vent the player’s and give the players every opportunity to prove themselves as good members in the community.

Why should athletes be held to a lower standard than normal working community members. As a common worker most employees have to take a drug test and pass a background investigation and they work for 10-20 dollars an hour. As millionaires they better be properly investigated.

WE SPEAK OUR MIND!

Filed under NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

(Mock Drafts) Just a Band-Aid!

April 4, 2011 Leave a comment

What a beautiful day in Pennsylvania today. Its 75 degrees outside with a slight breeze (feels so good!). I am sitting here watching my daughters U8 softball team practice. There is only so much sloppy play I can handle so I begin to read sports blogs on my blackberry.

Blog after blog seems to be on their 15th to 20th mock draft. Or they are “evaluating” talent for some team. They look and sound like a bunch of “Dark Match” Mel Kiper’s. I wish more sports writers and blogger were spending more time talking about the NFL Lockout and keeping the fans feelings fresh in the news. As a sports nut yes I get crazy around draft time. Always looking to see what athlete my favorite team is going to get or what top-notch talent is going to fall in the draft and what gems lie in the weeds overlooked by the “big shots”. But this year I am just not feeling it.

The draft really does not matter if we are not going to play football this year. By keeping the fans feelings on the front pages and discussing the differences between the NFL Players Trade Association and the NFL, its owners, we can possibly come up with compromises both sides can see. Softening the subject makes both sides want to resolve differences. Showing our anger and the loss of a positive feeling from the fans for either side will possibly make them want to deal a little more.

Bottom line is this! We the fans are the ones that buy the tickets! We the fans are the ones that watch the games on TV! We the fans are the ones that buy the products off the commercials to pay for the NFL revenue! We the fans are the ones that buy the team jerseys! We the fans give the NFL teams free advertising everyday we wear a team hat, jersey, or logo of any sort whether it be on our car or a paper holder on our desk at work!

We the fans are just getting plain fed up! I am just sick and tired of the spin that is coming out of both sides! As a fan of the NFL I blame the owners greed for the situation we are in now! The owners had 2 years to work out a new deal after they chose not to extend the old CBA. They waited to the very last hour on the third extension to put forth any official proposal. They refuse to be transparent and open up the books. I just think that is ridiculous! If they are telling the truth the books will make their case for them and argument will be over! Owners win!

But they chose to play hard ball showing serious disregard for the fans. For this reason alone I think Roger Goodell needs to be fired from his position as commissioner of the NFL. He has lost the confidence of the fans and he has lost all credibility of the players! I am easy to please. Just stop arguing over your billions and let’s play football!

Filed under NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout Tagged with , , ,

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