"Absolut Bullshit"

It's been a while since my last installment of Absolut Bullshit, but I was inspired this week by a few topics around the league.

First on my list is the foregone conclusion regarding a 18 game regular season. This is a horrible concept that is obviously motivated by greed. It is also being pushed to the forefront because of the current pre-season structure that has been a debacle for decades. NFL fans who buy season tickets are forced to pay for 2 meaningless pre-season games. Usually coaches will only play starters for 25% or less of the game if they play them at all.

The games do serve a purpose. Teams have only 16 games to make it to the post season. We have seen teams with 10+ wins miss the playoffs in recent years. A slow or sloppy start can doom an entire season almost before it has begun. We need these pre-season games to work out kinks in the game plan and evaluate players.

The flaw in the system revolves around the fact that the final outcome is meaningless. If winning and losing means nothing, no one cares. It wouldn't be very hard to generate interest in these games especially considering how NFL fans are usually chomping at the bit by early August desperately needing their NFL fix. I don't have a 'perfect' solution, but awarding teams that do well in the preseason something significant would be more than enough to bring out fans and make the pre-season fun.

How about a supplemental draft pick at the end of the first round for any team that goes undefeated? Coaches would have to use strategy, but at the same time they wouldn't risk playing key players for all 4 quarters. That idea may not be the answer, but something along those lines would work.

As for 18 games, the impact on the potential of the length of a players overall career would be catastrophic. Not to mention how diluted the talent on the field would become. The roster size would have to be increased by at least 5- 10 players. It would also amplify the problem of teams pulling players at the end of the season when they have 'home-field' locked up. This is a real hot button for the NFL right now.

Another major disaster facing the league is the threat of a non-existent 2011 season. Fans have spent billions of dollars supporting this league, and frankly the battle is not between the NFLPA and the league office, it's between us and them. Both sides want more and more and more. Unfortunately their greed is gong to do serious damage to our beloved sport.

The players and their agents have lost complete control by demanding 100 million dollar contracts. Paying unproven rookie draft picks 40 or 50 million dollars GUARANTEED is just simply reckless. The owners have created a monster and now they can't control it anymore. Sadly... in the end... we will pay their bill and clean up their mess. I am looking forward to seeing how Giant and Jet fans who have purchased PSL's will react to a lockout next season. How can they foul up a business that is as popular and profitable as the NFL???? Sickening.

Next up on my bitch list is Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys. This dude is an absolute phenomenon on the field. Watch one practice and everyone can see that. He also has a despicable attitude and is as dumb as a rock... watch one interview and anyone can see that. He will make some serious plays on the field this year, but going forward will Jerry Jones gamble on this kid pay off? I say no, but who really cares... I am a Jets fan.

T.O. is still unsigned and he will probably land with the Bengals... what a shocker! The Benglas current #1 offensive threat has spent the entire offseason making the rounds on reality T.V. including an embarrassing VH1 program called 'The Ultimate Catch". Chad Ococinco makes a dozen or so strippers and prostitutes compete for an expensive piece of jewelry. Before that he was on "Dancing with the Stars". T.O. also has a half hour of humiliation on VH1 each week and the powers that be in Cincinnati have decided they will put their 2010 hopes for a Superbowl in the hands of these two men. All Bengals fans... please drown your children ASAP and save them from a lifetime of following this rechid franchise.

All that being said, the Jets now have a Dancing with the Stars alumni on our roster, and our entire team has become one big reality show know as 'Hard Knocks'. Maybe being a Jets fan isn't that different from being a Bengals fan. At least our uniforms don't look like the wallpaper of Elton John's bedroom. LOL