Thank You Jarrett Lee
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GOP Dishonesty and Pathological Bigotry
The 2012 Presidential race and election draws closer with every day that passes. The battle lines have been drawn and the first shots have come across the bows of the Democratic Party. The rhetoric and approach by the Republicans has been coded in racial charged code words and phrases. Welfare Mama’s and other not so nice phrases have been leveled as buzz words. This political race has brought out the worst in some of the politicians who seek the nominee to go against the President of the United States.
Americans today say they are better than their 1950′s and early 60′s counterparts but, are they really? Just from personal experience the racial epitaphs that I heard stinging my ears during and after Obama’s Presidential campaign was disgusting. I can’t even mention or hint at them without putting myself into the same category as those who said it. It goes deeper than that though doesn’t it? We as a public have moved past the bigotry and open racism exhibited during segregation right? In many ways yes and others no. We have laws changed that have been paid for in blood and lives. African-Americans can vote, work, and play alongside their white counterparts. They have the ability to do all this. Yet, they still have to live in communities, states, and regions where they are judged before they open their mouths.
You can shake your head, and disagree but, in your heart of hearts you know it’s true. The “Whites Only” signs may not hang in the doorways of stores but, they are still up in the deep recesses of some of our minds. The racism that was nationally accepted and in some states encouraged has been legislated out of legal practice since 1964. Somethings cannot be outlawed out of men’s hearts no matter how many laws you write. In the depths of men’s hearts are the keys to the future of all men and the evils to which some can speak of but, all have seen. Racism in it’s most natural state is vitriol, violent, and an unspeakable evil which sees neither man, woman, or child but, just simply enemies who seek to disrupt a racist ”way of life”. In the segregated America it was not hard to spot those who would seek to destroy African Americans’ lives, families, and futures.
In 2012 the racists who were able to proudly display their colors in the fifties now have to be more subtle and quiet than ever before. Don’t mistaken that quietness for any lack of potency. In most cases instead of taking physical forms of burning crosses these sentiments have taken an even worse form. That of subliminal messaging, double speak, and a raging undercurrent of racism.
Joe Paterno A Legend For All Time
Sunday morning came to all of us with the news of Joe Paterno’s death. Paterno has been and will always be connected to Penn State. The emotions and responses span the scale from public sadness by many to private exultation by few. Paterno has been as much as an institution as Penn State itself. He made Penn State what it is. Here’s a man who gave his life to this college. He surrendered his life in the belief of tomorrow’s future in the kids he influenced and coached. Paterno gave money for these kids (donated millions) and bleed for literally (broken bones) for his willingness to stand on the sidelines of their lives cheering them on. He has complied the most wins of all time for a college football coach. Paterno gave up millions of dollars to coach at the school instead of going to the NFL. Joe Paterno stayed with Penn State and brought them to a level of respectability not because of the games he won but, the kids who graduated. Paterno brought PSU to the top of the college list in athletes passed and graduated.
Joe Paterno has sadly, and quietly bowed out of this life at a most inopportune time. His death comes at the heels of the world learning of his uninvolvement involvement with the whole Sandusky scandal. The whole situation makes all the accomplishments on the field he has achieved minute and truly should they be seen as such? Yes, the wins at least. It’s just a game and for the kids who were abused to have to live with the legacy of an unwillingness to act by a school the accomplishments on the field pales in comparison. This university cherished winning and image more than sensibility and reason. Was it Paterno’s fault? In some ways yes and he has even said he felt sorry for not doing more.
But wait, consider the following Paterno grew up in a time where the world was honest and true. In Paterno’s upbringing men told the truth, politicians delivered on promises and athletes earned accolades from hard work alone. Paterno’s greatest downfall in any at all was that he trusted those in power to do the right thing. When they failed he gave them the benefit of the doubt. In the end the one place he put his heart into tore it out and stomped on it. Is it Paterno’s fault? Yes and no. Like I said I’m torn. I feel great sorrow for the Paterno family and JoePa. It’s unfortunate that his family will have to endure the aftermath of this scandal for the rest of their lives. It’s truly unfortunate that he had his legacy stained by the idiocy of his coworkers. But, are we missing the point as a nation and country? Consider the following for a moment. In MLB a Ryan Braun tested positive for steroids after being rewarded an NL MVP award. He refuted the claims and has yet to give it back. In politics a Newt Gringrich is running who admittedly cheated on his wife and when questioned about it he scolded the reporter like it was the reporter’s fault. Is the morals and values of our country crumbling before our eyes? There’s a story where a coach as great as he may be was fired for his inability to pick up a phone when no one else would? In the aftermath the hypocritical institution was found to be just at fault if not more. Yet the story is not the destruction of these children’s lives or the fact an institution has lied blantantly for years in the face of unspeakable crimes. Where does this leave us as an alumni, fans, and even greater yet, a country? Have the foundations of our morals been eroded that much to where we are willing to standby and watch an honest man be professionally destroyed? I say no and the dirt will always come out in the wash. Joe Paterno was a great man and wonderful coach who’s most valuable lessons came to all of us off the field.
Joe Paterno should be honored for his accomplishments as a man, coach and father. He lived his life as honest as he could and in the end it was his peers who set him asunder. Paterno’s last days on the national stage could equate to a starring role in one of Aristotle’s plays of a tragic hero. Aristotle tells us that a hero of a tragedy must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear. In Aristotle’s eyes “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity.” Joe Paterno was a virtuous man and this the spectacle(scandal) was not of his making but of his peers. When the dust settles and years go by Paterno will still stand tall among the hallowed grounds of Penn State.
Sometime in the future as the air cools and the leaves of the hardwood trees that surround Happy Valley turn the stadium will be filled once again. I assure you that there will be a father explaining to his son the legend of Joe Paterno. He will explain to his son that in one of the darkest hours of the university Paterno stood quietly, humbly, and reserved as he waited for the storm to pass. He will explain that this storm took Paterno. Then this father will tell his son how in Joe Paterno’s passing he gave new life to a community caught in the throes of confusion, darkness, and several men’s evil. That nothing, not men, allegations, rumors, or time can stand up to the infallible character of an honest hard-working man who gave his life to his family, his friends, and the school he believed in.
Is Managing Editor Better Than Joe Paterno?
Saturday night Onward State made a terrible mistake and falsely reported Joe Paterno’s death. While erroneous reporting isn’t unfamiliar territory to news outlets small or large what followed was. In the hours after the mayhem of being called out by local and national media Devon Edwards, the Managing Editor stepped down. Edwards came on in January 2011 and had been chosen to be the Managing Editor for Spring 2012. Edwards under no direction but his own, chose to do the right thing when no one was calling for his desk. What a novel concept! Especially considering the origin of where it came from. It wasn’t long ago that Penn State University was rocked to the core by a scandal that would send smaller universities to its’ doom. The Penn State scandal has as much to do with what went on in a locker room shower as to what happened outside of it. Joe Paterno, Gary Schultz, and Tim Curley were all fired or dismissed for failing to do what their superiors couldn’t do. They failed to pick up a phone and call police after no one else did. That’s what makes Edwards’ actions that much more noble.
No one would blame Edwards for staying and submitting a public apology. Politicians don’t always leave their offices and positions of power after scandals. What would compel Edwards to step down from his position? We may never know but, we do know that in his and Onward’s lowest moment Edwards stepped up. Edwards handed in his resignation and a public apology.
Was it wrong for Onward State to break the news of a suffering family’s father, husband, and grandfather’s death that had yet to occur? You bet. Was the mistake big enough to hang these young aspiring professionals from the rafters? Maybe not. How many times has the media ran a story incorrectly, misinformed, or blatantly false? Media has done it hundreds of times and this one time won’t be the last. What does stand out in Onward’s faux pas is Edwards’ actions. In a community that has reeled from omissions, maybe they are starting to turn the corner and not just talk about it. The Penn State alumni has pointed fingers and stomped feet about the injustice of Paterno’s firing. These actions and outcries have only made a bad situation worse. They say that Paterno is a legend and was treated unfairly. They tell us that they are more than just Linebacker U. Actions speak louder than words and up until now many would contend the only ones taking action has been the Board of Trustees at Penn State. They (Trustees) have been ridiculed, second guessed, and discredited all along the way. It would be appropriate and fitting that out of the darkness of another minor scandal a light would shine. Penn State alumni and fans have been waiting for someone to step up to show the rest of the nation the heart of Penn State. It’s said that the measure of a champion isn’t how many times he knocks his opponents down but, how he responds to being knocked down. Devon Edwards the ex-Managing Editor of Onward State and a Penn State Student has shined the brightest in one of his darkest hours. Edwards may have made a mistake but, with his actions that followed leads the charge to a brighter tomorrow for his and Penn State’s future.
SPAGNOLA!!! Saints Get Their Man
The New Orleans Saints didn’t waste any time in preparing for another run at the Super Bowl. The loss to the 49ers in the Divisional round of this year’s playoffs left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Saints front office, players, and fans alike. The Saints defense was asked to hold the 49ers offense (26th in league) like they had for the majority of the 2nd half. The Saints defense led by Gregg Williams failed and San Francisco sent the Saints out of the playoffs on a shudder. Not surprisingly in many’s eyes the blame would fall squarely on the shoulders of Williams himself. At the same time the Saints were falling apart the St. Louis Rams were pulling together under their newly hired head coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher who’s previously worked with Williams talked to him before the Saints’ Divisional playoff game.
Whether or not the call and conversation had any bearing on Williams’ play-calling is a moot point now. Williams left New Orleans quicker than an All-State insurance agent after Katrina and left a void in the Saints locker room. The Saints defense under Williams’ direction in the first year were Super Bowl bound. Williams defensive schemes are predicated on turnovers and pressuring quarterbacks into making bad decisions. In the Super Bowl season the Saints led the league with 39 forced turnovers. Since then the Saints defense has slowly gotten worse. It hasn’t really shown because Drew Brees and Sean Payton have had the Saints offense purring like a Ferrari. That was until last Saturday. Williams left a huge hole that needed to be filled quickly.
The Saints were looking for someone who’s defense isn’t just schemes and hopefully pressure that can’t be handled by offenses. That someone would be the recently fired head coach of the Rams Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo’s run in St. Louis wasn’t what the Rams or Spagnuolo was hoping for. In his three years as the head coach the Rams went 10-38. Before he became the Rams head coach he was New York Giants’ defensive coordinator for their 2007 and 2008 season. History was put on hold after the Giants and their defense led by Spagnuolo shocked the world. In Super Bowl XLII no one gave the Giants a snowball’s chance in hell of beating the undefeated Patriots. Under the direction of Steve Spagnuolo the Giants defense pressured harassed, knocked down, and sacked Tom Brady while on their way to a Super Bowl win. The Patriots passed, ran, and kicked their way into the history books with the most points scored that season. Spagnuolo had finally figured out how to combat the Patriot’s offensive juggernaut. This offensive output would be the prove to be the forerunner to today’s offensive juggernauts. This ability to pressure the quarterback and ultimately the whole offense is what made Spagnuolo so desirable to the Rams and now the Saints.
Under Spagnuolo the New York Giants built a team that relied on a blitz laden pass rush to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. He did this by drafting players who hand an ability to play beyond their expected roles for which their positions called for. The Saints have been the benefactors of unheralded success brought on by Sean Payton’s ability to design, draft, and shape an offense unique to Brees. Steve Spagnuolo will be expected and hopefully given the reigns on defense to do the same thing. The Saints will have plenty to do this off-season if they hope to have a season like their 2009 championship run. Steve Spagnuolo is one of the major keystones in making that foundation a reality.
A LSU Tiger’s Winter Of Discontent: Rumors, Assaulted Fans & Decommiting Recruits
The You Tube video above is not for children’s eyes whatsoever
LSU fans alike who paid to go see their team in the National Championship Game and lose is insulting enough. The rumors fact or fiction swirling around overhead after the game just add salt to the wound. What happened to one poor LSU fan is beyond unthinkable. An unnamed man had the unfortunate luck of drunkenly passing out in a Krystal’s near the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal Street. The man who has been identified as Brian Downing of Columbus Georgia did nothing short of committing sexually assault when he exposed and thrust himself onto the LSU fan. Laugh if you will but, if this was you it would be anything but funny. Adding gas to the fire was the fact it was Youtubed and has since gone viral.
All joking aside the District Attorney of Orleans Parish Leon Cannizaro is going to be speaking with Brian Downing here in the near future. It’s been reported that Mr. Downing is making his way back to the Crescent City wjth his attorney. The charges could range from indecent exposure to sexually assault. Whether or not the DA goes after the Alabama fan in question may be a moot point now. The damage is done and the LSU fan’s life in question is undoubtedly scarred. We all have friend who are fans of Alabama and most of them are classy. This young man’s action are the exception to the rule I assure you. The SEC in all it’s football grandeur boosts some of the most courteous and mannerly fans in the nation. It’s unfortunate that this will be what comes to mind to many outside the SEC for sometime to come.
If that’s not enough for LSU fans word is slowly eeking out that #1 recruit Gunner Kiel has left for Notre Dame via Tigers Sports Digest …. I hope for LSU’s sake and the fans that this will in fact stay a rumor. This winter it seems has truly become the Tigers Winter of Discontent.
Stumbling Williams Leaves For St. Louis Rams
Gregg Williams soon to be Saints ex-defensive coordinator
The New Orleans Saints dreams of grandeur and hopes of a ticker tape parade came to a screeching halt this past Saturday. The Saints offense spurted and choked in the beginning. They eventually found their feet and the end-zone. Unfortunately for the Saints, Gregg William’s defense lost theirs’ and the rest would be history. You can’t or shouldn’t blame Drew Brees for this loss. Brees torched the best defense in the NFC for 462 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Saints offense held up their end of the bargain. The defense only had to keep the 26th best offense (310.9 yds/game) out of the end-zone. Not to terrible of a task to ask of your defense right? Wrong, the Saints were trampled on San Francisco’s last drive for 85 yards in a startling 1:28. On the most important defensive stand of the season the Saints’ defense abandoned their 2nd half zone defense and went man to man. It’s understandable that Williams would want to pressure Alex Smith on the last drive of the game for the 49ers. By going man to man the Saints freed up an extra player(s) to blitz Smith but, why fix something that wasn’t broken. The Saints were successful in knocking down, blitzing, and harassing Smith for most of the 2nd half. The 49ers were only able to muster 22 yards of offense in the 3rd quarter. The old adage “if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it” couldn’t ring louder for Saints fans. Williams thought that going against what had worked all game would guarantee a victory. The only thing it did was seal the Saints’ fate.
Williams came into New Orleans following the Saints 2008-2009 campaign and made an immediate impact. The Saints who were 23th in the league in overall defense in 2008 actually moved back to 25th. There is one major statistic that stands out. In 2008 the Saints had only forced 22 turnovers. In 2009 with Gregg Williams at the helm of the defense the Saints had 39 forced turnovers to led the league. Turnovers were the 2009 Saints saving grace as they had the 8th worst defense (357.8 yds/game). In 2010 the Saints defense was better by leaps and bounds. They had the 4th best defense (306.2 yds/game) and only 25 turnovers. By the end of the season in Seattle they were exhausted, tired, and hurt. The Seahawks beat a shell of a team on several accounts.
This 2011 season for the Saints resulted in more broken records than a Tina Turner/Ike fight. It’s not to anyone’s surprise that none of those records were on defense. Gregg Williams’ defense wasn’t anywhere on key this past season. The Saints were 9th worst in the league allowing an average 368.4 yards per game. Couple that with a near cellar dwelling 16 forced turnovers all season and the Saints defense became a liability. You can score a million points but, if you can’t stop the other team from scoring it’s all for not. That’s exactly what happened to the Saints on Saturday. The Saint’s defense led by Gregg Williams’ made Alex Smith look like Joe Montana. Smith only threw for 17 touchdowns all season. Saturday Smith scored 3 touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) somethin he only had accomplished once all season. The NFL is an ever-changing landscape which has evolved in the past couple years into a quarterback’s paradise. The flip side of this is that defensive coordinators/coaches have to evolve with the landscape or get left behind. Greg Williams’ track record speaks for itself. He has been successful from his days with the Titans to his time with New Orleans. Williams it appears might just beginning to be left behind. No one knows for sure, what we do know is that Williams’ landscape will soon change from the Saints’ Mercedes-Benz Super Dome to St. Louis’s Edward Jones Dome. Jeff Fisher has signed on to become the Rams head coach. He intends to have Williams be his defensive coordinator. Local news outlet WDSU is reporting that it’s all but a done deal now. From the looks of it Williams will rejoin his longtime friend in St. Louis. This will be the second time in his career that William will be on the sidelines with Jeff Fisher. If Williams is indeed losing his touch Saints players and fans alike won’t find out until they face the Rams next time.
