Vikings pair would be better served sitting out now

As the 'diuretic drama' - as it will hopefully never be known as by anyone - rumbles on this week, at least two of the players involved are gambling that the league will not enforce their suspensions at all this season.

Kevin and Pat Williams, the heart of the Minnesota Vikings Defensive line, and two of the most important factors in their team's winning record thus far in 2008, have avoided a four game suspension handed out by the NFL last week as punishment for their part in the 'Starcaps' incident, in which a a number of players have been caught. Unfortunately for them, the injunction is only temporary, meaning that should the league manage to argue their case in front of a federal judge at any point within the next few weeks, the 'Williams Wall' could well be suspended for four games.

Assuming that the league can make such a case, the two stud DT's could well find themselves on the sidelines for the team's first playoff game since 2004 - or longer. Indeed, the longer the case rumbles on, the more the duo risk. If they were to accept the suspensions now, for example, they would miss the remaining four games of the regular season. As it stands, Minnesota holds a 1 game lead over Chicago, with a relatively simple game in Detroit on Sunday that would put them in a very strong position at the top of the NFC North. Of course, they must then face the Cardinals in Arizona, before the Falcons and Giants travel to the Metrodome for the final two games of the season.

It's not an easy finish, but with the team having a lead in the division, they look much more likely to reach the playoffs - even without the two anchors of their D-line. With that in mind, it would make much more sense for them to sit out these games and gamble that the team will manage to stay ahead of Chicago, than it does to make the choice they have opted for. Essentially, the pair could miss any playoff games that the team plays in, and without them, I don't think they'll be able to take the bigger teams in the NFC.

Of course, what we don't know at this point is who is really calling the shots for the two players. Is it the team, or is it their agent Angelo Wright? Owner Zygi Wilf has taken a healthy interest in the legal escapades of his players, something that makes me question how much influence the Vikings have had over their players' decisions. It may sound crazy, but if I was Brad Childress, this is the exact call I would have made. If the team makes the playoffs - regardless of how far they go - it's hard to imagine him being sacked, yet if the team were to lose it's lead in the final stretch, his position could well be called into question by his many vocal critics in the press.

With that in mind, I think Kevin and Pat Williams have been badly advised. The team may not have liked them being suspended, but if the team reaches a Superbowl, and the pair can't play, they will still have exceeded expectations, and the pair will forever have to live with their decision that cost them a chance to play in the what would likely be the biggest game of their careers.

The worst teams in the NFL - and how they can improve in 2009

Yikes.

If you saw Oakland's capitulation to San Diego last night, or Detroit's humiliation against Tennessee on Thanksgiving, or virtually any St. Louis Rams games this season, you'll know that these three represent the lowest forms of existence in the NFL today.

For some teams, the rebuilding process is in full flow. Miami have improved dramatically after a 1-15 season last year, whilst Atlanta have bounced into playoff contention after the turmoil of having their franchise QB sent to prison. Even the Kansas City Chiefs drafted wisely enough to build a young team that doesn't have the pressure of needing to win now.

So here's what the Lions, Raiders and Rams need to get themselves back towards winning ways:


The Lions are a good place to start when you need to write about bad teams, because this team is appalling. There are no real positive aspects to be taken from 2008, except perhaps the acquisition of some high draft choices for WR Roy Williams. The defence is arguably one of the worst to take a field, and the offence couldn't move house, let alone a pile.

I could spell this out using statistics that show how bad the Lions, Raiders and Rams are in certain areas of the field, but there's really no need. They rank amongst the bottom teams in almost every meaningful category, and apart from that, I'd be here all night if I did that. Really, just assume they're in the bottom three unless told otherwise.

One issue that pervades with the trio is that they are unable to execute on 3rd down - on both sides of the ball. Interestingly, the issue is clearly also not with the Running Back in any of the situations. Steven Jackson of the Rams is a premier back, whilst both Kevin Smith and Darren McFadden were selected in round one of the 2008 draft. Whilst Smith has impressed, McFadden has been limited, but I'll go out on a limb and say that neither he or Justin Fargas is the real issue with the Raiders running game.

The Offensive and Defensive lines seem weakest of all the areas on all three teams. It's particularly surprising that St. Louis has allowed this to happen when you consider how much of their prior success during the 'Greatest show on turf' era was based on the solid foundations of OT Orlando Pace and DE's Grant Wistrom, Kevin Carter and their compatriots on either side of the line. They have attempted to address that over the last two drafts, bringing in Defensive Linemen Adam Carricker and Chris Long, but both have been anonymous so far in their NFL careers, and you get the feeling that the longer they play on such a poor team, the more risk that they will be seen as busts as the years go on. Pace is essentially done in St. Louis, and should be cut this year. It seems likely that the Rams would have taken Jake Long in the draft if he had been available in the draft, but it really is critical that they invest heavily in their O-line before Marc Bulger suffers some kind of internal combustion after being sacked for the 16,000th time.

In Detroit and Oakland, a rash of poor draft choices by Matt Millen and Al Davis respectively, has seen both lines ignored largely since the turn of the millennium. Bad experiences with high draft picks seems to have dented their faith in the Offensive line, whilst the D-line is littered with players who have never had to earn their money. Let's take Tommy Kelly for example. Everyone knows that D-linemen play with a hard edge that their position requires, but EVERYONE knows that you don't pay a D-lineman until you expressly have to. Why? Simple: Most players will respond better to the incentive of a bug contract, rather than the knowledge that they have already signed one. With this in mind, why the hell did Al Davis sanction a (then record) $50.5m for a player who was relatively unproven, and coming off knee surgery that ended his 2007 season? Baffling, and indicative of the decisons that seem to have backfired immensely on the Raiders this year. Indeed, it was rumoured recently that Kelly was one of a number of players that Davis was considering cutting, along with DeAngelo Hall (who was actually cut) and Javon Walker, all of whom were signed to big money deals just months prior to the 2008 season.

With the Lions, it is almost a running joke that the team invested so much in skill positions over Millen's era. Indeed, I did a feature on Millen in July that showed just how poor his drafting skills were (as if you needed to be made aware of that) and supporting the 'Millen Out' campaign. Thankfully for all concerned (except Matt presumably), Millen was fired earlier this season, and in turn the Lions secured a first, a third, and a sixth round pick for another of his selections - WR Roy Williams. It is essential that they rebuild the Defensive line, after trading away Shaun Rogers to Cleveland. They have a rash of early draft picks, but that can be a huge financial burden for a team that has been amongst the bottom of this league for a long time. These top 5 contracts aren't cheap, and sooner or later the team might have to win purely to aleviate credit concerns.

So we've established that you could essentially replace the vast majority of the linemen on all three teams with traffic cones, or perhaps a red carpet of some description. Indeed, being inanimate objects, neither would be likely to give away false start penalties. Anyway, enough about linemen, what about the offensive skill positions?

Well, as I said earlier, the Lions have hurled enough first round picks at the problem, and finally something has stuck. Calvin Johnson is essentially the next great NFL Wide Receiver. Seriously. He's that good. Consider that the vast majority of balls thrown his way have been by men fleeing for their lives, and you get an idea of how good he is both on the run and in the air. Indeed, the jump-ball is something of a trademark for Johnson now, and it's easy to see him developing into the next Randy Moss - and in my book, that equals the Hall of Fame.

Smith has also shown that he could well be a wise move at Running Back. At the very least he deserves to play behind a proficient O-line before judgement is passed, and Rudi Johnson may still have some gas left in the tank. At QB, it seems likely that the team will give Dan Orlovsky a second chance next year after some relatively encouraging displays prior to his season ending injury, whilst veteran Jon Kitna is likely done as the team seeks a fresh start. Is it possible they could draft a QB in 2009? In all likelihood no. The draft class is not impressive enough that there is a 'can't miss' prospect at the position, and they have more pressing needs in... well everywhere really.

The Rams too, should stick with Marc Bulger. Actually, my theory is that they will do just that, and that the reason he has been pulled from games recently is simply to protect his long term physical health. We all know that RB Steven Jackson is a great player, but it will be interesting to see him play with a big contract behind him. Remember that Jackson was paid peanuts compared to his on-field contributions, and again, with the carrot of a new contract removed, how will he motivate himself? The team needs to get playoff bound soon for him to rekindle that desire to win.

At Receiver it is time to cash in on Tory Holt whilst he is still a tradeable commodity. Holt doesn't want to be in St. Louis anymore, and after 9 years, he knows that he likely will not win another championship there before his contract expires in 2010. Why not ship him out and look to the future? There is no shame in doing that, and in fact it can sometimes be detrimental to a young team if they feel that they are holding back a veteran player in the Autumn of his career. If they traded him now, they'd likely get a 2nd round pick minimum, perhaps even a first. The Rams won't be winning before his contract expires, so the equation all seems to add up to Holt's exit to a contender.

Finally, in Oakland, it gets messy. JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden should be the faces of this franchise for the next five years minimum. Instead right now, Russell looks like he has never been coached properly, and McFadden has been hobbled all season. Whilst injuries can be overcome, it is worrying to see so little progress from Russell in his sophomore year. Even if you write off 2007, it's not acceptable for a second year player to be averaging less than 150 passing yards each game, and his completion ratio is actually down from his disastrous showing in the last four games of 2007.

Is that Russell's fault? Probably not. We all know he has the ability, but he has been almost cast adrift by a franchise in flux, left to fend for himself as the front office wars with itself and the coaching staff revolves constantly. None of this can be good for a player, and we've seen what that can do to a Quarterback in Detroit, where Joey Harrington was cast as the source of - rather than the victim of - the team's woes.

The first thing the Raiders need to do, before they draft anyone, before they sign a free agent, is to get some stability on the sideline. At the very least, Al Davis should be looking at a coach who can help Russell develop into the player it seemed he was destined to be as he left LSU two seasons ago. I almost feel sorry for him - yes, even with the multi-million dollar contract - having to watch Matt Ryan have such success as a rookie, despite his team being at a low ebb when he took over the reigns. The difference being that Atlanta had hit rock bottom, whereas you do feel that Oakland could well sink even lower whilst Davis remains at the helm.

Unfortunately, Davis will likely not give up the Raiders whist his health prevails, and common decency prevents me from wishing ill upon him. Indeed, Davis is not the kind of guy who we should ever see as a bad thing for the NFL considering his contributions over the years, but sadly, his legacy is tarnished with every losing season the Raiders notch up, and his questionable decision to attack Lane Kiffin publicly (inviting litigation from Kiffin) after he fired him was a sign that perhaps he needs to take a step back. You can guess what bothers him, and that is the same thing that bothers so many of the men who have given their lives to one sole objective in life: Al Davis is afraid that giving up his franchise will be the death of him.

Tragically, there may be no light at the end of the tunnel for the Raiders while Davis refuses to accept that what is in his own best interests is not always in the best interests of his beloved franchise.

Uninspiring Thanksgiving lineup

First of all, Happy thanksgiving. You can expect plenty of fluff pieces on your TV today about how various players think this is a special time of year, and how they'll be spending it with their families. For some reason, this is considered a novelty.

Unfortunately, the Detroit Lions - who traditionally host one of the Thanksgiving matchups - have neglected to show up at all for the 2008 season, which may make their game against Tennessee something of an embarrassment for all concerned. Already, after just two plays, the Lions have managed to cough up the ball.

Things don't really look so good for Seattle either, so their trip to Dallas could well be just as predictable. On the other hand, I like the fact that Wade Phillips has descrbed the game as a 'must win' encounter, which should add some edge to his team. In fact, it would almost be concievable for the 'hawks to come out fighting this week. They've actually played quite well in the last few weeks since QB Matt Hasselbeck returned, so an upset could be on the cards.

Speaking of the Cards... I have no shame. Therefore, I am quite happy to say that the Eagles will likely win tonight in the freezing Pennsylvania climate. The Cards have not travelled well to the East coast, and tonight could be a difficult test. On the other hand, Philly look like a team on the ropes, almost devoid of any confidence in any phase of the game. Tonight is an ideal situation for Donovan McNabb to rebound strongly, but if he doesn't, commentators have already called for Kevin Kolb to replace him for the balance of the season.

My gut feeling? Tennessee, Seattle*, and Philadelphia will celebrate tonight.

*Even if it's just to celebrate the fact they aren't in Seattle.

Donovan McNabb still Eagles starter - for now

Tonight, the headlines will be dominated by the situation around Philadelphia Quarterback Donovan McNabb, who was benched in favour of Kevin Kolb by coach Andy Reid at halftime in their matchup with Baltimore. It's only fair that I've given Reid a chance to respond to the media before we take a look at McNabb's future in Philadelphia and ask these three crucial questions:



So is McNabb to blame for the Eagles' problems?

Well... he's not NOT to blame, if that makes sense. McNabb's play has been patchy at best this season, and he is on course for his worst statistical year since at least 2003. On the other hand, the team as a whole has underperformed, with the most noticeable problem being the lack of a running game to help McNabb on offence. Brian Westbrook is being shut down on the ground, but unlike previous years, Andy Reid seems reluctant to force the run on defences. Instead, a deranged habit is forming of calling passing plays at poor times, such as this week's game against Baltimore, when Philly decided to throw on 3rd and 1 during the first half, resulting in McNabb being intercepted while trying to throw a deep strike.

Of course, that's another problem - McNabb's decision making. Despite the poor play call, McNabb probably made a rash call going for the long ball to DeSean Jackson, when Westbrook was open for a quick pass that would have netted the first and prolonged the drive. Of course, it's easy to say that with hindsight, but how often do we laud a QB or coordinator for having the balls to go long at those moments, only to castigate them when it all goes wrong?

I asked for Philly fans to give their opinion yesterday, and the majority seem to think that the system itself needs changing, rather than this simply being about how well one player is doing. Despite promising to get Westbrook more involved last week, the coaching staff must take some of the blame for his - and in turn, the team's - lack of production.

How does McNabb's benching affect the team in 2008?

Reid named McNabb starter for the game against Arizona on Thursday night, but would he have done so if the team had a full week to prepare? As we pointed out on Saturday, a short week leaves very little time to prepare both mentally and physically for your next opponent. Kevin Kolb's performance was equally unimpressive, and it would have been an odd decision to essentially give up on the Eagles' 2008 season in week 12 - which is what going with Kolb would signify to many people both inside and outside the organisation.

But being benched could have repercussions for McNabb. Will he come back stronger and prove Reid wrong on Thursday? That must be the hope, but he is now on the shortest of leashes, knowing that his coach has broken one of the barriers that stood between McNabb and his eventual successor. Now, if McNabb struggles for a half, we can expect to see Kolb again, purely because Reid needs to associate himself with the new guy if he wants to continue coaching in Philly. Remember that Reid and McNabb's legacies are intertwined, and since 1999, this has been the case. If McNabb leaves in the off season, it may also seem like a perfect time to cut Reid loose for the Eagles and firmly establish a 'new era'.

The one thing that struck me about the benching on Sunday was this: The team was down three points. If they'd been down 0-17, perhaps you could have understood the 'all or nothing' approach that Reid took, but down 3? What a huge statement to make, because whatever we all say about this ridiculous situation, it comes down to this:

Andy Reid didn't trust Donovan McNabb to overturn a 3 point deficit

There, I even bolded it for you. Did he think Kolb had a better shot? Probably not, but my theory is this: Reid knows that benching McNabb and shoehorning Kolb under center may be his only chance to stay on for a few more years, and what better chance to win than in a low scoring game? I can guarantee that this morning's headlines would have looked a hell of a lot different if Kolb had managed to throw adequately and the Eagles had churned out a scrappy victory.

One place where McNabb does have support is in the locker room. He is a personable, intelligent guy who has many friends both in Philadelphia and beyond. Despite what Terrell Owens may think, many players sympathise with McNabb, who has rarely been given a supporting cast to help him in his quest to bring a Superbowl to the city of brotherly love. If you want to know why he's so highly thought of, just watch McNabb show encouragement to Kolb and his teammates despite his own public humiliation yesterday.

So will McNabb still be in Philadelphia next year?

No.

To summarise, the last few years have seen countless off season trade rumours fly around, but McNabb was always the unquestioned starter for this team, and there was not a particularly good option to replace him on the roster until Kolb was drafted. Even now, the second year player has shown little that suggests he is a legitamate threat to McNabb in a training camp competition, so it's likely that the Eagles will opt to dump the veteran and give Kolb the chance to assert himself as an unquestioned starter next season.

As I've already pointed out, this also likely means Reid will follow him out of the door, unless Kolb makes enough progress in the next few weeks to suggest that ditching the head coach would be detrimental to his progression as a player.

In conclusion, both McNabb and Reid will likely be out by the time the 2009 season begins. You have to feel sorry for McNabb, who has been vilified by people within Philadelphia for years now, and as I mentioned, sorely deprived of help on offence. As someone with no bias either for or against the Eagles, I'd probably point to the one season that McNabb had a genuine playmaker (Owens) on his team, and ask why statistically, it was far and away the best season of his career, even with no running back getting over 1000yds.

A big Wide-Right 'Thanks' to the Seattle Seahawks!

Belated congratulations to Seattle last week in managing to throw an INT whilst going for it in the last two minutes of the game against Arizona. The turnover left the scoreline at 26-20, thus meaning that Seattle failed to get within the +3pts spread.

Why is that important? Well, far be it for me to bring personal issues into this site, but I think my faith in the Seahawks has been thrown back into my face somewhat...



So that's around $50,000. But I don't care! Incredibly, I'm going with Seattle against Washington this week for the ultimate act of redemption.

That Thursday feeling

You know what grinds my gears? Thursday night football.

On the face of it, a midweek game is great for fans, providing a fix of pro-football at a time of the week when many of us have complained about the lack of exactly that over the years. How many of us have lamented the monotony of those six days of downtime between Monday Night Football and Sunday afternoon, watching hours of college ball to sate the need to watch ANYBODY play football of any description.

So Thursday Night Football is great right?

Wrong.

First of all, let's get one thing clear - I'm not bothered about the fact I have to stay up until 5am to watch the end of the game. I do it every weekend, so my sleeping pattern is quite condusive to more football on TV. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably my girlfriend, who doesn't take kindly to my insistence that I must watch games in a male-only surrounding.

Nor do I have a problem with the NFL Network's coverage, which by and large is excellent. The commentary team of Bob Papa and Cris Collinsworth fully warrants primetime exposure. Certainly it compares favourably with the atrocious ESPN Monday Night Football crew of Tarico (mundane), Jaworski (tolerable) and Kornheiser (Unbearable). The pre-game build up can run a little long at 3 hours, which can feel like overkill when you have a game such as the Bengals at Steelers
matchup from this week. On the other hand, it's fairly acceptable for a station that broadcasts non-stop NFL productions to dedicate that kind of time to a game. Finally, the analysis team of Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci and Deion Sanders works very well, having a great deal more to say, and a lot more chemistry than it's CBS or Fox counterparts.

No, the presentation is fine, and in fact I'd love to see Collinsworth in particular get a shot at the big time with NBC or ESPN. He filled in for John Madden during his 'break' a few weeks ago, so there are signs that indicate he could potentially be the natural successor to Madden when time catches up with the big man.

No, my problem actually lies with the practicalities of football on Thursday night for the teams involved. Thursday's game, despite the scoreline, was poor to watch, in part because of the sheer lack of pressure on both quarterbacks. Admittedly, the Bengals are abysmal in that department anyway, but for the Steelers to get the only sack of the game against a poor offensive line? Similarly, the Broncos @ Browns game from week 10 generated a solitary sack. Good line play? Perhaps, but in the trenches, stamina matters, more than anywhere, and could the short weeks be affecting the defensive line's ability to generate pressure?

Regardless, it's not condusive to good football from a fan's perspective. Many of the games chosen for 'primetime' may be 'intriguing' matchups, but any game can be pitched in that sense if a channel wants to do so. In reality, there was little to offer you on Thursday night, unless you were a Pittsburgh or Cincinatti fan. In that sense, it feels a little forced watching football on Thursdays.

So what about making a concerted effort to push Saturday night football? I would love to see it, because I believe there are planty of fans that watch college football not because they are avid fans of that level of the game, but because there is nothing else on football-wise. Sure there is more competition, but shoehorning a game into a midweek slot that gives players just one practice before a game doesn't seem like it's got teams' best interests at heart. A telling quote came from Chris Cooley earlier in the season, when he said that he sometimes feels the effects of games the following Friday. With that in mind, how can the NFL justify asking players to sacrifice their bodies for the cash cow of it's Network? There is an alternative, and it's called Saturday Night Football. Remember the classic Pats at Giants matchup last year? The game finished 38-35, cementing the team's perfect regular season record, and it scored massively in the ratings too.

A look back through the last three years shows that just one Saturday game has been won by more than a Touchdown. If it's excitement you're after, then you'd be advised to wait for week 16 and the Baltimore at Dallas game - the only NFL matchup on a Saturday this season.

Shockey in 'not popular' shocker.

Let's just get one thing straight before I say anything: Jeremy Shockey is a good NFL Tight End - amongst the best, in fact. Widely considered amongst the top five players at his position, he has both the physicality and the mental toughness associated with an elite weapon in the league, as well as a rapport with fans that most players would consider enviable.

Indeed, so highly is he thought of, that he was rated as the toughest player at his position to bring down in the open field by his fellow professionals last month - which is a worthwhile statistic, if only for the memories of those who can still remember when he was effective. Harsh? Perhaps, but it's worth considering that Shockey's 'pro-bowl' performances never quite correlated with his team's success.

Indeed, despite his production and obvious talent, Shockey has always been a focal point for locker room unrest throughout his career. His pouting on the sidelines is reminiscent of T.O at his very worst, and I needn't detail how much better off the Giants were without him last year, because we all saw for ourselves didn't we? Indeed, two such 'playmakers' - in Shockey and Tiki Barber - were pointed to as a case of addition by subtraction. Removing the two most vocal leaders from the huddle allowed Eli Manning to assume his role as a leader after four years being told how to do his job by those around him.

But I digress, this is not an Eli Manning shaped glory hole.

In the last two weeks, Saints QB Drew Brees has publicly berated his Tight End on the sidelines during a game, and coach Sean Payton has apparently 'read Shockey the riot act' Whatever that means. Whether it involved coach actually reading the 1715 Riot act passed because of the Peterloo massacre, I suppose we'll never know, but of this we can be sure: It probably wasn't positive. At least one source has said that Payton put his own ass on the line to get Shockey to the Saints, and his underwhelming play - combined with bitching and sniping at the organisation - has left Shockey with a mountain to climb if he wishes to remain a Saint long term.

As if that wasn't enough, I pointed out at the Wembley game between the Chargers and Saints that Billy Miller is effectively the starting TE these days, and even Mark Campbell looks more reliable than Shockey in the red zone. There's no guarantee that Shockey will get enough playing time to justify his presence on next year's roster.

And if it were me in charge? I'd dump him, and here's why:

Shockey is a liability. Take an interview he did with ESPN the magazine in September, in which he explained that joining the Saints made sense to him because 'alcohol is the social lubricant of their society'. Pardon me? Did a professional football player really allude to his own reliance on alcohol? But wait, as if that wasn't enough:

"This is what I wanted when I decided to get traded. I mean no one even messes with you at all when you sit down to have some lunch and a few beers."

Jeremy Shockey - ESPN the magazine, 22nd September 2008

Incredible isn't it? To Shockey, drinking is a badge of honour. He prides himself on being a blue collar player who voices his opinions and then unwinds in the same way that you or I may do after work. Well guess what? You or I don't get paid millions to keep our bodies in peak physical condition, and we're DEFINITELY not supposed to be having 'liquid lunches' during the working day. Does Shockey have a problem? I'm not an expert, but if 'quality of nightlife' is one of your primary factors in deciding your next place of work, you probably do need to ask yourself that question.

Despite that, there is one more telling quote from Shockey that sums up the man. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt when he said this, because he missed out on a shot at the Superbowl, and some players never get two chances. On the other hand, I'll allow you to judge for yourself:

"See, I've never had an injury like this before in my life. Look at the scars. That's where a really smart teammate of mine fell into my leg."

Jeremy Shockey

While it's easy to sympathise with a guy who missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime by pure bad luck, it's less easy to sympathise with someone who can't bring himself to accept that injuries happen on a football field, and that sometimes, there is nobody to blame for them. Can he accept that? Does it seem like he has? I personally would say no, and it's been a pattern throughout his career. Remember when the Giants lost to Seattle in 2006, when the Giants were 'outcoached' according to Shockey? Even with a team he has spent less than six months with, he has already publicly called out the Saints medical team for 'misdiagnosing' his sports hernia injury.

As usual, Jeremy Shockey was not to blame - and that's all that matters to Jeremy Shockey. He may not win a Superbowl, but what is perhaps scarier, is that he may never realise how he is his own worst enemy, and that sooner or later, he needs to look himself in the eye and accept that the NFL is quick to move on from any player who is detrimental to team ethic - even one as talented as him.