You know what I love about this time of year? That most every NFL and college football team’s fanbase has reasons to be optimistic. Even you, Bears fans (despite your new starting QB throwing a Pick-6 on his first possession of the preseason).
After two Preseason plays, Chicago Bears fans already experiencing … pic.twitter.com/e9XGT6xsgf
— Brad Evans (@YahooNoise) August 11, 2017
-At least the Bears have Mitchell Trubisky though…and you have to wonder how long it will take for this year’s #2 overall pick to gain the starting job over Mike Glennon.
From Thursday’s game:
Glennon: 2/8, 20 yards, 1 INT (returned for a TD)
Trubisky: 18/25, 166 yards, 1 TD
Hmmm…
-The Jets on the other hand…well…there’s absolutely nothing to be looking forward to this season. Maybe next year’s NFL Draft.
-Hey Cardinals fans, please remember, the preseason means nothing…the only thing you should be rooting for this weekend against the Raiders is for no one to get hurt.
-Did I miss something here…or can someone please tell me why the Cardinals didn’t make a play for WR Anquan Boldin before he signed with the Bills? They need a dependable over-the-middle-type receiver and after all, Boldin is 4th all-time in franchise receiving yards. The Cards front office made a mistake here.
-My alma mater, Arizona, is giving away 10,000 Rob Gronkowski bobbleheads at its home opener vs. NAU on September 2nd. Had there not been a promotion like this, it wouldn’t have shocked me if half the seats in the stadium were empty. Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess.
-Speaking of UofA…holy cow is Sean Miller a recruiting machine! He just enticed another 5* point guard for 2018, Jahvon Quinerly from New Jersey, to choose the Wildcats over Villanova. It’s an embarrassment of riches with the basketball team down in Tucson. But at what point, if Arizona continues to fail to make the Final Four, do we seriously critique Miller’s in-game coaching?
-A definite thumbs up for the Suns new uniforms – maybe a little retro flavor thrown in there with the purple. If only next year’s team could be half as good as those from the 90s and 2000s…
-I like Torey Lovullo and think he’s done a very nice job as Diamondbacks manager this season. But someone needs to give him a lesson on managing the pitching staff / bullpen! It seems like the fans gripe nightly that he either left a starter in too long (Greinke) or pulled one too early (Banda).
-The Cubs, having lost 6 of their last 8 games, now are without catcher Willson Contreras for the forseeable future with a hamstring injury. The Diamondbacks have a chance to inflict further damage on the wounded NL Central leaders this weekend. Not good for those of us Cubs fans.
-I’m a big, big fan of the Little League-inspired nickname jerseys MLB players will wear in two weeks. Not only are the uniforms themselves different and awesome…but giving the players a chance to express their creative freedoms was long overdue. Bravo MLB…you did this one right. And PS – they’re going to sell like hot cakes to fans.
-Your must watch sports video of the week…this:
And on the next pitch, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina blasted a grand slam. The legend of #RallyCat begins. I feel bad for the kid who picked it up off the field though.
-Finally, this week’s commentary:
In a Bleacher Report article earlier this week, UCLA QB and top NFL prospect, Josh Rosen said that college classes and football ‘don’t go together.’ He further added: “There are guys who have no business being in school, but they’re here because this is the path to the NFL. There’s no other way. Then there’s the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers.”
Let’s be honest here…is anything Rosen said truly incorrect?
No…not at all.
I can’t imagine taking 15 units a semester, completing the schoolwork required for such a class load, plus training for a major college football team with the utmost preparation and physical training necessary. On top of that, Rosen is right…some schools are easier to get into than others.
But Rosen is missing the major point here. He gets to go to a prestigious university (UCLA) for FREE in exchange for his talents on the football field. He isn’t the first and won’t be the last collegiate athlete to complain about mixing sports and academics.
If he wanted to skirt the system, he shouldn’t have chosen Economics as his major. Good for him for trying to achieve more academically.
Unfortunately everything in life has its tradeoffs…including college sports and football in particular. In the absence of minor league systems in all sports, this is athletes’ only choice.
So Josh…stop whining, get your classwork done, get your degree, and enjoy the many millions of dollars you’ll make in the NFL.
To read previous entries of my blog, click here. Also make sure to follow me on Twitter @eacohen83.
Cohen's Corner 
Some thoughts.
One preseason game for my Bears but Glennon has talent but can’t put it all together. Look at his record. If game 2 goes the same I am good with making the switch for game 3. Don’t worry about the money you paid Glennon. Worked for the Seahawks didn’t it? But keep in mind Mitch did it vs lessor competition.
Boldin wasn’t needed for the Cardinals. Would have been a good story but I don’t think he skill set is what is needed for this Cardinals team.
Miller A+ Recruiter, B in game coach. The NCAA tournament is a crapshoot, but his teams have been too talented to just be victims of bad luck this many times time. If he does not get to the final four in the next two years, he never will at Arizona and probably won’t be at Arizona for much longer, because of him not Arizona.
I know it is easy to be critical after the games are over but I was upset on Wednesday Lovello didn’t go lefty lefty in the 7th and take Greinke out. But I get it that you want to win or lose with your best and Greinke’s pitch count wasn’t high at the time. As for yesterday though, I get it, you need to score when you can, but…… Banda needed to stay in the game because no one was ready in the pen. We saw how good Barrett has been this year and everyone has a bad day but I think part of the issue yesterday was he was rushed. I know Owings and Tomas and Ahmed are hurt but you just cannot count on even a good at bat off the bench right now. That is a big problem.
I am really worried about the St. Louis Cardinals right now as a Cubs and Diamondbacks fan.
A few things on Rosen.
First off, we cannot compare our experience to the Athletes’ They take lots of summer and winter sessions to only have 9 or so units in season. Now I get it, even 9 with all the other requirements are a lot. They deserve the credit they get when they get good grades. But do not forget all the extra benefits they get with tutors and help typing and study facilities and all those other things.
With how bad pre-season NFL football is, a farm system for football will never work. That said I am so freaking sick of people saying that players are exploited for money. The players get a free education, plus room and board, plus clothing, plus coaching, plus exposure, plus brand building, plus practice, plus competition, plus scouting, and all of that for absolutely free except for trying to make the grades. All of those things combined for a football player I think are worth well over $100,000 a year. Well over. To go in the free market to get all that, it probably is more than $200,000 a year. Way more than any minor league NHL, MLB or NBA G league or the vast majority of over seas players in basketball. They are far more than fairly compensated for their efforts on the fields and in the classroom.
With the money it takes to get the best coaches and build facilities and other things needed in today’s college sports, lets not act like every athletic department just has a ton of money laying around filling the president and athletic director’s pockets. Also you are going to say you will play college football players but not girl’s golf players? You do all that every athletic department loses money.
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