Greg Jennings Sister Blasts Aaron Rodgers via Twitter

Story via Kevin Burke project

At this point athletes should just get there families off of Twitter. Greg Jennings is the latest athlete to have one of his family members go on a Twitter rant. His sister(who has since deleted the Tweets) ranted and raved about her brother(Jennings) not getting the ball enough. Also, she doesn't like Aaron Rodgers very much.

"Aaron Rodgers come on u had GJ for the TD twice. Get him the🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈geez!!!!!"

"Why was that ball under thrown like that, he was wide open make the throw for the receiver!!! Geeez!!"

"My God Aaron Rodgers holds the ball forever! GJ was wide open 5x for that touchdown! Goodness he acts like he doesn't want to throw to him😡"

"GJ is the only receiver that has to jump in the air with both hands up to get the 🏈!!! It's ridiculous I pray he departs GB ASAP!"

"Aaron Rodgers smh! Had him in the slot wide open no one even covered him! Where is Peyton Manning when u need him! This is utterly pathetic"

A wise man once said we can't chose our family. He was a very wise man. 


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The Bears firing Lovie Smith is like a Husband divorcing his wife and marrying the secretary. (UPDATE)

The woman you don’t have is always more appealing than the one you do have. How many times  have you seen some poor smuck going through midlife crisis, trade in his wife of 20 plus years for a newer, younger, sexier model? Never works, ask them, most of them would kill to go back to their wives.

The Bears fired Lovie Smith today, despite a Super bowl appearance and a career 56% winning percentage. The Bears fell into the same snare men across the ages have. The grass is not greener.

 But… But... everyone else is firing there coach..... we could get Nick Saban, or Chip Kelly, what about the Broncos coordinator? Odds are the Bears won't get any of those gentlemen; even if they do there’s no guarantee any of them will be successful in the league. Saban was mediocre, Kelly is a college coach and their success rate in the pros is a coin flip and the newest batches of offensive geniuses are all unproven.

In his 9 years with the Bears, Lovie finished with a record of 81-63, 18 games over 500.  Lovie’s distractors and no doubt the Bear brass would point to his failing to make the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years. Good point but there are several mitigating factors at play.
Lovie Smith is a defensive coach; the Bears defense has always been among the best in the NFL during his tenure, the offense not so much.

The Chicago Tribune offers this helpful nugget:

 "Since Smith took over in 2004, the Bears have ranked higher than 23rd in offense only once. They have ranked 28th or lower four times"

From 04-08 the best Qb to take a snap from center was Rex grossman. The Bears have gone through four offensive coordinators since Smith arrived in the Windy city.  The Culter and Marshall signings are a step in the right direction but from a personnel standpoint the Bears are not a Super Bowl caliber team, especially on offense.

As far as I know, Lovie Smith had very little say in the bears personnel decisions, offensively the Bears have never had the weapons to become a legitimate super bowl contender.

Here is a list of the leading receivers for the Bears over the last six years.
 2012: Marshall
2011: Matt Forte
2010: Forte & Jonny Knox (tie)
2009: Greg Olsen
2008: Matt Forte
2007: Bernard Berriman

Hardly a murders row of great receivers, and when your running back leads your team in receptions 3 out of 6 years there's a systemic problem with your team’s offense.

Now let's take a look at Lovie with Cutler under center. Since Cutler arrived in 09, Smith is 36-28. Including 2010 where Culter was injured for a significant portion of the season.

If today is Black Monday then there will undoubtedly be a Black Friday where owners and GM’s going on a shopping spree hiring the hottest offensive coordinators and college coaches on the market.  The Bears already appear ready to pounce on Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike Mcoy.

 Is he the answer?  He coached Tim Tebow up to a trip to the playoffs and a win but if Tebow doesn't get credit for that why does Mcoy? He also coached Peyton Manning this year, but does anyone really “coach” Peyton?

NFL teams constantly trade in the devil that they know for one they don't. Mcoy is unproven as a head coach while Lovie has proven that he's a competent to above average NFL head coach. Never forget that the Cleveland Browns fired Bill Bellicheck. There are many reasons coaches don’t succeed. Sometimes they aren’t given the freedom or the tools to succeed, sometimes they aren’t up to the job, sometimes it’s just bad luck. In Lovie’s case he wasn’t given the tools to work with and when he was given them, the Bears were contenders.

Is Mccoy going to stop Cutler from forcing the ball into double coverage and throwing picks? Is he going to keep Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Brian Urlacher healthy? Lovie isn't perfect but I'd take him any day of the week over these flavor of the month types, at least I know what I'm getting.


Bears GM Phil Emery hosted a press conference today explaining his decision to give Lovie the boot.

“Our No. 1 goal always has to be to win championships, and to win championships we have to be in contention on a consistent basis, and to be in contention we have to make the playoffs on a consistent basis. We’ve had defensive excellence, but during the course of coach Smith’s years here we’ve had one offense that was ranked in the top 15.”

If he doesn't have a good offense that's on the GM, not Lovie.

Charles Barkley Makes a Slavery Joke....no one cares

Poor Ernie Johnson. We all get to laugh at Charles Barkley's jokes but many times Ernie can't.(or shouldn't)He's the straight man to Chuck's Richard Pyror light act. At this point Barkley can say whatever he wants and this isn't a big deal anyway, but I bet if Chuck said the N-word on the air he'd probably get a pass.

P.S: Shaq is still horrible.

Jacoby Jones endzone dance didn't count but this celebration is forever

Jacoby Jones won the award for the best endzone dance long ago, but today he took a victory lap of sorts. Unfortunately for Jones the touchdown was reviewed and taken off the board.(shouldn't have been)

Cam Newton bumps an official

Cam Newton has been fantastic in the last few weeks. Although he couldn't salvage the Panthers season he certainly salvaged some fantasy ones.

Today Cam exploded after what seemed to be a routine tackle by the Raiders Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly. Cam seemed like he was kicking Kelly then he jumped up and confronted the ref, bumping him.

Cam can expect some coal in his stocking and a fine from the league.

After the game tried to redeem the situation. 

"Nothing good happens when you're at the bottom of a pile. With me looking at the replay I realize it looked like I kicked him but I was just trying to get up as fast as I could and get to the next play. He fell a certain type of way, then he put his hands in my face."

In Cam's defense the game was out of control and Kelly admitted to trying to take Newton out as revenge for Palmer being injured earlier.

You take our guy out, we're going to go and try to take your guy out," Kelly told the Associated Press. "We're not out to hurt someone, but when that happens ...''

No doubt Kelly will be fined as well for simply stating the obvious but the NFL still likes to pretend that they aren't Gladiators with pads.

Green Eggs and Cam

There have been few number one overall draft picks as polarizing as Cam Newton. Newton’s supporters believed that his physical skills outweighed any misgivings about his lack of experience and character concerns. His detractors questioned how well Cam would transition from a college offense to a more complex pro-style. After last year’s dazzling rookie season it seemed that Cam had put all criticisms to rest.


Cam looks the part, 6’5 245 with a body chiseled from granite and a smile that would make any move star jealous. Cam’s abilities and charm have caused many to overlook inconvenient truths about the young quarterback.

Humans have a tendency to be blinded by amazing talent. We loved Tiger, Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson despite their very deep character flaws, the more talent a person has the more we are willing to ignore their shortcomings and celebrate their gifts. If we look very closely the signs with Cam were always there, he was thrown out of the University of Florida for stealing a laptop. At the University of Auburn he was involved in a pay for play scandal that still leave some wondering how he remained eligible. Some blame Cam’s father for the later offense and even if that’s true, if Cam was raised by a man with questionable character is it possible that some of that rubbed off on him?

During draft time Cam’s defenders shooed away all criticism of their boy wonder by accusing them of racism. Former Houston Oilers Quarterback Warren Moon led the charge “"A lot of the criticism he's receiving is unfortunate and racially based.”

During a now infamous segment of John Gruden’s Qb camp Cam revealed that he did not call plays in the huddle, instead he relied on a less complex numbering system. Add this to the fact that he wasn’t accustomed to taking snaps under center or reading complex defenses and there were many legitimate reasons for NFL personnel people to be concerned. Instead of turning his critics into his counselors, team Cam decided to play the race card (also known as the hater card)

Fast forward to yesterday’s presser where Cam had another meltdown after a Panther loss. Where young Cameron was quoted as saying that he was going to bring in a “suggestion box” because he was out of ideas, basically throwing his Offensive coordinator under the bus. Combine that with Cam celebrating in the end zone via his superman dance while trailing by two touchdowns and his constant Eeyoring(The opposite of Tebowing, think Winnie the Pooh) during and after games. The same beast that catapulted Cam’s meteoric rise to stardom is the same one that’s yanking him back down to earth.

In reality none of these are a big deal. The quarterback in the NFL is more than just another position on the team. He’s the flagship, a team spokesman the tangible face of the organization. Everything he does, says, yes even his facial expressions are scrutinized analyzed and criticized. Newton has to understand that. On the field and often off the field the position must be played with nerves of steel.

A look into Cam’s recent past shows that he’s always been able to shed off any adversity with the same easy that he does oncoming defenders. Steal a laptop? Get off with a slap on the wrist, transfer to a community college, win a national championship and become the most sought after JUCOS in the country. Dad takes money during the recruiting process? The NCAA absolves you of all blame and go on to win another national championship.

Now Newton faces a challenge that his talent alone can’t overcome. In the National Football league, no player no matter how gifted can get by on talent alone. It’s a league of constant calibration and recalibration, Darwin’s theory of evolution on steroids. Every player must learn to adapt, it’s either evolve or die. The history of the league is filled with players of immense talent that weren’t able to do so. In the league it’s not so much how talented you are, but how you respond to adversity but how you adapt and survive and ultimately thrive.

I hope Cam can turn things around, I truly do. Cam still has time to mature. A very non flattering narrative is forming. Once our 24 hour sports obsessed media finishes shoving a narrative down our throats it’s almost impossible for any athlete to overcome. Cam Newton must evolve very quickly or he will find himself added to the long list of talented players who couldn’t cut it in the National Football League.

Nashville

What you need to know: Hayden Panettiere and Connie Brriton star in this drama about an ascending and descending country stars.

What you'll love

• Strong Writing: This could have been a really cheesy soap operay kind of show but instead it's written with a depth and realism that no other newbie show has matched.
• Connie Britton: Perhaps I'm not very impartial as Friday Night Lights is one of my all time favorite shows but Connie Britton simple knows how to potray a modern non stertypical woman. She's fantastic.
• Charactertizaon:  Each character is plausible and their motivations are organic without many of the contrivances that poorly written shows rely on.
• Acting: Even with a strong lead or leads many new shows struggle casting second tier characers. Not so with nashville, every actor cast is strong and right for the parts they play.
• Complex: I've noticed a trend with pilots, it's very hard to tell what's going on. Nashville is complex with many characters and subplots but also easy to follow. The show seemlessly flows in and out of the stories it presents

What you won't

•  Parenting subplot: There really isn't much to complain about from this pilot, but if we're going to get nitpicky. Hayden Panettiere's character has a drug addicted mom who attempts to hit her up for money. This storyline could become tedious very quickly.

• Bottom Line: Best new show of the season so far. I hope it doesn't disappoint us or worse get canceled. Strong show I highly recommend it.

          Grade: A

Raiders DT Tommy Kelly Caught On Camera Saying Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb Is 'Scared'

Source: Sports Illustrated

Kevin Kolb already appeared on his way to losing the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback job to John Skelton, and what microphones caught on the sidelines during Friday’s exhibition game against the Oakland Raiders won’t help matters. After Kolb was taken down by multiple Raiders defenders early in the second quarter, the audio of the Raiders TV broadcast caught defensive tackle Tommy Kelly saying of Kolb, “That boy’s scared.” Earlier in the game, near the end of the first quarter, Kolb took an intentional grounding penalty at his own 1-yard line and then was sacked for a safety on the next play.

Kolb has been nothing short of awful this preseason. I watched him in the first preseason game and he sees pressure when it's not there. Where a normal Qb would simply step up in the pocket Kolb's instinct is to flee the pocket, completely breaking down the play. Skeleton looks to be a MUCH better option at this point. 

16 year old Chinese Swimmer's test come back clean.

It was her final 100m of freestyle, in which she recorded a split time of 58.68sec, that aroused Leonard’s suspicion. Over the last 50m she was quicker than the American Ryan Lochte, who won the men’s 400m individual medley in the second-fastest time in history.

John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, has been the most vocal about Shiwen’s shady performance.

“Any time someone has looked like superwoman in the history of our sport they have later been found guilty of doping.”
In respons to the speculation it appears a rush was put on Ye Shiwen's test to end the controversy.


British Olympic Association chairman Lord Moynihan said: "We know how on top of the game Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) are and Wada have passed her as clean. That's the end of the story.

What do you think? Is she juicing?

You have read the full story here:http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2012/07/31/ye-shiwen-16-year-old-swimming-gold-medalist-is-embroiled-in-a-doping-controversy/

And here: http://news.sky.com/story/967067/drugs-body-chinese-swim-medallist-is-clean

NBC Spoils Miss Franklin's big win

NBC was set to air Missy Franklin’s gold medal performance in the 100m backstroke after one last commercial break. A commercial break that contained a promo for interview with gold medal winning swimmer Missy Franklin on Tuesday’s edition of the Today Show. And just like that, anyone who didn’t know that Missy Franklin had won, now did.

Today's Olympic schedule

13:00 PM to 3:30 PM - Fencing: MEN - Individual Foil: semi-finals, bronze medal match, gold medal match, victory ceremony

13:20 PM to 4:00 PM - Water Polo: MEN - Preliminaries (2 matches)

13:30 PM to 6:00 PM - Badminton: MEN+WOMEN - Singles, Doubles: preliminaries. Mixed Doubles: preliminaries

14:00 PM to 4:00 PM - Weightlifting: MEN - 69kg: group A, victory ceremony

14:00 PM to 5:45 PM - Hockey: WOMEN - Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:30 PM to 4:20 PM - Swimming: MEN - 100m Freestyle: semi-finals. 200m Breaststroke: semi-finals. 200m Butterfly: final, victory ceremony. 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay: final, victory ceremony. WOMEN - 200m Butterfly: semi-finals. 200m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony. 200m Individual Medley: final, victory ceremony

14:30 PM to 5:45 PM - Handball: Men's preliminaries (2 matches)

14:45 PM to 4:45 PM - Soccer: WOMEN - Preliminaries (1 match)

14:45 PM to 4:45 PM - Soccer: WOMEN - Preliminaries (1 match)

15:00 PM to 4:00 PM - Basketball: MEN - Preliminaries (2 games)

15:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Table Tennis: MEN -Singles: quarter-finals

15:00 PM to 6:30 PM - Volleyball: Men's preliminaries (2 matches)

15:00 PM to 6:50 PM - Beach Volleyball: MEN+WOMEN - Preliminaries (4 matches)

The Hobbit will be a Trilogy

The move had been rumored last week, but the "Lord of the Rings" auteur confirmed the trilogy, saying that there was more story to tell than could be contained in the originally planned two films. He said the movies will draw on related material in the appendices of "The Lord of the Rings," in addition to using J.R.R. Tolkien's original story.


Full story here

Kevin Durant moved to tears after OKC's NBA Finals loss to LeBron James, Heat

Arsenio Hall returning to late night

Two decades after his self-titled show rebuilt the talk genre for a new generation, the 56-year-old comic and recent "Celebrity Apprentice" winner will attempt a major comeback with a nightly syndicated offering starting in September 2013.
 

Full story here:Arsenio Hall returning to late night

Taken 2 Trailer

Dallas

What you'll love

It's Dallas: The big hair maybe gone and they are much older but the aspects of the show that made it a cultural phoenomnon are still in tact.

Old Guard: Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy are JR and Bobby Ewing. Every moment they are on the screen it's impossible to take your eyes off of them. For Hagman and Duffy these roles defined their careers and they still know how to play these roles.

Fun: Dallas isn't Game of Thrones or Mad Men. It's not some social commentary on the nature of man. It's good old fashion (not so) clean fun. There  are lies, betrayl, love triangles, everything we've come to expect from a night time soap. Dallas blends it all into one nice bar of soap opera goodness.


What you won't

Soapy: If soaps arent your thing then you won't enjoy this show. It defintley has all the elements of a soap opera(done well) There's nothing subtle about what's happening.

Pacing: I thought the two hour premeire was a bad idea. There first hour flew by but I struggled to get through the second one. There are also so many characters with so many different storylines and angles that it can get a bit confusing.

New Kids on the block: The new memebers of the cast are "fine" but that's it. Each of them is servicable in their roles but none stands out. I found myself wanting see more of Hagman and Duffy when the new breed was on the screen. Perhaps in time they will grow into the roles.

Bottom Line: A tip of the stetson to Dallas, show's off to a very good start.

Grade: B+

End of the road for Owens

It looks as if the most polarizing career in the history of the NFL is finally coming to a close. Sadly the man that was all about "me" is finally getting his wish he retires alone, broke and without fanfare. There is no doubt in my mind that Owens can still play but at 38 who needs the hassle. It's a sad ending to a career that we should be celebrating, or course he already did that for us.

Terrell Owens was released by the Indoor Football League’s Allen Wranglers for missing a visit to a children’s hospital.

“The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Mr. Owens was his no-show to a scheduled appearance at a local children’s hospital with other Wrangler players and coaches,” team President Tommy Benizio said. “It’s not the desire of the Allen Wranglers’ organization to disappoint fans by having our most notable player miss a scheduled appearance.”

The 38-year-old Owens ranks second to Jerry Rice in National Football League history with 15,934 yards receiving. He’s tied with Randy Moss behind Rice for the second-most touchdown catches with 153 and has 1,078 career NFL receptions, sixth on the career list.
Owens didn’t play in the NFL last season after having knee surgery in April 2011. He received a contract worth between $250,000 and $500,000 to play with the Allen, Texas-based Wranglers.
“It’s impossible to maintain a player when even our fans notice and comment on a player’s lack of effort both on and off the field,” said team owner Jon Frankel.
Owens, a five-time NFL All Pro, will no longer participate as a team owner, the Wranglers said.
Owens spent eight NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, three with the Dallas Cowboys, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and one each with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

Source: Business Weekly 

Why we don't appreciate the Spurs

American Idol  21.5 million viewers.
Mad Men season premiere 3.5 million viewers
Jersey Shore ratings 6.6 million viewers
Breaking bad 2.9 million viewers.

We enjoy simple narratives.(which explains Skip Bayless) Most of life is complex, your boss sucks , your wife won't put out, your husband is lazy, kids are rebellious. As culture we put pressure on ourselves to achieve, when we get home we want an escape, to be entertained, we certainly don't want to think.  Watching TV is perhaps the most passive action one can participate in,turn on the boob tube and shut out the world. We’ve shut the Spurs out.

On the surface the Spurs should be the toast of the league, four rings, their own big three, for god sake Tony Parker was married to Eva Longoria. What’s that you say? They are boring? Aren’t the Patriots boring? When’s the last time one of the Patriots gave an entertaining and engaging answer to a question? Is there a difference between Popovich and  Belichick,Brady and Duncan?

 Basketball and football are team sports but we've always winked at the notion that basketball is a team sport, only in basketball do we talk of stars and supporting casts or as Shaq calls them “others”. When we talk about the history of football we talk about great franchises first, then we get to the players, we when talk basketball when talk top ten players. Basketball is a sport that rewards individual creative expression, in football it's punished. We love Magic’s smile, Bird’s craftiness and Jordan's improvisation.

We love stars. 

Why do we love them? Because they provide drama, we develop an emotional connection to them and then we live vicariously through their every up and down. The Spurs don't give us anything, each man carries the party line with the discipline of a political operative. The result is a team that everyone knows is good but no one cares about. They are an indy film, critics love them but we want to see the Avengers. 

In the end too appreciate the Spurs you have to appreciate subtlety, nuance and substance, admittedly that's not something our populace is very good at. 

Mad Men/Game of Thrones review

Sundays has been my favorite night of television for sometime with last night possibly being my favorite night of TV ever. These two incredibly complex shows couldn't be more different on the surface. Mad Men follows the exploits of a 60's ad agency while Game of Thrones explores the mythical kingdom of Westoros. As one delves deeper the shows are about the same thing, power. More specifically how women deal with their lack thereof.

Last night's Mad Men revolved around Joan's indecent proposal. A rather doughy Jaguar exec offers to vote the agency's way in exchange for a night with Joan. With all things Mad Men the show takes a simple concept and places it under a microscope. The men of the firm are more than willing to serve as Joan's pimps(and compensate her handsomely for it). All except Don(of all people) who attempts to ride in on his White horse and save her.

Meanwhile Peggy fed up with Don, decides to leave the agency. Two women in two different roles work with the hands that life has dealt them and come to two very different decisions and outcomes. For Joan her greatest asset is her sexuality, she uses it and ultimately gains a stake in the agency. Peggy's strength obviously is her brain and she uses it to get more money and a better job.

On the Game of Thrones front the much ballyhooed battle of Blackwater takes place. There's an interesting dichotomy within with Game of Thrones fan base, it's divided into two camps; show watchers(haven't read the books), and book readers(who tend to demand the show be exactly like the book).

The book watchers have pointed to the battle of Blackwater as a landmark event. This episode should make the most strident fan happy. It's a spectacle to behold. The battle is breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time.

But it's not the battle that's the most awe inspiring aspect of the episode, it's the character work. Various characters show us different stages of fight or flight. Each one of them has a believable and human reaction to conflict.

The best scenes come from Cersei as she's cooped up in a room full of noble women during the battle, we feel her frustration, helplessness and deeply seeded anger over living in a world where men are the only ones that matter.


Such a fantastic hour of television. It's it possible that the next season of breaking bad can start the moment these two shows end. Sundays won't be the same.

New Dark Knight Rises Images and Posters

Is it July 20th yet? Honestly I don't like the Catwoman and Bane suits. It seems like I've been waiting for this movie for so long and then Avengers burst onto the scene and distracted me. It will be hard to top The Dark Knight, but if anyone can do it Nolan can. In Nolan we trust.

Shaq as GM of the Orlando Magic?

O'Neal, who began his legendary NBA career in Orlando, may meet with the Magic as soon as next week, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. While he has no front office experience, the Magic believe O'Neal's presence within the organization could help them retain Dwight Howard.(credit: Yahoo Ball don't lie blog)

I can't begin to state the utter stupidity of this idea. Shaquille Oneal. A player who never master free throws, a player notorious for coming to training camp out of shape. The same Shaquille Oneal who had little or no interest in studying game film. That Shaquille Oneal wants to a be a GM?

I believe that being an NBA GM is probably the hardest gig in sports, the complexities of the NBA collective bargaining agreement and the petulance of star players make this a thankless nightmare of a job. It's the ultimate hubris of a athlete to think that they can simply walk into a job this complex without any training.

Players need to learn that there is a big difference between playing the game and coaching and/or managing a team. and just in case you think I'm being too hard on Shaq, I would like to point you to his dismal performance as an "analyst"(term loosely used) on TNT.

The defense rests.

Avengers Assemble!

Overview: Beginning with the first Iron man movie Marvel embarked upon the unprecedented concept of creating it's on movie universe. Each of the major characters in the Avengers also had a solo offering, slowly but surely building up to the Avengers.

 What you'll love

Hulk smash: Not only is the CGI pitch perfect  but so is the characterization of Bruce Banner. Hulk steals this movie with several laugh out loud scenes,

Loki: Every movie needs a foil and Tom Hiddleson provides one in the overly ambitious, conniving Loki. The bad guy in story should never know he is the bad guy and Loki provides the most compelling case for his viewpoint. Great acting.

Juggling act: It's not hyperbole to say that this is the most ambitious movie undertaking ever. Avengers not only meets expectations, it surpasses them, somehow managing to juggle all the characters, plots and internal dynamics.

Fanboy orgasm: At it's most basic level  Avengers is a little boy playing superhero with his toys. For the first time in my life a movie surpassed my imagination.

Conflict: It would have been very easy to have had the Avengers get along and become one big happy team, but they don't. These are very different men and the script makes them work for the unity they achieve. Oh yeah the fight scenes are really cool. Hulk vs Thor nuff said

What you won't

Long: At 143 minutes it's a long movie. You could justify it by saying that there's a a lot that they have to get in. However I think it's realistic to say they could have shaved ten minutes off of this sucker.

Story:  The plot revolves around a cube that provides an endless energy source and is a portal for aliens to come to the planet. Shakespeare it ain't.

Enemies: My only legit qualm with the movie is that Loki is the only villain. If Thor beat Loki in his movie why would he need help from the other Avengers to take him down in this one? They attempted to raise the stakes by having an alien invasion. But in the end they just proved to be cannon fodder and a spectacular showcase for Avenger fight scenes.


Bottom Line: Avengers is a must see. Everything you want in a summer blockbuster.

Grade  A

Daniel Synder can't help himself

To call this shocking is to conveniently forget everything we know about Daniel Snyder. Sure he's played the part of good owner as of late, he hired a "football guy" and has been very quiet but this move reeks of the kind of desperation and reaching that only Snyder can provide. Snyder saw a shiny toy and like a puppy he had to take a run at it no matter the cost.

This is not an indictment on the talents of RG3. Its possible that he will succeed in spite of a meddling owner and obstinate coach.(he is that good) His success will be made more difficult by franchise that gave away 3 first round picks and a second to move up four spots in the draft. The logic is baffling.

Snyder and company have fallen for the narrative that the only thing a team needs is a quarterback and after that everything will fall into place. Its a myth. Every quarterback especially young ones need weapons, or at the very least players that fit perfectly into their coaches scheme. The Skins best wide out is arguably a tight end or a guy in his mid 30's. But instead of rebuilding slowly through the draft, Snyder has decided to mortgage his entire future on RG3. Its not a bad bet, except now that he's bought the house he can't afford to put any furniture in it. Hell he can't afford the electricity bill.

As a huge RG3 fan I hope the kid does well. But the very first hurdle he will face will not come in the form of a 300 pound D end but in the form of his own organization.