The NFL Thread

[Apollo]

According to the sources, Ireland began the meeting by asking Bryant, 21, about his upbringing and his relationship with his siblings. Then he asked what Bryant's father did for a living when Bryant was growing up. The following exchange allegedly ensued:

"My dad was a pimp."

"What did your mom do [for a living]?"

"She worked for my dad."

"Your mom was a prostitute?"

"No, she wasn't a prostitute."

Ireland apologized Tuesday for asking what has been described as a classless, offensive and potentially illegal question. But if the incident went down as described by two members of the Dolphins organization, Bryant should be the next to repent because there was no need for this story to go from a controlled burn to a raging wildfire.

"Jeff Ireland is a classy, classy kid," said one GM, speaking on the condition his name not be used. "Do I think he made a mistake asking that question? Yeah. Even if I knew it was true, I could never ask a kid that. But I have to tell you that the story going hard around the Combine -- and everybody heard it whether it was true or not -- was that his mother was a prostitute and his father was her pimp. That doesn't make it right, but that stuff was out there."

Bryant was red-flagged by multiple teams because of what they described as a "shaky" family situation -- his mother, Angela, served 18 months for selling crack cocaine -- his anger issues as a youngster and his habitual tardiness. He also was suspended by the NCAA for all but three games last season for lying about his relationship with former NFL great Deion Sanders.

SI.com

Does anyone else see trouble brewing with Dez Bryant? Maybe he shatters everyone's perception on upbringing and its effects of a person's adult life?

[Mack North]

Here's an excellent article by Rick Reilly on the Dez Bryant subject Apollo:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5161597

For the record I think he's definitely going to be one of the best, maybe(hopefully) ever. He can flat out ball! He'll have a good mentor in Michael Irivin, who's had plenty of hardships of his own, throughout his childhood and playing career. It might sound a little biased coming from a 'Boys fan but I was prepared to say the same if he went almost anywhere else.

[Apollo]

Lots of song writers and entertainers get into trouble with drugs, sex and violence. Its more accepted in those professions. Dez Bryant is a football player, if he partakes in that kind of stuff he won't last long if past individuals are any sign. That article names non-sports athletes. It does so because he was trying to support an idea that can't be strongly supported with sports references. Sports and entertainment are two different beasts. I'm not going to write a guy off because of upbringing. I hope he does well but I will understand why he fails if he fails. Upbringing does play a big role in ones life, its been proven.

[Mack North]

"People rise above. Can you name the NBA superstar who was the son of a heroin addict? Whose South Side Chicago mom was constantly strung out? Who, at 5, was being raised by his 9-year-old sister? Dwyane Wade. Would Ireland have passed on him?

Say what you like about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, but he gets it. He passed on Randy Moss because of rumors in 1998 and vowed he wouldn't let another Moss slip by. The Boys took Bryant with the 24th pick in the draft. Have you seen Dez Bryant's highlight reel? The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex just got very lucky."

Those were two sports examples he gave. There has never been any link between Dez and alcohol or drugs and no reason to believe he's going to start using just because his family name is being dragged through the mud or because he lied one time. People are drumming up a whole lot of bullshit on a guy they really know nothing about and they need an article to write, so why not choose the hot topic and run with it? The dude will be fine...

[Apollo]

Hope you're right but time will tell. The fact that he doesn't seem to have an inflated ego is a good thing because there are already too many star receivers in the league who think they're bigger than the team. I always shook my head at T.O. for throwing his QBs under the bus... Garcia, McNabb, etc. He never had to deal with a bad QB, regardless of his words, until this last season. I know he's getting old now but you think the lack of a strong QB had something to do with his last season failure too? I know I do.

[Mack North]

Browns rookies head to camp on the 23rd, and all my Dallas Cowboys will be in camp on the 25th. I dontknow about any of you, but I'm getting pretty amped up about the start of the season!! I'm sayin the Boys go 12-4 and becme the first ever team to win a Super Bowl at home!

That's just an early prediction, we'll get the rest in when we get a little closer.

[MangoKid]

Mack, what's the deal with Bryant and not wanting to carry Roy WIlliams' shoulder pads? Does he think he's an exception to the rule when it comes to rookie initiation? Everyone had to go through it, even the greats. Hell, I had to go through initiation though HS football, HS baseball and even though HS itself. Not to mention when I got to university - frosh week. They might as well have called it hazing week. It's what leads to respect from your elderstatesmen. I don't see why he didn't want to do it.

[Mack North]

Yea, it was a little bit ridiculous but the whole story was kind of blown out of proportion. I guess karma caught up with him a bit though, he's got a high ankle sprain that's gonna sideline for pretty much the whole preseason and maybe more.

Personally, I think he should've just carried the damn pads. I'm really hoping he doesn't turn into a diva receiver, cause the guy has skills the likes of which I haven't seen to much of.

It doesn't help much when your coach, Wade "Cupcake" Phillips, doesn't exactly back the vets. He's just trying to make everybody happy saying the rookies don't have to do anything they dont want to. If he(Wade) doesn't get the job done this year(which he will) I'm sure Uncle Jerry will ship him out the door. I love his defenses but he makes a lot of questionable calls during games.

[Apollo]

As small as it may seem crap like that can create resentment in a locker room, you know, when one player portrays himself above the team culture... Bryant is probably better than Williams right now but that doesn't mean he's above paying his due even if he thinks he is. Rookie hazing goes on in every sport at every level. It's part of sports.

Anyway, none of that matters because the Packers are going to torch the NFC and lay the smack down on whatever sorry team stumbles out of the AFC.

[Apollo]

Dez had a solid debut.

Anyone see Weaver bend his knee the wrong way in the Packers/Eagles game. It was horrible. I would be shocked if he plays again this year. I'm not sure if they'll show it on tv or not. Warning this isn't for the faint of heart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1TLZ...layer_embedded

As they were helping him off the field the poor guy looked like he was doing everything in his strength to not break down into tears. He looked to be in excruciating pain.

[MangoKid]

Excited to see what my Ravens can do tonight...solid win on the road for the Pack yeterday...

and damn Arian Foster.. that was some performance.. however, the Colts D has looked soft in both the Superbowl and yesterday.. there might be more issues than meets the eye.

[Apollo]

"I'm going to talk to him tonight," Rodgers said. "I hope he's all right. You never want to see something like that happen, especially to a guy I've become pretty good friends with." They became friends because Kolb reached out to Rodgers in the offseason to ask him what it was like to replace the irreplaceable.

"And Kevin had a lot of the questions I asked when I was a young, first-time starter. I found myself asking those same questions to Trent Dilfer and Steve Young, guys who were mentors to me. And if I can play that role with Kevin, it would be a great honor for me. And I think it's important for the league and for the quarterback fraternity, as well. It's a pretty close-knit group and you want to see guys come up and do well."

Source: CBS Sports

[Apollo]

Packers Vs. Steelers in Texas for Super Bowl XLV. Go Packers!

[RaptorsFan4Life]

Congrats Packers fans (Apollo).

As a Bears fan I honestly can't really ask for much more from Haine. With no reps and being called upon on in the biggest game of the season when your team is down 14 in end of the 3rd he played his *** off.

The only prob with this game that I had was the WTF reverse call on the last 3rd down (4 yards to go). Seriously WHY!?! Haine was beasting, Forte has been having success running inside/outside and Taylor is a career great inside runner. I don't see why they played such a risky play the change to lose yardage at that point in the game.

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Poor Rex Ryan, this is the 3rd year in a row he's lost in the AFC championship game.



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[Apollo]

If Rodger's didn't trip Urlacher, after being picked for the second time, then the Packers would have probably lost the game. Beyond that Haine TD pass to Knox (I think) the Packers D looked great. Shields is an amazing story. To be playing corner for one year of college, to going undrafted, to lucking into a chance to be a return guy fort he Packers, to starting and becoming one of their best defenders in his rookie season is amazing. The kid's got sky high potential. He's so fast and he always seems to be in the right place to make a big play. Woodson is getting up there in age now. Shields looks to be his successor.

The Steelers look really good but I think they're any better than the Falcons or Bears.

[MangoKid]

I hate the Steelers, so by process of deduction, I will be cheering for GB.

[Apollo]

Just looking at playoff stats on ESPN.com

Top Passer: Aaron Rodgers
Ben Roethlisberger is ranked 10th

Top Receiver: Greg Jennings
Antonio Brown is ranked 17th

Top Rusher: James Starks
Rashard Mendenhall is ranked 3rd, 100 yards less than Starks

Starks has played so well that I expect the Packers to let Ryan Grant walk to a second tier rusher hungry team(Seattle, Washington, Miami, maybe New England...) and for them to simply draft another kid, start Starks and probably bring back Brandon Jackson as a change of pace back. Kuhn has been stellar getting short yardage as well. Starks has the potential to be the guy the Giants were hoping to get in Brandon Jacobs.

If the Packers can win the Super Bowl and without the likes of Ryan Grant and JerMichael Finley then... Wow. Never would have thought it after the first month. I've never seen a team have some many guys go down and still rise to the top.

[MangoKid]

It's a real testimony to Mike McCarthy, Dom Capers and the rest of the coaching staff. They've done a helluva job. They've been road warriors. And it's not like they've had an easy ride - they beat the #1, 2 and 3 seeds in the process - all the while being the #6 seed and the visiting team.

[Apollo]

When McCarthy first came in years ago I was unimpressed to put in mildly but given time to employ his system he's done excellent work. He'd be no where without GM Ted Thompson though. I mean Thompson made him head coach and virtually hit on every draft pick since. They've built that baby up internally with the exception of Charles Woodson. Dom Capers has been huge too no doubt. They wouldn't be playing in the Super Bowl with out his genius on defense.

[Apollo]

It's too bad Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson is a man of few words.

If he had a little more Rex Ryan in him, he'd be reminding us of something that should be obvious by now: He made the right call when he turned his team over to quarterback Aaron Rodgers three years ago.

At the time, it was a move that sparked contempt from countless Packers fans who couldn't imagine life without Brett Favre. Now we understand fully what made Thompson so confident in the first place.

Rodgers, 27, just has that look about him these days, that aura that comes from knowing he can overcome anything. He's still the guy who starkly remembers college recruiters ignoring him out of high school in Chico, Calif. Even after he eventually achieved stardom at Cal, 23 NFL teams overlooked him in the first round of the 2005 draft. Then there were so many people questioning whether he really could handle Favre's old job.

"The journey is the sweetest part for me," Rodgers said after beating the Bears at Soldier Field. "I've really enjoyed the road that I've been forced to take in my career going all the way back to high school [in Chico, Calif.]. Just being on that journey and having to work for the success I've achieved -- and never being complacent -- has made it that much more satisfying."

Rodgers first proved his mental toughness by staying quiet and confident while the drama between Favre and Thompson unfolded in the summer of 2008. He then displayed his talent by throwing for 8,472 yards and 58 touchdowns in his first two years as Green Bay's starter. Rodgers also has performed well enough this year (3,922 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions) to earn what should have been his second consecutive Pro Bowl nomination. What made those numbers all the more impressive is that they came at a time when Favre's own career was self-destructing.

Rodgers' performance this season has been all the more critical because he often has carried a Packers offense that lost running back Ryan Grant to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1.

"As we all know, the talk is that we can't run the ball so we've had to rely on our quarterback," said Packers cornerback Charles Woodson. "But he's as good as they come. He can do it with his arm and with his legs, and he's done it all season."

Added Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher: "He's a great quarterback, there's no doubt about that. He knows where to go with the football."

Said Rodgers: "If you look at our roster right now, the 45 guys that dressed today, I would say that a number of them were either not with us at the beginning of the season, or were not counted on to play a big role. … To have guys like that step up says a lot about our character."

Of course, Rodgers also has helped those young guys grow. He's become the kind of quarterback who can inspire a team just by his presence. That's what made Favre so special. When he stepped on the field during all those years in Green Bay, the people around him always sensed they had a chance to win regardless of the circumstances.

Rodgers isn't just a player who can put up numbers comparable to his predecessor. He also can carry his team to the kind of heights that separate all other signal-callers from the pack.

That probably explains why Thompson never wavered from his belief that it was worth trading Favre to the Jets and going with his designated quarterback of the future three seasons ago. As Thompson said after Sunday's game, "I'm very proud of Aaron because he's played well and he's prepared well. He has a lot of God-given talent."

Source: ESPN.com