Why Nick Saban shouldn’t coach in the NFL again

October 30, 2013January 5, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / 1 Comment

Saban has built a dynasty in Alabama, but he shouldn’t consider going back to the NFL

College football has been slammed by a red tidal wave for the past five years. More specifically, the Alabam Crimson Tide. As they continue to be the premier team in college football they owe their dominance to their architect and leader, Nick Saban. All great empire’s have had supreme rulers at the helm. Rome had Caesar, France had Napoleon, and the Yankees had George Steinbrenner. Nick Saban towers over the college football landscape, from his throne in Tuscaloosa. The emperor of college football, with three national championships for Alabama has concurred every mountain and obstacle college football has thrown at him. However, this doesn’t mean that Saban should abandon his kingdom to stake his claim in the NFL.

Many feel that Saban has accomplished everything that a college coach could dream of. Multiple national championships, championships at different schools, and built a college football super power. Despite his accomplishments, Saban shouldn’t coach in the NFL, unless he is completely committed. He’s been there before, two years with the Dolphins with a sub par 15-17 record that gave him a bad reputation as the so-called “Nicktator” in Miami. NFL teams aren’t also banging down the door for Saban either, and they shouldn’t. He’s already had a chance that ended in mediocrity and scandal when Saban signed with Alabama despite still being under contract with the Dolphins. Now why would a team take a shot on Saban? He’s already proven that if it doesn’t work out, he will look to find the next best opportunity. Plus why should he leave college? He just signed an extension that will pay him over seven million dollars a year. He has a higher salary then mostNFL coaches. If anything, if Saban really wants a so-called challenge it should be at another school. Say he wants to get out of Bear Bryant’s shadow, go do something that

Why go back to mediocrity in the NFL when Saban could be the greatest college coach in history?

no coach has ever done, win a national title at three different schools. With only tepid interest from NFL team’s and Saban’s poor handling of both the media and professional athletes, why go be mediocre in the NFL when Saban could become a college legend. Heck he’s already won four and likely on his way to his fifth National Championship. Saban is in striking distance of the coaches record for most national titles, including Alabama’s Bear Bryant’s mark, which is six. If he does go to another school he will have won three National Championships at three different schools and when it’s all said and done Saban has a great opportunity to win the most National titles of any coach in history.

While on paper Saban looks like an NFL ready coach, he is not. He may churn out the top prospects and titles, but it’s not that easy in the NFL. Saban can’t recruit the best players like in college and he has to win over professional athletes. Those tirades may work on college kids, but not on NFL veterans. They know what to do, they don’t need someone screaming in their ear every five seconds. True, Saban is a great defensive mind, but his lack of a creative offense makes him a difficult hire. Don’t forget, Alabama’s talent level is head and shoulders above everybody else in college football, just look at last years championship game. In the NFL, Saban will be on a level playing even or below the playing field depending on what team hires him. He won’t have the most talented team, and most likely have one of the least talented teams if a team were to hire him. Without the talent, Saban faces a difficult challenge just to be competitive. Let’s see if I was Nick Saban do I want the best team in college football or one of the worst teams in the NFL? Look, Saban might want to prove he is an NFL coach and might go that route, but I believe that he’s tried that already and with the lack of success in the pros ultimately means that we won’t see Saban in the NFL again. As long as he is coaching, there will always be rumors of the Nicktator returning to the NFL, but that is highly unlikely. If anything, listen to the college rumors around Saban. I see Saban “Hooking them horns” long before patrolling an NFL sideline. Whether he chooses to continue to build his Alabama empire, or take on a new challenge at Texas, one thing is for certain, Saban will try to be the greatest college coach ever. Sorry NFL, the big fish is going to stay in the small pond. Do you think Saban will return to NFL? Take our poll and comment below!

Where are they now? Thad Castle BMS

August 19, 2013November 6, 2013 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

No matter what he does, Thad Castle leaves a mark

No matter what he does, Thad Castle leaves his own mark of Football

Thad Castle is a lightning rod, period. Whether it’s on or off the field, no football player has brought more attention and controversy to the game of football. Beginning with his glory days at Blue Mountain State, where he was the premier defensive player in college football, Castle has provided both jaw dropping playmaking ability and controversy. For a four-year period he was one of, if not the most dominating defensive force that college football has ever seen. However, despite his greatness, Castle is known more for his off the field shenanigans then his actual football play. Whether it’s complaining to NCAA officials that defensive players don’t win the Heisman trophy, a drug scandal on a boat that resulted in a one game suspension, threatening opposing players, and of course his arrest for a house party. Oh, not to mention he did his best Brett Favre impression and sent pictures of a certain body part to female BMS students.

After his senior year the question was where would he be selected in the NFL Draft? Would a team overlook the rampant off the field issues and draft Castle on his pure talent alone? When it was announced that Castle would be the cover athlete for NCAA Football 2012, it sparked a firestorm. Thousands of emails and letters were sent to EA Sports demanding that Castle be removed from the cover for being a terrible representation of the college athlete. When EA Sports announced that they would release a second copy with Mark Ingram on the cover Castle responded: “I knew it! These people just don’t get how great I am!” Surprisingly, the Castle cover became the highest selling copy of an EA video game to that point. After the cover controversy, Castle would be drafted by the New York Jets. However, Castle thought it was criminal because he was a first round talent and that team’s had made the biggest of their lives. Hey went to Twitter say “Tebow’s a first round pick and I’m not? What is this a conspiracy? #WTH”. While Castle was furious about not being selected in the first round, and even threatened to not attend training camp at all, Rex Ryan was excited to have Castle on the team. Ryan: “He’s a ferocious and aggressive football player. Did we know about the off the field issues? Of course, but we know this kid loves to play football and that he can be a playmaker on our defense. I love his swagger and know that he’ll bring the attitude to our defense”. Castle would make an instant impact with the Jets by knocking out Mark Sanchez in training camp for the season. At first this seemed like a bad thing, until people realized that this was a blessing in disguise since Mark Sanchez couldn’t play quarterback. In his rookie season Castle would have 145 tackles, 15 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions. Leading the number 1 defense in football, Castle propelled the Jets to a 17-7 victory in the Super Bowl where he was the MVP with a defensive touchdown and 15 tackles.

But once again, Castle’s biggest opponent wasn’t an offense, but his own success. Following the Super Bowl, Castle was arrested for possession of drugs and was found naked in his hotel room holding the Lombardi trophy. When asked about this behavior, NFL star Rob Gronkowski told Sports Illustrated : “jeez and I thought I liked to party. Castle makes me look like Tim Tebow!” After a tumultuous sophomore year in the league, which included two suspensions for the drug use in the off-season and for biting Tom Brady’s leg, Roger Goodell went on the war path stating that if Castle did not change his ways, he would be out of the NFL. Of course, this is Thad Castle we are talking about. That night he tweeted “Goodell is just jealous because he wishes he was a football star and not some loser wannabe #ThadRules”. We all know what happened next. Thad got suspended, Goodell got his way, and Castle went to twitter to infamously tweet: “FU NFL”. Despite the suspension, Castle still was still in the mainstream. He tried to become an action star in his own movie, Road Rage. The movie was a disaster from Castle’s terrible “acting”, and was critically panned by critics. But was this really a surprise? Really? Thad plus acting is not an equation that ends well. It didn’t help with all of the negative publicity about Castle getting into fights on the set and constantly pranking the director. At least he made millions off of his “Guck Foodell” t-shirts.

When he returned to the grid iron, he would once again help to lead the Jets to a second Super Bowl victory. However, after he flipped off Goodell when he took the Lombardi Trophy and told him to “suck it”, Goodell snapped. On the Super Bowl podium in front of the world he told Castle that he was done in the NFL.

Today, Castle is 29 years old and playing in the Canadian Football league. There he is trying to jumpstart his NFL and acting careers, both so far unsuccessfully. Currently he is in a heated battle in court trying to fight his NFL suspension to be reinstated. Castle’s main defense that while his actions, while idiotic, weren’t criminal. While he continues to fight the NFL ban and try to find a director gullible enough to give him an acting role, Castle has continues to play in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. There, he has led them to two consecutive championships and has won the defensive player of the year twice. While his antics have continued north of the border, one anonymous GM told me that Castle will never be banned from the CFL. “Are you kidding me? Of course they wouldn’t suspend him. He’s the main attraction for the CFL right now and has brought countless revenue and media attention to this league. Now the CFL is a headliner because of Thad Castle. Now were in the same conversation with the NFL! He’s too big in the CFL and could get away with anything”.

While Goodell has made it known that he is trying to clean up the NFL, he might consider the Castle suspension because of the media magnet he’s become. Hey negative attention is better than no attention at all am I right? Whatever happens to Thad in the future two things are for certain. He is one of the best football players in the game today, and that he will be a media lightning rod. Heck just look at his twitter. Why else does he have over 15 million followers. Hey it’s Thad’s world, and all we can do is just sit back and wait to see what he is going to do next.

The Beast: Jadeveon Clowney the best NFL prospect

August 15, 2013 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Clowney could be a once in a generation prospect

On New Years day, there was a shot heard around college football. The image of a Michigan Wolverine’s helmet exploding off his head and hitting the turf. College footballs intimidator was born. Who is this face of intimidation in college football? It’s easy to see. It’s a 6’6 274 pound behemoth clad in red Carolina armor. Dreadlocks spew from underneath his Gamecock helmet, as number seven flies across the football field leaving destruction in his wake. His name might be clowney, but he is no joke. I an era where defense has taken a backseat to high-powered passing attacks and fad offenses, Jadeveon Clowney is without a doubt proving that defense is all about intimidation. In two years his immense strength and explosiveness off the line of scrimmage have reaped havoc in the SEC. In 2012 Clowney had 54 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks, and three forced fumbles. To call him a difference maker would be a massive understatement. Entering his junior year it is almost certain that he will enter the 2014 NFL Draft, where the speculation is he will be a top 3 pick if not the number one overall selection. This doesn’t surprise me. Every defense in the NFL would be drooling over his freakish athleticism. A guy who can dominate the tranches in the run game while still having the burst to be an elite pass rusher. He changes the game in a manner similar to the Texans J.J. Watt. You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them. However, nothing is a guarantee. How many times has the next so-called “big thing” flamed out in professional sports? It’s hard to see this happening to Clowney. Sure he might not burst onto the scene right away, but once he gets comfortable he could become an elite defensive player. Hey I know one thing, I feel bad for the quarterbacks of the SEC this year. Don’t believe me? Watch Clowney here in his Beast Mode and tell me your not impressed.

From Johnny Football to Johnny scandal

August 8, 2013 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Manziel’s off the field antics could derail both his college and pro career

Johnny “Football” Manziel has become the most talked about player in college football since Tim Tebow. However, unlike his fellow Heisman winner, Mr. Football hasn’t exactly been a choir boy. On the field, Manziel is a daredevil whose risky playing style makes him the most exciting offensive player in college football. It’s that same daredevil attitude that has gotten him in trouble off the field. An arrest, twitter wars, flashing stacks of cash, and leaving the Manning football camp early are just the tip of the Manziel iceberg. A few weeks ago Manziel went A&M’s rival Texas for a frat party and was kicked out. First, he’s drinking underage, and second what in god’s name was he thinking? A frat party at your arch rivals school? Johnny are you trying to get in trouble and piss off everyone at college station? Now Johnny football is caught in an autograph scandal where he accepted money for his “John Hancock”. With a suspension possibly looming, Manziel is at a crossroads where he either needs to grow up, or face the consequences for his poor decisions. Think about it. If this suspension costs Texas A&M a chance at a National Title, then he has let his fellow Aggies down. You look at quarterbacks like Tim Tebow

Could Johnny’s antics cost him in the NFL Draft?

and Matt Barkley who were also in the national spotlight, but understood they had responsibilities and had to make good decisions. Do I think Manziel is a bad guy? Not necessarily, but he has to realize that his decisions don’t just affect him, but everyone in College Station and beyond. If Manziel doesn’t care about his fellow Aggies maybe he’ll care about his NFL future. While many scouts compare Manziel to Sea Hawks quarterback Russel Wilson, they are polar opposites. Wilson is a professional, while Manziel is the out of control renegade. With all of the offseason incidents and the looming possibility of a suspension, NFL teams will probably have Manziel sliding down their draft boards. He already has question about whether he can make it in the NFL, but when your bringing baggage it makes teams say thanks but no thanks. Hey if Manziel can’t control his off the field urges, how can a franchise expect him to lead an offense of ten grown men whose lively hood is on the line. Maybe this will be the wakeup call Manziel needs to realize that while he has all the talent in the world, he needs to learn to make better decisions. The so-called “lightning rod” needs to be quiet and just do his job. Johnny I understand that you’re in college and that you want to have fun. Heck everyone’s entitled to their fun, but you are the reigning Heisman winner. When you enter that hallowed group there is a responsibility to represent that award and club in a positive way. Johnny can’t be a kid forever, and if he wants to be a top pick in next year’s draft he needs to prove to the world that he has matured and he’s not the spoiled kid that has dominated the headlines for this summer. Look, Manziel is trying to be a celebrity based upon his influence in media. Johnny, it’s ok to be a celebrity but only after you have established yourself. It may be great now but will it be worth it if in five years your out of football and on some terrible VH1 reality show? Even with a suspension, all eyes will be watching College Station to see what Johnny Manziel will do next. Will he break off a spectacular highlight reel play, or do something crazy we didn’t see coming? One thing is certain, this is going to be one entertaining fall following Johnny Football.