Disillusioned Rants

I have three main topics I wish to discuss.rant about today. They are the NFL’s Stalinist-like control over their brand name, Javon Walker’s future in Denver, and Travis Henry’s future in Denver.

1. Why must the NFL forbid video sharing on the internet? I can understand certain people who post entire games for free viewing, but what is wrong with 3-5 minutes clips being allowed to be free distributed. I’ve come across a few, but those we only come across because the NFL probably hasn’t found them yet. I got to YouTube and fine all sorts of video clips of sporting events, but when it comes to NFL football a vast majority are of the 10-30 second variety rather than the 3-5 minutes variety. In fact, I can’t recall ever seeing a video of NFL game action longer than 5 minutes on YouTube.

The NFL is so obsessed with ownership of all things NFL that they are affecting the popularity of the game. Of course, no one will notice this because NFL Football is the most popular sport in the history of mankind(soccer doesn’t count). I think that if the NFL doesn’t relax on its Nazi like behavior towards its brand name money making machine then people will start to lose interest in the game much like NASCAR has taken a beating over the past few years.

Fans now get kicked out of the stadium for throwing dog bones onto the field…I’m sorry, but “The Drive” would not have been as impressive if the fans DIDN’T throw dog bones on the field. It added a sort of mystic to the game and its things like that which helped the NFL become the most dominant sporting enterprise in America today. It’s getting so bad that before you know it we will be “postponing” games because of bad weather.

Roger Goddell needs to lax the grip of the NFL over its brand name. Let the fans have a little bit more freedom to dispense the grassroots following. Everything is now pre-packaged into little NFL approved boxes. The NFL is peaked, it cannot expand with the level of control it now exerts over everything it produces. Mr. Goddell, bring back the dog bones.

2. Am I the only one who is hoping that Javon Walker comes back next year? On every other forum fans say we need to dump Javon Walker. I love Marshall as much as anyone, but is he just a new flavor of the month to be discarded after one bad season and a slip of the tongue? Every Bronco fan in America was hyped about Javon before last season and through the first 3 games. Now everyone wants to get rid of him.

I want to keep him. We NEED to keep him. Mike Shanahan needs to swallow his pride a little bit, sit down and have a chat with Javon. Tell Javon that he will not seek to restructure his contract, but that he needs to know that Javon will play his guts out in 2008 regardless of his feeling of being a number 1 or 2 guy. The ball will be spread around Mr. Walker…be patient. I for one will not give up on Walker until the day Shanny cuts him. Until then it is my hope that Javon comes back for another season.

3. I am torn about Travis Henry. I think it’s great that he is showing a classy attitude and wants to help the team going into 2008. Reminds me a bit of Elway when he restructured his contract to bring in a few needed FA that helped push us over the top to get into the Super Bowl.

However, I still think Henry is a short term solution to a long term need. And we need to address our long term need in the draft. I do not see a Super Bowl berth while Travis Henry is our primary running back. Mike Shanahan cannot win Super Bowls with a running back by committee, his play calling demands that all-world franchise running back carrying the team to victory each and every week.