Football
The NFL's Good, Bad & Ugly: Week 5
By L.A. Batchelor
Oct 11, 2008

NORTH CAROLINA -- Well, Week 5 is in the books and after the Sunday games we've seen the undefeated teams dwindle down to two (the 4-0 Giants and the 5-0 Titans).

Other teams like the Steelers, Redskins and Bears helped themselves stay atop their divisions with big road wins.

Let's talk about those teams and the games they played in the GOOD, BAD AND UGLY of the NFL as well as other topics.

The good:

Titans-This team continues to find ways to win. Tennessee was beaten in almost every statistical category offensively, yet QB Kerry Collins led the Titans offense down the field on an 80-yard drive late in the game that prove to be the winning drive. A little redemption for Collins, who played horribly against the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV as a member of the Giants. The Titans took full advantage of the limited times they had the ball to score and the defense forced rookie quarterback Joe Flacco to throw two big interceptions to earn the 13-10 victory. It wasn't pretty but it's all about the victories and the Titans can say they have the most at 5-0. Tennessee gets to stay unbeaten and heal the wounded this week with a bye.

Redskins-Like the Titans, Washington is showing lots of poise and confidence over the last week . It was definitely on display in their come from behind victory over the Philadelphia Eagles 23-17. The Eagles jumped out early on the Skins, but a steady diet of Clinton Portis running the ball, Jason Campbell making smart decisions and nice throws down the field and the defense controlling Donovan McNabb and the Eagle offense in the second half, the Redskins were well on their way to their fourth straight victory. They're having success because they don't turn the ball over, they run the ball well and they stop the run. Portis is running the ball like the Portis of old (145 yards, 29 carries, TD) and the offense had 388 total yards. The Redskins are in the drivers seat in the NFC East after playing all of their divisional road games finishing 2-1. While playing against inferior opponents in their next few games and the fact they'll now host Dallas, Philadelphia and the Giants, Washington truly controls their own destiny. They will not face a team with a winning record until Monday, November 3rd when they host the 4-1 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Giants-Are the Giants that good or are the Seahawks that bad? I think the answer is probably somewhere in the middle but nevertheless, New York remains unbeaten with a 44-6 romp against Seattle. Eli Manning threw two touchdowns, Brandon Jacobs ran for two more and the unbeaten Giants scored on their first five possessions while embarrassing the Seahawks in the process. The win was the eighth straight for New York (4-0) dating back to last year's playoffs, and gives the Super Bowl champions their best start since 1990 when they posted a 13-3 record and also won the NFL title. They rolled up 523 yards in total offense (most since collecting 524 yards against Green Bay in January of 2002) and limited Seattle to a pathetic 187. The way the champs are playing, you have to say they are the best and most balanced team in the league, but here come the Redskins. It will be some kind of battle when the G-MEN and Skins get together again November 27th in Washington.

Dolphins-How bout' them Dolphins! After going to New England and embarrassing the Patriots with trick plays that you can only see in high school and college, the Fins come out of their bye week with more trick plays, a steady dose of Ronnie Brown on the ground and a solid defense in beating the Chargers 17-10. The Miami defense held San Diego to only 202 yards of total offense, shutdown L.T. (35 yards, 12 carries) and held the ball for over 36 minutes. Brown continued to run the ball well (125 yards, 24 carries, TD). I said it before the season and I continue to say the Chargers are destined to fail as long as Norv Turner is their head coach. Turner failed in Washington and will fail in San Diego because he never gets his teams ready to play in big games and they always underachieve. This year's Chargers is no exception. San Diego can't afford to fall too far behind the division leading Broncos and will have a tough test this weekend as they host the revitalized and rejuvenated New England Patriots.

Steelers-Coming into the game against Jacksonville, Pittsburgh knew they had to run the ball and protect Ben Roethlisberger to give them any shot at beating the Jags . They did all of that and then some. Big Ben was really big throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns and Mewelde Moore -- filling in for Willie Parker -- ran 17 times for 99 yards helping the Steelers to overcome their offensive woes and leading them to a 26-21 victory. The Jaguars have owned the Steelers over the years beating them four of the lprevious five meetings, including two times last season. With all the talk about the Titans, Ravens and even the Redskins defense, Pittsburgh's defense showed they belong among the elite. The Black and Gold held the Jaguars to 14 first downs, 38 yards rushing, 213 total yards of offense and sacked David Garrard three times. The Steelers did to the Jaguars what they've been doing to the Steelers for a couple of years -- being physical and controlling the ball on offense with the running game. Pittsburgh is battered and wounded and will get a chance to get some guys healthy with a bye week this week. They'll need it considering they have key players out for the season and they have the toughest schedule in all of football.

Falcons-Although I am still skeptical of Atlanta based on their strength of schedule and because the season is still young, I can't help but give them props on the way they've played so far. QB Matt Ryan was efficient throwing for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Turner was superb once again (121 yards, 26 carries, TD) in the Falcons win at Lambeau Field. It was the first road win of the season for the new and improved Falcons (3-2), putting a team that is supposed to be rebuilding over the .500 mark and keeping the Falcons only a game behind the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers continues to put up big numbers as the Packers continue to lose (three in a row). The Falcons are young and reactionary which is a youthful trait but they need there veterans to step up, play well and give good advice. They'll need all the advice and coaching they can get as they host the 3-2 Chicago Bears.

The bad:

Packers-After looking like the best team in the NFC, the Packers have come back to the pack with three straight losses to Dallas, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Although Aaron Rodgers had another 300 yard passing game, it clearly wasn't enough primarily and surprisingly because the defense continues to struggle allowing rookie quarterback Matt Ryan to flourish and lead Atlanta to their first road victory of the season. Ryan was 16 of 26 for 194 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Falcons wide receiver Roddy White caught eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Turner ran for 121 yards and a touchdown. They also allowed the Falcons to score two out of three times inside the red zone. Green Bay is beat up and got beat down while continuing to make mistakes on offense in particular in the red zone while the defense gives up too many big plays. The talk of the "Pack is back" went away three weeks ago and until they fix the problems on both sides of the ball, that kind of rhetoric will be gone for the season and so will any playoff hopes.

Eagles-Like the Packers, Philly got off to a good start of the season winning two of their first three. But since then, they've have lost two in a row. After starting the game against the Redskins fast going up 14-0, they managed only three points the rest of the game while allowing the Redskins to score 23 points leading to Washington's fourth straight win. Now 2-3, Philly is in danger of being the only team in the NFC East of missing the playoffs just like last season if they don't turn things around. Once again, they struggled inside the red zone because of their inability to run the football. With a banged up Brian Westbrook (bruised ribs), it doesn't look to get any easier. Both Jason Campbell and Donovan McNabb were efficient, but not spectacular and neither turned the ball over. But the difference was Campbell had a running game to support him. Clinton Portis rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown while Westbrook rushed for only 33 yards on 12 carries. McNabb said he was embarrassed by the performance and reportedly called a players-only meeting to get refocused. They'll need more than a pep talk. They'll need to execute on both sides of the ball.

Bills-After sitting on top of the world with four straight wins to start the season, Buffalo got a dose of reality after a 41-17 beat down in Arizona to the Cardinals. The Bills offense was pathetic the entire game largely because of the loss of QB Trent Edwards who suffered a concussion early in the game. Buffalo's offense managed only 13 first downs, 284 yards of total offense (84 on the ground), allowed five sacks and turned the ball over four times. Defensively, they didn't allow many yards but they did allow Arizona to convert nine of 15 (60 percent) on third down, five for five inside the red zone and four of four in goal to goal efficiency. The Bills are concerned about the concussion suffered by Edwards ,but they should also be concerned about the psyche of the team after suffering their first lost and the ability to bounce back from it. They'll get a week to comtemplate the loss and get Edwards healthy because of a bye.

Saints-Can anyone do a better job in giving away a football game better than New Orleans did against Minnesota Monday night? The Saints had four turnovers leading to 21 points for the Vikings and leading to a 30-27 loss. Reggie Bush had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde night becoming only the 10th player in NFL history to score two touchdowns on punt returns in the same game, but also fumbled the ball twice losing one. The Saints defense, which has struggled stopping teams this season, was a bright spot in the game holding Adrian "Superman" Peterson to only 32 yards on 21 carries and giving up only 226 yards passing. After starting the season with an impressive win over Tampa Bay, they've struggled since, losing three of four. They'll need to get it in gear this week because they can't afford to fall further behind the NFC South leading Panthers. They should get it going this week as they host the disorganized Raiders.

Jaguars-The Jaguars are similar to the Steelers in the problems they have. They are banged up due to injuries on the offensive line, they struggle to score points, and their quarterback has to run for his life. That was evident in the Jags game against the Steelers last weekend as Ben Roethlisberger threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and third string running back Mewelde Moore rush for 99 yards on 17 carries leading to a 26-21 comeback victory for Pittsburgh. Big Ben finished 26-of-41, rebounding from an interception on his third pass that Rashean Mathis returned 72 yards for a score. He threw an eight yard pass to Hines Ward in the corner of the end zone put the Steelers ahead for good with just under two minutes remaining. Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard struggled to make plays down the field and the running game was worse. He was 18 of 32 for 200 yards and a touchdown, but had constant pressure in his face. Pittsburgh harassed Garrard for three sacks and several knockdowns. The rushing attack was pathetic as Fred Taylor and Garrard were the leading rushers combining for 31 yards on 19 carries. As bad as the offense was, the defense continues to give up lots of yards and leads late in games. Pittsburgh rolled up 28 first downs and 415 yards, and probably would have won going away had it not been for the early interception and 10 penalties for 129 yards. Houston's Matt Schaub torched the Jaguars for 307 yards passing and three scores last week. Jack Del Rio vowed to get the lapses fixed, but apparently didn't. The Jags have big problems on both sides of the ball to fix. They also have injuries and they have to figure out how to get back into the division race before they fall too far behind the division leading and unbeaten Titans.

Cowboys-I know Dallas moved their record to 4-1 with a narrow win over the winless Bengals, but it shouldn't have been a close game. The Cowboys are talented but always do things the hard way. They let a 17-point lead shrivel to one, then had to break up a two-point conversion that could've tied it midway through the fourth quarter. Then, in the final minutes, they caught a break when a pass went through Miles Austin's hands at the one and right into Patrick Crayton's hands in the end zone, giving the Cowboys a narrow 31-22 victory. Even with the big early lead, the 'Boys really didn't light up the sky offensively. Tony Romo struggled going 14 of 23 for only 176 yards, threw three touchdowns but threw a bad pick and looked confused especially in the second and third quarters. Marion Barber ran hard for 84 yards but T.O. caught only two passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. I guess T.O.'s alleged rant and disruptive behavior towards Tony Romo apparently didn't work as evident of only two catches although Owens did catch a big touchdown and his 900th catch of his career. Dallas continues to play down to their competition and for now have managed to still win games. But they can't continue to do so when they go on the road to face their division foes. The question is will T.O. continue to speak out and demand the ball and will the latest incident with Adam "Pacman" Jones be a distraction for this Super Bowl contender. We will see how if anything affect this team this weekend as they travel to Arizona to face the 3-2 Cardinals.

The Ugly:

Texans- The only thing I can say after Houston blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Colts is WOW! After dominating Indy on both sides of the ball for three thirds of the football game, the Texans showed the reason why they are winless this season. With QB Matt Schaub out with an injury, backup Sage Rosenfels, played well for three and half quarters and horrible the last five minutes of the game. He fumbled the ball twice and threw an interception leading to the Colts improbable 31-27 win. Rosenfels fumbled leading to a 68-yard touchdown run back by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett and fumbled again after defensive back Marlin Jackson upended him after Houston recovered an onside kick attempt by the Colts. The winning touchdown eventually came on a five-yard pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne with just under two minutes remaining in the game. Rosenfels broke the basic rule of an offensive player in particular a back up player: ALWAYS PROTECT THE FOOTBALL! As much as we can and should blame him for the huge turnovers late in the game, some game should also go to Gary Kubiak because there is no way the Texans should have thrown the ball and he should have stressed to Rosenfels to either take the sack if needed, hand the ball off or throw the ball out of bounds. He didn't and the Texans continue to be win less. As I said last week, I continue to say, the time to call for Kubiak's job is now in order to take the team in a different direction. It's bad enough the playoffs are a dream once again for this team this season.

Chargers- San Diego looked horrible in losing to the Dolphins last week and it's all because of two words --  NORV TURNER

Seahawks-Is it me or did Seattle get old fast? Check out these stats: 187 yards of total offense, 23 minutes of time of possession, 75 yards rushing and six points. The Seahawks defense allowed 523 of total offense to the Giants, allowed them to hold the ball for over 36 minutes, allowed over 250 yards rushing, and forced no turnovers even with lWR Plaxico Burress not playing in the game due to a suspension. QB Matt Hasselback looks old and hesitant at quarterback. The receivers are banged up and inconsistent, the defense not only can't stop the run, but they struggle to get a pass rush. Maybe Mike Holmgrem shouldn't have announced this is his last season as coach because they are not playing like a team that made it to the Super Bowl a few years ago as the NFC representative. Maybe he thought they would rally around him, circle the wagons and "win one for the Holmgrem", or something like that. Whatever his intentions are and whatever he is preaching, the choir is not listening. Just think if the Seahawks didn't play the St Louis Rams (one of the few teams playing worst football than they are), they would be winless like the Rams, Lions and Bengals. The way they are playing football this season, the Rams victory may be their only victory this season.

Rams-I know they had a bye this week so they didn't lose. But they're still winless so they're still in this category and will most likely to still be so because they have to travel to D.C. face the red hot Redskins, winners of four in a row.

Chiefs- I don't know what to say about K.C. They battle the Patriots and only lose by seven, get beat up by the disorganized Raiders, run the ball down the Broncos throat and apparently fail to get on the plane to Carolina. The team on the field facing the Panthers couldn't have been a professional team after getting clobbered 34-0. I know this is a young team with no quarterback, but is the entire 53-man roster rookies? Larry Johnson who ran with reckless abandon against the Broncos couldn't manage double digits (seven carries, two yards for the game). The defense allowed DeAngelo Williams 123 yards and two touchdowns and got no pressure on Jake Delhomme. The one highlight for the Chiefs in this game was Tony Gonzalez catching a six-yard pass to become the all-time yards receiver for tight ends in league history. He obviously was not in a celebrating mood after the game saying "That was the worst I've ever been involved with, in my professional career," Gonzalez said. "We couldn't get anything going -- offense, defense, special teams. So embarrassing." K.C. didn't have to be this bad. They gave up their best quarterback in Trent Green and their best defensive player in Jerrod Allen. The Chiefs will put the losing on hold for a week because of a bye, but expect the losing to continue on the 19th as the Titans come to town.

Colts- At this point, I can't even say Indy is the best 2-2 team in the NFL because they should be 0-4. The combination of having a great quarterback and receivers with playing the Vikings and Texans has been the formula for the Colts' two wins while the inability to stop the run and run the ball has led to their losses. Is it me, or is Peyton Manning still not healthy? Indy would lead you to believe he is in his pre-season stage trying to get his rhythm, but it looks like it's more than that. The overthrows, mis-reads an inability to be the lack of accuracy tells me he is still rehabbing from the off season surgery he had. Defensively, we knew they would miss Bob Sanders but wow! This defense couldn't stop a high school offense right now not to mention put pressure on the quarterback. The Colts are skilled enough to comeback on a Vikings team who can't score enough points to beat them and a Texans team who can't hold on to the football long enough to beat them. But they can't get away with that against teams that can score, defend, don't turn the ball over and are physical like some of the remaining teams on their schedule (i.e., Tennessee, Baltimore, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, New England). If the Colts can figure out how to fix the problems on both sides of the ball and get through the next six games with a winning record, they will have played the toughest part of their schedule and will only face two teams with winning records in their last six games.

Lions- Well the post Matt Millen era began as if the Matt Millen era never ended.......with a loss. The pathetic Lions let the Bears come into their house and smack them in the mouth in every phase of the game the entire game losing 34-7. No need to get into stats because we all know they favor the Bears in every way. They made the Bears offense look like the 1984 49ers team that scored a ton of points en route to another Super Bowl win. The Lions are the anti-Titans. They can't stop the run or run the ball, they can't protect the passer or rush the passer. They are clearly the worse team in the football simply because they out of all the winless teams and struggling teams, have tried every coach, player, draft, scheme and they get the same results................none! Two words to describe the reason the Lions are so bad:  DETROIT LIONS!

Games to watch week 5:

1. Chicago at Atlanta-To me, this is a game that will prove one team to be a pretender and one to be a contender. Both teams come off road wins and both teams come off good play from their offense. The match up to watch will be the Bears physical and bruising defense against a yet to be proven Matt Ryan at quarterback for the Falcons.

2. Carolina at Tampa Bay-In a battle against two divisional foes, the Buccaneers look to tie the Panthers for the division lead. The Panthers come off an easy win over a bad Kansas City Chiefs team, while the Bucs try to forget the tough loss in Denver last week. The Panthers will look to pound the ball on the ground with De Angelo Williams and company while the Buccaneers will look to generate ore yardage and points than the 13 they got last weekend. The key match up in this game will be the Panthers ability to run the ball to set up play action pass against Monte Kiffin's cover two defense that can also put pressure on the quarterback. Carolina's success on the ground also will be based on the health of their offensive line which has been banged up over the last few weeks.

3. Jacksonville at Denver- This is a must win for Jacksonville. With the Titans sitting on top of the world and the Colts still hanging around, the Jags must get a victory to stay in contention in the surprisingly competitive AFC South. The Broncos continue to win but last week it wasn't the offense that led the way, it was the defense coming up with some big plays late in beating the Bucs 16-13. The key match up is the line of scrimmage. The Jaguars must win the battle of the line of scrimmage on offense and defense in order to win and they must protect David Garrard who is suddenly running for his proverbial life week after week. It will be a tough task for the team from Florida with injuries on their offensive line and a struggling and underachieving defense.

4. Dallas at Arizona-To me, this is a trap game for Dallas. The Cowboys come to town barely beating the winless Bengals, filled with doubters, distractions and dissension within the team while the Cardinals come off a much needed win over the Bills to stop a two game losing streak. So all arrows point to a Cardinal victory? Not so fast! The Cowboys will look to shut up the non-believers and prove they are the best team in football plus they can't afford to slip with the Redskins playing at home against the Rams and the Giants traveling to take on the 1-3 Browns. The key match up will be how well the Cowboys can hide..................oops I mean come up with a scheme or game plan to put pressure on Kurt Warner and defend the Cardinal talented wide receiving core.

5. Philadelphia at San Francisco-Like the Jaguars, the Eagles can't afford too many more losses even though it's still relatively early in the season. If the Eagles lose and the other teams in their division win, they will be at least three and a half games behind even though it wouldn't be a divisional loss. Donavan McNabb has been exceptional but his most productive weapon, Brian Westbrook, may not play due to.........well, pick an injury. The 49ers are an up and down young team with some good parts but they struggle to put together any consistency which could cost Mike Nolan his job. The weird match up of this game is the Eagles pathetic running attack against the 49ers pathetic run defense. Both are statistically at the bottom of the league in each category. If the Eagles are to get back to .500, they will have to do it on the arm and legs of McNabb and the defensive play calling of Jim Johnson against San Francisco.

My top 15 teams after week 5

1. Giants
2. Tennessee
3. Pittsburgh
4.Washington
5. Dallas
6. Carolina
7. Denver
8. New England
9. Buffalo
10. Philadelphia
11. San Diego
12. Arizona
13. Tampa Bay
14. Chicago
15. Baltimore

Added bonus

Best performance by a Division I college football team

Vanderbilt-Congratulations to the Commodores for beating the Auburn Tigers and their inept offense 19-14 on the way to their fifth straight win. It's the first time Vandy has started 5-0 since the dinosaur age. The Commodores football team has been so insignificant, most people would think of Lionel Richie as one of the Commodores singing group rather than the Commodores football team. This team has comeback to win three games in the second half on their way to an unbeaten record which is a reflection of their head coach Bobby Johnson who has the team believing they can win and play with anyone in the SEC and the country. They better be focused this weekend and avoid a let down as they travel to play Sylvester Croom and his Bulldogs of Mississippi State.

Worst performance by a Division I college football team:

Clemson-I know they had to go on the road to face a tough and discipline Wake Forest team but they continue to struggle on offense this time scoring only one touchdown in losing to the Demon Deacons 12-7. The question is why do they struggled on offense? A veteran quarterback, solid offensive line and numerous McDonald's all-American players at running back, it's mind-boggling why they can't put together a complete offensive game. It's not a coincident that Tommy Tuberville and Bobby Bowden both are on the hot seat when you look at both the offense of Auburn (they fired their offensive coordinator) and Clemson has struggled this season.

Best HBCU football team of the week

West Virginia State-West Virginia State remained unbeaten primarily because of a defense that forced six turnovers in a 41-7 homecoming victory versus Concord (0-6, 0-4). WVSU's offense compiled 435 yards, including 121 yards on the ground courtesy of Brian Mitchell. Mitchell also scored two touchdowns and Fabian Payne had a pair of rushing touchdowns for WVSU.

Best HBCU football player of the week

Greg Dillon- The Grambling State quarterback threw for four touchdowns and led the team in rushing as Grambling State beat Prairie View A&M easily 40-16 Saturday night in the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl . Dillon went 15-of-20 passing for 155 yards and was also the Tigers' leading rusher with 61 yards. The defense played well, forcing Prairie View A&M quarterback Mark Spivey into three interceptions as the Tigers dominated early and often leading at halftime 19-9 and outscoring Prairie View A&M 21-7 in the second half.

Worst organization of the week:

E (Elitists), S (segregationist), P (propaganda), N (network)

This is an organization who went after Plaxico Burress of the Giants because he missed time with the team to take care of his kids and family, tried to tear the team apart and tried to say he would be a distraction to the team yet the Giants went out and destroyed the Sea hawks 44-6 and didn't miss a step.

They criticized Chad Johnson since he ended his hold out and said he would be a distraction and yet he has been the ultimate team player in the midst of his worse season as a pro with the Bengals thus far.

They tried to say Terrell Owens complaining about the lack of footballs being thrown to him and plays called for him during Cowboy games would be detrimental to the team and would lead to the Cowboys demise and yet Tony Romo, T.O., Wade Phillips and owner Jerry Jones all came out and said there is no controversy and Owens will get the ball more and more as the season progresses.

Finally, when the news came out that Adam Jones was involved in an altercation with his body guard at 1:30 in the morning, they had all there attack dogs ready to pounce on Jones and the Cowboys all day long, practically calling for Jerry Jones and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Jones or even dismiss him from the league immediately.

Well sorry, Colin Cowherd, Trey Wingo, Ed Werder and company, Jerry Jones announced Adam Jones would not be suspended by the team and although we haven't heard from the Commissioner yet, it was a slap back in the "all-non sports" network and a small measure of justice for the players I mentioned and all the black athletes they portray as thugs, criminals, losers and fatherless misfits. It's time we wake up to the propaganda, lies and deceit ESPN pushes on their network. Just because they discuss it and "report" on it, doesn't make it truthful or accurate.

What ESPN spews over the air on tv and radio is racist, evil and dangerous because it always gives the mass viewers and listeners the negative portrayal of the black athlete and never the positive. When Terrell Owens came back from a horrific injury to play and played well in Super Bowl XXXIX against the Patriots, it's considered as risky and not a smart move on his part but when Tom Brady has an alleged injury going into the Super Bowl against the Giants, it's considered heroic and he is such a tough competitor.

When Barry Bonds is accused of taking steroids even though he never tested positive for any, he is considered a liar and a cheat meanwhile Josh Hamilton, the outfielder for the Texas Rangers spent most of his professional career using lots of drugs and alcohol, ALLEGEDLY stops using drugs and alcohol and makes it back to the big league, is considered a heart warming story and he is considered a fighter who fought hard against all odds.

ESPN's rhetoric is as dangerous to America as John McCain and his legion of doom. They both push separation, hate, negativity and both have no problem in playing the race card to create fear, anxiety and division among blacks and whites on controversial topics and issues. It's time we wake up to all of it and fight back.

Stop believing everyone on that network is knowledgeable and credible. Stop thinking every fact is valid and every opinion is useful. Take the time to listen, Stop, look,listen, learn about the network and their underline agenda. ESPN is not about sports and the players anymore, it's about their personalities and how they manipulate sports and black athletes by praising white athletes while diminishing the black athlete.

ESPN is like a bully who knows what to say and who to say it to and will not waver unless they are smacked in the mouth. It's time for us to stand up and as Senator Barack Obama said "ENOUGH" and smack them in the mouth with more support of our black journalists, support of the few sports organizations and networks and a renewed sense of solidarity, pride and of fair reporting, real sports and more importantly treating our black athletes with the respect and dignity they deserve.