No apologies required, Irish. I don't remember anyone on here ever calling Gordon an addict. Stupid ?? Certainly (myself included)
Like I said, it wasn't so much anyone on here as it is the media trying to paint him into that corner, then some agreeing with the writer of the article. I know he has gotten himself into a suspension and subsequently messed up "OUR" team's chances this year. But, I see so many of these articles and they never seem to take into account his actual daily life. This kid is just that, a kid, in my eyes anyway. He doesn't live in a bubble, nor do any of us, yet the small mistakes become huge mistakes in the media. To have what many had called a problem in college, then to take on the rigorous testing he has and pass them week after week until this laugher of a test, well, in many ways I see him as being punished on a level that is inhumane I guess. It is frustrating...
The vote among NFLPA reps on a new drug policy is not expected until Friday at the earliest. Josh Gordon, Wes Welker and other recently suspended players remain in limbo. The union is awaiting a response from the league to its latest recommendations before they actually hold their vote, and the league office is a engulfed with the Ray Rice scandal right now. The two sides appear close on a deal, but there are "issues with language on multiple issues, including commissioner authority in the appeals process." Gordon remains worth stashing in all formats even though this isn't going to get sorted out before Sunday.
As long as they don't split your sample into an A and a B, you're in good shape. And Irish, you're not supposed to :-* for a drug screening sample. That's a whole other test altogether.
Yes Duff, they were split alright...Should I be worried?? Maybe that's ^^^ why they were questioning the color and consistency, in the end the nurse let it pass though.. *THUMBSUP*
Naw, I don't have to worry about hitting a 230 lb linebacker running at me at 10 miles an hour...I simply hold the lives of EVERYONE around me while driving 80K GVW trucks at 70 miles an hour, so they only make us pass with a 50 ng standard. Which in this day and age is low as well...
FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo predicts an eight-game suspension for Josh Gordon if the NFL and NFLPA agree to a new drug policy. Garafolo's "educated guess" is based on information from a variety of sources. Garafolo emphasizes that things are changing "minute to minute." ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported the sides would like to reach an agreement by Thursday evening, but it's not considered a slam dunk.
Not sure how Gordon gets an 8 game suspension if he passes any new testing limits that are agreed upon.
Need to find me a dog like this...... [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCfZOIDXqpI#t=124[/video]
I'm with Duff on the Gordon suspension. I agree with Irish on the basic facts, and can't help feeling like Gordon has somehow been labeled a "problem child" by the NFL. It seems a heavy suspension, and like Duff implied, if he passed the new parameters which obviously the NFL felt compelled to change due to being "out of step" with the rest of the free world, then only the DUI should be addressed, no retribution or projection, based on unrelated issues. If it is 8 games then does that become the default sespension for any/all DUIs? Frankly I think the Rice thing is going to work against him, in so much as the NFL doesn't want to appear to be "soft" on anything right now, and Gordon is caught in the wheels again. Gordon can/should be considered foolish, reckless, immature, stupid, for putting himself in the crosshairs, but man has timing worked against him. I have to suport Irish's position, that Gordon is not an addict. Really how many tests and for how many years does he need to pass, before it is clear he isn't a habitual user? I'm a Browns fan, so I know my perspective on this is colored, but I truly believe we are at a particularlly sensitive time in the NFL when social issues are "up front" and they are trying to show strength in addressing them. I believe domestic abuse and drunken driving are serious, but I also don't believe all cases are uniform, and deserving of identical punishment. By the way , what if there were no video? What happens the next time, and there isn't a video? Pretty slippery slope, if you ask me. As much as it would vilify the NFL, there remains a reasonable argument for staying out of it until law enforcement completes their responsibility, which in this case they did not, leaving the NFL to somehow satisfy the cry for justice. The 2 game suspension, looks suspiciously like the expected "sweep it under the rug" approach, that show little understanding about the impact of domestic violence. They were wrong about that, and are paying the price, but I think Gordon may end up paying too, as some form of penance by the NFL to show they are doing the right thing, at least on some front. Or maybe I'm just a conspiracy therorist, who's orange and brown blood wants there to be reason beyond fairness for our woes.
I heard this on the radio and thought it was an excellent point. If there had been video of Michael Vick in action with the atrocities he committed on dogs. Oh lord, not only would it be silly to even consider the notion of him playing in the NFL again, but he would probably still be in jail...The power of the video is everything. Ray Rice dragging his wife's lifeless body through a hotel lobby wasn't quite enough for some reason.....Most of us had to see the knockout shot before that thing really hit home. It was scary, and I'm no detective, but it sure didn't seem like that was the first time Ray ever punched a woman. His lack of concern, which was all caught on video, was just as damning as the punch IMO....
BEREA, Ohio -- Drew Brees is one 300-yard game from the 80th of his career. He?s 62 yards from moving into fourth on the NFL?s list of all-time passers. In 2011, he finished one yard shy of the all-time NFL record for passing yards in a season. He?s been that good for that long, both with San Diego and New Orleans, whom he will lead into Cleveland on Sunday. But when he faces the Browns, Brees becomes human. [+] EnlargeDrew Brees Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Drew Brees doesn't have good career statistics against the Browns, but he does have a 3-1 record.In four games against the Browns -- two with the Chargers, two with the Saints -- Brees has completed 60 percent of his throws and has a passer rating of 67.4. The completion percentage is nine percent lower than his overall rating, and his 67.4 rating is 29 percent lower than his overall career rating of 95.2. His rating against the Browns is also lower than his rating against any other team. ?I [was] not aware of that,? Brees said on his conference call with the Cleveland media. ?That?s a great stat.? The rating is even lower when Brees? two games with the Saints against the Browns are considered. In those games, he has completed 66 percent with three touchdowns and five interceptions -- a rating of 66.3. All is relative, of course. Brees won three of the four games. But he?s split as a Saint. He won the season opener in 2006 in the first game Sean Payton and Brees were a tandem. But in 2010, the Browns went to New Orleans and won, though they had to use every special-teams trick they had to get it done. ?Last time I played against them was four years ago, ? Brees said. ?They?re a completely different team, obviously, with a new coaching staff and a lot of new players.? When it comes to the Browns, four years is a four-generation change. Only four players on this Browns team were on the team in 2010 -- Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, Ahtyba Rubin and Joe Haden. So Brees will be seeing a different group, but he?ll be playing outside, where he isn?t as effective as he is in the confines of the friendly Superdome. And he?ll be playing on the road, where the Saints have lost six of their last nine. Coach Mike Pettine said the Saints use the short passing game as a controlled form of the running game. Once they?ve drawn the defense up, they hit the big play. ?You have to eliminate the chunk plays,? Pettine said. It?s easier said than done, as many have learned. In a losing effort to Atlanta in the opener, Brees threw for 333 yards, Jimmy Graham had eight catches and rookie Brandin Cooks had seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. ?They?ve got five eligible receivers,? Pettine said. ?All of them can catch. They have run-after-the-catch ability. I think their scheme is tremendous ? just the way they substitute players to multiple personnel groups to keep you off-kilter.? The key, in Pettine?s mind, to facing a team that puts up offensive numbers that are ?legendary?? Limit the big plays, and keep Brees guessing. ?I don?t know if there?s a defense you can draw up that he hasn?t seen before,? Pettine said. ?He knows where to go with the football. As we told our guys [Wednesday], we have to do a great job with our pre-snap movement ? our disguise. It?s a poker game. ?Don?t be that guy with the obvious tell. If he?s staring at you pre-snap on a lot of plays, then you?re the sucker at the table. We?ve got to make sure we?re doing a good job disguising what we do. ?With any great quarterback, if they know what you?re in pre-snap, you?re in big trouble. At least force them to figure it out as the play is beginning instead of before the ball is snapped.?
Many thanks to the interviewer for adding that incentive to Brees' reasons to take the Browns seriously. Idiots.
On Tuesday night, NFLPA leadership didn?t have a proposed drug policy deemed sufficient to submit to the player representatives for a vote. As of Friday, they apparently will. NFLPA spokesman George Atallah says via Twitter that player representatives have been asked to set aside time on Friday to review and to potentially vote on new drug policies. Per a league source, it?s currently expected that a vote will occur. It doesn?t mean the new drug policies will be adopted. But for the first time since the CBA was finalized in August 2011, the player representatives will have a new policy on which to cast a ballot.
