Ramifications…
They're everywhere we look. A phalanx of credit "pros" start loaning money to people without any viable assets, and the next thing you know, we find ourselves pondering the concept of having to work until we're in our nineties. Fun stuff, right?
Ramifications are also constantly on display in the NFL, which has always been an incredible canvas for the domino effect of decision-making. Much like our economy, the good calls never seem to resonate like the bad ones do. Sure, picking Tom Brady in the sixth round gets a ton of pub, but it doesn't come close to rivaling the stench of the picks Matt Millen made while driving Lions stock even lower than Ford's.
Yes, Chicken Little, the sky may actually be falling after all, and lots of football bills have suddenly come due in the past couple of weeks.
» Brett Favre may or may not have schooled the Detroit Lions on how to beat his former team. If it's true, we can conclude a couple of things:
1) His legacy is going to take a severe hit, far worse than the hit from his yes-no-yes offseason petulance, because this one could cost him his die-hard Wisconsin apologists.
2) The Lions are so bad, they can't even beat a team if you hand them the opponent's playbook. Maybe that's why Rod Marinelli keeps tossing those "no comments" at the situation…
» Hines Ward breaks a rookie's jaw, and pa-dow! Ramifications rear their ugly head when Terrell Suggs lets it slip that the Ravens have had a bounty on Ward's head for cheap shots. Tell me their Dec. 14 game in Pittsburgh isn't going to see more flags than a regatta…
» The Browns have failed to eradicate a serious problem, and it is going to hurt them for a long, long time - and no, I don't mean their miserable start to the season. Having seen an astonishing number of players suffer staph infections while recovering at their facilities, I cannot imagine they will ever sign another premium free agent again. Think about it -- if you were out there on the market, had options, and were ready to start taking some visits, would you go anywhere near a situation that is clearly so toxic it makes the old turf at the Vet in Philly look cleaner than your Grandma's kitchen table? I wouldn't even feel safe sitting on the owner's private jet…
» The Wildcat formation is starting to remind me of J.T. O'Sullivan - looked like a revelation… until the league got some film on it. Have the Ravens shown the way to snuffing out a gimmick, or are there new wrinkles? This week, Dick Jauron and his staff will let us know as the Dolphins host Buffalo…
» The Niners use the first pick in the draft to select Alex Smith, and three-plus years later, Mike Singletary finally gets his shot as a head coach. We will see if he can straighten out the mess by the Bay, but Singletary said some things in his introductory press conference that gave me chills. He doesn't seem the least bit cruel or petty, and yet I got the distinct impression that he is not going to make things comfortable around the Niners locker room. Sort of like the attitude I'm starting to think they're missing in San Diego and Dallas…
» Speaking of San Diego and Dallas… two teams that looked like Super Bowl contenders until they decided to hire Norv Turner and Wade Phillips and are now getting exactly what they should have expected - coordinator-level head coaching. Haven't we seen both of these acts before? Twice apiece? I was kinda pulling for Wade, but after that loss to the Rams, I am fresh out of bullets.
The Benson effect
If you're looking for some deep-dish ramifications, look no further than something I will call the "Thomas Jones Affair," a situation that keeps playing out before our very eyes.
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There was a time when Jones and the Bears were a perfect match. He ran hard, they won games, and the brain trust made the fatal mistake that always leads to nasty ramifications - they start thinking a little too hard and decided the hard-charging Jones, a warrior with the complete respect of his teammates, wasn't enough. Despite bigger needs at other positions, they used the fourth overall pick in 2005 to draft Cedric Benson.
Benson gets all mad that he slipped in the draft thanks to the problems of another Longhorns back, Ricky Williams. He vehemently protests that he's a different kind of dude, then proceeds to hold out forever and blow up his rookie year. Meanwhile, Jones dominates with 1,335 yards and nine TDs. The next year, Jones, with Benson spelling him, helps Chicago reach the Super Bowl… where Rex Grossman ends a terrific season on a ghastly note by flaming out big on the big stage. The Bears then decide the solution to the situation is to trade Jones to the Jets and hand things over to Benson. Needless to say, he looks incredibly average, and with no running game, Grossman picks up right where he left off in the Super Bowl, loses everyone's confidence, and crashes hard. Meanwhile, Jones finds a way to gain a thousand yards on a crappy Jets team, but only manages one touchdown en route to a 4-12 season.
Want to see a snapshot of a team that just threw away two years? Heading into 2008, the Bears cut Benson, benched Grossman for Kyle Orton, drafted Matt Forte, and suddenly they are back to where they were when Jones was still the alpha-back.
Meanwhile, Benson finally landed with the desperate Cincinnati Bengals, where he finished last week with 14 carries for 52 yards.
As for Jones, revitalized by better line play and the new dimension fellow NFC North castoff Favre brings to the table, he starts to remind us of the guy who dominated in Chicago. In the last two weeks, Jones has racked up 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns -- tripling his previous total with the Jets. Oh and by the way, he must be licking his chops as he prepares to take on a mega-porous Chiefs defense that is fresh off surrendering 332 yards rushing and 4 TDs to Chris Johnson and LenDale White.
Think Jones has a shot to continue to make his trade look like a bad decision? Me, too.
