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SDUT (Canepa): Thursday games the height of NFL hypocrisy
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Robin Miller
Nov 1, 2012, 3:04:42 PM11/1/12
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Canepa: Thursday games the height of NFL hypocrisy
By Nick Canepa
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
�I think that Thursday night games are good for the league.� - Norv
Turner, in one of his more hilarious moments.
They are good for the NFL. They also are food for the NFL. Thursday
night games mean more money for billionaires and it gives The League the
opportunity to heighten its already staggering hypocrisy-awareness
level. If that�s what Norv means, he�s got it. If not � and he probably
doesn�t � the Chargers� coach is full of it.
The Company Line is out in front of him and Norv�s walking it. Can�t buy
it, coach. You�re trying to sell wool to a shepherd.
Turner adds that �the players like them.� Why, because it gives the
Chargers yet another opportunity � their third in four games � to be
embarrassed on a nationally televised night game?
I can�t believe it. I don�t care what the players (unless they�re
kickers) say. They can�t like it, even less so midway through the
season. I don�t care that it�s on NFL Network (which not everyone in
America receives, by the way). I don�t care if sponsors love it. I don�t
care if fans and bookies love it. It�s wrong.
The NFL has sold its soul for more riches than it possibly could need.
The Sunday night game has gone to the Sunday late afternoon game to the
Sunday night game to the Monday night game to the Thursday night game.
I get everything but the Thursdays. Once again, it�s smart men making
stupid decisions. Professional football is not a game meant to be played
on a few days rest. It�s almost inconceivable players can get their
bodies into 50-percent shape for these things, let alone their minds.
Hypocrisy? The League now claims to be all about the safety of its
players. If so, how does it explain allowing teams to play on Sunday and
come back with no rest? In the case of tonight�s game here against the
Chiefs - magically not blacked out thanks to local benefactors - think
about Kansas City.
The Chiefs had to get to San Diego by Wednesday. League rule. Must be
here 24 hours in advance. So they basically lose a day after getting
clobbered by the Raiders last Sunday. You can�t help but believe the 1-7
Chiefs were thrilled to get on that charter for San Diego, where nothing
but good times and bright lights await.
Of course it�s worse for the players. But it�s no day at the Hotel Del
for the coaches, either. Bad enough both staffs are coming off horrible
losses � with two weeks to prepare Norv couldn�t come up with a
touchdown against the Browns � but there is so little time here. The
only thing they have going for them is they played Sept. 30 in K.C., the
last Chargers win.
I thought I�d seek an impartial jurist. Ted Tollner is a friend of
Turner�s, but the former San Diego State and USC head coach and longtime
NFL assistant is not a friend of Thursday NFL football.
�It�s hard,� Tollner says. �We did a lot of them on a short week and you
almost have no time for a game plan. The players can�t totally recover,
and right now they have to be as low as they can be.
�You�ve got Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and you don�t do much
Wednesday. I think the more experienced you are, the better off you are
in these situations because you don�t have enough time to fully prepare.�
And it should be harder on the Chiefs because of the travel and the
beating they�re not only taking on the field but from the Kansas City
faithful.
�They both lost, and it sticks with you, maybe coaches more than
players,� Tollner says. �They really just get Tuesday to practice, which
normally would be their day off. You have to do more than you normally
do - all the different situation schemes, you can�t get them all done on
Tuesday.�
In other words, the football shouldn�t be as good (and who�s to say it
would be if both these sinking clubs had a month off). The NFL is
selling us a defective product. It�s like opening a bottle of what�s
supposed to be a top vintage of Bordeaux the day after it�s corked.
�It�s TV, TV and TV again,� Ted says. �The other part of it is that you
get nervous as a coach. Have you done everything? And can you trust the
players to be ready? They have to feel like playing on Thursday. If not,
the odds are way down. It�s not an easy three days.
�It comes down to trusting your guys. It�s been three horrendous weeks
for the Chargers. You get paid well, but it�s a hard business, boy. As a
coach, you second-guess yourself. Second-guessing is what always tore me
up.�
The NFL isn�t second-guessing itself over Thursday football. It�s what
happens when a hard game becomes a hard business.
By Nick Canepa
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
�I think that Thursday night games are good for the league.� - Norv
Turner, in one of his more hilarious moments.
They are good for the NFL. They also are food for the NFL. Thursday
night games mean more money for billionaires and it gives The League the
opportunity to heighten its already staggering hypocrisy-awareness
level. If that�s what Norv means, he�s got it. If not � and he probably
doesn�t � the Chargers� coach is full of it.
The Company Line is out in front of him and Norv�s walking it. Can�t buy
it, coach. You�re trying to sell wool to a shepherd.
Turner adds that �the players like them.� Why, because it gives the
Chargers yet another opportunity � their third in four games � to be
embarrassed on a nationally televised night game?
I can�t believe it. I don�t care what the players (unless they�re
kickers) say. They can�t like it, even less so midway through the
season. I don�t care that it�s on NFL Network (which not everyone in
America receives, by the way). I don�t care if sponsors love it. I don�t
care if fans and bookies love it. It�s wrong.
The NFL has sold its soul for more riches than it possibly could need.
The Sunday night game has gone to the Sunday late afternoon game to the
Sunday night game to the Monday night game to the Thursday night game.
I get everything but the Thursdays. Once again, it�s smart men making
stupid decisions. Professional football is not a game meant to be played
on a few days rest. It�s almost inconceivable players can get their
bodies into 50-percent shape for these things, let alone their minds.
Hypocrisy? The League now claims to be all about the safety of its
players. If so, how does it explain allowing teams to play on Sunday and
come back with no rest? In the case of tonight�s game here against the
Chiefs - magically not blacked out thanks to local benefactors - think
about Kansas City.
The Chiefs had to get to San Diego by Wednesday. League rule. Must be
here 24 hours in advance. So they basically lose a day after getting
clobbered by the Raiders last Sunday. You can�t help but believe the 1-7
Chiefs were thrilled to get on that charter for San Diego, where nothing
but good times and bright lights await.
Of course it�s worse for the players. But it�s no day at the Hotel Del
for the coaches, either. Bad enough both staffs are coming off horrible
losses � with two weeks to prepare Norv couldn�t come up with a
touchdown against the Browns � but there is so little time here. The
only thing they have going for them is they played Sept. 30 in K.C., the
last Chargers win.
I thought I�d seek an impartial jurist. Ted Tollner is a friend of
Turner�s, but the former San Diego State and USC head coach and longtime
NFL assistant is not a friend of Thursday NFL football.
�It�s hard,� Tollner says. �We did a lot of them on a short week and you
almost have no time for a game plan. The players can�t totally recover,
and right now they have to be as low as they can be.
�You�ve got Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and you don�t do much
Wednesday. I think the more experienced you are, the better off you are
in these situations because you don�t have enough time to fully prepare.�
And it should be harder on the Chiefs because of the travel and the
beating they�re not only taking on the field but from the Kansas City
faithful.
�They both lost, and it sticks with you, maybe coaches more than
players,� Tollner says. �They really just get Tuesday to practice, which
normally would be their day off. You have to do more than you normally
do - all the different situation schemes, you can�t get them all done on
Tuesday.�
In other words, the football shouldn�t be as good (and who�s to say it
would be if both these sinking clubs had a month off). The NFL is
selling us a defective product. It�s like opening a bottle of what�s
supposed to be a top vintage of Bordeaux the day after it�s corked.
�It�s TV, TV and TV again,� Ted says. �The other part of it is that you
get nervous as a coach. Have you done everything? And can you trust the
players to be ready? They have to feel like playing on Thursday. If not,
the odds are way down. It�s not an easy three days.
�It comes down to trusting your guys. It�s been three horrendous weeks
for the Chargers. You get paid well, but it�s a hard business, boy. As a
coach, you second-guess yourself. Second-guessing is what always tore me
up.�
The NFL isn�t second-guessing itself over Thursday football. It�s what
happens when a hard game becomes a hard business.
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