Let’s be honest. Newspapers are so 2001, and the blogosphere is just too big to sift through every day for your football fix. We have you covered with the latest stories, topics, and opinion from the World Wide Web here at the Goal-Line Stand with our Lunch Links.
+ When normal people start their first day at a new job, first impressions are very important. After the first week or so you can relax and be yourself, but that first day is crucial. We’re well aware that Terrell Owens isn’t normal, and that the normal rules of society don’t apply to him, but missing a flight to his first practice as a Bengal certainly isn’t a good first impression.
+ And while we’re singling out football players and their poor public images, Troy Aikman seemingly appeared to be more than willing to throw away a perfectly good image and sign up for another round of NFL dancing embarrassment. The legendary Cowboys quarterback told TMZ that he’ll be appearing in the next series of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. No sport seems more obsessed with this showcase of bad celebrity hip thrusting than the NFL, and it’s a shame, because I don’t think I’ll look at Emmitt Smith the same again. Add Chad Ochocinco, Jason Taylor, Jerry Rice, and Michael Irvin to the DWTS alumni, and we’re halfway to a Pro Bowl team. He sounded sincere enough in the TMZ clip, but Aikman has since denied the story, saying it interferes with the American Idol auditions, which is likely a vague and poor attempt at a cover up.
+ We’ll continue the public embarrassment theme with Albert Haynesworth, an endless fountain of shame if there ever was one. Haynesworth didn’t attend any offseason training activities held by the Redskins because of his request to be traded, so it makes sense that the team would test his conditioning before allowing him to practice. Even though his attitude was lacking, it was easy to assume Haynesworth would pass because he reportedly lost 32 pounds working out on his own. Not so fast. There are conflicting reports as to whether or not Haynesworth flunked, with Jay Glazer tweeting that he failed the second part of the test, while Jason Reid of the Washington Post says otherwise. Either way, having conflicting reports on a mundane conditioning test is never a good thing.
+ Glazer later tweeted that the Redskins made Haynesworth essentially run 12, 50 yard sprints. Might have had something to do with Fat Albert taking his $21 million bonus and then wanting to bolt town.
+ Two more draft picks signed Thursday, most notably the Oakland Raiders’ eighth overall pick, Alabama linebacker Ronaldo McClain. The signing should speed up Buffalo’s negotiations with their first-round pick, running back C.J Spiller. The Vikings also signed cornerback Chris Cook, a second-round pick.
Training Camp Run Down
It’s beginning to feel a lot like football with training camps opening. Today and tomorrow are the busiest days for teams hitting the field for the first time. The next few days are really like one long, glorious Christmas.
Some teams like the Browns and Patriots had their rookies come in early, while others like the Cowboys have already been holding their full camp for a few days (Dallas started on July 24) Here’s a list of the teams opening camp today and their location:
+ Buffalo Bills, Pittsford, N.Y.
+ Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacksonville, Fla
+ Kansas City Chiefs, St. Joseph, MO.
+ Atlanta Falcons, Flowery Branch, Ga
+ New Orleans Saints, Metairie, La.
+ Philadelphia Eagles, Bethleham, Pa.
+ Washington Redskins, Ashburn, Va.
And we digress…
There are certain things you just don’t wear to a sporting event. It’s all about timing really. Wearing a Blue Jays Roger Clemens jersey to Fenway Park at any point in the 1997 MLB season wouldn’t be such a great idea. And neither is wearing a LeBron James jersey anywhere in Cleveland right now, especially if it has James’ name on the back, and the Miami Heat emblem on the front.
This guy is either very bold and brave, a huge jerk, amazingly stupid, or some combination of all three, but someone wearing the hated James jersey in the Mistake by the Lake was going to happen eventually. But this is far too soon:
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