Urlacher is a jerk!

So Urlacher is now missing involuntary sessions and says, "It's easy for people to criticize me for wanting [a new deal], and I understand that it's a contract and I signed it," Urlacher said, according to Yahoo.com. "But this is the NFL, and if I'd signed it and I'd played like [expletive], they'd have cut me or tried to get me to take less. In my mind, there's no difference. If they can 'break' a contract, I have a right to ask for more if I play well enough."

Urlacher still has 4 years left on a 9 year/$56.5M contract. He wanted the security and got a great deal before. Now he wants to break the contract and get something new. That's a real jerk move in my mind.

The thing is the Bears have offered to restructure the contract. They have offered a deal that is believed to include $5M up front and up to $1M added to his contract per year if he participates in 85 percent of the team's defensive snaps.

The Bears are playing fair and Urlacher is being greedy. He is 30 years old and coming off of neck/back injuries and I'm sure we have seen the best of Urlacher. Middle LB is a tough position and it's hard to sustain a high level of play for a number of years. Urlacher has been great but again, I think we have seen the best of him. The Bears treated him fairly and now he wants to be a jerk. For some reason, I thought Urlacher was different from many of the greedy athletes of today. I suppose I was wrong and I think a whole lot less of the guy now.

Pre-Season NFL Power Rankings

ESPN is reporting the preseason NFL Power Rankings and here is where our two favorite teams stack up:

Redskins: Ranked #14 -- Too many questions: a new coach, young QB and a pair of rookie WRs. Hard to get a good read.

BEARS: Ranked #24 -- Seems like ages ago the Bears were NFC champs. For better or worse, fans will have to endure another season of good Rex Grossman and bad Rex Grossman.

I know this is purely subjective and purely for entertainment purposes but it's nice to just get a little football discussion going.

Rocket, you're an idiot!

So after a week of these extra marital affair articles floating around, Rocket finally decides to make a statement. The delay in speaking about it alone sends the wrong message. If someone accused me of something that was not true, I would blast them immediately.

Still, I'm sure Rocket started panicking and called Rusty for some more cod stroking. After blowing out a couple of rounds and relaxing, they come up with, "Now, I have been accused of having an improper relationship with a fifteen-year-old girl. Nothing could be further from the truth. This relationship has been twisted and distorted far beyond reality." The interesting thing is that this could just be word smithing. He never says that he didn't have an affair with Mindy McCready, who by the way has already admitted to having an affair with Rocket. He just says that it is not true that he had an improper relationship with a fifteen year old girl. That may very well be true. I'm sure it is just legal mumbo jumbo that tells half truths and is trying to salvage some of Rocket's reputation.

Again, even now, if he just came out and told the truth, he might be able to salvage some dignity. The longer he runs and lies, the worse it will end up being for him.

Cedric the Entertainer!

So Benson was arrested over the weekend for boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest. It's interesting because he is totally disputing the police reports saying that he was not drunk and that he was nothing but polite to the officers yet for some strange reason, they arrested him and sprayed him with pepper spray, had a water hose in his face as he was lying on the ground, dragged him across the ground into the police car. Still, even after all of this treatment, he claims to have been very cordial to the arresting officers and continued to call them "sir." We'll see how this plays out. His mug shot doesn't look like a guy that is completely sober but who knows?

For a guy trying to start a professional career and try to win over his teammates, coaches, and fans, this is not the best way of doing it. Of note, only 12% of Bears fans think they should give him another shot. Looks like he will have a lot more to prove now. The thing is Benson doesn't seem like the kind of guy who will take this and want to prove people wrong. He seems like the kind of guy that expects things to come his way and when they don't, he will sulk and complain. I don't even know that rookie RB the Bears picked up but I already like him better.

Cavs beat the Wiz...AGAIN!!!

For the third year in a row, the Cavs beat the Wizards in the playoffs. You can blame injuries or this or that but the Cavs just have our number. The thing that gets me is all the trash talking and hard fouling the Wizards did. I guess I kind of overlooked it since I am a Wizards fan. However, if I were not a Wizards fan, I'd hate this team. I think Jamison is great player and teammate but guys like Stevenson, Haywood, and even Arenas run their mouths a lot without a whole lot of credentials.

Well, we'll see what the offseason brings. Apparently Jamison is an UFA and Arenas is a RFA and wants to test the market. Butler only has one more year on his deal. I think we need to keep that core in place and then look to add true power forward. Maybe a Brand or someone.

Still, just tired of all the talk. It would also be nice to get out of the first round of the playoffs and do so by getting over the Cavs.

Way to go, ROCKET!!!

From NY Daily Post:

"For Roger Clemens, the hits just keep on coming. Several sources told the Daily News Wednesday that Clemens had a relationship with Paulette Dean Daly, a former wife of champion golfer John Daly. The sources said Clemens, a married father of four, arranged trips to Anaheim Stadium for Daly - the latest woman to emerge as an alleged Rocket flame - to watch him pitch forthe Yankees against the Angels. Sources also said he spent time with her in Palm Springs, Calif. She declined to elaborate on the nature of her relationship with the pitcher, but did not deny allegations from several sources that it was romantic and included financial support. Daly is still involved with the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic as an organizer of famously lavish parties there. News reports have described Clemens as being in attendance as recently as two years ago, dancing around the party with an 8-foot-long boa constrictor around his neck."

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the real Roger Clemens.