Eric LeGrand, Rutgers Defensive Tackle

This morning was a Black Sunday. The Redskins lost a winnable game to the Colts, I'm going to lose in both fantasy leagues, and I got about 2 hours of sleep last night. Yet, I'm waking up in a different mood than expected.

See, in my little world where I'm the king of everything and when the Redskins lose I take it as a personal affront to my character, I experienced something this weekend that has positively affected my perspective.

My wife and I journeyed to the "great" state of New Jersey to visit her sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew-to-be. I was more excited than usual for this trip because my brother-in-law, Ryan, was going to take me to the Army v. Rutgers game on Saturday. If you read this post you'd know the prospect of going to another college football game alone is enough to get me excited. Added to it was the allure of visiting New Meadowlands Stadium, built last year for the New York Giants and Jets, but playing host to this college game on Saturday.

Ryan is a West Point graduate and a group of guys he works with were all getting tickets to the game, so naturally I went along for the ride. It is an awesome feeling sitting in a row of West Point grads rooting against the home team knowing that no one in the surrounding area has the courage to say anything smart. Even better than that, however, is being asked multiple times if I also went to West Point or was in the Army. Must be my 160 pound frame.

The football was less than extraordinary, but the trash talk, sarcasm and experience made it all worth it. Army jumped out to an early lead, and after a series of questionable calls in the fourth quarter Rutgers battled back and tied the game at 17. 

Then came the ensuing kickoff, forever etched into the memory of the fans, players and coaches in attendance. 

Eric LeGrand is a 20 year old New Jersey native who played high school ball at Colonia HS just 30 minutes away from Rutgers University. He was recruited as an inside linebacker, but as his skills developed he made the switch to defensive end. He improved his speed and strength while at Rutgers and became an imposing force on defense. 

The 6'3" 275lb junior was a key recruit added to the roster in 2007. His muscular build was impressive yet he was able to pursue quarterbacks and running backs with surprising speed and agility. LeGrand was a skilled tackler who's ability to read and react gave him an edge over offensive lineman.

After Rutger's scored the tying touchdown, we sat on the edge of our seats in the stands. Us West Point grads...er...the West Point grads were hoping and praying for a great return to set up a clock draining drive that would result in a go-ahead score.

The kick was booming and Malcom Brown, the return man, made to the 25 yard line before a body came out of nowhere and delivered a devastating blow to the runner. The crowd went up in a roar celebrating the big hit and the great coverage on the kickoff. I saw something different and my jaw dropped instantly. As fans around us jumped out of their seats and passed out high-fives, I remained in mine and could only mutter, "He's not moving."

Eric LeGrand came flying downfield on the kickoff and shedded a blocker just feet from Brown. He turned his body, squared up for the hit and buried his head into the runner's chest. He stopped Brown dead in his tracks and drove him to the ground. LeGrand rolled over onto his back, his legs slowly falling to the ground.

It took a few minutes before the crowd realized what was going on: a player was down, and he wasn't moving. Eventually both teams took a knee and the crowd stood in respect, everyone praying he was alright.

At worst I feared a bad concussion. I assumed LeGrand was knocked out cold and was slowly coming to. Yet, as he was carted off the field I never saw him raise the customary thumbs-up to let the crowd know he was alright. It was gut-wrenching. 

Today, the news every player, coach and parent fears was released. LeGrand was paralyzed from his neck down. On the play he had lowered his head at the last second, causing the force of his hit to ripple down his spinal cord. The effects were immediate. See video here.

He suffered a serious spinal cord injury and emergency surgery was performed Saturday night after the game. Words you never want to hear.

He is currently in the intensive care unit at Hackensack University Medical Center undergoing treatment. His team, however, is in good spirits. Coach Greg Schiano said after the game, "We're just going to believe that Eric LeGrand is going to walk onto that field with us again...That's what we believe. We'll see with the speed of which that happens."

I hope so, coach.

Eric is in good spirits and was able to recognize his coach, mother and everyone else after the game. It is devastating, however, to know that a 20-year old kid may never walk again.

Please keep Eric and his family in your prayers. I believe in miracles, and I believe his recovery will be successful. 

Otherwise this world is crueler than I thought.

College Football Revisited, via Penn State

I'm nothing if I'm not fair. As I said in my very first post about the U.K. Office, I like to give things a fair shake before I trash them completely. So, I'm willing to say that college football is an incredible experience. Now, let's not get confused and think this post is a retraction on my previous stance about why college football is such a waste.

I still believe college football is as mis-managed and inappropriately exploited as a sport can be, but dang, it sure is fun to watch live.

Two weekends ago my wife, a group of our friends, and I traveled north to attend the Penn State v. Kent State game at State College. Let me tell you, D-1 college football games are other worldly. Where else do you get 100,000 people with flailing extremities who are singing songs, wearing paint in odd places and acting totally uninhibited? (Yes, I'm setting myself up....follow along).

Places that happens:
- A Jonas Brother's Concert
- A gay bar
- A regular bar
- A surprise party for Kanye West
- A press conference where Brett Favre announces his retirement because his legs were chewed off by a grizzly bear
- Lady Gaga's living room on a Tuesday afternoon
- My living room while watching a taped Hanson concert
- The bedroom of Dallas Cowboys fans as they stare into the eyes of their Tony Romo fathead
- A kindergarten class room and
- My college dorm room on any given Friday night. Only, it wasn't 100,000 people it was just 1 person. Whatever.

The point is, among other things, I saw a crowd of people do the wave in slow-motion (impossible to accurately describe, a million times cooler than it sounds), sing "Living on a Prayer" acapella for a full verse and chorus, and an epic walk of shame at 8:30am.

In order for you to enjoy the day as much as I did, here's a recap of my trip in Twitter form. We used this gimmick once before, so re-read this if you forget how it works. Again, this is just more reason to follow me on Twitter, @Quickdraw33

Hash-tagged #thoughtsfrompennstate, here's the day's adventures with my added input in italics. Pardon the misspellings and lack of capitalization, I'm trying to make things feel authentic.

-"Today is 'act like you really are a penn state fan so no beers are thrown at you' day #thoughtsfrompennstate"

- "for this being nittany lion country there arent as many quilts or knit sweaters as i imagined #thoughtsfrompennstate" I never said I was funny at 7am.


- "with 100,000 orange cones and 1,000 officers, navigating penn state on game day is a greek tragedy #thoughtsfrompennstate" One second we were on campus right next to the stadium, and two seconds later were cruising through the hills and our driver said, "That's the slaughter house down there." You just can't make this stuff up.

- "just saw the first walk of shame of the day! girl carrying heels, wearing a dress, tshirt over the dress on celly. #thoughtsfrompennstate" I could not have been laughing harder. It was text book college movie level stuff. Disheveled clothes, t-shirt trying to cover up the fact that she was wearing a "going-out" dress, on her cell phone calling her roommate to come pick her up at 8:30 in the morning. What a show.


- "nothing says im wasting my life like looking like the Situation and carrying a case of bud light lime #thoughtsfrompennstate" I hope I'm there the first time a midget punches him in the face. I feel like that's probably the route his life is headed, multiple punches to the head. I can only hope.


- "breakfast convo w @WesBunting covered fried candy bars, sausage, peeing the bed, brandon jackson, and shake weights #thoughtsfrompennstate"  My fantasy nerds will know who Brandon Jackson is.


- "look pal, i'm not buying OR selling tickets! leave me alone. #thoughtsfrompennstate" College football games are just one big hustle. I haven't felt like such a piece of meat since I played "Poultry" in my elementary school's production of "The Food Pyramid".


- "hasnt every school adopted the "We are (school name)" motto? i'm bored of it. find another way to amuse me. #thoughtsfrompennstate" We are Penn State. We are Marshall. We are Virginia Tech. We are not creative. How about, "We are...going to kick your butts at football today and your team looks like a women's fencing club."


- "omg...penn state student section just did a slo-mo wave. college football is incerdible. #thoughtsfrompennstate" It caused me to say "omg" in a tweet. No one act has made me gayer since Benji won season two of 'So You Think You Can Dance". 


- "i stood up to celebrate a psu interception and someone yelled down in front. not all penn state fans are cool. #thoughtsfrompennstate" This might be the one thing that keeps me from being a full time Penn State fan. Some of the fans kind of suck. Then again, a 40+ year old mom was singing "Living on a Prayer" full-out with me. I'm still split.


- "the water vendor has sold out of water 4 rows in front of us 5 times. im going to the concession stand. #thoughtsfrompennstate" Which prompted this tweet from my good friend Eric Creasman, "They sell water at sporting events?!?! #thoughtsfrommargaritaville" Love that guy.


- "kent state's mascot is the gold flashes...thats not a mascot, thats what happens when i show you my teeth!!! #thoughtsfrompennstate"


- "@WesBunting just described a player as body like tarzan, plays like jane. #thoughtsfrompennstate" I'm sure this is common scout jargon, but I thought the world needed to hear it. I have a body like Jane, and I play like Jane's little sister.

- "i learned penn state is the place to go to win a natl title in women's volleyball, fencing, and women's track #thoughtsfrompennstate" Among other sports no one watches. In other news, I won the national title for snide remarks. They gave me a banner, a sash, and three coupons for free Frosties from Wendy's.


- "1 reason i like college football, this stadium holds over 110,000. cowboys cant do that with their "standing room" #thoughtsfrompennstate" Did I mention I hate Dallas? Also, to explain breifly: Cowboys Stadium tries to boast the largest seating in the NFL at 110,000. In reality, however, the stadium holds 80,000 seats and offers "standing room" for fans. So you can pay full price for a ticket and go stand behind 30,000 of your closest friends. They suck.


- "the entire stadium just sang living on a prayer acapella. i now love college football. #thoughtsfrompennstate" Mark this as the official turning point.


- "every penn state game ive ever been to has been a shutout. i'm 1-0 #thoughtsfrompennstate" Fact.


- "me and my opponent drained 6 out of 8 bags in cornhole, we're beasts #thoughtsfrompennstate" Tailgating continues after the game. My career as a cornhole player begins today.


- "im pretty sure i saw people tailgating at a gas station...on the way home....at 9pm #thoughtsfrompennstate" Did I mention we were an hour and a half away from campus? Gotta love college football.


And the final tweet of the weekend, after a full day at the game and driving three and a half hours back home immediately afterwards, I said this to Michele...

- "i'm tired...i just said "my mouth function has not worked" and corrected myself to say "my mouth has not worth" #thoughtsfrompennstate" And I was completely sober.


And that's why you should go to a Division 1 college football game.

Not that the game will matter, because a group of stubborn boneheads will just vote on who's good and who isn't good so they can determine a champion instead of implementing a fair system. But whatever, its only one of the most popular sports in America.

College Football, What a Waste

College football is such a waste. What an awful product. Has there been another sport with such a devoted following that the people in charge can just say, "We can do whatever we want to bastardize this sport, and people will watch it religiously without question. Instead of working to improve it, let's go play a round of Tostitos sponsored golf and then get a free Verizon Wireless massage."

Its embarrassing. And you eat it up year after year.

Before I fool you into agreeing with me, lets come to terms on one thing. Football is the George Clooney of sports. There is nothing that can be done to tarnish its legacy. Have you ever thought ill of Clooney for ripping through hot Italian models like they were a bag of chips? Has there ever been a man who carried a smug look on his face that reeks of, "I'm so much better than everyone here its not even funny. The straight guys would date me if I asked" better than he has? I can't stand Sean Penn for having beliefs and trying to share them with people, yet I'd allow Clooney to wipe his bum with my tie just so I could say he did.

The point is, football in America is untouchable. Baseball is ruined by steroids controversies instantly. Football? Eh. No biggie. We like our players overly aggressive and muscular.

What other sport can you shoot up a strip club, be accused of sexual assault, be found with drugs, shoot yourself in the leg, and fight and kill dogs and be accepted back into the league as soon as your suspension is over? That's right, the NBA. But you're missing the point.

NFL fans become outraged over rules each year and they cry out in complaint and, surprisingly, they're heard. The NFL works to become better. Consider a shortened pre-season? OK. Change the over time rules to allow both teams to have a chance? Sure.

But College football? There's a sport that says, "Forget the fans, more money please!" And the fans, like teenage girls after the Jonas brothers, fawn over their team, coaches, players and BCS system. Its pathetic.

I'm supposed to be excited over a college football season that features opening games like Florida v. Miami of Ohio (45-0)? Ohio St. v. Marshall (45-7)? Tennesee v. Tennessee-Martin, (50-0)? Nebraska v. Western Kentucky (49-10)? Or how about the epic battle between Oregon and New Mexico? That thriller ended 72-0.

I'm sorry, I just don't get excited to watch something my 4 old nephew can do in Madden. This is supposed to be the greatest sport out there? This has die-hard fans getting up at 6am to grill and drink beer for a game thats over in the first 15 minutes? I don't get it.

It's embarrassing. Want to hear some other exciting week 1 battles? Arkansas beat Tennessee Tech 44-3, Florida State beat Samford (Samford?!!) 59-6, Georgia beat LA Lafayette 55-7, and West Virginia beat Coastal Carolina 31-0.

Pardon me if I'm not jumping out of seat in anticipation of the massacre. You know who the Redskins play week 1? The Dallas Cowboys. That's a week 1 match up. Not only a division rival, but a hated rival. Last two years the Redskins opened up against the New York football Giants, another divisional rival. That's how you start a season.

And let's not forget the ridiculous qualifications it takes to get into the BCS title bowl. College football practically demands a perfect season, and sometimes even that's not enough. If you're in the wrong division or if the made-up qualifier "strength-of-schedule" isn't on your side, you end up on the outside looking in year after year (see, Boise State who have lost 1 game in the last 3 years). Yet they get no consideration because they can't play the top ranked teams.

Want to know why? It's not for lack of trying. Boise has been trying to schedule games against ranked teams for years. But the top ranked teams don't want to schedule games against them, get this, for fear of losing and being knocked out of national title contention!!! So Boise will continue to rack up perfect seasons against sub-par teams in their division and never get the recognition they deserve. Vicious cycle anyone?

If in any given week a single game can knock you out of title contention you're not watching a sport. You're watching a Mortal Kombat death match. No sport should demand perfection. Let alone from 20 year old kids!

Coaches are fired, players are benched, programs are ruined by one loss. What kind of environment is that for a competitive sport? All because of one loss? Who runs this fascist regime?

I fully expect the Redskins to lose week 1 at Dallas, but you know what? I'm not counting them out of the playoffs because of that one loss (I'm counting them out because of the other 8 losses they will endure. But that's beside the point).

And we haven't even begun the discussion on the BCS bowl system! The one thing college football fans do complain about. Sure, you'll rant and rave about the broken bowl system and demand a playoff set up...for a few weeks during December and January. Then you'll talk yourself into the bowl system, telling yourself it works and that computers and coaches votes should definitely play a part in determining the champion of a sport. Because, you know, all the pro sports do that....

It's no surprise BCS bowl complaints are heard most readily during bowl season. The rest of the year college football sycophants mindlessly follow the broken system they've been convinced to love.

The sport is such a waste. Hear me now, because I'm doing my best to avoid being ignorant.

Where else do you get every player on either side of the ball leaving everything they've got on the field week in and week out? Where else do you not worry about contract negotiations and players holding out? What other sport do you get to watch and think, "I can see how bad this guys wants it"? Where else can you see the hopes and dreams of players come to reality, or fade away before their eyes?

That's right. College basketball. A system that works. But also NCAA football.

College football, a sport run by big name corporations with an advertising interest, has become hollowed out and turned into a mockery. You get a few great games each year (like Boise St. v. Virginia Tech), and a bunch of cup-cake, falafel games that only serve the purpose of achieving a perfect season (see, reigning national champion Alabama v. San Jose State, 48-3).

They've taken the sport with the greatest potential, the most to gain, and one of the best on-field products and watered it down. There is so much to gain, so much to be done and no one will do it because people watch the system in place.

College football has got to change. At some point, George Clooney is just going to become a creepy old man who could never settle down.