I want Tank Johnson on my team (1 Viewer)

[LHUCKS]

Come back to your home town Tank...the Cards can use a Pro Bowler.

 

[Block]

Come back to your home town Tank...the Cards can use a Pro Bowler.

I think almost any team in the league could use tank Johnson. I don't know what the specific waiver order is, but I bet he will be claimed early.Claim him Skins!

 

[mad sweeney]

Come back to your home town Tank...the Cards can use a Pro Bowler.

I think almost any team in the league could use tank Johnson. I don't know what the specific waiver order is, but I bet he will be claimed early.Claim him Skins!

I'm curious about what his options for finding a new team are while under suspension. Does anyone know if he can take a physical or meet/interview with other teams while suspended? I would assume that if picked up from waivers he keeps his current contract but that's not a very informed assumption. Can a suspended player work or rework a contract while suspended? Anyone?

 

[SSOG]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

 

[roadkill1292]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I broached this topic in the Pacman Jones thread and got a lot of in return. If the civil authorities have had their input and the player isn't prevented from preparing for and playing in games, then get him on the field. The negative PR that Mr. Goodell seems to be so worried about doesn't have any impact on me. I know they're not all choirboys. But what's that got to do with playing football?

 

[waylander]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

Just to give you a little insight into the other side of that coin. I am a blue collar guy and also a father, so when I support my team, in the eyes of my son, I don't want him seeing me condoning certain behavior by supporting it with my time and money. I realize that they aren't perfect, neither am I, but it's the money of middle class families like mine that gives these guys riches that I'll never see. So I don't feel that it is too much to ask for them to not beat their wives, do drugs, drive drunk, etc. Look at it this way, every dollar I spend on the NFL is a dollar I don't invest in my family, how long can I justify that if players aren't held to a higher standard as far as their conduct goes?I also feel that football is a team sport, and I've seen a very talented player actually hurt his team more than helping it, so superior athletic ability and inferior character doesn't always beat the team with inferior athletic ability and superior character.

 

[crowe1130]

If we only care about our team winning, not about the individual players on it, then what's the point? Aren't we really just cheering for uniforms at that point?

 

[Dhizz]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

Just to give you a little insight into the other side of that coin. I am a blue collar guy and also a father, so when I support my team, in the eyes of my son, I don't want him seeing me condoning certain behavior by supporting it with my time and money. I realize that they aren't perfect, neither am I, but it's the money of middle class families like mine that gives these guys riches that I'll never see. So I don't feel that it is too much to ask for them to not beat their wives, do drugs, drive drunk, etc. Look at it this way, every dollar I spend on the NFL is a dollar I don't invest in my family, how long can I justify that if players aren't held to a higher standard as far as their conduct goes?I also feel that football is a team sport, and I've seen a very talented player actually hurt his team more than helping it, so superior athletic ability and inferior character doesn't always beat the team with inferior athletic ability and superior character.

I have no interest in guys like Randy McMichael on my team. I'd actually scale back my trips to live games because of it. I'm just not going to cheer for a wife beater.

 

[H.K.]

If we only care about our team winning, not about the individual players on it, then what's the point? Aren't we really just cheering for uniforms at that point?

I just gave you five stars because I LOVE your avatar As far as your post goes, players change teams much more frequently now than they used to, this type of turnover leads to cheering for the uniform.

 

[mlball77]

I have never been too impressed with Tank's play on the field.

 

[massraider]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I never used to care. Now I do.Because I can see which way the wind is blowing. Goodell is serious about punishing these guys.Character matters to the league office now, so it matters to the teams, so it matters to me.Because they ignored character, the Titans wasted a 1st rounder on Pac Man.

 

[IndyHavoc]

....Look at it this way, every dollar I spend on the NFL is a dollar I don't invest in my family, how long can I justify that if players aren't held to a higher standard as far as their conduct goes?....

Great post, Way. I'll add to the $$, that it's also time (even more important to my life/world) that is spent on a hobby and away from kids and wife. There has to be a line, something Goddell is doing a great job of drawing. Hopefully it won't get out of hand, as I'm also a firm believer that you just absolutely WILL make mistakes at the age these guys come into the League. Someone mentioned Randy McMicheal previously, seems to me that he's kept his nose clean and out of trouble for nearly 2 years now (confirm?), right? Not codoning his, or anyone else that's run amuck of the law, but people sometimes, although rarely, can really change. I hope the NFL doesn't lose sight of supporting and giving guys help when it's asked for, and taken to heart.

 

[Power Monster]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

You can take that punk all day anyday and to think that bad characters are worth rooting for is proof positive that the moral decay in this country is going thru the roof. You want a guy that is nothing but a con, went running around getting into trouble with his posse and then watched his friend get killed when he was told to lay low? You can have him. He lived in his house in Gurnee like a gang banging criminal with women and children hanging around that element. After the Bears stood by him when he was in prison he came right out and told the NFL community that he was going to be "Man of the Year". The first night he was able to go out he gets pulled over at 3:30 in the morning. Just a disgraceful punk and cheers to the Bears for finally getting the "Man of the Year" off their roster. And as if HE was the one that went 12-4? What about the team? Maybe the team went 12-4? He can fit right in with the Bengals and ohhhhh how they have filled up their trophy case with those punks and thugs. Yes and the "Man of the Year" was so great in the Super Bowl he was just pushed around like a rag doll and then went into county jail and ate rotten liver sausage and hung out with killers and the scum of the earth. Yeah that is my kind of player. The "Man of the Year"......

 

[PsychoMan]

I have never been too impressed with Tank's play on the field.

he's not that good. he looks much better with tommie harris next to him. the DTs got eaten up last yr without harris on the field.

 

[ookook]

I definately take into account whether someone has class and character, but legal problems are not really my barometer.

For Tank, it would depend on the $$. If I did not have to pay a lot for that muffler, I would have him on my team.

I think a good example is Koren Robinson. Lots of problems but deserves a chance. I had no problems with the Packers signing him or Favre supporting his rehab. He seemed like someone with a party/alcohol problem more than a thug/punk.

I don't really want my sons, who watch the games I watch, to idolize thug/punks. But someone overcoming obstables is fine.

I would offer Randy Moss as another example. I would rather the Packers went 8-8 without him than go to the playoffs with him. Just how I feel. Winning is not everything and there is no evidence he is trying to change. Leaving his team on the field and a single-item fail for me, and he did it twice.

It how how you play the game.

 

[phthalatemagic]

The only reason I don't want Tank Johnson on my team is becuase powers greater than himself are determining if he plays or not. If the NFL didn't care what Tank did in his free time, then I wouldn't either. This isn't the case however, and as such I don't want a guy taking up a roster spot that could get suspended at any time.

 

[waylander]

....Look at it this way, every dollar I spend on the NFL is a dollar I don't invest in my family, how long can I justify that if players aren't held to a higher standard as far as their conduct goes?....

Great post, Way. I'll add to the $$, that it's also time (even more important to my life/world) that is spent on a hobby and away from kids and wife. There has to be a line, something Goddell is doing a great job of drawing. Hopefully it won't get out of hand, as I'm also a firm believer that you just absolutely WILL make mistakes at the age these guys come into the League. Someone mentioned Randy McMicheal previously, seems to me that he's kept his nose clean and out of trouble for nearly 2 years now (confirm?), right? Not codoning his, or anyone else that's run amuck of the law, but people sometimes, although rarely, can really change. I hope the NFL doesn't lose sight of supporting and giving guys help when it's asked for, and taken to heart.

Thank you. There is a fine line, and I think that Goodell is going after the repeat offenders. Personally I feel he has a long way to go as far as parity goes with the suspensions. Too much is left up to his discretion if you ask me. However, as a Titans fan I can't argue with his suspension of Adam Jones, however I think I do have a legitimate gripe when if he wants to punish retroactively then it should be across the board.

 

[The Kansas Comet]

Johnson won't be a great addition for some other team. It isn't as if the Bears don't have some question marks at defensive tackle, yet they chose to cut Johnson even before finding out whether or not this latest incident was a DUI. That should tell all those interested teams something about Tank's abilities. If Johnson was worth the headache, I'm sure the Bears would have kept him at least a little while longer before dumping him. If it was Tommie Harris in trouble, you could be certain the Bears would be waiting out his suspension. I just don't get all the love for Tank.

 

[roadkill1292]

After seeing some of these very good responses about why it matters I figured out why I wasn't getting it before. I don't have much of a rooting interest anymore. But I really like the competition between talented, evenly matched teams and I guess that narrow focus tends to give me a minority perspective. Bring on the thugs.

 

[Phurfur]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I guess that says allot about your character!

 

[ImTheScientist]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I guess that says allot about your character!

He just wants to win football games and doesn't care about what players do off the field.

 

[RC94]

I don't want him on my team. I think he will only make it harder to win games with all of the distractions he causes and the baggage he brings. Plus, in NYC in particular, there are too many opportunities to get into trouble so I don't think a New York team would be a good environment for him to get his act together. I think everyone deserves a second chance, but I don't think everyone has to be the one to give that second chance. I don't want the Giants to be that team to give him that second chance. Besides, with Tank it's not really a second chance at this point. It's beyond that.

 

[Your Mom]

I have never been too impressed with Tank's play on the field.

he's not that good. he looks much better with tommie harris next to him. the DTs got eaten up last yr without harris on the field.

He is a good DT, nothing special. Not good enough to deal with his stupidity.

 

[CalBear]

"Winning is not everything; it is far better to play the game squarely and lose than to win at the sacrifice of an ideal." --Andy Smith

(Smith went five straight seasons without losing a game)

 

[hephner]

I think people are forgetting that these teams are bearing a lot of the responsibility with these troubled players as well. You're spending money on a high-risk player, where that roster spot could go to someone you could rely on. And didn't I read that the league is also fining teams for some of these problems? I could be wrong on that one.

But what team will want to take on Tank right now, since he's already guaranteed to be out at least 8 games. (Goodell said he'd drop it to 6 for good behavior, but this latest arrest, guilty or not, probably breaks that). Plus if the blood test comes out positive, and he's charged with a DUI, he'll probably get at least year suspension just like PacMan.

Also, as a Chicago homer, I heard on "The Score" the other day, that even if he doesn't test above the limit of .08, in Arizona, they have a separate charge for "partial intoxication" that they could stick him with, so either way, he might be screwed.

 

[SSOG]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

You can take that punk all day anyday and to think that bad characters are worth rooting for is proof positive that the moral decay in this country is going thru the roof.

Actually, no, it's not- it's evidence that some of us care more about how well someone does his job than we do about what he does when he's off the clock. If you need surgery, would you rather have a Doctor that's a wife-beater (but also the best doctor in town), or a Doctor that's a saint (but barely knows which end of the scalpel is which)? If you want a beer, would you rather get a beer that tastes like nectar, but is brewed by someone with three DUI convictions, or would you rather get a beer brewed by a noted philanthropist... that just happens to taste like swill? For every other profession that we interact with in our day-to-day lives, we care far more about how well they do their job than we do about how good of a person they are, so why should football be any different?Besides, I don't think that bad characters are worth rooting for. I root for two things in the NFL- good guys, and my team.

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I guess that says allot about your character!

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

 

[kensat30]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

You can take that punk all day anyday and to think that bad characters are worth rooting for is proof positive that the moral decay in this country is going thru the roof. You want a guy that is nothing but a con, went running around getting into trouble with his posse and then watched his friend get killed when he was told to lay low? You can have him. He lived in his house in Gurnee like a gang banging criminal with women and children hanging around that element. After the Bears stood by him when he was in prison he came right out and told the NFL community that he was going to be "Man of the Year". The first night he was able to go out he gets pulled over at 3:30 in the morning. Just a disgraceful punk and cheers to the Bears for finally getting the "Man of the Year" off their roster. And as if HE was the one that went 12-4? What about the team? Maybe the team went 12-4? He can fit right in with the Bengals and ohhhhh how they have filled up their trophy case with those punks and thugs. Yes and the "Man of the Year" was so great in the Super Bowl he was just pushed around like a rag doll and then went into county jail and ate rotten liver sausage and hung out with killers and the scum of the earth. Yeah that is my kind of player. The "Man of the Year"......

Your problem is that you think NFL players are role models. They are just people. People with amazing athletic abilities.

 

[Afro Samurai]

What's the big deal about this guy anyway? He's not even that great.....he's an above average player at his position and that's about it.

I guess what they say is true though: Any publicity IS good publicity.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

honestly, I don't think this guy is any better than your average NFL DT. I certainly don't think he'll be making a Pro Bowl at any point in his career.

 

[mlball77]

I have never been too impressed with Tank's play on the field.

he's not that good. he looks much better with tommie harris next to him. the DTs got eaten up last yr without harris on the field.

Agreed. CHI DT's were HORRIBLE when Harris was out. I have trouble understanding the love for Tank when I really don't think he would be a significant upgrade for most teams at starting DT and he has a lot of off field baggage now.

 

[BassNBrew]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

Can't speak for the other NFL cities, but in Carolina we got tired of the deaths and mayiem they were creating.

 

[BassNBrew]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I broached this topic in the Pacman Jones thread and got a lot of in return. If the civil authorities have had their input and the player isn't prevented from preparing for and playing in games, then get him on the field. The negative PR that Mr. Goodell seems to be so worried about doesn't have any impact on me. I know they're not all choirboys. But what's that got to do with playing football?

Personally I don't want my coin supporting deaths and causaulties in the neighborhood.

 

[RC94]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

You can take that punk all day anyday and to think that bad characters are worth rooting for is proof positive that the moral decay in this country is going thru the roof.

Actually, no, it's not- it's evidence that some of us care more about how well someone does his job than we do about what he does when he's off the clock. If you need surgery, would you rather have a Doctor that's a wife-beater (but also the best doctor in town), or a Doctor that's a saint (but barely knows which end of the scalpel is which)? If you want a beer, would you rather get a beer that tastes like nectar, but is brewed by someone with three DUI convictions, or would you rather get a beer brewed by a noted philanthropist... that just happens to taste like swill? For every other profession that we interact with in our day-to-day lives, we care far more about how well they do their job than we do about how good of a person they are, so why should football be any different?Besides, I don't think that bad characters are worth rooting for. I root for two things in the NFL- good guys, and my team.

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I guess that says allot about your character!

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

I would rather go to the doctor that is both good at his job and doesn't beat his wife. I would drink the beer that both tastes good and is brewed by a responsible person. I would rather have the football player on my team that is both talented and is a good person off the field. Believe it or not, lots of those people exist. Enough so there is no reason to have to bother with the idiots, no matter how good at their job they might be.

 

[Power Monster]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

You can take that punk all day anyday and to think that bad characters are worth rooting for is proof positive that the moral decay in this country is going thru the roof. You want a guy that is nothing but a con, went running around getting into trouble with his posse and then watched his friend get killed when he was told to lay low? You can have him. He lived in his house in Gurnee like a gang banging criminal with women and children hanging around that element. After the Bears stood by him when he was in prison he came right out and told the NFL community that he was going to be "Man of the Year". The first night he was able to go out he gets pulled over at 3:30 in the morning. Just a disgraceful punk and cheers to the Bears for finally getting the "Man of the Year" off their roster. And as if HE was the one that went 12-4? What about the team? Maybe the team went 12-4? He can fit right in with the Bengals and ohhhhh how they have filled up their trophy case with those punks and thugs. Yes and the "Man of the Year" was so great in the Super Bowl he was just pushed around like a rag doll and then went into county jail and ate rotten liver sausage and hung out with killers and the scum of the earth. Yeah that is my kind of player. The "Man of the Year"......

Your problem is that you think NFL players are role models. They are just people. People with amazing athletic abilities.

I do? I think that NFL players are supposed to be role models? And this is my problem? You have that all figured out but let me clarify and tell you that you have no idea who I would consider to be as a role model. If anything NFL players are just people (as you have written and I agree) and people in society have to live with the consequences of their choices and when a guy like Tank Johnson makes immature BAD choice after BAD choice that is not my problem. That is HIS problem. It is not MY problem when Tank buries his "friend", leaves loaded guns around women and children or when Tank showers with a bunch of killers and rats in a hell hole like Cook County jail. It would have been a better story if Tank would have just laid low and turned his life around and made better choices but he decides to surround himself with gang bangers and thugs as his role models. If you want these elements on your team that is just fine by me but I am glad that he is not on the Bears. There are a lot of thugs, killers and punks in prison with amazing athletic abilities but I would not want any of them living near me, working with me or commiserating with me unless they were truly reformed but Tank is just an ignorant thug. I think a lot of people in this country might have the same problem as I do- keeping convicts and criminals where they belong.

 

[Dhizz]

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

That's the point.People we do interact with should be held to moral standards. We shouldn't shop at places like Walmart. We shouldn't buy products from companies like Nike that use sweatshops. Buying a product, buying a football ticket, is an action. It does not end with you enjoying a football game. You're supporting a larger system.It's the same as buying pot. Sure your college buddy is a decent guy, he deals some pot on the side, who are you hurting? You barely smoke, he's a small time dealer. But the money supports the larger drug dealing system. In the end, there are horrible people at the top getting paid with your money, directly or indirectly.But like you said, it does end with you, because you don't care. That's not good character. That's selfish and narrow minded. Shop at Walmart because hey, it's the cheapest price. You're looking out for yourself. Exactly. You're not looking out for the people who are indirectly hurt by your decisions. As they say, ignorance is bliss.

 

[Power Monster]

Actually, no, it's not- it's evidence that some of us care more about how well someone does his job than we do about what he does when he's off the clock. If you need surgery, would you rather have a Doctor that's a wife-beater (but also the best doctor in town), or a Doctor that's a saint (but barely knows which end of the scalpel is which)? If you want a beer, would you rather get a beer that tastes like nectar, but is brewed by someone with three DUI convictions, or would you rather get a beer brewed by a noted philanthropist... that just happens to taste like swill? For every other profession that we interact with in our day-to-day lives, we care far more about how well they do their job than we do about how good of a person they are, so why should football be any different?

I see what you are saying. John Gacy was a respected man in the community, ran a successful construction company and was a real good clown (perhaps the best around) but never mind thinking that he had dead bodies in his crawl space. He was no saint but he might have been the best clown around.

For every profession that is out there I do my homework before I hire them or get into business with them so I know whom I am dealing with. If these individuals hide a suspect life and do a great job I will never know unless they are stupid enough to throw their reputation out the window risking getting busted. If you are the type of guy that will hire a doctor that is a thug to cut you open hey more power to you. I would steer clear of these types. The big difference is every team knows that they are dealing with a knuckleheaded punk like Tank so when they sign him they are taking a huge risk. If he falls on his face again it will be a nightmare and a distraction to the team. If you want that more power to you. Ohhhh and any doctor that is a licensed medical professional knows how to handle a scalpel and if they happen to not know how to handle it they will be done as fast as the Bears told Man of the Year to hit the skids.

Besides, I don't think that bad characters are worth rooting for. I root for two things in the NFL- good guys, and my team.

I am confused about this statement as I thought that you would not care if you had a team loaded with a bunch of bad characters? Besides- name one team in the NFL that won it all loaded with a bunch of “bad characters”?

 

[MelvinTScupper]

The reward for winning a couple more games doesn't come close to the potential negatives that players like this can bring. In this, you can't think from the coach's perspective, you must think from the owners. Some owners have a crazy desire to win, some merely want to win. Him pulling a Rae Carruth would ruin your image for 10 years.

 

[SeveredHorseHeads]

honestly, I don't think this guy is any better than your average NFL DT. I certainly don't think he'll be making a Pro Bowl at any point in his career.

Did anyone actually watch the superbowl? Tank got destroyed. Completely worked. Guy isn't very good.

 

[Power Monster]

honestly, I don't think this guy is any better than your average NFL DT. I certainly don't think he'll be making a Pro Bowl at any point in his career.

Did anyone actually watch the superbowl? Tank got destroyed. Completely worked. Guy isn't very good.

He was reduced to nothing with Harris out. Pushed around easily. The talk in Chi town was that we needed him there to fill the hole left by Tommie but we now know who the better player was for this unit....

 

[BigRed]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

Just to give you a little insight into the other side of that coin. I am a blue collar guy and also a father, so when I support my team, in the eyes of my son, I don't want him seeing me condoning certain behavior by supporting it with my time and money. I realize that they aren't perfect, neither am I, but it's the money of middle class families like mine that gives these guys riches that I'll never see. So I don't feel that it is too much to ask for them to not beat their wives, do drugs, drive drunk, etc. Look at it this way, every dollar I spend on the NFL is a dollar I don't invest in my family, how long can I justify that if players aren't held to a higher standard as far as their conduct goes?I also feel that football is a team sport, and I've seen a very talented player actually hurt his team more than helping it, so superior athletic ability and inferior character doesn't always beat the team with inferior athletic ability and superior character.

Oh there you go throwing role models and team chemistry n stuff out there again. Who cares? Get w/the times. (nice try, but you're wasting your time)

 

[phthalatemagic]

Has Tank Johnson ever made the Pro-Bowl?

 

[IndyHavoc]

...

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

Edit: taking out a joke that was in poor tasteSomeone above me said it much better. It does (or at least should) matter. I guess I'll just remain shocked and disappointed that character and responsibility from the members of your community/city mean so little to someone.

 

[Phurfur]

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

You can take that punk all day anyday and to think that bad characters are worth rooting for is proof positive that the moral decay in this country is going thru the roof.

Actually, no, it's not- it's evidence that some of us care more about how well someone does his job than we do about what he does when he's off the clock. If you need surgery, would you rather have a Doctor that's a wife-beater (but also the best doctor in town), or a Doctor that's a saint (but barely knows which end of the scalpel is which)? If you want a beer, would you rather get a beer that tastes like nectar, but is brewed by someone with three DUI convictions, or would you rather get a beer brewed by a noted philanthropist... that just happens to taste like swill? For every other profession that we interact with in our day-to-day lives, we care far more about how well they do their job than we do about how good of a person they are, so why should football be any different?Besides, I don't think that bad characters are worth rooting for. I root for two things in the NFL- good guys, and my team.

I never really got the people who cared about the character of the people they are rooting for. When I watch football, I want my team to win the game, not help little old ladies across the street. I would rather have a team full of poor character guys that went 12-4 every year and averaged two playoff wins a year than a team full of high character guys that went 10-6 every year and averaged just one playoff win a year. As a result, I would love to have Tank Johnson on my favorite team, as well.

I guess that says allot about your character!

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

I would rather go to the doctor that is both good at his job and doesn't beat his wife. I would drink the beer that both tastes good and is brewed by a responsible person. I would rather have the football player on my team that is both talented and is a good person off the field. Believe it or not, lots of those people exist. Enough so there is no reason to have to bother with the idiots, no matter how good at their job they might be.

Exactly, it is not either or, you can have both and should demand both.

 

[SSOG]

As they say, ignorance is bliss.

Ignorance? Please, don't fool yourself into thinking that you're the first person to get preachy on this subject with me. I'll tell you what- find a single store that doesn't employ a single employee with character flaws, and which doesn't have a single operating policy that doesn't adhere to strict moral and ethical standards (and, oh, by the way, be sure to provide a list of universal moral and ethical standards that everyone abides by so that we can all judge their morality through exactly the same prism). When you do that, I'll happily spend all of my money there. Where I live- a little place called reality- imperfection is a part of human nature, and is reflected in everything that humans do. If you honestly believe I should stop supporting my team because it has a thug on it, then do you honestly believe I should refuse to frequent any establishment that has ever hired a "thug"? And again, would you please point out what those establishments might be?I have already posted several long posts in other threads about how the crime rate of NFL players is noticeably lower than the population as a whole, and the rate of philanthropy is substantially higher. I think the world would be a drastically better place if society as a whole acted more like NFL players. I recognize they're not perfect, but they're a hell of a lot better than everyone else, and I'm not going to stop supporting them just because they AREN'T perfect. As I said, imperfection is a part of human nature.

I am confused about this statement as I thought that you would not care if you had a team loaded with a bunch of bad characters? Besides- name one team in the NFL that won it all loaded with a bunch of “bad characters”?

When I say I root for my team, I mean I root for the jersey, the logo, the CONCEPT of the team, not the individuals on it- so no, I don't see any disconnect between rooting for the logo without rooting for the bad seeds that happen to wear it.As for teams that have won it all loaded with a bunch of "bad characters"... lots of "bad characters" have won superbowls. Peyton Manning sexually assaulted a female trainer at Tennessee. Ray Lewis has his famous "accessory to murder" tag. Michael Irving is a cokehead and a prima donna. Brett Favre abused prescription painkillers. If we establish that it's possible to win the superbowl with "bad character" guys, then where is the line drawn? How many "bad character" guys are you allowed to have before it becomes impossible to win the big one? There's nothing about "bad character" guys that prevent you from winning superbowls- hell, Philly would have beat New England if only they'd had ten more Terrell Owenses.

...

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

Edit: taking out a joke that was in poor tasteSomeone above me said it much better. It does (or at least should) matter. I guess I'll just remain shocked and disappointed that character and responsibility from the members of your community/city mean so little to someone.

And I'm equally shocked that everyone else seems to prefer character to competence.Let me ask you something. Who would you rather have as president again? There's John F. Kennedy, the womanizer and adulturer who also happened to be a great leader with a tremendously positive impact on the country. There's FDR, a guy who is generally considered one of the two best presidents in US history, but who also happened to be a racist and a bigot. There's Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers and most influential presidents, and also a slave owner and adulturer. And then there's James Buchanan, a very moral individual with one of the least controversial presidencies, but who is consistantly considered one of the two or three worst presidents in history. Personally, I'd take a JFK, an FDR, or a Jefferson.

Of course whenever possible I would want someone who is both moral and competent, but given the choice between morality and competency, I would far prefer competency. Luther Elliss might be one of the greatest men the NFL has ever seen, but I'd much rather have Tank Johnson playing DT for my team, instead.

 

[SSOG]

Exactly, it is not either or, you can have both and should demand both.

Cool. Find another DT on the market as good as Tank Johnson who happens to be more moral, and I'll post how much I want my team to sign him, instead.Demanding both doesn't suddenly create a supply of people with both. As it stands, on the market, people are going to have a shortage of one or the other- otherwise they wouldn't be on the market.

 

[CalBear]

I have already posted several long posts in other threads about how the crime rate of NFL players is noticeably lower than the population as a whole, and the rate of philanthropy is substantially higher.

How is their crime rate and rate of philanthropy compared to other millionaires?

 

[SSOG]

I have already posted several long posts in other threads about how the crime rate of NFL players is noticeably lower than the population as a whole, and the rate of philanthropy is substantially higher.

How is their crime rate and rate of philanthropy compared to other millionaires?

I don't know, because it's hard to find data on that socio-economic group. Anecdotally, I think that their philanthropy rate is much higher. Also, I suspect that crime rates would be lower, although a comparison would be tough because we'd be talking completely different types of crimes- most millionaires would be booked on white-collar crime, whereas most NFL crimes are of the blue-collar variety. Also, such a comparison would COMPLETELY ignore the socioeconomic background of most NFL players, which tends to be pretty poor (and wealth of upbringing tends to have an inverse correlation with crime rate). Still, anecdotally and with entirely nothing to support this, I suspect that the crime rate is lower and the philanthropy rate is higher. That's really just an unsubstantiated guess, however, and as a result, it's not worth much.

 

[RC94]

Exactly, it is not either or, you can have both and should demand both.

Cool. Find another DT on the market as good as Tank Johnson who happens to be more moral, and I'll post how much I want my team to sign him, instead.Demanding both doesn't suddenly create a supply of people with both. As it stands, on the market, people are going to have a shortage of one or the other- otherwise they wouldn't be on the market.

Considering he is an average player when he does play combined with the fact that he isn't allowed on the field for at least half the season, I would say that pretty much every available DT will have a chance to contribute more.

 

[fatness]

I see what you are saying. John Gacy was a respected man in the community, ran a successful construction company and was a real good clown (perhaps the best around) but never mind thinking that he had dead bodies in his crawl space. He was no saint but he might have been the best clown around.

Godwin's Law is getting close............

 

[roadkill1292]

...

That doesn't say a thing about my character. My character is defined by my actions, not the fact that I hope my favorite football team will be as good and competitive as possible. Like I said, we don't care about character in any of the other professionals that we interact with every day of our lives, so saying that we should treat football players any differently is rank hypocrisy.

Edit: taking out a joke that was in poor tasteSomeone above me said it much better. It does (or at least should) matter. I guess I'll just remain shocked and disappointed that character and responsibility from the members of your community/city mean so little to someone.

We need to introduce you to our FFA friend, noted FSU fan capella. He would enjoy your shock and disappointment.Frankly, I'd like to see Al Davis sign ALL the thugs and criminals. Their fans wouldn't mind at all and the rest of us could be hugely entertained.

BACK OFF, GOODELL.