Week 10 Picks and Far Too Much Writing about the Dolphins Situation

Last week I write about the struggles of the NFC East and they go out and win all of their games on Sunday. Sure, they were all playing against average or below average opponents, but it still makes me think I have a power to make the opposite of whatever I say happen.

Last Week: 5-8
Guaranteed Loss of the Week (formerly Lock of the Week): 1-8
Season: 57-74-2

Home team in CAPS

VIKINGS (+2.5) over Redskins
Lock of the Week

The Redskins specialize in losing to bad teams on the road following wins. It is one of their best tricks, to find a way to get your hopes up and then squash them. Also, fun meaningless fact, teams that play on Thursday road games following an overtime game are 1-11 all time.

Jaguars (+12) over TITANS

All the statistics I can find make me think I should pick the Titans, but for some reason I think the Jags will hang around in this one. Probably because I, and 80% of the world, picked the Titans in survivor.

Eagles (+1) over PACKERS

Philly really lucked out here getting to play against Seneca Wallace. If they were in Philly they’d probably still lose, but somehow they are one of the best road teams in the league.

Bills (+3) over STEELERS
E.J. Manuel is back! Excitement!

GIANTS (-7) over Raiders
The Raiders might find a way to go 0-4 against the NFC East, a truly difficult task.

COLTS (-9.5) over Rams
The Rams have been surprisingly competent with Kellen Clemens (which has more to do with their defense than offense) and the Colts seem to like playing close games. But still picking Indy.

FALCONS (+6) over Seahawks
I can’t get away from picking Atlanta and I don’t know why. They have been terrible, but I can’t quit them.

RAVENS (+1.5) over Bengals
In games between two AFC North teams, the home team is 5-0 this season.

BEARS (+2.5) over Lions
The Bears tend to have more luck slowing down Calvin Johnson than most teams, holding him under 100 yards for four straight games and seven of their last eight.

49ERS (-6) over Panthers
Two of the hottest teams in the league, but both have been feasting on subpar teams. Of their collective nine wins in a row, exactly zero of them have come against teams with a winning record.

CARDINALS (-3) over Texans
We all believe the Cardinals are not a good team correct? Well look at their home games this season – wins over the Lions, Panthers and Falcons, with their only loss coming against the Seahawks.

CHARGERS (+7) over Broncos
San Diego is another team much better at home than on the road this season. I don’t think they’ll beat the Broncos, but it would not surprise me to see them keep things close as the Broncos pass defense has not been stellar this year.

SAINTS (-6.5) over Cowboys
New Orleans is nearly unstoppable at home and should bounce back from their loss with a very strong game.

BUCCANEERS (+2.5) over Dolphins
I was ready to write a short paragraph about how people can’t really be that surprised by the things Richie Incognito said and did to Jonathan Martin. The idea being, look at Incognito, the way he carries himself and even just the way he looks – he is clearly a dick. And while I still hold a lot of that to be true, it got me to thinking about bullying and competitive sports. Also, it is important to state that we do not know all the facts and should probably stop jumping to conclusions for a while. (Feel free to stop reading at any time after this, I'm not really sure my thoughts go anywhere)

First off, everyone else on the Dolphins seems to love Incognito. I’m not saying that makes anything he did any better, but it is interesting to see teammates rushing to his support rather than supporting Martin.

I’m positive that Incognito is fiercely loyal and defensive of his teammates. If someone on another team messed with Martin on the field, I have no doubt Incognito would have been the first guy in the opponents face, and that earns you respect with your peers. Again, that doesn’t make what he said or did any better, but it’s worth remembering when thinking about what type of guy he is.

Now, I too would defend my teammates against any opponent, I think that is more common than it is uncommon. But, that same confrontational attitude carries over to the locker room in pro sports. I don’t fully understand professional sports culture. Never will. I played and coached club sports in college and that’s about as competitive as I’ve ever gotten in my sporting life.

Still, it is clear to me there is a wide range of methods in how to approach and motivate a team or teammate. Different people respond to different types of motivation. Some players want to be yelled at all the time, broken down, forced to better themselves to gain approval. Others do not have the mindset for that type of challenge and need a softer touch with constant positive reinforcement. Neither way is wrong, but you need to realize which people operate in which way.

It seems pro sports always trends toward the machismo, prove your manhood, breed strength through confrontation mindset. This macho culture leads to bullying, players treating teammates like dicks either to “toughen them up” or so they can “earn” their spot on the team and be welcomed to the club. I’ve made fun of teammates before, thinking in my head that it is coming from a good place, but there is a level of harassment that you don’t cross.

Obviously players and the coaches who asked Incognito to “toughen up” Martin wanted different results. They wanted Martin to fight back, to show a “nasty” side. Some may think Incognito ultimately went too far, but it seems few are of that opinion. It appears clear now, Martin isn’t that type of guy.

Maybe that attitude is still needed to succeed in such a competitive environment, but I doubt it. You can and I believe should, admonish players for mistakes. But it seems more and more that hazing and bullying doesn’t do anything to make you a stronger team.

I’ve bullied people before, been bullied, and am still friends with people who are currently bullies. Some bully for their own amusement, some use it as a defense mechanism about their own insecurities, and others believe they are trying to accomplish a good result – an ends justify the means approach. What is important is to see how someone reacts to bullying and then responding accordingly.

Real bullies, like it would seem Incognito is, take it to another level when their target can’t handle it well. And that is the problem most outsiders have with this situation. It seems the culture of pro sports, and the idea behind this incident, was to push Martin until he snapped, hoping he would snap with aggression. But not everyone is wired to punch their problems in the face. Martin snapped by leaving the team and filing a complaint. No one should hold him in disregard because of that fact.

At the same time I don’t know how much blame to assign to Incognito, how much to assign to the Dolphins coaches and others players, and how much to assign to the culture of professional sports, because it is a culture I have never experienced and don’t understand. Still, it seems to me like this is a message that maybe that culture could use a little change.