The American Samoan's Are Taking Over The NFL

After Monday nights ridiculous performance by New England Patriots safety, Patrick Chung, it got me to thinking. You see more and more of the NFL's best from different parts of the world. Chung, who was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft played his college ball at Oregon. Monday night Chung helped the Pats do something that has never been done in the history of the NFL. The Patriots scored a record 6 different ways, talk about a team effort. Chung was born in Kingston, Jamaica from Chinese Jamaican descent, his father being half-Chinese Jamaican, half-Afro-Jamaican and mother Afro-Jamaican. It made me think about all of the super stars in the game today that are not from the States.

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to catch a 60 Minutes exclusive on CBS. The story highlighted American Samoa, an island in the distant South Pacific that is an unincorporated territory of the United States. The island has just over 65,000 people and out of that there are more than 30 players in the NFL right now and over 200 playing college football. Let's put this in perspective real quick, in the last 5 years alone the island has sent 10 NFL lineman to the NFL. You can usually spot a player of Samoan descent by the long wavy hair flowing out of their helmets. A kid born of Samoan descent is 56 times more likely to play in the NFL than any other kid in America. That's a staggering statistic, if there were more of them they would probably take over the NFL.

Well, what makes these kids so good at football? The facilities are no Southlake Carrol and most schools don't even have real fields, mostly dirt and rocks cover these players fields. But that doesn't stop these kids, they are warriors by birth and are raised to be the best with what they are given. They are given chores and follow their parents orders. The Samoa island is rich in farming and that's how they eat and how a lot of people make their living. So from day one,the boys are put to work as if they are men. Something that has disappeared in the U.S.

During the interview with 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley asked a couple of the boys what their size was. One 16-year-old player told Pelley he's 6 feet 5 inches tall. Another, 17 years old, said he's 6 foot 4 and a half. And the craziest part about it is that they are monsters, they all have muscles and don't even lift weights! Why? Because they cannot afford the weights and their equipment wouldn't even pass inspection with the FWISD.

For almost all of the people on the island the only way to get to America and get and education and make a living is to play football.

The most notable stars from Samoan heritage are 2-time Super Bowl Champion Troy Polamalu, Seahawks All-Pro linebacker Lofa Tatupu, all-time great Junior Seau, Steelers All-Pro Kimo von Oelhoffen, and former USC stand-out and now Bengal linebacker, Rey Maualuga. Not too shabby.

I thought this was a very inspiring story and really felt the need to write about it. Not only does football give these boys a chance to compete and stay focused but it also gives them the opportunity to get a college education and help provide for their families for the rest of their lives.

An already poverty stricken island, the American Samoans were devastated when they were hit with a tsunami that killed dozens and ruined most cash crops. The NFL and the NFL Players Association stepped in and are contributing $50,000 to help victims of the tsunami that struck American Samoa in September.


Facts provided by CBSnews.com and footballisland.com

JETS Have Issues But Also Have Resilience

The New York Jets have been surrounded with controversy since last February when the team signed a plethora of all-pro players to enhance their AFC Championship runner-up squad. Then came May and it was the hold-out of star corner back Darrelle Revis, who missed all off-season work outs and all of pre-season until he was finally signed a week before the first game against the rival Ravens. There was also all of the hype surrounding HBO's "Hard Knocks." And don't forget the f-bomb dropping head coach Rex Ryan. Who was criticized by everyone including his own mother for his dirty mouth on national television. I thought that was all blown way out of proportion but it was still an issue, none the less. Not to be out done, there is the sexual harassment case which is still pending with Ines Sainz. Sainz claims that she was "cat called" and made fun of when at Jets practice and in the locker room to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez.

The Jets finally got what the doctor ordered in week 2 when they got the big win they needed over Tom Brady and the all-mighty Patriots. This is what is so great about sports, no matter what is going on and all the things that can disrupt an organization. As long as you win, nothing else matters, the rest just simply takes care of itself and the slate is wiped clean. Or so you think...

Most NFL teams go to work on Monday, watch film, get treatment and grab a lift. Then they are given Tuesday as their day off. So Braylon Edwards apparently went out on Monday night and had a good time, so good that he was pulled over at 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning because the tint on his Range Rover was too dark. It was then that the police officer smelled alcohol. Edwards was given a breathalyzer and blew twice the legal limit, .16 to be exact, dude can drink! 5:15 a.m. and he was still wasted, pretty impressive. Just a day after having a touchdown catch and a 2-point conversion against the Pats, Edwards was locked up in an NYC jail for a DWI.

You gotta feel for General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Rex Ryan. The two have had issue after issue unfold right before them. They have lost two of their best defensive lineman for the season in DT Kris Jenkins and DE Ropati Pitoitua. Oh and did I mention, that Darrelle Revis guy that just got $32 million in guaranteed cash missed the second half with a tight hamstring and could miss up to 2 weeks?? Sweet.

The Jets looked good Sunday, they looked really good and played even better defensively in the second half without Revis. They are also hoping to get back their stud linebacker, Calvin Pace in the next 2 weeks, who has missed time with a broken right foot. Also wide receiver Santonio Holmes will be back in action after he is done serving a 4 game suspension for violating the leagues substance abuse policy for testing positive for marijuana.

I believe the Jets are still a Super Bowl front runner, without a doubt. With leadership coming from players like LaDainian Tomlinson, Nick Mangold, and Bart Scott. This team will not allow outside distractions to make them fold and coach Rex Ryan will make sure of it.

It will be interesting to see what they do with Braylon Edwards and what the league will do as well. The team can fine him and can even suspend him if they choose to do so. But under the collective bargaining agreement the NFL cannot do anything to Edwards unless he was already listed in the leagues substance abuse policy, which is confidential.

There is no doubt that Edwards is in the dog house but there is still good news. If the Jets can overcome this and get a win over the Dolphins on Sunday night all will be forgotten....this is sports remember? Winning is everything.

TCU All-American Jeremy Kerley "Most Versatile Player In The Nation?"

TCU's stud all-purpose back,Jeremy Kerley has been recognized for the second time in just three games by the Paul Hornung Award for "Most Versatile Performances of The Week." Kerley, who was on the pre-season watch list has proven to the nation why he belongs at the top of the list. Week in and week out Kerley provides play making ability at multiple positions. There is not a doubt in my mind that he is deserving of this award and will continue to show the nation why.

Paul Hornung was the 1956 Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback with Notre Dame, he went on to play running back for the legendary Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers and was a first ballot Hall of Famer. The award is given to the player who shows the most versatility on the football field.

Kerley totaled 202 all-purpose yards in the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs'
45-10 win over Baylor. Kerley also tied a career-high with six receptions for 69 yards and two
touchdowns, and had four punt returns for 84 yards and four carries for 49
yards. Not too shabby if you ask me. Kerley, who is from Hutto,Texas near Austin has shown Frog fans since his arrival how special he is, now he is finally getting the attention he deserves from sports writers and critics all over the nation.

Look for Kerley to only boast bigger and better numbers from this point on with the remaining bulk of the schedule being teams from the Mountain West. Although I think the Mountain West is a much better conference than people give it credit, there is not a lot of speed beside an athletic Utah team.

Portis Was Only Being Honest

"You put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her." These were Washington Redskins Clinton Portis' comments Tuesday when asked about female reporters in NFL locker rooms. Portis, who is known for his outlandish actions is feeling the wrath today and the NFL has made a statement saying that the comments made by Portis have no place in the NFL. Portis apologized and that will more than likely be the end of that, at least as far as the NFL takes it.

I honestly have no problem with Portis comments, this seems more like the media are taking his words out of context and painting them in a bad light. With the JETS recent issues with TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz (Click Here for Photos of Sainz)and the on going investigation. It wasn't the smartest thing to go into but judging by the way Portis spoke to the radio, I'm not so sure he even knew about the current harassment investigation within the JETS organization.

At the end of the day, Portis was asked what he thought about women in a locker room and he was perfectly honest. I mean why do you think any and every gym around the nation has a men's and a women's side? Privacy issues aren't the only reason, I will tell you that much. The media is quick to run with the bulls when an athlete does wrong or makes a mistake and they will usually stay on any number of topics until the cows come home. When they feel they are taken advantage of, they use it to their ability to make even more media, only this time it is purely in an attempt to publicize Ines Sainz and TV Azteca. Did you see what Ines was wearing out on the field and in the locker room!? Give me a break, if she didn't want attention from the players then don't wear all white and portray yourself as a sex symbol.

Ines walked into the locker room with a bunch of jacked naked dudes, wearing an all white, skin tight, outfit with her platinum blond hair. Surely she knew what to expect.

Mariotti Must Be Confused

Talk about your all-time back fires. Jay Mariotti, who is predominately known for his appearances on ESPN's Around the Horn was arrested in Los Angeles at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday the 21st.

Mariotti is one of the loudest mouths in sports journalism. He is known for his wild rants and calling people such as Michael Vick and Tiger Woods out for their actions. Looks like all that smack talking finally came back around his way.

An unnamed source that was picking his girlfriend up at an apartment building just down the street from Mariottis managed to get the inside scoop. The source said the two were yelling back and forth in the street in front of their apartment. Mariotti was boxing the woman out and trying to make her avoid getting in the apartment. When she finally got around him and got into the lobby he chased her down and they had a physical altercation in the lobby of the apartment.

Apparently, the apartment is glass and it is easy to see right in. This is when the on looker saw Mariotti throwing papers and ripping things off the wall, he then grabbed his girlfriends hair and launched her into the elevator. The source said he had enough and called police.

The source had this to say. "She punched her code to get into the lobby of her building...and when she did that he fired the door open and followed her in..and that's when it began. Lucky for me her lobby was a giant glass one so i could continue to see everything that was going on when they went inside."

Mariotti has always come across to me as a smart mouth fire cracker. The guy has a temper that escalates as soon as someone else has something to say that he doesn't agree with. Knowing ESPN and the way they have handled scandal in the past. The "mouse ears" will surely have none of this and you can bet that you wont be seeing any of Mariotti on ESPN again.

Mariotti is due in court September 17th. Around the Horn is not filming this week but will start new episodes next week.

Former TCU Stand-Out Ryan Christian Takes Kick Back-Record 110 Yards

http://argonauts.ca/video/index/id/13397

Upsetting Rumor Swirls in Cleveland

Coming off a devastating second round loss to the Celtics, LeBron James has been the main attention of sports media. James, who is a free agent this off season has the choice to go to any team he would like. James didn't need any more media attention but that is exactly what he is getting, this time for all the wrong reasons.

Rumors have been swirling of a possible relationship with guard Delonte West, 26, of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James' mother, Gloria James, 42. West and James are teammates and have played together on the Cavs for 3 years. The source is not very credible so we cannot jump to conclusions but it seems to be fairly solid.

According to a website called Terez Owens, West and LeBron's mother have allegedly been having an affair for a while, and LeBron found out about it all before game 4 of the second round series against Boston. A game in which James was 7-18 FG, 22 points, 9 Reb, and 8 assists. Not too shabby but the Cavs did lose by 10 at home, where they lost only 6 games during the entire regular season.

Game 5, James was 3-14 FG and had just 15 points. Not what you would expect from the MVP of the league in a crucial playoff game. Is there a reason for that? Is there any truth to what is being said about Delonte West and Gloria James. It is honestly too early to tell but one thing is for sure. News like this can make it very tough for James to concentrate and do his thing but also will ruin a teams chemistry.

This would also explain how James went from "Beast Mode" in the first 3 games of the series to a passive, stoic player we saw in the demise of the Cavs championship run. James has been so focused all season and during the playoffs, it was weird to watch him turn into the player we have never seen on the court before. This is a team that had the most wins in the NBA this season and had the determined MVP in James to carry them all the way. That team fell apart and everyone is questioning how.

This could be a very good reason for the demise of the Cavs in the second round. No major sports networks are reporting this story but it is very intriguing and could have seriously blown the Cavs chances on getting LeBron James back now that he is a free agent.

Delonte West was arrested earlier this year for carrying multiple concealed weapons, so he sounds like a pretty good dude. The kind of dude who would go behind your back and holla at your mom. Upsetting news, let’s just hope it is false.