Enough is Enough: Domestic Violence in the NFL has Reached a Breaking Point

November 9, 2015November 9, 2015 Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues Dallas Cowboys, Domestic Violence, Greg Hardy

For anyone who reads this blog regularly, you know how I feel about Greg Hardy. I have called for him to be punished by the league. I have questioned whether or not he actually learned anything from his domestic violence case. He seems to still think he is completely innocent. With our legal system, you remain innocent until proven guilty. Up until now, nothing grabbed the public’s attention enough to make them think he was clearly guilty.

Well there is finally proof. Deadspin released photos on Friday of Nicole Holder, Hardy’s ex-girlfriend, the night of her fight with Hardy. The photo’s are pretty gruesome and disturbing but they are undeniable proof that Hardy did everything he was accused of.

Yet, Hardy still walks around a free man. Completely untouched by the law or the league for his actions. He even still plays in the NFL and his general manager/owner/billionaire football fan Jerry Jones wants to give him a contract extension. Jones has even gone as far to call Hardy a leader on the Cowboys.

That statement is simply laughable after Hardy accosted special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia when Dallas gave up a kickoff return touchdown against the Giants. That blow up was quickly followed by a verbal argument with star wide receiver Dez Bryant on the sideline. Not exactly screaming leadership right there.

Bottom line, Greg Hardy does not deserve to be in the NFL. Probably for a number of reasons, but most importantly for the fact that he assaulted a women and threatened to kill her. I don’t care how good you are at football. When you do something like that, you don’t deserve a second chance.

I don’t want to hear well everyone deserves a second chance nonsense either. This isn’t Josh Gordon smoking pot or Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg. This is Hardy beating a woman to the point where she asked him to just end it and kill her.

The Cowboys should cut Hardy right now. I don’t care how good of a pass rusher he is. Ray Rice is no longer in this league because teams refuse to sign him. Obviously, Rice is a different caliber player than Hardy, as in he wasn’t as highly valued but that should not matter here. The league as a whole took a stand by not signing him. It was publicly blown up just how horrible a thing Rice did to his then-fiance. The video of Rice punching his wife in the face and knocking her cold made its rounds on the internet and no one had any sympathy for him after that.

Well here is your smoking gun. We finally see just what the result of Hardy’s outburst was and it honestly might have been worse than what Rice did. He left Holder wanting death, covered in bruises and abrasions.

Unfortunately, Holder understood that these professional athletes are just about untouchable. They, time and time again, get away with domestic violence issues without being put away. It is not just contained to Rice and Hardy.

One of the first incidents I could find of domestic violence in the NFL dates back over a decade ago to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Michael Pittman. Pittman reportedly rammed his car into another one that held his wife, then two-year old daughter and the child’s baby sitter. He was charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence charges. Those were dropped though when he plead guilty to endangerment charges instead. He received a 30-day jail sentence, of which he served 14 days before he was released. The NFL also gave Pittman a three-game suspension to open the 2004 season. In 2011, Pittman was arrested again for a physical altercation with his wife. Clearly, he learned a lot from his initial punishment.

It continued with Dwayne Carswell, a former Denver Broncos tight end, later that year. Carswell was arrested for picking up his girlfriend by the neck. He pleaded no contest and the NFL gave him a one-game suspension. However, that wasn’t the first incident in which Carswell was accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck, yet both times he managed to avoid jail time.

Fast forward to 2011, when Chris Cook of the Minnesota Vikings was charged with felony assault for beating his girlfriend. The NFL suspended him indefinitely and he missed the rest of the 2011 season. Cook’s girlfriend had a perforated eardrum, a bloody nose and marks on her neck that were consistent with strangulation. He said he was provoked though when his girlfriend threw a shoe at him. Somehow, Cook got off on all charges and returned to the Vikings the following season, never facing any jail time or further suspension.

There have been two other players not named Greg Hardy suspended for domestic violence in 2015 as well, and like Hardy, neither of them served any jail time.

From what I was able to find, eight NFL players in the last 11 years have been suspended for domestic violence and none of them have spent more than 14 days in jail. Pittman was the only one to ever serve any jail time. Everyone else inexplicably got off with probation or community service.

I’m not saying that no one deserves a second chance, but these players do not. They have not earned the right to represent the NFL any longer. Players who do their time at least deserve to be considered for a return.

I mentioned Burress earlier. He never harmed anyone but himself and he spent 20 months in prison. Michael Vick was involved with a dog fighting ring and earned himself 17 months in prison. I’m not saying that Burress and Vick didn’t deserve their time in prison, I’m merely pointing out that these guys actually paid for the crimes they committed. And when they returned, they still faced ridicule and questions about whether or not they deserved to be back.

It seems a little disproportionate to me that a man who shot himself in the thigh and a man who organized a dog fighting ring spent a combined 37 months in prison while eight men arrested on varying levels of domestic violence and assault charges have totaled just 14 days behind bars. Those numbers are simply baffling and no one has done anything to change that.

NFL players continue to be excused for assault and remain in the league most of the time. Rice is the first noticeable example of a player not allowed back for domestic violence. And that wasn’t due to a policy the league enacted, it was simply due to the public backlash that would have came with signing him. The consequences for not properly punishing them are clear as well as we have players like Pittman and Carswell arrested on multiple occasions for the same reason.

Actions speak much louder than words. It is clear that these players have not learned anything from their respective instances. Hardy already is acting like a bully off the field and making sexist comments about opponent’s wives.

Getting these players to understand that their actions are unacceptable needs to be part of the process. So far, nothing that the legal system or the league has done has had too many lasting effects on those players responsible for domestic violence issues. There needs to be an overhaul.

The NFL should not allow these cowardly men to return to the league. They are a disgrace to football as a whole and they are a very poor representation of the game. No man should ever harm a women. I have no tolerance or respect for those who do. As a fan of the NFL, I sincerely hope they aren’t around much longer.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

November 5, 2015November 12, 2015 Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Power Rankings NFL Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
New England keeps on rolling. Miami was hot coming in but cooled off very quickly. The Patriots offensive line buckled a little but the defense shutdown the Dolphins ground attack. Hosting Washington should be a bit of a gimme for the king of the hill.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 2)
That was really rough. The Bengals were lucky to escape Pittsburgh with a win. All day long, the defense held the Steeler offense in check, only surrendering 10 points. However, Andy Dalton had a week to forget. In the past, that used to cost the Bengals the game. They have taken a huge step forward by winning ugly.

3. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)
It was only one week, but Peyton Manning finally showed up. He didn’t throw any touchdowns but he didn’t have to. The Denver running game got going and punched in three touchdowns. That defense continues to smother even the best offenses in the league. If the Broncos continue to play like this, they will be true contenders.

4. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 5)
Carolina seemed like they were in cruise control Monday night against Indy. Then they let the Colts crawl back into the game and force overtime. The Panthers still managed to pull of a big victory showing that they can win through adversity. They need to clean up the drops and the fumbles but the fact that they keep winning without playing at the top of their game.

5. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 3)
What on Earth just happened? The Packers had an awful outing in Denver. Aaron Rodgers had only 77 yards passing and the ground game sputtered. That is the worst performance we have ever seen out of Green Bay offensively with Rodgers taking all of the snaps. This week isn’t any easier with a trip to Carolina on the line. Green Bay needs to get back on track quickly.

6. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 7)
An early scare for the Cardinals saw them go down 20-7 to the Browns. Arizona turned things around in the second half and dominated Cleveland en route to a second half shutout. Carson Palmer continues to be an MVP candidate as he is tied with Tom Brady for the most touchdowns in the league.

7. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 10)
That was not pretty. Actually, it was downright terrifying. Minnesota went down 20-13 at Chicago with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter. They then scored 10 points in the final minute and 49 seconds to pull off a stunning comeback win. The Vikings were fortunate to win, but they still won.

8. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 8)
The Falcons looked like they had completely left last year behind them during their 5-0 start. Now, it seems like their 2014 form returned though over the last three weeks, losing two out of three to the Saints, Bucs and Titans. Atlanta is falling well behind the rival Panthers and looking at a wildcard spot as the only possibility for the postseason.

9. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 12)
Oakland has gone from a team that no one thought could make the playoffs to the fifth seed in the AFC field in just two weeks. Beating the Jets, and beating them convincingly, is a big step in the right direction for this young Raider team.

10. New York Jets (Last week: 6)
The hangover from the loss to the Pats continued with a rough loss to the Raiders. Todd Bowles will be pressing this team to have a better response this week after he counted 21 missed tackles on film from this past game. For a team who’s defense is supposed to be its strong point, they need to turn themselves around after allowing 30 plus points in consecutive weeks.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)
The Steelers have not been able to stay healthy this season. Big Ben finally returned this week just in time for LeVeon Bell to suffer a season-ending injury. Pittsburgh is not completely out of it with DeAngelo Williams ready to take over but it is certainly a blow to this high-octane offense.

12. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 15)
The offense is middling outside of Todd Gurley but boy is that Gurley kid good! Gurley has the most yards per game this season among all running backs. That defense looks like it is the real deal as well with the fourth best scoring defense to this point. If they can hold up then St. Louis might be able to snag a wildcard spot.

13. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 13)
Richard Sherman shutdown Dez Bryant this week, but Dez was coming off a serious foot injury. The fact is, the Seahawks were very fortunate to win this game. Seattle’s offense has looked average at best this season and their record shows it.

14. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 19)
Don’t look now, but the Saints are back to .500 and very much in the wildcard picture. There is still some work to be done as they are behind Minnesota by a game and a half and the rival Falcons by two games but with only two games left on the schedule against teams that currently have winning records, New Orleans has to feel good about its chances.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 14)
A week off for the Eagles hopefully did them well as they prepared for their rematch with the Cowboys. DeMarco Murray will have a chance to play in front of the fans who cheered him on last season. Philly needs to win this one if they have any hope of challenging for the division title.

16. New York Giants (Last week: 11)
Talk about a shootout! Eli Manning threw six touchdown passes against the Saints this weekend. The only problem was that Drew Brees threw seven. Very tough loss for the Giants and the offense looked stellar all game. Steve Spagnolo needs to sit down with his defense and figure out who is willing to actual cover guys this week in Tampa.

17. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 16)
This is just brutal. Indy lost again as Luck threw two picks and got beat up most of the night. The Colts seemed to find themselves late in the fourth quarter and even forced overtime but another costly mistake by the offense sent them home empty-handed. Yet, Indy still leads the AFC South with just three wins.

18. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 17)
The Bills took a break this week after their trip across the pond. With the Dolphins and Jets losing this week, Buffalo has to feel like they are still in a good place, only one game out of a playoff spot. They have to start winning though. Their next three games are all in the division which gives them a chance to make up that ground.

19. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 23)
The Chiefs might request to play every game in London soon. They blew out the Lions, which most teams do, and it was probably the best the Kansas City offense has looked all season. Charcandrick West is showing people that he too knows how to pound the rock behind that KC offensive front.

20. Washington (Last week: 20)
Coming off a bye, Washington has to be delighted that it is only a half game back of the division lead. They would lose the tiebreaker to the Giants and this week they play the Patriots but there is still some optimism.

21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 18)
Well, Miami came back down to Earth. Fast. The Patriots demonstrated once again that they are still the bully in the AFC East and the Dolphins cannot contend with them yet. It was a blowout in every sense of the word. One that makes you wonder if those two straight wins were just a fluke.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 31)
Tampa Bay is fresh off a shocking upset of the Falcons. The Bucs are still a couple of years away from being a playoff team but this is a good sign. The defense played very well, flustering Matt Ryan early and often. Now they have a big game with the hapless Giants defense. Mike Evans might be in good shape for a huge week.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 25)
Jacksonville has two wins on the season and is only one game behind the Colts for first place. That is simply unbelievable, especially given how poorly the Jaguars have played. If the offense centered around Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson and T.J. Yeldon can play consistently, the Jags have as much of a shot at this as anyone else.

24. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 22)
Right now, Cowboys fans are praying for forgiveness for the number of times they made fun of Tony Romo. It is pretty clear now that Romo makes or breaks this squad, who has lost five straight games since his injury.

25. Chicago Bears (Last week: 24)
It looked like the Bears would upset the Vikings. Then it looked like they were headed for overtime. Then the Bears lost. It was almost inexplicable really, yet Chicago made it happen. Now Matt Forte is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a knee injury. Things are really at a low point in the Windy City.

26. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 21)
The Chargers rank number one in the league for passing yards per game. They also rank number 29 for rushing yards per game. Giving Phillip Rivers some help on the ground is key going forward for San Diego, especially with leading receiver Keenan Allen now done for the year.

27. Houston Texans (Last week: 32)
It seems that every team I drop into the cellar wins the following week. The Texans continued that trend with a solid win over Tennessee. Houston is actually tied with the Colts for the AFC South lead but without Arian Foster, I don’t see the Texans making a playoff push.

28. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 26)
For a little while there, it looked as though Cleveland would shock the Cardinals as they lead 20-7. Then they stopped scoring, for the rest of the game. Now the Browns gear up for a divisional battle with the undefeated Bengals with Johnny Manziel at the helm. This could get really ugly, really fast.

29. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 29)
Well it looks like that break for the Ravens hasn’t come yet. Steve Smith tore his Achilles and will not return this season. Now, the leading receiver for Baltimore is Kamar Aiken. That definitely spells trouble.

30. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 28)
The 49ers needed to make a change. I don’t know if benching Colin Kaepernick was it. Kaepernick hasn’t been great but he doesn’t have much to work with. The defense has been miserable as well. This team seems struggle no matter what situation they are in.

31. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)
Turns out that moral victories weren’t enough to save Ken Wisenhunt’s job. Tennessee has lost six straight since its impressive opener. Marcus Mariota hasn’t been healthy but that is far from the only issue. Finding a running game is the next step for these rebuilding Titans.

32. Detroit Lions (Last week: 30)
A new era is underway in Detroit. The Lions fired their team president and general manager this morning. Already this year, Detroit dismissed their offensive coordinator. It is going to be a long rebuild where no one is safe. Definitely not Matt Stafford.

Gary Who?

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 Chris McGlynn Football, NFL Cleveland Browns, Gary Barnidge

Who the hell is Gary Barnidge? I’m guessing this was a pretty common search on Google over the past couple of weeks. The Cleveland Browns’ tight end has come out of nowhere to shock the league with his consistently dominant play at the position.

For a player who is playing so well, you have to wonder why we had never heard of him before. Well maybe he is really young? No, actually Barnidge is already 30 and playing in his eighth season in the NFL. Maybe he was buried on the depth chart? It’s the Browns. They do not have talented skill players for him to be buried behind. New quarterback gave him new life? Josh McCown is older than he is and not exactly a franchise QB.

There isn’t really an explanation for Gary Barnidge’s sudden emergence into the NFL spotlight. It sort of just happened.

Barnidge was drafted out of Louisville in the fifth round of the 2008 draft by the Carolina Panthers. Barnidge failed to record a catch in his rookie year. He also did not have a reception during the 2010 or 2011 NFL season. After the 2012 season, Barnidge made the move to Ohio. He didn’t see much of an uptick in production though, continuing as an unknown entity.

In fact, Barnidge’s career stat line heading into 2015 was 44 receptions for 603 yards and three touchdowns. That is probably an average season for most tight ends right there, potentially even a down year. It took Barnidge seven years to pile up those numbers.

There was no indication that anything had changed for the Browns’ tight end during the offseason. No one speculated that the 30-year old backup tight end for Cleveland was poised for a breakout season. That’s right backup. Barnidge did not start the first two games of the season for the Browns at tight end, sitting behind Jim Dray. He had very little production with just four catches for 55 yards and no scores.

Then, in Week 3, Barnidge exploded. He hauled in six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, his first since 2013. Since then Barnidge hasn’t looked back.

On the year, Barnidge has 40 catches for 567 yards and six touchdowns. He ranks seventeenth in the league for both receptions and receiving yardage among all players. His half-dozen scores are tied for fourth. In all of those categories, he is second among tight ends behind only Rob Gronkowski.

Gronk is far and away the best tight end in the league, and the best one we have seen in some time. His 2015 stat line is 40 catches for 646 yards and 7 touchdowns. Barnidge really isn’t too far off from Gronk’s production this season. The former has player one more game than the latter this year but the latter also has Tom Brady as a quarterback. That is a slight upgrade over McCown.

This is one of the most bizarre stories of 2015. No one, and I mean no one, expected this. Barnidge has taken the league by storm. He is on pace to beat his career totals in receptions and receiving yards this upcoming week in just his ninth game of the season. Barnidge will likely be on that shortlist for the players making the trip down to Hawaii for the annual Pro Bowl as well if he continues his production.

Even if Barnidge begins to taper off down the stretch this is still one of the most impressive runs we have ever seen by a player who was previously so anonymous.

The only comparison I can make to Barnidge’s fast track to fame is actually to a former Cleveland player in Peyton Hillis. Much like Barnidge, Hillis came from nowhere to finish sixth in yards from scrimmage and tied third in total touchdowns.

However, Barnidge and Cleveland fans alike must hope that Barnidge is not a one-year wonder like Hillis. Following his tremendous 2010 campaign, Hillis never rushed for over 600 yards again and scored fewer touchdowns over the next three years than he did in that one season.

There is no telling how long Barnidge’s run will continue. For now, we must simply enjoy it while it lasts.

Carolina Cruisin’

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 Chris McGlynn Football, NFL Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, Luke Kuechley

North Carolina. Known for barbecue, country music and hard-nosed football. Don’t look now, but the Carolina Panthers are bringing back an old-school style of play and they are really good at it.

Everything you hear about NFL offenses these days revolves around passing. In fact, the league is on pace to beat the record set in 2013 for most pass attempts per game across the entire league. At the same time, NFL teams are running the ball at a record-low rate. 2015 is on pace to be the fewest rushing attempts per game, breaking the previous low set in 2014, which beat the low mark set in 2013 before that. In short, passing is trending upwards and running is trending downwards.

That doesn’t seem to bother the Panthers though, who are determined to win by running the football. They have more rush attempts per game than anyone else in the league through the first eight weeks of the season. And they are pretty successful too as they lead the league in ground yards per game. This team has the look of the 2013 Seahawks, with a mobile quarterback and strong defense, except they rely even more heavily on the run.

On the other hand, Carolina seems pretty adverse to throwing the ball. The Panthers are attempting the fifth fewest passes per game and have the third fewest passing yards per game. Usually that is a recipe for disaster but these boys from Charlotte seem intent on bucking the trend.

Oh and did I mention that Carolina is undefeated. This is a winning brand of football.

At the helm of the offense is Cam Newton. The Auburn product has taken a little while to get to this point. Not so long ago, pundits criticized his maturity and questioned if he had the right tools to be an NFL quarterback. “Super Cam” is far from conventional but he is effective nonetheless.

Strictly looking at Newton’s stats without taking into consideration all sides of his game limits the understanding of how important a piece he has been this year for the Carolina offense. His completion percentage ranks second to last among qualified passers, only above Ryan Mallet’s. However, the Panthers rank seventh in the league in drop percentage, which certainly hurts Newton’s completion percentage.

Newton also ranks 28th out of 33 quarterbacks in yards per game average, which is far from stellar. However, his total yardage per game is much better. Cam has always been good with his legs and he leads all quarterbacks with 40.9 rushing yards per game. He also ranks 13th in the league in terms of rushing first downs. That’s right. In the league.

When you factor in Newton’s ability to use his athleticism to extend plays and drives, his short comings as a passer become a little more excusable, especially when he is punching in points. Newton has 11 touchdown passes on the year so far. He also has four rushing touchdowns, which ranks him fourth among all players. For passing and running touchdowns, Newton ranks tied for sixth in combined scores among quarterbacks. Clearly, the Panthers are doing something right because they are scoring the fourth most points per game.

Luke Kuechly — Kuechly lead the NFL in tackles in 2014.

While Carolina might be denying convention on offense, the defense is truly the unit to watch. They rank ninth in yards per game allowed and tenth in points per game allowed. They have played three games though without captain Luke Kuechly, who is still somehow in the top 50 for tackles, even though he has only played four games. Mario Addison, Shaq Thompson and Dwon Edwards have all missed time as well. Carolina has been one of the better defensive teams in the league despite all the injuries to its front seven. For a pass rush that already stacks up well with 20 sacks in seven games, getting healthy is bound to make it even better.

That defense is good at giving the ball back to the offense. Carolina is third in turnovers generated per game. This Panthers defensive unit is gritty and seems to be getting better as the year goes on.

It is far from perfect but it has worked thus far. It is scary to think that the Panthers have room to improve as well if Cam can improve on his accuracy and the receivers stop dropping the ball. With all of that room to improve, it is ridiculous that the Panthers have won 12 of their last 13 games dating back to last year without being seen as a complete team. This team has the mental toughness to be a true contender, as shown in a fourth quarter road comeback victory against Seattle and a tense overtime win against the Colts.

Carolina has officially put the rest of the league on alert with their gritty and old fashioned play so far. The question now is can anyone stop them.

Champs in trouble

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer Chelsea, Jose Mourinho

What on Earth has happened to Chelsea? The 2015 Premier League champions have not looked like they will be defending their title much less even qualifying for European football. For a team that was so heavily favored to repeat as league champions, the results that Chelsea has amassed are mind boggling. Forget challenging for a title. Chelsea is only four points clear of relegation.

Jose Mourinho (2) — Mourinho has struggled to repeat last year’s stellar performance at Stamford Bridge.

The issue begins at the top with manager Jose Mourinho. He is very abrasive by nature and tends to make a lot of enemies. Right now Chelsea has a target this size of London on its back and it continues to grow with each week that Mourinho spends criticizing opposing managers, referees and players alike.

Mourinho might not like it, but the best thing to do is to take a step back and lessen the pressure on his team. Chelsea needs to get back on track in the worst way, but as long Mourinho continues to antagonize the rest of the league, they will all continue to gun for them.

That kind of conduct is starting to cost the team as well. Mourinho was suspended today for his most recent outburst against West Ham. Playing a game without your manager makes it increasingly difficult to win.

Chelsea need to find a way to win as well. They have failed to emerge victorious in their last four matches, which included three loses. The Blues were bounced from the League Cup, failed to secure points in two league matches and could not beat a Ukrainian side in European play.

That kind of slide is nothing short of historic for Chelsea. Since the Premier League was created back in 1992, Chelsea has never has as poor a start as the one they are enduring now.

Part of that directly ties back to Mourinho. He has been very successful at alienating his best player in Eden Hazard. Hazard might have gotten a little complacent after receiving the Player of the Year award last year in the Premier League, but the talent is still there.

Now, there are rumors circulating that Hazard is as good as gone in the January transfer window because he just cannot stand it stay. Hazard has gone as far as to say that he will push through a move to Real Madrid in January. It is clear that the Belgian international wants nothing to do with his abrasive boss.

Hazard is far from the only one unsettled by Mourinho’s tactics. The Daily Mail reported that one player in the Chelsea locker room said he would rather lose than win for Mourinho. If that is the response that you are getting from players, then a change must be made.

That change should not be assumed to sack Mourinho. With matches against Stoke, Norwich and Bournemouth on the coming slate for three out of Chelsea next four, the team could get back on track. However, if Chelsea fails to push back into the conversation for at least a top four finish by then, Mourinho must go.

Jose Mourinho — Mourinho is running out of opportunities to turn Chelsea around.

Giving him this little window to make up for his mistakes is crucial for the team going forward. It seems that most players have lost faith in their manager but getting back on track could revive this team heading into the January transfer window. Some of those whom Chelsea decides cannot work with Mourinho can be moved and Mourinho will have the opportunity to bring in some players of his choosing for the first time at Stamford Bridge.

This season is not lost for Chelsea. Making a title challenge is overly ambitious, being 14 points down right now but pushing back into at least a Europa League position is more than manageable. Chelsea fans won’t be satisfied with settling for fourth or fifth but that might be the best the Blues can do after such a disastrous beginning.

Mourinho needs to learn now from what this first quarter of the season has taught him. He cannot do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to. He must play by the rules and realize that there is more to being a manager than just the tactics. Motivating a team to give its best effort is part of the process and it seems like Mourinho is not used to having to do that. That does not mean he should be excused from making it happen.

Chelsea is most certainly in trouble. Mourinho has the ability to save his job and their season or forfeit both in the next month.

The Aftermath

When sporting news breaks, we cover the fallout.

Author: Chris McGlynn

NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

Gary Who?

Carolina Cruisin’

Champs in trouble

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