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NFL Truths: McKelvin deserves Bills fans' boos

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Jason Whitlock

Jason Whitlock writes about the sports world from every angle, including those other writers can't imagine or muster courage to address. His columns are humorous, thought-provoking, agenda-free, honest and unpredictable. E-mail him or follow his Twitter or become a fan of Jason Whitlock on Facebook.

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Updated Sep 17, 2009 12:06 PM ET
     
 
Dear Jason:
Great to read The Truths last week. I wrote Peter King throughout the summer telling him that your NFL Truths column is better than his Monday Morning Quarterback column.
Keep it 100,
Kanye 10. Don't call this the race card. It's the star card. I'll be very interested to see how the NFL responds to Donovan McNabb's season-opening injury in comparison to Tom Brady's a year ago. The rulebook was basically re-written after Bernard Pollard hit Brady in the knee and ended Brady's 2008 season. Now you can't hit a quarterback below the knees, especially if you've been blocked to the ground. Hmm. So McNabb scores a touchdown last Sunday and two Panthers linemen jump on him in the end zone for no reason, cracking one of McNabb's ribs. Will we see a rules change? Last year there was even a discussion about fining Pollard after his legal and ethical hit on Brady. The hit on McNabb was unethical and borderline illegal, but I don't hear any discussion about fining anyone. I'm a McNabb homer. He's my favorite player. I'm pissed my Super Bowl pick will spend a portion of the season without McNabb or with him nursing a cracked rib. 9. Why wasn't Dick Vermeil hired to work alongside Ron Jaworski on "Monday Night Football?" Vermeil and Jaworski have natural chemistry from their years as coach and player with the Eagles. Vermeil is a great broadcaster. Yes, he's old. But the guy knows the game and he's unafraid to say whatever he's thinking during a game. Jon Gruden, the replacement for Tony Kornheiser, adds nothing to the broadcast. He's another former coach killing time on ESPN while he waits for his next job. This is a recipe for broadcasting disaster. Example No. 2: Herm Edwards. These coaches-in-waiting spend their entire broadcast career trying to avoid saying anything that might cost them their next job. Has someone told Gruden yet that Todd Lyght, a cornerback, left the NFL in 2002 and never played left tackle for the New England Patriots? Matt Light plays tackle for the Pats. I know it's just an innocent mistake about a name. But Gruden kept calling Matt Light by the wrong name all game. Gruden had virtually no feel for what was transpiring in the game. His "insight" was cliche. Before the game, he and Jaws both seemed to suggest the Bills made a gigantic strategic error by sticking with their no-huddle offense after struggling with it in preseason games. Gruden, a former head coach, really believes a team should scrap an offensive philosophy the organization committed to throughout an entire offseason after four exhibitions? Late in the game, Gruden had a chance to make a real impact. Buffalo return man Leodis McKelvin brought a kick out of the end zone and fumbled the game away when he surely should've taken a knee. It would've been great to hear what Gruden, known as a fiery coach willing to confront his players, would say to McKelvin in that situation. Never happened. Gruden was probably still trying to figure out how and when Todd Lyght put on so much weight. 8. Gruden was bailed out by Mike Greenberg's performance as the play-by-play man in ESPN's second "MNF" game. Seriously, Greenberg's lack of football knowledge was criminal. Mike Golic and Steve Young are taking some heat for their bad performances, particularly not knowing the rules about possessing the ball on a falling catch in the end zone. I'm going to give Golic and Young an out. Working opposite Greenberg on a football game, no one could sound intelligent. Look, Mike Tirico is the best play-by-play man working today. Greenberg had to follow the best. He was going to look bad regardless. But I'm not sure Greenberg has ever watched a football game. Clueless. Get him a boob job and a wig and let him fill in for Erin Andrews on her vacation days. 7. I hope Bills fans cowboy-up and boo Leodis McKelvin on Sunday. McKelvin was the victim of vandalism this week when a couple of teenagers spray painted obscenities on his front lawn after he cost Buffalo its season opener with a late fumble against the Patriots. I don't agree with the actions of the teenagers. But I also don't have so much sympathy for McKelvin that I'd avoid booing him this Sunday. Bringing that kick out of the end zone and failing to get to the ground after first contact were hot dog moves that sabotaged a great effort by his teammates. The Bills had their hands team on the field in anticipation of an onside kick. McKelvin should've been looking for a reason to down the ball in the end zone. Instead he wanted to be a hot dog hero. After the game, he said he'd do the same thing again. He's selfish and stupid. Boo him. 6. Jake Delhomme's contract extension is a fire-able offense. The fact that Carolina has never developed a legitimate backup for Delhomme means head coach John Fox may not survive the season. How did Delhomme get a five-year extension after a five-interception, one-fumble performance against the Arizona Cardinals in last season's playoffs? It's been five full seasons since Delhomme led the Panthers to the Super Bowl. He's been a mediocre quarterback the last three seasons. The Rams cut ties with Kurt Warner two years after Kurt led them to a second Super Bowl. Delhomme's four-interception 2009 debut isn't a fluke. He's done. He's a backup who had a short run masquerading as a legit starter. 5. Let's call this a teachable moment. It will be an item each week explaining why you should trust The Truths more than any other source of football insight. Example No. 1: The Andre Smith-Cincinnati Bengals contract situation. Agents are slimy manipulators of the media. Most members of the sports media don't mind being manipulated as long as there is something in it for them. I don't particularly like or trust anyone, most especially agents. Anyway, competing, anonymous agents have been trashing the contract signed by Andre Smith, blasting Smith's young agent, Alvin Keels. Jason Cole of Yahoo! let some anonymous source call Smith's deal "one of the worst contracts I've ever seen." Cole compares Keels, who is black, to Master P and pretty much infers it could've all been avoided had Smith given a competent agent a three-percent cut rather than the two percent Keels took from Smith. Oh, just read it for yourself and check out Deadspin's bash of Keels too. I give Deadspin credit for admitting that a rival agent was likely bashing Keels unfairly. It's not at all uncommon for agents to throw skanky parties for their clients. The problem is Andre Smith, the No. 6 pick, has no one but himself to blame for his "bad" contract. He was fat, out of shape and immature before the draft, which is why he fell to the Bengals instead of being one of the top three picks. Smith was fat, out of shape and immature during the offseason. Smith had no leverage in the negotiations with the Bengals, indisputably the cheapest organization in professional football. Smith couldn't threaten to sit out the entire season and re-enter the draft. Given his behavior this offseason, he would be a third-round pick at best next year. The Bengals likely had remorse about drafting Smith, dug in their heels and refused to give him a deal falling between what No. 5 pick quarterback Mark Sanchez got and No. 7 Darius Heyward-Bey, who the poorly run Raiders gave a ridiculous 22 percent increase over last year's No. 7. What you've learned: 1. Reporters climb into bed with agents and trash non-cooperating agents; 2. Only trust The Truths. 4. Troy Polamalu had the most impressive first quarter I've ever seen. Before getting injured in Pittsburgh's season opener against the Tennessee Titans, Polamalu was in the process of a league MVP bid.

He recorded six tackles, one tackle for loss, two passes defensed and one spectacular, one-handed, midair, fall-to-the-ground interception. He was on fire. He was Ray Lewis and Ed Reed rolled into one player. Film of his first quarter should be shipped to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 3. I absolutely loved how the run-oriented Baltimore Ravens opened their season throwing the ball on almost every play. John Harbaugh hired pass-happy offensive coordinator Al Saunders as a consultant. Saunders didn't call the plays, but you could definitely see his influence as Joe Flacco dropped to pass 25 times in the first half. Flacco had the luxury of playing against the Chiefs, who recorded an NFL-record-low 10 sacks all of last season. Facing a legitimate pass rush, the Ravens are unlikely to stick with an all-air attack, but they've certainly given defensive coordinators something to think about. In the second half, with the Chiefs worn out by the pass, the Ravens turned to their reliable ground game, which produced 200 yards on the day. At times on Sunday, Flacco looked like a young Ben Roethlisberger. 2. At some point this football season, I plan to write a detailed defense of Michigan coach Rich Rodriquez. Right now I'm satisfied letting his results speak for him. Many college coaches "overwork" and micromanage their players as a way of keeping them out of trouble. If the players are at the football facility doing something, a coach can be reasonably satisfied that the players aren't somewhere drunk, high and doing something stupid. How do you think LaGarrette Blount spends his free time at Oregon, in the library studying Shakespeare? Or is he like the majority of young men on a college campus, squeezing a tiny of bit of study around marathon sessions of tail-chasing and kicking it? 1. Congratulations to Mike Martz and Jim Mora for providing honest commentary on the NFL Network about Jay Cutler following his embarrassing debut as a Bear. I just hope Martz and Mora remain as outspoken when they witness embarrassing coaching performances. You can e-mail Jason at BallState0@aol.com or find him on Facebook at facebook.com/jasonwhitlock.

Tagged: Ravens, Cardinals, Steelers, Raiders, Ed Reed, Chiefs, Joe Flacco, Rams, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, Donovan McNabb, Patriots, Leodis McKelvin, Matt Light, Jets, Mark Sanchez, Bears, Bills, Bengals, Andre Smith, Kurt Warner, Tom Brady, Jake Delhomme, Eagles, Ray Lewis, Bernard Pollard, Panthers, Troy Polamalu

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