For the NFL. it was a strange and ugly week that concluded last night. I managed to eke out a win when Nick Foles tossed a TD to Jeremy Maclin late in the game against the Colts. It was kind of a tainted win though, as I'll explain in a minute, and I'm left with the nagging feeling that a karmic debt has been created.
A week ago yesterday the Ray Rice implosion hit the NFL. As if that wasn't enough, Adrian Peterson was charged with "reckless or negligent injury to a child" on Friday. Then Sunday rolled around with some of the ugliest games in terms of injuries, penalties, and poor play that I've ever watched.
The Vikings topped the list with a huge let down at home after a nice win on the road in week 1. They steamrolled the Patriots the first drive and then were outplayed and outcoached the rest of the game. Matt Cassel played poorly, but in his defense one of the four interceptions he threw was a great defensive play and two others I fault the receivers for not defending the ball better. Most of the passing game woes the Vikings have experienced the last few years have been the fault of QB play, but I also blame the passive nature of the receiving corps. Great receivers go after the ball, they don't just wait for it to fall into their hands. Like ours do.
The FFL week 2 GBU:
The Good: Squeaked out a win against one strong division rival. I was extremely lucky that his prime running back, Jamaal Charles went out with an injury early in his game. Seeing how the Vikings had deactivated my #1 back for Sunday it leveled the playing field tremendously. I hate to see anyone injured, but you take it as it comes I guess. DeMarco Murray had another excellent game for Dallas(except for another worrisome fumble) with 12 points and Frank Gore followed up with another 8.
If Peterson stays reinstated for this coming weekend my options at running back will be Peterson, who will come out with something to prove against the Saints, Murray, Gore, and if Charles stays out, Knile Davis, his backup. Davis is a pretty good back in his own right and he racked up 16 fantasy points after Charles left the game. Nice options.
The Bad: My number one receiver, AJ Green went down with a toe injury on the first Bengals drive of the game. It supposedly is not too serious, but I have a nagging feeling they will keep him out this Sunday because they have a bye week 4. That would give him 3 weeks to heal up and face the rest of the season in top condition.
The Ugly: No way to sugarcoat it, my victory this week came courtesy of a massive screwup by the officials on the field and running the replay system for the Chargers-Seahawks game. Percy Harvin clearly stepped out of bounds on his touchdown run and it appeared that the official who was right there even gestured to that effect. To my amazement, and I'm sure most of the others watching, the TD was counted anyway. No question about it, my opponent got screwed.
Now a little on Adrian Peterson. Clearly Ray Rice had the physical advantage over Ranay in their incident, but at least they were two adults. AP was up against a four-year-old. Now, my parents on occasion spanked my siblings and I when we were small and being stupid little shits. I don't believe any of us got spanked past the age of five, in small part due to the judicious use or that legitimate parenting tool before then. None of us ever got anything close to what's being called a "whupping." It's not even remotely close. And you know what? In 1968 my parents had a herd of five kids, the oldest age 11 and the youngest age 4, and they could take us anywhere and we would behave ourselves. They taught us how to behave, they expected us to behave, and with rare exception we did. All without a single whupping.
I don't like what Peterson did, not one bit. I think it is a horrifying and unnecessary way to discipline a child. But does it legally fall into the realm of criminal child abuse?
In my mind it does. On the other hand, when it comes to the issue of parents disciplining their children there are too many people who, if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile and outlaw spanking altogether. Without the presence of a serious injury, and in this case the boy was not seriously injured, I'm also reluctant to allow the state to interfere with the parent.
After some thought, I think Peterson is not likely to be convicted. The "whupping" culture is probably too strong where he will be tried. As far as the NFL goes, I think they will take this one out of the court of public opinion, unlike Rice, and let the legal case play out before they do anything. There's no constituency willing to go public in defense of hitting woman, but there's a very vocal group of Americanswho strongly believe in leaving it to parents to discipline their kids and Peterson will be defended by them. If Peterson is convicted he's done. If not, he may not even get a league punishment.
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