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NFL needs to get its house in order so we can focus on the game

The NFL's reaction to Ray Rice attacking his fiancee has been slammed in an independent report. (Keith Allison / Flickr)
Roar Guru
18th September, 2014
17

Cast your minds back through the crises to hit Australian sport over the year. The underarm delivery, Wayne Carey, and the ASADA investigations into Essendon and Cronulla are three that come to mind.

All gave rise to massive hits to the reputations of the respective sports in this country.

Now take the publicity these generated and multiply it exponentially. That gives an idea of just how much heat the NFL is under right now.

From the Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson cases, to the re-writing of the drug code, and a racism storm surrounding the Washington team retaining their Redskins nickname, the game is under the pump from all angles.

Sponsors are pulling out, or threatening to do so. Fans are questioning their love for the league for the first time ever.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is in danger of losing his job over the Ray Rice fiasco in particular.

The NFL must adopt a no-tolerance stance on these issues. It’s best for the sport and society that acts like this are no longer swept under the carpet.

Strong leadership is needed to get things back on track. If Goodell is not the man to provide this, he must fall on his sword.

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The owners have a multi-billion dollar industry to protect and protect it they must.

In case you missed it, there is a season going on and it has been one heck of a season to date.

History tells us that about 10 per cent of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs. Of the seven teams yet to win this year, three – New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs – made the playoffs a year ago.

They won’t all make it this time.

Of the three, the Saints were my tip to challenge for the Super Bowl from the NFC, while the Colts are hot favourites in the AFC South division. Both will make the playoffs.

The Saints are simply too good not to make the playoffs. Their losses, by a combined five points, have come on the road, albeit against teams that did not make the playoffs last year (Atlanta and Cleveland). They could just as easily be 2-0 and seemingly flying.

The Colts have lost both games to quality opposition (Denver and Philadelphia) and were just a couple of questionable referee calls away from securing the win over the Eagles on Monday night.

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Both will get their first wins of the season this week against the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars respectively, and go on to make the playoffs, bucking the 10 per cent trend.

A loss for either however, could spell disaster and a complete re-think of playoff predictions.

Some key players – aside from Rice, Peterson and Hardy – are at the crossroads for various reasons.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning may not be in the Big Apple next season, along with his head coach and offensive coordinator, if his numbers do not improve quickly. While his 440 yards passing and three touchdowns through Week 2 aren’t bad, his four interceptions at two a week are bad and a worrying deterioration of a trend.

The same goes for Dallas quarterback Tony Romo. His three interceptions against San Francisco in Week 1 cost his team the game. His back continues to be a concern.

Week 3 will provide more insight into how these teams and players will fare for the year. Time is critical in a league where only 16 games are played.

It sure feels much better to talk about the on-field matters, doesn’t it?

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Let’s hope for the sake of the league all these other matters are dealt with swiftly so we call get on with the football.

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