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Getting lucky in more ways than one
The National Football League chickened out with regard to
its punishment of Browns General Manager Ray Farmer Monday.
A four-game suspension, to take place the first four weeks
of the regular season, and a $250,000 fine is not even a slap on the wrist. It’s
a slap on a fingernail.
Bad boy, bad boy, Ray, for texting the bench during games.
Naughty, naughty. You knew better even though you were a rookie GM, but just
couldn’t help yourself. We’ll let you off this time. You don’t even have to go
to a corner and think about what you did. No, this timeout will cost you just
the first four games of the season.
It’s official. The NFL is getting soft.
What the league should have done is hit Farmer – and the
Browns – where it hurts. Suspend him immediately and restore his active status five
weeks from now or the day after the draft, whichever comes first. That would
hurt big-time.
The most important part of Farmer’s job is how – and whom
– the club drafts and shaping the roster. The lottery is the lifeline of most NFL teams. Farmer, by
virtue of his suspension during the regular season, now has the opportunity to plunge
forward with his draft plans.
To deny him the ability to formulate those plans is a much
more severe punishment than missing the first four games of the regular season.
The Browns are also fortunate they didn’t lose a draft choice. And the bonus is
Farmer now is free to do his job.
If it were any other GM caught breaking the NFL’s rules,
especially those in the club’s division, Browns fans would have screamed bloody
murder.
The club was extremely fortunate this time. But by slapping Farmer's fingernails, the NFL also
set a dangerous precedent that will be hard to argue if another general manager tries to do
the same thing down the road.
C'mon, let's allow the penalty to fit the crime. Yes, stupid is as stupid does and one more bad draft probably sends Farmer down the road, but where was any competitive advantage gained by this foolishness? You can't torpedo the Browns draft process over something this trivial. Your deep-set dislike for this organization has erupted like a volcano, once again.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like about this organization is its inability after 16 years to put together a front office that can reestablish the winning culture that made the Cleveland Browns one of the proud organizations of the NFL for nearly a half century. And that's it.
ReplyDeleteThey flail and flail and still come up with a losing culture for a fan base that is way more loyal than the team deserves.
The penalty I suggested more than fits the crime. And it seems you have bought into the competitive advantage angle put out there. Forget competitive advantage. Farmer broke a rule. Pure and simple. And he's getting slapped lightly for it.
If this had been Mike Brown or Ozzie Newsome or any of the Rooneys, you'd be thinking quite differently.
According to your logic, the guy with a speeding ticket should be treated the same as a hit-and-run driver. The people you mentioned stock their teams with criminals ranging from accused murderers to accused rapists to wife beaters but you are quite silent on those issues.
DeleteNow you have gone off the rails. Come back when you have a valid argument.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be a long absence considering you never recognize/acknowledge a "valid argument" when it stares you in the face. The fact remains that Farmer' "sin" pales in comparison to some of the thugs that do/have occupied spots on our division rivals. Its very easy for you to dismiss someone when you have no rational response. Must be easy since you do it so often.
DeleteApples and oranges, southie. I still say you would have called for a harsh punishment if it had been Newsome, Mike Brown or any of the Rooneys.
DeleteNo, Rich. Just...no.
ReplyDeleteActually I had a good chuckle at your draconian suggestion of punishment. Thanks!
Draconian or not, that would have been the proper punishment. And the only punishment worthy of the crime (playing fast and loose with the word). Farmer and the Browns were extremely fortunate.
ReplyDeleteIf you're so sure, then please inform us what those words were that Farmer played fast and loose with, please.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, you come off as more of a crank than usual, Rich.
I am playing fast and loose with the word crime, strummer. Not Farmer. It's not a crime per se. That's why it's playing fast and loose. Just couldn't come up with the proper word.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am a crank by nature. Thought you would have figured that out by now.
Yours and Grossi's hatred for the Browns is sick. What Farmer did was nothing and u know it. They were punished appropriately. Please move on Rich and start openly rooting for the Squealers because I am sick of your BS. By the way, I just deleted this website from my favs.
ReplyDeleteWhat Farmer did was wrong, tim. Many other GMs do it. He just got caught. The punishment was surprisingly light.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't hate the Browns. It seems like a franchise that always seems to make the wrong moves and I point them out. It never used to be that way when the original Browns were one of the proud franchises of the NFL. Now, they are laughingstocks.
As for your juvenile suggestion I root for some other team, that's not going to happen. You and many other sycophant fans like you refuse to believe this team can do no wrong and everything will be OK. It's time to wake up and see things as they really are, not the way you want them to be.
And thanx for the heads up on deleting this site. Frankly, I'm rather surprised I was one of your faves.
You'll be missed because discourse is good, believe it or not. Hopefully, you'll decide to sneak back in from time to time to check to see if we agree on something.
"You and many other sycophant fans like you refuse to believe this team can do no wrong and everything will be OK."
DeleteYou mean as opposed to you who refuse to believe this team can do nothing right and everything will turn to sh_t???
It's not like I refuse to believe. The facts prove this team has done little right since 1999. Notice I didn't say "nothing right."
ReplyDeleteThis team has been a train wreck since it was resurrected. It compounds good moves with a litany of bad moves. And its fans deserve much better than they have received.
One of these years, they're going to get lucky and everything will fall into place. And when that happens, that will be acknowledged in this little corner. Until then, it's business as usual in Berea.
The one thing I do agree with is Farmer's sinking image. Two wasted first round picks and then being stupid/arrogant enough to get caught in textgate. I figure one more less than stellar draft will start his exit from Berea. I just hope we get at least a 5th round pick for Manziel!!
Delete