Today’s society is very different than it’s predecessors. We want information right away, right now, instantly appearing before our eyes. We don’t have time to wait around for news, certainly no time to wait until tomorrow. Call it the internet generation. Instant information. This is definitely not the newspaper generation (we don’t have time for that), waiting for the news to be reported so we could read it tomorrow, that’s what your grandpa and your father did every morning at the kitchen table. Heck, I remember pouring over the sports page every day as a child, reading every box score and every stat of my favorite players, it was kind of a big deal. Before the internet, when you missed a ball game, the stats would not be available until a half of a day later; if you didn’t get the final score, then we would have to wait some more. Now I get a little miffed when my Wi-Fi connection is slow and web pages don’t load quick enough, oh, how times have changed.

This is why the internet, Facebook and Twitter and other forms of news and social media are so popular. Any news going on in the world can be found instantly. Particularly sports, are no different. Just think of the number of websites, blogs and even television channels devoted to sports 24/7. How many times a day do you look up scores, stats or even read articles about sports? I would say “several” is the answer most commonly stated, why, simple because we can. Why do they make phones that can stream live games, access the internet and allow you to manage your fantasy team? Simply because they can and that’s what people want. Again, it goes back to the “gotta have it now” mentality.

For example, I have a Facebook page, as several people do, and since sports are such a huge part of my life, several posts are dedicated to such things. I will comment on anything that I can form an opinion about, which team I am having fun watching at the moment, which team (or player) won or is winning that I despise (see Duke basketball) or anything else that hits some type of nerve. Just the other day, I had posted something relating to the NBA draft and not more than 10 or 15 minutes later, someone commented and thanked me for the news simply because they hadn’t heard it yet. It was a convenient way to get sports news without going to multiple sources. Wow, it was like a light bulb went off. People today don’t want to wait for the newspaper, they want instant access, whether it be via their phone, computer, or TV. People want the news and they want it right now, so who am I to keep it from you.

JaMarcus Russell cut by the Raiders.
The Raiders cut the former #1 draft pick from LSU after three difficult years with the club, as they have signed Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins. If Jason Campbell replaces you, you are not very good. I mean if you can get an upgrade like that, you got to pull the trigger or maybe it’s because he won a total of seven games as a starter, which ever the reason. Now don’t feel bad for Russell, he made $39 million dollars in the process and isn’t going to starve anytime soon. But now he must start looking for a new job and I don’t believe there will be a lot of interest. Though through the rumor mill, the Colts are reportedly interested in bringing him in as a low risk, low salary back-up. Now, I can’t see this actually happening, the Colts just picked up an undrafted free agent quarterback, Russell is not a “character guy” like Polian likes and his work ethic is pathetic, that isn’t going to change and Coach Caldwell and the Colts with not put up with that.

I still feel that he was drafted so highly because of his showing in the 2007 Sugar Bowl against a Notre Dame team that had a horrible secondary and he picked them apart. I remember the hype in the months following that led to several “experts” (and I use that term loosely) to claim he was the next great quarterback. I thought that it was BS from the start and still believe that this never would have happened if Al Davis hadn’t died a few years ago. Wait…he’s still alive, somebody might want to check on him and just make sure. So I digress, the JaMarcus Russell experiment in Oakland has ended.

Ben Rothleisberger suspended for the first six games of the 2010 season.
Because of another off-season discretion, Big Ben will miss the first six games of the 2010 season. He allegedly sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student in the bathroom of local college bar as his two bodyguards stood by while the incident occurred. You stay classy, Big Ben.

I think it’s time for Rothleisberger to grow up, act like a professional and how about stop trying to pick up random girls in college bars. Shouldn’t he be looking for someone with some sophistication? You can’t change a guy’s character, as much as you may want to, so it’s time to cut ties. You won two Super Bowl titles with him (though the defense should be credited for making this happen, it certainly wasn’t because he was QB), so what else can he do? He is an average quarterback that shows flashes of clutch and has always been surrounded by several playmakers. I still don’t believe that the Steelers didn’t go after a young quarterback in the draft, since now the choices for starting quarterback are either Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon. Well, at least for the first third of the season. I don’t see either of these guys winning many games, thus the chances of making the playoffs seem slim. So who is going to take the blame? That remains to be seen, but within the Steeler nation, missing the playoffs for the second straight year isn’t going to go over well, someone will be looking for work.

Pacman Jones signs with the Bengals.
Adam “Don’t call me Pacman anymore” Jones agreed to a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. This officially matches the player to the team that deserve each other, apparently in an attempt to set the league record for arrests and league suspensions, fighting for that top spot with the Dallas Cowboys. He did not play last season after being released by co-league leading trouble-makers Dallas, after the 2008 season. His five-year career has been filled with repeated arrests and suspensions, including being suspended for all entire 2007 season and six games in 2008 for violating NFL conduct policy. If he makes it a half season without trouble, I would be surprised. Certainly nothing can go wrong here.

Brian Cushing, Houston linebacker, suspended 4 games for PED’s.
The 2009 rookie defensive player of the year has been suspended by the NFL for 4 games for violating league rules by testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The odd part of this story is that he reported tested positive in September, but played the entire season before learning of the outcome. So my question is, why was he able to play last season, or why wasn’t he suspended for part of last season? It doesn’t make any sense.

The Associated Press even decided that they should revote for the award due to his positive test (He did “re-win” the award, though the vote was a lot closer than its initial voting). As a division opponent, his suspension helps the Colts, but I still do not understand the unusually slow testing process to determine player eligibility. The NFL needs to speed up this process, otherwise, why even have a policy in place if it is not going to be followed in a timely manner.

Colts 3rd round pick, Kevin Thomas injuries knee, may be out for the 2010 season.
The Colts are not without bad news this off-season. Colts third round draft pick, USC defensive back Kevin Thomas, sustained a knee injury during the final practice of the Colts rookie/undrafted free agent camp. He is scheduled to have surgery and could miss the 2010 season. This hurts the secondary, whose depth is already thin due to free agency and off-season moves. Let us hope that he is a fast-healer and that team Polian has found an undrafted rookie who is ready to step in, a la Jacob Lacey.

Hopefully now you are caught up with what’s going on in the NFL off-season thus far. So whether you read your news in the local newspaper or via the internet on your laptop with a Wi-Fi connection, the NFL, even in the off-season, has a lot going on. Let the countdown to training camp begin, summer is right around the corner.