2010 HBO Hard Knocks?

[Mc2guy]

Originally Posted by Giantone

See I don't , last thing we need are more assholes(sorry Mods).We have players hitting wives and girlfriends ,drunk drivers,DUI's ....players shooting oneself and...well etc.I think we need more of the Payton or Eli...or the golly gee wiz types so the kids of today have real sports type people they can look up to,ya want spice ....go to the street corner.Not players on TV who can't remeber the names of his kids or their 7 or 8 different mothers.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where does being a loudmouth translate into being a thug? Rex isn't drunk driving, hitting people, or breaking the law. One does not beget the other.

I am the first guy to raise my hand and say that I don't want felons and misogynists on my team (see my uproar about the signing of LJ). But that is an entirely different issue. Rex isn't a law breaker. I don't even see Rex as a jerk, he's just a shit-talker...big deal.

The NFL is entertainment and Rex is entertaining, pure and simple. The league doesn't want ANYTHING to tarnish its image in the eyes of the viewers, which is why it has been sterilized over the years. Players and coaches are trained on toeing the company line and saying nothing controversial. When they do speak up, they are immediately shut down or suspended (see the media relations person shut down the AH interview two weeks ago when he started to mouth off). Rex bucks that trend, and IMO does it in a way that is quite fun to watch.

My point (and I think Mattyk's, but I don't want to speak for him), is that good story telling involves a protagonist and an antagonist. The NFL is full of the former, everyone wants to be the hero. I think it's fun to see someone willing to step out and be the antagonist for a while.