Some Football ramblings, Concussions, a Boxer’s workout, & Humidors

Early NCAA football recruiting rankings: Still several weeks away from National Signing Day, and I’ll tell you right now, like many of the previous years, look for Florida State (currently 37th) to end with a top 5 recruiting class. Saint Bobby pulls it out time and time again. This year there will be a bonanza of top recruits heading to Tallahassee thanks to Coach Bowden’s coaching staff overhaul. West Virginia’s offensive line coach, LSU’s offensive coordinator (just ask Notre Dame how good he is), two former 'Noles with NFL experience coaching the wide receivers and running backs, and of course, Amato returns from his tenure at NC State to coach the linebackers. Say what you want about his record, the man can recruit. Yes, there’s a buzz in Tallahassee and it’s the blue chippers coming for their official school visit.

If you remember the suicide last November of former NFL defensive back Andre Waters, news came out today relating his suicide to the number of concussions he suffered and their impact on his brain tissue. He was 44 years old and apparently his, “brain tissue resembled that of an 85-year-old man and there were characteristics of early stage Alzheimer's.” After reading this I can’t help but think of players like the Panthers’ Dan Morgan. He’s already suffured 6 or 7 major concussions and has been cleared to play next year. He, and the Panthers, need to pay considerable attention to their actions regarding his playing time. Personally I would trade him for whatever I could get, but I would not allow him to suit up if I owned the team. The brain, unlike a bruised muscle, does not simply “heal.”

Ever want to be like Rocky? USA Today ran a great article on the benefits of a boxing workout. I guess the lesson to learn from these articles is to work out like a boxer, just don’t suffer the beatings of one (whether concussed by football, boxing, or some other activity).

Have a humidor? Learned a great lesson recently when I purchased the Padron 6000 at The Tinder Box. Keep you humidor even more humid than you already do. Pay attention to it the next time you’re in the walk-in humidor of a cigar store. Or, smoke one of theirs and then smoke one that’s been in your personal humidor for several months. Which one is a better smoke? I’ve learned my lesson and have adjusted my humidor accordingly – I added a second humidifier.

NFL title game picks? Indianapolis and New Orleans. I think both of their offenses give them the ever-so-slightest of edges in their matchups, especially if the Bears play defense like they did against the Seahawks. They looked much more vulnerable than the regular season, and the Saints have more weapons than the Seahawks did. When I watch the Saints I can’t help but wonder if Jammal Brown, their All-Pro lineman from Oklahoma, wouldn’t be with the Panthers right now if the Saints hadn’t traded up to the spot in front of them two years ago in the draft. The Panthers subsequently took Thomas Davis, who is good at linebacker, but Brown is just a bulldozer on the line.