Tell me again this is just about performance on the field.
Brandon Weeden, career (34 games): 559 completions, 965 attempts, 57.9%, 6462 yards, 31 TDs, 30 INTs
Colin Kaepernick, last 3 seasons (37 games): 629 completions, 1053 attempts, 7225 yards, 41 TDs, 19 INTs
You can make a valid point that some of these figures are comparable. Even I won't sit here and blindly try and deny that.
So long as you'll stop telling me that one person's ability to lead a team to a win on the football field - in this instance - is being judged almost exclusively by NFL member teams - isn't being branded as a form of discrimination.
Businesses have the right to choose who they want representing them. That doesn't mean they should be given a blank check to make it acceptable for those of us ever so eager to criticize or demand more accountability in business decisions.
Good luck to Brandon Weeden, signed this week by the Tennessee Titans to fill in as a potential starter to fill in for the injured Marcus Mariota.
Take a moment. I'll wait.
Brandon. Weeden.
The same Brandon Weeden released by the Houston Texans this past summer.
The same Brandon Weeden who couldn’t keep a job with the Cleveland Browns.
Yeah. That guy.
If it weren't so inherently obvious, it would be comical.
But in the end, it's not comical. It's accountability, on both sides.
Kaepernick wrecked his "brand" if you will when he announced his decision to stand for the national anthem after the fallout from last year's protests.
His accountability in that regard, while his motives may be questionable, is intact. He may have severed his own throat and come across as a hypocrite, but at least he answered the question.
Which is more than I can say for the other side to all this.
The Major League Baseball postseason got underway last night and it was the New York Yankees striking first, with an 8-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in the American League Wildcard game. Aaron Judge’s 2-run homerun in the 6th inning blew the game open as the Yankees overcame an early 3-0 deficit to rally for the win. The Yankees will now face the Cleveland Indians in one American League Divisional series, while the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros prepare to meet on the other side of the AL bracket.
Tonight, the National League takes center stage, with the Arizona Diamondbacks hosting the Colorado Rockies in the Wildcard game, for a chance to move on and face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Zack Grienke will be on the mound for the home team while Jon Gray will be on the hill for the Rockies. Gametime tonight is set for 6pm on TBS.
That's right.
Today is national taco day.
I didn't know that was a real thing until I arrived in the studio this morning.
And I don't really have a strong feeling on this topic.
But in case you needed something to tide you over, something to make the day seem a little brighter, remember the day. Think back on those late night tacos and the assorted regret and embarrassment of the other activities and shenanigans which came before you consumed that hard-shelled packet of wonder and grease and shame.
National taco day.
Eat it. Savor it.
There are changes coming to next year's annual get-together of shameless self-promotion known as the NBA All-Star Game.
By and large, the whole concept of the All-Star Game has been ruined forever. With the exception of the Major League Baseball's version of the festivities, the game is largely uninteresting, there is absolutely no shred of evidence of skill playing... Unless of course, the ONLY skills required to play basketball in the NBA are to chuck up long-distance jumpers or pound the rim. Otherwise, please don't bother telling me what I'm missing.
According to the league, next year's game will make some massive modifications. Not to the actual game action itself, but to how players will be chosen and who those players will represent.
The NBA All-Star Game is switching formats this season, as two captains will select the teams without regard to which conferences the players play in, the league announced Tuesday.
According to a story published on ESPN.com, players who win the fan vote from each conference will be captains.
There will be 12 players selected from each conference for the game in Los Angeles on Feb. 18. Five players from each conference will be selected as starters, with the fan vote being worth 50 percent, player vote worth 25 percent and media vote worth 25 percent. Seven reserves for each team will be picked by each conference's head coaches.
The new system will enable players from each conference to play against each other and will allow current teammates to face off. Starters will be picked first, so the 10 players voted in as starters will remain that way.
Did you get all that?
Consider me unimpressed.
This is the last image many of you saw when the NHL season wrapped up earlier last summer.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are considered by many to be an early favorite to win a third straight Stanley Cup.
The last time a team won three consecutive series in the Stanley Cup Final were the New York Islanders, who actually won four in a row from 1980-1983. Prior to that, the Montreal Canadiens won four consecutive titles from 1976-1979.
We'll get the ball rolling (or in this case, the puck sliding) this morning on the show when SB Nation NHL editor Travis Hughes joins us for a preview of the season, which begins tonight.
FIRST SPORTS gets underway this morning at 9am ET across America on the I Heart Radio app at our station's website and locally on the radio dial at AM1340/93.9FM.
And we've got a lot to talk about this morning, and to get you ready for this week.
Thursday: NFL (New England Patriots vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Saturday: College football doubleheader (LSU vs. Florida followed by Wisconsin vs. Nebraska)
Sunday: NFL Doubleheader (Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions followed by Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans)
And if you're feeling like a giving person, drop a taco off to the studio today.
You're welcome, America!