Kaspers Korner

     Today revealed a major event that is being covered up big time.  It was reported last night by Pro Football Talk.com, that a position coach sent a pornographic emails to all 32 National Football League general managers, their secretaries, and even commisioner Roger Goodell himself.

     The email was that was forwarded to all 32 teams was sent by Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Larry Zierlein.  However, the email was first sent to him by the Steelers director of personel Doug Whaley.  Whaley received it from someone outside of the organization.

     How stupid you must be to send it to all 32 teams, and even the commisioner himself.  Talk about stupidity that is the equivalent of stupiity.  Geesh even Chris Henry looks like a genius to Zierlein. 

     I will give him this that he is old.  A link on Pro Football Talk.com lead to a picture of Zierlein.  The picture in this case would be that of a dirty old man. 

     The fact is that Roger Goodell needs to come down hard on the two.  How do you think it will look when this gets out.  Players will be outraged, and even the race card will be played if Doug Whaley is also white.  Two white guys get nothing while two african americans get long term suspension, and possibly a third.  That will not look good.

     The interesting thing here is that not one paper has even reported the incident.  It took the balls the size of grape fruits in Mike Florio to report it.  Every single team knows about it, and not one paper has disclosed it.  If it is not in the papers word will get out soon enough.  That will not be good for the league at all.

     The NFL has a major problem on its hands.  People do not learn, and think they are impervious to the law.  Goodell cannot allow this kind of tyranny to keep going on.  Well I guess coaches do engage in other activities other than coaching and watching film all day.

     With the season ending today on a overtime goal by Daniel Alfredson.  The Buffalo Sabres now have to make some hard decisions on the future of some of its players.   Three of those players being major parts of the team.

     Daniel Briere and Chris Drury are both now going to be eligible for free agency soon.  The thing is who do you pay and how much. 

     Briere during the regular seaon had the most points on the team.  However, during the playoffs Briere’s scoring disappeared.  Also, his play on the power play dissappeared to.  The one play that made the Sabres successful during 05-06 playoffs was a cross crease pass to a teamate on the other side.  That pass was only utilized once. 

      Briere during the regular season was great, but come playoff time Briere was no where to be seen.  Speed is something that you need in today’s NHL.  However, size is anothere attribute that you still need.  Unless, the NHL intergrates illegal defenses into penalties Danny Briere might be useless as a player to count on in the playoffs.

     Chris Drury, well what can you say, but he is to important to the team.  If there is one thing that I learned is that Drury and Vanek need to play together.  They are complimentry to each other.  Both go to the net, both can make plays, and both can score.  Also, Vanek probably could learn a thing or two about Drury.  The is no thinking about this one. SIGN DRURY.

     Thomas Vanek could be a person that could become impossible to sign.  Many teams could see Vanek as a guy that is well worth the risk of signing to a long term deal and giving up draft choices. Especially, if the team is a Detroit Redwings, or someone else close to the playoffs.   Vanek could possible get well over five million per a season. 

     What the Sabres have to ask is can they and will they match any offer.  They should, and I believe that they will.  Vanek is too important to the future of the team.  With him and Stafford they could easily build a line just as formable as the Spezza, Heatly, Alfredson line.

     If there is one thing that the Sabres must do is create a line equal to that of the line that dominated the western conference finals.  That was the Sabres undoing.  They were consistent, and they were not.

     Today another revlation in the Michael Vick saga was revealed.  United States representative Tom Lantos of California wrote a letter to National Football League commisioner Roger Goodell urging him to “act swiftly and forcefully.”  That only ensures the possibility of at least a yar suspension for Michael Vick.

     Lantos went on to state in the letter that if he does not act forcefully and swift there is the possibility that congress will start investigating the behavior of their athletes.  Pretty much it is suspend Vick for a year or else.  The or else part is not something that the commisioner.  For it will most likely reveal stuff that the public has not been privy too.

    Let face it there are people out there partying and drinking heavily.  This past month saw Baltimore Ravens quarterback arrested for DUI, due to law stating that if a person who owns a vehicle lets someone under the influence drive drunk then they are just as guilty. 

     Lets sum it up that Playmakers will be brought to your local news station, and that is something the NFL does not want.  Why do you think the NFL put the heat on ESPN network to shelf Playmakers. 

     Evidence in Virginia is only going to add up.  The Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force has admitted that there exists a tape of a dog fight confirming Vick knew about the dog fightin since he is on the tape.  Unfortunately, the task force does not have it, but once they do get it you can pretty much guarantee Vick is going to be charged and the NFL will be suspending him.

    Oh one last thing Vick.  If you go to jail do not drop the soap.

     The Buffalo Sabres came out of Ottawa with a win yesterday.  The win extends the series to game five.  The thing is that they still have a long road ahead.

     I am not going to be either positive or negative in this colomn.  What I am going to be is objective.  The Sabres are coming back to Buffalo.  The thing is that since they are down three games to one.  The Sabres have a long road ahead.

     The thing is that this series could be tied up two games all.  The Sabres blew a lead in game two, and that could prove costly.

    Sabres head coach Lind Ruff is not leaving any stone uncovered in a way to get his team back in it.  Yesterday was shortening the bench.  Saturday’s game will probably not see that.  However, there will be another change that Ruff will have to make due to injury.  That is inserting Drew Stafford into the lineup.

     Stafford in this series has not seen any action.   However, with Danis Zubris lower body injury that could change.  Stafford has to be itching at the fact that he could see action.  Which could provide a needed jolt to the team.

     The Sabres seemingly have found the way to beat the Senators.  The Sabres were dumping the puck into corners, along with taking some bad angle shots.  The only thing that they need now is a shot handed goal.

    The Senators on the other hand have to be looking at ending the series Saturday.  They do not want to have to go back to Ottawa.  The fans with the team coming home will have a lot of doubt in their mind on if the Senators can get teh job done.

    Well any which way you look at it Saturday should be one hell og a game.  Each game is for anybodys taking at this point.  The one who will win this series is going to be the team that wants to win the most.

     Today revealed the icing on the cake for this blogger.  Today Kathy Strouse of the Virginia Animal Fighting Task force revealed to the Virginia Pilot that they have an informant.  Which, means that Vick is going up the river quickly.

     Strouse only confirmed my suspicions.   They are taking the case slowly to gather an insurmountable amount of evidence against Vick.  Also, the other conclusion is that they are looking into who else from the National Football League attended, and what other activities Vick is involved in.

     Obviously the revelation of an informant only leads me to believe that they have evidence of vick being there.  Most likely a hidden camera and audio tape.  If that is true then Vick could kiss the rest of his career goodbye. 

     It is amazing how one person could be so stupid.  The fact being that he is so self centered that he thought he was invincible.  The fact is he is not, and the only thing that he is right is a medieval royal court jester.  The guy has become a clown and a joke.  It is evident that Vick is incable of making a proper decision.

     The Falcons should cut Vick and take their lumps if any audio or video tape is revealed by authorities.  That would be the ice berg that sank Vicks version of the Titantic. 

     The only comment that comes to mind is what a waste of talent.  There are so many people that would love to have Vick’s talent, and he throws it away. 

     This recent offeseaon brought to lihgt a serious question.  Does the National Football League have a problem with concussions, and it is time to set a standard.

     At a recent conference it was discovered that it is pretty evient that the NFL has a concussion  problem.  Former players are suffering dementia and alzhymers, due to concusions.  The brain damage is caused by concussions.

The leauge better address it fast because if they do not apply a standard there will be trouble for the League.

    Also, on Profootball Talk.com a report has a souce that she can confirm that Michael Vick was at dig fighit contests.

    The fact is that Vick should have confessed already.  he would have done his time already.  Instead he has done nothing but deny it.  DUDE will you come on aredy we know you fight dogs just get it over with already.

As we speak the Buffalo Sabres are embarking on a journey that will determine the size of their heart. These are the character making moments that shape champions. Just when all the chips are down true champions persevere.

There is no moment, but the one that you are living in. For you might not be there tomorrow. That is what the Sabres need to start living by. They need to reach deep within their very hearts to realize that it is now or never.

There is one thing that they need to get rid of, and that are excuses. There are none you control your own destiny, not fate, not your opponents, but you.

Once, you realize that then the sky is the limit. I saw that with my own two eyes. As apart of the modify football team, grades 7 and 8, we went through that moment.

The ball was jsut punted and was downed at our own 20 yard line. The score was 56-21 and there was only two minutes to go in the half. I turned to our football team and muttered these words:

Look guys we got two minutes to go in the half. Let get it in gear take this ball and drive it down their throats. We score now we go in to half time down 28. The way this game is going if we get things in gear we can easily come back.

For the next two minutes our team rose to the challenge. We took that ball and stuffed it in the endzone. However, the second half yielded no points.

That is not the point just when it looked like we were down and out we rose up to the challenge. That is exactly what the sabres need to do. Or, pretty much the city will burn down, and Lindy Ruff will come in to question, which he should.

Tonight we will find out who the Sabres really are champs or chumps.

     I must admit that I am just as miffed by the play of the Buffalo Sabres as anyone else.  The thing that I am more miffed at is the fact that Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has not helped his struggling special team units at all.

     Ruff was quick to make changes to his lines during five on five play when the team was struggling.  Now that the power play and penalty kill are struggling nothing has been done to it.

     There is one glaring thing that I have noticed about the power play.  Something that is missing this year and not being done.  If you recall last year the Sabres were infamous for a cross crease thread the needle type of pass that would be slammed by a forward on the opposite side of the net.  This year it is gone, and not even attempted.  Also, the defensemen are hesitant to join the rush, and are not shooting.

     This does not bode well for Lindy at all. As great of a coach as he is he has one weakness that is the powerplay.  In their last Stanley Cup finals against the Dallas Stars in the late 90’s the power play carried the Sabres all the way to the finals. Then all of a sudden it went dead.  Why?  Simple the defensemen on the point were always slapping the puck, and it was then blocked by the forwards.

     The answer simple just shoot some simple wrist shots.  You can fake out the forward by faking the slap shot stepping to the side and letting a wrist shot go.  The Sabres are actually doing it a little bit now, but not enough.

     The penalty kill needs drastic changes to it, however.  The one problem is that they are losing many battles against the boards, and when they do they are not getting it out.  They need to take out Pominville, and Roy.  They are too small to play the kill.  Vanek and Kotalik are horses around the boards and corners, and can easily carry the puck out of the zone.  Also, the play Vanek made on emery is indicative to what they also need short handed, and that is the occasional short handed goal.  When was the last time you saw one.

     Well any which way if the Sabres are knocked out in four straight, well let just say there is going to be some major hard checking over the roster.  Let me make a recomendation for soemone to go.  Bye Max, you are not a good decision maker.  you hold on to the puck to long, and when you do shoot you actually had a chacne for a better play if you passed it.  For example, in overtime Max shot a puck and had only one defensemen between him and Vanek for a sure fire one timer goal.

   Also, one other recomendation.  WHy not put Vanek with Danny Briere. If you are looking for more production then it is only logical to put the two together.  Roy should be with Drury for a solid defensive line.

    Well that is it.  I will at least enjoy two things if the Sabres are knocked out.  First, listening to WGR and hear all the host moan and groan about how in the regular season they were a lock for the finals.  Reality is there is tommorrow is never guaranteed.  The only thing that matters is today this second happening right now.  Second, football coming to the forefront again.  WOO HOOO!!!  Hockey to me will always be second rate because of Betman and the rest.

     It was made public recently that Darwin Walker, whoe was acquired via a trade, wants a contract extension.  In the whole cash to cap scheme it does not make sense.

     The Buffalo Bills acknowledge that they knew of Walker’s contract demands when they traded for him.  The problem is that the Bills are already tight against the cap.  So, how are they going to structure the contract.

     This could be a key contract in regards to the future of the team.  The Bills could give Walker a small signing bonus and base salary, and then give Wlaker a big roster bonus next year.

     The problem with that is Lee Evans and JP Losman would have to be extended before next year to keep them on the team.  The move also would cut into available cap room, which could make it hard to sign both of them.

     Walker does bring needed experience, and performance on the defensive line.  Last year Walker had six sacks which is more than all the defensive tackles combined last year.

     The ball is in the Bills court so stay tuned into what the Bills do with walker.

     In a side note that I ususally do not do, but warrants it.  Pro Football Talk.com is reporting that former Atlanta Falcon’s cornerback Ray Buchannon admitted to Chris Landry of Fox Sports Radio that Michael Vick is not only behind all of the dog fighting, he is also financing the dog fighting.

     Expect the federal prosecuters to charge Vick with something if Surry county does not.  If Buchannon sticks with the story it could be game over for Vick, and that is even before the season starts.

     As in the song the heat is on.  That heat is on for Michael Vick, as today the national media, and rest of the world got wind of evidence that implicates Vick.

     As I already mentioned in an earlier blog that the neighbors of Vick have put down the notion that Vick was never at his home in Virginia, and he knew nothing. 

     Well today the national media got wind of what some people already knew, and that being Vick is involved.  Don Banks wrote in his Bank shots column today that two sources close to Vick are pretty sure that Vick is involved.  Banks also mentioned that his mother moved to Virginia to separate her self from Vicks bad choice of friends.

     The bigger news is that Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is quoted as that he is done with Vick’s irresponsible behavior.  Also, Blank asked National Football League commisioner Roger Goodell to have a word with Vick.  Goodell made it very clear that he will be punished if he is involved.

     The fact is that the rest of the nfl players are on notice.  They better think twice before doing something stupid, because doing just that will get you suspened, and not just a game or two either.  So, wake up and smell the roses boys.