Michael Sam "stepping away from the game"
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Medium-sized Lebowski
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Far too many references to the French lately for my liking.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dN4A0TvMSk
Dieter the Brock
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blue4
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Ah that makes more sense. I just googled Alouette and found a nursery rhyme on Wikipedia with the note
See also: Montreal Alouettes.
BadCompany
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A killer lark.
I agree that naming a pro sports franchise after a bird is pretty lame. I think they originally wanted to name them the Blue Jays, but that was taken. As were Orioles, Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens, Hawks and Eagles. Pelicans don't even live here, nor do Penguins (and really? Penguins?). Thrashers could have been cool I suppose, but what do they even look like? Gamecocks? Is that a bird? (heeheehee, he said...) Gulls? Seahawks?? Good god no, not the Seahawks. Ducks? Instead of Gentille Alouette people would be singing "...and lame-o was there name-o..." Might as well slap "Mighty" on in front of it and call up Emilio Estevez to to help with the marketing. Nah, I',m okay with the Killer Lark.
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Dieter the Brock
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A killer lark.
I agree that naming a pro sports franchise after a bird is pretty lame. I think they originally wanted to name them the Blue Jays, but that was taken. As were Orioles, Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens, Hawks and Eagles. Pelicans don't even live here, nor do Penguins (and really? Penguins?). Thrashers could have been cool I suppose, but what do they even look like? Gamecocks? Is that a bird? (heeheehee, he said...) Gulls? Seahawks?? Good god no, not the Seahawks. Ducks? Instead of Gentille Alouette people would be singing "...and lame-o was there name-o..." Might as well slap "Mighty" on in front of it and call up Emilio Estevez to to help with the marketing. Nah, I',m okay with the Killer Lark.
Memento
Your (Somewhat) Friendly Neighborhood Authoress.
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This St. Louis Cardinals fan disagrees. It is not the logo that defines a team. It's how they crush others in their path.
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http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/27/michael-sam-cfl-montreal-first-gay-player-nfl/
Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP
Michael Sam in Montreal: It’s All About Football
In opting to sign with the CFL's Alouettes, Michael Sam said his focus is on football and not breaking barriers as an openly gay player. Will it lead him back to the NFL? Plus, answering your questions on Deflategate and workout injuries
By Greg A. Bedard
Knew this was coming. I apologized in advance for the inevitable: when it comes to writing the behemoth that is Monday Morning Quarterback, I was bound to forget something. And I did. I completely whiffed on Michael Sam signing a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. Considering The MMQB was the home ofCanada Week last year, it basically was a cardinal sin.
Sam was introduced to the Montreal media Tuesday, the same day players were taking their physicals for training camp, which starts today up there.
One of the first questions was about whether or not Sam realized that Jackie Robinson started his professional baseball career with the Montreal Royals. In fact, Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball (the Major League color barrier would come later) playing for Montreal in Jersey City, N.J.
Sam didn’t want to compare his situation, as the first openly gay professional football player, to that of Robinson.
“I’m just here to play football,” Sam said. “I’m not trying to do anything historic, just trying to help the team win games.”
I get why Sam is trying to take the focus off himself, but the comparison is apt. If Sam makes the Alouettes, he would be become the first openly gay CFL player to play in a regular-season game. And, like Robinson, Sam will have to succeed with Montreal if he is to get another opportunity to break the sexuality barrier in the NFL.
The big question is, will Sam get another chance?
I studied Sam after he came out to see exactly what kind of NFL draft prospect he was. My evaluation: “Sam would project to be no better than a mid- to late-round pick. He could go undrafted. To my eyes Sam is decidedly average, with nothing exceptional about his game—though he will be helped by the fact that this draft is not deep with pass rushers, and those are always needed.”
So I was not surprised that Sam lasted until the seventh round of the 2014 draft, when he was taken by the Rams. In my opinion, Sam’s draft position was right in line with what he showed on film. It didn’t have anything to do with his sexual orientation. Sam was a slow, middling pass rusher who didn’t set the edge well in the run game either.
But in his preseason appearances with the Rams, it was obvious to me that Sam had improved, especially with his speed off the line. Couple that with his knack for finding the ball (he led the SEC with 11.5 quarterback sacks and 19 tackles for a loss in ’13), and I thought Sam had shown enough to earn a place on a team’s practice squad. The Cowboys signed him, but he was released in October. That was Sam’s last time with an NFL team, which led him to the Alouettes.
Sam said his sexuality was not a problem during his time in the NFL.
“When I went to the NFL and that locker room, they didn’t see me as a gay football player, they saw me as a rookie, and they treated me like a rookie,” said Sam, who admitted his 40-yard time of 5.07 seconds at the NFL’s veteran combine was “pretty bad.”
Now that Sam will get a legitimate shot in the CFL (not saying he didn’t get one in the NFL, but now there will be no doubt), it’s up to him. He has to show speed and he has to be productive. Cameron Wake tallied 39 sacks and was named the league’s most outstanding defensive player in two seasons with the B.C. Lions from 2007-08 before getting a chance to be a star in the NFL with the Dolphins. If Sam can approach that kind of production, he’ll get another shot at the NFL.
“I have no regrets whatsoever,” Sam said. “I’m happy with what I’ve done over the past year. I’ve helped so many people, given them so much inspiration. So I have no regrets.
“All I know is I’m here now. (Playing in the CFL) means I only have two downs to sack the quarterback.”
Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP
Michael Sam in Montreal: It’s All About Football
In opting to sign with the CFL's Alouettes, Michael Sam said his focus is on football and not breaking barriers as an openly gay player. Will it lead him back to the NFL? Plus, answering your questions on Deflategate and workout injuries
By Greg A. Bedard
Knew this was coming. I apologized in advance for the inevitable: when it comes to writing the behemoth that is Monday Morning Quarterback, I was bound to forget something. And I did. I completely whiffed on Michael Sam signing a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. Considering The MMQB was the home ofCanada Week last year, it basically was a cardinal sin.
Sam was introduced to the Montreal media Tuesday, the same day players were taking their physicals for training camp, which starts today up there.
One of the first questions was about whether or not Sam realized that Jackie Robinson started his professional baseball career with the Montreal Royals. In fact, Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball (the Major League color barrier would come later) playing for Montreal in Jersey City, N.J.
Sam didn’t want to compare his situation, as the first openly gay professional football player, to that of Robinson.
“I’m just here to play football,” Sam said. “I’m not trying to do anything historic, just trying to help the team win games.”
I get why Sam is trying to take the focus off himself, but the comparison is apt. If Sam makes the Alouettes, he would be become the first openly gay CFL player to play in a regular-season game. And, like Robinson, Sam will have to succeed with Montreal if he is to get another opportunity to break the sexuality barrier in the NFL.
The big question is, will Sam get another chance?
I studied Sam after he came out to see exactly what kind of NFL draft prospect he was. My evaluation: “Sam would project to be no better than a mid- to late-round pick. He could go undrafted. To my eyes Sam is decidedly average, with nothing exceptional about his game—though he will be helped by the fact that this draft is not deep with pass rushers, and those are always needed.”
So I was not surprised that Sam lasted until the seventh round of the 2014 draft, when he was taken by the Rams. In my opinion, Sam’s draft position was right in line with what he showed on film. It didn’t have anything to do with his sexual orientation. Sam was a slow, middling pass rusher who didn’t set the edge well in the run game either.
But in his preseason appearances with the Rams, it was obvious to me that Sam had improved, especially with his speed off the line. Couple that with his knack for finding the ball (he led the SEC with 11.5 quarterback sacks and 19 tackles for a loss in ’13), and I thought Sam had shown enough to earn a place on a team’s practice squad. The Cowboys signed him, but he was released in October. That was Sam’s last time with an NFL team, which led him to the Alouettes.
Sam said his sexuality was not a problem during his time in the NFL.
“When I went to the NFL and that locker room, they didn’t see me as a gay football player, they saw me as a rookie, and they treated me like a rookie,” said Sam, who admitted his 40-yard time of 5.07 seconds at the NFL’s veteran combine was “pretty bad.”
Now that Sam will get a legitimate shot in the CFL (not saying he didn’t get one in the NFL, but now there will be no doubt), it’s up to him. He has to show speed and he has to be productive. Cameron Wake tallied 39 sacks and was named the league’s most outstanding defensive player in two seasons with the B.C. Lions from 2007-08 before getting a chance to be a star in the NFL with the Dolphins. If Sam can approach that kind of production, he’ll get another shot at the NFL.
“I have no regrets whatsoever,” Sam said. “I’m happy with what I’ve done over the past year. I’ve helped so many people, given them so much inspiration. So I have no regrets.
“All I know is I’m here now. (Playing in the CFL) means I only have two downs to sack the quarterback.”
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/08/michael-sam-makes-cfl-debut/
Michael Sam makes CFL debut
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 8, 2015
Michael Sam has officially become pro football’s first openly gay player, making his debut for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes on Friday night.
Sam, a seventh-round draft pick of the Rams last year who has not been able to make an NFL regular-season roster, played sparingly and did not have an impact as the Alouettes lost to the Ottawa Redblacks.
“I love football,” Sam said. “I was nervous when I first got on the field. . . . I didn’t get many opportunities to make any plays. I had some good pass rushes, I thought, but close is not a sack.”
Sam left the Alouettes during training camp for still-unexplained personal reasons and has been buried on the depth chart since then. But getting on the field on Friday night represents progress, both for Sam personally and for the game of football.
Michael Sam makes CFL debut
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 8, 2015
Michael Sam has officially become pro football’s first openly gay player, making his debut for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes on Friday night.
Sam, a seventh-round draft pick of the Rams last year who has not been able to make an NFL regular-season roster, played sparingly and did not have an impact as the Alouettes lost to the Ottawa Redblacks.
“I love football,” Sam said. “I was nervous when I first got on the field. . . . I didn’t get many opportunities to make any plays. I had some good pass rushes, I thought, but close is not a sack.”
Sam left the Alouettes during training camp for still-unexplained personal reasons and has been buried on the depth chart since then. But getting on the field on Friday night represents progress, both for Sam personally and for the game of football.
LazyWinker
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Correct me if I'm wrong Blues fans, but aren't the St. Louis Blues (NHL) named after the song Saint Louis Blues?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpeUkCa3rB8
blue4
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I believe it's the genre they are named after. St Louis has/had a tradition of good blues music.
Ky Ram
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True, but it will be his measuring stick for success. If he does a great job of stuffing his gap and staying true to his assignment but doesn't get sacks they'll call him a failure.
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How about he demonstrates the ability and dedication to actually get significant playing time. That might be a decent first step toward not being declared a failure. No matter how everyone tries to sell it, this guy has been nothing but a train wreck since he left college. I'm not aiming this at you Ky. I just look at all the articles on this guy and see nothing but excuses as to why his supposed greatness just hasn't been realized.
So glad we cut him.
blue4
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I never understood the hype for him as a PLAYER, not as a historical figure. I get what it meant for America and football, and so on. It was evident, IMO, from watching the preseason games that he didn't have it. But the camp reports were so glowing. I think it's a good cautionary tale about getting too caught up in what transpires on the practice field in TC.