It Could Be Worse

By Don Delco

NoLogoNeeded.com staff writer

With no quarterback publicly named, the Cleveland Browns are the laughing stock around the NFL. Yet there are plenty of other humorous happenings among the other 31 NFL teams.

That brings us to our latest installment of “It Could Be Worse.” No matter what you encounter in your life, from your career to your favorite sports teams, there will be others who are doing better than you and there will be others doing worse than you.


Who, in the NFL, is doing worse than the Browns right now? What better way to put your team's prospects in a positive light than to enjoy the misfortunes of others?

Oakland Raiders
Yeah, it’s almost too easy. From the team that had a fight between an assistant coach and its head coach, Tom Cable, comes this latest gem: The Raiders traded their No. 1 overall pick in 2010 to New England for defensive end Richard Seymour. To make matters worse, Seymour has yet to report to Oakland.

Wrote Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com:

"Despite reports suggesting that Seymour is now the Raiders' problem, a league source tells us that the Raiders will want to retrieve their draft pick, if Seymour doesn't show.

The trade hinges on Seymour reporting for work and passing a physical.  If he doesn't show up and then pass a physical, he doesn't become the property of the Raiders.

The Patriots likely would take a different view of the situation, claiming that once the trade is accomplished getting Seymour to show up becomes the Raiders' problem.

Still, we think the Raiders are right on this one.  How can they be expected to pay for something that they never get?

Meanwhile, we're told that the Raiders still don't know whether or not Seymour will show up, more than three days after the trade was announced."

Browns owner Randy Lerner is perceived to be disinterested with his NFL team. His actions back up that perception.

Yet at least Lerner is not a crazy old man who has no idea what he’s doing like Al Davis. Lerner at least has the sense to hand the reigns over to Mangini who is, by all accounts, mentally stable.

Yikes, Oakland. Hard to believe you were in the AFC representative in the Super Bowl earlier this decade.

San Francisco 49ers
Let’s stay in the Bay Area. Niners first-round pick Michael Crabtree has yet to sign a contract. Um, Mike, dude, the first game is Sunday.

Again, according to Florio:

"It's still not known when or if a contract will be signed.  At some point the 49ers might start reducing their offer, given that Crabtree soon will be missing games … the 49ers will be less inclined to give him the kind of guaranteed money that's currently on the table if they won't have him for the number of games for which he would have been available if he'd signed a contract in July or August.

All that said, the fact that Crabtree is working out in the Bay Area suggests that he's ready to play -- and that he might soon take the deal that has been available and get to work.”

Good call not drafting this cat, Mangini.

Cincinnati Bengals
Yes, Cincinnati makes a second consecutive appearance on “It Could Be Worse.” Last week it was their first-round pick Andre Smith breaking his foot in a non-contract drill.

Come to find out, he was going to start at right tackle. Wait, he was a No. 6 overall pick and you’re playing him at right tackle?

Then, this week it was announced that NoLogoNeeded.com’s man crush, Rey Maualuga is starting ... at outside linebacker. Um, Cincinnati, he’s an inside linebacker, actually he’s perfectly suited for MLB in the 4-3 scheme you’re running. 
You’re playing him at outside linebacker?

Oh it never ends in the Queen City. Cincinnati has less that 24 hours to sell out its week one game against Denver. If the Bengals do not sell 5,000 tickets by then, a black out will occur.

Some quick hitters
•Emmitt Smith calls out Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo.

"I never saw [Romo] go snatch somebody up, and say, 'Hey, we can't win like this. We can't have guys jumping offsides. I can't have [a defender] coming at me unabated. Who is making the mistakes up front? Why aren't you picking this guy up? This is not going down this way. If you can't get your job done, get off the football field.'"

•Part-time Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman and full-time 270-pound man and likes to physically fight his 93-pound girlfriend Tila Tequila. Prosecutors are deciding whether or not to press charges. Merriman he was trying to keep her from leaving his home because she was drunk. 

Alcohol was involved… noooo, surely you jest?

•Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was told by his accuser’s attorney if he admits rape, apologizes to Andrea McNulty and donates $100,000 to the Committee to Aid Abused Women, a Reno nonprofit organization that offers support to domestic violence victims, the charges will be dropped.