If you hate Chad Johnson/Ochocinco now...

...then you still might even after you watch some episodes of HBO's highly-entertaining football documentary series Hard Knocks. However, the more likely result is that you will get a better understanding of the guy and even find him to be quite endearing. That's because Hard Knocks, which films the training camp drama of a different NFL team each year (the lucky winners this season being the ever-dramatic Cincinnati Bengals), is as close as most of us armchair quarterbacks will ever get to experiencing the day-to-day lives of the guys we scream hysterically at on Sundays and Mondays. For sure, this show is a must-watch for both fans of the sport of American football and for anyone who just likes watching honest portrayals of the struggles and sacrifices necessary to pursue childhood dreams.

It's actually odd that I am watching this show. I've heard of the series before, but I just never had any interest in watching the teams followed. I would rather watch 3 minutes of...this...than listen to Jerry Jones talk about how much money he has. But even though the Bengals are not exactly a team I'm infatuated with, I still thought that they had a story custom-made for reality TV...plus a guy named Chad. Speaking of Señor Ochocinco, watching the show actually made me appreciate him a bit more. I never hated him since all of his crazy antics were on the field and not off it. However, his candid conversations on Hard Knocks showed me how funny this dude actually is. Just check out this highlight clip:







Now only if HBO could film the Eagles sometime in the near future, then I would follow that religiously. Actually, it would have been better if they had done it a couple years back. Then I probably could have found out how the hell Reno Mahe had a job for so long.



Oh yeah and for my fellow pirates, this is where I watch episodes. Just be aware of Megavideo's lame 72-minute limit.

Philly + Vick = ???

[Now I have to start off by saying that I never condoned what Vick did. Carrying out and supporting the brutal torture and cold-blooded execution of those dogs was sick and demented. He deserved to serve some time, and I am glad that those dogs are now getting second chances at healthy lives. I also understand that canines are highly beloved in our society, and so it really hurts people when they think about the cruel shit he did. And because I never owned a dog myself, I really do try to look at this situation from a dog owner's perspective. I also want to say that the following comments I'm going to make about Vick haters are dictated towards some of them...not all.]


The latest news to shake up the American sports world was the signing of former Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick by the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday night.







Honestly, as a fan of both the Eagles and American football, I'm just excited and eager to see what he can do both on and off the field. And that dog fighting thing?


It's done.

Over.

结束了。


Now that Vick has done his time and shown extreme levels of guilt and self-hate, I think it's time for people to back off. Over the past couple of years, I have read and heard countless descriptions of this guy as some kind of cold-blooded and heartless murderer who deserves nothing less than the same fate of some of the dogs he owned. Actually, check out this gem from Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia:





Damn that's some pretty strong language, Mr. Byrd. Now what's your stance on race relations in the US? Skip to about 1:15 for the good stuff.





Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Bob used to be an "Exalted Cyclops" of the KKK (does that mean he hated better than his buddies did?). Oops. I guess hanging people from trees isn't as "BARBARIC!!!!" as hanging dogs from them. My bad.

This leads me to my next point: dogs are not humans, no matter how much people want to believe that. I am by no means a dog hater. Sure I understand that most dog owners think of their dogs as family members (though kissing them on the lips is still questionable to me). But given the choice between saving a sibling or the pet dog from a burning house, I'm going to go with the safe bet that most sane people would rather run in after their brother or sister. It's only the simple truth, and maybe the level of all this outrage should correspond to it.

My overarching point here is that there is just an assload of hypocrisy here about this entire situation. Mike Vick went to jail for two years (more time than some sex offenders), saw his career torn down before his eyes, and lost the adoration of millions of fans because he killed dogs, and people are still wishing death on him? Compare this to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who got 30 days in jail for killing a man...a human being with a family...while driving drunk, and there's maybe 1/80 of the outrage. Also, judging strictly by the way Vick is still demonized, you would have thought that he shot up a daycare center. I just think that all this hatred and backlash could be better spent on...I don't know...maybe hating all the true murderers who got away with heinous crimes against fellow human beings.

In the end, people are for the most part going to have strong opinions about this very polarizing figure. However, it remains the fact that most sports fans have pretty short-term memories. So to most of the Vick-hating Eagles fans vowing to never support the team ever again, I say carry on with the Vick hate for now. Call him cold-blooded, despicable, and barbaric while he's still suspended. But just make sure to squeeze it all in before you forget all about it after he starts scoring touchdowns. Then you can join me in watching an honestly remorseful guy try to turn his life around. If anything, it will be more interesting than Terrell Owen's new show...








...or not. But it will definitely be more appealing to most of the football-watching public.