Tank Johnson columns

Looks like Tank's campaign for Father of the Year has taken some hits:

Tim Smith

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/493480p-415681c.html

Ray Ratto

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/31/SPGF3NS3E51.DTL

Ian O'Connor

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3ODMmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwNjg2MTkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

For contrast, here's a non-column in which one teammate is quoted about what a great guy Tank is:

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/16587804.htm

 

In Baltimore, a black columnist, David Steele, who specializes in using the race card, wrote 30 inches without once mentioning Johnson's use of the race card toward media and other haters.

 

So would the Colts then leave their pair of violent criminals, Mike Doss and Nick Harper, home, as well?

Or does that angle interfere too much with the angle of the week - that the world loves Tony and Peyton.

 

bob ryan checked in powerfully, too, on tank:

http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2007/01/31/tank_filled_with_fuel_for_debate/?page=2

oh, and mr. pringle, last time i checked, no one on the colts was currently under house arrest halfway across the country.

 

The storylines and column choices are so predictable. Let's see here: Tank Johnson, Lovie/Dungy, Rex Grossman, Peyton Redemption, Brian Urlacher, Overshadowed contributor (Dallas Clark or Lance Briggs) and Vinatieri. Let's crank out one of these a day so we can hit our tee times before it gets dark.

The Super Bowl for columnists is like the Republican/Democrat nominating convention for political reporters. Get the predictable/easy/tired storylines out of the way so we can go have a drinking reunion.

 

just because some issues are "predictable" doesn't mean they should be ignored.

let's see: hmmm, the yankees are in the playoffs next year, but let's ignore how a-rod has been awful in the postseason for them. hey, look over there! there's the utility infielder with no one talking to him! what a great column!

get real, pal.

 

Selena has a strong column on Tank also

http://select.nytimes.com/2007/01/31/sports/football/31roberts.html?ref=sports

 

Loved some of the delicious irony in the Tim Smith column:

Tank claims he had guns because of his rough and tough upbringing in (ready for this) Arizona!?!? Didn't know frontier justice still existed there.

Then he talked about the need for guns because Chicago was so violent. Did I miss something? Is Tank living amid the Bloods, Crips and Latin Kings on the south side? Man, the salaries for good defensive linemen must not be as good as they used to be.

Then, the capper: Tank claiming that the media was over-hyping his bust, saying "I gave [the media] the ammunition."

So to speak.

Tank Johnson=ass clown.

 

Another great tidbit from Ryan's column: Tank said he's trying to quit hanging out with questionable company and more with teammates such as Olin Kreutz. "I try to follow Olin's lead?"

Would this be the same Olin Kreutz who has broken the jaw of two teammates, one at Washington and the other with the Bears - the latter, Fred Miller, after an argument at a GUN RANGE!!!

Would this be the same Olin Kreutz who has been ordered to anger management classes THREE TIMES!!!

Yo, Tank... on second thought, you might find better humans in the streets.

 

That and the fact that it would interfere with the storyline of St. Tony and his valiant group of plucky freedom fighters.

Look, I understand why Tank Johnson is an issue. I do. But the way the media sorts this thing into black hats and white hats so cleanly every Super Bowl makes me ill.

 

I don't see any black hats and white hats, Pringle.

I see one scumbag thug criminal piece of shit named Tank Johnson who should be sitting in a jail cell instead of playing in the Super Bowl.

 

Good work by new SJ member Jemele Hill:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/070130