By Sid Saraf, FOXSports.com We’re back! Welcome to Volume XVI (Sweet 16!) of Mail-it-in Friday. We’ve got a lot of things to cover this week as we keep #grinding through the NFL season. We’re going to tackle the NFL’s most disliked players, alleged pot-smoking NFL players and several others. Remember, if you want your email featured here, send your missives to lacesoutmail@gmail.com. OK, let’s get to work!JUST A POPULARITY CONTEST Forbes released their list of the top 10 most disliked players in the NFL. There were the usual suspects in there (Roethlisberger, Vick) and a couple surprises. You readers had some strong thoughts. Jessica wrote,I'm writing from Next Media Animation (Taiwanese Animators). I read your article about the most hated players in the NFL and thought you may like to see the animated video of it:Hope you get a few laughs!
I love these videos! Great stuff, Jessica. I especially love Rex Ryan getting gored by the bull. Wonderful callback. Pat wrote,FiguresEVERY one of em is among my favorites! Also why I don't like attending NFL games... MOST fans are f****** IDIOTS!Just confirms to me what I already feel about PEOPLE in general... THEY SUCK! And as far as football fans... they SUCK the MOST!Kind of like having to drive with them... the ticket/license entitles them to equality, IQ, opinion, common sense and pretty much anything they want to DO or SAY about either!While I am more aware of the storied pasts of each of them than most that watch football... I wont even begin to entertain all the teeny weenie reasons or misgivings they have about any one of these guys let alone the TEN! Most of all I really don't give a flying f*** what broke their little FAN hearts anyway!PIN HEADS! Love the passion, Pat! You blasted fans, NFL fans, and people in general. Plus, you did all of that with minimal punctuation and a touch of foul language. Pat, I don’t often do this at this early point of the mailbag, but you’ve just won the Golf Clap of the Week Award!
Lyn wrote,What, did these guys make the top 10 most disliked because your polled their rivals? Tom Brady? Tony Romo? Big Ben I could see, and certainly Michael Vick, but the others? No way. I was the most surprised by Carson Palmer. Other than not being a particularly good quarterback anymore, what exactly has he done to deserve hate? It boggles the mind. Mary-Lou wrote,I love Michael Vick. I think what he is doing with his life is wonderful. He paid his dues (which I think were quite high). He listened to Tony Dungy who is a god-fearing man. He has not fathered 8 or 9 illegitimate children and hesitate to support them. He hasn’t acted like he thought he was God.Give the man a break.I concur with the feelings on Brady (UGH) Romo (UGH) But, you forgot Manning (s). I have changed my mind on Rothielsburger (7) for Pittsburg. He is making progress.Thanks. You’re welcome and I tend to agree with you. Mike Vick was convicted of an odious crime. I’m a dog-lover and I can’t stand the “sport” of dogfighting in any manner. It’s cruel, disgusting and several other adjectives that I don’t need to list here. That being said, Mike did prison time, has been released and appears to be avoiding all dog-killing activities now. Leave the guy alone and let him live his life. But that’s just me. Unfortunately, many people don’t think the way I do. What he did will be forever burned into their memory and no amount of remorse or good living on Vick’s part will change their minds. So, I’m not at all surprised he made the list. Marguerite wrote,I’m surprised Randy Moss isn’t in the top 5!!! Well, he’s retired. The Forbes list was referring to current NFL players and Moss is definitely not one of those anymore. By the way, you can check out Randy on several FOX Sports 1 programs. He’s a delight!
Manu wrote,No one hates tom brady Really? Well, he’s won multiple Super Bowls and MVPs, has millions of dollars, is very good looking, is married to a supermodel and has a wonderful family. I don’t know about you, but that makes me hate his guts. And I know there are thousands of bitter people across the nation who agree with me. By the way, I hope you weren’t named after that flopping, balding moron who I blame for allowing LeBron to win a second ring. Paul wrote,Aaron Rodgers should top the list. Whoa, whoa. Watch these commercials and then try and tell me he’s hated.
Michelle wrote,How come Tom Brady was on that list???? And further more, how come Peyton & Eli Manning aren't on that list? Did their daddy do the pole???? Tom Brady should not be on that list. He's by far the BEST, most respected player in the NFL!!!!! This poll needs to be done over again with different people conducting the poll...... “Do the pole?” Ewww, can you imagine Archie Manning getting down on a stripper pole?
Great, now I’m going to have that visual for the rest of the day. Welp, guess I’m not sleeping tonight. Donna wrote,Just wanted to comment on your top 10 list of most disliked NFL players. I definitely agree with the #1 pick. It is amazing to me how people are so forgiving of the atrocities that Vick allowed to happen to those innocent dogs. People have no clue what was done on the compound of his. I also agree with Tom Brady being on that list. I think I would have put him at #2 or #3. His wife is just as grating and irritating as he is. The pollsters got it right on the other picks as well. I am so glad my Greenbay Packers aren't on that list! Thanks for reading this! One person complains that Brady is on the list, and another doesn’t have a problem with it. That’s how you know you have a great list. Sparks debate. Bruce Harrow M.D. wrote,That "scientific poll" does nothing to reduce suffering among fans or players. As journalists, you can do better. You’re right, Doc. We can do better, but we often don’t. Sigh. Richard wrote,Why hate Cutler? I don’t get it either. But still, it probably has to do with images like this:
Everything you need to know about Cutler in one picture. This isn't photoshopped. http://t.co/piAPdkhYsT — D'Brickashaw (@DragonflyJonez) October 14, 2013
Moving on! FIGHT THE BAD FIGHT Four drunk people wound up exchanging blows after the Patriots-Jets game in Week 7. Sigh, what else is new? However, this one story had a twist because one of the men had served time for stabbing someone to death. Yikes. K. Snyder wrote,You people slay me. So what he was in prison. Any idiot could see he was defending himself and I bet the charges will be dropped. If that were to happen in Florida she would have been arrested and he would have been on his way. It's called stand your ground and there's no gender involved. You morons would say anything to sensationalize a story. The media sucks. All of you have reached a new low. Yes, indeed. I’m familiar with the “stand your ground” law. It has a great track record in this country.
William wrote,When I lived in south Florida, I attended a dolphins jet game. It was shocking on how jet fans treated Miami fans. I saw two brawls in the parking lot after the game , one included a knife. Both started by loud mouth jet fans. Not surprised at all. Agreed 100 percent. I also lived in South Florida for a while and went to several Dolphins games. The fights in the stands actually drew more attention than the game. It was crazy. I seriously think the humidity down there drives people to do insane things. Vernon wrote,I COULD ONLY HOPE FOR AN ENCOUNTER WITH THIS PIECE OF S___. I WOULD BE THE LAST PERSON HE EVER PUNCHED………... Settle down, Vernon. It’s not worth the effort … just have a glass of warm milk and take a nap. Alvin wrote, Good S***,It always seams that bad sportsmanship goes along with teams that pay for championships. Same with poor teams who cut out funding for security. It seams that with the use of social media things are blown out of proportion. 3 on one to me means F*** up every person on the side of the three as usually a three to one odds mead the one will get beat to a pulp. Add in irresponsible use of alcohol and blammo good video for me to see. Again good s*** and keep posting Darwin award winner runners up on the internet for my viewing pleasure.
SMOKER … AND A TOKER? Three Texans rookies were kicked off the team on Monday for allegedly smoking a cigar in their hotel room. Well, reports have come out saying that it wasn’t a cigar, but in fact was marijuana. Either way, that’s one hell of a way to lose a job. What’s wrong with just having a couple drinks if you MUST party? Bill wrote,That is one of stupidest reason to kick somebody off a term. If it’s just a cigar, then yes. However, if these three guys were doing a little puff-puff-give with a blunt in their hotel room while on a business trip, then they can’t really argue with what happened to them. Any team or term would probably do the same. Marvin wrote,Stupid is as stupid does....I guess you would know....go to the bar and have a couple cocktails....you would kick a guy off a football team for smoking a cigar, but you would not care if he drank alcohol....yep, you would definitely know about stupid. Alcohol is still legal. And if they do it in the hotel bar, then they don’t have to drive anywhere. Makes perfect sense to me. But yes, I do know about stupid. My parents tell me every day.
RANDOM MUSINGSBluffs Vision wrote,Why can a punter have helmet to helmet contact and NOT be called for a penalty and this was not even discussed on tv. Fixed game? Why? Because Pat McAfee is awesome, that’s why. He’s above rules. He has free reign to truck fools as he sees fit.
James wrote,is Jermichael finley out for year? There’s no way to know anything at this point. But judging by the hit he took and the fact that he spent time in the ICU at the hospital, I’d say it’s not looking good. Man, that was scary. Deano wrote,Flag against the Pats for pushing a teammate is illegal, but assisting a ball carrier by pushing him into the end zone is never flagged? Most of the Pro football's "new rules" have sucked for years. This one tops the cake. Play flag football instead. And make all the flags yellow. You could still get flagged for that penalty if it was flag football, too. Personally, I think that penalty in the Pats-Jets game needed to be called at that point. But I won’t lie, it’s always funny to see the Patriots lose. And I’m not even a Patriots hater. Please don’t kill me for saying that. Nate wrote,What's with KC feeling so threatened by Seattle lately? Even if you set the record for crowd noise, you're the second team to do it this year. It wasn't even your idea! Then after the 12th man showed up in force at University of Phoenix stadium in Arizona to watch the Hawks embarrass the Cards, the first few comments I saw after the game were by Chief fans! Apparently being 6-0 after being irrelevant for several years is license to be an obnoxious loudmouth. Please use the Pete Carroll laughing GIF from that same Arizona game to express how I feel about KC's chances at winning a Super Bowl this year. Nate, ask and you shall receive.
I don't know why Kansas City is feeling self-conscious. It's a fine city with great food and great people. There's no reason for them to have a chip on their shoulder. Maybe it's because Seattle has had several cool TV shows and movies centered around it. Such gems like Frasier, Grey's Anatomy (I don't watch that), Harry and the Hendersons and iCarly have all been set in the Emerald City. Kansas City? They've had Apple Pie, Kansas City SWAT, Malcolm and Eddie ... and that's about it. Maybe they feel like they're being overlooked. Maybe the only way they'll feel a sense of self worth is to break Seattle's crowd-noise record. Makes perfect sense to me. Jack wrote,Re your comment "I only drive American cars", are you sure? The majority of "American" cars are not made in America! And neither was Obama! Right, birthers? Jim wrote,Refs have now become more important than players. Better watch out NFL Referees … foul, foul breed! They have no concern for human life!
At least he smacked Cutler. Then, he flashed an evil, spine-tingling smirk. Creepy. Peter wrote,It's really nice to know that Fox will hire a football writer to go out there and dismiss people with mental illness like we're not important at all. Did that make you feel really big? Do you feel good s******* all over people who have an illness you don't understand? Mental illness doesn't matter right - we shouldn't EVER compare it to breast cancer because god forbid someone take bipolar disorder seriously. Your little "You have to stop" picture was interesting. please look at it right now as I type this - YOU HAVE TO STOP WRITING.Thanks, j******. I'll go take my mentall illness and f*** off like you and the NFL would prefer since nothing matters except bringing in female fans. What’s wrong with more female fans? They don’t take up much room and like the great Frank Drebin said, they eat less and smell nice. I think it’s a win-win. Alrighty, I think we’ve done enough damage this week, so let’s end the fun before it gets out of hand. See you next time!
