NFL's Drinking Problem

Thing's just keep getting worse for the young stars of the NFL. After last week's tragedy involving Jevon Belcher, another life has been taken in the NFL. This time it was Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown. Early Saturday morning, he and fellow Cowboys teammate Josh Brent, were out drinking and Brent decided to drive home drunk. He hit a curb while speeding and flipped the car over. Brown was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly there after. The irony of this story is that the accident took place a little over a mile away from the national headquarters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). One of the NFL's biggest partners in the fight against DUIs. This begs the question, is the NFL doing their part to protect the players?

Since January 2000, there have been 624 arrests of NFL players. 177 of which were arrested under suspicion of drunk driving. That's over a DOZEN players every year that get arrested for drunk driving. Eighteen players have been arrested just this year for drunk driving. The NFL has put into place programs to prevent this from happening. From education, to discipline, even as far as having a chauffeur service available to all players that need a ride home. Clearly this isn't enough.

Personally, I'm 26, and I like to drink. A lot. Have I ever driven when I shouldn't have? Yes. Almost everyone has, even those who don't want to admit it. I like to go out and have a good time. At some point in the night you'd think we, as human beings, would say, "hmm, should I stop drinking so I can make it home safe?". Sometimes we do, but there are plenty of times we don't. I get that, I've been there. When you're out having a good time, you don't want to stop drinking. Especially the more you drink. I'm not a millionaire athlete who can just call up a chauffeur service to drive me home. Which makes NFL players look like fools. If I made even half of what they make, I'd be hiring a driver every night I went out, even if it was $100/hr. Just knowing I don't have to worry about endangering my own life, and more importantly, the lives of innocent bystanders

The NFL and NFLPA need to make a stand. They need to enforce harsher penalties for players who get into trouble. There's no excuse for it. Go out and have a great time. Party all night, nobody is taking that away from you. Just don't get arrested. Plain and simple. There are plenty of people in this world who would do anything to be a professional athlete. Don't take it for granted. Just take a little advice.

DVD vs. Blu-Ray

About a year and a half ago I got a Samsung Blu-Ray Surround Sound System but I was hesitant in buying one for a long time because, with any technology, I thought it was just a fad and something new and better would arrive soon. Not to mention I didn't believe my friends when they said I "have to get one" and that "it's way better". I couldn't really grasp how it could be any better than a DVD considering I have a 50" plasma. I figured it was my tv that made the movies look great. Well needless to say I got a great deal on a blu-ray + surround sound so I gave in.

Once I got everything set-up, I threw in a DVD and nothing seemed extraordinary. Sound was good, picture was good, but no better quality than my Xbox. I decided to do some research on why blu-ray is so much better and I found out that each blu-ray can hold more than 5 times the data than a DVD can. This allows for higher quality picture (480p vs. 1080i) and higher quality sound (2 formats vs. 7 formats). Most of the audio lingo didn't make much sense to me but the fact that a standard dvd was only 480p and a blu-ray was 1080i, made me go out and spend the money on a couple blu-rays. And yes, blu-rays are definitely more expensive, starting at around $25 for new releases, but not staggering.

The first one I watched was "Wanted" and I was absolutely blown away. I literally felt like I was watching it in the theater. Yes the picture quality was amazing but it was the audio was what really surprised me. It was incredible. I've seen this movie dozens of times on tv but never have I watched it like this. I'm not exxagerating when I say that there's no way to really describe it other than to see it and hear it for yourself.

With all that being said, I don't believe I'll ever buy another DVD again. The amount you pay for a blu-ray over a DVD isn't significant enough to sacrifice the quality that comes with it.

Andrew Luck - Rookie of the Year 2012?

It's getting to that time of the year where the race for MVP and Rookie of the Year really starts to heat up. Anyone that knows me, would think I'm crazy not to think Tom Brady is winning it (again). Going to be a close one with him and Peyton yet again this year. Anyone can argue all day long about who is going to win MVP, Rookie of the Year on the other hand is a totally different story. Andrew Luck deserves this more than RG3. Why? Because he wins.

Yea RG3 is breaking records for completion percentage, passer rating, rushing yards, blah, blah, blah. Andrew Luck takes chances, he's thrown 178 more passes so far than RG3. 178!! Anyone can have a high completion percentage when they barely throw the ball. Andrew Luck is possibly one win away from locking up a playoff spot for a team that went 2-14 last season. He'll take them to AT LEAST a 10-6 record this year, possibly 11-5 if they can split with Houston down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Redskins, who went 5-11 last season are only 6-6 right now. Ask any NFL player, coach, or owner and they will tell you how much wins outweigh individual statistics.

Some will claim the the Redskins defense is part of the reason they haven't been winning but the Colts are 21st in total defense, nothing to brag about by any means. Not to mention, RG3 also has another rookie standout in Alfred Morris to help with the offensive load.

RG3 is certainly an amazing player and is deserving of all his praise, but Andrew Luck is the real deal and deserves this award. He needs to be in the running for MVP too since right now, he is literally the Most Valuable Player.

Ultimate Tailgate Set-Up

Ultimate may not be the best word to describe this tailgate set-up but it's ideal for the serious AND casual tailgater. It's easy to do and is relatively inexpensive. First thing I need to do is not take credit for this set-up. I certainly will be doing this set-up with my truck but the idea came from a friend of my brother who is a Patriots season ticket holder.

Let's start with the TV. Pretty simple, get a TV. The bigger the better doesn't work here. A 50" tv definitely won't work. Too big and too heavy. This set-up maxes out at around 40", and that's even a push. 32" is ideal. It not too heavy and not too big. The next purchase on the list is going to be a standard wall mount for the tv. It doesn't have to swivel in any direction. If you're looking to do this as cheap as possible, get a wall mount that is stationary. It will be a lot less expensive. Next up, antenna. Antennas are a lot different now then they used to be. Not much tweaking trying to get a signal and most now broadcast full HD over the air.

In order for this whole thing to work well you're going to need a sheet of 3/4" plywood. Nothing crazy. Most home improvement stores sell 2' x 2' sections, so you don't have to buy an entire 4' x 8' sheet. The actual size of the plywood is determined by the size of the tv mount, as this is what is being attached to it. You're going to want at least a few inches left over on all edges from where the mount is attached. Next up, hooks. Also very simple. Standard utility hooks for hanging bicycles, tools, etc. You'll need two and they need to be threaded on the end. What you're going to do is screw these into the top of the plywood centered about 6 to 8 inches apart.

The last item is what really puts this whole set-up together. A bike rack. This is probably the hardest part of it as you need to be a little picky about your selection. If you have a pickup truck or SUV, I highly suggest using a hitch bike rack. The top of the rack where the bikes sit must be able to fold down, it is here where the tv will hook onto the rack. Other than the TV (depending), this is the most expensive piece. These typically range anywhere from $100 to $500.

All in all, this is extremely easy to do. The best part is you set your own budget. It can be done with as little as $300, or you can spend well over $1,000. That's all up to you.

XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook

The new Dell XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook is the ultimate when it comes to portable performance and design. I love my iPad but it can't do everything a Mac or PC can. I can't tell you how many times I'll work from my iPad only to run to my PC to make some small tweaks that it just won't let me. That's where the Dell XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook comes in.

Personally, I have not had great experiences with Dell, but it has now been years since I have owned a Dell product. I gotta say that I'm pretty excited about this one. It's the best of both worlds, the tablet world and the PC world. One minute a touch screen tablet, the next a fully functioning laptop running Windows 8. Is this finally that "something" that outsells its Apple competition? For right now, absolutely. The only thing close would be purchasing an iPad and keyboard case for it. But even that doesn't compare since it's still just a tablet. No mouse, no programs, only apps and a touchscreen.

If this actually takes off like Apple's products do, I may have to reconsider my stance on Apple's iPhone and iPad as my "go-to" devices. I know it's a long shot, but I'd love to have a Windows Phone that's actually an equal to the iPhone or iPad. In my line of work, I depend on a PC, a Mac just doesn't cut it. Therefore, I'm forced to own a PC and have Apple devices. Forced may be too strong of a word, but in my opinion(just mine) Apple devices are far superior. I'm looking forward to the day where one company can produce a phone, tablet, and PC (or hybrid) that directly competes with Apple on every level. Then, and only then, will I join in on the fun people have hating on Apple.