Games People Play

Football is supposedly a game of deception. The way to get an edge in the game is to show your opponent one thing, then do another. Perfect example - the blitz. When a defense shows that they're going to send more players than the offense can block, the quarterback will shout out signals to the skills players on his team to change the play and their assignments, while the offensive line captain will do the same for his guys. And then, in an instant, just as the ball is being snapped, the defense could change AGAIN, and throw the whole play out of whack. It's football, it's legal and the guy who does it best is the one who is most successful at the end of the day.

It's the same when it comes to injury reporting.

Some in and around the game got very itchy recently at how the Baltimore Ravens played fast and loose with their injury report regarding Lamar Jackson. One day, Lamar Jackson is practicing fully, seemingly healed from a nasty hamstring issue. The next, oh hey, he's doubtful to play Sunday ( and in fact, he did not). That kind of reporting has some in the league office and in other areas of the media very salty about how that was played. League rules state that you have to make an accurate and timely determination on a player's status. The feeling was, this was not.

Well, aside from playing havoc with fantasy managers lineups, not to mention changing how millions of fans might bet the games involving the Ravens, what is truly the issue with being, shall we say, a bit untrue when announcing how one of your star players is, physically not what he is being represented to be.

There was a time when there was no league rule to do so. In fact, one of the huge examples of this was Super Bowl III, involving the New York Jets. Jets star receiver Don Maynard was nursing a hamstring injury that had been with him for weeks. But after an outstanding game against the Raiders in the AFL Championship game, the Colts felt Maynard was 100%. Far from it, in reality. But because the Jets didn't have to declared the severity of the condition, the Colts belief led them to double team him most of the game allowing the other Jets receiver, George Sauer Jr to enjoy single coverage. It resulted in eight catches for Sauer, none for Maynard, and a huge advantage for the Jets.

The gamesmanship was part of the game.

Today, the playing field is different. Never in the history of modern American sports has it been easier to place a bet on a game, a player or a play. You can literally bet just about anything regarding football and the 'take' n gambling is beyond anything previous to it. Plus, gambling is no longer confined to seedy alleyways or in the back of candy stores It's on your computer and your phone which means, it's literally in the stadiums, in real time. The power of gambling and fantasy is beyond your wildest imagination.

That means, people get VERY cranky when they don't have the latest, most inside and up-to-date info. Everyone wants an edge. So you think they're going to go quietly into the night with a team masking or outright hiding a players inability to go at 100%?

Uh-uh. No-no. Not now, not soon, not anytime.

The NFL, unlike any time in its history, is bound to certain actions - otherwise, it would lose it's credibility and the money would dry up. Period. And yet, every coach wants to maintain a competitive advantage over their opponent. So you start to get a lot of half truths and maybe's.

In the NHL, they'll refer to a serious knee injury as a 'lower body issue'. Well, not to be outdone the NFL has instituted player status. A player might be doubtful, questionable, or limited. . The teams fiddle-faddle with information., so you're never really sure what to expect. It's the new gamesmanship, playing by the rules without giving away too much detail. Will Lamar be healthy enough to play this Sunday? Maybe. How about Christian McCaffrey? Could be. And what about that wide receiver you really like who you're about to slam down some serious prop money on - did he just turn up late in the week suddenly listed as 'questionable' with a hamstring injury?

So as we said, football is a game of deception. Only before, the deception was all about the opponent. Now, it's become a lot bigger than that. The Romans said it best I think, "caveat emptor'. Let the buyer, beware or, as we like to say - Don't be the sucker at the table.