Regardless of the fact that the boy only suffered minor injuries and that his parents decided not to call the police, this is an act that needs to be dealt with harshly. Enter Joe Pietaro and MucleSport Mag…

“After hearing about this, I felt it was necessary to step up and challenge this load that should have been swallowed,” said Pietaro, the Founding Editor of the five-tiered media outlet. “He is a pussy, coward and bully and I want a piece of him. He’s probably a twenty-something asshole and I’m in my forties, but I sure as hell am no eight-year-old kid.”

The Jets organization offered to fly the entire Brennan family of Painesville, Ohio in to a game at the New Meadowlands Stadium, host them in a suite and give them an all-access pass. Danielle Brennan, the boy’s mother, politely declined the offer but stated that they may take the Jets up on it in the future. Building on that, Pietaro has made an offer that shouldn’t be refused.

“I will buy you a one-way ticket out of my pocket from Ohio to New York,” he said to the drunken Browns fan. “You won’t need a round trip after I am through with you.”

Challenging the guy’s manhood is a strategy that Pietaro hopes will work. “These type of guys have no balls unless they’re drinking, so I’ll even buy him a six-pack when he lands,” he commented. “What will happen to him will be much worse than some misdemeanor charge he would have faced if the parents called the cops.”

Now it’s up to you, Mr. Drunken Browns fan. Joe is waiting for you in New York. As a matter of fact, he will make it easier for you.

“In March, I’ll be in Columbus, Ohio for the 2011 Arnold Classic,” Pietaro said with a smile. “If this jerk-off won’t come to me, then I’ll have to go to him.”

Game on…

MUSCLE SPORT TV EPISODE  - “THE CHALLENGE”

The Brett Favre – Brad Childress soap opera appeared to hit rock bottom before the 41-year-old QB mounted another great comeback. Although they are only 3-5, Minnesota may have saved their season and live to play another week in a division where the mediocre lead. Arizona (3-5) could have moved into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West if they could have held on to a 14-point lead with five minutes to go, but they let one get away.

Jets – 23, LIONS – 20 (OT)

Just how the Jets pulled this one out is still puzzling. New York played horribly, with 11 penalties (three directly leading to Detroit scores) committed and having to burn two timeouts early in the final stanza defensively because they had too many men on the field. The Lions ultimately scored a TD anyway and went up by 10 points. That’s when the Jets – who have not played particularly sharp since their win at Buffalo over a month ago – made their move, with some help from the mistake-prone 2-6 Lions. Just why Detroit HC Jim Schwartz called a pass play on third-and-six with under two minutes to go is a mystery. Kill the clock, Jim. That’s how you win in the NFL. Of course the Jets tied it up, won the coin toss and subsequently marched down the field (with the assistance of a late hit penalty) so that Nick Folk could hit a 36 yarder to improve the Jets to 6-2.

RAIDERS – 23, Chiefs – 20 (OT)

Can anyone believe that Oakland (5-4) is only a half game out of first place this late in the season? Even the staunchest supporters who take up residency in the Black Hole have to cross their fingers behind their backs if they say they did. The Silver & Black won their third straight game with the left foot of kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who tied it up with a 41-yard field goal with seconds remaining and then won it  with a 33-yard kick in the extra period. As far as Kansas City (5-3) goes, they are in a dogfight for the division when it seemed only a few weeks ago tat they would be the only winning club out of the AFC West.

EAGLES  -26, Colts – 24

Michael Vick versus Peyton Manning played out as advertised but with a bit of a surprise ending. Philadelphia came out firing on a all cylinders, allowed Indianapolis to take the lead before stiffening up in the second half for a slim victory. Both teams are now 5-3 and in second place in their respective divisions. Philly is still a bit of a pleasant surprise so far but Indy has to be viewed as a minor disappointment. Sure, the Colts may get hot in the playoffs but need to play more consistent if they are to go far.

Bears – 22, BILLS – 19

Toronto was the setting and the result was the ‘home’ team is still winless. Buffalo (0-9) went up north for the third time in franchise history and played Chicago well but Jay Cutler managed to throw a pass to his teammate and not the opponent for once with a late TD. The Bills are looking at the top spot in April while the Bears try to be the most inconsistent team in the NFL to earn a playoff spot.

BROWNS  - 34, Patriots – 14

The shocker of the day resulted in a game that may play into what will happen in the AFC East. New England (6-2) dropped behind the Jets, who travel to Cleveland next week to face a team that has defeated the defending Super Bowl champs and now arguably the best team in the conference their last two games. The Browns (3-5) put the smack down on the Pats from pillar to post and could very well do the same thing to a Jets team who has been lucky to be 3-1 in their last four games when they very well could be 0-4.

RAVENS – 26, Dolphins  -10

Miami (4-4) lost for the first time on the road this season and Baltimore stayed in first place in the AFC North with a convincing win. The vaunted Raven defense held the Fish to a mere 24 yards on the ground in the second half. They are going to be a force in the playoffs, especially if QB Joey Flacco continues to have games like this (20-for-27, 266 yards and two touchdowns). Miami will be watching the post season from their beach chairs again.

FALCONS  -27, Buccaneers – 21

This was a surprise game to decide first place in the NFC South, but with the Saints struggling that’s exactly what it was. Atlanta (6-2) stayed on top and Tampa Bay fell to 5-3 and third place. When it’s all said and done, New Orleans will be close to the top and make the playoffs if not win the division outright. The Falcons are a playoff contender while the Bucs will fade.

Chargers  -29, TEXANS  -23

Is it too late for San Diego to make a run? They have looked good the past two weeks after a brutal start and are now 4-5 in a mediocre division. Houston (4-4) is now in the basement in the AFC South and are going in the opposite direction of the Chargers. Always considered a playoff team but one that misses out seems to be the case once again with the Texans, while the Chargers – who always make a big run at the end to sneak into the post season – are right on track to do it again.

Giants – 41, SEAHAWKS – 7

New York won their fourth consecutive game with a blowout in the Pacific North West to improve to 6-2, saying atop the NFC East. Seattle dropped their second in a row, fell to 4-4 and actually saw the idle Rams move ahead of them in the putrid NFC West.

Saints – 34, PANTHERS – 3

Playing like a defending Super Bowl champions should, New Orleans (6-3) took care of business against hapless Carolina (1-7). It shouldn’t be too long before the Saints unseat the Falcons and take over the division.

PACKERS – 45, Cowboys – 7

Jerry Jones finally pulled the plug on HC Wade Phillips and should have done so long ago. Another total embarrassment for 1-7 Dallas. Green Bay kept pace with the Bears and should rise to the top by the end of the season.

Photo by Jim Leary

“This fight will also be televised on Pay Per View like the last Adamek fight. For our friends in Poland, this fight will be televised on Polsat.”

Joe DeGuardia: “In the Ward and Gatti days you had Irish vs. Italian, with this one, Irish – Polish; NY – NJ. Those are the things that make for drama and excitement. Grab those tickets so you can say you were there.”

“Vinny is NY boxing. He epitomizes boxing of the old days, when it was the sport of kings. In the 1950′s we had warriors going out there and battling everyday. That’s Vinny Maddalone.”

Vinny Maddalone: “I know I am going in as the underdog, but you know, I’ve been the underdog throughout my career. So all I’ve got to say is I’m going to give it everything I got in the ring. I am going to leave it all in the ring that night and I’m going to let my hands do the talking.”

“I’m going to take 2 or 3 punches to exchange one, that’s me. I’m not going to change overnight. We are working on little things in the gym that will hopefully make a difference on December 9th: be first; head movement; don’t let him dictate the fight.”

“I hope to give the fans their money’s worth. It’ll be a fight like that. What I get out of it, is that people come up to me after the fight and say ‘Wow, I haven’t seen a fight like that since the 50′s’. To me that means everything.”

“I think the Polish people are going to fall in love with me because they are going to say, ‘There’s a guy who gives it everything he’s got.’ It’s going to be great.”

Roger Bloodworth: “The thing that I picked up about Vinny as I watched many of his fights, is that he doesn’t quit. If he gets hit, he just keeps coming. I applaud Vinny for taking this fight because it’s going to be a hard fight, and Tomasz needs those kind of fights if he’s going to progress.”

“Tomasz is very tough mentally. He doesn’t get scared; He was very calm against Mike Grant. I can teach a fighter how to box, but I can’t teach a boxer how to fight.”

Bloodworth on Adamek’s biggest asset in this fight: “His hand speed.”

Bloodworth on a possible future fight with one of the Klitschko brothers: “We’re taking one fight at a time. If you look ahead, you forget about what’s in front of you.”

Tomasz Adamek: “After Grant, I sat with Roger and Ziggy. We said ‘What do we do now? We need an opponent that brings to Prudential Center arena many fans. We gave a chance to Vinny Maddalone. He can bring many fans to the Prudential Center from New York. He lives close, and has a lot of fans. In every fight, he is very exciting. I think we’ll make a good show for everybody.”

Tomasz Adamek                                                       Vinny Maddalone
Gilowice, Poland & Jersey City, NJ          VS.              Queens, NY
42-1, 27 KO’s                                                             33-6, 24 KO’s

IBF International Heavyweight and NABO Heavyweight Championship
December 9, 2010, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ. Doors open 6:00pm

Presented by Main Events & Ziggy Promotions, in association with Star Boxing.
Fight venue: Newark’s Prudential Center
Tickets priced at $53, $78, $103 and $253 (ringside),can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or Prucenter.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Main Events,  Ellen Haley, ehaley@mainevents.com
Pru Center, Anne Sciaino,  ASciaino@prucenter.com
Star Boxing, Kevin Rooney, rooney@starboxing.com

Source: Main Events

Sorry, pal. I’ve got some harsh news for you. This is football and you get paid to play the games on your schedule, regardless of what the other head coach decides to do with his personnel. Sure, if Peyton Manning didn’t get pulled in Week 16, we may not be having this conversation right now. But it wasn’t as if the Jets were getting their asses handed to them when the just-named 2009 NFL MVP went to the bench in favor of an overwhelmed Lance Painter.

Rex Ryan’s crew was only trailing by five points when Manning took off his helmet and replaced with a baseball cap and ultimately a frown that was caught by all the cameras. He was seeing the Colts’ undefeated season go up in smoke, but could have he been thinking ahead and that he wanted no part of seeing a hot team with a swarming defense coming back at them in the playoffs?

If The Colts would have put the Jets away, their home loss the week before to Atlanta would have been their legacy. But instead, their pulse was getting better and they had their sights set on a Cincinnati Bengals team who had the opportunity to not only end the Jets’ season, but clinch the third seed in the AFC because of the Patriots’ loss earlier in the day on the final Sunday.

Outside of running back Cedric Benson, the Bengals played their starters into the third quarter and were getting their clocks cleaned. Quarterback Carson Palmer went 1-for-11 for zero yards and the team had 72 yards total offense. Say whatever you want to try to justify that and it is impossible to do. The Jets made the playoffs as the AFC’s fifth seed courtesy of their 37-0 whitewashing on Sunday Night Football.

Momentum at this time of the year can go a long way and by basically shutting it down, both the Bengals and Colts made critical mistakes. We all know that it carried over to Saturday’s AFC Wild Card game, when the Jets ousted Cincinnati by a score of 24-14. Even when the Bengals were up 7-0, the game was being controlled by the Jets. Palmer’s accuracy was horrendous and he overthrew his receivers regularly. If it weren’t for Benson’s performance and a drop in the end zone by Braylon Edwards, the difference would have been even wider.

Now the Jets must travel to San Diego to face the red-hot Chargers, winners of 11 straight. This match-up was the result of the Baltimore Ravens knocking off the higher-seeded Patriots in New England.

It’s been a wild ride for the Jets, but all they need to do is keep playing a tight defense and effectively grind it out on the ground. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been efficient and has stayed away from throwing the interceptions that were killing him just a few short weeks ago.

Can the Jets beat a team like the Chargers? Well, we didn’t think they would even still be around so let’s not sell them short just yet. Yes, the Bolts do have a very potent offense but their defense leaves a lot to be desired and could be exposed by some shrewd play calling. We already know that the Jets can run the ball, so if they are able to opne things up a bit with not only Sanchez but also Brad Smith (in the Jets formation of the Wildcat, called the “Tiger”), this game may be a close one

If the underdogs prevail again in the AFC this upcoming weekend, the Jets will actually host the conference championship versus Baltimore - perhaps the most unlikely scenario of all.

Photo by William J. Hauser

As it turned out, a gray and battered Favre melted down the stretch while a rejuvenated Pennington turned a one-win team into a division champion. As hard as that was to swallow, having Favre announce his retirement leaves the Jets in a much worse position than before they acquired the sure-bet first ballot Hall of Famer.

The knock against Pennington was that he didn’t possess a strong arm and couldn’t stretch the field. Ironically, during the five-game winning that gave the Jets an 8-3 record, the offense was moving the ball when Favre was throwing it underneath to his running backs and tight ends, rather than trying to hit the home run down the field. Earlier in the season, he was throwing a lot of interceptions by forcing the ball in. Starting with the November 30 home loss to Denver, Favre began throwing the ball into double coverage again and his stats went south. During the Jets’ 1-4 record to close out the season, Favre threw only two touchdown passes and nine picks.

An injury that he described as pain coming from his right shoulder wasn’t revealed until after the last game and a subsequent MRI showed that Favre had a torn bicep. “It actually started (hurting) probably when I started throwing back in the summer,” he said. “Ever so slight and not very often but just enough that I’d just wrote it off as just old age or whatever. Each week, just with wear and tear, it progressively (became worse) and I’m not a doctor, but I think, as the season progressed, it would tear just a little bit (more).”

Favre retiring helps the Jets in one aspect as they get salary cap relief from the $13 million he was to receive. While that may help on the open market, they currently have to decide between three quarterbacks on the roster that have started a combined total of eight NFL games – all by Kellen Clemens, who failed miserably when given an opportunity to take Pennington’s job in 2007. His career stats (five touchdowns and 11 interceptions) hardly make him a sure-thing to be named the starter in 2009.

Then you have Brett Ratliff, who has received a lot of positive print in the New York area even though he can only hang his helmet on a few exhibition games in which he played extremely well. The undrafted former practice squad player said that he feels “very confident” and after speaking to new Jets head coach Rex Ryan, is only asking “for an opportunity to prove myself, to show my abilities.”

Erik Ainge, who was a low round draft pick out of Tennessee last year, missed time with a foot injury and was also suspended four games for using a banned substance.

Do the Jets bring in a short-term solution again, such as Jeff Garcia or Kerry Collins? Or do they go after a younger QB like Kyle Boller, who Ryan knows from his time in Baltimore?

There is always the draft and two names (Mark Sanchez and Josh Freeman) have already been mentioned as being on the Jets radar, but they may have to trade up from their position at number 17 to get one of them.

This team is talented and improved in many ways last season, but they would have been in much better shape right now with Pennington behind center than a huge question mark.

Photo by Bill Menzel

His conservative approach, especially on offense, led to his demise in New York and now Kansas City. Once Pioli replaced Carl Peterson, the handwriting was on the wall and Herm’s days were numbered.

In a statement released by the Chiefs, Pioli said, “Since my arrival last week, Herm and I have had several conversations and part of my overall evaluation of the football operation. After careful consideration, Clark (team owner Hunt) and I felt that it was best to make a change.”

Edwards had more success with the Jets and finished a five-year run, finishing with a 39-41 mark and 2-3 I the postseason. When he was fired, many complaints were heard about him not opening up the playbook more.

In his first season in Kansas City in 2006, Edwards led the Chiefs to a 9-7 record and a wild card playoff berth.

One name that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Edwards is Mike Shanahan, who was fired by the Denver Broncos at the end of the regular season.

Thomas Jones had absolutely no reason to justify his comments made on a New York radio station on Tuesday. The running back was totally justified by calling out the 39-year-old quarterback and his dismal performance during last Sunday’s 24-17 home loss to Miami, which eliminated the Jets from playoff contention (along with wins by New England and Buffalo). Much of the reason why the team didn’t control it’s own destiny was the ineffective play from Favre over the last five games, in which the Jets were lucky to win the one game they did salvage.

Jones is a very serious player and at times has seemed aloof to the media, but in reality he is just a player that expects the same commitment and performance from his teammates that he gives. According to reports that have come out since the season ended and head coach Eric Mangini was fired, Favre did not put in the effort during the week, which may have led to his less than satisfactory performances on many Sundays since September.

“The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us,” Jones said on Hot-97 FM. “I mean, that’s just reality. If I were to sit here and say, ‘Oh, man, it’s OK,’ that’s not reality. I don’t like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn’t like it.

“If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game,” Jones continued. “You’re jeopardizing the whole team because you’re having a bad day. To me, that’s not fair to everybody else. You’re not the only one on the team. So when you get to the wire and somebody is just giving the game up, I mean, it’s just not [fair].”

Jones attempted to clarify some of the comments on ESPN’s First Take and stated that the second part of his comments were not directed at Favre. But when you are talking about somebody not playing well and your quarterback is in the midst of a three-pick game, then it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Having just wrapped up a career year, Jones has every right to call out a teammate that did not do his job when called upon. Especially considering that rumblings out of the locker room also had issues with Favre’s work ethic, there is no reason for Jones to try to sugar coat any of his comments. He is arguably the MVP of this team and was named to the Pro Bowl, so his opinion carries some weight.

When the Jets brought in Favre in August, it was supposed to be the final piece of an offseason improvement executed to get the team into the playoffs and one to be reckoned with. Favre ended up leading the league with 22 interceptions and looked even older than his actual age.

Maybe it was about time that someone had the balls to speak up about a player that has been on a pedestal for a long time. Yes, he did deserve all of his accolades for many years, but has been on a steep decline sans 2007. And even that year ended with him throwing a terrible interception in overtime in the NFC Championship Game. He should retire and finally have his number four retired at Lambeau Field, if he hasn’t screwed up that relationship.

Once the Jets finished their offseason shopping spree by bringing in Brett Favre, team owner Woody Johnson my have had visions of grandeur and foolishly thought that he was getting the quarterback of old, not just an old quarterback.

Even when the Jets were 8-3, they were winning in spite of Favre, not because of him. Their five-game winning streak was the one part of the season where Favre was not forcing the long throw and was having success underneath. Why they went away from that and started having the 39-year-old put the game on his shoulders is also a question that needs to be answered.

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Not even waiting 24 hours to digest what happened, Johnson canned Mangini the morning after the 24-17 loss to Miami that completed the Jets’ December collapse. “I appreciate everything Eric Mangini has done for this organization over the past three seasons,” Johnson said in a statement the team released on Monday. “He is a bright, young football mind and I wish him success in the future.

“In our judgement, we made the decision we believe is in the best interest of the organization. We will begin the search for the next head coach of the Jets immediately.”

And that man will no doubt definitely NOT be Bill Cowher or Mike Holmgren. Neither will be on any sideline next fall, especially not one as shaky as the Jets’.

This is an organization that is in a transition period, one that may go smooth or take a long time to fix. The quarterback position is one that holds the most questions. Both Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum stated that they would like Favre to return. A man turning 40 who led the league in interceptions (22) with possible shoulder issues is not a formula for winning. That was proven in the past five weeks, when the Jets were lucky to win even one of those games.

The remaining QBs on the roster are either unproven youngsters (Brett Ratliff, Erik AInge) or one that has proven himself unworthy of starting (Kellen Clemens).

Whatever direction the Jets go, the quick hook given to Mangini shows that Johnson expected big things out of this team, especially because of Favre’s presence. Unfortunately, the Jets were about five years too late.

Don’t accuse me of jumping on or off any Brett Favre bandwagon. I’m on record as not being in love with the acquisition of the first ballot Hall of Famer back on August 7. (“Throwing Cold Water on the Favre Parade” – http://www.musclesportmag.com/2008/08/07/throwing-cold-water-on-the-favre-parade/?preview=true&preview_id=291&preview_nonce=4e72bb6a34.) In fact, a week earlier, I was even more harsh in my opinion of Favre while he was still property of the Green Bay Packers and not my beloved Jets. (“Favre Far From Leader of the Pack” – http://www.musclesportmag.com/2008/07/30/favre-far-from-the-leader-of-the-pack/?preview=true&preview_id=186&preview_nonce=8e4cbfaab0.)

Now that Favre is showing all of his 39 years and then some, don’t point any fingers at me. I was one of the few that didn’t splurge for a number 4 jersey and wish that number 10 was still in green and not teal. Perhaps it was more of my having no confidence whatsoever in Kellen Clemens and his ineffectiveness. With the Arena Football League now a thing of the past (not officially, but for all intents and purposes), Roger’s namesake will have no place to ply his trade once the Jets come to their senses and let him go in a year or two.

I suppose it was human nature to feel as if my original feelings of Favre may have been wrong when the Jets were riding high at 8-3. But if you follow this team as closely as I, then you know that they were moving the ball more efficiently due to the jelling of the offensive line; the running of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington; and Favre dumping the ball off more and staying away from the dangerous long passes.

Earlier in the season, he was throwing a ton of interceptions and trying too hard to prove that he still had a gun and could thread the needle when needed.

Since the Jets won in Tennessee, they have gone 1-3 and should have lost to Buffalo two weeks ago. Favre has performed horribly of late, with abysmal quarterback ratings of 60.9 against Denver, 60.8 at San Francisco, 61.4 versus Buffalo and a season low 48.7 in the latest 13-3 loss at Seattle.

The silver lining in this is the Jets’ draft pick to be surrendered to Green Bay will not be as high if they fail to make the playoffs. By the time the Jets take the field at the Meadowlands at 4:15, their fate may already be known. Gang Green needs to beat Miami – and Chad Pennington – and have the Patriots lose to Buffalo, which starts at 1:00. Fat chance.

Photo by Bill Menzel