Author Archives: Kent Sterling

If you don’t like Colin Kaepernick – donate your Nike shoes to Samaritan’s Feet

If this image pisses you off to the point you can’t wear your Nikes – don’t burn them, donate them.

So you’re really upset than Nike has aligned with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaeperniick for a new “Just Do It” campaign.

You feel Kaepernick and others who have taken a knee during the National Anthem prior to NFL games are showing disrespect to veterans who have sacrificed for America, and those Nikes in your closet just have to go.

Burning them on social media accomplishes two things – it throws more heat toward the Nike campaign, and destroys a pair of usable shoes.  Dumb and dumber.

Donate those gently used Nikes to an organization like Samaritan’s Feet, a group devoted to shoeing the shoeless around the world.  If you have enough shoes to burn some in the backyard, you are the envy of those without shoes at all.  People in places where people have no inkling of Kaepernick’s existence can finally wear shoes because you don’t want your’s.

That anger – for once – will have a positive outcome.

You won’t get 76,000 retweets and likes, but is that really the measuring stick you want to define your impact on the world?

 

#Colts GM Chris Ballard believes in himself as he cuts John Simon – that’s important, but not always enough

Chris Ballard might be right and he might be wrong, but he believes 100% in his methodology.

Colts GM Chris Ballard told us Sunday that defensive end John Simon was cut because the Colts are “trying to get to more right end body types and traits that we want at the position.”

Body types versus football players without great measurables has been debated for a long time.  Analytics, length, bend, twist, burst, and swivel are words scouts use to evaluate players.

Simon appeared to be a football player.  I’m not sure how long his arms are, but he has always seemed to be willing to do whatever was necessary to make plays.

And now Simon is a former Colt, as are Johnathan Hankins, Henry Anderson, and others who didn’t fit the 4-3 scheme coordinator Matt Eberflus favors.  Good players sent away because of fit. Continue reading →

QB Brandon Dawkins punts on opportunity to learn lessons and help others – leaves IU’s program

When Brandon Dawkins left Indiana, he left lessons unlearned and work undone. The potential for answering adversity with grit vanished.

There comes a moment in each of our lives when we learn our most important legacy is in how we help others.  That time has not come yet for former Indiana University quarterback Brandon Dawkins.

Dawkins left the Hoosiers football program over the weekend after learning late last week that he was third on the depth chart with a single grad eligible year left in his collegiate career.

It’s understandable the young man would bolt.  Dawkins came to Indiana feeling it would be the perfect spot for him to get a chance to build an NFL resume’.

The reality was not as kind. Continue reading →

Andrew Luck paying the price for battling for every yard – again; best for Colts fans to enjoy him while he lasts

When Colts fans see Andrew Luck do this, they scream “NOOOOO!”

Andrew Luck ran the ball four times for 27 yards against the San Francisco 49ers in the Indianapolis Colts utterly meaningless third preseason game.  Why?

After spending more than a year rehabilitating his surgically repaired shoulder so he could play again, Luck continues to put his physical health at risk by extending inconsequential plays – and trying to win all of them.

As a result of a tackle which ended one of those runs, Luck hurt his foot and was held out of practice yesterday.  Colts coach Frank Reich told us yesterday that Luck would play if they had a game this Sunday.

What the hell is the matter with this very smart man?  Why would he put himself – and the prospects of the team he leads – in peril to gain a few yards on a play in a game that will never be remembered prior to the start of the regular season.

Get out of harm’s way.  Get rid of the damn ball!  Sounds easy.  He just can’t do it. Continue reading →

Indiana University Football – Program might not be great, but fans are the sanest in college football #iufb

IU Football coach Tom Allen’s enthusiasm is contagious, but not enough to get students and alums to stay at Memorial Stadium until the (mostly) bitter end of games.

There are university campuses across America where the anticipation of another college football season will charge the atmosphere.  Students and boosters will count down the hours to kickoff.

Bloomington, Indiana, is not one of those college towns.  At Indiana University, people will go about their business, attend class, and instead of charging the atmosphere, students will charge kegs to daddy’s credit card.

Football is a diversion for Indiana students and graduates, not a way of life.  Attention is paid, but games don’t get in the way of fun.  Nights of sleep – or at parties – are not lost because Indiana loses to Ball State.

Two seasons ago, Alabama’s Nick Saban threatened to strip season tickets from students who left before the end of four-hour games.  At Indiana, leaving early is seen as a sane response to games that take too long and end unsatisfactorily more often than not. Continue reading →

Indianapolis Colts continue to rebuild today in dress rehearsal – in Chris Ballard we trust?

It’s going to be a while before we can evaluate Chris Ballard’s work as a GM.

When Chris Ballard took over as general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, he said the roster would be rebuilt through the draft.  He wasn’t kidding.

It’s tough to go from where the Colts were to becoming a Super Bowl champion.  When the Colts were rolling in the 2000s, they had four players on the offensive side of the ball who will likely wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  They won a single Super Bowl.

As we cast our eyes about the practice field during training camp, it was difficult to foresee any of the guys currently on the roster enshrined.  Maybe Andrew Luck?  On the defense, it was hard to see a definitive starter. Continue reading →

Urban Meyer suspended – do we ask too much of collegiate coaches?

Urban Meyer does not operate as well at a press conference as he does on the sideline.

Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer was suspended yesterday for the first three games of the season as the result of a university investigation into his handling of a 2015 domestic violence complaint by the wife of an assistant coach.

I get it.  Domestic violence is a societal scourge, and its victims deserve our exhaustive efforts to help them escape the world of perpetual fear and danger in which they live.

But is former wide receivers coach Zach Smith torturing his wife Courtney a problem Meyer should be held accountable for not solving?  If his continued employment of Smith endangered his wife – certainly.  Whether that was the case is impossible to accurately assess. Continue reading →

Mystery of Colts radio voice Bob Lamey’s retirement solved – the cause was use of that unusable word

Bob Lamey used the N-word, so he is no longer welcome on our radios.

Indianapolis Colts radio voice Bob Lamey used the N-word in telling a story, and so he is now the former Colts radio voice.

As it should be.

What seemed an oddly timed retirement became an unpleasant story of a broadcaster who believed his need to behave without hate and the language of hate ended when the microphone is silenced.

Bob clearly showed his compromised ability for self-editing when he dropped an F-bomb during a game broadcast two years ago.

Bob deserves better than to be remembered for the F-bomb incident.  No Colts Radio Network affiliate lost its license or was forced to pay a substantial fine as a result of Bob’s indelicate language.  The world kept spinning, and our society was not damaged by Bob’s profanity. Continue reading →

Voice of the Colts Bob Lamey retires – his passion, anger, joy, and voice will be missed

Bob Lamey should be the next to have his name lifted into the Colts Ring of Honor.

When it’s time, it’s time, and it appears Bob Lamey figured that out the day before he was scheduled to lend his estimable passion to another Indianapolis Colts radio broadcast.

Matt Taylor will take over on the radio (hopefully on a permanent basis) while Greg Rakestraw will take Matt’s spot on TV broadcasts for the final two preseason games.  Tomorrow night’s game will be on national TV, so there will be no local telecast.

Bob will be remembered for his wildly enthusiastic Colts calls.  There was never any question where Bob’s loyalty lied, and that’s why fans will always love him.

As with most broadcasters who breathe life into live sporting events for over 30 years, Bob authored some memorable gaffes, but those just made Bob more human to listeners. Continue reading →