Just as confused as ever.

My girlfriend teaches middle school math. 7th grade. She has shown me some of the material she teaches, and I can admit: I would have no clue how to figure out most of it without assistance. And this stuff is for 7th graders! But I'm okay with that. I'm not necessarily supposed to understand math. I'm a journalism guy. A communications guy. Any level of math above pre-Algebra just does not appeal to me whatsoever. As I've said numerous times to my friends and family, if I come across a mathematical question that the calculator on my cell phone cannot figure out, then I simply do not need to know the answer. There are somethings I just don't get, and that's okay. Bill Gates doesn't need to know how to build a three-tier cheerleading pyramid. Ryan Seacrest doesn't need to know how to throw a knuckleball. But you would think that an NFL player would need to know how to act like a professional.

Enter LenDale White.

This season, White has been a walking (read: not running) disappointment for the Tennessee Titans. So much so that rumors are now swirling that White may be released to free up salary cap room. And it goes beyond White's lack of production on the field. It has quite a bit more to do with White's production off the field, namely at the dinner table. Take a look at the picture below. On the left is a picture of White from this past season with the Titans. On the right is a picture of White during his final season in college at the University of Southern California. Focus on the midsections.


See the difference? As with most collegians who aspire to play pro sports, athletes push themselves to prove their worth to prospective pro scouts. One adjective for such athletes could be... hungry. (I find that term fitting considering the context.) Once said athletes reach the professional ranks, oftentimes they lose their desire to work as hard as they did in college. It has been said many times about boxers: It takes so much more work to defend a title than to win one. When you're trying to reach the top, you work so much harder than you do once you reach the top. Athletes become complacent, thinking they don't have to work out anymore because of all they've already accomplished. One exception is Jerry Rice. Rice was the hardest worker in the NFL over the course of his entire career. What does that tell you? In LenDale White's case, as proven by the picture on the left, he looks anything but hungry.

Not that White's road to the NFL was showered with roses. White was considered to be a first-round pick when he first declared he was going to forgo his senior season at USC and enter the 2006 Draft. But incessant questions about his ability to control his weight lowered his stock to the point that he fell to the second round, where the Titans selected him with 45th pick.

This season White has shown a chronic desire to be a bad teammate. You may ask, Well what constitutes being a good teammate? Be humble. Share praise. Work hard. Never rip a teammate or coach. Show respect to your opponent. If you would rather see examples of good teammates, look at a guy like Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. Paul plays his heart out every night, and you can't be the guy leading the NBA in assists without being a good teammate. Or how about Hines Ward? This is a guy playing wide receiver in the NFL, the position known to produce the most selfish of players, and what is his favorite thing to do? Block. Good teammate. So who are some guys that could be considered bad teammates? Stephon Marbury. Terrell Owens. Manny Ramirez. Those three are interested in only one thing: themselves. And they play team sports. Funny how that works out, isn't it? Problem is, LenDale White falls into the bad teammate category. Here's why...

After the Titans lost their first game of the season on 23 November to the New York Jets, White stood in the locker room in front of a drove of reporters and said, "Coming into these games, you expect to get certain carries or certain things going on, or at least that's what they tell you. Then you get in these games and just randomly play three plays. I couldn't really tell you what happened [during the game], I have no idea. I wasn't paying attention so I didn't care." That's the kind of attitude White has held this season. And the previous quote came at a time when the Titans' record was 10-1, tied for best in the NFL. It should also be noted that White's most productive games this season came against some of the worst run defenses in the NFL. His highest single-game totals were against, in order: 149 yards vs. Kansas City (ranked 30th out of 32 teams in rushing yards allowed), 106 yards vs. Detroit (ranked 32nd out of 32), 99 yards vs. Cleveland (28th), 77 yards vs. Green Bay (26th), and 59 yards vs. Cincinnati (21st). Conversely, in four games this season against the three best defenses in the NFL-- two games against Baltimore (3rd) and one game each against Pittsburgh (2nd) and Minnesota (1st)-- White had a grand total of 110 rushing yards. So it seems that White only plays well against lesser competition. That sure comes in handy for a team vying for a shot at the Super Bowl!

And in the aforementioned game on 21 December against the Pittsburgh Steelers (a 31-14 home victory for the Titans), White grabbed a "Terrible Towel"-- long known as a symbol of the Steelers team and its fans-- and proceeded to throw it on the ground. That's bad enough, but he didn't stop there! He then decided it would be a good idea to take his overweight carcass and stomp on it. And did I mention he came up with this elaborate plan with television cameras fixed upon him? It shows the absolute and unyielding lack of class that is becoming more and more visible to anyone unfortunate enough to have to see him.

Understandably, the Steeler Nation lashed out at White. Fans, players, coaches, even city officials. Steeler cornerback Deshea Townsend said, "What [White] did that day was almost like taking a jersey and putting it on the ground after a win and stepping on it. You just don't do that. There is a proper way to play the game and a way that you act, and [the Titans] do not act like that. It's disrespectful." Linebacker Larry Foote chimed in as well, saying, "You see right now we got the last laugh. That's what they get for trying to humiliate us and rub it in, for not showing any class. We wanted to play them again, but they couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. That's what they get for stomping on the towel. We're stepping on them right now."

So upon hearing this, what do you think the eloquent and professional LenDale White had to say in response?

White said, "No way do I regret it. I would do it 100 times again. I'd do it tomorrow if we played them."

Some people just don't get it.

Psych Ward

Dictionary.com defines the word agitator as "a person who stirs up others in order to upset the status quo." But answer this for me... Does this guy really look like he could fit that description?


You wouldn't think so. Not with that smile. He has a smile like that on his face all the time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mr. Hines Ward. Ward is a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and tonight, they will host the Baltimore Ravens to see which team will represent the AFC this year in the Super Bowl. To simply state that the Steelers and Ravens dislike each other wouldn't exactly cover it. I think the Yankees and Red Sox get along better than the Steelers and Ravens. And a game like the one tonight: a low temperature, hard-hitting, intense rivalry... this is the kind of game where Hines Ward thrives. You see, Ward is an anomaly among his peers in the NFL. Most NFL receivers are prima donnas, you know, selfish players where me-first attitudes come standard (i.e. Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson). But not Ward. Ward's favorite thing to do during a game-- his favorite thing-- is to block.

That's right.

Block.

Not your typical wide receiver, huh? And oh, is he good at it. Just ask Keith Rivers of the Cincinnati Bengals. Or Ed Reed, of the aforementioned Ravens. Rivers ended up with a broken jaw after a clean block by Ward this season. Reed, one of the premier defensive players in the NFL, was knocked unconscious courtesy of a "sweep left special" from Ward.

And did I mention he always has that same smile on his face?

Now don't get the wrong idea about Ward and think he's just a thug who can't catch. He has averaged 72 catches per year since he was drafted by the Steelers back in 1998. He has also scored 73 touchdowns during his tenure thus far in Steel Town. But Pittsburgh, historically speaking, has always been known as a "power running" team. They've had bruising running backs in their past such as Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis. So what is a receiver to do in such circumstances?

Block.

It's fun to watch. In all actuality, Ward turns offense into defense. He becomes the hunter even though his team has the ball. But his aggressive style does have its setbacks. Ward has a target on his back when the ball is headed his way. Opponents don't just try to tackle Ward. They try to break him in half. So what does Ward do?

Smile, of course.

Is Hines Ward an agitator? Yes. But what is he on top of that? A damn good football player. He's the kind of player you would love to have on your team and hate to play against.

Tonight, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers welcome the Ravens to their snow-covered home. Will the Steelers prevail? We shall see. What you can count on, though, is the fact that Ward will be flying all over the field making plays for his teammates. And who knows? The Steelers may get another shot at a Super Bowl. They won it back in 2006.

And who was the MVP of that game?

You guessed it... Hines Ward.

Smiling, as usual.