Shaun Ellis Fined $10,000

As a followup to the piece that Classic wrote earlier, I’ve decided to give a little bit of an update on the Shaun Ellis “snow boulder” situation, as deemed by Classic. Just to bring you up to speed, here is another look at the video:

Earlier today Ellis, defensive captain of the New York Jets, was fined ten big ones for the incident. I think this is a little harsh considering it’s just some snow. Classic and I talked about this for a while last night and both of us found the video hilarious and that we didn’t think he should be fined at all for it. I believe an exact quote from that conversation would be “I would have been thrilled if it were me he hit.”

Jets head coach, Eric Mangini, had a different view on the situation all together saying that he thought the “situation in the stadium in general was not a very safe situation for anybody involved.” He went on to say “we thought that there could’ve been more done to prevent what was happening in terms of the safety from snowballs coming down.”

Ellis basically said that it was all in good fun and that there was no malicious intent. Unfortunately for Ellis, we all know what the N.F.L. stands for: the No Fun League. So even though he was just having fun, he’s going to get fined.

To learn more about the situation, I recommend reading this.

Let us know what you think about the fine in this poll:

What Does Your Team Need To Do? (Part II)

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THIS INFO IS OUT OF DATE! CLICK HERE FOR THE 2009 VERSION!

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I thought I’d put up another one of these, seeing how a lot of things happened during week 16 that either solidified team’s positions or eliminated their playoff hopes. So here is what everyone else needs to have happen to make it in. Unlike last time, I am much more confident in what I have found out. Again, by using the NFL’s tiebreaking procedures, this is what I have come up with.

On the NFC side of things the Giants and Cardinals have clinched the East and West divisions respectively. The Giants have also clinched the first seed, giving them a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Panthers and Falcons have also each clinched playoff spots, though neither has actually clinched their division. The Lions, Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Redskins have all been eliminated from the playoffs.

Here’s how things can play out for those who still have something to clinch in NFC:

Carolina Panthers:
The Panthers will clinch the NFC South and the NFC’s second seed (also giving them a first round bye) if they win in New Orleans against the Saints or if the Falcons lose to the Rams.

Atlanta Falcons:
The Falcons will clinch the NFC South and the NFC’s second seed (also giving them a first round bye) if they beat the Rams and the Panthers lose to the Saints.

Minnesota Vikings:
The Vikings will clinch the NFC North and the NFC’s third seed if they beat the Giants or if the Bears lose in Houston to the Texans.

Chicago Bears:

The Bears will clinch the NFC North and the NFC’s third seed if they beat the Texans and the Vikings lose to the Giants. However, if the Bears fail to win their division, they can still clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Texans and both the Cowboys lose in Philly to the Eagles and the Buccaneers lose at home to Oakland.

Dallas Cowboys:
The Cowboys will clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles will clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Cowboys and both the Buccaneers lose to the Raiders and the Bears lose to the Texans. The Eagles will also clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Cowboys and both the Buccaneers lose to the Raiders and the Vikings lose to the Giants.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The Buccaneers will clinch a wild-card spot if one of the following three things happen:

1. They beat the Raiders and the Cowboys lose to or tie with the Eagles.
2. They tie with the Raiders, the Cowboys lose to the Eagles and the Vikings lose to or tie with the Giants.

3. They tie with the Raiders, the Cowboys lose to the Eagles and the Bears lose to or tie with the Texans.

In the AFC the Titans and Steelers have clinched the South and North divisions respectively and both have also clinched first-round byes. The Titans have also clinched the AFC’s first seed, giving them home-field throughout the playoffs, and leaving the Steelers with the AFC’s second seed. Oh, and my Colts clinched a wild-card spot and the AFC’s fifth seed! The Bengals, Browns, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Raiders, and Bills are still the only teams in the AFC to have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Here’s how things can play out for those who still have something to clinch in the AFC:

Denver Broncos:
The Broncos will clinch the AFC West and the AFC’s fourth seed if the beat the Chargers in San Diego.

San Diego Chargers:
The Chargers will clinch the AFC West if they win at home against the Broncos.

Baltimore Ravens:
The Ravens will clinch the remaining wild-card spot and the AFC’s sixth seed with a win at home over the Jaguars.

Miami Dolphins:
The Dolphins will clinch the AFC East and the AFC’s third seed if they beat the Jets in New York.

New England Patriots:
The Patriots will clinch the AFC East and the AFC’s third seed if the beat the Bills in Buffalo and the Dolphins lose to the Jets.

New York Jets:
The Jets clinch the AFC East and the AFC’s third see if they beat the Dolphins at home and the Patriots lose in Buffalo to the Bills.

As always if you have any questions or thoughts you’d like to share, you should feel free to leave a comment, or you can always take a look at our “Contact Us” page to send us an email.

Shaun Ellis Ends a Snowball Fight

Just saw this on Sportscenter…loved it. The climax is about 34 seconds in.

This was after Ellis’ Jets lost to the Seahawks on Sunday. Now, I don’t know if he can or will be fined and/or suspended for this, but I don’t think he should be. The fan that was hit with the snow boulder seems to be enjoying it. Honestly, I would have enjoyed it to. My question is this: Since the Jets lost the game, does this make his snow throwing out of anger from the loss, therefore making it not quite as funny? Or, is this just a joke from a guy who likes to keep everything in perspective and likes to have fun?

I don’t know Shaun Ellis personally, obviously, but I’d like to think it was a joke. Either way, it’s hilarious. I hope he doesn’t get punished for it.

Update: The NFL fined Ellis $10,000 for the stunt. Ellis claimed it was all in fun. He should know better than to have fun in the NFL.