Should Cushing be stripped of his ROY award? Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/10/2010 @ 2:10 pm)  Brian Cushing claims that it wasn’t steroids that caused him to fail a positive drug test last September. He’s not saying what it was exactly and unless he confesses, we may never know the real reason why he was suspended for four games next season. But either way, he did take something and whatever it was, it may cause him to lose his 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award according to AP advisor Dave Goldberg. Per Goldberg, the AP may hold a re-vote for the award in light of Cushing’s failed drug test. If there is a re-vote and Cushing loses, then Bills’ safety Jarius Byrd would likely be given the trophy seeing as how he finished second in the voting last year. But would that be fair? What if Cushing accidentally took a supplement that contained something that was banned by the NFL? In other words, what if it wasn’t steroids? Have you ever seen the list of substances that are banned by the league? Players can’t even take cough medicine without having it approved by a team doctor or trainer. So while we can speculate all we want about what Cushing took, there’s a possibility that he will lose his ROY award (not to mention incentives based on rookie-year accomplishments) over something minor. That said, if he was suspended for steroids, then there’s a strong argument to be made that he should lose the award. After all, if he knew back in September that he had failed the test and played virtually the entire season knowing that he’d eventually be suspended, then maybe he should be stripped of the award. Some fans want all of the records during baseball’s steroid era to be stricken from the books, so why shouldn’t Cushing lose his award too? Cheating is cheating. Personally, if Cushing was caught using steroids, then Byrd should be the rightful winner of the award in my eyes. But if Cushing used a supplement that could be bought over the counter by any one of us at GNC, then I’m sorry, but I think the award should stay with him. The league is already punishing him with the four-game suspension, so that should be enough if he was simply careless about checking with a team doctor before using a potentially banned substance. Why take his hard-earned award away too?
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Brian Cushing suspended for steroids Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/08/2010 @ 11:00 am)  ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, the defending defensive rookie of the year, has been suspended four games for violating the league’s steroid policy. If this doesn’t seem like surprising news, it’s because Cushing was also suspected of juicing in college, although nothing was ever proven. This is a big blow for an improving Houston defense that will have to face the Colts, Redskins, Cowboys and Raiders without their stud outside ‘backer. General manager Rick Smith had this to say about Cushing’s suspension (from the Houston Chronicle): “We were disappointed to learn that Brian has been suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season. Brian is a productive member of our team and this is a significant loss, but we have to be prepared to win without him.”
I wonder if there will be backlash from the fans in light of this news. A baseball player gets caught juicing and he shamed the game; a football player gets caught juicing and once he returns from his suspension, nobody ever talks about the situation again (see Shawne Merriman). Talk about hypocritical.
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Cushing named defensive rookie of the year Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/05/2010 @ 11:16 am) 
Texans’ linebacker Brian Cushing was named the 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. From ESPN.com: Brian Cushing has become the second Houston Texans linebacker in four seasons to win The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The tackling machine from USC, drafted 15th overall last April, is a runaway winner in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. Cushing received 39 votes, easily beating Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd, who had six.
Cushing was all over the field this year, racking up 134 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. He made an impact the moment he got to Houston and he seemingly has a very bright future ahead of him. I do wonder though, had Byrd finished the season with a couple more picks (he missed the final two games of the season due to an injury) if the voting would have been closer. He tied Darren Sharper, Charles Woodson and Asante Samuel for the league-lead in interceptions this season with nine; would he have closed the gap between he and Cushing had he led the league in picks? Either way, both rookies (as well as the Redskins’ Brian Orakpo) had outstanding seasons. NFL Week 16 ROY Power Rankings Posted by Mike Farley (01/03/2010 @ 9:00 am) 
Lots of rookies this year keep reminding us why they were drafted so high, making this a very difficult race to predict. But we’ll try our best…… 1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—He hasn’t had an interception in a few weeks, but he’s still tied with Asante Samuel and Darren Sharper for the NFL lead with 9. 2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He leads all rookies with 897 rushing yards, with an outside chance of reaching 1000 yards Sunday against the Chiefs. 3. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—Yes, he plays for the Rams, and yes, a good linebacker who doesn’t rack up a ton of sacks isn’t one of those sexy picks for MVP or Rookie of the Year. But Laurinaitis’ 102 solo tackles ranks behind only Patrick Willis, Jon Beason and Curtis Lofton. 4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—46 catches for 795 yards and 6 scores is a good stat line for any receiver. But when you consider how big a question mark the Giants were at the position, this rookie has stepped up nicely and immediately contributed. 5. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—He’s battled migraines recently, but this explosive game-changer is a dual threat as a receiver and as a kick returner. Honorable mention: Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Beanie Wells, Cardinals; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles; Brian Cushing, Texans; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Michael Oher, Ravens Posted in: NFL Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Beanie Wells, Brian Cushing, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Curtis Lofton, Darren Sharper, Denver Broncos, Hakeem Nicks, Houston Texans, interceptions, Jairus Byrd, James Laurinaitis, Jeremy Maclin, Johnny Knox, Jon Beason, Kansas City Chiefs., kick returner, Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy, linebacker, Michael Oher, Minnesota Vikings, National Football League, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL rookie of the year, Patrick Willis, Percy Harvin, Philadelphia Eagles, Ryan Succop, St. Louis Rams, wide receiver
NFL Week 14 ROY Power Rankings Posted by Mike Farley (12/19/2009 @ 9:00 am) 
Each week we’re reminded that 2009 was a very strong rookie class, despite the lack of a true breakout star ala Adrian Peterson a couple years ago. And it’s going to be a very difficult decision to make for whoever votes. 1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—Back in the NFL lead with 9 interceptions. If only he was on a better team. 2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—Not exactly a breakout game against Indy, but still solid. 3. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—Migraines held Harvin out last weekend against the Bengals, and he may miss Week 15 as well. But that doesn’t take away from what he’s done this season so far. 4. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—After 13 seasons in his rookie campaign, Laurinaitis is averaging 7 solo tackes per game. That’s just sick. 5. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Sure, he dropped a couple on Sunday night, but if you saw his grab out of thin air that he then turned into a 68 yard touchdown, you know that this kid is special. Honorable mention: Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Matthew Stafford, Lions; Beanie Wells, Cardinals; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles; Brian Cushing, Texans; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Brian Orakpo, Redskins; Michael Oher, Ravens Posted in: NFL Tags: Adrian Peterson, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Beanie Wells, Brian Cushing, Brian Orakpo, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, football, Hakeem Nicks, Houston Texans, Jairus Byrd, James Laurinaitis, Jeremy Maclin, Johnny Knox, Kansas City Chiefs., Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy, Matthew Stafford, Michael Oher, Minnesota Vikings, National Football League, New York Giants, NFL, NFL rookie of the year, Percy Harvin, Ryan Succop, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins
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