Broncos Coach Josh McDaniels Helps San Diego Chargers Win 2009 AFC West Crown
Could the San Diego Chargers path to the playoffs be ANY easier? Without one major change to the roster, the footballers of Qualcomm Stadium are the clear favorite in an ever-weakening division.
Over the last few seasons, the AFC West has not been regarded as one of the NFL’s most competitive division. That being said, the apocalyptic destruction that brash rookie head coach Josh McDaniels has inflicted upon his Denver Broncos has done nothing but guarantee his team a high draft pick and first crack at Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford or Texas’ Colt McCoy at the end of the season.
No man has had a greater, albeit unintentional, impact on the state of the National Football League from 2008 to 2010 than Bernard Pollard. When Pollard tackled Patriots quarterback Tom Brady at the knee during the inaugural game of the 2008 season, it set off a butterfly effect throughout the rest of the league that would make even Ray Bradbury proud.
Tom Brady missed the rest of the season as his torn MCL and ACL required multiple surgeries while the Patriots entrusted career backup Matt Cassel to take control of the reigns. With the help of All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss and under the guidance of then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Cassel completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions. Cassel was set to become an unrestricted free agent and the Patriots, not wanting to let Cassel go for nothing, placed their franchise tag on him and guaranteed that he would receive the most lucrative one-year contract for an offensive player in NFL history at $14 million.
And this is where things got interesting.
The Denver Broncos choked away a three-game lead over the San Diego Chargers with three games to go and head owner Pat Bowlen decided that his seemingly-tenured head coach, Mike Shanahan, would now be shown the door. Replacing a beloved coach with the pedigree of a Mike Shanahan would not be a simple task. Many of the most successful coaches in NFL history (Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, Tony Dungy) produced an equally impressive tree of assistant coaches who would become successful head coaches themselves. Patriots coach Bill Belichick even started out as an assistant under Bill Parcells, but Belichick’s coaching tree has been less-than-stellar. Not the least bit deterred by the losing records of Belichick disciples Charlie Weis (Notre Dame), Romeo Crennel (Cleveland Browns), and Eric Mangini (New York Jets), Bowlen decided to hand his franchise over to 33 year-old offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels came into town with guns blazing and immediately alienated the face of the franchise, quarterback Jay Cutler, by pursuing a trade for his pet project, Matt Cassel. This move was both inexplicable and arrogant. Jay Cutler has a cannon for an arm and was seen as the heir apparent to local hero, John Elway. One of the few bright spots for Broncos fans in the wake of their historic collapse was the combination of Jay Cutler with wide receiver Brandon Marshall and newly drafted tailback, Knowshon Moreno of the University of Georgia. While Cutler himself did own a losing record with the Denver Broncos, the lion’s share of the blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Denver’s porous defense. Cutler threw for nearly 1,000 more yards with four more touchdowns than Cassel, yet McDaniels believed that he knew more about Matt Cassel than everyone else and not-so-quietly went about seeking to trade Cutler for Cassel.
When this news reached Jay Cutler, both he and his inflated ego were crushed. Quarterbacks have grown accustomed to receiving all the glory, all the prime time commercials, and all the Saturday Night Live hosting gigs. They are – and see themselves as – the face of the franchise. Cutler was already devastated by the firing of the only coach he had ever known and that was before he even found out the brash rookie head coach coming into town was trying to push him out of town with the apparent blessing of the owner.
Cutler went into a full-blown “trade me” mode so petulant that it would have made Manny Ramirez proud, ignoring phone calls and text messages from both Josh McDaniels and head owner Pat Bowlen while telling anyone with a press pass and a pair of ears that he felt betrayed and could never again trust his new head coach. If you thought this brash rookie head coach would be the type to apologize and attempt to reconcile a fractured relationship, well, you just haven’t been paying attention.
One bit of advice for the future brash rookie head coaches of the world: should you attempt to trade your franchise quarterback, make sure you have a Plan B in the event that it backfires. A franchise quarterback is The Most Valued Commodity in all of professional sports. The Chicago Bears were all too happy to take Cutler off McDaniels’ hands as they had not had one of these franchise quarterbacks since Jim McMahon, he of the 1985 SuperBowl Shufflin’ Bears. In exchange, the Bears were equally delighted to send back Kyle Orton, who had difficulties earning the starting job over one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks in Rex Grossman.
Matt Cassel ended up being traded to Kansas City and was greeted with a six-year, $63 million contract where he can personally thank his new teammate… you guessed it, Bernard Pollard. The man who offered this contract to Cassel? Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, previously the New England Patriots’ Vice President of Player Development. Either Cassel has compromising photographs of Pioli and McDaniels or these men see something in this career backup that few others do.
The brash rookie head coach now sits with the shambles of a once-proud franchise. Top receiver Brandon Marshall has surveyed the wreckage and has decided that he, too, wants out. Without the same leverage as Cutler but with a more extensive criminal record than Plaxico Burress, Marshall’s insubordination will destroy his trade value and most likely see him stuck in Denver warming the bench and playing only if he is lucky.
Whether he likes it or not, exchanging a franchise quarterback for Kyle Orton will forever be McDaniels’ legacy. For good or bad, Josh McDaniels and Jay Cutler will forever be joined at the hip. Perhaps tanking this season for a shot at a franchise quarterback in the draft next season is Denver’s best chance at regaining what it lost by trading Jay Cutler in this bizarre story that is equal parts funny, immature, and sad.
Nobody has done more than Josh McDaniels to help the San Diego Chargers finally reach a SuperBowl with a roster that has been perenially labeled as the NFL’s most talented. While new Raiders head coach Tom Cable is busy being investigated by the police for breaking the jaw of an assistant head coach during a heated meeting and Kansas City in full rebuilding mode, the Broncos are in no better shape. With a healthy Shawne Merriman at linebacker, the Chargers revitalized defense should avoid the same pitfalls that led this squad to the 4-8 record that necessitated the comeback during the last month of the season that cost Mike Shanahan and Jay Cutler their spots in Denver.
San Diego Chargers tickets are more popular than ever and, as always, Golden Circle Tickets remain your best bet at getting the best seats in the house for all home games at Qualcomm Stadium this season.
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Manny Ramirez Deserves Better From Red Sox Nation
Manny Ramirez is back from his 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s performance-enhancing drugs policy and he is back where he belongs: on the field, entertaining the masses. Clearly, Dodgers fans have embraced Manny and decided to overlook his mistakes. Leftover bobbleheads from Manny Ramirez Bobblehead Night at Chavez Ravine can currently be found on eBay for nearly $100.
Tickets are selling out regularly and if you want to see the circus for yourself, only Golden Circle Tickets can secure the best Los Angeles Dodgers tickets available for you and your family.
So what? He tested positive for a banned female fertility drug which indicates he was either expecting a child or replenishing the testosterone depleted in his system after cycling off steroids.
So what? When he was with the Red Sox, he decked a 60-year old ex-Navy SEAL travel secretary who could not accomodate his request for over a dozen tickets to a game in Houston. If you think this was less than a fair fight, throw a punch at Jesse Ventura and see what happens.
So what? He dogged it during his final days in Boston in order to force a trade out of town since Red Sox ownership would not even consider a multi-year extension.
Adding a future Hall of Famer and perhaps The Greatest Right-Handed Hitter of All Time to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the weakened NL West made them instant favorites to win the pennant and represent the National League in the World Series.
Boston’s loss is Hollywood’s gain. Hollywood appreciates Manny for what he is: an entertainer, no different than Tom Hanks or Michael Jackson. All that matters is what they do on the big stage. Their personal lives our none of our business.
“I didn’t kill or rape nobody.” Manny Ramirez’ statement may have been flippant, but there is truth there. Baseball is not a matter of life and death. To the contrary, baseball is our escape from life and death. There is more anomisity directed at Manny Ramirez than there ever was towards those responsibile for misleading the American public about WMD in Iraq.
Consider all that Manny did for Boston. The 2004 World Series MVP secured the first Red Sox championship since 1919, effectively burying “The Curse of the Bambino” forever. You would think a city so desperate to get that monkey off its back would be eternally grateful towards its eccentric slugger, extending his contract for life and renaming Logan Airport to Manny Ramirez International Airport.
Instead? Ownership jerked Manny around with three consecutive years of team options on his contract. Free agents are used to over-performing in a contract year. Players routinely try harder – for lack of a better phrase – in order to earn the most lucrative contract possible. In Manny’s case, if he performed at this level, he would have his contract extended for a single season for a previously agreed upon number of dollars. The process would then repeat itself the following year and the year after that.
What would happen if he had a sub-par year? The Red Sox could have released him from their team with no financial penalty, leaving him a free agent in search of a new contract while coming off a lousy year. This was a lose-lose situation for Manny.
There is blame to be shared on both sides. Manny’s agent negotiated the contract and Manny signed his name to the contract. If they didn’t like the idea of three consecutive option years, they should never have agreed to it. Manny did not have to fake injury to stay out of games in order to force a trade.
To paraphrase Chris Rock, I’m not saying he should have punched a 60-year old ex-Navy SEAL, but I understand.
No region of the country was more gleeful than New England when it was announced Manny Ramirez was banned for fifty games. Bob Ryan and Dan Shaughnessy have been waiting for the other shoe to drop since the minute he left town. What have you done for them lately, Manny?
Every home run he hit, their blood boiled. They seethed with every joke he told in a press conference. “Just wait,” they’ll tell you, “he’ll break your heart, too.”
Sorry, Boston. He’s just not that into you. He has already stated that he is more comfortable in Los Angeles than he ever was in Boston. Should the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series either this year or next year with Manny Ramirez batting cleanup, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will build a golden statue of Manny in his prized parking lot.
We appreciate our stars in Los Angeles despite their obvious flaws. Hugh Grant and Divine Brown. So what? Michael Jackson and Macauley Culkin? So what? Mel Gibson and the Jews? Oh, that’s just silly ol’ Mel.
In the grand scheme of things, Manny didn’t kill nobody and he sure as heck didn’t rape nobody. Love him or hate him, we all want to watch him hit dingers. See him hit the long ball for yourself. Contact Golden Circle Tickets today for the best Los Angeles Dodgers tickets available every night.
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Rock ‘n Roll Jesus: Bono Hits the Road with U2
When David Evans gave himself the nickname The Edge and Paul Hewson decided he was Bono, couldn’t they have come up with a nickname for drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.?
Apparently not. In any event, Bono, The Edge, and… Larry are embarking on the U2 360 tour this summer along with their wonderfully bland bassist, Adam Clayton. U2 at the Rose Bowl will take place on Sunday, October 25 and your best bet for securing the best seats in the house would be to contact Golden Circle Tickets today.
Think of all the benefits: U2 is the only band on the planet where you can rock out while eradicating famine worldwide. Pat yourself on the back and, for that, we only have to thank Bono, the Savior for all that is Righteous in the world.
I choose my words carefully here because while I respect Bono as a musician and a humanitarian, I fear that if I say the wrong thing, he could have me destroyed.
What separates Bono from the rest of his fellow ’80s rockers? He chose sunglasses over cross-dressing and eyeliner. Sorry, Dee Snider, but Twisted Sister has not been granted the same degree of reverence as U2. The Police were certainly in the same class as both bands wrote groundbreaking music while featuring similarly singular-named blowhard frontmen. Both Sting and Bono are world-class musicians, but sometime in the 1980’s, they chose very different paths. For all that Bono has meant to Africa and starving children nationwide, that is what Sting has meant to tantric sex. Not quite as noble, certainly, so one must assume that Sting harbors some resentment towards the Irishman.
What separates Bono from the rest of his fellow ’80s rockers is that he more Oprah Winfrey than Bon Jovi. While “The Joshua Tree” and “Achtung Baby” are widely regarded as some of the best rock albums of all time, U2 has become less of a band and more of a political movement. Not political in the typical Republican versus Democrat kind of way, but rather political in the sense of advancing an admirable agenda by capitalizing on one’s notoriety. Peruse Bono’s Wikipedia entry and you will see his pictures taken with the President of Brazil, President George W. Bush, and appearing at 2008’s World Economic Forum in Davos. It is safe to say that Bono was the only one in attendance wearing colored sunglasses.
Some might find Bono pretentious, others heroic. Whoever you may be, when “Sunday Bloody Sunday” gets played on the radio, we all turn it up. Regardless of whether you want to see U2 for the lyrics or for the music, U2 at the Rose Bowl on Sunday, October 25 is going to be an event to be remembered. Get premium seats while they last by contacting Golden Circle Tickets today.
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Wait, what’s so weird about having your daughter strip in your music video?
We all remember the wildly popular music videos from the early 1990’s for the trio of Aerosmith power ballads – “Crazy”, “Cryin'”, and “Amazing” – that put Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler, daughter of lead singer Steven Tyler, on the map. Sure, featuring your daughter in that state of undress might not seem conventional, but nothing about Aerosmith’s career could be considered conventional.
The Bad Boys from Boston have have booked two shows in Los Angeles this summer along with ZZ Top, their pals from Texas with the beards (except of course, Frank Beard, the only one without a beard). Aerosmith at the Staples Center in Los Angeles has sold out for Friday, August 21 before they head down to Orange County to play the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine on Sunday, August 23. While demand for Aerosmith tickets are high, our friends at Golden Circle Tickets assure us that they can still provide you with the best seats in the house.
It has taken a long time for Aerosmith to reach this level of notoriety. The band members originally met in the late ’60s, where they lived together in an apartment on Commonwealth Avenue. Long before “Dream On” became a radio staple, the band would spend their afternoons watching “The Three Stooges” stoned. Soon enough, the band refined their blues-rock sound and found fame locally. It was then that they were signed to their first record deal and their self-titled debut album marked the beginning of this enduring American band.
Not ones to ever be pigeon-holed into one style of music, Aerosmith freely moved from blues and rock ‘n roll to morphing rap music with hard rock for the first time. Their collaboration with Run DMC on “Walk This Way” in 1986 broke barriers in the music industry and brought Aerosmith to an all-new level of popularity. The MTV music video staple introduced the band to a brand new audience: some black, some white, but all young.
Drugs fueled the band from its inception through its peak until it destroyed the band. Dissension among band members led to fights. Drugs led to sloppy performances and Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry were known to pass out on stage at times. The band broke up until all members agreed to find sobriety through drug rehab. Fortunately for us, they were able to clean up and launch the third act of their now-storied career.
Although the band’s albums have been some of the highest selling of all-time, they only experienced a #1 single one time with the release of “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”, which was featured in the 1998 blockbuster, “Armageddon”. Coincidentally, their only number one single was written by Diane Warren, not Aerosmith.
Cut to today. Just when you thought Aerosmith could not branch out any further, they teamed up with Guitar Hero to bring their music to a new generation of kids through video games. The latest Aerosmith tour, co-headlined by ZZ Top, is sponsored by Guitar Hero and you are guaranteed to see a wide cross-section of fans. Be the coolest parents on your block and bring your kids. They will be blown away that you have even heard of this band. Little do they know that you have been following the band for thirty years!
Aerosmith will be joined by ZZ Top as they play the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday, August 21 and then in Irvine at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Sunday, August 23. Only Golden Circle Tickets can get you the best seats – the ones unavailable everywhere else!
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Can a band rock louder than AC/DC?
Can a band rock louder than AC/DC? Not likely.
This summer, you will not see a more entertaining concert than the show put on by AC/DC. My sincerest apologies to Spinal Tap, but no band rocks louder than the Thunder from Down Under, brothers Angus and Malcolm Young.
Touring worldwide for the first time since 2001’s “Stiff Upper Lip”, you now have your chance to see the AC/DC tour as it stops at the Honda Center of Anaheim on Tuesday, September 8. You never know when AC/DC will decide to load up the tour buses again, so you better call Golden Circle Tickets today to get you the best seats available.
Walls upon walls of amplifiers? Check. Fireworks? Check. Gigantic bronze statue of schoolboy guitarist Angus Young equipped with even MORE fireworks? Checkmate.
What AC/DC has done is truly remarkable. No other band could dream of losing its frontman to an early death only to come back bigger and more popular than ever. After experiencing worldwide success with its 1979 album, “Highway to Hell”, the band suffered through the far too soon death of lead singer Bon Scott by alcohol poisoning. The band considered disbanding before coming to the realization that Scott would have wanted the band to continue without him.
Joining forces with new lead singer Brian Johnson, the band created its most memorable and commercially successful album, “Back in Black”, featuring the seminal hit, “You Shook Me All Night Long”. Since 1991, only the Beatles have sold more albums worldwide. AC/DC has outperformed both the Who and the Rolling Stones. At 71 million albums in the U.S. alone, they are certified the fifth-best selling band in America – outperforming Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson.
This summer, you can’t afford to miss Angus, the schoolboy outfit complete with short shorts, the memorable riffs, the explosions, and yes, the VOLUME. Find the best available tickets to see AC/DC at the Honda Center on Tuesday, September 8 at Golden Circle Tickets.
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Is 37 too old to be “punk”?
We’ll all find out on Tuesday, August 25 when the latest Green Day tour returns to the Southland for a performance at the Forum in Inglewood. The tour is proving to be a success as shows at each stop are selling out nightly. Only Golden Circle Tickets can get you access to the premium Green Day tickets. You can be as close as you want to be!
The Offspring. Rancid. Social Distortion. When you consider the punk bands that came out of California in the 1990’s to redefine the genre, perhaps none were more successful than Billie Joe Armstrong and the boys from Green Day.
“Dookie” – its major label debut – sold over 15 million copies worldwide. While their follow-up albums “Insomniac”, “Nimrod”, and “Warning” did not live up to this level of smashing success, they were still going platinum and selling out arenas nationwide.
Even punks with black eyeliner know how to tap into their softer side, as Green Day proved with their acoustic ballad, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”, which was famously featured in the retrospective leading up to the series finale of “Seinfeld”.
Green Day flew under the radar for much of the early 2000’s before returning to the big stage with their punk rock opera, “American Idiot”, featuring the massively popular hit of the same name. The album – following the journey of their fictitious character, Jesus of Suburbia – debuted at #1 on the the Billboard charts, previously uncharted territory for the band.
Now, the trio is getting older, but still proving they can be as loud and provacative as ever. “American Idiot” was a clear and derisive attack of George W. Bush’s administration and Green Day did themselves no favors by filming their live DVD, “Bullet in a Bible”, overseas in front of European crowds. Brandon Flowers of The Killers labeled it “calculated anti-Americanism”.
So is it possible for a trio of 37 year old millionaires to still be punks? Wasn’t punk formed to rip corporate sponsorship and put corporate America in its place? Perhaps so, but if the reviews of its latest offering, “21st Century Breakdown”, are any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. The album has been positively received by fans and critics alike and the first Green Day tour in three years is quickly becoming one of the most successful tours of the year.
Make your own decision. Plan on hearing tracks from all of these classic albums and more when you see Green Day at the Forum on Tuesday, August 25. Green Day tickets are quickly selling out and only Golden Circle Tickets can get you up close and personal.
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Love her or hate her, Britney Spears knows one thing.
Love her or hate her, Britney Spears knows one thing: how to sell out a show.
Proving that one does not need to write her own music or sing her own songs to be considered a musician, Britney (née Federline) has made a career out of controversy.
Now, the former Mouseketeer is back and bringing The Circus Starring Britney Spears to the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 23 and only Golden Circle Tickets can put you right in the middle of it all.
Could there be a more appropriate name for a Britney Spears tour than The Circus? When she attacks the SUV of a paparazzo with an umbrella, the umbrella becomes a collector’s item. Own a struggling hair salon? Boost business: invite Britney to shave her head bald in your salon and behold as a line forms out the door full of teeny-boppers and hangers-on just trying to get closer.
Let’s be honest. Half the crowd is calling Golden Circle Tickets to get them up close and personal at the Staples Center so they can relive their formative years listening to “Baby One More Time” and “Oops! I Did It Again”. The other half is crossing their fingers, hoping for a train wreck. Will Britney forget the lyrics? Will she wish us a Merry Christmas in September as she did for one lucky Washington, DC crowd… in March?
What’s my reason for calling Golden Circle Tickets to get me as close as I can get to Britney on Wednesday, September 23? Well, after marrying her childhood friend, her backup dancer, dating her agent and one of the paparazzo outside her house, I think I have a legitimate shot if I could just get closer.
Whatever your reason, your best bet to get yourself closer is to contact Golden Circle Tickets today!
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Brett Golbert is a self-proclaimed media expert based out of Los Angeles.
Is UFC good or bad for Martial Arts?
UFC is the best thing and the worst thing to happen to Martial Arts. It has brought up the sport in the consciousness to millions and brought many new kids out to joining karate studios around the country, but it has also tainted the art with a certain street sentiment that it did not have before. Traditional martial arts stood for something different then what it’s being morphed into today with UFC and “MMA”. The tradition of honor, integrity & valor have been watered down to gladiatorial spectacle reminiscent of the Roman era. The organization does not hide this fact as it opens most of it’s show’s with a Roman gladiator entering the coliseum or the octagon as it’s now called. You be the judge, is UFC and MMA good for the martial arts or not?
Check Our Blog For “Ticket Blowout Alerts”
Yes it’s true at Golden Circle Tickets we sell tickets at a premium or market value but that is because sitting in the front row generally costs more then face value, the reason? We’ll the demand for front row seats is higher then the demand for seats in the back of the venue. If everyone got to sit in the front row for the same price, that would make for a hell of a long row in that venue. But market value works both ways. There are times when our ticket inventory surpasses the demand for that event and that’s when you see your famous Golden Circle Ticket Blow Out Alerts sent to your in box. In case you have not heard, Ticket Blowout Alerts are alerts sent to our clients notifying them of ticket we have drastically reduced in price in order to move heavy inventory.
Now to help you get use to visiting our new Blog we will post “Advanced” Ticket Blow Out Alerts, which basically give you a head start on grabbing the good discounted seats before the are shot out to everyone in our email list.
We will also keep a list of events (see below) that the ticket price has dropped on so you can see what shows are good buys for the upcoming weekend. So weather it’s front row tickets at the best possible price or tickets reduced in price, Golden Circle Tickets is your number once source for the best tickets at the best prices in the secondary ticket market.
Current Events With Price Reductions (Check Back Daily As We Update This Section Periodically)
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