Recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pro football team announced it created "Red", a new program designed to educate women on the game. It was widely criticized in the press as condescending to women, who now make up an estimated 45 percent of the NFL's fan base.
Rather than educate woman on the rules of the game (such as what a play clock is), there are plenty of topics worth teaching the coaches, teams and players in the NFL before the start of the 2015-2016 season.
Here are 10 ideas for "other" continuing education programs:
1. Punching Techniques -- During training camp, NY Jets reserve linebacker Ik Enemkpali sucker punched the starting quarterback Geno Smith. Former head coach Rex Ryan may be in Buffalo (where he has since transported Ik to) but it looks like the circus stayed behind at the Meadowlands.
2. Text Deletion and Cell Phone Destruction -- New England signal caller and four-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady is taking heat for getting rid of his cell phone that may or may not have contained alleged text messages relating to "DeflateGate". Perhaps he should have checked with Hillary Clinton for guidance on how to get rid of electronic messages.
3. Proper Gun Control -- In 2008, former Giants standout wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh when a gun in his pocket discharged. He was charged with criminal possession of a gun and reckless endangerment. Then Mayor (for life) Bloomberg, sought to make an example of his actions; subsequently he was sentenced to two years in jail, of which he served 20 months.
4. Outsourcing of Fireworks -- Earlier in the summer, another New York Giants player found himself in trouble. Defensive end Jason Pierre Paul injured three fingers, and lost his right index finger after setting off fireworks for a 4th of July bash in Miami. This summer, C.J. Wilson, a cornerback for Tampa Bay, also lost fingers when trying to launch his own fireworks.
5. Proper Clock Management -- Andy Reid may be the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs now but long suffering Philadelphia Eagles fans remember the too-numerous-to-count clock management gaffes, turning surefire victories into defeats after failures to call timeouts or run the right play at the end of a half.
6. Celebrations, Part 1 -- Bill Grammatica, a former kicker with the Arizona Cardinals, tore his ACL when celebrating a field goal that put his team up 3-0 against the Giants. Grammatica ended up on the IR for the 2001-2002 season. Defensive player Lamarr Houston of the Chicago Bears seriously injured his knee while rejoicing after a sack during a blowout game, courtesy of the New England Patriots in 2014.
7. Celebrations, Part 2 -- After hauling in a big catch and running towards the end zone, then-Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson let go of the football at the 1-yard-line -- as part of a premature celebration against heated rival Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles scored on the next play but that video continues to live on in infamy. (See also: Leon Lett).
8. Proper Use of Feet -- Ndamukong Suh, the former Detroit Lions tackle with a reputation for dirty play, aggressively kicked Green Bay Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith during a nationally televised game on Thanksgiving in 2012. Audiences wondered if he had picked up a few tricks from seeing the long-running production of STOMP in New York City.
9. Proper Names -- In 2008, Chad Johnson, the former fiery Bengals wide receiver, changed his name to Chad Ochocinco, in honor of his number 88. After many on and off field struggles, he reverted back to Johnson in 2013. While in the XFL, Rod Smart changed his last name on his jersey to 'He Hate Me'. When he joined the Eagles in 2001, he dutifully changed his name back to Smart on his NFL jersey.
10. Scrambling -- In November of 2012, then-New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez botched a play by running into his own lineman during a game against the New England Patriots. The instantly infamous gaffe become known "butt fumble" and later go on to have its own Wikipedia page.
With more attention paid to instructing people on the above topics, less time can be spent explaining to women what that yellow line on the TV is or what the term "offsides'"means. Here's hoping the upcoming highly anticipated NFL season entertains all audiences.