2015 NFL OFF SEASON NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

[eagle eye]

The NFL has taken deflate-gate to a whole different level. They have levied a 4 game suspension to Tom Brady and taken away the Patriots 1st round draft pick in 2016 and a 4th round pick in 2017 AND fined the Patriots one MILLION dollars (doing my best Dr Evil voice here). This is certainly going to put a strain on the friendship of Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Craft. What a joke. This is such a trivial matter that got blown way out of proportion by the lynch mob media. Of course Brady and the Patriots are going to appeal this travesty. I'm not a big fan of Brady or the Pats but this is the epitomy of ridiculous.

 

Jacksonville just can't get a break. Their first round pick, DE Dante Fowler, will miss the 2015 season due to a torn ACL he suffered in the first rookie mini camp practice on Friday.

 

Want to see what the players around the NFL, both past and present, just go to NFL.com and read the reactions from around the NFL. I think most agree that the NFL came down waaaaaaaayyyyyyy too hard on Tommy B and Co.

[eagle eye]

Okay, I am officially sick and tired of the deflate-gate crap. Waaaaaaay tired.

 

After only one season in the NFL Odell Beckham Jr has earned the cover of the new Madden football video game. Usually, the kiss of death to the player who makes the cover we send our condolences to Beckham in advance.

 

I know I shouldn't but again we see ESPN playing the part of the loud mouthed guy who gets everyone drunk and fires everyone up until a lynch mob has been formed and big loud-mouthed ESPN is leading the mob to the jail to string up Tom Brady for jay walkin. That dirty scoundrel needs to be strung up--tonight! I thought it was interesting that a guy who I generally think is full of crap, Joe Theisman, say he didn't think Brady did anything wrong and he believes Brady when he says he is innocent. Good for you Joe but I know if Brady was a Cowboy you would want to lynch Brady, you'd want to crucify him, or burn him at the stake. Some rivalries just never die.

 

Football players aren't smart? Then explain to me how Aaron Rodgers won the Celebrity Jeopardy tournament? Alex Trebek even gave the "discount double check" move when he won!

[eagle eye]

Blah blah blah Tom Brady blah blah blah deflate-gate blah blah blah Wells Report blah blah blah Patriots response blah blah blah Brady officially files an appeal of his suspension blah blah blah. AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!! Somebody shut off the sports talk on the radio and pass me some Advil.

 

Please, talk Rockets-Clippers! Or Heat eliminating the Bulls. These stories are interesting. Talk about the Astros Preston Tucker going 3-4 with RBI's and runs scored. Talk about his first MLB multi-hit game. Talk about the Astros coming back from a 4-2 deficit in the 7th inning to beat Toronto. Talk about Hockey or soccer or football news NOT about deflate-gate. God help save us from these douche bags who won't stop beating dead horses. The horses are dead and you killed them in the first place. Report stuff and move on. I don't know about the rest of you but I could not care LESS about all this nonsense surrounding Brady, the Patriots and the ridiculous sanctions the NFL slammed the Patriots and Brady with. I looked on the Bleacher Report and ProFootballTalk and there wasn't anything worth talking about in the NFL. OTAs will start soon so there will be that and NFL.com is counting down their top 100 players of 2015 which is about as interesting as watching grass grow. I suppose it's no wonder deflate-gate is getting so much air time but this issue is so frigging trivial and the punishment is so penal this has become a Saturday Night Live skit in waiting. Even though the current cast of SNL is pretty lame I'll bet they could do a parody of this that is both biting and funny.

[eagle eye]

For fans old enough to remember him, Garo Yepremian who was the kicker for the Miami Dolphins when they won back to back Super Bowls including the never since broken record for being unbeaten and untied in the 1972 season all the way through the Super Bowl died on Friday. Yepremian, who was from Armenia, was a good NFL kicker but he's probably best known for the flub he made that led to a Washington Redskins TD in Super Bowl VII. Here's the article about Yepremian's passing as well as the infamous SB blooper video.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000492987/article/former-miami-dolphins-kicker-garo-yepremian-dies-at-70

 

I guess it's a slow time or maybe it's just time to think college football but here are NFL.com's top 15 in '15 Heisman Trophy candidates.

 

http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000492982/15-for-15-top-heisman-trophy-candidates-for-2015

Edited May 18, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

OMG is Bob Kraft a gutless bitch or what? There's no way the team, the New England Patriots franchise, should have been included in any sanctions of the so called deflate-gate. No way. I thought Bob Kraft was justified in appealing the punitive sanctions levied by the NFL. I'm not worried about the $1MM fine. To guys like Kraft that is chump change. However, draft picks are the lifeblood of building a franchise and to lose picks, particularly a 1st round pick, is a stab in the gut. Especially if you don't deserve it. It may not kill you but it hurts. The way he rolled over and played dead is a disgrace. This whole mess is a disgrace when you consider that less than a pound of air pressure in a football is the cause of all this discussion about the integrity of the game. Please excuse me, I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

 

The NFL owners, besides making Bob Kraft an offer he couldn't refuse (see Godfather reference), they did decide to change the rule on extra points. So, this coming season the extra point kick will be spotted at the 15 instead of the 2 making an extra point kick 32 yards instead of 10. The biggest change really is if a kick is blocked or a fumble occurs and recovered by the defense or a two point pass is intercepted the ball can be returned by the defense for a 2 point play if the cross their own goal line. That's cool and resembles college ball.

 

Atlanta and New Orleans are the finalists along with Miami and Tampa to host the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowl.

 

It's being reported that San Diego and Oakland owners have purchased land in LA but the Oakland owner is saying he's doing all he can to remain in Oakland. Looks like both franchises are trolling for a new stadium. It wouldn't be out of the question for the Chargers and Raiders to share a stadium in LA. After all the Jets and Giants share one in New Jersey. The difference is the Jets and Giants aren't division rivals. Heck, they're not even in the same conference.

 

I still can't believe Bob Kraft won't protest losing draft picks for something everyone agrees they (the owner, GM, coach etc) just gave in. I don't care that Kraft still thinks the Wells Report is BS, the sanctions prohibitively severe, and the NFL is being too hard on them he knuckled under. I think that Kraft may have done that to lube up Roger Goodell so he rules to reduce Tom Brady's suspension. Why else would he do that. The question of why the Patriots suspended the ball boy and equipment man involved if they weren't guilty when Adam Schefter reported the Pat did it on the request of the League Office. Brady is not guilty and 4 games is way too harsh anyway---for less than a pound of air.

[eagle eye]

Didn't Adrian Peterson change his tune when head coach of the Vikings made it clear AP needs to get his arse into the OTA workouts? After saying he wanted out of Minnesota for the past 3 months Mike Zimmer lays down the law and the whole story changes to the point where AP is saying he WANTS to stay in Minnesota. I guess $44MM over the next 3 years is too much money to play stupid games with. It's obvious AP isn't going to go the Barry Sanders route and retire because he's tired of the team's lack of direction. The Vikings have dramatically improved their team over the past two years and if Teddy Bridgewater develops like most people believe he will and the addition of WR Mike Wallace in the off season to go along with a good draft the Vikings could challenge the Packers and Lions in the NFC Norris Division.

 

Tom Brady's appeal of his 4 game suspension is scheduled for June 23rd which is after OTA's are over and nothing is going on until training camp. In the mean time the Patriots are splitting 1st team reps between Brady and 2nd year QB Jimmy Garappolo.

 

The Jets rework WR Brandon Marshall's contract in a deal that actually gives Marshall a bit of a raise in salary. So far out of Jet-land there has not been the same turmoil there has been over the past few years. The Jets may only be missing a QB since their choices seem to be Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty or Jake Heaps (who?). Long term you'd certainly think Petty would have a legit shot at winning the QB spot. Short term, I'm thinking Fitzpatrick is the likely answer. Geno Smith has really shown nothing to date that make you think he's the answer for the Jets at QB. I don't even know who the hell this Heaps kid is. A warm body for OTA's maybe.

 

New Eagles LB Kiko Alonzo is a full participant in OTA's so far. Alonzo tore his ACL last summer and missed all of the 2014 season. Like the Cowboys Sean Lee he's had a full year to rehab and should be ready to go full boar. The Eagles traded to get Alonzo this spring in one of many moves made by head coach and new GM Chip Kelly. Alonzo was a first round pick by the Bills in 2013 and he had a good rookie season and was expecting to be a major contributor in the Bills defense until the trade was made.

 

Former Packers, Dolphins and Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman has accepted a high school coaching job at Nauset Regional High School in North Eastham, Massachusetts. After 33 years of coaching in college and the NFL Sherman didn't want to relocate his family again so he accepted the head coaching job at Nauset. He first came to be familiar with Nauset when he was looking for a place to hold a football camp. He likes the area and he decided after a lot of thought to take the job.

[eagle eye]

The 49ers off season from hell continued with the retirement of T Anthony Davis. Between unexpected retirements and free agent defections the 49ers have been gutted of much of the talent that took the team to 2 consecutive NFC Championships and a Super Bowl. Most of the hit the Niners have taken has been on the defensive side of the ball but 3/5 of the offensive line is gone with Davis' retirement. Details of the deal including the woes the Niners have endured this off season is in the NFL.com article linked below.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000495845/article/rough-offseason-continues-for-san-francisco-49ers

 

Sleeper pick in the NFC in 2015 has got to be the Minnesota Vikings. Not only that but there are some relevant candidates for fantasy rosters this fall too. Let's look at the list of probable fantasy options:

QB Teddy Bridgewater, WR's Corderelle Patterson, Mike Wallace and Jarius Wright, RB Adrian Peterson (he could have another 2000 yard season), TE Brandon Bostick or Kyle Rudolph depending on who can stay healthy. There are options that should come to light as the summer progresses and with the team in the 2nd year in Norv Turner's offense the Vikings will surprise many this coming season. Also, don't underestimate the leadership of head coach Mike Zimmer. You could see that the hard line he took in regard to Adrian Peterson's holdout and the subsequent way AP cow-towed to Zimmer's ultimatum to get into OTA's shows Zimmer is a strong leader for that team.

 

Funny, ironic story of the week. Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis was injured playing in a team sponsored kick ball game. Sturgis injured his quad on his plant leg. Sturgis will miss the rest of the OTA's but he should be back in time for training camp. The injury doesn't really bode well for him since he struggled last season as he has logged a 77.5 field goal percent for his career. It is most assuredly that Miami will be looking for a more accurate kicker even if Sturgis comes back to training camp.

 

I wonder how much better the Rams will be with Nick Foles at QB? One thing for sure Rams WR Kenny Britt and TE Jared Cook love the guy according to NFL.com. You have to take into consideration that teams play against essentially air during OTA's but one thing Foles was noted for was his accuracy. In 2013 Foles went the entire season without an interception. With the Rams drafting highly touted RB Todd Gurley in the first round, and know how much Jeff Fisher likes to run the ball, if Gurley his healthy he will impact the Rams a lot which will do nothing but take pressure of Foles and the passing game. Of the nine draft picks the Rams had this year 4 of those picks were offensive linemen. It's quite possible, with their defense, you won't be able to pencil in the Seahawks as the division winner with absolute certainty. Even if Gurley isn't able to be back on the field because he is still rehabbing his torn ACL the Rams still have Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham and Isiah Pead to fall back on. Mason was really coming into his own the second half of last season.

 

Cam Newton hit the lottery last week when he landed a 100 million plus contract. The Panthers and Newton agreed to a 5 year extension worth $103.8MM. Not bad for a guy who really hasn't done squat in his career. He has a world of talent but it really hasn't translated to the field as yet. However, he's got a ton of talent and if the talent around him plays up to their potential he may finally be able to put his skills on display when it actually counts for something.

[eagle eye]

The Patriots released LB Brandon Spikes after his car was found in the center median of a Boston area highway. All evidence points to an accident with another car but it can't be confirmed. There is obviously some issues here including the possibility that Spikes had an accident and left the scene and abandoned his car. Either way the Patriots felt like Spikes was guilty of something shady and they cut him loose.

 

The Cowboys Tony Romo had planned a huge fantasy football event in Las Vegas this summer. A slew of NFL players were signed on to come to the convention and meet with FF enthusiasts and it sounded like a really nice event. The event was to be held at the Venetian Hotel and Resort. That was the catch, it was held at a casino. It wasn't in the casino mind you, you know these huge hotels in Vegas have conventions there all the time and you don't have to go near the actual casino area. According to the NFL powers that be, in all of their paranoid wisdom, forced Romo to cancel the event because the event was at a casino/hotel. The proximity to the gambling areas was enough to make the NFL office feel that it compromised the integrity of the sport and thus they told Romo it was a no-go in Vegas. It's a shame because this was to be the inaugural convention that is intended to be an annual event. The convention was to be held on July 10-12 for a 3 day fantasy football extravaganza. Linked below is the announcement on March 25 of this year about the convention.

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tony-romo-announces-the-2015-national-fantasy-football-convention-300055532.html

 

If you read the article and you play fantasy football it looked like it would be a blast to go to. Access to NFL players, interactive shows and events, 3 days of a FF nerd's dream. This move is senseless and shows how paranoid the NFL really is. If they didn't have the domestic violence issue and drug suspension and the slew of other things that gave the NFL negative publicity over the last year and a half the NFL may have seen the convention as the harmless event it is and what a feel good story it could have been for the NFL. At any rate here is a link to the item from the Romo convention website GoNFFC.com announcing the cancellation of this year's event and announcing the inaugural Fanstasy Football Convention in Los Angeles in 2016. The open letter to fans shows a lot of class and appreciation for the fans. It also sort of gets a dig in on the NFL who caused the cancellation of this summer's event.

 

 

 

https://gonffc.com/

[eagle eye]

The deal about the NFL influencing the cancellation of the Fantasy Football Convention that had been scheduled at least before the March 25, 2015 press release announcing the event. Tony Romo was on Colin Cowherd's show this morning and in the conversation the NFL never contacted Romo or the event planners to say they were against the convention being held in a casino area. It was more insidious than that. The NFL began contacting the NFL players they knew were involved with the convention and inferred that if they participated there would be consequences. Thus derailing all the plans for fan interaction with players. Romo said nobody from the NFL called him or his people at all. Turns out the convention area had no gambling in the area so the argument that the NFL didn't want it's players in an area where gambling was taking place. Unless they meant Vegas as a whole then they were totally off base. This coming a month from the event and totally out of the blue shows just how chicken hearted the NFL is. On the Cowherd show Colin asserted and Romo admitted that the NFL's motives for this sabotage of this event was motivated by money and the fact that the NFL wasn't going to make a dime off the convention even though Romo said if they had contacted him they would have been glad to do whatever to include the NFL in the deal. It didn't happen that way and the NFL cost the hotel a ton of money and cost the convention planner a bunch of money and also slammed their credibility in the face not to mention the embarrassment of having the rug pulled out from under them in the way it was. I'm beginning to feel the same animosity toward Roger Goodell and his regime for being a bunch of dumbass clowns.

[eagle eye]

Deflate-gate just won't go away and until the rule on Tom Brady's appeal it won't. There was an article in the New York Times that disputes the Wells Report.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/opinion/deflating-deflategate.html?_r=0

 

Joe Montana came out on NFL.com and said that deflate-gate is no big deal.

 

All this and the appeal by Tom Brady is not scheduled until later this month. If that doesn't go Brady's way I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't take it to court because I believe this is a non-issue with a lot of holes in the Wells report that made too many assumptions with too few facts for my money to crucify the Patriots the way they have been.

 

One last deflate-gate item. On Celebrity Family Feud recently the Gronkowski family was one of the celebrity families involved in a show. Rob Gronkowski was the head his family in the show meaning he answered the first question. Unfortunately, the producers thought it was funny to ask the question, "Name something you can deflate or inflate." Gronkowski just backed off and said... just take a look at the video link below.

 

http://nesn.com/2015/06/rob-gronkowski-has-best-response-to-family-feud-deflategate-question-video/

[eagle eye]

At last some meaty news from around the NFL.

 

> The Vikings release safety Taylor Mays. Mays was a highly touted player taken in the 2nd round of the draft by San Francisco who cut ties with him in a draft day trade with the Bengals in 2013. The Vikings signed him just 3 months ago and they have decided to cut ties with him. Mays was one of the top safeties coming out of college in 2010 but his career hasn't panned out all that well. When the Vikings signed Mays it seemed like a perfect fit because Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was the DC in Cincinnati at the time Mays was there. You might remember that Mays played for Pete Carroll at USC and the thinking was Carroll, who had become coach of the Seahawks would draft his old player. Carroll opted instead for Earl Thomas hurting Mays feelings at the time. But, as time has since proved Carroll made the right choice. Mays will likely have a job going into training camp but it won't be a player friendly deal for sure.

 

Michael Sam, the first openly gay pro football player who signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL has been put on their suspended list for leaving the team last Friday. Team officials said they weren't clear on why Sam left but he told them he had to go and he left. It is felt that Sam had some personal issues to take care of but they weren't sure if he would return to the team. Bizarre twist to the Michael Sam story.

 

Chip Kelly, in an interview yesterday, said the reason they released the Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis was because his camp asked for the release. Mathis wanted to be paid more but the Eagles (sic Chip Kelly) were going to pay a 33 OL more money. Hence the request to be released. Mathis is obviously betting that there is a team with O-line holes to fill will be happy to pay him handsomely for his services.

 

Fantasy football item of note, the Broncos will have RB CJ Anderson at the top of their depth chart when training camp begins late next month. With Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman right behind Anderson in the depth chart Anderson can't afford any missteps. Hillman was doing extremely well until an injury ended his season. Anderson stepped up and outshined Ball and was the team's leading rusher in 2014. There's a new sheriff in town though and new head coach Gary Kubiak will have the final say who will start in Week 1. Worth keeping an eye on here because of the Broncos high powered attack it really matters to get the right guy on your fantasy roster.

 

Word out of St Louis is that the Rams want to sign new QB Nick Foles to a long term deal before the season begins in September. Foles is in the last year of his deal that he signed in Philadelphia and that the Rams are now responsible for after a trade with Philly in the off season landed Foles in St Louis. The Rams don't want Foles to play out his contract and become a free agent in 2016 so they want to wrap him up long term. Seems like Foles is definitely a person of interest to the Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher.

 

The Tennessee Titans have released RB Shonn Greene after 2 seasons in Nashville. This isn't a shock considering the past two seasons have been bad for Greene who went from a 1,000 yard rusher for the Jets to a guy who averaged 342 yards on 85 carries per season in Tennessee. He was way down on the depth chart behind Bishop Sankey, Dexter McCluster and rookie David Cobb, who the team is quite high on, for Greene to expect to have a job anyway. Remember David Cobb the 5th round pick out of Minnesota in this year's draft when your fantasy draft comes around.

 

The Indianapolis Colts went bat-crap crazy in free agency seemingly signing anybody and everybody in sight. One such signee was LB Trent Cole who was shown the door in Philly in one of the many head scratching moves by Chip Kelly this off season. Cole, for his part, said that he feels "rejuvenated" to be in Indianapolis. He said it was great to be a part of an organization who wants him and wants him to be a big part of the team. He was cut in Philly because he was seen as a player on the downside of his career. Cole disagrees with that assessment and he intends to repay the Colts faith in him with great play this fall.

[eagle eye]

This is finally the week the Tom Brady 4 game suspension for deflate-gate is scheduled to take place. The clods at NFL.com are discussing how all this will effect Tom Brady's legacy. Please, (excuse me, I just threw up a little in my mouth) Tom Brady has led the Patriots to 6 Super Bowls in his 16 years in the NFL. This is by far the most of any QB in the Super Bowl era winning 4 of them. When the discussion comes up who is the better QB, Brady or Petyon Manning, if you go strictly by championships it's Brady hands down. Manning is 1-2 in SB appearances while Brady is 4-2. The hell of it is, if not for two lucky plays by the Giants in the 2 losing SB's Brady is 6-0 and you've got a sure enough dynasty by the Patriots over a span of 15 years. This BS crap is a load of just that, crap. Joe Montana said deflate-gate is nothing. This whole thing seems like a Colts conspiracy to mess with the Patriots because they can't beat them on the field. There was a study published in the New York Times refuting the Wells Report and this whole thing is simply a mountain being made over a little piss-ant mole hill. For what? Nothing. Brady's legacy is secure and he will go down at the greatest QB in NFL history, or at least in the Super Bowl era. The only thing I can't believe is how Pats owner Robert Craft rolled over and played dead for Roger Goodell. Rich people don't do that, at least not often and it's inexplicable to me why when Craft's lawyers could have torn the NFL a new one if it got to court. All I can figure is Craft took one for the team (the NFL in general) because the NFL has had too many black eyes in the last year and a half. Roger Goodell obviously went all Mr Spock on Craft saying, "The needs of the many out weight the needs of the few, or the one." and Craft bought it. As for Brady, I think if the suspension isn't reduced or eliminated Brady will take the issue to court and he will win too. The NFL has put all it's eggs into the Wells Report basket which had no proof of any wrongdoing, just supposition. In court that just won't fly. I'm no Patriots fan but I'm rooting for Brady here because I think this such a trivial non-issue that has gotten way more press than it deserved.

 

Speaking of suspensions, when is the NFL going to rule on the Greg Hardy 10 game suspension? The appeal hearing was a freaking month ago! Almost anyway. What is the hold up? Hardy's suspension is way too severe for what happened in court. This is a situation where the NFL is still trying to make up for the debacle they made of the Ray Rice affair. Is the NFL trying to delay the ruling to make Hardy go into the season with a court case to settle it. A case that could last longer than the suspension? Seems like some sort of a ploy here by the NFL doesn't it?

[eagle eye]

The Tom Brady suspension appeal hearing ended yesterday evening after 10 hours of testimony by the parties involved. No details of the appeal hearing have been forthcoming but apparently it was an intense day. It's speculated that the final verdict by Roger Goodell won't be until the end of July which makes sense since the Greg Hardy appeal has yet to be ruled on and that was almost a month ago. It could also be that the league want to make Brady wait and force him to decide whether he wants to accept the ruling or, if it doesn't go his way (meaning eliminated) take the NFL to court over the matter which could result in his missing game/s anyway. Word is Brady doesn't feel he did anything wrong and will seek to have any punishment levied removed and he's been adamant about his innocence. During this hearing Pats owner Robert Craft continues his Mr Chickensh*t impression. He hasn't been available and is actually out of the country right now but he did send a letter of reference of Brady's character to be read into the appeal. Since Craft rolled over and played dead for his buddy Goodell I have lost all respect for the man and sending a note to support Brady is like saying Brady isn't worth an actual appearance to show his support for his 4 time Super Bowl Champion QB. Craft, to me, is a giant putz.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000498450/article/tom-brady-appeal-of-suspension-underway-in-new-york

 

From a football standpoint all this yin and yang of the Brady thing I have to tell you fantasy football players out there that it may not be a bad idea to pick up Jimmy Garoppolo as a handcuff to Brady. He may have to be a 3rd spot on your fantasy roster because he may not be worth being your actual 2nd stringer. That is the price of picking TB this season.

[eagle eye]

The NFL has reinforced the notion that there will be a team, or teams, will be relocating to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. I still don't know why other than LA is a huge media market but the support for NFL teams in LA hasn't been all that great in the past. The NFL is determined to get a team there and they have signaled that determination by putting out feelers to secure a temporary site for a team, or teams. Of course the old reliables have been contacted like the LA Coliseum and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena but they have started thinking out of the box as well contacting reps for Dodger Stadium, Angels Stadium in Anaheim and the Stub-Hub Center in Carson California. Here's the link from NFL.com with an in depth look at this news.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000498995/article/dodger-stadium-angel-stadium-among-la-venue-options

 

I really don't think much of the annual NFL.com Top 100 Players list. To me it isn't anything more than filler for the off season. This past week Brees was named number 30 on the list which is a big drop from previous years but, for once the list got it right, he probably deserved to drop. Brees got interviewed this week since his name got in the news as a result of the list and he said he truly believes he and Saints can win another Super Bowl. Not exactly earth shattering info but it should give Saints fans some positive vibe after the Saints pretty much sucked last season in a division that sucked. It was the first time in years that a division champ had a sub .500 record. It wasn't like New Orleans didn't have their chances to win the division last year but like Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay none seemed to really want to win it. Carolina was the last team standing but they were quickly dispatched in the playoffs. The Saints had a nice draft last year and this year and they should be better overall but they did deal their all world TE Jimmy Graham to Seattle. We'll see how well the Saints offense clicks without him.

 

Guess what? It's getting close to football season once again and one more thing, it's getting close to fantasy drafts! This is good news and it doesn't hurt to get an early start on things and with that in mind here's a link to an article from NFL.com that gives their opening fantasy mock draft, four rounds worth and it's a pretty interesting draft for sure. It's based on a 10-team league and it may raise an eyebrow or two. The mock is from NFL.com's senior fantasy analyst Michael Fabiano so while we sit twiddling out thumbs waiting for football season enjoy this little tidbit.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000498995/article/dodger-stadium-angel-stadium-among-la-venue-options

[eagle eye]

There is an article in the Bleacher Report about marijuana use in the NFL. Former Falcon's RB Jamaal Anderson is sort of a figurehead for marijuana use and he estimates over 60% of all NFL players regularly smoke weed. In the article it was reported only 16 players, who declined to be identified, were surveyed so the survey was not really representative of the total player population of almost 1,700 players. The results of the survey had the players estimate marijuana use anywhere from 10-15% to 75%. Some said they didn't know enough to even guess.

The claim that smoking weed help with concussion symptoms and it has also been documented to be helpful to players in pain management without resorting to narcotic drugs to do the same thing. In the real world weed has been shown to help people suffering from glaucoma and it has eased the after effects of chemo therapy. It's an interesting read if nothing else, just don't put too much stock in the stats.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2486218-banned-but-bountiful-marijuana-coveted-by-nfl-players-as-invaluable-painkiller

 

Did you see where the NY Giants punter Steve Weatherford got hammered for "criticizing" the Eagles QBs? As usual the media made the tease on the article like Weatherford attacked the Eagles QBs saying they were sub par. That could not be further from the truth. This is what Weatherford actually said,

 

During a Friday interview with WFAN in New York, Weatherford compared Sam Bradford to a Ferrari that doesn't always start. He also likened Mark Sanchez to a Cadillac sedan, explaining it's "not the fastest but you know what you're going to get out of it." He added that Tim Tebow is the type of quarterback you want dating your daughter, not leading your team. - from NFL.com

 

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with what the guy said. It's not hurtful or mean and it's actually pretty darn accurate. Eagles center Jason Kelce took a load of exception to the statements Weatherford made and it sort of went viral on twitter with a lot of negative backlash on Weatherford. Some people don't like kickers, especially punters, to be talking because in some circles kickers aren't really considered football players. Oh well, 4 more weeks 'til training camp.

[eagle eye]

The NFL announced suspensions yesterday for a handful of players. One was Cowboys LB Rolando McClain who had his second violation of the NFL substance abuse policy. He failed a test in February and was in line to be fined 4 games pay but he was busted a second time which made him go to the second level of the policy meaning a 4 game suspension.

Datrone Jones, Green Bay Packers defensive end, will be suspended for one game for substance abuse.

Sheldon Richardson will be suspended 4 games for substance abuse.

Finally, and maybe the most damaging of all the suspensions is Antonio Gates. Gates has been recuperating from an injury and it appears that he inadvertently took a banned substance during his rehab. He is going to miss the first 4 games of the season for substance abuse.

NFL.com takes a look at the fallout from these suspensions.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000499914/article/suspension-fallout-assessing-the-damage

[eagle eye]

Is it just me or is anyone else sick and tired of how everyone gushes over Chip Kelly? That Chip Kelly offense this and that Chip Kelly offense that is getting a bit old. All this over a guy who really hasn't done squat of any real significance since coming to the NFL. Now there's a headline that said, "NFC exec says, 'if anyone can make something of Sam Bradford it's Chip.'" Please. Bradford has had some good seasons, or I should say good partial seasons but his health is what has derailed him since he came into the NFL. Bradford lost all or part of the past two seasons because of a torn ACL -- in the same leg. That's been the story on Bradford since he came out of Oklahoma as the No 1 pick in the 2010 draft. He will be starting his sixth season in the NFL and he's yet to fulfill the promise of his rookie season when he set rookie passing records set by Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlesberger. In 2011 he missed most of the season due to a high ankle sprain. 2012 saw Bradford play the whole season setting career highs in passing yards with 21 TDs and only 13 picks. He ended up the season with a very respectable 82.6 passer rating. 2013 came along and after 7 games Bradford was doing excellent passing for over 1,600 yards and a passer rating of 90.9. He threw 14 TDs with only 4 picks. Then against the Carolina Panther he scrambled and ran out of bounds and with no contact he tore his ACL. In preseason last year he tore the same ACL in a game against Cleveland and his season was done before it even started. Kelly swapped Nick Foles for Bradford in the off season and everybody has sort of dogged out Bradford as this loser of a QB. I don't believe so and if anyone other than Riley Cooper has got any talent at all and with a strong running game that features DeMarco Murray and Darren Sproles Bradford could surprise a lot of people. Bradford doesn't need Chip Kelly to make him good he just needs to find a way to stay healthy. Bradford should beat out Marc Sanchez easily to be the starter going into the season. Hell, Tim Tebow could beat out Sanchez as the No 2 QB! You just don't know what sort of this Kelly has in mind Tebow but he's going to get more of a chance than anyone else this side of Josh McDaniels has in the past. Chip Kelly--I'm sick of that guy.

 

There's a reason the 5 weeks or so between the end of mini camp and the start of training camp is the worst time ever for a head coach in the NFL. It's because that's the time players, with so much time on their hands find ways to join the NFL Knuckleheads Club. Cases in point:

> Jason Pierre-Paul injured his hand this past weekend lighting fire works on the 4 of July. The extent of the injury has yet to be determined but it's not considered a threat to him playing this season or even missing training camp. It just caused his head coach Tom Coughlin to lose some hair worrying about his star DE. The fact is JPP was franchised by the Giants this off season and he has yet to sign his franchise tender offer. In theory the Giants could simply cut him because the extent of the hand injury is still in question because there is talk of possible nerve damage to the hand. (Hear that Dez, need to sign your tender offer dammit before something bad happens.)

> Packers TE Andrew Quarless, who had been getting rave reviews by teammates during off season work, got himself arrested in Miami for shoot a gun early Saturday morning. Reports didn't specify that he shot AT anyone, he just shot his pistol near a parking garage where two men and some women were having an argument. The official charge was misdemeanor discharge of a firearm in public. The bad thing was he was caught trying to hid the gun in planter near the site. That part is kind of funny in a ridiculous, ludicrous sort of way. This could result in Quarless being suspended under the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. The Packers have declined to comment on the situation other than to say they are looking into the matter. You can imagine Packers HC Mike McCarthy is thinking, "S-O-A-B".

 

It's pretty funny when Dwayne Bowe says he is going to fill Browns WR Josh Gordon's shoes when he couldn't fill his own shoes in Kansas City. In his whole career Bowe has not been as dynamic as Gordon was in the one season he actually played for Cleveland. Gordon is another guy who got into trouble in this summer hiatus the past two seasons and it has cost him 2 games in 2013 and another 10 games in 2014. He was lucky in 2014 that a loophole allowed him to play the final 6 games although he was not effective at all. He is suspended for the whole 2015 season because he failed an alcohol test on Feb 5 (another hiatus time for NFL players not involved in the Super Bowl.

 

Players say dumb things. Case in point: Elvis Dumervil who plays LB for the Ravens claims if he sets the season sack record of 23 sacks the Ravens will definitely be in the Super Bowl. Now, it's possible Dumervil could set the sack record, he was 3rd in 2014 in sacks with 17 sacks, which was a franchise high for individual sacks in a season, but there are just too many variables to a season to say Baltimore is going to the Super Bowl if he breaks the NFL record. He's serious about chasing the sack record, he has the number "23" taped to his locker as a motivational tool to keep his eye on the prize at the end of the season. Personally, I hope somebody breaks the record because Michael Strahan was handed the record of 22.5 sacks when the Packer's Brett Favre took a fall without really being touched making the record sort of a bogus one at best.

 

RB Sleeper alert! The Raiders starting RB this fall should be 2nd year player Latavius Murray but don't go to sleep on newly acquired RB Trent Richardson. Yeah, I know the guy was total bust in both Cleveland and Indianapolis but his position coach, Mike Tice former Viking head coach, is high on Richardson's conditioning and he says that he's lost weight and gotten his quickness back. Sounds far fetched but you can never say never in this world.

[eagle eye]

There was more than one NFL casualty over the 4th of July weekend. We know about the NY Giants Jason Pierre-Paul's incident. It's the aftermath of the incident that seems to have everyone talking. First, nobody in the Giants organization could get to see JPP after the incident of him trying to light multiple fireworks at one time that resulted in a hand injury that required hospitalization. At first it was considered a serious injury but he was still not talking. Today or yesterday it was found that JPP had some, if not all, of his right index finger amputated. That is really serious and for a person who depends on being able to grapple with 300+ pound men it compromises his ability to do that to some extent. JPP had not signed his franchise tag tender offer as yet because, like Dez Bryant he was trolling for a long term deal with the Giants. Now, that could all go away. If he signed the franchise tender offer, regardless of his physical condition, he would get paid. In this case the Giants could choose to pull the franchise tag altogether he wouldn't get squat for pay and JPP would have to pay his doctor bills all by himself. I hope Dez looks at this situation and comes to his senses and signs his tender offer TODAY!

 

The other casualty was Tampa Bay Bucs CB C J Wilson. He lost two fingers in fireworks related accident. Now, it seems that his prospects of making the Bucs team this year was kind of shaky but now it could be it's down right crap.

 

Sleeper (?) alert! I'm sure this qualifies as a sleeper but of all the things that have gone wrong with the San Francisco 49ers this off season with all the retirements and free agent losses that have seriously compromised what was a playoff caliber team there may be one bright spot. 2nd year RB Carlos Hyde. Hyde didn't get much of a chance to show what he could be for San Fran because of injuries and Frank Gore but he did flash a little something. Certainly enough to give 49ers fans some hope all is not lost with the departure of Gore. Hyde is big (6', 235 lbs) with quickness and one-cut ability. There are other backs who will compete for PT like Reggie Bush and Kendall Hunter to name two but Hyde will get first look as the starter. Bush and Hunter will certainly get 3rd down looks but it could be the Niners go with a two back system. A split T formation on passing downs or Bush or Hunter in the slot. However, considering the losses the Niners suffered via retirements and free agency there may no holes to run through or time for Collin Kaepernick to throw a pass. As a fantasy player it would do well to keep Hyde there on the back burner.

[eagle eye]

One of the true iconic QB's of all time in the NFL was Kenny "The Snake" Stabler who led the Raiders through one the most dominant and successful eras, the 70's in NFL history. At the end of his career he played for the Houston Oilers on a team with Earl Campbell and their last run at a Super Bowl in 1980 only to lose, ironically enough, to the Raiders in the playoffs who ultimately won Super Bowl XV. Stabler died yesterday at age 69 as result of colon cancer. Stabler is not in the Hall of Fame but many believe he deserves to be because of his winning record and other stats that compare favorably with other QBs of his era. In fact, Stabler was a finalist 5 times without making it in. He is the only Super Bowl winning QB (SB XI) in the seventies that is not in the HOF. Roger Staubach (2), Terry Bradshaw (4), Bob Griese (2), Johnny Unitas (1) are the others. It's only fitting Stabler make the HOF but it is a crying shame it will happen after his death.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000500892/article/ken-stablers-glorious-career-worthy-of-pro-football-hall-of-fame

[eagle eye]

Remember when I said coaches hate the time between the end of mini camp and the start of training camp because that's when players tend to get into trouble? Apparently, the players aren't the only ones who get into trouble. Over the weekend Bills O-Line coach Aaron Kromer was arrested for assault and battery at his home in Florida after he allegedly punched a minor who was with a group of 3 minors who were taking chairs off the beach that belonged to Kromer. It's a pretty shocking story and you'll see why when you read the link from NFL.com below.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000501116/article/bills-aaron-kromer-arrested-for-assault-and-battery

 

...and it's not just coaches or players screwing up. Check out this article from the Bleacher Report about Donovan McNabb being suspended by Fox Sports after he was arrested for DUI.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2521482-donovan-mcnabb-suspended-by-fox-sports-indefinitely-following-dui-arrest

 

Good grief! At a legends and celebrity softball game in Cincinnati at the Great American Ballpark where the All Star game will be held tomorrow night Andy Dalton was introduced for his first at-bat of the game and was booed by the fans in attendance. The boos lightened up after Dalton hit 2 home runs in the game but as one tweet said, "Of course he scored--it's not the playoffs!".

 

Ever think maybe the Florida State football program needs to be cleaned up?

Edited July 13, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

The drama of the holdouts who had been tagged with the franchise tag earlier in the year. Today was the last day to sign the tender offer or get a long term deal done. There were four guys on the hot seat until this afternoon. Dez Bryant, DeMaryius Thomas, Stephen Gostkowski and Justin Houston. All four players got the long term deals they were looking for. It's interesting to note that Kansas City OLB Justin Wilson and the Chiefs agreed on a 6 year $101MM contracts which includes $52MM guaranteed got a bigger deal than any of the others. Now, it's reasonable to think a pass rushing demon like Houston would out earn a kicker but two the best WRs in the NFL? Both in the top 5 in most lists? It's true and nobody seems to be squawking.

Bryan and Thomas both got deals for $70MM for 5 years with $45MM guaranteed while Thomas' deal is worth the same $70MM but with $52MM guaranteed. It's important to note that Bryant had signed his deal before Thomas so the Broncos could sweeten the guaranteed money pot a little more.

Gostkowski signed his deal this afternoon as well making him the highest paid kicker in the NFL. His deal is worth $17.2MM.

 

Now all that is left is for training camp to get here without any more knucklehead incidents. Odds are against that happening.

[eagle eye]

Lost in all the hoopla over the franchised players, including Dez Bryant, who were signed last week was the news that one player who was tagged as a franchise player did not get signed. That would be Jason Pierre-Paul he of the blown up finger and broken thumb which he hurt in a fourth of July fireworks accident. JPP had no signed his franchise tender offer at the time of the fireworks incident and, by rights, the Giants could have pulled the franchise tender offer off the table and just left him swinging in the breeze. The Giants didn't do that but they also decided not to work out a long term deal with JPP without knowing the long term consequences of his accident. News also came out that he elected to have his index finger amputated to speed up the recovery process so he would be able to play earlier. Now, I don't know this for sure but the inference is that his finger could have healed given time. If that is the case then how crazy is that. You may miss a little time but you still have your index finger, a pretty darn important finger from my point of view. People said the thought process was similar to the Ronnie Lott deal years ago when Lott had the tip of his pinky amputated after it got crushed during a play on the field. To me, there a huge difference between the tip of your pinky and the whole index finger. Oh well, to each his own.

 

Lamarr Houston was unapologetic last week when asked about the torn ACL he inflicted on himself after recording his first NFL sack in Week 8 of a game against the Patriots. The rookie DE got a sack on the Pats Jimmy Garoppolo Houston jumped up in the air but when he came down he immediately fell to the ground because he must have landed awkwardly and tore the ACL. It wasn't a crazy move and it wasn't anything out of the ordinary he just jumped up to celebrate his first sack. Unfortunately, it cost him the rest of his rookie season. He is chomping at the bit to get back on the field and he's ready to go for training camp.

 

Here's a novel item. Seahawks OT Russell Okung has declared that he will play out his final year of his rookie contract and to into free agency in 2016 without an agent. Okung feels like he doesn't need a representative to tell what his worth is and he doesn't want to pay that agent the percent of his salary for his representation. To each his own, but he may find that the water isn't so clear when negotiations begin.

[eagle eye]

There is a new member of the NFL Knuckleheads Club. Tennessee Titans WR Justin Hunter, the Titans 2nd round pick last season, was arrested for felonious assault in his home town of Virginia Beach over the weekend. Here's the link to the article about the whole mess from NFL.com. Apparently Hunter attacked a man with a bottle or knife inflicting serious, non life threatening, injuries on the man. That is a Class 6 felony in Virginia which, I believe, means Hunter is going to jail instead of training camp.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000502741/article/titans-wr-justin-hunter-arrested-for-alleged-assault

 

An article from NFL.com asks if DeMaryius Thomas can break Calvin Johnson's record 1,924 yards set in 2012 playing in new head coach Gary Kubiak's offense. Maybe he can but we'll see. It took me a while to grasp why John Elway hired Koobs in the first place. It finally dawned on me there is a lot of history between Koobs and Elway. Koobs was Elway's backup QB in the 80's for his entire pro career. In fact Koobs and Elway were both drafted in 1983. Koobs was drafted in the 8th round while Elway was the 1st pick in the draft by the Baltimore Colts before forcing a trade from Baltimore to Denver because Elway would not play for the Colts. The only other time we have a seen a deal like this was when Eli Manning was in the draft and he refused to play for the San Diego Chargers and eventually was dealt to NY. Now, Koobs was coach of the Texans and he actually led the team to their first playoff appearances. Koobs was derailed by poor QB play and was fired after the 2013 season. He spent last season as the OC for the Baltimore Ravens until he was hired by Denver this off season. Can Koobs offense be better than the Peyton Manning offense that was installed when he came to Denver and played for head coach John Fox? Maybe but if it doesn't it won't be because of poor personnel. Koobs is a disciple of Mike Shanahan who was coach when John Elway won his back to back Super Bowls in the 1990's and it's that offense that made a star of Terrell Davis. C J Anderson has to be chomping at the bit because Arian Foster became a star playing in Koobs offense. If Koobs had a QB in Houston worth crap (Matt Schaub had a decent season or two but he choked in the clutch) the Texans may have gone farther in the playoffs than a one and done. One thing for sure, Manning could be the biggest beneficiary of this offense. If Shanahan-Elway could do it there's no reason to think Kubiak-Manning can't make it work too. I would be looking for some big fantasy numbers from this Broncos offense and the good thing is Denver has built a pretty fair defense too. I think it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Denver is in any serious conversation for the Super Bowl again this season. The kicker is getting Thomas signed and happy going into training camp. You just know Peyton has some private practices with his receivers to get a head start on the season. That is just how Peyton rolls.

[eagle eye]

And so it begins. The rookies for the Ravens, Browns and New Orleans Saints reported to training camp today. On Mike and Mike this morning they mentioned it is just 55 days until the 2015 NFL season begins.

 

Adrian Peterson agree to a restructured contract with the Vikings which will save the Vikes a little money but not much. Peterson had 3 years remaining on his deal with the Viking owing him $12.75MM, $14.75MM and $16.75 over the next 3 years. The new deal, worth $44MM will pay AP $13MM in 2015 fully guaranteed, $13MM in 2016 that is only guaranteed if Minnesota pays a $5MM roster bonus on the 3rd day of the league year. His salary balloons to $18MM with $11.75MM base salary and a $6MM roster bonus. There is more guaranteed money than the end of his previous contract making it a better deal for Peterson and Minnesota can opt out of the 3rd year by not paying the roster bonus because the 3rd year is not guaranteed at all which is good for the Vikings. Everybody is happy in the Land of a Thousand Lakes.

 

Marcus Mariota finally signed his rookie contract with Tennessee. He is the last draft pick from this year's class to be signed by their NFL team. The holdup for contract getting done was in the offset language that Tennessee wanted to have in the contract. Offset language means that the Titans can save the salary cap money if Mariota is released and signs with another team before his contract expires because they would no longer have to pay the final year, or years, on his deal. This offset language has been a point of contention with rookie contracts for a few years and it is meant to protect teams from liability if a player doesn't see the end of his rookie contract. This is a good deal for Tennessee who have been giving rave reviews of Mariota in off season work claiming that he has picked up Ken Whisenhunt's offense very quickly. It should be a very interesting camp as Tennessee has a few weapons for Mariota to work with in Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter (if he isn't in jail for a bar fight in Virginia), Delany Walker and rookie Dorial Green-Beckham. This will be Whisenhunt's second season at the helm of the Titans and the team should show some improvement. How much depends on how well the talent on the team begins to mesh.

[eagle eye]

The Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith ranked the 5th best CB in the NFL will miss the first three games of the season because of a DUI he was arrested for way back in April. According to the article linked below it could have only been two games but he hit a street lamp post which earned that third game. NFL Knucklehead Club grows bigger every year and nobody seems to learn from other's past mistakes. People just don't believe bad things can happen to them until it does.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000503417/article/chiefs-sean-smith-facing-threegame-suspension

 

An NFL scout remarked the other day that Packers RB Eddie Lacey is one of the strongest running backs he's every seen. Does that mean he will have a monster season for both the Pack and fantasy footballers? Not necessarily but in 2014 he was the 7th ranked RB in yards gained with 1,139 yds with a 5.1 YPC average. To me, that does mean that Lacey is a first round target in fantasy.