2015 NFL OFF SEASON NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

[eagle eye]

The Tom Brady appeal ruling--well, let's just say after over 1 month since the hearing--we're still waiting on the NFL to rule on it. It's total crap and now, according to Mike and Mike the NFL has come out with new rules regarding how the balls are handled on game day. It is pretty complicated and specific all to prevent underinflated balls being used in games. Mike Greenberg had a question though. Why does the NFL come down so hard on Tom Brady and the Patriots when equipment violations, which is what a football is--equipment, was only a $25K fine. Now, with the Brady and Pats involved it becomes a 4 game suspension for Brady and a $1MM fine and loss of their 1st round draft pick in 2016 for the Patriots. Why? Is this a conspiracy by NFL owners who don't like the Patriots? It sure seems like it. I've said all along this whole mess was much ado about nothing. Personally, and I've said this before, I hope Brady sues the crap out of the NFL and wins. I'm fed up with all the ineptitude of the NFL league office mainly because of the piss-poor leadership of Goodell. To me, the league is not broken but the man in charge is.

 

The Steelers could be the dark horse team of the 2016 season IF their defense plays better. Lev'eon Bell is a shoe in to be a fantasy first rounder but that pesky DUI he got last year is still being debated and he may miss--no he will miss a game or two because of it. Steeler's head coach Mike Tomlin has issued a challenge to DeAngelo Williams to step up to the plate when Bell is out. Looking for a fantasy WR? Look no further than Pitt's Antonio Brown. In 2014 he was number one in targets (182), receptions (129) and yards (1,698). He also was top 5 in receiving TDs (13). Notice all you guys in PPR leagues. You just don't think of Pittsburgh as this offensive juggernaut but since Todd Haley came to Steel Town, after some growing pains with Ben Roethlesberger, has resurrected the Steeler's offense and made them relevant in Fantasy Football circles again. Just thought you might like to know.

 

Okay, this Adrian Peterson so you have to remember this fact so you don't go "Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" Like the guy on the Stub Hub commercial talking to the ticket tree. Peterson has set a goal for himself in 2015 to gain--get this--2,500 yards! It is AP and since he hasn't played a game in two years he ought to have fresh legs.

[eagle eye]

Earlier this year the NFL made history by hiring the first full time female referee named Sarah Thomas. Now, the Arizona Cardinals have made history themselves by hiring the first female coach in the NFL. Jen Welter was hired by Bruce Ariens after receiving a reference from her former boss for the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League where, as a woman on a man's team, played running back and was a coach. The head coach of the Revolution saw an article done with Ariens that said he would be open to a female coach. Besides being a player Welter has a master's degree in sports management and a doctorate in psychology. Seems like everyone who knows her feels she can handle an NFL locker room. Below is a link to ArizonaCardinals.com about the hire.

 

http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and-events/article-2/Cardinals-Add-First-Female-Coach/aa370599-8d8e-4e73-85d3-fc77515bf40a

 

As an aside, isn't it nice to see a positive bit of news from the NFL?

 

First you say you love me then you say you don't need me then you say you love me. That's kind of the roller coaster ride QB Josh Freeman is riding because just a few days ago the Miami Dolphins cut Freeman and today they rehired him. No explanation why he was fired in the first place and the day before the opening of Dolphins training camp he was signed again. Weird for a guy that is going in 3 or 4 deep in the QB depth chart.

 

Looking for a semi-sleeper for your fantasy team? You may want to take a chance on Steelers wide out Martavis Bryant. The Steelers have stated a goal of scoring 30 points a game this upcoming season and if they are serious Bryant will need to step up and become an important part of the offense. He is getting rave reviews for his off season work going into training camp and after a full year in the Steelers system the 2nd year man from Clemson should be able to step up his game a bunch. In 2014 he recorded 26 catches for 549 yards and 8 TDs. He also had one rush for 3 yards. Unless you count the 8 scores he wasn't a huge factor for a fantasy football owner to get excited about but as anyone who follows the NFL knows a year in the classroom and a year in the weight room can make a huge difference for a player going from his rookie season to his 2nd year. It's the year any player in any position makes the biggest improvement that he will make in his career in most cases.

[eagle eye]

This afternoon Patriots owner Robert Kraft had a press conference that was a response to the NFL, i.e. Roger Goodell, upholding the 4 game suspension of his QB Tom Brady and the shit hit the fan. Sorry for the profanity but I have contended all along that Kraft knuckled under to Roger Goodell to be a good soldier and probably with an understanding this deflate-gate mess would go away with no more than a fine. When it didn't the rich-guy-pride-won't-be-wronged attitude resurfaced. Among the comments Kraft made today was to apologize to the Patriots fans for backing down back in May when he vowed to take the NFL to court trusting the NFL would settle Tom Brady's suspension fairly. He said he made a mistake and that mistake warranted an apology. Every word out of Kraft's mouth was a statement of disappointment and anger directed at the NFL league office. Below is a link to NFL.com's article about Robert Kraft's response to the Brady suspension with an accompanying video of the press conference made by Kraft. The video is way more powerful than the text of the speech he gave and that is saying something. When you hear the conviction in Kraft's voice you realize why you don't make a rich guy mad.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000504596/article/robert-kraft-i-was-wrong-to-put-my-faith-in-the-league

 

Later in the day Tom Brady and the NFLPA filed suit against the NFL. True to his word Brady had swore all along that that if the suspension was not lifted he would take legal action. Below is the article from NFL.com about the filing along with a video talking about it as well.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000504853/article/tom-brady-nflpa-file-suit-to-vacate-suspension

 

I seriously believe Kraft will sue the NFL for the sanctions levied against the Patriots as a result of the deflate-gate affair. As he stated, Kraft believes betrayed by the NFL league office and besides the $1MM dollar fine, which is chump change to a guy like Kraft, it's the loss of draft picks when even the Wells report exonerated the ownership and head coach of any wrong-doing in this silly affair that is the crux of this matter. Kraft in early May said he was going to take the NFL to court to overturn the unfair sanctions he felt were levied against his team but he backed off after a meeting with Roger Goodell in May. Kraft changed his tune saying that for the good of the NFL he would take the sanctions levied against his team. That's when you know some sort of a deal had been made and yesterday's ruling on Brady's suspension appeal was obviously a huge betrayal of trust in Kraft's mind and this ugly little incident just got a whole lot uglier. On a side note, this can't be what Roger Goodell was going to happen. Instead of the joy of the beginning of spring training and the unofficial beginning of the 2015 football season the main headline is deflate-gate, a trivial little affair that blown way out of proportion to the extent of dragging the premier franchise of the last 15 years and the NFL league office into a very serious court affair that will go a long way toward how the power of the NFL commissioner's office might change.

[eagle eye]

I figured the knucklehead behavior would be over with training camp so close but on Wednesday Jets DL Sheldon Richardson was arrested for resisting arrest when he ran from police in a high speed chase. He was caught when he tried to pull into a driveway of a house that didn't belong to him and the police cornered him because he still had his lights on. Not only that but the arresting officer smelled pot and also pulled a gun on Richardson when he appeared to reach between his legs. The officer found a hand gun under the seat where Richardson was sitting behind the wheel of the vehicle. To make matters even worse Richardson's 12 year old nephew was a passenger in the back seat. This is the pinnacle of knuckeheadedness. Here's an article about Richardson and the incredible luck he has for not being charged with a felony in this matter. On top of this Richardson was already going to be suspended for the first 4 games of the season for substance abuse. Four games could easily turn into 8 once the NFL league office gets involved. It actually could turn into a full year suspension for another violation of the substance abuse policy. Freaking stupid and for a Pro Bowl caliber player to do this is a big blow to the Jets defense which in all fairness is the least of the issue.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/07/31/hardy%E2%80%99s-work-ethic-enthusiasm-setting-tone-cowboys-defense

 

On the other side of the ball for Jets WR Devon Smith suffered broken ribs in training camp practice yesterday and will miss, at very least, all of training camp. Welcome to the NFL head coaching fraternity Todd Bowles. Sometimes things don't ever get better. Smith is the Jets 2nd round pick out of Ohio State and he was fighting for the 3rd receiver spot this summer with incumbent Jeremy Kerley.

 

On the same note some Jets fans paid to have a banner flown over the New England Patriots practice facility with the words, "Cheaters Look Up!". The Patriots thought it was funny except for Bill Belichick who said in a press conference, "What plane?".

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/07/31/hardy%E2%80%99s-work-ethic-enthusiasm-setting-tone-cowboys-defense

 

Russell Wilson was signed to an $87.6MM contract extension meaning that is something Seattle will not have to deal with. On the other hand S Cam Chancellor is holding out of training camp for a restructured deal and DL Michael Bennett want to redo his deal as well. LB Bobby Wagner is pushing for a new deal as well. After back to back Super Bowl appearances all the players Seattle had on the cheap are starting to hold out their hands for their paydays. As the article I got this info from says, "Seattle can't keep everyone.".

 

In the "I'm not surprised" department it is being reported that both EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel struggled through first team reps at Bills training camp. Pre-season bold prediction, Rex Ryan will be fired as Bills head coach after no more than 3 seasons.

 

LeGarrette Blount failed his conditioning test going into training camp with the Patriots the other day but he was welcomed back to practice today after passing the conditioning test. This can't make Bill Belichick happy but it's not like he doesn't have a bevy of RBs to choose from including Brandon Bolden, Jonas Grey, Travaris Cadet and James White. Who? Yeah, that's what I said too so that's why Blount is probably a welcome sight back at practice.

 

Football has begun though and it is definitely a good thing!

[eagle eye]

So, now an article in Yardbarker.com is saying that the punishment of Tom Brady is based on a lie by Roger Goodell. Here's the link to the article by YB's Steve Delvecchio about how Goodell misrepresented Brady's communication with the equipment man following the AFC Championship game. This whole story just keeps getting sleazier and sleazier.

 

http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/roger_goodell_blatantly_lied_to_make_tom_brady_look_dishonest/19293457

 

Some real football news:

> Arizona WR Michael Floyd dislocated 3 fingers in training camp practice. He required surgery to repair the injury and he tweeted that the surgery went well. It's expected that Floyd will miss four weeks because of the injury including the season opener against the Saints. Fantasy football heads up because 3rd year WR John Brown is next in line for Floyd's reps.

 

Need to pay attention to the running back situation in Denver because NFL.com is reporting that new Bronco's head coach Gary Kubiak is looking to employ a "bell cow" running back instead of a RB by committee approach. This should ramp up the competition between CJ Anderson and Montee Ball in training camp.

 

Colts LB Robert Mathis had a torn Achilles tendon that required surgery which caused him to miss all of the 2014 season. Mathis vowed to be ready to go by Week 1 of this season but now NFL.com is reporting that it will likely be October before he can return to play football. Mathis was force for Indianapolis in 2013 racking up 19.5 sacks but after an Achilles injury and being 34 years old you wonder if Mathis is past his prime and may never be that type of impact player again. Looks like we will have to wait until October to get the answer to that. That question may not be truly answered until 2016.

[eagle eye]

Well, the 49ers have suffered an inordinate amount of retirements, trades and firings. Certainly enough to cripple a lesser team but you sort of figured maybe the Niners' organization had stopped the bleeding with not real bad news out of northern California for a while. All that changed last when troubled linebacker Aldon Smith got himself arrested for DUI, hit and run and vandalism. This is a breaking news story and below is a link to the NFL.com article about this latest incident in the troubled career of Smith. Smith is a truly talented football player but his off field issues seem to be so bad now you just hope he can right that ship and football be damned. This guy has some serious issues in his life that he needs to address. This is the latest in a long line of issues that go back to personal conduct in the eyes of the NFL. This could be that straw that broke the camel's back as far as the NFL is concerned. I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL league office suspended Smith for at least one year. This is one disciplinary action made by Roger Goodell's office that won't be criticized---well, at least not much. The impact on the 49ers will be pretty big and this is the last thing new head coach Jim Tomsula needed as he begins the post Jim Harbaugh era.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000507534/article/aldon-smith-arrested-for-hit-and-run-dui-vandalism

[eagle eye]

It only took a few hours but under the circumstances you understand why. The same afternoon after the news about 49ers LB Aldon Smith was arrested for DUI, hit and run and vandalism Smith was cut by the team. In a statement issued by the team the 49ers said that they have done all they could to help smith but now they are done with him. That's kind of a harsh paraphrasing of the actual statement but that's basically what they said.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000507647/article/san-francisco-49ers-release-aldon-smith

 

The Rams have signed new QB Nick Foles to a two year extension on his contract which locks up Foles through the 2017 season. The deal is worth $24.5MM with $14MM guaranteed. Foles can void the last year of the deal based on Pro Bowl considerations and incentives reached in his deal.

 

The Patriots had some bad news yesterday that had nothing to do with deflate-gate. RB LeGarrette Blount suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee. The severity of the sprain is not yet known but the Patriots feel like Blount will be ready for Week 1 of the coming season.

 

Former NFL lineman and current NFL Channel analyst Sean O'Hara stated the obvious in the teaser for an article about the NY Giants O-line saying that the line has been holding the Giants back. Pretty obvious stuff but in the article by Kevin Petra O'Hara actually questioned the toughness of the players on the line after 3 of them sat out practice yesterday with minor injuries.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000507843/article/ohara-giants-oline-has-been-holding-team-back

 

The Eagles have restocked their backfield with former Cowboys. I don't know how I missed it but after Dallas released former 2nd round pick Ryan Mathews earlier this summer the Eagles picked him up! Now they will have DeMarco Murray and Mathews as their # 1 and 2 RBs the question arises about what the Eagles intend to do with Darren Sproles. Many people feel that Sproles, who was in on only 29% of the Eagles offensive snaps last year was under used considering his big play making ability. NFL.com is reporting that Sproles may see more time working out of the slot in 2015. "We're just trying to get more stuff for me to do," Sproles said. "We're going to get me out wide and stuff like that." With the Eagles a little thin at WR this could be a way of getting a playmaker on the field and into the offense on a more regular basis. This situation will bear watching during the pre-season games to see if we get a glimpse of this use of Sproles. The small and very quick Sproles could be a nightmare for slot CBs and it would be an excellent use of a very talented back. (Hint, hint fantasy footballers!)

 

Hey, Johnny Football fans, don't look now but he may be starting to show signs of why he was a first round draft pick by the Browns last year. Manziel went through a very turbulent season in his rookie year last year. Most of it negative as his play on the field was poor and behavior off of it was less than exemplary. He even got into trouble just trying to go to his apartment as he was accosted in the lobby of his apartment building by a drunk fan that resulted in a scuffle. Manziel, to his credit, realized he had a problem and checked into rehab this spring. The Browns seemed to be in deep trouble at QB heading into this year's draft. The Browns didn't draft any of the available QBs in May. They chose instead to bolster their O and D lines and they got top 10 RB prospect Duke Johnson out of Miami. Of the 12 Browns draft picks they were split nearly down the middle with 5 picks on offense and 7 on defense. This would give you some inclination that Manziel was going to be counted on to overcome a very forgettable rookie season in which he couldn't even call plays in the huddle to be in the mix as a starting QB. The Browns did sign ex Chicago Bear and Tampa Bay cast off Josh McCown and it was thought that he would be a stop gap for the QB the Browns would take in the draft as "experts" were seemingly writing off the former Heisman Trophy winner altogether. It sort of looked like the Browns were in for another long, disappointing season. But, last night there may be a ray of hope and it came from the 'bad boy' himself. In the linked article below NFL.com looks at Manziel's performance in a scrimmage held last night. There is a video with the article that shows Manziel's performance last night. I'll tell you, he looked pretty good. His throws were pretty accurate and he showed he can still throw on the run. If you are in a keeper league you may want to take a chance on Manziel in your draft. After all the negativity by the press and so-called experts saying Manziel would never make it as a pro I hope he proves them all wrong. A personality like Manziel would be good for football. He's even garnering respect from his teammates including long time left tackle Joe Thomas. Go, Johnny, go!

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000507795/article/manziel-shows-improvement-in-browns-scrimmage

Edited August 8, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Interesting stuff from Bleacher Report today;

 

The Arizona Cardinals have made an offer to RB Chris Johnson for a 1 year deal. No word on if Johnson agreed to terms or not.

 

Jets QB Geno Smith will miss 6-10 weeks because of a broken jaw suffered in a locker room altercation with LB IK Enemkpali. Shortly after the incident Enemkpali was given his release by the Jets. As for fantasy news it looks like the QB position for the Jets is now between veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie draft pick from Baylor Bryce Petty.

 

The Dolphins are enjoying some discord of their own as they have had fights break out yesterday and today at training camp practices. From BR comes a link on today's fight with an accompanying video. Nobody lost their job in this fight.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2545091-dolphins-rishard-matthews-jamar-taylor-get-into-intense-training-camp-fight

 

Summer time heat does nothing for tempers does it? In yet another incident of fisticuffs, this time at Carolina Panthers training camp, Cam Newton and CB Josh Norman threw down on each other after Norman picked off a Newton pass during practice. Again, no broken jaw and nobody fired.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2544115-cam-newton-gets-into-scuffle-with-cb-josh-norman-after-int-at-training-camp

 

Another training camp battle is not involving two testosterone filled athletes duking it out, this one is about a QB fighting himself and his past in training camp. That, of course, is Johnny Manziel. Last week there were reports out of Browns training camp that there's a new sheriff in town, that Manziel is on top of things and is really earning respect from his coaches and teammates. NFL.com is following up with his progress with continued good report cards for Mr Football. I know there are some JF fans on this site and it should be good news that the young man is walking the straight and narrow---so far.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000508626/article/johnny-manziel-drawing-praise-from-browns

[eagle eye]

Amid the training camp fights, Geno Smith getting his jaw broken and all the rest of the stuff football related going on, all that can be talked about is Deflate-gate. Today is the day that Tom Brady and Roger Goodell have a meeting with US District Judge Richard Berman. The idea of this meeting is to see if Goodell and Brady can come together and agree to a compromise to their impasse over Brady's 4 game suspension that was upheld by Goodell a couple of weeks ago in his appeal hearing. I hope Brady sticks to his guns but something tells me that Brady is fighting a stacked deck. The way things seem to lined up the NFL league office is holding the cards. It seems inconceivable but the issue of the trial is whether Goodell has the right to suspend Brady and according to the recent collective bargaining agreement he does. If the NFL manages to drag the whole issue in a direction that benefits them it won't go well for Brady. That said, I think the whole issue was mishandled by the NFL and the Wells report is a joke and, in this case anyway, Brady is the underdog and I hope he is able to stick it to Goodell and the league office. One thing is for sure if Goodell stands firm on the suspension and requires Brady to admit guilt for deflate-gate then Brady will stick to his guns and take the NFL and Goodell to court. The point of this to try to avoid this going to court, obviously, but it doesn't seem likely any compromise will be forthcoming. The word is if it does go to court it will need to be settled by the Patriots 2015 season opener against the Steelers on Thursday night September 10th.

[eagle eye]

Leave it up to Rex Ryan, the guy is a renegade. One day after IK Enemkpali was cut by the Jets for breaking Geno Smith's jaw the Buffalo Bills signed him. Actually the Bills front office knew Enemkpali because he was on their roster last year and they knew him as a good teammate. Obviously the politically correct and cynical people on ESPN will disparage the remarks by the Ryan about Enemkpali's teammate worthiness but apparently the Bills don't care about being moralists. Especially since post incident accounts have Geno Smith equally responsible for the altercation that led to him being punched out. It seems that there is far from a unanimous support for Smith in the Jets locker room. Immaturity issues. Truthfully, the broken jaw may be the best thing to happen to the Jets this season. It will allow rookie Bryce Petty to step up or the Jets could fall back on veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. In a perfect world Petty would be excellent in preseason allowing NY to begin the Bryce Petty era in Jet-land with Fitz as the veteran backup.

 

The Colts have signed T Y Hilton to a contract extension that should make Hilton a happy camper for the foreseeable future. The new extension is for 5 years and $65MM. That would certainly make me happy!

 

The never ending defate-gate saga was not settled yesterday and the meeting with NFL lawyers and Brady's lawyers didn't yield anything today either. The next scheduled hearing is next Wednesday. Since Brady has been tied up with this court thing he likely won't play in tonight's preseason opener vs Green Bay. Jimmy Garrapolo will see a big chunk of the action I would imagine. Reports from yesterday's hearing the judge, Richard Berman seemed to be inferring that the NFL was a fault for allowing a trivial matter go this far. If that's the case, I agree.

 

Cardinals head coach said today the #1 RB Andre Ellington is close to full speed meaning he is about over his hamstring injury that has kept him out of training camp practices. Ellington is slated to play in Saturday night's preseason game with Kansas City. The coach has been upset at the RB situation because his top 2 RB's have both missed a lot of TC practices. #2 man, David Johnson, is still out with a bad hamstring. The Cards earlier this week offered free agent Chris Johnson a one year deal that he still has not responded to.

 

Need another sleeper on your fantasy roster? Try Tampa Bay's Doug Martin. After a big rookie campaign when he gained over 1,400 yards he has had 2 injury plagued seasons when his production had tumbled him off the fantasy radar. This year a slimmer, leaner and reported quicker Doug Martin has been impressing Lovie Smith and his staff in training camp. He has done so well in fact Smith has already declared Martin the starting tailback. Not a bad start if you are trying to win comeback player of the year!

 

The Cardinals seem to have another weapon to hang their hat on and that's rookie WR JJ Nelson out of Alabama-Birmingham. He has been a constant companion of 2nd year receiver John Brown who had a breakout season last year. Brown, who nicknamed "Smoke" because of his speed (4.34 at the 2014 Scouting Combine) impressed his coaches with how fast he picked up on the Cardinals offense last season. Those same coaches are hoping that Nelson, nicknamed "Fire" because of his 4.28 40 at the combine this year, can pick up the offense as quickly as Brown did. Nelson was the Cardinals in the 5th round of this year's draft. With that kind of speed to worry about teams will not be able to double team Larry Fitzgerald as much which should make HIS fantasy numbers go up!

[eagle eye]

There's been a lot going on this week.

 

1. Phillip Rivers gets a contract extension worth $87MM with $65MM guaranteed. He also clarified a statement he made when he said he would not resign with the Chargers if they moved to LA which was, in effect, he didn't like LA. He now says he likes LA. Go figure.

 

2. LeSean McCoy got hurt in Bills training camp practice Tuesday. He pulled a hammy but the Bills are saying McCoy will be back in time for Week 1. We'll see.

 

3. The Panthers had to cart star WR Kelvin Benjamin off the field yesterday with a knee injury. It was a non-contact injury that happened when Benjamin was running a route and he went down making a cut in the route. Not good.

 

4. The offer's been on the table for a week but finally Chris Johnson signed a deal to play for the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Bruce Ariens said that he will be given nothing, he will have to earn whatever he gets. What he has right now is a one year deal and a career 4.3 YPC average which is better than the 3.3 YPC average incumbent RB Andre Ellington has. CJ2K claims he has not lost a step. That, as they say, remains to be seen.

 

5. Prior to a joint practice with the New England Patriots, who the Saints play this week, Saints head coach Sean Peyton got his team together and laid down the law. If you fight, pack your bags because you won't have a job here any more. Tough words but in light of the fights between the Redskins and Texans and the Rams and Cowboys somebody probably needed to say something.

 

6. The Jets sign much traveled and much maligned QB Matt Flynn to a deal as insurance against the loss of Geno Smith. Right now the Jets are going with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty. Fitz looked pretty good in their preseason game against Buffalo while it was clear that Petty still has some growing to do to become an NFL QB.

 

7. RGIII answered a question about how he feels on the Redskins practice field. He responded by saying that he felt like he was the best QB on the field at practice and that he felt like the best QB in the league. Griffin wasn't saying he was the best he was trying to say he was going out to practice confident. Of course the media, ESPN in particular blew it up and reported his words out of context and RGIII is getting lambasted by everybody. Jesus, I heard the quote and in no way did I think that Griffin meant anything else but that he was confident on the field of play. Maybe he should have said that, like that, but he didn't and now he has to respond to the media and the haters who are crucifying him. Give me a break. Wouldn't you want your QB confident, maybe a little cocky? It's been said that the best QB's are sorry SOB's and that's why they are good. I don't know about that but I sure don't want my QB to admit he's unsure of himself. Please leave RGIII alone. I'm talking to you ESPN. I'm beginning to think that ESPN stands for Exaggerated Spam and Poppycock Network.

 

8. Round 53 of the deflate-gate saga takes place today with reps from the NFL and Tom Brady's reps and the NFLPA will meet with Judge Richard Berman so Berman can here oral arguments from both sides regarding Brady's 4 game suspension. Neither Brady or NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are required to attend. Brady will be in practice in Virginia where the Saints and Patriots will begin a couple of joint practices today.

[eagle eye]

Deflate-gate news is a little different today. It seems that Tom Brady may accept a small (1 or 2 game) suspension but it won't be for deflated footballs. It would be punishment for lack of cooperation in the investigation of defate-gate. Brady has been heavily criticized for destroying his cell phone so investigators cannot look at it. It's one reason some people think Brady DID know about or participated in deflate-gate. It could also mean Brady was pissed about the NFL questioning his integrity and he destroyed it out of spite. Brady is an emotional guy and I could see him do something he regretted later because he was angry. Deflate-gate, IMO has no legs and Brady should be exonerated for that deal. His apparent willingness to at least consider accepting a suspension for non-compliance speaks to the fact, for whatever reason, that Brady knows he made a mistake destroying his phone.

 

The Panthers will be without WR Kelvin Benjamin for the season. He tore his ACL in practice yesterday. This puts the Panthers in at WR because the depth chart behind Benjamin is considered a bunch of #4 types including David Funchess, Jericho Cotchery and Ted Ginn along with the guy currently #1 with Benjamin out, Corey Brown. It could be Brown fantasy owners may want to take a chance on.

 

I DVR'd the replays of the preseason games played last weekend and I saw one guy who jumped off the screen. I think the Lions are going to start rookie RB Ameer Abdullah out of Nebraska. The guy just ran crazy for the Lions while he was on the field. He has quickness, good vision and speed. The Lions let Reggie Bush go in the off season but I think they came out smelling like a rose by getting Abdullah. As long as the opening game isn't a flash in the pan he definitely looks like a keeper.

 

Here's a name you haven't really heard in a while, Tyrod Taylor. The former Raiders QB has been flying under the radar of virtually everyone but his mama for several years but he has resurfaced in Buffalo. The guy who started the first preseason game was Matt Cassel and the Bills still have former 1st round pick EJ Manuel but who knows what's going to happen in Buffalo. I know this, Rex Ryan isn't a quarterback-friendly coach so whoever is going to end up starting will be on their own with their OC and/or QB coach. The injury to LeSean McCoy isn't a help either. Now McCoy will be out this week but he is expected to be ready to go for Week 1. QB looks to be a wide open thing and it looks like Taylor has a friend in OC Greg Roman who once proclaimed Taylor would be a star in the NFL. We will see.

 

The Cardinals have lost OG Mike Iupati to a knee injury that will keep him out 6-8 weeks that requires arthroscopic surgery. Iupati came into the NFL with the 49ers and was a stalwart for a very good O-line. Iupati missed a big chunk of time last season to injuries and now this setback with his new team who was hoping Iupati would help solve O-line problems not be one.

 

Eli Manning is in the last year of his current contract and he will make around $16MM this season. There is talk about signing Manning to an extension and there were reports that he was looking to become the highest paid QB in the NFL. It seems the reports are wrong but Manning is looking to be fairly compensated. We'll see. The fact is, Manning is the only guy the Giants have at QB who can do anything to make the team a contender. There is really no viable QB-in-training for the Gints and no Andrew Luck on the horizon in the 2016 draft. Manning will get paid but it will be interesting to see what kind of deal he gets.

 

I watched the Minnesota-Tampa Bay game at least long enough to see the starters play and I really think Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings have a real chance to make some noise this season. Preseason records don't matter but the Vikes are 2-0 so far in wins over Pittsburgh and Tampa and the short time the starters have been on the field they have looked pretty good. I like this coaching staff with Mike Zimmer (HC), Norv Turner (OC) and George Edwards (DC). It has taken a couple of years of rebuilding since Zimmer was named head coach in last season and he led his team to a 7-9 record with a rookie QB and no Adrian Peterson. I really believe folks, especially fantasy football players, need to keep these Vikings in their minds as they have several fantasy worth players on the their team. Be looking for Boomer's preview of the NFC North within a day or two.

[eagle eye]

This past weekends games didn't tell us much except that preseason is boring and maybe NFL owners shouldn't be charging full price for tickets. For fantasy football players there is some remorse for guys who have already had their drafts. At least the guys who draft Kelvin Benjamin, Jordy Nelson or maybe Ben Roethlesberger considering he lost center Marquis Pouncey for a big chunk of the season leaving a big gap in the middle of Big Ben's O-line.

 

If you need a hint as to a replacement for either Benjamin or Nelson--this isn't it. But, if you need a guy for a bye week Cam Newton claims he would trust rookie 2nd round pick Kevin Funchess is the man. Oh well, I really don't recommend him either unless -- well I guess I can't recommend him. You might place him on your watch list and maybe he's a mid season guy to pick up.

 

Like Reggie Wayne? You and me both brother but you have to wonder how much he's got left in the tank. But, the Broncos took Patriots WR Wes Welker a couple of years ago and it worked out okay for one season. Now, in the turnabout is fair play category, Wayne who accumulated probable HOF numbers with Peyton Manning while they were together in Indy has now signed a one year deal with those same Patriots. Actually, if Wayne has some fuel left in the tank this could be a good signing making this yet another reason not to do you FF draft before the 3rd preseason game is complete. I love early birds except in fantasy.

 

One question, the Eagles destroyed the Ravens Friday night by a score of 40-17. The question is, was it because the Eagles were that good or was it because the Ravens were that bad? Joe Flacco was just plain bad and he was missing badly in his passes. It didn't matter if it was a short route, medium range or deep route he was just plain bad. Justin Forsette was making his first appearance this preseason and he did a really good job for what it's worth (to fantasy owners who HAVEN'T drafted yet.).

[eagle eye]

The Steelers offense has taken a hit this summer and the damage isn't quite over. Earlier this summer Le'Veon Bell had his 4 game suspension for substance abuse that occurred just before the beginning of the 2014 season reduced to 2 games. Then, last week starting Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey severely injured his ankle so bad he could be placed on the Injured Reserve/Designated for Return list and when that return may be is anybody's guess. Now we find out Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh's #2 WR is looking at a 4 game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. His suspension is under appeal and may be reduced to 2 games like Bell's suspension. Anyway the Steelers offense has been compromised quite a bit for at least 2 weeks of the new season.

 

It seems like Johnny Manziel won't be the starter in Week 1 for the Browns despite displaying a whole new side of Johnny Football this off season. After the Brown preseason game this past weekend he experienced swelling and soreness in his right elbow and it has been bad enough to keep out of practice this week. Today Browns head coach Mike Pettine officially ruled Manziel out of this week's game against Tampa Bay. Josh McCown will likely start in Week 1.

 

Could this be a sign of what's to come? The Bills have indicated that QB EJ Manuel will start this week's game for Buffalo. To me, that means that Buffalo feels like Manuel will be the Week 1 starter. Not that it matters because there isn't a QB on the Bills roster anyone will be depending on in fantasy leagues.

 

Deflate-gate just won't go away will it. It's not really even in the news but the specter of it remains as teams prepare for their "rehearsal game" this weekend when the starters will play the lion's share of the game the appeal of the 4 game suspension of Tom Brady is still up in the air. This is really chickensh*t of the NFL or judge Richard Berman because they are compromising the Patriots ability to prepare for the game. Will Brady start? Will he play the 1st quarter with the starters and leave Jimmy Garrapolo the 2nd and 3rd quarters with the 1's? Or does this force Bill Belichick to go strickly with Garrapolo? This whole mess sucks.

 

To end this post I am going to link an article I found on Bleacher Report that claims that 70% of ACL injuries can be prevented. Interesting read and sort of hits home with the rash of torn ACLs that occur mainly in training camp.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2555624-preseason-acl-injures-can-be-drastically-reduced-heres-how

[eagle eye]

Do you think that the fantasy drafts that occurred prior to, say, today got messed up by the Bills and Redskins? C'mon, tell me you saw the Bills naming Tyrod Taylor their starting QB? Or that Jon Gruden officially named --- wait for it --- Kirk Cousins his starting QB? Now I don't believe anyone was counting on a Buffalo QB in fantasy but seriously who in their right mind saw RGIII losing his job? I'll admit it, not me. Things are very interesting on the east coast.

 

Speaking of the east coast no compromise was made between Tom Brady and NFL league office. Big surprise, right? It's being reported by NFL.com that Brady was actually open to a one game suspension for not cooperating with the Wells investigation. Both Brady and his lawyers have admitted they should have been more forthcoming, i.e. Brady shouldn't have destroyed his cell phone. It is also being reported that the judge in the case, Richard Berman, went to both parties separately today and told them they are still too far apart for a settlement to be reached. Again, no surprise. Berman is supposed to give his ruling on the case on Friday but there is a tacit understanding that a settlement is still on the table.

 

Back to football, did you ever believe that Philly would open a can of serious whoop-ass on Green Bay on Saturday night? I know! That is until you realize Aaron Rodgers did not play a down in the game. He was on the sideline, uninjured, in a tee-shirt and ball cap while rookie QB from UCLA Brett Hunley was under center from the outset. He didn't look all that great, he a freaking rookie. Sam Bradford on the other hand was perfect on the night and Philly scored at will. Any doubts about this offense being effective doubt no more. Personally, I wish Chip Kelly had laid a huge egg, and he still might but Bradford, DeMarco Murray and shoot the whole starting offense looked pretty darn good. This is not a good thing BTW IMO.

 

These rehearsal games are supposed to give you an idea of how well a team is going play in Week 1 and beyond but it's a lie. These teams don't game plan, they don't do anything but run base stuff. Truth is, we really don't know squat and won't until Week 1. Football is back and it's on, bros!

 

Here's a list of cuts from NFL.com including one Trent Richardson who was let go by the Raiders. It's scary how fast you can fall in the NFL.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000518343/article/nfl-roster-cuts-tracker

 

The Steeler's Martavis Bryant had the ruling on his appeal of his 4 game suspension was denied today meaning he will not be playing for the Steelers for the first 4 games of the season. Bryant was guilty of violating the NFL substance abuse policy and it's said he failed because marijuana was found in his blood stream. Shame considering he had such a fine rookie season but hopefully missing 4 games will curb his love for the wacky-tobacky enough to protect his job in the NFL. Next man up for Pittsburgh looks like Marcus Wheaton.

 

Here's an injury update from NFL.com with some guys out and some guys returning who have been out. Including news about former Broncos and current Jaguars TE Julius Thomas.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000518708/article/injuries-jameis-winston-dealing-with-sprained-ankle

[eagle eye]

As an addendum to the Steelers item in my last post aimed at fantasy players. Don't sell WR Marcus Wheaton short and if you need a flex player or you need a bit of an emergency starter for Week 1 you may consider WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. Ben Roethlisberger has been praising Hey-Bey as a guy he has a lot of confidence in. DHB went to Georgia in the off season to work with Big Ben and the other receivers and he developed a chemistry with DHB.

 

Not much else to talk about right now. Teams are prepping for Week 1 of the regular season at the same time they are getting ready for this last preseason game this week. For guys on the bottom end of NFL rosters this game is either do or die as far as their immediate NFL futures are concerned. Man college ball starting this week and the NFL begins for real in 10 days? Life is good!

[eagle eye]

Holy crap. Judge Richard Berman has ruled against the NFL and lifted the 4 game suspension of Tom Brady. Here's an article from NFL.com with a video about the ruling.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000520618/article/judge-nullifies-tom-bradys-fourgame-suspension

 

Of course Roger Goodell is going to appeal Judge Berman's ruling.

Edited September 3, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Here is a list of cuts already made by teams who are trying to get down to their final 53 man rosters. This isn't much of a list but NFL.com has a list of notable cuts linked below.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000521840/article/notable-cuts-tracker

 

In another move the Tennessee Titans have traded OG Andy Levitre to the Atlanta Falcons for a six round draft pick and a future conditional pick. It's unreal that this trade is even taking place because the Titans signed Levitre to a six year $46.8 MM deal with $13 MM guaranteed in 2013. After Levitre spent the first 4 years in the league in Buffalo where he was good enough to warrant the deal he got from Tennessee. I'd say a 6th rounder and a conditional draft pick was not great value for a guy who hasn't missed a single game in his NFL career. To my way of thinking Atlanta, who is desperately in need of O-line help got off cheap while the Titans will be eating a lot of dead money.

 

Who knew. I don't know if he will end up being heavily involved in the Arizona Cardinals offense but RB Chris Johnson has a nice night in the Cards preseason finale vs Denver which Arizona won 22-20. Johnson rushed 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 YPC) but no scores or fumbles. He also added 1 catch for ten yards. This was Johnson's first real action since the Cardinals signed him on August 17th. Head coach Bruce Ariens praised Johnson for his work and said he coming along nicely getting to know the Cardinals offense. If nobody took a chance on CJ2K in fantasy drafts it may pay benefits to pick him up and stash him away. Johnson is only 29 and his poor performances in recent years have as much to do with the crappy lines he's had to run behind and nagging injuries than any drop off in skill or speed.

 

The Bleacher Report has an article by Mike Tanier about the reversal of the Tom Brady suspension over deflate-gate could spell the end of Roger Goodell's term as NFL commissioner. He also states that it isn't too late to repair the damage already done and move forward. If Goodell continues to pursue Brady in court over what I believe is a lost cause it could really mean the end for this commissioner who is doing his best Capt Ahab to Tom Brady's Moby Dick in this perverted twist on the classic Dickens novel.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2560804-fixing-the-nfls-bay-of-pigs-how-roger-goodell-can-make-better-decisions

[eagle eye]

So, Tim Tebow won't be the Eagles 3rd string QB. What a shock, well maybe a little since the Eagles pulled off a trade that sent QB Matt Barkley to Arizona and thus seemingly opened the door for Tebow to make the final roster. Oh well.

 

Montee Ball was among the cuts by the Broncos on Saturday. It's a little shocking since Ball was a 2nd round pick by Denver in 2013. Injuries slowed Ball down especially last season when then starter Ronnie Hillman went down with an injury. Ball faltered and CJ Anderson stepped up and did so well he is now the starting RB for Denver. Ball had actually slid down the depth chart behind Anderson, Hillman and Juwan Thompson and thus was expendable. For a day or two Ball was the subject of trade talks with the Cowboys but that deal never materialized and when the final cuts came Saturday Ball was among the cuttees. Today Ball cleared waivers and is as yet unsigned.

 

The Browns suspended indefinitely the O-line coach for violating team conduct policy. There were not details of the event this past weekend that sparked the need for a suspension but never the less Andy Moeller will get an opportunity to get his collective sh*t together. Moeller got in trouble with the Baltimore Ravens in for violating their personal conduct policy in 2011. The Raven gave Moeller a two game suspension.

 

James Jones has resigned with the Green Bay Packers, the team he began his NFL career with in 2007. Jones spent the first seven years of his career in the land of the frozen tundra but he signed a free agent deal to play for the Raiders. He was released this past May after the NFL draft and he signed with the NY Giants. Jones was among the final roster cuts by the Giants on Saturday. The Packers are hurting with the loss of Jordy Nelson for the season and with Randall Cobb banged up a bit as well.

 

Johnny Manziel started practicing with the Browns again after missing the past two weeks with a sore elbow. Josh McCown will be the starter this week for Cleveland and he probably would have been if Manziel had bee healthy throughout training camp. Johnny Football seems to have turned his life around and he was earning respect from teammates on and off the field. He may be a year away from being ready to step into the role of franchise QB that he was drafted for in 2014. I'm rooting for Manziel and I hope he makes it all the way back and has a good career. He is less like the smart-ass punk he was before and, in my mind, he's kind of the underdog now and I like rooting for 'dogs when they deserve it and Manziel appears to deserve his second chance.

 

That's it. I'm done with this thread. The regular season is coming like a freight train and it won't be stopped. First game is Thursday night between the Steelers and and Patriots and the game will feature Tom Brady fresh off his defeat of Roger Goodell. Who's got it better than us?