2016 NFL Off Season

[eagle eye]

Buffalo's front office has to have some happy campers sitting around today. Just yesterday they find out their 1st round draft pick, DE Shaq Lawson from Clemson will be unavailable for about 5-6 MONTHS because he needs shoulder surgery which is taking place today. The injury is one that is preventative in nature that stems from a condition he had his senior year at Clemson. Lawson played with a bad should in his final year in college never missing a game because of it. In fact, Lawson never missed a game of the 41 games the Tigers played when he was there. That wasn't the only bad news for the Bills. WR Sammy Watkins suffered a broken bone in his foot that will require surgery. Actually the surgery took place 3 weeks ago. The doctors repaired the broken bone in his foot and they inserted a screw to stabilize the joint. It doesn't sound too much different than the surgery Dez Bryant had done last year after his foot was broken in Week 1 against the Giants. Bryant attempted to come back too soon from the surgery and it affected his whole game in a detrimental way. The Bills are saying that Watkins will be ready for training camp but as with Bryant and Julio Jones a couple of years ago, coming back too soon is not a good thing.

 

Mark Sanchez will miss at least the start of OTA's for the Broncos after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his non-throwing hand over the weekend. Sanchez is looking to be the starter in Week 1 for the Broncos but this surgery will open the door for Broncos 1st round draft choice Paxton Lynch a kick-start to his career by getting a bunch of Sanchez' reps. If Lynch is a quick study and is able to grasp Gary Kubiak's offense the momentum for him to the opening day starter will gain with every extra rep he gets while Sanchez recovers.

 

It looks like RB Darren Sproles might be on the trading block. As a result of the reports that he might get traded Sproles is holding out from participating in OTA's with the Eagles until his situation clarifies itself. The reason is he doesn't want to compromise his trade value by getting hurt. I can't imagine why Philadelphia would want to trade a guy as valuable as Sproles but I have scratched my head after a couple of the moves this new head coach and front office have made this offseason.

[eagle eye]

Here is an article from SI.com about the top free agents still available to be signed by an NFL team.

 

http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/05/18/top-remaining-free-agents-ryan-fitzpatrick-arian-foster

 

Here's an article from NFL.com's Chris Wesserling about his notion that a paradigm is emerging in the NFL led by Tennessee, Dallas and the LA Rams who are building a team that features a strong run game. This type of offensive system is totally old school and flies in the face of the current trend of the NFL being a pass first league. All three teams have spent high draft picks on offensive linemen with Dallas leading the way with 3 first round draft picks, a guy who should've been a 1st round pick if not for off field issues and is generally regard among the best O-lines in football. All three have invested high draft picks on franchise-type running backs. This also goes against recent belief that you don't use a high draft pick on a running back. The Rams took Todd Gurley in the top 15 in 2015, Dallas has taken Ezekiel Elliott with the 4th overall pick this year and Tennessee has traded for former Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray who set a Cowboys franchise record 1,845 yards rushing in 2014. After an ill-advised detour to Philadelphia he is in a system that will use him properly. Not only did Tennessee acquire Murray but they also drafted the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry in the 2nd round of this year's draft. Neither guy is going to scare you with their breakaway speed but they will punish you for every yard they gain. Power running backs. This is probably the best tandem since Kevin Mack and Ernest Byner were the Browns 1-2 punch during the late 1980's when the only thing between Cleveland and two Super Bowl appearances was a last minute drive by John Elway and the Broncos and a fumble by Byner on the Broncos 2 yard line with a minute left in the game. This old school approach worked for Dallas in 2014 when Tony Romo had his most efficient season of his career because of the effectiveness of Murray running the ball. The old school approach is interesting to see how it unfolds.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000663325/article/titans-cowboys-rams-returning-to-power-football

[eagle eye]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are more known for their smash mouth toughness and for being perpetually good, always in contention for the playoffs. You don't really count them as folks on top of the latest technology but we might need to think again. In the link below we see the Steelers' leap into the future with technology that will help protect players from excessive contact and thereby protect them from injury as a result of said contact. The link below is from Steelers.com with an accompanying video to show how the technology works.

 

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Steelers-experiment-with-new-technology/411c9642-781a-4c46-b764-66867db975e6

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars 1st round pick, the 5th pick overall, Jalen Ramsey from Florida State was injured during workouts the other day. The injury is a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. The severity of the injury has yet to be determined and he is slated to get a second opinion early next week. If the prognosis is good it is being reported that he could be back in time for training camp. Ramsey had microfracture surgery on the same knee when he was a sophomore in high school. The Jags have got to feel a little snake bit because last year's 1st round pick, DE Dante Fowler, missed the entire 2015 season because of a torn ACL. Ramsey and the Jags are hoping this is not that serious.

 

The Broncos have a guy who wants to be a starter. That is not earth shattering news but something he said may ruffle a few feathers in the locker room. The Broncos 4th round pick, RB Devontae Booker from Utah, came out and started talking smack like he was a 1st round pick. Booker was quoted as saying, "My message to Broncos fans is I want to be one of the best running backs to come out of Denver," Booker told NFL Media on Thursday during the NFL Players Association Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles. "I'm not there to carry pads. I'm there to take someone's job." Rookie talking major smack, is that a good thing or not? We won't know until September.

 

Former Lions RB Jahvid Best is not from St Lucia, an island nation in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean, but he has family ties there. That is significant because it enables him be on their track team. His career in Detroit was marred by concussions that cut his career short, he was cut by the Lions in July of 2013. His athletic career is getting a second shot because, like San Francisco's Jarryd Hayne, he will be representing that country in the upcoming Olympic Games. Best will run in the qualifier for the Olympic Games in June where he will have to run a minimum of a 10.16 in the 100 meter dash. BTW Hayne retired from the NFL earlier this year so he could play for the Fiji National Rugby team. Like Best, Hayne isn't a Fijian but he has connections by family to Fiji which allows him to play for them.

[eagle eye]

Good Lord will this deflate-gate ever end? I guess not any time soon. The latest news is that Tom Brady has filed appeal for a rehearing by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals of New York. The appeal is an en banc hearing that will involve all 13 members instead of the 3 man court that reversed the lower court decision earlier this year. I think that the NFL league office and Roger Goodell in particular was just too severe in it's handling of the deflate-gate issue. The punitive penalties handed down by Goodell spoke of a guy with a vendetta against the Patriots. Fining the team a million dollars and seizing their 1st round draft pick is harsh if that's all Goodell did but suspending Brady 4 games was over the top. Pats owner Robert Kraft rolled over and accepted the sanctions against his team with the understanding that Goodell would go easy on Brady. When that didn't happen it was clear as a glass of water that Kraft was mega-pissed at what was Goodell's betrayal. I am rooting for Brady, it doesn't mean I like him or the Patriots but, I don't like injustice and I think the NFL was so wrong in this case.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000664303/article/tom-brady-files-petition-for-suspension-case-rehearing

 

In yet another bogus outcome for the NFL league office a democratic leader of the US House said that the NFL attempted to influence the study into brain injuries. It's too involved for me to summarize here so below is a link to the NFL.com article with the details of the ongoing case of how football relates to brain trauma.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000664412/article/house-report-nfl-attempted-to-influence-brain-injury-study

[eagle eye]

The New England Patriots (read Pat's owner Robert Kraft) have filed a petition with the court of appeals to hear the "deflate-gate" appeal filed by Tom Brady earlier this week. The paper that was filed stated that the Patriots had a "strong interest" in the case which is obvious in that a positive outcome for Brady who negate the 4 game suspension Brady is supposed to serve to begin the 2016 season.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000665057/article/patriots-ask-appeals-court-to-rehear-tom-bradys-case-vs-nfl

 

Wes Welker is still on the fence over whether or not he will retire. He was on the NFL Channel yesterday and part of the discussion was about whether or not he will play this season. He's had a bunch of concussions in the past 3 years with the Broncos and Rams causing him to miss a bunch of games. Welker actually was on the Rams roster last season but he was virtually a non-factor for St Louis. He is currently a free agent and I'm sure he was semi-trolling for a team with his guest shot on the NFL channel. Trouble is, you wonder how many teams will take a chance on a 35 year old WR with a history of concussions.

 

Sam Bradford missed the start of offseason work because he was pouting over the fact Philly drafted Carson Wentz in this year's draft. He got over it and came back to work and has been on the field for the first of the Eagle's OTA's. It seems as though the Eagles are doing whatever they can to piss Mr Bradford off again because the OC for the Eagles said yesterday that it would be a mistake to pencil in Bradford as the starter for them. Both the OC, Frank Ryan and the DC Jim Schwartz both said starting QB is a competition and it would be a mistake to assume any sort of order. For a guy like Bradford who obviously has a bit of a fragile ego this may feel like it's a bit of a slap in the face. It could be that Bradford's days in Philly could be limited because he doesn't seem to have much support from his coaches.

[eagle eye]

I did not like Buddy Ryan. Not when he was the DC with the Bears, not when he was head coach of the Eagles or DC of the Houston Oilers. That old man was just a loud mouthed bully as far as I'm concerned and I knew what kind of man he was went he tried to punch Houston's OC Kevin Gilbride then he bragged about it afterward even calling Gilbride a wimp. The fact is Ryan took a swing at Gilbride but it didn't land and coaches and teammates kept the two apart on the sideline. BTW, did I mention all this took place during a game? Ryan is a douche and he raise two sons who are douches. Rex, the head coach of the Bills is a douche but he's not nearly the tool bag his brother Rob is. I hated it when the Cowboys hired Rob to be their DC and for one year the defense pure D sucked. All the while Rob never lost that Ryan bluster every week declaring the defense would be great. It wasn't and it was pretty clear Ryan didn't fit with Jason Garrett. He was fired after his lone season as the Cowboys DC and hired by New Orleans. For two seasons the Saints defense sucked and at the end of two seasons Ryan was again fired. He didn't stay unemployed long as he was hired by his brother to be the DC in Buffalo. In 2015 the Bills under first year head coach Rob were disappointing going 8-8 and missing out on the playoffs. I really thought Ryan inherited a good team when he took over the NY Jets and he rode those players to the AFC Championship game 2 years in a row but as free agency claimed most of the good player from that roster the Jets got progressively worse. He was obviously no help on offense because he is a defensive coach and as the Jets got worse Ryan became a persona non grata in New York. Ryan certainly talks a good game, hell both of them do, but the results don't reflect the massive bravado both brothers exude. Now Rob and his brother got interviewed by NFL.com and Rob has not problem throwing the Saints under the bus and absolving himself from any blame for the Saints league worst defense the two years in was in New Orleans. I kind of like Buffalo as a franchise and I like the fact they are a small market team who have been successful in spite of that but, I hope the Ryan brothers fall flat on their faces. I don't like their father and I sure don't like them.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000665499/article/rob-ryan-saints-lastplace-defense-wasnt-my-fault

[eagle eye]

The Pro Bowl is moving to Orlando Florida next year. In a deal that links the PB with the Disney Corporation and ESPN means the hype will certainly escalate. It's not likely the game will be any better but what the hell, it's an exhibition and to expect players with nothing really on the line to go all out is ridiculous. The NFL Pro Bowl is the least interesting game of the big four sports because the chance of suffering a severe injury is too great if players go all out. It just isn't an event worth chancing a career threatening injury over. Hence, the quality of the game is pretty poor. But, moving the game to the mainland and tying together with Disney and the Mothership can't hurt. The format has been, for the past 3 years, a game where Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice choose their teams sort of like a playground pickup game without regard to whether the players are AFC or NFC affiliated. That will change for the next game as the format goes back to conference vs conference. It's all a lot of hooey over nothing but what the heck, the most interesting thing to see is how Disney's involvement will help the pageantry of the game. We'll likely get to see Mickey, Goofy and Pluto prance around the field as part of the festivities. That's actually fitting because the game is pretty much a Mickey Mouse affair anyway. There are a lot of people who will benefit from the game and all the details are discussed in this article from NFL.com below.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000666054/article/orlando-pro-bowl-returning-to-afcnfc-format-in-2017

 

This is really Texans news but the Denver Broncos will be scheduled to go to the White House to meet with President Obama. It will be the last such event for Obama who is serving his final year of his final term in office. Previously Obama has hosted the Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants, Ravens, Seahawks and Patriots. It will be the 8th and final time the White House will greet the NFL champs with Obama as the sitting president. What is somewhat newsworthy is that Texans QB Brock Osweiler was extended an invitation to go to the White House with his former teammates but he has chosen instead to stay with the Texans attending scheduled OTA practice. In an attempt to stir up some controversy the media has tried to stir the pot by asking Broncos GM John Elway his feelings about Osweiler declining to go meet President Obama. Elway refused to bite simply saying the decision was Osweiler's and "It's his choice." There was some feeling that Elway was a tad pissed at Osweiler for leaving Denver for Houston since the Broncos had drafted Osweiler and developed him but Osweiler instead opted to sign a big contract offered by the Texans leaving Denver and its less lucrative offer. If you're a Texans fan you've got to say "That's pretty cool for Osweiler to skip meeting the president to be with the team.". By contrast, if you're a Broncos fan you are likely saying, "F--- him!".

 

A laptop computer containing confidential player information was stolen from the locked car of a Redskins trainer. The computer was password protected but not encrypted so there is some danger of the information could get out. Here's the article from NFL.com talking about the matter.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000666134/article/redskins-laptop-containing-player-data-was-stolen

[eagle eye]

The only real news lately is Broncos safety Aqib Talib being shot in the leg at a Dallas night club. When I saw the headline about the incident I thought that Denver is a rough place for athletes. This wouldn't have been the first NFL player shot in the Mile High City and the Broncos have had to deal with way too much tragedy since 2007 when Broncos Darrent Williams was killed in a drive by shooting as he and several teammates left a nightclub. It is another incident involving a Broncos player which is a bit unsettling if you're John Elway. Talib is a Dallas native and it's not the first time he's gotten into trouble in Dallas. I guess it's a case of being able to take a kid off the street but not being able to take the street out of the man.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000666908/article/aqib-talib-released-from-hospital-after-being-shot

 

Roger Goodell was interviewed at a charity golf event yesterday and he said when asked if there were any settlement talks between him and Tom Brady that there were no such talks. That's no shock since Brady and Goodell have exhausted those types of communication long ago. It looks like it will come down to the appeal for another appeal with the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the case in full instead of just the 3 man court that convened in May that overturned the ruling that overturned Brady's 4 game suspension. Goodell gave all that lip service saying its the commissioner's job to protect the integrity of the game when the whole time this looked like Goodell has a vendetta against the Patriots and Brady is part his crusade to punish them.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000667191/article/roger-goodell-no-settlement-talks-with-tom-brady

 

Here's an early fantasy football tip. If you're looking for a tight end in this year's fantasy draft I would remind you all of one Julius Thomas of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last offseason the Jags acquired Thomas as a free agent from the Denver Broncos but he wasn't much of a factor in Jacksonville because of injuries but he's had the chance to completely heal and he should step up and become yet another target for Blake Bortles along with Allan Hurns and Allen Robinson and RB TJ Yeldon among the Jags embarrassingly rich bunch of weapons.

 

It's almost inconceivable to think that this could be the last season Drew Brees in the starting QB of the Saints but there is talk that just may be the case. With Brees slated to count $30MM against the Saints salary cap the speculation over whether Brees will be offered a contract extension to lower that cap hit. It's a hard thing to offer a long term deal to a 37 year old QB since there really isn't a "long term" to work with. You might give Brees an offer that will extend him 2 extra seasons at most but you are betting that Brees will still be able to play at 40. Even Peyton Manning was just a shadow of himself last season and he was 39. Here's an article from ProFootballTalk about the challenges of giving Brees a new deal.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/06/05/guaranteed-money-could-be-the-sticking-point-on-a-drew-brees-deal/

[eagle eye]

The story of Aqib Talib's gunshot wound has taken a turn toward the absurd. It seems that the authorities are now investigating the possibility that Talib pulled a Plaxico Burress and accidently shot himself. Good grief, Charlie Brown.

 

The Patriots had missed their star cornerback Malcolm Butler during OTA's the past two weeks and it was being reported he was holding out because he wanted his contract renegotiated. He is only scheduled to make $660 K this season and he made but $510 K last season and for a guy who was the hero of Super Bowl XLIX and made All Pro last year is severely under paid. Butler denied to reporters yesterday missing OTA's because of his contract, he said it was because of a family matter or something like that. That last part was quote and sound really vague which makes you wonder if he's just being a good soldier acting in the "Patriot Way". Who knows but the fact is I believe Butler has a bitch based on what he's meant to the Patriots the last couple of years. Butler was an undrafted free agent back in 2014 so he is entering the 3rd year of his original contract and it may be the Patriots don't often renegotiate.

 

This time of year there are all kinds of lists flying around the media surrounding the NFL. This one, IMO, is kind of interesting because it could be a clue to fantasy football sleepers and after all it's not all that long until it's time to think about fantasy draft season is here. This list is from NFL.com and concerns 10 players who are not getting enough attention.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000667021/article/ten-players-who-arent-getting-attention-they-deserve

[eagle eye]

You don't hear about stuff like this often especially in reference to a veteran player but last week Tampa Bay TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins was kicked off the practice field because, in the words of Buc head coach Dick Koetter, ASJ was kicked out of practice "...for not knowing what he was doing.". Wow, that is not good. Afterward he got into a fracas with media and fans as he left the field. ASJ was back at practice for the Bucs mini camp very apologetic about what had happened. We'll see if he really meant it or if he was just saying the right things to get the spotlight off him.

 

In the link below NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal gives us his 10 takeaways from mini camp practices around the NFL.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000669404/article/top-10-takeaways-from-tuesdays-nfl-minicamps

 

Brandon Marshall got a contract extension. He would also probably like to have Ryan Fitzpatrick back with him as well but it's looking less and less likely that's going to happen.

 

Victor Cruz is participating in Giants mini camp. He participated in individual drills only but he's expected to be ready for training camp. Cruz has not played an NFL game since the 2014 season so I would imagine anything they get from Cruz will be appreciated.

 

NFL.com is reporting that Broncos QBs Trevor Siemian (who?) and Mark Sanchez are neck and neck in the race to become the Broncos starting QB when the season begins in September. Siemian was the Broncos 7th round pick in last year's draft out of Northwestern. He fell in the draft because he suffered an ACL tear his senior season in college. It is being reported that Siemian has been impressive during offseason work and has shown a real talent for throwing the ball. All this discussion mean that Paxton Lynch will begin the season as QB #3 on the depth chart. So what happens if Siemian turns out to be a special player? Well, the Broncos will own him for 3 more years and it will give the team time to determine if Lynch is going to be worth a darn in the NFL.

 

This final tidbit from NFL.com. An enigmatic men's softball player in Philadelphia has been the subject of some controversy of late. The player's name is Dick Mahoney and this is a funny story.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000669406/article/who-is-dick-mahoney-walter-thurmond-knows

[eagle eye]

This 5-6 week period of players being on vacation should be called "Dumb men walking" instead of the common prison saying, dead man walking, as the final walk of a condemned prisoner. This period is a dreaded time for NFL coaching staffs and front office personnel because their roster is free to walk around on their only real vacation in the football year. Yes, they still work out to stay in shape for training camp but there are a good many of these players who choose to go on vacations where recreational drugs and driving under the influence is a real possibility. Then there are those who can't stay out of trouble at a night club or even a private part that can result in stabbings and shootings. It's funny, most of the shootings occur as the self inflicted sort. Apparently the best athletes in the world are much when it comes to handling firearms. Stay tuned because the reports will be coming in before you know it.

 

Now that I've bashed the whole of the NFL it is time to talk a little fantasy. If you're smart you get a jump on player research so you get a leg up on the other guys in your league. Most of the talk now is simply speculation but the experts are right more than they are wrong. In this article from NFL.com Adam Rank lists his 16 bold fantasy predictions for the coming season.

 

http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000670916/article/16-bold-fantasy-football-predictions-for-2016

 

This article from NFL.com takes a look at 3 players who were fantasy busts in 2015 and the prospects for a rebound to former form or whether they will continue to stink. There are links in the article on the fantasy prospectus for Packers RB Eddie Lacy, Colts QB Andrew Luck and Bengals RB Jeremy Hill.

 

http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000670951/article/fantasy-bustamove-who-will-rebound-in-2016

 

Free agents not signed at this time of year likely won't get signed until around mid August as injuries start taking their toll on rosters around the NFL. NFL.com takes a look at the top 6 free agents still available. One of those is Arian Foster who is rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered early last season. It is being reported that Foster still needs a few

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000662567/article/six-most-interesting-players-still-on-freeagent-market

[eagle eye]

Johnny Football was in the news again over the weekend as news of his lawyer "accidentally" texting client privileged information to the wrong guy. The lawyer texted info about Manziel's drug use, cash and domestic violence plea to an AP reporter. I don't believe it was an accident but I wonder how much trouble that lawyer will get into over this mess. Even Manziel's father reiterated that his son is a "druggie" and would benefit going to jail over his domestic violence charge. It's a shame to see a guy throw his life away like Manziel is.

 

http://www.tmz.com/2016/06/24/johnny-manziel-attorney-accidentally-texts-reporter-about-drugs-crash-dom-violence/

 

Here we go---the dumbasses are starting to come out of the woodwork.

> Jacksonville Jags LB Dan Skuta is being charged with first degree misdemeanor battery. No details of the incident are available yet. Skuta, 30, will be battling with the Jags 2nd round pick out of UCLA, Myles Jack, for the starting outside LB spot. Maybe Skuta went all Jim Carrey and beat himself up in an Orlando bathroom.

 

Remember the Al Jazeera America article accusing Peyton Manning of taking PED's? Yeah, I figured you did. This story just won't go away but Manning is out of the glare of it by virtue of his retirement. Also by virtue that the guy who accused the players of doping crawfished and has said he is not a reliable narrator. Here's the article from Bleacher Report about the issue.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2648333-nfl-to-interview-players-connected-to-al-jazeera-america-report-on-peds

 

As of last Wednesday there were seven drafted players who were not yet signed. There are 3 first rounders and 4 3rd rounders. The 3rd round picks are the least surprising because even though there is a rookie salary cap and the rookie contracts are slotted according to where they are drafted there seems to be more leeway for 3rd round draft picks. This also includes Cowboys 3rd rounder Maliek Collins who remains as the only Cowboys draft pick unsigned. Linked below is an article about the players who still haven't signed their contracts.

 

http://www.profootballrumors.com/2016/06/unsigned-rookies-2016-nfl

[eagle eye]

So yesterday I wondered what would happen with the lawyer who "accidentally" sent a private text to an AP reporter in regard to privileged information about his client Johnny Manziel. It didn't take long for something to happen. Yesterday the lawyer, Bob Hinton, resigned from the case but I can't believe this is the end of it. The guy is in line for some serious law suits and maybe even disbarment. Divulging privileged information about your own client is some seriously messed up stuff and it could adversely affect Manziel's legal team's ability to get the best deal for Manziel. Yep, I can see Hinton being sued by the Manziels.

 

Long time NFL coach Buddy Ryan died today at age 82. A lot of people liked Ryan especially guys who played for Ryan. I have made my personal feelings known about the man here in various threads but out of respect I will keep my feelings to myself. He was an innovative defensive coach and had been for a long time. Both of his sons, Rob and Rex are both NFL coaches so Ryan's legacy lives on. Here's a link about Ryan's death from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000671619/article/former-nfl-coach-buddy-ryan-dies-at-age-82

 

Former Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson recently talked about why he won't rethink his retirement and come back and play in the NFL. In an article from the Bleacher Report Megatron talked about the aches and pains he has and the pain he played through his last couple of seasons has taken a toll on his body. In his words he just got "fed up". Johnson is the 2nd high profile player from Detroit to retire with years left on his career joining RB Barry Sanders as an early retiree.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2648481-calvin-johnson-reveals-when-he-decided-to-retire-from-nfl

 

Finally, Mike Tannier of Bleacher Report talks about how the NFL continues to make money off the unsuspecting public during the summer. Kind of interesting and funny, but also sort of long, article.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2648716-lunch-and-circuses-how-the-nfl-squeezes-extra-summer-cash-out-of-fans

[eagle eye]

So now Andrew Luck is the highest paid football player in history. He agree to a deal that will pay him $140MM over six years with $87MM guaranteed. That's a lot of money for a guy who has a tendency to turn the ball over. Luck missed 9 games due to a variety of injuries last year including a lacerated kidney. To say he won't be rested would be wrong and between missing a lot of 2015 and this new contract you'd expect Luck to be rarin' to go when training camp starts.

 

I'm not sure how I missed it but NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah began a series called "First Look" previewing some of college football's top talent heading toward the 2016 season. In this installment he takes a look at Alabama LB Tim Williams. I wonder if Jeremiah has heard of Kade Harrington? As the days pass I'll catch up on the previous players he profiled but for starters Williams isn't a bad place to start.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000671481/article/first-look-scouting-alabama-olb-tim-williams

[eagle eye]

To continue the "First Look" series by NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah today he takes a look at USC senior WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000670606/article/first-look-scouting-usc-wr-juju-smithschuster

 

You know it's a slow time on the NFL news beat when the marquee headline on NFL.com is player reactions to Kevin Durant's signing by the Golden State Warriors. Coaches and GMs across the NFL are tickled to death that the biggest news in the NFL is a basketball story. That means their players haven't done anything stupid -- yet. You talk about coaches getting ulcers but I believe they are chugging antacid tablets like M&Ms in the time between the final summer practices and training camp. This is the time when the ultimate control freaks have absolutely no control whatsoever over their players. Their young, virile, immature, testosterone infused players with no outlet for their adrenalin are left without a father figure to keep them from doing something incredibly stupid as it relates to their NFL careers. I'll bet coaches reach for tums the Maalox or a similar antacid relief medicine on a daily basis.

 

The NFL supplemental draft is coming up on July 14th. The supplemental draft is historically meant for players who declare late or have missed time in college due to disciplinary problems and/or other issues. Last year Clemson OL Isaiah Battle was selected in the 5th round of the supplemental draft and he was the only player selected. Battle was also the first player selected in the supplemental draft since 2012. The first link below is NFL.com's list of the 6 top players available in the supplemental draft. The second link below lists the top players selected in the supplemental draft over the years.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000672751/article/six-players-eligible-for-selection-in-2016-nfl-supplemental-draft

 

http://www.nfl.com/photos/0ap1000000217328

 

It's a new day and age isn't it? Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell released a rap song he made on this twitter account over the weekend that covered a lot of issues but it also gives him a platform to tell the Steelers and the world what kind of salary he is looking for. Check out this link from NFL.com about Bell's rap career.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000672954/article/leveon-bell-hints-steelers-know-his-worth-in-rap-lyrics

[eagle eye]

There has been some bad news come up. One is a tragic accident and the other has got to be classified as just dumb.

First former Iowa and Buffalo Bills O-lineman Kyle Calloway was killed when he was hit by a train while he was jogging in his home town of Tucson Arizona. Calloway was an All Big 10 lineman at Iowa and he was drafted in the 10th round of the 2010 draft by Buffalo. He never made an NFL roster, he was released in training camp by the Bills his rookie year and he signed with Baltimore the following year and appeared in two preseason games before being cut. Calloway's father told reporters that his son was out jogging by the tracks which is what he did for exercise. It had rained the day before and he jumped back and forth on and off the tracks to avoid muddy conditions. It sounds to me like Calloway may have slipped and fallen down because of his muddy shoes and couldn't get out of the way of the train quickly enough. At any rate it is a shame, Calloway was just 29 years old.

The knuckleheads club may have a new member. I said "may have" because the whole story has yet to come out. In San Bernardino California Tampa Bay OL Dominique Robertson was shot twice in the leg but Sheriff's deputy, Olivia Bozek, reported he has injuries to his back, buttocks and leg. Police have been unable to find any evidence of a crime scene in the area where Robertson says he was shot and no witnesses or reports of gunfire at the time of the shooting have been found. Robertson was signed as an undrafted free agent in May by the Bucs so he has only gone through OTA's and mini camp with the team so far in his pro career. This is definitely a setback for him. Thankfully, the wounds are not significant and he was treated and released from Loma Linda Hospital. All this took place on Monday July 4th. Police are still investigating the matter and they report there are no suspects in the case as yet.

 

Last season in Week 8 Seattle was playing the Dallas Cowboys. WR Ricardo Lockette was on the punt coverage team and on play he had participated in a thousand times he pushed off a block and bam, Cowboys safety Jeff Heath crashed into him leaving him motionless and conscious and scared on the field of play. Lockette retired in May because of that hit and he is thankful he has a second chance at life because lying on that field he wasn't sure he would have any second chance. Check out the link to the article from NFL.com that includes a rather chilling blow by blow account of the injury that forced him to retire. At the end of the article there is a link to his retirement message that is equally as powerful as the article.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000673036/article/ricardo-lockette-thankful-for-another-chance-after-hit

[eagle eye]

In today's installment of NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah series "First Look" he profiles Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey. Want to feel old? Christian is the middle son of former Stanford and Denver Bronco great WR Ed McCaffrey.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000668945/article/first-look-scouting-stanford-rb-christian-mccaffrey

 

In NFL.com's annual top 100 players in the NFL the guy at No 1 is Carolina's Cam Newton. I don't know why I mention this because I don't care about this list because I rarely agree with the rankings. It's just a popularity contest in some respects and I think it's just something for a conversation that doesn't mean anything. So, there it is. Cam is number one. Wake me up when training camp starts.

[eagle eye]

Today's "First Look" from NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah focuses on Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000673227/article/first-look-scouting-florida-cb-jalen-tabor

 

Wide receivers are such divas. No other position do you have to put with the phrase "I need the ball more" or some variation of that old song and dance. Yesterday on NFL.com 34 year old Roddy White complains that if Atlanta had used him right the Falcons would have made the playoffs. Really? REALLY? C'mon Roddy you are over the hill in WR years and you are just trolling for a job since the Falcons cut ties with you during the offseason. The fact you don't have a job yet speaks volumes about what you showed on tape from last season. Even the Patriots who are notorious for recycling WR's did come calling. Roddy, you were a fantasy football gold mine for 8 years but the ride is over. You are just not the same dynamic receiver you once were. The only contest nobody wins is against father time and, in your case, he's won again.

[eagle eye]

It has been a quiet last few weeks as the player vacation time between the end of mini camp and the start of training camp. In years past there has been a lot more incidents of players getting into trouble for one reason or another. This summer it has been pretty uneventful. The start of training camp is still around 2-1/2 to 3 weeks away depending on the team so it's not time to relax and think everything will be okay but, so far at least, the fellas have been doing a good job of staying out of trouble.

 

The following link comes from NFL.com and focuses on some of the reasons why Calvin Johnson retired. He has said before he just got tired of aches and pain of playing for so many years. In the article he talks about the fact that Detroit was not, and probably won't, be a contender for a championship. Why suffer for no good reason seems to be the message there. Johnson has also talked about the easy access to pain killers and how they were given out without any hassles because coaches want to keep the players on the field. At the opposite end of the spectrum a player smokes weed for whatever reason, I will never believe it is strictly for pain management, and they are criticized, fined and suspended. In the words of Nick Nolte's character in the 1979 movie "North Dallas Forty" when the owners and head coach were firing Nolte's character because he was seen smoking marijuana, "....hell, they gave me stronger drugs just to get on the field in Chicago." comes to mind. I think there has always been more than a little bit of hypocrisy when it comes to drugs and the NFL. I call the guys who are ruining their NFL careers by doing banned substances knuckleheads but the fact is they are given stronger stuff to manage pain or to jack them up for games. It's kind of like you parents telling you smoking is bad for you as they puff away on a cigarette. 'Do as I say not as I do' seems to be a mantra the NFL abides by. Oh well.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000673670/article/megatron-lions-struggles-factored-into-retirement

 

In today's "First Look" Daniel Jeremiah profiles LSU RB Leonard Fournette.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000666981/article/first-look-scouting-lsu-rb-leonard-fournette

 

BTW, did you ever wonder what makes Daniel Jeremiah such and "expert". I did so I looked him up and he is more than just another talking head. Seems like he was a starting QB in college at Northeastern Louisiana in 1997 and at Appalachian State for three years, 1998 through 2000. He worked as a college scout for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles until he was hired by NFL.com/NFL Network in 2012. As many of you know Northeastern LA is now called Louisiana-Monroe University and is a member of the Sun Belt. When Jeremiah went to NE LA they were a division I-A school but they played as an independent. They didn't join the Sun Belt until 2001.

[eagle eye]

Daniel Jeremiah likes him some Alabama players. Today's "First Look" feature the second player from 'Bama he has profiled. He takes a look at the Crimson Tide's DL Jonathan Allen.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000669642/article/first-look-scouting-alabama-dl-jonathan-allen

 

For the second time in two weeks NFL.com's biggest story was about basketball. This time it was player reaction to the retirement of San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan. Duncan was the epitome of class during his 19 year career which included 15 All Star games and 5 NBA Championships. For a guy who always kept low key NFL players recognize Duncan as one the best players in NBA history as well he should be.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000673904/article/nfl-players-pay-tribute-to-tim-duncans-career

 

Still no negative news from the players on vacation. Way to go guys, keep up the good non-work!

[eagle eye]

With college football right around the corner I think the "First Look" series previewing some of the top college players heading into the season is very appropriate. It's a bit of crumb to hang on to while we wait for football to start again. I was driving to work this morning and the thermometer in my truck indicated it was 85⁰ outside at 5:30 AM. I hate SE Texas summers. So dreaming about fall occupies my mind -- a lot. I want to catch up on some players the writer of the articles, Daniel Jeremiah has profiled.

 

First is Clemson QB DeShaun Watson: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000666358/article/first-look-scouting-clemson-qb-deshaun-watson

 

Next up is Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000667897/article/first-look-scouting-texas-am-de-myles-garrett

 

Last but not least is Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000672962/article/first-look-scouting-ole-miss-qb-chad-kelly

 

Cleveland can't catch a break and head coach Hue Jackson's job of rebuilding the roster just got harder. Browns DE Desmond Bryant tore a pec muscle lifting weights yesterday and he had surgery to repair the tear on Tuesday. The surgery went well but he is scheduled to miss 4-6 months and he could miss the entire season. Bryant led the Browns with 6 sacks last year and until now he has started all 41 games he has appeared in over the last 3 seasons. You kind of feel bad for Cleveland because they have way more than their fair share of problems in the last decade. Maybe with the Cavaliers NBA Championship it really will break the Cleveland Curse. The city's baseball team is doing damn good but they still have to play the second half of the season. But they are leading their division by 6.5 games and own the 2nd best record in the AL so their prospects of making the post season look pretty good. Now all the city and its fans need is to hear some kind of pulse from the Browns. Ironically it was the Browns who last won a championship for Cleveland way back in 1964 until the Cavs won a month ago. That would be 52 of frustration broken at long last. Maybe it's Cleveland's time to shine.

 

You'd think Cleveland would catch a friggin' break but yesterday the proverbial shit hit the fan again. Browns RB Isaiah Crowell posted a drawing on his Twitter account depicting a hooded man with a machete to the throat of a fallen police officer. Crowell posted the offensive image in response to the killings of two black men by police officers in separate incidents in Louisiana and Wisconsin. It also occurred after 5 Dallas police officers were killed by a sniper as they were providing security for a peaceful protest march by black people who were marching for the "Black Lives Matter" event that took place in Dallas and many other cities across the nation. Crowell's post was stupid and disrespectful of the police officers who were protecting people exercising their right to protest. The two men who were killed that sparked the nation wide protest marches have been shown to be felons and not the innocent victims that they were first depicted as being. The point here is social media is a good thing at times but it is also a forum for people to do and say stupid things and in Crowell's case he may never recover from his version of stupidity. He's apologized for the post and it has been taken down but the damage has been done and the Browns are saying an apology isn't enough. Check out the article from ESPN with an accompanying video about the Crowell incident.

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/17041805/cleveland-browns-rb-isaiah-crowell-donate-game-check-fallen-police-officers

 

I don't understand why a story about the NFL would be associated with a network like Al Jazeera but when the new outlet put out that Peyton Manning and several other NFL players were guilty of PED use makes you wonder what the agenda was behind that article. In this paranoid society we live in you wonder why a middle eastern news agency would care about Peyton Manning. Manning is retired now and beyond the ken of the NFL investigation of the allegations made via Al Jazeera but it hasn't stopped the NFL from investigating the other players still active in the NFL. In the link below NFL.com reports that Steelers LB James Harrison sent an affidavit via the NFL Players Association to the NFL league office denying PED use. Harrison was one of the players named in the Al Jazeera article.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000674111/article/james-harrison-denies-ped-allegations-in-sworn-affidavit

[eagle eye]

The deflate-gate saga is almost over. Earlier this week the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals refused Tom Brady's request that the whole panel to hear his appeal of his suspension by the NFL. The last recourse Brady has now is to hope the US Supreme Court will hear his case. The prevailing opinion is Brady has no shot of the Supreme Court hearing the case and he will have to serve his 4 game suspension to begin this coming season. I feel bad for Brady. Whether you believe he's innocent or not this whole case has been a travesty. What it really comes down to is New England was charged with equipment tampering which, prior to this deflate-gate incident, was never given more than a $10K fine. Brady will have to miss four games and the four game checks that go with it. That amounts to $235,294 dollars. It could have been worse but Brady and the Patriots restructured his deal for 2016 that will end up saving Brady $2MM dollars. Brady and Robert Kraft screwed the NFL out of a lot of money but what if they didn't? The loss of pay would have been around 2-1/4 million dollars and that is a helluva fine for equipment tampering. The thing that has driven Brady in this whole process is his belief this punishment is, in effect, questioning his integrity and it wasn't something Brady was going to let go unchallenged. He will apparently lose his battle but I think the NFL lost even more. Roger Goodell is a megalomaniac and he obviously had a vendetta against the Patriots because the team suffered a million dollar fine and they lost their first round draft pick this over this affair. The Pats also will not have a 4th round pick in 2017. All this for an incident that had a previous max of a 10K fine. Pats owner Robert Kraft accepted the punishment levied by the NFL league office with the understanding that they would back off of Tom Brady. Apparently, Goodell lied to Kraft which pissed Kraft off. You can bet Kraft is planning payback to this over officious jerk. In just about every incidence in the last 2 years Goodell and the NFL have looked either stupid or clueless or both. Is it totally wrong to hope Goodell and his bitch Dean Blandino get hit by a truck? Maybe but it is what it is.

 

It looks like the long time receiver Anquan Bolden will have a job this year after he was not resigned by the 49ers this off season. Bolden is 35 years old but he was still productive for the Niners last season. Bolden may be one of those guys who is a physical freak enough to play past where most guys hang it up. Last year Bolden caught 69 balls for 789 yards for an 11.4 YPC average. He is definitely a person who will benefit from the wide open Saints offense. Oh, I didn't mention the Saints have made an offer to Bolden. Sorry about that but the Saints are being reported as the front runners for Bolden's services.

 

The Broncos have upped the ante in negotiations with its star LB Von Miller. It is being reported that Denver increased their offer of a long term deal to Miller to include $70MM in guaranteed money. The general feeling on ESPN is that Miller will agree to this new offer no later than this afternoon because he's getting what he wanted and he no longer has any reason left to delay signing a deal with the Broncos.

 

No players were selected in the NFL Supplemental Draft again this season. The supplemental draft is a crap shoot that asks the drafting team to sacrifice their 2017 draft choice in the round they select the player in the supplemental draft. The reason is most of the players who are in the supplemental draft are players that have some kind of baggage. The kicker is if a team wants to sign a player eligible for the supplemental draft can just wait until after the draft and sign him without losing a draft choice. This supplemental draft has become a stupid and pointless system. It needs to be revised or done away with.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000674477/article/no-players-were-selected-in-nfl-supplemental-draft

 

Daniel Jeremiah's "First Look" series profiling the best of the college football players continues today with two more selections.

 

Missouri DE Charles Harris: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000674402/article/first-look-scouting-missouri-de-charles-harris

 

Yet another Alabama player TE OJ Howard: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000673957/article/first-look-scouting-alabama-te-oj-howard

[eagle eye]

Tom Brady announced that he will cease pursuing legal action in relation to his 4 game suspension because of the deflate-gate mess. The only recourse he had left legally was to hope the US Supreme Court would hear the case and that was considered a one in a million shot in the dark. All that remains from the deflate-gate saga is the actual suspension of the first 4 games of the upcoming season. I really hate that Roger Goodell and the NFL have won this overblown piece of crap. If the Patriots were guilty of tampering with the footballs in the playoff game against Indianapolis then the league office should have given the team the previous max fine of $10K and been done with it but Goodell went bat-crap crazy in an obvious vendetta against the Patriots and in the name of defending the "integrity of the game" they took away 2 draft picks from the Patriots and fined them $1MM. The penalty levied on Brady was ridiculous. 4 games with no only means they steal that time from his career but the monetary loss of those 4 game checks. It sucks big time that the punishment so does not fit the crime. No matter the outcome of the legal proceedings the NFL and Goodell lost big time. Think Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn't upset over this whole debacle? Check out this quote from Kraft from NFL.com---Brady and the Pats: With Brady resigned to accepting his ban, Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued a biting press release slamming the NFL's "unprecedented, unjust and unreasonable" punishment in the Deflategate debacle, saying: "What Tom has had to endure throughout this 18-month ordeal has been, in my opinion, as far removed from due process as you could ever expect in this country." Amen Bob, amen.

 

Former Lions RB Javid Best will be going to Rio to represent the tiny island nation of St Lucia in the Olympics. He will compete on their track team. Best had a snake bit career in the NFL with recurring concussions dogging his every step as he only lasted 2 seasons. Best's father is from St Lucia and Best holds dual citizenship. Best will run the 100 meters after posting a qualifying time of 10.16 seconds.

 

The 49ers got bad news yesterday as LB Aaron Lynch will be suspended because he failed a drug test and under the NFL substance abuse program he will miss the first 4 games of the upcoming season. We just couldn't make the whole vacation period without something like this happening. Still it has been a quiet summer and teams should be grateful for that.

 

The NFL deadline for players to get a long term deal from their respective teams or play under the franchise tag designation they were tagged with earlier this year. Some, like Von Miller of Denver and Mohammed Wilkerson of the NY Jets got a new long term deal before the Friday deadline. In the link below NFL.com looks at the winners and losers in the franchise player sweepstakes.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675161/article/winners-and-losers-from-frantic-franchise-tag-friday

[eagle eye]

The top remaining free agents still available seem to be QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and RB Arian Foster. Fitz has been dueling with the Jets over a long term deal all offseason with no apparent end in sight. All the Jets have for QB is Geno Smith, 2nd year QB Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg. Personally, I wouldn't want Geno Smith unless I needed a waterboy. I wouldn't even want him as a veteran mentor to Petty and Hackenberg. You have to feel like Jet head coach Todd Boles wants to win so he doesn't get fired so one side of the other is going to give in and the deal will get done IMO. As for Foster, he tore his Achilles tendon early last year and he's been cleared to work out. He was scheduled for a workout with the Dolphins and the Lions this week. I'd like to see AF get a job but he's turning the big 3-0 and he may not get the money he would like.

 

Ass-munch Dean Blandino has tried yet again to define the catch rule. He failed again and his explanation isn't a clarification of the most ambiguous rule in football it probably goes a long way to piss off teams and fans alike as he said if it's a bang-bang play or if there's any doubt the refs should rule it an incomplete pass. I think I am officially going to name Blandino Captain Dumbass from here on out.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675298/article/dean-blandino-offers-some-clarity-on-nfl-catch-rule

 

The Buffalo Bills are said to be going to make an offer to RB Reggie Bush. The Bills offensive backfield is trying to live up to it's name--offensive. LeSean McCoy had legal issues with an assault charge that recently got thrown out of court. Karlos Williams, who filled in so admirably for McCoy when he was out injured last season, will miss the first 4 games of the season due to substance abuse issues and last week rookie RB Jonathan Williams, Buffalo's 5th round pick in this year's draft out of Arkansas, was arrested last week on suspicion of DUI. The last word has not been uttered in this incident as yet. That is why Reggie Bush is drawing interest from the Bills front office. Even at 31 Bush has value and at least, unless he's hurt, he's on the field and not screwing up off it.

 

Last season Pittsburgh RB Le'Veon Bell was lost for the season due to a torn ACL and in his place DeAngelo Williams had a great season, his best in a while, running for Bell. So, as you might expect the talk is Bell and Williams will share carries. That almost never works out for fantasy players with one poaching touches and TDs from the other. Unless of course you are talking about Chris Johnson gaining 2,000 yards and LenDale White getting most of the TD's. Then again it could be just a lot of hot air.

[eagle eye]

Here is a guy to watch this season and he plays in our relatively own back yard at Texas A&M. That guy is Myles Garrett and he's already got me wishing Dallas or Houston could figure out a way to draft the guy and he has still got this coming season in college to play. The guy he gets compared to more than anyone is 2014 No 1 pick in the NFL Draft Jadeveon Clowney and according to the article from Bleacher Report Garrett has way more upside than Clowney. Are You Kidding Me? Yep, I will be keeping an eye on College Station this fall.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2652678-why-myles-garrett-is-a-better-nfl-draft-prospect-than-jadeveon-clowney

 

Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston has lost 20 pounds heading into training camp. Winston has taken off the weight as part of an overall effort to get better in his 2nd season leading the Bucs offense. The instagram videos in the article show his dedication is paying off.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675667/article/jameis-winston-loses-20-pounds-ahead-of-bucs-camp

 

Even though Redskins QB Kirk Cousins led the team to the first division title in a while as well as making RGIII expendable the Redskins wouldn't give Cousins a long term deal in the offseason. The did place the franchise player tag on him mean he will get a one year deal paying him the average of the top 5 salaries at his position. What that means is Cousins will get in the neighborhood of 20MM bucks and the Redskins get another year to see if Cousins' 2015 was real or a fluke.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675573/article/redskins-gm-i-wanted-to-sign-kirk-cousins-to-contract

 

The Big Twelve Conference has unanimously agree to explore expansion. This is not big news! It only makes sense because the Big 12 was overlooked in the polls last season because they didn't have a conference championship game. The reason why they didn't have championship game is because there aren't enough teams to warrant one. There are several candidates in the discussion of expansion according the article linked below but the ones that make the most sense to me are BYU, Houston and Colorado State, maybe Cincinnati because of geographical proximity but that doesn't seem to matter to a conference that already has West Virginia in it. UCF, Memphis and UConn are also in the discussion. Heck, bring back SMU and Houston you'd almost have the whole of the old Southwest Conference back together. All you'd need is for Arkansas to defect from the SEC (like that's going to happen) and you'd have the SWC plus remnants of the old Big 8 Conference and West Virginia to fill out the Big 12 roster. You can only dream I guess.

 

Almost the whole of the Miami Dolphins 2013 draft was a bust. It was an almost historically bad draft for them with the most disappointing player of the draft had to be the Dolphins 1 round pick, No 3 overall, Dion Jordan had a decent 2013 but he missed 4 game due to suspension for substance abuse and all of 2015 for the same reason. It is reported that Jordan is a new man and he's in incredible shape but the fact is he is still waiting for the NFL to reinstate him. His new-found dedication is commendable but he will need the NFL league office to decide if they can allow him to try to redeem himself to the NFL and the Dolphins.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675641/article/big-12-conference-unanimously-agrees-to-explore-expansion