2016 NFL Off Season

[eagle eye]

Troubled Cleveland WR Josh Gordon met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday to discuss his reinstatement to the NFL. Gordon missed all of the 2015 season and big chunks of the 2013 and 2014 seasons because of suspensions related to substance abuse. In typical Goodell fashion it is being reported that Gordon will not hear anything from Goodell before the start of the upcoming season. That's totally fair to Gordon--no training camp, no work with his team, no getting in NFL shape guided by an NFL training staff. Seems ol' Rog is setting Gordon up to be injured if and when he does come back. Thank you Mr Goodell. Gordon is his own worst enemy but it's not fair at all to leave him hanging. He either needs to tell the man he can play again or tell him he will not be reinstated this season. Either way, at least Gordon will know where he stands.

 

Greg Hardy worked out and interviewed with the Jacksonville Jags the past couple of days. Hardy was not signed by the Jags and no word at all really from either side as to whether he may have impressed enough to get a job. Since the Cowboys cut bait with Hardy after the end of the 2015 season Hardy has been a persona non grata to teams around the NFL. To be honest, without knowing anything about the circumstances around his visit to Jacksonville, I would guess Hardy's agent knew a guy who owed him a favor and that's how Hardy got the look-see from the Jags. Nobody wants to touch this guy and he's been trying to do damage control this entire offseason. After Dallas took a massive PR kick in the groin to sign Hardy and the way he repaid the Cowboys willingness to take a chance on him by being a total ass hat on and off the field the NFL saw all they needed to see from this guy. I would be surprised as heck if he plays this season or ever again.

 

Another guy trying to overcome his tarnished image is Ray Rice. He was quoted as saying he would donate all of his salary for 2015 to a battered wives charity if somebody would just give him a chance at making an NFL roster. Personally, I would be more inclined to give Rice another chance. The guy never got into trouble until the incident in the Atlantic City elevator when he decked his then-fiancée and current wife Janay in the middle of an argument the couple was having. The video was pretty doggone damning but his actions since have all been positive and he has expressed genuine regret over the issue. He deserves another chance but the trouble is he's been out of football for two years and he's got to be rusty. The fact is though, Rice is just 29 and because he hasn't had the wear and tear on his body for two years likely means he's still got 3-4 years of prime football left in him. I wouldn't piss on Greg Hardy if he was on fire but I believe Ray Rice deserves another chance in the NFL.

 

I got tired of looking at Alabama players Daniel Jeremiah was profiling in his "First Look" series. There are over 100 Div-I schools and a lot of them have a player worth looking at. Yeah Alabama is great, rah-rah. Finally, he moved on to other schools and other players. In this First Look Jeremiah profiles Ohio State LB Raekwon McMillan. Tired of THE Ohio State University too? I get it but Jere has profiled no less than 4 players from 'Bama and no more than 1 from any other school including OSU.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675776/article/first-look-scouting-ohio-state-lb-raekwon-mcmillan

[eagle eye]

Some news that is good, some that is bad and, of course, the NFL knucklehead's Club is represented too.

 

> Everybody's favorite flex player in fantasy a few years back was released by the Atlanta Falcons. Devon Hester got famous in the NFL and in fantasy circles as a member of the Chicago Bears primarily as a kick returner and some as a wide receiver. We'll see if he catches on with another team but he's now reached the ripe old age of 33 it may be hard for an aging kick returner/WR who has lost a step.

 

> The family of Rams RB Trey Mason is worried about his mental health. The article linked below with explain the issue but they never really venture a guess why his personality seems to have changed. If I had a guess he's been doing drugs. It sounds to lame to say it like this but it would totally explain his behavior. You have wonder when the last time Mason underwent a drug screening. The bottom line is, I hope he finds out what is wrong and gets help. As for the Rams? They haven't had to depend on Mason much since they drafted Todd Gurley last year. I hope Mason gets some help and gets his life straightened out. That IS the most important thing, after all.

 

> NFLKHC - Le'Veon Bell is being suspended 4 games this season because he missed is scheduled drug test. The whole deal is under appeal and Bell says he missed the drug test because he got a new phone number and he didn't know about the test. I would think the NFL would point out to Bell his obligation to let the team and the league know his new phone number for just this sort of thing. It's possible for Bell to get his suspension reduced but it probably won't go away. This hurts the Steelers but Bell missed most of last season because of a torn MCL and PCL. That was after he served a 4 game suspension for an incident where he was arrested with then-teammate LeGarrette Blount in August of 2014 for a DUI charge. The Steelers also have one of their top 3 WR's Martavis Bryant suspended 4 games for substance abuse. Knuckleheads.

 

> NFLKHC 2 - Josh Gordon got reinstated to play football again in the 2016 season. It wasn't until after he got another kick in the pants from the NFL league office. They suspended Gordon the first 4 games of the NFL season because they figured missing the whole of 2015 wasn't enough punishment. At least the NFL said he can participate in training camp. You wonder just how much Gordon may have lose missing out on a whole year of football? It may be one of the best pieced of news new Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson has gotten since he became coach earlier this year because when Gordon is on the field he can be a dynamic player and Cleveland is in a bit of short supply of those right now. Next time Gordon gets busted in a drug test his career is over. I hope he's aware of just how thin the ice is where he's walking.

 

> Instead of doing anything to alleviate head trauma and concussion issues the NFL has just made their non-compliance with concussion protocols more strict. Ooo-rah.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2654006-nfl-nflpa-announce-new-policy-to-enforce-leagues-concussion-protocol

 

> Washington LB Junior Galette will miss the entire season because of a torn Achilles tendon. The most tragic part of the story is this will be the 2nd year in a row he's missed for the same reason although it's not the same leg. Achilles tears hurt like heck and the rehab is long and arduous and you wouldn't wish that on anyone once much less twice.

 

> 3rd pick in the draft, Joey Bosa is one of 3 players drafted this spring that have yet to sign a contract. According to a San Diego rep it's not about money, money is negotiable. It's some of the language in his contract that Bosa apparently has issues with. With training camps beginning this week you wonder if Bosa and the other two who haven't signed their contracts yet LB Darron Lee of the Jets and OG Josh Garnette of the 49ers will be available for the start of training camp. Since the rookie salary cap was introduced in 2011 there have not been any holdouts. This could change in 2016.

 

> NFLKHC 3 - S Taylor Mays formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals already had a 4 game suspension going into this season for substance abuse which was handed down in March. This is no coincidence, the Bengals released Mays after learning of his suspension. Well, it's gotten worse for Mays as he's looking at further action by the NFL because he failed another drug test and further punishment is warranted by the NFL. His four game suspension could turn into a 10 game suspension or, if the NFL wants to play hardball, they give a 10 games suspension to be served AFTER the he sits out his current 4 game suspension.

 

> NFLKHC 4 - Colts DL Arthur Jones has issued an apology for his 4 game suspension for PED use. Jones missed all of the 2015 season because of an ankle injury and now the first games of this season will be missed as well. Jones was drafted in 2010 by the Ravens and he spent his first 4 years in Baltimore. In 2014 Jones signed a 5 year $33 MM contract and he's only played nine games for the Colts since. Talk about no bang for your bucks. He will have to wait until October to play and the Colts need him as they had the 8th worst rushing defense in the NFL allowing more than 120 YPG.

 

> The NFL has concluded it investigation into the Al-Jazeera allegations that Peyton Manning was guilty of PED use and they have decided there is no evidence Manning used PED's to speed his rehab from neck surgery or to maintain his health playing in the NFL. This is a good thing but I'm disappointed this wasn't a big headline like the original accusation was. News stories in days past were subject to a certain level of journalistic integrity that said you don't publish anything until you can corroborate your facts. In the last decade or so that tried and true rule of good journalism has been replaced by TMZ tabloid-like reporting of just throw something out there and see if it sticks. Under this style of news (?) you just have to accuse someone and it doesn't seem to need facts or evidence to support it. Scoop the other guy and print a retraction if necessary. At one time the news was called the Fourth Estate. Big brother watching out for all of us by reporting the truth with facts and figures to back it up. It was respected but now I don't know if the media has that respect any more. When I hear Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" it makes me mad enough to want to break things because that song is even more true now than when it was released 34 years ago. At one time the most trusted man in America was a CBS reporter named Walter Cronkite. His declaration at the end of his report on the Tet Offensive on January 30, 1968 that the US could not win the war in Viet Nam was a death knell to Lyndon Johnson's presidency. It was said that when even Walter Cronkite doesn't think we can win all is lost. Later that year the assignation of Martin Luther King was the final straw. In a year that saw the Tet offensive and murder's of King and Democratic candidate Robert F Kennedy it was probably the most tumultuous time in the US since Bobby's brother John F Kennedy was murdered in Dallas in 1964. Such was the power of a man with integrity in the media like Cronkite. Now, it seems, the media is full of a bunch of pretty boys and prettier girls who are only talking heads. Dirty Laundry indeed.

[eagle eye]

After going 5 weeks without a misstep the flood gates are open to the NFLKHC members. I listed a half dozen instances for lunatic behavior yesterday and darned if there aren't more knuckleheads are coming out of the woodwork and all this is just days before training camp.

 

Philadelphia LB Nigel Bradham was arrested yesterday for assault and battery at a MIAMI hotel. Check this quote out from NFL.com: According to a Miami Beach Police Department arrest report, Bradham got into a verbal altercation with an individual working at the Hilton Bentley South Beach hotel on Thursday. He then allegedly punched the individual "without provocation" in the nose with his closed fist, causing the victim to fall to the ground. Other members of Bradham's group then joined in on the attack before fleeing the scene with Bradham, the report states. So, Bradham and his crew went full on gansta on some poor schmuck at a 5 star hotel in South Beach. Eagles training camp begins today and it's not really known if he will be able to attend. Bradham and his crew need to go to jail not training camp.

 

With the fourth installment of the Bourne series coming out soon Matt Damon is making the media rounds to promote the film. Damon is also from Boston and he is undoubtedly a Patriots fan. On the Rich Eisen show he commented on the recent f-bomb laced tirade his friend Ben Affleck had on the HBO sports talk show hosted by Bill Simmons about the whole deflate-gate thing. Damon said his friend is passionate as are all Boston fans, "Boston fans, we're a little crazy, and we take this stuff very seriously. And particularly, this thing with Tom has been going on for a long time. It's just the slipshod way that they were measuring these footballs to begin with. Damon was more laid back concerning deflate-gate than Affleck taking this stance, "I actually look at it the other way," Damon replied. "That Tom's going to be pissed. And him pissed is a good thing for the New England Patriots' faithful. We love seeing him like that. Because he's as focused a human being as I've met anyway."

 

Here's a link to the youtube video of Affleck's rant on Bill Simmon's show Any Given Wednesday. I have to say, I don't disagree with anything Affleck had to say I disagree with anything he said.

 

[eagle eye]

There are several teams who have begun training camp already like New England, Green Bay and Indianapolis. Others like Philadelphia begin TC today. So, I guess you could say 2016 football is underway! That is a good thing.

 

The Jets will begin training camp with their starting QB back in fold. The Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick agreed to terms on a 1 year $12MM contract with another $3MM he could earn in incentives. All the drama surrounding the pissing contest between the Jets and Fitz ended yesterday with the Jets admitting they wanted Fitz back after he led them to a 10-6 record just missing out on the playoffs last season. Unfortunately, for the Jets Week 17 could have vaulted them into the playoffs with a win but the Jets picked that day to suck. Mohammed Wilkerson, who was just resigned to a big contract recently, broke his leg. Darrelle Revis was punked all game by Sammy Watkins and Fitz threw 3 picks in the final 10:43 of the game. Losing to Rex Ryan and the Bills was just have salt rubbed into the wound of losing out on the chance to go to the playoffs. Despite all the trouble the Jets had they still only lost by a score of 22-17. One TD away from the tournament. Had to sting. Now the whole cast is back and ready to get over the hump and make the playoffs.

 

Nick Foles asked for and was given his outright release by the LA Rams yesterday. You kind of wonder about the timing of this move as it is right before training camp but it gives Foles a good chance to sign with another team. I know the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of uncertainty at backup QB with Kellen Moore and rookie draft pick Dak Prescott and the wildcard of the group Jameille Showers. A guy like Foles who does have some skills might be a nice fit in Dallas. I would feel a lot better about the QB situation with Foles backing up Romo as Dak Prescott learns the pro game.

 

Speaking of the Jets, the team has finally come to terms with and has finally signed a contract with their first round pick LB Darron Lee. Lee was the 20th pick in this year's draft. His signing means only 2 first round picks are left that haven't signed their contracts. The 49ers Joshua Garnett and the Chargers Joey Bosa are the only ones left of the first rounders not to sign. An encouraging thing is all three of these players have the same agent, Creative Artists Agency, which may be a good sign they will be signed soon.

 

Hall of Fame DL and current NFL Channel on-air personality Warren Sapp was bitten by a 4' nurse shark while lobster fishing in the Florida Keys. He is the first Hall of Famer to survive a shark attack. That's the opening line of the article linked below from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000677220/article/warren-sapp-bitten-by-shark-during-fishing-trip

 

Here is an injury roundup from around the NFL including News that Port Arthur's Jamaal Charles will begin training camp on the PUP list as he is still recovering from ACL surgery last October. The Chiefs are in good shape at RB with Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware on the roster. The Chiefs will also begin camp without S Eric Berry and LB Justin Houston who are on the PUP list as well.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000677058/article/injury-roundup-chiefs-place-jamaal-charles-on-pup-list

 

Last but not least the Dallas Cowboys woes because of having 3 defensive starters suspended isn't just confined to the field. The NFL is probably going to fine them $250K as teams also have to be responsible for the behavior of their players. That's a real kick in the groin since the team has no control over their players when they are not at the team facility. It won't matter, the Seattle Seahawks were fined the same amount in 2013 with they had six players suspended for PED use over a two year span. The old saying "when it rains it pours" sure is apt in this case.

[eagle eye]

I have been thinking about this for a while now because I have noticed that I am pretty much the only one who posts in this SportsCenter forum. I have hoped to spark discussion and debate both pro and con but it hasn't happened in a while. I never intended this forum to become my own domain. So, I am going to back off from posting in this forum for a while in hopes that all you BRI people will make this a true fan forum again. I appreciate the folks to who have checked out my posts, almost 8,000 views on the 4 pinned threads I have going is pretty awesome and I thank you for giving my ramblings a look. The downside of that is I know you're out there so I'm challenging you all to step up and make this continue to grow. Thanks to Mike and the other administrators for giving us all this opportunity to talk Lamar and sports in general and thanks also for not kicking me off the site because my posts are just too darn long. I'll still be around posting on the Inside the Birdcage forum and I'll be watching SportsCenter to see what comes up. Go Cards and Go BRI!

[eagle eye]

How embarrassing is it to have a major thing like Hall of Fame weekend spoiled because the folks in Canton failed to have the field in good enough shape to play a game without endangering players. All this because the frigging paint on the field made the field unplayable. You have got to be kidding me. Another tic on the anti-Roger Goodell side of the scorecard. Do better NFL. The only group probably not pissed were the players who would have had to play 5 preseason games instead of the 4 everyone else plays.

 

Need some fantasy advice? How about this, Baltimore's Justin Forsett has been really special in practice so far. Forsett ran for over 1,200 yards before breaking his arm late in the season but there is a guy who may have earn split carries with Forsett. That would be Terrence West who is dropping jaws all over Ravens training camp.

 

Oakland WR Amari Cooper had a really nice rookie season before a foot injury slowed him down late last season. He became the first WR in Raiders history to top 1,000 yards as a rookie. That's including the December swoon he had when he only had 20 yards receiving in 3 out of the last 4 games. The Raiders are supposed to be legit contenders for the AFC West this year and large part of that comes from a healthy Amari Cooper. I'm sure fantasy owners weren't happy with his December after riding him for the first 3 months of the season but if you're smart you forgive him and plan to pick him up in your fantasy draft.

 

Nobody wanted to give Tim Tebow a chance in the NFL after he was cut by the NE Patriots a couple of years ago. Not even Canada wanted him. Too bad because Tebow is, by all accounts, a tremendous person and a great friend to have in your corner. That doesn't mean that Tim doesn't have competitive juices still flowing in his veins. The way he's trying to address that is by trying to become a pro BASEBALL player.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000681916/article/exnfl-qb-tim-tebow-plans-to-pursue-baseball-career

[eagle eye]

Beginning tonight we will be able to watch virile young men in skin tight spandex, polyester, leather and plastic padding run around banging into each other for 3 and 1/2 hours. That sounds sort of creepy doesn't it. How about, "There will be football games on starting tonight!!!!" Yeah, much better. The games will be on the NFL Channel and it gives everyone a watered-down version of football. It's not REAL football but it will do until the real thing comes along in September.

 

Here's an injury update from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000682336/article/injuries-julian-edelman-returns-to-patriots-practice

 

Hard Knocks is back on. This year is featuring the LA Rams and that choice of team is a no-brainer, right? High profile team who traded up to get the top pick in the draft in which they selected Cal QB Jared Goff plus the move from St Louis to Los Angeles all make this the obvious choice for the HBO special. As long as you're browsing HBO you might give the series Ballers a try. It stars The Rock as an ex-pro football player trying to transition into being a sports agent. Pretty good show. I suggest you go back on watch season 1 first so you know what's up in season 2. HBO just aired Episode 4 of season 2 the other day.

 

Start doing your research because fantasy drafts will start happening soon!

[eagle eye]

The weekend pretty much went how you might expect. No huge surprises and not really any devastating injuries.

 

The exception to that was this year's 2nd pick in the NFL draft Carson Wentz suffered a hairline crack in one of his ribs. The Eagles are holding him out of practice right now as a precaution and his return isn't known at this time.

 

If you want to know who emerged on fantasy radars here are some names to consider:

 

1. and 1A. DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry combining for Tennessee's new "Thunder and Thunder" running back tandem. They combined for 167 yards rushing and a couple of TDs on just 16 carries.

 

2. Christine Michael has had an epiphany of sorts in his second stint with Seattle and he is making it hard on Thomas Rawls to keep his starting job.

 

3. Melvin Gordon may have had his own epiphany as he looked like a different back from the disappointing one we saw in 2015.

 

These are 4 guys to keep an eye on going in to the 2nd preseason game this weekend. We won't be working on their busts for Canton just yet but they do merit some consideration for a fantasy league.

[eagle eye]

I went back and looked at Carson Wentz' highlights, or lowlights as the case may be, and the poor guy got the crap beaten out of him. The Philly O-line was just awful. Tampa has some nice players but they aren't dominating like they appeared to be against the Eagles. The Eagles backup linemen stink. The most ironic and funniest thing about the story was on the NFL Network had David Carr as part of the discussion of Wentz' first game as a pro. David Carr was ruined in Houston coming out of college by maybe the worst O-line ever in the history of the NFL. Poor David Carr spent more time looking up at NRG Stadium roof than he did looking downfield for receivers. David Carr knows bad lines intimately. Hopefully Saturday night didn't ruin Carson Wentz.

 

Not much coming out of NFL camps except injuries that don't affect much even in fantasy. They suck for the players who are hurt and the teams they play for but if you need an update NFL.com is the place to go.

[eagle eye]

In the spring I posted about how Eddie Lacy rededicated himself after struggling through the 2015 season often being benched in favor of James Starks. I heard they even started calling him FAT Eddie Lacy in Green Bay. So far in preseason he has looked like a different guy. He will always be a big back but he has definitely slimmed down and he looks quicker and faster than he has in a couple of years. Long story short, he could be a real nice pick up in fantasy drafts.

 

More fantasy advice comes out of Cleveland. Yes, I said Cleveland. RGIII is being unleashed by new Browns head coach Hue Jackson and for the second game in a row Griffin has had success throwing the deep ball. It's not just RGIII but Cleveland has resurrected the career of former Ohio State QB Terrell Pryor as a wide receiver. Last night was the 2nd game in a row RGIII has connected on a deep ball to Pryor for a TD. It figures the Browns will being playing catch-up a lot this season meaning the passing game will be front and center for the Browns. As fantasy prospects Griffin and Pryor may not be bad players to pick up. As for the Browns, I'd look for some improvement but there fortunes are tied to future years especially with the draft picks they picked up trading down in this year's draft. If the Browns owner and GM will have some patience the draft pick haul the Brown got in this year's draft should pay big dividends a couple of years down the road. Things could be looking up for the Browns at long last.

 

For the second week in a row Seattle's reborn RB Christine Michael showed he can play. He rushed 10 times for 55 yards and even I can do the math to figure out that a 5.5 YPC average. The Seahawks may have a bruising one-two punch in Michael and Thomas Rawls. But, don't count out rookie RB from Jacksonville State Troymaine Pope who had 10 carries for 86 yards to lead all Seattle RBs. Rawls did not play last night as he is still out rehabbing from a badly broken ankle suffered late last season. The Seahawks GM says he hopes Rawls will be able to play in the 'Hawks 4th preseason game. So, right now it will be the Michael and Pope show in Seattle.

 

The Bengals kicked the crap out of Detroit last night but there isn't much to tell fantasy wise about either team. It's just that the Bengals are just a better team top to bottom than Detroit. I wonder if the Lions regret canning Jim Schwartz a couple of years ago in favor of Jim Caldwell?

 

Tom Brady apparently cut himself with a pair of scissors before the game last night or sometime this week anyway and he sat out the whole game last night as NE faced off against the Chicago Bears. Jimmy Garoppolo played most of the game as did LeGarrett Blount. Blount just has a feel for the Patriots offense and he is definitely a player who should be on fantasy radars. The Patriots big receiver last night was a 2nd year man from Arkansas named AJ Derby a TE of some skill who could be the new and improved (and less homicidal hopefully) Aaron Hernandez. Derby caught 6 balls for 71 yards and a TD to lead all NE receivers. He could be the next big deal to compliment Gronk but I wouldn't count out offseason acquisition Martellus Bennett. Derby weighs in at 255 lbs while Bennett tilts the scales at 275 lbs. Bennett is also a very good blocker which should benefit the Pats running game. I think there is a spot for both TEs but everyone knows if he's healthy Gronk is the man in this offense.

 

Here's an injury roundup from last night's games from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000687200/article/injury-roundup-brett-hundley-suffers-ankle-injury

[eagle eye]

Oh goody, Pittsburgh RB Le'Veon Bell got his suspension reduced from 4 games to 3. How he managed that I don't know since he was being suspended for missing 3 scheduled drug tests. Now people you tell me which is worse, missing 3 drug tests which is tantamount to being guilty of failing 3 drug tests or a QB who refused to give up his phone with all his personal stuff on it to an entity that is notorious for leaking information to the press all part of an investigation about a slightly underinflated football used for a half a game? Well according to the NFL the deflate-gate is more serious than doping. Sounds quite convoluted to me. What this means is you can still draft Bell in fantasy but you'd better have D'Angelo Williams as well.

 

Carson Wentz will resume throwing for the Eagles for the first time since he cracked a rib in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay. He didn't play against the Steelers on Thursday night but he might get a little work in one of the final two preseason games left. It doesn't matter since Wentz will probably sit and learn this season as he is behind starter Sam Bradford and primary backup Chase Daniels in the Eagles depth chart. Despite being the 2nd pick in the draft it was pretty much consensus that Wentz wasn't a day one starter in the NFL. I like Wentz and I think he'll get his shot as soon as next year but I just wish he was on another team. But he's with the Eagles and it's pretty well documented how much I hate the Eagles which also mean I will have a real hard time rooting for Wentz going forward. BTW, he's not a fantasy option for 2016.

 

The San Diego Chargers beat the Arizona Cardinals last night and Cardinals coach Bruce Ariens is pissed off about it. The 19-3 loss at the hands of a Chargers team that didn't have Phillip Rivers on the field the whole game made the old man a little cross. His starters were ineffective, his backups were ineffective and the scrubs sucked too. It doesn't mean that Carson Palmer, David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald shouldn't be on you fantasy radar though.

 

Two things come out of the Cowboys-Dolphins preseason game last night. 1) Tony Romo is fine and should be good to go for the Giants on September 11th and 2) If he isn't it won't be such a bad thing to have Dak Prescott to fall back on. Dallas is deep on the offensive side of the ball. If they can get anything out their defense they will have to be considered legit as Super Bowl contenders in 2016. As for Dak, he's been extremely impressive so far but the whole script changed when the games start to count.

[eagle eye]

I was all in favor of Roger Goodell when he first took over for the previous NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue because he was promising to go hard line on substance abuse. To that regard he has made good on that promise. Some of the players don't like it but the fact is the threat of suspension has not been enough to make knuckleheads refrain from knucklehead behavior. Every single day almost somebody fails a drug test or fails to go to their drug test and it ends up a lot of times in a suspension. To me the NFL should consider a one-and-done policy. Fail 3 drug tests and your suspended 6 games and if you fail any more you are out of football for at least 2 years before you can petition the NFL to be reinstated. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Substance abuse is a whole other issue than domestic violence. A woman, and in some rare cases a man, should not have to live in fear in their own home. Roger Goodell's office has messed up at every turn at handling domestic violence issues beginning with Ray Rice. The NFL suspended Rice one game for knocking out his then-fiancée-and-now-wife in a hotel in Atlantic City. The message was clear, the NFL league office was saying it is more heinous to smoke pot than for a man to coldcock his wife or girlfriend. Four games for substance abuse vs one game for domestic abuse. The fit really hit the shan when the video of "the punch" was released to the public and everyone when bat-crap crazy about the incident. It went from an interesting discussion of how the NFL should be more harsh on domestic violence to a mob rule demand that Ray Rice be hung from the nearest tree. Goodell's office constantly messed up as other issues began to surface and it looked like the Keystone Kops was running the NFL. Then the Tom Brady-Deflate-gate affair and Goodell graduated from incompetent jerk to a full fledged petulant prick. Now, we have yet another domestic violence case this time involving New York Giants kicker Josh Brown. A guy who has received a ONE GAME suspension over a history of domestic abuse. Brown's wife has called the cops on her husband at least 20 times. The guy is wife beater and he will probably do the same to his kids. The incident arose after Brown was accused of domestic abuse and arrested in 2015. The NFL has chosen to ignore the facts and bury its head in the sand. The NY Giants franchise has chosen to stand behind the NFL league office's decision on the matter. Roger Goodell works for all 32 NFL owners and if those owners had any stones they would fire Goodell ASAP. Here's a link from an article from The Bleacher Report that says all this much better than I.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2659183-josh-brown-case-proves-that-the-nfl-learned-all-the-wrong-lessons-from-ray-rice

[eagle eye]

What the hell is up with Joey Bosa? Since the new players agreement was signed in 2011 that put a limit on what rookie draft picks could be paid there hasn't been a holdout of note since. That is until now. Joey Bosa was the Charger pick, #3 overall in this year's draft but he has yet to practice a down for the Bolts. Why? Because he is getting bad advice IMO from his agent. The Chargers pulled their latest offer off the table yesterday and the Chargers President of Football Operations is totally frustrated with Bosa's representation. Check this out from NFL.com..........

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000689877/article/chargers-exec-bosas-stance-absolutely-asinine

 

Bosa's camp is not commenting on what the Chargers are saying in the press but they had better get their heads out of their asses and get their boy into training camp, what's left of it, ASA-friggin'-P! What generally happens when someone holds out? The player gets hurt. It invariably happens and the reason is because he is trying to play catch up for the time he's missed and he's not in NFL practice shape much less game shape. As the article said, Bosa was offered the 2nd most guaranteed money for this season than any other rookie in this draft class and Bosa and his agent doesn't think that's fair? I'm so glad that San Diego took Bosa and took the element of choice away from Dallas because if he had been available I'm sure he would have been in the conversation in the Cowboys war room and Dallas may have to be stuck with this dude.

 

The Jets say the throwing motion of rookie QB Christian Hackenberg is a 'work in progress'. That's not what you want to hear about your 2nd round draft pick. It looks like Hackenberg will be a project QB who will need time to develop. The Jets already have their starter in Ryan Fitzpatrick and the biggest camp battle right now is whether 2nd year player Bryce Petty out of Baylor can bump Geno Smith out of the backup role. After drafting Petty last season it looked like the Jets may have gotten their QB of the future after a really nice career at Baylor so it was puzzling to me just why the Jets drafted Hackenberg. Oh well, that's why the Jets' GM gets the big money I guess.

 

The Patriots have traded C Bryan Stork to the Giants for a 7th round draft pick. Stork was the Pats 2014 4th round draft pick and he's made 17 starts for the Patriots but they were able to get something for a player that is said they were going to cut anyway. The Patriots also let veteran WR, and former Texan, Nate Washington go this week as well. According to NFL.com Stork has had issues controlling his emotions. I think it may be more rightly stated that he has trouble controlling his temper. He was penalized for a headbutt in the AFC title game against the Broncos and he was thrown out of a June mini-camp practice for fighting.

 

The trade by Tennessee of Dorial Green-Beckham to Philadelphia last week was a bit of a shock considering DGB was the Titan's 2nd round pick last year. The Eagles needed a WR and Tennessee needed O-line depth which they got in Dennis Kelly who can play both guard and tackle in exchange. It's been said that the Titans were looking to deal DGB because while he's a hyper talented receiver he has serious questions about his dedication and focus. Maybe a change of scenery will help him. He will get his first game action this weekend and the hope he will help solidify a shaky Eagles WR corps. If he does well in Philly he could be a real fantasy sleeper pick (hint, hint)

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000689697/article/greenbeckham-will-see-firstteam-action-saturday

 

Things haven't gone well for RB Stevan Ridley since he tore his ACL as a member of the Patriots in 2014 and he just hasn't been the same since. He had a lousy year with the Jets last year and yesterday he was cut by the Lions just a few months after signing a one year deal with them.

[eagle eye]

Joey Bosa finally ended his holdout and he signed his rookie contract on Monday. Bosa's deal is worth $25.8 MM and is fully guaranteed over the 4 years of the deal. Because Bosa is a first round pick the Chargers also have a 5th year option they can exercise at the end of the deal. The deal is worth about $2MM less than Jared Goff's deal but Goff only got $18.5 of his $27.9MM guaranteed. Goff was the 1st pick in this year's draft while Bosa was the 3rd player picked. Carson Wentz was the 2nd player drafted this year and his deal was for $26.7MM with a $17MM signing bonus. Bosa got everything he wanted in the holdout. No offset language in the deal and not only that he got his whole contract guaranteed. I cannot believe the Chargers gave in to Bosa to this extent. I'm sure the other owners in the NFL are none to happy with the Chargers either.

 

Okay fantasy nuts there is new sheriff in town and his name is Trevor Siemian and that town is Denver Colorado. The Broncos announced that Siemian will be the starting QB for the Broncos in Week 1 as the young man who was the QB at Northwestern and he was All Big Ten in 2013 and 2014. His college career was cut short when he tore his ACL after starting the first 11 games of the 2014 season. Siemian was the Broncos 7th round draft pick in 2015 but he was buried in the depth chart behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler but he paid his dues and he did get to learn from Manning up close and personal. The Broncos starting job seemed to be Mark Sanchez' since the day he signed a deal with the Broncos in the offseason but he successfully played himself out that gig with his poor play this preseason. Things also didn't look so good for Siemian when Denver traded up to draft Paxton Lynch from Memphis. It apparently didn't matter to Siemian who went out and played well allowing him to earn the starting QB job for the time being. Could Denver be content to have a 2nd year player and a rookie be 1 and 2 on the QB depth chart? Seems unlikely but I can't imagine Sanchez wants to stick around Denver now. Actually, the Broncos are said to be shopping Sanchez to the Cowboys since Tony Romo's injury seems to be likely to keep him out for several weeks. Personally, I don't want Dallas to take Sanchez. There's just too much bad water underneath a rickety bridge where he's concerned for my liking. I would rather Dallas keep Jameill Showers as the backup to Dak Prescott while Tony is out. Dallas would be stupid to trade for a guy they could pick up after cuts are made so the idea of Sanchez coming to Dallas is pretty far fetched.

 

The first cuts on NFL rosters have to be done today by 4 o'clock. Rosters have to be down from 90 players to 75 by today with final cuts to the 53 man limit having to be done by Saturday afternoon. The opening games of the 2016 season are just 9 days away. College has already started in some areas but the opening day is this Saturday around college football and for Lamar as well. Life is good.

 

Kaepernick has the right to protest if he wants. It may piss some people off but that's his right. Whether you agree or disagree with his stance is another matter for another forum but he has the right and it took some guts to do it knowing he backlash that would result. So, after the red ass simmers down I think we should at least respect his right to stand for something he believes in.

In a related matter, just when I am get on board with a guy for President of the United States he goes and sticks his foot in his mouth. Donald Trump's response to Colin Kaepernick's protest was the old "If you don't like America why don't you move to another country?" argument. That's pretty lame Don. Here's an article about the Donald's reaction to Kaepernick's protest and Kaep's response is pretty good and illustrates why I'm for Trump in the first place. Because Hilary Clinton is a lying, cheating guilty as hell bitch who ought to be in jail and not the White House. Trouble is, with the Donald you are just picking the lesser of two poisons.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000692256/article/trump-on-kap-maybe-he-should-find-another-country

[eagle eye]

Things happen for a reason but sometimes it's hard to fathom what the reason could be. Yesterday during Vikings practice starting QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a dislocated knee and a torn ACL in a non-contact incident just 30 minutes into practice. The good thing is that the MRI revealed no nerve damage or arterial damage so if there is a silver lining in all this that would be it. The Vikings now have two QBs on the roster, Shaun Hill and Joel Stave (who?) with Hill the one who will step in and be the starter for the time being. The Vikings will certainly be in the market for a guy when cuts are made you would think. Shaun Hill is 36 years old and he has a 16-18 record as a starter in the NFL. Upon a closer look at just who Joel Stave is it is clear I'm not a follower of the Big Ten. Stave had been the starting QB at Wisconsin where he was a 4 year starter. He left the Badgers as the winningest QB in school history going 31-10 in his career. His final game at Wisconsin was the 2016 Holiday Bowl which the Badgers won 23-21 over USC and Stave was named the game's MVP. So, maybe there is something there after all. Stave is a rookie who went undrafted this past May but he's got size (6'5", 230 lbs) and he's capable of throwing the ball. Despite the fact that Wisconsin is a run oriented team Stave left Wisconsin as the school's 2nd all time leading passer. For his career at Wisconsin Stave threw for 7,635 yards and 48 TDs. He left school as the all time leader in wins overall and conference wins as a starting QB so Stave has some pretty good credentials and you sort of wonder why he wasn't drafted. The reason he wasn't drafted is despite all the physical measurables there are legit questions about his accuracy and decision making in the pocket. Stave is in a great position because he has a great offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in Norv Turner. We will see for ourselves tomorrow night because he is almost guaranteed a lot of PT when the Viking close out the preseason against the LA Rams.

 

There were a lot of high profile names, QBs in particular that were let go yesterday. Among them are QB Zach Mettenberger who was released by San Diego, RB David Cobb by Tennessee and TE Bjoern Werner by Jacksonville not to mention WR Brandon Tate by the Bengals. Where you will see the bigger names will be after Saturday's final cuts by teams getting down to their final 53. There are plenty of teams that are shopping players for trades right now but I doubt you see much movement trade-wise because all teams have to do is wait and they can sign a player and they won't have to give up anything for the right to do that.

[eagle eye]

The preseason ends tonight and, in my mind, the march to the regular season officially begins when the final cuts to their 53 man rosters is made on Saturday afternoon. There will still be some wheeling and dealing the rest of the weekend as teams with weaknesses or needs at certain positions will hit the cut list hard to see if anyone is available that can help them. The best teams will have to cut good players simply because the numbers didn't add up for them and the weaker teams will poach those players as quickly as they can because at one minute past the cut deadline it will be like sharks with blood in the water. Good times. Suddenly, guys who thought their NFL career dreams were over are snapped up and they are players once again. Really good times. So remember when the final preseason games kick off tonight remember there are a boatload of players who this "meaningless" game means everything and even though the games themselves are sloppy, penalty filled marathons for the players on the field it's their Super Bowl. Just seven days until the regular season begins.

 

The NFL after blundering through a useless investigation of charges of PED use by several current and former players by a since discredited article from Al-Jazeera and a pissing contest with the players in question over when and where interviews with the NFL league office the NFL has concluded that there is no credence to the Al-Jazeera report and the players have all been exonerated of any wrong doing. Another case of the NFL league office (sic; Roger Goodell) wielding its heavy handed, pain in the ass attitude to come to a conclusion that should have been a no-brainer after the man that wrote the article for Al-Jazeera admitted his article was a piece of crap. The NFL tried to bully players into agreeing to meet with them on their turf and under their conditions and the players in question, James Harrison in particular, thumbed their nose at the NFL league office demands. The interviews took place under the threat of fines or suspensions for non-compliance and the logical conclusion was reached in the end. The NFL tried to flex its muscles again in a similar fashion as the deflate-gate debacle and they come out of it looking like a bunch of spoiled brat bullies. All this crap over a discredited article from a middle eastern news service. Kids, tell Al-Jazeera thank you for wasting our time. Thank you Al-Jazeera. Good, now kids go play (football).

 

Here we are on the verge of the happiest time of the year no, Christmas wasn't moved to September, I'm talking about the start of football. And what are we doing? Celebrating the beginning of fall with the start of the football? Hell no, we are talking about bullshit. Al-Jazeera articles, political protests of treatment of minorities in the USA and pretty much nothing about football. WTF people!?? So NFL.com has an article about an open letter from Nate Boyer to Colin Kaepernick over his refusal to stand for the National Anthem in last Saturday's 49ers game. Who's Nate Boyer? He's a former Green Beret and veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq who tried out for the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. He didn't make the cut but at 35 it was something that he tried and nearly made it. I think you'll be surprised at what he has to say to Mr Kaepernick. To say Kaepernick has raised awareness of what he feels is a real plight in America is an understatement and Mr Boyer's reaction may make us all stop and think. Kaepernick's protest stems from police related shootings of minorities and the subsequent lack of punishment of those officers. There are bad apples in every barrel and some of the shootings are not justified but the amount police related shootings is just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of killings by minorities of each other in gang and drug related violence. Where's the outrage over that? I respect Kaepernick's right to protest and his right to be concerned over police related shootings. I disagree with the track he took but that's why we live in such a great country that allows for such forms of protest to occur without harsh government repercussions. The social repercussions are another matter but he seems willing to deal with that which is good because it's also the right of others not like what he did. Check out Nate Boyer's response and you may think about this a little differently.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000693173/article/nate-boyer-writes-open-letter-to-colin-kaepernick

 

I hope we can talk football again soon.

Edited September 1, 2016 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

The only thing left in the preseason are the final cuts. What's been called the world's longest job interview is over and now all there is left to do is wait. Did you ever have to wait for something you really wanted and had to wait to see whether or not you would get it? It just plain sucks. Can you imagine having to wait a day and a half to find out if your life long dream of being an NFL football player will come true or not? It must be excruciating but the fact is for a great many of these players, they already know in their hearts it's over. It's like that long last walk of a death row inmate to his doom they are the NFL equivalent to dead men walking. Yeah okay, a little too dramatic but to a 20 or 21 year old young man it may seem like the end of the world. Eventually, they realize it's not the end but a chance for a new beginning on different path. And such is life. Last night we found out that some team's backups are better than others but we kind of knew that already. Final cuts come Saturday and the anticipation for the fans can begin for that opening day. A few years ago the NFL decided to kick start the season by having one game on the Thursday night prior to opening Sunday. Then it morphed into a regular Thursday night game to go along with the traditional Sunday lineup of games and of course Monday Night Football. Then came Sunday night football and then the NFL figured if one game to open the season on Thursday night is good then two would be twice as good. I don't subscribe to Thursday Night Football as a good thing. I think that the thing that makes football special is there is only one game per team a week and the anticipation for that game is part of why people go bat-crap crazy when the game comes on. The big hot topic in the NFL right now is player safety but the NFL seems to be talking out of both sides of their mouths because on the one hand they say they are for player safety and they create new rules to try to protect players but on the other hand they perpetuate the Thursday night game which gives players only 3 days between games. You can't fully recuperate from what amounts to 35-40 car wrecks in 3 days, there's no way. There is also talk of expanding the season to 18 games and I am so against that as well. All the owners see are dollar signs but all it means to players is two extra weeks of punishment and that's before the playoffs even start. Who wins? The owners do because money talks and you know what walks. That's the ugly side of football but in early September it's not about any of that. It's about digging your lucky shirt out of moth balls or breaking out your new team jersey and grabbing a 12 pack and getting together with your buddies because this is the first day of spring all over again. Every single team starts out 0-0 and every single one of them is hoping to get to the Super Bowl and every single one of them has a shot, in their own minds anyway. Fans too, it's a new season, a new beginning and hope is the word of the day. To each and every fan the phrase, "This is our year" is as real as it gets. Eventually, the reality sets in and hope fades but on opening weekend everyone is in first place and everyone has a shot at the brass ring. That's why I don't like the Thursday night doubleheader because it in the middle of the week and I have work the next day. You can't bar-b-cue and you can't drink beer like you could on Sunday afternoon. I'll give you Sunday night and Monday night is an institution even though ESPN is sort of ruining it but Thursday is too darn much. Give me a whole week to let the anticipation build until that pent up adrenaline has a release and let me have Thursday to watch some cop save the city so I can go to bed at a decent hour. That said, the 2016 NFL season begins in just six days!! And the Cowboys are going undefeated and win the Super Bowl!!!

[eagle eye]

Earlier this morning there was breaking news that is somewhat shocking. The Minnesota Vikings completed a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to obtain QB Sam Bradford. The Vikings will give up a 1st round pick next year and a 4th round pick to be determined. It's highly unusual for a team to trade it's starting QB a week before opening day. In fact, I will venture to say it has never happened before, ever. Bradford may not be all that upset because he was totally pissed in the spring when the Eagles made two big trades to move up to take QB Carson Wentz with the 2nd pick in the draft. To say Bradford didn't feel the love of the Eagles front office would be a gross understatement. This means that Chase Daniels will likely become the Week 1 starter for Philly and the Eagles have already announced that Wentz will assume the starting QB duties when he is fully healthy. So put that in your fantasy draft pipe and smoke it.

 

Here's a list of notable cuts made today including German WR Moritz Behringer whose freakish athleticism garnered him some notice before the draft this year, notice that actually led to his being drafted by the Minnesota Vikiings in April. If he showed any real potential during OTAs and training camp the Vikes will sign him to their practice squad as soon as he clears waivers. One guy who won't be on anyone's practice squad is Packers 3 time pro bowl guard Josh Sitten who was released today. (Hello, Houston. Did you see this?) So other players of note are in this article linked below from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000694974/article/notable-cuts-roundup-patriots-cut-aaron-dobson

[eagle eye]

This is theme that will be repeated on other threads but with all cuts being made and last second deals have been made off the cut lists so what that means is the preseason is officially over. I have a link below analyzing some of those last minute signings and that's it for this thread. It's time to officially commence the 2016 NFL season's beginning. There are fantasy lineups to set, beer to buy and pizza to order. Thanks to all who have followed this thread and I hope to see you during the regular season.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000695169/article/what-we-learned-18-takeaways-from-roster-cutdowns

[eagle eye]

Last night the Steelers proved they don't need Martavis Bryant who is on IR or Le'Veon Bell who is suspended 4 games they have a good enough team to step on the field with anybody. I don't know how the Steelers do it and I both hate them and I am jealous of them for their consistency. They kicked the crap out of the Redskins last night and they are poised to roll through yet another season as a playoff contender. The final score, in case you didn't hear was Pitt 38 Wash 16 and folks it wasn't even that close.

At the opposite end of the spectrum the folks at MNF gave us two teams who likely won't even smell a .500 record this year. The Rams and 49ers faced off against each other in what I like to call "The Overrated Coach Bowl". I think both Jeff Fisher and Chip Kelly are overrated and I don't like either one of them. I sort of like the Rams as a franchise, don't ask me why because I don't know but I do but it's clear that Fisher doesn't know what the hell he is doing. I still can't explain how he led the Titans to the Super Bowl and was just a half yard short of winning the thing over, ironically enough the Rams team known at the time as the greatest show on turf. My dislike of Fisher as a head coach was cemented when I saw Hard Knocks. Fisher and his staff never really showed any great leadership qualities. The best they could do was threaten players jobs and drop F-bombs all over the place. The Cardinals and Seahawks are going to just beat both of these teams to a pulp this season and personally, I will be glad to watch the carnage. It's one of the reasons that makes have Directv and NFL Sunday Ticket worth having so I can see these two overrated gentlemen get their asses handed to them.

 

It looks like Jacksonville is finally getting it's money's worth out of TE Julius Thomas. After Thomas signed with the Jags a couple of years ago he hasn't been a factor for them at all because he has been injured. This season began with him finally healthy and you could see the difference as the Jaguars gave the Green Bay Packers they wanted before finally losing 27-23. Thomas caught 5 balls for 65 yards and a TD in his best game since he left Denver. He was the third leading receiver for the Jags behind the Allen brothers, Robinson and Hurns. TJ Yeldon may get another week as the bell cow because the status, like his mysterious illness, of Chris Ivory is up in the air. The Jags have said only that Ivory checked into the hospital on Saturday night with a general health issue and that's as far as the explanation goes. Yeldon wasn't much of a factor in the run game because the Packers sort of negated the Jags run game. Yeldon gained just 39 yards on 21 carries but he did score a TD rushing. He also added 30 yards receiving on 4 catches. The road doesn't get any easier as they play San Diego who blew a 2nd half lead to lose to Kansas City on Sunday.

 

If you keep track of such things in the NFC East the Giants and Eagles won while the Cowboys and Redskins both lost. In the AFC South every team but the Texans lost but Houston can't enjoy the win and the division lead too long because those aforementioned Chiefs will be coming in to play the them on Sunday. As for the Colts, are they really that bad or is Detroit suddenly that good? We'll see as Indy will play Denver in Denver on Sunday.

Edited September 15, 2016 by eagle eye