Monday, October 31, 2011

The Bad Kick

Coach Belichick had a defining moment back in 2009 when he decided to go on 4th and one in the infamous loss against the Indianapolis Colts. His decision last night to go with an onside kick that will be debated forever.

The Pats had three timeouts with 2:35 left in the game. All they had to do was hold the Steelers to 3 and out. They would still have some time left on the clock.

The kick was a total disaster, with the recovery by the Steelers. This must have driven the coach crazy because he started his career as a special teams coach. He places a great emphasis on it. It was a very basic play that was bad from the start.

Since the team lost, critics will use this play to find fault in the coach and his decisions. It's going to be around for a long time.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Return of Faulk

It will be good to see RB Kevin Faulk back on the field after missing more than a year after knee surgery. Faulk is the only member of the team who was a draft choice of former coach Pete Carroll.

He is the team's all-time leader in all purpose years, return yards and kick return yards. He holds numerous other team records, including most receptions by a running back.

He brings another dimension to the team with his uncanny ability on third and short. He is also a great blocker in the backfield.

His activation comes at the expense of third year WR Julien Edeleman. After a great rookie year, Edeleman has struggled to regain that form.

Coach Belichick has always said that the third year is the most important year of a player's development.

Faulk knows that the end is near. Every game is a bonus for him at this point. Edelman must be wondering what is going on with his status on the team.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Bodden Released

CB Leigh Bodden is a great example of a players who sign huge contracts after a good season. He got a four year $23 million contract and ended up getting released. The Pats signed him before the start of the 2009 season to a one year contract. He played well enough to earn his current deal.

He was placed on Injured Reserve after getting injured in training camp before the start of the 2010 season. He came back this year, but has not played well enough to keep his spot on the roster.

The team released him yesterday. Coach Belichick declined to answer questions about his performance. He will probably hook up with another team.

I think the NFL has the right idea about not guaranteeing contracts. You get paid if you play well, unlike baseball and basketball that are havens for guys who have a great season, sign a huge contract and then do nothing for the rest of their career.

Friday, October 28, 2011

After The Playing Days

There is a story circulating the web that Terrell Owens was treated for an overdose the other day. Details are somewhat sketchy, but it sounds similar to his situation a couple of years ago.

T.O. is no different from so many other NFL players. What do you do after your career is over? What do you do the rest of your life after all of the cheering and adulation stops?

The NFL doesn't prepare its players for that. They are only beginning to see that they must take a greater role. So many players never finish their college degree and are left without any marketable skills. Only so many players can get into broadcasting.

The situation of T.O. is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many players who are also broken down physically by the time they are 35. That is another bad situation.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Decisions To Make

Every move on the 53 man roster comes at the expense of another player. Soemtimnes, it spells the end of one's career. The Pats recently activated three players off the PUP list and one from the ono-football injury list. They have three weeks to decide what to do with them.

I think the team will place OL Marcus Cannon on IR. The rookie has been getting cancer treatments since he has been with the team. Things have been looking very positive, but he missed all of training camp and practice during the season. His injury is considered non-football.

I expect RB Kevin Faulk to be active on Sunday against the Steelers. I'm not sure of DL Ron Brace and Brandon Deadrick. Brace might be one of those players who are injury prone. He has proven that so far. Deadrick played some last year, but the team might want to stick with veteran players on the defensive line.

It's always hard to determine what the team might do. They could stash some of the players on IR. The road to the 53 man roster can be very challenging. Ross Ventrone is back on the team after being released last week. He will probably get released again. It's getting hard to track his movements on the team.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

No Takers

WR Terrell Owens knows that there are not too many chances left when you are coming back from knee surgery at the age of 38. Without a team, he is desperate to get back into the league.

He held an open audition for himself in Calabasas, California. The only problem was that nobody showed up except a film crew from the NFL Network. He caught some passes thrown from former Norfolk State QB Casey Hanson who had a short stay with the Philadelphia Eagles as an unsigned free agent.

Owens is known for starring with his own reality television show with former teammate Chad Ochocinco. The reality of this show is that Owens is 38 and with limited opportunity to play again.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Olin Kreutz

Players end their careers for various reason. Some walk away from the game at the peak of their career.

Olin Kreutz of the New Orleans Saints voluntarily walked away from a $2 million salary telling the media that his heart was no longer into playing football. It might have something to do with Kreutz not being re-signed by the Chicago Bears after spending the first 13 years of his career with them. He offered to sign for less money, but they never extended him an offer.

He signed with the Saints where he was elected captain and became the starting center. A knee injury caused him to miss some games and could also be a factor in his decision.

His agent said that he will not be filing retirement papers yet. If it's the end, he leave a stellar legacy of six Pro Bowl appearances as well as being Named All-Pro twice and being selected to the All -2000 Decade Team.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Manning Should Pass

When a key player gets hurt, it can have a huge impact on the team in some cases. When Tom Brady got knocked out of the first game of the 2008 season, backup QB Matt Cassell was able to lead the team to a record of 11-5. Coach Belichick always believes that the next player must step up if someone goes down.

This does not appear to be the case with the Indianapolis Colts now sporting a record of 0-7. QB Brew Brees threw 5 TD passes and for 325 yards in leading the New Orleans Saints to their victory last night over the Colts.

With a record of 0-7, the Colts season is just about finished in terms of making the playoffs. It would be foolish for Peyton Manning to try and return from his neck surgery. If he has any hope of playing again, he should look to next year. It's not worth it for him at this point.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Boomer & Howard

Periodically, I see comments on Facebook criticizing Chris Berman. They dislike the Boomer. I'm not sure why. He does the same act all the time. That's what he is. I like him, but I know a lot of others who don't. He obviously has the support of ESPN because they pay him a lot of money.

I always say the same fans who dislike Berman would also hate Howard Cossell. Boomer has modeled himself after the very controversial Cossell. I was a big fan of Cossell, but so many writers and fans spent a lot of energy hating him. He was very colorful. So is Berman.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Cleveland Days

The NFL is truly like a fraternity at times. There are so many players and coaches who go back a long ways. Coach Belichick can always shed some interesting insight when he talks about some of his relationships over the course of his career. We saw a great example of that this week during his interview on Showtime's "Inside the NFL".

He was being interviewed by basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and NFL analyst Chris Collingsworth. Barkley and Belichick go back to their days in Cleveland when they dined out on a number of occasions. Collingsworth was recruited by Belichick's father for the U.S. Naval Academy, but went elsewhere.

Their discussion of the show's regular hosts, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp brought some great observations. Belichick was a first year special teams coach for the New York Giants in 1979 when the team used it's first round draft pick for Simms. They had a great history together with the Giants, winning two Super Bowls.

Belichick wanted to draft Sapp in 1995, but was over ruled by the Brown's upper management and owner. Ironically, the Pats and Coach Bill Parcells would select CB Ty Law in that first round.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Kent Hull

So many great NFL players never get to a playoff game in their career. Others are so much more fortunate.

Former Buffalo Bills center Kent Hull anchored the line of the Jim Kelly offense that went to four Super Bowls and lost all of them, including one when Bill Belichick was with the Bill Parcell Giants team.

The former USFL player only missed two Sundays in an eleven year career with 189 games from 1986-1996. He had three Pro Bowl appearances from 1989-1991 and was inducted to the Bill's Wall of Fame in 2002.

He passed away on Tuesday, October 18th from intestinal in his hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi where he ran a family farm. He loved his spread of 2,500 acres and 700 head of cattle.

He is another example of a former player from another era that suddenly dies.

The game is played and experienced in the present.The players we watch today will age like Hull did. Hopefully, the trend of NFL players with early death will decrease when they get his age.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The QB Life

Not every team has an ideal quarterback situation. Pats fans have been spoiled by the Hall of Fame play of Tom Brady. Not all quarterbacks travel the glamorous road that Tom Brady has done throughout his NFL career.

Raiders QB Jason Campbell seem to be headed for a successful season until he broke his collar bone, sidelining him for at least six weeks. The team traded for Carson Palmer and has named him to start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. This is in spite of not having any football activity since last December. He will only have five days to learn the offense.

Where does this leave backup QB Kyle Boller? What does this say about the Raiders thoughts on his ability to win? He is a former first round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2003, the next QB picked after Carson Palmer. He got the Ravens starting job in 2004 before being replaced by Steve MacNair in 2006.

Boller signed with the St Louis Rams in 2009 and sat behind Marc Bulger, playing only in blowouts. He signed with the Raiders in March of 2010, but only played one game. It looked like he was going to replace Campbell until the Raiders completed their huge trade for Palmer.

Campbell had his own rocky road to starting. He was a first round pick of the Washington Redskins in 2005. He sat for a year before starting for the 2006-2009 seasons. He was traded to the Raiders on draft day for a 4th round pick in 2012. Al Davis gave him a two year contract and pronounced him as the "next Jim Plunkett".

Palmer, Boller and Campbell are all former first round picks with varying degrees of success. I heard their praises sung on draft day. Nobody cheered for Tom Brady when the Pats selected his in the 6th round in 2000.

Coach Belichick has always said:"It doesn't matter where you were drafted. It only matters what you do once you get here".

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Once More For Faulk

Kevin Faulk has been activated from the PUP list. It has been a long ordeal recovering the last 13 months from knee surgery and missing almost the entire 2010 season. He faces heavy competition at running back, but sCoach Belichick will find a spot for him. Perhaps rookie RB Shane Vereen will come up with a mysterious injury and end up on Injured Reserve.

Faulk is aware knows that time is working against him. Anyone who starts his 13th NFL season knows that the clock is ticking on their career. As insurance, the Pats draft Vereen and Steven Ridley in this year's draft. Faulk and Danny Woodhead have a similar set of playing skills, but you can nver have enough of skill players at a position.

How will Faulk respond to his first hits and blocks? It remains to be seen, but if this is the end of his career, Faulk is fighting to the finish.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Unbalanced Trades

I have mixed feelings about NFL trades. I'm ok with getting Chad Ochocinco for a 5th round pick or Randy Moss for a 4th. I thought the Oakland Raiders paid too much to obtain disgruntled QB Carson Palmer from the Cincinnati Bengals.

They gave up a first rounder in the 2012 draft as well as a conditional 2nd round pick in 2013. That could become a first rounder if Palmer leads the team to the AFC Championship game in the next two years. I don't see that happening, but the Raiders are left with only a 5th and 6th round pick in the 2012 draft.

That doesn't effect the way the Raiders acquire players. They currently have 13 players on their roster who were once first round picks.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Celebrity Assistants

The television networks like to devote coverage to the actions of the coaches. It seems like every game has shots of the coaches covering their mouth with their laminated game plan in fear of someone reading their lips.

Assistant coaches now get coverage thanks to the work of Tom Mora with the Colts and Dick LaBeau with the Steelers. These coordinators raised the relevance of the coaching staff in the overall success of the team.

Fox Network certainly gave Rob Ryan a great deal of coverage during the Pats game yesterday as he patrolled the sidelines for the Dallas Cowboys as their defensive coordinator. His long flowing gray hair and the twin image of his brother Rex make for great television. I think the network forgot that Rob is not the head coach. Every once in a while they would flash a shot of Jason Garrett, but the show was all Rob.

Head Coaches Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh of the Lions and 49er's respectively, carried the absurdity of the post game handshake to a new level. Apparently, Harbaugh was yapping and bumped Schwartz on the field as he celebrated his team's 25-19 win. The two got into a pushing and shouting match before being separated by players.

They will probably get a big fine from the NFL, but the league will smile because the story got exposure on the nightly news and the internet. It's all about keeping the brand out there in the public's eye.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

All In the Family

Players get hurt every game. RG Chris Snee of the New York Giants suffered his first career concussion last week in the team's loss against the Seattle Seahawks. He will miss this week's contest, ending his consecutive game playing streak at 101.

Coach Tom Coughlin probably had a little extra concern for Snee since he is his father-in-law. The coach said he is able to separate family from football.

I wonder what happens if the day ever comes where Snee is released by the club. That could be an awkward moment.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Chad Is Counting

I have always been a fan of Chad Ochocinco. I was glad when the Pats obtained him. Unfortunately, he has not lived up to his hype. He has nine catches for 136 yards. There have been some noticeable drops.

Is Chad past his prime? I thought he might have been when the team obtained him. I wish it could have been a few years ago when he was younger. There is talk that his days on the team are numbered.

He has been on Twitter telling fans that he will give $20,000 to his 3 millionth follower. He is quite a philanthropist!

I don't expect him to bury his nose in the playbook every waking moment. I just want him to have a bigger role on the team and make a few big catches.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Long Range Plan

The Pats are at extreme ends on offense and defense this season. Brady and Company are rolling along while running up the points and yardage. The defense can't stop the passing. They rank 31st in the league for giving up yards.

Fans should be happy that the team is 4-1 and playing better.When we look around the league, we see some scary scenarios. There is noise in Philadelphia because the Eagles are 1-4. Could his be the end for Andy Reid?

The Jets have their own issues with players being too vocal. WR Derrick Mason got himself traded to the Houston Texans for a lowly 7th round draft pick.

I think the biggest source of concern for the Pats is long term. They need to win games in the playoffs. The last two years have not been good. They need to have a good regular season, but it really only matters during the playoffs.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Wright Out There

It was very unfortunate to see DL Mike Wright placed on Injured Reserve. He suffered a concussion in the opening game against Miami and had been inactive since. He missed the final ten games of last season because of a concussion.

With all of the attention being focused on the long term problems with head injuries, one can only wonder if Wright will ever make it back onto the field.

He has already had a very unlikely career after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He made the team and eventually became a starter.

Wright is just one of many players who have their career effected by head injuries.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Tedy In Boston

The health of former NFL players is nothing to be proud of. They have a huge mortality rate at younger ages. Long term effects from concussions are one of the biggest problems, in addition to crippling orthopaedic injuries.

Terrell Owens was just in the news for recently being treated for a possible prescription drug overdose. So many players live the rest of their life in physical pain. Drug abuse is almost inevitable.

Former Pats LB Tedy Bruschi is someone who is trying to take care of himself in retirement. He has lost a significant amount of weight and looks very trim when I see him on ESPN. He recently ran a half marathon with his wife Heidi in 2:10:05.

Last Monday while interviewing Coach Belichick on WEEI, Bruschi mentioned that he will be running the Boston Marathon next April. Tedy will be following the trend set by former LB Steve DeOssie who ran Boston a few years ago.

Based on Tedy's recent half marathon time, there would be no contest between him and DeOssie in the marathon.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

NFC North Heating Up

We don't always appreciate the rivalries between other cities. Pats fans get caught up in hype with the New York Jets and the improved Buffalo Bills. There are many great rivalries starting with the NFC East. The Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins have been going at it forever.

Last night, fans got to see a great NFC North match between two undefeated teams, the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. The Lions won 24-13 and remain as one of the only undefeated teams, along with Green Bay.

The Lions and Packers will clash twice before the NFC North is settled. I don't expect either team to run the table and remain undefeated.

Former Miami Dolphin Mercury Morris will be happy once these teams lose a game.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Al and Bill

Coach Belichick has so many great stories when he has the time and desire to tell them. Today, he spoke about his relationship with Al Davis on his weekly interview on WEEI.

He mentioned spending 20 hours with Davis back in 1998 when he interviewed for the Raiders coaching job which ultimately went to John Gruden.

He referred to him as Coach Davis out of respect to his time as Head Coach and GM of the Raiders. They spoke on a regular basis and completed the Randy Moss and Richard Seymour deals.

Gruden would end up facing Belichick in the AFC Championship game after the 2001 season. That was the last game at Foxborough Stadium as well as the "snow game" and "Brady Tuck Rule".

We can only speculate what might have happened in the history of the Pats if Al Davis hired Belichick back in 1998. It would have change both franchises forever.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Al Davis

I have always been a fan of the Oakland Raiders going back to the 1970's with Head Coach John Madden, QB's Daryl Lamonica and Ken Stabler, Art Schell, Gene Upshaw, Lester Hayes, Cliff Branch, Lyle Alzado and a cast of characters that would take forever to list.

Al Davis was behind all of this after joining the team in 1963 as the general manager and head coach. He later became the owner. When he died the other day at the age of 82, he left a legacy that can never truly be measured. He left a huge imprint on the NFL and it's financial success.

He certainly had critics who felt that he stayed around too long. Many questioned his personnel moves. Pats fans saw it with the acquisition of Richard Seymour and paying exorbitant salaries for free agents.

He was the most colorful character on a team with colorful players. I wish they played better in recent years. Davis was criticized for recent losing seasons. I'm not sure what happened or who is to blame.

I enjoyed following the career of Al Davis and his team. They are a great NFL Franchise.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Not A Great Name

Sports teams sell the naming rights to stadiums for huge amounts of money. The Pats did it with Gillette Stadium after they ended the contract as CMGI Field. Both of these names have a nice ring to them. I think when you name it after a person, the words flow better. CMGI is a defunct company while the razor maker bares the name of its founder, King Gillette.

The Superdome is following the lead of other sports arena and renaming themselves the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. They are naming it after a car brand.

The dome is owned by the state of Louisiana, but the New Orleans Saints have the authority to sell the naming rights. They have a lease on the stadium through 2025.

The price for the 10 year naming rights was not disclosed, but the car company must have paid top dollar for naming a facility that has been the site of numerous high-profile sporting and political events.

At least it doesn't have one of those horrible sounding .com names like they have for college football bowl games.

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Quarter Season

The season is one quarter over and some experts seem to think that teams that have good records at this point will make the playoffs. That is so wrong.

Buffalo, Houston, Tennessee, Baltimore, San Diego and New England for the AFC and New York Giants, Washington, Tampa Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco for the NFC all are at 3-1 at this point in the season. A lot will change this weekend.

We can't forget that Green Bay and Detroit are 4-0. It sounds normal for the Packers, but we are in uncharted waters for the Lions. I hope they go a long ways this season.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Namath Gets Pounded

Maybe former Jets QB Joe Namath should just make comments to sideline reporters on national television while he is drunk. That seems easier than the firestorm he is in with the current Jet team.

Jets OL Matt Slauson is the latest to tee off on Namath with his quote: "We don't care one bit what Joe Namath has to say. He means nothing to us."

It's unfortunate that things have reached this point with Namath and his former team. Namath is thirty years removed from the game. He is dealing with another generation. His comments seem to have no credibility with the Jets.

I don't know how he can repair his relationship with them. Namath is not a commentator or analyst. Former players such as Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison can criticize their former team because of their new role in the media.

I think Namath will be forever known for his drunken rant while talking to sideline reporter Suzie Kolber. It was not one of his career highlights. He lost a lot of credibility.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Many Transactions For One Guy

The road to the NFL has many stops for some players. They are involved in numerous roster transactions before they ever stick around. Troy Brown was like that. It's harder for an undrafted player.

Ross Ventrone is the classic example after not being drafted in 2010. The Pats thought of using the final pick of the entire draft to select him, but instead he was signed as a free agent.

His career is an interesting summary of player transactions:

Played the first pre-season game against the Saints before being waived on Aug 15, 2010.

Signed on Aug 23, 2010. Played the final two pre-season games before being released in the final cut on Sept 4.

Signed to the Practice squad on Oct 19, 2010

Signed a Futures Contract on Jan 18, 2011

First game played against Buffalo. Released on Oct 1, 2011

Signed to the Practice Squad Oct 4, 2011

Future actions to be determined.

His brother Ray followed the same path. He seems to have found a home with the Cleveland Browns. It remains to to be seen what the future holds for Ross.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Vague Injury Report

The Pats were unable to escape the Raiders win without injuries to players. I never use the term "key players" because everyone on the roster is important or they wouldn't be there. (as Bill Belichick would say).

Danny Woodhead had some type of ankle injury while Jerod Mayo left with a "sprain of his MCL". That is about as vague as you can get. I once had a MCL sprain. It hurt a great deal. I wondered back then how these guys are able to play with such injuries.

Mayo could be out 2-6 weeks. This will certainly impact the defense for the rest of the season. No matter how good his rehab goes, there is no way that he comes back in 2-6 weeks and plays like he didn't get hurt.

The same thing happened a couple of years ago. He had surgery and came back too soon. He was never the same player for the rest of the season.

As with any injury, we need to look at its long term impact on the player's career. Any player in the NFL could show us an endless list of injuries and surgeries.

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Defense Will Hurt Them

It's great that the Pats are 3-1 and averaging over 30 points in each of their games. I think they are relying on Wes Welker too much. If anything happens to him, the team is in deep trouble.

The bigger problem is on defense. They can't keep letting teams pile up over 400 yards of offense every week. This is going to come back and bite them at some point.

They can go through their schedule and assemble a record good enough to make the playoffs, but I think they are headed for another repeat of the last two seasons when they lost in the opening round.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

A Different Approach

There is such a difference in the physical toughness between football and baseball players. A couple of weeks ago, the Red Sox were involved in a crucial day/night double-header. Carl Crawford said he couldn't play because of a stiff neck.

We can contrast this to Cowboy's QB Tony Romo who will play this week with a fractured rib he suffered a couple of weeks ago. He also had a partially collapsed lung.

Romo said he will take a pain injection shortly before the game and wear a Kevlar vest to protect his ribs. The pain after the game will be significant once the medication wears off.

In a league with contracts not being guaranteed on the long term, NFL players certainly take a different approach to the game than MLB.