The Money Game

The NFL announced that the Pro Bowl will be played again in Hawaii a week before the Super Bowl. Last season's game drew a great deal of criticism due to the quality of play on the field.

The NFL Players Association supports the idea of keeping the game alive. They say the quality of play will change next year. I'm not sure how they intend to do that without major rule changes for that particular game.

The league is in favor of the game. It will be paid $4.5 million by the state of Hawaii for the opportunity to host it. It also drew 12.5 million viewers last year on television which made it the most watched all-star game among the four major sports.

In the end, it's always about the money.

T.O. Gets Released

Just when things could not get any worse for WR Terrell Owens, news came of his release by the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. This is not even the AFL (Arena Football League). He was basically playing in the minor league of indoor football.

Owens had told the team that he would be unable to play in the next two games as the team makes a run for the playoffs. The final straw was his no-show at a team benefit for a local children's hospital.

He finished his season by playing in 11 games with 35 receptions for 420 yards and 10 TD's.His release also terminated his partial ownership of the team.

Where does this leave T.O? His appearance on Dr Phil clearly illustrated his financial problems caused by child support issues and bad financial planning. He basically spent all of the money he earned in the NFL. At the age of 38, he has nothing to show for it other than his age and no future in football. He also has no teams interested in him.

Off-season Antics

Overall, the players on the Pats seem to stay out of legal trouble. You can't say that for the rest of the league. Lions DT Nick Fairley is a shining example of how to do it wrong.

First he got arrested in Mobile, AL on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. This past weekend, he was stopped by a state trooper in Alabama for driving 100 m.p.h. He didn't stop initially, although the trooper had his lights on and siren blaring. He was charged with reckless driving, no proof of insurance and having an open container.

He will probably wiggle his way out. Some of these players always seem to do it. Alfonso Dennard, the Pats 7th round draft pick, has a date in court for assaulting a police officer. The Pats were able to draft him because they knew other teams would not touch him. His arrest made him the bargain of the draft. 

The Third Tight End

Everyone has an opinion about the roster. It appears the team will carry three tight ends this season. It doesn't mean they will dress three. Coach Belichick has a way of finding a third tight end among his positional players.

The word is that Daniel Fells will grab that third spot. He has the reputation as a great blocker during his five seasons in the NFL. He managed to be out of the league in 2007. He was undrafted out of college in 2006. He signed with Atlanta, but was inactive for all of their games

Last season, he had 19 catches for 256 yards. He can catch and run with the ball. It definitely looks like Fells will be in the mix until the final cut at training camp.

Vincent Brown - "The Undertaker"

Former LB Vincent Brown is a classic example of a player who probably won't get into the team's Hall of Fame. Brown played eight seasons for the Pats after being drafted in the 2nd round out of Mississippi Valley State in 1988. He started 103 of his 123 games with the team through the 1995 season. He only missed five to injury.

He was All-Pro for three straight years from 1991-1993. However, he only played on one team with a wining record. The 1994 team under Bill Parcells lost their playoff game to the Cleveland Browns (20-13), coached by Bill Belichick.

Parcells released Brown prior to the 1996 season. He advised him to consider coaching. Brown started on his long odyssey. He was re-united with Parcells with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. He has recently been the linebackers coach at the University of Virginia while on his.third stint with head coach Mike London.

Brown was a great player on a bunch of teams that could not play well. He was with the Steve Grogan/Tony Eason/Mark Wilson/Doug Flutie/Hugh Millen and Drew Bledsoe era. The 1994 team was a big turn around for the Pats and created a great deal of excitement with their playoff game. The team stumbled to 6-10 the following year.

It is rather ironic that Brown was cut prior to the 1996 season which resulted in the hiring of Bill Belichick as defensive coordinator and the team's appearance in Super Bowl XXXI.

Brown's career would be viewed in a different light if had won a championship.

Difficult To Rank 100

The NFL Network has a great deal of entertaining programming. They need to fill their schedule during the off-season. As a result, they are constantly coming up with their lists.

They have been showing the Top 100 of the 2011 season. I find it difficult to accept how they come up with their rankings. Apparently, so does Bear's LB Brian Urlacher who felt he should have been higher than #51.

What is the difference that separates #50 from #52? I'm sure the NFL Network uses one of their sophisticated ranking models. I think it's much easier to come up with the Top 10 rather tan the Top 100. Maybe they should just call the show the "Best Players of the NFL".

Not Light On Thoughts

Matt Light is a natural to be in front of a camera. For many seasons, he did a weekly radio interview. He spoke very well and insightful.

Last night, he was on the NFL Network on their "Total Access" segment. He was paired up with former Pats Heith Evans and Willie MaGinest. He spoke on a variety of topics related to the team. There was great dialogue between everyone.

The NFL Network does a great job in giving players exposure to analyst work by bringing them in for a tryout or guest spot. Some fair better than others. Light has great potential if that is a direction he wants to go in.

More Padding

You can always count on the NFL Players Association to take stances that are contrary to the benefit and safety of its members. NFL owners recently voted to require players to wear knee and thigh pads during the 2012 season. In recent years, players have been wearing less padding under their uniforms in spite of the increase in player size and speed.

It would make sense to protect the players from possible knee injury and leg contusions, but the NFLPA doesn't see it that way. They object because it was not collectively bargained. according tot the union contract. Some players complain that the pads restrict their movement and slow them down.

No matter what might make sense, the PA is determined to reject any proposal unless it comes from them.

Jumping On the Wagon

Tom Brady's father has been a successful businessman in California. If his son wasn't so famous, nobody would care about what he had to say. He is the latest to jump on the concussion bandwagon during a recent interview.

He said if he knew about concussions back then, he might have been hesitant about allowing young Tom to play football. Brady started playing when he was 14. He was also a very good baseball player. He even got drafted as a catcher out of high school. Brady Sr always thought baseball would be the sport of choice for his son.

Why is everyone having a moment of enlightenment about concussions? I am not a doctor, but I have have known about their dangers since I was a kid. I know people who played football in the 1960's and 70's who suffered from concussions. They have problems to this day. This is not anything new. How can people be that unaware of the potential dangers in football?

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a game played with violent collisions is going to have bad results for some. All of a sudden, it has become popular to be outraged about concussions. Where were these people years ago?

Ted Johnson

It was great to see former LB Ted Johnson on Ch 4's Sports Final on Sunday night. After all, he is the poster boy for concussions with the Pats and NFL. His career ended much too early. Now he suffers with the impending doom of  Alzheimer's because of his repeated concussions.

He looked very lucid during his talk. Other than a few pounds, it looked like he could go out on the field.

His picture in the Boston Globe portrayed him in a very bad light. The article was good. I felt bad when I first saw it. His story is very tragic. He played 10 years before it ended so suddenly.

Coach Belichick knows that he made a mistake with managing his concussions.

Spencer For Hire

The Pats look like they plan to use a full-back in their offense during the 2012 season, considering they have two on their roster. They picked up Tony Fiammetta after his release by the Dallas Cowboys.

Fiammetta is a classic blocker. He only has four carries for four yards in his career. He was drafted in the 4th round in 2009 by the Carolina Panthers. They released him prior to the start of the 2011 season. Dallas signed him to their roster for the last two seasons. He missed time with the Panthers because of concussion issues.

Spencer Larsen, a free agent from Denver, is a very intriguing player. The LB/FB was a 6th round pick out of Arizona in 2008. He is former teammate of Rob Gronkowski. The Broncos began to use him on both sides of the ball.

He holds the distinction of being the first player since 2003 to start on defense and offense in a game. He did this against Atlanta on November 16, 2008. He is only the fourth player 1990 to accomplish this. He is also a special teams player.

There should be a good battle for the roster spot, but I give the edge to Larsen because of this ability to play multiple positions. I think the team would be less inclined to keep pure full-back like Fiammetta.

A Vote For Fred

The team's Hall of Fame nominees are now being voted on by the fans. There is stiff competition this year between former HC Bill Parcells, WR Troy Brown and Safety, Fred Marion.

I still don't like the how the team selects the inductees because it tends to focus more on players from the Kraft era. It's only natural for that to happen. I never followed the team until 1966, so my memory of some of the oldest players is non-existent.This is one of the oldest arguments in sports. You can only evaluate players you have seen in your own lifetime.

With that in mind, I cast an on-line vote for Fred Marion. I think it's unfair to have Coach Parcells compete with Brown and Marion. The fact that Parcells must be voted in slows the process down. He should have been voted in automatically. Any further conversation is wasting time. I think the team is wrong in only having one inductee annually. Many deserving players will never make it.

Brown was a brilliant player and a no-brainer as an inductee. However, by voting for Marion, I feel that I am advocating for the older players from a much different era. So many fans have no clue of the Billy Sullivan, Victor Kiam, and James Orthwein ownership eras.

In the end, it depends on how old you are as far as remembering players.

Sale of the Ring

In a twist of irony, former Giants LB Lawrence Taylor is selling his ring from Super Bowl XXV through an on-line auction. The bidding started one day after the 2011 Giants picked up their rings for defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Bidding is expected to top $100,000 as the ring is considered the most prized of any sold in the past.

Taylor has faced numerous legal issues since his retirement while battling drug and alcohol addiction. His recent sex charges cost him a fortune in legal fees. In all likelihood, he is selling the ring because of financial problems. He has done little in his retirement other than make personal appearances. Those have dried up as a result of his recent court case.

Given Taylor's past, some say that it's a miracle that he still had the ring. He follows the tragic line of other former players who have sold their ring out of financial desperation. Nobody sells their ring unless they need the money or are void of any sentimentalism.

Bringing Out the Worst

ESPN analyst Adam Shefter provides a great deal of NFL information daily on his Facebook page. Today, he mentioned that the restaurant of the late Junior Seau will be shutting down. That is very unfortunate for the employees. Future plans are unknown at this time.

I was quite disappointed to see some of the comments posted by "fans". Some were rather hateful and directed against Seau. For whatever reason, Seau decided to end his life. He left behind three young children and his family. His death opened up a huge discussion about football, concussions and long term effects on the brain.

As with any discussion, it seems like some have their own agenda. Unfortunately, social media such as Facebook often bring out the worst in people. It doesn't serve any purpose in calling Seau a "coward" at this point.

I'll never understand why some "fans" feel that they need to hate certain teams and players.

More To Follow?

Veteran OL Jacob Bell announced his retirement after eight seasons. He had recently signed with the Bengals after spending his career with the Titans and Rams.

His retirement was nothing out of the ordinary except that he cited the death of Junior Seau as the final straw in making his decision. He said he wanted to leave the game while he was still healthy and was concerned for his long-term effect of brain trauma.

When asked about concussions, he referred to them as moments when you see stars. In that case, he said he had at east 30 every season. Some will dispute whether they were concussions, but if you are seeing stars after physical contact, it might be a concussion.

It will be interesting to see if there are other players who decide to retire because of Seau's suicide. Players might not mention it, but I'm sure the concussion issue is on the minds of many.

Faulk On The Edge

RB Kevin Faulk has indicated that he would like to play one more season. However, it might not be with the Pats as they have not offered him a contract. Perhaps, it will come before the start training camp or not at all. Faulk is one of many players around the league whose time has run out on their career. As much as he wants to play, the decision might be out of his hands.

A review of the roster indicates that the team is not overloaded at the position. Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead and Ben Vereen are back again. The team lost Benjarvis Green-Ellis to free agency.The recently signed Joseph Addai from the Colts. This might be a great acquisition if he can stay on the field. They also signed UFA Branden Bolden from Mississippi after he was bypassed in the draft. Bolden has a great chance to make the team.

Coach Belichick and Josh McDaniels might have other plans for the backfield with the signing of two veteran full-backs in Tony Fiammetta and Spencer Larsen.

This leaves the team with seven backs if you include the two full-backs. Unless there is an injury, it appears that the Pats are planning to move forward without Faulk. He might be waiting for a call that will never come.

Chad & "Dad"

Chad Ochocinco really captured the media's attention with his on-line letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He addressed him as dad for whatever reason.

He talked about how the NFL game is very violent and is not for everyone. Fans need to realize this, he said. Players need to know what they are getting into when they sign up with the NFL. It might cripple them forever. Everyone needs to know that, according to Chad.

I agree with him 100%. The game is very violent and at times doesn't make any sense. On the other hand, these guys are paid a lot of money to risk maiming themselves for the sake of the game.

It is very difficult to control the tempo of the game from off the field. You could go to a park league touch football game and see some level of crazy behavior by all those present.

You never want to see anyone get hurt, but it happens more than it should.That bothers me.

Depth In WR

The Pats just seem to keep signing wide receivers. They only carried six last year. They are determined not to be held hostage by the Wes Welker contract negotiations. Welker has an offer of $9.5 million on the table that he can sign as a one year franchise player tender. The team seems very reluctant to commit for a long term contract.

They still have Deion Branch and Chad Ochocinco under contract as well as Julien Edelman and Matthew Slater. They added free agents Brandon Lloyd, Donte Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Gonzalez.We can't forget 7th round pick Jeremy Ebert and UFA Matt Roark.

Without Welker, they have 10 receivers on the roster. Edelman and Slater might be considered special teamers or be given a spot on defense.

No matter how you cut it, there will be some great competition in camp. Some of these players will end up on the roster of another team.

It's almost to handicap the players right now. There will definitely be some surprises by opening day.

Not Siding With Safety

I read a great analysis today of the actions taken by the NFL Players Association to grieve the suspensions given to the players involved in Bountygate. It basically doesn't make any sense to take this action on behalf of a few players when the safety of all players is in question.

In fact, the union is siding with players who chose to be involved in something that might hurt someone on the field. The NFLPA is certainly not looking to make the game safer, They have an obligation to their members to do so, but nobody is paying that much attention to that aspect of the game.

A Jump For Steve

I'm sure there will be a lot of buzz around Coach Belichick hiring his son Steve as a defensive assistant. He makes the jump from being a student at Rutgers to being part of his father's NFL coaching staff. Although he has never coached, he has been around the team the last few years on game days and training camp. I'm sure he has a similar pedigree as his father.

Growing up with Bill as a dad provided him a very unique set of learning experience much like his father had. I think it's a good hiring. I was just surprised by it. I was wondering he planned to do after graduation. I thought he would end up on the staff of one of his father's coaching friends.

At the same time, the team also announced the appointment of Mike Patricia as Defensive Coordinator. Belichick has often said that titles don't mean anything, but it was always the goal for assistant coach pepper Johnson to get that job.

He has been a loyal soldier on Belichick's staff since they both came here in 2000. He always aspired for a coordinator's job, but never got one. On the other hand, he won three rings as coach and was on the staff for the two losses during Bill's tenure. He also had job security for 13 years and counting.

Antonio & Terrell

When you look at Terrell Owens and Antonio Cromartie, it doesn't appear that they have much in common. They play on opposite sides of the ball. Owens is at the end of a brilliant career. Cromartie is in the middle of a great one.

The do have one thing in common. They are both being pursued by the mothers of their children for child support.Cromnartie has twins on the way. That will be 12 kids with eight women in six different states. He is also fighting the kids mothers because they want to get together and film a reality television show about the deadbeat father of their children.

Owens and his kids mothers were on Dr Phil yesterday talking about child support. Owens made it clear that he is one of those players who squandered millions on cars and houses during his career. He is playing minor league Arena Football because no NFL teams wants him.

Cromartie and Owens are shining examples of deadbeat dads in the league. Players father children and have no second thoughts about it. They don't realize that bringing children into the world carries a great responsibility. Cromartie will end up without any money. He is almost there. Owens is already a financial wreck.

The NFL could use them as examples of what not to do, but the problem is way beyond their help. The league is full of guys like them.

They Should Have Known

There is no doubt that the concussion problem has the potential to greatly change the NFL. The lawsuits brought by former players have the potential to cause financial ruin.

One of the points made by players is that they were unaware of the dangers of concussions. I find that hard to believe. It seems like all of a sudden there has been a moment of enlightenment where everyone realizes that they are dangerous and can have long term effects.

I think everyone knew the dangers of them. However, players, coaches, doctors and owners chose to ignore that fact. Was it a cover-up? I'm not sure that is the correct term. I feel like it was more like willful ignorance on the part of all..

All of a sudden, everyone thinks concussions are bad. They have known this forever. It's nothing new.

A Big Decision

The family of Junior Seau is having second thoughts about donating his brain for study. Sources are citing Samoan funeral rituals of which Seau is a part of with his heritage.

On the other hand, I don't think his family wants his death to be used for all that is bad about the NFL. Why should he be the poster boy? He certainly is one of the game's biggest stars to die young, but his death is no more tragic than the long list of former players who met their demise way too young.

Eventually, Seau's death could be brought into some of the wrongful death suits brought against the NFL, as well as the civil law suits brought by  former players based on equipment and concussions.

Seau's death was very tragic, especially with the circumstances around it. Any former player who dies should get the same amount of attention and respect.

I really don't know the answer to the question of whether former NFL players die at a worse race than others. The number of  current and former NFL players is relatively small when compared to the nation's population.

In the end, I think there is something wrong in how the NFL game is being played. There are too many injuries, but I guess that's all part of the game.

The End of Matt Light

It will be a day of mixed emotions tomorrow when the Pats hold a press conference to announce the retirement of LT Matt Light after 11 seasons. He was signed through 2012, but was wavering on his plans to be with the team for another year. He is leaving at a time when he was still a productive player.

He was selected in the second round of the 2001 draft. He would end up starting 173 of the 175 game he played for the Pats. His two non-starts were during his rookie season. He played in three Pro-Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the team. He also played in two losses.

The Purdue product has done almost everything. He made a lot of money and won championships. I guess the bigger question is what type of health is he in? Did he ever have concussions? What will he do in his post-playing days?

I hope his transition away from the game goes smoothly. It certainly has been rocky for many former players. I think he is leaving at the right time.

The Cursed Team of 1994

With the death of Junior Seau, the 1994 San Diego Chargers Super Bowl team has now lost eight members. Although three were from accidents, the over five were from one overdose, three heart attacks and Seau's suicide.

It started with LB David Griggs whose car slid of an expressway in 1995, resulting in his death.

RB Rodney Culver died with 10 other passengers in a ValueJet plane crash on May 11, 1996.


LB Doug Miller was suffered a fatal lightning strike in 1998 at the age of 28.

Center Curtis Whitley died of a drug overdose on May 11, 2008.

DE Chris Mims died of an enlarged heart on October 15, 2008.

DT Shawn Lee suffered cardiac arrest on February 26, 2011.

LB Lew Bush died of a heart attack at the age of 42 on December 8, 2011.

LB Junior Seau died on May 2, 2012 of an apparent suicide.

The three accidental deaths could happen to anyone at any time. Were the other five the result of playing the game or ingesting various substances into their bodies? It seems a bit out of the ordinary.

Did Someone Get Hurt?

The NFLPA seems to imply that Bountygate never occurred. They filed a pair of grievances against the league. They are looking for an independent arbitrator to hear the players appeal of their suspension. They feel that Commissioner Roger Goodell has been judge and jury during the process. They also want to see the evidence. This is in spite of two players who admitted to participating.

I can understand their desire for an arbitrator. This will buy everyone time while the process is dragged out. Divulging all of the evidence could compromise the desire to keep some sources of the allegations anonymous.

The NFLPA is creating a perception that it doesn't care that players may have been injured. There is the mentality that "it is all part of the game". I can understand that point, but there are people on tape. There is a great deal of evidence.

Ultimately, this could end up in the courts. It doesn't make the league look good. They need to move on from this. It's only going to get worse with the concussion controversy and the death of Junior Seau.

Inside Junior's head

Now that the death of Junior Seau has been ruled a suicide, there will be a great degree of speculation of how he got to this point. Nobody can ever get into his head and thought process. He played in a charity golf tournament the day before. He was also planning a Hawaii surfing vacation with his kids.

There is some talk about his brain being examined by the Boston University brain study project. This is very important and must get done. During his career, Seau never appeared on injury reports with concussions. They didn't identify them back then. His ex-wife said he suffered from them.

What role did they play, if any? Did Seau ever take steroids or HGH? How was he able to play until he was 41? He was a physical freak, to be sure.

I have no doubt that Seau's brain will show signs of severe trauma. Did it predispose him to have suicidal thoughts? Nobody can be sure.

I hope Seau's family allows his brain to be examined. Something positive could come from it.

Junior Seau 1969-2012

We continue to hear stories of players who have a hard time once their playing days are over. It came as a shock when the news came of the apparent suicide of former Past LB Junior Seau at his home outside of San Diego.

Seau,43, played four seasons with the Pats before finally retiring at the end of the 2009 season. He was a fan favorite and highly regarded by Coach Belichick. His future Hall of Fame career included 12 Pro Bowls and 10 All-Pro selections.

We could talk all day about his stellar performance throughout his career, but it really doesn't matter at this point. Why did he kill himself?

There was an incident last year where he apparently drove his car off a cliff. At the time, he said he was not trying to kill himself. Today, his body was found by a housekeeper with a wound to his chest.

Was he trying to be like former Chicago Bear's player Dave Duerson who committed suicide with a gunshot to his chest? Duerson left a note asking that his brain be donated for study to determine if he suffered from CTE. Duerson's brain was found to be damaged by repeated blows to the head.

I hope the autopsy is able to determine if Seau suffered from CTE. The post-football life of NFL players is filled with tragic stories. Just this morning, I hear d a report about former Pats RB Kevin Turner who suffers from a form of ALS.

Turner was a 3rd round pick out of Alabama in 1992. He played three seasons for the Pats, later going to the Eagles via free agency. Apparently, his condition has deteriorated to the point where he is unable to feed himself.

The NFL can never do enough to take care of its former players. Many times, it is too late.

Nate Is A Special Player

It looks like the Pats really scored in the draft when they took Donte Hightower and Chandler Jones in the first round. One player who should be very intriguing is 6th round pick Nate Ebner from Ohio State.

Ebner presents a fascinating case study of players who get drafted. He wasn't invited to the Scouting Combine. In fact, he was only on the field for several defensive snaps this year as a safety. His strength is on special teams. A review of his games on Youtube shows a player who is devastating on punt and kick coverage.

His road to the NFL may have been greased by his relationship with his head coach Urban Meyer and assistant Mike Vrabel who are part of Coach Belichick's coaching tree.

We all know how much emphasis Belichick places on special teams. Ebner seems to be cut from the same cloth as Larry Izzo who made a career out of being a special teams player.Izzo was very seldom on the field as a LB. He could play the position, but his value was greater on punt and kick coverage.

Ebner is a very unique athlete with great skills as a rugby player. He will be given every opportunity to make the team. I think he has a great chance, considering he has the stuff that Belichick is looking for. Players such as him are easy to sign as free agents, but someone on the Pats saw something that made it worthy to expend a 6th round pick on him.

I can't wait to see him in the pre-season games.