A Windfall For Romo

The Dallas Cowboys have committed themselves to QB Tony Romo with their 6 year/ $108 million contract extension. Romo turns 33 next month. It looks like he will be with them for the rest of his career.

The contract has drawn my comments from NFL observers, especially since he has only lead them to one playoff win in his career. The contract will make him the longest tenured QB for Dallas, ahead of Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. It should not be overlooked that those two have five Super Bowl wins between them.

The Cowboys are giving Romo $55 million in guaranteed money.It seems excessive for a QB who never leads in any statistical category, but usually finishes in the top ten.

First Round Project

Every team signs free agents who end up becoming some type of reclamation project. In many instances, they end up being practice players at training camp without much of a chance of making the final roster. The Pats have one with WR Michael Jenkins.

He was a first round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2004, but has never lived up to his pre-draft hype. He spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings where he had 40 catches for 449 yards during the 2012 season.

Perhaps, the change might make a difference for him, but he could end up getting caught in a numbers game with the Pats. He could last until the final cut of training camp, but I don't think he will make the team.

Legislating Safety

In the early days of football, there were so many deaths from injuries that President Theodore Roosevelt got involved in trying to make the game safer. There is no doubt that it's a dangerous game. Where does the responsibility lie for reducing serious injuries in the game? The present concern centers around head trauma and concussions.

The NFL, NCAA and state high school athletic associations are trying their best to protect players. Periodically, some Congressman will try to grandstand by threatening to hold some type of committee meetings about player safety.

State legislatures are also jumping into the act. The Illinois General Assembly killed a bill in committee that would prevent high school teams from having more than one tackle practice per week. The sponsor was certainly an advocate of player safety, but I thought this was going too far.

I think government at all levels should stay out of legislating player safety. However, Commissioner Roger Goodell recently spoke about the repercussions that could take place if a NFL player were to die on the field from injury. We have seen players get paralyzed and others with traumatic injuries.

A fatality would really create an uproar and rightfully so.

The Ed & Vince Fallout

The nasty Twitter war last week between Vince Wilfork and former Pats LB Ted Johnson fell from the news almost as quickly as the story broke.

Johnson called Wilfork's wife the ugliest spouse of any Pats player. Wilfork lit into Johnson big time. It was the featured story on the 11pm news last Friday. The Boston papers never mentioned it the next day. I didn't see anything else on-line about it.

I follow Wilfork on Twitter. All he mentioned was that he was "moving on from the recent events". I hope it's over between those two. I wonder if they spoke about it. It was so wrong on the part of Johnson. Stuff like that ruins friendships forever.

Losing The Gold

It's easy to see why so many NFL players have no money when they leave the game. They waste it on frivolous things such as cars and jewelry. DT Shaun Rogers of the New York Giants could be the poster boy for wasteful spending.

He made the news for being robbed of jewelry after inviting a few people back to his hotel room in Miami after a night of partying. He fell asleep while the group was in the room. When he awoke, his jewelry was missing from the room safe.

Rather than invest his money, Rogers ended up being robbed of two watches worth $160K, earrings for $100K, a diamond necklace for $70K, three bracelets for $60K and a gold necklace for $50K.

Meanwhile, Chad Johnson is out of football, but continues to drive around in his Lamborghini.

See More of Seymour

The NFL does a great job keeping the interest of the fans even when games are not being played. They have made a drama of the free agency period. They have done it so well for entertainment purposes.

I'm really wondering what the story is with former Pats DE Richard Seymour and his contract with the Oakland Raiders. I hear he is available and it appears to be correct. The Raiders seem to be on the hook for $13.5 million salary cap hit.

Would he ever come back here after being traded? You never know. It depends what his market value is. It doesn't help when you're 34 in October and missing parts of seasons because of injury.

A Taste of Honey

The NFL draft "experts" have certainly created their own job security. Many fans wait with great anticipation to read the latest comments from a slew of "experts". Unfortunately, they are not always right. Their words can impact where a player gets selected.

We are seeing that with former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. "Honey Badger" was a Heisman Trophy contender just two seasons ago, but didn't play last year because he was kicked off the team for using marijuana. A subsequent arrest and rehab stint did not endear him to a lot of NFL teams.

He was considered first round material at one point. Now, he has dropped to the third or fourth round according to those in the know. Where will be end up?

He won't be the only player in this predicament. A few years ago, TE Aaron Hernandez dropped to the fourth round because of issues of the field. He turned out to be a pretty good selection by the Pats.

The Last Three Standing

Careers are much shorter in the NFL than in the other major sports. It doesn't surprise me to see that there are only three players left from the 2000 NFL draft. Those players will be entering their 15th season at the age of 36 or 37. Being over 30 is considered getting old by NFL standards.

Tom Brady leads the list, although he was the 199th player selected. Plaxico Burress has resigned with the Steelers, the team that selected him as the eighth pick overall. Center Brad Meester has signed on for another season with Jacksonville.

Their ranks might get smaller after training camp. Nobody is ever guaranteed a roster spot. Brady always sounds facetious when he talks about trying to make the roster, but his day will eventually come if he keeps playing.

Ted, Vince & Bianca

Former Pats LB Ted Johnson has adjusted well after his initial struggles due to issues from numerous concussions. His troubles after retirement were well documented. A domestic dispute cost him a gig with a Boston television station. There was also a sad story about his deep depression.

Things appeared to get better as he moved back home to Houston and got a sports radio talk show. He was a phone guest on a sister Boston radio show during the football season. He sounded happy and spoke well.

Yesterday, he got into a firestorm as a result of a comment he made during his show. A caller asked him who  had the ugliest wife on the Pats. Rather than duck the question, he said it was the spouse of Vince Wilfork.

This caused a huge Twitter war between Wilfork and Johnson. It was very unfortunate to see. Vince did a preemptive apology to his fans before he lit into Johnson with an expletive tweet. Johnson naturally apologized, but the damage had already been done.

It remains to be seen how this will end up. Johnson was so wrong in what he said. Vince did the right thing to defend his wife. I can't believe that callers actually defended Johnson by saying his behavior was blamed on his concussions. I heard the replays and it sounded like a hateful and uncalled for remark on the part of Johnson.

He could apologize for the rest of his life, but it will never be right between Johnson and the Wilforks.

Shifting The Odds

People who wager on sports always pay attention to any change in the Las Vegas betting lines. Apparently, the loss of Wes Welker has shifted some of the numbers.

Prior to losing Welker, the Pats were 5 to 1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Now they are 7 to 1. Denver got a boost. Before signing Welker, they were 7 to 1 to win the AFC Championship. Now they are 5 to 1.

It doesn't really mean anything in the standings, but it's important to note that the odds-makers thought enough of the impact of Welker to change the numbers. Time will tell if Welker made a difference for either team.

Urlacher Parting Ways

Free agency can be very cruel to players, especially for the ones who have given their career to one organization. Apparently, the end has come for Brian Urlacher in Chicago.

He spent his entire 13 years career with the Bears. A knee injury during the 2011 season finale caused him to have problems last year and miss a few games. He was looking for a two year $11.5 million contract, but the Bears offered him only one year for $2 million. Urlacher and the Bears decided to part ways.

For the last 13 years, Urlacher was a crucial piece of the Bears defense. His stellar play resulted in eight Pro Bowl selections and the 2005 award for Defensive Player of the Year. In the end, it was all about what can you do for me in 2013.

We see this all the time in the NFL. It doesn't make any difference what happened in the past. The future is the 2013 season. Urlacher won't be a part of it with the Bears. I'm sure he will end up on another team if he wants to keep playing. He didn't want it to end this way, but it often does for players.

Who Plays On Thursday Night In Baltimore?

The NFL is trying to flex its muscle over MLB for their opening night on Thursday, September 5th. The league wants to continue a tradition of the Super Bowl champions opening at home for the inaugural game of the season. The Pats are scheduled to open on the road against the Baltimore Ravens.

However, the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox also have an evening game at their ballpark which shares a parking lot with the stadium of the Ravens.

The NFL is reluctant to switch the game to the night before because it's the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. The NFL is trying to convince MLB to play an afternoon game, but the White Sox play a night game the day before they travel to Baltimore. Switching the time of the game would need the approval of the MLB Players Association.

In the end, it's about television revenue. The NFL will need to throw a bone to MLB to motivate them to switch the time. Nobody is doing anything without money. I think the MLBPA will fight this to the end unless they get something out of it.

A Job For Him

QB Matt Hasselbeck is a great example of a salary cap casualty and a quarterback who is still in demand in spite of his age. The Tennessee Titans released him rather than have him count $7.5 million against their salary cap.

Hasselbeck spent the last two seasons with the Titans where he lead them to a 9-7 record. His starting job disappeared after they drafted Jake Locker in 2011, but he did a good job filling in when injuries struck.

Hasselbeck might be 37, but the 14 year veteran is expected to sign with the Indianapolis Colts to back-up Andrew Luck. There are always jobs available for someone who has 34,517 passing yards and 201 TD's. He should be able to squeeze a couple of more seasons out of his career while standing on the sidelines.

Answering To The Fans

After seeing team owner Robert Kraft talk about the Wes Welker situation, I think fans can feel better with how it all ended. If you believe what he says, it looks like Welker's agent might have not had the right market value for his player.

I think Kraft shed a lot of light on the whole negotiation process. I don't fault the team for not overpaying for Welker. At that point, it was time to move on.

One thing that stood out in his comments will be his forever memorable quote: " I don't answer to Tom Brady". 

The Great Gonzalez

I'm glad to see that the great Tony Gonzalez will be back with the Atlanta Falcons for a 17th season. Gonzalez is perhaps the greatest tight end to ever play the game. His 13 Pro Bowl appearances and 1,242 receptions are a testimony to a future Hall of Fame career.

In spite of all the accolades and honors, Gonzalez has never made it to the Super Bowl. When the Falcons lost the NFC Championship game to the 49er's back in January, it marked the first appearance for Gonzalez in the Conference final.

Apparently, the hope of another great run gave Gonzalez the incentive to play for one more season. Last year was one of his typical stellar seasons with 107 receptions for 1,069 yards in 18 games, including the playoffs. He may never make it to the Super Bowl, but he has shown fans how the tight end position was meant to be played.

Cornering Aqib

Signing CB Aqib Talib to a one year contract can only help the beleaguered pass defense of the Pats. Teams have been able to go up and down the field against their defensive backs. The Pats had one of the worst pass defenses in the league over the last three seasons by finishing 30th, 31st and 29th in yards given up.

They got Talib for about $5 million. It seems to be a safe signing for both parties. The team doesn't have a lot of money tied up in a player who has issues staying on the field and questionable behavior away form the game.

Talib will be playing for a big free agent contract for the 2014 season. It gives the Pats time to find additional help though free agency or the draft.

Hopefully, he is able to stay healthy. In the AFC Championship game, he tweaked his hamstring early in the contest and missed most of the game. His absence made a difference.

Danny Woodhead Moving On

I never thought the Pats would make any attempt to keep Danny Woodhead on the roster. I'm so glad he was able to get a two year contract with the San Diego Chargers. He was a fan favorite here since 2010. It was a joy to watch him for the last three years.

His size defied the odds to make it to the NFL. He wasn't invited to the 2008 Scouting Combine and went undrafted. The Jets picked him up, but he got injured early and ended up on IR.When they cut him in 2010, the Pats jumped on him.

Last year, he played in 34% of the offensive snaps. He carried the ball 76 times for 301 yards and 4 TD's. He caught 40 balls for 446 years and 3 TD's. His plays were always big ones. He was able to get long yardage on third downs conversions.

He will continue in a similar 3rd down role with the Chargers. They have a good player now with him. I hope he does well.

The Departed

I think fans of the Pats and throughout the NFL are spinning their heads over the departure of Wes Welker to the Denver Broncos for 2 years and $12 million. I never thought it would get to this point. Why did they undervalue Welker so much? When he signed here in 2007, Coach Belichick said they got him because they couldn't defend against him during their games with the Miami Dolphins. Now, it's all over.

Was the team being stubborn because they had to use a $9.5 million franchise tag on him last year? I think everyone thought they would have a contract done by now, but it never happened. They already had  a contract offer to Danny Amendola to replace Welker before the final announcement.

As fans, we have always been encouraged to drink the Kool-Aid coming from Foxborough. It got us three Super Bowls in four years and two losses in the last eight, plus two AFC Championship games.

The team has missed on numerous free agents and draft picks over the years. That's happened to every team in the NFL. We may never know what really transpired behind the scene to get us to the departure of Welker.

The team will live and die with Danny Amendola next season. Hopefully, he stays healthy because his track record is horrible for being on the field.

Who Will Replace Him?

It looks like a done deal for Wes Welker to sign with the Denver Broncos. I knew it was going to end this way. The Pats just didn't want to offer Welker the type of deal he wanted. They must be ok with it. They think they can replace him on the offense with Aaron Hernandez. Only time will tell.

I wonder what the Pats offered him. It's hard to believe it got to this point, but I wish him luck in the future. He will be the perfect guy for Peyton Manning.

We have learned to trust Coach Belichick with the franchise. I'll admit that I have a hard time thinking that Welker could last another three years because of the vicious hits he has taken. It's hard to guarantee money for a player who is one step away from a career ending injury.

Free Agency Feeding Frenzy

Today is the day fans have been waiting for. The free agency shopping starts for players around the league. I look for the Pats to make some moves. I don't think they will sign Ed Reed. It would be nice, but I think he will finish his career with the Ravens.

I would not be surprised if Wes Welker leaves. His contract would have been settled a long time ago if either party had an inclination to do so. Sebastian Vollmer and Aqib Talib are gone. You can't blame them. Vollmer is a big risk for any team that signs him. He is a tremendous player when healthy, but that is the wild card with him.

It shocks me at times to see what teams do with their roster. There is no loyalty for the most part between players and teams. Careers are so short that everyone must grab the last dollar. I don't blame them.

There will be a lot of players changing teams. I hope the Pats fill some of their needs.

Measuring Greatness

There is never a perfect system for electing former players to the Hall of Fame. Football has its share of statistics, but it's tough to measure players in such a team oriented sport. A local writer did some analysis of wide receivers with over 800 career receptions.

There are 11 eligible for induction, but only four have made it. Chris Carter was the most recent one this year, but others continue to fall short. Tim Brown (1,094) and Andre Rison (951) all present a strong case, but the remaining players are clustered together.

Steve Largent retired with 819 and as the all-time leader, but is now 21st. Irving Fryar was 5th when he retired with 851 and is now 18th. Keenan McCardell, Rod Smith, Henry Ellard and Keyshawn Johnson all face a similar problem. In future years, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens will be added to the mix.

Some of these players will never be inducted. Lynn Swann had numbers that pale in comparison, but he played on the great Pittsburgh teams of the 1970's. He election was not without controversy because he had a relatively short career.

The same controversy arises when we talk about quarterbacks and their completions and total yards.

Steelers & Harrison Divorce

When free agency starts on Tuesday, we will see just how much of a business the NFL really is. Veteran players have been jettisoned by their teams because of their salary cap implication.

The Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with LB James Harrison after the player refused to take a 30% pay cut from his $6.57 million salary. He was given a chance to earn it back through various incentives, but Harrison decided to hit the open market.

He will probably get his money from some other team, but how much will be guaranteed? There seems to be less loyalty between team owners and players than in the past. Free agency and the salary cap has changed it all. The competitive balance in the league has benefited, but you rarely see a player spend his career with one team.

A Winning Ticket

The NFL is always coming up with creative ideas to grow their brand and make more money. They are doing a survey to determine whether there is enough fan interest to charge people $25 to attend a session of the annual Scouting Combine.

I think it's a great idea. They let 300 fans in for free this year. If they do this in the future, I'm sure the fans would  be segregated in one part of Lucas Oil Stadium and away from the coaches and personnel people.

The NFL Network did a great job with its coverage of the Combine. Their programming continues with "The Road To The Draft". They are doing an excellent job in keeping fan interest in the off-season. You don't see this with MLB, NHL or NBA.

That's why the NFL is the number one league in America and the richest by being innovative.

Giving His Own Spin

The NFL Network does an outstanding job with its analysis and discussion of the Scouting Combine, free agency and the upcoming draft. Their use of former players and front office personnel provides great insight into many aspects of the game. It's very educational for the fans.

Sometimes, there can be a conflict of interest. We are seeing that with the use of former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum. His comments on how teams would handle various situations is very insightful. However, he should refrain from commenting about players from his former team. He has shared insight into Mark Sanchez and Darrell Reavis.

Although he has tried to sound impartial, it must be very difficult to talk about Sanchez. The contract he renegotiated with his quarterback is one of the reasons he is now on the NFL Network and not preparing the Jets for free agency and the draft.

Will Welker Walk?

The contract of Wes Welker has received too much attention. At this point, there are so many conflicting stories about what he intends to do. It appears that he will test free agency waters before doing anything. I think that move was inevitable. For some reason, the Pats and Welker have been unable to find common ground for a new contract.

I'm not sure what his market value is. Will he use any offers as leverage against the Pats? I have no doubt that there is some team out there that is willing to overpay for him. If that's the case, there is nothing the Pats can do about it. It seems that they have set a value for Welker and don't appear to be willing to go past that.

If he leaves for another team, he won't be the first player to do so. It will be a loss for the offense, but the team appears to be willing to move on without him.

The Times of Tebows

Tim Tebow probably wishes he was never traded to the New York Jets. They continue their attempts to move him for almost anything rather than release him. Now, they are saying that they might bring him into training camp to create more competition for Mark Sanchez.

The Jets are not kidding anyone on this. They are stuck with Sanchez for the near few seasons because of his huge impact on the salary cap. They could bench him, but they would have all that money tied up in someone not playing. Where does this leave Tebow?

I read a great article about his options.The writer felt that Tebow would get released and end up with the Pats. That would be considered his best option according to the scribe. It's not a bad idea. I think it might work. He would be worth bringing into camp and seeing what he can do as a running back and maybe as a back-up to Tom Brady.

Tebow wants to start, but I don't think that option is available on any team. It would be best if he went some place else and got a fresh start. A year in Foxborough might not be the worst choice for him.

Not Getting A Kick Out Of It

The NFL is never shy about free publicity and promoting itself. We saw that with the Regional Scouting Combine in New Jersey where the first female kicker made her debut. A large media contingent turned out for this spectacle and it certainly became one.

She took attention away from the other 37 kickers who had been training their entire life for this moment. Under the media glare, she had trouble kicking the ball longer than 20 yards. Her talent bordered on being a joke.

The NFL milked this stunt for all it could. It pandered to the female fans by trying to insinuate that she had a prayer at getting an invite to a training camp. The league needs to look at how they assemble the rosters for these Regional Combines. Currently, anyone can sign up as long as the $275 application fee gets paid.

This seem like a publicity stunt more than anything else. She got her 15 minutes of fame.The NFL had no problem going along with it.

Wrong About Brady

A local sports writer gave a long discourse a couple of weeks ago about the benefits of trading Tom Brady for a slew of draft picks. He said that some team would surrender their entire draft like the Herschel Walker deal. It didn't happen and now the Pats have extended Brady for another three years.

This writer keeps at it by saying Brady will never play until he is 40 in spite of those words coming from Brady for the last several years. Brady took less money to help the team with cap space. The writer is now saying that Brady will never play for $9 million per season.

This guy should stick to covering the games. Personnel moves are not his forte. Team owner Robert Kraft defended the contract by saying that it was a deal mutually agreed upon.

Nobody knows if Brady will play until he is 40. I believe that he really wants to. It's a question of whether his body and skills hold up.

The Changing 2013 Roster

I was looking at an evaluation of the Pats two weeks ago. That seems so far in the past and irrelevant now. There is a team in the future. Who knows what the 2013 Pats will look like.

The team that comes into training camp will not be the same as the opening game or the one at the end of the season. There will be a lot of roster moves before they play the first game of the new season.

The NFL does a great job in keeping the off-season relevant.

Committing Too Much Money

Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco got his wish to be the highest paid player in the NFL. It doesn't matter that his contract might come back to bite the team down the road. He signed for six years at $120.6 million, with $60 million guaranteed.

Flacco is one of seven quarterbacks in the league to lead his team to a Super Bowl win. He said he was going to be the highest paid one and he did it. His contract will impact the team down the road in their ability to sign their own players and free agents.

It will be interesting to see if Flacco collects every dollar owed him with out having the contract renegotiated. I predict that within a couple of years the Ravens will do something. They have too much money committed to him.

Wasting It On The Young

QB Vince Young should be the poster boy for high draft choices who blow their money and are no longer on a NFL roster. After being selected in the first round of the 2006 draft, Young had five mediocre seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He spent the 2011 campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles and was later released. He was with the Buffalo Bills for the 2012 pre-season, but didn't make the final roster cut.

He has recently been involved in a civil lawsuit where he was challenging a $1.7 million judgment against him concerning a loan made to him during the 2011 player lockout. Young was forced to borrow money after burning through his rookie contract.

To make matters worse, he was planning to throw himself a birthday party paid with $300,000 of the money. This is a great example of players spending their money frivolously. Why did he need such an expensive party? Why was he borrowing money to do it?

I'm not sure which is worse, his failure as a player or his total mismanagement of money.