Luck For Andrew

The Indianapolis Colts announced the signing of QB Andrew Luck to the richest contract in NFL history. They should have mentioned that they will regret doing this because of the salary cap implications.

Luck got a 6 year/$140 million deal, with $87 million guaranteed. That is too much to commit to one player. Like most deals, he will never see all of this money. NFL contracts are a charade when it comes to the guaranteed cash.

Throwing It Away

The Johnny Maziel drama has become more than boring. He continues to make the news for his outlandish behavior. He keeps catching breaks from the legal system

He told TMZ that he plans to stay sober after July 1 and focus his efforts on getting back to the NFL. It's hard to imagine that a team would want to put up with him, but there is a shortage of good backup quarterbacks.

Buddy Ryan

The NFL lost a legend today with the passing of Coach Buddy Ryan, the master of the 46 defense with the 1985 Chicago Bears and the father of Rex and Rob. He will always be known as a defensive genius, rather than his stint as a head coach.

His crowning moment was the 1985 team lead by Mike Ditka and his role as defensive coordinator. They defeated the Pats 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.

At 15-1, they were one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

James & Roger

Steelers LB James Harrison is ready to take on the NFL over their plan to question him about his name being mentioned in the Al Jazeera steroid story.

This is the same one that cited Peyton Manning. Many think that was one of the reasons he retired at the end of last season, rather than face questioning. He never denied receiving a shipment of a banned substance, but said it was for his wife.

Harrison is demanding that any questioning be done at his home and at his selected time. He also wants Commissioner Roger Goodell present. That will never happen, but Harrison will make a lot of noise.

I think the NFL is going down the wrong road when they start investigating players for steroid use based on third party sources.

Harrison wasted no time in calling out former Pats star Rodney Harrison and labeled him a serial steroid cheater. This should get interesting.

The Vegas Ripoff

I don't think that it's a good idea for Las Vegas to try to lure the Oakland Raiders there because it will come with a steep cost.

Business leaders are proposing a 0.9% hotel room tax to back the $750 million in municipal bonds as part of the $1.5 billion funding of the proposed stadium.

The average hotel room will increase in price by $1.09. It doesn't sound like much, but this will be a long term commitment.

The Nevada legislature will need to approve any type of tax. They should vote it down to protect the public.

CFL & DK

Fantasy sports sites Draft Kings and Fan Duel are fighting for their lives in state courts as their legality is being questioned. They are very popular among their players. The best solution is for state regulation and taxes.

I was surprised to see Draft Kings expand their options to the Canadian Football League. It will be interesting to see how much action they get on a league that few fans ever watch. I have never seen an entire CFL game.

The league has a history with the NFL as a conduit for players. Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon played there for several seasons. Doug Flutie was a star.

Draft Kings wouldn't be doing this if the money wasn't there.

The Bad Agent

The situation of QB Mark Sanchez is a warning to all players. Sanchez was a victim of an unscrupulous agent who bilked him out of $7.8 million in a Ponzi scheme. No arrests have been made, but the agent is under investigation by the SEC.

Many players trust their financial decisions to agents who only care about themselves. The league is full of stories about players losing most of their money.

Sanchez won't be the last victim. It happens every year. The NFL needs to do a better job in working to with the NFLPA to weed out bad agents.

Peterson's Whine

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is entering his 10th NFL season. He said the off-season preparation is wearing him down and might send him into retirement before his skills and body give way.

His situation is not unique. Many players feel the same way, but never go public with their thoughts. Peterson should realize that there are players on the fringe who are waiting for their opportunity that might never come. If Peterson or any other bored player decides to retire, it will give them the chance they need for a roster spot.

There are some rooting for Peterson and other players to retire.

Pay The Bottom Feeders

I read a great editorial that proposed the elimination of the franchise tag. Players always want long term security and big dollars.

The NFLPA needs to address the issue of the bottom feeders. The veteran minimum salaries need to be adjusted. Everyone on the 53 man roster should make over $1 million.

The salaries pale in compassion to MLB, NHL and NBA. Each of those sports have their own skill set, but the pay discrepancy should not be that much.

Long Ride Might End

Prior to the new CBA in 2011, first round picks were guaranteed to make a lot of money. That didn't always translate to success on the field for many players. The list is quite long.

OL Jake Long was the overall #1 pick by the Dolphins in 2008. He signed a 5 year/$57.5 million contract. The money was good, but not his production.

After his release, he spent two seasons with the Rams. He ended up on IR each year with ACL injuries.

He spent last year with the Falcons, but played in only four games before his release at the end of the season.

He claims he is healthy now and is looking for a team. He will probably end up as a practice body at some training camp. Making the final roster will be another challenge.

Long made a lot of money, but might be at the end of the line.

Darrelle Dollars

I wonder if the New York Jets are having second thoughts about all the money they committed to Darrelle Revis.

They are on the hook this year for a salary cap hit of $17 million. He will be 31 in July. They are trying to sign other players to long term contracts, including Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he accounts for a huge portion of the team's payroll.

Maybe the Jets wil feel they need to go in another direction at some point in time.

Guaranteed money is never guaranteed.

Big Win For Rex

If Coach Rex Ryan gets fired at the end of the season, at least he will make it interesting for the fans. The Bills coach announced that his team had won the off-season.

Nobody knows what that really means, but Rex is ready for opening day. His team has not the playoffs since 1999. They were 8-8 last season. The fans are more than restless. Some say that Rex won't be around in 2017 if the team misses the playoffs.

He will turn this into a circus before it's over.

One Down So Far

The Pats finished their OTA's and mini-camp with only one player lost for the season. It appears that almost every team suffered one major injury.

The Pats were expecting big things from TE Michael Williams this season, but it won't happen after he tore his ACL during a drill.

Teams will be looking to avoid major injuries when training camp opens at the end of next month. It won't be easy. Players get hurt.

Costly Injuries

The NFL has a great disparity in salaries. Quarterbacks get the big dollars. Players with the franchise tag are sure to cash in.

On the other end of the spectrum are many players like TE Michael Williams. After he suffered a season ending injury, the Pats released him. He was under a "split contract". As a result, his $525,000 salary will be reduced to $348,000.

His injury ended up costing him $177,000 in lost wages. This happens all around the league.

Michael Williams Gone

TE Michael Williams had a productive time with the Pats after he got traded to them during the 2015 season. After tearing his ACL at the team's mandatory mini-camp, the team released him and will give him a medical/financial settlement. As a free agent, he is free to sign with anyone, including the Pats.

His injury is just another example of the fragility of NFL careers Every player is different. Things happen at practice. It's all part of the game.

Players Are Numbered

Leave it to the NFL to institute rulings that don't make any sense. For a number of years,  Coach Belichick had his players practicing during OTA's without wearing a number on their jersey. He felt that it promoted team communication and bonding.

The NFL felt otherwise. They now require numbers to prevent injured players from practicing. They like to rise their high horse about player safety.

Stalemate In Denver

The Denver Broncos have a mess on their hands with LB Von Miller. They put an offer on the table of 6 years/ $114.5 million with $39.8 million guaranteed.

Miller hesitated because of the amount of money guaranteed. The Broncos pulled their offer. They are now in a standoff, with Miller threatening to sit out the season or at least the first ten weeks.

Nobody knows how this will play out, but it's a great example of how NFL contracts work. They are usually smoke and mirrors. Nobody ever seems to collect all the money from their contract.

Kelly & Ryan

Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly predicted that the Buffalo Bills will fire Rex Ryan if his former team doesn't make the playoffs this year after a previous 8-8 season.

Kelly is very passionate about his former team, but why would he stoke the fires so early? Ryan has made too many predictions in the past for his own sake.

The last thing that fans want is a season where the coach is on the line every game. It creates too much pressure around the team.

Rex is the type of coach who will eventually get fired. It happens to everyone.

Sherman Speaks

Seattle Seahawks CB Richard Sherman has always been outspoken and not afraid to speak his mind. I thought he was 100% correct in what he said about new stadium projects.

I agree that none of it should be taxpayer funded. The billionaire owners and the NFL should pay for the construction.

Oakland Raiders Mark Davis is trying to convince Las Vegas officials to ante up money for the construction of a new stadium in order for his team to relocate there.

Publicly funded stadiums are a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Return of Slater

WR Matthew Slater is on the depth chart by his position, but it's really just a placeholder on the Pats roster. He is a superb special teams player as a "gunner" and has earned five trips to the Pro Bowl, including three as All-Pro.

He spoke in depth with the press during a break in the team's mandatory mini-camp. He discussed the upcoming changes to the kickoff which will put the ball on the 25 yard after a touchback.

It appears that the league wants to eliminate the kick return. In the process, a specialist like Slater might go by the wayside. It has enabled him to approach his 9th season since being a 5th round pick in the 2008 Draft.

Nate Ebner and Brandon King have been carving careers out of special teams play. The fans like to see a kick returned. It's becomes a question of how can they make it safer.

Since 2010, returns have decreased from 80% to 41 %. Will the kick return be eliminated?

Story Keeps Changing

News reports the other day mentioned the shooting of Aqib Talib. It now appears he may have shot himself, based on his wounds.

How will the NFL react? Will he be in any legal trouble? Former Giants WR Plexico Burress ended up serving almost two years in prison because of gun charges. The laws are different in Texas.

The truth will eventually come out.

Edelman's Time

Fans will never get the truth about injured players on the Pats. The news from Foxborough is usually vague. We are seeing that with Julian Edelman.

He recently underwent surgery on the same foot he injured last season and might not be ready until September or October. The team is not talkin about it, but things are not looking that good right now for the man in the walking boot.

Aqib's Turn

Broncos CB Aqib Talib was shot last night in a Dallas nightclub along with two other people. It was just another night of off-season violence involving NFL players.

Every year, a few players get shot. It never seems to end. Fortunately, nobody was killed. They might not be so lucky the next time.

Malcolm's Money

Fans are trying to determine if CB Malcolm Butler is making a statement about his contact. He missed a couple of OTA's, but was around for some other team events.

He doesn't have much leverage. As an undrafted player, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. This could give him a bigger payday in 2017.

His best bet is to have two great seasons and cash in at the end of 2017. It remains to be seen if he will continue to play at the Pro Bowl level he did in 2015.

Lebron & Gronk

Some NFL executive said that basketball superstar LeBron James would have been a great tight end. He was heavily recruited by colleges for his wide receiver skills. He was a two time All-State selection in Ohio.

The NFL Network mentioned this and decided to do one of their fans polls to see if he would have been as good as Rob Gronkowski.

How can anyone measure that? Lebron fans will vote for their guy. The same holds for Gronk. I think the network mentioned it because the news cycle is rather slow right now.

Could Lebron take those hits running across the middle of the field like Gronk does?

The 501

Today is day #501 of Deflategate with no end in sight. The cost for both sides has exceeded $22 million and continues to spiral out of control.

Nobody knows when or how this will end. Some of the best legal minds have been hired by both sides. They don't come cheaply.

I bet the cost will be over $50 million before it's finally over. I'm not sure of the total amount of days.

Losing In Las Vegas

It's hard to take the NFL and Oakland Raiders seriously about a possible relocation of the team to Las Vegas. The league has always sought to distance itself from gambling.

Where would the fan base be? Only 24% of the population were born in the area. Could they build support from a population that is transient? Do they really expect tourists to take a break from gambling and other activities to support another team? The 2.1 million people in the area make it the nation's 42nd largest television market.

I think one of the biggest issues is the funding of a proposed $1.4 billion stadium. The NFL and team owner Mark Davis would put up $750 million. The remainder would come from a hotel tax which would be passed onto tourists.

It would just be another publicly funded stadium. Everyone loses when that happens.