Favorite Stops

The NFL Network had a very interesting guest in Marion Favorite. He discussed his career which lasted from 2009-2014, in spite of never making a roster.

He was undrafted, signed by ten teams, spent a season in the United Football League and three with the AFL. He was on the Practice Squad with five teams and was signed to the Saints squad during their Super Bowl championship run.

He provided great insight into the real fringe players in the league.

He even spent some time with the Pats in 2010.

Game Day Dollars 2018

The Pats knew that TE Benjamin Watson was facing a four game suspension when they signed him. They structured his contract to not hurt him financially.

He will lose money out of his pocket, but will come back to them after four games and have the option of making incentives in his contract by being on the Game Day roster.

It's the perfect time for the team to put him on the roster.

Fans want the best for him. Who knows what will happen?

Legal and Illegal

The NFL drug policy really needs to be looked at. Players can be taking something perfectly legal, but in violation of the regulations.

TE Benjamin Watson initially retired at the end of last season. He was legally taking Bio Identical Testosterone Cypionate for pain management. Once he decided to return, it was now a banned substance. It will cause him to miss the first four games of the season.

The drug policy appears to be conflicted at times. The NFLPA nd ownership needs to study this further.

It Came Too Soon

It's a fact of life in the NFL that so many veteran players are being replaced by younger draft choices who make less money.

It happens every year. So many veterans are done before their time.

Starr Of What

The great Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers died this past Sunday. So many fans of the NFL have no clue of him or what he did in his career.

Careers are so many years apart from Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

He Wanted The Brady Treatment

Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson has been unhappy in Arizona and has more reasons to want to get out.

He recently received a six game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs.

It will cost him $3.8 million in lost salary. He was hoping the team would throw him a life line and convert his salary to a bonus to lessen the impact, but it didn't happen.

The Pats did it for Tom Brady after his four game suspension for Deflategate. It saved him millions of dollars. The Cardinals had a chance, but they passed.

Prime Time Skills

The NFL Scouting Combine continues to generate big interest and television ratings. They finally realized that they should broadcast the skills competition live during prime time.

There is no way they can lose on this. More viewers equals better ratings which in turn can give the league more leverage when negotiating the rights to the telecast.

Tre Time

The National Arena League is way for players to get some game action on film in the hope that some NFL team will notice.

The Massachusetts Pirates announced the signing of OL Tre Jackson, the 4th round pick of the Pats in 2015.

Jackson not only made the roster in 2015, but started nine games and had considerable playing time.

Unfortunately, knee injuries derailed his career. He spent a few days with the Rams in 2017 during their OTA's, but got released.

The Sunday Three

It was a great idea for the NFL to guarantee every television market at least three Sunday afternoon games, as well as SNF.

Everyone who wants to watch a game should be able to find one, in addition to their own team.

It's all about money. Network are paying a ransom to broadcast games. They want the matchups that fans want.

More revenue means a bigger pie for ownership and players to split.

Count UMass Out

With all of the college bowl games on the schedule, there will be room for at least 80 teams. Only a few have an actual chance at the national title, but that never stops Las Vegas odds-makers into setting up the lines for 50 teams.

Clemson leads with 11/5, while Alabama is 12/5. Mississippi and Pittsburgh trail the list at 1,000/1. UMass wasn't even on the radar.

The 1,000/1 shots will never have a chance at wining the title, but they will end up in a bowl game if they get six wins.

The AFC East Revolving Door

Some fans and those on sports talk shows are concerned about the big turnover in the coaching staff of the team. When Brian Flores left to coach the Dolphins, he took a number of assistants with him.

Everyone should hold their breath and look at the AFC East since the start of Coach Belichick's tenure in 2000. The team has stayed consistent with the head coach and GM.

Meanwhile, the Bills have gone through ten coaches and seven GM's, the Dolphins had six coaches and ten GM's, while the Jets have gone through six of each.

There are changes for every team. Consistency with the coach and GM should be the goal of every team.

Jets Being Jets

It sounds like Jets coach Adam Gase and GM Mike Maccagnan were never on the same page when it came to the draft and free agent signings.

Gase felt the team overpaid for RB LeVeon Bell with a four year deal for $52.5 million. He didn't like the way decisions were made with the draft picks.

Whoever walks into this mess will probably last a couple of years before the slate is wiped clean again.

Rumors of Peyton

It seems almost absurd to think that Peyton Manning could become the GM of the New York Jets, but strange things happen in the NFL.

It might not be the best fit for this type of career change. He has so many options.

Maybe he will sign with the Jets and trade for brother Eli.

Collins For Less Dollars

The signing of former Pats LB Jamie Collins has not excited the fan base. He comes with a low financial risk with $250,000 guaranteed no matter what.

So much depends on him making the 53 man roster coming out of training camp. He will earn another $1.05 million, with incentives that could earn another $850,000 for game day roster bonuses.

He can earn another $500,000 for going to the Pro Bowl. His bigger concern should be making the team.

Same Old Jets

It didn't take long for the Jets to turn their off-season upside down after they fired GM Mike Maccagnan. He oversaw the spending of $200 million on free agents and the hiring of Coach Adam Gase.

At this point in the season, there will be a smaller talent pool to draw from. Gase is the acting GM during the selection process.

With moves like this, the Jets are guaranteed another losing season for their fans.

Gronk Turns 30

Former Pats TE Rob Gronkowski had a Hall of Fame type of career and made a fortune all before the age of 30.

He finally reached that mark yesterday. Where does he go from here with his life? His options are limitless.

He has never spend a dollar of his NFL money while living off of endorsements and appearance fees.

Fans want him to keep playing, but he is making the best decision for himself.

Wasting Time On Optional Workouts

Tom Brady is skipping voluntary workouts with the Pats. It doesn't seem to be an issue with Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels.

A local Boston sports talk radio host is trying to make a big deal of it. He expressed shock over McDaniel's attitude about the whole thing.

At this stage of his career, Brady has earned the right to skip these voluntary workouts. When the time comes, he will be ready to play.

More Prepared Is Better

The NFL Network does a great job showing the plight of the rookies. It's the same story every year. Players either make it or they don't.

They really showed how so many players are not prepared for NFL team drills. It's a long process to the first game of the season. So many players will never make it.

The Fluid 90 For 2019

Sports talk radio needs to be focused on the present and the future. It's a waste of time to dwell in the past about teams and players.

The Pats have a vey interesting 90 man roster with all of their draft picks from the last two years.

They won't all make the final 53 or the practice squad. Tough decisions will be made.

Every team is different year to year says Coach Belichick. The roster can change any day.

A Degree of Edelman

It was great to see Pats WR Julian Edelman get his college degree today from Kent State. He finally got it in "Integrated Studies" after all these years.

He is a great example for other players in the league who never got their degree. They need to finish the job. They owe it to themselves and their family.

No Juice For Bruce

WR Bruce Ellington had a short tenure with the Pats. His signing was mocked by local sports talk radio. They wanted a bigger fish in the pond.

The team released him yesterday on an injury designation. Teams do this all the time. He might resurface some place else or his career might be over.

Full Circle For Watson

The Pats announced the signing of TE Ben Watson who they drafted in 2004 with the 32nd overall pick.

Watson had previously announced his retirement, but is going to try to play his 16th season in the NFL.

He has been productive his entire career. Does he have enough in the tank to make the roster? No matter what, it looks like his career will end where it stated.

Rodney Gets The Call

Pats fans have selected Rodney Harrison as the newest member of the team's Hall of Fame. He won out over Mike Vrabel and Canton finalist Richard Seymour. He will be inducted along with Leon Gray who was selected by the Veterans Committee.

Rodney will be the seventh member from the Super Bowl teams of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He will join Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Kevin Faulk and Matt Light from those great teams.

It was a great choice by the fans, but it shows some of the flaws in the voting process.

Seymour was a finalist for the Hall of Fame in Canton. Harrison has been overlooked by the committee, in spite of holding the NFL record for quarterback sacks by a defensive back with 30.5. He is also the only player to record 30 sacks and 30 interceptions.

I will never understand why Coach Bill Parcells has not remained on the ballot. Some fans must still hold it against him for the way his time in New England ended.

Brady's Big Hit

At some point, the Pats will need to do something with Tom Brady's contract.

Although his salary is $12 million, he has the 4th highest salary cap hit in the league at $27 million.

I'm sure that he and the team can find some creative way to lessen the burden while compensating him in a fair way.

The unknown factor that effects everything is how much longer he will play.

Who Really Gets Drafted?

Now that the NFL draft is over, we can see how inexact it really is. Of the 330 players invited to the Scouting Combine, 117 were not drafted. So many players were not invited, but 33 of them were drafted.

Underclassmen continue to declare early. This draft saw 145 players leave college with eligibility left. Of that amount, 49 did not hear their named called. On a positive note, 32 of them had already received their degree. You can't blame them for trying to land a roster spot and make the $495,000 minimum.

In the end, most of these players will end up on a 90 man roster with some team. They will at least get a chance to prove themselves.

Don't Order Rings Now

Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones is trying to win over the fans who never wanted him selected as the 6th overall pick.

He was a little over the top when he said he wanted to win as many Super Bowls as Eli Manning.

His goal should be to prepare for whatever awaits him. The Giants have a history of selecting quarterbacks who hang around for two seasons before they get released.

The Giants looks ready to give him every opportunity to replace Eli. Whether he is successful remains to be seen.

Revolving Door Time

This is the time of year for all NFL teams when the 90 man roster becomes a revolving door for the bottom ten spots on the roster.

The Pats signed a number of undrafted players. Every year, at least one of them makes the opening day roster. Others will land on the practice squad.

They all begin a journey with no idea how it will end. For some, this will be their last stop. They just don't know it.

Make Manning Free For All

It's a shame that ESPN had decided to place Peyton Manning's docu-series on their ESPN+ platform. It will be part of their on-line subscription site.

Manning will host the 30 part series which will explore the history and people behind the 100 years of the NFL.

It sounds like a very entertaining program with Manning who has been in countless television commercials.

It would be even better if it was free for fans to see.

Taking Action On Jones

It looks like the New York City tabloids will have an open season on Duke QB Daniel Jones and his time with the Giants.

Las Vegas odds-makers are taking action on the over/under for when Jones takes over for Eli Manning. So far, the line is 7 1/2 games.

If the Giants get off to a bad start under Eli, it will get ugly real fast.

Manning deserves better than this for all he has done for the franchise. His career is not winding down the way he expected.