Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Chance For Tebow


The New York Jets released QB Tim Tebow yesterday. They should have done it weeks ago. I don't understand their logic in stringing him along. They had no plans for him on their roster. Why prolong it?

Many NFL "experts" think Tebow's career is over. They say he should go to the CFL or Arena League. Maybe that is his best option, but he has played well in the past with Denver. Will he get another chance? Everyone criticizes his throwing style.

I wonder if Coach Belichick and his former coach Josh McDaniel's would take a flyer on him. There is nothing to lose by inviting him to training camp. The only thing they would need to do is keep a lid on the potential media circus that always seems to follow Tebow. He is no threat to Tom Brady at this point.

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Life of Ryan


Every player who gets drafted says all the right things about being selected by his respective team. However, I wonder how Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib really feels about being drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round.

Nassib appears destined to sit on the bench unless Eli Manning gets hurt. That could be a long shot as Manning has a 135 consecutive game streak going. Nassib will also compete with former number one overall pick David Carr who has served as the backup four of the last five years. Carr's only playing time has come in pre-season and in mop-up duty late in games.

Coach Tom Coughlin usually keeps two quarterbacks. Nassib will be fighting for a roster spot. His best hope is to try and stick with the team and accumulate the four seasons needed to become a free agent.

Tom Brady was fourth on the depth chart when he came to New England. He fought his way onto the roster and his life changed in one moment when Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of the game against the Jets in 2001.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Another Brady Type of Player?


Much has been written and said about Tom Brady being selected as the 199th pick in the 2000 draft. Of the six quarterbacks selected ahead of him, only Chad Pennington had a decent career. The draft coverage in recent years has included special attention being paid to the 199th pick.

This year it went to Notre Dame RB Theo Riddick who started out as a slot receiver and finished his career carrying the ball 190 times for 970 yards and 5 TD's during his senior year. He also caught 36 passes for 370 yards and 2 TD's in his final season.

The Detroit Lions made him their 6th round selection. Who knows how it will work out? Some of the later round picks could have been bypassed and signed as undrafted fee agents. Only time will tell, but Riddick will be forever known as the "Brady selection" for 2013.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Here Come The Critics


Critics of Coach Belichick will find fault with this year's draft no matter how the selections work out. Everyone knows how much the coach likes having a bunch of middle round picks. He traded the 29th pick in the first round to make extra selections. Will these players become starters and make the pro Bowl someday? Who knows if they will even make the team.

So many people wanted a glamorous pick. The decry Belichick's mantra of "picks with the best value". They seem to forget some of the great selections over the years in rounds 2-5. There will always be misses. The history of the NFL draft is filled with them . Coach Belcihcik has certainly made his share of bad selections.

One only needs to look back to 2000, when six quarterbacks were selected before Tom Brady before the Pats selected him as their second pick in the 6th round.

Sports talk shows and other media  will be buzzing next week with analysis of what went wrong. They won't find the good points, only the bad.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Dealing Tonight


All of the draft "experts" are ready for the big show tonight. The NFL Network will have a prime time show dedicated to the first round of the draft. They do such a great job with their programming.

We have heard all the stories how teams have left no stone unturned in pursuit of adding players to their roster. There will be surprises tonight without a doubt. There could be three offensive linemen in the top ten picks, all ahead of the first quarterback.

A local writer insists that the Pats will draft a receiver on the first round, but I disagree with him. The Pats have a dismal record of drafting productive receivers. They have not done much better with defensive backs.

The Pats are very short on picks. They have no selections in rounds 4-6. However, they have the 29th, 59th and 91st overall selections in the first three rounds. I look for them to trade the first round pick unless they have a great player fall into their lap when their time comes.

Coach Belichick loves to have draft picks. He will probably trade down in the 2nd and 3rd to get more players. There are always teams willing to deal.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Rolling The Dice For Two


Fans will be holding the feet of the New York Jets to the fire when the annual draft starts on Thursday. Newly hired GM John Izdak has the 9th and 13th selections in the first round after trading CB Darrelle Revis to Tampa Bay.

The Jets have many needs to fill after shaking up their roster. Coach Rex Ryan has two years left on his contract and is on a very short leash. Owner Woody Johnson continues to fret about the sale of Personal Seat Licenses while loyal Jet fans are viewing a mediocre product on the field.

The draft is very inexact for all teams. First round picks fail as often as late round ones. The Jets need to come up big with their selections. In the end, they will roll the dice like all the other teams.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Feeling A Draft


The NFL Network does a great job with ratcheting up the hype about the 2013 draft. Their programming is excellent. So many talking heads and "experts" predicting who will get drafted and where. The draft is such an inexact science. These guys pontificate forever. It makes for great programming which the fans love.

The three day draft starting on Thursday will exceed the expected ratings. No sport owns the draft like the NFL. They all have their prognosticators. Everyone is a self-proclaimed expert.

In the end, there are some great calls that everyone takes credit for and some bad ones that nobody ever forgets.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Not Worthy In The First


If you listen to the draft "experts," it sounds like any team that uses a first round selection for a quarterback is throwing away a high pick. Only Geno Smith of West Virginia is considered a first rounder. In fact, many have said he was probably a 2nd round pick.

I love reading the breakdown by the "experts" I just saw one in the New York Post. It makes you wonder why any team would ever select one of these guys. Maybe they should try and get them as undrafted free agents. They will be part of the NFL and in some cases, Not For Long.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Tampa Bay Gets Their Guy


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets completed their traded for CB Darrelle Revis. They must have wanted him very badly to give up the 13th overall pick in this year's draft and a conditional (3rd or 4th) for 2014.

It's a big price to pay for a player coming off of ACL surgery. He also wants to be the highest paid defensive player in the league. Tampa Bay plans to empty the bank to bow to his demands. The seem to have no issues about trying to get the four time Pro Bowl player.

If things work out, Revis will add a great deal to the defensive side of the ball. Their salary cap will take a hit at the expense of other players.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Radio City Music Hall


I'm sure the NFL has a great security plan in place for the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City starting April 25th. They have done a masterful job to stretch it to three days. They get a whole show out of the first round and follow up with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th picks. A third day of 5th, 6th  & 7th selections.

The NFL does it so well. It's the only sport where the fans really pay attention to the draft. So many mock draft boards will soon come to a crashing end. It happens every year.

I heard some mumblings about how the Pats should draft a defensive lineman and "groom" him to replace Vince Wilfork. Good luck in doing that. Just keep drafting one every year. In the end, it might be an undrafted free agent.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Scheduling Wins


The release of the 2013 NFL schedule has raised a lot of discussion. A local writer already has the Pats at 10-6. That seems like an easy bet. I would be shocked if they didn't do at least that well.

His schedule breakdown was interesting and showed some good insight, but I don't know how he came up with some of his picks.

I know he needs to write a column. He does the same thing every year. I wouldn't want to make any predictions until I see how the Pats do in next week's draft and which free agents they sign before training camp.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Washing Their Hands


Former LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu will be drafted by a team one way or the other. His suspension from LSU because of drug use will drop him to a lower round in the draft and cost him a great deal of money. He has already punished himself with a financial hit.

LSU is not totally innocent in all of this. Mathieu admits to flunking at least ten drug tests. Coach Les Miles doesn't even know how many were failed. There are privacy issues involved, but the school's way of dealing with the problem was to kick him off the team.

Why did it take ten failed drug tests? What did the team do to help him? The easy way out was to suspend him. They never really helped him. They just washed their hands of the problem.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Vinnie & Drew


Coach Belichick turned 61 the other day. Some speculate how much longer he will coach. They seem to think that he will walk into the sunset with Tom Brady. I don't see that happening. He can stay there as long as the Kraft family wants him. They appear to have a great relationship.

Tom Brady will retire before Coach Belichick. Will Tom be like Vinnie Testaverde and play until he is 42? Vinnie was Bill's man in Cleveland back in the 80's. Bernie Kosar's career ended because of Bill. He was an earlier version of  Drew Bledsoe.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

A Vote For Leon


The Pats announced the three finalists for the team's Hall of Fame. They are all deserving candidates. LB Tedy Bruschi will probably walk right in. He is a very worthy candidate with his fiery leadership and play, as well as being on three Super Bowl championship teams.

The late Chuck Fairbanks coached the team from 1973-1978. He turned the franchise around in the 70's and gave them credibility. He coached in the legendary loss to the Oakland Raiders in the 1976 Divisional Playoffs. Many thought that team would have won the Super Bowl.

Leon Gray played tackle from 1973-1978 and teamed up with NFL Hall of Famer John Hannah to lead the way for the devastating ground game on teams quarterbacked by Steve Grogan.

I submitted my vote for Leon Gray. I realize it's a lost cause. Young fans of today have no recollection of him other than watching film. All three should be elected, but only one will make it.

My vote for Gray is more of a protest vote because the older players will never get in as more  from the Belichick era get on the ballot.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Matt Flynn Joins The Dubious List


Fans of the Pats often bemoan the loss of Wes Welker and the closing window of Tom Brady's career. They should look at the Oakland Raiders to see how badly things can get.

The Pats began their march into history during the infamous "Snow Game" against the Raiders at the end of the 2001 season. The Silver and Black were lead by QB Rich Gannon who captured the MVP in 2002 and left the team after the 2004 season.

Since then, the Raiders have gone through 15 quarterbacks with only Jason Campbell  (11-7) posting a winning record.They endured the likes of JaMarcus Russell (7-18), one of the all-time draft day busts. Kerry Collins (7-21) and Carson Palmer (8-16) didn't fare any better. Dante Culpepper, Jason Campbell all failed.

The Raiders recently traded with Seattle for Matt Flynn by giving up a 5th round pick in 2014 and a conditional one in 2015. If the team maintains its current trend, the conditional pick will be a late rounder as Flynn will certainly be challenged to improve the team's losing record.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Giving Him A Split


The Pats got a great deal for themselves when they re-signed WR Julian Edelman. Apparently, he didn't have much interest from other teams. He visited with the Giants before signing with the Pats.

They got him on a one year contract for the veteran minimum of $715,000. They got further insurance for themselves because of his history of injuries by using a "split" contract. If he goes on Injured Reserve, his contract drops to $383,000.

Edeleman is expected to get more snaps in the slot receiver position along with Danny Amendola. He now has a great deal of motivation to stay healthy and on the field. In his case, that should be quite a challenge.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Just Keep Flunking


When it comes to talking about the visits to Foxborough by free agents and draft prospects, the Pats are as secretive as North Korea. There was a rumor that CB Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu of LSU dropped by for a meeting. Nobody really knows what happened, if anything

Mathieu brings a boatload of talent and personal issues to any team that drafts him. The Heisman trophy finalist was suspended by LSU last year after failing numerous drug tests. He opted to leave school and enter the draft.

Honey Badger admits to failing at least ten tests before his suspension. That will be an issue for some teams, but not for all. We only need to see how Aaron Hernandez dropped to the fourth round before the Pats selected him. Hernandez flunked a few tests

The situation of Mathieu is not unique when it comes to college football and the NCAA. The fact that he flunked at least ten drug tests might raise concern in the real world, but it was never a problem with LSU until that final test.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Choice of Younger Fans


I think the NFL Network has outstanding programming that keeps the interest of the fans, especially in the off-season. They recently ran a contest that allowed viewers to vote for the greatest play of all-time.

Contests like this are very subjective. Voters tend to give more emphasis to plays they have seen during their lifetime. This certainly seems to be the case in looking at the results.

I find it hard to believe that they voted for a game winning punt return by DeSean Jackson during the 2010 season. There is no doubt that it was a great play. Jackson returned the punt on the last play of the game to give the Eagles a come-back win over the Giants.

There are so many outstanding plays in the history of the NFL. It was very typical that fans would choose a recent play that was vivid in their  memory. What was the average age of the voters? Anyone under 50 would probably have no recollection of the Immaculate Reception by Franco Harris other than seeing it on NFL Films.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A Good Deal For All


I thought it was a good idea that the Pats gave WR Julian Edelman a one year contract. The free agent visited with the New Your Giants, but apparently decided to stay with the team that drafted him during the 7th round in 2009.

He gets a contract filled with incentives. If he performs well and stays on the field, he has a chance to cash in. He will also be a free agent again in 2014. It was a low risk for both teams.

Edelman had a great start to the 2013 season, but injuries have always hurt his value. This will be a big year for him. He doesn't want to follow the lead of Patrick Chung who could never stay on the field consistently.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Shirt On Their Backs


The NFL announced the top selling game jerseys for the past season. Robert Griffin III topped the list. The rookie QB was ahead of Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, Colin Kaepernick, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Aaron Rogers, Victor Cruz, Eli Manning and Patrick Willis. Three rookie quarterbacks cracked the top 10. Who will be there from this year's draft class?

The San Francisco 49er's topped the list for total team shirt sales, followed by the Ravens, Giants, Redskins, Steelers and Pats. It's interesting to note that five of the top six sales were for teams on the east coast.


Monday, April 8, 2013

Playing The Numbers


The New York Daily News analyzed a study by the National Center For Catastrophic Sports Injuries which examined 243 deaths of high school and college football players from July 1990 - June 2010. There were some interesting points raised.

The vast majority of the deaths were from high school players. This could be attributed to the big difference in the number of players compared to college.

A player was twice as likely to die from a heart issue, heat stroke or some other non-traumatic injury. Heart issues caused 100 deaths compared to 62 from brain injuries and 38 from the heat. Lightning strikes, broken necks, abdominal injuries and infections were also noted causes.

Many players who suffered from heart fatalities had pre-existing conditions that were only identified upon autopsy. There is a huge controversy about mandatory EKG's for all athletes. It would save a lot of lives, but would also be costly. It always boils down to money.

Apparently, a death rate of 1 for every 100,000 players is considered acceptable unless it's your kid or someone you know.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Gronk Takes A step Backwards


A news report indicated that Pats TE Rob Gronkowski will be undergoing a third surgery on his injured arm. This will be another setback for Gronk and the team. There is a question of whether he will be ready for the start of the season. What does the team do now?

They can wait and see if the infection clears up after the plates are removed from his arm. He will need another operation to insert the plates. His recovery period will start over again.

They still have Aaaron Hernandez and Jake Ballard who are stalwarts at TE position, but the offense is different without him in the lineup. Gronk and Hernandez have shown that they cannot stay healthy enough to play the entire season. Ballard is returning after missing the 2012 campaign because of a knee injury There is already a dark cloud looming overhead months before training camp.

I think they need to draft another TE in the early rounds. They seem to want to build their offense around the position. As good as they are, I don't think that Gronk and Hernandez are destined to have long careers in the NFL. I have seen this happen too many times to feel comfortable.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Moving The Picks


When the NFL draft starts on April 25th I don't expect the Pats to maintain their current number of picks. They will be drafting 29th in the first, second and third rounds.They also have the 20th and 29th picks in the 7th round.

I can't imagine Coach Belichick passing on rounds four, five and six. They lost these picks as compensation in previous trades for Aqib Talib, Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth. Trading any of their first three picks should yield additional ones in the rounds they don't have any.

I wouldn't be surprised if they traded out of the first round to get a bunch of picks.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Action At USC


Tom Brady was seen at the USC football practice field tossing passes to WR Danny Amendola. It was expected that any news involving Brady would be a big story. Watching it all was USC receivers coach Tee Martin. That doesn't sound like much until you realize that Martin was one of the six quarterbacks taken before Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL draft.

Martin was the back-up to Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee during his freshman and sophomore years. He lead the team to a national championship during his junior year and another BSC appearance as a senior. He was drafted in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His mediocre NFL career ended in 2004 with the Oakland Raiders.

Also drawing attention was Terrell Owens who was on the receiving end for some of Brady's passes. At the age of 39, T.O. looks like he could still play, but has been out of the NFL for the last two season. That does not bode well for the league's second all-time receiver in yards with 15,934. Teams are not pursuing him, but at least he got a mention in the news.


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Another Idiot Heard From


It never surprises me to hear the stupid comments posted by professional athletes on social media. They show their ignorance by expressing their thoughts.

WR Steve Johnson of the Buffalo Bills stepped to the front of the line today with his comments on Twitter. He suggested that North Korea shoot a missile at Gillette Stadium. After he was criticized, he back-pedaled and tried to minimize the damage to his reputation.

It happens all the time. Stupid comments are made and then someone tries to clean up the mess. He has a right to say what he wants, but he is not doing himself a favor with his comments.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The Best Bet


The NFL gets the biggest amount of betting action with 42% of the $3.17 billion sports wagering industry in Nevada. MLB is far behind in second place at 18%.

A number of states have tried to get a piece of the action, but legislatures have been hesitant to pull the trigger. They have also faced a huge lobbying by the NFL to prevent it from happening.

In spite of it all, millions are wagered weekly during the season through bookies. It's interesting to see that the NFL blocks all of the legitimate attempts at wagering, but is powerless when it comes to the local bookie.

It doesn't look like anything will change soon.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Don't Look There


We will be inundated with pre-draft analysis until it starts on April 25th. Everyone has their top 5 or 10 by each position. Most of these guys get drafted in earlier rounds.

One writer was talking about trying to find the next slot receiver like Wes Welker, Percy Harvin or Victor Cruz.

Tavon Austin of West Virginia fits that bill at 5'8" and 174. He had a 4.4 in the 40 yard run. Recipient of the Paul Horning award for being the "most versatile college player". One of three players last year with at least 500 yards in receiving, punt returns and kick returns.

Austin certainly sounds like the real deal and should be one of the top receivers selected. I find it funny that the writer mentioned Welker and Cruz. Both of them were undrafted free agents. They had to fight their way onto a team. Harvin was selected 22nd in the first round of the 2009 draft.

Some of the best players never get drafted. Long before Welker and Cruz defined the position of slot receiver, the undrafted Wayne Chrbet of Hofstra set the standard with the New York Jets.

Monday, April 1, 2013

See You In September


It's been quite a shock to see the diminished market for a number of free agents out there.While some have signed for less money than expected, others continue to wait for the right offer.

A number of veterans might wait until August to sign. The draft will dictate the decisions for a number of teams. Some players think they might have more opportunities once training camp starts.

This could backfire in some cases. If a team waits until after the first game, the salary of the player isn't fully guaranteed for the season.Teams might be better off by waiting.