Not In London

Pats owner Robert Kraft predicted that the NFL will have a team in London before the end of the decade. This seems pretty optimistic. Kraft is a big supporter of having a team there. The league has scheduled games there again next year.

What will the logistics be of having a team in London? What division will they be in? Does the league plan to expand to even out the number of teams or just relocate a franchise. The Pats have played several games there, but it had always been an away contest. Kraft never volunteers to give up one of his home dates.

It's nice to talk about it, but I don't see it happening. The travel would be too much for the team, especially if they had to play a game on the west coast.

Foolish Spending Spree

It's easy to see why so many current and former NFL players file for bankruptcy. They land a big contract and blow through all of their money.

Former QB Vince Young came into the league as the third overall pick in 2006. He never lived up to the expectations, but earned $36 million during a six year career. It's all gone now as he was forced to file for bankruptcy.

Players do crazy things with their money. They think it's a constant faucet. Four Denver Bronco players gave a classic example of it their other night when they headed into New York City as part of their Super Bowl experience.

They partied in a trendy club until 4am and managed to spend $10,000 on liquor bottle service. I'm sure they could justify it as a once in a lifetime situation of being there. I just think it was a bit extravagant.

Ten years from now, they will look back and wish they had their share of the $10,000.

Class of 2012

The Boston Globe did a great analysis of the team's players. It looks like they might have two failures from the 2012 draft class unless something changes for next season.

Tavon Wilson and Jake Bequette could be longshots to make the roster next year after being drafted in the second and third round respectively. They might join the list of draft picks who never made it with the Pats in spite of when they were selected.

Coach Belichick always talks about earning playing time. Apparently, these two are way down on the list. Wilson only was on the field for 17 defensive snaps and Bequette for 14. They were inactive for most games in spite of being healthy. This does not bode well for their future in Foxborough.

Their best hope now is to get released and hook up with another team. It's not happening here.

A Few Bad Ideas

There has been all sorts of discussion on why the Pats season ended the way it did and how to proceed in the future. A local writer offered his ten ways to improve the team for next season. Some of his ideas made sense, but others left me wondering.

He said the team should give Vince Wilfork a contract extension with less annual money. I don't think they will do this. My guess is that they threaten to release him if he doesn't lower his $11 million salary cap figure for 2014. If they give him additional years, it won't be guaranteed money.

His most ridiculous idea was to trade Tom Brady to the Vikings for two first round picks and two second rounders. He just assumed that the Vikings would jump at this and destroy their draft for the next few years.

Don't plan on that happening.

A Time To Decline

The NFL coaching carousel is traveling at a dizzying speed. So many head coaches are now coordinators or position coaches. They might get another chance at the head job.

It's easy to see why Josh MacDaniels decided to stay with the Pats. After the season ended, he was offered the head job again with the Cleveland Browns, but he turned it down. He already went down once in flames as a head coach with Denver.

Nick Caserio  was interviewed for the GM job in Miami. They interviewed eight candidates. After his interview, he removed himself from further consideration. I'm sure he wanted to get into a better situation where the team would succeed.

It's a good scenario when you have the option of turning down a job. Other coaches are not that lucky. Some end up where they do because it's the only option available.

Pro Bowl

The Pro Bowl is doing ok as I watch it. It's hard to have a football all-star game when it doesn't mean anything. The physical contact is limited. It's not the usual level of Sunday NFL violence.

The game is a one shot deal. It's not meant to replicate Sunday's mayhem and hard hits. The NFL can't play their normal game. It's really just an exhibition game with some big hits.

Nobody wants to get hurt.

Sanders & Rice

 I like the new format for the Pro Bowl this year. It's hard to have a meaningful football game when it doesn't count in the standings. The main goal is to avoid any type of catastrophic injury.

Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice have done a great job assembling the mixed teams of AFC and NFC players. It will be interesting to see teammates on opposite sides of the field.

It's good that they play it a week before the Super Bowl rather than after. Both squads lose players who are playing next Sunday, but the rosters have been filled out. The television ratings are good and that is the most important thing.

Maybe The End of Vince

Many players sign large contracts, but never see all of the money. The team will either restructure it or release the player. We are seeing that now with Vince Wilfork.

He is in the final year of a $5 year/ $40 million contract. His salary cap number is around $11 million for the 2014 season. He is coming back from a torn Achilles. The team was able to replace him with several promising rookies and free agents.

I don't think the Pats will be willing to absorb that much of a cap hit. I look for him either being released or playing for around $3-4 million. It's still good money, but his big paydays are over unless he wants to head to another team. At his age and recent injury, any team will be taking a gamble.

No More Pepper

It came as a shock to many Pats fans to hear about long time coach Pepper Johnson leaving the team. Pepper announced that he was parting ways after being on Coach Belichick's staff since 2000.

He also had 26 years of continual association going back to his days on the Giants and then following Belichick to the Browns and Jets as a player. He won five Super Bowls with Belichick, three as a coach and two with the Giants.

The Pats released a statement that praised Johnson, but didn't really say why their relationship was ending. Was it the slap that Pepper took back in 2012 when Matt Patricia was named Defensive Coordinator? I thought Pepper might get the job, but he was just reassigned as a positional coach.

Where will he end up? Will it be in Houston with former Pats Coach Bill O'Brien and Romeo Crennel? Will he stay in the NFL, take a year off or head to the college ranks?

It seems like a marriage of 26 years just ended mutually and both parties are saying nice things about each other. I think Pepper felt slighted when he didn't get the coordinator's job.

No Hall Date For Wes & Bill

The other day, Pats owner Robert Kraft mentioned that Wes Welker belongs in the team's Hall of Fame. I wonder if he still feels the same after the Pats lost the AFC Championship game to Denver.

Coach Belichick was very critical of the play of  Welker who knocked CB Aqib Talib out of the game with a vicious hit in the first quarter. He called it the key play of the game and said the league will handle the matter.

Welker will probably get a fine and nothing else. It was a small price to pay to eliminate one of the best players on defense. The game was never the same after that.

Welker said it was an accident. He is the only one who knows if it was intentional. It sure looked like it was, but no player will ever admit to trying to hurt another opponent.

If Welker ever has an induction ceremony to the team's Hall of Fame, I doubt if Belichick will be there or have anything good to say. I'm sure he will do everything he can to convince Kraft not to let it happen.

Roger's Bad Idea

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell created a huge controversy when he suggested that the NFL Competition Committee should look into eliminating the extra point after touchdowns. He claimed that they add nothing to the excitement of the game because they are almost always automatic.

He wants to make a touchdown worth seven points and give the scoring team another point attempt similar to the present two point conversion.

He made his remarks during an interview with the NFL Network.  His remarks drew outcries from fans with some calling for his ouster. It would be a radical change from the present format and strikes at the heart of the traditions in the game.

I think it's a bad idea to eliminate the kick. They should keep it the way it is.

The 15th Time

For Pats fans, the season will either continue to the Super Bowl in two weeks or come to a crashing end by 6:30pm tonight. The Broncos are favored, but what does that really mean?

The clock is ticking on the careers of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. We might never see this match-up again.

Pats fans take these games for granted, but the players don't. So many players never get to the Championship game or even the playoffs.

This will be a legacy game that will be talked about in years to come, much like the prior 14 meetings between Brady and Manning.

Passing The Torch

The Championship games tomorrow contrast the old and new guard when it comes to the quarterback position.

The AFC will match two future Hall of Famers in Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. They are both in the twilight of their respective careers. They meet for the 15th time with Brady holding a 10-4 record over Manning. How many more times will this happen?

The NFC will showcase two of the game's best young quarterbacks in Colin Kaepernick of the 49er's and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks. They could be the Brady and Manning of the future. They both have great starts to their career.

Will they carry the torch ten years from now or will it burn out for one or both?

A Chance For A Check

Some Pats fans are whining about former DB Marquice Cole signing this week with the Broncos. They said he was a traitor. They didn't bother to realize that he was a free agent and had a chance to play in the AFC Championship game.

Cole has been in the league for five seasons. The Pats signed and released him four times since March. He was hoping to return to Foxborough, but it didn't work out. What was he suppose to do, not play?

The Broncos signed Cole after losing their starting CB Chris Harris to a torn ACL. It remains to be seen whether Cole dresses for the game on Sunday. At least he will get a game check and a possible trip to the Super Bowl.

Selective Firings

I think the New York Giants are just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Rather than fire Coach Tom Coughlin, they decided to have a few scapegoats.

Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride was the first to feel the axe. Most thought that he would become a sacrificial lamb. Now they have fired Mike Pope their tight ends coach who has been with the team since the days of Bill Parcells. With 23 seasons, he was the longest tenured assistant coach in Giants history.

What made Pope expendable? Was it his age at 71? I don't think you solve too many problems by selectively firing people. Maybe, they should have just cleaned house.

Spiking His Season

Pats fans will probably never know the truth behind the team's decision to put LB Brandon Spikes on season ending IR with a knee injury. He dealt with the injury for most of the season and was seen as a key member of the defense, but what happened?

Rumor has that he was late for practice during a snow storm on January 3rd. That irritated Coach Belichick enough to end the season for him.

Spikes was quoted in the Boston Globe as saying the IR decision was not mutual. So where does this leave Spikes who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season?

Do the Pats want to continue their relationship which has been up and down at times. I think the team will make him a low-ball offer before he bolts to another team.

Not Enough Money

I think the NFL and its owners would be wise to revisit the $762 million concussion injury settlement with their former players.

A federal judge in Philadelphia is holding off on agreeing to it until the court receives more financial information from the owners.

Some of the key numbers stand out. It doesn't seem like a lot of money for some players, especially those in their 70's and 80's.

With a projected 20,000 players involved, the money won't last. The players of today will be future beneficiaries if the money lasts that long.

Johnny "Young"

I can't believe all the hype about Johnny "Football" Manziel leaving Texas A&M for the NFL draft. He still has two years of college eligibility to play on that level, but he wants to take a chance now.

Many of the "experts" predict him to be a Top 5 pick. I have no doubt about that. They can have him. I think he will be the next Vince Young. Some compare him to Tim Tebow.

The quarterback is the most important position on a NFL team. I don't think he will make a big impact in the league. His running style will get him injured very quickly.

Just ask Michael Vick.

Peyton's Place

Peyton Manning needs to lead his team to a win over the San Diego Chargers in their playoff game today. Manning goes into the game with a 9-11 post-season record, including one Super Bowl win.

Whenever the all-time great quarterbacks are discussed, Manning's name always comes up, but with the caveat of his playoff record.  There's not much he can do at this point to change it other than run the table and win three straight. That will get him over .500 for his career.

A loss today will give the critics more to talk about his lack of success in the playoffs.

Final Game For One team

It's getting close to kickoff between the Colts and Pats for their Divisional playoff game. The season will end for one of them tonight.These games have such a finality to them. Mistakes get magnified and can haunt a player for the rest of their career if they make one. Nobody wants to be the one to cost their team the season.

The conditions should be challenging for both teams with rain and wind. I look for the Pats to run the ball a lot. Robert Mathis will have his target on Tom Brady all night trying to put pressure on him.

Most of the "experts" pick the Pats to win. You never know how these games are going to turn out.

The Other AFC Game

I have mixed thoughts about the Chargers/Broncos playoff game. I'm a big fan of Peyton Manning and would like to see him in the AFC Championship game one more time against Tom Brady and the Pats. He has made a remarkable comeback after missing the 2011 season because of neck surgery.

The Chargers also feature fan favorite Danny Woodhead. Although he was undrafted and not invited to the Scouting Combine, he has lasted six seasons between the Jets, Pats and Chargers.

I was surprised when the Pats let Woodhead walk as a free agent. They didn't seem to have much interest in keeping him as a third down back. He was able to get a contract with the Chargers. It worked out great for him.

He has been a big part of their offense as their second leading receiver. His 76 catches for 605 yards and 6 TD's leads all NFL running backs. He also carried the ball 106 times for 429 yards and 2 TD's.

Woodhead defied all of the draft experts because they said he was too small and played at a little school. He had the intangibles that can never be measured.

It should be a great game between the Chargers and Broncos.

Six Coaches And Counting

Jay Gruden finally made it to the NFL as a head coach. He served as offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2013 season.

Gruden has traveled a long journey through the coaching ranks starting in 1997.  He made stops in the Arena Football League and United Football League.

His contract with the Redskins is for five years, but it's doubtful that he will last that long. He is the sixth coach hired by owner Dan Snyder in his fifteen years of owning the team. No coach has lasted longer than four seasons.

Snyder is an owner who gets involved, but should really stay out of the picture. Gruden might have a couple of good years at first, but it's inevitable that Snyder will fired him at some point.

Making Career Decisions

I don't know if we will ever get the real reason why Pats Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels took himself out of consideration for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job. He said his interview went great, but it wasn't the right move at this time.

Perhaps, he is waiting to replace Bill Belichick, but when will that happen? Is he willing to wait that long? He can build credibility riding alongside Belichick. Most coaches get fired eventually. It happened to McDaniels in Denver and Belichick in Cleveland.

Maybe, the Pats are his best career choice.

Many Not Experienced

When the Pats play the Colts on Saturday night they will go into the game with 15 rookies on the 53 man roster. They also have three players in WR Danny Amendola, RB Legarrette Blount and LB Chris White who have never been on a playoff team.

Lack of playoff experience can work both ways. However, the Pats have a good blend of veteran leadership which should overcome any concerns.

It's still a one game season and anything can happen.

Riding With The Colts

The Colts made a very interesting personnel move today when they announced the signing of former Pats WR Deion Branch. What motivated both sides to reach agreement on a contract? Branch will receive the standard playoff game check that all players get.

He has not played a down all season and only played sporadically in 2012. Do they think a 34  year old received can help them at this point in the season? What can he tell the Colts about the Pats offense?

I don't blame Branch for doing this. It was perhaps his last chance to have a moment in the NFL. The bigger surprise will be whether he plays against the Pats on Saturday night

Season Ended

It was the last game of the season for the Chiefs, Eagles, Bengals and Packers. That's how playoffs go. It's a one game season for those teams that keep playing. So many teams never make it to the playoffs. Every game has a lot of side stories of players and coaches.

The Pats play the Colts on Saturday night. It's going to be a tough game. The season will end for one of them. You just don't know which one.

Retired, Not Fired

The New York Giants took the easy way out by making Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride their sacrificial lamb for their 7-9 season. Gilbride wasn't fired. Instead the team said he "retired". This strikes me as being very disingenuous. He was there for two Super Bowl wins, but it wasn't good enough to continue in that capacity.

The Giants brain trust held a top level meeting to dissect the season. Apparently, all things pointed at the offense and Gilbride. They blame him for Hakeem Nicks not having any touchdowns passes this season. What about Eli Manning? Does he share part of the blame, as well as the offensive line?

It would be a public relations disaster for the Giants to fire a coach who lead them to Super Bowl wins twice. They took the easy way out, but it doesn't mean they will be any more successful next season.

Bad Game Decisions

Yesterday's snow storm showed what a foolish decision it is to play the Super Bowl in a cold weather city like New York. The February 2nd game could be severely impacted by the weather.

Fans routinely brave the elements to watch their teams. The playoff game in Green Bay tomorrow against the 49er's will have single digit temperatures with windy conditions.

To have the biggest game potentially effected by a blizzard is foolhardy. The primary concern of the NFL is the television audience. People who buy tickets are on their own.

What would the NFL do if a blizzard struck the NJ/NYC metropolitan area? How about six inches of snow during the game? I don't understand the reasoning behind this decision.

Jets Need To Fly

The New York Jets must make all the right personnel moves in the off-season or 2014 is going to be a disaster. The salary cap strangled them this season when they had $23 million in dead money.

QB Mark Sanchez is due a $2 million roster bonus in March and will count $13.1 million against the cap. WR Santonio Holmes will have a $14.9 million cap number. There is no way either will be on the training camp roster.

The Jets should end up with $40 million in cap space to sign free agents and draft choices. They have the 18th overall pick in May's draft. They need a major impact player on offense. They have many needs to address on both sides of the ball.

This is a very critical season for GM John Idzik. He needs to put the right players in place for Rex Ryan in order for both of them to be here next year at this time.

The College Game

I never watch college football, but I should. It would help me know more players in the NFL draft because I usually have no clue of the top players by position.

Tonight, I saw the last four minutes of the Rose Bowl featuring Stanford and Michigan State. Some of those players could be on the Pats roster next season, but I don't know them.

When I watched some of the Fiesta Bowl with Baylor and Central Florida University, I saw Robert Griffin III on the Baylor sideline. I didn't know him in college.