Last Time For Young QB

The NFL Veterans Combine will be held March 2nd in Arizona. It's a showcase for players who want one last shot at the NFL. Everyone there will have their own story.

Former QB Vince Young will attend, although he has not played in the NFL since 2011. Time is against him at 31. He will always be considered as one of the big busts in the draft after being the 3rd overall selection in 2006 by the Tennessee Titans.

He was Offensive Rookie of the Year, but was never able to keep the starting job. He spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles before closing out his career with 51 interceptions and 46 TD's in 61 games.

He appeared in training camp in recent years with the Bills, Packers and Browns, but never made the final cut. This figures to be his last shot at making it back to the NFL.

Switch To Track

The NFL Scouting Combine featured a number of players who will never get drafted or play a down in the NFL. Draft "experts" drool over speed, strength and skills, but do they really transfer to the football field?

WR  J.J. Nelson from UAB had the 2nd fastest 40 yard time when he ran a 4.28. He lead the nation in kick returns with a 38.3 yard average and 4 TD's. He also lead his team with 665 receiving yards, 4 TD's and an average of 18.7 yards. For all of this, he was named All-American.

Nelson has gone on record as saying that he will pursue a spot on the US Olympic team if he doesn't get drafted or signed as a free agent.

He should grab his track shoes and work on his speed. At 156 pounds, it seems unlikely that any team will take a flier on him. He might get signed, but he is too small to survive the rigors of kick returns in the NFL.

Dez & Jerry

Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant has unlimited potential. His skills are extraordinary in the short time he has played. The Cowboys want to sign him to a long term deal, but what about this off-field issues?

A recent video has surfaced about an incident in a Walmart parking lot back in 2011. It remains to be seen how this will play out, but the Cowboys need to proceed with caution.

Owner/GM Jerry Jones has never been afraid to make bad decisions about signing players to big contracts. He would have fired the GM years ago, but he can't fire himself.

Twilight For James Harrison

LB James Harrison is trying to extend his career to 13 seasons and leave the game on his terms. He spent his first 10 with the Steelers before signing as a free agent with the Bengals for 2013.

His subsequent retirement lasted 18 days before he signed a one year contract with the Steelers. He wants to play again in 2015, but will it happen?

Has he priced himself out of the market because of the salary structure of veteran players? He needs to sign with a team and make final roster at the end of training camp.

The Ultimate Leap

CB Byron Jones of UConn had the athletic moment of his career during his broad jump attempt at the NFL Scouting Combine. His leap of 12'3" shattered the Combine record by eight inches and also broke the world record.

He had a great career at UConn where he was a four year starter at cornerback and safety. He declined to run the 40yd dash because he was coming off of shoulder surgery.

His jump turned a lot of heads, but how does this relate to success in the NFL? Did it help his draft stock?

If he never makes it in the NFL, he will always have this bright shining moment that will be talked about for years.

Another Chance For Some

The NFL Scouting Combine concludes today. Every player will have their own story about how they did or didn't make it to the NFL.

So many great college players were not invited. Some will have an opportunity to showcase their skills at their college's Pro Day.

Another Combine was taking place in Denver over the weekend where 135 draft eligible players paid $150 each for a tryout in front of NFL player personnel.

Last season, they had 20 players on NFL rosters, including 18 who played in their team's opening game. Another 28 participants were on a practice squad and seven on reserve lists.

The other 69 players had their dream stalled. Some will never get another chance. Others will try the Arena Football League for a hope of one last opportunity.

Just For Kicks

Coach Belichick has often said that every player has a value attached to them. The Pats will either pay for their services or move on. It remains to be seen what they will do with kicker Stephen Gotskowski who is set to become a free agent if the Pats don't sign him to a new contract.

Belichick let Adam Vinatieri go to free agency because he said a kicker only has a certain value. He found one in the draft with Gotskowski who has been everything that a coach could want in a kicker.

Gotskowski will make at least $4.5 million if they give him a franchise tag or try to sign him. This might be too much money to pay for a kicker. Belichick did it once with Vinatieri so it wouldn't surprise me if they let him walk.

Malcolm Wasn't There

The NFL Scouting Combine and Draft are very inexact. There are players who are not there and others who won't get drafted.

How many of these players will be on a roster when the regular season starts? Some will be on the Pats. Every year, Coach Belichick brings in undrafted free agents. A couple of them always make the team.

CB Malcolm Butler wasn't invited to the Combine and didn't get drafted, yet he made one of the biggest plays in the Super Bowl.

Losing Teams

The San Diego Chargers are trying to force local officials to come up with a new stadium plan that would keep them from moving to Los Angeles. The NFL wants to have a team in the nation's second largest television market. The St Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders are also on the list for a possible move.

The Raiders and Chargers have talked about playing in a joint stadium to be built in Carson, CA. They are trying to force the cost of the stadium onto the public. This has happened around the country in the last decade as teams demand state of the art stadiums.

The Pats were one of the few teams to totally pay for a stadium on their own. They kept the cost down because it was privately built, unlike publicly funded ones..

I would hate to see fans from any locale lose their team to another city because of a stadium issue. At the same time, I think it's so wrong to use taxpayer money to fund these arenas.

Pricing Himself Out

Pats RB Shane Vereen is said to be looking to earn $5 million next season. That appears to be the starting point for his negotiation if he becomes a free agent.

If that's the case, the Pats will move on without him. They know they can find a running back in the draft or an undrafted free agent. They did it before and should be able to find someone to replace Vereen with the same set of skills.

It Starts Friday

I'm looking forward to watch the Scouting Combine on the NFL Network when it starts on Friday. Every player has their own story on how they got there. There will be players on rosters next season who were never drafted or attended the Combine.

The draft is a very inexact science. So many projections are made about where a player will be selected, but are wrong in the end.

Not Getting Ready

The NFL Scouting Combine starts on Friday. Most players have been training for this moment. They realize that a drop in the draft can cost them money.

Florida State QB Jamemis Winston doesn't seem to be concerned. Reports indicate that he looks out of shape and probably won't throw during the skills assessment.

Winston looks to be one of the top picks for a team in need of a quarterback. They need to stay away from this guy in the first round.

Cap Casualty CJ

There was a time when running backs were selected high in the annual draft, but that's not the case now. Free agents have trouble landing a big contract. Teams know that they can replace them with a cheaper version from the draft or undrafted free agents.

Jets RB Chris Johnson found that out after they released him. He signed a 2 year/$8 million contract last year, but was a disappointment after he posted the worst numbers of his career. He rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009, but only carried 155 times for 665 yards in 2014.

At 29, he is being thrown onto the scrap heap. He will probably find a job, but will need to sign for the veteran minimum if he wants to keep playing.

Less Expensive Mayo

LB Jerod Mayo has been a key part of the defense until injuries derailed him the last two seasons. His spot on the roster might be in danger. He is due to make $7 million this season with a $10.29 salary cap hit.

There is now way the team will pay him that much money for a player who is becoming injury prone. The team values his leadership and playing skills, but he might price himself off the team.

Great Paying Gig

The job of Commissioner Roger Goodell should be secure because he created so much money for the owners since he took over in 2006.

Back then, the league had $7 billion in revenue. For 2013, it grew to $10 billion. The recent Super Bowl had the largest television audience of any program in history.

Goodell is very well compensated for his effort. In 2012, his compensation totaled $35 million. He had a slight dip in 2013 when he received $35 million.

Not a bad deal.

Sundown For Manning

The day of reckoning for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos is coming very soon. The team flew their private jet to Louisiana to fetch and bring him back to Denver for a meeting with team officials and the owner.

The team needs to decide by March 9th whether they want to pick up his $19.5 million option for 2015 or release him. He has a physical for March 5th. Will he pass it?

Coach Gary Kubiak has done a lot of verbal posturing with the media. Peyton has done likewise. Will this be another year of marriage between player, coach and owner?

We will find out real soon.

Money For Manning

The New York Giants are no different than any other team with their issues over free agents and player contracts. QB Eli Manning is set to make $17 million this season while counting $19.5 million against their salary cap. He is in the final year of his 6 year/$97.5 million contract.

Nobody expects Eli to take a home town discount. Mannings don't leave money on the table. The Giants might go into 2015 with the pending free agency of Eli at this time next year. He is 34 and coming off a mediocre season by his standards.

The Giants have a number of players they need to make decisions on. Meanwhile, Eli's contract is becoming a burden for this season. I doubt if they will go for a long term one for him at this point.

Wes Nearing The End

The clock is ticking down on the career of WR Wes Welker. He is a free agent once the period starts. It doesn't look like teams will be beating a path to his door. He is 33 years old with three concussions in his two seasons with Denver.

His play deteriorated last season as he was phased out of the Denver offense. His concussions forced him to miss games.

Welker will soon join the list of players who had the decision about their playing career taken away from them. He should step away from the game for health reasons.

As an undrafted free agent, he had a brilliant career with 890 receptions for 9,288 yards and 50 TD's. He should sign a one day contract with the Pats and call it a career.

Money or Legacy

One of the writers in the New York Post had a list a free agents who he predicts will leave their respective team to sign for more money. You can't blame players for trying to get every dollar they can because their careers are too short.

This guy predicted FS Devin McCourty jumping ship to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars. I find this hard to believe for so many reasons.

McCourty is one of the cogs of the defensive secondary. Coach Belichick has a great respect for his knowledge, ability and work ethic. By leaving the Pats, he would be going to one of the worst teams in the NFL.

If he wants to pursue the money, he should head south. If he wants a legacy, he should stay here.

Get Well Richard

It was very unfortunate to see Seattle Seahawks CB Richard Sherman tear a tendon in his arm during the NFC Championship game. He played in the Super Bowl with the injury and will now need the legendary "Tommy John" surgery.

How long will he be sidelined? In baseball, it takes almost a year, but this is the NFL. I hope he makes it back by November. His team and fans will miss him.

He is a great and colorful player that brings so much to the game. I enjoy watching him.

The March of Vince

It could get very interesting for the Pats and Vince Wilfork on March 10th when they need to decide whether to pick up his $4 million roster bonus for the new NFL business year. The team has the option to decline which would make him a free agent.

Vince had his contract filled with incentives and made just about all of them. Will the team play hardball by releasing him and resigning for cheaper money? He had an outstanding year, but will be 34 during the 2015 season.

He has a similar contract for 2016. We could be see this again next year.

Time To Be Relevant

There appears to be no end to the number of former players who want to accuse Tom Brady of cheating. The latest was Hall of Famer Charles Haley who won five rings during his career with the 49er's and Cowboys.

Haley's accusations seem baseless, but his comment went viral on social media. He is having another fifteen minutes of fame.

If someone wants to be relevant in the eyes of the public, they just need to say something about the Pats cheating. It will take off from there.

Will The Island Move?

One of the key questions in the next few weeks is whether the team signs Darrelle Revis to a long term contract for money both can live with. If they give him the franchise tag, they will pay him $20 million for 2015 and take a $25 million salary cap hit.

The Pats will never do that for one player. They will try to create a contract that is team friendly and pay Revis very well. If he wants the last dollar, they will never sign him. He will end up with the Jets or Bills.

More Noise and Losses

The NFL has no problem with controlling every aspect of the game and sport. The Atlanta Falcons are under investigation for using artificial crowd noise during their homes games over the last two seasons.

Owner Arthur Blank admitted that his team had been involved in such an activity which is in direct violations of the rules. They were trying to hinder their opponent's play calling on offense. Penalties could include a fine and loss of draft picks.

In the case of the Falcons, it didn't seem to have any effect as they went 6-10 at home over the seasons in question.

Last Time Together

Coach Belichick has always said that the team in December is not the same as the one in September. The 53 man roster at the end of training camp was not the same as the one in the Super Bowl.

This is the last time we will see this team together. The 2015 edition will have some new players. They might lose some of their free agents. They have several key players to sign, but in the end, it's all about the money.

Every team in the NFL shuffles their roster throughout the season. It's a constant turnover of players

Head Games

It's hard to believe Pats WR Julian Edelman passed the concussion protocol after being blown up on a reception in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. He took a devastating hit that he might regret when he's 50.

He stayed in the game and made a difference in the final outcome. We have to assume he was there mentally the entire time. I have my doubts.

Pete's Decision

Fans of the Seattle Seahawks must be going out of their mind with the way the Super Bowl ended. It looked for sure they had the game won in the waning moment after a phenomenal comeback.

Marshawn Lynch was running the ball down the Pats throat. Coach Pete Carroll decided to call for a pass on the one yard line on 2nd down with 20 seconds left in the game. It backfired when Malcolm Butler made the interception to seal the win for the Pats.

I watched an interview with Carroll that was done right after the game. His explanation made a lot of sense considering the amount of time left and their one timeout.

The fact that it failed will follow Carroll for the rest of his career. Seattle players were grumbling about the play call after the game. It must have been a very bitter pill to swallow. The Pats came so close to losing this game like they did in Super Bowl XLII.

The Final Hour

It's one hour until kickoff to the Super Bowl. Nobody really knows for sure how it will work out. Anything can happen on a given play. Someone will be a hero and maybe another player will be the one who caused their team to lose.

Reputations and legacies are on the line. No matter what happens, controversy will continue to follow the Pats. There is nothing they can do about it. They need to win the game.