Suspensions Are Fine

Some of the violence on the field is getting excessive. The league continues to fine players for late hits, especially those out of bounds.

Lions DT Ndamuong Suh has been fined $100,000 for his illegal low block on Vikings center John Sullivan during the Lions season opening win last Sunday.

Suh has been repeatedly fined for his excessive physicality. Last year, he was fined $30,000 for kicking Houston QB Matt Schaub. Suh was also suspended for two games in 2011 after stomping on a Green Bay Packer Evan Dietrich-Smith.

Neither the fines or suspension has stopped Suh from being out of control on the field. His playing style is very selfish as he puts his team in a bad position by risking a suspension.

I think the league needs to start suspending players. Most of them make so much money that a fine doesn't really matter. It's only a matter of time before someone gets critically injured.

The Thursday Arguement

The popularity of the NFL and money drives many of the decisions made by team owners. A few years ago, the league experimented with Thursday night games over the last six weeks of the regular season. Now, it's part of the 17 week schedule.

The money continues to fall into the coffers, but a price is paid by players. The Pats and Jets had little time to prepare for tonight's game. Both teams have a long list of injured players.The Pats are already hurt by injuries to Shane Vereen, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and Zac Suffield.

Overall, I think the short turnaround hurts the competitive nature of the games. This is why I don't think the league will ever play an 18 game regular season unless the rosters were expanded by several players and every team has two bye weeks.

Catching Some Help

The biggest fear for Pats fans was Danny Amendola getting hurt. He has a bad track record for staying on the field. He puts up Wes Welker type numbers when he plays, but durability is a real issue with him. Now, he is hurt and will miss the game against the Jets on Thursday night.

He suffered a groin injury during the opening win over the Bills. He played during the second half and put on quite a show. The training staff performed a half-time miracle to get him on the field.

How many games will he miss?  It's a big topic on the sports talk radio shows. Coincidently, a story came out about the Pats trying to sign WR Brandon Lloyd. It doesn't sound like he wants to play again. He turned down five other teams

Check With Kurt

The LA Kiss of the Arena Football League has thrown a lifeline to Tim Tebow in the form of a three year contract. They are doing it to generate interest in the league. It remains to be seen whether he accepts the offer.

Maybe he should talk to Kurt Warner who did his time in the AFL and went on to fame and fortune in the NFL. Tebow is very adamant about being a NFL quarterback. It's his only goal in playing, but doesn't look like he will get any other offers as of this moment.

What happens if he is unsigned late in the season and a team loses their QB? Will he get a call? Should he just go to the AFL? He has a chance to play. He needs to make the right decision for himself.

Tough Break For Vereen

All of the "experts" were predicting that Steven Ridley would be benched after two fumbles in yesterday's win over the Buffalo Bills. All signs were pointing towards that, especially after Shane Vereen's huge game.

Apparently, Vereen broke a bone in his wrist on the first play of the game. He had surgery today and will miss at least four weeks. He was a huge presence in the offense with 14 carries for 101 yards and 7 receptions for 58 yards.

Will Ridley make it back on the field or stay in the dog house? He had four fumbles last year and a huge one in the playoffs. He may have caught a break with Vereen's injury. It also gives recently re-signed Leon Washington some potential playing time.

Fantasy World

I don't play fantasy football and have no plans to. Maybe I should. It's a great way to know more of the players around the league.There are so many great players. It's hard to know them all.

I have an issue with the way fantasy football is played. It relies too much on statistics, but that's what fantasy football is.

There is so much to follow in the NFL. It's hard to see all of the highlights of every game. The NFL Network and the others do a great job with their coverage. However, they are spending more time on fantasy football. It's the same in the New York Post and other media.

The popularity demands it. I feel like I'm missing something by not playing fantasy football. I'm not sure what.

Going To Divsion1A

UMass is trying to transition to a Division 1A program. It has been controversial from the start. A record of 1-11 last year didn't help. Nether did poor attendance at Gillette Stadium.

It's off to the same start this year after a 24-14 loss to Maine. They are now 0-2. I was at the game. The attendance wasn't announced, but it had to be less than 8,000.

The fans who are there were very supportive, but the numbers are are not looking good. It needs to get better, but how and when? There is a huge alumnae base in the metropolitan Boston area, but they don't support the team. How do you get them to the stadium?

Other than BC, the college game is second-rate in popularity around here. It can't compete with the professional teams.

Next year, UMass will be playing three home games in Amherst. They need to get back there where the devoted fan base and students would support them better.

Their marketing study isn't looking too good at this point.

Tebow's Time Counting Down

I was hoping that Tim Tebow would make the roster for the Pats, but it didn't happen. His skills didn't meet the level that Coach Belichick was looking for. He didn't play well in the preseason games. The Pats also don't usually carry three quarterbacks.

He is a very popular player among NFL fans. Many want him to succeed, but where can he play? No team other than the Pats expressed any interest in him last spring. He has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to play quarterback in the NFL. He won't consider going to the CFL or the Arena League.

A couple of teams were interested in signing him if he wanted to change positions. He appears to be a natural at running back, but he won't consider it. His options are getting slimmer.

Nobody has a right to play in the NFL. It needs to be earned and based upon a player's skill level. No doubt, he is a positive presence in the locker room, but a team can't tie up a roster spot on that. I want him to succeed, but he is becoming stubborn. His refusal to consider any other option may keep him out of football for good. The ball is in his court.

One of Four

Jet fans must be wondering if they have seen the last of QB Mark Sanchez. His recent shoulder injury will keep him out of action until at least Week 3 of the season. That paves the way for the Geno Smith era. Is he the future of the team? It seems like everyone has given up on Sanchez.

The Jets also signed former first round pick and bust Brady Quinn. They will start the season with four quarterbacks on the roster including Matt Simms. Will they keep all of them throughout the season?

Rex Ryan and his team need to come up big on Sunday. A bad game will get the fires stoked. There is already a quarterback controversy. Ryan doesn't need a coaching one.

First Timers

The NFL is becoming a younger league. The terms of player contracts and the physicality of the game makes careers shorter.

The Pats are not afraid to have rookies play. They lead the league with 14 on their roster and 7 undrafted ones.

Around the league, there are 264 rookies on rosters, an average of 8.25 per team. There are also 69 undrafted ones with 2.2 per squad.

The Pats have found some great undrafted players over the years. How did they slip by? Now, they have Danny Amendola, Tom Kelly, Dan Connolly and Kyle Arrington who all play a vital role.

Wes Welker was never drafted. There are Hall of Fame members who never heard their named call on draft day.

I have no big concerns over having so many rookies on the Pats roster. There is a good blend of veteran experience.

Right Player, Wrong Team

Players have been trash talking forever. It's part of the game. It doesn't always help and sometimes works against the team.

WR Steve Johnson of Buffalo is trying to get his team ready to face the Pats on Sunday. He said that nobody will be able to stop him because the Pats can't cover anyone. He cited Aqib Taib as a player who looks good on film. He also mentioned his friendship with Patrick Chung and talked about knowing him personally. The only problem is that Chung signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent.

What caused the confusion? Johnson isn't saying. He won't even clarify whether he knows Chung. He might get it right by the time the two teams meet again in the season finale.

Cut Thoughts

Every team around the NFL made some surprising roster moves. The Pats were no exception. I never expected them to cut Zoltan Mesko, but Ryan Miller won the Ray Guy Award the last two years as the best collegiate punter. He will save them $1 million in salary, but has little game experience as the holder on extra points and field goals. Hopefully, this doesn't come back to cost them a game.

Tim Tebow was a surprise. I guess we all got caught up in the hype and pictured the Pats carrying him as a developmental project. That was naive for all of us. He didn't even play on special teams. There was really no point in keeping him on the roster.

I hope they didn't make a mistake with Gronk. I think everyone believes that he will be back sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that he will get back on the field. It's a question of whether he will get hurt again. When he had back surgery in college, he missed the entire season. I don't feel good about this decision. Putting him on the PUP list would have cost him six games. It was a more conservative approach that the team didn't want to take. Time will tell if this was the right move.