Todd Christensen

The death of former Oakland Raider TE Todd Christensen was a footnote in the local paper's sports column. He joins the long list of former NFL players who died too young. His death at 57 came during surgery for a liver transplant.

He was a 2nd round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1978 after playing running back at BYU. He broke his foot in Cowboy training camp and was placed on IR. He signed the following season with the Giants, but played in only one game.

Raiders owner Al Davis saw something different. He was converted to tight end and spent the next ten seasons in Oakland where he won Super Bowls in 1981 and 1984. He finished his career with 467 catches for 5,872 yards and 41 TD's. He also played in five Pro Bowls.

After his playing days, he became a color analyst for NFL and college games. He had been experiencing liver problems for the last two years which was traced to complications from gall bladder surgery 25 years ago.

Reed Flying With Jets

It was always a long shot to have Ed Reed sign with the Pats. After he was released by Houston, he had to clear waivers. Teams with a worse record than the Pats could put in a claim for him.

He ended up with the New York Jets where he will be reunited with Rex Ryan, his former defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens.

I think it's a great move for the Jets and Reed. We will see whether Reed has anything left in the tank. It would have been nice to see him in Foxborough. He will be a free agent at the end of the season, but also a year older and closer to retirement. We will probably never see the magic that could have been with Reed and Coach Belichick.

Saved By His Stroke

Reports indicate that Texan coach Gary Kubiak will be back on the sidelines after suffering a slight stroke during a game two weeks ago.

Kubiak's situation illustrates the health challenges faced by coaches in a job surrounded by stress. His name has been prominently mentioned for coaches who might get fired before the end of the season. I'm sure that contributed to his stress level.

It would be a public relations disaster for the team to fire Kubiak now. They must let him finish the season no matter what happens. I don't think he will be coaching there next season. The team will make a deal with him at the end of the season to ease him away.

Is It The End For Reed?

The end came for Ed Reed today when the Houston Texans released him after a disappointing season. Reed signed a 3 year/$15 million contract as a free agent after coming off hip surgery.

Reed has always been one of Coach Belichick's favorite defensive players, but is it too late at this stage for Reed to make an appearance in Foxborough? He has lost a step and was relegated to backup duty in Houston. His frustration finally erupted after their most recent loss which resulted in the team releasing him.

If the Pats have a chance, why not sign him? Whoever gets Reed him will owe him $412,000, as well as $62,500 for each game he is on the active roster.

Reed probably should have retired last season. You can't blame him for signing a $15 million contract. He must have known he wasn't going to see most of that money.

It's hard to walk away from the game when someone throws money at you.

Bowl Talk

It's hard to generate a lot of excitement about local college football around here. Boston College and UMass are the only ones that seem to get any type of coverage. There are many good programs in Division 2 & 3, but we don't hear much about them.

BC beat New Mexico State last weekend, improving to 6-4. They only need to win one of their last three games to have seven wins and qualify for one of the many bowls available.

They can even get a game at 7-6. They have three chances to get a bowl bid.

Time To Stuff The Ballot Boxes

Fans can vote for the Pro Bowl, but I don't think it's a good idea to have them involved. The NFL wants it that way because they favor anything that makes the game more popular.

There is no fair way to select the Pro Bowl. In the past, it was done by the players and coaches. They often voted for people they were familiar with or had faced in a game.

Fans can now stuff the ballot box if they want to. Players end up getting selected because of their popularity. The game is still important to many because some get bonuses for being selected.

By the time the game is played, many will miss it because of the Super Bowl or injury. The AFC and NFC teams end up going way down on the depth charts to finalize their rosters.

Leonard Leads

Former New York Giants great Leonard Marshall has been diagnosed with CTE. It seems so cruel that the former three time Pro Bowler would be afflicted with his current condition. He played 13 seasons in in the NFL Now, he has a very real brain trauma condition.

Where does he go from here? He is in the uncharted waters of brain concussions in post playing days. There will be many more after him.

TD Joins The List

Hall of Fame RB Tony Dorsett announced that he suffers from CTE, the chronic brain debilitating disease linked to so many former NFL players. He is now predisposed to early-stage Alzheimer's.

Dorsett joins growing list of players with a potentially bleak future. His announcement puts a high profile player into the news cycle of the CTE story.

As long as the game I played, CTE will be a problem when players retire and get older. The game is so fast and violent. The human body was not made to absorb so many train-like collisions.

The real tragedy is that players will die, or in some instances, take their own life. We don't need any more Dave Duerson or Junior Seau stories.

Dolphins Swimming In Controversy

The bullying controversy in Miami involving teammates Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin has ignited a huge discussion. The NFL will be conducting its own investigation. There are rumors that the Miami coaching staff encouraged Incognito to "toughen" Martin up.

Bullying and taunting are wrong in any workplace, but I don't think the NFL is a "normal" work environment. It's been interesting to hear comments from current and former players about this.

Incognito has been suspended by the Dolphins, but Martin has not been heard from. Where will this all end up? It has become a huge story in the media. Everyone has their own take on it.

Who Do You Know?

Many fans know the roster of their favorite home team. They recognize everyone on the 53 man roster, Practice Squad and IR.

With the way players move around so much from team to team, do they really know their teammates? We saw that over the weekend when Jets safety Willie Colon admitted that he didn't know WR Greg Salas in spite of him being on the roster for a few weeks. Salas had a huge game in the Jets win over the Saints.

I can see how it happens. Some players move around a lot. There are only so many people they can know on their team before they head to another one. They are fighting just to stay in the league.

A New Venture For Owens

It looks like Terrell Owens at the age of 39 has worn out his welcome in the NFL after 15 seasons with five teams. It's time for him to move on with his life. He appears to be destined for some type of reality show. The networks have been in no rush to hire him as a commentator. His best hope is to make a living off the silly things he does.

His latest move was to compete in the Professional Bowling Association World Series of Bowling. Most fans never thought T.O was a bowler, but he apparently rolls a pretty good game. He claims a personal best of 277. Will it be enough to make the cut?

At this point, it's more of the sideshow effect for T.O. He can keep making money as long as someone is out the paying him. Has be burned all of his bridges as far as being a commentator? Only time will tell.

Everyone Plays

Some NFL owners want to let another team from each Conference into the playoffs. I think there are already enough teams. Colleges carry it to the extreme with almost 40 post season bowl games. The competition gets very watered down.

Massachusetts high schools are clearly out of control with their high school football playoff format. Eastern and Central Massachusetts are divided into six divisions. A total of 114 teams will be in the playoffs while 81 will miss out in spite of seven teams having a winning record. Officials don't want to discuss that 18 playoffs teams had losing records.

This is all being done because of inclusion. Nobody wants their team to be left out even if it means that the games are not meaningful. Maybe, they should declare every school a Division Champion. That way, nobody will have their feelings hurt.