Expensive Word For Rex

Rex Ryan can't seem to catch a break from himself. After a great win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, Rex managed to utter an obscenity which got picked up by television. He was fined $100,000 by the NFL. This was not his first time using inappropriate language.

Rex is the cause for a lot of his own problems. It would be interesting to see how he would be as a commentator if he gets fired at the end of the season. He can't make too many mistakes like that on air.

Season of Gronk

I have a huge concern over whether Rob Gronkowski can make it to the last game of the season. He has been running wild over opponents, but taking some big hits on his knees.

He is such a hard guy to tackle. They are trying to knock his legs out from under him. They are hitting him legally, but I hope he doesn't have a season ending hit.

Gronk is such a star-crossed player. I want him for the rest of season. Hopefully, it happens. The history is bad on this.

A Spot For Adam

There will be a number of sub-plots when the Pats and Colts play on Sunday night. Adam Vinatieri will always have a special spot in Pats history. He booted last minute field goals in two of the team's Super Bowl wins.

It seem like ages ago that Vinatieri showed up in Foxborough as an undrafted player. Coach Bill Parcells had enough confidence in him to give him the kicking job. It was 1996 and Bill Belichick had a brief stop as a defensive coach.

A lot has passed over the years. Vinatieri left after the 2005 season because Coach Belichick didn't want to pay him a ton of money. Stephen Gotskowski filled his spot with ease. Vinatieri is now 42 years old and has lasted 19 seasons. He shows no signs of slowing down.

Gotskowski is 134 points behind Vinatieri as the team's all-time scorer. He needs seven to pass the great Gino Cappelletti for second place.

No matter what happens, Vinatieri deserves a spot in the Pats Hall of Fame whenever he decides to call it a career.

Wednesday Night Football

I plan to drive out to Amherst today for a football game against Ball State. It will be a nationally televised one starting at 8pm. Both schools will be getting a bundle of money from ESPN for playing at an odd time.

The campus should be hopping. It will be a first for UMass. Hopefully, it won't be the last time a game is played at night. Other schools do it without problems.

Get Into The Pool

Fans of the Jets and Giants could start a pool for when their coaches will be fired. Tom Coughlin and Rex Ryan are on the hot seat for having records of 18-23 and 16-26 respectively since the start of the 2012 season.

The Jets are 2-8 and out of the playoff picture. The Giants are one loss away from being eliminated with their 3-6 record.

New York writers continue to refer to Coughlin as a Hall of Fame coach because of his two Super Bowl wins. I disagree with their assessment, especially in light of the Giants missing the playoffs in recent years.

Ryan's career is on life support. They need to finish strongly if he has any hope of being back next year.

Roland Bailey

Roland Bailey came into the NFL as a 1999 first round selection by the Washington Redskins. He will forever be known as "Champ". His bust in Canton will give both names.

Bailey's career came to an end last week when he announced his retirement after 15 seasons, including 12 selections to the Pro Bowl. He was one of the greatest cornerbacks ever, but was released by the Denver Broncos during training camp.

He tried to catch on with several other teams, but there was always someone younger and with more potential. Bailey could have rode into the sunset after last year's Super Bowl loss to Seattle, but he wanted one more season. It didn't work out for him.

Sunday Night

It's Sunday Night Football with the Bears and Packers, the oldest rivalry in the NFL. They go back to 1921, 39 years before the Pats even existed.

They are meeting for the 190th time, with the Bears holding a slight lead over the Packers and a record of 93-90-6.

Green Bay is tough place to play in. It's a great rivalry with so much history between the two teams.

A Fine Toss

You can always count on the NFL to take the fun out of the game. Players who celebrate excessively get a fine the following week.

Julian Edelman was hit with the odd amount of $5,512 for throwing a football into the stands after an 84 yard punt return last week against the Broncos.

The league cited fan safety as the reason for the fine. They make a valid point, but players can't seem to do anything without getting punished.

Jets Crashing

The New York Jets will have their hands full Sunday when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their 1-8 season has been a disaster with GM John Idzik and Coach Rex Ryan having their jobs on the line.

The other day, a fan paid to have a plane fly over the Jets practice field with a banner saying, "Fire Idzik". It certainly got a lot of exposure through social media. The teams looks like they are spiraling out of control.

Owner Woody Johnson might have to fire them both just to keep fans happy. He probably needs a guy like John Gruden or Bill Cowher to come in and do both jobs, but would either of them really want it?

Two Backups Meet

Former Pats QB Ryan Mallet was never going to play in Foxborough unless Tom Brady went down with an injury. He sat on the bench for three years before being traded to the Houston Texans prior to the start of the season.

He continued to sit behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, but will now have his turn at the starting job against the Cleveland Browns. Mallet has waited four years for this opportunity. He will be facing former Pats QB Brian Hoyer who also sat behind Brady. Hoyer has made the most of his opportunity and fought off rookie Johnny Manziel for the starting job.

Mallet has the chance of a lifetime. He needs to have a decent game to keep playing.

Excessive Strength

Football is such a violent game. It always amazes me to see the physical punishment that players take during the game. I wonder how they can get up and return to the huddle after some of the hits. The players of today are so much bigger, stronger and faster than years past.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a great video from their weight room. It featured LB James Harrison doing pushups with center Maurkice Pouncey sitting on his back. Harrison did five of them with an extra 308 pounds of weight on his body. I don't know how he did it so easily.

More For Nick

Big-time college football programs get extreme at times. Many of them have low graduation rates. Alumnae funnel money inappropriately to players and teams.

Alabama coach Nick Saban struggled in the NFL, but hit a gold mine in his current job. His salary of $7 million is one of the highest. The Alabama boosters recently paid off the balance of his $3.1 million home that he purchased with his wife after becoming coach in 2007.

During that time, Saban has earned over $35 million. That didn't stop the group from sweetening the pot for him. Meanwhile, he continues to send players to the NFL, wins Bowl games and has a low graduation rate.