Winston Not Ready

Every college player who has an agent wants to be portrayed in the best light possible. The consensus is that Florida State QB Jameis Winston will be the overall first pick. His past legal problems are well known. He recently had a meeting with league officials to discuss it.

Winston's lawyer has praised his playing ability, but said his client faces maturity issues and was not ready for NFL life off the field.

He is right about him and most other rookies. Many players come into the league with maturity issues, but Winston's are magnified because of his unique playing skills.

Redskins Name

The US Trademark Office ruled that the logo for the Washington Redskins is derogatory and is no longer valid. The team will appeal, so nothing really changes. It's just one more issue during the long battle with groups who oppose the nickname.

This argument will go on as long as the team uses the Redskins name. Owner Dan Snyder has no inclination to change. The appeal process will be lengthy.

Troy Polamalu

The career of the great Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu came to an end today after 12 seasons from 2003-2014. He will forever be one of the icons of the franchise.

He played the game with great passion and focus. He had eight Pro Bowls, four All-Pro selections and two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers. He was the consummate team player.

His highlight film is extraordinary.

Ridley's Best Opportunity

The Pats had no interest in signing free agent Steven Ridley. They let him go to the Jets on a one year contract for cheap money.

It's a good deal for Ridley and the Jets. He still needs to make their roster after returning from a torn ACL and MCL. He also has his history of fumbles working against him.

It will be a crucial training camp for Ridley who could be finished after only four seasons. He could also come up big and cash in next year at this time.

Camera Ready

Coach Belichick has criticized the NFL for not wanting to spend the money on goal line, end zone and sideline cameras. He gave a very passionate speech at the recent owners meeting. The league cited the costs and took the matter under advisement.

According to recent figures, the cost would average about $782,000 per team to outfit their respective stadium. That is just a drop in the bucket for a $12 billion business. No doubt, they will sell sponsorship rights on the cameras because they do it for everything else.

In the end, it won't cost that much. They need to do it before the start of the new season.

Longer Than A Trial

The murder case of Aaron Hernandez has gone to the jury. The trial lasted almost two months after delays from snow storms and a prolonged jury selection.

On the other hand, fans are awaiting the long anticipated Deflategate report. What is taking so long? Is this a deliberate act to draw it out longer? The NFL would like this whole thing to disappear.

No matter what happens, some people won't be pleased with the results.

Going With Houston

It was nice to see the late Houston Antwine selected to the team's Hall of Fame. Antwine was chosen by the senior selection committee. He played for the Pats from 1961-1971.

There are several other former players from that era who deserve induction. As it stands now, election by the fans favors the players from the Kraft ownership era.

It was be a joke if Bill Parcells doesn't make it this year.

Aaron Hernandez

The trial of Aaron Hernandez will go to the jury this week. Will they come up with a verdict on all charges? It remains to be seen.

Everything has changed so much for Hernandez since he got arrested in June 2013. He faces more murder charges in another case involving two victims. It looks like another trial for him.

How many years will he serve? Almost everyone gets out in the end.

Two Backs Gone

The Pats were never planning on re-signing RB's Shane Vereen or Steven Ridley. They will either draft one or sign an undrafted college player.

Vereen parlayed his time in New England into a nice three year deal with the Giants. Ridley tries to find a team willing to take a chance with a guy coming back from tearing his MCL and ACL in his knee last season.

Ridley visited the Jets and Dolphins this week. He needs to get a one year contract and show what he can do. He can get a good pay day next year at this time if things work out.

Crowning Himself

Florida State QB Jameis Winston has already crowned himself as the best player in the NFL draft and expects to be the overall number one pick. He spoke at his school's Pro Day where he put on quite a show for team officials.

He already had a meeting at NFL headquarters over his past issues off the field. He doesn't plan to attend the draft in Chicago. Instead, he will be with his family in Alabama.

Whoever selects him, will be making a significant investment. He has all the talent in the world, but keeps doing stupid things that will eventually catch up to him.

London Games

What is the long term plan for the NFL in Europe? I don't think the owners know what they really want. What is feasible? Could they really have a team in London?

The league supports playing a few games there annually. It seems to work out on the television end. The ratings are good.

I like the way the league is doing it now. They should keep adding games to the schedule. It will happen because the television money is there.

The Blackout Charade

The NFL is trying to look good by announcing they are lifting the blackout rule for televising home games if they are not sold out. The FCC had recently ruled it to be against existing guidelines. The NFL lowered their tolerance to 85% of the tickets being sold before kickoff.

The league said that no games were blacked out in 2013 or 2014. They are now in compliance with the FCC. They didn't do anything extra on their part.