Bracing For The End

I wonder if we have seen the last of DT Ron Brace. The 2009 second round draft pick from Boston College has been a disappointment in his four years with the team. He was inactive for the last three games and only had two tackles so far this season.


To release a second round pick says a great deal of the payers in front of him. Apparently, the undrafted Justin Francis is ahead of him on the depth chart.

Brace illustrates the difficulty in draft selection. The Pats drafted 12 players in 2009. Only Sebastian Vollmer and Patrick Chung are still on the roster. It's nothing out of the ordinary. It happens on every team. The draft is very unpredictable.

Black Monday

The NFL likes to control every aspect of its operation. We are seeing that tomorrow with Black Monday. It has become the day for firing coaches. Several will face the axe tomorrow.

The NFL Network will devote special coverage to it. Speculation is rampant over who will be unemployed. For the most part, everyone will have a job if they lose tit tomorrow.

Andy Reid is rumored to land in San Diego. Their current coach, Norv Turner, will end up as a coordinator on another team. The NFL is one big coaching fraternity. They take care of each other. Former coaching opponents will now be working on the same team.

A coaching career in the NFL really means Not For Long.

Taking A Chance On Playing

The NFL tries to convince the public that they have the concussion problem under control. They have a system in place to monitor players. They have done a decent job overall, but some of the responsibility lies with the players.

If a player gets a concussion, they can still hide it from the training and coaching staffs. We saw it the other day with Jets QB Greg McElroy. He was sacked 11 times last week during his first start. He was scheduled to take the ball in the season's finale tomorrow. However, he told the training staff he was having headaches and dizzy spells while lifting weights. He has been ruled out for Sunday. Mark Sanchez will take his place.

It's easy to see why players try to hide concussions. There is no job security in the NFL. McElroy had been given the opportunity that he waited his entire life for. He finally started a game, but got hurt.

Everyone is replaceable. McElroy would have tried to play tomorrow. It wasn't going to be the best decision for his health, but I'm sure he felt pressure to take advantage of his opportunity. He knew he might not get too many more chances.

A Start For Hoyer

Former Pats QB Brian Hoyer came into the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted college player. He was released by the Pats at the end of training camp last September. He was out of the league until the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him as a third stringer when Ben Roethlisberger got hurt. He was later released and claimed three weeks ago by the Arizona Cardinals.

Last week, he appeared in relief during he 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears. He was 11/19 for 108 yards. Apparently, it was good enough to get a start this Sunday in the season finale against San Francisco 49er's. It will mark the first start of his NFL career.

During his three years with the Pats, he appeared in a mop-up role in 13 games. This might be he break he has been looking for. There was no way he would get playing time for the Pats unless Tom Brady got hurt. He was able to learn from Brady and Coach Belichick during the last three seasons.

This is a huge game for him. He will be a free agent at the end of the season. It's a great chance to audition for other teams. I hope he has a big game.

No Tebow Time On Sunday

The New York Jets continue to implode with the Tim Tebow sideshow being part of it. Coach Rex Ryan announced that Mark Sanchez will start in Buffalo on Sunday. One game wonder Greg McElroy will miss the game with a concussion.

Where does this leave Tim Tebow? The game is meaningless with the Jets 6-9 and Buffalo at 5-10. Why don't they give Tebow a shot? His season has been a complete failure. He needs to get out of New York to save his career. He has been non-stop fodder for sports talk shows.

It's obvious that Ryan has no confidence in him. On the other hand, Ryan needs to win this game to finish at 7-9 and have a shot at saving his job. We have definitely seen the last of Ryan and Tebow together.

Ray Is Back

Ray Lewis was activated to the 53 man roster of the Baltimore Ravens after missing several games from a triceps tear. Lewis is expected to sit during Sunday's game against the Bengals.The goal is to have him available for the playoffs.

This is a miraculous comeback for the 17 year veteran. Many thought they had seen the last of Ray. His status for next year is up in the air, but he will be available for the playoffs. How well he pays remains to be determined.

Lew is definitely going season to season at this point in his career. I hope he is able to play at his former level. The NFL will have a huge void when he plays his last game

Not A Pretty Win

If you watched the post-game press conference yesterday after the Pats 23-17 over the Jacksonville, it's hard to imagine they actually won the game. The played very poorly in the first quarter. The Jaguars got over 200 yards of offense in the first 15 minutes of the game.

The Pats played well enough to have some key plays in the second half that sealed the game. The scary part is that they were playing one of the worst teams in the league, but Jacksonville didn't look the part.

If they beat Miami, they will get a first round bye as the second seed. They should be able to do it, but they need to play better or it will be a quick exist in the playoffs.

Las Vegas bookies must have been scratching their heads as the Pats failed to cover the spread of 12. You never know with the NFL week to week.

Passing On Vick

The Philadelphia Eagles are almost certain to release QB Michael Vick after the end of the season. He is due to make $15.5 million next year of which $3 million becomes guaranteed on Feb 6th. His time may have run out, especially if Coach Andy Reid Gets fired. It would also be difficult to trade him because it could not get done before March 12.

There are rumors that he could end up with the Jets. I think that would be a terrible marriage considering his past. The New York tabloids would be relentless once things go bad. He needs a team in a smaller market.

The future of the Jets for next season is up in the air. Decisions will be made after the season on the coaching staff, GM and quarterback. I don't think Vick is part of the plans.

The Annual Carousal

This time of the year starts the annual coach and executive carousal. There are at least five coaches who won't be around next year with their team. Norv Turner has already been told that his time with the Chargers is up. The same goes for Romeo Cronnel and the Chiefs. His GM, Scott Pioli, will be looking for a job.

The NFL seems to just reshuffle the deck. Coaches move to other teams as either head coaches or coordinators. Executives are wired into their own network and resurface with another team.

There is always some college coach who is the hot item. This year it's Nick Saban of Alabama and Chip Kelly with Oregon. Some team will try to lure them with tons of money and control over personnel.

In the end, teams will realign their staffs. At some point, everyone will have their chance to get fired. There are not many coaches who get to retire on their own. It usually gets forced upon them.

More Time Off

It looks like the Pats will go without Rob Gronkowski again when they travel to Jacksonville. With two games left, there is no point in playing him. They need him at 100% for the playoffs. They don't need a repeat of last year when he was ineffective in the Super Bowl because of his high ankle sprain.

The Pats could still get a first round bye, but there are many scenarios that need to fall in place. They need to play well against Jacksonville and Miami. Once the playoffs start, it's a whole new season. They need everyone healthy. There is no point in rushing Gronk back.

The Storm Begins

The New York Jets have dug themselves into a hole they might never get out of. Last spring, they gave QB Mark Sanchez a contract extension with guaranteed money. They are on the hook for $8.25 million next season. No team will want to trade for him unless the Jets are willing to eat most of his salary. If they cut him, they still owe him the cash. They will also take a huge hit on their salary cap.

QB Tim Tebow is expected to ask for a trade or be released after the season. His experiment has been a total disaster. Meanwhile, Coach Ryan bypassed him and named Greg McElroy as the starter on Sunday against the Chargers.

The New York tabloids have been relentless with their criticism for Ryan and GM Mike Tannenbaum. It's going to interesting to see who is left standing if owner Woody Johnson decides to clean house. Sanchez has not played well, but he is being skewered without mercy by the media. It's going to get worse.

The Hypothetical Game

During Coach Belichick's press conference today a few reporters had to bring up the hypothetical situation of playoff match-ups. It's always a waste of time trying to get the Coach to talk about it. I feel the same way.

The Pats are in the playoffs. They can get a first round bye under a few extraordinary scenarios. Who they play will be determined by the next two weeks. It's the same for all teams.

Reporters and talks shows get into this because it's part of their job. I find it boring at times. There's only so much you can say about it.

Coach Belichick and Tom Brady continue the same mantra of going out and playing the games to win them. There is nothing else anyone can say at this point.