Our comments on the happenings in
College Football and the NFL.Steve Smith Hopes New Offense the Right One for Panthers - "All the new wrinkles, they're interesting. If you want to compare it, it's like sitting in coach and then moving up to first class.''
That's what Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said yesterday regarding the new offense being installed by new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson.
Anthony Gonzalez Great Pick by Colts - Remember when Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns in 2004?
While the drafting of wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez in the first round of last weekend's NFL draft didn't get much attention, it could make the Indianapolis Colts offense even more potent in 2007.
As Colts GM Bill Polian said, "The last time we had that kind of threat from the slot was when Brandon Stokley was healthy in 2004. That was the year Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdown passes."
Releasing Keyshawn Johnson a Curious Move by Panthers - The Carolina Panthers released wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson yesterday and we find it a bit odd.
Yes, we know that Carolina drafted USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett in last weekend's NFL draft, but they just got done paying Johnson a $3 million roster bonus.
Why release him now?
NFL Mini-Camps Set To Open - Now that the NFL draft is over, many teams will already be bringing in their new rookies for mini-camps.
It's true that there's no such thing as an off-season in the NFL anymore and that has definitely added to the appeal of the league to many fans.
Randy Moss to the Patriots Should be a Success - Does any team have it more together than the New England Patriots?
Just when you think they already had put together an amazing off-season, they go and get Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders. Just think, Tom Brady throws one of the best deep balls in the game and now he has Donte Stallworth and Randy Moss to run under those throws. Should be interesting to see the Patriots in action in '07.
Cleveland Browns Did What They Had To - Some people may think the Cleveland Browns gave up too much to the Dallas Cowboys in their trade to move up to pick Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn.
However, we think it was something they had to do. Coach Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage are under pressure to win... the Browns have made too many draft-day mistakes recently.
We say they got it right this time.
What's With the Madden Curse? - If we're not mistaken, the last six NFL players to grace the cover of Madden's NFL video game have gone on to suffer injuries the following year that hampered their ability to play at a high level.
Now that Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans has been announced to be on the cover of Madden '08, we hope he can break the "bad luck" streak.
Pacman to Appeal? - So Pacman Jones is going to appeal his 1-year ban from the NFL.
Whatever....
Yo, Pacman, you're appealing to the same guy who gave you the suspension.
Do you really think Roger Goodell is going to change his mind now?
Doubtful.
You've been in trouble too often... bottom line.
Cleveland Browns and the Draft - One of the intriguing aspects of the upcoming NFL Draft is what the Cleveland Browns will do.
Many "experts" are saying Brady Quinn or Adrian Peterson will go at number three to the Browns.
This is a tough call.
Drew Bledsoe (Great Quarterback) Retires - We're here to remind you that Drew Bledsoe was the star Patriot quarterback long before we ever heard of Tom Brady. We'll miss Bledsoe, because we enjoyed watching him play the great game of football.
Lifetime NFL Bans? - ESPN.com has reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's new player conduct policy may include life-time bans.
Our stance is, "It's about time". If a guy can't learn after two or three mishaps, get him out of the public eye.
Throw him out of the league. Wake him up. If that still doesn't do it, then what are we supposed to do?
Looking Forward to Watching Bly & Bailey in Denver This Year - It looks like Dre' Bly is happy about being a Denver Bronco now.
$16 million has a way of making a person happy!
That's how much Bly is guaranteed with his new Bronco contract. It's a five-year, $33 million contract and includes $18 million in bonus money, including the previously mentioned $16 million in guaranteed money.
Will Lane Kiffin Finally be Something Right With the Raiders? - Even though the Oakland Raiders went to the Super Bowl only four years ago, why does it seem as if they've been miserable for decades now? Time will tell if Lane Kiffin is bright enough to turn around the misfits known as the Oakland Raiders...
Briggs to Redskins Would Make Sense - The Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears are talking about a trade involving unhappy Lance Briggs.
This would be a trade that works for both teams. Briggs wants out of Chicago and the Bears could get rid of a player who's only causing a headache. They obviously are only interested in signing him for a year anyway.
It looks like the teams are talking about swapping first round picks in the draft. If this were to happen, the Bears move up from the 31st slot all the way up to the Redskins' 6th spot...
Roethlisberger Should Be Just Fine - Last week, Ben Roethlisberger responded to some remarks by ex-Steelers offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt (now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals), that Roethlisberger was rushed back last year.
Here's what Big Ben had to say:
"No, I don't agree with Whis. There were a lot of things I didn't agree with Whis about, and that's another one. Coach Cowher always came to me and asked me how I felt, and I was always 100 percent honest with him. I was always honest with the doctors...
Buccaneers Add Cato June to Roster - Over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Linebacker Cato June to a three-year contract that's said to be worth about $12 million.
This makes sense for both sides, as the Buccaneers play the same defense June was used to in Indianapolis with the Colts.
Packers Deny Attempts to Trade QB Aaron Rodgers - The Packers picked up Aaron Rodgers two years ago in the 2005 NFL Draft. Although Rodgers was expecting to go relatively early in the draft, he was forced to wait in the "Green Room" for many hours until Green Bay finally picked him with the 24th pick.
The thinking most likely at the time was that Brett Favre was nearing retirement. Most people in the organization probably thought Aaron Rodgers would be the Pack's starting quarterback by this time. Now Green Bay is denying that they're trying to trade him away...
Willie Roaf, 11-time Pro Bowler Says Once & For All That He's Done - Willie Roaf's press conference yesterday shows how tough it can be for National Football Players to call it quits and retire.
From his statements, it's clear that the 36-year old Roaf still wants to play the game he loves. It's just that his body is not agreeing. His body has broken down after 14 years of great NFL play.
Week One of NFL Season a Lot of Fun to Watch - Pretty interesting opening National Football League weekend. It's pretty rare when three teams get shutout in the same week, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Oakland Raiders all managed to go scoreless.
Also, a whopping eleven home teams lost. Eleven! And New England came very close to losing and making it twelve home teams to lose. So much for home field advantage, although I'm sure that'll all even out as the season continues.
NFL Season Set to Explode! - Tomorrow's the Big Day!
The 2006 NFL season is about to get underway tomorrow. Yes, the Steelers and Dolphins got things started on Thursday night, but on Sunday the whole league will be "abuzz" with excitement as most teams plays their first game.
To backtrack, the Pittsburgh/Miami game was a great way to begin the season. It was a seasaw battle until the Steelers proved why they're the Super Bowl champs with a dominating fourth quarter.
Leinart Signed and Ready to Roll - I'm not going to rant and rave about Matt Leinart holding out. It's good to just see him finally get signed so we can get a chance to see how he fares in the National Football League.
It was amusing to see Denny Green's comments yesterday regarding how upset he was that Leinart wasn't signed yet. Of course, he clarified his statements after the signing, saying...
Let the Games Begin! - The National Football League Pre-Season got underway on Sunday night. Of course, we only got to see about a half quarter's worth of the starters. Which leads me to the whole controversy surrounding playing 4 pre-season games, but I'll leave that to another time.
For now, I'm just excited, as I'm sure you are, that we're getting into that time of year when we get to enjoy all the great youth, high school, college and NFL games that are just around the corner.
Reggie Bush Is Worth Top $ / Michael Bennett Traded To KC - Well, I guess I was wrong. Reggie Bush will indeed get paid about what a No. 1 pick is worth. Good for you, Reggie, now I can look forward to watching you this fall play this great game we all love. Let's forget about the contract B.S. until next year!
Training camp is underway. Finally, we get to get into the playing of the game!
Reggie Bush affected more than just the ire of all of us fed up with the current NFL pay scale system. He also helped to make Michael Bennett expendable in New Orleans.
NFL Rookie Contracts Ridiculous and Insulting - I've got to sound off on the annual struggle in the NFL to sign the rookies.
The NFL is so backward it's ridiculous. Here we have a bunch of unproven, PROSPECTS. That's all they are. Prospects. These guys played great in college, yes, but we all know that this in no way whatsoever guarantees a productive pro career.
So, we have unproven people holding out or complaining about what's their fair share of the pie before they've shown you or I anything of value.
Then, you sometimes have PROVEN veterans getting stiffed on getting major contracts. What's wrong with this picture?
Ashley Lelie Wants Out Of Denver - The Denver Broncos should probably just let Ashley Lelie go. He's a former first round pick but has been mostly inconsistent. Yes, he has shown some flashes here and there, but the Broncos will probably be better off cutting ties with him.
Head coach Mike Shanahan seems to be the type who really wants dependable players at his disposal. Lelie is prone to concentration lapes and can't be counted on to always be there in the clutch.
Bengals' Chris Henry Has Trial Date Set - I know I've talked about Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals before, but it's notable that he's been set with a trial date regarding his latest run-in with legal trouble. Henry will stand trial on Sept. 26 on three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor.
The trial date was set by Kenton County (Ky.) District Court Judge Douglas Grothaus, who had presided over the earlier hearings in the latest legal entanglement involving the troubled wide receiver. When Henry was set free on a $2,500 bail last month, he was ordered to stay away from alcohol and minors.
Ed Reed Gets 6 Year Extension From Ravens - Any team eyeing Ed Reed from afar hoping for a chance to grab him from the Baltimore Ravens next year in free agency will now have to look elsewhere.
Reed will sign the six year extension soon. The new deal will take him through the 2012 season and is worth $40 million. Reed was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft and the 2006 season was set to be his last according to his original four year contract.
Will J.P. Losman Turn Into A Quality NFL QB For The Buffalo Bills? - I'm interested to see how J.P. Losman performs in 2006 for the Buffalo Bills at the quarterback position. In the 2005 training camp he was named the starter from the get-go by former head coach Mike Mularkey. Many veterans on the Bills' roster weren't happy with the decision. They wanted a QB battle to determine the starter. So far this off-season, it appears Losman is ready to earn the starting job for real this time.
For The Washington Redskins, Jason Campbell Is Having Trouble Waiting To Be #1 - The Washington Redskins’ Jason Campbell was drafted in 2005 in the first round of the NFL Draft. Immediately, people were anointing him the Redskins’ QB "savior" . As of today, though, his rise to the starting quarterback position has yet to happen. He may not like it now, but I get a feeling that in ten years or so, Jason Campbell will be happy that he was able to learn some before getting the starting QB position for the Redskins.
Ricky Williams Held To 14 Yard In Second Outing - Last week, Ricky Williams rolled to a 97 yard performance in his Toronto Argonauts beating of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In his Canadian Football League debut, he played well and his Argonauts won 27-17.
However, Williams' second football game in the CFL didn't go quite as well. While the Toronto Argonauts were losing 16-9 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ricky Williams only managed to rush for 14 yards.
I See Positive Things For The New Orleans Saints This Year - The New Orleans Saints should show an improvement this fall. The Saints have a new head coach who spent time learning under Bill Parcells in Sean Payton. They added defensive tackle Hollis Thomas from the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver Bethel Johnson from the New England Patriots, and center Jeff Faine from the Cleveland Browns.
Those three players and Payton should help with making a positive impact on the team’s results for the upcoming season. But the two players who have New Orleans the most excited are Drew Brees and Reggie Bush.
Jets QB Situation A Disturbing One - In my opinion, Brian Schottenheimer, the Jets new offensive coordinator this year, has a bit of a problem at the quarterback position. Sure, he has four prospects to choose from, but how excited should he and head coach Eric Mangini really be about these guys?
They've got Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens and Brooks Bollinger on the roster. But who's gonna be the one to stand out during the upcoming training camp?
Wrong Choices Very Different For Henry & Roethlisberger - Both Ben Roethlisberger and Chris Henry have made some bad choices recently. However, they are two National Football League players going in completely opposite directions. Here's hoping Roethlisberger recovers well and that someone steps in to help Henry get his life on track.
Ben Roethlisberger Lucky - Ben Roethlisberger gave us a good scare yesterday with his motorcycle accident. When the news first broke, it sounded like he could have had some serious damage to his body. While a broken jaw, nose and missing teeth are very serious injuries, Roethlisberger is lucky he wasn't paralyzed or left with brain damage. When you consider his head hit the windshield of the car he hit and then he hit the ground head-first, he's extremely lucky that his wounds weren't worse.
Wow, TO Gets Through FIrst Practice Without Incident - Terrell Owens actually went through his first practice with the Dallas Cowboys without having a temper tantrum or needing to do sit-ups in his driveway. Actually, although I've been critical of TO in the past, I don't think he'll have any problems too soon since it's early in his contract.
Flutie Retirement Decision Coming Soon - Doug Flutie has said that he'll announce whether he'll retire or not in about a week. Whether he retires or not, he's been great to watch all these years.
The Media Twists the Truth - I find it amazing how the media will try to twist the truth a bit just so they can get a more juicy story going.
I read the Hines Ward story in the latest Sports Illustrated article and I saw right away that someone was trying to convey a story that wasn't there.
Favre May Play Beyond 2006 - Here's to hoping that Brett Favre does actually play longer than just one more year. His skills are still there, so why not? The big question, though, is how good will his supporting cast be?
T.O. and the Tuna in Dallas - The new soap opera in Dallas - "TO and the Tuna". This one should be interesting. I wonder how the Big Tuna will react when the TO goes off in the corner whining. Who will win out? The Tuna or the TO? Can't wait to find out...
NFL Draft Notes - NFL Draft notes. The blunder in Houston, the "poor" USC guys sliding down and the excitement of it all.
More NFL Football on TV & Brett Favre Is Back - Looks like we're going to get more chances to see NFL games this season - Replay Style...
Anticipation of the NFL Draft - 3 days to the National Football League college Draft. I love the NFL draft.
It's exciting checking up on all the prospects...
