Direct Hit! She's breaking up!

We start with injury news as Dez Bryant has suffered a suspected high ankle sprain, possibly sidelining him for 4-6 weeks. At least there will be no more arguments about carrying pads. Sources close to the situation suggested to ProFootballTalk.com that Jerry Jones was not best pleased, blaming the coaches for overworking the rookie. But at least he'll be back at some point this season which is more than can be said for Ravens Cornerback Domonique Foxworth who tore his ACL and will miss the entire season. Add that to Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb fighting injuries, plus Ed Reed on the physically unable to perform list, and my Ravens pick for the AFC North just took a skydive without a parachute. Further proof of the futility of early predictions. On to contracts now and Rex Ryan has had his contract with the Jets extended by two more years which will carry him through the 2014 season. But he's not the only one getting paid. Tim Tebow, Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati, Trent Williams.... ah, a crap load of people got signed. None however earned the payday of the most recent signee. As I type this, ESPN, ProFootballTalk.com, Foxsports.com and just about every other pro football news site on the planet has erupted with the news that Sam Bradford has put pen to paper on a six year deal worth - take a breath - $50 million in guaranteed money. F*%£ me!! Add to that incentives and bonuses, and sources are reporting the total value of the contract could be worth $80-86 million dollars. For a guy who has never touched a football in a pro game. Just.... F*%£ me. Anyway, someone else who might be shouting random profanity at the sky, but who certainly cant complain about his contract is Albert Haynesworth, who has failed his conditioning test again. I do have to question however the legitimacy for football of a 300 yard shuttle drill with a 70 second time limit? I've never seen a player run 300 yards up and down a field on one play. It just doesn't make sense to me. What does make sense (see the rapid fire smooth segues?) is www.foxsports.com/nfl When compared to the leagues own NFL.com, it's like comparing sunshine with a thunder storm. The layout is more intuitive, the videos work properly and the articles read like they've been previously thought out instead of just being randomly mashed together to fill a deadline. One article that caught my eye in particular was this: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/San-Diego-Chargers-GM-AJ-Smith-not-afraid-to-play-hardball I like AJ Smith. I like his no-nonsense, business focused attitude to dealing with hold outs. In particular was the fun section where he referenced putting a good deal on the table, and if you don't take it, it's only going to decrease in size, not increase. It's hardball and it works. Yes you will lose some players to free agency, but overall you're going to keep the cost of the team down and keep people more interested in the on-field product and helping the team, than what they think they can milk out of the club. I also like the fact he hates agents, because that to me is as natural as hating Lawyers, Estate Agents and parking attendants. And Tom Brady. Because let's face it, everyone hates Tom Brady. And by the end of the season, the members of the NFLPA will be top of the "Brady hating" list. The reason is due to some comments he made to the press on Friday about his contract situation, specifically stating that he didn't want to be one of those: "... spoiled athletes, bitching about making millions of dollars. Everyone works hard to make a living for themselves. I certainly don't think we have much to gripe about." Are they gonna love you come next February. I have this picture in mind of Roger Goodell reclining back in a leather chair, a glass of whisky in one hand, a Cuban cigar in the other, with all the NFL owners listening in on speaker phone as Goodell plays this quote back to them, before proudly announcing "Game. Set. Match." in the sinister voice of a James Bond villain. Let's just recap here. One of the highest (soon to be more so) paid players in the league has just openly admitted that he and his fellow millionaire superstars are in no place to bitch about how much money they earn. This, in a year when a new CBA must be agreed. A CBA that the players say needs to give more cash to them and less to the owners. Remember this day. Friday, July 30th, 2010. The day that Tom Brady sank the good ship "NFLPA". Have a great day everyone. P.S. I'll do the NFC North training camp review thing tomorrow. E-mail me at keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk (finally listed it correctly) if you wish to complain vociferously about this delay.

Getting in shape

Albert Haynesworth is in hot water again after failing the Redskins fitness test. Like many in the league, the Redskins administer a general fitness test usually in the form of a shuttle drill, with a prescribed time to complete the test, a timed rest period given in between, followed by a repetition of the test. After completing his first run Haynesworth headed off to the bathroom. When he returned he was told that time had expired. Many however are questioning the true validity of it. Haynesworth is, by all accounts, in the best shape of his career. He will repeat the test on Friday and pretty much everyone seems confident that he will pass it with flying colors. Could this be Shanahan stamping his authority on the situation? Who knows. Another vet going through his paces is Flozell Adams, who joins Steelers on a two year deal. It remains to be seen whether Adams will start on the right side or if Max Starks will be shunted over there to make room for Adams at the left tackle spot. Finally someone has taken the shot on him though and I'm quietly confident that Adams will help the Steelers keep Byron Leftwich upright. Which of course is a certain recipe for me to end up eating my own hat by December. Chester Pitts rounds off the veterans-in-new-homes list so far this year, having signed a one year deal with Seattle. Pitts will replace Rob Sims who was traded to Detroit. Now, Sam Bradford has missed the start of the Rams training camp. Bradford is yet to sign a deal and so is not permitted to train with the team. Sources close to the situation have been telling various news outlets that a deal is close to being done and that Bradford should be wrapped up in time for the start of full team workouts on Saturday. Meanwhile, rookies everywhere have been putting pen to paper on various deals. Tim Tebow has signed a five year deal with the Broncos, that could earn him up to $33 million providing he meets certain incentives criteria, which I've heard would require Tebow to basically play like Peyton Manning for the next five seasons. Rolando McClain & Sean Weatherspoon are the other notable first round signees of late. There is one man who is very unlikely to end up in training camp however. Well actually there are three and they all play for the Chargers. Marcus McNeil and Vincent Jackson were pretty much guaranteed hold outs already, but now it appears Shawne Merriman can be added to the list. Merriman has claimed that it's not about the money and it's not about getting a long term deal done. Rather, he told the San Diego Union Tribune: "I'm only coming back to be the guy on the defense. I'm not coming back to be a guy. I want to be on a team where someone is going to be building a defense around me." So, simple demands then! Merriman also talked about a fear of being traded and wanting some security, presumably that which comes from having a defense built around you. And you can kind of, in a very loose way, see where he's coming from. The Chargers aren't exactly known for their dominating pass rush skills when Merriman isn't on the field. But to have an entire defense built around you? That's quite the ask. And what happens when you get injured? How does a defense built around one man function without that one man? For his age (26) and his price ($3.26 million tender) Merriman is pretty good value. The question is how his personality fits with the rest of your team. I think if I was in the hot seat at Chargers, I'd be quietly calling people up and looking to do a deal somewhere. Right, now all that's done, starting tomorrow I'm going to be whizzing around the training camps of the NFL. Not literally, obviously. Instead I'm gonna go through each division in turn starting with the NFC North and working clockwise, to take a closer look at what each team might be focusing on during the course of their preparations. Till then.... Have a great day everyone.

Who framed Roger...

So I sat down to watch Rich Eisen discussing issues with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and my heart sank. Partly that was down to Akamai, the company that was supposed to deliver world class HD video to NFL.com, but instead have delivered the kind of amateur hour service that would occur if it was left to someone like me to put up the videos. For a big organisation like the NFL, I'm stunned that they continue to use this shabby product. But that wasn't the main reason. The mention of the 'Enhanced' season is what really got me depressed. You can just tell by the way the Commissioner is talking about it that it's a done deal. There is no choice in this matter for the NFLPA. It will be slipped into the next Collective Bargaining agreement whether they want it or not. If they don't take it, then there won't be a deal. And I hate it. I understand the official line, that pre-season games are boring. But tough. First of all, it's one of the few chances that some teams get to play regular games against rival teams. San Francisco/Oakland is a clash that the local fans would otherwise only get to see every four years. But most importantly it's a chance for lesser players to catch some attention and try and break into the roster. Far from being as detrimental to players as the League would make it out, in the long term four pre-season games gives talented players on the fringes of rosters their best chance to shine and get themselves a deal. Which is important for coaches as well. I know from experience how difficult it can be to get a proper look at someone who is a borderline starter. There's never the right time, it's always too close, or the game is too far gone/too far behind/too far ahead etc for the performance to be considered useful as an evaluation. Pre-season games are the perfect place for this to take place. Hungry young players and embattled veterans on both sides of the ball looking to cement/save a roster spot. The competition is there, it's just that the big names aren't. And that's the key to this matter. Money, again. No big names equals no big TV payday. More regular games = higher fees for future TV deals. Forget any posturing or posing. Forget the rhetoric about it being good for the game etc. The 'enhanced season' (carefully worded to imply that it will definitely be better) is designed to do nothing more than 'enhance' the revenue pocketed by the league. That much is pretty damn obvious and I just hate all this prancing about trying to pretend there are loftier motives involved. It's about lining peoples pockets with cash, plain and simple. And it stinks. But if we've learned anything lately, it's that what Roger wants, Roger gets. Have a great day everyone.

The Assassin

We start with the sad news that Jack Tatum has passed away, aged 61. It's reported that Tatum suffered a heart attack while in an Oakland hospital. Nicknamed "The Assassin", Tatum played safety for the Raiders from 1971 to 1979 before finishing his career in Houston. He earned his nickname for his ferocious hits, one of which left Patriots WR Darryl Stingley paralysed. Tatum was involved in another famous play, possibly the most famous of all time, "The Immaculate Reception", breaking up a pass from Terry Bradshaw to Frenchy Fuqua, only for the ball to deflect into the hands of Franco Harris who took it in for a last gasp score. Tatum had been battling a number of health issues in recent years, including Diabetes. Ok. Good news for Jacksonville (finally) as they've now found a sponsor for their home field. EverBank is a financial services company based in Jacksonville and reportedly has assets worth in excess of $11 billion. The deal is expected to generate around $5 million in extra revenue per year for the Jaguars. Their stadium will now be known as EverBank Field. And yes, I couldn't skip the news story of the day. Terrell Owens has finally found a home, signing a one year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. The deal is believed to contain around $2 million of guaranteed money, with another $2 million based on incentives. Owens is the latest addition to a receiving corps that already boasted names like Chad Ochocinco, Antonio Bryant & Andre Caldwell. It's starting to get a little congested now on the Bengals receiving roster, especially with two rookies brought in through the draft, but I guess this makes a positive change for the Bengals. It remains to be seen how well Carson Palmer can connect with this group (can you sense the doubt already?). Have a great day everyone.

Missing in Action

We start with Montario Hardesty, the Browns second round draft pick. The RB became the latest rookie to sign up, with a four year deal. Someone who hasn't signed appears to be Chargers 1st round pick Ryan Matthews. Matthews becomes the latest on a list of expected holdouts for the Chargers. And someone who definitely wont be at training camp is Sergio Kindle, the Ravens first round pick. Kindle is reported to have fallen down a flight of stairs and fractured his skull. He wont be allowed to travel for around three weeks, and from there expect the Ravens to treat Kindle with a great deal of caution. In a reverse of the above events, there is news of someone who could be in training camp. Terrell Owens ladies and gentlemen. The Bengals have finished being coy and it appears they are now outright open about the possibility of signing Owens. A lot of it will come down now to contracts, but if they get him then watch out for the Bengals passing attack this year. It should, in theory, have all the tools. That said, if Carson Palmer can't make this group go then there truly is no helping him. And lastly, Dez Bryant. By now I'm sure you've all heard the story but I'll recap for those that haven't. At the end of the first Cowboys practice, Roy Williams went to Dez Bryant and tried to hand him his pads, expecting the rookie to carry them back to the locker room for him, kind of a ritual. Except Bryant said no. Cue uproar from every Veteran from the East to West coast. How dare Bryant refuse!! The only person who seemed to not actually be bothered by it was.... Roy Williams. And surprisingly, I'm on Bryants side with this one. Maybe I'm just preaching here, but one of the things that came up repeatedly in Bill Walshs "Finding the Winning Edge" was the fact that he wouldn't tolerate hazing rituals, as the only purpose they really serve is to demean the rookie and boost the ego of the Vets. I've heard a lot of talk about respect, but I think Bryant is right in his posture that he should be earning his team mates respect through his play on the field. Ultimately I think had this been any other rookie, at any other ball club, there wouldn't have been so much made of it. But people are looking for reasons to pounce on Bryant, especially after his good work so far has proved wrong our earlier expectations that he would fail. I think Bryant is the victim here, not the perpetrator. Have a great day everyone.

Lombardi watch

Lombardi watch continues as he rounds up his Red chip/Blue chip article with his final rankings. I almost don't know what to say. I'll provide the link to the article at the end but first I just have to go through it and point some things out for your amusement. Remember as well that Lombardi gets paid for this. He gets paid nice dollars by the NFL for his analysis. Theoretically, it should trump anything that you or I could produce. When you count the fact that he's been a personnel guy in some capacity at five NFL teams (49ers, Browns, Rams, Eagles and Raiders) you would expect this list to be almost untouchable, a shining example of the cutting edge eye possessed (and required) only by a select few who have worked in the highest ranks of the business. Take this surgically precise insight for example: Jordan Babineaux is listed as a red chip Defensive tackle. Yes, I know. Jordan Babineaux is a Free Safety. But trust me, providing they haven't spotted the mistake and edited by now, it's right there. I can only presume he meant Jonathan Babineuax. So for those still not in the know, let's clarify what Lombardi is doing. He basically looks at every position in the league and plucks out the top 15 players, giving the top ten "Blue Chip" status and the next five "Red Chip" status. The idea is to get a feel for how the best talent in the league is spread around. He also marks out six blue chip coaches. You get points for being a blue or red chipper, depending on the perceived worth of your position, which then contributes to your team total. At the end he ranks the teams based on how many points they each accrued. Now, before we even get onto breaking down any of the positions and whether he is right or wrong, we need to do a double take. Having explained the rules of the game, I'm obliged to point out that Lombardi promptly drops any pretence of following them as soon as he hits Blue chip running backs, which is the second entry on his table. Instead of a top ten we get a top nine, and instead of then having 5 more players, we get another 8, which makes 17 by my maths. This despite spending the first part of the article justifying why he dumped certain players off the receivers list because he had more than 15. The next thing we must look at is the whole "points for positions" things, trying to judge how valuable blue/red chip players are depending on their position. Based on Lombardi's rankings, I can see that Andy Lee, punter for the 49ers, needs a new agent. Apparently he's worth as much to the 49ers as Patrick Willis (7.5 points). Interesting take there. So, let's get down to the nitty gritty and start looking at some of the position groups. Quarterbacks -- Not a huge amount of argument here except that there are only two red chippers, so what happened to the other 3? It could be argued that David Garrard, Jason Campbell and Kyle Orton should fill out the last three spots, but that would be an argument for the ages. Running Backs -- As already mentioned, there are 9 blue chippers and 8 red, which doesn't quite add up. More serious questions involve Josh Cribbs as a blue. Yes he his a phenomenal player, but is he a blue chip RB? Nope. Cedric Benson? He had one good year, yet Michael Turner is considered Red, along with Frank Gore. And how come Ricky Williams is blue but Ronnie Brown is red (other than the injury)? How is Thomas Jones, the third leading rusher in the league last year, red? And why is Knowshon Moreno even on the list, despite falling behind Fred Jackson of Buffalo, Rashard Mendenhall of Pittsburgh and Ryan Grant of Green Bay (Grant had the 7th most yards of all backs)? Tight Ends -- Only 7 blue chippers and then 9 red chippers? To think that Michael Lombardi was allowed anywhere near player contracts is stunning. No Todd Heap. No Visanthe Shiancoe. But Daniel Graham makes the list as a red chipper? Receivers -- From what I can tell, this is the only list that actually follows the proper criteria that Lombardi laid out for himself. Now on reflection I can give Wes Welker a pass for being removed from list entirely due to the very serious nature of his injury last year and the fact he is only just getting back into shape. But what I don't get is how Sidney Rice and Miles Austin can have a statistically VERY comparable season last year, but one is blue chip (Austin) and one is red (Rice). How does Randy Moss tie Larry Fitzgerald for the most TDs and come fifth overall for yards but only make it as a red chipper? How is Santonio Holmes a red chipper but Steve Smith of the Panthers is blue (Holmes was the seventh leading receiver in yards... smith was 22nd). Steve Smith of the Giants gone from the list, despite being comparable to Holmes. Hines Ward, not on the list. Forget it. Offensive Tackles -- 9 Blue, 8 red. And despite being red chippers, Matt Light, Bryant McKinnie and Jason Peters earn seven points instead of 5 like the rest of the red chip tackles? Fullbacks -- Two red chippers and that's that. I know they're a dying breed but c'mon! Guards -- Apparently there are only seven guards in the league and two of them can't even make it into the top ten at their position! Centers -- There are only seven of them as well, and this time four of them can't break into the top ten. Defensive Tackles -- 20. Nuff said. Defensive Ends -- 13 blue chippers (!) and 8 red chippers. Many of these guys like DeMarcus Ware and Elvis Dumervil technically don't even belong in this category. No Will Smith of New Orleans despite registering the third most sacks of any defensive end. No Aaron Schobel, despite getting more sacks than Roger Mathis. No Juqua Parker. And so on. Outside Linebackers -- Well, it wasn't like there wasn't any room for DeMarcus and company. Just four blue chippers listed and 8 red. I just can't even begin to solve the many discrepancies in this list. Inside Linebacker -- At last, another group with 15! Shame that only eight are blue chippers though. Also a shame that Kirk Morrisons third best rating for tackles wasn't enough to get him even a red chip. The were also a number of very solid rookies who missed out which is kind of acceptable as you never know how they will pan out. Corners -- Another 15. Blimey it's all starting to add up. Except of course, that there only 7 blue chippers. And Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie only makes a red chip, despite equalling the number of Interceptions of Darrelle Revis, as well as coming close to his tally of passes defended (Revis first, Cromartie second) and almost equalling him for tackles, while clocking up 3 forced fumbles to Revis's zero. Brandon Flowers fails to make the list, presumably just because he plays for Kansas. And even though Quentin Jammer makes the list, I see that neither Tracy Porter nor Jabari Greer are getting the credit they deserve for the huge part they played in the Saints 2009 season. Still. And so on. Safeties -- So only three guys are considered good enough to make the top ten at their position, but eleven guys are good enough to be in the top 10 to 15? I don't get it. Head Coaches -- Belichick is pretty obvious, Fischer you can have because of the duration and relative consistency, but if we're going to give Fischer a blue chip then Andy Reid gets one as well for the same reasons. Payton and Tomlin fair enough, but where is Ken Wisenhunt? And how come all through this Lombardi's been rating players partly based on their recent performance, yet Mike Shanahan gets a free pass into the blue chip status? And wait, what's this.... John Fox gets a blue chip. John. Fox. I hate the Panthers. And Michael Lombardi. Check the article out for yourselves here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8194b18a/article/with-proper-pieces-in-place-saints-top-bluechip-rankings Have a great day everyone.

A day for reflection I think

First off, sombre news. Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher, has died of skin cancer, aged 54. As well as her husband, she is survived by her three daughters. Kaye is well know among the Steelers organisation for the part she played in supporting Cowher throughout his career, including after his four AFC Championship game defeats prior to winning a Super Bowl. It's at moments like these that we are reminded of those unsung heroes and heroines behind the scenes who ultimately contribute to the success of a team. Anyone who wishes to make a charitable donation on Kayes behalf can do so by following the link provided to the website for 'Family Resources of Pennsylvania', a charity that helps to combat child abuse in Western Pennsylvania. http://www.familyresourcesofpa.org/donate.htm Ok. Next up, Dez Bryant. Now as I'm sure long time readers will be aware, I was on the bandwagon that was dumping criticism on Bryant left, right and center. But I have to be honest with you, there is nothing more satisfying in these cases than when a player turns around and proves everyone wrong, even if that includes me. And that is exactly what Dez is doing. The word coming out of Dallas over the last few months is that he has worked his butt off to get into shape and prepare himself for the season. He's worked hard in OTAs. He got his deal wrapped up prior to training camp, being the first of the first rounders to sign. And then today it emerges that he was first on the field for training camp. Now that, THAT is how it's done. That's how you answer your critics. You keep your mouth closed and you shut everyone else up with your actions. Very impressive so far Mr. Bryant. I nod in respect to you sir. Keep up the good work. Turning to New York now and the Giants have signed free agent Linebacker Keith Bulluck. The 33 year old spent ten seasons in Tennessee as a member of that formidable Titans defense. He will likely step in and replace Antonio Pierce, who has now retired through injury. It's a key acquisition for the Giants, putting some experience and some run stopping bulk right in the heart of their defense. And speaking of free agents, the market for Terrell Owens might be picking up, or not, depending on who you speak to. The Bengals and the Rams appear to be top of a list that could include the Buccaneers and potentially a few more unnamed teams (Panthers? (hate 'em)). But the Rams don't seem to be too keen, as a Rams source told NFL Networks Jason LaCanfora that any reports about their aggressive pursuit of Owens were "over zealous". Owens himself has said he would like to sign with a team that has a shot of making the play offs (*hint: Bengals), but then beggars can't be choosers. I've said it before and now I'm going to say it again; I think Owens is worth a shout. A one year deal is all he'll likely get, but that's enough for him to step in and make something happen. Whether it's boosting a club with play off hopes or just raising a team like the Rams out of abject mediocrity, Owens can still help. Have a great day everyone.

Another chip on my shoulder

Starting off today with news that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has received a two-year extension that will see him through the end of the 2012 season, with an option for another year after that. It's estimated that the deal could be worth around $5 million per year. Which segues nicely into the news that Elvis Dumervil has signed a 5 year extension to his deal, worth approximately $61.5 million dollars (all new money). Dumervil lead the league in sacks last year with 17. But what has surprised most people and been the talk of the various news columns is that Dumervil didn't pout, didn't hold out and didn't spend the last few months telling the press about how great he is and why he should be paid the top dollars. He simply put his head down and worked for his money. Proof, if ever it was needed, that there is no need for hold outs. Those who deserve to get paid will get paid in due course. ---- Lombardi watch continues with his article on red and blue chip players, this time focusing on the NFC. Start with Adrian Wilson of the cardinals ranked as a red chipper. The guide for the article describes blue chippers as being in the top 10 at their position. I think Wilson would have a really good shout at being in the top 10 of all strong safeties. He's not a huge name or a guy that makes the headlines, but when you watch the Cardinals and I mean really watch them, Wilson makes a huge impact on that team. I think he's worthy of blue chip status (let's put it this way, Darren Sharper is listed as blue chip and I'd take Wilson over Sharper). Oh what's this Michael "Bill Walsh once said" Lombardi, RB Michael Turner as a red chipper? WTF man? Turner is pretty much a top 5 at his position. At least, for most people he is. Greg Olsen as a Red Chipper? So not one of the top 10 Tight Ends? Is this even for the whole league or just the NFC? Miles Austin, blue chip. Now, don't get me wrong here, I like Miles Austin. I really like Miles Austin and even though I hadn't started this blog before the start of last season, I called Austin to have a good year to a friend. But to me a blue chipper needs more than just one season of really good numbers. Two at the minimum. Ok Michael, so Greg Olsen is not a blue chipper, but Jermichael Finley is? Get outta here. This is my favourite though: "No Reggie Bush, no Jeremy Shockey, no Pierre Thomas? Have I lost my mind?" Yes, quite clearly. Maybe not blue chippers, but Shockey is easily a red, Thomas could make red pending the result of a lengthy and heated debate, and Bush might make Red based on potential. The last two are very much fringe for Red chip status, but Shockey should be in there. None of the Giants D-line get red chips? None of them? They didn't exactly light up the world last year, but there must be some Giants love in there somewhere. Leonard Weaver, FB for the Eagles; blue chip. That's actually a hell of a shout right there. And you know what, I give up after that. When I start agreeing with Michael Lombardi on something it usually means I've been drinking too much coffee and staying up too late. Have a great day everyone.

This is London calling

Rookie contracts are starting to pour in now as training camp lurches closer. Most notable of these is Dez Bryant, the Cowboys first round pick. Bryant has signed a five year deal that could reportedly reach up to $12 million in value. Colt McCoy, one of the Cleveland Browns third round picks has also signed a contract, worth something in the region of $5 million over four years. But now I want to get to the bread and butter of todays blog post. There is much talk being raised lately of the possibility of a Super Bowl being played in London and also the possibility of a franchise being established over here. Let me answer this with two words; No. No. I understand how important the Super Bowl is. More to the point, I understand how annoyed some people would be to see that game played over seas. Even more to the point, I understand how annoyed some people would be if their team made it all the way to the big game.... only to find out that they have to pay for trans-Atlantic flights and accommodation on top of the expense of the tickets for the game. For comparison purposes, there is a soccer tournament over here called the F.A. (Football Association) Cup. I wont go into all the details but suffice to say that it's a big deal over here. If this game was played outside of the UK, all hell would break loose. I mean that literally. When it was suggested recently that in the future an extra game might be played in the Premier league, with all the games being played abroad, the fans went nuts. The idea was quietly dropped. I can't think of a quicker, better way to alienate US fans from the league and to build resentment that the UK is getting preferential treatment in the name of generating extra dollars than to have the Super Bowl played in the UK. Would it be well attended? You bet it would. Would it really add anything to the game? Nope. Would it generate extra revenue? A little. Would it p*ss a lot of people off in the US? Hell yeah. And don't even get me started on the London Franchise. Forget all the talk about players and schedules and all that. Let's talk money. Will this franchise be successful. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. It will sink like a post-iceberg-impact model of the Titanic made out of lead. It will be a horrendous failure. Why? Simply because UK fans are not going to descend on London every week to watch a team that no-one cares about. The reason people are going to watch the current London games are two fold: 1) The novelty of watching their first "live" NFL game (which is why I went to see the Saints vs Chargers) 2) To watch their "team" (which is why I'm going to watch the red and gold awesomeness of the 49ers vs Broncos). Everyone over here who watches football has a team. Everyone. If you don't have a team you're probably not into football all that much and chances are you're not the kind of person that will fork out the total of nearly $180 for the ticket and travel (that's before we get onto the cost of beer, food and programs. Let's not go there....) Nobody, I repeat, NOBODY is going to give up their team for a London franchise. Ok, so maybe a few idiots will, but a London franchise will not work economically. The only people that will come to games will be the rich people who don't understand football and the people who are coming to support their team.... the away team that is. Every game will be a road game in terms of crowd support for a London Franchise. They simply can't win. And someone is going to be left severely out of pocket. If you have any comments on this subject, or any others for that matter, you can e-mail me at keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk and don't forget to spread the word about the crazy English guy who has an irrational hatred of the Panthers. Have a great day everyone.

Spring is... well it's gone, but this will make sense in a minute.

Okey dokey, I think I've got all my childish laughs from earlier out of my system, so down to business. The wait is almost over. This Friday, July 23rd, training camp begins. Well for the Browns it does. And if you really want to be picky, only for their rookies. But it's the beginning. It's like those first signs of spring letting you know that warm weather is on its way (or for me, the first regular season games indicating that my preferred cold weather is coming). It's so close now you can almost reach out and grab it. Dallas will be next into camp on Saturday. All teams will be in action by August 1st. Meanwhile, agents are coming under increased scrutiny as a series of investigations take place regarding possible acceptance of gifts by pro prospects when they were in college. Coming after the whole Reggie Bush thing which has seen USC wipe Bush from all their records and acknowledgments, it's Maurkice Pouncey of the Steelers who is drawing the most attention, after an allegation that he accepted a $100,000 gift prior to the Sugar Bowl last season. College coaches, led by former Dolphins Head Coach Nick Saban are calling on the NFL to clamp down on the agents. The NFL has in turn pointed to the NFLPA and highlighted that monitoring agents is their responsibility, and the NFLPA have agreed that agents caught doing wrong need to be punished, to the extent of possible criminal charges. None of which of course addresses the fact that players are the ones who should be the focus. It starts with education. Players need to understand that however well intentioned the original rule was of forcing all players to take an agent, it has now reached ridiculous proportions where agents can hear the cash register kerching-ing (?) at a hundred paces. A first round pick is worth quite the sum and if you can nab one of the top ten you can sleep comfortably for quite a while on the resulting pay packet. A $100,000 gift is nothing when the long term rewards will far exceed that sum. Players need to understand all the tricks that agents will try to get them on board and they need to be alerted to the fact that agents are in it for one thing. Cash. Cold, hard, cash. They care so much about getting you the best deal solely because it means their percentage of commission is worth all the more. It's a dog eat dog business and the players should be made aware of just what they're buying; as any St. Bernard owner will tell you, innocent little puppies can quickly become more than you bargained for. The second part should be penalties for players, whether financial or playing time wise for accepting gifts. I'm sure there are huge numbers of cases where players have been offered sums of cash or other gifts, but I guess either a lot of them go unnoticed or are simply refused (probably a mixture of both). Players who make the right choice should be comforted not just by their sound moral choice, but also by the sight of those who made the wrong choice getting their due punishment. I feel this is a good place to end it, otherwise a rant will ensue. Have a great day everyone.

It looks just like a.... Johnson, Lyndon B. The 36th President of the United States.

I've never pretended to be a mature adult. And for this reason I can happily direct readers to http://www.nfl.com/ and ask you to look at the football icon in the middle of the page just under the main banner, where it says "Sneak Preview", (I've looked at the sneak preview and all I can see is the same stuff but moved around and a new background, i.e. everything I hate about page updates). What I would like to draw your attention to is the icon of the Super Bowl Trophy on the football. It looks distinctly like.... well, you'll see. When I've finished getting out the laughs I'll be back for a proper post.

Pitt of the stomach

Kirwan watch continues, and remarkably he actually wrote a pretty good article about the difficulties in coming up with a game plan. Some bits of the article did read a little like he was talking to a group of four year olds, but otherwise solid. Then we have the latest from Michael "Bill Walsh once told me" Lombardi. He basically goes through and ranks various players as being Blue Chip and Red Chip, based on a set of criteria known only to Michael Lombardi. This would help explain why Anquan Boldin is considered a Red Chip player while Chad Ochocinco is Blue chip quality? I also see that a number of players were "marked down" as it were simply for being injured. And how come Brian Cushing is a red chipper who "was Blue before suspension", yet Ben Roethlisberger is a Blue chipper all the way, even though he'll miss the first 6 games of the season which is two more than Cushing? I'm not an expert on the NFL by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not a high paid journalist or an award winning writer. But at least I have: a) a bit of consistency b) a bit of savvy I know it's very easy to criticise people like Lombardi and believe that we could do much better, and I'm sure there are people that will rush to his defense, but for the love of christ this stuff really is indefensible. And I've heard all the arguments in the world before "oh, he used to be an NFL exec. so he must know what he's talking about..." "you're just a fan blah, blah..." but honestly, I don't buy it. It's the kind of excuse people use when they don't like what you write but can't think of a way to express it. It's the classic catch all argument that doesn't require specific criticism and doesn't leave the critic open to having a failed argument deconstructed. I'm pretty sure I could randomly pick names from a hat and come up with a better blue/red mix than that and be more consistent about it. Anyway, moving on. According to Jason LaCanfora, Chester Pitts worked out today for the benefit of just two teams: the Colts and the Steelers. Which provides us with a perfect example of why those two teams are so successful on a consistent basis. In my mildly arrogant and self assured opinion, the O-line and D-line are critical to the success of a football team. I'd much rather see O-linemen of all positions paid like wide receivers and vice versa. So when I see only two teams turn up to check out someone who I think is still a pretty good guard, I'm impressed by them. When you couple that with their draft choices this year and the general way that these two teams go about building their O-line, it's obvious to see why they've had such consistent success. Now I know people will point a finger at the Steelers and wave it in the semi-nagging manner that a parent would to a naughty child, while receiting the line "but the Steelers O-line is terrible!". Well... they're really not. In the run game they regularly make a habit of opening holes for their backs, and in the passing game they suffer the same problem as the Packers and Cowboys, in that they have a QB who enjoys holding onto the ball for as long as humanly possible. Regardless Kudos to the Steelers and Colts. Now if they'd kindly like to sod off and let the 49ers claim Pitts, I'll be delighted. Have a great day everyone.

Digging for relics...

Wellllll, I've only had about 4 hours sleep after a 24 hour awake slog so I'm off to bed. Just time to quickly point your eye to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress has been visiting a museum to look at an ancient mummy.... In all seriousness though, I do love Brett Favre. His combination of a 'strong arm' (for want of a better phrase) and accuracy is a joy to watch, as is the mere fact that he's even able to throw the ball with any consistency given his throwing motion, which is about as smooth as the wall of a particularly rocky and jagged canyon. I hope Favre comes back. You get the impression that he still has unresolved business, especially with the Saints, and I just love watching the guy play. Come on Brett, one more year. --- Chris Johnson is in for a temporary pay day. It appears he's had part of his current deal reworked to give him some cash upfront while the details of a longer deal can be mashed out. It could be argued that Johnson has a case when the NFL Offensive Player of the Year says that he wants to be paid as such, but there are two sticking points. First off, sinking money into Running Backs is simply something that most NFL teams are not inclined to do. Two, he did indeed have a fantastic year last year, but with defensive coordinators sitting down to make plans for stopping him, the question does have to be asked as to whether the Titans can expect similar production from Johnson over the course of the next 3 or 4 years? Chances are that he had a fantastic year, but will find it difficult to repeat that great feat on a consistent basis. Anyway, I need sleep. Must snooze. Snoozy, snooze. Have a great day everyone.

The Kirwan Effect

So, what did I miss yesterday? I jest of course. After all, it's July in the NFL off season which means nothing at all happened. Well actually, I guess one thing has happened. Michael Lombardi has been taking notes from Pat Kirwan and is showing the early signs of two serious problems: 1) "The Kirwan Effect" where one talks at length about an obvious subject without really bringing any new knowledge to the table. 2) The "Statistics in football" problem. This has been kicking about ever since the rise of Sabermetrics in Baseball. What you basically have is lots of people using statistics, as the saying goes, "the way a drunk uses a lamp post, more for support than enlightenment". I refer to his most recent article on NFL.com where Michael "Did I mention I once worked for Bill Walsh" Lombardi decides to see if his mentor was right about the need for teams to take an early lead with the passing game. So he looks at a trend of teams that scored a lot in the first half making it to the playoffs. He includes the table for 'support'. The subtext of this part of article is of course, like all writers employed by the NFL, to 'support' the move of the league to a pass happy/all pass league. Top of the table are the Patriots, who notched up 282 first half points... only to be dumped out of the playoffs by the run happy Ravens. Things go smoothly from there until we get down to 8 and 9, the Jets and the Cowboys. At this point I noticed the table was actually ordered by first half points differential, or in other words teams that happened to score more than they conceded. Now considering that 8 teams finished ahead of the Super Bowl winning Saints (who were tied for 9th), that might be a cause for alarm that this theory is starting to lose water. Then the fact that the Bengals, Panthers and Falcons all managed to slip in there ahead of the Ravens who went further than any of them would appear to finally sink it. It just represents everything I hate about statistics, where people mindlessly grab at some arbitrary factor such as how many gallons of Gatorade a team drinks during a game to try and help them prop up their latest argument. It wouldn't matter so much if the Saints had been number one, the Colts at two etc, but instead it's just a random spattering of teams, that really tells us nothing more than the fact that shock, horror, !!!, teams that score more points than they concede tend to win games, which leads them to the play offs. I know, revolutionary stuff! The only other thing that's changed lately is that I've had to unfollow Warren Sapp on Twitter (which I'm sure he's gutted about) because he simply tweets too often. Every time I log on, all I see is just a mountain of Warren Sapp tweets and I'm afraid my eyes cant take it anymore. Sorry Warren. Have a great day everyone.

I hate Microsoft (as well as the Panthers)

Suffice to say, I'm pretty pi$$ed off right now. I just typed out an article only to have Internet explorer 'stop working' which led to my entire computer crashing. If someone is reading this and you know Bill Gates or you have access to someone who works at Microsoft, can you please instruct them to remove their fingers from their collective a$$es and fix this damn thing already. Ever since the last update they did, I've never known a piece of software to be so incapable of performing the basic tasks for which it was designed. It's like Brandon Jacobs from last year. Anyway, to now cut a long story short, what happened to NFL.coms Pat Kirwan? I suspect the real Pat Kirwan has been abducted by NFL elves. I remember the days when Kirwan used to write insightful articles that gave us a different and enlightened perspective on the various goings on around the league. Now? All his articles seem to do two things: 1) State the obvious 2) Subtly Cheerlead for whatever the latest pet line is that the NFL wants to push to the fans. I mean really Pat, you interview someone and all you have to share with us is that Jay Cutler needs to stop throwing interceptions. Well, that's a stunning revelation! You need only read the comments section after each of his posts to see a stream of fans complaining about the same thing; that Kirwan has become the master of stating the obvious. Add to that the fact that Kirwan has now written a number of articles that ostensibly are about thinsg like pass protection, but in reality just seem to be thinly veiled efforts to espouse to people why spread style attacks are the new 'West Coast Offense', must have accessory. It just seems so cheap and tacky now, like he's filling out a directive from head office. But anyway, I need to sleep. I won't be here tomorrow so no post, but then the collective NFL news scene seems to die each Saturday anyway so no loss. On a side note, if your into twitter you can now follow me at www.twitter.com/KTCMoving (not that I really update much). You can also follow this blog by clicking on the follow thingy to the right somewhere, I think you get updates when I post or something. I know you need a blogger account at the very least. You can also leave comments or you can now e-mail me suggestions/questions/comments/feedback/abuse at keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk Have a great weekend everyone.

Take your supplements

Supplemental draft time and I can already see people falling out of their chairs with excitement. That might just be too much whisky though, I'm not sure. Anyway, two players were taken in the end. RB Harvey Unga went to the Bears in the seventh round and the Cowboys took DT Josh Price-Brent, also in the seventh round. This means that both teams will sacrifice their seventh round picks in next years draft. -- Not sure why, but I'm having doubts about my early pick for the Jets to win their division, even if they get all the players having contract disputes to start. Just can't help looking at the Dolphins and thinking they might be ready to steal the Jets thunder, and that maybe the Jets losing in the AFC Championship game wasn't so much them not reaching their potential as it was them over achieving in the first place. Something to ponder I think. Have a great day everyone.

Full of win.

As you might have noticed from my Twitter update to the right (over there >>> somewhere) my copy of 'Finding The Winning Edge' by Bill Walsh has arrived. I was impressed to find that it's in basically mint condition. Over 500 pages of high quality material from one of the best coaches in the history of the game. Given the cost of this book and the breadth of subjects covered compared to the cost of multiple coaching seminars, I think it's a good value pick up if you can get a copy. Credit to BetterWorldBooks as well for the rapid delivery and the accurate description of this second hand gem. But enough of that. The Green Bay Packers have opened up their books for their last financial year, naturally drawing much attention from both the league and the NFLPA who are still yet to come close to an agreement on a new CBA. Being a Publicly owned company, the Packers are obliged to release details of their financial dealings, which show a decrease in operating of over 50%. A big part of this is naturally their increased labour costs, which have once again grown by nearly 12%, while total revenue went up by only about half that much. In laymans terms, the Packers are bringing in more cash, but spending much more of that money on players. I've heard the current business model described as "unsustainable". Which it is. As I've already mentioned in the past, profit making organisations exist to make profits, not to scrape even. The players are toying with fire. There are 32 teams, each lead by an experienced business professional. These individuals got to where they are by being sound in business matters. They simply are not going to accept the players demands. A players strike will do nothing. It's doomed to end with the players buckling and coming back to work, diminishing their bargaining position in the process. I hope for the sake of all; teams, players, fans, that the NFLPA realises this sooner rather than later and cashes in while they still can. Have a great day everyone.

Time to Pay up

If you're a Sean Payton fan or a New Orleans Saints fan then look away now, because I have a real axe to grind. NFL Total Access has Coach Payton on the show and they decided to run a clip of the now famous onside kick. What got my back up was the way they talked about it like it was the most genius move since a QB first picked up the football and threw it. Now don't get me wrong, it took a heck of a pair of balls to make that call and all credit to Coach Payton for his guts. But for me, that doesn't detract from the fact that it was a stupid call. As far as I'm aware the recovery rate for onside kicks by the kicking team is something in the region of 20%. And the Saints only barely managed to fall on the good side of that. With the Colts ahead by 4 it was hardly a huge gap and with the total score at 10-6, it hadn't exactly been a shoot out up until that point. If the Colts had recovered and thus given Manning a short field, that might have been enough to put the Saints away. The end product would have been a universal vilification of Coach Payton. Let's get real here. Coach Payton is now known as a hero and a genius because of one simple thing; Hank Baskett fumbled the ball. There wasn't a Saints player close to him. If Baskett had made that play, Payton would have looked like the dumbest of the dumb at that moment. Instead of celebrating, they'd all be looking at their coach wondering what the hell was going on in his head. So if people want to credit Payton for his guts and risk taking then that's fine, but don't make out that he's some kind of genius for that call. It was stupid, and like much of the Saints Superbowl winning season, they caught some incredible luck. Rant over. Have a great day everyone.

The Master Beer

So Chris, you wonder, what happened to you last night? Why no blog? I'm afraid that's what happens when you mix: Beer A Sega Master System, An old telly, 1991 vintage, A group of males in their late twenties, If there is one thing that was learned in that evening, it's that I can tell you with absolute certainty that things were never as good as you remember them. The Master System was a sack of crap, I understand that now. So what did I miss in the football world? Erm, nothing, because it's July and nothing really happens in July. Nothing. Have a great day everyone.

Balls up

Here's the deal. I haven't slept for about 20 hours and I just watched the world cup final, which can only be described as a disgrace and a perfect example of why soccer players shouldn't be kicking the balls around they should be s*cking them. I'm off to bed. Have a great day everyone.

Ming Vases

Trust me, we'll get to the vase bit. I'd like to continue the post from earlier about the potential of the zone read play and the wildcat package in the NFL by assessing the QB position itself and the major difference between the perspective of college teams and pro teams to their Quarterbacks. The first, is time span. In College obviously there is a defined limit of player eligibility. You have a player who is at most going to spend 4 years on the field. In this period he's unlikely to accrue injuries that will end his college career, for example preventing him from playing as a senior. When we look at running backs in the NFL, typically we're starting to consider the effect of accrued injuries when the player reaches about 29-30, or in other words, after about 8 years or so of NFL play (with his college time tacked on of course). For colleges, the injury factor of a running QB is not such a big concern. In the 'league' however it is. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre etc. These are not spring chickens. And if you want your QB to make it to such a grand old age, when they're just starting to reach a peak combination of arm strength and experience (accuracy, coverage reads etc) then feeding that QB a heavy dose of down hill runs is not going to end well. Brady is getting pretty nicked up as it is, without the added impact of having spent his whole pro career trying to play chicken with guys like Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jared Allen or dodging tackles from guys like Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis! The second is the cost factor. Though not entirely true, Colleges essentially get their Quarterbacks for "free". Four years of play, no wages. There's no truly lasting investment of resources in that player. Jump a level to the professional leagues and suddenly we have guys tied to multi-million dollar contracts. The game has just changed big time. You can't cut injured players, so a guy who spends the rest of the season on the sidelines with a banged up knee is going to still drain money from your budget. And because a College team is not restricted by salary cap issues, they can afford to have on their roster 4 quarterbacks who are all very good at what they do. A pro team simply can't afford the space (not a good, well rounded pro team anyway) to keep two or more high level QBs on the books. You can get away with one, and then a Rex Grossman as a back up, but you're not going to see Drew Brees warming the bench behind Peyton Manning any time soon. The final aspect I think that's worth looking at is replacements. More specifically, how easy is it to replace your QB. In college, you theoretically have the entire nation at your disposal. In reality of course it's not quite that simple, but you still have a large pool to draw from. You can pick up anyone who is willing to come and play for your program, and if they're good enough there is always a way to make room. A good program can consistently go out year after year and find intriguing prospects who fit their mould. In the NFL, it's not so simple. To be a good QB in the NFL takes something a little bit special. The standard is so much higher. To reference a favourite old movie of mine 'Top Gun' (the fact that it's now considered 'old' is rather worrying) this is the home of "the best of the best". And just like in the TopGun Fighter Weapons school, all of the coaches around the league will be quietly whispering "we'll make you better". To play the QB position successfully at this level, you need to be just a little bit special. And special players are not a common commodity. They are rare beasts for whom teams will pay large sums of money. Critically, such beasts are usually to be found in the draft. High level QBs don't normally end up wandering the free agent market for long. So you have 32 teams entering the draft each year; each with its own unique needs. A team that already has a good QB can not afford to blow a first round pick on another one. So you're getting down into the lower orders of the draft before you can go looking for your future QB replacement, and as the rounds tick by so the stock of quality quarterbacks naturally decreases. Now I already know what you're thinking; Tom Brady. You're going to tell me all about how the Patriots dipped into the bottom of the barrel and pulled out a gem. Forget it. The reason this story is so often repeated is precisely because of how rare it is. There is not, repeat not, a Tom Brady lurking in every draft. So what does this replacement issue mean? It means that NFL teams have to be careful with their quarterbacks. They have to use them wisely and protect them as much as possible (though the league is increasingly doing that for them). Like a delicate Ming vase, the NFL quarterback cannot be thrown around carelessly. Which, ultimately, means that we're unlikely to see Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco running the zone read as a base play anytime soon. By all means, keep an eye out for the receivers and running backs coming into the league who have QB experience behind them, but the use of such packages is likely to stay strictly limited for as long as the top quarterbacks and top receivers are able to team up and do things like this: Have a great day everyone.

Zone Read

So this post is to answer a question from Kevin (hello sir) regarding the most recent post on www.brophyfootball.blogspot.com where Brophy talks about the 'Zone Read' play which is quite common in college football, and speculates that it might make the leap to the NFL. First off I should point out that me and Brophy recently had what can politely be described as a 'disagreement' on CoachHuey.com. I hope this post will remain objective and detached from that incident. Now for those not aware, the Zone read is something of an option play. Run from the shotgun, it consists of a basic run play going one way but with the backside Defensive End (Outside Linebacker in a 3-4) left unblocked. The QB reads this player as he meshes (the process of the hand off) with the RB and makes a decision what to do with the ball based on the actions of the unblocked defender (his 'read key'). If the defender chases down the Line of scrimmage then the QB fakes the hand off and keeps the ball himself, running around the exposed end. If the defender stops and appears to be waiting for the play to develop, then the QB hands off to his back. Normally, if there is any doubt then the QB will hedge his bets and hand it off to the back. So, can such a play permeate the pros and will it, as Brophy believes, change the fundamental nature of the QB position in the NFL? In a word: No. The 'Wildcat', introduced by Miami gives us a good insight into this. When it first appeared, the various plays of the Wildcat series gave defenses fits. Now... not so much. Like any play, or series of plays, the Wildcat poses certain unique problems for a defense. With good coaching it can be a valuable tool in an offense. But defenses are catching up. They always will. Given the amount of time available to NFL staffs, I imagine they have spent more than a few hours studying this offense and finding ways to shut it down. We saw the Saints adopt the approach of forcing the edges of the play hard with their Cornerbacks and met with quite a degree of success. I imagine the same will happen with the Zone Read. Defenses will find a way to stop it. An example of this how some defenses approach the option game in college. The QB is reading certain defenders and making decisions based on their reactions. So defenses change the run responsibilities of their players to try and confuse the QBs read. He thinks the player he's reading is responsible for a certain assignment (say stopping the dive in a triple option) but in fact another player (for example a LB) will come down and fill that role. Expect defenses to try similar stratagems, amongst others, against the Zone Read. The other huge aspect of this is the QB himself. In order for the zone read to work, you need a quick footed QB. Peyton Manning will not cut it. Brady with his banged up knees will not cut it. A Michael Vick or Vince Young is in order. But herein lies the problem. Just how many times are NFL teams willing to expose their QB to danger? Let's not forget that this is the position that teams most covet. It's where the largest deals are. I imagine few teams would be willing to invest large sums in a QB who is going to be exposing himself to danger down field on a regular basis. So will teams draft QBs for this purpose? Not likely. I can't imagine many offensive coordinators who would be happy throwing away their playbooks to accommodate the Zone Read and the very different type of QB needed to make it work. What is more likely is that teams will be more willing to hunt down wide receivers and running backs who have played QB in high school. Armanti Edwards - drafted in 2010 by the Carolina Panthers - is a perfect example. Despite playing QB all through his college career many believe that Edwards will play WR for Carolina. He is the type of player that could make a Zone read work and still be a threat to pass. Much like the Wildcat packages copied by other teams (outside of Miami), I imagine the Zone read will gain the most traction in teams situational packages, for example down in the red zone. For the season ahead, keep an obvious eye on Miami with Pat White, the Eagles with Vick and the Titans with Young. Less obvious? The Panthers I've already covered (by the way, have I ever mentioned that I hate the Panthers?). Now the Jets, there's an intriguing prospect with WR Brad Smith certainly having the ability to run the zone read (gotta get some Brad Smith love in before the season begins). The biggest restriction that will hold teams back though, beyond their roster, is how good their offense is in general. Good offenses typically will not find a benefit in switching personnel for the sake of one play. The Eagles for example only really used their version of the Wildcat to try and solve the problem of their poor performance on third down and in the red zone. Hopefully Kevin, this answers your question. I'll be back later to see what the days news has brought us, until then, have a great day everyone.

Bug in the system

-- All I'm saying is this; if I was the NFL network I'd be taking Akamai to task for the crappy quality of their video services on NFL.com. Videos that take an age to load, videos that have to stop and completely reload themselves just because you clicked back a few seconds. The classic "double take" glitch, where the video randomly jumps back a half second like it couldn't believe what the current speaker just said. It's a damn nightmare, and from such a big company, it just looks shoddy. -- Ok, so it wasn't all I'm saying in this blog. I'm also going to throw out some Matt Schaub love. Because (yes, grammar, I know) Jamie Dukes did his run down of his top five QBs in the league and I was distraught to see McNabb at number 5 and yet no Schaub. I feel for the guy, I do. He plays on a team that thinks defense is something that the government provides and yet he still does great work. He kicked McNabbs butt in every catergory except interceptions last year, and I believe even then the difference was by two. And no, Schaub hasn't been to a championship game, but then he never had the late, great Jim Johnson coordinating the defense on his team. If we're talking about straight up numbers and skills, who is the best QB, Schaub wins it. And he still has a longer career ahead of him to go win the big one. Have a great day everyone.

Pierced off

-- Antonio Pierce, a driving force at the Mike LB spot for the Giants in recent years has now retired. Pierce, who won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2007, will continue his association with football as he begins a new career path as an NFL analyst for ESPN and I wish him all the best. -- Now, time to level a beef at the NFL Network, in this case: Charles Davis. Listing his top five wide receivers in the game, he failed to mention Wes Welker. Then the floor was thrown open for Jamie Dukes to come in, and still no Welker! I appreciate that Welker doesn't have the lengthy career that some others have but Welker is, to use a phrase I hate "the straw that stirs the drink". Third down Welker. Fourth down Welker. Need easy yards? Welker. Need a tough catch over the middle? Welker. Need someone to step up and make something happen offensively? Welker. The guy is a pass catching, run after the catch machine right now. I think Welker makes my top five easily. And Jamie.... Chad Ochocinco got some love, but not Welker? I'm disappointed. Have a great day everyone.

Tackle the issue

-- Though not arrested, Buccaneers OT Jeremy Trueblood has become the latest NFL Player to have a brush with the long arm of the law. Trueblood and an associate were taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and for public intoxication, after a local convenience store clerk called police reporting that Trueblood and his friend had entered the store and allegedly knocked goods off of counters and nearly knocked over a mother holding a small child. The two then got into a car driven by Truebloods mother, and it was later in the night that the car was followed and stopped. Trueblood had been golfing with friends and called his mother to give him a ride, an action that was praised and largely responsible for him not being charged. -- News from the New Yorks Jets now, and various sources claim D'Brickashaw Ferguson has put pen to paper on an extension deal potentially worth $60 million over six years, with approximately $34-35 million in guaranteed cash. With a year left on his old deal, plus an option, Ferguson is still set to make around $13 million before his new deal kicks in. But he's not the only man in green and white who has signed on the dotted line this week. Second round draft pick Vladimir Ducasse has signed his rookie contract, a four year deal that will pay the O-lineman around $3 million. Ducasse is likely to see playing time this year at the guard position, replacing Alan Faneca who is now with the Arizona Cardinals. Have a great day everyone.

Testify!

-- Well, Michael Vick has dodged a bullet (sorry, I couldn't resist) in the case surrounding a shooting near a nightclub in Virginia Beach where Vick was celebrating his 30th birthday. Police have discovered the identity of the shooter, but cannot release his name for legal reasons. No charges are expected to be brought, as both the victim and numerous eye witnesses have refused to testify. Vick himself has been cleared by police of any wrong doing. The question now remains as to what action the Eagles will take regarding Vick. Though in the clear, it is still possible that the Eagles might release Vick, having warned the player they would have little tolerance for any further incidents or brushes with the law. -- JaMarcus Russell may be without a contract right now, but bizarrely he could have a big influence on future contract negotiations in the NFL. As agents and teams sit down to start looking at rookie contracts, in particular the first round picks, teams will be keeping one eye on the arbitration taking place between Russell and the Raiders, as the Raiders seek to recoup some of the large sums of money paid out to Russell. In particular, teams and agents will be interested in the arbitrators ruling on the guaranteed sums in Russells contracts. Have a great day everyone.

Wait, can you hear a siren?

-- Another week begins in the NFL, but at least we're not starting off with yet another arrest of a player. -- Oh wait, yes we are. JaMarcus Russell was arrested at his home in Mobile, Alabama, as part of an undercover narcotics investigation. Russell was charged with possession of Codeine syrup - a painkiller covered by the Controlled Substances Act - without a prescription. He has been bailed and will reportedly have a bond hearing on Wednesday and then face a court hearing on July 20th. And if you listen very carefully, you can hear the sound of Russells chances of getting back into the league drifting off into the wind. Oh dear. Have a great day everyone.

Cue Fireworks

-- Well, I hope everyone had a good fourth of July. Mainly because that's it for today. Nothing I know of happened today. Nothing worth reporting at least. Have a great day everyone.

One for the road

-- We cant have an off season day in July without a player getting into trouble with the law can we? Apparently not, as Quinton Ganther of the Seahawks got himself arrested for DUI in Sacramento County, California. At this rate there definitely wont be a players strike in 2011... because they'll all be in jail. Have a great day everyone.

R.I.P Don Coryell

-- First off, doff your hats gentlemen to Coach Don Coryell, who passed away Thursday aged 85. Coreyll had a big impact on football as it's played today. Both Norv Turner and Mike Martz use a scheme now widely known as the "air coryell offense", so it could be said that without Coryell we would not have seen the "Greatest Show on Turf". Despite making the ballot for the 2010 Hall of Fame induction, Coryell was not chosen to enter Canton (much to my disappointment, as long time readers will remember). Some in the footballing community were much less polite with their vocal outrage, a testament to how strongly many feel about the issue and to how deserving Coach Coryell is of the honor. The game fundamentally changed because of coaches like Don Coryell and his legacy will be remembered for many years to come. God bless you Don. -- Now, Brett Favre has been seen throwing to high school kids at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Oh yes, a return is on the cards! Obviously this isn't a guaranteed sign that the one million year old man will play another season, but it is a huge step - at least in Favre terms - towards coming back. If he returns, I think that makes it Favres 20th year in the league. And you know what, he'll still be just as good as he was 10 years ago. -- Speaking of old men, Dre Bly is back in Detroit. Bly signed a two year deal with the Lions. -- Speaking of signings, Tim Toone. Know who he is.... ? Well done Lions fans, he is of course Mr. Irrelevant 2010. The Wide Receiver has just been celebrating Mr. Irrelevant week in Newport Beach, California and then dropped in to the studios of NFL networks 'NFL Total Access', where he put pen to paper on his rookie deal, live on air. Pretty sure that's a first and my congratulations to Mr. Toone for joining the league. -- Despite promising myself I would never join twitter... you can now follow me on twitter. There's a feed thing for it on the right of the page (when it loads) or you can go to twitter and hunt me down by searching for KTCMoving. I hate technology, almost as much as the Panthers. -- And if you can see my Twitter feed, you'll noticed that I've purchased a copy of 'Finding the Winning Edge' by Bill Walsh. Oh yeah!!! I was meandering over to Brophy football (www.brophyfootball.blogspot.com) when I noticed he'd done a post citing an excerpt from the book. So I went to amazon and had a look at the book that's been sitting in my saved list for god knows how long. I looked at it. Considered it. I went and made a cup of tea (I've down graded from coffee). Then I looked at again. Then I just thought, 'what the hell' and purchased myself a copy of this rare beauty. And yes, if that book fails to arrive, is damaged, or has pages missing etc, I will kill someone at the book store that sent it. Have a great day everyone.

Suspension of disbelief

-- LenDale White has been suspended for four games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. White can still sign for a team, train with them in pre-season and play in pre-season games, but will have to sit out the first four regular season contests. -- Just when you think all the suspensions are done, TA-DA, here comes Vincent Jackson to add to the mix. Jackson will face a three game ban for a breach of the leagues conduct policy, relating back to his second DUI charge since entering the league. Having not signed his free agent tender it's expected that Jackson will be on his way out of San Diego, so this suspension can hardly have helped his cause. -- And just when you think we're done with suspensions... well technically we are, but for how long is anyones guess as new details emerge about the shooting related to a Birthday party being held by/for Michael Vick. A spokesman for the nightclub where Vick was celebrating has claimed that Vick left the club just three minutes prior to the shooting, contradicting the story given to the press by Vick's attorney that Vick had left 10-20 minutes prior to the incident. The nightclub spokesman claims that footage from a surveillance camera shows Vick leaving the area in a vehicle and heading off in the direction of the shooting which - from what I can discern - appears to have taken place about a block away from the club. The footage was shown to the Associated Press despite a request from the police not to show it to the media. It is believed that the footage does not clearly show Vick inside the vehicle. As always with these things, it's impossible to make any really informed comment until all the facts are known and proven, but at this early stage I don't like Vick's prospects should commissioner Goodell decide to take action. He made it quite clear that Vick would be on a short leash as far as off the field issues go, so this incident can only increase the chances of the ban happy Goodell bringing down some heat on the Eagles back up QB. Have a great day everyone.

boozing it

-- What happens when you drink large amounts of alcohol? That's right, you forget to update your blog. Rest assured I'll be back later to compensate. Have a great day everyone.