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.