I've told you about Indianapolis coaches, Howard Mudd & Tom Moore retiring & the possible implications to the very potent Colt offense. Well, that offense's leader, quarterback Peyton Manning, is speaking out & he's not happy with what has transpired since the end of last season. Tony Dungy retired, then after Jim Caldwell was promoted to head coach, defensive coordinator Ron Meeks left the team as well as special teams coordinator, Russ Purnell. Then two weeks ago, longtime O-line coach Mudd & offensive coordinator Tom Moore, also a longtime Colt coach, both retired in what could only be described as mysterious circumstances. They were both very concerned about getting their entire pension in a lump sum & not in monthly payments. The monthly payments couldn't be passed on in case of death, they would be terminated. The NFL has also allowed teams to opt out of the assistant coaches pension plan & form their own. The Colts have not left the pension plan, but what will the future bring? Mudd & Moore decided to get their money now. GM Bill Polian has said Mudd & Moore will be available for consultation during training camp, but the Colts can't rehire them & pretend their 'retirement' never happened as they both applied to get their lump sum payments from the league fund. Manning is very upset the steady hands of Dungy, Mudd & Moore all left at the same time & is very concerned about the direction of the team. "I don't know what's going on around here, I just know I don't like it at all." Manning went on to say "I have tremendous respect for the coaches we have now, but I can't see anyway losing this many coaches won't affect us in possibly a negative way".  I think he's 100% correct.

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to say goodbye to 11-year veteran, linebacker Greg Ellis. The 33-year old was told not to attend the recent OTA's so that he might remain uninjured & better trade bait. Ellis, a 7-year starter at strongside linebacker has 77 sacks in his Cowboy career. The New England Patriots have both the need for Ellis' services & the necessary draft picks to acquire him in a trade. Ellis could be a Patriot very soon.  There had been rumors about the Pats & Oakland in trade talks regarding the Raiders leading sacker, Derrick Burgess. Burgess has a cap number owner Al Davis isn't comfortable with, so why not get rid of your best pass rusher?  It's not hard to see why the Raiders continue to flounder near the bottom of the league with leadership that continually shoots itself in the foot.

Disgruntled Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin did something that may just break the impasse with team management. He fired his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, in hope of getting a new deal or being traded, whichever comes first. Rosenhaus has worn out his welcome with several clubs & is pretty much ignored by them. The Cards were definitely in that group. Boldin is expected to sign with CAA, Tom Condon's group, an agency that is fairly respected around the league, as respected as a group of agents & lawyers can be I guess.

FOXSports has inked John Lynch to be an analyst on their NFL telecasts. The future Hall of Fame safety found himself in a tug of war between FOX & the NFL Network. There's a chance he might still do remote work for NFLN which wouldn't interfere with his on-air work at FOX.

Self-proclaimed all-world tight end, Jeremy Shockey, added another stellar performance to his resume this past weekend. He was carted out of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas by EMT's nearly unconscious & dangerously dehydrated. Shockey had attended "Rehab", the hotel's poolside weekend drink-till-you-drop- party. Couple all-day drinking with temps above 100 degrees & more than a few people are hauled out of there every Saturday & Sunday, jeez there was even a really lame reality show about "Rehab".  Shockey has always been on my "most overrated" list & this just solidifies my belief that he will never reach his potential & continue to disappoint because of his immaturity.

Speaking of immaturity, former Dallas Cowboy QB, Quincy Carter, said in a recent interview his NFL career "went up in a puff of marijuana smoke" & it's all Jerry Jones' fault. He said that "a billionaire like Jerry Jones should've looked out for him more". He went on to say "if Jones had done the right thing, I'd be the starting quarterback of the Cowboys & Tony Romo wouldn't be a Cowboy". I'm certainly not a Jerry Jones fan, I've dealt with him on a one-to-one basis, but to say he's the reason Carter isn't the Cowboys starter is absolutely ludicrous. Carter was arrested twice for pot possession & failed two separate drug tests while he was in Dallas. And here's something that might have some relevance here, he was a lousy quarterback, pure & simple, he was not a quality NFL player. Sorry, but it's the truth. If, like he claims, he is such a great talent, why didn't anyone else take a chance & sign him?  I guess there's some sort of a league-wide conspiracy, driven by Jerry Jones no doubt.

One more time with players who have their heads so firmly lodged where 'the sun don't shine', I give you Maurice Clarett. The former Ohio State freshman phenom running back, who challenged the NFL's eligibility rule in federal court, was drafted by the Denver Broncos with what can only be described as one of the worst 3rd round picks in league history. He was cut by Denver, without ever playing in a preseason game, before the regular season began in 2005. Clarett, currently in prison for armed robbery & illegal weapons charges, said "football is my life & I plan to play in the NFL when I'm released, I know I've got myself in better shape now & I've matured here". Yes, there's little doubt NFL stars can prepare much better in prison than under the watchful eye of a personal trainer, a strength & conditioning coach & a position coach. Plus, there's so much other NFL quality talent in prison to work out with keeping your football skills honed to a razor's edge. Clarett still owes over a million dollars for legal fees when he challenged the NFL's rule that no one can be signed until 3 years after their high school graduation. His case was heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York. President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, was one of the 3 judges to hear the case & subsequently deny Clarett's challenge. When drafted, he refused to take any signing bonus, instead signing an incentive laden deal he negotiated himself. So basically he got nothing from his pro career of 4 months. A reality check is in order for Maurice, don't you think?

Finally, after reading several horror stories about new stadiums, PSL's & ticket prices, I have to say I'm genuinely concerned about the future of the NFL. I read a story about a 32-year season ticket holder of the New York Jets. His 20-yard line seats have now become upper deck end zone seats due to economics. How did the Jets repay their loyal fans? Well, this guys seats now carry a $20,000 PSL(personal seat license) & the face value of his tickets are $400 a seat, per game. Think that's outrageous? There are $700 lower deck seats for both the Jets & Giants. The Cowboys have gone off the deep end of the economic spectrum as well, just not to this extreme. I fear my Chiefs may head down the same road soon as they have over $250 million in stadium remodeling costs to recoup. Understand this, the NFL's TV rights are higher than Major League Baseball, NBA & NHL combined. Those three leagues play over 5,000 regular season games a year, the NFL plays but 256. The NFL is 'King of the Hill' by a ridiculous margin, only they can screw it up. Some of these PSL's & ticket prices might be a sign of bad things to come.