A LOT OF NEWS, LET'S GET STARTED
I'll begin with the Super Bowl. Steeler Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey injured his ankle in Sunday's win over the New York Jets. The rookie was sustained the injury in the game's 1st half & was carted off the sidelines. Pouncey said Monday he'd be ready to go on Super Sunday, that looks less & less realistic now. He has a hard cast on his ankle & is walking with crutches. If he was in an air cast or walking boot, he might have been ready, but with this news, I'd have to say no.
The Packers have opened up a whole can of worms by not allowing players on I.R.(injured reserve) to appear in the Super Bowl team picture. Green Bay has a record breaking 16 players on their I.R. list. Excluding these players is a mistake, it's never been done to my knowledge. The injured players, which includes four starters, is causing some problems within the team. Per usual, Twitter has become the forum to air such beefs, Nick Barnett & Jermichael Finley both Tweeted their disappointment in management's decision. I can't blame them, by the team taking this action, it minimizes them as team members doesn't it? I hope the organization changes their policy, I honestly think they will before next Tuesday when the team picture is scheduled to be shot.
UPDATE at 2:35 CT--The Green Bay Packers have changed course on their Super Bowl team picture. They will photograph the entire team, including the 16 guys on I.R., this Friday & it will be the official team picture. Amen.
If you have Super Bowl tickets first let me say how absolutely jealous I am. Secondly, if there are charter helicopter flights onto the grounds, take it, even if it's $300 a seat round trip(these are very big at NASCAR events). Parking could cost more than the face value of your game ticket. Really you say? Really, the two closest lots to the Jones Mahal will be charging $990 & $550 per car. For those prices, you will have about 1/10th of a mile walk to a stadium gate, might not be your gate, but it's a portal to the stadium nevertheless. You will also have in lot security from 2 hours before the game to 2 hours afterward. You are also allowed to tailgate for those prices. Such a deal! Now if that's too rich for your blood, you can park at Six Flags Over Texas, over a mile away, take the theme park's shuttle the NFL has contracted for, which let's you off at the stadium. Those spots are $71 plus tax, shipping & handling. All parking must be paid in advance which is a good plan for folks going to the game. Handling $990 is a pesky inconvenience isn't it? You really need all the pocket space for cash to but those $14 beers & $8 popcorn. Good thing they're thinking of us at a time like this.
One more item regarding the venue, you can be on the property for just $200. You won't be able to see the game but you can stand outside the stadium & watch it on a giant HD TV screen. Once again......such a deal!
The fallout from Jay Cutler's exit in Sunday's NFC Championship game continues. His MRI showed a Grade II MCL sprain. I've got an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon on Monday, I'm going to have him explain this to me. I've heard several explanations regarding this injury & several players who have been diagnosed with this injury have differing accounts of what they could & cold not do. Suffice to say, Cutler's already tarnished image became worse with his actions on Sunday. What bothered me the most was his seemingly indifferent attitude toward 3rd string QB Caleb Hanie as he sat on the bench looking at pictures of the Packers' coverage schemes. This kid needed all the help he could get & Cutler was staring off into space. Don't you want your team to win & go to the Super Bowl? Or does the fact you got hurt take precedence over everything? Cutler will have a monumental task rebuilding his image with Bear fans & regaining the trust of his teammates.
You know how the players don their championship caps & tees just seconds after the game has been won? These items are made days before the game & not just for the players. Thousands are produced to sell to fans who demand the new gear almost immediately. So what happens to it when the team doesn't win? You ship it overseas as a donation. The Jets sent all their caps & tees to Zambia, Romania, Armenia & Nicaragua. I've heard from vacationing writers & players how amazed they were to see all the failed champions gear from all four major sports. I remember several reporters covering the Hattian earthquake speaking off all the NHL gear of the Stanley Cup losers. The leagues don't want any bogus championship gear inside our borders for obvious reasons.
Notes from the T. Ocho Show on Versus; Both Chad 85 & T.O. would like to play for the Jets, they love the way Rex Ryan runs his team. Chad also expressed a desire to play for New England. After coach Marvin Lewis remarked "Bill Belichick isn't that stupid," referring to Chad's chances in Foxboro, Chad said he needed a good fight with his coach. Later Chad went onto to say he wanted to change his name back to Johnson. Of course he faces the same dilemma he had when he changed it to Ochocinco, jerseys. As long as there are Bengals' jerseys with Ochocinco on the name plate in back, he can't use any other name on the back of his jersey. Unless of course he's willing to buy up all the remaining gear with Ochocinco on it. More good planning huh?
News from the labor front isn't encouraging. The other day Demaurice Smith, NFLPA President, said they were "at war" with the NFL. A lot of people took offense to this claim but the union refused to back down which I think is a tactical mistake. Smith was formerly a federal prosecutor, he's never been involved in labor negotiations & it's starting to show. I think before we even get a to a lockout, some players will break ranks with the union. A lot of these guys have mountains of debt & just like our government, they continue to spend. If the money goes away, their world will be forever changed. I mock Jets' cornerback Antonio Cromartie for his birth control hating fertile lifestyle. I've told you he has 7 children with 5 different woman. I apologize for those comments. I was wrong!!!! The man has 9 children with 8 different women & he's only 26 years old. You can't make this stuff up, it's real, I swear. Any disruption in Cromartie's paychecks could be a real mess, the man has real child support issues. He has bad-mouthed Smith on several occasions wanting a deal worked out before the march 4th deadline. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell & chief legal counsel Jeffrey Pash have both said if there is a lockout, they will reduce their pay to $1 a year until a new CBA is ratified. The pair's salaries total something in the $10 million range. Every time I think this group & others like them, was given a 3% tax break again, I gag & spit up in my mouth a little bit.
UPDATE via TWITTER @ 2:10 CT--NFLPA President DeMaurice Smith continues to cast a pall over the labor situation by saying "if deal is done by SB(Super Bowl) I'll reduce my salary to 68-cents for the year." Just a fountain of optimism isn't he?
If there is a lockout, so-called developmental players are going to be screwed. They won't have the off-season to learn new systems, work on positional skill sets, miss a lot of valuable weight room time & important bonding with teammates. Players who could make it in the NFL won't have any time with coaches & they probably will be cast aside.
Todd Haley said he "isn't likely to hire himself for the job" referring to the vacant offensive coordinator position. He said earlier today he was working on candidates but of course won't divulge any possible candidates. Is anyone else concerned QB Matt Cassell could be working with his 3rd different O-Coordinator in three years, four if you count his last season with the Patriots? Starting over from Charlie Weis could be a bigger obstacle than even the biggest Chiefs' skeptics could foresee.
Tamba Hali has decided not to play in the Pro Bowl. He said it was for personal reasons. Was it because he has a pair of questionable shoulders & a very sore foot? Or is it his feelings were hurt for not being elected to the Pro Bowl, thinking he deserved to be a starter?
I gave you a few names to pay attention to in the Senior Bowl & as we move thru the scouting process leading up to April's NFL Draft. I told you of Stephen Paea, nose tackle from Oregon State. He filled the Chiefs' idea of a team leader, 2-time team captain, excellent student, non-stop motor, superior strength & effort. Paea showed up in Mobile for the Senior Bowl & weighed in about 12-pounds less than I thought he would, then he went out to the 1st practice & injured his knee. A partially torn meniscus is the initial diagnosis. If surgery is required he will miss the NFL Combine next month & he will plummet out of the 1st round & possibly as low as mid-third round consideration.
So what do you want for a $3 million donation? Apparently there are those who want to be consulted when a new coach is hired. Robert G. Burton has asked the University of Connecticut to return his $3 million check since he wasn't consulted before the school hired coach Paul Pasqualoni. "This is why Randy Edsell left, he couldn't work with you, you're not qualified to be an athletic director" Burton said in an angry email. Let's get real here, Edsell left for a contract that almost triple the money he was making at UCONN. Edsell built the Huskie program from a Division I AA start. Saying A.D. Jeff Hathaway "isn't qualified to be an athletic director" couldn't be more absurd. The Huskie women are basketball legends, the men have also won a national championship. Their soccer program is top flight with 3 NCAA championships to their credit. Mr. Burton has donated over $7 million to the school over the last 5 years which is admirable, but it doesn't give him the right to hire & fire coaches. Large donors are routinely given access to program decisions that isn't granted to either the media or smaller donors. Mr. Burton might be a captain of industry as CEO of Burton Capitol Management, but he can't dictate who UCONN hires as football coach. For the record, I didn't think much of Pasqualoni's hire either.
I have a lot of thoughts on the talent I've seen so far in Senior Bowl practices & I'll post some of it later tonight.
The Packers have opened up a whole can of worms by not allowing players on I.R.(injured reserve) to appear in the Super Bowl team picture. Green Bay has a record breaking 16 players on their I.R. list. Excluding these players is a mistake, it's never been done to my knowledge. The injured players, which includes four starters, is causing some problems within the team. Per usual, Twitter has become the forum to air such beefs, Nick Barnett & Jermichael Finley both Tweeted their disappointment in management's decision. I can't blame them, by the team taking this action, it minimizes them as team members doesn't it? I hope the organization changes their policy, I honestly think they will before next Tuesday when the team picture is scheduled to be shot.
UPDATE at 2:35 CT--The Green Bay Packers have changed course on their Super Bowl team picture. They will photograph the entire team, including the 16 guys on I.R., this Friday & it will be the official team picture. Amen.
If you have Super Bowl tickets first let me say how absolutely jealous I am. Secondly, if there are charter helicopter flights onto the grounds, take it, even if it's $300 a seat round trip(these are very big at NASCAR events). Parking could cost more than the face value of your game ticket. Really you say? Really, the two closest lots to the Jones Mahal will be charging $990 & $550 per car. For those prices, you will have about 1/10th of a mile walk to a stadium gate, might not be your gate, but it's a portal to the stadium nevertheless. You will also have in lot security from 2 hours before the game to 2 hours afterward. You are also allowed to tailgate for those prices. Such a deal! Now if that's too rich for your blood, you can park at Six Flags Over Texas, over a mile away, take the theme park's shuttle the NFL has contracted for, which let's you off at the stadium. Those spots are $71 plus tax, shipping & handling. All parking must be paid in advance which is a good plan for folks going to the game. Handling $990 is a pesky inconvenience isn't it? You really need all the pocket space for cash to but those $14 beers & $8 popcorn. Good thing they're thinking of us at a time like this.
One more item regarding the venue, you can be on the property for just $200. You won't be able to see the game but you can stand outside the stadium & watch it on a giant HD TV screen. Once again......such a deal!
The fallout from Jay Cutler's exit in Sunday's NFC Championship game continues. His MRI showed a Grade II MCL sprain. I've got an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon on Monday, I'm going to have him explain this to me. I've heard several explanations regarding this injury & several players who have been diagnosed with this injury have differing accounts of what they could & cold not do. Suffice to say, Cutler's already tarnished image became worse with his actions on Sunday. What bothered me the most was his seemingly indifferent attitude toward 3rd string QB Caleb Hanie as he sat on the bench looking at pictures of the Packers' coverage schemes. This kid needed all the help he could get & Cutler was staring off into space. Don't you want your team to win & go to the Super Bowl? Or does the fact you got hurt take precedence over everything? Cutler will have a monumental task rebuilding his image with Bear fans & regaining the trust of his teammates.
You know how the players don their championship caps & tees just seconds after the game has been won? These items are made days before the game & not just for the players. Thousands are produced to sell to fans who demand the new gear almost immediately. So what happens to it when the team doesn't win? You ship it overseas as a donation. The Jets sent all their caps & tees to Zambia, Romania, Armenia & Nicaragua. I've heard from vacationing writers & players how amazed they were to see all the failed champions gear from all four major sports. I remember several reporters covering the Hattian earthquake speaking off all the NHL gear of the Stanley Cup losers. The leagues don't want any bogus championship gear inside our borders for obvious reasons.
Notes from the T. Ocho Show on Versus; Both Chad 85 & T.O. would like to play for the Jets, they love the way Rex Ryan runs his team. Chad also expressed a desire to play for New England. After coach Marvin Lewis remarked "Bill Belichick isn't that stupid," referring to Chad's chances in Foxboro, Chad said he needed a good fight with his coach. Later Chad went onto to say he wanted to change his name back to Johnson. Of course he faces the same dilemma he had when he changed it to Ochocinco, jerseys. As long as there are Bengals' jerseys with Ochocinco on the name plate in back, he can't use any other name on the back of his jersey. Unless of course he's willing to buy up all the remaining gear with Ochocinco on it. More good planning huh?
News from the labor front isn't encouraging. The other day Demaurice Smith, NFLPA President, said they were "at war" with the NFL. A lot of people took offense to this claim but the union refused to back down which I think is a tactical mistake. Smith was formerly a federal prosecutor, he's never been involved in labor negotiations & it's starting to show. I think before we even get a to a lockout, some players will break ranks with the union. A lot of these guys have mountains of debt & just like our government, they continue to spend. If the money goes away, their world will be forever changed. I mock Jets' cornerback Antonio Cromartie for his birth control hating fertile lifestyle. I've told you he has 7 children with 5 different woman. I apologize for those comments. I was wrong!!!! The man has 9 children with 8 different women & he's only 26 years old. You can't make this stuff up, it's real, I swear. Any disruption in Cromartie's paychecks could be a real mess, the man has real child support issues. He has bad-mouthed Smith on several occasions wanting a deal worked out before the march 4th deadline. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell & chief legal counsel Jeffrey Pash have both said if there is a lockout, they will reduce their pay to $1 a year until a new CBA is ratified. The pair's salaries total something in the $10 million range. Every time I think this group & others like them, was given a 3% tax break again, I gag & spit up in my mouth a little bit.
UPDATE via TWITTER @ 2:10 CT--NFLPA President DeMaurice Smith continues to cast a pall over the labor situation by saying "if deal is done by SB(Super Bowl) I'll reduce my salary to 68-cents for the year." Just a fountain of optimism isn't he?
If there is a lockout, so-called developmental players are going to be screwed. They won't have the off-season to learn new systems, work on positional skill sets, miss a lot of valuable weight room time & important bonding with teammates. Players who could make it in the NFL won't have any time with coaches & they probably will be cast aside.
Todd Haley said he "isn't likely to hire himself for the job" referring to the vacant offensive coordinator position. He said earlier today he was working on candidates but of course won't divulge any possible candidates. Is anyone else concerned QB Matt Cassell could be working with his 3rd different O-Coordinator in three years, four if you count his last season with the Patriots? Starting over from Charlie Weis could be a bigger obstacle than even the biggest Chiefs' skeptics could foresee.
Tamba Hali has decided not to play in the Pro Bowl. He said it was for personal reasons. Was it because he has a pair of questionable shoulders & a very sore foot? Or is it his feelings were hurt for not being elected to the Pro Bowl, thinking he deserved to be a starter?
I gave you a few names to pay attention to in the Senior Bowl & as we move thru the scouting process leading up to April's NFL Draft. I told you of Stephen Paea, nose tackle from Oregon State. He filled the Chiefs' idea of a team leader, 2-time team captain, excellent student, non-stop motor, superior strength & effort. Paea showed up in Mobile for the Senior Bowl & weighed in about 12-pounds less than I thought he would, then he went out to the 1st practice & injured his knee. A partially torn meniscus is the initial diagnosis. If surgery is required he will miss the NFL Combine next month & he will plummet out of the 1st round & possibly as low as mid-third round consideration.
So what do you want for a $3 million donation? Apparently there are those who want to be consulted when a new coach is hired. Robert G. Burton has asked the University of Connecticut to return his $3 million check since he wasn't consulted before the school hired coach Paul Pasqualoni. "This is why Randy Edsell left, he couldn't work with you, you're not qualified to be an athletic director" Burton said in an angry email. Let's get real here, Edsell left for a contract that almost triple the money he was making at UCONN. Edsell built the Huskie program from a Division I AA start. Saying A.D. Jeff Hathaway "isn't qualified to be an athletic director" couldn't be more absurd. The Huskie women are basketball legends, the men have also won a national championship. Their soccer program is top flight with 3 NCAA championships to their credit. Mr. Burton has donated over $7 million to the school over the last 5 years which is admirable, but it doesn't give him the right to hire & fire coaches. Large donors are routinely given access to program decisions that isn't granted to either the media or smaller donors. Mr. Burton might be a captain of industry as CEO of Burton Capitol Management, but he can't dictate who UCONN hires as football coach. For the record, I didn't think much of Pasqualoni's hire either.
I have a lot of thoughts on the talent I've seen so far in Senior Bowl practices & I'll post some of it later tonight.
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