LABOR NEGOTIATIONS GO LATE NIGHT & MORE CHIEFS' FREE AGENT DISCUSSION
The NFL labor talks began at 9AM Thursday morning in Minnesota. As of 12:30AM Friday morning, they were still at it. I have no earthly idea why it took so long for them to start burning the midnight oil, but I'm not going to complain. Both sides brought their regulars to the bargaining table, Clark Hunt, John Mara, Robert Kraft & Jerry Jones joined Commissioner Roger Goodell on the league's side. Jeff Saturday, Dominique Foxworth & Brian Waters accompanied DeMaurice Smith & outside counsel James Quinn. After Smith & Goodell emerged from the rookie symposium yesterday I got a renewed feeling of confidence. I'm certainly no expert, but their body language was very positive, they seemed perfectly at ease standing together, answering questions, even smiling & cracking jokes. With the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals probably sitting & waiting, already finished with their opinion, both sides have to know time is running short. if the court senses little is happening, the 3-judge panel may lower the boom & render their decision much to the dismay of both sides. If they meet as scheduled again tomorrow, look for a deal by Tuesday at the latest. No time for an extended holiday weekend, let's get this done.
Another NFL player has made a very profound statement regarding the pitfalls of the social media. New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said "social media has made people cowards." Judging from some of the email I receive, I agree with him. "Keyboard muscles" & "tough but anonymous" summarize many people on the internet. Tuck was responding to Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy who has been taking potshots at fellow Giants' DE Osi Umenyiora on Twitter & Facebook. I don't see the thinking behind angering two very large & very stout defensive lineman you play twice a year. Especially when you weigh barely 200-pounds soaking wet. Tuck made it clear the Giants wouldn't forget McCoy's snarky comments come September 25th when the two teams meet in Philly. It does create some added interest for the fans.
Tampa Bay corner Aqib Talib won't go to trial in Texas until March 12th, 2012 on the numerous charges related to him firing a handgun at his sister's boyfriend as he fled the Talib family home in Garland Texas. The charge with the heaviest penalty is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a charge his mom is also fighting as she allegedly fired a handgun in the boyfriends' direction too. Once the CBA is signed, I expect Talib to be suspended by the commissioner & possibly released by Tampa. Before you Jayhawk fans get all "he hasn't even been convicted of anything yet, how can he be suspended" hold it. The Commissioner suspended Ben Rothlesberger & he hadn't even been charged. This is Talib 3rd run-in with the law, he plead down an assault charge early last year after a beatdown of a cab driver. The Bucs already are missing starting safety Tanard Jackson, suspended for a year for his second violation of the league's drug policy. Tampa is a team on the rise, but losing two starters & corner Ronde Barber near the end of his career, Talib is creating real problems for Buc management.
Speaking of bad actors, Bronco corner Perrish Cox is charged with something that, not only have I never heard of it before, but it has an extremely cringe factor. Cox is facing charges for "Sexual assault while the victim was physically helpless & sexual assault while the victim was incapable of determining the nature of the conduct." Eeewwwwwwwww!!
Reporters wanted the details of the charges but Cox's attorney blocked the judge's O.K. It may go all the way to the supreme court before a decision is reached. For those of you who have been here a while, you might remember I warned prospective teams about Cox heading into the 2010 draft. He's shown himself to be incredibly selfish & borderline dangerous. He fell from being a 2nd round prospect to the 5th round before the Broncos selected him. A conviction on these charges could result in a sentence of 2-years to life.
FYI, The Heisman Trust has yet to receive Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy. He said last year he was going to return the trophy, USC already returned their copy of the award. It appears Bush's parents, who control it right now, plan to keep it regardless of their son's promise. Very nice.
In a very smart move, the NBA owners locked out their players at 12:01 AM Eastern time. I say it's a smart move because look how well it's worked out for the NFL. Follow the leader isn't a business plan guys.
I got a few emails regarding my thoughts on what the Chiefs could/should do in free agency. Two of the possible unrestricted free agents I mentioned, Aubrayo Franklin & Cullen Jenkins, both defensive linemen, were also tabbed yesterday by Adam Caplan of FOXSports as strong possibilities for consideration from Scott Pioli. I also mentioned offensive lineman Marshall Yanda & inside linebacker Barrett Ruud. Two of the sharper readers here, KCKrissy & DT584ever, mentioned a couple of names I didn't. After giving it some thought, I had to agree with both of them. Krissy suggested New England left tackle Matt Light & being a former Pioli draft pick in 2001, he could be a good fit for Kansas City. He just turned 33 last week, but he's only missed 16 games over his career, starting 138. It's possible he could be signed for a bargain being 31 years old. He can still play, making the Pro Bowl in 2010, for the third time. DT chimed in with Arizona wideout Steve Breaston. He played for Todd Haley when the Chiefs head coach was offensive coordinator in Arizona. Breaston, 28 next month, was primarily a slot receiver when Anquan Boldin & Kurt Warner were with the Cardinals & he was very effective, catching 132 passes for 1720-yards in 2008 & 09. Last year without Warner & Boldin, he was held to 47 receptions. He's also been a punt returner every season he's been in the NFL. I'm going to add both to my prospective free agent want list, you guys were right. I appreciate your input. Pioli already has his shopping list & he's probably already spoken to a number of agents during the lockout, he's just barred from speaking to players. Free agency is going to happen very quickly, there will be no time to court prospective free agents, if they're not signed within 5 days after their eligible, they'll be gone somewhere else. Pioli has a huge amount of salary cap to work with & judging from some of the negotiations that have leaked out, he's going to have to spend nearly 100% of the cap, about 25% more than he spent last season. The Chiefs have a helluva lot of uncommitted cash they have to spend, I expect big things from Scott Pioli very soon. Two other moves that should happen is signing Tamba Hali & Brandon Carr to new deals.
Another NFL player has made a very profound statement regarding the pitfalls of the social media. New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said "social media has made people cowards." Judging from some of the email I receive, I agree with him. "Keyboard muscles" & "tough but anonymous" summarize many people on the internet. Tuck was responding to Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy who has been taking potshots at fellow Giants' DE Osi Umenyiora on Twitter & Facebook. I don't see the thinking behind angering two very large & very stout defensive lineman you play twice a year. Especially when you weigh barely 200-pounds soaking wet. Tuck made it clear the Giants wouldn't forget McCoy's snarky comments come September 25th when the two teams meet in Philly. It does create some added interest for the fans.
Tampa Bay corner Aqib Talib won't go to trial in Texas until March 12th, 2012 on the numerous charges related to him firing a handgun at his sister's boyfriend as he fled the Talib family home in Garland Texas. The charge with the heaviest penalty is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a charge his mom is also fighting as she allegedly fired a handgun in the boyfriends' direction too. Once the CBA is signed, I expect Talib to be suspended by the commissioner & possibly released by Tampa. Before you Jayhawk fans get all "he hasn't even been convicted of anything yet, how can he be suspended" hold it. The Commissioner suspended Ben Rothlesberger & he hadn't even been charged. This is Talib 3rd run-in with the law, he plead down an assault charge early last year after a beatdown of a cab driver. The Bucs already are missing starting safety Tanard Jackson, suspended for a year for his second violation of the league's drug policy. Tampa is a team on the rise, but losing two starters & corner Ronde Barber near the end of his career, Talib is creating real problems for Buc management.
Speaking of bad actors, Bronco corner Perrish Cox is charged with something that, not only have I never heard of it before, but it has an extremely cringe factor. Cox is facing charges for "Sexual assault while the victim was physically helpless & sexual assault while the victim was incapable of determining the nature of the conduct." Eeewwwwwwwww!!
Reporters wanted the details of the charges but Cox's attorney blocked the judge's O.K. It may go all the way to the supreme court before a decision is reached. For those of you who have been here a while, you might remember I warned prospective teams about Cox heading into the 2010 draft. He's shown himself to be incredibly selfish & borderline dangerous. He fell from being a 2nd round prospect to the 5th round before the Broncos selected him. A conviction on these charges could result in a sentence of 2-years to life.
FYI, The Heisman Trust has yet to receive Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy. He said last year he was going to return the trophy, USC already returned their copy of the award. It appears Bush's parents, who control it right now, plan to keep it regardless of their son's promise. Very nice.
In a very smart move, the NBA owners locked out their players at 12:01 AM Eastern time. I say it's a smart move because look how well it's worked out for the NFL. Follow the leader isn't a business plan guys.
I got a few emails regarding my thoughts on what the Chiefs could/should do in free agency. Two of the possible unrestricted free agents I mentioned, Aubrayo Franklin & Cullen Jenkins, both defensive linemen, were also tabbed yesterday by Adam Caplan of FOXSports as strong possibilities for consideration from Scott Pioli. I also mentioned offensive lineman Marshall Yanda & inside linebacker Barrett Ruud. Two of the sharper readers here, KCKrissy & DT584ever, mentioned a couple of names I didn't. After giving it some thought, I had to agree with both of them. Krissy suggested New England left tackle Matt Light & being a former Pioli draft pick in 2001, he could be a good fit for Kansas City. He just turned 33 last week, but he's only missed 16 games over his career, starting 138. It's possible he could be signed for a bargain being 31 years old. He can still play, making the Pro Bowl in 2010, for the third time. DT chimed in with Arizona wideout Steve Breaston. He played for Todd Haley when the Chiefs head coach was offensive coordinator in Arizona. Breaston, 28 next month, was primarily a slot receiver when Anquan Boldin & Kurt Warner were with the Cardinals & he was very effective, catching 132 passes for 1720-yards in 2008 & 09. Last year without Warner & Boldin, he was held to 47 receptions. He's also been a punt returner every season he's been in the NFL. I'm going to add both to my prospective free agent want list, you guys were right. I appreciate your input. Pioli already has his shopping list & he's probably already spoken to a number of agents during the lockout, he's just barred from speaking to players. Free agency is going to happen very quickly, there will be no time to court prospective free agents, if they're not signed within 5 days after their eligible, they'll be gone somewhere else. Pioli has a huge amount of salary cap to work with & judging from some of the negotiations that have leaked out, he's going to have to spend nearly 100% of the cap, about 25% more than he spent last season. The Chiefs have a helluva lot of uncommitted cash they have to spend, I expect big things from Scott Pioli very soon. Two other moves that should happen is signing Tamba Hali & Brandon Carr to new deals.
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