LET'S TALK ABOUT REAL FOOTBALL SHALL WE?
I expended some 1,300 words explaining the new collective bargaining agreement, it's right below this post. Now hopefully, I'm nearly thru talking about labor issues. I say nearly because there will be a few leftovers that will have to be dealt with, but overall I think it's time to embrace the new deal & get on with some real football talk.
My only "labor leftover" in this post is a salute to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Yesterday NFLPA executive committee member Jeff Saturday embraced Kraft saying, "this man saved football." Kraft missed only a few negotiating sessions all the while commuting back to his Massachusetts home nightly to be with his terminally ill wife Myra. She passed away last week, losing her battle with ovarian cancer. Her funeral was this past Friday but Saturday morning Kraft was back at the table helping to get this deal done. Jeff Saturday said Monday afternoon "we started making progress after Mr. Kraft suggested we clear the room except for the players & owners." In other words, no lawyers allowed. Jeez, who whoulda thunk that could ever work? In a short period of time they had an agreement in principle. Cooler, more mature heads prevailed & Kraft, Saturday & Ravens cornerback Dominique Foxworth were probably the most influential people in these negotiations. Shame they didn't kick the lawyers out for good about a month ago.
(L-R) DeMaurice Smith, Robert Kraft, Jeff Saturday & Dominique Foxworth
Many of the teams that cut non-football personnel pay since the lockout began have reinstated that pay thankfully. The Chiefs, Bills, Lions, Dolphins & Falcons have told their people they will be paid retroactively by their next paycheck. The Chiefs also gave those employees a 3% raise. Kansas City righted another wrong by reversing their decision to send stadium workers home after their shift on gamedays. For decades, these personnel, most volunteering for charities or school programs, were allowed to stay after clocking out to watch the game. They were never issued seats but could view the game in a standing room only type situation. A very good P.R. move.
The Baltimore Ravens might be positioning themselves to enter the Nnamdi Asomugha derby, which should be very, very expensive. The Ravens cut four productive veteran players on Monday. I expect one or two to be brought back under a renegotiated lower-priced deal. Nose tackle Kelly Gregg, wide receiver Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap & running back Willis McGahee were notified they would be released. All four have had injury issues in the past two seasons, but definitely have something left to give. Look for all four to be playing somewhere come September. Baltimore will most likely cut wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh as well. If not Asomugha, could Baltimore be aiming at Carolina wideout Steve Smith?
Free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards plead guilty to DUI last Friday for a Manhattan traffic stop a few month back. His guilty plea was a surprise especially with his probation from a 2009 assault conviction still hanging over his head. Edwards was given a 180-day conditional sentence last fall for punching out a club owner in Cleveland. The judge made it clear Edwards would have to remain trouble-free during the 180-day period. Pleading guilty to the DUI charge may void the sentencing deal. Could Edwards be facing some jail time in the state of Ohio? With free agency opening later this week, this is really bad timing. Did he & his attorney consider asking for a continuance in the DUI case so it wouldn't conflict with free agency? I really don't understand their strategy. The Jets claim they are interested in retaining Edwards, but he's a distant second on New York's wish list behind fellow wideout Santonio Holmes. Essentially he's the fallback guy if Holmes bolts New York for more money elsewhere.
The question of Terrelle Pryor's eligibility for the NFL supplemental draft continued on Monday. I told you yesterday the NFL will have a V.P. rule on Pryor's status as it pertains to the supplemental draft. I thought he would file a lawsuit against the league if it's ruled he cannot be a part of the supplemental draft. He better make up his mind right quick because, as it was pointed out yesterday, the moment the CBA is ratified, the league's anti-trust protection returns. After that, any attempt to sue the NFL for anti-trust issues or the draft being exclusionary is pretty much a waste of time. It is insulting when his agent claims the reason Pryor left Ohio State was Tressel's departure. Since Pryor is a major reason Tressel was asked to leave, I think that's a total load of crap. Pryor left Ohio State so he wouldn't have to answer questions from NCAA investigators that could have left him ineligible for not only the 2011 season, but forever. Anyone buying this explanation? Where I think Pryor could find himself accepted into the NFL is as an undrafted free agent, forget about the supplemental draft. Of course, as I detail in the following post, there's almost no money in signing as an undrafted free agent.
The BIG-12 had their football media day yesterday in Dallas & Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel had some good news for Tiger fans. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, one of the nations' top-10 recruits from the 2009 class has finished all the academic work required for him to be eligible at the Division I level. Richardson went to a JUCO in California to elevate his academic standing enough to qualify. Pinkel said he expects Richardson on the practice field when summer camp begins August 3rd. Pinkel also noted Mizzou is still in the running for the #1 rated player in the nation, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham of Springfield Hillcrest High School. Realistically, the competition for the 6' 6" wideout who's compared to Detroit's Calvin Johnson, is about as tough as I've ever seen. Also still in the hunt for this young man are Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Texas, LSU, Nebraska & Notre Dame. Both Ohio State blogs I read believe they are out of the running with all the uncertainty in their football program with the NCAA yet to rule on any additional punishment. If Pinkel were to sign this prep phenom, his national status would continue to grow. Only Alabama has had more 1st round draft picks than Mizzou over the past three seasons.
Sheldon Richardson-Mizzou DT
My only "labor leftover" in this post is a salute to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Yesterday NFLPA executive committee member Jeff Saturday embraced Kraft saying, "this man saved football." Kraft missed only a few negotiating sessions all the while commuting back to his Massachusetts home nightly to be with his terminally ill wife Myra. She passed away last week, losing her battle with ovarian cancer. Her funeral was this past Friday but Saturday morning Kraft was back at the table helping to get this deal done. Jeff Saturday said Monday afternoon "we started making progress after Mr. Kraft suggested we clear the room except for the players & owners." In other words, no lawyers allowed. Jeez, who whoulda thunk that could ever work? In a short period of time they had an agreement in principle. Cooler, more mature heads prevailed & Kraft, Saturday & Ravens cornerback Dominique Foxworth were probably the most influential people in these negotiations. Shame they didn't kick the lawyers out for good about a month ago.
(L-R) DeMaurice Smith, Robert Kraft, Jeff Saturday & Dominique Foxworth
Many of the teams that cut non-football personnel pay since the lockout began have reinstated that pay thankfully. The Chiefs, Bills, Lions, Dolphins & Falcons have told their people they will be paid retroactively by their next paycheck. The Chiefs also gave those employees a 3% raise. Kansas City righted another wrong by reversing their decision to send stadium workers home after their shift on gamedays. For decades, these personnel, most volunteering for charities or school programs, were allowed to stay after clocking out to watch the game. They were never issued seats but could view the game in a standing room only type situation. A very good P.R. move.
The Baltimore Ravens might be positioning themselves to enter the Nnamdi Asomugha derby, which should be very, very expensive. The Ravens cut four productive veteran players on Monday. I expect one or two to be brought back under a renegotiated lower-priced deal. Nose tackle Kelly Gregg, wide receiver Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap & running back Willis McGahee were notified they would be released. All four have had injury issues in the past two seasons, but definitely have something left to give. Look for all four to be playing somewhere come September. Baltimore will most likely cut wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh as well. If not Asomugha, could Baltimore be aiming at Carolina wideout Steve Smith?
Free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards plead guilty to DUI last Friday for a Manhattan traffic stop a few month back. His guilty plea was a surprise especially with his probation from a 2009 assault conviction still hanging over his head. Edwards was given a 180-day conditional sentence last fall for punching out a club owner in Cleveland. The judge made it clear Edwards would have to remain trouble-free during the 180-day period. Pleading guilty to the DUI charge may void the sentencing deal. Could Edwards be facing some jail time in the state of Ohio? With free agency opening later this week, this is really bad timing. Did he & his attorney consider asking for a continuance in the DUI case so it wouldn't conflict with free agency? I really don't understand their strategy. The Jets claim they are interested in retaining Edwards, but he's a distant second on New York's wish list behind fellow wideout Santonio Holmes. Essentially he's the fallback guy if Holmes bolts New York for more money elsewhere.
The question of Terrelle Pryor's eligibility for the NFL supplemental draft continued on Monday. I told you yesterday the NFL will have a V.P. rule on Pryor's status as it pertains to the supplemental draft. I thought he would file a lawsuit against the league if it's ruled he cannot be a part of the supplemental draft. He better make up his mind right quick because, as it was pointed out yesterday, the moment the CBA is ratified, the league's anti-trust protection returns. After that, any attempt to sue the NFL for anti-trust issues or the draft being exclusionary is pretty much a waste of time. It is insulting when his agent claims the reason Pryor left Ohio State was Tressel's departure. Since Pryor is a major reason Tressel was asked to leave, I think that's a total load of crap. Pryor left Ohio State so he wouldn't have to answer questions from NCAA investigators that could have left him ineligible for not only the 2011 season, but forever. Anyone buying this explanation? Where I think Pryor could find himself accepted into the NFL is as an undrafted free agent, forget about the supplemental draft. Of course, as I detail in the following post, there's almost no money in signing as an undrafted free agent.
The BIG-12 had their football media day yesterday in Dallas & Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel had some good news for Tiger fans. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, one of the nations' top-10 recruits from the 2009 class has finished all the academic work required for him to be eligible at the Division I level. Richardson went to a JUCO in California to elevate his academic standing enough to qualify. Pinkel said he expects Richardson on the practice field when summer camp begins August 3rd. Pinkel also noted Mizzou is still in the running for the #1 rated player in the nation, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham of Springfield Hillcrest High School. Realistically, the competition for the 6' 6" wideout who's compared to Detroit's Calvin Johnson, is about as tough as I've ever seen. Also still in the hunt for this young man are Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Texas, LSU, Nebraska & Notre Dame. Both Ohio State blogs I read believe they are out of the running with all the uncertainty in their football program with the NCAA yet to rule on any additional punishment. If Pinkel were to sign this prep phenom, his national status would continue to grow. Only Alabama has had more 1st round draft picks than Mizzou over the past three seasons.
Sheldon Richardson-Mizzou DT
There was a great article in the Boston Globe today about Robert Kraft's role in getting a deal done. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2011/07/26/kraft_his_heart_heavy_lifts_nfl/?p1=News_links
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