News

News and Notes : 3.1.13

This week’s News and Notes post is coming to you from Allentown, Pennsylvania, where I am currently attending the Nike Coach of the Year Conference for high school and college football coaches.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: I’m neither of those. That is not false. However, I am determined to learn just as much about football as any high school or college coach knows, and I think this is a great way to get that process started. Might as well dive in while I have the opportunity and see what happens!

In other news:

Highs (kind of) and Lows (really) at the Combine:

It seems like this is a bit of a shaky year for draft prospects. There was a whole lot of speed at the combine (although Chris Johnson’s insane 4.24 40 still stands), but other than that, it was a little rough.

However, a few players were in particularly fine form at this year’s combine: Eric Fisher (T), Denard Robinson (QB/WR), Tavon Austin (WR), and Margus Hunt (DE) all stood out from the crowd in one way or another, changing expectations for how they’d fare in the draft.

(Seriously, I think my mouth hung ajar every time Margus Hunt obliterated another skills drill.)

Also, let the record show that my mom, who is of retirement age, watched the combine more intently than I did, and even proclaimed that it was better than the Olympics. I think we can put any questions about where my love of football came from to rest.

Breakups and Makeups:

That time when you love the one you’re with: Greg Jennings and the Packers.

Maybe. Emphasis on maybe. But rumor has it that the Packers might put the franchise tag on Jennings and release Jermichael Finley. Now, to me, this seems like a great option. But since we’ve already concluded that I’d be a terrible GM, I tend to assume that any decision that sounds like a decision I’d make is probably a bad one. So we’ll refrain from rejoicing for now and just see where this one goes. I trust Ted.

That time when you break up with a perfectly good person for the love of your life: Alex Smith and the Niners.

Looks like Alex Smith’s days in SF are done, and really, I don’t know anyone who isn’t rooting for this guy. He was having a great season before he was replaced by their QB of the future, Colin Kaepernick, and deserves another chance with another team. From all appearances/reports it seems like that team will be the Chiefs. Now, it’s not like the Chiefs are going to be everyone’s preseason Super Bowl pick now that Smith is on his way there, but he could do really well in KC under Andy Reid’s care.

That time when you’re in 6th grade and you want to break up with someone so you avoid just eye contact indefinitely without ever having an actual conversation: Darrelle Revis and the Jets.

Just when you think the Jets couldn’t be any more of a hott mess, they get messier. The only thing worse than not signing your best player to a long-term deal is not talking to your best player and pretending that you are not not signing him to a long-term deal, but you don’t really know where this relationship is headed, either. Time to commit, Gang Green, one way or the other.

In closing, this:

When this is news, it’s officially time for the regular season to begin again. Good grief.

News and Notes : 2.22.13

This just in: this morning I realized that there is one less week in between now and March than I originally anticipated. I don’t know how this happened. I know that there are only 28 days in February, but for some reason, the number of weeks eluded me. I am now scrambling to finish February’s tasks…while it’s still February.

AH.

In other news, things happened in the NFL.

1. Veterans were released.

This one makes me weep. I would be a terrible general manager. I would run a team of 50 year olds, basically, because I could never bring myself to release any of our players. Luckily for the world, there are people who can make heart-wrenching decisions. A few of the notable ones: the Giants released DT Chris Canty, the Colts chose not to resign DE Dwight Freeney, and…bring out the tissues…the Packers have parted ways with legendary defensive back Charles Woodson.

2. The combine is coming! The combine is coming!

Or “the columbine,” as my mom calls it.

Basically, the combine is the big group final exam before players are evaluated individually on their pro days and ultimately selected by teams in the draft. The combine is often referred to as the NFL’s cattle call…because it kind of is. Scouts evaluate players athletically, academically, psychologically, and even physically, having them strip down to next to nothing in a room filled with NFL personnel to be weighed and measured out loud one at a time. (This is the real reason why girls don’t play professional football.) Players who need to have a great combine: Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu, South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, and basically all of the quarterbacks (but Smith, Nassib, and Glennon in particular).

3. Twitter “wars” …or “players have too much free time on their hands.”

Cornerbacks Richard Sherman (SEA) and Darrelle Revis (NYJ) got into a cat fight on Twitter this week over who is the ultimate shutdown corner, which basically proves that the players suffer from the offseason blues just like the rest of us and resort to doing ridiculous things they probably wouldn’t otherwise do. (I’m speaking from experience. I jumped into a lake.)

Only 195 days until the regular season starts!

Offseason Schedule 2013 : News and Notes

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

Even in the offseason, there is always football news to talk about.

Like how Adrian Peterson had his sports hernia repaired. And oh by the way, he had a sports hernia. He played the last half of the season with it but never mentioned it until last week – other than rumblings that he was having some abdominal issues – and said that he definitely wasn’t playing at 100% there towards the end. And yet, somehow, only fell 9 yards short of surpassing Dickerson’s all-time record. With a fully reconstructed knee to boot.

That lends a new definition to “working through adversity,” I think.

We also learned that the Jaguars rebranded.

image via Yahoo

The new jag does look a little more spritely, right?

There’s much more ground that we could cover here – the Gregg Williams rehire, tons of releases and resignings, debate over draft needs – the whole kit and caboodle. Suffice it to say: on Fridays we’ll tie a bow on the week with a wrap up of NFL news of all kinds.

SO…we now have a full offseason schedule!

Monday : Fundamentals

Tuesday : Off the Field

Wednesday : In the Film Room

Thursday : History Lessons

Friday : News and Notes

It’s going to be a great offseason. Can’t wait to get started on Monday!

True and False : the 2012 Season

Well, this was fun.

Sports predictions find their home in hyperbole. There is a never-ending abundance of big assumptions and even bigger surprises. So I thought it would be interesting to go back to all of the regular season pre- and post-game posts to see what we thought would happen…and what actually happened.

And behold: True and False: the 2012 Season!

TRUE

Week 1: RG3 really is that good – It wasn’t just the fact that the Redskins won against a tough opponent in a volatile environment (Saints at home) and it wasn’t just his performance stats. It was the maturity and intuition with which he played. He made smart decision after smart decision after smart decision – completely uncharacteristic for a rookie quarterback in his first NFL game.

Week 3: This was basically prophetic, since the Fail Mary was the game that followed – Storyline to Know: I think it’s still the replacement refs. Their performance quality seems to be getting worse rather than better

Week 4: Rest of the season projections, all stunningly true – The NFC East is always exciting, but I think it will be a dog fight for 1st in this Division this year. // The Vikings…are 3-1?! This has to be the biggest surprise of the season so far…and not just in the NFC North. The Vikings have a solid running game led by RB Adrian Peterson and QB Christian Ponder has been good. // But the three (in the AFC East) are squarely tied at 2-2 with Miami pulling up the rear at 1-3. In my opinion, though, that won’t be the case for long. The Jets are beat up and confused and the Bills are…the Bills. Welcome to the playoffs, New England.

Week 8: True, and one of my favorite stories of the season – The Colts are looking like the comeback kids. They won another game in OT this week (against the Titans) and since the AFC is particularly awful this year, they have a legitimate shot at being a real playoff contender.

Week 9: The story of the season for Dallas – It goes against everything I know about the NFL to watch a team be poised to win at some point in the game every week…and then lose, every week. Dallas fans, I’m sorry. This must be brutal for you.

Week 10: It never really got better for the Giants – The Giants, who never look great in November but always retain a glimmer of Super Bowl hope throughout, looked particularly ungreat in a 31-13 loss to the Bengals.

Week 12: Who just started at QB in the Super Bowl? This guy – Storyline to Know: The no-one-saw-it-coming quarterback controversy between Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. After the backup’s phenomenal performance on Monday night against the Bears, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he’d “go with the quarterback with the hot hand,” even though starting QB Alex Smith has led the team to a 7-2-1 record. Smith has been maligned for most of his career after getting off to a lackluster start for a first-pick of the draft but has really found his stride with Harbaugh. You can’t help but think that this might be a confidence shaker for Smith, but we’ll see how things go on Sunday against the also hot-handed Drew Brees and the Saints. *This just in: Kaepernick is starting on Sunday…wow.

Week 13: When this – At the beginning of the season, Arizona had a quarterback controversy but is currently experiencing quarterback scarcity. At the beginning of the season, New York had a brewing quarterback controversy but is currently experiencing Armageddon. I’m actually looking forward to seeing which way this one goes. Turned into this – Eastern New York was subjected to the Jets/Cardinals game, easily the most mind-boggling display of offensive football I’ve ever witnessed. And it wasn’t just me. Both announcers did all they could to keep from laughing out loud. And then…Thom Brennaman couldn’t hold it in any longer. And he quotes: “I got to tell you, this has been as ugly and inept an offensive football game as I’ve ever seen.” Amen, Thom. Amen.

Week 14: Really true for the Cardinals, and 50/50 for the rest – Biggest Losers: The Cardinals. Literally, since they lost 58-0…and no other team got shut out or lost by a 58 point deficit last week…because that’s just ridiculous. Remember when the Cardinals were 4-0 and on top of the world? What happened, AZ?! But as far as the playoff picture goes, the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, and Bears all had losses that could come back to haunt them in a few weeks.

Week 17: A tale of 9 yards away – Adrian Peterson has a legitimate chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. He needs to rush for 208 yards in the Vikings game against the Packers, and the last time the teams met he ran for 210.

FALSE

Week 2: How did I believe this?! I lived in Rochester; I KNOW the Bills! – The Bills aren’t that bad. They had a nice win over the Chiefs on Sunday, who, unfortunately,are that bad.

Week 5: …And then, there was the 42-24 Packers victory – The Packers looked bad, and things are about to get worse. They […] have the task of playing the undefeated Houston Texans on Sunday night in Texas. It promises to be a long night for me and my #12 jersey.

Week 6: As we all know, the “rest of the year” only pertained to the rest of the calendar year – Sad news for Ray Lewis and the Ravens, he’s out for the rest of the year with a torn tricep.

Week 7: Surprisingly good soon turned into surprisingly bad (mostly for AZ) – The face-off of the two surprisingly good teams: the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams are 4-2, and neither were expected to be anywhere near that number at the beginning of the season.

Week 11: This turned into more of a sinking situation as the season progressed – Philly fans were clamoring for Nick Foles to start anyway, but he’ll be starting for sure on Sunday due to Michael Vick’s concussion. Time to sink or shine!

Week 15: Behold: Your Super Bowl Champion…Ravens! – Nine: As in Nine-and-five, the records of two AFC teams heading in opposite directions: the Ravens and the Colts. The Ravens are in the playoffs, but don’t look like a playoff team. The Colts need another win to make it into the playoffs, but their future looks blindingly bright.

Week 16: 13-42, Seahawks, anyone? – Game of the Week: I’m loving Niners at Seahawks on Monday night. In the past three weeks Seattle has scored more than 50 points in each game…50 points!…and their offense is viewed as weaker than their defense. Seattle is also near-impossible to beat at home. However, the Niners are coming off of a win at Foxborough against the Patriots who haven’t lost a game at home in December in a decade. So they’re not all that intimidated by home field advantage.

What were you guys surprised/not surprised by this season? Anything that didn’t make the list?

News and Notes: the NFL Honors

(In keeping with tradition, we’ll save the What to Know After post for Tuesday. We’ll recap the game and cry bittersweet tears for the final showdown of the season. Today, instead of a What Just Happened post, we’re going to talk about another thing that happened this weekend – the NFL Honors show.)

In only it’s second year, the NFL Honors show has already become a staple, and an apt lead-in to Super Bowl Sunday. What better way to wrap up the season and create anticipation for the big day up ahead? It’d be nice if sports writers could stop being sports writers for a day and not leak the results early and have them running along the bottom line on ESPN and NFL Network so that everyone knows what happens before it happens (sports writers for the Olympics: I’m looking at you, too). But even so, it’s such a great show and I’m really hoping it becomes a yearly tradition for a long time to come.

I’ll probably only rewatch it 87 times while mourning the end of the season this week.

Here are the results from the AP voted categories:

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

If you take your team from a 3-6 start and end up in the playoffs, playing on one leg, in your first year in the NFL, you’ve more than earned Rookie of the Year honors. I’m not surprised that RG3 won, but I am a little surprised that it wasn’t closer. He received 29 of the 50 votes! Andrew Luck was a distant second with 11 votes, and Russell Wilson a surprisingly close third with 10 votes. It was a well-deserved win for Griffin, who also had one of the winning lines from the show: “It’s truly a blessing to be up here…and to be able to stand, first and foremost.” Great to see him up on two feet again.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers

I have to admit: I didn’t know much about Luke Kuechly before he won this award! I don’t follow the Panthers all that closely and I thought the Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner would win, but congratulations all the same to Luke! It’s great to see the Panthers bringing in new talent.

Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Ultimately AP earned 30.5 of the 50 votes and Peyton received 19.5, and I think that’s how it should have been. Peyton had a remarkable year, but if the definition of Offensive Player of the Year is the player who contributed the most to the offensive production, the award had to go to Peterson.

Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

Complete no-brainer on this one: Watt received 49 out of the 50 total votes (with one person voting for Von Miller, who would have been a great candidate had J.J. not had the season of a lifetime). Watt was beyond dominant on the defense, and so integral to his teams success that he would have been a viable MVP candidate if not for Peyton and AP.

Comeback Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

I think Peyton is the classiest guy in the NFL. His acceptance speech is well worth watching, and the award was so well deserved. The Broncos didn’t get as far along as they could have this year, but he’s made such a remarkable comeback that he’s put the Broncos in position to make a playoff run every year for the foreseeable future. It’s just good for football to have Peyton back again. I hope we get to keep watching him play for a long, long time.

Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts (Interim)

Peyton’s speech was awesome, but the speech of the night goes to BA, hands down. He was eloquent, humble, and a great reflection of everything a leader should be. It’s no wonder he had no problem taking over as interim head coach for Chuck Pagano, leading the young Colts to a 9-3 record along the way.

Most Valuable Player: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Last season, the Vikings were a 3-13 team. This year, they went 10-6 and made it into the first round of the playoffs. Now, this was far from an individual accomplishment – that would be taking too much away from the coaches and the rest of the team. But there’s no way the Vikings would have had the season that they had if not for Adrian Peterson. It wasn’t just that he was the entire offense (really…he was); it was that his comeback, just months removed from tearing both his ACL and MCL, was so unbelievable that it lifted the entire organization. It seemed like if he could come back like THAT, then everyone else could do their jobs to the best of their ability, too.

Non-AP Awards and Moments Worth Noting:

Never Say Never Moment of the Year: Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens

I can’t imagine anyone else winning this award. Torrey Smith had one of the best games of his career just hours after losing his younger brother in a fatal motorcycle accident. Since he was preparing to play in the Super Bowl the next day, his mother accepted the award on his behalf. And what strength she displayed! The power of resilience was so evident in her speech.

Walter Payton Man of the Year: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten, aside from his many other charitable initiatives, also started a foundation that installs strong male mentors into women’s shelters so that families who have had to flee from abusive men can still have a solid male role model in their lives. His own life was positively effected by the presence of his grandfather after his mother moved he and his siblings away from their abusive father. He’s a true success story for mentorship and so deserving of this honor.

And…the Thaw of the Frozen Tundra…the Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers Reunion

We could be seeing a new era in Green Bay. One in which former quarterback star Brett Favre, who has not endeared himself to Green Bay since his departure, may be starting to head in the direction of reconciliation. This staged moment between Favre and Rodgers was not nearly as much of a train wreck as it could have been, and I really think it’s a signal of good things to come between the Pack and #4.

On a final note, I think Alec Baldwin should be installed as the permanent host of the NFL Honors. He was even better this year than last year.

Did you guys watch the NFL Honors? Thoughts on the winners – did you agree or disagree?

Important Words Well Said

You’ve likely heard about the tragedy in Kansas City over the weekend, but you might have missed these important words well said afterward.

Linebacker Jovan Belcher took the life of his girlfriend and then his own life in a horrific murder-suicide. I think it’s usually best in unthinkable situations such as these to stay away from generic responses, especially as an outsider looking in. All I can say is that I feel sincerely sorry for everyone involved and I’ll be praying for them in the days and months that follow.

But yesterday an insider shared more than just a pat answer in response to what happened. Brady Quinn, oft-chastised backup-turned-starting quarterback for the Chiefs, shared this in his post-game press conference:

“When you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are doing, are you really telling the truth? We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and Facebook, and that’s fine, but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis.”

I’m grateful for Quinn’s maturity and perspective, and for his strength to speak up, and speak up so eloquently, when it would have been easier to stay silent. Let’s take his advice and try to connect with each other today in meaningful, tangible ways, looking for opportunities to build each other up. It’s far more important than anything else we have to do.