The Crystal Ball 2008 Odds and Ends

I hate the off season. No football action, no highs or lows, no excitement of game time to be had anywhere. Sure, the NHL playoffs are fun, the NBA playoffs have exploded in a rousing start and then there’s baseball. But none of it compares to a football game. Sorry guys, I find all of you entertaining, but you’re just not quite the same. And no, Arena League does not count. I found myself so desperate for any kind of football action I watched The Replacements starring master thespian Keanu Reeves. Twice.

I’d turn to the NFL Network, but it seems they’re trying to alienate me with what seems to be constant re-airings of Super Bowl XXX. Come on guys, really? You have to rub that in? Why not IX or X or XIII or XIV or XL or XLII? I’d take any of those. No, I get Super Bowl XXX or worse. The other evening they showed the terrible game Pittsburgh lost to Denver last season. Hey, where’s the constant re-airing of Super Bowl XLII? Yeesh.

But hope and renewal always bubble to the surface come springtime; I suspect it is part of the cyclical nature of the seasons. And the NFL is not immune. With the draft upon us, throngs of fans will sit anxiously, hoping this year their team doesn’t screw up and can add that one piece that will make everything right with the world.

So, in preparation for such things, let’s clear out the baffles of some older stuff that has been sitting around and do a truncated, and long overdue, recap of the nutty NFL off season thus far since last we scanned the NFL landscape together.


NFL, the alternative Universe

In predictable fashion, the Packers have already announced that this season they will retire Brett Favre’s number. They should at least wait until the body’s cold. Especially since Favre, in a tiny little interview that has been blown WAY out of proportion, said he might be open to being an emergency backup. Ok, I’m on the Favre bandwagon as much as anyone else short of cheese heads and John Madden. But Brett, seriously, either let it go or play, either way quit toying with the emotions of the good people of Wisconsin. And with Aaron Rodgers, God knows that boy has stewed in your shadow long enough.

And considering he’s the cover boy now for Madden ’09, it might be best if he stays away from a football field.

Eli Manning married his college sweetheart in a ceremony held in Cabo recently. Eli, savor this as long as you can. Because after the Super Bowl and being wed the love of your life; you will never top 2008, ever.

HBO’s Inside the NFL is gone. After 31 years of bringing in depth NFL coverage and spectacular NFL Films highlights, the show went dark after Super Bowl XLII. I know I’ll miss it, I loved hearing about the games, the league, and the great stories that Len Dawson and Nick Buoniconti would spin each week. Although I’m not surprised it’s over now, who wants to hear Marino and Carter rambling on and suffer through the incessant “comedy” bits that became a part of the show in recent years. Sure, watching Dan grate as Favre broke record after record was fun, but you could see that on CBS’s pregame show. And now with Favre gone, what’s the draw?

The ultimate demise for Inside the NFL came thanks to rising costs and lower viewership. Unfortunately, the loss of the show has had drastic repercussions. NFL Films had to let go of 8% of their work force, those who worked diligently to bring this great show on the air. And NFL fans now have a 5% decrease in airtime during the season featuring Cris Collinsworth.

Anyone catch this one? Broncos’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall injured his arm after slipping on a fast food wrapper. Please, everyone, listen to me. Morgan Spurlock already showed us that fast food is deadly. Why are people not listening?

In Washington, a fast-food cook Seahawks fan was accused of spitting on a hamburger ordered by a man wearing Pittsburgh Steelers attire.

Apparently, the customer and cook traded comments about Super Bowl XL, and when the customer opened his food, he found spittle on the sandwich. When deputies went the next day to investigate at the cook’s home, they smelled marijuana. He was booked for investigation of fourth degree assault and possession of marijuana. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again to all the Seahawk fans out t here. If you would have played a better game, you would have beaten the hell out of us. But you didn’t, so get over it.

One of the actors who portrays new Steeler mascot Steely McBeam was charged with drunken driving in January. If I had to walk around in that thing to make a living, I’d probably drink too.

The Steelers cut Cedrick Wilson after his domestic dispute issue, the second in the last few months. Although they did keep James Harrison on the team despite his off the field issues and raised speculation that Harrison kept his job because he performed, and Wilson did not. Dan Rooney’s justification for the moves came under intense fire. The whole thing sounded flimsy and even a little fishy. I prefer to believe Peter King’s assessment of the situation; there is much more to each story than the Rooney’s are speaking of to the press.

Ok, so the mascot is drinking and driving. Cedrick Wilson, James Harrison and Najeh Davenport are all involved in some sort of domestic violence case. While Harrison’s was dropped, Wilson’s may continue and he has been cut by the team and Davenport is in court. Dan Rooney was lambasted in the media for his comments regarding the Harrison and Wilson arrests. Ward takes umbrage at Roethlisberger’s comments regarding tall receivers. And somehow Max Starks, who may be a backup this season, is the second highest paid player on the team.

What the deuce is going on in Pittsburgh? I’m starting to wonder if we are far enough downwind from Cincinnati.


Upon Further Review

There is impending labor disputes brewing in the NFL. The current collective bargaining agreement, signed in 2006, will most likely be voted out come November. Thanks to a clause in the agreement, if nine owners vote against it, and that looks likely, then the contract will expire in 2010.

The reason for this exorcising of the current agreement is because many of the provisions are tough on small market owners, the ones pushing to end the current labor agreement. Every team must play by the salary cap, much to Daniel Snyder’s chagrin. But they must also play by a salary minimum.

A certain percentage of the salary cap, in the case of this season 85.2%, must be spent on players; you have to spend that much money on your payroll. For many teams, especially those like Dallas, Washington or New York, that can generate significant revenue on their own, this is a moot point. But for smaller teams, like Jacksonville, Buffalo and Oakland, this becomes a huge cost. They do not have the name recognition or the large local population to push product and revenue like their larger metropolitan brothers. Oddly enough, individual small market teams are losing money despite revenue sharing, even though the NFL overall pulls in big revenues.

This is why smaller teams wish to abandon the current agreement in hopes to draft a new one. If they can get rid of the current one, and get to 2010, which would be an uncapped year, then they could reduce payroll and work toward a new agreement that is not as harsh.

If this were one major issue facing the NFL, that would be plenty. Unfortunately, it is not. The NFL and its teams are more than $9 billion in debt, according to a March 17th story in SportsBusinessJournal.com. This is mostly as a result of the massive stadium building projects that have occurred in the last few years, which the NFL loaned money to teams to assist in building efforts. Commissioner Goodell is insistent that the league work to get rid of this debt, although it is hard for the average fan to even imagine a cash cow like the NFL in debt.

Add on top of this NFLPA head Gene Upshaw, criticized in many circles, maintains he will do what he feels is right for those under his charge and will not leave office until the impending negotiations have concluded. But one wonders if he sees the big picture, and be able do to what is right for the overall health not only of the players union, but also the NFL and the long term earning capability of the players in the union. He has threatened to decertify the union to maneuver for a better deal. When the union was a huge mess in the 80’s, Upshaw did this very thing and it worked. His skill then saved the union and paved the way for players to reap the kinds of financial rewards they now see today. The question is would it work this time with much bigger pieces of pie at stake.

The biggest concern at this point is that with all these mitigating factors, what could happen is that if no new agreement is in place after the 2010 season, the small market owner vs. large market owner fight could spill out into owners vs. each other, the union and possibly the league. And that at that point, a shaky labor situation could lead to possibly a lockout or strike, something that has not happened in the NFL for over 20 years. Steelers chairman Dan Rooney recently said, "I think it's fair to say that the damage a work stoppage does is something that I think both sides always try to work to avoid, and, hopefully, that will be the case this time around."

What concerns me the most is that the NFL is becoming too full of itself for its own good. The owners arguing about revenue and sharing, and this is a major point of contention, is never good. The top revenue generating teams bristle at sharing what they’ve earned with the lower earning teams. Despite the fact that this model has worked for years, and helped propel the NFL to the top of the sporting heap, the egos now involved are markedly different from those who originally drafted this model. And, more importantly, so is the amount of money involved.

So take this revenue sharing fight of the haves vs. have nots, add in the ridiculous contracts we are seeing for middling players, the absurd guarantees to unproven draft picks, the copious amount of money being spent on stadiums, the CBA issues, stir in massive egos and the general attitude of invincibility, and you see a situation that looks similar to the housing market right before the bubble burst. It starts to look as though the NFL, instead of leading the way in how a sports league should be run, is slowly heading down the path of the MLB. And I fear they’re picking up speed.

I understand how the small market teams feel, and think they should jettison the CBA if it means potentially saving them long term. But what all the owners, players and the league itself needs to keep in mind is with all the money and popularity generated by the NFL, a compromise can and must be found, sooner rather than later. The longer it takes, the more contentious it will become. The more dirty laundry that gets aired throughout this process the faster the fans will run away. And the key point that should remain in everyone’s mind is that what is best for the league overall and best to keep all 32 teams in business and viable on the field, should be priority number one. Even if that means taking a bit of a hit in the pocket for bigger market teams and getting a lower salary floor for smaller market teams. If the teams, players union and league do not realize this, they’ll end up like MLB, which boils down to the Yankees, the Red Sox, four other teams of some level of success, and 24 farm clubs for the elite six. No one needs another league like that.


Movin On Up…

The Chiefs traded Jared Allen to the Vikings for some picks and less contract headaches. This gives the Chiefs 13 total picks in the draft, and they need every one of them. And it gives the Vikings a much needed upgrade on the defensive line. Shame they still have questions at quarterback.

The Seahawks did the predictable and cut Shawn Alexander. Considering their off season stockpile of running backs, and Alexander’s rapidly diminished production over the past two seasons, this move came as a surprise to no one. Something tells me some team desperate for a running back, and in need of a big name, will ink a deal with Alexander. Miami, I’m looking in your general direction.

Speaking of whom, apparently the Dolphins are shopping Jason Taylor for a mid 1st round pick. Now, Taylor’s a great player, but he also has a lot of miles on the odometer. I’m sure there’s some sucker team that thinks they’re one great player away from winning it all who will jump at this. Now, if only they could tear Taylor away from the ballroom floor.

The Cardinals signed linebacker Clark Haggans to a one-year contract. And Whisenhunt continues to collect Steelers. I’m extremely surprised he did not jump in on the Faneca sweepstakes.

Seattle signed former Pro Bowl kicker Olindo Mare to replace departed free agent Josh Brown. Yeah, there’s a good signing, taking on an old Dolphin retread who had trouble kicking in a dome last year with the Saints. Brilliant.

The Falcons decided to go with a youth movement, signing 38-year-old Jason Elam to replace 47-year-old Morten Andersen at kicker. I suppose that counts as an upgrade. Shame they could not have signed him last year, then he wouldn’t have beat us in that damn game! Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Texans sign ex-Jaguars quarterback Quinn Gray as a backup. Yeah, cause that’s an upgrade over Sage Rosenfels. Yeesh, why do I even know these guys?

From the Bungles police blotter oft troubled linebacker Odell Thurman was reinstated by the league after two years. Well, now their defense will kick into high gear. I mock them now, and then….

Ego gifted Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey wants out of New York. Apparently, the strain of watching the team perform fantastically without his caustic me first attitude in last year’s playoffs was too much for Shockey to bear. The rumor mill is swirling about a possible trade to New Orleans. Hasn’t that region suffered enough?

The Steelers signed former Panther center Justin Hartwig. Hartwig, a starter in Carolina, was released in a salary cap move and now has a new home in Pittsburgh, where he’ll compete with Sean Mahan immediately for the starting job. Not bad, I still wanted Nick Mangold a few years back, but hey, a boy can’t have everything.

With Hartwig in tow, the rest of the line beginning to shake out with word Willie Colon may audition at guard, and the defensive front resigned and ready, the Steelers have address their biggest problems, the lines. But they still need draft help. They need much more depth on both sides and to start planning on replacing certain cogs in the long term. I’ll feel much better about the situation once I see who they take in the draft this weekend. But I do like that they are being proactive.

DeAngelo Hall gets escaped the Falcons in a trade deal with Oakland. Hall gets a 7 year 70 million dollar contract and a new home in Oakland while the Falcons get the Raider’s third round pick this year and fifth round pick next, and one less gigantic headache. If Hall was unhappy with the dysfunction in Atlanta, oh boy will he be upset now. The Falcons are pee wee league compared to Oakland in terms of team dysfunction. Everyone is touting the new Raider defensive backfield and how potent it is with Hall now in the fold. Yeah, we’ll see. They might have a decent defensive backfield, and a decent defensive front depending on whom they draft. But their offense is the same crappy one from before and the only thing JaMarcus Russell seems adept at completing thus far this off season is a dinner order. I’m willing to bet as soon as the losses start mounting, Hall’s production will drop. Remember how well he handled adversary last season?

Chad Johnson is still staying away from Bengals, and still ranting and raving of how much he wants out. He’s skipping workouts purposely to demonstrate his displeasure. You think Dallas might pick him up? If Cincy caves and sells 85 for 40 cents on the dollar they will, in a heart beat. But something tells me they won’t. Specifically, Marvin Lewis, who recently said if Johnson is so true to his word, he should just sit out. Now there’s some team unity for you.

Speaking of Dallas, they’ve spent some time this off season courting the Titans for Pacman Jones. It seems Pacman would love to be a Cowboy, and Jerry Jones would love to have him. No one knows if Pacman’s league imposed suspension will be lifted, but it seems Jones is willing to role the dice. And Goodell has mentioned he is impressed with the strides the young defensive back has made. Of course, Goodell has been fooled before, (see Vick, Michael.)

The Titans finally bit, sending Jones to the Cowboys for a 4th round pick. Now, there’s still some details to work out, namely whether or not Jones gets reinstated this season and how well he performs. It could mean a pick back to the Cowboys or additional compensation for the Titans. Goodell has made no promises upon reinstatement, saying he will review the case when he meets with Jones in June. I hope he does reinstate him now.

If he does, we have a Cowboys team that will employ and field TO, Pacman and Tank Johnson. If by some minor miracle they could pry Chad Johnson away from Cincinnati, the unintentional comedy scale would be shattered. Good gravy, could you imagine the Cowboys with head cases TO, Pacman, Tank and 85? I’m giddy at the mere possibility! Hello massive mid-season implosion!


Crime and Punishment

49ers had a pick taken away for tampering with Lance Briggs by speaking with his agent when they should not have. The constant demise of this franchise is just sad.

Chris Henry was arrested. I’ll pause while the shock wears off. Ok I think we’re all good now. This arrest came for beating up college student. This was Henry’s fifth arrest since 2006. Even the Bengals finally had enough and cut the oft troubled receiver.

Michael Vick is apparently keeping in game shape by playing quarterback for the prison football team. Does Burt Reynolds get residues from this?

Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick both apologized to other league owners and coaches regarding Spy Gate during the league meetings in March. Kraft, according to sources, weaved an impassioned apology regarding the damage and distraction the situation caused the league and other teams.

According to sources, their speeches touched the other owners and coaches. Fine, a little contrition and minor admission now I suppose could go a long way. But where was it when they were cheating? Where was it when they were repeatedly warned? Where was it when they got busted?

Hey, and since we’re on the subject where’s my apology? How about the damage it did to fans? You know what, I don’t need it. I have the replay of Super Bowl XLII to satisfy me. Apology accepted Captain Needa.

Speaking of Spy Gate….

The former St. Louis Rams player and three fans withdrew their lawsuit that accused the Patriots of cheating in the 2002 Super Bowl. Apparently, the suit was only to secure sworn testimony from former Patriots employee Matt Walsh. Yeah, that’s worked out well.
And speaking of Walsh, apparently a deal has been struck with him and the NFL for him to spill his guts. The big showdown is scheduled for May 13th. Goodell has stated he is going into the meeting with an open mind, and is fully prepared to crack down on the Patriots should evidence be presented that proves the Patriots did tape the Rams’ walkthrough before their Super Bowl game against New England. Walsh’s lawyers were pleased to reach an agreement that provides legal indemnification, and the Patriots are pleased this should close the book on the Spy Gate investigation. I think it will finally close the book, but I, like everyone else, wonders how. Will it be Walsh has nothing and the Patriots for once did not lie, or will it be the smoking bazooka many, including myself, hope will put the Pats away. I can feel the tension in the air!


And What Does The Rule Book Say?

Winter meetings, the annual tradition where the owners meet to compare checkbooks, coaches meet to compare playbooks, and general nonsense ensues in the warm Florida sun.

One fun aspect of these meetings comes from the competition committee, who meets to discuss, vote and possibly enact rule changes. And there have been a few this year of note.

The most ridiculous rule proposed this year, of course, was the rule change proposed by the Chiefs regarding length of hair. Forget the fact that this has obvious racial overtones, since Kyle Turley and Jeremy Shockey have both had haircuts in the past few years and the majority of players with long hair are African American or of other ethnic descents. This is merely reactionary measure by the Chiefs who got spanked with a penalty two years ago because Larry Johnson tackled Troy Polamalu by the hair.

Honestly, why is this even a debate? Can we get more asinine? Considering the leagues extremely strict uniform policy, this is about the only acceptable form of personal expression. No Fun League indeed. Unfortunately, this “issue” is not dead, as Goodell has said he will meet with the players council on the best way to move forward, finding a balance between personal expression and the NFL’s uniform policy. Unless they just throw this out for being what it is, sour grapes from a crappy team, no solution will make anyone happy.

But the committee did manage to squeeze in debate on a few other serious issues and enacted a few rule changes.

Reseeding playoffs – shelved until next meeting, most likely will die of neglect. Good, since I think messing with a working formula is ridiculous. Sure, every once in a while a good team gets screwed by having no home playoff games, the Giants of last year being of note. But you have to earn that spot during the regular season. One this one issue, I find myself in agreement with Robert Kraft.

"I do believe if you win a division, it's good for your fans to know you will have a home game. To win a division, there is a reward and we wanted to keep that."

The competition committee will look into scheduling more games between division opponents late in the season to combat the possibility of meaningless matchups. It already started. Hello Cleveland for the season finale!

The force out rule was unanimously eliminated. Now a receiver must get two feet inbounds unless he actually is carried out of bounds by a defender after catching the ball. This clear cut definition should help officiating. I’m fine with this; it never seemed to be enforced properly to begin with.

Teams now have a choice of deferring whether to kick or receive until the second half if they win the coin toss. This college rule was adopted by a vote of 30-2.

Field goals and extra points can now be subject to replay review. This rule change came as an obvious reaction to the kick by Cleveland's Phil Dawson. Dawson’s kick to tie a game at Baltimore hit the support behind the crossbar and then flew back onto the field. While officials managed to get the correct call despite not being able to use replay, it caused a mess of handwringing. Now, that problem has been solved.

My favorite rule change and one that makes way too much sense and should have been in place years ago is that teams can now have one defensive player on the field with a radio in their helmet. This eliminates the need to signal in defensive schemes and thus takes away the possibility of teams spying and stealing defensive signals. This might be the one positive thing that has come out of the Spy Gate scandal. The details have not been entirely hammered out, like what happens if the defensive player is also on special teams, or if he gets injured. But for once the intelligent conclusion was met. Albeit a few years late.

In other minor rule changes, a direct snap from center untouched by the quarterback now will be considered a live ball. The previous rule stated that such a snap was considered a false start and the play blown dead. The 5-yard penalty for incidental facemask contact has been eliminated, but the15-yard penalty for grasping or twisting the facemask remains unchanged.


Idiot Of The Off Season, so far.

No one has really popped their head up, yet. I’m sure after draft weekend, we’ll have a few. The Jets have done some excellent work, throwing ridiculous money at free agents in obvious win now moves, yet still have no clear cut quarterback. But I’d say my money is on Jerry Jones. Between TO, the billion dollar new stadium, Wade Phillips, Tank Johnson, the playoff collapse and Pacman, Jerry has really been working to take the title. I got my fingers crossed he does something really stupid on draft day weekend.


NFL Decision 08 – Only A Select Few Decide

After much speculation, the first pick of the draft was decided, Tuesday. The Dolphins reached a contract agreement with Michigan tackle Jake Long. This just shows how poorly the Dolphins are still run. In one swift move, they destroy months of hard work by countless people who have toiled endlessly making mock drafts. Now, many of those mock drafts are nothing but birdcage liner. I mean, if Don Banks didn’t already have about 20 different mock drafts, he’d be lost. And thank goodness Mel Kiper Jr. does about 90,000 of them.

With the surprise of who goes first out of the way, now we wonder, who goes second? In the meantime, as I’m sure many of you will tune in with baited breath on Saturday, we have some advice to help you keep the insanity of draft day in check. Keep the following in mind as you wait for the endless chatter to cease and find out who selected whom. It’ll help keep your sanity and keep you from taking this odd process far too seriously.

The experts really do not know all that more than anyone else with a set of eyes and a brain.

Every player chosen, no matter where in the draft, is a crap shoot. Whether they succeed will depend on their talent, work ethic, intelligence, and whether or not they work with other successful professionals and talented coaches in their NFL careers.

Every coach will say they had a great draft. Why would they say otherwise?

Every player chosen is excited to be a new member of the team who selected them. Why would they say otherwise?

Just because a player is drafted, does not mean he has a job in the NFL. Many of these players you will never hear about again. It is very difficult and competitive to get, and keep, a job in the NFL.

Every player picked:
- is a physical specimen.
- has a big motor
- is excitable with a big heart
- loves the game/is a football player
- has a long reach with lots of upside and potential

And as promised, I have created for your draft enjoyment NFL Draft Day Buzzword Bingo. This game will help keep your interest during the monotony of draft day while simultaneously poking fun at the tired clichés we hear every year. Click here to get a card and print out as many as you like. With the length of the draft, and the number of buzzwords spewed, you’ll most likely go through a few rounds of bingo so be prepared with extra copies. Collect your boys, load up on beverages, wings and burgers, choose the method you prefer and go.

First one to yell bingo wins. Obviously, the bonus is if the talking heads throw out several buzzwords for a particular choice. With the way they talk about some players, you could hit bingo on your first selection. How you bet is up to you. To make things easier, I’ve concocted several ways to play the game. Select your favorite below, or feel free to come up with your own method.

By team – The most obvious of choices, you follow your team and then mark off the buzzwords for each player drafted. The only problem is waiting for your team to pick could make the game lengthy. If you’re a Chiefs fan this year, you’ve got it made since they have 13 picks. But what if you’re a Browns fan? You don’t even get to play until the 4th round. By then, several spirited games of Bingo will be in the books.

By round – A little harder version to play since everyone is working with the same card. But this method of play does allow for some gamesmanship and it’s the only method listed that provides head to head competition. Maybe you’re sipping water while everyone else is sipping something stronger. Hmmm, might be time to send someone on a food run. Hey, since you’re up, can you get me a refill? There are these and many more good ideas to throw your opponents off the track and get to Bingo first.

By position – This one may be the most fun. Before the draft starts, everyone picks a position or two or three. Say you choose linebacker, guard and defensive end. Then whenever a player that fits one of those categories is drafted, you grab your card and wait for the deluge of buzzwords.

Remember, this is merely for fun, and a bit of competition. So keep the bets low and the trash talking high.


Game On

With just slightly more fanfare than the Pope coming for a visit, the NFL revealed the complete schedule for the 2008 season. A few things of note for the upcoming Clash of the Titans, and Bears, and Browns, and Patriots, and Colts and …….

Toughest schedule by far on paper without a game played, the Steelers. Of their 10 non division opponents, none had a losing record and 8 of the 10 made the post season last year. Plus they face resurgent Cleveland twice. At least they face the Bungles twice.

Easiest schedule by far on paper without a game played, the Patriots. What do you expect, they play the Bills, Dolphins and Jets twice each. Stupid Patriots.

The Giants kick off the season in the Meadowlands doing battle with the Redskins. I know I’m excited for the Jim Zorn era to begin.

The Browns, back from the NFL wastelands, have managed to procure 5 prime time games this season. Somewhere, Drew Carey is smiling.

No Manning Bowl this season. What an injustice! Why cannot we see the two most recent Super Bowl winning quarterbacks go head to head in a family rivalry? Someone in the league offices screwed up that one.

For the umpteenth year in a row, the Patriots and Colts face off. This year’s edition of the game to end all games will take place in the Colts new ultra deluxe stadium. Steel yourselves kiddies, the hype for this game will begin as soon as the draft hoopla dies down.

Worst game ever, November 16th, Oakland at Miami. I’ve heard the NFL might shuffle this one off on Versus.

September 7th, Green Bay’s first game without Favre. Cheese sales plummet.

Dallas visits Green Bay for a Sunday night game on September 21st. Note to put the television on mute, as John may start crying in the third quarter.

Following a drubbing by the Colts on October 19th, the Green Bay quarterback corps will all suffer from a series of unexplainable “accidents”, rendering them unable to play for the remainder of the season. The Packers will then be “forced” to call their emergency backup, who will be well rested on his farm in Mississippi.

London Baby! In their effort to increase international fandom, the NFL will return to Wembley Stadium. This season, the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers get the call. That’s one heck of a road trip for the Bolts.

The Bills will play two games in Toronto. A preseason game against Pittsburgh, and their December 7th game against Miami. This marks the Steelers first time in the Great White North since preseason 1960 and their first internationally played game since Mexico City in 2000. Should be a good time, eh?

The Bills are scheduled to play a few games in Toronto over the next few years. I guess they found a perverse pleasure of making Miami their inaugural regular season opponent.

It makes you wonder though. Are the Bills playing in Toronto to help expand NFL popularity and add another international game to the schedule or as a first step in a nefarious plan to relocate the team and completely destroy Buffalo?


Ok, that should about do it for this edition. We’ll see you next week with some draft analysis, or perhaps general mockery and nonsense. I haven’t decided yet, it depends on my mood. In the meantime, enjoy the insanity of watching college kids get their first professional jobs.