The network will broadcast 14 CFL games from July through November this season. It starts with Thursday night’s league opener matching the Montreal Alouettes against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

via Canadian Football League games to be broadcast on NFL Network – ESPN.

Football is football. I’m a sports junkie. I’m in.

…in 1985 all 28 NFL teams decided they would participate in future National Invitational Camps with the goal of sharing costs for the medical examinations of draft eligible players.  [...]

As football and the art of evaluating players has evolved, so has the NFL Scouting Combine. While medical examinations remain the number one priority of the event, athletes will also participate in a variety of psychological and physical tests, as well as, formal and informal interviews with top executives, coaches and scouts from all 32 NFL teams. NIC is the ultimate four day job interview for the top college football players eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft.

via History | NFL Scouting Combine.

The problem with this job fair is that the interviewers don’t seem to follow any type of guidelines for their lines of questioning and they also can’t seem to keep confidential information to themselves. Take the questions and comments from various NFL teams thrown at Toby Gerhart.  Gerhart is now a Minnesota Vikings RB who starred at Stanford University but at the combine he was asked if he thought he was a “poster child for white running backs?” and was even told “If you were black you would have gone in the first round”.

Former Oklahoma state WR Dez Bryant now a Dallas Cowboy was asked if his mother was a prostitute.

Another player was asked about his sexuality.

Bengals fourth-round pick Geno Atkins said one club, he couldn’t recall which, asked him about his sexual orientation.

“The only unusual question I got was if I was straight or gay,” said Atkins, a defensive tackle from Georgia whose father, Gene, played 10 seasons in the league. “And that was about it.

via Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas/Southwest.

In addition three top NFL prospects had information from their alledgedly confidential answers regarding marijuana usage leaked in 2007. Not only was this information leaked, these prospects were asked about drug use.

Three of the most highly regarded prospects in the upcoming NFL draft—Calvin Johnson, Amobi Okoye, and Gaines Adams—admitted in interviews at the combine that they have used marijuana. Nevertheless, all three are considered to be free of the kind of dramatic character problems that have plagued the NFL recently.

via Draft Prospects Admit To Smoking Pot – NFL GMs hope to encourage candor, won’t punish drug use.

Chris Mortenson, NFL insider for ESPN has the best solution for all of these awful interview questions.

Bottom line: The question never should have been asked.

…

The truth is, every personnel director and coach in the league suspects that more than 50 percent of the players smoke or have smoked marijuana during high school or college. It’s why the NFL does not randomly test players for street drugs such as marijuana because, as one league official says, “We don’t want to be the police. That’s the job of law enforcement.”

The league tests players once each year during a three-month window before training camp. A player is only tested randomly for street drugs if he has given reasonable cause, such as providing a positive sample during precamp testing, or having a run-in with law enforcement. Then he enters the substance-abuse program. (Don’t confuse this with performance-enhancing drugs that are randomly tested for year-round without cause).

[...]

It was preventable. Don’t ask the question. Now, three honest young men have their reputations stained in some form during a time that should be a great celebration for them and their families.

via NFL should be embarrassed – NFL – ESPN.

But Mortenson’s guideline doesn’t address the issue of confidentiality. All this information was leaked from confidential interviews and even Wonderlic intelligence test scores have been leaked. The most notable leak was Vince Young’s information in 2006.

Vince Young’s horribly low score on the Wonderlic intelligence test — reportedly 6 of a possible 50 — has given teams at the top of the NFL Draft plenty of extra work to do. It also might end up changing how the picks fall at the top of the first round.

[...]

Going into the NFL Scouting Combine, the junior quarterback from Texas looked certain to be one of the top four picks. But after scoring so poorly on the Wonderlic, Young’s status as a top-5 or even top-10 pick could be in jeopardy.

ProFootballTalk.com broke the story of Young’s score Sunday, and several NFL scouts confirmed it. Any score less than 15 is extremely low for a quarterback, and most teams want players at that position to score at least a 20.

“It raises a huge red flag,” said Jeep Chryst, a former NFL assistant attending the combine as an at-large scout.

The NFL did its best to silence talk about Young’s test. Combine officials said the score of 6 was inaccurate. Titans GM Floyd Reese said he’d heard the first test had been administered or graded incorrectly. Texans GM Charley Casserly also disputed Young’s score Sunday, saying it was inaccurate.

Young took the test again — on Sunday — and made a 16.

via USATODAY.com – Will Wonderlic cause teams to wonder about Young?.

Each of these incidents is a “last straw” moment and yet, every year brings yet another major violation of a player’s privacy and rights to a fair interview. New NFL Union boss DeMaurice Smith needs to jump on this in the upcoming CBA. NFL teams should be equally responsible for each on of these violations being that they contract NFS Inc to run the Combine.

“We had a president that couldn’t get there on time a lot, Bill Clinton,” Jerry said, addressing Dez Bryant’s punctuality problems in bizarre fashion. “Seriously.

“But boy, when he got there, he brought the wood.”

via Jerry’s bizarre Clinton-Bryant comparison – Dallas Cowboys Blog – ESPN Dallas.

I hate that the Cowboys have Bryant. With Jasen Witten, Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton and now Bryant, I don’t count Roy Williams…he is bad by choice, they have 4 big play-making receivers that are just physically imposing. They will be tough for Eagles to defend. Couple that with a backfield with Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and Marion Barber its just a lot of weapons for a defensive coordinator to scheme against.

Philadelphia Eagles last pick by trade, but first pick by chronology is former first round pick linebacker Ernie Sims. The rest is up to Andy Reid and GM Howie Roseman. Trading McNabb to the Redskins means division title or bust. Considering the leadership drain of losing veterans like McNabb, Brian Dawkins, John Runyan, Tra Thomas and Brian Westbrook the Eagles 2010 draft is the most important since Andy’s first draft as Eagles head coach.

I hope they get a top flight safety, another running back and some offensive lineman.

UPDATE: If the redskins get Okung or Trent Williams I am going to throw up.

UPDATE: Mike Mayock on the NFLN is my favorite draft analyst, but Mike Irvin is testing my patience.

Experience on 3. 1-2-3 Experience! photo credit: yodie ann

Goodell quite fancifully insists that the stadium experience is all the NFL needs to change to boost game attendance during a recession for smaller market teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and even  the division winning San Diego Chargers.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged at the annual league meetings that plenty of fans feel that way, although he stressed the importance of the in-stadium experience to the league’s long-term health, and he insisted that the coziness of home can’t match the thrill of the stadium.

“It may be more comfortable, but it’s not more exciting,” Goodell said, per the Florida Times-Union.

The Times-Union article is headlined, “Are broadcasts too good? Roger Goodell admits it’s a concern as blackouts loom.” It notes that among the Jacksonville Jaguars’ problems in selling out their stadium is the fact that even if the Jaguars are blacked out eight Sundays a year, fans in Jacksonville can still have a great day of watching football from their living rooms, especially if they have DirecTV or a cable system that offers the RedZone Channel.

That’s why Goodell says he’s so concerned with making the experience of going to a game better.

“We as a league are focused on it, and it’s one of our priorities,” Goodell said. “Our challenge is to continue to make it exciting for people who come to our facility. And that comes from a lot of different perspectives. You start with fan conduct. We talk about making sure people feel safe and they have a positive experience when they come to our stadiums. You talk about how to entertain them when they come to our stadiums. We have to do more with technology.”

via Goodell: Stadium experience needs to be better than home | ProFootballTalk.com.

The reality is Goodell and his predecessor Paul Taglibue have overseen an NFL system where tax payers are held hostage by billionaires to fund stadium construction only to be rewarded by sky rocketing ticket prices and fees (like seat  licenses). Goodell is saying the experience must improve, but he denies the biggest negative change in NFL experience from 10 years ago: the back breaking cost to be a season ticket holder.

The price of being a family who regularly attends NFL games has  for many outpaced the benefit of seeing the games live. The average NFL ticket price? $75/seat in the 2009-2010 NFL season.  Then let’s add in a variety of factors:

• Most NFL cities do not have public transit from population centers to the stadium so this means most fans drive to the stadium. (Add in parking – add a low end cost of $5 per person)
• The NFL game is supposed to be is a family league a family experience, so let’s use a family of 4 (husband, wife and two kids minus the dog – times 4)
• Most lifelong fans have family and friend traditions (say a family of grown siblings or childhood friends and their children all attend the game together). They need to buy seat licenses to guarantee the right to buy season tickets for a seat next to their game day crew. These can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands. per season. (Let’s add on 1000 per seat so you can keep the group together)
• Season tickets also must be bought 8 home games. Plus all 4 pre-season games at regular season prices. (multiply by 12)

That is a real look at per game costs of a standard season ticket holder’s fan “experience”.

Now the other option? Those same fans get together every Sunday to watch NFL games together at someones house, split the cost of beer, food and NFL Sunday ticket (from $300 to  $400 a season). Cheaper yet, they just watch the local broadcast of their favorite team. It’s much easier, much cheaper.

Redskins QB Donovan McNabb

It was a class move, on behalf of Andy Reid, Joe Banner and the Eagles organization, to send McNabb to the team where he wanted to go and close to his current home. As a football business move, I fear Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins for a 2010 2nd round pick and a 3rd or 4th round pick in 2011 will be a transaction even the irrational McNabb hating Eagles fans will regret. Be careful what you wish for.

I really do not like this move. Trading McNabb to the ‘Skins gives a heated in division rival a top 10 NFL QB. ‘Skins GM Bruce Allen and Coach Mike Shanahan now have a QB so they can focus on offensive line and WRs. With the 4th pick, they can definitely start building a  top flight O line with a left tackle. Shanahan runs a west coast offense with similar progressions, likes to run the football and roll his QBs out of the pocket. McNabb is a  pretty good passer rolling out of the pocket and will have to pass much less playing in a Shanahan offense. The Eagles defense has been scorched by QBs like Jake Plummer, Eli Manning and Drew Brees rolling out of the pocket.

The Eagles are rebuilding and now have 5 of the first 87 picks. To be competitive this year and next, the Eagles have to hit on everyone of those picks. None of them can be a bust. Not. One. That is incredibly hard to do. I am not looking forward to Philadelphia Eagles football this fall.

An increasing number of NFL players have turned over the past few years to the field of Mixed Martial Arts to prepare for the grind of the football season.

One of the latest guys to adopt the training regimen is Eagles defensive end Trent Cole.  He recently told PhiladelphiaEagles.com that he will be working with FOX’s Jay Glazer.

Glazer has been tutoring various NFL players over the past few years, including Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis.

via Trent Cole takes up MMA training | ProFootballTalk.com.

Glazer obviously gets two bonuses from this:

• Access to players. Access that increases his utility as an NFL insider (Pam Oliver, Adam Schefter or John Clayton is not going to be teaching Julius Peppers how to use their hands to better stun a 300 plus pound offensive lineman out of a three point stance anytime soon).
• A budding side business. NFL players are always looking for regimens to make their bodies more resilient and their play more violent. A few more sacks, 10 more tackles and a player becomes a pro bowler, collects bigger signing bonuses on the next contract and riser bonus are triggered in their current contract.

That being said, its a great idea. Martial arts pugilism, wrestling leverage, boxing footwork and core strengthening is great for what a defensive end needs to do to fend off an offensive lineman and disrupt the quarterback.

A cornerback can’t play much better than Darrelle Revis did Sunday.

“We’ve got a ton of respect for Revis,” Philip Rivers told me Friday at the Chargers’ training facility, “but we’re not going to avoid him. We’ll take some shots at him.”

Oh really? Rivers went back to pass 45 times (40 passes, two sacks, three runs after being chased from the pocket), and I charted Revis’ coverage pattern on every one of Rivers’ pass-drops. By my count, Rivers threw four passes into the zone where Revis had primary coverage, or to the man Revis was playing man-to-man. One was complete, to LaDainian Tomlinson, for a loss of four yards. One, to Legadu Naanee, was batted down by a diving Revis on a cross route. One, to Vincent Jackson, a deep pass up the left seam, was overthrown, with Revis and Jackson running stride for stride. And the fourth, to Jackson, was up for grabs between the two, with Revis coming down with a juggled ball for an interception in a spectacular play.

[...]

I don’t care if you’re Deion Sanders or Night Train Lane. Revis put on a clinic, a masterful display of clinging coverage and bump-and-run when the situation called for it.

via Darrelle Revis’ perfect game; ageless Brett Favre; NFL playoffs – Peter King – SI.com.

Charles Woodson got the award on name recognition. Revis removes whoever he is covering from that play, that reciever, whomever it may be, is surrounded by a black hole. Along with coach Rex Ryan’s pressure schemes aka Buddy Ball Jr. and yes Marty ball Jr., its the reason why the Jets are in the playoffs this far. I can’t see them being the Colts, but I thought (and dreaded) that it would be the hated Cowboys vs. Chargers in the Super Bowl.

I couldn’t bear to see another NFC East rival with a shot at the championship. So I made my deal with the devil and cheered Saint Favre the Great against the Cowboys. I don’t have a dog in the race anymore, but I think Jets/Saints would be fun, and Vikings v Colts would be unbearable.

The Michael Irvin Show: 1/12

HOF QB Troy Aikman joins the show to talk about Dallas ending the post season drought. Mike, Nate and Kevin simulcast with 97.9 (In Philadelphia) The Fanatic in Philadelphia to rub g…
via The Michael Irvin Show as heard on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM.

Great Soundbite (and I hate to give Michael Irvin props but this was “The U” quality smack right here):

• Michael Irvin to Eagles fan in Dallas named Tyrone: “Tyrone, what they need…is a fan like you! We gonna send you home by yo’ crib, Pack up and GET OUT!, that’s what you do! You pack up and get out and go to Philly wit those losers!”

What kills me is the brazen ignorance of my fellow Philly fan, Tyrone. Tyrone said we need a “Reggie White type of lineman”. They need the reincarnation of the best interior lineman ever to win the championship? WTF. Hold your breath and wait for that clone to be football ready Tyrone. I would rather have the guys we have now be healthier toward the end of the season (namely 3/5 of our offensive line). Because the Eagles o-line couldn’t block, the offense couldn’t run plays, and by extension sustain drives, and our defense played the bulk of the game against one of the best offenses in the league.

Another off season and another long wait for training camp and new hope. Another winter and spring filled with “dump McNabb”. The truth of the matter: McNabb probably stays. Without an extension, heading into an uncapped year, it doesn’t make sense to trade McNabb. He pretty much has all the leverage right now. There are many teams who would take him as he is when he becomes a free agent. He is still a much better than average QB. I think the Eagles front office will try and move Vick, keep Kolb and McNabb as the starter.

Either way, here’s hoping the Cowboys lose.