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Volume 8, Issue 75 (Sunday, July 8th)
LIMITED TIME OFFERS Hi Folks, Welcome to a new week. We've bulletproofed the new servers after the avalanche of traffic from the New York Times calling out our message boards in an article Sunday so we're ready to go. There's plenty of new content on the website for you to check out as well. But first the Quote Of The Day: "I feel like one of those old retired guys shuffling around in Florida. You know, the kind who wear their pants up real high." -- Retired NFL Player Conrad Dobler on his knee injuries. Have a great Monday and let's get to it. JSITE NEWS INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. Non Football Note - Footballguys Message Board Quoted In New York Times2. GB - Favre Leaves Door Open For 2008 3. USA Today Power Rankings 4. A Historical Look At Rookie RBs 5. Retired NFL Players Feel Forgotten 6. Conrad Dobler's Knees Tell The Tale 7. MIA - Dolphins In No Hurry To Lock Up Players 8. DEF - NE - Contract Talks Between Patriots, CB Samuel Going Nowhere Non Football Note - Footballguys Message Board Quoted In New York Times Source: Susan Saulny, New York Times Many of you know about our Footballguys Message Boards. Our Boards have over 23,000 registered users participating in a "flame free" moderated forum. You can see them by clicking here The main forum is called the "Shark Pool" where it's all NFL Talk. But we have a "Non Football" board called the "Free For All" that is just as popular. Lots of what we talk about there is political discussion. Recently, we had a thread regarding "Trophy Wives". More specifically, a thread discussing if America was ready for possible presidential contender Fred Thompson's "trophy wife". (I never said they were deep discussions...) Anyways, the Times felt compelled to reference our message board in their article. Not sure what that says about us. Or the New York Times. But it's out there. So it's all good.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
GB - Favre Leaves Door Open For 2008 Source: Brian Carriveau, Green Bay Railbird Central In a press conference held Saturday for the grand opening of a business in Waco, Texas in which Brett Favre is a partner, the Green Bay Packers quarterback said he was open to the possibility of playing in 2008. Favre is quoted as saying in the Waco Tribune-Herald, "Boy, that Super Bowl was great, but I want to chase it next year or the next two years and let the past speak for itself. It's been a great career up to this point. I'd like to make it a little better." Favre was in Waco for the opening of Young Champions, a fitness franchise for children similar to what Curves is for women. "Physically, I feel OK," Favre would also go on to say. "For me and my dilemma in trying to decide whether I wanted to come back or not, as much as I want to break it down and weigh this and weigh that, weigh the good and weigh the bad, it ultimately came down to one thing — that I still love to play. Do I love to practice? Not all the time. Do I love to prepare myself in the off-season the way I know I need to? Not all the time, but up to this point, I've been able to do it."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Interesting comments from Favre. But if you're like me, the "will he play or not next year" stuff gets sort of tiresome. We're interested in this season and what he can make happen. To see how we project the entire team, click here Source: USA TODAY Click the link for the complete list. But here are the top and bottom 5. 1 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Notes: The skies above Foxborough, Mass., have never been clearer entering a season. Unless catastrophe strikes in the form of a major injury, the Patriots should contend for the Super Bowl. (Eight first-place votes) 2 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Notes: The Chargers are talented, but trouble seems to build at playoff time when they have lost their last four games. Super Bowl XLII is possible, but their postseason history could be hard to shake in January. (Three first-place votes) 3 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Notes: They might find having a target on their backs as Super Bowl champs a big obstacle .But look for the Colts, defensive holes aside, to win yet another divisional crown and go deep into the postseason. (Two first-place votes) 4 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Notes: Because there aren't many dominant teams in the NFC, the Saints' fortunes should stay clear and sunny all season. Another NFC South title and deep playoff run are possible. 5 BALTIMORE RAVENS Notes: By keeping the core of its team, Baltimore might avoid a slipup and repeat as AFC North champs. But with aging leaders such as Ray Lewis and Steve McNair, warning signs are approaching. 28 MIAMI DOLPHINS Notes: There's a lot to prove in Miami. New QB Trent Green will provide leadership and experience. And this is a squad that needs a giant boost of confidence under new coach Cam Cameron. 29 DETROIT LIONS Notes: Detroit lost eight games by seven points or fewer in 2006. A better offense should develop under dependable QB Jon Kitna and stud receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. Second-year coach Rod Marinelli continues to implement his vision. 30 CLEVELAND BROWNS Notes: The Browns made a big splash on draft day, but top picks Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn are unlikely to have a big effect this season. There's reason for optimism in Cleveland, but the payoff won't likely arrive this season. 31 HOUSTON TEXANS Notes: The offense has a new QB (Matt Schaub) and new running back (Ahman Green). But the Texans still need to improve their sagging offensive line. 32 OAKLAND RAIDERS Notes: With a solid defense and and upgraded offense, the Raiders could approach .500 after four consecutive dismal seasons. New coach Lane Kiffin needs to establish himself and bring stability back to a franchise that ran amok in 2006.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Like any other rankings, their primary value is that they're good for discussion. Our Footballguys Message Boards have a ton of people participating in a "flame free" moderated forum. You can see discussion of this topic by clicking hereA Historical Look At Rookie RBs Source: John Holler, Vikingupdate.com There was plenty of celebrating among Vikings fans when the team took Adrian Peterson with the seventh pick in the 2007 draft. But there has never been a lead-pipe consensus on how rookie running backs will fare. Last year, there were plenty of question marks surrounding the first-round rookies. All were going to teams that already had a running back cemented in place, but each of them made a major contribution when used. Reggie Bush was electric. Laurence Maroney made Corey Dillon expendable and Joseph Addai did the same to Dominic Rhodes in Indianapolis. Recent rookies have done the same. Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams have been starters since Day One, Cedric Benson ran Thomas Jones out of Chicago, Steven Jackson forced Marshall Faulk to the bench and Larry Johnson made it easy to let Priest Holmes walk away. All had big expectations as first rounders and most have produced. But how much can be expected of a rookie making the jump to the pros? Quite a bit, actually. While Peterson's situation will be as individual as any of the others, here are the first-year numbers for running backs drafted over the last five seasons and what sort of impact they made with their team in regards to rushes, yards rushing and rushing touchdowns. 2006 Reggie Bush, New Orleans – 155-565-6; 88-742-2 Laurence Maroney, New England – 175-745-6; 22-194-1 DeAngelo Williams, Carolina – 121-501-1; 33-313-3 Joseph Addai, Indianapolis – 226-1,081-7; 40-325-1 2005 Ronnie Brown, Miami – 207-907-4; 32-232-1 Cedric Benson, Chicago – 67-272-0; 1-3-0 Cadillac Williams, Tampa Bay – 290-1,178-6; 20-81-0 2004 Steven Jackson, St. Louis – 134-673-4; 19-189-0 Kevin Jones, Detroit – 241-1,133-5; 28-180-1 2003 Larry Johnson, Kansas City – 20-85-1; 1-2-0 Willis McGahee, Buffalo – Did not play 2002 William Green, Cleveland – 243-887-6; 16-113-0[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] This is a Vikings article focused on how Adrian Peterson might fare this year but it could just as easily be about Marshawn Lynch or Kenny Irons or guys like Brandon Jackson or Chris Henry in Tennessee. We like Peterson a lot but Brad Childress holds the keys there as how the Vikings work Peterson in with Chester Taylor will be huge. To see how we project the entire Vikings team, click here Retired NFL Players Feel Forgotten Source: Chris Colston, USA TODAY In his 2006 Hall of Fame induction speech, former New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson called out the NFL on its treatment of hurting retired players. "I would hope the leaders of the NFL do a much better job of looking out for these individuals," he said. "If we made the league what it is, we have to take better care of our own." Hall of Famers such as Carson, Mike Ditka and Joe DeLamielleure have focused their frustrations on Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFLPA and a Hall of Fame guard who played for the Oakland Raiders from 1967 to 1981. "Why does the most lucrative professional sports league in the world have the worst pension and disability plan?" DeLamielleure asks. "My answer is: Gene Upshaw. He's the one running this thing." Many ex-players envy Major League Baseball retirees for their pension plan, which pays $175,000 annually for life after age 62 to players with 10 years of service. "The MLB average pension benefits are three times higher at $36,700 average vs. the NFL's $12,165 average benefit," former cornerback Bernie Parrish says, using a figure based on the average pensions of all retired players, not just recent ones. "According to Forbes, baseball's gross income is approximately $4.3 billion while the NFL's gross is over $7.1 billion. ... Baseball continues to prosper on less income and higher expenses. There is no excuse not to have the NFL retirement benefits matching MLB's."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] If there's one thing the NFL is sensitive to, it's public appearances. And they're taking a pretty good beating on this one. Compared to baseball, the league looks like it's not keeping up. Stay tuned to see how this plays out. Conrad Dobler's Knees Tell The Tale Source: Chris Colston, USA TODAY Dobler, 56, has had 11 knee operations, seven of them in the last year. His knees have the look of something patched together on a Civil War battlefield: slivers of angry red going this way, raised ridges that way, knobby bumps here, unnatural dents there. He hobbles around his home with a cane. He says his knee problems are a direct result of his 10-year NFL career. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament playing for the New Orleans Saints, an injury, he says, "that never really healed." The Saints traded him to the Buffalo Bills. "Had I taken it, I would have flunked the Bills' physical," he says, "But I needed the money." In the early 1990s, a doctor told Dobler he was 90% disabled. In 1994 he applied for NFL disability benefits, but the league-assigned physician turned him down, claiming Dobler could hold down a sedentary job. Dobler, who has six children, is CEO of Superior Health Care Staffing Inc. The company provides temporary staffing to hospitals.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] It's worth clicking on the headline of the article to go to the full story on USA Today's site just to see the pictures. Pretty gnarly. As I said in the other story, if there's one thing that moves the league, it's public appearance. And this doesn't look good. MIA - Dolphins In No Hurry To Lock Up Players Source: Barry Jackson, Miami Herald Although C Rex Hadnot will be Miami's top unrestricted free agent next spring, the Dolphins informed his agent they want to see how he fares in his move to right guard before making an offer. In addition, there have been no extension talks with OT Vernon Carey and OLB Channing Crowder, both signed through 2008. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Given the Dolphins' experience with Daunte Culpepper, it's understandable they might be a little gun shy about throwing lots of money at a player. This is one of those situations where the team is taking a calculated gamble. If the players excel this year, it'll cost more to lock them up after the season than it would now. But if they struggle, the Dolphins will be in a better position to re-sign them after the season if they choose to. DEF - NE - Contract Talks Between Patriots, CB Samuel Going Nowhere Source: Shalise Manza Young, The Providence Journal With a deadline of July 16th looming, the New England Patriots and their disgruntled Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel have roughly a week remaining to come to terms on a long-term contract. Otherwise, Samuel can play out this season on his one-year, $7.79-million franchise tender, or choose to hold out. The two sides have not met for some time, and when they did, they were not close to coming to an agreement. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] The Patriots aren't the toughest team in the league when it comes to paying players (Tom Brady, Richard Seymour etc) but they're not cupcakes either. It feels to me like they'll stick to their guns here and put the ball in Samuel's court. If that's what they do, I personally think he's crazy to do anything other than take their $7.79 million this year and play his heart out. We'll see though. That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Monday and we'll see you tomorrow with the update. Thanks for reading. J |
