This is the place to talk about the gridiron and the pigskin.
:tup:
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This is the place to talk about the gridiron and the pigskin.
:tup:
As I said on the other 2 forums: I pick the Steelers over the Packers!...oh and some pointless news (:lol:) Chad Ochocinco will go back to being called Chad Johnson...He got tired of it I guess :lol:
There goes my dream of Ochocinco being traded to a team where someone already wears #85
David Akers' daughter had cyst removed
After David Akers missed two kicks in the Philadelphia Eagles' playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers earlier this month, safety Quintin Mikell said his teammate was distracted by an off-field issue.
His agent, Jerrold Colton, said it was a "private family health concern". Akers had been silent on the issue but told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a story that appeared in Sunday's editions that his 6-year-old daughter Halley had a malignant cyst in her left ovary that was removed in the week after the game.
Akers
"They used the word tumor or cyst or growth," Akers told the newspaper. "And you're like, 'OK, what does that mean?' Cancer is what that means."
Akers' wife, Erika, told the newspaper that she could tell from her seat in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field that her husband's mind wasn't solely on the game against the Packers.
"I could tell he was there doing his job," she told the newspaper. "But he wasn't there."
Akers missed field goals of 41 and 34 yards in the Eagles' 21-16 loss to the Packers.
According to early tests, doctors believe they removed all of the malignant tumor. Halley has to get blood tests each month for the rest of the year and then more tests periodically. Even is she remains cancer-free she likely will also eventually have to have her right ovary removed.
"I think a lot of it is the unknown for us, and still not knowing, still kind of holding on," Akers told the newspaper. "You just don't think this is going to happen to your kid."
Akers, who will be the NFC's kicker in Sunday's Pro Bowl, will be a free agent this offseason.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6073857
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Kinda of sad. Hope she makes as full of a recovery as she can.
http://is100.imagesocket.com/thumbs/...utsjpgbawp.jpg
By Doug Farrar (Yahoo News)
Apparently, there's one thing you don't want to do if you're going to be anywhere near former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms, and that's to cast aspersions on the playing abilities of his son Matt, who's currently the quarterback at Tennessee. Ex-NFL punt return ace Desmond Howard did so last season in his role as an analyst on ESPN's College Gameday show, and this led to a little go-round between the two former Super Bowl MVPs at the NFL Experience event down in Dallas.
From Howard's Twitter account:
At NFL-Xperience and Phil Simms just threatened 2 hit me b/c I said his son was 1 of the worse QBs in the SEC. I told him "LET'S GO!"less than a minute ago via ÜberTwitterDesmond Howard
desmond_howard
I am DEAD serious about the Phil Simms thing. We all thought he was joking, but he kept going and said he wanted 2 take a swing at me!!less than a minute ago via ÜberTwitterDesmond Howard
desmond_howard
During the season we talked about the Tenn v LSU game and I said "u will see 3 of the worse QBs in the SEC" That's what Phil did not like.less than a minute ago via ÜberTwitterDesmond Howard
desmond_howard
It ended w/police stepping in between so I could continue my appearance w/fans.less than a minute ago via ÜberTwitterDesmond Howard
desmond_howard
Two things come to mind here. First of all, while it may be natural for Simms to get a bit lit up when people call his son a sub-par player, he needs to understand that in his role as the most highly-regarded color NFL announcer on a major network (an appeal that has always mystified me; Simms gets as much stuff wrong during a telecast as anyone you'll see), he has an obligation to at least give the appearance of professionalism in public settings.
Second, Howard has every right to say whatever he wants about Simms' performance in his capacity as an analyst, and in this case, the younger Simms hasn't exactly set the NCAA on fire. A junior college transfer, Simms threw 113 completions in 195 attempts for 1,460 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. Not horrible numbers, but he wasn't going to make anyone forget Greg McElroy or Cam Newton. If Howard had said something about Matt Simms that was more personal in nature, especially if it was something libelous, it would be easier to understand. But in this case, and until we hear his side of the story, Simms comes off as a goofball and a fake bully.
And having said all that, I'd better hope Simms doesn't show up at the scouting combine in three weeks and threaten to beat me up. Howard's just lucky Simms didn't have his friend Paulie Walnuts (pictured above) with him at the time!
More evidence that Phil Simms is a just douche!!!
I am not a big fan of Simms work as an analyst in general. This is the second time, Simms has taken issue with someone for commenting on one of his sons ability to play football. He called out Steve Young for statements Young said of Chris Simms ablity to play QB on the NFL level
BUMP
Go Steelers!!!!!!!
NFL owners will meet on March 3, the final day of the current collective bargaining agreement.
It is possible the owners will call for a lockout of the players if negotiations with the union are not progressing sufficiently.
All 32 owners are expected to be at the meeting in Fort Lauderdale that follows two days of committee meetings that were previously scheduled.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith repeatedly has said he expects a lockout. Talks broke down last week in Washington.
The owners opted out of the CBA in 2008.
Irsay: Colts put franchise tag on Manning
By MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The Indianapolis Colts are keeping Peyton Manning—no matter what it costs.
Manning, the only four-time MVP in league history, has been given the exclusive franchise tag, a move that could cost the Colts $23 million next season. Team owner Jim Irsay announced the decision Tuesday night on Twitter.
“We have placed the franchise tag on Peyton while we continue to negotiate a long term deal,” Irsay wrote.
The move is hardly a surprise.
Last year, Irsay promised to make Manning the NFL’s highest-paid player. He has reiterated that position many times since then with one caveat—if the Colts couldn’t reach a new deal with Manning before free agency started they would use the franchise tag.
The Colts did the same thing in 2004 before eventually agreeing to a seven-year, $98 million deal. The Colts then pulled the tag.
Irsay hasn’t backed down on either promise, and Manning, as he usually does, has remained silent about the contract.
Three weeks ago, the Colts put their first formal proposal on the table. It was an offer Irsay and team president Bill Polian wanted to make last October, but Manning informed the team then, through his agent, that he did not want to start negotiating until after the season.
The current offer is believed to be richer than the four-year, $72 million contract that New England quarterback Tom Brady signed in September. Brady’s contract also included $48.5 million in guaranteed money, and Irsay has called that deal the standard.
“It’s not a normal negotiation, his legacy and our relationship, it’s very unusual,” Irsay said last month.
On Tuesday, Indy decided not to wait any longer to make its decision.
By “tagging” Manning, no other team can negotiate with the Colts’ franchise quarterback.
How critical is Manning to the Colts’ success?
In 13 seasons, he has broken all the franchise’s career records for quarterbacks and has never missed a start. He’s taken Indy to the playoffs 11 times, captured seven AFC South titles in eight years, won two AFC championships, one Super Bowl title and a Super Bowl MVP Award.
And the Colts won more regular-season games in the past decade (115) than any team in NFL history.
The move does free up the Colts to work on other contracts before the collective bargaining agreement expires March 3.
The list of their potential free agents includes running back Joseph Addai, kicker Adam Vinatieri; Charlie Johnson, Manning’s blind side protector; Melvin Bullitt, a key backup at safety who is ready to start; starting linebacker Clint Session and starting defensive tackle Dan Muir.
Irsay also has promised “significant” announcements in the coming weeks.
But, of course, none would be bigger than giving Manning the richest deal in league history in what could be his final NFL contract.
“It’s important,” Irsay said when asked about the importance of reaching a new deal with Manning.
“But it’s something that you don’t totally control, so I think you have to be prepared to work on your roster while you’re doing that. That’s a big part of the equation, but I think you have to be able and ready to shape your roster.”
Redskins cut Portis, ends 7 eventful years in DC
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)—“Southeast Jerome” is officially gone for good. As well as “Dolla Bill” and “Sheriff Gonna Getcha.”
Clinton Portis was released by the Washington Redskins on Monday, ending a charismatic and sometimes contentious seven-year stay that, for a while at least, made him the face of the franchise.
Injuries and money led to coach Mike Shanahan’s decision. Portis had played in only 13 games over the last two seasons because of a severe concussion in 2009 and a torn groin muscle in 2010.
Portis was scheduled to make $8.3 million next season, and Shanahan made it clear at the NFL combine that the Redskins wouldn’t keep the 29-year-old running back at that price.
“We’re going to let him test the market,” Shanahan said, “and see what’s out there for him.”
Portis told 106.7 The Fan that he was given a chance to restructure his contract, but he said it would be “hard to accept not being the go-guy.”
“It was kind of a mutual decision,” Portis said. “They could have sat and held on and played around. They gave me an opportunity to further my career and go somewhere where I can help.”
Portis is 77 yards of 10,000 career rushing yards and leaves Washington 648 shy of one of his oft-stated goals—Hall of Famer John Riggins’ franchise record.
“If the record meant that much, I think I could stay in D.C. to get it,” Portis said. “Although I wanted it, I don’t think I wanted it bad enough to … continue to endure the area to get it. If John Riggins is the only name you can say did more than me as a Redskins running back, that’s great company to be in. And I’m OK with that.”
Portis will be most remembered for his colorfully productive 2005 season, when he set a franchise single-season rushing record (1,516 yards) and led the team to its first playoff berth in six years while playing dress-up along the way. Every Thursday during the season’s homestretch he would appear in costume, playing a wide range of characters that also included “Bro Sweets” and “Inspector Two-Two.”
Portis is also one who freely speaks his mind, and that frequently got him into trouble over the years. He picked on his offensive line. He derisively called coach Jim Zorn a “genius.” He said female reporters are naturally “going to want somebody” when they see undressed players in the locker room.
He even belittled Riggins, saying the local legend had it easier in the 1980s because it was “really not hard to be a great running back when you’ve got that talent all around you.”
“I always spoke the truth,” Portis said Monday, “and I think that’s bigger to me than the rushing record or the touchdowns or anything else.”
Portis was also profoundly affected by the death of Redskins safety and good friend Sean Taylor in 2007. Both played for the University of Miami.
“Clinton provided excitement from the very first time he touched the ball as a Redskin, and we were lucky to witness every ounce of energy, effort and passion he has given ever since,” Redskins owner Dan Snyder said in a statement released by the team. “We have been through a lot both on and off of the field and we would like to wish him and his family the very best.”
Portis played in only five games in 2010 before the groin injury ended his season. He rushed for a career-low 227 yards on 54 carries with two touchdowns.
Micheal Vick signs a 1-year contract...and the CBA ends tonight...could get ugly :|
America's favourite sport is still in business -- for another day.
The NFL and the players' union decided Thursday to keep the current collective bargaining agreement in place for an additional 24 hours so that negotiations can continue.
"The parties have agreed to a one-day extension," federal mediator George Cohen said in a one-sentence statement after the sides met with him for about eight hours. The CBA was set to expire at midnight, which would likely have prompted the first work stoppage since 1987 for a league that rakes in US$9 billion a year.
"For all our fans who dig our game, we appreciate your patience as we work through this," union executive director DeMaurice Smith said as he emerged from the talks. "We are going to keep working. We want to play football."
Said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as he left: "We are working as hard as we can."
Allowing the CBA to expire could put the two sides on the road to a year without football, even though opening kickoff of the 2011 season is still six months away. The labour unrest comes as the NFL is at the height of its popularity, breaking records for TV ratings: This year's Super Bowl was the most-watched program in U.S. history.
If the CBA expires, the owners could lock out the players, and the union could decertify to try and prevent that through the courts -- something the NFLPA did in 1989. It formed again in 1993.
I'd be shocked if any games are missed in this whole thing...
Hard to say :-k
You know, I actually come out on the side of the owners in this one. If these athletes are so 'mistreated and underpaid' then maybe they should try using their college degree and get a real job. It's hard to feel sympathy for someone that makes more in one game than I can make in 5 or even 10 years in some cases :meh:
Sure they are paid millions...but lets look at it this way...its a fight between millionaires and BILLIONAIRES :lol:...and the whole "I'd be shocked if any games are missed in the whole thing"...the NHL missed an entire SEASON for the same thing...new CBA.
The only thing I side with the owners is a rookie pay cap. You shouldn't get millions of dollars when you haven't played a single snap in the NFL.
I'd assume that it will happen...just like the NHL...BTW they extended the negociation for another week...both sides seem to want to end it the right way...
The NFL players' union has decertified, making the league's first work stoppage since 1987 a near certainty.
After 16 days of mediated talks with the NFL, the sides could not reach agreement on a new deal. The current one expires at the end of Friday and the league could lock out its players.
By decertifying, the union has cleared the way for individual players to file antitrust lawsuits against the NFL, which opted out of the CBA in 2008. It has renounced its right to represent the players in contract bargaining.
The CBA was due to expire a week ago and was extended twice.
The union's latest move sets the stage for a lengthy court fight that could potentially threaten the 2011 season.
It looks like you will be shocked.
As usual, a lot of these issues have significant components in the area of....misuse of taxpayer funds. Quite a correlation between the extent of players salaries and the amount of public money being funneled into stadiums etc.
http://blogs.forbes.com/warrenmeyer/...onomics-model/
How is public money being used for stadiums a misuse of taxpayer funds? When the Broncos wanted to build a new stadium and the owner wanted the public to (mostly) finance the cost of it, it was on the ballot. There was nothing 'hidden' in the ballot measure. I voted against it myself, but unfortunately it passed.
I may not agree with billionaire owners trying to extort money from fans by threatening to move a team if they don't pony up for a new stadium, but there is nothing wrong in principal with putting it on the ballot for people to vote on.
In fact, all of that is why I have great respect for Stan Kroenke who owns the Nuggets, Avalanche, and Rapids here in Denver. When he wanted new stadiums for his teams, he didn't ask the public or threaten to move the franchises if we didn't give in and give him public funds to build with...he fully funded the Pepsi Center and the Rapids new stadium with all his own money. That's the way it's supposed to be done.
unfortunately more of an exception rather than the rule
Oh no doubt....we have the exact opposite of him here in town too in Pat Bowlen of the Broncos. Not only did he threaten to move the franchise if the ballot measure for the new stadium failed, he also made sure in the wording that he gets the biggest cut of the parking and a huge cut of all concession sales (concessions were contracted out at the old Mile High and the Broncos didn't get much, if anything from it).
And on top of it, he raised ticket prices a few times after the new stadium was built.
:|
taxpayer subsideez', helpin pay yo salareez' :dance:
....basically I was just pointing out that distorted incentives produce distorted results. beneficial for players and owners, not so much most of the time for taxpayers. when you make a habit of laying down and spreading to get what you want, everyone is simply going to expect you to lay down and spread if they have something you want.
So the owners voted to move the kickoff from the 30 to the 35 yard line :wha:
Why even have kickoffs at all then? Just spot the ball at the 20 yard line for 1st down at the start of the possession :|
I agree - what a stupid rule change... that costs the Bears a ton in field position with a guy like Hester back there. I imagine though that guys like Hester will still have a green like to receive balls deep in the end zone and bring them out.
hehehehe I said "balls deep in the end zone" hehehehe
All depends on the score now I would imagine. In a close game the Bears (for example) wouldn't wanna take a chance of having Hester bring it out from 8 yards deep and take the chance of him getting tackled inside the 10 yard line....or even closer. It is basically going to end kick-off returns and it sucks.
:tfg:
Just saw an article on ESPN that the owners aren't considering using replacement players like they did back in '87. Maybe they should...I am absolutely sick of listening to the players bitch an moan about how they are getting 'screwed' by the owners. The NFL should try and break the union again like they did in 1987. I guarantee if the owners used replacement players, the regular NFL players would immediately cross the line (or within a couple of weeks at most).
Fk AP, that was a supremely ignorant statement. The boy's paid to run, not think, that much is obvious.
Boy Buys Super Bowl Ring Back for William 'The Refrigerator' Perry
Published April 05, 2011 | FoxNews.com
Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman William "The Refrigerator" Perry scores one last touchdown thanks to a 10-year-old boy.
Cliff Forrest of Pittsburgh took $8,500 out of his college fund to buy the Super Bowl XX ring that once belonged to Perry and then returned it to him Saturday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Forrest and his family flew out to Chicago and returned it to "The Fridge" while he was doing an autograph session Saturday.
"I Googled Mr. Perry and saw that he had a disease (Guillain-Barre syndrome) and had to sell it because of rough times. He only played in one Super Bowl. I thought he would want it more than I did," Forrest told the Sun-Times.
The disease Perry suffers from damages nerves and causes weakness and paralysis.
Perry would not say if he sold the ring to pay for mounting medical bills, but told the paper he was "overwhelmed" by the gesture.
Despite using a battery-powered scooter to get around and losing his hearing, "The Fridge" says he's doing better.
"I'm doing a whole lot better. I'm up and moving around. I'm doing what I like to do best -- fishing," he told the paper.
A federal judge on Monday ordered an end to the NFL lockout, giving the players an early victory in their fight with the owners over how to divide the US$9 billion business.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson said she was swayed by the players' argument that that the lockout, now in its second month, was causing irreparable harm to their careers.
The plaintiffs "have made a strong showing that allowing the League to continue their 'lockout' is presently inflicting, and will continue to inflict, irreparable harm upon them, particularly when weighed against the lack of any real injury that would be imposed on the NFL by issuing the preliminary injunction," Nelson wrote.
The NFL promised an immediate appeal.
"We will promptly seek a stay from Judge Nelson pending an expedited appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals," the league said. "We believe that federal law bars injunctions in labour disputes. We are confident that the Eighth Circuit will agree. But we also believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans. We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal."
Owners imposed the lockout after talks broke down March 11 and the players disbanded their union. A group of players filed the injunction request along with a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the league.
The owners argued it was their right to institute the lockout and suggested Nelson didn't have jurisdiction while the National Labor Relations Board considers an unfair labour charge filed by the league that players didn't negotiate in good faith.
Nelson disagreed, and said the NLRB proceeding shouldn't be used to affect the court case here.
Nelson heard arguments on the injunction at a hearing on April 6 and ordered the two sides to resume mediation while she was considering her decision. The owners and players, who failed to reach consensus after 16 days of mediated talks earlier this year, met over four days with a federal magistrate but did not announce any progress on solving the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.
They are not scheduled to meet again until May 16, four days after another judge holds a hearing on whether players should get damages in their related fight with owners over some $4 billion in broadcast revenue.
And now comes Nelson's decision to lift the injunction.
"(T)he public ramifications of this dispute exceed the abstract principles of the antitrust laws, as professional football involves many layers of tangible economic impact, ranging from broadcast revenues down to concessions sales," she wrote. "And, of course, the public interest represented by the fans of professional football -- who have a strong investment in the 2011 season -- is an intangible interest that weighs against the lockout. In short, this particular employment dispute is far from a purely private argument over compensation."
If her ruling stands, it is still unclear exactly what happens next. The collective bargaining agreement has expired, so how the league would handle free agency, trades and off-season workouts at team headquarters, all of which were banned under the lockout, remains to be seen.
The NFL even argued to Nelson that stopping the lockout would open all 32 teams up to additional antitrust claims simply for working together to solve the labour dispute. Antitrust claims carry triple damages for any harm proven, meaning hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake.
But with appeals expected, the fight seems likely to drag on through the spring and, possibly, into the summer. The closer it gets to August, when training camps and the preseason get into full swing, the more likely it becomes that regular season games will be lost.
"Tomorrow is going to come regardless of what we do here, so we have to work within that framework," Hall of Famer Carl Eller, a plaintiff, said after one of the recent mediation sessions. "In order to have a season, preserve a season, prepare for a season, those are real consequences."
And the antitrust lawsuit is pending, too, with lead plaintiffs that include MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The suit has been combined with two other similar claims from retirees, former players and rookies-to-be, with Eller the lead plaintiff in that group.
Granting the injunction swings some of the leverage to the players' side, which could actually bring the two sides closer to a resolution, according to Seth Borden, a labour law expert at McKenna, Long and Aldridge in New York.
"It's still going to boil down to the way the parties view their respective positions and respective leverage," Borden said. "Until the league and the players feel like they're at the point of no return for next season, progress will be slow toward that overall resolution."
:link: John Elway of Denver Broncos the 'biggest fan' of QB Tim Tebow
:facepalm:
Everybody is a Tebow fan because he's God's only son.
BTW 1st round of the draft tonight :cheerlead: cuz you know ESPN has only mentioned it once or twice in the last 2 months
Are you sure it's tonite? First I've heard of it :-k
It's tonight.
:yup:
I don't buy it :hand: