topic Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!! in Wellness

NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:40:15 GMT

It's training camp month!!!! Yeah! the long off-season is nearly done! Of course, July opens with potentially bad news for the Eagles. Multiple published reports indicate that Lane Johnson, the Eagles starting right offensive tackle, will be forced to miss the first four games due to failing a drug test this off-season. There's been no formal announcement from the league yet, but indications are that a formal announcement will be coming soon. Ah well, I knew things were going too smoothly this off-season. Hopefully this is it for bad news for a while.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 23:49:05 GMT

Okay. I didn't see that coming. Jerry Jones has traded a sixth round pick to Baltimore and gotten a seventh round pick back to also get Rolando McClain, the former Raider linebacker who's retired twice in the last year or so. The kid had potential when he came out but he had some "issues" that ultimately led to him being cut and then retiring (twice.) If (and these are huge, huge ifs) he's got his head back in the game and out of the clouds and he's in football ready shape, he could be an upgrade for them. I'm just not so sure that he's got his head screwed back on or is in real football shape.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

yellowrose — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 14:46:15 GMT

I don't know anything about Rolando, but I don't see this as a bad move. We need a LB and only gave up a 6th round pick. I think it's worth the gamble. Time will tell if he's got his head in the game or back in just for the paycheck. Once he practices in our summer heat and humidity, he just may go back in retirement.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 14:56:50 GMT

You didn't even really give up a whole sixth round pick either as you got a seventh round pick back, so it's not a bad gamble if he's got his head on straight. I might have gone more with a Brian Urlacher who's hinted pretty broadly he'd like one more go. You know where his head is, right between the numbers on the chest of the ball carrier. If McClain has gotten his head on straight (and that's a huge, huge if or else Baltimore wouldn't let him go for that little) then the Cowboys would have a good, solid young linebacker, but I'm just not sure I'd trust him not to walk away from the game in a crucial week. If he decides on the Saturday before a crucial game that he's had enough and he's retiring again, it won't be pretty. And that's the thing with this guy, you just don't truly know where his head is.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 23:15:32 GMT

And the season gets closer as more players get in trouble. Dion Jordan of the Dolphins is the latest player to get a four game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Colts wide receiver LaVon Brazill is suspended for at least one year and the Chief's outside linebacker Rokevious Watkins suspended for the first four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

On the Eagles front, still no official word on the suspension of Lane Johnson. I'm not sure what's going on there. Maybe an appeal or an ambiguous test? LeSean McCoy has jumped aboard the Nick Foles bandwagon. (He was formerly backing Mike Vick most of the time.) He's now staunchly defending Foles and seems solidly behind him. That's a smart move by LeSean.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

teganslaw — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 14:11:21 GMT

This is not LaVon Brazill's first suspension. He was suspended four games in the 2013 season for drug violation. That's probably why this time it's for a full year.

That isn't a great loss for the Colts. Brazill was a back up and would be fighting for fifith place with Whalen or Da'Rick Rogers. The Colts already are set with wide receivers: Nicks, Wayne. Moncrief, to name a few. Kind of stupid move on Brazill's part, though. The players know the NFL's stand on drugs, yet so many of them still violate it.

Happy July 4th everyone! We're having a beautiful day here in IN. Hope everyone enjoys their day.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 14:04:17 GMT

And the troubles keep coming. Josh Gordon (Browns wide receiver who was among the league leaders in receptions last year) who was already facing a likely year long ban for drug use, managed to get himself arrested for driving under the influence. You would think these guys would eventually learn not to do stupid stuff, but somehow the lesson never sinks in.

Just about two more weeks until training camp starts and that should keep some of the guys out of trouble for a while.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

teganslaw — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 14:22:52 GMT

The Colts waived LeVon Brazill. They acquired a player from Boise state named Aaron Burks. I don't know much about Burks, have to look him up.

Brazill definitely has a problem, so I'm not surprised at the news. I hope he turns his life around. No other team will be interested in him at this point.

I also saw that Washington's Tanard Jackson has been suspended indefinitely. The NFL has been going on a suspension spree lately.

Won't be long before the preseason begins. August is almost here.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 21:27:34 GMT

Yeah, Tanard Jackson is one of those guys who was getting a second chance and blew it. He'd come off an indefinite suspension and the Skins gave him a chance only to have him fail a test before he ever got to play in a single game.

Less than two weeks before the Eagles open training camp now. Hopefully all of the guys stay out of trouble until then. There's been a long, long delay since the media learned that Lane Johnson has been suspended for the first four games for PED use with still no official word from the NFL. The local press is still saying they're right, but this long, long delay makes you wonder a bit.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:43:48 GMT

And with training camps just about to open a couple of the more contentious contract situations around the league have now been settled. The Saints reached an agreement with Jimmy Graham to make him the highest paid tight end in the league. And the Cowboys have apparently agreed to release Kyle Orton.

For those who haven't been following the Kyle Orton situation, he's the backup quarterback to Tony Romo who decided at the end of last season that he wanted to retire from football. There was just one problem. He would owe the Cowboys $3.25 million (or so) from his pro-rated signing bonus and he didn't want to repay that money. The Cowboys wanted him to come back and tried to use that as leverage to get him to come back as a backup one more time. The problem for the Cowboys is that it wasn't much leverage. The power was all on Orton's side in this case and he and his agent knew it. The Cowboys had to keep him on the roster tying up a valuable roster space, they had to count the $2 million he was due to earn this year against their salary cap, and he could sit out all of training camp and all they could do was fine him $30,000 a day for each day he missed and it takes a lot of $30,000 fines to make $3.25 million. The Cowboys have now apparently conceded defeat in this standoff and have now agreed to release Orton who will then likely announce his retirement and pocket the $3.25 million. For the Cowboys this does give them an extra roster space and another $2 million they can use this season.

Brian Orakpo of the Redskins didn't reach a long-term deal and will likely be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2014 season. That means he'll be playing hard all season to give himself the best shot at a big contract next year. The Redskins could tag him again, but tagging the same guy two years in a row really ups the price, so he's more likely to become a free agent and will probably be pretty highly sought after.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

cindyinfl — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:15:55 GMT

Good morning! This is my first post on this forum. Both my DH & I are retired and live in Jacksonville, Fl. and are big NFL fans.

Yep, we live in the home of the hapless Jaguars, We are hoping that the team does a little bit better this season, with the signing of QB Bortles. Although he is rookie, the team seems to have high hopes for him this year as backup behind Chad Hennie. In Jacksonville, hope springs eternal for the Jags, so maybe this season they can produce!

I am originally from Dallas, so the Cowboys are in my DNA! My stepfather had season tickets to the cowboys games back in the late 60s, early 70s, so I used to go with him to most of the games. I even remember Dandy Don Meredith, Danny White & Roger Staubach, which were all my favorites. I still follow the Cowboys.

Things have certainly changed with the teams over the years, and IMO, some not for the better. Now it seems to be about big business & money instead of the game itself.

My husband was born in Cleveland, OH, so we will be watching the Browns this year with great interest since the acquisition of Mr. Football. Actually, my favorite team is the gutsy Seattle Seahawks. We also like New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and the Houston Texans. We look forward to preseason, and then the start of regular season. Fall & football season are our favorite time of the year.

I enjoy reading your posts & talking football. Come on August!!!!

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

teganslaw — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:13:42 GMT

Welcome to the board, Cindy! I'm a fan of the Indianapolis Colts. Since they play Jacksonville twice a year, I'm familiar with the Jaguars. They have played some tough games against Indy. No matter what, I don't take any NFL team too lightly. It will be interesting to see how the teams have changed this season. Only three weeks until the first preseason game.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 14:46:38 GMT

Welcome, Cindy! The fun thing with the NFL is you can go from first to worst and then back to first in a short period of time. An injury here or there can decimate even the best teams. A bad team can get lucky on a late round draft pick or free agent and have them become the last piece/pieces they need to become great. You just never know what will happen from week to week.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 00:32:10 GMT

DeMarco Murray says this is the best Cowboy's team he's ever been on. He might be right offensively, but that defense is a bit scary looking and not in a good way for Cowboy fans. They've lost three of their best defensive players and the defense wasn't all that good even with those guys last year. The offensive line is better, Romo could be good if he can stay healthy, Dez Bryant is maturing and becoming a star, so on offense there's reason for optimism, but that defense has little reason for optimism. The players they've got this year are a better fit scheme-wise, but the talent level has dropped considerably. I suspect we'll see a lot of Cowboy games this year like the Broncos game last year where it's just a run and gun shootout and the team with the ball last wins. This is one of those years where it's likely the Cowboy offense can't have a bad game and have any hope to win.

The Eagles are just about a week from opening camp and everyone is still wildly enthusiastic about this season. I'm a little paranoid that the media is so positive this year. The Philly media is never positive. Hardly a single negative word is being heard and that's just not normal in Philly. Maybe it's because all of the other Philly sports teams are so bad that the press is looking for a reason to be positive.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

cindyinfl — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:03:08 GMT

Thanks for the warm welcome to the board.

I enjoy reading your comments and insights about your teams. And you all are right, in the NFL, things can change in a flash. An injury, or new team player acquisition, can make a world of difference. That's one reason I enjoy pro football, you never know from week to week. We can't wait for preseason to start. Although here in NE Florida, it is still unbearably hot & humid in August, to me for some reason, the start of preseason signals the beginning of exciting times ahead. Finally something to look forward to on Sunday afternoons, and Monday & Thursday evenings. The only complaint I have is footballl is too short for us. The season just starts, and then it's playoffs & Super Bowl. I wish they played year around.

Jags training camp opens today, so we'll be following with interest. Will keep you posted.

Hope everyone has a great week. Come on August!!!

Cindy

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

cindyinfl — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:05:34 GMT

Sorry, I mean to insert season after football - football season is too short for us. DUH. I'm sure you all could figure it out! My mind and my typing are not together most of the time.

Cindy

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

Sheltie Mom — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:56:37 GMT

Hello again! Thought I better check in before I get too far behind as usual, lol!

Hi Cindy, it's good to meet you! And as your last post noted, a team's forturnes can change quickly with injury.

The Bills have already lost Kiko Alonso, our star rookie MLB from last year to an ACL. He will be out for the year... sigh...

But I went to the opening of training camp last night and Brandon Spikes seems to have things under control. Our acquisition from the Pats is definitely our new field general. Actually everyone looked sharp under the lights except for EJ. Our quarterback still needs to get on the same page with his receivers. Sammy Watkins looked good though.

So did Bryce Brown, our new running back. gardenman, he looked good last night, that young man has some speed!

Thank goodness it's football season again! And the Bills will kick-off the pre-season at Canton the day after Andre Reed gets his induction into the HOF! Whoohooo! Go Bills!

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 12:54:01 GMT

Sheltie Mom. Yeah, Bryce Brown is like lightning. He's got a ton of potential. Last year with the Eagles he kept trying to break everything wide instead of making one cut and taking it up the field. When he makes one cut and goes, he's like lightning. He's just got to get the mental part of the game down. Two years ago as a rookie he kept fumbling all of the time. The Eagles worked on him all last off season and he did much better with that, but then he got into the habit of trying to outrun the defense to the sideline and that just doesn't work. While you can outrun a linebacker/defensive end to the sideline, there's usually a corner or safety there waiting for you to make the tackle. Find a crease and go straight up the field is the best running strategy. If the Bills can get Bryce back into the one cut and go mode, he'll be a beast for them. Expect to see him get lots of repetitions at that in training camp so it becomes second nature to him again. Very rarely can you outrun a defense to the sideline no matter how fast you are. They've already got people where you're going, so you're better off finding a seam and taking it.

The Giants offensive line just got a bit shakier with Chris Snee deciding to retire. Apparently his off season elbow surgery wasn't as successful as he'd like so he's giving up the game. That's not good news for Eli Manning heading into training camp. They were hoping Snee would be back at full strength.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 14:41:34 GMT

And naturally, just before training camp starts one of the Eagles more brain-dead players gets himself arrested. Safety Keelan Johnson shoved a police officer the other night while intoxicated and got himself arrested. He was already a bit of a long-shot to make the roster and this sure won't help him any. Luckily no major injuries resulted. The officer bumped his head on a tree, but that was the extent of any injuries. Chip will not be happy about this and Keelan better blow Chip's socks off in camp, or he's not likely to make the roster.

I'm pretty sure every coach in the league breathes a big sigh of relief when camp opens and they get the guys all back somewhat under their control.

In news around the league, the Browns who had already named Brian Hoyer their starting quarterback are now saying they'll name their starter by the third exhibition game. Uh, guys? Didn't you do that like a month or two ago? I'm pretty sure I saw it said that Brian Hoyer was the starter. Manziel mania may have taken hold of the Brown's coaching staff. I'm not sure if that means Manziel was impressive in the OTA's and Hoyer wasn't, or if they're just trying to keep everyone in suspense. If they're starting Manziel then they'd better make sure Hoyer get s a lot of reps as he'll be playing sooner rather than later. Manziel won't survive many weeks playing in the NFL if he plays like he did in college.

Re: NFL News and Notes for July!!!

gardenman — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 13:36:14 GMT

It's a good year to be a rookie linebacker with the NY Giants. Jon Beason broke his foot earlier, but they'd signed Jameel McClain as an insurance policy in case Beason got injured, now McClain has gone down with a foot injury. McClain's injury may not be serious, initial x-rays were negative, but there's a lot that can go wrong with a foot that doesn't show up on x-rays. Since they had to cart him off the field it doesn't look good. If it's still bothering him today (and it probably is) they'll do an MRI and see what's really going on.

Rookie linebackers will be getting pretty much all of the reps for the Giants now and this is a great opportunity for them to shine. As a rookie you hate to see the vets go down, but it opens a door that might not have been open before. Whoever was third in line for reps is now first in line for reps and that's huge for a kid. Getting first team reps, and a lot of them, is a dream come true for a rookie as long as he's had his head in the playbook. It's kind of a nightmare for coaches and personnel guys, but for the kids, it's the best thing ever.