Injuries

NFL training camps only opened last week. Since then it seems that each day brings another report of another player suffering a training camp injury. There have always been training camp injuries. There always will be training camp injuries. When I think of these injuries I still tend to think of Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley. In 2006, he was a big free agent signing for the Browns. He tore his patellar tendon on the first play of the first 11-on-11 training camp session. I suppose that I think about Bentley's injury before so many others because it took place on the first play of his first real practice with his new team. Also in 2006, Minnesota Vikings rookie linebacker, and top pick, Chad Greenway tore his ACL on the opening kickoff of his first preseason game. Unlike Bentley, Greenway at least made it to a preseason game with his new team. Sort of. Yes, there has always been training camp injuries. This year there just seems to be more.

Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin tore his ACL
Denver Broncos center Dan Koppen tore his ACL
Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta dislocated his hip
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Tyrone Crawford tore his achilles tendon
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jason Phillips tore his ACL
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Darius Fleming tore his ACL

The 2013 NFL season for these players is already over. There's likely many more players that have suffered injuries that I can't recall right now. San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram and San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree were injured before they even made it to training camp. New Seattle Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin has issues with his hip and it looks like he's heading toward surgery. There just seems to be a lot more injuries this year than most. Inquiring minds want to know, why? Injuries will always be a part of football. Injuries happen when a certain amount of stress is put on a body part. Football puts a great deal of stress on a lot of body parts. There's no real reason for the great number of injuries that are unfortunately occurring right now. The new CBA has made practices easier than they have ever been so the players aren't being pushed beyond their physical limits. It's just a run of bad luck. Nothing more. Hopefully, this run ends soon. Real soon. Like now.

Tough Decisions Coming

NFL teams are forced to make tough decisions every year. Signing and re-signing players at the beginning of the offseason. Forming the final roster before the start of the new season. The Minnesota Vikings will have some real tough decisions to make by next March. There's more than enough immediate concerns to even start worrying about those decisions now. The media won;t let that happen. The media simply can't back off the contract status of much of the Vikings defensive line. Defensive ends Jared Allen, Brian Robison, Everson Griffen and defensive tackle Kevin Williams are playing under the last year of their contract. Allen, Robison, and Williams are all projected to be starters. Griffen may not start but coaches will get him on the field as much as possible. He's primed for a huge season. Allen gets a lot of media attention. Every time a microphone is near him, which is often, a question about his contract status soon follows. The thing that bothers me most about the media asking players about their contract situation is it's a question that the players can't really answer. Even if they did know the team's plans they aren't going to discuss it with the media. The player isn't going to negotiate through the media. It's ridiculous but the media has always been more concerned with drama than the play on the field.

As a Vikings fan, it's difficult not to consider the possibility that this is the last season of Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and Brian Robison on the defensive line. Williams has been a fixture since he was drafted in 2003. Allen has brought a pass rushing presence since 2008. Robison has started opposite Allen since 2010. With the talent of those three football players it's interesting that Everson Griffen is the most likely to be re-signed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's signed to an extension during this season. The team may not wait until the offseason. At 25, he's by far the youngest of the impending free agents on the defensive line. Williams, Allen, and Robison are 32, 31, and 30, respectively. Griffen is going to be a difference-making pass rusher. He actually already is and he's ready to do it on a full time basis. While it's certainly possible that the Vikings re-sign all four players, I find it highly unlikely. I always hope that the Vikings win the Super Bowl. Every single season. This season, I hope that Kevin Williams can finally win the Super Bowl and ride off into retirement on a high note. He's been such a fantastic football player for the Vikings. A possible Hall of Famer and he continued the line of fine defensive tackles in Minnesota. I'd rather see him retire as a Viking than play elsewhere. His likely replacement in Minnesota has arrived with top pick Sharrif Floyd. There is a changing of the guard and will likely take place at defensive end as well. I think that the Vikings will try to re-sign one of Allen and Robison. They are close enough in age so that shouldn't play a role. Robison would be cheaper to re-sign so that might. These are the tough decisions that teams make every year.

Perhaps the worst part of being a fan of a team is experiencing the exodus of much loved players. Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, and Brian Robison have been fan favorites for years. They've certainly been favorites of mine. Retirements are tough but much easier than decisions made through economics. The salary cap brought about some good things but this isn't one of them. Quite frankly, these decisions suck. It's best to concentrate on this season and worry about those tough decisions when they have to be made.

Vikings Receivers Again

The receiver position draws my interest more than any other position on a football team. It always has. The Minnesota Vikings receivers over much of the past decade have trended toward the sorry side. Trotting out a starting duo of Marcus Robinson and Travis Taylor was just sad. The situation was looking up with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin but those two are in Seattle now. There was a brief period this past offseason when Jarius Wright was at the top of the receiver depth chart. He's a real nice receiver with a real nice future but he has about a dozen career recpetions. Since that brief period the Vikings re-signed Jerome Simpson, signed Greg Jennings, and drafted Cordarrelle Patterson. Now, the Vikings actually have a pretty interesting receiver group.

Greg Jennings
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Joe Webb
Greg Childs
Stephen Burton
Chris Summers
Rodney Smith
Erik Highsmith
LaMark Brown
Adam Thielen

I think that the only receivers that are assured of spots are Jennings, Wright, and Patterson. Jennings was signed to make a difference. Off the field as well as on. When healthy he's one of the best receivers in the game. Wright was often terrific as he stepped up when Harvin was hurt. Wright has a bright future. Patterson is a unique talent. If he can harness that talent, he could be an elite football player. He has the running ability and elusiveness of a smaller football player. At about 6'2" and 220 lbs, I can't think of another receiver this size that can cut and move like Patterson. He'll be a dynamic kick returner immediately. Simpson is currently listed as the first team split end. It's likely that he keeps that spot but it's far from certain. That's due more to the talent currently behind him. Webb is making the transition from quarterback to receiver. It's a tough switch but he's so physically gifted. He may even take the punt return job as well. His versatility, natural ability, and willingness to play special teams help his chances. Childs lost his rookie season last summer when he tore the patellar tendon in BOTH knees. His recovery has been incredible. Especially considering that no NFL player has ever come back from such an injury. He started this training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list but it seems that it is more as a precaution. He's ready. He's also the big, down the field threat that the Vikings have lacked since Sidney Rice. Burton is raw but talented. This is his third year with the team and this is likely a make or break training camp for him. Summers and Smith are big, 6'5" and 6'6", receivers that have potential. Each has a chance as their size makes them unique. It gives them something that the other receivers on the roster don't have. Thielen was signed after making it through the NFL's regional combine process. His performance there got him a tryout with the Vikings and he was signed. His shot is longer than even undrafted rookies like Smith and Highsmith. Every practice he simply makes plays. He may not be the most physically gifted football player on the field but he does so many things right. He just makes plays. He's also going to make it real tough for the team to cut him. The Vikings usually keep five receivers. It's because of players like Thielen and maybe Childs that might force the team to keep six receivers. It's also why I think that Simpson's spot is far from assured. The receiver position has been a weak spot for too long. I think that it will soon be a strength.

Running Wild

When I was a kid, I saw a then unknown minor league outfielder named Rickey Henderson race a horse before a baseball game. I thought that was pretty cool then. Now, I hear that Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and Chicago Bears returner Devin Hester raced a cheetah a few months ago for a special to kick off "Big Cat Week on Nat Geo Wild in November. I haven't heard much chatter out of Chicago about Hester's participation in this big event. That's not the case in Tennessee. This is making the rounds because the media is grilling Johnson for details. While this story is mildly entertaining. I find the fact that Titans head coach Mike Munchack had no idea that the race had even taken place the most interesting part of the story. You'd think that Titans decision makers might be a little concerned about their top back playing around with a cheetah. Munchack kind of laughed off the race but he was real pleased that Johnson was ready for training camp and not rehabbing from a mauling.

Of course, the race officials took the proper precautions. They had a barrier between the football players and the cheetah. It was a good thing that they had a trial run before the players arrived. The cheetah was able to leap over the barrier. They had to make it higher. The cat did stare down Johnson as it stalked back and forth. Fun times.

So how did Chris Johnson and Devin Hester fare against a wild animal that can run as fast 75 mph?

"You'll have to wait and see," said Johnson.

No Bonus For You!

I've always been amazed that NFL players have contracts that contain a bonus for working out in the offseason with his team. I can't believe that these bonuses exist. I can't believe that they are necessary. Players should want to work out with their team during the offseason. They should want to strengthen themselves and their teams. That's the purpose of these workouts. It's not to collect a bonus.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tarrell Brown left $2 million on the table when he failed to workout with his team this past offseason. He had one of those workout bonuses and he failed to earn it because he didn't know about it. He learned of the money that he wouldn't earn through reports on Twitter. Of course, where else would he hear about it. He immediately fired his agent, Brian Overstreet.

Now, I can understand Brown firing his agent due to the simple fact that Overstreet failed to do his job. An agent should let his client know what's in the contract. Especially if that something is the fact that his client could earn an extra $2 million. Still, I have little sympathy for Tarrell Brown. Despite it being his agent's job to keep him informed, Brown should know that he has a workout bonus. He signed the contract. He should know what's in it. Especially something so easily understood and so easily achieved. What bothers me the most is that it didn't occur to Brown that he should work out with his football team. It shouldn't matter one bit that there's a bonus attached to the workouts. He's part of the team. Prior to being paid to play a game, football players have been working out in the offseason since they first put on the pads. High school, college, they all have offseason workouts. There wasn't a question that players would participate then. Why should there be a question now? If Tarrell Brown had thought about football like he did before he was paid, he'd have an extra $2 million now.

And, They're Off!

Finally. Training Camps are open. Today all teams start the road to the Meadowlands. Well, the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts won't have the entire team in camp until tomorrow. The rookies of those teams have been sweating it out since the beginning of the week. Not having the veterans in might be the only peace that the rookies get all camp. Most importantly, the Minnesota Vikings reported to Mankato St. University last night. Yesterday morning, the Vikings woke with their three first round draft picks still unsigned. I hate that it regularly comes down to the last minute but I was confident that none of the drafted rookies would miss a bit of practice. The Vikings front office has been pretty good at getting the draft picks signed. That wasn't the case in 2002. Minnesota had selected Miami tackle Bryant McKinnie with the 7th pick of the 2002 NFL Draft. McKinnie didn't sign his first NFL contract until Halloween was in the air. Holdouts weren't meant to be with the Minnesota Vikings first round bounty this year. Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and receiver Cordarrelle Patterson all signed their contracts yesterday morning. They had plenty of time to get to Mankato for head coach Leslie Frazier's motivating talk to open Training Camp 2013.

Earlier this week the Vikings signed an agreement to continue holding their training camps in Mankato through 2015. I'm not sure if their camp plans will change with the opening of the spectacular new stadium in 2016. There's been a move throughout the NFL to hold training camps at team facilities. The Vikings might join that move. I guess that staying in itty-bitty-shitty college dorms is getting old for professional football teams. The Vikings will have been going to Mankato for fifty years when this new agreement comes to an end. I've been wanting to go to Mankato and witness training first hand for years. Sadly, it's never happened and the time to do so is possibly closing soon. They have to hold training camp somewhere. I'll go there.

The NFL really has no offseason anymore. The Super Bowl drifts into the Scouting Combine and that slides into free agency which eases into the draft which gradually becomes OTAs and suddenly training camps are opening. Despite this never-ending cycle, there is a feeling of a new beginning when training camps open. The supposed offseason builds to this starting point. Every team has a chance now. OK, the Oakland Raiders might be a year or two away but everyone else has a chance. Actually, the Raiders do have a shot. It's a long one. The Denver Broncos will be tough to catch in their division but the Raiders could surprise. The Jets too. If nothing else, all 32 teams have hope. That's a good thing. It all starts today. Earlier for some teams. Tomorrow for the full teams of the Bills and the Colts.

Throwback Thursday: Hall of Famer?

There are so many players deserving of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that haven't gotten that call. Green Bay Packers end Lavvie Dilweg should have been inducted decades ago. He last played in 1934. Mac Speedie, Alex Karras, Jerry Kramer, Otis Taylor, and Mick Tingelhoff should be in Canton. There are so many waiting for so long that it's difficult to debate the merits of a player that last played in 2001. After his first four years in the league, Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was likely considered an automatic, first-ballot Hall of Famer. He had perhaps the greatest start to a career that any back has ever had. 1,750 yards in year three. 2,008 yards in year four. 56 rushing touchdowns in his first four seasons. 3x All-Pro. 2x NFL Offensive Player of the Year. League and Super Bowl MVP  in 1998. He made it possible for John Elway to win two Super Bowls at the end of his tremendous career. He was arguably the best back in the league when Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders were still playing. Davis' career pretty much ended in 1999 when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his right knee while trying to make a tackle on an interception return. He only played 17 more games over the next three years. He seemed to be on the mend in 2001. He gained 701 yards in eight games but injuries brought him down again. He tried again in 2002 but he was sadly done.

Terrell Davis' injury-shortened career brings to mind the similarly abbreviated career of Gale Sayers. Both played seven seasons. Both had injury-plagued seasons to end their career. There was never any doubt that Sayers would be honored in Canton. He made it in his second year of eligibility. The clock is still running on Davis' eligibility. He's in his eighth year now. He feels that if he ever makes it to Canton it will be through the senior nomination process. Some time needs to pass before he's eligible for that process. I was a little surprised by this as I see Davis as a player that could make it any year. He was that great. Even if it was for such a short period of time. It's been said that a Hall of Famer must be considered among the best to play his position during his time in the league. Terrell Davis most certainly was that. From 1995-98, there was no better running back. It's also been said that for a Hall of Famer to be a Hall of Famer, you can't tell the history of the NFL without mentioning the player. You can't talk about the 1997 and 1998 NFL seasons without mentioning Terrell Davis. He led his Broncos team to the Super Bowl title at the end of each of those seasons. Those Super Bowls might have been all about Elway finally winning it all but the Broncos were NFL Champions because of Davis. Unfortunately, Hall of Fame voters are too hung up on numbers right now. 7,607 yards probably doesn't seem like much of career to them. As with Sayers, you have to look at how he gained those yards.

Terrell Davis is a Hall of Fame dilemma. Typically, I think that a Hall of Fame career is one that is more than four years of greatness. It's an opinion that pretty much kills the chances of some of my Minnesota Vikings favorites like Chuck Foreman, Ahmad Rashad, and Joey Browner. When I recall the way that Terrell Davis ran the football for those four incredible seasons, I recall a Hall of Fame running back.

Vikings Colleges

There's been a decent amount of attention paid to the Minnesota Vikings apparent infatuation with Notre Dame players. It was often mentioned by draft talkingheads as one of the reasons that the team might be interested in linebacker Manti Teo. Personally, I think that the number of Irish Vikings is more a coincidence that anything else. Either way, there are five on the roster:

John Sullivan
Kyle Rudolph
John Carlson
Harrison Smith
Robert Blanton

Sullivan, Rudolph, and Smith are already impact players. Carlson and Blanton could join them in that capacity.

Notre Dame isn't the only college with a bunch of Vikings. USC also has five.

Matt Kalil
Rhett Ellison
Matt Cassel
Everson Griffen
Lawrence Jackson

After only one season, Kalil is well on his way to being one of the very best tackles in the game. Cassel and Jackson joined the team this offseason as free agents to form a fine group of Trojans in Minnesota. If the Vikings have to add USC players to the roster they had better be difference makers.

While I was well aware of all the Notre Dame and USC players on the Vikings roster, I was surprised to see that Florida St. had passed  them both. That happened draft weekend. Four rookies have joined Christian Ponder and Letroy Guion as teammates.

Christian Ponder
Letroy Guion
Xavier Rhodes
Everett Dawkins
Anthony McCloud
Rodney Smith

Nearby Iowa comes in at fourth with four:

Chad Greenway
Christian Ballard
Seth Olsen
James Vandenberg

While it's really no surprise that the Vikings find many terrific football players from established football colleges like Notre Dame, USC, Florida St., and Iowa. It's a little startling to see Furman checking in with three players heading to Mankato for training camp.

Jerome Felton
Colin Anderson
Jerodis Williams

Felton made the Pro Bowl last season as Adrian Peterson's lead blocker. That got him a nice extension and a bright future with the Vikings. Three Paladins and only one Golden Bear.

Through 53 years of Minnesota Vikings football there have been startling few players from Cal. While my school may have had a wildly inconsistent football team over the past several decades there have still been many excellent football players. Few have found their way to Minnesota. Right now there is only one. He was their most recent addition.

Cal:
Desmond Bishop

New Football Website

Longtime Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King has kick started a new football website. The Monday Morning Quarterback. AKA the MMQB. It's going to be great. It's going to be great for what it's not. As King says, the site is not going to have day-to-day beat coverage of teams or really be a news-breaking site. One thing that I've always liked about Peter King is that he seems to approach football and the NFL with the enthusiasm of a fan. "We'll be the thinking person's site for pro football." All aspects of the game intrigue King and that intrigues me. He'll take the readers behind the scenes. He'll bring us stories that we can't find anywhere else.

Greg Bedard from the Boston Glode, Jenny Vrentas from the Newark Star-Ledger, and Robert Klemko from USA Today have signed on as staff writers. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will write columns throughout the season. He certainly has a lot to say. Fortunately for all of us, he's a bright guy despite having gone to Stanford. Terrific Sports Illustrated writers like Don Banks and Jim Trotter will pop in with contributions. King will take the reader on a trip to Colin Kaepernick's hometown. This is particularly interesting to me as it's my hometown too. Also of particular interest to me is the chronicle of Minnesota Vikings undrafted free agent running back Zach Line's fight to win a roster spot this summer. The reader will also find what King calls the best piece he's ever read on what it's like to be cut from an NFL team. Written by a player that actually lived through it, Austen Lane. That's a lot of fine stuff in just the first week.

I get pretty excited about every new football season. This one's no different. I think the MMQB will be a real nice addition to my daily appreciation of football. Great football writing. Great football topics. I enjoy Peter King's approach to football and his presentation of it. I think that this new site is a keeper. The Flea Flicker says check it out.

The Making Of A Football Team

I find it interesting to see how an NFL team is put together. Each general manager and coach has a different philosophy as to how it's done so each goes about it differently. Brad Childress came to the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 and he quickly made changes. He even brought in a new secretary. On the field, he brought in free agents Chester Taylor, Steve Hutchinson, Ben Leber, and Ryan Longwell in his first months on the job. Childress used free agency far more than any Vikings decision maker had before. It seemed that every other year the Vikings spent on experienced players. After that first spending spree in 2006, the Vikings traded for and paid a ton to Jared Allen. They added Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams in free agency. Childress found help in the draft as well but it was mostly at the top of the draft. His first round picks were lights out. Chad Greenway, Adrian Peterson, and Percy Harvin. The latter rounds offered little with only John Sullivan making an impact. Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, and Everson Griffen showed that the Vikings were strangely efficient at selecting defensive ends in the fourth round. The mixing of new veterans with some key draft picks created the dynamite Vikings team in 2009. Signing Brett Favre as training camp was getting underway certainly completed that team. It also made for a fairly aged team. It was a team that had to win when they had a chance. They didn't and the Minnesota Vikings team that Childress built fell apart in a hurry. It also cost Brad Childress his job.

Enter Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman. One of the unusual aspects of the Vikings decision makers now is that they were all part of the previous regime. Frazier as Childress' defensive coordinator and Spielman as VP of Player Personnel. It appears that Spielman and Frazier have a terrific working relationship. Spielman, as GM, makes the final decisions. Frazier, as head coach, puts the team on the field. They, as well as assistant GM George Paton, VP of football operations Rob Brzezinski, college scouting director Scott Studwell, the coaches, and the scouts are all on the same page. That wasn't always the case. The Vikings took advantage of the extra time forced upon them by the ridiculous lockout of 2011 by getting everybody working together. The scouts and coaches took that time to become more cohesive. Meetings became more efficient when each group knew better what the other needed. This made the group of people behind the team more of a team.

The Vikings also became a team much more dependent on the draft. Rick Spielman has made it clear that he will build the team through the draft. The Vikings will spend in free agency, if necessary. The signing of Greg Jennings this offseason shows that. Spending big on veteran free agents will be the exception. If Spielman is successful with his drafts, he won't need to spend heavily in free agency. The draft will be key going forward. That also makes the Vikings a very young team now. They currently have ten former first round picks on the roster. Five of those have come from the last two drafts. Over 2/3 of the training camp roster have less than four years of NFL experience. Spielman was promoted to GM in 2012. He may not have had the title for the 2011 draft but it's likely the draft was his in practice. His three drafts have been tremendous and make up the current core of the Minnesota Vikings. In 2011, eight of their nine selections are still on the roster. Christian Ponder, Kyle Rudolph, and Brandon Fusco make up over a quarter of the starting offense. Mistral Raymond has started at safety. The 2012 draft was simply nuts. Nine of the ten selections are on the roster. Matt Kalil and Blair Walsh ended their rookie season in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl. Harrison Smith will make it to Hawaii soon. Josh Robinson, Jarius Wright, Rhett Ellison, and Robert Blanton made significant impacts as rookies. Each will start in certain formations and defenses this year. Three first round picks, Shariff Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, and Cordarrelle Patterson, from the 2013 NFL Draft will impact this season and certainly future seasons. Jeff Locke has already locked up the punter job. Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti may form the future core of the linebackers. It would come as a real shock if fewer than six of the eight picks in the most recent draft made the 2013 roster. I've never seen three drafts so completely change the Minnesota Vikings roster. If the Vikings can win that final game, hopefully more than once, in the coming seasons, these drafts will be viewed in the same light as the fantastic Pittsburgh Steelers drafts of the early '70s. With this incredible influx of youth there is still a nice veteran presence in Minnesota. Kevin Williams is the oldest player on the team. He's only 32. Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, Brian Robison, and now Greg Jennings only seem old because there's so much youth around them.

There is a tremendous amount of excitement building around this Minnesota Vikings team. Most of that excitement is isolated in Minnesota. Much of the national media is still skeptical. Much of that skepticism is due to their views on quarterback Christian Ponder. If he performs to the level that confirms his first round selection, the Vikings could be in for a very successful season. Three successive drafts that, so far, look to be franchise-changers have stocked the team with talent. Right now, Rick Spielman's belief in the draft seems to be working.

Jersey Sales

Here are the top selling NFL jerseys from 4/1 through the end of June:

1. Colin Kaepernick
2. Russell Wilson
3. Robert Griffin III
4. Adrian Peterson
5. Peyton Manning
6. Ryan Tannehill
7. Tom Brady
8. Ray Lewis
9. Aaron Rodgers
10. Brian Urlacher

When I've given this topic some thought, I've always figured that new players have the edge in each quarterly listing of jersey sales. After all, most New England Patriots fans have had their Tom Brady jersey for years. Peyton Manning was certainly in an interesting position this past year as he's had devout fans since 1998. Now, he's on a new team and in a new jersey. There were probably more than a handful of former Indianapolis Colts fans that were buying that brand new #18 Denver Broncos jersey. The top three in jersey sales have a lot going for them. The most significant being their spectacular play so early in their careers. They are three of the most exciting players in the game. Their jerseys will be top sellers for a long time. #6 Ryan Tannehill may not have exploded on the scene like his fellow young quarterbacks but he brings a lot of hope to south Florida. I'm very surprised that Andrew Luck is missing from the list. I'm not surprised that Adrian Peterson is on the list. I think that his jersey will be a top seller for as long as he's carrying a football but he may have gotten a boost this year by the Minnesota Vikings' decision to go with a new jersey this year. It's fantastic!

The two things that just leap out at me from this list are the linebackers at #'s 8 and 10. Not only are Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher linebackers, they are retired linebackers. I'm curious to know if there's often a run on jersey sales when a player retires. Lewis and Urlacher will be missed in the NFL but their jerseys won't be.

New Gig

Ricky Williams has always walked to a different beat. After his 2011 retirement from the NFL, I figured that the former running back was up on a mountain or on an island simply enjoying each day. Pretty much the last place that I would expect to find him would be on another football field. At 36, he's returning to football as a coach. Williams has agreed to be the running backs coach at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

"Ricky reached out to me about getting into coaching," UIW coach Larry Kennan said in a statement. "We have an opening and he is looking into getting into coaching so I think it is a good fit. His experience will be a big help to our staff and players and I think he will have a positive effect on our recruiting efforts."

UIW is in the process of making the move from the Lone Star Conference in NCAA Division II to the Football Championship Series (FCS) Southland Conference. The Cardinals will play an independent schedule in 2013 before making the full leap to the Southland Conference in 2014.

Ricky Williams certainly knows something about running the football. Heisman Trophy winner. 1,853 yards in 2002 with the Miami Dolphins. 10,009 rushing yards in his 11 seasons in the NFL. I was actually surprised to see that he'd only made All Pro and the Pro Bowl once. That would be in 2002 when he ran for all those yards. He was one of the best backs in the league for a few years. He had a very underrated NFL career. His one year walkabout and another season spent with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts didn't really help his NFL reputation. I think that New Orleans head coach Mike Ditka put a ton of pressure on the kid when he traded all of the Saints picks in the 1999 NFL Draft for him. Ditka's stupid rasta wig didn't help either. Ricky Williams was a terrific running back. It's unfortunate that history likely doesn't see him that way. If he'd been carrying the ball during those two of exile from the league, he might have had around 13,000 career rushing yards. That would put him in the top-10 all-time. I hope that this coaching gig goes well for Williams. I think that he has a lot to offer to future generations of running backs.

Cooley On The Mike

Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley is moving from the football field to the broadcast booth. He joined the Redskins radio broadcasting team on Tuesday. He should be a natural with a microphone. Not only was Cooley a terrific football player for nine seasons, he's also one of the most interesting and hilarious players in the league. His prank calls are legendary. He does pottery!

Cooley does not plan to file his retirement papers immediately, leaving open a slim possibility of a return as a player. But he says that he does not intend to play again. He claims that procrastination is more the reason for not filing the retirement papers than anything else. His focus is now on his new radio duties. The Redskins broadcast booth has long been filled with former Redskins players. Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen  and Sam Huff have called the plays since 1981. Huff retired this offseason after 38 years. Cooley will not be replacing Huff on the team's radio broadcasts but instead will provide analysis during games. This analysis will come from a "Cooley's Corner" segment that will be heard every quarter.

This is an excellent move by Cooley but I'm a little disappointed by it. I think that he'll do a fantastic job. He's bright. He's articulate. He's a natural. I'd love to see and/or hear him call games or provide in game commentary. I don't like that the Washington Redskins are keeping him to themselves. I'd prefer to see him on the national scene. In truth, he's a fan favorite in Washington. It's only right that he continues to entertain those fans. Chris Cooley is ecstatic about the opportunity. The Redskins fans should be too.

Throwback Thursday: Rozelle vs. Namath

The NFL always wins.

Forty-four years ago today, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath was "forced" to announce that he was selling his interests in the New York City nightclub Bachelors III. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle was at Namath's side but he was probably there more to gloat than to support. The NFL has always walked a fine line when it comes to the distance that they keep from the supposed unsavory types. New York Giants owner Tim Mara was a bookie. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rozelle was around the racetracks. Gambling rumors always seemed to swirl around Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom. Gambling had to be kept out of the league but it was always around the league. It always seemed to be okay for league owners to be around the unsavory types but the players have always been a different story. In 1963, Rozelle suspended Green Bay Packers back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for fairly minor gambling infractions. In 1969, Joe Namath was his target.

The AFL-NFL wars were over. The two leagues hadn't fully merged in 1969 but they'd played three Super Bowls. The AFL had finally won one of them and Joe Namath was a giant. He also owned interests in a booming nightclub. 798 Lexington Avenue was the place to be in New York City. Bachelors III. NFL security had been observing the nightclub for months and found that it was being visited by unsavory Mafia types. Known mobsters and gamblers were frequenting a nightclub partly owned by the NFL's biggest star. Rozelle told Namath that he would be suspended if he did not sell his interests in Bachelors III. NFL contracts include an agreement that players must never "enter drinking or gathering establishments" or "associate with notorious persons." Rozelle expected Namath to comply. Rozelle didn't know Namath. On June 6, 1969, at Bachelors III, Joe Namath tearfully announced that instead of selling, he would retire. He had done nothing wrong. It was strictly a matter of principle. "I'm not selling, I quit!" This wasn't exactly what Pete Rozelle was expecting. No one says "no" to the NFL. Neither met nor spoke for the next three weeks. As June became July and the 1969 NFL season started to show on the horizon, Rozelle started to realize that the game needed Joe Namath. The star quarterback likely started to realize that he needed the game. They started talking and meeting in the middle of July. On July 18, 1969, Joe Namath and Pete Rozelle announced that the NFL had won again.

At that July 18 press conference, Namath again stated that he'd done nothing wrong. That didn't matter to Rozelle or the NFL. The agreement was reached on virtually all of the commissioner's demands. Not only would Namath sell his interests in Bachelors III, Rozelle also had the right to turn down potential buyers as well as possible investors in any establishments Namath was to possibly own in other cities. Incredible.

I absolutely understand the NFL's need to keep players and gamblers apart. The most important aspect of any professional sport is the public's belief that everything is on the level. The integrity of the game is vital to the existence of the game. I just wonder how much is for show. I just don't see how a player can control who comes into an establishment that he might own. The league can't realistically control that much of a player's life outside of the game. The associations of some of the players in recent years certainly proves that. I've always questioned the actions that Rozelle took against Namath in 1969. Perhaps it was a personal vendetta carried over from the wars between the NFL and AFL. Who knows? It just seemed a bit excessive. Still, if Namath's interests in Bachelors III raised any suspicions in the public's eye, Rozelle obviously felt that he had to act. And, he certainly wasn't going to lose.

Unsigned Picks

With only about a week before the opening of training camps, nineteen first round picks are still unsigned. Only three of the top-10 picks are signed. The signings started fast after the draft but they have really slowed to a trickle in the last few weeks. A week is still plenty of time but teams and agents have to get this done. Especially the Minnesota Vikings. They have three first round picks to sign. No one benefits from a holdout.

Here's how the first round stands from a signing standpoint:

1. Eric Fisher-Chiefs unsigned
2. Luke Joeckel-Jaguars signed
3. Dion Jordan-Dolphins unsigned
4. Lane Johnson-Eagles unsigned
5. Ezkiel Ansah-Lions signed
6. Barkevious Mingo-Browns unsigned
7. Jonathan Cooper-Cardinals unsigned
8. Tavon Austin-Rams signed
9. Dee Milliner-Jets unsigned
10. Chance Warmack-Titans unsigned
11. D.J. Fluker-Chargers signed
12. D.J. Hayden-Raiders unsigned
13. Sheldon Rochardson-Jets unsigned
14. Star Lotulelei-Panthers signed
15. Kenny Vaccaro-Saints signed
16. EJ Manuel-Bills signed
17. Jarvis Jones-Steelers signed
18. Eric Reid-49ers signed
19. Justin Pugh-Giants unsigned
20. Kyle Long-Bears signed
21. Tyler Eifert-Bengals signed
22. Desmond Trufant-Falcons unsigned
23. Sharrif Floyd-Vikings unsigned
24. Bjoern Werner-Colts unsigned
25. Xavier Rhodes-Vikings unsigned
26. Datone Jones-Packers unsigned
27. DeAndre Hopkins-Texans unsigned
28. Sylvester Williams-Broncos unsigned
29. Cordarrelle Patterson-Vikings unsigned
30. Alec Ogletree-Rams signed
31. Travis Frederick-Cowboys signed
32. Matt Elam-Ravens unsigned

When there was a run on signings of players from the middle of the first round, I hoped that it would carry into the 20s. #23, #25, and #29 in particular. One of the more remarkable signing feats this year was the one carried out by the St. Louis Rams. They were the last team to sign any picks. Then, they were done. It was actually kind of stunning. I expect most of the nineteen unsigned first round picks to be signed by next week.

Sage Thoughts

It was barely a blip on the football screen but quarterback Sage Rosenfels announced his retirement from the NFL. No big press conference or team announcement. Instead, Rosenfels announced that he was calling it quits on facebook. That's what happens when you have only twelve starts over a ten-year career. He had a nice little NFL career but certainly not the career that he envisioned.

After starting for two years at Iowa St., Sage Rosenfels was a fourth round pick of the Washington Redskins in the 2001 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season carrying a clipboard. The Miami Dolphins traded a seventh round pick for Rosenfels just before the 2002 season. Then Dolphins VP of Player Personnel, Rick Spielman, clearly saw something in the quarterback. Their paths would cross again. And again. This four-year stretch with the Dolphins would be Rosenfels' longest with one team. He signed with the Houston Texans as an unrestricted free agent in 2006. He finally got his chance in 2007 when Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub was injured. Rosenfels led the Texans to a 4-1 record for his five games as the starter. It took Schaub the remaining eleven games to match that win total. Still, Rosenfels remained a backup. He was back on the bench in Houston for the 2008 season. As VP of Player Personnel for the Minnesota Vikings in February 2009, Rick Spielman traded a fourth round pick to the Texans for Rosenfels. The quarterback was finally going to get his chance to start. Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson were going to compete for the Vikings quarterback job. That plan was blown up six months later when Vikings head coach Brad Childress brought in Brett Favre. There, of course, was no quarterback competition after that. Suddenly, Rosenfels was third string again. A year later, he was traded to the New York Giants to be the backup to Eli Manning. He kept that gig for about a year. Considering Rosenfels' football luck it should be no surprise that the Giants released him in October of the year, 2011, that they would eventually win the Super Bowl. He was without a team for only a couple of days before the Dolphins brought him back to Miami. The Dolphins released him two months later. Rick Spielman brought him back to the Vikings before the end of the 2011 season. Rosenfels started the 2011 season with the eventual Super Bowl champion and ended the season with a 3-13 team. Nice. He was with the Vikings through their 2012 training camp but was released before the season started. He hasn't played with an NFL team since. So, his retirement now comes at no surprise.

That's the bouncy career of Sage Rosenfels in one paragraph. It leaves out a lot. When he actually got a chance to play, Rosenfels was a terrific quarterback. I really have no idea why he never started for the Dolphins during his first stop with the team. Gus Frerotte was the starter for a part of that time so it wasn't like the team had some great thrower standing in the way. He was never going to get a chance to start in Houston with Schaub entrenched there. Rosenfels outplayed Schaub in 2007 and it made no difference. I really thought that he'd be the Vikings starter in 2009 and I was actually pretty excited about it. That all changed with the entrance of Favre. It's impossible to dispute that move as the Vikings had a terrific 2009 season. That season just epitomized the career of Rosenfels. He was so close to finally starting but was sent to the bench again. It's true of all positions but most of all quarterbacks that some players are simply pegged as backups. Nothing that they do will change the opinion of the decision makers that they can be an every down player. They really need someone like Bill Walsh to believe in them. Walsh comes to mind because I don't think that he ever gave a shit about what others might think of a player. If he saw something, he'd give that player a shot. Rosenfels needed someone to believe in him as a starting quarterback. The only person that really seemed to believe in Sage Rosenfels was Rick Spielman. Unfortunately for Rosenfels, Spielman was never the one to decide on the starting quarterback. Personally, I think that Rosenfels showed enough to deserve the shot that he never got.

Fortunately, Rosenfels seems to view his career with grace. He must think about what his career could have been but he doesn't seem bitter. There's a lot of luck in a football career. Being in the right place at the right time often plays as much of a role as football talent. I liked Sage Rosenfels and I wish that he had gotten the shot that he deserved.

Skoldier

Skol: good health (a drinking toast)
         from Danish skaal, bowl

Minnesota Vikings rookie linebacker Michael Mauti is going to be a fan favorite. He's just about there now and he's still rehabbing a torn ACL. An injury that he suffered at the end of his final season at Penn St. He's yet to really practice with the Vikings and the team will likely be careful through training camp. Torn ACLs were a problem for Mauti in college. This last one was his third. Ouch. If not for those torn ACLs, he would likely have been a first or second round pick. The Vikings selected him in the seventh round. In a draft that brought in three first round picks, this seventh round pick could eventually have as great of an impact. He could soon be the Vikings middle linebacker and defensive leader.

Michael Mauti is an instinctive, intense football player. His leadership held the Penn St. football team and maybe even the campus community together through a dark period that few can imagine. Mauti's teammates honored him by wearing his #42 on their uniforms after his last knee injury ended his Penn St. football career. It's impossible not to like this kid. Now, he's warmed himself to the Minnesota people by coming up with the greatest name for the Vikings faithful that I've ever known. Skoldier.

I'm actually a little surprised that the term had never been presented before. It seems so simple. So perfect. Skol, like "cheers" in other parts of the world, has long been a part of the Norse culture. So, it, of course, became a part of the Minnesota Vikings. "Skol Vikings" is the team's fight song. Skol is a greeting and a bid farewell. It's heard throughout most Vikings conversations. Skoldier is simply perfect. I'm not surprised that a football player and person like Michael Mauti would come up with it.

It sounds like Mauti will be cleared for training camp but I expect that the Vikings will take it slow just as they did with Adrian Peterson last year. With the recent addition of Desmond Bishop, the Vikings starting linebackers for the start of the season will likely be some combination of Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson, and Bishop. If Mauti can finally shake the ACL issues that have obviously plagued his football career, he's the middle linebacker next season, if not before. Until then, he'll be a special teams beast. And, a fan favorite.

Skoldier. Nice.

This And That

It's way too early to be thinking about the 2014 NFL Draft. Training camps for the 2013 season haven't even opened. Still, the Minnesota Vikings have to draft safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix next year. He comes from that defensive back pipeline otherwise known as the University of Alabama. His name is actually Ha'Sean but I like Ha Ha better. It's just more fun. I'd love to see Ha Ha paired with Harrison Smith at the back of the Vikings defense. Ha Ha Ha! Actually, for the first time, in what seems like forever, the Vikings are actually doing pretty good at safety. Harrison Smith is going to be a star. Jamarca Sanford, Mistral Raymond, and Robert Blanton will take part in one of the most competitive, certainly the most contested, training camp battles to start opposite Smith. No matter what happens with the Vikings safeties I'll be watching Ha Ha Clinton-Dix this fall. Just for laughs.

Speaking of safeties, Sean Considine won a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens. Like a lot of free agent veterans, he has yet to find a team to employ him this offseason. That hasn't stopped him from earning a living. He's partnered with Lance Headon of Headon's Meat Market in Creston, IL. They will debut their new business, Headon's & Considine's Mobile Meat Market, at Rockford City Market on July 19. Mmmm, meat.

Shad Khan joins Stan Kroenke and Malcolm Glazer as NFL owners who also own Premier League soccer clubs. Kroenke owns Arsenal. Glazer owns Manchester United. Khan now owns Fulham. Rich guys buying stuff.

"Still going at it. 49ers announced they claimed former Seahawks WR Charly Martin off waivers one day after Seattle claimed SF's long snapper."
                                              -Adam Schefter tweet
The 49ers and Seahawks are probably the most interesting rivalry in the league right now. They are two of the most talented teams on the field. Their off field rivalry is getting pretty heated too.

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell says that his team can take the NFC West. His team is improved but I say that they are still looking up at three teams. But, I could be wrong.

Since the Mike Shanahan days, there always seems to be an interesting running situation in Denver. This year is no different. Willis McGahee is no longer there but there are still three backs that could start. Knowshon Moreno remains a puzzle. He has terrific talent but never seems to stay on the field long enough to show it. Ronnie Hillman seems like a smaller, change-of-pace back but I think that he can do more than that. I liked what he did at San Diego St. and I liked what he did in the playoffs against Baltimore. Then there is the rookie from Wisconsin, Montee Ball. You'd think that a running back that gained over 5,000 yards and scored an insane 83 touchdowns in college would be drafted long before the second round of the NFL Draft. He had 39 touchdowns in his junior year, alone. He also had nearly 700 touches his last two years of college. That's a lot of mileage. I like the Broncos backfield of  Moreno, Hillman, and Ball. The passing offense will be crazy explosive with Peyton Manning and one of the best receiving groups in the NFL. If any of the three backs, or as a group, produce a true running threat, the Broncos will be pretty scary.

Neil Clabo was the first Vikings punter that I can remember watching. For some reason, punting never really stuck in my mind in those early days. He only punted for the Vikings from 1975-77 but I remember him. So does the Greater Knoxville Hall of Fame. He was recently inducted into the exclusive group. Neil Clabo was a dynamite athlete at Farragut High School. He was team captain and All-State in football and basketball. He had his #12 jersey retired in football. He had his #50 jersey retired in basketball. He was considered the top prospect in Tennessee. Congratulations Neil Clabo.

New Orleans Saints rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro is getting recognized on the streets of his new hometown. The only problem is that he's being recognized as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Training camps open in a couple of weeks.

Supplemental Stuff

I'm spending way too much time on the Supplemental Draft.

No one was selected in the 2013 NFL Supplemental Draft. That hasn't happened since 2004. All six players that weren't selected on Thursday are free agents.

This part is much more interesting.

Instead of wasting their time with the Supplemental Draft on Thursday, several NFL teams attended a workout by former Stony Brook offensive tackle Michael Bamiro. At 6'8" and 344 lbs, he's an intriguing prospect. He also found himself in an interesting situation. He started his academic career at the University of Pittsburgh-Titusville in 2008. His five potential years of athletic eligibility started then even though he played no sport. Why this is a rule is lost on me but it's the NCAA. What can you do? Bamiro was enrolled at Pittsburgh-Titusville as a no-sport-playing college student when he decided to give football a shot. At his size, that's no real shock. He transferred to Stony Brook. He was a redshirt in 2009 and played for the Stony Brook Seawolves from 2010-12. He was under the impression that he had one year of eligibility remaining. He had received his bachelor's degree in journalism and was expecting to return to Stony Brook as a graduate student for his senior season. This is where the NCAA stepped in and shattered those plans. His five years of potential eligibility ended after the 2012 season despite playing football, let alone any sport, for only three seasons. Stony Brook sought a waiver that the NCAA, of course, denied. Since no one (the NFL, Stony Brook, Michael Bamiro, and apparently even the NCAA) knew that Bamiro was eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft in April he wasn't a part of that draft. Since he was eligible for the regular draft, but not eligible for another year of college eligibility, he was not eligible for the Supplemental Draft. He was a football player without a draft. That's why the big offensive tackle from Stony Brook was drawing the attention of a bunch of NFL people while six other football players were being ignored on Thursday. Michael Bamiro will be in an NFL training camp in a couple of weeks.

Rich Kid

NFL Network's Rich Eisen has often mentioned his conversation at the 2009 NFL Draft with soon to be drafted Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. Eisen discovered that Stafford only had a dollar in his wallet. That single dollar has had a whole lot of company since that night. With two years left on his current contract, this week the Detroit Lions signed Stafford to a three-year contract extension. He'll take home $76.5 million over the next five years. Before taxes, agent stuff and such. His $15.3 million average annual salary puts him among the 10 highest paid players in the NFL. Stafford's entry into the league came at a great time, at least financially. He was one of the last #1 overall picks before the new CBA so his first contract was massive. He struggled a little with injuries in his first couple of seasons. Sine he's been healthy, he's put up passing statistics more often seen in video games. Those big passing numbers have already brought about two contract extensions. From the Lions point of view, the extensions eased salary cap strain while keeping their franchise quarterback in Detroit for at least the next five seasons. From Stafford's point of view, he's pocketing those outstanding signing bonuses. The 15.3 average annual salary seems lofty but it's low compared to the contracts that the top quarterbacks are signing now. Still, Matthew Stafford doesn't have to worry about lonely dollar bills anymore. At only 25 years of age, he's already cashed in on three huge signing bonuses. He'll be a free agent at 29. There's no telling how high quarterback contracts will be then. That's a lot of cash for so few wins. So far.

The wins. Or, lack of wins. Quarterbacks always get the won-loss record hung on them. They control the ball. They control the game. There's so much more to it than that. Donovan McNabb said that Stafford has done nothing for the Lions. McNabb is a hack as an analyst. If he's talking about quarterbacks doing nothing for a team, he should use his time as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback as the standard. I don't think that the Lions poor record in recent years should be put entirely on Stafford. The defense has been horrible. Much of the Lions drafting has been questionable, at best. Tackle Gosder Cherilus in the first round in 2008 was ridiculous. Titus Young? Nothing more needs to be said about that pick. It's difficult to rip them for picking Jahvid Best as no one can predict how injuries play out in a career. But, selecting Best, with real concussion questions, in the first round in 2010 was somewhere around crazy. I loved Jahvid Best at Cal. He was an exciting, game-breaking runner but I seriously questioned his football future. His concussions were getting scary. The Lions best draft picks in the last six years were obvious picks, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. The jury is still out on the madman Ndamukong Suh. Nick Fairly too. The Lions front office has done their franchise quarterback no favors on the field. Of the field, the Lions have filled his wallet so many times over.

I think that Stafford is a terrific, young quarterback. His mechanics can get a little sloppy but he gets the ball from A to B like few others in the league. The Detroit Lions have a lot to worry about going forward but quarterback isn't one of them. Neither is Calvin Johnson.

Throwback Thursday: 1998

There is a lot of excitement building around the 2013 Minnesota Vikings. Last year's playoff appearance after a 3-13 season in 2011 has everyone looking up. There are many reasons for the excitement. Adrian Peterson. Terrific recent drafts have turned over an aging roster and increased the level of talent. Adrian Peterson. This is the first offseason in well over a decade without the numbing debate over a new stadium. The stadium funding was approved last offseason and ground will be broken on the spectacular new stadium this fall. Yes, there is a happy, optimistic feeling in Minnesota. 15 years ago, there was a similar happy, optimistic feeling in Minnesota.

In 1998, the Vikings and their fans were ready to finally break through. Under head coach Dennis Green, the Vikings were fairly regular playoff participants but they couldn't get that first playoff win. Green and the Vikings finally got that playoff win following the 1997 season. They didn't go any further but their future was suddenly brighter. There was optimism building in the 1998 offseason. Texas rich man Red McCombs had bought the team. He brought that new owner enthusiasm. The 1998 NFL Draft brought the biggest boost of all. Marshall receiver Randy Moss was still on the board when it was the Vikings turn to select. There was no real reason for Moss to have made it past pick #5, let alone still be available at #21. So, he had a few dings in his past. It was mostly kid stuff. No receiver has ever entered the NFL so purely gifted as Randy Moss. Despite having terrific receivers in Cris Carter and Jake Reed, the Vikings brought Moss to Minnesota. And, everything changed.

The Minnesota Vikings had a terrific offense even before they drafted Randy Moss. Quarterback Brad Johnson was ready to take the next step. Carter and Reed were dynamic receivers. Running back Robert Smith could score from anywhere on the football field. Leroy Hoard was a real nice change of pace as a runner. David Palmer could do a little bit of everything. Most importantly, the offensive line of Todd Steussie, Randall McDaniel, Jeff Christy, David Dixon, and Korey Stringer may have been the best in the league. The defense was average but could be very opportunistic. Then, there was defensive tackle John Randle. He was a monster in the middle of the defensive line. Add Randy Moss and the Vikings offense became the most explosive in the league. There was excitement brewing in Minnesota. Red McCombs was boasting about "Purple Pride" and the fans were believing every bit of it. Everyone was getting more and more giddy by the day about the possibilities of the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.

The optimism surrounding the 2013 Minnesota Vikings rivals that of 1998. There are even some similarities between the two teams. Florida State quarterbacks, Brad Johnson then and Christian Ponder now, ready to take that next big step. Hopefully, Ponder's next step is more sound than the one that Johnson took. Explosive rookie receivers, Randy Moss then and Cordarrelle Patterson now. Patterson wears #84 because of Moss. The optimism of the 1998 offseason turned into excitement for one of the greatest regular seasons in Vikings history. 15-1 and the highest scoring offense in league history. All Vikings fans hope for a similar regular season. They certainly hope for a better ending.

Silly NFL.com

I was bouncing around the internet yesterday. Just checking various sites for NFL news in this somewhat slow time before the opening of training camps. I discovered a 2013 Supplemental mock draft on NFL.com. This was a fairly stunning discovery. Regular draft mock drafts are very fun and a little sad. A mock draft for the Supplemental draft is just sad. There's really no point to it, at all. It's essentially seven rounds of 32 teams passing their selection. There's only six players in this Thursday's Supplemental Draft. If all six players are selected, which is highly unlikely, that's 218 passes. That sounds like a fun thing to predict. Once the shock of someone actually doing a Supplemental mock draft wore off, I had to check this out for myself. I was relieved to find this:

Editor's Note: Mayock and Kiper own April. NFL.com's exclusive supplemental draft expert Henry Hodgson owns July.

After working through film on all six of the supplemental draft-eligible players, here's his first look at a mock ahead of Thursday's much-anticipated supplemental draft.

Ah, NFL.com people were having some fun. The NFL Network folks like to have fun. I've come to expect that. Some of the interactions between the game day and draft personalities are hilarious. I haven't always seen the same sense of humor on the NFL's website. Most NFL business is serious. Even the Supplemental draft is a serious event. Seeing someone on the NFL payroll joke about the mostly tedious and often ridiculous process that is the Supplemental Draft was a surprise. I loved it. 

Supplemental draft expert Henry Hodgson went through every pick in each of the seven rounds. He even had the forfeited pick of the Tampa bay Buccaneers in the third round. They have no pick in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft so they have no pick in this supplemental draft. Same with the picks involved in a trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round. Yes, Henry Hodgson has the Supplemental Draft covered. Hodgson predicts that there will be 223 passes in the 2013 Supplemental draft. All teams pass on the six players available but one. He predicts that the Detroit Lions will select Houston receiver Dewayne Peace in the seventh round. 

It's nice to see the NFL monkey around with one of their events. 

The Other Draft

Since 1997, NFL teams have had the opportunity to supplement their roster with the Supplemental Draft. This is a draft of former college players that weren't part of the regular draft and are no longer eligible to return to their college teams for a variety of reasons. Those reasons can range from something great like graduation to something terrible like being booted from their college team. It's most often the latter. Many of these players have some baggage. Since 1977, a total of 43 players have been selected in the Supplemental Draft. Most of those players have done nothing in the NFL. Some have done a little. A few have had nice football careers. Among the most notable selections were quarterback Bernie Kosar (Cleveland, 1985), and wide receivers Cris Carter (Philadelphia, 1987) and Rob Moore (New York Jets, 1990). Carter is less than a month away from being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Last year, the Cleveland Browns selected Josh Gordon in the second round of the Supplemental Draft. If he can avoid future suspensions, the Browns might have found themselves a very talented receiver in this other draft. This other draft has rounds like the regular draft but it's far from the event and celebration that we've all grown to love. Instead of the televised extravaganza, the Supplemental Draft picks are made by email. This draft scurries along quietly but picks still cost something. Nothing's for free in the NFL. If a team makes a selection in the Supplemental Draft, they lose that pick in the next regular draft. The 2013 NFL Supplemental Draft will take place this Thursday. Six players are eligible.

DE James Boyd, UNLV
DT Nate Holloway, UNLV
DE Toby Jackson, Central Florida
WR DeWayne Peace, Houston
WR O.J. Ross, Purdue
DB Damond Smith, South Alabama

The most prominent are the receivers Peace and Ross. Each caught over 50 passes last year. Damond Smith  has nice speed and decent size. The Green Bay Packers reportedly signed him to a try-out deal following April's draft but the NFL determined that he should instead be made eligible for the Supplemental Draft.
The defensive linemen have some skills. Any of the six could bring some interest from teams but none is a slam dunk to be drafted. All six lost their college eligibility so they all bring some issues. Some team may still take a chance. If none is drafted, each is free to sign with any team following the conclusion of the draft.

Fits

It's not earth-shaking to note that every football team runs a different offensive and defensive scheme. Sometimes the differences of scheme from one team to the next are subtle but differences will always be there. No team is the same. The experiences and even the personalities of the head coach often dictate the schemes. Sometimes the team that the coach inherits will impact the scheme that he plays. Mike Tomlin's NFL coaching career started in the cover-2 defense of Tony Dungy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tomlin took that scheme to the Minnesota Vikings when he was hired by Brad Childress to be his defensive coordinator in 2006. Tomlin's immediate success in Minnesota and sparkling personality got him a head coaching job with the Pittsburgh Steelers a year later. Despite spending all of his NFL days in the cover-2, Tomlin knew that the Steelers had a good thing going on defense. Dick LeBeau's 3-4 defense was doing just fine. He was keeping LeBeau and the scheme. Many things influence the schemes that a coach puts into play but the gist of this is that no team is the same. Those differences create "fits." Some players simply "fit" one team better than the next. Those "fits" have greatly benefited the Minnesota Vikings in the last year.

Fullbacks are becoming a rarity in the NFL. Once upon a time, the main ball carrier was often a fullback. Bronko Nagurski, Jim Brown, Jim Taylor were legendary ball-carrying fullbacks. Then fullbacks became blockers, some time receivers, and short yardage dynamos. As passing became the preferred means of moving the ball and three-wide sets became the norm there was little room for that bigger back. Jerome Felton discovered that more each year after he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2008. He was always a good fullback but few teams needed any fullback. First the Lions, then the Carolina Panthers, then the Indianapolis Colts. Each decided that they didn't want to use a roster spot on a part-time player. Jerome Felton was again looking for a job at a position that was becoming more obsolete each year. It's been mentioned many times by media talking heads that Adrian Peterson says that he doesn't like running behind a fullback. That's not quite accurate. He liked running behind behind Tony Richardson in his rookie season. If he had a fullback in front of him, he wanted the fullback to be a good one. If the fullback wasn't a good one, he wanted to be alone in the backfield. Who can blame him? A fullback is supposed to open holes, not get in they way. The Vikings are one of the few teams that still uses a fullback. They've been looking for a good one since Richardson left in 2007. They lucked into Jerome Felton last offseason when he couldn't find a home in Detroit, Carolina, Indianapolis, or anywhere else that no longer needed a tough, hole-opening, linebacker-crushing, effective lead blocker. Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards in 2012. Many of those yards came from cruising through holes opened by the Vikings new Pro Bowl fullback. That terrific season earned Felton a nice, new contract and a home in Minnesota. Felton "fits" in the Minnesota Vikings offense.

Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was supposed to be a top-10 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Maybe even a top-5 pick. Many had him penciled in as the pick of the Oakland Raiders at #3. The Vikngs were ecstatic to select him at #23. Many things contributed to Floyd's fall to the Vikings. One was the mad rush on offensive lineman early in the first round. This pushed quality players at all positions down a bit. Another factor in the fall of Floyd was the increasing number of teams running 3-4 defenses. He isn't quite the type of player that fits as a 3-4 nose tackle. Those teams may have considered him at defensive end but he didn't quite fit there either. He was a much better fit playing a 3-technique in a 4-3 defense. He was exactly the type of player to be the heir to Kevin Williams in Minnesota. He fit the Vikings defense perfectly. He "fit" in nicely at pick #23.

Sharrif Floyd wasn't the only gift "fit" that brought cheers from the Vikings draft room. Florida St. cornerback Xavier Rhodes wasn't expected to be drafted as highly as Floyd but he was expected to be drafted before the Vikings picked at #23, let alone #25. As a big, press corner, Rhodes didn't fit the defenses of every team. Conerbacks like D.J. Hayden and Desmond Trufant were better fits for many teams. Rhodes was the best fit for the defense that the Vikings hope to run moving forward. Pairing him with fellow 6'2" corner Chris Cook will allow the team to finally play the defense that they've wanted for a while. They've played a cover-2 since Childress brought in Tomlin. Leslie Frazier continued with that defense when he was brought in to replace Tomlin. I think that Frazier has always wanted his corners to press and run with the receivers. Now that he's the head coach and has big, physical corners like Cook and Rhodes, he can.

It's been said that great football players can fit any scheme. That's true to an extent. Many great players failed to be great because they were forced into a scheme that they didn't quite "fit." Nnambi Asomougha never really fit in the defense of the Philadelphia Eagles after being a fantastic player for the Oakland Raiders. Going further back, the Vikings would have had to change their entire offense to best use Hershel Walker. They didn't and that trade only benefited the Dallas Cowboys. Walker was supposed to be the "missing piece" in Minnesota but the piece never fit. The San Francisco 49ers had an incredible run of efficient and often spectacular quarterback play for over two decades. It seemed that Bill Walsh and George Seifert could plug in any quarterback and find success. Even Jeff Kemp and Steve Bono could play something like  Joe Montana and Steve Young. Walsh's offense was incredibly quarterback friendly. It was so easy that no one noticed that all the quarterbacks in the 49ers stable had nice footwork and timing. For whatever reason, someone in San Francisco thought that Jim Druckenmiller could fit into the 49ers quarterbacking tradition. He was picked in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He might've been a star in some other offensive system. Big kid with a big arm but he didn't fit the scheme that Walsh built. He didn't even fit the scheme of new coach Steve Mariucci. A scheme that was more similar to Walsh's offense than different. After all, he had learned his NFL lessons from Mike Holmgren in Green Bay. Druckenmiller was a disaster in San Francisco. It also made for a short stay in San Francisco for Mariucci. You can't just force any player into any scheme. In the past year, the Vikings lucked into one terrific and two potentially terrific football players because they didn't quite "fit" the schemes of other teams. Finding talented players that "fit" a particular scheme is far more important than simply finding talented players.

Flea Flicker Division Rankings

Just to pass some time between now and training camp, I decided to rank the division. Of course, this means absolutely nothing. It's just how I see the divisions entering the 2013 NFL season.

1. NFC West: The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks are two of the top three or four teams in the league. That makes for a top heavy division and an incredible rivalry. It's easy to forget about the St. Louis Rams but no one should. It was the Rams that had the best division record last year. Jeff Fisher has the Rams moving in the right direction. The Arizona Cardinals are in a tough spot being at the bottom of the top division. Maybe new coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer will revive this frequently struggling team.

2. NFC North: I want so much to put this division at the top. This is the only division in the NFL that has sent all four teams to the playoffs in the past three seasons. If the Detroit Lions hadn't dropped off so much last year, this would be the top division. I think that all four teams have a real shot at the division title this year. No other division can truthfully say that.

3. AFC North: Super Bowl champs in the Baltimore Ravens, consecutive playoff appearances from the Cincinnati Bengals, and the nearly always strong Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a top division. If the Steelers rebound from a down 2012 season, this might be the top division. The Cleveland Browns have a ways to go but they have some playmakers in Trent Richardson and Josh Gordon. 

4. NFC East: It always seems like this division is either great or bad. Except for the immediate emergence of Robert Griffin III, Alfred Morris, and the Washington Redskins last season would have been horrible. The New York Giants struggled after a title. Everything went wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Dallas Cowboys were wildly inconsistent. There is real nice talent on every team.

5. NFC South: Like the NFC East, the NFC South could be at the top of this list or about here. The Atlanta Falcons are a whisper from the Super Bowl. They just have to get through that playoff wall. They finally won a playoff game last year but they have to win more than one in a season to get where they feel that they belong. If the New Orleans Saints can get their defense in proper shape, they'll be a threat again. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like they were on the right track in the middle of last season but then they fell apart. They added some high-priced players, Darrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson, to a very weak secondary. THe Buccaneers are a talented team. The Carolina Panthers could emerge in Cam Newton's third season.

6. AFC South: The Houston Texans are terrific but they have to be terrific in the playoffs for it to matter. The Indianapolis Colts are headed in the right direction with Andrew Luck. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot to do to catch up.

7. AFC West: The Denver Broncos are easily the class of this division. Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs were one of the most talented shitty teams that I've ever seen. New coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith might be enough to bring the best out of the talent that was already there. New coach Mike McCoy hopes to make similar changes with the San Diego Chargers. The Oakland Raiders have a ways to go.

8. AFC East: The New England Patriots offseason has been a disaster. It's still hard to imagine them not being around at the end. The Miami Dolphins could be the surprise team this season. The New York Jets are a mess. The Buffalo Bills might thrive under new coach Doug Marrone but I see them as a season away. 

This Is The End

This has nothing to do with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's hilarious movie. No, this is about the Minnesota Vikings final season in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The team will move into their spectacular new digs in 2016. The 2014 and 2015 seasons will be played at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. Those two seasons away from home will be outdoors. It'll be nice to once again see late season, cold weather football games in Minnesota. Well, it'll be nice to see late season, cold weather games in Minnesota from my living room in California. There have been a lot of great football moments in the Metrodome. There would have been more and better moments if the Vikings had won a Super Bowl. Despite the great moments, that dome was a dump. It was thrown together on the cheap in the late '70s, early '80s. They had to build it but little thought and effort was put into building it. Metropolitan Stadium was not up to the NFL standards of the 1970s. It was more like the smaller stadium relics that were home to the NFL teams of the 1930s and '40s. Who could have guessed then that more than 50,000 people would ever want to see an NFL game? Metropolitan Stadium might have been a thing of the past but the Vikings had a mystique when they played there. They had an edge and they lost it when they moved indoors. Very sad. It's unfortunate that I only saw "the Met" on TV. The Mall of America now stands where that old stadium once stood. I've been to the Metrodome but I've never seen a football game there. I attended the 2001 NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis. I've only seen basketball games at the home of the Minnesota Vikings. Very strange.

Several things have and will come to an end for the Vikings this season. Hopefully, their Super Bowl drought will be one of those things. The end of things started last weekend when Gage Hall, their training camp dormitory for the last 45 years, was blown up. It was done so intentionally, and honestly. The blowing up of stuff ends in February with the planned demolition of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The spectacular new stadium will be built on the same site. No mall will replace a stadium this time. The dome opened it's doors in 1982 with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hopefully, the dome closes those doors in late January with a win in the NFC Championship game. Between now and then, we'll see the last touchdown pass, the last sack, the last Adrian Peterson touchdown run in the Metrodome. The building, itself, was crap but the football was often beautiful.

End Of An Era

It may have been announced six months ago but it's still hard for me to believe that Bob Ladouceur is no longer the head football coach of De La Salle High School. As numbers meant nothing to him it's no surprise that Ladouceur retired just short of a milestone with 399 career wins. In January, he said that "it was just the right time." It was the right time for him to step down and it was the right time for his replacement, Justin Alumbaugh. "I would probably still be coaching if I didn't have the perfect guy to take over." De La Salle's offensive line coach and a former player, Alumbaugh was picked by Ladouceur 15 years ago.

399-25-3 career record
National record 151-game winning streak, 1992-2003

I first became aware of Bob Ladouceur and the De La Salle High Spartans around 1990 when they were in the middle of a winning streak that would end at 34. Pittsburg High School, led by future Cal defensive end Reagan Upshaw, defeated De La Salle in the 1991 North Coast Section championship game, 35-27. That loss was the last time that the Spartans would lose a game in the '90s. They wouldn't lose another game until 2004. Before De La Salle went on their 151-game ride the previous top winning steak was 72. Incredible. The Spartans haven't lost to a northern California opponent since that loss to Pittsburg in the 1991 NCS championship. Ladouceur averaged less than one loss in each of his 34 seasons as head coach. De La Salle is a machine.

Bob Ladouceur isn't leaving the school or the football program completely. He'll continue to teach religious  studies and plans to coach in some capacity. He said that he'll likely work with the lower level programs as well as the varsity team. He will be there to assist Alumbaugh. Not to meddle. I would question the intentions of some coaches that have built an incredible program, a dynasty. Many can't step away from their baby. I completely believe Ladouceur when he says that Justin Alumbaugh will have complete autonomy. I never felt that Bob Ladouceur was driven by success, by records, by numbers. Retiring at win 399 is an indication of that. It's what has always intrigued me about the coach and his program. His goal was to get his players to be better than they ever thought that they could be. That they were better together than they ever could be on their own. Ladouceur had several players make their way to the NFL. Since retired players Amani Toomer, Aaron Taylor, and Doug Brien. Active players D.J. Williams, Maurice Jones-Drew, Derek Landri, Jackie Bates, and T.J. Ward. Those were the exception. For the most part, Spartan players were smaller and less athletic than their opponents. Yet, they always won. Their advantage was execution and teamwork. De La Salle would play any team, anywhere. Southern California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Ohio. Any team. Anywhere. I think that teams were shocked when they saw big, bad De La Salle for the first time. They may have even laughed. This slow, little team has no chance. Four quarters later, they were believers. De La Salle is for real.

When asked about the highlights of his legendary coaching career, Ladouceur didn't mention any titles, wins, or records. "The high points are all the relationships I've developed with the coaches that I work with. They are my best friends." John Madden puts Bob Labouceur in the elite, bay area coaching class with Bill Walsh, Tony LaRussa, Don Nelson, and Jim Harbaugh. It's not often that a high school coach is grouped with professional Hall of Famers but Labouceur was an extraordinary coach. De La Salle will carry on. The football team will continue to win. This is a testament to the program that Bob Ladouceur built.

Throwback Thursday: Class of 1963

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating it's 50th Anniverary this summer. The very best and most influential in the history of the game have been inducted each year since that first year in 1963. The league started play in 1920 so the Hall of Fame had a lot of catching up to do in that first year. They made a nice dent with this inaugural class of 17 players and administrators.

Sammy Baugh
Bert Bell
Joe Carr
Earl "Dutch" Clark
Red Grange
George Halas
Mel Hein
Wilbur (Pete) Henry
Cal Hubbard
Don Hutson
Earl "Curly" Lambeau
Tim Mara
George Preston Marshall
Johnny "Blood" McNally
Bronko Nagurski
Ernie Nevers
Jim Thorpe

I find it interesting that two of the most recognized from this list, Red Grange and Jim Thorpe, did the least in professional football. Thorpe's best years were before the new professional league was formed. He was the first league president but that was in name only. He was the president and a player. He still had some nice moments on the football field. They just weren't as frequent. Grange was in his prime when he joined the Chicago Bears in 1925. His signing likely saved the struggling league. Grange was a national hero and he brought the crowds. The Bears went on a brutal, barnstorming tour following the 1925 season. It brought in desperately needed funds but the grueling tour and injuries took their toll on Grange. An injury in 1928 further robbed him of his spectacular open-field running. He may not have been the game-breaking runner of his college days but he became an excellent defensive back for the Bears. Thorpe and Grange may not have played their best football in the NFL but their impact on the NFL is without doubt. The league likely doesn't survive the 1920s if either chose something other than football to do.

Players have always been the faces of professional football. These days the survival of the NFL is pretty easy. The popularity is sky high and there is a seemingly never ending supply of football talent. The league basically sells itself. The early decades weren't so easy. The players in that 1963 class were the best of those early decades. Despite being the faces of the league they don't get the chance to play without the administrators and owners that kept the league together. Joe Carr and Bert Bell were the ideal men to lead as president and commissioners. Their vision and the work they put in to reach that vision were crucial. Owners George Halas, Tim Mara, and George Preston Marshall were the backbone of the league. Art Rooney was inducted in 1964. Curly Lambeau may not have been the owner of the Green Bay Packers but he made all football decisions and coached one of the best teams in the league.

The only thing that has always bothered me about this inaugural class is the absence of Packers fullback/linebacker Clarke Hinkle. He was inducted the next year but he's an inaugural member in my book. The Hinkle-Nagurski clashes were epic. Some of the best football battles in the history of the game. It's a minor complaint. With 43 years of great players waiting and deserving, the decision-makers had to draw the line somewhere.

Packers lineman Cal Hubbard has the significant distinction of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame. After he was through being one of the finest tackles in pro football, Hubbard became one of the great umpires in the history of baseball.

This year, we will see Cris Carter, Warren Sapp, Jonathan Ogden, Larry Allen, Bill Parcells, Curley Culp, and Dave Robinson join those 17 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There were about 250 in between.

Face Of The Franchises

With passing becoming the preferred method of  moving the football in the NFL, it only follows that the quarterback is the preferred face of the franchise. These days, if the quarterback isn't that face, the team is falling behind. It's the belief of many that a top quarterback is required for success in this passing league. Personally, I don't think that it has to be this way. I think that there are many ways for a team to be successful. I think that any player can be the face of the franchise. Even, heaven forbid, an offensive lineman.
Here's who I see as the face of each of the 32 NFL franchises:

Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson
Even before his incredible 2012 season, Peterson was the face of the Minnesota Vikings. There's no doubt now. MVP. Offensive Player of the Year. #1 player in the league, as voted by the players.

Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers
Enough said.

Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler
Until he retired this offseason, Brian Ulacher was the face of the Bears. I'd like to pick one of their excellent cornerbacks, Charles Tillman or Tim Jennings, but I'm not sure many outside of Chicago would even recognize them. Seeing as it's been about sixty years since a quarterback has been a face of this franchise, it feels a little odd.

Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson
The Lions are a unique team in that they have an elite, franchise quarterback yet the face of their franchise is another player. Johnson is simply unique. Best receiver in the league. One of the best players in the league.

San Francisco 49ers: Patrick Willis
Some might be willing to anoint quarterback Colin Kaepernick. I'm not there yet. He might be the guy before the 2013 season is done but I'll wait until then. For now, I like Willis. He's one of my favorites. I think that Willis and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt might be the two best defensive players in the league. I also don't consider it a stretch to see head coach Jim Harbaugh as the face of this franchise. He's changed this team and he changed it fast. But, I'm leaving this to players.

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson
I might be a hypocrite in anointing Wilson this early and not Kaepernick. I just think that the 49ers were playing some terrific football before Kaepernick took over. Alex Smith nearly had the team in the Super Bowl two years ago. He had the 49ers among the best in the league before he suffered the concussion that changed the direction of a franchise last season. Wilson's play turned the Seahawks into an elite team.

St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford
Bradford has had some elite moments but those moments have been difficult to sustain on a team that hasn't had a lot of recent success. Bradford has been forced to be the face of the team before he's really earned it.

Arizona Cardinals; Larry Fitzgerald
Fantastic football player. Hopefully, Carson Palmer will be much closer to Kurt Warner than John Skelton.

New York Giants: Eil Manning
Little to debate here.

Dallas Cowboys: DeMarcus Ware
Most might pick Tony Romo. Until Romo wins some big games I'll think of Ware whenever I think of the Cowboys.

Philadelphia Eagles: LeSean McCoy
This is really a default choice. Nothing much went right for the Eagles last year. I have a difficult time accepting Michael Vick as the face of anything. DeSean Jackson needs to get his game back a bit. When healthy, McCoy is a terrific running back.

Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III
There are so many dynamic young quarterbacks in the league right now. Kaepernick, Wilson, RGIII, Andrew Luck, and Cam Newton. This guy is the most electric. The league, all fans, and especially the Redskins need him to come back healthy.

Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan
It's easy to get in a lather over the really young quarterbacks but there's a group not much older that is really, really good. Ryan, Stafford, and Joe Flacco already seem ancient but they have an awful lot of football ahead of them.

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees
This is pretty obvious. Few great players have connected so well and so completely with their adopted community.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Doug Martin
Most around the Buccaneers want this to be Josh Freeman. After his rookie season, I think of Martin when I think of this team. Great back. So much like Ray Rice it's scary.

Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton
So, his second season wasn't as terrific as his rookie season. He set that bar real high for himself. The play of the rookies didn't help either. Newton's future is bright.

Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco
It's diffucult to imagine the Ravens as an offensive team first, defensive team second but that's pretty much the case now. Despite losing former face of the franchise Ray Lewis to retirement and Ed Reed to free agency, the Ravens should still field a good defense. But, this is Joe Flacco's team now.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger
The Steelers took a step back last year. That hasn't happened for a while. It's up to Roethlisberger to bring them back.

Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton
The Bengals are an interesting team. HBO should be glad to have them on Hard Knocks.They have a lot of talent from some real nice recent drafts. They have two elite football players in receiver A.J. Green and defensive tackle Geno Atkins but I think that Dalton is the face. He certainly has the hair to stand out from the rest.

Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas
Trent Richardson is the more flashy choice right now but I'm going with the best football player on the Browns, offensive lineman Joe Thomas. The Browns would probably like to see this spot taken over by Brandon Weeden real soon. Thomas will help make that happen.

Denver Broncos: Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning could be the face of the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs: Jamaal Charles
If not for the spectacular season that Adrian Peterson had last year, people would would be raving about how Charles came back from a similar knee injury.

San Diego Chargers: Phillip Rivers
There was a time, not long ago, that Rivers was mentioned with Manning, Brady, Brees, and Rodgers as the best quarterbacks in the league. He needs to get back to that level of play.

Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden
This one's a struggle. If McFadden could ever stay healthy, he'd be an elite back.

New England Patriots: Tom Brady
Not much needs to be said here.

Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill's terrific rookie season was kinda lost among those of Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson. The entire Dolphins team looks to be ascending.

Buffalo Bills: C.J. Spiller
The former top-10 pick finally had his breakout season with over 1,200 yards last year.

New York Jets: Muhammad Wilkerson
Like the Raiders, this one's a struggle. Wilkerson is on a fast track to being one of the top defensive linemen in the league. He's already the best football player on the Jets.

Houston Texans: J.J. Watt
Unlike the Raiders and Jets, there's several players to pick from the Texans. Perhaps, more players than any other team. Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Andre Johnson could all be considered for the face of the Houston Texans. I'm going with the player that has quickly become the best defensive football player in the league, J.J. Watt.

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck
Time will tell if the 2012 rookie quarterback class can measure up to the 1983 class but it's pretty remarkable that Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, and Andrew Luck are the face of their franchises after only one season. Brandon Weeden could join that group soon. Incredible. I still like Luck best out of this young quarterback group.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew
Jones-Drew needs to get healthy and stay on the field. He's an excellent running back.

Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson
Johnson looks like he's back to running the ball in the right direction. I think that quarterback Jake Locker wrestles this title from Johnson real soon.

Canton, Here I Come!

Cris Carter won't be the only person finally getting into Canton. The Flea Flicker will be there. I received my tickets to the 2013 Enshrinement Ceremony yesterday. This is a good year to make the trip. Not only is Carter finally getting his much deserved recognition but this is also the Golden Anniversary Reunion. The Hall of Fame is turning 50 this summer. Hard to believe. This reunion will be the largest gathering of football legends in one place at one time ever experienced. Great players from 91-year old Charley Trippi to Curtis Martin will be on hand. Eight of the Minnesota Vikings' 11 Hall of Famers will be there to welcome Cris Carter as #12. Chris Doleman, John Randle, Randall McDaniel, Gary Zimmerman, Carl Eller, Paul Krause, Ron Yary, and Bud Grant. I sure hope that Fran Tarkenton and Alan Page decide to be in Canton as well. This is going to be great.

I've been looking forward to visiting Canton, Ohio and the Pro Football Hall of Fame since I was a tiny football fan. No matter how much I wanted to be there, it just never came to be. Cris Carter's induction just became the perfect time to make it out there. I'll only be there for the weekend so I'll need to make another, more complete visit. Perhaps for Adrian Peterson's induction. He should be the Vikings first ever first ballot Hall of Famer but he still has a lot of football between now and then. I know that I'm going to need much more than a weekend to prowl the halls of the Hall. I'd love to get into those archives. Maybe I can use my visit in a month as recon for that next, much longer visit.

OW

If you take a peek at the Jacksonville Jaguars roster listed on their website, you'll find all the usual positions. QB, WR, CB, RB, DT, even an LS. You'll also find an OW. I've never seen an OW on a football roster. I've never even heard of an OW on a football roster. Denard Robinson played quarterback at Michigan. The Jaguars drafted him in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft as a receiver. He spent a decent amount of the offseason practices with the running backs. He's returned some kicks too. He's done a bit of everything on the offensive side of the ball except play on the line. The Jacksonville Jaguars have decided that Denard Robinson is their offensive weapon, OW. There's always room on a roster for football players that can make something happen with the ball in their hands. Even if they don't have one position to call their own.

Robinson is nicknamed Sholelace due to his odd practice of playing football with his shoes untied. I've wondered if that would continue with the NFL's uniform police prowling around the games. Robinson was a big play waiting to happen while at Michigan. He was the first player in NCAA history to pass for 2,500 yards and run for 1,500 yards in the same season. His passing was erratic at times but his running and passing together was electric. His NFL-level skills were obvious but he really had no set position for the NFL. If he was a little taller and his passes a little straighter, he'd likely follow in the wake of dual threat quarterbacks like Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, and Russell Wilson. The Jaguars picked Robinson as a receiver. Once they got him in camp, they decided not to label him as anything other than what he is, an offensive weapon. OW. I think that's a brilliant decision. Some have compared Robinson to Kordell Stewart and Antwan Randle-El because of his quarterback-playing college days. I prefer a comparison to Percy Harvin. While Harvin is still a little unrefined as a receiver, he's certainly more refined than Robinson simply because he's played the position. Both are players that you want to have the ball in their hands. You don't know what's going to happen but you want to be there to see it. Just find a way to get the ball in their hands. Hand-offs, bubble screens, slants, direct snaps. Anything.

I like football players whose skills aren't limited to one position. Players that can line up anywhere in the formation. More importantly, players that can be effective from anywhere in the formation. Football players like Percy Harvin and Randall Cobb put an incredible amount of pressure on a defense. Not only do defenses have to worry about stopping them they have to worry about finding them before the snap. The St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping that recent draft picks Tavon Austin, Codarrelle Patterson, and Denard Robinson are going to put similar pressure on opposing defenses. They are simply offensive weapons. OW.