Throwback Thursday: Plan B

The National Football League has done a lot of things right in their 90+ years. That's easily seen in their fantastic success today. That success doesn't mean that every decision has been tip-top. One pretty stupid move was when the league introduced a pathetic form of free agency in February 1989. The owners didn't want anything to do with any sort of free agency. They didn't want the players to have that freedom of movement and they wanted to control salaries. They figured that open bidding for players would shoot player salaries through the roof. They were right. None of those concerns were of any concern for the players. They wanted that freedom and they weren't giving up the fight to get that freedom. The owners tried to pacify the players with a limited free agency and gave it the unfortunate name of Pan B. Very creative.

Plan B free agency permitted all teams in the league to preserve limited rights to no more than 37 players. A protected player was unable to sign with other teams without giving his old team the chance to sign him or forcing his new club to compensate his old club if he went elsewhere. The players that weren't among the 37 protected players were free to negotiate any team. They were the only players that were truly free agents. The Minnesota Vikings added former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig through Plan B. That was pretty sweet but would have been sweeter if they could have added him about five years earlier. Needless to say the players hated this Plan B joke. They hated it so much that eight players sued the NFL saying that it violated antitrust laws. Mark Collins, Frank Minnifield, Dave Richards, and Lee Rouson were awarded monetary damages. The namesake of the suit, Freeman McNeil, wasn't awarded damages. Neither was Don Majkowski, Tim McDonald, and Niko Noga. It was determined that those four were paid enough that Plan B didn't restrict their earning ability.

Plan B was a joke. I knew then that unrestricted free agency was inevitable. The owners probably did too. Coming up with some half-assed scheme to put off the inevitable was a mistake. The league's decision makers looked like fools. This was one of the last moves that Pete Rozelle oversaw as commissioner. I'm still a little surprised that he let this one fly. It's not all on him. It may not have been on him at all. The commissioner may be the top dog on the league but he still answers to the owners. They pay his salary. Maybe, Plan B drove Pete Rozelle to his retirement. If nothing else, Plan B led to the inevitable unrestricted free agency. The, more or less, same free agency that starts in 12 days.

Flea Flicker Mock Draft v1.0

These damn things are always pointless and always fun. So, here's my first stab at this fun but pointless project.

1. Kansas City Chiefs  Geno Smith  QB  West Virginia
2. Jacksonville Jaguars  Luke Joeckel  OT  Texas A&M
3. Oakland Raiders  Sharif Floyd  DT  Florida
4. Philadelphia Eagles  Chance Warmack  G  Alabama
5. Detroit Lions  Dee Milliner  CB  Alabama
6. Cleveland Browns  Star Lotulelei  DT  Utah
7. Arizona Cardinals  Eric Fisher OT  Central Michigan
8. Buffalo Bills  Dion Jordan  LB  Oregon
9. New York Jets  Ziggy Ansah  DE  BYU
10. Tennessee Titans  Jonathan Cooper  G  North Carolina
11. San Diego Chargers  Lane Johnson  OT  Oklahoma
12. Miami Dolphins  Cordarrelle Patterson  WR  Tennessee
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  Jarvis Jones  LB  Georgia
14. Carolina Panthers  Sheldon Richardson  DT  Missouri
15. New Orleans Saints  Kenny Vaccaro  S  Texas
16. St. Louis Rams  Bjoern Werner  DE  Florida St
17. Pittsburgh Steelers  Alec Ogeltree  LB  Georgia
18. Dallas Cowboys  Bjoern Werner DE  Florida St.
19. New York Giants  Tyler Eifert  TE  Notre Dame
20. Chicago Bears  Manti Te'o  LB  Notre Dame
21. Cincinnati Bengals  Xavier Rhodes  CB  Florida St.
22. St. Louis Rams  Menelik Watson  OT  Florida St.
23. Minnesota Vikings  Keenan Allen  WR  Cal
24. Indianapolis Colts  Sylvester Williams  DT  North Carolina
25. Seattle Seahawks  Barkevious Mingo  DE  LSU
26. Green Bay Packers  Barrett Jones  OL  Alabama
27. Houston Texans  Eric Reid  S  LSU
28. Denver Broncos  Johnathan Banks  CB  Mississippi St.
29. New England Patriots  Tavon Austin  WR West Virginia
30. Atlanta Falcons  Jonathan Hankins  DT  Ohio St.
31. San Francisco 49ers  Desmond Trufant  CB  Washington
32. Baltimore Ravens  Datone Jones  DE  UCLA

I seriously doubt that the draft unfolds like this.

NFL Offseason Changes?

The NFL wants everything that they do to be big. They're always looking to make things bigger. This willingness to always embrace changes has kept the NFL way ahead of the rest of the professional leagues. It's mostly been a good thing but there are times when the NFL really needs to pump the breaks. They say that their willingness to change is to enhance the enjoyment of the fans. It's really to enhance the profits of the NFL. Everything is done to increase profits. I'd have a lot more respect for commissioner Roger Goodell and his bosses if they were a bit more honest about that.

The recent nugget that popped out of the Scouting Combine was possible changes to the offseason schedule. The plan would be to move everything back about a month. The combine would take place in March. Free Agency would start in April. I've heard mention of some jackass idea of having a free agent signing day similar to college signing days. NFL Network would probably televise the team signings across the NFL landscape. The NFL Draft would be held in May. Finally, all teams would start training camp on the same day in July. I'm sure the coaches will be thrilled with that mandate. I'm not sure how offseason workouts would be impacted by this new schedule. My guess is that the workouts would be condensed. Instead of starting in late April and popping up every few weeks through mid-June, they'd likely be concentrated in June. This would be another slap at the coaches. More significantly, the NFL Players Association should blow a gasket. They just signed a CBA with a defined schedule of offseason workouts and now the owners are bouncing around the idea of hacking up that schedule. There has been much speculation that the schedule changes would be to accommodate an 18-game schedule. Ah, the 18-game schedule. I just love that the people most in favor of playing 18 games don't have to play 18 games. The commissioner and the owners really should listen to the players on this subject. It's seriously irresponsible to do otherwise.

It's not that I'm resistant to changes in football. I embrace any change that is good for the game. I like the pace of the offseason with the current schedule. I think that this free agency "signing day" is a stupid, forced event. I think that if fans had to wait until May for the draft they'd lose their minds. The pre-draft process is long enough for the incoming college players. Each year the NFL offseason gets bigger on it's own. It really doesn't need any pointless, ridiculous changes. Just leave the offseason alone and it will grow on it's own.

Media Driven Drivel

About a week ago an enterprising St. Paul sportswriter was in Florida covering the start of the Minnesota Twin spring training. He decided to take advantage of his location by setting up camp outside the home of Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin. This reporter wanted to ask the talented receiver, again, whether he'd be in Minnesota next season. The reporter got the some form of the "no comment" for his intrusion. Many Vikings fans applauded the the efforts of this reporter. I call it stalking.

The football offseason is supposed to be a time of reflection and hope. Most importantly, hope. Every team has a clean slate. Every team has a chance in the coming season. The offseason is a time for improving the team. Building from within or adding new players. It's a fun time. A peaceful time. It's frustrating when that peace is shattered by annoying extra stuff. Two years ago it was the lockout. That was the worst. Last year it was the Vikings stadium battle. This year it's the circus that the media has created around Percy Harvin. For months now, Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman have stated that they expect Harvin to be in Minnesota this year. They want Harvin in Minnesota this year. No matter how many times that they answer the question, they are still asked, "Will Percy Harvin be traded?" It's ridiculous. I've never understood why the same question has to be asked so many times. This circus isn't Vikings-driven or Harvin-driven. This entire fiasco is media-driven.

Percy Harvin is team-oriented. He is well liked by all of his Minnesota Vikings teammates. The only problems that he had was being injured when his team was driving for the playoffs and how he has been used in the Vikings offense. The latter is a significant issue and needs to be resolved but I don't see it as an issue that can't be put to rest. I don't see it as anything close to an issue that would lead to Harvin's departure from Minnesota. He is the most versatile receiver in the NFL. He might even be the most versatile football player in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if he lined up at corner and excelled. While the Vikings use him in many ways they could use him in more. Despite his versatility, he's pigeon-holed as a slot receiver. Just because he stands under six-foot he's considered too small to play outside the numbers. Few force the same restrictions on DeSean Jackson and he's smaller than Harvin. When the Vikings do put Harvin out wide it's nearly always for a quick passes. They're often effective but it becomes predictable. He's rarely sent downfield. Outside receivers do not have to be a certain size. Talented players can make plays all over the field so let them. Before the explosion of three receiver sets, receivers of all sizes were sent downfield. Now, you have to over six-foot to go deep and under six-foot to run from the slot.

I've watched Percy Harvin play football for four years. I'm convinced that he has no limitations in an offensive game plan. He can do it all. He can line up inside, outside, in the backfield. He can catch, run, return kicks, block. He can score form anywhere on the field and has. He's also a very emotional football player. His intense competitiveness always has those emotions at the surface. The Vikings will be best served if Percy Harvin's immense football skills are unleashed.

Oh, and the media needs to shut the hell up.

Undefeated

With tonight being Oscars night it seemed like a fine time to draw some attention to a football movie that won an Oscar. Undefeated is a 2011 documentary directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin. The movie had such a limited theatrical release that by the time I found a theater that had it, I was too late. I've waited ever since for it's DVD release. That finally happened last week and I finally saw it last night. It's terrific. The Academy thought so too as they awarded Lindsay and Martin the Oscar for Best Documentary. I had two years to build up the damn thing and I wasn't disappoint. I knew enough of the movie to find it interesting that it was about a team that was neither undefeated nor finished the season with a championship.

Lindsay and Martin spent the 2009 football season with the Manassas High Tigers in north Memphis. Head coach Bill Courtney and his staff were volunteers. Courtney was a former high school coach turned lumber salesman that volunteered to help a school in a lost neighborhood. He and his fellow volunteers turned a perennial whipping boy into a team that couldn't be defeated. The kids, so used to giving up, learned to never give up. Lindsay and Martin did a terrific job of introducing the viewers to the coaches and a handful of the players. Tackle O.C. Brown's story is unusually similar to that of another huge, talented tackle from the Memphis area. That would be Michael Oher and his better known story told in The Blind Side. Brown was taken in and helped by an affluent white family but his stay wasn't as permanent as Oher's stay. Fellow Tigers lineman Montrail "Money" Brown stole Undefeated for me. Perhaps I could recognize with his partially torn ACL blowing up his senior football season. Perhaps it was his happy personality and self-awareness. He loved playing football but was at total ease with being to small for college football. He knew that high school football was it for him despite his love for the game. He simply wasn't as huge or as talented as O.C. Brown. Still, he was desperate to get back on the field for his final football games. Like Montrail, the film ends with you wanting more football games. You become so used to this miracle moving along that you want it to continue. Manassas hadn't won a Tennessee state playoff game in it's 110-year history. You want them to get that win. For them and for you.

Great flick. The Flea Flicker says check it out.

Farewell Matt Birk

For me, the best thing about the Baltimore Ravens winning this past Super Bowl was seeing Matt Birk leave the NFL on top. The former Minnesota Vikings center retired from the NFL yesterday. The only thing that was missing from his fifteen-year career was a title. No more. I obviously would have preferred for that elusive title to come while he was in Minnesota but that was not to be. It was still great to see him leave the game with that final prize.

The Vikings drafted Matt Birk out of Harvard in the 6th round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He was a tackle then. The combination of Birk's work and the line coaching of Mike Tice made the position switch seem easy. Within two years Matt Birk was the Minnesota Vikings starting center. That 1998 draft is best known for receiver Randy Moss. I always found it interesting that two players so different had the same beginning in Minnesota. Birk's impact may not have been as flashy as that of Moss but it may have been as great. Birk was a leader on and off the field. Perhaps more so than any other position, the Vikings have had an incredible succession of centers. Birk only added to that line. Mick Tingelhoff started it all and he seemed to play forever. 17 years. He handed the torch to Dennis Swilley who passed it to Kirk Lowdermilk who passed it to Jeff Christy and then on to Birk. John Sullivan currently carries it very well. Six centers in over 50 years. Incredible. All six made the position a strength. Matt Birk was a fantastic football player. On and off the field, Birk made a memorable impact. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and won the Walter Payton Award for his work in the community. With his great sense of humor his interviews were always enjoyable. Humor goes a long way.

Although John Sullivan was ready to take over it was difficult to see Birk leave Minnesota in 2009. As with past Vikings greats Alan Page, Carl Eller, John Randle, Cris Carter and others, it was painful to see Matt Birk play in the uniform of another team. Despite that I couldn't help but be happy for the former Vikings center when I heard the final gun of Super Bowl XLVII.

Scouting Combine

Mike Mayock calls it the "underwear olympics." He just wants to differentiate it from the real football but it's pretty accurate. Most know it as the NFL Scouting Combine. Indianapolis hosts it and each year it seems to get bigger. The players started arriving Wednesday and it finishes up next Tuesday. Over seven days, 333 college football players go through four days of poking, prodding, testing, running, jumping, pressing and questioning.. It's the biggest job interview of their lives.

National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster is running his eighth scouting combine. He deals with everything from getting the players to Indianapolis, out of Indianapolis, and everything in between. It includes coordinating with local medical facilities. 350 MRIs were performed on 333 players last year. It's an incredible piece of scheduling and Foster and Indianapolis has it down to a science.

While NFL people rarely agree on anything they absolutely agree that the medical exams and the interviews are the most important parts of the combine. The fans see it differently but they rarely see football realistically. The fans love the running, the jumping, the numbers. That's why NFL Network televises the NFL Scouting Combine. I'm actually more interested in Manti Te'o's interview and Keenan Allen's knee than who runs the fastest 40. Mayock calls it the "underwear olympics" to lessen the importance that many put on it. It's not football. That's not to say that the on-field combine portion is pointless. It's just to say that it should always be a supplement to what the player has done on the football field for a handful of years.

A growing aspect of the combine that annoys many in the NFL is the decision by some players to skip the on-field workouts. It's mostly a few quarterbacks that pull this stunt. Supposedly they do so on the advice of their agents. These agents and their quarterback clients want to script the workouts, at familiar facilities, with familiar receivers at a later date of their choosing. They want to control the process. It's like going into a job interview and handing the interviewers a list of scripted questions. In the competitive world football choosing not to compete is pathetic. If I was an NFL decision maker, I'd look at a quarterback choosing not to throw the equivalent of throwing a bunch of passes straight into the Indianapolis turf.

The pace of the football offseason is nice. Two weeks after the Super Bowl there's a little hunger for some more football. The NFL Scouting Combine provides a little taste. If nothing else, it introduces to many of us the college football players that will be NFL players in a couple of months.

Throwback Thursday: Ever Changing Game

I remember my football baby steps, watching games in the '70s with my father. He separated the positions, offense and defense, helped make sense of the game. He explained the importance of field position. I learned that a nice start to a possession is anywhere beyond your own 20-yard line. A nice possession is gaining a couple of first downs and punting from midfield. All to turn field position to your favor. If you can keep the game on the opponents side of the field all day, a couple of scores win the game. That was then.

Field position doesn't seem to mean as much anymore. Having to trot out your punter is considered a failure, even after a couple of first downs. Teams score from anywhere on the field. They do what was unthinkable only decades ago. They throw with their backs to their own endzone. They throw everywhere and often. It's a track meet now. It's a race for points. There are so many excellent, accurate quarterbacks. Completion percentages were mostly in the high 50s in the '70s. Now, a quarterback is out of the league if he's completing at that rate. These talented quarterbacks have gotten a lot of help. Rule changes in the last 40 years have made passing easier. Pass defense was closer to assault back then. Now, the defense can't do much when the ball's in the air. The number of brilliant, big receivers have further helped the quarterbacks. Their increased catch radius alone has increased completions. Quarterbacks don't have to be perfect on every throw. It's kinda funny that as pass defenders have been forced to become more gentle the receivers have gotten much bigger. Well, it's not so funny for the defense. Nearly all of the rule changes since the '70s have helped the offense. This increase in offense puts the fans in the seats and television on the action. The powers that be have deemed that offense provides that excitement. The rule changes reflect that. I find the changes too one-sided. The exploding popularity of the NFL shows that it's best that I stay on this side of the decision-making process.

There's so much euphoria over the versatility of quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick. A greater impact than the incredible individual talents of those players is that NFL coaches are finally letting their players loose. There have been versatile quarterbacks for years. Coaches just forced them to play from the pocket or moved them to other positions. I don't think that coaches like having a player's skills dictate their coaching. They'd rather their coaching dictate the player's skills. The coaches have nearly always wanted their players to play within their system. Paul Brown was one of the greatest NFL coaches. In his first ten years he was blessed with the perfect quarterback for his innovative offense, Otto Graham. Brown never seemed to recover when his perfect quarterback retired. He kept looking for the next Graham and there wasn't one. More recently, former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress never gave his quarterbacks the freedom to react to what they saw on the field. They had to go with Childress' call and assigned audibles. He even wanted to put a leash on Brett Favre. Some coaches now seem to be more willing to loosen the reins. They seem more open to designing their schemes and strategies around the talents of their players. It could be the win-now-or-be fired mentality of NFL owners. For decades, NFL people have said that what works in college football won't work at the professional level. The NFL defenders are too skilled, too fast for the spread or read option offenses. Several NFL teams are now incorporating aspects of the spread offenses. Teams, Washington and San Francisco certainly, are finding quarterbacks that can run the read option. All these changes are geared to score. And score often.

Football will always be a game of ground acquisition. Teams are just acquiring that ground faster now than they did forty years ago. One of the great appeals of football is that it's always evolving. In twenty years, passing the football might move aside in favor of running the ball. I doubt it but you never know. It could happen. Football will always be fluid. Rule changes, unique skills of the players and innovative, open-minded coaches will all play a role in the constant evolution of the game.

Tagging Time

This is the time of the football offseason that teams make decisions on their own, soon-to-be free agents. Whether to sign them or to tag them? Signing a player to a long term contract is always the best option for the player and the team but it's easier said than done. Neither side ever seems to view the deserved contact numbers the same. The player always wants to make more. The team always wants to pay less. A long term contract brings the player the one thing that he desires most. The signing bonus. The total value of a contract rarely means a thing. It's that bonus that's received as soon as the player puts his name on a contract that means the most. Football rarely looks at the end of the contract. Many players don't even see the end of their contract. It's all about the signing bonus. That's what they see. The team loves the long term contract too. The signing bonus even benefits the team. They pay a bunch up front but they can spread the salary cap hit over the length of the contract. They can play with the numbers over several years to minimize the impact on the salary cap each year. For the team, it's all about managing the salary cap. Teams want to manage the cap but they also want to keep their top players. If they can't come to an agreement on a long term contract with a key player, they can use the franchise tag. It's tool for the teams to further restrict movement of their football players. Both teams and players hate the franchise tag. The players hate it a little more. The franchise tag pays the tagged player an average of the top salaries at their position. It's nice for a player to be among the highest paid at his position for a year. It's nice for a team to keep a key player on their roster for another year. Despite that top salary, the player sees no signing bonus. He likely sees no money at all until he returns for training camp and the start of his next football season. The franchise tag does nothing for his football future beyond that next season. The team, while a little happier than the player, has to deal with a more significant salary cap hit than they'd like. Using the franchise tag is always a desperation move by a team. It's never good to be desperate but it's better than losing a key player.

Let the tagging begin.

More Carter

New Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter was back in Minnesota last week for some greetings and congratulations. He bounced around from press conferences, radio shows and podcasts. He was likely running around as much last week as he ever did on the football field. It's a fine time for Carter right now. He waited six years for a call from Canton when he never should have waited at all. Despite those years of frustrations Carter is basking in the Hall of Fame glow now.

Cris Carter's career didn't really take off until he arrived in Minnesota in 1990. He nearly killed any chance of football success during his three years with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a problem player with off the field demons. His immense football talent amounted to nothing on this destructive path. With some help in Minnesota he got off that path. He immediately turned his football career around. He finally put in the work that would match his talent. His new work ethic was inspired by his desire to be the best. He wanted to be the best conditioned player on the team. That wouldn't just happen with Herschel Walker there. Carter had to work. He did. When Roger Craig joined the Vikings, Carter told him that he wanted to be better than Craig's former teammate, Jerry Rice. Craig said that he had no chance. He said that Carter had the natural ability but he had to work as hard as Rice. Carter did. His workouts were motivated by a desire to be better than Rice. Carter's workouts became legendary. He started an offseason program that would draw players from around the league. Carter's workouts nearly killed Randy Moss on that dynamic receiver's first day. Cris Carter's work ethic led to eight Pro Bowl with five different quarterbacks throwing him the football. That's a far cry from the two Hall of Fame quarterbacks that threw to Rice.

Since I first saw him play for Ohio St., the aspect of Cris Carter's game that most appealed to me was his hands. Best I've ever seen. Of his hands Carter said, "I catch everything that other guys catch and I catch a few that no one catches." There were more than a few. He caught a lot that no one esle could catch. His pass catching should be required viewing of every kid that ever wants to play receiver.

"I believe in catching the football. I don't believe in dropping it."
     -Cris Carter, Hall of Fame receiver

Happy Birthday Flea Flicker

Two years ago this very day the Flea Flicker was born. I owe that start to Mrs. Flea Flicker. All that's found here was once spewed at her. She didn't need that. No one does. There's just too much football flowing through me. Always. It's a real stretch to say that the Flea Flicker saved our marriage but Mrs. Flea Flicker likely avoids me a little less. I can't thank her enough for guiding me to this outlet and always inspiring me.

Every aspect of football interests me. From the days when football first stepped away from rugby to George Halas printing tickets, signing players, coaching them, selling tickets, even playing some football for his beloved Chicago Bears to the Baltimore Ravens winning their second title. Form the Hall of Famers and those that should be to the players that barely had a sniff of professional football. From the trainers to the commissioners. The equipment managers to the officials. Every single one of these people have played a role in the football script. Each has had a part in making football great.

Before a Cal football game a few years ago, I had an opportunity to have a little chat with Reggie Camp. He was a terrific defensive end for Cal in the early '80s. He was drafted in the third round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played for the Browns from 1983-87 and played one final year with the Atlanta Falcons. Camp had a nice six-year NFL career. He also carries the interesting distinction of playing in three of the most iconic games in football history. He played in the 1982 Cal-Stanford Big Game. The game with "the Play." He was on the winning side of that one. He also played in the 1986 and 1987 AFC Championship games between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. Games better known as 'The Drive" and "The Fumble." He was on the losing side of those two. Reggie Camp shares the distinction of having played in these games with John Elway. It was extremely interesting to talk to Camp about these games, his career, his coaches, and his peers. He's clearly proud of his time in football and he should be. Very few players make it to the NFL let alone play for six years. I just got the feeling that without the great acclaim, the great attention that he didn't see his career meaning much in the grand football scheme. It does and Reggie Camp did. Every single player helped make football the great game that we know and love today. Reggie Camp will always be remembered in the Flea Flicker. So will John Elway.

Thank you for everything Mrs. Flicker. You are the best.

Borrow a dollar, Roger?

Thanks to a tricky bit of tax code, the National Football League files taxes as a non-profit. Fairly shocking. This is a 9 billion dollar business. All 32 teams rank among the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world. All are right there with the titanic soccer teams of the world. I guess that the 32 NFL teams show a profit but the league as a whole does not. Who knows how they manage this? As a non-profit, the league must reveal to us all the salaries of their top executives. Our always prying society likely would have found those numbers anyway but now they are just handed to us. There are no more secrets. For a while during the NFL lockout of 2011, league commissioner Roger Goodell volunteered to work for the nice round sum of a buck. He was working for a dollar. Once the collective bargaining agreement was reached, Goodell's compensation went up quite a bit. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earned $29.49 million in 2011. He earned $11.6 million in 2010. The guess here is that nearly 2/3 of his 2011 total salary came as a bonus for his "terrific" work in the lockout negotiations. It's a stretch to blame Goodell for the length and the grief of the lockout. I blame the league's idiot lawyers for pretty much all of the difficulties. One of those idiots was the league's general counsel, Jeff Pash. He also worked for a buck during the lockout. I don't think that he even earned that. He came out of 2011 with $8.8 million in total compensation. I hate seeing people nicely compensated for pretty much putting a halt to anything productive. Pash and his pack of clowns made the lockout more difficult than it ever needed to be but that's another story. This one is about the NFL's well compensated commissioner.

At a time when many businesses are struggling, the NFL is flourishing. Personally, I think that the NFL runs itself. The nation, even a lot of the world, stops for the Super Bowl. Fantasy football is no longer this tiny little thing that is only a thrill to a few. It's a monster. The Super Bowl and fantasy football alone show the presence and strength of the NFL in today's world. Roger Goodell is still a big part of that success. He's carried on the strong work of Joe Carr, Bert Bell, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue. The league leaders that came before created the blueprint that Goodell has been wise to follow. Other league's have stumbled while the NFL surges further ahead. A regular season football game easily outdraws a World Series game. That wouldn't have been believed twenty years ago. Now, it's simply accepted. While I don't agree with all of Goodell's ideas, I love his passion for the game. As a fan, I know that the league is in good hands but I'm just a fan. The opinions that do matter are of those that pay Goodell. The rich NFL owners are getting richer and they are obviously grateful to their employee.

"The NFL is the most successful and best-managed sports league in the world," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement obtained by The Sports Business Daily. "This is no small part due to Roger's leadership and the value he brings to the table in every facet of the sport and business of the league. His compensation reflects that."

The true face of the league are the players. Some do not share the owner's view of Goodell's compensation.

"How the hell can u pay a man this much money that can't run tackle or catch"
  -tweet from Roddy White of Arthur Blank's Atlanta Falcons

I guess that the NFL is really no different from any other business that is having grand success. The owners see the largest piles of gold. The top executives, in this case Roger Goodell, see an outstanding, but smaller pile. The people actually doing the work, the running, tackling and catching, seeing the smallest pile of all. Unlike most businesses, the player's pile is still pretty damn big.

Congratulations Roger Goodell on your tremendous monetary success.

VIkings' New Home

A year from now, the Metrodome will be no more. The Minnesota Vikings' home since the 1982 season will be demolished February of next year. The team is getting a new home. The new stadium won't be open for business until the 2016 season but the steps needed to get there are being taken. Of course, the biggest step was taken last spring when the Minnesota legislature finally passed the long sought stadium bill. Since that time, all the fun stuff has been taking place. Planning the process and finding the right people to make it all work. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority was formed to oversee everything and to work with the Vikings. HKS of Dallas was hired as the architects. They did the work on Cowboys Stadium and the Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium. All the various consultants, subconsultants and engineers have been hired. Yesterday it was announced that Mortenson Construction of Golden Valley, Minnesota was chosen as the Construction Manager to build the multi-purpose stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Mortenson has extensive sports venue construction experience in Minnesota. They built Target Field, Target Center, Xcel Energy Center and TCF Bank Stadium. The company's workforce will be 100% Minnesota-based. The firm estimates that the new stadium project will require 4.25 million work hours and employ 7,500 workers during the approximately three-year build. This was one of the most significant stadium development decisions remaining before the stadium design can be finalized and the groundbreaking can take place. That groundbreaking is scheduled to begin this fall as the Vikings play their farewell season in the Metrodome. Perhaps the most anticipated part of this process, outside of the first game played in it, will be the release of the drawings and schematics of the proposed stadium. We have to wait a couple more months for that excitement. Still in play are a retractable roof, wall or window. The Vikings and the Stadium Authority prefer a retractable roof if it can be built within the budget.

Construction of the new stadium will take place next to the old stadium during the upcoming 2013 season. Then that old stadium comes down. The Vikings plan to play the 2014 and 2015 at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. That means that the Vikings will be playing outdoor home games for the first time since 1981. I'm not counting that one game played at TCF during the disastrous 2010 season when the roof of the Metrodome came down. Cold Minnesota home games after all these years. Great stuff.

The Minnesota Vikings' new home is finally coming together.

Cal's New Offense

When Cal hired Sonny Dykes to be their new head coach there was no doubt that there would be offensive changes in Berkeley. Dykes has been one of the leading spread coaches in college football for years. Cal will be running the spread. That was just the beginning. Cal's new spread will be unique. Dykes brought his offensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech with him to Berkeley. Tony Franklin has a twist in his version of the spread.

The center calls the plays.

The center in Cal's new offense doesn't just snap the ball and block. He gets the play from the sidelines, reads the defense, calls the blocking assignments and then barks the snap count. The Louisiana Tech center was often hoarse at the end of games. This immense responsibility for Cal will likely fall on sophomore Matt Cochran. He's huge at 6'2" 345lbs. He's also a bright kid. He's going to have to be. The Cal quarterback no longer has to verbalize anything. Cal's quarterback will now only only have to read coverages and change routes. He can take a nap until the snap.

I'm really curious to see how all this works. This is how it's supposed to work. The center receives a jumble of signals from the sideline. "Some are alive," Franklin says, "and some are dead." The offense approaches the line without a huddle and the center calls the plays. Since the center has a lot on his plate, the right guard looks back to see when the quarterback is ready. Or, wake him up.

This center-led offense has a play designed for when the center can get the defense to jump on his cadence. He switches to a "free play" in which all the receivers take off for the end zone. This is the one benefit that I can easily see in having the center control the offense. He's right there in front of the defensive line. He can most easily see the slightest movement of those right in front of him.

It's going to take some doing to convince me of this new twist. I simply see the quarterback as the best positioned player to control an offense. I'm certainly not saying that this offense can't work. Dykes and Franklin have proven that it can work. Their Louisiana Tech offenses scored a ton of points. I just want to see it in action.

Throwback Thursday: Rumors

These ridiculous Percy Harvin trade/holdout rumors bouncing around the last few days remind me of the ridiculous rumors that bounced around about this time of the football year in 2005. That was when the rumor clearing house Pro Football Talk reported that the Minnesota Vikings were trading Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders. I think that this scoop put the blossoming website on the football map. I was stunned by this Moss rumor. First of all, Moss was coming off an injury-plagued season. Because of that health question, I didn't think that it would be possible for the Vikings to get anywhere near fair value for Moss. Pretty much the only person in the league that would take a gamble on a supremely talented, injured player like Moss is Al Davis. There you go. Most importantly, I was under the impression that teams couldn't agree to trades until the start of the new league year. That was still a few weeks away. I was wrong. I didn't want the trade to happen and I couldn't understand how it could happen. Trading Moss. Not a chance.

The biggest difference between these two rumors is that one was true. When Pro Football Talk sprung the big news it wasn't as a rumor. They were reporting that this stupid trade was a done deal. They reported that the Vikings and Raiders had agreed to a trade that would be official as soon as they could legally make the trade. I always thought that talks, such as those that obviously took place between the two teams, were considered tampering. The particulars of the trade weren't immediately known. Pro Football Talk didn't have the scoop on that just yet. It was soon known to all that the Vikings were getting the Raiders 2005 1st round pick and linebacker Napoleon Harris. There was a 7th round pick involved as well. The Harvin rumors are based on nothing but speculation. No one from the Vikings, including Harvin, have said anything to validate the rumors. The Vikings haven't said that they are looking at a possible trade. Harvin hasn't said anything about wanting to be traded. It's ridiculous. For all I know, some idiot with a blog started the rumors. Now, I see newspapers from Seattle and San Francisco talking about the Seahawks and 49ers pursuing a trade for Harvin. It's crazy out there and the Vikings are probably laughing their asses off. Unlike Moss, Harvin won't be traded. Start that rumor! I have as much proof as anyone else. About the only thing that the rumors from 2005 and those from this year have in common is that the player in question is a receiver. Moss had worn out his welcome in Minnesota. Harvin is just getting started in Minnesota.

Viking Moves

The start of free agency is a month away. The Minnesota Vikings have some work to do before they even get to that day. There's draft meetings and then the NFL Scouting Combine that will take most of the next couple of weeks. When they get to thinking about free agents they have to start with their own.
In my opinion, these are the Vikings free agents-to-be that must be re-signed:
T    Phil Loadholt
FB Jerome Felton
S   Jamarca Sanford

After those three, there area a few players that could be brought back at the right price:
WR Jerome Simpson
G    Geoff Schwartz
LB  Erin Henderson
LB  Jasper Brinkley

Simpson had a difficult season. It started with a suspension. Injuries took away most of the rest of his season. He never completely recovered and was never able to get in sync with the rest of the offense. He was brought in to be a deep threat. It never happened. He has some unique physical skills. He just has to stay on the field long enough to show it. As for Henderson and Brinkley, it's difficult to to lose 2/3 of your starting linebackers but the Vikings need to get more impact from players not named Chad Greenway. I can see one of Brinkley and Henderson being re-signed. If I had to guess, that player would be Henderson.

On March 12, the free-for-all that is NFL Free Agency begins. The Vikings currently have anywhere from 10-15 million under the salary cap. That number will change due to the hopeful signings of their own free agents and possible restructuring of existing contracts. The Vikings greatest needs are at receiver, middle linebacker and defensive tackle. There's always a need at corner. General manager Rick Spielman prefers to build through the draft. He'll spend in free agency, even spend big for the right player, but he more than likely will concentrate on the second tier of players coming out of their rookie contracts. As much as some fans want to see receivers like Mike Wallace and Dwayne Bowe signed, I don't see it happening. Greg Jennings is one receiver that might get some interest from the Vikings. He's a bit older than the team might like but that might be enough to put him in their price range. If the Vikings spend big on a player, I kinda hope that it might be for Miami Dolphins corner Sean Smith. More likely, I see a free agent class looking more like this:
LB    Brad Jones
WRs  Brian Hartline and/or Ramses Barden
DT   Vance Walker

This isn't a big name catch but I like the potential. Hartline had a breakout season last season. His best years are likely in front of him. I liked Barden when he came out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2009. He hasn't gotten a lot of playing time being a part of the New York Giants stable of receivers. I'd like to see what he can do with more time on the field. At 6'6", Barden is a huge receiver. Jones and Walker would be two nice additions to an improving defense.

The most significant offseason move for the Vikings would be signing receiver Percy Harvin to a contract extension. If for no other reason, this would stop all the idiotic rumors.

Follow the Clown

So, some radio hack says that receiver Percy Harvin is a locker room cancer and that the Minnesota Vikings are looking to trade him. Vikings fans listen and go ballistic. This radio hack, something called Mike Max, even advertised his breaking news. Who does that? Who has some blockbuster scoop and says that he'll unload it two days hence. Mike Max is who. He has to advertise because no one would listen otherwise. It turns out that Mike Max had nothing different to report than what was reported in December. He only added that the Vikings are actually looking into trading Harvin.

I said in December, and I'll say it again, Percy Harvin is one of the most competitive football players that I've ever seen. His ankle injury, his being placed on injured reserve had to be one of the most frustrating times of his football life. His team was making a final, desperate push for the playoffs and he wasn't part of it. And, he was being put on ice for the season. I'm not surprised that he may or may not have lashed out. His passion for the game is one of the things that makes him so great at it. I'd be surprised, even disappointed, if he wasn't upset about being placed on injured reserve. I'm sure that feelings were hurt. I'm sure that it wasn't a comfortable time. I refuse to believe that this whole mess is anything more than Harvin being frustrated with not being healthy. Not being a part of the team. His lifelong battles with migraines have been the only thing that's proven effective at keeping Harvin from excelling on a football field. With the way that he plays, he always plays hurt. This was the first time that those injuries were able to slow him since he's been with the Vikings. Not playing hurt Harvin far more than any injury ever could. Some have said that Harvin is a selfish football player. Another prima doma receiver. Someone that plays like Harvin is not a selfish football player. He gives every single ounce of himself on every single play. That's not selfish. Some have said that Harvin doesn't like playing second fiddle to Adrian Peterson. Seems like a strange thing to say about a football player that didn't seem to mind playing in the immense shadow of Tim Tebow at Florida. Harvin just wants to win. He wants to be part of a team that wins. He wants players around him that just want to win.

I've heard several Vikings fans say, "if none of this is true, Harvin or the Vikings should come out and say so." I'm not sure why anyone has to say anything. Oh yeah, we live in the information age. We're entitled to know everything about everything. The Vikings are probably laughing their asses off while watching this ridiculous drama. This will all play out in due time. Anyone who thinks that they know what's going to happen is lying. Mike Max! Personally, I think that it's more likely that we'll see Percy Harvin signing a contract extension than seeing him traded.

It's the slow part of the offseason. The Scouting Combine is a week away. The high action and drama of free agency is still a month away. It's all speculation now. For some reason, fans would rather throw a fit over some sort of manufactured drama. They'd rather bitch about a great player than celebrate him. They'd rather listen to some clown on the radio.

Pebble Beach Thoughts

There's a lot of great things about living in this part of the world. It's always beautiful. The weather is, at worst, always mild. Another one of those great things is the annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. This year's version took place this weekend. It often brings rain but it's always a blast.

This year the football portion of the celebrity contingent was represented by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, former San Francisco 49ers tackle Harris Barton, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, and Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. As last year, we spent the weekend following Rodgers. Unlike last year, Rodgers seemed much more comfortable with the public. He signed more autographs, talked more, smiled more. He seemed to enjoy himself out there. Despite spending a lot of time on the wrong side of the ropes, his golf game has improved since last year. Perhaps there was a connection between his play and comfort. One issue that I did have with his golfing was the ridiculous green and yellow clubs. What can you do? Perhaps the best part of watching Aaron Rodgers golf at Pebble Beach is the great appreciation that many show for his Cal days. There are "Go Bears" shouted all day. He played football in Berkeley for only two years but they were a great two years. It was nearly ten years ago and few have forgotten. Cal's great lack of even decent quarterback play since those days makes it so hard to forget those two short years of passing brilliance. I hope that he has many more years at Pebble Beach.

Tony Romo gets a lot of attention from the fans at Pebble Beach. Rodgers has a larger gallery but the Romo fans are much louder. Even rowdy. I guess that the attention comes from the Dallas Cowboys' fairly shaky status as "America's Team." Whatever it is, it gets loud when Romo walks by. He's the best golfer among the football golfers. He's actually the best golfer not working to get paid at this thing. Romo has gone through U.S. Open qualifying on a couple of occasions. If the powers that be at the Cowboys' offices (Jerry Jones) ever get tired of their current quarterback, Tony Romo could have a future as a professional golfer. If the spectators at Pebble Beach are any indication, he'd have a vocal following.

Harris Barton has been a frequent competitor at Pebble Beach. It's always fun to have a big guy swinging a golf club. The best thing about seeing Barton here every year is seeing him in great shape. There was a day when the big football guys got bigger when their playing days came to an end. I've noticed at Hall of Fame inductions and other events that the big guys aren't looking like they ate another big guy. They are taking care of themselves when the action slows. Football can wreck a body and the players are doing a much better job taking care of their bodies. It's good to see. It's also good to see Barton play golf every year. There's a calmness about him. It's a calmness that balances nicely with the antics of the other celebrity in his foursome. Bill Murray. I heard whispers that Murray got hold of all of Barton's Super Bowl rings this year. They total three. I wold never let Murray get anywhere near anything of value at this golf tournament.

Brian Kelly is the third top college coach to recently play the Pebble Beach Pro Am following Nick Saban and Bob Stoops last year. I never realized how short and stocky some of these coaches are. They seem much bigger on football sidelines. Bill Belichick included. Maybe they shrink when they're not in their element. Not included in that stature department is Jim Harbaugh. He towers over his fellow coaches. Belichick and Harbaugh are two of the most intense coaches, maybe ever. So, I find it interesting that they can relax playing golf. Perhaps the most frustrating sport ever invented. They even seem to enjoy themselves. I've seen smiles. Definite smiles. I would even go so far as to say that Bill Belichick is a very sweet man.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am is a terrific event. I've attended each of the past five years and I plan to attend many more. Why not? It's really just down the street. Over the five years, I've had several, very brief conversations with Peyton Manning. Drew Brees, Bill Belichick, Herm Edwards, Harris Barton, Aaron Rodgers, and Bob Stoops. I keep hoping that some Minnesota Vikings players or coaches will show up. Ryan Longwell is a terrific golfer but never found his way to Pebble Beach. Maybe kickers aren't allowed. Christian Ponder has been working on his golf game but he likely needs a couple of Super Bowl titles to be a draw. I wouldn't mind that at all.

More Rooney Rule

I always thought that Pittsburgh Steerlers owner Dan Rooney was following the rule that bore his name when he interviewed and hired Mike Tomlin as head coach. I've since learned that Rooney had already satisfied the requirements of the rule when he interviewed Ron Rivera prior to bringing in Tomlin. With that in mind, the Rooney Rule has never played a role in the hiring of a minority head coach. That could change one day. Hopefully, it does. If the Rooney Rule leads to the hiring of only one minority head coach, it's a good rule.

I think that much of the grief that the NFL receives from the media over the lack of minority head coaches is misplaced. The days of George Preston Marshall bringing racism into the league's ownership room are over. I refuse to believe that there is a uniform effort by the owners to restrict the number of minority coaches. That's a competitive bunch. I doubt that they care about the ethnic background of a coach if that coach can bring them a Super Bowl. I must admit that I was surprised that Jim Caldwell didn't get any coaching interest this past offseason. I wasn't so surprised that one of the eight teams didn't hand the keys to their team to Lovie Smith. I have nothing against Smith as a football coach. I just can't find fault in any of the coaches that were hired. I was more surprised that it took pretty much forever for either Marc Trestman or Bruce Arians to finally get a head coaching shot. If I were a San Diego Chargers fan I'd be more excited about Mike McCoy leading my team than Hue Jackson. That has nothing to do with the race of either coach. It has more to do with the way that the Denver Broncos shifted to a Tim Tebow-led offense last year and then adjusted a Peyton Manning-led offense this year. The shift to Tebow, in particular, on-the-fly, in the middle of the season was nothing short of incredible. The next minority head coach in the NFL could be Stanford's David Shaw. I wouldn't mind seeing the NFL pilfer another terrific coach from Stanford, but that's beside the point. One of the eight teams looking for a new coach tried TWICE to entice Shaw. The NFL didn't hire a minority coach this year but it's not for a lack of trying. There's more qualified, ready, minority coaches now than there were only a decade ago. That likely translates to more minority head coaches in coming years. I'm just looking forward to the day that we don't need anything more descriptive than "head coach." Maybe Leslie Frazier winning a whole bunch of Super Bowls will bring that day closer.

What They Said About Adrian Peterson

"I remember the first time he came up the middle against me and Pat (Williams)." Kevin Williams said. "We were going to give him a pop and show him he wasn't playing college ball anymore. He dropped his shoulder on me and stood me up. Before I could grab him, he was gone. Pat and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. We knew he was something special right then and there."
-Kevin Williams during that 2007 training camp. Adrian Peterson's first.

Last year, as his teammates went through the "run and wait your next turn" routine of offseason training, Adrian Peterson was busting his ass off to the side of the fields. He was attempting the impossible of getting his shredded knee ready for training camp. He succeeded and had one of the greatest offensive seasons ever.

For the most recent issue of Viking Update, several Minnesota Vikings players were asked, "In a word, how would you describe what Adrian Peterson has accomplished this season given the circumstances of his injury?" Here's how they responded.

"Incredible. His commitment to coming back stronger is nothing short of incredible. He's a monster."
-Jared Allen

"Surreal. It's like a movie. A guy gets hurt that bad and comes back and makes a run at the all-time NFL rushing record. Things like that only happen in movies."
-Christian Ballard

"Freakish."-Brandon Burton

"Special. He's a special player and, from what he's gone through, this is a special season-not just for him, but for the whole team."
-Brandon Fusco

"Amazing. If it was anyone else. I would have said he wouldn't be the same after that. But to see what he's done this year has been incredible to watch. That's Adrian."
-Chad Greenway

"Historic. What he has accomplished is just unreal."
-Letroy Guion

"Epic. He's the best running back in the league coming off something that ends a lot of careers."
-A.J. Jefferson

"Scrumtrulscent. Will Farrell used that word on a parody of Inside the Actor's Studio on Saturday Night Live and I think it fits with A.P."
-Chris Kluwe. Leave it to Kluwe to quote a Will Farrell character.

"Unreal. You knew he would come back, but what he's done has been unreal to me."
-Andrew Sendejo

"Amazing. To be able to come back from that injury that fast and perform like he has. I'm not surprised, but I am a bit amazed at it."
-John Sullivan

"Ridiculous. I knew he was very good, but I had no idea that he could be this good."
-rookie kicker Blair Walsh

"Unbelievable. I don't think anyone expected him to do the things he's done, so unbelievable describes it best for him."
-Antoine Winfield

Adrian Peterson's teammates have come to expect the incredible from their dazzling running back. This past offseason and season took those expectations even higher.

Signing Day

Wednesday was the first day that high school seniors could sign National Letters of Intent to attend and play college football. It's a big decision for the kids. It can be the day that changes the fortunes of many football programs and coaching careers. It's become a big day for fans of the the various college teams. That's a lot of pressure to place on kids that have yet to even graduate from high school. Everyone says that they are great. Everyone says that they are ready for the big time. The jump from high school to college is huge. For every Adrian Peterson and Jadeveon Clowney that dominated as soon as they stepped on a college football field there's thousands that just get lost in the numbers and the talent. I think that the attention paid to the recruiting process is irresponsible at best. Especially in this age of social networks. The kids have enough to worry about with school, homework and everyday teenage life. Fielding letters, calls, and visits from colleges is a full-time job by itself. Even if they commit early the recruiting doesn't stop. None of it stops with overly passionate fans now having access to the kids with twitter and facebook. Too often I find that these fans spend more time bitching about the kids that choose another school than embracing the kids that choose their school. They sometimes bring that anger to the virtual doorstep of the kids that are just trying to do what they think is best. It's ridiculous. Recruiting has always been a pretty sleazy process. Supposed friends of the program. Boosters with money and promises. People with money to burn that get a bang out of thinking that they control a little sports kingdom. Thinking that they can buy a coach and a dynasty. They think that they're doing something great when they're a just of bunch of clowns. An idiot with a computer doesn't seem so bad in comparison. The kids are simply trying to make a very important decision that could impact the rest of their lives. They shouldn't be pressured into a situation and place in which they aren't completely comfortable. Hell, they should be congratulated for simply making it through a brutal process. High school football, any football, should be fun.

Throwback Thursday: All Time Team

As a lead up to last Saturday's Hall of Fame announcements, NFL Network presented a Pro Football Hall of Fame All Time Team. This was voted on by the fans. I think that I might have even voted. Since this was decided by the fans it is dominated by Super Bowl era players. Too often and promoted by too many, the NFL seems to have started in 1966. People forget way too easy. Anyway, enough crying about history. Here's who the fans say are the best from the best that the Hall has to offer:

QB: Joe Montana
RB:  Jim Brown
        Walter Payton
WR: Jerry Rice
        Michael Irvin
TE:   Mike Ditka
OL:  Dan Dierdorf
        Bruce Matthews
        Anthony Munoz
        Jim Otto
        Gene Upshaw
K:    George Blanda

DT:  Joe Greene
        Merlin Olsen
DE:  Reggie White
        Howie Long
LB:  Dick Butkus
        Lawrence Taylor
        Jack Lambert
CB:  Deion Sanders
        Darrell Green
S:     Ronnie Lott
        Rod Woodson

Coach: Vince Lombardi

This actually turned out better than I expected. Keeping your choices to only Hall of Famers actually makes it hard to hack up. Still, there are some that border on the ridiculous. Michael Irvin was a fantastic receiver but there are at least five receivers, maybe more, that I'd consider before I even consider Irvin. Don Hutson teams with Rice on my team and there's really no debate. I like Raymond Berry, Lance Alworth, Elroy Hirsch and now Cris Carter over Irvin. Deacon Jones, Gino Marchetti and Bruce Smith would all play opposite Reggie White at defensive end for me. Howie Long was terrific but I think that Jones, Marchetti and Smith impacted the game on par with the incredible White. Offensive line is difficult to debate. Picking any Hall of Fame offensive lineman has legitimate arguments to be part of an all time team. Personally, my line would include Jim Parker, Art Shell, Larry Allen, Randall McDaniel and Chuck Bednarik/Bill Wills/Bulldog Turner. I also like Jack Ham at linebacker over his Pittsburgh Steelers team mate Lambert. Jan Stenerud would get my nod over Blanda at kicker. I don't know how you exclude the one kicker in the Hall of Fame that is there for his kicking. Blanda made it to the Hall for his passing, kicking and for the fact that he played in an incredible four decades. One last personal choice would be Alan Page at defensive tackle. That position is tough to sift through. You can't go wrong with Greene, Page, Olsen or Bob Lilly.

Cris Carter, Hall of Fame Receiver

Cris Carter had a foolish entry into the NFL. You could even say that he tripped into the league. Before concluding his outstanding college career at Ohio St. he signed with an agent. It was the first of several shaky decisions. I didn't know much about a lot of that but I did know that Cris Carter was a brilliant receiver. One of the best that I had ever seen. I had hopes since his freshman year of college that he'd one day be in Minnesota. When he entered the Supplemental Draft, I hoped that the Vikings would draft him. They didn't. The Philadelphia Eagles did. While Carter had some modest on field success in those early years his off the field issues threatened to destroy him. After three seasons, Eagles coach Buddy Ryan had enough. He still may have saved his career with the now immortal words: "All he does is catch touchdowns." When the Eagles released him, I hoped that the Vikings would sign him. They did. For the waiver fee of $100 the Vikings had an incredible compliment to Anthony Carter. The Carters. For four seasons the Carters presented serious problems for NFL defenses. Most importantly, Cris Carter turned his life around. As with many before him and since, he found his new peace with religion.

In his 12-year Minnesota Vikings career, Cris Carter was everything that I'd imagined he'd be. The best pass catcher that I've ever seen. Vikings coach Dennis Green was the perfect coach for a football player and man trying to find his place. Green could see all that Carter could do. That confidence had to help Carter. With the Vikings, Carter took off. I was able to attend a couple of Vikings games during the '90s. One in particular turned into what seemed like a personal duel with Jerry Rice on a Monday night. It was beautiful. One unfortunate aspect of his Vikings career was the constant turnover at quarterback. Sean Salisbury threw passes to him fercryinoutloud. A developing Rich Gannon was in the mix. Fading quarterbacks like Wade Wilson and Jim McMahon were there too. Carter's best three years were 1994-96 when a still terrific Warren Moon was throwing him simply beautiful passes. Carter had an incredible 122 receptions in each of the 1994 and 95 seasons. The 122 reception season was an NFL record at the time. The Moon-to-Carter combination really was beautiful to witness. It also made me wonder what Carter might have done with a decent quarterback for more of his career. Throughout his Vikings career team success was marginal. The Vikings made near annual playoff appearances during the '90s. Unfortunately, they made early exits. It was one-and-done nearly every season. The Vikings looked to change that in 1998. Cris Carter had become one of the greatest receivers to ever play. The 1998 NFL Draft brought the most physically gifted receiver to ever play. Randy Moss. The Vikings actually had a nice receiving duo in Carter and Jake Reed. When Moss was added to the mix, the Vikings offense exploded. They had a terrific running game with Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard. Now, they had an unstoppable passing game. Quarterback Brad Johnson was supposed to lead it but he was injured early in the season. Randall Cunningham dusted himself off, stepped on the field and ignited the highest scoring offense in NFL history. Carter took the incredibly talented Moss under his wing and showed him the way of the NFL. He showed him how to work in the offseason and during the season. Carter was not only a great player now. He was a leader and a mentor. That 1998 season might have been the greatest season the Minnesota Vikings have ever known. It was also the most frustrating. It ended in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. A missed field goal near the end of regulation opened the door for the Falcons to tie. They did. And won in overtime. This was a game in which the Vikings always seemed a whisper away from taking the Falcons apart. Just like they had done to just about everyone during a fantastic 15-1 season. This was Cris Carter's last and best chance at being part of a championship. It didn't happen.

Cris Carter was an incredible football player. The best pass catcher ever. He worked the sidelines and endlines better than any receiver before or since. In February 2008, I watched the Hall of Fame announcements expecting Carter to be part of that Hall of Fame class. He wasn't. Every February since I expected him to be part of that Hall of Fame class. Every time I was disappointed. This past Saturday, I wasn't disappointed. Cris Carter finally made the Hall of Fame. I was surprised to find that the previous disappointments did, in fact, fade away.

Thank you Cris Carter for your incredible 12-year Minnesota Vikings career. It was a tremendous thrill and honor to watch you catch passes like no one ever has. Congratulations on your much deserved induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Fritz Pollard Alliance Awards

The Fritz Pollard Alliance has long sought to improve diversity in sports. These efforts led to the adoption of the Rooney Rule by the NFL. Most in the media don't really think that Rooney Rule has done enough. It's a hot button topic for them. They've been in an uproar since none of the eight head coaching vacancies since the end of the past season went to a minority. Despite the legions of vocal critics of the league's diversity issues I'm stunned by the complete lack of coverage of the Fritz Pollard Awards Banquet that was held last Thursday in New Orleans. I sure didn't know that it had taken place. I learned about it while listening to a radio interview of Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier on Monday. The interview was actually set up to talk to Frazier about all the awards that Adrian Peterson had just won for his amazing performance during the 2012 season. It just happened to come up during the interview that Frazier and Vikings Vice President of Legal Affairs Kevin Warren were recipients of Fritz Pollard Alliance "Salute to Excellence" awards. There was such a media void concerning this event that I had difficulties even finding it with a Google search. The only mention that I could find was on Mike Wobschall's blog at the Vikings website. The "Salute to Excellence" award recognizes the outstanding performance of minority NFL head coaches and executives, collegiate coaches and high school seniors during the current season. To quote Wobschall: "This recognition is particularly extraordinary as it highlights the tremendous efforts and sacrifices made by current and previous honorees that will lead to even greater opportunities for minorities seeking advancement opportunities." You'd think that the media would be supportive of something like that. I just don't get it. The media is so quick to attack the NFL for not hiring minorities yet they don't even take the time or effort to cover a significant event to honor minorities in the sport. If the media truly cared about this situation, news of this event wouldn't have been so hard to find. They'd cover events that promote and honor the efforts of minorities. They'd actually play a constructive role.

Congratulations to Leslie Frazier and Kevin Warren. Keep up the great work in advancing the opportunities of minorities. I wish that I could congratulate the other honorees but I couldn't find them anywhere.

Super Bowl XLVII Thoughts

Ravens win 34-31.

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on Super Bowl #2.

My condolences to the San Francisco 49ers and their fans. It was an awesome comeback. It's tough to lose on a penalty that should have been called. I've lived with that sort of ending since 1975 but that's a whole other story. Jimmy Smith did indeed interfere with Michael Crabtree on that 4th down play. That's a terrible way to end a great Super Bowl.

The play of the game, beyond the interference no-call, may have been Ravens punter Sam Koch running precious seconds off the clock before he gave up the safety. This left the 49ers with no time to do anything.

I can't accept a punter having THE play of a great game. Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin probably had the most big plays. Jacoby Jones had the two biggest plays. I would have given the MVP award to one of those two players. Joe Flacco got it. He did play well but his receivers made a greater impact.

Hopefully the really good game that this was will be what we all remember but the power outage shortly after halftime was ridiculous. 34 minutes. There's no telling what the game would have been without that interruption but we shouldn't have to wonder. Something outside of the game changed the game. That shouldn't happen.

The worst part of the power outage delay was having to listen to the collective idiocy of the CBS crew. After weeks of praising Colin Kaepernick the idiots at the desks turned and ran the other way. Bill Cowher talked of putting Alex Smith in the game. Dan Marino said something about Kaepernick being a one-trick-pony throwing only to Crabtree. Some other dipshit talked of the read option not working for the 49ers. Really? I don't recall the 49ers running many read option plays in the first half. Just because the 49ers line up in the pistol doesn't mean the read option is the call. I'm so glad that the Vikings play most of their games on Fox. That CBS crew is ridiculous.

Frank Gore is such a slippery runner. I love the various style of the backs in the league. Gore is probably the best at slipping through the slightest of holes.

Speaking of slipping. There was far too much slipping for an indoor stadium and artificial turf field. The slippery Gore, in particular, slipped way too much. I don't trust the Saints. They probably greased the field.

I don't know much but it sure looks like the 49ers run the pistol full time.

The first turnover of the game shouldn't have been. LaMichael James losing the ball looked, to me, to be preceded by a facemask penalty. A facemask penalty that was effective enough to spin James around. The announcers never said a thing about it so I thought that I had imagined it. I rewind it and see the same thing that I thought I had seen. A facemask penalty that wasn't called. The 49ers were moving the ball. The Ravens turned the break into a touchdown. That's a potential 14-point swing.

It's simply amazing that the interception thrown by Colin Kaepernick in the first half was the first thrown by a 49ers quarterback in a Super Bowl. This is the sixth such game. Amazing.

That interception was the only bad throw that I recall Kaepernick throwing. He might not have played his best game but he certainly didn't play a bad game. Kaepernick played well enough to win and really should have won.

From the Ravens perspective, I thought that the fake field goal attempt was a mistake towards the end of the first half. It may have been a difference of only three points but that's a turnover for the 49ers. It ended up amounting to little but the 49ers took likely points off the Ravens board.

21-6 at the half. It was a strange first half in that it felt more like the 14-10 game that I thought that it should have been. I still think that James had his facemask yanked before he dropped the ball. That was a huge swing in opportunity and momentum.

And then the power went out.

The Super Bowl pregame hoopla is quite the marathon. It really starts after the conference championships and gradually ramps up to game time. It's two weeks that seems like months. When the Minnesota Vikings finally get back to this game I'm going to have some serious health issues.

NFL Network's Game Day crew seems to be a stepping stone to the Hall of Fame. Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, and Deion Sanders have taken that path. Warren Sapp just joined them. It's no surprise. All four were among the best football players of their era. All four have Super Bowl rings. Kurt Warner has the same qualifications, the same current Sunday job, and should join his coworkers in Canton.

"Joe Flacco out rushes Colin Kaepernick." -Marshall Faulk
That's a bold pregame prediction.

Some people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Some have been brilliant over the years. This year was lacking. Amy Poehler rocked a Best Buy commercial early. I didn't see anything redeeming until late in the game. The best looked to be a killer from none other than NFL Network advertising their coverage of the Scouting Combine. Deion Sanders as Leon Sandcastle was awesome. The Vikings could really use a corner like Sandcastle. The "Montana stain" commercial from Tide was another great one. The Budweiser Clydesdale commercial was a tearjerker. 

The Ravens have a bunch of players that I really like. Ed Reed and Ray Rice in particular. Beyond those players is Matt Birk. He was such a great player for the Vikings. As a football player, leader and person, few have been quite like Matt Birk. The best qualities that we all hope these players have can be found in him. I wished that he'd reached this level with the Vikings but it's difficult to not be happy for him hitting this peak with the Ravens. Congratulations Matt Birk.

The San Francisco 49ers have an incredible future. An offseason with Colin Kaepernick as the starter is scary. They'll be back. This is only the beginning for this team.

Super Bowl XLVII Game Day

Finally!!!!
Congratulations to Cris Carter on his much deserved induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He joins a terrific 2013 class:
Larry Allen
Cris Carter
Curley Culp
Jonathan Ogden
Bill Parcells
David Robinson
Warren Sapp

Culp and Robinson made it as Senior Nominees. Allen, Ogden and Sapp made it in their first year of eligibility.

Those strong first year players had me worried that Carter would be waiting another undeserved year. Michael Strahan was also in his first year of eligibility. I felt that the three that made it would make it. I also thought that Parcells had a real good chance. That left one spot for Carter. He got it. He deserves it.

"I don't recall the last year I heard the announcement of the class and felt so good about it."
    -tweet from Hall of Fame voter/Sports Illustrated writer Peter King

I agree. I've bitched often about the Hall of Fame voters. They often seem clueless. This class is betond reproach. Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Andre Reed, Charles Haley and Michael Strahan all deserve induction and I can see all five as one class. This is a very deserving Hall of Fame class. Nice work voters.

Carter said that it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened to him. I love seeing how the players react to the news of their induction. Even the players that are automatics are overcome with emotion. I thought that Ogden and Allen were automatics this year. Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk and John Elway have been automatics in recent years. Each have become incredibly emotional. If that emotion builds with each year that a player has to wait, I'm not sure that Carter would have survived another year.

 Even Warren Sapp was speechless.

I've heard some Hall of Fame players say that once they are voted in it didn't matter how long they had to wait. I hope that's true. Carter shouldn't have waited at all but six years is really nothing compared to the wait of so many others. Many waited so long that they didn't live long enough to see it. Benny Friedman, Fritz Pollard, Les Richter...

I always figured that I would like any Hall of Fame class that included Cris Carter but I love this class. Great linemen. You have to love the grunts in the trenches. A great coach. Terrific senior players in Culp and Robinson. Culp, in particular, should have been honored long ago. The 2013 Hall of Fame class is a great one.

I'm enjoying the NFL Honors show. This is the second year that they've brought the awards to TV. The NFL always tries to get bigger. In that effort to get bigger they've gotten into the awards show game. I like it. I'd much rather see the players receive their awards than read about it in the paper. Newspapers still exist! This year was special because of the "out-of-this-world" season by Adrian Peterson.

Adrian Peterson won a bunch of awards. It started with the Fantasy Player of the Year. It ended with the MVP. In between he won Offensive Player of the Year and the Fedex Ground Player of the Year.

Personally, I'd like to see the Fantasy award dropped. Immediately.

Much respected NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell has called Peterson's 2012 performance the greatest offensive season in history. "I've been doing this for a long time," Cosell added, "I'm usually not wowed when I watch stuff. I'm wowed when I watch Peterson."

"What a joy it has been to watch that man play football."-some announcer

Peyton Manning was up for several of the awards that went to Peterson. I'm glad that Manning won the Comeback Player of the Year. Some thought that this award was a consolation to the one that didn't win MVP. This was no consolation award.

Bruce Arians is the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. It's his first head coaching gig. He won coach of the year without ever being head coach. I'm not saying that he didn't deserve coach of the year. He did. It's just an odd twist.

The future of the NFL looks unbelievable. Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson starring as rookie quarterbacks. Colin Kaepernick! Defensive Rookie of the Year Luke Kuechly and the others up for the award like Janoris Jenkins, Bobby Wagner, Casey Hayward. Not to mention, and should be mentioned, Vikings safety Harrison Smith. There was a time win the rookie of the year award went to the player that started the most games. There just weren't many rookies making an impact. Now, they aren't just making rookie impacts. The rookies are making veteran type impacts. It's incredible. Those young quarterbacks are the greatest proof but the youth of the league hit me most with the defensive player of the year nominees. J.J. Watt won the award over Von Miller and Aldon Smith. All three are in their second year. They are just getting started.

Yesterday was a great day to be a Minnesota Vikings fans. Only better if they were playing today.

Hey, there's a kinda big game today!

Here's to a terrific football game.

We've been really spoiled with our Super Bowls over the last decade. They've actually been very good to great games. I grew up with Super Bowls that were often blowouts. It's nice to have the biggest game of the live up to the expectations.

Ray Lewis got his first career sack against Jim Harbaugh.

This is the first Super Bowl in which neither starting quarterback has made a Pro Bowl appearance.

A Modesto, Calif. bakery is selling a cake modeled on the tattooed right arm of 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.

It seems that Randy Moss became the talk of the Super Bowl media day. He's been quiet all year. He wasn't this week. His claim that he's the greatest receiver of all-time got everybody jumping. Including Jerry Rice. I've never understood how the opinion of one can disrupt so many. People went ballistic when Eli Manning said that he was an elite quarterback. What's he supposed to say? The problem that most had with Moss saying that he's the greatest is that his numbers don't show it. I didn't have any problem with Moss saying what he said. He tore apart the NFL in his rookie season. He changed the future draft plans of the Green Bay Packers all by himself. The Packers loaded up on defensive backs in the 1999 draft as they had absolutely no answer for Moss. Since those early days of his career I've thought that Randy Moss was the most physically gifted receiver to ever play the game. From that standpoint, he wasn't wrong.

NFL Network's Top 10 Super Bowls:

10.Super Bowl III-New York Jets vs Baltimore Colts
9. Super Bowl XXXVI-New England Patriots vs St. Louis Rams
8. Super Bowl XLIII-New Orleans Saints vs Indianapolis Colts
7. Super Bowl XXIII-Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco 49ers
6. Super Bowl XIII-Dallas Cowboys vs Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Super Bowl XXXVIII- Carolina Panthers vs New England Patriots
4. Super Bowl XXV-Buffalo Bills vs New York Giants
3. Super Bowl XXXII-Green Bay Packers vs Denver Broncos
2. Super Bowl XLII-New York Giants vs New England Patriots
1. Super Bowl XLIII-Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals

Just like with Randy Moss' greatness, it's difficult to judge something so subjective. Debate is the reason for these Top 10 lists of NFL Network and it works. It's difficult to argue with most of these choices. Super Bowl III was a very important game but I really think that it's a stretch to push it into the top 10. Maybe it's in the list because so many of the Super Bowls have been disappointing. Two possible omissions that I can think of that are deserving of top 10 consideration are Super Bowl XIV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams and especially Super Bowl XXXIV between the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans. Any game that ends with a team only a yard short of overtime is a keeper of a game.

It was a mild surprise to learn that it's been about 10 years since New Orleans has hosted a Super Bowl. It's quite a gap for a city that seemed to be in a frequent rotation with Miami. 10 each for those two cities. I guess that the recent construction of sparkling, new stadiums has put a hold on the old standbys.

I'm not sure that I've ever heard Turlock, Calif. mentioned more than I've heard it mentioned in the past several weeks. My hometown is on the national map, certainly the football map, thanks to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Paul Larson, Jeff Winans, Tom Brandstater have come out of Turlock. Slim pickings. Kaepernick has sent the town into a frenzy in only nine games. Game #10 is a biggy.

The Turlock kid has some crazy football skills. Any big game jitters concerns that I had with Kaepernick died with the way that he responded to a pick-6 against the Packers in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

I really don't think that anyone from the 2010 Cal football team is surprised with the play of Kaepernick. I'm not and followed that damn Cal-Nevada game on a computer. I was left to imagine his complete dismantling of the Cal defense.

That 49er quarterback, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Justin and Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are everyone's usual suspects to be stars of the game. There's always someone that steps up that no one expects. The David Tyree of this game. Some of my expectations for the surprise stars include LaMichael James, Ahmad Brooks and Carlos Rogers for the 49ers. Dennis Pitta, Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe for the Ravens.

I really like the Ravens receiving duo of Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. The 49ers got through an even better duo two weeks ago against Julio Jones and Roddy White so I like the 49ers chances against the Ravens receivers today.

Good luck to all my 49er peeps out there. You guys have never lost one of these things so why start now?

I miss Steve Sabol. "The greatest storyteller the world of sports has ever known."

A Good Day?

This could be a good day to be a Minnesota Vikings fan. Well, it would be an even better if they were playing in that game tomorrow. Minus that, today may honor Vikings players past and present. If the Hall of Fame voters finally do what they should have done six years ago, Cris Carter will finally be in the Hall of Fame. Later tonight, we'll hopefully see the MVP trophy handed to Adrian Peterson. He might even collect the Comeback Player of the year. Others awards as well. That would be a nice haul. A Lombardi Trophy would've been nice. Once again, that has to wait until next year.

Maybe these individual awards wouldn't mean so much if the Vikings team accomplishments didn't always fall short. 2012 was an excellent year for the Vikings. Improving from 3-13 in 2011 to 10-6 and the playoffs was a gigantic step forward. Getting knocked out in the Wildcard round of the playoffs doesn't take away from that improvement. Still, any season that falls short of the Super Bowl is a season falls short. Nearly every talking head in the media predicted that the Vikings would be firmly seated in the cellar of their division. They might have if not for Adrian Peterson's amazing season. No one expected him to return from the terrible knee injury that punctuated the disaster that was the 2011 season. He didn't just come back. He returned to the football field better than he ever was before. He put the team on his back down the stretch of the season and carried them to the playoffs. Finishing with 2,097 yards rushing, Adrian Peterson was simply incredible to watch. Honoring his performance with an MVP trophy is the right thing to do. When I was a football toddler the players of the NFL were mythic. They didn't seem like mere mortals. I didn't really care about any of the individual honors that were bestowed upon the best each year. It seemed to me that simply being able to play in the NFL was the ultimate honor. As I got older the players became more real, more like me. I started to care about my favorite players being honored as I saw fit. Unfortunately, those that did the honoring rarely saw things as I saw them. Sometimes those individual honors helped justify a season that didn't go so well for the team. Only one team can win the Super Bowl so a lot of fans have to go without. Having an MVP or some All-Pros can sometimes dull that sting for the fans of the other 31 teams. It's not really much help but at least it's something. The 1998 Vikings team had a ton of players get various honors but it did little to soothe the way that season ended. You still like to see incredible football players like Adrian Peterson honored for one of the best season-long performances ever.

The Hall of Fame is a different beast for me. I have such a respect for the history of the NFL that I don't let my passion for the Vikings influence who should or shouldn't be honored in the Hall of Fame. Hearing me speak of Cris Carter's rightful place in the Hall may cause some to doubt that. I don't think that Carter belongs in the Hall of Fame because he played for the Vikings. I think that he belongs in the Hall of Fame because he's one of the best receivers to ever play the game. I think that he's the best pass catcher to ever step on an NFL football field. I'm simply more aware of him and seen more of him because he played for the Vikings. I'm one of the few Vikings fans, maybe even the only one, that questions whether Jim Marshall deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. If any Vikings player from that era deserves that recognition, it's Mick Tingelhoff. I just want to see that football shrine in Canton treated with the respect that it deserves. I don't think that the voters are doing that. It's all politics with them. It's all promises and quotas. Some of the voters don't like Carter because he wasn't always friendly with the media. I never thought that kissing the media's ass was a prerequisite for football immortality. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is seriously lacking until Cris Carter is a part of it.

Cris Carter is a Hall of Famer and Adrian Peterson is the MVP in my book. Maybe that's what matters most. They, however, may say differently. I have a feeling that both will be very happy today.

It's Time

Actually, it's way past time for Cris Carter to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tomorrow will be the sixth time that he's been a finalist. He should have made it in his first year of eligibility. Certainly no later than his second. If the voters had watched him play football, watched him catch footballs, he'd be in Canton already. No one has ever caught the football better. No one has worked the sidelines and the back of the end zone better. The voters only look at stats. They rarely look at how those stats are attained. The voters let stats, biases and quotas do their work for them. Even so, Cris Carter has the stats: 1101 catches (4th all time) for 13,899 yards (9th) for 130 touchdowns (4th). Even when the exploding passing game of today and tomorrow leave the receiving numbers of Carter and others in the dust, it does nothing to diminish the incredible receiving skills of Carter. When you want to show a young football player how to play the receiver position, you put in a tape of Cris Carter. The only thing that any receiver has to do is catch the football. A few receivers caught more passes. A few receivers scored more touchdowns. A few more gained more yards. No one ever caught the football better than Cris Carter.

On December 18, 1995, I was in the stands of Candlestick Park for a Monday Night game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers were the defending Super Bowl champions. They were a dominant team and Steve Young and Jerry Rice were on fire that night. The Vikings were immediately down 21-0 at the end of the 1st quarter. It looked pretty ugly for the Vikings that night. Then Cris Carter slowly, steadily, incredibly led his team back. This was a remarkable game to watch. It was incredible to be there. Jerry Rice and Cris Carter seemed to be dueling. Two of the greatest receivers to ever play the game put on a show. The 49ers won the game 37-30. It would have been a disaster if not for the play and drive of Carter.

I was shocked when I saw the box score the next morning. I guessed that Carter and Rice each had about 10 catches for 150-175 yards. Carter actually had 12 catches for 88 yards and 2 TDs. Rice, on the other hand, had the best game of his amazing career. 14 catches for 289 yards and 3 TDs. He even ran the ball once for 10 yards and nearly 300 yards of total offense. Incredible. Carter had only 88 yards when it seemed like twice that. I realized then that every one of Carter's yards meant so much. Each gained a much needed 1st down or touchdown. Each moved the chains. Each drove his team. This takes nothing away from Rice's incredible game. It just shows the false path of stats. The impact on the game is not always shown in the numbers. That night, it felt like Carter and Rice had similar games. They made similar impacts even though Carter gained only a fraction of the yards that Rice gained.

Despite the comments of Randy Moss this past week, Jerry Rice is the standard by which all receivers are compared. Moss may have been the most physically gifted receiver to ever play football but Rice is the best. Nothing that I say about Carter takes away from Rice. Carter is the best pass catcher that I have ever seen. Better than Rice, Moss and the rest. Carter was also the best at working the borders of the football field. As a big fan of receivers, Carter was among the most fun to watch because he was so technically sound. Hands, body positioning, sidelines, everything. He was beautiful to watch. When people meet to talk of the best receivers to ever play the game, Cris Carter is in that conversation. As such, he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's waited long enough when he shouldn't have waited at all.