Careless Cowboys

For the second time in four years the Dallas Cowboys accidentally revealed their draft board. In 2010, owner Jerry Jones gave post-draft interviews while standing in front of his team's draft board. Having learned nothing from that mistake Jones did the very same thing following the past draft. It may not be that big of a deal after the draft has come to an end but the draft board is usually something that a team goes to great lengths to keep secret. It's a secret that most try to keep at any time of the year. It provides insight into how a team goes about their draft business. It's not for the eyes of everyone. Jones must have his reasons for being so careless, or generous, so often.

The media put Jones on the defensive immediately following of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. It's always fun to see Jerry all huffy. He received quite a bit of criticism for spending his first round pick on Wisconsin center Travis Frederick. Even Frederick was surprised by his selection in the first round. He was the best center in the draft but centers rarely receive first round consideration. Jones obviously felt that they needed an upgrade at the position. Since we now have the advantage of seeing how the Cowboys had the players stacked on their board, we can see that the team had Frederick rated as a second round pick. The Cowboys did trade down in the first round with the San Francisco 49ers so they were picking at the very end of the first. Drafting a player at the end of the first that you have slotted for the second isn't much of a reach. When a team drafts a player really has nothing to do with how others see the player. It only matters how the team sees the player. They drafted him. They're coaching them. It's their business. You hear it all the time time about the draft, "stay true to your board." This is one of the main reasons that teams don't reveal their boards.

The Cowboys and Jones are getting a lot of grief for this little gaffe. Especially since it's not the first time. I actually think that the Cowboys had a pretty nice draft. You really can't go wrong with a Wisconsin offensive lineman even if you draft him a round early. Frederick should be a very good player for them. Once the games start it really doesn't matter what round a player was drafted. San Diego St. tight end Gavin Escobar and Baylor receiver Terrance Williams will make super rich quarterback Tony Romo happy. Georgia Southern safety J.J. Wilcox and William & Mary corner B.W. Webb will help the secondary. Those five players should get a lot of playing time early. That's a nice draft any way that you look at it.

It's always fun to laugh and poke fun at the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones is starting to make that way too easy.

Throwback Thursday: Flea Flicker's Finest Football Coaches

ESPN is ranking the twenty greatest football coaches in the history of the NFL. The Flea Flicker has decided to do the same. Any "greatest of" list is going to be highly subjective. There's no right way of doing it. When it comes to coaches, one list maker might favor coaching innovations. The next list maker might just look at whether the coach won enough. Some coaches won a bunch but could never win the big one. Are they doomed to be axed from any list of the greatest coaches? It's all in the eye of the beholder. His how the Flea Flicker sees the top 25.

25. Marv Levy
24. Steve Owen
23. Mike Shanahan
22. Ray Flaherty
21. George Allen
20. Tony Dungy
19. Buddy Parker
18. Hank Stram
17. Tom Coughlin
16. Bill Parcells
15. Sid Gillman
14. Weeb Ewbank
13. Jimmy Johnson
12. Curly Lambeau
11. Bud Grant
10. John Madden
  9. Tom Landry
  8. Don Shula
  7. George Halas
  6. Chuck Noll
  5. Bill Belichick
  4. Joe Gibbs
  3. Bill Walsh
  2. Paul Brown
  1. Vince Lombardi

One thing that has always impressed me is when a coach experiences great success with one team and then moves to another and success follows. Ewbank won championships with the Baltimore Colts to close out the '50s. A decade later he won Super Bowl III with the New York Jets. In my book, Weeb Ewbank is one of the most underrated coaches. He's honored in the Hall of Fame but he always seems to be missing on any list of great coaches.

A Fan's Passion

I was listening to an interview of Credence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty. He spoke of the passion that kid's develop early for music, particular bands, sports teams, athletes, etc. As a kid, the object of that passion is everything. It becomes so much a part of who you are. Sometimes that passion fades as you get older. As other responsibilities distract and priorities change. The things that we value as a kid don't always hold that same value as an adult. Fogerty spoke of the instances when those passions stick. When your passion as a kid remains a passion as an adult, you have something special. I couldn't help but think of my life as a fan of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings meant everything to me in the '70s. I thought that I was going to die when they were robbed by the Dallas Cowboys on Roger Staubach's "illegal" "Hail Mary" pass in the 1975 playoffs. Even regular season games struck me as life or death events. Fortunately, the Vikings won a bunch of games in those days. But, never that final game. While my view of the Vikings became a little more rational as I got older, my passion never faded. The geographical distance between Minnesota and me was always an issue. I often felt that I fought that distance better as a kid of the '70s than I did as a supposed adult of the '80s and '90s. I think that not being truly aware of the actual distance helped in handling it. Minnesota was right next door for all this naive little kid knew. The internet and it's sites and message boards brought Minnesota right next door as the '90s closed. Directv's "Sunday Ticket" brought the Vikings into my home every week of the season. Being a fan of any team is easy today.

Being a fan is never easy. Vikings fans are a woeful, "why me?," bunch. Being close, so close, a lot will do that to any fan base. Four Super Bowl losses. Four of their greatest teams didn't even make the Super Bowl. The Vikings suffered that heartbreaking loss in the 1975 playoff game against the Cowboys. NFC Championship game losses in 1987 to the Washington Redskins, 1998 to the Atlanta Flacons, and 2009 to the New Orleans Saints were brutal. All three came down to singular plays at the end of the games. All four are plays that will be spoken of, through tears, by Vikings fans forever. All fans of sports teams have similar stories. Most also have seasons that end right. I'm surrounded by fans of the San Francisco 49ers. Fans of the Oakland Raiders too. Those teams have a combined eight titles. I'm reminded of each, often. One of the Raiders Super Bowl wins came at the Vikings expense. I watched that game with Raiders fans. Painful. Still is.

I don't regret a second of my time as a Minnesota Vikings fan. I've enjoyed the ride. All the painful losses. All the beautiful wins. The ugly wins too. I'll enjoy this ride for the rest of my days. The Vikings will win that final game one day. I'm sure of it. That one win won't validate all my days as a Vikings fan. It's the entire journey that made it all worth the wait. John Fogerty was right. When the passion for something follows you from that bright-eyed kid to the adult that you've become, it's something special.

Nicely Compensated Football Players

Sports Illustrated recently listed the 50 most highly compensated athletes. The compensation includes both salary and endorsements. The list was topped by boxer Floyd Mayweather and dominated by basbeall players. Only seven football players made the list. The top two were no surprise. Another was expected. Another three may surprise. The seventh was simply shocking.

#3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints QB
-$40,000,000 in salary
-$7,800,000 in endorsements

Quarterbacks are expected to top any list of nicely compensated football players and Brees is one of the very best at the position. His presence at #3 is made by signing a new contract last year. $37 million of the 40 was his signing bonus. So, his pay for the 2012 season was a meager $3,000,000. Poor guy. Brees is starting to make a nice income as a pitchman. Dove, Vick's Vaporub, Chase, Verizon, Tide and Wrangler all cough up dough to Brees. I've seen him in Pepsi commercials but that giant wasn't listed by SI.

#8. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos QB
-$18,000,000 in salary
-$13,000,000 in endorsements

It's still weird to see or hear Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos quarterback. Nice salary. Rich endorsements. Manning has become the standard for pitchmen from the athletic world. Actually, Manning is one of the best pitchmen from any field. Reebok, Wheaties, Directv, Gatorade, Papa John's, and Buick take advantage of his charisma. Fantastic quarterback. Terrific seller of things. Rich man.

#15. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR
-$25,160,000 in salary
-$200,000 in endorsements

I knew that Jackson was going to get a nice free agent contract last year. I never would have guessed that a 30-year old receiver would get the contract that Jackson got from the Buccaneers. He certainly was a playmaker last year. How much longer can he be that kind of deep threat? Jackson has a nice "little" endorsement deal with Denny's.

#21. Carl Nicks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers G
-$24,285,000 in salary
$0 in endorsement

A guard!!!!??? Brees, and in particular Jackson and Nicks are on this list because of the gigantic signing bonuses that they received with new contracts. Jackson and Nicks were the beneficiaries of a Buccaneers team that had a ton of salary cap space due to a fairly complete purging of their roster. The team could splurge and they did. Nicks is a great guard, maybe the best in the league. It's just incredible that only four football players were paid more than him last year. It's unfortunate that offensive linemen rarely get endorsements. They wouldn't be expensive. You'd think that fast food franchises would be all over them to prop up their hamburgers and fries.

#27. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans QB
-$22,450,000 in salary
-$330,000 in endorsements

While it may be a surprise that Schaub earned more than Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and some others, he's a very good quarterback. He's the leader of an explosive offense. And, he's a quarterback. Quarterbacks are highly compensated. The Texans are a talented team. If they can get to the Super Bowl, Schaub could be in line for some real nice national endorsements. For now, he has Houston's Methodist Hospital, Nike and Verizon.

#29. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions WR
-$21,750,000 in salary
-$850,000 in endorsements

Johnson is the best receiver in the game right now. The only thing surprising about his compensation is that it's greater than his quarterback, Matthew Stafford. That will change soon. I think that his endorsement kitty will grow as he becomes more comfortable in front of the camera. He's on the league's real bright starts and he's in the prime of his career. He was on the Madden cover last year. After his fantastic 2012 season, I hope that Johnson finally put an end to that stupid "Madden Curse." Johnson pitches for Acura, Nike, and something called Eastbay.

#48. Eli Manning, New York Giants QB
-$11,500,000 in salary
-$7,000,000 in endorsements

Of the seven football players on this Top 50 list, the Manning brothers have the tiniest salaries. The younger Manning will likely get one of the top salaries in the league real soon. He doesn't show the same comfort in front of the camera as his brother but he's better than most athletes at pushing stuff. Reebok, Toyota, Kraft, Samsung, Directv, and Dunkin' Donuts pay him well.

Despite being, by far, America's top sport, the best compensated football players still make far less per year than the best compensated players in baseball and basketball. Half of the 50 players on SI's list came form baseball. 13 came from basketball. The football presence on this list is due mostly to the one-time signing bonuses that the lucky few can get. While some football players (quarterbacks) are truly reaching and even passing the $20,000,000/year landmark, the average yearly salary of football players is always going to lag behind the less violent sports.

Ditka's Due

The Chicago Bears are going to retire the #89 worn by former tight end Mike Ditka this season. It's a real nice gesture. It's also a very late gesture. Ditka last played for the Bears nearly fifty years ago. The delay is a joke. It's a real shame when teams and players can't see past often petty differences. Ditka has always walked to his own beat. As a player, he never saw things the same as Bears "grand pooba" George Halas. Despite being the kind of rugged, tough football player that Halas always loved, Ditka was traded after only six seasons to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967. Those differences didn't keep Halas from hiring Ditka as coach of the Bears in 1982. There was football respect between the long time owner and the great tight end. Three years later the Bears won the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Halas didn't live long enough to see it. His daughter's son, Michael McCaskey, ran the Bears and the differences between the team and the former great player and current head coach started to grow. There's always going to be some issues between players and ownership. Sometimes even coaches and ownership. It's simply the nature of often tense contract negotiations. The ideal is that mutual respect overcomes those bargaining table wars. Both parties have the same objectives. The Super Bowl. I just hate seeing iconic players not on good terms with their teams. Past or present. The Bears might be making peace with Ditka now but they might have started a little war with a more recent player in Brian Urlacher. Over in Green Bay, current quarterback Aaron Rodgers is trying to bring the Packers and former quarterback Brett Favre back together. Relations shouldn't come to this point with any team or player.

Ditka was the first tight end inducted into the Hall of Fame. That's no surprise as he was really the first tight end to be a threat in the passing game. The tight end position that we know today was far more blocker than pass catcher in the '60s. Ditka started the evolution to a more diverse position. An evolution that included John Mackey of the Baltimore Colts. Kellen Winslow and Ozzie Newsome pretty much took it from there. Ditka may be better known to younger fans as a coach but he was a terrific football player. Despite looking like something of a grunt he was an explosive football player. Even though he played as many years with the Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys as he did with the Chicago Bears, Mike Ditka will always be a Bear. The Bears have retired thirteen numbers, which is the most in the league. Ditka's #89 will be and should be the fourteenth. It's about time.

49er Gamble?

Many media peeps, NFL Network's Rich Eisen in particular, continually speak of the "risky" move by San Francisco 49ers coach  Jim Harbaugh when he inserted Colin Kaepernick as the starting quarterback in the middle of last season. Was it really such a gamble? The 49ers were cruising along at 6-2. Quarterback Alex Smith was having his best season. He was completing over 70% of his passes. His last full game as the 49ers starting quarterback was nearly perfect. Completing 18 of 19 passes for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was an efficient, even very efficient, NFL quarterback. He had his team a whisper from the Super Bowl the year before. Many felt that the 49ers were heading that way again. His biggest problem? He was a very efficient NFL quarterback. Under Alex Smith, the 49ers were a ball control, strong defensive football team. That's terrific. Many teams strive for that. While the 49ers were efficient on offense, Harbaugh was looking for explosive. The coach got his chance to find explosive when Smith suffered a concussion against the St. Louis Rams in week nine. This allowed Harbaugh the chance to see what he had in the young Colin Kaepernick. Anyone that saw Kaepernick play in college at Nevada knew that the kid had very unique quarterback skills. Personally, I saw him take apart Cal. The Golden Bear defense had no answer to what Kaepernick brought to the football field. When you have a football player with his set of skills and, more importantly, his work ethic, the light bulb is going to come on. He's going to get the NFL game. Harbaugh was given the opportunity to find out if that time was at hand. Smith's concussion gave him the opportunity. It's long been a belief in sports that a player can't lose his job due to an injury. It's a belief that's not true. If the backup that becomes the starter due to injury gives the team a better chance to win, that player will remain the starter. Self-preservation is a natural instinct of coaches. They only survive if they win. They will always play the players that give them the best chance to get those wins. Harbaugh had his chance to audition his young quarterback and Kaepernick didn't disappoint. The often lingering effects of a concussion gave Harbaugh an excuse that was really for the always prying media. It also allowed for a fairly open-ended audition. If Kaepernick showed that he wasn't quite ready, the 49ers could always go back to the steady Smith. Harbaugh was in a win-win. There really was no risk. He had the chance to check out his unique, young quarterback while still having the fall back in Smith without the usual media "shitstorm" that always comes when switching quarterbacks in the middle of the season. We know now that everything worked out the way that Harbaugh likely hoped. He saw the big play capabilities from Kaepernick that he was never going to see from Smith. He wasn't going back to those efficient offensive ways. Everything worked out for Alex Smith as well when he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. A team with some very interesting offensive talent. The media called it all a gamble. Some still do. Harbaugh likely called it an opportunity.

So Long Brian Urlacher

Despite being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, I'm disappointed to see Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher retire from playing football. Since the Bears and Urlacher parted ways at the beginning of this offseason, I guess that he technically didn't retire as the Chicago Bears middle linebacker. But, he's a Bear. Always will be a Bear. As a Vikings fan, Urlacher was a real pain. As a football fan, Urlacher was a dynamite football player. Over the first half of his professional career he was one of the best football players in the game. He became the blueprint of how the middle linebacker position is played in a cover-2 defense. He was bigger than most linebackers and as fast as many defensive backs. He brought unreal physical skills to the football field. When I first heard of his Scouting Combine performance before the 2000 NFL Draft I thought that he was simply some workout freak. More like Mike Mamula than Ray Lewis. I didn't see any University of New Mexico games so I never saw him do real football things. I didn't see him play linebacker, defensive back, receiver, or return kicks. All things that he did.  He caught six touchdown passes. He returned five kicks for touchdowns. I didn't see any of that. I only saw his workout numbers and they were freaky for a player his size. I wondered which NFL team would gamble on this player. I was ecstatic when the Bears made that gamble and selected Brian Urlacher with the ninth pick of the draft. About five months later I was pretty upset that the Bears had made that gamble. It was apparent early that Brian Urlacher had a bright future in the NFL.

Brian Urlacher looked too much like Uncle Fester to be a dominant football player but he most certainly was. He was such a great football player. For the first half of his career it seemed that he made a game changing play in every Bears-Vikings game. Plays that very few players can make. Plays that he made look easy.

-5x All-Pro
-8x Pro Bowl
-AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2005)
-NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2000)
-Ed Block Courage Award (2011)
-NFL 2000s All Decade Team

He was easy to admire as a great football player and easy to hate as a Bear. Of course, all the talking heads have been debating the Hall of Fame candidacy of Brain Urlacher ever since his retirement announcement. I see no doubt that he's Canton bound. Is he a first ballot inductee? Who knows? Cris Carter was a first ballot Hall of Famer but the voters didn't get that one right until six years later. In my book, Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis go into the hall of Fame together five years from now. The two best middle linebacker of their era. Two of the best of all time.

Thanks for the thrills, Brian Urlacher. Except for those against the Vikings.

Enough Already

Apparently the San Diego Chargers aren't making second round pick, and likely starting inside linebacker, Manti Te'o available to the media. No one knows for sure whether this is at Te'o's request or that of the Chargers. Personally, I don't blame either for going this route. I've had enough of this stupid story and I don't have to live it. According to a reporter from U-T San Diego, the Chargers aren't making Te'o available to the media until mid-June. The team is calling it an "organizational decision." Whatever. This reporter says that this is a mistake by the team and the player. They just want to talk about football. I don't see this reporter pursuing a "sit-down" with Chargers third round pick Keenan Allen. He'd probably love to talk some football with a local reporter. How about top pick D.J. Fluker. He's going to protect franchise quarterback Philip Rivers. That sounds pretty important to me. Pretty interesting too. That sounds far more important to me than the tabloid-life that was Manti Te'o's senior season at Notre Dame. This reporter wants to hear from Te'o and I seriously doubt that this reporter wants to hear anything about the rookie linebacker's comfort in the Chargers defense.

Former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis said that this was a good move by the Chargers. He said that it was a move by Chargers head coach Mike McCoy to simply establish trust with his player. Keeping the media off of the kid was the coach's way of saying "I got your back." Davis would know the particulars of a football team far better than any media knucklehead. McCoy also has first hand experience of media coverage of a football team for reasons other than football. He was with the Denver Broncos when the Tim Tebow circus was in town.

So, Manti Te'o is naive. So, Manti Te'o made some mistakes. The story was old to me about a second after it exploded. People have made fun of him long enough. Maybe, this story has hung around far too long because those carrying it have been duped as well. Maybe, it makes them fell better because Manti Te'o fell for a lie and it played out in the public eye. Let it go. There's got to be more interesting things out there. Like football. And, only football.

Throwback Thursday: The Baltimore Colts

The Baltimore Colts teams of the late '50s through the '60s have always fascinated me. Winning titles in 1958, 1959, and 1970, they were certainly a successful franchise. In the years between their championships they were nearly always contending for championships. As one would expect from the success, these Colts teams were loaded with talented football players. The list of those players starts with the quarterback, Johnny Unitas. As a kid, there was always something mystical, magical about the name. Unitas. As an adult, the magic is still there. I became aware of football as time was taking away Unitas' gifts. I wish that I could have seen him play when he was at his best. While still a real treat, it's never the same to see tape of games from long ago. To see the games and the players before you know what happens is always the best. While the big star, Unitas was far from the only star. Some of my favorite football players from that era were on those Colts teams. Running back/receiver Lenny Moore, receiver Raymond Berry, tackle Jim Parker, defensive end Gino Marchetti, defensive tackle Art Donovan are honored with Unitas in the Hall of Fame. Coaches Weeb Ewbank and Don Shula are honored there as well. Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb may have been the most feared football player in the entire league. If he hadn't been taken far too soon, he would probably be honored in Canton as well. He lives on in the stories. Every NFL player of that era likely has a "Big Daddy" story. Alan Ameche, Jimmy Orr, Mike Curtis, Bill Pellington, Lenny Lyles, Bubba Smith, Bill Curry. Those Colts teams were loaded with terrific football players for over a decade. Great players. Great teams.

My fascination of the Baltimore Colts goes beyond their great football players and teams. They have a great fan base. A fan base that can be summed up by the marching band that continued to march even after their team moved to Indianapolis. A band that now marches for the Baltimore Ravens. This fan base intrigues me because of the ridiculous history of the Baltimore Colts franchise. It's messy but the team can be traced back to pre-NFL days. They can be traced back to the Dayton Triangles, a founding member of the NFL, that was originally formed in 1913. Through Brooklyn, Boston, back to New York and even Dallas, that Dayton team eventually emerged in 1953 as the Baltimore Colts team that enjoyed so many happy football days until they moved to Indianapolis in 1984. There was a Baltimore Colts team that competed in the All America Football Conference. Well, competed is a stretch but they were part of the AAFC. For whatever reason, they were chosen as one of three teams, along with the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, that merged with the NFL after the upstart conference closed up shop. It's always been a mystery to me as to why the Colts were one of those three. They were a sad team. After one pathetic 1-11 season they were no more as an NFL team. It's taken me years to truly understand that the Baltimore Colts team that came over to the NFL in 1950 has absolutely no football connection to the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts team that all of us know and many love. It does have a passion connection. The passion for professional football in Baltimore was born with that pathetic football team. That incredible marching band was born with that pathetic football team. That pathetic football team gave it's name to a new, old team. After two years without football, NFL Commissioner Bert Bell challenged the football fans of Baltimore in December 1952 to sell 15,000 season tickets in six weeks in order to re-enter the NFL. Baltimore reached that goal in four weeks and three days. The team that was once the Dayton Triangles, and eventually the Dallas Texans, became the Baltimore Colts. They adopted the "Colts" name and inherited the Texans' colors of blue and white. It's pretty incredible that in five short years that pathetic team became a champion. I think that part of the great passion of those Colts fans came from losing their team. I think that you become more passionate about something when you know what it's like to have it taken away. Thirty years later those fans would lose their team again. It was the Colts moving to Indianapolis in 1984 that made me hate the idea of a fan base losing their team. It's just not right. Baltimore got a team a decade later but it was at the expense of another passionate fan base. I'm sure that the people of Baltimore are pretty happy with the Ravens right now. I'm also pretty sure that the older football fans in the city would probably prefer to have their Colts back in town.

The Baltimore Colts might have had a long, crazy beginning and a terrible ending but they put some incredible football on the field in the thirty years in between. So many great players. So many great teams. Some of my favorites. The Baltimore Colts will always be alive with me.

Congratulations San Francisco. Houston Too.

Congratulations to the San Francisco Bay Area on getting Super Bowl L. Any Super Bowl is a super get but getting the 50th game is pretty significant. I can't believe that we are approaching the 50th game. I remember when we were in single digits. The Minnesota Vikings were making a regular appearance way back then. We need to get back to those happy days. Super Bowl L will follow the San Francisco 49ers second season in their sparkling new stadium. I saw no doubt that the NFL would find a way to get a Super Bowl there soon after the new stadium opens and L was the next one up for grabs. Houston was awarded Super Bowl LI. Miami was in the running for both Super Bowls but the region really had little chance. South Beach is a frequent host of Super Bowls but Sun Life Stadium needs some renovations and they're not getting the public money to fund them. At least, the stadium isn't getting those renovations in time for the Super Bowls L and LI.

San Francisco, Santa Clara actually, is a perfect Super Bowl site for me. That's my part of the country. If the Vikings were to make it to Super Bowl L, I'm there. No hotel needed, no plane trip. Just the ticket to the game. That in itself is a chore and an expense but a more manageable one. Perhaps the NFL will be issuing the Flea Flicker media credentials by then. They should. I'm deserving. Otherwise, it's the lottery for me. I attended first round World Cup games in 1994. Exciting. I saw the United States play Brazil in the second round on the 4th of July. Very exciting. I was at the 2001 NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis. Very exciting. Attending those events can't touch attending a Super Bowl. Especially a Super Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings playing in it. Having that Super Bowl so close is the best chance that I have of actually being there. Unless, I finally get my media credentials.

Congratulations San Francisco, Santa Clara actually, and Houston on your Super Bowls.

Changing Offseason?

The NFL never stays still. Not even when things seem so right. It's been known for a while that the expected dates of the 2014 NFL Draft were going to run into a conflict with Easter happenings at Radio City Music Hall. Rather than change venues, it looks like the NFL has decided to move the draft into May. May 15-17 to be exact. That's about three weeks later than usual. This may seem to be an inconvenience but rather the NFL sees it as an opportunity to do what they really want to do. There's been talk for a while now that NFL decision makers want to shift the entire offseason. They want to move the Scouting Combine and the Draft back about a month. I was thinking that the start of the league year, and free agency, would move from the start of March as well. Now, it sounds like the start of the league year will remain the same. If the NFL moves the Scouting Combine to the middle of March that means that it will follow the start of free agency. This, at first, seemed absurd to me. That's only because the NFL is doing the unthinkable and changing that which I know so well. After about a second of despair, it occurred to me that moving the Scouting Combine to a couple weeks after free agency might actually be a stroke of genius. Most of what happens in free agency happens in the first couple of weeks. That becomes the time before the Combine. Teams will go to Indianapolis with a better sense of their needs for the draft. Seems so simple. So brilliant.

While it looks like the move of the 2014 NFL Draft to May 15 is a done deal, other offseason changes won't take place until 2015. Those changes, while likely, may not be a slam dunk. There's speculation that colleges might have some real issues with the changes. The colleges have been pretty patient over the flocks of scouts and coaches that storm onto their campuses throughout the spring to interrogate their football-playing "students." Moving the draft back a few weeks will extend the parade of NFL people and really test that patience. Maybe. Who knows?

When talk of monkeying with the NFL offseason schedule first started popping up I figured that it was an attempt to put a league event in every month of the calendar year. If the league's objective is to keep their product on the front pages and tongues of everyone they underestimate that product. The NFL is a year round hot topic no matter what they do. Free agency is big. The draft is bigger. Everything in between has fans wanting more. I didn't like the idea of changes when there was no reason to change. I see the light now. In particular, I see the benefit of moving the Scouting Combine. I hope that I'm wrong about the colleges possibly having issues with the changes because I think that it's good for the NFL.

Super Bowl L's

The NFL owners are meeting this week in Boston. The top issue at the meeting is the selection of future Super Bowl sites. We are approaching the L's. The sites for Super Bowl L and Super Bowl LI will be determined by a vote of the 32 owners. For whatever reason the owners will vote in a round-robin-type format. They will pick between San Francisco and Miami for Super Bowl L. If a host region does not score 75 percent of the vote, the owners will vote again. That vote would require only a simply majority-17 votes- to declare the winner. The loser will square off with Houston for Super Bowl LI. Maybe the owners have always done it this way when they are selecting more than one site. It just seems silly. I would think that hosting Super Bow L would be quite an honor. Maybe Houston would like to be part of that vote as well. Maybe the math is too difficult for the owners with three teams involved.

San Francisco, Santa Clara actually, will have a dazzling new stadium by the time of Super Bowl L in early February 2016. I really don't see them losing this vote. Even against Miami. Miami is tied with New Orleans for hosting the most Super Bowls at ten. The city knows how to host these big games and the weather is always fabulous. This year, however, Miami was unable to secure public funding for renovations to Sun Life Stadium. The NFL likely needed those renovations for the extravaganza of Super Bowl L. Miami didn't get them and San Francisco, Santa Clara actually, has that beautiful new stadium ready for the big event. They'll even have bike racks for those silly California residents that will bike to the biggest of big games. There's no topping that perk. The NFL also has a strong tendency to reward regions that build beautiful new stadiums with Super Bowls. I think that San Francisco, Santa Clara actually, takes this one.

I also think that Houston takes the second vote for most of the same reasons that I see San Francisco, Santa Clara actually, taking the first vote.

Minnesota should be hosting their second Super Bowl some time after Super Bowl LI. Hopefully, the Vikings will be at that Super Bowl and most of those in between.

NFL's Top 100 Players

I enjoy this annual effort by NFL Network to entertain the masses during the few slow days of the offseason.  The cool thing about this top 100 is that it's voted on by the players. It's how the players see the best of their elite group. Some may question how serious the players take this but that's a fundamental flaw in any voting process. My guess is that the players take this seriously enough for it to be an accurate judge of the best of the best. I would take this list over those made by any media hack. I would even take it over a list made by me.

This is either the third or fourth year that the NFL Network has aired this Top 100. It premieres the night that the NFL Draft ends. A smooth transition from exciting event into another. Counting down from 100, a group of ten is unveiled each week for eleven weeks. I think that the top ten players are revealed in groups of five over two weeks in order to spend more time on each top player. The ranking is supposed to be based on the performances of the past season. The overall career of a player can't help but filter into the decision process. The best part of the show is hearing players around the league talking about each of the honored players. It's probably the best part for the players as well.

The 2013 edition of the "NFL's Top 100 Players" is currently up to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at #61. I was a little surprised that a quarterback still at the top of his game with two Super Bowl rings was at #61, but there it is. It seems like the Draft just ended so it's difficult to believe that they've already revealed forty players. I was most pleased to see Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway finally appear on the list at #70. He's one of the most underrated players in the league. He's gone to Hawaii for the last two Pro Bowls but he was an injury replacement each year. With the always growing number of terrific pass-rushing, 3-4 outside linebackers, more traditional 4-3 outside linebackers like Greenway are often ignored. Sacks get the votes, so it's great to see Greenway finally getting some much deserved recognition.

NFL Network, of course, has to have an hour-long discussion show following each unveiling. It's tough to criticize an opinion but it's human nature to do so. The player's presence in the first forty spots that surprises me the most is Baltimore Ravens receiver/kick returner Jacoby Jones at #88. He's been an excellent kick returner for years but his receiving career has been up and down at best. His huge plays in the most recent playoffs may have catapulted him into the top 100. I was still surprised to see him on the list and especially two spots ahead of the much more productive Percy Harvin. Actually, the presence of Harvin on this list bothers me the most. He may have made it as a member of the Vikings but he's now with the Seattle Seahawks. It just hurts, man! Like the incredible draft class of 1983, the draft class of 2012 will go down as one of the best mostly because of the quarterbacks. Both draft classes have so much more than throwers. This top 100 shows that. Already, three rookies have made an appearance and none is Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, or Russell Wilson. Running backs Trent Richardson of the Cleveland Browns and Alfred Morris of the Washington Redskins have made it. Terrific Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Keuchly also made it. I expect Luck, Griffin, and Wilson to be somewhere in the top 60. I also expect to see Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back in there. That's seven rookies. Nice group.

As far as Vikings in the coming weeks, I hope to see more but I'm pretty sure that we'll only see running back Adrian Peterson and defensive end Jared Allen. Center John Sullivan should have made it. If he's not in the bottom forty, I don't expect to see him in the top sixty.

Peterson should be #1!

60-51 is Thursday. Woohoo!

Peterson's 2,500

The media and twitter world kind of exploded when Minnesota Vikings running back stated his goal of rushing for 2,500 yards in a single season. I think that a little too much was made of Peterson's goal. Rushing for 2,500 yards might seem like an outrageous goal but Peterson is an outrageously talented back. He came within three yards of 2,100 yards less than a year after a devastating knee injury. He's reset the timeline for the return from major knee surgery. There seems to be less and less that he can't do. Why not 2,500 yards? I guess that Peterson's goal caused such discussion because of the incredible possibility that he could do it. Pretty much everyone dismissed his rushing for 2,500 as untouchable. I'm not so sure. 100 yards in a game is considered the benchmark for a nice game by a back. Peterson made 150 yards his benchmark and he often sailed past it. That over the length of a season gets him 2,400 yards. He gained over 1300 yards the last half of the 2012 season. That pace should get him over 2500 yards for a season. The people that are shocked over Peterson's outrageous goal of 2,500 yards in a single season don't really know him very well. He's incredibly self-motivated and he sets his bar very high. No doubt. If he wasn't like that, he likely wouldn't have stormed back from a serious knee injury. He just rushed for 2,097 yards. Is he going to shoot for 1,500 yards? Not a chance. He's going to raise that bar. 2,100? He nearly got that in a season that started slow and tentatively. 2,250? Not enough. He'd be selling himself short if he shot for anything lower that 2,500.

The hope in Minnesota is that Adrian Peterson won't have to carry the team. The hope is that quarterback Christian Ponder is going to take giant steps forward. The addition of receivers Greg Jennings in free agency and Cordarrelle Patterson in the draft should help the passing game considerably. Tight end Kyle Rudolph gets better each season. A healthy Jerome Simpson and a more experienced Jarius Wright further improves the receiver group. Ponder has weapons now and the passing game should be improved. Peterson won't have to be the entire offense. At the same time, an improved passing game should open up running lanes. It may be best for the team if Peterson has more modest rushing totals but I would never doubt any goal that he sets.

Offseason Break

The football offseason is supposed to be a football break. There really is no break from football. Even during the offseason. If there is break from football during the offseason, it's about now. The Minnesota Vikings broke up this year's break with their spectacular stadium plans. It's a beauty. There are some mini-camps popping up and those will continue through much of June. There are still some talented free agents on the market like John Abraham, Dwight Freeney, and Charles Woodson. There's an owners meeting coming up soon. There's draft picks to sign. There's always roster moves being made. Despite some things here and there, this is about as slow as the workings of the NFL ever get.

Over half of the time between one season and the next is building toward the draft. There's some mad action during the first week or so of free agency but the draft is the big offseason destination. It's like the buildup to Christmas. Then there's a flurry of pretty paper, some fine food, better laughs and "poof", it's done. The draft is the final step of a very long road traveled by all of the scouts throughout the league. We've all heard about the long hours put in by football coaches. Working late into the night and up early in the morning to start it all again. The scouts might get more sleep but it's rarely at home. They are on the road, non-stop for 8-10 months of the year. They have their regions but they are everywhere in that region. Wherever a ball is thrown an NFL scout is there. If anyone needs a break after the draft, it's the NFL scouts. If for no other reason but to reintroduce themselves to their family.

There's always work to be done in the NFL. Even before the bow is put on the Super Bowl, teams start the process of putting together next year's team. First, they find the players. Then, they fit those players together. Like an always evolving puzzle. There's always next season so there's always work to do. As the NFL became a huge business, the process of putting a team on the field became a year-round event. Most of it is televised! There really is no break. The months that we're in now are as close as it gets.

Throwback Thursday: Flea Flicker All-Time Team

Since my thoughts on the best football players ever at each position change frequently it's always a good time to select a new team. Here's how this one goes down.

WR  Don Hutson
TE    John Mackey
 T     Jim Parker
 G     Randall McDaniel
 C     "Bulldog" Turner
 G     Mike Munchak
 T      Art Shell
WR   Jerry Rice
QB    Otto Graham
RB    Jim Brown
RB    Walter Payton
 K     Jan Stenerud

DE    Reggie White
DT    Alan Page
DT    Bob Lilly
DE    Deacon Jones
LB    Jack Ham
LB    Dick Butkus
LB    Lawrence Taylor
CB   Deion Sanders
CB   Mike Haynes
 S     Ed Reed
 S     Emlen Tunnell
 P     Ray Guy

Picking all-time teams will always be a struggle. Some positions, like quarterback, tight end, and defensive tackle give me more trouble than others. My pick for best quarterback of all-time flips from any one of a handful of players. One day it might be Unitas. Another day it might be Montana or Baugh. Today, Otto Graham is the guy. If a quarterback is defined by wins, you can't go wrong with Graham. He led the Cleveland Browns to the championship game each year of his 10-year career, winning seven. Tight end is also a tough call. Two of the best were two of the first. John Mackey and Mike Ditka should be on anyone's short list of great tight ends. Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez are always in contention as well. Defensive tackle is stacked with Page, Lilly, Mean Joe Greene, and Merlin Olsen.

Ed Reed is the only active player that I have on the team today. Tony Gonzalez is always a consideration and he's still going strong. Other active players that are well on their way to all-time great consideration at their positions are Adrian Peterson, Darrelle Revis, and Patrick Willis. All three came out of the 2007 NFL Draft class. Also in that class is Calvin Johnson. He's no slouch.

All-time teams, and greatest player thoughts are always a matter of opinion. There is no right or wrong. It's all for fun debate.

RIP Chuck Muncie

Chuck Muncie has died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

In 1975, the University of California had a terrific offense led by quarterback Joe Roth, receiver Wesley Walker and running back Chuck Muncie. Few college teams have ever fielded such a talented offensive trio. Cal certainly never has. Muncie was an absurdly talented back. Big, fast, was a receiving threat out of the backfield. He could do it all. He was the runner-up to Ohio St.'s Archie Griffin in the 1975 Heisman voting. Some say that Muncie was robbed of that trophy. The NFL saw the Cal back's unique talent. The New Orleans Saints selected him with the third pick of the 1976 NFL Draft. In 1979, he was the first Saints player to rush for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned first Pro Bowl nod that season. In 1980, he requested a trade. The Saints obliged and sent him to the supremely explosive San Diego Chargers at midseason. He earned two more trips to the Pro Bowl with the Chargers.

Muncie's demons kept him from being one of the great running backs then and in history. He had that kind of talent. He also had a cocaine addiction. Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended him in 1984 after a positive drug test. The suspension and the drug issues essentially ended Muncie's career. In 1989, he was sentenced to 18 months for selling cocaine. After he was released, he turned his life around. Rid himself of the drugs and started helping others avoid the mistakes that he had made.

The last half of Chuck Muncie's life was better than the first. He may have strayed a bit but he found his way.

RIP Chuck...

Spectacular, Spectacular!

The Minnesota Vikings new stadium is going to be spectacular. The retractable roof didn't come to be but the stadium will have an immense, translucent, south-facing roof that will give the appearance of an outdoor environment while keeping the game inside. It will be the largest transparent roof in the world. The stadium will also have the largest glass doors that pivot and open the stadium to the downtown skyline. The roof and the doors will go a long way in making the early season games seem like open air games.

Rule number one in the construction plans: keep the snow off of the roof. This was mandatory with the collapse of the Metrodome still so fresh in the minds of many. The steep roof will help keep the snow off of the roof. It will be the lightest roof structure for a stadium this size because of the steep slope. The angular structure might strike a cord with Star Wars fans. The stadium bares a resemblance to the Jawa's Sand Crawlers. It really will be a striking, unique stadium.

This will be the third home of the Minnesota Viking. Metropolitan Stadium was quaint and small but was closer to a high school stadium than that of an NFL team.The Metrodome were pathetic and built on the cheap. It's no stretch to say that the Vikings nicest home will be TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. They'll play there while this new beauty is being built. It's nice to have a nice home. The Vikings will have a nice home and the people of Minnesota can be proud of this stadium. Even the critics and those that voted against it.

New Vikings Stadium

The Minnesota Vikings fought for over a decade to receive funding for a new stadium. All that time and work finally paid off last spring when they finally got the financing legislation passed. Outside of the opening of the new stadium in, hopefully, 2016, the most exciting event will be the unveiling of the stadium design. That will happen tonight.

The Vikings gave out tickets to the unveiling event which will be held tonight at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis but you don't need a ticket to see the event. The event will stream live on the team's website. This is huge! The biggest question on the minds of Vikings fans is whether the stadium will come equipped with a retractable roof. This will allow for early season games to be played in the sun and fresh air. For the late season, frigid games the Vikings can return to the enclosed environment that they've played in since 1982. All indications are that the team will likely have some retractable feature. Most are hoping for the roof but a wall or window is in play as well. This stadium is going to be a beauty.

The 2013 season will be the Vikings final one in the junky confines of the Metrodome. In February, the dump will be blown up. The 2014 and 2015 seasons will be played at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. That's an outdoor stadium. It will be a blast to see the Vikings in the cold again. Many of the fans and players might see it differently.

These are big events for the Minnesota Vikings. Hopefully, great on field football success will follow.

Early Rookie Signings

The Baltimore Ravens jump started the early signing of draft picks . They signed all but their top four picks only a week after the draft. The San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints joined in the early signing but they started at the top end of their drafts. The Saints signed first round choice Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro. They also signed Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive tackle Terron Armstead, Oklahoma receiver Kenny Stills, and Tarleton State defensive end Rufus Johnson. Third round pick Georgia defensive tackle John Jenkins is the lone unsigned Saints draft pick. The Chargers didn't sign their top pick, Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, but they signed four others. Those signings started with second round pick Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o. Hopefully he can now get started on his professional in a friendly city and leave the circus behind. The Chargers also signed Cal receiver Keenan Allen, Florida International linebacker Tourek Williams, and Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen. A handful of other teams have signed late round picks. The Ravens, Saints, and Chargers have made the most significant progress. I wish that more teams would follow their lead.

I think that it's a terrific move to get an early start on the rookie signing process. I never understood why teams would wait until the final days before the start of training camp to sign their players. There's no good reason to wait. It can only cause headaches for the teams and the players. Getting the new players feeling like a part of the team as soon as possible just makes so much sense.

Update: I really missed the boat on the Detroit Lions in this early draft pick signing craze. They get the prize this year. The Lions not only signed #5 pick in the draft, BYU defensive end Ziggy Ansah. They have their entire rookie class signed. Kudos to Martin Mayhew and the Detroit Lions negotiating team.

Throwback Thursday: Mt. Rushmore

I heard that the website Pro Football Talk is going to do a "Mt. Rushmore" for each NFL team. Picking four people, carved in stone, to represent the best of a team's history. That's an interesting idea. I wish that I'd thought of it. It's also a very difficult project. Especially for the teams that have been around the longest. For the newer teams like the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars, you'll be forcing some people into that stone mountain.

I really like this idea. I'll take a stab at an NFL Mt. Rushmore first.

George Halas
Joe Carr
Bert Bell
Pete Rozelle

The NFL likely wouldn't be a thing without George Halas. He was a player, coach, general manager, ticket printer, ticket taker, etc. for the Chicago Bears. In the early days of the league he did everything for his team. He was also the backbone of the league. He's up there on that league mountain. League president and commissioners Joe Carr, Ber Bell, and Pete Rozelle are up there as well. I question whether the league would have survived without these four men. Each played critical roles at critical times in the life of the league. They were perfect for their times and their tasks.

While it was the owners and the league officials that kept the NFL alive, the fans care about the players most of all. It's a tough chore to pick only four players from the entire history of the game to put up on our Mt. Rushmore but I'll give it a shot.

Don Hutson
Sammy Baugh
Jim Brown
Lawrence Taylor

Hutson, Baugh, and Taylor simply changed how the game was played. They did things at their positions that had never been done before. Jim Brown was just too good to leave off of that mountain.

Now, I'll take a run at my team, the Minnesota Vikings. My choices might be different from those of most Vikings fans.

Bud Grant
Jim Marshall
Cris Carter
Adrian Peterson

It all starts with the coach, Bud Grant. I will always consider this man the face of the Minnesota Vikings franchise. I can still see him in the snow of frigid Metropolitan Stadium. Defensive end Jim Marshall is the surprise of my Mt. Rushmore. Fran Tarkenton and Alan Page are the more logical and more likely choices. As great as those two Hall of Famers were, it was Marshall that was the captain and leader of those great Vikings teams of the late '60s and '70s. Marshall was a very good football player but he was a fantastic leader. If Grant was the face of those teams, Marshall may have been the heart. Cris Carter was the Vikings leader a generation later. He was also the greatest pass catcher that ever stepped on a football field. Adrian Peterson might be on the NFL Mt. Rushmore one day.

I'm looking forward to Pro Football Talk's stab at this.

A Draft Day Trade

I suppose that anything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. With that in mind, I don't see how anyone can criticize an NFL team for spending too much to move up for a particular player. If a team values a particular football player, if a team decides that they can't succeed without that particular football, is any price too high to get that football player? It's up to the team to decide. The only way that a team regrets making a trade is if the player fails miserably in becoming the player that the team values so greatly. No one knows that outcome right after the draft. It's the media and many of the fans that do the judging anyway and they rarely know enough to make an accurate judgement.

Early in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders traded the third pick to the Miami Dolphins. In return for moving back nine spots, the Raiders received the Dolphins first and second round picks. The Raiders entered the draft with Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden as their target. They knew that they could select him later in the draft so they were looking to trade down. It sounds like they would have taken him with the third pick if they couldn't find a trade partner. The Raiders were also very low on draft picks in general. Top picks, in particular. They weren't too picky about the number of picks but they wanted/needed a second. They got their player and their pick. I really thought that the Dolphins gave up very little to move up nine spots. Despite what I thought of the trade, the Raiders got what they wanted. When I finally realized that no one was forcing the Raiders to make this trade I realized that maybe the team got what they wanted from the Dolphins.

Before that first draft night could end the Minnesota Vikings jumped into the 29th spot that was originally held by the New England Patriots. Seeing as the Vikings had already made two first round selection, it was pretty exciting. Obviously, they were getting greedy for top draft talent. The Vikings selected Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson with the pick. To acquire the Patriots 29th pick, the Vikings sent their second, third, fourth, and seventh round picks to the Patriots. Some people were screaming that the Vikings spent too much. It costs quite a bit to move up nearly 3/4 of a round but people still cried that the price was too high. It was high but obviously the Vikings were willing to spend it. They had an extra fourth round pick and couple extra sevenths. That gave them the extra cash to make it easier to say "yes." Since, the Vikings flipped their second for the Patriots first, the exchange really cost the Vikings a third out of their pocket. It doesn't really matter how you look at the trade. What does matter is that the Vikings were willing to pay the price for the opportunity to draft Patterson.

Everything costs something. If you want something bad enough, you pay the price. None of the draft day trades really mean a thing once the football games start counting. It doesn't matter where players were drafted or how they were acquired. They're all football players then.

So Long...

Only the most critical wouldn't consider the Minnesota Vikings' 2013 offseason a productive one. They did a terrific job of re-signing their own free agents like tackle Phil Loadholt, fullback Jerome Felton, linebacker Erin Henderson, safety Jamarca Sanford, and receiver Jerome Simpson. They even made a little splash in the free agent market in signing Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel. More recently they've added some defensive depth in the signings of defensive end Lawrence Jackson and cornerback Jacob Lacey. The Vikings made a big splash in the 2013 NFL Draft when they came out of the opening night events with three first round selections. Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd will see significant playing time in the defensive line rotation, Florida St. corner Xavier Rhodes will likely open the season as a starter, Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson will make an immediate impact as a kick returner as he becomes more integrated into the offense. Later round picks like Penn St. linebackers Gerald Hodges and Mike Mauti could push for starting gigs. Jeff Locke as the Vikings punter is no longer written in pencil. It's been a very nice offseason. It's also been a pretty brutal offseason.

Longtime fans of teams, in any sport, see a lot of players come and go. Some of those players impact a team and fans in such a way that is hard to forget. You don't want to forget. Their time with a team always comes to an end and it's sad to see them go. It's especially sad to see them go when they still have some playing life left. It's exciting to see Floyd, Rhodes, Patterson, Jennings, and the rest starting their Minnesota Vikings careers. It's very disappointing and sad to see Percy Harvin, Antoine Winfield, and Chris Kluwe end their Minnesota Vikings career. All three have been among my favorite Vikings football players. Harvin was one of the most exciting and dynamic football players that I've ever seen in Minnesota. Right there with Chuck Foreman, Fran Tarkenton, Anthony Carter, Cris Carter, Randy Moss, and Adrian Peterson. He was a fast, elusive, little bull with the football in his hands. The most frustrating part of his trade to the Seattle Seahawks is that I believe that we've only seen a fraction of what Harvin is capable of doing. It's so sad that this incredible level of play will be seen in Seattle. Four years was not enough. Twenty years wouldn't have been enough. The Vikings did very little in the first decade of free agency. That changed when they signed Buffalo Bills corner Antoine Winfield in 2004. With his tough, physical play at the elfish size of 5'9" 180 lbs, Winfield was an immediate fan favorite. Film of his tackling technique should be required viewing at every level of football. For nine years he inspired teammates and fans. Unfortunately, the business of balancing the salary cap led to his release this offseason. Even more unfortunately, he'll finish his NFL career in Seattle with Harvin. Yesterday, the Vikings made a similar economic decision in releasing Kluwe. It's rare that a punter is respected, even noticed. Kluwe is like no other punter. He's actually like no other player. His voice on equal rights, especially same-sex marriage, was inspiring and often entertaining. He opened eyes and ears that have been shut for a long time. He probably did more for social issues than any NFL player, ever. He was also a damn fine punter for eight years in Minnesota. The best punter in franchise history.

It's rough losing players like Harvin, Winfield, and Kluwe. It's especially rough to lose all three in the same offseason. They will all be missed and never forgotten.

Harvin's Return

The return on the Minnesota Vikings trade of receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks isn't complete. The Seahawks third round pick next year will do that but some of the return is in the bank. So far, the Vikings have added Florida St. cornerback Xavier Rhodes taken with the first round pick obtained from Seattle. With the seventh round pick, the Vikings selected North Carolina guard Travis Bond. Those picks and the third next year aren't the only benefit to the Vikings. Harvin was in line for a significant increase in pay. Not having to pay him opened up some cash for the addition of former Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings in free agency. The Vikings certainly wouldn't have Jennings on the roster if they had Harvin.

 Percy Harvin is a fantastic football player. He's one of the most dangerous players in the league with the ball in his hands. He will be missed in Minnesota. He was also becoming a problem in Minnesota. He didn't seem happy. I think that a lot of the drama was media created but it was clear that there were some issues. The Vikings pretty much had no choice but to trade him. Seen in that light, anything that the team received was a nice return. I think that first and seventh round picks in 2013 and a third in 2014 are a real nice return. It's actually more than the New York Jets received from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cornerback Darrelle Revis. Rhodes has the size, speed, talent, and ball skills to be a dominant corner. It's one of the toughest positions to learn and to play. Rhodes is expected to start immediately and make a real impact as soon. Bond may be a seventh round pick but he's an intriguing seventh round pick. He has unique size for a guard in that he's nearly 6'6" and 320 lbs. That's unusually tall for a guard. He played at a high level in the ACC for four years. He might have been a higher pick if he hadn't plodded along at about 370 lbs prior to his senior season. The Vikings are in need of improved guard play so Bond has an opportunity. Being able to add Jennings to offset the loss of Harvin at receiver was huge. 

Harvin's incredible effort and excitement on the field made him a fan favorite. He'll be greatly missed. There's no denying that. Without the respective players having played a single down with their new teams it's no real stretch to say that this trade could be a win-win for both the Vikings and the Seahawks. That doesn't happen often so it's nice to see when it does. 

"Elway to Marino"

I don't pay much attention to ESPN anymore. I certainly don't go there for news but I will go there for their "30 for 30" series. It's excellent. To ride the wave of the recent NFL Draft, ESPN aired their most edition of the show last week. I finally saw it this week. "Elway to Marino" might have been the best yet. The episode was about the draft that introduced a brought a ton of football talent to the NFL. It was viewed through the eyes of John Elway's and Dan Marino's agent Marvin Demoff as well as many of those that experienced that amazing draft first hand. The 1983 NFL Draft had more intrigue than perhaps any other. It also had talent. A lot of talent. It's best known for the six quarterbacks that were selected in the first round. That run on quarterbacks started with the Baltimore Colts selection of Stanford's John Elway with the first pick in the draft. The run ended with the second to last pick of the first round when the Miami Dolphins lucked into Pitt's Dan Marino. In between those two Hall of Fame quarterbacks the Kansas City Chiefs selected Penn St.'s Todd Blackledge at #7, the Buffalo Bills selected their own Hall of Fame quarterback in Miami's Jim Kelly at #14, the New England Patriots selected Illinois's Tony Eason at #15, and the New York Jets surprised some, especially their fans, when they selected Ken O'Brien of UC-Davis at #24. The biggest story of the entire draft was Elway's refusal to play for the Baltimore Colts. The entire Elway family made their feelings known well in advance of the draft. They didn't want to play for Colts coach Frank Kush. They were very familiar with Kush's harsh and sometimes brutal coaching ways. The Elway's had no interest in dealing with Colts owner Bob Irsay. Actually, no one in football really enjoyed  dealing with Irsay. He was nuts. The only sane person on the Colts side of things was general manager Ernie Accorsi. Elway was the best prospect that Accorsi had ever scouted. As a self-respecting personnel man, he had to take Elway at #1. He'd listen to trade offers but those offers started at three #1 picks with one of those picks being a top-5 pick. It was a steep price but Accorsi felt that a player like Elway warranted a steep price. No one met it. The most interesting part of "Elway to Marino" was all the teams that tried. San Francisco 49ers coach and decision-maker Bill Walsh even thought of trading Joe Montana to get Elway. The Dallas Cowboys came close. So did the Patriots. The Los Angeles Raiders were close but Al Davis, of course, thought that the NFL killed a possible trade. Fun and games. A week after the draft, Accorsi learned that Elway was traded to the Denver Broncos while watching a Denver Nuggets playoff game. Irsay made the trade for a fraction of what Accorsi was demanding. Needless to say, Ernie Accorsi couldn't work in that environment and resigned. There was also similar drama surrounding the Bills drafting of Kelly. The Miami quarterback really had little interst in playing in Buffalo. While he didn't go as far as Elway in his dislike of the team that drafted him by demanding a trade, Kelly just didn't sign with Buffalo. He didn't sign right away. He went the USFL route and signed with the Houston Gamblers. Of course, Kelly would eventually do special things in Buffalo. Well, as special as four Super Bowls without wins is special. Marino's fall to #27 was another big story of the draft. Especially considering the three non-Hall of Fame quarterbacks taken before him.

The 1983 Draft is best known for the quarterbacks but this draft had a bunch of non-throwing talent as well. Selected at #2 was SMU running back Eric Dickerson. Enough said there. The Houston Oilers selcted one of the most versatile and best offensive lineman to play the game in USC's Bruce Matthews at #9. The Washington Redskins selected Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green with the 28th, and final, pick of the first round. Six Hall of Fame players were selected in the first round. A seventh was selected in the eighth round when the Chicago Bears found defensive end Richard Dent. Terrific players such as Curt Warner, Chris Hinton, Jim Covert, Joey Browner, Don Mosebar, Gill Byrd, Terry Kinard, and so many more. Most often you look back at a draft and see maybe a quarter of the first round amounting to something. The 1983 Draft is the reverse of that There's only a few that did little to nothing.

ESPN really does a fantastic job with their "30 for 30" work. The football episodes usually get an assist from NFL Films which adds a significant amount of magic. The 1983 NFL Draft is one of the most intriguing and interesting events in league history. This draft and the Elway saga was franchise changing. I always wondered what would have happened with the Baltimore Colts if Irsay hadn't bungled things and Accorsi's sanity had saved the day. If things had worked with Elway and the Colts, would the team have bolted from Baltimore for Indianapolis? If the Colts had Elway, would they have ever drafted Peyton Manning? Elway likely would have had the Colts closer to Super Bowls than the top of the draft in 1998. ESPN didn't deal with the "what if's". They just dealt with people that lived it and the events that transpired in 1983.

Quick Work Ravens

I've never liked the practice of most NFL teams waiting until July to start serious contract negotiations with their drafted players. Some of the wait is likely due to the agents waiting to see what sort of contract the players selected before or after their client are getting. The teams likely want to see the same things fall into place. So, there's a little bit of "wait and see" on the part of both parties. This waiting often leads to a frantic last few days before training camp. A holdout does no one any good. The teams and the players want to get to work on time. If everyone agrees that they want come to an agreement, why wait until the last few weeks to do so? It's a mystery. It's even more of a mystery when you consider that the new CBA pretty much dictates many of the parameters of the contracts. Much of the work is done for them yet they still wait. I remember being pretty excited when the Minnesota Vikings came to an agreement with fourth round pick Mewelde Moore only about a week or two after the 2004 NFL Draft. Moore wanted the contract done and the Vikings were happy to oblige. The Baltimore Ravens are really putting that quick contract negotiation to shame. Only one week removed from the 2013 NFL Draft, the Ravens have signed six of their ten selections signed. Amazing. They've signed fullback Kyle Juszczyk, offensive lineman Ricky Wagner, center Ryan Jensen, defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore, receiver Aaron Mellette, and cornerback Marc Anthony. The Ravens still have their top four picks to sign but being this far into the draft signings this soon is amazing. If they work as efficiently to sign safety Matt Elam, linebacker Arthur Brown, defensive tackle Brandon Williams, and linebacker John Simon, they'll be all done and ready for training camp in about a month. I really like the Ravens draft and I really like how they getting their signings done.

As Super Bowl champions, it's pretty obvious that the Ravens are doing a lot of things right. They've really been doing things right for a while. Since the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, they've drafted well, kept their core players, and generally made wise decisions. I don' remember too many down seasons. I remember some struggles when they were trying to see what they had in quarterback Kyle Boller. He was actually one of their few draft mistakes. Until the Ravens landed Joe Flacco, quarterback, in general, has been the one position that they haven't quite nailed down. They won a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer which is pretty remarkable. They found their most stable quarterback play when they obtained Steve McNair at the end of his terrific career. The Baltimore Ravens are simply a smartly run franchise. Certainly a successful one. Much of the credit goes to general manager Ozzie Newsome. He has had one of the most interesting NFL careers. A  Hall of Fame player with the Browns, he was one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. After his playing career, he became a quick study on the personnel side of things. His classroom was the incredible football laboratory of Bill Belichick's Cleveland Browns of the early '90s. The number of future coaches and personnel men hired by Belichick is incredible. Newsome learned all that he could and put that knowledge to fantastic use. Unfortunately all the great things that Belechick started in Cleveland ended the day that Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore. Newsome was one of the few that moved with the team. His first draft in Baltimore brought Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. Nice start. Ozzie Newsome and his team were off and running. He's gotten better at what he does and so has the Ravens. They work efficiently and they work quickly in signing their draft choices.

Rookie Quarterbacks

Thanks to the recent first year successes of Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, and especially last year's wonder kids Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson, all rookie quarterbacks are expected to start and shine as soon as their names are called in New York. That really seems to be the case for all three New York franchises this year. The Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and New York Giants all drafted quarterbacks. The Bills selected Florida St.'s E.J. Manuel in the first round. The Jest selected West Virginia's Geno Smith in the second. The Giants surprised many by selecting Syracuse's Ryan Nassib in the fourth. Eli Manning is still young, has two Super Bowl rings, and hasn't missed a game in years. Sometimes when a team selects a player in the NFL draft it's because they like the player. It's not to add drama, a controversy. Sometimes the position of the player doesn't even matter. It's all about talent and value at that spot in the draft. The quarterback has been placed on such a pedestal that it's shocking to hear that the throwers even travel with the rest of the team. Even the young ones.

On his recent podcast, Rich Eisen was discussing these new NFL quarterbacks with Charles Davis. I really like Davis as a football commentator and draft voice but his saying that Manuel has to start for the Bills is ridiculous. The Bills signed Kevin Kolb in the offseason. He hasn't torn it up as a starter. If he had the Arizona Cardinals wouldn't have released him. Still, he has experience as a starter. He'll likely have a whole lot easier time adjusting to a new offensive system than Manuel will to professional football. Manuel doesn't have to start. It doesn't matter that he was the 16th pick in the draft. He shouldn't start until he's ready to start.

The discussion of the Jets and Geno Smith was even more puzzling. Now is not the time to discuss the mess that is the Jets quarterback situation. Although the mess is the reason for the talk. I find Jets talk about lining up Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson next to Muhammad Wilkerson more interesting. But, there's more drama at quarterback. Always. It's best to step away and wait for September to see the mess at that position clear. At least Tim Tebow is no longer part of the picture. That should take away about half of the media vultures circling the team. Personally, I'd start Smith simply because he's not Mark Sanchez.

The Giants felt that Nassib had too much value to pass when their pick came up in the fourth round. It would be poor drafting to pass on him at that point in the process simply because he plays quarterback. Increasing the talent level on your team is the purpose of the draft. Nassib does that for the Giants. Even if he never sees a meaningful snap in a meaningful game, Nassib is an asset. No one blinked when the Atlanta Falcons drafted Matt Schaub in the third round in 2004. Like the Giants now, the Falcons then were set at quarterback with Michael Vick. Schaub had value when he was drafted. He brought a nice return for the Falcons when they traded him to the Houston Texans. It was actually a better return than Vick ever brought. Nassib could be a similar key to a trade one day. If nothing else, Nassib could provide better piece of mind behind Manning for the next few years. There's nothing wrong with having two competent quarterbacks.

Rookie quarterbacks do not have to play right away. Even if they are first round picks. Stellar rookie quarterback play is coming more frequently these days but it's not the rule. It's always best to play a young thrower when they're ready. It's not good for the player or the team if the development is rushed. No one rushes the development of the promising rookie guard. I'd rather see the quarterback viewed as one of the 53 players on the roster. The media will always see the quarterback and then the other 52.

Throwback Thursday: Three 1's Again

The Minnesota Vikings walked out of the 2013 NFL Draft with three first round selections. They entered that first day with two but that wasn't enough. They grabbed another when they had the chance. The Vikings selected Florida defensive tackle with the 23rd pick. That was their own pick. Thanks to the trade of receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks in March, the Vikings had the 25th pick as well. Florida St. cornerback Xavier Rhodes was the choice there. As the first round was approaching it's end the Vikings sent a bunch of later picks to the New England Patriots for the 29th pick. Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson completed the Vikings first round haul. No matter how much excitement the big free agent dance creates each year championships are built through the draft. Teams fill holes in their roster and increase their overall talent through the draft. Having three picks in the first round should increase the talent in a hurry. It's not often that teams come out of the first round with three picks. It was the second time that the Vikings were able to do so in their 53-year history.

The Vikings entered the 1967 NFL Draft with the 8th selection. They supplemented that pick through trades of their offensive stars. As with Harvin this year, quarterback Fran Tarkenton wanted a trade out of Minnesota. The Vikings accommodated their young quarterback with a blockbuster deal with the New York Giants. Among the bushel of picks that the Vikings received was the 2nd pick in the draft. A trade of running back Tommy Mason and tight end Hal Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Rams added the 15th pick. With the 2nd pick in the draft the Vikings selected Michigan St. running back Clinton Jones. They added another Michigan St. player with their own pick in receiver Gene Washington. With the 15th pick from the Rams the Vikings found a franchise-changer in Notre Dame defensive tackle Alan Page. Jones and Washington may not have made the impact of Page but they were solid players. This draft and the next, thanks to the Tarkenton bounty, turned a sad Vikings expansion team into a team that would challenge for the Super Bowl for more than a decade. The latter part of the run was helped when the Vikings got Tarkenton back but that's another story. Page was an incredible, dominant football player. He's in the argument for the greatest defensive tackle in league history. Page also started a defensive tackle legacy in Minnesota. John Randle would later join him in the Hall of Fame. If Keith Millard had played his entire career like he did for a handful of years, he'd be there too. Current Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams might join Page and Randle in Canton. It's now Sharrif Floyd's time.

The dream for 2013 would be for Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, and Cordarrelle Patterson to all have Hall of Fame careers like Alan Page. The hope would be for these current players and this 2013 draft to have the same championship building impact for the Minnesota Vikings as that 1967 draft.

Then And Now

Receiver was a concern for the Minnesota Vikings even before they traded Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks at the start of the NFL offseason. After that trade, the Vikings receiver position was in crisis. Well, it wasn't that bad. But, it was pretty bad. Here's what we had after the Vikings shipped Harvin off to VikingsWest:

Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Stephen Burton
Chris Summers

That's pretty bleak. The Vikings also have 2012 fourth round pick Greg Childs but he's trying to come back from a torn patellar tendon in EACH knee. He's actually a wild card in this receiver rebuild process. Many consider his comeback impossible. Just because a return from this kind of injury has never been done doesn't mean that it can't be done. It's certainly a unique situation but surgery and rehab has improved so much in recent years that I don't consider a Childs return out of the question. He's certainly putting the work into making it happen. Anyway, what was known of the Vikings receivers when the NFL offseason opened wasn't pretty. Simpson was brought in to provide a deep threat last year. He didn't. He started the 2012 season with a suspension. When he returned, his season was thrashed by nagging injuries. He could never get on the field and stay on the field. Simpson has some serious athletic skills. He's fast. He can jump over people. He's got to stay healthy. The Vikings brought him back on a one-year contract hoping that he could provide the deep threat that his skills indicate. Wright is small and quick. He stepped in nicely when Harvin was injured in the middle of the season. Wright has a real nice future in Minnesota. Burton brings an intriguing size/speed combination. He was a seventh round pick out West Texas A&M in 2011. He's a bit of project due to his small school background. This is a big year for him. If he is to live up to his potential, now is the time. Summers has great size at 6'5". Like Burton, he's also a project. Out of the above four receivers, Simpson and Wright are the only ones that are pretty much certain to be on the 2013 roster. That's pretty bleak.

Fast forward to today, a few days after the draft. Here's what we have now for the Minnesota Vikings receivers:

Greg Jennings
Jerome Simpson
Jarius Wright
Cordarrelle Patterson
Stephen Burton
Chris Summers
Rodney Smith
Erik Highsmith
Nicolas Edwards

This group may not challenge the receiver stables of the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos but the talent level has defeinitely increased. The numbers have as well. Some of those pass catchers might even give a defense some concerns. The most significant additions since the Harvin trade are Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson. The Vikings added Jennings in their in big free agent splash. Approaching 30, he's still one of the top receivers in the game. His leadership and mentoring skills may be as important as his football skills. He'll be especially important in the development of first round selection Patterson. This guy has a chance to be something special. In one year of SEC play at Tennessee, Patterson excelled. He has speed and movement skills that you just don't see in a player his size, 6'2" 215-220 lbs. In addition to his receiving potential he's also an electric kick returner. He'll make an impact as a rookie. Smith, Highsmith, and Edwards were signed as undrafted free agents. Smith, in particular, could be interesting. He has nice size and speed. He also played with Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder at Florida St.

So much can change between now and the start of the 2013 season. It's no real stretch to call Jennings, Simpson, Wright, and Patterson as locks to make the team. The Vikings will likely go with at least five receivers. Burton can sew up the fifth spot if he can take that next step in his development. He has Anquan Boldin-like skills. He's got to start playing up to those skills. If Childs can make a miraculous return, the Vikings might have the makings of a real nice receiver group. That's a big change from what they had when they entered the month of March.