That's A Big Crane

The Terex Demag CC 6800 Crawler Crane will begin arriving in Minneapolis today to take part in the construction of the new stadium. The crane is coming from it's last assignment at a power plant in New Florence, PA. This crane is so damn big that it takes 70 truckloads and 10 days to deliver. Then it takes 11 days to erect. Upon assemby, the site of the new stadium will have a crane that is 400 feet high. It requires a counter weight of one million pounds. That's a big crane. It is the third largest in the world. The crane will place its first piece of structural steel in late July and will remain at the site for the next 15 months.

The fact that the construction of the stadium requires a crane this size is an indication of the size of the stadium. In square footage, the new stadium is roughly twice the size of the now demolished Metrodome. There will be seven seating levels in the new stadium. The Metrodome had three. This new stadium will be large and beautiful. We know that it will be large and beautiful because it will cost about a billion dollars to build. No one spends a billion dollars to build something that's small and ugly. The new stadium will be so large and beautiful that it requires the Terex Demag CC 6800 Crawler Crane to build.

South To North

If fans of the Minnesota Vikings already bought their season tickets hoping to sit behind the home team, they might be a bit disappointed right about now. The Vikings sideline was on the south side of the Metrodome. That stadium was blown up this past winter to make room for a spiffy new stadium. While the spiffy new stadium is being built the Vikings will play at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings have decided to move their bench to the north sideline of their temporary home. The change from the south sideline to the north sideline was made by the Vikings staff, including general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, after several visits to TCF Bank Stadium.

There was a reason behind this sideline switch. The press box and club seating on the south end of TCF Bank Stadium creates a shadow over the south sideline late in the season for the University of Minnesota. The Gophers occupy the south sideline during home games. The shadow spills over the field and eventually creeps over to the north sideline later in the game. Switching to the north sideline will create a more comfortable environment for the Vikings. They will be able to stay in the sun longer during those cold home games late in the season.

If fans picked seats based on the assumption that the Vikings will be on the south sideline, they will be disappointed. If they are disappointed, the Vikings will work with them so that they may be happy again.

There once was a time when the Minnesota Vikings and their opponent occupied the same sideline. That was the last time that they played their games outdoors. That was when they played at Metropolitan Stadium. That stadium was replaced by a gigantic mall.

Big News Out Of Buffalo

There is big Bills news coming out of Buffalo.

A new potential buyer of the Buffalo Bills has emerged? No. Bigger!

E.J. Manuel is showing signs of becoming the franchise quarterback that he was drafted to be? Much bigger!

Sammy Watkins has promised to "rip the league apart" as Randy Moss once did? Much, much bigger!

All of that pales compared to this from the Buffalo Bills website:

"The Bills have announced a partnership with Finger Food Products, Inc. that will bring Original Pizza Logs to Ralph Wilson Stadium on game days. As the 'Official Finger Food of the Buffalo Bills,' Original Pizza Logs will be served in concession stands around the stadium as well as in the suites and clubs."

Even in the suites and clubs. Those must be some very tasty treats. It does sound like these pizza logs have quite a following in Buffalo. It can be assumed that the fans of the Bills are through the roof over the news. The partnership between treat producer and football team will also include ads on the Bills website and in the GameDay Magazine.

Finger Food Products, Inc. is a family owned and operated business. Founded in Niagara Falls, NY, they have been serving the western New York community for more than 25 years. The Buffalo Bills have been family owned and operated since 1960.

Original Pizza Logs are available in 5 different varieties:

Pepperoni and Cheese
Pepperoni, Cheese, and Hot Peppers
Sausage and Cheese
Sausage, Cheese, and Hot Peppers
Taco

Pizza. Taco.

New Bears

The California Golden Bears have received early commitments for their 2015 recruiting class from five high school football players. For the end of June, that feels about right for Cal. Here are the five:

Austin Aaron  WR  Napa High School, Napa, CA
Grayson Bankhead  WR  Corona Centennial, Corona, CA
Ryan Gibson  OL  St. Stanislaus High School, Bay St. Louis, MS
Lonny Powell  RB  Sacramento High School, Sacramento, CA
Malik Psalms  CB  Ayala High School, Chino Hills, CA

All five have 3-star ratings from the various recruiting and grading sites. The NFL Draft shows every year that grading football players is basically a crapshoot. Grading high school football players is even more so. So many NFL stars stepped onto their college campus as freshmen saddled with a 3-star grade. 5-star football players will get the boosters and the alumni in a lather but the grade is just for show. All that really matters is what the player does on Saturdays, or Thursdays, or Fridays. Cal's five early commits are a nice start. They need linemen and Gibson will help. Under Sonny Dykes, Cal trots out a fleet of receivers. Aaron and Bankhead will join that fleet. Powell looks like a bull of a back. Cal's defense was a disaster last year. Part of that was due to an unbelievable run of injuries in the secondary. You can never have enough corners. That's especially true when most of them are injured. Psalms adds depth and at 6'2" he has terrific size. Going forward in recruiting, Cal has to add a lot of talent to their defense. Injuries aside, it was a mess. This is the first full recruiting class for Sonny Dykes and his staff. It will be interesting to see how he does. His first season coaching in Berkeley left quite a bit to be desired. Their one win was against Portland St. and they had to really hang on for that win. They held no team under 30 points and only three times did they hold teams under 40 points. After only one season, Dykes is already feeling some heat. His schematic changes from the Jeff Tedford years are dramatic so it's going to take a little time. That's why his first full recruiting class will be so critical.

Not every college attacks this early recruitment the same. Cal has never had a large number of early commits. Even under Jeff Tedford. This year, most of the Pac-12 schools have commits from 5-10 high school players. Arizona went nuts compared to the rest of the conference with 15 early commits. Title-contending schools like Florida St. and Alabama already have about 19 commits. That's about an entire class for Cal. Those schools don't have to do much recruiting. As soon as they offer kids a scholarship they get commits. None of these commits mean a thing until that letter-of-intent is signed in February.

Throwback Thursday: Talking Football

There are so many great quotes from the football world. Here are a few of them:

"A good coach needs a patient wife, a loyal dog, and a great quarterback, but not necessarily in that order."
     -Bud Grant

"I also worked as a ranger in Yellowstone Park until visitors began to mistake me for a bear."
    -Merlin Olsen

"I tell myself that I'm faster than 95 percent of the people in the world. It's just that the other 5 percent happen to play cornerback."
     -George Sauer Jr.

"I wish there was a Caribbean League in football like they have in baseball. Then I could play all year."
     -John Unitas

Everyone has some fear. A man without fear belongs in a mental institution-or on special teams, either one."
     -Walt Michaels

"Every coach must view a player with three different eyes."
     -Joe Kuharich

"Some of the players now-I'm not sure whether football is a vocation or an avocation with them. You know what football is to me? It's blood."
     -Sid Gillman

"You can accomplish anything you want as long as you don't care who gets credit for it."
     -Blanton Collier

"I have a spy in every city."
     -Al Davis

"You show me a man who shoots a good game of golf and I'll bet he neglects his business, or someone does his work for him. I don't have time for golf."
     -Weeb Ewbank

"Trading for a good quarterback is quite rare but not unusual."
     -Joe Kuharich

"He drinks papaya juice to calm his queasy stomach, and eats ice cream so he doesn't have to spend time chewing. It would take his mind off football."
     -Henrietta Allen on husband George

"A coach just isn't treated that well. The respect is lacking, unless they do fantastically well, and only a small percentage of them really do. Some of the finest coaches in the country go through their whole careers unnoticed and unrecognized, just because they happen to be in the wrong place. A few of them even got hanged in effigy."
     -Merlin Olsen

"When Weeb first came to New York, he gave us a playbook; we'd been without one for years. It's a sensible sort of thing for a professional football player to have."
     -Larry Grantham

Another gem from Kuharich:
"We were three points behind but that's not the same as being even."

"I played football before they had headgear, and that's how I lost my mind."
     -Casey Stengel

The Tight End Question

What is a tight end?

The tight end is an offensive hybrid position that is both an eligible receiver and will step into some plays and block the defense. This position combines the attributes of receivers and linemen and will block during a running play and run a route during a passing play.

Can be referred to as a "Y receiver."

That comes from a website calling itself "Sporting Charts" and it's a horrible definition. It does get the point across that the tight end traditionally has been called upon to be part offensive lineman, part receiver. In today's game, the blocking responsibility of the tight end is going the way of the fullback. Actually, some teams are using two tight ends to do what was once done by one. Teams will have one that catches a bunch of passes but is rarely called upon to block. It's good thing too as some of these pass-catching tight ends can't even block an itty-bitty corner. Those teams will have another tight end that is a terrific blocker. He's basically an extra offensive lineman on short-yardage plays. The tight end position has changed more in the last decade than any other position in the NFL and it's causing some problems. Problems of the financial sort.

The tight end position is causing a big stink in the Big Easy. New Orleans Saints tight Jimmy Graham is a free agent. The Saints placed the franchise tag on him in March to keep from losing a very important part of their offense. Graham wants to be paid as a receiver because he produces like a receiver. The Saints want to pay Graham as a tight end because he plays tight end. The entire problem is due to the evolution of the position. Despite being several years into this rapid evolution the pay scale has yet to catch up with production of many of the players. The dollar amounts associated with the franchise tags are determined by the top average salaries in the league for that position. The tight end position just hasn't been a very high paying one. That will certainly change due to players like Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Vernon Davis, Julius Thomas, etc. The Saints and Graham would be much better served by agreeing on a long-term contract. Both would get the security that they certainly seek and this matter wouldn't be forced into the hands of an arbitrator. Some judge shouldn't be deciding whether Graham is a receiver or a tight end. If Graham was asked to name his position about a year ago, he'd say tight end. He denies it now because he doesn't want to be paid like one. He's definitely a tight end that should receive a contract closer to that of the top receivers. This is one of the flaws of the franchise tag. It might work for some positions like quarterbacks, receivers, tackles, defensive ends, corners. Positions that are traditionally paid better than the others. Franchise tags aren't going to work for positions that have recently started making an greater impact on the field, like tight ends and safeties. Two positions that are actually somewhat connected. As tight ends have taken a greater role in offenses across the league defenses have been forced to find safeties that can cover them.

Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints should work this out between themselves. Graham's importance to the team can't be determined by the definition of the position that he plays. No arbitrator or franchise tag can make that decision. Training camp can't get here soon enough.

Breakout

Now's the time for predicting stuff. So, here's the Flea Flicker's picks for breakout players in 2014:

Minnesota Vikings
DE Everson Griffen
There's a whole bunch of candidates on the Vikings. They are retooling. They are young. They've had seven first round picks the last three years. Any of the seven could be the pick. Griffen has played behind Jared Allen for all of his four years so he hasn't been on the field much. He's a bit of an unknown as evidenced by the amount of criticism tossed about over his "big" contract extension in March. When he's on the field good things tend to happen for the Vikings defense.

Green Bay Packers
DB Micah Hyde
The Packers have to find a way to get on Hyde on the field. He filled in nicely at cornerback as a rookie last year. You can never have enough corners in this league and the Packers have a bunch. That might put Hyde at safety.

Chicago Bears
LB Jonathan Bostic
He flashed as a rookie last year. He's ready to do more.

Detroit Lions
DE Ezekiel Ansah
If the Lions defensive tackles can play to their abilities and and within the rules on the inside, Ansah could be a nightmare on the outside.

San Francisco 49ers
DE Tank Carradine
He missed all of his rookie season with a college injury. Call last year a redshirt year. He'll probably be a rotational player on the line seeing as Justin Smith will never retire but Carradine should make an impact on a talented defense.

Seattle Seahawks
WR Paul Richardson
Rookie receivers don't often make an immediate impact let alone break out. Richardson could be one that does. He might already be the most talented receiver not named Harvin on the Seahawks roster.

Arizona Cardinals
G Jonathan Cooper
Finally, an offensive lineman. The big guys rarely get the proper respect. Like the 49ers' Carradine, Cooper has yet to play an NFL regular season game. He's a rock. A very large rock.

St. Louis Rams
DT Aaron Donald
The NFC West is loaded with defense. Donald was one of the most unique football players in the 2014 NFL Draft. He just disrupts offenses.

New Orleans Saints
WR Brandin Cooks
Another rookie receiver. Drew Brees says that Cooks could take the touches that went to Darren Sproles last year.

Atlanta Falcons
CB Desmond Trufant
He got a taste for the NFL last year. He could shine this year.

Carolina Panthers
DT Star Lotulelei
Lotulelei or fellow DT Kawann Short could break out. Maybe both. With dominant DEs Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson pressuring from the outside, the tackles can really shine.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CB Alterraun Verner
Verner broke out last year with the Tennessee Titans. He's a perfect fit for Lovie Smith and Leslie Frazier's defense.

New York Giants
WR Rueben Randle
The Giants drafted Randle to be an impact player a couple of years ago. They need him to be an impact player now. Hakeem Nicks is now in Indianapolis. Randle could now break out.

Philadelphia Eagles
WR Jordan Matthews
Another rookie receiver. Riley Cooper shined in the Eagles offense. Matthews is far, far more skilled.

Washington Redskins
TE Jordan Reed
If Reed avoids concussions or acknowledges them if he gets them, he should be deadly in the middle of the field. With Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson pressuring the defense on the outside, Reed should be running wild in the middle of the field.

Dallas Cowboys
WR Terrance Williams
Williams had some nice moments as a rookie last year. He should get a lot of opportunities with Dez Bryant attracting the attention of the defense.

Oakland Raiders
RB Darren McFadden
This has probably been predicted before. McFadden has to stay healthy for a season. If he can stay healthy, he can break out. He has too much running talent to not break out.

San Diego Chargers
WR Keenan Allen
He broke out last year as a rookie. That was just a teaser. It's still shocking that Allen was still available in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Kansas City Chiefs
DE Dee Ford
With Tamba Hali and Justin Houston it's difficult to imagine room or even the need for another outside pass rusher in Kansas City. The Chiefs will make room for the rookie Ford.

Denver Broncos
RB Montee Ball
With Knowson Moreno now in Miami the door is open for Ball.

Indianapolis Colts
WR Hakeem Nicks
The Colts might have gotten a steal when Nicks faded in New York. He should shine opposite Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton. Plus, they all have Andrew Luck throwing the passes.

Jacksonville Jaguars
RB Toby Gerhart
Gerhart didn't run a lot in Minnesota. Adrian Peterson was there. When Gerhart did run he ran well. He's been in the league for four years but he has a half-year's worth of wear on his body.

Houston Texans
WR DeAndre Hopkins
The biggest thing going against Hopkins is the quarterback situation. Hopkins is extremely talented and he should make an impact playing opposite Andre Johnson.

Tennessee Titans
RB Bishop Sankey
There's too many rookies on this list. Chris Johnson is gone. The Titans running back job is likely Sankey's to lose. He's a terrific football player.

New England Patriots
LB Jamie Collins
Collins was all over the field in the Patriots playoff games. He was only a rookie. He'll only get better.

New York Jets
S Calvin Pryor
Another damn rookie! Pryor could be dynamite in Rex Ryan's defense.

Buffalo Bills
WR Robert Woods
Woods is a talented, complete receiver. The Bills gave up a lot to move up and draft Sammy Watkins. Woods should be terrific on the other side of the field.

Miami Dolphins
T Branden Albert
The Dolphins had to do something about their offensive line. Signing Albert in free agency was a great place to start. He's proven player in the league so it's not really right to call him a breakout a player. He'll be breaking out again. For a new team this time.

Cleveland Browns
WR Andrew Hawkins
Unless something unexpected happens Josh Gordon could be out for a while. Perhaps the entire season. A receiver, any receiver has to step up for the Browns. Hawkins is a talented football player stolen from the Cincinnati Bengals as a restricted free agent.

Cincinnati Bengals
RB Giovanni Bernard
Bernard made an impact last year as a rookie. He should improve on that this year. The Bengals have a lot of offensive weapons. New offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will make good use of them.

Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Le'Veon Bell
As with Bernard in Cincinnati, Bell was often terrific as a rookie as last year. The Steelers have traditionally run the ball well. Ben Roethlisberger has transformed them into more of a passing team. Bell will give them some nice balance.

Baltimore Ravens
S Matt Elam
It's easy to imagine a difference-making safety at the back of the Ravens. We can thank Ed Reed for that. Elam is a different kind of safety but he should be good one.

Out Of Nowhere

Most players enter the NFL through the draft. Several enter as undrafted free agents. Very few sneak into the league through the tryout door. Often during the rookie workouts right after the draft, teams hold tryouts for an overlooked group of players. Players from local colleges routinely populate the tryout lists. If things go well in these tryouts, the player, or players, get an invite to training camp. That's it. An invite. No guarantees. But, the dream continues. Which is all that really matters. Minnesota Vikings cornerback Marcus Sherels entered through this less glamorous, but often inspiring, route. He earned an invite to the Vikings 2010 training camp. He got cut, got signed to the practice squad and has pretty much fought for his job every day since. Now, he's one of the top punt returners in the game. He's small, but fast, and still has to fight for his job.

The Vikings have another player that might be following the path set by Sherels. Receiver Adam Thielen was invited to try out after the 2013 NFL Draft. He earned an invite to training camp. He didn't make the 53-man roster but was signed to the practice squad. That was his rookie season. Thielen has been one of the standouts of the just completed OTAs. #19 has routinely popped up on highlights. People are talking about him. The media is talking about him which doesn't really matter much. General manager Rick Spielman was talking about him in a recent interview which matters quite a bit. At 6'2" and about 200 lbs, Thielen has nice size. He's got decent speed. He's got terrific hands. He seems to have a real nice rapport with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. That could prove to be very helpful.

With a new coaching staff, it's tough to guess how many receivers the Vikings will keep. Five is likely. Six is a possibility. It really depends on how the rest of the roster shakes out. Right now, the Vikings top four receivers are fairly set:

Greg Jennings
Cordarrelle Patterson
Jarius Wright
Jerome Simpson

Thielen, Rodney Smith, undrafted free agents Erik Lora and Kain Colter, and recently signed Josh Cooper are likely fighting for one spot. Smith, at 6'5", would give the Vikings some size that the others simply can't. Thielen might still be leading and he's come out of nowhere to do so.

Did Not!

New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick seems to think that the NFL saw it's first days in 2001.

"I was the guy who started it all."

"I revolutionized the game."

"I changed the way it was played in the NFL"

Those are some bold statements. All come from his belief that he was the quarterback that started all the running. Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, even the fast-as-I-need-to-be Russell Wilson. All of the dual threat quarterbacks of today are, according to Vick, impersonators of the original, Michael Vick. It's hardly surprising that he feels this way but he's clearly forgetting about the eighty years of NFL history that came before him. Fran Tarkenton stressed defenses with his running before Vick was even born. John Elway did the same while Vick was still wobbling around in diapers. Randall Cunningham? Steve Young? Steve McNair? Each was doing in the 1990s what Michael Vick claimed to revolutionize a decade later. Bobby Douglass. He couldn't hit an open receiver but he sure could run. An NFL record 968 yards in 1972. It was the record that Vick broke in 2006 with 1,039 yards. Spec Sanders? Sanders ran for over 1400 yards AND passed for over 1400 yards in 1947. There were a bunch of running quarterbacks before Michael Vick supposedly revolutionized the game.

In his early days with the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick was a scary football player. More so with his feet than with his cannon for an arm. Russell Wilson never looks fast on the football field but he's always a step ahead of his pursuer. He's a lot like Fran Tarkenton in that regard. Vick? Now, Vick was a lot faster than anyone that might attempt to pursue him. So quick. So fast. He could change direction in a blink. He was a scary football player. He may have been the best running quarterback in the history of the NFL. He has the career rushing record as evidence of that. Just because he was the best doesn't mean that he was the first. He didn't start the trend toward the fleet-of-feet quarterback. That happened as soon as a football player was given the option to throw. Michael Vick may think that NFL started when he entered it but he'd be wrong.

Mini Camps Done

All NFL teams wrapped up their offseason training schedule this week with mandatory mini-camps. Several teams had those offseason-ending mini-camps last week. Actually, all 32 teams except the St. Louis Rams wrapped up their offseason training schedule with mandatory mini-camps. The Rams have done things a little differently under head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead. All teams, but the Rams, bring in their rookies for a little training right after the draft. The Rams prefer to give the rookies a chance to come in, learn how the team wants things done and then mix with the veterans. The other 31 teams do that as well. They just work with the rookies as soon as they can and then let them mix with the veterans. All this really means is that the Rams get a later start than their competitors. It also means that the Rams offseason schedule runs out before they can hold a mandatory mini-camp. That's right, no mandatory mini-camp in St. Louis. Under Fisher and Snead, the Rams have also signed all of their draft picks at once. One mass signing. It's actually quite remarkable and looks real impressive on the transaction page. With today's easy, rapid draft pick signings, the mass Rams signings are done after many of the other teams have been signing picks for a month. The reason for the later signings is because the Rams put their rookies through financial lessons to give them a glimpse at their soon-to-be-realized wealth before they give them that wealth. Fisher has even backed in a truck packed with cash to show these youngsters what a whole of of cash looks like. To truly understand something, sometimes it's best to actually see it. This is cutting-edge, new age stuff. If Fisher and Snead can lead the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl triumph, all 31 of their competitors will start doing the very same offseason thing. Enough about the Rams.

The new Collective Bargaining Agreement has scripted the entire offseason. A long list of "do's" and "don'ts." This year, teams could start their offseason workouts April 21. Teams with new head coaches could start a few weeks earlier. The offseason program is a three-phase process. Strength and conditioning is the first phase. Only strength and conditioning coaches can be present. The coaches show up for the second phase. They can do some football stuff. No helmets. No contact. The third phase is better known as the Organized Training Activities (OTAs). Ten days of workouts. Pretty much the only freedom given to the teams by the CBA is the scheduling of these ten days of workouts. For most teams it's 2-3 days each week from the last week of May to the middle of June. Helmets. No contact. Teams can install some of the offense and defense, get familiar with schemes, run through plays. Teams with new head coaches also get an extra voluntary mini-camp prior to the start of the OTAs. While teams can get a lot done in a few weeks the restrictions are numerous. The CBA has even gone so far as to limit what players can do on non-practice days during the offseason program. In the words of the CBA:

"Players may be (1) at the Club facility no more than four hours per day, no more than four days per week, and not during weekends; and (2) on the field no more than ninety minutes per day. In addition, the Club may not specify to any player more than two specific hours a day during which it suggests that the player be at the Club facilities."

It sounds like Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is pushing the limits of the CBA.

The NFL has been a year-round affair for so long that it's difficult to imagine a time when it wasn't. Teams used to close up shop when the season ended. There really was an offseaon. Players used to go to their second job. Now they can afford to be just football players. Now teams expect those football players to earn some of that money in May. Now we have an offseason that really isn't and a CBA that restricts it. The only real break in the NFL's offseason starts now. It lasts about a month.

Done Draft Deals

Draft pick holdouts were always mystery. Why wouldn't a freshly drafted college football player want to put that first check in the bank and get to the work of becoming a professional football player. Instead, the tedious process of rookie contract negotiations would often extend into training camp. Holdouts were frequent and those contracts got way, way out of control. The entire pay structure of the NFL was destroyed. Players that hadn't even played an NFL snap were being paid far more than players that had been doing so for a decade. The Collective Bargaining Agreement of 2011 changed all of that. If it did nothing else, that agreement reeled in the bloated rookie contracts. It also made those rookie contract negotiations a breeze. The front offices and agents might have taken a couple of years to familiarize themselves with these new negotiations but they seem to have them down now. The signings of the players selected in the 2014 NFL Draft have been beautiful to behold. So quick. So easy. It's just past the middle of June and only eight players have yet to sign their rookie contracts. Eight!

Here are the eight players that are still slugging it out in negotiations:

First round selections:
8.  Cleveland Browns  CB  Justin Gilbert
11. Tennessee Titans  T  Taylor Lewan
29. New England Patriots  DT Dominique Easley

Second round selections
35. Cleveland Browns  G  Joel Bitonio
39. Jacksonville Jaguars  WR  Marqise Lee
46. Pittsburgh Steelers  DE  Stephon Tuitt
61. Jacksonville Jaguars  WR  Allen Robinson

Third round selection
67. Miami Dolphins  T  Billy Turner

There were years when the number of players signed by mid-June might total eight players. This is incredible. So wonderful. 26 of the 32 teams have signed all of their drafted players. That's inconceivable.

Throwback Thursday; A Day For Punts

Some consider the Texas Tech Red Raiders-Centenary Gents football game of November 11, 1939 memorable. Others consider it weird. It was a different sort of football game. A torrential rain in Shreveport, Louisiana swamped the stadium and made the field unplayable. The two teams still tried to play the game. The host Gents and Red Raiders played, or didn't play, to a 0-0 tie. To cope with the miserable conditions, both teams resorted to constant and immediate punting. The teams combined to punt 77 times. 67 of those punts occurred on first down (34 by Texas Tech and 33 by Centenary) including 22 consecutively in the third and fourth quarters. It was a field position game from beginning to end. With each punt, the kicking team hoped to recover a fumble at the other end. 42 of the 77 punts were returned. 19 went out of bounds. 10 were downed. 1 went into the end zone for a touchback. Four were blocked. Surprisingly, only one was fair caught. As far as offensive production goes, Centenary piled up 31 yards of total offense. Texas Tech managed a total of -1 yards.

More NCAA single-game records (13 total) were set in the 1939 Texas Tech-Centenary game than in any other game in NCAA history. One would immediately think of tremendous offensive, or even defensive, production when one thinks of the game in which the most records were set. All of the records set in this game resulted from the tremendous lack of any kind of production.

Here are the 13 NCAA records set in the 1939 Texas Tech-Centenary football that still stand:

Individual records:
Most punts, game  36  Charlie Calhoun
Most punting yards, game  1,318  Charlie Calhoun
Most punt returns, games  20 Milton Hill
Most combined punt and kickoff returns, game  20  Milton Hill

Team records:
Most punts, both teams  77  Texas Tech and Centenary
Most Punts, game  39 Texas Tech
Most punt returns, game 22  Texas Tech
Most punt returns, both teams  42  Texas Tech and Centenary
Fewest plays  12  Texas Tech
Fewest plays allowed  12  Centenary
Fewest plays, both teams  33  Texas Tech and Centenary
Fewest yards gained, both teams 30  Texas Tech and Centenary
Fewest rushes, both teams  28  Texas Tech and Centenary

All these records should stand for a very, very long time. They are stunningly sad records. Calhoun's punting records are routinely listed among the records that are considered unbreakable.

This game was more like those of the 1800s than any being played in 1939.

Top Receiving Groups

NFL.com' Bucky Brooks recently wrote a column ranking the top-5 receiving corps in the league. Receivers and tight ends. His rankings went like this:

1. Washington Redskins
2. Chicago Bears
3. Denver Broncos
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Indianapolis Colts

Brooks played in the league for five years. He worked as a scout for several years. He knows his stuff. He's certainly not alone in thinking highly of the Washington Redskins pass catchers. I just don't see it and it's simply because I don't trust DeSean Jackson. If he can play and act with a team-first attitude, something that he's never done, I might start trusting DeSean Jackson.

Here's how I see the top-5 receiving groups in the NFL:

1. Denver Broncos
-Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, Julius Thomas
That's a lot of receiving talent. Plus, they have Peyton Manning throwing to them.

2. Green Bay Packers
-Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin, Davante Adams, Jared Abbrederis, Andrew Quarless
Tight end is the weakness here. If Jermicheal Finley returns and remains healthy, this group is probably #1. The Packers added some youngsters in case Finley is done in Green Bay. They drafted former Cal tight end Richard Rodgers and added talented, but troubled, tight end Colt Lyerla as an undrafted free agent. Rodgers, in particular, could make an early impact. He was probably Cal's best offensive player two years ago. He dropped a bunch of weight to fit into Sonny Dykes' "Bear Raid" offense. As a tight end he was great. As a big receiver in a funky offense he was a little out of place.

3. Chicago Bears
-Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, Marquess Wilson
Marshall, Jeffery, and Bennett are probably the best starting group in the league. The depth is lacking.

4. Indianapolis Colts
-Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Hakeem Nicks, Donte Moncrief, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen
This ranking is banking on Wayne returning healthy and Nicks reverting to the play that he showed a couple of years ago. This could be a fantastic group. I like Hilton a lot.

5. San Francisco 49ers
-Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Quinton Patton, Vernon Davis
The 49ers front office remade this group quickly and differently. Usually teams improve a position with a high-priced free agent or a high draft pick. The 49ers traded later-round picks for Boldin and Johnson. Add those players to Crabtree and Davis and you have something. 4th-round pick Bruce Ellington could add some speed and versatility.

Just for giggles:

Minnesota Vikings
-Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jarius Wright, Jerome Simpson, Kyle Rudolph
This group has some serious under-the-radar talent. Jennings is still an effective, impact receiver. Patterson could become one of the most explosive football players in the league. Wright could break out this year. For two years he's been right on the cusp of doing so. Simpson adds speed and big-play ability. Rudolph, a Pro Bowl MVP, has been inching towards the elite tight ends for a couple of years. He just needs to take that big step forward. He has the talent. This group just needs to live up to their potential. A stable quarterback situation would help that a lot.

Wilf Woes

The ownership group led by Zygi Wilf and his family bought the Minnesota Vikings in 2005. Nine years later, they may finally have this NFL-thing figured out. Well, that still has be proven with sustained on-the-field football success but this offseason seems to be the first offseason in which some stability has been shown in Minnesota. The first step to this apparent stability was the promotion of Rick Spielman to general manager. The Wilf's had never hired a true general manager. They had never given decision-making power to one person. They finally gave that power to Spielman last year. He then went out and found his head coach this offseason in Mike Zimmer. It's an absolute must that a general manager and head coach be on the same page. The best way for that to happen is to have the general manager make the decision on a coach. Then there has to be an understanding and an acceptance of the respective roles of the general manager and the head coach. If the first few months are any indication, it looks as if Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer will form a beautiful relationship. The Wilf family had eight years of missteps but it looks as though they finally have things going in the right direction.

The Wilf family purchased a Minnesota Vikings team that was led by head coach Mike Tice. While Tice was, and is, an excellent offensive line coach, he ran a fairly loose ship as the head coach. He was an interim coach whose title became permanent in 2002 when then-owner Red McCombs decided to fill the position cheaply. Tice lasted through the 2005 season and was then fired. The Wilf's first stab at a coaching search was rushed, at best. They interviewed one coach, Brad Childress. They hired him quickly because the Green Bay Packers were next on his interview tour. About three weeks later, the Wilf's hired Fran Foley as Vice President of Player Personnel. This is the position that owners created when they didn't want a general manager. A VP of Player Personnel has general manager responsibilities without general manager decision-making power. With Childress and Foley in place the Vikings formed the poorly named and horribly conceived "Triangle of Authority." Head coach Childress, VP Foley, and cap guru Rob Brzezinski as the three-sided, decision-making mess. The one brilliant move made by the Wilf's from the very beginning was retaining Brzezinski through it all. He's one of the best, if not the best, at what he does. As long as Brzezinski is calling the "money" shots the Vikings will always be in fine salary cap shape. Foley's tenure with the Vikings was a disaster. He lied on his resume'. He was a pain-in-the-ass in the office. He was fired right after the 2006 NFL Draft. Three rocky months was all it took to see enough of Fran Foley. Rick Spielman was hired to replace him. The Wilf's still held to the clunky "Triangle of Authority." The trouble was that each side of the triangle didn't seem to carry the same weight. As the years went by it seemed that Childress grabbed greater say in personnel matters. He became the king in Minnesota. All was cheery when the Vikings win total improved two games each season of Childress' reign. In 2006, the Vikings were 6-10. In 2009 with Brett Favre leading on the field, the Vikings were 12-4 and a play away from the Super Bowl. It all came tumbling down the next season. The Wilf's fired Childress midseason. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was named the interim coach for the rest of the season. He had the interim title removed after that dreadful season finally ended. The players loved Frazier. Everyone loved Frazier. He was the nice guy after the mean guy Childress. It was easy to make Frazier the head coach. From all appearances Spielman had a warmer relationship with Frazier than he ever had with Childress. The "Triangle of Authority" name might have been dropped somewhere along the way but it still remained in practice. It just wasn't working. If the Wilf's were sold on Spielman as the decision-maker of their franchise they had to give him the power to make "his" decisions. They had to give him the authority to hire "his" coach. They had to make Rick Spielman the general manager and turn him loose. They finally did just that last year. And here we are today with Mike Zimmer leading the Minnesota Vikings on the football field and Rick Spielman getting him the players to win.

The current state of the Minnesota Vikings looks great. It looks stable. A, long-sought, new stadium is being built. The Super Bowl is coming to that new stadium. There's a lot of optimism in Minnesota right now. None of it will be considered a success until the team is holding up a Lombardi Trophy. That's the only judge of NFL success. Despite nine years of a few thrills and mostly missteps, I applaud the Wilfs for feeling their way through the growing pains of NFL ownership. They did things their way. They learned. They changed the things that clearly didn't work. They didn't keep making the same mistakes. They did what seemed impossible when they finally brought a new stadium from fantasy to reality. A Super Bowl is even coming to Minnesota. Now, the Vikings have to get in that big game. Despite the stumbles, it was easy to see that winning was always the Wilf's goal. They may finally have the pieces in place to do just that.

Rich Guys

I found this list while pounding through the internet searching for football stuff.

"7 Wealthiest NFL Players of All Time"

7. Joe Montana  $80 million
    -first player to earn $3 million/year in 1990, vineyard partnership

6. Brett Favre  $100 million
    -first player to sign a $100 million contract, Levis, Nike, Sears

5. Tom Brady  $120 million
     -Under Armour, Smartwater, Visa, Movado

4. John Elway  $145 million
    -Denver Broncos general manager, restaurants, car dealerships

3. Peyton Manning  $165 million
    -Papa John's, Buick, Gatorade, Directv

2. John Madden  $200 million
    -endorsed EA's John Madden Football in 1988, now Madden NFL

1. Roger Staubach  $600 million
    -started real estate business, sold in 2008 for $640 million in 2008

Big surprise, all but Madden are quarterbacks. I wonder if Brady's wife's worth is factored into his total. I don't know much about the income of models but I've heard some mention that she brings in a bigger paycheck than her husband. The household income of the Brady's must be much higher than $120 million. I'm surprised that Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson isn't on this list. He played for the Baltimore Colts for two seasons. He even won an NFL Championship in 1959. Smart use of the bonus check from that Championship was the start to his fortunes and his eventual NFL franchise ownership. The Panthers alone should push Richardson's wealth way past Staubach's wealth.

Father and Sons

Happy Fathers Day!

With Father's Day here it felt like a fine time to look at the fathers and sons working together in the National Football League. There's a bunch of them. This topic has actually been on mind since new Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer put the finishing touches on his coaching staff earlier this year. He hired his son, Adam, to coach the linebackers. The two Zimmers worked together last year with the Cincinnati Bengals. Father as the defensive coordinator. Son as the assistant defensive backs coach. Adam has paid some dues on his own in the league as he was with the New Orleans Saints from 2006-09 and the Kansas City Chiefs from 2010-12. Mike Zimmer hired Norv Turner as offensive coordinator. That move brought Norv's son, Scott, over as quarterbacks coach. Like the Zimmers, the Turners worked together last year in Ohio. Father as the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns. Son as the receivers coach. Scott also paid some coaching dues on his own. He was with the Carolina Panthers for two years prior to joining his father in Cleveland. Scott also coached at the college level with Oregon St. and Pitt. At the press conference announcing Mike Zimmer as the Vikings coach, ancient Minnesota scribe Sid Hartman was inspired to mention a conversation that he had with Bill Parcells. In that conversation Parcells said that you can't go wrong when you hire a coach's son. Mike Zimmer is the son of a long-time high school coach. Adam Zimmer is the son of a long-time NFL coach. So is Scott Turner. I think that I agree with Bill Parcells.

The Vikings aren't the only NFL team with fathers and sons coaching together. There are six other combinations:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lovie Smith-head coach
Mikal Smith-safeties coach

Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Lewis-head coach
Marcus Lewis-defensive assistant

Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid-head coach
Britt Reid-quality control

St. Louis Rams
Jeff Fisher-head coach
Brandon Fisher-assistant secondary coach

New England Patriots
Bill Belichick-head coach
Steve Belichick-coaching assistant

Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll-head coach
Nate Carroll-assistant receiver coach

It's somewhat interesting that Norv Turner is the only non-head coach to be working with his son.

Happy Father's day to the fathers working with their sons in the NFL and to all fathers everywhere.

RIP Coach

Chuck Noll, who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships in the 1970s, died last night at his home in Sewickley, Pa. He was 82.

"Chuck Noll is the best thing to happen to the Rooneys since they got on the boat in Ireland," said Art Rooney Jr., oldest son of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been so consistently strong over the past forty years that it's difficult to imagine a time when they weren't. Before Chuck Noll was hired in 1969, they weren't. The first forty years of the franchise was a mess. That all changed when the Rooney family hired Noll. The Steelers won only one game that first season and they had losing records in the next two. But Noll went about finding the players for his system. That started with his first draft pick, North Texas defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene. Nice start. The Steelers drafts from 1969-74 are the blueprint for building a dynasty. Noll helped find them. Then he coached them. For 23 years.

Noll was a teacher first. He shunned attention and passed up lucrative endorsements. He wasn't particularly close with any of his players. He was a football coach and left it at that. He may have learned some of that "sweetheart" side from playing for Cleveland Browns legend Paul Brown in the 1950s. Brown drafted Noll out of the University of Dayton in the 20th-round of the 1953 NFL Draft. He played linebacker and guard in college. Brown played Noll as one of his "messenger" guards. Since there was no in-game communication between the coach and quarterback in those days, Brown sent the plays in with a rotation of guards. Noll was one of those guards. He proved to be a quick study of football and in particular Paul Brown's football. The demanding coach even said that Noll's grasp of the offense was such that he didn't need help from the sideline to get the call right. That's very high praise from Paul Brown. Noll only played seven seasons, retiring in 1959 at 27. He was quickly hired to coach the defensive line of the San Diego Chargers of the new American Football League by another "happy" coach, Sid Gillman. Noll moved up to defensive coordinator after two seasons. He remained in that role in addition to coaching the defensive backs until 1965. Noll moved to the NFL when Baltimore Colts coach Don Shula hired Noll to be his defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in 1966. Paul Brown, Sid Gillman, and Don Shula might not have been the most warm and fuzzy of coaches but it's hard to come up with a better trio of coaching mentors. Noll didn't need those three to teach him how to be a serious man. It takes a serious man and a serious football player to start a personal war with Chuck Bednarik. Noll took teaching and coaching football seriously. When asked by Sports Illustrated in 2007 how he wanted to be remebered, Noll replied: A person who could adapt to a world of constant change. But most of all as a teacher."

It's been a rough month for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On May 6, longtime scout Bill Nunn Jr. passed away. Nunn opened doors into the NFL for black players and personnel. He also gave the Steelers unparalleled access to players at the historically black colleges. It's a bit simplified but Nunn found the players and Noll coached them.

Chuck Noll turned a long-stumbling Pittsburgh Steelers franchise into a powerhouse. He also gave the Rooney family a model for future coaching hires. The Steelers have only hired two head coaches since Noll retired after the 1991 season. Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. The stability that Noll brought to the Steelers in 1969 continues to this day.

RIP Chuck Noll.

It's The Falcons!

The Atlanta Falcons "volunteered" to be the team that will be profiled on the next season of HBO's "Hard Knocks" They could have gotten out of the show if they had wanted due to their playoff appearance of two years ago. So, they chose to be on the show.

Despite a 4-12 record last season, the Atlanta Falcons are a solid football team. They were close in several games but it was injuries that really dismantled a promising season. Coming off an NFC Championship game appearance the year before, the Falcons were considered by many to be Super Bowl contenders entering the 2013 season. Then it all came apart before it even got started. The Falcons hit the 2014 offseason looking to get better, bigger, stronger, and meaner on the offensive and defensive lines. They added guard Jon Asamoah, defensive tackle Paul Soliai, and defensive end Tyson Jackson as soon as free agency opened. They added tackle Jake Matthews and defensive end Ra'Shede Hageman in the draft. Losing linebacker Sean Weatherspoon for the season with an achilles tear during OTAs was a big blow to the defense. But the Falcons have gotten a lot tougher since the disappointing 2013 finally ended. All of the NFC South teams are likely chasing the New Orleans Saints. The Carolina Panthers might have taken a step back after a terrific 2013 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to be much improved. It's an interesting division and the Falcons should be in the thick of the title chase.

As for their appeal on "Hard Knocks," they have a lot of the pieces that should make for an entertaining show. Mike Smith is a charismatic coach. Watching offensive line coach Mike Tice work and interact with players is always a treat. General manager Thomas Dimitroff is one of the most interesting people in the entire league. They have some star power with quarterback Matt Ryan, receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White, and running back Steven Jackson. They'll like miss tight end Tony Gonzalez on the field and on screen. The 2014 Atlanta Falcons look like a good choice for "Hard Knocks." It's always nice to get to know teams that might be a bit removed from the national spotlight. The first of five episodes airs August 5th.

Throwback Thursday: The Recruitment Of Alan Ameche

Alan Ameche is probably best remembered for scoring the overtime touchdown for the Baltimore Colts in the 1958 NFL Championship. Seeing #35 slice through the New York Giants defensive line and into the end zone will be replayed forever. Ameche was a terrific NFL fullback. If he'd played a couple more years than his six in the NFL, he'd probably be in the Hall of Fame. There's still a valid argument that he should be. Ameche was the third pick in the 1955 NFL Draft. He won the 1954 Heisman Trophy. He left the University of Wisconsin with the NCAA career rushing record. Alan Ameche was a great football player. In high school, he was the kind of football player that attracts a great deal of attention for colleges. His recruitment was a very interesting one. It was a recruitment that nearly impacted a very important Wisconsin industry. The beer industry.

Alan Ameche was a three-year varsity player for Kenosha Bradford. As a sophomore, his team won zero football games. By his senior year, Kenosha Bradford was undefeated and that 1950 team is considered one of the greatest teams in the history of Wisconsin high school football. Practically every major college in the Midwest offered a scholarship to Ameche. As did North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The recruitment ultimately came down to Wisconsin and Notre Dame. Madison was only 90 miles northwest of Kenosha. Ameche's brother, Lynn, was already a student at Wisconsin. Several Kenosha Bradford teammates were also being recruited by Wisconsin. Despite all of that, Notre Dame was considered by most to be the favorite to have Alan Ameche carrying the football for them in the fall of 1951.

Notre Dame had some things on their side. Alan Ameche had a strong Roman Catholic faith. His high school coach Chuck Jaskwhich played quarterback for the Irish. Ameche's high school sweetheart, and future wife, Yvonne preferred Notre Dame over Wisconsin for the simple fact that Notre Dame had no female students at the time. Notre Dame also offered to send Yvonne to their sister school, St. Mary's. Wisconsin football hadn't amounted to much by that point. Notre Dame was an annual powerhouse under head coach Frank Leahy. Notre Dame also had prominent Wisconsin businessman Fred Miller on their side. Miller was the owner of the Miller Brewing Company and a Notre Dame almnus. He was also an All-American tackle under Knute Rockne. Irish football was a pretty important part of his life. He was used to getting his way and didn't much care for taking "no" for an answer. Miller became a significant player in the Irish recruitment of Alan Ameche. He flew Ameche, along with high school teammates Mario Bonofiglio and Ed Ronzia, on his private plane to South Bend and a Notre Dame campus visit. Miller's recruitment of Ameche became a serious statewide issue. It became Miller vs. the University of Wisconsin alumni and fans. Wisconsin patrons of Miller Brewing Company threatened a boycott against the buying and consumption of Miller Beer if Alan Ameche attended Notre Dame. Fred Miller eventually backed off on his recruitment but not before he paid a visit to the Ameche home. He brought along Irish coach Fran Leahy and Ameche's Mount Carmel parish priest. The recruiters even had a friend of Leahy's call the high school running back to provide some extra incentive to attend Notre Dame. Hollywood leading man Don Ameche. The actor was actually a Kenosha, Wisconsin native, a University of Wisconsin alum, and the second cousin of Alan Ameche. Despite the direct connections to the state of Wisconsin and that state's University, the actor Ameche was calling the high school football player Ameche on the behalf of Notre Dame. It was also the first time that the two members of the Ameche family had ever spoken. Miller might have unintentionally ended the Irish recruitment of Alan Ameche when he offered Mrs. Ameche a check for $1500 if her son would commit to Notre Dame. This act didn't sit well with Alan Ameche. Actually, he was pissed. It might have been the University of Wisconsin from that point on.

The Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame recruitment of Alan Ameche can be considered intense. A state-wide beer boycott doesn't venture into the recruiting of many high school football players. Ameche might have actually made his decision a couple of years before Fred Miller insulted his family. As a sophomore, Ameche visited his brother Lynn at the University of Wisconsin. He returned to his sweetheart Yvonne wearing a white shirt and red tie and singing "On Wisconsin." He claimed that the campus was "the most beautiful place he had ever seen." "On Wisconsin" was "the beautiful song he had ever heard." He was especially struck by the University of Wisconsin music room. It seemed like every phonograph record in the world could be found there and you could play them as loud as you want. Alan Ameche might have been smitten with the University of Wisconsin and their music department as a high school sophomore and remained that way through the recruitment of Fred Miller and Notre Dame but a potential beer boycott is much more interesting.

Signings Complete

On June 10, 2014, one month after the completion of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings signed the last of their 10 draft picks. Third-round running back Jerick McKinnon signed yesterday. He was part of a somewhat puzzling logjam of unsigned players that were selected at the bottom of the third-round. The other members of his Vikings draft class had signed a few weeks ago. That's fast. That's really fast for the Vikings. The signing of draft picks have been a breeze throughout the league this year. Well over 80% of the picks have signed and training camps are still over a month away. This has been the most obvious and perhaps best result of the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Rookie contracts are now under control and the players are easily signed. Very nice.

The Minnesota Vikings have routinely waited until July to start signing their draft picks. Even in the previous three years since the new CBA. Often, it seemed that they would wait until a mere two weeks before the players were due to report to training camp to kick off contract negotiations. It was a frustrating practice. Some of the top picks would holdout for a few days. A few days that could probably have been avoided if they had started the negotiations earlier. Although, maybe those missed practices were the needed catalyst for the signing. Fortunately, the Vikings had only one rookie hold out that lasted more than a handful of days. In 2002, tackle Bryant McKinnie skipped all of training camp and about half of the season due to a contract negotiation standoff. Looking back, that holdout was hardly a surprise seeing as McKinnie was pretty much a pain-in-the-ass every moment of his nine-year Vikings career. It's a real shame that he ended up on a Baltimore Ravens team that happened to win a Super Bowl.

It's nice to have the rookies signed so easily. Signing players that have never taken an NFL snap shouldn't be difficult. If their careers evolve as everyone hopes, it's the second contract that should be the most rewarding and demanding. Congratulations to the Minnesota Vikings on getting their draft picks signed by June 10 and thank you for not waiting until July.

Aging Ownership

Sports Illustrated's Peter King recently wrote about the aging of the NFL's owners in a column on his terrific Monday Morning Quarterback website. It was interesting. Very sad but interesting. I was actually thinking about the very same thing after Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer's passed nearly two weeks ago. His was the fourth death among the NFL's owners since October:

October 21: Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams
March 9: Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford
March 25: Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson
May 28: Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer

Wellington Mara (2005), Lamar Hunt (2006), and Al Davis (2011) have also passed in the past decade.

There are thirteen current owners who are more than 70 years old:

Virginia McCaskey, 91, Chicago Bears
Alex Spanos, 90, San Diego Chargers
Tom Benson, 86, New Orleans Saints
Bill Bidwill, 82, Arizona Cardinals
Dan Rooney, 81, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Brown, 78, Cincinnati Bengals
Jerry Richardson, 77, Carolina Panthers
Bob McNair, 76, Houston Texans
Stephen Ross, 74, Miami Dolphins
Robert Kraft, 73, New England Patriots
Jerry Jones, 71, Dallas Cowboys
Arthur Blank, 71, Atlanta Falcons
Pat Bowlen, 70, Denver Broncos

Virginia McCaskey, Bill Bidwill, Dan Rooney, and Mike Brown are all second generation team owners. They took over ownership of the teams from their fathers. As Peter King points out in his column, some of the teams with aging owners have strong family plans in place. Art Rooney II, Katie Blackburn (Mike Brown's daughter), and Michael Bidwill are in line to step up as third generation owners. Other owner's kids Jonathan Kraft (Patriots), Dean Spanos (Chargers) and Stephen Jones (Cowboys) have already made their presence felt at league meetings.  John Mara and Clark Hunt have emerged in a leadership position in the league after the deaths of their fathers. Mara is a third generation owner. Hunt is a second generation owner.

A strong professional sports league is made that way by strong ownership. Wellington Mara, Lamar Hunt, Al Davis, Bud Adams, Ralph Wilson were backbones of the AFL/NFL since the 1960. The immense popularity and resulting financial success that the league has enjoyed has come in that time. Even with the sad recent passing of so many the league is in strong hands. The children have learned from their fathers. No matter how much of a financial monster the NFL becomes the league remains a family outfit.

Moving Draft

The 2015 NFL Draft will not be held at Radio City Music Hall. It could still be in New York. Madison Square Garden? Roger's Place? Who knows? More likely, it's going on the road. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are the cities that are most often mentioned. Los Angeles would be a nice spot as the city has been out of the NFL loop for quite a while. It's the home of NFL Network but that's about it. Maybe L.A. wants the draft in hopes of landing another team. They've had and lost the Chargers, Rams, and Raiders. Why not another?

While New York, Chicago and Los Angeles grabbed the headlines, "other cities" kept being mentioned without mentioning the other cities. Those "other cities" have finally been mentioned. They are Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Boston. Apparently, Nashville has been trying to lure the draft their way for a few years. Seeing as the draft is likely on the move now is their best chance. The more cities involved, the more lucrative it should become for the NFL to move around. The NFL will always follow the money. They can turn the NFL Draft bidding war into something similar to the Super Bowl bidding war.

I really don't care where the NFL holds the Draft as long as it's not held in May.

Mystery Sort Of Explained

It's been amazing to watch the ease with which the draft picks of the 2014 NFL Draft have been signed. Straightening out the contracts of NFL players that have yet to take an NFL snap was one of the objectives of the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The contracts for rookies were getting out of control. The new CBA pretty much scripts the contracts for every pick in the draft. It's taken a couple of years but we are finally seeing the results. Training camp is still a little less than two months away and a record 12 teams have already signed all of their draft picks-Arizona, Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington. 18 of the first-round picks have signed. That includes the first pick of the draft, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Over 80% of all of the picks have signed their first NFL contracts. Unfortunately, there's a pocket of picks taken at the end of the third round that are unsigned. That's a signing status that is usually seen among the top-ten picks of previous drafts.

As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I have grown accustomed to the team getting around to signing their draft picks in July. Even with the contracts scripted by the CBA they would still wait until training camp was in sight. I was thrilled to see them immediately storm through the signings this year. Within two weeks of the draft, the Vikings had nine of their ten picks signed. Even first round picks linebacker Anthony Barr and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater were signed. They also had two picks in the third-round. The second one being the final payment from the Seattle Seahawks in the trade for receiver Percy Harvin. With the Seahawks' 32nd pick of the third-round the Vikings selected Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon. After the dust cleared from the Vikings draft pick signing frenzy nearly a month ago, McKinnon remained unsigned. Did the Vikings forget that they had a second third-round pick? Is the versatile running back holding out? It's been a mystery. Well, it's not really a mystery but the Baltimore Ravens might be messing things up for some of the teams that selected players at the end of the third-round. When it comes to the draft, the Ravens are often fouling things for other teams. In 2003, they balked on a draft day trade with the Vikings. Assuming that the deal was done, the Vikings missed the window for their draft pick and have been a running draft day joke for more than a decade. The Ravens were part of a similar draft day trade kerfuffle with the Chicago Bears a few years ago. When it comes to the draft the Baltimore Ravens are a real nuisance. It appears that the Ravens have thrown a wrench into the scripted contracts for the picks at the end of the third-round:

No. 92 Carolina guard Trai Turner: four years, $2.791 million ($539,800 signing bonus)
No. 93 Jacksonville guard Brandon Linder: unsigned
No. 94 Cleveland running back Terrance West: unsigned
No. 95 Denver offensive tackle Michael Schofield: four years $2.777 million ($621,200)
No. 96 Minnesota running back Jerick McKinnon: unsigned
No. 97 Pittsburgh back/receiver Dri Archer: unsigned
No. 98 Green Bay tight end Richard Rodgers: unsigned
No. 99 Baltimore tight end Crockett Gillmore: four years $2.907 million ($606,376)

The contract numbers should be going down as picks get later, not up. The contracts signed by Turner and Schofield seem to line up, although the signing bonuses don't. As the total numbers go, McKinnon should get a contract in the $2.76 million range. Then we have the Ravens going rogue with Gillmore's contract. With the huge contracts that we normally see in the NFL it seems strange to see player and team haggling over $100,000 but that's still some nice change for these third-round picks.

Nowhere in the draft is there an area in which five of six consecutive picks are unsigned. This will get resolved soon. McKinnon even says so. The numbers are so small compared to the contract issues of draft picks just five years ago. It's only a week into June and the only draft-signing issue is found with a handful of picks at the end of the third-round. Only five years ago over half of the draft picks would still be unsigned. I don't miss those days at all.

No L

So, we're going to get Super Bowl 50 and not Super Bowl L.

Representatives from the San Francisco Bay Area host committee had been lobbying the NFL to get the "L" out. It appears that the lobbying has succeeded. There will be no "L" for the Super Bowl that will be played in 2016. I don't understand why there's no love for the "L" in San Francisco. When I first heard about the host committee's lobbying I assumed that the NFL would continue as they have with their Roman numeral identification for the Super Bowl. The league routinely does what it wants. After all, they went with Super Bowl XXX. Apparently the firewalls throughout the NFL offices had all kinds of issues with emails and memos containing XXX. There are no legitimate issues with an "L" tag on a Super Bowl outside of some stupid "loser" connection. As far as I know, the no "L" is a one-time thing. Good thing as I'm looking forward to Super Bowl LIX in 2025. Unless another host committee has an issue with that one.

The NFL has been numbering the Super Bowls with Roman numerals since Super Bowl V. I found it unique as a kid and I've liked it ever since. The Super Bowl 50 designation will be used on the official logo and in promotions leading up to the game. I'm guessing that Super Bowl L will be used on promotions hidden away from the touchy San Francisco people. I'm also guessing that Super Bowl 50/L will be viewed as Super Bowl L from an historical perspective. I,II,III, and IV were thrown on the first four Super Bowls after the fact. They'll probably do the same with Super Bowl L.

This is a sad day.

New Rich Guy

The San Francisco 49ers signed quarterback Colin Kaepernick to a six-year contract extension. It's a big one. I've seen numbers of $126-million total. $61-million of which is guaranteed. The numbers can be a little deceiving. It's been reported as a six-year contract but I see this as a seven-year, $126-million contract. He's getting some of it this year. It's a pay-as-you-go contract. The money becomes guaranteed as he moves through the years of the extension. Basically, he doesn't get the money if his career gets derailed in some way. If the 49ers and Kaepernick progresses well, the quarterback will be a rich one.

I keep seeing a decent amount of criticism over this contract. The critics seem to think that Colin Kaepernick hasn't earned this type of money. They say that his 23-regular season starts aren't enough. Kaepernick signed a franchise quarterback contract. Kaepernick is a franchise quarterback. It's really as easy as that. He's taken his team to the Super Bowl once. He was a pass away from doing it a second time. Quarterbacks are best judged by their play in the postseason. Not many quarterbacks have had this sort of postseason success so early in their careers. Kaepernick is among the most physically gifted quarterbacks to ever play the game. When I think of him on the football field I keep seeing the 26-yard touchdown pass that he threw to Anquan Boldin in the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks. It was a bullet that was parallel to the ground the entire way. The ball never dropped in it's flight. Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was right in front of Boldin and couldn't do a thing about it. Thomas might have been frozen as he marveled at this laser. There might not be another quarterback that could have made that throw. Kaepernick still has a lot to learn. He has to be able to get past the first read in his progressions. His throwing has to become as consistently deadly as his running. If his understanding of what he's doing on the football field ever catches up with his natural skills, he'll be a nightmare for defenses for a long time. Certainly through his pricey six-year contract extension. Kaepernick is a franchise quarterback now and he's not even close to his ceiling. He deserves this contract. Besides, it might be considered a bargain by the time Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson sign their extensions.

Throwback Thursday: A Look Back At An Old Draft

Pondering football's past, I took another look at the 1961 NFL and AFL Drafts. The young, renegade AFL was pushing the old NFL for college talent. So much so that the two leagues were drafting players before the college bowl games were even played. The AFL conducted the first six rounds of their 1961 draft on November 23, 1960, by phone. The draft was completed on December 5th and 6th. The NFL held their 1961 draft December 27 and 28, 1960. That's about six months earlier than the ridiculously late starting 2014 NFL Draft. The 1961 AFL Draft went for thirty rounds. The 1961 NFL Draft went twenty rounds. With six fewer teams, the AFL selected 240 players to the NFL's 280. As this draft was the first draft of the Minnesota Vikings, I was taking another look at the draft that started it all. I'm always thrilled when I find little nuggets of football history that I've never noticed before. I found one while I was looking through the 1961 drafts of the rival professional football leagues.

Here's the top of the Minnesota Vikings 1961 NFL Draft:

1. Tommy Mason  RB  Tulane
2. Rip Hawkins  LB North Carolina
3. Fran Tarkenton  QB Georgia

Here's the top of the Boston Patriots 1961 AFL Draft:

1. Tommy Mason  RB  Tulane
2. Rip Hawkins  LB  North Carolina
3. Dan LaRose  T  Missouri
4. Mike Zeno  G  Virginia Tech
5. Fran Tarkenton  QB  Georgia

Well, something looks a little fishy there. The Vikings top three selections were three of the Patriots top five selections. They were also taken in the same order. The AFL Draft came first, so the Patriots selected Tommy Mason, Rip Hawkins, and Fran Tarkenton over a month before the Vikings did the same. The Vikings, as an expansion team, had the first pick in the NFL Draft. The Patriots had the second pick in the AFL Draft. Mason was widely considered the top senior back in  college football so his selection by teams with one of the top two picks in a draft isn't a surprise. There's just too many variables to even imagine that the Patriots will select three of the same players in the first 34 picks of their draft as the Vikings select in the first 29 picks of their draft. It's as if the two teams had the exact same scouting reports and rankings. Mason selected #1 by the Vikings and #2 by the Patriots. Hawkins selected #15 by the Vikings and #10 by the Patriots. Tarkenton selected #29 by the Vikings and #34 by the Patriots. I guess that the Patriots decided that they could wait a little bit, take care of their offensive line, and grab Tarkenton in the fifth round of their draft.

The threat of losing college players to the AFL was very real for NFL teams. The Houston Oilers, Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers, and Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs dominated the early years of the new league. The Buffalo Bills came on a couple of years later. The Boston Patriots were 5-9, last in the AFL's Eastern Conference in 1960. Maybe the Vikings, despite being an expansion team, didn't see the Patriots as much of a threat to sign players that they drafted. The Vikings saw that the Patriots drafted players that they liked and drafted them with the confidence that they could sign them. It turns out that they were right as the Vikings were able to sign all three players. Each made an impact with the new team. Tommy Mason had a fine career in Minnesota with some Pro Bowl appearances. Rip Hawkins was a prominent member of a defense that would become dominant by the end of the decade. Fran Tarkenton is in the Hall of Fame so he was pretty good.

This little draft nugget is fascinating. There's too many variables for it to be just a coincidence. There's a reason for it. The ability to sign the players may have played a role but there's something more. There's something sinister here.

NFL's Top 100

NFL Network is continuing their annual countdown of the Top 100 Players in the league. The 2014 version kicked off at the conclusion of the recent draft. Each week they reveal a block of ten players until they reach #1. This evening is the release of players #51-60. It's really quite exciting.

Any list like this is going to generate debate. That's why NFL Network airs the Top 100 in the gap between the draft and the start of training camps. Supposedly we have the time for it now. The network even has a "reaction show" immediately following the release of each block of ten players. That show is not quite as exciting as the show that precedes it. NFL Network's Top 100 is unique in that it is voted on by the players. Fans have these lists. The media has these lists. The players don't usually get together to vote on the best. If they do, I've never heard about it. For the past few years, the players have been brought together to vote on the best of their exclusive group. It's pretty interesting to see how they see things. Actually, the best parts of these shows are the clips of players talking about each other. Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay made his debut on the list this year. I didn't know a lot about Clay other than the fact that he makes a lot of appearances on the weekly highlight shows during the season. It was great to hear Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly tell me his experiences with Clay. I can't get insight like that in some media-generated article. That players are saying things that I want to hear.

While I can't really get too upset with any of the rankings. NFL players know best what it's like to play against other NFL players. Still, I was fairly stunned to see Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles pop up at #70. Especially when proven quarterbacks like Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford were ranked below Foles. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has limited experience as well. He was #81. Kaepernick has at least started one complete NFL season. He's taken his team to the Super Bowl once and was a completed pass away from doing it twice. Foles might have put up a bunch of fancy stats in a fistful of games but he should be a full time starter for a full season before he's included on any Top 100 list. I also don't understand how Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake remains so underrated. Coming in at #66 on the Top 100 list is a nice rating but he's one of the best five or six pass rushers in the league. Pass rushers that skilled are usually higher on any list of the best of the best.

This Top 100 stuff is fun stuff. #51-60 is tonight.

Lee's Woes

Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Sean Lee tore the ACL in his left knee last Tuesday. It was during a "non-contact" scrimmage at the Cowboys OTAs. Replays showed that Lee was somewhat engaged with an offensive lineman when he went down. While there was some contact it didn't look like that contact was the cause of the injury. It was one of those fluky sorts of injuries that just happen in football. Lee has experienced far more than his share of injuries. Fluky or not.

Sean Lee was drafted by the Cowboys out of Penn St. in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He might have been selected in the first round if it weren't for a torn ACL in his right knee in 2008 and partial tear in his left knee in 2009. His knees had held up great until last Tuesday. It's been injuries to various other parts of his body that have hindered his first four years in the league. As a rookie, Lee played behind Keith Brooking and Bradie James in the Cowboys' 3-4 defense. It was obvious from the start that Lee was going to be a strong presence in the middle of the defense for a long time. If he could stay on the field. A hamstring kept him out of two games in 2010. He became a starter and the quarterback of the defense in 2011. He missed one game that season due to a dislocated wrist. He played with a cast on the injured wrist for much of the season. He still excelled and paced the team in tackles. In 2012, toe surgery forced Lee to miss ten games. Last year, a sprained neck forced him to miss five games. Lee has missed 15 of the last 32 games. He's been a difference-making defensive football player in the other 17 games.

It is getting quite depressing to see Sean Lee on the sideline so much. When he's on the field, he's one of the best defensive players in the game. Carolina's Luke Kuechly is considered by many to be the best middle linebacker in the game today. When Lee is on the field, he's better. He just needs to stay on the field. He needs to get over this dreadful run of injuries. About twenty years ago the Minnesota Vikings drafted Ohio St. running back Robert Smith in the first round. He was expected to make an explosive impact immediately. For four years he couldn't stay on the field. As with Lee, it was a variety of things that chased Smith to the sideline. He even missed a game due to chicken pox. Finally, in 1997, Smith's run of injuries seemed to fade. They didn't fade away completely as he still missed two games in 1997, another two in 1998, and three in 1999 but he was on the field enough to finally make an impact. He was on the field enough to show that game-breaking speed. He gained 1,000 yards each season for the remainder of his career. That career ended early when Smith suddenly called it quits after the 2000 season. He was on the field enough that final season to gain 1521 yards. Robert Smith and Sean Lee were each hit by an incredible run of injuries during their first four years in the league. For Smith, those injuries mostly went away when he hit his fifth season. Unfortunately, Lee will likely miss his entire fifth season. Hopefully, his latest knee injury will be end of his terrible run of injuries. The NFL is a better league when a talent like Sean Lee is on the football field.

It's About Time

The Minnesota Vikings are in the best coaching hands since Bud Grant was last on the sidelines. Mike Zimmer was hired on January 15. I've been smiling ever since. I first became aware of Zimmer in the early 2000s. He was the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys at the time. With the regularity at which NFL head coaches are fired I figured that Zimmer would get one of those head coaching gigs in a couple of years. It's crazy to think that it took more than a decade for it to finally happen.

Vince Lombardi once wondered if he'd ever get his shot as the head coach of a team. He had been an NFL assistant coach for five years before the Green Bay Packers hired him to turn their franchise around. He had coached for about fifteen years before he made it to the NFL. He had a twenty year coaching wait before the Packers changed his life. That's a long wait. Longer than most. It's pretty short compared to Mike Zimmer's wait.

Mike Zimmer's first football coaching job was as a defensive assistant at the University of Missouri in 1979. Thirty-five years later he finally got his head coaching shot. It's stunning that a football coach as clearly talented as Zimmer had to wait longer than ten years for that shot. Eric Mangini was hired and fired twice in a five year period during which Zimmer was passed over or not considered at all. Maybe the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns should have given Mike Zimmer a thought. I'm so glad that they didn't. Actually, I'm really glad and very thankful that many NFL teams were either blind or stupid over the last fifteen years. The Vikings hired three head coaches in the years that I thought that Zimmer should have been hired by some team. They blindly hired from within twice and conducted something that barely qualified as a coaching search once. I think that qualifies the Vikings as both blind and stupid. I'm glad that they got smart the fourth time that they needed a coach.

I'm can barely contain my excitement over having Mike Zimmer as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. I still have mixed emotions over the whole thing. Zimmer deserved his own team so long ago. He shouldn't have had to wait. He's interviewed for several jobs over the last few years. It's been said that he interviews poorly. I've heard him speak on several occasions. Maybe he's not the greatest public speaker but his passion for football and coaching football is obvious. I wanted to charge out of my easy-chair to play football for this man. He shouldn't have had to deal with so many rejections. So many disappointments. Too many coaching posers have been offered head coaching jobs and lost those same jobs before Zimmer got his due. It makes no sense but I'm so glad that I'm put in a position to puzzle over this injustice. I was reminded again of Zimmer's long wait this past weekend. On Saturday, he was speaking at the NFL's career-development symposium. He spoke of his head coaching wait. He spoke of the rejections. His most recent rejection was this past January. He was headed to his second interview with the Vikings when he heard that he was passed over again. It was likely the Tennessee Titans that hired someone else this time. He was almost ready to accept his fate as a career assistant. "I almost didn't go, yeah, I was so disappointed." Zimmer was close to not going to that second interview with Minnesota. That thought sent a chill through me. "It was like, 'Why even do this?' It was to that point. I figured I was getting too old. I thought, 'Forget this.'" Fortunately, others, friends and/or family, talked him into continuing his head coaching pursuit. I have mixed emotions because here is a football coach that is so deserving of a head coaching job yet never gets one. I am so glad that he was told "no" because all of those rejections led him to the Vikings job. He shouldn't have had to wait but I am so glad that he had to wait. I hope that Mike Zimmer can approach the success that Vince Lombardi had after his long, but shorter, wait.

Is It Really Just A Name?

Washington Redskins.

The NFL says that the name is not a slur. The team obviously sees nothing wrong with it as they have had the name since 1933. They are both wrong. Since I discovered team sports as a child, I've always found the mascot of a team to be source of honor. It was always a strong and proud figure. Even a banana slug has it's merits. A Viking. A Patriot. A Giant. A Bear. History never really found Vikings to be a particularly nice group of people but they were certainly a fearsome one. Pirates too. Still, I always figured that if you were a descendant of a Viking or a Bear, you could be proud to have a school or professional team use your name to symbolize their strength. I felt the same way about the use of Native American tribes to represent the same strength and pride. The Utes. The Illini. The Seminoles. The Braves. Even as a small, naive child I felt that something was a bit off with the name "Redskins." I never felt that it could ignite some pride among the many Native Americans spread around the country. There was something sinister about the name. Something wrong. It sounded very much like a slur. I felt this and I was about 9 years old. A little later, I learned some of the history of the Washington Redskins and their racist owner George Preston Marshall. The "unofficial" ban on colored football players in the NFL got it's start at about the time that Marshall stepped into league circles. Coincidence? He did a lot of great things for the game but acceptance certainly wasn't one of them. His was the last team to integrate and that was only done so because of a strong "suggestion" from the JFK Administration. I think that's all you really need to know about the Redskins original owner and the source of the team's name.

Roger "the Goods" Goodell has always maintained that everyone involved with the NFL must represent "the Shield" well. It's all about "the Shield." The debate over the Redskins name doesn't shine a bright light on "the Shield." On all other matters, "the Goods" seems so concerned over the slightest blemish on the league's sterling image. The Redskins name isn't a slight blemish. It's a great big scar. If something offends a few people, it should be questioned. If something offends large segments of a diverse population, it should be changed. The Redskins name is very offensive to many Native Americans. It's origin is from the mind of a known racist. That should be a huge concern to "the Goods." The Redskins were initially called the Braves. Go back to that. There's tradition there. There's history. The Braves. That's a strong, proud name.