Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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I'm peeling myself away from March Madness long enough to opine on some football. Actually, my brackets are pretty much toast (though I did correctly pick West Virginia and Duke to make the Final Four) and I have a fervent apathy towards college basketball in general.
So I spent half of Sunday watching perhaps the greatest acting performance of all time: Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood." If you haven't seen the movie, you absolutely must. I won't spoil it for you, but the intensity and breadth of Day-Lewis' Oscar-winning portrayal makes an otherwise humdrum film an eminently watchable masterpiece.
$.01--The NFL went and did it, approving the asinine overtime rule for playoff games. I thought Saints coach Sean Payton nailed it when he told Peter King he felt hoodwinked by the committee passing the proposal while the coaches and most GMs were on the golf course. No coach wants this rule, no players want this rule, and best as I can tell no fans want this ridiculous new statute.
The rule states that if the team that wins the coin toss in overtime "merely" kicks a field goal on their first possession, the opposing team will get one possession with the ball to try and score. Beyond that, the game reverts to the sudden death format we've known for years.
The change sure seems inspired by too many owners seeing Brett Favre lose in the NFC Championship game in overtime to the Saints. The overemphasis on offense is flat-out disgusting, and I hope that there is a coach brazen enough to win the toss and choose to play defense. In fact, I would propose this counter -- let the team that wins the toss choose defense, and if they keep the other offense from scoring, they win the game. I've said it before, and I'm not alone in thinking it: If your defense and special teams aren't good enough to stop the other team from kicking a field goal, you don't deserve to win the game.
$.02--Lost in the commotion of the overtime rule change is another tweak that essentially makes every defensive hit a potential penalty. The "defenseless receiver" protection has now been applied to all players. What does that mean?
It means the NFL is hypocritically trumpeting the fa?ade of player safety and continuing to perpetuate the proliferation of offensive numbers at the expense of defense and common sense. I understand that it's a fine line to straddle, because player safety is a very serious and legitimate issue and concern. But this one strikes me as a bridge too far. Now it is a 15-yard penalty if the defender tries to tackle a player, but the ball carrier dips down and the hit that was intended to hit the waist instead hits the shoulder or neck. How exactly does the defender know what move the ball carrier is going to make? Where is the discretion for the official to decide the intent of the defender? At what point are we just going to do away with tackling altogether and turn the NFL into flag football?
I do understand the justification for the rule, and it just might bring back a return to sound fundamental tackling instead of simply trying to knock out the ball carrier. Too many players suffer concussions and other serious neck injuries when defenders deliberately go headhunting. Ray Lewis' forearm shiver to the head is the most memorable, but to me the most blatant case of this was Hines Ward breaking Keith Rivers' jaw two seasons ago with a shoulder block aimed directly for his throat. Those types of blocks are common but NEVER flagged. The NFL goes out of its way to protect quarterbacks and receivers, but defenders are constantly barraged by linemen diving straight for their knees or blockers leading with the crowns of their helmets and they never get a second thought about player protection rules. And that doesn't even begin to deal with far and away the most dangerous plays in every game, the kickoff return.
The hypocrisy here is insulting to the hardcore fans and anyone who ever strapped on pads and played defense. The NFL virulently promotes the big hits that it now seeks to curtail and punish; it's akin to banning outfielders from making plays on the warning track because they might run into the wall and get a boo-boo, then releasing a highlight DVD of Ken Griffey Jr. and Torii Hunter robbing various players of homers by making spectacular catches. Defensive players have every right to be ticked off about this one, and I hope the NFLPA fights for that half of its constituency.
$.03--Yet another controversial decision sprang from the owner's meetings. This one involves moving the umpire from his customary position on the field behind the linebackers and into the offensive backfield.
I'm still undecided on this one, but my experience as an umpire tells me it's worth exploring. With the size and speed of the players increasing, umpires face more inherent peril all the time as a function of their job, and putting them in full pads and helmets is not a practical answer. Some offenses (see: New England) shamelessly use the ump as a pick for receivers to get open, inviting violent collisions and taking away from the primary focus of the umpire, which is to closely watch the line play for holding, blows to the head, etc. I've been trampled asunder and caught in the way of the ball carrier too many times while officiating as an umpire, and I never advanced beyond reffing high school games. I can only imagine the escalation of violence between that level and the NFL, where that 235 pound behemoth high school guard is an undersized linebacker.
It will require a major adjustment on the part of the officials, one that could indirectly change the way the game is played. Umpires are used to looking for holding and other infractions from the perspective of the defense. Moving them into the offensive backfield fundamentally alters that perspective. How quickly these officials can make that adjustment and how offenses adjust to having a veritable crowd in the backfield remains to be seen. Then there's the logistics of spotting the ball, getting everyone set for the snap, and all the other responsibilities of the umpire that will require adjustment. I would have preferred the NFL experiment with this on a trial basis, using some preseason games to test the waters before diving in without checking the depth of the water.
$.04--There is a general theme to those first three cents, one that casts a long shadow over the future of the NFL: Roger Goodell is one powerful Commissioner. That is not intended as an insult or anything derogatory but rather an ominous sign for the NFLPA as it goes about negotiating a new CBA with Mr. Goodell. The outcomes of the owner's meetings proved that Goodell uniformly represents ownership and has the ability and power to speak for that group and mold ownership to whatever positions he chooses.
Goodell masterfully snuck through the overtime provision, quickly building a consensus amongst under-informed ownership while the coaches -- who are nearly uniformly opposed -- were at a golf outing. The ease at which he coalesces support for what he wants is a fascinating study in management and power. Unlike his immediate predecessor Paul Tagliabue, Goodell is smooth with his power and savvy in how to wield it. With that power comes great responsibility, and the owners have placed an incredible amount of trust in Goodell to handle that responsibility with, well, responsibility. Many of the decisions from ownership in the Goodell era have proved somewhat short-sighted and rashly implemented: the overtime decision, the changing of the draft format, moving the Pro Bowl weekend, stubbornly refusing to even consider compromise with cable companies regarding the NFL Network. Not all of these are necessarily bad decisions, and in many cases he has accurately represented the interests of ownership.
But a good commissioner has to know when to protect ownership from themselves, and I haven't seen that ability yet from Goodell. Gary Bettman is a laughingstock as the NHL's commissioner precisely because he couldn't ever draw (or foresee) those lines. David Stern has lasted decades as NBA Commissioner in part because he possesses great foresight and hasn't been afraid to tell his bosses (the owners) they are driving the wrong direction down the freeway on an issue. Stern hasn't always driven the car in the right direction himself, but ownership has learned that he puts serious rationale and extensive foresight into his decisions. Billy Hunter and the NBA players union know that and begrudgingly respect that in Stern, and Stern is judicious in wielding his power. That further engenders respect and builds trust not just with the players, but with disparate owners who might not always agree with the decisions.
It's worked well for Goodell while the going has been good for ownership, but what happens when the next television contract comes in lower than expected, or season ticket and luxury box sales really hit the skids? What happens when ownership is truly divided by a 17-15 margin and not the 28-4 votes that have marked his era, or when the fans don't come back and tune in after a lockout year? Handle that power with more care, Mr. Commish -- you might really need it someday.
$.05--Time for something more positive and uplifting! I urge you all to check out the Jared Allen Homes For Heroes Foundation, a labor of love for the Vikings defensive end that supports soldiers who have returned from combat abroad. The foundation actively helps build handicap-accessible homes for veterans and provide attention and support for those heroes. I'm not an overly patriotic person, but these soldiers have sacrificed so much for our country and our way of life and they deserve our support--both financial and emotional. Allen has put his money and his time into this cause, and it's another reason to be a fan of one of the NFL's best defensive players. It's a 501c3 charity and information is available on their Facebook page and from Allen's own website. We all spend so much time and focus on when immature pro athletes do wrong, so please help reinforce some truly positive behavior by an NFL athlete that genuinely cares and support Jared Allen and his Homes for Heroes Foundation.
