After the Conference Championships we have to wait an entire fortnight for Super Bowl Sunday to come around. In a league like the NFL, a lot can happen in that time. Here’s a recap of the first week of preparation for Super Bowl XLV.
Adios Ochocinco:
Chad Ochocinco is [soon to be] no more, as he announced early in the week that he will change his name back to Chad Johnson.
There is a lot of uncertainty about the Wide Receiver’s future in Cincinnati, and the league for that matter. He has always been very outspoken, often in a fashion others don’t like, which could make it difficult for him to sign if the Bengals choose to let him go.
Goodell to Cut Own Salary:
With time running out on talks between the Labor Union, the Players’ Association and everyone else involved, Goodell is apparently very serious that he wants the new Collective Bargaining Agreement to be done on time. If progress is made, it has been announced that the deadline could be pushed back, as it was in 2006.
In the mean time, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he will cut his own salary, which is about $10 Million annually, to $1 for this year if the new CBA isn’t done in time for the 2011 regular season.
Brian Reed’s Body Recovered:
Earlier this week a body was recovered from the Mississippi River that was believed to be the body of Brian Reed, brother of Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed. Reed’s brother had gone missing after reportedly jumping off a bride and into the Mississippi when approached by a police officer. That was during the week leading into Baltimore’s Divisional Round matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The body was found on Wednesday and the autopsy was performed Thursday. The autopsy confirmed a preliminary report that the body was, indeed, Brian Reed.
Fisher Out in Tennessee:
Jeff Fisher, who has been with the Titans organization for more than 16 years, will not return as their coach for the 2011 season. He was there for their move from Houston, through the name change from Oilers to Titans, and for their Super Bowl run, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams the year they made the name change.
It has not yet been determined who will take Fisher’s place. But, despite being a couple seasons removed from their last winning season, his replacement will have big shoes to fill.
Vikings Still Hoping for New Stadium:
The Minnesota Vikings want an outdoor stadium. The city doesn’t want to give it to them, which was causing irritations within the organization since their MLB counterpart, the Minnesota Twins, was moved from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to outdoor Target Field, with the 2010 baseball season being its inaugural season.
There were brief talks of moving the franchise. Though no specific locations were named, it was believed that Los Angeles was the implied location, since there is already talk of building a stadium there to attract an NFL franchise to relocate.
This week, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that a former Army ammunitions site in the Twin Cities is now being considered for a new outdoor stadium for the Vikings. Nothing has been announced by team officials or governing officials in Minnesota as of yet.
Hostage Blackberry:
In other news from Minnesota, Vikings WR Bernard Barrian was reportedly reunited with his Blackberry, which he had lost in Las Vegas back in October. A couple found it and were charging Barrian $30,000 for it’s return, with the alternative being that it would be sold to the “highest bidder.”
After Barrian sued the couple for his phone’s return, the Blackberry was reportedly returned to him.
Tweeting Packers:
A lot is on the line on February 6, but the Packers appear to be falling apart at the seams. There are multiple storylines for this one so I won’t delve into the details. You can check nfl.com for those.
Earlier in the week it was about Green Bay players on IR not being in the team photo for the Super Bowl. Mike McCarthy wasn’t happy with how it was handled, but pushed the photo op back so that those players will be able to be in the picture when they join up with the active players near the end of next week.
Most recently it, was a comment made by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers that received a tweet by teammate Nick Barnett, who has been on IR since week 4 with a wrist injury.
That is my list what I felt were the most important, or funny, stories within the NFL this past week. The Senior Bowl just ended about an hour or so ago, with the South winning 24-10. Any other news can be found on nfl.com.
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