2012 Pro Bowl Preview

Two rookie quarterbacks will be on their conferences’ rosters tomorrow in Hawaii. Neither was selected to the Pro Bowl when the initial rosters were announced. The lone rookie who was initially selected, Robert Griffin III, will not participate due to knee surgery after the season ended.

Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson will serve on their teams as alternates after several quarterbacks pulled out of the post-season all-star game. For the NFC team, Drew Brees replaces RG3 while Eli Manning is replacing Aaron Rodgers and Wilson is replacing Matt Ryan.

For the AFC, the only change is that Andrew Luck will replace Tom Brady, who pulled out due to an unspecified injury, probably to his ego.

For the 33^rd time, Hawaii is the location for the NFL’s all-star game. It’s a good way to end the season for the league’s best players whose teams didn’t do so hot, or fell just short of every team’s ultimate goal.

The Pro Bowl, however, is in danger of termination. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stressed that if the game’s level of play is not significantly higher this year, the game will be cut from the league’s schedule.

Most fans are perfectly fine with this. I mean, who even watched the Pro Bowl? I will tomorrow, but the last time I watched and entire Pro Bowl from start to finish was probably four or five years ago, and that was the only complete Pro Bowl I’ve watched. It’s typically a boring game and the most interesting part is the mismatched helmets.

But the Pro Bowl is important, if only for being a way to recognize the best talent the NFL has to offer. Whether they change the setup to purely a skills competition or do something else with the format, the annual trip to Hawaii is a well-deserved treat for the best players in the NFL. They have worked their butts off all season to try and help their teams win and to provide their fans with something to cheer for even as their teams struggled.

Peyton Manning delivered a speech on the first day the players arrived in Hawaii, poking fun at himself and other players, but also very seriously imploring his peers on both the AFC and NFC squads to put their best foot forward this week. He doesn’t want to ruin this treat for future generations of NFL stars.

Monday I will recap the Pro Bowl. Tuesday marks the start of my Super Bowl XLVII coverage. Keep up with new posts by ‘liking’ my blog’s Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

Monday Night Football Afterword: Seahawks vs Packers

It certainly would appear so.

Words can’t even describe how frustrated and appalled I am at the events of last night. Well, I suppose they can, but what is the point when everything that can be said has been and has not made a difference? It really is getting to the point of near hopelessness. You know the feeling you get when you are so frustrated that all you can do is scream and cry because you don’t know any other way to vent those emotions? I’m so close to that point I’m not sure how I haven’t yet been pushed over the edge.

This game was one of the greatest defensive games I have seen in as long as I can remember. For what should have been an epic battle, exactly what the late Steve Sabol made even the blandest game appear to be, to be compromised by the incompetency of the officials the NFL is putting on the field is outrageous.

Adam Schefter said it well. We had the Immaculate Reception, which was and still is controversial because of the lack of video evidence; we had the Music City Miracle, which is less controversial because we have video evidence, but it is so close that people don’t have to accept one outcome or another; and now we have this. I don’t know how that pass is not an interception; I don’t know how there were two opposing calls on the field; I don’t know how this doesn’t make it a top priority for the NFL to get the real officials back, but I’m sure the NFL and Roger Goodell will figure out how.

My thoughts on the first half of last night’s game? It seemed to be well officiated. It was certainly very well played by both defenses, as the first score of the game ended the longest scoring drought to begin any game so far this season. Also, I finally saw why Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn for the starting job in Seattle with his ability to escape from pressure and deliver a flawless touchdown pass to Golden Tate. I saw a game, a legitimate game, a game the NFL could be proud of showing on national television.

How about the third quarter? Also pretty well officiated. We got to see Mike McCarthy outcoach Pete Carroll as the Packers not only continued to put good defensive schemes up against the Seattle offense, but Green Bay also began marching the ball by mixing more consistent running from Cedric Benson with terrific throws by Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay clawed their way back to a 7-6 deficit at the start of the 4^th quarter.

But that final 15 minutes, oh boy what a tragedy it was. But it wasn’t really the entire final 15 minutes. It was the final three drives in particular. Two Seattle drives and a Packers drive in between. Well, the Packers drive was fine, no officiating issues there.

First, there was the bogus roughing the passer call on Erik Walden that negated an interception that would have put the Packers in field goal territory with a chance to extend their lead to 15 (or even up to 20) to 7. Later on the same drive, on 1^st & 25 Sam Shields was flagged for pass interference. I saw so many tweets I was shocked the Twitter servers didn’t go down; but that was nothing compared to the end of the game, as I would find out.

Now, that Seattle drive would stall after a failed 4^th & 3 attempt. No harm no foul, right? Wrong! I already mentioned that the interception that was wrongly taken away would have almost certainly meant points for Green Bay. But even the pass interference was huge because without it, it would have been 2^nd & 25, very unlikely to be converted, and the Packers would have the ball in good field position. Even if they don’t convert a first down, Seattle has a much longer field to drive down for a chance at a last-second game-winning touchdown.

Fast forward to that final drive, the final play. 4^th & 10, eight seconds left in the game, it is the moment that every NFL fan loves! We’re on the edge of our seat, eyes glued to the television set, every muscle tensed, ready to spring up in excitement or grab the nearest object and fling it against the wall, whichever action the outcome of the play calls for. But what happened left me speechless. I already said what happened early in this post, so I won’t say it again. But I sat there, stunned, staring at the screen, head spinning, jaw dropped, not moving a single muscle, not even to shake my head in disbelief.

And here I am, in the same position of so many sports analysts, which is the same position as the ‘common fan.’ That is, I know what the problem is; I know that the replacement refs are not fully at fault and that the fault truly lies with Roger Goodell and the NFL. But what can I do about it? Absolutely (expletive) nothing!! I can choose not to watch the games, but what will that do? Enough people will watch that the NFL losing me as a viewer won’t matter; all that will do is put me at a disadvantage as I attempt to cover the sport. Yet I know that if this continues, and I keep watching, I won’t have any hair by the end of the season.

I will end with this: congrats to the players and coaches on a fantastic, well-played game. I am so, so sorry that the NFL, by placing these officials on the field, have called the legitimacy of the outcome into question.

I originally considered doing a video blog post, but The All-Sports Crew will have another special Tuesday broadcast tonight at 9pm. Eric, Saswat and I plan to talk about a lot of stuff, but no doubt the officials will be a main topic. If we don’t get to much else between tonight and tomorrow, we will get together and put another recording to podcast later in the week. Just ‘like’ us on Facebook and keep up with our updates. Thanks everyone.

Super Week: Two Days Away

Super Bowl XLVI is so close and the anticipation is starting to get to me. The media has been in a whirlwind all week, trying to keep up with the development of everything Peyton Manning while also covering the two teams that this week is truly about.

While there is more going on around the NFL than the storylines of Manning and the 46th playing of the Super Bowl, they by far overshadow anything else the league has had to offer the past several days. However, before I get to those two topics, I’ll provide a brief summary of some other news of the week.

Roger Goodell held a press conference earlier today and I really liked what I heard. He touched on several topics, including the possibility of expanding the NFL to Los Angeles, issues concerning concussions and HGH testing, Thursday Night Football in 2012, and more. To go into detail would make this way too long, so instead I will link to the video of his press conference at the end of this post.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will meet tomorrow to make a final decision on the Class of 2012. I will also link to a list of the semifinalists at the end of this post. Personally, I am hoping that Cris Carter and Don Coryell will be two members of this year’s class. Watch NFL Network at 5:30 p.m. Saturday to see who is elected to the Hall of Fame.

I don’t want to spend much time on the topic of Peyton Manning because I know a lot of people are tired of hearing about him and, quite frankly, I’m more focused on this Sunday’s game.

Sometime last night, the doctor who performed his surgery, according to several sources, cleared Manning to resume his career. Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted shortly after,

"Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for The Indianapolis Colts. Team statement coming on Friday."

I have yet to hear any official statement, but there certainly seems to be some tension remaining despite the joint statement made by the two parties earlier this week.

The excitement surrounding this weekend is sky-high right now. Almost two weeks ago, after the conclusion of the NFC Championship in San Francisco, I could swear I heard a massive groan from the sports fans of America. Nobody seemed to be all that interested in the Super Bowl XLII rematch. But as the week has progressed I think many people have warmed up to the matchup.

The Giants’ defensive line is almost certainly better than it was in 2007, as are Eli Manning and the receiving corps on offense. The Giants, who barely sneaked off with the NFC East title, are the hottest team in the league right now. Though the Patriots have gone longer since their last loss (to the Giants in week 9), their defense hasn’t faced a particularly strong offense since then. The only possible exception would be the Redskins in week 14 because they turned their level of play up, but even saying that was a strong offense is a major stretch.

As funny as it sounds, the roles may be reversed this year from those of the 2007 Super Bowl. The Patriots will have to run with the Giants on Sunday, but they will need their tight ends at full strength to do so. Rob Gronkowski (left ankle) was listed as questionable today for Sunday’s game. However, he was seen practicing with no limp today. If he is indeed healthy and ready to go Sunday evening, the Giants’ linebackers and secondary will have their hands full.

One big question I’m looking forward to having answered is whether Chad Ochocinco will finally be used this weekend. He wasn’t a big part of the New England offense at any time during the season, but that could make him all the more effective.

I will play Madden on Sunday morning to determine my prediction for the game. I have played a ‘dress rehearsal’ game of just four-minute quarters and came out with a 17-0 score in favor of the Patriots. I also played an online game as the Patriots against another person playing as the Giants and won 27-0. Not good news (or maybe very good news) for the Giants, but we will see how the real deal goes.

Be sure to check out my prediction post on Sunday and you can now follow my blog on Twitter: @PuffontheNFL

Links:

Roger Goodell Press Conference

Semifinalists - HOF Class of 2012

NFL Pay Cuts (and Other News)

March 12, 2011

Back in January, Roger Goodell made a promise that if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was not reached by its expiration date, March 3, 2011, he would cut his salary to $1. That deadline was extended by a week in an agreement between the NFL and the Players Association.

That extended deadline was passed yesterday. With a new CBA yet to be reached, the NFLPA declined a final offer by the owners and instead filed for decertification, allowing players to file anti-trust lawsuits now. Without the PA decertifying, players would have to wait to file those lawsuits until six months after the expiration of the CBA.

Today, Roger Goodell made good on his guarantee, cutting his salary to the aforesaid amount. He was scheduled to make $10M this year. League general counsel Jeff Pash also has had his salary cut to $1; he was schedule to earn around $5M this year. In addition to taking the pay cut, Goodell has ordered that all bonus payments to him be delayed until a deal has been reached between the NFL and the Players Association.

Goodell and Pash are not the only league personnel taking pay cuts. Workers with NFL Films, NFLNetwork, and NFL.com are all taking 12% pay cuts. If the work stoppage continues into what would be the NFL Preseason, any management-level employees will also be subject to pay cuts, ranging from 5% for managers to 25% for Executive VP’s.

A few teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets are making pay cuts for team personnel during the work stoppage. Kansas City is reducing personnel salaries by a little under 10% while allowing all employees keep their jobs. Jets employees are taking a hit of one week’s pay each month during the work stoppage. Employees for both teams will be compensated their lost salaries if the entire 2011 season is played.

In other news, some are calling the NFLPA decertification a sham. If it is, they are in some serious trouble, because they did not wait until the CBA had actually expired.

*If the Stipulation and Settlement Agreement is not the same thing as the CBA, could someone share with me some information on what the SSA is?

More information on the decertification ‘sham’ can be found at the following link:

NFLPA Decertification 'Sham'