It's official NFL Owners and Players have lost their minds

It's official NFL Owners and Players have lost their minds

Now that we have the true first casualties of the NFL lockout ( the rookie symposium having been cancel ) it has become apparent that common sense is no longer apart of NFL football. The Owner have decided with all their wisdom to do the moronic by not taking care of the future of the NFL by not holding the rookies symposium. How hard can it be to get theses young NFL hopeful together to show them the do's and don't of the NFL. To let them know they are a part of the future growth of the league, not an inconvenience to be dealt with at a Later date.

The one true fact that has come out of this hold CBA negotiation is the NFL owners and it's current players have taken a very selfish stand with no regard to what the future of the NFL may look like. First the NFL players union ask these rookies to stay away from the draft to show solidarity for a union they have not yet jointed, taking away any joy that might have come from that day. And than owners knowing they could have relocked the doors after the draft, put their taint on the draft experience by closing the doors before day two of the draft even started.

This was never going to be a pretty situation from the start, the NFL and it's owners along with the players union knew they had a responsibility to this rookies class coming in for months. And with that responsibility come some kind of common sense. There should have been a plan in place knowing this lockout might still be going on at this time. Theses rookies deserve better treatment than their getting knowing they are the future of the NFL. The owners and players of the NFL have been saying all along this fight their having is not about money, but for the betterment of the game. So it's time both sides use a little common sense and understand the 2011 rookies class they are overlooking needs to be more involved for the betterment of the game.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Time to move forward and give Palmer his wish.

Time to move forward and give Palmer his wish.

The Cincinnati Bengals need to do the right thing and help veteran QB Carson Palmer try and realize his dream. Why would a team hold a player Hostage who tell's them I don't want to play for you? The Bengals have become the joke of the NFL with the way they have handle the Carson Palmer situation. Palmer the number one over all draft pick in 2003 has stated he wants out of Cincinnati and is willing to retire if not granted a trade. With today's game looking to be all about the money, it's refreshing to see a player willing to walk away foregoing millions just for an opportunity to play for a team and with
teammates who about trying to win Super Bowls not self promotion.

Having endure 7 painful seasons with the Bengals with only two winning seasons and two playoff appearance and the constant distraction of Chad Ochocinco who wouldn't want to leave? Bengals owner Mike Brown has turn this request by Palmer into his own personal turf war, telling the QB no....no....no. to any trade. It's not as if we're talking about an elite quarterback in the NFL in Palmer asking to be traded, so why not trade him and get what you can and just move on. Why would an owner subject his team's to an atmosphere of discontent just to prove he has the upper hand? And now with the drafting of TCU's Andy Dalton and Georgia's AJ Green the Bengals can only help themselves out by letting go of not only Carson Palmer but also Chad Ochocinco, get their draft picks and start building for the future.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

The Minnesota Vikings are going to pay a huge price for the Favre factor ride.

The Minnesota Vikings are going to pay a huge price for the Favre factor ride.

How much is a chance to play in the Super Bowl worth and is getting to the door of the big game a good price to pay if it could mean years of rebuilding? Well the answer to that question will play itself out over the next few seasons in Minnesota. With a chance to get what they believed to be that missing piece for their first ever Super Bowl Championship, the Vikings decided to take a ride on the Brett Favre marry-go-round. It's not til an amusement ride is over that you fill the full affect that it might have on you and in this case your team. Now that the ride call the Favre factor is over we can now take a look back and see if it was worth getting on.

This ride didn't cost the Viking draft picks or players, but It just may have cost them any chance of being playoff relevant in the tough NFC north in the foreseeable future. The Favre factor wasn't a total dud of a ride, it was possibly one errant pass away from taking them to the place they wanted to go when they got on. And as that saying go's, close is for horseshoes and hand grenade it has become pretty obvious this ride was not worth the price of admission. Brad Childress like a few other NFL coaches before him ( Mike Sherman, Ray Rhodes, and Eric Mangini ) found the price of this ride was their jobs.

I don't know if former Green Bay Packer head coach Mike Holmgrem saw he had road this ride as far as he could and decided to get off before it took him to a place of no return; or power was his real reason for walking away from what looked to be a great marriage. Sorry I'm a Packer fan, don't know if I'm taking a shot at Holmgrem or Favre. The Vikings may not have paid a huge price to get on the Favre factor, however the price they look as if they might pay now that it's over may have Vikings fans sick to their stomachs for some seasons to come.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Rookies head coaches have not yet met their teams

Rookies head coaches have not yet met their teams

Hi my name is.......Hue Jackson, Ron Rivera, Pat Shurmur, Jim Harbaugh Mike munchak All rookies head coaches who have yet to meet their prospective teams.This NFL lockout has put an almost comical twist on the 2011 season. Theses five coaches have been working hard on next season's game plan, without even as much as a hand shake ( because of the no contact rule) with the players they're planing they're game plans around. Now I know Hue Jackson was part of the Oakland Raiders coaching staff last season as their offensive coordinator and know's most of his team; but going from coordinator to head coach take's on a different mind set for players.You go from being one of the guys to being the man. Mike Munchak has been with Tennessee Titans as their offensive line coach for over a decade, but like Jackson he's moving into the hot seat.

With training camps only two months away theses rookies will be at a huge disadvantage going into the 2011 season. Not only are they taking over troubled teams, they are doing it without the ability to get to know just how troubled the teams might be. If you add new Denver Bronco head coach John Fox into the mix ( who has NFL head coaching experience ) that give you six coaches who when this lockout is finally over; will have to spend the needed time they really don't have just introducing them-self's to players they don't know before they can proceed with the jobs they were hire to do. And Let's not forget to all of assistant coaches who come with theses new head coaches.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Timeline for NFL rookies.

Timeline for NFL rookies.

With NFL Owners and Players going through mandated negotiating again this week, there's a whole class of NFL drafted rookies and free agents rookies who are still waiting for a call from any NFL team that might want them, knowing the timeline for them is getting to the point of no return. This is the time of the year when rookies and free agents looking to hook up with a new team should be at training facility's around the NFL learning and show casing their skills for coaches. But instead here they sit waiting and watching with the rest of us tying to get some since of what the timeline might be for them to either start or continue their NFL careers.

I may not be a NFL coach, but as a long time die hard NFL fan I've seen enough football to know that the timeline to get theses rookies into camp so coaches might get some kind of production out of them; has gone past the halfway point. With June 7 being the next date for Owners and Players to continue their face to face talks, and both sides still taking a hard stand on their main talking point ( money ) the timeline for this year's rookies class could very well get push into the 2012 NFL season.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Permanent stay in place, time for NFL Players to cut their losses and make a deal.

Permanent stay in place, time for NFL Players to cut their losses and make a deal.

Now that the NFL Owners have gotten what they wanted with their win in court, and can now keep doors permanently locked to NFL Players this might be a good time for Players to take their best lost. With the three Judge panel voting 2-1 in favor of the Owners, it has all but seal the fate for the lockout players. with this loss and the Judges all but guaranteeing NFL Players another setback if the case comes back to them in June, the debunked players union need to know the Owners smell blood in the water. As I stated in my earlier post, the Owners are in it to win it. They have the money, now they also have time on their side as well.

It was the Players who wanted this to play out in a courtroom and now that it has backfired I hope they see the writing on the wall and realize the longer this plays-out the smaller their piece of the pie gets. Unless the NFL Players are really willing to forego paychecks to stay in this fight, they need to find a way to stop the bleeding. I don't think the Players understood the Owners knew they were going to look like the bad guys no matter where this thing played itself out. So when you're in to win it, I don't feel the Owners were under any disillusionment they would come out of this looking anything other than greedy and self-fuss. I don't think the NFL Owners are right, but I do think they have the best hand in this game. I'm not telling the Players to just fold and give into the Owners demands, however I do believe it time for them to count the chips they have in the pot and maybe think real hard about making a deal while there's still money in it.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Does Lovie Smith and Bears management have burr vision when it comes to Jay Cutler?

Does Lovie Smith and Bears management have burr vision when it comes to Jay Cutler?

With the NFL lockout going on 60 days now there might be one team in the NFL taking a big sigh of relief knowing the spotlight has taken off of them and their franchise quarterback. To say the Chicago Bears season ended with a lot of controversy would be highly understated. The NFC championship ended with ton of questions and as of today very few answers for how the Jay Cutler injury situation was handle by not only the Bears but also Jay Cutler his-self.

The burning question that only Lovie Smith and Bear's linebacker Brian Urlacher seem willing to answer over and over again was Cutler's lack of toughness. I applause their willingness to take the heat for their young quarterback, however I question their inability to see the NFC championship game with a clear vision. They gave not only Bear's fans ( who were there in person or watching on their TV's ) but thousands of other football fans tuning in the game the impression that what they saw was not exactly what was happening on the field or the Bear's sideline.

The question of Cutler toughness in my opinion was the wrong question to be ask. The guy was sacked over 50 time last season and got up to play another down. The real question here is what did they see in Jay Cutler that made them think trading two first round draft picks, a third rounder, and their starting QB Kyle Orton to the Denver Broncos for Cutler and a fifth round draft pick was needed to acquire a QB with no real history of winning in the NFL.

We are talking about a quarterback who hasn't won since his senior year in high school. And as we know winning breed's winning, so when you are 11&35 as a collage starting quarterback ( Vanderbilt ) and 3 games under 500 as a starting NFL quarterback at the time this trade was made; Bear's GM Jerry Angelo must have a keen since of foresight to look past those numbers and pay a price that should land you a top five quarterback. To think Angelo went into the trade blindly would be....well....wrong. At his press conference Angelo admitted the quarterback he traded for had a few red flags attacked to him, but call them bumps in the road. He refer to Cutler as a good guy and a good leader, I think he paid a lot to get good.

With hind sight being 20/20 it's easy for me to now say what were you thinking. But the question I'm asking is what did Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, and the Chicago Bears see in Jay Cutler that would make them think that anyone who saw the NFC championship game would not ask the same question. Jay Cutler came at a very high price, with that being said for Lovie Smith and Bear's management to in any way take such a hard defensive stand on the Cutler situation is just blind faith on their part. There are a lot of questions that came out of the NFC championship game and the one person who needs to man up and take his own heat seem unwilling to do so. One word answers and saying he only cared what his teammates think is asking a lot of Bears fans to forget what they witness on championship Sunday .

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Has Andy Reid tied his-self to the right guy?

Has Andy Reid tied his-self to the right guy?
( Is Mike Vick a Super Bowl QB? )

The Minnesota Vikings did it, the Washington Redskins did it, and now Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles are doing it. It cost Brad Childress his job, it cost Mike Shanahan a ton of respect, and now it has put Eagle's coach Andy Reid in the unenvious position of having a very big part of his coaching legacy tied to a quarterback choice. Brad Childress tied his-self to two time Super Bowl quarterback Brett Favre. The Vikings got one year of production out of Brett ( just missed going to a Super Bowl ) then went to the well one to many times with Brett and Childress go's down with his quarterback.

You might think Mike Shanahan would get a pass ( because of his two Super Bowl wins with John Elway ) but I say not so fast. Shanahan was in a prime position to veto a trade for Donavan Mcnabb, but signed off on the trade and tied his-self to Mcnabb. The 2010 season turn out to be a total nightmare for not only the Redskins, but maybe one of the most embarrassing moments in Mcnabb's great football career. His coach not only called him lazy, but also dumb. One would think before this trade would be made coach and his quarterback should have sat down and talk about the offense his new QB was going to run. And if this was all Owner Dan Syner's idea to bring in Mcnabb, than Mike Shanahan is not as smart as people think he is.

Now in my opinion Eagles coach Andy Reid has the biggest and brightest spotlight on him in this coach-quarterback situation, because of the way it came to be. I mention the Redskins in this blog because it was Andy Reid who traded Mcnabb to Washington to make room for his quarterback of the future Kevin Kolb. After trading Mcnabb coach Reid came out and all but gave the starting quarterback job to Klob knowing he had Mike Vick on his roster. There was no talk of a battle at the QB position to see who the starting quarterback would be. Andy Reid tied his-self to Kevin Klob though-out the hold off season and training camp and even the preseason football games. Now bad things happen to good guys, for Kevin Klobit was the Green Bay Packers. One hit by Packer's pro bowl linebacker Clay Matthew turn a dream of being a starting QB in the NFL for Klob, into a season of you've got to be kidding me for the young QB.

I want to state Mike Vick did nothing wrong, he was the right guy in the right place. He work his tail off to get back into the NFL and with the help of former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy show Rodger Goodell and the Eagles he indeed had reformed himself and deserved another opportunity to play in the NFL. Mike Vick had a great season in 2010 ( made the pro bowl ) but this is about a coach tiring his-self to the right quarterback for his team. I'm not in Andy Reid head, but you have to wonder how a guy go's from being his QB of the future to trade bait that a minimum of 5 teams in the league wants as their guy. I can't figure out how a team can invest a second round draft pick for a pretty highly touted college QB, groom him for three years give him the keys to the car and than take them away after one game.

Coach Andy Reid has put his-self in a tough position, this quarterback-coach situation has to have a happy ending. Because with the immanence departure of Kevin Klob and his tie-ing his-self to Mike Vick this has to work. If Kevin Klob take his new team to the NFC playoffs or may I say to many playoff games over the next few seasons; the Reid-Vick combination needs to have at least one or two real shots at going to the Super Bowl in order to keep Eagles fans who already think Reid been there to long happy. Or Andy Reid will go down with a long list of coaches who tried theirselves to the wrong guy.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

NFL Owners could win this fight if Judges rule in their favor.

NFL Owners could win this fight if Judges rule in their favor.

I've been told the man with the gold makes the rules, if ST Louis Judges grant Owners the permanent stay in their lockout hearing players will be at the mercy of the men who have the gold. The one thing NFL Owners have on their side is time, they have deep pockets and if they win in court there's the strong possibility they win on the field without taking a single snap. The players union took a huge risk when they decided to decertify and fight the Owners in court as individuals; because without the stay being lifted they don't have the luxury of time on their side.

In my opinion this will be the week that defines this labor negotiation. If NFL players are forced back to the negotiating table knowing there's no chance of football business without an agreement; I see no way they can outlast the Owners. The fact is without the lockout being lifted players have no ability to get paid, and as we have seen though out this has been a fight over money.

If the ST Louis Judges do rule in the Owners favor this week and this turn into a waiting game, I don't see players being able to forgo paychecks in order to stay in this battle. In this billion dollars game of chicken being played with the NFL Owners, NFL players may be force off the road if this ruling go's a-grist them this week.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

What will be the fallout from this lockout?

What will be the fallout from this lockout?

The one thing we can all agree on is there will be an NFL season in 2011, the thing no one can foresee is what the fallout will be when an agreement is finally reach. Business is business, but when egos are involved who know's what damage will be left in the wake of this storm? Even if the Judges in ST Louis rule in the players favor this week and tell Owners to open their doors for business, there's going to be lasting scars from what now looks like a one sided fight.

At the end of any labor disagreement there is always some hard feeling on both sides, but there seem to be a totally difference atmosphere surrounding this particular labor situation. This is not a case of a league trying to save itself from financial ruin, ( aka NBA Basketball ) this is a league making money hand over fist and NFL Owners not like-ing the way the money is being spit. ( let us remember they sign this deal that they are now trying to run from )

The fallout thus far has hit mainly rookies draftees and rookies free agents trying to find teams that might give them a shot at their dream of playing NFL football. The rookies drafted are like nomads on an island with no where to go. They have a team no contract and without a signed contract, no safe way of working out with their new teammates. Coaches are caught in the fallout because trying to set their teams up for next season and as of this point not having worked with their rookies class; who know's what help they can be. The biggest fallout from this will be with the fans, how will fans really react to the Owners greed. People seem to think, for every fan that walks away there will be another one there to take his or her place. I say let's think about this for a moment, we are talking about second and third generation season ticket holder who give their kids and grand kids these tickets to go to a lot of theses game. And in today's economic climate how many of theses young families can afford to take over season tickets if mom and dad or even grandparents say their done with the NFL?

At the end of the day we all know there will be NFL football this season, there's to much money sitting on the table for there not to be. But even if this lockout Last another week or so, the damage already done may never be able to be un-done in a lot of fans eyes. If the Owners win their stay appeal and the Judges grant them the right to keep the players lockout until a settlement is reach; there's no telling how intense the fallout from this storm will get.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

What is the end game for NFL Owners?

What is the end game for NFL Owners?

Can anyone out there tell me what the Owners want to end this lockout? I for one am very confused as to what it will take for theses guy to open the doors and let coaches and players get back to their jobs of trying to win football games. Has it come down to a billion dollars or nothing? With all the interviews we've seen Rodger Goodell give on this lockout situation, I still have not heard what it's going to realistically take to end it.

The Owners are the ones who order the lockout, so they should be the ones who let NFL fans know what they need to lift the lock out. The Players have come out and let it be known they were happy with the deal they had in place, Owners gave notice two years ago they were opting out of the deal. There's a dollar amount that will get this deal done and I think the time has come to let everyone know what that amount is.

It's time the Owners let their end game be known and leave all the rhetoric to the politicians. No one is buying the betterment of the game speech anyway. Trying to take back something you gave of your own free will is bad enough, but doing it at gun point makes you look like a thief. If Owners want any kind of fan support they need to put away the gun ( this lockout ) and go back to the negotiating table with a total open door policy. Since this is suppose to be about making the game better for the fans, it's time the Owners and Rodger Goodell let the fans in on their end game. Fans know it's aways been about the billion dollars, so open up and let everyone know what it's going to take for this to end!!!

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Are the Super Bowl champ's taking this lockout seriously?

Are the Super Bowl champ's taking this lockout seriously?

Unless the defending Super Bowl champ's Green Bay Packers know's something no one else does, I'm left wondering why we haven't hear of some sort of team workout plan during this lockout? With a target squarely on their backs and teams like the Saint's, Jet's Falcons and Giants organizing team workouts; it leave me thinking the commissioner office must have called them and told them not to bother the lockout won't last that long.

You might think I'm overreacting but this is the perfect time for them to let the rest of the NFL know they're the champions and we know you're coming to get us. I'm just throwing this out there to see if other Packers fans might be a little concern about the lack of any news on this subject. Let me know how you feel on this subject.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Who's going to be # 2 in the NFC north next season?

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Who's going to be # 2 in the NFC north next season?

I know there's going to be a lot of Bear's fans upset with me, but what the heck. With the Green Bay Packers clearly looking as if they are going to be favor to win another Super Bowl, the real question in the NFC north is who will be the second best team in the division? After having just won the NFC north last season one might think the Bears will be the team to challenge Green Bay for the division crown. But after last season's NFC championship game leadership meltdown and Jay Cutler not only having to prove to Bear fans but also to his own teammates that what we saw in his last game was just one of Jerry Angelo's so called bumps in the road and he is the right guy to lead them to a Super Bowl. Let's not forget Chicago won a lot of ugly games last season without a consistent offense. It could be a long year for the Bears if they can find a way to keep Jay Cutler on his feet and get better production out of their receiving core.

- The Detroit Lions took huge strides last season without their franchise quarterback. A 6&10 record doesn't sound like much, however they are only a few seasons removed from not having won a single game. The holes Lions needed to fill on their roster at the end of last season were not in my opinion address in this year's draft. So without as of now the ability to try and sure up their holes thought free agency or knowing how Matthew Stafford will be able to hold up after two injury shorten season, Detroit could be looking at another 6&10 season.

The Minnesota Vikings where do I start, no quarterback, no offensive line, bad secondary, aging D-line, and an average draft class at best. This has the look of a very ugly 2011 season for the Vikings, it's hard to believe this is the same team who only two season's ago were one bad pass away from maybe going to the Super Bowl. The Vikings are a prime example of why winning now at all cost can and will in most cases come back to bite you in the butt. The Brett Favre experience may have set the Vikings back 4 or 5 years. While they were trying to chase a Super Bowl with an aging Favre, their three counterparts in the NFC north let nature take it's course with young QB's.

The NFC north has the look of a division in transition from bottom to the top. The Detroit Lions have a ton of momentum going into next season and if, and that a big if Matthew Stafford can give them a full season than they in my opinion are the second best team in the NFC north. The Chicago Bears have some very important questions that need to be answer and the main one can only be answer by Jay Cutler. No matter how much of a united front they put on for their fans, there has to be a lingering affect going into next season. The Vikings may still make a move on one of the free agent quarterbacks out there after the lockout ends, but there is no Hall Of Famers out there this time around. I firmly believe the time has come for the Viking to stand pact and take their lumps for a season or two with the veteran QB's they have, and let their
Young first round draft pick ( Christian Ponder ) grow into the quarterback they hope he can be. Last suck's, but if there's a plan in place, even the most die hard of fans will get behind it.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Let's hope this on again lockout is only temporary.

Let's hope this on again lockout is only temporary.

After going through a NFL draft that will be remembered more for the stupidity surrounding it than the many great moments it gave us, let us cross our fingers and hope the Judges in ST Louis put the final nail in the Owners coffin this coming week, so this draft is not a total waste. What started as a weekend of hope for not only fans, but well over 200 new draftees into the NFL, quickly turned very surreal with the word that the lockout was back on. 32 first round draft picks got exactly one day to enjoy the thought of becoming apart of in my opinion the greatest game played, before they found out what being an NFL player ( today ) was all about. On Friday when the NFL and its Owners let fans and Players know the lockout was back on, it tainted the whole draft weekend. Even the draft Analysts had a hard time containing their discontent with how this draft was going to end on such a sour note.

It was great seeing all the smiles and tears of joy that each Player and their families had on their faces as these young men names were being call; but in the back of my mind I'm thinking by the end of next week all this happiness might be replaced by weeks of legal wrangling by NFL Owners to keep the doors locked. So as next week's court date approaches and the draft class of 2011 who now have to sit a wait for their official welcoming into the NFL fraternity; let's hope that this draft weekend was just a minor victory for the Owners and the Judges ruling this week tell's them, their game is over and it's time to get back to work.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com