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Pro Bowl reportedly on thin ice

Written by Shane Clemons on .

When Roger Goodell and the NFL began talking about the possibility of discontinuing the Pro Bowl due to a lack of performance by the players, the NFL's stars stepped up and gave us a better product in the 2013 Pro Bowl. That increased level hasn't stopped the NFL from considering ending the tradition.

At this week's quarterly league meetings in Boston, the Pro Bowl discussion has once again surfaced. Although the Pro Bowl continues to score well in ratings, and thus money, the league continues to talk about ending the game.

In all reality, the Pro Bowl will be here for the foreseeable future. As long as the NFL is making money on the game and ratings are good, there's absolutely no incentive for the league to stop staging the exhibition. The fans like the game, the players seem to enjoy the trip and recognition and the league makes money. That's a win-win-win situation.

Chances are good that we'll continue to hear talk over the next few years that the game will be discontinued, and that may happen at some point down the road. The league should consider altering the format of the game to ensure player safety while still delivering an all-star game.

Personally, I'd like to see more position skill challenges during Pro Bowl weekend. Those types of football related competitions don't carry a high risk for injury, and they're easy and fun to watch. That's just one suggestion from one football blogger. If you have a way that the NFL could improve the Pro Bowl, drop us a comment below.


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Draft likely moving to May

Written by Shane Clemons on .

The NFL draft is about to be moved. At least that's what ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. According to Schefter, the NFL and NFLPA are close to a deal that would move the NFL draft from it's current time in April to May.

The NFLPA will also be getting a carrot of incentive. The start of the league year, and thus free agency, will likely be moved to begin before the scouting combine.

The by-product of the move of the beginning of the league year would occur at the scouting combine. Teams would also use the event as a way to strike deals since the league year would have officially started. That's a big change from the current state of the combine in which teams talk with each other over hypothetical deals that later become reality once the new league year starts.

The overarching idea of re-arranging the league year is simple. Give fans a better opportunity to follow the NFL year round. By bumping the draft later into the offseason, the dead period between the draft and OTAs will be all but eliminated, and excitement following the draft will carry deeper into the slow summer months.

The NFL is all about promoting its brand, and when there's an opportunity to do just that on the table, you can bet the league will try to get it done. We've seen this coming for some time, and if Adam Schefter is right, we'll be seeing an offseason shuffle in the near future.


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Mike Glennon can win playing time with Bucs

Written by Shane Clemons on .

Josh Freeman is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starting quarterback right now. Let's get that straight before we go any further in discussing the possibility that rookie Mike Glennon could win the job. Tampa Bay isn't like other places like Jacksonville up the road or Cleveland where quarterback battles are as open as they can possibly get. The Buccaneers aren't looking for a guy to beat out Freeman.

Still, Tampa Bay isn't an open and shut book either. Josh Freeman has had a rocky, up-and-down career, and he's left the door ajar for someone to step in and win the Bucs' starting job.

Head coach Greg Schiano seems to have a grasp of that reality, telling Dan Pompei of the National Football Post that Glennon will be able to take over for Freeman if need be, even opening the possibility that Glennon could win playing time moving forward.

"But our situation will be only if he’s needed," Schiano told Pompei. "Or if he wins the job. Look, I’m not against that. We have a starting quarterback. It’s not like we’re looking to find a starter. But competition is competition. Mike Glennon is a fierce competitor. I knew that when he was coming out of high school. Now being able to work with him a little, you can see it on the practice field."

The catch is that it will be difficult for Glennon to overtake Freeman if he's taking snaps with the second team offense against the second team defense. The best case scenario for Glennon is to impress his coaches enough to get a small chunk of first team time. If he continues to impress, he'd continue to get more snaps with the first team units. Regardless of what he does on the practice field, preseason action will be huge for Glennon if he hopes to be anything more than a backup in Tampa Bay.

The big weakness that Freeman exhibited a season ago was his inability to connect with wide receivers, completing just 54.8% of his passes a season ago. Although it's comparing apples to oranges, Mike Glennon didn't exactly excel in that department at NC State, completing just 58.5% of his passes in his final year with the Wolfpack. For reference, Josh Freeman ranked 29th in the category out of 32 qualifying passers, and Glennon's percentage, had he been in the NFL, would have only put him at 22nd overall, just in front of Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert.

There's no doubt that there's an opening for Mike Glennon, but there's also a steep learning curve in the NFL, and for a rookie to walk in and take a veteran's job, that player must be an exceptional prospect. "Exceptional" just isn't how most people would describe Mike Glennon coming out of the draft.

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Eagles putting trust in young players

Written by Shane Clemons on .

Too often, players in the NFL, especially those fresh from the draft, have a hard time adjusting to life in the NFL. It requires hard work, but it also requires a high level of responsibility. The problem is that these young men are also newly wealthy people, and when they're given too much free time, bad things will often follow.

Under head coach Chip Kelly, the Philadelphia Eagles' practices are designed to be as quick and efficient as possible, according to according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Under Andy Reid, players were given much more free time throughout the day, but the workday would last from morning till evening. Under Kelly, the workload will be more concentrated, giving players more time outside the Eagles' facilities.

The idea is a sound one. By concentrating practices in a shorter, more efficient time frame, players will be able to develop better sleep cycles, as well as eating habits. Still, the added freedom comes at a cost, and it's yet to be seen if that cost outweighs the benefits.

There are lot of opportunities for trouble in the lives of young NFL players. The idea behind Andy Reid's schedule was that players would have less time to get themselves into trouble. Under Kelly, players will have more than enough time to get into trouble.

We'll have to wait to see how the new schedule impacts the Eagles' players. Veterans will likely handle the adjustment with more ease than younger players. Under Reid, there was still time for players to get into trouble, and that will never be eliminated. My hunch is that players will benefit, overall, from the adjustment, but there may be some casualties in the form of arrests as well.


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Mike Goodson's NFL career possibly over

Written by Shane Clemons on .

Last week, Mike Goodson, who was signed by the Jets two months ago to a three year, $6.9 million contract, was arrested on weapons and drug charges. The running back allegedly was in possession of marijuana and a semi-automatic .45-caliber gun. While Goodson was not driving the SUV that when it was pulled over, that didn't absolve him from responsibility.

With such serious charges being applied to such a marginal player, it's likely that Goodson's time in New York is done, and it's very possible that his NFL career is also over.

Offensive lineman Willie Colon weighed in on the topic.

"It's one of the things where it's zero-tolerance with stuff like that."

"It's sad. Mike could have been huge for us," Colon told the New York Daily News. "He wasn't around a lot, so I didn't really get to see him a lot. For the most part, I was kind of anticipating seeing how he was going to do in OTAs."

John Idzik has already been responsible for two free agent busts, and we're not even to training camp yet. David Garrard was forced into retirement by his bad knee, and Mike Goodson is now likely done after his arrest. It's true that neither situation was completely foreseeable, but both situations were avoidable. Unfortunately for Jets fans, it seems to be business as usual in New York under the new regime.


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Is Brandon Weeden beginning to sweat quarterback competition?

Written by Shane Clemons on .

The Browns have one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. Brandon Weeden did nothing last year to prove that he was "the man" moving forward, and Jason Campbell could be a stop-gap quarterback at best.

Weeden said Friday, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that he was surprised that the Browns added quarterback Brian Hoyer to the mix.

"I was surprised, but that’s the nature of the beast. It’s part of this business and if you start worrying about it, that’s too much to worry about. That’s my mentality going forward."

Right now, it appears that Jason Campbell, not Brian Hoyer, is his biggest concern in regard to the Browns' starting position. At  27 years old, however, Hoyer is younger than Weeden, 29, and Campbell, 31, making him a possible long-term starter if he shows promise. Otherwise, the Browns will be picking the best man for the job.

Last season, Weeden was unable to complete a high percentage of passes, just 57.4%, and he threw more interceptions, 17, than he did touchdowns, 14. While some of the blame can be spread to his lackluster set of offensive weapons, it's still the quarterback's job to drive the offense, and that's something that Weeden wasn't able to do a season ago. By adding Hoyer, the Browns are just trying to increase competition at one of their weakest positions.


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Dwight Freeney, Chargers agree to terms

Written by Shane Clemons on .

Dwight Freeney has a new contract with the San Diego Chargers, and he didn't do bad for himself in free agency.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reports that Freeney and the Chargers have agreed to a contract with a base value of $8.75 million over the course of two years.

The deal will pay up to $5.25 million in 2013, $3.25 million of which comes in the form of a signing bonus. $1.5 million is guaranteed salary, and $500,000 is related to Freeney's presence on the Chargers' weekly 46-man roster.

Freeney will earn up to $3.5 million in 2014, $500,000 of that sum is linked to the same roster bonus as mentioned above.

Florio goes on to report that the contract is worth a maximum value of $13.35 million, and $4.6 million of that total is tied only to sacks, although the target numbers aren't known at this time.

The deal is a win, win for both parties. Freeney will be making good money at a time when defensive linemen tend to fade into obscurity, and the Chargers are getting a still solid pass rusher at a reasonable rate with no long term commitment.


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Manti Te'o attends Maxim's Hot 100 party

Written by Shane Clemons on .

Manti Te'o has recovered nicely after it was revealed that his deceased girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, never actually existed. Te'o further improved his position by attending Maxim's Hot 100 party, according to Busted Coverage. Maxim had poked fun at the situation by naming Te'o's girlfriend the 69th hottest woman in the world.

The story, broke by Deadspin, created a PR nightmare for the former Notre Dame standout leading up to the draft. There was a sentiment that because he had been deceived, Te'o may not be as affective on the field as previously thought. If you're having a hard time connecting how being duped into believing he had a real girlfriend and Te'o's on field play have anything to do with one another, you're not alone.

The decision to attend Maxim's party is a smart move for a number of reasons. If Te'o actually wants to put the fake Lennay Kekua chapter of his life in his rearview mirror, he has to be willing to put up with some extra crap in the short term. In the long run, embracing the situation will allow Te'o to move away from the embarrassing, for lack of a better word, scandal.

People get bored of poking fun at someone if that someone is also poking fun at the situation. I'm sure it's still rough to have to deal with the unnecessary attention, but Te'o is handling it about as best as anyone could. And, look at the bright side. He was at Maxim's Hot 100 party. I bet you wish you were there, and I know I wish I was there, so he's got that on us.


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Browns quarterback competition heating up

Written by Shane Clemons on .

Brandon Weeden will go into training camp later this offseason as the favorite to win the Browns' starting quarterback job, if for no other reason than being the young incumbent. Still, that doesn't guarantee that he'll be starting the season as the Browns' starter.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository wrote yesterday that Jason Campbell is hard to miss at Browns OTAs. Doershuk observed that Campbell was clearly the better quarterback in practice, although adding a disclaimer to that statement.

"I’m sure it had something to do with the fact Campbell is a ninth-year pro who was working against a No. 2 defense, but he definitely had better sessions than Weeden."

Doershuk also noted the size of Campbell as a positive aspect. Campbell brings a veteran presence to the Browns' quarterback battle, and he could eventually serve as a solid stopgap quarterback if the Browns decide that Brandon Weeden isn't the right quarterback for their team.

Regardless of what you may hear, this is not a straight-up quarterback battle as is the case in other places such as Jacksonville. The Browns would like to continue developing Brandon Weeden if at all possible, but if Campbell can distance himself from Weeden in training camp and preseason action, he may be able to make it impossible for the Browns and head coach Rob Chudzinski to pick Weeden over himself.


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Bush feels comfortable with Detroit's offense

Written by Shane Clemons on .

While Reggie Bush's stint with the Saints wasn't enough for him to stick in New Orleans, it did give him an understanding of a high tempo offense. The Lions run a similar offense, and it's given Bush a sense of comfort in the offense.

"As far as from an offensive perspective it's a lot like what we did in New Orleans," Bush said on NFL AM. "It's a lot of spread-open passing. Obviously we can attack down field, and with the running game, a lot of screens, draws and stuff like that. Basically what I did in New Orleans, so running this offensive system has been pretty easy for me."

Many thought that Reggie Bush was a good fit for Detroit for just that reason.

The problem, at least for Bush and the Lions, is that there are some very significant differences between the Lions and the Saints team Bush was familiar to.

First and foremost, the Saints ran an offense centered around Drew Brees. While Matthew Stafford is certainly a key piece, there's little doubt that Calvin Johnson is the most important player on that offense. That's part of the reason that Bush was brought in. With enough coverage, a receiver can be blanketed. With more receiving options, the Lions should see more success on the field.


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