No Audience for Mankins' Moans posted by Randolph Charlotin

I thought Logan Mankins was going to be different. I believed he could conduct his contract negotiations privately. Because he kept a low profile after the season and through the draft, I figured Mankins would continue to keep his distance from the Patriots and let his agent and New England hammer out a new deal.

 

Boy, was I wrong. On Monday, loose-lipped Logan demanded a trade and took a few swipes at the organization at the same time.

 "Right now, this is about principle with me and keeping your word and how you treat people,” Mankins told ESPN Boston on Monday. This is what I thought the foundation of the Patriots was built on. Apparently, I was wrong. Growing up, I was taught a man's word is his bond. Obviously this isn't the case with the Patriots." 

"At this point, I'm pretty frustrated, from everything that's happened and the way negotiations have gone. I want to be traded. I don't need to be here any more."

 

A player crying foul over contract negotiations is nothing new. But this year there seems to be a spike in angst as franchises face an uncertain future with an uncapped year and labor negotiations coming up. With teams being very reluctant to hand over big deals without the legislation for how contracts will be structured for the next labor deal, the players are being left without the financial security of a long term contract.

 

Mankins is in limbo with several other restricted free agents in search of new deals, including Dallas’ Miles Austin, Indianapolis’ Raheem Brock, and San Diego’s Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill. Like the pair from the Chargers, Mankins opted not to sign his tender and will continue to hold out.

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A "Lights Out" Alternative posted by Randolph Charlotin

A day after the NFL Network revealed San Diego shopped OLB Shawn Merriman during the NFL Draft to New Orleans and two other teams, the Patriots re-signed DE Derrick Burgess. Knowing what is out there, Burgess’ return doesn’t excite the fan base much.

 

If given a choice between the two players, the average person would prefer Shawn “Lights Out” Merriman over Derrick “No Moniker” Burgess. But the bottom line is Burgess is better for the Patriots than Merriman.

 

It’s easy to point to money being the main reason, as Burgess probably resigned for just several hundred thousand dollars compared to Merriman’s tender which is valued at $3.27 million. But it’s deeper than that.

 

First look at Merriman’s situation. What is known is the Chargers would had exchanged Merriman for a first round pick if it wasn’t for Merriman’s agent, Tom Condon, demanding a new lucrative contract from his new team. Merriman has since fired Condon for David Dunn, removing the perceived obstacle.

 

If Dunn can speak any sense into Merriman, Dunn will convince Shawn to sign his tender and play for a new contract.

 

Merriman wants to be paid like Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware and Minnesota’s Jared Allen after seeing the deals signed by the league’s best pass rushers. But Merriman has to reestablish his reputation as the AFC’s most feared pass rusher before he gets comparable money.

 

In his first three years, Merriman totaled 39.5 sacks and earned three Pro Bowl selections. But he missed all but the season opener in 2008 and nagging injuries last year slashed his production down to just four sacks. Merriman considers himself healthy heading into 2010 and he will be motivated. If he recaptures his dominant play, $3.27 million for the year would be a bargain.

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Joe's Draft Recap: Day One posted by Joe Anello

After all the waiting and anticipation, the start of the 2010 NFL Draft went according to plan. Quarterback Sam Bradford went to the Rams, Ndamukong Suh to the Lions and Gerald McCoy to the Bucs. After the known occurred, there was plenty to discuss. Here's what caught my eye from day one.

-It's hard to not like what Pete Carroll and the Seahawks did with their two first-rounders. Russell Okung should be an instant mainstay at left tackle with the reported retirement of Walter Jones. Earl Thomas is a fantastic safety and maybe a better corner. They didn't take Jimmy Clausen, but they should feel comfortable with Matt Hasselbeck under center with Okung protecting him.

-Tim Tebow is a Denver Bronco. After trading back twice in the first round and drafting wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos traded back up to draft Tebow as their quarterback of the future before the Bills made their move. This is Josh McDaniels' giant middle finger to the rest of the NFL as he says "Watch what I can do with this guy." I feel bad for Brady Quinn, who might get the six games in-between Kyle Orton's tenure and the start of Tim Tebow's. Denver made the most of their multitude of picks and turned it into a bright future with replacements for the exiled Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. 

The scary part? I actually felt happy for Tebow. Lame. 

-Falling into the 20's, wide receiver Dez Bryant had waited longer than he anticipated. All that frustration faded away as he saw the Dallas Cowboys trading up to get ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, a likely landing spot. Dallas owner Jerry Jones passed up on Randy Moss because of character concerns, a mistake he did not want to make with Bryant. This move also suggests the Roy Williams has not been near the success it should have been.

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Fear of Falling posted by Randolph Charlotin

Patriot fans know there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Bill Belichick will trade down during the draft.

 

It’s not just a pattern; it’s as reliable as the seasons, the sun rising, and celebrity controversies.

 

While we’ve grown to accept these trades, that doesn’t mean we enjoy learning the Pats traded down again. We’d like to see New England trade up to get a player they want. We’ve only seen it once when they drafted TE Daniel Graham in 2002.

 

With 12 selections in this year’s draft, eight are potential trade chips, as the four compensatory picks can not be traded. That’s still plenty to work with to be aggressive in the draft. We’d like to see a New York Jets-like approach to get the best players instead of bringing in a dozen players, half with a realistic chance of making the roster.

 

We will never know exactly what happens in New England’s war room and how they reach the decision to trade down. But based on past drafts, it is possible the player they desired was taken just picks before the Patriots were on the clock. With the targeted player gone, New England opted to trade down. That should give them more reason to go after who they want instead of hoping the cards fall just right.

 

There’s been three times a player that I was hoping would fall to the Pats was selected before New England’s turn. Each time, when it was the Patriots’ turn, they traded down. It can simply be coincidence, but I can’t help thinking there was a correlation:

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Let's Go (Free Agent) Shopping! posted by Amari Harris

Shopping for free agents in the NFL is not much different from shopping for groceries at the grocery store.  You must make your grocery list based on what you need, while keeping an eye out for great deals.  You want to avoid overpaying for something that you either don’t need or won’t be satisfied with.  You need to keep you eye out for dropping prices.  It is also essential that you stay away from flawed products that have disappointed in the past.  These are all keys to being a smart shopper in the NFL free agent market. 

 

So who in the league is getting the best bargains, and who is pulling a “Dan Snyder” and just buying  the shiniest new toy?  Well, that is a much more difficult question in the 2010 off-season than it has been in the past.  Even Dan Snyder has reeled it in a bit, and hired some expert shoppers in Bruce Allen and Mike Shannahan.  Despite speculation that an uncapped season would bring on a spending frenzy the likes we have never seen, NFL ball clubs are actually being more cautious with their financial decisions. 

 

The uncapped year has seen several teams cut high priced veterans to accelerate the guaranteed portions of their contracts to this year, so they are not as limited in their ability to sign players the following year.  Teams are also putting their guys on “lay away” by putting restricted free agent (RFA) tenders on any of their players whose contracts are up and have less than 6 accrued years in the NFL.  These tenders mean that teams have ultimate leverage because if another team wants to sign that player then they would have to give up a draft pick, and the tendering team doesn't feel the pressure to sign that player to a long term contract.  So you can essentially have that player play for half a season or a even a full season before you decide to pony up the rest of the money for your RFA (hence, lay away).  Either way, it seems that most NFL teams are saying and doing all the right things to improve their teams at this juncture.  Still, there have been some good moves and some bad moves, and now that the first week of free agency is coming to a close it is time to evaluate what the GMs and owners are doing.

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The Five Best NFL First Overall NFL Draft Picks posted by Colin Linneweber

The 2010 NFL Draft will commence on Thursday, April 22, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 

In tribute to the upcoming draft, below are the five best  number one overall selections made by franchises over the course of the past quarter-century.  

1)      Peyton Manning (Quarterback)- The Indianapolis Colts chose Manning out of the University of Tennessee with the top selection in the 1998 draft. 

Manning, a four-time AP NFL MVP and five-time First-Team All-Pro selection, led the Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. 

Manning, who was voted onto the NFL 2000s All-Decade team, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after he completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown. 

After twelve seasons as a professional, the legendary signal-caller has already thrown in excess of 50,000 yards in the air and he has tossed 366 touchdowns. 

At only 33 years of age, Manning is expected to break every meaningful passing record in NFL history before he hangs-up his cleats. 

Peyton Manning is simply one of the greatest quarterback’s in the annals of football.  

2)      Bruce Smith (Defensive End)- The Buffalo Bills selected Smith out of Virginia Tech University with the first pick in the 1985 draft. 

Smith, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee who was ranked number 58 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players ever, immediately dominated NFL offensive linemen and he owns the record for the most career sacks (200). 

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Back to the Drawing Board posted by Amari Harris

It has been a while and I don’t really have an excuse for not posting anything the last couple weeks.  I guess since the Cowboys got trounced by the Minnesota Vikings I just haven’t had much inspiration.  But I’ve come out of my temporary depression and have officially transitioned to the off-season.  In between cartons of Ben & Jerry’s and episodes of Cash Cab I have thought long and hard about what the Cowboys need to do over the  next 6-7 months in order to take the next step from playoff team to Super Bowl contender.

 

The good thing about getting beat up on in the playoffs is that your flaws get exposed.  You definitely don’t leave with the feeling that you are one of the elite teams when you get beat 34-3.  For one, it would certainly help to secure one of those top seeds.  Having homefield advantage was huge in this years playoffs (unless you were the Jets) and the Cowboys could literally have homefield advantage for the entire playoffs and the Super Bowl  if they play their cards right.  The two top seeds faced each other in the big game this year and I’d be willing to bet that at least one #1 seed will be in the Super Bowl in 2011.  Now if the Cowboys want that #1 seed, they will have to improve on their performance from this season.  They may not need to make a lot of personnel changes but some things will need to be solidified. 

 

1.)    Offensive Line

 

Although I fully expect everyone on the offensive line to return next season, the Cowboys could definitely continue to build depth at that position.  Nearly every draft expert has the Cowboys picking an offensive tackle at #27 and I can’t disagree with that assessment.  Someone is probably going to get hurt on this aging line and you need a tackle for the future and the present.  It wouldn’t hurt to get a couple of interior guys either.

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The Five Best Super Bowl Winners Since 1985 posted by Colin Linneweber

The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

 

The Colts (16-2) are currently favored by nearly six points to defeat the underdog Saints (15-3) this weekend.

 

No matter what the ultimate outcome is, fans can expect to witness a thrilling game between the offensively explosive Saints and Colts.

 

In tribute to this weekend’s championship matchup, I have decided to rank the five best Super Bowl winners of the past quarter-century.

  

1)      The 1989-1990 San Francisco 49ers- The dominant 49ers (17-2) absolutely destroyed the overmatched Denver Broncos (13-6) by a score of 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV to repeat as champions at the Superdome in New Orleans.

 

To this very day, the 49ers lopsided margin of victory over the Broncos remains the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history.

 

Legendary Niners quarterback Joe Montana was justifiably named the game’s MVP after he completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdown passes.

 

San Francisco’s underrated defense stifled John Elway’s aerial assault and they managed to limit Denver to a paltry 167 yards on offense.

 

Joe Montana is a four-time Super Bowl champion and he has been the focal point of many tremendous squads.

 

Still, the 1989-1990 49ers unit was the greatest one that Montana ever played on.

  

2)      The 1985-1986 Chicago Bears- The Bears (18-1) humiliated the New England Patriots (14-6) 46-10 in Super Bowl XX at the Superdome in New Orleans.

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The Best Quarterback Matchups in the Super Bowl Since 1985 posted by Colin Linneweber

The Indianapolis Colts will play the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

 

The contest is expected to be an offensive shootout pitting Colts (16-2) quarterback Peyton Manning against Saints (15-3) signal-caller Drew Brees.

 

Manning, 33, a four-time AP NFL MVP, and Brees, 31, a three-time All-Pro selection, are two of the greatest quarterbacks to grace the gridiron during this generation.

 

In recognition of the impending Super Bowl matchup, I decided to rank the best quarterback showdowns to have occurred in the Super Bowl since 1985.

   

1)      Super Bowl XXIV- Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers destroyed John Elway and the Denver Broncos 55-10 in the most lopsided championship game ever at the Superdome in New Orleans.

 

Montana, a three-time First Team All-Pro selection who made the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, was named the Super Bowl MVP after he completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns.

 

Elway, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro, played horrifically in the embarrassing blowout loss.

 

In total, Elway completed 10 out of 26 passes for a measly 108 yards and two interceptions.

 

On this January evening, Montana and the 49ers overwhelmed Elway and the Broncos.

 

Nevertheless, this Super Bowl showcased perhaps the two greatest quarterbacks in the annals of the NFL.

  

2)      Super Bowl XIX- Montana and the Niners thrashed Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins 38-16 at Stanford Stadium in California.

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The Underestimated posted by Amari Harris

Whenever I think back to this past Sunday’s game against the Vikings, everything just seems blurred.  Although the final score read 34-3, I just can’t imagine how things got out of control so quickly.  The Cowboys were moving the ball well and playing pretty well on defense initially.  Then suddenly, they were getting stampeded.  Not by Adrian Peterson.  Not even by Chester Taylor.  They weren’t even being mauled by Minnesota’s Pro Bowl laden offensive line.  So what the hell happened?!  Well in review, it was a lot of things but at the same time it was one thing:  respect.  The Cowboys underestimated and undervalued players on the Vikings and players on their own team.  They underestimated the effect of a home field advantage in Minnesota.  They also under estimated the amount of desperation that needs to be displayed in every playoff game.  Somewhere between beating the Eagles twice and getting demolished by the Vikings, the Cowboys forgot that they were playing the one of the top 2 teams in the conference.

 

The Cowboys had to hear all of the media hype about how they were the hottest team in the NFC and that Minnesota was having all of these internal problems.  So they assumed (as did I) that they were equal to Minnesota and all they had to do was play their game.  If the game was played in Cowboys stadium that would have been true, but as Vishante Shiancoe so eloquently stated,  “That's the suburbs down there. This is the 'hood. The Cowboys had a solid game plan going in, but they couldn’t adjust to the fierce pass rush and the loud stadium in crucial situations.  And the fact that Wade Phillips ultimately put more trust in

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Bryant first on field for Cowboys camp (AP)

Dez Bryant was more than on time for the start of the Dallas Cowboys training camp. The first-round pick was the first player on the field Saturday. "I'm just ready to play, that's the message," Bryant said. "I'm ready to do whatever they ask me to do. I'm here to work hard, I'm here to give 100 percent, just bring my A-game." Wearing the No. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

'Boys sign Sean Lee to four-year deal

The Dallas Cowboys open training camp on Saturday and they havetheir entire 2010 NFL Draft class under contract, joiningtheChicago Bears. The final player to agree to contract terms is LBSean Lee (6-2, 235, Penn St.), the team announced. Lee agreed to afour-year deal which includes $1.7 million guaranteed. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Bryant agrees to deal with Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys report to training camp in less than two daysand they'll have their first-round pick there on time. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Dallas' Bryant first 1st-rounder to sign (AP)

Dez Bryant agreed to terms of a contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, making the receiver the first of this year's NFL first-round picks with a deal. The Cowboys announced the deal in a news release the day before they report to training camp in San Antonio. The first workout is Saturday. Details of the deal weren't immediately available. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Pre-camp Power Poll: Rankings complete with potential headaches (SportingNews.com)

The New Jets and Dallas Cowboys reside at the top of Sporting News' pre-training camp power poll, but other... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports