Tyree fighting for roster spot … duh

by | Jun 4, 2008 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

There are some rumblings from the east coast that Super Bowl hero David Tyree might be in a fight for his roster spot this season. Hopefully those reports are correct because he should be.

Don’t get me wrong. Tyree had a great Super Bowl making one of the finest plays you’ll ever see in crunch time, and he also caught a touchdown pass earlier in the fourth quarter. His place in history will be secure for his play in that game, as it should be…

But David Tyree is not an elite NFL wide receiver, or at very least, he still has a lot to prove if he is. In five years with the Giants he has played in 73 games and caught 54 passes. Outside the playoffs last year he rocked the league by catching four passes for 35 yards, nary a one for a touchdown, in 12 games.

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Kevin Jones healing fast

by | Jun 4, 2008 | Fantasy Football, NFL News

Kevin Jones is five months into rehabilitating an ACL reconstruction and a doctor says he is as much as seven months ahead of schedule. All he needs, according to mlive.com (what the hell is mlive.com?), he’s motivated and looking to show teams he is worth more than a minimum-level salary.

Now, Jones has always been injury prone. He hasn’t played 16 games in his four-year career and just last year came back early from a Lisfranc surgery on his left foot.

But when he is in there he’s shown flashed of brilliance as a runner and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s motivated by the opportunity to show the Lions coaching staff they made a mistake by cutting him.

I think someone is going to take this guy to either split carries (Paired with Laurence Maroney in New England? Maybe he fits as another cog in Seattle in case Julius Jones is mediocre?) or as insurance (Rudi J in Cincy and Edgerrin James in Arizona have been trending downward) against an aging back sliding.

He could end up being a pretty good fit in Chicago too as Cedric Benson continues to disappoint and you never know with rookies, although Matt Forte is reportedly a guy the Bears staff is legitimately excited about.

I like this option the best. If the Bears were to bring in Jones and give him a chance to get some real carries, it still wouldn’t make the Bears a contender this year. But with the motivation of playing against the Lions twice, Jones would become a sleeper running back to watch out for in fantasy football drafts in the next couple of months.

Packers’ Herron wings home intruder

by | Jun 4, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

In one of my favorite Packer-related stories ever, backup running back sent an intruder in his home to the hospital by whacking him with a bed post.

That rocks.

As it turns out the whackee and a partner who was apprehended outside Herron’s home in Howard, Wis. are now suspects in more than 20 break-ins in De Pere, Howard and Bellevue, Wis. The one guy, at this point, is still in the hospital.

More power to Herron. I try not to be too big a fan of materialism and I have no idea what Herron had that these miscreants wanted. But I have no time for and get so tired of reading about people who decide they want something enough to take it from others rather than working hard and getting it on their own.

Herron should have whacked the guy a couple more times just for good measure and the cops should have looked the other way after they cuffed the other guy so Herron could have whacked that one too.

I tip my cap to this Packer.

Jason Taylor seeking trade

by | Jun 1, 2008 | NFL Breaking News, NFL Random Thoughts

Media reports, including one just broadcast by ESPN, indicate that Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor thinks it would be best if he could be traded.

John Clayton reporting on ESPN says Taylor isn’t threatening to hold out of training camp but just believes it would be best for both parties to split.

Is anyone really surprised by this? And does anyone really think it’s wrong?

This just seems like Taylor coming out publicly and saying out loud what pretty much every observer has been saying under the table for months. Come on, Dolphins. You’re not going anywhere for a couple years and Taylor isn’t getting any younger. Go get yourself a couple draft picks and give him a chance to chase a ring.

ADDED LATER: Interesting. Sounds like the press conference Taylor called had less to do with demanding a trade and more to do with expressing a willingness to accept a trade, announcing that he hopes to play one more year and clarifying at least some of the conjecture that has been spread regarding his football future.

According to the Associated Press, he announced that he has not spoken with Bill Parcells or Head Coach Tony Sparano, though he also reportedly said Sparano would be a good head coach. He didn’t confirm whether or not he would be at training camp and he did say he wants to play with a winner in 2008, perhaps a backhanded way of saying he would prefer a trade.

The Dolphins have made some interesting moves this offseason, but nothing that is going to turn them into instant winners. So if the future is still a couple or more years away it would seem best for player and team to part, hopefully on better terms than it would seem they are on at the moment.

Lucas Oil Stadium looks sharp

by | Jun 1, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

I’m in Indianapolis for a couple days attending a conference for the day job. But on the cab ride from the airport I had an opportunity to drive past the Colts’ new venue, Lucas Oil Stadium.

It was a brief glimpse but from the outside the retractable roof facility looks extremely sharp. It’s made of brick and glass, almost more like a combination of a giant baseball park/basketball arena. And it seems to blend in well with the neighborhood, unlike the RCA Dome which stands out like a swollen marshmallow.

Not sure how much down time I’m going to have over the next couple days, but if I do I hope to wander over for a closer, more detailed look. But at first glance, the Colts are moving into one of the sharpest stadiums I’ve had the opportunity to lay eyes on.