NFL Sunday Ticket canceled

by | Jul 17, 2011 | NFL Lockout, NFL Media, NFL Random Thoughts

I canceled my NFL Sunday Ticket subscription tonight.

I actually started having second thoughts about it over the weekend, despite writing a week or so ago that I would do so if the NFL did not solve its labor issues by July 15.

They seem to be close to arriving at a deal. But they have seemed close to coming to a deal for two or three weeks now. Enough is enough.

Even as early as this morning, however, I thought DirecTV might get a reprieve. A friend emailed me information that DirecTV was offering its Sunday Ticket package for free for the season. That would seem to be a reasonable offer. But after a little reading and a couple of phone calls, I learned that, of course, DirecTV was only offering that deal to new subscribers.

Existing subscribers, I was told, are appreciated, but ineligible for the service. So DirecTV is competing with most cell phone companies and who the hell knows how many other businesses in treating new clients better than existing ones. Does nobody remember how much it costs to get a lost customer back?

So, anyway, for the 2011 season DirecTV is ineligible to keep my business, at least as far as Sunday Ticket goes. I can use that $300-and-change on other things.

Again, as I have written before, I am aware that my little protest alone is not going to have much of an impact on the business of the league or DirecTV. But I share in the hopes of AOL FanHouse Columnist David Steele, who writes at SportingNews.com that he hopes fans do not “give their love back to the NFL for free.”

I agree. Regardless of whether they return in time to play a full season or not, the owners and the players have cost us virtually the entire offseason. Let’s have some pride as fans and make them pay in the pocketbook enough so they can feel it.

Time for fans to send message by reducing NFL spending

by | Jul 1, 2011 | 2011 season, NFL Lockout, NFL Random Thoughts

The first NFL preview magazines have showed up on the shelves of my local bookstore. For the first time in many years I didn’t make a special trip to go find them. I stumbled on to them while I was in the store looking for something else.

I bought two fantasy football publications: Sporting News 2011 Fantasy Football and Fantasy League Football 2011. The NFL is largely about money for owners and players so I’ve made it at least somewhat about money for me too – I play in several fantasy football leagues and have had a fair amount of success over the years.

But as for buying the actual preview magazines, it seemed a bit pointless given the lockout and lack of a free agency period to this point. We’re a couple weeks off of when training camps would normally start and there has not yet been anything resembling an offseason.

Lindy’s, which publishes my favorite preseason annual, seemed to recognize this. They published their typical June version with a publisher’s note saying they planned to publish again in August if there was movement toward the season taking place.

With all due respect to Lindy’s, I’ll wait until then to buy the magazine.

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Owens done? Is he Hall of Famer?

by | Jun 27, 2011 | Hall of Fame, NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

ESPN has reported that star wide receiver Terrell Owens tore his ACL last month, either while filming a “reality television show” or during a personal workout.

As a 37-year-old athlete who is not currently under contract, the injury obviously puts the controversial wide receiver’s future in doubt.

So, two questions: Is he done? And is he a Hall of Famer?

I don’t care for Owens. He’s definitely got some diva to him as an individual, prancing for the cameras and throwing quarterback Donovan McNabb under the bus as his two years in Philadelphia wound down.

But you can’t help but respect him as a player. No matter what his often strange life has looked like off the field, he is a workout warrior who always answers the bell on Sundays. His nine catch, 122-yard performance in Super Bowl XXXIX on a barely healed broken leg was as memorable as it gets, despite the loss.

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Foundation work, public speaking keeping Mecklenburg busy

by | May 6, 2011 | Where are they now

Editor’s note: Professional athletes often get a bad rap. A handful of chowderheads make headlines on a regular basis for getting arrested or committing other bad deeds. Those incidents often overshadow the good works and interesting careers being pursued by current and former players outside their respective games. We’re planning to make a semi-regular feature out of recognizing some of these former football stars for the contributions they make to society when they leave the spotlight. Here is the first of those profiles.

*****

In 1983, the Denver Broncos traded quarterback Mark Herrmann, offensive lineman Chris Hinton and a first round pick the following year to the Baltimore Colts for John Elway. The trade turned out to be a highway robbery that helped make the Broncos competitive for years into the future.

But it was not the only steal the team made that year. In the 12th round — a round that does not even exist any more — the club selected Karl Mecklenburg, a linebacker from the University of Minnesota.

Though he was drafted late, Mecklenburg always figured he’d make it. And he did, playing playing 12 years in the NFL, amassing 79 sacks, six Pro Bowls and three First-Team All Pro nominations.

Mecklenburg played in three Super Bowls and has been named to the Broncos Ring of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. But his time in the public eye did not end when his NFL career did in 1994. He’s taken on the role of motivational speaker. He helps run a foundation aimed at getting kids to read. And he’s an active member of the Broncos’ alumni.

Mecklenburg shared some thoughts with Zoneblitz this week on his NFL past and his present.

Zoneblitz: You recently wrote a book, Heart of a Student Athlete: All Pro Advice for Competitors and Their Families. What’s in the book and why did you write it? (more…)

Rookie offensive linemen will boost skill players’ fantasy value

by | May 4, 2011 | Fantasy Football, NFL Draft

When the Atlanta Falcons traded five picks to move up and draft Julio Jones in the first round last Thursday night, the move put the star wideout in an ideal situation where he is surrounded by a young, improving quarterback and superstar veterans at running back, tight end and wide receiver.

Jones’ skills boosted the fantasy value of several of his new teammates and the wealth of talent around him puts him in a position to contribute right away.

So sure, like every year, there are a handful of skill players (see Mark Ingram, New Orleans) who were drafted that could leave early impressions on fantasy teams. But in my eyes the biggest beneficiaries from a fantasy perspective in this NFL draft were veteran skill position players whose teams addressed deficient offensive line play. (more…)