Is Harrison Signing New Philosophy in Pittsburgh?

by | Apr 13, 2009 | 2009 NFL Free Agency, Business of Football, NFL Random Thoughts

The Steelers signed 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison to a six-year, $51.75 million contract on Monday, replacing a contract that would have paid Harrison $1.4 million in 2009.

The contract is a nice one for Harrison, a 31-year old OLB, and certainly not as ridiculous as handing a 320-pound (or more) defensive tackle with penchant for stomping on people’s faces with his cleats and possibly taking non-contract seasons off a record breaking $100+ million deal.

But, looking back at the Steelers history, one has to wonder if the extension for Harrison is sign of a new philosophy in Pittsburgh, in theory being driven by coach Mike Tomlin, who has a reputation as being more of a “Player’s Coach” than Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll ever were.

In the past, Pittsburgh has let several big name LBs leave in the middle of what would be considered my many their prime, or at the very worst just past their prime–seemingly always considering the system more important than the player.

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George Wrighster Gets It – CBA Must Be Extended

by | Apr 10, 2009 | Business of Football, NFL Rumors, Welcome

While Martellus Bennett maybe shouldn’t be given a forum to express his latest thoughts & wisdom, another NFL player maybe should be getting the attention of NFL fans, players and owners.  Jaguars TE George Wrighster wrote on his YardBarker blog today about how the collective bargaining agreement needs to be extended, for the good of the game.

If the CBA isn’t figured out soon, the NFL could be looking at a 2010 season with no salary cap–which Wrighster points out will be bad for the owners AND the players, as a whole.

Some players, such as Karlos Dansby, have been spouting off about the money they expect to receive in 2010, thanks to the uncapped year.  And a player like Dansby might actually see some extra cash, if they draw the interest of a team like the Washington Redskins, who will likely (continue) to spend maximum dollars in an effort to finally win something under Dan Snyder.

But many more teams, like Wrighster’s Jaguars, will be much more likely to take advantage of the lack of a salary floor–meaning they will spend much less than the $111 million that they are required to spend on salaries in 2009.  This will lead to a dynamic more like Major League Baseball, where you have big market teams spending anywhere from 2 to 10 times as much as smaller market teams.

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Seahawks Ugly Alternate Jersey Revealed

by | Apr 2, 2009 | Business of Football, NFL ... something, NFL Rumors

UPDATE: Apparently this was an April Fools Joke that just didn’t get publicized until April 2nd.  I think the joke should be on the Seahawks–make them play in green!  Upon further review, it should have been obvious it was a joke–the Seahawks are amongst the teams advocating the annoying trend of monochrome uniforms, so for this to have been real, they would have needed green pants as well.  That would have been AWESOME!

The Seatlle Seahawks new alternate jerseys were leaked on Deadspin this morning–presumably not a late April Fools joke.  I have to agree with Deadspin as to the jersey’s being hideous–why would you put the blueish-grey stripes on a beautiful green jersey like that?

Seahawks New Alternate Jersey

Seahawks New Alternate Jersey

I’m not a real fan of the trend of jamming so many blocks of colors and Nike swooshes onto jerseys–most of the jerseys teams are switching to these days are hideous, and belong in the arena league (where the “modern” look seemed to originate).

But I actually kind of like the green Seahawks jersey–it would be better without the blue sleeves–but then again, I also list the Buccaneers old creamsicle orange jerseys in my top 5 all time football uniforms.

Tony’s Top 5 “Ugly” Football Uniforms:

5. Houston Oilers powder blue jerseys

4. Buffalo Bills red helmet, blue facemaks combo

3. New England Patriots red jerseys with Pat the Patriot

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers creamsicle orange jerseys and winking pirate…

1. Orlando Thunder flourescent green jerseys–had to be painful for opponents to look at during games.

What are some of the other best all time football uniforms out there?

“Brady rule” further wussifies NFL

by | Mar 25, 2009 | Business of Football, NFL Random Thoughts

Last September as I was watching Kansas City play New England from a sports book in Las Vegas, Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard was blocked to the ground short of New England quarterback Tom Brady.

From the ground he made a desperation dive toward the quarterback, wrapping up his left knee and twisting it as Brady threw a pass.

Pollard wasn’t fined or flagged for the hit. He was finishing a blitz, playing until the whistle and trying desperately to make a play. He shouldn’t have been flagged.

Unfortunately, as Brady’s knee twisted, the ACL and MCL in his knee snapped, costing the star player the rest of his season.

It’s a shame the injury happened. Brady is a great player and the Patriots, despite the solid play of backup Matt Cassel, were a lesser team because of the injury.

But that’s football. Every single player who steps on the field, be it a high school game or the National Football League, is aware of the potential for injury. They are well aware that any play could be the last one they ever play.

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Proposed NFL rule changes don’t fix overarching problem

by | Mar 23, 2009 | Business of Football, NFL Random Thoughts

NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira appeared on the NFL Network Sunday afternoon to discuss several of the rule changes NFL owners are discussing at this week’s meetings.

Among the proposed changes are tweaks or additions that would make illegal formations that allow multiple players to smear one return-team lineman on onside kicks, helmet-to-helmt blindside blocks away from the play, and shots to the head on wide receivers that are defenseless as they jump to catch the ball.

Also under consideration are changes that would fix two major gaffes that occurred in 2008. First, the league is considering allowing possession changes on plays such as the much-maligned call that helped cost San Diego a week two game against Denver when Jay Cutler dropped a ball that was originally rules incomplete but was then acknowledged to be a fumble.

Because whistles had blown, the refs could only award San Diego a nine yard sack instead of the ball, even though it was clear the Chargers would have recovered the ball and likely won the game.

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NFL teams face PSL lawsuit

by | Mar 20, 2009 | Business of Football

I’m not a huge fan of the litigiousness of today’s society in the U.S. But an 83-year-old man in New York has filed a lawsuit that I had hoped to see.

Harold Oshinsky contends that the New York Giants and New York Jets are unilaterally pricing him out of season tickets he owns for both teams’ games at the Meadowlands with the prices for their Personal Seat Licenses at their new stadium

Oshinsky has six Giants seats and four Jets seats, all in the lower level near midfield and between rows 8 and 20, according to the New York Daily News. His 76-page complaint in the U.S. District Court in Newark accuses the teams of violating anti-trust laws and the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.

In the new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2010, his seats fall into the premiere “Coaches Club” section where the seat licenses – which don’t cover the cost of game tiockets but give owners the right to purchase them – are selling for between $20,000 and $26,000, according to the Daily News. NewJersey.com reports that the Giants are charging all fans between $1,000 and $20,000 for a PSL while the Jets are charging fans in the lower level a minimum of $5,000.

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