2014 NFL Bits & Pieces: Stuff That Doesn't Need a Thread

[Boris13c]

the 2 sides of Tony Dungy :

Tony Dungy 'wouldn't have taken' Michael Sam in NFL draft

Tony Dungy releases statement to clarify his comments about Michael Sam

once you have to start the clarification or do-over process, you have pretty much admitted you were an idiot in the first place IMO

[wab]

the 2 sides of Tony Dungy :

Tony Dungy 'wouldn't have taken' Michael Sam in NFL draft

Tony Dungy releases statement to clarify his comments about Michael Sam

once you have to start the clarification or do-over process, you have pretty much admitted you were an idiot in the first place IMO

Dungy's "clarification" is a crock of shit. He's a walking contradiction. Dan Bernstein has a tendency to be a pompus blowhard on occasion but he pretty much hits the nail on the head with every single word in this article: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/07/22/ ... h-himself/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dungy has always been a little high and mighty, but I always respected him for what he accomplished...but that respect is now gone.

[southdakbearfan]

the 2 sides of Tony Dungy :

Tony Dungy 'wouldn't have taken' Michael Sam in NFL draft

Tony Dungy releases statement to clarify his comments about Michael Sam

once you have to start the clarification or do-over process, you have pretty much admitted you were an idiot in the first place IMO

Dungy's "clarification" is a crock of shit. He's a walking contradiction. Dan Bernstein has a tendency to be a pompus blowhard on occasion but he pretty much hits the nail on the head with every single word in this article: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/07/22/ ... h-himself/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dungy has always been a little high and mighty, but I always respected him for what he accomplished...but that respect is now gone.

I would have to give dungy a pass on this one. I think the point he is making is why would you want a 7th round pick that already has a oprah documentary set up, at the time, when you could get another 7th rounder of close to or equal value without the headache. Regardless of the reason for the headache, be it your a moron or whatever, your value to a team has to outweigh your headache and if your a 7th round draft pick that value isn't too high to begin with especially for a team with that much depth at the position.

[wab]

Dungy's "clarification" is a crock of shit. He's a walking contradiction. Dan Bernstein has a tendency to be a pompus blowhard on occasion but he pretty much hits the nail on the head with every single word in this article: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/07/22/ ... h-himself/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dungy has always been a little high and mighty, but I always respected him for what he accomplished...but that respect is now gone.

I would have to give dungy a pass on this one. I think the point he is making is why would you want a 7th round pick that already has a oprah documentary set up, at the time, when you could get another 7th rounder of close to or equal value without the headache. Regardless of the reason for the headache, be it your a moron or whatever, your value to a team has to outweigh your headache and if your a 7th round draft pick that value isn't too high to begin with especially for a team with that much depth at the position.

If that's what he meant then that's what he should have said. He's a god fearing ultra-religious man. You don't have to try and read between the lines to know what he was saying.

[Boris13c]

Veteran wide receiver Sidney Rice has announced his retirement from the NFL.

Renton, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice has retired from the NFL, the team announced today.

“The entire organization would like to thank Sidney for his leadership over the past three seasons,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager John Schneider. “His time as a Seahawks player displayed the core values that Pete and I aimed to bring to the program and Sidney is a true champion. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

“After careful consideration and seven wonderful years playing in the National Football League, including the last three for the Seattle Seahawks, I have decided to retire from playing in the National Football League,” said Rice. “I have enjoyed my experiences with all of my coaches, teammates and passionate Seahawks fans. I take great pride in knowing I was one of the players signed to help build the foundation of the team that ultimately won the Super Bowl. I'll be joining the 12s in support of the Seattle Seahawks as they take on the challenge to repeat. I appreciate all of the wonderful opportunities and look forward to establishing myself as a businessman. I will always be a Seahawk!”

Rice was originally drafted in the second round (44th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and played four seasons in Minnesota with 26 starts in 48 games played. He totaled 146 receptions for 2,129 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Vikings and was voted to the Pro Bowl after the 2009 season, when he recorded career-highs in receptions (83), yards (1,312) and touchdowns (8).

He signed with the Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent on July 29, 2011, and started 31 of 33 games played. Rice started all 16 games for the first time in his career totaling 50 receptions for 748 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012. His 2013 season was cut short after eight games after suffering a knee injury at St. Louis (10/28/13). He recorded 15 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns during Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning season.

http://www.seahawks.com/news/press/arti ... 708840c6e0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon arrested for marijuana possession
Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY Sports 12:15 p.m. EDT July 24, 2014

Justin Blackmon, the Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver under indefinite NFL suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, was arrested Wednesday night in Edmond, Okla., for alleged marijuana possession and a driving violation, according to the Edmond police department.

Blackmon, a first-round draft pick of the Jaguars out of Oklahoma State in 2012, was released on $675 bond, police said.

In November of last year, Blackmon received the indefinite NFL suspension. He had earlier been suspended the first four games of the 2013 season for violation of the substance abuse policy.

Blackmon was a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver while at Oklahoma State and the No. 5 pick by the Jaguars in the 2012 NFL draft.

Police said he was arrested at 6:22 p.m.

more - http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf ... /13091337/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Ray Rice suspended two games by NFL after assault arrest

By Louis Bien @louisbien on Jul 24 2014, 10:20a

Ray Rice will miss the first two games of the 2014 season after earning a suspension from the NFL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Rice was arrested last February after an altercation occurred between him and his then-fiancee, now-wife Janay Rice (nee Palmer) in Atlantic City. Rice was eventually indicted on aggravated assault charges.

The Ravens' first two games are both at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, a pair of AFC North foes. Rice's suspension will formally begin on Aug. 30 and he will be eligible for reinstatement on Sept. 12, according to Schefter. He will also be fined $58,000 in addition to the two-game suspension.

Rice was facing potential jail time. However, because he was a first-time offender he was able to apply, and was accepted, into a pretrial intervention program that allows him to have his charges dropped if he stays out of trouble and undergoes counseling. The mitigated sentence did not keep him out of trouble with the league, though. As expected, the NFL handed Rice a suspension, as it has in the past when players commit first-time offenses of domestic violence.

more - http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/7/24/5 ... ult-ravens" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

hmmmmm ... so, beat up a woman - 2 games ... smoke some weed - indefinite suspension ... granted, in the latest Blackmon case of smoking weed and driving while stupid, he kind of asked to get slammed

And there she is, the woman who Rice knocked out and dragged out of the elevator, accepting culpability for her role in the whole thing. The situation that occurred. All this passive-voice talk, all this misplaced responsibility.

I wasn't at the Revel Casino to know exactly what happened in February, of course, so I don't know if maybe there was an argument that led up to the moment where Rice knocked his wife out in front of security cameras. That's beside the point, of course: what Rice did is impossible to justify, which makes an explanation unnecessary. Still, Rice's wife accepting equal blame for being knocked unconscious and dragged, by Ray Rice, is a pretty terrible attempt at an explanation.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/7/24/5 ... ult-ravens" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

maybe I am just pre-disposed to not favor heavy punishment for weed ... but I see something wrong with these NFL sentencing standards

[Boris13c]

Suspended for Abuse, Then Patted on the Back
Ray Rice's Suspension Is Followed by Praise

JULY 24, 2014

The Baltimore Ravens really are blessed.

Let’s say Ray Rice, the team’s Pro Bowl running back, had tested positive for steroids. Under league rules, he would have faced a minimum four-game suspension. A punishment that severe might have gotten in the way of this fine team of men and their playoff drive.

Instead Rice drove his hand into his then-fiancée’s head, knocking her cold last February in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino. In the National Football League, domestic battery apparently counts as half-a-roid, good for a two-game suspension.

After the N.F.L. handed down its suspension and a fine exceeding $500,000, and after the prosecutors washed their hands of the case (Rice will not be charged with a crime or jailed or fined by the courts, and he will have the record of his arrest expunged), Rice got to hear his putative bosses talk about what a fine, good, upstanding man he is.

Rice married his fiancée, Janay, one day after an Atlantic County grand jury indicted him for assaulting her and causing serious bodily harm.

Pride of place goes to Ravens Coach John Harbaugh, who took the suspension in manly stride. “It’s not a big deal,” he said. “I stand behind Ray. He’s a heck of a guy. He’s done everything right since.”

Then Harbaugh mumbled something about consequences of actions.

Thanks, big guy.

Ozzie Newsome, the team’s general manager, was all about deep feelings for the man who has averaged more than 1,000 yards rushing during his Ravens career. “We also respect the efforts Ray has made to become the best partner and father he can be,” Newsome said. “That night was not typical of the Ray Rice we know and respect.”

Here comes Commissioner Roger Goodell. The tousle-haired commissioner is a football lifer, having spent his career inside the N.F.L., which is another way of saying he knows from psychotic behavior. He has dealt with large men and their brandished pistols, their assault rifles, their beat-downs, their accidental shootings and their many and varied misbehaviors. A few years ago, he dealt with Ben Roethlisberger, the star quarterback and toast of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was accused of what sounded a bit like rape in a bar. Goodell suspended him four entire games.

Vacations are hard to come by for Goodell. Last season the commissioner had a real headache. Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots’ Pro Bowl tight end, stood accused of shooting bullets into the chest, stomach and head of three people, all of whom are dead. The Patriots quickly released Hernandez for, among other malefactions, conduct detrimental to the N.F.L. Technically, Hernandez remains a free agent, but that’s a word drained of some meaning, as he’s being held in jail without bail.

On and on it goes.

Goodell, in a letter to Rice that was released by the league, tried to clamber onto the closest approximation of high ground. “The league is an entity that depends on integrity and in the confidence of the public, and we simply cannot tolerate conduct that endangers others or reflects negatively on our game,” he wrote. “This is particularly true with respect to domestic violence.”

Then, big softy that he is, the commissioner went misty-eyed.

“I believe that you are sincere in your desire to learn from this matter,” he wrote to Rice, “and move forward toward a healthy relationship and successful career.”

Then there’s Rice himself, who also released a statement that said: “It is disappointing that I will not be with my teammates for the first two games of the season, but that’s my fault. As I said earlier, I failed in many ways. But, Janay and I have learned from this.”

Janay’s lessons would appear to be somewhat different, and perhaps go to strategy. As in: Don’t get on an elevator with her 5-foot-8, 206-pound husband when he is angry.

more - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/sport ... .html?_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Report: WR Andre Johnson reports to Texans training camp
By Josh Katzowitz | NFL Writer
July 25, 2014 8:28 am ET

Texans receiver Andre Johnson has spent the offseason away from his team, because, at the advanced age of 33, he said he wanted to play again for a contender before he retires.

But because it would have cost Houston so much dead money to trade him and because Johnson still has the potential to be one of the best receivers in the game, the Texans have declined to do so.

And as such, Johnson on Friday morning reported to Texans training camp, according to multiple reports.

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[Boris13c]

Will Hill, former Giants safety, signs with Baltimore Ravens
By Conor Orr | The Star-Ledger
on July 25, 2014 at 10:32 AM, updated July 25, 2014 at 10:45 AM

EAST RUTHERFORD — Will Hill is back.

The former Giants safety and Jersey native, who failed three separate drug tests over three seasons in New Jersey, has signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

Hill, who was cut by the Giants in May, will not be eligible for reinstatement until mid-October. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome told reporters in Baltimore that he hopes Hill can provide some mid-season safety depth.

We figured that another team would take a chance on Hill, and leave it to the Ravens to do so. Baltimore has already had an interesting offseason off-the-field and adding Hill continues an interesting trend.

Hill, according to a few people close to him, kept training following his release from the Giants but never reported to the Arena Football League after his contract was activated by the Arizona Rattlers.

His plan was to wait for an opportunity like this.

more - http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014 ... avens.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Originally published July 24, 2014 at 6:40 PM | Page modified July 25, 2014 at 6:47 AM
Marshawn Lynch expected to hold out of Seahawks training camp
By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter

This time, Marshawn Lynch apparently means it.

Lynch, who threatened to hold out during Seattle’s minicamp in June but then showed up anyway, is expected to be absent when the Seahawks begin training camp Friday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.

The news was revealed by former Seahawk fullback Michael Robinson, one of Lynch’s closest friends who is now retired and working for the NFL Network.

Robinson said on the air that Lynch had just called him and told him that “he will be holding out from training camp this year with the Seahawks.”

Now, as then, the issue is his contract.

Lynch has two years remaining on a four-year deal worth up to $31 million he signed in 2012. He is due a base salary of $5 million this year and a $500,000 roster bonus, and a prorated signing bonus of $1.5 million. Next season he is due to earn $5.5 million in base salary with a $2 million roster bonus and a prorated signing bonus of $1.5 million.

There is much speculation, though, that the team will cut Lynch before next season.

He turned 28 in April, an age when many running backs begin to see a decline, and Seattle has prepared for a future without him, grooming 2013 second-round pick Christine Michael to take over at tailback, with third-year player Robert Turbin also in the mix.

One of Lynch’s main goals in holding out is apparently to get more money up front in case he is released after this season.

more - http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2 ... 25xml.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks hired as NFL appeals officer
by SI Wire
Posted: Fri Jul. 25, 2014

The NFL and the NFL Players Association hired Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks as an appeals officer for on-the-field discipline, the league announced Friday.

Brooks, who played 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped lead the team to their only Super Bowl victory, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 2.

He replaces former NFL lineman Matt Birk, who is now the league's director of football development. Brooks will join former NFL player and coach Ted Cottrell as the appeals officers this season.

Since 2011, Brooks has served as president of the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League.

more - http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/07/25/derric ... ls-officer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

NY Jets rookie Calvin Pryor out with concussion
Ryan said Pryor may or may not be held out of meetings. That could be especially important because he is a rookie trying to learn a new defense.
BY Seth Walder , Manish Mehta
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, July 27, 2014, 11:25 PM

CORTLAND — The collision Calvin Pryor experienced in Saturday’s practice did result in a concussion, Rex Ryan said Sunday. Pryor was hurt in a special teams drill, though the injury actually came blocking on a kick return rather than as the punt protector as Ryan originally thought.

“Pryor now will go through the protocol, so it is a concussion,” Ryan said. “Apparently it was on a kick when we were doing a kick return drill and he was blocking and the returner kind of got knocked into him and kind of just hit him right. It’s one of those things. One of those heavyweights hit you in the chin, the lights go out, I guess.”

Ryan said Pryor may or may not be held out of meetings. That could be especially important because he is a rookie trying to learn a new defense.

more - http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/footb ... -1.1882237" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Vikings sign TE Kyle Rudolph to five-year, $36.5 million extension
By John Breech | CBSSports.com
July 28, 2014 12:12 am ET

Kyle Rudolph said in December that he wanted to be a "Minnesota Viking for life." On Sunday night, the tight end took one step closer to making that happen. The Vikings announced that Rudolph has signed a five-year extension with the team.

.@KyleRudolph82 making it official! pic.twitter.com/2CIqZA54ss
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 28, 2014

According to FoxSports.com, the five-year deal will pay Rudolph $36.5 million. ProFootballTalk added that the deal basically includes $19.456 million in guaranteed money.

The 24-year-old will get a signing bonus of $6.5 million, along with a base salary of $956,343 in 2014. The rest of guarantee comes in the form a $12 million injury-only guarantee which Rudolph will get if he's on the Vikings roster on the third day of the league year.

Rudolph can also earn another $3.5 million in bonuses, which could potentially bring the total value of the contract to $40 million.

more - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foo ... -extension" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Chargers throw water on idea of NFL-owned stadium in L.A.
Posted by Mike Florio on July 27, 2014, 2:33 PM EDT

If the Chargers stay in San Diego, the last thing they want is one or two teams headquartered 90 miles up the road in L.A. It’s no surprise, then, that the Chargers don’t believe the NFL would ever solve the generation-old L.A. stadium problem by building its own.

“It’s pie in the sky,” Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani told Nick Canepa of U-T San Diego.

It’s also nothing new, according to team president Dean Spanos.

“It’s an idea that has been floated before,” Spanos said. “There’s nothing new to it. For the past 20 years we’ve been hearing about it.”

Regardless of who builds and owns the stadium, the Chargers clearly aren’t interested in encouraging the arrival of franchises that will compete for the same eyeballs and $100 bills.

“[T]he league has been successful without a team there and so has L.A.,” Spanos said. “There are a lot of issues. And you have to sell 24 of the 32 owners that it’s a good investment. It’s a ways down the line, and I’m not sure it has the votes.”

In contrast, Patriots owner Robert Kraft recently said he wants to see a team return to Los Angeles within two or three years. For now, we’ll take the over. And if Spanos has his way, the over will be never.

Unless, of course, the Chargers are the team that moves to L.A.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... um-in-l-a/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

NFL extra point experiment begins at the Hall of Fame Game
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 31, 2014, 6:13 AM EDT

Extra points will be a little bit harder at the start of the preseason, as the NFL is experimenting with moving the spot of the ball back for point after attempts.

Starting with Sunday night’s Hall of Fame Game and through the second week of the preseason, teams will line up at the 15-yard line when kicking extra points. (Two-point conversion attempts will remain at the 2-yard line, and extra points will move back to the 2 for the third week of the preseason and throughout the regular season.)

The NFL decided to try that after a groundswell during last season to do something — anything — to make extra points more interesting. Right now, NFL kickers make more than 99 percent of extra point attempts, making the extra point the most boring play in football. NFL owners voted down a proposal to move extra points back to the 25-yard line, but they agreed to experiment with moving them to the 15 in the preseason and reconsider the idea next offseason.

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[Boris13c]

NFL will roll out new player-tracking system for real-time on-field stats
By Jay Busbee 3 hours ago Shutdown Corner

Seattle's Richard Sherman has long maintained that he's a better cornerback than Arizona's Patrick Peterson and a more dominant player than San Francisco's Michael Crabtree. Now, at last, he may have hard numbers to back him up.

The NFL is rolling out the initial phase of a tracking system that will allow fans to view a wide range of statistics about their favorite players, including speed, routing, distance traveled, and separation. As reported by USA Today, each player will wear two small sensors under the shoulder pads, and the sensors will track the players' movements throughout the game. (And ONLY the game, which should bring a sigh of relief to quite a few players.)

Zebra Technologies, which has implemented similar technologies in other industries, will roll out the system in 17 stadiums. Those include: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, New England, New Orleans, Oakland, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington. (The players signed off on the use of the technology in the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.)

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[Boris13c]

As Ray Rice controversy rages on, even some within NFL believe league erred with punishment
By Mark Maske July 30 at 9:40 PM

The NFL’s decision to suspend Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games for a domestic violence incident involving his now-wife has focused sharp criticism on the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell for a penalty that many considered too lenient.

While the league has defended its action and there is a measure of support for it within the NFL, particularly inside the Ravens organization, some of those in and around the sport say the public outcry over the issue is understandable and meaningful.

Opinion was divided among high-ranking officials from several NFL teams contacted this week, although it was mostly weighted toward questioning the penalty. One said he initially thought the punishment was too light but came to believe there is a measure of validity to the league’s stance that Rice was a first-time offender and the NFL had done far more to punish Rice, with a penalty that will cost him more than $500,000, than the criminal justice system did.

But several others said they believe the suspension should have been longer and the league, in their view, underestimated the public reaction its penalty would generate.

“They miscalculated that,” said an executive with one team who, like the others, spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the intensity of the controversy surrounding the decision and the fact that Rice plays for another franchise. “They could not have expected this level of reaction. To me, this was mishandled. More needed to be done and a stronger message needed to be sent.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spor ... unishment/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Bob McNair responds to Raiders-San Antonio meeting

By Marc Sessler
Around the League Writer
Published: July 30, 2014 at 12:33 p.m.
Updated: July 31, 2014 at 09:42 a.m.

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair says he wouldn't shoot down the idea of an NFL team moving to San Antonio. He didn't exactly back it, either.

One day after Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis acknowledged that he met with San Antonio city officials, McNair urged patience, per the Houston Chronicle.

"We'll have to see what those options are as this plays out, but they do need a new stadium," said the Texans owner.

"If San Antonio ends up being the best option, I wouldn't oppose it just because it's San Antonio. The finance committee would have to approve a move, and I'm chairman of the finance committee."

It's another reminder of what NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the San Antonio Express-News on Tuesday, saying that the league has "received no applications from any of our teams to relocate at this point, so there is nothing for us to respond to."

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones heard of the Davis meeting Tuesday and thought people were "joking with me," noting that San Antonio, in his estimation, is "97, 98, 99 percent Cowboys fans."

McNair, meanwhile, claimed that if San Antonio had a team, "half the fans (in the stands) would be ours," per ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli.

Three still sounds like a crowd down in Texas.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200000 ... io-meeting" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

NFL teams will use tablets on the sidelines for the first time Sunday
By: Nick Schwartz 21 hours ago

The NFL preseason kicks off Sunday night with the Hall of Fame game in Canton, and coaches will be using new gadgets on the sidelines for the first time. Thanks to a partnership with Microsoft, the NFL will provide teams with a number of Microsoft Surface tablets that can transmit still photos from the top of the stadium to the sideline, eliminating the need for the usual printed photos and notebooks.

According to the AP, the tablets will be locked in a temperature-controlled cart when not in use and operate on a secure network so no one can hack in and intercept the images. Coaches and players will be able to draw on the tablet, which means that the next generation of broadcasters should be significantly better at telestrating.

more - http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/nfl-coa ... -fame-game" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Otis Day]

Technology. Shit just keeps getting more advanced. I try to resist the shit as much as possible.

That HOF game was a snooze fest. I decided to watch the 2013 Alabama v Auburn replay to get my football fix.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

HOF?

You must be talking about last night's Hall of Strahan game...

[wab]

It won't be too long until they start putting sensors in the ends of the ball and at the yard markers/goal line.

[Boris13c]

NFL kicks off NFL Now video service
Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY 9:44 a.m. EDT August 7, 2014

NEW YORK—With the start of a new NFL season about a month away, the National Football League is set to launch NFL Now on Wednesday, a personalized on-demand video service aimed at diehard fans. The league says the service will provide access to the largest digital library of NFL video content that you can get anywhere.

At launch, fans will be able to check out NFL Now through Android, iOS and Windows powered mobile devices, as well as Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, Fire TV, plus Xbox and Roku boxes. The NFL also has a distribution deal with Yahoo, and you can always visit NFL.com/now from the browser on your computer.

Apple TV is expected to be added soon. Presently, there are no plans to add Sony PlayStation.

NFL Now will let you tap into localized content produced by all 32 NFL clubs, including practice updates and locker room interviews. So a displaced fan of the Cleveland Browns living, say, in Texas, can keep up with his or her favorite team.

The service will also let you track any number of individual players, perhaps those on your fantasy team roster. You can designate as many teams and players as you want to follow when you first fire up the service.

Live events and press conferences will be available too, as well as 6300 minutes of original NFL Now content per week that is churned out by the league. But there will be no live play-by-play coverage, or access to NFL Sunday Ticket, or the NFL RedZone service that whips around from game to game when a team is threatening to score.

more - http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/colu ... /13679415/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

David Wilson says emotional goodbye to NY Giants, NFL
The joy of playing was officially taken away from Wilson on Monday when doctors told him his neck condition made it too dangerous for him to continue his career and that they wouldn’t clear him to return to football.
BY Ralph Vacchiano
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 4:30 PM

An emotional David Wilson officially said goodbye to his NFL career on Wednesday, but not without sending a final message to the teammates he’s left behind. He told them to “be great” every day and every moment, because as he just learned, the end is always just one play away.

“And every time I watch a Giants game or a football game and see people play that I actually had a chance to meet, I want to see them try to be great. Because it can be taken away,” the 23-year-old Wilson said. “So when they go on the field I want to see them, every Sunday or Thursday or Monday, I want to see them guys be great, see them push themselves.

“That’s where my joy will come from.”

The joy of playing was taken away from Wilson on Monday when doctors told him his neck condition made it too dangerous for him to continue his career and that they wouldn’t clear him to return to football. Wilson said he had been aware that was a possibility ever since he suffered a neck burner in practice last week, just one week into his attempted comeback from neck surgery.

And the Giants’ 2012 first-round pick insisted he’s at peace with that decision. He insisted he was truly happy as he paused one last time to reflect on his all-to-brief career with the Giants.

more - http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/footb ... -1.1894335" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Former NFL QB Scott Mitchell Joining 'The Biggest Loser' After Weight Gain
By Tristan Thornburgh , Social Media Staff
Aug 6, 2014

Former quarterback Scott Mitchell played in the NFL from 1990-2001 with a listed weight of 240 pounds. He'll now head to NBC's "The Biggest Loser" to attempt to drop down from his current weight of 366 pounds.

Mitchell now suffers from sleep apnea and has high blood pressure. He says his biggest motivation is to be able to provide as a father for his children ages 11 to 21 after seeing his father pass away from obesity-related issues.

Mitchell will be joined this season by fellow former NFLer Damian Woody, who now weighs 388 pounds. Season 16 premieres on September 11 on NBC.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2154 ... eight-gain" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RING4CHI]

Izzy signs with the G-Men.

Adam Caplan @caplannfl
Veteran DE Israel Idonije's 1-year deal w/NYG is worth $955 K, plus he earns $25 K more if he makes the 53-man roster to start the season.

[Boris13c]

NFL renews push for a new Bills stadium
Goodell promotes idea during talk with Cuomo
Monday, August 11, 2014

The NFL is stepping up its push for a new stadium in Western New York to host the Buffalo Bills, which league officials say is necessary to provide fans a better experience and to give the team and the league a shot of new revenue.

The latest push comes from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. In a conversation last week with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and in other recent talks with Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Goodell reiterated his contention that the NFL would like to see the Bills remain in Buffalo.

But a new stadium must be part of the mix, Goodell told them.

While little else is known about Goodell’s comments to the two politicians, NFL officials say Ralph Wilson Stadium – even after the $130 million in renovations being completed this year – will not measure up to the fan amenities offered by new NFL stadiums or even fully renovated ones such as those in Kansas City, Mo., and Green Bay, Wis.

Goodell promoted the idea of a new Buffalo stadium again last week in a private phone call with Cuomo, according to a source with knowledge of the Bills who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation surrounding the sale of the team.

The conversation came a day after The Buffalo News printed a letter from musician Jon Bon Jovi, who fronts a Toronto group that has put in a bid to buy the Bills from the estate of their late founder, Ralph C. Wilson Jr.

more - http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills ... m-20140811" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Boris13c]

Silence by Cowboys, NFL on Stephen Jones' night out with VP of officiating doesn't look good
DAVID MOORE Staff Writer
Published: 08 August 2014 10:08 PM
Updated: 08 August 2014 10:28 PM

OXNARD, Calif. — All Stephen Jones wanted was to get away from training camp for a few hours and enjoy what Los Angeles has to offer. It made sense to make the 62-mile trip on the Cowboys bus.

By now, the team’s executive vice president knows what it feels like to be thrown under the bus.

Jones isn’t the first person to create a stir on the Sunset Strip. He won’t be the last. But this excursion to a nightclub named Bootsy Bellows became a made-for-TMZ event with unexpected ramifications.

The sight of Stephen Jones, his brother Jerry Jr. and others stepping off and back aboard the bus to soak in Hollywood is preserved for posterity.

These images will elicit different responses from different people. But there’s another image that creates an issue for the NFL.

One of the travel companions with Jones on Tuesday evening was Dean Blandino, the NFL vice president of officiating.

Let’s get this out of the way right now. Don’t believe cries from unnamed club officials around the NFL who allege this somehow gives the Cowboys a competitive advantage or indicates favoritism. Part of Blandino’s job is to develop relationships with owners, club officials, coaches and members of the influential competition committee.

Did we mention that Stephen Jones is on the competition committee?

This is where it gets sticky. Jones and Blandino are respected throughout the league. No one has come close to suggesting the professional ethics of either should be called into question.

But the appearance of impropriety doesn’t require impropriety to take place. This doesn’t play well in the public arena, and the Cowboys’ competitors are only too happy to snipe from the weeds and raise doubts.

Appearances matter. If not, why does the NFL penalize players for dunking the ball over the goal posts after a touchdown? How can a league that fines players for minor uniform infractions ignore this boys night out among two people in a position of influence?

Hypocrisy is another behavior that doesn’t play well in the public arena.

NFL officials have chosen not to comment but indicate no one has lodged a complaint over the episode. Jones has also declined to comment at this time.

more - http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas ... k-good.ece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;