Minor League Football: Is it a good idea?

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We all see the farm league teams in the MLB and the NHL.  We see the draw, how the teams don't get stacked (with the exception of the Hershey Bears), and how they games are always entertaining and competitive for a cheaper price than professional games.  Is it time that the NFL joins this group?  With the closing of NFL Europa, the NFL does not have an official minor league system, and the organizations suffer.  With a minor league system, the rookie salary restrictions that the owners are trying to negotiate as we face a possible lockout, would be a necessity, and the players would get far more playing time.  With so many advantages, I see no driving reason to keep this from happening.  The introduction of minor league football directly affiliated with each NFL team would be beneficial to all phases of the league: the managemers, the players, and, the most important, the fans.

I propose a system closely similar to the NHL's.  If we limit the professional roster to 32 players, we will see an increased competition for play time in the NFL, and create more of a competition for a spot on the roster.  With 32 players, each team would have two full sides of the ball, kicker and punter, and 6 players on the bench.  With the increased strategy involved in player management, the pressure to perform would increase greatly, limiting the spread air attack that we see in New England and New Orleans to a strategic few possible receivers, and the extensive linebacking corps we see in Boston and Pittsburgh to a select few dominant players.  With an increased appeal to the fan base in the excitement of the game and the appeal of minor league games, the income will come in waves.

NFL Europa has been called a mistake by many people.  Most fans believe that the NFL should never have attempted to move to Europe.  In its essence however, most fans I have talked to believe that the system was good for young prospects and unkown players to exhibit their ability.  The problem was, however, that with the huge 45 player rosters in the NFL, even the high risk, high reward players are signed to multi-million dollar salaries to sit on the bench.  They rarely get any real playing time in game situations, and as such, their potential and ability cannot be truly evaluated.  Even in its limited time to develop, NFL Europa and other semi-pro leagues have produced successful players in the past, including the NFL great Kurt Warner, who won two Super Bowls with two different teams.  Warner would never have been given the chance without his time and exposure on the Iowa Barn Stormers in the AFL.

Why this concept hasn't been discussed in greater detail among the NFL elite, I cannot say.  With the possible lockout between the NFLPA and the owners of the NFL, neither side wants to give in.  However, with my proposal, both sides can benefit.  The owners would not have to increase the length of the season to increase their cash flow if they have more income from their minor league affiliates.  They would also get their restrictions on rookie contracts with the introduction of the NHL's "2 Way" contracts.  This is a system that limits the draft picks' salaries to $900K, and can be sent up and back down both ways without being put on the waiver wire.  It would end up basing team play back to the original dynamic of player chemistry rather than free agent buy outs and stacked teams.  Now, players might not necessarily like the changes right away (many of the stars would hate losing their big paychecks and their garunteed spots), but the benchwarmers and the players of the future will drive for the changes to get more playing time and greater chances to shine.

The Parody Season

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Let me first start off with my apologies for the lack of updates.  It has just been that time of year, but I will be coming back.  Now, this NFL season has been a washout in my opinion.  Teams that traditionally do very well have done poorly, and teams that are normally awful are at the tops of their divisions.  None of the teams that were tagged as the "break out chic picks" have all disappointed.  There have been more breakout performances and more disappointments than in seasons passed, and it leaves the fans either up in arms, or celebrating.

The Tampa Bay Buccanneers and Kansas City Chiefs have consistently had top draft picks in the last five years, but all find themselves on the right side of .500 heading into week 17 of the 2010-11 season surpassing all expectations.  The St. Louis Rams may also be on their way to a playoff birth for the first time since the 2004-05 season with rookie quarterback Sam Bradford at the helm.  On the otherside of this surprise, the Dallas Cowboys and Minneasota Vikings, the top two picks for the NFC Championship, are at the bottom of their respective divisions and are on their way to top 10 draft picks for the first time in a while.  The season has really been up in the air almost the entire season, and it seems like a bizzaro-world football season to most fans.

At the beginning of the season, there were a few teams that were top picks to be the dark horses this season that have almost completely disappointed.  The San Francisco 49ers were the talk of the nation at the beginning of the year, and are now at a lowly 5-10 and have fired their Head Coach before the end of the regular season.  The New York Jets, said to be the top contender in the AFC at the start of the season are extremely lucky to have their playoff birth, and are a team that should not have won even half of their games, but for some reason the gods of Canton have allowed them to win.  Quarterback Mark Sanchez was supposed to have his breakout season with them, yet has not been able to throw for 20 touchdowns, nor less than 10 interceptions.  The unpredictability of these teams have, however, improved the NFL's image of an "Anything Can Happen" league, and will draw a lot more interest from outsiders.

Now, when it comes to individual players, the flip-flopping continues.  Rookie cornerback Devin McCourtey, despite his relatively high drafting, had 6 interceptions in his entire career at Rutgers.  This season, the rookie (on a defense that no one believed would be successful against the pass at all) is tied for 2nd in the NFL in interceptions with 6 picks in his first season in the NFL, still with a chance to beat his career best with a game left in the season.  Veteran Jason Babin on the Tennessee Titans has racked up a NFL 3rd best 12.5 sacks, more than his past 4 seasons combined.  However, on the flipside again, Titans runningback Chris Johnson, after a record breaking season last year with roughly 2 500 total yards has rushed for a mere 1 325 yards this season.  This season, defending Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees has thrown a career high 21 interceptions as the Saints have just secured a playoff birth with a week left in the season.

There have been so many names left out of this article (including: Brandon Lloyd, Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, Matt Cassel, etc.) but still add to the parody of the season.  The first 4 weeks of the season really emulated the rest of it.  The Chiefs were the only 4-0 team this season, and all the chic picks were at the bottoms of their conferences with no excuses.  The unpredictability of the season has really been the essence of what the NFL used to be: just like the football's shape, you could never quite figure where the momentum would shift next in a game.  I for one, am glad to see that the NFL is getting back to its roots as an everyman's league instead of the elitist league with only the top echelon groups getting the wins.

Wait...the AFC West?

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What is it that makes everyone simply dismiss the AFC West?  It hosts three of the NFL's most prolific offfenses, and has some of the top end talent in the league.  The San Diego Chargers, despite a mere 6-6 record, are one of the most productive teams statistically, but they can't seem to get the better of their opponents.  The Kansas City Chiefs are still the but of a lot of jokes, even though they have posted an AFC West best 8-4 record and the top rushing attack in the league.  The Oakland Raiders, yeah, I said it, the Oakland Raiders are putting up good numbers and have shown they can win games.  So, why can't they get any love?

The San Diego Chargers are averaging 397.4 yards per game.  That's just under 400 yards.  Per game.  With the game on the line, the 'Bolts let quarterback Philip Rivers throw the ball, and he nets them 303.3 yards per game.  A 300 yard game from any quarterback is a pretty solid showing, and Rivers is throwing that on average.  That's all their offense.  Their defense has given up the least yards in the whole league, holding opponents to 281.5 yards per game.  That's less than Rivers's passing average, and it's a combined stat.  Why can't they get any love?  Despite their impressive statistics, the Chargers have a turnover differential of -5.  That means they turn the ball over far too much for them to possibly win games.

The Kansas City Chiefs are another underrated team, however, they can win.  With an AFC West best 8-4 record, the Chiefs are in an unusual position, poised to make the playoffs for the first time since Trent Green was their quarterback in 2006, and were promptly defeated by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the playoffs.  The difference this season is the two-headed monster of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, not to mention an actually effective passing game.  With the top rushing attack in the NFL, the Chiefs are poised to make a run into the playoffs, and I think they can go deep.  Why can't they get any love?  It beats me.  Matt Cassel is playing like the franchsie quarterback he can be, and Dwayne Bowe is dominating in a tough AFC West who holds 4 of the most elite AFC cornerbacks. 

Now we come to the Oakland Raiders.  The Black Hole finally seems to be making a resurgence, and despite the fact that they are at a mediocre 6-6, the Raiders have shown flashes of brilliance that, if the planets all align, could allow them to slide into an AFC Wild Card spot.  Where the Chargers have dominated, the Raiders have slipped, but second-chance quarterback Jason Campbell has been able to win their games with the help of the 2nd ranked rushing attack, just behind the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Raiders are a surprising 4-0 in divisional play, and have proven that they are for real this season.  Their "second-chancers" have been proven to comeback and put up big numbers, including free safety Michael Huff and outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley who have led the intimidating defense to shut down their opponents.  So why can't they get any love?  The Raiders can't seem to win outside of the division.  They also can't seem to put up huge numbers outside of the ground game, and just don't manhandle their opponents.

With three of the most competitive teams in the AFC, the West is one of the most deceiving divisions in the league.  Despite the mediocre records, if you look beneath the crust, the San Diego Chargers are one of the best teams in the league (statistically of course).  The Chiefs, despite their impressive 8-4 record have been left out of the group of elite teams, and the Raiders have been a turn around team and are undefeated in division play, but have also been  left out of the talks of wild card teams.  The AFC West is one of the most competitive divisions in the league despite their lack of attention in the media as a top echelon group.

James Harrison and Illegal Hits: Does NFL really stand for the No Fun League?



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We've all heard it.  All the rule changes and the new equipment protecting offensive players has gotten the NFL nicknamed "the No Fun League."  Are all these rules really ruining the game, or are they seriously taking care of its players?  You can take care of offensive players as far as injuries go, but how do you protect them, and the defensive players who are trying to win the game?  James Harrison isn't the first to be fined for an overly aggressive hit, but he is one of the few who get the publicity for it.  Should we be promoting such conduct by the NFL?

Now, don't get me wrong, I love seeing those bone crushing hits.  My favorite teams are the ones who have their highlight reals dominated by huge hits put on by their intimidating defense.  The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens are perfect examples of this.  However, there comes a time when the NFL has to come up with rules to keep its players safe.  However, most of these rule changes are coming from teams' front offices who are paying quarterbacks millions of dollars to be the faces of their franchise, only to get injured on a bone crushing hit by a linebacker like James Harrison.  Now with the rules on a defenseless receiver, there is such a grey area between when a reciever is catching a ball, and when he has just gotten posession of it and is heading up field, that a split second's hesitation can lose you the ball game.

With all the rules concerning the protection of receivers from hits, it comes to the question of judgement calls, which are often contiminated by views of how hard the hit was.  James Harrison's hit on Mohammad Massaqoui, in my personal opinion, was clean as Massaqoui was heading up field and had already touched the ball.  If Harrison had waited a split second, Massaquoi could have made a move and headed straight up field on the Steelers.  The question of what's fair or isn't is a call that shouldn't be made by a ref at the time because he saw a hard hit.  The NHL has a call to Toronto made everytime there is a questionable call.  this is such a great system because it allows for not only a review, but a discussion of it by those who created the rules. 

James Harrison has been specifically targeted by the NFL.  Many fans have been noticing it, and even linebacker Terrell Suggs, who plays on a rival team to the Steelers, has spoken out against it.  If you google "James Harrison hit," you will see links to at least three different fines that have been put on him for hits on quarterbacks and receivers.  Yes, Harrison is known to put enormous hits on players and has had some dirty plays, but there comes a point where you just have to let the players play.  When every game a player plays in a flag is thrown for any sort of unnecessary roughness, something is wrong with the refereeing.  Penalties are there to keep the sportsmanship of a game intact, and when you start picking on one player, you erase what you started to prevent.

Now I know a lot of people with disagree with me, and say that every player's welfare is more important than a game, but each individual player agreed to and understood all of the consequences of playing in the NFL, including bone crushing hits by a defensive enforcer like James Harrison.  It's a tough call, and I would hate to ever have to make it, but you can't single one player out like the league has done to Harrison.  Once you start doing that, you really have become the No Fun League.

Thanksgiving Day Games: Is it time for a change?

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Thanksgiving and football go together like gravy and mashed potatoes.  For my part, I watch football with my family before and after, sometimes even during, the games that have become such a large part of the tradition.  Now, it is no question that a lot of fans have been calling for different options of teams in the famed Turkey Bowl Games, but the NFL has not budged on the tradition, outside of the night games that's been added.  The question is, should the NFL Network change the teams for the Turkey Bowl?  Haven't the Lions and the Cowboys become synonymous with Thanksgiving?

Every Thanksgiving, my family will play our game of flag football that ends in tears, and then we sit down to watch the Lions, and then after we're done with our first feast, we sit down and watch the 'Boys.  Who can forget the Dallas-Denver game five years ago, with two of the top teams in the NFL matching blows, only to take us all the way to overtime.  Ron Dayne's 98 yards on 3 carries and a touchdown helping Denver beat Bill Parcels's Dallas Cowboys in Dallas.  It's games like those that make not just football great, but the Thanksgiving Days' games.

Now, yes, the teams' reputations have not been quite as incredible in recent seasons.  This year, we had the 2-8 Detroit Lions taking on the powerhouse of the AFC New England Patriots, and the 3-7 Dallas Cowboys taking on the defending Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints.  Despite the closeness of the games (well, the closeness of the first half of the Lions game) , both of the favorites came out with the wins away.  Even in the added night game, Cincinnati and New York Jets, was dominated by the heavily favored Jets, and made it very hard not to turn off the tv.  In the end though, the games are still part of the tradition.

Although the Lions and the Cowboys have been dominant teams in the past, their play has clearly taken a turn for the worse in the last couple seasons.  In the last ten years, only two games in the last five years on Thanksgiving has been decided by less than 10 points, making for a lot of white noise in the background, rather than a true game of professional tackle football.  On the otherhand, what is the real alternative to this?  If the NFL tries to change the teams to make a better game, who's to say it will actually turn out to be a good game?  At the start of this season, the New York-Cincy game was all set to be an AFC Championship preview, only to turn out to be a disaster for the Bengals.  So, what should the NFL do that it isn't doing already?

Unfortunately, Roger Gooddell doesn't have a crystal ball that tells him which games are the best ones to schedule.  If the fans are unhappy with the games and want a change, they need to come up with a solution and give it to the league.  There is simply no way to tell what will be the best choice of teams to match-up.  Even if the league were to change the Detroit game to be a different team, there is no guaruntee that it will still be a good game.  Plus, Detroit is a team that will be a contender for the top spot in the NFC North any season now, and changing the schedule will take away for of the televised exposure of one of the competitors in the NFL's most black-and-blue division.

The Model Franchise: The Philadelphia Eagles

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Let me just say up front, no, I am not a Philadelphia Eagles fan.  I do like some of the players on the team, but I am naming them the model franchise for reasons outside of their abilities and their perennial appearances in the playoffs.  I am not naming them the model franchise because of their consistent ability drafting players.  I am naming them the model franchise because of their front office, and the franchise as a whole.

The eagles are a team that, despite every other team's moral reservations, took a chance on giving one of the most electrifying players in NFL history a second chance, and have been greatly rewarded.  Ever since his signing, Michael Vick has been almost completely absent from the media, outside of his extaordinary production.  Vick has thrown for over 1,300 yards and 11 TDs, and is still without a single interception all season.  He is now the front runner to win the coveted NFL MVP award, and is regaining his high standing with the NFL.  Without owner Jeffrey Lurie taking the chance, the Eagles would be in a completely different place.

The Eagles have not only been able to obtain players with the pure talent that Vick has, but they have been able to win and retain that talent for years.  Since 2000, the Eagles have only missed the playoffs once, and have been 1st in the NFC East for 5 of the last 10 seasons, three times in 2nd, and only once in 4th in 2007.  The repeated presence in the playoffs in the last 10 years, however, has only netted them one super bowl appearance, which they lost to the New England Patriots in.  Despite their lack of championships, their consitency in the post season has made them one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

In the off-season, the Eagles are even more dominant than they are in during the season.  In the past 10 years, Philly has drafted 9 Pro Bowlers, and has one of the most talented group of youngsters in the league.  Two wide receivers drafted in the last two years have each passed the 750 yard mark in a season, and have combined for 23 touchdowns in 3 seasons, including the current season only 9 games in.  Even without former veteran team captain Donnovan McNabb (traded to the Redskins), the Eagles are 3rd in total offense and rushing, and 9th in passing.

Now, the Philadelphia Eagles have just announced a project to make Lincoln Financial Field self-sufficient, and independant from the power grid.  The plan calls for 80 wind turbines, 2,500 solar panels, and a 7.6 Megawatt cogenerator.  The eco-friendly direction the franchise is taking will no doubt drastically increase its exposure in the media, and gain economic and political support because of the consciencious ownership.  With enough power to generate for itself, the stadium will also be able to sell power back to the grid for an additional source of revenue. 

The dominating presence of the Eagles on and off the field keeps them in my mind the greatest organization in the NFL to date, and solidifies them as the model franchise.

The Detroit Lions: Will the Bags finally come off?

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The Detroit Lions have been the joke of the NFL for the past couple years.  Even when they had a top ranked passing attack, they never were able to make the playoffs.  Now with Jim Schwartz and a solidified defense, the Lions have enough talent to make a run at the playoffs in the next year or two.  The young star-studded offense is another dimension that can help provide a solid attack to help the Lions become part of the NFL elite.  With a solid core of young talent, the Lions will look to make a name for themselves sooner rather than later.

The last time the Detroit Lions were able to break the .500 mark was in the 2000-01 season when quarterback Charlie Batch led them to a 9-7 season, just missing a playoff birth.  The following years were a disaster.  When offensive coordinator Mike Martz was hired, and the Lions had a top 3 passing attack, the Lions still couldn't make it to 8-8.  In 2008, the Lions became only the team in NFL history to go 0-16, the first winless season since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0-14 in 1974.

However bleak the outlook may seem, the Lions have more going for them in the coming years than meets the eye.  Head coach Jim Schwartz has assembled a defense that he can win with, bringing in veteran Kyle Vanden Bosch and rookie sensation Ndamukong Suh.  Playing in front of Julian Peterson and Ernie Sims, the front four is the biggest key to a Jim Schwartz defense, and will present serious problems for the NFC offensive attack.

On offense, the Lions have one of the most promising groups of talent lined up.  Quarterback Matt Stafford will return after glimpses of excellence in his rookie season made him a household name (e.g. week 11 vs Cleveland).  Joining him, rookie Jahvid Best will look to add a new dimension to the offense with his elite speed and vision put on display last season at Cal.  Finally, who can leave out Megatron himself, Calvin Johnson.  Johnson is easily one of the best receivers in the NFL, and will look to become the centerpiece of the Detroit attack again this season after a 900 yard season.  

Only time will tell if this young core of talent can reach their potential of being a top NFL competitor, but this blogger is convinced that in the next couple of seasons, the Lions will be making some noise.