Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 126 of 1503)

      Judge urges players, NFL to keep talking

      April 6, 2011 /
      Jeffrey Kessler (C) attorney for the NFL Players Association leaves a federal courthouse with Vincent Jackson (left center), receiver for the San Diego Chargers and Mike Vrabel (right center), Kansas City Chief linebacker after hearing arguments regarding labor negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association in St. Paul, April 6, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL CRIME LAW BUSINESS)

      Day 1 of the court battle between the players and NFL is in the books and the biggest takeaway is that Judge Susan Nelson advised both parties to return to mediation as she takes a couple of weeks to decide on a ruling.

      While it would have been nice for Nelson to come to a ruling on Wednesday, that was unlikely to happen. Now she must decide over these next couple of weeks to either side with the players and grant the injunction (which would effectively end the lockout), or side with the owners and either deny the injunction or wait for a ruling that the decertification of the players’ union was an improper bargaining ploy.

      Considering she was likely going to need a couple of weeks to make a ruling anyway, it’s nice to see that Nelson urged the two sides to continuing talking. Of course, the hang-up there is that the owners want the players to recertify before they’re willing to return to the bargaining tables. Thus, it seems rather doubtful that the two sides will talk over these next couple of weeks as they wait for Nelson to make her decision.

      But hey, one could hope right? Maybe both sides will come to their senses and they’ll come to an agreement over these next couple of weeks, making Nelson’s ruling moot. Then the lockout will end, free agency will start, the draft will go on as normal and everything will be right again in NFL land…

      …sorry, I just woke up. Let me check back to see what I just wrote…

      …bawahahahahahahahahaha!

      External Sports, NFL

      Does Bowers need micorfracture surgery?

      April 6, 2011 /

      Every week there seems to be a new report about defensive end prospect Da’Quan Bowers’ knee and every week it’s negative.

      This week, Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki told reporters that teams are concerned that Bowers may need microfracture knee surgery. Rotoworld.com has more details.

      Nawrocki says all of the medical red flags could push Bowers into the back half of round one. We’d heard the microfracture rumors before, but there wasn’t anything substantial enough to run with them. Nawrocki insists there are. Bowers will be in Indianapolis Friday for a medical recheck. At that point, doctors will determine whether he needs a surgical procedure that would almost certainly cost him the entire 2011 season.

      Once considered a potential candidate to be taken No. 1 overall, Bowers is probably listed behind North Carolina’s Robert Quinn, Missouri’s Aldon Smith and Cal’s Cameron Jordan. Depending on how freaked out teams are about Bowers’ knee, Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn, Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt and Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan might be listed ahead of him as well. The bottom line is that this is a deep draft for defensive ends and teams probably won’t think twice about moving him further down their draft board.

      That said, the Saints (No. 25) and Falcons (No. 27) are two defensive end-needy teams that select in the bottom of the first round and if Bowers falls, maybe he’ll be too good to pass up at that point. After all, we’re talking about a young man who many pundits thought would go in the top 5, if not No. 1. Then again, if his knee is too big of a concern then there’s no telling how far Bowers could fall.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Tony Gonzalez contemplating retirement if lockout lasts through season

      April 6, 2011 /
      Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (R) makes a catch in front of Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason in the first half of their NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Atlanta, Georgia January 2, 2011. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen that if there were no season in 2011, he doesn’t know if he would return in 2012.

      “That would be devastating because I don’t want to go out like that,” Gonazalez said Tuesday in a sitdown with Rich Eisen on “NFL Total Access.”

      Gonzalez added that he feels great physically, but he doesn’t know how his body would react if it were forced out of football for a year.

      “That would be the only reason I would more than likely not come back,” Gonzalez said. “If we miss the whole season and I have to sit out a year, I just think, at 35, sitting out a whole year of football and waiting for it to come back, I just don’t know if my body could. I just want to be smart about it.”

      Gonzo has lost a step over the years but thanks to his high football I.Q., his veteran savvy and his nutrition and workout habits, he still plays at an elite level. If the lockout forced him to retire (and I don’t blame him for thinking he couldn’t take a full year off and then come back in 2012), it would be a shame because he’s one of the classiest athletes in professional football. He’s what younger players should aspire to be, not only on the field but off it in terms of taking care of their bodies and conducting their business.

      As Gonzalez noted in his interview with Eisen, the Falcons are there. They have a solid core in place and if there’s a season in 2011 they will contend for another division title. Hopefully an agreement can be reached soon and we’ll see Gonzo donning red and black in a couple of months.

      External Sports, NFL

      Panthers’ owner not sold on Cam Newton?

      April 6, 2011 /
      Auburn Tigers quarterback Cam Newton kisses the championship trophy after the Tigers defeated the Oregon Ducks to win the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game in Glendale, Arizona, January 10, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The general consensus is that the Panthers will take Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick later this month. But that could be a problem if owner Jerry Richardson isn’t on board with the idea.

      According to CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman, Richardson isn’t “completely sold” on Newton, although he is expected to defer to his scouting and coaching staff when the Panthers are on the clock. There have been plenty of examples of owners meddling in their teams’ draft plans and it usually winds up having an adverse affect on the franchise. Hopefully for the Panthers’ sake, Richardson butts out.

      Freeman also says that the Panthers are “enamored” with Georgia receiver A.J. Green and according to his sources, the team would like to trade down and grab the former Bulldog later in the first round. But that could prove difficult seeing as how teams can’t trade future draft picks without a CBA in place. Thus, teams can only deal 2011 picks, which means Carolina would probably have to accept less for the No. 1 overall pick than a team would usually get for such a high selection, if they do want to move down, that is. (This draft also lacks a consensus No. 1 overall prospect that would make teams want to trade up.)

      While this report is certainly intriguing, it’s not enough to sway my opinion that the Panthers will draft Newton with the top selection. This team needs a quarterback and while I have my own reservations about whether or not Newton will prosper at the next level, signs still point to Carolina taking him No. 1.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      NFL draft to feature a lot of late first round quarterback trades?

      April 5, 2011 /
      University of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) scrambles away from the University of Florida’s Christopher Coleman during the secopnd quarter of their NCAA football game in Gainesville, Florida October 17, 2009. REUTERS/Scott Audette (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

      NFL Network’s Albert Breer tweeted on Monday that there might be “a ton of trade action” involving quarterbacks at the bottom of the first round in this month’s draft.

      Wrote this last week … But keep hearing — from everyone — that there’ll be a ton of trade action for QBs at bottom of Round 1.

      Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert should be long gone by the time the teams in the bottom of the first round are on the clock. The wildcards appear to be Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett, who could go anywhere in the top 15 to the top of the second round. Florida State’s Christian Ponder and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick are starting to garner first round attention as well, so maybe the reports about there being “a ton” of late-first round trade action are on the money.

      That said, how would Breer, or anyone else for that matter, know what teams are going to do at this point? Teams don’t even know whether or not the CBA will be signed by the end of the month, making the draft an even bigger crapshoot than it already is. Furthermore, teams can’t trade 2012, 2013 or 2014 picks because there is no CBA. Thus, trading selections would seemingly be a more difficult task than in years past.

      If I had to guess right now, I would think that Newton and Gabbert will be off the board by pick No. 12, while Locker and Mallett will go in the bottom half of the first round. Ponder (who I think is a perfect fit for Cincinnati) will go in the second and Kaepernick will go in either the second or third. Of course, a lot could change from now until the end of the month though, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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