It's back. Another year of NFL football is among us and if Thursday night's barn-burner between the last two Super Bowl winners, the Packers and Saints, is any indication of the excitement we can expect in 2011, it's going to be a season for the ages.
Like most admiring fans of the NFL, I watched intently through the summer while the NFLPA and NFL butted heads about who should get more of the ridiculous profit pie that the NFL creates hoping that we would just have football on time this year. As I predicted though, the season started in plenty of time for teams to make moves and get teams acclimated to playing together, albeit in an extremely truncated fashion.
But now that football is back and the first full slate of Sunday games is just hours away, it is time for yours truly, The Sports Savant, to make this season's NFL predictions for you to enjoy and hopefully follow. The predictions will consist of each division's winners, what their record will be and how they will place in each division. So without further adieu, here are the predictions you can count on. We'll start with the division that is home to the 2010 Super Bowl Champs, the NFC North.
NFC NORTH 2011 Standings:
1.Packers (12-4)
2.Lions (9-7)
3.Bears (8-8)
4.Vikings (5-11)
NFC NORTH 2011 Analysis:
1. Green Bay Packers
There's no question that the Packers have what it takes to dominate this division considering that they made and won the Super Bowl in 2010 without key starting running back Ryan Grant for the entire season and elite receiving tight end, Jermichael Finley. Both have returned to the roster in 2011 in addition to the core nucleus of QB Aaron Rodgers, WR1 Greg Jennings, WR2 Donald Driver, RB2 James Starks and WR3 Jordy Nelson to make them even stronger for a repeat title run. Don't forget about that defense either, which is one of the best in football. The Packers have one of the most ferocious 3-4 defenses in the NFL anchored in the middle by B.J. Raji at nose tackle, Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk playing the inside linebacker positions and shut-down pro-bowl cornerback Charles Woodson. This team should handle division foes with ease and will only stumble a handful of times against elite competition outside of the division.
2. Detroit Lions
It may be to your astonishment that I have the Detroit Lions wrapping up the NFC NORTH in 2nd place. Yes, THOSE Detroit Lions. But before you dismiss them, hear this out... With the addition of Nick Fairley, the dominating defensive tackle out of Auburn's 2010 national title team, in the 2011 NFL draft's first round, the Lions may have the best defensive line in football when posted next to reigning 2010 defensive rookie of the year, Ndamukong Suh. They will be very difficult to gain any yards on the ground against and opposing quarterbacks will have to feel very rushed with these two behemoths chasing them down. Offensively, they look pretty dangerous. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have proven that they are a duo that is to be reckoned with when Stafford is healthy and I believe this is Stafford's year to make all 16 starts considering he had never missed a game at any level before he played in the NFL. Jahvid Best is a serviceable running back with quick moves and breakout ability and they have a pretty good back-up RB in Jerome Harrison. They also have a nice WR2 in Nate Burleson who had a nice season in 2010 despite catching passes from Shaun Hill half of the year. They will be up and down in 2011, but in the end, they wind up with nine wins and a tie-break for 2nd place in the division over the Chicago Bears.
3. Chicago Bears
The Bears are a real mystery this year; especially in the front office. A big part of the Bears lack of success last year had to do with their pieced together offensive line that could never seem to play as one cohesive unit and give QB Jay Cutler the protection he needed. They very easily lead the NFL in sacks allowed and allowing sacks is the best way to get your offense off schedule and wind up punting, which they did a lot of in 2010. This very brief off-season, the Bears GM had a pressing need to find better talent to play offensive line if the Bears had any chance to succeed this year, so hwo does he decide to improve the line? He cuts the Bears only pro-bowler and best offensive lineman, C Olin Kreutz and then signs no one of significance to fill in the line. So, the Bears biggest problem last year has only gotten worse after the best guy on that unit was sent packing to save money. It was the Bears who won this division in 2010, people forget and they somehow managed it with Jay Cutler lying on his back more than anyone in the NFL. Speed demon WR/PR Devin Hester, talented running back Matt Forte and of course, that staunch Bears D lead once again by MLB Brian Urlacher will keep them in games and even win them a few, but in the end, I don't see this as a team that will win any more games than they lose.
4. Minnesota Vikings
This is a team that looks much better on paper than they will be on the field. It's hard to imagine a team that has quite possibly the most dominating RB1 in the NFL, Adrian Peterson, the crafty and consistent veteran QB Donovan McNabb and lightning-fast WR1 Percy Harvin to have a five win season, but when you look at it, those guys, as good as they will be, are not enough to win games for this team with little else surrounding them. Bernard Berrian is an average WR2, but niether he nor Harvin have the deep-ball capability that puts fear in the heart of a defense. Look for a lot of eight-man fronts lining up opposite that Viking offense to focus on stopping Peterson. The Viking defense looked unusually shaky last year and no major improvements to either side of the ball were made this year going into the season. All-the-while, the Lions and Packers took strides to getting better between the draft, free-agent pickups and returning, healthy players. This is a team that simply needs more talent to compete in this tough division.
NFC SOUTH 2011 Standings:
1.Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
2.New Orleans Saints (12-4)
3.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
4.Carolina Panthers (3-13)
NFC SOUTH 2011 Analysis:
1. Atlanta Falcons
This was the surprise elite team in 2010 and the Atlanta Falcons have shown that they are here to stay in 2011 and improve on what was an overachieving year in 2010. The team has all the key players from last year's successful season coming back and look for signal caller, QB Matt Ryan, to step it up another level this year. The only weakness in the Falcon offense last year was their inability to find a good 2nd WR option behind elite WR1 Roddy White. The Falcons drafted just the man to fill the void, speedy WR2 Julio Jones. Jones and White will be a WR duo that will be very hard to cover and when defenses are busy concentrating on the WR combo, RB1 Michael Turner and highly versatile RB2 Jason Snelling will be eating up yards on the ground. This offense will prove next to impossible to stop, especially at home where they are almost perfect in the last two seasons. The defense is still stout with stars DE John Abraham, DT Justin Babineaux and S Dunta Robinson returning from last year. The Saints will give them a good fight, but the Falcons prevail as division champs once again in 2011.
2. New Orleans Saints
Having the hindsight of Thursday's game against the Green Bay Packers, the Saints appear to be exactly what I thought they would be; a high-powered, explosive offense with a defense that is still questionable against elite offenses. The way the Saints were exposed by the Packers gave us light into just how average this defense can be at times. QB Drew Brees will find plenty of targets and gaudy offensive statistics in true Drew Brees fashion once again in 2011. With his greatness and a host of very good receivers to throw to every Sunday, the passing game will put up top NFl numbers again in 2011. Also, the addition of little-big man, RB3/PR Darren Sproles, the return of shifty veteran RB1 Pierre Thomas and newly drafted Heisman winner out of Alabama, RB2 Mark Ingram, the Saints will also be a top 10 team in team rushing. This offense will just have to outscore their opponents, especially against elite competition. It's a recipe for 2nd place in their division and though they will make the playoffs as a wild card, will face a tough playoff opponent on the road like they did in 2010 when they lost in the first round to the dreadful Seattle Seahawks.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No team in the NFL has more talent under the age of 25 than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. QB Josh Freeman is on the fast track to elite status, RB1 LeGarrett Blount wasn't even drafted last year out of college but showed the NFL what it was missing in the second half of last year by running all over the competition. Good hands receivers WR2 Arrelious Benn and star WR1 Mike Williams will lead the way for the passing game and even TE Kellen Winslow will see his fair share of catches as the Bucs will do well on offense. However, the only recognizable names on defense are LB Geno Hayes, pro-bowl CB1 Aqib Talib and CB2 Ronde Barber. The rest of the defense has mediocre ability and honestly, it would seem that Ronde Barber may be past his days as a quality corner. This team surprised everyone by winning 10 games last year, but 4 of their wins came against the inferior NFC WEST, whom they will only play one of this year(49ers). Considering a much more difficult schedule for this relatively inexperienced team, the Buccaneers will take a small step back this year and finish with a respectable nine wins which will be good for 3rd in their division but not worthy of a playoff game.
4. Carolina Panthers
There is very little one can say that is positive about the Panthers current state of affairs. They are being lead by their #1 overall draft pick in 2011, QB Cam Newton which is a scary and certainly unproductive season in the future. The last few #1 overall QB's selected in the draft that were thrown to the wolves in week 1 of their rookie season didn't fair very well at all in their first year as the team's rookie starter. One was David Carr, who would go on to set the single season record for sacks allowed, two years in a row. Another was some guy named Peyton Manning and his team went 3-13 in his rookie campaign. Aside from the rookie, Newton, the team does have one of the game's very good RB1's in DeAngelo Williams, who missed much of last year with a foot injury and the artist formerly known as RB2 Jonathon Stewart, who all but disappeared in Williams' absence last year. They still have the strong and reliable WR1 Steve Smith but beyond him this team has no talent depth at any other position. It's going to be a painful year for the Panthers, who also, by the way, have the NFL's most difficult schedule based on 2010 records, but it's all a part of the rebuilding process that is going on their under first time head coach and defensive mastermind, Ron Rivera.
NFC EAST 2011 Standings
1.Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
2.Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
3.New York Giants (8-8)
4.Washington Redskins (6-10)
NFC EAST 2011 Analysis
1. Philadelphia Eagles
Though this isn't quite the "Dream Team" that Vince Young pronounced in the off-season, it is a team with incredible talent at almost all of the skill positions on offense and defense. It starts with the most dynamic athlete in the NFL, QB Michael Vick, who has the pocket presence to scan the field and make precise throws and can also run with the fastest of defensive players. Add him to a backfield that features great hands RB1 LeSean McCoy and RB2 Ronnie Brown who was newly acquired from the Miami Dolphins and you have three studs leading the offensive charge. Vick will have a plethora of targets in the lightning fast WR1 DeSean Jackson, WR2 Jeremy Maclin and even WR3 Jason Avant and TE Brent Celek will be put into the mix on offense. No team has more capable pass catchers than the Eagles. The offense is stacked, but it's the defense that may be even more impressive. Lead by superstar cornerback and former Oakland Raider, CB1 Nnamdi Asomugha who will counterpart star corners CB2 Asante Samuel and CB3/NB Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie. Not to be forgotten is that dominating defensive line that features pass rushers DE Justin Babin, NT Cullen Jenkins and DE Trent Cole. This team will have a much better record against out-of division/conference foes than against the NFC East only because the teams are so familiar with each other and the rivalries are so intense, strange things happen in those games. The only Achilles heel of this team will be its ability to stay healthy. I predict that either Michael Vick or another important piece of the offense may miss a couple of games because they have players that are prone to injury. Injury will be the only thing stopping this team from achieving the ultimate goal, a Super Bowl berth.
2. Dallas Cowboys
After an abysmal season in 2010 where expectations went from a Super Bowl berth in their home stadium to wondering if this team would finish with the leagues worst record, the Cowboys look to refresh that Cowboy swagger under their first full season under Head Coach, Jason Garrett. QB Tony Romo, who missed much of last season after a broken collarbone, is looking as sharp as he ever has. RB1 Felix Jones who was the backup to Marion Barber last year looks like a sleeper for a real breakout season as the team's starter. Another young standout WR2 Dez Bryant had a great rookie campaign in 2010 and also is primed to breakout in his sophomore season alongside well respected and talented WR1 Miles Austin. With TE Jason Witten also there to catch lots of passes, this offense should have no problem moving the ball. The defense is still anchored by All-Pro pass rusher, OLB DeMarcus Ware and should provide formidable defense last year; a real problem for the Cowboys in 2010. Though this looks like a team that has the talent to go far, I feel like they are still a year away from putting together a solid playoff run. This is still a team that makes too many mental mistakes at the wrong times and it will take them this year to get those issues pacthed up. You may even see them being more dominant in the later weeks, but I feel like this team gets off to a slow start.
3. New York Giants
This is a team that has the pedigree to achieve great things on offense, but it's the defense that is highly suspect. They still have a solid QB in Eli Manning and brilliant talent at the RB and WR positions with RB1 Ahmad Bradshaw and RB2 Brandon Jacobs and stars WR1 Hakeem Nicks and WR2 Mario Manningham. Even Kevin Boss is a serviceable TE, but when you look at all of the pre-season injuries that they have had to major defensive parts, they will struggle to keep the opposing offense off of the field. All-Pro DE Osi Umenyiora is unhappy with his contract and is also out for an indefinite amount of time, also premier DT Justin Tuck has injury issues. Six defensive players on the Giants have had season ending injuries which will affect their ability to stop opposing offenses. This is a team that will struggle to win eight games.
4. Washington Redskins
This is a team that should run the ball well behind a Mike Shanahan coached offensive line and Shanahan's patented zone run blocking scheme that has worked for decades no matter who is at running back. The biggest problem with this team, and it's a big problem to have, is that they don't have one decent QB to start. The entire preseason, Shanahan has mulled over which poison is least lethal, QB Rex Grossman or unproven starter QB John Beck. For now, Shanahan has gone with Grossman, but that could change at any moment. Free agent pick-up, RB1 Tim Hightower was a nice addition and he should pick up some nice gains on offense, but they won't be able to move the ball with either Grossman or Beck at the helm. Pass catchers WR1 Santana Moss and TE Chris Cooley will provide some relief for the mediocre QB play, but it won't be enough to get this team out of the NFC East cellar. On defense, they have the always incomparable, DeAngelo Hall, who set an NFL record last season with four interceptions in a single game, but he is only one of eleven guys on that field and it just won't be enough to beat anyone of significance. I see them winning one big division game, but that will be the highlight of their season.
NFC WEST 2011 Standings
1.San Francisco 49ers (9-7)
2.St. Louis Rams (8-8)
3.Arizona Cardinals (7-9)
4.Seattle Seahawks (4-12)
NFC WEST 2011 Analysis
1. San Francisco 49ers
In the land of the blind, the man with one eye rules. This thought can very well apply to the NFC West this year which is looking to shape up as the worst division in all of football once again in 2011. In 2011 though, I see the 49ers as being the "man with one eye" in this division. The team has a fresh start with rookie head coach and former NFL pro QB, Jim Harbaugh which should bode well for the development of QB Alex Smith. Smith has had an unprecedented 8 offensive coordinators in 7 years. This is his last chance in San Fran to make a name for himself. The addition of WR1 Braylon Edwards was a key pickup for this team that lacked in explosive passing plays in 2010. WR2 Michael Crabtree looks to improve upon his good sophomore season last year and, of course, the beast, Frank Gore will again be in the backfield, giving this offense the opportunity to break a TD run at any time. The defense took a hit with the loss of Aubrayo Franklin at NT and Takeo Spikes at ILB, but they have capable replacements on the D-Line and LB positions. Aside from the losses on D, the 49ers still have the best MLB in football, Patrick Willis. There aren't many reasons for the 49ers to win this division, but there are even fewer reasons why they should lose it.
2. St. Louis Rams
After a fine rookie season in 2010, sophomore QB Sam Bradford looks to improve on his rookie record setting season. I expect an improvement in Bradford's play, but there is only so much he can do with the very few tools he is provided catching the ball. WR1 Brandon Gibson is a nice deep threat, but is very one-dimensional. WR2 Mike Sims-Walker was picked up from Jacksonville, but the Rams needed a bigger splash in free agency than a guy who has had a couple of average seasons. Their lack of speed at the skill positions will be their biggest weakness on offense, but you can count on RB1 stud, Stephen Jackson, to create some additional offense on his own. The defense has serviceable defensive players DE Chris Long and MLB James Laurinaitus, but the rest of the starting defense could walk in a room with their name on their shirt and you still wouldn't know who they are.
3. Arizona Cardinals
The Cards made the biggest QB splash in the off-season of any team, trading for and signing highly touted QB Kevin Kolb who was backing up Michael Vick in Philly last year. Kolb looks like a nice fit to make a great QB/WR combo with the leagues most elite receiver, WR1 Larry Fitzgerald. They also improved at the TE position, signing former pro-bowler Todd Heap to be an outlet for Kolb. Aside from these three, the rest of the team has little skill or recognition. The WR2 is a second year player that had 24 catches last year, Andre Roberts. They lost their best running back to free agency leaving fumble-machine RB1 Beanie Wells to handle the brunt of the carries after he lost his job to Tim Hightower half-way through last season. The defense still has All-Pro Safety Adrian Wilson, who will make throwing deep on this team difficult and they have the veteran leadership of former Steeler LB, Joey Porter. They also have the quality play of DE Darnell Dockett giving them at least one formidable player on every level of the defense, but like the offense, once you get past those names, it's a bunch of unrecognizable players. This team would surely finish last in almost any division if they were not in the NFC West.
4. Seattle Seahawks
There are very few things you can point to on this team that are positive. The team lost it's veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck to the Titans and replaced him with the awful QB Tavaris Jackson. Returning to catch passes this year is star receiver WR1 Mike Williams who had a breakout season last year, but that was catching passes from Hasselbeck. They added coveted free agent WR2 Sidney Rice to the roster, but he is already going to miss the first game with a shoulder injury. "Beast Mode" returns this year with the powerful RB1 Marshawn Lynch, but with little happening in the passing game, defenses will surely load the box on Lynch, giving him little room to run. The only name worth mentioning on this defense is CB1 Marcus Trufant, who is actually a very skilled player at his position, but 99 out of 100 NFL fans couldn't tell you one thing about the other 10 starters on defense. This is a really bad team and possibly one of the worst in 2011. A year removed from winning the division last year, the Seahawks don't have a prayer at a division repeat.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Why Did I Pick UCONN to win the Men's NCAA Tournament? One Word; Kemba
The University of Connecticut took care of business in the round of 32 to advance themselves to the NCAA basketball men's tournament Sweet 16 round. They earned their second victory of the tournament 69-58 over a very good Cincinnati team who came into the game hot off a 15-point win over a very good Missouri team in the round of 64. UCONN displayed the same dominance they showed late in the season when they marched through the Big East tournament all the way to a conference tournament championship, earning them the #3 seed in the West bracket for the "big dance".
It was not just that UCONN won the Big East tournament that gave me the idea to pick them as my 2011 NCAA Champion. It was a combination of that, the fact they are playing their best basketball going into the tournament, but most importantly, they have the most outstanding all around guard in the NCAA. Many would argue that BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who lead the country in scoring with 28.5 PPG. There are also argument's for Duke's Nolan Smith who averaged 20 points and 5 assists per game or Ben Hansbrough who averaged 18.5 PPG and 49% shooting in the 2010-2011 season. Even amongst these powerhouse guards, UCONN'S Kemba Walker sets himself apart.
The 6'1" Walker, who is the shortest player of the bunch, averaged 23.1 PPG, more than Smith and Hansbrough and only second to Fredette. Though Fredette's scoring average is substantially higher than Walker's, you have to consider that Walker plays in arguably the best conference in the nation in the defensive minded Big East Conference, who sent the most teams to the tournament. Fredette plays in the weak Mountain West Conference that, outside of a sensational San Diego State basketball team, ranks below average or poor in comparison to conferences around the country.
Combine Walker's scoring ability with the range of other statistical categories he excels at, he is the best guard in basketball. He actually averaged more rebounds per game than assists; a rarity for a 6'1" guard. It wasn't because he was slacking in either category; Walker averaged 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. An absolute pest on defense, Walker also averaged 1.9 steals per game, marking his superior defense. The nation's other best guards are more pure scorers and do not have the notable defense Walker possesses.
What can't be measured by statistics, is what Walker has the most of, though. His skill stretches over to the stat-less intangibles that any winning player needs to succeed. He is the most respected player by his teammates, more than any team in the country. Because of this profound respect, Walker is able to get the best out of his teammates each game. His tenacity creates an indescribable spark that drives his Huskies to victory each night. With Kemba in the lineup, his teammates have the confidence that they can beat anyone. And with Walker, they really can beat anyone.
Walker went for 33 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in UCONN's tournament game versus Cincinnati to advance his team to the Sweet 16. A fitting performance for a player who shines his brightest as the stage get's bigger. I picked Kemba and UCONN to win it all before the tournament started and my pick is looking great. Their next challenge is the sensational San Diego State Aztecs, who are the #2 seed in the West bracket, one better than UCONN. Nobody is hotter than UCONN and Kemba Walker though. Expect a high scoring game from both sides, but UCONN should prevail to make the Elite 8 where they will face Duke or Arizona.
Duke has proven it can fold on any given night. They lost to three teams outside of the top 25 during the regular season. Arizona is no powerhouse themselves. They came in to the tournament as the #5 seed and they only had to handle a Texas team that slumped late in the season. The real challenge for Walker and UCONN will be beating SDSU in their next game. From there they can take the West bracket all the way to the championship with a win over the Southeast bracket's representative which will be between BYU, Florida, Wisconson or Butler; all of which UCONN has the capacity to dominate.
My prediction? UCONN beats Kansas in the championship game, 64-61; Kemba Walker named Most Outstanding Player.
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It was not just that UCONN won the Big East tournament that gave me the idea to pick them as my 2011 NCAA Champion. It was a combination of that, the fact they are playing their best basketball going into the tournament, but most importantly, they have the most outstanding all around guard in the NCAA. Many would argue that BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who lead the country in scoring with 28.5 PPG. There are also argument's for Duke's Nolan Smith who averaged 20 points and 5 assists per game or Ben Hansbrough who averaged 18.5 PPG and 49% shooting in the 2010-2011 season. Even amongst these powerhouse guards, UCONN'S Kemba Walker sets himself apart.
The 6'1" Walker, who is the shortest player of the bunch, averaged 23.1 PPG, more than Smith and Hansbrough and only second to Fredette. Though Fredette's scoring average is substantially higher than Walker's, you have to consider that Walker plays in arguably the best conference in the nation in the defensive minded Big East Conference, who sent the most teams to the tournament. Fredette plays in the weak Mountain West Conference that, outside of a sensational San Diego State basketball team, ranks below average or poor in comparison to conferences around the country.
Combine Walker's scoring ability with the range of other statistical categories he excels at, he is the best guard in basketball. He actually averaged more rebounds per game than assists; a rarity for a 6'1" guard. It wasn't because he was slacking in either category; Walker averaged 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. An absolute pest on defense, Walker also averaged 1.9 steals per game, marking his superior defense. The nation's other best guards are more pure scorers and do not have the notable defense Walker possesses.
 |
| Kemba Walker(15) hits the game winning shot as time expires against #1 seeded Pitt that sent his team to the conference tournament championship. The Huskies would go on to win the 2010-2011 Big East Tournament. |
What can't be measured by statistics, is what Walker has the most of, though. His skill stretches over to the stat-less intangibles that any winning player needs to succeed. He is the most respected player by his teammates, more than any team in the country. Because of this profound respect, Walker is able to get the best out of his teammates each game. His tenacity creates an indescribable spark that drives his Huskies to victory each night. With Kemba in the lineup, his teammates have the confidence that they can beat anyone. And with Walker, they really can beat anyone.
Walker went for 33 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in UCONN's tournament game versus Cincinnati to advance his team to the Sweet 16. A fitting performance for a player who shines his brightest as the stage get's bigger. I picked Kemba and UCONN to win it all before the tournament started and my pick is looking great. Their next challenge is the sensational San Diego State Aztecs, who are the #2 seed in the West bracket, one better than UCONN. Nobody is hotter than UCONN and Kemba Walker though. Expect a high scoring game from both sides, but UCONN should prevail to make the Elite 8 where they will face Duke or Arizona.
Duke has proven it can fold on any given night. They lost to three teams outside of the top 25 during the regular season. Arizona is no powerhouse themselves. They came in to the tournament as the #5 seed and they only had to handle a Texas team that slumped late in the season. The real challenge for Walker and UCONN will be beating SDSU in their next game. From there they can take the West bracket all the way to the championship with a win over the Southeast bracket's representative which will be between BYU, Florida, Wisconson or Butler; all of which UCONN has the capacity to dominate.
My prediction? UCONN beats Kansas in the championship game, 64-61; Kemba Walker named Most Outstanding Player.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
NFLPA Encourages Top Draft Picks to No Show on Draft Day
Though the NFLPA wouldn't go as far as calling for a boycott of the NFL's draft this April, it did send a strong message to young draftees who will soon become members of the NFLPA when a new CBA is in place. NFLPA executives publicly called for all top draft picks that would normally be invited to New York City to personally attend the NFL draft, to decline any invitation to the NFL's draft as a statement of unity amongst players. Even those who are not yet part of the union but will be upon a new labor deal and a signed contract.
The NFLPA has their own draft day production they'd like to put on for the players when their names are called in live coverage of the NFL draft. They want to host that separate production at what the NFLPA called "down the street" from the NFL's draft center at Radio City Music Hall in New York. No word yet on whether the NFLPA's draft day version will be televised by a competing cable channel when it happens April 28th-30th.
On the possibility of hosting their own draft party for the expected top 17 picks of the NFL draft who would have otherwise been invited to the NFL's draft experience in Radio City Music Hall, NFLPA executive, George Atallah told the media, ""It would be the same but instead of walking across the stage and shaking hands or getting a man hug from a commissioner who of course has locked you out and is insisting on a wage scale, you'd be walking across the stage and maybe get a handshake from [NFLPA executive director] DeMaurice Smith, who of course is fighting for you not to have a wage scale and not to lock you out."
What Atallah is referring to is the notion that new college draftees should not be put on public display for the NFL and it's owners, in a horse and pony show hosted by a commissioner who has locked them out of their future place of work making them unable to even be negotiated with on their first contract after the draft. In addition, the people hosting the party in their honor are the very same people who are trying to get them paid less so the owners can have more.
The NFLPA's idea to host the party is so these young men who have worked their whole pee-wee, junior, high school and college careers in football for the moment they can be selected as a top pick in the NFL draft, to be able to celebrate and embrace fellow members of the union they will be entering into once signing a contract. The NFLPA assumes have the young draft picks embrace their union executive director, DeMaurice Smith, in their shining moment when they officially become a pro football player. He is, after all, the man who is trying to keep their initial rookie contract wages high, retirement pension benefits acceptable, their safety a priority and make sure they have a fair share of the mega-dollar pie that is the NFL revenue stream for years to come.
It seems like an easy choice, to me, on what the draftees should do. Do they want to go to Radio City Music Hall to hear their name called, come out and put their face and endorsement on an NFL who's commissioner is trying to take their money and locking them out to prevent them from making a living? To meet the team executives who drafted them; the same executives who represent the owner of the team that drafted them who a part of the group that is pulling the strings on Goodell's lockout to lower their wages?
Or do they have their moment with their fellow union members who support their rights and benefits as a player in the NFL, the executive director of the NFLPA who is at legal war with the NFL and its owners to secure their future earnings as a paid athlete?
Roger Goodell has, of course, denounced the move by the players and says he's disappointed in their action for the sake of the draftees. Goodell told the media in response to the news that the NFLPA would host their own draft party for the top picks and coerce them to attend it instead of the normally scheduled NFL draft, "I think it's a shame for young men that are starting their careers in the NFL, that are having that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come across the stage, become an NFL player for the first time," Goodell told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "It's a really special moment and I hope they get to experience it."
It was first reported Monday that the NFLPA was pronouncing a full boycott of the NFL's draft and in an early polling, it showed that fans agreed with Goodell and that the NFLPA's idea to circumvent the draft tradition with their own event was not favored by 72% who voted. Atallah, hopped to his twitter account pretty quickly to put out the negative PR fire. In a series of tweets Atallah told fans, "Lots of interesting commentary on the possible NFL Draft issue. Fans rightfully frustrated. We will set the record straight today."
"Let me also correct the record: the NFLPA is not asking anyone to 'boycott' anything. NFL Draft in particular."
"The NFL Draft is special. Players and their families will be in NYC. It just maybe different. We will provide details when we can."
"I have been careful about what I can say on the record given our post-lockout world. There is a lot of frustration out there from everyone."
"The anger is palatable, but stick with us, we will be return to our positive message. We will get back to focusing on the good."
Atallah expounded on his tweets later that day on ESPN's NFL Live, "Our players are locked out. Past players, present players and future players," Atallah said. He discussed with the show how players who will be drafted are entering a league where they can't negotiate a contract, meet with their new team or coaching staffs.
"Most importantly, they can't play football," he said.
Atallah's further explanation of the report that the NFLPA was not boycotting the NFL draft, but was just exercising coercion of the draftees to make a statement to the NFL by not attending, brought many who criticized the idea over to their side. Atallah's tweets and interview created the fan understanding that they are taking measures necessary to keep the negotiating table balanced between the NFLPA and NFL in the future. The NFLPA has been a traditionally weak union and has allowed it's labor partner, the NFL, to make up many of the rules in their favor on the business end of football. I personally applaud the players for standing together in the fight to retain the relatively small wages they earn versus the astronomical figures the owners bring in on the merits of the player's talents and the sacrifice of their bodies while owners eat popcorn in luxury boxes.
More will be known about what direction this will go after the preliminary injunction hearing that the players have filed in court against the NFL to ban them from locking the players out is heard on April 6th. The winner of that judgment could be setup nicely at the negotiating table later. But don't expect any of this to be resolved before the player class-action antitrust suit is heard and exhausted through the summer.
--
Article first published as NFLPA Encourages Top Draft Picks to No Show on Draft Day on Technorati.
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The NFLPA has their own draft day production they'd like to put on for the players when their names are called in live coverage of the NFL draft. They want to host that separate production at what the NFLPA called "down the street" from the NFL's draft center at Radio City Music Hall in New York. No word yet on whether the NFLPA's draft day version will be televised by a competing cable channel when it happens April 28th-30th.
On the possibility of hosting their own draft party for the expected top 17 picks of the NFL draft who would have otherwise been invited to the NFL's draft experience in Radio City Music Hall, NFLPA executive, George Atallah told the media, ""It would be the same but instead of walking across the stage and shaking hands or getting a man hug from a commissioner who of course has locked you out and is insisting on a wage scale, you'd be walking across the stage and maybe get a handshake from [NFLPA executive director] DeMaurice Smith, who of course is fighting for you not to have a wage scale and not to lock you out."
What Atallah is referring to is the notion that new college draftees should not be put on public display for the NFL and it's owners, in a horse and pony show hosted by a commissioner who has locked them out of their future place of work making them unable to even be negotiated with on their first contract after the draft. In addition, the people hosting the party in their honor are the very same people who are trying to get them paid less so the owners can have more.
 |
| NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, is not sure if any player draftees will attend the conventional NFL draft party at Radio City Music Hall in New York, hosted by the NFL |
The NFLPA's idea to host the party is so these young men who have worked their whole pee-wee, junior, high school and college careers in football for the moment they can be selected as a top pick in the NFL draft, to be able to celebrate and embrace fellow members of the union they will be entering into once signing a contract. The NFLPA assumes have the young draft picks embrace their union executive director, DeMaurice Smith, in their shining moment when they officially become a pro football player. He is, after all, the man who is trying to keep their initial rookie contract wages high, retirement pension benefits acceptable, their safety a priority and make sure they have a fair share of the mega-dollar pie that is the NFL revenue stream for years to come.
It seems like an easy choice, to me, on what the draftees should do. Do they want to go to Radio City Music Hall to hear their name called, come out and put their face and endorsement on an NFL who's commissioner is trying to take their money and locking them out to prevent them from making a living? To meet the team executives who drafted them; the same executives who represent the owner of the team that drafted them who a part of the group that is pulling the strings on Goodell's lockout to lower their wages?
Or do they have their moment with their fellow union members who support their rights and benefits as a player in the NFL, the executive director of the NFLPA who is at legal war with the NFL and its owners to secure their future earnings as a paid athlete?
Roger Goodell has, of course, denounced the move by the players and says he's disappointed in their action for the sake of the draftees. Goodell told the media in response to the news that the NFLPA would host their own draft party for the top picks and coerce them to attend it instead of the normally scheduled NFL draft, "I think it's a shame for young men that are starting their careers in the NFL, that are having that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come across the stage, become an NFL player for the first time," Goodell told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "It's a really special moment and I hope they get to experience it."
 |
| NFLPA executive, George Atallah, wants players to decline invitation to the NFL's draft in New York and attend a special draft party being held by the NFLPA |
It was first reported Monday that the NFLPA was pronouncing a full boycott of the NFL's draft and in an early polling, it showed that fans agreed with Goodell and that the NFLPA's idea to circumvent the draft tradition with their own event was not favored by 72% who voted. Atallah, hopped to his twitter account pretty quickly to put out the negative PR fire. In a series of tweets Atallah told fans, "Lots of interesting commentary on the possible NFL Draft issue. Fans rightfully frustrated. We will set the record straight today."
"Let me also correct the record: the NFLPA is not asking anyone to 'boycott' anything. NFL Draft in particular."
"The NFL Draft is special. Players and their families will be in NYC. It just maybe different. We will provide details when we can."
"I have been careful about what I can say on the record given our post-lockout world. There is a lot of frustration out there from everyone."
"The anger is palatable, but stick with us, we will be return to our positive message. We will get back to focusing on the good."
Atallah expounded on his tweets later that day on ESPN's NFL Live, "Our players are locked out. Past players, present players and future players," Atallah said. He discussed with the show how players who will be drafted are entering a league where they can't negotiate a contract, meet with their new team or coaching staffs.
"Most importantly, they can't play football," he said.
Atallah's further explanation of the report that the NFLPA was not boycotting the NFL draft, but was just exercising coercion of the draftees to make a statement to the NFL by not attending, brought many who criticized the idea over to their side. Atallah's tweets and interview created the fan understanding that they are taking measures necessary to keep the negotiating table balanced between the NFLPA and NFL in the future. The NFLPA has been a traditionally weak union and has allowed it's labor partner, the NFL, to make up many of the rules in their favor on the business end of football. I personally applaud the players for standing together in the fight to retain the relatively small wages they earn versus the astronomical figures the owners bring in on the merits of the player's talents and the sacrifice of their bodies while owners eat popcorn in luxury boxes.
More will be known about what direction this will go after the preliminary injunction hearing that the players have filed in court against the NFL to ban them from locking the players out is heard on April 6th. The winner of that judgment could be setup nicely at the negotiating table later. But don't expect any of this to be resolved before the player class-action antitrust suit is heard and exhausted through the summer.
--
Article first published as NFLPA Encourages Top Draft Picks to No Show on Draft Day on Technorati.
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Monday, March 14, 2011
NFL Owners Initiate Lockout; Players set to Sue the League
What was speculation by the NFL and NFLPA about each others positions and what would end up happening between the sides that would lead to a lockout of the players, both wound up fulfilling each others self-fulfilling prophecies. The NFL claimed for weeks leading up to this lockout that the NFLPA would deny reasonable terms to a new deal and pursue action in federal court. The NFLPA claimed for weeks that the NFL had no intention on bargaining in reasonable terms and were committed to locking the players out.
Each ended up being the exact position of both sides as the current CBA expired on March 11th, 11:59PM with both sides walking away from the negotiating table.
The NFL and the NFLPA broke off negotiations to work out a new deal between the two operating sides of the business that is the National Football League on Friday. The original deadline date was set for March 4th by the original drafting of the CBA that was to expire. Not even 17 days of negotiating with a special third party federal mediator could bring the two sides to an amicable resolution.
What prompted the last minute, intense negotiations in the final week before the CBA expired was when Minnesota judge David Doty, who has been presiding over NFL labor cases for over twenty years as the ultimate arbiter of grievances between the NFLPA and NFL Management Council and has often ruled in favor of the players, blocked the NFL from being able to use an estimated $4 Billion dollars in money it had acquired in current and future television contracts. The ruling came just a couple weeks before the CBA deadline and lost the NFL a mountain of leverage it could have used with those TV dollars if it ends up going into a season with the lost revenue of no football being played in 2011.
With the loss of that leverage, the NFL came down to a more level playing field with the NFLPA. Because talks got much closer with the help of an independent, third party federal mediator to help induce compromise between the two sides, the CBA that was set to end on March 4th was once extended 24 hours then twice extended to March 11th. That date has now come and passed with no new deal in place and no extension of the current deal to continue talks.
The most glaring of the issues remains to be the way that the NFLPA and the NFL owners split up an astronomical $9 Billion pie between them.
Owners have been getting the first billion off of the top of the revenue pile under current terms, but opted out of that most recent CBA in May of 2008 because they wanted to get a new deal in place to increase their personal revenues. The league has stated that many teams are operating under their profit potentials or even at a loss because players are being overpaid. This is the basis of their argument for wanting to increase the amount of money they earn from $1 Billion to $2 Billion.
The players have conceded that there can be an argument made for teams that need revenue boosts to keep those teams running and not relocated to larger markets. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars are at risk of being sold and relocated to Los Angeles. But just because a few teams are not maximizing profitability, the players don't feel it should be them that has to sacrifice their wages to make up that difference. All they have asked the NFL to do is to share each individual team's revenue reports for each year over the last ten years and allow them to see how teams that operate on hard budgets need the financial boost and a compromising number to split between the players and owners can be made based on that information.
The owners were even willing to back off of their billion dollar per year revenue sharing demand and come all the way down to $137.5 Million, but in the end, it was their unwillingness to provide any detailed evidence that the owners are in need of more revenues to operate that turned off the NFLPA. Without it, the NFLPA wasn't willing to give up any amount of money to the owners on a new deal.
The NFL thinks it is intrusive to the owners to have their revenues put under a public microscope by the players. They offered only an aggregate revenue report of the 32 teams combined to justify their need for an increase in revenue share. When the players found the NFL's attempt to provide financial information less than adequate to make a decision on how they would move forward on a compromise to determine revenue sharing, they broke off talks and the league consequently released a statement on Saturday stating that they were enforcing a lockout of the players.
The players, exercising their best chance to get a favorable resolution to the CBA stand-off, decertified themselves as a union, making them, legally, now only a trade association of individuals in a common industry. This move enabled them to remove themselves from competing with the NFL under the rules of labor law and allowed them to take their chances in the antitrust law arena by individually collaborating on a class-action, antitrust law suit against the NFL. The players also had already filed with the courts for an injunction to block the owners from enforcing their imposed lockout before the lockout was even announced. That injunction hearing will be held on April 6th.
With this brought forth the next action for the players, which was to have ten players, including NFL superstars Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to file the class-action antitrust suit against the NFL in a Minnesota courtroom.
The NFL is dismissing this move by the players to decertify themselves as a "sham" and that the player's court action is "built on the indisputably false premise that the NFLPA has stopped being a union and will merely delay the process of reaching an agreement." The NFLPA antitrust suit's declarations denunciate the league's policies on the salary cap, draft and free-agency restrictions like franchise-player tags that force a player to stay on a team for a guaranteed salary that is, many times, less than what they could earn if they were allowed to test the free agent market.
In decertifying as a union, the NFLPA is running from it's playbook from 1989 when the union decertified and filed antitrust action against the NFL, just like they are presently. The NFLPA learned this move when back in 1989 their favorable court judgment was overruled by the 8th Circut Court of Appeals citing that the players could not file antitrust action as a union which prompted the first decertification of the NFLPA. Those lawsuits, led most notably by the class-action law suit brought on by Hall of Fame player and NFL legend, Reggie White in 1993, brought both sides back to the bargaining table and ushered in the era of the NFLPA gaining free agency, which was the huge point of contention in that era's CBA dealings. The NFLPA then re-formed in 1993 and has been a union ever since, until Friday. Once a deal is done, they can re-form once again.
What the lockout ultimately means to the business of the NFL during the time it is in place is there can be no communication between the teams and current NFL players. Even after players are selected in this year's NFL draft this April they will only be selected and not negotiated with until a new CBA deal is in place. The NFL is a year round business and much of what teams do to make themselves better for the upcoming season is to sign free agent players that can fill pressing areas of need. With no free agency happening until a new deal is done, look for teams to try and fill positions purely through the draft. By the time the lockout comes to a close, which could go all the way into the season before business is resumed, it may be too late to go out and sign players at need positions for the 2011 NFL season.
This is also the time of year when many sponsors and advertisers start or renew contract deals with the NFL. With the future of the 2011 season unknown, many sponsors and advertisers will hold out on contract renewals, costing the NFL millions in revenue.
According to the NFL, it had compromised it's position on many other key, core issues in the deal. The NFL stated that it offered the NFLPA a resumption of the 16 game regular season for at least two years with an opportunity to revisit negotiations of an 18 game schedule in 2013, instituting a rookie wage scale and using the money saved to be paid to veterans and retired players, creating new guidelines to player health and safety rules, establishing a fund for retired players to which the owners would contribute $82 Million of their own money over the next two years and more financial transparency by providing information on audited profitability of the aggregate of the 32 NFL franchises.
With all of that on the table, many of those things being big wins in the core issues debate for the player's union, the NFLPA couldn't get past the fact that the NFL was asking them to sacrifice a large portion of their personal revenue to benefit already rich owners and were not willing to provide any real proof that they needed a penny more than the $1 Billion they already are taking from the NFL revenue sharing pie. The NFLPA finds it frankly insulting that the NFL would demand hundreds of millions of their dollars and not give them a good, detailed reason why. It is hard to understand the justification behind giving 32 individual and ownership groups any extra amount of money when the very small lot of them are already sharing a more than healthy 1/9th of a $9 Billion pot.
Looking forward, we won't know the status of anything until a judge hears and reviews the litigation from both sides and makes a ruling that will ultimately give one side or the other the upper-hand in coming to terms on a new CBA. But first, the ruling on the union's injunction request that will be first heard on April 6th is expected to be made within a months time but expect that the antitrust trial and judgments may very well drag into the summer months.
--
Article first published as NFL Owners Initiate Lockout; Players set to Sue the League on Technorati.
Each ended up being the exact position of both sides as the current CBA expired on March 11th, 11:59PM with both sides walking away from the negotiating table.
The NFL and the NFLPA broke off negotiations to work out a new deal between the two operating sides of the business that is the National Football League on Friday. The original deadline date was set for March 4th by the original drafting of the CBA that was to expire. Not even 17 days of negotiating with a special third party federal mediator could bring the two sides to an amicable resolution.
 |
| DeMaurice Smith(left) is the Executive Director of the NFL Player's Association and Roger Goodell is the NFL Commissioner that represents the National Football League and its owners |
What prompted the last minute, intense negotiations in the final week before the CBA expired was when Minnesota judge David Doty, who has been presiding over NFL labor cases for over twenty years as the ultimate arbiter of grievances between the NFLPA and NFL Management Council and has often ruled in favor of the players, blocked the NFL from being able to use an estimated $4 Billion dollars in money it had acquired in current and future television contracts. The ruling came just a couple weeks before the CBA deadline and lost the NFL a mountain of leverage it could have used with those TV dollars if it ends up going into a season with the lost revenue of no football being played in 2011.
With the loss of that leverage, the NFL came down to a more level playing field with the NFLPA. Because talks got much closer with the help of an independent, third party federal mediator to help induce compromise between the two sides, the CBA that was set to end on March 4th was once extended 24 hours then twice extended to March 11th. That date has now come and passed with no new deal in place and no extension of the current deal to continue talks.
 |
| Minnesota U.S. District Judge, David Doty, has presided over NFL labor issues as the arbiter of grievances between the NFLPA and NFL Management Council since the late 1980's |
The most glaring of the issues remains to be the way that the NFLPA and the NFL owners split up an astronomical $9 Billion pie between them.
Owners have been getting the first billion off of the top of the revenue pile under current terms, but opted out of that most recent CBA in May of 2008 because they wanted to get a new deal in place to increase their personal revenues. The league has stated that many teams are operating under their profit potentials or even at a loss because players are being overpaid. This is the basis of their argument for wanting to increase the amount of money they earn from $1 Billion to $2 Billion.
The players have conceded that there can be an argument made for teams that need revenue boosts to keep those teams running and not relocated to larger markets. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars are at risk of being sold and relocated to Los Angeles. But just because a few teams are not maximizing profitability, the players don't feel it should be them that has to sacrifice their wages to make up that difference. All they have asked the NFL to do is to share each individual team's revenue reports for each year over the last ten years and allow them to see how teams that operate on hard budgets need the financial boost and a compromising number to split between the players and owners can be made based on that information.
 |
| This chart shows the discrepancy between the league's leading and lowest revenue generating teams. |
The owners were even willing to back off of their billion dollar per year revenue sharing demand and come all the way down to $137.5 Million, but in the end, it was their unwillingness to provide any detailed evidence that the owners are in need of more revenues to operate that turned off the NFLPA. Without it, the NFLPA wasn't willing to give up any amount of money to the owners on a new deal.
The NFL thinks it is intrusive to the owners to have their revenues put under a public microscope by the players. They offered only an aggregate revenue report of the 32 teams combined to justify their need for an increase in revenue share. When the players found the NFL's attempt to provide financial information less than adequate to make a decision on how they would move forward on a compromise to determine revenue sharing, they broke off talks and the league consequently released a statement on Saturday stating that they were enforcing a lockout of the players.
The players, exercising their best chance to get a favorable resolution to the CBA stand-off, decertified themselves as a union, making them, legally, now only a trade association of individuals in a common industry. This move enabled them to remove themselves from competing with the NFL under the rules of labor law and allowed them to take their chances in the antitrust law arena by individually collaborating on a class-action, antitrust law suit against the NFL. The players also had already filed with the courts for an injunction to block the owners from enforcing their imposed lockout before the lockout was even announced. That injunction hearing will be held on April 6th.
With this brought forth the next action for the players, which was to have ten players, including NFL superstars Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to file the class-action antitrust suit against the NFL in a Minnesota courtroom.
The NFL is dismissing this move by the players to decertify themselves as a "sham" and that the player's court action is "built on the indisputably false premise that the NFLPA has stopped being a union and will merely delay the process of reaching an agreement." The NFLPA antitrust suit's declarations denunciate the league's policies on the salary cap, draft and free-agency restrictions like franchise-player tags that force a player to stay on a team for a guaranteed salary that is, many times, less than what they could earn if they were allowed to test the free agent market.
 |
| Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, is one of several star players that will file class-action antitrust action against the NFL |
In decertifying as a union, the NFLPA is running from it's playbook from 1989 when the union decertified and filed antitrust action against the NFL, just like they are presently. The NFLPA learned this move when back in 1989 their favorable court judgment was overruled by the 8th Circut Court of Appeals citing that the players could not file antitrust action as a union which prompted the first decertification of the NFLPA. Those lawsuits, led most notably by the class-action law suit brought on by Hall of Fame player and NFL legend, Reggie White in 1993, brought both sides back to the bargaining table and ushered in the era of the NFLPA gaining free agency, which was the huge point of contention in that era's CBA dealings. The NFLPA then re-formed in 1993 and has been a union ever since, until Friday. Once a deal is done, they can re-form once again.
What the lockout ultimately means to the business of the NFL during the time it is in place is there can be no communication between the teams and current NFL players. Even after players are selected in this year's NFL draft this April they will only be selected and not negotiated with until a new CBA deal is in place. The NFL is a year round business and much of what teams do to make themselves better for the upcoming season is to sign free agent players that can fill pressing areas of need. With no free agency happening until a new deal is done, look for teams to try and fill positions purely through the draft. By the time the lockout comes to a close, which could go all the way into the season before business is resumed, it may be too late to go out and sign players at need positions for the 2011 NFL season.
This is also the time of year when many sponsors and advertisers start or renew contract deals with the NFL. With the future of the 2011 season unknown, many sponsors and advertisers will hold out on contract renewals, costing the NFL millions in revenue.
According to the NFL, it had compromised it's position on many other key, core issues in the deal. The NFL stated that it offered the NFLPA a resumption of the 16 game regular season for at least two years with an opportunity to revisit negotiations of an 18 game schedule in 2013, instituting a rookie wage scale and using the money saved to be paid to veterans and retired players, creating new guidelines to player health and safety rules, establishing a fund for retired players to which the owners would contribute $82 Million of their own money over the next two years and more financial transparency by providing information on audited profitability of the aggregate of the 32 NFL franchises.
With all of that on the table, many of those things being big wins in the core issues debate for the player's union, the NFLPA couldn't get past the fact that the NFL was asking them to sacrifice a large portion of their personal revenue to benefit already rich owners and were not willing to provide any real proof that they needed a penny more than the $1 Billion they already are taking from the NFL revenue sharing pie. The NFLPA finds it frankly insulting that the NFL would demand hundreds of millions of their dollars and not give them a good, detailed reason why. It is hard to understand the justification behind giving 32 individual and ownership groups any extra amount of money when the very small lot of them are already sharing a more than healthy 1/9th of a $9 Billion pot.
Looking forward, we won't know the status of anything until a judge hears and reviews the litigation from both sides and makes a ruling that will ultimately give one side or the other the upper-hand in coming to terms on a new CBA. But first, the ruling on the union's injunction request that will be first heard on April 6th is expected to be made within a months time but expect that the antitrust trial and judgments may very well drag into the summer months.
--
Article first published as NFL Owners Initiate Lockout; Players set to Sue the League on Technorati.
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
NBA Prodigy, Kevin Love Records 52nd Consecutive Double-Double to Set NBA Record
For Kevin Love Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, it was just another day at the office. Never much for flash or flare, Love simply punched the clock and went to work. It took him no longer than just under seven minutes left to go in the first half to reach one of the most epic milestones in the history of the league. With a free-throw that gave him 10 points, in addition to his 10 rebounds he had by the end of the 1st quarter, Love's 27th recorded double-double in a game by halftime in the '10-'11 season secured his 52nd consecutive; the record for the most consecutive games with a game recorded double-double in the NBA's modern era*.
Love supplanted legendary Hall of Fame player and NBA Champion Moses Malone, who set the record in the 1978-'79 season with the Houston Rockets. That season would end up being Malone's best statistical season of his career and would earn him the league's distinguished and highly coveted Most Valuable Player award
The Minnesota Timberwolves found a gem when they traded for 5th overall pick, Kevin Love on 2008 NBA draft night in a deal that swapped Love, picked by the Memphis Grizzlies with Minnesota's third overall pick, O.J. Mayo, in an eight-player deal. He's made the Grizzlies regret they ever dealt him. Love brings, night in and night out, the kind of consistency and hustle a franchise dreams of in a young, talented star player. Whether it's the grind at practice or in the games, the 'Wolves can always expect Love to show up with voracious tenacity yet a controlled finesse that combines the mental and physical parts of the game, in sync with one another. It's his team-first workman's mentality and playing for one of the NBA's worst franchises that has made Kevin Love the most under-appreciated superstar in the NBA today.
Love has averaged 21 points and 16 rebounds per game in 65 games played this season. The combination of these averages have typically only been put up in full seasons by some of the NBA's greatest of all time. In fact, none of the greatest combination rebounder/scorers in the NBA's modern era have recorded those combined averages in a single season in their illustrious careers, outside of Moses Malone's aforementioned '78-'79 MVP season when he set the original consecutive games double-double record at 51.
Aside from the individual statistical comparisons of Love's current season versus the best combination rebounder/scorers in the modern area(and of any era) is what glaringly stands out as a colossal difference between them that sets Love apart from them all. Each of the players listed in the figure above had their best season for a team that finished with a winning record and made the NBA playoffs.
Not only is Love having an epically historic season in points and rebounds, he's doing it for a team that is void of any other talent and has close to a league worst 16 wins in 66 games for a .242 winning percentage. Only Shaquille O'neal's rookie campaign with the Orlando Magic, in which he had his best statistical season in combined points and rebounds, had as little as 41 wins, the least of any team listed above in their superstar's greatest season.
Before Kevin Love's historic night, only eight other players, before and after the modern era, had ever eclipsed 50 consecutive games recording a double-double. All eight of them -- Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Walt Bellamy, Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Jerry Lucas and Bill Russell -- have been inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame.
Love has only the double-double streaks of the pre-modern era to pass. At this point moving forward, he will have to record four more consecutive double-doubles to replace Elvin Hayes' 55 for the NBA's Capital Bullets in '73-'74, which is fourth all-time. Beyond that, only the legendary folk-hero and basketball pioneer, Wilt Chamberlain's impossible streaks of 133, 220 and the all-time record of 227 consecutive recorded double-doubles will be in play for Love. He isn't eagerly pursuing a record of such surreal proportions.
When asked about his record breaking night and the potential to chase down Wilt's hopelessly insurmountable record for consecutive double-doubles, Love said, "If you are looking at the grand scheme of things, you have to look at the 227 by 'The Big Dipper,' Wilt the Stilt. He was something special. It's not like I have my eyes set on that. I am pretty happy in 2011 with where I am at with 52 (consecutive) double-doubles."
Love also added on Wilt's record, "There are unbreakable records in this league and that is one of them."
*The modern era of the NBA is the era that started in 1976 when America's two national leagues, the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association, merged to become what we now know as today's NBA. The merger vastly changed the landscape of the NBA and had such an impact on statistics, NBA records are distinguished by whether or not they happened in the NBA's modern era or before(For example: the single game scoring record in NBA history is Wilt Chamberlin's 100 points in 1962 but the modern era record is Kobe Bryant's 81 in 2006).
--
Article first published as Prodigy Kevin Love Records 52nd Consecutive Double-Double to Set NBA Record on Blogcritics
Also published as NBA Prodigy Kevin Love Records 52nd Consecutive Double-Double to Set NBA Record on Technorati.
The Sports Savant's Recommended Sports Links:
espn.com
sportscenter.com
cbssports.com
msn.foxsports.com
aol.sportingnews.com
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
rivals.com
www.nfl.com
nba.com
mlb.com
nascar.com
nbcsports.msnbc.com
sports.yahoo.com
usatoday.com/sports
www.nytimes.com/sports
espn.go.com/espnmag
The Sports Savant's Statistical Research Partners:
baseball-reference.com
pro-football-reference.com
www.sports-reference.com/cfb
sports-reference.com/cbb
databasebasketball.com
databasefootball.com
databasebaseball.com
databasefootball.com/College/
databasegolf.com
databaseracing.com
 |
| Kevin Love is averaging 21 PPG and 16 RPG for the '10-'11 season. If he keeps up those averages for the remainder of the season, he will become the first player in NBA history to average 20.0/15.0 for a team that finishes with a win percentage below .500. The Timberwolves win percentage is .242 |
Love supplanted legendary Hall of Fame player and NBA Champion Moses Malone, who set the record in the 1978-'79 season with the Houston Rockets. That season would end up being Malone's best statistical season of his career and would earn him the league's distinguished and highly coveted Most Valuable Player award
 |
| Moses Malone, seen here in his post-game celebration for his NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers was the '83 Finals MVP and earned three league MVP's including the '78-'79 season he set the modern era record for consecutive double-doubles recorded at 51 games |
The Minnesota Timberwolves found a gem when they traded for 5th overall pick, Kevin Love on 2008 NBA draft night in a deal that swapped Love, picked by the Memphis Grizzlies with Minnesota's third overall pick, O.J. Mayo, in an eight-player deal. He's made the Grizzlies regret they ever dealt him. Love brings, night in and night out, the kind of consistency and hustle a franchise dreams of in a young, talented star player. Whether it's the grind at practice or in the games, the 'Wolves can always expect Love to show up with voracious tenacity yet a controlled finesse that combines the mental and physical parts of the game, in sync with one another. It's his team-first workman's mentality and playing for one of the NBA's worst franchises that has made Kevin Love the most under-appreciated superstar in the NBA today.
Love has averaged 21 points and 16 rebounds per game in 65 games played this season. The combination of these averages have typically only been put up in full seasons by some of the NBA's greatest of all time. In fact, none of the greatest combination rebounder/scorers in the NBA's modern era have recorded those combined averages in a single season in their illustrious careers, outside of Moses Malone's aforementioned '78-'79 MVP season when he set the original consecutive games double-double record at 51.
 |
Above is a list of the modern era's most dominate rebounding/scoring combination players and their greatest statistical season of their careers in rebounds and scoring average combined. Love ranks second only to Malone in RPG, ranks higher than Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan and Chris Webber and comparable to Shaquille O'neal and Charles Barkley for single season combined rebound and scoring averages |
Aside from the individual statistical comparisons of Love's current season versus the best combination rebounder/scorers in the modern area(and of any era) is what glaringly stands out as a colossal difference between them that sets Love apart from them all. Each of the players listed in the figure above had their best season for a team that finished with a winning record and made the NBA playoffs.
Not only is Love having an epically historic season in points and rebounds, he's doing it for a team that is void of any other talent and has close to a league worst 16 wins in 66 games for a .242 winning percentage. Only Shaquille O'neal's rookie campaign with the Orlando Magic, in which he had his best statistical season in combined points and rebounds, had as little as 41 wins, the least of any team listed above in their superstar's greatest season.
Before Kevin Love's historic night, only eight other players, before and after the modern era, had ever eclipsed 50 consecutive games recording a double-double. All eight of them -- Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Walt Bellamy, Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Jerry Lucas and Bill Russell -- have been inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame.
Love has only the double-double streaks of the pre-modern era to pass. At this point moving forward, he will have to record four more consecutive double-doubles to replace Elvin Hayes' 55 for the NBA's Capital Bullets in '73-'74, which is fourth all-time. Beyond that, only the legendary folk-hero and basketball pioneer, Wilt Chamberlain's impossible streaks of 133, 220 and the all-time record of 227 consecutive recorded double-doubles will be in play for Love. He isn't eagerly pursuing a record of such surreal proportions.
 |
| Wilt Chamberlain, seen here in an iconic photo celebrating his personal best and the NBA's lone individual triple-digit point effort in a single game was a monster of the pre-modern era averaging as many as 50.4 PPG and 25.7 RPG in the '61-'62 season. |
When asked about his record breaking night and the potential to chase down Wilt's hopelessly insurmountable record for consecutive double-doubles, Love said, "If you are looking at the grand scheme of things, you have to look at the 227 by 'The Big Dipper,' Wilt the Stilt. He was something special. It's not like I have my eyes set on that. I am pretty happy in 2011 with where I am at with 52 (consecutive) double-doubles."
Love also added on Wilt's record, "There are unbreakable records in this league and that is one of them."
*The modern era of the NBA is the era that started in 1976 when America's two national leagues, the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association, merged to become what we now know as today's NBA. The merger vastly changed the landscape of the NBA and had such an impact on statistics, NBA records are distinguished by whether or not they happened in the NBA's modern era or before(For example: the single game scoring record in NBA history is Wilt Chamberlin's 100 points in 1962 but the modern era record is Kobe Bryant's 81 in 2006).
--
Article first published as Prodigy Kevin Love Records 52nd Consecutive Double-Double to Set NBA Record on Blogcritics
Also published as NBA Prodigy Kevin Love Records 52nd Consecutive Double-Double to Set NBA Record on Technorati.
The Sports Savant's Recommended Sports Links:
espn.com
sportscenter.com
cbssports.com
msn.foxsports.com
aol.sportingnews.com
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
rivals.com
www.nfl.com
nba.com
mlb.com
nascar.com
nbcsports.msnbc.com
sports.yahoo.com
usatoday.com/sports
www.nytimes.com/sports
espn.go.com/espnmag
The Sports Savant's Statistical Research Partners:
baseball-reference.com
pro-football-reference.com
www.sports-reference.com/cfb
sports-reference.com/cbb
databasebasketball.com
databasefootball.com
databasebaseball.com
databasefootball.com/College/
databasegolf.com
databaseracing.com
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Ohio State Football Head Coach, Jim Tressel Suspended/Fined $250,000 for NCAA Violations
In shocking news today, long reverred and tenured head football coach, Jim Tressel, was given a swift punishment today by The Ohio State University for action it ruled to be in violation NCAA rules. It was ruled that Tressel failed to notify the university of information he received about two players on his team selling game-used memorabilia.
Tressel's punishment, a two game suspension to start the 2011 football season and a heavy $250,000 fine, included a public reprimand and his issuance of a public apology. The NCAA is further investigating the matter and if it finds more information that Tressel acted in violation, they may reject Ohio State University's punishment and enforce their own sanctions.
The university's athletic director, Gene Smith, told members of the media that he never had any intent on firing the former national champion head coach over the matter. The action to suspend Tressel is based on language in his contract that states that he must report any information he acquires on any violation of school, conference or NCAA violations, to the university, immediately. The word "immediately" is underlined in that clause of his contract.
"Wherever we end up, Jim Tressel is our football coach," Smith told reporters. "He is our coach and we trust him implicitly."
Three months ago, the NCAA suspended Ohio State star quarterback, Tyrelle Pryor, and four teammates for the first five games of the upcoming 2011 season for selling jersey, championship rings and trophies to a local tattoo parlor owner. The NCAA suspensions were handed down just a couple weeks after Ohio State was notified by a U.S attorney that there was an ongoing federal investigation that involved players on the football team.
Tressel received an email back in April of 2010 that this federal investigation was forthcoming and explicit information about the details of what had occured between players and local tattoo parlor owner, Eddie Rife. He knew that the players had sold Rife signed memorabilia in exchange for cash and free tattoo work. He ignored the violations and carried on as if he had no knowledge if the information.
''Obviously I'm disappointed that this happened at all,'' Tressel said. ''I take my responsibility for what we do at Ohio State tremendously seriously and for the game of football. I plan to grow from this. I'm sincerely saddened by the fact that I let some people down and didn't do things as well as I possibly could have."
"I have had a player murdered. I've had a player incarcerated. I've had a player get taken into the drug culture and lose his opportunity for a productive life,'' an emotional Tressel said at a news conference on Tuesday night. ''It was obviously tremendously concerning. Quite honestly, I was scared.''
Despite the discovery of the memorabilia sales and subsequent suspensions handed down to Pryor and four others, Tressel allowed them all to participate in the Sugar Bowl, the only remaining game after the suspensions were enforced. The Buckeyes won that game over Arkansas, 31-26.
Tressel is 106-22 in ten years with the Buckeyes with a national championship in 2002. He's one of college football's most established and successful coaches. The Buckeyes will certainly be without him and their Heisman caliber quarterback for the first two games of the season against Akron and Toledo and depending on the outcome of an NCAA investigation ongoing, could be longer.
As for Ohio State's 2011 Big Ten championship prospects, it will be interesting to see whether or not the NCAA will accept Ohio State's self imposed sanctions. It's likely the Buckeyes can survive Akron and Toledo without their coach and quarterback, but if the suspension for Tressel is extended, games at Miami(FL) and taking on Colorado and Nebraska at home in games three, four and five could be impossible for the Buckeyes without both the coach and quarterback. They already know they'll be down their quarterback for those games. Being down a coach that has 106 wins in 128 career games with Ohio State for those games will prove devastating.
--
Article first published as Ohio State University Football Head Coach Jim Tressel Suspended and Fined for NCAA Violations on Technorati.
Tressel's punishment, a two game suspension to start the 2011 football season and a heavy $250,000 fine, included a public reprimand and his issuance of a public apology. The NCAA is further investigating the matter and if it finds more information that Tressel acted in violation, they may reject Ohio State University's punishment and enforce their own sanctions.
The university's athletic director, Gene Smith, told members of the media that he never had any intent on firing the former national champion head coach over the matter. The action to suspend Tressel is based on language in his contract that states that he must report any information he acquires on any violation of school, conference or NCAA violations, to the university, immediately. The word "immediately" is underlined in that clause of his contract.
"Wherever we end up, Jim Tressel is our football coach," Smith told reporters. "He is our coach and we trust him implicitly."
 |
| Ohio State University athletic director, Gene Smith, stated that he never considered dismissing Tressel for the breach of his contract |
Three months ago, the NCAA suspended Ohio State star quarterback, Tyrelle Pryor, and four teammates for the first five games of the upcoming 2011 season for selling jersey, championship rings and trophies to a local tattoo parlor owner. The NCAA suspensions were handed down just a couple weeks after Ohio State was notified by a U.S attorney that there was an ongoing federal investigation that involved players on the football team.
 |
| Ohio State football quarterback and Heisman candidate Tyrelle Pryor will miss the first five games of the 2011 season |
Tressel received an email back in April of 2010 that this federal investigation was forthcoming and explicit information about the details of what had occured between players and local tattoo parlor owner, Eddie Rife. He knew that the players had sold Rife signed memorabilia in exchange for cash and free tattoo work. He ignored the violations and carried on as if he had no knowledge if the information.
 |
| Ohio State Head Football Coach, Jim Tressel has an .828 winning percentage in his ten years with the Buckeyes |
''Obviously I'm disappointed that this happened at all,'' Tressel said. ''I take my responsibility for what we do at Ohio State tremendously seriously and for the game of football. I plan to grow from this. I'm sincerely saddened by the fact that I let some people down and didn't do things as well as I possibly could have."
"I have had a player murdered. I've had a player incarcerated. I've had a player get taken into the drug culture and lose his opportunity for a productive life,'' an emotional Tressel said at a news conference on Tuesday night. ''It was obviously tremendously concerning. Quite honestly, I was scared.''
Despite the discovery of the memorabilia sales and subsequent suspensions handed down to Pryor and four others, Tressel allowed them all to participate in the Sugar Bowl, the only remaining game after the suspensions were enforced. The Buckeyes won that game over Arkansas, 31-26.
Tressel is 106-22 in ten years with the Buckeyes with a national championship in 2002. He's one of college football's most established and successful coaches. The Buckeyes will certainly be without him and their Heisman caliber quarterback for the first two games of the season against Akron and Toledo and depending on the outcome of an NCAA investigation ongoing, could be longer.
As for Ohio State's 2011 Big Ten championship prospects, it will be interesting to see whether or not the NCAA will accept Ohio State's self imposed sanctions. It's likely the Buckeyes can survive Akron and Toledo without their coach and quarterback, but if the suspension for Tressel is extended, games at Miami(FL) and taking on Colorado and Nebraska at home in games three, four and five could be impossible for the Buckeyes without both the coach and quarterback. They already know they'll be down their quarterback for those games. Being down a coach that has 106 wins in 128 career games with Ohio State for those games will prove devastating.
--
Article first published as Ohio State University Football Head Coach Jim Tressel Suspended and Fined for NCAA Violations on Technorati.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Charlie Sheen, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban in Talks for Potential TV Show
Celebrity superstar and national pariah, Charlie Sheen, has been in talks with billionaire internet mogul and NBA franchise owner, Mark Cuban, on the possibility that Sheen and Cuban can work together to get Sheen to star as a talk show host or on a reality show on Cuban's cable television network, HDNet. Cuban confirmed the talks were ongoing Sunday evening.
"You've got somebody that everybody has a whole lot of interest in who's doing some interesting things, to say the least, and we always look for interesting programming by featuring interesting people doing interesting things," Cuban told media members before watching his Mavericks fall to the Memphis Grizzlies in Dallas. "I reached out and we've had some conversations, and we're going to work on doing some things."
Sheen, who's been in the national limelight for two decades for starring in various hit movies like Platoon, Wall Street and the Major League movie series, is most recently known for his success that has come from a multi-year stint as TV's highest paid actor in the smash comedy hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men on CBS. Sheen has been famously fired from the show for his questionable taste in lifestyle which has been reported to include drug binges and prostitutes. Cuban has reached out to fill the Sheen craving that has swept the nation in recent months.
"We'll do something together," Cuban continued, "but it's not certain it will be a show. It'll come down to what he wants do and what his situation is. We'll just figure it out from there, but it's a unique opportunity, I'll say that."
Sheen hosted an internet show on UStream.tv on Saturday night that has gotten mixed reviews but Cuban thinks that could be a good start to developing a talk show career.
"Everybody wants to critique a web show that got put together in a few hours," Cuban said. "That's not the point. It gave him a chance to be himself and have some fun. The thing I like the most about Charlie is that he just loves to mess with the media. You guys fall hook, line and sinker."
Should Sheen and Cuban make television magic in the future, it won't be the first time Cuban will have featured Sheen for promotion publicly. Cuban's promotions department for the Dallas Mavericks has already incorporated Sheen into parts of their game audio routines. They've played parts of Sheen's infamous 20/20 hour interview special that aired within the last week, over their loudspeaker at the American Airlines Center.
The team's biggest star has also made a promotional video using a couple of trendy words that Sheen coined in his nationally televised interview this past week. Dallas forward, Dirk Nowitzki, in an attempt to promote his bobblehead night, was seen in a video on the jumbotron at American Airlines Center where he looks into the mirror and flexes while saying the Sheen coined words "Boom. Winning."
You can also see this article and more articles by The Sports Savant at Technorati.com
Article first published as Charlie Sheen, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban in Talks for Potential TV Show on Technorati.
"You've got somebody that everybody has a whole lot of interest in who's doing some interesting things, to say the least, and we always look for interesting programming by featuring interesting people doing interesting things," Cuban told media members before watching his Mavericks fall to the Memphis Grizzlies in Dallas. "I reached out and we've had some conversations, and we're going to work on doing some things."
 |
| Billionaire, Mark Cuban, is founder of broadcast.com and made his fortune in a buyout by Yahoo! He owns the NBA franchise Dallas Mavericks and the cable network, HDNet |
Sheen, who's been in the national limelight for two decades for starring in various hit movies like Platoon, Wall Street and the Major League movie series, is most recently known for his success that has come from a multi-year stint as TV's highest paid actor in the smash comedy hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men on CBS. Sheen has been famously fired from the show for his questionable taste in lifestyle which has been reported to include drug binges and prostitutes. Cuban has reached out to fill the Sheen craving that has swept the nation in recent months.
 |
| Charlie Sheen(right), seen here with his fellow cast stars in the sitcom, Two and Half Men |
 |
| Sheen starred in many major films, including one of his most memorable roles as Ricky Vaughn, the closer for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians in the movie franchise Major League |
"We'll do something together," Cuban continued, "but it's not certain it will be a show. It'll come down to what he wants do and what his situation is. We'll just figure it out from there, but it's a unique opportunity, I'll say that."
Sheen hosted an internet show on UStream.tv on Saturday night that has gotten mixed reviews but Cuban thinks that could be a good start to developing a talk show career.
"Everybody wants to critique a web show that got put together in a few hours," Cuban said. "That's not the point. It gave him a chance to be himself and have some fun. The thing I like the most about Charlie is that he just loves to mess with the media. You guys fall hook, line and sinker."
Should Sheen and Cuban make television magic in the future, it won't be the first time Cuban will have featured Sheen for promotion publicly. Cuban's promotions department for the Dallas Mavericks has already incorporated Sheen into parts of their game audio routines. They've played parts of Sheen's infamous 20/20 hour interview special that aired within the last week, over their loudspeaker at the American Airlines Center.
The team's biggest star has also made a promotional video using a couple of trendy words that Sheen coined in his nationally televised interview this past week. Dallas forward, Dirk Nowitzki, in an attempt to promote his bobblehead night, was seen in a video on the jumbotron at American Airlines Center where he looks into the mirror and flexes while saying the Sheen coined words "Boom. Winning."
You can also see this article and more articles by The Sports Savant at Technorati.com
Article first published as Charlie Sheen, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban in Talks for Potential TV Show on Technorati.
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