Neal & Quarless Return to Green Bay

Green Bay Packers have yet to sign a free agent in the first three days of free agency. This makes fans mad to no end which is surprising since this is the exactly how every March goes for Green Bay. Honestly, I have no idea why multiple Twitter users waste time and energy to fire tweets to radio personalities, journalists and others bitching about the philosophy. Things aren't changing. Well Green Bay made two more moves in the past couple days by bringing back Mike Neal and Andrew Quarless on both two years deals with Neal getting around eight million and Quarless for three million. Both players bring a great deal to the table moving forward.

Sometimes, it is lost on fans and people looking at Green Bay that Neal was a second-round draft pick. He has a wealth of talent. Neal is going to be used as a hybrid player for the next two years at Green Bay. While it might make sense to keep him at one position, Neal can be a guy that moves around in a three technique or standing up off the edge. That's rare to have in the National Football League, but it appears Neal's true calling is rushing the quarterback off the edge standing straight up.

It gets lost on people through all of the bad things that happened on defense last season, but Neal filled in pretty well for Clay Matthews. He led the team in quarterback hurries last season and seemed to have a knack at finding where the quarterback was on a frequent basis. Green Bay does not have a large amount of those players. After Matthews, Mike Daniels, the list starts falling off a bit, and I would probably slate Neal third. There is no reason why he should not be considered a starter or battling for the starter position opposed from Matthews. Neal being back with the team will only help them in the next two years as they try to strengthen their defense.

Quarless is someone whom could never stay healthy. He always battled through injuries, but people still see
the potential with him. Seven teams put out feelers on Quarless which is nearly a fourth of the league meaning  the rest of the league thinks there is still a ceiling there. I would tend to agree as he will only be 26 years old once October rolls along and showed glimmers of being a reliable option. He did not drop the ball as much as years past last season plus he had two straight strong games against Atlanta and Dallas last season catching seven and six balls for the tune of 66 yards and a touchdown in both games. Now hopefully, this does not stop Green Bay from adding another tight end through the draft or free agency though.

Quarless is a good player, good option to have, but I do not think he is a number one tight end. They add an Owen Daniels who was in for a visit yesterday, visiting Washington as we speak, or get Eric Ebron, Jace Amaro or Troy Nicklus in the draft, that's totally okay. Jermichael Finley does not seem like an option at this point so let's not discuss that avenue until it presents itself, but Green Bay needs to have more than just Quarless at the tight end position.

All and all, the free agent start for Green Bay has been a fine one. They might not be signing the big name guys, but Packers are bringing back players who will help the team for next season. Good to see, and just remember, free agency is a marathon, not a sprint sometimes.

Charlie.

NFL Free Agency Day 2: AFC Arms Race

The NFL free agency period started Tueday and of course, a lot happened in the first week. We will be doing these sort of recaps until it starts slowing down. Enjoy.

Patriots Add Revis - The former New York Jet and Tampa Bay Buccaneer cornerback might be the most polarizing player in free agency. The reason is he did not take a massive deal from New England. All it took was a one-year deal with 12 million dollars meaning he could build off this season and have an even bigger payday in 2015. Revis trusts his game more than anyone in the National Football League, and this means bad news for the rest of the AFC where he returns after a year hiatus.

DeMarcus Ware joins Denver's party - Broncos have pushed their chips in, and they are ready to make a run again. Ware means they have a terrifying edge rush with Von Miller and Ware. People were trying to compare Philadelphia's 2011 offseason with what Denver has been doing in the past couple days. It is completely different. Denver had a team built and established, Philadelphia did not. Broncos are adding big ass pieces to their already great team. It is hard not to like any of their moves. 

Jets Deliver Decker - In the evening, Jessica James Decker tweeted 'So Excited!!!!!'  People thought it was a hint to what happened with her free agent husband, Eric Decker, but she claimed it had to do with her impending pregnancy. Well.... About two to three hours later, we learned Decker had a new deal to be New York Jets' number one receiver. I like the move. New York did not overpay him and gave him a standard deal. We actually get to see what Geno Smith's ceiling could be like now that he has at least one quality wide receiver. If New York could land James Jones, all the sudden New York has a potent wide receiving core. 

NFC North Foes Make Moves - Green Bay made a move that we will get to later today, but the rest of the NFC North made some moves. Let's start with the best one...

-Minnesota Vikings signed Linval Joesph whose a guy I thought maybe Green Bay should take a look at for a 3-4 end. Instead, Joesph plays a 4-3 defensive tackle for Mike Zimmer and Minnesota where he should have an impact, but what about Shariff Floyd?  We ignoring they drafted him last season.

- Detroit inked up Golden Tate which is perfect as he fits right in with the culture there. Not sure if Tate will have the impact people are assuming he will have being Calvin Johnson's number two. He did have nearly 900 yards last season, but Tate is very inconsistent in my mind.

- Chicago signed MD Jennings... wait why, why are you laughing?   

Rodger Safford... Still a Ram -  What a bizarre change of direction for St. Louis offensive lineman Rodger Safford as he was a Raider, and we had the opinion that he got signed to a big deal by Oakland then the Raiders owner decided 'HAHAHA JK LOL GUYZ' and failed his physical.  Safford re-signed with St. Louis which could end up being an okay move. Safford is not great and does not stay healthy, but he is still a young offensive lineman. 

Lovie Smith hates young quarterbacks - This makes zero sense as Tampa Bay signed Josh McCown and announced that he will be their starting quarterback. Does Lovie Smith get his rocks off by having a journeyman quarterback lead his team?  Mike Glennon was not a bad quarterback for his rookie season and now he gets put on the bench for Josh f-----' McCown. I realize he played well last year, but my goodness, he is not that good.  I do not like this start for Tampa Bay's offense.

Charlie. 

A Safe, Expensive Bet on the Future of Sam Shields

Green Bay Packers had a decision to make with Sam Shields, their up and coming cornerback, this offseason. They could either bring Shields back, or let him go to another team. Many people believed Shields would get paid within the range of six to eight million dollars. Instead, Shields broke the bank like that Schoolboy Q song, with a four year 39 million dollars contract with a 12.5 million dollar signing bonus. This caused people to overreact like they were just subtweeted, but in reality, the contract works for both as Green Bay took a risk on his potential which is probably the smart one to make for this team.

Many people believe the contract is too high for a player of Shields's caliber because the past couple years do not equate to the money he will be getting over the next four years.  People need to remember they are paying for him to be good in the short-term future. It is a lot like the futures market on Wall Street where you are betting on something to happen in a positive manner. Just like Randolph and Mortimer Duke bet on the future orange juice market, Green Bay and Ted Thompson are betting on Shields' future which looks brighter than most cornerbacks right now. 

Sam Shields vs. A.J. Green, Josh Gordon, Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson in 2013 (5 games): Allowed 8 catches, 129 yards, 1 TD.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) March 9, 2014

This tweet from Zach Kruse of Bleacher Report and Cheesehead TV is all that should tell you about why betting on Shields is the right idea. That's not a small sample size either. Shields basically kept three of the best receivers in football whom happened to see Green Bay twice a year in complete check. Oh yeah, he also did the damn thing against Alshon Jeffery. Shields is developing into a lockdown corner, and yes, he is not great against the rush yet he can hold down some of the best in the business. When people are wondering about his paycheck, these are the statistics needed to be used to look at Shields versus just reference the contract numbers. What's something I think people miss out on is Green Bay rarely on beat on vertical routes. Almost all of their problems happened over the middle. Shields and Tramon Williams did a great job on the edge, but that's get lost because the safeties were so damn bad.   

One of the other interesting things about Shields contract is he only gets paid six million dollars in his second year. He gets 15 million next year with contract and bonus, and only two million plus the usual three million dollar bonus in 2015.  In case you were wondering, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga are all up in 2015 meaning Green Bay found a way to pay Shields and defer money in that particular season to pay all of their other cornerstone players. While the 15 million dollars might people uneasy like Marty Hart watching the lost tape, it is only to cover Green Bay wanting to pay him severely less in  2015 to ensure they can get the other horses in place. 18 million dollars finishes off the four year journey with Shields, and by that time, nine million dollars a year will probably make sense. 

The only thing where there should be concern is the microscope becomes bigger on Shields. He never really had any pressure to perform. For the most part, people liked him as a player and no really took issue with him. If Green Bay struggles against the pass, Shields will get the blame right away. He becomes enemy number one in the cynical fans mind because he is quote 'making too money' plus all of the hot takes that follow with the particular quote.  That is the part of it where I worry about how this will play out for Shields. Fans will now expect him to be perfect which is highly unrealistic and stupid yet that's the fanbase at times. Hopefully, the pressure does not get to Shields and he keeps playing at his high rate because all will be forgotten about the money if he is making plays like this one. 

Green Bay's bar is set for the offseason. Half of the salary cap room is now slashed and they might bring back the likes of B.J. Raji, James Jones and Mike Neal if the money is right for the Packers. Thompson knows what he wants to pay for these players, and he will not go any higher than the bar set for all of these players. Thompson knows, he always does no matter what anyone else thinks of him.

Charlie. 

Packers Go Tag Free in March

On Monday, the National Football League had tag day. It was the last day where teams could officially give a player a franchise tag or a transition tag. Green Bay Packers could have tagged Sam Shields or B.J. Raji ensuring they would not enter the open market. That did not happen as Green Bay decided not to use their tag meaning Shields and Raji could end up players for other NFL teams this Fall. Although this is not the end for either player in Green Bay at the very moment, all it means is the Packers have a plan in place and franchise tags were not a part of it.

Shields was the one player where a franchise tag might have been expected from Green Bay. There seems to be some thoughts that he will be in high demand as a young secondary member with blazing speed plus his ability to lock down some of the top wide receivers in the NFL. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Green Bay wants to give Shields a Tim Jennings-like contract where Chicago Bears inked him up for 22 million dollars over four years. It appears like Shields wants a little bit more than that, so the question is how much is too much for Green Bay?  

There are a couple things to think about here when looking at Shields right now. First, there are rumblings the salary cap will increase by 20 percent in three years meaning if a team were to give a player much more money than expected, they might be protected three years down to road if they screw up.  Second, Miami Dolphins re-signed Brett Grimes, a 30-year-old Pro Bowl cornerback for 32 million with 16 million guaranteed spread over four years. Shields is 26 years old with some promise, but not the accolades Grimes has right now with Pro Bowl appearances. In my eyes, Shields will probably seek a contract near Grimes but fall somewhere in-between Grimes and Jennings.  If that's the case, there is reason to sign Shields but if he gets Grimes money, Green Bay can afford to see him go. 

Sometimes, it gets lost on people that paying a player when they should be heading into their prime usually yields results. The prime of a professional athlete can be tough to define yet there is evidence to show when it actually happens for most guys. Green Bay have rarely gave up on players when they know a ceiling still might be there. Additionally if Shields was 29 right now with the same sort of accolades, he will probably be a complete afterthought for Green Bay and move on to greener pastures. The opportunities are endless with Shields, but if a team overpays him, it will not be Green Bay.  

Certain positions on Green Bay do not have depth, but the secondary features a stable of Tramon Williams, Micah Hyde, Casey Hayward, Davon House and Jarrett Bush. Hayward was a damn near Pro Bowler during his rookie year and could not stay on the field this season. Hyde became a pretty strong player by the end of the year plus Williams played his best in the last couple of years in the final couple weeks of the season. They could afford to lose Shields. He is a fan favorite, but they have the depth to afford to lose Shields if a team gives him an asinine amount of money.  

As for Raji, no one really expected Green Bay to give him the franchise tag. This seems to be a fractured relationship honestly. Packers tried to pay him, but Raji felt he was owed eight million dollars. Raji pulled the anti-Bill Hall having one of the more underwhelming years in a contract season. There is a chance Raji might feel slighted because Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers likes to rotate players in and out. Although money talks and if he gets the James Jones treatment which is entirely possible where Raji does not get the contract he wants, there are good odds he might take the offer Green Bay puts on the table for him. There is a great deal of unpredictability with Raji more so than Shields.   

Others have wondered if the Packers might be hunting bigger fish in the sea getting rid of Shields and Raji all together opening more money for Green Bay to make some major moves. Jairus Byrd is completely on the table in my eyes if that's the case, same goes for T.J. Ward or Linval Joesph. All of these players could be players for Green Bay or nothing at all. With not applying tags, it means there is possibility for more free agents as people murmured about in the past month. 

This is the first time in a couple years where big name, likable Packers are involved with free agency. Honestly, it is a terrifying experience because there will be news of a player visiting this team or a player slighted by Green Bay's contract. It is time to see what happens in free agency and how this team could change for the better or worse in 2014. 

Charlie.  

JERSEY GRADES: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going through major changes. They have a new head coach and now they have brand new uniforms. Twitter hates the look of these ones from Tampa Bay. I must say they are a little too busy for my liking, but when things are too busy, I usually want to see what they look like on television versus just looking a picture. The helmet looks completely ridiculous now though meaning I would downgrade it yet I do like the cream orange cut on the shoulders. The numbers I could do without but any time a team adds black, I usually like it a little more than others. GRADE: C+ - There are some good and bad things about it making it around a C. 

Charlie.

First Taste: Grading Tampa Bay's New Logo/Helmet

Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to go a new direction with their helmet and logo. I am sorry to disappoint people, but they did not go back to the Creamsicle look of the 1980's. Instead, they made the Buccaneer look more upset and changed the color to more of a chrome finish versus pewter. I actually really liked the pewter but the chrome is not bad. What I take issue with is the size of the logo. This thing is completely massive nearly covering the whole helmet. If the logo was a little understated, I think we would have a pretty good look.

GRADE: B

Charlie.

Manziel's Number One Desire

With the NFL Combine upcoming, all eyes will be on Johnny Manziel. Even though he is not throwing at the combine, people will be talking to him in hopes of grabbing that one soundbite the folks of ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others will be talking about for a couple days. Manziel already gave them a couple in the past couple of days with expressing his desire to play for Houston Texans, and how they will regret not picking him if Houston decides to go another way. Manziel has an obsession with winning, and for him, it seems important to his brand to be the number one pick in the draft.

It is hard to remember a player campaigning for a team to draft him in recent memory especially with the number one pick. The only one that comes to mind is Vince Young and Houston. Young like Manziel was a Texas kid and wanted to stay there yet I do not think VY pushed the idea of him being a Texan as hard as Manziel did in the last couple of days. He had the comments about playing with Andre Johnson, Brian Cushing and others. Does he want to stay in Texas or is it about being the number one pick?  

If we broke it down from percentages, I would put it at 70 percent him wanting to be the number one pick overall. Manziel seems himself as royalty and who can really blame him on this point. He wants to build his brand through Texas and basically own the state. From a business angle, this is a no-brainer for Houston to draft Manziel with the number one pick. Dallas will always be the number one team in the state, but the Texans will pull themselves closer to the top with Manziel as well get a great deal of casual fans cheering for this team. Manziel would be able to recreate what he did at Texas A&M with ease at Houston even if he wants to get rid of the Johnny Football moniker.

As for playing for the Texans, Manziel gets it that this team is not far off from being a playoff team. AFC South is not a good division with Tennessee being in limbo, Indianapolis being the only good team and Jacksonville still being a year or two away. If Johnny goes to Jacksonville, Oakland or Cleveland, he will not be making a playoff appearance for maybe a year.  Manziel wants to continue to be a winner and not have the same sort of struggles that Cam Newton suffered with in the first two years at Carolina. Manziel knows he will be criticized no matter what yet Houston probably gives him the best opportunity to skirt some of those critics. 

For all that Manziel says about Houston, does the team really want him? That's the biggest question. He does not seem like a Bill O'Brien-type player as Manziel is cut from a different fabric. O'Brien seems more like he would want a guy like Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater. No matter what management says, I believe he will have the final call on the player they are drafting if it is going to be a quarterback. O'Brien is a quarterbacks coach by trade and will be likely working with this guy for the entire year. He wants a quarterback whom O'Brien can mold into his type of quarterback. It is hard to think Manziel is that type of player. 

Personally, I hope Manziel goes to Jacksonville. I want to see what happens when Manziel has the desire to scorch the earth pissed off at Houston for not taking him. The fact he would get to face them twice a year with different colors would be the greatest heel turn to the state of Texas.

Charlie. 

Chaos in Cleveland: Another Bizarre Browns Decision.

Cleveland Browns have become the laughing stock of the National Football League. For awhile, Oakland Raiders held that crown, and Washington Redskins also made a run at it. But no one does it like Cleveland. They fired their first year head coach, Rob Chudzinski, someone whom showed promise at times, but the Browns felt they were better off with new coach, Mike Pettine. Today, Cleveland shifted around a majority of their front office getting firing Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi leaving the team for good. You just have to wonder what the hell is going on in Cleveland?

They feel like a man or woman who cannot stay committed to one relationship. They have a significant other, but then get tempted by someone else leading them to cut off all ties with the one they were with. That is Cleveland right now. Another comparison could be a small child with zero patience. Once they are fed up with a toy, it is time to move on to another one. Cleveland is a downright dumpster fire, and while they did keep a couple people from their front office, you cannot act like this is par for the course for anyone. This is only par for mad men, and people without the knowledge of how to build organizations.

The funniest thing about this whole ordeal is Cleveland really felt like a team on the move to be a good team. Cleveland got widely criticized for dealing Trent Richardson for a first-round pick, but it appears T-Rich has only a few miles left in the tank. The media turned their criticism into praise for this Cleveland organization for a change, and Browns fans suddenly saw light starting to develop out of the tunnel.  They just needed a quarterback. With a loaded draft upcoming in 2014 featuring Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr, it seemed inevitable Cleveland would get their guy, and the ascend to the top would begin for a team that has not made the playoffs since 2002. Browns still needs a quarterback, but they also need stability which is not coming in the 2014 NFL season.

Are we really sure Cleveland will even keep Pettine as their head coach? At this point, you cannot really be sure the man will have a job until the NFL Draft happens. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is like Charlie Day when he cuts the breaks off The Gang's car... 'Just fired Joe Banner and Lombardi is out too... WILDCARD BITCHES YEEE HAAAAAAW.'  Pettine will probably still have a job, but it is mind blowing the Browns got rid of the guys who hired him in the first place. It makes little to zero sense. I am sure stories will come out as to why this happen, but if you are a highly touted quarterback, is Cleveland the last place you want to play football right now?

Imagine if you are Manziel. He is a smart kid, knows his market, knows his brand. Manziel realizes a team like Cleveland would hurt everything he built as a college football player. He also understands the Browns supposedly had an obsession with him. If Manziel is not drafted by Houston, it is likely Cleveland would take him with the number four pick.  Are we sure Johnny Football would not pull an Eli Manning or a John Elway and simply refuse to play for the team?  Given Cleveland has one of the best wide receivers in football, Josh Gordon, I doubt Manziel would flat out refuse to play for the Browns, but I would not be surprised to hear Manziel's people trying to influence another team to trade up for him. Every player including JFF knows Cleveland is a toxic wasteland right now.

Browns could end up getting two superior draft picks, Pettine ends up being a good coach and Cleveland is the playoff hunt in what will still be a weak AFC along with a weaker AFC North. If that happens, Haslam considers himself a genius, and it might spark a terrible precdence. But usually, the laughing stock does not turn it around so quickly. It takes a ton of time including smart decisions. Browns do not seem to have the time or the brains to quell the laughter.

Charlie.

The Bravery of Michael Sam

Last night, things in professional football changed for the rest of time. Michael Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, let the world know that he is gay and will play his whole career being likely the first openly gay active athlete in the four major professional sports. This is a major step forward for sports as well as society... hopefully. 

Sam did the right thing by letting the world know about his sexuality before the combine and having the strength to do it before the process along with controlling the situation without having a general manager leaking it out to the media. When he is being asked at the Senior Bowl whether he has a girlfriend and his interaction with women, it makes sense for Sam to go guns ablaze and let teams know what's going on therefore nothing gets caught in the crosshairs. This takes a great set of balls and courage from Sam. 

Many people will come out on sports radio, in print, online and everywhere else asking the question 'Why this is important?'  'Why make a big deal about it?'  Well for one, any time there is a 'first' no matter what it is, people should pay attention to it. While other athletes have come out, football is a different beast. Second, there is a manliness about football where it is about getting girls, having a locker room culture where people deem it acceptable to use the word 'faggot' or use 'gay' in a derogatory manner. The football culture is one that is truly and deeply flawed. It bothers people to see or hear that, but there are too many problems around programs/franchises/fanbases. What's weird is the culture is not created for the most part by the players, rather the people whom want to be like the players perceiving that's how they act. Although the likes of Johnathan Vilma, Richie Incognito and Johnathan Martin would tell you players still are not 100 percent in the clear when it comes to having a clear mind and acting like a professional.  

 The more people that take no issue with this, the better, but there will be a great deal of people whom will despise everything about this from what Sam said to who he is as a person which is damn sad and disappointing. As a whole, this country is fracture for a variety of non-sports reasons meaning there will be people opposed to the idea of cheering for an openly gay NFL athlete, or that will think it is humorous when Sam tackles somebody and 'Oh he must like it being around other men.' This will occur with people, but as always, we assume the worst in people and recognize the NFL might have the lowest IQ when it comes to their fanbase. Of course, Roger Goodell and other executives hope the fans will be tolerable, but in the back of the head, he has to know it might not be the smoothest ride.  

One of the bigger reasons why this is a big deal is those who have come or who people believe to be gay have seen issues finding work in their profession. Jason Collins does not have a job after telling Sports Illustrated he was gay. Granted, Collins did not have a great season last season yet no one sought his services out when needing a big man. Kerry Rhodes, an NFL safety that never came out, but pictures around the Internet painted him as a gay man whether he is or is not, no NFL wanted to take that risk and remained unemployed for the entire season. Sam will be on team, he is too good not be on a team and hopefully his sexuality will not have any part of it.  

Most of the draft publications see Sam as a player going in the first three rounds. He led the mighty SEC in sacks last season with eleven and a half, and the only real knock on him is whether he can be a 3-4 linebacker or destined to be a 4-3 defensive end. As much as it is disappointing, Sam knows he might have cost himself some money on Sunday night by admitting he is gay even if the public relations team around him says he wants to be just a football player. There will be general managers that pass on Sam when they could use him because they do not want the attention or simply, they do not feel comfortable having the first gay NFL player on their roster. Ignorance like that will exist for awhile, and odds are someone makes a mistake by missing out Sam. This is one of four situations could happen with Sam when we get to the NFL Draft.   

There will be others who worry about how their fans will react to having the first active gay NFL player which is also a wrong way to think about things. More need the Ted Thompson middle finger attitude where he does not care about what the fans think rather what makes the team better. All of that being said, there are definitely teams where having a player being gay would be an issue at the surface given their attitude towards gay rights. Thinking from the glass half-full, this could be the thing that might make those places in the Bible Belt as well as Texas, Indiana, Ohio and other areas that could open the general public's eyes about gay rights. Football is something that can be a unifier of sorts, and let's hope if Sam ends up on team such as ones with not a tolerable fanbase, they will keep an open mind.   

One of my biggest worry for Sam is a team might draft him earlier than where he is projected because they want to exploit him for their greater benefit. While on the opposite end of the spectrum, Denver Broncos did this with Tim Tebow by drafting him in the late first round. Denver became the story of the first night of the NFL Draft rather than whatever happened in the first ten picks of the draft. While this is highly unlikely to happen with Sam, there could be a team out there thinking they need positive headlines and want the world to perceive them as an open culture. Now if Sam makes an impact at the NFL Combine where he deserves to be a first-round draft pick no matter what, then this paragraph becomes irrelevant but let's hope a team avoids this route. 

Some people believe Sam will not get drafted because he is gay.  CBS Sports dropped Sam from being ranked number 90 to number 160 which likely is due in lieu of talking to executives last night. While it is hard for me to believe 32 teams will pass 250+ times on the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, there is still a chance this might happen with Sam. If it does, some media will paint the picture 'This is a huge stepback for gay athletes', but if Sam ends up being a great undrafted rookie as many have before, it becomes nonsense.  Now if Sam does not get immediately picked up after being undrafted, it might be time to reevaluate the people running the front offices in the National Football League. All of this is highly unlikely, but at the same time, you can never underestimate the idiocracy of people.  

When Jason Collins talked about his sexuality, we did a podcast a couple days later talking about homosexuality in the National Football League. We discussed many different angles in the podcast, but none of them revolved around 'What if a highly-touted draft pick said he was gay before the combine or getting drafted?' Now, Sam will deal with more attention than we probably expected when he began the Senior Bowl, but from what I have heard and read from Sam, it seems like he is more than ready for it. There is something to be said for a man who is never scared.  

Charlie. 

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 74

Tapping The Keg podcast episode 74 gracing the airwaves with Mitch and Charlie (Hi) per usual. We get into with talking about whether Favoring tweets between the opposite sex is flirting along with discussing what a favorite is and a BuzzFeed discussion. Moving from that, we touch on Seattle's Super Bowl win plus Charlie overreacts about the NFC's dominance while both of us fan the flames on dynasty talk for Seattle. We move on to the Milwaukee Bucks where the topics include Ersan Ilyasova wanting out, LARRY SANDERS! and flu talk. Next up is whether Pau Gasol will get traded to Phoenix as well as possibly moving Danny Granger there. We finish up with Joel Embiid talking about staying another year and a recommendation for Vanderpump Rules.

PS: The audio gets a little screwy in the last 10 minutes or so. My computer was acting up. Not too bad, but just a couple random jumps.

Mitch and Charlie.  

NFL's Thursday Night Football Choice & NFL Saturdays Return!

There is a complete thirst for football 24/7. Look on Twitter today, people are clamoring over National
Signing Day with people freaking out about Alabama's recruiting class. It is like a lifeblood for people no matter if it is college or professional football. Despite having its highest ratings last year, the NFL wanted more people to watch Thursday night games and every major network put a bid in. CBS came out on top and this whole thing has many different lanes with many things that could happen with this new Thursday night package.

CBS announces the number one team, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, will get the Thursday night package meaning they decide not to vault another broadcast team. With CBS in somewhat flux with their broadcast team as Dan Dierdorf retired and I believe Greg Gumbel will stay yet many people are pushing for Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts to become the new number two team at CBS. While Gumbel gets a great deal of respect, 'The Bird and The Beard' as they are known as fan favorites. It would have been cool to see CBS give Eagle and Fouts the Thursday night gig yet I understand their decision to go with Nantz and Simms. This is a big moment for NFL on CBS' brand, and they want their head team in charge of it.

NFL Network will get six Thursday night games later in the season as well as two Saturday games in Week 16. They will get to simulcast the CBS games as well as using their pregame, halftime and post game hosts as well as their sideline reporters. It will basically be the NFL Network's game with some added CBS elements. This is a great opportunity for NFL Network to get creative with their simulcast. ESPN did this with their National Championship coverage where they had a bar setting, natural sound, using radio calls of the teams and watching the game from a different angle. All could be in play for the NFL Network. I do not know if CBS will go along with this as it might divert eyes away from their network, but it is at least something to think about for them next year.

Another interesting aspect is what are the teams CBS will get for these games? It is unlikely all of these games will feature AFC teams meaning they might be able to get an extra NFC game meaning they could have San Francisco 49ers or Green Bay Packers on three times versus the usual two times of the season. Will the NFL allow a Packers-Minnesota Vikings matchup on CBS or will that not be allowed? This truly interests me which makes me a complete nerd, but FOX has to be upset with this development as theoretically, they could only have a team like Green Bay for only 11 or 12 games. CBS could pull a major coup over their competition.

The rebirth of the Saturday game is fantastic with a doubleheader where one will be played in late afternoon while the other is in primetime. Will anyone care this is the first Saturday of the college bowl season? Likely not. Usually this is when college basketball makes their voice known, will that matter? Nope, not one bit. This will also add element for fantasy football. This is the final week of fantasy meaning a championship could be decided as early as Saturday if you have a player like a Jamaal Charles going off for a big game. Additionally, this is a big help to the bars as people whom might not come out for a Sunday afternoon will definitely be there for a late-afternoon or primetime Saturday night game. Everybody wins with a day of Saturday football.

NFL will now win ratings likely on Thursday nights in primetime while helping CBS in the process even though they have Big Bang Theory which is near the top of primetime television on Thursdays. Now they can move it another day and continue to dominate the ratings throughout the week. This should be a fun experience for the 2014 season.

Charlie.

Johnathan Martin's Texts Paint a Bad Picture

How many major stories get beaten into the ground? Almost all of them really. At some point, you say "I am so sick of seeing x, we know everything.'  This could be a major cable news story, Tim Tebow on ESPN, Alex Rodriguez, Lance Armstrong, the names go on forever and really the news networks tend to exhaust every angle. Currently, the story with that title is Johnathan Martin and Richie Incognito bullying scandal. The topic will not die. Martin made an appearance on the Today Show to explain what happened and then a bomb dropped as the texts between the two were finally released saying more about Martin's character and what it comes with always be the bad guy.

The Big Lead had the story detailing all the texts between the two guys. As you will read, these are the type of things you hear from guys all the time. I do not text my friends this sort of explicit stuff, but when I am around them, I will say things that I would never say around my mother although nothing this intense usually. These two really sound like two big frat boys trying to get laid almost every night by random strange.  Being vulgar is how many people interact whether they are male or female. While I am not condoning everything Martin and Incognito talked about, I hope everyone realizes this is par for the course when dealing with two jocks in the National Football League. 

It truly makes Martin look like he tried to set up Incognito. There are some things where you can tell Martin is getting pressured into a friendship; most of the time these two are acting like best friends. Who doesn't text their friends to see what plans are for the evening?  Would you check that out with a guy whose been picking on you at the office?  Probably not. Same goes with recaps of how their night was if the two were not together. You do not talk with a bully about this sort of thing.  The jokes were pretty even on what's the worst thing that could be said along with making fun of the other person. Martin acts like a victim when really he was a playful participant in the whole things rendering his whole case against Incognito meaningless. 

The more I think about it, the more I overreacted when I first heard the news about the topic. Much of it had to do with Incognito being known around the league as a complete and utter asshole. He is not a likable players in the NFL or the media. When his name gets brought up around bullying? It is to believe he is a bully rather than flush out the topic due to his demeanor and overall attitude since college. If this were say Russell Wilson accuses of bullying, would people rush to criticize him like they did Incognito? Probably not rather they would try to find all of these facts out right away before burning him on the stake. I do not think Martin ruined Incognito's career, but this at least provides some solace for him in the upcoming years.   

The last page of the whole thing is truly sad. Incognito seemed blindsided by the whole thing and wanted Martin to help him except for he was too chicken shit to fix what he had done. Martin believed Incognito to be a bully versus a friend whom might take things a little too far every now and again. Most of the time, actions speak louder than words, but in this case, the words provide nearly most of the context needed to figure out and end this story. 

Charlie. 

Slow Down on Seahawks Dynasty Discussion

We are always quick to jump the gun about everything and anything in today's society.  We always need to rush to calling something 'The best thing ever.'  There were multiple things that were called 'The best thing ever' which was completely laughable.  First, the National Anthem was 'Best Anthem Ever' which I agree pretty good but Whitney Houston will forever and always be the queen for it. Second, Bruno Mars was 'Best Halftime Ever.' Third, people called Seattle's defense, 'Best defense ever.'  Everything went over-the-top and now people are ready to talk dynasty with the Seahawks.

Dynasty is about as awkward as the word 'moist.'  It is so easy to anoint a team 'one with dynasty potential' when they are filled with young players, and things get weird when they do not fill their dynasty aspirations. Seattle has a second-year quarterback, Richard Sherman is still a young player along with other members of Legion of Boom. Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin are both very young while their receiving core are all mostly guys under the age of 30. The table seems set for them to run through the National Football League in the next couple years and become of the most hated team in the country. It is not all that simple as things change rapidly in the NFL. 

First of all, there will be some players that get more money from another team. While General Manager Jon Schneider comes from the Ted Thompson tree, he does things differently than him. Although Schneider will probably be reasonable about who gets major money on this team. Sherman's contract is up in 2015 and Russell Wilson is due in 2016 are the two biggest ones, but there will be smaller ones where Seattle just lets them go wander around in the league. Michael Bennett is a great example. He had a big year and a smaller contract that is due up this spring. He will net major money this offseason with his big season this year with Seattle. They do not have a bank of money to preserve this team for another year, and that will keep happening in the years to come. 

Second, major injuries are something Seattle avoided for the most part this season. Imagine if Sherman got a high ankle sprain in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against New Orleans? He is not playing against San Francisco, and Seattle probably does not win that game. Marshawn Lynch played a full season, same goes for Wilson and most of their big named defensive players remain healthy as well. There was not one stretch in the season where we were talking about Seattle's injuries. All it takes is one year for everything to go completely haywire with multiple injuries with major players. 

Third, I think due to his boyish looks, people think Pete Carroll is a young coach. He is not. Carroll became the third oldest coach to win a Super Bowl at age 62. How many coaches really push well into their 70's? Answer: Not many of them. I believe George Halas and Marv Levy are the only two coaches to coach until age 72. This means Wilson is likely having another coach in his quarterback career versus having Carroll for all of it.  Carroll likely has an over/under of eight years left coaching in the NFL. Even with his youthful exuberance, there will be a time where everything slows down again for Carroll where things are not fun anymore for him. 

I remember Green Bay getting called a potential dynasty with all their young talent, and they have not made it past the divisional round since their Super Bowl win. Seattle needs one more Super Bowl either next year or the year after to get talked about as a dynasty. Right now, it is just a conversation to keep sports radio hosts talking about the NFL for one more day.

Charlie. 

Return of Nick Collins?

There are not many former Green Bay Packers players, the fans have missed more than Nick Collins. He greeted the Lambeau Field faithful in the final home game of the season and received a big roar with hearing people saying 'We love you Nick, come back!' Those pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Collins had a debilitating neck injury that would keep him off the field for the end of time. Collins never really retired, but it was all but assumed, he probably would not be playing again in the National Football League. As everything these days, social media might tells a different story as Collins said this on Twitter yesterday and last night.

Nickdapick36 is ready for action.
— Nick Collins (@nickdapick36) February 3, 2014

Who's looking for a top notch free safety. This kid is ready to dominate #2014
— Nick Collins (@nickdapick36) February 4, 2014

All of the sudden, Collins announces his return to football. I have to imagine he heard some good news about his neck injury. With the way modern science works and some other stuff that we can keep our heads buried in the sand for now, Collins is ready to play again in the NFL. This could be great news for Packers fans, or it could be the start of 'Fire Ted Thompson' chants again if Green Bay does not bring back Collins next year if he is fully cleared. The thing about Collins is Green Bay released him for monetary purposes and not really due to anything else. There is no ill-will towards the team meaning the return could possibly happen because it is worth the risk. 

My assumption would be Collins despite his All-Pro nature, would probably only garner one or two years worth around eight to 12 million dollars (Higher if we are talking two years). No one is going to give him a major deal coming off an neck injury, and the fact he has not played in two years means Collins will be given a lower contract this year only to get a major deal the following year if he plays well again. Green Bay needs to at least give it a thought because there is nothing better with safeties right now. They have not replaced him and it has been two years. Let that sink in for a second.

Green Bay's safeties are a complete mess. Morgan Burnett is probably a strong safety, and he did play much better at that position. Collins would provide some leadership in the secondary as well as help teach Burnett like he did in previous years. For Green Bay to trust Burnett another year and not at least explore the idea of a Collins' return is arrogant. There is no reason to bring a guy back in the fold that still enjoys hanging out with teammates from Green Bay. Over the weekend, Collins, Tramon Williams and James Jones were hanging in the Bahamas and Collins looks pretty good for not playing football in the last couple of years.  

My bros @nickdapick36 And James jones just enjoying the moment. #Bahamastakeover pic.twitter.com/8W7Kojc97Y
— Tramon Williams (@HighRizer38) February 1, 2014

This now becomes the story to watch for Green Bay fans in the first month of the offseason. If Collins comes back, we will need to manage some expectations but that's a story for another time. All in all, I am happy to see Collins have the ability to return to the game he loves after thinking there was no chance two years ago. 

Charlie. 

Seahawks Dominate in first Super Bowl Victory

Growing up in the 90's, I remember my parents telling me as I started to understand football, 'Super Bowl is
the biggest game of the year, but usually, it is not as good as some of the other ones.' What they said held true as many games were blowouts and out of reach by the fourth quarter. Since 2000, there were only a couple games where blowouts happened yet all in all, most games had been close and entertaining as hell. The game on Sunday was not. Seattle destroyed Denver, 43-8, in a rout of all senses of the word as Seattle came up big defensively once again, their offense and special teams added big plays plus why this was the only way Peyton Manning's legacy could get hurt.

Seattle's defense is the most feared in the National Football League. Seahawks made their team with unorthodox players and made it work to the best of their abilities. Legion of Boom along with mean pass rushers. Seattle's defense could have won MVP as a unit as Deadspin's Barry Petchesky pointed out this morning. This team had everything working against one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. I felt like Kam Chancellor set the tone early on with a huge, clean hit on Demaryius Thomas in the first couple plays of the game. They harassed Manning all game long with big rushes from Cliff Avril and others forcing a couple Manning turnovers.

One of the game-changing plays was Malcolm Smith picking off a pass returning for a touchdown. People forget Smith made the interception when Richard Sherman deflected the ball against Michael Crabtree in the NFC Championship Game. Manning had drove Denver down to the 40 yard line with the Broncos down 15-0. Even though it was 3rd and 11 when Manning threw the pick, it seems like they would at least get a field goal attempt out of this drive. Yet Smith picked him off an errant throw that Avril disrupted leading to Seattle being up by 20+ points, something no one saw coming at 5:25 pm on Sunday.

Russell Wilson is a young quarterback. People forget this because he acts like a 10 year veteran. He could have played out of control and seemed too big for the moment although that did not happen. Wilson played great on Sunday with a great game including two touchdowns. Darrell Bevell, Seattle's offensive coordinator, called a great game for Wilson early on. He did not have him do too much and stayed consistent with short runs. Given Marshawn Lynch was not really a factor on Sunday, Seattle needed Wilson to be resilient and he did just that on Sunday.

Seattle gave up a lion's share to get Percy Harvin on their team giving three draft picks. He only played three games this season, but he made it count on Sunday with a tremendous all-around performance. On the second play of the game for Seattle's offense, Harvin ran a fly sweep going for 30 yards immediately pushing the Seahawks down in scoring position. As the second half was set to begin with Seattle having a 22-point lead, Denver tried to keep the ball away from Harvin and did not work as he scooped up the ball near the ten taking it to paydirt to lead off the second half. This was the exclamation point in the Seahawks ass-kicking of Denver, and Harvin made sure Seattle would win this game.

I wrote on Monday that this game would have nothing to do with Manning's legacy unless he has a horrible game. By numbers, Manning did not have a horrible game as he threw for 280 yards and had 34 completions, a Super Bowl record, yet this felt like a horrible Manning game. The reason being is he threw a pick-six changing the outlook of the game as well as turn the ball over early to ensure Seattle's first touchdown of the game. He was responsible as anyone for this game being 22-0 at halftime. While he could not helped Harvin's kick return or Thomas' fumble, Manning struggled mightily for the first time this season leading to an offseason of questions.

Final thought on this game is there was nothing clearer than the NFC being the better conference than the AFC. Seattle-San Francisco felt like a Super Bowl game versus this one. AFC all year lived off smoke and mirrors of some of the better teams with bigger names than anyone in the NFC. Seattle's dominance will be remembered for a long time, and finally after 35 years of ineptitude, Seattle has a championship for the Pacific Northwest.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Super Bowl Preview: 9.) Seahawks-Broncos Prediction

Yes, Super Bowl week is finally here. We will be sick of everything by Friday night yelling PLAY THE DAMN GAME, but it is only right to be excited about it for the first couple days. As we have done in years past, we will be numbering our Super Bowl coverage and then posting a big link dump on Saturday so you have it all at your fingertips before the big game. 

We have finally made it to the prediction time. I mean I could do it in one swift motion and make a quick prediction yet I am not about that life. At the very least, I need to put out some analysis as to who can be difference makers in this game. I a this is stuff are blatently obvious while a couple of them are not really talked about much at all deserving more credit.  

Peyton Manning is the biggest player in this game. No matter how much Richard Sherman talks or Marshawn Lynch does not, Manning is the biggest player in the game. If he were to have 350 yards with four touchdowns against Legion of Boom, one of the best secondary groups, it would be one of the greatest Super Bowl performances of all-time. The question is how will Manning get to 300 yards? It will not be with the deep ball rather delivering body blows throughout the game. 

Deep balls should not be a part of Denver's game on Sunday. Unless Manning truly believes Demaryius Thomas can get past by Sherman and others, there is no reason for him to unleash the cannon against this secondary. Eric Decker should be heavily involved with the slot more so than Wes Welker. Decker is a big dude that can handle the physicality of Seattle's secondary while I do not believe Welker can handle Seattle's secondary. Any of the loaded Broncos stable of receivers can be factors in the game yet it need to be executed right with them grinding them to core. 

There is a little too much being made about Denver's ability to stop the run. Terrance Knighton has been a revelation in the last couple of weeks, but do people realize Marshawn Lynch gives no shits how good a team is against the rush. It is rare Lynch gets shut down, and the added motivation from all of the hoopla from this week will drive him. LaGarrette Blount is not Marshawn Lynch, let's get that straight right now. Denver's rush defense has given up 15 touchdowns which ranks 23rd overall in the NFL. This tells me Denver does not excel at the goal line or tackling at times. Also worth nothing, people do not run ball very much on Denver. Why that is, probably due to a weak secondary and a better rush defense, but they have not seen a player like Lynch.  

Seattle does not have a group of receivers like Denver, but they can have a massive impact on this game. Let's remember Percy Harvin will be a factor in this game. I cannot think of one player on Denver's secondary that can keep up with him. Chris Harris went out with an ACL injury two weeks ago. Champ Bailey cannot play the slot against this team with Harvin and will likely struggle dealing with Doug Baldwin Jr./Golden Tate, both quick receivers. While the rushing attack is Seattle's strong point, they could exploit this Denver defense with their quickness. Obviously, Russell Wilson needs to get them the ball to make this all happen but it seems like the opportunity will be there. 

As for Wilson, he needs to play in control early and often. People might forget given his poise and his demeanor that he is a two-year professional, not a 10 year veteran. If Russell comes out a little tight like he did against San Francisco, it could get ugly with Manning staring him down on the other sideline versus Colin Kaepernick and a team who had more trouble scoring than I have in the City of Milwaukee. This is the job of Darrell Bevell too as he needs to keep Wilson in situations where he is not taking risks at least in the first quarter. If he were to outplay Manning whether they win or lose, it would build to his legacy and might anoint him the best young quarterback which might be hyperbole to its highest degree. 

Defense wins championships no matter what the sport. That is something I have heard since the days of TGIF on ABC. Seattle is the better defense, and one that can make a play when they need it the most. Seahawks get it done on offense with a steady diet of Lynch and Wilson then a Kam Chancellor picking off Manning late to seal the game for Seattle.  Seahawks 30-24 

Charlie.  

Sportandfashion-news Super Bowl Preview: 5.) Hush Money Lynch

Yes, Super Bowl week is finally here. We will be sick of everything by Friday night yelling PLAY THE DAMN GAME, but it is only right to be excited about it for the first couple days. As we have done in years past, we will be numbering our Super Bowl coverage and then posting a big link dump on Saturday so you have it all at your fingertips before the big game. 

Since arriving at Seattle from Buffalo, people have gotten to know Marshawn Lynch. People talk about his fondness for Skittles, his beasty run against New Orleans that sparked his nickname 'Beast Mode' and taking the phrase into the next level plus being an all-around monster as a running back. Seattle is a team full of talkers, but when it comes to Lynch, he remains quiet. People are demanding answers from Lynch as he really is not talking to many people during the media blitz of the Super Bowl, and Lynch is not giving them to people. This upsets people for some reason proving once again, everyone is a hypocrite.

Lynch does not owe anybody, anything. I get some of these people are trying to work on a story for Lynch, but why is it a big deal?  A guy does not want to speak with the media, so what? Does it really make him a bad person? It feels like judging by all the articles, and some of the criticism, there is a privilege nature regarding professional athletes and their involvement with the media. Social media is probably to blame for this one. We get tweets and Facebook posts about everything in a person's life therefore meaning there is an expectation for athletes to say something to media and others.

 Marshawn refuses to open up with anyone besides NFL.com's Michael Silver whom wrote a great piece about Lynch. That's perfectly okay. Usually cross sports comparisons do not work, but this really was not a problem during the NBA Finals when San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard did not really say much at all to anybody. People thought it was weird Leonard did not have much to say, but the topic deceased to be much of anything. I really have no idea why this was a top story yesterday, and a continued story today. Lynch is his own person. It goes back to theme we have on Sportandfashion-news with athletes recognizing they are not robots.

For  today's media session, Lynch brought his fullback Michael Robinson whom had some fun with answering questions for Marshawn. A move that I feel Lynch and Robinson likely planned to ruffled more feathers in the media in an attempt to create a bigger distaste for Lynch's feeling towards the media. What's interesting is these same people that I do not think Marshawn enjoys can twist things to make Marshawn look like a bad guy when there is no real evidence of that right now. At least Lynch is not talking down to people, he just does not want to be there and he is openly honest with everyone. What's wrong with that?

The best part of it all is the opposite end of the spectrum of this with the likes of Richard Sherman and Jermichael Finley's of the world where people give these guys a hard time for talking about everything and anything. They tell them to settle down, and stop giving quotes to the opposition, it is absolutely mesmerizing. Most of the time, they are having fun, or in Sherman's case, he tries to build the brand of Richard Sherman, the football player. People will judge Sherman and Finley based off just their comments to the media which is utterly ridiculous.

Now the hope has to be Lynch wins Super Bowl MVP. I feel like the National Football League will do everything possible to avoid Lynch winning the MVP award but if he goes for 200 yards with a couple touchdowns, the NFL will have no choice, and it would be great. My favorite would not be if Lynch says nothing in this hypothetical, but if he starts just talking everyone's ear off trolling the world.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Super Bowl Preview: 4.) Weather So Cold yet So Hot Right Now

Yes, Super Bowl week is finally here. We will be sick of everything by Friday night yelling PLAY THE DAMN GAME, but it is only right to be excited about it for the first couple days. As we have done in years past, we will be numbering our Super Bowl coverage and then posting a big link dump on Saturday so you have it all at your fingertips before the big game. 

Every year it seems like there is a stretch where people do nothing but talk about the weather. For us in the Midwest, it usually occurs when a big winter storm rolls in, on Monday and Tuesday of this week it was colder here than in Rome, Alaska or on the other side of the coin, when an unbearable heatwave happened in the dog days of summer. Hell even our friends in the Southeastern part of the state are dealing with unprecidented snowfall leaving major cities and states in flux. Weather is one of the main conversations about Super Bowl Sunday, and even though for the game itself, the topic is overblown, it brings up interesting points for the future.

For the game, the weather topic is much ado about nothing if it is just cold out there. 38 degrees will not really make the fan experience great, but for the game itself, people will not use 'Well if they played in the dome, this game could have been completely different.'  The only way Seattle-Denver's Super Bowl gets ruined if they have torrential downpours of freezing rain. Snow is not the worst thing because flurries do not really affect the game unless we have a situation like Detroit-Philadelphia this December. Freezing rain is the only thing where this game could get affected by weather. The whole idea of it just being 'cold' is another reason why Roger Goodell might be the Honey Badger and just not care about the fans or players, just the new opportunity.

In the first two days, this Super Bowl has went swimmingly. There have not been any complaints, and while the weather is cold, no real issues where the NFL's public relations staff needs to protect the shield. There are a few cold to coldish weather stadiums that could host a Super Bowl in years to come if Goodell wants to open that door. For example, two teams playing in this one could both be hosts as both would be great venues for a Super Bowl plus great cities. Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore all throw their name in the hat when it comes to 'colder weather' Super Bowl. Charlotte is another place where the Super Bowl could look to in the coming years. Basically if New York/New Jersey moves swimmingly, it opens the door for a many different options for the big game.

NFL is likely thanking their lucky stars the game is not in Atlanta. Currently, the biggest city in Georgia is dealing with two inches of snow and ice leaving cars stranded all over the highway. People had been waiting in their cars for over 12 hours. While I am not trying to trivialize something where deaths and injuries have happen,  more so a cold weather Super Bowl is not the worst thing during the week because these cities have the tools to handle bad weather. It is not Atlanta's fault whatsoever as this probably happens once every couple decades, but if this were to happen on a Super Bowl week, it would make it chaotic. Thoughts and prayers dealing with it though. Could not imagine trying to deal with snow when it is a complete rarity because it is a complete hassle even when I deal with it weekly.

I said this last year in preparation for last year's Super Bowl, but the weather gave us something else to talk about this game. Thankfully, Seattle-Denver is one of the better on paper Super Bowls of recent memory, but if this Super Bowl was a dud in terms of the teams, they would have added the weather as a main topic which the NFL has not really ever had during Super Bowl week.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Super Bowl Preview: 3.) It's about Wisconsin, not Bret Bielema

Wisconsin Badgers football is known for pumping out solid National Football League players, but more so, they are the ones behind the scenes also known as offensive lineman. Sure they have a great deal of successful college running backs, but most of them, if not all of them, have failed to live up to expectations.  Wisconsin football produces many great cogs to important units but rarely do they produce a recognizable player to the casual fan.

Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt is one of the few that come to mind. Recently, Russell Wilson and Montee Ball are two more, and both will play an active part in the Super Bowl this Sunday where 75+ million people will hear where they went to college, the University of Wisconsin (In Wilson's case, North Carolina State too, but you get the point). It should be about the school, but currently, their former coach now at Arkansas, is trying to make it about himself versus the university.

Best of luck to these four Uncommon men next week #BeUncommon pic.twitter.com/43IhSefFaQ
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) January 22, 2014

This is a recruiting tactic without question, and something Bielema needs to do with National Signing Day being a mere month away with some change. Additionally, SEC more than any conference in America wants to show their recruits that their coach can get them to the National Football League versus another coach in the SEC. Frankly, it is dumb luck Bielema has four players in the Super Bowl. If New England and San Francisco were the two teams in the Super Bowl, want to guess how many former players Bielema would have in the Super Bowl?  Zero.

I would be curious to hear Ball, Wilson, Chris Margos and O'Brien Schofield's thoughts on Bielema promoting these guys to a program that is not Wisconsin. These guys do not have any ties to Arkansas football. There is a complete understanding that this is 'recruiting 101', but at the same time, there is a sense of exploitation by Bielema here. Interesting enough, Bielema retweeted information about Chris Borland, a guy whom only played three years under him, not even the full four which might be even more awkward seeing as he really did shine as a 3-4 linebacker this season.

All of this being said, it is a great stage for Wisconsin Football and Bielema to a smaller degree. For the first time ever, a Wisconsin quarterback will lead a team into a Super Bowl. It is crazy to think with all the great running backs Wisconsin produced over the past two decades that Ball will be the second running back to be in a Super Bowl with Ron Dayne getting there as well his rookie season. It is always important for an university's football team to have star players in the NFL. It builds the brand more than anything else because the pitch can be 'At Wisconsin, you can be the next Russell Wilson/JJ Watt/Montee Ball.' And that's why this is so important to Madison.

For the former coach, he needs to reflect on the glory days because right now, Alex Collins is his only saving grace at Arkansas.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Super Bowl Preview: 2.) Pete Carroll's Rare Opportunity for Greatness

Yes, Super Bowl week is finally here. We will be sick of everything by Friday night yelling PLAY THE DAMN GAME, but it is only right to be excited about it for the first couple days. As we have done in years past, we will be numbering our Super Bowl coverage and then posting a big link dump on Saturday so you have it all at your fingertips before the big game. 

Pete Carroll is an oddity. He is not the usual head coach in National Football League as he went from being an NFL coach twice in the 1990's to an extremely successful at USC where Carroll won a National Championship, made another National Championship appearance and won or shared six Pac-12 titles. He moved to the NFL where he is trying to be the first coach to win a Super Bowl and National Championship since the days of Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson. With a young team, Carroll might be poised to become of the greatest all-around coaches in football history.

There is a great and wonderful 'what if' when it comes to Johnson and Switzer. With Johnson, he had a fight with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones causing him to step down after winning back-to-back Super Bowls. With that Dallas team in place, Johnson could have won two more championships in the mid-90's and maybe one more putting him into another echelon of coaches. Johnson did well in his second NFL head coaching stint with Miami Dolphins getting them to the playoffs three of the four years, but he had an aging Dan Marino and an aging roster. Johnson bolted once he saw this team would be heading towards a rebuilding phase. Miami has not recovered fully since which is bizarre to think about as Johnson last coached in 1999.

Like Johnson, Switzer is in this special fraternity as he had a National Championship with Oklahoma and a Super Bowl title with Dallas. Switzer was only 60 years old when he stepped down from being Dallas' head coach. But like Johnson in Miami a couple years later, Switzer saw the writing on the wall with an aging Cowboys plus an owner resting on the laurels of the old Cowboys team. If Jones rebuilt the Cowboys say more like what Green Bay did with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, who knows how Switzer gets remembered, but I am certain he is not known as the college coach that rode Jimmy's coattails.

 Neither Johnson nor Switzer had the road paved with gold like Carroll does right now with Seattle and their organization. If you want a good example of this, read NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal's column on Monday about how this team is built for the long-term. Dynasty talk is a little foolish when the team has yet to win a Super Bowl. We can have the conversation if Seattle wins on Sunday, and it puts Carroll in perfect position to rule the roost in the coaching circles for at least the next half decade. The weird thing is this could put Carroll in complete rarefied air that we have yet to see in the NFL making this whole thing completely fascinating.

If you look at all of the NFL coaching greats, none of them have the resume like Carroll with the conference titles and the National Championship. Even Johnson does not really compare as he only spend four years with Miami versus Carroll's eight-year tenure. Furthermore Miami was an independent when Johnson coached there meaning Johnson does not carry the same accolades as Carroll.  If he can win multiple titles with Seattle, Carroll could become one of the best to ever coach the game of football which is a crazy thing to think about honestly given how much Carroll struggled as an NFL coach in the 90's.

The final part of this odyssey with Carroll is if it were not for Reggie Bush getting in trouble with the NCAA, and the NCAA still running things like an organized crime unit (They still are but not as strong, whatever), Carroll would probably be somewhere else in the NFL or continuing to build a legacy at USC. Everyone believed Pete wanted to get back to the NFL and picked an opportune time to leave with everything collapsing at Southern Cal but if that did not happen, I still think he leaves at some point in the not too distant future. But Carroll would not be with Seattle. He would not have a 'Pete Carroll coaching tree' which started with Gus Bradley and will likely continue with Darrell Bevell and Dan Quinn. He also would not be in control of the one of the youngest and most talented teams in the NFL. Who knows if Carroll gets his NFL redemption somewhere else.

When the game begins, a graphic will show up on FOX's broadcast about Carroll being only the third coach to lead a college and pro team to the championship game. It makes him a better coach than Nick Saban. Same goes for Steve Spurrier.  The jury is still out on Chip Kelly, but for now, Carroll stands alone with a couple people trying to emulate him in the coming years.

Charlie.