All I have to say is “FINALLY”. After winning 3 Super Bowls and being one of the few dynasties to ever exist in pro football the New England Patriots have now exposed to the world one component of their success. No, I am not talking about their ability to scout talent or Belichick’s unique coaching philosophy (which are undeniably the best in the NFL). I am talking about their ability to “predict” their opponent’s defensive schemes and “skillfully” call the right play to counter attack that defense.  Upon recent revelations, those abilities are neither skillful nor good coaching, they are plain and simple CHEATING!

After years of speculating by opponents and coaches around the NFL, it is now official that the Patriots “uncanny” ability to put their offense in the perfect scheme has been due to the fact they have been taping the defense signals of opposing teams. You may ask yourself, “How is that such a terrible offense that merits one to say that they are cheating?” It is plain and simple; first, the NFL has rules in place that clearly define that an opposing team cannot film the other coaches during the game. The rule is designed to protect integrity and the skillfulness of the game. Much like certain substances are banned from competition for players because they can provide an unfair advantage over the opponent, the same can be applied for this rule. Second, any NFL team with the right support staff can correlate defensive signals with defensive schemes within 2-4 series. That means a team could totally decipher an opponents game plan within a quarter and a half. (In the Patriots case, they could have all the defensive play calls completely translated the next time they play Jets or when they face a repeat team in the playoffs.) All an offensive coach would have to do is call in a personnel group, have the QB line them up in a no huddle, wait for the opposing defense coach to call in the scheme, and then the offensive coordinator would then call in the play to expose the defense with plenty of time for the offense to execute it. 

Clearly by all means what the Patriots have been found guilty falls in violation of the competitive balance the NFL establishes each year. Just as if a player were found to have used steroids or HGH to gain a competitive advantage and is suspended a certain number of games, the same severity of punishment should be handed down to the Patriots. As such if I were Commissioner Goodell and since this was a first time offense I would recommend ONE or MORE of the following punishments to be handed down on the New England Patriots.

1)      A loss of their 2^nd, 4th and 6^th round draft picks for the 2008 NFL Draft.

2)      A suspension of 4 regular season games for Coach Belickick and the Assistant Head Coach (without pay)

3)      Reduction in Salary Cap for the 2008 Season

4)   Loss of a NFL Playoff home game

What an opening week for the 2007 NFL season! Having waited over 6 months since the Super Bowl the opening weekend was jam packed with stellar offensive performances. Starting with Peyton Manning at home against New Orleans, followed by Randy Moss taking on the Jets, and finishing with Tony Romo totaling dismantling the Giants. After watching most of the games throughout the extended weekend and reflecting who most impressed me, I feel the Most Valuable Offensive Player for Week #1 had to be the offensive line for the Patriots.

Some may be wondering why I would select the offensive line instead of Tom Brady or even Randy Moss. Obviously, it is clear that without the protection the line offered for Brady all day against the Jets there would have been no way he could have connected with Moss and the other receivers so effortlessly. If you look at the highlights of the game it seemed the Pats offensive line was giving Brady anywhere between 4 to 6 seconds every time he was in a drop back pass. For example, during their first possession in the first half, Brady had connected two out of his first 3 passes for and average of 14 yards. Then on second down on the Jest 11 yard line, Brady connected with Welker for a TD pass that seemed like 4-5 seconds before the play materialized. The funny thing was the Jets had blitzed 7 defenders during that play and Brady still had a ton of time to find an open receiver.

Clearly, if the Patriots offensive line is going to continue with the dominance they displayed against the Jets it is going to be a long season for opposing defenses and potentially record breaking seasons for Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Only the next 16 weeks will show what will or will not happen…

During the www.touchdownskills.com fantasy football draft this week, I decided to jump on Randy Moss in the fourth round. During that selection my competitors gave me a look like, “why the heck are you wasting a good pick on a washed up receiver” while at the same time others were looking nervously and saying to themselves, “is he going to be a sleeper during this years draft?” Well after today’s performance in the Meadowlands against the New York Jets it looks like the pick was an absolute steal. 

Upon debuting with the New England Patriots, Moss not only looked like a fantasy football stud but he looked like much of the same player he was when he played with the Vikings. At the end of the day he finished with 183 yards receiving with a touchdown. The scary thing is that Moss doesn’t look like he is going to slow down.

In fact I believe he is going to have the best year of his career. Not only does he have a one of the best QB’s in the league throwing to him, but also Moss has a supporting case that he has never had in his career. He has a reliable running back (Moroney) that can hold the safeties in play action because of his running ability, which in result will open up the top of coverage’s. But he also has a solid receiving corp. that has to make the defensive secondary play completely honest every down. With the combination of Watson (TE) and Stallworth (WR) each defense secondary is going to have to play a ton of zone in order to avoid 1 on 1 match ups with Moss. Obviously when an offense can dictate the game plan of opposing defenses you have a formula of domination by the Pats but also for their main playmaker, Randy Moss. Expect more of the same from him for weeks to come!

Times have never been so bad for the Michigan Wolverines. Not only did Michigan make history last week as the only ranked Division I program to lose to Division IAA program but they now they have opened the season at home with two consecutive losses after todays embarradsing lose to Oregon 39-7. It has been 48 years since that had happened. Cleary, panic mode is setting in for the Wolverine faithful and there is only one way to fix that…FIRE LLOYD CARR.

Understand, I have never been an advocate of firing a head coach (NFL or College) during the season, nor am I a huge Michigan fan. Rather, I base my judgment more as a fan of the game and of power football programs.

Michigan is one of a few teams that have helped build college football over the last 100 years. Along with Notre Dame and Ohio State they are one of the storied programs that helped launch college football into being a national past time. As such, the Wolverines are much of the face of the game than anything else. What they do on the field reflects the state of the game and the direction of college football. Therefore, while having lost in embarrassing fashion the past two weeks, and also having struggled through the bowl season over the last 6 years, it is clear there needs to be a change in Ann Arbor.

Not only does a change need to take place, but also it must happen now! If Michigan were to fire Lloyd they would send a message to the college football world that the Wolverines do not accept mediocrity nor do they accept losing. It may be painful for the players and coaches but in order to preserve and maintain its integrality as a national power, Michigan needs to make a coaching change now rather than allow the damage to continue.

This upcoming 2007 NFL season is going to debut a trio of longtime backups who are going to try to prove they belong as a starting quarterback. Unfortunately, for all three of these players, none have ever played a complete season nor have they ever won a playoff game. However, all three have the expectations from fans, management and coaches that they can deliver just the opposite.

Damon Huard (Kansas City Chiefs), Matt Shuab (Houston Texans) and Damon Gerrard (Jacksonville Jaguars) each possess a ton of potential and a high probability of succeeding however, for one of these players I predict will have a sustained career as a starter while the others will return to what they do best and that is sitting the pine….

Damon Huard – I believe he is by far the weaker of all three quarterbacks and most likely to lose his starting position by week 9 or 10 of the season. Much of this reasoning lies in the fact that through all of the 2007 training camp Herm Edwards and Carl Petersen did everything they could to give the starting job to Brody Croyle. They let Croyle play a majority of the snaps during practice and games, and tried to do everything they could to put Croyle in the position to take that job throughout. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Croyle is a completely over rated talent who couldn’t even capitalize on the opportunity even when Damon got a calf injury.  Clearly the Chiefs are realizing that the 11-year veteran, Huard, is in his last throws and there is a high likelihood he will be more detrimental to the teams success rather than a key attribute.

Matt Shuab – Shuab has to be the biggest gamble any NFL team made in the off-season. Not only did the Texans sign him to be their starting quarterback for a large amonth of money but also they did it without any historical data to ensure their investment was the right choice. Shuab clearly has a lot of talent and ability but it is completely unproven. While being the back up for the Falcons Shuab’s only experience came in preseason games and non-consequential matchups in the regular season. When he did play his statistics were marginal and not more impressive than any other free agent on the market this past off-season. I believe with the lack of offensive talent along with a tough NFL schedule, Shuab is the most likely of the three to be booed by his own fans and return to a back up role in the next three seasons.

David Gerrard – Unlike Damon and Matt, Gerrard has the most upside, experience and talent of the three former backups. As a result I believe he will be the most likely to have a solid future as an NFL starter. First, Gerrard has the game experience unlike the others. While being Brian Leftwitch’s backup for 5 years, Gerrard had a lot of opportunity to prove his worth. It seems like each year that Leftwitch would get injured, he would step in there and put a solid performance together. Second, Gerrard is a smart player. When he had to step in and start, Gerrard would rarely make any mental mistakes. In fact, Gerrard has the highest Passer Rating than the other 2 quarterbacks. And finally, the stat that proves that Gerrard is most likely to succeed as a starter is the fact the he has won more games as a starter than Huard and Shuab combined.

With the NFL season opener quickly approaching and teams putting the final preparations together to place them in the most optimal position to succeed. Many teams are placing a lot of hope into one position they feel will lead them to the promise land. Unfortunately it is not the quarterback or the offensive/defensive lineman that they have invested million of dollars. The position many team are counting on producing the opportunity most to succeed is the running back. This position always has the most hype and is part of more discussions of Fantasy Football aficionados around the country.

Since this position receives the most attention and a serious amount of pressure to help a team succeed, there exist three specific running backs that I believe that are under the most pressure to perform this season. In fact all but one of these players will definitely face unemployment if they don’t meet the expectations that they currently face. The nominees are:

#1- Cadillac Williams – After having one of the best starts for a rookie running back in NFL history, Cadillac has faded from being the best ever, to a potential bust. Having produced almost nothing last season and continual facing nagging injuries Cadillac is clearly on the bubble of being “the man” to a has been.

#2 – Shaun Alexander – The Seattle Seahawks finally gave Shaun the contract he had always wanted after their Super Bowl run in 2005. However, having gotten banged up and only making a marginal contribution to the team last season, Shaun could find himself being released or forced into retirement after this season if he does not rush for more than 1000 yards and score more than 10 touchdowns. Shaun faces a couple of dilemmas; first he is on the verge of by passing his prime. Of all NFL running backs in recent history, none have rushed for more than 1500 yards or scored more than 20 touchdowns once they reached their early 30s. The second disadvantage Shaun faces is the potential of being released and Seattle going after a big name running back in free agency or in the draft after the season concludes. The reasoning behind this resides in one person, Grant Wistrom. Grant was signed in 2004 for a monster contract with over $15 million guaranteed money. However, once he passed his prime and he could not produce consistently, the Seahawks were willing to write off him and all his guaranteed money as a bad investment in 2006. Clearly Seattle is willing to put a lot of pressure on Shaun to perform or he may be joining Tiki Barber in the NBC analyst booth. 

#3 – Larry Johnson – Many people may be surprised that I had placed Larry in this list and I would have agreed with them 2 months ago, however with his holdout of training camp, I believe Larry could be under a heavy microscope by fans and Chief’s front office is he does not produce. It is clearly possible that if Larry has a marginal or sub par season (1100 yards or less and less than 15 touchdowns) and avoids injury there could be potential trade talks by the end of the season. However, on the other hand if he does get traded, the Chiefs could be the dumbest teams in history to let that type of talent go and they may be kicking themselves why they waited so long to finally iron out a contract extension.

The sudden release of Jeremiah Trotter from the Philadelphia Eagles roster this past Tuesday was not only meant to be a message sent to the team but a statement meant to be targeted to every player in the league.  Its message: THE NFL VALUES YOUTH MUCH MORE THAN EXPERIENCE. 

Clearly this is an obvious statement that is not a secret among players and fans. However, I believe the manner in which Trotter was released was meant to be a statement more than a mere personnel move.

First, Trotter was released 1 week before the first set of preseason roster cuts.. This sent a clear message that the Eagles were not willing to go one more preseason game, let a lone another practice with having the possibility of getting Trotter hurt and placed on the Injured Reserve. The organization truly believed that Trotter is a greater liability to their bottom line than any other player on the roster.

Second, the Eagles are packed with “seasoned” veterans in key skill positions. Having Donavon McNabb, Brian Dawkins , Jevon Kearse, Jon Runyan, William Thomas and Takeo Spikes well into their primes, the clock is ticking how much longer the organization can be willing to continue to pay or wait until these players produce nothing less than a Super Bowl victory . By releasing Trotter, who is a great friend among most of these veterans and relied upon as a leader among the team, the Eagles sent a message to the rest of the veterans that they need to start producing or they may be next to be released.

Finally, Trotter will be replaced by an unproven, young and unknown talent at middle linebacker. You would think the Eagles would have made some off season moves in preparation for Trotters release, or perhaps they are banking on a release of a proven veteran from another team during the next couple of weeks. However, to say that they believe that Omar Gaither will do as well or better than Trotter is a complete fallacy. Clearly Gaither does not possess anywhere the leadership or the physicality that Trotter possessed, so why did the Eagles do what they did? Because the league values youth and fresh legs rather than leadership and wisdom.

As predicted in my July blog Michael Vick is literally days away from being the biggest waste of god given talent the NFL has ever known. With today’s revelations that Vick will plead guilty to illegal dog fighting, betting and mistreatment of animals it is all but guaranteed that Vick will never play another down in the NFL. In fact, it is being speculated that Commissioner Goodell will announce after the sentencing on Monday that Michael Vick will receive lifetime banishment from the league. The justification is accredited to not only his guilty plea to felony charges but also the fact that he lied while looking at the commissioner directly in his eyes that he was innocent of any illegal activity. Although this is still speculation I believe Vick deserves getting “Pete Rose(d)” from the NFL in consequence of his actions.

Many people may think I am a hard a$$ for making such of statement but I think I am in the majority of former and current professional players. Clearly this belief lies on a couple of facts.

First – Michael Vick has pleaded guilty to felony charges. From now and forever, no matter what Vick does to repair his image he will always have the title of “convicted felon”. As I stated in my July blog Vick would be a public relations nightmare if a team tries to sign him to a contract. The PETA people will be relentless in protesting against not only Vick but the team he signs with and even the NFL for reinstating him.  Yes I understand people must be forgiven, but he should of thought of the possible consequences when participating in illegal behavior.

Second – He lied to the commissioner. The NFL is like any other business in the world in the fact that everyone has to answer to a boss. In Vicks case he had to answer to the Commissioner for his actions. No matter the size of contract a player would sign (in Vicks case $130 million) or the control an organization would have on a players future, every NFL player is accountable to the “Commish”. In Vicks case, the moment he told his boss, Commissioner Goodell, that he was innocent and then today pleading guilty to felony charges, Vick lost all respect and trust from his boss. As the acting CEO of the NFL Goodell has the right to hire and fire any employee if they betray his trust. Therefore, even though we may forgive Vick of his mistakes and he may do everything to recompense his actions, the “Commish” of the NFL will never be able to trust Vick in being a capable representative of the league again.

It is clear that Michael Vick has made some serious mistakes and now he is accepting responsibility for them. However, in this case it is a great example to all that when you engage in illegal activities you risk not only millions of dollars but displaying your talents at a level the world will never see again.

With the upcoming 2007 NFL season several quarterbacks have put themselves in a very difficult predicament with their team, the fans and even themselves. In essence they have painted themselves into a corner. They either needs to have personal best years statically, take their team to the big dance (Super Bowl) or simply make some noise in the playoffs. If none of these are accomplished you may find many of them looking for a new team or contemplating retirement. The nominees are:

1)      Brett Favre – General Manager Ted Thompson has meticulously crafted a fairly talented group of receivers and offensive lineman the past couple of years to give Brett the best possible chance to succeed in recent memory. In addition a solid defense could provide him the game clinching ability that he has not had since the 2003 season. IF Bret does not led the team to the playoffs he will retire.

2)      Ben Roethlisberger- Having had a disaster of a season statistically last year, only winning a handful of games, and potentially beginning to show signs of durability problems. If he does not lead the team to the playoffs this coming season or he throws more interceptions than touchdowns in the first 8 games, don’t be surprised if Ben is benched and trade rumors start circulating.

3)      Eli Manning – He has got the biggest mountain to climb among all the other quarterbacks of the group. Having under achieved the last 3 seasons by never making it past the first round of the playoffs and lacking the ability to finish each season strong Eli has really put himself in a sudden death scenario. The Giants possess a very talented receiving corp with a decent running game and a capable defense. If Eli doesn’t lead New York to a first round win or a NFC Championship birth, he could end up being unemployed come March 2008.

4)      JP Losman – Each season I seem to have the same reaction when I see JP is the starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, I always shake my head in disbelief. Having never won a game against a viable defense, nor ever able to produce a QB rating higher than his teams winning percentage each season, JP must take the Bills to the playoffs or he will find himself in the back seat for the rest of his career.

5)      Rex Grossman – With having probably the most talented receiving corp in the NFL, second to only New England, and having the best overall defense to protect any lead, there is no reason why the Rex leads the Chicago Bears back to the Super Bowl. However, if he ends up throwing more interceptions than touchdown passes and does not advance past the NFC Championship game, Grossman will need to start getting advice from Eric Couch how to prepare for life after football.

The recent holdout by the Michael Strahan saga had seemingly started out to be the usual “am I too old or can I play” dilemma that all future hall of fame NFL players face at the conclusion of their careers. However, if you look at what has happened since the conclusion of the 2006 season and the comments that Strahan has made recently, I think it is overwhelmingly more about Michael trying to get more money than an athlete struggling with a difficult decision.                        

First of all it is common knowledge that Michael and his agent have tried to renegotiate an extension to his existing contract at the beginning of the year. However, according to many sources including NFL.com, the negotiations never amounted to anything significant or serious. 

Second, Strahan and his former wife finalized their divorce this summer with the Jude awarding her over $15 million in alimony. Half of which had to be paid now and the other half is in a temporary stay until a jury determines if the amount was too much.

And finally, why I believe this whole fiasco is about Michael trying to get more money than his dilemma in retiring is the fact that Michael had 7 and half months to think about this decision. If this issue was in no way about money he would have made a decision at the conclusion of last season and he would have committed himself 100% to that decision. (Take Bret Favre and Tiki Barber as prime examples). However, in Strahans case he is at the end of his existing contract and it would be financially beneficial if he could negotiate a new contract, get a signing bonus and then retire after 1 or 2 years within the contract. Unfortunately for him, management new he was washed up and he is not near the worth the player he thinks he is.

For that reason, Michael can only now whine and complain how he is being treated unfairly through his “decision making” process and how he is not getting the proper respect the single season sack leader deserves. He is only making himself look more like a fool than the great player and person he is.