I’m not dumb enough to think that nobody in the history of the NFL has ever faked an injury.  When teams go into the hurry up offense and the defense can’t come off the field then players get tired and when that happens then players will fake an injury to get a little break and to slow the pace of the game down.  I know it has happened a lot in the college game but I have never paid attention enough to find it happening in the NFL.

Football is a very violent sport and it is getting more and more violent.  Defenses are getting smarter and smarter and with more passes being thrown more players are going to be hit harder and in more vulnerable spots.  When I watch highlights of games I see at least 10-20 hits that I don’t know I would ever get up from.  My point is that why would you have to fake an injury when one seemingly could happen on every play.  Instead of flopping to the ground when nobody touches you like a soccer player would, why not wait until at least there is a collision?

My point is that I don’t want to think of NFL players as flopping to the turf to get a break or to make the other team look like they should get a penalty of some sort.  I want my NFL players to be tough and unbreakable.  I don’t want to read again about the NFL warning teams about faking injuries because it really draws attention to the sport in a way that it shouldn’t.

I wake up Sunday morning to find out that Syracuse and Pitt are leaving the BIG EAST for the ACC and I was shocked.  Syracuse is the team that, to me, is what the Big East is all about.  I’m not talking just football, but basketball with them.  Pitt has been good in both sports for a long time and both are staples to that conference.  This has to just be a sign of what is to come.

Texas A &M is heading to the SEC so the Big 12 looks like it is going to shrink or go away.  The Big Ten picked up Nebraska so are they trying to stick their nose in the game with Texas or Oklahoma?  Probably.  We heard that Iowa St and Baylor were looking into the BIG East but is that any sort of trade for the Big East?  Which conferences will be left standing in the end?

It appears the Big Ten, Acc, Pac 12 are all alive and well.  The Big Ten has a great conference leader and a strong tv presence with the BIG TEN network.  It’s my favorite channel lineup on saturdays.  The Pac 12 expanded last year to 12 and appears strong enough to easily add a couple more football powerhouses.  The ACC added 2 great schools to it’s list of teams so they aren’t going anywhere.  This leaves the Big 12 and the Big East.  Are these 2 just going to shrink into one conference eventually?  I actually think they are but it won’t be the way they want.

I think that schools are behind the scenes working all kinds of angles to ensure they are in a safe spot in a welcome conference with funds coming in.  None of them want to be left out of the BCS.  Baylor would never consider going to the Mountain West because that would eliminate opportunity for them.  Then you have teams like TCU who left the Mountain West for the BIg East.  They did that so they could get their shot at a BCS game easier than having to go undefeated in the Mountain West.  Now they might be in a conference that is clearly losing ground and power and wondering what is really going on.

The landscape is changing daily, it reminds me of player free agency but with schools.

I love watching good quarterback play and the older I get the more I really see the little things that separate the good qbs from the bad ones.  Often the difference is very small, something like 5% higher completion percentages compared to others really makes a big difference. 

One of the little things that really stand out with me is the quarterbacks ability to step into a throw.  This means that the qb sees his target and takes that front foot and plants it in that players direction and throws the ball with a commitment.  Brett Favre rarely threw a ball he didn’t believe in so when you see highlights you see a step, a plant and a throw.  Quarterbacks that do this typically are more confident in what they are capable of that usually pays off.

When I watch quarterbacks who struggle with this it may be for different reasons.  Often qb’s are scared to step into a throw because of a pass rush coming at them or lack of confidence in their line.  When this happens the ball comes out soft or is overthrown. 

Every coach wants to see the quarterback confident in the pocket, standing up tall and stepping into every throw.

When i was growing up some of the best players in the NFL were running backs.  You had Dorsett, Earl Campbell, Franco Harris, Eric Dickerson and the best of all was Walter Payton.  These were players who had durability and mostly played with the same team throughout their careers.  It was a different league then and one I’m glad I got to watch.

Today’s game is different and we don’t have these type of backs anymore.  Yes, we have some very talented players but the closest thing we will see to a Walter Payton is Adrian Peterson but don’t think for a second that the VIkings won’t dump him or deal him at the first sign of him decreasing.

NFL running backs today are treated like  a dime a dozen.  Since most teams are going with mid to short passing games, the running back becomes the diversion not the focus.  This isn’t the case with all teams but look at some of the yardage thrown this past weekend.  Chad Henne threw for 400 yards and he’s Chad Henne.  It’s just a sign of where things are going and how much the running back is being devalued.

The best back in the past draft was Mark Ingram and he slid a while.  Backs used to be drafted earlier but now you’ll see them slide as lineman, quarterbacks and defensive players will still make up the majority of the first round.

That was a great football games last night but Sean Payton over thought the process and was outguessed by the Packers coach. 

When the Packers got near the goal line they handed off to the fullback who went untouched into the end zone.  It worked because everyone was keyed on the tailback and not even looking at the fullback.  When the Saints had a 4th and 1 earlier in the quarter they elected to try a play action with disastrous results.  That time the Packers guessed they would play action and they were right.  With the game on the line the Saints were at the doorstep and decided to try to run it in only to be stopped short.  The Packers guessed right again and clogged the middle and it wasn’t even close.

Still, the 42-34 Packers win was  a great way to start the season.  Aaron Rodgers is as good as it gets right now at the Qb position.  He’s decisive and can make every throw.  He has a great line, great coaches and confidence that he can’t be beaten.  The Packers are going to be very very good this year and if they stay healthy they are going to be very tough to beat. 

For the Saints, they really struggled on defense.  Watching the game, it seemed like Green Bay could’ve scored a td every time they touched the ball.  On offense, Brees kept them in the game and is a talented quarterback with a lot of weapons.  If they can play any defense at all they will win 10 games and be a matchup nightmare in the playoffs.

Rarely when the season starts do we get a lot of good games and rarely do I care….I’m just glad they are playing football.

Despite the most crazy offseason that I can ever remember I can’t wait for this to get started.  Let’s recap:

• conference changes all over the place. The pac 10 adds 2 average schools.  The Big 10 adds Nebraska somehow.  The Big 12 nearly folds but doesn’t but now might again if Texas A&M leaves.  BYU goes independent and nobody really cares.  Then you have TCU going to the BIG EAST.  My favorite was Boise st leaving to go to the mtn west.  They wanted to play BYU, UTAH and TCU and instead the rest of the WAc basically moved with them.  Cracks me up.
• Ohio St gets taken down-Tressel fired.
• Miami Fl is going to be taken down
• Oregon is being investigated
• Auburn is being investigated

These are just a few.  The offseason was crazy but now we can all forget it and focus on the stuff on the field.  I’ll be glued to the tv tonight and the rest of the weekend just trying to get my fill of one of the best times of year.

I know that good is a relative term and that it means different things to everyone.  For the sake of the blog today let’s look at some traits that the best receivers have.

1. Smart:  The best receivers aren’t the fastest, they are the player that no where to get open and how.  If a receiver understands the defense and how it is being played then they are able to adjust their routes accordingly.  Most teams have set plays but those plays should be based on what type of defense is being played.  If a receiver sees man coverage then he needs to be able to adapt as he would if a zone was thrown their way.  By far this is the most important trait a receiver can have.  I think of Hines Ward.  I honestly think I could outrun him today in a foot race but he knows where to go on the field at all times and is never lost or confused.  He’s a hall of famer as a result.
2. Hands:  Qb’s throw to players who can catch the ball.  If you a receiver and struggle catching then you may as well be a blocker who struggles blocking.  The whole idea is to be able to get open so you can catch the ball and if you can’t do that then move on to a different sport.  I work with some people who were ex-players and they have horrible hands and I wonder all the time how they were able to even play at such a high level. 
3. Effort:  Effort is a trait.  Good receivers go hard on every play and take their responsibility very serious.  That includes blocking or acting like a decoy when the situation calls for it.  If your job is to run hard down the field for 30 yards to try to get a db and a safety to go with you then put the effort in and do it.  Effort is the number 1 thing that earns a coaches trust.  Coaches need to know that the players they put out there are guys they can trust. 

Usually this time of year we read about rookies getting millions of dollars that they haven’t earned and how that money handcuffs teams for years.  This year we are getting some different reports and I really like it.

I know the rookies aren’t starving and that Cam newton definitely got paid.  But I also saw last night how Joe Thomas of Cleveland signed an 80 million dollar contract with more than 40 million guaranteed.  Thomas is a pro bowl tackle and one of the best linemen in the game.  He came in and started from day 1 and after 4 seasons put his time in to get his money.  So far that’s what the CBA has done for the players.  It has made the owners pay the players and the vets are getting theirs.  This first year we will see some contracts that shouldn’t have been given out like we do in every sport and injuries always play a role in football but this is a great start to what I hope is a great period of time where the owners and players agree.

This has been the most talked about topic in sports this week.  Some ‘booster’ went overboard and gave players money and benefits and it went on for years.  That’s the short of it and now comes the tough part…what happens to the U?

I’m never of fan of calling these idiots boosters.  Boosters are people who build up the program not cause it to crumble to the ground.  These guys get into these kids and take advantage of situations and all it does is cause issues later.  Vilma, Devin Hester and several others in the NFL got their cake in college and then moved on to the pros only to now see Miami football get brought down to the ground.  Make no mistake, this will crumble this program.  College football is so competitive now that kids in Florida have options all around them and places they can go to get on tv or press so they arent going to stick it out at the U and hope it all gets better.  They will lose scholarships and millions of dollars as a result. It doesn’t hurt Vilma or Hester or the others who have made it in the pros but it sure does hurt other kids who won’t get in now because scholarships will be gone.

Both parties are responsible but you have to hold the one providing the money or gifts to the higher standard.  Kids are kids and have a tough time seeing into tomorrow.  I’ve heard it 10 times in the past 2 days and I couldn’t agree more when they say that these ‘boosters’ should be charged with felonies and jail time and that if the standard is set then it won’t happen as much.  We have to do something because this is terrible for one of the greatest games in the world.

College football is great and idiots like this guy with little man’s disease ruins it for all of us.

This has been the talk of college football all weekend long and I can’t quite figure out why.  Does the SEC need Texas A&M?  I know that it would be great for recruiting.  Not only would they be able to get the southeast kids but now they’d have an inside step into Texas.  That would be big for the conference.  The problem is that it would leave them at 13 schools and in need of either adding 1 more or 3 more.  Do they want to do that? 

I don’t know all the motives but I understand the main motive and that is money.  The more teams they have in the conference then the more money they can make come bowl season or march madness.  A&M is a good football team but they won’t be a threat in the SEC in football.  In basketball they are better than average and will contend occasionally but nothing great. 

As for A&M I can’t quite figure this out.  This is different than UTah leaving BYU to play in the PAC 10.  They are already in a BCS conference and they sell out every game.  They have great rivalries close by and history.  They will immediately be considered a lower level team in the SEC and be listed with the MIss. st’s and MIssissippi’s of the world.  It could backfire just as easy as it could help.  If they think a kid would rather go to A&M than LSU they are crazy especially if that kid is from the south.  However, given that same option the TExas kid will go to LSU because it’s a better program with better fans and more fans with a chance at a National title every so often.

We haven’t heard the end of it and this will continue to be news and the year goes along.  More than likely we will see the SEC go the way of 16 teams and then have the BIG 10 and Pac 12 try to do the same thing.