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These are only excerpts from this article. To read the whole thing click the link below.
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The Von Miller Experience
Ellen. SNL. Courtside at the NBA All-Star Game. It’s been a wild week for the MVP of Super Bowl 50, which turned on a crafty play everyone missed. Plus the latest on Peyton Manning, Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy and more
By Peter King
“Despite my wishes, my days as a member of the Chicago Bears have sadly come to an end. I was informed earlier this week from the GM [Chicago general manager Ryan Pace] that they will not be attempting to re-sign me in free agency. I will remain forever grateful for my time in Chicago and being able to play for an organization with such a rich history … God bless and Bear Down!”
—Running back Matt Forte, second on the Bears’ all-time rushing list to Walter Payton, with 8,602 yards, in a statement to Bears fans.
“If he wants to pound our officers and stomp our officers, then he needs to pay the price and answer for his actions.”
—Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney, on the alleged altercation between a group of men including Bills running back LeSean McCoy and off-duty police officers, to CBS TV in Philadelphia. Investigators in Philadelphia are determining whether to charge McCoy over the incident.
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Stat of the Week
No one thinks of spending truly big money on kickers in free agency. But there are a couple of interesting kickers in the 2016 crop, assuming they don’t get re-signed before the free market opens in March: Baltimore’s Justin Tucker and the Rams’ Greg Zuerlein. Tucker is 26 and probably a more reliable and trusted option that Zuerlein, who has the ability to hit 60-yarders but trails Tucker by 10 percentage points in career accuracy.
But what I find amazing about the kicker crop is that it includes a kicker who is 17 years older than Tucker—and has been slightly more accurate over the past four years, the full NFL career of Tucker. Adam Vinatieri, 43, wants to play several more years, and all indications are that he’ll re-sign with Indianapolis. Keeping in mind that Vinatieri kicks indoors at home and Tucker performs outside, check out their numbers over the past four years in field-goal accuracy:
Player....Team.... FG....FGA.... Pct. ......FG...FGA (50-plus yards)..... Pct.
Vinatieri..Colts.... 116....131...... .886.... 15.....21.................................. .714
Tucker....Ravens. 130....148....... .878..... 18.....30................................. .600
* * *
Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me
Great news to hear Matt Hasselbeck wants to play another season, likely as Andrew Luck’s backup in Indianapolis, in 2016. At this point in his career, Hasselbeck is a classic backup, the kind who can win two or three games if need be on a team with a strong supporting cast. He won five of them in eight starts in place of the injured Luck in 2015.
Though Hasselbeck will be 41 in 2016, there’s no reason to think he can’t be a Plan B backup this year. Assuming both Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning are gone in 2016, Hasselbeck would be the last member of the draft class of 1998 in the NFL. Hasselbeck was the 187th overall pick, drafted by Green Bay in the sixth round out of Boston College. Among those gone, and with how long they’ve been out of the game:
• Round 6, pick 178 overall: Chris Fuamatu Ma’afala, running back, Pittsburgh. Been out of pro football 11 years.
• Round 5, pick 142 overall: Ike Reese, linebacker, Philadelphia. Out of the game for nine years.
• Round 4, pick 96 overall: Az-Zahir Hakim, wide receiver, St. Louis. Out of the game for nine years.
• Round 3, pick 91 overall: Brian Griese, quarterback, Denver. Out of the game for seven years.
• Round 2, pick 33 overall: Corey Chavous, safety, Arizona. Out of the game for seven years.
• Round 1, pick 2 overall: Ryan Leaf, quarterback, San Diego. Out of the game for 14 years.
Man, just think of the money you could have made betting that the 187th pick in the draft in 1998 would last 14 years longer than the the number two pick in 1998.
* * *
Michael David Smith @MichaelDavSmith
Isaac Bruce had 1,024 catches, 15,208 receiving yards, 91 TD and wasn't even a HOF finalist. No way Ochocinco with 766/11,059/67 gets in.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think LeSean McCoy could be in a world of trouble with the law over a bar fight with off-duty police officers that he is alleged to have participated in while in Philadelphia earlier this month. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talkpoints out, the difficult thing for the Buffalo Bills, McCoy’s current team, could be the league’s new paid-leave policy. If McCoy chooses to fight any charges or lawsuit, the Bills might have to place him on paid leave, meaning they’d potentially be paying him while he fights the case but won’t have his services.
And if he’s found guilty of any charges, the league could choose to impose discipline on McCoy taking him away from the team for more games. A tough call for the Bills, but the smart thing for McCoy might be to take a plea deal and the resulting suspension from the league if his case looks bleak. It also raises the specter of whether the Bills could simply cut McCoy now, take the cap hit, and look for a running back in free agency or the draft. Or both.
2. I think the football world should be pleased that the Raiders will play in Oakland in 2016, now that it’s been confirmed. The only better news would be if the Raiders got a new stadium, a new deep-pocketed partner for owner Mark Davis, and a long-term commitment to northern California.
3. I think neutral arbitrator Derrick Brooks did the right thing in upholding the three-game Vontaze Burfict suspension. Burfict’s aggressive, playmaking brand of football is something the Bengals need to keep winning. But his crossover brand of vigilante football is something the Bengals and Burfict must eliminate if he’s going to have a long career in the league.
4. I think the dark horse for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017 will be wide receiver Hines Ward. Many will decry his candidacy, saying he was never one of the top two or three receivers in the league. But think of this: Ward’s one of the best blocking wide receivers in NFL history, and he caught 1,000 passes, and he was the MVP of the Super Bowl 10 years ago. Maybe he won’t make it. I don’t know that he’ll have the momentum to do so especially in year one of eligibility. But to say he’s a weak candidate is specious and foolish.
5. I think Charles Woodson has a chance to be very good on TV. (The Big Lead reported he’ll be a new face on ESPN this fall.) He’s grown in his insightful ways over the year, and his willingness to be open and a good storyteller. If he’s really good at those aspects, he’ll have a long TV life. To be great, though, and he knows this, he’s going to have to be willing to be critical when the time calls for it—critical of those he’s known and played with and against over the years.
6. I think the interesting thing about running-back desirability these days is that the more productive you are, the more you get dinged in the eyes of some NFL teams because they think you’ve got less tread left on the tires. Take Matt Forte. Since 2008—Forte’s rookie year and Adrian Peterson’s second—Forte has more rushing/receiving yards than any back in football (715 more than Peterson, who is second), yet when he hits free agency next month he’s going to be a relative afterthought.
The Patriots might pay him something decent for a back of his stature ($5 million per on a short deal?) but the eight-year, $62-million deal signed by Shaun Alexander 10 years ago signaled the beginning of the end of gaudy running back contracts. You’ll still see some backs get big deals who don’t perform (DeMarco Murray, 2015), but mostly veteran backs with good résumés will be disappointed in the next few years.
7. I think Jared Goff does not lack for confidence. That’s what I found out when Gatorade made him available to a few media people recently, and I got a chance to talk to him about his pro prospects for 15 minutes. His plus-66 touchdown-to-interception differential in three years at Cal is obviously a credit to him, as is the fact his completion percentage increased each of his three seasons—from 60.4 percent to 62.1 percent to 64.5 percent last fall.
“I think my accuracy is as good as it gets at this level,” Goff said. “I think my pocket presence and my ability to extend plays speak for themselves. I’m confident I’ll be the best quarterback in the draft.” Now for the “C” question: How about the specter of getting selected by Cleveland, which has the second overall pick? Cleveland’s the place quarterbacks go to die. “I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’m excited about it. Whatever team I go to, I’ll be excited to go. I want to be the future of a franchise. I think I can be a guy who can make an impact right away.”
Goff is being trained for the combine by former NFL passer Ryan Lindley. Goff will be in the battle to be the first quarterback picked, with North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch of Memphis.
8. I think for Cam Newton’s own good, I hope he’s got someone inside the Panthers who, once the pain of the Super Bowl wears off, can tell him the truth about some of his Super Bowl gaffes and he’ll listen. “I win my way,” he said on Instagram the other day. Well, OK. There aren’t categories of your way and other ways in the win-loss columns of the NFL, though. There a win, and there’s a loss.
9. I think this was really good insight on the NFL’s move to Los Angeles by Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham of ESPN. Bottom line in the NFL’s move to L.A.: The owners wanted glam and money in Los Angeles, and regardless how much they wanted to help Dean Spanos out of his San Diego morass, glam and money was the winning bet.
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The Von Miller Experience
Ellen. SNL. Courtside at the NBA All-Star Game. It’s been a wild week for the MVP of Super Bowl 50, which turned on a crafty play everyone missed. Plus the latest on Peyton Manning, Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy and more
By Peter King
“Despite my wishes, my days as a member of the Chicago Bears have sadly come to an end. I was informed earlier this week from the GM [Chicago general manager Ryan Pace] that they will not be attempting to re-sign me in free agency. I will remain forever grateful for my time in Chicago and being able to play for an organization with such a rich history … God bless and Bear Down!”
—Running back Matt Forte, second on the Bears’ all-time rushing list to Walter Payton, with 8,602 yards, in a statement to Bears fans.
“If he wants to pound our officers and stomp our officers, then he needs to pay the price and answer for his actions.”
—Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney, on the alleged altercation between a group of men including Bills running back LeSean McCoy and off-duty police officers, to CBS TV in Philadelphia. Investigators in Philadelphia are determining whether to charge McCoy over the incident.
* * *
Stat of the Week
No one thinks of spending truly big money on kickers in free agency. But there are a couple of interesting kickers in the 2016 crop, assuming they don’t get re-signed before the free market opens in March: Baltimore’s Justin Tucker and the Rams’ Greg Zuerlein. Tucker is 26 and probably a more reliable and trusted option that Zuerlein, who has the ability to hit 60-yarders but trails Tucker by 10 percentage points in career accuracy.
But what I find amazing about the kicker crop is that it includes a kicker who is 17 years older than Tucker—and has been slightly more accurate over the past four years, the full NFL career of Tucker. Adam Vinatieri, 43, wants to play several more years, and all indications are that he’ll re-sign with Indianapolis. Keeping in mind that Vinatieri kicks indoors at home and Tucker performs outside, check out their numbers over the past four years in field-goal accuracy:
Player....Team.... FG....FGA.... Pct. ......FG...FGA (50-plus yards)..... Pct.
Vinatieri..Colts.... 116....131...... .886.... 15.....21.................................. .714
Tucker....Ravens. 130....148....... .878..... 18.....30................................. .600
* * *
Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me
Great news to hear Matt Hasselbeck wants to play another season, likely as Andrew Luck’s backup in Indianapolis, in 2016. At this point in his career, Hasselbeck is a classic backup, the kind who can win two or three games if need be on a team with a strong supporting cast. He won five of them in eight starts in place of the injured Luck in 2015.
Though Hasselbeck will be 41 in 2016, there’s no reason to think he can’t be a Plan B backup this year. Assuming both Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning are gone in 2016, Hasselbeck would be the last member of the draft class of 1998 in the NFL. Hasselbeck was the 187th overall pick, drafted by Green Bay in the sixth round out of Boston College. Among those gone, and with how long they’ve been out of the game:
• Round 6, pick 178 overall: Chris Fuamatu Ma’afala, running back, Pittsburgh. Been out of pro football 11 years.
• Round 5, pick 142 overall: Ike Reese, linebacker, Philadelphia. Out of the game for nine years.
• Round 4, pick 96 overall: Az-Zahir Hakim, wide receiver, St. Louis. Out of the game for nine years.
• Round 3, pick 91 overall: Brian Griese, quarterback, Denver. Out of the game for seven years.
• Round 2, pick 33 overall: Corey Chavous, safety, Arizona. Out of the game for seven years.
• Round 1, pick 2 overall: Ryan Leaf, quarterback, San Diego. Out of the game for 14 years.
Man, just think of the money you could have made betting that the 187th pick in the draft in 1998 would last 14 years longer than the the number two pick in 1998.
* * *
Michael David Smith @MichaelDavSmith
Isaac Bruce had 1,024 catches, 15,208 receiving yards, 91 TD and wasn't even a HOF finalist. No way Ochocinco with 766/11,059/67 gets in.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think LeSean McCoy could be in a world of trouble with the law over a bar fight with off-duty police officers that he is alleged to have participated in while in Philadelphia earlier this month. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talkpoints out, the difficult thing for the Buffalo Bills, McCoy’s current team, could be the league’s new paid-leave policy. If McCoy chooses to fight any charges or lawsuit, the Bills might have to place him on paid leave, meaning they’d potentially be paying him while he fights the case but won’t have his services.
And if he’s found guilty of any charges, the league could choose to impose discipline on McCoy taking him away from the team for more games. A tough call for the Bills, but the smart thing for McCoy might be to take a plea deal and the resulting suspension from the league if his case looks bleak. It also raises the specter of whether the Bills could simply cut McCoy now, take the cap hit, and look for a running back in free agency or the draft. Or both.
2. I think the football world should be pleased that the Raiders will play in Oakland in 2016, now that it’s been confirmed. The only better news would be if the Raiders got a new stadium, a new deep-pocketed partner for owner Mark Davis, and a long-term commitment to northern California.
3. I think neutral arbitrator Derrick Brooks did the right thing in upholding the three-game Vontaze Burfict suspension. Burfict’s aggressive, playmaking brand of football is something the Bengals need to keep winning. But his crossover brand of vigilante football is something the Bengals and Burfict must eliminate if he’s going to have a long career in the league.
4. I think the dark horse for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017 will be wide receiver Hines Ward. Many will decry his candidacy, saying he was never one of the top two or three receivers in the league. But think of this: Ward’s one of the best blocking wide receivers in NFL history, and he caught 1,000 passes, and he was the MVP of the Super Bowl 10 years ago. Maybe he won’t make it. I don’t know that he’ll have the momentum to do so especially in year one of eligibility. But to say he’s a weak candidate is specious and foolish.
5. I think Charles Woodson has a chance to be very good on TV. (The Big Lead reported he’ll be a new face on ESPN this fall.) He’s grown in his insightful ways over the year, and his willingness to be open and a good storyteller. If he’s really good at those aspects, he’ll have a long TV life. To be great, though, and he knows this, he’s going to have to be willing to be critical when the time calls for it—critical of those he’s known and played with and against over the years.
6. I think the interesting thing about running-back desirability these days is that the more productive you are, the more you get dinged in the eyes of some NFL teams because they think you’ve got less tread left on the tires. Take Matt Forte. Since 2008—Forte’s rookie year and Adrian Peterson’s second—Forte has more rushing/receiving yards than any back in football (715 more than Peterson, who is second), yet when he hits free agency next month he’s going to be a relative afterthought.
The Patriots might pay him something decent for a back of his stature ($5 million per on a short deal?) but the eight-year, $62-million deal signed by Shaun Alexander 10 years ago signaled the beginning of the end of gaudy running back contracts. You’ll still see some backs get big deals who don’t perform (DeMarco Murray, 2015), but mostly veteran backs with good résumés will be disappointed in the next few years.
7. I think Jared Goff does not lack for confidence. That’s what I found out when Gatorade made him available to a few media people recently, and I got a chance to talk to him about his pro prospects for 15 minutes. His plus-66 touchdown-to-interception differential in three years at Cal is obviously a credit to him, as is the fact his completion percentage increased each of his three seasons—from 60.4 percent to 62.1 percent to 64.5 percent last fall.
“I think my accuracy is as good as it gets at this level,” Goff said. “I think my pocket presence and my ability to extend plays speak for themselves. I’m confident I’ll be the best quarterback in the draft.” Now for the “C” question: How about the specter of getting selected by Cleveland, which has the second overall pick? Cleveland’s the place quarterbacks go to die. “I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’m excited about it. Whatever team I go to, I’ll be excited to go. I want to be the future of a franchise. I think I can be a guy who can make an impact right away.”
Goff is being trained for the combine by former NFL passer Ryan Lindley. Goff will be in the battle to be the first quarterback picked, with North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch of Memphis.
8. I think for Cam Newton’s own good, I hope he’s got someone inside the Panthers who, once the pain of the Super Bowl wears off, can tell him the truth about some of his Super Bowl gaffes and he’ll listen. “I win my way,” he said on Instagram the other day. Well, OK. There aren’t categories of your way and other ways in the win-loss columns of the NFL, though. There a win, and there’s a loss.
9. I think this was really good insight on the NFL’s move to Los Angeles by Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham of ESPN. Bottom line in the NFL’s move to L.A.: The owners wanted glam and money in Los Angeles, and regardless how much they wanted to help Dean Spanos out of his San Diego morass, glam and money was the winning bet.
