2010 NFL Season

[BlueSky]

Yesterday's bad Saints news just got worse. Yesterday Chris Ivory went on IR and today Pierre Thomas joined him. All you often hear about Saints' RBs is Bush blah blah blah but they could cut or trade Bush for all I care. He doesn't do half of what Pierre Thomas does. This is really sucky news.

[The_Admiral]

For all the times I've had to watch that stupid-ass "show how unique you are by getting a jersey with a play on Drew Brees's name" commercial, their whole offense can go on IR for all I care.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I'm beginning to wish I had bought Seahawks tickets. Could be a playoff miracle.

[BlueSky]

For all the times I've had to watch that stupid-ass "show how unique you are by getting a jersey with a play on Drew Brees's name" commercial, their whole offense can go on IR for all I care.

Come on, you probably sleep in one of these*...

* I do not suggest or condone undue deification.

[Cujo]

Bud Adams has announced that Vince Young has played his last game as a Titan. This also means that head coach Jeff Fisher will remain in Tennessee.

Bud as he shows VY the door:

[Shumway]

Ndamukong Suh is getting offseason shoulder surgery, which led me to think....

He did THAT with only one good arm?

[tBBP]

Hey Buc, what an unexpectedly good year for your Buccaneers, man. Meant to mention that before. Nobody in their right mind would have predicted 10 wins this year and Freeman is very impressive. Next year's NFC South is going to be a dogfight, especially if the Panthers come up with a capable coach and somebody to play QB.

Wasn't it, though? Thanks, Russ. If anyone woulda told me before the season that this team would finish at even 7-9, I probably would have just as soon laughed right back in their face. About the only sliver of hope I gave my Bucs this season was the consistent "indian sprint" nature of the NFC South--that is, the last-man-up trend (in that the last-place team finishes first the following season), but that ain't happen this year. And Freeman...yeah, I think for the first time since Brad Johnson, Tampa has a legit reason to be super-excited about their QB. (And the fact that we DID get super-hyped about Brad freakin' Johnson should speak to the level of QB play for the Buccaners over the--well, since their inception, save for Doug Williams.) Then all those rookies--I miscounted earlier, but Tampa actually started twelve different rookies at various points of this season. And yet even with all that that, even if they did finish in third place, they did so at 10-6? I'll take it. (Plus that's more than what can be said for a certain other NFC conference. )

All that said, I'll also say this right now: ESPN, if Seattle does emerge victorious after this weekend, might tout it as one of the most monumental upsets ever in the history of historical monumental upsets...but I think it's fair to say that between the Saints' offensive issues of late and now the injuries, it shouldn't be all that unexpected. For your sake, though, I hope it don't come to that.

[IceCap]

Bud Adams has announced that Vince Young has played his last game as a Titan. This also means that head coach Jeff Fisher will remain in Tennessee.

Bud as he shows VY the door:

Now that's shocking. I thought it was all but certain that Adams was siding with Young in that d!ck-waving contest.

I guess he couldn't bare to lose a coach as smartly dressed as Fisher.

[NJTank]

Or maybe he realized how many chances VY had

[Cujo]

I guess he couldn't bare to lose a coach as smartly dressed as Fisher.

SHWING!

[BBTV]

Fill me in, because I haven't paid much attention - other than the disappearing thing and alleged talk of suicide, what has he done since that was so bad that a team is just dumping a guy who was a top pick and has won some games?

[JQK]

Fill me in, because I haven't paid much attention - other than the disappearing thing and alleged talk of suicide, what has he done since that was so bad that a team is just dumping a guy who was a top pick and has won some games?

Throwing his pads into the stands, not following the trainer's rehab orders, not coming to the facility while injured to keep up with with the team, watch film, etc...

Locker Room Cancer is a term that has been thrown about...

[Mings]

For all the times I've had to watch that stupid-ass "show how unique you are by getting a jersey with a play on Drew Brees's name" commercial, their whole offense can go on IR for all I care.

Come on, you probably sleep in one of these*...

* I do not suggest or condone undue deification.

You would not believe how many of those shirts you see on game day around here.

[dfwabel]

Fill me in, because I haven't paid much attention - other than the disappearing thing and alleged talk of suicide, what has he done since that was so bad that a team is just dumping a guy who was a top pick and has won some games?

While he was over .500 as a starter, it is his lack of leadership and responsibility in the locker room which put Fisher over the edge. Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tells of an issue before the Steelers game this season. He wins, but us QB rating is bad, has a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, and only averages 150 passing yards/game. This past offseason there was an issue in a Dallas strip club where he was issued a citation because a member of club staff gave him an upside-down "Hook em Horns" sign.

This does not put Fisher in the clear as well. In his full seasons as coach he has had five winning seasons, five losing ones, and five at 8-8. He has not won a playoff game since 2003.

[The_Admiral]

He's in a division with Peyton Manning. That the Titans don't get dongwhipped every single season is a testament to his ability.

[BlueSky]

Fill me in, because I haven't paid much attention - other than the disappearing thing and alleged talk of suicide, what has he done since that was so bad that a team is just dumping a guy who was a top pick and has won some games?

While he was over .500 as a starter, it is his lack of leadership and responsibility in the locker room which put Fisher over the edge. Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tells of an issue before the Steelers game this season. He wins, but us QB rating is bad, has a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, and only averages 150 passing yards/game. This past offseason there was an issue in a Dallas strip club where he was issued a citation because a member of club staff gave him an upside-down "Hook em Horns" sign.

This does not put Fisher in the clear as well. In his full seasons as coach he has had five winning seasons, five losing ones, and five at 8-8. He has not won a playoff game since 2003.

The final straw was what happened in the locker room after the pads into the stands incident. He dressed and was leaving the locker room when Fisher told him not to walk out on his teammates. "I'm not walking out on them, I'm walking out on you." Unacceptable in any sport. That's why he was told, after being placed on IR, that he was no longer welcome at the Titans' facilities.

Hey Buc, what an unexpectedly good year for your Buccaneers, man. Meant to mention that before. Nobody in their right mind would have predicted 10 wins this year and Freeman is very impressive. Next year's NFC South is going to be a dogfight, especially if the Panthers come up with a capable coach and somebody to play QB.

Wasn't it, though? Thanks, Russ. If anyone woulda told me before the season that this team would finish at even 7-9, I probably would have just as soon laughed right back in their face. About the only sliver of hope I gave my Bucs this season was the consistent "indian sprint" nature of the NFC South--that is, the last-man-up trend (in that the last-place team finishes first the following season), but that ain't happen this year. And Freeman...yeah, I think for the first time since Brad Johnson, Tampa has a legit reason to be super-excited about their QB. (And the fact that we DID get super-hyped about Brad freakin' Johnson should speak to the level of QB play for the Buccaners over the--well, since their inception, save for Doug Williams.) Then all those rookies--I miscounted earlier, but Tampa actually started twelve different rookies at various points of this season. And yet even with all that that, even if they did finish in third place, they did so at 10-6? I'll take it. (Plus that's more than what can be said for a certain other NFC conference. )

All that said, I'll also say this right now: ESPN, if Seattle does emerge victorious after this weekend, might tout it as one of the most monumental upsets ever in the history of historical monumental upsets...but I think it's fair to say that between the Saints' offensive issues of late and now the injuries, it shouldn't be all that unexpected. For your sake, though, I hope it don't come to that.

I have a feeling they're going to step up big time this weekend. Reggie is now "the" back and looked good last weekend, plus he often plays well with odd motivations, for example one terrific game after which he explained he was miffed because USC had been upset the night before. So with his old coach on the other sideline, he may actually head downfield instead of to the sidelines for a change, and if he hangs onto the ball too, all the better.

Besides, the Saints are one of the few teams in the league that can win without much of a running game at all. It's a lot harder of course but I'll take Brees against the Seahawks' D and the Saints' D against whoever QBs the Seahawks. It may not be pretty (and they likely won't cover the line) but my gut feeling is the Saints survive to fight another day.

That said, my fingers are crossed.

As for reaching the SB...probably not going to happen for New Orleans, so if they win this week, my playoff wish list is down to two things: 1) let someone besides Atlanta end the Saints' season and 2) let anyone (Mike Vick would do nicely) end the Falcons' season short of Dallas.

[TheOldRoman]

Fill me in, because I haven't paid much attention - other than the disappearing thing and alleged talk of suicide, what has he done since that was so bad that a team is just dumping a guy who was a top pick and has won some games?

While he was over .500 as a starter, it is his lack of leadership and responsibility in the locker room which put Fisher over the edge. Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tells of an issue before the Steelers game this season. He wins, but us QB rating is bad, has a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, and only averages 150 passing yards/game. This past offseason there was an issue in a Dallas strip club where he was issued a citation because a member of club staff gave him an upside-down "Hook em Horns" sign.

This does not put Fisher in the clear as well. In his full seasons as coach he has had five winning seasons, five losing ones, and five at 8-8. He has not won a playoff game since 2003.

That guy deserved the beatdown. Everybody knows you don't mess with Texas.

I hope this gets Vince to get his head on straight. I have been a huge fan of his since his Texas days and believe he can be a good NFL QB.

[dfwabel]

ESPN is prepared to keep the MNF franchise through 2023. This contract will be brought up by the NFLPA.

ESPN and the NFL have agreed to broad terms on a new media rights deal that will be worth nearly $2 billion per year. Specific numbers still are difficult to confirm, but multiple sources say ESPN has told the NFL that it will increase its annual rights fee by 65% to 70%%, which means it will pay the league a record fee, between $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion a year.

Despite agreeing to pay the league nearly $2 billion per year to extend its rights to NFL content, including ?Monday Night Football,? neither ESPN nor ABC will be in the rotation to carry the Super Bowl, according to several sources. In fact, it appears that ESPN still will not have the rights to televise any NFL playoff games, at least not initially. The league has long been unwilling to move playoff games off of broadcast television. But during the negotiations, ESPN has been pushing hard to pick up at least one wild card game, and the NFL has showed signs that it is willing to consider moving a playoff game to cable eventually.

The contract extension still has not been finalized and could be several weeks away from completion. But many of the bigger deal terms ? including money and length ? essentially have been worked out, sources said. ESPN will wrap up ?Monday Night Football? rights well into the next decade. The deal length is for nine or 10 years, which would take it up to 2022-23.

As is part of all ESPN negotiations these days, the network is pushing forward on a ?TV Everywhere? concept that includes broadband and mobile rights. The two sides still haven?t reached an agreement on mobile rights, however. Last year, Verizon signed a four-year, $720 million sponsorship deal that includes the exclusive mobile rights to stream ?Sunday Night Football? and NFL Network games, as well as the NFL RedZone channel. The NFL sees significant value in these types of rights and is guarding them jealously.

[Jimmy!]

I have a feeling they're going to step up big time this weekend. Reggie is now "the" back and looked good last weekend, plus he often plays well with odd motivations, for example one terrific game after which he explained he was miffed because USC had been upset the night before. So with his old coach on the other sideline, he may actually head downfield instead of to the sidelines for a change, and if he hangs onto the ball too, all the better.

Besides, the Saints are one of the few teams in the league that can win without much of a running game at all. It's a lot harder of course but I'll take Brees against the Seahawks' D and the Saints' D against whoever QBs the Seahawks. It may not be pretty (and they likely won't cover the line) but my gut feeling is the Saints survive to fight another day.

That said, my fingers are crossed.

As for reaching the SB...probably not going to happen for New Orleans, so if they win this week, my playoff wish list is down to two things: 1) let someone besides Atlanta end the Saints' season and 2) let anyone (Mike Vick would do nicely) end the Falcons' season short of Dallas.

My fingers are crossed, too. But for different reasons. So with Thomas and Ivory out, does that make former Seahawk Julius Jones the featured back?

[BlueSky]

I have a feeling they're going to step up big time this weekend. Reggie is now "the" back and looked good last weekend, plus he often plays well with odd motivations, for example one terrific game after which he explained he was miffed because USC had been upset the night before. So with his old coach on the other sideline, he may actually head downfield instead of to the sidelines for a change, and if he hangs onto the ball too, all the better.

Besides, the Saints are one of the few teams in the league that can win without much of a running game at all. It's a lot harder of course but I'll take Brees against the Seahawks' D and the Saints' D against whoever QBs the Seahawks. It may not be pretty (and they likely won't cover the line) but my gut feeling is the Saints survive to fight another day.

That said, my fingers are crossed.

As for reaching the SB...probably not going to happen for New Orleans, so if they win this week, my playoff wish list is down to two things: 1) let someone besides Atlanta end the Saints' season and 2) let anyone (Mike Vick would do nicely) end the Falcons' season short of Dallas.

My fingers are crossed, too. But for different reasons. So with Thomas and Ivory out, does that make former Seahawk Julius Jones the featured back?

Supposedly it'll be Bush but I hadn't thought of Julius Jones having some extra motivation this week too. That's good, I just hope he doesn't fumble on the 1 again this week like he did against Tampa Bay. It was a game changer, too...Saints were about to go up 14-3.