Both the Vikings and Panthers suspended their players involved in spouse or child abuse for last weeks game. Now both teams have declared their active for the week 3 games.
But here is the rub. By suspending RB Adrian Peterson and DE Greg Hardy the teams have taken action against them for their off field issues. Now the NFLPA can claim that because the two were suspended for a game, any additional suspension would be double jeopardy which is prohibited in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. That could prohibit the team or league from taking any additional action against the two players on the same issue.
So far the NFLPA has not shown a great deal of guts in challenging the league on suspensions. It will be interesting to see how these latest issues turn out. I suspect that the NFLPA will back off again. But time will tell.
That is what I think. Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.
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Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels onand a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/ and the live show Mondays at 6 PM Eastern time on .
He also edits.
To keep up with the News, Notes & Rumors podcasts, follow me on twitter @NNRonDSN.
One of the things that head coaches at all levels of sports fear the most is a QB controversy. That is particularly true in the NFL. This preseason there are a number of them around the league. However, the analysis of each will be the fodder for future articles.
The point of this posting is the danger that they pose for the continued employment of coaches around the league. Despite what you have heard about pro players there is one thing you should know—players know which QB gives the team the best chance to win. If the coaching staff make the right choice everyone has a decent chance of holding onto his job. If not, the coaching staff will appreciate the extended unemployment benefits the federal government now provides.
The biggest risk of making a job threatening mistake is in the hands of Rex Ryan. The Jets have said that there will be a true competition between Geno Smith and Mike Vick. The staff wants Smith to win the job but based on what I have seen Vick gives the team a much better chance to win now. However I suspect that unless Smith stinks the place up so badly that the Jets need to call in the EPA Super Fund to clean up the mess, he will keep the job.
The problems for any coach that selects a QB that the team sees as second best involve losing games, and worse yet losing the locker room. A QB that loses his team can get it back with great play. It is almost impossible for a coach to get a lost locker room back. When he loses the locker room, the players tune him out. They no longer feel they can win. They refuse to take coaching. And they are willing to pad their own stats than do what is best for the team. When those things happen ownership needs to find a new staff.
So watch the preseason games of teams with a QB controversy. If nothing else, they will be fun to watch. THAT is truly “reality TV.”
That is what I think. Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.
NOTE: Check out the live News, Notes and Rumors show on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6 PM Eastern on or https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. On Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports, former NFL scout Kelron Sykes and I talk football with just a little Indians and Cavs thrown in. The archive is available on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. Please join us.
Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels onand a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/ and the live show Mondays at 6 PM Eastern time on .
He also edits.
To keep up with the News, Notes & Rumors podcasts, follow me on twitter @NNRonDSN.
The Bills are 2-0 but had to pull a miracle to win vs. Oakland. They are not as good as they looked last week vs. KC because the Chiefs are TERRIBLE. They face the Pats this week.
The Pats are showing more urgency than in the last few years. They are a threat for the Super Bowl.
The Jets are 2-0 but do not look like a top team. I still don’t trust QB Sanchez in a big game. We will know more when they play the Pats.
The Texans are also 2-0 but have yet to beat anyone. They will win the division but then choke as usual but this time in the playoffs rather than against the Colts.
Washington struggled to win at home vs. the Cards. They have Grossman at QB and are Wine and fools’ gold. The Skins are a mess and HC Shannahan has made the mess worse rather than fixed it.
The Pack is 2-0 but gave up 23 points to CR. The pass D is a problem and might cost them big in the playoffs. Unless the pass D gets better, this team will not win a 2nd consecutive title.
The Lions look like the real deal at 2-0. They have outscored their opponent by 52 points and the D is outstanding. There is one caution. IF QB Bradford can stay healthy they will be a playoff team
0 – 2 TEAMS:
Over the last 10 years, only 12% of the teams that started out 0-2 made the playoffs. Those are not good odds.
The Dolphins are 0-2 and face a must win at Cleveland this week. The coaching staff is hanging on by a single stand of a spider web. They have to win to keep their jobs. They will not do either.
The Colts are 0-2 and that was a bad loss for them at home last week vs. the Browns. Worse yet, they face the Steelers at home this week and go to play the Bucs next. They will be 0-4 and looking for a shot at the top draft choice (QB Luck) in the 2012 draft. It is clear that Payton is the brains behind the O and HC Caldwell should be gone along with the GM for the mess they have made of this team.
The KC Chiefs are a mess as well. When OC Weis left so did any semblance of offense. HC Haley pushed Weis out and now we see that the former is not capable of handling the job. QB Cassel has been miserable and RB Charles is out for the season with an injury. Haley will be gone when this team takes the field next year. The only scrap of good news is that the team will play other inept organizations like the Vikes and Colts in weeks 4 and 5.
The Vikes are looking for a QB and did not find one that works in McNabb. In recent years they could depend on wins against division foes like the Bears and the Lions. But the Lions have gotten a lot better and the Bears are fighting for their coach’s job this year. The Vikes will have a top 5 choice in 2012.
The Seahawks are also 0-2 and depending on a college coach to bail them out of this mess. He won’t and the team continues to spiral downward out of control. Any judge of talent that thought that QB Jackson could be an NFL starter should lose his job.
Two teams that are not in as bad shape as those above are the Rams and the Panthers.
The Rams have had some critical injuries but have turned the ball over too often to beat NFC East teams the Eagles and Giants. They will likely win the NFC West but are a couple of players from being competitive against the best teams in the conference.
The Panthers are breaking in a new coach and new QB. QB Newton is far from a quality NFL starter but has shown some good things. The team has some very solid players including one of the best centers in the league in Kalil, a solid RB in Williams and star WR in Smith. They have added some good defensive rookies and is turning the team around. They are in a tough division but will be better as the season wears on.
That is what I think. Tell me what you think.
Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent.
He edits . Also listen to the best Sports Talk anywhere on the Internet and hear his sports show Monday-Friday 6-8 PM EST on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/ or http://mooheadradio.com/2.0/. You can be part of the show by calling our Herbalife Hotline at 216-539-0607.
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