Bad News for Pacman Jones

According to a report on espn.com, Pacman Jones is an idiot.  Less than a week after dropping the appeal of his season-long suspension, Jones is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, after a gun fight involving friends of his and some guys they didn’t like has piqued the interest of the local cops.  The story so far is that Pacman was at a strip-club with some friends.  There was an argument.  Pacman left the club in one car.  His friends left in another.  The group that did not include Pacman Jones was the group that allegedly fired the first shots.  The police simply want to question Pacman as to who these men may have been, so that they may further investigate the matter.

So far, the NFL has yet to rule on whether or not this violates the stipulations of Pacman’s suspension.  Does it really even matter at this point?  Should the NFL even care?  Look, after what happened the last time this guy was at a strip club, what the holy hell was he doing at another one?  Seriously?  Really?  You like strip clubs that much?  At this point, I think we should be less focused on keeping Pacman out of trouble with the law and much more focused on helping him deal with his raging strip club addiction.  Memo to Pacman.  If you like strippers that much then just call up a stripper for hire service, get a stripper pole installed in your living room, and have some of your buddies over to the house.  This way, you’re less likely to get into trouble.

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NFL to discuss concussion polices

In yet another very swift and no-nonsense move by new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL’s next round of league-wide meetings will be their most comprehensive concussion summit ever, according to Len Pasquarelli at espn.com.  The meetings will include agenda items such as “Does concussion lead to pugilistic dementia and Alzheimers?”; “The role of neuropsychological testing in return-to-play decisions”; and “Multiple concussions: When is enough enough?”  This summit will also reportedly be the first to openly invite men and women who study concussions from outside the realm of the NFL’s “Concussion Mafia,” a group of doctors convinced that head trauma doesn’t really “hurt that bad.”

This is a huge step for the NFL and will actually go even further than Goodell’s new player conduct policy in cementing Goodell’s early legacy as a great leader for the NFL.  For far too long players have been put back into games when they had no business playing.  A person’s chances of getting a concussion increase exponentially after their first one, especially immediately after their first one.  Not only that, but the NFL has long ignored studies that have linked multiple concussions with long-term health issues that many of their players suffer from, and Goodell seems intent on changing this as well.  It’s good to know that Goodell is not being hypocritical in his cleaning up of the NFL’s issues, as he has not only targeted the players, but the organizations as well.  He seems to want to run a very tight ship, and I for one commend him for it.

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Good News for Pacman Jones

For a player who has been followed by nothing but bad press, Pacman Jones may finally get some good news.  As of right now, it appears that the Las Vegas police are having quite a problem linking Jones to the strip club shooting that occurred over NBA all star weekend.  According to reports at espn.com, Pacman’s lawyer has requested that the police either file chargers or drop his client’s name from the investigation entirely.

Hopefully, for Pacman’s sake, this does blow over, and he can start focusing on getting his life together and getting back out on the field.  I think nearly everyone at this point would like to see Pacman straighten out his life, fulfill the required parameters set forth by the League to shorten his suspension, and get back out on the field.  Lost in all this hullabaloo is the fact that Jones is one of the premiere shut down young defensive players in the league.  The sooner he gets everything together and gets back on the field, the better for everyone, especially Jones.

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Ditka Defends Himself

Chicagosports.com has a great story on Mike Ditka hanging up on former player and current trustee on the retirement board that oversees disability cases Dave Duerson on a talk radio show in Chicago during an argument over Ditka’s stance on what the NFLPA is not doing to help ex-players after they leave the league, especially as it pertains to disability payments. Ditka apparently felt that Duerson was being very disrespectful, so he simply cut the conversation off.

Ditka felt the need to defend his position as it was Duerson who accused Ditka of not caring about his players’ injuries when he was a coach. That story seems to have lost steam, as no other players have come forward to support such an accusation.  The problem right now for the NFLPA is that they are just coming across terribly.  No matter how many facts they seem to put out there as it pertains to what they’re doing to help the players, the union seems to be losing the battle in the court of public opinion.  Whether or not this will actually affect the eventual outcome of this battle over disability payments remains to be seen.

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NFLPA Goes to Bat for Culpepper

According to a report on espn.com, the NFL Players Association has filed a grievance seeking the release of Dante Culpepper from his contract with the Miami Dolphins.  Culpepper, who acts as his own agent, had said that he would seek the support and aid of the NFLPA to obtain his release from the Dolphins, who recently obtained Trent Green from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fifth round draft pick.

Culpepper, whose difficulties since his knee surgeries have been well-chronicled, hopes to go to a team where he could start this year.  Which is all well and good, but are we really to believe that someone is going to take a chance on Culpepper in 2007?  I’m all for the 28 year old quarterback going someplace where he may very well be given the respect he deserves.  His treatment this year by the Dolphins new coaching regime has been absolutely deplorable, and quite frankly, stupid.  But for the NFLPA to contend that Culpepper could be a possible week one starter for another NFL team is almost laughable.

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Good News for the Bears

An article on espn.com reports that Tommy Harris, Defensive Tackle and Pro Bowler for the Bears, has returned to practice.  Harris had been out of commission since December 2006 with a hamstring injury.  He did not play a down for the Bears during the playoffs in last year’s Super Bowl run.  After surgery to repair his torn left hamstring, Harris was finally cleared to practice again this week.

This must be music to the ears of everyone in the Chicago Bears family, from players to coaches to front office management to the diehard Bears fans.  The Bears are especially thin at D tackle this year,  with Tank Johnson suspended and two other tackles leaving for other teams.  Harris could provide veteran leadership for a talented but untested corps of tackles who will be expected to step up this year.  Having his back at 100% at the start of the season would be a huge help to the Bears.

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MVP weighs in on Vick Situation

The San Diego Union Tribune has run an article with NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, in which LT gives some very candid information on his life and his previous ties to dog fighting.  Tomlinson talks about growing up in the country, seeing dog fights when he was in junior high.  He also speaks about the perils of being such a high-profile player, and does his best to give a fair perspective on the Michael Vick saga.

Vick and Tomlinson will always be linked because of the draft trade that sent Vick to Atlanta and Tomlinson to San Diego.  It was unpopular in San Diego at the time.  However, as LT has gone on to showcase himself not just as a great talent but also as a great character guy off the field, Vick has seemingly had his career marred by one public relations black eye after another.  However, Tomlinson is quick to warn people not to judge Vick too quickly.  If you’re a lifetime fan of the Chargers, you should read the article, if for no other reason than to simply gain even more respect for LT.

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Dante Culpepper Soon to be Looking for Work

Dante Culpepper is at a definite crossroads in his career, and Len Pasquarelli has written the definitive column on Culpepper’s situation, which can be found at espn.com right now. Culpepper, who would almost surely be the proud owner of at least one NFL MVP trophy had Peyton Manning not passed for nearly 50 touchdowns during Culpepper’s 39 TD campaign, may very well be at the end of his career as a starter and difference maker in the NFL.

In a testament to just how much blowing out your knee can destroy your career, Culpepper has, in the past 2 years, had multiple surgeries, while struggling to rehab his right knee. In the time Culpepper did spend on the field, he was obviously not 100%, playing as a shell of his former self, unable to capture even a fraction of his past greatness. As far as the future, all Culpepper can do now is continue to rehab his knee and hope for the best. There may still be time for Culpepper to quiet his detractors and become a force within the NFL again. But that window of time is closing quickly.

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Who is the NFL’s Best Prospect this Season?

Espn.com is running an article currently in which John Clayton, Len Pasquarelli, and Matt Mosley all pick their top NFL 2007 rookie prospects for the season and beyond. They go with Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, and Patrick Willis, respectively.  Each of these rookies are solid picks to have a ton of impact on their respective teams, but I was very surprised that neither the number one pick, LaMarcus Aldridge, or the other name QB, Brady Quinn, made the list.

I believe Quinn may go down as one of the all-time steals in the draft by the Browns.  This is a kid who now owns nearly every statistical record a QB can own at Notre Dame.  This is a kid who has been coached by a man who has a ton of NFL experience.  Quinn, under the tutelage of Charlie Weiss, helped lead the Fighting Irish to two BCS games despite the talent just not being nearly as top tier as he made it look.  A lot of people forget this. They assume that because it’s Notre Dame, they’re playing with some of the top talent in the country. That just wasn’t the case.  I believe Brady Quinn, though he may not win Rookie of the Year honor, has the capacity to be an elite quarterback in the league for years to come.

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Chargers Sign Draft Pick

The San Diego Chargers signed fourth round draft pick Scott Chandler on Monday, according to the Chargers website.  Chandler, who was recently interviewed by Chargers.com, apparently impressed people enough during early mini-camps to warrant a contract even before the start of training camp.  The details of the deal have not been disclosed.
Chandler is a very good player and a real character guy.  He’s the kind of player the Chargers can bring up and groom within their system.  With good size (6′7″, 265 pounds) and great hands, Chandler will be a great back up to Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.  The Chargers may be grooming Chandler as a possible replacement for Gates down the road.

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