Teams of Interest: 2012

The football off-season can be filled with mixed emotions for fans - I guess the same can be said for the regular season for some fans. There's free agency, all the pre-draft hoopla including the combine and the pro days etc, then the draft itself. After the draft, the news cycle pretty much dies down until training camp and pre-season. But for general managers, scouts, and all front-office personnel, this is when the superbowl teams are built. Obviously some teams get better, and some get worse. I'm working on a new series of posts that will highlight some teams that stood out this off-season along with some predictions. It's hard to judge the success of moves in the off-season. Just look at the New York Giants - last year, around this time, many were calling for GM Jerry Reese to be fired. He failed to re-sign WR Steve Smith, there was all the drama with veteran Osi Umemyiora, and the defense was supposedly in dire need of upgrades. Fast forward seven months and the Giants are Super Bowl champs. So my point is, any predictions on the number of wins at this point in the off-season is useless. I'm just going to analyze the moves and point out things to watch as the season approaches.

Should college football be banned?

A very interesting debate took place last night regarding college football.

Event info:

Intelligence Squared Debate: Ban College Football?

Amid scandals and head-injury concerns, Malcolm Gladwell ("The Tipping Point") and Buzz Bissinger ("Friday Night Lights") will back a ban, with author and ex-player Tim Green and Fox Sports's Jason Whitlock opposed.

Bills give RB Fred Jackson 2yr extension

The deal (signed Monday) is worth $8.7 million over 2 years, and includes a $3 million signing bonus. Prior to the deal, 2012 was Fred's last year under contract. So essentially, it ends up being a 3 year deal for $10.8 million with $3 million guaranteed. I think that's a very good deal for both sides. I love players like Jackson who came into the league undrafted and work their way up to a starting job in the NFL. Jackson actually played Division III college football at Coe College, after which he spent a few years playing indoor football and the now defunct NFL Europe until 2006 when then Bills GM, Marv Levy, invited him to training camp. Last year, Jackson was on his way to a potential league MVP season until he broke his leg. That injury, combined with his age represent the risks the Bills had on their hand. But I think the contract is structured well to allay these risks, and the $3 million signing bonus was essentially a "thank you for your service" and sends a great message to the rest of the players in the locker room. If Jackson comes back 100%, there's no doubt in my mind he will once again contend to be the top RB in the NFL.

NFL Draft Grades - Part 3 of 3

This is part 3 of the 3-part series grading some of the teams that stood out to me in the NFL draft. In this one, I am highlighting the teams that I have mix feelings about. These teams had some very good picks, and then some very questionable ones. Much more on this after the jump.

NFL Draft Grades - Part 2 of 3

This is part 2 of the 3-part series grading some of the teams that stood out to me in the NFL draft. In this one, I am highlighting the teams that I think struck out. Much more on this after the jump.

NFL Draft Grades - Part 1 of 3

Christmas weekend for football fans officially came to an end on Saturday night. Many will be tuning in to ESPN and NFL Network the days following the draft and watching the "experts" grade their favorite teams' efforts this past weekend. Well one thing I can say definitively is that nobody knows truly how any team did. Bruce Irvin could very well end up being the best pass rusher in this class, and Rueben Randle could just as easily end up being a bust at wide receiver (which will make the 31 teams not named New York Giants look like geniuses for passing on the talented wide receiver not once but twice). Or the opposite could happen. More after the jump

NFL Draft Day 2 analysis

I love Day 2 of the NFL draft. Maybe even more so than Day 1, mainly because the value you get down here. There are still some very good players available for Day 3 of the draft, but let's get down to which teams did well yesterday and which teams didn't.