Football

One of the tenants behind the Patriots' sustained success under Bill Belichick has been a mix of young talent and veteran experience throughout the roster. When Tom Brady was a young, developing quarterback in the league, veterans such as Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Ty Law and others were around to serve in leadership roles. Brady now lays claim to the elder statesman title on the Patriots roster, and it is he who serves as the team's leader while youngsters such as Rob Gronkowski, Dont'a Hightower, Stevan Ridley and Chandler Jones develop in the early stages of their own careers.

In wake of missing out as Super Bowl host, Dolphins' owner stresses that the community benefits from staging big-time eventsSteve Ross' grim expression before the Super Bowl finalists made their pitches at Tuesday's NFL meetings was the tipoff.

More than 1,400 children from 15 different schools throughout Grand Cayman were impacted by the Miami Dolphins Youth Programs Department during a series of pep rallies as part of three-day tour this past weekend. This was the first time that the orga

Drafted in 2008 out of Delaware, Joe Flacco entered the NFL as a string bean. He stood 6'6" and weighed 235 lbs. but his play on the field showed the modest strength behind those skinny arms. Now, five years, three AFC Championships and a Super Bowl MVP later, Joe has shown to be the best deep ball thrower in the league and is in the conversation for strongest arm in the NFL as well. "Joe Cool" is coming off of a post season in which he abused teams over the top, constantly making the big play down field even when teams knew that was exactly what he wanted to do. There was no stopping him. Last season Flacco bulked up a bit and played at 245 lbs. As he has grown into his body, Flacco has shown some of that great elusive strength that has made Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger so successful over the years. Unfortunately for Roethlisberger, constantly having defenders hanging off of him while trying to complete a pass has taken a toll on his body and he has been hampered by injuries the last few seasons. Today, ESPN reporter Sal Paolantonio reported from Ravens OTA's. The one thing that struck him was Flacco's increased muscle mass just from last season. According to Sal, Flacco is now at 250-255 lbs. and has put on sheer muscle mass as he prepares for the rigors of another NFL season and hopefully another long playoff run. Joe already has one of the strongest arms in the game. He is now one of, if not the biggest starting quarterback in the NFL. At 28 years old he is filling out at a normal rate but it is great to know he is turning that mass into muscle so he can use it on the field. Playing at 255 lbs. Joe Flacco will be one hard guy to tackle in 2013. Add in an improved offensive line and we could be in for quite an offensive treat in Baltimore this season.

Jerrel Jernigan is entering his third season in the NFL. After two seasons, the 2011 third-round pick (83rd overall) has only three receptions for 22 yards, nine kickoff returns and two failed efforts to win the New York Giants' punt return job to show for his thus far unremarkable career. Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride put a little heat on the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Jernigan recently, saying "I think it’s about time that he steps up and I think we feel he has enough ability and he’s been here now long enough." Jernigan told reporters after Wednesday's OTA that he understands Gilbride's tone. "I've been here three years. I know the offense and it's time for me to go out there and make some plays and contribute to my team. I understand where he's coming from," Jernigan said. "I agree with him. It's time for me to go out there and start making plays and start helping my team out besides just special teams." When the Giants drafted Jernigan it was likely with the idea that it would be him, not then-undrafted free agent Victor Cruz, who would become a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses while working out of the slot. Obviously, things worked out differently. With Cruz and the Giants still unable to come to contract terms, Jernigan currently has an opportunity to get extra reps with quarterback Eli Manning. More: Louis Murphy aims to make plays Coughlin surprised by Nicks' absence "It’s a chance for him to shine and step forward and do the things that we believe he can do," Gilbride said. "It’s going to be a great opportunity for him." The Giants have also tried to take advantage of Jernigan's elusiveness as a punt returner, but ball security has been an issue each of his first two seasons -- during which time he has never been used to return a regular-season punt. He said he is still "breaking old habits" in securing punts. "Coach has been harping on me about the way I'm catching it. So he finally convinced me to change my techniques back there, so I've been changing my techniques and it's been coming along very good," Jernigan said. "I was catching it with my hands kind of like how I'm catching a pass. Now I'm letting it come to my body. It took me a while to get used to that, so now I'm comfortable doing it." The Giants can, of course, use all the play-makers they can get on offense and on special teams. The Giants have subtracted wide receivers Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon and Ramses Barden the past two seasons, so if Jernigan can -- finally -- show he can be reliable the Giants will certainly find ways to take advantage of his skills.

Hello, friends (Jim Nantz voice). It's been a while since I've posted, so I apologize. Surely you all have missed my writing. Seriously, don't respond to that. The Falcons offseason continues to drag on, but one headline should all make you feel good about next season. Atlanta has already surpassed the mark for most season tickets sold in its 47-year history. Nice job, folks. According to the Falcons official figures, over 90 percent of season ticket holders from last season renewed for 2013. The Falcons are also "on pace to head into the 2013 season opener with more new season ticket holders than any team in the NFL." There are less than 900 general season tickets left to be sold, if you're still looking to become a member of that prestigious club. The Georgia Dome averaged 70,096 fans per home game during the 2012 season, sitting at 98.4 percent full and ranking Atlanta No. 11 in the league in attendance. Average attendance has increased over the last two years, despite an overall decrease in paid attendance around the NFL. Right now, the Dome can hold a little over 71,000 for Falcons games. Earlier this week, the morning show on 680 The Fan discussed what the capacity should be for the new stadium. Leo Mazzone said somewhere around 75,000, while Perry Laurentino thought they should have less seats than the Dome. It seems like they don't have much of a problem selling out games right now. Of course, a winning team with consecutive playoff appearances is easy to get on board with. What do you guys think about seating capacity for the new stadium?

It's the middle of May. If you haven't noticed, actual NFL news around these parts has been awfully slow since the post-draft hype settled down. Brian Urlacher officially isn't going to be a Viking, but we already knew that. We're still months away from training camp, the preseason, or any other football of real significance. It's tough to keep busy as an NFL fan this time of year. So what do NFL players do to keep themselves entertained during the doldrums of the NFL schedule? Well, apparently if you're a defensive player for the Minnesota Vikings, you inexplicably resurrect an internet meme that has been played out for months. And you do it in a sauna. Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford tweeted this out Wednesday afternoon: @mistral_raymond @harrismith22 @b_felder31 @boogieman90 @asendejo HARLEM SHAKE IN THE SAUNA #skolvikingsyfrog.com/nr92iwlmwgfrrt… — TreyTrey (@sanford33) May 22, 2013 Naturally, I was intrigued. The Harlem Shake? You mean the annoying internet meme that reached overnight popularity this past February only to fizzle out just as quickly as it came? Surely Mr. Sanford couldn't possibly be referring to that! So I clicked the link just to make sure that he had made some sort of mistake. Nope. It wasn't a mistake. They were actually doing the Harlem Shake. In the sauna. If you dare to click the link, Sanford's Twitter tags appear to be correct. Joining him in the sauna video were fellow defenders Mistral Raymond, Harrison Smith, Bobby Felder, Fred Evans, and Andrew Sendejo. Hey, don't blame me for posting about this. Blame the ridiculously slow news cycle...and of course the guys who actually made the video.

For consecutive years, starting tight end Jeff King is missing the offseason workouts with a leg ailment, a knee being scoped that will probably set him back until minicamp at the earliest and training camp at the latest.(He also had a quadriceps injury in 2012.) In a Bruce Arians offense, this must be akin to losing his Kangol hat without sunscreen...it has to burn. Not that King would be the New England Patriots' Aaron Hernandez to Rob Housler's Rob Gronkowski (minus the icky forearm infections and weird Vegas dances, of course) - but that his health has to concern the head coach who's vertical principles are founded on two outside- the- tackle guys that can both block AND catch the rock. And while I couldn't put it more eloquently than ROTBer RedC with his post about a month ago, I'm still leery about the current roster's ability to be the players that Arians perceives they should be. While the club currently is holding seven tight ends, other than the incumbents Housler, King and Jim Dray, only vagabond Kory Sperry (he of the eight catches in three seasons) has more than a year experience. And Dray is thought more of a special teamer than anything else. Seventh round pick D.C Jefferson, newcomers Alex Gottlieb and Kyle Auffray offer potential but may be a little green behind the ears. Would it be wise to find another tight end behind "Door Number 2" as Arians said about the quarterback situation or let it play out? Veteran pass catching ends like Dallas Clark and Kevin Boss are still on the market (and there's an underlying reason why they are) while younger guys like Jake O'Connell and Travis Beckum are still awaiting their gold ticket. (And there's more than likely, also a reason why.) Heck, even former Card and Arians player with the Steelers, Leonard Pope - is looking for employment. Former GM Rod Graves went the alternate route in signing longtime Baltimore Ravens TE (and homestate hero) Todd Heap to a 2 year contract in 2011 that ended being almost as foolish as the Stewart Bradley one. It wasn't close to working out and casted a pall over the organization. If King comes back healthy before training camp -which is expected - should the Cardinals still look for help other than the younger players already on the 90? Or with them comfortably under the salary cap pull the trigger on a veteran?

It's time to self-evaluate as we all get older. Things don't work quite how we once imagined, and maybe we have to put in just a little more effort to get the same results that once came easily. Derek Anderson's legendary work ethic will not subside, and today his self-improvement knew no bounds as he took to Twitter to share the results from his doctor. Test results are in.. Cholesterol down from 254 to 199. Feeling good. Bad thing is testosterone is 458 that's pathetic.but nothin I can do — Derek Anderson (@DAnderson314) May 22, 2013 First off, congrats on the cholesterol Derek -- that's a serious achievement. Way to take it seriously. Now, that 458 testosterone score. I'm sorry to hear that. I tried to do a little background research for you, and it seems that the low-600's should be where you're at for your age. Luckily there are some medications that can help you get back to your normal levels. I'm sure something like that can help. @wesmuskovin haha.. No shit.. But the league is so Stupid I can't do anything about it to get it to a normal working level.. — Derek Anderson (@DAnderson314) May 22, 2013 Oh... (h/t to BW Smith for bringing this to my attention via Twitter)

Offense QB Matt Flynn Terrelle Pryor Tyler Wilson Matt McGloin Kyle Padron RB Darren McFadden Rashad Jennings Latavius Murray Jeremy Stewart Deonte Williams FB Marcel Reece Jamize Olawale Jon Hoese WR Denarius Moore Josh Cribbs Juron Criner Travionte Session Isaiah Williams Sam McGuffie WR Rod Streater Jacoby Ford (slot) Brice Butler Conner Vernon Andre Holmes Greg Jenkins TE David Ausberry* Richard Gordon* Mychal Rivera Nick Kasa Brian Leonhardt Jeron Mastrud LT Jared Veldheer Alex Barron John Wetzel LG Tony Bergstrom Jason Foster Lamar Mady C Stefen Wisniewski Alex Parsons Andrew Robiskie RG Mike Brisiel Lucas Nix RT Khalif Barnes Menelik Watson Willie Smith Defense DT Vance Walker Christo Bilukidi Brandon Bair Kurt Taufa'asau DT/NT Pat Sims Stacy McGee Johnny Jones LDE Lamarr Houston Jack Crawford Ryan Robinson RDE Andre Carter* Jason Hunter* David Bass SLB Kaluka Maiava* Kevin Burnett* Kaelin Burnett Mario Kurn MLB Nick Roach Travis Goethel Billy Boyko WLB Sio Moore Miles Burris Keenan Clayton Eric Harper SS Tyvon Branch Reggie Smith Shelton Johnson FS Charles Woodson Usama Young Brandian Ross Corey Nelms CB Tracy Porter Joselio Hanson (slot) Chimdi Chekwa Chance Casey Taiwan Jones CB D.J. Hayden Mike Jenkins Phillip Adams Coye Francies Mitchell White Sp T P Chris Kluwe* Marquette King* K Sebastian Janikowski Eddy Carmona LS Jon Condo KR Jacoby Ford Coye Francies Greg Jenkins PR Josh Cribbs Phillip Adams Denarius Moore *Shared time with the first team Follow @LeviDamien