Football

Reshad Jones was back at work Tuesday. Randy Starks was still nowhere to be seen.

You have to be cautious about what you see from a football team when buds still are on the trees and pads still are in the lockers.

At this time last year, Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks were promising rookies brought in to upgrade an underachieving Eagles defense. Second-round pick Kendricks was a starter at outside linebacker from his first practice. First-rounder Cox found a spot in the crowded defensive line rotation.

I would think that the team would assign an intern or some low-level person to read the various blogs and then respond to things like do players have to have a signed contract to participate in OTAs - not something like Grigson is an idiot for trading Shipley - not to discussion questions but to factual questions - seems like the team would want fans to understand how things work or maybe their is a better place to post questions - any suggestions? I would think that the team would assign an intern or some low-level person to read the various blogs and then respond to things like do players have to have a signed contract to participate in OTAs - not something like Grigson is an idiot for trading Shipley - not to discussion questions but to factual questions - seems like the team would want fans to understand how things work or maybe their is a better place to post questions - any suggestions?

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has been involved with the sport of IndyCar Racing ever since his playing days for the Indianapolis Colts in the late 1990′s. Now he gets a chance to play a part in one of motor racing’s greatest spectacles. According to Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star, Harbaugh will…

On Monday, I posted a few things that I was hoping we would learn from the Pittsburgh Steelers first OTA session of the 2013 season that got underway on Tuesday and one of those items concerned rookie undrafted free agent wide receiver Reggie Dunn, and more specifically, his ability to return punts. It just so happens that Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted about Dunn in his Tuesday online chat and apparently the Utah kickoff return extraordinaire has yet to master the skill of catching punts. "I'm told Dunn, while a great kick returner, has not mastered the job of catching Read more [...]

There was no Hollywood ending this time for Jacoby Jones: The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and partner Karina Smirnoff finished third on Tuesday's "Dancing With The Stars" finale.

Dec 16, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers (32) stiff-arms New York Giants defensive back Will Hill (31) during the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports Jacquizz Rodgers was a surprising addition to the Falcons for the 2011 season.  In 2012, he provided a great range of abilities.  We saw him run over and outrun defenders and we saw him catch a surprising amount of passes for a second-string running back.  After Turner stopped producing as well as Atlanta would have hoped, we started seeing a lot more from Quizz.  What is most surprising, however, is his pass-catching ability.  Watching a 5’6” guy jump over a defender (or run underneath) to make catch after catch game in and game out is an amazing sight.  Hell, He had more receiving yards than Harry Douglas.  Both of them were targeted 59 times and he came down with the ball significantly more.  Atlanta basically has two slot receivers, and one doubles as a pretty good running back as well.  Even to the point that after a poor running game from Turner the past year, fans wanted the Falcons to look to Rodgers for their new first string runner. Last year, Rodgers had 94 rushes and 362 yards for 3.9 yards per carry.  That’s not too bad for a second year back, especially for a fifth round pick.  He’s progressing well as a running back.  But 53 catches and 407 yards on 59 targets shows a VERY reliable receiver as well. He’s just another great target for Matt Ryan. He’s improving every year, but I don’t think he’ll have as many carries this year being behind Steven Jackson.  He’ll probably watch a little more while getting on the field to carry the load and to catch a few passes.  He’ll be able to showcase his playmaking abilities even though his stats may not show it. I would look to see Rodgers to have a season like this: 75 carries with 300 yards at 4 yards per carry.  He’ll shine even brighter as a receiver with 70 receptions with 550 yards. I also predict seeing him run over a guy twice his size fifteen different times.  This guy is a beast. Thoughts?

Making the Pro Bowl more watchable has long been a goal of the NFL, which is why it was a topic of discussion at the league's spring meeting in Boston this week. As it stands now the game is boring, the players give minimal effort and nobody watches it. But Albert Breer reports that the league has some ideas to make things a little more interesting. Albert Breer of NFL Network reported that the league is considering elements that would make the game more like a game show, such as having incentives paid out during the game. Oh hey, great idea! But something feels familiar about all of this. Rewarding players with cash incentives for particular plays on the field? Seriously I swear I've heard this before. Damn I just can't put my finger --- HOLY $#!+ IT'S F***ING BOUNTYGATE! Those bastards have stolen our scandal and now they're using it to fix their crappy all-star game! Yeah okay, I know I said just last week that we need to start putting the past behind us but c'mon this is ridiculous. Let's be honest. The whole game show concept is just a pay for performance program in a more respectable package (Heeeeeere's your host, Gregg Williams!) and incentive is just another word for bounty. The Bountygate Effect: Blaming Bountygate for Everything Isn't it more than a bit hypocritical that Roger Goodell and the league spent an entire year making sure the world knew that pay for performance systems would not be tolerated but are now willing to incorporate it heavily into the Pro Bowl? Isn't it laughable that Roger Goodell once said, "The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity. It is our responsibility to protect ... the integrity of our game" yet the league is okay with throwing it away, y'now just this one time. Breer added that the NFL doesn't "feel the need to keep the integrity of what a normal football game is." I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. It's like they think we're freakin' morons. The NFL needs to get its act together and figure out once and for all exactly what message they're trying to send their fans regarding incentive payments because the NFL is currently sending this particular Saints fan mixed signals. You could imagine why I might have a serious problem with that.

The San Diego Chargers signed left tackle Max Starks on Tuesday.