Football

Matt joined the program to discuss his first ever cornhole contest and to break down the Patriots offseason. He told the guys that he was upset that the Pats were unable to bring Wes Welker back to the team. [0:00:09] ... thank. And some terrorism as -- double talk a little football referendum Matt Light. Matt joins us on the AT&T hotline AT&T forgy LTE -- conversation is over Jerry. That's going to introduce us to another ... [0:04:14] ... but hypothetical situation -- -- Belichick said do you you can pull Walter Jones or you can pull a Brian Waters you'll become the training -- do what you need to do. And you can show up and play you know maybe the ... [0:05:00] ... you found out. After Brady restrictions on that you found out -- Wes Welker was Leven and Hammond dole was coming west was going -- the play. Without Peyton Manning in Denver we US surprises we ...

  During April's 2013 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins sent one of their second round selections and the number twelve overall selection to the Oakland Raiders for the third overall selection. Many were assuming Miami was moving up to select Oklaho

Tom Brady joined the program to discuss his upcoming charitable event supporting Best Buddies and his off-season. Tom said that he has learned not to worry about free agency decisions since he cant control any of them. Lastly he defended his over the top celebration at the Kentucky Derby.[0:00:00] ... know summer's almost here when the patriots conductor old TA is when Tom Brady gets. Re involved with his labor of love the best buddies challenge both of those things are run up upon us joining us on the AT&T hotline AT&T forgy LTE the quarterback of the during the patriots Tom Brady good morning TB twelve are you. Good morning and the talk to you get elegant as Bob best -- -- and a ... [0:02:10] ... he didn't have a number on here remind you very much of Wes Welker in terms of -- style his movement just the way he plays the game would you agree. Whether or similar positions are ... [0:03:10] ... the news broke the back here around here it was shocking. When Wes Welker signed with Denver when he was replaced by -- -- was it a surprise to you when you found out. Yeah you ... [0:07:52] ... there's no longer here many hands in his place Kirk Miller and Tom Brady. -- and adopted its. Well -- You know I'm I think I'm always trying to find ways to improve and just like ...

May 3, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan (95) during rookie minicamp at the Doctors Hospital Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports During April’s 2013 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins sent one of their second round selections and the number twelve overall selection to the Oakland Raiders for the third overall selection. Many were assuming Miami was moving up to select Oklahoma Tackle, Lane Johnson, as the other two tackles worthy of a top ten pick were off the board – Eric Fisher to Kansas City and Luke Joeckel to Jacksonville. (more…)

Haslam, 26, is a veteran of three NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2010-11) and San Diego Chargers (2012).

The Buffalo Bills might be playing a lot of regular season football games this fall with a rookie quarterback under center. Last year's crop of rookie quarterbacks set the bar extremely high from a performance perspective, but it's clearly unfair to expect E.J. Manuel to replicate the personal or team successes of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson (though we won't deny him the possibility of being that awesome). Here's a discussion topic for the morning, however: what if Manuel puts up a rookie season similar to the (thus far) forgotten rookie from 2012, Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins? Tannehill, it should be pointed out, was drafted by Miami after they'd just hired his former college coach, Mike Sherman, as offensive coordinator. He therefore walked into a system that he was very familiar with; Manuel doesn't have that advantage, which could hinder his ability to walk into the starting lineup in Week 1 the way Tannehill did. In 15 complete games for Miami last season, Tannehill led the Dolphins to a 6-10 record while completing 58.3 percent of his passes for 3,294 yards (at 6.8 yards per attempt) with 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 76.1. The numbers aren't great, but are not necessarily indicative of his level of play; he also ended the year on a bit of a hot streak, throwing for five touchdowns and just one interception over the last four games. The jury is still very much out on Tannehill, but whenever his name is brought up in general NFL discussions, there is an optimistic tenor to the rhetoric. We have two questions for you regarding Tannehill as they relate back to Manuel: Would you consider a season similar to Tannehill's 2012 campaign a successful rookie season for Manuel? If Manuel did exactly what Tannehill did as a rookie, how optimistic do you think you'd feel heading into the 2014 season? Would it be as optimistic as Dolphins fans are now?

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t the only Packers representative speaking with fond remembrance about the career of Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher on Wednesday.

It's been a while. But it is time to sit back, put out feet up, and pour ourselves a nice, frosty, Dallas Cowboys blue glass of Kool Aid. Gil Brandt, who helped create the Dallas Cowboys, and who now writes for NFL.com, has come up with ten reasons why the Cowboys will win the NFC East. That kind of stuff is just music to my ears. And since the OTAs are closed to the media for the rest of the week, it is time to look forward. But, before we get those unhatched barnyard fowl totaled up, let's take a look at his reasoning. It is the offseason, that time when caution is flung to the wind, every rookie and most of the returning vets look like locks for the Hall of Fame, and we cannot imagine anything going wrong this season. Well, some of us have been known to get that way, (cough) me (cough), and in the interest of not building up your hopes too far, I want to examine the case he presents and perhaps play a little Devil's advocate at times. I think he has some good points, but maybe not all his ideas are that accurate. The basic concept is that the Cowboys have improved enough to take the division, which would of course get them into the playoffs after a three year absence. Here are the specific talking points Brandt came up with. 1) Better defensive coaching OK. I am not going to be able to argue with this, either for the basic point or putting this at the top of the list. I am so on board with this, I ought to be steering the ship. No, I have zero feelings of concern about this assertion. However, I do have a little twinge of worry about my own attitude here. I remember a couple of years ago, when I had high hopes for another defensive coordinator hire. And we all know how things worked out with Rob Ryan. Having made that confession, I do have some reasons for thinking this is different. When Rob was hired, I didn't know anything about him, since I tend to focus so much on the Cowboys that my knowledge of other coaches and teams is a bit sketchy. And upon finding out that he was Buddy's son and Rex's twin, I did feel a bit queasy. But I pushed that aside and convinced myself that he was innovative and just what the Cowboys needed to get the edge back in their 3-4 defense. So am I making the same mistake here? I don't think so. For one, I, and maybe one or two other people, convinced ourselves that Rob could succeed despite not having the most stellar record elsewhere. But Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli have outstanding records as NFL defensive coaches. The only blemish for Kiffin is his rough time at USC, and I think his near legendary status as the architect of the Tampa 2 far outweighs that. Marinelli of course had a bad experience as a head coach, but his coordinator credentials are excellent. And I have become convinced that this is a coach's league, where the relative level of talent is less important than what the staff does with the talent they have. And even the Dallas area skeptics, who are the Bugatti Veyrons of sports naysayers, are impressed with Monte and how he has attacked his job. An article in the Dallas Morning News (not by one of the more egregious "Dallas sucks" guys, to be clear) outlines some additional reasons why this could work out very well. I think this is going to be a move that all Dallas fans will come to love in the next few seasons. 2) More help for Tony Romo, part I The contention is that adding Gavin Escobar and Terrance Williams will give Romo more targets, and teams will no longer be able to largely shut down the passing game by accounting for Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Miles Austin (when all three are healthy). This is a good thought, if Escobar and Williams are what the team thinks they are. That remains to be seen, of course. Williams is still having a little issue with his hands out there - but there is a bit of a fallback developing. Bryan Broaddus thinks Dwayne Harris is going to be a serious contender to be the third wide receiver. I honestly believe that Harris along wi

The NFL and WWE share big hits and larger-than-life personalities, but according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, the two companies could soon be sharing employment opportunities. Marvez, who has a background in covering the NFL and wrestling (use to write a pretty prominent wrestling blog), reports that the WWE's Jim Ross met with the NFLPA on Wednesday to discuss the future of players who are cut by teams and need jobs. The WWE wants to recruit bottom-of-roster NFL talent to become their new superstars. The NFLPA, which serves as a management entity for the players' best interests, could serve as a matchmaker between the league and the squared circle. The move makes sense as the WWE wants big, athletic young guys with charisma, and the NFL has a boatload of those characters. Wrestling and football have been bedfellows in the past. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (played defense for the University of Miami), Bill Goldberg (played for the Falcons), Steve McMichael (played for the Bears Super Bowl team), Lawrence Taylor (had a match at Wrestlemania), Bart Scott (TNA), Adam Jones (TNA), Brock Lesner (participated in Vikings minicamp) and dual-sport legend, Bronko Nagurski (played for the Bears and was a world champion) all competed on the field and in the ring. For some players who enjoy the spotlight and life on the road, the wrestling business could be a welcomed profession, especially if their NFL careers are in the toilet. Guys like Chad Johnson, Terrell Owen and even Tim Tebow, who all have "big star" appeal, could make a mint in the wrestling business. With that said, there are several current Eagles that will be on the streets come September. For fringe talent, it may be in their best interest to jump at the opportunity with the WWE. However, only time will tell on who will have the "unwanted" freedom to make the switch. Editors Note: BGNers, who do you see as the best Eagles player for the WWE? What should their ring name be? What would be their finishing move?

The San Francisco 49ers suffered a huge setback yesterday with a torn Achilles tendon suffered by wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Last year, Crabtree became the first 1,000 yard receiver for San Francisco since Terrell Owens eclipsed the mark in 2003. As the 49ers, and their fans, deal with the six months of rehab facing one of their top offensive weapons, it made me wonder who would be the worst loss for the Miami Dolphins? I know some are going to hate this topic, because it could "jinx" someone, but I went ahead and wrote it anyway. Now, knock on wood, nothing will happen. Looking at the Dolphins' roster, I really think there is only one person that a season ending injury would completely change an aspect of the Dolphins' game. Don't get me wrong, losing anyone would be bad, and the team would have to adapt, but one player sticks out in my mind as someone the team would not be able to replace. Niners Nation:: Michael Crabtree reportedly suffers torn Achilles So, who is it? Let's see: Ryan Tannehill. Nope. Not Tannehill. As bad as it would be for Miami to lose Tannehill, there's a reason the team kept Matt Moore. Moore is the "best backup quarterback in the league." Losing Tannehill would be bad, but having Moore behind him softens the blow. Mike Wallace. Nope. If the Dolphins could make it through a season with Brian Hartline, half a Davone Bess, and no one else, I am sure they would be able to overcome the loss of their newest toy. The offense would not be as explosive, but Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Armon Binns, and Dustin Keller would be able to pick up the slack, I am sure. Cameron Wake. Still no. The defense would be hobbled by the loss of Wake, but that does not mean it would go down for the count. Paul Soliai and Randy Starks would still be able to clog the middle. Jared Odrick, Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby, and rookie Dion Jordan would simply have to step up and get to opposing quarterbacks. Reshad Jones. I almost went here, just because Jones has become the playmaker of the secondary. I assume that the change in cornerbacks this year, and either Kelcie McCray or Jimmy Wilson would be able to fill in for the loss of Jones. In other words, nope. Mike Pouncey. Okay, this one is even closer to being the right answer. With Jake Long gone, the offensive line needs a leader. Pouncey was given the team's Don Shula Leadership Award on Tuesday, so he better be the leader of the line. Losing him could be devastating to a retooled offensive line, where it looks like three of the five positions are already going to be manned by players that were not in those positions to start last year. Pouncey might be the right answer. But, he's not my answer. So, who is? Brandon Fields. Fields led the league in punting average last year. He kicks the ball over 50-yards a kick. He pinned teams inside their own 20-yard line 29 times. To put into perspective what the Dolphins have in Fields, Reggie Roby lead the league one time, in 1991, when he averaged 45.7 yards per kick. That's the only year he topped 45 yards per kick in his career - and he only kicked 54 times. Field kicked 74 times last year. In six seasons, Fields has been better than 46 yards per kick four times, all the last four years. He's never kicked the ball fewer than 73 times. Simply put, Fields is a weapon that the Dolphins have, and cannot afford to lose. The loss of Tannehill, Wake, Wallace, Jones, Pouncey, or anyone else would be horrible for the team, but it is not like there is another punter capable of getting anywhere near Fields' production. The others can be replaced - maybe not to the same level, or by just one person, but they can be replaced. Lose Fields, and you lose the ability to simply change field position at any time during the game. I know many, many of you will disagree with me, so let's hear it in the comments below. (Oh, and check out David Fucillo's reaction to the news that the