What about Bob?

The commissioner, new Seahawks head coach Jim Mora (pictured right), and Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke are among a group of climbers currently being led by mountaineering legend Ed Viesturs up Mount Rainier in Washington. The climb up the 14,411-foot volcano is benefiting the United Way of King County, Washington.

Yesterday, guide Peter Whittaker led the group through a five-hour training period through wind and fog.

"Gotta say the commish performed," Whittaker wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press. "He is a good listener and grasped mountaineering basics reasonably well. A lot of mountain to go though ... we were at 6,000 feet."

Today, the group will attempt to reach Camp Muir, which is at 10,080 feet, before continuing to the summit tomorrow. According to this AP report, only half the climbers who attempt to reach the summit each year are successful.

Mora, 47, and Goodell, 50, won't be the ones holding up the group. Mora is known to run up a mountain trail close to his Seattle home multiple times a week, while Goodell is said to work out on a daily basis — and after seeing him up close at the NFL draft, I can certainly attest to that ... the guy is huge.

Said Goodell to the Seattle Times before the trek: "I never would've thought about doing this before. It was not even on my Bucket List, as they say."

Leiweke, 49, invited Goodell to join the group during a league meeting in December, and the commish agreed. Afterward, he had hesitations.

"I was thinking, 'Oh my. What did I just do?' " Goodell said. "I really didn't know what it entailed, frankly."

Now he does.

L.A. Times reporter Sam Farmer is also on the voyage, and he's tweeting and blogging as they go.

Most importantly, the Kings County United Way announced it has received enough pledges to provide 1.5 million pounds of food through its emergency food bank.

-Chris Mascaro

(Photo by Elaine Thompson / AP)

Below is the audio of the 911 call Donte Stallworth made after his vehicle struck and killed 59-year old Mario Reyes while he was drunk in Miami on March 14 (beware some very salty language). Stallworth, who is currently serving a lenient 30-day jail sentence, was suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell indefinitely.

Now reports have surfaced that say Stallworth had marijuana in his system in addition to alcohol. That same source said the Reyes family knew about the toxicology report (including the marijuana) when they signed the plea deal.

The most interesting part of the 911 call is when Stallworth was asked if he hit Reyes with his vehicle. He response: "No, he just ran in front of my car."

When the dispatcher rephrased the question and asked if Reyes hit his vehicle, Stallworth answered, "Yes, sir."

According to reports, the tape of the incident shows that Reyes did in fact dart in front Stallworth's car, and the 28-year old receiver did stay at the scene until Reyes got help. But right from the get-go it was evident he was trying to absolve himself of the crime. Have a listen for youself...

-Chris Mascaro

Ed Thomas, the 58-year old football coach at Aplington-Parkersburg High in Iowa who was murdered last Wednesday, was laid to rest today.

Former A-P standouts Brad Meester, Jared DeVries, Casey Wiegmann and Aaron Kampman — all current NFL players — served as pallbearers. Here is a video report from ESPN's George Smith outside the First Congregational Church in Parkersburg...

-Chris Mascaro

Terrible news this morning out of Parkersburg, Iowa (about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines), as Aplington-Parkersburg High School head football coach Ed Thomas was shot and killed in the school's weight room facility just before 8:30 a.m.

Thomas, 58, was the NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2005, and coached four future NFL players — Brad Meester of the Jaguars and Jared DeVries of the Lions, and Pro Bowlers Casey Wiegmann of the Broncos and Aaron Kampman of the Packers. He won 292 games in his 37 seasons coaching, including state titles in 1993 and 2001.

Thomas was also instrumental in making sure the A-P football team played its 2008 season, just months after most of the town (including the school) was leveled by a deadly tornado. E:60's Steve Cyphers profiled Thomas at that time (see below).

Sadly ironic that the old shed Thomas converted to a weight room after the tornado would be the sight of his death.

This is what Iowa Gov. Chet Culver had to say about Thomas this morning: "It's just awful. My thoughts and prayers are for Coach Thomas and his family and the Parkersburg community. I know him well. I've been a real fan of his. As an old coach myself, he epitomizes what it means to be a high school football coach.

"He's just a legend. He's an incredible role model for the generations of kids in the Parkersburg area. He's someone that I really admire a great, great deal. He was instrumental in bringing Parkersburg back (after the 2008 tornado)."

A suspect has been taken into custody, but his/her identity has not been released. Butler County Sheriff Jason Johnson characterized the suspect as "a young individual."

According to school board secretary Sue Miller, the shooter is not a student at the school. Several students were in the weight room at the time of the attack, but no one else was injured.

***UPDATE***: The gunman has been identified as 24-year old Mark Becker, who played for Thomas at A-P. Becker has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held in Butler County Jail.

-Chris Mascaro

The judicial system may not have come down too hard on Browns receiver Donte Stallworth after he pleaded guilty to a DUI manslaughter charge, but the NFL has, suspending Stallworth indefinitely.

Said commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement released earlier today: "The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable. While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL Commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL.

"There is no reasonable dispute that your continued eligibility for participation at this time would undermine the integrity of and public confidence in our league."

Stallworth began serving his 30-day jail sentence on Tuesday. He will also serve two years of house arrest and will be on probation for eight years.

Stallworth reached a confidential financial settlement with the family of Mario Reyes, 59, who he struck and killed early in the morning on March 14.

Said Stallworth to Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy at his hearing on Tuesday: "I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy. I will bear this burden for the rest of my life."

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

Interesting story here from Hannah Karp of the Wall Street Journal about Delaware legalizing sports parlays.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is already pushing for legalized sports betting in Atlantic City, while Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is interested in doing the same in his state.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who said he was met by an NFL representative in the halls of the capitol last month and "urged not to go forward with this," says betting could bring in as much as $55 million in revenue.

The NFL has always denounced legalized betting publicly, and says that it may file a lawsuit against Delaware. But privately, the league must know that sports betting generates plenty of interest in the game, and is one of the reasons it is T.V. ratings gold.

The article also goes into the NFL's longstanding history with betting. Tim Mara, grandfather of current Giants owner John Mara, was a legal bookmaker in New York, while Art Rooney bought the Steelers with gambling winnings and his family still owns racetracks.

Critics of the NFL's stance are saying that a league that has taken nearly $17 billion in taxpayer money to fund new stadiums shouldn't have a say on how a state generates revenue.

Said Todd Portune, a commissioner in Hamilton County (Ohio), who tried (unsuccessfully) to prevent taxpayer money from going to fund a new stadium for the Bengals in '04: "Any time the NFL wants to stand up and dictate to public bodies how they can make money or where they can make money, they have very little standing to do so...especially when it comes to gambling."

My contention is the NFL is living in a fairytale. Preventing the T.V. networks from mentioning point spreads during pre-game telecasts and axing an ad for the Wynn Las Vegas during the '05 Super Bowl, as the article says the NFL did, is absurd.

If someone wanted to compromise the integrity of the game, it would have been done already. Wagering on sports is so easy on offshore websites that cheats don't really need the comfort of gambling in their own state.

I believe sports betting in racetrack and casino venues should be legalized in whatever state wants to have it. What are your feelings?

-Chris Mascaro

It is quite ironic that I ran into this story about Ryan Leaf being indicted on drug charges no more than a day and a half after I wrote in this post that the name "Vick" was now just as toxic as "Leaf" in the NFL.

The second pick of the 1998 draft by the Chargers (as you all know, the guy next to him in the picture was selected first) was charged with one count of burglary to a habitation, seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and one count of delivery of a simulated controlled substance on Wednesday, according to the Amarillo Globe-News.

According to the report, while Leaf was working as the quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M University, he broke into the apartment of a West Texas player who had recently been prescribed the painkiller Hydrocodone and stole some of the medication. He also presented an incomplete medical history to a handful of doctors between January and September of last year in hopes of scoring Hydrocodone.

Leaf, 33, resigned from the West Texas job when reports about the Oct. 30 incident first surfaced, and has been in drug rehab in British Columbia for the past few months.

Unfortunately for Leaf, the worst may not be over. Said James Farren, the Randall County criminal district attorny: "We have not found any evidence implicating anyone other than Mr. Leaf in this case ... but believe there's additional evidence implicating him in other events."

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

In 2003, a potential lawsuit citing the lack of opportunities for minorites in the NFL spawned the Rooney Rule (named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney), in which teams were forced to interview at least one minority candidate for vacant head-coaching positions.

Now the league is considering expanding the rule to include general manager candidates as well, according to commissioner Roger Goodell. The commish told the Associated Press earlier today that he and the owners discussed the rule's expansion in the final session of their two-day meeting in Fort Lauderdale.

No vote was taken, but the owners seem to be in favor of it.

Said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross: "It's a good idea. We certainly have it with the coaches and this would be expanding it to the general managers. From what I understand, we did follow that when we did hire Bill Parcells."

Currently there are three African American GMs in the league (incidentally, the only three in NFL history) -- Ozzie Newsome of the Ravens, Rick Smith of the Texans and Jerry Reese of the Giants.

The Rooney Rule has certainly worked in the coaching ranks, as six of the 32 teams currently have African American head coaches -- Chicago (Lovie Smith), Tampa Bay (Raheem Morris), San Francisco (Mike Singletary), Pittsburgh (Mike Tomlin), Cincinnati (Marvin Lewis), Indianapolis (Jim Caldwell).

Also, two of the last three Super Bowl-winning head coaches have been African Americans -- Tony Dungy became the first black coach to win the title, with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI, while Mike Tomlin won last year's big game with the Steelers.

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

Here is an interesting post from profootballtalk.com about the NFL's stance on the sports betting bill becoming a law in Delaware on Thursday morning.

Wrote NFL spokesman Greg Aiello in a statement to the Delaware Supreme Court: "...sports lotteries threaten the integrity of NFL games and are grossly inconsistent with the values of the NFL."

Publicly the NFL must take this stance, but I'm sure they don't feel this way when the networks write them big fat checks to show their product to a large segment of the audience that wagers on the league's games.

-Chris Mascaro

Could be.

NFL commish Roger Goodell is talking about adding a second game - starting in 2010 - in England, where the league has had tremendous success in staging a game in 2007 (Giants-Dolphins) and 2008 (Saints-Chargers).

The Bucs and Pats are set to tussle at venerable soccer pitch Wembley Stadium this season. But Goodell said the games have gone so well that there's talk of doubling up next year.

Good idea.

What's not a good idea is continued talk of a Super Bowl in England. Or anywhere else outside the United State, for that matter.

No reason the sport's pre-eminent game should be played anywhere outside the good ol' US of A.

This according to John Clayton of ESPN.com. The meeting in the Leavenworth (Kan.) jail occurred earlier today and was confirmed by Vick's agent.

"I can confirm that Michael met with coach Dungy," said Vick's agent, Joel Segal. "The discussions were private, but the meeting was very positive."

Vick is scheduled to leave Leavenworth on May 20, when he will begin his home confinement until his sentence ends on July 20.

If anyone can get Vick's life back on track, you'd think it'd be Dungy. We'll see...

-Chris Mascaro

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the last year of play in the American Football League, the NFL will stage 16 games "legacy games" this season.

The eight original AFL teams — the Bills, Pats, Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, Oilers (now Titans), Texans (now the Chiefs) and Titans (now the Jets) will all wear historic uniforms at some point this season.

The first legacy game will be the Hall of Fame Game in Canton on Aug. 8 between the Bills and (current) Titans.

The Jets' legacy game will be Week 3 at home against Tennessee.

Game-worn jerseys and AFL memorabilia will be auctioned off by the league throughout the season with the proceeds going to the NFL Player Care Foundation.

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

In a meeting with the Associated Press, commissioner Roger Goodell spelled out the format of an expanded NFL season.

If the league adopts an 18-game regular season, only two preseason games would be played (currently there are four). They would occur the final two weeks in August, followed by a week off during the week of Labor Day Weekend. In this format, the Super Bowl could be pushed back all the way to President's weekend in mid-Fenruary.

Said Goodell to the AP on Friday: "The idea has merit, I think. You are taking the quality and improving it, taking two meaningless games and making them meaningful within the 20-game framework.

"I think there are a lot of positives and opportunities to it, but there are some cautionary things," he continued, citing overexposure, safety and health issues for the players in addition to agreements with television and other media partners.

-Chris Mascaro

A BBC report suggesting that the league was seriously exploring the possibility of a Super Bowl in London appears to be a bit premature.

The report indicated the NFL has had substantive talks with London officials about what it would take to stage a game in London, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said there are no immediate plans to hold the game overseas.

Goodell has previously floated the idea of a London Super Bowl, but he said today that there have been no talks with either London or Mexico City about finalizing plans for a Super Bowl outside the country.

This is the kind of great stuff you get while perusing the Internet for NFL stories:

1. In case you were wondering what 34-year old Jake "the Snake" Plummer was doing these days, he's set to coach quarterbacks at Sandpoint High School, which is in the scenic resort town in Idaho where he resides. (Plummer was born in Boise.)

Said Sandpoint head coach Mike Mitchell to the Associated Press: "It will not be as much as NFL pay."

He added: "He wants to help out as much as he can and help the kids of the community. He's a great guy."

2. Fresh off their 0-16 campaign, the Detroit Lions have adopted a fiercer logo. Personally, I think they should worry about getting a fiercer offensive line (or a smarter QB). But I guess the logo's a start.

Said team president Tom Lewand to the Associated Press: "The new identity retains many important aspects of our history in terms of our primary mark and our colors. However, the evolution allows us to present our Lions brand and visual identity in new, versatile and distinctive ways. We stand firmly committed to improving the team on the field. That success is always the most determinative factor of any NFL brand."

3. The only pro football team left in L.A., the AFL's Avengers, have folded after nine years, leaving the league with only 15 teams. The AFL suspended its '09 season in hopes of returning in a better economic climate in '10.

Said team owner Casey Wasserman to the L.A. Times: "It's disappointing, because I don't think it was necessary to get to this point."

4. Vikings' defensive end Brian Robison, who finished fourth in the shot put at the 2006 nationals and holds the record in the event at the University of Texas (68-3 3/4), is returning to the sport after a two-year layoff with an eye on the 2012 Olympics in London, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Said Robison to the Star-Tribune: "I'm too talented to give it up. I just can't let it go to waste anymore."

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

We've known the matchups for the 2009 regular season for months, but now we know when they'll take place.

Check out Boland on Jets, T-Rock on Jints and NFL.com for the rest of the action.

Just received word from NFL vice president Greg Aiello that the NFL will not appeal the ruling of Special Master Stephen Burbank, who ruled that the Giants owe $1 million in signing bonus money that they'd withheld after Burress' self-shooting last November.

Here's the NFL's statement, in which the league vehemently disagrees with Burbank's ruling:

The NFL today issued a statement on the Plaxico Burress ruling. Here is the text of the response:

“Today’s decision by Professor Burbank again underscores a serious flaw in the current system,” the NFL’s statement read. “It continues an unfortunate trend of permitting players who are suspended due to serious misconduct to nonetheless retain large bonus payments from their NFL teams. When clubs pay upfront bonuses as part of a long-term deal, they do it on the assumption that the player’s ability to play will not be limited by his own unlawful activities. For that reason, the Plaxico Burress and Larry Johnson contracts expressly provided that a portion of their bonuses would be repaid if the player was unable to perform due to his own misconduct, as was the case for both players last year.

“Today’s decision incorrectly holds that the current CBA bars such provisions. To permit players in these circumstances to retain the entirety of their bonuses, representing millions of dollars, is unfair to both clubs and other players, especially under the current salary cap system.”

The NFLPA president and former Jets' center believes it's asking a lot - maybe too much - of players to agree to an 18-game regular season.

Mawae, the Titans center and former Jet, told SIRIUS radio hosts Adam Schein and Solomon Wilcots that he's a fan of the current 16-game setup.

"Well, obviously the first thing that comes to mind is what's in it for us? If we're gonna give you two more games, two more games of wear and tear on our bodies, two more games of potential career ending injuries, two more games of concussions, blown out knees, elbows, whatever you wanna call it, then what's the price you're willing to pay for us to give that to you? Anytime you add a game onto the regular season, it comes down to a collective bargaining issue as part of the CBA, and there's a give and take. Do I want to play 18 regular season games? No, not really but again I don't want to play four pre-season games either. So we’ll figure something out."

Schein: "What would you rather do? 18 regular season or 4 pre-season?"

Mawae: "Well, you know, I would rather have 16 regular season games and 2 preseason games. In a perfect world. You have the argument that, well, the coaches won't have enough time to evaluate players. Don't buy it. We have 14 OTA days. If you're a new coach you have up to 5 minicamps and most coaches keep their players in town until the middle of July right up until the 10-day dead period before training camp. So I think the biggest issue for players is compensation and potential injury and harm on the field. That's another 120 snaps for myself if you figure you average 60 plays a game and anything can happen. I'm certainly not a big fan of 18 games but, again, if it is something that we can get something significant out of the collective bargaining process, then it's something we'll take a look at."

... then please consider a few things before you celebrate the impending addition of two more games to the regular season schedule:

It is all well and good to remove two meaningless preseason games, because who wants to see these things in the first place? They don't count, they're expensive to attend, and the risk of injury is absurdly high. Fine, we all agree on that.

But adding two more games to an already grueling regular season creates further risk. The injury factor is already big enough with a 16-game schedule, and adding two more games only exacerbates matters.

Players I've spoken to do not like the idea of adding two more regular season games, because they believe it will ultimately shorten careers. While there will surely be some short-term gains with increased salaries for the extra two games, they fear that their NFL lifespans will ultimately be shortened due to excessive wear and tear.

"I'm not a big fan of the extra two games," said Jets guard Brandon Moore, the team's NFL Players Association representative. "We get beat up enough in a 16-game season."

Now consider the impact on the playoffs: Teams do all they can to secure a good enough record to get a first-round playoff bye. But only two teams in each conference get that luxury, which puts even greater pressure on the combined eight teams that must play the first playoff weekend.

Consider, too, that teams in the midst of an awful season will be playing out the string in meaningless games that will only draw out their struggles. You think the Lions' 0-16 season was bad? How about the prospect of an 0-18 team?

And how about this: Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal said one league source said that putting the conference championships off until February might very well lead to staging the games at a neutral site because of frigid conditions in northern cities.

What??

Can you imagine the Giants or Jets piling up homefield advantage in the regular season, only to have to play a neutral site game in the conference championships because it's too cold at their outdoor stadium? A stadium they purposely left without a roof, in part because it gave them a home field advantage?

Please.

A 16-game regular season has worked quite nicely since 1978. In fact, the league's popularity has grown to unparalleled heights with its current regular season setup.

No need to change now.

The former coach of the old AFL Patriots and Bills, as well as the Broncos, died today. Saban was 87.

Saban, who was 95-99-7 in 16 seasons of pro football, also was president of the New York Yankees from 1981-82 and coached high school football from 1987-89.

"He has been my friend and mentor for over 50 years, and one of the people who helped shape my life," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "Lou was tough and disciplined, and he earned all the respect and recognition that came his way. He spent a lifetime leading, teaching and inspiring, and took great satisfaction in making the lives around him better. This is a tremendous loss to me personally."

Per the AP obit: In 1955, he took over as coach at Northwestern for a year, then moved to Western Illinois until entering the pro ranks in 1960 to coach the Boston Patriots of the newly formed AFL.

From there, Saban went to the Bills in 1962 and guided them to AFL championships in 1964 and 1965, the only championships the Bills have ever won. After a stint with the Broncos, Saban returned to Buffalo. During his second stint with the Bills from 1972-76, he oversaw O.J. Simpson's record-breaking, 2,003-yard rushing season in 1973.

"He was like a father to me," former Bills defensive back Booker Edgerson said. "He steered me in the right direction. He gave me advice. Some of it, I didn't like, but isn't that what a father does?"

Sad that Saban passed before the NFL's commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the start of the old American Football League. Saban was surely a major contributor to an upstart league that ultimately joined forces with the long-established NFL to create what would become the most popular sports league in the country.

Just to expand on Mr. G from two posts below, the commish told USA Today that Michael Vick would need to show remorse before even considering his reinstatement into the league.

Said Goodell: "I'm not going to make a judgment until I know all the facts on Michael Vick. I think it's clear he's paid a price, but to a large extent he's going to have to demonstrate to the larger community — not just to the NFL community and to me — that he has remorse for what he did and that he recognizes mistakes that he made. Everyone makes mistakes, but he has to show that genuine remorse in his ability to be a positive influence to correct the things that he did wrong publicly."

A few observations on these comments:

1. Aside from the pension thing Mr. G mentioned below, what other facts does Goodell need to know about Vick's case? Hasn't all the dogfighting stuff been uncovered? I know that's the standard line in these situations, but it makes the NFL either look oblivious or like it knows there's other info that hasn't come out yet.

2. The fact that he referenced the public at-large leads me to believe that his decision will be based more on the public relations aspect than the NFL's feelings on dogfighting. This is pretty obvious, being the NFL is very image conscious and more concerned with the bottom line than anything.

3. It seems to me like Goodell will reinstate Vick after serving his time. Thus, should Plaxico Burress be exonerated of his gun charges, I would expect the same judgment from the NFL, even though the NFL's plight against weapons is more of a smoking gun (no pun intended) than dogfighting.

-Chris Mascaro

(Photo by John Bazemore/The Associated Press)

Owners approved a measure today that would have avoided one of the most infamous officiating calls in recent memory.

Referee Ed Hochuli mistakenly ruled that Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler threw an incomplete pass late in a regular season game against the Chargers, when in fact Cutler had fumbled the ball. The Chargers recovered, but the call of an incomplete pass could not be overturned by replay.

Broncos retained possession of the ball and went on to score a touchdown and a game-winning two-point conversion.

The owners voted today to make any similar play subject to replay. Under the new rule, the defensive team can be awarded possession if it recovers the ball and the replay shows the play was a fumble, not an incomplete pass.

- Associated Press photo

NFL owners today approved a measure that, starting in 2010, will adjust the draft order based on playoff results. Up to now, the teams have drafted 1-30 based solely on regular season records. But starting next year, the teams will be re-seeded based on playoff results.

The losers of the wild card games will be seeded 21st through 24th based on their regular season records. The losers in the divisional rounds will be seeded 25th through 28th based on their regular season records. And teams eliminated in the conference championship games will be seeded 29th and 30th.

I like the plan. It avoids a situation like this year, which has the Chargers, who finished 8-8 to win the AFC West, drafting 16th overall. This despite the fact they beat the Colts in the playoffs. Indianapolis, which finished 12-4, will draft 27th this year.

Interesting note from the owners' meetings yesterday: in an attempt to cut back on the number of cross-country trips, West Coast teams will be paired with a team closer to the Midwest from the same division as away games on East Coast teams' schedules. This is according to John Clayton of ESPN.com.

For example, take last year's Jets. The out-of-conference games they had last year were all against NFC West teams (they rotate divisions each year). So instead of playing San Francisco and Seattle on the road, they would have played either Arizona and San Fran away or St. Louis and Seattle.

And because the Jets also played the AFC West, instead of traveling to both San Diego and Oakland, they would have played San Diego and Kansas City away or Denver and Oakland.

This rule could have greatly affected the Jets' 2008 season, as they went 0-4 on the season on the West Coast. It also would have lowered Boland's frequent flier miles quite a bit.

In case you were wondering, the Jets play the AFC and NFC South divisions this year, but they do have another trip to Oakland. The Giants play the NFC South/AFC West, but their furthest trip is Denver — they'll host Oakland, San Diego and Arizona.

-Chris Mascaro

The commish believes the league and the NFL Players Association, which last week selected DeMaurice Smith as its new executive director, can work out a collective bargaining agreement extension within a year.

If that happens, the league won't be forced to consider a lockout after the 2010 season. A CBA extension by next March would also insure that a salary cap would be in place next season. Under terms of the current agreement, there is no salary cap in 2010. Smith has made it clear he has no intention of returning to a capped system if an extension is not reached before next season.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Buffalo Bills are now big-time players on the big-time television market.

Terrell Owens leads his merry band of Bills to Foxboro for the first half of a Monday Night Football doubleheader the first week of the season. The Bills visit the Patriots in the early game (7 p.m.) and the Chilkoots Chargers visit the Raiduhs in the second half (10:15 p.m.).

We told you earlier that the Stillers would host the Titans in the Thursday night opener.

In the Sunday night opener on NBC, the Packers host the Bears. Green Bay and Chicago have combined to win seven of the last eight NFC North titles.

The league also announced its Thanksgiving Day slate of games.

The 12:30 p.m. game will be Green Bay at Detroit. The second game (4:15 p.m.) will be the Raiders at the Cowboys. And the nightcap (8:20 p.m.) will feature your New York Giants visiting the Broncos. It will be Denver's first Thanksgiving game in Denver since 1963. We assume at this point that Jay Cutler will be the Broncos' quarterback. The Jints-Broncs game will be on NFL Network.

It'll be Titans-Stillers on Thursday, Sept. 10 in the opener for the 2009 season.

The league will announce a few more nationally televised games later this afternoon.

There's an interesting proposal on the docket for next week's owners meetings in Los Angeles.

A bylaw change to the order in which teams draft will be discussed and, if enacted, would change how teams draft. The competition committee proposes to keep the first through the 20th picks the same as they are now (based on teams' record from the previous season).

But for the 12 playoff teams, the committee will propose a seeding process, based on the outcome of playoff games.

"A team can win a playoff game and yet get to pick [in the draft] before the team it beat," said competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay.

That's precisely what will happen next month, when the Colts, who lost to the Chargers in the playoffs, choose 27th, while San Diego picks 16th.

If enacted, the change would not occur until next year's draft.

There has been a fair amount of criticism about the NFL's overtime system, especially with the increased number of teams winning OT games based on the coin toss.

But there will be no change to the rules this year. We just heard from the NFL's competition committee on a conference call, and co-chairman Rich McKay reports that there is no proposal on the docket to amend the OT rules.

Good call, we say. We've been in favor of keeping the current system intact, despite the increase in the number of teams that win the coin toss and then win in OT. As La Monica likes to say, if you want to prevent this increase, then play a little defense.

Well, according to this ESPN the Magazine article by Chad Millman, it looks like Delaware will be the first straw.

Governor Jack Markell is planning on introducing a proposal next week that would legalize sports betting parlays in the state. (Parlays are a single wager on two or more games/propositions.)

It's believed that Delaware will bring in between $50 and $100 million in revenue on sports wagering if the proposal is enacted, which would greatly help the state's deficit.

Betting would be allowed at horse racing tracks (where they already have slot machines) and possibly in sports bars that already sell lotto tickets.

The NFL is not a fan of the proposal (*wink wink*).

"Our policy on this issue has been consistent for decades." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email to the magazine. "We have been an active proponent of federal and state legislation that prohibits the spread of legal sports gambling. We do not want our games used as bait."

But with state economies in need of money, legalized sports betting may be the way to go — and New Jersey could be next.

"To allow betting in Nevada and three other states is discrimination against the rest of the states," said New Jersey State Senator Ray Lesniak. "We have to do something. If you go to Atlantic City on Super Bowl weekend there won't be anyone there."

-Chris Mascaro

Another boring NFL Network-struggling-to-get/stay-on-basic-cable story that even Best can't bring himself to blog about.

(Actually, the author, John Ourand, does not consider this a boring story. My apologies to him and his sports media colleagues.)

... yet teams continue to announce layoffs and cutbacks of office staff personnel, most recently the Jets, who will order several staff to take two-week furloughs in June.

Frankly, we just don't get this one.

Yes, the country is in a severe economic downturn. Yes, businesses are struggling and many are laying off workers.

But the NFL remains one of the healthiest corporate entities going, with revenues continuing to grow despite the poor economy. Consider: Last year's salary cap of $116 million increased to $127 million for the 2009 season. And with players being rewarded with free agent contracts the likes of which we've never seen before, how can teams justify laying workers off or, as in the Jets' case, cutting back their pay?

Among the teams that have laid off workers are the Broncos, Browns, Redskins, Jaguars, Panthers and Colts. And surely more teams will follow. The Redskins, for instance, just handed out more than $150 million worth of contract to two players (Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall); yet the team laid off nearly two dozen employees earlier this year. The Browns laid off an estimated 18 workers this month, yet are spending $500,000 to revamp the team's headquarters to the specifications of new head coach Eric Mangini. Among the projects: moving the video department from the first floor to the second floor so it will be closer to the coaches' officies.

Huh?

There are some around the league who believe the NFL is setting the stage for what are sure to be bruising negotiations aimed at a new collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA expires after the 2011 draft. But why penalize workers making as little as $30,000 a year to make the point? Even the NFL office is in the midst of a major downsizing.

At so many levels, the NFL sets an important example to the rest of the country. It regularly produces terrific games, filled with drama and storylines to make it the most popular sport around. But on this one, the league has collectively failed.

Yes, there is the prospective of a work stoppage in 2011, against the backdrop of potentially continued economic challenges around the world. But for the next two years, NFL owners will continue to make gobs of money. And so will the players.

Evidently, the owners aren't willing to be so benevolent to the regular people who work as hard as the players to make their respective teams as good as they can be.

What a shame.

(Photo from Wordpress.com)

The Coast Guard has called off the search for three missing boaters off the coast of Clearwater, Fla. Still missing are former NFL players Marquis Cooper and Lions free agent defensive end Corey Smith.

Here's a touching piece from Jemele Hill, who talked to Bruce Cooper, the father of Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who is still missing.

In the wake of last weekend's trade between the Patriots and Chiefs that sent New England quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for a second round (34th overall) draft pick, we have this postscript:

Much was made of the fact that the Patriots settled for a seemingly low pick, especially after word leaked out that the Buccaneers, Broncos and Lions were prepared to do a three-way ... (trade, you perverts!).

But the Bucs, Lions and Broncos only got into the fray after the Patriots and Chiefs had agreed on the deal and the paperwork had been submitted to the NFL. Sure, New England could theoretically have backed off, but there were no assurances that a three-way deal could have been consummated, even with a first-round pick and Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler.

Remember, too, that all four teams involved in the deal - Denver, Tampa, Detroit and Kansas City - have first-year coaches AND new general managers. Bill Belichick has been around the block long enough to know that these things can get complicated and ultimately fall apart. So he decided he'd go with the first-year general manager he knows better than the rest: Scott Pioli.

There's no way Pioli would part with the third overall pick for a quarterback with just 15 NFL starts. And Belichick apparently had very little interest in picking so high, because of the massive financial commitment involved. In the end, he settled for a second-round pick in exchange for a former seventh-round quarterback and a 33-year-old linebacker.

It's not a terrible deal, especially if Belichick parlays it into a draft-day move that nets the Patriots some quality young players at a much cheaper price.

The Coast Guard has found a man clinging to a boat off Clearwater, Fla., but three others - including NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper - remaing missing.

Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler was found alive and clinging to the boat 38 miles west of Tampa Bay. Schuyler was rescued by the Coast Guard and was taken to Tampa General Hospital. His father, Stuart Schuyler, told the St. Petersburg Times that the Coast Guard has confirmed that his son is alive and speaking.

The former Chicago Sun-Times columnist, who has sworn off newspapering and gone on to an Internet-only gig at AOL Fanhouse, believes NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should investigate why the Patriots settled for only a second-round pick in exchange for quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel.

It's an interesting premise - one we disagree with, but interesting, nonetheless - as Mariotti suggests the relatively low price for a young quarterback and a veteran pass rusher seems surprisingly soft. Especially after word leaked out that the Buccaneers and Broncos were in discussions about a three-way deal involving Cassel and Broncos QB Jay Cutler.

I do agree with Mariotti that a second-round pick (34th overall) was low, given the market for quarterbacks. But I don't believe Goodell will or should get involved in trying to determine whether Belichick was trying to do a favor for his old personnel sidekick.

Besides, there seems to be ample evidence that the Bucs/Broncos trade talk didn't begin until the paperwork was completed for the Cassel-to-the-Chiefs deal. And really, when you think about it, a second-round pick for a quarterback with 15 NFL starts and almost zero college play time is actually not too bad.

Despite Cassel's impressive performance last year, there's no guarantee he'll be a franchise caliber quarterback in Kansas City. Remember, there's no Randy Moss, no Wes Welker and, most importantly, no Bill Belichick.

(UPDATE: Come to think of it, if the NFL had investigated the Herschel Walker trade for being too soft - at least as far as the Vikings were concerned - perhaps the Dallas Cowboys would never have won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.)

The search continues off the coast of Clearwater, Fla. for a fishing boat carrying NFL players Corey Smith of the Lions and Marquis Cooper of the Raiders, as well as two other men who have been missing for more than a day in rough seas.

According to the AP, the men were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning and did not return as expected, the Coast Guard said earlier today. Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass, but poor weather made the search difficult. Officials did not receive a distress signal from the missing craft.

Cooper owns the boat and he and Smith have been on fishing trips before, said Ron Del Duca, Smith's agent. The pair had been teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004. Two others were aboard: Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler, both former University of South Florida players.

Mr. G, I must apologize for missing the marathon live chat (although I just went back and read the transcript). I was packing for my trip to Albany for the state wrestling championships.

This got me thinking about pro football players who have wrestling backgrounds. Many know about Brock Lesnar (now a UFC star) being cut by the Vikings after a short stint in training camp.

But did you know that Falcons receiver Roddy White was a two-time South Carolina state wrestling champ? (Though I'm not sure what weight class.) Or that Ricky Williams was on his high school wrestling team?

Some are more obvious — Ray Lewis was a Florida 4A champion at 189 pounds (probably why he's such a good tackler), while teammate Kelly Gregg was a three-time Oklahoma state heavyweight champ.

Here is a list of NFL players who wrestled either in high school or in college.

It works the other way, too. Yes, that's The Rock sacking Charlie Ward in his Miami Hurricane days.

What does this all mean? I'm not sure. I was just trying to get a shameless plug in for my high school wrestling blog.

The former commissioner has been advising new Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and there's a report in the Sports Business Journal that Tagliabue might have interest in joining the Dolphins as the team's vice chairman.

Lots going on this afternoon:

* The Panthers have signed tackle Jordan Gross to a long-term contract, and placed the franchise tag on disgruntled defensive end Julius Peppers. Despite the move, Peppers continues to demand that he play elsewhere next season. At the very least, the Panthers can get some draft-choice compensation by trading him.

* The Raiders have signed coveted cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a three-year deal, keeping the would-be free agent off the market.

* The Titans have placed the franchise tag on tight end Bo Scaife, thus keeping one of the top players at his position off the market.

* Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson is off the market, too, because the Texans designated him as their franchise player.

* Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin might not be going anywhere after all. He has repeatedly said he wants out of Arizona, but Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com quotes a source saying that Boldin is open to a long-term deal in 'Zona. Boldin's decision could impact Kurt Warner's next move. He has said it would be a much easier decision to return next season if Boldin were still on the team.

I am a big fan of ESPN.com columnist Gregg Easterbrook, better known as the Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Among the cool things he does is a final standings of the 22 states in America with NFL teams.

Here is a link to the column with this year's tally (you have to scroll down pretty far ... if you hit the picture of Faith Hill, you went too far).

Michigan, courtesy of the pitiful Lions, is in last place at 0-16, while Tennessee (behind the mighty Titans) is first at 13-4 (playoffs are included).

The Giants and Jets play in Jersey (at that lovely stadium above), and thus, the only team listed under New York is the Bills.

Continue reading "State standings" »

... but there is still plenty of activity in the world of football, and we'll continue to bring it in the days, weeks and months to to come.

We'll start up earlier than ever on free agency and the draft. In fact, we'll start tomorrow with some free agent rankings in advance of the signing period, which begins Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, good luck to all our baseball writers, who no longer get to wax poetic about the beauty and bucolic scenes that used to be spring training. Before A-Roid, that is.

Not necessarily.

Michael Vick still has several more months to serve in connection with his guilty plea on running an illegal dog fighting operation, but there might be a glimmer of hope for him as far as his reinstatement to the NFL. Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., for his role in the dog fighting conspiracy.

He is scheduled for release July 20 but could serve the last few months of his term at a halfway house in Newport News, his hometown. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has not said whether he will lift Vick's suspension after his release, but league sources tell me that Vick can go a long way toward getting back in the league’s good graces as long as he continues to do and say the right things.

Yes, that’s a little vague, but league sources tell me that Goodell will take Vick’s behavior into consideration when he deliberates whether to allow him back into the NFL or slap an additional sanction on him. The sense I’m getting is that no additional suspension will be levied by Goodell unles