News and Notes : 3.8.13

football, news, sheetz

football, newsWe’re kind of in that awkward middle school stage of offseason news. The combine is over, the draft hasn’t happened yet, some guys are getting contracts, some guys are getting cut. The real season of change – free agency – doesn’t start until March 12. So this was a bit of a limbo week. The notable events were as follows:

Shawne Merriman Retires

Merriman had a good career; most of his highlight reel will come from his days as a San Diego Charger. He’ll retire as a 3-time Pro Bowler with 45.5 sacks. While he certainly contributed to the defense in Buffalo, he hasn’t really been the Shawne Merriman of old for the past few years, likely due to knee injuries.

(This loss is still unfortunate for the Buffalo Bills defense, which also lost Chris Kelsay to retirement this offseason. 2013 Optimism for Buffalo is on a steady decline already…and that’s saying something.)

Dwayne Bowe Makes Money

The Chiefs wide receiver signed a 5 year, $56 million dollar deal this week.

And if you think that’s a good pay day…

Joe Flacco Makes A Lot of Money

The Ravens quarterback signed a 6 year, $120 million dollar deal this week.

That’s unfathomable to me. And more than a little absurd. But let’s move on…

Revis Is On His Own Island

Clearly, he no longer resides on the alternate universe known as the Jets headquarters. (Revis, I have to say, I don’t think that’s a bad move. It’s crazy over there.) The only question is his forwarding address, since the rumors about a move to San Fran or Atlanta seem to be unsubstantiated.

Roger Goodell, Defined

For anyone who has a hard time understanding why the Commish is the way he is, perhaps this article will help. It’s an interesting and educational look inside the man who rules pro football. As someone who is trying to beat down doors in my own career journey, I really appreciated learning about the way he got his start:

Goodell began by writing letters to all 28 teams. He also sought a job — any job — from the NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle. “Dear Mr. Rozelle,” Goodell wrote on July 2, 1981, “I’m writing to you in reference to any job openings you may have in your offices.” Over nine months, Don Weiss, the NFL’s executive director, received nearly a dozen letters from Goodell beseeching him for an interview. In April of 1982, Goodell got a phone call from Weiss asking whether he was in the New York City area. Goodell was seven hours away but said yes and made it for an interview the next day. He landed an internship in the secretarial pool, clipping newspaper articles and fetching coffee for the league’s public relations department.

Mr. Goodell, you can be expecting my call/email/letter/carrier pigeon.

Another week, another sign we all have too much time on our hands in the off-season:

Star Wars Connections in the NFL.

Is it September 5th yet?

(Although, I have to say, Brett Keisel as Chewbacca might be one of the best things I’ve seen this week.)

Author: Beka

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