News and Notes : 8.8.12

football, news, shadow

Here’s a recap of the past week’s notable NFL news:

  1. Jimmy Haslam, CEO of the Pilot Flying J travel centers, bought the Browns. Reportedly for over $1 billion dollars. That’s a lot of cups of coffee.
  2. Brandon Weeden will start at QB for the Browns. Staying in Cleveland, let’s return to a story we discussed last week, the QB battle between Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden. The fact that Weeden won the spot isn’t an overwhelming surprise, but the timing is a bit abrupt since they haven’t even played their first preseason game yet.
  3. T.O. is back in action. Terrell Owens has had his fair share of media time. (Notable moments include the “Get your popcorn ready,” statement and the “That’s my quarterback,” press conference/therapy session.) Whatever you may think about T.O. the person, you have to respect the work he’s put into getting back on the field. He tore his ACL in the 2011 offseason after a lackluster season with the Cincinnati Bengals. He rehabbing and being cleared to play he held a televised workout so that teams could evaluate and sign him…and no one showed up. Not one NFL team. So he played for the Indoor Football League (which is as inauspicious as it sounds) for a season…and was cut from that team as well. Undeterred, he continued to work and was rewarded yesterday with a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. I sincerely hope he has a great season!
  4. The Jets continue to struggle with the “team” concept. All of the drama last season apparently wasn’t enough to deter the Jets from being…the Jets. A 20-player brawl erupted on the sidelines on Monday, and you’d think that’d be plenty for one training camp. But reportedly multiple additional fights broke out in camp on Tuesday, which led to punishment sprints for the entire team…the type of thing that happens in high school camps, not professional camps. Even those outside of the organization aren’t helping matters, with former Jets Joe Namath and Boomer Esiason ripping Tim Tebow. Someone needs to pipe in a little “All You Need is Love,” to Jets Headquarters. For the full recap on recent events, read this. (Money quote: “And to think, the Jets relished the trip to Cortland because they felt it would foster team unity.”)
  5. The NFL might be backtracking with the Saints case. Remember all of the bounty drama? All of the suspensions? Some of the players fought the punishments, vehemently, and the NFL is starting to crack. Most notably: rumor has it that Jonathan Vilma, who was originally suspended for the entire season, has reportedly been offered an 8 game plea bargain. Rumor also has it that he won’t take it; he wants his name cleared more than he wants to play half a season. Have to respect a man of conviction.
  6. Tragedy at Eagles camp. If you are a praying person, please pray for the Reid family as they mourn the unexpected loss of their son, Garrett. Andy Reid has been the Eagles head coach since 1999 and is very well-respected in the league.