You won’t find many people who think the Green Bay Packers would be better off without Brett Favre at quarterback. But general manager Ted Thompson is obviously one of those people, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.
The former linebacker developed his front-office chops in Seattle at the feet of Paul Holmgren. He and Favre have been at odds ever since Thompson joined the Packers in 2005 and cut offensive linemen Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera for salary-cap purposes. It was a smart move – Green Bay’s offensive line recovered quickly and gave Favre the best pass protection in the league last year.
Then there was the matter of drafting QB Aaron Rodgers in the first round. He was a steal with the No. 24 pick after two successful seasons at Cal under coach Jeff Tedford. At $680,000 this year plus incentives if he starts, Rodgers is both good and cheap – a winning combination under the cap.
Michael Strahan of the New York Giants shows off his Super Bowl ring.
Better late than never? Four months after they defeated the New England Patriots 17-14 to win the 2008 Super Bowl, the New York Giants finally received their Tiffany & Co. Super Bowl rings, valued at over $25,000 apiece.
In a private ceremony held at Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Eli Manning and his band of brothers walked the blue carpet to pick up their much-deserved bling.
“We did it together and won it as a team,” said Manning. “Every game was different and in every situation someone else stepped up and contributed to us winning. It’s all about the Giants.”
Co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara addressed the team and Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin handed the 1.5-carat Super Bowl XLII rings to each player as he was called up.
“Having the opportunity to look every player in the eye as they came up and the joy and excitement that they demonstrated as they came forward to receiver a memento of a world championship was special,” Coughlin said. “It’s a feeling the players will carry in their hearts forever.”
So…now that the guys have their rings, what are their chances of getting another one next year? Well, according to the Sportsbooks the New York Giants are listed at 16/1 odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl.
But how much did it cost them? Try $95 million.
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Tuesday signed running back Marion Barber and cornerback Terence Newman to long-term extensions Tuesday, beating the NFL’s salary cap deadline. Barber inked a seven-year deal worth $45 million with the Cowboys; while Newman signed a six-year, $50.2 million extension with the Cowboys. Over $22.5 million of the contract is guaranteed over the first three years of the deal.
Do you think the Dallas Cowboys can make up for last year and win the 2009 Super Bowl? Bet on it. At 8/1 odds to win the Super Bowl there may be some value in those Cowboys this year…
Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY is the place to be this weekend as all 31 teams make their best moves to draft the best college football athletes in the country. You can keep track of the round-by-round action of the 2008 NFL Draft here. But so far, here’s a quick glimpse of who’s been drafted thus far:
1 Miami
Long, Jake OT
2 St. Louis
Long, Chris DE
3 Atlanta
Ryan, Matt QB
4 Oakland
McFadden, Darren RB
5 Kansas City
Dorsey, Glenn DT
6 NY Jets
Gholston, Vernon DE
7 New Orleans
Ellis, Sedrick DT
8 Jacksonville
Harvey, Derrick DE
9 Cincinnati
Rivers, Keith LB
10 New England
Mayo, Jerod OLB
11 Buffalo
McKelvin, Leodis CB
12 Denver
Clady, Ryan OT
13 Carolina
Stewart, Jonathan RB
14 Chicago
Williams, Chris OT
15 Kansas City
Albert, Branden OG
16 Arizona
Rodgers-Cromartie, Dominique CB
17 Detroit
Cherilus, Gosder OT
18 Baltimore
Flacco, Joe QB
Obviously, there is still more action to come as Round One of the NFL Draft continues…
They had to trade Jared Allen to the Minnesota Vikings, but the move gives the Kansas City Chiefs 13 picks in total going into the 2008 NFL Draft this weekend, the most of any NFL team. What does that mean for the Chiefs? Well, it gives a team like the Chiefs a huge opportunity to fill a few holes and strengthen any weak spots. Look for Chiefs’ coach Herman Edwards to pick a defensive end, offensive tackle and a quarterback during the first few rounds.
Following the Chiefs, the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and Chicago Bears each have 11 picks on the weekend; and the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and Carolina Panthers each have 10 picks.
To make this weekend fun for football fans, sportsbooks like Bodoglife.com are offering NFL Draft betting props. For example, you can bet on… Who will the St Louis Rams take with the #2 pick in the NFL Draft? Which University will have more players drafted in the first three rounds? Fun stuff, right?
Here’s the order for Round One of the NFL Draft:
1. Miami Dolphins
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Oakland Raiders
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. New York Jets
7. New England Patriots
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Cincinnati Bengals 10. New Orleans Saints
11. Buffalo Bills
12. Denver Broncos
13. Carolina Panthers
14. Chicago Bears
15. Detroit Lions
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Kansas City Chiefs
18. Houston Texans
19. Philadelphia Eagles
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Washington Redskins
22. Dallas Cowboys
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
24. Tennessee Titans
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
27. San Diego Chargers
28. Dallas Cowboys
29. San Francisco 49ers
30. Green Bay Packers
31. New York Giants
Draft Day 2008: April 26 & 27 New York, NY
Draft Day is a big day for football fans. Are you ready? Rounds One and Two go down on Saturday, April 26th starting at 3:00 p.m. EST; while Rounds Three through Seven play out on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. EST. Have you filled out your Mock Draft? Who do you think will go first this year? Do you even remember who went first in Round One last year? Which NFL team had first dibs? Here’s what Round One looks like this year:
1 Miami Dolphins
2 St. Louis Rams
3 Atlanta Falcons
4 Oakland Raiders
5 Kansas City Chiefs
6 New York Jets
7 New England Patriots
8 Baltimore Ravens
9 Cincinnati Bengals
10 New Orleans Saints
11 Buffalo Bills
12 Denver Broncos
13 Carolina Panthers
14 Chicago Bears
15 Detroit Lions
16 Arizona Cardinals
17 Kansas City Chiefs
18 Houston Texans
19 Philadelphia Eagles
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21 Washington Redskins
22 Dallas Cowboys
23 Pittsburgh Steelers
24 Tennessee Titans
25 Seattle Seahawks
26 Jacksonville Jaguars
27 San Diego Chargers
28 Dallas Cowboys
29 San Francisco 49ers
30 Green Bay Packers
31 New York Giants
Although he’s denying the rumor currently floating around soggy Seattle, 2005 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander could be released by the Seattle Seahawks as early as later today. Reports that the running back was going to be let go surfaced about a month ago when it was learned that the Seahawks had signed Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett in free agency. Still, Alexander is sticking to his story that he’s not going anywhere.
“I haven’t heard that,” he said. “I’ve just seen the stuff that has been in the paper lately.”
In 2005 Alexander scored a then-record 28 touchdowns and led the NFL in rushing with 1,880 yards. But his numbers have never been the same. Alexander ran for 896 yards and seven touchdowns in 2006, when he missed six games with a broken bone in his left foot. Last season, when he missed three games because of a sprained left knee and played the rest of the season with a broken bone in his wrist, Alexander ran for 716 yards and four touchdowns.
Great news for football fans: the NFL announced today its full 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule for 2008! (Doesn’t it seem like it was just yesterday…when the Giants beat the Pats to win the Super Bowl?)
The 2008-09 season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7:00 p.m. EST on NBC between the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. The final week of the regular season will be played out on Dec. 28th with 32 teams in action.
Like last year, the NFL will play one regular season game over in London, England at Wembley Stadium. But the League will also take two teams north of the US border into Canada where on Dec. 7 the Buffalo Bills will host the Miami Dolphins in Toronto at the Rogers Centre.
And of course, Super Bowl XLIII is scheduled to go down at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009.
It shouldn’t take the sportsbooks long to get up some great NFL props and odds!
Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and Abby McGrew (Manning’s college sweetheart) are reportedly getting married later this month.
Abby McGrew’s father told The New York Post that Manning and his daughter would tie the knot later this month. Manning’s oldest brother, Cooper, also confirmed to the paper that his brother and McGrew were planning to get married.
Apparently the young couple was recently spotted at the Office of the City Clerk (getting a marriage license, maybe?).
Let’s hope the odds on this marriage succeeding are better than the odds on the New York Giants repeating as Super Bowl champions (they’re currently at 5/1, which isn’t too bad).
It’s never too early to start thinking about next season, is it?
The complete schedule for the upcoming NFL season won’t be released until next month, but the NFL did announce the teams, date and time for the season opener.
The Thursday night season opener will match the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants and the Washington Redskins at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC on Sept. 4th. As is traditionally the case, the defending Super Bowl champs kick off the season at home. You can expect a raucous crowd to be on hand to give thanks to Eli Manning and his team, for pulling off the upset of last season by handing the heavily favored New England Patriots their first loss of the year.
At the sportsbooks, the New York Giants are listed at 16/1 odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl, while the Washington Redskins are 35/1 odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl.