NFL’s new stance on player health is encouraging, but we’ve been fooled before

Winston Churchill is often quoted as saying something along the lines of “America eventually does the right thing after exploring all other options.’’

Scholars say there isn’t much evidence Churchill actually said it, but it is a good line — because America indeed has a history of taking a long time to get around to doing the right thing.

Now it may be time to apply that to the NFL after a remarkable Washington Post interview with Allen Sills, a Vanderbilt University neurosurgeon hired in March as the NFL’s chief medical officer.

The NFL may be finally getting around to doing the right thing on the issue of player health and safety.

Sills made some common-sense observations to the Post, but common-sense comments haven’t usually been the norm in recent years when NFL officials talked about player healthy and safety.

Continue reading “NFL’s new stance on player health is encouraging, but we’ve been fooled before”

Patriots’ Kraft should have advised his friend Trump to be wary of Putin

Patriots owner Bob Kraft apparently recently gave President Trump some tax-policy advice.

The two men have long been friends, and Trump told the Wall Street Journal that Kraft gave him the advice after a recent dinner.

“Donald, don’t worry about the rich people,’’ President Trump said Kraft told him. “Tax the rich people. You’ve got to take care of the people in the country. It was a very interesting statement. I feel the same way.’’

It remains to be seen if Trump really feels the same way.

But Kraft could have given Trump some advice on being wary when dealing with Vladimir Putin.

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Already past time for Ravens to make up their minds on Kaepernick

When is the last time an NFL team issued a statement saying its owner isn’t preventing the general manager and coach from signing a player?

That’s just what the Baltimore Ravens did Wednesday.

“We are going through a process and have not made a decision,’’ the statement said. “Steve Bisciotti has not told us we cannot sign Colin Kaepernick, nor has he blocked the move. Whoever is making these claims is wrong.’’

That is just one more example that the Kaepernick story isn’t going away any time soon.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini had reported that general manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh support signing Kaepernick but have met resistance from Bisciotti.

Continue reading “Already past time for Ravens to make up their minds on Kaepernick”

Horrific practice underscores Bortles’ shaky status with Jaguars

Ryan Mallett of the Baltimore Ravens showed Friday that quarterbacks sometimes have a meltdown in training camp.

He threw “at least five interceptions,’’ according to reports from the Ravens’ training camp, and almost threw two more.

“Tell (offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg) to tell Mallett to throw to the guys wearing the purple (offensive) jerseys,” Terrell Suggs said.

Mallett even threw a white towel in the air after the last one.

Blake Bortles of the Jaguars matched it Saturday night in the team’s first padded practice before more than 4,000 season-ticket holders invited to practice.

Continue reading “Horrific practice underscores Bortles’ shaky status with Jaguars”

Gruden’s constant hints of coaching return now beyond tiresome

It won’t be long before Jon Gruden will have more years in the broadcast booth than he spent on NFL sidelines as a head coach.

Gruden coached 11 years in the NFL, four with the Raiders and seven with the Buccaneers. He won one Super Bowl.

Now he’s entering his ninth year as an ESPN announcer, and by 2019, his announcing career will have lasted as long as his coaching career. And then maybe even longer.

That means his coaching career is probably over. Teams aren’t likely to hire a coach who hasn’t been on the sidelines for nine years.

And the Bucs are putting him in their Ring of Honor, a sign they think his coaching days are over. But for some reason, Gruden likes to keep his name in the coaching mix. It sounds like an ego thing.

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Arians’ new book, like the man himself, is a breath of NFL coaching fresh air

In the new book by Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians called “The Quarterback Whisperer,’’ Arians compliments Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts while giving a not-so-positive evaluation of many of his colleagues.

‘’There are a lot of assholes in the world of coaching – backstabbing is common and a lot of guys have personal agendas – but Chuck isn’t one of them,’’ Arians wrote in the book he did with Lars Anderson. “He’s a good, decent, hard-working man who is also a hell of a coach.’’

Most coaches wouldn’t talk about their fellow coaches the way Arians did.

But then Arians isn’t most coaches. He speaks his mind.

That is why his book is interesting. He doesn’t sugarcoat things.

Continue reading “Arians’ new book, like the man himself, is a breath of NFL coaching fresh air”

Parole was reasonable, but it still feels like O.J. is conning us

You obviously know that O.J. Simpson was granted parole Thursday.

It was hard to miss.

When has a parole hearing for a robbery been televised live nationally?

Once it was announced he was paroled, the Huffington Post headline was, “The Juice is Loose’’ even though he may not be paroled before Oct. 1. The New York Times put the news on the top of its website, and the Washington Post had a picture on its first web page.

That begs the question: What is it about O.J. Simpson that still has a hold on this country?

Continue reading “Parole was reasonable, but it still feels like O.J. is conning us”

Matt Ryan makes Super Bowl loss worse with dumb ad appearance

Thanks to the invention of the DVR, I rarely watch commercials. I just zip through them until the program starts again.

But when I was watching a show the other night, I could see several athletes were featured, so I stopped to watch it.

It’s been out for a couple of weeks so you’ve probably seen it, but it opens with Michael Jordan saying, “ You want to know the secret of victory? Fail to make the varsity team.’’

Then it goes to J.J. Watt saying, “Start your career as a walk-on.’’

A couple more athletes appear and then Jordan returns and says, “Really want to know the secret of victory?’’ Then it shows Matt Ryan walking on the field after blowing the biggest Super Bowl lead in history and he says, “Defeat.’’

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There’s finally a feel-good story about NFL players and their money

It is no secret that many NFL players lose money on bad investments.

That is why it is interesting that a group of NFL players have made what may be a good investment in a feel good story.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the players made an $810,000 investment in the lemonade business started by a 12-year-old in Austin, Mikaila Ulmer.

But it’s not like they’re just trying to help her get off the ground.

The girl got an $11 million, four-state contract with Whole Foods in 55 stores in the South last year for what she calls Me @ The Bees Lemonade.

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Kaepernick, unlike his critics, remains on the right side of history

As the Fourth of July approached earlier this week, I was curious if Colin Kaepernick would have any comments about the holiday.

It’s not surprising that he not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.

As many of you probably know, he first visited Egypt with former 49er teammate Marquise Goodwin.

Then on July 4th, he was in Ghana, which Kaepernick says he traced his ancestral roots to and from where the ships left Africa on the infamous Middle Passage.

Kaepernick then tweeted about the Fourth of July, “How can we truly celebrate our independence on a day that intentionally robbed our ancestors of theirs.’’

Continue reading “Kaepernick, unlike his critics, remains on the right side of history”