THE... OFFICIAL 2015 NFL SEASON Thread

[RVR II]

The idea I liked the best was to get rid of it, make a TD worth 7, and have the option of adding 1 more point or if you don't make it in from the 2 lose a point.   I think that would have made the game a little more interesting.

Oh yeah I like that idea as well

[RVR II]

Man talk about a waste of money..

NFL: Tannehill signs $78M extension

From Inquirer Wire Services
Posted: Tuesday, May 19, 2015, 1:08 AM

Ryan Tannehill has signed a $77.7 million, four-year extension with the Miami Dolphins that keeps him under contract through 2020.

The extension was announced Monday. Last month, the Dolphins exercised their fifth-year, $16.2 million option for 2016 on the quarterback's rookie contract.

The eighth overall pick of the 2012 draft has started every game in his first three seasons and improved each year. Last season, he threw for 4,045 yards with 27 touchdowns, and his passer rating was 92.8. All of those figures were career highs.

[RVR II]

Peyton Manning pens hearfelt tribute to David Letterman

MAY 21, 2015 1:43p ET
CBS

Peyton Manning and David Letterman clearly enjoy a mutual admiration society, something made clear by the QB's tribute to the comic icon.

It was clear that David Letterman was abundantly pleased that Peyton Manning played a role in the final taping of the "Late Show" on Wednesday, taking part in a star-studded "Top 10 List." After all, Letterman, a longtime Indianapolis Colts fan, has long been an admirer of Manning and remained a fan even after he joined the Denver Broncos.

The feeling is clearly mutual, as Manning penned a heartfelt tribute to the retiring late night icon, in which he makes it quite clear that he is and will forever be a "Letterman guy."

Manning writes that he will never forget taking part in Wednesday's taping, and notes that Letterman's program is the only late night talk show on which he has appeared — four times before his appearance on the swan song show of the esteemed broadcaster's career.

Writing that Letterman "sure has been a big part of my life," Manning relayed a story about how Letterman reached out to him shortly after he joined the Broncos. He recalls that Letterman wanted to make sure it was okay with him if Andrew Luck was presented with a Colts jersey during an upcoming appearance around the time of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Via an MMQB column on SI.com:

He said to me, "I don't want to do it if it makes you uncomfortable at all."

I said, "Dave, it doesn't matter what I think. You do what you feel is best for the show."

Really, I didn't care. Whatever Dave wanted to do was fine, but he said, "That's it! We're not doing it. Forget it. It's done."

That meant so much to me. I didn't give him an answer. It wasn't my place to say anything. But the fact that he made that call, I can tell you this: If that were any other show, they sure wouldn't have called to ask what I thought.

Manning continues in his tribute to wax nostalgic about his appearances on the show and his friendship with Letterman, but one of the final passages truly establishes just how much the quarterback admires the comedic legend.

When we finished the Top 10 list on Wednesday, Dave thanked the 10 of us for coming. I just thought, I'm the one who should be thanking him, for all the years of great TV and great comedy. We just shouldn't let this moment pass without being thankful for everything we've seen from him over the years. I'm really going to miss him—and the show.

[RVR II]

Couple vows no honeymoon until Tom Brady suspension is lifted

CBSSports.com
May 24, 2015 5:57 pm ET


Not many people would be willing to pass on a trip to Bermuda, but that's exactly what Paul and Kellie Goodrow are going to do if Tom Brady's four-game suspension doesn't get overturned.

For some reason, the newlywed couple has decided to postpone their honeymoon pending the outcome of Brady's appeal. The Goodrows were married on May 9.

"We're not going on our honeymoon until Brady's four-game suspension is lifted," Paul said on Sunday.

The newlyweds were among several hundred people at Gillette Stadium for a "Free Tom Brady" rally. Although everyone was clearly there to support Brady, I don't think anyone else at the rally was willing to give up on their honeymoon in support of the Patriots suspended quarterback.

Kellie told WBZ-TV, the CBS Affiliate in Boston, that her and Paul "live, eat and sleep Patriots."

"Our whole house is Patriots. It's like a man cave," Paul said. "It's like my wife doesn't even live there."

The funny thing is that if Paul does cancel this trip to Bermuda, his wife might not end up living there anyway. I'm not married, but you can't just cancel a trip to Bermuda without your wife hating you, right?

That being said, this is all in Roger Goodell's hands now. If you're reading Roger, please keep in mind that Tom Brady's appeal is no longer just about Tom Brady. It's also about the Goodrows. Do you not want them to go to Bermuda? Is that what you want to be known for? I didn't think so.

[RVR II]

Bears release McDonald after domestic violence arrest

    NFL
    Published: May 25, 2015 at 04:33 p.m.

The Chicago Bears have released defensive tackle Ray McDonald in the wake of his latest involvement in a domestic violence incident.

The Bears announced they were cutting ties with McDonald in a brief statement released Monday afternoon. McDonald was arrested at 7 a.m. on Monday for misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment charges, Santa Clara law enforcement officials confirmed to NFL Media earlier in the day.

"We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear," general manager Ryan Pace said. "He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him."

According to the police report, officers were dispatched at 3:48 a.m. to a disturbance at McDonald's Santa Clara residence where they learned McDonald "physically assaulted the victim while she was holding a baby." McDonald left the residence before police arrived. He was later located and arrested in San Jose.

In December, the 30-year-old was released by the 49ers after being named as a suspect in a prior investigation for sexual assault.

McDonald was arrested in August of last year on felony domestic violence charges but played the entire season with the 49ers. The team cited "poor decision making" following his release.


Santa Clara County prosecutors opted not to formally charge McDonald in the August incident.

The development is the latest in a career marked with destructive decision making. McDonald was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence back in 2010 in addition to the domestic violence and sexual assault charges.

Chicago took a risk in signing the 49ers star who, despite a lack of Pro Bowls, was viewed as one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the game. Over the past four seasons, he logged 112 tackles and 14 1/2 sacks.

McDonald signed a one-year deal with the Bears worth $1.5 million, though none of the money was guaranteed.

[RVR II]

Wow!

Darren Sharper Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges: Latest Details and Reaction

Bleacher Report
May 29, 2015


After making plea deals for sexual assault charges in Arizona, California and Nevada in March, former NFL safety Darren Sharper pleaded guilty to federal sexual assault charges Friday in New Orleans.

According to Andy Grimm of NOLA.com, the former Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints star will serve at least nine years in prison for his alleged role in the drugging and intent to commit rape of nine women in four states from 2011 to 2014.

Mike Perlstein of WWL-TV in New Orleans provided a look at the dialogue between Sharper and the judge:

Per The Associated Press (h/t The New Orleans Advocate), the five-time Pro Bowl selection and six-time All-Pro originally pleaded not guilty to the charges in New Orleans, but he changed the plea as part of his deal.

According to New Orleans attorney Donald Chick Foret, Sharper will officially be sentenced in three months:

The 39-year-old former Super Bowl champion was among the best safeties in football from 1997 until his retirement in 2010. He racked up 63 interceptions and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

After Friday's events, however, it is fair to say that his on-field accomplishments have been overshadowed by his wrongdoing away from the game of football.

[RVR II]

Must've taken notes from Vick

Atlanta Falcons waive Prince Shembo after charge in girlfriend's dog death

AP
MAY 29, 2015 4:16p ET

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.   — 


The Altanta Falcons have waived Prince Shembo in the wake of the aggravated animal cruelty charge filed against the linebacker after his girlfriend's dog died from blunt force trauma.

"We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo," the Falcons said in a statement Friday afternoon. "We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo."

Denicia Williams called police on April 19 to report that her ex-boyfriend had killed her dog, Gwinnett County police said in a news release Friday. Williams told police she had taken her Yorkie, Dior, to Shembo's apartment on April 15. At some point, she left Shembo alone with the dog, and when she found the dog later he was unresponsive.

Williams took the dog to an animal hospital where he died a short time later. Shembo told her over the phone the next day that he had kicked the dog, and she ended their relationship, Williams told police.

A number could not be found for Shembo and it wasn't immediately clear whether he had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

Shembo, 23, is 6-foot-2 and weighs 254 pounds, according to the Falcons' website.

A necropsy on the dog's body was done April 21 and tissue samples were sent to the University of Georgia for further testing. Police say the final results were available Thursday.

While waiting for those results, a police investigator spoke to Shembo several times by phone. Police decided to take out a warrant for Shembo's arrest because of inconsistencies in Shembo's account of what happened and because of the necropsy results, the release says.

The dog suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured rib, abdominal hemorrhage, head trauma, eye injuries and extensive bruising in the muscles of his front leg and shoulders.

Police said an investigator contacted the Falcons to let them know about the warrant.

[RVR II]

I think this will be a mistake.. His inconsistent throws don't come close to this kind of money

Report: Cam Newton expected to sign extension with Panthers

2 hours ago
USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will sign a multi-year extension with the team.

According to ESPN's Charlotte affiliate, Newton's deal would extend through the 2020 season. The terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but it's expected his deal lands somewhere in the $20 to $21 million per-year range. Newton will reportedly sign the deal within the next day.

Signing the extension signals the Panthers' acceptance of Newton as the future of the franchise. Last season, he threw for 3,127 yards and rushed for 539 yards, the lowest outputs of his career. He missed two games with injuries, but still led the Panthers to a playoff victory in the Wild Card round.

[RVR II]

Bills deny reported interest in Ray Rice

June 1, 2015, 6:02 AM EDT
NBC Sports

The Bills won't sign Ray Rice.

That's the word from Mike Rodak of ESPN, who reports that a Bills source said Sunday that the team is not interested in Rice.

The statement was a response to a Sports Illustrated report that quoted a source as saying Bills coach Rex Ryan would be interested in having Rice on his team.

"Rex Ryan thinks the world of him from their time together in Baltimore [in 2008]. He loves him. He doesn't like him. He loves him," the source said.

But just because Ryan liked Rice when they were in Baltimore together, that doesn't mean Ryan's team is willing to take the public relations hit that would come with signing the man who became the face of domestic violence in America last year. At this point, it doesn't look like any team is willing to take that PR hit.

[RVR II]

Looks like the Chargers are done in San Diego after this season

Chargers, San Diego reach impasse

Posted by Mike Florio on June 18, 2015, 10:31 AM EDT
NBC Sports

The Chargers and San Diego have reached an impasse. Not regarding their negotiating positions on a new stadium, but regarding whether they should even continue to negotiate.

"We've been working to keep the Chargers in SD while they have been working to move to LA," Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Wednesday on (where else?) Twitter. "We can get this done if we have a willing partner."

But the Chargers aren't willing to partner up on a proposal that is doomed from the get go.

"The Chargers will never be part of the City's legally dubious effort to deal with the California Environmental Water Quality Act," Chargers counsel Mark Fabiani said, via Jason Cole. "City officials are of course free to drive themselves off the cliff into legal oblivion with a half-baked Environmental Impact Report, but the team has no intention of hitching itself to the City's misguided, doomed scheme."

As noted Wednesday, San Diego has proposed an aggressive timeline for complying with environmental laws and also getting a public vote scheduled before the Chargers must decide whether to leave or to stay.

A separate statement from Faulconer's spokesman makes it clear that the city now believes that the Chargers will leave.

"For the first time in seven months of incredibly hard work from the City, County, and CSAG, the Chargers did something honest — walk away from the table," Jason Roe said, via Cole. "The truth is, they were never at the table. They've misled the fans and our elected and civic leaders by saying they wanted to remain in San Diego when in fact they initiated the process of relocation to L.A. a year ago. And throughout this process they've not done one single tangible thing toward a solution but instead put up phony roadblocks to success. Chargers fans deserve better."

And there it is: The local political cover necessary to blame the Chargers for choosing to leave after the City dilly-dallied for nearly a generation to address the stadium problem. The Chargers aren't choosing to leave; they're choosing not to further delay the process of leaving in deference to stadium-financing efforts they believe ultimately won't succeed.

But it's still not over. Via U-T San Diego, the City plans to make a direct plea to the NFL, in the hopes of forcing the Chargers back to the bargaining table.

"We intend to discuss our financial framework and timeline with the NFL in the coming days and weeks so they can hear directly San Diego's ability to approve a stadium plan in a timely manner," Faulconer said.

The NFL may hear it, but there's no reason to think the NFL will believe it. And there's no reason to think the NFL ultimately will force the Chargers to sign on to an idea that the Chargers subjectively believe will fail — especially if it means potentially boxing the Chargers into the bottom corner of California with an unresolved stadium situation and one or two teams encroaching on turf the Chargers had absorbed over the last two decades.

[RVR II]

All the QB jostling in Buffalo and the starter position is still up in the air

Matt Cassel in danger of not making Bills' roster?

    Around the NFL
    Published: June 20, 2015 at 12:23 p.m.
    Updated: June 21, 2015 at 08:19 a.m.

After the Buffalo Bills' initial offseason workouts last month, questions began surfacing about Matt Cassel's status as the default frontrunner in the quarterback competition.

Now that offseason practices have wrapped up, those questions have shifted to Cassel's chances of making the Week 1 roster.

In the OTAs and minicamp sessions open to reporters, ESPN.com's Mike Rodak gave EJ Manuel the "slight nod as the winner" while evaluating Cassel as the "clear loser" of the group.

Although Rodak believed Cassel was the favorite entering OTAs, he now questions whether the most experienced of the Buffalo quarterbacks will be on the roster by September. The team can save $4.15 million by releasing the 10-year veteran before the start of the season.

It should be noted that Rodak is alone among Bills beat writers in questioning Cassel's job security. To be clear, Cassel wasn't the only passer to disappoint onlookers this spring.

All of the quarterbacks struggled so mightily in Wednesday's practice, in fact, that coach Rex Ryan was moved to keep his best defensive players on the sidelines to boost the offense's confidence in Thursday's drills.

Bills fans shouldn't get their hopes up for a summer trade that would produce an intriguing alternative such as the Redskins' Kirk Cousins.

Ryan said Thursday there was a "99.9 percent chance" that the starter for the Sept. 13 season opener against the Colts is already on the roster.

That bodes well for Cassel, who will be given plenty of training camp reps to impress the coaching staff after failing to do so over the past two months.

This is one quarterback competition that will not be decided before preseason action begins.

[RVR II]

OOOHH!!

New report calls Broncos-Texans talks about Manning "very preliminary"

NBC Sports
June 24, 2015, 12:50 PM EDT


The plot thickens, with another report of some degree of discussion between the Broncos and Texans about Peyton Manning — one which leaves everyone with the requisite amount of plausible deniability.

According to SportsRadio 610 in Houston, there were, in fact "very preliminary" talks between the Broncos and Texans about a possible trade.

The radio station reports that it happened before Manning restructured his deal to stay with the Broncos (which was March 4), and before the Texans acquired quarterback Brian Hoyer (which was March 11). The report says the Texans weren't interested at the $15 million level the Broncos eventually kept him for, which was a $4 million pay cut.

So while we're probably never going to know the full truth on this one, a highly probable scenario (even if it's not more probable than not) unfolds as such: Broncos call, Texans shrug, it never goes anywhere, which prevents agent Tom Condon from having to get involved, which he has said he was not. So then the Broncos cut their deal with Manning, who gets a no-trade clause added to the deal which covers the 2015 season.

Everyone has taken turns denying this one (sort of), and with all the reports, the truth likely lies where it usually does — somewhere in between, at least until someone has a reason to unveil it.

[anais.butterfly]

OOOHH!!

New report calls Broncos-Texans talks about Manning "very preliminary"

NBC Sports
June 24, 2015, 12:50 PM EDT


The plot thickens, with another report of some degree of discussion between the Broncos and Texans about Peyton Manning — one which leaves everyone with the requisite amount of plausible deniability.

According to SportsRadio 610 in Houston, there were, in fact "very preliminary" talks between the Broncos and Texans about a possible trade.

The radio station reports that it happened before Manning restructured his deal to stay with the Broncos (which was March 4), and before the Texans acquired quarterback Brian Hoyer (which was March 11). The report says the Texans weren't interested at the $15 million level the Broncos eventually kept him for, which was a $4 million pay cut.

So while we're probably never going to know the full truth on this one, a highly probable scenario (even if it's not more probable than not) unfolds as such: Broncos call, Texans shrug, it never goes anywhere, which prevents agent Tom Condon from having to get involved, which he has said he was not. So then the Broncos cut their deal with Manning, who gets a no-trade clause added to the deal which covers the 2015 season.

Everyone has taken turns denying this one (sort of), and with all the reports, the truth likely lies where it usually does — somewhere in between, at least until someone has a reason to unveil it.

Elway doesn't care about loyalty.

[RVR II]

I think loyalty is a thing of the past..
It's all about the Benjamins these days

[RVR II]

Report: Russell Wilson wants to be NFL's highest-paid player

Fox Sports
JUN 26, 2015 2:05p ET

Russell Wilson reportedly wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL, making an already-protracted negotiation that much more complicated.

The contract stalemate between Russell Wilson and his Seattle Seahawks seems to be much greater than originally anticipated. Initial reports following the 2014 season indicated that the two sides were likely going to be able to hammer out a long-term extension prior to training camp later this summer. Those reports gave in to other suggestions that the two sides were far apart in extension negotiations.

Since then, it appears that there might be a widening gap between the Super Bowl-winning quarterback and the franchise that selected him in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

A recent report by Bleacher Report's Jason Cole underscores the potential rift by bringing to light exactly what Wilson's demands are:

"Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is looking to become the highest-paid player in the NFL," the insider indicated on Thursday. "According to the sources I've talked to, the contract demands by agent Mark Rodgers have exceeded the five-year, $110 million deal that Aaron Rodgers signed with the Green Bay Packers."

The largest contract in the NFL today in terms of average salary is Rodgers at $22 million annually. Jay Cutler boasts the largest total contract at $126.7 million. Meanwhile, the total of $61 million Colin Kaepernick received in guaranteed money when he signed his deal prior to last season is the largest in the league. Though, it must be noted that the $61 million he received is in no way fully guaranteed. In fact, previous reports suggested that Wilson wants a contract structured more like Cutler's than Kaepernick's.

Let's do a bit of inductive reasoning here. If Wilson wants an annual average of over $22 million on a deal structured similar to the one Cutler received, the contract demands his camp is making likely includes $154 million over seven seasons with well north of $61 million fully guaranteed.


"Wilson is looking to become the highest-paid player, and expects that those contracts are going to explode for quarterbacks. In fact, Mark Rodgers said that even if Russell Wilson becomes the highest-paid player in the league, he expects that Andrew Luck, Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers will all exceed all of those contracts in the future."

Wilson is paying his agent to not only focus on the 2015 season, but the quarterback's contract health moving forward. With an expected salary cap increase over the next couple seasons, what might be the case in July of 2015 surely won't be the case in July of 2017. Outside of the two sides being far apart in terms of the finances, that makes these negotiations even more compelling.

If Wilson does sign a new deal with Seattle, it will be the basis upon which all other contracts are structured. His agent knows this full well. Unfortunately for Wilson camp, the brass in the Pacific Northwest doesn't appear to be ready to give into these lofty demands. That could make for an even more contentious relationship moving forward, especially if Seattle has to franchise Wilson next March.