Yay, it's Monday.
Gregg Williams To St. Louis; Steve Spagnuolo A Candidate In New Orleans, Atlanta - Turf Show Times
Saturday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers probably wasn't what Gregg Williams had hoped for in his last game as the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator. Touchdown drives of 80+ yards in the last four minutes against Alex Smith capped off what's otherwise been a pretty successful run with the Saints. Williams will, in all likelihood, be joining Jeff Fisher with the St. Louis Rams, replacing Ken Flajole as the defensive coordinator.
Arian Foster "hates" FieldTurf | ProFootballTalk
To beat the Texans, the Ravens will need to contain Houston running back Arian Foster. They’ve laid the foundation for it by installing artificial turf at M&T Bank Stadium.
Packers "unlikely" to use franchise tag on Flynn | ProFootballTalk
Two weeks ago, a stellar, record-setting performance from Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn sparked speculation that the Packers could use the franchise tag on the free-agent-to-be, in order to prevent him from hitting the open market in March.
Advanced NFL Stats: Weather Effects on Passing
My last post looked at the effect of temperature on home field advantage. We saw that cold weather put dome and warm climate teams at a disadvantage. The post was titled How Does Temperature Affect Road Teams?, but I really didn't answer that question. I measured the size of the effect, but I didn't solve the riddle of actually how temperature makes a difference. This post will begin to look at just how weather makes a difference, starting with the passing game.
NFL Even MORE Competitively Balanced (Yet Again) | The Sports Economist
Further to an earlier post one year ago to the day, the same result occurred upon conclusion of the 2011 NFL season as in EVERY previous season since the re-alignment to 32 teams in 2002 – that the NFL is even more competitively balanced when the standings are adjusted for strength of schedule (than on the basis of raw standings)
Mac's Football Blog: Former Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley Suspected Phone, Office Were Bugged
One of the more stunning items in Kent Babb's article in today's Kansas City Star about the level of secrecy and paranoia at Kansas City Chiefs headquarters is that former head coach Todd Haley suspected that his office was bugged and that his personal cell phone device had been tampered with.
Mac's Football Blog: Rams To Interview Brian Schottenheimer On Sunday Night
Former New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will interview for the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator position on Sunday, Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network reports.
2012 Free Agent Tracker | ProFootballFocus.com
While the playoffs are far from settled, the majority of the NFL’s front offices are already looking toward next year. Following suit, we’re also turning one eye toward Mid-March and the opening of the NFL’s free agency period.
Jeff Fisher: 'Rams are the best fit for me' | National Football Post
St. Louis nabs its man in convoluted process.
How did Vernon Davis expose the Saints? | National Football Post
My notes on the TE's production in the 49ers' playoff win.
NFL.com news: Goodell aims for consistency in way league's rules are applied
Aiming to ensure that NFL rules are enforced the same way from game to game, the league will consider making about 10 officials full-time employees next season. As of now, all game officials are part-time employees.
Dave Krieg's Strike Beard: Jon Kitna's Seahawks Legacy
With the reports that Jon Kitna is retiring from football, I thought it would be a good time to look back at Kitna's time with the Seahawks over a decade ago. After leaving Seattle, Kitna carved out a nice career mostly as a competent back up with a few memorable stretches as a starter (particularly in Cincinnati). He threw for almost 30,000 yards and 169 touchdowns over his 15-year career, which is pretty damn good for an undrafted free agent from Central Washington University... but for Twelves, Kitna's career has a really specific flavor and meaning, which is what I want to talk about today.
NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
Whereas Skittles fueled Marshawn Lynch’s success in 2011, Starburst JellyBeans played a little-known role in Aaron Rodgers’ magnificent season.
Initial invitation list for 2012 Combine - CBSSports.com
By following the links below you can see the names of the 231 college prospects reported to have been granted an initial invitation to the 2012 Scouting Combine.
Darron Thomas declares for the 2012 NFL draft " Seahawks Draft Blog
Things just got very interesting.
Brock Osweiler tape review vs Oregon " Seahawks Draft Blog
Players with vast potential and a high ceiling will always get drafted early. If you ask most people if they’d be willing to select LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers in round one, they’ll respond in a positive manner. The Seahawks need a three-technique who can play every down and maintain the ‘stop-the-run’ logic of this defense. Brockers is far from the finished article and may go through a learning curve that limits his rookie-impact.
Report: Carl Nicks "expected to leave" New Orleans in free agency | ProFootballTalk
Drew Brees is a free agent, but we know he’s not going anywhere this offseason. So the Saints essentially have two options. They can strike a deal quickly with Brees or they can place the franchise tag on him to retain his rights while continuing to work on a long-term deal, like the Colts did with Peyton Manning last year.
Brian Schottenheimer could join the Rams | ProFootballTalk
Jeff Fisher recently gave the Dolphins and their fans the proverbial finger. Nick Saban once gave the Dolphins and their fans the proverbial finger. Now, the two men could be engaging in a tug of war for the coach who recently was let go by a man who in 2010 actually gave Dolphins fans the finger.
Reiff and Kalil headline draft's offensive tackle class | National Football Post
A look at two of the best offensive linemen available in April.
East-West Shrine Prospect Preview | National Football Post
Prospects on the West roster we’ll be watching closely next week.
710 ESPN Interviews - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
Weeden joined "The Kevin Calabro Show" to discuss his baseball career and why he believes his age will be "a huge benefit" when he enters the NFL.
East-West Shrine Game Preview: West Offense " Tom Melton's NFL Draft Blog
-Tyler Hansen, QB, Colorado: 6’0", 215 pounds, 4.78 40 yard dash -Hansen is a very average prospect and is definitely on the less talented roster as far as quarterbacks are concerned. He had the best season of his career by far this year with 2,883 passing yards, a 56.3 completion percentage (his career best was 68.3% the previous year on fewer attempts) and had a career high for touchdowns and interceptions by posting 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He also offers value as a runner thanks to his athleticism and he totaled 115 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing this season. I’m not a fan of Hansen but getting an invite to this game is a chance for him to improve his stock from a near certain undrafted free agent to a possible 7th round pick or maybe a little bit higher. He doesn’t have NFL size which will hurt him, but I would expect him to measure in at 6’0". He’s always had a solid arm, but his accuracy has been a problem throughout his career. It will be interesting to see how far he has progressed since two years ago but I am not expecting a whole lot.
NFL Videos: Football Freakonomics: Peaking
Is there a formula for a team to reach its peak during the playoffs or even the Super Bowl? Stephen J. Dubner examines whether or not a team can peak in times of need.