Tag, you're it

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker will play the 2012 season under the team's franchise tag which pays him a guaranteed $9.5 million. He's not complaining nor should he be. After coming off his best season in 2011 recording 122 receptions for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns. Welker takes a lot of big hits, which I love about him, but when you add that to the fact that he's 31 years old entering his 9th season, he may not be around for as long as he or the Pats would like. I mean he really takes a beating on the football field and is as tough a player as they come. The Pats could tag him again next season or try to workout a 2 yr deal since he wanted a 3 yr deal this season. People say he's a product of the Patriots system but that's not entirely true. Yes, in this system Welker's skills are put to full use and he certainly excels, plus playing with Tom Brady never hurts. Still, I'm very confident that Welker would be a great receiver for any team in this league
After signing three wide receivers in free agency (Brandon Lloyd, Donte Stallworth, and Jabar Gaffney) his numbers won't be that of last year's but we all know he's going to be just as effective. .

Ravens and Bears ink their star runners

The Chicago Bears and running back Matt Forte have agreed to a 4 yr deal worth $32 million while the Baltimore Ravens signed Ray Rice to 5 yrs at $35 million. Easily the leagues top two all around backs; not only being superb runners but also being very effective in the receiving game as well as pass blocking. Both Rice and Forte were selected in the second round of the 2008 draft by their respective teams and, I believe, have exceeded expectations. As both enter their fifth season in the league, their first four totaled up some pretty impressive numbers. In the 51 games Ray Rice has played in he's rushed for 4,377 yards and 24 touchdowns averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and to go with that he's caught 250 passes for 2,235 yards and 5 touchdowns. As for Forte, in the 50 games played he's ran for 4,233 yards and 21 touchdowns averaging 4.2 yards per carry to go along with his 225 receptions for 1,985 yards and 8 touchdowns. But, what really impressed me about Forte is not his play, but his character; being a professional and classy guy playing last year without getting any offers from his team as far as a long-term contract goes. He knew that playing was the best thing for the team and holding out would hurt them. Good to see him get the money and respect he deserves from the guys in the Bears' front office.

New Orleans' weather finally a Cool Brees

LeBron James said it best, "It's about damn time." He said that in response to winning a championship after nine long ring-less seasons but it's certainly an appropriate response to Brees and the Saints finally coming to an agreement; looks like that threat of not playing without a long term deal paid off nicely. The 5 yr deal is worth $100 million and $60 million is guaranteed, meaning if he suffers a career ending injury this season that $60 million is his money. He's set to earn $40 million this season alone which is just absurd, I don't care who you are or what you've done for the city you play in, that's a crazy amount of money for just one season. The Saints aren't going to win their division but their record will be a hell of a lot better with him as their quarterback.

Bounty Gate is getting old

Stop the bounty talk! Talk of the bounty scandal continues despite the commissioner upholding the players' suspensions. The players need to just own up to what they did and accept their punishments. This is getting pathetic. Let's go back to talking about football instead of lawsuits; those were the good ole' days.

Pats are more than set at tight end

One day after signing free agent tight end Bo Scaife, the Pats signed Rob Gronkowski to a 6 yr deal worth $54 million $18 million guaranteed. Looks like that leg of his has recovered quite well. After Gronk's record setting season he was rewarded in a luxurious fashion. It's fair to expect he'll do more than live up to his end of the bargain. Free agent acquisitions Daniel Fells and Bo Scaife add needed depth to the Pats TE situation, which is key because as we saw last season Gronk and Hernandez aren't invincible. Scaife spent last season on injured reserve for the Bengals after injuring his shoulder in the preseason. With more depth at TE we probably won't see the extra one or two offensive lineman on the field on running plays.

Ochocinco a Patriot no more

The Patriots cut ties with Chad Ochocinco after just one season; a very unproductive one I might add. The 34 year old had career lows in receptions (15), receiving yards (276), and tied his career low in TD receptions with 1. Ochocinco just couldn't get the Pats system; it was too complex for him. After 10 seasons in a Cincinnati Bengals offense that was not only much simpler to understand but he was "the guy" of their wide receiving corps. The 34 year old wideout could have trouble finding a team granted I think he has a better chance the T.O.

Lions off-field issues a result of lacking leadership

NFL.com writer Dan Hanzus wrote a piece on the Lions' off-season run ins with the law. Stating that second year players Nick Fairley and Mikel Leshoure have each been brought into custody twice while offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath has been arrested once. He also revealed that the Lions have accounted for 24 percent of the total player arrests and citations this off season. Which is a rather absurd number.

I believe this is a result of a lack of leadership in the locker room. The New England Patriots embody leadership. The veterans on that team are going to be on the young guys before they have the chance to make a dumb decision, e.g. driving while intoxicated. The most recent Patriot to have an off the field incident is Julian Edelman a.k.a the Utility Man, as he was arrested for indecent assault and battery in October of 2011. And what happened the following Sunday? Edelman was a healthy scratch; his punishment was not dressing for a game. It may not sound like much but one must remember that football is the livelihood of these players and all they want to do is play. And you can bet that not only were his teammates mightily disappointed in him but he was disappointed in himself; a slip up off the field resulted in him unable to help his team win...
These Detroit Lions team is in serious need of some leaders. With two offensive players (RB Leshoure and OL Culbreath) having been arrested and another (WR Titus Young) was barred from OTAs for fighting a teammate, someone on that offense needs to step up and take the leadership role. After signing his ridiculously generous contract WR Calvin Johnson could be that guy or it could be Matthew Stafford. Regardless of who it is it needs to be done. As for the defense, it's Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley; their two studs on the DL. Now, Suh's troubles have come on the field with several fines and one suspension. Fairley on the other hand has had one too many encounters with the police. The sky is the limit for these guys but they need to get their act together; Fairley more than Suh. Which is why I believe that DE Kyle Vanden Bosch who is in his 12th season (3rd with Lions) should take the role as the leader on the defensive line if not the entire defense. If they don't find leadership then this team is going to continue to have these growing pains.