Kaspers Korner

The Jacksonville Jaguars going into the 2008 season were picked as one of the teams to win the Superbowl, but that got derailed as their interior of their offensive line was decimated by injuries.  Now, the question is can they stay healthy?

It took all of one game as the Jaguars lost starting guards Maurice Williams and Vince Manuwai for the season in their very first game.

Also, they were without center Brad Meester until week eight of the season.

That is all it takes for a team’s season to get messed up as the offensive line is the foundation to their offense as in 2007 they were the second ranked rushing offense in the National Football League, but fell to 17th in 2008 with the injuries.

Once the the running game fell apart the Jaguars offense fell apart.

The problem is that many offenses use the running game to set up the pass by using playaction off a successful running game.

The Jaguars have no threat at wide receiver so that means it is hard for the Jaguars to move the ball by just purely passing.

So, when the Jaguars lost the ability to run the football instead of being in third down and short like they were usually the Jaguars found themselves in a lot of third down and long situations.

Fortunately, the Jaguars did get smart this offseason by bostering the depth on their offensive line in drafting offensive tackels Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, along with signing offensive tackle Tra Thomas in free agency.

Even with the additions that the Jaguars made offensively the problem is that they are a team in a very tough division being in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans.

As John Clayton has said, “The team that wins the Superbowl is the team that plays the least amount of winning teams and stays healthy.”

Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels has proven to be a formidable weapon in the Texans offense.  With his rookie contract expiring and no new long term deal in place Daniels is in a tough spot.

Daniels wants a long term contract, but that has not happened yet and had to resort to signing his Restricted Free Agent tender of $2.792 million, which is measely.

Daniels in 2008 caught 70 passes for 862 yards with two touchdowns and in 2007 caught 63 passes for 768 passes with three touchdowns. 

Other tight ends that have those kinds of numbers make more than five million a season.  So, Daniels is making a little over half of what they make.

Currently, to become a free agent you need to have player four years in the National Football League.

With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement going into its last year in 2010 things are about to change and for players like Daniels it is not good.

In any normal year after the 2009 season Daniels would become a unrestricted free agent, but without a salary cap for the 2010 season players are going to have to played six years to become unrestricted free agents.

The only way that will change for 2010 is if NFL team owners and the NFLPA reaches a new CBA.

For Daniels that means he has only two choices after this year going into training camp them being hold out of training camp or demand to be traded.

The will be able to fine him for holding out of training camp this years as he signed his tender, but if he doesn’t sign it next year he will not have to report to minicamp and the team cannot fine him as he will not be under contract.

In the end if the Texans are smart then they will get something done soon.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the New Orleans Saints cut long snapper Kevin Houser and signed long snapper Jason Kyle.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers signed third round draft pick guard Kraig Urbik.

The Baltimor Sun reports that Baltimore Raven linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs is keeping in shape with tractor tires.

The Florida Times-Union reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars signed sixth round pick tight end Zach Miller.

The Miami Herald reports that Miami Dolphin running back Ronnie Brown thinks he is more explosive as he is leaner.

The Kansas City Star reports that former Kansas City Chief Rich Baldinger will not face criminal charges in a fatal car accident.

The Detroit Free Press reports that linebacker Ernie Simms welcomed a rookie to the NFL.

The Green Bay Press Gazette reports that the Green Bay Packers are considering backup linebacker Brady Poppinga’s worth to the team.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that wide receiver Percy Harvin got sick at the NFL Rookie Symposium.  He probably get an upset stomach after not feeding his munchie cravings from all the THC comsumption.

Philly.com reports that the Philadelphia Eagles signed second round pick running back LeSean McCoy.

The Newark Star Ledger reports that the New York Jets claimed guard Mike Fladell off waivers.

The Newark Star Ledger reports that the New York Giants signed third round pick tight end Travis Beckum.

The Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court will take up the NFL apparel licensing case.

The Indianapolis Colts released wide receiver Marvin Harrison earlier this offseason due to his diminishing skills and high salary.  For better or for worse there is a changing of the guard within the Colts.

For the first time since 1995 the Colts will play without Marvin Harrison on their roster.

That means wide receiver Reggie Wayne will be the number one receiver with the Colts and Anthony Gonzalez moving up to the number two receiver position.

With Gonzalez taking over the number two wide receiver that means for the first time Gonzalez will play a full season as a full time starter.

For the Colts offense it means that Gonzalez will be the key to the offense moving the ball as defenses will double team Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark.

Another problem for the Colts offense is that offensive coordinator Tom Moore retired and that means it will take the offense a year of two to get back to its previous form.

There is hope for as last year Gonzalez caught 57 passes for 664 yards with four touchdowns.

In the end Gonzalez is a capable receiver, which means the offense should be good just not elite like they were in years past.

The Tennessee Titans selected wide receiver Kenny Britt in the first round of this past April’s National Football League Draft.  The Titans decision on how they will use Britt is the right approach.

According to the Tennessean the Titans will bring Britt along slowly allowing him to learn their offensive system.

They can afford this approach due to the acquiring of wide receiver Nate Washington thru free agency.

This is the smart thing to do as many wide receivers are not effective in their first couple of years, because of all the intricacies of the position.

First, they have to learn the terminology of the offense to know what their route is once the play is called in the huddle.

Secondly, they have to get to know their route running down to the point where they are running their pattern without giving the defense any keys to what route he is running.

Also, part of that is receivers have to learn to read defenses, because defenses use complex methods to hide the coverage they are using that play.

To combat this receivers are given multiple routes so that they can adjust their route to the defense to get open.

This process takes two to three years to learn.  That is unless they have been in a NFL style offense in college

In the end the Titans made the right move.

Many Buffalo Bills fans have been concerned that the Bills would soon be shipping more home games to Toronto. Bills owner Ralph Wilson finally commented on the situation and made the right call.

According to the Associated Press, Wilson stated that he wants to wait “two or three years” before making a decision.

“I don’t know whether they’ll get another game or not. We’ll have to see how it works out up there,” Wilson said.

Just from a business stand point this is the right call as there are several problems with the games.

Rogers Communications is the company that the Bills reached a contract with to host the games in Toronto.

The problem is that Rogers Communications saw dollar signs, which is bad as they over priced tickets as the average price for tickets was just under $200  with very little seats costing under $100.

That is outrageous as even in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium cost from $59-$125 dollars per a seat per a game.

The organizers for the Toronto games have reduced prices by 17 percent, but that is still higher than the Cowboys.

Due to these high prices the games never sold out as there were tons of empty seats for the Bills preseason game and they had difficulty selling out the regular season game last year.

Also, the games never felt like home games as they were held indoors and there was a huge contingency of Miami Dolphin fans at the game.

The problem with larger cities is that many fans have different favorite football teams, which is the problem with Los Angeles.

Simply, Wilson has to wait to see if the organizers will have a easier time selling out the Bills game in Toronto the next couple of years for if they have trouble again then the games are a flop.

That means when the contract is up the new one for the Bills will not net as much as last time and that means the Bills would be better off playing the games at home.
In the end the games will flop, because Rogers Communications has over estimated the demand for the National Football Leauge.

Just because it is the NFL doesn’t meam people will come to the game is droves as people do have to pay bills and these are trying times, but Rogers Communications seems to forget that.

This past Tuesday New England Patriots left tackle Matt Light participated in the National Football League’s Media Boot Camp, which ran through Friday.  With Light participating in it the Patriots should be starting to look for a replacement.

Light just turned 31 on June 23, which means Light has only a couple more years in his prime by most standards.

However, Light is an exception as he has played in 15 post season games, which means Light’s body is really more likely going to start to declining some time soon.

That is a big problem in the AFC East as each of the Patriots opponents have formidable defenses with young players.

Also, the lowest ranked AFC East opponent’s defense was the New York Jets at 16th.

To make matters worst the Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is returning in 2009 from knee surgery, which means he is most likely not going to be as fast and that is going to lead to more sacks.

With Light’s contract expiring after the 2010 season the Patriots need to start thinking of how they are going to replace him as the market at that time will be not worth it as his asking price will be around the $10 million a year range.

If they do not find a replacement for Light then Brady will age soon and that means the Patriots glory days are over.

The Baltimore Sun Reports that Baltimore Raven linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs is near a deal for a long term contract.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius is suing the Cleveland Browns, the teams doctors, and the Cleveland Clinic over his staph infection.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney has been confirmed by the Senate as Ambassador to Ireland.

The Florida Times-Union reports that Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dennis Northcutt has been traded to the Detriot Lions for safety Gerald Alexander.

The Tennessean reports that the Tennessee Titans signed sixth round pick wide receiver Dominique Edison.  They also report that running back Chris Henry might not make it to the regular season.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the San Diego Chargers have put the possibility of Chula Vista as a site for the Chargers new stadium.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the Detroit Lions have signed free agent wide receiver Kenneth Harris and cut wide receiver Tommy Saunders and offensive lineman James Blair.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette reports that wide receiver Gregg Jennings signed a three year $26 million contract extension with $11.25 in form of a signing bonus.   Also, defensive end Johnny Jolly’s drug possession trial has been pushed back to July 17th.

The Minneapolis StarTribune reports that Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson hinted that he might be throwing out of the Vikings version of the Wildcat Formation.

The Charlotte Observer reports that the Carolina Panthers signed fourth round draft pick running back Mike Goodson.

The Washington Post reports that Washington Vikings defensive end Renaldo Wynn attended the NFL’s Media Bootcamp.

The Seattle Times reports that Seattle Seahawks fullback Owen Schmitt was arrested for suspicion of DUI last Saturday.

The Associated Press reports that the New York Jets claimed wide receiver Mario Urrutia off waivers.  They also report National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell is reviewing wide receiver Plaxico Burress shooting himself case.

The Rock Hill Herald, via ProFootballTalk.com, reports that the Panthers signed fourth round pick fullback Tony Fiammetta and released long snapper Patrick MacDonald and defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo.
The Boston Globe reports that offensive tackle Matt Light is looking into broadcasting after his career is over.

The Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas City Chiefs signed seventh round pick tight end Jake O’Connell.

The Denver Post reports that Willie Clark, who is the suspect in the shooting death of cornerback Darrent Williams, has his arraignment in another murder trial postponed until October 2nd.  Also, tight end Daniel Graham hosted a football camp in Denver today.

InsidetheBayarea.com reports some wierd news from the Oakland Raiders that takes their advertising to new heights.  The only other this I have to say is you have to read the article as it is head scratching.

Green Bay Packer Aaron Kampman’s offseason has gotten worst and worst for him.  Leaving one to wonder if Kampman can overcome the adversity he is going through.

Things got off to a bad start when the Green Bay Packers hired defensive coordinator Dom Campers who informed him shortly thereafter he is moving to outside linebacker in his 3-4 defense that he runs.

It became clear during Organized Team Activities that Kampman expressed his displeasure to the media as he has not really commented on it even though he is media friendly.

Things only got worse for him as on Wednesday July 24^th, 2009 his high school football head coach Ed Thomas was gunned down by 24 year old Mark Becker who also played under Thomas.

As any normal person would be Kampman is devastated by the news as Thomas was very special to him.

When someone loses a loved one it can have profound effects as sometimes people just cannot get over the loss.

Football players are tough as we know many of them have honored the death of their loved ones by dedicating their performance to them.

In the end he is human and just hopefully he can overcome everything he is facing.

Seattle Seahawks left tackle Walter Jones has been protecting the backside of quarterbacks for over a decade.  With Jones in the twilight of his career one has to wonder if he can hold up.

Players as they get older start to breakdown, because their bodies are not able to with stand the rigors of the National Football League anymore.

When that starts to happen to the left tackle of any football team it becomes a huge problem.

The reason is that left tackle usually blocks the blind side of a quarterback.

When the left tackle is gone that means the quarterback will take more shots from defensive ends and get injured eventually, because they cannot see the defensive player coming,

With Jones being 35 years old and missing four games due to injuries, which was the first time since his rookie season, you can be assured that he will miss more time in 2009.

What makes matters worst for the Seahawks is that starting             quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is going to 34 in September and missed half the season last year due to a back injury, which means that he is also most likely going to miss some time as well.

In the end the Seahawks will again be a mess this year and have another top five pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, unless Jones can stay healthy.