Concerned that the league could remain locked out by the time the regular season kicks off? Concerned that your Sundays could be filled with great times at the in-laws? The NFL could have an agreement by July 21st league meetings where the deal could possibly be ratified by the league, according to ESPN Insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen.

Other people familiar with the talks now think an agreement in principle will be put in place in the next seven to 10 days, a handshake deal that would allow each side to ratify the deal to start the 2011 season.

According to the report, the only area that could cause the potential deal to stall is the rookie wage scale. According to Judy Battista of the New York Times:

...the disagreement centers on the amount of money and the length of the contracts given to players selected in the first round, who sign the biggest contracts with the most guaranteed money. Players contend the proposal by owners is overly restrictive for rookies.

Continue reading this post »

SB Nation's Ed Valentine pointed out something interesting about the fact that the NFL Lockout has extended beyond 100 days. That interesting thing, which I think many people have forgotten, is that nothing has been missed yet. 

Various reports I came across this morning mentioned that the NFL Lockout passed the 100-day mark over the weekend. Truth is, though, that while this is technically the longest work stoppage in NFL history, the important stuff -- training camp, the preseason and the regular season -- have not yet been affected.

Both sides can afford to play hardball right now. After all, neither side really has anything to lose right now. That is going to be changing really quickly though. 

Valentine quoted a Philadelphia Inquirer article written by Phil Sheridan, who sums up the upcoming month for the NFL. Sheridan said:

... the league and its players went into this process without any real urgency to get a deal done. March, April, May, and June were always disposable. Lo and behold, they have been disposed of.

Now July is knocking. July was not, and is not, disposable.

Continue reading this post »

Very few people had ever heard of New York Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi this time last week. Then he did this.

Alosi was fined $25,000 and suspended for the rest of the season without pay for intentionally tripping Miami Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll. Alosi was later suspended indefinitely by the New York Jets after they discovered "new information". Per ESPN New York's Rich Cimini:

The Jets admitted they used an illegal "wall" formation on their sideline to deter the Miami Dolphins' gunners on punt coverage -- oh, really? -- and they said Alosi cooked up the entire thing by himself and ordered five inactive players to stand with him shoulder-to-shoulder, toes touching the boundary.

Ray Anderson, the Executive President of the NFL Football Operations Department, sent a memo to coaches and game officials of the policies and allowed areas sidelines. Some of the items that Anderson reminded the teams with are having a "get-back" coach. If you've played the sport, you know what this guy does. He literally goes up and down the sidelines yelling at you to "get-back!" Didn't see that coming, did you? Multiple warnings of the violations could result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The League Office could include additional discipline, which includes fines and even suspensions.

Continue reading this post »

Overnight, ESPN filed a story by Peter Keating that revealed that Chris Henry, before his tragic death last December, had endured brain damage before his death. It will always be painful to revisit this story, and this discovery may make the news harder to swallow for those that became fans of Chris Henry the person, myself included.

Henry's mother, Carolyn Henry Glaspy, gave West Virginia University affiliated Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI) permission to conduct a detailed study of her son's brain. The researchers discovered that Henry "had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head -- at the time of his death."

Henry joins over 50 former athletes, many of them former football players, who were suffering from CTE at their time of death.

Researchers have now discovered CTE in the brains of more than 50 deceased former athletes, including more than a dozen NFL and college players, pro wrestler Chris Benoit and NHL player Reggie Fleming.

Repeated blows to the head are the only known cause of CTE, researchers say. Concussive hits can trigger a buildup of toxic tau protein within the brain, which in turn can create damaging tangles and threads in the neural fibers that connect brain tissue. Victims can lose control of their impulses, suffer depression and memory loss, and ultimately develop dementia.

CTE is only detectable in autopsy cell-staining techniques that reveal the presence and effects of "dangerous tau proteins and telltale tangles that characterize [it]". 

Since CTE cannot be detected while athletes are alive, and scientists know that the only cause is repeated head trauma, the question of concussion safety is again brought to the forefront. Ben Roethlisberger underwent an array of psychological tests as part of his punishment for allegedly raping a 20-year-old in Georgia. One of the issues risen by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review was that concussions may have contributed to Roethlisberger's deviant behavior. Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht told the paper in an interview:

"The question I pose is simple: Can someone with several chronic or repetitive head injuries later display behavior that is socially undesirable? It's certainly possible, but we won't know that unless there is a proper evaluation, then work-up and treatment plan. It would be medically negligent not to include these sorts of tests as a part of this disciplinary process."

Researchers at BIRI make it sound more certain than Wecht, saying that deviancy is to be expected from individuals suffering the effects of CTE. Julian Bailes, the director of BIRI commented:

"This syndrome is expressed not only as changes in the brain, but clinically, as behavioral changes. And starting with Mike Webster, we have seen common threads in these cases: emotional disturbances, depression, failed personal relationships and businesses, suicidal thoughts, sometimes alcohol or drug use."

We saw many of these problems with Chris Henry and others were assumed, perhaps correctly, by fans and media alike. We see this sort of behavior frequently in professional athletes. Where can we as fans, as citizens draw the line between brain damage and bad people? Chris Henry managed to overcome this trauma and was by all accounts turning his life around until he reportedly threatened to kill himself moments before he jumped or fell from a moving automobile. Ben Roethlisberger and I'm sure countless other football and hockey players, boxers and MMA fighters are going through or will go through the same battle, or might snap.

The lesson is not necessarily entirely clear and will not be universally approved of. For me, it's obvious. Concussions are not being dealt with properly across professional sports and probably society as a whole. Parents and professional organizations need to be more vigilant when it comes to brain health. When a person starts showing signs of CTE, as Chris Henry did unknown to his friends and family, and as Ben Roethlisberger apparently is now, it is time to call it a career.

As the consequences of brain trauma become more obvious, the current attitude toward brain injury needs to change immediately. Tragedies like those that struck Chris Henry, Tom McHale, Justin Strzelczyk, and Chris Benoit should be avoided at all costs. If that means cutting a career short, so be it - it's only a game.

With the 152nd pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select offensive lineman, Otis Hudson from Eastern Illinois. Cincinnati's need for a guard was one of the positions that we figured the Bengals would eventually target. While not a big need, Cincinnati's rotation at left guard with Bobbie Williams getting long in the tooth, one has to figure that the team wanted to build some depth with the core of versatile linemen already on the roster. Hudson can supposedly play as a guard and tackle. And you know how the Bengals love those versatile offensive linemen.

Problem is, Hudson is a relatively unknown -- actually even a Google search brought up next to nothing, which is NEVER a good sign. He played with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2006 and 2007 and transferred to Eastern Illinois in 2008. While with MInnesota, Hudson played as a reserve defensive lineman, playing in 11 games in two seasons.

The following is Hudson's Eastern Illinois player page for 2009

Started for second straight season at right tackle with 12 starts... graded out at 82 percent from (the) season playing second most number of snaps on the season...  credited with 22 decleater blocks...  2008: transferred to Eastern Illinois in the summer... started nine games at right tackle... graded out at 82 percent for the season with 15 decleater blocks. 

CDS draft writes:

Strengths
Shows above average pass pro technique, feet and backpedal for such a big man and for a collegiate ROT. We are projecting him inside, but he might be able to stay right where he is at the next level. Seems to give good effort on every snap. Doesn't look quite 331, and plays like a lighter man. Sets up well in pass pro, but sometimes over-reaches and loses contact. Must move feet even more against speed. Has some tools, and certainly has the size.

Weaknesses
A bit of an O-line tweener. Not a real killer in the run game. More of a finesse guy despite his size. Not sure he has a real pro position. May need to hit the weights more. LOC concerns.

Well, the picks are in. In the second round, the Bengals went after and pulled in Carlos Dunlap, a defensive end from Florida. We've talked about him quite a bit, and here's the announcement thread with the scouting report on him in case you want to refer to it. Dunlap seems determined to have a good career, and he's saying the right things so far.

"They're going to talk about a lot of things, and I know there's a lot of things I need to work on myself, right now I'm just taking all that in as motivation and I'm looking forward to my NFL career and proving a lot of people wrong, that's all I can do." - Dunlap

One last piece on Dunlap from ESPN: "f he realizes his potential he'll be a steal here. He is worth the risk at this point in the draft."

How he fits: Antoine Odom was the team's most productive pass-rusher and he's coming off an Achilles? injury. Second-year player Michael Johnson needs to step it up from his rookie season. The team needed another force at defensive end that can play on all three downs and not force the team into sub-packages to get to the quarterback. The defense was certainly a strong suit last year, but additional pass-rush will make them even better.

Then, the Bengals made a huge mistake in the eyes of some Bengals fans, at least here around Cincy Jungle, picking Texas WR Jordan Shipley. Shipley is known for his separation ability, route-running, and ball skills. He's said to be one of the most polished receiving prospects in the draft, and should fill an immediate need for consistency at the slot receiving position. Shipley also provides return skills should Quan Cosby falter. The thing about Shipley is, he doesn't do anything worse than Gilyard. He runs routes just as well, he probably runs more refined routes, has better ball skills, and scouting reports seem to indicate that he's a more consistent blocker.

The only evaluations I've seen on Shipley so far on Twitter come from Chris Mortensen.

1: Bengals take Jordan Shipley. Love the pick #nfldraft

2: You know Carson Palmer is loving Gresham, Shipley & Antonio Bryant. #nfldraft

On Shipley, Yahoo! Sports gives similar glowing reviews of the pick:

National Football Post: Shipley gives the Bengals a much-needed presence in the slot. He isn't the biggest or fastest of wideouts. However, he's got a good feel vs. zone, knows how to pluck the football and will move the chains on third down.

ESPN's draft tracker likes his consistency. I think you will, too.

How he fits: Chad Ochocinco and newly-acquired Antonio Bryant will most likely be the outside starters, but Shipley's route running and sure hands will enable him to compete for the slot role with Andre Caldwell. There are question marks at the position, but his consistency will not be one.

Hard to be down on the guy after all that. We'd love the pick if Gilyard wasn't on the board. One last word on Shipley, from SI's scouting report:

Extends his hands to make the reception and offers the quarterback a nice target. Works hard running after the reception using his blocks everywhere on the field. Displays tremendous focus and concentration, comes away with the difficult reception in a crowd and easily adjusts to the errant throw.Outstanding eye/hand coordination, and is a sure-handed receiver. Recognizes defenses, and cuts short routes to find the open space on the field. Effective as a downfield blocker.

With the compensatory pick, the Bengals selected Brandon Ghee (pronounced Jee), a cornerback from Wake Forest. Ghee essentially projects to be an average-to-good 3rd corner for Cincinnati. He provides depth and will likely be the team's 4th or 5th corner going into the year, depending on David Jones' future. Morgan Trent should retain his nickel role ahead of Ghee. Ghee was actually present at the draft in New York, and got to take a picture with the commissioner Roger Goodell. 

National Football Post: A gifted size/speed athlete who does a nice job when asked to get his hands on receivers and press off the line. But he isn't real technically sound and will struggle when asked to play in off man.

The thirtieth pick in the inaugural edition of the Cincy Jungle Mock Draft is brought to us by member patrick6h, selecting for the Minnesota Vikings.  His explanation for the pick is after the jump.  Thank you for your participation patrick6h.

With the thirtieth pick in the 2010 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select...

Continue reading this post »

The fifteenth pick in the inaugural edition of the Cincy Jungle Mock Draft is brought to us by member The Dealio, selecting for the New York Giants.  His explanation for the pick is after the jump.  Thank you for your participation The Dealio.

With the fifteenth pick in the 2010 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, the New York Giants select...

Continue reading this post »