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Garrett Avoids "No Show" Issue

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett appeared on ProfootballTalk Live on Monday, and the issue of Dez Bryant came up.

While Garrett said nice things about Bryant, he avoided the question about whether or not Bryant "no-showed" a scheduled meeting with owner Jerry Jones.

Garrett said he did not have all the information on that and did not want to discuss it but that he did make contact with Bryant.

This seems like a coach covering for a player. There is no doubt, to me, that Garrett has every bit of information on what did and did not happen during the one day the lockout was lifted. It sounds like Garrett does not want to make the situation bigger than it already is in the Dallas area.

That is fine, but choose your words better. His answer sounded like a waffle and a cover. It always is best to tell the truth, even if the truth is inconvenient.

Bryant is not handling his transition to the NFL well and who knows what is going to happen next?

Garrett just wants his wide receiver to be healthy and be ready to play once the season starts, so I am not going to club him too hard for the waffle, but saying "I don't have all the information?"

To quote one of my favorite ESPN segments, "C'mon, Man."

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Disgruntled Season Ticket Holder Gets A Call From The Commissioner

Roger Goodell tried to do a bit of good PR work this week by reaching out to a disgruntled fan with a personal phone call.

The fan, a season ticket holder with the Indianapolis Colts, also runs a Colts blog and blasted the commissioner for giving blah answers to questions during a recent conference call that did not do much to shed light on anything.

From Profootballtalk.com:

I asked Mr. Goodell if there was any aspect of the NFL’s conduct during the negotiations that he regretted, if there was anything he would have done differently, if there was any culpability to be shared by the league for the current state of affairs,” (Nate) Dunlevy writes.  “He responded that no, while obviously he has given considerable thought as to what could be done to get a a deal accomplished, he felt the NFL had behaved appropriately.  He said that one always runs back over such negotiations searching for what could have been done differently, but that he did not believe there was anything that could have been changed.  He then expressed frustration at the fact that the discussions were taking place in a courtroom rather than in mediated settlement talks.”

I have taken the owners' side on many things in this dispute for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who works a real job and understands how things like "raises" and "not be entitled to anything but what we give you" means.

However, this comment by Goodell is complete garbage. The owners, and Goodell by extension, seemed to be tripping all over themselves in the weeks leading up to the lockout to see who could be more rude and tone deaf when it came to the negotiations.

The caveat is the players seemed to have already agreed they were going to decertify and sue the owners by the end of November, but the owners had a chance to take the high road and they chose not to take it.

So to tell anyone there are no "regrets" about how things were handled would be a complete lie. Goodell is fixated on not saying anything that could come back and haunt him and the owners in court. That is the truth and that is why it is pointless to take anything Goodell says seriously at this point.

That does not mean the players are not fibbing either, they just have been doing a much poorer job of it.

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Asomugha Could Be The Biggest Free Agent Of The 2011 Offseason

Nnamdi Asomugha was let go to free agency by the Oakland Raiders, and now he has just about every other team in the NFL interested in his services.

Asomugha stands to make a lot of money in 2011 once the league year begins, assuming it begins at all, but only a few teams will end up in the final consideration. Even with no salary cap, teams around the league anticipate one coming back and do not want to expose themselves.

What this means is a team that would have been close to a cap may back off for fear it could come back and bite them once a new collective bargaining agreement is signed.

From ESPN.com and Adam Schefter:

"My sense is that topping the list are three NFC East teams: Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington. Each could use a superior cornerback, failed to land a frontline cornerback in last month's draft, has shown the ability to spend money in the past and will not want to see Asomugha on a division rival. There are other teams that could make a play for Asomugha, and my sense is, it would be a mistake to dismiss the Ravens, Jets, Texans and maybe even the Buccaneers. But the three NFC East teams seem like they will be the teams to watch -- and beat for Asomugha's services."

The Buccaneers are the team to watch here, because if they decide to part ways with Aqib Talib, they will nee a new corner to fill that gap.

The Cleveland Browns still could sign him and pair him off with Joe Haden, but that could be too expensive for the Browns this year since they still are not expected to contend. Asomugha would be the kind of signing a team does when they need that last piece.

Whatever happens with Asomugha, he will end up with a contender in 2011 making a lot of money. Even though he was scheduled to make a lot of money in Oakland had they exercised the option on his contract, Asomugha now finds himself in a better situation.

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Romo Earned Goodwill With 2010, He Can Lose It Just As Easily

Tony Romo always has been a lightning rod of controversy when it comes to the topic of his ability to lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl.

One one hand, you have the "chokers," those fans and analysts who believe Romo does have the talent, but is a choke artist who will succumb to the pressure at some point and never get the ring. Their mascot is Donovan McNabb.

The other sect is the "believers," those who think Romo has not had the best cast of characters to work with and has had poor coaching under Wade Phillips. Their mascot is Doug Williams.

Both camps make good points but the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Romo does choke, especially in a lot of his playoff appearances. However, Wade Phillips was not a very good coach, and the team has suffered because of it.

Of all the problems the Cowboys had in 2010, Romo was not one of them. Romo seemed to have turned a corner last year and it was becoming interesting to watch him. Then he got injured.

In 2011, Romo comes into the season with the knowledge he is "the guy," and it is up to him to lead the team on the field and not screw it up.

This season will be a make-or-break year for Romo. If he is successful, the Cowboys will have a quarterback for the next three or four years, depending on durability. If Romo crumbles, the Cowboys will be in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes come the 2012 NFL Draft.

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New England A Good Place For Mallett To Develop

Ryan Mallett has a good foundation for getting his NFL career started. He has Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. As long as Mallett remembers these guys won three Super Bowls and he has not, things should go well.

Mallett was dogged by rumors of drug use and a 10-cent head attached to a million-dollar arm. While Mallett says he never has failed a drug test, he also never denied using drugs.

In New England, Mallett is under no pressure to start, and his ego will have to be checked at the door. No one in that locker room will care who he is or what he did in college. Brady can be his best friend or worst enemy depending on how Mallett handles things.

Mallett wants his character issues cleared up. The only way he can do that is by showing up once camps open and doing everything he is told to do. While he can sit there and talk about revenge against the Miami Dolphins, he should concentrate on getting on the field first.

Brady may still have a lot of life left in his arm, but if Mallett can show he has the talent and skills to be a starter, Belichick will make sure he gets his chance, either in relief should Brady be injured, or by trading him for maximum market value.

Mallett is in a good situation, now he has to take advantage of it.

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History With Dick Jauron Could Lead Whitner To Cleveland

Donte Whitner says he wants to stay in Buffalo, but once free agency starts, he could find his way down the Interstate to Cleveland.

Depending on the rules put into place should the lockout be lifted absent a new collective bargaining agreement, Whitner could be a restricted or unrestricted free agent.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Whitner figures to be attractive to the Browns because of their need to replace unrestricted free agent Abe Elam and because Whitner played four years under Dick Jauron, the current Browns defensive coordinator, in Buffalo. Whitner, in fact, was the first draft pick made by Jauron as Bills head coach.

Since I am a Browns fan, time for some Homerism. I am in favor of anything that makes the Browns better. Having watched all 16 games last year, I can say there only are a handful of players I want back on defense this year, and Abe Elam is not one of them.

He is okay, but he is not irreplaceable. If Jauron thinks Whitner can be productive, and General Manager Tom Heckert agrees, then we should sign him as soon as we are able to.

The Browns need fresh blood and bodies on the defense as it was an aging unit who could not keep up with the speed of the younger players. It was no surprise to most Browns fans the best performances last year consistently were turned in by the rookies and younger players.

Adding more talent to the roster is priority number one, and the Browns did a good job with that in the draft. Hopefully they can repeat their success in the free agency market.

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If The Owners Do Not Shut Down, 2011 Rules Could Be Different

The NFL Owners are trying to stay one step ahead in the process if you believe any of the rumors flying around the past 24 hours.

First, the rumor spread the owners were toying with the idea of shutting the doors completely in order to circumvent the lifting of a lockout and force the players to come back to the bargaining table.

Now, a healthier rumor is floating around the owners are trying to have rules for the 2011 season in place so if the lockout is lifted, they can get down to business immediately.

From Profootballtalk.com:

Daniel Kaplan of the SportsBusiness Journal reports that a working group of NFL types have been at work crafting posible 2011 free agency rules that will not necessarily replicate the 2010 rules in place.

Many folks have assumed that the league would go back to 2010 rules if he courts force the league to re-open for business.  Kaplan explains that would still remain on the table, but the NFL is preparing a possible alternate plan.

The 2010 rules created problems with what certain players could make based on current salary models. As the PFT piece points out, Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards would be making less than his backup, according to the rules in place at the moment.

While we can quibble over exorbitant player salaries, I think we all can agree a starter should make more than the backup.

If the owners are willing to let the lockout get lifted and proceed with the 2011 season, that is great news. It certainly is better than shutting everything down completely, although that could force a quicker solution to the overall labor problem.

Whatever gets this ended quicker and gets football back on the field, I am in favor of.

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Team Taking Smith Will Have To Address His Large Contract

Once normal business resumes in the NFL, there will be a flurry of activity in free agency and trades. With what could be very limited time to get teams up and running, expect big moves.

Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers wants out, and the new regime may oblige him as they transition to a younger team. The only hindrance to a deal could be Smith's contract, which is scheduled to pay him almost $15 million over the next two seasons.

If a team thinks they are getting a featured receiver who will help them to the playoffs and possibly a Super Bowl, this money is not an issue.

From ESPN.com and Pat Yasinskas:

"Any team trading for him would have to pick up those salaries. The only ways around it would be for the Panthers to work some sort of new deal with Smith or for the new team to reach an extension with Smith after he's traded and push some of his money back. The option of simply trading for Smith at his current salary is not out of the question. A team with a big need at receiver could make the trade and handle the salary for Smith's first year. Depending on how that goes, that team could turn around and try to extend Smith."

Two of the teams who might have considered a trade for Smith took care of that need in the NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons traded up to get Julio Jones, and the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Jonathan Baldwin.

The NFL Lockout has hurt the veterans already because the contracts they could have gotten now are going to the rookies, assuming there is a 2011 season.

Smith would have been a great fit for either Kansas City or Atlanta, but now he has to hope there is another team who will want his services at his price.

The Panthers may be willing to trade him because I believe they are trying to turn the whole roster over, and Smith is part of the past.

Smith could end up being dealt once the season starts and injuries take their toll. Either way, I do not see Smith in a Panthers jersey once the 2011 season comes to an end.

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Favre's Legacy Is One Of Greatness With One Big Flaw

Brett Favre talked about starting a new career this past weekend, but assuming his retirement sticks this time, how close is Favre to being a first-ballot Hall of Fame candidate.

To say Favre will get into the Hall of Fame is not really a matter of debate anymore, the argument now seems to shift over to if he gets in on his first year of eligibility.

Favre has a career 62 percent completion rate, which is very good, but he also has 336 interceptions, which is bad.

Favre was a gunslinger, and he threw a lot of bad interceptions in his haste to make something happen.

On the field, his interceptions were the only bad thing about his career. He won a Super Bowl, threw 508 touchdowns and generally could be counted on to win games in the fourth quarter.

He played an incredible 19 years, age finally catching up with him his last year in Minnesota and his string of 302 straight starts was broken.

The stats are there (courtesy of profootballreference.com) so everything is there for consumption.

Favre did things few quarterbacks do and he played at a very high level until his last season. A first-ballot induction is not out of the question, and the media's love for Favre increases those chances.

He had some scandals at the end of his career, but since they involved his love life, it is completely irrelevant to his Hall of Fame chances.

In five years, keep your eye on the selections, Favre may be leading another class.