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David Akers Hoping To Get Back Playing In Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles look like they will be moving on from David Akers, and Akers wishes that was not the case.

Akers had his opportunity to stay, but reportedly decided not to sign a contract extension last December. Then he missed two field goals in a loss to the Packers in the playoffs.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

They had placed the transition tag on the kicker in February. That provision would have given the Eagles the right of first refusal if other teams tried to sign Akers. But he declined to sign the tag.

"There's more to it than just the simplicity of 'signed it or didn't sign it,' " Akers said. "We don't know if there's even going to be a tag" in the new collective bargaining agreement."

Akers had a lot going on, but it looks in retrospect like Akers made a bad business decision. This all could change after the league year begins should the Eagles or another team offer him a huge contract, but declining to sign a contract offered to him, especially at 35 years old, sounds like he was listening to bad advice.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The two missed kicks in the playoffs were huge, but as reports came out later exposed, Akers had a lot on his mind that day with his daughter's health problems.

The Eagles have drafted a kicker, but that is no guarantee Akers is gone. Nothing is certain until the lockout is lifted and the league year starts.

If Akers does stay in Philadelphia, do not be surprised. Stranger things have happened.

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Rivers Says "It's Still Early"

For those who think the NFL Lockout should have ended weeks ago, go talk to Phillip Rivers to get a different perspective.

Rivers said the other day he believes it still is early in the process and that something will get done in time to save the season.

From The San Diego Union-Tribune:

“It's been quite a different offseason, to say the least,” Rivers said before taking the stage. “… We've managed it the best we can. I think it's still early. I've said that a bunch the last few months, but it is still early. But as we get into May and June, football stuff will need to pick up, and we have a plan in place to make that happen.”

As someone who wants the lockout to be over as soon as possible, I hope Rivers is correct. There is every reason to think right now that games will be affected. The two sides absolutely do not trust each other, and only met a few times per a court order once the lockout was put in place.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The opinions vary on when the lockout will end, and each person has a different date. There will be labor peace at some point, but the "when" is an elusive dream at this point.

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After 13 seasons, Faneca Calls It A Career

Alan Faneca is hanging up his cleats after 13 years in the NFL, 10 of which were spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Faneca spent last year with the Arizona Cardinals and the previous two years with the New York Jets. He only missed two games in his long career.

From Profootballtalk.com via Adam Schefter:

"After a lot of thought I am announcing my retirement from professional football,” Faneca said in a statement his agent sent to Schefter. “Playing in the NFL has been a childhood dream come true. Thirteen years later I have decided that it is time to move on.”

Faneca was a great player, and his departure from Pittsburgh immediately made that offensive line weaker.

The life of an offensive lineman is a rough one, and it is unusual for one of these guys to play this long and miss so few games.

Faneca was reliable, durable, and he helped the Steelers for years. Because of the affect he had on the Steelers line, it should be an easy decision to put Faneca into the Hall of Fame in five years. But that is a decision to be made in five years.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

It is prudent to ask if the lockout had anything to do with his decision, but most veterans are looking at the lockout as a good thing at the moment because they do not have to be at minicamps or practices.

Schefter further reported Faneca wants to spend more time with his family, so there it is.

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Haynesworth Pleads Not Guilty To Sexual Assault

Albert Haynesworth continues his run through the headlines for everything except excellence on the field.

Haynesworth pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault through his attorney on Tuesday and did not show up for court. Not showing up for things is something Haynesworth is very good at.

Whether he is guilty or innocent of this charge almost is a moot point because it is doubtful Haynesworth even cares, or noticed he had to do something today.

Once Haynesworth signed his $100 million contract with the Redskins, he scaled back on everything that required him to put forth an effort. Once Mike Shanahan was hired, Haynesworth decided to pay the Redskins lip service to get his roster bonus and then never showed up for work.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

Haynesworth could not be counted on to play in the games because he only played when he felt like it. His suspension at the end of the season probably came as a relief as it meant he did not have to get out of bed until at least noon to embark on his day of doing absolutely nothing.

So pleading not guilty to a charge of sexual assault probably did not even register on his calendar, that is what the lawyers are for.

The Redskins most likely will be forced to cut Haynesworth once the league year begins as his contract is too large for any team to want to take on given his penchant for quitting lately.

Maybe the federal prison system will be interested in picking up his contract?

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Trade Down With Atlanta Gave Cleveland More Picks

The Atlanta Falcons decided Julio Jones was too good to pass up and were willing to pay a hefty premium to move up in the draft to get his services.

The Browns collected five picks in the move, including a first- and fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Browns did trade back up a few spots to select Phil Taylor, but the haul they got out of this year's draft was much greater than anyone thought it was going to be prior to the event.

From The Akron Beacon-Journal:

''I think we did great,'' Shurmur said. ''I don't care what anybody says. But we obviously started off the draft by making a historic trade, probably one of the greatest trades in draft history, when we traded with [the] Atlanta [Falcons] — our sixth pick to get to [No.] 27, eventually up to [No.] 21 — because we felt like we needed help in areas and based on the talent, based on what other teams around us were gonna do and based on what we needed, we felt like that was the perfect thing to do.''

The Browns are rebuilding, so having 12 draft picks still would not have been enough. The Browns are in the middle of a complete roster overhaul. Most of the players on the team in 2009 will not be on this squad in 2011, especially on the defense.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The offense already has seen a major makeover and now it is a matter of developing the talent.

The true value of the trade will not be known for the Browns for at least three years as we have yet to see who they will take with their 2012 picks.

Colt McCoy is the leader on offense for now, and Shurmur was very excited in talking about McCoy's strengths. He also pointed out how fast the coaching staff reacted to the temporary lifting of the lockout during the draft and feels confident the staff can get the team up and running in a relatively short time depending on how the labor situation plays out.

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Two Municipalities Fighting Over New Stadium Site

The Metrodome is just one of the last of the "old" domes, built to be economical, it turned out to have a short lifespan and be more trouble than it is worth.

The problem now is funding the construction of a new stadium, expected to run in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The current argument, partially being waged in courtrooms, is the NFL is a multi billion dollar business and the owners should build their own stadiums.

The counter argument from owners always has been the stadiums are too expensive to be built entirely with private money and that they serve a public function which brings in a lot of tax dollars and tax payers should share the burden.

The owners are not wrong about the public aspect of things, but the money issue is unavoidable. The owners should be paying for the construction of their own stadiums.

The plan, in part, from The Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

The plan includes a bevy of new or expanded taxes: admission taxes on stadium events, higher street parking fees on game days and extension of a downtown hotel, liquor and restaurant tax citywide. It also would institute a 0.15 percent sales tax, similar to one that Hennepin County imposed to help build Target Field.

The proposal, introduced by Mayor R.T. Rybak at a State Capitol news conference, would have the Vikings paying 45 percent -- $400 million -- of an $895 million roofed stadium on the Dome site.

The team reacted coolly.

The team can react coolly, but the fact is, $400 million in contribution is chump change in the overall scheme of things to the Vikings, and everyone knows it. With the profits the NFL brings in year after year, the Vikings can easily finance this and be out of debt in a relatively short amount of time.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

It is understandable for the Vikings to try and get out of paying as much as they can, but once you start accepting tax payer monies, you have to be a little more civic-minded.

This is different from the labor dispute, which is an argument over how much money players get, because tax payer money does not fund player salaries except in the most abstract, forced manner possible by people trying to be argumentative.

This situation is very fluid, but I expect the Vikings to remain in Minnesota when the dust settles and the checks clear.

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The Seahawks Did Not Take A QB In NFL Draft

Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati, and the Seahawks are being tabbed as a likely destination.

Assuming the Bengals decide to trade Palmer, and with Andy Dalton now on board there is further incentive to pull the trigger on a trade, the Seahawks are one of the teams who would come calling.

The matter of price is a different issue, but one could reasonably expect the Seahawks to at least place a phone call and have a discussion.

Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll noted in a recent interview the team had too many needs to invest a draft pick in a quarterback. If Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst are not the future of the franchise, then that means Carroll is hoping to bring in a veteran and make another run for the playoffs.

From The Seattle Times:

So what was Seattle thinking on holding off on picking a quarterback?

"You saw us go after a couple guys that were offensive linemen, which is an area that -- without that -- the quarterback can't play," Carroll said.

Carroll's got the right mindset. If there is no offensive line, you can throw any big name quarterback out on the field and it will not make that big a difference if they spend most of the time running for their life.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

Ben Roethlisberger is about the only quarterback I can think of who has turned running for his life into a successful style of play.

Back to the question of Palmer, and if he is on his way to Seattle, the Seahawks will have to prepared to give up at least one first-round pick, and probably a second-round pick. The trade probably will be a mix of players and draft picks, but they can kiss their 2012 first-round pick goodbye.

This is assuming the Bengals trade Palmer, but Owner Mike Brown is dumb enough to force Palmer to retire and not get anything for him when he could be building a great foundation for the future.

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Mitchell Could Be A Key Piece of Browns Defense In 2011

The Cleveland Browns are one of the more intriguing teams to watch because of their potential. They have begun acquiring real talent and have, on paper, a more competent coaching staff.

General Manager Tom Heckert brought Jayme Mitchell in last year to help the defense, but former Head Coach Eric Mangini never let Mitchell on the field, one of many reasons why Mangini no longer is employed by the Cleveland Browns.

Heckert said recently re-signing Mitchell is a goal for the team once the league year begins. He is one of many pieces Heckert is trying to assemble to bring a winning team to Cleveland.

The team now has a new coaching staff focused on winning, instead of a "process" that has no endgame.

Donte Whitner, currently of the Buffalo Bills, was mentioned yesterday as a possibility, especially with his ties to new Defensive Coordinator Dick Jauron.

The Browns are converting from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3, and it is a good year to do it because so many of the players on last year's roster were aging and due to retire or be replaced. The Browns were going to have to completely rebuild anyway.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The Browns will not be playoff contenders this year unless they play well above the level anyone thinks they are capable of and either the Steelers or Ravens have complete meltdowns.

Colt McCoy is a great quarterback in-training, the only question is his durability due to his size, which is considered small for the modern NFL. Some have tried to question his arm strength, but in the right offense, his arm strength will be a moot point.

It will be an interesting year for Cleveland fans, but I do not expect a record any better than 6-10, assuming a full 16 games are played.

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Romo Shelves Golf Dream For Another Year, Back To Football

Tony Romo is organizing more team workouts after shooting an 81 in his U.S. Open qualifier and failing to advance.

Romo has been bringing as many players as he can to a secret location to run through drills in a minicamp situation.

From ESPN.com:

"I don't want to say I expect more," Romo said. "I would say that's a great number for starting. We weren't sure what the number was going to be. I know I stressed the importance to everybody, to say the least. I'd say it was just a point we needed to make it important. The guys know that. The guys are committed. Do I hope we get 50 there? Absolutely. We're in contact with a couple of guys who have never been."

As he did last week, Romo did not want to divulge where and when the workouts were occurring. Nor would he discuss if players have taken out insurance to cover themselves in case of an injury. He said they do have athletic trainers on hand that are not affiliated with the Cowboys.

Romo does not want the media messing things up by over-analyzing these workouts, and he has a good point. Since I believe the media wants too much access to practices, it is safe to say I agree with Romo's assessment.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The offseason workouts and day-to-day practices are there for teaching and refinement. Even the portion of training camp practices open to the public often are over-analyzed.

With so little NFL news going on right now, the temptation to make something out of nothing could be too great for some reporters if they were allowed access to the workouts.

Dez Bryant is reported to be present, which is news considering how his offseason has gone, but other than that, it is just a bunch of guys trying to stay sharp.

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Moss Linked To Three Teams, Will Any Of Them Bite?

Randy Moss has had a rough year, and most of his hardship was his own fault, so it is hard to feel bad for him.

A weird rant about contracts in New England resulted in being shipped off to Minnesota where a series of off-field meltdowns, including a rant against a catering service, resulted in Moss being cut.

The only team to put a claim in on Moss were the Titans, who were looking for someone to help stretch the defense. Moss was almost a complete non-factor and now the Titans are moving on without him.

From Profootballtalk.com:

Even at age 34 and on the down side of his career, we assume some team is going to make Moss an offer whenever free agency starts. But it says a lot about how far Moss has fallen that the questions are less about how much Moss is going to make in free agency, and more about whether any team wants him.

New England and the New York Jets are the two most talked about destinations for Moss. Moss played well for Belichick, but there are questions about if Belichick even wants him back.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The Jets would sign Moss for two reasons, they might not be able to keep all of their free agent wide receivers and signing Moss would keep him out of New England.

ESPN's Mike Sando speculated the St. Louis Rams could be an option since Josh McDaniels and Moss worked well together in New England.

As much as I hate to disparage 34-year old athletes, this is football, and if I was a general manager, I would not waste one second on a 34-year old wide receiver who has an ego bigger than most stadiums.

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Saints RB Takes To Social Media And Puts Foot In Mouth

Reggie Bush is enjoying the lockout, and took time to go on Facebook and Twitter to tell everyone about it.

Not surprisingly, there was a pretty harsh backlash to Bush telling everyone how much he is relaxing and enjoying not having to practice. It also is reasonable to think the trade union formerly known as the NFLPA is not too happy with Bush either, considering their argument the lockout is causing harm to the players.

Like many players, though, Bush just is not that smart. Unlike some other players, he does not have the credentials to even say he is taking some well-deserved time off.

From Bush's Twitter:

Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I'm making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I'm good!

The core argument the players are making to the courts is they are suffering because of the lockout. When players make comments like this on social media, it is just fodder for the league to present to the judge and say, "Yeah, I don't think so."

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The truth is there are a lot of players hurting, but only a handful of them are hurting because of what the NFL did. Players who blew all their earning on bling, cars and boats are in holes of their own making and I refuse to feel bad for them.

Players who toil on practice squads or at the bottom of the depth charts who needed the minicamp income to carry them through to the season are the guys I feel bad for.

The problem is, the players who have money rarely care about those who do not, and even though some of the players named in the antitrust lawsuit have well-documented pasts with helping others, the fact they are in the process of blowing everything up puts a bad smell to everything.

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The NHL Had A Season Wiped Out By A Lockout

The NFL and the trade association formerly known as the NFLPA are busy trying to ruin the sport in court, so the NHL, a sport who has had a season wiped out because of a labor dispute, filed a brief in support of the NFL's cause.

The NFL is appealing the decision to lift the lockout with the Eighth Circuit, saying the league will suffer irreparable harm if the lockout is permanently lifted. The players are arguing a continuation of the lockout likewise will harm them.

From Profootballtalk.com:'

The NHL is focusing on principles of federal law that, from the naturally skewed perspective of a sports league, prevent a union when faced with a lockout from shutting down the union and filing an antitrust lawsuit.

Here is where I disagree with Mike Florio. The "naturally skewed" perspective is part of having an argument. The players have their own "naturally skewed" perspective.

The NHL believes if the courts keep ruling against the NFL it not only will destroy the business model that allowed it to thrive in recent decades, but destroy the other major sports as well.

MUST READ: 2012 NFL Mock Draft, An Early Look At Team Needs

The NHL is absolutely right about this. I have always believed professional sports deserve their antitrust exemptions, and not because of any capitalist-type thinking but because of the business model they run.

It may be a bunch of individual teams run by different owners, but it is one sport. Trying to apply antitrust laws to a sport is self-defeating and none of these sports would have thrived like they have if they were held to the antitrust laws.

It would be chaos followed by collapse. In order for a sport to survive as a business, it has to operate and be treated as one entity, not 32 separate ones, as could be the case with football.

If football fans want football to continue the way it has, they better pray the players lose, or it is all over.