Top 10 NFL Headlines from the Week That Was

It might be time for us to reconsider calling the roughly seven months between the Super Bowl and opening kickoff the NFL’s "offseason," because once again football news dominated the week that was.  (Rumor has it MLB Opening Day was this week, anyone take notice?)

Between further developments in the Saints “Bountygate” scandal, more free agent movement, and a notable injury to an elite offensive lineman, the NFL news cycle continued to spin at a rapid pace. 

With all that in mind, let’s look back at the top 10 NFL news stories of the week.

1. The Leaked Gregg Williams Audio

Undoubtedly, the biggest news of the week was yet another shocking revelation in the Saints’ Bountygate scandal, this time with the release of an audio tape from filmmaker Sean Pamphilon in which former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams urges his players to engage in vicious, ruthless, and disgusting behavior intended to injury the San Francisco 49ers—the team New Orleans was set to play the next day. 

The leak prompted a response from Steve Gleason, the former Saints special teams ace who is now battling ALS, and has enlisted his friend Pamphilon to capture moments in his life on tape so that they can one day be shared with his infant son Rivers. 

The Saints have offered Gleason extensive access to their team, and he was with many of his former teammates as they took the field in San Francisco in the NFC’s Divisional Round in January of this year.

He has since gone on the record to state that Pamphilon did not have the right to release the audio, which led to a prompt rebuttal from Pamphilon disputing this fact. 

It’s yet another twist in this black eye on the Saints and the NFL, and it appears that this issue wont soon go away.

2. The Leaked Wonderlic Score of Morris Claiborne

It wasn't just audio tapes that were being released this week, as it became public knowledge that LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne—a top-flight draft prospect—scored just a four on the Wonderlic test. 

That news, along with the discovery that Claiborne has dealt with a learning disability throughout his undergraduate education and also the manner in which it was reported in some circles, has sparked passionate debate about the integrity of making such test scores public.

My take?  Reporting a score is fair game—we’d do the same if we found out a player had a previously undiscovered criminal record of unflattering personal history.  That being said, there’s no place for mocking someone’s intelligence, particularly when we don’t know the whole story.

3. Jason Peters Tears His Achilles'

The Eagles took a massive blow on Monday when news broke that All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters ruptured his Achilles’ tendon, an injury that often requires nine-to-12 months of rehabilitation. 

He did so while training on his own in Texas, which has brought to light new circumstances regarding the NFL offseason: due to alterations in offseason program restrictions as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement, teams (excluding those with new head coaches) have not been able to begin offseason workouts, and won't be able to do until April 16th.

That’s really secondary to what the injury means for Philly, because Peters was arguably the best at what he does in the NFC.  The Eagles pounced quickly to replace—or at least attempt to replace—Peters, inking former Bills tackle Demetress Bell to a five-year contract. 

Is he Peters?  No, but he’s a young, athletic, powerful guy who can certainly hold his own while Peters recovers.

4. Preseason Schedule Announced

Although the games are still four months away, intrigue is already booming in the slate of preseason games that were announced this week for the 2012 season.  Highlights include:

Arizona vs. New Orleans, August 5th (Hall of Fame Game)

Detroit vs. Baltimore, August 19th (Jim Schwartz takes on the other Harbaugh)

Washington vs. Indianapols, August 23rd-26th (Date TBA) (RG3. Andrew Luck. ‘Nuff said)

New England vs. New York Giants, August 29th-30th (Date TBA) (Rematch!)

5. Nike Debuts New Jerseys

The much anticipated switch to Nike apparel was launched this week, and the NFL made sure everyone took notice.

Players from each team took flight to New York, where the league held a major event to debut the newest line of cloth, with each team’s uniforms undergoing alterations to varying degrees. 

For more insight on the matter, do yourself a favor and check out this piece that ranks the new jerseys.  You won't have to go far to find the one uniform that everyone is talking about—that of the Seahawks. 

Most teams experienced or opted for minor touch-ups on their unis, such as a different shade here or an extra stripe there.  The Seahawks?  Not so much.

6. Lardarius Webb Re-Ups with Baltimore

Amongst the many surprises of the NFL offseason has been the lack of a single offer sheet signed by a restricted free agent.  The reason behind that remains unclear, but it could be a testament to the premium that franchises are putting on draft picks these days.

With successful franchises like New England, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants proving that building from the ground up through the draft is a sensible strategy, a league-wide trend towards doing the same may be taking place as we speak.

Lardarius Webb, amongst those restricted free agents worth the price paid to acquire him (a first-round pick), signed a new deal to stay with the Ravens for six more seasons. 

The contract figures remain unannounced by the team, but have been reported in the range of $50 million over the life of the contract and $20 million guaranteed.  Considering the fact that Cortland Finnegan and Brandon Carr—both of whom are inferior players to Webb in my eyes —got more money on the open market for one less year, this move is a home run for Baltimore. 

7. Saints Brass Appeals Suspensions

You didn’t think we could go through the remainder of this list without mentioning Bountygate again, did you?

On Thurdsay, the trio of Saints GM Mickey Loomis, head coach Sean Payton and assistant head coach Joe Vitt—each of whom is facing severe punishment as a result of the scandal—met individually with Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss and appeal their suspensions.

It’s up in the air as to how long the appeal process will continue, although it seems unlikely the Commissioner will reduce the suspensions, regardless of how persuasive each individual may have been.

For starters, Goodell made his punitive orders based on extensive knowledge of facts related to the case, not supposed information he simply believed to be truths.  Moreover, he needs to maintain his hard-line stance on the severity of bounties in a league that prides itself on player safety.

Altering the punishments, even slightly, seems far-fetched at this point.

8. Warren Sapp Files for Bankruptcy

Despite the fact that he’s been making $45,000 for each month of it, it hasn’t been a very good offseason for Warren Sapp. 

First he was publicly ridiculed for suggesting that Jeremy Shockey was the “snitch” that prompted the NFL to investigate the bounty program in New Orleans, and now he has filed for bankruptcy. 

It’s an unfortunate tale that we hear all too often about athletes, those who find themselves incapable of balancing their expenses and sustaining their young wealth into the latter stages of their lives.

Sapp is roughly $6.7 million in debt, and it surely appears he quickly lost track of what he could reasonably afford, as his listed assets included a lion skin rug and 240 pairs of Jordan brand sneakers/sandals.

9. Tim Tebow Will Preach, People Will Listen

Easter Sunday is nearly upon us, and Tim Tebow—a devout Catholic—has been invited to speak at a church service in Texas. 

His dedication to Jesus Christ is no secret, and some 20,000 people are expected to listen to his words at the Celebration Church in Georgetown, Texas.

Time will tell how he handles the New York media this season, and how the Jets can handle the circus involved with two high-profile quarterbacks sharing one locker room, but it remains evident that Tebow is wildly popular in many corners of the US.

Just imagine if the entire audience left Tebow’s speech and went off for an Easter egg hunt afterwards.  That’d be a lot of Cadbury Eggs.

10. RG3 Declines Workout with Colts, Will Prep with Redskins

Just about the worst kept secret in sports is that the Colts will take Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in this year’s draft, with Robert Griffin III heading to Washington at pick No. 2. 

However, the Colts still planned to work out the former Baylor quarterback, an invitation the Heisman trophy winner declined.

It’s a sensible move in that Griffin, like Luck, has done more than enough to show what he’s made of on the football field.  He wowed throughout 2011, glowed at the combine, and was again sensational at Baylor’s pro day.  One more workout—which could be for show more than anything else—was small potatoes in this process.

And while Griffin won’t be meeting with the Colts any time soon, he will start meeting with Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in the near future.  This report essentially confirms what we’ve already stated—RG3 to Washington is virtually a done deal; there’s no room for speculation at this point.