NFL 2010: Because it's never to f'ing early

[Vince]

LT to the Jets.  Guess Leon Johnson is on the outs with this.

[Sophie Scholl]

Hmm, good for Quinn.  He now has a shot at a real NFL career now that he is out of Cleveland.

And once again, Cleveland is the last to figure out a 1st round bust.

Have you heard of Al Davis?  Jamarcus Russell?

[Neil]

Hmm, good for Quinn.  He now has a shot at a real NFL career now that he is out of Cleveland.

And once again, Cleveland is the last to figure out a 1st round bust.

Have you heard of Al Davis?  Jamarcus Russell?

Yeah, but even Al Davis knew that Quinn was a bust.

[Alcibiades]

LT to the Jets.  Guess Leon Johnson is on the outs with this.

Wow really?  Jet's sounds like they're actually going to be good.   

[sbr]

LT to the Jets.  Guess Leon Johnson is on the outs with this.

It sounded to me like they were planning on going with all 3 backs (LT, Washington, Johnson).

[Neil]

LT to the Jets.  Guess Leon Johnson is on the outs with this.

Wow really?  Jet's sounds like they're actually going to be good.   

They're certainly driving hard at it.  Still, you can't trust them, because they're the Jets.

[CountDeMoney]

They're certainly driving hard at it.  Still, you can't trust them, because they're the Jets.

No shit. Going from the Chargers to the Jets is like moving from Bulgaria to Romania.

[CountDeMoney]

An article for Neil.

A smiling Suggs ready to sizzle again
Free of injuries and shedding pounds, the linebacker attends offseason workouts


Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is smiling again these days. He is telling jokes and trading barbs with reporters. He has been attending offseason workouts here with the team for the first time in his seven-year career.

Suggs is happy, happy, happy. And so are the Ravens.

"I wasn't happy about the way I played last season, it was a disappointing year," Suggs said. "My focus in the offseason is to make sure that never happens again. I want to play like the old T-Sizzle again."

The old Suggs had 53 sacks in his first six years and made steady progress as he became a complete player, being named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad three times.

And then came 2009.

Suggs had only 4.5 sacks and 58 tackles. Once one of the most feared pass rushers in the game, he became less of a threat. The poor season can be traced to training camp when Suggs reported 18 pounds overweight and missed most of training camp with an ankle injury.

He was scrutinized by fans even more than second-year quarterback Joe Flacco because Suggs had signed a six-year, $63 million contract ($38 million guaranteed) in July to become the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history.

He was no Lawrence Taylor or Joey Porter, either. Far from it.

"No one was more disappointed about my season than me," Suggs, 27, said. "It was like everybody had a magnifying glass on me. I was like, 'Wow, why is everybody making such a big deal out of this?' I had played my way out of the first contract, and it was time for the second. People just kept talking and writing about it, and it was one aspect of the game that I was uncomfortable with. To me, it was just business.

"The problem was that I went into last offseason with a shoulder injury that required rest, and I couldn't work at the level that I had worked at in the past," Suggs said. "Then I hurt my foot in training camp and never got to where I needed to be. But that's all behind me now. It's time to move on. I won't make any predictions, but it will be different this season."

It already has been. When the team began offseason workouts several weeks ago, Suggs was there. In the past, he often stayed in Arizona working with a personal trainer. But those days are gone, and so are those long vacations Suggs enjoyed after the season.

He has traded in rest and relaxation for time in the weight room, where he has vowed to get bigger and stronger for the 2010 season. Suggs calls it leadership.

"In the past, I always wanted a personal trainer because you got more personal attention," Suggs said. "Why work out with a group of 25 to 50 guys when you could have a smaller group of seven to eight? Before, I was one of the younger guys, but now I'm one of the older ones. It's good for me to be around the younger guys like Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe."

There's also this weight problem. The extra pounds were noticeable, especially in the lower half of Suggs' body. The explosiveness off the snap that made him tough to block disappeared last season.

"I bulked up to play defensive end because I thought it was necessary for me to be able to stop the run," Suggs said. "I played at about 270, and now my goal is to get back to around 255."

The Ravens also would like him to add some moves to his repertoire. Speed has always been Suggs' major asset coming off the edge, but he needs to work more with his hands. He needs to become better at using leverage and playing with power.

"That's a fair assessment," Suggs said. "I'm trying to be the best that I can be, so if that's what I need to do, I'm willing to work at it."

Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison can do Suggs a favor by moving him along the line of scrimmage next season. In the past, Suggs could line up anywhere on any play.

Last season, though, Suggs played and stayed at right defensive end. It was easier for opposing offensive coordinators to turn their protection toward him. Hopefully, that will change.

Suggs is excited about the addition of receivers Donte' Stallworth and Anquan Boldin. When July rolls around, he expects to be 100 percent recovered from injuries and ready to participate in a full training camp.

Suggs won't make any promises but predicts he will be much improved from a year ago. He at least appears happy now, not walking around with the long face he had at the end of last season.

"Where's the Pro Bowl at next year?" Suggs asked, laughing. "Last year, it was in Miami. I couldn't get excited about that. This year, it's back in Hawaii. I like that trip. Put it down, I'm going back to the Pro Bowl."

[Sophie Scholl]

Here's to hoping the Broncos trade Orton so that Quinn can start against the Ravens when the Broncos come to visit.

[jimmy olsen]

I like it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/23/overtime-proposal-passes/?related=1

Overtime proposal passes
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 23, 2010 3:22 PM ET
The National Football League owners have approved a change in overtime, starting with the playoffs following the 2010 season, that will modify the sudden-death format and prevent a team from winning a game with a field goal on the opening possession.

The vote was 28-4, with the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals voting against. It needed at least 24 votes to pass.

"It was really a good discussion in the sense that there's been a lot of debate, both publicly and privately, over the rule -- which is always good," Competition Committee co-chair Rich McKay said in announcing the vote. "We've had this discussion for a number of years. We felt like this proposal, which we call 'modified sudden death,' was really an opportunity to make what we think was a pretty good rule -- sudden death -- even better."

McKay stressed that the new overtime rule, which says the team receiving the kickoff can't end the game on the first possession unless it scores a touchdown, will apply only to the playoffs.

"Part of the reason we have different rules is we have different consequences," McKay said. "The consequences in the postseason are, go home if you don't win. In the regular season, we have 15 other games."

It's the first major change in playoff overtime rules in the NFL since "The Greatest Game Ever Played," when the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game.

UPDATE: Here's a previous post explaining the "modified sudden death" overtime format. The rule could be expanded to include the regular season as early as May.

UPDATE II: Your questions answered regarding onside kicks, and safeties in the new format.

UPDATE III: NFL coaches are not happy with the changes.  Let us know if you approve.

[Barrister]

Bah - it seems overly complicated.

If you're that concerned about both teams getting a 'fair chance' then go to the college/CFL rule and give each team a chance.

Myself, I've always been of the view that if you don't want a game to be decided by the flip of the coin then make sure you win in regulation - and that's coming from someone whose team lost in the playoffs in OT without a chance to put the ball in the offence's hands.

I wonder if, in OT, the smart strategy would now be to choose to kick if you win the coin toss.   

[sbr]

I wonder if, in OT, the smart strategy would now be to choose to kick if you win the coin toss.   

I see where you are going with that, but I don't think so.  A TD will still end the game without the kicking team getting a chance to touch the ball, so I could see any way to justify kicking.  It could make for some interesting decisions/discussions though.

[Barrister]

I wonder if, in OT, the smart strategy would now be to choose to kick if you win the coin toss.   

I see where you are going with that, but I don't think so.  A TD will still end the game without the kicking team getting a chance to touch the ball, so I could see any way to justify kicking.  It could make for some interesting decisions/discussions though.

Nah - I don't think I'm right.  I had assumed that the first team would have to keep going for it even on 4th down, so then the second team could win it on a fairly easy FG.

But no, the first team could still score the FG, which puts the 2nd team in the same boat of having to try for a TD to win.

[Neil]

Typical fucking weakness.  Anybody who likes that rule change is a coward and/or a moron.

[C.C.R.]

The NFL might as well go to a shootout...