Weekly NFL News and Notes Column

 

Tebow has earned a lot of respect in Denver for taking his hazing.

With NFL camps underway and one pre season game already played, America’s long lost nightmare of life without football is over. Thank the Lord.

 

As far as raw football talent, I wonder if there will ever be a more talented draft class than the 2010 pro football Hall of Fame class?

 

There were some awesome speeches, but for my money no one will ever surpass Michael Irvin. EVER!

 

There is something that happened this week in Pro football that is monumental. It got such little attention that frankly I was shocked. Super Bowl 40 in Detroit was the Steelers vs. the Seahawks. Many consider it the worst officiated game of all time, at least in a Super Bowl. Well, this week one of the officials Bill Leavy admitted he made two bad calls in that Super Bowl. Leavy was up in Seattle visiting the Hawks training camp to discuss new rules and to make a presentation on how maybe some old ones will be watched closer this year. This is nothing new. It happens at all camps. What was amazing was his candor and frankly his character. It was good for football and good for him. 

 

Tim Tebow once again showed that he gets it this week. Hazing in the NFL is not new, but when his teammates gave him a haircut that left a ring of hair around his head that looked like a halo, he didn’t fight it. He wore it and did it well. It is little things like that that have endeared Tebow to his teammates already.

 

Are their tensions already in Cincy with Ocho and T.O.? Keep a close eye, but with T.O. getting an incentive laden contract, will he start to push for more minutes? People in Cincy are skeptical and with Marvin Lewis on the last year of his deal this could have been a nail.

 

Spartan Derrick Mason of the Ravens hurt his knee on Saturday. He was immediately held out of the remainder of practice, but by all accounts it is nothing major.

 

Former UM and current starting Dolphin QB Chad Henne has been simply amazing in Dolphin camp so far. He is accurate, knows the offense, and has left no doubt that he is the guy. They are all raving about him.

 

Eric Berry has turned heads over and over in KC. His hands are amazing and one Chief told me, “That guy can do it all. He has pro bowler written all over him.”

 

Many people (Read Chargers) thought LT’s career was over. Well, he has looked fantastic in JETS camp and they are thrilled. One JETS player told me, “I can’t imagine how much better we will be with him. So much experience and he looks awesome.”

The Redskins had to end the fitness test regime with Albert Haynesworth. Players thought it was amusing at first, but at the end of the day they were getting tired of the routine. Players may not all like each other, but they will stand up to what they perceive as wrong. I have no issues with what the Skins did, but it was starting to bother the team.

 

Matt Stafford has a huge task ahead of him. Still without a LT, the Lions have given him more weapons than any QB in the Honolulu Blue and Silver in ages. He has all of them. We will learn in year two how good he can be. Even with a poor LT, he has enough to significantly improve this offense. His playing hurt was nice last year, but now it is about talent. More than one player wants the signal caller to step up and play like his contract dictates in 2010. In the NFL the respect comes from two inter woven facts. How big is your contract financially and how do you play? Stafford got a pass from his teammates last year; he won’t this year.