Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks before the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been going on for years, Roger Goodell saying an 18 game season. But something happened that could actually give some credibility to this idea that keeps getting thrown around. The NFL has altered its calendar by moving the draft from April to May and the NFL Scouting Combine from February to March.

At the surface of it all it seems like the NFL could simply want to extend their footprint through out the calendar year. May is an incredibly slow month for the NFL in terms of news and relevance.

Or, the NFL is seriously trying to get an 18 game schedule and they’re making room for extra games by pushing back offseason activities.

“[The options] are all on the table,” Goodell said at a press conference at the quarterly ownership meetings in Boston.  “As I have said before, I think the structure of the season is something that we consistently reevaluate.  I have been quite open about [indicating that] we have to address the quality of the preseason.  I hear from fans consistently that they want to make every NFL event more valuable.  They see the preseason as being less valuable to them because they don’t see the best players and the games do not count.  We have to address that, whether we are looking at 18 [regular-season games] and two [preseason games] or 16-and-two and expanded playoffs.  They are all on the table and things we are going to evaluate.”

Goodell also went on to say that the calendar shift for the draft is due in part to Radio City Music Hall’s desire to put on a Easter show, much like their Christmas show.

“Next year, Radio City Music Hall, which is the host of our draft, is bringing on a spring event, which I think the focus is on Easter.  It extends to a much later date and interferes with the date when we normally hold the draft.”:

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is returning to prime time this week with the 2013 NFL Draft, live from Radio City Music Hall. This is the 78th annual NFL Player Selection Meeting and it will all kick off Thursday night at 8 PM ET.

This year 23 NFL prospects will be attending including 4 players who have won BCS Championships: T D.J. Fluker, RB Eddie Lacy, CB Dee Milliner, G Chance Warmack. There will also be four Florida State players: QB E.J. Manuel, DE Bjoern Werner, T Menelik Watson, and CB Xavier Rhodes.

The draft will be aired live on NFL Network and ESPN/ESPN 2 all three days.

Here is the round breakdown:

• 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 25 (Round 1)
• 6:30 PM ET, Friday, April 26 (Rounds 2-3)
• Noon ET, Saturday, April 27 (Rounds 4-7)

The first round took exactly 3 hours in 2012, so expecting the same sort of time table you can expect the first round to conclude around 11-11:15 pm ET on Thursday. In 2012 the 2 and third rounds took roughly 3 hours and 45 minutes, and rounds 4-7 took roughly 7 hours and 15 minutes.

The 23 players attending will be:

• Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
• Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
• Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina
• Eric Fisher, T, Central Michigan
• Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
• D.J. Fluker, T, Alabama
• Luke Joeckel, T, Texas A&M
• Lane Johnson, T, Oklahoma
• Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
• Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
• E.J. Manuel, QB, FSU
• Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
• Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
• Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
• Eric Reid, S, LSU
• Xavier Rhodes, CB, FSU
• Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
• Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State
• Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
• Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• Chance Warmack, G, Alabama
• Menelik Watson, T, FSU
• Bjoern Werner, DE, FSU

Compensatory Picks:

There will be 254 selections, including 32 compensatory choices that have been awarded to 16 teams that suffered a net loss of certain quality unrestricted free agents last year.

The following 32 compensatory choices will supplement the 222 regular choices in the seven rounds:

Round 3:

• Houston, 33
• Kansas City, 34
• Tennessee, 35

Round 4:

• Baltimore, 33
• San Francisco, 34
• Detroit, 35
• Atlanta, 36

Round 5: 

• Miami, 33
• Green Bay, 34
• Baltimore, 35

Round 6:

• Houston, 33
• Tennessee, 34
• Baltimore, 35
• Kansas City, 36
• Oakland, 37
• Pittsburgh, 38

Round 7:

• Philadelphia, 33
• Cincinnati, 34
• Seattle, 35
• Seattle, 36
• Atlanta, 37
• Atlanta, 38
• Detroit, 39
• San Francisco, 40
• Baltimore, 41
• Tennessee, 42
• Atlanta, 43
• Miami, 44
• Cincinnati, 45
• San Francisco, 46
• New York Giants, 47
• Indianapolis, 48

March 20, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference at the annual NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

In the last few days there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the NFL’s new rule that will penalize players who lower their helmet when engaging another player. This looks to impact running backs the most, and there are a lot of people who have voiced their dissatisfaction. NFL Network pundit, Mike Mayock recently said:

“To me, a running back has got to be able to drop his pad level. And when a running back drops his pad level, his head goes with it. That’s just the way you play football. And from a defensive player’s perspective — which I was — I understand and respect that. I think it’s part of the game, and I don’t think you can legislate all contact and all forcible head hits out of this game.”

Then we saw Dallas Cowboys legendary running back, Emmit Smith stating:

“This has to be one of the most absurd rules I’ve heard in a long time in the game of football. There’s no way it’s possible for a running back to get to the situation where he has to make the decision whether or not to plow forward for an additional yard to keep the chains moving and keep the clock rolling to end the game or keep the chains moving so his team can continue to drive down the field to get a field goal to win the game.”

You know what I hear when I read people criticising this new rule change which is designed to protect players and limit head injuries? This is what I hear: “But I don’t care if players suffer concussions and can’t remember who they are in ten years time. I paid my money to see some smash mouth football, and that’s what I want to see”

It’s as if fans are viewing football as some sort of bloodsport, much in the same way the Romans threw the Christians to the Lions and viewed it as entertainment. Fans, analysts, bloggers and journalists need to remember that if the league doesn’t make player safety the number one priority, we won’t have a game to watch in years to come. Sound a bit extreme? It has already been shown that parents are thinking twice before allowing or encouraging their children to take up football.

I don’t see it being a hard rule to enforce. You can clearly tell when a running back lowers his head with the sole purpose being to use it to inflict impact on an opposing player. There’s a difference between that and something which naturally happens during the heated nature of the game. It will be up to officials to make the distinction, but we have to give them a chance to get it right, before we just call it a stupid rule which is changing the face of football.

Thankfully, there are some players, both past and present who have come out in support of the new rule. Hall of fame running back, Jim Brown said:

“I’m going to be very honest with you: I didn’t use my head. I used my forearm. And the palm of my hand. And my shoulders. And my shoulder pads. I wasn’t putting my head into too much of anything. I don’t think that sounds like a good idea to me. What is my guarantee that my head is going to be strong enough to hurt somebody else, and not hurt myself?”

I can understand the frustration being voiced by running backs. I am sure they are feeling like they will have to change their running style (some more than others), and will be fearful of ‘running hard’, in case they pick up a fifteen yard penalty. Well, I am sorry fellas – the game changes, and if you have to change a little bit with it, then that’s just the way it has to be.

Some of the more ‘enthusiastic’ voices try to draw this out to what they see as a logical conclusion. They tell us that in a few years, we will all be watching flag football, and you won’t be able to even breathe on another player. Well, I think we know that won’t be the case. There’s a big difference between improving player safety and making football a non-contact sport. By its very nature, football is a very violent game (hence all the pads) and the league has a duty of care to its players. And these players should really be welcoming the move as oppose to seeing it as something which will hinder their play.

To quote Mike Mayock again:

“I’m not a fan of this rule at all. I think it crosses a line. We all love safety, but at some point, football’s got to be football,” Mayock said. “If a running back can’t drop his pad level, I don’t think it’s football anymore.”

We all love

safety, eh? Oh sure, but as long we still get to see helmet to helmet hits that have the potential to render someone unconscious? That sort of safety, right Mike?

I don’t really think we will see many players penalized for this to be honest. How many times during the course of a season do we see a RB deliberately lowering his helmet to deliver a hit? I think the NFL is just being cautious and giving the refs an option if the offense occurs.

The long term effects of concussions are still not that well known, but I know for sure that I want to be watching this great game for many years to come, and I applaud the NFL for putting player safety first.

Oct. 8, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing (56) is injured in the first half of the game agains the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

Rich McKay, Ray Anderson, and Jeff Fisher all answered various questions asked by myself and other credential worthy journalists in an informative conference call. The NFL Competition Committee will be holding its annual league meeting next week in Arizona and many different subjects will come under review. Much of the discussions that will be taking place will consider the health and safety of the players. Issues regarding peel back blocks, leading with the crown of the helmet, and field maintenance will all be voted on in order to try and make the game safer. Along with safety, rules concerning things such as instant replay and the infamous tuck rule will be addressed.

Safety is always a big time issue with the NFL Competition Committee and this year is no different. The league is looking to address a few issues of safety.

The first is the peel back block, which is a play similar to what the Texan’s Brian Cushing was injured on this past year which ended up ending his year early. Players will no longer be able to block low in or outside of the tackle box.

The next rule change affects both the offensive and defensive players. Starting in 2013, any defender or offensive player running with the ball who initiates contact with the crown of their helmet will be penalized 15 yards for doing so. This could be big as now offensive players could be penalized for leading with their heads.

Also concerning safety, the issue that came up in Washington during the playoffs of field maintenance will be addressed this coming season. Organizations will now be held responsible by the NFL for upholding NFL worthy field conditions. This issue may have been what injured both RG3 and Chris Clemons in the playoffs last year. When asked if there were any proposals to change the type of turf in Washington, Rich McKay said “No, there hasn’t been any specific proposals and clubs really are given the option and prerogative to pick their surfaces, so there is no proposal that would require them to change surfaces, this proposal is geared toward making sure everyone understands going forward that the league will take a more active role in making sure that whatever surface is chosen that the standards are vigorously upheld.”

A few different rules will be proposed to try and keep the game as fair as possible. The infamous tuck rule will be eliminated from the rulebooks. If a quarterback is trying to secure the ball and it comes out, it will now be ruled a fumble, as it should have been all along.

The next proposal will be about instant replay. If a coach challenges a play, a timeout will be charged, if the challenge is won, the timeout will be given back. If a timeout is not available, a 15 yard penalty will be assessed and the play is still reviewable. If a challenge is not allowed but a challenge flag is thrown, the timeout will not be given back. Another rule being proposed is a requirement that all players wear thigh and knee pads in an attempt to improve safety.

The NFL Competition Committee is poised to make the game safer and better played this year as many issues will be resolved next week in their annual league meeting.

December 18, 2011; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams player and Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk speaks to the crowd as he is honored with a hall of fame ring and his name is added to the wall of fame during half time of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Edward Jones Dome. Cincinnati defeated St. Louis Rams 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The last time the Super Bowl was in New Orleans was 11 years ago at Super Bowl XXXVI and it had the St. Louis Rams taking on the New England Patriots. The Patriots eventually went on to win their first of 3 Super Bowls behind some kid named Tom Brady and a leg belonging to Adam Vinatieri, who put a game winning field goal through the uprights.

But later in time we found out that the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick videotaped opposing teams practices and walk throughs. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell punished the Patriots for that incident, involving the New York Jets, and has maintained that there is no evidence they did this before the Super Bowl.

Marshall Faulk thinks they cheated and stole a ring from him and his Rams teammates.

“All of my memories about playing the game is all good feelings,” Faulk said in an interview with Tom Curran. “I only remember the Super Bowl I won in Atlanta (after the 1999 season). I couldn’t even conjure up the feelings of what I felt after the game (against the Patriots). I’m sure I was heartbroken and maybe a little upset but when you talk Super Bowl, all of my feelings go directly to winning.”

It was brought up that he has an “anti-Patriots” reuptation in his role on NFL Network as an analyst, some call it bitterness.

“They misunderstand,” Faulk corrected. “Am I over the loss? Yeah, I’m over the loss. But I’ll never be over being cheated out of the Super Bowl. That’s a different story. I can understand losing a Super Bowl, that’s fine . . . But how things happened and what took place. Obviously, the commissioner gets to handle things how he wants to handle them but if they wanted us to shut up about what happened, show us the tapes. Don’t burn ‘em.”

Goodell destroyed the tapes after reviewing them and passing down sanctions on the Patriots organization.

“Obviously, the commissioner gets to handle things how he wants to handle them but if they wanted us to shut up about what happened, show us the tapes. Don’t burn ‘em,” Faulk said.

Seems fair enough, and certainly if it were true he wouldn’t want to deal with an NCAA like situation where you vacate bowl wins. If the Rams were cheated what would Goodell do? Revoke a Super Bowl win? What a mess that’d be, I’d burn the tapes punish them for regular season games they taped and maintain that they didn’t do it before that Super Bowl as well.

Faulk though says the proof is in pudding or the game tape.

“I know, in that game, in the red zone, the plays we ran, most of them we hadn’t ran most of those plays that year,” Faulk noted. “And a couple of plays on third down that we walked through also . . .  Any time that I was offset, I was always stationary. And we had creating motioning in the backfield at the same depth on the other side of the field. And they created a check for it. It’s just little things like that. It’s either the best coaching in the world when you come up with situations that you had never seen before. Or you’d seen it and knew what to do.”

Jan 27, 2013, Honolulu, HI, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) shake hands after the 2013 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. The NFC defeated the AFC 62-25. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell is on Reddit responding to questions in the annual promotional blitz leading up to the Super Bowl this weekend in New Orleans. One of the Redditors asked Goodell about his perception of the Pro Bowl and what he thought.

“I watched the game and noticed the improved quality of the game. I appreciate the players commitment in this regard,” Goodell wrote. “We need to continually work to make our game better for the fans. I look forward to getting detailed player comment and input over the next few weeks.”

The NFL has been trying for years to rejuvenate the Pro Bowl. Many fans aren’t interested in the festival that is the Pro Bowl. The lack of competition and arguably effort on the parts of the players have cause the fans to ignore the event. They’ve tried moving it to another city, they’ve tried playing the game before the Super Bowl, all in efforts to up the interest in the game.

Last week Peyton Manning gathered NFC and AFC Pro Bowlers together and implored them to give more effort in the game. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com cites sources that claim the NFL is still undecided in regards to the future of the Pro Bowl. One idea is to host the Pro Bowl in the same city as the Super Bowl, the weekend before in an effort to merge NFL activities and increase exposure. It would also be interesting to have the players in the Super Bowl hoopla leading up to it.

The players though seem to want the Pro Bowl to stay in Hawaii and to be played after the Super Bowl. Players from the teams playing in the Super Bowl currently don’t get an opportunity to play in the Pro Bowl.

Jun 8, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; United States president Barack Obama speaks during a visit by the New York Giants at the White House to celebrate the team

President Barack Obama is a fan of football, in fact he says he’s a big fan. But as the risk of head injuries in America’s most popular sport move more and more into the spot light behind incidents like Junior Seau’s suicide and the murder-suicide of Jovan Belcher, many parents are wondering if football is a sport they’d let their children play.

President Obama hasn’t had to make that decision as the father of two daughters, but he says in a new interview that the decision would be a tough one.

“I’m a big football fan, but I have to tell you if I had a son, I’d have to think long and hard before I let him play football,” Obama said in an interview with the New Republic. “And I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence. In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won’t have to examine our consciences quite as much.”

But the risk amongst amateur players might be greater than those in the NFL. Amateur players are younger and more prone to make bad decisions. At the same time they’re more apt to make riskier decisions as they strive to break out and get a shot at big time collegiate football and one day the NFL.

Obama shares that his concern lies with America’s youth, not necessarily the players in the NFL making millions.

“I tend to be more worried about college players than NFL players in the sense that the NFL players have a union, they’re grown men, they can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies,” Obama said. “You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That’s something that I’d like to see the NCAA think about.”

Both the NFL and the NCAA have made changes to the games in an attempt to make them safer. Moving the kick off closer, protecting the quarterback and defenseless players. But how much more can be change is yet to be seen.

Jan 5, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) celebrates after scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run against the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC wild card playoff game at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Bengals 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell has been toying with the idea of getting rid of the Pro Bowl all together. Fans don’t like it, they players don’t try and it just is more of a Hawaiian vacation than a game. Goodell has previously tried all sorts of things to encourage interest in the game.

He’s tried moving it to another city, he tried moving it to the week before the Super Bowl, he moved it back to Hawaii.

Peyton Manning famously gave a speech yesterday encouraging players to try their hardest to win. But the players are hesitant, in a meaningless game, to give their usual effort in large part due to the risk of injury. An injury could effect their career and essentially a players wallet.

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster recently spoke out (on the NFL Network, via Pro Football Talk) about his feelings towards Goodell and the Pro Bowl.

“I see both sides of the coin, I really do,” Foster said. “But in all honesty, with all due respect, Mr. Goodell? He’s not out here taking these hits.”

“The fans want a competitive game, but here you have players that have had 16-plus games, an entire season. Our bodies have worn down. This isn’t basketball. You can’t go play pickup football,” Foster said. “It’s a tough situation for both sides. I think it’s a good revenue attraction for the state of Hawaii. It brings a lot of revenue, brings a lot of tourism here, so you don’t want to see it go. And it’s a tradition for the NFL. So hopefully we get it figured out.”

Personally I think the NFL needs to stop making the Pro Bowl something more than it is, an actually competitive football game. It’s a celebration of sorts and should be. Make skills games the highlights of the Pro Bowl weekend. We’ve seen the “tricks” players do in the NFL’s “Pick Me” Fantasy Football commercial campaign. They could continue something along those lines?

Or just make it a flag football game? Heck, divide the players into more than 2 teams and make it a flag football tournament?

Just don’t put lipstick on a pig here and tell the fans this is a serious football game.

What would you like to see them do with the NFL Pro Bowl? Let us know in the comments below!

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton was reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today, and can effectively resume his duties as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

“I am thankful today Commissioner [Roger] Goodell has granted me reinstatement,” Payton said in a statement released by the Saints. “As I stated back in March, I, along with Mickey Loomis, take full responsibility for all aspects of our football program.

“I clearly recognize that mistakes were made, which led to league violations.

“Furthermore, I have assured the Commissioner a more diligent protocol will be followed.

“Lastly, I feel we have learned from our mistakes and are ready to move forward. I want to thank our owner, Mr. Benson and all of our great fans for the overwhelming support throughout this past year.

“I am excited to be back as Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints!”

And Sean Payton isn’t the only one excited about the news. Mardi Gras has most undoubtedly came to New Orleans earlier than expected as fans celebrate. The Saints Owner/Chariman of the Board Tom Benson is excited as well.

“We are all thankful that Sean Payton has been reinstated,” said Benson. “We have a lot of work to do and we are in the middle of it right now. He is our head coach and we welcome him back. We look forward to a great 2013 season and making another run at a World Championship for our fans!”

The Saints finished with a mediocre 7-9 record and missed the playoffs. Despite being the number 1 passing offense in the league they struggled on the ground, the 25th ranked in the NFL. The Saints’ defense ranked 31st against the pass and 32nd against the run. This could’ve been in part due to the several defensive players suspended for parts of the season.

The silver lining aside from Payton’s return. They finished the season 2-1.

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated supsended New Orleans Saints’s head coach Sean Payton. Greg Aiello, the spokesman for the NFL announced the reinstatement of the coach suspended for the “bounty gate” scandal this morning. Earlier this month Aiello refuted claims that anything would happen before the Super Bowl.

Per Aiello, he “acknowledged in the meeting his responsibility for the actions of his coaching staff and players and pledged to uphold the highest standards of the NFL.”

Apparently there was a meeting between the controversial commissioner and the coach on Monday of this week.

“We had a very productive discussion,” said Goodell, via Pro Football Talk. “Sean fully complied with all the requirements imposed on him during his suspension. More important, it is clear that Sean understands and accepts his responsibilities as a head coach and the vital role that coaches play in promoting player safety and setting an example for how the game should be played at all levels. We are committed to delivering football that fans love and the safety players deserve. Coach Payton agrees and I look forward to working with him going forward to do that.”

The lifting of the suspension means he is free to get back to work and there are certain benefits to the timing.

He can start filling holes on his staff by hiring assistant coaches. Payton is also free to attend the Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl, is college seniors’ version of the Pro Bowl, so for a lot of NFL Coaches it’s a time to examine up close and in person the talent they will be vying for in the NFL Draft.

The Super Bowl of course is in New Orleans this year, and Goodell isn’t expecting the warmest of responses when he visits the team he decimated with suspensions. The New Orleans had been a perennial playoff team under Payton until these suspensions that had them finish well below what they’ve become accustomed too.